It was one week since they had departed Avalon and Chris was already sick and tired of this supposed new Adventure. Being stuck in an overgrown metal box with nothing more than the sea was the epitome of watching paint dry.

Sure Chris tried to keep himself entertained for the first few days by marveling at the seemingly infinite expanse of ocean water that stretched out as far as the eye could see. The myriad of beasts that

But after a while grey metal walls and ocean blue lost its luster, even the fourth meter undersea ocean life which would occasionally swim past the Viper could no longer excite him. He had tried to move his attention to training in the ships sparing room, but that had gotten boring too.

This was his eighth morning at sea and he didn't even feel like rolling out of bed. Above him on the top bunk was Thor and to his left was another bunkbed with only one occupant.

Hamanymu had fallen asleep with a familiar brown leather book in hand. Chris didn't know what it was on account of his teammates rather obvious attempts at keeping his reading of it a secret.

But fighting against his instincts he finally rolled out of his bed and made his way for the Vipers showers. The cold water which engulfed his body would normally be enough to free him from the aura of lethargy which held onto him, but no matter how much he scrubbed, he could still something on him.

He only stopped scrubbing when his flesh turned a raw pink. Barely anyone was up yet so Chris made the grave error to not properly dry himself as he planned to do a much more adequate drying in his bedroom.

He aimlessly wandered into his room, not taking care to notice who was within as he fixated on the strange otherness which clung onto his mind. He then took off his shirt and was close to unbuttoning his pants had a sharp female scream not halted him.

He raised his head and the world suddenly became aware to him properly as a red faced Pyrrha Ulster stood in his room looking read to die.

"Wa... What are you doing in here. Where are Hamanymu and Thor?!" He demanded from her as he quickly picked up the shirt upon the ground and tried to put it back upon his wet body.

"I... I... I was just bringing you orders from Ishtar. She wants you to visit her cabin... I... I didn't find you and... an... and both Hamanymu and Thor just left... and told me to wait."

A pregnant silence followed and the took stood still as they drunk up the visage of one another. Looking into the elf's eyes, Chris could see a look of almost primal hunger and try as he might to suppress his own feelings, he could not himself from feeling a rise of excitement at the thought.

" Does she like what she see's?" he wondered as Pyrrha's eyes remained laser focused on his soaked frame. "Why are you thinking that, you fool. She was a jerk who bullied you while you were sickly and young, don't lust after her."

Both parts of his brain did battle with eachother over his thoughts about Pyrrha, though the elf herself didn't seem as conflicted about her fascination with his wet half naked form.

In fact, she took a few steps forward as if in a hypnotic trance, whilst whispering. "Christian..."

This atmosphere was cut short when the doorknob creaked and it was flung right open to reveal Hamanymu, Thor and Ursa who all stood in stunned disbelief at what the saw.

Ursa was the first to recover and her suprised face morphed into a cheeky grin. She gave Pyrrha a thumbs up, though the elf in question didn't seem to care all that much as she turned from facing thim in shame.

"Gentlemen, it seems that we have arrived in the middle of something." Hamanymu declared with a sly grin of his own." I think that we should make our leave, please continue."

Panic gripped Chris's heart, he couldn't let them go on thinking this lie. He could never be able to live it down if Hamanymu and Thor had their with it or even worse his mother and sisters found out.

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" Hey, Hey, this isn't what it looks like!" he yelled stopping Hamanymu and the others from closing the door.

"Of course it isn't." Thor sarcastically replied and he closed the door whilst chuckling alongside the other two, leaving two embarrassed twenty year olds whinging in shame at their wild emotions.

XXXXXXX

Chris stomped through the passageway of the Viper, he should have been happy because Ishtar calling for him meant that something might finally be happening. Instead all he could think about was what had just happened a few minutes ago with Pyrrha.

"Stop thinking about it." he mentally snapped at himself as he thought as he neared his sisters room.

Standing at her door were two Vortiguard in their spotless red and golden armour. Looking at them, Chris realised that he didn't recognize them and it was easy to tell why.

" These are the new Vortiguard." he thought as he remembered those Vortiguard that had parished both in Nimue's attack and the battles in the Nexus of Narratives.

The two Vortiguard were a human male and a female Fae, who didn't appear that much older than him. As he got closer he saw them stiffen in suprise and they both saluted him, Chris returned their salute and extended his hand to shake theirs.

"My lady, my lord. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"The pleasure is all ours your grace." they both said before the female Fae quickly grabbed his hand and vigorously shook it with a burning excitement, much to the horror of her counterpart.

