Dust and Mana Chapter 1
A Girl, A Delivery and the Ghost Boat
In the Acturus Desert, in the middle of nowhere, lies a district filled with people named "Luna Nova". All its inhabitants are "Witches" as they call themselves. All Inhabitants can use magic, but needs training to do advanced ones. In the desert, Humongous Black Creatures would walk the earth. "Croixsters", We call them. The city was safe from these beast with the help of the Grand Hanbridge Walls and a mysterious ship. A legend once tells that a single soul is inhabiting the ship, all alone, and is search of friends, it destroys all that faces it. This "Ghost Ship" is always reported to be outside the walls, whenever a monster shows up.
Little young Constanze though doesn't believe a ship has its own will.
An alley filled with shops for different gears and equipment. The area was dusty, with sand at every corner. At a Nuts & Bolts store, a dark blue haired girl with a height of 5'1 foot tall, wearing a dark blue pointed witch hat with goggles modified into it, a dark blue vest which extends to be her skirt which was also covering a long white sleeved shirt, a pair of White sock and brown leather shoes and a brown cloak covering it all, was trying to buy a Scredriver, so she can replace one a friend destroyed. Constanze was her name.
She came to the store with her trusty partner, "Stanbot". Stanbot has a head that looked like an N64, but with grey and blue patterns, with a little cuboid body, two arms and legs.
"Thank you for the purchase, Little miss" The Shopkeeper tipped his hat and gave Constanze her change.
Constanze walked out of the shop and into the streets. Stanbot carried the screwdriver and followed. She walked to her broom, which was parked in Broom Alley.
Unlike other brooms that drives 100% on magic, hers was 75% Propeller power and 25% magic. Metal propellers and engines was modified into the broom. Constanze pulled her hat down, so the goggles are on her eyes. Stanbot hopped on and they were off.
The streets was a long sand filled walkway with brown arrows pointing the direction the driver was supposed to go. Constanze looked onto the road without any distractions. She saw a giant mirror on a building nearby. On the mirror was the News.
"Authorities and The District's researchers are still finding the reason behind the 'Ghost Ship'. Is there someone controlling it or does it have a will of its own?"
The 'Ghost Ship' was a ship with wood that was old as the walls, dust covered the ship and no flagpole was on it it, treadmills that acted as the wheels were out to it sides.
The news then shows a picture of the Ghost Ship, pointing its cannons to shoot Croixsters, Then one where a bright light was on the ship and pointing at the camera and finally, one where it tried to ram the walls.
Constanze never agreed with the bizarre theory of a ship having a soul, but she lives in a world where literal monsters are outside the walls, so what does she got to say.
She drives left and right until she stopped at a building. The structure was three stories tall with 2 windows that spreads evenly across the walls in each level. The lowest floor has a big metal door that opens up and door(I'm sorry, I really don't know what it's called). A pole stretched out from the top of the door, with a sign that says "Albrechtsbeger's Alchemy and Automatons. & Delivery".
She flew her broom inside and parked it near the wall. She sat down on a chair and let out a breath.
"Constanze, You here?" Constanze looked at a set of stairs that spirals down from the top floor. She saw a girl with the same clothes as her. Her hair was orange with red parts underneath which pointed upwards. Constanze picked up an earpiece and pushed a button, activating it. She put it in her ear.
"Amanda! Yes, I'm back! I got the screwdriver to replace the one you broke!" Stanbot spoke.
/A brief moment of exposition...
Okay, the earpiece on Constanze's ear is an earpiece that allows to make Stanbot say whatever she thinks in her conscious mind. It's a way to make Constanze 'Not silent', but no worries, she won't talk much. I will try silent acts for Constanze in this fan fiction./
"It was an accident. Okay?" Amanda said as she crossed her arms and let out a huff.
Constanze looked at Amanda with a 'really?' Expression.
" A delivery job came in. The Sender is a woman, who says her name was 'Ursula'. The Sender promised us with this 50,000 Sparials" Amanda pulled out a box and a letter, which contained the 50,000 Sparials.
/Sparials are the currency here/
Constanze walked to Amanda and reached for the letter, but Amanda slapped her hand.
"But on one condition, she said YOU have to be the one to deliver the package. She seemed like a powerful witch and she said she will make the Sparials disappear if this condition wasn't met"
Constanze rubbed her hand and put on a frustrated face. She didn't like delivering packages much. She would rather be tasked to clean 200 brooms than deliver a simple package. She thinks it's a big waste of time, but she has to do this for the money, it would help her a lot, in terms of repairs and materials. She and Amanda exchanged looks like it was a staring contest. No one blinked.
