Chapter: 1 The Mystery man

This World... is a fikle place to live in, one day, you living a normal boaring life and next day you're making whole world your enemy. 

Sigh... now that I think back, its all started when I met him, I obviously do not regert my choices, I had so much fun to be honest. 

Oh!  you want to hear it, are you sure?  its a long tale. Okay if you're that intrested, than bukle up, because what I'm about to tell you, will be the greatest tale you'll ever hear....    

‘Year 2403’

 In the year 2401, I just had graduated from the University of Rias with a degree in medicinal science and human autonomy. My next stop,  was the war-torn land of Albana for a crash course in a compulsary military traning.

After completing my studies their, I was appointed as an Assistant Doctor to the Fifth Northern Regiment of Agra.

 At the time, the regiment was stationed in the sunny  city of Libya, but fate had other plans for me. Before I could even settle in to my duties, the second grey war broke out, and I was suddenly reassigned to the less-desirable location of the Blue Bay.

Upon arrival, I received a shocking news, the unit I was supposed to join had already charged forward into enemy territory.

With a determined spirit, I joined forces with other officers, who were in a similar predicament as me and set off to our journey to River Land. 

Along the way, I couldn't help but think that this adventure was shaping up to be the opposite of what I had envisioned when I first decided to become a military doctor.

Finally, I arrived at River-Land and found my regiment. With a deep breath, I put on my bravest face and prepared to full fill my duties as a military doctor.

To my surprise, the campaign turned out to be a wild ride and full of surprises, both good and bad.

While some of my colleagues earned honours and promotions, but I  seemed to be attracting nothing but misfortune and disaster...

Life as a soldier wasn't as easy as I pictured to be, especially for yours truly. I was removed from my cosy brigade and again reassigned to the adventurous city where the third regiment stationed, the place known as Abu-Sultan, where I was thrust into the heart of the fateful battle of Maiwar, where a bullet shattered my shoulder bone and grazed my subclavian artery.

As I lay on the muds of the battle field, certain that I would fall into the hands of the enemy, fate intervened.

 Colonel Raktaar, a fearless man, saved my life by throwing me onto the back of a horse and making a heroic escape to Blue Bay. It was a close call, but I survived none the less to fight yet a another day.

After what felt like an eternity of pain and suffering, I was finally taken to the hospital situated in Ablana.

After a month or so, I was starting to feel my old self again, being able to walk around the ward and soak up some sunshine on the veranda... until the yellow fever struck me hard.

The little beast had been terrorizing our country's possessions for far too long, and it finally caught up with me.

For months, I was on the brink of death, unconscious.  when I finally woke up, I felt like a shadow of my former self.

 The medical board took one look at me and declared that I was needed to be sent back to my homeland, pronto!

So, with a mix of excitement and dread, I packed my bags and set off, ready for a well-deserved rest.

I was dispatched, accordingly, in the troopship named Blorn-Jackson, and after a long and tiresome journey, I finally arrived at the bustling port city of Rias, with my health irreparably ruined from the war and gruelling campaigns in Libya. Superiors of mine, decided to retire me from my duties.

I had no relatives in the city, I was an orphan, my upbringing was done by a women of the cloth. She was like a mother to me and all the children of that orphanage. Alas she, too died at the age of 80 and I was at the age of 16.

It was natural death and peacefull, she had smile on her last moments, still I felt sad, I prayed for her soul. During that time, I entered the university for studies, as a scholarship student.   

Nine years that long I was away from home.  So, I excitedly set out to explore the city as I borded the ship, and naturally, I found myself drawn to Vasundra, the city of endless opportunities and a place where all the loungers and idlers  like from around the country converge.

 I stayed at a fancy hotel in the heart of the city's most prestigious neighbourhood, the King's landing, where I led a lavish and meaningless existence, spending my pension money provided by the army for my survices, without a second thought.

But before I knew it, my finances were in shambles, and I realized,  that I had to make a change. I could either move to the countryside bore to death or, I could change my spending habits and find a more modest and affordable place to stay and offcourse a job.

I chose the latter and decided to leave the hotel, finding a more budget-friendly residence that wouldn't break the bank.

After roaming around the city for a while, the bright, and bustling morning got dark and silent night.

 I thought to myself, it was impossible to find a cheap place to stay in a bustling city like this one, standing at the Hades tavern, feeling down, and defeated, someone tapped me on my shoulder.

 I turned around and was surprised to see Leon Winter, a young man from the Winter family, who had served as one of my junior,  during the war of Abu-sultan.

The sight of a familiar face in the vast wilderness of Rias was a welcomed surprise for a lone traveller like myself.

I hadn't been particularly close with Leon in the past, but now I greeted him with open arms and he, in turn, seemed overjoyed to see me. In my excitement, I invited him to join me for a lunch at the Pacific Hotel.

"Wow, Ray," Leon exclaimed, as we made our way through the busy streets of Vaishali. "You're as thin as a rail and as brown as a piece of bark. What on earth have you been up to?"

I gave him a brief overview of my travels and by the time I had finished, we had arrived at the hotel.

"Poor guy," he said with pity in his eye's, shaking his head out of  sympathy. "So, what brings you here now?" he asked.

"I'm currently on the lookout for a place to stay," I replied while booking a table for us. "Trying to figure out if it's possible to find a comfortable housing at a reasonable price."

"Well, well, well," Leon said, clapping his hands together. "You're in luck, my friend. You're the second person I've come across today looking for a place to stay."

"Really? Who was the first?" I asked, intrigued.

