The City of Ionia

A handful of us gathered around the table. No one smiled, joked, or showed any life. Everyone was stoned-faced, as if emotion didn’t exist. Ruby’s abrupt emergency meeting could have been part of the reason.

We were up before the birds. The sun was still yet to shine. It’s only been a few days since my return. What a pain.

Ruby’s hands were in their iconic position. “Apologizes for the meeting, but we have something important to discuss.”

Alexious yawned, complaining about his headache. Apparently, he drank a little too much last night.

“Alex,” Nadia said, “If Ruby summoned us at this time, surely it would have to be significant.”

He slumped on the chair, picking his fingernails. “Pretend I’m not here.”

“Alex—!”

“Let him be,” Ruby interrupted. His squad isn’t going to be tasked. The same goes for Lex. They’re here just to be informed. What I have to say is directed at you three.”

“Don’t put me in the spotlight. I haven’t even done my hair.”

“Harley, I don’t think anyone cares.” Ruby cleared her throat. “Anyway, scouts found something that must be taken care of A-S-A-P. Bandits have seized a remote village by the name of Qualic. It may not be our concern, considering it’s well beyond our radius. However, the bandits who took control of the village are led by Zen.”

“Zen?!” Harley’s fingers fidgeted over the table. Her disgusted voice painted an outline of the situation.

“As in the former leader of the Three Heads of Despair? That Zen?” His name also shook Nadia.

“Correct. We should approach the situation—”

“Quick question.” Everyone’s eyes turned towards me. Ruby allowed me to speak, and I asked, “How did our scouts go all the way to Qualic? It’s isolated and out of our reach, so how did we get this information?”

“Traveling merchants. Words spread around like wildfire. Zen is a well-known criminal. It’s not a name people casually throw around. I asked a merchant I’m close with to verify the rumors, which he confirmed true.”

Nadia wasn’t too happy. “You sent a merchant on a death mission?”

“I gave him extra compensation. They’ll do anything for money. Besides, Zen has too much respect for merchants. He considers them a ‘staple of society.’ He wouldn’t do anything to a merchant.”

“Probably because he’s one himself.”

Harley hissed at Nadia’s comment. “Since when are human traffickers considered merchants?”

Lex and Alexious chuckled at Harley’s response. They always found light no matter the circumstance.

“Sounds like you don’t need us, so we’re gonna head out.”

“Thanks for waking me up early.”

The two left the tent without batting an eye back.

Seriously, how were they squad leaders?

“Let’s get back to business.” Ruby didn’t skip a beat. “Zen’s been incognito for years, so it’s strange why he invaded a village.”

“Like living in the shadows,” I asked.

“Exactly. It’s been over a decade since the last time I heard his name, around the time I joined the Bariac Cult.”

Nadia pitched in. “He left the Three Heads of Despair long before, correct?”

“Yes, though it’s unknown why he left. I assume greed had something to do with it. He’s an intelligent businessman with a drive for money. Something incredibly valuable lies at Qualic. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a reason to conquer a remote village.”

Nadia and I verbally agreed. Harley, however, was in her own world. Her eyes intensely stared at the round table as if she could see the tiny particles that made up the wood. Her mouth was partly open, and her fingers continued to fidget on her lap.

I gently shook her, causing her soul to pop into her body. Her head darted around as if she had forgotten where she was.

“You ok?”

“Huh? Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Lying right through her teeth.

“The three of you leave in an hour. I notified half of your squad, Nadia, so there is no need to worry. Your horses should be ready by the time you guys are ready. It’s a multi-day trip, so plan accordingly.”

“I take it you’re staying here,” Nadia assumed.

“Normally, yes. However, we must improve our chances of success, so I’ll be joining.”

Nadia’s cheeks turned pink. “R-Really?” It was rare for her to stumble over words.

“Of course. I informed Randy, and he’ll lead the cult on my behalf. Now, whatever questions you have, save it for the ride. Dismissed.”

Eight of us, including myself, met at the stables. We each took our own horses and headed west. Nothing much happened. We talked, sang, laughed, ate, and basically did anything to pass the time. I knew my squadmates, so conversations flew easier. It wasn’t like they were total strangers. Day one of riding concluded. We placed our sleeping bags around the fire, keeping warm in the moist spring.

Once morning arrived, we didn’t skip a beat. There was more riding, talking, and singing, which really tested my patience. I wanted to speak with the thingy, but it would make it seem like I was speaking to myself.

