Agra: blood and water

Chapter: 1 The Mystery man

In the year 2020, I took my degree in Qi manipulation from the University of Rias and proceeded to Albana to go through the course arranged for War Mages in the army. Having completed my studies there, I was duly attached to the Fifth Northern regiment of Agra as an Assistant war mage. The regiment was stationed in Libya at the time, and before I could join it, the second Gray war had broken out. On landing blue bay, I learned that my corps had advanced through the passes, and was already

deep in the enemy's country. I followed, however, with many other officers who were in the same situation as myself, and I reached river land in safety, where I found my regiment, and at once entered upon my new duties. The campaign brought honours and promotion to many, but for me, it had nothing but misfortune

and disaster.

I was removed from my brigade and attached to the third regiment that was stationed at Abu-Sultan, with whom I served at the fatal battle of Maiwar. There I was struck on the shoulder by a Qi bullet, which shattered the bone and grazed the subclavian artery. I should have fallen into the hands of the murderous Empire

had it not been for the devotion and courage shown by Connell Rktar, my orderly, who threw me across a pack horse, and succeeded in bringing me safely to

the Blue bay.

Worn with pain, and weak from the prolonged hardships which I had undergone, I was removed, with a great train of wounded sufferers, to the base hospital at Ablana.

Here I assembled, and had already improved so far as to be able to walk about the wards, and even to bask a little upon the veranda, that's when I was struck down by yellow fever, that curse of our country possessions.

For months my life was despaired of, and when at last I came to myself and became improving, I was so weak and shrunken that a medical board determined that not a day should be lost in sending me back to my homeland.

I was dispatched, accordingly, in the troopship Born-Jackson, and landed a month later at the ports of Rias, with my health irretrievably ruined, but with permission from a paternal government to spend the next nine months in attempting to improve it.

I had neither kith nor kin in Rias and was therefore as free as air—or as free as a wolf. Under such circumstances, I naturally gravitated to Rias, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained.

There I stayed for some time at a private hotel in the Kings landing, leading a comfortless, meaningless existence, and spending such money as I had, considerably more freely than I ought to. So alarming did the state of my finances become, that I soon realized that I must either leave the metropolis lifestyle and relocate somewhere in the country, or I must make a complete one-eighty turn in my style of living.

Choosing the latter alternative, I began by making up my mind to leave the hotel, and take up my housing in some less exaggerated and less expensive residence.

On the very day that I had come to this conclusion, I was standing at the Hades tavern, and that's when someone tapped me on the shoulder turning around I recognized the young Leon Winter from the Winter family, who had been my superior at the war of Abu-sultan.

The sight of a friendly face in the great wilderness of Rias is a pleasant thing to a lonely man, as such me.

In old days Sir Leon had never been a particular buddy of mine, but now I hailed him with passion, and he, in his turn, appeared to be delighted to see me.

In the liveliness of my joy, I asked him to lunch with me at the pacific hotel.

"Whatever have you been doing with yourself, Ray?" he asked in an unconcealed wonder, as we rattled through the crowded Vaishali streets.

"You are as thin as a rail and as brown as a wood, why is that my friend!?" I gave him a short sketch of my journey and had hardly concluded it by the time we reached our destination.

"poor soul," he said, sympathizing after he had listened to my misfortunes.

"What are you up to now?"

"Looking for accommodations," I answered. "Trying to solve the problem as to whether it is possible to get comfortable rooms at a cheap price."

"What a coincidence!? My friend you're one lucky bastard." remarked my companion;

"Why is that?"

"You are the second man today that has used that expression on me."

"And who was the first?" I asked.

"A fellow, I met recently, who is one of the members of Lore guild. He was moaning this morning about how he could not get someone to share the rent of a room, which he had found, and was too much for his purse."

"Good Lord's!" I cried, "if he really wants someone to share the rooms and the expense, I am the very man for him. I should prefer having a partner to being alone."

