Chapter 2

“Snap…Crackle…Pop…” the fire went.

Markie and William sat around the campfire attempting to stay warm from the frigid weather.

“Just who were those ninjas back there?” questioned the concerned Master Swovinta.

“My guess that they were henchmen sent by the Marquelli family to capture you. They might be creating the ultimate sword for their own evil plans. We need to a sharp eye out for any henchmen that maybe after us” replied William Victorouge. The two men took off their gloves and place their hands by the fire. It was dusk and chilly.

“Tweet…Tweet” sang the bird.

It was just the crack of dawn and the sun was just coming over the horizon. They sky was deep blue and snow shimmer in the light. William got up early to prepare their route to the next village.

“Master Swovinta! Wake up! Master Swovinta!” William yelled in a loud wispher.

“Unn…what time is it.”

“It appears to be around 7:30,” responded William as he checked the location of the sun in the sky. “We have to get going as the next village is a long way from here.”

“Alright,” replied Markie as he struggled to move his stiff body. Markie walked slowly towards William as he lifted up his arms to stretch out and to loosen his body tension. “Ah, that is much better. This is my first experience in sleeping in a cave. Not as bad as I imagined.”

“Let’s go now” commanded William while he walked back to the main road.

“Wait up!” The main road was muddy and started to become worst due to the melted snow. Walked was becoming a hassle for both Markie and William as the mud was sticking to their boots.

“This is going to be a loooonng treck” sighed Markie.

“It will be” replied William. They both continue to walk down the road for a few hours till a small caravan came by.

“Do you young men need a lift?” offered the old man in the wooden wagon.

“Definitely! This mud is getting to us” replied William.

“Well hop on!” Markie and William boarded the wagon from the back.

“This is way more convenient than trudging through that mud. It’s like it was going to swallow us whole” commented Markie.

“Where are you guys heading?” questioned the old man.

“We are on our way to Whey-Mokni. ‘The Village of What’” replied William.

“Great! That is one of my rest stops.” The caravan moved forwards and the ride to the village was long and bumpy.

“So just who are are you old man?” asked William.

“My name is Camadia Sutmo and my work is in farming but I trade my goods also. Mayifa-Tici is my final destination.”

“It is capital of Byzintonia!”

“Yes. It is where I get the most business.”

“I hear that Mayifa-Tici is the biggest city in Byzintonia. The government keeps it really clean and the city is structured really well” said Markie excitedly.

“It is very clean and organized but due to its sheer size you still can get lost in the city” replied Camadia.

“It can be fun to get lost in the city. I’m sure there are many things you can see and do. I hear they have a shop of every little thing there. It must be nice to get everything at one place” said Markie ecclesiastically.

“However it is very expensive to live there” interjected William.

“It sure is but it is a great trading center as everyone across Byzintonia goes to Mayifa-Tici to trade their goods. Some traders have some really exotic merchandise that you can’t find anywhere else” added Camadia.

“But there are some villages so close to the city that they are like a 5 to 10 minute walk and they are not too expensive to live there.”

“Looks like we are getting closer to the village” called out Camadia. The caravan stopped in front of the sign that divide the split road. The right arrow had Whey-Mokni engraved in it while the left arrow had Santi Forest. “Just a few more minutes till we reach your destination” said Camadia as he steered his donkey to the right. “So what business do you have there?”

“We are just looking for some friends of minds” replied William. “They have transportation we need to get to places.”

“You look very familiar” said Camadia as his wrinkled fingers pointed at Markie. “Are you the famous Master Swovinta?”

“Yes?” responded Markie as he looked at William.

“Oh! It’s an honor to meet your acquaintance. You are well known everywhere. There are some merchants that I know who sells your sword.”

“That’s good to know but we are keeping a low profile on Master Swovinta for his own safety” interjected William. “There are some unfriendly foes that are after his life and I’m here to give him some protection. This is for your own safety also.”

“No problem. I’m not a big fan to get in between quarrels. I like to stick to just to my problems as I have enough on my plate.” responded Camadia playfully. “We are almost at Whey-Mokni. Once I dropped you off it will be like we never even met!” winked Camadia.

“Thanks you Mr. Sutmo. We appreciate what you are doing. You are risking your life by taking us here.”

“Just being a helpful citizen. Here we are.” Camadia caravan stopped at the front gates of Whey-Mokni. “Have a safe trip and good luck on your journey.”

“Thanks for the ride Mr.Sutmo!” exclaimed Markie.

“Anytime! Anytime!” Camadia caravan began its journey to its next destination. Markie and William entered the ‘Village of Wheat’-Whey Mokni.

“Do you think we can trust Mr. Sutmo?” questioned Markie as they strolled down the busy main street.

“I do not know but trust no one” replied William. William lifted up his hood to cover his face. “Stay close to be” William commanded as they both entered the Town Inn.

“Alright,” quietly responded Markie. There was a lot of people in the inn and most of them were staring at them with a curious face. William strolled up to the receptionist.

