On the road that day, only a single kind of sound was heard. It was the sound that came from the rolling wheel of the horse driven wagons. Since the dirt road condition was far from the smoothness of the well-paved city road, the sound was louder than usual. Regardless of the condition, it was the most used road by the merchant due to the relatively safe condition of the surrounding. The route was longer than the other alternative, but it was located in a vast grassy plain, far from the dense forest that raised the chance of an ambush from dangerous bandit and thieves. Even when night fall, the route was still relatively safe. Apart from grass as long as the eye can see, only a handful of tree is found every now and then.

“No matter what, I’m still getting tired travelling from town to town.”

A young man with a short light violet hair sat on the front of the wagon next to the driver said that with a rather tired tone as he tightened his cloak again. The rugged brown cloak suggested that it has been in his possession for quite some time.

“Ah, but you mustn’t hate it, Delriyar. This is, after all, our livelihood,” said the driver to him.

“It’s not that I hate it. I’m just tired. That’s all.”

“Then why don’t you take a rest for a while in the back? I can manage this by myself.”

“No, I want to see the surrounding. I like watching the scenery from here. Besides, what would the other say if they see me sleeping in the back of the wagon while my brother is busy driving in the front?” said the young man with teasingly.

“Hahaha…” The driver laughed at his comment.

True, their clan was a little strict about it. They said that everyone of their clan has been traveling between cities to trade since early childhood. Delriyar never hate the thought of that, in fact he also felt a satisfying feeling when he was able to make a good deal just like everyone of his clan member. But sometimes he just needed to relax and forget about work. He was after all, still an ordinary human being.

Delriyar and his brother were currently travelling with their clan to Trintus, the capital city of the Terranul Kingdom, the biggest kingdom in Essalda.  It is a crowded city that lies in the center of a profitable trade route. The city had gain such an amazing profit from their market because of the trade route.

“Hey, brother. How long will it takes until we reach Trintus?”

“If there is nothing wrong with the road, we will reach it this noon. That reminds me, this is your second time visiting Trintus, right?”

“Yes, the first time is when I was still very small, so I barely remember it.”

The first time Delriyar came to Trintus was when he was five. He was travelling with his family and his clan to trade fur and spices. They spent no more than a week in Trintus because at that time they didn’t bring large amount of merchandise and they left as soon as they ran out of things to sell.

“But this is the first time we go to Trintus without our parents.”

“Yes, you’re right.”

“But that doesn’t mean you can neglect your work, Delriyar.”

“Yes, yes. I know. I’ll help you, okay. Besides, who would help you count all of that money?” said Delriyar teasingly at his older brother.

“Whatever you say. If you’re doing your work, I’m satisfied enough.” His brother ignored Delriyar attempt to tease him. Delriyar is a serious guy, but his brother is a much more serious person than him.

Their parent was on another trade route. It was the Essailet clan tradition to make their older son take their parent’s trade route as soon as they reach adulthood. This was to ensure that the same trade route will not get too crowded and at the same time their clan can still expand their trade network. Even though this tradition was a bit too cruel to some people, the member of the Essailet clan view this as an honor to their own clan well being. Since Delriyar was still young, he had the option of travelling with his own family member. His parent trusted him with his brother, Ansavar Reynaud, since their own trade route was much more dangerous and they wanted to make sure of their own son’s safety. 

The two brothers were raised to be a merchant, but they have very different talent. Ansavar was a natural talker, able to persuade his customer to buy more than their usual amount. He was also able to attract customer easily to his stall to make them browse through his merchandise or even make them buy them even if they didn’t need to buy anything from him. His skill in negotiating was a proud talent every member of the clan would like to have.

His brother, Delriyar, had another talent. His speed in counting money was second to none. He was also a good learner. The first time he try to man a stall, he only managed to sell two pieces of fur for a single day. But after a while, he could sell two pieces of fur every single hour. He learned his trading skill first from his parents and then from his brother. Now the two of them were a team of merchant that had the ability to attract and sell their merchandise at a lightning speed. But the clan leader still thought that they still have much to learn. They were still young and they need to get much more experience if they want to become a renowned merchant in Essalda.

“Work together with your brother. You can learn a thing or two from him.”

That was what Delriyar’s parents told him before they part way.

Even though Delriyar was no longer a child, the thought of living away from his parents still sadden him in his heart. But he knew very well that his older brother would be more than enough to fill the role of a guardian, a teacher, and a family. He held his brother in a high respect, not just because he is older than him, but because he saw a burning desire deep within his brother eyes. Delriyar wanted to learn this desire that he saw inside his brother and it seems like his brother was willing to share his desire with his own younger brother.

The trail of wagons was riding uphill. The horse could be heard neighing because of the heavy load they must pull and the steep terrain they must go through. Usually when a merchant wagon was expected to carry a heavy load or a going a rough terrain, a pair of ox was used instead of horse. But this time, the merchant caravan was expected to prioritize speed for now. The merchant wagons are lead by Ansavar. This was because Ansavar was considered to be one of the recent merchant that was raised into the rank of senior merchant, thus making him qualified to lead a newly created trade caravan. The caravan itself consisted of five wagons, including Ansavar’s own wagon that leads them. All of them were junior merchant of the Essailet clan. Delriyar was also one of the junior merchant of the Essailet clan. He was only a step away from joining the rank of senior merchant. He was a promising merchant, able to catch up with his other merchant relatively quick.

The wagons go up into the hill, but not for long.

“Halt!”

A sound came from in front of their wagon. Hearing that, the whole wagons started to slow down.

 A man holding a spear and dresses in leather armor stopped them. Beside him was another man dressed in the same way, but instead of holding a spear, he carried a bow on his back and a quiver on his belt. The only visible feature of their face that was left visible was their eyes. Delriyar wondered how they can breathe normally under a helmet that looked to be so tight. The thought of wearing a helmet that tight was enough to suffocate him.

“Yes, what’s the matter?”  Ansavar asked to the man in a polite manner.

“May I ask you where you are going?” asked the man holding the spear.

“We are going to Trintus, we are merchants,” replied the older merchant with a calm voice.

“I see. Would you mind if we take a look inside your wagons?”

“Yes, I’ll tell the other first. Please excuse me.” Ansavar hopped down the wagon and then he goes to the back of the wagon and gathered the wagon drivers. Delriyar hopped down but he stayed near the wagon.

After a while, Ansavar came back and discussed the result of his short meeting with the other merchant to the man in leather armor.

“It’s okay, you may check all of the wagons but please don’t damage the merchandise.”

“Thank you, sir. We will be careful.” The man in leather armor gave a slight nod and then his companion followed him. They started to check one wagon after another.

“How many of them, Delriyar?” Ansavar whispered to his little brother.

“Three. One is on top of the tree in the left, one is under it. The other one is on the tree on the right. They surround us.”

“I see. But thankfully they are the Treesword Knight. If we met a bandit here, I doubt we can survive.”

“Treesword Knight? You mean the royal guard?” Hearing the slightly familiar term, the young merchant asked his brother.

“Yes. See that? That’s their signature earring.” Ansavar pointed to the bow carrying knight. He was indeed wearing an earring on his right ear. It was an emerald earring.

“I see. You’re quite sharp, brother.”

“As you are too, my brother. “ Ansavar tapped his brother’s shoulder as he said that.

After a while, the knights came back. The search was done very quickly thanks to the other cooperation.

“Thank you, sir. Please give this to the gate guard.” The knight handed him a red badge with a little cross in the middle.

“What’s this?” Ansavar asked him.

“Let’s just say that that is a little reward, Mr. Merchant of Esailet.”

The knight smiled at him and then bowed. He then left the area with his companion.

“What’s that, brother?” Delriyar looked at the object in his brother hand.

“I don’t know. He said it is a reward.”

“So from your looks I suppose you didn’t receive this thing the last time you get into Trintus.”

“No, I haven’t. The sight of a Treesword Knight patrolling the vicinity of Trintus is also a rare sight. I wonder what’s going on.”

“Well, let’s think about that later. We should get going, right?”

“Yes, we should.” Ansavar put the badge into his pocket.

“You didn’t meet them the last time, right?” Delriyar asked with curiosity in his voice.

“No, why?”

“Because they know we are from the Essailet clan.”

“Oh, that’s because he saw that the member of our caravan is a lot younger than the usual merchant’s caravan.”

“Oh I see. That’s why.”

He then shouted to the other wagon driver to get ready. He then jumped into the driver seats and got the horse moving.

“Delriyar, could you get into the back of the wagon and count the fur? I just want to make sure they don’t take anything.”

“Sure thing. Never believe the authority, right?”

“Yes, I have bad experience with them,” said Ansavar while keeping his view forward.

Delriyar hopped to the back of the wagon and started counting their merchandise.

While he is counting, the sight of the great capital city Trintus is getting near them. It is a feast for the eyes, and also an opportunity for any merchant, including them, to earn a hefty profit.

After counting the fur and the bag of spice, Delriyar returned to the front seat, joining his brother once again.

“Anything’s missing, Delriyar?” The black hair merchant asked his little brother without moving his gaze.

“Nope, but they did make a mess. I have to put the spice bags in their own groups. Good thing they didn’t spill any of the spices.” Delriyar voice contained a bit of irritation due to the knight’s so called inspection.

“Well, that’s good to hear. At least now you aren’t that bored, right?” His brother laughed.

