Okay, I might not have thought this through.

Bluewash grit her teeth, resisting the urge to shift her position within the tight confines of the cart bed. She’d been jounced, jostled, shaken, vibrated, shaken some more, and seemingly hurled through the air, all while unable to make a single sound or unbend her body from the enormous cramp it had become. Her stomach was distinctly upset, partly from the ride, but also from the pungent reek of the freshly tanned hides piled on top of her. The gentle roll of the hard planks below her elbows seemed to say she was on a ship, though she’d never been on a ship before to know. It might just have been her imagination. Also, she had to pee.

Hello? I’d like to get out of the cart now.

“You can get out now,” an unfamiliar voice spoke softly, and the timing was enough to make her yelp, slamming the back of her head against the hard planks. She inhaled sharply, then gagged on the stench of the hides and began to cough. Struggling for air, she writhed until she managed to free an arm, throwing back the hides to take a huge gasp of clean air and see...

Nothing.

“Huh?”

Bluewash blinked, sitting up and looking around. The space she was in was black. Not dark. Black. Other than herself and the cart, which were well-lit, there was nothing. Nothing at all. Pivoting her head further, she yelped again as she took in a gold-glowing armored figure watching her.

“Please keep your voice down,” the figure said, standing on the blackness against a backdrop of blackness. His armor was the gray of bare metal, and the soft golden light shimmering around it did nothing to illuminate his surroundings. A helmet completely concealed his features. “Get out now, please. Nice and slow. Do not touch anything on you. Do not use any magic or special abilities.”

Blinking like an owl, Bluewash pushed at the heavy hides, maneuvering her way to standing unsteadily, angry pins and needles shooting through her limbs. Carefully, she swung one leg over the side, feeling for the ground and not finding it. Her other leg followed, and she lowered herself until her left toe finally thumped against something solid. Wood, from the sound. She dropped down the rest of the way, using the cart for support. When she turned, the armored figure was still watching her.

“Good,” the man inside said.

Bluewash blinked again, then straightened hurriedly, aware of her disheveled state. She took her hand away from the cart, then gasped as it vanished. She whipped her head to stare at where it had just been. “What?”

“Your voice,” the armored man stressed, making a downward hushing gesture with both hands. “Please.”

Barely glancing at him, Bluewash fumbled forward. Her fingers touched something, and she jerked back as the cart exploded into color before vanishing again. More firmly this time, she placed her hand on where she knew the vehicle to be. It appeared from the blackness, contents and all.

What!?

She released the cart again. It vanished. She put her hand down once more. It came back.

What else is around me that I just can’t see? I’m touching the floor.

She looked down.

Why can’t I see the floor?

An exaggerated clearing of the throat cut her off mid-thought, and she yelped again, taking her hand away as if burned. The cart obediently vanished.

“Are you done?” the man asked.

Bluewash turned to look at him, hunching her shoulders defensively until she forced herself to stop. That became even harder as details clicked into place. The armor was unlike any she’d ever seen, battered and scuffed from battle. The posture of the tall man wearing it wasn’t hostile, but neither did he seem to be completely at ease. He wore no scarf and no foreign Guild plate, but she knew he was awakened. Not just awakened. All the time she’d wasted in court was perhaps not so wasted. Her instincts were screaming at her.

This person was strong.

Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no!

The escape plan she’d concocted after-the-fact evaporated like burning leaves.

She swallowed heavily, remaining silent.

Ascension, the man from before had called it. She hadn’t heard of the group, so she’d assumed it was small. A team of unawakened and a few bronze Guilders, at most. She didn’t have any combat skills, but she was low silver, so her stats alone should have been enough to protect her.

They would not be enough to protect her.

Damn it, why didn’t I ask any questions before I kidnapped myself?! Idiot, idiot, idiot!

“Relax,” the armored figure said. “I’m just going to ask you a few things. Do not lie.”

Talking is fine. Talking is good. Bluewash swallowed again, her mind scrambling for any way out of this. “Um, okay?”

“Do you possess any means of communication, skill-based, item-bound, or otherwise, that would allow you to send a message to anyone outside this ship?”

Oh noooooooooooooo! Nobody knows I’m here!

“Answer the question,” the man said.

“N-no,” Bluewash stammered honestly. An instant later, she was second-guessing herself. Just because he’d said not to lie, it didn’t mean she shouldn’t.

“Good,” the man said. “Do you mean us any harm, physical or otherwise?”

“Um,” She licked her lips. “Do you mean me any harm, physical or otherwise?”

The man chuckled. “That’s fair. No, we do not.”

“Then no,” Bluewash replied.

Suddenly, it was as if an invisible pressure was released, a weight she hadn’t been aware she was feeling. She had to fight not to gasp.

“Good,” the man said, uncrossing his arms. “I’m going to let you see now, so be ready.”

An instant after catching his meaning, Bluewash managed to stifle yet another yelp as light bloomed from the armored man, spreading to reveal a room crowded by crates, barrels, bags, and all manner of other supplies. Everything was strapped down other than the cart beside her. She stood next to it atop a railinged wooden platform, clusters of ropes at each corner rising to the ceiling where—

The ceiling!

