Iter Aeneae - Olelia Vanished

  The doorbell rang, I went to open it.  Standing behind it were two large men wearing black suits and tinted sunglasses.

                “Hello son, does your father happen to be home?” asked one of the men on my left.

My father, wearing a red T-shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers, appeared behind me before I had a chance to yell for him.

               

                “John, Jack, odd to see you here.  Did something happen down at the…”He looked down at me while I stood under my dad’s right arm.  “Aeneas, could you please go to your room, my friends and I need to do some business chat.”  I nodded and ran into the kitchen, but hid behind the wall so I could hear my dad still.  “Sorry, I don’t want him to know about my work.”

“It’s okay sir, we don’t even let our families hear anything of it,” responded one of the men.  “It is secretive business.  Do you wish to speak outside?”

“Yes.”  He looked behind his shoulders.  “My son is probably eavesdropping on us, a curious one I know him to be.”

“Surely sir, we don’t want any complications also.”  I heard their footsteps and then closing of the front door.  I ran upstairs into my bedroom and cracked open my bedroom window which was conveniently on the front of the house.

“It seems one noisy reporter has received some information from one of our employees,” started one of the suited men.  “We have neutralized both, but now we need to move our operations into total isolation, it is now too risky to be situated in contact with the public.”

                “We are going to move to Colorado, then?” queried my father.

                “Yes,” chimed in the other black suited man.  “We have agents there already preparing the site.  It is also situated next to the cavern.”

                Behind me there was a shout, “Aeneas! We both know your father doesn’t want you to be listening in on him.”  My father looked up to my window as I turned to see my mother.  She was wearing a lime green tank top with light blue jeans and was walking barefoot.  Her hair was cut short and a strange tattoo showed on her shoulders.  She walked over to the window as I moved out of the way and fully opened the window.  “Sorry guys, I’ll make sure he’ll keep from eaves dropping.”  She stomped over the window and forced the window down, pulling by the arm out of the room into the hallway afterwards.  “How many times have we told you, Aeneas?” said she after kneeling down to my eye level.  “Your father’s work life requires total secrecy, even from us.”

                “But I wouldn’t tell anyone, about it…” said I earnestly.

                “Your father’s company doesn’t know that, do they?”

                “But I could show them that I wouldn’t!”

                “I don’t think they would take the word of a 7 year old.  Now, why don’t we go work on that homework Misses Joana assigned?”

The town bells upon the log built clock tower chimed throughout the town and throughout the surrounding forests.  People were already up and about, traders at their posts, craftsmen working alongside their apprentices, caravans setting off and preparing to, children playing among the sides of houses, preachers screaming out their so called good word, and the travelers passing in and out of the inn readying themselves for their travels ahead.

Aeneas awoke to a spout of commotion in the lower in.  He twisted out of bed, having slept clothed in what he wore the day before.  He worked on his gym shoes having ripped them off his feet the day before disregarding the tied laces.  A large mirror reflected his disheveled appearance, his light-brown slightly short hair was in disarray and both his red T-shirt and jeans were covered in dust.  He quickly tried to straighten his hair with his fingers and dusts of his garb before he opened the door to an argumentative scene seen from the balcony.

On one side were two of the bandits who had kidnapped and personally guarded Aeneas, on the other was Kam, and in between them was the Lupin that had confronted Aeneas and Kam the day before.

“Now, now, you two should realize that Ms. Kamellia here is to be our healer,” reasoned the Lupin.

“Look Mr. Theodore,“ said the Cervan assertively “This healer you have here is a full blown master of alchemy, she left my old bosses’ base in complete ruin, barely breaking a sweat!”

“I have no idea what he’s talking about, it must have been some other Ursin.  I’m a traveling healer, trying to sell my trade to whoever needs it,” replied Kam smuggly.

“What about that human youngster you have with you?” rebutted the Cervan.  “I clearly remember that we kidnapped him.”

“How could you kidnap a child?” asked Theo in a serious tone.

“His clothes had a fine texture and looked to be made by some sort of device, heck if I know he just looked like an easy picking to get some quick gold out of by ransom.  And besides, we were practically doing him a favor seeing as how he was wandering aimlessly,” returned the Cervan.

“Obviously this person is still recovering from a binge he had last night, Mr. Theo.  Aeneas is an orphan that I promised to look after for his parents,” explained Kam crossing her arms.