“May I speed to Hukoni Samzi?”

“He is in room 10 on the 2^nd floor,” replied the receptionist.

“Thank You.” William walked up the stairs next to the receptionist desk. Markie followed William quietly with his big coat lifted to cover his mouth. After walking a couple flight of stair they reached the 2^nd floor. The pair walked down the sunlit corridor carefully.

“Room 6,…8,…10. Here we are” William comment quietly. He lifted up his hand and knocked on the door.

“Knock…Knock…Knock”

The door slowly opened with only an eye looking at them through the crack.

“Password please,” questioned the figure.

“Chicken toes on the run,” responded Markie.

“Cone in.” William and Markie entered the room quietly.

“Nice it see you again Mr. William.”

“Same to you Hukoni,” replied William. “ Oh, Yeah! Master Swovinta, please meet my friend and guardian Hukoni Samzi.”

“Ah! The famous Master Swovinta. It is a pleasure to meet you in person,” said Hukoni in a surprising tone.

“My friend here will be assisting us in protecting you. He has mastered all the royal army’s maneuvers and tactics. Huknoi has helped me through thick and thin. We must now get down to business.” William said in a stern voice. “As you are all aware, the Marquelli family is after Master Swovinta. We need as many people assisting us to protect him at all cost. You received the plans Hukoni correct?”

“I have and currently an getting some of my old friends together to assemble a small army. I have already sent a letter to them with some important information. However part of the letter does not tell the whole story as I am cautious if one of them did join the Marquelli family.”

“Good, Now we need to activate phase three.”

“Phase Three?” questioned Markie.

“We must stock up on supplies before we can venture further on this journey.”

“Knock…Knock…” from the door.

“Hide. Quickly” whispered Hukoni, “ Who is it?”

“The mailman.”

“Please leave the mail outside my door. Thanks!”

A soft thump was heard and then footstep fading away in the corridor. Hukoni opened his door, quickly picked up the letters and then close the door. Hukoni went through all his letters and sorted out all the ones that his friends answered.

“It seems like 10 of my friends replied.” Hukoni flipped through to find that three of the envelopes were decorated in ornate designs. The letter in each one was made of high quality paper and the written print explained that they were hired by the Marquelli family. They were not able to help him.

“This is a bad sign. They might be able to track us down.” said the concerned Willaim.

“Do not fret William. My letters only mentioned me and no one else. I’m going to open the other letters now.” Huknoi picked up a green tinted envelope with the address from Mait Smyter. He opened the envelope and began to interpret the letter

            “Dear Hukoni Samzi,

I have much to write to you however I must keep this short. I am being chased after by the Marquelli family goons. I will accept your request to join you on your journey. We may succeed this way. We shall meet up at Mosi-Tytos.

Your Friend,

Mait Smyters”

“It seems like my friend is in trouble. This is bad news. At least I know that he is in safe. I see the passcode, my letter got to him safely,” said William.

“We better speed up our plans William,” said Hukoni.

“Yes, there’s not much time.”

“Is there anything I can do?” questioned Markie.

“There is one thing you can do. Just keep yourself safe and out of danger. Be ready at any time since there may be a sudden change to our situation.”

Hukoni and William went around the room packing anything that was needed. Food, drinks, bandages and other essentials that is important for the trip ahead. Markie was seated by the bead watching the mobbing happening.

“Packed the weapons and have the directions?” asked William.

“Yep! Have the warm jackets and food?” replied Hukoni.

“I have that along with matches and oil.”

“Good, I got us a caravan. It is waiting for us downstairs.”

“Let’s go! Master Swovinta we got everything we need. Please follow up,” said William. Hukoni, Master Swovinta and William exited the room, down the stairs and out the front door.

“Board the caravan. I’ll drive.” said Hukoni.

“Alright. Sit here Maskter Swovinta,” said William as he and Markie jumped on.

“Hiya!” exclaimed Hukoni as he whipped the horses and the van made its way out of the city. “We have a long way to go before we reach our next destination. You better get some rest.”

“Alright,” said Marki. He rolled up his bag to form a pillow to place his head on. He then past out.

“This will be a long trip my friend,” commented William.

“I know but we must save the world.”

“Yes, we will have to save the world.”

“Master Swovinta!! Master Swovinta!!!”

“Whaaaat?” yelled out Markie as he wiped his eyes.

“It’s time to get up,” said William.

“Aaauuh,” complained Markie as he struggled to get up. “Where are we?”

“We are now in Mosi-Tytos, ‘The Village of Spells.’ We are meeting up with Hukoni good friend Mait.”

“You mean the guy from the letter?”

“Yep. The same person.”

Markiet got up and stretched his back and arms, “What a sleep that was! Hey, there’s no snow here and the weather is quite nice.”

“Yes, it is warmer. We are now out of the ice part of the country.”

“Ice part of the country? I thought the entire country was all cold,” questioned Markie.

“There are 3 parts of Byzintonia. They are Fire, Ice and Nature areas. At this moment Nature has the largest land mass. Unknown to why this happens but the Ice, Fire and Nature territory changes every year and sometimes every month!”

