The cave looked like a very normal cave in the desert. It was a dry atmosphere. Sandstone was around the entire place and the light of the lantern, the only source of light at all, made big and threatening looking shadows from everyone who made their way trough this cave.
But unexpectedly there was no sign of any kind of ruin around though. Other than the pillar on the very top of the cave, there was no sign of an ancient civilization, just the stiff cave which felt like every other cave.
The air felt surprisingly cool, compared to the outside. When they walked trough the cave some minor drops of sand fell from the top but in total though the cave looked pretty stable. The deeper they left the entrance and walked into the inside more the light faded away very quickly and the only source of light against the uncomfortable darkness was the one lantern Mantis gave to Yong pretty quickly right after receiving it.
While moving onward the professor, right behind Tigress who looked around and inspected the cave, explained: "I've found this place when I found that pillar on the top. Without it I would have likely passed this place since it was very well hidden. The pillar though stood surprisingly very lonely and nothing, as you see, makes any sign of a ruin, right? I wasn't sure about it and it took me days to make sure I'm not landing in some kind of trap. For those who looked closer to the pillar, might have realized that this pillar itself appears ancient. It's obvious that it got put there very recently, in comparison to it's to it's old age. Like something between more or less twenty to forty years put it there while I can't even tell the age of the pillar itself. Which was very unusual but yet very fascinating. It looked like a sign someone put there for something.
But it doesn't look like a warning and the runes were very precise about which kind of agency I was dealing with."
Viper whispered, mainly talking to herself but Shiren who went in front of her was still able to understand her: "Which means somebody already found this place…"
He did not respond.
He wanted to know what bothered her so much going to this place since it seemed dangerous to her but he did not ask because he feared she would just end up yell at him at some point. His conversation with Yong was already enough; He did not need more enemies than he already had.
After a few minutes of pure walking trough the cave, which didn't show any alternative ways than the main one, they reached a dead end in the cave.
But the wall on the end, as the only thing in this place, looked made up. It was not natural.
The wall was made out of normal stone and was fine sanded. Two dragons staying in front of each other, holding hands and spy fire to each other so a flame exist in the middle of them where engraved as the only work on it.
"This..." Jiàoshòu said and heightened his arms like he was demonstrating a presentation: "Is the entry. Every single research I've done directs to this conclusion. I've checked all my notes very often, searched in every library." He went forward, turned back and pointed a the wall: "You see this dragons there? This is the sign we are in the right place."
This statement felt a bit odd though for Shirne. Dragons were nothing unusual on walls. People often times used them to decorate their buildings or paintings. But he was the expert; He had to know it. After all it were dragons on a wall in the middle of the desert. That was unusual for sure.
He did not want to guess how old this wall was. If what the professor said was right, this has to be older than he could imagine.
He explained on: "This are the ancient dragons of protection and guarding, according to an old myth."
"Really?" Crane asked: "I've never heard about any religion that had dragons for very specific jobs. That sounds like they have a dragon for everything."
"You are very correct," the professor answered: "But as well as this religion you pretty much never heard about the land of the gods itself. They did a fantastic job making it a secret as good as they could. And the snakes, descends of them… made it pretty much equally."
He finished the sentence by looking at Viper. She, unamused, looked back to him but didn't answer. After all, he was right. She was hiding something. She tried to avoid this travel and didn't like Shiren did support it. Now he was really asking himself: Why did he not know? Why does she know something he doesn't? It seemed like some insider between his folk but what made him more different than her? Did her parents tell her about that? But if so, why didn't Shiren's parents? Or Hao? It just made no sense. There had to be a reason! Or was Shiren normal and Viper just a special case? The much he wanted to believe this, deep within he knew that was not the case. Something went wrong with his life and he had to figure out why and hoping it was just not because they died too early or something.
But then on the other hand… why did Viper not tell him? She had plenty amount of possibilities to talk to him alone. That made him hate her. She though she was better! That he did not deserve to know for some reason and she is the one above him to judge when he shall know things. He hoped he was wrong but he didn't think so. He was sure about it. The way she acted, looked… Just made him mad.
Jiáoshóu turned around and looked at Shiren. Shiren felt uncomfortable when the attention turned to him and him alone.
"Now, Shiren, you might lent me a hand here. And open this gate for us," the professor said and went a step aside to make space for Shiren who slithered onward.
"How?" Shiren asked while inspecting the wall and looking for something he would expect like a keyhole. But the entire wall was flat. There was no sign of what he was supposed to do to open it.
The professor answered: "By using your Chi. Only a member of the dragon family is able to pass. And the Chi can't lie. It is the ultimate key for this door."
Shiren looked down and sighed. He knew about the Chi and he once saw a scroll how to use it but he answered: "… My Chi? I'm afraid I'm not capable in wield it."
