Traversing the Waters of Ilo (Part 2)

"You know we can't fight, Captain."

The leader of the kataw declared.

"You're thinking of not fighting us but barging here without any thought of respect, aren't you insulting us? The mere fact that you left the deep waters… what is your intention?"

"I told you, Captain. We are here to obtain something. I won't entertain any complaints or questioning from your group. If we won't be able to find it here, we will leave."

"Your actions are disparaging the covenant that has been honored by both races from hundreds of years ago!"

"Tsk!"

The kataw leader just clicked his tongue and joined his men in locating the thing they were tasked to acquire. The captain and the rest of the group remained in their positions.

"Rigo, save your mana and remove the barrier. Though they have already violated the covenant, they won't be able to do anything to hurt us. It would be too much for their race."

Rigo nodded and the barrier quickly dissipated.

"Captain… maybe I can sense something from them that could answer why they are here."

"Rai!"

Blair squinted her eyes.

"I know you can check on them without getting sensed but… will you be able to do it without getting noticed?"

Blair worriedly uttered.

"Blair is right, Rai. Your aura won't be able to conceal your mana."

"I'll try, Captain. If you noticed that my aura can't hold it anymore and the guards became suspicious… you can just notify me."

Rai insisted.

Everyone was kept silent for a while when Rigo suddenly speaks up.

"I'll support her, Captain."

"Thank you, Rigo. I'll start now."

Rigo stood beside Rai just in case her aura won't be able to hold her mana leakage.

Rai closed her eyes and focused channeling her mana to her senses. She could hear their conversations, perceive what they are seeing, and feel their heartbeats—the beats are odd like they are scared of something. She continued snooping around. The kataws are not touching or moving anything. They are just standing as they let their senses look for that thing they need.

One kataw entered a dimly lit room with a lavender scent candle.

"Captain, they entered Agor's room."

"How is Agor?"

"…"

"Rai?"

Rai opened her eyes and looked at the captain impassively.

"He is… or should I just consider him dead, Captain?"

Rai grumbled. She can't believe Agor could sleep peacefully like a child when someone with an ominous aura is trying to ransack his room.

Rai focused once again and followed the one in Agor's room. She heard calling the leader saying he faintly felt the article. "Article?" She thought.

The leader came to the room ad approached the sleeping Agor, laying his hand over Agor's chest.

Rai quickly alerted the captain and together with Wilo, they hurried to Agor's room.

The captain stormed inside the room and bellowed at the kataw.

"What do you think you are doing?"

The stunned leader flinched and turned his head towards the captain. He wasn't able to respond right away instead, he stepped back away from the bed and left the room without a word.

Just like that, the kataws get off the ship. The three who were left on the deck hurried to Agor's room finding Captain Ravil and Wilo surprisingly dazed. Looking inside the room, nothing has been damaged or anything—everything's fine but one.

"Where is… Agor?"

Blair asked as she rummages the bed, underneath the bed, the closet… and even opened the window only to see the vast blue sea.

"That's… when we came here, Captain was like a raging bull and it seemed like the leader of the kataw was frightened."

Wilo, who stood beside the escritoire, stated while caressing his right cheek; looking like he's trying to remember what had taken place in the room.

"When he moved away from the bed, Agor was…"

He stopped speaking for a while and made Rai terrified.

"I just saw him lying on his bed—"

Rai insisted with a brittle voice. She clasped her hands and pull them towards her face.

"Agor wasn't on his bed the time we arrived. But the leader still has his hand on the bed but—"

Wilo tried to explain but he was suddenly interrupted by the captain.

"Agor wasn't in his room."

The captain said who remained in his position near the door when the kataws left the room. He sat on the bed and confirmed something from Rai.

"Did you really see Agor in this room?"

"Captain Ravil… I might have not used my full skill but I really saw Agor lying on his bed."

"What else did you see or hear?"

"The kataw who came here first called the leader saying he sensed the article."

"Article?"

"Yeah. Although according to him, it was faint, the leader came right away and approached Agor."

"Did you guys feel Agor's presence when the kataws left the ship?"

Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads.

"What is this article they are trying to obtain that they could even break the covenant?"

The captain mumbled as he massages his head, ruffling his hair.

"And where the hell is Agor?"

His voice was taut with nervousness, he continued to fervently ruffle his hair when suddenly…

"Why are you all here being rowdy?"

The Agor who disappeared was now back in the room, lying on his bed like how Rai saw him. Everyone was startled and shouted in disbelief as they hear the dead voiced Agor.

"Where have you been?"

Wilo interrogated him.

"What do you mean?"

Agor got up from lying and sat on the bed.

"You weren't here!"

"…"

Agor only stared at everyone who is still befuddled by what's taking place. Rai then quickly approached him and hugged him. Her head on his chest felt something hard and broken.

"What is this?"

Pointing on Agor's chest, Rai arbitrarily unbuttoned his cotton granddad shirt.

"I didn't know you are the aggressive type, Rai."

Rigo commented showing her a lopsided grin as if teasing her. Rai suddenly pulled back but still holding onto Agor's shirt, bringing him closer to her. If it wasn't for Wilo's quick reflexes, the two would've shared their first kisses, or who knows if it wasn't.

"Kyaaahhh!"

Rai flushed in red while everyone just kept on laughing seeing Agor's blank expression.

"Hey, Agor! What's that thing on your chest?"

Captain Ravil noticed the necklace Rai was trying to get a look at a while ago.

"Oh… Commander Oahk gave me this before departing."

Holding the broken blue diamond pendant, he unclasped the necklace.

"He told me this might come in handy. It's just a shame this precious gift of the commander was now broken."

"May I take a look at it?"

"Sure."

Agor handed the necklace to Captain Ravil.

"This is a magic stone."

Everyone looked at the captain.

"It was embedded with a protection spell."

"You mean… the reason of Agor's disappearance could be that stone?"

Wilo asked seriously; focusing his eyes on the stone.

"It could be… and perhaps, when the stone sensed a strange mana, the protection spell was triggered."

"So… could it also be the 'article' that the kataw had sensed?"

Rai asked.

"Perhaps—"

Captain Ravil stopped himself when something popped up in his mind.

"Could it be just because the magic stone was embedded with the commander's magic or Agor—"

Captain Ravil's inner thoughts were interrupted.

"Captain? What do you think?"

"Yeah… I think so, too, Rai."

"So it was. Thanks to Commander Oahk that Agor is safe."

"I shall contact him once we arrived at the Capital."

Agor declared.