⋅⋅⊱༻ THE SHORE ༺⊰⋅⋅

A rare beach stretches among the seaside cliffs, littered with sharp dark rocks and pebbles. There is a humble wooden port, a couple fishing boats sheltering in it from the crashing waves. In good weather, you can see the imposing mountains of the neighboring continent on the horizon.

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The weather is as gentle as the day prior, the only witness of the sudden night storm are the fallen leaves and branches. The newly formed travel party had agreed to meet up at the harbour after separating with Clematia, who asked to be dropped off at Mrs Evanthe’s so she could gather up her things. Surprisingly, it was her who made it to the dock first; the other four had been busy getting saddle blankets for the horses, warmer clothing for themselves, as well as some dried foods and sleeping bags.

As the others scale down the steep path to join her —They each had a horse, and Konran was happily riding her own steed that wasn’t confiscated this time— they have a good view on the small port, where currently two medium sized fishing sailboats and a couple smaller rowboats are getting ready to depart, luckily they are later than usual as they had to clean up the debris from the storm before.

Cyrus stares at the small port in denial, those are the SMALLEST boats he's ever seen...

"...Is that.. the main port?" He asks, tone feigning indifference as he tries to keep a humble impression. Because there's no way this is the only one, there must be at least normal sized boats around here somewhere, he just wanted to make sure.

"The one and only! Quite literally hahaha!" Dimitri had wanted to accompany them until they boarded the ship, and so he was riding Clematia's horse.

"It’s sufficient for the purpose it serves, we only really need fish for local consumption." Yohei adds. People can always look down on his little village, but he is very fond of it and likes it the way it is. If somehow the travels got safer and the village became a bustling link between the two continents, it would be a real shame.

As reality sets in on the quality of their ride, Cyrus represses a shudder, his eyebrows twitching as he stares at the boats. "...Yes, of course." He can almost smell the disgusting stench of fish from here, it's gross...

"WEEEEEEEEE"

"Konran? Konran?!?!”

She has the zoomies. She's out of their field of vision now.

The moment Cyrus loses sight of her, he gallops down the path to find her again.

"What? Where did she go??" ‘Wait, how old is she???’ Yohei is utterly confused.

"Speaking of which, on our way to your place, Cyrus insisted not to get Miss Ripley her own horse." Dimitri had a hunch it’d be wise to let him know.

"Say what?" Yohei turns his head to Dimitri with a concerned expression. This prooobably won't be an issue.. but he'll ask Cyrus if they should not take her horse along.. just in case... He leaves Cyrus to go after Konran and goes to discuss the crossing fees with the fishermen meanwhile.

"Hii hi! Thank you for picking the white horse for me Dimitri!" Clematia says cheerfully, her hands clasped together casually behind her back.

“Don’t mention it! Hope we didn’t make you wait for too long?” He hops off the horse and walks to her.

“Nope not at all!”

“…”

“…”

He hands her the horse’s reins. “…Please be safe.” There is genuine worry in his voice, and perhaps something else...

For a second, it is not her usual smile or cheeky grin that appears, but rather a flicker of deeper emotion. Her eyes glance to the floor. This errand might take long, perhaps weeks… she'll probably miss him—and everyone... she thinks she already does.

"Thank you Dimitri.. Please take care of Mrs Evanthe for me." She finally looks up and shoots him a grateful smile.

"Of course..." He smiles back at her, and silence stretches between them for a bit.

Then Yohei walks into the scene.

He looks between them cluelessly. ‘Did something happen..?’

“Done negotiating already?” Clematia asks. ‘Way to interrupt, read the room will you.’

“Eheheh, Benjamin is a man of few words.”

“Right.” ‘And you a man of few braincel—’

“AHEM! By the way! Mister Mito! With all due respect, you won't be allowed back into the village unless Miss Briony is safe and sound with you!” Dimitri announces in a grand tone and proud posture, in the way he does when he's joking around.

"Hahaha! I wonder if I will be allowed to live at all!" Yohei says half jokingly. Actually, the question has been gnawing at the back of his mind; Vargas promised him a reward for a job well done, but didn't specify what happens should he fail…

Soon enough, their bittersweet parting is interrupted by distant loud scolding and horse clopping.

Cyrus is dragging one horse by the reins, while the other follows after him obediently, as if it already listens to him.

