Chapter 6: Meeting Sinbad
Aladdin, Vulpi, and Morgiana are walking through a forest toward Balbadd.
"Hey, Mor-san?" Aladdin calls. "You're going to Balbadd so you can catch a ship back to your homeland, right?"
"Yes." Morgiana answers. "And also I wanted to see you three again. I wanted to give you my thanks to you, Vulpi-san, and Alibaba-san."
"Your thanks?"
"I am grateful to you three for giving be back my future. Thank you very much, Aladdin, Vulpi-san." She says as she is already sitting on the ground, bows at Aladdin and Vulpi.
"You don't have to do that!" Vulpi tells her.
"I'm pretty sure I can speak for Alibaba-kun too when I say that neither of us freed you just to get you thanks!" Aladdin says.
"Huh?" Morgiana says.
"I'm sure he did it just because it was the right thing to do!" Aladdin smiles at Morgiana and she smiles back at him. "Now I really want to see him again, too!"
"You're too excited, Aladdin." Vulpi says.
"As long as we keep following this road, we will." Morgiana says as she points where the path is heading. Aladdin and Vulpi look at the path and back at Morgiana.
"Yeah, that's true." Aladdin says and turns back to the road and they see a tall, attractive man with tan skin and a muscular build. He has golden eyes and very long, purple hair tied in a ponytail. He wears hoop earrings and a leaf that covers his 'man's pride'.
"Hello there." The man says. "What a beautiful day we're having."
Aladdin and Morgiana slowly become cautious and Vulpi's face slowly turns red.
"KYAAA!" Vulpi screams and covers her eyes.
"Vulpi-nee, Mor-san, stand back! He's dangerous!" Aladdin warns.
"No, it's okay! I will handle it!" Morgiana tells him.
"Why aren't you wearing any clothes?!" Vulpi questions the man.
"Wait, I think you misunderstanding the situation." The man says. "Please hear me out."
~Later~
After explaining his situation, Aladdin lends some clothes to the man as Vulpi starts the fire. The man now wears small vest and a cloth that covers his bottom.
"Thank you for lending me some clothes, Aladdin." The man says. "My name is Sin. I was on the way to Balbadd when thieves robbed me clean."
"I see. I'm sorry, mister." Aladdin apologizes. "I'm sorry for my reaction too. Crossing the desert has made me a bit too wary of danger."
"Oh? You've crossed the desert?"
"Vulpi-nee and I cross the Central Desert, coming from the northern Tenzan Plateau. We saw so many strange plants and animals!"
"That's great!" Sin says. "It feels great when you encounter new lands and knowledge. The confidence, experience, and the bond of friendship that are formed through adventuring are priceless. Adventures are splendid. They are truly what make a man a man."
"I understand! I totally understand how you feel, mister!"
Sin nods his head and looks at Vulpi and Morgiana. "And meeting lovely ladies like you two are also part of the adventure."
"Oh." Morgiana replies and Vulpi blinks at Sin's statement. When the wind is blown, Morgiana stands up and feels the wind and Vulpi perks her head up.
"I can smell the sea." Morgiana says.
"This sound, the waves of the sea?" Vulpi says.
"Once you get to the top of that hill, you should be able to see it." Sin says and Aladdin, Vulpi, and Morgiana look at each other before they run up to the hill. Once they are on top of the hill they see a large city before them.
"This is…" Aladdin trails off.
"Balbadd!" Morgiana finishes.
"Amazing…!" Vulpi says.
"Yeah. This is the nation of Balbadd, made up of this port city as its capital and hundreds of various islands in its adjacent waters. It's a great oceanic nation." They enter the market street and see a lot of different merchandises. "With the relations to the oases in the north, small nations in the northeast, and Partevia and Reim in the west, Balbadd has flourished as the center of maritime trade since times untold. The royal family here is the Saluja and they've governed this nation for generations."
They start to walk around the country and when they walk on the pier, words are painted on the wall.
"'Down with the monarchy'?" Aladdin reads.
"The country fell into disorder with the death of the previous king." Sin says and they reach to a large hotel. "But this place here is safe! It's the best hotel in the country and the one I always stay at. I'll pay for your rooms. Stay as long as you like."
"Wow, thanks mister! You're so rich!" Aladdin exclaims as Vulpi and Morgiana bow at him.
As Sin laughs, he walks near the entrance of the hotel, but stop by the guards for being suspicious.
"Who are you?!"
