Nothing much to say here, so onwards with the chapter.
Beyond The Sea
Dateline, December 18th, 1204.
A few days had passed since my first mission, my reward was a sparring mach against Altina, I still remember when I clinched the victory at the last moment.
After having my breakfast, I was sitting by the table in the dome center of the guest room hall.
"...and that was how I composed the prank that ended with marvel amusement." Bleublanc said as he told me one of his stories.
Yeah, I was sitting by the same table with this guy, he was a lot more open to me than before.
"I see, did any of the people catch on?" I responded.
"Of course, they were too gullible to realize that I wasn't being serious. Which makes it all the more humors to my lifestyle, haha!" He cleared his throat. "But I do hear that your progression is no laughing matter. You will be assigned a new task, I presume?"
"Yep, that was part of the deal. I wonder who my assigned partners will be this time."
"Well for one thing, it won't be me. Oh and have you heard the news from Crow yet?"
I shook my head. "Not yet, I haven't see him today."
"Well, a few days ago, we heard that the Imperial Army has taken control of Twin Dragons bridge, it is my belief that your friends from Class VII had something to do with it."
"They did...I wonder why though, there can't have been anything important that would make them wanna go there."
"Well, Lord Rufus mentioned about a pretty girl who is a relative of one of your friends and has a keen eye for pianos, she was taken hostage by Duke Albarea's men."
'Wait, he must be talking about Fiona, Elliot's sister. So she was captured but then rescued by my friends...that's good to know.' I thought. "I see, but why did they do that?"
"Well, I'm not one to really gossip in petty details, but rumor is that Duke Albarea is planning to become the next leader of the Noble Alliance."
"Wait, what, the next leader?! Geez, as if invading Rean's home village was bad enough, now he's resorting to taking hostages?"
"He is becoming quite troublesome, but that isn't your problem, nor is it really mine." Bleublanc stood up. "Besides, you have your assignment, now I must be going. Bryonia Island is calling for my attention. May we discuss over these matters another time." He put on his mask and then disappeared.
I then stood up and stretched, getting ready for the next mission.
"Oh, there you are, new friend." Xeno said. "You look like you're ready to go."
"Are you prepared?" Leo asked.
I nodded. "I sure am, the next step in getting my powers back will begin before the day is done."
"Good, then let's get to the dock right now." Xeno replied.
I followed Xeno and Leo to the dock area and boarded an airship before it flew away. Like with Scarlet and Vulcan, it felt strange to be working with those two former members of Zephyr. This was a great opportunity for me to learn more about the people that Fie grew up with a long time ago.
"So where are we going for this mission?" I asked.
"To the far south west of Erebonia." Leo answered. "Olbia Lowland."
"We got word that a sea monster from far away is heading towards Malva Coast." Xeno said. "It's pretty big, that's what we heard."
Leo looked at me. "I trust that you will make use of what you learnt during your improvised training."
I nodded. "Of course, even the ones where I came up short in during those sparring sessions."
"Hey, a bit of a light talk here. You said you were already taken, right?" Xeno asked. "Sooooo, who's the lucky girl?"
"Well, I can't say everything cause I have my reasons too, but her name's Emma. She's someone who's gone through the same doubts and concerns as I have. Since we had that in common, we were able to help each other...and before I knew it, I had already fallen for her." I sighed. "My love for Emma is the most important thing that helps me to get back up to fight on. I don't think I would be here if it wasn't for her."
"Well, aren't you mister charmer? Speaking of girls, are you really sure Rean hasn't tried to...get with Fie?"
"No, he really hasn't. In fact, Fie was the reason me and Emma got together."
"Hm? Mind if you rephrase that?" Leo asked.
"Yeah, I mean that Fie was looking out for her ever since she and I met, I think Fie already knew it was obvious that I had fallen for her." I smiled lightly. "Since then, Fie has been more like a little sister, an agile badass sister that I never had in my family."
Xeno laughed. "Hehe, that sounds like our Fie."
"Agreed, now we understand." Leo added.
"Speaking of assignments, I heard about the twin dragons incident, does this mean there'll be improvised security?" I asked.
Leo nodded. "Well, last we heard, Scarlet and a squad of former jaegers were assigned to Duke Albarea at Auroch's Fort."
"And Vulcan's been tasked to watch over the Marquis Fortress outside Roer." Xeno added. "It's a good thing we can go to these places like a snap."
"It appears that we are closing towards our destination. Let us prepare to disembark."
The airship landed at a small hill area, next to a small forest. When the door ramp opened, we stood out and those two led the way.
"Just one thing, Alex." Xeno said. "There are no jaegers around here, but there are guards stationed inside the port village."
"Those men are loyal to Duke Cayenne, do your best to not rile them up." Leo lightly warned.