I found myself trailing the pack. Everyone spoke in their own circle, including Harley, who stuck to my side for most of the ride. I could see her contagious smile spreading to the other members. She never failed to make anyone smile.

Nadia noticed me alone, stopping her horse, and waited for me to catch up.

“You’re slow.”

“Am I?”

“Are you nervous?”

I kept my face still. Why would I be anxious? I had inhumane power, putting me above everyone. I had no weakness, so why would I be anxious?

“Not really. I’m more concerned than anxious.”

She snickered. “Isn’t that the same thing?”

“Not sure. All I know is that I can’t stop asking myself one thing. We know Zen is addicted to greed. What does Qualic have that Zen wants?”

“That’s unknown. Qualic is an isolated town with very few travelers and merchants. They aren’t wealthy either, which is a head-scratcher.”

None of this made sense. Why would someone who yearns for greed infiltrate a remote town? There had to be another motive. Revenge, maybe? For fun? Doubt it. Strategic reasons? That couldn’t be it. He hadn’t shown his face for a decade till now. Maybe Qualic had something he wanted? But what? What made him come out of hibernation?

“What if we’re looking at this the wrong way? What if he’s not after money?”

“I spoke to Ruby on that subject. It’s likely, yet again, we don’t know much about Zen other than his past.”

I raised a brow. “I was never informed of his past. Care to tell?”

She said that Zen was one of the original founders of the Three Heads of Despair. He raided villages, towns, and anywhere with enough loot. It wasn’t anything unusual for a bandit group to do. What made him famous was his use of limited Ionian items. His collection was worth more than Walisburg, the capital of the outside world. His hunger to collect led him to insanity. The only thing on his mind was collecting. He couldn’t do anything but kill, collect, kill, collect. It was an endless cycle of killing and collecting. He wouldn’t let anyone use or even touch his collection. Afraid they would be stolen or even used, it drove him to a breaking point. He left the group he created to collect on his own. He kidnapped children, women, and young men and sold them into slavery just to get his hands on his desired items.

“Harley was a victim of his madness.”

“Harley?”

“Yes,” she said casually, “Ruby raided a base where Zen happened to be. He slipped away, being the only survivor. When they investigated the lower floor of the main building, they found Harley and two other young children in a cage with collars chained to their necks. Their lips were shriveled and had more bone than meat. It was a gruesome scene.”

“When was this?”

“A decade ago. That was the last time Zen was seen.”

“Were you there?”

“It was my first raid. It haunted me for some time. I eventually got over it, but just picturing that day gives me goosebumps.”

That’s why Harley tensed up when Zen’s name was mentioned. Could she possibly still resent him? I would.

“Could there be an Ionian item at Qualic?”

Nadia looked at the sky as if her mind scrambled for answers. “Ruby went over the possibilities. We highly doubt it, but it’s not impossible. But to think he came out of hiding for this? If there is an Ionian item, its value must be greater than anything seen before.”

Distress leaked from her voice. I’d never seen her as concerned as she was. Was I really supposed to be frightened to go against Zen? Someone with my capabilities and power shouldn’t be scared. They should feel enlightened. If Zen was so much of a threat, then this should be interesting.

“Our objective is to kill Zen, right?”

“Preferably not. Ideally, capturing him is our best bet. Our plan is to interrogate him and squeeze as much information as possible.”

“If there’s no other choice?”

“Where’s this excitement coming from?”

I took a light breath. “Sorry, I’m just somewhat excited going against someone threatening. It’ll put a good impression on our cult if we manage to take him out.”

Nadia smiled, which happened once every solar eclipse. “You’re showing more excitement than Harley.”

“Harley? Oh, well, she enjoys fighting at its fullest.”

No one would guess that based on her appearance.

“I’m not speaking of that. There’s a hidden purpose under this mission. Harley seeks for revenge.”

“Revenge? I never knew she carried that weight.”

“She hides it pretty well. In truth, it’s the primary reason why she joined the cult. She yearned for strength in order to brush the weight off her shoulders.”

In a sense, our reasons for joining were similar—strength to wield a blade strong enough to chop through any obstacle. Harley sought revenge, which I never really thought of.

I never considered slaying the SCAR agent for revenge. It’s always been my own desire. Revenge was never linked with it.

Why didn’t it? Whenever I imagined the SCAR agent, I never once thought of revenge. Not once. Why? The thing killed my first outside friend. So why couldn’t revenge link with it?

Was I really that selfish? No, I couldn’t be. There had to be another reason. There had to be.