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Ruin Explorers	By : yukisan Category: +M to R > Ruin Explorers (Hiky? Tanken Famu to ?r?) > Ruin Explorers (Hiky? Tanken Famu to ?r?) Views: 1023 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Ruin Explorers or the characters nor make any profit from this.

Chapter List
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Ruin Explorers

Chapter Three: The Secret of Magic
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Lyle sat staring at the wall. The same wall that he had been gazing upon for over an hour. It was his dream again. The woman always stood outside his castle, calling his name and asking for his help. Whenever he neared her, she simply disappeared and he wasn't able to make out any of her features, which bothered him. But the feeling of familiarity was strong and he wracked his memories in an attempt to remember who she was. Where had he seen her?
“You Majesty,” a voice broke through his thoughts and brought the king back to his senses.
Lyle glanced over to see the speaker, the Secretary of State, Troue Phillips. He was an annoying man, and irritated Lyle to no end, but he was excellent at his job. And that was the only reason he was still around. His dark brown hair was swept back as dark brown eyes bore into his.
“What is it?” he asked. The man never left him alone. It was rare that he had more than a few moments to himself. But the current condition of Reon was turning before his eyes, and it was because of Troue's assistance and constant monitoring of the situation. Within a few years, Reon would be back to its original status.
“Are you feeling well?” he inquired sincerely.
Lyle was caught off-guard by his concern. “Yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking. Was there something you needed?” he replied, steering the conversation in another direction. Lyle didn't realize that his face was reflecting the current turmoil raging inside. He would have to work on that.
“Please excuse me, Your Majesty, I was just worried about your health. Rasha and Miguel have returned with the small band of soldiers you sent to the southern region.”
“Good, send them in,” Lyle responded as he shifted.
Troue moved back through the doors, re-entering with Miguel, Rasha, Maik and Rais. All bowed before the captain spoke.
“Your Majesty,” Maik began as he stood, the others following his led. “We looked into the problem. There seemed to be more bandits than we had been informed or anticipated. The few villagers that were willing to talk with us spoke about a curse.”
“A curse?” Lyle blurted out, surprised by the turn of events.
“Yes, they said that a monster would attack and massacre everyone if we didn't leave them alone. From what the villagers say, some of the more remote villages were completely taken over.”
“But the villagers didn't seem to feel that the bandits were threatening him. They acted like they were being protected,” Miguel spoke up, causing everyone to still at the amazement of what he had just stated. Something so insightful did not usually come from Miguel.
Lyle looked at Rasha who could only shrug before his eyes landed on Maik. “Is this true?”
“It seems to be so, Your Majesty,” he replied sorrowfully.
Lyle nodded as he sank into deep thought. Any which way he stepped, there would be trouble and only more problems would come up. There didn't seem to be a peaceful way to solve this if even the villagers were not willing to cooperate. “We must proceed with care, Captain.”
“I understand,” he nodded. No rash actions.
“What do you plan to do?” Rasha asked, waiting to hear his response.
“We need to collect information but we also need to alert the other small towns about the dangers of venturing too far away. Until then, no more shipments of any kind are to pass to these villages. I will not let them kill others and take what they want but I do not wish to start another war, just yet.”
“Good plan,” Rasha replied before turning to walk out. “I'm going to talk to a couple of my contacts,” she tossed over her shoulder before disappearing behind the closing doors.
Lyle turned to his captain. “There is another thing,” he spoke, handing the man an envelope and a piece of paper. There were two names jotted down. “Deliver that envelope to one of those listed and wait for a response before returning.”
Maik nodded and slipped the burden in his inside jacket pocket before exiting with Miguel in tow.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When her fingers touched the wood, the trunk opened to reveal the illuminated items – a jeweled sword, a leather bound book with an engraved clasp, and an amulet. Ihrie could feel the power pulsing inside the treasures. She had to blink a few times when they started rattling. She wasn't sure what the allure of these items were or even why they needed a protection spell.
Ihrie felt the air behind her shift, knowing that the people in the room with her had moved forward in an attempt to see what the fuss was all about. But what she hadn't anticipated was the sorceress' speed. Within seconds, Ava had pushed the kneeling woman out of the way and reached for the closest object. Before her fingers could touch the hilt of the sword, the woman found herself on her rear with the breathe knocked out of her.
Everyone took a step back.
“What the hell!?” she gasped, staring hard at the smirking female.
“I never said that the spell had been broken,” she remarked before she heard someone whisper her name. The woman paused, suddenly filled with familiar emotions, before turning to face the trunk.
The world seemed to ripple and melt at the same time.