"Get out of here, you weirdo!"
"What's so weird about me?" Sin asks.
"Everything!" They shout.
"Please stop." A man's voice tells the guards.
~Later~
Once Sin manages to enter the hotel with Aladdin, Vulpi, and Morgiana, two men stand beside Sin. One of them is an average-sized man with pale skin, short white hair and black eyes. He also has freckles around his nose. He wears a long drape that covers his entire body, and a green Arabian keffiyeh on his head. The other man is a tall muscular man with red hair and eyes. He has a piercing on his lower lip and carries a sword that he is not so proficient at using. He usually wears gold armor covering his chest with a sash around his waist and nothing on his arms and legs. He has a metal bracelet on each wrist and leg.
"It seems as if our master has inconvenienced you." The white-haired man says. "As he said, please let us cover your room fees." The three beam at this news.
"Thank you, friends of Sin!" Aladdin thanks them and the white-haired man turns to Sin.
"And you please do something about your inappropriate attire." The man says as he pushes Sin away to their room and Sin waves after the three.
"See you later, Aladdin, Vulpi, and Morgiana. Let's eat together later." Sin says and the red-haired man looks at Morgiana before following Sin and the white-haired man. Then a maid approaches the three.
"I will accompany you to your room." She says and leads them to the room that they are staying. Once they reach to their room, the maid opens the door for them.
"Wow, this is such a nice room." Aladdin says, excitedly. He runs toward the bed and jumps on it, appreciating its softness and Vulpi follows him and she sits on the edge of the bed. Morgiana walks toward her bed and puts her belongings there. Aladdin then calls out to the maid.
"Wait, miss!" The maid turns to him. "Where would be to find a ship headed to the Dark Continent?" Vulpi and Morgiana turn to him.
"Dark Continent?" The maid tilts her head. "Oh, you mean a ship traveling to the south. That might be hard to find at the moment."
"Eh?"
"That is because of the Fog Troupe."
"Fog Troupe?" Vulpi asks.
"Yes. This city often gets fog, but recently, a group of thieves has been appearing at the fog. But they only attack the mansions of nobles and national trading vessels, and they redistributed the goods and money they gain, so some people are considering them heroes." The maid explains. "When they got a new leader, the riots and upheavals have gotten worse. His name is Alibaba. They call him 'Miracle Man Alibaba'." Aladdin is surprised, Vulpi widens her eyes, and Morgiana is in her thoughts.
"Miracle Man Alibaba…" Morgiana mutters when the maid walks away.
"I-I'm sure that's not the Alibaba we know." Vulpi says trying to reassure Aladdin.
"You are… right." Morgiana says, still disturbed.
"Eat to your heart's content!" Sid says, now wearing floor-length purple and white robes, as Aladdin and Morgiana drool at the sight of food and Vulpi swallows at it. "Balbadd specialty, herb cooked Eurmera sea beam."
Then they start to eat the food before them before Sin introduces the two men.
"I haven't introduced you to my men yet, have I?" Sin asks them. "These are Ja'far and Masrur." He turns to Morgiana. "Morgiana, Masrur is a Fanalis. You are too, right? You two have the same eyes."
Morgiana looks up to the red-haired man, Masrur.
"Nice to meet you." He says and Morgiana looks everywhere but him.
"You too." She says and continues to eat their food. After they're done eating, Aladdin drags Vulpi with them as they finally approach Masrur.
"Hi! I'm Aladdin and this is Vulpi-nee!" Aladdin introduces.
"Nice to meet you." Masrur replies with a monotone.
"You and Mor-san are from the same place, right?" Aladdin asks.
"Yes." Aladdin touches him and seems to be fascinated at his big muscles.
"You're so big! Are other Fanalis like him?" Aladdin turns to Morgiana.
"I'm not sure…" She trails off.
"Aladdin, did you forgot that Morgiana was a slave from when she was little?" Vulpi reminds him.
"Oh, that's right. I'm sorry, Mor-san, But Ugo-kun still in a league of his own." Aladdin says and about to blow his flute as Vulpi panics and tries to stop him. However, it was too late, Ugo's arms are already out. Unable to say anything, Vulpi bashes her fist into Aladdin in the head, causing a bump to grow.
"Aladdin, you're also a Magi?" Sin asks in shock.
"Also? Mister, do you know other Magi?" Aladdin asks.
"Yup." He replies.
"Sin-san, who are you?" Vulpi asks.