I nodded. "Got it, I'll keep clear of them as best I can."
We walked to the entrance and entered Malva Coast, the village itself was like Legram, but a lot less impressive. Most of the view was an endless ocean, but the port area was a lot bigger than Legram's.
"Malvo Coast is mostly known for a route line that travels from here to the port city of Ordis." Leo said.
"We gotta make a few calls in the inn, better make the most of stocking up what you need before we head out." Xeno added.
"Got it, I'll wait by the entrance gate when I'm ready." I replied before they walked over to the inn.
I took the chance to explore a little and then I noticed a peculiar building at the far north of the village. I walked over there and noticed that there were several crates around the back. I then saw a sign that was taken down. When no one looked, I snuck around the back of the building and picked up the sign and gasped.
"I've seen this logo before...it's the same one I saw at the Bracer Guild at Legram." I said. "So...this used to be one of the guild's hideouts before these soldiers came along."
I thought of the guild and then Toval. As a bracer himself, he could very likely attempt to look for me which could put him and me in extreme danger. I then put the sign down and left the area. I didn't wanna cause trouble here after all, but this was something worth remembering at least. After making a few purchases at a general store, I then stood by the entrance gate. Xeno and Leo came out from the inn and nodding at me, we left the port village and made our way along the field near Olbia Lowland.
"By the way, I heard something interesting about you from Crow." Xeno said. "You apparently have the voice of an angel as he puts it."
"I guess he told you about the concert my class put up." I replied. "Yeah, I was the lead vocalist and everyone kept saying they loved my voice."
"Then if it isn't too much to ask, would you care to show us your voice?" Leo asked. "You can think about it until we return to the Pantagruel."
I shook my head. "I don't need to, I'd be more than happy to. The restaurant area on the ship has the music corner, right?"
"Uh huh, still, that's cool. Now it's time to get serious." Xeno said.
"Once we cross this bridge, we can expect a few monsters along the route, before we arrive at the heart of Malva Coast." Leo added. "Be on guard at all times."
I nodded. "Sure, I'll keep my focus on at all times. I'll also see if I can do a little more than what I did on my previous mission."
We crossed the bridge and the first area of the coast had a few crabs and some dragonflies, but those were just a start and no problem for us. We then encountered a giant crab that was in a different colour from the rest. We were forced into a battle, Xeno attacked first with his gunblade and swiped two of the crabs away. Leo was next with his mechanized gauntlet and he knocked the two other tow small crabs far away. I then charged right at the green one, knocking it off guard and Xeno and Leo went for a double team attack, finishing it off completely.
"Whew, that crab was packing one tough shell." I sighed. "But we took it down."
"Yeah, not bad, Alex." Xeno replied.
"You have observed the lessons well." Leo added. "Keep that up until we accomplish the mission."
We entered the second area of the coast and I suddenly heard a distant wave crashing in the waters.
"Huh...was that a wave?" I asked.
"It must be a warning." Leo answered. "We need to be on guard the closer we reach the target."
The second area had more crabs, but there were now strange looking fishes roaming around. But still, the teamwork we were showing was showing very good results, a strange thing to think about considering the last time me and my friends had to battle with. Speaking of which, I too wondered where the rest of Fie's old friends would be. After we made it past the second area, we entered the third area which was the sandy part, there was loud crash of a wave landing on the shore.
"Did you see that?!" I exclaimed when I saw a fin in the far distance along the ocean.
"Yeah, it's getting close." Xeno answered.
Leo nodded. "We will need to deliver everything we have, once we see it."
We continued exploring along the sandy beach part, there were now those shark-looking fishes blocking our way, but we took care of them.
"Well, we've made it to the far end, there's no sign of it yet." I said as we made it to the end of the sandy beach.
"It does seem like it, but this is way too quiet." Xeno replied
Suddenly, we began to hear a rumble along the waves.
"Look sharp!" Leo exclaimed. "Across the ocean!"
The rumble got louder until we saw the fin...then it suddenly rose out of the sea, now in our view was a gigantic fish that was towering above us.
"WHAT THE HECK?!" I exclaimed as I drew out my gauntlets.
"That's even bigger than we thought." Xeno replied.
"It must be a kind of fish that claims to be the ruler of this sea." Leo added. "Let us prove to it how wrong that claim is!"
"Alright...we'll send this giant fish back into the waters!" I replied.
The battle began and we knew that because we're on land and the fish was in the water, it would have the field advantage over us. Leo went fist by jumping into the air and landing a strong fist to the face. Xeno went next, doing the same action, except he aimed with his gunblade and fired multiple shots at it, the fish had taken some damage.
"Alex, you should be able to do what we can do right now, right?" Xeno asked.
"Now is the perfect time to use it, leap forward and strike with all of your heart!" Leo added.
