kenegi - Yeah, my May has a weird personality with her weird way of teasing, but it's rather amusing to see the reactions of her comrades, especially the male gender. And about that FSN, I have never read the manga about it, so I'm clueless as to what it's about.

treavellergirl - What would a story be without a touch of drama?

SmileRen - I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter.

Guest - Thank you!

voidharpy - Oh, I miscalculated the age. Arrgh, how could I have not seen that? Thank you for the correction, I don't like to have wrong fact in my stories. Ah, well, I wanted May to be violent, don't know why, but I found her much interesting and fun to write. I blame her Fanalis genes, Morgiana excluded. Although the Fanalis, in general, try to be civilized, they are still a hunting tribe. Look at Rohroh, or Myron- no matter how hard they try, their "wild" side comes out. So, yeah, hope you don't dislike her personality. :p

Shambal Ramal's age: 61 years old

Sinbad's age: 27 years old

Mu Alexius' age: 26 years old

Myron Alexius' age: 21 years old

Masrur's age: 18 years old

May's age: 17 years old

Morgianas age: 12 years old

Also, voidharpy thank you for your suggestions about the Djiin! :)

Pride of the Fanalis Clan

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By Angelbloodlover

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~ We who are about to die, salute you!

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Tigris from Gladiator

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Chapter 15: Sitri, the Wind Djiin

I concentrated hard, eyes closed as I felt my Magoi flow calmly through my veins. This was going good. Now, increase the speed further and further, just like Shambal had lectured. He had told me that my Magoi Manipulation sucked greatly at first, but gradually on, I got the hang of it. And now I could properly use my Magoi within my body to reinforce my weapons. This made it strong enough to pierce something, even when strong, physical attacks couldn't damage it. And now, I was training my Magoi within my body to counteract my opponents' Magoi by negating their abilities to a certain extent, like cancelling someone's Djiin equip.

Shambal had said that I would need another year to fully master it since my Magoi wasn't normal in the beginning. I blamed reincarnation.

But through all those training on the art of Magoi Manipulation, my swordplay had increased efficiently. Which wasn't very smart either since my skills with a scythe, hammer and whip had become rather rusty. Which was why I used different weaponry during every match. And to my surprise, Shambal was very skilled with a hammer, which I used to my advantage.

Unfortunately, I had to train with my other weapons without the help of a teacher. But that wasn't very much troubling, I had always trained without any kind of supervision, so it didn't bother me that much.

I grinned widely when Mu appeared, his sister accompanying him. "Hey guys, what brings both of you here?"

Myron smirked in excitement, "A new Dungeon has been spotted, south from here."

Arching my eye brow, I averted my attention on Mu, "So, will both of you capture it?"

He shook his head, "You're coming with us."

"Excuse me?"

Myron giggled, muffling her laughter with her hand, "Brother is saying the truth. We want you to accompany us."

Confused, I asked, "What about Rohroh? Isn't it hurtful for him, knowing that you guys took me instead of him."

"Rohroh has caught the flu, so no worries there, May-chan!" Myron assured me, her eyes twinkling brightly. Why was she like that? This wasn't normal for Myron unless she knew something I didn't. Glancing towards Mu, I noticed that he was scratching his cheek something that he did when he was feeling unwell.

"Mu, are you alright? You seem uncomfortable?"

He coughed awkwardly and nodded, glaring at his giggling sister, "I'm fine, May. About your answer...?"

I thought very carefully about this. If I said yes, then I would have to hide my identity as a Dungeon Capturer from them and I feared that Djiin might blab out the fact that I had already conquered three Dungeons and was the King Vessel for three Djiins. But if I said no, I might hurt their feelings. I could keep my Metal Vessels stashed somewhere safe and that way, no one would notice anything amiss. And I hoped the Djiin wouldn't be able to see it either.

Mind made up, I nodded, "Sure, I'll conquer that Dungeon with you guys." Smirking towards them, I added, "Who knows, maybe I'll get that Djiin?"

Mu chuckled in amusement, "Dream on, May."

"I'll be the one to get the Djiin!" Myron quipped up confidently, arms crossed over her chest.

Stopping the flow of my Magoi, my smirk widened even more, "Then let's make a bet over it. The winner gets to be treated like a royal for one month."

