Once upon a time, there was an inventor whose brilliance knew no bounds. His creations promised to revolutionise the world. He stood on the precipice of greatness, ready to unveil inventions that would change lives forever.
But the fickleness of fate played a cruel trick on him. A sudden accident cost him his most precious sense: his eyesight. In an instant, the world plunged into darkness for the inventor. His dreams, his work, everything he had striven for was obscured in an impenetrable veil of blackness.
Yet, he refused to yield entirely to despair. Resilience coursing his veins, he decided to pass on his vast knowledge to a new generation. He took on apprentices, hoping that they could carry forward the torch of his vision. He poured his wisdom into eager minds, yearning for his legacy to live on and his work to be completed, even though his eyes could no longer witness its brilliance.
His apprentices, despite their best efforts, could not fathom the depths of his genius. The gulf between the inventor's expectations and the reality of his pupils' abilities grew wider with each passing day and each dismissed pupil.
Desolation settled upon him finally. He withdrew from the world, seeking solace in solitude. His once-bustling workshop finally fell into silence, and all his mechanical contraptions gathered dust.
One day, an unexpected intruder disrupted the inventor's isolation. Their identity hidden in shadow. The stranger had sought refuge and stumbled upon the inventor's manor, drawn by tales of a powerful telescope rumoured to be within.
Not a mere wanderer; this intruder was an adventurer. Their passion for the night sky more than a fascination; it had become obsession. They revered the stars with an intensity that transcended simple curiosity. To them, the celestial bodies were not just twinkling lights… but a map. A map of the universe itself.
For hours that stretched into nights, the guest and the inventor conversed, although the inventor could not discern whether the voice belonged to a man nor woman. The visitor revealed a world beyond the inventor's comprehension. A world where constellations weren't starry patterns in the sky, nor did each of the countless stars dimmed or brightened at random. Patterns – rather constellations formed and shifted as maps tracking almighty entities across the earth.
The inventor, a staunch believer in the principles of science, could hardly fathom such mysticism. He questioned the truth of this revelation, arguing that science couldn't support such extraordinary phenomenon. But the guest challenged him. Not with words alone, but with an audacious proposal: A quest into the unknown. A quest after one of the almighty being tracked around the earth by the stars.
Though sightless, the Inventor and his guest embarked on a journey unlike any other: a journey to prove or disprove the existence of mystical elements in the world.
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Once upon a time, in a land scarred by war and turmoil, there lived a formidable and ambitious general whose name struck fear into the hearts of his enemies. He had led his army through several battles, victories, and rare losses.
In the midst of a campaign, this general and his army were ensnared by treacherous terrain and unforgiving landscape. Then came an ambush, precise and swift. When the smoke cleared, the general found himself the lone survivor of his once mighty force.
Alone, he scaled vast, impossible rocks, trudged shifting sands and landforms so treacherous as if cursed by nature herself. On the verge of thirst and starvation, he chanced upon a hidden village. Like no ordinary settlement, it was a haven for war victims. A sanctuary for those who had suffered grievous injuries – especially mutilations.
Many in this village wore mechanical limbs as though they were part of their bodies.
The general had witnessed many marvels through his life, but nothing could compare to the ingenuity before him. These prosthetic limbs were a testament to technology far beyond his comprehension, driven by gears and mechanisms that mimicked the grace and precision of living flesh. He sought out the mastermind behind this technology.
It was a decrepit, old man who, despite his profound contribution to the village, remained a figure of mystery with little to nothing known about him aside from his role. He bore an unusual apparatus upon his eyes: optical devices of intricate design that enabled him to see, despite his natural blindness.
The inventor, for that was what they called him, welcomed the general with a guarded curiosity. He hailed from a distant land, and his true origins remained unknown. Though he had bestowed this prosthetic wonder unto the villagers, he had never been one of them.
Earning his place among the villagers was no easy feat. The general laboured alongside them, partaking in their daily struggles, and demonstrating his unwavering commitment to understanding the enigma of the mechanical limbs. He endeared himself to the inventor through the passing years. His will and dreams left an impression on the old man that he finally opened up his secrets to him. Secrets of the Earth Herself.
