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Solar Blood Masters (43)
🕑 Added 2024-10-19 16:00:13 +0000 UTCChapter 43 - The Grand Treasury
SNIFF! SNIFF!
"The scent… it's getting stronger. Stinking bull!"
Lu Ignis hissed, those golden-bronze scales along his neck began glowing with a dull red heat that caused the very air itself to warp.
His immense head lowered, moving inexorably closer to Raphael as the Washers scrambled to escape the sudden rise in temperature. Unfortunately, one female servant wasn’t fast enough.
"No! Hot! HOT!" Her screams encapsulated that vast hall but ended as fast as they’d begun. And was replaced with those unmistakable crackles of bones being cooked.
Sizzle! Pop!
The Washer, moments ago a living, breathing human being who’d dutifully scrubbed those hard-to-reach areas beneath Lu Ignis's brow was now nothing but a skeleton. That bony structure was balancing precariously atop a bronze scale before…
THUD!
It tumbled off, striking the floor below with a quiet clatter that Raphael mistook for those echoes of his impending doom. He watched that grisly descent and his jaw gaped with horrified disbelief.
‘This… is bad. Really bad. I think… maybe… RUN!’
He could flee into hallways or perhaps take on those guards and gamble on an escape through brute force, after all, wasn’t he almost an Emperor Calamity as well? But could his borrowed form withstand this angry Emperor? His hopes were dim indeed.
His inner voice was screaming contradictory commands.
Attack! Escape! Crush them! It was madness!
From the side, Lu Jade noticed his new brother trembling, those muscles clenching and those shadow wings were preparing to unfurl, however, just as Raphael was about to blow his disguise, a cold voice, sharp, calculated, yet soothing had him pausing, and listening for more.
“QUELL YOUR ANGER, FATHER! I have brought you a gift!”
“Hmm? A gift?!” Lu Ignis’s rage instantly shifted into amusement. There were few things that eased his heart, besides respect and adoration. And knowing his most prized, intelligent daughter would think of him like that, well, that calmed him to the core.
“A gift… you say?" He twisted his massive head toward Lu Ruby with a questioning look. This was his “good mood” face, as those who survived those punishments would attest, a flicker of hope.
"Yes, Father! While traveling back to Hebikuni, my scouts informed me of the humiliation you suffered at the hooves of that bull. Therefore, to appease your pain, to quench those embers burning for justice, I scoured the edges of Ho Eastern and pulled out the hearts of every stinking bull I encountered.”
She gestured towards those crates resting on Raphael’s hide. “Their essence now resides within those crates. Snack upon their Solar Consciousnesses. It is this humble daughter's duty to provide such things, for you."
“Hm.”
“Hm.”
The elders nodded in approval. This was how their lineage showed loyalty. And for Lu Ignis, it had the desired effect. He couldn't resist a deep, rumbling chuckle that shook that mighty hall as he relished the generosity of this moment.
“Hm, hmm… Indeed a fine gift, Daughter. Such dedication. And what of those bulls’…hearts?”
“The hearts too father.” She smiled sweetly, pleased at how easily their plan had taken root. Those rumors she'd heard earlier about a bull Calamity were so much entertainment now.
"I had those hearts carefully remove while those bastards still breathed. Their pain and their essence now fuel the ink I used for those treaties I’ll present after you cleanse those scales of dust, Father.”
Hearing those words warmed the Emperor's ancient heart even further. Such loyalty! He almost wanted to shed tears of joy but refrained, for crying was meant for those who were about to be devoured, or cooked; he concluded as he stretched back comfortably around that trident.
Then a realization hit him: those humans hadn’t finished cleaning those scales. There was time for family discussions later, especially since that pesky Void Emperor wouldn't let him leave his territory to chastise those trespassers openly. He had to stay put! For now.
“Oh yes, RIGHT! Lu Kimlung."
His attention then landed upon an impossibly bluish-white serpentine coiled upon a jade pillar. This serpent wasn’t exactly trembling, it radiated something far more dangerous, authority and control over others, something those ancient elders possessed after serving Lu Ignis with unquestionable obedience for decades.
This was a position bestowed upon those capable of organizing, those meant to lead, which he, Lu Ignis recognized as a necessity, especially for things as delicate as storing and protecting rare artifacts.
“Your Majesty.”
Lu Kimlung adjusted his monocle and slithered into his Emperor’s vision while bowing. He also knew those weaknesses, and what angered his liege, for he’d managed the Treasury Department since he became a Saint Ruler 200,000 years ago!
He had one rule: Do not irritate the Emperor, nor those whose lineage favored their Emperor! Those were his principles!
"Lu Kimlung!” Lu Ignis called to the manager. “My prized daughter has graced us with those gifts to appease my mood. And as such. They must be stored safely, for their potent energies are needed for those rites I'm crafting.”
