Christopher looked north and sighed, "Five years ago, we also tried to request help from the dwarves but was turned down. Five years ago, given that we were just a developing territory, we thought that it was because we are weak to even be considered as an ally. But when their fellow dwarves of Gindor City from the east asked for help to resist the assault from the Spirits four months ago, they were also turned down immediately, causing the fall of the Gindor dwarves. The survivors journeyed west and were found by us and we kept them. That was when we heard the atrocities of those cowards!" He grunted hatefully.
"Wait, wait. Did you just say assault from the Spirits?!" Tatec's eyes widened open and asked with fear plastered on his face.
"Unfortunately, yes." Christopher nodded with sadness.
Thinking that something happened because of Tatec's shout, Tuwa, Lanros, and the others rushed inside with worry. "What happened, Tatec?" Tuwa asked nervously.
"Tuwa.. The Spirits' hard-earned image of righteousness was destroyed." Tatec turned to her and cried with grief.
"What did you say?" Tuwa asked with shock.
Tatec turned around to look at Christopher and said, "Continue, please."
Seeing him, Christopher sighed and continued, "The doctor here was apprehensive of you earlier exactly because of that."
"The Spirits of the East has established a coalition with the Ichtir to conquer Aqiartha. Their first move was to decimate the allied cities of Gindor of the Dwarves and Iuniel of the Loyal Spirits that still stayed righteous. With those moves, the Ichtir were free to move in the East and South, achieving half of their goals to conquer Aqiartha. By possessing the humongous territory of the old Sarqisi and the Princedom of Spirits, they could be said to have conquered all of Aqiartha." He explained.
"Now, the only territories that still stand to fight against the terrors of the Ichtir are The Forest of Ganae, our Ciandor Refuge, and two other refuges in the west. I'm not even considering those cowards. I'm not going to be surprised if they suddenly joined sides with the Tyrant." He added.
Hearing what he said, the group went solemn. With the new Hayle, the fallen territory of Sarqisi, and the Ichtir owning the center of the realm where the Black Tower of Ichosterse stood, they really now owned half or even more than half of Aqiartha. If Garendor joined too, then they would, unfortunately, truly dominate over the realm.
Then, Lanros noticed something in what Christopher had said and gasped, "So that's why the place where we entered was familiar to me!" He said.
"What is it?" His group asked curiously. Lanros looked at Christopher and asked, "Did you just say that this is The Ciandor Refuge?"
"Yes." Christopher nodded.
Lanros then became happy, "Then, if I'm not wrong, this is the Ciandor Abode where the legendary Treants resides!" He beamed.
"Treants?!" They gasped. When Christopher heard his reason for being happy, he nodded, "You're correct, Sire Lanros of the Elves. Because of the urgency of the matter, the Treants have now been involved and have entered the fight against darkness."
"Then, our chances of winning have heightened!" Lanros cheered. The people inside were baffled by his enthusiasm, especially his group because Lanros is just a stout person and they haven't seen him this enthusiastic.
"Why do you say so?" Isabelle asked. Lanros has already noticed the way they looked at him and coughed, returning to his previous calm disposition, but still, the happiness in his face still cannot be concealed. "Miss Isabelle, the Treants are one of the most powerful creatures of Aqiartha. Although they aren't considered one of the races of Aqiartha, they are true aboriginals of this realm and are extremely powerful and knowledgeable."
"The Treants have also joined the Old Age War against the Tyrant before. They became one of the main and effective fighting forces against the Tyrant and his legions. The old Triant King helped the Elven Prince Saevos to guide his soldiers in different positions to effectively shoot down Ichtir with their bows and arrows. After the war, they hibernated and haven't appeared since then." Lanros explained.
"With the Treants being involved once more, then we are now greeted with good news and a bad news.", He added.
"What are those reasons?" Isabelle asked.
"The good news is that we can fight even more effectively and crush Ichtir armies more conveniently."
"The bad news?"
