Chapter 1: A Drop in the Ocean
September X791
Salina flew back through the air, blood spilling out of her mouth as she hit the ground, pulling herself to her feet as she skidded across the dirt, her silvery blue hair spilling all around her as she wiped her mouth with her hand, scowling at the blood. Her blue eyes locking on the dark mage in front of her as her teammate charged forward, their strikes quickly being countered and blocked as Salina stood up, holding her hands out in front of her, one over the other as she conjured winds and lightning into a large orb that she threw forward, her teammate quickly leaping out of the way as the dark mage swatted aside the orb, but not managing to see Salina charging in behind it, lightning coursing over her body as she struck the man square in the chest, sending a jolt of electricity flowing through the man as he let out a roar.
"Watch out!" Salina heard her teammate shout as she let out a gasp, realizing that the man was moving through the pain to grab onto her by the arms before lifting and throwing her aside before stomping into the ground as a chunk of earth shot up out of the ground before it went hurtling towards Salina, smashing against her body just before she impacted against the ground.
Her vision faded and distorted for a moment as she struggled to maintain consciousness. She could hear the continuing fight as she rose to her feet again, lightning and wind and frost swirling around her as she conjured up her Weather Magic as the sky above them darkened, Salina reaching her arms up to the sky.
"Move!" she screamed as she thrust her arms downward, pulling a stormy vortex down from the sky that crashed into the dark mage just after her teammate managed to move away as wind, frost and lightning tore through the area, kicking up dust and debris as the winds whipped around them. As the dust settled, they saw the dark mage lying on the ground, soaked in blood from several wounds across his body.
"Is it over?" Salina's teammate asked as they cautiously approached the dark mage's body.
"I don't know… Not if it's like the other ones from this guild," Salina warned as she slowly inched closer to get a better look, peering down at the man in front of them keeping an eye out for any signs of magic when she suddenly felt a charge in the air, "Get back!" she shouted as a pool of blood red magic erupted from underneath the dark mage as her teammate tripped backwards, falling on their rear as several spine-like appendages burst out of the ground, looking like they were studying Salina for just a moment before twisting inwards towards the dark mage, wrapping around him before pulling him into the earth and disappearing, only a pool of blood remaining where he laid.
"That was lucky," Salina's teammate said as they let out a breath that they didn't realize they had been holding, wiping their brow of sweat as Salina pulled them onto their feet, scowling over at the pool of blood, her face scrunching up as she stared at it a while longer before she turned to her teammate again.
"We need to get out of here before something worse shows up," she stated, her teammate nodding as Salina let her take the lead, though she couldn't help but look back at the pool of blood as they started to make their way back.
. : + : .
December X791
"What do you mean 'forget about it'!?" Salina shouted as she stared down her guild master, leader of the Blue Basilisk guild, "I've been chasing down this dark guild for months and I'm just supposed to stop!?"
"Salina…" the guild master warned, staring down the much younger woman over his aged, hooked nose as he waved a hand through the air, "I have told you many times to leave the matter be, the guild has more important things to do than chase down rumors of a dark guild that may not even truly exist…"
"Master Darach! This is important! Much more important than butting heads with Ifrit Skull or playing politics!" she argued, slamming her hands down on the old man's desk, "There is so much more we could do if we just focused on helping the people of Seven and not ourselves."
"We are helping the people of Seven, you are simply too short sighted to see it!" the guild master bit back, his bushy eyebrows furrowing as he stared her down, "I have given you an order and I expect you to follow it and trust my judgement. There are far more important things to be doing than chasing rumors around the countryside."
"I used to look up to you, thought you to be so kind and wise, but this feud of yours with Ifrit Skull has weathered away all your sensibilities! All you can see or think of are ways to improve the prestige of Blue Basilisk and to get yourself that shiny, oh-so coveted spot of number one mage's guild in Seven," Salina spat out, sarcastically waving her hand through the air, "You'll never beat Silver Harpy as the number one mage's guild if you keep ignoring what really matters as a mage guild. Helping and protecting the people!"
