Sheist woke up smacking and kicking against the ocean, he frantically reached out for anything he could grab to stay afloat only to realize once he calmed down he was actually right off the shore, in only about 91cm of water.
And he could just stand up.
He stood raising his hand to block the sun as he stared toward the sky, the cathedral was crumbling and falling into the sea.
"Well, hope I never see her again."
A loud scream shattered the horizon, Sheist's eyes shot across looking for danger, swimmers were out in the water getting caught in the waves and falling debris.
Sheist watched as a falling pillar was about to land on two women, he reached out instinctively even though there was nothing he could do.
"SSSLLLT"
He winced closing his eyes and biting his teeth not wanting to see what was about to happen.
A tan muscular older man walked to the edge of the water where it met the sand, he planted his hands on his hips with a worriless smile.
"Bella!!!" A booming strong voice called out, and a loud whistle followed.
At the sound of a name and whistle a giant clam, The Proud Majestic Tridacna raced to the surface of the turbulent water, it broke through waves shooting up into the air ramming its hard shell into the falling rubble protecting the damsels.
"Is that you Sheist, naked on my beach..?"
"Again..?" He was clearly disappointed.
Sheist turned to the voice
"Ortiz?!"
Ortiz shook his head, hands rising up holding the sides of his orange swimsuit.
"Have you no decency?" Ortiz crossed his arms with an indifferent huff.
Ortiz snapped his fingers and an orange swimsuit appeared tight, stuck on Sheist's body. Sheist struggled a bit before flexing a little, his body quite muscular and lean from the years in detention.
"Thanks Ortiz I appreciate you!"
Sheist shook his head wildly, his natural dreads danced up top his head freeing themselves of any ocean water. He walked out the water onto the beach collapsing on the sand taking a deep breath.
"Are you up to your old tricks again Sheist? Wasn't three years enough?"
Ortiz blew his whistle at Bella, the giant clam zoomed through the water scooping up all the stragglers ferrying them over to safety before opening wide and letting them out. Beachgoers clapped and cheered and the rescued gave gratitude and thanks.
Sheist feeling guilty decided not to answer and quickly changed the subject.
"Bella has gotten huge, it's been a few years since I've last seen her."
Bella was about 32 meters wide and 50 meters long, she was massive, incomparable to normal giant clams.
Sheist stood moving over to Bella, he rubbed her smooth deep blue shell. Bella gurgled happily hearing Sheist notice her growth, the water began to foam and bubble around her. Ortiz walked over to Bella patting her shell.
"Too bad we can't say the same for you huh! Hahahaha!"
Ortiz laughed smacking Sheist's back with his heavy hand shaking his footing. Sheist stood at about 177 centimeters to Ortiz's 200 centimeters which was quite the difference, all Sheist could really do was roll his eyes at the comment.
"You're just fucking massive."
Sheist shrugged the smack off, he rolled his shoulders and twisted his torso the opposite way of his hips.
"I'm not going back, don't worry."
Ortiz let out a hearty breath, he shook his head and pushed Bella into the water helping her off the beach. Bella gurgled and drifted off making her descent.
"Sheist just promise me yo-"
Ortiz spoke as he turned, though only to see Sheist running towards the city. He crossed his arms and watched the young alchemist shrink into the cityscape.
"Watch over him Neptune…"
Ortiz turned just in time to watch an unconscious Anglica wash up on to the beach, he would check her breathing before lifting her into his arms, he carried her into the lifeguard's kiosk to rest up.
Sheist walked through the city barefoot, hair wild, beat up, and last but not least in a bright orange wetsuit. He covered his face in embarrassment as he walked through Swordsbridge, his matted messy dreads made hiding his face in plain sight no problem.
With Swordsbridge connecting to the beach it wasn't so uncommon to see someone walking through the streets wearing a swimsuit of some kind, he was really just overacting.
While walking he stopped looking at a poster.
"Galor and his son Leon seal victory for the Knights Guild versus the Mages Guild."
Sheist continued on his way, he stretched back and forth, side to side with a yawn, he scratched his head.
"I guess they're stronger than ever, they've been training. And I've been on ice." [On ice is a phrase commonly used in reference to experiencing jail time]
He walked flexing his arms and legs, feeling the weight of his physical strength.
"But I haven't been just doing nothing."
As he muttered to himself a little girl came running around the corner hastily, she bumped into him causing him to stumble.
