[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/KZCrkic.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/DtnixpY.png?2[/img]
[b]Location:[/b] Limsa Lominscuttle Town → Alcamoth
[b]Level:[/b] 2 ([i]LEVEL UP![/i])
[b]Experience:[/b] 8/20
[b]Word Count:[/b] 3,365 ([i]+4 EXP[/i])[/center]
After everyone’s shopping spree, Rubick excused himself from the group to get his affairs in order. After all, if he was going to be traveling with these “Seekers of Light”, he would need to make preparations. The last couple months had been dreadfully boring, with only an occasional shipgirl or some other curious-looking passerby to tease. He was certainly not going to pass up this chance for some adventure and excitement. First things first, it was getting rather late, so he would return to the inn he had been staying at for a quick bit of shut-eye.

[hr]
With that sorted, Rubick looked over his items and confirmed that everything was in place. Blink Dagger in hand, Rubick blinked his way over to the front desk and checked out for good. Next, he traveled to the Arcanist’s Guild to inform them of his… extended leave of absence. 

It looked like just another busy day at the Guild, although for the sorcerer, his imminent departure cast everything in a rather different light. The change in perspective, though slight, allowed him to better perceive the place and its rather quirky personnel, where before he might have otherwise continued to take him for granted. As usual, Rubick could find the guild’s four [url=https://i.imgur.com/JQMgROm.jpg]star pupils[/url] lounging around the common room, entertaining themselves with various board and card games. Though remarkably talented, especially when it came to combining elements (with oftentimes explosive results) the four never took anything seriously, and seemed content to do the bare minimum to make ends meet rather than apply themselves and move up in the ranks.

As much, the bulk of the guild tended to be made up of the [url=https://i.imgur.com/W15n8d5.png]arcaniststhemselves[/url], an odd, limbless folk with a predilection for sorcery, and though their skills seldom extended beyond a single school of magic, their combined destruction power made them a force to be reckoned with–if they’d ever stop arguing among themselves, at least. The countryside surrounding Limsa sported many craters from their duels that had yet to be repaired. Still, their antics made for amusing displays, and when the city called upon the Arcanists’ Guild to perform some task, it was those titular arcanists that joined Rubick to get the job done.

Of course, on any given day one could expect to find itinerant mages here, learning and accomplishing what they could before moving on to bigger and brighter things. Their tuition, combined with the arcanists’ earnings from various commissions, kept the whole guild afloat. It seldom paid to get attached to any such student, but in recent weeks the staff had the pleasure of getting to know one mage in particular. The cheery, tomboyish [url=https://i.imgur.com/OiJW2Xf.png]Rinwell[/url] boasted not just impressive prowess with a wide range of elements and spells (referred to as ‘Astral Artes’ by herself) but a spirited disposition. While she seldom talked about her past, it seemingly being a source of pain for her, she seemed happy just to be around other magic-users day to day. It was none other than Rinwell who greeted Rubick when he arrived.

“Mr. Rubick!” she said, jumping up from a table (and knocking over a valuable tome in the process) to jog toward him. Her adorable pet owl, Hootle, flew right behind her to circle around the duelist’s head. While protective at first, the fluffy white owl chick had begun to trust Rubick enough to accept food from him, and it was all downhill from there. “Where were you yesterday? Apparently you left right after I went to Sky’s Hatchery for Hootle, and without anyone to watch them the arcanists totally wrecked the training room! Guildmaster Thuby’s beside herself!”

An arcanist dressed in red, with a wizard’s hat even bigger than his body, rolled his eyes. “It was an accident, come on! If you’re gonna pin it on anyone, what about the wizards? They’re the ones who told Wellington not to combine life and death magic and, well, you know Wellington…”

Rinwell crossed her arms. “We’re not just teaching magic here, you know! We’re teaching responsibility! Any fool can blow something up and play the blame game. What the Arcanists’ Guild practices is an art, and we’re supposed to be the artists, remember?” She looked at Rubick imploringly. A word from the veteran mage, her expression said, would surely set these fledgelings on the right path. “What do you think, Mr. Rubick?”

