Chapter 5: Welcome to Magna City, Part 1

“Are we… there yet? I’m so tired. My legs are giving up,” Mariana said, she bellowed an exhausted sigh.

“You have a mount, remember?…” Ignis shook his head. 

“Right…” she mumbled. Mariana was beet red when she silently hopped on her donkey and never said another word. 

Four hours.

Mariana never stopped talking for the past four hours. If they happened to be lost now, Ignis would definitely lose my cool and blame it all on her. Ignis never really had a map with him, so he was just traveling based on the previous stories the Lady of Sickle Island, the kind mistress who took him in, told him when he was young.

She said that Sickle island, where Ignis and she lived, was located southwest of Paradis. To go to the closest human dwelling, Ignis must travel south from the island and cross a small river to reach Lost Woods. From there, he could head east to Pago Village or if he wanted to see a city, he should head west instead and venture forth until he reached the walled city of Magna.

Ignis remembered himself being at a loss before since the details the Lady gave him were rather vague, but she said that the humans were too scared to explore the woods so the only road he’d find inside was the one that connected Pago Village and Magna City. True enough, Ignis never saw another path aside from where he was currently traversing. However, he had never traveled before, so they could still lose their way if he wasn’t careful. How did he become Mariana’s caretaker in the first place, again? Ignis had no clue.

Ignis took a glance at Mariana, now riding on top of her donkey beside him. There she was, thinking about something again; probably something related to his power, since that was what she asked him until Ignis’ ears almost bled. Ignis was never the type to assume what others could be thinking, but she was just like an open book, similar to that girl.

“‘She does not exist, Ignis.’”

Yes, how could Ignis forget? The Lady of Sickle’s words were always the truth. That person was just someone that existed only in his head.

“You okay, Sir Ignis?” Mariana’s face suddenly popped in front of Ignis, which made him almost jump. Mariana burst into laughter afterward. What a childish act, Ignis thought.

“I’m fine…”

Ignis paid her no attention and continued forward.

Ignis wasn’t sure how he should react to Mariana’s excessive friendliness. They literally just met yesterday.

‘Are all humans supposed to be like this? Because if this was the case, then he’d rather go back and never leave even if I die alone.’

If the Lady of Sickle didn’t teach Ignis how to be helpful to people in need, he would’ve left Mariana alone while she was fast asleep last night.

“That’s good! Then could I ask you one last time?” Mariana said with a cheeky smile.

‘Here she goes again.’

“Fine, what is it?” Ignis snorted.

“Are we still far away from Magna? I just want to know because I’m really getting worried. The sun would set any minute now, you know?” said Mariana.

Ignis let out a sigh and replied, “Pay attention to the road and you’ll know the answer…”

“What about the road?” Mariana’s eyes moved towards the road and soon enough, her lips were moving upwards.

“Hey, it isn’t dirt anymore!” Mariana instantly hopped off her mount and dashed onwards with her mount’s reins in her hand.

Moments later, Mariana’s ecstatic voice awakened the quiet surrounding, driving large groups of birds away from the tree branches they perched upon. As soon as Ignis stepped out from the last section of trees, a vast grassy slope welcomed his eyes. At the bottom of this slope, there laid a fortified stone wall that spanned across both sides. At the end of the cobblestone road, Ignis saw several people riding carts and horses lining up in front of a tall, open gate.

“Sir Ignis!” Mariana shouted from a few distances ahead, pointing toward their destination. “Is that THE Magna City?!”

The Lady of Sickle was always right, indeed, Ignis thought.

“Yes, now stop shouting…”

***

“Humph, this line is taking so long to move. I want to get in!” said Mariana. 

“We’ve been in this line for less than a minute,” Ignis said, his head shaking disappointedly.

“What, really?!”

Who could blame her? Mariana thought. She was almost in Magna city now and the only obstacle that has been separating her from getting inside was the absurdly long line in front of them.

Mariana squinted her eyes to have a peek at what was happening in the front. Some people entered without a hitch, but others were thoroughly being inspected by the armor-clad gatekeepers.

“I didn’t know the security was this tight in a city? In Pago Village, we just let people enter without much thought…” Mariana muttered to herself.

“Ah, excuse me, young lady,” said the man in front of Mariana. He was a fairly built man, despite his face showing signs he was old. He was carrying a large sack of goods on his back.

“Ah yes, how may I help you?” Mariana said. 

“You said you were from Pago Village? I’m glad you were able to pass through Lost Woods safely. I used to live there when I was young but I moved here to Magna City twenty years ago. My name’s Robert,” he said, flashing a cheerful smile.

“Oh, really?! My name’s Mariana Fairchild. I’m the daughter of Lana and the granddaughter of Marina. It’s so nice to meet you!”  

“Marina had a granddaughter? I wish we could’ve met sooner. I learned how to become a proper farmer thanks to your grandmother, so I owe her big time. How is she now, by the way, and are you together with this young gentleman?” He said, pointing his finger at Ignis with his thumb.

Ignis, meanwhile, appeared to have been listening to Mariana and Robert’s conversation for quite a while, which astonished Mariana.

“Grandma died three years ago, and yes, he’s with me, although we only met along the way.” 

“What she said was true. My name is Ignis, and I am a traveler.” Ignis bowed his head.

