The Challenger Read online

  "Nay!" Wren said five times in rapid succession...

  Just hearing that word five times repeatedly after he and the Yelkath were the only two who got a yes made Jonath wonder what exactly was Wren's game plan. How did he accept only two? Why only two if this mission was constantly boasted as being rather dangerous? Why him of all people? A man who didn't even know if Jonath was his real name let alone anything about his own powers aside from the fact that his wounds healed themselves upon waking? This entire thing was rather jarring to him... He didn't know what to think or how to continue.

  Watching the last of the line leave disappointed they weren't accepted, Jonath waved slightly in farewell to the red-haired nobody. The nameless man waving back at him out of courtesy before walking through the gates leaving only Jonath, Liariana and Wren left by the fountain. The old man walking over to the two of them with aching bones and a raspy cough as his bony frail hands popped at the joints when he gestured happily to the both of them; Jonath standing to his feet with a small huff and Liariana merely turning her head and opening her eyes. A chilly breeze blowing a few featherweight leaves through the air around them and ruffling fabrics and hair.

  "Congratulations you two..." Wren's dry voice cracked and croaked as he spoke. "You both have... potential unlike the rest, potential that I have foreseen will be very useful on this contract." He smiled thinly. "The greatest secrets lie defended by the greatest trials, and you two are the only ones I sensed profound excellence from... Let us move on now shall we? To my personal office of knowledge..." Wren chuckled in a friendly yet sketchy tone. It was unknown if this man was really shady or if that was just how he was personality wise but regardless of any of that Jonath only focused on one thing that to this second he couldn't comprehend.

  "What potential are you talking about...?" Jonath thought to himself, Wren suddenly turning to him as if he heard the thoughts in his own head which made the amnesic shudder a bit. Turning his head back away to look between the both equally now, the Group Leader cleared his throat and turned to walk away towards the building directly behind the fountain while gesturing they follow. Liariana doing as implied without much response or other unnecessary actions while Jonath hesitated again before following as well. Hands still clenching the insides of his jacket pockets, head raised to look at the eternal night sky one last time before he exhaled to himself and calmed his nerves. Without another word, Jonath made his way towards the main building of the Archives Group...

  An Amnesic with no recollection of anything about himself and a fabled Yelkath from the East were the only candidates accepted by this sketchy Group Master... What secret motives were the driving force behind such an odd and polarized choice?

  Sometime later...

  Two thick wooden doors opened up in the canopy of the tall building; Wren, Liariana and Jonath entering in that order to a phenomenal sight. Jonath's eyes wide with quiet surprise at the vastness of the room he had just stepped within. The scenery was within a large dome shaped room; with two 'rings' of flooring both marbled and granite. An outer ring which sat higher and was the ring they all stood upon and an inner ring which was a depression in the center of the room with an impressively large circular dark wooden table standing on marbled flooring and littered with books of various thickness and covers. Bright red and green runes and glyphs glowing across the surface beneath the texts as well as three hovering light blue hued lights illuminating the area around in a pyramid in a dim study light. Behind the table at the far end of the room was a bookcase towering and long touching wall to wall on both sides of the circular room and stuffed with literature and knick knacks.

  On the left and right sides of the group entering were display cases holding various treasures ranging from bone relics to weapons and canes strung up on the walls for all to behold that spanned the entire circumference of the domed room aside from the book case at the far end. The sight could only be described as cozily amazing... The secret cove of a man who put knowledge and study above all else and dedicated their entire existence to its collection...

  "Welcome to my study... Let us begin the overview of what you'll be doing shall we?" Wren chuckled as he gestured for the two to come in as the doors eerily shut behind him...

  Black Rose

  The Challenger Chapter Ten - Black Rose

  "Welcome to my humble work area; a place of serenity and peace for me." Wren humbly welcomed his two 'winners' while frail robed in white visage made its way towards the large round dark wooded table in the center of the vast room. Jonath taking a few extra seconds to take in the sight; having never seen anything like this up until now. It truly was rather impressive even by his usually unimpressed standards. Liariana's footsteps snapping him back to focus; watching her quietly move after Wren to the table. The frail man circling around the centerpiece to face the both of them while Jonath casually strolled up to the table as well; leaving a couple of feet between him and the Yelkath to his left eyeing the books strewn across the table with mild interest in her deep red hues.

  "This is..." Jonath opened his mouth and paused looking around one more time with attentive to detail eyes; hands resting snugly in the pockets of his black jacket. "Quite the room you have here, never seen anything like it." He complimented. Wren nodding in grace to his words and then swirling his own hand around the three dim-lit orbs of light hovering over the table at face level.

