A young elvish man stood on the stern of a recently departed trade ship; watching the slowly shrinking city warily as the rough ocean currents rocked the vessel from side to side. His short blonde hair was made wet by the sea breeze. A lingering storm constantly causing chaos on the far side of the island. The intense flashes and ceaseless roiling, a continuous reminder of its presence even through the cloudy night sky. 

A few hours go by as the crew scatter around the ship attending to their tasks before the ship reaches calmer water and is allowed to sail without the need for as much involvement from the sailors. The elf never leaving his spot in the back for both privacy and a fear of conflicting with the normal flow of the crew. He eventually notices a human male with dark skin and short curly brown hair make his way toward the stern where the elf has been standing.

“We should stop hearing the wind and thunder of the Tempest in a few hours,” The crewman said as he settled on the railing a few feet from the elf.

“I’ve always hated that damn storm. It’ll be nice to finally get some distance from that abomination of nature.” whispered the elf in a sad and tired breath.

“We were all a little skeptical when you approached us right before departure asking for a ride. Not too many people leave Last Bastion these days, especially ones that can’t afford their own vessel. Do you even know where we are heading?” 

“Anywhere is fine, I don’t care as long as it’s away from this island.” The elf blurted out; never taking his eyes off the horizon they had left. “I’m done fighting hopeless battles. I just want a fresh start in a place as far from here as I can get to.”

“I can’t begrudge a man a clean slate. I actually became a sailor in search of a way to break up the monotony of my life. I was a farmer on Montazo in the south-west before making the change. The name is Laurence Peddleton by the way. Can I ask yours?” Said Laurence as he reached out to shake the elf’s hand.

“Syl” The elf stated, refusing the friendly gesture and continuing to stare out at the black ocean water. “I prefer to limit physical contact with others.”

Laurence took the hint and lowered his arm. Giving awkward and concerned glances towards Syl. “That's an interesting name you’ve got there Syl. We’re heading to Halicant to deliver goods to their trade market. It’ll take about five days to get there. Want me to introduce you to some of the crew?”

“Sorry Laurence, I’d prefer to stay out of the way for the rest of the trip if that's okay with you. You’ve been very pleasant to me and I appreciate the attempt, but in my experience with people the niceties don't last very long.” 

“Why is that?” Laurence asked. “You seem pretty reserved but that's no reason for…” He trailed off as Syl turned to face Laurence for the first time in their conversation. Laurence failed to suppress the surprise on his face when he saw Syl’s bright purple eyes lock onto his own. They seemed to be almost glowing in the night, like distant planets emphasizing the gap between them despite only being a few paces apart.

“It’s hard for normal people to tolerate the abnormal ones for very long,” Syl said with a weak smile. “They tend to find reasons to stay out of contact.” 

Seeing the surprise and wariness on Laurence’s face, Syl began to walk towards the ship’s cabins. “Don’t feel too guilty for the shock. I’ve gotten pretty used to it by now. Thanks for coming to talk to me, Laurence. I never had many casual conversations on The Bastion. It gives me hope that this was the right choice.” Syl said while hiding a small but real smile and waving over his shoulder.

The rest of the trip went by with little out of the ordinary for a trade route. Syl spent his days reading in his cabin and taking periodic walks back to the spot on the stern where he had stood the night of the departure. Laurence had bumped into Syl several times due to the limited size of the vessel and had kept their run-ins to a polite but friendly greeting; the mysterious nature of their first conversation gave Laurence hesitation to interact with Syl further. 

Halicant could be seen on the horizon on the morning of the arrival date and despite still being a few hours till they made shore, seeing it gave Syl a slight release to the pressure he had been holding. Halicant was the south-easternmost island of the Arcrux archipelago. A series of seven large islands circling a ceaseless mass of storm known as the Tempest. It had been around for as long as recorded history had documented, but its steady nature kept people from fearing it as long as they weren’t foolish enough to sail into the storm. 

Syl made note of the geography of the island they were approaching. Despite never leaving Last Bastion prior to this trip, he could easily distinguish this island due to it being home to the largest mountain range in the archipelago. Nearly all of Arcrux’s quarry operations are done on Halicant; being shipped out of the capital trade city of Raust set at the western foot of the mountains, and the current destination for the trade ship to dock. 

Upon making landfall, Syl made sure to hand the other half of his promised fare to the captain for his sudden and inconveniencing presence aboard her ship. She thanked him and escorted him off the ship promptly as the crew was about to begin unloading before making another trip to sea.

Syl was startled at first when laying his eyes on the bustling harbor of the busy mercantile capital. He knew logically that these areas tended to be busy during almost all hours of the day, but to see it in person was a sight to behold. He seemed stumped as to how the chaotic flow of people and supplies was able to harmoniously weave together without halting the flow of foot traffic. His senses were bombarded with various sounds of yelling, ocean waves, wind, and workers giving and following orders. There was a strange mix of smells as the ocean breeze mixed with a large crowd of people and the smells of fresh food coming from the city streets.

