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Under the heat of the summer sun the Marigold, clad in its golden paint which gave its namesake, swayed upon the open water. White surf lapped against her reinforced hulls and the occasional spray surged over the edges, delighting the passengers on the decks above. She was fashioned to take storms and surfs higher than her cabins, a casual trip like this barely registered for her or her crew. The captain took a stroll around the deck, greeting crew and patrons alike. A man of many seasons and even more voyages his tanned, wrinkled skin clashed with the stark-white attire he wore. And beneath the brim of his cap were his eyes shone with an exuberance befitting someone of many years younger than himself. All his life he'd been on the ocean in some capacity, and not once had he lost his love of it. Though gone were his days of leading vessels into battle he still found delight in being upon the water, even if to only ferry people to and fro.

"Cap'n, we should reach port in a few hours, sir!"

"Excellent, let the crew know we'll be making landfall soon," replied the captain, a toothy grin on his face as he looked out to sea, "Galloway's a-waiting, and we're ahead of schedule. Let the boys know once we reach port we'll be heading to the taverns, I think you've all earned a bit of fun."

Excited, the deckhand saluted before hurrying inside to spread the good news. These kids worked hard so it was only right to let them enjoy themselves. They would be in Galloway a few days anyway, being restocked and awaiting the next load of passengers. Adjusting the brim of his hat, the captain smiles, watching a pair of children run by him, chasing one another. An adult, presumably their father, chases after them while shouting about minding the edges.

"The rails are there for a reason, sir!" he calls with a laugh, though he's certain the man doesn't hear him. Folding his hands behind his back the captain resumed his tour, greeting the occasional passenger and exchanging pleasantries. It certainly was a stark contrast from his old life, but it was a contrast he liked. He loved people - the good kind of people, he knew well enough not everyone was agreeable - and a chance to meet new faces was one of the many perks of his station. They took all kinds of folks aboard, each with their own stories, their own adventures, and often times he got to hear those. Few jobs enriched your world quite like his own.

Spotting a lone passenger near the bow of the boat he approached the young man, noting how he was leaned over the rails. Standing at the boy's back he leaned over and confirmed what he'd expected: seasickness. Smiling sympathetically he reached out and pat the boy on the shoulder, a hearty laugh bellowing from his stomach. "Not everyone can find their sea legs I suppose! You'll be glad to hear we're nearly at shore, just bear with it a little longer."

Ethan didn't so much as lift his head from its position, merely raising a hand and giving a thumbs up for confirmation. That was a godsend, though it would be even better had it come several hours earlier. For a luxury ship this journey had been anything but luxurious. The captain gave him another word of encouragement that went unheard as the splashing of water drowned it out. Left alone again Ethan let out a groan, picking himself up and steadying himself with the railing. He couldn't wait until they got back to land and he could actually stand without feeling ill. He swore he was going to kiss the ground as soon as the ship made it to port.

"Still losing your lunch, eh?" a man called, and Ethan turned to see one of his companions. Kent, if he remembered right. He'd only met the man before they set sail and, having spent most of his time along the ships rails, hadn't much socialized.

"If I even had anything to eat," Ethan replied somberly, groaning as he returned to his post, covering his hand with his mouth and letting out a belch. "I just want to be in Galloway already, this boat is killing me."

Kent rolled his eyes, reaching out and grabbing Ethan's shirt. The boy protested and tried to hold his grip on the railing but was overpowered, whining as he was stood up straight. "Don't forget why we're on this ship, kid. You can't do your job if you're busy staring at the water." Reaching into his pocket he pulled a small vial out, shoving it into Ethan's hands. "Peppermint, drink it. At the very least you'll be able to walk without looking like you'll pass out."

"Yeah, th-thanks!" Uncorking the bottle and swallowing the contents in one go Ethan shuddered, his face contorting at the overwhelming taste. Kent was already on his way back underside, leaving him be once again. Smacking his lips and resisting the strong urge to spit up what he'd drank he pocketed the bottle, taking small steps as he willed himself away from the edge. Just a few more hours, he could bear it.

Yarri frowned, staring at the ocean around the ship. The huge open space made her nervous. There was nowhere to hide, nowhere to run. She wrapped her cloak tighter around her, not wanting to draw more attention to her “revealing clothing” as one of the other passengers called it. She couldn’t care less about other people’s opinions on her, but she hated the attention. Of course no cloak could disguise Shaela, so that effort was mostly in vain.

She had to grin when she remembered the face of the captain, when they came aboard. A wild-looking woman accompanied by a huge black cougar. When he suggested the animal be caged for other passengers’ safety, Shaela came closer to him and growled right into his face. Yarri also growled. “You can try.” The captain, now all white with fear, just gestured them to continue onboard.

That was the only time she had talked to him. She saw him chatting with the other passengers, but whenever he would come closer to her, she would just stare at him until he changed his mind. ‘Stupid Murans,’ she thought, watching the human younglings run around. At the beginning of the journey they were frightened to come anywhere near Shaela, but soon the boldest boy of them came to ask Yarri if he could pet her cat.

A cat. Twice the child’s size. Yarri just raised her eyebrow, thinking about what is she going to tell the boy’s father when Shaela eats him. But the boy stood on his tiptoes, reaching as high as he could, and scratched the cougar under her chin. The worst part was that Shaela apparently loved it. ‘What a traitor,’ Yarri thought while watching her chase the children around the ship. Fortunately, none of their parents was there to see that.

‘Why did I even get on this stupid piece of wood?’ But she knew all too well. They were getting too close to her, so she had to change the scenery. Not run away, of course, she would never do that, but just relocate to another area for some time. Yarri spat into the water. These so-called hunters. She swore that one day she would show them the true meaning of that word.

“Two pairs.” An older man said as he lay down his cards. He had a pair of fours, a pair of sevens, and a ten. The brawny Dimuran’s lips curled into a smile as he loosened his grip and lay his cards down face up as well.

He didn’t say anything, but the cards spoke for themselves. He had three of a kind, fives. They both looked to Adrianna, who shook her head a little and placed her cards face down on the table, folding for the table. She didn’t have anything decent this hand. The Dimuran took the pot, a few cooper pieces, and then tossed another into the pile.

“Can’t we up the ante a little?” The older man asked.

Adrianna had set the ante, keeping it low. Her reason was that they were trapped on a boat, and if someone lost too much money, there would be a lot of tension in a very small space. Lots of things made people angry, but one of the biggest instigators of conflict was money. The last thing she wanted to deal with was someone feeling like they had been cheated out of their life-savings…not to mention the fact that she was pretty confident she couldn’t take the Dimuran in a fight if it came to.

“The kid set it.” The Dimuran said, gesturing to Adrianna.

“I know, but come on, let’s make this a bit more fun.” The older Muran replied.

Adrianna opened her mouth to explain her reason for keeping the ante low. Before she could, however, the Dimuran spoke up once more. “This is probably all the kid has. Don’t try to con him out of his savings, Lago.”

“Yea, yea…” Lago readied the cards for the next hand. They seemed to accept the reasoning given by the Dimuran, and Adrianna wasn’t going to argue with them. It was plausible that she, a young lad, didn’t have enough money on her person to bet more than a few copper each hand. Besides, Adrianna won the next hand and had won a few earlier as well. She could be very good at cards, but she didn’t want to be too good.

“So what brings you to Galloway?” The old man asked, trying to make conversation, or possible distract the Dimuran from noticing his tells. Of course, the Dimuran wasn’t terribly interested in making small talk, and he grunted as he stared intently at his cards.

“Looking for work.” Answered Adrianna a few moments later. It was plausible, and it wasn’t even entirely a lie. She was looking for new work, but she didn’t plan on staying in such a busy port city. In truth, she had been considering getting work on a vessel, and had spent a while watching the crew swab the deck and tie knots and such. This little trip was a bit of a test run, and assurance that she absolutely did not want to get work on a boat. There was absolutely no privacy, and given her…condition, the tight quarters just weren’t feasible. On the plus side, at least she knew one thing she didn’t want to do.

“What kind of work? Do you have any skills?” He asked.

“A few.” Adrianna said. “Why, are you hiring?”

“No, no…Just making conversation.”

“What are you going to be doing in Galloway?” Adrianna asked in return.

“Meeting family. My son’s wife just had another baby, and I’m coming to visit em.”