Leon looked rather strangely at me over his wine glass.

"Well… you see, I would not suggest you, meet with that guy." he said; "perhaps you would not care for him as a constant companion."

"Huh! Why?"

"Oh, He's a little… how should I put this, a little koo-koo in his ideas—a fanatic, I must say. As far as I know, he is a decent fellow enough."

"Then why is that, you're against introducing him to me."

"No—I'm not saying, sigh… Fine, but you must not blame me if you get on with him."

"Okay! Thanks, Leon!"

"By the way, how would you describe this fellow!?" I asked excitedly.

"One word, Eccentric"

"Hmm… How could I meet this friend of yours?"

"He might be at the guild. Shall we drive round together after lunch?"

"Certainly," I replied.

As we made our way to the Guild after leaving the Hades tavern, Leon gave me a few more particulars about the gentleman whom I proposed to take as a fellow lodger.

"Like I said you mustn't blame me if you don't get along with him," he said; "I know nothing more of him than I have learned from meeting him occasionally in a guild. You proposed this arrangement, so you must not hold me responsible."

"You worry too much, seriously! Why is that? It seems to me, Leon," I added, looking hard at my companion, "that you have some reason for washing your hands of the matter. Is this fellow's temper so daunting, or what is it? Don't cower about it."

"It is not easy to express the inexpressible," he answered with a laugh.

"Ashu is a little too ambitious for my taste. He always says that he will become the Supreme King and obtain the Ark of Covenant."

"Ha-ha!! What an interesting fellow. I really like to meet this guy."

"You and your taste of interesting is kind of weird for me my friend."

As he spoke, we turned down a narrow lane and passed through a small side door, which opened into a wing of the great Guild. It was my first time visiting a guild, out of curiosity I asked "What type of guild is this?"

"Well, this place is where, people with great physical and magical capabilities that are not tied with any ten major Families, four Clan, or Army come to find a job based on their levels and liking."

"What kind of jobs?"

"All sorts of jobs, from Assassinations to bodyguarding. From hunting to exploring dungeons. You can imagine all sorts of work; you can find all types of people specialised in every field."

"Oh! Good for me! I too was looking for the work, by the what type of work your friend do, here?"

"He's a dungeon explorer, from what I heard, he visited many ancient tombs, all around the world."

"Leon…"

"Hmm…"

"Please, I really can't wait to meet this guy." as we ascended the bleak stone staircase and made our way down the long corridor with its vista of whitewashed wall and dun-coloured doors. Near the further end a low arched passage branched away from it and led to the hall.

As I stepped inside, I was amaze. A huge crowd of all kinds of people, could be seen. Possessing all kinds of weapons and artifacts, I never seen something like this in the army.

I turned my head towards the huge crowd of people bustling around a massive Woodend board. "They looking for the jobs, Our guy might be up there."

Out of huge crowd, there was only one man in the room, who was bending over a distant table absorbed in his work. At the sound of our steps he glanced round and sprang to his feet with a cry of pleasure. "I've found it! I've found it," he shouted to my companion, running towards us with a map in his hand.

"I have found the lost queen Victoria tomb not far from here, finally!!" Had he discovered a gold mine, greater delight could not have shone upon his features.

"Mr. Ray Falcon, Mr. Ashu L Stark," said Leon, introducing us. "How are you?" he said cordially, gripping my hand with a strength that showed this man's physics is deceiving to the eye's. With his small stature, scrawny figure, you cannot guess that this man ventured in dangerous Tombs and dungeons, all by himself.

"You have been in the war of Abu-Sultan, I perceive."

"How on earth did you know that?" I asked in astonishment.

"Never mind that," said he, chuckling to himself.

"The question is, do you fear the unknowns!?"

"Off course not, I was getting bored with usual life anyways."

"Fantastic!! Come here then!!" He seized me by the coat sleeve in his excitement and drew me over to the table at which he had been working.

<To be continued!!>