Magnifico

Horror in Phox

Jonas was surprised to hear Finder say this because Finder is someone who seldom talks. Sun came back, sat down, and tossed the coins back on the table. Jonas also did the same while he was still sitting tight on the corner.

“We are looking for a king, his name is Kylian. He stole something that belongs to us. Now, how and where do we find him?” Sun asked. He regarded Sun for a while before he brought out a crystal from his pocket, holding it with his left hand, he used his right hand to cover it. He closed his eyes and started talking in a language that was not familiar to Sun, Jonas nor Viruz. After casting a spell on the crystal, he removed his hand which he had used to cover the crystal and the crystal glinted. It was no shock to Jonas because he was aware that Finder has such powers but it was a surprise to Sun because he has never seen such a thing before. He never knew such powers existed, the worst he had seen was that of Magnifico...

“Where is he? Did you find him?” Sun asked anxiously.

“Zaphra.” Finder replied.

“Zaphra? What’s that?” Jonas asked.

“He is heading to Zaphra. The western kingdom of Zaphra,” Finder said. Sun has heard of Zaphra but he had never been there. Zaphra just like Akhans doesn’t have a nice reputation, maybe worse. But it is a journey they have to make if they need to get Kylian. Finder had already told them that he wasn’t going to Zaphra with them. It may be because the kingdom is far or maybe because the money paid to him wasn’t sufficient. Finder, after doing what he did, he quietly left the shop. Viruz stood up from the far end where he was sitting and walked closely to both Sun and Jonas.

“I think we have another long journey to get on. Finder said that we are going to find Kylian in Zaphra.” Sun said.

“Zaphra? Where is that?” Viruz inquired.

“It is a city in the western hemisphere. And I think it’s going to take us four or five days of continuous riding” Sun added. Jonas curling his lips in dissatisfaction, he asked “Is it that far?”

“I don’t know yet. It may take longer.”

“So when do we get to leave?” Viruz asked.

Sun thinking, he thought about the best time to leave, he reminded himself that it was evening already because leaving that time won’t be the best idea, it was already late so they had to wait.

“I think we should leave tomorrow. It is already late. We have to sleep over and wait till first light.”

“Alright. That would be fine" Jonas said.

They all left the room and found a small cabin which was up for rent which they paid for and crashed for the night. The following morning, they proceeded. Feeding their horses, they took some dried grasses with them too in case they don’t get to see where their horses will feed during their journey. They kept riding westwards, they rode from morning till evening before they met a city called phox. They were totally exhausted and the grass they kept for their horses has finished. This city appeared to be poor, so there weren’t soldiers seen nor guarding the village. Moving inwardly in the city with their horses, they slowed down to get a better picture of the village.

“I think we are in another city. We need to find somewhere to pass the night before we continue our journey” Sun said.

Jonas stared at him like he had something to say “Do you know exactly where this city is?” He asked.

“No, I don’t. Why did you ask?” Sun inquired.

“I am wondering how you know where we are going to and how do you know that we are not there yet?”

“Yes, that’s true. I don't think we should stop here. it's not like you have been hers before General” Viruz said gently...

Hearing this, Sun understood that the question and doubt might have stemmed out from the exhaustion they have passed through because of the long journey they made the whole day, and with no Kylian in sight, they had started complaining. He needed to clear the air, he said “Listen, I have been in the military for more than twenty years. And during this period, I have learned a lot and heard lots of stories from friends and compatriots about the most beautiful cities, ugly cities and also, about their beautiful women too. So, believe me when I tell you that we are not yet in Zaphra. Secondly, I don’t know where we are going to but what I do know is, we are going to stop here for the night and ask people for directions.”

Sun got down from his horse and held the horse by the rein. Others came down too and tightened their grips by holding the bridle of their horses. They guided the horse and made them follow them into the city. This city was just unique in its way. The environment was serene and the people they have come across look like people who don’t want trouble. At the sound of a horse, everyone would clear to the roadside. The weather was sensational, they couldn’t tell why the weather and temperature were so good: is it because it was in the evening they arrived in the city or was it because the weather here was naturally beautiful?