“Sounds nice. Enjoy yourself.” They continued to make small talk through the next few hands, though the Dimuran mostly kept his thoughts to himself. Lago pressed him a bit, but Adrianna didn’t pry. She understood that some people preferred to keep their privacy.

With everybody else on the ship busy with their own affairs whether it was interacting with friends or family or possibly working, Cecil kept to himself in a small corner of the ship. It was very rare for him to be cornered by so many people all at one time, but according to some people he had met on his way this was the only way to get across the water. They must’ve been someone who was well versed in travel to be able to tell him where he was supposed to go because they gave him a map and everything. Sure, they laughed at him for not understanding that he was able to go on something like this to cross a huge body of water, but at least they were kind enough to give him a map and a ticket to board.

It was a slow, rocky method of travel. There was so much out there that he didn’t know of and this had definitely surprised him the most: a large contraption that was capable of floating on water with many people and things all kept inside it. It was fascinating how it could keep afloat, but asking why it was possible was probably going to make him look suspicious. He didn’t want to stand out, especially when he was suspicious enough already.

To people he was simply a kid who had been incredibly unlucky in life, but such a thing wasn’t unheard of. There was always the odd fight or several that came with injuries, so there was the assumption that he had been given a second chance with technology. While this was all assumptions he had picked up while travelling from others who asked him, none were correct; in fact, he was lacking anything organic.

Cecil was a Machina, but nothing on the outside told anyone what he actually was. He acted like a Muran, looked like a Muran and spoke like a Muran. Even as he sat in the corner analysing a map to plan his journey he looked rather focused on his own business while showing mild interest in what others around him was doing. Everybody seemed to be either having a great time or feeling rather jaded as their mental state shifted lower as they became exhausted from the journey so far. He couldn’t feel any of these emotions, not because he wasn’t capable but because everything was so new to him it all held a sense of curiosity to him. He didn’t have time to feel excited about all these people, nor did he have time to feel curious about why some were showing signs of sadness. Once he got off the ship he had to try and figure out what route he was going to take when there was two large settlements in two different directions that he could head to first. He needed the safest route possible and one where he could find shelter if he needed to, especially when poor weather was making his joints feel kind of bad. He needed to find some oil or something, but out here it seemed like a rarity.

Cecil couldn’t remember where he came from. He was just aware that his journey held very little resources for him, apparently he was too far from the cities to find what he was looking for. Technology wasn’t a big thing this far out, but maybe once he got across the water he would get lucky. Folding up his map he slowly slid it in to his top as he stood up, thinking he should at least see what it was like up top. Water was dangerous and he had already been told that ‘a kid like him shouldn’t be wandering around by himself’ but he was curious. Heading on up and out it didn’t appear to be an immediate bother at least. There was a few people up on deck, he didn’t know what their jobs were but a few were chilling out. All around the ship was just water which was certainly unsettling but somewhat intriguing. It was so much water for one area, he couldn’t help but wonder how deep it was. A thought like that was probably a bad idea, he could easily get too bold and think he could check it out only to get stuck sinking to the very bottom; still, it was rather curious to him. Wandering over to the edge he peered in to the water, staring at it with fascination.

The peppermint was doing absolutely nothing. 15 minutes had passed and Ethan felt no discernible difference in his queasiness, in fact he was certain it had gotten worse. A few hours left? He would be fortunate to make it a few minutes! Finding himself back at the railing he groaned and hung over it, arms dangling and his eyes squeezed tightly. Next time he'd take a carriage. He didn't care if whoever he was working with wanted a boat, he'd go by land and meet them a week later if he had to. Not like they typically had him do much anyways.

"Oh man... Just kill me now..." Ethan whined, lifting his hands and rubbing at his face as he stood upright, turning only to sink down against the railing and lay his head back against it. At least the cool metal felt nice on his neck. The scraping of claws on the deck made him open his eyes just as a large feline darted past him, raising an eyebrow and seeing two children running after the animal. How was that thing on deck? And why were kids chasing it? He was no animal expert but didn't animals usually chase people, not the other way around? Ugh, thinking made his head ache even more. Maybe he'd be better off below deck again? He crewhands had said fresh air would do him good but he found little difference.

Ethan reached behind himself, inside of his cloak, and scratched at his back. Not only was he terribly seasick, but he was also dead bored! The nausea hindered most of what he'd like to do for fun, but even then without his options were limited. Glancing around the ship he was happy to find that two other people were against the railings, presumably just as sick as him. Maybe not the nicest thing to take solace in, but it was warming to know someone else might be sharing his misery. That didn't really make it sound any better, did it? Chuckling to himself he ruffled his own hair, belching loudly. "Hey miss!" he shouted, referring to the lone Ydran woman at the railings, looking much different compared to the other passengers. "They might have some ginger in the kitchen, if you need it!" Ethan smiled before quickly covering his mouth, turning on his knees and poking himself through the rails. And there went his breakfast...

The captain traced their route on his map, forgoing the display the ship had been outfitted. These new inventions were hopeless, if a sailor knew how to use a map, a compass and a sextant you could easily find your location. And he had, they were right on course. Having detoured from their original route - a large thunderstorm was brewing off of Galloway's southern edge - they elected to circle a bit further to the west, let the storm pass and arrive a bit later in the evening. It would extend the trip but spare the passengers a miserable entry into the city.

"The skies look clear as far as the eye can see, sir! No signs of any rogue waves either, looks like we've avoided the storm entirely!"

"Excellent! Then maintain this course, the few extra hours won't hurt anyone. Shipmaster, I want you to plan a course back to Orosi once we arrive, we have cargo to deliver there next. Which means we'll be needing to be rid of some of our load in Galloway too." Some leftover parcels, spare containers of goods, things they'd picked up in other ports for remarkably low price in hopes of turning over a profit. It would be a large haul and, with luck, a worthwhile one. The ship was in need of some new parts and this job should more than cover it.

Using the intercom system built into the ship, the captain relayed a message to the crew members down below deck. "Attention all hands, we'll be arriving in roughly 3 hours. Estimated distance is 130 nautical miles, so try not using more fuel than we need. Anything not necessary can be taken down and maintenance can begin, it should be smooth sailing from here lads. Settle in, we'll be in port soon."

Yarri was lost in her thoughts, leaning against the railings. At first, she didn’t even notice that the Muran, who had been sick for almost entire journey, was talking to her. Her first instinct was to just turn around and walk away, but that was one of the many problems on the ship – there was nowhere to run. There were people of all races, genders and ages everywhere. There was no place to hide, someone would always come and tried to talk to her.

“I am not sick,” she growled, hoping he would just leave her alone. But he seemed like on of those annoying ‘friendly’ people. Shaela sprinted around, and Yarri gave a sharp whistle, calling the cougar back to her. “You seem to be enjoying yourself a bit too much,” she said to the animal. Shaela naturally didn’t respond, she just tilted her head, watching her, probably wondering whether her master is really angry, or just grumpy as usual. “Please just try not to scare anyone to death,” Yarri said, gesturing Shaela to go.

She turned back to the vast ocean, noticing that the man who spoke to her is looking at her. Was he actually smiling? Was he actually expecting some longer answer from her? Well he sure as hell wasn’t getting it.

“I’m not sick, I just don’t like boats,” she caught herself saying. ‘What the hell am I doing? This stupid ocean must have driven me crazy,’ she thought. “I don’t like all the space around. You are trapped on a tiny piece of wood in the middle of nothing. There is nowhere to hide.” The longest speech she gave in a long time. Probably the longest one ever.

She closed her eyes. At least the wind was nice. It smelled different than what she was used to, but still the feeling of her hair flying around her face was very pleasant. She sighed, wishing she were somewhere on solid ground with trees around her.

The man wanted to respond, but had to turn back to the railings. Yarri wondered how is it possible that he still has some organs left inside his body, he seemed to be throwing up ever since the ship left the harbor. She was grateful she wasn’t sick as well. The boat’s movement was annoying, and it took some time to learn to walk around without tottering from wall to wall, but fortunately her stomach was just fine.

The card game didn’t so much as end as Adrianna left. Two other players were joining, and they were interested in spending more money, with the potential of course to gain more money as well through the game. Adrianna departed then, having netted a few coins by the end of the game. She went to the kitchens with her coin, intent on getting herself some food. Though with passage on the ship, all of the guests onboard had access to some stew, she hadn’t been much of a fan. It was much more broth and remains from previous stews than any real meat or sustenance. Earlier, she had seen someone pass a little coin to the chef to get something better.

