Log 6:
Date: July 6th, 2190 I.C.
Time: 09:04
Location: Imperium City Adventurer’s Guild
I sat in the break room, staring at the letter, Imperial Decree, right before me. The red Sigil with a target symbol shaped as two concentric circles separated by a blank space in between. Its circles blink to a rhythmic cadence in its rhombus.
I fetched myself a styrofoam cup and fill it up with cold water from the automatic water dispenser while considering the possible reasons why the Emperor would want to summon me. What made me so important that the Emperor would issue an Imperial Decree?
Plus, that cheeky note at the end. It was definitely the Emperor’s informal handwriting. Terrible as always if I had to say so myself.
Not many people knew this about the Emperor but besides his immaculate cursive, his regular handwriting was abysmal. It was barely legible. I’m not too sure why he won’t just use cursive but he insists that it serves as a way for him to separate work matters from life matters.
Time passed and the red target Sigil turned a fluorescent green, indicating that my escort had arrived.
I picked up my bag from my unstable plastic seat and marched out the back door. I was hit by a ray of sunlight in my eyes. Using my hand to deflect the blinding ray, I was finally able to make out a few things.
A sleek black Hackney was parked just a few yards from the door. Its long pristine body was so glossy that it actually bent the sunlight in my direction. I walk around the Hackney, admiring it for a moment when I come across a familiar metal emblem on the back of the vehicle. There were three mountains, each one staggered in front of the other. The middle one, also the tallest, was covered in what seemed to be snow formed by the metal used to create the emblem.
Bang.
I heard one of the doors to the Hackney slams shut, startling me. The feeling of being inside a private vehicle was something I could not get used to.
“Would you stop staring at the car?” I hear a cold voice coming from outside of the Hackney.
I retrace my steps to the back door of the Adventurer’s Guild where I had come face-to-face with a rather stern-looking man about 70 inches in height. His slanted pitch-black eyes pierced through my soul as if he could read me like an open book. His skin was slightly paler than my own but his black suit and mantle speckled with silver emphasized his features, giving him an appearance that most girls would drop dead for. To me though, he just had an aura that screamed posh, especially his crisp black hair that was gelled back in that classic CEO fashion. Other than that, I didn't feel any sort of attraction.
I bow down, taking a quick glance at his pin which had the same three mountains as the car logo but that wasn’t necessary.
I knew very well who he was, that stern-looking handsome man before me.
“I greet the Duke of Lengeheim, Alan Lengeheim.”
>>>
Alan Lengeheim was the young Duke of the Lengeheim Duchy. He was also my classmate back during my Academy days. We shared multiple classes together but our relationship was that of acquaintances. He was infamous for being unapproachable and cold which appealed to many girls in the Academy since he was ‘mysterious’. In reality, he just had extreme social anxiety and is bad at expressing himself.
I only came to figure it out during my last year at the Academy when I asked to borrow a pencil from him and he nearly jumped out of his seat, unsure of how to respond.
Upon graduating, inherited the position of Duke of Lengeheim as his father, which the previous Duke wanted but was shortly given an offer by the Third Prince, Alistar Lorain, to become his Advisor. Since the two of them were buddies back at the Academy, Alan did not decline his offer and became his right-hand man. I have not spoken with Alan since graduation but to see him in the flesh a year and a half later feels weird. He’s almost become a different person, the domineering Duke of Lengeheim that everyone expected he would become.
To think he was back in Imperium City so quickly after dealing with the FESC. Well, I guess the FESC was the least of his concerns with this mass dungeon outbreak stuff happening.
>>>
“Come on,” the scary Duke moved out of the way, his mantle following the flow of his movements, indicating for me to enter the cabin in all gentlemen's fashion. “The Emperor awaits your arrival.”
I nodded and obediently entered the Hackney. The inside was even more extraordinary than the outside. Lights and speakers powered by Ether decorated the ceilings and doors of the cabin. Long black leather seats line the walls. There was even a cooler to store beverages and a miniature cupboard for snacks. A retractable wall separated the driver’s compartment from the passenger's compartment offering some privacy. No, I don’t mean privacy for that purpose you dirty-minded hooligans out there. Nevertheless, the entire Hackney was just full of luxuries I could probably never obtain in my life.
I took my seat closest to the opposite door while the Duke situated himself towards the door where he let me enter. The both of us stayed one seat away from each other making clear our personal space bubbles.
With the simultaneous clicks of our seatbelts, the Hackney made it to the Royal Palace located in the Royal Court, the center of Imperium City.
There was an awkward silence between us but that was to be expected since we haven’t talked to each other in more than a year.
“I see you’ve become a Receptionist.” Alan shockingly broke the silence. His head turned towards his respective window.
“Surprised?” I asked folding my arms.
“A little.” He replied curtly his response sending daggers down my spine. “It’s a waste of your talent.”
A small smile formed on my face but deep down, those words tugged at my heart.
“I wanted to do something more relaxing. The frontlines aren’t for me.”
“I beg to differ,” Alan said, folding his hands together. “You had the skills to become a General even a 7-Star Adventurer. Everyone knew that.”
Alan was more talkative than I was used to.
It was strange.
