T W O

  “Since we are pressed for time, there are two things that we need to address immediately. Right now, I will need both of your aetherium prints and eighty thousand ludra… each.” Maya started. She held out her index and middle finger in front of the two as she itemized the things that she wanted.

  Immediately, confusion flooded Wicket’s face. “Pardon me, Miss. Not to be rude, but may I ask what those two things are for? I do have a general idea as to why you would need our aetherium prints for the trial. But eighty thousand ludra? That’s a lot money you are asking. Is there a particular reason why you would require such a hefty sum? I wouldn’t mind paying it if it is for a testing fee mandated by the Empire. However, I never heard of such a prerequisite. The announcement said that the Seekers Trial is free for anyone who wishes to take it. Again, my apologies, but I would need a little bit more of an explanation first. I believe my companion Peeku would be needing one too. I hope you understand.” Wicket said. He sounded a bit perplexed about the things that the girl had ask them to provide from the get go, so he could not help himself but ask.

  For someone like Wicket who lived most of his years in Edea, there were still a lot of things that he didn’t quite understand about Gaians and their culture. Especially the ones that were not found in books. Weerus were known to be pretty gullible at times. It was in their nature. Most people would readily take advantage of their kind heartedness if they saw the opportunity. For all Wicket knew, this girl could be conning them with a straight face, fully aware of their races weakness.

  “First of all, you may call me Maya. Don’t be too formal now, okay? You may drop the honorifics. It’s fine.” Sensing a little bit of tension, Maya decided to initiate with a friendly re-introduction instead. She happily served it with a smile as she caught on Wicket’s facial register--- a suspecting one that is.

  “I totally understand where you’re coming from, and I’m fine with that. You need not worry though. I will answer all of the questions with all honesty. No problem with that. The Conglomerate has nothing to hide. I can tell you anything that you need to know. In fact, regarding the aetherium prints, they are actually needed for the waivers. Here… come closer and have a look. It will be easier to explain this by showing you.” Maya quickly laid out two large parchments right on top of her desk. The scrolls were in fact big enough to cover one third of the girl’s entire table space. It looked quite expensive too. But no matter how nice looking it was, something didn’t sit quite well with Wicket somehow. He might be reading this one wrong, but he couldn’t help but feel that there was something devious about the contract. Did the scroll needed to be that big? Were there too many clause to write about that it required that much space?

  Wicket seemed to suspect a common contract con being notoriously practiced amongst Gaians. It was the kind of ‘fine print’ entrapment that he’d usually hear about. Problem was, he needed to be a Seeker very badly. And although he was aware that there were risk involved, a gamble was necessary. If he’d be too afraid to roll the dice, then he’d never be able to achieve what he wanted to achieve in the first place. To desire all of the gains that the Seekerhood had to offer, he should be willing to pay the price no matter how high the cost may be.

  “Before going to the testing site, both of you would need to sign these documents with your aetherium signature imprinted in it. The waiver is something of a safety net in the event that you’ll accidentally hurt yourself during the trial. And yes, the trial is extremely dangerous. There’s always a chance that you’ll die during the course of the test. And we, at the Seekers Conglomerate will never answer for your death. It is beyond us. Period. If you would look under section one of the contract, there is a clause there of your willingness to participate; that no one forced or coerced you into joining the Seekers Trial by any means. That no one is to be blamed for your untimely demise but your own just in case your head gets severed off, for example. I hope both of you understand this premise perfectly, because if not, then we can all stop right here.” with a straight face, Maya explained the entire summary of the contract without even sugar coating it.

  Wicket paused for a bit and thought of the things that Maya had pointed out. He didn’t want to die of course, nor drag Peeku with him. He debated with himself for minutes regarding it. Though in the end, after weighing what was important, Wicket responded with an affirmative nod. Peeku did the same. It seemed like the duo was actually prepared for the risks even before coming to Pragma. Maya just smiled back from their responses. She was more than happy to accept them.

