16 Two Clueless Men

Freddy Paine, an absolutely ordinary man living an ordinary life. Being jobless also deemed him to be very poor, as he struggled with his day to day expenses.

He applied for a loan, and was rejected, so he decided to go to another bank by the mall and apply for a loan in desperation.

"I'm sorry sir, but you're loan has been rejected." The bank manager spoke to Freddy.

He handed the bank documents back to him. Freddy could almost imagine screaming at the person in front of him, but no words came out of his mouth. There was a little awkwardness in the room, as the bank manager continued calling him, but Freddy made no response.

"Si-uh-hmm, excuse me, sir, if I do not receive the loan, I will be kicked out of my apartment. I am willing to pay it back in just one month. Please, just this once." Finally, Freddy managed to mumble his words out to persuade the bank manager.

"Other banks have promptly notified us to not provide a loan for you, as you have not paid for the last two of them. Based on your documents, you are still jobless. So Mr Freddy, how can you guarantee us that you would pay the loan back in one month? That too, five thousand dollars is not a small amount." The bank manager slowly handed the papers back, as Freddy continued to stare at his papers.

He grabbed them with extreme force and walked out of the bank begrudgingly.

'God damn it, the apartment lady is going to kill me...'

Freddy sighed as he took the elevator down to the parking lot. When he reached the car, he noticed a white light shining brightly in the parking lot. As Freddy continued to shield his eyes, the white light dissipated, revealing a figure. When Freddy opened his eyes, he immediately took a few steps back warily. What made him wary was the attire, the golden haired man was wearing.

A yellow robe, with a dragon emblem attached to his breast pocket, along with a dragon belt on his waist.

"Amazing.." Was the first word Freddy uttered. Though he had seen many people throughout his life, a man of such appearance was the first.

Hearing his voice, the golden haired man turned around to notice Freddy staring right back at him. Though wary of each other, these two clueless men continued to stare at each other.

The deadly silence made it even more worse for Freddy. Without wasting further time, he slowly walked up to the golden haired man.

"Um, may I help you?"

"Yes, uh could you please tell me where I am? Isn't this the North Earthen Kingdom?" The golden haired man asked.

Kingdom? How strange and outdated was the man to be asking about a kingdom, which long ceased to exist. "I am not sure, but this is a parking lot." Freddy replied.

"Park-Parking lot? Is that a city? Oh by the way I am Indra." The golden haired man asked as he reached his hand out. Freddy continued staring at him like he was an idiot.

Who on earth would not know about a parking lot? Then he suddenly realized, that there was only one type of group which would not have an idea of a parking lot. Without leaving him hanging, Freddy shook Indra's hand back.

"By any chance, are you an otherworlder? I'm Freddy Paine, just call me Fred. " Freddy asked. Indra nodded in acknowledgement. Revealing his true identity to a random stranger would be dangerous, as one of Daemon's men could be hidden or be alerted upon his arrival.

However Indra felt extremely confused. The man's attire, the strange looking box like device all felt foreign to him. He then recalled Zenith's words when he was on moon Azeroth. During those five years, Zenith had managed to explain the various changes Earth had gone through.

Technology, medicine, and various types of new infrastructures were built, bettering the economy after many wars escalated.

"No, a parking lot is where you park a car. Is this your first time here on earth?" Freddy asked out of curiosity.

"Yes it is."

"Amazing, I met an otherworlder for the first time wohoo!" Freddy screamed in excitement.

Things were turning for the better now. If he could report to one of the top companies, then they would pay him a hefty sum, and his money problems would vanish in an instant. Noticing his childish antics, Indra raised an eyebrow in confusion, misunderstanding his excitement.

"Excuse me Freddy, but I need to know what year it is and the place, now." Indra replied calmly, firmly shutting Freddy's mouth.

"The year is 2020 and you are in New York City." He felt like an idiot after that cheer, and decided to take a step back in case Indra attacked him. However Indra's next actions stunned him to very core.

Tears were flowing uncontrollably out of his eyes, like a rushing tide in an ocean. Indra placed both his hands on his head and crouched down unable to hold his emotions.

'It's all over, it's all over! What was all my hard-work for, when all the people I cared for were gone?' He cried and cried, till there were no more tears left his eyes. Though Freddy was clueless, he could feel an extreme amount of sadness within those eyes. Those eyes felt similar to his, as if they both were unable to achieve their true dreams.

"Sir, I have no idea what's going on, but uh, I'm sorry if I said something wrong." Freddy immediately was ready to escape in his car. Indra wiped his tears away and stood up and looked at him.

"Are you familiar with history?" He asked.

