Beneath still waters..

Sitting in a tavern by the port of Cedar, Solmar had taken it upon himself to rest himself by the bar to get himself something to eat and something to wash it down with. Enjoying the temporary silence while it lasted, he knew that it would only continue for a little while as the last couple of days in his life had been rather hectic to say the least. During the summer solstice, he had been fighting a strange appearance that claimed itself to be a god in the Peace village, which was just one of the many places he had stopped by in to make sure they did not need someone like him for something. Apparently, they did, as he and a Rune Knight by the name of Shane had taken it upon themselves to slay the creature and his followers before they could actually sacrifice any of the villagers. When the creature eventually had his head severed from his shoulders by Solmar's blade, it seemed the case that Solmar himself had been cursed by the Goat monster.

Taking a chug of his ale, he remembered the words it had spoken to him in his mind, how calamity would follow him around, bringing with it a tide that would continue to wash over him until he got swept up in it. Because the solstice had amplified his magic by quite a bit, the young mage had more or less hidden himself away from the world in the mountains until it would all go back to normal. But as one might have imagined, this did not go by as quickly as he had hoped, and calamity had indeed followed him around in the form of a large tidal wave that crashed upon the tall cliffs. Had this been all, he would have gotten away with it with nothing more than some soaked slacks. When the water itself had seemingly come alive in the form of strange apparitions that started attacking him however, it took the earth rising up in the shape of a massive behemoth to drive them back into the ocean. Not getting the opportunity to be thanked properly, the behemoth picked Solmar as his next target after that.

It was in this fashion that things had continued, the earth elemental attacking him in an attempt at destroying him for meddling in the affairs of higher beings. In time however, more of these things appeared and started fighting among one another as they were clearly not friends. A monster made up entirely of fire and molten things, a creature that seemed to be made out of wind and electricity and a larger watery creature with many flailing tendrils continued clashing against one another while smaller versions appeared all over the place. As their fighting was actually reshaping the land itself, he had taken it upon himself to set things straight because he felt responsible for it, even though there was really nothing he could have done to stop it from happening in the first place. In time, as the elemental monstrosities fought one another, he eventually got himself involved and fought against the creature of flame fight.

As time went by, the earthen elemental went back into the ground while the water elemental returned to the ocean, which one might have considered to be a good thing. Solmar however knew by now that the two were likely marshalling their forces and preparing to go at it yet again. Though slaying the elemental of wind and elemental of fire, doing so had taken quite a bit out of him. So much in fact that he had left his Exceed Fellis behind in the cabin in the mountains, where he'd be safe from all of this. With a broken rib, he had then started following the water elemental, making sure that it knew that Solmar was still there. As this led him all the way from the Phoenix mountains to the port of Cedar, it was there that he had taken up his roost on a barstool in a local tavern. With his thick fur coat covering most of his features, including his face, he sat in the corner of the room while listening to the stories told by the sailors.

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Biting down into the turkey leg, his loud chewing might give the impression that he was just busy with himself, though his enhanced hearing could clearly pick up on every single word said within the building. Though it had been hard to fine tune his hearing in a crowded room like this, he could now accurately pick up on things by focusing on certain key words that interested him and toning down the rest around it. It was for that same reason that he heard someone speaking about how the Cloud sea had been terrorized by attackers that seemed to move by the grace of the ocean itself. Believing that this might be linked to the water elementals, it did make him wonder what the point was with them helping out other people when they believed themselves to be superior to "fleshlings". Whatever the case, he continued listening as the group got rowdier with others sharing more stories that seemed to fit in with the subject.

As it turned out, these ships came up on other boats under the cover of a large fog bank, accompanied by strange sounds hiding behind the haze and beneath the waves. Not long after that, the current would cease, leaving ships dead in the water while the others continued to move in closer, up until the point where the attack happened. Not firing any rounds, the ships were attacked in complete silence, leaving only some muffled screams and the sound of clashing water while an entire boat went dark. From the sound of it, the man that had been talking had been a survivor of one such attack as he knew far too much of it in detail for it to merely be old wives' tales and hearsay. Once different stories were starting to overrule that which he had been listening in on, stories of whales eating entire ships in the night or other tales that seemed so stupid only a drunkard might buy into it, he finished his plate and his drink while telling the barkeep to hold his spot.

