Ruins Raiders: Book Two
Chapter Two, From East to South
By Relm
"Remind me again how you managed to let your father allow you go on this expedition?" A man with purple hair said to his traveling companion sitting next to him on the plane.
"OHOHOHOHOH! What are you complaining about? We are flying first class after all Xelly-dear."
Xellos had to laugh at his traveling companion's exuberant yet annoying laughter. "I wasn't complaining about the class we are traveling Miss Gracia I was merely wondering how you managed to convince your father it was a good idea for you and I to search for the lost city of Velnqxbos even though Zelgadis is already searching for it."
"OHOHOHOHOH! Naga, you shall address me as Naga." Naga corrected him while flipping her long black hair back. "And we are on our way to search for the lost city of Velnqxbos because I asked my daddy if we could and he said yes."
Xellos chuckled once more. He had been an assistant History professor at East Rixx University for quite some time and yet the Headmaster and his daughters never failed to surprise him. "Alright Miss Naga, tell me why exactly you want to look for this lost city? You're not the usual type to get your pretty hands dirty going on relic hunts. So why the sudden thirst for adventure?"
"Because Xelly-dear I'm bored of my day to day blah of a life. I want some excitement! Look at all the fun Zelgadis had with that little redheaded girl. I deserve to have as much fun as she did." Naga huffed crossing her arms.
"Oh really? Or are you just hoping that if you were on a thrilling adventure with our dear Professor Greywars that you'd get to cozy up with him?" Xellos prompted her with a wiggling eyebrow.
"It would be fun to cozy up to the professor."
"Well if he doesn't want to cozy up to you there is always me my dear."
"OHOHOHOHOHOH! You can be charming one Xelly but you don't charm me enough to get those liberties."
"That's because I've never really tried." Xellos smirked with a twinkle in his eye.
"Oooh... does this mean you've snuck a few bottles of wine away in your luggage?" Naga smirked back while playing with an empty plastic glass on her tray. It had been filled at one point with the dark red liquid, many times in fact but now it was empty. The thought of another one was enough to bring a wickedness to Naga's little smile.
"Now now Miss Naga we're here to work not to play." Xellos waved a scolding finger at Naga.
"Very well I'll just have to chaise my man of grey then if you're going to be such a party pooper." Naga stated rather smugly while ringing the call button.
"Yes Miss?" A stewardess approached Naga from the aisle.
"I'd like more wine please." Naga held up her empty glass.
The stewardess cringed but took the glass with a strained smile. She and the rest of the plane crew were told to cater to all of Naga's needs and to not refuse the busty beauty of anything she wanted. It was a fine balancing act of keeping Naga happy but not rip roaring drunk.
"So where will my Zelgadis be when we land in Uouoong?"
"If you believe the translations then Velnqxbos should be in the northwest." Xellos explained.
"Then we'll head northwest when we land." Naga declared quite pleased with herself.
"No we'll head northeast." Xellos corrected her.
"Why? You just said Zelgadis is heading northwest." Naga whined.
"I said if one believed the translations then they'd be heading northwest. But I'm sure Zelgadis recognized the error in the translation so he'll be heading in the right direction which is northeast." Xellos explained.
"Ahhh... you are a smart little one aren't you?"
"Still don't think I'm charming enough?"
"If you get the stewardess to get me my wine faster then I'm sure I'll be thinking you're charming enough." Naga purred at him.
"Perhaps I should have a drink too. Stewardess! If you don't mind I'd sure love a glass myself." Xellos requested hailing down the flight attendant.
"Certainly sir."
...
"Excuse me! Excuse me! Can I get a glass of water please?!" Filia Ul Copt growled in frustration as she tried to flag down the one stewardess in charge of tending to those in coach class. But as it was everyone was trying to get the attention of that one poor stewardess making Filia very irritated. "Why do they have so few flight attendants working on this end of the plane?!"
"Because it's coach." Filia's step-brother Val reminded her through gritted teeth while trying very hard to refrain from yelling at the kid kicking the back of Val's seat.
"I don't care it should be better staffed!" Filia crossed her arms in a huff.
