71 Chapter 19: The Set Out 4 (1/2)
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.”
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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?”