Hello everyone out there!
So Magi belongs to Shinobu Ohtaka, my OC to me, there might be references to this world, music etc, spoilers for those who haven't read the manga this far and some spelling mistakes.
Even so, have a fun time reading!
Day 10 Meeting Gusion
Lenka was sure she was going to die. More accurately, she hoped that she would die soon. Death couldn't be as cruel as another hour spent on this torture instrument called Star of the North. With every up and down of the ship her stomach revolted more until she hung for the umpteenth time over the railing to immolate her breakfast, lunch or whatever she had eaten or not eaten to the sea.
It was the third day after they had left Balbadd and the third day of her permanent sea-sickness. Of course Lenka knew that she would be sick after she set foot on a ship because even the ferry she had boarded on a field trip of her school for fifteen minutes had caused nausea, yet she wasn't prepared for this hellish tour. She could swim, though, but boats were another matter.
They hadn't been able to stay in Balbadd after the revolution; the chance that someone would attack the royals had been way too high for comfort plus Sinbad had suggested that the Kou Empire would sent troops to the country to get hold of it and probably capture Alibaba to have a scapegoat. And really, a large military force had arrived almost the instant the fight against the black djinn had ended. So he invited them to Sindria, or to be precisely he knocked Alibaba out and had him carried to the ship while Morgiana and Aladdin followed unharmed.
That invitation had caused Lenka concern; she and Sinbad hadn't had quite the good start and she was worried that he would leave her in the disturbed city but apparently he had calmed down enough to invite her as well. Maybe her knowledge of the future was too big a benefit to cede to the Kou. Or the connections her friendship with Kougyoku could be used for himself. Or leaving her in Balbadd would mean that he would loose Aladdin's courtesy. And getting on a Magi's bad side was something no one would want.
Another high wave caused Lenka's stomach to wallow like the ship and she bent forward to be sick again but had nothing left to vomit into the sea. Groaning she slumped down and leaned against the rail then rubbed her eyes. The rocking of the boat and the sickness hadn't let her sleep since boarding, and no sleep and no food meant no magoi gathering and led ultimately to not being able to use her magic scarf to hover over the planks to eat something. And Aladdin was in no condition to give her magoi. He and Alibaba spent the days in their cabin to sulk and tend their wounds. And the Rukh of the sea were a bit different from the land's.
Don't worry, your stomach will calm down in a few more hours.
You told me that yesterday. And the day before yesterday. Since we stepped on the deck. Damn, I feel like Natsu of Fairy Tail.
Who?
"Can't someone kill me please?"
When Lenka heard a chuckle she looked up to find Sinbad standing a few steps away, grinning at her. Or her discomfort. What mattered was that he was grinning. No one should grin like that.
"Am I really that interesting, Sinbad?" she complained with weak voice.
"Well, I think it's rather funny to see that you have such problems with the sea. Onshore you are really dangerous, but on boats..."
"I warned you that I'm bad with them," Lenka tried to defend herself and used the rail to stand up. "You as the High King of the Seven Seas are too high to suffer from something insignificant such as sea-sickness."
Sinbad had the nerve to beam at her.
"Indeed. By the way, where are you trying to go?"
"To somewhere where I can get water and zwieback to remain alive for some more days."
"Didn't you ask me to kill you a few seconds ago?" he replied and grabbed Lenka's arm to stabilize her wobbling attempt to get to the galley. She glared at him while Orobas started to yell at Sinbad to stop touching his Lenka.
"I changed my mind. When do we arrive in your country?"
"In a few days, dependent on the wind. Maybe in a few weeks."
Lenka groaned and intentionally bumped into him when he led her down a staircase.
"Can't you speed up with a djinn? Have you a djinn that can use wind or water?"
"I do," Sinbad said and placed her at the table in the dining room, "yet I won't use them for something like that."
Her head dropped on the plate while he took place as well.
"Gaaah... annoying."
"There is a carafe with water and a cup, if you want."
Lenka looked up, took the cup and filled it then began to drink in small, slow gulps. Slowly a bit of her power came back and after two zwieback she felt gradually better. Sinbad stayed with her, slightly smiling while watching her nibble at the food.
She tilted her head.
"You're watching me."
"I do."
"Why?"
"Why not?"
Stop hitting on Lenka or I'll burn you to crisps!
Lenka leaned back and sighed.
"Talking to you is really difficult sometimes. Can you please tell me why you are watching me?"