"My name is Jane Kilan... sorry, sorry... I meant that I am Arumu Kilan and It is a pleasure to be in your presence. I know that I am new, but I promise to serve you... I mean to serve both you and the crown princess to the best of my ability." Jane spoke with the energy of a coked up infant and Chris was utterly baffled with what to do.

"Jane, unhand his grace!" her counterpart shouted and the Fae followed his instructions. "Please forgive her... she doesn't know any better."

The realisation of what had just happened seemed to hit Jane like a truck which left her gasping in horror and Chris would rather not deal with all this. "It's okay, she was just.... enthusiastic."

"Of course." the male Vortiguard seemed to take it and he moved from the door. "the Crown princess is awaiting you."

The door was swung wide open and Chris walked into the room where he found his sister seated at a table with a large map laid upon it. The map itself showed the entire world in motion with live storms over the drawn oceans which shifted in motion from their currents.

"Sister." he acknowledged her.

"Christian, come join me." she said and he felt a prick of irritation.

"Why won't she just call me Chris." he thought in irritation as he sat besides her and observed the miniature paintings of ships engaging in a massive ocean battle.

"What Is this?" he asked.

"A battle between a Lunar Empire fleet and a handful of Ocean Lord vessels on Fremeth island. We are here and this is Fremeth." she pointed at the large island which was near to them.

"So, are we joining this little battle." he asked as he looked at the continuous combat.

"I would rather not. We are just a few hours away from making landfall with the Hephatan nation and I contacted them to gain permission to dock." she said. "I would like you to be with me when we meet them."

"Of course. Though I doubt that you called me here to ask me that."

Ishtar had a knowing smile before she reached for one of the tables drawers and pulled out a stack of documents that she handed to him. "I wanted to show you this."

The thick pile of documents had a lot written upon them and as Chris scanned through the first pages, something caught his eye, it was his name under the words primary target.

"Dolton has managed to infiltrate the Lunar Empire and he knows that they assembling a squadron with two primary purposes, to stop or derail our voyage and...."

"To capture me." he finished for her. " I take it that the whole Nimue thing has not been forgiven."

",No it has not. I am telling you this so that you can properly take care of yourself."

"I can do that easily, Ishtar. Trust me"

XXXXXXX

The island of Hephatan was not as small as Chris expected. From afar he could get a good look at it and it was large with multiple mountains which were no doubt spaced kilometres apart. Infact he couldn't see the full size of the island from its coastline which stretched further than his eyes could see.

After their conversation, Ishtar had given the news of their impending landing to the rest of the crew and as such, a thousand of them had been ordered to join her upon the deck to await the representatives of their supposed new friends.

"Captain, two battleships are approaching us!" A nervous knight shouted from the ships helm.

Chris could see them as well, while smaller than the hulking behemoth that was the Viper, these sea vessels were still tanks on the sea and Chris wouldn't want to be at the receiving end of their canons.

"Stand down, they are our escort." Ishtar ordered and was proved right as the ships flanked the Viper on both sides as escorts, leading them towards the island nation.

"Nervous?" Chris whispered to her.

" Yes, I have never met these Hephatan people in anyway. I don't know their customs, their values or even their true aims. I could turn them into our foes through my own ignorance. " she whispered back with a slight quiver in her usually strong as a castle wall voice.

"Well I think that you will succeed." he said and she looked at him funny as if he was dishonest to her forcing him to continue. " If you could manage to captain this crew across the ocean for thousands of kilometres, you can handle simple negotiations with Hephatan. Your Ishtar bloody Ddraig, I know you can."

She looked to him and smiled saying " Thank you brother."

With a goofy grin and salute Chris replied." Anything for my favorite older sister."

"I am your only older sister."

The entire island was well protected as five hundred kilometers from it, he could see multiple fortifications that seemed built from the sea floor itself and extended out of the waters. Upon these fortresses he could see thousands of military troops who cheered on the ships as they passed them and upon the deck, Chris followed Ishtar's example and began to wave and cheer back to them.

The port city was an impressive sight with tall buildings made from glistening perl and a substance that reminded Chris of a crabs shell, across it's dock were many kind of ships of varying sides. Upon the dock itself he could see thousands of Hephatantian men, women and children, who all cheered them on as the ship came to halt upon the dock.

"Now or never." Ishtar whispered as she before shouting " Lower the ladder."

The ships lower ramp descended and so did they, to the great many multitude below. In front of the Hephatantian mass was a large male elf dressed in a red flowing robe with a white silky cloth in hand.

"Welcome my friends" the elf said in a deep booming voice " I Hanno Magnus, head council of the realm of Hephatan invite you to break bread and spice".