by Riker Kane
Fire (Speed) 25
Water (Durability) 20
Life/Death (Control) 30
***
Elemental Levels
Light - Level 3
Dark - Level 1
Water - Level 2
Fire - Level 1
Stone - Level 2
Abilities
Radiant Channel (Level 4)
Control energy and manipulate it into the power of any or all chosen elements
Spectral Summon (Level 2)
Summon an autonomous familiar with the element of your choosing
Unified Abilities
Divine Blade
Mana Fort
***
Mana Bonds
Zafina - Level 5: 20% Ability Damage Bonus
Rhiannon - Level 5: 20% Summon Speed Bonus
Araceli - Level 3: 10% Rune Endurance Drain Decrease
Sawyer - Level 3: 10% Physical Attack Damage Bonus
Yuma - Level 3: 10% Damage Resistance Bonus
I pored over the stats on the screen. In addition to the levels I’d gained, my combat experience was just as important. Thankfully, I’d been keeping myself busy by wandering through Pandora and helping out Omegas who were far off the beaten path.
I didn’t know what was waiting for me in the Sol Lands. There was only one way to find out.
4: Ultima On The High Seas
As soon as the decision was made, the Navicans got busy making a ship that would last long enough for our voyage to the east. We’d learned our lessons after sailing to Dragonpine, so we spent even more resources to make sure the ship was as sturdy as it could be. Along with a reinforced ship, we were stocked with enough supplies to last us for weeks if we needed it. But if Guillard could make it to Valen by himself, I liked our chances of getting to where he came from.
We were already three days into our trip. Sparkling blue water went in every direction toward the horizon. It was kind of unnerving to be out in the middle of the water where there wasn’t even a seagull floating above. But the sun was shining bright and the wind was a cool breeze, so I was more at peace than worried.
I stood on the ship’s bow, leaning against the railing as I looked out toward the nothingness in front of me. Zafina stood by my side in her sheer robes, most of her body uncovered so she could enjoy the sun’s rays. Her caramel complexion would’ve been the envy of any woman on a beach trying to get a tan. But the Mana Seer’s attitude was modest at the moment, her eyes focused on the distance.
“It has been three days since we left,” she said. “How are you feeling?”
I shrugged. “Better than before. I’ve got my sea legs under me. I’m starting to get used to the water. I could live for a long time out here.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Guillard estimated there were only five moons before we rescued him. As long as the weather cooperates, we should be able to cut into that time.”
“Shouldn’t be too much longer then…”
“Do you have any concerns about Navica? Everybody turns to you for guidance.”
I chuckled at the suggestion. “Everybody turns to me for guidance but I’m no ruler. I trust they can figure things out for themselves. Araceli might run a few strange experiments with the townsfolk but I can’t imagine she’ll ruin anything.”
“I worry about Guillard. He is not simply a foreigner in a strange land. He is from another world. Now he is nowhere near those he is most familiar with.” Zafina stared silently into the distance. She was always the most considerate and caring person I ever knew. Even though there was nothing for her to worry about, she couldn’t help herself.
“I trust everybody to make Guillard feel at home,” I said. “And I’ll do everything I can to make sure he hasn’t seen his people for the last time.”
Zafina turned toward me with a soft smile. She had these big round eyes that were even more striking because of how blue they were. Despite what I’d seen her do in battle, I always saw the compassion in her above anything else.
“You know I will be by your side through this.” She grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently before stepping away. “I will head to the supply room and prepare a meal. The sun is nearing its apex and I imagine you are becoming quite famished.”
“Not starving but I can always use a meal.”
Zafina left me with the salty sea air. I sighed a deep breath and closed my eyes.
“Are you ready?”
I didn’t let Rhiannon’s voice break me out of my half-state of meditation.
“It has been some time since we have faced significant combat,” she continued. “There is a possibility your armor has gathered rust.”
I peeked an eye open at her. I would’ve taken offense to it if she wasn’t always so serious. The dark-haired Mana Dancer leaned with her back against the railing and crossed her arms. Her red armor was like a bikini, perfect for enjoying the sun. But I knew she wore it because battle could happen at any moment.
“I’ve been Ultima for a long time now. I think I’ve got the hang of it. Beaten my fair share of Shadows already.”
“Traveling into Pandora is one thing but what we face in the Sol Lands may prove to be a different challenge. Guillard says his people have scattered and there is a civil war. Shadows are mindless creatures manifested from malevolence. Those from Qashia present a different challenge.”
“It doesn’t matter if I have to blast my way out or talk my way through this. We’ll get it done, Rhiannon.”
“Confidence.” The corner of her violet lips curled into a knowing smirk. Along with a raised eyebrow, she had a way of expressing her emotions without saying much. “It appears becoming Ultima has imbued you with enough resolve to challenge even the unknown.”
“If I could do something like this—” I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close enough for her nose to be right next to mine. “—Whatever is waiting for me in the Sol Lands doesn’t frighten me.”
Her eyes widened in surprise before she regained her composure. She leaned forward with a soft kiss before pressing her hand on my chest and pushing away.