Rubick giggled at the recounting of these recent events. “[color=yellowgreen]Oh, I wish I had been there to see it![/color]” Rubick said. After clearing his throat, he continued on with a more serious tone, “[color=yellowgreen]But Ms. Rinwell is right. There are rules in place for a reason, and I won’t be the first to break them. You can always count on Ms. Rinwell to remind us to stay in line.[/color]” 

Turning to Rinwell, he answered, “[color=yellowgreen]As to where I was, well, I had found the most entertaining group of people I’ve ever encountered, and that’s saying something considering just how many I’ve met. It seems they have some important mission to accomplish, and I plan on joining them. That is why I am here now; I will be taking a leave of absence… for the foreseeable future.[/color]”

At Rubick's announcement, Rinwell seemed to deflate. "...Oh." Word spread quickly in whispers among the arcanists and wizards nearby, and a concerned silence fell over the guild hall, with all eyes on Rubick. Whether or not he desired as such, it seemed as though Rubick had managed to become not just respected, but well-liked. Rinwell in particular looked unhappy with the news, but she by now knew Rubick wasn't the joking type. "Um, okay. Since the…uh, since Thuby is out, I'll…let her know. When she gets back." Hootle landed in her hood, looking a little crestfallen. "Well, we'll miss you! Won't be easy filling your shoes, that's for sure. You take care of yourself out there, Mr. Rubick."

Rubick placed his hand on her shoulder. “[color=yellowgreen]You’ll do just fine without me,[/color]” Rubick reassured her. “[color=yellowgreen]I always thought you’d be the one to take my place anyway.[/color]” Rubick reached out a little further to stroke Hootle. “[color=yellowgreen]I’m going to miss you too, little Hootle. I’ll be depending on you the most to keep these hooligans here in line, ok?[/color]” Returning his attention to Rinwell, he continued the conversation from before, “[color=yellowgreen]And sure, it’s a little earlier than I had planned, but hey, better early than never, right?[/color]” Before anyone could tell him that he got the saying wrong, Rubick shouted a quick, “[color=yellowgreen]Goodbye![/color]” before using his Blink Dagger to blink out the entrance.

Finally, with that sorted, he would head to that warp portal Princess Peach mentioned to meet up at. He excitedly wondered how it would function. Luckily, the customs and excise agency of Mealvaan’s Gate was the Arcanists’ Guild’s next-door neighbor, and just on the other side of that sat Westport, where most if not all newcomers took their first steps in Limsa Lominscuttle Town.

It took just a moment to find the spot, and he discovered a curious affair waiting for him. Against one of the stone walls that formed Mealvaan’s Gate, someone splattered a large patch of graffiti that seemed to move in an impossible swirl. It matched the description of the portal he’d been given. That said, it wasn’t exactly subtle, and after its placement by Bowser Junior, Peach ended up getting in touch with city authorities to prevent its removal, or worse, exploration. Evidently their collaboration bore fruit, for the warp portal now seemed to be cordoned off, with a couple of monochromatic [url=https://i.imgur.com/AnAMT29.png]Game and Watches[/url] posted as guards. No doubt the existence of the Aetheryte Plaza made the city relatively open to other modes of fast travel. When Rubick approached, the Game and Watches parted to let him pass, and he could step through.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/NGOZ787.png[/img][/center]

What he found on the other side took even him, a storied spellcaster, by surprise. He ended up in an immense atrium, far beneath the glass dome, surrounded by the well-tended trees, grassy lawns, and white flowers of the biggest indoor park he’d ever seen. A large rampart of sorts divided the roughly saucer-shaped superstructure in half, its design a pleasant blend of futuristic and classical, and on the other side of its arches he could make out the bottom floor of a multi-tier gallery of buildings all slotted neatly into place.

Of more immediate concern, however, were the people nearby. A [url=https://i.imgur.com/oXZeJEV.png]warmly-dressed duo[/url] wielding mallets, a [url=https://i.imgur.com/BKY4Zwv.png]woman in military gear[/url], and an [url=https://i.imgur.com/dpWArl1.png]anthropomorphic falcon[/url] appeared to be engaged in a three-on-one mock battle against a [url=https://i.imgur.com/60qT7GW.png]red echidna[/url], with a very burly [url=https://i.imgur.com/gJsUY7U.png]man with a stylish haircut[/url] supervising them. Despite the numbers disadvantage, Knuckles seemed to be doing just fine, possessing enough physical strength to overwhelm any foe who he faced head-on. The others needed to work together, using their greater speed and more varied skills, to come out on top, but Knuckles’ digging ability kept them on their toes. After a few moments, Knuckles managed to floor both Ice Climbers with one well-aimed punch, only to get zapped by a device that Falco kicked at him, leaving him stunned long enough for Jill to get him in a headlock and lift the shorter creature off the ground. Falco raced in as Knuckles struggled and leaped into the air for a flying kick, but before he could connect, Guild’s watch beeped.

“Time!”

