The Forgotten Land of Myria

ANGUS

The next day came quickly, a bit too quickly. I felt as if my night had had the span of a blink of an eye, although I wasn’t tired. I was alert (at least I felt it, to cover for my distress). There was a swarm of villagers waiting by the harbor, even bigger than yesterday’s crowd. I clutched my bag tightly against myself, took a deep breath and headed towards it. It seemed all seven of them, had just arrived as well. In front of us was a slender clinker built boat, about 40 feet long. It was identical to the model of a knarr I had seen in one of Harold’s books on Viking ships--I had even built a wooden model of one a few years back. Its sail had a black and gold embroidering of a large wing. For those who needed extra help, the words Golden Wing were boldly carved on the left side of the ship.

The crowd made way as the seven Chairmen emerged on the pier. Behind them was a cargo crate that was deposited in a low compartment on the ship.

“You are to open this only once you have set sail,” Glandias, of the Bigolle guild, instructed. Each weapon inside has been strictly selected for one of you and can be wielded only by its rightful owner.”

“Heed me well,” Paewyn said. “Once in Winmore, you are to stop for rest at Lord Tash’s Castle. They have arranged a feast, along with a--gift for each of you, to aid you on your journey.”

He then turned grimly towards Leof, speaking in a low voice. “The Undead and Theon’s Army will be on the move by the coming of the Lotus Eclipse, meaning you will have exactly twenty days to reach Squire Elm.” Leof nodded. I didn’t know what Paewyn spoke of, but it seemed to be of the utmost importance.

“Now remember,” Paewyn spoke to all of us now. “Fight with your heart, not with your mind. Yihwa will have His way with you. Be safe, and be gone!”

The crowd cheered and we made our way onto the ship. Each of us had a considerably broad cot, to the width of the ship, for accommodation. I quickly found the one nearest to one of the edges, and threw my knapsack aboard, securing my position. As much as it was an all wooden ship, the cots had thick silky sheets, making for a very comfortable bed. Two long oars were attached--one to each side, on every cot. I guessed it was in case of a slow day, but was quickly proved wrong. As a choir of trumpets blasted (as usual), Eulisses took out a long rod from his gray cloak and struck the wooden floor of the ship. There was a hard jerk and the oars turned and began rowing by themselves as the ship drifted from the shore. Interesting, I thought.

The villagers cheered and we responded with waves. I already recognized a few people who had greeted me the night before. Squinting, I spotted Kanrig perched on a rooftop waving lifelessly with his grumpy look. I chuckled.

Eleazar would have just seered?? What is this? Had he been here, I thought. Eleazar! I realized he was nowhere to be found. Where could he have been? Why hadn’t he come to say goodbye? I noticed I hadn’t seen him since he left us at the front of the Monument. Strange. Where would he be, to not have said goodbye?

I quickly put that out of my mind when I became fully aware that we had set sail. And at quite a speed! Cold wind brushed against my face and I watched the island grow smaller and smaller.

With the hours ticking by, I stared at the never-ending horizon. The sun was already on its way down. I realized I hadn’t been to the ocean I years (of course, besides the research expedition last week). I still remembered that trip well though.

It was Margaret’s birthday and we had taken a weekend excursion to the beach. The sun barely poked out of the cloudy sky that weekend; it rained on the day of Margaret’s celebration and the water was snappy and bleak. Since then, along with some other experiences, I had grown neglectful of the ocean. My hand skimmed the water. This one was warm, still and peaceful.

“I think it is safe for us to open the chest,” Leof said. He lugged the chalky trunk onto the main platform. While he pondered on how to open it, Jardious climbed to the top and stomped his right heel in the center. The box didn’t budge, and I suppressed a giggle as Jardious frantically scurried down. All four sides tipped open with a jarring slam, just missing the fleeing Grogan. Jardious humphed in response to the now silenced choir of snickers. I wondered if I might prefer the company of Grogans.

Inside, there were nine crates, lined up one against the other. Each crate was decorated distinctively according to its respective owner’s guild with the name of the guild on top. The last two crates, however, were black and had initials engraved on them: R.K. on one, and A.H. on the other. Leof took the first turn and when he opened his crate, everyone was taken aback. A thin long blade gleamed, lying neatly in between a broadsword and a shield. It was much longer than a regular sword, with a two-handed cruciform hilt sheeted in bronze, the cross-guard slightly curved towards the blade, and the pommel was a bronze engraving of a flame. The blade itself was double-edged and forged in ripples up to the tip. It was fully black, but when reflected in the sunlight, parts of it glistened in fiery shapes of orange and red.

