Aka's island trials

Aka Night was utterly and completely feeling depleted of energy and brain power.

All night the red-haired Knightmare mage had been pouring over every collectible map and globe she could find on the world. There was even a fishing shop that sold maps just for identifying oceans, islands, and hidden land features. But not even the most expensive map in her collection could not tell her where Aether Cade’s island was.

“To think I spent fifty million jewel on this one map...” She sighed exasperatedly.

In the distance she heard the shuffling of her parent’s butler as he busied himself, careful not to disturb her, not that he would even if she asked. Which she used to do all the time when she was little in order to escape her studies.

She knew her father still owned items from his travels, but luckily for her, there was no one home. Other than Abino.

Whom she had sworn to secrecy that he wouldn’t tell her parents. Although if anything, she really needed a break. Her father was a traveler! She thought he'd at least have something of use.

Aka glanced up from her despair when a flash of azure shone across her face. Squinting her eyes for a better look, she quickly crossed her father's study and peered at the ovalone shape half submerged beneath map charters and old parchment.

Without thinking much on it—and being the impulsive person that she is—she yanked it from underneath and had to listen to the personal symphony of everything careening to the floor. Wincing from the sound, she glanced towards the doorway and sheepishly said, "sorry about that Abino."

A muffled reply came back. "That's quiet alright miss. Just leave it."

Aka would have felt bad longer and put it all back herself (even if Abino insisted her not to), the object in her hand snagged her short attention span as she ran her fingers over his smooth texture. Yet, her fingers seemed to run over hidden grooves in the clear, deep-blue gem, even though the stone itself could have been made of marble.

A part of her, one long since forgotten, was roused with the usual excitement she normally got when her father came home with a new treasure for his trove and let her explore with it. "Then how come he hasn't ever shone me this before?" She mused, turning it over to observe the blot of ink submerged deep into the stone.

Aka tended to be terrible when it came to figuring out the uses of foreign items, or even what it was, she knew of someone who could definitely, possibly, help her. If they were still on friendly terms.

"Abino, I've gotta go. I'll see you later!" She pocketed the stone and gathered up the spread out sheets, reorganizing them again, but again, regretting the large pile on the floor.

"Please do come again more often miss. Your mother and father would also love to know how you are. A little update wouldn't hurt." Abino's lightly accented voice flitted in.

She chewed her lip nervously before brushing aside all thoughts of such a thing. She hadn't been in contact with her parents in fifteen years, so why start now. "Thanks Abino, I'll think about it."

But they both knew she wouldn't, although he knew that she definitely appreciated his concern for her well being.

After having left, Aka was able to make it down the mountain from her parents estate via a horse she "borrowed" from an old sleeping couple. She passed their small ranch and dropped the horse at their gate, trekking the rest of way into town by foot.

She absentmindedly palmed the odd stone, and located the nearest butcher shop, groaning inwardly about what she had to do.

The meat man behind the counter paused in his chopping to wave a hello, with the hand he held the meat cleaver. She wasn't offset by it, but it still wasn't something she'd normally see.

Aka took her time to the counter and requested, "A leg of mutton", to which the man unhooked his bloody apron and gave her a knowing grin before disappearing into the back of his shop.

He returned with a nicely wrapped package and Aka paid her money, and put the stone away again, leaving as slowly as she had entered.

Once outside, she slipped between two buildings to the forested area at the base of the mountain, chunking down the packaged meat. "Alright Ashen, I know you're there." She said, and then muttered, "you're obsurdely annoying like that."

There was nothing in the woods save for the chilly breeze which did nothing to faze her despite the little clothing she wore. She waited some more before turning around and noticing a large tiger sitting before her. It wore a white cape clasped with a gold chain and brooch around it's neck.

Anyone could tell he was bigger than a normal tiger, and his stripes seemed darker, as if they held secrets and a darkness of their own, his amber eyes unblinking. Black, razor claws gouged deep into the ground, and he remained ummoving.

A shiver ran down her spine, but thanks to her knightmare magic, she had more control over her emotions and was able to keep the scent of worry and nervousness from washing over her. Ashen merely tilted his massive head, reminding Aka with chilling clarity that he was still a predator.

'The things I do to try and become S-class.' She thought sardonically and took a step to the side to reveal what she had brought.

He didn't even give a glance at it, flicking his ear in the mutton's direction, serving as the only indicator that he somewhat acknowledged it.

"Well Ashen, now you're here." She said.

The tiger merely chuffed in response, already knowing there to be more to the story, his tail tip flicking irreverently.