The stone of the castle, tapestries, and people in front of her slowly disappeared, melding with the sky, trees, and grass, as she felt the wind on her face. Ihrie closed her eyes, taking a deep breathe before opening them to no longer see the room she had just occupied. Instead, a valley stretched out below where she sat. There was no castle or mysterious figure this time.
Ihrie glanced down to see the navy fabric wrapped around her body. She heard her name again and glanced up to see the magical items floating in front of her. “Were you the one calling me?” she spoke before the world went dark, leaving the only source of light emanating from the treasures. “Hello?”
The woman could hear her voice echoing. “What do you want?” she tried again, only staring at the glowing talismans.
“The power within in you,” came the echoed and broken reply of a female.
“Power?” she repeated, confused. But there was a chance that she might have found a way to lift her curse. Finally.
“The secret to magic. You possess it,” the voiced answered, surrounding Ihrie.
“Can you lift my curse?” The hope in her voice did not do unnoticed.
“The power is within you. You must break the seal.”
“If I could've done that, then I would've already,” she snipped back. There was a long pause before the anger was beginning to boil. “Can you at least tell me how I'm suppose to do that?”
“You must go on a journey to the beginning.”
“And where is that?”
“The jewel will show you the way. They are called the Juilon, and will guide you wherever you wish to go, but you must unlock the other secrets hidden within. The Lancaster will help you learn a few new spells. And Galoia will be your weapon, but you must use her wisely. She is very powerful, Ihrie. This power, if put into the wrong hands, would destroy your race. You must not let anyone take them from you,” the voice warned as it faded away.
The wind rustled the grass, catching her hair. Ihrie closed her eyes in frustration, ignoring the floating objects. “I don't understand,” she huffed before sighing and opening her eyes.
The stone had begun to glow more intensely before splitting into three parts. They moved toward her. The two on the outside veered to her wrists as the other one landed on her chest, over the breastplate. Then all three disappeared. The sword and book fell. The wind died.
Then the world around her faded.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Ihrie!” Fam called out as she took a few steps toward her companion before being stopped. She looked back to see Shigeo shaking his head.
“We need to be careful, Fam. Touching her might not be a good idea at this point,” he stated, glancing back at the frozen figure of Ihrie. The glow that was radiating off of her was something he had not seen in a long time.
“But,” she started, letting the words die before they left her lips.
The light faded and Shigeo let go of Fam, who immediately went to Ihrie's side. The man followed her, wanting to see for himself.
“Ihrie, are you okay?” she asked.
The woman turned to look at her friend. “Fam, you big baby,” she spat out.
“I thought something horrible was happened to you!” she cried. Ihrie stood to console her.
“Fam, I'm fine,” she began in a soothing voice.
“What just happened?” Shigeo spoke, drawing her attention. Their eyes connected.
“I'm not sure,” she told him honestly. She gave Fam another pat on the head before turning to pick up the treasure. Under the book, Ihrie saw a bundle wrapped with her name on the tag. Ignoring her gut reaction, she calmly picked it up. She didn't want to alarm anyone.
She tucked the stone in a pocket before wrapping the sword belt around her. She stuffed the bundle and book into a bag she had brought. When she finished, Ihrie looked up to see Shigeo intently watching her.
“Hey, we came here for that!” Ava roared as she tried to take a step closer.
Eros stopped her, grabbing her arm. “May we travel with you?” he asked, causing the woman beside him jerk away.
“What the hell, Eros?” she snapped at him. It was clear she was trying to hold her tongue.
“Why?” Ihrie questioned, eying the couple.
“There is something about you. I feel that I must accompany you. Please, I mean no harm. I, nor Ava, will not attack you. We can be of help,” he offered honestly.
Ihrie glanced at Shigeo, who was watching her. He nodded. It would be helpful. “Very well. I'll keep this,” she said, waving to what she had on her, “and you can have whatever you else you want. But after that, it's fifty-fifty. Got it?” she asked.
“Ihrie,” Fam started but she waved her off.
“We'll take it,” he agreed as Ava squealed. “My thanks,” he bowed as she set out to collect anything she thought valuable.
“Let's move out,” Shigeo offered to everyone after the woman rejoined them in the hall, just outside the door. Eros moved to take the heavy bag out of Ava's hands before falling in step beside her.
Within ten minutes, the group was outside and had found seats among the rumble to drink from a large water canteen Shigeo had produced. He took a long swallow before handing it off to the dark-haired female who mimicked his action.
Ihrie passed it to Fam before she moved over to Ava as the woman was digging in the bag. She stopped and glared at the squirrel-like female. “What!?”
