Chapter 2: Maelstrom

Maru stared at the maelstrom with her eyes wide and gleaming. She’s seen Magic plenty of times before, yet everytime she sees it she can’t help but be amazed. Part of her was a little envious too. It was a power she longed for every day, and it was practically a requirement if she wanted to achieve her dream of becoming an Adventurer.

A soft smile appears on her face. Despite the bandit being her enemy, the fact he possessed Magic was enough for Maru to want to compliment him.

“So cool…” she thought, staring with awe.

Francis snaps his fingers in front of her eyes, breaking the trance. “There you go again,” he lectured. “On your feet, he’ll attack at any second.”

“Oh, right,” Maru whispered, jumping up onto her feet while taking a deep breath. Side-by-side with Francis, she remained stationary while waiting for the bandit to attack first.

The bandit clenched his fist tightly, reeling his arm back as the winds surrounding him started to concentrate around it. He takes one step forward, throwing his fist in Maru’s direction at the same time. The wind surrounding his arm launches towards her, rippling through the air like a violent rushing river. Maru and Francis both dodge to the side in opposite directions, narrowly avoiding the attack. The winds collide with the carriage behind them, cutting through the rotten wood and ripping out the nails with ease. Vegetables, bread, and wood all crumble to the ground, shrouded by dust kicked up by the wind.

“Holy Jupiter…” Maru muttered. Looking around, her vision is shrouded by the dense cloud of dust. She immediately becomes wary, her eyes darting from left to right to try and determine her position. She’s lost sight of both the bandit and Francis.

“Francis!?” She calls out, hoping to get a response.

“Over here!”

“Coming!”

Maru starts to sprint in his direction. After only two steps, however, rushing winds break through the dust cloud from her left side. The strong currents lift her off the ground, throw her into the air, and send her hurling into a nearby tree. Tumbling down, she slams into the ground after falling just a few feet. Most of her body was throbbing in pain, her muscles tightening and restricting her like shackles – violent cramps that prevented her from moving.

Maru was down for a moment, but not out. After just a few seconds, she was back on her feet, albeit her body shaky and somewhat fragile. “I’ve felt worse,” she thought to herself, “but I still need to be careful.”

From in front of her, she felt that same aura from before. Its presence was undeniable, a relentless storm with a hint of bloodlust. A strong breeze pushes the dust aside as the bandit stands about two dozen feet away from her.

“Not so cocky now are you, pretty lady?” He taunted, a smug expression on his face. “I thought you were a little different, but you Redville folk aren’t much without Francis. You all flock to him when trouble comes.”

Maru bites her tongue as adrenaline rushes throughout her body again. Normally, she wouldn’t be scared of a bandit, but this one had Magic.

“...I can fight too!” She said, but Maru was doubtful of her own words. Truthfully, a regular person couldn’t compete with a Mage even in their dreams, and Maru knew this. Still, she wasn’t going to surrender here, not when people relied on her and Francis back at home.

“Really?” The bandit asked somewhat rhetorically, “Those half-assed punches tell me otherwise.”

With a blur, the bandit was suddenly in front of her, his fist already clenched tightly. His movement was near instantaneous, almost like he teleported using his winds. Maru moves her head to the side, narrowly avoiding the punch. She immediately counterattacks with two jabs to his chest. With how weakened her body was, however, they didn’t do much.

The bandit barely flinches, instead holding his hand out towards her. A cyan Magic Circle manifests and rapidly expands from his palm. Maru remains still, staring as if she is ready to accept her fate.

“Any last words?” The bandit asked, being more direct this time, “I’ll write it on your gravestone.”

“Fuck you.”

From behind, Francis rams his fist into the side of the bandit’s head, sending him flying as if he were weightless. He twirls in the air before landing with a loud thud as he tumbles along the ground, crashing into the trunk of a tree.

“You alright?” Francis looks over at Maru, ruffling her hair a little bit with a smile on his face. Maru looks back up at him, nodding softly. A large white Magic Circle was on Francis’ back, strong currents of wind surrounding him.

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“Mages don’t go down easy,” he said, “one punch won’t be enough. We’ll have to hit him a couple times.”

“Will I even be able to hit him? He moves so fast…”

“Normally, you’d be too slow, but you have me don’t you?” Francis puts his hand on Maru’s shoulder. Streams of wind would start to slowly envelop Maru, and she felt much lighter and nimble than before.

“Woah,” she says, somewhat appalled, “I didn’t know you could share Magic.”

She throws a few jabs in the air accompanied by a few short hops. Whatever Francis did – it made her body feel weightless like a bird’s feather.