Offering the man a handful of jewels in exchange, he left his seat while wincing in pain, forgetting about the broken rib for a moment as he barely felt it when sitting down. Even moving felt relatively painless, though it was the whole act of going from standing to sitting or laying down, or any combination of the above that hurt. With a shove, he pushed his way through the crowd and made his way outside. There was something he needed to do here. When he had been here some months ago, he had taken various simple jobs off of a notice board, though this time he wanted to go to the one that was in charge of them. Visiting the local ealdorman, he inquired about the ships that disappeared in the seas near their port and if there were any jobs out. As it turned out, there were a lot of people who had banded together to save up money as a reward for whoever could put an end to the marauders out at sea and retrieve proof of their demise.

Asking whether the ealdorman could arrange for a ship to take him out to sea, it seemed that none of the locals were willing to go out at night, which was when most of the attacks took place. Annoying as it was, this meant that he might have to actually sneak out under the cover of darkness and steal a ship that could get him to where he needed to be. Unfortunately though, his misfortune did not end there considering how he had no idea as to how sailing worked. That, and he really did not feel comfortable going out into open water at night. At times like those, the already dark and deep waters seemed like they were but a black abyss, waiting to swallow him up, drag him down and drown him miles beneath the waves. Knowing some of the stories regarding the things that were down there, the last thing he wanted was to fall off of the boat and land in the water, to be at the mercy of those… things. No, if he was going to do this, he would need to be clever about it. Sitting himself down outside the building, he put his hood back on and started pondering on what to do next.


(1452)

Turning his head as someone other than the ealdorman spoke to him, he turned to get a better look at who it was that did so. With a few quick glances, he could rule out the possibility that it was someone that he knew or had somehow seen before somewhere, as clearly this was not the case. Once the ealdorman saw that Solmar had started conversing with someone else, the old man took his leave, heading back into his home as there was really nothing left for him to discuss with the hooded swordsman. Moving his hand up to remove his hood, it allowed him to get a better look at the two people that had approached him, including the dark haired woman. Appearing as if he was thinking up an answer, the black haired mage had already figured out exactly what to tell them, but took the time to build up some suspense and learn as much as he could just by observing their reaction. Generally speaking, those that had grown up in modern society seemed to be impatient, at least that was what he had learned so far through firsthand experience.

"I am, though I don't think I've ever seen either of you before. I take it that you're the owner of a ship, or that you might know where to get one? It's rather important."

Running his fingers through his short black hair, he put it back into its natural state as the weight of the hood had pressed it against the top of his head. That was the risk one took when wearing a fur coat made out of a large grizzly. Once he was done, Solmar seemingly tapped his hand against his chest a couple of times, as one did when they had a cough that got stuck halfway. This was however not the case, as the fur coat started wiggling and moving but a second later. Shortly after, a winged white cat flew out of his coat and took to the skies for a moment before settling in the hood of Solmar's coat. From there, the Exceed had a clear vantage point from where he could keep a close eye on these strangers. Without saying a word, Fellis just remained inside of the hood while Solmar started walking away from the ealdorman's home. Gesturing at the two to follow him, he walked closer towards the actual port at a rather steady pace.

"You probably figured as much already, but I'm not one of the locals of Cedar. But I take it that the two of you aren't either, you don't possess the same kind of smell that the locals here do. I can't really explain it, but it is like the briny scent seeped into their being, which is something I can't sense from either one of you."