Aka almost snapped some kind of response, and then remembered she needed his help, and to stay her tongue. Loosing a sigh, she proceeded. "I need..." the word died on her tongue. "I need...uh...some...you know..." her mind and tongue battled against each other to say the word while Ashen looked amused. "Ugh... I need you to serve me with assistance."

He got up and was already behind her so fast, she whirled around to find a black haired male standing there, inspecting the wrapped up meat, and giving a slight sniff. "Well that's one way to put it." He sniffed again. "But tell me why I shouldn't maim you. You barely got away from me last time." She saw his hand tighten ever so slightly onto the meat.

Yep, this was going to be long and hard.

"Oh come on! You're still sulking about that?" Wrong thing to say.

She especially knew it when he bared his too-long-fangs in her direction with a growl, his black ears flattening against his head. "The last time I offered you help, you stole from me and my sister. You took my gold claw and you took her Erihppas jewel. Family Heirlooms and symbols of our power."

"Yes I know that, but I gave it back right? It was for the mission."

"A mission we were both supposed to work on." He dropped the meat with disinterest. "That is if you bothered to trust me enough."

This was getting her nowhere. She only had limited time after all. "Name your price. I need your...assistance with something. If you can get it down really quick, I'll be...oh god...indebted."

That piqued his attention, his animalistic gaze focusing intently on Aka, ears straining to hear every single word. "Wow, I never thought I'd see the day. The Northern Scarlet indebted to the t. Now that's something." He chuckled.

It took a big blow to her pride, and she bristled at the obvious insults, but chose her next words carefully. "Yeah yeah, whoo hoo. You going to help or what?"

"Oh! And she asked for help! Can't get much better than this." Reyine grinnned. "Alright, lets see this map of yours."

Aka was puzzled. "Actually it's a—"

"Stone, yeah whatever you want to call it. But it's a map."

She fished it out once more and observed the stone once more, feeling the hidden grooves again, even though the surface was as flat as posssoble. "I don't understand."

Reyine feigned a lot of exasperation and stalked over. "It's an Old Stone Map. Legend has it that the ocean god answered the ancient people's prayer for safety and survival skills. In return, Keir blessed them with a dozen stones, each their own color. It's said that each one contains the ink to automatically map out an entire ocean, and there was one for every ocean and sea."

Aka rubbed it a little and felt the stone warm beneath her palms. "Okay, I don't think that's from my fire magic."

"Looks like the stone has take a liking to you. Say, how come you want this so badly?"

"It's something to do with my guild which doesn't concern you at all." She snapped and tossed it to him.

Reyine caught it with ease and inspected it. "Touchy." He suddenly threw it at Aka and it hit the ground, although she had already shielded with a wall of flame.

"What the hell?" Aka looked at the ground and saw that the stone had a web of cracks all over it.

Her blood began to heat up and she prepared to beat the shit out of Reyine, even if it was probably going to injure her.

The Treasure Hunter merely coolly stared at the stone and it cracked again, this time a glob of black spraying from deep inside. Aka instinctively threw her arm in front of her and got it all over her forearm. It seeped beneath her glove and she tore it off to inspect her arm, finding that the ink had swirled and intricalty formed, "a map." She breathed.

Reyine merely smirked. "Yep. You're welcome. My people used to have one. Way back when they fished the seas." He looked behind her. "But really? I'm not a faery. You don't have to 'summon me' with meat."

Well really the meat was meant as a peace offering, but meh.

Aka still stared at the revolving magical map on her arm. She got a sudden thought and began thinking hard. Before long, she let out a gasp as it worked, and a particular dot illuminated on her skin. "Oh my god, it worked." She looked up and found that black haired individual gone.

The meat was gone too. "Freaking prick." She frowned, but then pushed it aside. She had a debt to pay, but who cared at the moment. She had a map and she had coordinates.

It didn't take long for her to find a port and subtly slip into a lacrima row boat. It wasn't the fastest piece machinery, but rallied all her magic an blasted out a pure jet of Untamed Flames, blasting her speed boat into action.

Aka frequently consulted her map as she alternated between using her magic and mapping out her course.

Her boat almost tipped over, a million times, something she'd never tell her guild. But come on, she wasn't a sailor.

It was during one of her breaks while she was snoozing that she felt the boat jerk to another stop. "Oh no, don't tell me I hit some trash again."

Looking up, she realized it was a white sand beach and trees stretching out behind it. She was shocked and quickly hopped out of the boat, not bothering to pull it further inland.

"Well looks like I made it." She mused thoughtfully, and looked at the map on her arm again, before collapsing onto the sand with a groan. "I'm going to kill Aether for this."