Ifrit literally sprung to my face, "YOU FOUND THEM IN GREENRUN?!?"
"Y-yeah..."
Again she opens the scrolls and scans it, "This means this dæmon clan might have been inside the continent several centuries ago!!! That won't make any sense! Because according to our history, the continent has been warded off from the dark arts and all dæmons and fiends ever since the Seven Kingdoms alliance was formed!"
"Wait, I lost you! What's this dæmon clans' battle for power about then?" I scratched a ghost itch at the back of my head.
"Ignore that! The point there is simply talking about the clans are always at it— just fighting which clan is the strongest. And according to one record, a clan known as the Black Blood are the strongest! But another scroll says they all died from fighting a desert dæmon. HEY! Do you think the human king mentioned in the text could be the High King of grand central city? Your great great great grand father or something?"
"We are not here to find out about that Black Blood Clan and who that human king he made alliance with is. There are lots of kings in this realm! There are Kings not only in this continent but also across the seas. Anyway, let's focus at the symbols, Aeron." Eriol taps his finger on the first scroll. "Can you tell us what the symbol means, Princess?"
Ifrit's shoulder eases down, "Incantations. That's the only thing I can comprehend from that scroll. I don't know how to read them exactly but I'm positive they are incantations to conceal something.
The chamber you found must've been made to imprison a very strong dæmon or magus that even the Black Blood Clan's spell were used to help with the incarceration."
Eriol just turned to me. "What do you think?"
I rubbed my temples and tried to digest everything.
Why would Faram know something about this?
Not even the scrolls ever mentioned anything about the chambers underneath the lake in Greenrun...
"Eriol, I think we have to look for a member of this so called Black Blood Clan ourselves..."
"Don't forget that the scrolls never indicated any specific date or which event happened first. What if the Black Blood Clan is really extinct? All of these scrolls are at least a century old..." Ifrit murmured.
"Then we tract down this desert dæmon Ascteroth Xid! Dæmons are immortal aren't they? I'm sure it's alive somewhere!"
"Are you crazy?! We are both in no state to go out there and hunt dæmons as though we can match them or something. Have you forgotten the last time you faced a dæmon?" Eriol argued. "One flick of a finger is all it takes for you to permanently break all the remaining bones you haven't broken yet!"
"I know... you don't have to rub it to my face... but this is the only lead we got."
"I have a suggestion." Ifrit says, "...that is if you're really that determined to solve this mystery out!"
"I'm open for suggestions," I replied, sweeping my eyes to her direction.
"I have... heard about the Ouboros elite mercenaries. Umm... They are strong... even other travelers know about their reputation..."
My eyes narrowed.
"Aaaand isn't it that it's this mercenary, named as Faram, is the only sole perpetrator for Aerra's abduction?"
"What are you getting at?" I muttered, uneasily.
"I'm simply suggesting... they are mercenaries after all... maybe you can hire the other half or one from them— who had nothing to do with Aerra's kidnapping— to help you out with the desert dæmon? I mean— if you're that desperate to investigate about the symbols... it's the only way I could think of right now."
"We can look for other mercenaries to hire and help us if you don't want... but I have to agree with Ifrit. Faram is the only one who had interest in taking Aerra. Giles and the others in Claude's group would surely pay no interest to her."
I averted my eyes down and considered the facts. According to their reputation, Ouboros elite mercenaries are inhumanly strong, huh?
I only need to talk to this desert dæmon...
"You trust Claude, Eriol?"
He shrugged, "More or less. He raised me after all, him and his comrades. So as long as you can pay him the amount he asks for, I'm sure he'll accept the job."
"How much are we talking about here?"
"The lowest amount he charge his clients is sixty seven million."
!?!!!!!
I feel like my soul just departed from my body...
"Oh okay, I'll just go back to Greenrun and take my entire inheritance to pay them..."
"Err...you serious?" He asks, one brow arched up.
"OF COURSE NOT! WHERE THE HECK WILL I GET THAT AMOUNT!?! AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHY ARE THEY STILL WORKING AS MERCENARIES IF EACH CLIENT PAYS THEM A FORTUNE?!?"
Eriol rubbed his nape, "I don't know... but I can help you with the payment... it's just that I don't think I can provide enough to cover the entire thing..."
"I can help!" Ifrit smiles
"No, Ifrit. You helped enough. We'll figure this out for ourselves. But thank you, really!"
"Anytime..." she says, turning around. I can see her cup her face again.