“I have no problem satisfying your desires as well as mine,” she said. “But focusing on the passion between us may distract us from what lies ahead.”
I sighed softly through my nose and released her from my grip. “All right… What do you know about the Sol Lands?”
“We do not have much scripture on them. They are called the Sol Lands because they have been blessed by the sun. They are empty, barren—nothing more than a piece of land floating in the sea.”
“When your people escaped from Blackhart, was there a possibility of going to the Sol Lands?”
She shook her head. “Heading to the Sol Lands would mean traveling to a place that is spoken of only in myths and legends. We chose our location for Navica because of the abundance of resources. The Sol Lands have been abandoned by civilization. If Cybil herself could not provide you much insight, then the situation there must truly be dire. I do not see how anybody could survive out there.”
“Well, either someone is surviving out there or Guillard is lying to us.” I looked back out toward the horizon and saw the waves crashing back and forth in the distance. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
Rhiannon turned away from me to enjoy the view of the sea with me. She pressed her hands along the wooden railing and stretched herself out. Her head reared back, she closed her eyes and let the wind flow through her wavy hair. Her body was so athletic and statuesque, any man couldn’t help but stare.
“Hmm…”
“What is it?” she said.
“We’ve been out on the sea and under the sun for three days and your skin is still pale. I guess you don’t tan very much. You know, back on Earth, there are girls who would be absolutely miserable if they were you.”
She slowly opened her eyes to stare at me. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, some girls are just obsessed with tanning. We have boot
hs and sprays.”
“Sprays?”
“That’s right. It’s like artificial sun you rub on yourself.”
Rhiannon paused to consider it and the confusion on her face grew. “Why would anybody do such a thing?”
I chuckled at her blunt response. “I don’t know. I guess it makes them look good.”
“…The people from Earth are strange.”
“You have no idea.”
Rhiannon and I shared another laugh as we turned back out to the water. I kept staring into the distance to watch the waves rippling back and forth. The sea was so blue, it was easy to spot when there was something out there.
“Is that…” I leaned forward and squinted when I saw something over the horizon. “I think I see land. It’s still pretty far but it’s there.”
Rhiannon nodded. “It appears we have moved faster than anticipated.”
“Too bad. You won’t get much more time to work on your tan—”
BANG!
A loud crash in the sky made us turn our heads up. Gray clouds began billowing in the air, too dark for me not to notice. A bolt of purple lightning shot from the cloud and crashed into the water, sending a wave strong enough to slow our ship.
Rhiannon and I steadied ourselves, still focused on the gathering whirlpool.
Rhiannon immediately summoned a Mana dagger in her right fist. As a Mana Dancer, she could channel Mana itself into weapons. Her blade was more than a foot-long, pulsing with a red glow that was as sharp as any Omega saber and as piercing than any katana.
Zafina rushed onto the deck next to us as the water continued to swirl a hundred yards away from us.
“It appears we will not have such a peaceful journey before we reach our destination,” she said.
“It appears so.” The Life Rune activated and I shifted into Ultima. I floated into the air a few meters above our ship and stayed focused on the water. The black outline of a figure was clear. Some type of snake slithering around. A sudden splash of water erupted as the figure emerged.
It was a snake—if a snake was a hundred-feet long and ten-times as thick. The beast was covered in slimy blue fish-scales that shimmered underneath the sun. Its head was the shape of a dragon of some sort, extending out with long rows of fangs in its mouth. Two empty white eyes locked on me as it pointed its snout at me. The snake-like Shadow opened its mouth and I saw the white energy forming in its throat.
“Uh-oh.” I dodged out of the way just before the beam could hit me. “Keep moving the ship forward!” I shouted down. “I’ll distract it!”
Our sails pushed the boat toward the beast. It was a stupid tactic to try and meet it head-on. But if I pulled this off, there wouldn’t be any violent collision and our ship would stay intact.
I summoned an Ice Owl next to me. “Go.” I thrust my hand out and my familiar divebombed right toward its target. The beast opened its mouth again to fire but the owl swooped out of the way and crashed right between the Shadow’s eyes.
I activated my Radiant Beam and sent a blast of light to follow my familiar. I pelted the Shadow right in its face, making its head rock back. Its roar of pain echoed through the sky as it flailed in the water.
“Zafina! Let loose!”
The Mana Seer sent a streak of flames at the Shadow. Fiery red blasts scorched the beast’s hide and it made it flail even more. I didn’t know how much more damage it could take but I wasn’t taking any chances.
My power was limited by my endurance, so I couldn’t waste anything. I decided a Fire Bird would be the next summon to try. I sent the bird zooming toward the Shadow but the sea beast countered with another beam of energy that vaporized the bird completely.
“So much for that.”
The boat below me was closing the distance, enough for the waves to make it rock more violently. Rhiannon stood along the railing with her dagger drawn. Even from so far away, it was easy to tell how anxious she was to jump out and stab the sea beast.
There was no point in telling her otherwise.
“Rhiannon!”
As soon as I shouted it, she jumped over the railing and splashed into the water. She swam through the raging waters like she was attacking them, then got right up to the beast. A deep stab of her blade dug into its scales and spilled black blood onto the water’s surface.