"Have you anything more to say, or are you quite finished digging this hole you've found yourself in?" Darach asked, sparks of magical power darting off of his body as his stare grew more intense.
"No, I can see where this is going."
"I'm sure you can. Salina Velvet, you are no longer an S-Class of Blue Basilisk, nor are you even a mage belonging to this guild. I have no use for such an insubordinate mage. Begone from here," the guild master stated lowly, Salina holding his stare before turning around, leaving him and her life in Blue Basilisk behind.
. : + : .
January X792
Salina sighed as she crossed her arms, the cold winter air of Seven nipping away at her as she walked through the town of Lapis Cove. Rubbing her hands against her arms, she looked up at the winter sky as the sounds of the ocean waves crashing against the piers echoed throughout the area.
"C'mon, Judith…" she mumbled as her breath visible in the cold air, Salina moving her head down to look around, her eyes eventually settling on a small coffee shop near one of the piers.
"Morning!" she heard one of the baristas call out as she stepped into the shop, a bell signaling her arrival.
"Good morning!" Salina answered back as she approached the counter, her eyes settling on a chocolate croissant.
"Are you from around here?" the barista asked, Salina meeting eyes with them, "We get people from all over around here, so it's fun to hear where everyone is from!"
"Oh, yes. Not from this part of the country, but I'm from Port Silver up north, actually! I was part of the mage's guild there for a while," Salina answered, smiling back at the young girl behind the counter.
"Oh! Blue Basilisk! Yeah! Everyone knows them! What brings you down south then? A mission?"
"No, I actually left the guild about a month ago. I'm supposed to be meeting someone from Sapphire Golem, a friend I met a while back," Salina explained as she picked out which coffee she wanted.
"The mining guild?" the barista asked before telling Salina her total.
"The very same. She was supposed to call me, but I guess she's running late."
"Well, good luck with everything!" the barista cheered as she handed over Salina's order.
"Thank you," she said before walking off to a corner of the café, sitting down to wait for Judith.
. : + : .
Salina sat, staring out the window, the skies having cleared up as the sun rose up into the sky as more and more people stepped out onto the streets to begin their days, Salina sighing as she simply watched them from the café window, occasionally checking her lachrima phone to see if she had missed the call. Time passed painfully slowly until she finally heard a sudden ringing, quickly bolting up from her seat and pulling out the phone, stepping out of the café as she answered.
"Hello?"
"Salina, it's Judith. Apologies for the delay, it has been a busy morning," she heard the woman sigh over the phone, "We are on our way to meet you, is there a meeting place you would prefer?"
"I'm actually at one of the coffee shops near the piers," Salina answered as she turned around to look at the sign on the building, "The Brew Nook."
"I know the one. We'll be there shortly."
"We?" Salina asked.
"It will be easier to explain in person when we go over the details," Judith replied, "We will see you soon," she added before hanging up, Salina holding out her phone to stare at it for a moment before putting it away.
True to her word though, it was only a few minutes before Salina saw Judith walking down the busy streets of Lapis Cove with a younger girl in tow, her violet eyes squinting as she looked off to the side as she walked, her blond hair sticking to the sides of her head due to the beanie she wore on her head.
"Judith! It's good to see you again!" Salina called out as she approached the other woman.
"Likewise, Salina, we at Sapphire Golem were shocked to hear of your departure from Blue Basilisk. We always considered you to be an excellent mage," Judith expressed, her posture perfect as she adjusted the smart looking glasses on her face.
"We'll chalk it up to professional differences for why I left," Salina laughed dejectedly, her eyes briefly landing on the younger girl before returning to Judith as she spoke again.
"Indeed, but that is why Sapphire Golem wished to extend to you… an offer of sorts, one that is in my official capacity as Guild Master to make, as far as the General back home agrees."
"So you mentioned. But what does a Pergrande Mining Guild want with me?" Salina questioned as a stack of paperwork appeared in Judith's hands from a Requip space.