“Y-yes, my Emperor. Such fragrant treasures… I shall ensure they are cataloged with extreme care.” Then in a more authoritative tone that had those others around him flinch, he gestured to carriers. “Hurry, follow me to the treasury. Move it! Move it!”
As he hurried down that pathway toward those inner chamber of the palace walls, Lu Kimlung motioned with a flick of his tail that only three “laborers” would be allowed.
Raphael and Lu Jade quickly detached themselves from those others who simply gazed at them with envy.
As Raphael slithered down a long corridor with its glistening silver walls and delicate golden lanterns, he thought ‘Oh, so this is why he said not to worry earlier. Because they would just escort us to the treasury. This is easier indeed.’
He was truly in awe of his friend’s intelligence.
"Little Lu. You really know how to exploit the loopholes. Now I underdressed what you meant back there.”
“Well, they’ve alwayssss underestimated me.” Lu Jade hissed back, somewhat bashfully.
…
“Hm, those lazy brats."
Lu Kimlung hissed impatiently as the three guards carrying crates slithered into view. They moved sluggishly. Clearly not dedicated to the noble art of treasure maintenance, the sight offended his sensibilities.
He shook his head and muttered a self-affirmation. “No matter, very soon those treasures will be properly sorted. It is I after all who stands as the sole guardian against chaotic placement. Such a noble duty! ”
He waited until they came closer before speaking. “You three! Just leave those crate at the entrance. I’ll bring those inside myself.” He then turned, raised his tail which was glowing gold as he carefully insert it into a thin slit beneath an imposing circular vault door before them.
“What's that? Is he trying to unlock something?"
Raphael observed the tail glowing even brighter then within a mere instant…
CLICK!
He heard the sound of those heavy mechanisms that controlled the ancient vault doors groaning and shifting.
Lu Jade watched the spectacle with awe. “That isss hissss key.”
The enormous vault door before them was taller than a dozen busses stacked upon each other and covered in countless magical insignias along with a carved ouroboros design. It slowly began to open inward.
A rush of golden energy, thick and fragrant like a blend of those rarest herbs mixed with burnt amber flowed outwards, bathing those unfortunate witnesses of its potent essences.
Raphael took a deep breath and those instincts that he was still struggling to fully tame and make sense of were buzzing. That smell was divine! It triggered his inner golden flames.
This vault contained power.
‘Amazing… This air, it reminds me of that Fire Pool.’ He remembered Hellphet’s face all of a sudden and cringed.
"Ahem!" Lu Kimlung's tone cut through his thought. "Didn't you hear me? I said to place the crates at the entrance."
Raphael took the initiative to say, "Nonsense, we've come this far. Besides, teamwork makes those heavy burden easier to carry."
He grinned, “Right, buddy?”
Raphael glanced at Lu Jade who understood instantly, a flicker of approval and a plan of their own that was coming to fruition before the manager could even blink.
"Yessss, he'sss right, ssssir,” Lu Jade chimed in.
“Oh, right.” The third snake guard was hesitant for a brief moment before agreeing.
Raphael seized the opportunity and began slithering towards that ajar vault with those heavy crate still strapped to his back. “Let’s go!”
"Y-You…! Wait! Get back here!"
Lu Kimlung’s frantic protests went unheeded. Raphael and those accompanying "carriers" didn’t hesitate. They all entered that vault, all three of them and were instantly blinded by an array of shining objects, trinkets, and those unmistakable auras that radiated potent Solar Essences, from the floor to the ceiling.
“Woah…”
It was an endless expanse of treasures that stretched beyond those limits that his previous human self could even hope to compute. There were mountains of rare gems, swords that radiant as moonlight, shields, armors, strange spherical devices. These lay in a haphazard pile at the forefront.
But to the side. Those precious jewels and enchanted metals that most beings craved were all meticulously arranged in dazzling formations; from floor to ceiling on multiple floors that stretched endlessly upward. Truly a sight that even those greed filled bat hearts would envy.
As Raphael marvel at the glittering spectacle, his eyes picked out those strange energy fields around some of the items. He had witnessed something similar back in Qi Hawk’s domain, but those felt different. Less… aggressive? More welcoming? It was subtle, yet his enhanced senses registered it with trepidation.
Lu Kimlung cleared his throat impatiently, "Ahem! As I was saying, simply leave those crates over there by that pile. Then… Get OUT!"
He pointed his tail toward a corner where a mountain of assorted treasures that were yet to be sorted rested.
“Cluttered. The Emperor could profit from being more orderly” Raphael spoke before noticing a smug glare being directed at him by the treasury boy.
“You dare criticize the Emperor? Don’t forget your place, lowly servant. I could easily have you chopped up and fed to the mongrels!”