  "I've spent many years amassing the secrets this Group now possesses. Amassing the knowledge I know now documented in all of these texts. Yes this library so vast and intricate that it probably is the largest resource of information in the entire realm." He chuckled lightly while bony pale fingers withdrew from the orbs of light and caressed wrinkled facial features. Jonath and Liariana silent in response, the former taking a moment to absorb what was just said and contemplating if he should ask what he had in mind. Should he ask how valuable this information is compared to what lied hidden away in the Royal Library? Or even better, the Codex Vault? Just how valuable was the information he personally kept in his quarters versus the secrets that lie within those other two locations.

  He should probably keep his question to himself; this guy already made him nervous somewhat when he looked upon him... Better to just wait for another opportunity to get answers no matter how desperately he wanted to find out what this Final & Irelight stuff was.

  "Regardless, I'm sure neither of you care much for an old decrepit man like me to ramble on about the history behind myself and my Groups creation." Wren chuckled rather dryly as brown eyes glanced between the beautiful sight of a crimson-eyed Yelkath and the peculiar appearance of a silver-haired amnesic; both having aesthetics that easily made them stand out among a crowd. The two young adults looking back at him in silence, neither really showing any outwards emotions. Reaching down on the table Wren would simply tap the dark wood with the strange glowing red glyphs and waft his hand. The textbooks would then begin to hover all in unison, carried by a peculiar colorless energy that carried them away in a sea of Mana to store in their respective locations on a bookshelf. The remaining sight was now a clear round table with random luminous insignia carved into the wood and looking to be filled with a gelatinous substance that gave the glyphs their glow.

  "The contract you both were picked for is exploration of a location recently discovered west within the Luminous Forests right by the Astral Mountain chain." Wren began his briefing while a holographic map crafted entirely of his Mana locked within the markings on the table. The image showing a very detailed three-dimensional imagery of the entire crescent-shaped continent of Kynerva before zooming in directly on the spot in question within the forest; showing what looked to be a heavily moss-covered and eroded temple in a clearing surrounded by wards set up by the Group. "It has been called Maya's Respite by the researchers as the architecture reminds them of the Mayan Ruins spoke about in a famous book written by a madman before he died." Wren chuckled near the end of his sentence. Liariana merely glancing at him unm
oved by the comment.

  "The public is forbidden from going inside, the contract we've made with the Diurnal District officials only gives us access to this treasure provided we in a certain amount of time get valuable information or trinkets from within. However this ruin is not one that like the others we could send a few daring scholar students in to research." As he spoke Wren began to pace back and forth across his side of the table, Jonath staring at the ruins entrance and listening with attentive ears. "Our deadline is rapidly approaching, we must get this finished before the public gets free reign to raze and possibly by accident destroy any treasures within." Wren's words sounded slightly annoyed as he thought over the possibility of such a temple being defiled by common filth with no regard for history or intelligence.

  "We sent a party of four in there a few days ago. Nothing big, they fully agreed to not have us responsible for anything that happened should they willingly take up this offer. They haven't been seen since and are probably deceased... There's something down there I'd assume. Something that doesn't want to be either seen to the world of the surface or doesn't want whatever is inside to get out. Quite the intriguing predicament don't you think?" He curled his lips into a smile when he looked at the both of them. Jonath raising his gaze up slightly so that pale met dull brown.

  "So you don't know what happened to them? If that's the case why send two people in when four didn't work? Assuming those four students were capable of handling themselves against basic threats?" Jonath inquired with confusion in his soft-spoken tone. Wren cocking a finger up and waggling it with a smirk as if he were just waiting for that question to be asked.

  "Ah but as I said earlier before I picked you two this mission was a tad more dangerous than what we usually dispatch our students to! They didn't heed the warnings of us when we said this was too dangerous to approach Willy nilly, and they presumably paid the price with their lives. We need strong people to go in and see what secrets lie within. People capable of more than just the average... Nightborn people like yourselves." Wren trailed off at the end of his sentence looking at Liariana in particular now with hidden excitement in his eyes. The silent foreigner turning her gaze to meet his while keeping a calm unmoving face of her own. Wren then turning to look at Jonath, the younger man narrowing his eyes hesitantly at that stare once more being tunneled on him.

  "You two are exceptional among the ones that offered themselves. Your... inner strength was much more vibrant than any others I sensed. Natural talent is drenched within your spirit and body, talent I haven't sensed in a long time. Like walking among a field of roses and spying not one, but two black variants among a sea of red..." The old man praised the both of them which only further confused Jonath as he stepped closer to the table withdrawing his right hand to gesture as he spoke.

  "You keep saying you sensed something within us; what do you mean by that? How did you even deduce that? That I have some hidden prowess that put me above the rest you checked that clearly looked more capable than me?" He inquired while thinking in the back of his head about what happened to him in the forest. A part of him deep down believed that this man, Wren was able to sense whatever it was that had happened to him and was deducing from that, that Jonath had some special talent. Wren chuckling dryly as soon as those words finished gracing his ears; arms locking behind the small of his back while he took eyed Jonath with newfound interest.

