Season 2, Chapter 5, Part 2.
First Time.
Meanwhile, Haze flies over the forest on the opposite side of the village. He mostly just sits on his broom and looks around. (I hate this. Why does all of this have to be such a drag?) He looks over the village, and his eyes catch a glimpse of the sea as the sun plays on the ocean surface.
Then, from the forest close to the sea, he sees someone on a broom flying towards the docks with a big bag attached to the broom.
"Why do I get the feeling that something is going on?" he asks himself and flies over the village and the forest close to the sea.
"Haze! HEY, HAZE, GET OVER HERE!" he hears someone yell, and he turns back and looks down between the trees, where he sees Lydia and Sebastian.
He looks up, but the person is gone. "What is it?" he asks and flies down to them and dismounts, looking at them both. "Wait, why do both of you have dried blood on your robes?" he asks them, and they give him the details.
"Ah, maybe that is why I saw someone fly up from the middle of the forest," he utters. "What? You saw someone coming from this forest?"
"Yeah, whoever it was was heading for the docks," he explains, and they both look at each other.
"Then that will be our next lead, right?" Lydia asks. "I believe so. Let's go," Sebastian replies, and they all get on their brooms and fly over to the docks, where there are several fishing boats and a couple of larger ships.
One man is sitting by his boat fixing up a fishing net, and he looks over at the teens. "Ahoy there! What are magic knights doing greeting these humble docks?" the man asks.
"We are investigating something that happened recently," Lydia replies.
"Oh?"
"Anyway, did you see anyone fly past here or something?" she asks.
"Not really, but then again, I was mostly focusing on fixing this old fishnet. The thing may be looking at its last month or so before we need to make a new one," he says and adjusts the nylon.
"Oh, that's too bad," Lydia tells the man. "Sorry, I couldn't be of more help. Well, I'd better get today's haul to the stall in the market place where my wife can keep it cool with her Ice magic," the man says, and the group looks at the barrels of fish.
"Right," Sebastian utters, and the group moves over a bit. "So, what do you guys think?" Lydia asks.
"Well, his mana does not feel like what I felt before," Sebastian explains. "That is true." Haze looks around and sees one of the bigger ships where the gangway is lowered for someone to board.
"Maybe we should check out that place," Haze tells them. "Maybe so," Sebastian says, and the group walks towards the boat and heads for the gangway when a big tall man walks out of the boat wearing a grey knitted sweater and black trousers. His blond hair is short and messy.
"Oh, hello there. I wasn't expecting visitors this late. What brings a bunch of magic knights to the docks?" the man asks, and the three look at each other. "We saw someone suspicious fly over this place, so we figured we would try to find them," Sebastian explains.
"Find someone suspicious, eh? Well, that sounds ominous," he says and looks back into the ship. "Well, while you're here, why don't you kids take a look at my shop?" the man asks.
"Your shop?" Lydia asks, looking at the ship. "Yes, I travel along the coasts, selling all kinds of goods to people," the man tells them.
"I don't know," Sebastian tells the man. "Come on, a little peek won't hurt," the man insists, and the teens look at each other.
"We really should be going," Sebastian utters. "Well, you're loose. I have some amazing goods to sell," the man says.
"Yeah, well, we are on the clock, so," Lydia says and grabs the two teens' arms, bringing them with her as they walk up the hill and away from the docks. "What is going on, Lydia?" Sebastian asks.
"Yeah, you suddenly got in a hurry," Haze asks. "Sorry, I just feel like something is wrong about that guy down there," she tells them. "I know what you mean. He is definitely hiding something," Sebastian says, turning his head to look at the ship by the docks.
"Then shouldn't we have just taken the invitation? I mean, it seems like a good way to get a better look without giving away that we are suspecting him," Haze asks. "Maybe so, but it just felt like a trap," Sebastian explains, turning his gaze to the brunette and the gray-haired teen in front of him.
"So, what do we do now?" Lydia asks. "We will keep an eye on the ship for now. Since I am certain that we got the right ship, they are bound to reveal themselves soon enough," Sebastian tells them.
"Not sure, but I didn't sense that mana signature from the boat, so do we even have the right suspects?" Sebastian asks. "You are right about that, but we don't exactly have many other leads," Lydia replies.
"Hmm, if one of us stays here to keep an eye on the ship, the other two can go and look for more leads, and we will signal each other if something is up," he says.
"Well, it is agreed then. Here," Sebastian says and hands Haze an orb. "What is this?" "It is just a magic item that we use for operations like this. If anything happens, just send your mana into it, and they will both glow. It will allow us to signal each other discreetly without being noticed," Sebastian explains and shows another orb in his hand.
