Trillia spent most of the first day pondering stats and classes. She didn't have an alchemy lab on board the ship. The others said that their resident alchemist rented a lab whenever they made port and stocked up there.

With that in mind, she was seriously contemplating the idea of voiding Alchemist for the duration of her voyage.

Later in the evening, she went up on deck. It was far quieter now. Only a handful of crew were awake. Captain Highwind stood at the helm with a peaceful look on his face and a little smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Every few seconds, a low hum could be heard. Trillia looked around and saw Illana standing on the bow of the ship. She held a bow in her hands but no apparent arrow. Trillia activated [Mana-Sight]

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Yes. Yes. Trillia didn't care about the woman's stats. She watched with fascination as mana began to lazily drift towards the elf's fingertips. Curling around them and taking the shape of an arrow. A thin spool of mana began to coil behind her left hand, the one pulling the string back on the bow.

As the arrow released, another low hum was heard, and the spool of thin mana chased the arrow out.

To Trillia's shock, Illana grabbed the thin mana with her now free left hand, and mana began to slowly pull back into her body. After a minute or so, the arrow appeared along with a fish on the end of it.

Trillia didn't want to disturb the serenity of the night. Instead, she walked up next to Illana and spoke softly. "That's fascinating to see how the mana reacts to everything. What skill is that?"

Illana glanced down at her, then tapped her own head. Trillia felt the familiar feeling of someone trying to initiate a telepathic link. She readily accepted.

"It's a general skill that I've augmented over the years. It is a hybrid of the general skills [Mana Ammunition], [Fishing], and [Mana Control]."

"Wait. Anyone can make custom skills like that? I just took a really long class for that sort of freedom." Trillia began to get annoyed. She had no doubt that [Mana Conduit] was going to be a very potent class, but the main draw of it had been total freedom over her own abilities.

Illana laughed faintly and shook her head. Creating another arrow and thread. Reeling in another fish, which she dropped in a basket next to her. "Anyone can make any skill they want with their mana. But let me ask you something. If no one had ever shown you what alchemy was, how much progress would you have made in the class itself?"

Trillia thought about that for a while. Most of her knowledge and rapid leveling the first time was due to Marg's help. "I guess that's true."

Illana nodded and continued their little mental conversation. "If I had tried to create this skill, totally independently without support from other skills and other classes, as well as a great deal of experimenting over the years, I'd probably still be trying to create the arrow itself. My guess is that whatever class you are taking will greatly alleviate a lot of that trial and error and give you the type of guidance that only Dawn can."

Trillia froze at that. No one ever really mentioned Dawn by name. Illana offered her a little smirk.

Another arrow, another hum, another fish.

"She came to me when I was a child. Spoke to me as an equal and a friend. Prevented me from taking my own life in my darkest hour."

Trillia sat on the railing next to her and just listened.

"I talk to her constantly. She rarely responds. Not that I mind. I'm keenly aware of just how busy she must be. But it's nice, you know? To know she listens and hears us. One of my traits is [Aware of Fate]. It lets me see many things, but among them is the ability to see others who have spoken directly with Dawn."

"I'm sorry you have had a life that you thought about ending things. I hope things are better now."

Another arrow, another hum, another fish.

"That was centuries ago. I'm very happy now. I love the crew. I have an honorable and fiercely loyal Captain. I get to spend my days in total freedom."

Trillia tilted her head at that. She knew elves were long-lived. She didn't know how long that was.

Illana looked around for a moment and saw that it was only the two of them at the bow. The Captain was at the helm, and a few lookouts were in crow's nests. The woman lifted the cloth tunic she wore, and Trillia saw the golden pattern of a pact-bound creature. It covered most of her stomach and traveled further down, hidden by the rest of her clothes.

Illana let the tunic fall back down to cover her body. "Only the Captain and a few others know. I'd appreciate you keeping it that way."

Trillia nodded. "May I ask who your pact-bound is?"

"You know him well. Well, you know of him. It's the same deity that your mother is pact-bound to."

Trillia paused yet again as she stared at Illana. "You're pact-bound to Lord Darktone?"

The elf nodded and shot another arrow. This was her twelfth fish, and at first, she seemed content with that number. She stared at Trillia for a moment before repeating the process for another fish.

"I fought in the Great Beast Wars. I served under Queen Alliyah. She found Lady Amara and I in the same town. In the same profession. Lord Darktone offered us a chance to be better. I stopped fighting after the first two [Primordials]. It is why I'm not also one of the great generals. There were a lot of us like that."

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"May I ask why you didn't keep fighting?"

"It requires a certain level of cold ruthlessness to fight those creatures. The sealing process eats away at your levels and leaves you feeling hollow. Centuries later, I can still feel the scars on my soul. After the first two and witnessing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of mortals. I simply couldn't stomach it anymore."

Illana paused, and so did the mana around her hands. "When we all met up to plan for the next [Primordial]. I told Lord Darktone that I would accept obliteration for failing my duties. But I couldn't keep fighting. Not at the scale that we had to."

"Amara tried to stand up for me. Say that I was a brave warrior and asked Lord Darktone not to end me. To our surprise, he just smiled. Gave me a hug and told me to live my life in a way that would make him proud. That the others had it from here." Tears formed in her eyes.

Another arrow, another hum, another fish.

"So. I went from port to port, killing slavers. Lord Darktone only pact bonds with creatures that are enslaved. I think it's because he was enslaved as a mortal, and no one ever came to help him. So, I did what I thought he would want me to do. I spread freedom to everyone I could."

Trillia sat, fascinated at the story.