"What?" the professor asked confused; Irritated that his entire plan could fail right here and right now. The exploration and the entire expedition for nothing!
"No. Never learned it. I… I apologist."
The professor caught himself, thought for a moment and considered some options he could do right now and then turned to Viper.
"Well, I know someone for sure who showed being a wielder of the Chi."
Tigress looked at him like he just insulted Viper but then turned at her and said: "Viper… you do not have to do it. We can cut this if you want."
Viper looked at Tigress thankfully, then to the professor and answered: "No. Thank you, Tigress. But I'll do it. If that's what make you happy, Professor."
Shiren felt something was odd in what she just said. She was either lying or pretending something. But he wasn't sure what and for which reason. He hated her making so many secrets around everything. But he did not stop her. As long as she was playing around he was okay with it. She betraying him at some point was something he expected anytime anyway. He made way for Viper who engaged the dragon wall.
For a moment she looked at it and investigated the art before taking a deep breath.
She was hesitating and generally acted very slowly and easy.
Then she looked determinedly at the wall and started to swing her tale in a way Shiren did not understand. First she curled it around before her chest. During this he saw the Chi itself the first time in his life when her tail started glowing in a golden sun light like light. Its glow was comparable to the one of the lantern but it was way brighter, like the light very healthy campfire but with consistency like the sun itself. She swung the tail up, around her body and at the end stretched it out towards the wall.
Firstly nothing really happened but after approximately five seconds something happened and Viper immediately turned back.
The two dragons started to glow, one in in golden and the other in green colors. The colors floated towards the flames where they fused with each other. Like a spiral they coiled around each other while floating downwards until they reached the bottom which felt like the indicator for the door to open.
A deep shake quivered around the entire cave, sand felt down from the top while symbol of the fire turned into the wall and the dragons spitted each other up when the door very slowly opened, like a double door, to each sides with a deep rumbling. They gave vision to a path further inside the cave but instead of leading into the dark, it leaded back to the sunlight.
The doors stopped when they touched the wall and when that happened everything grew silent again. Viper shyly took, as the first, a look into the new found cave. The professor calmly followed with Tigress and after Yong also passed with Mantis, Shiren took a look for himself. Not after far travelling he saw plants and the surroundings looking less and less like a desert but more like actual ruins.
The stones were made and looked like people built this places. Then he saw something downwards the path which made him immediately stopping and wondering.
Something that could be described as a beautiful tower, elevating out of the fog with a mix of plants on it.
This giant castle, like a huge stalagmite, someone forgot in this place, looked like towering from a huge crack.
It seemed like people used to live here but it go forgotten over the course of time, it seemed like. The world forgot about this place and it's bridge.
This huge construct, with it's cylinder formed levels on top of each other and the bridge, both rose from a huge cloud of fog from the cliff appeared respectable but yet also scary.
He didn't know how it was possible but there was no roof over this place. He saw the sun light, like
there was a normal giant cliff in the desert that leads to an ancient castle
When Shiren looked closer he actually saw some plants, even trees growing in this place in between the levels.
At all the entire place looked huge. The cliff in the desert had to be one or more kilometres long. Shiren was no architect to judge that precisely but it was massive.
The wind blew quite strong at this place, yet not too strong as someone had to worry about getting blown away.
"Fascinating isn't it?" the professor asked loudly while excitingly starring at the giant castle.
Crane looked funkily at the bottom: "I… can't even see the ground. Guys, there is no ground. If we fall off the bridge or something…"
Mantis jumped on his hat and said: "Crane. I know you for many years now… Don't tell me you have acrophobia now."
Crane looked up towards him and defended himself: "What? No I'm just, you know, mentioning it. If someone eh… wants to know."
"Got ya, chick." Mantis jumped down again and grinningly started walking. "You can stay here while we are going to have some fun."
"Easy there, Doctor," Yong interrupted his excitement. She already put off the lantern and looked at Mantis: "Ancient old buildings that nobody knows about are known for having traps. I respect your talents and capabilities to handle them if they activate but I would prefer to spot them before that happens at the first place."
Tigress wondered and asked her: "And you are… a trap specialist or something?"
"You can trust her on that," Shiren vouched for Yong: "She was a rogue herself before we met each other and pretty on point with breaking into places and spotting traps. Back on the Jade-Palace it was her who leaded us into the place and allowed us to get in and out without even being noticed."
He did not mention that they got spotted at the end but it wasn't Yongs fault.
Tigress heightened an eyebrow but seemed to agree with a few slight nods and a shrug: "Alright. Nobody can say which threats are waiting for us there though. We can even assume it's nothing we are familiar in any way." She turned to Yong. "But when you can be as careful as it sounds like you can, then you can certainly make the lead."
Yong bowed slightly. "I appreciate your trust, ma'am."
