Chapter 52 - Souta And Roasted Fishes.

On and in the cave I was led, "This is huge!" I exclaimed, the maw of the cave was much smaller compared to the huge belly of the cave.

A cruel long minutes we walked in the dark until my eyes were bathed by the star lights; I was led to a valley, flat and green beyond what the eyes could see, a refreshing stream flowed gently by from the far end of where I couldn't spy.

"We named this Gaia, the mother of mountains!" said Pen, as he further elaborated on how he and the horse tried finding the ends of the mountain in their grueling stealthy crusades, herding and leading animals they see in the valley along their journey, saving them from the vile grasps of the atrocious Hellspawns.

Trekking the tall sky piercing wall of the mountain for days on end until they arrived where they started their crusade, at where they found the cave, the tall wall of the mountain; Pen claimed that ants wouldn't even bother climbing.

Inside and pass the cave was a whole other world, birds chirped with songs of peace and pacifistic animals ate and played with the rests, it was peaceful and vast; abundant with life and fruits to which I've never imagined could exists: purple berries, guavas with rainbow seeds and my favorite; a plump and pear shaped banana; all of these in high abundance for ages to come.

Near a camp fire we sat on a bank of the stream, "It's like a whole other kingdom in here!" I exclaimed, roasting a fish.

"Tis be true!" said Pen, who still had his armor on.

"Young Wizard! If I may, may I asked of whom you are and what be that lustrous smell that enrages my belly and enchants my tongue to this sliming drool?" he worded pointing at the fishes.

"Never have fish before?"

"Nay!"

"No wonder you were curious when I caught these bad boys. Well! Since you brought me here, I'll be happy to share but you have to give me a proper introduction,, I'll go first!" I found the need to stand, extravagance was the selling point here as my sage-like mind told me and with the most over-the-top of drama, I announced, "Name's Phillipi! Your fucking grand magus!"

with a swaying arm which brought my magnificence to light under the stars.

"Thou be a magus?"

"Yes! Thou is!"

"Why not a wizard?"

"Wizards are old with grey beards which later turn to white along with the robe and staff and stuff!"

"You speak true!"

"Now!" I pointed a finger, "It is your turn,,, You and the horse!"

A question which Pen was seemingly over prepared for, months maybe years of playing a sequence in his mind and his time was now, an arm which slowly rises to the skies as he announced, "I am Sir. Lothar Pendragon! The first of his name! The Knight of the light! The ender of the damned! The seeker of peace! The Knight of all Knights! T--..." he then pauses yet his stance were still on scene.

"Okay,, Go on!" I nodded to his pause, I sensed he yearned for the question to be asked so I figured what's the harm.

A fly's moment of courage in trying to nibble a bite on my roasted fish as my quick fingers flicked it away and even then Pen still stood as though he was acting a mute drama, "You forgot the rest didn't ya?"

"NAY!" he yelled, quick and loud.

"Just admit that you forgot your long ass titles."

"I AM the long ass titles!"

"Okay! Easy!" said I, biting a huge chunk of the fish, 'What's with all these wacky guys in my new life?'

"And much, much more which I would like to tell!…. An-And this be my Noble Steed for three moons of which is to end tonight!" retracting his arm he ended his grand introduction.

"Noble Steed for three moons?" words which I chewed over.

"Aye! Three and it ends tonight!"

"Ouukay?! Then tell me how old are you?"

"I! Sir. Pen! am nine years of age!"

I let Aeyai scan the fool knight and as it appeared he was being honest.

"Well anything is possible I guess, this is definitely not the strangest thing so whatever,, just one thing though when are you going to take off that armor?"

"A knight is not one without his armor!"

"Sorry, I even ask~~?!?!" I lilted, and suddenly I was almost jolted to jumped and yelped from a scare from my surprise.

In my left was a fledgling small child, dirty white long hair and sickly eyes with a radiant glow of sterling grey eating berries with a wide messy smile.

Wearing torn rags for clothes.

"Pen, who's this?" I asked, the big fish which I bit only a little, I gave it all to the little child who with twinkles in her eyes grabbed and gulped it whole in one go.

"It's Sir. Pen!" he corrected a Magus.

"Okay, Sir. PEN! who's he?" scorning eyes made me emphasized.

"Souta! My Squire!" he finally answered.

The child to me seemed rather uncared for, neglected yet she was brimming with life, with a gluttonous little belly as she stared on a Magus with beaming eyes asking me for another fish.

I was more than happy to have fed a child who in her looks told a story of ones who suffered, but just as I reached for the fish I saw the Noble Steed was not there where it stood just earlier, "Where's your horse?" I then asked.

I was answered with a long gruff followed by silence aided by a dead faceless glare from Pen as I turned to face towards the silent knight, "What?" I probed shaking my head a little.

I was met with not an answer but a long dead silent stare.

"Mishter! Pen not like calling him Pen,,," rumbled the full-mouthed Souta.

"*SHHH!*" her little finger on his lips she reached and walked a little bunny, standing on her tippy-toes to a Magus's ear, "Quiet talk,," she whispered pulling me closer, "One time, Sshouta called him Pen and – and bad Pen make me go horshey in thhree moonss but Shouta can call Pen, Pen! Now! He-he!" as we dispersed from the secret, she nodded her messy little head as she winked, that of a baby angel.

Her little speech impairment was too cute to say the least.

The young little girl immediately smite me with memories as I was reminded of Mary.

A droplet of salty rain nearly fell on a Magus's cheeks.

** <Why not just say you cried Sir?> **

** Yeah! Don't hide anything from my readers!! **

** "Shoo! Fuck outta here!!" **

"Magus Phillipi! May I partake on that fish!" the proud Knight then demanded with grumbling stomach.

Tossing him the last roasted fish I told them to wait as I fetches and catches some more with Ice blast freezing parts of the river; an easy catch. I was thrilled to take them on a ride of good food, a whole buffet of Fish-sticks.

Day two of my adventure outside the walls, strange and stranger thing swept me and my eyes of blue. I was more intrigued to the ways and origin of my world, of how these Hellspawns came, how we came to be and more.

I was now hell bent on finding out who sent the two children outside the walls but seeing their happy faces in eating roasted fishes, I held my desire to probe and ponder their joy, so a feast we held late into the night until they fell into a well fed slumber.

<Notice!>

<Aeyai is limited to Master's own knowledge!>

"Even before I ask huh?.. Aeyai how powerful will I be in the future?"

<Master is set to be the strongest Magus>

"I'm gonna need you if I am to change the world, to rid children off the hands of fat bastard pig's and their politics!" a bold proclamation which I would now stop at nothing to achieve, made sure and promised by palm which I held out to the far sky, grasping it to seal the promise.

….

The high sun reigned on the plateau of the sunflowers, the growls of vehicles were loud for first in the long while in the solemnly silent plateau.

The leaders of the six sister towns had now come to discuss the issue in hand. A rare occurrence even rarer was the heavy air and might I need to note the numbers of power-borns whom the brought along.

If only rowdy could sum up the air, and thus the meeting commences.