Falco stopped in his tracks, skidding to a halt in a cloud of dust that swept into Knuckles and Jill. The agent put him down, and with an annoyed wave of his hand he cleared the dust with one swipe. As the others came over, Guile turned to face Rubick, sizing him up through narrowed eyes. “Well well,” he said after a moment. “We’ve been waiting for you.” He checked his watch one more time, reset it, then pressed the button to start the timer again. Relaxing, he approached the newcomer. “At the moment we’re members of the Alcamoth Mercenaries, which means we’re on the same side. William Guile.” He crouched down, and extended his hand to shake. “At your service.”

Rubick clapped his hands in appreciation of the show, then extended his hand to Guile to return the greeting. “[color=yellowgreen]Likewise, Mr. Guile. I am Rubick, the Grand Magus, though judging by your comment, I assume you already knew that,[/color]” Rubick replied.

Nodding, Guile reached out for Rubick’s hand, then reached past it. His hand closed around the sorcerer’s wrist like a bear trap, and the next second he answered with a fully-charged flash kick straight to Rubick’s unguarded chin. The blow launched him up and backward, and before he even hit the ground, the others were on the move. “Go, go, go!” Guile commanded, and with the rehearsed cohesion of a well-oiled machine his teammates spread out to surround the fallen mage. Jill and Falco raced toward positions on either flank, shooting their pistol and blaster respectively, though the former did not seem to do anywhere near the damage that a real firearm should. The Ice Climbers and Knuckles then moved in, ready to wallop Rubick with some serious impact damage, while Guile stayed still to charge his next attack. “Sonic Boom!” he called, flinging his arms around to launch a slow-moving wind disc. The five-pronged beatdown was officially in progress.

Rubick was surprised when the well-toned man launched an attack and prompted the others nearby to do the same. He realized his time spent in Limsa Lominscuttle Town had made him complacent. Something he knew he would have to correct once this fight was over. His first course of action was to escape his current predicament and either fight off these Alcamoth Mercenaries or simply flee. Racking his brain through the pain of the incoming attacks, Rubick remembered how Knuckles had dug through the earth to give their members some trouble.

Rubick opted to do the same. “Yoink!” Rubick said, quickly using his Power Steal on Knuckles, and he began to dig iinto the earth. The Sonic Boom whizzed past, missing Rubick by mere inches, as Rubick repositioned himself some feet away. After reemerging from the ground, Rubick would then point his staff at Guile. “[color=yellowgreen]Face the Magus![/color]” Rubick yelled as he took the Sonic Boom for himself. Rubick would then go on to perform the same motions as Guile had before proceeding to announce, “[color=yellowgreen]Sonic Boom![/color]” launching the same wind disc attack at them.

He pulled off a flawless copy, and a Sonic Boom whirled his pursuers’ way, even as the barrage of pistol shots and laser bolts from the shooters chipped away at his life. Knuckles promptly dove underground, instantly breaking line of sight, while the Ice Climbers simply stepped around. The mimicked Sonic Boom, Meanwhile, struck one of Guile’s and canceled it out, only to reveal Booms three and four already coming his way as Guile inched forward in a crouched position while charging. “If he does that again, close in!” Guile ordered the other two shooters. The Ice Climbers paired up and twirled his way with mallets extended in a multi-hitting attack, while Jill and Falco remained at a distance, ready to adjust as necessary. The ground beneath Rubick, meanwhile, began to rumble.

The continuous fire from Falco and Jill were taking their toll, and Rubick knew he could not keep taking them. Remembering the Loch Shield he had received from Kamek, he pulled it out and held it in front of him as he moved backwards, which helped to lessen the damage. He continued to think of another solution, as it was evident that the Sonic Boom was not as helpful as he had hoped. Overall, the situation was quite grim. His firepower was much lower than theirs, so fighting wasn’t an option, which meant he would have to flee. Before he could do so, however, the ground had opened up from underneath him, revealing the red echidna that had been tunneling underneath him. His footing lost, Rubick fell through the ground, and he realized that he was out of options. His mind flashed back to when Princess Peach had warned him of the dangers of coming along on their journey; evidently, she was right.

Knuckles’ uppercut promptly interfered with his line of thinking, at least for a moment. Half-senseless from the direct impact after all the damage he’d soaked up so far, he hit the ground and without delay found himself surrounded by the Ice Climbers, who proceeded to freeze Rubick to the grass with a double spray of ice breath. Everyone closed, taking their time, but not out of a sense of sadism as one might think. Instead there seemed to be a collective exhale, and the fighters, in no hurry to finish him off or anything, relaxed somewhat. “Another day, another dollar,” Falco sighed, holstering his pistol. “Alright, who’s got ‘em?”

