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 because I do the correcting stuff on my own and English is not my native language.
Even so, have a fun time reading!
Day 29: Meeting Yunan
"Solomon damn it, Ronové, where are we?"
West, as you wished, my queen.
"And how far west?"
… far west?
Idiot, Foras groaned and the other djinn agreed with her. Ronové pouted.
Why do I have to share with you? The girls are okay, but the disaster twins?
Because we met her earlier, Gusion deadpanned.
She likes us more than you? Orobas offered innocently but with an unholy glimmer in his eyes.
"Great," Lenka grumbled and squinted in the blinding light. Hot, humid, they must have been transported very far west. A quick glance at the city down below assured her that this was not Sindria, but probably a member of the alliance. Or maybe a southern province of Kou?
She sighed then stood up and brushed dirt from her pants, checked if she had all of her metal vessels with her then if her companions were alright. Miran had a few smaller bruises, but nothing serious, and continued to stare at the birds. Shun Ra on the other hand was crying in frustration again.
"It's all your fault!"
"Oh, shut up," the boy suddenly growled and pointed accusingly on her.
"We haven't asked you to enter the dungeon! You saw what things happen in there! And then you claim it's our fault if you are too stupid to wait like the other villagers! It's not in the least our fault! And there you go and say such thing while it was us who saved you from dying multiple times!"
"Miran."
He scrunched his nose and looked up at Lenka.
"It's not like I'm wrong, is it?"
He is not wrong, how could he be wrong, he is my household member.
"No, but there is more to that."
She kneeled down to talk face to face with Shun Ra and explained who she and Miran where, how the dungeon came into appearance in the first place and what had caused their teleportation. At the end she looked deep into the girl's dark brow eyes.
"Don't worry, I promise I will bring you back home, or to any place you wish to be, as soon as the Magnostadt war is over."
"Magnostadt war?"
"The magician's country close to Reim's border," Miran said and looked up at the sky.
"They are at war, or the war will start in a few days, two weeks at most. Time is strange in dungeons."
"Indeed," Lenka nodded then pulled the girl to her feet who let it happen.
"Let's get into the city, get something to eat, buy a map find a place for the night and tomorrow we will fly... to Magnostadt, or Remano, depends on where we are."
Shun Ra sighed and rubbed her eyes then took her bow and strapped it to her back. Apparently she had decided to stick with them, endure their company and survive long enough to return to Kou.
"Then we go."
The others exchanged glances before Lenka took the lead and walked towards the ravine, following the giant chasm until she found a broad staircase down into the city. After the first twenty steps a platform opened and two female guards with long spears and face tattoos stopped the three travelers.
"Halt. What is your business in Artemyria?"
"We are on our road to Remano," she lied smoothly and inclined her head towards Miran who blinked innocently at the warriors.
"My brother and cousin wanted to visit the dark continent and then we decided to take a detour to see if the giant birds of Artemyria are really as big as the rumours say they are."
One of them, she had an abstract feather pattern on the right side of her forehead, smiled at Lenka.
"Come to think of it, yesterday another person with this bright red hair passed the gates. It was strange, she carried a barrel on her back and seemed to listen to it."
The other guard sniggered.
"There was a guy with a green hat sitting inside. Claimed he was uncomfortable with wide spaces. He was really pretty, though."
"As in, we couldn't even say if he was a man at first."
Lenka started to grin.
"Miran, you might meet one of your big sisters today, if it's the duo I think it is."
"You know them? What a coincidence!"
"Fate, I believe. So, can we pass?"
"Sure, good luck in finding your sister!"
"Thanks," she laughed and waved at Shun Ra to follow them. The Kou girl was clearly surprised just how smoothly they had entered a kingdom that was at war with her own home country. Lenka on the other hand started to look more at the Rukh, searching for a point to which all of them flew towards. But seriously, what Magi was hiding in a barrel? Maybe Yunan had developed agoraphobia after living in a wooden hut at the bottom of the Great Rift for centuries.