“Well, I’m not exactly bored before. I’m just a little tired. By the way, why did the royal guard is all the way there?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because of the incoming festival. They may need to increase the security, even outside of the city.”

“Is it really that necessary?”

“We can never know. There may always be people that have bad intention, you know?”

“Well, whatever happens, we are only doing our job as the merchant of Essailet, right?”

“Yes. Buy low, sell high.”

“Look for the opportunity when it’s arises.”

“And bring prosperity and wealth to the clan. The three principles of Essailet. Did you memorize it already?” asked Ansavar to his brother.

“Of course, I have. At first, I thought it would be difficult to memorize the principles, but after you do it every day, it comes naturally.”

“Yes, that’s why you ha– woooo!” Ansavar suddenly stopped his horses.

Delriyar almost fell forward because of the sudden stop of the wagon.

“Halt! Halt your horses!” Delriyar shouted to the other drivers behind them after balancing regaining his balance.

Horses neigh could be heard along the way because of the sudden halt of the caravan.

“What happened, brother? It’s dangerous to stop suddenly like that.” Delriyar fix his sitting posture as he asked his brother.

“I know that. But look at that.” Ansavar pointed to the roadside.

Delriyar looked to the place his brother pointed at and he saw a person lying there.

“Delriyar, sense anything strange?” Ansavar asked his brother with the lowest voice he could manage.

He needed to confirm that it was not an ambush. Even though they’ve met the royal guard that never meant that it is completely safe. The danger of being ambush can never be absolutely gone. The least they could do was to minimize the risk.

Delriyar looked around silently, avoiding attracting unwanted attention.

“No, there is no one around here. Silent and normal.” Delriyar reported his surveillance with the same low voice as his brother.

“I see. Then, shall we take a look at the poor man?” Ansavar grabbed his swords and put it on his belt. He was a dual sword wielder.

“Very well. I hope there is nothing wrong.” Delriyar also grabbed his sword. Delriyar was still a single sword user, unlike his brother.

A merchant life is never a safe life. They are in constant danger of being rob or attacked while travelling. Even while they are in a city, their safety is never guaranteed thanks to their job. Because of this, the Esailet clan requires their member to practice art of fighting for their own defenses.

Delriyar’s family usually practiced swordsmanship. Delriyar chose a single sword, while his brother, Ansavar, chose a dual wield sword.

Delriyar was the one who jumps down the wagon first. He quickly calmed down the horses. Usually after stopping suddenly like that, the horses became restless, that’s why Delriyar tried to calm them down.

“Wait here, I’ll ask one of them from the back to guard our wagon.” Ansavar then ran to the back of the wagon. As the leader of the caravan, it was his responsibilities to maintain the caravan’s safety. So in the worst case, there would be someone to look after the wagon in front and alert the other if they’re being attacked.

Delriyar waited for his brother. Then after his brother joins him, they walked to the man.

As they arrived near the man location, the two of them surveyed the location once again. One could never be too careful in their line of job.

The man’s clothes were in tatter, but he didn’t seem to be injured. His downy grey hair was a mess. He looked like to be unconscious. He was wearing a grey cloak that was covered with leafs. He was wearing a riding boot and there is a hat lay down near him.

“It seems like he fell down from his horse.” Ansavar stated his theory.

“And it seems you’re right, brother.” Delriyar gestured to the horse track near them.

“Let’s see if he’s injured.” Ansavar examined the man’s condition.

After a while, it seemed like he is fine. He fainted because of the shock of falling down from the horse.

“So, what are we going to do then?” Ansavar asked his little brother.

“We can’t leave him like this. Besides, the second rule of the three principles.” Delriyar grinned to his brother.

For a while, Ansavar didn’t really get what his brother trying to say. Then after a while, he laughed. He finally understood what his brother was talking about.

“You’re a fast learner, I give you that.” He said as he patted his little brother’s back.

“I have a good teacher.” Delriyar grinned back at his brother again.

They carried the man into the wagon together. They put him in the back of the wagon, together with the merchandise. Since the man is uninjured, they didn’t need to apply any bandage whatsoever.

Ansavar then gets into the front seat after asking his replacement to assisted him in front of the wagon because Delriyar needed to be in the back of the wagon, looking after the man. Then they once again ride to Trintus.

2: Chapter I Part 2 "The Knight’s Beginning "

Vast grassland lay in front of his eyes while white clouds hover on the blue sky above his head.

It is a scene filled with such tranquility and serenity.

But there is something strange about it.

If one wanted to describe the scene in one word, there is one word that certainly fulfilled that role.

Empty.

Yes, there is nothing here, only vast grassland that covered the earth below and the blue color that adorned the heaven above. Not even a single tree can be seen in the ground.

“Hey, is anyone there?” The man shouted to his surroundings.

No answer. Because there is no one here.

No sound. Because there is nothing here.

Silence filled the air as the man looked around him.

It is so sickeningly silent that the sound of his own heartbeat and breathing is too clear for his own ear.

“Where am I?” He asked once again to his surroundings.

Just as before, no one gave him a reply.

Confusion and slight fear entered his mind.

“Where is everyone!?” he shouted with the loudest voice he could use.

But once again, no one answered him.

He was alone in that empty place.

He shifted his gaze to the sky above him. The sky was just like every day sky he always see. Clear blue sky with a few clouds passing by and the sun that always shone very brightly.

Why was he here? Where is everyone? How did he get there in the first place?

While in the middle of filling his mind with loads of question, a sudden shaking below him stopped his thought completely.

“W-W-What’s happening!?”

As he tried his best not to fall down, he braced himself for whatever thing would unfold next.

“Ugh!!”

As the shaking became much more violent each with second, he finally fell down to his knees.  

While trying to get up, his eyes catch on something on the far side of the grassland.

Something was shining. The light become much brighter as the shaking become much more violent than before.

Then the bright light blinded him completely, forcing him to shut his eyes.

After a while, he could fell the light starting to fade down. The man opened his eyes slowly.

“W-What!?”

The scene in front of him startled him.

The once green grassland he saw minutes ago changed into something different. Something horrible.

The vast green grassy field is replaced with hard barren land with the color of vivid red.

The once empty land is decorated with ruins everywhere.

On a hill not far from where he is standing, a tall ruin that somehow still managed to portray its glorious moment as a sentry tower stood.

He looked to his left and found a building in a horrible condition. The almost dropped roof suggested that it was a house.

As he tried to stand up, he placed his hand on the ground and felt the grass below him has been replaced with cracked and broken down street.

After standing up, he could see much farther and find a much bigger shadow of a building near the tall tower. Torn up flag that barely flutter in the wind and broken up castle gate is the only thing that remained attached to that shadow.

“What happened here?”

The man, confused and shocked by the scene laid in front of him, tried his best to comprehend the situation.

The previous question that was left unanswered still hanging inside his head has added more confusion to his mind.

Then all of a sudden, the tip of his shoe touched something in the ground.

He looked down to find out the object that his foot had come in contact with.

“Gyaa!?”

He jumped back with surprise after he saw the object in question.

Laid in front of him was a human skeleton. A few seconds ago his foot touched the skeleton’s skull.

The thing that remained on the skeleton’s dry bone was a few scrap of skin left hanging and the a little bit of flesh here and there. On its feet is a pair of damaged boot that have dried up blood stains on the sole. A broad sword impaled on the back part of the skeleton suggested that somebody stabbed him from the back.

“W-What is this place?”

He took a few steps back from the horrid scene. He could slowly feel the fear and anxiousness starting to get into him.

After thinking for a while, he decided to try to get out this crazy place.

He then tried to look around the place. The only thing he could think was to follow the trail of the broken down road and hoped for the best.

He moved forward, carefully avoiding stepping on the corpse.

As he followed the trail, he could only see scene of total carnage.

Ruins after ruins decorated with corpses upon corpses. The horror around him is something any human shouldn’t ever witness in their life.

He then reached the end of the road. The road stopped and only a simple dirt path is left.

With strange feeling inside his chest, he tried to look to the end of the road. It seems like the dirt road leads to the edge of a cliff. Maybe he could see something from there.

He moved forward, following the road. In his heart, he wished to see an end to this horror, but something in the back of his head told him that he would find something worse than here. But he tried to keep believing that there is always a chance to find an end to this.

While he walked the road, he shifted his gaze to the sky above. The clear blue sky is gone, replaced by a reddish sky, as red as the blood. The ever shining sun doesn’t look like it is shinning happily. The sun looked as if bleeding and filling the sky above him with blood.

After a while, he finally reached the end of the dirt road. Only a few steps more and then he could see the cliff in front of him.

Even though his mind telling him to stop, his heart telling him to move forward.

Scared, but at the same time, curious.

Finally he decided to move forward.

Step after step made him closer to the edge of the cliff. With each step closer, his feet felt heavier and his chest tightened.

With one final step, he reached the top of a cliff. He looked in front of him and saw the same scenery from before. He looked around him, hoping to catch something else with the added height, but found nothing.

Inside his mind, something told him that he needed to see was below the cliff. Once again, at the same time something told him that he needed to avoid looking into the place below the cliff.

But he decided to ignore the warning. His curiosity won over him. And he hoped that he wouldn’t regret deciding to ignore that warning.

The moment his gaze laid upon the scene below him, he finally understood why the warning was made.

All of the scenes from before is nothing compared to the one below the cliff.