The problem with the city is everyone looks terrified and looked like there was no hope. Taverns, shops, and diners weren’t much in this city. The incredibly beautiful city harbours incredibly terrified people and if you are good at paying attention, you would notice... “Something is not right,” Sun thought.

They took their horses to the second shop they saw after passing the first one which was closed. The reason for closing it may not be far from why the kingdom wasn’t happy, Sun thought that the reason for closing the tavern maybe the owner wasn’t happy that day too or maybe because it was already evening so the owner might have closed for the day.

When they stopped finally in the second tavern, they tied the rope of their horses to the wooden pillars outside the house and made their way into the shop. They didn’t see anyone inside the tavern except a man who appears to be the owner at the far end of the room. Viruz and Jonas went to the right corner of the room to sit down while Sun walked up to the man who was alone in the room.

“Hello, sir!” Sun hailed the man who appeared to be old. He had bald hair but a grey-white beard down his chin. With his broad eyelash and a little frowned face, he looked like he commanded a military battalion when he was younger.

“What can I get for you?” he asked. Sun noticed his accent was a bit different and distant unlike what he has frequently heard in the past few days.

“I need to feed my horses. And I also need food for my friends and me” Sun said.

“I don’t sell horse foods here. You have to go outside for that. What can I get for you and your friend?”

“What do you have on your menu?”

“Lettuce, cabbages, rice. It depends on what you want.” The man said.

“Alright. I will have rice and fish. Make it three, I have friends with me.” Sun told the man. He went to his chair while the man moved to his kitchen to get the food ready.

Leaning forward on his seat, in a low voice, he said “You guys noticed something about these people?” Sun asked while sitting opposite Jonas and Viruz who was sitting just adjacent to each other.

“Noticed what?” Jonas asked.

“When we were coming here, I could sense that things were not alright with this city. Can’t you see how deserted the streets are and how the few people we saw were staring at us?” Sun paused, expecting Jonas or Viruz to say something but they didn’t. He continued “These people seem like people that leave in fear of their life. They seem as if their hope has been taken away from them and their voices are also taken. I couldn’t see children playing around, neither did I see taverns or many buildings around this area. At least when we were in Akhans, we could see a city full of thieves but filled with enjoyment. There were too many shops and businesses there growing and moving successfully but I don’t see much here”

The old man brought what Sun had ordered earlier for the three of them and shared it equally. He also brought a tray with him which he used to keep the cups of water he fetched. After serving, he walked away back to the place he was sitting...

“Look General, whatever is wrong with these people stays with them. Why should we be bothered by what goes around here?” Jonas asked anxiously.

“I think I agree with him. We came here to spend the night and we get to move out tomorrow morning" Viruz said, espousing exactly with Jonas had just said.

“Yes. You see General, all you need now is to eat your food while it is still hot" Jonas said as he continued eating his food.

Sun had no choice so he had to start eating too. But while eating, he was not feeling comfortable so, he carried his plate of food and walked towards the old man. Jonas and Viruz watched him as he gently walks closer to the tavern owner. The tavern owner was looking at Sun when he was approaching him, he wondered why Sun was coming towards him when he had already served him with all he needs. Sun was looking at him while he was also looking at Sun.

“Hello, Sir!’’ Sun greeted.

“Hello,” he answered back.

“May I sit?” sun asked.

“Of course, it’s all yours.”

The man was sitting just across a very long table while Sun was sitting right opposite him. The long table was used to keep and place drinks for customers. Chairs could be seen lined close to this long table but nobody on sight to sit on them.

“Your food is delicious and was painstakingly prepared. Everything ingredients were evenly mixed and the taste was super sweet.” Sun commended the old man.

“Wow! Thank you!” the man replied.

“I have two questions. But I will start with the first one: are you really the one that prepares this delicious meal?” Sun asked.

The old man laughed, his tight face loosened a bit “Of course, I am. Who else could it be?” he asked.

“That’s sweet...”

“What is the second question?”

“Uhm. The second question is, why is it that you don’t have customers trooping in here to eat your delicious meal? It surprises me that not even a single person has come in here to demand a single meal since we came in and it’s about to get dark” Sun asked as he paused like a statue to listen to what the man had to say.