It was no surprise to her that the chef, a Naga, was accepting a bit of coin under the counter and pulling out better food, but she just so happened to have some coin to spare now, to engage in some of these activities. “Hey, Gideard, right?” She asked, getting the scaley guy’s attention. The man looked up from the pot he was stirring, looking skeptically at Adrianna. “Yea, what’s it to you?”

“I’m just a good listener, is all.” Adrianna said. “And I heard that you had something pretty delicious being cooked up in these kitchens.”

“We got stew.” He pulled out a ladle of the stuff she already knew she didn’t care for. Adrianna lifted a few coins from her pouch and set them on the table.

“That’s not quite what I meant.” She grinned.

He hesitated another moment, and then went over to the expo counter where Adrianna stood, looking both ways as if expecting to see some sort of authority nearby just waiting for him to slip up. “I got something you might like to try…” He nodded, and slid the coins away, obviously not offering any change. He took out a bowl, and went over to another pot, much smaller, in the back of the small kitchen. He ladled a bit of the contents, and she could see thick cuts of vegetables and meat. There was a dark color to the soup, and as he brought it closer, she could see the small bits of… herbs inside.

Most food on ships was incredibly salty and tough to chew. This soup, on the other hand, was delicious. Adrianna let out a moan when she took a bite, and Gideard shushed her immediately. She held up a hand and mumbled an apology, and then continued to eat, leaning against a wall of the kitchen. This was possibly one of the best things she had eaten, and she wasn’t exactly a street rat.

“What is this? How did you make it?”

“You didn’t pay for that information.” Gideard said. Adrianna was surprised by his crass response, but looked up in time to see him grinning back at her, and she chuckled. “We pick up all sorts of herbs and things when we go to ports. But I don’t get enough to feed it to everyone. Besides, the captain doesn’t much care for the taste of the things I make. Says he likes this grub better.” Adrianna spoke with him a little more as she ate, learning that Gideard aspired to be a chef, like a private chef for some nobleman or something, but no one would hire a Naga to do anything except take out the trash. He couldn’t even eat at establishments, let alone be hired to work with their meat and cook for people. He once got accused of wanting to poison the patrons so that he could empty their pockets and skip town.

This vessel gave him a chance, but there wasn’t exactly much room for improving himself. He didn’t say as much, but Adrianna got the impression that Gideard wanted to be ‘discovered’ by someone who wanted a personal chef. Just like young ladies wanted a knight in shining armor to rescue them, Gideard hoped someone would see his talent, even with his sub-par ingredients, and would look beyond his scales to offer him a career. Unfortunately, as nice as he was beneath the gruff exterior, Adrianna had nothing of the kind to offer him, and wished him luck in his endeavors.

To be fair he had been warned about potential seasickness before boarding. But he'd brushed it off - it was his first time on a boat, how was he supposed to know he'd become seasick? He was fine in carts, but boats seemed to be his downfall. Staring down at the putrid bile floating on the sea's surface he nearly retched again, pulling himself away from the railing and laying out, sprawl on the ship's deck. Ethan just wanted land again. Something solid to stand on. With a groan he laid his head back, staring up at the clear sky above, trying perhaps to find something to fix his gaze on. The Ydra woman had said something but he'd missed it, and asking her to repeat didn't seem like a good idea - she'd sounded rather angry she'd even been addressed. Why were people so anti-social on this ship? You couldn't avoid interacting on something so small, so you might as well make the best of it.

"H-Hey... That pet of yours... It's really cool!" Since he'd be laying here for the foreseeable future, and with no one else around, he went against his better judgement and started to speak again. At worst the woman would speak to him and he'd be able to have a somewhat pleasant conversation. Or perhaps he'd make a friend on this final leg of their journey - he'd not hold his breath for that one. Ethan craned his neck to look at the woman, flashing her an uneasy smile and giving another small wave. "Ethan, by the way. Sorry you had to see that, but uh... Better out than in, my mother always used to say! Though at this rate there won't be much left to come out..."

Was that too much information? It felt like too much information. Smiling sheepishly, Ethan raised an arm and laid it over his eyes, his other hand resting on his stomach as he belched. "If you don't mind my asking... What are you on the ship for...? It's just you seem kind of, well... Not like the sort of person who usually does this." He let out a laugh when realizing the irony of his own words: he was just as new to this experience as the woman, if not more so. Next time he was definitely taking a horse, he didn't care if it took him an extra day or two. "Heading to Galloway for work, kind of excited. Never been there, heck Orosi was the biggest city I've ever seen. Well... Second. Probably." For someone he was positive had no desire to speak to him, Ethan sure was pressing his luck. But what was there to do besides chat?

That they should have to work with someone as useless as Ethan. Kent couldn't decide if the kid's heart wasn't in it or if he was really just that hopeless as a Hunter. He'd drawn the short straw and the argument made was asinine: Ethan needed experience. It was their handler's fault for never allowing the kid on any real missions. Once they arrived in Galloway he'd come up with some excuse to send the novice off - probably some list of errands, anything to get him out of the way while work was done. Their mark wasn't going to be an easy one to bring in and they needed combat ready Magi, and people who were used to containing fights, not letting them spill into the streets. Ethan couldn't contain his damned lunch, much less a magic duel.

Kent had been his way below deck when he caught wind of something peculiar. On his way by the kitchens he overheard a conversation that piqued his interest, and without a word he leaned against the wall, standing just outside the doors. The smell he recognized immediately - not the stew, but what was inside the stew. His face contorted into a scowl and he folded his arms across his chest tightly. Simple-minded people, taking part in drugs aboard a ship. And leave it to a Naga to be the perpetrator, he'd been right to refuse the bastard's food earlier. Kent listened to the conversation further, seeing if he could glean anything of importance from it. Nothing but idle chatter and pleasantries, though he was further annoyed by how idiotic the Naga sounded. He was right, no one was going to hire a man like him. Certainly not after people found out how he prepared his food. The Hunter was no fool - he knew plenty of influential people used drugs like these, and worse still, but he had no use for them. They were the weak's way of getting a hold of the strong, a way for those too craven or without skill to turn a profit.

"I would temper your expectations, Naga. Don't delude yourself with dreams of grandeur." Entering the kitchen, hand on the hilt of the sword at his hip, Kent narrowed his eyes. The boy he didn't recognize at all, probably having spent the entirety of this voyage below deck. He seemed young, arguably far too young to be taking anything of the sorts. Glancing at Gideard disdainfully he extended a hand out, nodding towards the pot of stew - the smaller of the two, where the stench was coming from. It took one whiff to confirm what he'd suspected and he dumped it out on the floor, throwing the bowl into the wall and shattering it. "Dump out the entirety of that stew, now. And turn over the coin you've gained from selling it. Unless you'd prefer to speak with the guard when we arrive in Galloway...?"

Adrianna looked up at the sound of a scolding voice. She didn’t recognize the man, but she recognized the insignia he wore. Hunter. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest. He already had his hand on his blade, as if he expected a fight. She had been sitting on the counter against the wall, and kept her head down as he looked over at her. He grabbed her bowl, sniffing the contents to ensure that it was enhanced, and then threw it against the wall. The bowl shattered, and the contents Adrianna had not yet eaten spilled onto the floor. She flinched at the sound, and looked up at Kent, the spoon still hanging out of her mouth. Slowly, she took the spoon out of her mouth, laying it down beside her as Kent lectured at the Naga to dump out the rest of the stew.

What a waste.

Gideard put his head down as well, not wanting the hunter to see the glare plastered across his face. The Naga moved over to the bowl, covering it as he picked it up off of the stove, holding it with rags on the hot handles as he brought it over to the sink.

“Bully.” Adrianna said under her breath, though probably still loud enough for the hunter to hear her. Had she not just been… engaging in illicit behavior, she might have refrained from calling him out, but her inhibitions were a bit lower for the moment.

“Excuse me?” Kent turned towards her, using his larger frame to make it rather difficult for her to try to escape, not that there was anywhere for her to go at the moment.

