Ending Maker Chapter 68
Ending Maker Chapter 68
Chapter 21 - Crossing Paths
"First, let me explain the Dragon Vein."
After hearing about the Guardians of the Holy Cross and the Witch's Soul, Rough Avalanche looked as though an entire army had come to his rescue.
The situation had seemed so hopeless that he had not known what to do. Now, all at once, it felt as though salvation had reached down to him.
"First, you two sit down as well. The story is likely to be long."
Rough Avalanche patted the spot beside him twice, then wriggled around until he found a more comfortable position.
Cordelia sat down next to the teddy-bear-like Rough Avalanche, and Yuder took a seat across from them.
"The Dragon Vein is a flow of sacred power that runs throughout the Wild Lands."
"Is it only in the Wild Lands?"
Rough Avalanche furrowed his brow at Cordelia's question.
"Half right and half wrong. The ley lines that form the basis of the Dragon Vein spread across the entire continent—no, across the entire world. Over a very long time, however, the wild gods poured their power into part of that network and created the Dragon Vein as it exists today."
In other words, they had taken part of the world's existing magical infrastructure and upgraded it.
Cordelia asked again.
"Is the Dragon Vein something like the source of the wild gods' power?"
"Not entirely. But... it is true that we wild gods grew stronger through our connection with the Dragon Vein. The land it flows through became our sanctuary, and outside that sanctuary our connection to it is cut off, weakening us in turn."
"Uh...... so anyway, no Dragon Vein means you're screwed, is that it?"
"Not completely screwed. There are wild gods who remain powerful without depending on the Dragon Vein at all..."
Judging from the way he said it, though, Rough Avalanche clearly seemed to be one of the Wild Gods in the 'screwed without the Dragon Vein' camp.
"So anyway, it's incredibly important, then."
"Exactly. I'm not saying this to boast, but everyone in the Wild Lands can survive because of the sanctuaries we wild gods cultivate and protect. If the Dragon Vein collapses, the sanctuaries collapse with it, and the Wild Lands will eventually become a land of death."
Yuder nodded.
In the game, the Wild Lands had indeed been a barren wasteland where no one could live.
"However, I believe those bastards are trying to do something even worse."
"Worse than turning it into a land of death?"
"Yes. They were trying to corrupt the Dragon Vein. Rather than simply destroy it, it looked as though they meant to... use the corrupted vein for their own purposes."
"Right. You said earlier that if the Dragon Vein was corrupted, you would be corrupted along with it, didn't you?"
At Cordelia's words, Rough Avalanche nodded with a gloomy face.
Even in the middle of the grim discussion, Yuder found himself looking at Cordelia with new appreciation.
He had never noticed when it was just the two of them talking, but Cordelia was genuinely good at listening to people and responding in ways that kept them talking.
She was naturally good at drawing people out.
'Though I don't think she does it deliberately.'
It was just her nature.
'Well, I've become more talkative thanks to her too.'
Thinking back to when he first started Hero Legend 2, Yuder nearly slipped into nostalgia before shaking his head and clearing away the distraction.
What mattered right now was Rough Avalanche's story.
"When they started corrupting the Dragon Vein, my mind began to warp too. I fought it desperately, but... if you had not come, I would have lost my reason and become a rampaging monster."
Rough Avalanche shook his head as though the mere thought was horrifying.
Cordelia rubbed Rough Avalanche's back as she looked at Yuder.
'You get the gist, right?'
'Yeah, I think I do.'
Once Yuder lined up the story of Hero Legend 2 with what was happening now, the answer became clear.
What Zaracul had injected into the Dragon Vein was Belial's blood.
Of course, it was not literally Belial's blood. A special ritual had infused sacrificial blood with Belial's power.
"Rough Avalanche, I think they're corrupting the Dragon Vein so they can corrupt the wild gods through it—and then use the fallen gods to corrupt the entire Wild Lands."
At Yuder's words, Rough Avalanche trembled.