The beast roared with its head back then turned to face the Mana Dancer now crawling up its body.
Zafina blasted the Shadow with another fireball to delay it and I did the same.
“Gotta distract it.” I zoomed close enough until its massive head was right in front of me.
There was something to be said about being this close to a beast. Just one of its eyes was as big as my torso. The slimy scales running along its face made it seem more unworldly than it was. Even though I was apparently a god, it was moments like this that made you question your own mortality.
My philosophical pondering ended quickly when the beast opened its mouth. Spit dripped down the dozens of jagged white teeth as it roared at me. The intensity of it was bad enough but the smell was nearly nauseating.
“Ungh… What have you been eating?”
I groaned then quickly darted out of the way as it snatched at me. It didn’t stop just once, continuing to bite at me. I weaved through the sky, floating through the clouds to avoid it while Rhiannon and Zafina continued their assault.
Rhiannon stabbed her blade into the beast, climbing up its body despite the violent thrashing and crashing of the waves around her. Dark blood continued dripping from every new wound she made. But as she neared the beast’s head for a stab, the ship moved on its collision course.
I zoomed through the air and evaded another one of its beams then fired a Radiant Beam at its face to knock it back.
“Zafina!” I yelled from the sky. “On Rhiannon!”
The Mana Seer turned her attention to Rhiannon and fired her flames on her. Without even looking, Rhiannon raised her dagger into the air and caught Zafina’s attack. I moved my Radiant Beam to Rhiannon. The collision of our attacks sent an explosion of light in every direction as Rhiannon absorbed the energy into her weapon to make it a Divine Blade.
“Ahhhh!” Through the rush of waves and the beast flailing beneath me, Rhiannon’s battlecry was clear. I looked through the light and watched as the Mana Dancer thrust herself upward behind the beast’s head. With a hard stab, she drove her Divine Blade into the Shadow’s head.
The giant sea creature roared, thrashing more violently than it ever had before. I just managed to float out of the way of its massive head still trying to snatch at me.
Rhiannon didn’t relent in her attack, sawing her blade up until the beast’s screech suddenly went silent. She flipped through the air and landed back in the water with a splash as orbs of Mana showered around her.
I sighed a deep breath then landed back on the ship’s deck next to Zafina. “Let’s hope we don’t have any more interruptions before landfall.”
5: Foreign Hospitality
“Ahhh… Solid land.” I dug my cane into the wet dirt and took a step onto the sandy beach. Another deep breath smelled of the oil from the palms lining my surroundings. I’d gotten so used to the sea salt clearing my lungs that it was nice to enjoy the aroma of something different.
Along with the smells, the view was something to marvel at. The beach was a tropical paradise complete with the towering palms and white sands that went for miles in both directions. Ahead of me, a forest of trees blocked my view from the rest of the island we’d set anchor on but behind it, I could see the rocky green mountains in the distance.
The squawks of a few seagulls down along the coast got my attention. A flock of them huddled around a cove, digging into the water to pluck at the fish. “At least we know there’s something alive out here… Are you sure these are the Sol Lands?”
Zafina walked by my side. “I have never been here, so I cannot say for certain. The myths I was told when I was younger came from a time long ago.
Perhaps much has changed since then.”
“It’s a little too peaceful to be the place you’re describing. Or maybe we’re not at the Sol Lands yet and we just stumbled upon an island.”
“That is a possibility.”
I turned to the ship and saw Rhiannon hauling off a crate of supplies. “I’ve secured the ship, Virgil. Short of another beast rising from the waters, I see no reason it is in danger. We can make camp here or we can search farther into this land to find somewhere more suitable.”
“Hmm…” I sighed softly. “Funny how spending more than three days on a ship can tire you out. But there’s no telling how much time we have. Why don’t you two stay here while I go exploring in the nearby forest? If there’s any trouble and this is some island we’re not supposed to be on, you two can set sail and I can catch up.”
“Do not take any unnecessary risks,” Zafina said with a smile.
I winked back at her. “Since when did I take any risks?” I put my cane on my hip then activated the Life Rune. The metal plates covered my body and I ascended into the air.
I soared toward the clouds, observing the entire island. But the higher I got, the more I realized it wasn’t an island at all. The land stretched for miles, farther than I could see through the atmosphere in the distance.
“Whoa…”
To the north, there were the same green mountains I’d first observed. To the east, there was an open valley but beyond that, I couldn’t see beyond the forest. And to the south, the grasslands stretched until reaching another forest that seemed endless.
I didn’t have nearly enough endurance to search the entire island for any sign of life. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to.
I squinted and saw a small billowing of smoke rising from a fire on the edge of the other side of the forest in front of me. A closer look and I saw a small group of people. If these weren’t the Sol Lands, maybe these people would be willing to point me in the right direction.
Hovering back closer to the trees, I floated over the forest in the direction of the fire. Beneath me, there were birds and monkeys among the treetops. Undoubtedly there were more beasts lurking in the brush below. But I stayed focused on the smoke and it was only a few moments before I saw the individuals huddled around the fire.