King of all Kings:
It was a bit embarrassing that he let himself get captured like that but it's not like that would hold him. He'd just found his staff when Morgiana came through the door, giving the prisoners the keys. After talking with her, one of the merchants he was traveling with found his flute and bag.
While in Qishan, he bought himself a sword and a bag to transport supplies and changes of clothing, just in case the ones he was wearing now got dirty. Sadly he didn't find a suitable linen for further transport. He would have to look for one in Balbadd.
When he found out that Morgiana was also headed to Balbadd, they decided to travel there together. It made him happy, knowing he wouldn't have to go there by himself. This way they could both meet Alibaba again at the same time.
"Are you going to Balbadd so you can return to your homeland, Morgiana?" He turned his head to her in interest.
"Yes... And I wanted to see you. I've been wanting to thank you… and Alibaba." She stopped walking and Solomon turned around.
"Thank us?" Had they done something noteworthy? He didn't rememeber anything of the sort.
Her face turned soft "I am truly grateful to you for giving me a future of freedom. Thank you, Aladdin." She knelt down and bowed.
Solomon was taken aback and took a step backwards before walking forward and pulling her up with a gentle look "There's no need to do that. You don't have to thank us, I'm sure Alibaba feels the same. He's that nice of a person, you know."
Morgiana smiled as well when she heard that. He could see that it made her happy and that cheered him up to.
He merrily looked towards the sky "I hope we meet him soon."
"We will." She informed him "If we take this road."
He looked where she was pointing "Yeah, you're right!"
Balbadd wasn't that far away anymore. If they walked just a bit farther, they might even be able to see it already. He directed his gaze to the path in front of them again and stopped abruptly.
Right in front of them stood a man, a single leaf covering him.
It took the two a moment to comprehend the situation. The man smiled "Hey, you guys." Like nothing was wrong "Nice weather today, huh?"
Realization hit and Solomon couldn't suppress the slight shudder that came with it. What kind of person-
He immediately jumped in front of Morgiana, pulling out his staff "Stand back, Morg! I will handle this!"
"I-it's alright." She claimed, gaze downwards and hands clenched "You can leave this to me."
"He must be some kind of pervert! You shouldn't get near!" He warned her "Let me deal with this, I will fry him."
"I'll take care of it, don't worry." Morgiana assured.
The man put his hands in front of him "H-hey, no. I'm not! Please just hear me out, okay?"
The three went off the path and lit a fire, sitting down on the stones around it. Solomon handed the man one of his spare clothes, a simple pair of trousers and a top. It wouldn't do them any good to leave him like he was. They were both still mortified, especially poor Morgiana.
He could have at least hid himself behind a bush. It would have been more suspicious, but at least less embarrassing.
"Thank you for lending me your clothes, Aladdin." He told him gratefully "I'm Sinbad. I got totally cleaned out by some bandits on my way to Balbadd."
"I see…" Solomon replied "I'm sorry for earlier, sir. As someone who crossed the desert, I guess I'm just a bit paranoid about danger."
Sinbad looked very interested at that "Ah... so you've crossed the desert?"
"Yes. I saw a lot of plants and animals that I haven't before."
He put another log into the fire "Good for you… That sense of euphoria from coming upon unknown lands and knowledge… The confidence that comes from opening up paths, the experience, the bond between friends you'd risk your life for…" He looked up in excitement, his gaze directed into the far sky "Adventures are great. It's truly every man's dream."
Ah, this man reminded him of himself. The excitement and wonder whenever he learned something new, when his friends told him about new things or presented ideas and theories.
"Not only that, but..." He looked at Morgiana "One of the perks of going on a journey is meeting sweet young girls like you."
Never mind. This guy was a flirt.
Morgiana looked at him, probably not fully understanding or caring about the man's attempt when she stood up, nose high in the air.
"The scent of the ocean…" She muttered.
"You should be able to see Balbadd beyond that hill." Sinbad clarified.
Solomon and Morgiana looked at each other and ran up the hill until they could see the enormous city below.
He regarded it in amazement "So this is…"
"Balbadd…" Morgiana looked equally stunned.
"That's right." Their companion came up from behind them "This is the great coastal nation made up of several hundred islands, big and small, with this port city as its capital… the kingdom of Balbadd."