"Whyyyyyy just why won't you sit still?!?! I let you on a horse expecting you to be responsible enough to stick to the group just for you to run off without even thinking of your partners!!"

Konran is trudging beside him, Sulking.

"From now on you're never allowed your own horse, you're always gonna ride with one of us!!”

“Well that’s for the better, less horses to take care of.” Yohei nods. “Dimitri would you be so kind as to take that horse back to your uncle?"

As they load Konran's luggage onto another horse, a middle-aged man of impressive frame, wearing a dark grey coat and a darker yet expression, shuffles closer until he stands quietly beside Yohei.

"Oh and this is Mister Benjamin, the ship captain.” Yohei introduces him with a courteous smile. “He'll be the one taking us across the strait."

The bearded man just nods in response. He then turns and gets on the boat as they follow behind him, and he informs his crew of the change of plans: No fishing for the day, just the transport of the four travellers. And the few crew members —only two other men— seem relieved for the relatively relaxing day.

It reeks of fish on the deck, and there are some leftover bones and scales here and there that the seagulls are eyeing curiously.

Yohei stares up at the rushing clouds for some time. "It'll be about four hours from here, maybe even less depending on the wind, right captain?" He asks when he turns around, leaning back a bit toward where the captain is.

The man just nods again.

"I see." Cyrus's been in a sour mood after chasing konran, her antics only adding to his irritation after he found out they'll have to sail on a gross fishing boat. four hours… more than enough for the stench to stick to every fiber of his being.

Konran is sat on a low wooden chair, feet swinging as she stares at the captain toddler style.

Clematia looks distracted. She is unsure how this adventure will go, and honestly a bit nervous.

Yohei on the other hand suddenly got restless, he was bouncing his leg a bit before getting up from his chair altogether and leaning his elbows on the edge of the boat. It’s been so long since he travelled with people, it’s a new challenge for him, and there is a wave of excitement rushing through him.

He's staring down at the waves not far under when the sails are finally set, and the wind pushes them powerfully towards their destination.

Yohei turns towards his companions with a smile. He racks his brain for some sort of statement to depart their journey, encouragements, wishes for a safe road, since he's the guide and everything. But nothing comes to mind, and he just stares at them awkwardly.

"What is it? I can tell you wanted to say something." Clematia asks, back to her cheerful self.

"Yeah, HOORRAY!! …Or something." He exclaims as he lifts one first into the air.

Konran joins him without hesitation, throwing her arms up enthusiastically "HOORRAAAAAAY!!!"

"Pfft-" ‘You're supposed to say that after a victory-!’ Clematia thinks.

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⋅⋅⊱༻ OPEN WATER ༺⊰⋅⋅

The wind pushes the boat forward through the moving topography of the sea, highs and lows knitting together and disappearing as soon as they appear, waves crashing and sending their foam flying high when the boat faces them head on. The weather is still in their favor, the lighting alternating between bright and slightly dimmer as the clouds pass the sun in their rush; The spots of light create a beautiful tapestry on the water's surface.

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Their little ship has already sailed for some time now, the Imalnatir village looking smaller and smaller as they get farther and deeper into the sea…

Yohei had seated himself somewhere in the middle of the deck, where the rocking of the boat is less pronounced, he has his pack on his lap in a tight hug, resting his chin on top, using it both as an anchor and a pillow as he tries to catch up on his sleep… if only the seagulls would quiet down a bit.

He is later yanked from his unsteady dreams by a sudden change in air pressure. The wind has picked up and is whistling through countless holes, and the idle sounds of splashing waves in the background has multiplied and amplified as if it echoed in a huge enclosed space.

When he opens his eyes, he is not greeted by the endlessly stretching horizon but the rocky face of a cave wall instead.

They must have entered the hollow mountains; a massive rock formation with an impossible cave system, with too many holes and caves to count. The biggest passageway goes through the whole thing like a giant corridor and connects the sea to the salt lake past it, and to the only viable dock on this side of Enthralla.

There are many turns and many blind spots, many holes and different paths wherever one lays eyes on. Thanks to that at least, daylight seems to reach somewhat through the porous formation, although an intense fog limits the field of view considerably.

“Aaahhh I hate this place…” He slaps his face a few times to get rid of the grogginess, then gets up and turns to look for his companions. They were all looking up, mesmerised by the dreamlike view, the light entering in ribbons from the holes in the rock and filtering through the fog.

