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Lapis.
It was a magical world, for it was maintained by mysterious crystals spread in various location. And it was because of these very same objects, caused the founding of nations centered around each one of them.
Powerful they were, the destruction of these crystals would soon be the catalyst for start of two individuals' story.
But that is a tale for another time...
High above the flattened and rough terrains, amidst the wide blue sky, laid a small airship hovering in the air. The airship appeared like most others, its large metal body traversing across the clouds, the large propellers fully opened to allow for smooth traveling.
On the deck of this transport, was where a young woman was found staring out at the sky from the deck, admiring the view. Her long magenta hair, which was usually straight was scattered in various directions because of the strong breeze. She brushed away the strands of hair that were flapping in the wind, now fully able to immerse herself in the wondrous scenery before her. But soon, a weary sigh escaped her as she reminiscence of the past events that occurred before she boarded this airship.
About a week ago, she was cordially invited to have a meeting with the emperor of Zoldaad. Zoldaad was a militaristic kingdom, and even before the two met in person, she had already figured out what the emperor's offer was.
It was for her to mass-produce weapons for his army.
She was a machinist. A profession and title she took pride in, for she had tempered and toiled through every day in the past to achieve the necessary skills she had now...and to use them for something so meaningless was an insult to her craft, her passion...her everything.
She was angered. This wasn't the first time either, there were number of individuals that had requested of similar things, and each time she had only rejected them outright. This time was no different either, she denied the emperor's offer flatly and quickly left his chamber.
And just like the other times, she didn't regret her decision. However, what was more interesting to her was the following day after the meeting, where she was sent another message to arrange for a meeting with another person.
She felt that the timing of the message was too questionable for it to just be a coincidence. And at first, she wanted to turn it down but then and there, she remembered that she needed to hear anyone who requested her service as the best way to judge a person's character was by seeing them herself.
Begrudgingly, she went to the designated time and place. Though it was a dirty and rundown area, she was honestly expecting to meet up with the emperor once again, or at least a messenger from him. But the person she met surprised her, for he turned out to be a member of the resistance against the Zoldaad Empire. Unfortunately, her bewilderment turned into one of irritation as the impression the man gave her was...horrible to say the least. Nonetheless, she heard him out and true to her suspicion, the man requested of a custom weapon to be made just for him. What really threw her off...was his reason for such a request.
To fight for his own country.
In all honesty, his reason wasn't too different from the emperor's. They just had a different way of going about it, but she preferred the man's much more. And so, she accepted his request and immediately got into work. It didn't take any longer than two days before meeting with her client again, presenting the weapon she had personally made.
He was impressed with it, and wielded it with ease, as if it was an extension of his body. He thanked her sincerely, and she smiled warmly knowing that he would indeed take care of it properly.
And here she was now boarding on an airship, her next destination set on Olderion.
Did she regret it? Truthfully, she always had a belief that there was a weapon for everyone, especially catered to someone down to their very being and there was nothing more pure than that. So, why did she have this sense of guilt around her chest? She tried convincing herself that it was just business as usual and there was no point in dwelling on it. But there was a small conscious in her mind questioning her involvement on the whole issue within Zoldaad, was it right for her to get involved in the first place even if indirectly?
She couldn't arrive at an answer, and tried to seek solace as her eyes stared off to the wandering clouds in the sky.
"What is a madam like you doing around on the deck all alone?"
Madam? That was a new one and if the person's intention was to catch her attention, they certainly succeeded.
She turned, observing the individual who stood right beside her. From the crimson helmet to the plated armour, she instantly recognized him as a member of the Zoldaad army.
"...Right back at you. Why is a guard from Zoldaad staying on an airship, flying away from their own empire?"
She eyed him carefully. Due to the internal issues Zoldaad was facing at the moment, it came out as strange that one of their own was out here and only one of them at that. They were no other Zoldaad soldiers aside from the person beside her as far as she could tell.
"Come now. I'm only here to transport some cargo for our great king. On the bright side, don't you feel protected with me around?"
Aileen rolled her eyes at his boast. But judging from his reactions up until now, she realized that the man didn't know of her identity despite her meeting with the king and reputation as a machinist. Then again, their conversation was private.
"And you feel it's safe by telling me this, of all people?"
"You don't seem too bad. If I were talking to anyone else, they usually stiffen up and address me formally. It gets tiring you know?"
She could understand it...to some capacity. They were times when potential clients would act like he described but just as often, they were as many people who treated her like an underling or what she preferred, an equal as well.
"Maybe...but I'm sure you can find other people to talk to. I'm not exactly in the mood to talk."
Desiring to close the conversation, Aileen went back into what she was doing earlier. The man, on the other hand had the opposite desire as he scrutinized the young woman beside him, wanting to find a topic for them to talk about. It didn't take long before an opportunity came as he found her somewhat struggling to open her eyes due to the strong winds.
"Ah yes, the view up here is amazing isn't it? I bet you can admire it even more if you put on those lovely pair of goggles you have around you."
"They're not for use...at least not right now. Anyway, what exactly do you want from me?"
It wasn't because she disliked the guard. But from what she had experienced, it was usually better to avoid interacting with others unless she had to.
"A conversation. That is all I ask. Like I said earlier, it is terribly dull when there is no one to talk to and unless I'm hallucinating, you make an excellent partner for it."
There was a faintest of smile across her lips. She didn't know how he was doing it but whatever he was attempting seemed to be working.
"Then I say you might be the weirdest guard I've ever seen if that's true."
"Really? Here I thought I was blending in just fine, with my tall figure and terrifying presence. I should be just like my other brother-in-arms..."
"The opposite actually. The more I talk to you, the more I feel you chose the wrong job."
There was a slight pause coming from the soldier, but he quickly recovered as he waved her off.
"Ridiculous. I cannot be more proud for I am protecting my kingdom, especially so with this sword by my side."
He unsheathed his sword, baring the tempered steel for her to see. She inspected it with a simple glance and could easily tell the weapon he held in his hand would not last for long, perhaps for another strike at most.
"Not to dampen your mood but you should probably have that sword looked at once this ship lands, because it's not going to last in a battle."
The guard paused for a moment, before finally giving his response.
"What makes you say that madam? This sword has been with me since I first started in the military, protecting me every step of the way. I have doubts that it would be destroyed so easily."