They were quick in entering and both he and Morgiana looked around in wonder. People were everywhere and there were tons of stalls selling fish and fruit. He also saw tons of fabric and sheets. Maybe he could find something he could use.
If he had to keep helping people by transporting them via air, it would be a great asset to have. With that in mind he kept looking around and when he found a stall selling many kinds of fabrics, he excused himself and went to the owner.
He returned to them with a white linen sheet.
"What do you need that for?" Morgiana asked him puzzled.
"Maybe you'll see later." He told her, putting it into his bag "I'm sure it will come in handy at some point."
The rest of the way was uneventful and Sinbad led them to a grand hotel.
He stretched his hand out, presenting the building "This is the finest luxury hotel in the country, where I always stay! I'll foot your bill, you can stay here as long as you like."
The two looked astonished. But wouldn't that be really expensive? He did just say it was the finest hotel.
"Thank you, sir!" Solomon thanked him and Morgiana bowed slightly "You're really rich then, huh?"
Sinbad laughed and went up the stairs into the building and the two followed him. Coming towards them, he could see two men. Both greeted Sinbad and exchanged a few sentences when the smaller of the two faced them.
"Our master has inconvenienced you. Just as he said, you can leave the bill for your lodgings to us."
"Thank you, sir." Solomon smiled.
He must have it hard. Sinbad seemed like a more careless type them him. Maybe he got in trouble often because his subordinate looked rather tired.
The man turned to Sinbad again "All right… as for you, do something about your attire. You can't stay in this young man's clothes forever."
He pushed Sinbad away who turned his head and waved "See ya, Aladdin and Morgiana. Why don't we have dinner together later?"
With that he was gone and the tall Fanalis followed them after looking at the two of them for a moment.
Afterwards a maid came and showed them their room. It truly was a luxury hotel, huh.
'And yet there are so many people suffering just outside this building.'
"Oh, please wait for a moment, miss." He called out to the leaving maid "The ships going to the Dark Continent… where can you board them?"
Morgiana looked at him surprised. She seemed to have forgotten to ask.
"Dark?" The maid repeated, not knowing what he meant for a moment but brightened "Oh, you mean the ships heading south, right? If that's what you mean, then you should know that it's difficult at this time."
"Huh?" They were both confused at that.
"You see…" The maid started "This city is often covered by fog and recently a band of thieves has started appearing under the cover of this fog. They were just petty thieves, but their numbers have steadily swelled since they broke into the castle's treasure hall two years ago. Not only that but they've even acquired some mysterious magical powers and now they've become a major anti-government force that even the military can't handle."
'Mysterious power? Metal vessels? No, not vessels. Something else.'
The maid resumed unhindered "They mainly attack only noblemen's mansions and government trading ships… And because they hand out the money and goods they've stolen, there are also people who view them as heroes."
Morgiana was confused by that "You mean they're chivalrous thieves?"
The maid hummed and Solomon wasn't sure if it was in agreement or not "The Fog Troop recently named a new leader, ever since that man appeared, the turmoil has been escalating."
"New leader…" Why did he have a bad feeling.
"Yes, his name is Alibaba." Did he jinx this somehow? "He's known as 'Alibaba the Wonder'."
With that, the maid left, leaving the two to their thoughts.
Solomon laid down on the bed, hands behind his head. It would only make sense for it to be their Alibaba. He was Balbadd's third prince after all. But why join the Fog Troop? Sure, he might not be seen as a legitimate heir to the throne but it would make more sense for him to reveal himself. Why the hiding?
"Don't be shy- help yourselves!" Sinbad encouraged "This is Balbadd's special, an herb-baked Eumera sea bream!"
Morgiana was drooling slightly and Solomon regarded the dish in silence. It really did seem very delicious.
Sinbad caught their attention again "Come to think of it, I haven't introduced you to my subordinates yet, have I? The one on the right is Ja'far, the one next to him is Masrur." He glanced at Morgiana "Morgiana, Masrur here is a Fanalis. So are you, right? You have the exact same eyes. Both of you."
"Hello." Masrur greeted.
"Hello..." Morgiana replied, not sure how to react and looked away.
'Must be because she hasn't seen one in a really long time, if she even remembers the ones she knew in the past.'
They finished their meal and let Sinbad talk with Ja'far. Solomon went up to Masrur.