Hearing this, even Lu Jade and the other guard become frightened. They both feared being branded as accomplices.
“No need for that. I was just surprise by this clutter that’s all. I’m sorry for disrespecting the Emperor.” Raphael tried appeasing those anxious vibes emanating.
Lu Kimlung’s anger dissipated slightly. He pushed up his monocle and explained, “This clutter will be sorted out soon. I am the person in charge here, so you have no right to criticize the Emperor. When my assistant arrive later on, she will help me appraise and catalogue the treasures.” His scales ruffled with pride. It was obvious that he loved talking about himself and his "precious duty" in protecting this domain.
He puffed out his chest and pointed at a far section at those treasures above with its numerous, yet still empty space that was waiting to be occupied by his discoveries and those “generous gifts" those lords sent to their beloved emperor.
“As you can see, those rare items with potent essence are already protected by multiple layers of array formations. They deflect even those most potent blasts from Calamities .”
Lu Kimlung bragged for several minutes, but Raphael barely listened as his burning red eyes swept across those seemingly endless shelves in search of his true objective - Qi Hawk's ‘Void Eye’.
‘Where could it be… surely not amidst this clutter at the front… surely not…’
His anxieties were beginning to take hold again. Then he heard Lu Kimlung's smug conclusion shattering those faint hopes:
“This treasury is impenetrable. Even if it weren’t, who would dare steal from the Emperor? Hmph, only a fool.” He chuckled before gesturing for them to exit with hisssses.
“Now go! Those that don’t work efficiently, should be eating those slop outside, not basking in this majestic brilliance."
“Alright, alright. We’re leaving.”
With Lu Jade and the third guard now anxiously looking for a way out of those dangerous realms, Raphael took the initiative. He shook the remaining crates from his serpentine back with a powerful wiggle. Those bulls’ hearts inside received a little shake.
Finished unloading, he caught Lu Jade's gaze and nodded, a silent instruction they’d agreed to moments before.
And in a blink, Lu Jade made a move.
WHOOSH! CRACK!
“Oh… what… but…!”
Before the guard could even blink, his world turned sideways as a monstrous tail came wrapping around his serpentine body, cutting off his air and causing stars to appear, stars so pretty they resembled a final goodbye to this place and that vault he was fortunate to step foot within, if only for a fleeting moment.
WHAM!
He slammed onto the jade floor. And then, darkness embraced him.
Meanwhile, in the same split-second…
POOF!
Lu Kimlung gasped with shock upon realizing how vulnerable those thousands of years sorting and guarding those ancient artifacts had left his instincts. Because just now, he’d almost had his head ripped off as the sound of flapping, claws extending, and fangs dripping those sweet and metallic smells entered his sensory perception.
Behind him, mere inches from that monocle, Raphael stood there grinning and then uttered those words with Shao Jin’s baritone voice and deep demonic chuckles that reverberated through that treasury. “Sorry about this, little treasure boy, but Kong is a bit hungry today!”
"HRAAAAA!"
Instantly a colossal black figure manifested from within Raphael’s scales, its appearance sent ripples through those protective barriers surrounding the organized artifacts as the air itself crackled with ancient lightning and those shadowy energies that defied logic.
Lu Kimlung quickly attempted to cast a defensive technique he'd perfected for millennia to survive, but his brain couldn't compute. He saw a golden spear piercing those realms in front of him, those words, etched in his dying memory and those dreams he wouldn’t have, came out faintly as his very core, his will, his life force were shattered into a million splintering pieces!
“This… can’t be…!”
CRACK!
And before a whimper of his pathetic hopes could even take shape. Bat General Kong unleashed the Rai Shen Long's true potency!
WHOOSH! SNAP!
Those movements came as one swift, brutal and devastating motion!
Lu Kimlung’s head, now detached from his body, with those monocle now askew on those dead eyes tumbled to the ground. It landed with a fleshy, bone jarring thud by those discarded crates.
This silence had the very walls trembling.
Lu Jade slithered over cautiously and stared in awe. “Big… Big Brother…you killed him?”
“What?!” Raphael couldn’t believe what he’d just witnessed, "He… he killed him!”
Those anxieties were bubbling again. They both knew Lu Ignis wouldn’t take this lightly.
“I only wanted Kong to knock his daylights out, not kill. Well, it’s done already. We don’t have much time to waste. Bat General Kong, spread out and start searching this place.”
"With pleasure. But shall I tidy up this mess first, Master?" Kong gestured to the guard and Lu Kimlung’s corpse.
Raphael quickly dismissed his subordinate. "Later, Kong! First, find me the eye! Quickly!”
“YES!” A choir of Shadows resonated with a terrifying buzz.
It was time to find the 'Void Eye’.