“I can see that you are very observant. Well, I guess you are a visitor to this land and I can only tell you to leave the next thing tomorrow morning. The city is not safe and people like you are not safe either.”

“What is wrong with the city?” Sun asked, keeping his face expressionless...

The old man Gazing on Sun intently, he scoffed. “Listen, young man, everything is wrong with the city. You can’t stay here until the mountain bandits come here to raid the city in the morning. As a foreigner, they will make sure you are rendered useless and your belongings may be stolen and taken away.” The old man said looking away and was looking disappointed.

“But what could be done to avert it?” Sun asked still looking expressionless.

“Nothing. People here have lost hope and there is no desire whatsoever to regain what is rightfully theirs. They are comfortable with their oppressors and they have been deprived of any sort of hope for survival.”

“But, who are those mountain raiders?” Sun asked.

“They are groups of men who have gathered themselves to steal from us. They steal our farm produce, kidnap our pretty women, raid our markets, and take all they believe to be important to them. They have been doing this close to a decade now and I must tell you, they do succeed. They have a ruthless leader or perhaps, leaders who encourage the men to take little boys from our village, they kidnap them and hide them somewhere in the forest where they train them to be brutal and used as weapons to strengthen their agenda. These little boys when they come back do not care about their parents neither do they care about their siblings, they only obey the commands of their leaders and themselves. They do not care about their roots; where they came from... It’s a pity that I had in the past, tried to liberate our people from this mental and physical incapacity, but my trials were met with weak voices and very shaky reactions. So for now, all I care about is my tavern and how to keep business going. You asked me why people don’t come around here any longer? This is why they don’t come; no one feels safe or comfortable anywhere. Everyone is always on the run”. The old man said, his face full of regrets and pain. Sun could feel what he is feeling, Sun was imagining the pains these village men and women were already passing through. He wondered why people would be so inhumane to their fellow humans when they are yet to face similar issues, if not worse.

“What do you think is the solution to this? If you are to suggest, what would be the best strategy to adopt to stop all these. Your people could use our help.” Sun said, dropping his plate totally on top of the table. Jonas and Viruz starred slightly at them and Jonas wondered what negotiations Sun was trying to reach. He knew if he is to take a guess, he would say for sure that any conversation going on in between the two of them, would be a conversation that would make them stay longer than they should in Phox.

“If you are looking for solutions, I don’t think there would be any.”

“Why?” Sun asked.

“Seem like you have not been paying attention. Please, let’s not discuss this issue further.”

“Please, I want to help you, sir. I also have a very important mission on our part and people’s lives depend on it. But that can wait because this is a matter of urgency. Coming to Phox again will be very difficult for any of us and that is why I see a need to set things right before we leave. Please, allow us to help you. Just tell me what we need to do.” Sun begged.

“While you were coming here with your horses, lots of our village men and women might have seen you and your men. And the message of your arrival might have been communicated to the bandits. They will be here any time from now or maybe they will be here tomorrow. I think you should continue with your mission and leave at first light.” The old man said. Nighttime was slowly creeping in, so it was slowly getting dark. He stood up and went to the lamps hanging on the walls and lit them. He came back to his chair and sat back where he was sitting before.

“Ok. Can we at least get where we will sleepover for the night? Like a room or something like that?” Sun asked.

“Of course,” The man paused and poured a drink to a goblet on the table. He carried the goblet and gulped it once and brought it down to the table. “I can give you and your friends a room to stay for the night. But you need to promise me something, you leave early in the morning. Please, I want you to know that I am doing this to protect you and your friends. Since you are a visitor, I ought to treat you right because, in our custom, it is your right…”

“Thank you sir..”

“you need to do something for me. I need you to hide your horses. You need to bring them inside the tavern so that they would not be seen by the bandits when they come. I can do that for you if you prefer it that way,” The man said.

“That would be preferable. Thank you so much” Sun said.

The man got up and went outside to hide the horses, while Sun went back to where Viruz and Jonas were both sitting.