“Well, that’s what I’m doing. What about you? How does it feel to be the Duke of Lengehiem?”
Alan folded his hands together. The Hackney smoothly passes through Trine Passing. The sight of cable cars passing next to us to the point where I felt like I could touch them with my fingertips.
“Expected.” He responded flatly. “However, Brandon handles the Duchy mostly since I’m left to assist the Third Prince. He hasn’t changed, Alistar, that is.”
I stifle a laugh, agreeing with the Duke’s statement.
“Quite the character ain’t he? He gets it from the Emperor.”
Alan chuckled. His laugh was almost as rare as Blank’s if not rarer.
“Birds of a feather. Like father, like son.”
“Are you still fighting? At the walls, I mean?”
“Sparingly,” Alan spoke in his dull tone. “Every here and there as stress relief. Sometimes I regret becoming the Prince’s Advisor.”
I could see the dark bags under his eyes, he was completely drained from work.
“If anyone else heard you say that, they’d strangle you. Your position is what everyone dreams of having.”
He scoffed.
“Kill me please.”
“No can do.” I jokingly refused. “If you’re gone then who’s going to prevent Alistar from his shenanigans?”
“Hailey, perhaps?”
“That’s a dangerous thought.” I snigger. “Hailey might end him instead. We don’t want to see his dead body in the news.”
“I’ve been meaning to inquire, but how exactly do you know the Emperor? Not many people besides the Royals and Parliament know what he looks like.”
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you another time. But the short answer is you can think of him as my godfather. I think Alistar told you at some point.”
Alan’s body shot up like a stick. His head swiftly turned to his window. I could tell that he was ashamed for not listening. I mean, it’s understandable considering that half of what Alistar says is nonsense. However, the Duke being so tense in front of me, different than his usual stern appearance on the Tabloids, was kind of funny. It’s as they say, everyone has a public persona but around people you know, your true self comes out.
Alan kept his poker face out in public but with friends and close acquaintances, he’s quite timid and gets disappointed when he misses out on important information about them.
“It’s okay, Alan,” I reassured him. “It’s easy to forget these things when they’re only mentioned once.”
His once composed face now flushed red.
“But I’m sad I didn’t pay attention to it.”
It took a couple of minutes for Alan to recover from breaking his composure in front of me. By that time the Hackney pulled up to the iron gates of the Royal Court. Tens of guards clad in thin silver armor, standing only a few yards from each other staring menacingly at the Hackney, ready to attack the moment they sense a shred of hostility. Despite how low and defenseless the gates appeared, they were actually engraved with thousands of complicated Uncials that acted as a security measure against intruders.
If one stepped into the Royal Court without special permission, these Uncials would activate and decimate the person on the spot in one of its ten thousand ways. It would be near impossible to survive an attack activated by the Uncials but even if by some miracle one survived, the guards would eliminate them and each guard could go toe to toe with a 6-Star Adventurer.
>>>
Uncials, also known as Runes, are another type of application of Arcmagia. Unlike Sigils, Uncials are engraved onto a medium using Ether whereas Sigils don’t require a medium to be used. In essence, Uncials are a specific kind of Sigil. Some common mediums where Uncials are engraved include wood, iron, coal, and mythril. In the past, their main application was to enhance weapons but today, they are used to craft virtually everything today. For instance, In my Liaiser there are thousands of different Uncials carved into it to make it function. From simple things such as checking the time or sending a message, Uncials were required in order for those functions to be executed.
>>>
As the guard walked over to the back of the Hackney, Alan pulled down his window holding up his identification card. His classic stern appearance and narrowed black eyes darker than the night sky caused the guard to flinch.
“My apologies, Duke of Lengeheim.”
“No need,” Alan replied gesturing to me with his hand. “Do you need her identification?”
The guard leaned over, staring at me through his visor which blended in with his helmet.
“Ah, Miss Rai!” The guard exclaimed as if knowing exactly who I was. “We’ve been informed of your arrival.”
I held out the letter I received earlier, the wax royal symbol as clear as day. It never hurts to be too safe. The guard tipped his helmet, verifying our identities and that we were okay to proceed into the Royal Court. The iron gates opened up slowly as the guards standing in front of it moved out of the way, indicating we could proceed.
“Thank you.” He said before signaling to the other guards with his two fingers to open the gates. “Enjoy your visit to the Royal Court.”
“Gladly.”
The Hackney rolled past the iron gates. It was slow which only hastened my anxiety. It’s been a while since I last visited the Royal Court but I didn’t think I would be called back to it.
"You seem to be popular in the Royal Court despite not being a Noble," Alan observed rolling up the window. "Is it because of Alistar?"
"No. It's for a bunch of other reasons.” While I did know the Emperor, that fact remained a secret amongst a few people, the Duke included. However, I’ve also known Alistar for a long time and that was common knowledge. Hence the Duke must’ve thought because of my relationship with Alistar, I must’ve been invited to the Royal Court frequently via Alistar’s invitations even if they were to meet the Emperor. Yet, that was far from the truth. “There's a lot of things you don't know about me, Alan."
Alan furrowed his brows, realizing that the person in front of him was not the Arian he thought he knew.
"I suppose so."
