Searching For Andromeda 92 The Dead Man's Mission

Alone with a brightly-lit room shrouded with glistening gold and gems, Samuel stood frozen to the spot.

'What the h.e.l.l.' Samuel thought, sitting to the floor—with the mountain of golden coins behind him cus.h.i.+oning his fall. Samuel's hand reached his forehead as his stunned expression reflected to the polished ground.

**

Interrupting the c.u.mbersome moment of silence was a knock on the door. Entering the office was a boy wearing gears. He possessed similar, astute eyes as the guild master; he looked like he was just at the age of ten, yet his toned forearm suggests he was more apt in combat than Ephraim and Samuel.

He was carrying a tray that had three mugs of ale and some snacks neither Sam nor Ephraim could name. He laid them to the table, and then stood beside Shey, who was sitting on the opposite side of the sofa, tugging her sleeve.

The guild master's apprehensive expression from earlier changed into a solemn, collected look. The transition of her emotions was like that of an unruffled lady Ephraim had seen in his interns.h.i.+p—the lady who was in charge of doing mock-interviews in the cla.s.s and was grading them based on how they elucidated, how confident they are, and such. She held that kind of aura now, compared to earlier. She promptly carried a strong upfront, completely different from earlier.

"This is Dro, my son," said Shey to the two.

Dro smiled at Ephraim, and then to Sam. "Nice to meet you." After his brief introduction, he turned his gaze to his mother, "Ma, a word?"

"We're having a discussion right now, Dro." Said Shey, patting Dro's head. "I'll talk to you later."

Dro, although reluctant, pouted at his mother and then curtseyed a small smile at Ephraim and Sam before he left.

". . . I'm sorry about that," Shey said. "He's still learning his manners."

There was still an awkward air drifting across the entirety, and the heaviness was clogging Ephraim in every way possible. Dro's interruption managed to have him the time to breathe, but now the ballast was back again.

"Yael . . ." Started Shey after an obdurate pause; which made the two look up to her. 

"He fought bravely . . . and clung to his goals until the end, didn't he?" She asked.

After Shey uttered these words, a long silence followed as no one answered her question. She chuckled dryly. "I'm sorry. I must be speaking nonsense, considering the two of you might not have known them much." She held the mug's handle and went to drink straight. Samuel watched her finish the ale in one go. 

"It's just that"—Shey placed the wooden mug back to the table—"the way you articulated their bravery gave the impression that probably, you've fought alongside them."

"You see, my son Drowan is a fan of Yael and the guild's strongest group." Shey smiled, looking at the horizon from the window as the sun sets. "He's been bugging me—asking me when will Yael and his party return to the guild, and how will he wield his newfangled power. Wahid's Vessel."

The lump in Ephraim's throat was growing bigger. That's right—these people, they had a goal. They went to the dungeon for that very reason. Ephraim tightly gripped his sword as he listened to Shey.

"You see, Yael's from a country that is considered long fallen. I'm sure you've heard of it before. Patriargë. That country's the one he's born in." Said the guild master. "Hosea and Yael are rescued by me and the masters of the guilds here in Alaris—they were being transported to Lofthim along with several other children, being sold at a high price."

"Human trafficking . . . ?" Ephraim mumbled.

"Yes. They were sold by their previous employer to a slave trader," said Shey. "Patriargë's slave-trading became the norm just several years ago when a coup d'état took place. And like a ripple effect, one by one, changes began to transpire from that single coup. Those changes didn't seem to be bad at first—until they opened a door for anomalies."

"Anomalies . . ." Samuel whispered.

"I'm sure you two heard of it. The anomalies that appeared since Aikhtiar risen from the ground?"

"No, actually—" Ephraim exclaimed, "we're not from here."

"Not from here?"

"It's hard to explain. We didn't actually come from this world, so we don't understand." Ephraim a.s.serted in all honesty. Samuel glanced towards him and thought, 'is it okay to tell her so casually?' But it was true. Samuel could barely follow.

"I see."

The guild master didn't have the initial reaction like what Ephraim and Sam were expecting. She didn't look surprised; however, she looked thoughtful as she caressed her chin.