“Interesting… I wonder why the land or the environment does that. Which area are we in now?”

”   We are currently in Fire. It is part of the reason why the weather here is currently really warm. I think where we are in the perfect location but the center of the Fire area is not where one would want to stay for too long.”

“I’m guessing that it is really hot there.”

“Yea it is. It is the hottest part of the area. People die just traveling there.”

“That’s gotta hurt!” jest Markie.

“They died. We better get going. Hukoni and Mait are waiting for us in a small cottage in town. We need to discuss on how me we can get to other Hukoni’s friends.”

“Alright.” William and Markie got off the caravan and started walking towards the village. William was snaking in and out of buildings. They pasted an inn, a shop and many different cottages. The village was busy with all the villagers going on with their business. Kids were running around a fountain and adults performing their daily chores.

“Here we are!” said William. They both stopped in front of a one level cottage with a big fluffy hay roof. “Here is where Mait been staying.” William opened the door and entered with Markie closely following behind. The cottage was spacious inside with wooden couches with cushions by the window.

Markie was amazed at how the interior was decorated as it was foreign to him. “Wow, this is so cool!”

“Glad you like it,” said a voice. A tall figure came out from the shadows. “Hi, I’m Mait Smyters. It is an honor to meet you Master Swovinta.”

“No, it’s an honor to meet you Mr. Smyters. You are one of Hukoni’s close friends,” responed Master Swovinta.

“Thank you. My friend Mait has been explaining to me the current situation. I have decided to join William’s journey to craft the ultimate sword. We have 6 more of Hukoni’s friends to retrieve. Those Marqullis seem to be really busy lately.”

“It seems like they have knowledge about our movements. They are trying to prevent us from achieving our goal in destroying theirs,” replied William.

“We better stock up before we go find my other friends. I have finished reading all of the letters. One of my friends has been captured. The others are currently hiding in different villages. We need to go to Yaio, Zceitx, Maosi, Pyoto and Ealoie. We will be going to Maosi, ‘The Village of Soup’ since it is just an hour ride from here. We need to go,” explained Hukoni.

“Yes, time is of the essence,” agreed William. The group walked out of the home.

“Master Swovinta, you will come with me to go grocery shopping. Mait, you will go get some traveling gear and Hukoni, go the armory and blacksmith to purchase some weapons. Ready… Go!” exclaimed William. Everyone had their hands together lifting them towards the sky as quickly as they can. They all scattered in different directions.

“Where’s the item shop?” inquired Markie.

“It is the middle of town near an inn,” replied William. William began to walk into town with Markie following him closely behind.  They kept walking till they reached the center of town. There lay a marble water fountain with the water glistening in the sunlight. Markie was stunned at the structure and design. William continues to walk around the fountain and making a left turn. There in front of them was an inn. William looked to his right and left locating the item shop which was across a building next to the inn. There were no signs up to indicate that it was a place that sold items but the window displayed had a variety of objects that one may use on their journey. William grabbed the maple wood door and entered.

“Welcome to Mosi-Tytos Item shop! How may I be of service?” said the enthusiastic shop keeper. We looked around the store. The shelves were stuffed with goodies such as bread, cups, water, fruits and other edible treats.

“I would like 20 small containers of water, 15 full bags of bread, 50 packs of bandages, 2 bottles of healing elixir, a bag of herbs and 4 iron cups,” said William as the shop keeper went to retrieve all of the items requested.

“That will be 25,115 gold pieces.”

William took out his change purse and handed the shop keeper the gold coins.

“That’s a lot stuff isn’t it?” asked Markie.

“It is enough to where we’re going,” replied William as he lifted up 5 bags filled with essentials off the floor. “Take a bag Master Swovinta,” requested William as he handed Markie a bag.”

“OOF! This is heavy,” complained Markie.

“Let’s head out.”

“Have a nice day!” said the cheery shop keeper as the two exited.

“Alright, time to go back to the house.” The two walked back to the cottage and Hukoni and Mait were already waiting for them in front.

“We have to leave now. When I was at the blacksmiths, I spotted a Marqulli sentinel strolling around town. I was able to get short knives, an exile broadsword, katannas, steel swords and a crystal sword before he was able to spot me.

“Thanks Hukoni. How about you Mait?”

“I was able to get some coats, five blankets, four pairs of mittens, lots of socks, four easy wear vest and four fabric hats.”

“Alrighty, I think we are ready to head out for Maosi.”

“What’s the point of having all this warm gear if we are in the Fire area?” questioned the annoyed Markie.

“The quickest route to Maosi is through the Ice area. Maosi itself it in the Ice area however the land from here to Maosi is active. This mean the Ice is moving towards the Fire area,” replied William.

“Ah ok. Sorry for all these questions!” smiled Markie.

“Everyone placed their goods into the caravan with Mait placing an emergency bag in a hidden compartment. Their next stop is, Maosi “The Village of Soup.”