Excelium II: Hunting Season

Kabanata 7

Garp and Zai are talking in the basement while Garp is doing his job noong bigla nilang narinig ang malakas na pagbagsak ng pintuan ng basement. Shane went down the stairs in haste.

"Ilang beses ko bang sasabihin sa iyo na huwag mong ibagsak ng ganon ang pinto--"

Natigilan sa panenermon ang matanda noong ibinato ng binata ang nakarolyong mga papel. "You better read it."

Pinulot ito ni Zai at binuklat. She smirked when she saw the first article on the first page.

All criminals of Centrio that have bounty on their heads must be captured and delivered to the Centrio's port. You will be rewarded with the same amount of bounty on the criminal's head.

If someone can capture the criminals named Zaivrin Haines, a former captain in EA, and Trois Oxen, a former student and her accomplice, anything you want will be granted. The goddess said so herself, "Let me turn your wish into a reality. Boundless wealth, unimaginable power, and even immortality are yours for the taking if you desire. Bring me those children, alive."

Trois let out a short excited laugh when he read the newspaper. Zai chuckled and threw the papers to the fire.

She was right. Shaera did come looking for the book. If she is looking for her now, that only means that Wein hid the book successfully without her sensing the book's presence. There's also one good information in the article. It said there Zaivrin 'Haines', that only means that her real name wasn't revealed to the public. Her surname is still a secret that the goddess doesn't know. For the time being, that woman must not know that she's a Hevrion, the first ever demons that she created.

"Why is the goddess so eager to find you?" tanong ni Garp sa dalaga. Zai glanced at him, looking directly at his eyes. Even though Garp was being intimidated he didn't flinch.

Zai faced him, "At least I do owe you an explanation. But make sure that everything that I will say in this room must remain in here. It's dangerous if they knew that you also know something."

Zai swiped her hand in the air and suddenly five books appeared in front of them. It wasn't real, it was like a hologram but it's more magical with those little circle lights surrounding them.

"There are five books that exist in this world that is owned by the creator of this land you are all living in. The Historia, the Enchantra, the Dethania, the Livia, and the Mortalia. Each book have their own purpose. The Historia, it holds the informations since the beginning of time. All that you need to know about this universe is in that book. The Enchantra, it is a spell book. All the magical chants are in it. Dethania, it can control the dead. Livia, it is said that the Livia can bring the dead back to life. And lastly, the Mortalia. I don't have much information regarding that book but if I'll guess, it might be a book that was originally for mortals. I don't know what is written in that book but I'm expecting that it might be a message from the creator that died thousands of years ago."

"Hmm.. I didn't know that such powerful books exists." Garp said while staring at the holographic books in front of him. The books disappeared and Zai stared at the fire.

"Shaera is finding those books. Can you guess what she'll do with those books?"

Garp's eyes widen and Zai smirked, "It's genocide. She'll annihilate all mankind on the surface, leaving those demons roaming around."

"But what will she do with the Livia? The Livia can bring the dead back to life not bring death to the living."

Zai chuckled, "Who knows?"

Garp stared at the girl with a serious expression, "Are you trying to stop her?"

Zai turned her back and glanced at him. A smirk is visible on her face, "Who knows?" she said again but her voice is now low that it's almost terrifying. All of a sudden she disappeared.

"Did she teleported?" tanong ni Shane na tila manghang-mangha pa.

"No. She's just fast." Garp said and faced the cemented table once again. Looking at the almost finish weapon. He sighed and balled his hands into fists. Do you really trust that girl, Avis?

That same question kept on appearing in his mind for two more days until he finished the weapon that he kept hesitating on. He's now currently staring at the finished sword. He sighed. Well. Avis won't give her that necklace if she truly doesn't trust her.

Ilang saglit lamang ay nakarinig na siya ng mga yapak pababa ng hagdan. He grabbed the sheathed sword and showed it to the girl. "It's finished. Hinalo ko ang ibinigay mong metal sa espadang ito. It was just a little amount but that kind of metal is special so it's more than enough."

Ibinigay nito ang espada sa dalaga and Zai scanned it. Its color is white and so as the hilt. It's like a katana and it is light. The blue gem from the necklace is attached to the hilt. She removed the sword from the sheath and looked at its blade. She liked what she is seeing. Mukhang hindi nga haka-haka na siya ang pinakamahusay na panday sa buong Archodonia.

"It can be referred to as a holy sword. It has the metal of Abranium, the metal that can only be found in Heavian." Garp said.

Zai nodded, "Abranium is a metal that Gods commonly use as jewelries. It is indeed sacred considering where it came from."

Garp stared at the girl's face. Mukhang nagustuhan naman nito ang kaniyang gawa but after a few moments, her face showed dissatisfaction. Garp looked at her confusingly, "Bakit? May hindi ka ba nagustuhan?"

He was confused when the girl held the sword's blade. All eyes widen when she put a wound on her palm with the sword. Staining the silver sword with her blood. "Anong ginagawa mo?! Nababaliw ka na ba?!" sigaw ni Shane dito at lumapit upang talian ng tela ang kamay nito. Zai let him do what he wants as she stare at the blood tainted sword.

Garp's eyes widen when the sword started to change its color. From the hilt to the very tip of the blade. The hilt's white color turned black with the combination of red. The dull part of the blade turned silver but it is somewhat dark that combined well with the black sharp part of the blade. The gem in the hilt also turned red.

Zai smirked, "Holy doesn't really fit me."

Garp stared at the girl's sharp gray eyes. Those eyes are familiar and he clearly remembers when he saw those mysterious pair of eyes. He stepped forward to the girl who is now putting the sword back to its sheath. "Zai, can I have a talk with you?"

Tumitig sa kaniyang mga mata ang dalaga bago nito binigyan ng makahulugang tingin si Trois. Tumango naman ang binata at naglakad na patungong hagdan, hila-hila si Shane na panay naman ang reklamo at pagpupumiglas. Garp grimaced when the boy punched him in the stomach and Shane passed out. Trois pulled his shirt up the stairs until they heard the door of the basement closed.

"What is it that you like to talk about?" tanong ng dalaga.

Tumalikod naman si Garp at nagtungo sa kahon na puno ng alak. He opened a bottle as he talk, "As a smith, I've made many different kinds of weapon for many different kinds of people. An elf, a pirate, a barbarian, an adventurer and I even got the chance to make a weapon for a God."

"A God?"

Humarap sa kanya ang matanda at uminom direkta sa bote, "Yeah. This girl suddenly appeared out of nowhere, saying that she's Avis. Of course I didn't believe her, who would? No one has ever seen a God before. She told me to make a weapon. A weapon that couldn't be touch by anyone but that's not what I wanted to talk about."

"Then what?"

Garp's face turned even more serious. "A year ago I had this one certain customer. It was a young man. Tall. Black hair. And sharp gray eyes like yours."

"Gray eyes are pretty common here." saad naman ng dalaga.

"I know, I know. I just want to tell you this. He asked me to make a very complicated weapon. At first I couldn't get it because it is complicated but he said I only have to do the instructions that he'll tell me so I did. While I'm creating it, I can't help but to wonder what kind of weapon that is and what it can do. After finishing it, I asked him what it is. He smiled at me and said it was a 'gun'."

Zai's eyes widen with what she heard. Garp's eyes sharpened when he saw the girl's reaction. "And his name was... Zenlhoir Hevrion."