She could tell it was a lie. Not by his body movement since they were hidden under his armor but by the craftsmanship of his sword, which was quite frankly, dreadful. She let it be however, as everyone had their reasons and he had been nothing but been friendly since he approached her.
"It's because of the craftsmanship. It's so poor it's going to be damaged in the next battle you're in, no doubt."
"Truly? Apologies for me being sceptical miss..."
He trailed off, hoping she would finish the sentence.
"Aileen."
Upon hearing her name, the guard visibly jumped up in amazement. He then took a step forward, his hands shaking in excitement as he stared at her blue eyes.
"The machinist!? How could I not have noticed earlier? Forget what I was about to say, your words are more than enough for me to believe in your statement."
She was taken aback by his reaction. There were indeed times she garnered admiration from another but this was the only time she ever saw someone so...animated in their excitement, and to do it in such a heavy armor impressed her as well.
Noticing he was causing discomfort for the machinist, the guard quickly backed off and placed his sword back in its scabbard.
"Ahem. Apologies for my behaviour just now, it's just...I admire your skills in craftsmanship for some time now. I've heard the weapons you've forged are powerful and one of its kind."
"I doubt that...but there is a single fact I'll admit, each one of them belonged to one person, no one else can wield them."
"Is that so? I feel that is such a shame... don't you think a weapon like that should be utilised for everyone's benefit?"
Aileen studied him carefully. She couldn't possibly agree with his view on the subject considering it was the opposite of hers. Still, she explained her reasoning the best she could.
"Impossible. Even if they want to, they won't be able to use it to its fullest capabilities."
"...Even you? The maker of these weapons?"
"No."
Despite the finality in her tone, the guard didn't fully believe her. Noticing, she sent him a cold glare for not fully trusting her words.
He didn't understand her source of anger. Regardless, he hastily tried to make amends.
"It seems I have angered you with my choice of words. Let's forget about that subject then. I was wondering what were you doing at Zoldaad if I may ask?"
She dwelled on her answer.
Did she need to tell him her reason for being in Zoldaad in the first place? Her meeting with the emperor himself? The entire reason for her journey?
The moment she was about to answer him, there was a sudden shift in the floor. The airship turned around in a right angle, which in turn, caused most of the passengers around to nearly lose their footing, some of them had even fallen down from the abrupt shaking.
Luckily, she was positioning herself just fine even with the situation she was in. She noticed the guard beside herself was doing fine as well, but had a worried look on him.
It wasn't long before everything quieted down, the constant back and fro now gone. While the others on board sighed in relieved, she could tell this wasn't a simple incident. She was proven right, evident by the loud crashing sound, catching everyone's attention on it.
The two snapped towards the direction of where the noise came from, and found pieces of a wooden barrel scattered across the deck.
Not long after, a hulking figure of a man came from inside of the airship, and what he held in his right hand upset her to no end.
It was Artisan. The weapon she had painstakingly poured everything into...her first and only weapon.
And now...now it was in the hands of someone who stole it from her for his own gain. Anger radiated off the machinist, her fist tightening as she glared at the man.
Nine people trailed off behind him, each sporting different types of weapon, from a small dagger to large broadswords.
The other passengers also situated on the deck were initially confused by the group, but immediately realized the direness of the situation from the malicious grin the group was giving off.
Before they could even react, the large man stabbed the spear into the wooden plank of the ship, folding his arm and letting out his loud voice.
"Listen up fools! We're taking over this ship. If you're wondering where the captain is...well, we already reached a negotiation with him on the matter and he's going to fly us to Pharm instead of Olderion. Isn't that just wonderful? You all get an exclusive trip there."
There were murmurs among the passengers, a mix of fear and anxiousness filled the atmosphere around them. Some of them wanted to step up and oppose the supposed bandits but stopped as the leader continued on.
"And if you want to stop us, well..."
To demonstrate his point, he signalled his men behind him. They all raised their weapons in a battle-crazed manner, instantly telling the scared passengers the result if they were to try and interfere.
She couldn't care less for their threats, nor their reason for going to Pharm. But what she despised the most was the way the leader used Artisan and the machinist was more than willing to take them out just for that reason alone.
She was never good in a fight with a group but judging from the level of her opponents, it wouldn't be much of a problem regardless.
She pulled on her white gloves, readying herself before she rushed in.
"Miss Aileen, please stay here. I will handle this situation myself."
The guard walked off determinedly, not even bothering to wait for her response. With each step the guard took, his pace hastened towards the bandit leader. Before she even realized it, the guard stood before the group, holding his sword in a defensive posture.
"Criminals. I suggest you all to stand down before this turns any more serious, there is still time for you to surrender."
The leader chuckled at his warning, until it became a full-blown laughter. The members of his group joined in as well, mocking the Zoldaad guard.
The guard lunged himself forward, aiming at the large man's right chest.
A clang rang out, his strike stopping entirely by the bandit defending it using Artisan. His blade slid off the spear but the guard quickly corrected himself as he slashed at the large man once more. While the first strike succeeded to scratch the weapon, the ones he was trying to inflict now were to no avail, evident by how unaffected the bandit was by his slashes.
"What's wrong Zoldaad scum? Your slashes are weak, it feels like you're not even trying...well, I guess it's about time to end this."
As his sword connected with the spear, the large man swiped the dull blade away. The guard staggered backwards, now left defenceless. The bandit let out a cocky smile as he thrust Artisan forward, right towards the center of the guard's body.
The blow was overwhelming, sending the Zoldaad soldier flying in the air.
The passengers were stunned by the display of strength being shown. Their one hope of escaping their predicament was now gone, their bravery as well due to them witnessing the overwhelming difference in strength between them and the bandits.
If a soldier trained in the art of war couldn't protect them, then what chance did normal civilians like them have?
After seeing what just occurred, Aileen picked up the discarded sword and gripped it tightly as she took a glance at the fallen state the guard was now in.
Fortunately, he was in no immediately danger thanks to his chestplate absorbing most of the impact. But said protective gear was cracked, with pieces of it scattered around him. He was in no condition to fight, seeing as he was unconscious.
Relief that he was relatively fine, she distanced herself from him as her aim was now solely on the bandits.
"And what do you think you are doing woman? You think you can 'beat' us of all people with that pathetic excuse of a weapon?"