"Woah what's the hurry nugget?"
He straightened out his posture looking down at her, she seemed frightened or worried, he was unsure.
"You have to hide me! They're looking for me!"
Sheist tilted his head, he asked her who was following her and why she was running.
"I can't say you just have to trust me!"
Sheist decided to help her, he would squeeze her into a tight alley nearby and block the entrance with his body, two guards appeared wearing uniforms he had never seen before.
"Hey did you see a small girl run past here? She had pigtails—brown pigtails, and she was kinda pale, tattered clothes?"
Sheist looked behind him—up and around as he scratched his head ruffling his dreads.
"No, no girls ran past here all bodies accounted for, no one needs CPR."
The guards had nothing else to ask and were honestly annoyed with his answer, they went on about their business and continued to search for her.
"Little girl?"
Sheist turned to the alley way, it was empty.
"I guess she left, problem solved."
Sheist continued on to his destination, though he couldn't help but worry.
Why was she so scared, is she going to be ok?
Well either way there was nothing he could do now. After about an hour or so he reached the outskirts of Alchhelm. He walked across the stone bridge only to stop at a gate guarded by two golems.
It seemed like the borough had been isolated from the rest of Orr. Sheist walked up to the gates and looked at the golems.
They were still and unmoving, maybe just statues…
The alchemist took another inch of space from them, parts of their body whirled and sparked with the arcane as they raised their massive stone arms.
"These aren't alchemy golems. These were created by magic..."
Sheist turned his body slightly putting his left side forward and raised his arms as he balled up his fist.
Sheist didn't give them any of their space back, they took him not backing up as a threat.
They made no sound, only sparks of magic cracked as their heavy arms came down together on Sheist.
"SIKE!"
With an agile burst he shot forward dodging both of them, though he assumed they were slow and plans didn't always go well.
One of the golems swung their other arm horizontally in a sweeping motion, it covered nearly the entire width of the bridge and was impossible to dodge forward and back, or side to side.
Sheist hugged the ground ducking under the one golem's arm only to be met by the other golem's leg, the golem had wound back and kicked him with such force it sent his body skipping across the surface of the water on the other side of the bridge.
Panting, Sheist stayed afloat holding onto a nearby sewer grate, his body was still weak from the fight with Angelica, and on top of that he had no weapons or potions.
I could maybe out maneuver one golem, but two, the bridge isn't wide enough.
With him being so far from the gate the golems no longer perceived him as a threat and powered down. Sheist swam over to the water's edge lifting himself up and out of the water taking a deep breath.
He tried to come up with a new plan that wouldn't turn him into a smoothie. Sheist's stomach growled, it was hard for him to think on an empty stomach. He looked over at a nearby restaurant patting his wetsuit remembering he had no pockets, which also brought to the front of his mind that he didn't have his bookbag.
His right hand smacked his forehead, he dragged it down his face and looked at the sky. The food from the restaurant nearby smelled so good, he could practically hear the meat sizzling in the kitchen.
A nice steak with a little salt.
Salt..?
"Salt!"
Sheist swiftly jumped up and walked over to the outside dining area of the restaurant he was just eyeing, he swiped one of the salt shakers off the table when no one was watching. He grabbed a sharp rock off the ground and etched an alchemic circle onto the glass.
Sheist waited for the cover night.
There were no lights around the bridge, even the city inside looked dark.
"I don't like how the city feels…"
Sheist clenched his fist and gripped the glass salt shaker tightly, something just didn't feel right, there was something ominous in the air.
"If the golems won't let me in, I have a million recipes to cook up disaster… "
He channeled energy into the alchemy circle on the glass heating the shaker,
the salt on the inside began to liquify and bubble.
As kids we used to do this, a simple reaction with molten sodium chloride and water…
When water touches the molten salt, the rate of expansion causes an…
Sheist reared back his arm, once he felt the salt was ready he threw the shaker at the sewer grate with force enough that it broke.
When the molten sodium chloride came in contact with the liquid it ignited the hydrogen stored in the water and created an explosion. The explosion did just enough damage to release the sewer grate from the wall.
"No golems? Must be a proximity thing."
He stretched and took a running start diving into the water, he slipped into the sewer pretty easily, it was a little tight but still wide enough to fit his body.
Sheist eventually hit water that was too shallow to swim through forcing him to crouch from there on out, he finally came to a ladder after trudging through what seemed like shit chowder—and smelled even worse.
