Chapter Six: Terrible Sight
Ryuon Temple.
A far cry from the majesty that was Esper Mansion, the temple was a simple structure with an outer wall surrounding four sides. Encased within those walls was a courtyard that led to the main building where monks would go about their daily meditations. Along the right wall was a smaller structure that housed the monks' sleeping quarters.
Ryuon Temple had been simple until five years ago when a spaceship crash-landed in the middle of their courtyard.
The monks at the temple seemed to pay no mind to it as they went about their daily tasks, except for one.
Raja stared at the ship wistfully, remembering how four people had rescued him from his boredom because their mission had sounded "interesting". And it was boredom that made him wonder about the past year.
During his journey, he had befriended these four strangers along with another they had met in the town of Meese where he had fallen ill. Kyra Tierney's willingness to help others had kept him alive through that journey. Even after it was over, she had kept in touch with him, treasuring their friendship.
Now he wondered why Kyra hadn't visited him for the past year. She had made it a habit to visit him at his temple every three months ever since their return from Motavia. When three months had passed and she hadn't come, he thought nothing of it, thinking that she was caught up with her work at Meese. Halfway through the year, she still hadn't come and again he thought nothing of it. But when she hadn't come three months after that, he became worried. Now a year had gone and still there was no sign of her visiting. If his friend wasn't coming, then perhaps he should visit her instead, praying that she was well.
He nodded to himself, deciding that's exactly what he was going to do, turning away from the spaceship and walking towards the sleeping quarters. He grabbed his staff and a small bag of meseta before heading out to Ryuon Town.
"Master Raja, where are you going?" one of the novice monks inquired of him as he pushed the large wooden gate open.
"I'm bored!" he shouted as he shut the gate with a slam.
The novice monk just shook his head as he muttered, "There he goes again… Out for a drink!"
Ryuon Town.
Raja couldn't help, but stop over at this lively town to see his old friend Gyuna the bar owner, not only for a few drinks, of course, but also to gather any information that he may have heard in the wind.
The bar owner recognized him as he soon entered the door, the only Dezorian wearing priestly garb, and waved him to the counter. "Ah, Raja, it's been a while!" he greeted him as the middle-aged Dezorian took a seat. "The usual?"
"Of course!" Raja exclaimed with a laugh.
Gyuna poured his friend a drink, and while the priest drank it, he asked, "So what brings you here? Boredom?"
Raja slammed the glass down on the counter, sighing in satisfaction. "That and the fact that Kyra hasn't visited for the past year," he replied as the bar owner poured him another glass. "You heard anything concerning the Espers?"
His friend shrugged as he wiped down the counter. "Ever since they opened up the Hunter's Guild in Tyler, news rarely reach this rural town anymore. If you're worried about your friend, you should ask around Tyler or maybe request a mission from the guild. Knowing you," he chuckled as he refilled Raja's cup, "you'd probably want to go visit your friend instead. It will certainly bring you out of the temple for a while."
The priest laughed. "You know me too well, my friend!" He took a swig of his drink and slammed it down on the counter with a satisfied sigh. "I was planning on visiting her. Perhaps she's been busy this past year, and your idea about requesting a mission from the guild does not sound bad either. It'll certainly make my journey a bit easier and less worrisome."
"I hope you've brought enough meseta to cover the cost of hiring a Hunter," Gyuna said, pouring a drink for another customer. "They're not cheap, you know."
"And so aren't you!" the priest retorted as he tossed several meseta on the counter.
The bar owner took only a few of the currency before pushing the rest back to Raja, who looked at him questioningly. Gyuna sighed. "You need it more than me, my friend. You need every meseta if you want to hire the best. You don't know what sort of trouble you'll find out there."
Raja gathered the rest of the meseta as he grimly replied, "After Garuberk Tower, anything's possible…"
Tyler.
A small Parmanian town sitting at the edge of a large chasm, the place where Parmanians first landed when they moved to Dezoris nearly a millenium ago. The town was named after the captain of the spacecraft they used to arrive on the third planet of the Algo System, who was recognized as the first chief of the town.
A large grave on the outskirts of town is all that's left of his legacy.
A young man stood in front of the grave, his spiky flaming-red hair swaying slightly in the cool Dezorian breeze as he stared at the inscription:
Here lies the great leader Tyler… Touch us… Listen to our voice… Entrust that body to us…
Every morning he would come and visit the grave, dreaming that one day he could be as great as this leader, perhaps to someday travel beyond Dezoris, to become a great explorer among the stars…
But like a falling star, he fell back to reality, laughing to himself as he left the grave and headed towards the Hunters' Guild.
