Some time ago, the Arat Alchemy Society and the Royal Alchemists had agreed upon their aversion towards war. The Arat Alchemy Society (AAS) simply wants to make the world a better place through knowledge, rather than religion and magic; however the Royal Alchemists thought lesser of the AAS's methods, and claimed that their methods were inhumane. It was after this assumption, the AAS had failed to create Claimh Solas, and instead, Nuadha was resurrected. The Corrupt Alchemists (Part of the AAS) had attempted to warn the Royal Alchemists, and after this occurrence, they had sworn to secrecy. However, for the modern inhabitants of Erinn, it was a warm Alban Heruin; Palala shined bright on the Milletians, and everything seemed to be in balance. Duncan smiled, Simon danced and Ferghus broke a youngster's Dragon Blade.
Alrige sat on the deck of his ship, unable to keep still; he looked upon the ever-expanding blue desert. It was common knowledge to all 8 passengers, and the 3 crewmen, that they were expected to dock in Port Cobh of the Uladh continent today.
One Week ago, Alrige had said goodbye to his mother and father; they gave him a loaf of bread that seemed strangely appealing, as well as 14 mystic blue stones. He was told that if he were ever too hurt to get back up, these stones could save him. As he walked away from town towards the mana tunnel that was to take him to the human base camp- Port Qilla, he couldn't help but gaze into the things given to him. And when he did so, a strange image of a large-breasted, attractive woman with black hair was all he could think of. In-fact, he questioned his thoughts, the girl he saw seemed to have too large of breasts to be real. Never-the-less, he stepped into the portal, and a few moments later he was in Port Qilla. This of course wasn't a new sight; he knew most of the Iria by heart, aside from the land of the Giants, known as Vales. Making his way across town to the docks, he waved to the store owners. Out of courtesy, the store owners waved back upon his tall, slender build. Occasionally he would be questioned on his rather unique red hair. It was thick and moderately sized; typically he wore it to one side, and the side adjacent to that revealed his crystal blue eyes. After reaching the dock, he showed his boarding pass to the docksman and boarded the ship.
Meanwhile, the same day Alrige was to arrive, life was alive in Uladh. Tsomi was a 16-year-old human; because her mother is a nun, her whole life she was raised around the idea of Lymilark. Because of this, she is very optimistic and looks towards the bright side of others. She values what she was told is right, and though she is rather open-minded, she wouldn't ever abandon her beliefs.
Walking through the doors, the church was busy as usual, and there was work to be done; Tsomi was informed by Meven, "There you are, smiling as usual! Kristell has requested an additional 25 potions of youth, and would like them by 8PM tonight. She and I have already arranged a reward for you, via a system of birds and owls. You shouldn't need to worry about any mishap on the way; blessings of Lymilark and good luck!" Tsomi was given a backpack containing the requested items, as well as a pre-packed meal. The church was notorious for giving these out; typically they contained stale bread and cheap slices of meat. And to go with it all was a non-clear jar of water that appears to have been freshly extracted from the untrustworthy river. Aside from the unappealing meal Tsomi appreciated receiving, she was excited to travel. Be it only a few hundred meters, to her, it was still an adventure.
After a week of boat travel, Alrige finally stepped off the boat and onto dry land. Or- his whole body fell onto the dry land. He lacked the ability to walk due to his balance, this occurred with almost everyone else on the ship. A particularly bold sailor leaped off the boat, onto the dock and told everyone to not be so weak and get up. Due to his strong will, Alrige leaped onto his feet and headed off towards town. This was the true beginning of his life, one of friendship and romance, as well as adventure, pain and excitement.
By this time it was about 5:20PM, and Tsomi was drawing near the city. The sun was lowering, and she knew she had about 3 hours before dark. A certain tree stuck out to her, compared to the others, this one was superior in both size and shade; thus she sat below and ate the rations given. Eating in town wasn't a good idea; often times, oversized birds will swoop down and snatch something from you if you aren't closely supervising your food like a scholar does to his pupils. The meal was quick and so no birds could get to it. It was also quite bland, which gave whoever ate it a strange desire to drink tea and/or eat dry biscuits. Never-the-less, Tsomi knew she must be leaving, and so she swiftly made her way into town, and towards the church.
Upon arrival she was greeted by the familiar face of Kristell. "I'm glad you've arrived and appear safe, Tsomi-san. Did you run into any trouble?" Tsomi replied, "Ah, no I did not. I appreciate your concern, and I believe these are yours." With a genuine smile, Tsomi opens her backpack and begins counting out youth potions. After she counted the last one out, a wild owl appeared, and dropped a brown bag of gold between Kristell and Tsomi. Confused, Tsomi asks, "Is this the reward system Meven has mentioned? It is indeed… New…" Inside of the brown bag contained a note saying, "800 Gold; buy something nice~" Kristell said a last word of goodbye and Tsomi pranced down to the town square in hopes of some good deals.
Elsewhere, a note blew in the wind; it was a request to all Royal Alchemist Associates. Kimishi stepped
Into the fading amber light of dusk; she knew it was about time to check in with Sinead for anything that needs to be taken care of. Alas, her laziness got the best in her, and she valued a Kiss on the Lips over work. However, as she stepped back inside a slip of paper hit her in the foot. "Goddamn it! People can't even throw their trash in the- wait a tick…" The paper had mentioned rumor of the Corrupt Alchemists being at work again, and that every Royal Alchemist and RA Associate was needed ASAP. While she was alive during the resurrection of Nuadha, her instructors thought she was too weak to go on any missions involved with it. Perhaps now she could show every alchemist in the entire city of Tara, they were wrong!
Author's Notes:
Palala: Erinn's sun.
Alban Heruin: Wednesday.
Kiss on the Lips: An alcoholic beverage composed of whiskey, lemon juice and sugar.
*Simon is the clothing shop owner in Dunbarton; he is notorious for his… Excellent, dancing skills.
**The tea and biscuits part of the 7th paragraph is a reference to Hetalia: Axis Powers, in that the character representing Brittan makes 'bland' food.
***Sorry the plot wasn't built much in this first chapter, as stated it's an introduction. More characterization will occur in the next chapter.