Three small towns were at a distance, just before the darkness swallowed them unceremoniously. The dots of lamps merged into a blurry glow. Within the Empire's backwaters the density of islands increased, making navigation easier, just as it did travel and trade. On the Mercurial the group had travelled for two days, north. Many towns, and with them their islands, had passed by. Having made a course adjustment westwards, the consent amongst the crew had been to circle around to the western side of the Foggy Vortex and then make their way further south into the Duchy.
The Uppersider leaned against the metal wall right next to the main bulkhead. With a deck unfit of temporarily piling up cargo, the Mercurial was smaller and designed differently to the Golden Lily. Its citadel reached from stern to bow and had two gangways at different elevations all around the ship. Every breath produced a small cloud of mist that dissipated in moments. Cold, almost frosty, air bit into her skin. She didn't care anymore.
Arms crossed before her chest, she saw the island furthest left disappear unnaturally into the darkness. Only the engine produced a noise, but just as light was swallowed by the darkness of the Underside, the same applied to sound. Unless someone crossed their path, they were safe and couldn't be discovered. This made her highly uncomfortable, unlike everyone else who didn't even think twice about this fact.
When the Mercurial had left Dinard's port and they were well on their way, leaving Sainte Monique behind them, Reel had gathered everyone on the bridge. At first she had looked intently on a map akin to the one Whitebeard had on the bridge, but couldn't contribute much. Rain hadn't said much either, he just grunted when he thought a good point had been made. As it turned out Madison's two personalities had different skills, too. An engineer and a navigator. Good for Madison, bad for them, since the woman couldn't be in two places at once. Reel and Janet debated for more than an hour how to get around the Aegis' southern blockade. Both seemed to have more intel, but were not willing to share. Especially Reel was quite cryptic in his arguments. More reason not to engage, she had decided.
When they had finally agreed on something, Rain summed up the plan with a frown, "So y'all want to go the long way round and sell additional fleet information to the Bronze Guard once you run into them further south?". Staying quiet about it, Valentina smelled how fishy this was all across the room. How did they end up on Sainte Monique if they just wanted to provide some intel to the Bronze Guard? Ironically that made them spies.
She shook her head and watched another island disappear. Only one blob of light remained now, but another one suddenly appeared further ahead. Next to her spot, the bulkhead squeaked open and Rain emerged. "'lo", he grunted and took a deep breath of ocean air. "Anything up?", Valentina wondered, half curious. "Janet and Reel are at it again. Discussing where to buy supplies. If ya ask me, something not right about this!".
A moment and a half she took to consider his words. She might as well inquire about this, maybe voice her own concerns, "What makes you say that?". He buzzed, a raspy sound originating deep in his throat. Leisurely leaning against the railing, he mused, "Madison and me, we got picked up on a transport to Heraldic Fleet. Lookin' for work, y'might imagine. Janet was already aboard. Some talk about catching her sneak around and do sabotage. Guess there was no proof, or she'd felt Gredfall's touch already". Another buzz rumbled into the darkness and she just listened, albeit curious now.
"Reel's a weird one. Quiet, seen stuff, if y'ask me. He and Janet, think they belong to the same team. Not sure what'll happen though. I got no love for two empires at war. I'd rather not get involved. Got no family 'ere, but Madison does. Down in the Duchy. She's worried, y'know", Rain scowled and sighed, taking a small break, "We're all marked by the Empire now. So we gotta get out".
This made the Uppersider think again. Rain and Madison were looking for jobs, but Janet and Reel had something going, something big. The spy the Inspector had wanted to catch, it was most likely Janet. A sigh erupted into a cloud of mist. Rain had turned around and leaned on the railing with his elbows, staring into the darkness. "When we escaped, I saw something. Something weird", she muttered and leaned onto the railing in a similar fashion. "What did ya see?", he asked without showing much emotion. "An apparition of sorts? The Empress on the balcony, staring at me, as if she had been really there!". "And now you're wondering what that was?", to which Valentina nodded, head turned towards him, "I see. T'was foul magicks! That's what it was!". She raised an eyebrow and tried to process the statement, "You're saying there is magic here. As in conjure ghost and fireballs?". The man laughed and ran his hand through his red hair. After eyeing her from top to bottom, he laughed again, "'course there's magicks! Not the fireball kind, mind ya. Some claim magick don't exist, but there's so much crazy shit in this place, can't all be explained rationally!".