"Aah~ Just a fellow from the Liore Guild," Leon replied. "A friend of mine, I met just this morning, he was lamenting how he couldn't find a roomate to split the rent for a fantastic room that he had found at just 300 Euros. But was a bit too pricey for his budget."

"Great lords!" I cried, my eyes lighting up with joy. "I'm in luck, I'd love to have a roommate. It's always better to split the costs, and the company never hurts either."

Leon raised an eyebrow and looked at me sceptically over the rim of his wine glass, as we wait for our food . "Well, I'm not sure, about that. You see this fellow might… not be the best candidate for a roommate."

"Why not?" I asked, a bit confused.

"Let's just say he's a bit essentric... and has a wild ways of thinking," Leon said, searching for the right words. "A fanatic, if you will."

"Oh, come on, Leo," I said, chuckling. "I'm sure he's a decent fellow. I’d like to meet him and make up my own decison. Please, I’m seriously in need of your help here, you know."

Leon sighed and shrugged. "Well, I suppose it can't hurt to meet him. He might be at the guild right now. Wanna head there together after lunch?"

"Absolutely!" I replied, eager to meet this mysterious character.

After eating, we headed over to the Liore Guild, Leon filled me in on a few more details about the gentleman I was about to meet. 

He was apparently known for his quirky ways, but from what Leon could tell, he was a good person at heart. I couldn't wait to see for myself.

"Like I said, you mustn't blame me if things don't go well," Leon said, shifting nervously. "I only know what I've learned from others at the guild. You were the one who suggested this arrangement, so don't come crying to me if you don’t like him."

"Relax," I said with a smile. "What's the big deal? It seems to me that you have some reservations about this guy. How come? Is he as scary as a dragon or what? Don't be shy, tell me."

"It's not easy to put into words," Leon answered with a nervous laugh. "Ashu is a bit too ambitious for my liking. You know how there are some things you shouldn't say, even as a joke? Well, he makes a habit of saying things  out loud.”

“Like what? Like he’ll be the next king!” I said it with a laugh.

“Exactly!! He's always going on about how he'll become the  next Supreme King and find the Ark of the Covenant."

"!!Ha-ha! You jest! " I laughed and was trying to hide my disbelief. "If he has the audacity to make those kinds of claims. Then I must admit, he's certainly unique character. I really love to meet him now, to see what kind of a person is he. "

"Your taste for unique characters is a bit quirky for my taste, my friend," Leon said with a shake of his head.

As we continued our conversation, we turned down a narrow lane and approached a small side door. It opened into a wing of the great guild, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement as I stepped inside for the first time. "So, what kind of guild is this?" I asked, trying to contain my curiosity.

"Well, this is the place like all other goverment organisation, a place where individuals with unique talents, who aren't affiliated with any of the tree great powers, come togather to find work based on their skill set and interests," Leon explained as we climbed our way to the dreary stone staircase.

"What kind of work are we talking about here?" I asked, intrigued.

"Things like bodyguarding, hunting, exploring mysterious and uknown tertories. You name it. It attracts a diverse crowd of specialized people," Leon replied with a smile.

"Perfect! I recently retired from the army, now I found something to keep me busy," I said. "What does your friend do here?"

" A traveller. He's been to, some of the most dangerous places." Leon said as we made our way down the long whitewashed corridor.

As we entered the hall, I was taken aback by the sheer number of people in the room. A bustling crowd of all sorts of individuals, each with their unique weapons and artifacts, gathered around a massive metalic digital board.

"That’s where people looked for work," Leon said, pointing to the crowd. "Let's go see if our guy is up there."

But amidst the sea of people, there was only one individual who stood out - a man bent over a distant table, with specs resting on his nose and deeply absorbed in his work.

 At the sound of our footsteps, he glanced up and sprang to his feet with a cry of excitement, as he looked up.

"Oh, Leon! Nice to see you, what’s bring you here" Said the man, running towards us with a map in his hand.

"Whoa there, what you been up to pal, you look like you been to hell?" Leon said, all shocked. As the man in front of felled and slumped over at a table. 

He looked like he had been through a warzone - his eyes were sunken and circled with dark bags, his clothes were tattered and torn, and the air around him was thick with a musty smell.

 My heart sank at the sight of him, and I couldn't help but feel a twinge of concern for his well-being I hurried over to him and helped him.

“Oh! Thank you” he said as held my hand and stood up.

"Well, you see I found a tomb, It's not far from here!" he exclaimed, beaming with delight.

 He introduced himself as Ashu L Stark and greeted us warmly, his small stature and scrawny figure belied his adventurous spirit.

"Mr. Ray Falcon, Mr. Ashu L Stark," Leon introduced us.

"Nice to meet you, I presume you had it rough in the war of Abu-Sultan, if I'm not mistaken," Ashu said with a chuckle, sizing me up.

"How did you know!?" I asked in surprise, turning to Leon, who simply shrugged.

"Just a skill I aquired, but never mind that, would you like to hear about the tomb." Ashu asked, still gripping my hand.

"Why not," I replied, eager for adventure.

"Fantastic! Come with me then!" Ashu exclaimed, pulling me over to the table he had been working at. "I have  something intresting to show both of you."
"To be continued…"

Author notes: I hope you all enjoyed the story so far, I know my chapters are long, but wouldn't you they more imaginative.

I tried my hardest to fix all the errors, if you like the story please leave a like and subscribe to it.

Oh, and please, feel free to leave you thoughts on the comments.

Thankyou!  😘