"That is truly a terrifying tale. It must be stopped at all costs."
"Yes, it must be stopped at all costs. And to do that, we absolutely need your help, Rough Avalanche."
"My help?"
"Yes, that's right. We absolutely need your help, Rough Avalanche!"
Cordelia pleaded so earnestly that Rough Avalanche looked flustered for a moment, then sprang to his feet.
"Very well! I will do anything within my power!"
"Thank you so much!"
Cordelia played along enthusiastically, then glanced back at Yuder.
'But what exactly are we asking him to help with?'
'Hmm... bad company really does rub off.'
She had started scamming Rough Avalanche before she even knew what she was asking him for.
Yuder felt a brief pang of guilt, as though he had corrupted the pure Cordelia, but soon focused on Rough Avalanche again.
"The demon worshippers have already corrupted the Angry Rhino Tribe and are using them as their pawns. We need to isolate the tribe before this spreads any farther."
"The Angry Rhino Tribe? They are one of the largest and strongest tribes in the Wild Lands."
"Exactly, which is why we have to stop them now. After what happened here, their scheme is already exposed for everyone in the Wild Lands to see."
"Scheme?"
"Yes. They aren't only corrupting the Dragon Vein. They're corrupting wild gods and sanctuaries so they can bring the tribes living in the Wild Lands down with them."
"What?!"
"The Dragon Vein is being poisoned and the sanctuaries are breaking down. The tribes will struggle to survive. Worse, the wild gods they have always trusted will start acting strangely too. Once the tribes have nowhere left to turn, their morale will collapse—and that's when the enemy will move in. They'll absorb them into the already-corrupted Angry Rhino Tribe and turn the whole Wild Lands into a den of demons!"
"G-good heavens. How vile... they truly are evil bastards!"
Rough Avalanche shuddered at the sheer horror of it.
Yuder grabbed Rough Avalanche's small, round shoulders and spoke.
"Yes. That's why we have to stop them. We need to spread the truth among the tribes of the Wild Lands and isolate the Angry Rhino Tribe."
The reason the Angry Rhino Tribe had invaded the northern part of the Saelun Kingdom was, one way or another, because they had unified the Wild Lands.
So they would stop that unification before it could ever happen.
Better yet, they would isolate the Angry Rhino Tribe instead.
"What must be done? What should I do?"
"First, you need to go to the Great Storm tribe and tell them the truth. These are the words of a wild god, not some random traveler. People will listen."
"Ugh...... so I must leave my sanctuary?"
The mountain had been badly damaged, but more than half of it still stood.
Damaged or not, it was still Rough Avalanche's sanctuary.
"Rough Avalanche, this is a truly serious situation. Right now, you are the only one we can trust and rely on."
Cordelia spoke desperately, her eyes even reddening at the rims. Rough Avalanche groaned in distress.
Telling a wild god to abandon his sanctuary, the source of his power, and leave was only slightly better than telling him to go out and die.
"What if someone else takes this mountain while I'm gone?"
When he hemmed and hawed, Cordelia clasped Rough Avalanche's hands tightly and spoke.
"It's okay. If some thief takes your land, we'll help you drive them out and reclaim the mountain together."
"Yes, Great Storm will help you as well."
Had Great Storm been there, he would probably have asked, 'Why me?' Fortunately for Yuder and Cordelia, he was not there to object.
"Ugh... fine. I'll do it. I'll go to the Great Storm tribe and tell everyone about the Angry Rhino Tribe's evil scheme!"
"You're so cool. Rough Avalanche, you're the best!"
Cordelia hugged Rough Avalanche tightly, and Rough Avalanche gave an awkward smile.
"Hmm...... hmm."
No—he was obviously delighted, even if he was trying not to grin openly.
'They say a beauty is a treasure of the world.'
Yuder chuckled, then brought up the next topic right away.
"Rough Avalanche, do you know where the Great Storm tribe dwells?"
