We entered the crowd. I tried looking at how people dressed and what they looked like. Everyone wore a cloak of some kind. Some were gray, black, white, and others had more color. Most people kept to themselves, but some of them were wrapped up in conversations. There weren’t too many people, but a few small crowds.

We made it to the Amerzia Travel Building. It was a massive lobby with white walls with a staircase leading up to another floor on both sides. A burgundy wood accented the rail of the steps, the same color as the wooden floor. There were three circular counters in front of us. We went to the one with a light fixture of bulbs spelling out: TRAVEL.

The other counter said lodging, and then the other one was empty.

There was someone not far from my age working the desk. He smiled at both of us and asked, "Jonathan, how are you this evening?"

"Doing well. I'm with my friend here, Rollie Magpie. We are planning on going to Attleton tonight."

"So, I'm going to tell you what I've been telling everyone, we haven't sent out many boats this evening. We're getting reports that many hellions are flying around the seas harassing people," the attendant said.

"What else is new?" Jonathan said.

"No, but seriously, more than usual. They've been getting aggressive tonight. It might be best if you and your guest stay here this evening and travel out first thing in the morning." The attendant frowned. "I'm terribly sorry for any inconvenience, but according to the admiral, she's advising against travel."

"She's advising against it... So does that mean we can still go out, or what?" Jonathan asked.

"I guess it's a recommendation rather than an order, but still. It might be best to wait until morning."

Jonathan rubbed his forehead. "But the boat will have three capable mages. I mean, what's the point of having a Protector there if we can't go out at night?"

"Well, we don't want the Protectors to get overwhelmed if there are too many hellions."

"They really think there are that many hellions out? Look, I'm not trying to be a jerk, and I know it seems improper, but it's best if we get to Attleton tonight. There are business matters that I must tend to, and part of the plan was to travel on the boat through the night. We can’t afford to lose much time, and I made a promise to him as well." Jonathan pointed at me, then thought about something and sighed. "How do you feel about it, Rollie?"

"I have no idea what hellions are." I laughed and shrugged. "So, sure, we can go out on the boat. I trust you, Jonathan."

"So, hellions are these nasty creatures that fly around the waters late at night, and yes, they like to terrorize people and try to drink their blood, but I think we'll be fine. Each boat has a wind mage propelling the sails, So if needed, they could take a break and shoot some strikes at them. But then there's also an official Mage Force Protector on board, and they’re responsible for fighting them off. But I think with me there as well, the Protector and I could handle any situation. Anyways, it's important that you feel comfortable. What do you think, Rollie?" Jonathan asked.

"So I might get to see some action while I'm here? Sounds cool to me! I'm game. Just as long as you don't need me to do anything," I said.

"You can sit inside the cabin of the boat while myself and the Protector take on the hellions; if they even show up. Sometimes they have these warnings, and you don't even see a single one on your trip," Jonathan said.

"I don't know, the admiral made it sound like they've been a problem for every vessel tonight," the attendant said.

"How about this, we'll talk to the ship captain, and if they're fine with sailing out tonight, I'll go with their recommendation. How does that sound?" Jonathan asked.

"Works for me, I guess, but I think you're making a bit of a mistake. Best to err on the side of caution." The attendant exhaled. "Go ahead, talk to the captain of dock three. That will be three hundred bucks."

Jonathan put three gold coins on the table. "There you are."

"Here are your tickets. They're good for tomorrow morning, too, if the captain doesn't want to go out."

"Who's the captain on dock three?"

“Genevieve."

Jonathan beamed." Ah, how wonderful, she's the best." Jonathan took the tickets and put them in his cloak. He looked at me. "You ready to go?"

"Sure," I said.

We walked past the desk down the lobby hall, and our footsteps echoed as we made it to the back. Multiple sets of wooden doors stood before us. All of them led outside to the dock. It was a little dark and foggy, but amber lamp posts lit the way along the wooden pier. Boats were anchored, ranging in size from massive, to large, to tiny. We headed to the left and walked towards a small brick structure, only one floor.

"Don't we have to go on one of those boats?" I asked.

"Yes, but we must talk to the captain, and Genevieve is here. During the day, they have regular ships -which can be quite large- but since it's night, they only have special accommodations, which obviously are small. And since I'm with Attleton, it makes it more significant."

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

We approached the door, and Jonathan knocked.

A woman answered the door with short curly hair from the other side. Her face lit up when she saw Jonathan. A cat meowed in the doorway, and Genevieve picked up a fluffy cat.

"Hey! Jonathan, what's up?" She asked, her lips curled up ear to ear. "Don't mind my cat here. She was just trying to escape."

"Not a problem at all." Jonathan grinned. "So, hey, I have a friend I'd like you to meet. His name is Rollie. Rollie, this is Captain Genevieve."

We shook hands, but she seemed a little confused.

"Pleasure to meet you, Rollie."

"Likewise, your cat is so cute. Do you mind if I pet it?" I said.

“I don’t mind," Genevieve said, and then I rubbed the top of the cat's head. It purred.

"What's your cat's name?" I asked.

"Snuggles. Although it's not the name I gave her, it was my mom's cat."

"That's a great name." I chuckled and stopped petting the cat, remembering we were on a mission.

"So, how are you, Jonathan? To what do I owe the surprise?"

"I'm doing well, Genevieve. I was wondering if you could take us out on the waters tonight? I'm in a time crunch and have a prospective student with me from the 'nomagi world.' I have two tickets to sail to Attleton, and I must go tonight. Could you please take me out on the water?"

