Together they set off through the crowded market areas of Thrim Vara. Their minds with questions and possibilities. Varshan turns on the right side of the road. Hari and Vishnu turn left. As Varshan was walking, he felt something. A feeling of loosing something, a fear. A nameless, formless feeling stood within him.
"Psst, over here,"
Suddenly, a voice interrupted the noise of the crowd and his thoughts, drew his attention to a nearby garbage yard. An old beggar shrank in the shadows.
" over here," the beggar whispered. "I saw what happened with your friend. You're not the first to be wrongly accused by those AB agents."
Varshan approached the beggar, his curiosity hits in. "What do you know?" Varshan asked,
Meanwhile on the other side of the market Vishnu and Hari are drawn to a mysterious woman who sells trinkets and amulets at her stall. Her eyes held a knowing glint as she watched them approach. The scent of sandalwood and vanilla wafted from the stall, prompting passersby to come closer."Welcome travelers," the woman greeted them with a smile. Her voice was soft and sweet. She didn't even sound like an old woman . "What brings you to my humble stall?"
Hari and Vishnu looked at each other. "We are looking for answers," Vishnu admitted. He shifts his weight from one foot to the other. By avoiding eye contact "Our friend was kidnapped. And we are committed to helping him."
Hari slammed his hand on his head and whispered "That was.....SO QUICK DAMN IT , why did you ..."The woman's smile widened, her gaze shifting to Vishnu. "Ah, the bonds of friendship are strong indeed," she mused, her words carrying a weight. "But tread carefully, for not all is as it seems in this world."
Vishnu nodded
"Thank you for your guidance," Hari said, his voice tinged with urgency. "We'll keep it in our mind."
As Hari pulled Vishnu's hand and turned to leave, the woman's voice stopped them in their tracks. "Wait," she called out, her tone urgent . "Cart No. 22. Back side of the kingdom ,It will lead you to them."
Vishnu and Hari exchanged puzzled glances, unsure of what the woman meant. But something in her confidence compelled them to trust her words.
"T-T-Thank you," Vishnu said, offering a grateful nod. "We'll remember that."
As they walked away, Hari couldn't shake the feeling of unease that lingered in the back of his mind. Who is she? he wondered silently, his thoughts swirling with suspicion and curiosity.
As Varshan watching The beggar, his voice barely a whisper. "There's something rotten with AB agents," he muttered, his words heavy with impact. "And those "NUMBERS" are at the heart of it."
The beggar's words left Varshan confused and unsure of their meaning. "Why would they target innocent people?" he wondered aloud, his mind racing with possibilities.
The beggar shrugged, his expression grim. "Power, greed, corruption...who knows?" he replied mysteriously. "But if you want to uncover the truth, you'll need to be careful. The AB agents have eyes and ears everywhere."
Varshan nodded "Thank you for your warning," he said, his voice tinged with confusion. "We won't rest until we clear Arman's name and expose those responsible."
The beggar took a deep breath, then slowly stood up from his makeshift seat, his gaze meeting Varshan "Till then," he said , his voice trailing off. "We will meet again? I don't know... If we do, maybe as someone you don't know."
Varshan's eyes widened in surprise at the beggar's enigmatic words, but before he could respond, the old man had vanished into the shadows.
After parting ways with the old beggar, Varshan found himself lost in thought as he made his way back to the market square. The beggar's cryptic words echoed in his mind "what's up with him?" he thought "why is he saying this?", leaving him with a feeling of unease and curiosity.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Hari and Vishnu found themselves deep in conversation while walking back to the place they parted from Varshan.
"So, what do you make of her?. Back side of the kingdom?, exactly where we where hours ago and Arman found his mask there too" Hari asked, his voice low as they walked away from the stall.
Vishnu replied "I'm not sure," his eyes fixed on a fish stall "But there's something about her...a sense of knowing I guess."
Hari nodded, But his didn't hear anything Vishnu said. "We should keep an eye on her," he thought.
Back at the market square, Varshan finally reunited with Hari and Vishnu, the beggar's words still sticking on his mind. As they exchanged stories of their encounters, time didn't stop to hear the story.
"We need to find out more about this issue," Varshan said, his voice firm.
"Yes , lets build a organization and search for Arman" said Hari in a sarcastic way.
"like he went for a banquet" Vishnu added
"You guys are right too., wasting time is not a good idea" said Varshan in a tone of acceptance.
Hari said "soo., only thing we can do for now....."
"is to get into cart No.22 " Varshan added.
The trio started sprinting towards backside of the kingdom dodging merchants' carts . The air was thick with the smells of fresh bread, roasting meats and exotic spices, making Vishnu's stomach growl with hunger
"so, are we not gonna eat?" asked Vishnu.
Hari's mind ears still heard the words. "Remember," she said, her eyes gleaming with hidden wisdom. "Cart No. 22. It will lead you to them."
YOU ARE READING
The Artifact Chronicles: New Era
FantasyThe Artifact Chronicles: New Era invites you into a world where ancient, mysterious artifacts hold the power to grant immense strength-at a devastating cost. Varshan and his friends stumble upon Cart-22, an encounter that forever alters their lives...