“Oh she’s full of it sir, she’s going to be a demon in disguise,” said the Cervan when he caught sight of Aeneas watching over the banister.  “Human child, tell Theo the truth, that we really did capture you.”

“Clearly you are still recovering sir, I don’t remember anything of such,” said Aeneas spitefully.

“Now Mr. John, could you please go outside and wait near the caravan?” asked Theo. 

John opened his mouth to speak, but instead just nodded, turned around, and walked out the door knowing that the disagreement would only continue.  Jack followed behind him so he could comfort his frizzled comrade.

“I am quite sorry about him Miss Kamellia, but alcohol does turn some people into rabble-rousers” Apologized Theo.

“It’s nothing to worry about; I have to deal with people like him in inns all across Praelager.  This continent always attracts the best of folks,” responded Kamellia.

The troop set out eat with the sun glaring in their eyes as they walked along the persistently strait underused path surrounded by the many trunks of the surrounding forest.  Ahead lay the Asyan Mountains, their peaks piercing the wispy remnants of a cluster of clouds that once was.

Kamillia and Aeneas stayed reclusive from the group, trailing out of range enough to be heard, but always stayed at the constant distance.  Multiple times had Theo checked back to see if they weren’t experiencing problems, but Kam always reassured him.

The group of mercenaries were scattered throughout the main body, each keeping an eye on the background of the trees and dedicating one ear to detect any traces of other bandits, knowing their tactics of ambush.  Spectata made periodical trips above the forest canopy, surveying the expanses of leaves for signs of smoke and settled clearings, yet her observations proved negative.

Theo and a Human woman, accompanied by a suited Lianin, led the party, marveling at the wilderness they have been robbed of in native land.  Behind them lurked Horace Smith in solitude grasping with his right hand the embezzled hilt of his sword held in glorified sheath on his left hip, as if he expected an attack from anywhere at any time.

After walking for hours and taking periodical rests, they came before the first of many plains they would experience on their travel as dusk began to fall.   The group, ordered by Theo, set up their tents along the forest’s edge.  The woman’s pentagonal tent was made out of a fine silk cloth and elaborately stitched together with golden died thread, which was being set up by her suited Lianin and Theo, after which each set up their own, much simpler and cost efficient tents.  Jack and John set up a tent made out a rough brown cloth for them to use while Loquick, along with a few other mercenaries, made beds within the wagon.  Spectata found a nice tree to roust in, as well as a nice play to keep a good watch over the expedition and most of the surrounding plains.

With the woman and Spectata already retired, the rest of the group sat around a fire made of freshly cut wood.

“Kamellia,” spoke up Theo, “I have taken notice that you have not set up a tent, how do you plan to make your sleeping arrangements?”

Kam, tired of being questioned by Theo as if she didn’t know what she was doing ignored him.

“Well Kamillia,” asked Theo again.

“I’ll be sleeping on the ground, Mr. Theodore.  And if you be kind to stop acting like I don’t know what I am doing already, I have traveled most of Praelager and have made it so far, so please stop questioning me,” responded Kam who played with the idea of retiring sooner.

“How about your boy with you-“ started Theo again.

“Sir,” interrupted Kam, “He has been traveling with me ever since his family had entrusted him to me before passing on.  He’s already been broken into the routine of traveling.  You could say that he’s almost half-Ursin, culturally of course. Now if you excuse me, I need to wake up early so I may collect some medicines.”

“Fair night then, Miss Kamillia.” Said Theo as Kam stood up and walked far enough into the plains grass to keep the chatter of the fireside from her ears.  Aeneas sat their quietly, deciding if he too should go to bed.  “Now, Mr. Aeneas-“asked Theo.

“I’m sorry, sir, but I might as well go to bed as well,” Quickly interrupted Aeneas as he hastily got up and went towards Kamillia’s direction, leaving Theo awkward in mid sentence.

Most of the fireside had retired, leaving Theo, Jack, and John staring at the fire, making occasional conversation.  The gallop of hooves was heard coming from the woods as Spectata quickly awoke and strung her bow, tensioning her string with an arrow, aiming at whatever which was coming their way.  A lone Lupin rider, stop along the fire, staring at the three.

“Is something wrong, sir?” asked Theo as he stood up from his seat.