Looking around she marveled at the kingdom and how the buildings, so similar to the nests of a swallow and with Dorian pillars and arches at the entrances, were carved from the walls on both sides of the ravine. Thick ropes were spanned over the chasm and the river flowing at its bottom as perches for the birds that were easily big enough for two or thee women to ride.
The Alliance and the trade with the other countries had left an impact on the matriarchal society. A stone bridge connected the two sides where the merchants were selling their goods and the official ensign flapped lazily in the breeze. Maybe they had Sindrian food here?
"I would kill for a bath," Shun Ra interrupted her stream of thoughts. Lenka shuddered and looked down at her clothes which were not exactly the cleanest after she had fought a horde of dungeon monsters.
"Mhm. Let's ask if there is a bathhouse around."
The citizens of Artemyria kingdom were really friendly, probably because she looked like one of them. Blonde hair, slightly tanned skin, good, her irises were not pink, but she was most importantly, female. These traits were most likely the cause why they had been able to get inside in the first place or so she suspected, but she wouldn't complain.
Almost two hours later the three were clean, dressed in fresh clothes and had eaten lunch at a cheerful street vendor's stall before visiting the merchants again, as they were the best sources of rumors and information. It turned out that the armies of Reim had already dispatched to the eastern continent.
"This is suboptimal," Lenka growled and kicked a pebble out of her way then looked at the Rukh. No sign of a Magi.
"Why are you complaining, everything seems fine to me," Shun Ra asked and waved her hand at the ravine and the giant birds.
"She's angry because the most epic war is about to begin and she's not there," explained Miran and patted the dungeon capturer's arm.
Aw, poor thing, Ronové giggled. Orobas sneered at him.
Just for your information, it is a battle between the country of Magicians, the empire of Kou, Reim and Al-Thamen as they have given the magicians the technology to form a Medium for him who is the father of the fallen, and finally, Prince Aladdin and his king vessel.
Oh. Holy fuck.
"Exactly," she agreed and shook her head.
"The most epic war in history up until now, and I'm sure Lady S has tried to message me and ask just why the fudge I'm not there to kick some serious backside."
"Well, that sucks."
"We know. Hey, look at that, Lenka, Shura."
"My name is still not Shura!"
Miran pointed onto three kids using sticks to play drums with the barrels of a merchant. One of the barrels seemed larger than the others, ropes were wrapped around the upper part of it and thus it seemed distantly like a backpack. A fourth kid was just leading a guard to the strange container.
"Oh, fudge. That's our signal, kiddies."
"Hey!"
The guard used the tip of her spear to open the lid and Lenka was already close enough to hear what they were saying.
"What are you doing in there?"
"Hiiiih, it's rude not to knock before entering!"
The lid snapped shut again. A vein pulsated on the forehead of the female warrior and she was about to open again when the dungeon capturer stopped her.
"May I, Miss guard?"
The woman shrugged then nodded. Lenka kneeled down before knocking against a plank.
"Who's there?" a muffled voice asked.
"Lenka."
"Lenka who?"
She felt the urge to facepalm.
"Marlene-Karen Sensenmacher, apprentice vampire slayer, ambassador of Reim, accidental and intentional djinn master and probably a honorary sister to at least-"
The lid flew away and she got hug-tackled by the person who had been sitting inside.
"Waah! There was someone or something who drummed on my barrel, and before that I lost Morgiana and then the barrel was taken away!"
Lenka rolled her eyes and rubbed the back of a sobbing Magi.
"Hey there, Yunan. Geez, stop crying you big softie."
His lower lip still trembled when he looked at her for the first time then he smiled wide.
"So we meet again. How's Gusion?"
"Rather well I think."
"Oh, that's fine, I knew you would survive her trials, as far as I know you are someone we can place our faith in."
"... yeah."
The guard cleared her throat and stomped her spear on the floor.
"You know this... person?"
Lenka and Yunan both blinked at her.
"... sort of, or so I think. He's the teacher of one of my adopted sisters."
"She's my wife."
Miran, Shun Ra, Lenka and the guard froze for a second. Wait. Did the old Magi really say that word? Had he become senile after – how many times had he been reborn in his body? At least three times too often.
