MERIUN CITY - AFTERNOON

Parents often tell their children to avoid talking to strangers. It’s smart, sensible advice. Keep your head down and out of trouble. A mantra Nira lived by ever since she regained her freedom. 

“Please… I swear I have money to pay!” An old man, a blacksmith, begged a tired traveler. They latched onto their robe like a child begging their mother. She minded her business. No reason to lose time here.

“No money is worth going to Ina, old man. Good luck finding someone.” The traveler pushed the old man aside and walked away. Rude. Sure the old man stank like a rotten zombie lizard’s tongue but tossing him around crossed the line. Against her instincts, Nira helped him back on his feet.

“Are you okay?”

“Thank you. That’s the third time I’ve gotten pushed around today.” He chuckled.

“Try not to get pushed around. You might hurt yourself.” Nira hoped that would be the end of the conversation. She couldn’t afford to waste time here when she needed to find a new job or risk coming back empty-handed to Lio. Alas, the foul-smelling blacksmith picked up on her intentions. 

“Please, won’t you hear me out at least? I promise I can make it worth your while!” 

Never listen to strangers. Less so decrepit blacksmiths in an alleyway. These are the basic rules of safe travel! She reminded herself. 

Nira should’ve walked away.

“I’ll listen, but that’s not a promise I’ll do it.” She took the gamble. She already failed at finding a new job. Days of scouring the streets of Meriun amounted to nothing and desperation called for questionable decision-making.

“Finally, someone pays attention to me!” The old man fell to his knees. He looked like a monk praising the sun or an ancient turtle turned upside down. It was easy to get the two mixed up. “A kind traveler that will heed my request!”

She suppressed the burning desire to run away, instead focusing on the weapons on display. “For a creepy old man, your wares look impressive.”

“As it should be! I make only the very best weapons and armor in Meriun City. As an artist of the craft I--”

“Let’s keep it brief. Tell me what you’re looking for.” Nira averted her gaze. His ugly mug and rotten teeth gave her the shivers.

“Yes, of course. I need someone to look for a legendary sword! I’m lacking inspiration, and as an artist of the forge, that will not do!”

“You mentioned Ina, right? That means you’re after Jarr’s sword… That’s bold.” Nira’s eyes lit with the fire of adventure. Sometimes a bad idea can turn into a good one, she hoped. Jarr’s sword rested in a temple named after him, at least according to rumors. No one had ever made it out alive to confirm or deny this which made it all the more enticing. The traveler made the right call by refusing. No one would ever risk their lives in a suicide mission. Luckily for this old man, Nira couldn’t give less of a damn about something silly like the risk of death.

“I’ll do it, you old coot.” They agreed on a price and made it official with a handshake. Nira swore that she had broken one of his fingers by accident.

“This makes me so happy! I feared no one would take my request after so many others died.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll bring you the sword no matter what… As long as you pay us when we get back.”

***

THE INN–MOMENTS LATER

Lio could not comprehend her predicament. Her scarf had to be somewhere in the room. She stuck her head into a pile of clothes and scattered them around like a rabid beaver building a dam in a river. No scarf to be found.

“It has to be in here somewhere!” She ravaged the room, scouring every nook and cranny like her very life depended on finding the scarf. Lio heard a loud, obnoxious set of steps burst into the room. Nira, more than likely.

“Guess who got our next gig?!” She pumped her fist in the air. 

 “Could you do me a favor?” Lio could not focus on anything else but finding her scarf. A new gig could wait.

“So, I found this old dude. Wait, that’s not the right way to start that story…” Nira shrugged. “Whatever, so there’s this kooky old guy who turned out to be a blacksmith…”

“Nira!” Lio wasn’t in the mood to hear any stories. She wanted to find her goddamn scarf and by the crystal, nothing would stop her. “Could you help find my scarf? I swore I wore it to bed…”

Nira rolled her eyes so far back that it would’ve set Lio into a furious spiral if not for the current situation. Her scarf took precedence. It’s one of the few things that reminded her of home. She would die if she lost it.

“How many times do we have to do this?” Nira snuck on over to Lio’s bed. 

“I’m not an idiot, Nira. I just… Lose things. Frequently.” She would not stand for all the unfounded… Well, not unfounded but equally annoying allegations against her. 

“Constantly. Always. It is both cute and frustrating to witness. How could someone who looks as rebellious as you also be a huge klutz? I bet you haven’t even checked under the one place it probably is in.”

“It is not underneath my pillow… Again. I’m no idiot.” Lio scoffed.

“Oh? So I won’t find your scarf if I look underneath it?” She hunched over the pillow like a goblin looking for treasure.

“No, you won’t.”

**********************************************REDACTED*************************************REDACTED*******************************************

“What’s the gig?” Lio stared out the window. Her once-lost scarf now wrapped around her neck and draped down to her hips. She refused to face Nira for the next hour at the bare minimum. Her pride wouldn’t allow it.

Nira kicked the pile of messy clothes out of the way to make room for her performance. For reasons unknown (story reasons), the lights dimmed, and a singular beam of light shone on Nira. The dramatic tension rose. The music swelled. Nira pretended to unsheathe a sword from her hip and pointed it at an invisible enemy.

