The Dawn of the New World

Her stiff smile made the atmosphere quite awkward but the old lady that had spoken up didn't mind at all. Instead, she stepped forward and continued.

"A long time ago, we were living in sin. Our ancestors were ungrateful heathens who only looked out for themselves. Then our great lord 'Ra' appeared and showed us the right path. We are able to live today only because of His mercy and grace."

Hao Xuan and Jin Wang looked at each other with much of the same feelings.

'They kind of sound like fanatics don't they?' was their impression, and they weren't far off.

How these women talked about this "Ra" was nothing short of a maniacal obsession.

Agueda who was staying silent finally spoke up.

"Thank you sister Uthyr. Yes, that is correct. Our tribe was one of many back in the day. The only reason we have been able to 'flourish' to this degree is because of Lord Ra's 'mercy'. Everything we have is thanks to him."

She stressed the words flourish and mercy more than necessary which made it sound like she was being sarcastic, but the 5 women behind her were too busy nodding and agreeing with everything she said to pay attention to HOW she said it.

"True true. It is all thanks to Lord Ra's mercy!" they repeated as a matter-of-factly.

"We need to get the hell outa here," Jin Wang leaned in and whispered to Hao Xuan, who nodded in return.

"Alright that's enough," Agueda butted in, making the other 5 shut up. She looked at Hao Xuan and Jin Wang apologetically, "Our guests are probably tired so let them rest. Buse here will guide you to your residence," she looked at the young female on the side who looked back at her with a frown.

"Now please," she said gently, making the girl pout. Still, she went walked past Hao Xuan and Jin Wang, out the way they came. A few seconds after she left her voice came, "Are you coming or not?"

"So she can speak our language as well..." Jin Wang mumbled and got up first, followed by Hao Xuan who bowed once again to the old women and left with the girl named Buse.

A few seconds after they left the old woman named Uthyr walked forward.

"Sisters, we cannot trust them. They have seen the ancestral liquid and will tell others about it. We must not let them leave!"

"I agree. Lord Ra gave us clear orders, no outsiders must know about us, ever!" another one chimed in.

They then looked at Agueda for confirmation.

"If it is what the Lord wants, it must be done," Agueda agreed without any hesitation.

"I'll get the things ready," Uthyr said before walking out with hurried steps.

***

Buse led them outside through the same way hey came in. A lot of people were still waiting outside and the crowd and even increased in size. As soon as Hao Xuan and Jin Wang stepped out they started pointing at them and whispering amongst themselves.

The man that had brought them here was also waiting for them and quickly ran up to Buse with a goofy smile. They started speaking in their own language but it seemed like the man was doing most of the talking while Buse only nodded and shook her head in response.

She led them through the crowd and towards the back of the settlement where there was another tunnel that went deeper in. About 15 minutes of walking later they reached a new area.

It was much smaller in size to the other cavern but the air here was much fresher. There was even a small breeze that brushed past Hao Xuan's face, making even Fortis pop out.

The girl almost screamed out loud when Fortis came out of Hao Xuan's shirt, but when she realized he was harmless she became quite embarrassed and started walking even faster.

There was only one structure in this smaller cavern. It looked like a temple with two old stone statues near the entrance.

"What creature is that?" Hao Xuan mumbled looking at it. The reason he asked that was because the statues were very old and had many parts missing, making it that much harder to tell what they once were.

"These are the statues of Lord Ra. He is a member of the tribe of 'Dreki'," Buse explained with her back turned to them. As she mentioned Ra's tribe she turned her head halfway and observed their expressions.

"Tribe of Dreki?" Hao Xuan scratched his chin in confusion. Jin Wang leaned in, "Dragon. The tribe of Dreki is a Draconic tribe. One of the oldest ones."

"Dragon?!" Hao Xuan was shocked to hear that. This was his very first time hearing of anything dragon-related. Buse's eyes lit up and she looked at Jin Wang with interest.

The temple had no doors with only a single shrine in the back. There were two crooked beds placed on the left side.

"This is where you will stay the night," Buse pointed at them and walked out before Hao Xuan or Jin Wang could say anything else.

Seeing her back vanish from sight Jin Wang quickly turned to face Hao Xuan.

"This sh*t is worse than we thought. We need to leave, tonight!"

His somber tone gave Hao Xuan an unsettling feeling.

"Why? Because of this Ra dude?" he asked looking towards the statues outside.

Jin Wang nodded.

"The tribe of Dreki is the tribe of Undead dragons.. They are known for their cruelty towards other creatures throughout the Nine Worlds. If these people actually worship this a*swipe then we have to put as much distance between us and this place as we can!"