"Deal!"

Mu laughed sheepishly, "I don't know about this..."

With a teasing voice, I chuckled, "Never thought you would be a coward, Mu-kun."

"Fine, it's a deal then!" Mu accepted the bet and we parted ways, "Meet us here when you're done, May!"

"Alright!" Now, to let Shambal know what I was about to do. Hopefully, he wouldn't become overprotective or a mother-hen.

"You may go."

I was ready to tell him that I would go no matter what he said when I froze. Did he really say what I think he said? "I can...go?"

He nodded in compliance, "Besides, you're with Mu and Myron, and with the increase of your skills I have a hundred per cent confidence in you that you'll conquer that Dungeon."

Smiling happily, I walked towards him and engulfed him in a hug, "Thank you for believing in me."

Shambal tightened his arms, "I know that you're special, I can feel it just by looking into your eyes." When he released me, he placed a fatherly kiss on my forehead and smiled kindly, "Go show them what you're made of."

"I will," Stupid emotional tears rolling down, I wiped them off and turned away, "I'll see you within three days, sensei."

Metal Vessels stored away and shoulder bag ready, I waited for the Alexius siblings near the entrance of the training grounds.

Shambal's words made think-could it be that he had sensed something wrong with my Magoi. But, if so, how? Yunan had made sure that nothing would penetrate the strength of the Magic Reverse tool. But if Shambal knew it all along, then why didn't he say anything about it, speaking in a cryptic manner. This confused me to no end and I feared for the outcome of this. Would he reveal my identity as the semi-Magi or not?

I hoped not.

Because if he did, then my trust in him would be shattered and I would never consider him the same. Once people broke my trust in them, then it could never be repaired. I saw trust like a smooth paper, once you shatter my trust, the paper crumbles and no matter how hard you try to fix it, the lines won't disappear. With that, I only hoped that Shambal would choose the smart path, because no second chances would be granted, I didn't do those kind of things.

..only when the situation was absolutely called for.

Fortunately, the siblings arrived and I wouldn't have to think about that matter anymore. Thus, preventing a searing migraine to pop up. "Ready for some actions?"

Mu smirked and Myron inclined her head, peeking at me through her long, feminine lashes, "Clearly, you've hit your head too hard to ask such questions."

Chuckling, I walked alongside the two, stuck in between them.

The journey towards the Dungeon didn't take a lot of time. Fifteen minutes maximum, in Fanalis speed. Although when we would race, I would have been the winner. The Dungeon was overpopulated with beggars, desperate people, knights, magician and so on. But to my astonishment, the Dungeon was heavily guarded and the only way to go through was through Mu or Myron, or the high General from Reim, or the prince himself.

"What's all this fuss about?"

Before Myron could answer, Mu replied, "This Dungeon was raised by Lady Scheherazade and whoever would conquer the Dungeon would be marked as her King Vessel."

I gulped inaudible, hoping that I wouldn't be the one chosen. Yunan wouldn't be too happy if he knew what I was about to do. If he were here he would try to stop me. But if I tried to chicken back, it would raise even more suspicion. Oh great, I was stuck and this was all thanks to my stupidity and the siblings convincing. I blamed peer pressure! Although, I should have outgrown that a long time ago, I couldn't think of another reason to protect myself from Yunan's wrath.

Without an ounce of trouble, we passed the guards, who nodded their heads in respect when they noticed the Alexius siblings. And some of them raised their eye brows in surprise when they stared at me, whispers from "Bloody May is here with the Alexius siblings" circulating throughout the camp.

I suppressed groaning when Myron nudged my side playfully, "Seems like you've gained quite a fearless reputation, and with that, many suitors who would like to court you."

"I'd rather commit suicide than to date an idiot who worships me because of my status."

Mu coughed to gain our attention, "I'll talk with the general. Be right back." He glanced towards his sister and left to said general.

"Then what kind of man are you looking for?" Myron asked curiously, leaning closer and invading my personal bubble. "A gentle and romantic one or would you rather have one that completely dominates you?"

Chuckling, I patted her cheek, "How about you keep that conversation for later. Mu is returning." Winking knowingly, I mouthed the word, 'dominating'.

