Last Son: Book One

Chapter 7 Cavern secrets and exit

The two companions continued their journey through the dark and cold cavern, guided by the soft glow of Samael's Azureus orb. As they walked, Keino finally opened up to Samael about his sudden disappearance. "Hey uh... about that—me disappearing on ya. I uh... heard something," Keino confessed. Samael, already suspecting the presence of bats, replied, "What did you expect? There are bats in these caves." Keino nodded, his face showing disdain. "Yeah! I hate those flying monsters!" he exclaimed. Samael, curious about any strange sightings, asked, "Keino... did you by chance see anything else? Something... out of the ordinary?" Scratching his head, Keino thought hard and replied, "Uh... not a thing—except for those darn Aza bats!" His uncertainty was evident, but Samael couldn't shake off the image of the dark hooded man from his mind. Suddenly, Samael stopped in his tracks, his senses tingling with unease. The cavern held many secrets, and as they approached the chambers ahead, they heard the screeching sounds of much larger creatures. The terror that awaited them within those chambers was palpable. Samael, driven by a vision of the dark-hooded man, made a decision. "We take the middle chamber," he declared, ignoring Keino's concerned voice. Confused and worried, Keino wondered, "Are you... okay, pal?" But Samael paid no attention, walking resolutely into the middle chamber, searching for the dark-hooded man. However, to his surprise, the mysterious figure was nowhere to be found. Keino watched Samael's strange behavior and thought to himself, "What's wrong with him? He's been acting so strange ever since we reunited. How can I help him snap out of it?" Meanwhile, Samael questioned his own sanity. "What am I seeing? Is this dark hooded man real or just some trick in the system? If he's not real, then why am I seeing him? What if he's leading me into a trap? He must be my enemy! I need to be prepared for whatever he's luring me into." As they ventured further, a swarm of bats appeared before them. Samael and Keino stood firm, ready for battle. Keino raised his long steel sword, charging towards the bats with determination, swiftly striking them down one by one. Samael observed his friend's impressive display and said, "Not bad, but there's more up ahead." Keino, filled with adrenaline, chuckled and replied, "Yeah! Watch Keino do his best!" He ran forward, taking the lead once again, effortlessly dispatching the incoming bats. His sword became drenched in the blood of the Aza bats, a testament to his skill and prowess. Samael couldn't help but wonder about Keino's fascination with becoming an Aza knight. He finally questioned his friend, "Hey Keino, what interests you in becoming an Aza knight?" Blushing, sweating, and slightly embarrassed, Keino replied, "What do you mean, pal?" Samael pressed on, mentioning Keino's previous comments. Keino let out a nervous laugh before gathering his thoughts. "I feel like... the emperor could use good men like me," Keino admitted. "Ever since I was a child, I heard a prophecy that a good soul from the Aza land will rise and lead this kingdom to its full glory. I was inspired by one of the Aza knights, who was a good friend of mine. We got separated during the war against the uprising kingdom... Pterodac." Samael listened intently as Keino spoke about the history of the Pterodac and Aza kingdoms. Keino explained that the Pterodac kingdom was ancient, even older than the Aza kingdom. Intrigued, Samael asked, "How far back does the history of Aza go?" Keino continued to share his knowledge, stating, "The Aza kingdom was established in 21 AD." Samael mentally calculated, realizing that it was almost 2,000 years ago. The history fascinated him, and he eagerly listened as Keino recounted the events. Keino revealed that the Aza kingdom prospered for 500 years until the rebirth of the Pterodac kingdom. This ancient kingdom sought to wipe out the entire Aza kingdom. However, the fearless leader of the Aza imperial knights successfully eliminated the threat. Now, in the early 1600s AD, there were rumors of another war against the reborn Pterodac kingdom. Samael's mind was filled with confusion. "1600 AD?" he thought to himself. He couldn't comprehend how he ended up in a period so far back in history. He felt the need to correct Keino's understanding of the era they were in. He turned to Keino and explained, "Let me correct you. We are actually on the verge of entering the 21st century." Keino chuckled at Samael's words and replied, "Dude, you must be a real imbecile if you think you're from the future!" Samael insisted, "I'm not from the future... I think you have your timeline wrong." Keino, still convinced of the 1600s era, replied, "No! This is the 1600s, pal!" Samael was even more puzzled after hearing Keino's sincere response. He couldn't ignore the implications of being in the 1600s if Keino was correct. Thoughts raced through his mind, contemplating what it meant for the future. Curious, Samael asked, "So, the Pterodac kingdom will rise again?" Keino scratched his head, unsure, and replied, "Yeah, that's what the rumors are saying in the village." Samael's concern grew as he pondered the consequences of the Pterodac kingdom wiping out the Aza empire. He asked Keino, "What would happen if the Pterodac kingdom succeeds in defeating the Aza empire?" Keino hesitated for a moment before responding, "Well, uh... that would mean the end of the world as you know it. Your 'back to the future' theory won't even have a future." Samael's puzzlement deepened, but he couldn't ignore the urgency of the situation. The words of Abbie echoed in his mind, reminding him of the dire consequences if the