The Artemyrian caught herself first and smiled brightly at Lenka who fought hard not to lash out at the man in her confusion.
"Ah, I see. But why did your husband hide in a barrel?"
"... he's got major agoraphobia and feels safe in narrow dark spaces. A childhood trauma," she 'whispered' and rubbed the Magi's back who in return snuggled against her shoulder and sighed dreamily.
"My wife takes good care of me."
What. The. Heck, Orobas said. Foras giggled.
I wonder what your other suitors might say to that.
Oh fucking shit.
Eligos giggled perversely and Ronové's eyelid started to twitch nervously.
What is this situation?
Welcome to the nuthouse, Gusion and Orias said in unison and exchanged an high five.
"Well, it doesn't look like you are dangerous, but please refrain from hiding in other barrels than your own," the guard winked and walked away. The children exchanged glances and then raced away to search for another place to play.
Lenka blinked again then shook her head. That had been strange for sure.
"Well..."
"Lenka?"
She looked up at the person calling her name and smiled wide.
"Mor! Dear Solomon, you have grown!"
The fanalis girl instantly rushed forward to hug the life out of her friend who hugged back almost as enthusiastically. Yunan rubbed his head as he had flinched back to not get caught between them and had fallen against the empty barrel where he suddenly had to face an irate Miran.
"Since when is Lenka your wife?"
The Magi broke out in nervous giggles, especially when the boy raised his household vessel, an eerie white and blue light enveloping the metal.
"Exactly, and I as the head executioner of the 'Chase the Suitors away from Lenka'-committee am not very happy right now. In fact I have just received the order to test your worth, Magi or not. So?"
"Eep. Little Morgiana?"
The addressed girl looked up and tilted her head then her eyes widened almost comically.
"Fanalis?"
Miran nodded and grinned wide at her, Yunan instantly forgotten.
"Hi, I'm Miran, Lenka's household member. It's nice to meet you, Morgiana. Can I call you big sister?"
In the matter of five seconds the two redheads became almost inseparable.
"So let me get this straight," Shun Ra said slowly and pointed at Yunan.
"That... person... is one of the most dangerous and powerful individuals of the world."
"Indeed he is," Lenka said and took a sip of her wine. The five had decided to switch locations and discuss in a more remote place, in this case a table in the far back of a bar. The chance of tame birds listening was a bit too high outside a building, and you could never know to whom the animals was reporting to. And despite now being early afternoon the place was well-visited, with so many customers talking that their own conversation was almost impossible to overhear.
The Magi smiled and blew at his tea.
"Thank you, Lenka, dearest."
Miran's left eyelid twitched dangerously.
"You are not married to Lenka. I refuse to accept that you are married to my big sister."
"And you two red-heads are members of a species that is superior to other humans in physical strength."
"... and smell and sight," Morgiana added calmly and petted her new brother's head who in return offered her one of his meat buns before rolling his eyes at the girl from Kou. Somewhere between their introduction and now the fanalis had exchanged as much information as possible, without the others even noticing they had been talking. Lenka found that very strange and mildly confusing.
"You have seen what I was able to do in the dungeon, didn't you? And big sis Mor is much stronger than me. Much much stronger."
Shun Ra gulped.
"Right. And blondie, I mean Lenka is a dungeon capturer, like King Sinbad."
"Only better, and only half as perverted as her."
"But I believe twice as crazy."
"Please, you haven't even met the man. He's close to the definition of womanizer."
"I have read his books!"
"Trust me, he's nothing like he presents himself in his books. And neither is his household."
"I agree with that, they are all good kids," Yunan hummed and placed his cup on the table.
"We are going to meet Queen Artemina later this afternoon to speak with her because of the war."
Lenka groaned and rubbed her temples.
"I'm supposed to be there already to deal with the invasion, but thanks to Judar and Ronové we got teleported here instead. Lady Scheherazade is going to be pissed, and then Aladdin will end the war and Mogamed or whatever the old guy is called will launch black djinn at Kouha and then he will loose control over whatever he uses to spawn them, thanks to Titus, the medium will appear and we are going to fight for our lives and then Scheherazade will die, Titus come back to life and Hakuryuu will fuck us all over."