"Cool, do you have any other gadgets in your bag?" Lydia asks. "I do, but these are what we can use for now," he says and looks at a cylindrical item in his satchel before he closes it.
"Well, we know what to do, so see you soon, Haze," Sebastian says, and Haze nods.
Sebastian and Lydia head for the village, passing the old man with the barrel filled with fish.
They walk around the village and query people about the ship by the docks, and they get responses like: "Oh, that ship? I have been on board it. They had quite a unique assortment of goods, and the prices were steep." "Not sure what to tell you. I am rarely by the docks, as my job has me chopping wood for the most part." "That ship? I don't really like it. The owner makes me feel uneasy."
"Well, those were some worried responses," Lydia utters as they walk through the village. "They sure were. They only seem to confirm our suspicion that something is definitely amiss about that ship, so we are on the right track at least," Sebastian explains. "Right."
They see the old man from earlier placing the barrel by a small house with a small market stall outside of it. The man stands and talks to what is assumed to be his wife.
"They are at the docks again? I don't like it," they overhear the lady say, and the teens walk up to them.
"Excuse me, mister, we couldn't help but overhear you talking about that ship at the docks," Sebastian asks. "Yes, and if you could have them not return, that would be best," the man says.
"Uh, okay, could you elaborate on what you mean by that?" Sebastian asks, adjusting his glasses. "Well, every time they are here, things go missing, for one. Secondly, the kind of goods they have for sale is more than unusual. I get a feeling half of the items in there are cursed. Plus, there is their weird docking schedule and their traveling route," the man explains, and the two teens look at each other and at the man with a query in their eyes.
"Well, I and other fishermen have witnessed the ship leave late at night, and they tend to be gone for either a couple of days, or they are gone for a few months before they return again. And that is not the worst part. They seem to travel into the Misty Rockland," the man tells them.
"Misty Rockland?" Lydia asks. "Yes, it is an area on the sea covered in mist with strong currents, with plenty of sharp rocks sticking out of the sea. It is a place for people to avoid unless they want to run ashore. But for some reason, they have no problem passing through without a problem. I don't know; everything about that ship is odd, to say the least," the man finishes.
"You are right, that does seem rather strange. We will look more into it. Thank you for the intel," Sebastian tells the man, and he and Lydia continue.
"What do we do now? Do we confront the crew or have them arrested?" Lydia asks. "No, we can't do much on just rumors and odd occurrences. Hmm..." "Well, the ship does seem to be something to look into, so why not?" she asks.
"Rumors and speculation aren't enough; we need more proof. The man said the ship usually travels out late, so I suggest we watch over it until they leave. We can follow it and see where it leads. If they really are crooks, then they will show their true selves soon enough, and we are bound to come across evidence," Sebastian explains.
"Right, so we'll have a stakeout. Great, let's get some snacks. It's a long time until sundown," she says, and Sebastian agrees.
They do just that, patrolling the village once again before heading to the docks.
Meanwhile, Haze is lying in the tall grass, looking at the clouds as they pass by. Occasionally, he turns his head to the side to look at the ship by the docks. "Man, this is boring," he mutters to himself, and he hears rustling in the grass. He sits up and turns towards the sound, but he calms down as he recognizes the mana.
"Hey, grumpy pants, we came with snacks and information," Lydia tells him with a bright smile, and behind her stands Sebastian. "Great, you're here," he replies lazily.
They sit and watch, mostly in silence, as they observe the clouds. Haze looks around. ("Do we really have to sit here until late? That really puts a damper on my plans. It looks like I'll be forced to find a different time for it.") Haze thinks to himself and looks around, a little annoyed by their situation.
They watch until the sky turns red, and soon it's getting dark. The lights in the village are extinguished one by one as people turn in for the night.
"Do you think they'll ever move or do anything?" Haze asks, annoyed. "Well, the intel was that they usually leave late at night, so..." Sebastian says. "Well, it's getting really late, and not a thing seems to be happening," Haze tells him.
"You two, look," Lydia interrupts, and they look down at the ship as it begins to leave the docks. "Great, then we're off. We must be sure to follow far enough behind so that they won't be able to detect us, but not so far that we lose them," Sebastian explains, and they all ready their brooms. "Right," Haze replies with a long stretch and a big yawn.
"Could you be any more carefree?" Lydia asks. "What? Don't tell me that you're any more awake after all this waiting around," Haze replies in his usual tone. "I'm just saying, it wouldn't kill you to take this a bit more seriously," she tells him.
"I am taking it seriously," he tells her. "You could've fooled me with your many yawns and lazy attitude," Lydia retorts. "So, you can tell. Good, so get out of my ass already," Haze retorts.
