Oken Rebirth: Tales of An Unknown World

CHAPTER 32: EPISTLE FROM OSIAS

We spend the rest of the day talking and getting to know each other. Elijah Asil or El Asil as he prefers to be called, is an adventurer from a faraway land tracing his lineage back to the kingdom of Rola'ac. He is twenty and skilled in almost all types of magic, ranking at level seven rank SS hero class.

I asked him about the class and he said you only have to have topped your rank and you actually have to be a hero or the title has to be bestowed upon you by a god or a king. I told him that this party was formed by yours truly after I was declared a hero two years ago by the king of Orion and after saying that he simply told me ''...someone has to ask you for your class or you have to complete a certain task for it to appear. It seems that's how it works.'' I had him ask me and sure enough, right after answering him my class appeared under my title as Orion's Hero.

He asks me how come I started the Black Dragons, but I am not the leader and I explain that the job, even for a little span, was tiring, so I quickly took on an apprentice.

"My dear friend Mihika Pollen over here," I say "and after a year I relinquished my title as the leader of the party, but stayed as its longest running member." I go even further to explain the obvious after he breaks the 'one question each' routine and I tell him the name came of my kin. "I grew up in the lands of the volcanic-black dragons with my parents being of black dragon descent or volcanic dragonkin if you will. I thought it only to be right to take on the name - it is misleading, yes, but it gets us the lure we need, both from our foes in the form of fear and to our kinfolks in the form of praise."

He bursts out laughing at my answer and then it is my turn to ask. "How did you end up having a flora spirit of Nor as your familiar?" Quickly Nia jumps and gives me an earful about her not being a familiar, she is but a consort to her master she says.

El lets out a sigh and explains. "She is in did what she says she is, not my familiar," He turns and looks at her narrowing his eyes. "She is not my familiar nor is she my consort, she is just a companion, a cohort if you will, just like you lot. I met her when I was in the Nor terrains on a quest to find the Queen Nornia of the Ogres, but I ended up being stuck with her after we got chased by a really angry horde of Ogres upon reaching the boundaries of her demesne."

Whoa, he tried to get an audience with the Queen of the ogres? This guy is really something else. "Okay then, your turn." I tell him placing my empty plate on the ground.

We long made our way back into the cavern's tunnel and now we are sitting by the camp close to the entrance. Gabriel and I moved a little further in because of the cold, he ate really fast and went to get some rest which I can't blame the champ, he has been through so much in the last nineteen days we have been here.

Neliah and Belliani make their way to Taniah after finishing their food, Po does the same and goes to Hagias' side leaving Eve, Mihika, Diana and I to converse with El.

"Hmm, okay... Um, have you noticed the messenger hawk that has been flying around the mountain all morning?" El asks his weirdest question yet. "What messenger hawk?" Mihika asks.

"That one over there. I do believe that is the insignia of the Orion kingdom, no?" He points out into the trees and I have to squint just to see what he is talking about.

Sure enough, a gray almost white magnificent winged bird stays potent on a tree branch picking at its feathers and on its chest the burning insignia of Orion. "When-when did that get there?" Eve asks getting up and making her way to get the half-man sized bird.

I didn't even notice it. I think looking at El who now has his attention elsewhere.

"It's a message from the capital." Mihika says after getting the scroll from Eve. "They request we return as soon as possible, it concerns the scroll and they wish us to escort the prince to Sin'er on his sovereign expedition and it is a direct order from the King himself."