Grimoires & Masters - Chapter 21. (Patreon)

The Seven Strongholds were way different than what Aoun and Elena could have expected them to be.


“This is the Black Valley.” Silver informed him. “It is one of the treasures of the World, and home to the Atreus Rocks. But now this place is known as the Seven Strongholds.”


He knew what the Atreus Rock was. It was one of the best Ores to build Fortresses and Castles.


There were Seven Mountains around the Valley and only one way into it. And at the foot of each Moutain stood a tall castle, made out of Atreus Rock.


The Castles had unique designs. They were different from each other, but all of them were the same in color and the number of towers. Some had conical tops, while some were octagonally built. There was one with very high Walls, and it had layers and layers of stories on it. But the tallest Castle was also the smallest in the area. It had Triplet-Towers that reached over a hundred meters in height.


At the center of the Valley, on the flat ground made of Atreus Rock, was a large octagonal-colosseum that was built for Battles. The market started from the entrance of the Valley to the Colosseum, and hundreds of people were bustling inside. This place could be called a Town.


“Who governs this place?”


“The Seven Castle Masters. Each of them is a Master of  Tri-Colored Grimoire, a Tyrant. All Seven Guilds maintain peace inside this Valley. The last confrontation between the Seven Guilds took place over 100 years ago.”


“How are they still S-Ranked Guilds even with the Tyrants?” He curiously looked at her.


Silver smiled at him and nodded.


“That’s because they choose to stay in S-Rank. It has its perks. And also because they don’t meet the requirements of becoming X-Ranked Guilds. To advance from S-Rank to X-Rank, you need to have 2 Tyrants, 4 Guardians, and 8 Generals in the Guild, and if that is not possible, then you need to have 10 Guardians. There is no other way.”


“So these Seven Guilds are the Elites among the S-Ranked Guilds?”


“You could say so…” She nodded.


The hill they were stationed at was over a mile away outside the entrance. It gave them a clear view of the Valley, and they were waiting here for the rest of the members of the Twelve Shades to arrive before entering the Town.


Aoun looked toward the sky and saw several giant eagles circling the Black Valley.


“Those Flying Beasts belong to the Avantigators of the Seven Guilds. They keep a look around the Valley in shifts and inform their Masters about everyone that enters their range of sight.” Silver solemnly looked at the Flying Beasts in the Sky. “Each one of these Birds is a King Beast. These Birds take a six-hour shift. And at one time, there are seven Birds in the Sky. Which means that there are, at least, 42 Surveillance Beasts.”


“42 King Beasts just for Surveillance...” Rumi, who was just ahead of them, whispered.


“They can’t take chances here.” Green, who was by his side, nodded. “The Wild North belongs to no Authority. There have been wars over this land, and since this is one of the Key bases in The Wild North, where Guilds come and take rest after explorations and also sell out stuff that may and may not reach the Markets of the Cities in the World. These Sevel Guilds are extremely rich and have connections to the Powerful Forces in the World.”


“But their Loyalty lies to the Kingdom of Dreams…” Aoun smirked as he looked at the Seven Castles. “It is the zone under the control of the Kingdom, and this place is a Hot-Zone.” He folded the Map and returned it to Silver. “The Kingdom of Dreams predicts a dungeon somewhere in the radius of  100 miles. And that is why this Town is here. As soon as a Dungeon is discovered, they will make sure that it comes under their control.”


Silver laughed when she heard his words.


“That’s true. But I see nothing wrong with it. There is no independent Kingdom without hopes of becoming an Empire one day.” She meaningfully looked at him.


“Well, then they better have an Army to fight against two Empires. And allies to support them.” Aoun smiled and sighed. “But no one would interfere or save the Kingdom of Dreams from being crushed by the Empires of White Winter and Superia.”


“What makes you sure that they won’t allow the Kingdom of Dreams to not become an Empire?” Rumi curiously looked at him.


“An Empire in this part of the World will prove near invincible.” Silver explained to Rumi before Aoun could answer. “Most of the land here is a natural bastion, and is full of Treasures such as this Black Valley, and then there is the Land of Ever-Storms that starts a thousand miles away from here. No one dares to enter it, even Emperors are afraid.” She solemnly sighed. “Do you know what that means? A land of Natural Disaster that is home to the most terrifying Beasts in the World?”


