The city of Lāoyuàng ‘Aimag shone as a mere shining dot; Its glass skyscrapers reflecting sunlight from afar. Every minute that passed the bustling capital grew smaller over the horizon behind, disappearing below. Captain Yulduz’s vessel, Songha-Lia, rocked mildly over the frequent waves. His men worked frantically to watch the sails, and hauled Izato’s baggage below deck.
Ayai wiped her forehead in sweat as she set down loads of boxes with her two hands. The other men looked nervously as they came down the stairs one by one.
“Miss… There’s no need to help us. We doin’ just fine by ourselves.”
“The sooner we can get these below, the better.” She insisted, retying her hair back into a ponytail. The crew members looked at each other in vain and bowed to her.
The Cargo Interior of the ship was bigger than she imagined. It stretched out several göröms ahead, along with an additional second-level loft. Every few strides was a sandwood pillar planted in between the deck and the floor. Layers upon layers of goods were decorated in barring rope. Lightbulbs glistened on the dancing chandeliers following the boat’s sway. Somewhere on the ship, she concluded that there must’ve been a saharic generator. After assisting in carrying more cargo downstairs, Ayai decided to head back up to the main deck.
She was immediately blinded by the sun above, contrasting with the sparsely lit Cargo Interior below. Waves bumped against the vessel. The upper deck was more crowded. Some crew was mopping, and members of Izato hung around the forecastle and the quarter-deck. Sails flew high to the salty wind with a man surveying the sea from the crow’s nest.
Ayai spotted ‘Mister’ Xiong looking over the taffrail. She walked up to him, placing her hands on the railing. “‘Mister’ Xiong, how do you feel about this so far?”
“I’m feeling a bit sick…” The bodyguard slouched down holding his stomach. “I’m not used to boats, Gong Dongye.”
Ayai caught her hair in the breeze. “How about taking off that cap of yours? The wind will make you feel better.”
“As if! What if Zhen sees me? I’ll be doomed!” ‘Mister’ Xiong’s back straightened as she turned to face Ayai.
“Well, you sure bounce back pretty quickly.” She briefly shut her eyes as ‘Mister’ Xiong reeled in embarrassment.
The two of them gazed into the sea soon after. A storm brewed in the distant starboard, and the clear blue skies on portside. According to the captain, it would take three days to travel from Lāoyuàng ‘Aimag to Shikot. A six-hundred-li journey that they needed to endure. Now that she thought about it, Zhen hadn’t shown himself since they departed.
‘Mister’ Xiong drowsily turned her head. “Gong Dongye, do you have a dream?”
”What’s this all of a sudden? An interview?”
“Lately you and everyone have been talking about Thiệu this, Thiệu that, defeat Thiệu. But what are you guys going to do after it all?”
“... I haven’t given it any thought at all.” Ayai answered sincerely, grasping the railings tighter. “On that day two years ago in Pingjing Shoal, I swore to Izdaha that I would help her defeat that man. The Dineh Kazaàd was the only thing I knew back then.”
“I heard that you were the reigning champion for six years.” His voice reverted back into a feminine one.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“Yes, I was. I’d rather not talk about that time even though I had endured it most of my life…” Ayai decided to mull it over. There was no use thinking about the aftermath when they hadn’t even begun the mission. “I’m sure I’ll figure out that future someday.”
“Toyaya, come here!” Tvuj hollored playfully from the left side of the forecastle. She had her hands locked around Izdaha, who looked on uncomfortably.
“Who is Toyaya?” Ayai shouted back, while she felt the girl’s grin from across the deck.
“That’s you, of course, Ayaya!”
Ayai parted with ‘Mister’ Xiong for the moment to walk all the way to the forecastle. The forward deck of the ship, the moment she stepped onto the forecastle her sense of balance seemed to drop immensely. The constant swaying motion had intensified by a certain margin like a wobbling balance beam. However Ayai kept on taking confident strides until she met Tvuj and Izdaha by the right side railing.
“What is it, Tvuj?”
“Look out there.”
She pointed as Ayai’s eyes followed to the point of interest. Across the ocean, land was still visible like a mountain range in the distance jutting towards the forward horizon like a canal. Tvuj then gestured with her hands as if a map were in her hands.
“Since Lāoyuàng ‘Aimag and Shikot are on the same continent, why don’t we just travel on land instead of a ship? We could’ve gotten buggies to drive across southern Yahmajô̗.”
“That would be a very reckless idea.” Ayai folded one arm while gesturing with the other. “North of As-Z̆onghu̐a lies ‘Da Xiagu’ and Al-Diyu Sands. The sole reason why the Laoyuangs ended up retreating from their northern expeditions and never claimed more territory up north, is because the conditions made camping and survivability very low.”
Tvuj thought about it as if Ayai had mentioned the profound. “‘Da Xiagu’?... Al-Diyu?... I never went to school so I never knew about that.”
“To put it simply, ‘Da Xiagu’ is a giant canyon system, and Al-Diyu Sands is too hot for humans to pass through. Even if we manage to get through Al-Diyu, ‘Liusha’ stands in the way of the Twintail Peninsula.”
“Uwah, why is northern Yahmajô̗ so dangerous… I’m tired of being on boats.” Tvuj hugged Izdaha even tighter, who never complained.
Ayai put her hand on Tvuj’s shoulder, before gently letting go to walk away. “Izato will persevere. I know that we will make it.”
In order for them to make it, the issue of the eastern sandstorm needed to be dealt with. She made her way off and into the quarter deck towards the aft. Ascending another flight of stairs Captain Yulduz overlooked the entire top of the ship, with one hand on his hip the other on the helm. Ayai glanced at the small blue flag atop the main mast before facing him.
“What’s that blue flag for, captain? I believe I already have a guess.”
“Oh, Gong Dongye. Hm? The pennant? My, that’s a Thủy Visa. Already expired though.” He arched his head, keeping his eyes forward. “Haven’t traveled to Shikot in a while.”
“Do you always experience storms out there in the east?”
“No, no. A sailor knows when to avoid bad weather. But since this job will pay more for my crew and I, I’m willing to take the risks. We’re still gonna be hit by the brunt of that sandstorm, but no more than a few hours… Wait…” Captain Yulduz’s eyes darted to the left while his grip loosened on the helm. He left it and rushed to the taffrail. Ayai went along too, trying to find what caught his eye. She found it quickly. A fleet of boats sailed perpendicular to them from the left, covering the left horizon. Ranging from rudimentary to complex vessels their sails were black.
“So they did come.”
“The Armada Peninsular is here…” Captain Yulduz turned to the upper deck and placed his hands to his mouth with a loud whistle. “Attention all crew! The Armada is coming! Hoist the signal!”
“Captain Yulduz, aren’t you a Bangkaño? Do you have a plan to deal with them?” Ayai already had a ploy she conceived just before they left, but thought to ask the experienced beforehand.
“Yes, I may be a Bangkaño… but I can still use sahar, and I pursue cargo transportation in commerce, not piracy!” Captain Yulduz yelled back at her with a twitching face. “We’ll be sandwiched between the sandstorm and these… lost people. Gong Dongye, you better prepare your team.”
Zhen still hadn’t made his appearance since boarding the Songha-Lia. She didn’t know where he was, and where Kwa was either. As if they vanished from thin air. Ayai saw the flotilla closing in from the left, and the swirling sand and darkening clouds from the right. The Songha-Lia trudged on forward towards Shikot.