  "Let's just say I have a knack for talent sensing. I am the one who hand-picked the Royal Guard that protects our beloved King and Queen after all. Such an isolated continent trapped in an eternal night is a treasure trove but at the same time quiet watered down when it comes to astounding aspects within these city walls." He began to pace once more while he spoke. Jonath a bit annoyed at such a cryptic answer but decided that prying any further would only be met with more of that crap, thus he begrudgingly just decided to forget about it altogether. Preparing to ask to get back on topic but freezing up when Wren said something rather peculiar to him that made his heart damn near skip a beat.

  "Even if said talents are shrouded in a haze of memory fog, hmm?" He grinned darkly as he said that.

  Jonath's eyes widened, staring at Wren with quivering pale pupils as a breath hitched in his throat. Wren merely smiling slyly at him, a wink following afterwards before he turned to look at the map again.

  "Did he just... hint he knows about my amnesia?" Jonath thought to himself dumbfounded within yet trying to keep the calmness he always portrayed on the surface. "How did he... who is this guy?" The questions vibrantly swirled around the inner workings of his consciousness. However he quickly calmed himself down when out the corner of his eye he saw Liariana glancing at him examining his reaction to those cryptic words. The exchange only brief, the Yelkath returning to look at the map as well without any comments or remarks on the brief conversation that had just happened.

  "Regardless of all that, you two will be tasked with going within this temple ruin within the next couple of days. During the time before your departure you are free to request any necessities you believe you may need for your venture. Weapons, magic scrolls or temporary spell tomes or even Phoenix feathers are yours for suggestion. The Group will handle all expenses and you won't have to reimburse us as long as you complete the goals assigned. A fair trade won't you agree?" Wren asked looking up from the table to the both of them. Jonath canting his head in thought, that was rather shocking yet at the same time unexpected... Still, to think that they'd willingly pay for weapons and materials just to get this temple raided by two people was something Jonath felt uneasy with. What was so important down there that they'd go this far for it?

  "Will we be given a list of what you have in stock already to choose from?" Liariana finally said something in that serene and calm voice of hers; surprising both of the men that she actually talked. Her left bandaged over hand turning palm upwards to gesture lackadaisical as she continued with a face that portrayed nothing but apathy. "I'd prefer to use things you have in surplus over getting loaned any new items that I may have to reimburse later down the line due to its destruction." She inquired.

  As she said this Wren cocked a finger up as if he had an epiphany and snapped his fingers shortly afterwards. A thin book, roughly thirty pages in total flying off the shelf from behind him and into her hands upon which she snagged out the air effortlessly. Another copy soon flying into Jonath's as well, his right hand withdrawing from the pocket to catch the book. It was plain silver on its covers with a simple word 'Dossier' written across the upper part in red letters.

  "This dossier details all we have in stock that we are willing to just hand away for no charge to our contractors. Most of it is rusty weapons, half used spell tomes and trinkets and the like. I'd highly recommend for this assignment you use new equipment though." Wren tossed his hands up chuckling at the two. "But of course you both are Nightborn so I'd assume you'll be using your powers more so than any materialistic things given to you anyway so it hardly matters right?" He mused. The books collapsing into a veil of colorless Mana and shifting into a metallic cube easily capable of being stashed in a pocket. "Just say 'release' to the cube when you want it to revert back to a book when you want. Say 'collapse' when you want it to compress." He informed. Both stuffing the cubes into their pockets and turning back to give Wren their attention.

  "So for a recap, we are to after putting in a request and receiving our items, head into the forest to the location given, explore the temple with no knowledge of what's inside with you relying only on our intuition to succeed and lastly retrieve anything of value we find at the heart of the ruin?" Liariana's words despite how disbelieving they sounded at face value, showed zero concern through her tone. Wren smugly nodding and chuckling as he responded.

  "Correct, I hope that isn't a problem for you? This is a contract you two as outsiders of the Group signed up for. There's no rules saying everything had to be regarded for your safety. The rewards for success will be worth the troubles I assure." His wo
rds were confidant and unlike the shakiness Jonath disliked from before. That last part being the one thing that made Jonath begrudgingly want to try to pull this off... A reward worth his troubles. Maybe that reward, was a step closer to him finding out about himself; especially considering this man seemed to hint he knew about Jonath's amnesia. Pale eyes narrowing in quiet contemplation, the entire ordeal was rather sharp in decisions... Jonath initially just wanted a random safe job to complete, but now he was wrapped in something bigger than he'd hoped with a reward that seemed all the more enticing. The question that remained however...

  Was this obscurity and conjecture worth him risking his life over it? To hold onto a thread tossed to him by this man and his cryptic words that reeled him into a life he never knew of? Was it worth it? Did he really need to remember his past or find out what this potential Wren talked about in him was this way?

  His mind suddenly recalled those words written on that tree with his amnesia, the chains that had bound and broken from him and finally... those sights he'd seen when the bell had rung and he'd been swallowed up by darkness. After a long moment of thinking, Jonath couldn't just brush off those strange happenings as random encounters...