Rumi looked clueless at what Silver was mentioning.


“There is most likely a Hell-Ranked Dungeon there.” Aoun’s heart tightened as he said those words.


“Mhm…” Silver nodded. “If you conquer a Hell-Ranked Dungeon, forget the other rewards, just the territory that comes under your Control is comparable to some existing Empires. A Kingdom as big as some Empires.”


Rumi looked anxious when he realized how grave the situation would turn.


“Doesn’t that mean that the Kingdom of Dreams is doomed anyway?” Green frowned.


“Not if it is under the protection of Two Empires. The Hell-Ranked Kingdom or Empire would not dare to conquer it…” Silver shook her head.


“Not to forget, White Winter is a Hell-Ranked Empire as well. In our continent, there are only three Hell-Ranked Empires. White Winter, Brave Heart, and Cresselia. No one in the right mind would provoke them.” Grey, who had stayed silent all this time, spoke.


“Times are changing… We already have 10 Empires on our Continent now.”


“Ten?” Aoun asked to make sure he had heard it right.


“So, you are not aware…” Silver frowned. “It happened two weeks ago. The Kingdom of Danwood and the Kingdom of Alayria joined Houses in the first of its kind event. The Crown Prince of Alayria married the Crown Princess of Danwood. The two Kingdoms became one Empire now called the Alayrian Wood.”


“Were there any complications?”


“No,” She shook her head. “Everything happened in a couple of days. The four Empires around them did not make any trouble.”


Aoun silently thought for a while over the matters. The last time he had heard about those Kingdoms was over a few months back, and it was about how the Four Empires around them were aiming to gobble them up. The Kingdom of Danwood was vulnerable since there was no Prince to take the throne from the aging King. It was a daring decision by the two Kingdoms, but they could not have done with without any assurance. Someone was bound to be pulling strings behind this event.


“They held a Coronation Feast?”


“Yes,” Grey replied. “Heads of all the Empires in the Continent attended it last week.”


“It is the hottest topic nowadays.” Rumi smiled at him. “Almost everyone is talking about them.”


“We have been away from people for a while now.” Aoun sighed and explained himself.


No one said anything more about it and turned their attention back to the Seven Strongholds. Suddenly, the Black Swallow let out a Beautiful cry, and right after it, they heard a Majestic screech.


“They are here…” Silver turned to left and looked toward the sky.


A minute later, they saw the Creature that had let out such a majestic screech.


Enormous eagle wings, sharp golden talons, silver head with a golden beak, golden v-shaped horns, and it had a bronze body of a lion. The sheer size of it was a terror, and it was coming over to them at a steady pace. Not in any haste.


“The Supreme Beast of Mountains; Golden Griffyn.” Silver informed Aoun and Rumi. “It belongs to White. She is my Sister-Wife, and also one of the four Vice-Captains of the Twelve Shades.”


“And that is Purple!” Grey pointed towards the White figure that was slowly becoming visible to their eyes. “He’s our Vice-Captain too, and the Beast he is riding is a Spirit Wolf. It is called The Wolf of Dreams; Kira.”


“The one by his side, riding that cream-colored Chira is Cyan. Both Purple and Cyan are Vanguards.” Silver informed him about the rest of her group. “And the one behind them, on a Silver Akhel is Gold. He is the last Vice-captain, stays on the Middleguard as a Destroyer.”


Aoun looked at the oncoming group with interest. Other than a Griffyn, Kira, Akhel, and 4 Chiras, there were two more Beasts. He recognized both of them, but he was curious why one of them would be brought here and used.


“The Desert Raptor; Ignisaurus.” He looked at Silver and frowned. “Is it comfortable here in such cold?”


“Surviving in these cold climates for Dinosauria family is not difficult if they are King Beasts or Spirit Beasts. But yes, combat is a no go.” She nodded her head. “That Ignisaurus belongs to Brown. He on the Rearguard. And since the Beast has fire as its Element, it can handle some cold. Brown spent a lot of money on finding a perfect Cold-Resistant Artifact for it. He would not use it in combat here, but riding is not a problem. His Desert Raptor is a Green-King.”


“I see.”


