UNSEEN TIES
Time had passed, but the memories of Liam were still scarred by the unsightly occurrence that took place in his cottage. A small hut surrounded by well-kept bushes, it was where he lived with his family.
Liam had been playing with his sister when he suddenly heard screams from inside the hut. The moment he opened the door, a creature he had never seen before cast its shadow over him. Stepping to the side, his eyes widened as he saw the creature munching on his mother's arm.
"You have to leave now, Liam. Don't wait for us—we've already been infected. There's no hope for us anymore," his mother said, tears dripping from her eyes as she slowly morphed into the creature that had bitten her.
"Noooooooo!!"
Liam suddenly jolted awake, his arm stretched toward the roof of the tent as if trying to grasp something. He sat up, wiping the sweat from his face despite the cold—both inside and out. Stepping outside, he inhaled the crisp morning air. The bushes rustled under the brightly colored sky as birds chirped, signaling the break of dawn.
"I need to convince Hilal so I can bring Lyra here," he muttered, running his fingers through his hair. Suddenly, he froze in awe as a black griffin—a creature thought to be lost to history—flew southward over him. His eyes followed it's trail until it began to vanish from sight. Just before it disappeared completely, Liam caught a glimpse of—a human-like figure— sitting on its back.
"Wow. Tamers still exist in this era?" He returned to his tent when Sulivan sought his aid.
The griffin landed on a wasteland—close to the Qwelqia empire. There was a nearby river which flowed through the wasteland, as the griffin took a sip from it, the human-like figure looked around as if searching for something but there was nothing around. Just the grasses and the barely visible trees in the distance.
After a short while, he saw someone dressed in a noble's garment under a white cloak. He deciphered that it was the client who he was supposed to meet—a noble lady from the empire. She took her hood off the moment she got closer and proceeded with her agenda.
"So would it be possible?" she asked, slowly brushing the feathers of the griffin.
"Well. It depends on how big you want it to be and the amount of zec stones you're willing to utilize." The human-like figure's voice sounded unnatural-warped, as if layered with echoes—making it impossible to discern his true tone.
***
'Zec stones' are naturally occurring minerals that contain magic essence. It amplifies the user's magic abilities 2x more than the level they are. So for instance if a user is a level 3 he can exhibit power levels of a level 5 for approximately 30 minutes.
***
"Would 50 be enough? I'm planning on making it a grand event." She stretched her palm toward the direction of the empire, as if trying to clasp it whole. She turned to face the human-like figure, her overwhelming beauty radiating—reddish brown hair, yellowish eyes and pale skin. The sun bathed her elegant form as the wind lifted her cloak.
"And why are you smiling? Anyway yes the 50 zec stones will be enough. So do have them right now or...?"
"Oh yes I do actually." She placed her hand in the pocket of the cloak and brought out a pouch containing 50 zec stones, and handed it over to the human-like figure.
"Alright, the deal is done. We'll keep in touch. If anything we'll let you know."
The human-like figure crossed his arms—like an X, bowed to the Nobel lady and zinged off on his griffin.
"The time is drawing ever nearer." She said walking into the horizon, the path leading back to the empire.
After morning had finally come, the Kingdom of Xeron,which shares a bother with the Qwelqia empire—westward, hosted their annual discount market. During this period many people from different villages, towns, kingdoms even empires came around. At this time even the rarest merchandise can be found there. It was like a black market brought to life, but in a refined way.
"Hurry up Liam!" Sulivan called out, glancing over his shoulder to see if Liam was coming. 'We might miss the good stuff if we get there late."
"Yes, yes I'm almost done." Liam buckled his foot wear,"at least this trip would be a distraction" he thought as he wore his bag and briskly walked to Sulivan's side. "Let's go then."
"You're the first man I've seen who takes this long in getting ready." They both laughed.
The encampment gradually faded into a silhouette with each step they took.
After what felt like an eternity, they finally made it to Xeron. The Kingdom was a mesmerizing sight. Everything was in place—every road was paved and with a river flowed through the Kigndom, bridges and canals were constructed at approriate points. Most lanes had a variety of flowers planted, even though there were trees already present. This was done to brighten and make the Kingdom more appealing.
After being vetted by the guards stationed at the gate, they made their way in. It was close to noon, so before heading to the 'black market' they entered a restaurant not far from where they stood—a well structured brick building.
The door swung open as they stepped inside. The interior had a welcoming atmosphere, neatly kept surroundings and well dressed waiters and waitresses. The floors were covered with silkwood and lanterns—though unlit—were placed at strategic points on the walls to brighten the room if needed.
"Welcome!" a lady called out, her cute voice matching the bright smile on her face as she walked toward them. Her outfit flowed elegantly with every step."Please, follow me, and I'll show you to your table."
After the waitress had explained the menu and pricing, they ordered six merics worth of pasta each.
***
Merics—standardized currency used across the continent, minted from refined silver and infused with traces of zec stones to ensure authenticity. In order to prevent counterfeits from being made, the insignia of the ruling power was embeded on it.
Merics are split into three units—bronze merics for small exchange, silver merics for standard exchange and gold merics for high-value exchange or trade. While bronze merics could barely cater for a small sized family, thus provide only a loaf of bread, good merics could cater for them for a year and silver merics could do relatively half.
***
After their meal they made their way, to the market center.