By the time I had fully recovered, my group was aching to leave. It was past time for us to be on our way, yet I did not forget Mil’Tuk’s insistence that we try to ally with the Uchanti. I looked for Jes’Talali and found her tending to a sick old man. The old man was suffering from a very mild illness most likely caused by overworking. I discussed the possibility of an alliance with her and her people.

“Oh, it’s quite possible. The Uchanti have been alone in the Blasted Lands since our ancestors first found themselves here.”

“You say it's possible, but that's not a definitive answer.” I crossed my arms and raised my eyebrow, knowing full well that there would be a catch to an alliance. A favor for a favor. Same as it ever was.

“Quite simple, Hadrian. We did you a favor by healing you, and you do a favor for us.” She worked on getting some medicine for the old man as she talked. Ever the professional, she made sure that the old man’s care was her immediate priority.

“And what do you want me to do then? I’m sure I can very easily pull something off.”

Jes’Talali finished brewing something for the old man and placed it in a small clay cup and helped the old man to drink it very slowly. She helped him tilt his head back and ensured that he didn’t drink too fast and risk choking.

“Several of my people have gone missing as of late. They ventured beyond the canyon to the hidden valley. They were supposed to be back days ago, but haven’t returned. It's been long enough that the rest of the Uchanti are worried that they may not return at all. Bring us closure, and you will have your alliance.”

I pondered for a moment. What other choice did I have? I knew that the Uchanti’s numbers would only bolster my ranks. I needed all of the allies that I could get. So I agreed. I owed them a debt of gratitude after all, and I always repay my debts. I had determined that it was time that we departed anyway.

The Uchanti’s goals aligned with mine. Their hidden valley was towards the same direction as the savannah where my people took refuge. It was a very easy decision to make. I rejoined my fellows and told them what our next course of action was.

***

We gathered resources for the journey to the valley later that evening. I was placing fruits in a sack when I noticed Mil’Tuk leaning on a wall in an alcove. His mind seemed to be elsewhere as he leaned back, one foot on the wall and his arms crossed. A look of hopeless longing rested on his face. I could sense the thought of him thinking to himself that something was far beyond his reach. I turned my attention to what he was looking at, and immediately I understood.

Jes’Talali was on the other side of the canyon, looking up at the night sky as she leaned on a bridge’s rope railing. I knew then what tugged at Mil’Tuk’s heart. I set the sack of fruit aside and walked over to him with my arms behind my back. He hadn’t noticed me.

“Something on your mind?” I announced my presence while giving him a coy little smile. He was startled, flinching back and quickly turning to my direction before he calmed down.

“H-Hadrian. I didn’t see you there.” He relaxed and leaned back on the wall as I took his attention. I stood next to him and looked at Jes’Talali and smiled.

“How could you with such a rare and beautiful flower to occupy your vision?”

Mil’Tuk shrugged uncomfortably as I looked at him. His eyes darted to the side as his cheeks flushed. There was no use in hiding it. He let out a deep sigh before returning his gaze towards Jes.

“I don’t know what to say. I feel like I should talk to her, but I have a gut feeling that I’ll fumble on my words. There's so many mistakes that I could make that I can’t even consider going up to her. I’d just embarrassed myself.”

I leaned on the wall just behind Mil’Tuk and took a deep breath, trying to choose my words very carefully.

“It's true. You could fail. However, could doesn’t necessarily mean will. The way that I see it, you can go over to her and she will tell you no, or she will say yes. On the other hand if you choose not to say anything, then you’ll always be left wondering what you could have done. It's better to try and fail rather than not try at all. At least then, failure will teach you what not to do in the future.”

Mil’Tuk contemplated my words very carefully. He took a deep breath and looked at Jes’Talali. His lower lip quivered and he swallowed hard. He took a deep breath and stepped forward. He spoke with Jes’Talali and left me smiling, content that I was able to help him in some small way. I took one last look before I made my way back to the sack of fruit and resumed packing them up. I took one fruit out of the bag and started to snack. I figured I deserved it for my counsel.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

***

The next day we were gathered to the top of the canyon side and took one last look. We gathered all of the provisions that we could carry and set off towards the hidden valley. It was a day’s journey to the valley, and we would safely arrive by the next morning. On our trek, we passed by ancient ruins that time had forgotten. The faces of the colossal statues that were now partly buried in the earth lost all human features. The sands beat against the stone with such force that it smoothed out the faces to an almost complete blank with barely a trace of who they were. Any names that might have rested on the bases of these statues were long gone.

As I made my journey through the Blasted Lands to become a king, would my kingdom be ruined like this? Were all the works of men destined to lie in the same place? Would I be different somehow? Or was I doomed to undergo the same tragedies as that laid before my predecessors? How many of these forgotten kingdoms died within the first few years of their founding? Was I looking at the ruins of one empire or multiple? Even today I still don’t know the answer. What I do know is that even if my kingdom is fated to die one day, sooner or later, it would be criminal of me to be intimidated and stop.