"Uh, you guys?" Sebastian utters. "What?" Haze snaps. "Whoa, I was just gonna say our suspects are leaving," he says and points to the sea. "Great," Haze utters, and they all take to their brooms and go in pursuit.
They stay a considerable distance away for about an hour, and all they can see right now are the ship's lights playing on the water's surface as it heads towards the mist in the distance.
"That old man was right. That is some heavy mist," Haze utters. "It should be perfect for you, then," Lydia says playfully. "Be on your guard. I sense a hint of mana in that mist," Sebastian warns. And they all follow the ship into the mist.
Soon, all they can see is dark gray mist and the hint of the ship's lights in the distance.
"You guys, I don't like this. We can barely see a thing, and we don't know how many people are on board the ship if we are seen," Lydia tells them, concerned.
"It will be all right. There's been no sign of them noticing us," Sebastian reassures. "Uh, do you guys hear that?" Lydia asks. "Hear what?" the guys ask as they hear swirling of water, and they look down.
"A whirlpool?" Haze asks. "Not just any—watch out!" Sebastian yells, and they fly away as the sea rises at them. The whirlpool follows them above water and shoots water bullets after them.
"Okay, that is not normal!" Lydia yells, dodging the shots. "Just keep going!" Sebastian yells, and they rapidly increase speed to avoid more shots. Their eyes go back and forth to see where the water is shot at as they head through the mist.
"Guys, watch out!" Haze yells, and they all look ahead as a gigantic blast of fire is shot at them. They all dodge downwards, flying close to the water's surface. They look down, and fish made of water jump up at them. They fly up, and they hear a shot ring out. They look ahead, and a big net is thrown, and they fly higher up.
"They dodged that, fine," some man yells. "FIRE!"
The teens dodge to the best of their abilities, managing to bring out their grimoires.
Sebastian gulps and holds out his hand as his grimoire floats up to him. "Ember magic, Fire Shower!" he shouts, and embers fall over the ship's deck. The men do their best to dodge it.
"Vine magic, Dance of the Forest!" Lydia yells as she swishes past them, attacking some of the men. They counter with fire, water, and lightning magic.
"Mist magic, Pursuing Hyenas!" Haze yells, and his mist turns into the animal, landing on the deck and surrounding the men. One man in the middle smiles.
"Why are they so smug?"
"Chaos magic, Go!" a lady yells, and they look up and see a lady on a black broom. Big thorns are shot out from the mist in every direction, heading for the teens who dodge them.
"Chaos magic, Go!" she yells, and as the teens get close to each other from dodging thorns, the world around them begins to spin as they are caught in a tornado. They're shot out from the top, nearly falling off their brooms, before they fall onto the deck.
Before they can stand, a big net is thrown over them.
"Damn it..."
The teens flail about until they can sit inside the net.
("This rope is constricting our magic.") Sebastian thinks to himself, and they look around. They see they are surrounded by a bunch of shifty-looking characters.
"Well, well, well, it seems we've got quite the catch," a man laughs, showing a brown tooth and a scar over his cheek.
"So, the brats actually had the balls to follow us after all," a female voice utters. The men step aside to give room to a medium-sized woman with a white linen shirt and a pair of black pants. Her brown hair is curly and reaches her shoulders.
She takes a few steps towards the teens and points her brown eyes at the group. She has a scar over her left eye, and her left eye is light gray from blindness.
"Do you think that they can do it? You know, retrieve the item from that grotto?" the man asks.
"Hmm, they are magic knights, so maybe, but they are young," the lady thinks out loud. "Well, if they can't, I'm thinking of sending you down there," the lady says, and the scarred man smiles to hide his nervousness.
"You are a rough mistress, Lady Catell," the man replies. "Send them to the brig. We'll be heading for the Lost Grotto," the lady orders. "Yes, Lady Catell," the man says.
Moments later, the man from earlier drags the kids along the floor on the lower deck of the ship.
"How did you guys know that we were following you?" Sebastian asks. "Please, we could see you guys hiding in the tall grass from a mile away," the man tells them and puts them into the cell, locking it before he leaves.
"Now what?" Lydia asks. "What do you mean, 'now what'? You saw the number of mages out there. If we even attempted to fight them, then we are screwed," Haze tells her.
"We still need to find a way out of this mess. I don't know about you, but I don't really want to be a prisoner forever," she tells him.
"Get out? If we try to escape, we are screwed too. Did you not see the amount of power the enemy is working with?" Haze tells her.
"Yeah, but... what do you think, Sebastian? You've been silent for a while now."
"Well, I don't know if it will work because of that weird mist, but I do have this," he says and shows them a small cylindrical item with a rounded button on top.