To permit the idea that sorcery or magic was real, that was something that her scientific mind actively blocked. Much of what she had seen, the Sirens entangling her mind, the darkness swallowing light sources, nothing seemed to far fetched to be explained by science. Of course her abilities to figure it out and explain it, those abilities she lacked. The gods however, especially the mention of the old gods and that there were reports of them, or their Agents, reappearing, that wouldn't be that easy to explain or to dismiss.
The silence bothered Rain seemingly. He mused, "Don't have to believe me, Valentina. You'll find out yourself soon enough. As to what kind of magicks it was that the Empress used, probably a detection chant. Must've felt that we had been near. Magicks are subtle thing, y'see. Can help ya, but don't solve yer problems for ya". Attention turned back to the blobs of light, Rain shrugged, stood up straight and stretched. "Get some sleep soon. Ten hours until landfall", he said and turned to head back inside. "Wait, landfall? Where?", she turned as well and almost reached out to stop him. "Idiots decided on Damascus. Tactically sound, sure. Solomonians got little love for the Empire, but they are fanatics. Hess be my witness, we're walkin' into trouble!".
With that, Valentina stood alone on the gangway and pondered what she'd heard. Solomon belonged into the old testament, didn't he? Son of David, became king later. More details eluded her, uncertain of whether she ever had known any in addition. And if Rain was right, any bible fanatics, no matter how far away from the earthen fanatics they lived, they always meant trouble.
Regardless she looked forward to the first opportunity to leave the ship and walk on solid ground and not be hunted or locked up anywhere. Hopefully this wouldn't turn into a huge disaster. Heeding Rain's warning, it was time for some sleep.
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***
By the time Valentina woke, dressed and stepped outside, the Mercurial approached a growing island. At first nothing could be seen except blurry lights, but the closer they got, the clearer the details became. Next to her leaned Janet, Reel and Rain. Madison made sure they'd arrive safely, from the bridge. Rain refused to leave the Mercurial as well, mumbling about fanatics and hiding his frustration in his beard and behind a long sigh. "Stay with us and you'll be fine. They are a weird bunch, and they don't haggle for prices, either! Remember that. Solomonians find that very offensive behaviour", Janet told the Uppersider casually. "What are we going to purchase then?", she wondered and Reel explained, "Some food, fuel and most importantly equipment. Don't hate me for it, but your jumpsuit stinks. It needs a wash, but we have no spares for anything!".
Seeing the problem this crew was facing, she nodded and pursed her lips. Damascus had a small port, two small vessels at the pier and a myriad of different sized houses grew up a slope. On top of the hill stood a cathedral. Gothic influences, maybe Romanesque even. If that was true, this island was old. Very old.
Even the dimly lit streets and buildings couldn't hide how busy this place was. Further in seemed to be a market place, attracting anyone that wanted to do some shopping. The cathedral towered above all, relishing in stronger green spotlights. This clear favouritism showed the priorities here. On the pier, a labourer of the port caught a thick rope that Rain threw down and tied it. With a small jerk, the rope caught the drag and they were still.
Down the gangplank they went. She turned and waved at Rain with a smile, who nodded at her and leaned against the metal wall just as Madison emerged from the bulkhead. Before them a robed man appeared, quickly striding towards the newly arrived. "Praised be thy lord, dear travellers. What brings you to Damascus?", the man asked assertively. Valentina caught up to the group, just as Janet explained, "Hello. We'll be buying supplies, goods and fuel. Nothing to sell, unfortunately". The absence of a similar greeting left the man disgruntled, doing his very best to hide it. "Welcome then. Please be aware that any food we grow or process on Damascus will be taxed with a tenth if you decide to bring it aboard your ship. Find me in the port authority building once you intend to leave. May the almighty guide you, travellers", he concluded and scurried off again.
"What do they grow here? In all this darkness?", the Uppersider wondered. Janet snickered, "Herbs, mushrooms and patata. They also dry some herbs, for pipe weed. Whiskbrew is also made here. As far as I am told, they grow more but don't sell it. All of them are vegetarian. Makes their diet risky, but somehow they survive. Guess it works for them". That surprised her quite a bit. No animals to eat here, with this little amount of variety on vegetables and mushrooms? It left her wondering.
