Travellers - An Isekai, Cultivation Fantasy

"Please! Let us go, we'll do whatever you want!" cried Sam.

However, the figure chuckled and the one on the left was about to attack when Astoria screamed.

"WAIT! Please hear me out!" Astoria begged.

The two figures became intrigued so they turned towards her. The pressure on Sam and Astoria's bodies decreased slightly.

"You have thirty seconds," one of them said.

"I don't know who you are or what you want, but you want me right? I will cooperate completely with you. I will do whatever you want. In exchange, please let him go. We have never met before and I am sure we don't have any personal enmity between us, so please, just let him go!"

"WHAT!" Sam cried. "No, Astoria, you don't have to do this."

While Sam was terrified, the two were discussing amongst themselves.

"This is unexpected, but if she willingly cooperates, that will make our plans easier," one of them said.

"Yes, but we can't let him go. He would expose us!" the other disagreed.

The two stared at Sam wondering what to do.

"I… I won't tell anyone about what happened here!" Sam quickly spoke up.

They laughed.

"Why would we believe you?" one of them said.

He walked over while summoning a tiny leech spirit. It launched itself towards Sam and burrowed into his throat. Sam screamed in disgust.

"You!" Astoria was shocked but before she could continue, the man spoke.

"Don't worry you'll be fine. I just placed a curse on you to stop you from talking about this incident or this girl to anyone else. So long as you keep your mouth shut, you'll be fine. Otherwise, you will die a miserable death."

Sam kept coughing from the leech burrowing into his throat. It felt disgusting at first, but he could no longer feel it now.

The spider spirit suddenly released Sam and he fell to the ground. Sam breathed a sigh of relief, he really thought he was going to die.

Astoria turned around to face him.

"Sam, when you reach Jain, I need you to deliver the box to the youngest son of the village chief, Drake Reynard, as soon as possible. Also, show him this, it will prove to him that I sent you," she said handing him a simple bracelet.

This was a gift that Drake had personally given her, and she cherished it.

Sam didn't understand what relationship Astoria had with the village chief, but just accepted the bracelet and nodded.

"What are you going to do to her?" he asked them.

"Haha, you don't need to worry about that!" they replied, before taking Astoria and walking away.

Sam stopped for some time to see Astoria's figure disappearing into the horizon, along with that of those mysterious mages.

He sighed, and then began quickly making his way to the Jain village.

Soon, he arrived at the Jain village and after paying the entrance toll, managed to enter.

Like how Astoria originally was, he didn't know anything about this village's geography so was struggling to find his way around.

However, the village chief's manor was one of the most important places, so he quickly managed to find it by just asking around.

However, he was stopped at the gate by the guards.

"Please, you must let me through! I have an important message to deliver to master Drake!"

However, the guards sternly refused. "Outsiders are not allowed into the building without permission. Also, master Drake has been diligently cultivating ever since he became a mage, so he won't easily come to see visitors either."

Sam became extremely worried.

He didn't know what happened to Astoria, but it was clearly important to her to have the recipe delivered to Drake. So, Sam thought that they must have some kind of a relationship and therefore hoped that this Drake could help her somehow.

"What's going on here?" someone asked as they walked out.

Sam saw a boy wearing dark clothes and staring at him curiously. However, Sam was slightly surprised to notice that this boy resembled Astoria a lot.

"Greetings to Master Hazezel!" the two guards called.

Sam realised he must be someone important and lightly bowed to him as well.

"Master Hazezel. My name is Sam and I carry an important message that I must deliver to master Drake immediately," he said.

"Drake?" Hazezel mumbled, taking another look at Sam.

He was a scruffy young man with a tanned skin. However, his clothes were tattered, and he was bleeding in several places as if he had just been through a fight.

Hazezel was sure that Drake didn't know any such shady-looking men, so didn't want to allow him to meet Drake.

"Whatever it is you want to tell him, you can tell me first and I will pass it on."

Sam hesitated for a while, but he shook his head.

"I am extremely sorry, but I must talk to master Drake directly!"

Hazezel's gaze darkened, and the guards looked at each other in disbelief. Wasn't this implying that he didn't trust Hazezel? It was quite disrespectful.

"My brother is cultivating and is not to be disturbed unnecessarily. You can tell me the message and I swear on my name that I will pass it on."

Sam was really hesitant now. He didn't want to continue declining Hazezel, yet Astoria was very clear that the box had to be delivered to Drake so he didn't know if he could trust this Hazezel.

They had worked so hard to get the recipe. He didn't want it falling into the wrong hands now.

After a lot of contemplation, Sam finally answered again.

"I am extremely sorry, and I mean no offence. However, this matter is of the utmost importance and requires the greatest confidentiality. I must talk to master Drake and master Drake alone! Please don't worry. When he sees what I have to give, he will definitely not be disappointed."

Hazezel's pupils shrunk. 'Drake… what are you up to now?' However, he finally agreed.

