Fantasy Grand Ultima

[EvilLaugh]

"I'm a magus, as you might already know and can do something like this." She smiled as another her appeared, an illusion that looked perfectly like her giving Caddy a wave before vanishing. "Really after yesterday I don't really know anymore."

 

[RhetoricalWriter]

Caddy gave a wide smile as she watched in awe. "Hehe, yeah, I don't know what to believe about myself - or my core - anymore, at least not after tonight. I left Machina on an exploration for parts, and I find myself wound up in this!" She gave a laugh of disbelief, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. She really wasn't sure what to think anymore, but at least I'm surrounded by caring people like Elijah and Amelia, Caddy thought to herself.

 

[OnyxReaper]

Elijah took a deep breath "fuck my life... Why does everyone think I'm nice for some reason?... An assassin can't be nice, no way!"


99% Jackass, 1% Crazy

 

[Seikaze]

((Hai! Let's move on I guess. Plight is off and Hiyo is on watch.))


Its morning again and Rika woke up when he heard something loud coming from downstairs. "WHAT THE F... Wait..." Before he could continue cursing, he realized that it was the MagiWave broadcast at max volume live from Yumena Harbor on Manatus region.


"..... And so we are live here in Yumena Harbor to report that the Myrian Expedition Team is beginning their 23rd expedition on the Lands of Chaos! Let us interview the Captain of the team, Mr. Jelt Esthail!"





Another voice was heard, this time a deep manly voice.


"Soon after we finish our preparations, such as stocking supplies and readying equipment. We will sail out at afternoon and to those who has an expedition pass, please don't be late or you will be left by the ship." The interviewer spoke again. "Lets move over to their ship and......"


'THAT'S SEVEN HOURS FROM NOW!'. Rika stopped listening and packed his small bag up containing only a small sum of rin and his.... Cookie. He hurried up and got out of the room shouting in the hallway and running down the stairs. "GUYS! We're going to have to hurry!". The time it will take to sail from Stargazer Arc to Manatus.... The time they needed to speak with the Grand Magus.... Then travel to Yumena Harbor. Rika worried if they were going to make it and waited for them outside the inn. "Come on... Come on Come on!" He says stomping on the ground.

 

[RhetoricalWriter]

Caddy smiled and rolled her eyes casually at Rika, who was frantically urging everyone to get out of the inn to catch the boat. Caddy opened her room after giving a small wave to Amelia. Her foot in the door, she took the handle of her patchwork bag that was laid out beside the door and the note she had written to her friend in Machina. Caddy quickly handed the note to the innkeeper, asking him politely to mail it. She walked outside and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Caddy turned to Rika slowly and gave a wide grin.


"Adventure awaits!" She yelled triumphantly. Then, figuring Rika would be confused, addressed him, "Sorry, this is the first time I've been outside my workshop in a while." Still smiling, she set her bag down as she waited with him for the others.

 

[OnyxReaper]

Elijah followed him out "...why the hell should I be coming with you guys?..." He looked around, pretty depressed about the fact his custom made porcelain mask had been cracked around the eye... It was like a part if him... Women eh...

 

[Seikaze]

"Oh! Here you guys are! Don't worry Caddy, we're looking forward to a big adventure here too." Rika said to Caddy smiling back at her. The sun was already high in the sky and people are also leaving the island.


Rika saw the crack on the assassin's mask and wondered what happened last night. He's looking pretty gloomy today. "You don't want to come? Thats fine. We're not obligated to save the world anyway." He looked at the assassin and let out a small chuckle. "Ya comin or not?"

 

[OnyxReaper]

The assassin looked into his eyes, pressing his face close "..." He gave a moment of silence as he thought things through, his target would be long gone by now... His boss would probably kill him as well...

 

[Seikaze]

"...." Rika backed away a little and also waited in silence. 'Ehh..?' This assassin seems to have doubts Rika thought. He wouldn't bother asking his name again and getting a nonsensical response. "I'll... Take that as a yes..." He said and jumped back.

 

[EvilLaugh]

"Come one then, time's a wasting." Ameila chided the children as she stood beside Caddy with her own belongings. Really illusions were useful, and quite good practice for magic control. Her going into the room and packing didn't even register to them. "Oh and her's the pass, still have no idea why you gave it to me in the first place."

 

[Seikaze]

Rika recieved the pass again from Amelia and scratched his head. "Well.... I tend to forget things when I sleep. Just needed to make sure we won't lose the pass." Rika walked ahead and said "Ok, lets go guys!" He headed to Starlight Harbor together with them to get a ticket to Manatus.

