Opal of Xiphos

Chapter 1

Since being born into this pitiful world, only a few things stick with me, the four kingdoms. These are the most important divisions any man knows.

First off, is the Elementals, they hail from Kingdom Stoicheion. I know right, leave that to the mentals to create such a mouthful. They are self-obsessed; they act as if they own the world and are elite, simply because they are born with special powers. The powers aren’t as unique as they think. Each Kingdom has its own thing, anyway.

So far from what I've seen, a lot of them are power hungry and devious, they prey on the poor and extract whatever it is they can to remain the apex Kingdom. This is rather upsetting considering that no kingdom seems to object to this.

Kingdoms rarely go to war, not since The Ancient Wars, only little land disputes here and there, nothing too serious. But when they do, you can count on a b****y Elemental to be right behind the trick. They are as devious as one can get. As if all this isn’t enough, the mentals are further divided into four separate groups, the fire users, the wind users, the earth users, and the water users. They all act the same under the rule of King Sitor, his royal arsehole. The old man should be on a clear path to death by now, seeing as he is extremely withered and sickly. But that would leave his daughter, princess Alina, to power. And to put it bluntly, she's worse than her father.

The next kingdom would be the Kingdom of Venenum, the Alchemists. We regard them as mad and are more closed off from the world than the rest. They practice mixing chemicals or whatever they call their potions. No one knows what they spend all their b****y time doing, but what I know is that they are brute and headstrong. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have abs on their back. Their babies must be born without having to work out.

Unlike the Elementals, they acknowledge their shitty behavior and own up for it. They rather believe that they are elite and superior, with.....well whatever they do. They own about a large part of the world, and they side with the Elementals from time to time. They can choke. Respectfully. They are ruled by their king, Elastine. He is quite young; he being twenty-four surely didn't affect his role as king. You'd think that he'd develop some sort of conscience or basic humanity since he is a king of a large population, but no. During a meeting between the leaders of the world, he had his men kill someone that served him the wrong tea. Royals and their so-called kindness to people.

The only good thing about them is the fact that they brew some of the best beer in the world. I don’t know how they do it but something about it is so delicious. I can’t even describe the taste. Obviously, they are the biggest suppliers of alcoholic beverages in the world. Most kingdoms have tried to either replicate their recipe or try something different, but fail.

The third Kingdom is called Atmos, and their people are called Astricas. Their name is said to be gotten from one of the stars. This is one kingdom that I certainly do not think negatively about. They handle the creation of most appliances used around the world. Most people refer to them as the Technos because of their heightened knowledge of technology. They handle the invention of carriages, clocks, lamps and so much more. They are really resourceful in the world. I even heard from one of my mates that has a close friend from there, that they are working on a carriage without a horse. Imagine that. I wonder how they are going to get a carriage to move without a horse. They truly are one of a kind.

They don’t belong to either side of the coin and rarely ever take part in wars, they only supply inventions to the highest payer. Surely, it may not seem like the best thing to do, but they get the job done for the supporting side, and those that I encountered during expeditions were useful and foxy. A king rules them not, as they dislike titles, but to the rest of the world that is irrelevant to them, their ‘leader’ is known as Alex. No one has ever supposedly seen him. I believe he is dead or went back to the pack of wolves he was raised by.

The last kingdom known to the rest of the world is Xiphos, their people are called Telums. They are honest, outstanding people who see the said ‘good’ in the world. To be honest, they are the ‘good’ of this mindless and brutal world. They are known by most kingdoms as nomads because they are always on the move but they are more than just mere nomads. They are explorers and risk-takers. Telums are skilled in martial arts with heightened human abilities, mainly known in battle, but when they are not fighting in wars, they are on expeditions, discovering obscene objects and strange artifacts in different lands. They discover unknown lands and new creatures. Their people are known to be nice, honest, and patriotic, and I’m not just saying that because I’m from there. It’s simply the truth.

My entire lineage is from there and we even have a little shop passed down from generation to generation called ‘Strie’s Loft’. My mother and father both love each other and while the rest of the world is absolute s**t, I can always count on them. They and my sister, although she has fallen for the prince. She is honestly quite lucky too, having someone with such power wrapped around her finger with the power of ‘love’. I don’t support it. Not one bit, especially when she left home to live with the naïve bastard. I almost hated her for it. We both hated those in power when we were young, and there she was lying with one. b****y traitor.