“I…” Adrianna looked over at Gideard, but he was not going to help her out on this. He was still trying to hope that Kent would forget about the whole extortion part of this affair. After all, he used quite a bit of his good stock to make that stock…and hadn’t exactly turned a profit yet. “You are being a bully. Chasing down Naga Leaves isn’t exactly what you are being paid to do…” She gestured to the insignia he wore. “You are supposed to hunt magii. Shouldn’t you focus on that?”

Kent answered that he dealt with Naga when they were serving drugs, acting like it was a huge deal that they were onboard the ship.

“We aren’t even IN Galloway yet. This is the ocean. Last I checked, you didn’t own the Ocean.” Adrianna continued to shove her foot in her mouth, recalling one of the reasons she had considered leaving the land and traveling by sea…to get further from the influence of the Church.

“No, but we are on an Adelon ship. Which means this ship is bound by our kingdom’s laws. Which means…” He nodded to the soup. “That, is illegal.”

Adrianna scoffed, sliding off the table and moving around him. Hunters were so uppity. They believed all laws were theirs to enforce, instead of just worry about magii, like they were actually supposed to. Kent let her pass, and though she wanted to stick up for the Naga, she didn’t want to get in trouble with authorities at Galloway either. Last thing she needed was to be tossed in a crowded cell for a day. She adjusted the fingerless gloves on her hands as she moved through the halls to one of the higher decks. She was still quite angry, and finally decided to just go to the top to get some fresh air. Adrianna immediately spotted another of the hunters near the railing, and so went the opposite direction. She had her fill of hunters for a while.

Yarri just raised an eyebrow when the man talked about Shaela as a ‘cool pet’, remembering some of the fights they have been in. Where her ‘pet’ ripped a man’s throat open. But here apparently she was just a big cuddly cat. Perhaps it was for the best. Yarri didn’t want to have any problems or to draw unnecessary attention.

‘Not sort of the person that usually does this? Have you looked into the mirror lately?’ she thought, almost laughing. “I’m Yarri,” she said. ‘Why am I even talking to him?’ But once she started, it was surprisingly hard to stop. “I’m not a fan of big cities, or ships for that matter. It’s just a way to get from one place to another fast enough.” ‘Especially when the hunters are after you.’

The truth is, she didn’t actually know what she would do when they reach Galloway. She never planned ahead much; she just hoped there would be some woods or a jungle nearby where she could get lost and just run around, hunting and hiding from people. Altough as the world became more and more civilized, this was much harder thing to do – jungles and forests slowly disappearing, every piece of land belonging to someone. And people didn’t like when someone hunted on ‘their’ land.

She was even considering asking Ethan what kind of job he is up to and if he needed some help, for a proper payment of course, when stronger blow of the wind moved his cloak away from his shoulder. Yarri had to bite her lip not to growl on the man. He was one of them! She quickly looked around, but for now they seemed to be alone on this part of the ship. For a split second, Yarri considered killing him. Just a quick move with a knife and the body would fall overboard. No one would notice. But… he was just a kid. She hated his kind, but they weren’t here after her. She decided to be as inconspicuous as possible from now on. ‘As if that is going to work in your case,’ she laughed to herself. “I think I'm going to look for my... pet," she said.

"N-Nice to meet you, Yarri! And yeah,,, I think after today I'm not a fan of ships either..." His sorry state said as much, and even now he was fighting to not lose what little might be left inside of his stomach. Having a conversation with someone helped take his mind off things - shame then it ended so abruptly. Ethan was puzzled when given the cold shoulder, wondering if he'd somehow offended the woman. All he'd done was agree with her. They sat in awkward silence for a moment until Yarri broke it, leaving a disappointed Ethan by himself again.

"Oh... Okay then! Well uh, give her a petting for me would you? I'd do it but, you know..." Ethan trailed, gesturing to the railing, "Got my post to look after!" With a small chuckle he laid back on the deck once more, finding himself to fare a bit better when lower. Just a few hours to go. Glancing up at the sky again he watched a cloud drift by, wondering if he'd get sick upon a cloud. Could you ride a cloud...? It had to be better than being on a ship, anything would be better than this. Smiling to himself his eyebrows raised slightly when a young child popped into his view, looking down at him with a whimsical smile of their own. "Uh... Hi there," he muttered, flashing them a smile.

The child giggled and reached down, prodding the boy's nose. "Why're you lying down, mister?"

"Because I'm sick," Ethan groaned, putting his hands on his stomach. Wriggling his nose when poked again he grinned, reaching up and returning the gesture. "Hey... Weren't you chasing that cat a minute ago?"

"Yeah... But the lady said we couldn't play with her anymore, and my brother went downstairs to find mommy and daddy." The girl puffed her cheeks and let out a huff, then smiled again and grabbed Ethan's shirt, pulling on it excitably. "Play with me, mister! Chase me!"

Seriously? He was going to have to run around? The girl seemed adamant and Ethan hadn't in him to tell her no, she seemed so earnest and eager. Slowly sitting up he covered his mouth and belched, smiling sheepishly. "Alright, alright. But if I say I need to stop then we have to stop, okay? Running's probably not good for my stomach right now..." And the girl was off, running away giggling before he'd even finished speaking. Resigning himself with a sigh, Ethan climbed to his feet and took a few unsteady steps, breathing deeply before jogging after the girl. "Come here you!"



"Uh... Captain? You should see this..."

One of the many devices outfitted aboard the Marigold was a depth chart, one of the first to be employed. It was installed as a trial device and never used, in fact most of the crew tended to ignore it. Yet the spikes in activity beneath the water was causing its readings to flare up. The captain approached the counter and looked to the device, then his crew, a deep frown etched on his face. This was nothing unheard of, the waterways of Adelon could be perilous in ways unseen. Yet for something to be registering in the middle of the Thalassa Sea...

"Sir! Reports of a large wave off of the aft! Approximately a kilometer off and closing fast!"

How? When? They hadn't felt any tremors, and any time a wave suddenly sprouted this far out it was because of a quake. The Marigold wasn't equipped to take large waves, her hull was sturdy but not weighted, meaning capsizing was a very likely. And without any sizable holds to take on excess water it meant the cabins would flood, along with the storage rooms, and likely the engine room. The Captain would bemoan his sorry excuse for a ship later, he needed to warn the passengers. Hurrying to the intercom turned it on, speaking to the entirety of the vessel.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain! I need everyone to calmly return to their quarters and grab your life jackets. Anyone without one will be given one by the crew. You are to remain below deck until told otherwise. We are about to be struck by a wave, and are expecting a worst-case scenario." No sense in sugar coating things, people would panic but at least this way they'd save some lives. Barking out a series of orders, he then continued. "In the event of the ship capsizing, you will use the emergency hatches to get above the water. Crew will help escort you, and our escape vessels will be launched. Women and children proceed first, then the men. If anyone cannot swim, inform a crew member. That is all, hang in there everyone, we'll get through this!"

Adrianna got a few minutes to gather herself and get some fresh air. She had avoided the hunters, and instead watched some of the crew and guests wander around the deck. One of the hunters ran towards her a short while later, chasing some small child. She did a double take, worried for a moment that she was some magi child and he was chasing her maliciously.

Fortunately, Adrianna realized quickly that they were just playing, by the girl’s happy squealing. The hunter looked…oddly familiar, but Adrianna didn’t have much time to ponder that, as an announcement sounded. Though the captain was calm, Adrianna was pretty confident that the situation was far from normal. They needed to get down to their cabins, and get their life-jackets on. Good thing she could swim. Still, she looked up at the sky curiously at the end of it. True, he had said they would be struck by a wave, but she thought waves came with storms, and she saw nothing. She turned her attention out towards the sea, looking for the wave that was mentioned.

The families with children rushed about to gather together and go downstairs to their rooms. Adrianna was somewhere in the middle, after the immediate flurry but before the crew had to usher her down. She went to her private room, gathering her possessions and putting everything on her person. Most of her herbs were already stored in a bag that stayed protected from most water, like rain, but she opened it up and ensured that they were well-wrapped in case of total submersion as well. In the same pouch, she checked on some of her…other supplies as well. The small cloths also weren’t supposed to get wet, and as she was running quite low on them, she did not want to risk losing any of them. She hadn’t been able to comfortably restock those in the last town she went to, and now she did not have enough to last the next cycle.