What surprised Syl the most was the variety of races present in the harbor. Syl had met with almost all major races of the archipelago at some point in his young adult life, but Last Bastion was primarily dominated by elves and humans. Seeing not only those but an equal number of other races from mighty giants to tiny gnomes had Syl wonderstruck with appreciation for how much he still could learn about the world. 

His daze lasted long enough for him to draw some attention from local dockhands who gestured for him to get out of the way of some busy sailors carrying cargo to a boat nearby. Feeling slightly embarrassed but still intrigued Syl began to make his way towards the closest street taking him away from the harbor into the city proper. The packed nature of the docks did not let up upon entering the streets as people were walking every way imaginable from building to building. Street stalls had been set up between buildings and on street corners trying to peddle wares and produce to the busy crowd gaining a surprising amount of customers.

Syl had to find an alley entrance where fewer people were constantly walking to take stock of his new location and establish a plan of action as to how to acquire funds and necessities while staying here. 

“I don’t know what I was expecting, but this is all a bit overwhelming. Maybe I should’ve talked to Laurence more and asked for some travel advice” Syl questioned himself while looking like a lost dog.

“You’re new to Raust?” a sweet voice said from behind Syl.

Syl turned to see a short abyssal woman with pastel pink skin and short black hair parted down the middle and flowing around a pair of horns that reminded Syl of ram’s horns. Abyssals are a race known for having a variety of pastel-based skin colors with smooth hair and skin. They tend to have different categories of horns and long thin tails.

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“How could you tell?” Syl responded with a chuckle. He looked sadly at her bright pink eyes, a trait common for her people, unlike the strangeness that makes itself apparent in his own.

She giggled at his humor. “Just call it a good guess,” she said never letting her smile fall. “My name is Hope, would you like some bread?” lifting the basket she was carrying filled with a variety of freshly baked breads.

“Bread?” Syl said confused, only having just looked away from her eyes long enough to notice the bread basket she was offering to him. “Oh, bread! Um… I apologize, I don’t have any money right now. I spent it all getting here. Oh, and I’m Syl!” He said, looking slightly embarrassed at the admission.

“Don’t be embarrassed, you’d be surprised how many people spend what they have trying to get to a big city like Raust. They find that workers are always in demand. Is that why you came here? Looking for work Mr. Syl?”

“Not exactly,” Syl replied, wondering how many people had, like him, tried to turn their lives around in a new place. “ I didn’t choose Raust specifically, I’m looking for a way out of the archipelago. I want to go to one of the foreign outlands.”

For the first time in their conversation, Hope’s smile was dampened by a worried surprise. “That’s not an easy task Mr. Syl. Trips outside the archipelago are very rare. My acquaintance is the head of the archaeological society branch here in Raust. They’re the only people I know of who even attempt to sail that far. Why would you want to do something like that?” 

“Just a personal desire. I’ve got some things to do and getting outside the archipelago is at the top of that list. Do you know which way this archaeological society is? If that's the only lead I have, I might as well check it out.” Syl said, trying not to look suspicious.

“Don’t worry Mr. Syl. I won’t pry into your personal business. But I wouldn’t get your hopes up. They only do those trips every few years or so. And that acquaintance I mentioned won't just let you tag along for free.” Noticing the sad look on Syl’s face, Hope gave a reluctant sigh. “But if you want to try to work it off until the next trip, he tends to take in a lot of people like you and give them jobs. His name is Korvos. Continue down the street and take the second right. It’ll be the only three-story building on that block.”

“Thank you so much, Hope. I promise I’ll come buy some bread from you as soon as I get some spending money. I really appreciate the help.”

“You better!” She said playfully. “I don’t make this much time for most strangers. I hope you find some closure, Mr. Syl. Even if you have to run to do so.”

Syl looked as if he wanted to say more, but after a flash of pain crossed his face; he decided to end the conversation there and follow Hope’s directions to the Raust Archeological Society building. 

Managing to not get lost despite the simple directions, Syl had found the three-story building on a street corner much less crowded than the one he had met Hope in. He imagined that the further away from the docks one got, the less busy normal residents of the city would be. With the exception of town market squares. The outside of the building was made of plain dark wood, with the windows covered by fabric from the inside and a lack of any signage. Syl decided that this was a building meant for people who already knew what it was, or he was just lost.

Syl knocked on the door and waited. A few minutes passed without any answer to his knock. Hearing nothing from inside and with no other leads to follow he decided to knock again slightly louder. This time he heard a reluctant but loud groan come from the cracked window on the second floor. The whole building seemed to creak as a sound that Syl assumed to be someone walking down an old wooden staircase reverberated through the structure. Finally, the door swung open to reveal a large and muscular blue-skinned delver opened the door and glanced down at Syl’s slender and pale frame.

The delver were a humanoid race of fish-folk that tended to live in the ocean but could survive on land with little discomfort. They tended to have cool tones of scaly skin with fins in place of hair. They were rare even by the standards of the variety Syl had seen at the docks. This delver, who Syl could only assume to be Korvos, had the trademark burn marks on his neck where the race’s gills would normally be. The marks were a symbol of delvers who had left their homeland on the island of Ziurn, the island directly west of Halicant, and thus branded unable to return as traitors.