"As I have explained to you in the past, at the behest of General Schwartz, I established Sapphire Golem as a form of political outreach to the nation of Seven. Not only to increase trade using our expertise in golem technology, but also to attempt to curb and contain potential future aggressions from the nation of Iceberg," she continued, flipping through the different papers, Salina nodding along as she spoke, "But I digress, Sapphire Golem wishes to extend to you an offer for a sponsorship. We believe that you are a good candidate to establish a Mage Guild that will help us achieve our goals of keeping the peace in Seven. A task that Sapphire Golem is poorly equipped to achieve on its own."
"This sponsorship… Would I be reporting to you at all?" Salina questioned, giving Judith a hard stare.
"Not at all. I would trust you to achieve this goal however you see fit. The only stipulation is that our guild would be able to hire yours at a premium price when necessary. We do have security needs from time to time, after all," Judith explained, "We have even selected an excellent recruit to be the first member of your potential guild. He has already agreed to join even."
"Oh? And who would that be?"
"A former member of the Scarlett Vanguard Mercenary Guild. A young man named Julian Thayer. He's done much work for us over the past year."
Salina brought her hand up to her chin in thought, gently biting down on her finger. She knew about the Scarlett Vanguard and their reputation for skill and tenacity, but also their complete lack of magical ability.
"And you vouch for him? He can work as a mage?"
"I do and he can. He is a… special case, but it would be better if he explained these things to you himself," Judith answered, handing the stack of paperwork to Salina before reaching back to pull the younger girl forward a bit, "But there is something else. A more personal favor you could do for me."
"You'd be doing so much already; how could I say no?" Salina responded as she flipped through the papers, taking note of Sapphire Golem's offer to finance the construction of a guild hall.
"This is my daughter, Rike, she is of an unfortunate opinion that she will never have to work a day in her life. I would like it if you took her under her wing and taught her some responsibility and discipline," she explained, Salina taking notice of the young girl's annoyed expression.
"Tch… This is all a waste of time, mom. I don't get why you're making me do all this crap," Rike huffed, crossing her arms as she looked away.
"Oh my…" Salina laughed.
"Because you still don't understand what the problem is even after our… disagreement this morning," Judith muttered, a slight flush on her face as she finished her sentence, "Please, this would be a great personal favor for me. Take her in and show her what it means to make one's own ends meet in this world."
"I will do what I can, but at the end of the day, it will be up to her to make the effort or not," Salina sighed as she continued to look at the younger girl, who she guessed could be no older than eighteen and was too caught up in her frustration to pay any attention to them.
"Thank you, that's all I can ask you," Judith admitted before clearing her throat, "Now then, I assume that means you accept our official offer, or do you want time to read through all of that?"
Salina looked down at the packet of papers in her hands before smiling as she looked back at Judith.
"No, I trust you and… yes, I accept Sapphire Golem's offer of sponsorship," she declared as Judith reached a hand out towards her, Salina shaking it in return.
"Thank you, you won't regret this decision. We can go to my home to work out all the details," Judith offered, her face beaming as she continued to lightly shake Salina's hand.
. : + : .
"C'mon man… It's still not too late for you to just give up," a tall, lanky man pleaded, brushing a gloved hand through his white hair as he looked around at all of the unconscious people on the ground.
"Screw that! I saw what you did to my buddies!" a thug shouted back at him, seeing his own terrified reflection in the sunglasses sitting low on the other man's nose, revealing bright green eyes.
"Hey now, I gave them all the same offer. Give up and I won't have to punch you. That's how it goes, yeah?" the white-haired man laughed as the two of them circled each other, the man taking notice of a crowbar the thug was eyeing up on the ground, "I'd really hate to hurt you, so don't make it hard on yourself, okay?"
"You're the one that picked a fight with us first! Comin' after us like you did!"
"Now that's hardly fair, you shoulda known Sapphire Golem wasn't gonna let an attack on their golems slide like that. Those Pergrande types mean business, y'know?" the white-haired man chuckled, "The ladies from there really are something else. Siddown and we'll have a laugh about it, maybe I'll even give you a doughnut?"