The most remarkable revelation of all was the existence of a being known as "Majestic of the Sea." This majestic entity, the inventor explained, possessed dominion over water and held vast knowledge gathered for as long as the seas have existed. One of almighty entities tracked across the planet by shifting constellations. A fraction of the Sea Majestic's knowledge enabled the inventor to create such prosthetics, which even remedied his blindness.
With newfound purpose, the general embarked on a quest across the tides, guided by patterns of stars. A race against time for where the sea reflects the skies and extinguishes the sun during the Sagittarius season of the year.
Unlike the inventor who had sought wisdom to heal, the general sought power to impose his will upon the world, and that power he found. Harnessing the Sea Majestic's secrets, he returned to the world with an army of Astrids, a force beyond compare.
This newfound power was nothing short of a revolution. Governments and rulers across the continents trembled before the might of the general's Astrids. They cast aside their wars and differences, conspiring and conniving to undo his dominion.
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She flipped over to the next page of the Journal, which contained travel logs. "So Carto-astrology tracks moving entities?" said Adonna. Noon breezes wafting salty scent of the sea through their little huddle.
"I think it's more like the Carto-astrology thing was derived from this original context." Rwby explained. "Tracking something mobile means the map will keep changing right? So you can't have one map of it like that cryptic map of Astrid habitats."
"Huh!" Davy realised something. "So that's why it's seasonal. Constellations are always shifting seasonally and the Sagittarius Treasure – I mean the Sea Majestic can only be found within a certain timeframe each year."
Klein looked up at the serene noon sky. "So this Reflected Map is… where exactly?"
"I don't know anything about stars and celestial stuff – but if we're tracking something that's moving, doesn't that mean wherever the map directs us, there's a high chance our target would've left there before we arrive?" Asked Tom.
"The Sea Majestic can't wander freely." Davy's prompt answer turned everyone's eyes at him because that wasn't mentioned in the Treasure Hunter's journal. "I mean… it's the only thing that makes sense… so far. The Majestic has to be restricted in one place during the Sagittarius season that's why the adjusted configuration will point towards it."
Rwby agreed.
"Well, in any case it is already 14th. We'll never make it this season, only 8 days left." Said Klein.
"Up to 8 days left!" Davy snapped. "We can find the Majestic and we will. We must!" The gravity in his voice was enough to strike the others so quiet the air whispered around them.
"So what's our heading now?" Asked Tom.
"Hela." Adonna flipped the pages of the treasure hunter's journal. She quoted, "Celestial bodies tracked certain moving targets wherever the targets relocated. In this case, the Sea majestic had cluster of stars attributed to it that always shift their configuration in order to track wherever the Majestic relocated in relation to a certain point called the Origin. For various reasons, I believe Hela is the Origin for tracking the Sea Majectic because not only do major sea currents converge there but I also found account of the General from the two tales having journeyed there."
Davy stepped away towards their ship's stern. Determination in his fixed gaze into open air. "Hela… finally."
Adonna would later bring up this eagerness of his later at the helm.
"Hey, remember when we were taking guesses on what the Sagittarius Treasure is? Secret of the Universe, remember?" She said with a reminiscent chuckle. "Rwby for sure will wanna know how to create living machines. What about you? Seemed ten times more eager now than when we thought the treasure was some gold or something."
Davy said nothing.
"You never did tell me why you were chasing in the first place." She reminded him. "Or where you're from.
"The Sea Majestic is a near omniscient being. Think about the possibilities if we find it! Cure for yours and Kiyan's illness–"
"But what are you after, Davy? You have a way of evading questions. And you know I can tell how more obsessed and impatient you've been getting every day, right? And don't say it's because of my condition because even I'm not as eager to find the Sea Majestic this year with so little time left."
He said nothing. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "You can tell me. You should tell me."
"There's nothing to tell." He replied.
She left.