Mariana and Robert chatted after their introductions. Robert apologized after hearing about Mariana’s late grandmother while he also commented about how impressive Ignis was about being such a young traveler. Robert even assumed that Ignis was a noble, for he was donning a magnificent robe, but Ignis declined and just said that he received it from an old friend.

‘So he had a friend? I guess I’m not the only one willing to talk to a rock.’ Mariana hid her giggle with her palm.

As for why Robert approached Mariana and Ignis, Robert explained he was getting bored with waiting, too, when he overheard Mariana’s complaints. Mariana felt embarrassed knowing her mouth was so loud it even attracted a stranger. No wonder Ignis always walked away from her every time she was talking too much.

“Not only people who cross Lost Woods get harassed by the bandits. Other villages around Magna are constantly being raided by them too,” Robert said. “Then those shameless bastards will then bring all their stolen goods and sell them to the citizens of this city!”

“That was terrible of them!” yelled Mariana.

“So Magna conducted thorough investigations on anyone who wishes to enter inside its walls as an answer to these attacks?” said Ignis. 

“Yes, Ignis. They developed a bracelet artifact together with the Dwarven Fortress which basically identifies its wearer’s personal information such as name, age, where they live, and their recent whereabouts. It was really impressive, that artifact.”

“Seriously, why am I unaware of these artifacts! Is Pago really that secluded?” Mariana said.

To think that they had been developing such useful artifacts in Magna while she was in Pago, unaware of it all, was depressing Mariana, to say the least. She loved life back there, but hearing the improvements they have implemented truly made her jealous. Fortunately, she thought she would live here in Magna City from now on, so she would never feel left out ever again.

Ignis scratched his chin. “Aren’t there still many loopholes in that artifact?”

“That was true, but they said that they are working on improving this.” Robert raised his arm showing his artifact. It was a simple-looking metal bracelet, but it looked difficult to remove. Mariana also noticed a small crystal attached to it in the middle.

They also mentioned that they are working on other ways to capture those bastards properly. I just hope they come up with something and implement it immediately before we villagers get murdered, hahaha!” said Robert. He looked as if didn’t care regardless he lived or not.

Mariana forced a laugh — then breathed out a heavy sigh — when Robert turned away.

Mariana knew it was stupid of her to laugh at Robert’s predicament. Still, he thought him amazing since he could still be cheerful despite the danger.

They stopped their chat when it was soon Robert’s turn to get interrogated by the two guards. One guard greeted Robert with a smile, which Robert warmly returned.

“You know the drill. Go ahead so you can enter,” said the other guard.

“What drill?” Mariana whispered to Ignis, despite knowing he didn’t know what it was. Ignis was surveying the situation; his eyes fixed intently on the events upholding in front of him. Mariana decided to just wait and observe, too.

“Ah sure,” Robert said.

He dropped his sack on the ground and extended his hand on top of a metal cube with random figures written on its sides. 

WOOSH.

The cube emitted some steam and then, on top of it, a bright thin streak of white light shone, hitting Robert’s bracelet. Afterward, the white light changed to blue and then disappeared. The cube returned to its previous state as if nothing happened.

“Blue light, you’re good to go!” The guard tapped Robert on the shoulder and smiled. “Next…” the other guard said.

“Finally!” Mariana skipped as she approached the guards.

“Greetings, young lady. I haven’t seen you before. Do you have an information bracelet? If you don’t, I apologize, but we can’t allow you to enter the city,” he said. 

The twinkle in Mariana’s eyes darkened almost instantly. She didn’t understand everything that Robert shared when he was telling his story, so she didn’t realize that she needed the bracelet, too, to be allowed entry.

‘Ah, what should I do?!’ Thought Mariana.

“Is there anything I could do to get my bracelet?” Mariana asked. She needed to get into this city, for she had not risked her own life just so she would be barred from entering Magna’s gate.

“Of course, young lady, you just need to pay 50 silver coins and you’ll have your very own! Quite cheap, huh?” the guard winked at Mariana.

“50 silver? That was my entire pocket money when I left Pago!” Mariana almost yelled.

‘How come 50 silver was cheap?! That would last us in Pago for half a year and here they splurge money on just a single bracelet? These people are insane!’ Mariana almost complained to the guards.

“You’re from that village, Pago?” the other guard said with a raised eyebrow. “No wonder you can’t afford a measly 50 silver bracelet. Just leave and don’t bother us if you can’t pay.”

Mariana ignored him and spoke once more to the polite guard who interrogated her first.

“Mister, is that really the only way?” Mariana said, her voice cracked.

“Ah…” he scratched his head. “Well, if you have an elemental ring you could enter without the bracelet, but you don’t-“

need,

“Wait!” Mariana showed him her elemental ring proudly. “This ring is the one you need, right? I just received it last week!”

Both guards were taken aback. The polite guard gasped while the other one’s eyes bulged.

“But your hair…. No matter,” he cleared his throat. “We apologize for treating you rudely, esteemed mage,” he eyed his partner, whose face still painted with bewilderment. Recognizing his stupid demeanor, shook his head although he failed to erase the doubt in his expression.

They both straightened their bodies, placed their right palm on their chest, and chorused, “Welcome to Magna City!”