The bandit mocked, waving 'her' weapon around like some sort of toy. She stayed silent, not even bothering to respond towards his simple taunt.
"Hahahaha! Don't make me laugh."
Regardless, her pace didn't slow down nor did it hastened, simply remaining at the same speed as before.
There was something regarding the woman heading towards him that bothered the leader, but he couldn't quite place it. He disregarded the ludicrous thought when one of his subordinates stepped up to his side.
"Boss, do you mind if I take this one? It feels like I would have fun teaching her what fighting truly is."
This particular subordinate was a very short and impatient man. But if there was anything the leader could praise him for was his determination to prove himself, not that the large man would ever care to admit.
"Go ahead. Just make sure not to rough her up too much, we still need some form of entertainment until we reach our destination after all."
The subordinate smiled creepily, pleased with his superior's reply as he took off to meet with the machinist one-on-one.
Aileen didn't stop however, even when her first opponent already stood before her, twirling his dagger with delight.
"Don't worry missy I won't—"
Before he could even finish the sentence, she slashed his right wrist, where his dagger was held. Since the sword she used was permanently blunt, it did nothing but to disarm her opponent of his weapon.
But it was all she needed to end this fight.
Her opponent screamed in pain, and was about to curse the woman for daring to him but flinched as a fist planted itself into his gut.
With a single hit, the bandit was taken out of the fight as he fell to the floorboard, drool coming out from his mouth. Aileen ignored him, arming herself with the dagger he was using a moment ago and silently glared at the group of criminals.
The bandits were actually surprised by this development, for they did not predict that one of their own would have been taken out so easily.
The leader however, was less so as he pointed his head towards the machinist, a signal that meant for them to all attack together.
They were confused. Surely, there was no need to warrant such a tactic?
"What are you all waiting for? Attack!"
One of his men stepped forward, trying to understand their leader's intention.
"But boss. It was only a fluke, she just got lucky."
"Did you not hear me, or do I have to repeat myself?"
With a single glance, his men all cowered before their leader's stare and complied with his command. After all, they knew of the consequences of what would happen if one were to disobey him and none of them wanted to experience it, if ever.
"Are you guys done yet? I don't have all the time in the world and I would like to get my weapon back."
She pointed the dagger towards Artisan. In turn, the leader let out a maniacal grin, realizing the weapon he was holding belong to the young woman.
"And it is a fine weapon indeed! Too bad it has grown attached to me right now, maybe even forever!"
It was no lie either. This spear was surprisingly light and as demonstrated before, was quite powerful. And all he needed to do was take advantage of the required protocol needed for passengers when boarding the airship, which was—'all weapons are kept in a single storage room'. Stealing it was no obstacle but the anonymous message detailing the plans were certainly helpful for this particular undertaking, not that anyone but himself knew of course.
"Too bad you can't use it to its fullest potential. In fact, you won't even be able to utilise half of its strength."
The leader's face contorted from pure joy to hateful glare in an instant.
Realizing their leader's anger, the other men quickly stood before him and tried to calm down the huge man.
"Don't worry about her boss. We're going to handle it, so just relax yourself."
Somehow or another, they were able to appease the man's anger. Not missing a beat, the eight bandits charged towards Aileen, their respective weapons at the ready.
She remained calm, analyzing each and every one of them. At the front of the group were two men of similar build, both of them carrying a simple sword made out of mythril. The one behind them was carrying a whip, but was only keeping pace with the two at the front, informing her that there was a high chance he was slowing down on purpose. Further behind were two men, one with a burly physique and another tall in stature. The portly man was holding a hammer and the other a giant axe. And finally, at the very back of the group were three people that were merely observing the situation before them, unlike their comrades rushing towards her.
The man in the middle held a sword as tall as he was. The one to the right armed himself with a crossbow, and was preparing the shot for his weapon. What truly caught her attention was the man on the left. He wasn't holding any sort of weapon to her knowledge, which made him an opponent to look out for once she passed through the others.
And she will pass through them.
To the sides, the passengers watched in horror at the one-sided battle that was about to ensue in their mind. However, their worry quickly turned into shock as the machinist begun to make her move.
Her movement was steady and precise. Just as the two men were about to slash her from both sides, she dodged it easily by rolling off the ground right under their swing. Quick on her feet, she turned around and stabbed one of them in the leg, causing him to drop his sword as he squatted down, tending to his wounds. Following it up, she kneed the injured man in the chin before grabbing the sword for herself. She then spun herself, crossing swords with the other bandit. Both of them stood their ground, struggling for dominion of strength. The moment didn't last however, as Aileen was proven the victor when she was able to push her opponent down. The man lost hold of his weapon as he fell, the sword now spinning in mid-air. As if it was second nature to her, she easily grabbed the handle of the fallen blade and plunged both of the blades into the man's legs, rendering him immobile.
Satisfied, she removed them from the flesh swiftly, and saw both the tip of the blades were now coated in blood. Out of the corner of the eye, she saw a snake-like weapon heading towards her in an erratic fashion.
Instead of dodging, she simply let the whip coiled around one of her blades and stared at her next opponent. The man smiled, knowing he succeeded in his attempt.
"Now you just stay there nice and pretty for my two companions to deal with you missy."
The machinist was entirely baffled by how utterly inefficient his plan was considering he was only able to disarm 'one' of her weapons.
She simply released her hold on the blade, letting it fly towards the man, who was not expecting such a move.
He dodged to the side before the whip flew right passed him, tossing the sword away. The instant he turned around, he was greeted by the sight of the machinist running straight at him, holding the sword with both her hand as it skidded against the ground.
His immediate response was to quickly retaliate, trying to stop the woman in her tracks. But in his haste, he was unable to aim properly, making it very easy for her to dodge his whip.
Aileen turned to the side, before delivering a solid upward slash on the whip user, shreds of clothing dropping as a result.
The man momentarily laid still, before dropping to the ground, now outcold.
She didn't have the luxury of relaxing as she grabbed the whip with her free hand. The other two were already upon her, swinging the gigantic weapon downwards.
She quickly leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding their combined strengths as pieces of wood scattered in the air from the sheer force of their blow.
Strong as they were, they were by no means infallible. The machinist immediately put the whip to use, lashing out towards the man trying to pull his axe from the floorboards.
The man flinched in agony as the weapon whipped both his arms. Aileen didn't let up however, as she pulled it back and whipped it out once again. Instead of hitting the man, her aim this time was an entirely different one as the whip wrapped itself around the handle of the axe.
