Hearing this statue laugh with a hoarse and ruff voice didn't sit well with Lowen. The noise emanating from this statues throat sounded as though someone was continually grinding rocks together, causing the three's eardrums to vibrate painfully. Nia and Ben quickly held their heads in distress while Lowen jumped next to them defensively. With this stone statue's toughness, as well as its incredible regenerative capability, Lowen found very little options in a means to permanently destroy it. Instead, if this statue made any more aggressive actions, Lowen would be left with only 1 option, flee. He would struggle with carrying both Nia and Ben but if he really needed to, he could grab them up and make his way back to the village where he could then seek help from Roland. With that option, the only way Lowen would not be capable of escaping is if the other statues could attack as well. Looking at the hundreds of deformed statues, Lowen couldn't help but gulp in anxiety. If these statues really could fight, didn't that mean that this old man had a nearly unstoppable army? And if he could continuously regenerate them, the threat of that was just too unreasonable. 

After what seemed like minutes, the statue finally stopped laughing and instead started approaching Lowen and the others. Lowen grabbed Nia and Ben and was about to make a run for it when the thing he hoped wouldn't happen, did. With creaking stiff movements, 2 more statues began to move. They too turned and looked at Lowen before slowly walking in his direction. Nia and Ben were beyond terrified, they had seen how Lowen had defeated that statue only for it to completely recover. Now with another two coming to attack, they both started to tremble in fear. 

Lowen was the only one to remain calm, as he stood there his mind cleared and he slowly breathed in and out. As he did so, he began to fill his body with both ki and earth energy, only by remaining nearly completely still could he use both energies at once. With the 2 energies filling his body, he was ready to try something risky. Although he could use both energies at once, it did not mean his body could handle it. With so much power coursing through his limbs, his body might last a minute, after that his body might just explode, he himself wasn't entirely sure. All he could try to do was protect his vital organs as well as his head with ki. At the moment these statues attacked, that's when Lowen would make his move. With this amount of energy, he was sure he could tear through these statues in less than a minute, with that he could at least by time for Nia and Ben so they could try and make a run for it. As long as they had a head start, with the training they've both had, they should be able to just stay ahead of these statues. 

Step by step these statues inched closer and closer. As they came upon the three children, Lowen was just about to make his move when the 3 statues suddenly bent down. All three children were puzzled by this. The statues then picked up the fallen rabbit meat and then each one turned and step by step walked away, headed down the dirt path. As the statues got further and further away, it was at this moment that the first statue turned around and yelled. 

"Hey!! are you three coming or going, either way, thanks for the meat, AHAHAHA." 

Lowen and Nia looked at each other completely confused on what to do, but Ben was already about to run ahead. Before he could though, Nia had already grabbed his arm. 

"You dummy, where are you going?" 

Ben was jumping up and down while pointing angrily. 

"But, but, they stole our meat, we have to get'em." 

Lowen looked at Ben admiringly. 

(You gotta give it to the kid, he just won't quit when it comes to food.) 

Nia continued to yell at Ben but it simply went in one ear and out the other. 

"No way Ben, are you crazy? Those things are too strong! We'll be killed! We have to leave no matter what, right Lowen?" 

"Nia, you were right, there is something wrong with that old man." 

"See? Even Lowen thinks so, come on Ben, let's go back." 

Lowen shook his head in disagreement. 

"No, that's not what I meant Nia. There is definitely something wrong with that man, but..." 

"But what?" 

"But he's an earth mage, with his help I may be able to learn more about earth magic and get stronger. 

Nia looked at Lowen as though he were crazy. 

"But he just tried to kill you, why would he help you with anything?" 

Lowen rubbed his chin in thought. 

"I don't know if he will, but I do know if he wanted us dead then we'd be already dead." 

Lowen then walked on ahead. 

"I suggest you two head back, as for me, I'll see for my self if this old man is right in the head or not." 

As Lowen walked away, Nia just stared at his back in bewilderment. 

(How can he be so hardheaded? He still wants to go after all that...) 

Ben looked at his sister questioningly. 

"Big sis, are we going too?" 

Nia was wrapped up in her own thoughts and Ben began pulling on her sleeve. 

"Big sis big sis, hello." 

Nia looked at Ben and scrunched up her little brows. 

"Yes, of course, we're going, we can't leave Lowen alone, what if he gets himself into more trouble?" 

Ben grinned and nodded his head up and down. 

"Yes yes, I'm gonna help big bro the most." 

Nia rubbed Ben's head and pulled him along, soon they caught up to Lowen. 

As Nia caught up to Lowen, she grabbed his hand and started walking with him silently. 

Without looking at Nia, Lowen asked her. 

