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"Isn't this great! sailing the high seas, journeying to a distant land, finding treasure and solving mysteries in the new world." A young and overly energetic teen spoke, writing down and describing everything he saw in his journal. The vibrant blue of the cloudless sky, the saltness in the air, and the vastness of the open sea. He looked back at his party, and to his expectation, they were not as excited as he was.
"Faein, save your stamina for when we hit mainland." Gabriel, the party leader, spoke. A blond-haired man in his late twenties with a decent build and a slightly chiseled jaw. Wearing a chainmail over his shirt and a pair of leather armored pants.
"Cheer up! Gab, the island not that far ahead," Faein said, his smile unwavering as he looked at the pale, tired-looking blond man who was leaning heavily on the wooden taffrail.
"You know, for all the times we spent together, I never thought one of your weaknesses was being on a boat," another voice spoke from behind Gabriel.
Gabriel wearily turned his head to glare at the man. It was Rey, the ranger of the team, a tanned man in his early twenties with a lean build. He wore light leather armor and a simple pair of black trousers.
"Shut it, Rey, I am not in the mood," Gabriel replied, with no real bite to his words.
"Yes, I can see that," Rey said unperturbed, and just as he was about to speak, a woman cut him off.
"Just leave the poor man alone." She spoke, her voice soft like that of a mother. She was the team's oldest and most experienced member. Carmine, the paladin of the team, for a woman in her late forties who looked surprisingly young for her age. She had a pale complexion, with short red hair, and a subtle wrinkle around her brown eyes, fully adorned in her blackened suit of armor. She stood out from the rest of the party, literally and figuratively.
"Yes, ma'am," Rey replied casually as he backed off, walking over to Faein to probably tease the poor teen.
"So what's your deal with him?" Gabriel asked as he watched Carmine approach.
"Him?" Carmine took a glance at Faein, to which Gabriel nodded.
"Hmm... he's an old friend's grandson." She replied bluntly, without adding any further explanation.
Gabriel barked out a laugh. It was both surprising and amusing how his party pretty much got a living fortress to protect them, just because of some worried grandparent.
"Really, is that it. Not to be rude, but did you really just join this party just so you could look out for an old friend's grandson?" He asked, knowing that was not her main reason, but he only got a soft smile in return.
"Ok-ok, I am not going to push it. But you can't blame me for being skeptical."
"I never did, but how about you? What's your reason for being here?" She asked, leaning her side against the taffrail.
Gabriel took a glance at Faein, who was now explaining, unfortunately, to Rey the difference between two similar-looking seabird species. He felt his lips twitch into a smile.
"Got hired to watch over and guard the kid." He replied honestly.
Creak.. Sploosh..
Gabriel gripped the wooden railing and forced himself not to vomit as the ship rocked to its side. And honestly, he could say he was starting to regret accepting that deal. A soft chuckle whispered to his ear, and with a groan, he turned his head and found Carmine, with a hand covering her mouth as she softly chuckled, seemingly amused by his current state.
"Throughout my years, I have seen seasickness hit the strongest of men, but never have I seen a man become so ill from such a little wave," Carmine said, but her voice remained gentle as ever, as if she wasn't even mocking him.
He was just about to make a rebuttal, but again the ship rocked to its side, causing him to vomit over the taffrail.
"Here, eat this."
Gabriel saw Carmine toss something yellow at him, which he clumsily caught.
"A piece of candy?" He asked, but ate it without hesitation; it tasted somewhat sour.
"Yes, I found it to be quite effective at curing seasickness.. But with your condition-"
"yeah, I know.. And thank you, Lady Carmine." Gabriel cut her off, hoping to save a shred of his image.
"Lady? There's no need to be so formal, we're in the same party after all. Just Carmine would suffice." She replied with a smile. Gabriel didn't know why, but how wrinkles appeared on her face as she smiled reminded him of his mother, and sudden warmth spread on his chest.
A brief sigh of relief escaped him, whether Carmine had an ulterior motive as to why she joined his party. It was comforting to know there was another responsible member to depend on during their week-long travel on the sea.
[__________ _____ _______ ____ ____ _
Lady Carmine's sweet or sour candy: Her seemingly unlimited amount of handmade treats, and just like magic, any adventurer who has eaten her candy would tell you that they feel like a job well done.
- Faein.