He climbed to the top of the ladder, with his face only a few centimeters away from the sewer lid he listened to the streets, he heard nothing, just a dreary silence.
Sheist moved the lid climbing into the darkness above, he was right. He looked around turning in a full 360 and as far as his eyes could see all that surrounded him were poverty stricken hovels.
"Heeeyyyyyy!"
Sheist shouted, with worry on his breath he assumed the worst.
"I know we weren't liked but, they wouldn't just get rid of us all together."
Or would they...
The system hasn't been kind to the alchemist class, they've known nothing but trial and tribulation since separating themselves from Magehood and The Guild of Magic.
Sheist walked slowly through Alchhelm, he felt glass at the bottom of his rough feet, he carefully swept it aside while walking and clung to anything his hands could grip.
As he walked through the dark of the city he slowly entered the proximity of a stationed golem.
The golem activated.
This golem was different, the two that guarded the gate had a subtle magic spark, this one had a red violent glow and was at least two times the height and width of the others.
Before he could get into another fight someone pulled him back behind a nearby wall, the character placed a finger at the tip of their puckered lips while looking at Sheist,
"Shhhhhh…"
The person waved Sheist to follow him to a safer location, once there a tiny flame appeared at the tip of his finger which he used to light some candles around the small house.
"You should be careful alchemist. That golem is a lot stronger than the two at the gate."
Sheist stared him up and down taking a seat across from him, this guy was obviously some type of mage. Sheist was grateful for him showing up when he did, that golem had definitely taken him by surprise, there was no telling what might have happened.
"Thanks for the help, but what is a mage doing here, who are you?"
"My name is Hauser–Hauser Vault, and yes, I am a guild mage, or was."
Hauser leaned back, this small house made him seem like a giant, though he wasn't that much taller than Sheist standing at 185cm, he had a slim build and wore traditional mages robes.
Hauser pressed his glasses to his face securing them, he took off his scarf hanging it on a nail.
"I'm here to study alchemy."
Sheist's eyes widened, times had most definitely changed if other boroughs intermingled with alchemists now.
"Study… Alchemy..?"
Sheist was taken back by his statement, even children who had been born here fought to get into other schools and professions, some even fought to get into regular non–combat/magic crafts. Basically anything was better than having to become an alchemist.
Which was a sentiment not shared by Sheist, Sheist had so much pride in his roots—the roots he shared with his mother's side of the family.
"Why study alchemy, mages are so prideful... The state this place is in is because of that pride!"
Sheist's hand clenched into a fist, even after all this time he still harbored some dislike for mages.
"Mages pride? Was it not the pride and greed of alchemists that took them away from the guild."
Hauser had no real qualms with the purveyors of alchemy, however he would not sit by and let someone he just met cast blame on his craft.
"And besides, it is no longer at the heel of the mage alchemists are kept down. It is by that of the Knight…"
Sheist unclenched his fist and relaxed with a sigh.
"My name is Sheist, I'm an alchemist."
He smiled proudly looking at the mage, there was no need to ask why Hauser felt the way he did concerning the knights, this was something Sheist already knew too well, his expression became serious,
"The knights… Yea I could have guessed it would go this way, that doesn't mean mages are innocent though, but you definitely aren't my enemy, so thanks again."
Hauser nodded and moved on to an even smaller part of the already tiny hovel, he took off his glasses and tucked himself into a mass of blankets and sheets tousling his brown hair on a pillow in the corner.
"This isn't my house, but I've made it my home for now, feel free to relax and get some rest."
Right before Hauser closed his eyes, he wore a mischievous grin looking in Sheist direction.
"Because tomorrow we're going to take down that golem."
"And get this city back up and running so I can learn alchemy."
Hearing Hauser say that put a big ass smile on Sheist's face, he could hardly contain his excitement.
"Hahahaha! You're a good guy Hauser!"
Sheist piled together some tattered old clothes and ripped blankets that littered the house into another corner and plopped down. An hour went by and Hauser was fast asleep, Sheist–wide awake with his hand pointed toward the ceiling pretended it was a gun, he pictured all his enemies and lined them up. Some still a dark silhouette not sure if he would have to make them targets.
The enemy that currently stood between him and his convictions was a fatass magic golem that policed his broken city
He pointed his finger-gun at the golem and silently mouthed.
"Bang."