Sinbad leaned back as well.
"I don't think so. Have Aladdin and Alibaba left their cabin by now?"
"After the first time when you told them we were sailing to Sindria not, have they?"
He made a face.
"Those kids are really a handful."
"Morgiana is not," Lenka defended the girl, "she is almost always on deck, following Masrur like a pup. Both of us haven't given up on the boys. Each of them lost a very important friend, Alibaba Cassim and Aladdin Ugo. It takes a while to recover from something like that, doesn't it?"
Sinbad nodded and wanted to answer when something shook the ship, causing the chandelier to clink, Lenka's cup to jump from the table and her seasickness to have a nasty comeback.
"What was that?"
"... urgh..."
"Sinbad!" screamed Ja'far while storming into the room, too excited for formalities.
"Come up to the deck, there is something in the sea!"
Lenka and Sinbad followed the man to the left side of the ship – Lenka didn't care if this was starboard or larboard, it was left – where Morgiana was standing already and stared into the foaming waves. A coral spike shoved itself through the water and the Rukh shot around it like crazy. She squinted her eyes as she saw a green flash for a second before it disappeared.
Sinbad's loud curse pulled her attention to the king.
"Is that..."
He nodded.
"A dungeon."
A friend! A friend! Lenka, come on, it's your chance to get another djinn! Please, say yes!
Excitement shot through her veins, encouraged through Orobas' joyful outburst and she started to pull off her shoes, scarf and vest to place them neatly folded next to a pile of ropes. Everything was better than staying on the ship, even entering a dungeon.
"Erm, Miss Lenka, what exactly are you doing?" Ja'far asked with furrowed brows. She beamed at him and Sinbad who looked not less surprised than his general.
"I'm stripping for you."
Ja'far blushed a bit while the king started to smirk.
"Just kidding, I'm preparing for dungeon capturing."
"You are what?!" both spluttered whereupon the traveler rolled her eyes.
That's men for you.
Orobas hummed innocently to mask the fact that he had believed her as well - and failed terribly.
"Gosh, you are not deaf, aren't you? I'm going to capture that dungeon then come back to your ship. Is that so hard to understand?"
"Lenka, it took me several weeks once to capture one," Sinbad told Lenka while she did a quick warm up, seasickness ignored or forgotten. She noticed that really did his best to not stare at her bust size while she stretched her arms and shoulders, probably thinking of Orobas' warning back in Balbadd.
"We might have left before you finish."
"I know, yet I have a djinn already, so conquering will not be that big of a problem, won't it? Ah, please tell Aladdin not to worry, I'm back in a second or two."
"Please be safe," Morgiana told her with calm face, yet Lenka could see the slight worry in her eyes so she gave the other girl a hug.
"Of course, my dear. I'll be back with treasure I reckon."
She ignored the furious yells of the males and took a header into the sea and started to do the crawl to the coral tip of the dungeon tower. The faint yellow light of the entrance shone up to her. Lenka took a few deep breaths then tried to dive down to the door but had to go back to the surface after the half way.
Can't we use the equip?
Better not, the wave the equipment would cause might destroy the ship.
Damn. I try again then.
Lenka!
And this time white tentacles emerged from the door and pulled her into the dungeon.
Lenka floated between the worlds again, wrapped in light. Under her feet was a planet, blue and green covered with white clouds. More light pillars like the one she was in enlightened the darkness and she smiled brightly.
Let's go!
And instantly she raced towards the dungeon and in another flash of white she found herself under water again, yet this time no light showed her where the surface was. Panic rose it's ugly head when she found a wall over her, on her left side as well, on her right side too. Narrow space, filled with water and no exit to be found was not a good combination when you were not a fish.
Air.
Her clothes were dragging her down, down into the depths of the unknown and she struggled against the walls, feeling for a hole, a path a dry spot. Where was the roof? Or the upside? What a stupid death, drowning somewhere in a dungeon.
Air!
Black spots danced in front of her eyes while the roaring of her pulse and the water pressure made her head feel like it would burst any second. Faces flashed through her mind, her siblings, her friends, the people she would leave behind.
AIR!
Her lungs were screaming and she opened her mouth to drown in the dungeon.
With a loud splash Lenka fell out of the water bubble onto firm ground. Coughing and wheezing she tried to breathe again and spat salty water on the floor. She felt as if she had tried to gurgle with the ocean, her throat was wound and her eyes stung from the salt but she had air now. She never though that air could taste that sweet or be so refreshing.