"Let's me try to make a deal with him. Maybe he can come around and accept the job." Eriol brooded.
"Alright. Let's do that... I'll also try to ask Master Giles for help; in which case... all that is left for us to worry about now is to first figure out where to find Claude and his comrades is."
••▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅••
We returned to the main halls where some of the Osteell soldiers are gathered.
"Where's Levi?" I asked one of them.
"Good day, Lord Aeron! Lord Levi just left few minutes ago. He went to Sharisukhteh District."
I exhanged glances with Eriol.
"He's leading the search himself?"
"Yes, m'Lord. He did instructed us to take you there in case you wish to."
He barely had a wink of sleep. He should be resting! He's been traveling for two days straight now. Who knows how long has he been sleepless...
Geez, that spoiled Lord.
Always pushing himself to his own limit.
I'm worried about him.
"Fine, take us to him."
I turned to face Ifrit and bowed down, "I have to go now, Princess. See you in a little while."
Ifrit beamed at me and reached for my ear. She pulls something off and showed it to me. "You better not walk around the city with this on your ear then!" She giggled.
Ah! I almost forgot about that flower Maru gave me!
Blood rushed to my cheeks.
Damn it, all this time that flower is on me!
"It's alright. I think it's sweet you didn't remove what Maru gave you. Thank you for that!"
Well at least Ifrit is pleased.
"I still would want to keep that though" I said, taking the flower from her hand. "But for the mean time, I want you to keep it for me. I'll get it back when I return."
I gently tucked few strands of hair behind her ear and then put the flower on her. Her short green hair has the brilliance like a summer in a lush valley. The flower really looks good on her.
"You look beautiful, Princess" I beamed at her.
She stopped moving.
"Ifrit???"
Did she turned into stone?
"Are you alrig— IFRIT!? YOUR NOSE IS BLEEDING!!!"
"I'm okay!" She quickly turned about face. "See you later!"
And with that she took off without looking back.
"Do you think she'll be fine?" I murmured, walking close to Eriol.
"I'm sure she will be."
"Right this way, m'Lords. I'll have you escorted to the Sharisukhteh district."
"Thank you!"
We soon got on an automobile and rode it for a few minutes or so.
———
Soon it came into a pause,
I shifted the curtains to the side and saw a wall full of Ak'hilheim guards.
A heavily guarded district?
"Another one? I already warned ya about the roads! Tch. Damn, Empire dogs. Don't blame me if the ground collapsed on ya! —LET THEM IN!"
The automobile roared again and it went pass the gates.
"I wonder what he's talking about the roads and the ground collapsing?" I grumbled.
"I've been here!" Eriol stated, looking at the windows. "This is the district near the bazaar. Remember when we came here in Ak'hilheim for the first time?"
"Yeah? That was over a month ago..."
"When we separated to look for Genise Store at the bazaar, me and Aerra actually strolled here. It wasn't guarded then."
"Why did you..."
"I took her aerial and we found an abandoned part of the city. We tried to stroll around and that's when I first saw her hair turned black and eyes went red. But she easily snapped out of it...
And then you suddenly summoned me to the harbour because you were trying to save Ifrit and Maru so I was forced to leave Aerra's side."
"Ah, I think you did mentioned about that to me already— just few days after the banquet. Hmm. If Aerra somehow reacted in here, there must something that caused the trigger. A rot maybe?"
"It has already been a month. I'm assuming Faram already did his 'watch' in this part of the city."
"Bah. I still don't understand what they do with this watch thingy. Nothing really happens even if they do so, right?"
"I'm not sure, Aeron. But if we get Claude to work for us, maybe we can acquire information from him too."
"Ah, brilliant! Catching two birds with one stone!"
Suddenly the automobile came into a full stop.
"M'Lords, we're here!" A knock from the driver is heard as he opened the door for us.
I looked around and saw the empty streets and run down houses and buildings.
It really is desolated, I thought while I let my eyes scout around.
Ah, something move from the alley...
"Aeron, you came!" Levi walked towards me.
I looked at the alley again. Perhaps it's just my imagination?
"I was about to launch the machinas. Come, join me!"
Eriol just walked behind me and we watched how Levi had a huge metal contraption move and hover about few inches from the ground.
"It can transit images like an eye through this aperture right here" He points at a rounded mirror at the middle of the metal thing, "And it can show it to us, through here!" He points at a rectangular black mirror.
"How do you generate power to these stuff without an aircrew?"
Levi just smiled. "I'll begin with the operation."