"Hey there!" Solomon greeted "I'm Aladdin. You're from the Dark Continent, just like Morg, right?"
"Yes." The man answered.
"That's amazing!" He replied "This is the second time now that I meet someone from there since I started to travel. It's been a long time since I saw a multitude of Fanalis'."
"You saw people like us before?" Morgiana asked surprised "Is that how you knew I was a Fanalis the first time we met?"
Solomon nodded "Yeah."
They didn't look like humans though. But he didn't need to tell them that. And it's not like the Fanalis are the only ones. Alibaba for example had the bearings of a hermit.
He pulled out his staff from behind his back "Would you spar with me outside the city if you have time? I haven't had a good fight in a while."
"You're a magician, Aladdin?" Sinbad asked surprised from behind them before Masrur could even answer.
"Huh?" He turned to the man "I am, I thought that much was obvious, with my staff and all."
Sinbad laughed "Sorry, sorry. I thought you were a Capturer, because of your flute. It has the symbol all metal vessels have."
"Oh, that's just my friend Ugo." He informed.
"Ugo?"
Solomon grinned "Want to meet him?"
The five of them moved to a more secluded area where Solomon played the flute. The three Sindrians where shocked and Sinbad went up to the Djinn.
He patter Ugo's arm "Aladdin... so you're a Magi, too?"
'...Why. Why does everyone always think that?'
"Negative." He clarified with an uncomfortable smile "But 'too'? Do you know any Magi's? Who exactly are you?"
He could just look into the rukh, but that would be boring.
Sinbad smirked satisfied "I'm Sinbad."
'Very helpful, you already told us that.'
"Huh?" He looked a bit shaken at my expression "Y-you don't know about me?" No "Like the adventures of Sindbad, and... you know…"
Sinbad's explanation sounded eventful. Solomon froze when he told him that he was the master of seven Djinn's.
Wait, where were those Djinn's? He couldn't feel any trace of them and he saw no metal vessels on the man. Did he lose them? How irresponsible was this man? His poor comrades.
Then he remembered this guy was a flirt. Lord forbid Focalor was one of them.
"Well, that aside. You say you're not a Magi but I can say for sure" He gestured to Ugo "that this means you're a Magi. To generate enough magoi to effortlessy keep a Djinn materialized… that's not something a normal magician can do. A normal person doesn't have enough magoi in themselves to do that but a Magi can use the rukh around him limitlessly."
"I still have to disappoint, I'm not a Magi." Solomon retorted.
"That's fine." The king assured "But since you're a really amazing Magician, would you mind helping us out?"
"The fog is starting to roll in, isn't it?" Ja'far commented as they looked around a corner.
The fog was starting to spread, a thing veil already enveloping them and the city.
He looked at the two "I'm glad that you both came."
"If it helps us find our friend, I don't see a problem in helping." Solomon explained.
"Um..." Morgiana looked at Ja'far "Is it only Mr. Sinbad and Mr. Masrur guarding the other side?"
The man smiled "Rest assured, even if he rots, he's not known as the Conqueror of the Seven Seas for nothing!"
They stood in comfortable silence when they heard screaming, realizing that the place Sinbad and Masrur guarded got attacked. At around the same time, a reddish fog started to spread, putting the soldiers around the corner into hallucinations. The three of them sprang up onto the roof and searched for the cause as they saw several men invade a building.
Ja'far bound several and stopped them in their tracks. But he made the mistake of jumping into the courtyard and a dark purple mist engulfed him. At the same time, Morgiana entered the yard and started to attack the men while Solomon watched them from his place on the roof. He watched as Morgiana got captured as well.
He stood up straight "Asfal Riih!" The gust of wind that he created scattered the mist as he jumped down. He stretched his arms out "I won't let you pass me!"
Cassim held up his sword but was stopped by man behind him. Solomon could immediately tell that it was Alibaba. The two looked into each others eyes as Alibaba removed the fabric covering his head.
"Long time no see, Aladdin!" The blond greeted.
Solomon walked up to him "Listen, Alibaba. I came here to see you, you know. There are a lot of things I want to talk to you about. And I'm sure you remember that we promised each other we'd go see the world together. But I want to ask something first."
"What is it, Aladdin?" Alibaba looked at the taller rather uninterested.