The locals avoided them and circled around them quickly. Local fashion was restricted to a garb that resembled a long-sleeved dress or jacket and skirt. None of them wore pants or a hat, instead they had long hair, bound behind their heads and some had long beards. All the buildings were made of wood and had tiny windows without glass. Thick curtains were behind the openings and shutters could be closed in addition. The street was simply treaded down mud, hard from decades it seemed, for a lack of rain just made it unnecessary to pave everything.
***
Impossible to guess its size from the port, the market place hosted shops inside the buildings all around it and carts with fresh wares all across it. Valentina counted 30 carts and stopped out of boredom. There were far more than 30. It was the heart of the city, hundreds of inhabitants rushing about, carrying baskets with necessities they had bought.
She followed Reel and Janet into a shop. A needle and yarn hung on the sign above it. The place smelled like wool and had a divider in the middle. Left side for purchasing fabrics and materials, right side for clothes. Her enthusiastic dash past her companions dried up when the wares unfolded in front of her. The same dresses and skirts that she'd seen everybody else wear. Distaste appeared all over her face. A lonely clerk was taken aback by her expression. "Don't mind her, she's not from here!", a friendly Janet pushed past the Uppersider and continued, "Sorry, haven't even said Hello! We need five sets, three my size, one his size and one her size. Robust, warm and layered".
Pushing the clerk forward, Janet left Reel and Valentina behind. "I'll be over, getting us some fuel. Wanna come?", the man with his long hair in a rather feminine bun suggested, but she shook her head, "I'll try on the jacket and skirt combo if I can". "Suit yourself, Val", he shrugged and left. Val? Are we friends now? She frowned and glanced over her shoulder just as Reel left the shop. Somehow she didn't mind.
"I know that a dress would be warmer, but I think the jacket and skirt combination will be more practical! Especially when layering a shirt or two underneath!", Janet argued, holding up two cream coloured shirts that could be tugged into the skirts. "I stick to my council, Miss, but I can also see your point", the clerk pulled a jacket from a cupboard, then his eyes shifted to look at the Uppersider, "We also provide a laundry service, Miss". Her cheeks blushed deep red. It was this obvious, huh. "Thanks, but I think I'll just change into a set of shirt, jacket and skirt here, if that's alright with you". With a nod, the clerk turned to Janet, who had started to gather a stack of shirts and jackets, followed by skirts. Shopping seemed to be quite easy, if your fashion choice was between dark blue, black, cream and warm, warmer and volcanic. A minute later, she had a stack of thick, woollen clothes on her hands.
A memory of the sack of clothes on the ship returned to her. One bra, too few panties. And someone else was paying, too! "Say, do you have panties and bras?", she inquired casually. Much to her surprise, this brought a rosy colour onto the clerk's cheeks. Ah right, religious fanatics. Sure. "We have underwear, yes. What is a bra?", he stammered and Valentina pointed at her chest, which was hidden under her thick jacket from her merchant friends. "Ah, follow me, if you will", he gestured for her to follow him and they entered another area through a very small, open door. To her surprise, underwear didn't follow the same dreadful blandness that the dresses outside did. Sizing was also quite interesting, as they had three general sizes, she presumed she had the middle size here, of panties. All of them had strings on the side to fit them to your own needs, similar to certain bikinis which she'd worn back in Italy. The bras were, unsurprisingly, more like a corset mixed with a strap top. On first glance at least. Again they featured three sizes. Two had pre-shaped cups and one didn't. They were laced up at the back and the front, therefore could be adjusted individually. To her surprise, the cup sizes started at around a D or E cup. Anything below was supposed to live without shaping. Somehow these folks down under had solved certain problems better than all of market capitalism had back home.
Dressed in a completely new outfit, including her underwear, she emerged from the changing room and wiggled her arms. The sleeves were too long. Yet they had no time to wait for adjustments. It was fine though. Janet giggled and shrugged, knowing she'd look similar very soon as well. Back home, this was an abomination, guaranteed to leave you a virgin forever. Different times, different problems. Valentina smirked and carried a stack of spare underwear and her old, stinky clothes under her arm as Reel came back and chuckled, "You look like...". The man stopped himself, keeping the comment for later. The Uppersider showed him the middle finger, but he only raised his eyebrows. Ah damn, seriously!