"Morning!! You were snoring really loud!!" Konran's voice echoes along with the splashing of the waves.

"Oh, my bad…” Yohei cringes a bit at the echo of her voice, if there was something in the cave, they've just announced their arrival. "By the way Miss Ripley, it’s best to keep our voices low from now on, and that would be for the remainder of the trip as well, we can't be inviting trouble to our location."

"Sure thing!!"

Cyrus didn't appreciate someone else bossing Konran around, but this was okay, the cartographer is right after all. His attention goes back to the ominous holes before he speaks up "You said you hated this place, have you been here before?"

"God no, I tried to avoid it as much as possible, you never know who or what might be lurking in here, it’s perfect for an ambush, and there isn't even solid footing to land on." Yoehi says, eyes glued to the closest cave entrance. "But of course the captain knows what he's doing." He adds reassuringly.

"...You've crossed this side of the sea before, mister cartographer?" The captain speaks for the first time since they met him, his voice is deep, slow and purposeful, he is looking Yohei right in the eyes.

"..Of course I have, that’s why I'm their guide.” He answers back as casually as he can manage, holding the stare.

"And you reached Enthralla without passing through this cave?" The captain's eyes do not waver, he still has the same impassive, grave face they first met him with.

Yohei just smiles at him. "There are more ways than you know of mister Benjamin."

"Hmph." The captain scoffs, an unimpressed, unconvinced sound. But he leaves it at that, and turns his attention to the water once more.

Cyrus has a slightly confused expression on, why would Mito make himself so suspicious then get upset when he's suspected?

"Mister Mito you sound almost as suspicious as a drug dealer!" Konran voices Cyrus's exact thoughts, she has a hand over her mouth so she's not too loud.

"WH-What?! But it’s the truth! Of course I know other ways, why do you think I sell my maps for such a high price?" ‘CRAPCRAPCRAP—’

“Do you make friends with pirates, mister? I never saw you use one of the village boats." One of the crew members interferes, this one has clear suspicion and dislike laced in his voice.

"...What is this? An interrogation?" Yohei's tone of voice drops, and he shoots him back a glare.

"What, didn't you hear? They're his regular clients." Another fisherman taunts, a mocking grin on his face.

"Wait for real?! That's super cool!!" Konran rubs her hands like a fly and leans down with a mischievous and curious grin. "I thought pirates only existed in stories!! Tell me bout ‘em!!"

Cyrus does an impressively quick 180 on his seat, turning away from everyone, he’s covering his mouth with his hand and his shoulders are shaking as he tries to keep in his laughter... He's so out of it today, he wouldn't usually show this much but this idiot is just hilarious.

Clematia just looks at Yohei with pity, how does she even save him from this one? He said too much, ‘siiigh’.

Yohei rolls his eyes and turns around, giving up on the conversation. He doesn't mind leaving it at that... although if word reaches the village people will dislike him even more… hopefully these fishermen are as tight lipped as their captain. Cyrus is getting on his nerves, although he'll admit that it is his fault this time, he tends to overshare when he's excited... his cheeks warm up a bit from embarrassment and irritation at the fishermen's disrespect and Cyrus's badly repressed snickers.

"Woah it's the first time I see someone actually blush!!" Konran exclaims not so quietly. This time, a cough escapes Cyrus as he scoots even further away from the group and squeezes his jaw with his hand, putting all of his will-power into not bursting out in laughter.

Awkward silence fills the cave, aside from the constant whistle of the wind and Cyrus's occasional slip ups... The group gets deeper into the cave. It's getting darker.

After a good while of sailing, Cyrus has calmed down, Konran is bopping around in her seat, Yohei is sitting at the corner to have the best field of view, and Clematia is fidgeting with her bag out of anxiety.

Soon enough, the whistles get louder... And the waves pick up as they near an open area of the cave that has three other entrances...

Cyrus sits straight again and squints his eyes at the diverging paths in front of them... This spells trouble…

Konran sniffs the air.

“…….”

She stands up from her seat and walks to the edge of the boat, sniffing the air again... The waves get stronger, the whistles louder and she turns around to face the group, a proud blank smile on her face.

"The smell of fish can never outperform the blood one!!"

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Everyone hears rumbling…

⋅⋅⊱༻To be continued༺⊰⋅⋅