With a simple tug, the axe was thrown into the air, spinning in motion. Once it landed before her feet, she released the whip's hold on it.
Just as she was about to go after the other opponent, he was already one step ahead of her as he swung the hammer forward. Instinctively, she put up her guard, with the sword at the forefront to lessen the impact. Though it was nothing serious, the hit was able to force her to relinquish the mythril sword, leaving her only with the whip as a weapon.
The situation she was dealt with didn't stop nor bother her much, if at all. She simply started running towards her opponent, who was delighted by this development.
The man swung his hammer forward once more, confident that it would work this time since there was nothing protecting her.
Aileen dived forward into the floor as the gigantic hammer flew right above her, missing its intended target. She then lashed her whips toward the man's legs, wrapping them tightly before she pulled on it, causing her opponent to fall.
He tried to get up but the machinist was not done however, as she jumped onto the man's back, stomping him as hard as she could.
The man now unconscious, she lifted up the hammer, testing its weight. With a simple swing, she discerned that she would need this for the next series of battles she was about to be engaged in.
"You...!"
She had almost forgotten about the axe user. Almost. Just as he was about to grab her from behind, she spun herself, hitting him squarely in the right shoulder, the pound of metal invading his flesh.
The effect was almost instantaneous as the man was now left squirming on the floor, trying to cope with the pain.
She stared at the man, who had a very painful expression and looked to be at this state for quite a while before he would settle down. She could knock him at this very moment, but let it be, as she felt excess violence was unneeded.
She shifted her focus to the last three, who were still in their previous position, merely observing her.
It didn't take much time before the three made their move. Her eyes followed their respective movement, but quickly lost tracked of the other two as the man in the middle charged towards her, roaring at the top of his lungs while holding his greatsword.
The machinist stood her ground, readying herself as she prepared to meet her opponent. Once they were within each other's range, they swung their weapon simultaneously, the colliding impact from the two were strong enough cause a part of the floorboard to give in. They were at an impasse however, having difficulty in overcoming the other in power.
That quickly changed when she noticed the man was smiling confidently, which came off as strange to her. She immediately understood where the source of his confidence came from when a stray arrow came straight at her from the side.
Luckily, she was able to dodge it in time as she pulled herself back. The projectile flew right passed her, scrapping her hair as strands of it flying into the air.
But now she was in another dilemma. Due to her focus wavering earlier, she had temporarily forgotten about the power struggle she was in. Thus, she found herself in a precarious position, where a single instance of distraction would be the end of her.
The machinist could hear that the archer was about to fire once again, and breathed in heavily, an action that confused the greatsword user.
She had a plan, and needed to act on it, fast.
So she did, a confident grin now plastered on her face. The man was bewildered once more, unable to concentrate fully with how close their faces were. That was, before she pulled her head back, and bashed it against the man's, prompting the man to pull back in his effort due to the sudden pain around his forehead.
An opening now presented to her, she swung the hammer once again, landing on the man's gut before it launched him into the air directly towards his superior.
The large man merely narrowed his eyes in dissatisfaction, before taking a step to the side, not even bothering to help his subordinate as the bandit crashed into the wall.
She didn't let her guard down as she quickly backed away when an arrow planted itself into the ground to where she was standing earlier.
Despite her wariness, she couldn't have possibly expected the next attack.
The sound of gunfire shot in the air, forcing the machinist to instinctively drop to the ground. While she was unharmed, the tail of her coat was caught in the shot, forming a small hole in it.
She glanced towards the side, recognizing the shot came from the robed bandit, with his left hand held up and a pistol aimed at her.
There was no time for her to contemplate on her next course of action as another stray arrow soared in the air. She had no choice but to let go of the hammer, for it would weight her down in dodging his opponent's assault. Both of them.
She rolled off the ground, not stopping even for a second as the storms of arrows and bullets followed her trail.
Before long, their assault had stopped momentarily. Aileen acted fast, pushing herself off the floor, ignoring everything in her surrounding as she dashed straight towards the greatsword left by the bandit.
It didn't take even for a second after she started running, the bandits was already starting their second round of shooting. Aileen leapt into the air, and extended both her legs downward as she plunged into the floor, where the greatsword laid.
The combined force of her descent with the weight of the weapon and her own's were more than enough for the floorboards to break under pressure, causing her to fall under along with the sword, leaving a gaping hole in the floorboard.
The two bandits immediately stopped, surveying their surrounding as they slowly moved towards the newly formed hole. Before they could even take a look what was going down below, they backed away as they both heard a cracking sound near them.
They aimed their weapons at the source of the noise, but it was pointless, for nothing happened even after the two waited there.
Another crack came.
The two were alarmed and aimed once again, but it was just a repeat of what happened earlier.
Then it came again and the same thing occurred, as if it was a mechanical action, replicating the exact same scene. The motion repeated itself for several minutes, and with each cracking sound, raised their impatience and anxiousness.
All of a sudden, the metal sword revealed itself as it cut through the floor, the edge of the blade sticking out.
In any other situation, the two bandits would have easily assessed the situation and calmly make a decision. But due to their pent up restlessness, they simply shot at the metal blade without much thought put into it.
And it was exactly what the machinist needed to catch them off guard. With their minds preoccupied by the sudden appearance of the blade, she leapt out from the hole and quickly moved towards the robed bandit.
He couldn't have possibly seen her coming. Just as he turned to face her, she was already delivering a right hook towards him. The man was thrown into the air as her fist impacted his face, causing him to drop his gun.
Before the weapon even fell to the ground, her hand was already preparing to receive it. As she did, she immediately turned towards the other opponent and steadied her gun.
The two stared at each other, standing still as they waited for the other's next move.
In an instant, their fight was decided the moment they both fired their weapon.
The bullet soared though the air, and the arrow as well. The two projectiles passed through each other while heading towards their respective target.
The bullet was much faster as it pierced the man's wrist, trickle of blood flowing from it as he yelled in agony.
For Aileen, she was luckily able to dodge the incoming arrow in time. There was no time for her to rest as she walked up to the now disarmed man.
He looked towards her, and was about to snarl at her for injuring him to this extent. Before he could even get a word in, he was sent tumbling across the floor as she simply kicked him in the head, unperturbed by his action.