What if we end up at sea for days? [/i]That is silly. We won’t end up adrift that long. The currents will bring us to land. We were only a few hours from port as it was.[/i]

What if we come about not at port, but in the middle of nowhere? What if it takes weeks to get to civilization? Calm down. You’ve got some time before it returns. And if it does, you have some wrapping for injuries….and there will be other women. It is not like you were the only adult woman on the board.

Deep breath. Take it one day at a time. One moment at a time. No use getting all worked up for naught.

Adrianna finished securing her supplies in her water-proof bag, and attached it to her waist. She put her satchel over her shoulder, and then she put the life-jacket on as well, even though she felt a little bit stupid wearing it while just sitting on her bed. Looking stupid and being alive was better than looking awesome and dead.

She replayed the rest of the captain’s message over again in her head. If they began to capsize, go out the emergency hatches, board the emergency vessels, and hope for the best. Women and children were first, but Adrianna didn’t mind waiting. Though…as she continued to sit there, she wondered if it was better to try to evacuate with the women. She had already run into hunters here on the boat, but none of them were women. If she wanted to stay away from them, it might be better to unbind herself and go early…At least one of them might have the supplies she needed. Heh.

Yarri froze when she heard the captain’s announcement. ‘Stupid ships. Stupid sea. Did he mean the ship would TIP OVER?!’ She could swim, but for how long? There was nothing around for miles and miles, except maybe for some hungry things in the water, so they probably wouldn’t have to be swimming for long. She took Shaela to the cabin and frowned at the life jacket. No way she was going to put ‘that’ on.

Shaela could swim too – she seemed to avoid it whenever she could, but she wouldn’t drown, at least not right away. The captain said something about escape vessels, Yarri hoped that there is enough space for everyone, the ship seemed rather crowded. ‘Maybe the hunters will drown,’ she thought with a small smile. It would be at least a small satisfaction.

Yarri and Shaela sat together on the ground in the cabin’s corner. “Sorry I dragged you into this,” Yarri whispered and scratched the cougar behind her ear. Shaela looked up to her, licked her face and Yarri giggled. “Yea, I love you too. But don’t tell anyone, I have a reputation to maintain.”

She wondered about how there could be such a big wave. There was no storm, the wind was rather mild, there were almost no clouds in sight from what she could remember. She growled quietly. In the history of bad ideas, getting on this dumb thing was the obvious winner.

Cecil wasn’t making much of an attempt to be aware of his surroundings, all these people were effectively strangers and it would be risky to get involved with them; besides, a few of them had fairly big animals and he wasn’t wanting to get muddled up in that. He was fine by himself, he had been like that for as long as he could remember which understandably wasn’t a very long time. He hadn’t been active for all that long, it had felt like a lifetime to him. With everybody minding their own business or getting in to the affairs of others, Cecil felt something strange pretty suddenly.

Looking out over the water there was something that was alerting him, something that was making him feel uneasy. There was some sort of threat off in the distance, but he didn’t recognise what it was: just because he had these internal programs that were all a part of him didn’t mean he knew what they were. He had to learn what certain alerts meant, with this one was one being one he was not familiar with at all. Frowning, he looked around to see if anybody else had noticed yet, but sure enough there was an announcement coming from somewhere. It was a fair sized wave that was travelling this way and by the announcement’s guess it was going to possibly tip the boat. That wasn’t good, there was no way he was going to be able to keep on top of the water if the boat was going to tip.

What was he supposed to do? He hadn’t needed to deal with something like this before. Almost contemplating jumping in he decided it was probably best to follow the instructions and head to his cabin to get one of these lifejacket things, however that was supposed to help him. Dashing off quickly he dodged a few of the panicked people, running off to where he had been instructed to stay if weary or whatever and made a dash to grab this lifejacket thing. Quickly entering the rather small but cozy room he found what they must had meant, looking back to the outside to see some wearing the thing. It must had been it, so quickly he grabbed it and ran out, analysing others to see how you wore it. They were all told to remain below deck, but some groups of people appeared to be quite eager to be near an emergency hatch. These must’ve been the women and children who decided to create a bit of a panic, giving him the idea to try and blend in with them so he wasn’t alone.

Ethan was never, EVER going to get on a boat again. The seasickness was dreadful but manageable - he'd survive being queasy long enough to reach port. But now they were going to potentially capsize? He knew how to swim just fine, he'd spent plenty of time in the rivers around Kinsgrove, but just how far out were they? Worrying about himself aside there were children aboard the Marigold too, one of which was with him now. And bawling her eyes out. The Captain's insistence for calm and order did little in the face of panic, and panicking the passengers were. Picking up the child he looked around desperately before spotting her parents by the stairwell, calling for her. Cutting his way through the crowd, Ethan handed the girl over and gave the parents a reassuring grin - for whatever good that might do. He couldn't stop a wave from hitting this boat, his magic was nowhere near that powerful.

"Everyone, get to your quarters! Brace for the wave, do not come out unless explicitly told to!" Over the shouting and screaming, Kent's voice somehow rang above all of it. Already a head above most people he had an air of authority about him - one Ethan sorely lacked. Spotting his companion, the elder Magi gestured down to the decks below, pausing to wave another group down into the hull of the ship. "Make sure that everyone gets to their rooms safely! And go find the Captain, ask him if you can help in any way."

Ethan didn't know what people were going to ask of him, or what he could even help with. But orders were orders. "Uh... S-Sure! But what are you going to do...?"

"Stop the wave, of course. Otherwise people are going to die." How he would stop a wave was beyond him, but only three Magi - four, if their target was on board, were present. No normal person could hope to avert a disaster, not without magic. Demanding Ethan to get to work he watched the boy run down the stairs, sighing to himself. To the stern of the ship he went, narrowing his eyes and shielding them from the sun as he looked for the wave. Just off in the horizon to the east he could make it out, a rise in the water, unnatural in every sense of the word. The how and why of the wave didn't matter, he only needed to focus on saving the Marigold.

Uncertain of what to do with himself, Ethan approached the first crew hand he found, asking for directions. Seeing the insignia on the boy's shoulder he was instructed to help ensure passengers were ready for impact. Darting from room to room, the few he could find occupied, he gave a quick glance to see if people had their jackets on. With his magic it took him no time at all to pass through the halls, and just as well - the wave was closing in. Crew members were running to and fro, sealing hatches and locking bulkheads, ones not necessary for escape. Once the passengers were accounted for Ethan darted up the stairs, somehow finding his way to the command deck. Barging into the room he found the captain and crew staring out the windows, fixated on something just outside. The wave?

Kent's face was sheen, not from surf but from sweat, pure exertion. Hands extended towards the stern he had cast a spell, a large barrier surrounding the entirety of the Marigold. It was the extent of his power and he hadn't a clue if it might hold up, but he needed to try something. Gritting his teeth and placing his left leg back he braced, pumping as much magic into the barrier as it could. The wave rose up to meet him, climbing at least a meter over the railings and coming crashing down into the barrier with a thunderous roar. Shouting and pushing back as his barrier flexed he fell to one knee, his muscles straining and chest constricting, feeling like he might nearly lose consciousness. Just as it seemed that the barrier would fail the wave disappeared, leaving the Marigold rocking back and forth but, miraculously, upright. Looking up as a light spray soaked him, Kent smiled and sank to his knees and hands, breathing labored. He'd done it, somehow. Behind him he could hear the cheers of the crew above, but he hadn't the strength to even lift his head and acknowledge them, much less celebrate himself.

"C-CAPTAIN! PROBLEM!"

Ethan's eyes widened seeing it himself, and all cheers promptly died out as a deathly silence filled the room. A second wave several meters higher than the first had appeared, having appeared perhaps behind the first. Avoiding it was out of the question, and one look at Kent struggling to get his footing confirmed what they were all thinking. The Captain gave a shout to brace just as the wave rose above the Marigold, and with a deafening roar, several hundred tons of water bore down on the ship. Windows in the cabin were shattered and the room filled, the ship being thrown about like a toy under the force of the wave. People below were thrown about, and everything inverted as the ship was thrown onto its side, then ultimately upside down. Her hull now sat above water, and everyone on board - Ethan included, was beneath the waves.

