Angelcynn: The Myrcian Conflict - Act 5

[Shin]

Journey from Darkness

Constance's sudden extinguishing of her lantern plunged the boat into darkness, the group's visibility reduced to almost nothing. Her warning had been brief, leaving Nelon at a loss of how to react. "Elder? Is this wise? Darkness may hide us, but it also blinds us from what may approach." he warned, keeping his voice hushed. There was no way that a simple swordsman like himself could fend off a wizard like Malaphar. All he could would be provide support to the mages, and a distraction if they needed to escape. "Eric, Claire... be on guard... Claire?"

Only Eric was there to hear his warning, Claire, even if the lighting had been adequate, was nowhere to be seen. There had been no warning or sign, she had simply been snatched from the ship. A cold hand grasped around Eric's ankle weakly, a ghastly groan accompanying the cold moist flesh against his leg. It wasn't tight by any means, but whoever it was didn't seem intent on letting go.
 

Your World, My World

It had happened as Constance had dimmed her lantern, instead of facing darkness like the rest of the group, Claire was left with something far more disturbing. Fields of twisted grass, an unsettling red sky, Claire had returned to His World. Something was amiss though, the sinister plains were littered with leafy roots. A musty odour wafted through the air, a mixture of old parchment and unwashed felines. Constance and the others were nowhere to be seen, the only person in front of her wasn't exactly a friend - it was Emmet.

"Claire, so good of you to visit... although Lord Malaphar wasn't planning to extend an invitation to you." he complained, crossing his arms. "Are you here to try and stop us or convince me to join Prince Owen again? You wouldn't accomplish either, you don't have the power nor the charm to beat me.

He stepped forwards, pointing to his neck. A ragged scar ran across its circumference, exactly at the level Owen had removed his head during the impromptu execution. "You're a fool to think Owen will lead you to victory. Wyke is doomed, Myrcia is doomed... all of Angelcynn will fall to Lord Malaphar, and I will be right at his side. I chose the winning team, Claire. I'm not stupid."

[ThicreanPhoenix]

Eric had followed everyone into the depths of the ship, just as he had followed them onto the ship in the first place. Claire and Constance seemed to have heard something in specific. Their sudden reactions-especially the where did that come from-implied such. Odd; other than the groaning and rustling we've been hearing, I've got nothing.

Constance dimmed the lantern, and Nelon warned once again to be on guard. Eric didn't need to be told twice. He was gripping his blade tight enough that his hand was starting to los-

And then something grabbed his ankle. All of the preparedness and self-control in Eric's body couldn't have stopped him. Every ounce of dread building up in the man's body, in that skipped heartbeat, turned to panic.

"WHAT THE HELL!!!" he screamed at full-blast, drawing his sword and turning around, hoping to see what exactly had just given him a heart attack. It was fruitless, though, as not only were they in near-total darkness, but between the suddenness of the turn and the grabbed leg, Eric lost his footing on the pivot, falling backwards and hitting the floor. Hard.

Eric was lucky he hadn't impaled himself with his own steel, but that was of no concern to him. He sat up with a start, ignoring his newfound splitting headache, to attempt a second time to see just what had gotten him so worked up.

[Jotari]

Constance's attempt at keeping the group unseen had utterly backfired. She raised a hand and, instead of lighting the lantern again, conjured a ball of purple light, illuminating the entire area with an eerie glow.

[SB.]

As much as Claire had wanted to be alone only minutes ago, she found herself regreting the wish. Her return to the World was sudden and unexpected, and the sight of the twisted scenery and hellish sky made her hold her breath. Where is he? Claire’s gaze swept all around her, searching for the wizard while hoping to find nothing. While she’d avoided the worst case scenario, it wasn’t exactly like she and the zombie were on speaking terms.

“Emmet...” Claire scowled at the traitor, eyes lingering on his neck as he spoke. “That looks like it hurt, Emmet. Maybe you should have given up. You’re a fool if you think that we’d take you back, after what you did.” As they exchanged unpleasantries, Claire took another cautious look around. There was still no sign of Malaphar, but a small frown appeared on her face all the same. Something about the World felt different this time - was it because of his wounds?

She turned back towards Emmet, although she expected nothing but nonsense back from him. “Malaphar didn’t bring me here?” But the whole boat had Malaphar’s scent all over it... It didn’t match up. This whole situation was bizarre, and it seemed like she’d have to solve it on her own this time. The mage shifted uncomfortably on the spot, not taking her eyes off of Emmet. She didn’t understand this place, or even what the reanimated man could do. How do I get away?