What lied under the cliff is a mountain of corpses. Some of them looked to be fresh since he could somehow see blood still dripping from the gaping wound of those corpses.

The condition of the corpses is beyond recognition. Some were stabbed by countless sword, others were chopped of their limb, while the rest looked to be bitten of a pack of beast since the wound looked to be made from sharp teeth. Among those, he could also see some of them had their hand raised to the sky as if asking for help to eased up their pain or maybe to give them a swift death.

“Ugh!”

Holding back the urge to vomit, the man covered up his mouth. It was too horrible and too sickening to see that.

“Huh? What’s that?” he asked as he saw yet another strange thing.

Amidst the mountain of corpses, a jet black pillar made of unknown material stood tall near the far side of the valley.

On the feet of the tower, a few corpses could be seen laid in the position that suggested that they had embraced the tower before their demise.

Then all of a sudden, something happened.

Holes started to open up all over the tower’s black smooth surface.

“I–Is that–“

He couldn’t complete his sentence as he realized what those holes were.

They were eyes. Big wide open eyes sprouted all over the black tower’s surface, making it much more grotesque than before.

And the worst thing is, the eyes moved their gaze and stared directly at him.

Startled, the man took a step back. Then he felt something’s wrong.

He looked around him. There is a black mass of black hovering from afar.

No, that’s not right. There was more than one.

Two. No.

Four. No.

More than a dozen of them were hovering from afar. All of them emanated a menacing aura.

His first instinct was to get as far away as possible from that place.

“What? I can’t move?”

He couldn’t move his feet at all. Maybe the fear had made him frozen.  But no, that was not the case. He looked to his shoulder and found there are darks shades all over his shoulder. The shade somehow resembled the silhouette of a soldier.

As the shade held his shoulder, his body is paralyzed.

“Let go!”

The man tried to shake the shades’ grip. But the more he moved, the heavier the grip became.

“Damn! Let go!!!”

With each second passed, the black globs got closer to him.

Then one of the glob got in front of him. It smiled for a split second and then opened its mouth.

It is going to shallow him.

“No, I will not die here!!! NOOO!!”

He shouted with all of his might while he tried to move his body, but no use.

As the glob’s mouth covered him, he could only see darkness.

--------------------------------------------------<>----------------------------------------------

“HAH!!!” He opened his eyes.

He is sweating furiously. His shirt is wet with sweat. His breathing is all over the place. He tried to calm down.

He looked above him. The sky is as blue as ever. The clouds are passing by just like normal.

He looked bellow him. The grass is green just like normal.

Those red stained ground or the bleeding sky isn’t anywhere around him.

“Huff, another dream,” said the man as he wiped his forehead.

Before he woke up, he was sleeping on top of a tree. But instead of feeling refresh, he felt tired and sluggish.

He sighed as he remembered the dream. For these last couple of days, he was having that nightmare over and over again.

At first, he thought it was just another nightmare. But as time passes, the nightmare become much frequent and the feel he had in those nightmares make him doubt that those are ordinary nightmare. The horrifying feeling was much too real for a regular nightmare.

He once again moved his gaze to the sky above and then to the grass below. That scenery made him realized once again that he is currently living in a peaceful land, far from the scenery his nightmare had showed. It eased his mind a little. He then leaned back to the tree and closed his eyes yet again, hoping for a much sweeter dream this time.

“Baron Rachevish!”

But before he could dive into the dream realm, a voice called him.

“Baron Rachevish, where are you?”

The man looked for the one who called him. Of course, he knew very well the one who was looking for him just from the voice.

“I’m right here.” He shouted to the caller to inform his location.

Then a rather hurried step came toward the tree he was sleeping on.

“There you are!” A willowy girl came running and stopped under the tree.

“Baron Neraviel Rachevish, may I know what are you doing there?” She glared at him as she asked him. Her delicate face showed she is far from happy discovering him sleeping there.

“Ah, Salvina, what’s with the full name? Didn’t I tell you to just call me Neraviel? It is much simpler than to call my full name, don’t you think so?” The man named Neraviel smiled from the top of the tree.

“Yes, you did tell me that. For now, could you please come down?” She asked with an annoyed face while holding a leather covered book.

“Now, now. Calm down, Salvina. I’ll be right down.” Neraviel jumped down and landed near her. Then the blue haired man dusted off his clothes.

“I’ll ask again. What are you doing there, Baron Rachevish?”

“Salvina.” Neraviel looked at him.

The girl gave a sigh.

“Master Neraviel, what are you doing there?”

“You are one strict girl, you know that?” Neraviel teased her.

“Yes, yes. Please answer me.” Ignoring his comment, she pressed on.

“I was sleeping there.” Neraviel lazily answered her.

“Sleeping? While we’re on a tight schedule to go to Trintus?“ Once again she glared at him.

“Yes, is there something wrong?” Showing a guiltless face, he replied the girl.

“Ugh…” Salvina massage her temple. She looked angry, but at the same time, calm. A talent she showed over and over again whenever she had to deal with the carefree master of her.

“Even after serving you this long, I still don’t know what you’re thinking, Master Neraviel.”

“I see. Than that makes me a rather mysterious person, right?” He teased her again.

“Yes, yes. Please follow me, the other are waiting for you. We are running behind schedule.” She then started to walk while keeping her book opened.  Neraviel followed her with a lazy step.

This was a scene that played almost every day in the Kyarien Barony. The loyal retainer, Salvina Cannanza, would look all over the place for the lord. Then she would find him in a rather strange place. He was once found out helping the farmer plowing the field. The other day he was playing with the pigs in one of the people’s ranch, making Salvina covered in mud after that. Finding him sleeping on a tree was the least strange situation.

“Master Neraviel, we are going to go to Trintus today, did you forget about it?”

“No, I remember that. It’s just that…” Neraviel face changed for a while, “I just don’t like the atmosphere there, the people and the ruler seems very far away from each other.” He said as he remembered the last time he goes there. He was a nobleman dresses in a beautiful clothes passing by a peasant. The peasant accidentally bumped into him. The nobleman got angry and ordered his guards to beat him up on the spot. The word he said never leave Neraviel’s mind.

“A commoner should learn his place. How dare you, a lowly dog like you, touching me, a high and honorable person. Ah, I have to burn these clothes later or the scent of poverty will linger in my house.”

Those words were something that shocked him. Neraviel was a nobleman, a baron in fact. But he never thought that the lower rank people, the commoner, are something filthy or lowly. He felt that they are the same as him. They all work very hard, maybe even harder than him. That’s why he respects them, and in turn, they respect him. He felt that the title he was given means that he is responsible for the people’s wellbeing, not only his own.

“Did that incident still on your mind, Master Neraviel?”  Salvina asked her master while still reading the schedule written on her book.

“Yes, unfortunately. I can never forgive them for treating others like that.”

Salvina sighed.

“You are a strange person,” she said quietly.

“What? Are you siding with that person? With that kind of person? Are you telling me to be ‘normal’ and become like that person!? ” Neraviel got upset at his retainer’s reaction.  Then he realized that he unconsciously raised his voice when saying that.

She stopped walking, closed her book, and then she turned around, facing Neraviel. This sudden reaction that made her short black hair fluttered a little and also surprised Neraviel.

“Baron Neraviel Rachevish.” She said his name with a formal tone. This startled Neraviel even more.

“I, Salvina Cannanza, am your loyal retainer. I’ve seen your daily life. I’ve seen your misbehave, your misconduct, and your laziness every single day of your life.” She stated that like she was reciting a law that was written on a book.

Hearing that, a slight feeling of guilt surfaced on his heart. But then he saw a little smile crept on his retainer’s face.

“But, I’ve also seen your other side. Your kindness toward your people, your respect to them, your leadership. I’ve seen it all. And not once have I saw you treating the people like some kind of trash or lowly object. And that, Baron Rachevish, is something that I’ve admired.” She smiled at him.

Neraviel stayed silent. He knew that she would be the last person to side with that kind of person. He knew, but he just couldn’t control his emotion when he remembered that incident.

“I, no,” she shook her head, and then she corrected herself, “We would never even thought that you should turn into that kind of person. Not even one bit.” She looked at him.

He was reminded once again that he had the support of his people and he didn’t want to tarnish the trust his people has given him.

“Yes, they are the ‘normal’ kind of nobleman every person in this land would have known. That’s why you’re strange, but that doesn’t mean that you should become like them.” Salvina said that and then she turned around. She then resumed her walking pace.

Neraviel sighed. He followed her. As a ruler, he have a lot of responsibility, but when doing all of that responsibility with the thought that those may bring the people a better future, he felt a little more motivated to do it.

“Master Neraviel, we will depart for Trintus in a few minutes.” She opened her book once again.

“So we’re leaving on the middle of the day? It is too hot travelling at that time.”

“We were scheduled to leave in the morning when the weather is supposed to be nice and arrive at Trintus in the afternoon. But a certain someone overslept and delayed the schedule?”

“Who? The driver?” Neraviel answered jokingly.

“IT’S YOU!” She turned around and shouted at him.

She held her temple once again, massaging it. She was running everywhere when the lord of the land was missing while the schedule for today was tight.

“Wow, wow. Calm down, Salvina. I’m joking. You need to relax more, or you’ll get older quickly.” He laughed.

Salvina could only stay quiet, realizing that if she would say another word, she will be having a much more severe headache.

“And you, Master Neraviel, should be more serious.” A male voice came from behind them.