Genevieve frowned. "I know you seem like you're in a pinch, but there are hellions out there. I don't want to mess around with that. Didn't the ticket office tell you?"

"They did, and yes, I heard about that. But I promise to join in if in case we have any issues. I'll help out the Protector."

Genevieve tapped her foot and rubbed her chin. "You know, The admiral said she didn't want any of us to have to go out until sunrise."

"Is it really that bad? What's so different about tonight than any other night?"

Genevieve shrugged. "I don't know. These hellions, they're like the weather. Sometimes there are clear skies, and sometimes it's raining. In case of tonight, it's raining."

"But it's clear skies from what I can tell." Jonathan looked behind us towards the water and turned back around, smirking.

"You're really going to twist my arm on this?" Genevieve seemed annoyed, but she had a playful smile.

"Ordinarily, I wouldn't, but I have to accommodate my guest, and we don't have much time before he has to get back."

"You're lucky you are who you are. If you were anyone else, I would have told you to wait until tomorrow. The only other person we have to convince is the Protector. Because, honestly, I'm not going on that boat unless we have a Protector on board."

"Fine, fine. Let's go talk with the Protector then, yeah?" Jonathan said.

"Follow me," Genevieve said as she stepped out of the house. She set her cat inside. "Goodbye, Snuggles," she said. The cat meowed in reply, sounding slightly melancholy. Genevieve frowned but locked the door, then she kept walking down the dock past a few other modest red-brick row houses.

"That's so awesome you have a cat. I have always wanted a pet, but my parents always told me we couldn't have one because we didn't have the space and it would cost too much money," I said.

"Aw. That's too bad. I don't know what I would do without my kitty. She's the best and brings so much joy to my life. I hate leaving her behind, even when I go on a short trip like this."

"Why don't we take her? I could watch her the whole time if that's a concern. I love pets and don't get to spend much time around them."

"Why don't we talk to a Protector? And if they agree to go, I guess I can bring Snuggles along. That is, if you don't mind watching her?"

"Not at all! I'd be delighted!" I said.

Strolling by the row houses, I noticed many of them had lights glowing through windows.

"Do all of the other boat captains stay in those homes?" I asked.

"Yeah, we trade on and off. I stay here three nights a week and then have four days off. It's actually a perfect and chill gig," Genevieve said.

"I'm excited to travel with my favorite captain," Jonathan said.

Genevieve giggled, and I think she blushed a little too. It was hard to tell, though, with how dark it was.

"That seems like a cool job. I feel like I would totally do that if I could," I said.

"Unfortunately, Rollie, that job is reserved for wind mages," Jonathan said.

"Oh, bummer."

"You could be a Mage Force Protector in the naval department, though. Similar job. But you'll have plenty of exposure to other careers here."

“That's the thing that sucks about life back home. I feel like you don't get much exposure to what other jobs are like, yet people are all the time asking you what you want to be when you're older. And I never know what to say because, honestly, I have no idea," I said.

"It can be tough deciding. I'm unsure if we ever really know what we want to do. But you'll have plenty of opportunities to learn about other careers. Attleton does an excellent job of that," Jonathan said.

We approached another brick building that was two stories high.

"Why is this place larger?" I asked.

"Because Protectors stay here. The captains get their own quarters, but the Protectors all live together in one place," Genevieve said. She knocked on the door, and we waited a few seconds before Genevieve tried again. From the other side, I could hear muffled laughter and people hollering. "Come on, I know you guys are in there," Genevieve grumbled. Knocking louder on the door.

They quieted down, and someone yelled. "I'll go get it!"

A few seconds later, the door swung open, revealing a shorter guy wearing gray, loose-fitting clothes with long hair and a beard. "Genevieve," the man said, surprised. "What's going on? Sorry, some others were playing cards, and we didn't hear knocking at first."

"That's okay. Good evening, Frank. We were wondering if we could take a boat out tonight?"

Frank stared at Jonathan and me.

"You can't be serious. You all need to go out to Attleton tonight? This can't wait until sunrise? I mean, I don't mean to sound rude. I know it's my job and all, but didn't you hear that admiral's warning for tonight?" Frank asked.

"Look, we're in a bit of a hurry. I can make it worth your while too. You'll get your standard to pay and a few extra hundred bucks."

"Hey! You didn't offer me that," Genevieve said.

"Sorry. I meant to, and I'll give you some extra money, too, Genevieve. Whatever I give Frank, I'll give you as well. Does that work for everyone?"

"I don't know. Even with that offer, I got a hot hand going in cards. If I quit now, I'll make enough of that money I'm missing out on. I would just rather play it safe tonight," Frank said.

"Please, wait. I don't mean to be rude, but we must get to Attleton tonight. We don't have much time, and I don't want to waste this prospective student's time. Not only that, but I also have my own matters to tend to. Losing half a day would be bad for me just to sail back to Attleton. Please, do it for this kid. He has to go back home relatively soon." Jonathan said.

I felt a little uncomfortable with how Jonathan practically begged the man to do something that seemed dangerous, but I knew if I wasn't home when I said I'd be, my parents would have a panic attack. I'm glad there was urgency, but asking other people for favors like that made me wince.

Frank looked at me and frowned. "Okay, I'll tell you what. I'll go on the boat. Just let me grab my cloak, and we can head out." The table behind him erupted with cheers and claps. Frank looked back at the table and sighed.