“Eh, it’s not really sharing. I’ll explain it to you once we’re done with this guy.”

“If Tianyu were here, he could flick his finger and this guy would be dead…”

“...Yeah, well, Tianyu isn’t here so we’re going to have to deal with this on our own.”

A burst of wind erupts from a distance as the bandit reappears right in front of Maru, throwing a punch aimed right at her face. “Fuck you too!” He exclaims.

Miraculously, she dashes back almost instantly, appearing as just a blur as she avoids the attack. The two of them stand still, equally amazed.

“The hell?” The bandit muttered, “since when did you–”

Francis takes the opportunity, lunging towards the bandit and shoulder bashing him to break his stance. Then, he unleashes a flurry of relentless punches, ending the assault with a devastating kick. A few of them land, but the bandit breaks his assault by catching Francis’ leg, grasping it tightly with both hands. The bandit spins to gain some momentum before throwing Francis towards a nearby tree.

Maru immediately rushes in afterward, denying the bandit even a second of respite. Her first two jabs to his face cut through the air, the sharp winds leaving shallow cuts across his cheeks. As his head recoils back, Maru continues her assault, hitting him in the sternum with three hefty punches.

“Not so tough now, are you?!” She exclaimed, biting her lip while trying not to show any signs of pain. Each one of her punches made her body feel like it was about to shatter due to her improper form, but she wouldn’t falter here, not when she was this close to proving herself to be worth something.

As she throws a fourth punch, her fist pauses mid-air. The bandit’s body goes limp and he falls forward, collapsing onto her. As she falls onto the ground with him, she catches a brief glimpse of life fading from his eyes. Her heart immediately sinks as it fills with sorrow.

“He tried to hurt you,” she thought to herself, “don’t feel bad.” Maru pushes his body aside, rolling over and picking herself up. As she stands, the wind surrounding her starts to fade along with the mobility it granted her.

Francis walks up to her from behind, giving her a gentle pat on the back.

“Hey! You did it,” he said while smiling.

“Yeah, I guess… If it wasn’t for your Magic though, I wouldn’t have been able to.” Maru sighs, crossing her arms while she looks down at the bandit.

“I hope he’s not dead,” she muttered, not really wanting Francis to hear. The bandit seemed to still be breathing, but he wasn’t really moving. He was likely just unconscious, and that’s what she was hoping for.

“Cheer up! One day, you’ll get your own Magic, just like me.”

“In my dreams, maybe,” Maru thought to herself.

Francis always had faith in her, but one of the things she never believed she would get was Magic. Francis has lived with his Magic for his entire life, and Maru was well past the age that someone would normally acquire it. She always thought she would get lucky, but twenty years have passed since she’s started dreaming and she’s about as regular as anyone can get.

She couldn’t help but be envious of Francis most of the time. He complimented her a lot, but what’s a compliment compared to having Magic?

“...One day…” Maru’s voice is weak and shaky. The adrenaline begins to fade and her body succumbs to her trauma and injuries. She loses her balance and begins to stumble. Francis rushes forward to catch her, but his arms fall short as she lands within the soft hands of someone else.

Maru blinks as her vision readjusts. Looking up, her gaze meets a young man with eyes as majestic as the sea. With his pale skin and messy dark hair – she’d recognize him anywhere. He looks down at her, a soft smile on his face. “Maru?” He asks, checking to see if she is still conscious.

“Tianyu!” She exclaims, a bright smile appearing on her face. Tianyu helps Maru back to her feet slowly.

“Where have you been man?” Francis asked while crossing his arms, “Maru and I spent the whole day busting our ass to try and catch these guys.”

“Today is the first Terra, you know we meditate on the first day of every new year. I was helping the chieftain prepare for the ceremony later tonight.”

“We should probably get back to the village then,” Maru said. Francis whistles loudly as his horse comes galloping towards them from a distance. “Let’s round up these bandits, the stolen crops, and take them back to the village. Maru’s pretty roughed up, so you’ll have to carry her.”

“Carry?” Tianyu asks, taken aback, “Have you forgotten what I’m capable of?” Tianyu gently presses his palm against Maru’s back, a sea-colored Magic Circle appearing on the back of his hand. Veins of Magic Energy would start to travel throughout Maru’s body, glowing a dark blue color as the pain starts to subside. Her once aching body now feels rejuvenated.

“Woah!” Maru exclaimed, “you could do that?!”

“Yes,” Tianyu said softly, “though you are not fully healed. Your body is simply in the process of healing. I sped up this process and numbed the pain. You still need proper rest to fully recover.”

“Okay, show-off.” Francis said, chuckling. “Let’s take this stuff back and get to the ceremony.”