CHAPTER 9 - FLASHBACK - EXPEDITION
----------------------------------------
…
A few years ago…
…
«"Monomia! Will you hurry up or what?!"»
«"Give him a break, Kain, you're giving him too much work."» Kain turned towards Seraniad, his face skeptical and irritated by the interruption.
«"He'll never grow if we don't put him to work."»
«"But too much work is still too much work, poor thing, he's still young."»
«"He's only a few years younger than us!"» Kain exclaimed. «"And soon we'll be fully grown adults!"»
«"But we are who we are."»
«"Stop with your 'buts' Seraniad, he asked to come with us to work, so we'll make him work."» Seraniad, reluctantly, was forced to accept Kain's conditions. Meanwhile, a deeper voice and presence approached the two. His green, thorny eyes could be seen even in the shadows, thin lips and a sloped nose accompanied by narrow eyebrows, with long red hair and a small beard on his chin.
«"How's the boy?"», the two turned quickly, startled, with forced smiles, and sweat suddenly appeared on their foreheads. Kain, stammering, replied.
«"O-of course he's fine! He's working well and happy with his work."»
«"Don't tell me you're making him do your job?"» With a threatening tone, he moved closer to Kain's face.
«"N-no no, no what are you saying, no! no! no!"» Suddenly, the threatening face of the man turned towards Seraniad.
«"Seraniad. You don't lie, is Kain telling the truth?"»
Kain hid behind the man's figure, praying not to reveal his secrets. After assessing the situation in his mind, Seraniad replied.
«"Carpos, Kain has his method of making younger ones work, which may seem… Peculiar and questionable ethically, but it's still a method."»
Carpos turned back to Kain, looked him up and down, and began to speak.
«"Check your tasks, and treat him well, Monomia is a friend, not an employee."» He walked away from them, heading back to the ship in the harbor, still tied up to prevent it from drifting away, but before leaving, he turned, with a voice filled with fury, and a few seconds before Kain and Seraniad could wipe the sweat from their brows, gave them one final order.
«"And don't make others do your job, you lazy bum!!"»
«"I'm sorry, boss! I'm sorry!"» Kain begged, fleeing from Carpos' fury as he chased after him, hitting him with punches. «"Lazy, you're nothing but a damn lazy bum!"»
«"S-s...Seraniad..."»
«"Monomia! What are you doing!?"» Monomia was carrying not just one sack but all the sacks at once, dressed in his sailor's outfit, a mandatory uniform required by the island's laws to identify genuine sailors on expeditions from criminal bandits. They were simple blue trousers, almost identical to the color of his body, and a white shirt.
«"I... I... I thought it would be easier if... if I carried them all..."»
«"You carried all the sacks from the warehouse by yourself?!"» Seraniad said, shocked, then continued. «"So Carpos was right, you're really strong!"»
«"T-thank you, but could you do me a f-favor... Could you carry with m... me the..."»
«"Of course, of course!"» Seraniad said, realizing he'd left Monomia with all the sacks without helping him at all.
Monomia set the crates full of goods on the ground, and with a sigh of relief, started talking normally, without the exhaustion he'd previously felt.
«"So... Did I do a good job?"»
«"Excellent!" Seraniad affirmed. «"Even better than I expected, but you shouldn't be doing Kain's job, you know that, right?"»
«"Am I doing his job?"»
«"Look."» Smiling, Seraniad pointed to the two, Kain and Carpos, running in circles, with Carpos hitting Kain on the back.
Monomia was surprised and exclaimed,
«"But... what are they doing?!"»
«"I told you already, you did Kain's work."»
«"Will he be mad at me later?"»
«"Probably." Seraniad affirmed, but immediately continued to reassure a worried Monomia.
«"But Carpos will be with you on the journey, whether Kain likes it or not, so nothing will happen to you."»
«"But that's not really the problem, I'd prefer if he didn't hate me."»
«"Well, there's nothing you can do about that, we're talking about Kain here. It's already something if he doesn't have someone to hate..."»
«"Mh..."» The two stood for a few seconds, watching as cat and mouse chased each other furiously.
«"What are we waiting for?" Seraniad said. «"Let me help you with the crates, soon you'll have your first expedition, excited?"»
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Monomia smiled, enthusiastic,
«"Of course!"»
and the two got to work.
…
It was a serene day, eerily serene, knowing the island's usual weather. In that sunny afternoon, the warm sun shone with a golden light, and for a moment, the world seemed peaceful.
The blue sky stretched endlessly, dotted with a few white clouds dancing softly. The breeze gently caressed the leaves, playing a soothing whispered symphony.
The sea was calm, the sailors weren't stupid; they knew when to set sail, and they wouldn't let themselves be caught by surprise on a deadly rough sea day. But even though everything was planned, it was still frightening how calm the tide was. They had now moved a bit away from the island; the exact time was uncertain, but at least an hour had passed.
The ship was divided into two sections: one holding all the cargo and the other where the actual steering of the ship took place.
Carpos was at the helm because he was the oldest, the wisest (with more knowledge), and therefore the automatic leader of the crew. Kain was lying on one side of the ship, resentful of how he'd been treated at the port and still furious with Carpos, while Monomia and Seraniad were sitting, talking, and entertaining themselves with a card game.
Suddenly Kain sighed,
«"So how long will this trip take?"»
«"Are you asking that already? We've barely left the island."» Seraniad exclaimed, turning towards Kain.
«"I just asked how long it'll take, fatso!"»
«"Watch your tone, you don't want another beating."» Carpos said threateningly, without even looking at him.
«"You'll see when I become stronger than you, don't get all high and mighty just because you're old."»
