99 Chapter 99. Meeting Garrick again

"Why have we come here?" Vanessa curiously asked.

Why had they just entered into the southern mountain ranges?

"We are going to meet Garrick," Leo answered with a smile as he looked behind at them and then pointing towards a cave that was on the lower regions of Mount Ketumati.

"What? He is still alive?" Vanessa asked with disbelief while the others had looks of confusion on their faces.

"Hurry up! I can't be bothered to wait for you guys that long," Leo spoke, hurrying them as he made his way to the entrance of the cave.

The cave entrance was now open and there were no more monsters hanging outside the cave. A considerable change from last time and there seemed to be a mysterious type of energy dispersing from inside the cave and immediately Mars and Leo realized this as the energy that was from Garrick's axe.

Shock appeared on Mars' face as he rushed in followed by Vanessa and Wenella.

Inside the cave was a long badly sculpted hallway that led to a large clean hall made out of roughly cut out rock and in the middle was a large rectangle altar at which Garrick was sitting in a meditative pose with his axe lying sideways on his hands. He was wearing a simple ragged shirt and pants made of white rough hide that villagers would often wear.

Hearing a series of speedy footsteps, Garrick's eyes slowly opened as he saw Mars standing right in front of him with an expression of disbelief on his face. A warm smile appeared on Garrick's face he stared at Mars.

"Garrick?" Mars asked, still in shock. He could not believe how this was possible...

"I'm glad that you survived," Garrick replied with a relieved smile as he got down from the altar and walked over to Mars, and gave him a big hug.

"Ghost!" Vanessa screamed in shock as she saw Garrick, thinking that he was a ghost.

"He's not a ghost," Mars told her as he placed his hand on Garrick's shoulder with an extremely belated smile.

"What?!" Vanessa exclaimed again, still in shock.

Just behind Vanessa, Wenella slowly appeared, looking at Garrick with an extremely relieved look.

"Hey, guys!" Garrick greeted them, confirming that he was still alive.

Vanessa was still in shock so she did not answer at all, and Wenella did the same but she slowly walked over to Garrick with a furious expression on her face akin to how a parent would look at a child after the child had disobeyed them.

"You should've listened to me. Do you know how much guilt you put me through?" she spoke coldly as she condescendingly looked at Garrick with her hazel-brown eyes.

"Eheh..." Garrick sheepishly replied as he knew that he really would've died if it was not for the axe so the only reply he could come up with was, "Sorry."

"It's nice to see that you're doing fine," Leo's voice sounded as he finally made his way into the room.

"Haha! If it weren't for you then I would be dead right now brother!" Garrick laughed as he walked to Garrick and gave him a very gratuitous hug.

"How are you feeling?" Leo asked as thee seemed to be a change in Garrick's body.

"I feel extremely well. No. I feel even better than before," Garrick spoke as he felt the energy rushing through him like water at the rapids.

"Your affinities seemed to have been improved," Leo spoke interestedly as he observed Garrick's body.

"Really? Then it must be due to this cave," Garrick replied cluelessly as he looked at the altar and the engravements on the wall.

"Garrick, what exactly is this place?" Mars asked curiously as he, Vanessa, and Wenella began observing the engravements on the wall.

"This is the master's mansion," a rough male voice sounded out from the entrance.

And immediately, everyone's faces turned towards the entrance and they saw the same Lapis Nighthawk that Leo met when he first entered the cave. The beast now had a more lively and healthy expression on his face and he was now stood upright at a towering five meters.

"A TALKING BEAST!" Vanessa screamed out loud as she fainted and fell towards the ground, Mars catching her just in time.

"You're certainly doing a lot better than before," Leo commented as he and Garrick walked towards the bird while Wenella watched in confusion.

"I must thank you for bringing master here," the hawk spoke as it bowed it head towards the ground, thanking Leo for what he had done.

"How are you feeling now master?" the hawk asked as it looked towards Garrick with utmost concern.

"I'm doing a lot better now, I feel a lot stronger now," Garrick answered.

"Why don't you explain yourself and what this place is?" Leo suggested as he directed their attention towards the three who were still in shock at a talking beast.

"Greeting everyone, I am a Lapis Nighthawk that was born here. About eight hundred years ago, I was gifted the power of speech by a male cultivator and he wielded the same axe as master and he taught me countless things. He made his mansion here inside this cave but when he came here, he was grievously injured and almost lost his cultivation. He immediately lost all his cultivation shortly after building this mansion. He then left this place, saying that he was going to settle down somewhere isolated and he left me with a task. To take care of this place and to wait for his successors who turned out to be master," the Nighthawk explained.

"You said this place is a mansion but I don't see any other rooms. This place is just a hall," Leo argued.

"That is because they are all sealed. I have been waiting for master to appear. Now I can open up the rooms," the Hawk answered.

"Amazing... But how do you know that I'm the successor?" Garrick asked curiously.

"You are able to interact with the energy in the axe, master. This is proof that you are a part of the grand master's bloodline," the Hawk replied.

"And why was I-" Garrick proceed to ask another question but he was stopped by the hawk who broke in.

"I'm sure that you are extremely curious about this but they are all inside the library room, master," the Hawk informed, "Would you like me to open it up now?"

"Not yet," Garrick suddenly answered.

"Huh... Why?" the hawk asked as it looked at Garrick extremely curiously.

Garrick gave a loud sigh before looking at Leo and then speaking, "I want to go and see my wife and kids first, I'll bring them here and then we can open all the room."

Hearing this, the hawk nodded understandingly but Leo immediately cut in, "I like that thought Garrick. Let's get to your village first. Hawky, please open up all the rooms first so that when we get back here it will be ready."

"Understood," the Hawk nodded.

"Is she still knocked out?" Leo asked annoyedly as he looked at Vanessa who was still out cold.

"Sigh... Mars, pick her up and carry her," Leo nonchalantly spoke as the group then made their way outside the cave.

"Theodora, Arsu, Azizos... Your dad's coming back safely!" Garrick spoke out with a very confident tone as he looked back at everyone and excitedly ran forward screaming, "Let's go!"

Garrick's silhouette immediately disappeared into the thick line of tree and Wenella prepared to chase him off but before they could, Leo's stopped them, "Just wait."

And just as he said this, Garrick's silhouette immediately appeared again as he rushed up to them with a very clueless expression and he asked while scratching his head, "Which way is the village?"

"Haha!" Wenella burst out in laughter.

"I knew this would happen, you might have gotten stronger but your brain hasn't," Leo joked as he began walking northwards, "Let's go."