Some of the townspeople smiled in greeting to young Eryk as he passed by, some even stopping to thank him for a request he had done for them in the past. Eryk was very well liked in Tyler, as well as well-known.
One of the rising stars in the Hunters' Guild, he had accomplished at least a hundred requests in the past two years since he became a Hunter—an amazing feat for someone as young as him. He was only seventeen, but he was considered one of the best in the Guild.
As he approached the Hunters' Guild, he could hear laughter bellowing out from the large building. He smirked as he opened one of the huge doors to enter, basking in the guild's warmth as he took a quick look around at the reception hall.
There were a few recruits standing at the far wall as the Guildmaster studied and questioned them, seeing if they were right for the job. Many wanted to become Hunters mostly because of the pay, but it was a demanding job that taxed one's strength if they weren't careful.
He spotted a few Hunters, their blue uniforms softly reflecting the huge fire at the far right of the building, as they looked over the wall filled with requests from various people.
More Hunters were emerging from the back area of the building where the lounge was located.
Eryk smirked as he started towards that area, hoping to have a few drinks in before starting off his day. He glanced at the front desk where the receptionist was stationed to receive requests from the townspeople, raising a hand in greeting only to pause in curiosity when he saw a customer talking with her.
It was a Dezorian, which was uncommon to see since they tend to keep to themselves. They do receive requests from a few, but what made this more interesting was this was no ordinary Dezorian. By his robes and miter, this was a Dezorian priest.
It was very rare to see a Dezorian priest in public that Eryk had to rub his eyes just to make sure he wasn't seeing things. When his vision cleared, the priest was still there and it seemed he was finished as he handed Delia the receptionist a bag—his payment for his request.
When the priest left, Eryk quickly ran over to the front desk, hoping to catch Delia before she placed the priest's request on the wall.
"Delia!" he called, as the woman turned away from the desk.
She glanced over her shoulder, and seeing that it was the young Hunter, smiled and turned around to face him. "Yes, Eryk," she replied in a pleasant voice that could warm anyone's heart. "What can I do for you?"
Eryk couldn't help but stare at the woman, returning her smile with a huge grin of his own.
Delia was about his age with shoulder-length midnight-blue hair that framed a lovely face that seemed to glow when she smiled. In Dezoris, the sun rarely peaked through the dense clouds, but to Eryk, Delia's presence was like the sun shining on a gloomy day. His heart felt lighter and he felt happy whenever he saw her. He continued to stare at her, his question swallowed in the light of her smile.
"If you're going to ask me out to dinner again, I'll have to decline," she laughed after a moment's pause.
Eryk blinked in confusion, his mind falling back to earth, remembering suddenly why he had called her. He chuckled softly as he replied, "I wish I could act disappointed, but that's not why I called you."
"Oh?" Delia questioned, tilting her head to one side inquisitively.
"The Dezorian priest," he began in all seriousness. Gone was the idle chit-chat among friends. This time it was all business required of his profession. "What did he request for?"
"Oh!" the receptionist gasped in understanding. "Funny thing you should ask." She looked at the paper she held. "It's a strange request," she said, reading over the parchment. "He wants a Hunter to accompany him to Esper Mansion."
"Esper Mansion?" the Hunter queried. "But it's been closed off for the past year."
"And that's what I told him," Delia nodded. "He still insists on going saying that he needs to visit a friend there."
"A friend?" Now this piece of information got Eryk very interested and curious. "A Dezorian? Friends with an Esper?" He laughed. "We all know that they don't get along real well."
"That's what makes this request strange," Delia agreed. "I don't know if any of the Hunters would bother with it and for such a small sum…"
"How much?"
Delia looked at the request again. "Fifteen hundred meseta."
"I'll take it!" Eryk snatched the request from her hands. "The strange ones are the interesting ones, I say!" He looked at the parchment as he rubbed his chin. "Maybe there's more to this than it seems…" He rolled up the parchment and tucked it inside his jacket. He turned to Delia, huge grin in place as he waved goodbye.