The sound of faint chatter was the first sign he wasn't dead. His body felt heavy, clothing soaked and chilled to the bone, but he was alive. Ethan's eyes slowly opened themselves and he was mystified to find he was on the shoreline. Groaning, he lifted his head and slowly pushed himself up, looking around at the scene before him. Several small boats sat on the shoreline, and a few more still coming in from the water. A few familiar faces he recognized, the Ydra woman and her cat, the captain, some of the faces he briefly saw before the wave hit. Relief was quickly overshadowed by dismay as he looked down the beach further, noticing several people laid out and lined up, not a single one moving and several other people over them, crying or desperately trying to resuscitate them. Among them was Kent, skin pale and blue, with several crew members unsuccessfully trying to administer CPR. Not everyone had made it out then...

Her lungs were filled, and she turned her head to the side and coughed out heaps of the salty ocean water. She didn’t remember the ship sinking. She was prepared, she thought, and then…

“There there. Take it easy, sugar.” A soft and kind voice spoke, and Adrianna immediately looked over towards the source of the sound. The woman was likely a few years younger than Adrianna, though it was possible they were the same age. She was likely attractive, if she hadn’t looked like a drowned rat, with makeup streaks along her cheeks from thick liner.

She patted Adrianna’s back as Adrianna coughed up more water, but as her senses returned to her, Adrianna tensed and tried to get out of the woman’s reach. Adrianna rolled onto her stomach, though her limbs felt like jelly, and began to scoot away. “Aw honey, calm down. Stay here. It’s going to be okay. You have a few cuts on you. Let me look at them.” She reached out once more for Adrianna, but the magi panicked.

“Don’t fucking touch me!” She shouted. “Get away from me!!” Her voice sounded high compared to her usual calm, collected way of speaking. Fortunately, it could easily be attributed to the cracking that occurred in young men going through puberty. She twisted her arm from the woman’s grasp, ending up on her back once more, and she scooted away a few feet.

The woman’s kind disposition melted away and she glared at Adrianna. “You don’t have to be such a jackass. A simple ‘Thanks for saving my life’ would do just fine.” She glowered.

Adrianna had another coughing fit, and when she looked up again, her rescuer was preoccupied with someone else. Good. The last thing she needed was someone touching her and…trying to tend to her. Ugh.

As she got better control of her limbs, Adrianna moved off a little way from the others. She shed the jacket that had likely saved her life while she floated unconscious through the water, and possible led to her being dragged onto the shore and resuscitated. The woman was right. She did deserve a little gratitude, and she was right to be upset. But it was better for Adrianna to keep her distance for now, rather than get to close to someone. Last she remembered, there were hunters on that ship.

Her clothing was soaked, and unlike most of the other men, she wasn’t ready to peel off all of her layers and let things dry. She did take off her pack, grateful she had attached it beneath the life jacket, and took off her boots before assessing the cuts the woman had mentioned earlier. They weren’t bad, just a few on her arms, though a cut on the life jacket itself suggested she would have had a rather nasty piece of glass embedded in her chest if not for the bright orange vest.

Adrianna was glad she had wrapped her kit well, because most of the herbs and gauze still seemed to be dry. In the back of her mind, she knew the right thing to do was to take care of the others now—to help revive those who could come back, and then tend to their injuries. She knew it was the right thing to do, but she had to make sure she had her own faculties first.

One of the cuts on her arm needed to be stitched, but the other two simply shared a bandage wrapped around that region of her forearm. Fortunately, the stitching needed to occur on the non-dominant hand’s arm, and she spent the next few minutes taking care of that. She could have healed herself… but someone had already noticed her cuts, and having them disappear would be pretty damn suspicious.
Once her immediate needs were tended to, Adrianna did her best to get her mind off of her still dripping clothing. She looked around instead, briefly taking in the people, and then looking beyond them down the shoreline, desperately hoping she would see a pier, or another helpful landmark of civilization.

Yarri was sitting in her cabin and waiting. Under normal circumstances, she was a very patient person – you cannot be a good hunter without the ability to remain still for long periods of time. But this was a different kind of waiting. Waiting for something that she couldn’t possibly influence. Waiting trapped in a small room on a small ship in the middle of nothing, nowhere to run or hide if things go sideways. Waiting for a possible death.

She growled angrily and for the millionth time swore to herself she would never go on another boat ever again. Shaela jumped up to her feet and hissed, sensing danger. Just a second later, Yarri could feel it too – the ship was going a bit up and shaking. There was a loud noise from all the water trying to tear the ship apart and then silence, followed by loud cheering. ‘Hmm, this wasn’t that bad,’ Yarri thought, before glancing at Shaela.

The cougar was alerted, growling, her ears lying flat towards the back of her head and the fur on her back and tail bristled. Yarri froze. She didn’t remember seeing Shaela this horrified before. She quickly jumped up and collected her weapons, tying them closely together and then to a strap around her body. She rushed out of the cabin and then stood in the corridor, unsure of what to do.

The sea decided it for her – suddenly the floor jumped up, throwing her to the ceiling, then back down and then everything rotated around, sending her flying around like a ragged doll. When things finally stood still, Yarri got up on her shaky legs. There was a light blinking right beneath her feet. The ship really did turn upside down, which meant it would quickly start filling up with water. Suppressing the horrifying thought that the ship is already halfway to the bottom of the ocean, with just a few bubbles of air remaining below the deck, she turned around to look for Shaela.

The cougar jumped out of the cabin door, slightly bloodied from hitting something, but alive and without serious injuries. “Fuck this ship,” Yarri mumbled, remembering that the captain said to go to the escape hatches. Fortunately, there were glowing arrows to guide the way. “Fuck the ocean.” There were some bodies lying on the ground, one man clearly dead with his head hanging in a sharp angle, and a young woman, unconscious, but breathing. Yarri picked her up, muttering all the curses she knew, and continued to the escape hatch.

Finally getting to the hatch, she saw one of the crewmembers, helping people get out of the ship, giving them life jackets. There were a few small boats around the hatch and people were boarding them. “Did you check the B2 corridor?” the crewmember yelled at another one, who was coming to the hatch, supporting two bleeding and limping people.

The man just shook his head. “It is starting to fill with water, there is no time.”

“Which way is it?” Yarri shouted at the crewmembers.

“There is no time!”

“Just shut up and show me the way!”

The crewmember just shook his head and pointed to one of the corridors. “It is the second one to the left. We can’t wait much longer.”

“Then don’t. Take Shaela on a boat if there is space.” She handed the unconscious girl to him and sent the cougar out of the hatch. ‘Why the hell am I doing this?’ she thought, running around the corridor and checking rooms. There were already few inches of cold water on the ground and its level seemed to be increasing faster than she would like. All of the rooms she had checked were empty. She kicked the door to the last cabin, finding two kids kneeling beside their father. The man had a badly broken leg, a piece of the bone was sticking out bellow his knew.

“Save my children,” he mumbled when he saw her.

“To hell with this.” She quickly grabbed him and put him over her shoulder, making him scream loudly when his injured leg moved. “Run by the arrows, I will help your father,” she told the kids. “NOW!” she yelled when they hesitated, making them dart out of the cabin.

Yarri was much slower now, the man wasn’t of the lightest and the fact that she had to wade knee-high water also didn’t help much. Grunting and panting heavily she made it to the escape hatch, relieved to see that the kids were entering the last boat. The man she was carrying was silent now, she hoped that he had only lost his consciousness. The crewmember to whom she talked before jumped back to the ship, helping her with the man. The hatch was now barely above the sea level and as Yarri jumped out of the ship, the water started pouring in.

They put the father into the boat and the crewmember jumped in, grabbing a paddle. “Come on!” he yelled at her, but Yarri, waist down in the water by then, suddenly felt a strong pull back. The ship started to sink fast, creating a swirling vortex of water currents. She didn’t have time to scream out or even take a deeper breath as she was pulled under water and dragged mercilessly back to the escape hatch.
Acting more from an instinct than some conscious thought, she took out a dagger and shoved it to the ship’s hull. She must have been lucky to hit some gap between the platings, because the dagger went in. She desperately held to it with both hands, the only thought on her mind being that if she would get sucked back into the ship, she would end up at the bottom of the sea with it.

When the crazy currents finally calmed down a little, Yarri faced a new problem – she was being dragged down with the ship now, already several meters deep. She bounced off the hull as hard as she could towards the light that signalized the water surface. Her lungs were burning already, her brain desperately ordering her mouth to open and breathe in.