In order for an empire to die it must first be created. Afterall, like I told Mil’Tuk, the worst thing that could happen is that I failed. To never try at all, that would truly be a disservice. Yet even still, there was a sense of trepidation there. Something that worried me.

We continued on our trek towards the hidden valley. As we approached we found what appeared to be a caldera that was overgrown with age. A large flat area where once boiling magma and death ruled was now a lush green and vibrantly colored land. The dead volcano had become a source of life with mineral rich water and trees that were unlike the rest of the Blasted Lands. Indeed, the very word “blasted” did not even seem to apply to this valley. As we approached, our arrival was heralded by the sound of birds cawing and singing. There were many varieties of such animals. Blue parrots with a golden crest like a cockatoo were the dominant bird in this area.

We explored our surroundings in the valley. There was a lot of ground to cover and not enough daylight to search. We scoured the area as best as we could, searching for any signs of Uchanti presence. Our search led us to an encampment. It seemed like it was a scouting camp for the Unchanti. Though I’ve seen the state of the camp before in another form. There didn’t seem to be any bodies around here. There seemed to be fighting. Large grooves in the ground were evident of something massive crawling on the ground.

I remembered seeing destruction like this before. The destroyed tents, the large footprints, and even the lack of bodies were all familiar to me. These were done by the same type of creature that had destroyed the camp back when I saw Ys’Tar’s idol for the first time, and found Lak’Ashara’s people. I recognized the tracks as those belonging to the giant lizard beast that we had seen on the Land Strider on our way to the City of Pleasure. I believe the beast was some sort of offshoot of dragon. Whatever it was, it was the apex predator of the Blasted Lands, and had killed the Uchanti in this camp. It occurred to me that if I could not rescue any survivors, then I would avenge them. I would have to kill the beast. Yet, as you may already be aware, to kill such a creature is easier said than done.

***

That night we camped out In an elevated place just under the rim of the caldera where hopefully such a large beast would have trouble getting to. It was there that we were trying to piece together exactly how to kill such an incredibly large creature.

“I’d suggest a pit trap, but it would take too much time.” Octavian said as he poked our campfire with a stick so as to stoke up the embers. “We could never make such a large hole for the entire body of the creature with just the six of us.”

Brutus took the lead from an animal he hunted and cooked and ripped the meat off with his jaws while it was still on the bone.

“We don’t need to have a pit trap that could take its entire body. Just something the size of its foot. We’d need to plant multiple traps just to make sure that it steps in at least one.”

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Brutus was excited about the chance to kill such a legendary beast. That was the Brutus I knew. Not the man who sulked and wished to go back to Lak’Ashara. The chance to earn some glory seemed to have knocked some sense into him at long last. He had taken a branch from a tree and already started to make a spike out of it with a blade.

Mil’Tuk knelt down to the fire, throwing bits of wood and tinder into the flame to keep it going.

“We should try to find out where its lair is. Learn all we can about the beast and find any weaknesses it has. We can learn a lot about a creature if we know how it lives. Study it for a while before we strike.”

“Very good idea, Mil’Tuk.” I said as I sat on a seat we made from a log. I was sharpening my blade. The whetstone sliding across its edge made my weapon sing in anticipation. “Our group is small enough to where we’ll be able to stalk the creature.”

Cao Tzu signed off at me, moving her hands in her method of communication. She wondered if her magical fire could be of any assistance. I leaned forward and pet my goatee, pondering her words for a moment.

“Perhaps. All animals have a natural fear of fire. We may be able to use it to our advantage. Mil’Tuk, Straden, I want you to scout the valley out when morning comes. If the beast’s home is indeed here, (which I’m hoping it is,) then we’ll be able to find it if we cover enough ground. Octavian. You and Brutus get lumber and make spears. Cao Tzu, I want you to meditate like you’ve never done so before. We’ll find out where the beast roams. Study it to the best of our abilities, and when we’ve learned all that we could from its patterns…”

“We stick the lizard and watch it bleed!” Brutus stood up, thrusting his spear in the air. He laughed heartily and beamed with anticipation.

“And watch it bleed…” I repeated, a smile appearing on my face. In truth, I was anticipating it myself. I couldn’t imagine very many people having killed one of these beasts. It would be interesting to see what the creature was made of.

“And what will you do, My lord?” Octavian asked, pointing his makeshift fire poker at me. I simply smiled, sharpened my blade at least a few more times and then stood up, placing the weapon at my hip.

“The most important duty of all, dear Octavian. Try to get inside that beast's head…”