«"I may be old, but you're a fool, and also lazy."»
«"Idiot..."» Kain muttered to himself, before lying down again. Kain turned, «"Hey, I heard that!"»
Monomia and Seraniad were sitting at a small table on the ship, installed on the floor as a permanent decoration. They were sitting playing.
«"Got the concept?"»
«"Not really..."» Monomia said, staring at the cards in his hand.
«"Then I'll explain it again, no problem."»
«"Thanks."» Monomia said, staring at Seraniad. «"You're welcome, and besides, it's better for both of us, or else I wouldn't have anyone to play with."»
«"Hey! I'm here!"» Kain exclaimed, offended by the remark.
«"No one who sits on the cards to hide them and win more easily."» Seraniad said, turning to look Kain in the face. Then, turning back to look at Monomia, he continued.
«"The game is simple, Monomia. One of us starts by playing a card, and the other has to play a card that has at least one element from the previous card in it. For example, you play the sword, and I put the general, who has a sword!"»
«"And if I play..."»
«"And if you play a card with the number two or the number four, one of us has to draw a card. The winner is whoever runs out of cards first. It's simple, don't you think?"»
«"Yes... yes, I think I get it."»
«"Ready for a game?"»
«"Mh mh!"»
The two started to immerse themselves in the game, fully confident, while Kain kept grumbling.
«"Where are we going, captain?"» Kain asked.
«"Why are you asking me that?"» Carpos responded, countering with more questions.
«"Just simple curiosity, nothing more."»
«"Okinara Tropics. Heard of them?"»
«"Okinara... Okinara... Oh, yes, yes! I know them, I used to live there, heh!"»
«"What's it like?"» Seraniad asked, still focused on the game.
«"Meh... Nothing special, overrated, like every other island, and things are even worse than in Amelis!"»
«"Maybe you're just asking for too much, Kain, ever thought of that?"» said Carpos, with a judgment-filled tone.
«"How dare you! My opinions are more than justified!"»
«"You’re not going to argue again, at least don’t do it on the ship..."» Monomia suddenly joined the conversation, leaving some confusion at his unexpected appearance.
«"Smart kid, he's young but already smarter than you, Kain. You really should do better."»
«"You're just an ugly fish, not a Narwhal, a fish!"»
«"Is that the best insult you can think of, Kain? Like I said, you really need to do better."»
«"I’m doing my best, you stupid cod!"»
«"I'm not even a cod..."»
«"Well, you will be, with that brain of yours. In fact, they’re probably smarter than you!"»
«"Captain."» Monomia interrupted the argument, while playing cards, seemingly intrigued by a question.
«"What's up, Monomia?"»
«"What exactly do these people want in Okinara Tropics?"»
«"The packages we have. No?"»
«"That's obvious, detective! I mean what's inside them!"» Kain exclaimed, scandalized by the captain’s response.
«"And I’m the idiot... Pft, self-centered Narwhal."» Ignoring Kain's insults, Carpos turned again towards Monomia.
«"Inside, we’re carrying a large bundle of Loran flowers. Okinara is home to important florists, artists, sculptors, and people who generally appreciate art, and the Loran flowers are something they consider the pinnacle of elegance. Have you ever seen one, a Loran flower?"»
«"No... Never seen one."» Monomia replied, curious, imagining the various shapes this flower could take.
«"Don’t be fooled, Monomia,"» said Seraniad, «"It’s nothing special. In fact, it's pretty generic. You really have to be an art lover to spend a single Silver Coral on that stuff. Clearly, the people in Okinara aren't quite right in the head."»
«"And since when do you know anything about art, Seraniad, huh?"» said Kain. «"I, on the other hand, don’t find them useless. I find them sublime, a pure symbol of elegance, with their soft and fragile petals of pure silver, placed on a flower with such a delicate center but a branch so firm and thorny. It’s a pure representation of the human psyche, the rough exterior compared to the soft interior."»
Monomia and Seraniad exchanged perplexed glances, looking at each other and, when not, at Kain.
«"Don’t look at me like that! I took those poetry lessons for a reason!"» The ship continued to sail smoothly when, suddenly, something unusual happened: the ship began to drift slightly, as if pushed by the wind. Monomia’s hair began to move, stirred by the wind. Carpos, too, noticing the unusual movement of his own hair, realized the breeze brushing his face and ruffling his hair.
«"Bad news, guys."» The captain’s voice, Carpos', serious in tone, began to reach everyone’s ears.
«"What is it?"» said Kain, still simmering from the earlier humiliation at the port, though cooling off now.
«"Don’t you feel it?"»
«"Feel what? What are we supposed to feel?"» asked Seraniad, confused.
«"The breeze. The wind is starting to pick up."»
«"Wind!?" exclaimed Monomia, snapping back from the enchanted world of cards, and began checking to see if Carpos’ words were true.
«"Yes... Yes, I feel it, a bit of breeze from the East..."»
«"Exactly, it's pushing us West."» Kain looked at Carpos, puzzled, mainly because he couldn’t quite grasp what the problem was.
«"So what? You know how to steer this thing, wind or no wind."»
«"That's not the point."»
«"Then what is? Let's hear it."» A shadowy aura formed around the man, the topic seemed heavy. Even Kain put aside his anger, confused.
«"So..?"»
«"If the wind is pushing from the East, it means we can't take the long route to Okinara Tropics. Do you guys know what this means?"» Seraniad stood up from the chair where he had been playing cards with Monomia, placing the cards on the table.
«"I get it..."» After a sigh, Carpos continued his explanation.
«"We’ll have to take the long way and pass through the waters of Black Island, The Lawless Island."»