Connor had worked for Ercell for more than 7 years. He had done every task given to him, no questions asked.
Never in his 7 years of working under Ercell had he been in such a situation. He pulled out his sword as a form of intimidation but the boy before had done the same, showing no signs of fear or panic.
The entire situation felt strange.
Connor focused his senses, trying to find any irregularities in the area. He thought perhaps the boy was confident because he possessed an overwhelming ability.
His eyes radiated a faint blue glow as he looked at Jason, trying to sense the Aura Of Chaos he was emitting.
Nothing.
There was no clear sign of Chaos gathering in his body, no any of it being released.
The uneasiness in Connor only grew as he tried to inspect the boy. Where did his confidence come from?
Even Ercell was a little worried. Not wanting the situation to escalate any further, he quickly spoke.
"Now now, boys. Let's put our little toys away, Shall we?"
Connor glanced at his superior, who gave him a nod, before sheathing his sword. Jason also tucked away his weapon.
"Wise choice."
He spoke with calm, arrogance.
His response caused Connor to sprout a vein on his forehead.
Of course, Jason didn't actually plan on fighting the Vasco Mafia Family. If he attacked any of the men in the room, there was an 80% chance of death and a 20% chance of escape.
But he couldn't let them know that. What he displayed was false confidence. To make sure that he was treated as an equal in the negotiations, Jason had to make them believe that he was strong. Strong enough to not be threatened by the fact that he was in the enemy stronghold.
If not for his mask, Ercell would have seen his lips curve into a smile. Though his smile was hidden, he couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes.
Ahem.
Ercell cleared his throat.
"Let's get straight to business. One of my men told me that you can perfectly translate Elder Scripts."
Jason leaned back.
"Well not to toot my own horn but..."
He shrugged his shoulders, as if that completed his sentence.
Ercell glanced at Jason before signalling Connor.
The latter took out a few scripts and placed them in front of Jason. There was no need for them to speak, it was evident what they wanted.
Proof.
Jason let out a breath of disappointment.
"Why does no one ever believe what I say."
He mumbled.
"I assume you already have the translated texts for these, huh?"
His question was met with no answer, although the silence was an answer on its own.
At first, Jason was not interested in what the scripture had to say but the more he read, the more his interest was piqued.
Descendant of Chaos,
The Daughter of Madness
When The Heavens Bleed Red
Return All To Ashes...
For a few seconds, Jason was lost in thought. He kept reading the runic symbols over and over again, trying to see if he had mistranslated a word.
"Is something wrong?"
It was only after he heard Connor's voice did he snap back to reality. His mind was clouded with a lot of questions but the first one that he needed an answer for was:
"Where did you find this?"
There was a reason behind his question, a very big one. This was not just any ordinary scripture.
It was a prophecy.
"It doesn't matter where we found it, now does it. Translate."
Ercell commanded.
"It's a poem."
Jason did not want to reveal what he had learnt. Seeing as Ercell had given him this willingly meant that they had not correctly translated its contents. To anyone else, it would appear as a poem about a woman going into war.
After hearing Jason's response, Ercell and Connor nodded in approval.
"Well, that is what our Linguist said."
From then on, the real meeting began. The air in the room seemed to have shifted as Ercell's eyes became fierce.
"I will be completely honest with you, Jason. I was a bit skeptical of your abilities, but now... Now I'm certain you are the right man for the job."
He paused for a brief moment and then continued.
"As you probably know, there was a dungeon discovered at the center of Alcai Forest. It is said to possess all kinds of treasure, as well as artifacts. And more scripts like the one before you."
Jason already caught on to what Ercell wanted from him. He wanted someone able to read Elder Scripts and take anything worthwhile in the dungeon. There was something off about the entire situation though.
Why would Ercell bother himself with collecting these old Scripts?
As if to answer his question, Ercell spoke once more.
"That script you're holding came from an earlier raid into the dungeon."
Jason's eyes widened.
The source of this script... his prophecy was the Alcai dungeon?
The Alcai Forest, also known as The Forest Of The Forgotten was one of the most dangerous places in the world.
Not only was it home to the most dangerous Primordials, it had a supernatural force that seemed to erase someone's existence. Almost none who venture there are able to come back alive.
Even those who do rarely maintain their sanity.
This meant that whatever treasures lie inside the dungeon were enough to entice Ercell to send his men over there once more.
"Your job is simple, focus only on the scripts. You are required to translate all runes spotted inside the dungeon before your return."
"Your trip will be accompanied by Connor and 12 other capable men. You will be paid the agreed upon amount the moment you board your plane and leave for the forest."
Jason was no longer paying attention to what Ercell was saying. His head was spinning from all the information he had just received. A lot of things did not make sense.
Without knowing, he had agreed to all Ercell's terms and as a result, the meeting had now concluded.
A maid was called in to escort Jason to his temporary accomodation while waiting for the rest of the crew to gather.
On his way, he was still trying to understand his role in this outing.
****
Back inside Ercell's office, Connor had been looking at the door for a while before turning to Ercell.
"What do you think?"
Ercell asked.
"Jefferson was right. That Jason is a scary kid."
Connor responded.
Jefferson was the man who translated the contents of the script.
"Anyone who translates this as a poem already knows the true contents of this script. Those were his words right?"
Said Connor.
"To think that a 15 year old boy would be so talented. It's quite a shame."
Ercell spoke in a tone that almost felt like pity.
"What do we do with him?"
****
Jason had reached his room but the wheels in his head had not stopped spinning. He was thinking about a lot of things.
The Prophecy. His Mission. Connor. Ercell.
"Those bastards... "
He couldn't help but laugh. Ercell and Connor already knew the real meaning of the words written in the Script.
The reason for this raid was not treasure nor was it to find artifacts. It was all about the scripts.
The Prophecy...
Jason had to admit, even he was interested in this subject. But at the time being, he had to worry about something else.
His life. If Ercell and Connor already knew about the contents of the script, it meant they had someone capable of reading Elder Scripts. Someone with the knowledge of Elder Speech.
Judging by the fact that they had employed him instead of going with that person to the forest meant only one thing. They had no one else as capable.
So after all this was done... they were probably going to kill Jason.
"Well, that's okay. I can't die anyway."
Just as Jason spoke to himself, a soft knock was heard on the door. It was slow and repetitive rhythm.
He didn't need to stand up and check who that was. He already knew. He knocked on the table next to his bed, repeating the same slow paced rhythm. What followed was complete silence.
"And so it begins."
Jason's voice echoed as he fixed his hair, a dark mark on his neck was reflected on the mirror.
It was an upsidedown tree with a gap in the middle.