Legend of the Western Lands

Technical Issues and Problem-Solving Skills (3)

(Mild verbal abuse starts at the middle of the chapter, be warned.)

Cale swept away some dust that remained of the stone fragments Choi Han obliterated previously.

Sweat gathered at his brows. The air was getting hotter, almost sizzling. Not just heat flowed out of the newly unlocked room.

The oppressing feeling of lighting, the static itch that crawled up his skin, raised Cale's hackles. The feeling wasn't necessarily wrong, Cale didn't feel endangered rather it was as if he was being watched.

The room was long yet not really wide. He could barely stretch out his arms and avoid touching both walls.

Silvio was the first to move. With a glare at the skeletons, the culprits behind his various tripping problems, Silvio quickly left the repeating corridor and entered the room. His eyes were glued to the wall of runes at the back.

They emitted a soft glow, hypnotizing Silvio with their pale swirls and bizarre aura. He couldn't recognize the language. It was strange, almost otherworldly. The blue torches cast shadows that seemed to follow him, yet Silvio didn't notice them. His eyes stayed fixated.

Step by step, Silvio was getting faster. The room may be narrow but it took him a while to reach the other end.

"A doorway," he breathed, excited.

Darnall followed more leisurely. The mage's hands played idly with a stone he collected from the pile outside. The runes were interesting. Sure. However, his eyes gleamed as he looked back, glancing at Cale and Choi Han, there were far more interesting people nearby.

The wall Choi Han broke was thick and made out of natural volcanic rocks. The smooth obsidian shimmer told Darnall that if anyone tried smashing them, they would have lost their hand. No matter how strong as long as someone punched that wall unprotected, they would lose.

Darnall could only arrive at one conclusion.

Choi Han knew about aura and was able to use it to some degree.

The other group's backstory made less sense the longer he thought about it. He started doubting them. Was this all a ploy to remove him? Did they know about his identity? Darnall told them some parts, nothing too important but enough to build up a basic sense of trust. The others repaid him by dropping their act.

In the end, he didn't know who they were, just that they weren't what they previously told him.

Clue one was the way the group acted around Cale. A father can listen to his son, no doubt, however, the way they looked at him for answers wasn't random. They knew that Cale would decide for them. He was the leader. Undoubtedly so, Darnall was sure of that.

Cale acted like nothing Darnall could place.

Was he a relaxed noble, uncaring of manners and customs? Or was he a commoner who was smarter than average? Enemy or ally? Maybe even just a passerby?

"You think too loud," a voice interrupted him. Cale caught up to him, staring at him with a frown on his youthful face.

Choi Han went toward the front, aiding Silvio and making sure that there were no traps. Eruhaben stayed at the entrance, gently holding the kittens.

"Maybe you are just too perceptive," Darnall returned. His lips twitched amusedly when Cale scoffed at his words.

They took a few steps, ignoring the loud conversation at the front as Silvio took the opportunity to badger Choi Han once more.

"Your eyebrows twitch when you are thinking deeply about something and you bite your lip when you don't like what your mind came up with," Cale informed him, casually. He didn't particularly care what Darnall was thinking but the situation wasn't clear and having allies that didn't trust each other, even actively doubting, was stupid.