“By my beard,” Jardious exclaimed. “That’s Night Reader, the Arcane Zweihander. This cutter was forged by ol’ Glandias himself!” Leof proudly curled his fingers around the Night Reader’s long hilt.

“And this,” Jardious continued, pointing to the shield. “This isn’t any worse. A titanumous-bronze shield! I wonder just how long it took to--”

He reached to grab the shield, but flinched, letting out a cry. “Blast it, they weren’t kiddin’ when they said--only the rightful owners..”

He grumbled rubbing his hand like he’d been burnt. “Well lemme get a load of my toys!”

He popped open his crate and seemed overjoyed with the Imperial Mace and the halberd he’d received. Everyone else then proceeded to open their crates, one by one.

“This is Harbringer’s Longbow,” Sky exclaimed, pulling out a neatly curved golden bow and a hilt of golden arrows. “The Harbringer himself used this!” He had also received a pair of gauntlets, which were basically brass gloves with sharp claws that stuck out of the knuckles. I felt sorry for whoever gets punched by that.

Livia had received crimson daggers, a golden spear, and finger armor. When my turn came, I was pulsing with excitement. My fingers fidgeted as I reached to uncover the top, eager to find what lay under it. A longsword maybe? An axe? Without thinking, I ripped off the lid of the crate. My heart sank. A steel bow and a couple of arrows. That was it. A plain bow, fully sheeted in steel, with no fancy touch or designs. I quickly snatched it from the crate and made my way back to my cot in silence. I sighed, disappointed, as I watched everyone else admire their weapons. Even Roy had gotten something better: a broadsword and a silver javelin. On the main platform, Leof was giving him his first sword fighting lesson. Seeing this, Jardious quickly grabbed his “toys” and joined the party.

I looked back out at the ocean and tried to cheer myself up. At least I have something, I thought. All Eulisses had gotten, for example, was a grimstone and a wooden staff that didn’t seem to do anything other than support his weight (like I said, not much). He seemed quite satisfied, however. There was a bright side to my bow. Thought I wasn’t the best, at least I was given the weapon I was best with. As I thought of it that way, it didn’t seem half bad.

A girl’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “Quite the thinker, aren’t you?”

It was Ada, the angle from Alyven. I had said it before, but it was worth repeating: I was dazzled. I guess I must have looked like a fool staring at her, for she curled her lips in a smile.

“Well it seems we’ll be neighbors on this ship,” she nudged me. I stammered and found myself at a loss for words so I simply nodded. I realized that she meant her cot was right next to mine and I wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or not.

“That’s a great bow,” she said blinking gently through her long eyelashes.

“Y--you think?” I said, finally finding my speech. “I find it to be, I guess, a bit...ordinary.”

“Oh, not at all,” she shook her head. “That most definitely is not ordinary. In fact, for an answer it’s quite prestigious.”

I wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or a taunt--but she was talking to me, so I could only manage a simple smile. She glanced in admiration at the pink horizon that held the setting sun. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I nodded.

“Oh, look! There are the Blood Dunes!”

“Where we’re headed, right?”

“Right! And just a speck away are the Caves of Solitude...”

“Oh right! With the Horned Serpent? Godfrey mentioned it.”

“Exactly! The name itself kind of suggests it,” Ada continued. “There are loads of stories of people who got lost in the Caves. Forever. There’s an old tale of two brothers who never returned from their scavenger hunt near the Caves; A certain family that was found dead five years later by the Dunes; of course, the most famous tale is of the Bigolle troop that was sent on a rescue mission for the infamous Zeua Thiammelio...all fifty of them were lost in the Caves, upon fleeing from the Serpent. Legend tells that they ate each other to survive. No one did.”

“No one has ever survived?”

Ada drummed her light fingers on her chin. “Of course a few people made it out, but...well, there’s one woman--Kamecha. Of Sevarea, if I’m not mistaken. She did manage to survive. However, she was permanently brain-damaged. She would run through Musgrave Pen screaming ‘It’s all dark! Spare the light!’ at the top of her lungs.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Go figure. All I know is, according to all the stories, when it comes to the Caves of Solitude, it’s either quick death or slow madness.”

I peered through the now misty horizon trying to keep track of the Dunes.

Back on the main platform, everyone was still testing out their new weapons, sparring, and training. Eulisses, Ada, and I were the only ones sitting on our cots.

“How come you’re not...y--you know--” “Training?” Ada asked. I nodded and she shrugged in reply.

“No need.”

“Oh, did you see what I got?” she asked eagerly. She then pulled out a long white staff with a brown stone attached to the top.