Covering up his surprise at seeing the muscular fish man fill up the frame of the door, Syl decided to start the conversation in the awkward silence.

“Are you Mr. Korvos?” Syl asked with a cautious look and a slight step back. 

“Korvos Jagodath.” Said Korvos. “Who’s asking?”

Syl couldn’t read Korvos’ face. Assuming that if what Hope said was true, he was probably more kind-hearted than his demeanor was letting on and Syl continued to push the conversation along. 

“My name is Syl, Sir. I was told to come here if I was looking to leave Arcrux?”

Korvos’ stoic face showed its first signs of movement as an eyebrow twitched in response to Syl’s declaration of intent.

“That depends, why are you looking to leave the archipelago Syl?” Korvos said. Watching Syl’s expression intently.

“I just need to leave. I can’t live here anymore. Not in reach of certain people that I’d rather not name.” Syl said with a shameful and scarred expression. “I could probably lie and say something else. But I’m not good at lying, and one look at me could tell you that I’m not normal. There are people I’m trying to escape and the further the better.”

“I did notice your eyes, son,” Korvos said, still analyzing Syl. “What circle tier are you?”

“You could tell I’m a mage just by looking?” Syl asked while looking around.

“You don’t get eyes like that boy without some magic in you. Besides, people with higher than average mana pools tend to give off a certain feel if you know what to look for.”

“I’m just in the first circle right now, but I should cross the line to the second circle soon,” Syl said quietly. “I didn’t want people to know. They get nervous around mages if they’re not used to it.” 

“You’ll find they’re more common than you think in large cities like Raust,” Korvos replied with the first hint of a smile Syl had seen on his face thus far. “I’m in the fourth circle myself, and you couldn’t even tell.” He said with a booming laugh.

Syl looked up sharply at that statement and took in Korvos with a new perspective.

“You know more about me than you’re letting on, aren’t you Mr. Jagodath?” Syl said, seeming ready to run at the first sign of aggression. 

Korvos continued to laugh despite the tense atmosphere around Syl. “I do son, but I won’t bug you about your past. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t going to bring any danger to my home and the people I care about. I’ll help you, but you’ll have to work for it, and if those people you’re so scared of come looking, I won’t endanger my people for you.”

“Of course,” Syl said, dropping some of the tension in his shoulders. “I wouldn’t expect you to put yourself and your people out for me. I’m also no stranger to work. I’ll do what it takes.”

Korvos’ laugh turned to a large grin as his intimidating demeanor shifted into a welcoming and friendly presence. “You should wait until the work starts before you make any commitments like that. We tend to get dirty and dangerous in my line of work”

“The next ship set to leave the archipelago is planned to depart in a little over a year. I’ll gladly pay your way if you help me with an upcoming expedition I have scheduled in a few weeks. I have my nephew scouting it out right now and once he returns with the go-ahead we will be packing up and heading out with a team.”

“We will need to get you up to the second circle before I’ll feel comfortable with you joining us, and until the expedition, you will serve as my errand boy and personal assistant. I will provide you with housing and food, but any personal expenses are on you. If this arrangement works for you then I will have you start immediately.” 

Syl looked contemplative at the offer. He was no stranger to assistant work and could handle any errands with efficiency and professionalism. But the need for him to reach the next tier of magic power implied a high sense of danger on the expedition and leaving the archipelago was Syl’s way to avoid danger. 

“I’ll do it,” Syl said determinedly. “I don’t like the idea of agreeing to unknown dangers but if it’ll get me to my goal then I can handle a single expedition. What do you want me to start with?”

Korvos’ grin turned into a full-blown smile as he patted Syl on the shoulder. He watched intrigued as Syl jumped back in response to the contact. “I’m glad to hear it, we needed one last person to fill out the roster. If you’re serious, the first thing you can do is head down towards the docks and buy some bread from a friend of mine. I’ve run out and don’t have the time to leave today.”

Syl looked shocked. “Bread? Are you referring to a breadmaker named Hope?”

“I am!” Came Korvos’ booming voice. “Do you know her?”

“She is actually the one who sent me your way,” Syl said with a slight smile.

“Good! Then you should have no problem. Here are some coins. When you’re back we can draft up an official document for our arrangement to make you feel more comfortable. I’ll even introduce you to my wife!”

Syl accepted the rust-colored coins and put them in his pouch for safety.

“That sounds good. I’ll be back soon Mr. Jagodath.” Syl said with a short bow of his head.

“Just Korvos son, we are co-workers now,” Korvos said with a smile as Syl walked back the way he came. 

Syl walked back down the street as the crowd he had escaped began to build up again around him. He was going over the quick conversation in his head to try to determine if he made the right decision. The way Korvos seemed to see through Syl’s every thought unnerved him greatly. A fourth circle mage is not someone to mess with. Though everyone has mana, those who actively use it to practice spellcraft are few and far between. Those numbers dwindled as they progressed through the circle tiers. 

His mental processing was interrupted as a familiar face greeted him and waved him out of his daydreaming. 

“So, you do want some bread?” Hope said with her never wavering smile and a genuine laugh at Syl’s startled reaction.