"Language, and don't forget the fanalis corps will be there as well," Miran chirped while Morgiana furrowed her brows.
"Hakuryuu will do what?"
"Oh holy fuck, I totally forgot that."
The blonde banged her head against the table and ruffled her hair in despair.
"What am I going to do with the probably and then perhaps not boyfriend of mine, if he is, and maybe he doesn't want to, and what should I do if he wants? I can't have children yet, I'm still too young!"
Yunan hit her with his branch slash staff then poked her side with the tip while lifting his cup at the same time with the other hand.
"Breathe, Lenka, and then remember where you are."
"Right. Artemyria. Right. Oh Solomon, what a disaster."
"And the worst is probably yet to come," he agreed with her and sipped his tea. Shun Ra shook her head and looked at the two fanalis.
"How come you aren't as insane as she is?"
Mor slightly tilted her head to show her confusion while Miran cheerfully answered:
"We are accustomed to it, so it doesn't really matter any more. And what she said made sense as well."
"It did?"
The boy nodded.
"Absolutely. You just don't know the whole story behind it."
"And you do."
"Indeed. It's a very confusing, hilarious and devastatingly ironic one."
"Huh."
She leaned back to go over what she had heard up until now then turned to Lenka.
"What are you going to do now? It's not like you can teleport to the Magno-whatever, right?"
"Why not?"
She raised a brow and glanced at Yunan who laced his fingers while thinking. The Magi looked far younger and more feminine than she had thought. Some could have mistaken him for her brother, or for her pretty younger sister at the first glance. If that wasn't a boost for the self-esteem...
"If I provide a bit of the magoi, could you teleport us to or near Magnostadt so we could stall them a bit longer before you and the Alliance arrive?"
He nodded slowly.
"I could. However, I want a bit more information before. Don't you think you are getting a bit distracted from the goal he has given you? I am of course aware of how hard it is to fulfill the quest."
"Maybe," Lenka sighed and played with the ring on her right hand.
"I really hadn't expected to become so popular nor did I want to built myself a reverse harem. It just kind of... happened, you know? Uh, probably not."
"Oh, I do, Lenka, I do," Yunan agreed with his right eye twitching nervously. She was sure that there was a certainly interesting story behind that, but now was perhaps not the ideal time to ask him about this trauma. Instead she nodded and continued.
"Well, I did do something, how much this will influence the future is written on another sheet. I still have some aces up my sleeve though. Negotiations between Kou and Reim will be much easier now that I have met all the leaders and dungeon capturers. Sinbad on the other hand... he wrote a letter with many nasty lies about me to Scheherazade who is my current employer."
"I remember Sinbad being not very happy when we came back from the conquest of Zagan, but I had assumed that it was because Judar attacked and forced you to conquer a dungeon with him."
"That's only a part of the story, Mor. He frequently thought of me as a spy of Kou and double agent. Do you remember that time in Balbadd when I went with Kougyoku and Judar to treat his wounds? And his reaction when I came back to the hideout?"
The girl nodded, a dark presence seemed to appear behind her and a strong feeling of danger washed over the other people in the booth.
"I do. And he did that again?"
"Yes, he did."
The presence darkened even more until Yunan poked the girl with his staff and disrupted the horrible image forming in the shadows.
"Stop, bad Morgiana. No scaring friendly people in the open."
"... I'm sorry, Yunan."
"No harm done."
"I already don't like him, even though I've heard the stories of his dungeon conquests as well," declared Miran before finishing his meat buns.
"As if a twerp like you would ever meet King Sinbad," Shun Ra snorted and crossed her arms while leaning back in her chair. The boy grinned cheekily at her, one cheek stuffed like a chipmunk.
"As long as I am part of Lenka's household I will, small or not."
"... I stayed at his palace for a bit more than half a year, together with Lenka, Alibaba and Aladdin."
"F – wha – for – for free?"
Morgiana nodded at the girl whose jaw was close to touching the floor now.
"... we were invited to the parties as well. We were his guests after all."
"Like I always tell people, there are no parties like Sindrian parties. Reimian parties are a close second, but the last left a rather bad taste in my mouth."
