The Engkanto Quartet: Voyage to the East

Dwarf and merchant

Six months had passed after his twenty-first birthday, Rakly welcomed his father back to the island. It had been a year since he left. The famous merchant's voyage to the south, which was supposed to be only six months, took him another half a year to return home.

Isuk accompanied Rakly to the pier as they led the well-wishers — islanders and visitors alike — in welcoming the chieftain of Ragua, who brought to the island wealth and fame. He penciled the island on the map of the known world. He connected and opened it up to traders from the Mainland and various island nations and kingdoms.

The sky was overcast as the Sea Eagle docked in the pier. It's the biggest and the swiftest galleon-type ship in the known world designed to withstand the fury of nature in the open sea. It carried a crew of fifty. Almost all townsfolk flocked to the pier to see their beloved chieftain. It had been this way every time Bubuy would depart from or arrive at the island from a trip. "Oh, it's the Sea Eagle," the amazed Isuk said. He was excited. "Look at the sails. They're beautiful. How I wish I were its helmsman."

"Don't worry. You will have your wish. When the time comes, we'll sail to the oceans beyond what we can imagine. If you want to, I will ask my father to let you take its helm. I'm sure he'll let you do it when sailing to nearby places. Besides, you have captained the Falcon Karakoa well to Kalis."

"The Falcon Karakoa was amazing, but the Sea Eagle is entirely a different ship. It's an honor to have the privilege to take its helm, but I must earn it rather than granted," Isuk replied. "There's Chief Bubuy," he continued, pointing toward the direction of the island's famous merchant.

Rakly and Isuk had quietly slipped past the crowd of well-wishers, sidling up to the Sea Eagle. The guards armed with swords and javelin were manning the entry. And the ship's crew on the upper and lower decks waved to their families who were welcoming them back home. It was a festive atmosphere, and the weather was not that hot. The merchant emerged behind the guards and was to get off the ship when Rakly climbed up the ladder.

His father was with the mysterious dwarf and his strange-looking companion, which surprised him. Rakly thought that the dwarf must have been an influential merchant, like what he heard from rumors, to be a passenger of the Sea Eagle.

"Look at you," Bubuy said, hugging Rakly. "It seems like only yesterday, and you've grown into a fine young man."

"Welcome back, father. The trip must have been difficult. I can see it on the faces of your crew."

"It was a little bit challenging, but we're here. We have the best ship. I can attest to its speed and resilience," the merchant said with confidence. He continued, "I heard stories about Ragua in my absence."

"We've got a lot to catch up at home — by the way, where is Mother?"

"She decided not to come home with me since I'd be here only for a month or two, and then I'll be sailing to the south again. She's with your grandma in Selawis. I'm deeply sorry we're not around on your twenty-first birthday."

"Father, that was half a year ago — more than that, I'm excited to see you and your crew again."

"I want you to meet Velmer and his companion," the merchant said as the dwarf extended his right hand to the young man. His companion was standing still and nodded.

"I've seen you about half a year ago visiting the island," Rakly said and shook the dwarf's hand, looking at him in the eyes.

"Indeed, I was here to see you, but I didn't have the chance to talk to you," replied the dwarf, "I reckon it wasn't the right time. I was waiting for this moment."

"As you said, we'll have a lot of things to catch up with and talk about," Bubuy said. "There's a reason why Velmer's here. And about that, he'll tell you everything, but that can wait."

"Things aren't going well on the island the past months. Any news about the Mainland?" Rakly asked.

"The war has dragged on for too long, and people are living in fear. It's dark out there. Velmer is the most learned man, and he knows the ins and outs of the war."

"That's an overstatement," the dwarf replied. "I can only tell what I know."

They climbed down the ship, and there was cheering in the pier as the Raguans were eager to see Bubuy, their most respected chieftain.

Despite the drowning cheers, the dwarf continued, "There is no being more evil than the dark king Lor Gorgo. You will know him when you see him. He's building a huge army of metal-armored warriors from the north, and he's doing experiments and training strange creatures you probably haven't seen in your life. I've seen them all, and I know how ferocious they are."

"I heard the people's stories about such creatures on the island," Rakly said.

"I doubt they're the same creatures, but that's a possibility. That's one of the reasons why I'm here."

As soon as Bubuy's feet touched the ground, men and women from different parts of Ragua were rushing in to shake his hand. It was close to a stampede when a wooden barrier collapsed. But the cheers got even louder.

It had been a tradition that every time he arrived at the island, he would deliver a short message to talk about his journey. On a makeshift stage built from crates, he was to speak to the crowd with the majestic Sea Eagle and the blue ocean at the backdrop.

Isuk was the first to climb to the podium to introduce the speaker. "Silence! Silence! Silence!" he yelled. The crowd lowered down their voices. "Please, welcome Chieftain Bubuy!" he said. There was another round of wild cheers and applause. He paused. And then he continued, "Let's hear from our favorite Raguan the things he is going to say." After that, he climbed down the stage and joined Rakly.

The bearded merchant, who was standing about five feet and a half, waved his hand. He had gotten unusually heavier. But his presence was so glowing that the islanders stood in awe of him. He wore a white turban, which represents purity. It also symbolized the respect he earned from his many travels. His dhoti, a type of sarong, was also white, and his shirt brown. He didn't wear jewelry that most merchants would put on to show off their wealth.

Bubuy flashed a radiant smile, and the crowd went silent, eagerly waiting for what he was to say. "Visitors, people of Ragua, and friends," he opened. "Thank you for the warmest welcome I receive every time I arrive from a trip. We know the tradition on this island when I come home. I'll talk to you about my journey. Today, I'll skip all the details, but I'll warn you about the danger that we are going to face."

The festive mood turned somber; it began to drizzle, but the people did not disperse. They stood still, listening to everything Bubuy was to say.

The chieftain continued, "On my trip to the south, I had the chance to drop the anchor on the Mainland; I stayed there for a few months. I've seen the darkness that crept into every crevice of the people's lives, and I've heard about the threats of the impending doom of the world as we know it. The Mainland has turned into a wasteland, and death roams day and night. I was hoping that it couldn't reach Ragua because of the proximity of our hemisphere, but I was wrong. The enemy's forces have come to our shores. I don't know how or when, but somehow they managed to get here, maybe with the refugees."

There was silence and then followed by whispering.

"Make no mistake. We welcome all refugees because this is who we are. We help those in need of shelter. In the next few days, there will be more refugees coming to us. As usual, we will welcome them with open arms. First, I apologize for not consulting you on this matter. We all know this is urgent, and it's difficult for us to navigate the oceans as the enemy had advanced his fleet, and sending a messenger to the island was risky. We are a free island, and we don't participate in the war. But the enemy of the light will soon realize he needs us. So it's better to be prepared."

"In the meantime, we have to do our best to help the refugees."

He ended his speech that's well-received, but the reactions were mixed. He did not elaborate on the enemies reaching Ragua. There was a loud round of applause, but the Raguans' mood turned lugubrious. 

Rakly felt the uncertainty. And fear was slowly creeping into the hearts of people all over the island. The world was about to end, and it's in the tales and legends of old.