“Do you think so, Crich?” Neraviel replied casually.

This man that has just joined the conversation is called Crich, a tall man with a muscular build and a bald head. He was one of Neraviel’s bodyguards. He had served him longer than Salvina. He had served from the time of Neraviel’s father, Baron Erus Rachevish. His family name, Hardo, pointed to the fact that he was from a clan that is famous for its swordsmanship and riding skill.

“Crich, is the carriage ready?” Salvina asked him.

“Yes, it is ready to depart anytime, Ms. Cannanza.”

“Did the maid have already loaded the stuff?”

“Yes, they have. But I don’t know if everything has been loaded.”

“Then I should go there and check for it myself. Crich, stay her and guard the master. If he tries to get away, grab him right away.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Then Salvina walked first to the wagon, leaving Neraviel and Crich behind.

“Hey, Crich, I was wondering. Why did you always call her Ms. Cannanza?”

“Hmm? Isn’t that because she is older than me?”

“Oh yes, I forgot about that. She always looks a lot younger than her actual age. To think that she is older than me. What a mystery.”

“She’ll be angry when she heard that, Master,” the bald guard warned his master with serious tone.

“I know, but it’s just strange to hear a big, bald, and muscular man like you call a little girl like her Ms. Cannanza, right?” He said with a playful tone.

“I have nothing to say about that.” And the bald man decided to not get caught in the trap of his playful master.

“Tch, you’re no fun.”

Yes, Salvina is often treated like a younger sister by the other because she looked a lot younger than the other people who work in the Rachevish Family Mansion. But she never minded that as long that the job got done perfectly. She is one strict woman and everyone agreed that Neraviel needed a strict one to keep him in line.

“So we’re going to Trintus, eh?” Crich asked his master.

“Yes, we have too.” Neraviel sighed at that fact.

“Because of that festival, right?”

“Yes, because of that festival.”

“You don’t seem to be looking forward to attending the festival, Master Neraviel.”

“Hehehe…” He could only laugh awkwardly at his guard’s comment. He didn’t want to be reminded of his bad experience in the capital city any more.

Salvina is still busy taking care of the stuff they need to bring to their trip to Trintus. So they needed to wait for a while until their departure. Since Neraviel was one of the closest relative of the king, they have opportunity to stay in the royal palace. They would stay in the royal mansion, but that didn’t mean that they will have all of their necessity provided just like that. True, their food will be provided by the mansion, but they need a lot more than just food to live, right? So, Salvina packed enough clothes and other things. The one who will go with him is, of course, Salvina as his loyal retainer and Crich, his closest guard. There are also a few guards that will go with him. Travelling as a nobleman is never a safe trip. You can never guess what would happen to them in the middle of the road.

“You know what the worst part is? I have to wear that formal suite again.” Neraviel complained to his trusted guard.

“You really hate that suit, eh? Why? I thought you look rather good in that.”

“I don’t know about that. But that suite doesn’t suite my taste. It made me look like a…”

“A nobleman. And may I remind you, you are one, Master.”

“Yes, you’re right. But don’t you think my usual clothes looks better than that? Besides, it is much more comfortable.” Neraviel’s current clothes consisted only of an ordinary blue puff shirt and a brown leather pants. He wore a pair brown boots to match his pants.

“Hmm, I don’t know.” Crich who had known his master’s rather unique personality couldn’t answer that question.

His strange and unique view and personality as a nobleman sometimes made him unable to give the right expression and answers to his master.

“You’re not going to wear that outfit when you’re going to see the king!” An angry voice came from behind them. It seemed Salvina finished preparing for the trip.

“Ah, but don’t you think that those clothes are uncomfortable?” Neraviel tried to protest.

“Uncomfortable or not, you’re going to wear it!” Salvina stated that firmly.

“Even Crich feels that too.” He tried to get a support for his opinion.

“Eh? Who? Me?” He was surprised by his master’s sudden statement.

“Crich.” Salvina looked at him firmly. Even though Crich was a strong and expert swordsman, his skills was useless again the master’s loyal retainer deadly glare.

“Uhm, I did say that the master is good when he is wearing that suite.” He tried to save his own neck.

“See, even he said that. Now go change and then we are going to ride to Trintus.” Salvina ordered his master. Neraviel silently obey his retainer’s order then he passes Crich.

“Traitor.” He said quietly while passing the big bald man.

“Sorry.” Crich apologized to his master.

After they were alone, Crich gave a question.

“Ms. Cannanza, did you notice?”

“What?”

“The master seems a bit tired, don’t you think so?”

“Yes, and it doesn’t look like he has done anything that would exhaust him. He has only been sleeping on the tree after he has eaten breakfast. After he has finished eating breakfast, he ran away from me.” Salvina sighed.

“Did he have that dream again?” Crich asked her.

“I don’t know. But he did say that he has been having those dreams rather frequent these past few days.” Neraviel did tell both of them about his dream. Dream that let him see a rather horrible scene of the land.

“Maybe, he tried to hide it from us by acting like that.” Crich added.

“Yes, I know that. All we can do is play along.” His loyal retainer and trusted bodyguard understood him very well, but they choose to play along with their master’s action.

“But, you know, I really wish that he would get his act in order.” Salvina complained. She opened her book once again and saw that the schedule has been messed up.

“You’ve had it hard, Ms. Cannanza.” Crich smiled at her. Then they walk together to the wagon, ready to ride to Trintus. Well, after their master finished dressing, that is, and that they don’t know how long will be.

3: Chapter I Part 3 "The Explorer’s Beginning "

In the middle of a godforsaken land, the sound of dancing wind became the music for the setting of the sun. On the ground, dust and sand littered the earth as long as the eye can see.

The scene takes place in the long forgotten place in Essalda. Its name is Ruins of The Monolith Fortress. Only a few people knew this place. Maybe more had known this place, but they have chosen to forget about the iconic place due to a certain reason.

The ruin –located in the middle of the desert– could only be reached after taking a journey along a dangerous path. They need to pass a jagged cliff inhabited by the infamous Axe Panther known to hunt down their prey in a matter of seconds. The other infamous creature that increased the level of danger is the Iron Hide Serpent that had the habit of coiling around their prey, choking them to death. Legend has it that no weapon was able to penetrate the serpent’s thick armor.

Between the rows of ruined building, a single creature could be seen running into the wreckage that resembled a gate. The creature roan fur swayed as it ran among the ruins. This wolf like creature that had dark grey stripes on his back evade each obstacle with such agility while keeping his brown eyes alert of any sudden movement that might become a threat to him.

Even though the fortress is in ruin, the solid stone gate is still shut tightly. Unable to enter it, the wolf ran from one place to another, looking for a way to enter the main building. Moments later, he located an opening in one of the wall. As if assessing the threat level, the wolf looked around. Satisfied, he howled to the sky. Not wasting another second, he slipped through the gap and entered the fortress.

After a few seconds of running along the uneven and wrecked floor, the wolf stopped in front of a great stair. Even among the wreckage, the stair still managed to retain its former shape although already damaged beyond repair. Some part of the stair was barely holding their shape and one could see that a single step would make the part collapse right away.

The wolf moved its head from one side to the other.  After surveying the area, a path was made in his head. The wolf got into position and then moved into the stair with great precision. Along the way, the wolf made a zigzag move across the stair and along the way, places where the wolf last step upon break and fall down.  The creature repeated the pattern over and over again until reaching the top entrance.

Reaching the end of the stair, the wolf stumbled upon a hall.

The narrow hall was decorated with a lot of painting. Although age and Mother Nature had done their work against the painting, traces of their old beauty still present there. In front of the paintings, a row of objects that looked like statue still stood proudly, although none was undamaged. Some lost their head, other lost their arm, and a few of them even only left with the feet while the other part of the body was missing. Ignoring the value of art around it, the wolf ran down the hall as fast as it could.

At the end of the hall, a big wooden door stood with only half of its remaining body left there. The wolf entered through the opened half, finding in front of it a spacious room.

The room was in a horrible condition, leaving no trace of the magnificent aura it once emanated. The broken windows that showed the desert area outside increased the feel of an abandoned place. The wolf walked slowly into the room, surveying and assessing for any chance of incoming threat. It then sat in the middle of the room. Once again, it howled. Then silence covered the room. The sound of the sand and wind outside became the music that decorated the empty room.

After a while, foot step could be heard. With each second passing, the sound became much louder. But the wolf didn’t move an inch. He sat there, waiting silently.

Then a figure emerged from behind the half broken door. The figure entered the room the same way the wolf did. From the built of the figure, one could see that the figure was a man. His long cloak covered almost all of his body. The only part of him that was left visible was his head. But even his head was also covered with a long scarf and his eyes were shielded with a pair of goggles. From the gap left by his cloak, an unbuttoned leather doublet and a simple cotton shirt could be seen. He wore a pair of long boot and carrying a backpack.

He approached the wolf. The wolf didn’t move even when he was confronted by this man. The man moved his hand and petted the wolf gently on the head. The wolf growled a little, showing sign of enjoying the gentle action made by the man.

While still petting the wolf, the figure surveyed the whole room. On one side of the room, he spotted a mound of debris. He retracted his hand and then walked to that corner of the room. As he got closer, he could see that the debris was what left of a pair of throne of some important figure of the past. He dusted the damaged throne, showing his respect to the past figure.