"Uh, what is that?" she asks. "Well, Sally from the magic development unit made quite a few of these. It's a tracking device for quick aid if there's ever any trouble," he says, and Haze and Lydia look at each other and at him.
''Well, what are you waiting for? Activate it then," Haze tells him. "Right," he replies and pushes the button, causing it to start glowing in a yellowish light.
Meanwhile Lady Catell walks into a room with a huge glass orb made of enchanted class containing black water swirls inside it.
''good job guys, you are dismissed'' the lady says. ''Yes Lady Catell'' the one of them says and they both leaves her Study.
she looks at the desk and at the orb again and walks over to it and places her hand on the glass. ''You are the best investment that I have made'' she says with a slim smile and a pair of red eyes glows from the black water.
An hour passes as the ship heads toward its destination. Inside the cell, Lydia and Sebastian sit together, watching the time pass, while Haze leans against the iron bars. "Damn it, we aren't getting reinforcements either, huh?" he says with a heavy sigh.
"Well, the mist outside might interfere with the signal, so..." Sebastian utters. "Great, so we are screwed. Damn it, this is not how I wanted this night to go," Haze groans and turns around, leaning his back against the bars. He slides down to a sitting position.
"This sucks," he says, and a door opens. They turn toward the man who comes to get them.
The man opens the cell door and gestures for the three teenagers to follow him. Reluctantly, they get up and step out of the cell, exchanging cautious glances. The man leads them through a narrow corridor and up a flight of stairs to the upper deck of the ship. As they emerge onto the deck, they're met with the sight of the mist-shrouded sea stretching out before them. The ship is moving steadily through the fog, guided by the experienced hands of the crew. "Welcome, young ones," a voice calls out, and they turn to see Lady Catell standing before them, leaning against the ship's railing. Her eye scans over them, assessing their presence. "We apologize for the restraints, but we had to ensure your cooperation," Lady Catell says, her tone surprisingly calm. "What do you want from us?" Lydia asks, her voice firm despite the circumstances. Lady Catell's lips curl into a sly smile.
''Throw the anchor!'' a man yells, and the ship comes to a halt. ''You three magic knights will help me find a chest that is supposed to be hidden inside the lost grotto," she tells them. Her eyes are raised, and the teens turn to see what she's looking at: a giant sharp hill with black rocks dotting the beach surrounding the stone structure.
Moments later, they are on the beach of the small island, looking at the big dark hole in the rock formation. ''Now, kids, you will head in there and retrieve a chest for me," Catell says with a smug smile as the teens look back at her.
''Why aren't you retrieving it yourself?'' Haze asks … The lady looks at the tree for a second, and she begins to giggle, while the other men start to laugh.
''That is because I don't have a death wish. The last 30 or so guys we sent in there haven't come out yet, and it's been a few weeks since we sent the last pair down there," she tells them.
''And if we refuse?" Haze asks. ''We will still send you down there. Besides, there is little you can do against all of us, and you know it," she tells them and gives a nod to one of her men, who walks up to them and removes the restraints.
The trio looks at the men and the woman in front of them. Lady Catell brings out her grimoire. ''Chaos Magic," she utters, and the rest of the crew takes a few steps back.
''Go!" she yells, and explosions fill the air in front of the teens. They bring out their spells to soften the blow as they are flung into the cave.
They land inside, and Haze gets up, dusting himself off. ''Damn that lady. Uh, where did the entrance go?" he asks, and the other two stand up and look around as well.
''I-I have no clue," Sebastian utters, getting up on his feet.
''It is kind of dark in here," Lydia says.
''Right," Sebastian replies and uses his ember magic. The cave is slightly lit up.
''Uh, do you guys hear that?" Lydia asks, and the trio looks around, hearing rocks rubbing against rocks, and openings in the cave walls slowly open while others slowly close.
''No wonder this is called the Cavern of the Lost. None of these tunnels that are appearing and leaving make any sense," Lydia says, and Sebastian looks closely at all of them. He crouches down to the ground and goes through his satchel.
''Honestly, guys, I don't really see a way out of this mess right now," Lydia tells them.
''Damn it, there has to be a way," Haze says, annoyed. ''How? Even if we found a way out, that woman's magic is insane. Unless we get reinforcements, we can't possibly—"
''Reinforcements? It's the middle of the night. If the signal somehow did manage to get to HQ, I doubt any higher-ranked mages would bother to come. They'd most likely send some lower-ranked mage who has no other choice but to go. No, we have to get out of this ourselves," Haze tells her.
''But how?" Lydia asks. Suddenly, they hear a rumbling sound, and Sebastian stands up. ''Uh, what's going on?"
''The ground is disappearing," Lydia nervously states, and they all fall.
''AAAAH!"