My Demon Pet System - Chapter 295

“Wow! This place is better than I ever imagined!” Takuma exclaimed, getting lost in the details of the city carved into the rock. “And it’s even bigger than I thought! If those holes are doors and windows, there are hundreds of them!” he added, unable to hold back his amazement.

The landscape around the two travelers was barren and bare. Besides the lack of vegetation and colors, there was no form of life on the high ground from which they were admiring Oakenfair.

The mountains surrounded that place, protecting it from the wind and the weather outside. Oakenfair was purpose-built in a hidden location to benefit from the tranquillity and peace.

Far from the eyes of anyone who wasn’t headed there for an unseen reason, the rocky town was invisible to anyone traveling north. Only by searching for it with a map was it possible to reach it. However, it was not the classic place to spend one’s holidays due to its bad reputation.

Because of the rumors about the mysterious tunnel that connected it to Hollowgate, Oakenfair was often a crossing point for Demon Hunters. In fact, in all likelihood, Taisuke’s teammates were heading there.

Moreover, in addition to that feature, the rocky town was so out of the way compared to the other inhabited centers in the north that the imperial guards were utterly absent. There was no imperial law among those bridges and narrow streets, and the rules to be followed were definitely dictated by a ruler or a group of governors.

Spurring his horse, Yoichi rode forward, letting Ichiro slowly make its way to the hollow that separated that low promontory from the entrance to the city.

Wooden platforms framed into the rock repeated themselves every ten centimeters, forming a single path. The only way out of that space enclosed between the mountains still seemed to be the passage between Oakrath Heights.

Large boulders that had fallen from the tops of the mountains lined the wooden path, on which the sound of horses’ hooves echoed and vibrated. Some of those boulders had been used as dwellings and then abandoned, becoming ghost houses scattered like wildfire.

Yoichi was sure he had seen scarier places in his life in Lumya, including the Blackvault Mines dungeon, populated by threatening spider and bat demons. However, the city before his eyes gave him bad vibes, as if it was a ghost town.

Those holes of varying sizes and shapes and the vegetation that grew undisturbed everywhere due to the carelessness of the architecture made the promontory that housed Oakenfair very similar to a giant hollow beehive. The only difference was that people inhabited it instead of insects.

A hollow more than twenty meters deep surrounded the entire town, and at its lowest point, even the wooden road set into the rock disappeared under a thin layer of mud. The slush stretched left and right, with no boundary within the hollow.

“Yes, this hollow was once filled with water,” Takuma affirmed out of the blue, interrupting his traveling companion’s silent thoughts. “My grandfather told me that Oakenfair was built as a military outpost. When it was abandoned, I don’t remember for what reason, anyone could move here freely,” the Grimbrook warrior explained.

As the hooves of Ichiro and Takuma’s horse began to ride up the steep slope, they were forced to climb over wooden obstacles. Large, heavy pillars were stacked on the ground and partially sunk into the mud. Along with pieces of rusted iron, those beams were what remained of the city’s ancient drawbridge.

“You just don’t remember the reason that made Oakenfair such a wild and dangerous place? It would suit anyone to occupy an outpost in such a strategic location,” Yoichi asked, intrigued by the question anticipated by Takuma.

“I don’t remember. But as usual, it’s something to do with handing over the Tentochu Empire to Shinzo. Grandpa Gompachi told me that Oakenfair was a very important city during Tatsui’s dinasty,” Takuma replied, trying to answer Yoichi’s question as best he could.

“Hmm. I just hope the people inside aren’t hostile. Come on, we’d better look for our man before darkness falls on this place,” Yoichi remarked. Unfortunately for him, the sunlight would disappear hours earlier than in the outer valley due to the high mountain peaks.

The closer he got to the town entrance, the more the young tamer sensed that not a pin drop could be heard from the other side. The Valley of the Northern Waters was a quiet place, but nothing like the silence inside those mountains.

Beyond the rise of the basin, Oakenfair’s main entrance stood as a great arch of stone grayed by time and partially shrouded by the ubiquitous moss. Climbing, weedy plants had taken advantage of the lack of attention to creeping right into the fractures in the rock. Beneath the stone archway, a single, big wooden door was perpetually wide open, letting in anyone who wanted to.

Needless to say, there were no guards or armed men of any kind guarding the entrance.

Takuma and Yoichi looked at each other, exchanging a puzzled look and continuing to ride in silence. Beyond the door, the dim glow of a few torchlights hanging on the walls was barely visible.

“Your grandfather told me to look for a man named Kinnojo. He owns a spice store and may know Shusaku’s location,” Yoichi spoke in a low voice, motioning Ichiro to stand beside Takuma’s horse. The Grimbrook warrior confirmed with a movement of his head.

Finally, when both adventurers passed the door, Oakenfair took a precise shape in front of their eyes: many narrow streets like burrows branched from that point on like the tunnels of an anthill. The typical buildings of every city were replaced by very atypical vertical constructions, joined by the same rock of the floors.

There it was not possible to distinguish a street from a sidewalk and a staircase from a bridge. What looked like a rocky hive on the outside was as messy as a labyrinth on the inside. Without knowing the planimetry of Oakenfair, finding a spice store would have been like looking for a needle in a haystack.