Magnifico

Journey to the unknown.

The General, Jonas, and Viruz had set out journey to the unknown Plains of drylands. Their journey is that of a person in the middle of the Sahara with no clear direction of where, when, or how to start. It was crystal clear to them that they had more than one trouble to sort out. First; was to find Kylian and the scroll he had stolen and secondly, was to find a way to kill Magnifico before he launches his next attack. The General himself knew he had been assigned to achieve a very big task and some too many people would miss him if he happens not to return from this journey. For Jonas, it was another trip, exactly the three of them like it had been before. It didn’t bother him much like it bothered General Sun and for him, he had a clear starting point. He knows who may have a clue on how to find Kylian and he is ready to take it. He was ready to go at any length to find Kylian and he didn’t want to think about the struggles they may face, he just wants to think of it as a journey that would be swift.

The General and Jonas had become closer and the General had chosen to throw away all the things Jonas had done to everyone, including himself behind him. The General knew that if he didn’t get to start working together with Jonas, nothing of value would be achieved or accomplished. But ever since Kylian whom they trusted took what seemed to be the most important treasure to the people of Quinax, Sun wondered if Jonas will do the same. He was considering the possibility of Jonas betraying them too at the end. He really wished Jonas wouldn’t try it because he knew that if he does, it would be a slap on his face for convincing even the king to trust him.

Riding away from Quinax, the sun was already setting and it will get dark soon.

“Jonas, you have not told us where we are going” Sun shouted while his horse was galloping.

“I will explain that when we make our first stop to crash for the night. Time isn’t on our side to slow down for this conversation" Jonas replied. The General also considered it and knew that what he just said was the truth. Slowing down when they have not even started the journey would be a waste of their precious time. He had to wait for when the time was right so he would give him the full details of their journey. Viruz on the other hand has maximum respect for the General. He knew the General as someone who can never mislead anyone so he chose not to ask questions about where Jonas was leading them to. But, the General knew that Viruz has to know about their plans, he thought that keeping everyone informed and enlightened would be in their best interest because it will help to bring out the best from everyone and also do what is required of him to do. They traveled through the rocky terrain of the northern border which was close to the kingdom of Zuix. They didn’t go through Zuix because that would be a waste of time rather, they followed the same part Finder had followed when he came to Quinax to deliver a message for Jonas. Getting to this terrain, they had to make a stop before they make way into the dangers of this shortcut. They stopped at the beginning of this highly terrorized part and made their tent. Sun knew about this and have heard different stories from different people that were killed, maimed, and dispossessed of their valuables from this road so it was no news to him. He also knew that they wouldn't be an exception and thought that the best way to avoid it or reduce the chances of being killed was to avoid good through these plains in the dark.

“I think we should stop here. This road is remarkable for the danger that lies in it. We will be doing ourselves a very big favour if we stop here and pinch our tent" The General said while slowly stopping his horse.

“Won't stopping here delay us further?” Viruz asked out of curiosity.

Sun demounted and said “On a normal day, I don’t cross this part with a Calvary most time let alone when we are just three men. The bush is full of men of the underworld and I am not ready to lose anyone now when we have not even started the journey. It is known for its notoriety” Sun said. Everyone came down from their horses and they went and pinched their tents close to each other. They also made fire with firewood they picked randomly around from dry dead trees. But before they slept, Sun had asked Jonas to brief them concerning where they are heading to after they make through the dangerous terrain and also probably how he intend to get Kylian. After the three mean had settled around the campfire they have made to warn themselves up, Sun decided to bring up the matter again.

“Hey. It’s about time you tell us how to and where to start from concerning Kylian's whereabout. Where are we headed to?” Sun asked as he sits down to listen.

Relaxing on the ground, with legs crossed and the fire burning. Though it was already dark but Jonas's face was as visible and could be seen as if he was under the morning sun.

“I know you guys might be wondering where we are heading to. Well, I think the best place we are going to visit that can get us a clue is Akhans” Jonas said.

“Akhans?” Sun asked.

“Yes, Akhans.”

“So why should we be going to Akhans?” the General asked worriedly.

“We need to get in touch with Finder,” Jonas said.

Viruz who was just watching, added more firewood to the burning fire to rekindle it.

“Finder? The name sounds familiar.” Sun said.

“Yes. Finder was the person that was assigned by someone in Alaphas to find me in Quinax. He is the only person I know in the world that can find a missing hairpin even in a river.”

“Oh. He is that good? I hope we can trust him?” Sun asked looking attentively to Jonas.

“Trust?” Sun asked as he laughed. He continued “Finder is not someone you trust or can not trust. It’s all business, you bring something for him to find, he gives you a clue or helps you find it and you pay him. You go your way while he go his” Jonas explained...

“But Akhans as I heard, is a barbarian coastal city. How can a barbarian help us out?” Sun asked.

“Finder is no ordinary person even though he leaves in a rough city. He has with him a magical crystal-like material he uses to find people. That is his own special power and special gift. That is exactly how he found me in Quinax,” Jonas explained.

“Alright. I will leave that up to you. Besides, how did you get to know all these people and all these things we have dealt with in the past few months?” Sun said.

“Alright. Well, there is a story I must tell you guys. About 30 years ago in Alaphas, there was a man who treated his wife so badly. He didn’t care much about his children or his responsibilities as a father. He was a ruler and a ruthless one at that. He surrounded himself with lots of concubines and harlots to get himself satisfied. He had a son who was about 13 at that time, who watched closely to what his father was doing and how ruthless his father was to the people he leads. He beats this boy's mother every day and in most cases, he beats her for nothing significant. One day when he was hitting this woman, she lost consciousness and later was pronounced dead. This boy was watching helplessly while this was happening, he really wished he could do something to protect his own mother but he couldn’t and he watched her die helplessly. The pain became engraved on the boy's heart and he swore that he would have his father killed. To cut the long story short, he later poisoned his own father and took up the leadership role from him. That boy that was once innocent, honest and happy later grew up to become Jonas.” Jonas said with tearinon his eyes. He tried all he could to hide it from Sun and Viruz because he didn’t want them to see him crying.

“So, the man the young boy killed was your father?” Viruz asked.

“Yes. That was my father. These are the experiences I had while growing up and it has somehow shaped me into the kind of person I am. It took away lots of good things I ought to achieve or at least enjoy as a kid, but didn’t get that chance” He said. It shocked Viruz to hear something like that, he wondered the type of person Jonas was. He said to himself: if Jonas could do something like that when he was just a boy, how much more is he capable of doing now? The General knew Jonas had a trait of a good man in him but maybe through experiences, he had chosen the wrong part of life.

“I think we should get some sleep, we need to be healthy for the journey ahead,” Sun said. They all went into their tents and Viruz extinguished the fire to reduce their chances of been spotted from the distance. While Jonas was in his tent, he couldn’t sleep. He lied down facing up, using his hands to support his head, he started recalling the experiences he had had in the past. He could hear a mournful cry of a wolf, howling from a distance and also a longer note of a mournful hooting sound of an owl. He paid attention to the noise, so he could distract himself from thinking and it worked; he slept off without even knowing it.