Arthur's Point of View

Outskirts of the Magical Squall

My eyes gauged the storm ahead. The Captain was right. There was a massive build-up of magic before us. Concentrated in such a manner that it almost hurt to look at. However, something felt off about it. Whether it was the storm's intimidating growth and rumbling, or if it was the several different magics gathered in one spot, I didn't know. However, something about this situation didn't sit right with me.

"What if we were to ride the storm out underneath the ocean waves?" I inquired, and the group turned to me. "Surely we have enough Elves to create a shield to keep the water out, don't we?"

Many seemed to look around with a deliberate silence as I moved to the side and looked down towards the ocean thousands of feet below us. However, upon doing so, I noticed that there was a lone magical signature in the water. Almost like a speck that didn't fit with the waves. Narrowing my eyes, I saw that it was lying on some manner of debris.

Whipping my head back toward the Captain, I pointed off the side of the ship urgently. "There's someone in the water!"

The Sergeant moved next to me and looked down. "Where?! I can't see anyone, Sir!" He told me.

Frowning, my gaze shifted to the storm that was approaching ominously, and I felt torn. Annoyed, I removed Defiance and looked at the Sergeant who gave me a confused look. With nothing really to say at that point, I hopped off the side as he shouted in horror. I don't know why. He's seen me fly before, but I didn't intend to slow down.

Angling myself downwards, I used my gravity pillars to shoot me into the water below. Kicking my legs as if mimicking a dolphin, I propelled myself towards the debris. Coming up from below, the water felt still to an eerie degree. Especially with such a storm bearing down on us in the distance. Just something else I noticed as I emerged topside and landed on the debris.

Moving carefully, I pulled a woman from the water as she clung to a broken mast. Lifting her gently, she shivered in my hold as she fluttered in and out of consciousness. Her clothes were rather exotic, as was her jewelry. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before in Lestrania, which told me she was likely from Vithari. My eyes narrowed as I glanced around the waves to see if there was anyone else. There wasn't.

Looking up, I saw the Drunken Cloud making its way down to me. It only seemed fair to meet them halfway. Carefully, I used my eyes to raise myself into the sky. Shouting could be heard from the ship, but it calmed down as I flew up to them. Many crowded around as I landed with the woman in tow, but Lucia immediately began looking her over.

Sergeant Allen immediately started issuing out orders before I could. "Keep to your stations! The squall is upon us!" He then pointed to some nondescript personnel. "Fetch blankets, fresh clothes, food, and beverages! Get the healer ready as well!"

Alwin moved through people that went back to work before he stopped and stared wide-eyed at the woman. "What happened?!" The alarm in his voice was clear.

Laying her down as the two looked her over, I stood and removed the water from my clothes. "She was in the water." I answered before clearing the saltwater from both nostrils and picking up Defiance. "Don't know how she got there, but it was probably the storm."

The woman was rather small but looked to be an adult. She appeared to be under five feet tall, which was smaller than Ayda and Kine. Her hair was a long brown color that was very rough looking that gave her a wild appearance. I assumed she was in her thirties or so, but the ages here are fucked up, so I had no idea. Her dress was very revealing and showed her tanner skin. Although, given all the rips it had, I'm not surprised.

"This is Queen Ventari of the Red Kingdom." Alwin informed me as he looked over the side. "That makes this mission far more vital than we knew." He stated before he carefully lifted her in his magic. "I will care for her. Lady Lucia, I may require your assistance."

"Have Ziah act as a guard. I don't care if she is the Queen of the Desert Kingdom or not. Make sure she doesn't go anywhere and have Ziah keep everyone away." I told him before I headed toward the Captain. "Last thing we need is her getting overwhelmed. Especially after what she just went through." Then I jerked my head towards the storm. "And with that storm on the horizon."

Alwin and Lucia headed down below as I stepped next to the Captain. "I was unaware this was to be a rescue mission." Adam stated in a playful but serious underlying tone.

I frowned. "A lot has happened on this mission that everyone was unaware of." Patting his shoulder, he looked at me. "I'm going to be grabbing my armor, and we're going to do something that's probably really stupid. Make sure everyone is prepared."

The Sergeant showed up behind me as I said that and looked toward the Captain to see him frown. "And what are we going to be doing?" Adam inquired with apprehension.

"I'm going to take control of the airship and punch us through that storm." I stated.