The rider jump off his horse and moved hurriedly into the fire light giving better detail to his appearance, his grey fur was ruffled, his cloak torn, and minor wounds exposed on his arms and legs.

“Is there something wrong, sir?” asked Theo again.

 “All of Olelia, is dead.  You should get as far away as possible!” he shouted into the night, waking some of the sleeping.

Few cars drove past Uorlris as he sat at a table outside a coffee shop.  A slight breeze ruffled his hair as he turned his head to see a human man wearing a brown shirt, jeans, and sun glasses.  In the reflection of the sunglasses Uorlris saw himself, or what he thought was himself.  A man wearing a green colored shirt stood in place of his true reflection.  Uorlris looked back at the street.

“So are you the same Architect?” asked Uorlris without diverting his attention from the street.

“Yes I am.” Responded the other man.

“What do you want me to do then?” Uorlris took his attention away from the road again.

“We want you to secure the timeline of one individual, make sure he does what he does,” said the architect.

“What should I do first then?”

“We need you to destroy a small trading town back on Daichi, but you will have to change your name, it seems you have something of a following there.”

“What does the town have to do with securing the timeline?”

The man leans forward and puts his hands in a fist on the table.  “You see, there is evidence in the town we need to eradicate, and just telling the people not to say anything won’t work.  Our best hope is to kill everyone off and virtually wipe the town from the face of that world.”

“When should I start?” asked Uorlris.

“Now,” Said the man as Uorlris blacked out.

               

Uorlris’ senses returned to him as he lay upon the forest floor, revealing to him a cover of trees shielding his eyes from the noon sun.  He stood up, managing to maintain his balance that was lost from his blackout.  Before him laid a tilted stone obelisk that rose from below the ground up until his chest.

“Don’t you remember this monument, Uorl?” spouted a voice to the right of Uorlris, “You constructed it in the remembrance of all those soldiers who had their lives obliterated by your experimental device you unleashed upon the Praelagrian Kingdom.  Of course, what had to be done had to be done.  Better to wipe the entirety of a nation’s loyal people from the face of a world than to force them to kneel to a self pronounced god.”

Uorlris glanced to his right, finding the Architect back in his original form.  “They had resisted all motions of peach and diplomacy, even if the cooperated they would eventually seek their freedom.”

“So you do understand and won’t double-guess?”

“It never crossed my mind.”  They both stood still and silent, staring into the space behind the exposed portion of the monument.  “Why are we at this cemetery?” said Uorl to break the silence.

“The worship of you as a God has somehow kept its strength throughout the millennia, reasoning your reprieve into purgatory as more as your ascension back into Heaven.  The news of your return and your destroying of a town would send the world into a doomsday frantic.  Which is why you must conceal your identity by all measures,” Responded the Architect.  “Your appearance needs to be masked, your name needs to be changed, and your way of carrying things out needs to be modified.”

“And the cemetery...?”

“Undead Army.”

“Settle down lad,” said Theo who was slowly moving himself close to the young Lupin with hands reaching out to grab hold of him.  “Tell us what happened.”

“Charred bones, animated, they were slaughtering everyone in the villiage… shooting everyone who tried to flee!” said he while slowly backing away from the approaching Theo.

  “You’re clearly exhausted, stay the night, we’ll keep you safe.” Gestured Theo.

“Stay away from me!” shouted the young Lupin, flailing out a sword and pointing its tip at Theo while still backing to his horse.  “You’re all probably with that Ursin who came with the bones!”

As he was mounting his horse, Theo shouted, “Shot his leg, Spectata!”  She released the string, propelling the arrow through the lupin’s thigh, causing him to tumble to the ground.  Theo bolted over to him and removed the arrow with one quick thrust causing the lupin to scream in pain.  “John, quickly get me my medicine kit in my backpack,” shouted Theo to the Cervan, who quickly followed orders and grabbed the kit and handed it to Theo who quickly unbuckled it revealing an array of needles, bandaged, and medicines.  Theo took out a roll of bandages and quickly tied spun it around the lupin’s thigh and tied it off at its end.  He then took out one of the needles and filled it with a hazy white fluid.  He plunged the needle into the flesh of the lupin’s leg and injected the serum.  The screams of the lupin quickly died to low toned groans as the pain killer took effect. 

“John and Jack, help me carry him to my tent.”  They all took a part of the lupin’s body, excluding the injured leg, and carried him to Theo’s tent, where they laid him down onto Theo’s mat.