"Screw you!" the thug shouted as he quickly bent down to pick up the crowbar before charging towards the other man, swinging down at him as the man's left arm quickly shot up and grabbed onto the crowbar, squeezing it so hard it snapped in two, leaving the man in shock as the white-haired man quickly grabbed him by the collar with his right arm, spinning the thug around so that he could quickly place his left hand over the thug's mouth.
"Now look what you've done, friend," he whispered, "You're gonna have to take a nap now, alright?" he stated as wind seemed to flow through his left hand until the thug dropped to the ground, unconscious, "What a mess," he complained as he wiped off all the dirt from his long, white coat, looking over his sunglasses at all of the unconscious thugs before pulling out a lachrima phone just before it started ringing, "Speak of the devil," he chuckled before bringing the phone up to his head, "What's up boss lady? Checking to see how things're going? Just finished actually."
"Impressive as always Julian," he heard Judith say as he clicked his tongue in response.
"C'mon boss lady, how many times do I gotta tell you to call me Jules."
"That's not why I'm calling, Julian," Judith replied curtly, Jules chuckling at the sound of annoyance in her voice.
"Oh yeah? Something come up?"
"Miss Velvet accepted our offer, and we will be transferring your services to her new Mage Guild upon your return, as we agreed," Judith explained.
"Well, ain't that something. Gotta say it was a pleasure while it lasted, boss lady. Guess you could do me one more solid and send some golems my way to round up all your troublemakers?" Jules requested as he looked between all the thugs, "It'll take me forever to get them all rounded up otherwise."
"Of course, just go through standard procedure and they'll be dispatched like always."
"You're a lifesaver, boss lady," Jules grinned as he put his foot up on a nearby rock, leaning onto his knee, "Now, this new guild got a name yet or nah?"
"Yes, she settled on it shortly before she left for the day," Judith answered.
"Well don't keep me in suspense, spill the beans!"
"She has chosen the name Undine's Cove."
A/N: And there we go.
I know I've been absent a lot lately (things have just happened one after another the other last few months) and I do have a relatively new story in Blue Waves, but I couldn't help myself. I was challenged by MyDearWatson to match her chapter for chapter this week and this felt like a good way to start things off with my intention being to also write a chapter of Phantom Hearts and Blue Waves to match the 3 chapters she put out.
Credits:
Salina Velvet – Dreadburner94
Darach Connell – Dreadburner94
Judith Lafrentz – Dreadburner94
Rike Lafrentz - Dreadburner94
Julian "Jules" Thayer – Dreadburner94
If you're familiar at all with things I've written in the past, you might think, what gives? Is this a reboot of Undine's Cove? And the answer would be… no. Not technically. The only character of mine that's returning is the guild master, Salina, and even then, she's a bit different than she used to be. It also has a completely new setting and plot and all that. So other than Salina, the only thing that's actually returning is the name of the guild. This story is also tangentially in the same universe as MyDearWatson's Vermillion Wyvern (with her permission, naturally), so the General Aaron Schwartz that was mentioned is in fact, the same dude from that story.
But I digress. I will be taking up to 20 characters from all of you. You will be able to find the form on my profile here and over in the discord. Speaking of the discord ( invite link is discord . gg /9DRh qNSu ex just remove the spaces), there will be much, much more information about the story and its setting on there than I could ever post here on fanfiction and I highly recommend checking that out for more information since it's a lot neater and easier to use. Speaking of submissions, you can either send them to me through a PM here or through a DM on discord. Regarding your characters though, if you have previously sent in a character to me for my most recent stories, I do request it be something new. Also also, the characters sent in will be slowly introduced as the story progresses, at least for the first couple of arcs. There are a lot of guilds in Seven and this is a brand new one, so I want to take my time with character introductions.
For now though, submissions will remains open until the end of April or until I have enough characters that I want to accept, so please take your time and don't feel like you need to rush it to get in or that you need to squeeze your character into a single PM on fanfiction (another reason why I like discord more, you can just give me a word document there or something).
But that's enough out of me for now. Thank you for reading thus far.