In saying these things, he made it rather clear that while he did not know a whole lot about the modern world and had never really been to school, he was far from being a fool. He had some altogether different skills, skills that would not help him out with a written test, but would certainly keep him alive in the wilderness. One thing he figured so far was that the pale man was most likely the one leading their troupe of two, considering how the girl was rather quiet and did not seem to bring a whole lot to the table in terms of discussion. Though he did not have his eyes constantly upon them and had his back turned as he was leading the way, the cat lurking in his hood did not let them out of his sights even once. Fellis was protective of his friend that way. Besides, Solmar's sense of smell was not the only thing that had been developed far above that of the average human, as his sense of smell and his sight had done so as well. To that extent, he did not fear having strangers walking behind him, knowing that there was very little one could do to him without his knowledge.

"If you do happen to have a ship and are looking for work, I would consider hiring you. Though I can't pay you right now, we can split the prize for this job three ways, considering any of us make it out alive."


(729 // Solmar Total: 2181)

"You're right, I don't like to waste time when I'm doing something that I feel is important. That, and I don't really like being this close to the ocean, nor do I really enjoy the idea of going out there on some silly little ship. So excuse the attitude, I just don't like the open ocean."

Being rather up front and honest about why he could be considered as being a bit on edge, he felt like he had a pretty good reason for it. It hadn't been that long since he had last faced the lady of water, a self-proclaimed title given to the elemental mistress of water, Undine. He had seen firsthand what water could do, how it could rise up to towering waves that could crush whatever happened to be in the way, how things could hide down in the depths and only really show themselves whenever they wanted to while being all too aware of what was on the water's surface above them. As someone who had always spent his time living in forests, jungles and even mountains, he had always taken some pride in being aware of his surroundings, knowing the lay of the land and what he might expect from the creatures he might be running into. But none of those things, not a single one of them carried any weight when venturing out into the ocean, and part of that was what frightened him quite a bit.

When he had faced off against Undine, it was because Shane was there to back him up, and because another elemental lord had already roughed her up a bit before she had killed it and fled back into the ocean. While Undine was dead and could no longer bother anyone with her homicidal antics and plans for world domination by literally drowning all the lands into the ocean, that did not mean that he felt any better about surrounding himself with nothing but water. The simple fact that he could not see what was going on beneath him, what threats might be lurking beneath the waves in de abyssal depths, that they'd more or less be at the mercy of the weather, all of these were things that made him hate having to go out there. All it took was some stormy weather to capsize their ship and send them down into a cold, watery death. Shaking the thought, he returned to the present, listening in on how the girl made an observation or two regarding the boats and as to when they would be leaving the shore behind.

"If we do aim to…. steal… borrow a boat, I suggest we do it after it gets a bit darker. While I do not particularly care for going out into the ocean in the dark, it seems that that's when these pirates or whatever they are tend to attack other vessels. So if we're going to get them to fall for the bait, we'd need a sizeable ship and go out in the dark, otherwise we might just sit here on the docks and wait for them to come to us."

With the latter being his attempt at stating the obvious in the form of a joke, he wondered if anyone would get it due to the fact that he was rather stoic about it. He figured someone like Amalie would most likely say that this was a sarcasm. While he had stated before that he did not like to waste time when there was a job to be done, this was exactly the time where he was more or less forced to sit around and wait until the right time of day. And since time was one of those things that simply could not be willed into moving any faster, he exhaled deeply as he looked around. Figuring that the tavern was not that far from here, and he had actually paid the barkeep to keep his spot open, it was perhaps the best idea for them to just head back over there and have something to eat and drink. Though he could not speak for the others, he was in a state where he could pretty much always eat, one of the many tricks his metabolism liked to play on him. Besides, it would probably look better if they waited it out there when the intention was to steal a ship later on.

"I think it'd be a good idea to head to the tavern and wait it out there, at least that's what I intend on doing. It might not look good if we stay out here where everyone can see us, especially when the intention is to… borrow one of these boats. I'll be heading to the tavern to get me and Fellis something to eat, so you can either come with or meet back here in two hours."