Bluewash choked, taking in enchanted lights hanging from beams high above her. Metal beams. She didn’t think she’d ever seen so much metal in one place. There was a metal hatch, too, near where the ropes were anchored to pulleys to raise the platform. It was now clear how she’d been brought inside...the...the...

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

This ship is huge!

“My name is Rain,” the armored man said, no longer glowing as he extended a hand to her. “Captain of Ascension. And you are?”

“Bluewash,” Bluewash said numbly, looking at the hand. She almost jumped again as she noticed that the floor beneath the crates and the wooden platform was metal as well. Disruption didn’t bother him when it came to magic, clearly.

An armored Mage? What spell was that?

“Do they not shake hands on Rellagia?” Rain asked, tilting his head. “I did my research. I could have sworn they do.”

“Oh,” she said, reaching to take the offered appendage. “No, you’re right. We do.”

The moment her fingers made contact, she realized she may have made another mistake. The man’s grip, however, though firm, was incredibly gentle, as if he somehow knew just how much force he could safely apply. He released her after only a moment, and she was left staring at her uncrushed fingers. The lack of damage wasn’t why she was staring, though. Her brief contact had told her that his armor was far more than it appeared.

Why couldn’t I read the runes? I refuse to believe it’s not enchanted. Even if it’s bound, it—

“Welcome aboard Temerity,” Rain said, gesturing around and interrupting her thoughts. “We’re still in the harbor at the moment. Until I know what you’re doing here, we’re not going anywhere. You have the option of returning to shore if you decide that’s what you want, though how we get you there is a question due to the nature of your arrival. I still can’t believe they managed it, but the group that brought you here did so without anyone realizing. Returning you the same way would be suspicious, but we’ll cross that bridge if and when we come to it.”

Bluewash blinked at the foreign expression, then belatedly noticed her hand, still hanging dumbly in the air. She retracted it, her thoughts spiraling. It went without saying that this man wasn’t from any of the Kingdoms, but she couldn’t place his accent. Ekrustia, maybe. She wasn’t sure.

“Would you mind telling me why you decided to just hop in a stranger’s cart? Did they say they had cookies?”

“I, um...no...” Bluewash said, kicking her brain until it started moving again. “I’m not really sure why...” She lifted her eyes to his visor, and she could read the level stare he was giving her even without being able to see his face. Looking down again, she sighed, rubbing her neck. “I suppose I just thought wherever they took me, it couldn’t have been worse than where I was.”

“Wow, alright...” Rain said after a long pause, and when she looked up, he was rubbing his temples.

Tactile Transference? El’s blood, that’s expensive! WHERE ARE THE RUNES!?

“Let me see if I have this right,” Rain said, lowering his hand and using it to gesture. “From what my people observed, you are a low Royal, out of favor, and in crippling debt to your relatives. You were trapped in Se, either by someone’s express command or merely by your financial situation. It is also possible that you are a criminal suffering punishment. As you are awakened, you are too valuable to the government to simply discard; however, they also consider you too untrustworthy to be allowed any status or privilege until you have redeemed yourself. Also, since you’re here, there isn’t anyone or anything you care about in West Nov that would make you think twice about running away. Am I close, so far?”

“Uh, yeah...” Bluewash looked down. “More or less.”

“What part did I get wrong? The criminal part?”

“No, well, sort of,” Bluewash said, looking even further away. “But that’s not what—”

“You’re not a low Royal,” Rain stated. It wasn’t a question.

“No,” Bluewash said. “But I’m still a nobody.”

“What is your relationship to the Prince of Se?”

Bluewash sighed resignedly, then looked up. “I’m his aunt.”

“Which would make your brother the King,” Rain said, reaching up to rub his chin. “But you said you’re a nobody and believed it. Huh.”

Huh? Bluewash blinked. That was not the usual reaction.

“Okay then!” Rain said, clapping his hands and rubbing them together. “You are a Coresmith, and we have cores that need smithing! I’m prepared to offer you passage to Splendor, provided that you offer us your services. There’s something we’d like you to look at.”

Bluewash simply stared. “You’re really not going to ask anything else about my family?”

“Later,” Rain said, waving a hand. “I’ve been told I’m easily distracted. I’m trying to be better. Anyway, how about it? Will you come with us?”

“To Splendor?”

Rain nodded, though it looked like he wanted to say more.

Inspecting her shoes, Bluewash took a moment to collect her thoughts.

Then another moment.

Despite what he’d just said, Rain remained silent, giving her time.

When she finally looked up again, it was with a question. “Once we get to Splendor, I could leave? You’d let me go if I wanted to?”

“As long as you promise not to talk about what we’re planning to show you, of course,” Rain said casually. “Though again, it might be a little complicated.”

Bluewash narrowed her eyes. “Complicated how?”

He shrugged. “We’re kinda-sorta-not-really on the run. I’d prefer not to stop at East Nov or Splendor at all if I can help it. I’d also prefer it if you decided to join us formally. You know, long-term.”

