The Last Guardians : The Blood Of The Archibald

Chapter 7 : The Water Way

The Encounter

He opened his eyes painfully and took a few seconds to realize that he was not in his room and that the smell of burnt wood that had pulled him out of his sleep and projected him to his native island was only there to remind him how far away he was. He wanted to bring his hand to his forehead, but he felt discomfort.

Gradually regaining consciousness, he focused his gaze on his right arm. The latter was imprisoned by ties, which themselves were connected to the bamboo bed on which he lay.

In addition, he now clearly distinguishes a bandage. This vision instantly brings back the memory and pain related to his last encounter in the forest.

"Auch," he cried as he felt these different sensations rise up. Then he pulled himself together and paid attention. Forms were stirring around him.

Two women were busy around him. They were dressed in 2 pieces of amber fabric with endless sleeves. He couldn't see clearly what was going on.

Then, crossing his gaze, they smile at him. Then one of them stands up and leaves the room while the other holds his hand and gives him a sip of a gelatinous drink that immediately soothes him. It seems that it has had nothing to do with for an eternity.And this drink is not unpleasant.

Several people enter the small room. They are mostly men dressed in an outfit made of a piece of traditional green fabric without a solid sleeve and that goes down to the feet.

They seem to check his connections carefully, barely looking at him. They wear a kind of long braid hairstyle that goes down to the lower back.

Then they all step aside to let through a small woman, but who seems to be their leader.

She wears a light olive garment and her long wavy white hair gives her a sacred druid air.

She approaches Lucian and it is at this precise moment that he notices his large pale green almond eyes which stare at him in depth. He is absorbed by her gaze and stands up while staring at her.

His slightly amused look is on his naked belly.

She gently puts his hand there and he feels a slight pain then he looks at it. He was covered with bandage. She smiled at him at last, and he did the same in a mimetic grin. Then, turning around, she left the room without saying a word followed by her court.

Thus had he met the queen of this people Thalya. In the weeks and months that followed, he fully recovered from his injuries and integrated into the small tribute.

It was an old temple that became a village. It was surrounded by water and to get there you had to cross a bridge. But this temple had a secret.

Lucian soon learned that this small village bordered by water, was an ancient temple. The villagers lived in the middle of the forest, far from everything and had no direct contact with the outside.

Nevertheless, they had extremely efficient hunters who often returned with game, fish, fruits and vegetables in large quantities.

This gave rise to memorable evenings during which everyone gathered in the middle of the courtyard to watch, eat and tell over a wood fire and under the full moon.

It is undeniable that this village was opulent and seemed blessed.

When asked if he wanted to stay long enough to recover from his injuries, he decided to stay. It is as if his dream came true, because he was also there to learn the authenticity of this country.

He began his cultural integration by learning the language. In the village, two languages were spoken. Xing is the main common language of Hunan, and Shinobi is the original language of the majority of the inhabitants. Shinobi was used privately by village notables and their chief, priestess Thalya. It was the language of official celebrations.

Moreover, a singular story surrounded this village: some said that the priestess would possess certain supernatural attributes. But Lucian had no time to approach him again before the 3rd moon.

That morning, he went out before dawn, determined to resume physical activity and he found at 4 o'clock the priestess and 30 of his men and 30 of his servants, practicing exercises of a martial art.

She did not want to disturb him, but she invited him to approach. He joined the little troop and for two hours imitated them. Then the session ended with small kumites. He could stretch his legs facing his men who were flexible and strong. He was beaten easily and he thought that the practice of martial arts that he had previously had in his youth was light years from these organic fights.

He asked permission to learn to hunt and obtained the blessing of Thalya. He could see at that moment that she spoke the common language with an excellent accent. She seemed to be from Angerbodae like him so he told himself that he was not the only one to have made such a long trip.

The months passed and the moons followed one another. He progressed in the tasks assigned to him, he became an increasingly respected hunter alongside his colleagues that he no longer slowed down.

Similarly, his progress in martial arts was so impressive, that respected fighters remained expressly to see him fight. They asked him how he could learn so quickly and realize what he was achieving, but Lucian thought they were trying to make him comfortable.

And yet, he saw admiration mixed with fear in their eyes when he crossed a level or when he finally managed to beat some seasoned fighters in kumite. Moreover, the priestess asked him more and more often, so much so that he quickly became one of the influential people of this microcosm.

At that time, in addition to the physical and technical work, Thalya decided to open it to their culture and began to prepare it spiritually through many rituals or simple conversations. Thus, they spent more and more time together, which was not to displease him...