He avoided the question, I noted.
There were only two of the huge metal thing that Levi sent off. Each had three Osteell soldiers to come with them.
I just watch the screen in amazement as though I'm seeing the very same thing the metal contraptions are seeing.
"It's so hot in here!" Eriol complains, fanning himself with his hand. "I'm going back to the automobile and nap. Wake me up if something comes up!"
"Alright, Eriol." I replied, turning to Levi as he just stood there watching the black rectangular mirrors with hawk eyes.
"Levi, what do you call these black mirrors?"
"It's a 'monitor'. The prototypes just now is called 'machinas'. I do label them for further identification but they are generally known as machinas. I actually found these terminology from the ruins at the eastern borders. Interesting, aren't they?"
"They are..." I replied.
Few minutes or so, one of the monitors went out.
"What happened?" Levi demanded.
"There seems to be an attack on P.T. one zero zero three. Coordinates are 200.10—"
"Levi, look!" I tagged at his arm and pointed at the monitor that blinks like a pulse, showing images and then going blank.
"That's Scias!" I gasped. I know his face very well because I had a proper talk with him during the harvest moons.
"They're attacking... that means— Aerra is also nearby." Levi says. "Send three more men on the field!"
"Hold on! That's Cecil!" Eriol suddenly appears behind us. "Cecil is part of Claude's group! C'mon Aeron! Let's grab this chance to talk with him!"
"You're going?" Levi asks, looking anxious. "Let me send my men. I didn't ask you to come along to fight! You barely recovered yet..."
I rolled my eyes, "I'm already healed! Geez. Stop worrying about me. You need to sleep! I'm serious! When the day ends and I still find you working, I will knock you out myself!"
Levi snickered. "Fine. Go do as you please. I will send back up if you're on the slightest of trouble"
I nodded at Levi and then turned to Eriol.
"This time, I need you as your Meister." I told him.
Eriol sneered and his body lit up, "No need to say it out loud. I know it!"
He transforms into a silver scythe and balls of lightning hovered around me the moment I grabbed the shaft.
I leaped off and the air glides around me. Making me fly in midair without any efforts.
———
"Scias!" I hollered
Landing on the ground.
Eriol returns to his human form and called on the other guy's attention, "Hey, Cecil!"
The two looked at us.
Scias raises a finger, "Hold on just a minute and let me just break this metal thing!" he turned around and kicked at the machina that was about to tackle him. The impact made a huge explosion instead of it being sent off flying.
Dust clouds covered everything on sight.
Eriol did something eventually and all the sand and dusts cleared.
"You killed the poor soldiers. Tsk! They weren't even sent here to kill you guys. They were only trying to do a search" Eriol clicked his tongue as I turned to where has looking at and found lifeless bodies of Osteell soldiers.
"Long time no see, Stray!" A guy with ash blonde hair stepped forward and patted Eriol's shoulder. He took his mask of and it showed his different eye-colors.
"You too, Cecil. Where's Claude at? It's a miracle he arrived here without causing chaos."
"Well we only just arrived..." the man called as Cecil replied. He closed his eyes, "It's too early to conclude yet. You know him very well."
"Hey, Scias. How's my sister?" I called out at him while he was picking something on the ground.
"She's doing great. I hope you're not here to take her back?"
I shook my head, "No, we're not here for that."
"Good!" Scias throws both his hands to each side of his waist. "You better do something about your friend back there though. He's been hunting us with his toys."
"You mean Levi?" I studied the skeletal remains of the machina that spreads around Scias. "Seeing you can break it, I don't think having a few more will be a problem." I scoffed. "Levi is not listening to us when it comes to you guys. He wants my sister back"
"I guess he can answer to Faram then!" Scias shrugged.
"So why are you here?" Cecil interrupted.
"I actually have a job for Claude and you guys..." Eriol answered, "We are willing to pay but we have a little problem about something. So we hope we can make a deal properly."
"If you're planning to hire us to go against Faram, you better just..."
"Nope! It doesn't concern the situation now with Faram and Aerra. We are looking for someone. We need help finding him and a little more so with everything else there after."
"A hunt job?" Cecil tapped his chin. "Okay, I'll tell him."
"Where are they anyway?"
"Underground. They're checking the sewers underneath this very district for any signs of rot." Cecil answered. He reached his hand across the open space and suddenly a huge ice crystal appeared before us. "Hey Claude, Stray is looking for you..."
"EEEEEEHHH—?! HE IS!?"
