☗ A Fantastic Find! ☗

South of Clover Town lies the coast of Fiore, lined for miles by massive, rugged cliffs. Below them, the ocean crashes wildly against the shore, over and over as it has for many millions of years. Atop the cliffs, the ground is covered in a carpet of wildflowers and grasses. A fresh, misty sea breeze would touch the face of anyone who was to stand on the edge. It was a beautiful, calming place aptly named Serene Cliff.

Just a mile or so east along the coast, the cliffs dipped down to allow the river draining out of Clover Lake to meet the ocean. It was wide, calm, and shallow in the near-autumn. Looking through the water, one could see the rocks on the bottom and each fish that swam lazily by.

Splash!

A small, furry body broke the calm of the river’s surface. It was a black cat, soaked through, with a fish caught in its mouth. Swimming back to the edge, the feline pulled himself onto a rock, dripping all over and looking quite pathetic. A proud shine lit his eyes. After a good shake, the cat pranced up the shore.

“Nice catch, Umbra.” A woman with black hair sat on a rock just off the shore. She gave the cat a pat on his wet head.

“Thfankth,” the feline mumbled around the fish. “Little twerp almost got away but I got him with my claws!”

“It’s been a while since we’ve fished, I figured your skills would be more rusty than they are.”

“Nope! I’ve still got it!” Umbra had put down the fish at his paws. He puffed his wet chest out proudly, but the effect was lost.

“Put it in the bag and let’s get going,” Aeluri opened the magically-enhanced bag at her side. There were already a few fish inside, preserved by a lacrima that kept them cool to be eaten later on. The cat reared on his hind legs and offered the fish to his companion, who grabbed the slippery creature and put it with the rest.

Continuing along the shore, the two didn’t travel very fast. For once, they were just having a day to themselves. With working for Hidden Blades, the assassin hadn’t had much time off. She was a Director now, and with that came more responsibility and less free time. Most of the time Aeluri didn’t mind, but occasionally she liked to get away from the bustle of the city and HQ. Especially since Umbra had been driving her crazy lately with his requests to go on an adventure. The best she could offer at the moment was an afternoon on the way to Clover Town. She had taken a job there that enlisted her to squash the inventions of a retired powerful mage. The town was full of old folks as it was, a lot of them former Wizard Saints. Most were living the easy retirement life, but this one was actively creating new inventions that threatened the safety of dark mages.

Aeluri had taken an extra day before the job’s arrival time to visit the Serene Cliffs. She’d heard from some chatter around HQ that it was a beautiful place. Others had said that following the river up to Clover Town from there was equally pretty. So, that’s exactly what she and Umbra were doing. The previous night they had stayed at an inn in Magnolia, then departed for the cliffs in the morning.

Though she hated the ocean, even Aeluri couldn’t deny the beauty of the coast. Standing on the edge over the crashing waves had made her a little tense, but now the relaxing walk along the river had calmed her. A born collector, Aeluri had picked up a few shiny rocks and items that caught her eye. So far her pockets contained an old stopwatch and various pieces of wonderstone and rocks with gold flecks that had been polished smooth by years spent tumbling down the river. While she had been looking at the scenery and scouring the shores, Umbra had been showing off his skills in fishing. Every time he emerged from the water looking like a drowned rat it made Aeluri laugh.

“Aelu! Look!” Umbra went racing down the shore with his tail sticking straight up. The dark mage chased after the cat, holding her bag up so it didn’t obstruct her movements. When she reached the feline, he was sitting with his paws on top of a particularly shiny, dark rock. Inquisitive golden eyes peered down from above.

“Move your paws, let me look,” Aeluri said as she crouched down, shooing Umbra away with her hand. He took a step back and she got a clearer look. It was a fist-sized chunk of obsidian sticking out of the dirt among the other rocks. Near the jagged edges, the thinner parts looked translucent. Towards the center, though, the piece became a dark, glossy black. That was her favorite color!

Aeluri’s mismatched eyes widened in awe. She’d never collected a shiny thing like this before. Picking it up, her beady gaze looked over every edge of the rock, turning it in her hands. Now this was a treasure! Umbra reared up and put his paws on her wrist to get a better look. The pair looked at each other, then back at their find.

“This is so cool,” Umbra purred. “Is there anything you can do with it or is it just pretty?” Oftentimes, in her pickpocketing and thievery, Aeluri had found crystals, stones, or metals that allowed for the storage or channeling of magic power. It was something that many witches and alchemists used in their magics. Upon testing it a few times, Aeluri had found that she could do the same.

Reaching out her magic sensory like an imaginary hand, Aeluri brushed it against the rock. There was nothing stored in the stone, nor was there any sort of spell placed on it. This was a fresh, untouched piece of obsidian. Excitedly, the dark woman turned to her feline friend.

“It’s got potential. Nobody else has used it for magic before. It’s untouched and it’s all mine,” Aeluri said with a smirk. This would come in handy for her upcoming job in Clover Town. When they reached the inn, she would have to test the extent of its magical capacity.