Chapter 35: The Dragon Peak Gauntlet
The next two days passed quickly. Uzman spent the time alternating between meditation and training his martial skills. As Battal had promised, he procured an assortment of supplies that would be needed during the gauntlet. The items included healing pills, meridian tempering pills, and stamina potions for Chi regeneration.
This time, Battal did not use the chariot for transportation. Instead, he proved again his mastery over the elements by creating a portal to Dragon Peak. Uzman stood mesmerized, watching a master crafter at work. He did not understand the first thing about the process or the elemental control needed to perform such a feat. Using his energy sense, he only noticed the linking of different elements by their hues. The orange of fire, the brown of earth, and the green of air interspersed with dollops of blue. The threads were minuscule, woven finely like a tapestry. At that moment, he recognized the truth of Master Khalid’s words; Battal might as well be a god where Uzman was concerned.
Uzman was grateful when Jingo volunteered to travel with him and act as a second. The only problem was that the gauntlet was designed to be an individual affair. Jingo would thus just wait outside the gauntlet for Uzman to emerge and provide any help that may be needed.
When they stepped out of the portal, Uzman was struck speechless; mouth agape and eyes wide.
“Isn’t it lovely? Behold the kind of craftsmanship that those who have mastered origin energy are capable of,” Battal gushed in admiration.
Calling the wonder that rose into the sky above them ‘lovely was a literal crime, against the word and the monument. A perfect monument rose in front of Uzman into the distant sky. There were four symmetrical parts that looked stacked above each other. They were clearly representations of the four primal elements based on the colors. Each of the parts merged into the other seamlessly tapering into a conical golden peak.
The mountain was changing shapes after every few minutes, with the four parts switching up as if performing a dance. Every time a change occurred; the colors would meld together changing gradually until they stabilized based on the new formation. The colors would move across the rainbow spectrum and become inverted. Between every change, the structure would change its shape moving from cylindrical, to cuboid, to triangular. It was a transfixing sight.
“The changes are meant to reflect the ever-changing nature of the world and how the elements always move to restore balance. It is rumored that it was crafted by an elder dragon before attaining godhood. You see that rainbow pillar to the side of the mountain? You will need to touch it with a little bit of your blood. It will then activate and open a door. You walk through and may the gods show you favor," Battal stated solemnly.
Uzman looked from Battal to the pillar and the smooth unblemished rocky surface of the artificial mountain with uncertainty. He could see the prismatic cone high in the air. His interactions with cultivation had shown him that even what appeared to be impossible could be accomplished. The changing landscape and swirling colors of the four portions of the mountain gave him pause. Entering through the door, which was nonexistent at the moment, would require placing his faith in the words of two old men; neither of whom went through the gauntlet. They only had second-hand accounts of what transpired once a person entered the gauntlet.
Uzman remembered the promise he had made to his grandfather to grow strong and help to lift the yoke of the imperialty on the people of Tanga. He steeled his resolve and walked briskly to the rainbow pillar. If he hesitated, his resolve might weaken, especially, since an alternative existed. He nicked his forearm and allowed a trickle of his blood to flow to his palm. He then grasped the pillar.
At first, nothing happened. Then a humming sound emanated from the pillar rising in volume as it activated. The rainbow colors started glowing bathing Uzman with a kaleidoscope of hues. The colors created an image of an opening that was cast on the wall of the mountain.
A door stood open on the side of a mountain. Where there had been no opening, a door had materialized. Uzman walked closer and peered inside. It was pitch black. Throwing caution to the winds, he stepped inside without a backward glance.
Uzman jumped and yelped in surprise as a grating sound reverberated throughout the mountain. Behind him, the opening slid shut. There was no way out. A few meters ahead, Uzman entered a well-lit room that resembled a foyer in a medieval castle. There were two rows of statues facing each other as if in a parade. At the far end of the room, a small dragon was carved into a pedestal. One could be forgiven for thinking the statues had been real people who had been solidified based on the realism of the scene.