Lenka, how are you?
Owch...
"Water... in my nose..." she sniffed and violently rubbed it then sneezed.
"Eww. Am I in the dungeon by now?"
It seems so. At the end of a tunnel, similar to mine, but this is a water djinn. And pretty violent as well.
"Oh dear," Lenka stood up and looked at the water bubble through which she had arrived then at the tunnel. It was sea-blue yet slightly green and seemed to be made of a kind of stone or crystal and was cool when she touched it.
"Hmph."
She took a step then wrung her soaked clothes out and started to walk towards the next room. And walked. And walked. The long channel started to annoy her so she sped up a bit, then started to jog and finally ran over the chilly ground.
That's a stupid dungeon and I don't have the time for that!
Be a bit more patient, Lenka.
Ha!
She had skidded into a big chamber that was filled with sea water ponds, shells and sand as well as coral doors on the walls and the usual toran inscription stone. The whole interior looked absolutely gorgeous, the sand was not only white, there were vanilla-colored dunes and rose ones too, sparkling as if they were mixed with diamonds. Every kind of shell she knew and didn't knew, in dazzling colors and filled with pearls and the cute crabs she knew from the aquarium. In the crystal-clear ponds were tiny fishes, various green algae, pinkish anemones and more crustaceans.
"This is gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous! Orobas, look at this crayfish, it's turquoise with pink marks! It's so cute! This dungeon is marvellous! Ah, I haven't got my phone with me to take a picture of the inscriptions! Well, such things happen sometimes, don't they? Aw, this is so fantastic!"
Lenka jumped up and down in a frenzy and accidentally kicked a crab in one of the clear ponds. The crab shrieked in agony as the acid ate it away until only a pink blob proved it's existence. Lenka stared at the liquid in horror then turned her head around to look at the room. What if...
"Do you think that every pond is actually poisonous?" she asked with small voice. Orobas had paled as well and looked like had the urge to vomit.
I fear so. Let's get to the wall.
Lenka nodded and tip-toed around the ponds to a smaller dark blue door and knocked before opening.
"Strange, it won't open. Let's try the next. Carefully."
She tried thirteen more until she found a pearl white one without a doorknob and was instantly sure that this was the right one. After a quick glance around she saw that this one was the only incomplete and grinned brightly.
"We need a door handle, don't we?"
I'd say those shells on the ground are not only for decoration. They could be acidic as well,so be careful.
"I think we need a golden or silver shell. All of these door handles are silver or bronze, so a golden would be special. And gold and pearl go well together. Let's do a djinn equip to look from above."
A few minutes later Lenka hung from the roof and turned her head in every direction. Sadly the sand sparkled enough to distract her and every time she had swooped down she landed in a dune and had sand in her nose, a very unpleasant experience and another time she had been a finger's length away from an acid puddle.
On the left next to the pool with the crab you thought it was so cute but is maybe dead matter. Anyway there is something shiny.
Okay then.
Lenka cheered loud as she grabbed a golden shell out of the sand without dropping it into the acid then released the equip to save her magoi while running to the door in question. The clam fit perfectly into the small hole and she opened the door without effort.
This tunnel slowly changed color from the sea-blue to a darker tone, as if she would descend into the ocean. A roaring sound like waves got louder with every step she took; it caused her spine to tingle with unease. The feeling got even stronger when she entered the second chamber and found a giant tank filled with waves, at least three square miles wide and the roof was nowhere to be seen. Small stone steps hovering over the water formed a path to a door, or so she hoped. Hopefully the entrance to the next room wasn't underwater. The Rukh chirped with fierceness and strength so Lenka assumed that it was not the water she should beware of. There was something in the depths she didn't want to meet, a violent kind of dungeon creature that wanted to kill, to spill blood, to gouge out entrails...
"Djinn equipment?"
I strongly recommend it. Very strongly.
The flames wrapped around Lenka like a warm blanket and she flew up towards the other end of the chamber. As soon as she was over open water the waves started to bubble and giant jaws shot upwards to close in mid-air.
A sea beast! Take care, some of them are strong enough to jump out and fly for a few seconds!
Are you kidding me? That thing looked like a sea snake or dinosaur or a prehistoric whale with those teeth.
The next!