"Tell me." He smiled "What do you think you can accomplish by acting in the shadows like this?"
"But still... Who would have ever thought that there'd be a Dungeon Capturer in the Fog Troop." Sinbad mused "Not only that but for him to be a friend of Aladdin's, too… Just who is 'Alibaba the Wonder', anyway?"
Solomon glanced at them with a bored face. Who he was is the wrong question, why he's doing this was way more important.
'It's none of your business', huh?
That's not even close to what he wanted and he was sure Alibaba misunderstood the question as well.
He was still thinking about it when night came and he sat beside the window, reading a book about Balbadd's history. An internal conflict spelt trouble and Alibaba was right in the middle of it. Could they resolve this without too much conflict? The current King didn't seem too innocent regarding the situation. Should he pay him a visit?
At this thought, Alibaba was thrown through the open window, Morgiana landing beside Solomon.
They sat together in an awkward silence.
"Y-You're looking good…" Alibaba commented.
"So do you." Solomon told him.
"We haven't seen each other in six months, huh? You seem a little different than before, don't you?"
"Yes, so do you, Alibaba." But he didn't dare say whether that was good or bad.
"Please cut to the chase." Morgiana urged indifferent.
To stop the tense atmosphere, Solomon proposed that they tell their stories first and told Alibaba everything. When it was the blonde's turn, he first told them about his friend Cassim and the incident at the castle. Then how he left Balbadd and dreamed of capturing a dungeon until he met Solomon. He came back to Balbadd after they captured the dungeon and met Cassim again.
At the end, Alibaba got desperate and told them to leave but Solomon just had one answer for that. Staff to the head. They were about to come to a peaceful end when the wall exploded, revealing the Fog Troop. They took Alibaba and fled to the roof, Morgiana and Solomon right behind them.
From downstairs, Sinbad and his two companions made an entrance through the roof. Masrur defeating many with a single attack and stopping Cassim from attacking Sinbad.
Solomon was a bit surprised when Sinbad challenged Alibaba, the man was eavesdropping on them earlier, he should know who Alibaba was. Or maybe that's exactly why he did it.
But Sinbad was right, Alibaba had absolutely no idea how to really use the vessels. But what shocked him was Sinbad's suggestion to join the group. After beating their leader.
That's not how you normally do it. It seemed like Ja'far agreed with him somehow. This course action wasn't normal at all. Wasn't Sinbad supposed to apprehend them so trade could resume. Now he wanted to join them?
Maybe he got famous because of his spontaneous, unreasonable actions.
Tensions were high before the palace walls since Alibaba and Sinbad entered alone. It had been quiet for a while now and nobody knew what was going on inside. Well, nearly nobody.
Solomon quietly looked into the small puddle of water in his hands. He couldn't hear anything but it was clear that the situation wasn't good. When he saw a stranger enter the room, he was alarmed. He recognized that get-up!
How did they get out? He sealed them away with Il Illah! So this is were the 'Distortions of the World' came from. He should have known it was them!
A swarm of black rukh shook him even further as a young, black haired man passed him. And he knew, that man was a Magi. His flute started to glow and he realized, Ugo noticed as well.
Al-Thamen was back. And they had a Magi of all things under their control.
From his clairvoyance magic, he could see him enter the throne room as well, running up to Sinbad, clearly knowing the man. So that's what he meant when he asked Solomon if he was a Magi 'too'.
Right after he entered, negotiations broke down completely.
Alibaba's crestfallen expression disturbed him, so he let him go with Sinbad to inform the Fog Troop of the situation. Solomon and Morgiana stood among the crowd, watching Sinbad encourage everyone. The people were all cheered up and talked with the King afterwards.
He was about to talk to Alibaba, to cheer him up a bit more as well, when he and Ugo noticed black rukh flying around. He looked up, sure enough, the Magi was there.
"Hey, Sindbad!" He called out "So this is where you were, Your Dumbness."
"Judal." Sinbad looked up surprised and the male jumped down from his means of transport.
"What are you doing here?" He asked amused.
"Judal, did you come here on Ahbmad's orders?" Sinbad questions "Or rather, for the Kou Empire?"
"No, nothing like that." He explained "I don't really care about any of them."
'Then get out.'