"Be careful!" Delia called after him as he left. She then shook her head as she went about the rest of her duties. "I swear… He doesn't seem to run out of stamina when it comes to these requests…"
Raja calmly sipped his tea, ignoring the curious glances of the patrons at the local inn. Tyler was primarily a Parmanian town so seeing a Dezorian was quite unusual. Most Dezorians who came to the Hunter's Guild, he learned, left the town after their request was put in, making the Hunter who accepted it leave the town to meet with their client.
But Raja did not want to return to the temple and he believed that it would be faster if the Hunter found him in the same town. And his plan seemed to work for it was only thirty minutes since he got back from the guild that a Hunter approached him.
"You must be Su Raja!" he exclaimed as he took a seat across from the Dezorian priest, slamming a parchment down on the table. "I'm here to fulfill your request!"
Raja hid his shock and amusement as he studied the young Hunter, noticing his bright blue eyes and disheveled hairstyle. "That was quick," he replied. "The receptionist warned me that it was highly unlikely a Hunter would accept my strange request. What's your name, young man?"
"Eryk Storm!" the young Hunter replied, pointing at himself proudly as he added, "The best Hunter in the Guild!"
"The best Hunter in the Guild?" Raja repeated with a smirk. "And tell me why the best Hunter in the Guild would accept my request?"
"Because it sounds interesting!" Eryk exclaimed at which Raja guffawed, his laugh loud and boisterous.
Tenants looked at his table with a disapproving glare, but the Dezorian priest didn't seem to mind. He was pleased that Eryk had found his request interesting just as he had found Chaz's group's mission interesting five years ago. He found that he liked the young Hunter already.
"I'm glad you find my request interesting," he said as he finally caught his breath. "When can we leave?"
Now it was Eryk's turn to laugh. "That was going to be my question. We can leave within the hour. Is that all right with you?"
"Sounds fine," Raja nodded. "How long do you think it'll take us to reach the Mansion?"
"Probably in three days."
"Three days?" Raja gaped at the Hunter. "Is that even possible?"
Eryk smirked mischievously. "You'll see why I'm the best Hunter in the Guild." He then rose from the table and extended his hand. "Nice making your acquaintance, Su Raja."
The Dezorian priest also rose from the table and took the Hunter's hand in a firm handshake. "Please. Just call me Raja."
"All right, Raja," Eryk nodded. "I'll meet you at the town's entrance. I'm looking forward to serving you."
Before the hour was over, both Eryk and Raja were walking out of Tyler.
Eryk adjusted his weapon, a huge double-bladed axe, across his back. "My father was a blacksmith," he explained, sensing the priest's curious gaze. Not too many Parmanians wielded the axe, a strong yet cumbersome weapon. His axe, however, was lightweight yet delivers a powerful blow. "He found a way to temper laconium to make it light yet deadly."
"Is that why you carry two knives as well?" Raja asked, looking at the weapons belted at Eryk's waist.
"These knives are more of a 'Plan B'," the Hunter replied, patting the hilt of one knife.
"Is this the secret to your success?"
"No," Eryk shook his head, pulling something from his jacket and showing it to Raja. "This is!"
"A Telepipe?" Raja questioned.
Eryk grinned at the priest's perplexed look. "Of course a telepipe! Nobody likes using these, but they get me to the job faster."
"But the side effect—"
"—is the dizziness," the Hunter finished for him. "I know, but," he winked, "that's my secret! I found a way to overcome the dizziness!"
"Oh really?" Now Raja was really curious.
Eryk nodded. "Hold on to my arm," he offered. "With a few simple notes, we'll be at Meese in no time. Then it's a two to three day hike to Esper Mansion from there."
"Very well," Raja nodded, gripping the young Hunter's arm. "Then let us not waste any more time."
Seeing that the priest was ready, Eryk brought the instrument to his lips and blew a few melodic notes.
Upon the last note, they vanished, the howling of the snowstorm picking up where the last note left off…
"Steady there."
Raja clutched onto the Hunter's arm tighter as he waited for the dizziness to pass. He hated traveling by telepipe, but as his vision slowly cleared, he saw that they were indeed in Meese.
"Something doesn't feel right," Eryk commented more to himself than to the priest.
As Raja was recovering from the effects of the telepipe, he had taken a quick glance around the town and noticed that the townspeople looked apprehensive. Some kept on glancing towards the southeast mountains while others whispered among themselves.
"A Hunter!" one of the townspeople cried out when he caught sight of them. "A Hunter is here!"
The whispers quickly turned to excited murmurs as a few started to gather around the pair.
"What's happening?" Raja questioned, letting go of Eryk's arm as he stood up straight.