So then I was left alone, Opal Strie, a lonely twenty-two-year-old girl, distracting herself from the future with expeditions.

During some of my expeditions, I heard some old tale about there being more kingdoms of some sort. Not as big as the four main ones, but each having special traits. I doubt that because we Telums would have found them by now. The world is our oyster.

“For heaven's sake, girl! Out of the carriage! You’ve been staring at the sky for minutes, b****y Telum!” The clearly overweight horse master yells at me. His face is red from sweat and no doubt lack of food, his clothes are filthy, and his foul breath showers me from all the way to the back of the carriage. He is the horse master for the expedition I was just on.

He should have taken a proper shower with the rest of us, although I can’t blame him for not doing so. Wild animals from Tenebris pop up from just about anywhere on Lycroft.

“This is the last time I ride with an arse whose weight killed a horse.” I bite back at him. A horse died, yes, but I’m fairly sure the horse was overworked and pretty sure the added weight of this man killed it.

“This is the last time I ride with the supposed ‘best Telum’. More than half of your men are dead. It’s a pity you didn’t join them in the great beyond. Good luck explaining that to the guild master yer b****y brat.”

“Oh sod off, why don’t you? What do you know about expeditions? You can’t even face a b****y rat. Why don’t you enjoy your piss-filled carriage and wallow in horse s**t, goodbye horse master..” I bite back, rolling my eyes, getting out of his carriage. Sure, half my crew is dead, but at least we got what we came for and they were rather annoying.

“Excuse me”, I mutter repeatedly as I bump into more people. It seems like the roads are getting fuller and fuller these days. But for heaven's sake, people should watch their b****y feet! What they are doing in Lycroft, I don’t know. Only people with a death wish roam around an area close to the forest, animals could randomly pop out of nowhere and without strong Telums a lot of them could die.

“Finally,” I mutter to myself, having reached the Guild Quarters. I have definitely not missed the horrid smell of beer and puke. As usual, once I enter the whispers, the obvious glares, and finger-pointing resume.

“She's back!” I catch a familiar voice and look to my left, noting the lanky boy who is always hell bound on pissing me off. His name is Jasper or Jessie or Jake, one of those names. I really couldn't be bothered to remember. What I know is that he’s a petty thief, and he somehow knows who everyone is in Telum, which is rather impressive because Telum’s quite a big kingdom. I would consider him an ally except he pushes my buttons constantly, and he is persistent in being annoying. He's gotten me in several troubles.

In conclusion, he’s a pest.

“They have eyes and can see that I have arrived, genius. Where's the guild master, kid?”

“Right this way, queen of Tels, my royal highness. And by the way, I reckon I'm older than you, Op.” He walks in front of me, paving the way of drunk old men who still think whatever’s left of them could be useful enough for the Guild.

The guild only empowers the strong. I’ve watched previous teammates who fell below the bar fired from their squads and work in the market for little change.

“And I reckon that the two brain cells you have left are enough to tell you my name is Opal, not Ops.” I bite back, looking around the huge tavern for my next job. There are posters plastered all over the wall from quests on missing pets or quests on dangerous artifacts. I should pick a quest that doesn't involve messy animals next time.

“I definitely did not miss you, anyway if you didn't notice, we’re here. And just a tip Opal, guild master’s pissed.” he glares, leaving me by the door of my employer.

“Just play it cool”, I repeat ominously.

I breathe in and out, psych myself mentally a bit, and knock on the door.

“Come in”, I hear his deep voice groan out. No doubt he's sporting eye bags, hunched over his table, which is filled with paperwork from the palace.

I turn the doorknob and push, gently walking in.

Called it.

Though I was a bit off on the eye bags, they look like hollow pits of nothing.

I open my sac and drop the bag of the round yellow artifacts that I got from the expedition in the artifacts box.

"Hey, Pens." I greeted, taking a seat on the wooden hundred-year-old bench. I am sure not to put my weight on it, to avoid getting more injuries than I already have from this expedition.

"It's Guild master to you- oh! Strie! Good to see you back in one piece." He smiles grimly once he notices it's me.

"Yeah, the quest was a-"

"Can't say the same for your guild members though." He glares, referring to half my teammates that are dead.

"They wandered into a cave to sleep while we were supposed to be hunting. They'll be sure not to make that mistake again." I smile back at him.

"I am sure they'll do nothing again!" He snaps back.

I shrink in my seat, looking anywhere but him.

