Book 4: Chapter 30: The Tragedy of the Gemkar Family I

Book 4: Chapter 30: The Tragedy of the Gemkar Family I

Zeke was lying in the shade of a palm tree in the Nair family's backyard. It had been several days since he received the clue about the plant he sought.

Even though he now had a way to get the information he wanted, it wasnt foolproof. Zeke was well aware that anything could happen at an auction. Furthermore, he wasnt keen on spending tens of thousands of gold so publicly.

Therefore, he had spent the last couple of days trying to find out more about the location the girl had been caught in. However, the endeavor didnt bear any fruits. The Treasure Pavillion was incredibly protective of its customers information. This would naturally not be enough to deter Zeke, but even with his sphere of awareness, he hadnt been able to find any written records in the treasury. They were most likely kept somewhere else entirely.

He was left with no other choice but to give up. He would only be willing to revisit his more dangerous plans if he actually failed to obtain her in the auction. The event was only a little over a month away anyway, and he could muster that much patience, at least.

This brought him to todays event. It was finally the day of the meeting with the Gemkar family. If he managed to obtain a clue to the liquid metal, he would be infinitely closer to his goal the Mana purifying device and his subsequent advancement to Grand Mage.

Zeke unconsciously clenched his fists. He could only hope that the clue that had led them here would pay off. After all, his advancement was a race against time. He hadnt heard anything about the empires movements in a while, but Zeke didnt trust this silence. He was sure that this was nothing but the quiet before the storm.

Someday soon, Arkanheim was going to make its move, and it would be a big one. Otto Geistreich had always acted like the outcome was a foregone conclusion, and Zeke highly doubted the man was simply over-confident. No, war was inevitable, and the only question was, would he be strong enough to make a difference when it reached him?

Zeke took a deep breath and calmed his agitated mind. There was no use in getting worked up unnecessarily, especially since he could already feel his body heat up unnaturally. He now knew that this was a sign that his heart was preparing to inject draconic essence into his blood. It wouldnt do to waste such a trump card while lazing around.

After a few deep breaths, his body returned to a calm state. He had definitely gotten better at handling the hearts outbursts. Initially, it had required a cold shower and some trickery for him to wrangle it back under control once it got going. Now, he could do it with nothing but a few deep breaths. This went to show how far he had come in his mastery of [Perfect Body Control].

He had learned the hard way that just because the spells name promised perfect control, that was not something he could do as of yet. Zeke was confident that it would be possible to get to that level at some point. However, that was still out of reach for now. Maybe after he achieved the Grand Mage level? Arch Mage, maybe?

Zekes thoughts were interrupted when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. A servant had entered the backyard and was whispering something to Gravitas. The Chimeroi was Zekes current guard and had stationed herself near the entrance.

He got up and approached the two even before the servant finished speaking. He already knew why he was here anyway.

Master, Mr. Nair is ready to leave, Gravitas said.

Zeke nodded. This was what he had expected. He turned toward the servant. Lead the way.

***

Mohan and his group were already waiting near the entrance with a small carriage. Even though their mansion wasnt far from the Gemkar residence, going on foot was not something people of their standing were expected to do. It would be seen as a breach of etiquette.

They were the last to arrive, and Zeke courteously greeted the head of the house and the elders. After all, the members of the Nair family didnt know his true identity. As far as they knew, he was nothing but a liaison to the Von Hohenheim company. And even though he had presented himself as a trusted advisor to Ezekiel, he was still just an advisor. Therefore, he had to show the people of the Nair family proper respect. Also, there was another reason why he did so.

His polite attitude made Mohan beam with pride. Are you prepared, Blood Dragon?

I am, sir Nair.

Good, then its time to set off.

Their group entered the carriage and prepared for the short trip. There was a relatively large number of people in this delegation. This was because they werent visiting the Gemkar family for the liquid metal alone.

Its fine if you dont want to talk about it, Mohan said instead, but it is something my granddaughter has been interested in for a long time. So I thought you might indulge me now that we are such good friends.

The patriarch hesitated for a moment longer, but after another glance at the signed contract, he nodded. Very well, Ill tell you about it. He then signaled for his people to leave, and Mohan did the same.

Zeke obliged without complaint but then remained just outside the door and acted like a guard. Many of the elders looked at him in confusion but didnt say anything. Zeke sighed in relief when he noticed that nobody questioned his actions. He immediately focused on his sphere of awareness. Thankfully, the two men were still within his reach, even as they took seats in two armchairs.

So, what is this tragedy you spoke about?

The Gemkar patriarch sighed deeply. Have you heard of the Land of Darkness?

Mohan nodded. Its a Danger Zone in the mountains to the northeast. Its gold-ranked if my memory serves me right.

Correct, the patriarch confirmed. But I bet you didnt know how the Danger Zone came to be

Mohan didnt respond, admitting his ignorance through silence. The Gemkar patriarch smiled weakly. I dont blame you. This happened before you were born, almost two centuries ago.

Mohan listened with rapt attention. Even though the two looked to be about the same age, that wasnt even close to being true. Mohan didnt have a Core, while the Gemkar patriarch was at the Grand Mage level. He had lived for far longer.

That Danger Zone used to be our most profitable mine, the patriarch admitted.

Mohans eyes widened. W-what?

The man sighed. I was still young back then, but the Gemkar family was far richer and more influential than we are today all thanks to that one mine. It held several large deposits of rare minerals: Void Iron, Dark Steel, and Night Gold. It truly was the golden age of my house.

What happened? Mohan probed.

One day, we discovered something in the very depths of the mine. It was a pond of dark liquid that seemed capable of consuming the very light. The most surprising thing was that our Mages confirmed this substance as a metal. We didnt know anything else, and nobody had seen anything like it. However, the elders were sure that it was valuable. They ordered the slaves to start excavating it.

Zeke gulped. This was undoubtedly what he was looking for. However, he had a bad feeling about where this story was going.

At first, nothing happened. But after a week or so, the slaves refused to go down anymore. They couldnt explain their reason but said that something bad lurked there. Even when ordered, they endured the backlash of the collar instead of obeying. This should have been warning enough, but the elders didnt listen. They decided to buy new slaves and send them instead.

However, it wasnt long until they started to vanish. The elders were furious and thought the slaves had run away, but it happened more frequently as time passed. Soon enough, none of the slaves returned from the mine anymore. It was then that it happened

The patriarch paused for a moment. He appeared haunted by the memories of what came next. One night, as everybody slept, something emerged from the mine, he said haltingly. They were creatures nobody had ever seen before, with bodies that were entirely made from shadow.

We tried to fight back, of course, but they attacked without mercy. And in the end, our power proved to be no match for the creatures. When morning finally came, they retreated into the mine. However, we had already lost over half our men at that point.

Both of my parents and most of the elders had died. And so, at the age of 19, I became the Patriarch of the Gemkar family.