Enmity of Atlas

Following Walibeld, everyone boarded the boat via a ramp they’d set up in advance. The deck was spacious with plenty of room to walk, if you ignored the dozens of men running around, presumably making last minute checks to be certain they were fit to sail. It was a rather large boat, after all. There was probably a lot going on behind the scenes that they had no idea about. Jarlis came up behind them, his eyes scanning the men working.

“Looks good boys! Raise the anchor and lower the sails!” Jarlis yelled out, the men quickly jumping to complete his requests. He looked at their group going around with introductions for each person. “Name’s Jarlis. I’m the captain of this mighty vessel–Shagorinth. Since we had so much downtime waitin’ for ya, I’ve already planned out our route and given everybody their standing orders, which means we can sit back and relax for a little bit. We won’t be running into any trouble ‘till we’re at least a couple miles out of the bay. Nargra’s damn good at ‘er job, she is.”

Jarlis led the group of them to a staircase towards the back of the ship, the ship lurching to a steady start after a moment. They headed up the staircase, stopping on a small landing a little bit before the top, a door to presumably the captain's quarters sitting there. They filed inside the grandiose room, its floor space filled with plush couches and other luxuries you wouldn’t typically expect from a sea faring vessel. They sat together at a table right next to a large curved window overlooking the deck. It was a wonderful view to the outside, the tranquil sea around them something that Trenton had never expected to witness in his lifetime. Or…at all? What a weird thought. It wasn’t like he could visit it after his lifetime.

“This’ll be a good spot. If you’ve any questions, now's the time to ask ‘em. Once we’re done here, you’ll be joining on lookouts and defense. It’s even more important to keep yer eyes peeled at sea than on land, so I expect you to lend a hand. The south Ingris can be a nasty bit of water when it wants to be,” Jarlis said, lighting a pipe and bringing it to his lips. “Think of it like your payment. Yer getting a free ride, so yer fee is whatever labor we need from ya.”

Millie turned to Trenton, her eyes lighting up, “Water! There’s so much water! It’s like heaven! I wish I could go swimming” she exclaimed quietly, leaning back in her chair and looking at the ceiling. It seemed like the only thing she was missing to be happy was a little bit of water in her life. Trenton hadn't even considered that. Did water spirits need water to survive? She’d been drinking a lot, but she wasn’t bathing in it or anything anymore than they did.

“We can go swimming another time The Liafer’s too dangerous, and the sea is definitely too dangerous,” Trenton replied.

“Swimming sounds really fun! There's this really nice lake at the end of the Liafer, just before the Thalian. It’s a little far north, so it might be frozen over, but we should definitely stop there if we can,” Kiva exclaimed, likely reminiscing about her last visit there. That didn’t sound like a bad idea, either. Trenton really should’ve given them more recreational time. What was the saying? Bread and circuses? They had the bread, but they’d be lacking circuses on the plains. He made a mental note to look into it later.

“So what’s the deal with the whole sailing thing,” Garrote piped up, looking at Jarlis. “I thought seafaring was too dangerous, least it was up north.”

“It is dangerous, part of the reason every member of our crew is trained to fight. But it’s not impossible by any means. The ships got some of the finest wards money can buy, and we’re carrying some expensive stock. So, really all we need is to be arriving at Dasellium in one piece. From there, any repairs’ll easily be covered by the buyers. I’d wager we’ll be seeing a fight or two on our way up, so stay on yer toes, all of yeh,” Jarlis said, puffing on his pipe in between sentences.

“What kind of monsters are even at sea?” Leo asked.

“All sorts! You’ve got yer writhing masses of tentacles or limbs, your humanoids, your fish’s. Practically anything yer mind could imagine is somewhere down there. Here’s hopin’ we don’t run into an adiathan,” Jarlis said.

“Adiathan? What’s that?” Millie asked, leaning forward on the table.

“Nasty creature I ran into on me last big voyage. They’re deep sea creatures, the worst kind. Most of ‘em are further south, an area you wouldn’t rightly travel anyway, but a couple live in the maw of the Liafer, some of the smaller ones. Shouldn’t be too much of an issue, but prepare yourself just in case. They’re damn big,” Jarlis said.

“What do they look like?” Kiva asked.

“They’re effectively massive sea serpents. Depending on the type, they’ll have a different trait. Fire breathing, acidic carapace, extendable bones, and so on,” Walibeld chipped in, his arms folded.

“Extendable bones!?” Garrote cried. “You can’t just slip that in there like that’s a normal monster trait!”

“It’s more common than you’d think. That specific type, a gray adiathan if memory serves, can make legs out of its skeletal structure. In fact, I’m pretty sure parts of its skeleton are just on the outside of its body,” Walibeld replied.

“That’s…gods I hope I never have to see that,” Leo said.

“If you’re lucky. There’s all kinds of unique monsters out there that you’ll probably . Ever heard of a desolate pit dragon?” Walibeld asked.

“Nope! Absolutely not! We are not talking about pit dragons right now!” Kiva butted in, throwing her arms in a crossing motion.