“Might as well,” Guile shrugged as he pressed the button on his watch. Less than a minute, he noted with satisfaction, and a flawless victory to boot. This strategy did its job. He approached Rubick and tapped his chest, producing a bright pink sprite in the shape of a heart, which he then tossed down to the frosted-over sorcerer like a passer-by donating some change. The instant the Friend Heart touched Rubick, it instantly restored him to peak condition. More than that, it lifted the influence of Galeem from his being, allowing the memories of his world’s end -as well as the wrongness of all that he’d witnessed these last few months- to sink in. It was a dizzying revelation, but when Rubick’s vision cleared he could see Guile standing above him. “Sorry about that,” he told the mage. “Gotta put every new recruit through their paces. Clear their heads a little.” He extended his hand once more. “Not a trick this time,” he assured Rubick. “You have my word.”

Rubick was puzzled as to why he hadn’t been killed yet, but the answer became clearer when the Friend Heart cleared his mind. He remembered the day Galeem descended onto his world and decimated everyone with its beams of light. For the first time in a long time, Rubick was left speechless. Still, he would take it better than some. He used to live in a world where such “strangeness” was commonplace, after all. Looking back up at Guile, Rubick sighed. “[color=yellowgreen]This is embarrassing. I may not be at full strength, but to think that the Grand Magus was reduced to such a state,[/color]” he said, taking Guile’s hand. Patting himself off, he continued to ask, “[color=yellowgreen]But I must hear an explanation for this: that… [i]entity[/i] that destroyed my world… you know what it is, don’t you?[/color]” 

Guile pointed toward the inside of Alcamoth. “You’ll find the front desk over there. Isabelle has the information you want, and there are brochures explaining anything she may have missed.” Rubick’s eyes followed to where Guile was pointing, then he nodded and saluted at Guile. “[color=yellowgreen]Appreciate it, Mr. Guile. Off I go![/color]” Rubick said before skipping away. 

[hr]
“[color=yellowgreen]Hmmm… fascinating…[/color]” Rubick muttered to himself with his head buried in a brochure. Galeem, Lord of Light, was taking over worlds and adding them to the one he currently resided in. Rubick doubted that there were many entities capable of such a feat even in his own world, and yet here was one now. It was incredible that all this time this world was being illuminated by Galeem’s light and not once did he think it was strange. Its influence on the mind was subtle, but truly effective. 

Closing the brochure, he looked around at the sights of Alcamoth. He wondered if the Seekers of Light and these Mercenaries would succeed in their quest to vanquish Galeem and restore the worlds to their original state. He would certainly hope so, as the Grand Magus would be joining them, and it’d be a shame to have him fail in anything. But his recent defeat told him that he needed to become stronger, and soon. The journey would be perilous, and he would need to regain his former abilities soon.

His new goal in mind, he set off for the Mercenary HQ. As he walked, staff tapping the ground with every step he took, he took in the sights. Just as in Limsa Lomiscuttle Town, Alcamoth was also a mishmash of a city. A collection of builds and locations with themes and architecture that clearly clashed with each other. Rubick nodded in approval. He would expect nothing less from this world. He also spent a few minutes perusing a nearby bookstore. He still had some time before the meeting began, after all, and it’d be a shame if he didn’t use it to explore. Sadly, none of the items were of much interest to him, so he left without buying anything and hurried along.

Entering the building, Rubick let out a cheerful, “[color=yellowgreen]Rubick has arrived![/color]” as he greeted those within. Peach and the Koopa Troop were there, as well as Nadia, but the white-and-purple colored being was new. Well, he’d surely have time to know this person later. For now, he needed to speak to Princess Peach.

Blinking over to Peach, Rubick bowed to her, saying, “[color=yellowgreen]Ms. Peach, I owe you an apology. You tried to warn me of the perils of your mission yesterday, and I took them lightly. I met some of those mercenaries at the warp gate, and despite my best efforts, I was soundly defeated. Had that been a real duel, I would have lost my life. This experience has taught me a valuable lesson, and not just about Galeem.[/color]” Putting a fist on his chest, he vowed, “[color=yellowgreen]Henceforth, this journey will not just be about your mission, but about reviving myself as the Grand Magus![/color]”

He then realized that he forgot to close the door on the way in, and waved his staff at it absentmindedly. With his Power of Telekinesis, it immediately closed shut. Rubick gasped, surprised at his new Power, or rather, his old power returning to him. “[color=yellowgreen]Ha haa! I haven’t done that since I got here![/color]” Rubick exclaimed in delight. “[color=yellowgreen]That should take the edge off.[/color]”