"I've been doing that for a few centuries now. I've been sailing with Captain Highwind for thirty years. I met the scoundrel when he tried hitting on me in a pub. Oh, he was all charm and manners, but I'm an elf and had seen it all before. I had every intention of ignoring him and breaking his little heart as I have so many others. Then, a slaver walked in. I'm a high-level and skilled combatant. Even I was taken by surprise at how rapidly Captain Highwind responded."

Trillia glanced over at the weathered old Captain, trying to imagine him in his youth.

"He uses a gnomish invention that uses an explosive substance to launch metal balls. It's loud, fairly inaccurate, and has the risk of exploding in your hand. But it seems to punch through most defenses. Without a word to anyone, he shot this slaver fellow dead, walked over to the two orcs that were being dragged behind him, and ripped the shackles apart with his bare hands. I had to admit, I was a little interested at that point." A small crept along her face as she turned to look at the Captain.

"I was surprised that no one tried to kill him or interfere. He bid the bar a good day, paid a few gold coins extra for the disturbance, and took the two orc boys. You've met them as well. They were scoundrels themselves and tried to rob the Captain."

She knew the two orcs to be Biggs and Wedge. "So you joined up with him because he also fought slavers?"

Illana shook her head. "No. I asked around the port about him and found out that he was originally employed by Kadessian royalty as a pirate hunter. That's why no one interfered. The man had a reputation for being the most fair and honorable person on the high seas. Unless you were a slaver. Then, as far as he was concerned, you weren't a humanoid. He treated you worse than sea monsters. That intrigued me. The only Kadessian Royalty I knew of was Queen Alliyah."

Illana shrugged and lifted the basket of thirteen fish. "I approached him and informed him of who I was. Told him I had no interest in romance, but a keen interest in freedom. He told me to sail with him for a year. If I didn't find the life suitable, he'd drop me at any port in the world. Needless to say, I found this life to be a happy one. I love the ocean. I love the constant breeze. I love the quiet at night and how rowdy everyone is during the day. I love hunting slave ships and freeing people. I hope that Lord Darktone is proud of the life I chose."

Trillia walked alongside her with a smile on her face. "I am sure he is. Thank you for sharing your story with me. I feel like I owe you something."

Illana nodded. "Fair trade, right? You said that to Wedge. I have to prepare these fish, why don't you tell me about your life? We are both pact-bound to Darktones, and I dearly miss the Generals and the Queen. Tell me how they have been all these years."

Trillia found that Illana was also extremely skilled with a dagger as she gutted and fileted seven of the fish. The other six she scaled and roasted whole. Trillia happily chatted with her about her life, her mother, and the generals. About the sad, distant look they'd sometimes get. It made more sense to Trillia now that she knew how much pain they must always be in.

The two delivered fish and vegetables to the crew that was awake and working the night shift. Seven in all, not counting Trillia herself. Six of the fish were for Lak'Lorn, who was scrubbing the bottom of the ship itself with a brush. Apparently, it helped to keep the ship clean, Trillia didn't understand why, but that was a question for another day.

A couple of hours later, the two of them sat on the bow of the ship once more. Trillia had a mug that could produce water if you pumped mana into it. Illana had a jug of an amber liquid. Honey mead, she called it.

"The thought of having to fight such a creature at only four is rather terrifying. Elves are usually sheltered for the first three or four decades of their life and trained in magic and combat. I'll admit, I always held a low opinion of orcs, with the exception of your Mother. Most of the orcs I've met over the years have been little more than savage brutes, happy to raid and enslave anyone and everyone. Perhaps I just haven't met the right orcs."

Trillia smiled and nodded. "I'd like for you to meet my brothers someday. They are good men. Plus, you've met Layla now as well."

Illana smiled and nodded. "That little acolyte is quickly becoming everyone's favorite person. She's always friendly and willing to help. She doesn't mind healing even the smallest and simplest of wounds. You can tell that she wants to belong."

Trillia bobbed her head slightly. "Her parents died because of the rifts. I know Lord Darktone is a fair deity. My Mother and uncles have said as much. But I can't help being a little angry at everything that's happened."

Illana reached over and put a hand on Trillia's shoulder. "Be very angry. Be furious. We mortals must do all we can to hold the gods accountable. While I know it's his fault, I can't be too angry. They aren't even my children, but I would do everything in my power to protect this crew or the other pact-bound. Imagine what he must have felt when he was ambushed with his pregnant wife?"

Trillia sat back and thought about that for a while. She had to admit that if someone was threatening Ba'Shoon or Kismet, Trillia would absolutely end them. "I guess you're right. I'm sure he probably already feels awful. Not only for the rifts and stuff, but he hasn't really had a chance to interact with his kids. Or his wife."

Illana nodded. "When he has returned, and I am sure he will, you should talk with him. It's interesting to converse with an entity so old and powerful. He always had this sort of curiosity and fascination about him."

Trillia looked over at Illana. "May I ask, what is he the god of? It seems...odd that I'd run into you during this mission."

Illana grinned and winked at her. "He is the Primordial Deity of Fate and Destiny. A lot of lucky happenstance happens with those close to him."

Trillia now sat and wondered how many of the coincidences in her life had been because he nudged things around for her and her friends. She wondered how many people he was doing that for, a subtle way of saying sorry and trying to make everyone's lives a little easier where he could without getting into more trouble.

Illana gently slapped her own forehead. "I'm so sorry. We were talking about classes and skills, and I started rambling. I'm terribly sorry."

Trillia shook her head. "We have plenty of time to talk. I really enjoyed this conversation. I'd love to learn more about skills and stuff. If you have the time."

Illana nodded. "Happily."