“Why? It can’t be that bad,” Garrote said in a vain attempt to egg her on. Kiva shook her head, her eyes closed tight.

“My point is, be prepared for the worst,” Walibeld finished.

“Anything else ya need?” Jarlis said, looking around the room. “No? Then I’ve got nothing else fur yah. Head outside. My chief mate’ll see to yer positioning.”

They shuffled out of the room, a tall man outside waiting for them. He introduced himself, asking a couple questions to figure out their strengths and weaknesses. When he’d gotten a good feel for their group, he assigned them to different watch positions and shifts, areas where their talents would be used most effectively. Trenton was placed on the bottom deck, far away from everyone else. Since he was a geomancer, and could sense the movement of creatures below the boat, it was the most sensible place to put him. Especially given how sensitive his geoesthesia was. Down there with him was a group of gruffer geomancers, each one of them battleworn. They eyed him as he went down, their face twisted into some sense of apprehension.

“You’ll be switching out with Carlman over there in an hour. For now, just hang around the area. Try not to stray too far,” the chief mate told him, giving him a curt wave and heading back up the stairs.

It was dark and dingy in the underbelly of the ship, the whole place smelling something of ash and rum, the magical lights barely keeping the darkness from collecting in the corners. It wasn’t ideal conditions, but at the very least it was dry. The shifts by the railing were always soaked, the rough waves coming up and hitting them as they watched. Trenton sat at a nearby wooden table where a couple other men were playing some sort of dice game. At the very least he would try socializing if he had to be down here. He’d prefer being around his usual company, but that wasn’t really an option right now. Safety came first.

“Unusual to see a kid round these parts, specially no nobleman’s kid,” one of the men said, practically spitting bile at him.

“Nobleman?” Trenton said, confused. It had been so long since they started traveling that Trenton didn’t even conflate himself with the noble’s anymore. It just didn’t feel right

“Saw yer name on the ledger. ‘Boulreguard,’ it just screams money if ya ask me,” another man pitched in.

“Come on you two. Don’t be so crass. Kids probably had a rough go of it to get here,” another man said, pulling up a chair and sitting down next to Trenton. He was a bit more put together than the others, well groomed and washed, an eyepatch over his right eye. He smiled at Trenton, extending his right hand to shake. “Clint,” Trenton took his hand and shook it, taking notice of his left arm, which seemed to be horribly maimed, no hand visible on the end of it. “So tell me, what’re you here for? What’s your story?”

“Haven't you heard? I thought it was big news now,” Trenton said, looking at their confused and angry expressions.

“Yeh, cause news gets over real well when you’re 7 miles out of shore,” the first man said, still glaring at him.

“Aria is gone. Everyone is dead. Leo and I are the only survivors,” Trenton took a deep breath, it hurt to say aloud, but it was important, “...and I’m being hunted by the Bloody. Things are really messed up right now,” Trenton finished, managing to keep his voice from wavering. The men around him sat there slack jawed, about the reaction he’d expected from seafarers not paying attention to the world.

“That can’t be…YOU’RE LYIN’ TO ME!” The first man shot up from his chair, reaching over to grab Trenton, but Clint intercepted.

“Calm yourself Tael! You aren't helping anything!” Clint yelled, restraining Tael on the table.

“MY WIFE AND KIDS WERE IN ARIA! THEY CAN’T BE DEAD! I DON’T BELIEVE YOU!” Tael screamed with tears in his eyes, more people coming over to relieve the situation, unseen voices clamoring behind him with their thoughts.

“That’s absurd-”

“Impossible-”

“Hard to believe-”

“Really true-”

“What do we do-”

The men on the bottom all gathered around them, a collective circle of sorrow forming. A man put his arm on Trenton’s shoulder, “I’m so sorry. I can’t even imagine how difficult that must’ve been.”

Off in the corner, another man shouted out, his expression strained, “Come on everyone! Load up! Don’t jus’ sit there cryin’!” he said, filling up cups with some sort of brown liquid from a barrel.

Soon, everyone was seated around the tables, a mug of grog in their hand, crying and reminiscing together. Most nights, Trenton would never even consider alcohol, but tonight was different. He wouldn’t indulge in its deepest evils, but he would partake in his own way, the taste of the liquor, not the stupor of drunkards, pleasing him. It was just watered down rum, but the moment was pure, and he was able to drown his sorrows with the other men on the bottom of the ship, everyone raising their mug high. The only person that had truly wept with him before was Leo, the only other surviving member to witness the atrocities firsthand. After an hour or so, everyone had calmed down more or less, Trenton taking his shift with the other drunken men. Clint also joined with Trenton, sitting on the floor near him to keep him company.

“Could you tell me what happened specifically? I’d like to know,” Clint asked. Slowly, like he had many times before, Trenton recalled the story, Clint nodding along the whole while. He didn’t cry, nor did he earlier when they were drinking, but he looked like he was about to, his whole face contorted into an odd grimace. “...it’s hard to believe. One of the 5 kings ravaging a city to the ground for one boy. I…I’m sorry, but I’ve a question to ask. It might seem a bit insensitive, but I’ve found it a commonality among men like us. What did you lose?”