A guy in a mask with golden hair is seen on the crystal before us.
"YO!!! STRAAAAAY!!!"
Another one wearing a half-face mask came into view
"ITS STRAAAY!"
A familiar voice added, that must be Giles, I thought.
"I need to talk to you guys. I have a job that needs extra help."
"SURE THING! Let's talk about it! We're actually done here! We'll be right over!!!"
Claude says crossing his arms to his chest.
"HEY JIN! SUMMON GĒRTAS! WE'LL BE BUSTING OUT OF THIS PLACE WITH STYLE!!!"
"Ehhh—?! You mean right here right now!?!"
"YEAH! HURRY UP!!! STRAY IS BACK! WE WILL FEAST TONIGHT!!!"
The crystal vanished.
"We better leave..." Cecil sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Aw crap! I better go and warn Faram and the others!" Scias jumps and vanishes in thin air.
"What's happening?" I asked Eriol.
"Let's hurry and get Levi outta here!" says Eriol in a panic-stricken tone.
"What? Why?!"
"Claude just asked Jin to summon a dragon. With a dæmon that size, the entire district will surely collapse!" Eriol grabs me by the waist, and carried me under his arms like holding a sack. He instantly leaps off high in midair even before I could have said anything. "Shit. Seriously, that guy really is a walking calamity!" He cursed under his breath.
I'll see you later, Cecil!"
••▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅••
"He's always like that?"
I asked, as Eriol flew towards where the other automobile is at.
"Yeah. Claude likes being flashy and stuff. He thinks everything is boring so one must spice things a little to have fun!"
"That sounds like you..." I grumbled
"HEY!? I don't get things destroyed when I play around a bit!" He defended.
"I'm starting to understand why you're like that!" I scoffed.
"Don't make it sound like I'm a problem child, snow head. You're a headache yourself!"
We soon reached the base and found all the men staring wide eyed at the monitors. "The ground is going to collapse! Pack your things now!" Eriol yells out.
"Where is Levi?"
I asked one of the soldiers as he pointed at the monitor.
I turned and looked and to my surprise, I found Levi face to face with Faram. Aerra is in between them.
"Eriol!!!" I called out, eyes pinned on the monitors.
"Crap. What is that stone face thinking! He's going to get himself killed!"
This is bad.
The ground is going to collapse any moment from now. And Levi is taunting Faram— at such sleepless state too!
I need to do something!
My fists clenches tight.
Without thoroughly thinking about it I just ran off. I released all the bolt of lightning on my feet. My body flashes and my sight narrowed. Everything around me was but a horizontal line of varying colors.
Soon, in my focus, I saw Levi ahead and so I stomp my feet down just at the exact same time I was about to reach him.
My focus switched when I saw Aerra beside him suddenly collapsing to the ground. My mind just went blank at the sight of her
and my was about to move to try and catch her.
"AERRA!!!" I yelled
Strong winds blew pass me all of a sudden even before I could have moved again. And at a blink of an eye, I saw Levi on the ground, he fell off balance. He was staring at the guy infront of him.
I veered my eyes up and to my surprise I saw Eriol standing there already and facing Faram. Aerra is on his arms, she's unconscious but doesn't seem to be hurt.
I uttered a sigh of relief seeing he had caught her.
He really reacts instantaneously when it comes to my sister...
He's so fast...
I walked calmly towards Levi and helped him up.
"Quickly, let's go!" Levi grunted, calling out to Eriol.
The ground began to shake.
"No, this is not what she wants..." Eriol says, walking off towards Faram.
"What are you doing?!" Levi snaps.
I grabbed Levi's arms and held him in place. "We need to go! I'm sorry Levi!"
I punched his stomach in a single blow and he went out like a candle.
I carried him to my back.
"Eriol, let's go!"
I looked over my shoulder and saw Eriol handing Aerra over to Faram.
"Take care of her... Or else I'll make it my life mission to kill you."
Faram snickered, "Still playing this game, I see."
"Faram..." One of his comrades called out to him.
Faram nodded and they all leaped off and vanished in thin air.
The ground under me begins to crack and the tremors were growing.
Eriol just stood there with his back facing me. He casted his eyes down on his open hands, just staring at it in silence.
"Eriol!" I called out. I seems like... handing Aerra over directly to Faram had an impact on him somehow.
Is he alright?
"Eriol...."
He just turned to me, sighed, and said,
"I guess this is where the really set out begins for us."
———End of Chapter 19———