'So that's how the King of Sindria wants to solve this?' Azami thought as she looked at her companions, Masrur and Sinbad. Their group was divided into two. One will be guarding the main mansion, where they suspect the Fog Troupe to attack, while the other will be guarding some rich bastard. She stared at her companions before thinking to herself. 'Is this really the right thing to do?' Before she could think of a right solution, her djinn piped up.
'Isn't it too cold here?' Furcas asked. Sitri agreed with him but Azami did not mind the cold. For her, it was not that cold but it was different for Sinbad.
"Oi! Masrur! Stop moving!" She sweat dropped at Sinbad for using Masrur as a wind barrier.
"Sinbad? Catch." She said as she threw him a set of clothing. It was a thick long sleeved top. The king tried it on and was mildly surprised at the comfort it gave.
"This is perfect, Azami! Thank you!" She was about to say something when the rich bastard they were protecting shouted at them for being noisy.
"You three! Stop chattering and take guarding my mansion seriously! I can't believe the army's so short handed that they could only spare the three of you to guard me. I'm so nervous, I can't eat!" That was what he said but with that food in his hands, they could tell that he was bluffing. 'What a stupid old man. Disgusting.' She thought before turning her back on him. Just then, a silhouette of a swaying woman was seen from a distance. She was holding a baby in her hands and Azami could not help but let out a surprised gasp before hurrying to her side.
"Are you alright, Ma'am?" Sinbad and Masrur went to her side but in a second, the woman attacked them with a swipe of her blade.
"What was that!?"
The fog cleared and it was apparent to them that they were surrounded by the slum people. Azami fathomed what the real situation was now. The woman threatened her to give them food or else they will kill them. Sinbad looked at the poor woman and her child.
"Ah! It's those dogs from the slums! Shoo shoo! Here, fetch! And get out of here soon!" He threw his half eaten food which made the woman scamper for it. However, Sinbad stopped her and said, "There is no need for you to do this. The nobles' wealth comes from your taxes. If you don't feel that they deserve it, then you should take it back but don't take lives." They nodded and before the woman goes, Azami called out to her and gave her a portion of her traveling supply.
"Please take this bag with you. It will supply a little of your nourishment but it's enough than having not. Give this to your child as well and," She stopped before touching the baby's head. It glowed a little and the woman teared up for such kindness.
"Thank you!"
Sinbad watched their interaction before glancing back at Masrur.
"Is this alright?" Masrur asked.
"We only agreed to capture the Fog Troupe. This country might be too far gone though." He said grimly.
'Is this country really far too gone?' Azami thought to herself.
'People will always be greedy but not all. That's why we have the magi to guide them. You know that already right?' Furcas said.
'We chose you as our king not only because you accepted us when no one did but also because of your light.' Sitri added. The young capturer was silent and they took that as her response of understanding their situation.
On the other side, a strange scarlet mist covered the area Aladdin and the others were protecting. It had a strange effect towards the soldier as it made them feel euphoria. The young magi and Fanalis noticed it as well but it smelt strange to Morgiana as she realized it was some kind of poison. She immediately brought themselves to the roof of the mansion where Ja'far stood, scanning the area.
"What is happening to them?" Morgiana asked.
"They seemed to be caught in an illusion. Did you notice the red mist? That's not a product of human hands. It must be a strange magic." He looked at where the mist would have come from.
A group of citizens sauntered towards the mansion while holding strange artifacts with them. The girl in the middle was holding an item that emitted the strange mist while the bulky one beside her was wearing a sword gauntlet. The girl, whom the bulky man named Zaynab, ordered him to melt the gate. Hassan did what he was told to and soon, they raided the area.
"Let's go! Our target is that fat pig's mansion! Go wild!"
The people cheered but within a split second, many were down. Red threads with pointed knives stopped them.
"Are you part of the army!?"
"No, but for various reasons, I must apprehend you." Ja'far said with steel eyes.
"You bastard!"
Ja'far descended but he was suddenly covered in a black mist which proved to be heavy. Its density was too much.
"Is this another magic weapon?" He asked. It was confirmed when a black haired man holding another gauntlet sword came to his view.
"Yeah. It's the Sword of Shackling Ebon Fog. Now you can't move a finger."
