[Ewan]
Stormfalcon, Top Deck.
Ewan watched the faraway ship turn around and fade beyond the horizon, squinting against the frosty wind. The perpetual night without the moons took on a greenish hue in his gaze, and the ship burned as a firefly on the dark backdrop. This was the fifth glimpse of the month, two more than the last. The lack of retaliation and the passive stance of Stormfalcon had intensified the pirates’ aggression, and they already showed signs of sparking a conflict.
“Should we start, Boss?” Kidd asked, squatting at the edge of the top deck, staring at the faint silhouette of the ship. “I’m itching to try them.”
“No, it’s pointless to fight them right now,” Ewan said, his loose ashen-gray shirt’s lapel fluttering with the gust.
“Pirates don’t have the concept of saving, we won't gain much even if we kill them all,” Lance said, polishing his scythe and the shield with maintenance oil, leaning on the wall by the stairs.
“Why are you oiling them, you know they won’t rust,” Kidd said.
“I feel naked without my armor, I need something to keep my mind off it,” Lance said, rubbing the blade hard, burying his head in the act.
“I’m almost done, it should be ready by tomorrow,” Nana said, standing beside Ewan, defending the integrity of her well-kept long hair against the gale. “I’ll do your overcoat and staff next.” She looked at Ewan. “I’ll change its etched spell to your
“My mask and dagger too, Sae’sa.” Kidd chipped in.
“Mine’s not urgent, finish theirs first,” Ewan said. “Stefan, how far are we?”
“A week away, if we don’t hit a storm and you don’t go nuts about it,” Stefan said, almost melding into the night with a roomy inky gown and his blindfold on, only the flickering flame in the lantern he held gave away his presence.
“I won't,” Ewan said, clearing his throat. “I’ve had my fill for now.”
“Let’s just hope the island’s not a thing of the past,” Lance said, wiping the excess oil with a tattered rag.
“Hmm, we really need to consider updating Nyte’s database somehow,” Stefan said.
“Sae’sa, why don’t you cut your hair short? That looks like a hassle to deal with,” Kidd said.
“Someone doesn’t like short hair.” She peeked a glance at Ewan, tucking the stray stands of hair behind her ear.
“Don’t put shit like that in her head, she’s good as is,” Ewan said and kicked Kidd’s ass, almost dropping him into the ocean.
“Will you tell me what Sae’sa means already?” She poked Ewan’s ribs.
“Sae’sa is Sae’sa, what else would it mean,” Kidd said, climbing back up and rubbing his ass.
“Keep reading the books I gave you, you’ll eventually find out,” Ewan said. And when his words ended, a gray tinge overwrote the blackness of the night sky, the stars faded after their long stay, and soon a thin strip of sunlight cleared the horizon.
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“Finally!” Everyone on the deck exhaled a heavy sigh of relief. The frigid temperature had plunged with each passing day without the sun, even the ocean had slags of ice crashing against the warship now. So, the arrival of dawn rested their worries. The endless night would soon end, the stars and the moons would have their rest, and the all too nostalgic blue sky would take over. Yet the rising ball of fire differed from Ewan’s memory, and he frowned at it. The intensity of the rays and the size, both were far from comparable to the sun, and this fireball missed the flare that alighted the Kyrons alive.
“Is this our sun?” Nana asked.
“Doesn’t look like it,” Ewan said, watching the layer of frost melt away from the Stormfalcon. “It’s probably a makeshift measure, Ashevagord made its move.”
……
The citadel in the crater—Fallsard Enclave had spread its name as such. Famed for its defense, boasting convenient coordinates, it rose from a humble and vulnerable settlement to become one of the hubs of Morinfair. Or so it was centuries ago, in Nyte’s words. Ewan held his doubts in its survival over the years, the citadel’s specifics were much too bizarre after all. Nonetheless, he looked forward to the destination, for its peculiarity could easily fill a couple of rousing pages in his diary.
The fake sun had settled into the routined arc of dawn, high peak, and twilight, working in tandem with the moons, and the blizzards shrank to mere caressing snowfalls. When the day broke today, as the stars dimmed, the bowl-shaped island popped onto Nyte’s radar, and the communication channel opened on the bridge.
“You have entered the maritime zone of Fallsard Enclave, please state your highest rank, names, affiliation, and purpose for the record,” a man said over the stable static channel.
“Step-1. Ewan Ayres, Havanna Elsworth, Kidd Yales, Stefan Rad, and Lance Silvester onboard Stormfalcon, visiting for business,” Ewan said, sitting in the captain’s chair. “No affiliation.” And the channel paused for the reply.
Extensive verdure speckled with man-made designs blanketed the island, and though the screen only showed a side of the rim, the citadel lying in the concavity beyond, its development as a whole surpassed Nyte’s records. In the years gone by, the crater had not only maintained its status but also grew as a hub. The decision to sail afar paid off, this place must have everything they needed.
“Nyte, zoom in on the right side,” Kidd said, squinting at the screen. “Boss, that’s a warship, I think.”
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Status: Healthy
Step-1 Severynth [Spirit-Nebula: Zeroth Surge]
Subtype: Step-0 Elementalist
Name: Ewan Ayres
Species: Human
Vitality: 7.0
Spirit: 25.6
Anima: [Fire – 25.6 | Ice – 25.6 | Blood – 25.6 | Mystic: 25.6 | Dark: 25.6]
Astylinds: 5 [Potential: 0]
Rolling Cat [Toast]: Step-1 Severynth [Spirit-Nebula: Zeroth Surge]
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Fire Monkey [Orange]: Step-1 [Level-10] [Grade-B]
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Imp [Frost]: Step-1 [Level-10] [Grade-B]
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Bloodthorn-Lotus [Iris]: Step-1 [Level-10] [Grade-D]
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Necros-Crow [Ghost]: Step-0 [Level-6] [Grade-D]
Equipment: Common Clothes; Yurn [Neck Gaiter]; Moonkeeper [Crystal-Ball]; Rainwarden [Staff]; Blackfeather [Overcoat].
Storage: Journal; Elementalist—The Path of Anima [Subtype-Book]; Spellbook; Bloodlust [Spell]; Transmute [Spell]; Unknown Book [Radon’s Legacy]; Anima-Crystals [Novas Coins]; Hub-Connector; Ingredients.
Novas: 24,285
Anima Crystals: 14,220 grams