"HAAAAAH!"
Her eyes widened, not expecting the sudden attack. She quickly backed away from the sneak attack but was hit nonetheless, her left sleeves now in tattered as it got pierced, now replaced by splashed of blood on it.
She glared at her last opponent, gripping on the gun tightly.
He loved the hateful expression the machinist was sporting at the moment. And the best part? It was directed at him!
Despite that, that nagging feeling he had earlier had returned but was even more prominent this time around.
What was it? Just what was actually bothering him? It couldn't possibly the woman before him, could it?
He went into a sudden fit of range, thrusting wildly at the machinist.
While surprised by his outburst, she remained steadfast and collected as she perceived his pattern of attacking.
Since she had no weapon to defend herself with, she could do nothing but dodge his continuous attack. Initially, it proved to be a difficult feat as scraps of her clothes fell to the ground. But it soon changed as she could see the man was getting slower in his frontal assault, and she was getting better at predicting his movement despite the fact he was in an enraged state.
As the man thrust the spear, Aileen dodged to the side and held both Artisan and the leader's arm in place. The man tried to free himself from her hold but the machinist was surprising strong for her build.
"You're not using it right."
Angered by her words, the man unleashed a fearsome punch with his other hand.
Despite the ferocity of the attack, it stopped just a breath away from the machinist, her hair swaying back due to the pressure of the punch.
The leader turned his head slowly, wanting to check what had transpired. Staring down, he found out that the machinist had elbowed him in the gut and was not letting go despite seeing his expression of pain.
She was unnerved at the man's knuckles staring right at her, because the fight was already in her favour. Putting a bit more strength into her elbow, she was able to remove the man's grip on Artisan as she pushed the man away.
The machinist was immensely relief and happy that Artisan, her weapon had returned in her arms. She then turned her attention backed towards the bandit, her eyes flashing in anger once again.
The leader was clutching his stomach in pain, breathing heavily. But the moment the woman glared at him, he went into frenzy, his only thoughts were of ripping her apart by any means possible.
She sighed, calming herself from her anger as she reeled Artisan back, preparing to launch her final attack in order for this fight to finally end.
The large man disregarded the machinist's action, his focus was solely on her and nothing was going to stop him.
Except for what was about to occur.
Seconds before the large man could grab her, she ducked under his hands and thrust her spear right into his upper body, and with a click of a trigger, launched the spear.
The man was instantly sent flying from the force of the thrust, his arms flailing wildly in the air before tumbling down into the floor, a cloud of dust formed upon impact.
Nevertheless, she was still not letting her guard down until she was sure he was absolutely down. As the dust subsided, she observed the scene before her carefully.
The man was planted into the floorboard, but it was not his legs that were stuck onto it, neither were his arms. Instead, it was his head that was planted onto the wooden floor, the other parts of his body sprawled around.
She waited several seconds more before coming to a judgement. Once it passed, she smiled warmly knowing it was all over. Her quiet celebration changed into a loud one as the booming voices of the passenger enveloped the whole ship, which certainly surprised the machinist.
They all huddled around her, giving their thanks for saving her. She was confused at first, but quickly got used to it as she accepted their words of gratitude. Still, she needed to voice out several concerns to the passengers.
"I appreciate the thought but I believe we should round them all up first. Then, there is the matter of our current course to Pharm..."
"Do not worry, for I shall handle the matter with the captain."
She didn't need to look twice for the person's voice, as she could tell who it was.
"Looks like you're alright after all, that's good."
The Zoldaad soldier stood among the crowd, his armor looked worse for wear but the person himself seemed to be fine.
"My condition is of no concern. I apologize to you, and everyone else here for failing to protect you all."
The guard lowered his head, bowing towards all of them.
"...It's fine. It wasn't your fault anyway."
She dismissed him, seeing as he did everything he could. And to her, that was all she could ask for.
"But it is! My failure caused your injuries after all!"
"These? It'll heal. But if you're still feeling guilty about it..."
The machinist rummaged through her belt and pulled out a small container.
All of them were intrigued by the item, curious of its use.
She opened the cap and poured it on her injuries, a small transparent liquid coming out of it. Once she did, she rubbed it on her wounds, tending to each one of them carefully.
They all gasped in astonishment as the wounds closed themselves, as if she was never hurt at all.
"Now that that's settled, you got nothing to worry about, right?"
The guard conceded and heeded her words.
"Very well. I will see if we can change our course back to Olderion, perhaps it is not too late."
With that, the young guard hurried to the inside, searching for the captain's room.
Between the crowds that gathered neared her, the bandits that were lying unconscious on the ship and even the damages she had caused. It would seem she had gone overboard a bit...but it didn't matter, she was just glad that she had gotten Artisan back.
"Alright then, guess we'll have to clean up this mess."
"You are a...kind person aren't you?"
Aileen and the guard sat at the spot they were at before the incident, the two chatting it up once again.
"I don't believe I am. Why?"
"Well, it's hard to accept your claim when you decided to heal those dangerous bandits."
So she did. With plenty of help from the passengers, they managed to round up the criminals together, tying them with ropes from their arms to their legs, ensuring that they wouldn't escape should they awaken.
All of the passengers were once again left speechless as the machinist poured the oil on the bandits' wound, relieving each and every one of their pain.
"Not really."
"Still...too bad we can't go back to Olderion right now."
"Ah yes, my apologies regarding that, but the captain had explained very thoroughly on the condition of the ship and I had no words to counter his reasoning as I agree with him."
The soldier had relayed the message from the captain rather bluntly regarding their situation. Turned out, if they were to head towards to Olderion now, it would consume all of the ship's resources mid-way, which would cause them to crash and endanger their lives.
Naturally, they were outcries of anger and dissatisfaction from the passengers but eventually they were able to accept their current predicament, even if they didn't like it.
"Yeah, it is understandable but I personally don't really mind where I end up at. I just feel kind of bad for the other people here."
Truth be told, she had no solid aim for going to Olderion. After all, the purpose of her traveling was to improve itself. If Pharm was indeed the place that would do it, she had no reason to complain about it. Even if she was, she could still at least understand the passengers' initial reactions.
"What I do mind however, is the fact you confiscated my Artisan."
