The Land Below our Feet III (Legacy)

ALESH

As the heavy planks of the colossal gate slowly creaked open ahead, the only thing that Axe could see inside was the glimmering tips of a hundred pointy spears cautiously aimed at their heads.

At first, he was pleasantly surprised to see the barrier start unexplainably lifting as his group began to approach the legendary city of Alesh. But now, seeing the grim faces of the guards congregating before him, he was not so convinced anymore that this was the sign of a welcoming greeting to town.

He was, of course, very aware of the terrifying impact that the appearance of his reduced crew must surely have had on their unsuspecting hosts, given the unusual presence of the various creatures that accompanied them.

That was the reason why, in an effort to ease the spirits somewhat, and as an overall goodwill gesture, the blue-haired man had quickly climbed off the head of the enormous beast that he had been mounting as soon as he spotted the first glimpse of the assembled troops aggressively blocking the accessway, and calmly walked towards it with his arms raised up in the air in a submissive posture.

-We come in peace! – He hurried himself to shout at them, keeping his hands in view and an intentional serene stance.

-Oh, really? – A sarcastic voice answered him, and a tall woman stepped up to the front with a slim finger pointed accusingly at him – Then what the hell have you brought the Tanghum for? Or the giant cat?

-The Tanghum is meant to be a present – Axe courteously responded, bowing his head at her while he slowly advanced towards the gate – And the cat… Let us say that he is just a friend.

-Alright – The soldier replied without much conviction, staring up at the obscured sky – And what about the goddamn birds?

-Oh, yeah, those… I'm sorry, I'd completely forgotten about them – The youngster apologetically said, waving his palm slightly left and right in the air, and making the flock loudly disperse, batting their wings away with this distracted gesture of his – Much better, isn't it?

-Well… That depends on what your definition of better is – The woman scornfully snickered, rolling her eyes and tilting her head in a wordless gesture to her subordinates.

– You are a weird sight… A strange kid with an even stranger gift, among the strangest of crowds – She continued saying while her diligent soldiers searched the visitors’ pockets and promptly confiscated every weapon they found – Of all the presents that you could have chosen from, I wonder why you ended up deciding that the best thing you could possibly bring was a humongous Tanghum for us to feast?

-Well, it was a spur-of-the-moment thing, to be honest – Axe simply confessed, standing patiently still with his arms spread open while a couple of guards thoroughly patted him down – But I brought the Tanghum to protect your walls, though, not for you to eat.

-Oh… So, let me see if I understand – The warrior dismissively scoffed at him – You show up at our door uninvited, and bearing the most awful of gifts… Then it turns out we don't even get a say in what to do with it?

-I… I mean no disrespect – The young man awkwardly stuttered, staring pleadingly at her – I'm just saying that this way you will get the maximum profit out of her, as she will serve you for years on end.

-She? Serve? – The woman sneered in complete disbelief – ­You seem quite sure about that, don't you, kid? And I must admit I have no f*****g clue about how you managed to ride that thing, but as impressive as your little trick was, there's no way that snake will do as you say. So, cut the crap!

-Why not? – The blue-haired youngster innocently asked, frowning with sincere puzzlement and offering her a timid smile.

-Because that is still a damn wild beast! – She frustratedly yelled at him – How dare you suggest that it can become our safe-keeper on demand just for the sake of it?

-No. Not just for the sake of it, but in exchange for sufficient meat and some mutual care – Axe corrected his interlocutor – The desert is a cruel home to live in, and she has fully agreed to this... You have my word.

-Oh, has she? – The Aleshian huffed with visible derision, mindlessly pinching the top of her nasal bridge – And why on earth would she agree to do such a thing?

-Because it is the best she can do for her future progeny – The youngster bluntly responded, nodding earnestly at the stunning city that extended ahead – Now, ma´am, we are all tired and famished. So, can we please come in?

-You certainly can, my child – The warrior conceded. Bobbing her head and signaling him to follow her.

-You may call me Axe – He had just politely told her as he began trailing obediently after her with decided steps. But then he realized that the rest of his traveling companions were still being kept by the other guards at the gate.

-What the hell? – He exclaimed in utter confusion, pointing an adamant finger at his hindered fellows, who stared at him with baffled eyes from the threshold – You said we could all come inside!

-Nope. I said YOU could, Axe. Not them – The woman casually shrugged off as she continued to stroll along the cobbled path – I am afraid your friends will have to wait out there for a little longer… But don't you worry, they'll be perfectly fine.

Axe was still struggling with the imposed absence of his group when he was hauled into a lugubrious-looking building that stood solemnly in the middle of the contrastingly vibrant city.

He had felt too bothered by this inconvenience to properly admire the beauty of the exotic streets. Yet, their richness would have been obvious to anyone with a functioning pair of eyes, and once he was ushered into that empty dark hall, his senses instantly missed the colorfulness of the world that he had previously witnessed outside.

Axe’s pupils had barely adjusted to the sudden shadows that had swallowed him when the woman solider reached her palm and pushed a metallic plank to the side, revealing a brightly illuminated room… So bright that it hurt his eyes.

The warrior escorting him would then distance herself from him while he instinctively squinted and drove a palm to his forehead to use as a shield, until his momentarily blindness subsided and gave way to the glowing image of a chamber that seemed completely embroidered in gold.

He was perplexed to see that everything in that vault seemed to have been coated in that aurous shade, from ceiling to floor… Including every single ornament, all the furniture, and even each tapestry and rug.

In the opposite corner of that incredibly luminous space, there was a large window that let the blazing sunlight in, and all Axe could make out at the beginning was the blurry outline of an unknown presence standing by it.

When he doubtfully approached the center of the mystical enclosure, he was finally able to start discerning a slender figure engulfed in an equally golden robe, and whose back remained enigmatically turned towards him as the woman that had brought him in stepped meekly next to it and leaned, secretively whispering some unintelligible words into their ear.

-Thank you Fhia – The melodious voice belonging to the stranger announced – You may leave, I'll take it from here.

And then, without any further notice, that same stranger that had spoken turned to face him. The words of Phomtek, the Cahenean Captain, replayed immediately in Axe’s head… He had described the Librarian as one of the most beautiful visions that he had the privilege to attest. And it was true: she was astonishing, in a disturbingly unnatural way.

The more he looked at the ethereal long-haired lady, the more he realized that there was definitely something artificial about the frozen lushness of her youthful air and the casual friendliness of her purposefully stretched grin.

The impossible paleness and the rigidness of those sharp cheekbones that seemed carved in glass, along with the practically inexistent expression in most of her delicate features except for those unsettling ocular globes, gave the impression that the woman's face was made out of marble instead of skin… A resemblance so strong, that it awoke an irrational urge in him to reach his index finger and touch her with the tip.

Thankfully, the burning intensity that paradoxically emanated from the chilling eyes of his new host would end up distracting him enough to resist the incredibly intrusive pull of this impulse.

-Hello, Axe – She greeted him with familiarity to his most utter surprise. Abruptly yanking him back to reality and igniting a lot of questions at the same time.