  “Right… Now that I have explained the first part, allow me to explain the eighty thousand ludra and why it is crucial.” Maya paused for a bit and cleared her throat before proceeding. “The last airship already departed from Pragma around three days ago along with the other three hundred eighty-eight delegates in tow. They are probably inside Crescent Island as we speak. Not to put any pressure on you both but twenty minutes from now, the trial will commence. That being said, there is simply no way for you lot to reach the testing site on time even with the fastest airship available in our hangar. That would be next to impossible.” Maya bared the facts straight to them. She made it sound dire than it already was.

  “But worry not.” She quipped. “I am a Trail Seeker after all and I know of a special way to get both of you there in under three seconds… guaranteed! Keep in mind though that my services aren’t for free. I don’t work pro bono, my dear Sir’s.” Maya playfully giggled when she mentioned that part.

  “To explain further, I’ll be using my own aetherium supply as fuel for your transportation. That is where your eighty thousand ludra each would be going. The method is simple and you probably have an idea already as to what I am planning to do. It is very risky, but I am Maya after all. Trail Seeker extraordinaire. I can manage. So, if you have the capacity to open your wallet, then I’ll use my talent to help you. And again, please… don’t be pressured. I mean, it is perfectly okay for your tandem to miss the trial this year. If you do, then you’ll have plenty of time to prepare for next year. So, don’t think about it too much, okay?”

  “Just a quick reminder though, the clock reads two forty-five in the afternoon. You have less than 15 minutes to decide before the trial starts. Let me know once you have decided.”

  No pressure, my bark. Wicket thought. Although, he needed more time to think things through, time was a luxury he could not afford at that moment. He had to decide right then and there, or else, he’d potentially waste his entire year doing nothing.

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  “We don’t have any ludras with us right now but I do have a proposal to make. If it’s alright with you, would two pieces of green aetherite suffice as payment instead of eighty thousand each?” Wicket bargained to the delight of Maya.

  “Sure.” Like a jolt of sudden happiness, the girl responded straight away. Her eyes green with greed. “Here’s the contract. Let’s get signing shall we? We don’t have time.”

  The signing of the waiver was rather simple. One would simply need to place their dominant hand on the parchment and the enchanted document would manage itself. Basically, the enchantment on the parchment would read on the signee’s aetherium quality, absorb that energy, and then convert that information into a print. The signature would appear like a burned seal and each signature imprint is unique from one person to another. No two prints would ever be alike since each signee would have their one of a kind aetherium thread.

  With the two fist sized green aetherite finally on her hands, Maya couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear.

  “Ahemn. We are done here. Shall we go then?” interrupted Wicket.

  With her musings cut short, Maya simply replied with a--- Right. Follow me to the right wing of the fortress. It’s a short walk from here--- as an excuse. Her eyes though were still fixated onto the two shining aetherites.

  Just around the bend, they finally arrived at the place which Maya had described. They were welcomed by a gargantuan gate, with the carving of a giant tree on it. It was a magnificent piece of art that prompted Wicket to pause and look.

  Liwayway~. He whispered.

  Under normal circumstances, to swing a thirty meter high, twelve inch thick, steel framed mahogany door, the collective strength of four regular adult men were required. But not to Maya; it wasn't. She'd able to do it on her own; fast and easy. That, even while wearing a revealing tight fitting gray pencil skirt, and three inches worth of stilettos in black.

  As Maya made a gap between the colossal door, a playful breeze suddenly slipped through the crack as she pulled the iron handles towards her chest. The two hulking rings attached to the door made a clunking sound as she let both of them go. Her wavy pink hair fluttered too as the rushing draft of air roughed up her every strand on its way out. The wind would have made a mess of the girl’s crown, but it didn’t get tousled up too much. It was all thanks to her gray beret. It kept her long locks in place for the most part.

  Walking past the entrance, Maya revealed a grand hallway enough for twenty sprawling villas to fit in. An amazing reveal for the two curious tree herders who were tailing just behind her.

  Looking up, the enchanted stained glass ceiling was something difficult to ignore. It was the first thing that would grab anyone’s attention the second they’d walked-in into the expansive hallway. Aside from allowing plenty of sunray to get in, the animated mural was there to retell the story of the Thousand Year War; how it was fought and how it ended. The stained glass ceiling moved frame by frame up to the part where a tiny man holding a holy sword slashed a giant black hooded figure to submission. After that, the moving pictures inside the stained glass cycled back once again from the beginning of the story.