"The name is Sinbad." He coolly introduces, but Aladdin makes an expression that he never heard about him. "Haven't you heard about me? The Adventure of Sinbad! I'm him!" Sinbad tries to recognize his mighty, but Aladdin remains oblivious at this. Sinbad then clears his throat. "The man who has traveled countless roads and sailed untold voyages, who has navigated the world's seven seas, who has conquered seven Dungeons and built his own country! The master of seven djinn, high king of the seven seas, Sinbad!"
"That's… amazing?" Aladdin asks. "I'm not sure if I really understand though…"
"You don't? Even though you are a Magi?" His face turns blue at too much shock.
"Mister, what exactly is a Magi? I'm not even sure I understand it myself."
Sinbad puts his hand under his chin and closes his eyes. "What can I says is, that this here is something only a magi could do." Gesturing Ugo's materialized Djinn body. "Only a Magi can produce enough magoi to easily summon djinn for such an extended period of time. Magoi refers to the energy produced by rukh ordinary people are able to use only the rukh available inside their bodies, but magi are not limited and can use the rukh energy all around them limitlessly." Sindbad explains as Aladdin's eyes brighten. "You, Magi are loved by the rukh." Aladdin scratches his head with a slight blush as Vulpi smiles at him. Sinbad stops talking for a while, thinking as an idea comes to him. "Actually, I have a request for someone as amazing as you are."
"What is it?"
"Would you be willing to help me capture the group of thieves that's causing trouble here?" Sinbad asks them. Ja'far seems skeptical at this as he stops Sinbad.
"Hold on, Sin." Ja'far says, running towards his king. "Do you plan on getting these children involved?"
"Why not?" Sinbad crosses his arms. "Aladdin is a Magi. He is touched by destiny and has appropriate skills for his position. And also, we don't have a single metal vessel on us right now."
"And whose fault is that?"
"What should we do, Mor-san, Vulpi-nee?" Aladdin asks as he turns to them.
"I wish to travel to the Dark Continent." Morgiana says and she turns to them. "If we defeat the Fog Troupe, the ship will be able to sail again, right?"
"That's why we're here." Sinbad says.
"We're also here to look for someone. If we successfully deal with the situation, could this nation's king for help in our search?"
"I will." Sinbad nods at her and Morgiana turns to Aladdin and Vulpi.
"What do you think, Aladdin, Vulpi-san?" She asks.
"We'll do it." Aladdin agrees and Vulpi nods.
"That's great!" Sinbad grins. "Then let's start planning, Aladdin."
"Wait, what about us?" Vulpi asks him and Sinbad turns to her and Morgiana.
"You two can wait at the hotel. Even if one you are a Fanalis, I couldn't ladies like you two to fight." He puts his hands on their shoulder as he pushes them to the direction of the hotel. Unfortunately, Morgiana stomps her foot, causing a crater to form. Then Vulpi grabs his arm with two hands and he flips him over her body, landing on his back in front of the girls.
"We will fight too." Morgiana puffs her cheeks as Vulpi crosses her arms and Sinbad turns pale.
"Yes, ma'am."
Aladdin, Vulpi, Morgiana, and Sinbad's company gather in a room planning to capture the Fog Troupe.
"We believe that the Fog Troupe's aim is either the wealthy merchant, Aljaris', or the noble, Haldhub's mansion." Ja'far states.
"Why do you say that?" Sinbad asks as Ja'far frowns.
"False information has been spread about the movements of the army. The Fog Troupe appears to have supporters even within the government."
"Even within the government…"
"Yes." Ja'far says as he nods. "The Fog Troupe is more popular among the people than we imagined." Ja'far clarifies and Sinbad looks up in thought.
"Excuse me." Morgiana interrupts. "If the people support the Fog Troupe, are we really doing the right thing by capturing them?"
"I think so." Sinbad crosses his arms. "They distributed the money they steal to the people, thereby gaining the people's support. That's why people called them chivalrous thieves." He sighs. "But I think the thieves may only do that to make their crimes seem justifiable. Or perhaps we are hearing a lot of propaganda." He shrugs. "That's what I've come with. That's my story and I'm sticking to it." He stands up. "You guys should also spend some time thinking this over, and act according to your conclusion. That's how I managed to get this far."
~Night~
After sharing each other's conclusion, opinions, and ideas, they decide to be separate into groups and guard the mansion, a noble and the king's treasury by Sinbad and Masrur, and Ja'far, Aladdin, Morgiana, and Vulpi respectfully.