Aza empire were to fall. Determined to prevent this catastrophic outcome, Samael made up his mind. "I can't allow the Aza empire to fall," he thought to himself. "I must stop the emperor before midnight." With a newfound sense of purpose, Samael and Keino continued their journey, knowing that the fate of the world rested on their shoulders. "Let's get a move on and stop the emperor!" Samael exclaimed. "Why do you want to stop the great emperor?!" Keino questions Samael's reason for eliminating the emperor. "If you want to be a great imperial Aza knight, then you better decide right now" Samael giving Keino the choice to prove himself that he is willing to do anything to become an imperial Aza knight. "What do you mean, pal?" Keino was puzzled about what Samael proclaimed. Samael answered, "I mean your future, my future, the world's future... and also the great emperor's future." Keino then nodded, and shouted, "Let's get the move on then and stop the emperor!." The two adventurers finally came to an agreement and moved forward deeper into the middle chamber. Eventually, they emerged into more chambers. "Let's keep moving on this path," Samael said as Keino followed from behind. "I hope these chambers come to an end at some point," Keino said as he was exhausted from the journey through the cavern. The two continued moving forward. The chamber they entered was a short path that led to more chambers up ahead. It was quiet. "So, Samael, pal, what are you going to do when you get to the Aza empire?" Samael answered back, "Like I said, I'm going to stop the emperor." Keino was shocked by those words. Keino (thinking to himself): Why is Samael willing to take it that far? What are his reasons for killing the emperor? As they walked out of the chamber, the sound of horrifying growls filled the air. "I don't know, but I feel like something is watching us," Samael said as they were venturing deeper into the cavern. "You think it's those Aza bats?" Keino questions. "Nah, it's much bigger," Samael senses a much greater threat. Aza bats appeared, and Samael and Keino prepared for battle. "Oh yeah! More monsters!" Samael exclaimed. "Let's defeat these creatures," Keino shouted as he was ready for battle. They fought the Aza bats, their swords covered in blood. "These Aza bats got nothing on us! Come get some more, you flying rodents!" Samael ran towards more Aza bats, blood dripping from his sword, and used his teleportation technique to slay them. The battle continued, more Aza bats arrived, and the horrifying growls grew closer. "Hey, Keino what scared these flying rodents?" Keino answered back, "I don't know... whatever it is, it must be big." They moved forward, blood dripping from the cavern ceiling, and heard snarling sounds getting closer. Samael used the Azureus orb as a light to spot the creature making those horrifying growls, and they drew their swords. "What the hell? What is that?" Samael is baffled by what he saw, and Kenio said: "Whatever it is, it's going down!" The creature attacked, and Samael used his teleportation to evade its deadly claws while Keino joined the fight. "Take this, you ugly rodent!" Keino fought aggressively. Samael noticed strange markings on the creature's arm, similar to the ones he had seen in the sacrificial room. Samael (thinking to himself): The dark purple glowing sphere... Is this one of the creatures from the outside world? But why would the system have these creatures inside the digital world? Samael warned Keino, "Watch out!" and teleported to protect him. The creature growled, and Samael teleported behind it, striking it through the stomach. "I won't let you get in my way!" The battle continued, with Keino joining the fight again. They fought fiercely, and Samael finished the creature with a strike from behind, cutting off its head. "Dang, you did a number on him, Keino complimented Samael on the creature's decapitation. In the next scene, Samael and Keino found another chamber. Samael stopped for a moment, having a vision of a dark hooded man approaching him. "Come... follow me," said the dark-hooded man. Samael asked fearfully, "Who are you?" The dark-hooded man led the way, and Samael followed cautiously. The man's evil laughter echoed. "Samael, are you okay?" Keino was concerned about his partner's well-being because he witnessed that something was troubling him. Samael continued to follow the dark-hooded man until his vision ended as they approached the pterodactyl's den. "Samael, are you okay?" Keino asked again. "Yeah, I was just thinking about..." Samael paused, uncertain informing Keino about the mysterious dark-hooded man. "Thinking about what?" Keino asked. "Nothing. Make no sudden movements." Keino whispered, "What do you think? How are we going to sneak past these monsters?" Samael explained, "It looks like these Aza pterodactyls are sleeping. So all we have to do is climb up there." Keino unintentionally whistled, waking up the pterodactyls. Chaos ensued as Samael fought against the pterodactyls, determined to protect Keino. He fought valiantly, decapitating the Aza pterodactyls one by one, while Keino flew up to the exit of the den. Keino cheered, "That's my girl! Come to the rescue!" Samael continued battling the pterodactyls, but suddenly, a larger and more menacing beast appeared, knocking Samael off Keina's back. Samael found himself falling through the sky, surrounded by pterodactyls. The battle intensified, and darkness started to envelop Samael. In the midst of the darkness, Samael's azureus orb provided a glimmer of light. It illuminated his way, but where would this light lead him in his next chapter? The future was uncertain, but Samael was determined to fight his way through and discover what awaited him.