Next to the throne was a stone table that was slightly damaged. Among all of the objects in the room that might hold the role of throne room of the fortress, it might be the least damaged one. He leaned closer and begun to inspect the table

While still in the middle of inspecting the table, the wolf’s ear stood up, indicating that it sensed something nearby. Sensing the same thing, the man quickly turned around and faced the door. The wolf let out a growl, making the man became much more alert than before.

Then without warning, a huge force burst the door open and flung the big wooden door straight to the direction of the cloaked man and the wolf. The two dodged the object easily. The impact that made the door flew also shook the whole room, making pieces of stone and ceiling came down. As the two dodged the falling objects, they could see a monstrous silhouette behind the cloud of dust that was formed around the place where the door once stood.

Using the dust cloud to hide its presence, the silhouette launched its body to the direction of the duo in the room. The two reacted just in time and managed to dodge the sudden attack. Separated by the sudden attack, the two made themselves ready for a fight against whatever beast attacked them.

The attacker–an Iron Hide Serpent– hissed and slithered in the middle, assessing its prey. It seemed like the body heat of those two has attracted the beast. The wolf growled at it while the man was standing with alert. The man looked at the beast in front of them that stood taller than the man, readying himself. With approximate length of more than 100 feet long, the fight was not going to be an easy one.

As the serpent chose to target the man, it readied itself for another attack. Seeing that sign, the man pulled out the twin dagger from his back with his gloved hand and took a fighting stance.

The serpent glared at the man in front of him. Seeing the weapon the man carries, the serpent became more aggressive. Then the serpent launched another attack at the man again. This time instead of jumping aside, the man jumped into the head of the beast. He jabbed his daggers into the serpent’s head, but the hard outer armor the serpent possessed made the dagger useless and bounced back. It didn’t scratch it one bit. Seeing that the man is attacking the beast, the wolf jumped into the beast’s tail and attacked it with its claw.  And just like the man, the wolf also failed to do any damage. The beast shook its body violently to make its prey leave its body. The shaking was too much and both the wolf and the man jumped aside.

Seeing that the beast was ready to strike once again, the wolf struck the serpent first. This time, he targeted one of the serpent’s eyes after dodging the serpent’s attack. The attack was effective because the eye was one of the weakest parts of the beast since it was not covered by any scale or any kind of armor. It was left unprotected just like that, thus making it the weakest yet the most difficult. The wolf jumped back after successfully launching an attack, bringing back a piece of the serpent’s eye in his mouth. The beast, writhing in pain after losing one of its eyes, glared deadly at its prey with its remaining eyes.  Angry and wounded, the serpent launched an all-out attack.

Blinded by fury, the beast struck straight to the man and the wolf. The wolf evaded it easily while the man stood there without moving an inches. Seeing the prey has ceased moving, the serpent opened wide its mouth to eat man. The serpent managed to catch the man whole and close its mouth, savoring the prey

Seeing that the man has been deal with, the serpent moved its target to the wolf. But suddenly, the serpent writhed in agony and hissed out of control. On the top of serpent a faint glow appeared. Then the top part of the serpent’s head split open. The serpent ceased moving completely and fell to the ground. From the cavity, the cloaked man jumped from it, covered in the serpent’s blood.

The glow from before was from his dagger when he sliced open the serpent’s head. Sure the serpent’s armory scale was hard and impenetrable, but the inside of its mouth was still made from soft flesh. That’s why the man intentionally let himself be swallowed by the serpent.

“It seems like I need to get me another cloak, or at least wash it clean if I can,” said the man as he tried to clean what’s left of the serpent on his cloak.

He put back his daggers after swinging it once to let the blood out of the blade. After that, he walked back to the table next to the throne. He looked at the top of the table. There were a few engravings on the table. He pulled out a book and a pen from his backpack. He then started to transfer the engraving on the table into his book.  Reading line after line of the engraving, the man wrote at his book diligently. While he worked, the wolf stood close to him all the time.

After finished, he closed the book and put is back with the pen into the backpack. He bowed slightly to the throne and walked to the door. But before he left the room, he stopped suddenly, startling the wolf. He then walked to what remains of the dangerous beast. His gaze moved to from its head to its tail. Then he pulled out his dagger once again. He jabbed the dagger into the beast’s scaly body and removed a couple of its scale carefully as not to damage the scale. It was not an easy job and it took him a couple of minute to retrieve even one of them. After finished picking a couple of scales, he moved to the head. He looked at the fangs of the head carefully. After searching for an opening, the man struck a few points at the base of the fang. He then kicked the fang at the base near the gum. The fang tilted a little. This made it easier for the man to pull the fang out.   After pulling it out, he then pulled out a piece of clothes from his backpack and wrapped the loot with it. To secure the package, he tied it with a piece of string and then he flung it across his shoulder.

“Souvenirs,” he said to the wolf that was looking at him in silence.

They then leave the abandoned throne room. They walked down the hallway and climb down the stair and finally exited the fortress.

Outside the fortress, a person riding a camel waited for him. There was also a spare camel besides him.

“Are you done yet?” The man on the camel asked the cloaked figure with a rather impatient tone. He was wearing the same scarf as the cloaked man he didn’t wear any cloak.

“Yes, let’s get back to camp.”  

The man secured the loot he gained from the fight onto the camel and get on its back. The wolf walked beside him.

The two of them, accompanied by the wolf, rode back to their camp not far from the fortress.

--------------------------------------------------<>----------------------------------------------

After riding on their camel for a while, they reached their camp that was situated in the west of the ruin, near the entrance from the jagged cliff. It was considered a suicide making a camp in such a dangerous location, but the two men don’t really mind that. The camp they built consisted of two small tents and a camp fire in the middle. Near them were four torches that were enchanted to drive away unwanted creature. Those four torches were placed according to the wind direction.

Near the camp fire, the two men sat and a wolf lying besides one of them. Both of them were eating their supper which consisted of a piece of bread for each of them, which was their ration for today.

“Hey, we are running out of supplies. We should get back to the nearest town,” say the cloaked man partner.

The cloaked man opened his scarf and his goggle, revealing a neck-length, straight jade colored hair.

“I know, but I don’t want to return to the nearest town. I think we’ve been her long enough. I need to get back and report what I’ve found,” he replied while tying his hair. He left his hair in a single knot behind his head.

“So, you’re going back to Trintus to see Count Ciontello?”

“Yes, I need to get back. I hope he likes this souvenir.” The jade colored hair man lifted his bag of loot.

“You’re going to give him a fang and a bunch of scales?”

“No, only the fang. I have other plan for the scales.” He grinned at him.

“I see.” The other one was poking the fire and taking a bite at his bread. They need to be satisfied with that bread since that was their last piece of ration.

The cloaked man broke the bread in two. He gave the first piece to the wolf and eats the other piece.

The three of them eat their meal in silent. Then the cloaked man partner started talking.

“I’ve been wondering. How did you meet that companion of yours?” he asked while pointing to the wolf lying beside him.

“Oh, you mean Velth?” It seems he gave that name to the wolf.

“Yes, it is not strange for me as an explorer to encounter someone who has a wolf companion. But he is different, right?” He looked at the wolf in front of him. The wolf looked at them as if he understood the topic of their conversation.

“Velth has been with me for quite some time. We’ve been for, hmm…” The cloaked man thought for a while.

“Fifteen, or is it twenty years? Lost count after ten. Well, let’s just say that he has been my loyal companion since a long, long time ago, right?” He brushed Velth’s fur.

“So you’ve been taking care of him since he is a cub?”

“Uhmmm, I don’t think that taking care is the right word. He has been like a brother to me. We’ve travel the world together, exploring ruins after ruins, encountering monsters and such.” The wolf got near his master and laid his head near his master’s feet.

“That’s mean you’ve been brought up together by your father?”

“No, my father died a long time ago. I’ve never seen his face, ever,” said the jade haired man with a hint of sadness in his tone.

“Uhm, sorry. Didn’t mean to bring that up.”

“Don’t be. I was left to my uncle’s care, together with this guy, and I’m grateful for that.” He petted Velth’s fur.

“Your uncle is an explorer too, right?”

“Yes, he is. That’s why I choose to follow his footsteps.”

“But have you ever regretted choosing this kind of job?”

“Huh? Why?” The jade colored hair man took off his blood soaked cloak.

“Well, for one thing, the pay is not much, don’t you think so?”

He laughed.

“I am happy enough to be able to study the history of our land. I think that is more than enough payment for me.”

After hearing that answer, the other man could only smile and shook his head.

“You’re a strange one, you know?”

“I get that a lot. Besides, if you’re lucky enough, you can get one or two precious souvenir.” He said while lifting his bag.

“Hahaha, I see. That’s one thing I’ll agree with you. Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“No, you can take the first turn if you want to. I’ll be the first to take the guard duty.”

“Well, aren’t you the strong one. Okay, I’ll take that offer. Wake me up if you want to rest.” He left the jade colored hair man and his companion and entered his tent. After that, a quiet snoring sound could be heard.

The jade colored hair man brushed his companion’s fur gently. They have been together for a long time that their bond had far surpassed that of a master and a pet. They have understood each other to the point that they enabled them to fight together without the man uttering a single word to his companion. They worked like a machine, able to perform move after move efficiently and effectively.

The man stared into the fire. In his gaze was the fire in front of him. but his mind was somewhere else. In his mind, he thought about his partner’s previous comment.