"Cassim!" Zaynab exclaimed. Ja'far glared at the man as he demanded for his comrades to be released. They were about to step forward when Morgiana started taking the slum people with her powerful kicks and punches but she, too, was held down by the same fog.
"A girl!?" An unknown figure covered in cloth beside Cassim recognized her. He moved forward to get a better look when a voice stopped him.
"Morg!" He stopped to see a familiar blue haired kid with a white turban. Morgiana resisted the fog but failed to do so. Cassim quickly ordered the others to take the chance but before they could even move, a blue skinned giant stopped them.
"I won't let you pass!" Aladdin declared. Cassim was ready to attack when the same suspicious figure stopped him.
"What's the matter, partner?"
"Leave this to me." He only said. Aladdin could feel a slight familiarity with him until he uncovered himself. It was none other than, Alibaba.
"Alibaba?" He stood there dumbfounded.
Azami felt a little uneasy and so, she told Sinbad that she will be heading back towards Aladdin. With her dungeon tool, she advanced towards the said group. It was a little silent when she got there, that was until she saw the kid with an unreadable face. What shocked her most was Alibaba. Her heart clenched, nothing but anger and sadness filled her. They went into a lot of troubles just to see him and this was the kind of treatment they will receive?
"Why, Alibaba?" She said to herself. Azami brought herself down before asking again, this time with a clear and louder voice.
"Why, Alibaba!?" The Fog Troupe was surprised to see another person, another girl at that. She jumped out and waited for his response but none came. The fog troupe moved forward but was stopped by sounds of stomping feet. It was most likely the soldiers. Alibaba grabbed his sword.
"Spirit of Propriety and Austerity, I command thee and thine. With my magoi as your source, use your great power to bring my will to life! Come forth, Amon!"
Burst of flames engulfed the area which in turn, scared the soldiers. He fired a swirl of flame towards them but Azami protected them with her own weapon equip.
"Spirit of Lust and Ambiguity, I command thee to use thy magoi. Weapon equip, Sitri!" White feathers covered a portion of her legs as the chains were undone and spread out to form a shield for the people.
"Tch. We should leave now, Alibaba." Cassim said. The said person nodded but not without giving Azami a cold look. It was a little hunting but it did not faze her as it should have. Once they were gone, she walked towards Aladdin to ask if he was alright but it was already obvious that he was not. He was staring into space.
"Aladdin."
Just then, a shout was heard from from the east along with light scolding about running around when it was dangerous. It was none other than Setta. He hugged her but Azami scolded the kid for being out at this time of the day.
"Setta! It's dangerous here. Shouldn't you be asleep by now?"
"But I can't sleep without you." It touched her heart but it did not stop her from flicking his forehead.
"Let's go back." Sinbad said. Without any response, they returned to their hotel with grim silence hovering over them.
The next morning, Sinbad gathered everyone to deliberate the result of yesterday's event. Azami sat a bit farther from them with Setta on her lap. They looked like they were having fun but Setta could see it in her eyes that what happened to them yesterday and her friend affected her in more than ways.
"Azami-nee? Please smile, I'm sure that everything will be alright soon." Her eyes widened at his words before hugging him tightly. It was all she needed, somebody to assure her that everything will be alright soon. She walked outside the mansion with Setta in her arms before chanting.
"Spirit of Knowledge and Perfection, engulf me in your darkness. Come forth, Furcas!" It was only a weapon equip where two wings sprouted out of her feet and ears.
"Are you up for a flight, Setta?"
"Yeah!"
"Before we go, I'll leave a short message to Morgiana. Wait here okay?"
She went to Morgiana and told her that if she wanted to solve everything, she should do it stealthily and still with her gentleness. The Fanalis nodded her head in understanding. With that, Setta and her went out for a short fly. Her magoi did not deplete that much since it was only a weapon equip but it did not mean that she should use it for a whole day. They stopped by an alley where she cancelled her equip so that they could enjoy the market.
When night time fell, Morgiana stepped out their hotel and directed herself towards Alibaba. She came in time to see him sighing. Alibaba was scared for a minute especially for her short responses. She carried him towards Aladdin and listened as he screamed in disagreement.
"NO!!"
