Ch. 2: Hugh…My Beloved Son…
'Hmm…where to start…,' I thought.
As I left my burning residence, I glanced at my garments… My robes were still torn in several places….
'I would prefer to not look like a barbarian who had recently returned from a war…' I thought.
Therefore, I summoned the Abyss and telekinetically extracted a Hammerne Staff… An exceedingly rare staff that possesses the ability to return objects, mainly weapons, to a state before they were destroyed. Simply put, it is similar to time restoration… No matter how greatly the damage is inflicted, this staff is still capable of reverting it back to its previous form. Unfortunately, many magicians have tried to manipulate this staff to lengthen human life spans, but the complexity of the human soul's labyrinth makes it impossible. This staff will only affect the inanimate… As the staff became luminous, the sacred energy was absorbed into my attire and my books…the threads of my robe and cape began sewing themselves together and the fissures in my monocle disappeared… Now my tomes appeared as if they had just been written recently. I pulled out a map from my satchel to ascertain my current whereabouts. My residence was in close proximity to the mountains of Illia… So, that meant that if I headed south, I would reach Sacae… The plains of Sacae…I have not been there for a long time… But this is no time for past reminiscences… There were several mountains, but in between them, there was a path…that would take me to the plains. The trip was quite troublesome, as the path was jagged and uneven... Interestingly, several bushes grew on the sides of the rocky path…
'Isn't that intriguing,' I thought, 'How are these plants capable of growth in a rock-strewn area like this?"
Suddenly, a whirling hand-axe came soaring toward me… I was surprised, but I managed to evade it in time…
"What in the-" I managed to say.
A bandit jumped out of the bushes with another axe in hand. I quickly analyzed his attributes…
'Distance covered by leaping out of the bushes: approximately 2 yards, divided by the time it took for him to achieve this: 8.36 seconds, plus the added weight of the superfluous armor in non vital areas: appears to weigh at least 20 pounds…,' I calculated, 'He appears to be quite strong, but according to my formula, he does not seem to be a dexterous type to me…yes, he most definitely is not adept in the speed category… One magical-bolt will suffice…'
"Well, well… Whaddawe have here, anotha victim?" said the bandit, "Come out, boys!"
Several archers and other axe-men appeared from the bushes… Apparently, the one that attacked me was their leader…
"Give us all that ya have, and we'll give you a quick, painless death…," said the bandit leader, "If not…Heh…you'se gonna wish you was dead…afta we're through withya…"
He appeared to be quite lacking in the intelligence…and grammar…department as well….
"Seiras Revdaes Kirtsdnad Nuorgred Nursediht Aaht Erehpsk Radt Naiga, Flux!" I chanted before they had a chance to react.
A small black spark began surging in my hand, and grew into a giant dark sphere that sunk into the shadows. The bandit-leader frantically searched for the dark orb, which materialized…below him… As the Flux struck the brigand, the bandit realized that the dark energies were too much for him. He was engulfed by the darkness and disintegrated…not long after…
"My, my…was that a little bit too much?" I said with a small smile…that was filled with malice…
Suddenly, I heard a voice behind me, "So you killed Nargat, the legendary bandit of Illia, huh? You should soften up, there's nothing left of him… This is just great…now I have no corpse to give to the bounty hunter's guild… Well, at least I was able to finish off his goons… No point in taking their carcasses, no point at all…"
I turned to the where his lackeys had appeared… The other bandits, they were gone! Instead, I saw several piles of burning ash and a man who appeared to be in his early twenties. He possessed long dark-violet hair, just like mine…except for the difference in length. He seemed to be an indolent, prideful, and somewhat stubborn type, but he possessed a rather unpleasant scowl on his face. A small flame enveloped his right hand which was clenched in a fist… He was a magician of the elements… When he saw my face, he froze as if he had seen a ghost…
"F-father?!" he asked me, "Are you my father?"
Then I heard him turn around and mutter, "No….that's not possible….my old man's dead…"
"Young man…I do not know who you are, nor does it matter much to me… But, may I have the honor of your name?" I asked.
"My name is Hugh…," said the young man, "You know what? You have a striking resemblance with my father…"
Impossible...I had a son named Hugh, who resembled this man who stood before me…and had recently become……two years old….
"Is that right, Hugh?" I managed to say, "Well, would you mind revealing the name of your father to me?"
"His name is…wait…you're gonna have to…." he began…
I calmly stated, "Please answer the question first, and do not stray off topic… You may regret it…"
"His name is Canas, Canas Niime…." said Hugh uneasily, "he died around twenty years ago while protecting our family from a snowstorm."
My heart skipped several beats…This young man was my beloved son… But, I was dead…or…unconscious…for twenty years? How could this be? How is it possible that I had not aged at all? Since none of these questions can be answered at the moment, I decided that I should first understand how Hugh had matured…
"I recollect you saying that you were a bounty hunter, am I correct?" I asked
"Yeah, I guess… I'm also a mercenary, of sorts…," he answered, "Basically, I fight for anyone who offers me money."