‘Well I could sure use the stupid life jacked now,’ she thought as she finally pierced the water surface. Breathing heavily, she tried to keep her head above water. Looking around, she saw some wreckage from the ship, and, to her huge relief, a boat heading towards her. When they pulled her in, she could just lie there, coughing and panting.

She must have fallen asleep for a bit, because when she opened her eyes, the boat was already ashore, its passengers walking around, confused and shaken. The crewmembers were trying to organize things and to make sure that everyone’s injuries would be taken care of. She sighed with relief when she saw Shaela running towards her. She scratched her under the chin. “Let’s not do ‘that’ again.”

Yarri looked around. Under other circumstances the beach could be considered a beautiful place. Now, filled with people, boats, wreckage and also what seemed to be a line of dead bodies, you wouldn’t probably consider it a great vacation destination. The beach ended at the tree line and Yarri headed towards it. She wasn’t really sure of what to do – her conscience commanded her to stay here and help take care of the people, especially as it seemed that the nearest civilization is rather far away from here. But she rarely listened to her conscience. In fact, until a few hours ago, she didn’t even know she had one. The smart thing would be to just disappear. Especially since the hunters were on board, at she saw at least one of them survived.

Still hesitant, she examined the edge of the forest, looking for signs of danger. Or signs of potential food. Shaela followed her quietly, carefully sniffing every tree and every rock.

What was he meant to do now? Kent was gone, the other Magi they had been working with - a Varuna named Kresh, was nowhere to be seen. He was the only Hunter present now and, simply put, Ethan was overwhelmed. Did he carry on trying to find their target or help with the situation at hand? Could he help? Rising to his feet he stumbled along the beach, shivering and soaked to the bone, trying to find some way to help. Perhaps the lone doctor aboard the Marigold was currently working on a young woman who sported a gruesome injury, a jagged piece of metal protruding from her leg. Blood didn't bother him too much but hearing her cries of pain was unsettling. Forcing a weak smile, Ethan knelt down beside the man with the offer to help, feeling like he was going through the paces now. Control the situation, keep the civilians safe, maintain order. His training rang in his ears and he'd do his best to do just that - even if "maintaining order" was a bit beyond him right now.

"You there! Yes, you. Hold her leg, Keep it steady now!" The doctor grabbed a small, sealed container and opened it up, visibly relaxing finding its contents undamaged. Taking out a roll of bandages, gauze and a bottle of some kind of oil, he took off his shirt and laid it beneath the woman's leg. "She's going to bleed once we remove the glass. It's missed an artery but be ready, you'll need to apply pressure above the wound and hold her still for me. Ma'am, this is going to hurt, just bear with it."

Ethan nodded stiffly, looking at the woman's contorted features. "Y-You're going to be okay, hang in there! The doctor will fix you up!" For what little his encouragement did as the woman was covering her face with her hand, sobbing and trying her best to remain still. Ethan nodded when told to be ready, placing both hands on the woman's leg. The glass was pulled and blood immediately began to pool around the wound, inciting a gasp as he tried to stifle it with his hands. Doing as he was told he applied pressure instead to the area around the wound - a bit difficult with his hands slick from blood. The doctor applied his oils which made the pain worse, then cleaned up the wound swiftly before applying gauze, and finally the bandages. The entire ordeal took but two minutes, though with the woman screaming and cursing it felt ten times as long.

"She's lost a decent amount of blood, but the wound isn't a fatal one. I have to see to the others, keep an eye on her for now and make sure she doesn't crash, understood?" Ethan nodded and the doctor gathered his tools, rushing off to a group beckoning to him. Their supplies were low and he was the only one who apparently had medical training - people were going to die, even more than already had.

Collapsing into the sand with a groan, Ethan hung his head and closed his eyes. He was beside himself and hadn't the foggiest idea what to do now that Kent was gone and Karesh was nowhere to be seen. For the moment he'd remain here to help, but after that...?

"Thank you..."

Ethan glanced at the woman and smiled slightly, giving a simple nod of his head. She looked awful, truth be told - drenched, pale, trembling still and her clothing bloodied. But she was alive, which is what he assumed she was thanking him for.

"Thank you for taking care... Of those damned Magi..." With her eyes shut she couldn't see Ethan's face fall, and the silence she took as an acceptance. She smiled weakly and reached out, grabbing Ethan's arm. "My husband, he was killed by a Magi. They're nothing but murderers and thieves now. People like you... You keep us safe, so... Thank you..."

"Y-yeah... Don't mention it..." The woman went silent and he worried for a moment they might have lost her, but seeing her chest rise and fall gently brushed aside those fears. It was nice to be thanked - when putting in time and effort into something, recognition could be nice. But Ethan didn't want to be thanked, not for that. Not all Magi were bad people. Not all thieves were bad people, and... He'd even argue not all killers were bad people. Call it naivete, call it optimism, call him an idiot, but he didn't believe in labeling a whole group of people as bad. If he'd learned anything since arriving in the cities is that good, and bad people, came from every walk of life. Between the sinners and the saints, evil didn't discriminate.

The woman was billed as 'stable' when the doctor returned, giving Ethan the freedom to move about once more. Bidding her farewell he looked around the beach uncertainly, trying to find some sense of direction. Nearby, the captain and a few members of his crew were having an animated discussion, the former looking to be trying to quell a disagreement. With an uneasy smile Ethan approached, hoping perhaps to help with whatever discussion they were having.

"There are too many injured, we can't transport everyone as we are, not like this," reaffirmed the captain. "We'd be at risk for drawing beasts, the best we can do is send out a party to find help and bring the guard here."

"People are goin' to DIE, captain! We've gotta move them now!"

"How? We have no carts, no carriages, and we can't transport them on the boats, there isn't enough room for everyone. And Galloway's too far to make it on those anyway. No, we need to find the nearest town and get help there." The captain paused when Ethan approached the group, giving the boy a slight, weary smile. "Glad to see you made it, boy. You're looking less green now that we're on land."

Ethan thanked him sheepishly, rubbing at a small cut on his cheek. The crew admonished him with impatient glares, clearly not welcoming of the seemingly hapless boy in their midst. And his next words made them none the more pleased with his presence. "I uh... Overheard some of your conversation. If you'd like... I can try and find some help?"

One of the crew members, a boy roughly his age, was the first to speak up. "Absolutely not! If we leave people here they'll be killed! We can't just sit here and wait to be saved!"

"Yer asking us to just wait here and expect some kid to save us?"

Ethan smiled uncertainly, pulling back his cloak and revealing the patch on his upper arm. From skepticism to disbelief the men all glanced at it, then their captain. "I'm not totally helpless, if you need help then I can help," he argued, concealing the patch again and looking at the captain, "Please. I'm... Still kind of new at this, but it's my job to help, so let me help. I'll find someone who can get these people what they need, and I'll do it as quickly as I can."

"That... Would be fantastic. We can send you and a few others out, there's a town just about 20 kilometers or so to the south. If you left now and made quick of it, you could probably get there and back... By this time tomorrow." It was honestly still faster than if they tried to transport the wounded, given how careful they would need to be. "Alert the guard, the town's healers, whoever you can find. See if they have room for about a dozen wounded, tell them its an emergency. We'll remain here and keep everyone safe, this is a good a spot as any to rest." Water to their back, wide open space to their front, it was easily defensible. Their supplies were low but, with luck, they would only need a day.

Right. Find help, get supplies, help get everyone to the nearest town. He could manage that much, especially if he had others helping. "You got it sir! I won't let you down!" Though... There was one slight problem. Ethan glanced up and down the beach before smiling weakly, itching at his nose and letting out a chuckle. "Uh... Wh-which way is south...?"

You’re being selfish.

I’m being practical.

People are going to die because you are sitting here twiddling your thumbs instead of helping.

People are always dying. It’s what we do best.

Do you really want to have nightmares of these screams and think. “What if I hadn’t been a cynical ass and had actually tried to help them?”

Stop exaggerating.

During these internal arguments, Adrian was more interested in self-preservation, and Adrianna knew that she had been given these powers to help people. She had learned to heal people, with and without magic, and withholding it felt like stealing bread from a peasant. The potential for guilt overrode the potential for being discovered, and Adrianna climbed to her feet, throwing her bag over her shoulder.