Azami had just finished putting Setta to his bed before going back to Sinbad's room where they discussed about Balbadd, Huang of Kou Empire and King Abhmad's audacity to his people. She clenched her fist as she heard about this stupid king. It was evident now just how much corrupted their government was at the moment.
"Wait, Huang?" She questioned. Ja'far showed her the paper money and it caught her attention. "Oh I remember those! They are very difficult to handle because you don't treasure them that easily." The king was confused with her statement before she explained that she was sent to Kou after Amon's dungeon, leaving out parts like being involved with Kou's royalty. She swore to them after all. Their talk lasted for a while and they came up with a solution of asking the countries of the Seven Seas Alliance to help them.
"Say, where's Aladdin?" She asked them.
"He was rather depressed and returned to his room immediately." It upset her but she knew that it will be good now that Morgiana is with them. She did not really feel special nor was she important here but she knew that her destiny still rolls and there was something that only she can do.
'You are right, our Queen and we will be with you in every step and in every way we can.'
Half an hour had passed and it was quiet again. Just then, a thump was heard in the adjacent room. Sinbad and his crew were alerted to this but Masrur and Azami did not bother to listen. Masrur had heightened hearing while Azami was asking the rukh for any information. What they learned from their talk, even though eavesdropping was not really good, was mostly about the slum's and Alibaba's past.
'So he had such a sad past. Everyone has their own story to tell I guess. The world is not all colorful after all.' She smiled at Sinbad's antics before leaving the room.
"Where are you going, Azami-san?" She heard the male Fanalis asked. She smiled and told him that she will just check Setta. He nodded before going back to his stationary post.
She entered Setta's room and it looked like he was sleeping so peacefully especially with that smile on his face.
'The kid must be having a nice dream.' She could not help but agree with her djinn. He looked so satisfied.
'If only this world will be satisfied with only just living in peace.' She thought.
"This world created by King Solomon..." She trailed.
'Is an imperfect one yet filled with people who can start by doing so.' Sitri continued.
'What we all hope is a world where people can live in happiness with no one cursing their fate.' Furcas added.
She laid by Setta's side and slept a little. The hum from her metal vessels assured her that she was not alone. That she will still be of use. When Ugo reincarnated her soul, she lost a little bit of her old memories and even though he gave her a new destiny, she was still unsure of everything but now, it was different.
"Maybe this time."
She dreamed of Alma Toran and when she turned around, there was a man that resembled her Setta a lot, not only in name but also in appearance.
'What's this? Setta?' She tried to touch him but she just passed through. Then everything was engulfed in darkness and lying there in the middle was her crying.
'That's me.' Then everything shifted to a place engulfed in fire. She saw herself, this time as a grown-up woman with short pink hair and bright red eyes, crying in front of the burning town. She teared up a little until a loud explosion woke her up. Setta was awake as well and started to rub his eyes of the the sleepiness he felt.
"Azami-nee? What were those loud noise?"
"I'll go take a look. You go back to sleep Setta." He nodded and slept again. In a flash, she went directly to Sinbad's room only to see it wrecked and the Fog Troupe was there. She took her sword out and fought with them. It was sad to see this people but she had no choice. Not all the people staying here were up to no good. She was amazed with Sinbad's fluid movements though. It was like he was dancing.
"Sinbad sure is good even without his vessels." He illustrated a weird movement though by pushing a strange force towards Hassan. It made him throw up blood. 'What is that?'
"Magoi manipulation."
"Tch. You made me waste my magoi."
It was chaotic and the thieves ended up going to the rooftop. There were a lot of them and it irked her just how annoying it was starting to be. She huffed and glared at most of the man. They shivered and backed away slowly. Sinbad and the others arrived and ordered Masrur to sway them off.
"You overdid it, Masrur." The damage was massive that it amazed her and the others. Cassim was stunned and asked, "Who are you!?"
"Aren't you looking for me?" They already knew that he was Sinbad, High King of Seven Seas.
'What is this stuff?' Sinbad thought to himself.
"The more you struggle, the tighter it'll bind you! Hear that? No one move!"