He sighs, leaning back in his chair, using his index finger and thumb to rub his temple. As usual, he is sporting an old vest paired with dark brown trousers, the jacket probably untouched, hanging by the coat rack. The desk between us gives him and me ample space. This is rather calming because with the look he’s giving me, I should have enough space to back away before he hits me.

At a glance, you’d think he doesn't have it in him, that he's probably old and blinded with work. Maybe the latter is correct, but he isn't old, not even by a long shot. He should be in his late thirties, but since his father died and left him behind “The Guild”, he hasn't left this damn tavern since. Although I heard that when he left, he'd bring back tons of artifacts that are used in the palace and other kingdoms.

It's a shame, really.

"Look, Strie, you are one of the best I have had, if not the only proper warrior around here. But you are costing me time and money. More paperwork is going to come from this and more paperwork means less sleep. This also means the poor families of the blokes that died will come hailing curses at my door. I don't need or want that. And frankly, you're not worth the stress."

Ouch.

"If it helps, they signed a contract ensuring you don’t get involved with the Royal Court. Besides, it wasn't my fault." I reply, finding it rather unfair that I am to be punished for the sins of the dead. I sympathize with the families I really do, but why join the expedition if you're not up for it. There are tons of ways to make money in Xiphos, why pick the one where you're most guaranteed for death.

I'm a glutton for adventure. My parents would equate that to death, but it works either way.

"Yeah, but we can't very well blame the dead, can we?"

"What do you suggest I do about this?" I glare softly, waiting on him for a response.

"I'm not sure, but for one please don't be rude to the horse master, he's threatened to sign off from the Guild."

"Got it, Pennie. Be sure to wish him a good day." I grit out, standing up and taking a curt bow before walking out of his office.

I hear him stifle a laugh, and I smile to myself before leaving.

Now I'm due for a nice long bath, in my home, not the river, or a stream, or a nearby lake, a proper bath, in a bathtub, with soap and body spices.

My house isn't too far from the Guild Quarters, but the journey is about fifteen to twenty minutes, and my legs aren't quite in agreement with the cash I have on me. I guess I'm walking home tonight. Pennie better pay me well tomorrow.

..

I reach my home using the spare key to open the door. Both of my parents should be at the shop tending to customers. They'll see me when they get back.

I open the door and walk in, enjoying the familiar smell of 'home'. I switch on the lamps and walk further into the living room, looking towards the familiar spot where my mother keeps the letters I receive.

"This is quite a lot this time". No doubt the letters are from family friends and teammates, or curses from teammates' families. I grab the letters, deciding to have a look at them while in the bath, heading for the top stairs to the attic I turned into my room a few years back.

"Finally, ", I groan, entering my room. I slip off my shoes, remove my pocket knife from the side of my shoe, and take off my clothes, careful not to roughen the letters in my hand.

"Ah...”. I sigh, peeling my clothes off me one by one, and starting a bath for myself.

"I should have dinner after this, a proper one at last," I think to myself, still buzzing high on the feeling of not being in the forest with people I'm not fond of.

Once the water is ready, I slip into the bath, a sigh escaping my lips when I'm settled in.

Now...these letters.

"One from the guild, no doubt a new promo." I roll my eyes, discarding the letter somewhere on the floor.

"Oh, mom's friend is finally getting married? Good for her, I guess. Mom always likes weddings, she’d be happy to go. I will not be attending." I tossed it in the same direction as I did the other.

"A letter from the palace? Has my dear old sister finally remembered me?" I sit up in the bath, discarding the other letters and carefully opening this one.

I roll my eyes at the kingdom emblem engraved on the letter stamp, tearing it off and discarding that as well. She's not even married yet, and she's acting like she's one of them.

"Dear Lady Opal of the Strie household,". I huff. “The Queen hopes you are in good health and steady mind. Her Majesty wishes to hold a meeting on the fifth Sun of the sixth moon.” That’s about a sun from now. “The Queen expects you to be present within the seventh hour. She thanks you for your cooperation, The Royal Palace.”

I discard the letter and immerse myself further in the bath.

What could the queen want with me? I'm fairly sure I've been of exemplary behavior the past few moons. I rather not visit the palace after a stressful expedition. Although it’s rather strange that my sister Jewel didn’t inform me of this summoning beforehand.

And there wasn’t any other letter from the palace as well.

I smile grimly, immersing myself further in the bath.