[Shin]

Unexpected Hero

Owen's decision-making had one more intruder, although this time it wasn't Esclabor. The golden-clad rider, Accolon, hurried towards Owen, holding reams of parchment. Panting as he knelt before Owen, he presented the paperwork to him. "Your Majesty, I have seen the stripes of Deira... they speak of something coming for them in Wyke." he declared, still holding his offering to Owen. "The smaller vessel contained a truth as hard as steel. The ships departed from Wyke, they speak of a rebellion, a vision that never dies. The report speaks of a mighty noble and his great wall. I have never heard of such a fighter, could he possibly be one of your vassals? The writing is damaged beyond the month of April,  but it shows hope for your home nation."

Spoiler

Diary of Commander Jethro

16th April 812

- It has only been two weeks since our invasion has began, but the results are already beyond expectation. We have claimed Hull with great success, all that remains is claiming the south of Wyke. Most are smaller territories with few reserves, I do not see there being any issues. Within days the entire country shall belong to Deira. The grand generals will be pleased with my work, perhaps King Olaf will finally recognise my dedication to Deira and Engel? 

18th April 812

- Whilst the capital had been easy to claim, the south is posing more problems than we have expected. The forces that we had sent have been defeated by one of the minor nobles. Did Prince Owen not take all his best commanders with him? Did he predict an attack from Deira? It must have been a coincidence, we may have underestimated Wyke somewhat. Not that it matters, in three days time we shall send a large force and I shall receive the recognition that I deserve.

22nd April 812

- How is this possible? Our attack has been repelled, our men forced to retreat! How can Deira's holy forces be defeated so easily? The men speak of a legendary commander, Lord Dougistan. Our reports contain nobody by that name... has a rebel given themselves a title? The scum will regret trying to spoil Engel's divine order. We have established the location of this Dougistan, we shall attack with overwhelming might and crush the fool once and for all. They appear to have a wall, at least two dozen feet around the perimeter... where did he acquire such resources?

27th April 812

- Our invasion of the south has been halted, the tactics of this Lord Dougistan are overwhelming. Every approach is shut down rapidly, although he has shown no inclination to attack. The war will be ours though, his resources are finite in such a small territory. I shall return to Deira to acquire more forces, with numbers and time... this Lord Dougistan was soon fall.

Lost Souls

Nelon was struggling to keep up with Constance's constant light changes, but Eric's scream was enough for him to gather his senses. "Eric, I shall come to your aid." he barked, hurrying over to the dimly lit swordsman. A pair of haunted eyes stared back up at Eric, an almost skeletal Deiran solider looked up at him, the man clutching hold of Eric's leg. Nelon paused, the soldier looked as if he were on death's door, but did not appear overtly hostile. It became clear why he was such in a poor state, both of his legs were missing. It wasn't as if they were hacked off, more that they had simply disappeared from existence.

"Please... the pain. An evil wizard... took them all." he coughed, blood trickling from his mouth. "Nobody... please..."
 

Our World

"What's the matter, Claire? You come all this way and you're afraid already? I don't know how you got here, but I'm going to make sure that you'll regret it." Emmet sniggered, gesturing around to the field surrounding them. He stepped forwards, raising his arm out in front of him. A green glow eminated from his hand, the limbs of an ethereal bow steadily forming in his grasp. "Death had been the only thing that I had feared. I didn't care much about having a family or meaningful friendships. I'm just like those murderous twins now. No matter what comes my way... I'm now immortal. Wounds will heal, severed limbs will regrow, it's opened my eyes to so much more. Without death as an obstacle, anything is possible."

Emmet smiled, a madness present in his eyes that had probably been hidden from before. He chuckled, making an active effort to contain himself.

"Lord Malaphar has everything planned out perfectly, I almost want to tell you everything but that would ruin the surprise." he added, lowering his bow. "You couldn't possibly escape His World. Only Lord Malaphar has power here, you're like a smouldering log compared to his inferno. His wisdom spans beyond a mortal's lifespan, he didn't even need the elixir to obtain enlightenment."

A rather deshevelled feline had wandered its way towards Emmet, its origin or motives rather unclear. Emmet looked down, somewhat perplexed by the cat.

"You brought a cat with you too?" he asked, readying his foot to kick the beast. "Next you'll be telling me that you brought some badgers or that moron Steve with you."

