FATE\Deus Decipit

Chapter 73: The Falling Sands of Time

10:38am, South of Piraeus Port

Aaron looked from one side to the other, and, after making sure that there was no one around, turned his eyes to the blindingly blue sea before him, the sounds of crashing waves and crying seagulls only further parching his thirst for adventure.

"Alright, Rider! Let's get that boat out, huh?"

Before him, a square of deep brown wood with gold inlay, the deck of Rider's ship, appeared, but it was nowhere near the complete form. Instead, a hatch swung open, nearly catching him under the jaw.

"Huh? What's this about?"

Rider replied telepathically, 'Thine luggage, mine Master.'

"Oh. Okay..."

He lifted up his suitcase and munitions crate, throwing them haphazardly into the manifested hold, apparently forgetting the grenades inside, not that it became important- thankfully.

"Okay," He clapped his hands together, "Let's go! Get me that boat!"

'With respect, mine 'boat' is not what thoust require here.'

"And why not?"

'That Noble Phantasm was designed to transport an entire army, and to do so with efficiency. Thyself, however, are but a man, and so may be better aided by a personal transport, rather than an entire caravan.'

"I take that to mean you have another way of getting there?"

He heard a chuckle in his mind, 'Aye.'

As Aaron looked up into the sky in some subconscious attempt to communicate better with the invisible Rider, he heard a sound like the crashing of a wave beside him. There, when he looked, was perhaps the most beautiful and stylish moped he'd ever seen. It was uniquely aerodynamic, with ridges that pushed the air along, perhaps to compensate for the wider base.

It was only then that the thought occurred to him-

"Wait- is this a moped and a jet-ski?"

What was a chuckle burst into full laughter, 'Tis mine steed, Master, called by Enbarr. She moves like wind across both land and sea, and has graciously agreed to be transformed for this adventure. Treat her well, lest ye be forced to swim the rest of the way.'

He greedily climbed aboard the bike. Its seat -saddle?- was soft and pleasant, almost like a water bed. He couldn't stop the boyish glee that rose inside him as he revved the engine.

'Where art we off to, mine Master? I do hope it be nearby. Thou art aware of the importance of remaining near the Grail, aye?'

"We're headed due South. It's a bit far, but we won't be there long enough to jeopardize you- probably."

'Then fly like the wind, lest we lack the mana to return here.'

"You don't have to tell me twice."

As he said this, golden light danced around his head before solidifying into goggles. With all the preparations complete, he shot the engine, flying out across the ocean, and doing everything in his power not to send himself flying off the powerful vehicle as it lurched ahead.

"Whooo-hooh!"

It was an amazing feeling. The wind in his hair, the salty mist that danced across his skin and caressed his face. The feeling of lonesomeness, of taking on the world alone as he skipped across the waves of a seemingly endless and empty plain. He had never felt so alive, so much so that he almost forgot his objective.

...

11:26am, The Northern Beaches of Serifos

Aaron pulled Enbarr ashore by the handles, slightly lamenting his wet pant legs, but more focused on his surroundings. He could vaguely remember his time here before, but, although he had maintained consistent contact with her for years, he hadn't actually visited her since he was an early teen, maybe thirteen or fourteen. In other words, it had been well over a decade since he'd last set foot here, and while the rolling auburn hills, green and yellow squares of crops and grass, and ticky-tacky white-stone houses had as much rustic appeal as they ever did, the whole landscape blended together in a way that hazed his memory of where to go next.