“Everything, family, friends, a home, safety, leisure, it’s all gone,” Trenton replied, thinking back to his life before all of this.

Clint nodded his head, “I figured. Whenever someone starts traveling the plains, it tends to be because they lost something, a friend, a home, etcetera. I can’t say I know anyone that lost everything, though. I don’t envy you. I myself lost quite a bit. My hand,” he held up the stump of his left hand, “was ripped off by a monster that had broken through the eastern gate of Wyrm's perch. My eye,” he lifted up the eye patch, revealing a mess of scars and torn flesh, “was clawed out while I was traveling here for safety. I had to run to save my life. When I got to the docks, Nargra took me in, taught me how to fight, how to survive. Now I travel with Jarlis, making whatever I can of my life,” he looked over at Trenton, who was furrowing his brows a little bit. “My point is, you’ll never return to the life you lost, but you can always forge a new one, a new path forward. Just a little bit of wisdom.”

“Thanks, that actually helps a lot,” Trenton said, thinking about the life he had lost, and the path forward.

He hadn’t really thought of it before. What would he do once this was all over? Maybe he’d settle down in the cloud isles, if he could find them. It was supposed to be beautiful over there. For the rest of their shift, Trenton and Clint talked about their past, as well as dreams for the future. It was a nice little reprieve from the earlier hostility he’d received from the, now, very drunk men.

When his shift was over, Trenton headed above decks, taking in the fresh air. It was late, the stars in the night sky already clearly visible and twinkling. Most people were already sleeping by now, getting whatever sleep they could before their shift later that night. Trenton, however, didn’t feel tired in the slightest, even though he’d just taken a double shift to account for the drunken men. He thought to stay up a little longer, clear his mind, maybe see if anyone else was awake to talk to.

Trenton went to the bow of the ship, leaning over the railing and peering into the murky waters below them. It looked like they were heading into the maw of the Liafer in a couple minutes, the ship barreling towards the narrowed stretch of land ahead of them. Land travel was one thing, but overseas travel was something that Trenton didn’t even know people did before today. It was hard to come to terms with the fact that they really were going to sail the Liafer, head to Dasellium, and prepare to one day fight against one of the strongest men in existence. It was a sobering thought, if not a terrifying one.

“Little late, dontcha think?” Kiva said, coming up next to him and leaning over the railing.

“Maybe. I’m just trying to clear my head. There’s been a lot to think about recently,” Trenton replied, looking over at her.

“Yeah well, cry us a river, I guess. No use moping about it, right? If we’re going to fight, then we do so standing. If we’re going to die, then we do so clawing. There’s not much else we can do. A friend used to tell me that, a real natural born fighter.”

“You make it sound like death is a choice I’ve been planning on making.”

“Well, haven't you? If you’re gone, then what would he want with any of us? That’s what you’ve been thinking, right?”

“...I did for a little bit, late last night. But if you ask me, choosing death isn’t exactly the type of proactive initiative I had in mind when I started traveling. Walibeld would probably find a way to stop me and then kill me if I even tried.”

She laughed, a luminous sound which lit up the night, “That so? Not a very good mentor then, killing his own student.”

“You’re lucky you joined when you did. I’d much rather be one of his enemies than a student during a bad training day. He’s like a monster himself. He also mentioned this thing called limb training, and I really don’t think I want whatever that is.”

“Limb training?”

“That’s what he called it.”

“Never heard of it before.”

“I’ll keep asking around.”

“Trenton. I’ve been curious what it was like living in Aria. I’d heard a lot about the city, but I’d never met anyone that actually lived there. It’s so far south I thought the whole place was a ghost town.”

“You’re not going to believe this, but there’s actually not a lot of people living in Aria nowadays, something about the housing situation.”

She smiled, “I would’ve never guessed.”

Slowly, Trenton recounted his time living in Aria, the life he’d lived up to this point, the highs, the lows, the moments of joy, the strifes, and most of all, the fond memories of everyone he would never see again. He especially had a lot of good stories involving Leo, Kolas, and him, the times they spent terrorizing the slums with their antics. He also had a lot of fond memories involving his family, Lilly, Delis, and Yissle, the hijinks they’d get up to around the house. After about an hour, he finally caught up to what happened the night of the ball, recounting the events in vivid detail. The whole time Kiva listened intently, laughing at the sillier stories, empathizing with the sadder ones. She was a really good listener, Trenton noticed.

“And now we’re here, sailing to our death. I’m not sure what the future holds for us, but I have faith we'll make it through,” Trenton finished, looking out over the waters.

“I-” Kiva started, before getting interrupted by a sudden wailing.

“SOMETHINGS HERE!” Someone screamed behind them.

Trenton whipped around just in time to see a massive tendril of bone snake out of the water, impaling the man’s head and pulling his corpse overboard.