[Jotari]

Sensing no danger, Constance's mind changed from a state of alertness to one of haste. She pushed past Nelon and knelled beside the dying man. This seems beyond my abilities. That magic elixir would come in handy right now. Perhaps I can at least dull the pain long enough for him to find peace. She took out a herb from inside her robes and practically forced it into his mouth. She then began healing his legs with her mend staff.

[riariadne]

Sidney waved as Accolon approached them, curious what he'd come to tell them, and looking over Owen's shoulder "In the smaller ship?" Guess there was some merit to taking a look there after all. But what she saw sure came off as a surprise. "No way... you can't be serious. Doug, Lord Dougistan, really holding off all of the Deiran forces so effectively?" She looked at Owen incredulously, then turned back to Accolon. "Yes, we know him... he was traveling with us for some time, and aided us especially in our initial campaign against then-Baron Dettard... Owen gave him some of Dettard's land after it had to be redistributed, and now I guess he's defending it admirably."

She brushed her hands through her hair. "Hearing that, I think this changes our options. If Doug is soundly beating the forces of Deira, then we should try to join forces with him so we can each bolster each other and work together more effectively. What do you think, Prince Owen?"

[SB.]

So Malaphar really didn't bring me here? Claire gritted her teeth. In that case, how did I- Emmet's conjured bow interrupted Claire's thoughts, and she edged backwards nervously. "That's... new." She'd never seen a weapon like that - perhaps it was an attribute of the World - but she didn't want to find out how hard it hit all the same.

"Even if they can't be killed, the twins can still be beaten." Claire reasoned, clutching Razorwind close to try and calm her nerves. It had saved her from this World before, and this time, her opponent was very different. "You're not Malaphar." No, Emmet was very beatable. It didn't matter how many times it would take, she just had to stop him and find a way out.

A, cat? Okay, that part she really didn't understand, but it definitely wasn't there the last time she'd come to the world. Don't hurt it... In spite of the situation, Claire couldn't stop a small pout from working its way onto her face. She'd always had a soft spot for cats, and while she didn't know how the creature had quite gotten in here, she didn't want to see it hurt. "What do you mean that I brought it?" She raised an eyebrow at the comment, trying to make sense of it. Did I come here on my own? That seemed to be what Emmet was implying but, how...?

[ThicreanPhoenix]

Now able to see two feet in front of his face, Eric took a look at his assailant. Knowing it was human was a relief. Not a major one, but a relief regardless. Better a human than whatever a frightened imagination could come up with. And he kept panicking, trying to wrest his foot free.

...Until Constance swooped in to heal the poor Deiran. Judging by the blood he coughed up, he needed it, and Eric didn't want to make any of the process harder. He was still too stunned to speak, hyperventilating to no end, and shaking like a leaf, but at least he had stopped actively pulling away.

[Shin]

Dead End

The injured soldier's breathing eased slightly, Constance's strange herbal mix and healing was enough to palliate the man. His stare was still filled with fear, his mouth moving as he tried to produce words. "Long white hair... the evilest smile..." he groaned, his consciousness starting to slip. Constance's magic may have been able to heal wounds, but there was no magic powerful enough to deal with a body ravaged by Malaphar's doings. Nelon remained on alert, Constance and Eric were dealing with a harmless fallen soldier, but there was still the possibility of other threats.

"Deira isn't safe... Raewald isn't safe... nowhere is." he gasped, his grip releasing from Eric's leg slowly. "The Pope... the Pope..."
 

Their World

Emmet lowered his bow, the phantom weapon disappearing from sight. "It doesn't matter if you bring a flea-ridden pest with you, and it doesn't matter which spells you cast. I am immortal. I am unbeatable, even if you keep slaying me, I will only rise again to fight again." Emmet boasted, almost daring Claire to strike. "Think of a way, I implore you. With all those brains of yours, maybe you would have found a way to stop Angus from dying. All you could do was watch like a helpless child. Does someone as powerless as you really have a chance at winning?"

The cat let out a purr, arching its back as it stared at Claire. Its eyes were almost expecting something, watching every movement that Claire made. Although the animal couldn't speak, its gaze called to her for something.

[SB.]

Malaphar really didn't bring me here, did he? Claire entering of her own accord was the only logical conclusion, and surely that meant that she could leave when she wanted to as well, right...? Whenever she figured out how. All she had to do was keep Emmet at bay.