“We’re going to the most dangerous western region in Mara…”

“I’m hating this but go on.” The stress from her missing scarf felt minuscule compared to the fear that shot up Lio’s body. If there was anything that Nira loved more than anything in the world, it was the thrill of adventure. The more life-threatening the better. 

Lio loved it too, otherwise, she wouldn’t even bother with Nira’s whims. In time, however, she learned that Nira’s love for thrills surpassed human comprehension. She was like a bad alcoholic who drank one sip of wine and somehow ended up sparking a rebellion against stray dogs. Naked.

“The blacksmith, or as I will call him henceforth… Mr. Kook has tasked us with raiding the one and only Temple of Jarr!”

“Sweet heavens, no.” Lio clutched her scarf hoping to wake from this hellish nightmare. 

Nira swung her blade, feigning a deadly duel with an invisible enemy. “Our target?”

The enemy fought back, pushing Nira to the edge of the room. “The Legendary Sword of Jarr!”

Nira poured over the details while Lio rolled her eyes every five seconds. According to Mr. Kook, there had never been a blade as sharp and durable or whatever. He wanted to study it, but everyone he’s ever commissioned to look for it has, well, died a horrible death. Lio’s favorite activity (not).

“And what compelled you to think that we wouldn’t die horrible deaths?”

“Nothing. Isn’t that the best part though?”

One look at the luster in Nira’s eyes made it clear she had no chance of changing her mind. The sweet sound of low survivability beckoned Nira’s desire for adventure like nothing else would. Lio’s best friend had no equal. 

“Run it by me in a week or two.”

“Lio!” Nira ran over to Lio’s side. 

“Come on, don’t you wanna find out if the legendary sword’s really all that? And real for that matter?”

“And? We can’t keep it because we gotta give it to Mr. Kook.”

“Oh Lio, your rebellious looks are so misleading…” Nira wrapped her arms around Lio. “We’ll give it to the old man, but not before taking that baby out for a spin. You think you could swing it around? It’s pretty big, I mean it was for a giant.”

“I can’t say for sure… But it could be fun to try…”

“A mystery beckons! Say no more, I’m calling Blueberry.”

“Shit! She did it to me again…”

Nira stuck her head out the window and shouted for the hills. “Blueberry!”

“See you downstairs.” Nira snatched a coin-like object from her pockets, tossed it out the window, and jumped in pursuit.

***

OUTSIDE THE INN - AFTERNOON

Nira landed by the inn entrance with the coin held between her fingers. The thrill of using the charmed artifact never grew tiresome for her. 

“God’s Grip”, her mentor called it. She recalled, albeit briefly, the memory of when he gave it to her as a token of appreciation. It was his way of showing that he recognized Nira’s strength after all the harsh training she endured… Or so she had thought then. Now, she couldn’t see it as anything else but a way to compensate for his guilt.

No. That’s enough. 

Nira refused to spend another moment thinking about it. Not too difficult given the stares she garnered from the city folk. Not a shred of subtlety no matter where I go… Nira’s appearance sparked anything but ease and comfort. She always wore a hood and sported a deep scar across the bridge of her nose. And yet, all eyes stayed on her left arm. An arm not of flesh and blood but a mechanical prosthetic filled with inexplicable advanced technology. A “gift” from her time at the Hain Kingdom. The almost mystical nature of their engineering caused as much suspicion and fear as it did envy. Nira did not blame them, even if the truth was far less impressive. The Hain terrorized lands throughout Mara with their conquer-fueled lust for decades before falling to a sudden silence a year prior.

She didn’t bother to hide her arm as it would only raise more suspicion, and besides, anyone with eyes could see the truth if they wanted to. You could spot a Hain from a distance both from their hybrid machine-like bodies and the deep red iris that evoked the image of a demon in the night. A clear departure from Nira’s plum-tinted eyes, a trademark of her people.

“Blueberry hasn’t come around yet?” Lio hurried to Nira’s side from the inn’s entrance.

“I know. He never takes this long. Where is he?” Nira scanned the streets. Blueberry never ignored one of her calls. Something must have happened to him. “Let’s search the area. I’ll go to the markets. You head downtown.”

Dozens of people flooded the market of Meriun, mostly merchants who chose it to be their main place of commerce. Unlike most other big cities that favored indoor businesses, Meriun thrived in open-area commerce where merchants competed for the attention of would-be customers in whatever way they could. Some would sing jingles. Others would yell their “incredible” prices so loud that even the royal guard at the Great Meriun Hall could hear. The rest would try their best to con you out of your coin. Travelers like Nira and Lio had to be extra wary of these conmen.

“You damn bird, get in the stupid cage already!” A merchant yelled from a distance. The bearded man yanked a bird into a cage with little success. The bird squawked in pain calling for help.

An exotic animal dealer, what a surprise.

The worst kind of merchant any other day, but today they dared to be the unlucky son of a bitch that messed with Nira’s bird.

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART TWO.

Author's Note:

And that's the first chapter... At least the first part anyway. What did you think? Do you like Nira?

Let me know in the comments!

- Juan