The cave and the mysterious door
"Get ready we'll be moving in less than thirty minutes," Lucas said.
"Why did you wake me up so late?"
"You were sleeping like a rock and no matter how much I tried, you wouldn't budge," he replied.
My mouth was drier than a desert, so before doing anything else, I took a sip of water.
"Why do you drink so much water?" the orc asked.
"Well to stay alive. Water is a necessity."
Due to that question, I thought back to the past month living amongst the orcs and my eyes were nearly popping out of their sockets; I had not seen them drink water at all!
"Do orcs not drink water?" I asked.
"No, we don't need any fluid to survive. We just need enough food."
"That's something else where we differ."
After our brief conversation, I exited my tent. I used my hand to prevent the bright rays of sunlight from blinding me. Adriana and Martin were devouring some boar meat from yesterday, so I joined then and began enjoying the now cold and chewy food.
"Where's Charlie?" I asked.
"I don't know, sleeping probably. He'll join us later," Martin said nonchalantly.
"You don't look too good Jett," Adriana said.
"I'm running on little sleep. I didn't manage to rest at all."
"WE'RE LEAVING! GET READY!" one of the teachers yelled.
I examined the surroundings to try to find Charlie but in vain. I locked eyes with Arthur and his goons but I did not bother with them; however, the orc did have a bizarre expression. His grin was so ominous that it somehow sent chills down my spine, harbinger of doom. Charlie seemed to pop out of nowhere and approached us.
"You could have taken more time," I said sarcastically.
"Stop with your jokes. I couldn't get a minute of shut-eye," he replied.
"Don't worry, if you collapse, I'll ask someone to carry you," Martin said.
"What a good friend you are," he replied.
The chattering amongst students was brought to a grinding halt as the voice of the teacher echoed throughout the clearing.
"WE'LL BE TAKING YOUR ATTENDANCE! COME TO THE FRONT!"
One by one, every student went to the group of teachers to get their names noted. After the instructors had completed their tally and confirmed that everyone was indeed present, they arranged us in neat rows.
"Our task for today is simple. You all see that mountain over there?" he asked as he pointed towards the towering peak.
"We are going to be climbing it and we will be exploring one of its numerous caves," he added.
"What's the point of doing that?" one of the students asked.
"The Emperor Azule liked to spend his time meditating in that cave. It makes sense to show the younger generation where their predecessors roamed."
The route we took to the mountain was different from the one we took last night; this one was easy to navigate through. We walked in rows of three, I was with Lucas and Charlie. This time, instead of being met by a steep cliff, a gentle slope was in front us. We climbed the mountain at a snail's pace as not everyone was fit enough for this task.
"IF WE CONTINUE AT THIS SPEED, WE'LL BE HERE FOR A WEEK," one of the teachers yelled.
My hands were bruised and cut due to the sharp rocks as sweat dripped down my face. Small pieces broke off of the boulder and tumbled down the side of the mountain. After twenty minutes of strenuous climbing, we reached a flat platform and waited for the rest of the students to catch up to us. The cave opening was colossal and awe-inspiring; we could not see anything as darkness was so thick.
"We'll distribute torches. Light them before entering."
Lucas was the torchbearer; after kindling the flame, we promptly set foot in the cave. The light gave the walls an eerie glow as the blaze crackled. The humid air rendered it difficult to breathe and many of the orcs began coughing. As we stepped deeper in the cave, the sound of water dripping from the stalactites echoed.
The teacher gave us explanations as we soldiered on with the tour. We were brought to a stop after the teacher raised his arm. On the left side of the cave, there was a ramshackle wood door; the putrid odour of the rotten material struck our nostrils.
"Can we get a move on. I can't stand this smell. It almost stinks as bad as humans," Arthur shouted.
"You talk a big game for someone who was flat on the floor after being pummelled by a human," I said.
"Stay quiet dude, stop nagging Jett," Charlie said.
"Mister Arthur, if you have a problem with the way I conduct the trip, feel free to leave. Your presence is not required."
"As I was about to say, this door is special. Even though it looks like it's about to fall down, no one can open it," the teacher added.
"Bullshit, what do you mean no one can open it?" Arthur said.
"Your father and your grandfather both tried and failed, so if you feel confident, why don't you give it a shot."
Arthur did not reply back and simply lowered his head.
"What's behind this door?" one of the students asked.
"Well we can't be sure, but our best guess is that it belonged to the great Emperor, that's why no one can open it."
Some of the orcs tried to unlock the door but all of their efforts were in vain. Afterwards, we continued our trek through the darkness; however, to our surprise, the path kept on getting wider until we finally reached a cavern. Our jaws nearly hit the floor as we laid eyes on the space. The ceiling was nearly twenty meters high and there was even a natural pond in the center. Instead of the rocky surface we were just walking on, there was luscious grass surrounding the body of water.
"This, dear students, is where Azule trained in seclusion!"