Lanros' eyes turned solemn and uttered, "The Treants follow a strict requirement before joining any war. And because they are now active, that means that the requirement is fulfilled. The requirement is that we– or the realm– is facing a very perilous situation that threatens the existence of this realm."
Suddenly, Matthias, who was unconscious before, stood up with difficulty as he asked weakly, "When did the Treants awaken?"
"Matthias?!" "Mister?!" Seeing that he was already awake, Isabelle and the woman rushed over to him.
"Why are you sitting up? Lie down and rest." Isabelle reprimanded.
"I'm okay, Isabelle. Thanks for the concern." Matthias smiled. He then looked at the woman who was on the other side of the bed, "You're okay? That's good." He sighed with relief. He then looked at her while also scrutinizing her.
As it was chaotic and filled with danger at that time, Matthias hadn't really had the chance to look at her properly. Now, he looked at her properly and saw that she was a hell of a beauty. She stands at 1.63 meters, Her curvy blonde hair cascaded down to her back like a waterfall. Her chestnut brown eyes looked at him with confusion. On her face, a mole on her nose bridge marked her beauty inside Matthias' head.
As he inspected her attire, an originally white nagajuban that was dirtied by dust and soil. Although messy, the clothing suited her looks of elegance.
But still, Matthias was bothered about something. "Why does she oddly look like someone I know?"
"Guin. I am Guin, Mister Matthias." The woman introduced herself and extended her hands.
"She even resembles the name!" Matthias gawked. Inside his head, he faintly heard the old man snickering at him. 'Did this old man do something again?' He thought.
Still, not wanting to leave her awkwardly hanging around, Matthias shook her hand and replied, "Oh, Guin. It's nice to know you." Matthias smiled and broke the handshake to pat her shoulder. Matthias suddenly felt something inside him once more, that almost made him tear up, but he timely stopped it from flowing. "What's this I'm feeling?" He thought to himself.
"Anyways, can you answer my question, mister?" Matthias suddenly returned to Christopher and asked once more.
"Precisely 8 years, 7 months, and 23 days ago." Out of nowhere, a voice suddenly sounded from outside the wooden house. The door opened and welcomed a woman that had long curly hair and tanned skin. She stood at 172cm, a tall woman who had a baby face even though her eyes reflected every battle she fought.
"Tzu–" Matthias blurted out and pointed at her but before he finished what he was saying, Christopher knelt and greeted, "Princess!"
"!!!" The group gasped. Matthias reluctantly placed his finger down, "But, something feels odd about that precise length of time. Or is it something else?" He muttered.
"Are you.." General Lanros narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the 'princess', "Princess Sally of Sarqisi?" He gasped.
"Yes, I was. Although I am still hoping to rebuild Sarqisi, I'm not even close to realizing it yet." She sighed.
"Now, can you tell me about the state of Ganae?" She inquired.
After a couple hours of talking and explaining, she got the gist of the matter. "Now, you're saying that the Forest of Ganae is currently developing something to combat the Ichtir and prepare for a battle?" She asked.
General Lanros nodded, "With the time nearing and the battle at hand, we aren't risking letting the fight happen in front of the gates of Ganae. We're planning on bringing the fight in front of the Tyrant's doorstep; The Hills of Karumenhir, Center of Aqiartha where the Black Tower stands erected with his army guarding the premises."
"That's a bold move." Princess Sally muttered. "Expect the Ciandor Refuge's army at your aid." She said with determination.
Hearing that, Matthias and the others smiled and cheered. Princess Sally stood up with Christopher and went out, leaving Matthias and his group taking care of him with the doctor.
When Matthias already had enough energy to move, they went out of the wooden house and looked at the surroundings. They saw that the mood of the surrounding had changed. From a peaceful atmosphere, the smell of gunpowder could be sensed now.
Groups of soldiers marched and trained, archers trained their aims at targets, horses galloped around, small walking trees–or Treants– moved around, helping the people gather stuff, dwarves carrying various metals and running towards the forge, and generals gathered together; Ciandor is now formally preparing for war.
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