“He’s kind a right, isn’t he Velth?” said the man as he looked at his companion. Deep down in his heart he knew that the danger and the reward for this job was not what you could call fair. The danger of venturing into unexplored ruins, getting through the wilderness, or retrieving an artifact or two should be compensated well. But reality was always far from sweet. His reward was only a few gold Ells, no more. He knew that if he wants more money, he could choose another job. Maybe he didn’t have any other qualification, but he sure can try it if he wanted to. At least he had a sturdy body and a high stamina thanks to all of the dangerous adventure he had to gone through.

“But, I have to find him.”

The sentence was thrown with a low voice filled with emotion. Only he and Velth understood that sentence.

His father.

He needed to find him.

He had once eavesdropped that his father was indeed alive, but he didn’t want to ask his uncle. His uncle must have had a good intention for not telling him the truth. He didn’t want to waste the effort that his uncle has done to keep quiet about the secret.

After that, the man pulled out a letter from his bag.

He read the content of the letter once again.

 

Dear Avrum, my child

 

The moment you read this letter, you may have grown to be a good child, or maybe even a fine young man. First, allow me to say that I’m proud of you, my son.

I feel regretful that I can’t see you grow up. I couldn’t even you teach you the little things in life. The moment you’re born, I have a dream of teaching you many things. From walking, to riding horses, to seeing the wide world you are born in.

But sadly, fate has different things in stored for us, both you and me. I can’t see you for the time being. But I forever hoped for the time when we can once again walk this land together.

Please stay with your uncle, Louis-Gilles. He is a good man, and do trust him. I put you in his care for now.

Good bye for now, my son.

 

 

“From, your loving father.”

The man spoke the last sentence in the letter.

He had lost count how many times he has read this letter, the only letter he have ever received from his father.

Avrum Levimoshe.

It was the name the letter addressed to. His uncle, Louis-Gilles, was an explorer, who has brought up Avrum from little. His uncle said that his father needed to do something important and dangerous. He didn’t want to get his son into dangerous and unknown places. That’s why he decided, with a heavy heart, to let his uncle take care of him while he is gone.

Not knowing how his father looked, young Avrum grown up under a care of an explorer. It seemed like that was why his interest in history was so much more than an average person. Avrum had a passion for studying ancient things and exploring ancient ruins.

But, as everyone knows, exploring ancient and uncharted ruins was a dangerous business. Usually, an explorer would hire a bodyguard or a mercenary to accompany them. Louis-Gilles, on the other hand, thought his young apprentice that the thrill of getting into an unknown place by himself has its own reward. Besides, it was much cheaper than hiring a mercenary. To accomplish these, Avrum trained his body everyday together with his trusty companion, Velth. After all that hellish training, he had the ability to explore dangerous site and getting out a fight with the vicious creatures inside without getting even a scratch.

Avrum then took out his pair of twin dagger. It was another memento given to him by his father besides the letter. His uncle said that his father was going to give him the dagger as adulthood present. But since his father whereabouts was unknown until then, he gave him the dagger in place of his father. Avrum remembered he cried so much that day. He knew that his father decision of giving him in care of his uncle was the best solution. But deep down in his heart he was angry at his father because he felt abandoned.

Little by little, he was able to accept his father decision and instead of thinking why and why, he chose to get on with his life and try to gather as much information as he can about his father.

But that task was far from easy since his uncle refuse to give him his father name. He said that his name will attract danger, making his father decision to get Avrum away from danger useless. 

He spun one of the daggers in his hand. He had been practicing for it since he got his hand on it, so it felt very light and natural on his hand. Once, because he wasn’t used to wield something like that, he almost hurt Velth. He usually used his own fist to defend himself, but his uncle said that bare hand was not the best way of fighting dangerous creature in the wilderness. His uncle was not exactly a master in the use of dagger, but the basic he has thought Avrum was certainly more than enough for Avrum to make his own fighting style. The addition of Velth in his team made his fighting style unique and at the same time, highly effective.

The dagger had a yellowish metal handle and the thin blade was much harder than it seemed. On the hilt was a strange writing he doesn’t understand. He never encountered this kind of writing before. Maybe the time he understood the writing will also be the time he knew his father whereabouts. Left with no clue about his father whereabouts, the writing on his daggers was the only thing that will make him closer to finding his father.

“Eh?” He felt a slight warm trickled on his cheek. His reminiscent had unexpectedly made him shed a tear.

Seeing his master in that condition, Velth growled.

“I’m fine. I just remembered the past for a while.” Avrum quickly wiped his eyes.

He put back the daggers in their place, folded the letter, and shoved it back to his backpack.

He brushed the soft fur of his companion.

“Hey, Velth.” The wolf looked at his master.

“Could you accompany me to find him?” Avrum knew this might sound strange for asking an animal to help him. But for him, Velth was more than an animal. He was a friend, a companion, a family.

Velth looked at his master and he seemed to nodded at his master request.

“Thank you.” He petted his companion.

He knows that Velth would always be there for him. He looked at the fire in front of him. Slowly, he was absorbed by the calm fire and start losing his consciousness. He fell asleep. Maybe the previous fight with the serpent took much more energy than he thought. Or perhaps, the reminiscent of his past was the one that consumed his strength.

Seeing his master has fallen asleep, Velth walks to the tent where his master’s partner had been sleeping. It’s time for a shift change.

4: Chapter II Part 1 "Into The City"

The dusty wind passed by them in their back. Luckily last night, the torches did their job. Not a single beast managed to get near them. Although if they did get near them, Avrum and Velth would make a quick work of them.

“We’re going to reach it in a few minutes. Maybe about ten or twenty minutes.” Avrum’s partner said to him while holding an opened map.

Both of them were riding their camels as they have left the desert. They still needed to ride their camel until they reach an outpost town where they would change their camels with horses. Velth followed them effortlessly since he was a fast runner and the camels didn’t seem to be in a hurry to reach the outpost town.

“So after we reach Gavehahr, I will go straight to Trintus to report our finding to Count Ciontello. What about you, Saradu?”

“It’s Sadaru! How many times should I tell you my name, Avrum?” The man looked a bit annoyed that his partner had difficulties remembering his name.

“Ah, sorry, sorry. I just can’t seem to remember people’s name easily.” One of his weaknesses is that he is quite forgetful about other people’s name. His uncle had been saying it for a while, but it seems like it is a weakness he will have to live with.

“At least you don’t forget your own name,” said Sadaru with sarcasm filled tone.

Avrum just grinned back at his friend.

“Let’s see, I’m going to stay in Gavehahr for a while. I need to arrange for the next expedition. And also to talk with the town’s elder. Again.” He sighed after emphasizing on the last word.

“Is it that hard to persuade them to stay away from the ruin?” said Avrum as he began to take off his scarf. Since they were out of the desert, they don’t need to wear their scarf anymore, not to mention that it was hot and suffocating.

 

 

“Well, you can’t actually blame them. The ruin is surrounded by a lot of Jinua tree.”

“And one of the village biggest profits is from making Jinua oil. But they should be more careful.” Avrum added.

“Precisely!” Sadaru said with a rather loud shout, “I know that the demand for wild Jinua Oil is very high, but the danger of getting attacked by dangerous creature from the ruin is very high!”

The town of Gavehahr is a producer of Jinua oil due to the fact that the terrain and the climate condition around the town are very suitable for cultivating Jinua trees. But due the price for wild Jinua oil that is three times higher than their normal counterpart, most of the townspeople chose collecting wild Jinua fruit from the wild tree surrounding the town than cultivating it themselves. But there is a problem with that kind of work. Since the majority of the trees are located near the ruin, the risk of collecting wild Jinua fruit has changed. In the past, the creature near the ruin had been quite docile. But far the last couple of year, their aggressiveness has certainly increased in an alarming rate. Sadaru had been persuading the town elders to stop their people to do that, or at least asked them to do that in moderate. Which, of course, fell on deaf ear since no changes had been made so far.

“By the way, Avrum.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“I assume you have been exploring ruins for quite some time, right?”

“Yes. I’ve been doing it for as long as I live. Why the sudden question?”

“Let’s see, how do I put it?” Sadaru opened his scarf as he tried to put his thought into word, revealing his short dark brown hair.

“Have you notice anything strange happening lately?”

“Huh?” Avrum didn’t seem to get what Sadaru is implying.

“Don’t ‘huh’ me. Just answer me.”

“Hmm, I don’t think so, but…” Avrum stopped as a thought came to his mind.

“Yes?”

“If I have to say, it is about the wild creatures. Especially the larger ones.”

“What about it?”

“Uhmm, how should I put it? They seem to be much more aggressive nowadays.”

“Just as I thought.” Sadaru showed a concern face as he stated that he also noticed the same thing.

“You notice that too?”

“Unfortunately, yes. I’ve even heard news from the town that one of them has been eaten by the Iron Hide Serpent while gathering Jinua fruit. But the thing is they are quite far from the ruin. Well, at least far enough from the Iron Hide Serpent area of hunting.”

“I see. So, has the town elder taken any action to prevent any further accident?”

“No. They said that the victim was clearly getting himself too near to the Iron Hide Serpent. They said that the victim was too greedy in collecting Jinua fruit that he unconsciously entered the serpent’s hunting area.” Sadaru’s tone contained a little bit of anger at the elder’s rather unconcerned attitude.

“I see. So, what are you going to do about it?” Avrum asked his companion as he could see that they already near the town.