(816 // Solmar Total: 2997 // Thread Total: 5198)

"I imagine it sounds better than stealing, and I do intend to bring it back if it manages to stay afloat. Besides, if we do end up dying, there's no point in bringing back the boat as I doubt anyone will dive up our corpses, bring us back to life and throw us into a jail cell…"

While it might have made him sound like a wise-ass, he was actually being completely serious and honest about his intentions. He knew that if he asked around, nobody here would be willing to lend somebody like him a ship, and he could not really blame them for it either. The young mage was quite well aware of what he looked like, and that he did not really blend in well with what people might consider to be your average citizen. Feeling like that wasn't so much his problem as it was their own short-sightedness, he believed that being a criminal for a little while to bring a greater threat to justice was something he could live with. The more he thought about things like that, the more he felt that he did not really care all that much for the rules and regulations set by the people. After all, he had never been a part of society, so it would be an odd thing if he felt bound by the restrictions they would pose on him. At least that was how he felt.

By the time the three arrived at the tavern, which had not altogether been what he had expected at first, it seemed that the barkeep had managed to hold his seat for him as promised. Nodding at the man behind the counter, he took his seat again and ordered a pair of ribs. Feeling like he could really use some food in his stomach as he had never been on a boat before in his life, he decided to at least lay off on the drinks. Having a glass of water instead, he thought about how the girl intended to actually get liquored up. When she ordered whiskey, it made him wonder if, at the end of the day, he was going to be the one who was doing the sailing. Knowing how cruel and unforgiving the seas could be, he would not allow someone who had been drinking to hold his life in their hands. He had survived too many things to be felled by something as idiotic as drunk boating, that much was something he knew for a fact.

"You're going to be sitting this one out Fellis, I'd rather not have you around out at sea. If anything bad happens, I won't be able to keep you safe you know."

"That's okay, I can fly anyway, so I won't drown."

Frowning a bit as the voice coming from his hood rejected the order posed by the black haired mage, he figured that the cat had a point. If something happened, he could just fly away and get back to the shore without really having to worry about anything. At that point, the only thing that would really pose a threat to the Exceed was a storm, which was exactly the thing Solmar himself was dreading. That said, the nice weather they had been having lately did not really scream "Storm", so unless things were to look any differently by nightfall, Solmar figured the cat could tag along.


(572 // Solmar Total: 3569)

Pondering on what was to come, he quietly ate his food and finished his drink in relative solitude. Though there were apparently others who were willing to do the job at hand along with him, he did not feel like sitting with them as he mentally prepared himself. Never having been on a boat before, he had every reason to hate going out into open waters, which explained some of the reason behind why he'd rather spent what time he had left before they had to go out there on his own. Though there was only so much to being alone when inside of a tavern that had at least seven other people and a barkeep inside, the fact that he felt alone was good enough for him. Still a bit annoyed about how Fellis was set on coming along with him, the young mage knew that it would be hard for him to keep the both of them safe in such an unpractical terrain such as the ocean. Unfortunately, he'd have to make it work out, somehow. Getting up from his seat, he tossed the barkeep a small sack of coins as he headed upstairs for a nap. Maybe that would help quiet his nerves.


By the time the place had gone good and dark, Solmar felt revitalized to some extent, though it hadn't done a whole lot to make him feel better about going out into the open waters surrounding Fiore. What physical strength he possessed, the speeds he could reach by running, the intense heat and magical power of his fire, all of that was next to useless when out there, and he was quite aware of it. Still, people were losing their lives out in those waters due to some kind of pirate crew, one that was elusive and seemed to possess some sort of control over the weather and maybe the marine life. As he got dressed and made his way back downstairs, he went to find the two that were supposedly going to tag along with him. Knowing little to nothing about them, he figured having a few more able bodies accompanying him into the damp darkness would likely work in the favor of all involved parties. Without really saying a whole lot to them as he located and walked past them to the front door, he only really needed to say the one thing.

"It's time, we're leaving."

Upon opening the door and passing through, he would wait for the two on the street while looking around as plainly as possible. He did not want to make it seem obvious that he was checking to see how many people there were around him, or make it seem like he planned on breaking the law. Making sure that the streets were relatively empty, he figured this served as an accurate reflection on the rest of town, and how it was likely that there would be even less people near the docks now. This meant that it was the perfect time for the three of them to head out and find these pirates, and make short work of them in the process.