"Uh yes?"

"Then are you aware of the battle that transpired during the Imperial Era?" Indra asked, though he might've been too late, there were chances that Daemon was still alive.

"What are you talking-" Freddy immediately started to sweat buckets, when he noticed Indra's aura flare, pressuring his entire being.

"Yes yes, it was the battle at the rocky mountains, where the mighty Indra had fought against the evil tyrant Daemon. They both perished in that battle and it was considered one of the greatest battles in world history, I read it, when I was in college. So please don't kill me!" Freddy explained as he started to plead Indra.

"College? The place where people educate themselves? He asked.

"Yes, yes a place where people study to get a degree and earn money after." Freddy replied nervously.

"I apologize for my actions earlier, but could you do one last favor for me?" Indra asked. Freddy gulped in fear as he realized, today was going to be a very long day.

--

"Sir we have arrived." Ema responded as she walked out and opened the door for the old man. The car was placed right outside the forest, where two Eagle heads in their skeletal form were placed outside the entrance, revealing its majestic presence . Soon, various warriors from the tribe surrounded the old man and his people.

"We reject offer, so you go back now!" One of the warriors replied brokenly as they pointed their weapons at them.

"I understand and that's why I need to speak to your elders now, please." The old man bowed, earning a surprise from Ema, Alice and Ricardo. They wondered, just how powerful was this tribe to be able to earn such respect from their boss.

"No, if you no back, we chase you out." The warriors then slowly closed in on them, ready to chaser them out. However a voice soon halted them on their tracks.

"Back now, no attack." A man wearing an olden tribe attire walked in front, as the warriors slowly gave way to him.

"Greetings tribe commander Maku, I would like to talk to elder Tablita please."

"Richard you come now. But only you, they stay." Maku replied.

Signaling Ema and the others to wait, Richard took his coat off and handed it to her and followed Maku into the forest. Upon entering, various huts made of wood, were present on top of the trees.

Though simplistic, it was splendidly beautiful as various designs made the houses more vibrant, making it look as if it camouflaged within the forest. Noticing a man, not of their tribe, the natives rushed back into their houses and slowly peered at Richard nervously.

As they crossed the river and walked further into the forest, Richard was able to notice many peculiar animals, having an intimate relationship with other kids from the tribe. Astonished, yet amazed, Richard could not help but wonder what made these kids so special.

"This how tribe is. Big family. Unlike you people; cruel and selfish." Maku responded, clearing Richard's doubts. When they finally reached, a strong barrier was erected; a very familiar barrier. As he recollected his thoughts, Maku deactivated the barrier and cautioned Richard to enter without making too much noise.

"Elders, meditating. We wait." He replied, as he told Richard to sit on a finely carved wooden log. Taking his seat, he patiently waited in the small amphitheater and noticed a small statue erected at the very center. Upon noticing this figure, he realized it resembled Indra completely.

'Is this Indra, or is there someone that look similar?' He could not help but marvel, as the statue was carved marvelously, almost perfectly without any flaws. Indra has never told Richard about the Sokanon tribe back when they journeyed the world together.

'It's not that he didn't want to tell, it's that he couldn't. I wonder what happened to this tribe back then?' As Richard continued to ponder, the elder who were meditating slowly opened their eyes as their gaze landed upon him.

"Mr. Richardson Starling, CEO of Golden Enterprises. To what do we owe the pleasure?" A man with extremely long hair, and a dark complexion seated at the center, looked at Richard with a smile on his face.

"Greetings Elder Tablita. I have come once again in hope that you would reconsider our offer." Richard stood up and bowed slightly with the uttermost respect.

"When one's situation exceeds his capabilities, he mustn't exacerbate it, for everything shall be lost." He stated.

"Apologies, but I do not follow you Elder." Richard asked, confused by what Tablita had just said.

"This offer is beyond our strength Mr. Richard. We are not willing to sacrifice our people needlessly."

"I-"

"Feel free to enjoy our well made food, Maku will take care of things for you. Once again, it was a pleasure Mr. Richard Starling." Elder Tablita smiles and closed his eyes as he continued to mediate.

As Richard was about to leave, he once again turned around and stared at the statue in front of him.

"This statue is wonderful! If you don't mind, could you tell me who this person is?" The elder opened his eyes, this time however with a hint of sadness, surprising Richard. As if he knew the answer, Richard smiled and started to laugh voraciously, only to earn a stern glare from all the other elders who were busy meditating.

"It's him isn't it?" Ignoring the glares around him, Richard fixated his gaze on Tablita.

"He is our savior, and it would be disrespectful to utter his name. But, you are right, it is him."