The whole pit under the traveler foamed with sea creatures, their snapping jaws, strong tails, sharp teeth and horns and Lenka unintentionally shuddered when she imagined what would have happened to her if she didn't had a djinn already. She would have been death after the second stepping stone, they had started to float forward, backwards up and to her horror down as well. Lenka took a deep breath then continued her flight towards the exit, always dodging the monsters under her that jumped upwards in fierce determination to get a piece of her as addition to their normal cannibalistic diet.
There! Just over sea level!
Lenka concentrated on the door that had appeared behind a curtain of sea foam - and stopped in mid-air. A green grid covered the exit, it's Rukh seemed strong and unwilling to crumble by force.
"It's locked as well! What is this dungeon?"
Maybe we need another key. One of the sea beasts must have it.
"Do you mean that I have to slaughter all of them?"
I think only this one.
Lenka turned her head and started to curse. The sea creatures she had passed had started to merge into one giant serpent that filled the water with it's tough scaly red and green body, teeth bigger than her and horns and spikes that seemed to be unbreakable. The fins were bigger than the sails of the ship Sinbad and the others were waiting for her return. Large orange eyes stared up with undeniable intelligence, power and hunger. A deep growl vibrated through the salty air.
She grinned and pointed her blade on the creature.
"Come here, I'll craft you into a cute little handbag."
The beast fanned with the fins behind it's gills and spat a shot of boiling water at Lenka who dodged and started an attack at the gills, then at the nose. Finally the monster opened his jaws again – the moment Lenka was waiting for. She threw a white-glowing flame spear into the waiting maw which roasted the serpent from the inside.
Well, if you hadn't had a djinn that thing surely would have chewed you like a toy, Orobas mused when they entered the door.
"Sure thing, but I rely on you doing your job and pride as djinn."
I know and that makes me happy, he declared with a bright smile. Lenka grinned and released the equip to continue the capturing.
"This dungeon is really easy."
"You want easy?" a voice boomed, echoing from everywhere and nowhere and she flinched in surprise when hearing the djinn of the dungeon speaking.
"You get 'easy'!"
"Oh no."
Sometimes I wonder if you're stupid or just extremely bold.
That makes two of us.
Are we there by now?
No.
Come on, we must have reached the door to the necropolis by now. Maybe you've passed by when those algae were trying to strangle you. Or when the starfish threw star daggers at you. Or when the jellyfish-
I am sure I haven't passed by, and those were no jellyfish but octopus. Poison octopus.
Well, I have no nose, the green dust might have been stink too.
You are unbelievable, Lenka growled and continued her race through the hurricane the dungeon had summoned in another vast room filled with kelp and trenches with hot water. A palm tree came flying at her and she split it with the djinn sword. Stupid thing to leave her katana and the flying cloth at the ship, together with her dagger and some of the jewelry, but she had been sure they would rust in the damp air. She only wore her short blouse, pants, the metal vessel, the forearm armor and the biceps bracelets because they were so hard to remove.
A faint glimmer of light awoke Lenka's curiosity so she moved towards it until she found a red and white striped lighthouse on a large rock. The stone was slippery plus the storm didn't help much to enable a safe passage but somehow she managed to climb up to thee door without bigger injuries than a few overstretched muscles in her arms and left shoulder.
"A-ha!" she cheered and opened the door to enter the empty city.
"That dungeon was way more vicious than yours, Orobas. I nearly died twice, didn't I?"
Three times when you count the algae as well.
"Gosh, I totally forgot them. Where do you think we can find the djinn?"
I recommend going to the big tower in the middle of the city. My treasure room was in the center as well if you remember.
Lenka nodded and jumped from a white roof to another until she found an ideal spot to descend to the street and skipped humming towards the tall door with the eight-pointed star embedded in it.
"Open sesame."
The two words caused the two wings to open wide and she entered with a small ball of fire floating next to her as a illuminant for the spacious treasure room. Almost immediately she found a pedestal in an alcove and touched the ring placed on it. A boost of light and energy shot through the chamber and the djinn appeared. Lenka tilted her head in confusion as she inspected the seal-like and slightly jackal-y spirit that filled the space. Yes, it was blue, but that was the only thing this one had in common with Orobas. It even had whiskers and small fins behind the gills and Lenka was really unable to say if the djinn was male or female. At least the girly stole was missing, a good sign. No, there it was, a fluttery blue piece of cloth. The djinn opened a mouth filled with sharp teeth and spoke with calm yet very neutral voice as if he or she hadn't the intention to make her quiver with fear or something. In fact it sounded rather bored. Scratch that, it sounded very bored.