  Over at each sides of the hallway, gigantic carved out figures in limestone acted like massive supporting columns for the entire hallway. Each carving represented a public figure that both weerus couldn’t seem to recognize.

  “They’re the presidents of the conglomerate for the past five hundred years. Every last one of them are in here excluding the current head.” Maya looked over her shoulder and focused her glance towards the walking tiny shrub behind her. “Just in case you wanted to ask… Peeku.” She gave the tiny tree herder a wink for his doe-eyed curiosity.

  Who wouldn’t be that amazed? For someone like Peeku, it was hard for him not to not gawk and be awestruck. Gaian architecture was something new to him and it floored him to no ends. There was simply nothing quite like it in Loth where he grew up.

  After a few uneventful minutes of unintentional sightseeing, the three finally reached the end of the hallway. They ended up in an oval room surrounded by five colossal monuments. The one in the middle amongst the five fairly stood out.

  “Kruu. Kruuu kruuu.”

  Peeku said something in Avian to which Maya replied to with--- “Ahhh. That’s his majesty King Fenris. Magnificent looking specimen, isn’t he?” She paused and faced the two would-be seekers once again. “Fun fact, he was actually known as the peasant king of Atlas. He was brought to the throne by the people of Atlas themselves through a revolt against the oppressive monarchy of the old. If you are not familiar with his story, then allow me to tell you that King Fenris was not only the first ever king that was not of noble birth… he was also the First Seeker of the entire Gran Es Gia. He discovered the Branch System, and the only Light Seeker to ever exist too.” Explained Maya. “Although he only reigned as King for five short years, he was responsible for building the city of Atlas from the ground up. A champion of the people, King Fenris was both benevolent and kind. Sadly though, he perished during the clash at the Wailing Mountains. To defeat Bakunawa, the light of Luminares consumed him in exchange for tremendous power. He sacrificed himself just to end the thousand year war. It was all for his love for this world. May Uloron bless his soul wherever he is.”

  Although Maya painted a wonderful picture of the former King's history, it wasn't his greatness that caught Wicket’s attention. In fact, what glued him to the statue was the sword that the king was holding. Somehow, he had seen that sword somewhere. He just couldn’t figure out where.

  “The sword. Pardon my curiosity, but who inherited the former king’s blade today?”

  “Ah. You mean Neverfall?” Maya faced the statue once more and gazed upon the giant sword replica that the king was holding parallel to its chest. “Well, the sword was never retrieved from the battlefield at the Wailing Mountains. It was never found. Some believed that the sword of light was actually a part of King Fenris soul. And the sword vanished along with him when he got consumed by the Light of Luminares. Come to think of it, even to his closest companions, the king never revealed who the blacksmith was who forged his blade. Anyway, enough of that. Come step inside the magic circle. You two have a trial to catch. It is time for you lot to go.”

  There, at end of the hall, right on its marbled floor, runes in the language of the Ashvali’s were written. Intricate lines met complex circles of written spells, forming a giant menagerie of archaic magic.

  “It’s going to be a bit painful and disorienting, but it will only last for a few seconds. Just bear with it okay?” Maya warned the tree folks standing at the center. ”I’ll start the incantation.”

  A few lines of whispered spells and Maya was able to activate the teleporter in front of her. The runes, mini magic circles, and the many enchanted lines, glowed in magnificent gold as Maya poured her aetherium reserves towards it.

  Three seconds later, only Maya was left standing. “Well that was easy.” She commented after. Not sure if she was referring to the easy teleportation process or the fact that she easily nabbed two green aetherites which were supposedly worth two hundred ludras a piece in the market.

  Back at her office, as she was wrapping up the waivers for storage, something caught Mayas attention regarding the documents. Weerus were known to leave green imprints due to their affinity with nature. However, one of the two imprints weren't burned in green. One of them was mysteriously burned in red.

  “Oh. What do we have here?”