Hey friends! I know I haven't posted anything in like forever, but that's because a lot of things came up in my personal life and I'm just now sort of getting things together. Anyways, this is an idea that's been bouncing around in my head for a while and I'm just starting to get it out on paper (Laptop). It's based on the prompt about the world being mostly covered in unexplored forest and cities on oceans and stuff. And keep in mind that I haven't edited this and there are sure to be some mistakes. Message me or leave a nice comment and I'll do my best to fix it. Please review and favorite!
Magnolia is a beautiful city located in the country of Fiore. It's peaceful, surrounded on all sides by sparkling water and in the distance, the city's people can just barely see the looming trees of the Deep Forest. Some people find it beautiful, others ominous, but Levy Mcgarden finds it fascinating. How could she not? A place unexplored and dangerous, but also full of unparalleled possibilities. Undiscovered plants that could possibly be the cure to diseases. Extinct animals from the legends and myths might actually still be alive and thriving in the untamed wilderness! There is so much to learn and explore out there and she could be the first to document a multitude of new things. She could spend her whole life out there and barely scrape the surface. Yet, her plans to trek her way through the entirety of it has been suddenly been derailed.
"That stupid, bull-headed, idiot of a king!" Her best friend barks out as she paces their small apartment angrily. "I can't believe he turned down your grant!" Her feet strike the floor beneath her, a rough staccato with every step. The windows shake with the force of her furious march and if they didn't, they would from the expression on her face. Even Levy, the indirect cause of her anger, feels a slight flash of apprehension when the blonde turns around a little too quickly in her direction.
Lucy was strong. She wouldn't be one of the top female kickboxers in Magnolia if she wasn't. Most of her competitors fear her dreaded "Lucy Kick" most of all and Levy can understand why. She recently saw Lucy's opponent go flying through the air, over the ring, and into the middle of the audience completely unconscious. Thankfully she had never been on the receiving end of it and knew she never would be, but seeing something like that is a little unnerving.
"Lucy," Levy began, messing with the bandana in her messy blue hair. "We knew that there was a small chance, even in the beginning, that the king would give me the grant; just like we know how dangerous it is to try to explore the Deep Forest. There's a reason why only a few miles of it has been explored. Why pay to let a five-foot girl kill herself trying to trek her way through it?" She says reasonably and almost sounds convinced herself... if it weren't for the fact that she's avoiding looking at the crumpled rejection letter on the coffee table.
The negative reply had come as a cruel shock. With her credentials from Magnolia Science Tech University and the research that she had already released from just exploring the Dark Forest's edge, she had hoped, expected really, for at least a little bit of financial support. Instead, nothing. No explanation or any sort of apology. Just a curt, big in her face, no.
"But it's your DREAM, Levy! How can you give up this easily?" Lucy stopped her furious advance and turns her face toward her bluenette friend with a look of frustration. "I don't understand! You've been talking about this since we were kids! You've been preparing for years and all the sudden you just… Why am I the only one angry about this?"
Bitter, burning tears fill Levy's russet eyes and she wipes furiously at her face as they overflow down her cheeks. "You really think I'm not upset? I am! but I can't let this discourage me. I'm not quitting. This isn't the end. It can't be." Levy glances at her ragged, chewed on fingernails to organize the thoughts bouncing around her mind. "I didn't get a grant. That doesn't mean that this is it; it just makes things a little more difficult."
Her mind races a million miles a minute. How does she explore the Deep Forest without money for supplies? Maybe she could go by herself? That would reduce the costs, but she's not really capable of carrying everything that she needs without at least one other person. And it wouldn't be safe. Not at all.
Lucy's fury is gone almost immediately at the sight of Levy's tears. With how steadfast her short friend usually is, seeing her cry is a rare and cold slap to Lucy's anger. Levy has always been the rational one and has kept the blonde out of trouble her whole life. Lucy wouldn't be where she is now without her and she couldn't ask for a better best friend. She should be there for Levy, not taking her frustrations out on her.
"What are you thinking?" She asks and hands Levy a box of tissues before heading off to the kitchen, hunting up a couple bowls of ice cream and a bottle of Chardonnay. (The pair's usual remedy for an upsetting situation.)
"I'm not sure yet." Levy leans back against the couch with a sigh. "The biggest issue is the money of course and also finding people willing to go into the forest with me at all. I was hoping to focus on the finding people part after getting the grant, but maybe I should focus on it now. They might be able to help me get an idea of how much money I actually need."
Barely thirty minutes have passed since the mail was delivered bringing the news, but she feels drained, exhausted really. Each minute that has passed feels like twenty and thinking about everything that she has to do only makes it worse.
"I actually heard something the other day," Lucy's disembodied voice remarked from the freezer. "There's someone who's claimed to have gone twenty miles deep." Her voice is full of admiration as she recounts the rumor.
Levy, weariness forgotten, jumps to her sock covered feet, nearly tripping/sliding into the kitchen. "Are you serious right now?!" She yells.
"Yeah," Lucy remarks. "I was gonna tell you, but you were really busy the day I heard and I guess it slipped my mind. They call him "Black Steel" Gajeel."