Constanze tried with all her might to not give in, but she let out her breath and then sighed. Constanze puts on a 'Fine..' face. She grabbed the package and her broom
She went out of the building and looked back. Amanda walked to her and said. "Oh, and the address is out in the Acturus Desert."
Constanze immediately turned back, eyes widened, and tried to walked back into her house, but a force field was in her way.
"Rule 49 of the Albrechtsbeger Contract, Once a delivery is accepted, the delivery witch must go to the location without failure." Amanda pulled out a paper. "50,000 Sparials, Albrechtsbeger. 50,000."
She huffed and got on her broom.
Constanze rides through the streets and then out of the city.
The Great Hanbridge Walls are Walls of high mountains. It's owned by the Previous Mayor, 'The Earl' we call him. Ever since the monsters came, 'The Earl' was never found. The district lost all forms of communications outside the walls.
Constanze reached 'The Under Gate', a big metal gate located under the Hanbridge Walls, around 10 meters long and 4.5 meters tall. It is always guarded by two guards that swaps every two days.
A guard stopped Constanze from going any further and asked. "Halt! What business do you have outside the walls? It is strictly said to not allow people to pass."
Constanze pointed to her package.
"We will need to inspect that miss." The guard picked it up and went to his shack. Constanze exchange glances with the other guard. The guard came back and put the package on her broom. His eyes were glowing green. Constanze didn't notice due to her goggles.
"G-G-Go through Ma'm" the Guard said. The other one placed a hand on the guard's shoulder.
"Aren't we supposed to not let her-" The other guard's eyes glowed ethereal green. "Uh, right through Ma'm."
Constanze still did not notice. Constanze rode her broom out the gate and into the desert.
217 Acturus Desert the address was. She rode her broom to a little shack, all dusty and old. The yard in front had a bunch of signs saying "Stay Out!".
She got off her broom and knocked on the door. Stanbot was holding the package. No one answered. She knocks again. The Door opens. Constanze took the package off Stanbot's hands and walked inside. She looked around the shack. It was filled with old wands and gear parts on the walls. Screwdrivers and bottles were scattered on the floor. A single table, a shelf and one chair was all the furniture in it.
Constanze tripped on the floor and drop the box. A single glowing ethereal green marble slid out. She looks at the marble. "Why would someone just sends a single marble into the desert."
She got up and dusted herself. She inspected the little green sphere. She walked to it. She kneeled down and touched the marble. At that moment, her eyes were glowing green with magic. With the flowing wave of mana in her eyes, she saw a vision.
[Constanze was in the middle of the town, but is wasn't like every other day. She stood up from her kneeled position and looked at the town. The town was on fire. People were running around, screaming. The buildings are partially destroyed. The wind blew hard in her hair. Beside her was a brunette girl with a part of her hair tied into a ponytail.
"Constanze! We need to leave!" The Lass said and pointed to the walls. One part of the walls was destroyed with something coming from outside the walls, a big black Creature. It facial feature was like that's of a crow. Glowing red linings were across its body. A Croixster.]
After all that, Constanze came back to consciousness. She gasped at the sight of her vision. She did not know what happened or how it did, but she wanted to stop it. The vision seems so close to her. She grabbed the sphere and put it in the box. She ran out and onto her broom. Then she remembered "50,000 Sparials"
"No, Not going to sacrifice the town for 50,000 Sparials" Constanze rode off and heard a screech in the distance. Then she saw it. A Crow Croixster, but only a 15 feet one.
"Oh, Jennifer!"
The Beast ran to Constanze and slashed it claw in a upward facing swoop, blowing direct wind and sand into Constanze. She flew off her broom and into the air.
She felt adrenaline. She felt fear. She fell down onto.. hard wood? Then she turned her head around. She was on the infamous Ghost Ship.
The cannons fired to the Big Bad Crow. It visions, blurred from dust and smoke.
The sides of the ship opened up more panels than it is currently opening, to reveal more magical blaster sand rifles. The shots landed on the beast like rain dropping down to the ground.
"Woohoo!" A voice in the direction of the steering wheel was heard. Constanze never heard it before, yet it felt so familiar. Constanze looked onto the Wheel to see A young brunette girl who was wearing a blue vest..( Basically the Luna Nova Student outfit) and a red pirate hat with a white skull on it.
Constanze felt like she saw her before. Constanze's eyes widened. No, it can't be! It's the girl... The girl from her vision.