"Okay then, I will take you to Drake and he can receive your message. If you try anything funny or if you are simply wasting our time, don't think I'll go easy on you!"

Saying this he walked inside, and Sam quickly followed. Soon they entered the back garden where a young boy was cultivating underneath a garden umbrella. Next to him sat a young-looking elf with long white hair who was also cultivating diligently.

Hazezel approached Drake but didn't speak. He knew that forcefully disturbing cultivation could cause a backlash. Drake would have sensed their presence and would soon stop his cultivation and greet them.

"Hazezel," spoke Drake after a while, glancing curiously at Sam.

Sam saw Drake and was intrigued too. Was this the boy who was responsible for making Astoria steal the Zenith pill?

"Drake, this man here claims that he has an important message to give to you," Hazezel explained.

Drake was even more curious as he didn't recognise him.

"Very well, I am Drake, the youngest son of lord Holt. What business do you have with me?"

Hazezel was surprised that Drake didn't seem to know him, but he now stood to the side to watch the show.

Sam spoke hesitantly, "I have something very important to give you master Drake," he said and handed him the box containing the pill recipe, along with the key.

Drake opened it curiously and found a grand scroll lying inside. However, upon reading its contents, he couldn't help but gasp in surprise!

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"This!" he stood up looking at Sam with wide eyes. "How did you get this!?"

Sam was taken aback.

Why did Drake not know about the Zenith pill recipe? Did Astoria not steal the Zenith pill for him? What was going on? He then remembered something else and took out the bracelet.

As soon as Drake saw it, he couldn't remain calm anymore.

"You! What have you done to my sister?!"

Even Hazezel was flabbergasted.

Everyone was looking for Astoria, yet this mysterious man showed up with her bracelet, two months after her disappearance! What did he do to her? If he hurt her then…

'No calm down Hazezel' he told himself.

Astoria had left so suddenly. If Sam really did hurt her, why would he bring back her bracelet to show them? Wasn't that just idiotic? Clearly, Astoria must have given him that bracelet to prove that she had sent him here. That was the only explanation.

Drake of course realised this and calmed down. But Sam was thunderstruck.

Sister?

"She… Astoria is your sister?" he didn't know about Jain village, so he didn't know the details.

If he had enquired about the village head's family before coming, he could have found out that Holt's daughter was called Astoria and that she had gone missing. He could have put the two and two together to deduce everything.

But he realised it too late now.

It was clear that no one knew about Astoria's actions from their expressions which meant that she had acted secretly. So, they must have been searching for her when he suddenly showed up like this.

If they ask him to explain what happened to her, what could he say?

He had a spirit restraining him!

How could he deal with this situation?

"Yes, she is my sister and has been missing for a while. Where is she and what relationship do you two have?" Drake questioned.

Drake was extremely worried and had already forgotten about the pill recipe.

"This…" he wanted to explain but as soon as he even thought about telling the truth, he felt a searing hot pain build up in his throat.

"I can't answer," Sam finally said.

"You! Who do you think you are?" Hazezel boomed. He couldn't stand idly anymore.

"It's not that I don't want to… I just can't," he replied vaguely, cursing himself.

If only he had investigated first before coming here, he could have handled the situation differently.

But he was now a prime suspect in the disappearance of the village head's daughter!

…

"He's right," a soft voice spoke out.

The person who spoke was Ray. He didn't interfere in family matters and was trying to cultivate at the side, but this commotion awoke him.

"What do you mean master?" Drake asked respectfully.

"I can sense strange mana fluctuations from his throat. This strengthens when he is about to say certain things. If I am not mistaken, he is under a curse. There is a parasitic spirit restricting him from talking about certain matters."

"What?" Hazezel asked.

While most spirits required a continuous supply of mana from the mage to survive, there were some special types of spirits too – nature spirits used the world's mana for sustenance, and parasitic spirits infected living beings and consumed their mana and life force for survival. Parasitic spirits were often used for curses.

Hazezel didn't know such a thing was possible. "Can you remove it?"

Ray thought about it for a while before shaking his head, "I'm afraid not. This curse is very profound. I wouldn't have sensed it even existed if it didn't flare up just now. I think whoever cast this… must be at least a grand mage."

As soon as he said this both Drake and Hazezel's face fell. In the nearby villages, there was only one who was a grand mage and that was Myra Wan of the Elven village.

Did she have something to do with him? If she had cast a curse to stop him from talking about Astoria, didn't that mean she was responsible for doing something to her?

"My master would never do such a thing," Ray said displeased, as if sensing their thoughts. Myra was his master, and he didn't like them suspecting her. "Besides, only dark mages practice curses."

'That's true,' Drake thought about it as well. Why would Myra want to harm Astoria? That didn't make any sense. And the curse path was only practiced by dark mages. Could there be a dark grand mage involved?

The situation was rapidly becoming complex, and the two boys felt a headache. They had to inform their father.

Ray hesitated slightly before deciding to join them. They may want to consult him about the curse.

