by Justin Parks
Chapter 4
Eden
Khronus and Jin continued down the hill to the small village. It was strange. The architecture looked like a cluster of different eras. Large farm fields were visible on the side of the village as well as various brick houses that were clustered together on the road. It looked like they’d gone back in time, but there were signs of modern technology. In the center, there was a large inn and a few small shops. The buildings were all dark with the exception of the inn. The two continued up the road to the two-story building with a stone chimney and a large covered porch. As they stepped onto the porch and opened the door, a bell rang. The door led into a large room where a man sat at a desk across from the door. To the left were some stairs over an opening leading to a kitchen; to the right was a fire place surrounded by various comfortable-looking chairs. It had an old timey feel to it, but there was electric lighting and a phone on the desk.
The man at the desk was leaning back in his chair. He seemed to have nodded off, but the sound of the bell woke him up. “Ahh . . .” he said with a yawn. “Welcome. How can I help you folks?”
“Yes, sir, we will require lodging for the night,” Khronus answered.
“Ah, yes. Just passing through I suppose,” the man answered as he reached under the desk and pulled out a couple of keys. “Here you go,” he said, handing keys to both Khronus and Jin. “Your rooms are the first two doors at the top of the stairs,” he explained, pointing the way.
Khronus reached into his pocket, pulled out a couple of gold coins, and laid it on the desk. “This should cover our lodging.”
The man’s eyes lit up. “Sir,” he said. “This is far too much,” he continued, stumbling over his words.
“No, I think it is just enough,” Khronus responded with a smile.
The man was very happy. “Thank you, kind sir. I will see that my wife prepares you a grand meal tomorrow,” he said with praise.
“That sounds great,” Khronus responded. “Now come along, Jin. It’s been a big day; let’s get some rest,” he said as the two made their way up the stairs. They entered a hallway lined with doors on each side. Khronus took the first door on the left and Jin took the one on the right. Before entering his room, Khronus stopped and turned to Jin. “Sleep well,” he said, tipping his hat.
“Yeah, you too,” Jin responded before he walked into his room. It had a desk and a chair on one side. A small mirror hung on the wall next to a window, and a bed was nestled in the corner. Jin was more exhausted then he realized. Kicking off his shoes, he fell onto the bed and placed his arms behind his head, lying back on his pillow.
Jin stayed awake for a while. Wow, how did I end up here? It feels like a lot has happened, but not a lot of time has passed, he thought, as endless questions ran through his head. Too many questions. It’s going to take some time to adjust to this, he determined with a sigh. At least it’s not boring, he surmised with a smile before he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Morning slowly crept up as sunlight stretched over Jin’s face, awaking him from a restful sleep. He slowly opened his eyes and yawned. Jin rubbed his eyes and laid back for a bit. After a while, he finally got the energy to hobble out of bed and make his way to the door where suddenly, he inhaled the aroma of food. Jin’s stomach growled as his mouth began to water.
Jin looked down the hall to see the inn keeper. “Good morning, young man. You can go on downstairs. My wife has prepared a big breakfast for you.”
“Okay, thank you,” Jin replied as he went downstairs to the kitchen. He walked in to see a woman in the kitchen preparing food. As Jin approached, she turned to face him with a generous smile.
“Good morning,” she said, pointing over to the table. “Sit, please. Sit,” she said in a cheery manner as she ushered Jin into his seat. The woman had a very warm presence about her. She was very kind and was smiling as she set out a plate and cup for Jin. She filled his glass and covered his plate with various foods that Jin had never seen before.
It smelled good, so Jin took a bite. The woman watched him, seeking his approval. He began to eat and smiled in approval. It was very good. The woman smiled with delight as Jin enjoyed his meal. As he finished eating, he began to wonder where Khronus was. “Should I go wake up Khronus?” Jin asked.
“Master Khronus . . . he’s already eaten. He didn’t want to wake you,” the woman explained. “He left to see the village elder,” she said, pointing outside.
“Why did he do that?” Jin asked.
“Well, we were talking about a problem the people in the village have been having recently. He offered to help us and went to see the elder to get more information. He said I should send you along once you finished your meal,” she said as she picked up his empty plate.
“Where is the elder’s house?” Jin asked.
“Just go out the front, take a right, and follow the road all the way down,” she explained as she mimed the directions with her hands. “The elder’s house is at the end of the road. You can’t miss it,” she said with a reassuring smile.
“Then I guess I’ll be on my way. Thanks for breakfast,” Jin said as he got up and walked to the door.
“You’re welcome, honey. Bye, bye,” she said, waving as Jin walked out the door. He looked around. The town seemed to be awake now. Children were playing in the street and various people were walking around.
Jin made his way down the road until he reached the elder’s house. He knocked on the door, stood there for a moment, and waited. After a moment, he heard a muffled voice from inside say, “Come on in.” It was Khronus, so Jin opened the door and peeked inside. Khronus was seated across the table from an older man, which Jin figured was the elder. The two men turned and looked at Jin. “Have a seat,” Khronus said, motioning Jin toward a chair. Jin walked up and sat down.
The three focused their attention on the conversation. “Now where were we?” Khronus began. “Ahh, yes. So what is this problem you were telling me about?” he asked the elder.
“As I was saying, this village has been having some trouble recently. We do a large deal of business with the market in the town to the west,” the elder explained. “However, a strange beast has recently appeared and has been attacking people on the road. Now we can’t trade with them. Everyone’s too scared to make the trip since the last caravan never returned. We sent word to the Eastern Academy, but I haven’t heard from them yet,” he continued.
Khronus tapped his cane on the floor as his eyes drifted off in deep thought. “Hmm, I figured as much. Sounds like a kami,” he said.
Jin sat in silence, letting this new information sink in.
The elder sat with a desperate look on his face. “So will you help us?” the elder asked.
“Yes, I will help you,” Khronus said as he sat and began to think. “You said you haven’t been to market for a while now?”
The elder nodded in response.
“Well, my companion and I are heading west. You can have your people gather their caravan. We will accompany it, and when the kami attacks, I will take care of it,” Khronus said as he looked up to the elder. “Does that sound acceptable?”
“Yes,” the elder said graciously. He stood and began to hobble to the door. “I shall make preparations immediately. You will be able to head out this afternoon,” he explained as he made his way outside.
“So what’s a kami?” Jin asked.
“Kami are magical creatures,” Khronus explained. “They are created by magical distortions. The distortions cause magick to pool together. The magick will then take form and become a living being. These creatures are often crazed and power-hungry. They attack people and are regarded as monsters,” he explained.
Jin raised his hand. “Wait. Wait. Wait. . . Monsters? You mean like for real monsters? Like grr,” Jin questioned doing his monster imitation.
“Yes, well a bit more intimidating than that, but yes. As ayos it’s our duty, among other things, to destroy these monsters.
” Khronus answered.
Jin sat in shock letting it sink in. “So wizards fight monsters? Like a full on, real life videogame?”
“A what game?” Khronus asked confused.
ToC
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