"I'm glad that the three of you decided to join us." Ja'far says.
"I'm still not sure what the right thing to do is though. But I came all the way to see a friend. I'll capture these thieves." Aladdin says in determination and Ja'far smiles at him.
"Good answer."
"Are Sinbad-san and Masrur-san the only ones guarding the other mansion?" Morgiana asks.
"Do not worry. Sinbad might seem a little shady, but his title as the high king of the seven seas isn't just for show."
Then Vulpi quickly turns her head as her ears twitch under her hood.
"Is something the matter?" Ja'far asks.
"I hear metal clashing." Vulpi says. "Sinbad-san may have been attacked!"
"What?!" Ja'far says.
"Can we go to him?"
"I'll leave it to you."
"Let's go, Aladdin, Morgiana."
Both of them nod and they run toward where Sinbad and Masrur are along with Vulpi. When they hear the guards are laughing, they see red fog mixed with the regular fog.
"It sounds like people are having fun." Aladdin says as Morgiana look at the red fog and covers her nose and mouth.
"Aladdin, Vulpi-san, don't breathe in any of the mist!" She warns and grabs both Aladdin and Vulpi. She then jumps up, away from the fog and lands on the roof of one of the houses. Once they land on the roof, they hear metal clashing against each other and the guards panicked voices.
"Stay away!"
"It's the thieves! There's a huge group of them!"
"What is going on?" Morgiana says.
"They seem to be caught in an illusion." Ja'far says behind them, surprising the three. "Did you notice the red mist? That's not a product of human hands. It must be strange magic."
They see many people are following a woman and a man. Also, the red mist is coming from the woman's sword. When they reach to a wall where the treasures are, the woman swings her sword to stop the red fog and the man walks near the wall. He scratches the wall with his own sword as yellow mist comes out of the scratch, subsequently, the wall corrodes and breaks down.
"Let's go!" The man shouts. "Our target is that fat pig's mansion! Go wild!"
The people shouts and they charges into the mansion. Then Ja'far shoots daggers with red wires attach to it and they hit a few people. Under his sleeves there are wires wrap around his arms and he pulls the wires back, forcing the people who are caught in it to fall on the ground.
"Are you part of the army?"
"No. But for various reasons, I must apprehend you." Ja'far says.
"Bastard!" The man curses. Ja'far jumps down to where the people are and lands as black mist appears, wraps around Ja'far, tying down to the ground.
"Another magical weapon!"
"That's right. It's the Sword of Shackling Ebon Fog." A young man's voice says as Ja'far turns his head and sees a young man with black dreadlocks styled in a half-ponytail, and golden eyes. He wears clothes-like rags from the slums and small red hoop earrings. Also, the black mist is coming from his sword. "Now you can't move a finger."
"Cassim!" The woman calls.
"Let my friend go." The young man, Cassim, demands.
"Our leader and our main force have arrived."
Another man who covers his entire head except his left eye walks past Ja'far and Cassim follows him. From behind, Morgiana runs towards the Fog Troupe and kicks two men before she starts running towards Cassim.
"Cassim, heading your way!"
The black fog wraps around Morgiana as she tries to stand up and the unknown man staggers back at the sight of her.
"A girl?" Cassim says.
"Mor-san!" Aladdin calls.
"Morgiana!" Vulpi also calls causing the man to look up and he widens his eyes. Vulpi sees the man and recognizes the man's eyes.
"Huh? Those eyes… That can't be…!" Vulpi thought.
Morgiana continues to stand up, but Cassim makes most of the mist towards Morgiana, causing her to lie on the ground.
"Now's your chance! Grab the goods and run for it!" Cassim commands and the Fog Troupe run towards the treasury room.
"I am searching for Alibaba-kun. In order to find him, I'll-" Aladdin thought and about to blow his flute.
"Ugo-kun." Aladdin calls and summons Ugo, preventing the Fog Troupe to enter the room with Aladdin and Vulpi on him. "I won't let you pass!"
"No way! There's no way we can beat that thing!"
The unknown man walks next to Cassim and puts his hand on his shoulder before he gets near Ugo. Both Aladdin and the man stares at each other as the man unfurl the cloth that's around his head.
"Wait…" Aladdin mutters. Once the man takes off the cloth, Aladdin and Vulpi widen their eyes as the man is Alibaba, who they were looking for. "Alibaba… kun?"