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Though born and raised in the godless sea, Tom hadn't seen any other Astrids aside from Thunderhoofs then big Bear. Only stories from older people who had ever left the island. To Adonna's disappointment, he hadn't heard of any which fit Serenitea's description. But then again, he explained, people claimed Astrids have greatly become scarcer over the years; some species had even gone extinct.
Adonna was curious about Llama's forelimb hooves, to which Tom answered. "It was a crazy one of the old mayor's employees. Everyone thought Llama ran away. We thought 'find the Astrid before anyone else and keep it in secret.' Could only imagine owning our own Astrid. Llama escaped the captor, who was experimenting on her and good thing we found her when we did."
The sight of Adonna absorbing Tom's jabbering with keen ears distracted Davy up at the quarterdeck where he was giving Klein a shooting lesson.
When Klein noticed this. He walked up and snatched Davy's pistol, throwing him rooted in confusion. "Hey, what's that for?"
Klein said. Instead he snatched the hat off Davy's head next.
"Give 'em back!" He yanked back both his things.
Klein snapped his fingers. "Exactly."
It took few seconds for Davy to realise the message. There's no time to get distracted, he claimed. Not with 7 days left to his goal.
Something else caught Klein's attention, staring at the sea. "Is it just me or we've not come across a single island since leaving Ana. Almost like we're stuck in the same place."
Now that he brought it up, Davy too confirmed he hadn't seen another piece of land since Ana.
As if to prove them both dead wrong, an island heaved in sight then and there. However it's strangeness unfolded the nearer they navigated.
An island hovering at least a good 15 meters above sea level. The phenomenon was lost on all of them – even Tom hadn't heard of a levitating island before.
Rwby couldn't weave a single scientific explanation for this while they drifted underneath. Had the Hangpole still had the tall masts of her former sails, they would've scraped the bottom of this hovering mass of land overhead.
Darker and darker as they drifted deeper through despite glowing particles littered in the overhead surface.
Chill, quiet and tense the ambiance.
"GLIMMER!" Rwby shouted so suddenly she startled the others. "Hmm… no echo."
Adonna pointed out how black the water appeared. Then Rwby realised its lack of reflection of any light. Like that area of sea was darkness itself.
Tom flashed a lamp over the water to confirm, and it truly didn't reflect back anything, swallowing every glint of light whole.
"Like a black hole!" gasped Rwby
Spooked yet excited, they looked for a way to reach up this mysterious island.
"Why is your first instinct not to turn back around?" Klein couldn't understand the others one bit.
All except he and little Bear climbed up an almost unnoticeable hole under the island using grappling artillery Rwby had invented.
While lighting their way through a network of cramped tunnels, Davy unwittingly held his torch right under a hornets nest. And soon they were all screaming and racing out the hole.
The buzzing swarm chased them back to their ship and chased the ship out into the open sea.
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Klein couldn't swallow his laughter, cackling at the reddened hornet stings all over their bodies. Especially Rwby, who had it worst with her face all swollen from allergy.
They all welcomed the sight of a nearby beach. Just the scent of wet sand as they moored their ship there promised relaxation… and fun. The smoke puffing out from this island's central volcano mountain didn't bother most of them one bit.
At this point Klein just sighed and shook his head.
"3 hours maximum!" Davy shouted notice.
An hour went to waste just playing in the water, racing across the beach, bathing in the sun and raising sand forts. When it was time for barbecue, the other boys were gone, leaving only Tom to the heavy-lifting of the grill from their ship, and the girls going back and forth to set everything up.
Pouty Adonna approached Klein and Davy both sprawled in the beach sand under the shade of a parasol. "You guys, we need more hands."
Eyes shut, Davy groaned, "There's six hands between the three of you. More than enough, I say. Or just transform Bear, easy."
Fuming anger twitched her eyebrow.
"Tom's such a handyman, isn't he?" Klein added.
Annoyance almost choked her to stuttering. "Influenced Klein too… You… you two… useless… just lazy…"
"No not lazy..." Davy cut her short.
