The sound of birds singing echoed through the forest, as the gold rays of the dawn illuminate, the province in it graceful splendor, here the banner of a half moon on a blue coloured flag hang upon a wide open city gate, and above a magnificent calligraphic writing read "Brightmoon Empire.
Far to the eastern edges of these huge empire lays an endless stretch of forest shrouded in darkness, year in year out, the morning sun failing to grace the jungles grove.
All of a sudden birds flew away in flurrying, as a young man in bartered clothing dashed out of the jungles darkness, scarring the day light out of these little critters, the young man in his torn clothes take a sudden pause.
"this….this…is…" stammering dai yaun looked up at the bright sky, squinting his eyes at the sudden change in brightness, a few minute ago he was in eclipse of darkness and now he is in a bright world.
"Ahhhhh! I… am…. out!!" revealing a deep roar like scream, dai yaun widen his hands in embrace as he relish in the sudden change of environment, getting himself accustomed to the brightness of the day, it feels like century to dai yaun, since he had last seen a bright place, without having to squint his eyes to observe things, and the air feels so different.
Emmmm!!
It smells like ousmantus cake!!! dai yaun thought with his eyes closed still basking in, the fresh air.
"how delicious…." dai yaun suddenly said his inner thought aloud.
"what is delicious"
"ahhhh!!" dai yaun screamed and jumped in fright from the sudden voice from behind him, turning quickly around. Dai yuan eyes opened wide, starring at the young lady in red silk cloth standing behind him, The girl had an oval face, a small lips and a pointed nose, he eyes large and colourful like the syrain sky. She was holding a basket which seems to contain some herbs recently picked, as the morning dew could still be sighted on the herbs leaves.
"Can you clean the drool on your mouth"
The girl suddenly said.
"And what is delicious" she inquired curiously again.
"oh….. sorry" dai yaun quickly wiped the stains on his cheeks, as he stared at her.
Is this girl a gluttony? Dai yaun wondered as he keep staring at her, to him it feels kind of strange seeing another leaving him after spending so many days walking through the jungle of darkness, and it nasty inhabitants.
"what are you thinking" the girl asked again moving, closer to pair in his eyes, the girl stood on her toes to look at his dazed face but could only reach his chest, due to his large physique.
"what are you!!" the girl suddenly asked without waiting for him to answer.
"excuse me…..me?" dai yaun strangely look at himself from up to down, confusion apparent on his face at the girl strange question.
Still looking at the inquisitiveness on the young girls face, dai yaun answered. "I am a human ofcourse"
"strange… very strange" the girl murmured aloud, as she circled him while rubbing her chin with her free hand, examining him up and down as if looking at some endangered species in a zoo.
"heh… there can you stop it" dai yaun said jumping out of her way, as he tried to touch him.
"you look strange" the girl said again tilting her head to the left.
"you don't look like a human" she blurted shaking her head left and right.
You are the one who doesn't look like human…. your entire family doesn't look like human.
Dai yaun instantly frown, as dark line appeared on his for head, as the girl cursed at him, with that strange look, like some wild animal.
"oh sorry… I mean you look huge for normal human" the girl quickly apologized, recognizing her mistakes.
"well… I am.."
"Or are you a barbarian from the mountain" the girl suddenly said clapsing her palms together, as if she had guessed correctly.
"No!!" dai yaun yelled angrily as he turned and walked away, fearing he might violently smashed this brat like a piece of dead wood onto the floor.
"oyi…big guy… wait for me" the girl called out, while running after him in large strides.
Dai yaun refused to answer her, as he kept his head straight, and began moving faster from the girl, following the long trail of open clearing in the plain.
Running quickly, the girl stood walked beside dai yaun, occasionally stealing a glance at him.
"hey!!..what is it?" cant take it any more, dai yaun stopped and asked her.
The girl moved closer and and glanced at his clothing and the bulking bag mead of some beast hide, hanging across his shoulder, her gaze curious. "You're not from any clan?"
He shook his head. "No."
"where are you from?"
Looking back at the jungle, which he just stepped out from, a few minute ago. Dai yaun shake his head and asked his own "where is this?"
"oh it seems… you are not from here" the girl seed in amazement.
"yes" dai yaun did not deny it.
"well this is Brightmoon province, and we are at the border region of bright mountain city"
"Brightmoon city.. Brightmoon province" muttering to himself dai yaun, looked confused as he dint recall such name on the map he got from those assassins.
"what is it" the girl asked
"ughh…nothing" dai yaun quickly shakes his head.
"oh… then what is that on your back"
"this?" touching the bag made of hide on his back, dai yaun patted it gently as he reminisced about his experience during the last few days in the Blackscale jungle, with his new found strength, dai yaun was able to hunt and kill, most low rank monster he came across. While he run away from fight he couldn't win, dai yaun hold the principal of running to fight another day.
This bag was made from the hide of a mid grade rank 3 scaled antler, which he hunted few days back after descaling the hide, dai yaun used strewn grass as rope to make it into a bag, with he he store most of the things he harvest from the beasts.
"this is a bag!" dai yaun replied smililng.
"i know…"the girl rolled her eyes at him.
"i mean what is inside"
"oh…it just some beast part which I am planning to sell in the next town or city" dai yaun replied while scratching the back of his head.
"oh.. do you know where you can sell them" the girl suddenly asked with a burst of interest after hearing beast parts.
"nope"
"then you should come with me… my uncle is a merchant involved in buying beast materials and parts" the girl said wild with joy, jumping and hopping around him while trying to reach the bag.
"stop..stop.. stop!!" dai yaun used his large arm to press on the girls head, keeping her in place.
"you are making me dizzy" shaking his head, dai yaun wondered if she is reliable or some scammer.
"well…let's go" taking his hand out of her head the girl walked ahead of him, while inviting him to walk.
"and I am Wang LinLin" the girl turned and grin at dai yaun, while introducing herself.
Is it now you are going to tell me your name? Dai yaun rolled his eyes with disbelief.
"i am dai yaun" dai yaun sighed and tell the girl his naming shutting her up, as she seems about to ask for his own name.
As Wang LinLin lead him forward, The scent of pine and damp earth gradually receded, replaced by the sharper, less wild tang of wood-smoke and distant echoes of voices. Dai Yuan, still nursing a faint ache from his encounter with that chase him out of the bores another, crimsoned scaled Boar, a monster he had encountered more frequent after the first one failed to ambush him, walked behind her, admiring his new surrounding with vigour.
Wang LinLin's knowledge of the forest trails had proven invaluable, guiding them out of the dense undergrowth and onto a well-worn path that lead to the Brightmoon mountain city.
As they rounded a final bend in the winding path, a breathtaking scene unfolded before him. Brightmoon Mountain City. The city wasn't merely built near a mountain, it was an extension of it. The city clung to the southern face of the colossal Sky-Splitter mountain, a jagged and ancient behemoth whose summit often pierced the clouds. Terraced layers of buildings, constructed from the same dark, hardy stone as the mountain itself, laid scattered on the mountains body accessible by winding staircases and broad streets. At the very top of the city, nestled in a natural saddle of the peak, a magnificent structure, seemingly carved directly from the living rock, gleamed faintly even in the afternoon sun – the Brightmoon Temple, it's polished obsidian and white quartz structure is said to reflect the full moon's light with a supernatural brilliance, a phenomenon that gave the city its name.
"It's... impressive," Dai Yuan murmured, the word feeling inadequate for the scale of the sight. He had rarely left the Blackscale village, and thus had seen nothing of such grandeur and immensity.