"I knew it!" Myron exclaimed rather loud, gaining a few curious stares her way, and quickly shielded her mouth, retaining her calm, female attitude.

Silently, I wondered why she was so keen on being the perfect girl with a soft, female side. It could be that the Alexius family had drilled the proper etiquette within her. As a bearer of a noble family, she was obliged to make the Alexius family proud and not taint it with devilish sins.

When Mu returned, he smiled softly, "We're good to go. Let's hope that one of us becomes the King Vessel."

Let's hope not, Mu, or else, chaos would descend.

Suddenly, I heard a pleading, shrill scream to my left side, and sniffing quietly, I recognized the scent. Whirling around, I locked eyes with Sophia, "Sophia?!" Mu and Myron stopped dead in their tracks, and only then Mu followed me, recognizing the black beauty. Sophia was retained by two soldiers as she tried desperately to break free. I glared at the two, demanding their release, which they did without hesitation whatsoever.

"Sophia, what's wrong? Why are you here?"

She sobbed, clutching my arms tightly, "I-It's A-Ayser..," Hiccups and sobs escaped her chewed off lips, "He s-sneaked inside t-the D-Dungeon!" Her hand hiding her face, she cried quietly, her fragile body shaking uncontrollably. "P-Please.."

Smiling, I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Dear Sophia," She looked up when she heard my gentle voice, "Didn't I tell you that you can come to me if there are any problems?"

She nodded placidly, eyes wide.

"Then consider our help granted, right Mu?" I glanced at Mu who was nodding in agreement, smiling kindly towards Sophia.

Said woman wrapped her arms around my shoulder and I giggled when she cried in relief, color returning to her face instead of the ghostly white. "Thank you! Thank you very much!" Although, silently, I wondered how Ayser sneaked by the guards. Glancing towards Mu, he nodded, the same question whirling in his head. And poor Myron was probably questioning who this woman could be.

Here we were, three Fanalis, in the most bizarre Dungeon that I had ever witnessed, trying to conquer the Dungeon and saving Ayser from his stupidity. There was no ground to stand on, panels were all drifting and shifting from place to place. Strange bird-like creatures were hovering above, guarding the giant door and violent gusts of wind assaulted our hair and brought a freezing coldness with it.

Looking closer, I noticed that they weren't any bird, but rather a griffin, something I had only read in fictional books. If I remembered correctly, a griffin was a legendary creature with the body, tail and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle, and an eagle's talons as its front feet. The reason why this animal was considered the king of all creatures was because, traditionally, the king of the beasts was depicted as the lion, and the eagle was known as the king of birds. Together, they became a special, majestic and powerful creature. Most commonly known was the fact that griffins protected treasures and priceless possession.

Near the entrance there was a stone with a message carved within, reading, "Upon me you shall ride, upon me you shall find the truth."

"How do you know the Torran language, May?" Mu asked curiously, "I thought this was a language only taught by royals?"

I smiled sadly, "My mother used to teach me-she was quite obsessed with books, one of the finest literate woman I had the satisfaction of meeting." Has? Had? I didn't know which one to use, "And then my master continued where she had left off..."

The two smartly kept their mouth shut when my voice trailed off.

Biting my lips, I stared at the griffins, "This is actually quite simple. We'll have to ride on the griffins to find our next quest."

Mu paled.

Myron grinned widely, toowide.

And I joined Myron's creepy smirk, "Now, how about we get wild?"

I smirked when Myron chuckled, nodding in agreement, "Right behind you, May, right behind you."

The two of us shot forward with a strong sprint, attracting the flying griffins who soared right towards us. Too bad, they didn't know that the King of the Beasts were in reality the Fanalis, "Let's show them who the real Kings and Queens are!" I shouted in excitement, jumping from panel to panel. When a griffin came closer, I flipped forward, on top of the beast and pulled its erect ears. The mighty beast struggled and flew violently, trying to shake me off, but it was of no use. I had a good grip on the animal, and kept pulling it ear to obey my commands.

Looking down I saw Mu fighting with a horde of griffins and decided to fly down there and pick him up before he would be turned into bird meal, not that it would happen. Because seriously, he was a Fanalis, and Fanalis were renowned for their superior strength, no griffin could top us. He could have easily jumped on one of the birds, but he didn't.. Weird..?