 

[OnyxReaper]

Elijah followed a few feet behind

 

[RhetoricalWriter]

Caddy excitedly tagged along, springing with excitement and nervousness. She told herself that this was for the better and it would help her find out what she could do in a situation like this, when people need her help most.

 

[EvilLaugh]

Amelia just walked with them, not really seeing what was new to everything here. All things considered, she was happy not to be a failure anymore, and quite excited to actually feel the chaotic energies of the void. She did it once, maybe a second time wouldn't hurt.

 

[Seikaze]

Almost everyone from Stargazer Arc have boarded the ship. Those who were left had to clean and fix things up due to the damage done by the wave of darkness. After giving the ticket, Rika put his bag down on a cabin and went upstairs climbing the crow's nest and borrowing the spyglass of a crew member. The ship raised its anchors and sailed away from the island. The damage could be seen from far away and that was such disappointment for people who still wanted to stay.


Every ship crew member was called out downstairs by the captain and Rika was left alone on the crow's nest. The fresh breeze of the sea wind was very calming. He closed his eyes and inhaled it. "Ahh... I won't be feeling this soon enough now.". The sky was still a bit dark because of the void and it was cold. The waves have calmed down so Rika assumed that they would have a safe travel.


He leaned onto the wooden fencing and stared at the horizon. 'Just like back in Wind Kingdom...'. Since no one was looking around, he'd begin practicing wind magic, just one technique that needs mastering. He thought it could be dangerous if not used properly and he's been trying to perfect the form of it. He held out his right hand and whispered.


"Gale Razor"





This time, the wind was from his mana core. Wind mana was concentrated into Rika's right hand forming a very sharp sword made of wind. The feeling was very light allowing quick attacks for high damage. Although it seems to be very strong, Rika can't manage to hold it very long because maintaining large amounts of concentrated mana could consume lots of it. He tried to slash the chair the crew member was sitting on and it was cut in half. The wind also seemed to fly out when used to slash leaving a large slash mark on the wooden floor. Rika smiled at himself, he had perfected the form of the blade. The only thing left now is too maintain the blade. This makes Rika a close range specialized magus for all the techniques he has. "Ok!" The blade disappeared and he summoned it again training there until they get to manatus.

 

[RhetoricalWriter]

Handing her ticket in and boarding the gangplank, Caddy immediately went into a state of utter awe as she admired the ship's craftsmanship. She immediately rushed towards one of the crew members. "Do you think you could show me the blueprints of the ship? Also, what parts do you use to keep this thing running? Oh, please I'm dying to know!" She exclaimed, broadly smiling with a hopeful eyes possessing a glint of respect. Caddy was interested in how everything was made, and since she had hardly ever traveled after moving to Machina Haven, she was always fascinated by transportation of any kind. Something in her heart made her need to know everything about anything that caught her eye.


The crew member, taken slightly aback, grinned and gave her copies of all the blueprints and a list of all the parts used to create the ship given to the crew by the ship's builder. After giving him her thanks, Caddy quickly propped herself on the floor,spreading out the sheets before her. "Aww, this is gonna be a thrilling ride!" She excitedly told herslelf, muttering about how intriguing the structure was and how amazing it was to be on another ship. For Caddy, it was a lost mechanic's dream.

 

[EvilLaugh]

Amelia yawned, out of tiredness but mostly out of boredom. She decided to stay in her cabin while the rest of them explored the ship, it was like she preferred solitude and the night now, likely a result of the void magic absorption. She didn't really mind it though, the added energy now bolstered her endurance to levels she could only dream of and being alone helped in her studies. With nothing to do at the time though, she decided it would be best to read on the history of Myria, the void more specifically.


She still trained though, her room looking more like a galaxy, rivers of light, dark and arcane magic swirling around her to improve her control and focus as she read. The topic of the day was the Necromancer, and what exactly happened to their cores when void magic is introduced. It could be controlled, but only after years and years of perfect study and training. All other instances resulted in instantaneous death, or a slow deterioration of the mind and body. She smiled as she realized that she saw signs of neither.


At least, she thought she showed signs of neither.

 

[Seikaze]

After some hours of training, Rika looked at his surroundings and saw the whole crow's nest filled with slash marks and a part of the fencings were sliced apart. He didn't notice what he has done while slashing everywhere. "Oopss...". He quietly climbed down hoping no one noticed him and walked towards his cabin, heavily panting and sweating. "Looks like I need rest..". He entered his room and layed down looking at the ceiling, waiting.