“Ava,” Eros clipped at her in warning. Ihrie glanced over and had to restrain a smile. Fam always wanted to befriend others.
“Can I at least look? I don't want any of it,” she pouted, putting on her puppy-dog eyes. Ava rolled her eyes but shifted the lip of the bag to where Fam could look inside. “Beautiful,” she sighed, her tail shifting back and forth behind her. Fam realized that she still held the water and took a drink before offering it to Ava.
Eros and Shigeo watched the two until Ava smiled and thanked her. Then a noise to his left caught Shigeo's attention and he turned to see Ihrie walking toward her horse. He glanced back at the group before following the woman. He needed to speak with her in private.
The man paused behind a tree, watching Ihrie stuff the bag in her satchel. He took a deep breathe and stepped out. “Ihrie,” he called out, not wanting to startle her. “Are you okay?”
She turned, closing the flap, and smiled. “I'm fine,” she replied as she started toward him.
When she tried to pass him, he stepped in her way. “What happened?”
“Nothing,” she spoke, not blinking or avoiding his eyes.
But Shigeo didn't believe her. “It was clear that you weren't in that room with us.”
Ihrie's eyes narrowed. “Stay out of this. It's none of your business.”
He heard movement behind him and knew that the others were heading toward their area. “This conversation isn't over,” he told her as he stepped around her and walked to his horse. Shigeo unleashed the animal when Fam's voice spoke behind him.
“Ihrie, Ava likes the same red berried that I do,” she exclaimed as the woman only shook her head.
“We should make camp soon,” Eros said, drawing everyone's attention.
“I agree,” Shigeo nodded, mounting his black steed.
Ihrie didn't speak as she walked back to her brown mare, mimicking Shigeo's actions. Fam bounded to her blonde and petite colt while Eros helped Ava secure the treasure before they both mounted their spotted horses.
The group followed Shigeo as he led them an hour east of where they were. If his assumptions were correct, then Ihrie would want to board a ship and move to the island north of Reon, Pandros. If she realized they were traveling the way they had come, then Ihrie didn't say anything. It was his luck that Fam was distracted and the two newcomers wouldn't know any different.
They stopped in time to make camp and gather what they could for dinner that night. Eros volunteered to hunt for their meat while Fam and Ava paired up to gather water and any fruits or berries nearby. That left Shigeo and Ihrie to set up the tents and prepare the fire.
After every had disappeared into the surrounding trees, Shigeo glanced over at the woman. She seemed unchanged but he couldn't trust his eyes. He turned, quickly finishing the make-shift roof before moving to help Ihrie. They exchanged no words as the two swiftly finished the sleeping areas. Ihrie moved away to Fam's horse, getting the pot and utensils out.
“I'll go collect the wood,” Shigeo spoke before Ihrie heard the crunch of his feet, signaling his departure.
She sighed and continued her task. The woman began to dig a hole with her crude shovel, an unfinished blade wrapped around a whittled wooden handle, several feet from their rolled mats and the tanned hides of animals. She moved to the edge of the woods and gathered several leaves before walking back to the fire-pit. Ihrie laid them out, overlapping the edges to keep dirt off of the food.
The sound of someone approaching made Ihrie turn to see Shigeo emerging from the forest. He noted that the pit was ready and dumped the pile of sticks beside it before he started placing them strategically inside. When he finished, he stood and glanced over at the woman. She was busy with her bedding. Even though Shigeo told himself he would not push her, he couldn't help but ask.
“Ihrie,” he began, moving toward her, “we need to speak.”
She stood. “I don't,” the woman began before he cut her off, grabbing her arm.
The sound of breaking sticks and laughing voices caused Shigeo to release Ihrie. He turned around and took a few steps away, occupying his attention with something else when they entered the small clearing.
“Ihrie,” Fam called as she quickly bounced to her. “We found enough to make dessert.” She smiled at her companion before Ava spoke.
“There's this giant bush. Fam tried to pick them all,” she teased. It made Ihrie's smile widen. It was apparent that Fam had made a friend.
“I guess I better get out another pan and the bread,” she told the blonde at her side. Fam smiled and yelped in excitement at the sugary goodness that awaited her.
Eros caught Shigeo's attention and the two men exchanged knowing looks before his attention was diverted back to his companion and the other women. A small smile passed the man's lips as he watched Ava. It was rare that she smiled so genuinely. He cleared his throat as he came up on them. “I have the meat,” he replied, tossing the line of fish on a palette of green leaves.
“Great,” Shigeo replied, stepping up to start the fire.