"I suppose we'll be here for a while then, so I'd suggest you get comfortable." The mention of Angus made the mage flinch, but she knew what he was trying. Don't take the bait. She didn't know what he was trying to do exactly, was it a trap, or just a petty taunt? She could never understand Emmet, even before his first death.

"From what I recall, you were a fairly poor archer, weren't you? I can't imagine that you'd beat me either." Opening her tome, she was prepared to cast a spell, but then the feline caught her eye again, and she had a flash of inspiration. It seemed absurd, and yet... she gave it a wordless order all the same.

Go for his face. Perhaps Emmet would have more marks to show his new master once they were through.

[Xinnidy]

A truth as hard as steel, it was. Owen hadn't been conscious of how quickly he took the paperwork from Accolon, but in his reading, he couldn't help but focus on two things: The invader's tactics, and the date of these writings. "They came back to acquire more troops, then. That's why these ships are here." But then, for these ships to be all but abandoned... was it because of their fight with Barnaby, or something else? "I can hardly believe their campaign has started at the early days of April, it has been over a month. Thank you, Mister Accolon, this is extremely valuable information." They lacked information on fourteen days, but the picture of Deira's invasion became clearer.

Sidney already spoke of a plan for their next actions before Owen could, but he couldn't agree more --it was the natural conclusion--. "Most definitely. Our destination now becomes southern Wyke. We'll rendezvous with Lord Dougistan and fight to retake the territories Deira now controls." Owen could only hope those fourteen days did not somehow spell doom for the resistance... Nothing I can do now, but go and see.

"We should ready the ship as soon as we can... have the others still not returned from the ship?" He recalled a small group entering to search one of them.

[Jotari]

"Claire," Constance barked. "Take the stave for a second while inspect the wound." When she was given no answer, Constance looked up. "Claire?" She looked from one of the men to the other. "Where's Claire? She's gone!?" Constance looked down at the injured man in frustration, uncertain what to do. She wanted to meditate, focus more on the dark energies to see where Claire had vanished to, but she couldn't leave her patient be, even if he was almost certainly dead regardless. "One of you, grab the log books and get off the ship. Tell Prince Owen what's happened here. Last thing we want to do is take this ship and end up like the last sailors to man this vessel."

Edited June 14, 2018 by Jotari

[Shin]

Cat-astrophe

Emmet grinned, smug in his supposed superiority over Claire. He stepped forwards, his arms still outstretched to try and bait an attack from her. Her reaction to Angus made his smile particularly punchable, it was clear his goal was to try and strike a nerve. "I wasn't very good at many things. Shooting arrows, healing wounds, making friends... having my head attached to my neck." he chuckled darkly, the cat still at his feet. "But I've found my calling, Lord Malaphar has helped me find my-..."

As if by Claire's command, the cat screeched and leaped up onto Emmet. The archer's smug superiority turned into a hasty frustration, having try to and fend off the beast as it attempted to maul his face. "Blasted feline, I'll turn you into a violin!" he growled as more cats wandered into view. There had to be at least a dozen, the entire group set on Emmet. Whatever control Claire had within The World wasn't clear, but the cats were particularly intent on maiming Emmet. A thick haze started to surround Claire, the view of the terrifying plains slowly disppaearing from around her. Malaphar's voice sounded out as she was whisked away, the sorcerer greatly intrigued by the strange visit.

"Interesting... an individual with some command within my World... I shall have to observe this one..." 

Claire had returned to the boat, standing among her allies frantically looking for where she had gone. Whether Malaphar had sent her back or she'd escaped on her own accord, the foul scent of the tainted realm still lingered in Claire's nostrils, if only for a moment or two.

[riariadne]

"Well, that's settled. We head for southern Wyke instead of straight towards the capital." Despite the seriousness of the situation, Sidney couldn't help but laugh. "Haha... I'm sorry for my lack of composure, but it really is just such a totally ridiculous scenario. He was a pretty good soldier, from what I remember, but who knew he was secretly such a skilled leader as to be the last stand Wyke has, basically within the whole country, against all of the invading Deirans? He's not even from Wyke and he's got them outmaneuvered on his newly granted that territory he's hardly much more familiar with than they are! I don't even know what else I can possibly say." She looked over towards the other ship, now that Owen mentioned it. "Err, no... they're not back yet. That's pretty unusual, isn't it? I hope there's no trouble. We might need to look into it, Prince." She headed off towards the larger ship, now curious.

[ThicreanPhoenix]

Eric finally wrested his foot from the dying soldier's grasp and stood up. He put his sword back in his scabbard as his breathing slowed and rational thoughts began to form.