After a long struggle, I got the griffin to listen to me and flew downwards, to where Mu was and with one rough pull, I picked the surprised Mu up. "Welcome on board of the Griffin Express." With an eye-smile, I reared the bird towards Myron, but to my amusement, Myron was riding on top of one, squealing in delight. I giggled and spoke up, "Mu, did I mention how much I love your sister?"

He snaked his arms around my waist for fear of falling, "Y-Yeah...w-when c-c-can we getofthisanimal!" He hurried his last words when the griffin spiraled down.

I was trying to shake the horde of griffins off, but damn were they fast. "Somehow, I want to take this animal with me, like a pet!"

"N-Not a s-smart decision!"

Rolling my eyes at Mu's obvious distress of being on a wild griffin, "Come on, Mu-kun, enjoy the ride! Look I can even ride with one hand!" As if to prove my point, I lifted my left arm and closed my eyes, enjoying the cold breeze, the rush of excitement, the promise of an adventure and the girly screams from Mu. Ah, this was a fine life indeed.

"No May, two hands! Two hands for Solomon's sake!"

Safe and well on the ground, the three of us continued our merry way, although Mu kept shooting me nasty glares, which I shrugged off. Uncaring. When he activated his Djiin equip he didn't show any signs of acrophobia, or rather fear of heights. And from riding a griffin, he almost pissed his pants.

...though, I hoped he didn't. That would be beyond gross.

"Say, May, can you smell Ayser?" Myron asked curiously-she had tried to smell him out, Mu too, but no success. Even I had no success.

Shaking my head, I replied with an annoyed frown, "The strong wind current makes it really hard to catch his smell-it goes in all directions."

She nodded, frown marring her pretty face, "It's quite annoying."

Mu and I nodded, looking everywhere and hoping that we might bump into Ayser. How could that boy be such a reckless idiot. I ought to snap his neck for worrying poor Sophia like that. What did he think he was doing by committing such an idiotic thing? After walking and slaying a few wandering wyverns. These were other mystical winged creatures, with a dragon's head and other blends from other animals.

Against the Fanalis combo, no animal would be able to defeat us. We were the Kings and Queens.

At long last, we reached the end of the labyrinth and came to a wide, spacious room. Disappointed from my search, I bit my lip from the stress. I had to find that idiot, Sophia would be devastated if I didn't, and we couldn't conquer the Dungeon until Ayser was found. Peeking a glance towards Mu, I noticed the same worried expression on his face.

Sighing, I looked in the room and found nothing worth of taking, Hell, there wasn't even a single treasure, or a sign of a Djiin. Nothing. It was as if it had been, "..taken."

"Huh?" Myron asked in confusion, tilting her head to the side, "What did you say, May-chan?"

I narrowed my eyes and looked closer, "This place has already been raid by someone." Taking a whiff from the air, I picked a weak scent, something that I wouldn't have noticed if I had come to my conclusion, "This way!" I screamed, running towards the only opening in the so-called treasury room. The scent became stronger, the faster we sped, and nearing the end, I stopped.

Eye brows raised, I witnessed a scene that I would forever cherish.

There was Ayser, arguing with the Djiin, "I'm your King Vessel!"

Said Djiin shook his head, "No, I don't find you very appealing. You see I'm straight and I prefer a sexy King Vessel."

"Ayser!" I screamed in relief, "What the fuck do you think you are doing?!"

The poor boy jumped in the air from fright, eyes wide as he turned his head towards me, "M-May...?"

Baring my teeth, I literally stomped towards him. "Do you know what your idiotic actions caused us all? Sophia feared for your life! Are you mentally retarded or what!" Throwing him over my shoulder, I ignored his embarrassed squeak and weak demands, averting my attention on the Alexius siblings, "Mission; find Ayser, accomplished."

Mu sweat dropped, and Myron laughed loudly and quickly muffled her laughter, reminding herself to remain polite and well-mannered.

"You!" The loud, baritone voice from the Djiin roared, "I want you to be my King Vessel!"

I stiffened and shuffled behind Mu, hoping with all my might that I wasn't the one. Please, don't choose me! Please, don't! Or I'm fucked!

Myron's eyes widened and she pointed to herself, "You mean me?"