She stared at the man flatly, for he was the cause of her weapon being kept in the storage once again. No one had opposed the idea as she had already proven her worth in the passengers' eyes by saving them but the Zoldaad soldier beside her had been persistent in requesting she put it back. In the end, she relented and abide to his plead, no matter how begrudging she was at the idea.
"Please forgive me Miss Aileen. It is the protocol and as a law-abiding person, I am simply upholding it."
"Sure...not like someone will steal it again."
"Do not worry, I will protect it with my life if anything were to happen to it."
She smirked. If there was anything to gain from this, she at least found the guard somewhat pleasant to talk to.
"But wouldn't it be better if it wasn't taken in the first place? I mean, they didn't just take my weapon, they took yours as well."
"And I am ashamed of that. To think those ignorant criminals would take the weapons ordered from the Emperor himself. They have no pride as warriors!"
"I mean...if I were them, I would take it as well. So, I blame it more on the guy carrying a crate filled with an assortment of weapons than the perpetrators."
"Miss Aileen, I'm starting to feel you get a kick doing this."
"That's what you get when you approached me. If you want to really compensate for it, then you should give me some of those weapons, I'm sure I can make a good weapon out of it. Otherwise, afraid you're stuck with me until this ship lands."
"While I have certainly said before I admire your craftsmanship, I would be in much trouble if you did such a thing, despite how unusually cheerful you are at the idea…perhaps I should go down to the storage room. There I might not be subjected to your very brutal words."
"Then you better protect them properly, wouldn't want another incident after all."
"If I might be honest Miss Aileen, what are the chances of there still a criminal among us?"
The guard left, leaving her to gaze at the sky once more. She returned back to the question she had earlier, but was no closer to getting an answer despite what transpired.
Several hours later, the airship had landed on Pharm, stopping just outside of a giant forest. Most of the passengers could only view the sight from the ship as none of them dared venture outside, for they wouldn't want to be left behind.
Aileen now stood before the stairs, along with the young guard, who was carrying a large crate behind him and the group of bandits roped to him, bringing them alone.
"Guess you're leaving huh? You sure you'll be fine taking these guys on your own?"
"Do not worry. I will be vigilant, for I will not let the same mistake to happen twice."
"What about the crate? Aren't you supposed to head out towards Olderion instead?"
"Even if it's not the designated location, I still need to carry out the order I've been tasked with."
"Speaking of...what were you doing with this crate full of weapons anyway?"
"Unfortunately, I cannot tell you that Miss Aileen. But let us just say this is a very important mission I need to carry out by myself."
"Alright then. Guess we won't meet after this huh? Though you were a bit too much at times, I had...fun during this trip."
"I as well, for I have learnt a lot today but I am sure we will meet again, perhaps sooner than you think..."
Leaving those parting words, the soldier headed out as he slowly marched into the forest ahead.
She, on the other hand, moved towards the inside of the ship to pick up Artisan before starting her journey again.
"This is..."
The storage room wasn't a very wide and large place, but it was certainly more than spacious enough for various weapons to be placed inside.
However, what was very glaring about the state of the room was the fact that there nothing in it, meaning her personal weapon was missing.
There were no hidden passages, nor other entrances that lead to another room. There was just the one door to enter and leave, so where could it have possibly gone to?
Slowly but surely, her eyes widen in realization as she had vivid idea of who the thief was...though inwardly, she was hoping to be proven wrong.
Nonetheless, she hurried out of the room and headed straight for the stairs. The passengers all gave their goodbyes to her, though she merely gave them a simple wave and jumped down from the deck, shocking all of them.
She needed to get there quick before it was too late.
SSS
She dashed through the patches of grass, and before long she slowed down as a single figure came into view in the middle of the clearing.
As expected, it was the young guard...or so she had thought. While running to get here, she had a growing suspicion the Zoldaad soldier wasn't who he seemed.
The man was holding Artisan high up in the air, as if he was waiting for her to arrive in the first place. Around him were piles of men, the same men she had beaten previously, who were sprawled on the ground, unaware of what was going on.
"Ah, I see you came after all. Like I said before, we'll meet again sooner than you think."
"You know what I want. Hand it over, now."
She emphasized the last word, her eyes boring into his. He was unaffected by her action as he stroked the spear slowly, almost in a tender way.
It disgusted her to no end, but she needed to hold her anger back, if only of a while. There were still things she needed to ask of him.
"I must say, the useless lug was right. Your weapon is marvellous, it took me no time at all to dispose of them like the useless trash they are."
It was as if his attitude had taken a shift, almost like a different person entirely. However, his word certainly explained the state the criminals were in, but there was another thing bothering her now.
"You're not with them?"
"Oh of course not. The only connections these worms have with me are the fact they acted on my plan."
She quickly realized what the supposed guard was talking about.
"...which was the takeover of the ship so that they can change course."
"Smart. As I thought you were from the conversation we had, but essentially yes. It was fairly easy to do so as well considering how foolish the leader is. He didn't even suspect anything of any kind from the message I sent him."
He shrugged, shaking his head in disappointment as he looked at the leader, who had fallen before his feet.
"It was such a simple plan too. They cause the crime and I, donning as a guard would stop them, allowing me to get away easily with the assortment of weapons I would bring with me."
"Why not just disguise yourself as a guard and just take a ship straight towards here instead?"
"I would...but I was heavily limited in time and my client needed these at the closest possible timeframe. Since there were no trips to Pharm during this time of year, I made an alternative option."
"The weapons I get...but how did you convince these guys to change the ship's course?"
"Let's just say I told them a simple lie and leave it as that."
He wiggled his finger in amusement, a playful grin accompanying it. He stopped as he turned around, looking towards the sky.
"But despite my careful planning...I couldn't have possibly predicted that Aileen the Machinist of all people would be boarding the same airship."
There was an eerie silence after that. Neither of the two spoke for a while, both having inner thoughts of their own on their current situation.
The silence broke the moment the fake guard faced her once again, lifting his arms high up in the air, excitement in his tone as he spoke.
"Still, I made it in the end! I had to adjust the plan a bit but the end the result was the same."
She could tell this supposed change was her taking his place in handling the criminals. But the question was, why?
She discarded the thought almost immediately. It didn't matter, the only thing important was getting Artisan back, no matter how many times it took and this time was no different.
But...it was. In the earlier fight, she had no attachment to any of the bandits she fought. For the person before her right now though, as much as it pained her to say it now, she still had a pleasant time talking to him and nothing could take away from that fact.