While she had been arguing with herself, her eyes had been following the doctor, and the few who were trying to help. Adrianna approached him quickly, after the doctor left some skinny white-haired dude watching over a lady with a leg injury. She didn’t pay much attention to the Muran, even though the fact that he was rather young and white-haired should have set off alarms. She was focused on helping people. And probably avoiding that lady she had cursed at.

“I can help.” Adrianna said, sitting on the opposite side as the Doctor for their next patient. She didn’t pull out her own supplies, because the selfish part of her still understood that she might not be able to get more right away. The doctor had plenty, she told herself.

The man looked skeptical for a moment, but nodded, eager to accept whatever help he could get at that point. Adrianna quickly proved her worth. The older man had dislocated his shoulder, and Adrianna held him down so the doctor could set it. The next person was another with a large laceration, and some bits of wood coming out of her stomach. Adrianna mostly cleared the area and helped hold her down as the doctor removed the pieces of wood. She threaded his needle and held the skin so he could stitch, but stopped him when she noticed a 3cm shard still beneath the skin. Grabbing his tools, Adrianna quickly dug it out, and then resumed supporting his stitching. Whatever the doctor thought about his new assistant, he didn’t complain. Adrianna wasn’t squeamish around blood, and seemed to know exactly what he would need before he called for it. She certainly had seen her share of injuries. Another person screamed out, and the doctor looked for the source before looking back at Adrianna. “Can you stitch?” He asked.

“Yea, I’ll wrap this up. You go.” She said, cutting another length of the thread to use on the last two wounds in need of stitching. Adrianna didn’t make much small talk with the woman she was stitching. She mostly asked her to keep talking about herself to keep her conscious, and soon the man whose arm was dislocated came over and asked follow-up questions so she could just concentrate on the work. Once she was finished, Adrianna excused herself to clean up, check in with the doc, and see what else she could do.

As she walked, she passed by the captain and a few others who looked in charge, along with that white-haired guy again. She honestly might not have noticed him if not for the insanely stupid question he asked as she was passing. “Seriously?” She asked, glaring at him. She probably didn’t look like the most…sane individual, walking by holding a needle with her hands covered in blood. Fortunately, she had put her gloves away before starting to work with the doctor, saving those from being covered as well.

“It’s that way.” She pointed off along the beach.

Adrianna didn’t stick around for his response. She went to rinse her hands in the ocean, and then went to help out the doctor. It looked like most of the more grievous injuries had been tended to, though a few were so near-dead that Adrianna knew it would be a waste of supplies for them to try to bandage the wounds…unless she used her magic. It was too late for some, but there were others who could be saved if—

“Excuse me, are you using your assistant?” One of the crew members interrupted her thoughts, addressing the doctor. Adrianna was holding someone’s foot as the doctor bound the ankle with some spare cloth rather than wasting a bandage. The ankle was merely twisted, and there was no real risk of infection with using some scrap fabric.

Adrianna raised her brow but kept her mouth shut. While she didn’t mind being thought of as the doctor’s assistant, (hell, the gig actually sounded like it might be not-awful as a potential career prospect, albeit a little on-the-nose) she did not like the man asking him rather than addressing her about whether she was busy. The doctor asked what he needed, and the crew member explained that they were gathering a few people to go to the nearest town to get more help. He said that Adrianna, whom he called, the lad, looked pretty agile and uninjured, and seemed to have a better sense of direction than their other recruit. He gestured at the white-haired man and Adrianna chuckled.

“Well, it’s your choice, kid. Thanks for you help, in any case.” The doctor said, turning the decision (rightly) over to Adrianna.

She looked back and forth, affirming that most of the injuries had been tended to, and then agreed. “Who else is going?” She asked the crew member as the doctor finished with the binding and she excused herself.

“Just you two, so far. See anyone else who might be more use than burden?”

The pickings were slim, but there was one person, err, pair, rather, who stuck out to Adrianna. “Yea, I’ve got an idea.”

Adrianna walked over towards the sparsely dressed Ydra and her very large black…cougar? It looked formidable, which would hopefully keep them safe from some potential predators during the journey to the nearest town. Anticipating that the creature would get a bit defensive when she neared, Adrianna walked towards the edge of the woods slowly. “Excuse me?”

“Hey, Um… The crew wants to send a small group of people to the nearest town, a bit south of here, to try to get help for the injured. I was wondering if you wanted to come. It beats sitting around and waiting for…whatever hungry critters might be in the woods.” She chuckled, though it was a poor attempt at humor. “And I was hoping that your companion would be a good judge of potential threats while we travel.” She added. The Ydra was probably capable of defending herself and hunting, but Adrianna would have also assumed that most adults knew which way South was, so she had already been proven wrong once today.

“I’m Adrian, by the way.” She added.

Yarri was lost in thoughts. She could feel the woods calling to her and the urge to leave everything behind and just run was so strong that her muscles were twitching. The forest seemed so quiet and peaceful, compared to the busy beach behind her. She took out one of her javelins and leaned against it. Just holding a weapon in her hand felt good.

She glanced back at the beach. The wounded were mostly treated now, the doctor and one young boy were taking care of them with surprising efficiency. Still, it looked like the line of dead bodies was longer now. Yarri wondered how long will it take for the sea to wash out all the bodies ashore. And what will happen to those who remained aboard the Marigold. The thought was sending shivers down her spine.

To think that one should die like that, surrounded by all that metal and the cold salty water rushing in, grabbing you by your ankles, knees, waist. The last desperate gasps for air. And then the freezing darkness as the ship sinks to the bottom of that stupid ocean. Metal graveyard full of corpses. Yarri shook her head and spat on the ground, trying to get that thought out of her mind, but her mind was weirdly obsessed with it. She realized she was holding the javelin so tight that she almost couldn’t feel her fingers anymore.

“Stupid ocean,” she mumbled for the millionth time today. ‘Why exactly am I still here?’ She didn’t have an answer for that. She could have been miles away now, no one would go after her, not many people would probably even notice her not being there. She could live in these woods alone without any problems. Than why did she still hesitate?

“Stupid people.” Most of them seemed absolutely useless out here, and unless there is some civilization less than two hours away from here, they were most likely bound to get themselves killed within a day. ‘I don’t have any obligations to them.’ Then why was she even arguing with herself?

Shaela growled quietly, interrupting Yarri’s thoughts. The boy who was helping the doctor earlier was coming towards her. Yarri didn’t remember meeting him on the ship too much, maybe just catching a glimpse of him once or twice. Looks like she wasn’t the only one who liked to keep to herself. That was almost likeable. She watched him approach her, throwing cautious looks on Shaela.

By the time the boy had finished talking, Yarri was frowning. The idea itself wasn’t that bad, but its execution from the hands of these people was debatable. “I’m Yarri. Who else is supposed to be in this ‘small group’?” She looked over the group forming at the beach. Some crew members and of course, that young hunter. She had to suppress the urge to hiss. Perhaps she was spending too much time with just Shaela.

She definitely didn’t want to go anywhere with that hunter. But she also couldn’t afford to raise suspicion. So many decisions. “All right, we will go with you.” Quiet distant sound of a twig cracking caught her attention. Shaela sniffed. A prey was nearby. “Head south, I will catch up with you,” she said and entered the forest, leaving the surprised boy behind.

Using her tracking magic was dangerous with a hunter nearby, but she didn’t really think about it, it was more of an instinct for her. Shaela disappeared in the dense vegetation, circling around the animal, but Yarri could still feel her through their connection. She quickly but quietly approached the target, making sure to stay down the wind, so it wouldn’t smell them and get alerted. Glimpsing through Shaela’s eyes she could see the animal from a different angle. It looked like a small horse with a shorter neck. Yarri had never seen it before, but no doubt it was edible.

She weighted the javelin in her hand and threw it, one strong and deadly movement and the animal went silently to the ground. A second smaller one darted away, but Shaela jumped on it and tore its throat with her teeth. “Yea, you can keep that one.”

Yarri dragged the animal to the beach, right in front of the surprised crew. “I hope you can find someone to skin it and cook it. I’m going after the rescue party.” She didn’t wait for any reply or their thanks. She just turned south and started following the group’s tracks. Shaela was still in the woods, probably finishing her meal and cleaning herself off – as all feline she too was obsessed with keeping her fur clean.