Sinbad looked at him with a neutral expression "What exactly do you plan to do with this country?"
"Dunno." The Magi admitted.
'Leave.'
"Aladdin, are you alright?" Morgiana asked, a trembling and furiously glaring Solomon beside her.
"I've got no interest in the economy." Judal told him "What I really like is.. War."
'Leave...'
He could feel Ugo trying to calm him down.
'Leave,Leave,Leave.'
"The Kou Empire is really strong!" He exclaimed joyous "Their army's got tons of soldiers, and five dungeon clearers! They've even managed to make an army outta dungeon monsters. Isn't it amazing!"
"You bastards…" Sinbad commented.
'Leaveleaveleaveleave!'
"Aladdin?" Alibaba whispered worried.
"Oh, don't get me wrong." Judal said with a smirk "The one I really want to join up with is you, Sinbad. That's why you should hurry up and conquer the world with me!"
'...' Solomon gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
"Aladdin!" Now it was Ja'far's, who had been beside them the entire time, turn to be worried.
"The Kou Emporer is so dense. Come one, Sinbad." Judal urged.
"I won't ever become your puppet." Sinbad shot back.
"Heh, you're giving me that reply again?" Judal asked when he suddenly noticed the rukh swarming to a single place on the left "Huh?"
'...'
'Leave'
'Leave!'
Solomon was still trembling and glaring at the ground like he could break it into a ravine. He didn't even hear them talk about him, hear Sinbad call him a Magi again, didn't notice Judal running up to him, didn't hear him ask for his name, didn't see the outstretched hand that suddenly turned into a fist, aimed at his face.
"LEAVE!"
A loud thud reverberated around the entire plaza.
Solomon was breathing heavily as he straightend himself, this time glaring at Judal's fallen form.
No, this was wrong. This man was only their puppet. It wasn't his fault. He's not with them out of his own free will. He was just being used. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't his fault.
'But wasn't he just about to hit me, too?'
His breathing became more even and he stopped trembling, but his eyes were shadowed and not couldn't be seen.
The rukh fluttered around him in decreasing panic. They clung to his form like they wanted to hug and comfort him. He mentally reprimanded himself for losing control.
His glare softend a bit when he looked at Judal who was clutching his face.
"So you want to fight, huh?" Judal glared at him.
"It's not that I want to fight." Solomon sighed "I apologize for my earlier reaction, but in my defense, you were about to hit me, too."
"Both of you, stop it!" Sinbad yelled.
"Shut up, Sinbad." snapped Judal "This is a fight between Magi. A mere human has no right to interfere. And besides, you couldn't stop me even if you wanted to. After all, you don't even have a single metal vessel on you." He turned back to Solomon "Let's get this party started already, twerp."
"First of all." Solomon stated bored "I'm not silly or annoying enough to be called a twerp. Second-" He leaned his staff against his shoulder "I'm not a Magi."
"Then what?" Judal asked annoyed "The rukh are swarming to you like a child to their mother!"
Solomon grinned "Why should I tell you?"
Judal outright glared at him in anger "You-"
He took his wand out, creating a massive amount of lightning that he sent towards Solomon. The Alma Torran King smirked.
"Dhoruf Sabaha!"
In an instant, Judal was struck down by his own lightning. Using the momentary confusion, Solomon threw him upwards with another spell, forcefully keeping him there when Judal tried to get back down.
Solomon held up his left hand and lowered it in a quick motion "Dhoruf Luyila!"
His opponent smacked into the ground with a loud crash and Solomon thought that he may have overdone it for a moment when Judal staggered up.
"Wow." He coughed out "You got some really impressive magic power for 'not being a Magi'. But you haven't seen what my magic can really do yet." The black Magi gathered the city's fog in the air "Balbadd is a city of fog." He explained "I can gather as much water as I want. And if I control it even more…" He floated upwards "I can use my specialty: Ice magic!"
Solomon watched the light reflect on the shards of ice the Magi created.
Judal directed his magic downwards "Sarg Al-Salos!"
Solomon gathered water from around the city and put it opposite to Judal's magic "Sarg Hajar!"
Ice hit ice as the spells collided and Solomon pointed his staff towards the giant wall.
"Halhal Raqi!"
Judal's ice exploded and Solomon dropped his ice wall, letting it return to normal water.
