The mornings inside the Mist Sea weren't like the mornings elsewhere, as there wasn't much of a dawn. When the sun rose elsewhere, it was still dark as night, and even at midday it was obscured by the everlasting mist.

The surrounding temperature wasn't determined by the time of the day, but solely by the warmth of the sea that created the mist. So there were nights hotter than the daytime before, not accounting for the quickly rise and fall of the temperature whenever a new current was brought into the mix.

Then there were the monsters. They weren't diurnal nor nocturnal, as they adapted to the mist completely, many of them didn't even have proper eyes to begin with, be their air- or waterborne. That meant they would attack at any time.

All of these facts made it impossible to track time, unless you had a watch, and most of the crewmembers didn't have that luxury. The few who did quickly found themselves asked again and again 'What time is it?'

If it weren't for their quartermaster, the crew of the Reverence would have gone crazy by now. Whenever someone heard about a journey with little chance of return, they would think of giant monsters, deadly traps, or great battles, not the anxiety of not knowing the time of the day—and they were still not thinking about starvation or illness.

However, there was Quartermaster Greggor, who talked to each and every one of the crew, “How are you doing?” or “Remember to properly chew.” Here a bit of small-talk, there a pat on the back, and every time he infused some magic in them, calming down their nerves. Sometimes his own.

Though magic alone would have never been enough to halt this ever growing unrest everyone was feeling, which was why Greggor also opened the first barrel with grog. As the quartermaster, he was responsible for distributing the provisions to the crew and therefore he decided to give one cup a day for everyone.

The length of the journey was almost entirely up to how well he would ration, though they had a big pile of hard tack and other non-perishable food for emergencies, especially a premature return trip. However, the ocean was a vast pantry and even the Mist Sea was bound to have several edible fishes, or at least some that would be bearable after using Body Enhancement on the stomach.

Greggor would still prefer to find an island soon. Not only to make this expedition not fail entirely in case the next disaster struck too hard, but also to find something to eat there, as it would not only relieve their rations, but also break the monotony of the meals, which would also end up weighing on the crew's mood in addition to everything else.

“LAND IN SIGHT!” Lennart the lookout screamed, which said a lot, as it was immensely difficult to see far through the mist, even for someone who specialized in perception-enhancing magic.

“PREPARE FOR STARBOARD, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SWIM!” First Mate Scarlet's voice overtoned any attempts of hozzahs and hurrays, as even Greggor, who was under deck, felt instantly that something was wrong here. He could feel it through his sea legs, there was something about the current, that didn't say close to island. Rather...

He glanced through the scuttle and saw immediately the problem: The Reverence rode a strong current, one that would fit a whirlpool at the end. Yet it wasn't a whirlpool, it was a rift in the sea. The captain would have likely known how this was caused—he was an educated man, after all—but for someone as simple as Greggor it could have been a tear that would lead to the underworld.

“PREPARE FOR BOOST!” Greggor quickly grabbed one of the many holding lines under deck and only two seconds later, the Reverence shot out of the current—no, it just bought some time, and now Scarlet must have redirect the current to make it possible to circumvent the rift.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

The Reverence was sailing around, only magic made it possible to escape these deadly currents, and then Captain Sebastian Bluerose came to him, with the flourish of a scoundrel and the smile of a child: “Greggor, we got an interesting problem, and you may be able to help.”

“Aye?” The captain led him to the deck, and even Greggor could see the island, as it was massive: “Why don't we anchor here? There is no hole there.” It almost looked like a bridge, a broad watery bridge that crossed the gap.

“That's the point, where the water is shooting back again, and we would like to send a dinghy there, but even if Scarlet fights back the current, it may break. It's really strong and it takes already much effort of our mages and Water Control casters to keep the Reverence here. But not exploring it would be an outright crime, so I came up with a plan, and you will be the heart of it, my dear Greggor!” That's the captain. Always immersing himself fully to whatever crossed his mind, but very educated and insightful of what was going on at any time.

However, his plans were usually very demanding and they defied common sense: “What do you have in mind?”

Five minutes later.

Greggor clung to the captain, who skated on a tendril of water, which would serve as a ramp: “We're going to fall! I'm too heavy!” His words were almost drown by his groans of regrets and fear.

Captain Sebastian Bluerose, however, laughed at the top of his lungs: “Don't worry, Greggor! This is just a matter of speed and balance!”

“That doesn't make it better!”

“Now close your mouth and clench your teeth so that you won't bite your tongue. Jump off is in three... two... one...” Then the captain jumped with a man twice his side on his back. The power of that jump was irrational, he used his abundant magic resources to use two advanced magics at once—Jumpman and Skater—and then the basic spell Air Control to steer the two of them midair.

Greggor used Body Enhancement to his personal maximum, clenching his teeth and shutting his eyes, mentally preparing for the impact.

*Wroms*

It was a sandy beach at least, so the pain was dull and the sand that got into the boots would proof to be more of a challenge than the scratches. “You see,” Captain Sebastian Bluerose said with a wild grin: “We arrived safely. Lifeforms are there, so there had to be the Reverence!” He shot a wind gust through the mist, creating a small tunnel up to the ship. “Now to part two!”

A grapple that was at the end of several bound-together ropes were thrown to their direction, and Greggor caught it with ease. “Here we go...”

“Yes! Your turn!”

Greggor was a three-star magic-user. He had three spells that he used back then, when he was a convict laborer and he kept them. One was the basic spell Body Enhancement. The other one was called Leadership, a spell that empowered other people's body and mind. The last one was Strongman, an advanced spell that not only made him able to move objects much heavier than even his full Body Enhancement would allow, but also strengthen the object moved enough to not break as easily.

The Gentle Giant grabbed the rope and infused it with his spell and with that, the Reverence was also infused by extension. He could feel the dragging of the currents for a while, but then the mages on the ship calmed them down.

Then his muscles swelled. His arms became thicker than most people's legs, his legs almost burst out of his trousers, his neck almost vanished from the abundance of chest muscles that buffed up so much, that he rather resembled a demigod than a human at that point.

It was time to reel the ship in. The captain also enhanced his body—though much weaker than Strongman—and helped, as Greggor puffed a rhythm: “One. Two. One. Two. One. Two.” He had no magic left for any other spell than Strongman, so the captain had to use his own power, and while he was a much stronger magic-user in general, he was clearly only able to support Greggor.

The closer the Reverence got, the harder it was for the mages to fight back the currents, which was why Greggor doubled his efforts, fighting against any current the mages couldn't shield the ship from with a combination of pure muscles, and magic that enhanced those to degrees most people would deem impossible.

That way, the ship was able to pass the gaps in the water safely. With a big, final effort, the quartermaster pulled the Reverence onto the beach far enough so that it wouldn't be swept away that easily. Then he broke down on the spot, exhausted to his utmost.

“Great work, Greggor!” The captain said, sweat running down his face and dripping down his beard: “You were excellent! Now we can enjoy some days on land, though this island adventure just started. But for now, take a break, and just think of how you want to spend your free time.”

Free. Yes, he was free.