"So people like you indeed existed."

"People like 'us' . . . ?"

"Yes, people who are believed to be Boundary Crossers."

"Boundary Crossers?" 

"I don't know much. I gained this information by telltales." Said Shey. "They're basically people who came from another world."

Ephraim and Sam both had the same expression, their heart skipping a beat. 

"There are also other people who came from another world?"

"There are, according to the rumors. I believe they arrived at Sembilica the moment the Aikhtiar has risen. Oh, and Aikhtiar pertains to the organization with direct ties to the Divine." Shey smiled. "I'm sorry. It looks like we had quite a shambolic start. Can we talk yet again from the beginning—from you two going to the dungeon until you arrived here?"

**

When both Ephraim and Sam explained their circ.u.mstances and the events that transpired, they've hit three birds with one stone. Ephraim was able to understand Samuel's part as much as Sam understood Ephraim's, while Shey was enlightened but was not able to hold back her sobs this time.

It was a painful thing to do, to explain from the start what happened. Ephraim and Samuel gave the guild master a moment for herself for a few minutes.

With a pair of swollen, red eyes, the guild master looked at the two of them with an utterly different look.

"So you're saying that Yael and the others, according to the 'guardian' weren't supposed to die?"

Samuel thinned his lips.

"That's right."

Even Ephraim couldn't believe what he had heard from Samuel, but it was the last piece of the puzzle. Samuel was reacting like that ever since he entered Nar's chambers because the guardian told him something. 

Something that gave Ephraim the same ill feeling when he faced Vashti.

"The 'anomalies' unleashed by a certain person that was able to break through the barrier unleashed monsters that didn't belong to the creation of Wahid." Said Samuel. "Those 'anomalies' intervened with 'fate.'"

Samuel gritted his teeth.

"Although I don't believe in 'fate,' I . . . I think that whoever unleashed those anomalies wanted 'fate' to end up into a different path." Sam said. "The guardian told me that."

Ephraim glanced at Shey's clenched fist.

"Whoever they are, I will hunt them," Shey said with a tremulous voice. 

". . . thank you so much for telling me this, Ephraim. Sam. As a return to you granting my requests, I will provide your lodgings. You two can stay for the night or as long as you want to in my home."

That night, Ephraim and Sam moved to Shey's house. It wasn't a flashy one, but big enough for numerous personages, although Shey and his son are the only ones living in it. That night, they had dinner and talked about various matters; the majority about Yael and the party, along with the guild master teaching them the basics regarding the world. Ephraim and Samuel left the details about Earth and only revealed the part wherein they woke up into the dungeon's grounds. 

After four hours of discussion, Samuel was the first one to go to bed; bidding goodnight to Shey and Ephraim, he entered the guest room which was on the upper floors.

"We couldn't thank you enough for taking us in," Ephraim said. "And telling us the basics. We really couldn't be more grateful. I'm thinking of leaving the treasure chest—"

"No, no, it's alright."

"No. Really. I want to leave them to your care," Ephraim uttered. "Sam and I talked about us leaving with only a few bags of coins before we arrived here in Alaris."

Shey knew that Ephraim wouldn't budge, and so she simply smiled and accepted the treasure. It wouldn't make sense to reject either way. 

"I'm guessing you two will go on a journey?"

"We're thinking of going to Sembilica where the Boundary Crossers might be located," said Ephraim, pointing to a large country by the map laid onto the table. "But before that . . . I,"

Shey glanced to Ephraim. ". . . I have something to fulfill."

"Something to fulfill?"

Ephraim took a deep breath.

"Yael's last wish." He said. "A mission he had given me before he sacrificed himself for my escape."

Shey's eyes were laden with sadness, but she was eager to listen. And so she waited.

"'Save Patriargë', 'With your power, you can save those children.'," Ephraim clenched his fist. 

"Yael's last words . . ." Shey's lips trembled as she tried to smile. 

"I will go to Patriargë." Ephraim said with determined eyes. "I will save the fallen country Yael and the others died to protect."

 End of Volume 2: The Dungeon of Alaris.

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