"It would be better staffed if that loser of university we work for actually put in the decent traveling dollars to get us a better class." Val grumbled.
"Our university isn't a loser school!" Filia was quick to defend their school, South Rixx University. Filia was the head ancient history professor and Val was her assistant.
South Rixx wasn't original called South Rixx University. Its original name was Rixx University as it was established long before its northern, western and eastern counterparts came to be. Being the oldest one might assume it would be the most successful of the schools but that wasn't so. Because of the go getter attitudes of the brains of North Rixx and East Rixx Universities most of the glory to be shared was already taken by them. As such when it came time to get outside investors the money was shared much like the glory. All going to the north and east and few to the south and west.
It wasn't like South Rixx never tried to make the breakthrough discoveries and bring home priceless relics. Often Filia was just a few steps behind Lina or Zelgadis mainly due to miscommunication with local governments and law enforcements. Val's explosive temper tended to get the pair into their fair share of trouble. Many times Filia had to bail her step-brother out of jail for some international incident Val caused. And given that Filia's temper wasn't also the best it could be sometimes Filia made things worse.
This time things were going to be different. Filia was determined to find Velnqxbos before anyone else. It was lofty goal was just about the whole world was looking for the lost city but Filia was confident they would come out victorious.
"I swear if you don't stop kicking my seat I'm going to rip those damned legs off!" Val turned around to yell at the child sitting behind him.
"Val don't scream at kids on the plane." Filia sighed in exasperation. "Remember what happened the last time you did that? It took me three days to get you out of that small dirty prison."
"Well it got him to stop kicking." Val said triumphantly. However Val's triumph was short lived. The kid started kicking again. "Grrrr..."
"Let it go Val."
"You see this is why our school sucks! If they actually put out the money to let us fly in a better class then we'd be better rested when we land. And if we're better rested we'd be able to work and think more clearly. But no Headmaster Phibrizzo is a cheap-ass." Val grumbled.
"I'm sure North Rixx and East Rixx doesn't send their people on expeditions on first class flights." Filia assured him.
"Really you're sure? Maybe I should ask one of them when we bump into them during the search." Val dared her.
"Oh no you won't because you're not going to be seeing them at all!" Filia snapped.
"I won't? What do you have them tied up in your basement somewhere?"
"No." Filia looked at her step-brother with disgust. "We're not going to be seeing them because they aren't going to be anywhere near Velnqxbos."
"What are you talking about? Of course they are going to be looking for the lost city; everyone in the damned world is looking right now." Val was quick to shoot back.
"That's not what I meant. Have you looked over the pictures of the tablet and its supposed translation?"
Val frowned in confusion. "Yes and it looks like a sound translation to me."
"And it would be however there is one mistake the translator made. The signs for sun and moon are almost exactly the same. Not surprising since they are both round sources of light traveling across the sky. The tribe of people that the tablet originates from believed that the sun and moon was a two headed god which only could show one face during different parts of the day."
"So it wasn't the sun the tablet was referring to it was the moon?" Val guessed.
"That's right."
"If the symbols are so similar how can you be sure that you're not the one that mixed up the signs?" Val pointed out.
"The symbols are mirror images of each other and the eyes are always looking to the direction they are setting to. The symbol is a moon for sure." Filia insisted.
"Well if you're right and it really is the moon then that would mean... Velnqxbos would be in the northeast and not the northwest." Val concluded.
"That's right." Filia exclaimed.
"If you know that and you're pretty smart wouldn't that Greywars guy and Inverse girl also come to same conclusion as you?" Val wondered.
"No... because I'm... smarter..." Filia said weakly.
Val just rolled his eyes. "So that means you're just hoping they missed it."
"Well if they took off as quickly as everyone else did they wouldn't have had the time to make the same conclusion as me!" Filia countered in a very desperate voice.
"You're reaching." Val ribbed her.
"I can be hopeful can't I?!"
Val just rolled his eyes again. "QUIT KICKING MY SEAT YOU BRAT!" Val screamed at the child once more. "I hate coach! I feel like we're stuck in a sardine can!"
"You think this is bad wait until we get on the connection flight that takes us to Uouoong. This is going to feel like first class compared to that flight." Filia taunted him.