“I have to convince them again. Since I got your opinion about the wild creatures, I hope that they can be a little more convinced than usual.”

“Call me if you need any help, okay?”

“Yes. In fact, you must help me.” Sadaru grinned at him.

After riding for a while, they entered the town of Gavehahr. The town is situated near a large oasis. The town itself is not standing on a desert, but on the edge of the desert area. It is an explorer last stop before entering the desert. The town’s buildings are mainly constructed by red brick painted with a rather light color, giving them a bright color among the dull colored desert. When they entered the town, the guards greeted them. Since Sadaru is an explorer that lived in the town, they trusted them enough to let them enter the town right away. They went straight to the stable near the town hall. Both of them hop down from their camel while Velth stayed near his master at all times.

“So, you’re going straight to Trintus now?” asked Sadaru while getting his backpack down from the camel.

“Yes, I need to report to Count Ciontello right away. I’ve been on this expedition for more than three months without reporting anything to him.”

Avrum remembered the last time he reported was the time when he was going to enter the Ruins of The Monolith Fortress and requesting assistance from a nearby town or settlement. He got his assistance, his fellow explorer, Sadaru.

“Why don’t you just send him a message? It would be much faster than going there by yourself.”

“And the money?”

“What about the fund he gave you?”

“Only enough to buy rations and equipment. Not to mention, the equipment are all second hand. This is Count Ciontello we’re talking about, my friend.”

“Ah, yes. Forgot about that.” Remembering the Count’s personality, Sadaru tone grew bitter.

“Besides, I’m faster than any messenger I can hire.” Avrum smiled at his partner.

“Well, if you say so.” Sadaru lifted his backpack.

“I guess I’ll see you later then.” Sadaru stretched his hand to Avrum.

“Yes. I hope we can work together again in the future.” Avrum grabbed his hand. They shook hand and said goodbye to each other.

Sadaru left the stable and went straight to the town hall to report about the ruins and to warn the elder once again.

Avrum walked to his horse which he left in the same stable. He put his backpack on to the horse and went up the horse after he finished refilling his water bottle. As he is an experienced explorer, he is very much accustomed to preparing for a long journey.

“Well, Velth, let’s go now,” he said to his companion that followed him quietly since the time they entered the town. The wolf looked at his master and seemed to give a nod at him.

Then they quickly rode out of town, straight to Trintus.

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“It’s hooooot.”

A single wagon can be seen coming from the forest. It is escorted by three horsemen. The one in front was Crich, the Rachevish guard captain.

“It is very hot, master. But please bear it,” said the guard captain from the front of the wagon.

“And whose fault is that that we are riding to Trintus on such a hot day?” A female voice came from inside the wagon, irritation contained in her tone.

“I know, I know. It’s my fault, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is hot,” complained Neraviel to his retainer.

Salvina, although in a much thicker clothes than him, looked a little better than Neraviel who seemed about to die from the heat.

On the first day, the Rachevish group left in the middle of the day. Because of their master’s disappearance, their plan to left in the early morning was canceled. If they departed early in the morning, they could cover more ground. But since they left in the middle of the day, they could only use half of the day to move and this made their three days journey extended into a four days journey. If they have nothing that would slow them down, they would reach the city of Trintus at noon.

“If you stop making unnecessary movement, you will be able to feel a little cooler, Master Neraviel.” Salvina did seem to be able tolerate the heat much better because she was able sit down quietly. Neraviel, on the other hand, kept moving his body. He just couldn’t stay quiet for a long time.

After that, the blue haired man got a little bit quieter.

But that didn’t last long.

“But I’m booored. Oh yeah, can I ride one of the horse with the guard?”

“No! Absolutely not! I’m sure you’re going to ride yourself into trouble!” Salvina rejected the suggestion right away.

“I promised that I will behave, okay?” Neraviel begged to Salvina.

“No! Absolutely not! I will not allow it!” Salvina was always one tough woman. When she said something, she would never change it.

“Master Neraviel, please stay in the wagon. Besides, it is much safer there.” Crich tried to persuade his master.

“Then how about this, let’s stop for a while, maybe near a big tree or a river. After I cooled enough, let’s get moving right away.” Neraviel suggested with a smile on his face.

“Hmm, I don’t think that’s a bad idea, but we’re really going to be late and we don’t want to be late to meet Count Radek. He is a man that values punctuality.”

Crich tried to give a reason.

Hearing that name, Neraviel flinched a bit. That name surely had some impact for him.

“Ugh, yeah. The last time I was late to meet him for dinner was an hour or so of lecturing about punctuality. He is one strict old man.” He remembered that was one of the most boring times of his life.

“But Count Radek is a good man nevertheless. He has support Kyarien since your father rules over it. He is one of our close allies.” Salvina reminded his master.

True, Count Radek who held a high rank in the Terranul Kingdom as one of the High Nobleman has always supported Kyarien and the Rachevish family. If not because of his support, Rachevish family would lose control of Kyarien and Kyarien may fall to one of the nobleman that might exploit its people, something that Neraviel would really hate.

Count Radek was a close friend of Neraviel’s late father. Ever since Neraviel’s father passed away, Count Radek had take upon itself to make Neraviel a nobleman worthy of the Rachevish name.

“Yes, I know. He is like a pillar that supports Kyarien. But everything I do always seems to be wrong in his eyes.”

“That’s because you are, Master Neraviel.” Salvina plainly replied his master’s complaint.

“Yes, because you are, Master Neraviel.” Even Crich agreed.

“What? What’s wrong about getting a few minutes late for dinner? I’m not a machine, you know?” He tried to defend himself.

When he said that, Neraviel could swear he heard something snapped in the inside of the wagon.

“A. few. minutes?” Salvina glared at him. Her face slowly started to display her anger. Maybe anger was not correct. She started to display how furious she is.

Neraviel felt a bit of chill when she did that.

“Master Neraviel…” Salvina called his name slowly.

“….Yes?” Neraviel replied her timidly.

“What did you mean a few minutes? Could you please recall you memory correctly?” She stated that while emphasizing on the word ‘minutes’.

“Eh, what? I was only late for a few minutes. …… right?”

“Master Neraviel, the Count arrived a few minutes earlier and you were late for almost an hour. Did you not remember?” Crich said from outside.

“Oh, so I was that late? No wonder he was mad at me. So that’s why. I see, I see.” Neraviel nodded at the fact he just heard, making a face that showed it was his first time learning that fact.

“WHAT!?” Salvina burst with anger.

Crich just shook his head hearing the loyal retainer snapped with anger.

“So all this time you were convinced that you were late just for a few minutes? After all this time!?” Salvina stood up from her seat with a much angrier face.

“Yes. I did.” Neraviel answered that like it was nothing.

“You…You…” Salvina didn’t know what to say to his master.

“Ms. Cannanza, Master Neraviel, we’re approaching the city.” Crich said from the front.

“We are?” Neraviel quickly stood up and peeked from the window to see the city.

The city was indeed already in their sight. But even if it was already in their sight, it will take a few more hours to reach it. The only thing that makes them able to see the city is because they are currently on the peak of a hill and the large towers inside the city.

“Ah, forget about it.” Salvina quickly tried to calm his anger while massaging her temple and sitting down again.

She knew that even if she tries to, her advice will hardly be heard by his master. Even on normal circumstances, her advices are rarely heard.

“Master Neraviel.” She called him.

“Yes?” Neraviel looked back at her.

“This is an important matter since we are going to meet the whole High Nobleman as the ruler of Kyarien. Please behave yourself.” Salvina said that with a serious tone. Much more serious than usual.

Neraviel looked at her. In his mind, images of his people’s daily life started to appear one by one. Daily lives that he would really like to protect from harm.

“Yes, I will. If it holds the people’s future, there is no room to play around.” He said that to her confidently.

He knew very well that Count Radek is one of the people that have supported his people and his family. He truly respected the man. He always did.

Because the other noblemen have not supported him in the past, he knew that one false move may cost him his people’s future and life. He couldn’t afford to lose that.

Looking at his master after answering her, Salvina sighed.

Salvina realized that his master may be a lot of trouble. But when the future of his people was the thing in stake, he would always become serious.

“And don’t forget to wear your best clothes, too.” Salvina reminded him.

“Ugh, yes I will,” said Neraviel unwillingly.

The thought of wearing those formal clothes was enough to make him uncomfortable. Not to mention that he needed to wears that for the whole day.

Crich laughed from in front of them.

Neraviel got back to his seat.

They slowly approached the city after a long journey, ready to attend the holy festival of Terranul, The Feast of The Blessed Lords.

Salvina and Crich only hoped that this time, everything would run smoothly.

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 “Ah, no, no, no. This just won’t work.” Delriyar who was in the back of the wagon grumbled to himself.

After rescuing the man, he was in charge of looking after him in case he woke up. But until now, there was no sign of him waking up after they have checked him for any outside injuries and founded none.

Delriyar was busy with his drawing book. He was drawing a pattern for a fur coat. Between his duties as a merchant, Delriyar has a hobby to make something from all of the leftover merchandise they couldn’t sell, either because they were simply no one that bought it or because it was a little under the level of the quality the customer needed. So, Delriyar often asked for those leftover. At first, everyone always threw them away, but since Delriyar started asking for them, they always gave them to him or left it in their wagon for him to take for himself even without him asking them. Some of the item Delriyar crafted was sold as separate merchandise, while others were kept and used by him personally.