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"I thought you weren't coming." 

"Hmph, if I don't go whos gonna learn how to make jerky, certainly not you." 

As the three continued to walk along the path, Ben looked at Nia holding Lowen's hand and curiously asked. 

"Big sis big sis, since you two are holding hands, does that mean your gonna get married?" 

Nia's face immediately flushed red in embarrassment and she quickly tried to shake off Lowen's hand but Lowen seeing this decided to tease her a little and held on tighter. No matter how hard Nia struggled, she simply couldn't take her hand away. Lowen looked up at Nia and said. 

"What's the matter with you, we're just holding hands, what's the big deal?" 

Nia herself didn't know but with his words, she started to calm down a bit. That is until Lowen looked over at Ben and with a serious face he said. 

"Since your big sis and I are getting married, I guess instead of big bro you can just call me brother in law." 

Once more Nia's thoughts were in chaos. Her face began to turn many different shades of red as her words were mixed with 2 parts embarrassment and 2 parts anger. 

"WHA wha ...WHAT!!!! I, YOU, YOU URH." 

Ben and Lowen laughed until their sides felt as though they would split and every time Nia seemed to regain her calm, Lowen would again tease her. With this light entertainment, this is how they continued along the way. 

Although old man Sid lived only a mile away, with the curve of the hill and the steepness of the uneven path, what would have normally taken 15 minutes to cover turned into almost an hour to actually reach. Finally, the three came upon a big stone house. This house was quite impressive in size, it was even bigger than the biggest building in the village, the Chief Hall. In front of them stood a tall stone door, only someone with great strength would be able to open this. Before the three even reached the door a voice came from the inside. 

"Come in, come in." 

The three looked at each other and simply walked in. As soon as they did, the great stone door slammed behind them creating an eerie atmosphere. What greeted their sight were the stone statues that had left with their meat earlier, once again the statues stood perfectly still but the meat they carried here was all gone. Looking around the dark room, it was incredibly huge stretching at least 300 feet. From the outside, there was no way of seeing this, as this house seemed to extend further ahead into the mountain. The inside of this room was simple and crude. There were only 2 pieces of furniture to speak of, a desk, which looked as though it was used for some blueprints and at the same time used to have meals, as there were a few dishes with old spoiled food atop it. While the other piece of furniture was a long stone table which was covered in chisels and sculpting equipment, it seemed to be a crafting table for the sole purpose of making statues. But that was not the main focus within the room. Inside this large room was an enormous dome-shaped forge with a raging fire storming inside it. Behind the forge, a shadowed figure was stoking the flames, the only thing to be seen from this shadowed figure were two bright red eyes. 

Lowen almost had to do a double take upon seeing these eyes, for a split second he remembered the crimson eyes he had seen just before his death. A bit of cold sweat ran down his spine before he quickly realized that it wasn't that creature from then. 

As the man stopped stoking the flames, he walked out from the shadows and revealed himself. His hair was as red as blood and was tied into a ponytail. His beard was long as well but to what extent couldn't be seen, as it was braided and wrapped several times around his neck. The man was quite short being only slightly taller then Nia. Although the man was short he was thick with muscles that seem to bulge out in every direction. His face looked as though it were carved from stone, he was a rugged shaped man by nature. If he were to remain still, he too would look like one of his statues, It'd be more normal looking but still, he would fit right in with them. Last but not least was his eyes, they were as red as a crimson sun with a depth that seemed impossible to reach. Looking at them would almost make you envious as the man's eyes seemed to be two jewels possessed only by him. 

For some odd reason, as Lowen continued to look at this man's eyes, he could feel a bit of bloodlust begin to surge within, he could feel some murderous intent welling up within him. Lowen quickly circulated his ki within his mind and his emotions immediately returned to normal. 

Lowen inhaled a cold breath of air. 

(What the hell was that?) 

Lowen looked over at Ben and Nia and they too seemed as if they wanted to kill. Lowen had never seen that expression on their faces before, they were even more affected then he was. They looked as though they would snap at any moment and kill any that got near. Lowen gathered a small amount of ki and was about to help them when the old man spoke up. 

"Oops hehe, I haven't had any guest in so long I had nearly forgotten." 

The old man slowly took out a small white cloth and wrapped it around his eyes tying it firmly in place as a blindfold. As soon as he did that, Lowen, Nia, and Ben each felt as though a small amount of pressure was removed from their shoulders. The leftover murderous intention soon faded from Nia and Ben and the three couldn't help releasing a breath in relief. 

*Phew* 

The old man walked over and began to sit down, as he did, a chair made of dirt instantly formed underneath him and caught him. 

"Hehehe, allow me to introduce myself, the name's Sid, Sid the blind."