That's why she balled her fist in anger. How could she possibly not see this coming? Was she perhaps too naive despite her experience?
In the end, none of it matter. She heard him out, and now...she needed Artisan back.
"I've heard enough. Now I'll have to get my weapon back, even if I have to knock you unconscious to do it."
She arched her neck, cracking her knuckles as she breathe in and prepared herself.
For all her preparations to initiate battle however, she could not have predicted what would happen next.
"Here you go."
He tossed it to her nonchalantly, not a hint of hesitation in his action. The machinist caught it, holding it in her dominant hand before giving him a quizzical look.
"What is that look for? You've kindly listen to my ramblings despite your anger and I provided you the same courtesy by returning your weapon, simple as that. And I wouldn't want to have grudges between us after all."
"...and why is that?"
There was a hint of sorrow that came from the fake guard. But it only lasted for an instant as he extended his right arm in a welcoming manner.
"I didn't lie you know, I truly learnt a lot from you today. That is why I have a proposal for you...let us work together Miss Aileen."
He retracted his hand before he spun around, walking around in a circle as he continued on.
"Let me explain. As you could have guessed by now, I am a weapons dealer; I sell whatever weapon my clients need in exchange for gil. You, on the hand are an incredible weaponsmith. In fact, I dare even say the best. So if you put the two together..."
She immediately grasped at what he was getting at as she answered him.
"I provide the weapons, and you sell them."
"That's right. Brilliant isn't it?"
"And what makes you think I'll agree to that?"
"You wouldn't? You would have the opportunity to polish your skills. Think about it, an army of mercenaries, soldiers, warriors using your weapons like the spear you hold in your hand? Why, wouldn't that be a powerful scene to witness?"
In actuality, she loathed the imagery. She never agreed with the notion that an entire group of people should have the same weapon. But the mere idea only reaffirmed her belief, even more so now that she thought about it.
"What's your end game here? You're not dull, and you're not affiliated with any of the kingdom from what I see...so, what do you gain from this?"
He stopped.
"Simple. I get to survive."
That…certainly surprised her, yet at the same time it did not, with how the world was after all.
"I won't bore you with the most minuscule details Miss Aileen, but all I can say it was a necessity to become who I am right now. So, I don't care what my clients want from me nor do I care of their characters...the only thing I want is the money I am paid to live. Even now, I find it difficult with the number of demands I receive these days..."
"But if I have you by my side, then my troubles would be over. Do not misunderstand however, I don't extend this to just anyone. You and I are the same, even if you don't see it Miss Aileen."
"Sorry. I just don't like the way you do things so I'll have to take a no."
"Unfortunate. I really was looking forward to it too...now the question is, will you let me go about with my business?"
He had no reason to fight her. If anything, he would like to avoid confrontation with the machinist. She was not exactly an opponent he could easily handle with in a straight fight.
"I don't know about handing you to the authorities but..."
"But?"
"I would still like payback for what happened on the airship."
"Were beating these bandits not enough for you?"
"You would think. But the things you said to me are pretty infuriating, so I would like to give my thanks for that."
The machinist then went into a fighting stance, her eyes focused on him.
"Seems there is no choice but to fight, very well then..."
He kicked open the top of the crate, and placed both his arms inside. There was only the sound of metal clanging upon one another before he pulled it back out, revealing a steel sword and a shield made of mythril.
"Hmmm, those fools didn't even bring a shield with them when they fought you, how careless. Now, let us begin."
The man took a battle stance, positioning himself. He already had an idea of the machinist's combat prowess and he would be foolish to rush in against her of all people.
He simply had to wait for his opponent to move first.
And she did.
Aileen dashed off towards him, running at high speed despite the weapon on her. Meanwhile, the man slowly approached from the other side as he held up his shield defensively, his eyes following her movement.
She took an abrupt turn just as he was within range, twisting her ankle, before leaping at him from the side, lunging Artisan forward.
The fake guard braced himself, but unfortunately for him, he had heavily underestimated the amount of force he was about to receive.
Aileen clicked on the trigger of her weapon, which fire off a bullet in Artisan's chamber, increasing her momentum as she launched it straight into her opponent.
The man cringed upon the direct hit his shield received, perhaps even losing his footing if he wasn't careful. The ground beneath his feet crumbled upon the pressure, even his feet sinking into the ground.
He took a quick glance at his opponent and realised the spear was stuck onto his shield and quickly lifted up his sword to retaliate.
She foresaw the attack coming as she simply lifted both her legs and let out a yell as she kicked him in the gut.
The man let out a painful yelp as he released his hold on the shield, before being thrown a fair distance away from where he stood.
With her opponent down on the ground, she took this as a chance to get rid of the extra baggage. She held up her Artisan to the side, the tip of the spear still stuck within the shield. With a pull of a trigger, she blasted the shield off her weapon and into the forest, possibly never to be seen again.
"As expected, you are very strong."
Despite the heavy blow earlier, the fake guard stood up once again and was as calm as ever.
"However, I am grateful you are not unnaturally strong, capable of feats comparable to magic."
Magic.
She never exactly liked it. But she couldn't say she abhor its use either. She didn't deny that magic had a tremendous history behind it, and the breakthrough magic had achieved.
Despite that, she preferred the intricacies of machines, the turning of the gears, the sounds of metal grinding towards another...to her, it was the world that only she understood and wholeheartedly loved.
"This would certainly cost me quite a bit, but it would all be worth if I am allowed the chance to escape."
The machinist stood her guard as she observed the man pulled something from within his armor.
Once he took it out, he proceeded to playfully tossed it in the air before catching it just as easily. It was as if it he wanted for her to know what he held in his hand.
Analyzing it, she quickly surmised that it was an object with an ovaline shape covered in multiple segments, topped off by a pin of some kind.
She was certain she had seen it before, somewhere within the castle walls of Zoldaad. Then it dawned on her of the identity of the weapon.
It was an imperial grenade.
She had personally never seen the use of it herself, but she didn't need to, for she had heard of its deadliness and she very might well see it for herself in a few seconds.
"Oh. It seems you know what this is...that's good, though sadly I only have one left. But I doubt I'll need more than one, seeing any more than that would be overdoing it."
The man didn't hesitate as he threw it towards her general direction.
