Ch 11: Ojingeo po

Somewhere in the countryside, a small village by the Rolling Noire River.

Tree branches groaning in the wind, birds singing and insects chirping.

The first new buds on a tree in spring, Streaks of clouds in the sky, no longer carrying rain or ushering storms but adding color to the sky. Below the colorful and sunny sky, a dirt road connects the village to others.

The dirt road takes us through a second riverside village, six miles northwest of the first.

Wide-open country on one side of the road. On the other side, lies a turquoise ocean.

In the relative shallows of the mild ocean lies what remains of the Reina Fedolid, a ship once part of a large armada of ships hundreds of years ago. It's in good shape all things considered, at least if you ignore the gaping hole in the center of her hull.

She belongs to the salty waters now and they're far from kind, but a few large, aquatic creatures see her as their new home. It can be challenging to spot them all as they hide at the slightest movement. These new inhabitants aren't eager to share, neither with newcomers nor each other.

The Reina Fedolid isn't a pretty sight, but that's to be expected after so many years of neglect. She's slanted to one side, and a crew's absence leaves a deafening silence. Crates, chests, and barrels mark her true story up to her demise. None have cracked open on their way down.

There are fleshy remains around the ship, it's a grim, pitiless grave for a crew of people now long forgotten.

The ocean's elegance is matched by the backdrop of lush mangrove forests which have helped shape the village into what it is today. The vast majority of buildings have been built with timber from those very same forests which made their building structure different and unique.

The village population should be less than a thousand, a relatively small amount for the area.

The village was a family, for better or worse the folks knew one another. Despite the occasional squabble they were loyal, loving, and protective of one another.

On the shallow salt water of the sea, people are holding funerals for a dead sailor.

They prepared an official ceremony, wearing the proper outfit and singing properly. That's how they say goodbye to the people who lost their lives on seas.

"Prepare the offering of sea lord." one of them ordered. A gray-haired man holding a small covered pitcher with both hands came forward and let it float on the seawater. Nobody knew what was offered inside the pitcher.

When the crowd left, a bunch of young kids came to play there. They played a very interesting game.

Ojingeo po

The game is named as such because the shape of the game board drawn on the ground resembles that of a squid.

"Hey boss, go easy on us this time" One of the boys in the group pleaded as if he was crying.

Arc Evarus, a half-elf boy stood arrogantly among the group of kids. He is the best Ojingeo po player among them. So he has a bit of influence in their group.

They started their game. But without any suspense, Arc won. But his face and clothes all became dirty as they all tried to obstruct him vigorously. He looked at himself in the reflection of water.

"WHOA! I look like a ghost" he murmured. Some of the kids near him heard that and giggled. Arc grumbled unhappily.

It's fine scaring myself, but if I were to scare my sister, Melissa when she sees me like this, it would be quite problematic!

Arc made sure to wash the dirt and mud off of his face. Time passes on and the sunny sky turned dark and foreboding clouds gathered in sky. Arc looked up and thought of something for a while.

He then left the place along with everyone. It took him a long time as his house is far from where the sea is. He had to cross a long path with many ups and downs on the way to reach his home.

When he reached home, A cute young girl was standing there. She was as

beautiful as fairies. But she seems to be in a bad mood.

She lacked the vivaciousness of a child and possessed a dignified temperament instead. This wasn't something that should be found in a young girl. Alas, it somehow felt right when seen on her.

But Arc came prepared as well with her favorite sweet from the market.

"Ohh!! look what I have here." Arc dangled a small pack of sweets in front of his face.

Melissa didn't react to the sweet at all. Her focus was still on his face.

'Why is the sweet not working?' Arc thought. Melissa is his only sibling and they have a strong relationship. So he doesn't like to see her like this, being angry with him.

BOOM!!

Thunder cackled and weather took a sharp turnaround. Haunting cackles echoed around in the dark sky.

Suddenly a Manticore flew away above their head and landed a mile away from the small village of Aleont.

Melissa and Arc watched the manticore fly away. They looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other's eyes. A manticore in this side of the world is seen very rarely so it is very curious as what it's appearance means for the residence of village Aleont.

"Hmph! Consider yourself lucky!"

Melissa suddenly snorted and let him in. She is a smart girl and knows that it's not safe to stay outside any longer. Arc also smiled awkwardly and walked inside.

A few moments after they left, an eerie presence slowly approached from far away in the direction of sea. It started as a black dot in the sky and approached very slowly towards the shores.

Inside his house, Arc saw his mother, an elf doing her daily chores. Her daily chores also included helping Arc's father. Arc's father is a human and he is also one of the very few 'Mahagon' of this village. One needs to own at least ten fishing boats to be called a 'Mahagon' and Arc's father is a wealthy mahagon.