Fantasy Cursed Island

[Fangs9090]

Nidia shook her head. "It would be better if you could all get along, or at least try, instead of attacking each other. I'm sure you don't think twice about any wound you get or give, but I'm the one who has to deal with wounds for everyone else. So I would appreciate it if you didn't make that job any bigger than it is." She continued checking on Siege while she spoke, mainly just making sure her eyes could focus.

 

[Darkling0096]

Jalin chuckled, "You presume much, having known me for two days."

"Hey, hands, off," Siege grumbled, batting Nidia away, "I'm fine, just a bruise."

 

[Fangs9090]

“Don’t brush me off. I’m your medic, so you better stay still and let me look you over. Otherwise, I might not be there when you do need me.” Nidia cast a glanced at Jalin. “And you didn’t say I was incorrect.”

 

[Darkling0096]

"I said a lot," Jalin raised an eyebrow, "I was under the impression you were a weaver of words?" Siege grumbled, but since Nidia wouldn't let her up she had to submit to the examination.

 

[Fangs9090]

Nidia turned her focus back to Siege. Once she was certain she didn’t have a concussion and was satisfied, she moved to let her get up.

 

[Darkling0096]

"Well," Jalin turned his attention back to Milia, "As you can see, you are not in danger from their family."

 

[Fangs9090]

Milia was conspicuously eying his cane. "Yeah...I see that..."

 

[Darkling0096]

"Yes, well," Jalin tapped his cane on the deck, "I suppose this conversation has run aground, I can be found belowdecks if anyone needs me." He nodded and went back to the stairs down belowdecks to rejoin Katsuo and Sinach. "She is harmless, but she hides things," he said.

 

[Fangs9090]

Katsuo gave a nod as Jalin came back over. "So do we all."

Milia watched Jalin go before Emilia grabbed her attention, talking about fashion once again.

 

[Darkling0096]

"Indeed," Jalin agreed.

--------------------

Eventually, the ship exited the storm. If not for Sal possessing such power of the air, no doubt a ship of similar size would have been ripped apart by the maelstrom, adding to the homes of sea-dwellers below. Siege never did take her eyes off of Milia, though.

 

[Fangs9090]

Roy found a spot to sit and read, choosing to stay out in the open air a bit instead of staying cooped up below deck. Milia spent her time talking with Emilia and Nidia, mostly about the things they've seen on land. She didn't say much about the ocean, and actively avoided the subject of civilizations in the ocean.

 

[Darkling0096]

Over the course of the next week and a half, sped by Sal's wind, most of the party got to be on pretty good terms with the crew. Siege seemed to have solidly worked her way into the position of "one of the guys", while Emilia and Nidia's chatting with the crew got them very friendly with a good portion of them. And Roy... it wasn't really clear why they liked Roy, something about a goat man on a boat reading a book when his twin sister was five feet away lifting heavy things and hanging out with the crew was appealing.

As the city came into view of Sal's spyglass, deep below the surface the shape that had been following the ship, just out of sight of the vessel unless one of the aquatic beastkin stuck their head in the water, swam to get ahead and vanishing out of anyone's possible visual range, no matter their habitat.

"Nidia," Siege nudged the other cat on the vessel. It would be early evening before the ship made port and unloaded cargo, timing was in their favor.

 

[Fangs9090]

Nidia glanced over. "Hm? ...oh, right! Yeah, I'll get on it." She got up and headed over near Sal. "Well, we've had a smooth voyage, huh? Better than some others."

Sal kept her eye on the city. "Yes, we have. Fearsome kraken's aside."

"Heh, yeah. But we're not sunk, and that's something to be grateful for. How about we celebrate?"

Sal lowered the spyglass to look over at her. "Celebrate?"

"Yeah. Nothing big, just a bit of letting loose and relaxing while we're safe in port. I can provide music."

"Hm, crossing the sea really must be a big thing for you people." Sal had a slight smile, and there was humor in her voice. She hadn't rejected the idea just yet.