You're an imbecile. First all of those times you almost died today, and now this sorry display? A sheep could do better.

"You know, when I got on this boat, all I was hoping for was a chance to ask if I could learn magic from someone," Eric mused, face pointed towards the ground, "I wasn't looking for a demonstration." With a pause, he sighed, "I-I don't think I should take any logbooks to anyone. My incompetent carcass couldn't do it."

[Jotari]

"Get over yourself you damned fool," Constance growled. "We don't have time for such self pity. The last thing we want is Owen and the others all boarding this ship and getting wrapped up in this mess. So unless you can suddenly learn to use a healing stave to help this man, make yourself useful and get out of here."

At that moment Claire suddenly popped back into existence. "Bah, never mind. Everyone's here now, let's just get out of this place." She motioned to the baron to pick up the body before laying her eyes on Claire. "Where were you?" she asked, without any of the grouchiness she had just displayed, replaced entirely by both concern and worry.

[Shin]

CREW CONFIRMED

Vessel: Caravel
 
Captain: Sidney
First Mate: Nelon
Navigator: Owen
Deckhands: Freya, Accolon, Decima
Lookout: Morta
Cabin Boy: Serge
Hospitality: Constance, Nona, Claire
Repairs: Vesta, Esclabor, Suleiman

Evening of 17th May 812

 

The knowledge of Doug's rebellion in Wyke gave Owen's group a sense of hope, their home hadn't entirely fallen to Deira's invasion. However, Claire's visit to Malaphar's World showed that the sorcerer was still playing a part in the madness, although to what extent and his exact role were not entirely clear. However, the journey to Wyke across the sea had begun. The waters were calm and Sidney's implementation of Owen's route meant that leaving the port went off without a hitch. It had only been a matter of hours, a fraction of their planned journey, but the path forwards seemed promising. Nelon stood with Owen and Sidney at the ship's wheel, ready to relieve Sidney from steering the vessel.

"The ship appears to be in order, Prince Owen. Our current estimations put us four days from the south of Wyke." Nelon informed, readying his notes for Owen. "There are no major issues currently, everyone is managing to adapt to their roles within the crew. I shall do my best to alert you if any arise. Lady Montana, would you wish for me to relieve you from duty temporarily? I would not wish for you to tire."

Decima and Accolon were caught up moving a barrel across the ship's deck. Neither appeared particularly familiar with such work, but for the most part they were managing. However, plenty of work was still to be done. "Freya? I think there are a couple more we need to get below deck." Decima called, waving a hand at the guard. "I didn't realise we had so much to move about... I don't know how we're going to manage it all without Sebastian."

-

Below deck was perhaps a tad more chaotic, if only because of the inexperience of a few members. Esclabor furrowed his brow, lamenting his botched attempt at repairing a support beam. The structure had several wooden panels nailed to it, but none of them were doing particularly well at providing any integrity to it. "Blasted hammer, I'd rather be hitting someone over the head with it." he fumed, ready to throw the tool at the wall. "I'm a noble, not a handyman. My job is paying people to do this for me."

Vesta smirked, giving Suleiman a wink. "We're almost finished over here, we'll give you a hand in a minute or two." she replied, leaning closer to Suleiman to whisper. "Give it another five minutes or so, this stuff's priceless."

The kitchen wasn't much better, it soon became very apparent that Nona had only ever entered a kitchen to grab booze. She was certainly making an effort, but even peeling potatoes seemed to be challenging her culinary expertise. "Strange, they keep getting smaller and smaller." Nona pondered, turning the potato in her hand as she carved lumps out of it. "Claire, Miss Constance? I'm having plenty of fun, but this is rather tricky. Would you be able to show me how?"

Edited June 23, 2018 by Shin

[Jotari]

"You're!" Constance began, before restraining herself. "You're only meant to take the skin off of them," she said, with a stern but not reproachful tone. "As soon as it stops being brown, throw them in this pot here." Constance placed the pot in front of Nona. "And put the peels in the bin. We can't just leave them on the floor. It's not as tricky as it looks. No, I'm not going to show you how, I have my own duties to attend to." Constance proceeded to cut the carrots, she briefly considered swapping jobs, but resolved that if the foolish girl couldn't handle a potato peeler, giving her a knife wouldn't be much better. Honestly, I know she's a noble, but how can someone not understand the basic concept of peeling potatoes. "You haven't been...eh drinking, have you?"