 

[OnyxReaper]

Elijah had been hanging upside down from the figurehead ever since he got onto the ship, whistling casually to himself

 

[Seikaze]

Rika was awoken by the loud announcement of a crew member upstairs.


"Everyone! We have arrived at Yumena Harbor. Please don't leave anything in the cabins."





He didn't realize that he had slept. The rest was still not enough to recover from his training but he can still manage to act normally. He picked his bag up and walked upstairs to exit the ship. His eyes were half closed, walking slowly and still tired. "Gah, I shouldn't have done that earlier.". 'Well, it was fun anyway' He thought this could be much of a use on the expedition.


Zali Citadel was just a few walks away. The long, towering building at the center of the citadel was the Arch Spire where the whole power supply of Zali is contained and on top of it is where the Grand Magus sits. On the bottom of the Arch Spire is a large Mana Dome, an artificial mana core which provides supply to Zali. Below the Arch Spire is the Machina Part, connected to the Arca Part by a large downwards spiraling road plunging deeper into the depths. The large gate to Zali Citadel is open and the city could be seen from afar. Modern like houses mixed with cobblestone designs, forges, mansions, workplaces, armor and weapon shops and many more are there.


Still a bit sleepy, this caught Rika's attention. "This is even more advanced than Gale Region!". Gale Region had that medieval themed tileset because of the Wind Kingdom's influence. The Citadel's outskirts were filled with grasslands and small hills, the Zali Plains. Rika looked around while walking through the road to Zali.

 

[RhetoricalWriter]

Caddy frowned as she got off the ship. It was too fun! Why do I have to leave? She thought to herself as she surveyed her surroundings. Heaving her bag up and staring at the Grand Magus, she looked around and pinpointed the forges. Without a word, she beamed and left Rika standing there, heading over to one of the many forges.


Waving Caddy called out,"Scrap pile?" To the man working there. He gruffly pointed to a corner where Caddy began shoving several pieces of bent and out of shape metal into her bag.


Returning after taking the scrap piles from all the different forges, Caddy happily came back to walk next to Rika. "Where are we going next?" She asked excitedly, waiting for the adventure to continue. She was eager but also nervous, and a part of her just wanted to return to Machina to finish her project with Angelo. A sad gleam appeared in her eye as she thought about everyone back home - not to mention the unfinished clockwork man.

 

[OnyxReaper]

Elijah was awkwardly standing, keeping his distance from the others; he'd talked to them enough, they weren't his targets either, he couldn't just dispose of them... And for some reason, he didn't want to... For some odd, strange reason he didn't want to...

 

[EvilLaugh]

Amelia smiled as they exited the ship. She was home after all, and she could not wait to show off. "That isn't right." He murmured to herself sa she went aside. She could sense them if need be, but she needed to check herself. Something was wrong. It was strange and now it was becoming glaringly obvious.


"This is a problem." Her darkness was growing, much faster than the other two combined. The void had created an imbalance within her and it was coming to a point that she was being influenced by it. She needed to seek help, and she new just the persos who could help her. "I need to see mentor." She concluded as she walked towards the capital, rushing to end this changing before it was too late.

 

[Seikaze]

While Rika was looking for a suitable weapon for him as always, none did. Too heavy, too large, too small. None. That was how he created his own weapon of choice. A blade made of wind shaped like a sword. While he was looking for one, Caddy came back and asked. Rika turned, wiping his eyes and said "Huh.. Oh. See that tower? We'll take a darn huge staircase till we get to the top of it. That's where we'll meet the Grand Magus." Rika pointed to the Arch Spire's tip. The skies were still a little bit dark so it was kind of blurry.


The road continues on to the large double doors of the Arch Spire with two Sentry Towers watching the place and two knights standing at by the double doors. "We'll just show this pass to the Grand Magus and he'll sign it, then we need to hurry back to Yumena Harbor.". Rika was noticing Amelia's unease but decided to ignore it. "Lets go!" Rika walked following the road.

 

[RhetoricalWriter]

Caddy tagged along as bad memories of the area crossed her mind. At least here I'm doing something good, not wasting my life... She thought to herself in an attempt to reassure herself that coming here was the right thing to do. Amelia's uneasiness made it no easier, for not only was it her past her that was bothering her, but the darkness and void stuff that she still didn't grasp after her brief encounter with it. Caddy no longer felt safe, especially if they were attacked again - was there even a technique to using a Grand Ultima core? Furrowing her brow, she thought about nothing but the task at hand the rest of the trip.