It felt somehow wrong to just be walking away. Looking back, Tristan blanched. Twenty feet up in the air was not a lot, but it did give him a good vantage from which he could see the Caldera. The half-light of Viral’s aura made seeing easy, but there was another thing. Smoke billowed up from the eastern part of the land.
The entire area from where the Stone Caldera sat to the ramparts on the opposite side of the Forest Caldera was on fire. Orange flames belched out clouds of smoke. They were spreading across the Caldera. As he was watching a dome of light sprung up somewhere in the plains. It got brighter until it popped, hurling molten metal across the plains.
A few moments later, the air shuddered from the power of the blast. It rustled the needles on the trees and started a new inferno in the plains. If he went back, could he make a difference? Tristan doubted it, but still, he had the foolish desire to at least make a stand. It was a thought he was only able to have now that he was on the edge of safety.
“No,” Vulcan rasped. Tristan had no idea why his voice sounded raspy over a telepathic link, “Don’t be stupid. Your friends only get to survive if Viral thinks he would kill me with a massive attack.”
“So, you’re saying that I should abandon everyone?” Tristan’s patience with Vulcan was low. He understood why the soul tool had shut off his reinforcement, but telling an injured person that the pain was for a good cause was a good way to build resentment.
There was also the problem with Vulcan possessing the ability to control Tristan’s kern. Hadrid had made that sound like something impossible. Every other time Tristan had been a willing participant. It might mean that the soul was not as immune to tampering as he had assumed.
“Yes,” Vulcan said firmly, “if I get captured while inside the caldera, this mountain gets turned into a valley. How will your make-shift bunkers stand up to that?”
Not well at all. The logical part of Tristan was acknowledging the point that Vulcan had. Every other part wanted to yell about how unfair this was. Taking a deep breath Tristan tried to calm himself, then he changed the subject.
“Why are you able to forcefully turn off my kern, and how do I stop it?” Tristan asked.
“We have a connection. You use my essence all the time, what made you think it was a one way connection?” Vulcan said, “Now get off this wall and move as fast as you can.”
Tristan ground his teeth together. He did not like that Vulcan had neglected to tell him that he could take Tristan’s essence. The impulse to toss the lamppost aside rose. Tristan was not sure if that would break whatever bond they had. He simply detested anyone having control over him.
“Don’t ever control my kern again,” Tristan said.
“That's a bit hypocritical, considering what you have been doing with my essence,” Vulcan snapped, “You should be thanking me for saving your life.”
Tristan had enough of the artifact. He pushed the intrusive thoughts of the entity aside and focused on his current task. Getting down the other side of the wall. Unfortunately, no spiral staircases were leading down the other side. Tristan was confused, at first, they made for a safe way to get over the wall. The reason why became clear when Tristan looked directly down over the side.
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A ten foot wide moat, filled with metal spikes ran parallel to the wall. If any beast attempted to climb the wall, they would first need to cross a pit full of spikes. If they were pushed off the wall, they would fall and be impaled. Any creature without flight would be stopped by this. Tristan would also bet that this trench was why the Caldera had thought to dig the one around the plains.
So it was back to walking. There was no way Tristan trusted his reinforcement enough to risk jumping on some three foot long spikes. The wall went on for quite a ways, and without Viral’s glowing aura, it would have curved out of sight in a relatively short distance. Due to the ambient light, Tristan saw the gate long before he reached it.
Why did a wall that no one left need a gate? Back in the Grand Ancestor’s time did they expect trade to develop? It would make some sense if the caldera could be developed in the wreckage of a war, it stood to reason that prepared explorers would be more successful. There was also something else at the gate. A guard.
The warrior saw Tristan not long after Tristan spotted him. He waved at Tristan, beckoning him over. Tristan had expected him to be wary and prepared to fight. The latter might still be true, but he was most certainly eager for a conversation. Watching his homeland go up in flames would make him concerned.
Tristan inspected the man. He was an uncommon warrior archer. Aside from the long bow and quiver of arrows, the man had the standard equipment of a warrior. Battle robes, gauntlets, and grieves. He had the standard tanned complexion and bulky build that an earth kern naturally endowed.
“You aren’t part of the garrison?” The warrior stated. His tone made it into a question. The discrepancy was overlooked in favor of information, “What is going on in the Caldera?”
Tristan felt bad for the man, “How long have you been here?”
“Ever since the Elders called back the bulk of their warriors for some kind of internal conflict. The last food delivery was missed, the last thing I heard was there was a large elemental issue of some kind. Did something bad happen?” The warrior sounded like he was going crazy. Nearly six months alone, with nothing but a bimonthly delivery and some mythical beasts to keep him company.
Tristan explained what had happened. How he had been on the team that had taken down the Lord of the Underworld and the party, shortly followed by the arrival of Viral, “You have to run, every Caldera was already destroyed.”
“No,” the warrior said, “My family liked to live in a cabin in the wilderness, they could still be alive.”
Tristan contemplated stopping the warrior. He would probably get killed, but Tristan would hate anyone who tried to stop him from saving Conni or Grace. However, stopping the warrior would make him a little better than Vulcan. One day he would build something like the Caldera for himself, but that day would be when he was strong enough to keep it safe.
Tristan sighed, “I won’t get in your way, however, before you leave, could you let me out?”
“It’s dangerous outside these walls,” The warrior warned, then he glanced into the Caldera, “Maybe not as dangerous as the interior. Anyway, as thanks for bringing me news, I will let you out. There are just a few things to watch out for. The most common mythical beast out here is a jackalope. They aren’t carnivorous and are safe to eat. They won’t attack you unless they have a litter to protect. “
“The most common predators are tier two. Ghost crabs are relatively harmless unless you’re stupid, but Wroughtwilers come in packs. They have a coat of metal fur. It is vulnerable to thin sharp objects but resistant to bludgeoning and slashing. Don’t let a pack surround you, but one on one they are manageable.”
He pointed to a valley between two hills. It was only notable because of how it looked. On the edge of Tristan’s ability to see, the hill was sliced in two, like a meteor had torn a rut through the hill and into the landscape beyond.
“There are some tier four tortoises, they will try to eat you, but they are slow. Over there is the nest of a juvenile drake, which is estimated to be tier eight, stay away from her. Finally, there are several roaming beasts, a bone sloth, a nightmare, and a saber tooth. The drake is the strongest, but still be careful, we have lost people to all of them, even the jackalopes.“
Tristan wondered how tier three warriors died to rabbits with horns, however, he didn’t say anything about it, “Thank you for telling me. Best of luck finding your family,” He had a thought, he handed the warrior an essence reservoir filled with earth essence, “If you run out of essence, eat this, it should refill your kern. It can even help you survive a broken kern.”
“Thank you,” The warrior pointed to a staircase leading down to the ground, “I need to open it from up here.”
Tristan descended and stood before the wooden gate. It did not take long for the door to begin creaking open. He took one last look back at what used to be his home. Clenching his fists he promised himself that he would not let this happen again. Then, he took his first step out of the Caldera.