The Spell of the Seven Emperiums

Chapter 6: What lies ahead

Britonia, the part of Midgard which had witnessed many bloody battles, most people avoided this region though the monsters here were weak, the people who roamed here were tough. It was a place which attracted the powerful. The only thing which saw more bloody battles than this was the Castles of Lunia. Tyke frowned. We have no choice. Something more dangerous lies on the other side. We have to face it. Elhessar looked at Tyke and smiled, “Don’t worry. We’ll manage it somehow. I know it’s a difficult quest. Sort of what you’d find in fiction books, but here you can die too. We don’t quite have a choice.” Tyke Smiled, “Yes, true. Under all costs, we must do something. We can’t have casualties, but then we won’t be able to avoid it either. All of you who have agreed upon joining me in this quest, DO know that you have a decent chance of perishing in the process, right?” Entrerri grumbled, “Don’t give me this sympathy crap. Where there are a lot of people to kill, I am attracted to such a place. It’s not your fault. I am a sucker for slaughtering. Elhessar grinned and said, “Well, I had no idea of coming, but was asked to by that hunter. I thought it might be good to go on a good adventure. What do you say Gaul?” Both Tyke and Elhessar turned to Gaul and were waiting for a reply. Gaul gulped and said, “I had nothing better to do” Tyke frowned and said, “That’s it?” Gaul looked away and said pensively, “Ah well…I have had a long life, very long indeed. And have learnt a lot of things. So, it’s a good thing to put my learning to the test by going through a difficult quest.” Elhessar looked curiously at Gaul and said, “You DO fight for the castles, right? I mean, don’t tell me you’re a rusty smith! You belong to a guild!” Entrerri snorted, “Do you have the faintest idea who his guild master is? He is a Class-A lunatic. You’d be more threatened by him, than by the attacking ruthless armies in the War of Emperium.” Gaul burst out laughing and said, “That’s so true!!” Tyke was puzzled and looked Elhessar and looking at the expression on his face, Tyke knew that even Elhessar had no clue of what they were talking about. Tyke turned to Entrerri and asked, “Who is his Guild master?” Gaul, wipeing a tear of his eye, said “You don’t want to know. And besides, its better you not know him.” Entrerri nodded and said, “That’s right. A lot of people who know him very well, have been on the verge of committing suicide or have changed names and are living far from civilization.” Gaul looking serious, nodded and said, “Do tell. He is a bit…er…freaky. I hope we don’t see him anywhere on our journey.” Elhessar frowned and asked, “Why?”. Both Gaul and Entrerri stopped walking, turned to Elhessar and Yelled together, “BECAUSE HE IS A STUPID PERVERT!”. Gaul continued, “DON’T ASK US ABOUT HIM AGAIN! ITS BETTER WE DON’T CALL OUT HIS NAME IN THE OPEN! Who knows? He might just end up following us in curiosity.” Entrerri hushed Gaul and said, “Please, don’t say scary things” Tyke stared at Entrerri. There is something that scares Entrerri? How much a pervert can he be? God save us. “I’ll remember that…” said Elhessar looking embarrassed, and waving his hand sideways to Gaul. Gaul turned around and started moveing again, still frowning. Enterri glanced at Gaul and said, “Ah! Give the guy a brake Gaul. He is new.” Gaul’s frown faded and he smiled, “Yeah, your right. Why should new guys have nightmares?”

Both of them turned to each other and laughed out loud. Elhessar came close to Tyke and whispered, “Are you sure they are ok?” Tyke shrugged his shoulders and said, “I have no idea”.

It had been almost ten minutes of walking in the silence. No one had spoken a word. Tyke saw Gaul was now wipeing his armor with a piece of cloth and making it shine. Tyke smiled and said, “That’s a nice armor Gaul” Entrerri, who was ahead of the group turned and looked at Gaul’s armor, “Making it shine, eh? Nice Full Plate by the way” Entrerri turned and started walking again. Tyke frowned and said, “What armor did you say he is wearing again?” Enterri stopped dead and turned to Gaul looking astonished, “Your right. How the heck are you wearing a Full Plate? I thought Merchant types cant wear it.” Gaul smiled and said, “Yup, they cant”. Tyke raised his eyebrow and asked, “Then how are you wearing it?” Gaul turned to Tyke and Grinned, “When did I say I am wearing a Full Plate? Its what you people have assumed.” Elhesssar, who was lagging behind the others caught up to them and looked curious. Why is everyone stareing at Gaul? Did he do something stupid again? Gaul continued, “Heard of the smith who can modify armor?” Entrerri looked at gaul and said, “Yeah, some guy who can make your armor look like another one. I have also heard he can give some extra defence by modifying it. That’s all I know.” Gaul smiled and turned to Tyke, “Well, your standing in front of that smith” Entrerri was wide-eyed with amazement. He quickly removed his refined Thief’s cloths and said, “Wow! Sweet! Here…modify mine too!” Gaul turned to Entrerri and winked, “Sure! For a nominal fee of two million zenny” Entrerri frowned at Gaul and slowly put his armor back on. “Money hungry merchants…” he mumbled. Everyone roared with laughter. Turned to the others and said, “We better get moving, we cant waste time, remember?” Gaul frowned , “Your right, but then it would have better if it weren’t for these bees buzzing here”, he said looking around. Elhessar, who was pampering his wolf, looked up looking confused, “Bees? Here? But we aren’t at the Toad region yet, how can there be bees?” Enterrri, frowned and said, “They are not bees, they are arrows” Tyke quickly looked around, but he dint see anyone shooting them, “There is no one here, are you sure that they are arrows?” Elhessar nodded and said, “Entrerri is right, they are arrows”. Tyke looked at Entrerri, Enterri was frowning, biteing his lower lip. His eyes were quickly moving, as though looking at something going very fast. Gaul looked at Elhessar and asked, “But there is no one around, I don’t think for miles atleast…” Leaflord frowned and said, “That’s the part which worries me. There is no one around and still the arrows are moving fast” Gaul still looking puzzled, “So? How does it matter? Maybe there is someone hiding in the trees or bushes and shooting at us, right?”