"I guess my fame finally reached this remote town!" the Hunter exclaimed with his signature grin.
That was not the case, however.
"Make way, make way!" A huge, burly man strode through the crowd, his fur-lined coat matching his dense, black beard. The crowd parted as he approached, the murmurs turning to hush whispers.
"Look, mayor!" a middle-aged man exclaimed. "It's a Hunter! Maybe he can check out the Mansion."
Eryk blinked in confusion when he heard the request. "The Mansion? You mean Esper Mansion?"
"Yes," the mayor nodded. "We were debating whether to form a party to check the Esper Mansion, but now that you're here…"
"You want me to check it out instead," Eryk stated as he crossed his arms.
"Yes," the mayor nodded again. "We'll pay any price you set if you could just go and check out the Mansion."
The Hunter shook his head. "No payment is necessary. I was heading there myself along with my client." He gestured towards Raja, who was looking around the town as if he was searching for someone. "He requested for a Hunter to accompany him to Esper Mansion to visit a friend," he added. "But why do you want me to go to Esper Mansion?"
"A few days ago we saw smoke billowing from beyond the mountains where the Mansion is located," explained the mayor.
"They were attacked!" someone exclaimed from behind the mayor.
Eryk frowned in confusion at the news. "Attacked? Who would attack the Espers?" He then gazed at Raja, who shook his head in denial.
"Are you suggesting my people would have anything to do with it?" the priest disputed indignantly.
"No, the Dezorians didn't attack them," the mayor vouched for Raja. "It was one of their own, an Esper by the name of Kane Magnus, or better known among the Espers as the Black Esper."
Eryk gazed at the mayor thoughtfully. "How do you know?"
The mayor spread his arms wide to indicate the town. "Do you see any Espers around? Meese is known as the second home of the Espers."
Before Eryk could reply, Raja interjected saying, "I was wondering about that. Did they return to the Esper Mansion?"
"They did return," the mayor replied, "a year ago. Their leader sensed the Black Esper and ordered the Espers to return to the Mansion, not for their protection, but for ours. He didn't want Parmanians and Dezorians to be brought into their battle against their enemy."
"And now this Black Esper has made his move," Eryk mused. He then turned to Raja and said, "This explains why your friend hasn't visited you this past year and why the Esper Mansion was closed off."
Raja nodded slowly, frowning in worry. "It's best we get our journey started as soon as possible."
"I agree," Eryk acquiesced before turning to the mayor saying, "Thank you for the news. We'll be heading out now with this in mind."
"It is I who should be thanking you," the mayor said. "I feel ashamed that we could not help those who had helped us a few years ago. Please let us know how it is there and how we could help."
"Will do."
With that said, Eryk and Raja left the town of Meese, wondering what they would find once they reached Esper Mansion…
Eryk and Raja could only stare in shock at the sight that greeted them.
It has been roughly four days since they left Meese only to find the Esper Mansion in shambles. Scars from magical blasts dotted the walls, the magnificent white building in disrepair.
"How could one Esper do such damage?" Raja whispered in surprise.
"This is no ordinary Esper," the Hunter agreed solemnly. "It was wise for the Esper leader to gather the Espers in one place. Imagine how Meese would look if they had stayed."
"I know…" Raja agreed. "It would've looked like Reshel did when it was consumed by the plague." He then turned towards the Hunter with his hand out. "Well, I thank you, Eryk Storm, for accompanying me to the Mansion as requested. I release you from your mission."
Eryk just grinned, ignoring the priest's extended hand. "No way!" he exclaimed. "This is getting more interesting! I'm staying!"
Raja laughed. "Well, your company is welcomed, but don't expect a pay increase!"
"I won't!" Eryk chuckled. "Now let's get going!"
The Hunter ran ahead, the priest following slowly behind, shaking his head. "Interesting fellow," he mused. "More lively than Chaz…"
As they neared the Mansion, they could see the extent of the damage. Windows were shattered, doors were in shambles, and walls were crumbling. Espers walked about the destruction, picking up remnants of their once beautiful home, their faces full of despair.
It was a sobering sight to the Hunter, his excitement quickly forgotten as he gazed around the desolation. He never dreamed of seeing such destruction early in his career.
Raja noticed a few Espers wounded and wondered if Kyra was aiding them or was one of the wounded herself. He admitted to himself that she could be reckless at times.
However, one thing was certain: Esper Mansion was no longer a safe haven for the Espers...