He looked again at its menacing-looking creature, with sharp claws on its front limbs, a long tail that swayed left and right as it ran on its two legs, and a pair of sharp horns over its head. It was a beautiful creature that did not exist in this part of the World, and that was what made it so eye-catching here.


What later caught his attention was the Direwolf running by the side of the Ignisaurus on the Rearguard. It was bigger than Kira, looked more muscular, had a fluffier mane, and the two sky-facing curved golden horns on its head were in stark contrast to its lustrous red coat.


“That’s a beautiful Wolf.” He couldn’t help must nod to himself.


“It is one of the most Precious Rare-Class Beasts. The Wolf of Rosaria; Kayn. They have this name because of the natural Rosary symbol on their manes. And they emit a beautiful scent from their manes when they need to lure Beasts close to them to hunt.”


“I have heard that these Wolves are more enduring than Akhels.” He curiously asked.


“That’s true, and just as fast if not faster.”


The Black Swallow in the sky cried out again, and the Siff dove right down the hills from the sky, before gliding only a few meters above the flat ground before shooting back up in the sky.


“Time to descent the hill,” Grey called out and moved his Horse down to follow the Destroyers in front that were already on the move.


Green moved after him, and Rumi after her. And once test rest of the team had descended, Silver and Aoun moved together.


It took them a few minutes to come down the Hill, and by that time, the rest of the Twelve Shades were already waiting for them down there.


Aoun had expected all of them to enthusiastically greet each other, but the atmosphere became tensed and solemn when they saw Brown covered in Blood, and his Coat and light armor under it nearly shredded. The little girl riding a Chira has some blood on her coat as well, and her face was pale, with eyes bearing a somber expression.


“I will live…” Brown smirked at all of them and said in a gruff voice.


“Shut up.” Black admonished him, and then glaringly looked at the girl on the Red Wolf and the guy by the side of the little girl that was hurt. “I am disappointed that it was Brown that got hurt and not you two.”


His words were harsh, but both of them depressedly lowered here heads and made no complains or excuses.


“Alright, enough… Let’s head inside the Town.” A sweet but strict voice sounded from the Sky, from on top of the Griffyn.


The words of White made everyone sigh in relief, and Black closed his eyes before turning to the entrance of the Black Valley and moving toward it.


“Formation!” Gold, who was riding his Akhel, called out loud enough for all of them to hear.


In a matter of a few seconds, after some shuffling, their new team of 19 members was in a formation.


Purple and Cyan joined Black at the front of Vanguard. The moved a few steps behind him on his left and right.


Gold led the Destroyers, Red, and Elena, a few meters behind the Vanguards, on his left and right. After them, Grey moved, and then the three Mages, Indigo, Green, and Azure, moved on their Horses. Rumi and Yellow flanked the Mages from left and right, and lastly, The Rearguard moved.


“How grave is the injury?” Silver worriedly asked Brown that was riding his Raptor by her side.


The tall and muscular man embarrassedly lowered his head, not willing to answer.


“He could have died…” Vermillion, who was riding by Brown’s side, answered on his behalf. “White had already informed us that a group was waiting to ambush us. We were prepared, but we were taken by surprise when the boulders in that Valley turned to Masters…”


“The Primal Rune of Earth; Sacred Mountain…” Aoun whispered.


Vermillion curiously looked at him and nodded.


“I mean, two or three could have been fine, but it turned out that there were five such people. One stayed waiting and took us by surprise by hurting Indigo. She’s the main Healer of our group, and it was Yellow’s job to protect her, and after him, it was mine….” She depressedly lowered her head again. “Brown was closest to her at that time, and he was dealing with more enemies than he could handle, but he jumped in to protect her…”


“I am fine.” Browned sighed.


“Shut up…” It was Silver who admonished him this time.


“You guys wouldn’t understand what meaning a Hero holds...”


Brown’s eyes widened in surprise at Aoun’s words. And then a bright smile crept on his face. He happily nodded his head.


“Finally someone that understands me…” His eyes were ready to shed tears in the warmth of his heart.


“But it is still a dumb way…” Aoun shrugged and added.


His words caused Silver and Vermillion to laugh, but the smile on Brown’s face was still warm. He did not mind being called dumb. He understood that what he believed in was not the best way to handle things.