---

                “So why did you have to shoot him?” asked Kamillia standing above the Lupin’s body with Theo and John while it was a bit after sunrise.

                “He talked about the town we were just at getting sacked, I sent Spectata to go and check to see if his story proved true.  It turned out the town didn’t even exist, only dirt remains where it once was,” responded Theo.  “The force he talked about, we need to know as much as we can because it could be possible that we will run into it.”

                “There are many strange things that happen in Praelager, even those quite unexplainable, this force probably won’t be a danger to us,” Replied Kamillia.

               

                “He said that they were animated bones, living skeletons, and that there was an Ursin among them,” said Theo who then checked a pocket watch for the time.  “Have you heard anything of that?”

                “As you know, alchemists do have sequences to animate non-living objects.” Said Kamillia.

                “Yes I do know,” replied Theo.

                “Well, it could be possible that these bones could just be constructs.  But that would result in the bones having glowing markings, did he say anything of the such?”

                “He just said they were charred bones.”

                “You guys do realize,” intruded John, “that this Ursin could be Nirgon.”

                “Nirgon?” asked Theo.

                “There is a myth that an Ursin deep in the forest could animate corpses without using any sequencing, only direct Alchemy.” Added Kamillia.  “But he apparently died a couple decades ago.”

                “Maybe’s he’s back from the dead, if he could raise others, why not raise himself?” challenged John.

                “Spirits don’t work like that, John, once a spirit leaves its mortal shell it either becomes part of the Great Spirit or is reincarnated instantly.  No going back to the previous life,” reasoned Kamillia.

               

                “Now, Now, Miss Kamillia, let’s not turn this discussion into one of religion.  How bad was the lad’s wound?”

                “The arrow pierced a vein, tore some muscles, and when you ripped it out you only caused more devastation.  Luckily you caught me before I went out or he would of died by the time I came back,” reported Kamillia as she started making for the tent door.  “Make sure he doesn’t poke at the scab and to take it easy for the next weeks or he could tear what I just healed.”  She exited.

                John had left Theo in the room who was waiting for the young lupin to awake.

                It was noon and Aeneas was sitting on the back of the wagon, looking into the woods. The human woman came out of her tent shoeless, wearing her hair up in a frizzled ball on the back of her head and spectacles with small round lens over her eyes.  She wore a leather chest piece with golden buttons holding both sides of it together.  Under that she wore a thin white shirt with the sleeves rolled up past her elbows.  She wore a pair of slightly loose leather pants than stopped right before her ankles.  A lenin followed her out of the tent wearing a rather expensive looking suit, unknowing of how he was to keep such an outfit clean on such a trip.  She caught sight of Aeneas watching her, causing Aeneas to turn his head away and looked to the ground.  She walked over to him, recklessly tromping through the tall plains grass while the lenin expertly made each step to follow after her.

                “You must be Aeneas, as Trepes has notified me about,” she said at the end of her trek from her tent.  “He told me you had been traveling with our physician...” She paused awaiting the response Aeneas never gave.  “My name’s Trixi and I’m sort of an associate of Trepes, or you would know him as Theo.”  Aeneas still said nothing.  “Is there something wrong, dear?  What’s on your mind?  You’re awfully quite for a youngling on such a journey.”

                “Nothings the matter, I’m fine,” responded Aeneas, finally.

               

“I know as everyone else knows that when someone says nothing is wrong and they have an attitude, then that means something is wrong.  Am I right, Bruce,” said Trixi as she looked over to the fine dressed Linan who was still making his way through the grass.

“Yes mam,” said Bruce.

“Well,” returned Trixi. “That’s my theory on the subject.  But is there really anything wrong, dear?  Is it something deep and personal?  I won’t tell anyone.  I can keep any secret, and I am true to my word!” said she, trying to convince Aeneas.

“I don’t know, it’s just that this land is so much different than where I am from.  And the people, well what you might think of as people, are just so strange,” explained Aeneas vaguely as he looked back into the forest

“I know what you are talking about, I was used to all the comforts of my home city and now out in the wild it is so much more intense.  And the people here are so mysterious…”  She looks into the forest with Aeneas.

“Miss Joans,” rung out a shout coming from behind the wagon.  Theo appeared as he jogged towards her.  “The lad has woken up and is functioning normally.”