(531 // 4100)

Luckily, it hadn’t taken the other two a whole lot of time to get ready. In fact, they seemed to jump at the chance to get moving, or at least the girl did. Though he wouldn’t attempt to claim that he knew what the issue was, he figured it would be best for all the parties involved to get this show on the road… or on the water in this case. Approaching the docks rather quickly, it was around that time that a question got thrown his way as to how many times he had done something like this. Knowing full well that they were talking about the whole stealing thing, which he had more or less justified for himself by saying they were merely borrowing it, he reckoned that the guy would most likely not see the answer he had in mind coming at all. Though he didn’t like it, stealing had been something he had been doing quite a lot when he was between the ages of seven and ten. Back before he could actually track and hunt down any animals big enough to eat without getting injured.

“Back when I was a kid, I’ve had to steal plenty of things. Nothing big, just fruit, vegetables, bread, meat, the basics for survival really. Once I got big enough to hunt deer and a good enough climber to evade wolves in the forest, I learned to scavenge enough to get by. It’s not something I’m proud of.”

After his parents had died, a lot of things had changed for him, and he had been forced to do things he normally would not have done for the sake of survival. Stealing food from merchants and farmers was just one of them, killing animals being another. Now, he really only killed animals when he took on jobs that involved pruning down the numbers of a species so the rest could continue to thrive in the same area, which luckily did not happen all that often. During their short exchange of words regarding the issue, the girl did not waste a whole lot of time to bring up that they were merely sugarcoating things by calling it borrowing it, when really they were just stealing a boat. And they were, that much was true. But in this case, the black haired mage figured that the ends justified the means. As things were now, no one would dare go out into the sea by ship because of what was waiting out there for them. For many, the fear of the unknown was enough to keep them safely with both feet on dry land. Clearly, that was not the case for the three mages.

“You’re not wrong, though I fully intend on returning the ship by the time we return. I imagine the people here would be quite glad to know that this threat to their wellbeing was handled. Probably enough to forget about the fact that we… stole.. a ship.”

Even now, the word did not really feel right as it rolled down his tongue and out into the open. But it was what it was, and that was something he would need to make peace with. After all, they had arrived at the docks, and the girl was wasting no time when it came to commandeering a vessel that was not hers. Lifting herself up onto the ship they had scouted out before, it seemed like it was in good shape, and could maneuver the water’s surface like a nimble and agile deer prancing through a woodland. At least, that was what he hoped would be the case. He was not a captain, and he would not pretend to know what a good captain would do. Calling out to get things over with, Solmar waited for the other man to climb on board before taking a look around. Checking to see where the wind was coming from, it seemed that they were in luck. Letting down the sail after releasing the ropes connecting the ship to the docks, he pushed them far enough to the point where they could ever so slowly steer themselves away from the mainland and into the open sea.

Looking down into the inky black water around them, he could only begin to imagine just how far down it was to get to the bottom. Trying to take his mind off of things, he knew that the cloud sea was known for suddenly springing up fog banks, which would make it hard for them to navigate. More so, it was said that the people he was to be facing here managed to use that mist or maybe even command it in order to disorient other vessels while hiding themselves in it until it was too late. Sailing further and further, he did his best not to say anything as he did not want to be the one to alarm the pirates or dark mages or whatever the people who possessed these vessels were. At the end of the day, they attacked merchant vessels and managed to evade the authorities. To him, that made them pirates. When he noticed a thin fog setting in on the horizon, it would seem that they had managed to find the people they were looking for. It was either that, or they were unlucky enough to stumble into an actual, natural fog bank.

“In case you didn’t yet get the chance, you should get yourselves ready. If that is a natural fog bank, we’re likely going to be in the clear. But given the placement and how far we’re out, I’d say we’re pretty close to the area where the other attacks have taken place. So… get ready.”


(955 // 5055)