Holt was dumbfounded upon hearing this news. But he was helpless. He needed to find a way to break the curse to allow him to talk, but he didn't know how to do that.

"What do you suggest master Ray?" asked Holt.

"The only person who has a chance of breaking this curse is my master. You should invite her and ask her opinion," he replied.

Holt nodded; he knew this as well but he would prefer to solve this problem himself if possible.

Since he had no other choice, he decided to send a message to the elven village and could only hope that she would agree.

Since that was done, Ray turned back, leaving Holt, Hazezel, Drake, and Sam alone.

After Ray left, Hazezel finally asked Drake unable to contain his curiosity, "What was in that box?"

Drake smiled as he showed the contents to them. They were both shocked!

"You, how did you get this?" Holt asked Sam perplexed.

Sam smiled bitterly. He couldn't talk about any matters related to Astoria so how could he explain to them how he got it? He simply shook his head and everyone else understood.

'Astoria…' thought Drake.

How are you involved in this matter? Did you help him get the recipe? But why would you do such a thing suddenly?

Don't tell me!

Drake started sweating.

What other reason could Astoria have to try and get this recipe so suddenly? She also wanted it to only be given to Drake first.

She had clearly gone to get the recipe for him!

If something happened to her, wouldn't that then be his fault? Didn't he inadvertently bring harm to his own sister?

Hazezel and Holt also had similar thoughts running through their minds and Hazezel spoke out, "Brother, no matter what happens it is not your fault."

Drake could only smile bitterly but he couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

"Sam," Holt spoke. "Though you cannot tell us any details about Astoria, you should at least be able to answer a yes or no question. Can you tell us if the last time you saw Astoria, she was alive?"

Sam nodded and everyone heaved a sigh of relief.

However, Sam's throat started burning and he began screaming in pain as he fell to the floor.

Everyone was stupefied.

What kind of a vicious curse was this?

If even such a simple response could create this extreme of a backlash, how could they ever get him to talk?

They were all helpless and could only hope that Myra would come.

After a while, the pain ended, and Sam stood up shakily.

"Considering that you brought us such a precious gift and are also willing to endure such pain to answer questions about my daughter, I can only assume that you did not harm her. Tell me, what do you want?" asked Holt.

Sam spoke immediately, "Someone precious to me was sold as a slave and arrived at this village. I currently have no money and nowhere to go, but I must first save them."

Holt nodded.

He arranged for Sam's lodging, gave him a sum of money, and had some people help him get information about his girlfriend.

Sam was extremely grateful. More than Astoria, this was his main goal.

Several days went by.

Everyone agreed to not spread word about them being in possession of the Zenith pill recipe for the time being.

The reason? They now needed Myra's help.

If they revealed this information, then in exchange for her help, she would demand the pill recipe too.

How could they give it so easily? Astoria had gone through great pains to get it; they couldn't let Myra take advantage of the situation.

This was also why Drake didn't immediately reveal the contents of the box while Ray was around. Ray was an elf so if he found out, he would immediately inform Myra.

Finally, Myra arrived at Jain village and was seated together with Holt, Sam, Drake, Hazezel, Ray, and some attendants of Myra.

"He is indeed under a curse. I can sense a parasitic spirit within him. There must be dark mages involved," she spoke.

Dark mages were also mages and cultivated mana, however, their cultivation techniques were very dangerous and often involved killing and committing other evil acts to progress. Poison and curse elemental magic were exclusively practised by dark mages.

They were hated by everyone else.

Yet their cultivation methods would also yield faster results, allowing them to reach higher realms much quicker than normal cultivators. The allure of such power made many people risk being shunned by the world.

"Can you break it?" Holt nervously asked.

"It's very risky," Myra revealed honestly. "I have a twenty per cent chance of success. If I fail, the boy will die." She spoke plainly.

Sam's face was aghast.

Everyone looked at him.

No one here would force him to cooperate, but he couldn't just refuse. Everyone in this room was influential. He couldn't live peacefully in this village if he offended all of them at once.

But that was only secondary to him.

He thought about the times he spent together with Astoria. The two were united under the strangest of circumstances. They plotted together to bring the downfall of Henry and somehow succeeded. At the very end, Astoria sacrificed herself to save him.

Maybe she was only using him for her own goals the whole time, but Astoria had still undeniably helped him immensely throughout this process. At the end of the day, she still saved his life.

He was extremely grateful to her and really cared for her.

"I am willing to help," he said. Everyone was relieved. "However, I must still first find my girlfriend and save her. If she is alive, I will buy and release her, if she is dead, I still wish to know. After that, I will cooperate."

No one complained. They were extremely happy with this arrangement.

"Very well, I will order more people to find her," Holt replied.

Meanwhile, deep in the Beast Woods.

A group of cultivators were fighting against a pseudo commander class elephant demon.

"Take this!" yelled Jin Tong as he used a critical opening to stab at the elephant.