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Once the door closed, the small dragon statue animated and floated closer to Uzman. Shimmering blue scales glinted in the flickering light. Small had been the initial view. This changed quickly as a beast that was a full 10 feet from rump to snout obscured Uzman’s view of the room. Wicked claws that were easily 5 inches brushed the ground as the dragon came to a stop in front of Uzman. In hindsight, the dragon was still small, based on the stories he had heard and his imagination of towering dragons from fantastical tales.
“Descendant, have you come to attempt the gauntlet?”
Uzman felt his legs turn to jelly. This was unreal. His heart thudded in his chest while a bead of sweat trickled down his back. Had there been a way out, Uzman would have bolted from the room.
“Y-yes,” he stammered.
“It has been many cycles since we hosted a descendant; I hope you fare better than the last attempt. May Kryphos find you worthy and shower you with his blessings,” The dragon said in a melodious voice. “Move through the next door, past the pedestal.”
The crossing of blades barred the indicated passage to the pedestal. Uzman looked up to see the dragon back at the pedestal looking like a carving. He shook his head hoping to clear his thoughts. It was as if he had imagined the conversation.
The statues were paced evenly around three feet facing each other between Uzman and the pedestal. Each pair was armed with similar weapons. The first pair were armed with swords, the second, spears, and the third maces.
Uzman moved towards the first pair and used his glaive to try and part the words and create a passage. The flash of a fist and the grate of a boot as a kick was launched was the only warning Uzman received. He hastily created an earthen shield to absorb the blow.
Stepping back quickly, Uzman looked at the neat row of statues standing between him and his goal. He had not expected the gauntlet to start without a ‘by the way’.
Uzman decided to try another tack, instead of attacking the statues/soldiers, he tried to fit between them. He was able to fit his slight build between the crossed swords and the floor. However, the moment he passed the first pair, the next two turned to face him head-on. A boot on his back threw him forward toward the waiting spears. It was time to fight. His intended ingenuity had landed him in a worse situation. This time he would be facing four foes.
Uzman enforced his body using fire and air and added a small thread of earth. He rolled under the spears and came up sweeping his glaive in an arc that caught the legs of one of the soldiers felling them. The terms of the engagement had not been spelled out clearly. Uzman assumed that he was expected to move towards the pedestal using whatever means possible.
He pivoted quickly and was happily surprised to see that the first pair had resumed their guard position and were not attacking his back. There was some order to this madness after all. Having to face only one soldier, Uzman quickly dispatched them. Now there were only three pairs of soldiers between him and the pedestal. He also had space in which to maneuver.
Uzman took measured steps toward his next pair of opponents. The fight with the spear wielders had been linear. The soldiers had behaved more like animated statues than skilled combatants. Uzman danced easily between the mace-bearing soldiers attacking their legs. He was refraining from using killing blows due to the lack of clarity. However, he was like a jackal in a henhouse. The fights were unchallenging, even boring. He dispatched all of the soldiers quickly without fanfare until he reached the pedestal.
“Well fought young warrior. I commend your restraint and skill. The soldiers are used to weed out the fluff and limit the injuries and deaths during the actual gauntlet. They also serve to test whether you are willing to fight and the nature of your heart.
“I am the guardian spirit of the gauntlet, and until a person has passed the initial challenge, there is usually no point in any discourse since they would have to be unworthy,” The animated dragon stated dryly as if quoting physical laws.
The dragon guided Uzman past the pedestal into a hidden door to a large room beyond. Engraved inscriptions on the wall caught Uzman’s eyes as his eyes roved around the room in wonder. His eyes followed the inscriptions upwards and the adjacent spiral staircase culminating in a door high in his line of sight.
A broken dragon, its forlorn blue-green gaze locked eyes with Uzman. It looked right into his soul, measuring, judging. The first inscription seemed to leap out of the wall on Uzman’s left; the first of many such engravings, a blue-hued dragon broken and battered standing firm and defiant.
“This room tells the story of Kryphos; it provides a lot of insights for one who is willing to listen with the heart and understand with the mind. This room will provide you with a foundation in knowledge; for a man cannot know where they are going unless they know where they are coming from. Ascend the room until you reach the door and take your time to open yourself to the lessons you receive. However, only take as much as you can handle,” With those cryptic words the dragon guardian left Uzman alone in the room.