There it is.

She thought she’d hidden her reaction, but apparently not, as he was already frantically gesturing for her to wait. “Hold on, now, hear me out! If you’re worried about us enslaving you or something, don’t be. We treat our crafters well, not like the Bank or whoever else. Not being assholes is kinda our deal. It’s just... We’re trying to find a place to set up shop on Bellost where nobody will bother us, yeah? If we have to make a stop to drop you, that adds a lot of risk. It’s better for everyone if you just agree to stay with us.”

“I’m not sure—”

“Ascension is different,” Rain interrupted, his voice passionate. “Please, just give us a chance. It will become abundantly clear if you spend any time at all around us. If you decide to join, you’ll have access to resources, including whatever you need to ply your craft, assuming we can get it. Also immaterial things, like training and education. You’ll be able to earn credit for buying stuff, including equipment and a shot at increasing your level cap, though the latter could be a long way off. Oh, and you’ll be able to vote! Have your say in what we do. As captain, I’m in charge of the day-to-day, but it’s an elected office. Ascension doesn’t work for me; I work for Ascension. It’s really great, I promise.”

“I...see,” Bluewash said, reeling a bit from the shockingly earnest and more-than-a-little-bit desperate pitch.

Rain spread his arms. “Look, joining would be the best decision you’ve ever made in your life, second only to hopping in that cart.” He paused, suddenly self-aware from the way he quickly cleared his throat. “Fair warning, though. If you do join, I’ll have to enroll you in our remedial critical thinking class. We’re up to six students after the stunt that got you here.”

Bluewash remained silent, though she found herself smiling. She was still overwhelmed, but also increasingly at ease, somehow. She wasn’t going to repeat her mistake, though. “Can I think about it?” she asked.

“Of course,” Rain said smoothly. He thumped a fist against his armored thigh. A plate popped open, revealing a compartment from which he drew a black leather-bound book. Then, without warning, he tossed it to her.

Bluewash yelped, having been distracted by the hitherto unconceived possibility of an armor pocket.

“That’s a copy of the codes,” Rain continued as she scrambled to make the catch. “It’ll tell you what we’re about; our values, our rules, and so forth. You can ignore the part about the test for joining. Old version. We changed that days ago. As long as you’re not a turbo-racist or something, you’ll be fine.”

“A what, sorry?”

“Anyway,” Rain said, waving his hands and ignoring her question. “Just read it, then decide. As for whether you’re coming with us to Splendor, I’m afraid I need a decision now, not later. We could also drop you in East Nov, but given how they feel about West Nov, I doubt you’re interested in that. Point is, this all becomes a major headache if your government realizes you’re here. Whether or not you think you’re unimportant, others might disagree. If it comes to it, I’m not opposed to granting you asylum, but we’ve got enough problems without another pissed-off country on the pile.”

Looking up from the book, she felt her hands tightening on its spine as she spoke softly. “I’m really not important...” She swallowed, then met his visored gaze, and when she spoke, her voice did not waver. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Rain tilted his head. “’Okay’ as in you’ll come with us to Splendor?”

Bluewash shook her head. “No. Well, yes, but...” She clasped the book to her chest. “I’ll join Ascension. If you’ll have me. I can read this later, but if it’s like what you described, I don’t think I need to.”

“Yes!” Rain roared abruptly, startling her for the umpteenth time. He’d also jumped, pumping a fist in the air. “Coresmith get!”

“What—?”

“Come on, then, no time to waste!” Rain said, spinning on his heel and beginning to thread his way through the stacks of crates. “Stay quiet, act like you belong, and no one should notice you. We need to get you out of sight. The fewer people who know you’re here, the better, at least until we’re past Splendor.” He stopped suddenly, tilting his head and muttering to himself. “No, that’s blocked right now. This is fine.” He clicked his tongue, then looked over his shoulder. “Coming?”

With a jump, Bluewash took one last look at the cart, then scrambled after him. “Wait!” she called. “I, uh...”

“Please don’t tell me you reconsidered,” Rain said, standing with one hand on a metal hatch as he watched her struggle toward him. “I don’t think I could take it. I already lost Green. I can’t lose Blue too.”

Bluewash shook her head, not even trying to puzzle that one out. It was clear that apart from being strong, the man before her was also incredibly weird. “It’s not that,” she said. “It’s just... If you’re going to hide me somewhere, I need to use the bathroom first.”

“Oh,” Rain said. “Actually, we don’t have one.”

Bluewash tripped over the final crate, stumbling as she landed on the floor beside him. “You don’t?”

“That’s what I said, yes,” Rain replied, nodding sagely.

Bluewash paled. “So do I go over the side, or...? Is that how it works on ships? Please tell me that’s not how it works on ships.”

“No, no,” he said, waving a hand. She somehow got the impression that he was grinning at her. “We just don’t do that here.”

“Pardon? I...really... I don’t think I understand you.”

“Oh, I love this part!” Rain said, gathering his arms to his chest and doing an excited little wiggle. “Here we go!”