“This is a Lumox staff,” she explained. “It’s not just for combat, you see. It also possesses healing potions. And look!” She pointed the staff at me and when the brown stone touched my chest it lit up. “This means that I can now either heal up one of your wounds or blast you to smithereens.” She giggled and I gently pointed the thing away from my chest.

“That’s uhh--pretty neat,” I said.

“Mhmm!” she agreed. “However, it’s limited. Meaning it can run out. When that happens, I need to change the Lumox stone on the top. The problem is I was only given one spare stone. Let’s hope I don’t have to use it!”

I nodded again. “Did you get anything else?”

In response, she pulled out a boomerang and a grappling hook. The edges of the boomerang were two blades that looked sharp enough to through a body like paper.

“Say, how long do you think it’ll take to reach Winmore?” I asked, after she’d put away her weapons. Ada squinted at the ocean.

“Traveling at this speed, probably around six days.”

I gagged.

“Six days?” I repeated, taking in the madness. “That isn’t possible! Not according to the map.” She giggled again. What a cute giggle.

“I guess no one has told you of the enchantment.”

“What enchantment?”

Does everything always have to have an “enchantment”?

“This region is known as the Barren Seas. The Barren Seas hold an enchantment that morphs time and space, eluding who ever sets sail on these parts. This makes traveling a lot slower than it actually seems, or is supposed to be.” I frowned.

“I see,” I murmured, still skeptical. “The ways of nature here in Myria really take some getting used to.”

“Do they not have things like this in the Commonland?”

“Not at all,” I said. “In fact, up until now, I haven’t seen even one familiar species in Myria.”

She knit her eyebrows and slightly tilted her head. I realized that since she knew nothing of the rest of the world, this was what she considered “familiar”.

“Funny, I’m the other way around. There isn’t one plant or animal in Myria that I don’t know of.”

“Really?”

She nodded, smiling in pride. “I am a Caretaker, so I’ve been living with them, since I was a little girl.”

“That’s incredible,” I muttered. “W--would you mind teaching me sometime?”

My breath faltered as I asked the question, afraid of being turned down. To my relief, she nodded hastily.

“Why, of course! My uncle owns piles of scrolls about them. I can teach you everything I know.”

My eyes widened. “That’d be great!”

We shared a few laughs. I was glad I’d asked. Not only would it enlighten me to the fascinations of Myria’s eco-biology, it would also give me an excuse to spend more time with Ada.

Our conversation was then interrupted. “Well what’s this?” Jardious bellowed, from the main platform. “There’s another crate lyin’ inside the chest!”

Everyone gathered around the now dusty chest. Indeed, there was another crate. A quite small one, and, as odd as it seemed, no one remembered having seen it before.

“How did we miss this?” Sky asked. “I mean, who’s is it?”

We were all reluctant to risk touching it, knowing what would happen if it wasn’t ours.

“That one belongs to me,” a voice suddenly sounded from above us.

We all looked up in confusion, but couldn’t find anyone there. Then, a small head peered out of the mast, just over us. A fury head. Banebee.

“Kupa!” the jujoo yelped. It hopped back into the mast and we all knew what this was about. Eleazar grunted as he slid down a rope landing neatly in front of us, brushing the dust from his shoulders. He scoffed.

“Someone needs to do some cleaning up there.”

Only then did he notice the nine pairs of eyes that gawked at him in dismay. He knit his eyebrows like he didn’t expect that.

“What?”

“Where did you come from?” Jardious asked. Eleazar simply pointed to the top of the mast, like the answer was obvious.

“Yes, but where were you all this time?” Livia jumped in.

“On a ship,” Eleazar responded with wide eyes. “Which coincidentally is the same ship that you are on.”

Livia rolled her eyes at his sarcastic answer. He casually walked up to the chest, busted the crate open a pulled out a very simple-looking survival knife.

“Good enough,” he shrugged, fastening the knife to his belt. After another series of questions, we gave up on getting any real information, as they were all answered in the same tone as the previous ones.

“Well, I can’t even say how great it is to see you,” Leof chuckled, in relief. “We’re all glad to have you on board.” Eleazar nodded, like he already knew it.

Once the commotion was settled, we all retired back to our respective cots and Eleazar made his way back to the top of the mast (how he managed to stay up there, I had no clue).

The night wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, the soft rocking of the water had me feeling droopy. I said goodnight to Ada--who was perched on her cot right next to mine, wading her hand on the water--and snuggled into my silk sheets. I gently cradled the steel bow and the arrows. It was, indeed, a great gift after all. This is it, I thought. The Quest has begun.