Then she went on at the lead and made her way down to the edge of the bridge, followed by everybody else. The path was not natural but trough the fauna it looked like a wild path. The cliff was a few steps away but the depth of the cliff was recognisable from everywhere.
From the edge of the bridge the entire masonry looked more dominant than before.
The length of the bridge was about approximately one four hundred metre.
It's pillars disappeared into the fog but with the width of like 4 rhinos it was not as much of a risk to pass it.
The professor knelt down before the bridge and inspected it's material. The stone it was made of.
"Massive stone," he explained: "Ancient but yet stable. If nothing happens to it then it should last even triple the time it stood here already."
Crane nervously made a few steps up and down:"I do not like how that sounds. If nothing happens. Sounds not very save," he said.
"You know..." the professor stood up again: "I was saying it will carry our weight with no problem. I just can't say it will stay here for ever since someone could build a giant canon and blast it. Which is very unlikely to happen though. Especially when nobody knows about this place."
"So far," Viper mentioned: "I would like it to stay a secret or someone will indeed take a canon here at some point."
The professor smiled politely. "Charming as always, Master." He shewed towards the bridge: Well then, shall we?"
The closer they came to the castle the more it looked impressive and scary at the same time.
Shiren already got a weird feeling about this place. Like it had a life on it's own. It was hard to explain. He focussed to not let himself distracted by these thoughts. If this is the land of the gods then this is where his kin came from.
It was far away from everything else and life seemed to be possible here. He thought about he may have found a place for him to stay.
The entry of the gate was promising. Two dragons were adorned into the stone of the gate like they were guarding it. Though the left dragon had no mouth any more since the stone broke off and the bottom of the second one was hiding behind a bush.
From this perspective, near by the castle, it was clear that this place wasn't in it's best shape. Stones were cracked or even missing in few parts of the walls. The flora started to take over this place. This was a ruin. A giant ruin but yet intact.
But apparently this place wasn't left alone. When they came close to the entry the saw a shape of a person.
Yong noticed it first: A medium sized person, staying there, seemingly awaiting them.
"Look at this," she said while moving: "Looks like someone is greeting us here. Has to be an ancient guardian."
"Doesn't look ancient to me," Crane said: "More like a healthy looking wolf."
"A wolf?" Viper asked surprisingly. "A wolf in the ancient place of snakes and dragons?"
"Let me try talk to this wolf," the professor decided: "With my expertise with guardians I do not expect it to attack us right away but give us at least a warning in a way everyone can understand."
"You are gonna talk to him?" Mantis wondered: "Why you from all of us?"
"Let him do it, Mantis," Tigress relaxed him: "It's his expedition, is it not? I'm sure it's not the first ruin he discovers." She looked at the professor: "Right?"
The professor nodded. "Of course. And thank you. I appreciate it," he said and engaged the person that seemed to be a guardian.
When he engaged the wolf the wolf did not seem to be aggressive indeed. But still the professor went carefully. After all the wolf was still armed with a lance. Everyone else stood in slight distance to the conversation. They were able to hear the entire conversation but didn't look like a threat.
"Greetings," the professor started the first conversation: "Do I rightfully act on the assumption you are a guard of this place?"
The wolf wore a green cowl with orange patterns on it and a hood on his head.
This expression looked serious without any sign of emotion on it. No anger, joy, not even mistrust.
Just like nothing emotionally in his face. He proved to understand the professor by responding:
"Your assumption proves true, wolf clan. This place is mine to guard for any invaders."
"Dear mister, I hope you do not see us as invaders. We come in peace."
"You are an invader the moment you step one foot on this place. It's not a place for someone like your kind."
The professor a bit sickly backed off slightly and answered: "I understand. But… who is worthy to pass if not my kind, such one as yours?"
"The ones that belong here. Dragons. Or even their descends. Like the person in your company. Grandmaster Viper as well as the other one."
The other one, Shiren thought abashedly. That was real recognition. He was about to say: The other one has a name too but he let it be. It wasn't worth it.
The professor turned at Viper and Shiren. "Yes, of course." Then he turned at the guard again and said: "Say, if we are their… partners or however you want to call it… might we be able to enter as their… subordinates?"
"… If they wish so they can say who they want to enter with them."
Shiren didn't hesitate, came forward and immediately settled things: "I'm Shiren from the fallen clan of Jingche and this are my subordinates I want to come with me." He was glad he did not have to look back to Viper right now who definitely would had to hold herself back in order to not throw Shiren down this bridge.
The guard looked at him for a moment. He looked like he was judging him for the time being. Then he bowed slightly and made way. "Alright. Descend Shiren, you and your folk is allowed to pass. Respect this place and it will respect you. Welcome home."
Shiren did not even want to know what he meant by that when he passed by him. Home…