I nodded, they gave me training on how to leap in the air and attack just like they can do. I leaped forward and delivered a one-two combo on the giant fish. It was effective, but I know that I can do better. I closed my eyes and called for the true powers to help me. I felt a jolt in my head and then I began to transform into my demonic state. I then started attacking it with quick reflexes and weakening it severely.
"Hah...now let's see if this giant fish face can handle my power!" I exclaimed before I leaped up with my wings. "This is the pinnacle of my true might! Get ready to feel the eternal pain of my demon might and beyond! Demonic Annihilation!" I brought out a massive red ball of my true power and in one swoop, I threw it at the fish and it was enveloped inside a massive beam, it roared loudly before it fell back into the sea, causing a few waves around the waters before the giant fish vanished.
I flew back to the ground and turned back to normal. "Hah...hah...hah...I never thought...I would conjure up...that skill again."
"Well, I'll be darned." Xeno commented. "He really can pull it off."
"That was certainly an impressive feat." Leo added. "The boy has earned his right as the bearer of the demon lord's powers."
"Yeah, mission accomplished, too." Xeno helped me on my feet. "Come on you, it's time we reported back to the ship."
"Yep...I could do with a non-alcoholic stiff drink." I replied.
We left the beach area and journeyed back to Malva Coast to fulfill a report at the inn where Xeno and Leo insisted I come in with them and speak to the bar tender.
"Oh, you must be Alex, the third man who was with these two." He said. "You have my thanks for taking care of the monster. Now our port's boats travel across the ocean without fear. Please, take this for your troubles." He handed me some kind of pendant. "This is a pendant from Ordis, a very popular souvenir."
"I see, thanks. Glad I was able to help." I replied.
"Alright, now that we're done here, we can go back." Xeno said.
"Let us return to the ship." Leo added.
We left the inn and then port village before walking back to the airship. I suddenly felt a slight presence, I turned behind me to see no one there except for a small forest in the distance. Was there someone watching? Hmmm, maybe I'm just imagining things. I shook my head and got on the ship that took us back to the Pantagruel.
After making it back and following a moment of lunch, I was standing on the small performance stage with a mic and a stand at the ready.
"Just a quick question before I start." I said as I looked to see several guards and some of other alliance members around the tables. "What's with the audience?"
"Oh, my bad." Xeno rubbed his head. "I kinda blabbed about you."
"Don't worry about it, Alex. Just pull it off the same way you did back at the concert." Crow said.
'Easier said then done since I'm performing in front of my enemies.' I thought.
"I shall listen with great interest." Bleublanc said.
Altina hummed in silence.
The noise began to damper down, the music started to play and I took a deep breath before starting.
She's always on my mind
From the time I wake up 'til I close my eyes
She's everywhere I go
She's all I know
And though she's so far away
It just keeps gettin' stronger, every day
And even now she's gone
I'm still holding on
So tell me where do I start
'Cause it's breaking my heart
Don't want to let her go
Maybe my love will come back some day
Only heaven knows
And maybe our hearts will find a way
Only heaven knows
And all I can do is hope and pray
'Cause heaven knows
My friends keep telling me
That if you really love her
You've gotta set her free
And if she returns in kind
I'll know she's mine
So tell me where do I start
'Cause it's breaking my heart
Don't want to let her go
Maybe my love will come back some day
Only heaven knows
And maybe our hearts will find a way
Only heaven knows
And all I can do is hope and pray
'Cause heaven knows
Why I live in despair
'Cause wide awake or dreaming
I know she's never there
And all the time I act so brave
I'm shaking inside
Why does it hurt me so
Maybe my love will come back some day
Only heaven knows
And maybe our hearts will find a way
Only heaven knows
And all I can do is hope and pray
'Cause heaven knows
Heaven knows
Heaven knows
I finished the song and the music stopped playing, there was a huge applause as a result.
"Goodness!" Bleublanc commented in surprise.
"Wait just a minute!" Duvalie added. "Where did that voice come from?"
"From his body." McBurn answered. "Were you even paying attention?"
"Grrr, why you!"
"See, what I did tell you guys, a real pro here." Crow said. "If only Vulcan and Scarlet were here to see this."
"Well thanks folks, I could one more as an encore."
Just as Crow was about to respond, we heard a beep coming from his pocket.
"Excuse me, hold onto that thought." Crow took out his ARCUS that I guess had been remolded for him and answered it. "Yeah, what's up...what?! Are you sure?! Alright, I'm coming!" Crow suddenly rushed out of the cafeteria.
I was left in a moment of confusion, what could've happened that Crow want to rush out in a panic?
For anyone who's played the game, it's obvious what has happened during this timeline.
Next time! Another mission is assigned to Alex and his partners are Altina and Duvalie.