Despite knowing the danger that was about to occur, Aileen didn't move from her spot. Instead, she simply stared at the falling object as it headed straight towards her, unflinching. The land around her exploded into flames upon impact, the grasses around it burnt until it was nothing left but ash, a cloud of smoke covering the entire area.
"How fortunate for me that my supplies were just far away enough from the range of the explosion...perhaps I should have not been so hasty, but it was hard to considering who my opponent is...or was."
The fake guard gazed at the fiery destruction he had inflicted. He was confident that the battle had been decided right then and there. No matter how strong the machinist, she was still clearly human. Even if she happened to survive, she couldn't have possibly gone out of it unscathed. It was just preposter—
His train of thought stopped as the smoke finally subsided and he was at absolute disbelief at the scene before him.
What should have been an empty field of nothingness caused by the grenade was instead, the same patch of grass that was still there, only slightly singed. But that was not what was shocking, it was the multiple pillars that stood there on the spot, their sudden presence had left him stunned in silence.
It looked to be from the ground itself, and was positioned in a circle of some kind, as if it was protecting anyone that dared harmed the inside of it.
There, right in the middle of it stood Aileen. She was patting her coat, trying to get rid of the dirt that had gotten on it, not caring of anything else at the moment.
He couldn't believe even his own eyes, for the machinist was relatively unharmed by the grenade. He dare even say she was completely unaffected by it.
"How? How is this possible? You can't use magic! I'm sure of it...so if that is the case, how could you have possibly protected yourself from the explosion!?"
It was the first time since today he had lost his composure, yelling in desperation at the state she was in. He still couldn't fully wrap around his head that someone was able to leave an explosion of that degree unscathed. The imperial grenade he had carefully stolen from the very vault within Zoldaad Castle, and had personally witnessed of its destructive nature… it was useless before her.
Despite his inquiry, Aileen didn't answer him. She simply took a step forward, a determined look in her eyes.
She then took another. And with each step she took, merely served to unhinged the man even further.
He instinctively backed away in fear, now finding that he had heavily underestimated the machinist.
"Why...why didn't you show this kind of strength on the airship? Surely you would have ended the fight in an instance."
The machinist said nothing as she continued trudging, one step at a time.
Realizing that she wouldn't bother to even respond to him, he had figured that it was pointless to continue trying to talk.
"Very well...I don't need an answer. I will fight regardless, for I am the one who will live!"
He rushed towards her, his sword at the ready as he formulated his plan of attack.
Finally, she stopped in her tracks, simply standing her ground as she prepared herself for another battle.
The incessant sounds of metal clashing echoed throughout the forest, and lasted for quite a while.
He slashed wildly but with precision and deadliness that was absent with the bandit's way of fighting. However, for all his skill in wielding a sword, it was rendered useless before her.
She didn't move from his sword, only blocking and deflecting each and every one of his strikes. She had to admit, he was clearly a better fighter than the bandits she had faced off earlier. Yes, even all of them combined would not have stood much of a chance given his way of fighting.
But she was not them. She remembered training days in and days out during her youth, for it was necessary to find the ins-and-outs of any kind of weapon, that in the end, had helped contributed to the skills she possessed in crafting weaponry.
Thus, she was confident in her skills, not just in making weapons but battles themselves.
As another strike clashed with her spear, she brushed it aside with her weapon and unleashed an open palm upon the man's chest, throwing him off entirely. With a calculated strike of her own, disarmed him of his weapons as it flung into the opposite direction.
He cursed himself for the pathetic state he was in. He was in the exact same situation the bandits he had berated earlier, and he just couldn't accept it.
"No...this is...unacceptable...UNACCEPTABLE!"
His right hand trembled in anger, before he let out a blood curdling scream as he blitzed across the field, only one target in mind.
The moment she was within striking range, the man unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks upon the young woman. Despite the ferocity of his attack, Aileen was able to dodge them with relative ease as she was able to react in time.
The fake guard pushed himself forward as a another punched went through, but she slipped passed his attack and positioned right behind him.
She then took a giant step backwards with her right leg, taking a deep breath before reeling Artisan back as well.
Just as the man turned around, he was too late to retaliate.
In one single move, the machinist lunged Artisan forward and unleashed an attack that was so fast her opponent's eyes couldn't even follow. A bullet flew out of the chamber as the spear hit the man directly in the chest, only serving to increase its momentum. It did just that, for the force of the blow behind it completely devastated the land that was in its path as it sent the man completely blasting off before crashing into the pillar of rock she had erected, pieces of the boulder falling as the man was now etched into it.
Even Aileen herself was cringing a bit from the recoil. It was fortunate she had no need to pull out all the stops. Regardless, this particular attack did always leave her arm a bit strained no matter the output.
From afar, the man's armor was completely gone as pieces of it now laid on the ground. Even his helmet had been thrown from the impact of the hit, revealing his true appearance.
But the machinist merely turned around, having no desire to know who he truly was, for it was pointless in the end.
She sighed in resignation, thinking that today had been a tiring experience.
She then gazed at Artisan, the grey steel of the spear reflecting the sunlight off, revealing an image of herself.
"Thanks Artisan, you reminded me of who I am."
She was a machinist. No matter what, she would still believe in her own saying, that everyone has a weapon, out there just for them and no one else. And even if she were to be involved in things she shouldn't, she would still do it regardless as long as the person was worthy of it.
Funny how things work. The dilemma she had been pondering for half of the portion of the day was solved thanks to her very own weapon...and the events that transpired today. Regardless of the outcome or her thoughts on the matter, in the end it had been eye-opening.
She still had a lot of places of explore, and a lot of things to experience as well.
She couldn't be more excited to set out once more, this time in a different place entirely.
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Originally, this oneshot was written as a sort of congratulatory gift to my favourite unit/character in the game for her 7 star form arrival at GL and a farewell gift as well, considering that I will leave the game in the inevitable future. However, since Gumi had other plans, this little story will instead be served as a reminder of my time playing the game.
Trying to portray Aileen's personality is hard considering the limited times we've seen of her. But judging from the story event and with Jake's and Lid's bonus story, I find her as the type who's usually more blunt and straight to the point with people she doesn't personally know, and friendly to those who are her associates. Hopefully I've managed to depict that well enough, probably…
Regardless, if you happened to come across this story, thanks for reading!
P.S. Why does the animation for Piledriver resembles that of a tornado?