This time, because his wagon is selling fur and spices, he wanted to use them to make a fur coat that he can use for the winter as the season is approaching closely. But, selling all of the merchandise was always the best option. This is just for filling his spare times.

“How about this?” He started drawing again. He always did a detail calculation of the item he was going to make. This way, he could practice his counting skill even without having to do some trading.

The man in the wagon was still sleeping soundly without moving an inch. Delriyar who was sitting next to the man kept a close eye at him. Along the way, only the sound of his pen on the paper and the man’s breathing filled the wagon.

The caravan kept moving into the city as the city of Trintus was already in their view.

“Halt there! Identify yourself!” As they were about to enter the gate, someone stopped them.

The man in guard uniform stopped Ansavar’s wagon, thus making the other stopping their wagon. It was a procedure for everyone who wanted to get in Trintus must get through. Since Trintus was a capital city, there is a possibility that one who comes may have bad intention. Essalda was a peaceful world, but the chance of someone wanting to create chaos and havoc was never absolutely zero.  

“We are merchants from the Esailet clan. We are her to do business as usual, sir.” Ansavar replied them politely, completed with his trademark merchant smile.

“Oh, the Esailet clan. It’s been a while. So you came because of the festival?” Hearing that name, the guard tone changed to a friendlier one.

“Yes, sir. We are bringing much stuff to sell to make the festivity more intense.”

“I see.” Ansavar was a senior merchant and talking like that is an everyday stuff for him.

“But rule is rule. We need to examine your merchandise, as usual,” said the guard.

“Oh, but of course. Please proceed.” Ansavar let the guard check their merchandise. The guard called a few of his man to assist him. It seems he was the captain of the gate guardsman.

Then, suddenly he felt someone tugging his shirts. He looked back and found it was his younger brother.

“Brother, what about the man earlier?” Delriyar came from behind the wagon to remind his brother.

“Oh yeah, let me ask them.” He needed to ask them quickly. If they found out about him before he said anything, they might accuse them of being a kidnapper.

“Excuse me, I want to ask you about something,” asked Ansavar the guard from before.

“Yes? Make it quick.” It seemed like the man felt a bit irritated that he disturb his work.

“When we are travelling into the city, we find a person lying near the road. We don’t know whether he is hurt or not, but we decide to pick him up. Would you please look after him? We don’t know who he is, you see.”

“Uhm, fine. Let me see the man. You, man! Keep checking their wagon!” He ordered the other guardsman to keep checking the merchant’s wagon while he follows Ansavar to their wagon.

“Delriyar! Could you help them?” Ansavar called for his brother. Delriyar showed his face and nodded to them. The guardsman captain followed Delriyar to the back of the wagon while Ansavar is going to see the other.

“He is here, sir. Do you know who he is?” Delriyar shows him the man they saved.

The captain looked at the man. The moment he laid his eyes on the man, his expression changed.

“Count Wealdhald?” The captain shouted all of a sudden.

“Eh, count?” Delriyar had a hunch that this man is supposed to be an important person, but a count? Who would have guessed a count would be outside of the city without at least a single bodyguard.

“Yes, he is Count Aere Wealdhald. Where did you find him?”

“We found him lying unconsciously on the roadside. It seems like he fell from his horse and his horse has run away, leaving him all alone.” Delriyar explained to him.

“Fall from a horse? Wait here, I’ll get someone to help us carry him to the physician.” The captain left Delriyar and went into the gate in a hurry.

Delriyar could only stand there, waiting for the captain to get back.

“Ugh….” A grunt came from the man. Hearing that, Delriyar quickly approached the man.

“Ah, are you okay, sir?” It seemed the man starting to woke up.

The man opened his eyes rather difficultly.

“Where am I? How did I get here?” For a man that was fainted not so long ago, this man spoke rather clearly.

“Uhm, you’re in Trintus, sir. We carry you here from outside of the city.”

“Huh? Why would you do that? Did I faint?”

“Uhm, its looks like you did, sir.”

The count shook his head.

“Ow…” He suddenly groaned after shaking his head.

“What’s the matter, sir?”

“The back of my head hurts.” He rubbed his head.

“It seems like you hit your head when you fell from your horse.”

“I know that. There’s no need to tell me that.” The count said to Delriyar.

Delriyar only nodded at the count harsh comment. Thanks to his training as a merchant, he was already accustomed to speaking with someone who has a bad manner.

“Count Wealdhald!”

The captain came back with a few men and a stretcher.

The man looked at the guard captain and his face started to show his dissatisfaction against the act the guard captain took.

“Captain Rifio, what are you doing bringing that many men here?” The count sat up and looked at the captain with a sharp eye, no trace of him was fainted left on his eyes.

“Uhm, we thought you are still unconscious, sir. So we were planning to get you to the physicist.”

“As you can see, I’m already up. Instead of bringing a useless stretcher and making the men busy with something like this, give me a horse that I can use to ride to my mansion.”

“But, sir...”

“Are you unable to hear me, captain? Or perhaps my voice isn’t loud enough for you?” The count asked with a menacing aura. He didn’t show any visible sign anger, but that was enough to make the captain flinched.

“Y-Yes, sir! I will get you a horse right away, sir!” The captain then ordered one of his men to get a horse and send the other men back to their post. The captain himself went with the man he ordered to fetch a horse.

“You there,” said the count without moving his view.

“Yes, sir?”

“What’s your name?” The count asked him.

“I’m Delriyar Reynaud.”

“And you are a merchant.”

“Yes, sir”

“I see. Judging from your age, I say you’re from the Esailet clan. Is that right?”

“Yes, sir. I am.”

“You are young, but you answer my simple question quickly and effectively without stuttering. Very good.” The count got up.

“Hmm?” As he tried to get up, his hand touched one of the papers used by Delriyar for drawing his pattern. He picked it up.

He looked at it, studying the picture on it.

“Boy, tell me, what is this?” He held the paper in front of Delriyar.

“It is a pattern for a fur coat, sir. An incomplete one.”

“Who draw this?” The count asked again.

“I did, sir.”

The count then took a closer look at the drawing again.

“I see.” The count said silently while kept looking closely to the drawing in the paper.

Delriyar was nervous seeing his drawing being examined very closely, but he didn’t show it. It was a merchant’s job to show as little expression as possible. That was what was thought to him.

“Count Wealdhald, the horse is here, sir!” The captain came back once again, this time with a horse behind him.

“Okay. Get him ready for me.” The count got down from the wagon without any trouble. He then swiftly got up onto the horse. But the count didn’t ride the horse right away. Instead, he seemed to be thinking about something.

Looking at that, both the captain and Delriyar became nervous.

“Boy!” The count called Delriyar.

“Yes, sir?” Delriyar walked near him.

“Do you draw anything else besides this?”

Delriyar was caught by surprise by that question, but he quickly regained his composure and gave an answer.

“Yes, sir. A few other things such as gloves and bags,” he answered.

“Let me borrow those patterns you made. I will give it back to you later,” said the Count.

“Yes, of course, sir.” Delriyar nodded to him. Delriyar quickly gave him all of the patterns he had drawn, the completed ones. He still has a few incomplete ones, but he kept it for himself. The count nodded as he sees all the patterns Delriyar made and then he entered the city without saying a single thing. The other guardsman bowed to him. After he was quite far, the captain sighed.

“He is as harsh as ever.” The captain said to Delriyar with a much more relaxed tone.

“Who is he, captain?” asked Delriyar.

“Oh yeah, you don’t know him. He is Count Aere Wealdhald, one of the High Noblemen that control the city under the direct orders of the king. He is a harsh and strict man. He is in charge of the city’s security. He never allows anyone to ride together with him.”

“Ah, that’s why no one is helping him when he was lying on the ground at that time,” thought Delriyar to himself.

“Captain!” A guardsman approached the captain.

“The search is complete, sir!” The guardsman reported to his superior.

“All right, go back to your post, soldier!” The guardsman gave a salute and he returned to his post.

“Delriyar!” Ansavar walked to Delriyar.

“You’re free to enter the city, sir. Thank you for the cooperation.” The captain gave a salute and he got back to the gate to open the gate.

“How is he?” Ansavar asked his brother.

“Who? The Count?”

“Oh, he is a count?” Ansavar looked a bit surprised.

“Yes, his name is Count Aere Wealdhald. He is fine, brother.”

“I’ve heard that name. He is a very important person here.”

“And he takes a few of my patterns I drew before.”

“He did? What was on it?”

“A fur coat, a bag, and a pair of gloves.”

“I see. What would he want with your pattern though?”

“How should I know? Maybe he will ask me to make it for him.” Delriyar laughed.

“Well, let’s just hope he will pay for your service.”

Then a creaking sound can be heard.

“Welcome to the capital city, Trintus!”  A voice was heard. It was the captain welcoming the merchant caravan.

In front of them, the big gate started to open, revealing a scene that will make any person awe.

The city in front of them was bustling with life. The road is paved nicely, just as what you would expect from a capital city. The tall and colorful buildings decorated the whole city. Even from the entrance, one can already see the majestic of the capital city.

Delriyar, who has only been to the capital city when he was little, stood in awe at the sight in front of him.

“Hey!” His brother slapped his back to get gets Delriyar back to the real world.

“What are you doing standing there? Let’s get going!” Delriyar quickly followed his brother and hops back to the wagon. After that, the whole caravan enters the city.

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