Don't dare to say a word, Foras.
Hmp. Spoilsport.
"So, Yunan, are you teleporting us yes or no?"
The Magi nodded slowly and finished his cup of tea.
"I think yes, but we have to speak with Queen Artemina first. But then I could get an array ready to get you to the western continent to stall time until we get there."
Lenka and Miran nodded while Shun Ra looked at them in confusion and then growing anger.
"Are you really going to have him teleport you to a war? Are you really that unreasonable? The kid is like what? Seven? Eight?"
"Ten, and I chose this lifestyle. I chose to follow Lenka wherever she would go, to protect her, to help her, to be there for her. That's what I do as friend, brother and part of her household."
The blonde smiled warmly at him.
"All right then, Shura, why don't I take you with me to the war? I have promised to get you home safely after all, and if I drop you at the Kou army you should be far away enough to not get a face full of black djinn foot."
The girl flinched and a look of horror appeared on her face.
"What? You are insane, there is no way I would go into a war zone!"
"Funny that you said it, I remember you begging me to get you home, don't you too, Miran? So, do you want home or not?"
"Yes! I want to go home," Shun Ra yelled, drawing the attention of the other patrons to her and causing Lenka to grin smugly.
"Well, if you have a better plan you should now follow my lead, or else you will be stuck in a ravine for Solomon knows how long."
"You can't do that, right?"
"Oh, she could, but if you're polite and lucky she wouldn't," Miran said and smiled wide.
"It really depends on how much you annoy her."
"... I agree with that."
At this point Kang Shun Ra had decided that fate did very, very cruel jokes.
The sky was tinted pink and lilac when the Magi, his student, Lenka and her companions met outside the city on the firm ground outside the ravine and close to the jungle. The dungeon capturer had taken the opportunity to buy rations, maps and a second quiver of arrows for Shun Ra, who reluctantly accepted the gift. Whether she would engage in combat soon or not, it was always better to have spare equipment at hand. Continuing this thought she purchased a leather belt with a golden clasp if one of her metal vessels was to break.
Watching the color of the clouds turn from light pink to deep red and then violet was strangely comforting, Lenka decided and looked at the path from where they had ascended. She stood up and smiled warmly at the two figures appearing at the edge of the ravine.
"She agreed?"
"It took her a lot of consideration," Morgiana replied calmly and set the barrel down. Yunan shrugged and hopped from his staff then walked to a patch devoid of grass, poked it with the tip and nodded satisfied.
"Nevertheless she will come to our aid. So, what can I do to assist you?"
"Oh, not much, not much."
Muttering incoherently he started scribbling runes and symbols in the soft earth, occasionally scratching his temples and pushing his hat back. Lenka watched him for a few seconds then stepped next to Morgiana who smiled a little at the Magi's antics.
"I met Alibaba in Reim. Saw his first fight in the arena."
"How was it?"
"Horrible. All I wanted to do was jumping down and beat his opponent – a Maurenian baboon – into a pulp."
"..."
"He bought it from his prize money. That thing is creepy."
"I second that," Miran said. Shun Ra scrunched her nose as if she tried to remember or imagine what a Maurenian baboon might look like, then decided better not to and inspect her new arrows again.
"That's typical for Alibaba. Always seeing the best in people..."
"He wouldn't be Alibaba if he didn't."
"... Miran said there were many fanalis in Reim."
"Yes, quite a lot, though not all of them are pure-bloods," agreed the blonde, ignoring the startled "There are more of them?" from Shun Ra's general direction.
"Yeah, and they are really strong, and there is always a brawl going on with the corps! It's really funny!"
Lenka shivered unwillingly. The direction this conversation was going was not ideal...
"Are there any hot guys? Don't look at me like that, I am a girl after all!"
Oh Shun Ra, no...
We should keep her, simply because of the utter embarrassment, Ronové chuckled and Gusion tilted her head in agree.
We should indeed.
Solomon, NO.
"And I'm a boy. And much too young, as Lenka always reminds me. Hey, did you see any hot guys in Reim? Lenka?"