"Not bad." Judal mused "But how about this?"
Several more ice shards appeared in the sky, scaring the men around Solomon that hadn't fled yet.
Solomon however decided that it was enough, so when Judal sent the attack flying, he evaporated it "Halharl Infigar!"
The ice was reduced to nothing more than slight steam in mere seconds.
"Dhoruf Luyila!" Judal once again crashed into the ground and Solomon jumped forward swinging his staff downwards into him as Judal tried to stand up "Hadika Hadeka!"
Solomon relaxed when it became apparent that his enemy was not conscious any longer. He jolted in shock when someone put his arm around his shoulder.
"That was amazing!" Alibaba praised impressed "Why did you never tell us your magic was that powerful?!"
Solomon just stood there silently for a moment, then his expression turned into a faint smile "It would have been too complex for you to understand my ramblings. That and the impact of magic varies and often can't be put into words." He frowned as he looked at the sky "But we should move for now. Something's coming and I think they're here because of the Magi. We should go before we get into trouble."
Solomon listened to Deputy King Sahbmad's story with closed eyes. The situation was grim. A king who cared so little about his people had no right to reign. He opened his eyes and looked at Alibaba.
'What will you do?'
There were not a lot of solutions but he believed Alibaba may be able to find one. He still believed that when they left him alone with Sinbad, Ja'far and Masrur later on after they talked about the Kou empire.
He squeezed Alibaba's shoulder lightly before he left, their eyes meeting.
This very day passed quickly and before he was really aware of it, it was already morning again. He could see Alibaba storm out the door with his face hidden and stood up.
It seemed like the blonde had found his way. He followed Morgiana over the rooftops and let her deal with the monkeys in Alibaba's stead. He kept following until Alibaba was intercepted by another opponent. The last of those weird guards, Solomon suspected.
Alibaba managed to cut his opponents sword in the first attack when Solomon called out to him.
"I will deal with this." He assured his friend, shifting his hold on his staff.
"But you're a Magician!" Alibaba warned "That can't work in every situation!"
"I know." He told him "That's why I learned to fight with a sword. Go already!"
He started to run towards the exit when the cheetah man tried to attack him but Solomon parried the strike, allowing Alibaba to get away.
"Do you really think you could win with just a staff as a weapon?" Engi aksed
"Nope." He put his staff behind his back and pulled his sword out "But it was easier to let him get away without the extra time needed to draw my sword." He smiled amused "I often use my wand in place of a sword though, so if I find myself sword fighting with it, I'm not really surprised."
"What lousy behaviour!" He lunged forward.
Solomon deflected the blow and aimed his sword at the man's side, narrowly missing him when he jumped backwards. Both charged forward and clashed, again and again.
Engi runs towards him once more and Solomon ducked, knocking him off his feet by kicking his legs sideways and impales the man in the chest.
He put his sword away and sat down in front of the heavy door leading further into the palace. It wouldn't take long for a new face to come along. True to his thoughts, the eighth princess of Kou arrived, coming to a stop in front of him.
He grinned cheerfully.
He stood beside the door to the throne room as Alibaba and the princess talked. He inwardly facepalmed as Sinbad arrived and introduced himself to her. That guy…
Oh well, he knew he could trust Alibaba to sort this out but he now had more important things to do.
Someone was trying to reverse the flow of fate. Black rukh were gathering, tainting even the ones close to his own. And he had a feeling he knew one of the people responsible.
Ithnan. He wondered if it was smart to confront him. He was sure he could overpower the green haired male if he wanted. He stopped his stride when he felt his consciousness fade.
He found himself in the Sacred Palace when he opened his eyes again. Great, now his consciousness was in three different places.
He walked up the stairs and saw Ugo sitting there "What is it?"
The giant frowned "As you've surely noticed, there are people who are trying to reverse the flow of fate. Al-Thamen, to be exact."
"It's hard to miss." He admitted "I noticed Ithnan there, too…"
"That's just how things are now." Ugo told him "In order to stop this, we have to create a miracle."
"That's what we and the Magi's are for." He commented "...Have you tried bringing that Magi here?"
"Yes." He admitted "But I was unable to."
"That's unfortunate." Solomon conceded "But I'm sure that's not the only reason you called."