Mon…ney? That is not what I had expected…
"You see," he continued, "With an adequate amount of money, you can get anything. I might not trust others, but I most definitely trust my money."
"Pardon me, but does your life revolve around money?" I asked.
"A rather absurd way of putting it, but yes… Some people say that I'm a real pain when it comes to money," said Hugh, "but I need to live off something you know… By the way, 300 gold for having me reveal my name, 500 gold for having me reveal my father's name, and another 500 gold for having me reveal my…occupation."
'How perfect, my son has become a Farina,' I thought as I handed him several coins…
"Heh, thanks for the cash, man! Boy, is this my day. You're one really nice guy… As gratitude, here's some advice…," smiled Hugh, "if you're low on money, you should look for him…"
He showed me…a wanted poster. A staggering amount of money, 1,000,000,000 gold would be awarded if this man was caught, dead or alive. I examined the poster to see…
"Jaffar!" I exclaimed… The curse of age had affected him…a small, graying goatee was on his chin and slight wrinkles were under his eyes…but it was most definitely Jaffar.
"So, you've heard of that assassin, huh?" said Hugh, "Jaffar…also known as the Angel of Death, wanted dead or alive. He's one damned bastard… They say he was a member of that Black Fang organization twenty years ago and had killed thousands of people. There are many rumors that he betrayed the Black Fang, but…it can't be true, you know. I mean, that guy lived to kill, he was a killing machine! Hundreds of bounty hunters are after him… I would kill him if I could, but…I can't…at my current state… Besides, no one knows where he is anyway…the Western Isles? Bern? He could be in the Dread Isle for all I care…"
'You're wrong, Hugh…,' I thought…, 'Jaffar is no longer the man he once was… Why can you not understand?' but I remained silent…since I severely doubted that he would believe me…
"Hey, you know what? Are you in need of a bodyguard? Then I know an exceedingly dashing mercenary who has served Etrurian nobles and the renowned son of Marquess Pherae, Roy himself! You wanna know who he is? Well, he's standing right in front of you!" he arrogantly boasted as he pointed to himself…
Roy…where have I heard that name before… I cannot recall…wait! I remember…it finally comes to my mind…he was the son of Marquess Eliwood Pherae…
"Well, are you going to hire me or not?" he asked.
"I'd rather not…rely on a mediocre magician…," I muttered…now that we had met, I wanted to keep the gap between us as distant as possible…for his own good…
"Who are you calling mediocre?" he exclaimed, "I'm very talented, you know… My skill in magic is as great as my handsome…ness… Oh, come on, you can hire me for only 10000 gold!" he exclaimed.
"Only 10000 gold?" I asked as I raised an eyebrow…, "Please forgive me, but I must decline…"
"What?!" exclaimed Hugh, "…Well, I guess I could compensate with 8000..., please, I really need the money…"
"….."
"Nothing to say? Well, 6000 gold will still work…" he pleaded.
"..…"
"Urg…fine!" Hugh seemed to be very distressed…, "I'm getting desperate here… One last chance…5000 gold! I'll be useful, I swear! So please just hire me! Don't be selfish, you should help ones in need you know…"
"You do not seem to have much potential…," I said.
"Man, did you not just see what happened to the other bandits?" he yelled.
"You are overly egotistical," I scoffed, "You are no better than average, are you not? You were able to slay the other bandits by casting Elfire, the sacred inferno, but these bandits obviously possess poor resilience to magic spells. Even though I am currently a Druid, my magical capabilities allow me to master not only dark sorcery, but basic anima spells as well… You call yourself a "talented magician"? I would have obliterated them to the same extent with a mere Fire tome…in half the time… In fact, you seem to lack even the simplest skills. There is clearly no point in hiring a mercenary if the client is stronger…"
"Argh! I quit! Fine, have it your way…and I thought you were such a caring person, too. Ha! What a kind man you are!" yelled Hugh.
But just as I turned around, Hugh said, "You know…at first you appeared to be such a calm, compassionate, and polite person…but now you seem scornful…, it's as if you're putting up a guise now to hide your true feelings…as if you want to make sure I don't accompany you at all costs… You're hiding something from me aren't you…?"
"That's preposterous…," I retorted.
"I'm going to continue beseeching unless you hire me or tell me why you are trying to be rid of me…," Hugh obstinately stated.
I gave up…silently I handed him a pouch containing 5000 gold…
"Hey, I was right about you… Heh heh…you really are a nice guy!" laughed Hugh "'Cuz I got the money, I'll do my job well. You can count on me!"
"Shall we be going?" I asked as I the gazed at the setting sun which radiantly shone over the mountains of Illia.
"Yes, let's," said….son.