Fail, howled Foras while Eligos rolled over the floor, giggling like crazy. Lenka sighed inwardly. This was what would be her demise. She could walk without any extra weapons into a dungeon, bicker with kings and evil witches, kill a thousand monsters, no problem at all. But if it came to topics like this...
She scratched her temple and avoided to look directly at the kids.
"I... do think so?"
"Aw, come on, details! I live in a village, I see the same people every day!"
"You know, you are acting out of character."
Shun Ra gaped then blushed bright red.
"I do not, you weird crazy lunatic blonde!"
"But at least you know your synonyms."
"Argh!"
"... she has evaded the question," Morgiana said surprised. Miran nodded sagely.
"She did. I feel this is going to be perfect blackmail. The curse of porridge will never befall me like this."
"... … okay."
"I'm done," Yunan stated smugly, petted the two fanalis' heads and smiled at Lenka.
"Please get inside the circle."
She nodded and carefully stepped over the lines he had drawn, trying not to destroy the runes he had set up for the magic to work, and smiled at the symbol they created. The same symbol that showed her armor, weapons and jewelry were not simple objects, but metal vessels containing djinn, the eight-pointed star in a circle, a symbol of power and impossible feats becoming possible. Miran followed her, as did Shun Ra, the latter muttering something about insufferable people who had done their worst to destroy her life.
The Magi nodded then waved at the three.
"We will meet each other soon again."
"Just don't take a detour but come straight to the battlefield, Yunan," grinned Lenka and waved at Morgiana.
"Ciao, Mor."
"Bye, big sister!"
The girl waved back, a happy smile and blush on her face. Yunan raised his staff and the blonde felt a tug on her magoi then a draining sensation while the runes and lines around her started to glow white. Excited Rukh fluttered around them as the magic concentrated even more, pulses of light shot to the sky – and then the three were gone, in a flash and with a boom as the air filled the spaces the disappearing bodies had left.
Morgiana sighed and glanced at her mentor.
"I hope you didn't send them back to Kou."
"I would never do that, absolutely never," the Magi said cheerfully and started to float in the air.
"We need to get back to the coast, Morgiana, the army of the Alliance is waiting already."
"... I figured we wouldn't have gone back to Artemyria only for you to drink tea."
"But it was funny, right?"
"It certainly was nice to meet Lenka again. But did you have to call her your wife?"
"That was the most funny thing!"
He sighed and shook his head at her deadpan expression then sweatdropped as if he had remembered something important.
"Back to the coast, Morgiana. We are late."
"..."
Wherever they had been sent to, it was night there. Lenka blinked a few times to get accustomed to the change of blinding white to deep, silky midnight blue. A city rose up from the ground miles away from them, a blotch in the dark.
"Okay, let's go to the city and see what we can do."
Miran nodded and yawned but started to walk nonetheless. Shun Ra grumbled, picked herself up and followed him then looked at Lenka.
"And what do we do?"
She shrugged and concentrated on the Rukh, watched their lazy flutter – and then they dispersed and were replaced by depraved ones, barely visible in the night. They were streaming towards Magnostadt as if there was a beacon of some sort for them.
A vibration as if from a small earthquake shook the landscape, then another. Then it was quiet again, except from the chirping of the Rukh and a few stray crickets in the grass.
But the feeling of dread, the strange pressure in the air...
Lenka shuddered and looked up at the sky to see several black figures, darker than the nightly sky shooting towards a point to the left side of the direction they were walking, radiating despair, anger and the loss of all hope.
It had started.
And cut! Chapter 29 done!
First of all, thank you for your support up until now! I'm still in awe how many people read my story :)
Sadly my exams period is going to start and I have to fully concentrate on university, so my writing time is absolutely nonexistent until the end of February *unless you want to take my tests for me and write my assignment ;D*
This is just a mere obstacle, but I will return with the sparkles of awesomeness, the power of chocolate and the knowledge that I won't have to repeat any courses – or so I hope. And plot. A lot of it.
Nevertheless, if you have questions or comments on the story or requests for an extra, please review! I really want to know what you think!
Yours,
TheMultipleMeExperience