"That's true." The giant smiled "There's a very interesting discovery I made. I think it might come in handy later on."
The King was captivated "Let's hear it."
"You can't even beat that excuse of a Djinn?"
Morgiana whirled around "Aladdin!"
"Where were you?" Sinbad asked "You weren't in the palace when we exited it."
Solomon smiles "I was in a faraway place. But I don't think that's important. Want me to help?"
"There you are!" Judal yelled at him.
Solomon turned to him "Oh, you're up again?"
This pissed the Magi off "I won't lose this time. 'Cause now I've got a Djinn!"
"Too bad." He countered "But I won't be the main force fighting today. I'm leaving the Djinn for Alibaba."
"But..." Alibaba started "I don't have a sword and I'm out of magoi. I can't fight anymore!"
Solomon put his hand on his shoulder "That's not true at all. Look carefully now." He sent his magoi out, showing Alibaba the citizens "This country still holds hope. A fire that will allow them to get on with their lives and overcome their fates! You sparked that. You're the one who raised their spirits! The rukh are drawn by that desire to live! To move onward! That's why we can still fight!"
He looked towards Morgiana "Morg, please bring Mr Sinbad into the city. There are people there he needs to see."
"B-but..." She worried.
"It'll be okay. Now go!"
After Morgiana disappeared with Sinbad, he looked towards Judal. An eight-pointed star-shaped symbol with a ring around it made itself shown on his forehead. He summoned a giant Halharl Infigar and dropped it down on both him and Alibaba.
"Now go!" He told his friend who sprinted towards the Djinn.
He managed to impale it but was swallowed in the process as it regenerated.
"What?" Judal asked amused "Did he get swallowed by the black Djinn? Guess he was just bluffing."
Solomon looked at the Magi "There's something I have to tell you, too."
"Huh?"
The symbol on his forehead started glowing.
"W-what is that?" His eyes went wide in shock at the rukh's memory "W-what's happening? Stop! Stop! STOP!"
He fell downwards, clutching his head. Soon after, the Djinn started to glow before it burst into a great beam of light.
Judal, who was still on the ground, was picked up by Ithnan's magic. Solomon looked at his once friend.
"We will meet again." Ithnan voiced before he vanished "Solomon."
Solomon closed his eyes for a moment with a frown and looked at Alibaba. Sad as this was...
"Alibaba." Solomon said, trying to comfort him "You can't keep crying. Or he won't be able to return."
Balbadd was rebuilding and Alibaba was working hard to help turn it into a republic. He and Solomon were outside on a balcony when a snake bit Alibaba. It gave Solomon a bad feeling. It might not be poisonous but... This snake…
Ithnan...
Should he wait? Calling him out right now wouldn't be the best idea. He wondered what the former Divine Staff wielder was planning.
They were interuppted by a soldier telling them about an armada from the Kou empire. They had to knock out Alibaba so he wouldn't try fighting against Kou's forces.
Together, they put him on a ship to Sindria that they all sailed on.
It took a terribly long time for Sinbad to return to Sindria. But when he did, he immediately told Alibaba about the meeting results. He couldn't agree with him asking Alibaba for help in the fight against Al-Thamen though. That was too risky.
But what irked Solomon a bit more was that he told him to learn under one of the magic instructors.
'You can exchange information with each other, yeah right.'
He was sure he didn't use any too advanced magic and when it came down to his manipulation of the laws of physics, he couldn't teach that. Or did Sinbad think he could learn some more advanced magic? He could already use such magic just fine.
What a bother.
He had to admit that Yamraiha was very talented though. And the rest of his generals as well. But that only proved how capable they were.
The festival was great, too. Minus Morgiana bowing. One great thing about it was that he could now officially help in the fight against Al-Thamen. He would have fought one way or another but if somebody knew and wasn't going to question him, then it was even better.
The next day, the prince from Kou arrived, together with Princess Kougyoku. After a rather funny 'conversation', everyone settled down. The rest of the day and the next was exchanging information with Yamraiha for him. If you could even call it that.
And on that same day, Ithnan worked his magic.
So what do you think about this chapter? Be sure to tell me!
I originally wanted Solomon to stop the entire Cassim situation before it happened but as you can see… yeah, that didn't happen. I also find it funny that both Sinbad and Focalor are womanizers.