"No, not you! The other female! The feisty one!"

The shape of his eyes changed into hearts and I scowled in disgust, "You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Pointing towards Mu, I shouted, "Pick Mu, he is as sexy as a man-girl could be! And he has long hair!" How desperate could I be?

Disgusted, the Djiin shook his head while Mu seemed insulted by that remark. "You are quite interesting, I can see-" "No!" I screamed in fright, fearing that my secret would be exposed. What to do?! What to do?! What to fucking do?! "Err, how about we skip the talk, oh handsome Djiin?" Inwardly, I threw up hundreds of times, while outwardly, I took the face of an interested woman, winking towards the Djiin. I could feel the increasing confusion coming from the siblings. This was bad.

I was so not into blue giants.

When Ayser pounded harder, I chopped behind his neck, effectively shutting him up.

"Oh mama! I, Sitri, Wind Djiin, and spirit of Strength and Intelligence, take you, beautiful maiden, as my King Vessel!" He shrunk in size and appeared in front of me, grabbing my hand and placing a courteous kiss on top of it. "The flow of your Ruk-" Panicking, I muffled his next words, "Sitri-kun, would you be kind to help us escape this Dungeon now that you have me?" I smiled sultry and seductively, hoping that he would fall for it.

He chuckled and appeared suddenly next to me, snaking his arms around my waist. I gnashed my teeth, placing a leash on my temper. Now was not the time to become hostile, now was the time to be sugary sweet, as sweet as puke.

Someone coughed, and I sighed in relief when Mu narrowed his eyes, anger leaking off his persona, "Mind releasing my friend. As you can see, she is quite uncomfortable. While he was angry, Myron was not, in fact, she was smiling as creepy as she could, enjoying the show. Stupid Myron, not even helping me out.

"Do I smell jealousy, little one?" Sitri spoke haughtily, eyeing him with half-lidded eyes, obviously not interested in Mu.

The male Fanalis gritted his teeth, clenching and unclenching his fists. Mu could be very protective of his friends, but could it be that he felt more than friendship? I hoped not, because love and romance wasn't something I was looking for. Not yet, though. My objective was to train and get strong enough to protect my sister. Afterwards, I would leave Reim and search for my sister in Balbadd. I had planned out everything and I wouldn't let anything keep me from accomplishing my mission.

Sitri magically held out an intricate bracelet, with an attached ring chain where diamond stones were etched within, and then it was around my wrist, dangling beautifully. It was absolutely exquisite and took my breath away, "This is beautiful."

He smirked in pride, "I knew you would love it, my Queen."

And not even Mu's angry growl, or Myron's choking laughter snapped me out of it. I had never seen such a piece of jewelry. And I had seen a lot of them, but none could top this one.

Thankfully, Sitri had not mentioned a thing about my Rukh, or even the fact that I had already conquered a Dungeon before. We had packed up every treasure that Sitri give us and split the share of it in four. I had even found some beautiful ornaments for Sophia, she would be very happy about it. And with this money, I could even pay Shambal's debt, that poor man had a large bill to pay, a very large one. As for the rest, I would buy the slaves free since my money was dwindling down very fast.

Every time I found slaves, I bought them free. And the city I was residing in was a slave-free one with lots of White Rukh. It made me happy to see the White Rukh float happily, calming and very tranquil.

Mu and Myron had sulked in the beginning because this meant that I had won the bet-One month treated as royal! Yahoo!

When the Dungeon had been cleared out and we got transported back to the human realm, we were in a giant hole, people from all classes surrounding us, eyes shining at the glinting gold and treasures. And then I heard the relieved shout coming from Sophia.

I smiled brightly, waving towards her with Ayser's body. "Oops..?"

Mu shook his head, but he didn't mention anything, still angry about the previous scenes. I should have a talk with him later on.

"Sophia! Look what I found!"

Sophia giggled, the heavy burden off her shoulders as she glided down the hill, too happy to care about her clothes or appearances.

And I had another addition to my set of Djiins, joy oh joy! While at first I had been reluctant, I was absolutely ecstatic, until, "May, Lady Scheherazade would like to meet you." Myron chirped happily, hands clutched in front of her chest.

I cursed. Loudly.