Aoun smiled at the big guy and gave him a thumbs up.


Brown was the kind of guy who would save the life of his fellow even if it meant that he would die. His heart was pure, and he could never put more value on a certain life over the other.


To him, the life of his Captain was just as valuable as the life of any other Team Member.


People such as him were hard to control, had their cons, but they were the kind of people that you would trust to protect your back. They would never betray you.


At the Entrance of the Valley, they were stopped by a group of Seven, each wearing a cloak with a different emblem and color.


“You stay with us expires in two days,” A man wearing a golden cloak stepped forward. He took out a parchment from his ring and handed it to Black. “You will have to add in the names of the four new guys with you. And pay their entrance fee.”


Black simply read the parchment and brought out a similar paper from his ring. And then the man in golden summoned his Grimoire and invoked a spell. The two pieces of paper flashed a bright light, and new information was added to them.


After that, Black paid the fee, and they were allowed to enter.


“They charge 10,000 Kyrls a person?” Aoun was shocked.


“Yes,” Silver nodded to him. “And those Parchments are the vows. The Seven Strongholds won’t harm us as long as we reside in the Valley, and for a day after we depart from here. If they do not do this, Guilds would never dare to enter this place.”


To enter the Black Valley meant putting their lives on the hands of the Seven Guilds that control this place. One would need assurance to be at peace inside this Valley. Otherwise, it was no less than being locked inside a den of the Dragon.


They passed through the market without stopping, and after traveling for over half n hour, they arrived at one of the Seven Castles. It was the one that was designed in the form of trip-let Towers.


“This Castle is owned by God’s Hand. And it is one of the finest to stay at.” Silver informed him.


Black showed the Parchment to the Guards at the Gate, and then signaled to the group.


All of them descended from their Mounts, even the three Avantigators came down to the ground and called back their Mounts inside their Grimoires.


Once everyone was on their feet, standing together, the Guard whistled, and the giant Gate of the Castle was opened.


They entered the Castle, walked down the pavement, and then headed inside the Tower on the left.


Aoun and Elena were walking together, holding hands, and looking around the place in curiosity.


The Central Tower belonged to the God’s Hand Guild, and no one else was allowed in there. The Tower on the Right was for special Guests, and the Tower on the left was a Hotel.


Against all their expectations, the inside of the Tower was designed in soft colors and luxurious wooden architecture. He walked over to the Reception where three ladies wearing a Golden Uniform were sitting. Black and White walked to them and showed them the Parchment before asking for a place that met their requirements.


“There are a hundred Floors here. The top 20 floors are designed to be reserved as an entire floor. The bottom twenty are only for the Staff here, and for the Guards.” Silver informed the Siblings as they waited for the first batch to Enter the lift to their Floor. “All the suites on it are connected to a spacious central lounge.”


“How many rooms are there on each floor?” Elena curiously asked.


“12 rooms on each floor, except for the top 20. The top floors have 8 rooms each.”


The lift that had transported half their group to their Floor came back down within a matter of seconds.


Brown, Silver, Vermillion, Aoun, Elena, Rumi, Simca, Grey, and Green entered it, even with the nine of them inside it, there was room for more.


Passing through Transportation Runes was fun, but taking a lift had its charm. It was the first time Aoun and Elena had taken it, and they couldn’t help smile at the feeling of being lifted off the group at an astonishing speed.


With a Ding, the door of the lift opened, and they stepped out of it, inside their lounge. Silver closed the door to their Lounge, and it merged inside the wall, with no clue that there was a lift right behind it.


“We will be staying here for the next 12 hours,” Black informed them. “The War of the two A-ranked Guilds starts at the first hour of the day. We have no idea how long it would last, but we will be leaving the Black Valley right after it. The journey to Blossom City from here should take 22 hours, given that we advance at our standard speed. So brace yourselves for a tiresome journey.”


After finishing his words, Black looked at Indigo and Brown.


“Get yourselves cleaned up and come back here in an hour.” He told them. "We will be having dinner together.”


Black waited for them to leave before introducing everyone to Aoun, Elena, Simca, and Rumi. And the rest of the Twelve Shades were just as amiable as Red and Blue. It wasn't long before everyone was laughing together, teasing each other.