“Not right now Trepes,” said Trixi as she continued to peer into the woods, trying to see if Aeneas was actually looking at or for anything.  “I’m busy talking to my new friend.”

“Miss Joans, this may be the only time he is awake,” pleaded Theo.

“Go away, Theo!” lashed out trixi.

“So be it then,” consented Theo as he jogged back the way he came.

Theo and John were in the tent with lupin boy who was drinking a mixture of herbs and tea as well as taking large bites out of a crusty loaf of bread while covered up to his waste in a layer of blankets.

“Now lad,” said John as he knelt down to the boy’s level. “Could you perhaps tell us you’re your name is?”

The boy finished chewing his bite before speaking.  “Richard,” said he as he took another large bite of the bread, only leaving a few bites left.

“Now, Richard, could you perhaps tell us what happened in Olelia?” asked Richard looking down upon the boy.

“Do you have any more to eat?” responded Richard as Theo nodded at John who revealed a cloth from his satchel.  He uncovered the cloth revealing another loaf of bread and handed it to the boy.  “Thank you, sir.”

“Now will you tell us?” asserted Theo, almost ready to give up on the boy.

“You guys seem to be in good will, I’ll tell you although I don’t like to recall what happened to all those people.  It all seems like a bad dream.”  He took a gulp of the mixture of tea before continuing.  “Now I was just arriving into the town as I saw what seemed like armored soldiers in the distance.  I made a detour into the woods along the path and moved in to get a better look.  As I drew closer I hid behind a tree and bore witness to charred bones wearing blackened armor that seemed to be ancient slaughtering the villagers with swords glowing red hot.  They had encircled the town as to stop any and all from escaping.  After watching a few minutes, I grew sick and lay against the tree.  After a quarter hour the screams that came from the village ended and I checked to see what had happened.  The bones had left.  I then decided to walk into the town.  Blood was splattered everywhere, but I did not see the bodies, yet the horses were spared for who knows what reason.  Then a saw a black hooded figure moving to the town center, the figure looked at me.  I quickly sprinted to a horse, released its reigns and sped out f the town.  I looked behind me to see the town churned by the earth into nothing.”

“Did you catch a good sight of the figure at all?” asked Theo.

“He was an Ursin.  Most of his figure was obscured by the dark robe, so I didn’t get as good a view,” responded Richard.

At that moment Kam walked into the tent.

“Why haven’t we packed up and left yet?  The star is starting its journey back.”  She then glanced at Richard.  “Excuse me, I forgot something.”  She turned around and began to walked out of tent when Richard caught her.

“Well hello there Kamillia,” said Richard with a slight smile.  “Don’t you try to run away from me.”  Kam went on her course undeterred.

“Do you somehow know this Richard, Miss Kamillia?” asked Theo.

Kam turned around and returned to the tent.  “Yes I do, we met awhile back.”  She turned to look at Richard.  “I’m surprised you still knew my name.”

“I tried to keep in remembered since our last time met,” said Richard.  “So did you ever get that human boy back from the bandits?”  John and Theo stood there wide eyed.  Kam quickly took Richard by the arm, causing him to drop his tea spilling it and bread onto the ground, and pulled him out of the tent.

“They don’t know that I actually rescued Aeneas from the bandits.  I’m trying to keep it a secret,” she whispered to him.

“Why are you trying to keep it that way?” whispered Richard back.

               

                “I just want to keep it that way, it’s for the better,” responded Kam.  “Just play along with me so I can correct this.”

                “Alright then,” whispered Richard as they both returned to the tent.

                “Kamillia?  What was Richard talking about?”  asked Theo.

                “Let me take care of this,” whispered Richard to Kamillia.  “You see sir, me and Kam had a really personal and deep discussion.  What I just said was a metaphor she used for a love she had.  But I don’t think she wants me to go further.”

                “I don’t wish to violate Miss Kamillia’s personal life and past.  I will ask no farther,” assured Theo while John stared at Richard.

                “Now, Mr. Theo, I may plead you to leave now so we can get some traveling done today,” pleaded Kamillia again.

                “I guess we should start heading out.  John, Kamillia, could you both please tell the others to get ready?”  John nodded and Kamillia just walked out the tent opening with John following behind.  Richard tried to leave but was caught by Theo before he could escape.  “I have some addition questions for you, please stay.”  Richard let out a faint sign and returned inside.