Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 190: Holy land encounter (1)

AZRAEL MOURNSTAR

The sand blows with the help of the wind, but luckily the veil on his face prevent the sand from entering his eyes. He still remembered it vividly.

He was in the front with Elkar leading, while behind him was the Eight Kings. The sky at the time was blue, calm and serene.

Looking to the horizon, as he glances at the back of his armies, reveals a wall of brown air stretching up high.

At that time, he knows this instinctively that is not a smoke. A dust storm.

It was his first time seeing a dust storm.

The Negevian tribe that lives at the desert knows how to hide from this particular natural occurrence but for the Arakathian, it is something new for them.

It is like a four-story building rushing to us.

'RUN!' He yelled as the armies behind him scattered away, the cavalry sprints trampling the infantry running from this storm.

Azrael use his hand to protect his face and eyes from the sand. Seeing the storm gaining on his army and him, he cast magic to protect Elkar and sprint while the other Eight Kings followed.

The Fairies use magic, so does the Elf, the Kobolds skilled horseman overtakes the other Kings and ride in front.

The Orcs on the other hand use their stamina and strength to try to endure this storm. The sky turns to a brown dusk and anyone that is unfortunate enough, get swallowed by the storm.

The breathing of the armies becomes labored with the dirty air attacking their lungs. How many of his army screamed for help before that screams turns into a whimper and dissipated?

The rear division got swallowed up, engulfed in the dust clouds.  After half an hour the worst of the dust pass.

About eight thousand soldiers were killed, their bodies lost in the desert, the air remain choked with dust and hazy.

For that day, they tasted dust all day. The Elves is lucky in that they can cast magic and creating a protective barrier among themselves.

For the Dwarves their eyes sting and water, while the fairies giggling at the Dwarves appearance.

The Orcs face which in any normal days is scary enough, but after the sand storm the grimy streaks on their faces only add to the ferocity of their face.

'I need to bath after this' he said to himself. The coating of the dry grit covers his clothes, skins and fills the nose.

For some, there is nothing odd with the occurrence but for him it was like the universe is hinting on him of something sinister.

He could not shake that feeling.

They are approaching the Holy City but just before they enter they are attacked with sand storm? Dread fills him.

This is like an omen of bad tidings.

Thankfully they found shelter in one of the caves in a low hill nearby or else they will lose a lot more soldiers during the sandstorm.

After the sand storm subsided they continued their journey. And a few days after that, they finally arrived.

the Blessed Land where the Holy City resided. Holy City of Aralam. One of the Holy City in this small island.

'The Blessed Land' he marvels, forgetting the arduous journey that they have undertaken to reach here

The cruel sun beat down, its one malevolent eye unblinking from the heavens, torturing him with its fiery heat.

'Hot' he said while taking another gulp from the flask.

He is sweating all over his body. He is sweating because of the heat. The sand is hot, and he reckons that it can roast eggs.

There are hardly any shades large enough for his massive armies to take shelter so they built tent but no tent is higher than The God Hill near Dome of Salvation.

He is strolling outside looking at the Holy City Aralam. Each of his steps into the sand stunk into the searing sand.

The air is thick and hazy; each breath is laborious.

The uniqueness of the Holy Land is that it is geo-theological. There is no land here that is fertile for agriculture other than near the Eternal Well.

Even the land is not that large.

There is no strategic value other than it connects to the Human Continents and that it was the place of administration for the First Generation in the past.

To many, this is the land which faces the entrance of the spiritual world, that sphere of existence that lies beyond the physical world known to us through our senses.

This is the key to the land's unique status with regard to prophecy and prayer. It is also forbidden to spill blood here for whatever reason.

Even Levitia spare demon blood during his rest here. And he is known to be merciless against demons. Of course his act was well received in that time

It was a different time. Even the scholars in the Capital despise the acts of the Demon Lord back then.

Fortunately, the Treaty was sign or maybe in this era, it is the demon race, that is enslaved by humanity.

There is a reason why the Holy City is revered so much both by humans and demons alike. This is where Levitia signs the Treaty with the Demon Lords.

Thus the importance it holds is incalculable among the heart of many, both humans and demon.

Azrael keeps walking, marveling the city while complaining about the heat in his mind.

There is maze of mud houses, and stalls crowded the market place and dark-skinned children play. Mostly escape slaves from other continents.

Ariundus is heavily reliant on their slave trade, which they sell to Vorthy and Asteros but not to Davarus and Arakath.

The Treaty in Aralam states that no child of Arakath or Davarus can enslave one or the other, buy slaves or engage in the trade that involves selling anything that has a divine soul to another.

It also states that if they were captured and brought to become a slave, then it is their highest obligation to release himself or herself from the chains that bind them.

Of course that doesn't mean it is follow very strictly after more than nine hundred years.

For example, Principality of Freya, a nation which engages in slave trade, with the other continent.

They are frowned upon by the Church but the Church can't do anything considering they have a large slave army and their trade is more bountiful than Acro or any other trader's family.

After all the slave trade is profitable.

However, there are a few laws that need to be observed here, a Holy Law, that helps escape slaves to thrive as a community here.

The provision, word of God, that states no soul will spill blood in the Holy Land serve escaped slave very fondly.

The former slaves greet him with dazzling smiles, hoping the disguised King will buy their wares. They tried to persuade Azrael but Azrael turn them down gracefully.

Their stalls are covered with magnificently bright cloth.

They sell browned fish, hard bread, shimmering jewels, shining metals, crisp, pristine linen, and juicy figs among other things.

A dancer, veil in her face, dressed in a gauzy white tunic, twirls in the streets and the crowd tosses golden coins to her.

Azrael toss a few coins, hoping that the dancer could buy a few bread for her to eat.

'Life' he said, pondering the meaning.

This is also the city where Levitia is bind before he was stabbed with Redflash, an Enochian steel now disappeared.

No one knows who it belongs to.

What is known in the stories is that Levitia was stabbed by that steel and died, his body disappeared and the Church of Light hails him as the Blood of Light, which meant God has sent him as a Saviour for the Human Race and people flocked to convert to Lucellian faith.

Azrael could see the caravans filled with people.

The caravans of pilgrims fill the Blessed Land. They were all praying around the God Hill chanting Hymns.

Former slaves, rich, poor, all equal here. Then he returns to his reality. He sighed contemplating his situation.

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