Edited June 26, 2018 by Jotari

[riariadne]

It was smooth sailing to start things off, and Sidney was feeling rather confident in herself. "Well! This looks like we're off to an admirable start, as far as our voyage is concerned. I appreciate the offer, Baron Nelon- I suppose I might as well accept, it wouldn't do to tire myself out too early. Four days... we can handle that!" She brushed her hair back, allowing him to take the wheel, looking ahead over the side of the ship. "Well, at least here's going well. We're finally going back to Wyke now. I'm not sure I'd say I'm looking forward to it, what with the war at hand, but I think I'm rather fond of the place- even though I wasn't here all that long, it feels important to come back now and make things right in the world. What do you think, Owen? Feeling alright still?"

[Bluedoom]

Suleiman grinned at the sight of baron esclabor in frustration.  It was priceless to see the nobles struggle with the work that commoners did, and he nodded in agreement with Vesta.  "Five minutes?  Maybe even longer,  this is a treat to watch! This is the kind o' entertainment we're not gonna get a lot of  on this ship." he whispered.

[SB.]

Claire watched Nona's botched attempt at peeling the potatoes with a look of muted horror on her face. She wasn't exactly a master chef herself, but living alone in the capital had given Claire enough experience with cooking to make something edible, at least. "I don't think that she's been drinking?" she offered in Nona's defence. I don't think that alcohol would have been on the top of the priority list for our supplies, would it...? She certainly hoped not. "I'll get the mess..." she mumbled, moving to collect the skin before it caused a kitchen accident. 

[Juliette]

Freya moved another of the barrels alongside Decima and Accolon, not appearing to have too much trouble moving such heavy objects around at all. Manual labor was something she was plenty used to in her time before becoming a guard (and realistically, plenty of it after too). More concerning to her was that she was not so fond of her first journey by sea, especially because it ended in a crash due to bandits. "How many more are there? I'm sure we'll do just fine together, even without Sebastian. Sure, it's kinda heavy, but nothing we can't do without working as a team. Where do these need to go down below, anyway?" 

[Shin]

Potato Panic

Nona paused, looking at Constance blankly. "Oh? No, I haven't had anything to drink since we left the port. Would that help me cut the potatoes better?" she asked, earnest in her attempt to improve her technique. The floor was littered with a good dozen potatoes' worth of skins, along with a couple of chunks for good measure. She furrowed her brow, focusing on the mishapen potato in her hand and raising it up to eye level. "The maids always made it look so easy, when I was a young girl I sometimes watched them in the kitchen. Mother would tell me to get out before daddy dearest saw me, even the smallest things would him so upset."

She looked down at Claire, smiling as the mage picked up the mess she made. "You remind me of Decima sometimes, Claire. She's always running around trying to fix other people's messes." she added, stepping to give Claire some space. Nona made an active effort to hold the potato over the bin as she tried to peel it, perhaps learning from Constance's remarks. "Ceirch liked cooking too, I've never tried anything except from his oatmeal though. I wonder why he likes it so much?"

 

Escablunder

Vesta laughed, watching with Suleiman as Esclabor continued to rage at the carpentry. "It makes you think, these nobles probably haven't had to do much for themselves before this adventure. Going to meeting and collecting taxes doesn't really prepare them for real life." she laughed, chuckling as Esclabor gave the support beam a solid kick. "I don't get him though. He's my boss and could have easily made me do it instead... why do you think he keeps trying even if he can't do it? At least you're sensible Suleiman, you seem to be good at fixing things up in general."

 

Get Lifty

"Probably another dozen or so... there can't be that many left. There's a storage room below the deck, they'll be safe down there. I'll be glad when it's done, these things are heavy. I wish I could be strong like you and Accolon." Decima replied, easing the barrel forward with Accolon. The pair lowered the barrel down onto the deck, readying themselves for the next one. "Have you been on a boat before, Freya? This is my first time actually doing work on a ship... I'm still not entirely sure that I'm being helpful. Morta's being a lookout and Nona's cooking, I can't really lift very much, I hope I'm not getting in the way."

Edited June 28, 2018 by Shin

[Jotari]

Since we left port? We left almost immediately after the battle...Was this girl drinking when Claire and I were getting haunted on that damn ship? I'm not sure which of us is wiser in that regard. Constance suddenly grew slightly wistful as she realized how long it had been since she had drunk alcohol. "Just do your best, dear. I'll keep an eye on you and tell you when I think a potato is done."