Chapter 84: The Emerald Lake and the Rusted Gate

  The steady journey entirely through the Azure Valley was a stark, wonderfully welcome contrast to the brutal, lethal environments they had barely survived over the past two months. The heavily engineered landscape was incredibly forgiving. They followed the winding, perfectly maintained crystal-clear stream as it steadily widened into a small, fast-flowing river. The manicured banks were lined with beautiful weeping willows and massive, fragrant pine trees that provided perfect, highly calculated dappled shade from the warm afternoon sun.

  Lyra’s physical strength returned rapidly in the mild, magically regulated climate. The pink spores remained completely, safely dormant, entirely starved of the extreme physical exertion or magical stress needed to violently awaken them. She moved with her usual, flawless fluid grace, scouting effortlessly ahead of the slow-moving mule.

  Zeno was entirely, happily in his element. The valley was absolutely teeming with heavily cultivated life. He spent his days happily foraging, utilizing his monstrous strength to completely uproot massive, wild tubers.

  When they ran out of dried meat, Zeno didn't bother crafting a spear or a fishing line. Standing in the cool shallows of the fast-moving river, he patiently watched a massive shadow dart beneath the surface.

  He didn't try to grab the slippery fish with his hands. He took a deep breath, raised his massive, spiked Rock Serpent gauntlet, and drove a highly concentrated, devastating punch directly into the surface of the water.

  THUD-SPLASH!

  The massive kinetic shockwave blasted through the dense liquid like a physical wall of force. A second later, three massive, silver-scaled river trout floated completely stunned to the surface, their gills fluttering weakly.

  Zeno happily scooped them up into his iron cauldron, wading back to the shore with a brilliant grin. "The fishes absolutely do not like the sledgehammer either, Lyra!"

  "The valley is essentially a giant, free grocery store," Zeno announced cheerfully later that evening, preparing a massive, savory fish and mushroom stew over a roaring campfire.

  "It's peaceful," Lyra agreed, resting her back against a smooth stone, meticulously oiling her twin daggers. "But absolutely do not let your guard down completely, Zeno. This is a massive, highly lucrative, extremely wealthy trade route. Where there is massive, unprotected wealth, there are always highly opportunistic predators. The human kind."

  Her tactical warning proved entirely, aggressively prophetic the very next morning.

  The fast-flowing river they had been flawlessly following finally emptied into an absolutely colossal, breathtaking body of water. The Emerald Lake was massive, its far shores completely lost in the pristine morning mist. The water was a stunning, incredibly vibrant shade of deep blue-green, completely undisturbed by the wind, looking exactly like a giant sheet of polished, expensive glass.

  However, their peaceful progress along the manicured shoreline was abruptly, entirely halted.

  Spanning a wide, deep inlet of the massive lake was a highly impressive, heavily constructed wooden toll bridge. It was expertly built from heavy pine logs and reinforced with thick iron, wide enough to easily accommodate two massive merchant wagons side-by-side.

  But the bridge was currently entirely blocked.

  A heavy, spiked iron barricade gate was lowered completely across the entrance. Standing aggressively in front of the rusted barricade were six heavily armed, incredibly rough-looking men. They wore mismatched pieces of scavenged, dirty armor and carried a completely disorganized assortment of heavy broadswords, crude axes, and heavy crossbows.

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  They were definitely not official Riverbend city guards or recognized Guild mercenaries. They were a localized, entirely parasitic toll gang, specifically targeting independent travelers and small merchant carts who couldn't afford a massive armed escort.

  As Zeno, Lyra, and the heavily laden mule approached the bridge, the leader of the gang—a massive, incredibly heavily scarred man missing half his left ear—stepped forward, casually resting a heavy, double-bladed battleaxe on his broad shoulder.

  "Hold it right there, travelers," the scarred leader grunted, spitting a stream of dark, foul-smelling chewing tobacco directly onto the pristine wooden planks of the bridge. "This crossing is currently under the exclusive, absolute protection of the Iron-Tooth Company. The toll for safe passage is ten silver coins per person, and another ten for the fat mule."

  Lyra halted Gravel, her emerald eyes narrowing as she instantly, flawlessly analyzed the tactical situation. Six men. Poorly disciplined, badly equipped, heavily relying entirely on cheap intimidation rather than actual martial skill. She didn't reach for her heavy silver pouch to pay the extortion.

  Instead, Lyra reached into a small side pocket. She pulled out a single, incredibly shiny silver coin. She tossed it casually through the air. It landed with a sharp clink directly at the scarred leader's boots.

  "Thirty silver is steep," Lyra noted entirely calmly, her voice completely devoid of fear, radiating absolute ice. "That one coin is for cleaning up the mess you just spat on the wood."

  The scarred leader's face instantly twisted into an ugly mask of pure rage. He gripped his heavy battleaxe with both hands, stepping forward to slaughter the arrogant scout. "You insolent little—"

  Before the man could finish the threat, Zeno stepped smoothly forward, completely placing his massive frame between Lyra and the bandits.

  He didn't draw a weapon. He didn't ignite his blue Tena. He didn't even raise his fists to strike.

  Zeno walked directly past the entirely confused gang leader, completely ignoring the raised battleaxe, and stepped right up to the heavy, spiked iron barricade blocking the bridge.

  He examined the thick iron bars with a critical, deeply disappointed eye.

  "This is a very poorly made gate," Zeno observed softly, shaking his head.

  He reached out with both massive hands, grasping two of the thickest, solid iron bars located in the absolute center of the barricade.

  He didn't punch the gate. He didn't rip it off its hinges. Zeno simply applied his monstrous Strength stat of 26 slowly, deliberately, and with absolutely terrifying, silent control.

  The heavy, solid iron bars began to groan. Then, they began to warp.

  The six bandits stared in absolute, paralyzed horror as the massive teenager slowly, casually twisted and squeezed the incredibly thick iron bars exactly as if they were made of warm, wet clay. The metal shrieked in mechanical agony, completely bending and snapping under the sheer, impossible, raw physical pressure of his bare hands.

  Zeno effortlessly tore a massive, tangled chunk of the heavy iron completely out of the center of the barricade. He turned around, offering his signature, completely cheerful, utterly fearless grin to the terrified gang.

  He casually dropped the massively twisted, ruined ball of solid iron directly at the scarred leader's feet. It hit the wooden planks with a heavy, deafening THUD.

  "Your gate was very, very weak," Zeno announced softly, his amber eyes entirely calm, radiating a completely overwhelming, peaceful aura of absolute destruction. "I fixed it for you. Can we cross the bridge now, please?"

  The scarred leader looked down at the mangled ball of solid iron. He looked up at the massive, smiling boy with the terrifying spiked gauntlets. The absolute, undeniable reality of the physical power disparity crashed into him like a falling mountain.

  He didn't swing his axe. He didn't issue an order. The leader dropped his heavy weapon onto the planks, entirely stepped aside, and scrambled desperately backward, completely pressing himself flat against the wooden railing to get as far away from the monster as physically possible. The remaining five bandits immediately followed suit, entirely parting like a terrified sea, completely abandoning their extortion racket without a single drop of blood being spilled.

  "Thank you," Zeno nodded politely.

  Lyra laughed softly, leading Gravel directly through the newly created, massive hole in the iron gate. "Your diplomatic skills are improving flawlessly, Zeno."

  They crossed the bridge entirely unimpeded, leaving the terrified bandits behind. The pristine Emerald Lake stretched out beautifully before them, completely ready to face whatever the bustling, highly advanced city of Riverbend had waiting.