 

[Darkling0096]

"It is for most of them," Jalin came up from belowdecks to walk the ship and stretch his legs just in time to hear the tail end of Sal and Nidia's conversation. "Two cats, and spider, and a goat, they're not exactly sea creatures." Jalin himself had a fisherman for a father, before coming under Niudisa's wings. Freshwater fisherman, but a boat is a boat.

 

[Fangs9090]

Sal shook her head. "Well, the crew usually has a few drinks when we stop at a port anyway. You're free to join them if you like. And I won't ask if you're all old enough."

"Oh we all are. Well..." She glanced over to where Milia was. "Most of us."

 

[Darkling0096]

"As I recall," Jalin said, "The youngest of our party is Emilia, she is the variable in that equation." he hadn't really kept up with the group's ages, he couldn't remember if Emilia was twenty or twenty-one, or if he'd confused Nidia and Emilia in that regard. He did know that he was the eldest living of the party, with Katsuo out-aging him by more than a century and Sinach being a construct. "Either way, I suppose it will be a good distraction."

 

[Fangs9090]

"Well, everyone in our group is. I just don't know about Milia. She looks really young, but I don't really know how scyllas age. She could be older than all of us."

Sal looked out to the city again. "So long as the drinking starts after we're anchored."

 

[Darkling0096]

"That is common sense," Jalin shrugged, tapping his cane and going on his walk around the vessel to stretch his legs. He could do with some real exercise, part of him still hoped option three would come to pass, but the inevitable chase he felt might happen in the event the present plan failed would fulfill that end as well.

 

[Fangs9090]

"Not as common as you'd thing in some places..." Sal turned her attention to her crew as they approached the port, making sure they were bringing them in properly.

 

[Darkling0096]

As the ship was able to dock and secure itself to the port for transfer of cargo, the party started packing up their equipment, as they intended to disembark once the celebrations were over. "Well, boys, it's been fun," Siege lightly jabbed the first mate on the shoulder, "Need any help with the cargo?"

 

[Fangs9090]

A port official started coming down to handle the legal matters of a ship pulling into port, but a quick coin pouch tossed their way and the business was concluded in record time.

Ninida spoke near Siege and as she hopped up to sit on a barrel. "The cargo will be fine for a little bit. Let's have some fun now and save work for later."

 

[Darkling0096]

Siege groaned, "Fine, but only because it's getting dark!" Pirates, never being ones to waste and excuse to drink, wasted no time bringing the supplies for the event out. As the sun went down, mugs were raised, and the collective IQ of the ship's crew and their (of drinking age) passengers collectively dropped as their blood alcohol levels rose.

"I suppose this is not what you thought would happen?", Jalin asked Milia, having not drank yet. He never did like getting drunk when business was at hand, especially after one of Niudisa's drunken concoctions turned him into a plant for a week. That was also why he didn't like bugs, either.

 

[Fangs9090]

Nidia smiled and started up her music, playing her special drinking song to encourage those around her to drink more. Of course, she could control her bardic magic enough that her group, and Milia, felt the effects far less than the pirates.

Milia looked over at Jalin. “Actually, it’s happened on a few ships I’ve been on before. I tried the drink once and I didn’t like it, so now I just stand by and watch.”

 

[Darkling0096]

Siege didn't need much encouragement to drink, intending to fast-travel to the next part of the adventure. Just about anything happening on this boat was something Siege wanted to skip, especially since she didn't factor into the plan anymore, having done her job in helping to get the alcohol out. Sinach, being a book, just folded into Roy's bag to wait for anything that might happen.

"Well, I suspect you will need to rehydrate soon, anyway." Jalin shrugged, "I hope this trip accomplished what you wanted." He walked away to go talk to Katsuo, "When the group starts moving on, you can go ahead with the bag, I'll catch up once I have the stone." If Jalin didn't catch up by tomorrow evening, then they could assume the plan backfired and option three was the way to go.

 

[Fangs9090]

Roy wasn’t much of a drinker, but he partook a little to not be suspicious. Nidia remained sober as playing music kept her from drinking. Emilia mostly just played along, drinking a little but trying to keep a clear head.

Sal just watched for a bit before the music got to her and she started drinking as well. She seemed to hold her alcohol better than most of the crew.


Katsuo gave a nod. “Right. I trust you’ll look after yourself.”