"Energy-conserving creatures." Klein finished the sentence and the both bumped fists.
Adonna's knocked their parasol before stomping away in a huff.
Exposed to direct sunlight was the only reason Davy opened his eyes. Neither of them still ready to move a muscle.
"Rock-paper-scissors for who should get up and fix back the shade?" Asked Davy.
Klein shut his eyes and relaxed. "A cloud will come. A cloud will come."
Davy covered his face under his hat.
After redoing Bear's fading dye, the evil girls wanted to braid the dog's hair. Davy couldn't allow this. He fended them off for little Bear to escape into the bushes. Then he ran after the dog.
Tom dragged Adonna's hand off to scout for a remedy for their hornet stings.
Rwby went back to the ship.
Klein left sprawled on the beach 'til he realised he was all alone. "Where's everyone?"
He returned onto the Hangpole to find Rwby already back in her workshop working on an item of cloth studded with metal plates and lined with copper wires.
"What's that you're making?"
"Completing." She corrected. "An augment for the Thunderhoof saddle. For the rider."
"We stopped here to relax and unwind, Rube. But you're already back to work."
"The whole reason he let me come along is because I can be useful. So I'm gonna be plenty useful."
Klein chuckled. "Even Davy will tell you about the same thing. Don't overwork yourself."
He turned to leave, when she stopped him with a question, curious about how he figured out it was possible stepping down electrical charge, which helped her make the Thunderhoof saddles.
"Me? You of all people know I'm not smart like that. It was something Pebbleton said while we were tracking Llama. He was complaining about how impractical the whole plan to ride Thunderhoofs was. Remember him saying something like it might be possible if you've got a device for upping and downing electricity but that's beyond us. What's this about?"
"Nothing – just curious." She answered.
Davy watched the sunset on a cliff with little Bear. Spyglass on his lap while petting little Bear beside him. "Been more than 3 hours… I guess it's so nice just having some fun to forget and forget it all. But we should get going, huh? After all these years… finally this close." He looked down to little Bear just sitting calm under his stroking palm. "She's right, you are a good listener."
Protracting his spyglass to find the others, his blood pressure rose the moment he saw Adonna and Tom make away alone. And he sprang up right away when she appeared to be laughing at Tom's joke while he was massaging some leaf over her skin.
But,
On his way down the cliff, he sighted a ship across the horizon, coming in at full sail ahead. It wasn't the ship but what he spied hovering above it that made him rub his eyes clear and zoomed in his spyglass:
A large vehicle cruising the sky. Designed naturally for battle, the central body consisted of a main hull with raised, elongated deck running along its spine. Reinforcement of platings armoured the balloon whereas heavy artilleries armed the deck.
"Airship!" His eyes widened.
It didn't take long for this airship to catch up to the sailing ship and dropped one bomb which blew the barque sky-high in flames.
As evidenced by the banners of a black fist on it, that was a Marblemen airship – no doubt. Right then Davy understood the enemy came to Ana by air not sea. "That's why they didn't have a fleet at the harbour!" he ran downhill breathlessly.
The Aviator's binoculars sighted the Hangpole next.
They rushed back onto their ship before the airship, the Hangpole's engine came alive with a billow of smoke, and Davy steered them into a rivulet coursing through the island's jungle.
The lush trees on both sides provided them some form of cover, yet with the airship looming somewhere overhead, the forest at either side began looking like dark walls closing in the deeper they navigated while trying to figure out their escape at the verge of panic.
"What is that thing?! Where are we going?!" Came Adonna.
"We're at least twice faster than any sail ship. We can outrun it!" Said Tom.
"We won't! We can't!" Shouted Davy.
"We're all going to die." Klein's eyes peeled wide in the face of the volcano mountain's foot, to which watercourse had led them… a dead end.
They had the evening coupled with umbrella of vegetation to thank for hiding them. Their ship's engine shut so as to remain covert. Yet the intermittent cannon fires and bomb drops from above at any suspicious sign hung as portentous reminders how temporary that solution was.
Suddenly, the volcano groaned too.
