Chapter10: Across the sea
Megufu sighed. He sat in the onboard restaurant and looked out at the sea. He'd been traveling for quite a while by now across the ocean. The ticket had been cheaper than he'd expected but it didn't deny the fact that sooner or later he'd run out of money. Wherever he went to he'd probably need to earn something or other either through legit means or not. Megufu sighed again and sank his head into the table. The service was taking forever and he felt awful and famished. He needed a bath.
"Mind if I sit here?" said a voice.
Megufu opened his eyes and looked up. In front of him was a very tall and old man. He completely overshadowed Megufu.
"Yeah go ahead," he said somewhat nervously.
The old man pulled the chair back very far and sat upright legs uncrossed.
"Where you going to in Rouge then?" asked the old man
"I'm going to Rouge?" laughed Megufu, "So that's where I'm going"
"You don't know where you're going?" laughed the old man. He had a strange accent about him that probably came from the island, "So where in Rouge would you like to go?"
"I don't know…" replied Megufu resting his head in his hands, "Absolutely no idea. You got any ideas?"
It was at that moment that a waiter turned up holding two menus in his hands. He handed them to the two men with a smile.
"Thanks," grunted Megufu taking it in his hand.
"Thank you," said the old man very politely pronouncing each syllable.
Megufu looked across the menu quickly, "I'll just have a fish and chips"
"What about you sir?" said the waiter only just looking down on the old man.
"I'll have whatever he's having," he replied with a smile
"Anything to drink sirs?" asked the waiter
"Cheapest spirits you got," said Megufu
"And you sir?" said the waiter again turning to the old man
"Just a glass of water please"
The waiter nodded taking in the menus under his arm and turning walked away. All Megufu could think about was food. He was so hungry and tired and didn't know what in the world he was doing. Why was he going to Rouge? The sensible thing would have been to have gone to the boss with the rock and say how sorry he was and maybe then he'd have gotten the money.
But no; the boss would probably still have him killed. He knew too much already. Probably he had it in for Phleg and the two drivers as well. If Megufu hadn't killed them with the dragoon spirit, then the boss probably would have later. Megufu wondered with a slight sigh, or regret what had happened to Gambo. He was the only person in the last week he had actually felt attached to.
"Why don't you come with me to the Rouge school?" asked the old man following on their conversation.
"Why you going there?" asked Megufu sleepily
"I go once a year to pay my respects to the two dragoons. They changed around the world of martial arts"
"You a martial artist?" asked Megufu
"Yes," replied the old man, "I am. I've studied the Rouge technique all my life and it brought me great understanding – not just of fighting, but people"
"What's your name?" said Megufu after a while
"Lagnok," replied the old man, "What about you?"
"Megufu," he returned, "I know a little martial arts myself. I was trained with the Rouge technique. I never got into the philosophy of it much"
"You should do," said Lagnok, "Rouge is about mind and body. It's not just fighting. You can understand a great many other things about the world just by reading The art of ancestry"
"Ah yes, that was the book wasn't it? That's the book the two dragoons wrote yes?"
"Yes," said the old man simply, "Yes it is. The first two chapters which are fairly huge teach the old technique from the beginning. Haschal wrote those, then there is the third chapter which was written by Kongal and Haschal and then the fourth and fifth ones were written by Kongal after Haschal's death"
Megufu nodded and sat back in his chair. He looked briefly out at the waves for a moment and then looked the old man in the eye, "Do you know much about the dragoons?"
"A little," he nodded, "I am more interested in their technique than all the fantasy stuff"
"You don't believe it all happened?" asked Megufu slyly
"I don't know," replied the old man thoughtfully, "Maybe it did, maybe it didn't. From what I've read of the books detailing the dragon campaigns the books detailing the second seem to be as hazy as the first. I suppose I can say all that stuff about dragoons may have happened – or it may not. The version we get to read about probably isn't anywhere near the truth. So how can we know? How can we know what a dragoon really was? How can we know when the light dragoon is called Shana in Serdio and Miranda in Demingrad? How can we know for sure when the wind dragoon is called both Lavitz and Albert? The truth you see we have to make for ourselves, it depends what we personally believe. Do you understand me?"
"I think so…" nodded Megufu
"The legend goes that a wingly called Melbu Frahma once ruled all of Endiness and kept the world alive by stopping the god of destruction from being born. He returns again in the second dragon campaign called Lloyd in Serdio, Zieg and Lloyd in Tiberoa and Melbu Frahma Zieg and Lloyd in Demingrad. It's very difficult to know the truth or to know how shall I say? Who this man actually was – or what he might have been called…"
"Do you believe that the dragoons existed?"
The old man laughed, "Of course I do! How could I not believe that the dragoons existed when we have The book of ancestors written?"
The waiter returned placing two plates of chips down on the table. He wobbled for a second as the boat turned on the waves but just managed to steady himself in time.
"You have good balance," laughed Lagnok patting him on the back with a smile, "You would probably make a good Rouge pupil!"
"Thankyou," laughed the waiter, "Sorry about that," he said and turned away.
Megufu tucked into the food very quickly, "So where in Rouge can I find out more about the dragoons?" he asked in between mouthfuls.
"Why are you so interested in the dragoons?" asked the old man curiously. He seemed surprised at how fast Megufu was eating.
"… dunno," replied Megufu with a shrug, "I guess I've got a morbid curiousness like you… you know. That things might not be what the books tell us?"
The old man nodded cutting up his first chip, "Maybe you should come with me to the school? If you want to know about the dragoons and what they did then start with their unfinished legacy – the rouge school. I'll show you around if you like"
"Ok," said Megufu quickly, "I'm glad to have met you"
"Oh and… what's your name again?" asked Lagnok quickly
"Megufu," he replied, "But not for much longer probably"