"Shouldn't we save him?" Morgiana asked. Ja'far assured her that there was no need and Azami knew why. With his display of magoi manipulation and amazing sword skill, there was no way the King of Sindria would go down so easily. With that said, he was able to release himself and Masrur quickly detained Cassim.
'I wonder if I can learn magoi manipulation on my own.' She thought to herself. Withdrawing slowly, she removed her weapon equip and concentrated on her hands. It glowed a little before it disappeared again.
'Just by seeing it, you're really something Azami.' She smiled a little before watching the scene in front of her. It was a showcase of power between two capturer. Alibaba's reaction worried her though, since she noticed that he could only do weapon equip, she knew that he will not stand a chance against him.
'I can't win against him! He's Sinbad!' He hesitated a little yet grabbed Amon and charged against Sinbad.
'And here I thought with that old geezer, he'll be a little wise.'
'Guess he needs to learn more. He's still a naive one.' Furcas said.
Azami laughed nervously before watching their showdown. It was so intense but it only lasted for ten minutes. Once it was over, Azami spoke. "That's enough, King Sinbad. Alibaba?" She smiled before asking the rukh to heal him. She was not a magician but the least she could do was to ask the rukh.
"Azami."
"What is it, King Sinbad?"
"I'll talk with them, I want you to check on Setta and the people downstairs for now."
"I see."
She followed his orders but not before glancing them a worried look. Sinbad understood her but just as Alibaba, she was also a little naive.
"Now, you've involved all those around you in a fight you can't win. You're just leading them to their doom!" He said in a firm voice which made Cassim silent. He knew that the king was right but with what they experienced so far, he had to take action.
"But if you still desire to fight, even knowing all of that, there is one path left to you. You must gain what you lack. In other words, you must allow me to join the Fog Troupe!" He exclaimed. Everyone was shocked with his statement while Azami giggled when a rush of rukh passed by her and relayed his words.
"He's a weird king. Suddenly making decisions and all."
Setta was alright and so were the other guests. She went up again just in time to see Ja'far and Sinbad's exchange of words. It was an amusing sight.
"Sin, you're going to join the Fog Troupe?"
"Yeah."
"And fight with them?"
"Yeah."
"Against the government of Balbadd?"
"Yeah!" He proudly said.
"That makes no sense. You're supposed to defeat the Fog Troupe. Did you agree with Abhmad to do so in order to reopen trade?" Ja'far replied with a skeptical look.
"But I want to support the Fog Troupe."
"That's not what you said earlier!"
Azami suddenly burst out laughing on the sidelines. The others glanced at her like she just grew another head but Sinbad knew why she was laughing. It was amusing to see them banter like this.
"Hahaha! I can't believe this! I didn't know you're this kind of king, Sinbad. Now this is getting interesting." She said in between her laughs. The king thanked her for such words while Ja'far just grew an irk mark.
"Ja'far. How can you be so cold hearted!?"
"What!?"
Sinbad proved his point to him and she were amazed with his way of persuasion. Azami spoke up next, "This is a good opportunity to know more of Balbadd's condition, Mr. Ja'far. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to know what they've been through and think of a solution together right? It's better to think altogether than just think to yourself."
He could not argue with her as she smiled lightly. After all, Azami, as he had observed, was a very calm and wise person. Sinbad looked back at the Fog Troupe and declared his will. He became so famous easily. He turned to Alibaba for his approval but the blonde conqueror said that he has witnessed a lot of styles like that for him to believe him.
"I do have another reason. I want to stop the abnormalities that are happening around the world. Have you not noticed them? In recent years, wars have been happening with much frequency?" He explained throughly to him about the current world and his proposal. His proposition was good but Cassim interrupted him by saying that he was also a corrupt leader and if people like him were there, then they would all starve to death, saying that he had an easy, cozy life. That statement made Ja'far attack Cassim but before his knife could touch him, Azami was already there in her weapon equip.
"That's enough, Cassim. You don't want to die right? I suggest you shut your mouth or Ja'far will do it for you." She turned to Ja'far with a smile before lowering his hands.
"Please do hide and wipe the blood in your hands. Setta will be upset if he sees it." It was said in a sweet tone but there was a subtle hint of threatening.
"That's enough, Ja'far."
"I'm sorry."
Alibaba agreed to his proposal and they went to their own business.
=END=