Davy huddled them together. "Okay, listen. It's nothing but a flying vehicle. And judging by the obvious, it's more of 'em Marblemen inside. We won't outrun them in open sea – least not without a big head start. Here's the plan: Rwby, bombs. Adonna, we ride Bear up the volcano… and slingshots. Blast it right off the sky."
That plan got invalidated almost as if Marblemen could hear him from their airship. They hovered higher and dropped a bigger bomb into the volcano's mouth.
The whole island quaked, the mountain threatened eruption.
Rwby brought the bombs.
"We won't be reaching the… flying ship with slingshots from down here!" Came Adonna.
Davy agreed. "It's out of range." He pondered, "We have to reach the airship somehow."
Tom had another plan. To distract the enemy so they could navigate out of the island. He wore the armour suit Rwby designed to complement the now perfected Thunderhoof gear.
The metal-hoofed Llama freed out the Livestock Pen.
Gallops loud a lashing storm as Tom rode off to a far end of the island within seconds.
Up on a hill where he stopped, the spine of his armour glowing with stored charge. Even after dismounting Llama's back, the armour remained charged up, ready for release. Palms aimed at an isolated tree, he followed Rwby's prior instructions.
Clicking his thumbs against the pointer fingers unleashed electricity from the palms of his armour. Wisps of electricity in a directionless burst like spider webs.
Struck the tree. Scarred a boulder. Struck the soil. Struck other trees.
It started a bushfire.
"Whoa!" Tom was left looking into the palms of his metal gauntlets in awe.
That attracted enemy attention. One of the aviators' binoculars sighted him.
They ignored him.
He soon abandoned the plan and rode back to the others.
Their predicament had worsened. The volcano no longer groaning but bellowing, puffing and begun spitting. Its thick smoke not only clouded the enemy airship from view that they could only guess from what direction cannon fire came last – but also sought to choke their lungs.
"They won't engage me!" Shouted Tom from the watercourse bank.
"Damn Marblemen!" Davy cursed between coughs.
"We have to abandon ship!" came Klein.
"And escape the island how? If the volcano erupts, it will destroy everything!"
"They're Marblemen!" Adonna had an idea. "Maybe – maybe they might recognise Bear!"
Davy opened his mouth to speak, but she'd stormed off already.
Tom rode back to the faraway hill with Adonna and Bear inside her bag. There, little Bear transformed.
She slung bombs that could never reach the airship. The explosions as they fell short and back to hard ground did attract the aviators.
"Please… please… come on..." She muttered, gritting her teeth with a hard stare at the airship.
Sight of the girl on a big brown dog raised clatter within their cockpit. Their cockpit filled with posters of her. Someone was quick to report sighting of her through wireless telegraph, and the airship steered towards there.
With or without the airship diverting attention to Adonna's location, the deathly smoke drove Davy and the rest to navigate the watercourse at full speed back the way they came.
Violent orchestra of grumblings, rumblings and explosions escorted their near blind escape through smoky murkiness. Spat fiery rocks disturbing the water. One shaved piece of their ship's hull. Some crashed as crags in the watercourse. Yet on and on they continued, and by the skin of their teeth fresh air welcomed them outside the island.
As the airship made it to that distant end of the island where Adonna was spotted on big Bear, they lost sight of their target as sudden as she had appeared earlier.
Meanwhile,
Tom and Adonna rode away with now little Bear's head peeking from inside her bag.
Spreading wildfire, quakes rupturing the terrain and rolling lava eating the island's vegetation were no match for Llama's speed. They leapt off the cliff at another end of the island.
Right into their ship's old sails they fell in screams just as the others had finished setting it up as safety net.
They scrambled out of the sails. No words but they all burst out laughing as they almost couldn't believe pulling off that escape.
Full speed into the sea. The enemy's pursuit wasn't over but night their ally. So they snuffed out every light and shut their engine while coursing through stacks of rocks at their ship's detriment.
It worked. The airship flashing down a stream light around dark, rocky corners, but the Hangpole had escaped.