"I am Gusion, the eleventh djinn, a spirit of friendship and reconciles. Congratulations on finishing my dungeon. I will make you queen. You can keep all of the treasure. Questions?"
Lenka grinned a bit at this bold introduction.
"Yes, I have a question. Can you please manage to portal me on the ship that is waiting next to your dungeon? I don't want to die as soon as I finished capturing another dungeon. Drowning in the pit a dungeon leaves is certainly not funny, isn't it?"
Gusion waved with his/her/it's flipper.
"I understand. You have captured that player Orobas too? Well, it's not as if I wouldn't like him. He is funny in his idiotic and clingy way."
"In fact Gusion likes or dislikes no one enough to tell him or her straightforward," Orobas mumbled when he materialized in the treasure room to scowl at the other djinn. Gusion raised a flipper to the mouth and seemed to think about something.
"I disliked that guy Focalor. And Zagan. Especially Zagan."
Orobas beamed at the other djinn.
"I knew that you weren't that complicated. Can you manage to adjust the time too? We have a Magi waiting as well."
Gusion seemed to be slightly surprised.
"A Magi? That is good. Are you his king vessel?"
Lenka shook her head.
"No, I am his guardian and Solomon's warrior."
The djinn was silent for a few seconds then burst out in a cackling laughter that reminded of a jackal's bark.
"The boy's warrior? Well, that settles it. A pleasure to serve you, my queen."
And the room disappeared and Lenka was swapped through space again while the seal star appeared on the silver forearm armor. Orobas sighed.
Well done. Gusion is very special and has a unique sense of duty and honor. She had her disagreements with our King Solomon too.
Gusion is a GIRL?
Last time I checked I was female, the djinn agreed. And don't think I'll be as easy to convince as the other. You have to work hard to earn my respect.
Lenka grinned and looked at the fading dungeon under her.
I suppose this is a good thing.
"My king, we have to move on or we might not reach Sindria in the expected time," the ship's captain pleaded with fluttering hands. Sinbad sighed and scratched his head while staring annoyed at the dungeon's tip. Five minutes had passed since Lenka had left. Five minutes in which he had ordered to not move the ship away from the building. He was sure that the blonde nuisance could manage to capture the dungeon, but the wave the disappearing of it would cause another huge wave that might destroy the Star of the North. On the other side, if Lenka was unable to conquer the djinn they would have to sail to Sindria without her and her abilities before they would starve. They had to continue their travel either way.
"Half an hour more. Prepare for another wave," he ordered and the man stumbled away, screaming at the sailors. Morgiana stepped next to him.
"She will make it," the girl said.
"It's not if she can or can't do it, it's how long it will take her to do it," Ja'far informed her, "We have to reach Sindria while the wind is still pushing us."
The fanalis nodded then continued to stare at the dungeon. A few seconds later the damn thing shook and started to crumble then disappeared. Water flowed into the space the building left and the ship reeled from side to side then balanced out again and a minute later no one would have guessed that there was once a dungeon in this part of the sea.
Sinbad frowned.
"Where-"
A white light, loud bang and clattering noise disturbed the silence. The waiting turned around just to see Lenka on a giant heap of treasure, grinning wide and waving happily at them.
"I'm back! Sorry it took me so long, but I have brought compensation and dungeon items!"
With a muffled cry Morgiana jumped at her to give her a bone-crushing hug that caused the girls to fall from the mountain of gold and jewels. Ja'far chuckled slightly and Sinbad glanced at him.
"She is someone that outmatches every assumption."
The king made a face then looked at the laughing dungeon traveler that had started to decorate her friend with jewelry.
"She certainly is. Two dungeons in less than a month."
Lenka choose this moment to run to the railing to be sick again and Sinbad started to wonder if he ever knew someone who was weaker to ships than her. The woman's sea-sickness clearly exceeded every assumption.
And chapter 10 is out for the public! Lenka conquers her second dungeon *Lenka bows and waves royally*. I had a funny time writing her torture on the ship *smiles devilishly* and with the events yet to come. You can always review or PM to tell me your opinion on this story or if you have questions or suggestions, I'd love to hear that.
Thank you so very much for the support!
Yours, humming with joy,
TheMultipleMeExperience