“I'll go get the water,” Ihrie spoke, grabbing the bucket and pans to clean.
The women turned to prepare their berry syrup. Shigeo and Eros glanced at each other again before the man bent and took the flint from Shigeo. “I can start this,” he offered.
Shigeo nodded and stood, walking after Ihrie.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ihrie knelt by the edge of the stream. The water was clear. She could see the smooth, round pebbles on the bottom as fish swam by. Sighing, she plunged the bucket in before pulling it up and setting it beside her.
A wind caught her hair before she heard her name. Ihrie looked up to see the trees replaced by a rolling field of grass. She could see a castle on the next hill. A man suddenly appeared, walking over the crest. The light was behind him and she couldn't make out his face.
A hand on her shoulder suddenly caused her to jump and Ihrie looked up to see Shigeo. She let out a breathe and relaxed, unsure of what had just happened.
“Are you okay?” he asked again, kneeling down beside her. “Ihrie?” he asked again, putting a hand on her forehead. “No fever,” he mumbled, watching her. He knew it must have been another vision.
“What?” she spoke, confused by his actions.
“Here,” he said, taking the pots from under her hand. He dipped them in the water, rinsing them off. He took her hand and pulled her up with him, bending down to pick the water bucket up. “Come on,” he said as he started moving toward the camp. Shigeo glanced back to see her behind him. He'd have to wait until later. He couldn't bring himself to say anything when he saw her in another trance.
When the duo returned, Eros had set up the rack, for cooking the fish, while leaving enough room for a pot. Ihrie moved to the fire, grabbing one of the pots from beside the pit. Fam brought out a bottle and a bundle of fabric with the bread and a utensil. Ihrie poured two cups of water into the container then took the bottle and emptied the contents in, stirring it with the spoon Fam had produced.
The blonde opened the fabric as Ihrie pulled a pocket knife out. The woman handed her companion a potato for each person as Ihrie quickly sliced it into squares. She sat it over the fire and knelt back to begin slicing the bread for dessert. Fam reached for the other pot, dumping the basket of berries inside before she started grinding them down.
The trio around them watched in awe. The two worked so well together. They didn't even have to speak. Eros shifted and flipped the fish, careful to not knock the bubbling soup over. Shigeo laughed to himself before moving to lounge on his bedding, watching Ihrie. Ava shifted her eyes from the moving man to Eros then to the women before making herself comfortable beside her companion.
Within the hour, the small group of travelers had eaten. Dinner was wonderful – fish, potato soup, and a bread with a sweet syrup. Fam and Ava were drooling over the sugary dessert. Each had gobbled two large pieces. Ihrie had laughed as they fought over the last section before Eros cut it in half.
Shigeo was captivated by Ihrie and how relaxed she had become since she came into possession of the heirlooms. He was finding it harder to hold his tongue. Narl’s words jumped into his mind. It was more dangerous to say something to her. He had to get away from her to clear his head. The man stood up and slipped out of the camp. He wandered aimlessly, finding himself in front of the river before he decided to return.
When the clearing came into view, he could only see Ihrie on her bedding. The book was in her hands. Shigeo realized that she must have been reading it when he broke out of the shadows. She didn't move from the noise he made and it worried the man. Shigeo swiftly walked to stand beside the woman.
“Ihrie,” he called to her. She didn't move and Shigeo knelt down resting his elbows on his knees. Her eyes were unfocused and he could tell that she was somewhere else. Slowly, he reached out, touching her on her cheek. There was still no reaction. Shigeo's heart jumped and his breathe caught. His hand moved to her shoulder and shook the woman.
Moaning lightly, she began to come around. Shigeo felt relief wash over him. “Ihrie, are you okay?” he asked as her eyes fell on him. She looked confused before she returned her gaze to the dancing flames. Shigeo reached around her to close the book resting in her lap.
With the sound of the cover closing, Ihrie was suddenly wake. She shook her head then realized someone was beside her. The woman glanced to her right before she instinctively scooted away. “Shigeo?”
“You're okay now,” he spoke softly, trying to comfort her. She nodded and he understood that it had begun. “You should put on the clothes. They'll help,” he told her before standing up and moving back to his area.
Ihrie looked back to the fire. She had read some of the book. Some things made more sense but she only had more questions. Fingers absently touched the spot where the stone had disappeared on her wrist.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
AN: Enjoy the early chapter. I will try to post four around the eighteenth. If you don't see it, then on the twenty-fifth there will be two posted. Sorry for any delays that may come up in advance and thanks for reading, Kortir.
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Ruin Explorers