A masked shipwright sat on a creaky wooden chair overlooking the tranquil waters of the Etrean luminant. It was unnaturally calm compared to the rest of the eastern waters, but that was typical. He watched as the final slices of the pale orange sun sunk below the tides, making absentminded marks on the matte blueprint paper.
Garett had just finished doing some light repairs on a client's schooner, so this moment of respite was rather deserved. His blueprints for another client had been finished, so he was planning on purchasing the necessary materials for it the next morning. Going out at night would be too risky.
"Garett! Is the ship ready?"
A sudden yell intruded on his peaceful moment. Valerie seemed to be in a hurry, moving at a fast pace from the flight of stairs down to the dock
"It's been ready for a while, Valerie…"
The boisterous woman hurriedly approached him, counted out the rough amount of notes needed for the repair, adding a little extra, and handing it to him. A young gaunt man stood behind her with a confused, but stressed look. His hair was parted in the middle and flowed back, and he donned a light brown tunic. He looked well kept.
The shipwright watched as Valerie jumped down onto the schooner without a second thought, rushing to prepare it for departure while the young man clambered onto the small vessel. In the next moment, the ship's vast sails caught the breeze and sailed away, accelerating as it kept moving. He could see Valerie moving all over the sea vessel, making adjustments here and there while also seemingly scolding the poor young man in passing.
Eventually, their silhouette disappeared into the shroud of darkness. However, the masked shipwright couldn't care less, and returned to his blueprints for the next client's ship. He was a merchant that travelled throughout the luminants, so he requested a larger sized schooner to be able to transport large sums of goods.
The blueprints were only the first step. The actual construction of the vessel would take him a couple of months to complete. Compared to other shipwrights, like the ones past the gates, Garett was rather slow. Obviously, he was only a single person for the most part, whereas the others have whole teams of experienced ship builders. Garett had to make up for the lack of manpower through the song, which significantly increased his shipbuilding efficiency.
As he studied the complex blueprints once more, making sure there were no errors, he heard the steps of multiple men slowly approach him, accompanied by the sound of fabric catching the wind.
"Excuse us, shipwright, but have you seen a gaunt man with slightly tanned skin? He had brown eyes and a middle part with hair color resembling a sable?"
The masked shipwright stayed stoic behind the mask. However, Garett wasn't sure what to do.
"Why? Is he a person of interest?"
The group of white cloaked guards looked at each other. The one at the front was one who responded.
"Well, would you consider a bloodrender a person of interest?"
***
Quies stared at his bloodied fist. Both his cursed blood and that rascals were on it. He observed as his blood formed tendrils and seemed to consume the foreign blood. Along with that, the voices had gotten louder. He was almost able to make out what they were saying. Just a little more meditation…
"I'm still kinda pissed you did that."
He caught sight of Valerie out of the corner of his eye. As per usual, she stood at the stern. Quies sighed before responding to her remark.
"You know, if I didn't have this attunement, I wouldn't even be in this situation in the first place."
He returned his focus back to his fist. He began using blood enhancement on it to start healing any chafes and scratches.
"Well, you do now. Ah, I've been there before, except for the fact that I had… somewhat of a way out. For you, well… you're kinda forced to fight."
Quies stared at the newly polished deck of the small schooner. What could she know about what he was going through?
'Then again, the people with the brightest smiles usually have the darkest past.'
He shrugged off unnecessary thoughts and returned to his meditation. He went through the usual motions and felt his blood circulate around his body, nourishing the areas which it passed through. He felt its calm and pulsating flow. It was constant, yet everchanging.
Eventually, the last wisps of the sun's blessed light had disappeared across the horizon, replaced by the compass shaped… moon?
"We should be far enough away. You should know the plan for the next couple of days unless you're an ignorant little brat who doesn't respect his elders, am I right?"
Interrupted and slightly insulted by her comment, Quies paused his meditation and looked at Valerie. The ghostly moonlight veiled her figure in muted white light.
'Same words I used to describe those rascals.'
Valerie laughed, its sound getting lost in the seemingly endless sea of the Etrean luminant.
"Hah! Say, I think there's still some time until your bedtime… so why don't you try out those sword skills you learned from the book!"
"Against you? I'd certainly lose."
Valerie walked down from the stern, her steps creaking on the wooden deck. She stopped a sizable distance away from him, around half the length of the entire schooner.
"Who said I would be the one fighting? Most of the bad things you'll face in this world are monsters anyway. Hey, wanna see a cool magic trick?"
Quies paused, thinking for a moment. This could end really great or downright horrible.
"Sure…"
"Okay! Close your eyes."
He hesitated for a moment, but then gave in and closed his eyelids, his vision turning black. A moment later, though, he thought he could see a faint red glow through his eyelids.
"Open them!"
As Quies opened his eyes, he instinctually put a hand in front of his face. The change of light was jarring, as if they were transported into a new world. As his eyes adjusted, he realized he stood on some sort of shallow, clear liquid with a plaid black floor. The sky emitted a soft white light from all directions.
"Welcome, to my Illusory Realm."