A gigantic elephant stood in front of him, two kilometres tall, with a castle manned on its back. It was a glorious sight as he watched the titan walk, surprisingly fast and steady. Its steps would crush anything beneath it, and even though it was autumn, flowers bloomed in its wake.
The massive trunk of this titan picked a tree from time to time as it fed on it, while birds of all kinds, small and big, brought food towards its mouth as well. Elepharion was not just an elephant; he was a whole ecosystem.
"Aurelian! Can you climb on the ladder? Do you wish to be pulled upwards?" The rider asked as he had already dismounted, walking close to a ladder that led towards the castle that rested on Elepharion. The creature moved with fast paces; however, there was plenty of time. The titan was a walking mountain; he was as long as he was tall.
Aurelian was awakened from his shock, as were Luther and Thomas. There were even legions of gryphons and their riders, both on the ground and in the air. Massive serpents and stone giants were walking alongside them in the forests. This was an army of myth, just like the one Alexander had brought when Aurelian had reclaimed the city, albeit this one was smaller. It was yet to fuse with its counterparts...
Aurelian smiled and shook his head. What shame would it be if he was afraid? Was he afraid? Absolutely, yet he would climb it. Luther dismounted, passing command to Thomas, who nodded and proceeded to march in line. They were following Elepharion; he was carving the path.
He went towards one of the many ladders; Luther was on his left, and beside him was the rider himself. He was also needed above.
Aurelion began his climb; however, he was surprised as Eleonora, the princess of Rovan, was on his right side, climbing. Her blonde hair and blue eyes were a beautiful contrast.
She nodded towards him; however, he could see the fear in her eyes. She was still green, most likely, never tasted battle, and now she was to climb this behemoth alongside him. Of course, there were hooks with ropes, preventing them from falling - yet it was still something terrifying for a princess that only ever held a blade in training.
The climb was going to last around forty to fifty minutes. After all, they were experts, not novices or simply mortals.
Luther laughed as he climbed, excited. He was holding back, keeping it up with Aurelian's pace, who was now smiling. His silver hair and cape fluttered, but he was excited.
"Hey, fella! How long until we reach the battlefield?" Aurelion asked as he kept climbing, startling Eleonora. His voice was loud; after all, he had to be heard.
"We should arrive in four to five months. The breach is on the western side; thankfully, it is close to the capital. Still, I am unsure. We might be marching for days in safe territory. Haste is of the essence; we have to fuse with the main army, the one led by the Emperor himself" The raider was climbing; a cigarette was in his mouth as he took one puff after another. The stress from the whole situation was big; the Empire could be decimated. It was not just this army marching; there were many more armies from every corner of the Empire; there would be not rivers of blood, but seas.
"Oy, Godfather, did he just say four months?" Aurelian said as he stopped climbing. He took out a can of alcohol and lit up a cigarette as well! That was a lot of time; it seemed that he had forgotten the scale of this world, the size of its Empires.
"Hahahahaha, yes! Pass me the cigars, brat! This is my can?!? I have been looking for it for months now! You stole it, you brat!" Luther suddenly lunged towards Aurelian as they were now brushing against each other, fighting for the can of alcohol.
The rider laughed while Eleonor seemed shocked at the men's casual behaviour. It seemed like Aurelian and his entourage, as well as this rider under her father, were crazy. Did they not realise that they were hundreds of meters above the ground? One wrong step and they would die from such a fall, despite their cultivations... Besides Luther, he would live.
Maybe I should've taken the elevator and been pulled up...those maniacs...but at least it's funny...
The climb continued at its pace, as Aurelian, the rider and Luther would smoke and pass drinks, to the horror of the Princess. The smoke would pass by her, causing her to reek of cigarettes.
Damnation! They are smoking like chimneys! This Aurelion is nothing like what I saw! He is barely 18, younger than me by three years, yet he is already smoking, drinking and swearing!
Eleonor was distracted by her thoughts as she climbed the ladder, not seeing that her leg was going to miss the ladder bar.
Her back arched backwards as she began falling, and with a yelp, a strong arm grabbed her by the waist, pulling her to her left side and unstucking her leg.
She stood as Aurelian held her by the waist, looking at her like an idiot. She almost had died... or so she thought. She was hooked to the ladder; she would not have fallen, and as an Expert, even if she did, she would have the chance to grab the ladder again.
Realising that she was close to him and his hand was on her, she blushed, erasing her previous thoughts.
"You can grab the ladder if you want," Aurelian said. His expression was stoic as he looked at her. Even if she was beautiful, he cared not for her voluptuous body or pretty face; he had Aurelia, the most beautiful woman in his eyes.
"You got another Princess, godson?" Luther said as he was holding back his laugh. He knew that Aurelian was extremely loyal to Aurelia, but he also knew Aurelia's stance on such matters. He was trying to help her, and help him this way.
The princess gazed at Aurelian's face, his blind eye and saw the scars along his neck before looking away sharply and grabbing the ladder again. His hand let go, and she felt freed, beginning back the climb. She looked up and saw Luther looking at them as well as the rider. The rider seemed to be in a good mood as he seemed to nod at her and then wink, his brows lifting after that as his eyes shifted towards Aurelian.
'The audacity of this guy! I will report him straight to my father! The strength of Aurelion, however...his hand was not even tightened; his physicality is something else despite his build...The title of the strongest Expert is not without claims; Uncle Rhaegar is right.