"I know roughly. I know where that Great Storm brat lives."
"That's a relief. I wish you a quick and safe journey."
"Yes, thank—wait. You wish me a safe journey? Aren't you coming with me?"
When Rough Avalanche asked with wide, round eyes, Cordelia also turned to look at Yuder.
Yuder nodded and spoke.
"Yes, it is truly regrettable, but it seems you will have to go to the Great Storm tribe alone, Rough Avalanche."
"Then what about you two?"
"We're going to keep stopping their plan. Rough Avalanche, do you know where any other wild-god sanctuaries connected to this Dragon Vein are? Other than Great Storm's, I mean."
"That...... if you go up to the northeast from here, there is a basin where Gentle Snow Breeze's sanctuary lies."
"We intend to go there. If they truly mean to corrupt the entire Dragon Vein, then the other sanctuaries are in danger as well."
It was a reasonable argument.
Moreover, Yuder and Cordelia had one more reason to move.
'Lena.'
They had to reach the place where the event in which Lena was supposed to die would occur. They still had some room in the schedule, but not enough to waste days carelessly.
'It takes about two days to return to the Great Storm tribe.'
A round trip would be four days.
Cordelia guessed what Yuder was thinking and asked him with a look.
'Will he be okay?'
'He should be. There wasn't any particular danger on the way here.'
Moreover, even if weakened, Rough Avalanche was a wild god. Surely he could find another wild god's sanctuary.
"Rough Avalanche, we're counting on you."
"Ughhh...... very well. I will go to the Great Storm tribe alone."
Rough Avalanche nodded with determination. Yuder bowed once more, then asked another question.
"Could you tell us a little more precisely where Gentle Snow Breeze's sanctuary is?"
"Of course. I have a map I set aside long ago."
Rough Avalanche sat back down on the ground and dug into the earth, and a map emerged from the soil.
Like the Freezing Stone earlier, this seemed to be a magic unique to Rough Avalanche.
"Here, take it."
"Thank you."
The conversation ended there.
They were trying to save the Wild Lands. There was no time to waste on anything unnecessary.
"Then I shall be off."
"Yes, I look forward to the day we meet again."
"See you again later."
Rough Avalanche waved back at Cordelia while Yuder bowed politely, then hurried down the rocky mountain.
Cordelia watched Rough Avalanche's retreating figure for a long while, then spoke.
"Will he be okay?"
"He should be...... wait, don't tell me you have a bad feeling?"
Cordelia's intuition was worth taking seriously.
Yuder's unexpectedly serious question caught Cordelia off guard. She thought for a moment, then shrugged.
"No, it's not like I have a bad feeling. I'm just worried about him."
"He'll be fine. He may not look it, but he's a wild god who's lived for hundreds of years."
Relieved, Yuder spoke to Cordelia again.
"Anyway, let's rest here for today and leave early tomorrow morning."
"Yeah, yeah. But I really want a bath. Think there might be a hot spring around here?"
"Uh...... how about gathering some snow and melting it with a Fireball? If the water gets cold, just toss in another Fireball each time."
Cordelia's eyes widened. Then she clenched a fist and snorted with sudden determination.
"That could...... work!"
There was nothing she wouldn't do for a bath.
For the sake of a bath, Cordelia could do even more than that.
"Sure, sure. Anyway, let's find a place to sleep first. And eat something too."
"Yeah, I'm hungry."
"Once we find a decent spot, I'll cook right away."
"Is it jerky soaked in water again?"
"Our princess, didn't we say no picky eating?"
"No, f**k. Give me enough side dishes that I can actually afford to be picky, okay?"
"I'll try."
"Oh, really?"
Cordelia blinked at him in surprise. Yuder only nodded once, then took the lead.
They had both worked hard today, so it seemed fine to break out a bit of the special food he had saved.
'Hmm, good. This should work.'
Yuder glanced back once more in the direction Rough Avalanche had gone, then hurried his steps again.