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'Oh thank god, finally Hard soil!' Gabriel screamed internally as he felt his leather boots touch the stone pavement of the port. Already making him a thousand times better than being in that wooden ship.
The stone dock stretched out in uneven slabs, edges chipped and worn down by decades of salt and tide. Moss clung between the cracks that ran through the surface like spiderwebs, and bits of barnacle clung stubbornly where the waves cashed the edges. Merchants cawing the wares of their stalls, but his mind was already tuning them out.
"Why did we even come here?" Ray spoke from behind him, yawning as he stretched his arms and legs.
"For adventure, gold, and treasure!" Faein answered as he ran down the wooden steps leading to the stone dock.
"And were here to-"
Creak-Snap!
Rey and Gabriel simultaneously turned their heads as they saw Faein falling headfirst into the pavement. Rey sprinted first, arms outstretched, and Gabriel was only a second behind.
Both of them felt like time slowed to an awfully brisk pace, and Faein was falling like a brick. With both seemingly sharing one mind, they lunged with their arm open in a desperate catch.
Crash.
Stone dust scattered as their bodies slid across the pavement, but their arms felt empty. They looked up in unison, and a shock briefly passed by them as they saw Faein hovering on a small pillar of wind three feet above their arms.
"I know he might not look like it, but the boy can actually take care of himself, every so often," Carmine spoke from behind them, her armored boots clicking on the hardened ground as she walked.
"That would have been helpful," Rey said, his tone laced with sarcasm as he pushed himself off the ground. Gabriel grunted and pushed himself off as well.
"A-a- sorry for making you guys worry," Fain said awkwardly as he reoriented himself in the air and dropped down with a light thump as his shoes touched the ground.
"It's fine, just don't run around all the time," Gabriel scolded, but his voice was weary rather than stern. He made an audible sigh as he saw Faein's eyes wander to the merchant stalls. He flicked his head.
"ow-"
"Faein, just try your best not to cause any trouble," Gabriel said a bit more sternly. To which Faein nodded, though he could still see Faein's eyes glancing at the stalls, eyes gleaming at their wares.
"Rey, you're in charge of him. And Faein… Just don't buy anything. Unnecessary." He said, and immediately he saw Faein's eyes sparkle, while Rey just slowly shook his head, looking somewhat displeased. But before Rey could say anything, Faein was already grabbing his arm, dragging him to a nearby stall.
"You make a great father," Carmine said from behind him, with her motherly voice. He wondered if she was either teasing him or complimenting him. He could never tell with her.
"That's because-" He turned, then froze. His eyes slightly widened at the sight of Carmine, calmly carrying four shipping crates strapped together on her back like a makeshift backpack. He knew paladins were strong, but were they really that strong?
"You know, we could just have hired a courier," Gabriel said, as he dusted himself off.
"Yes, but why waste time looking for one. I may not be in my prime, but this is nothing compared to what I did back then," Carmine replied, doing shoulder rolls as if to prove her point.
"I see... but are you sure you don't want any help?" Gabriel said with a slight worry in his tone. He knows that she'll probably just be fine, but at the same time, as the leader of the party, he shouldn't let their oldest member carry all their stuff.
"Like I said, it's nothing. Now let's head to our lodging, drop our bags, and finally get some proper rest—something one of us clearly needs." She said with a smile.
"Yeah, let's go," Gabriel replied, as much as he would like to disagree, a soft bed after a week of traveling on the sea is exactly what he needs.
With Rey and Faein wandering the dock's market, Gabriel and Carmine went into the town.
Strange looks, whispers, and murmurs were what Gabriel expected from the locals, but surprisingly, there was none, as if there was nothing odd about seeing a pale woman wearing full blackened armor walking through the streets with a makeshift backpack of wooden crates.
"So are you a hero of Walein Island or something?" Gabriel asked from behind her. It was odd to see no one not bat an eye at them; instead, the locals just smiled and made small waves at them, well, at Carmine rather than him.
"A 'Hero of Walein Island'?" He could hear the amusement in her voice.
"I am no hero, I am just an old woman with a knack for caring too much." She continued. But Gabriel couldn't help but let out a tired chuckle.
"I don't think you're allowed to call yourself an 'old woman' if you can still carry that much." He replied, but she only glanced over her shoulder as a response. But even from behind, Gabriel could feel that she was smiling. A comfortable silence settled over them and lingered until they reached their lodging.