"Rough night again?"

David groaned, too tired to respond verbally, but he managed to shake his head. A steaming mug of tea was placed on the table before him, and he reached for its warmth.

"Then is it the schedule? I know they have you diviners working night and day to scour the seas."

After inhaling the steaming herbal infusion, David gathered his strength and replied, "I've just spent a twelve-hour shift exploring every nook and cranny of the southeastern Scales. If you had asked me how many tiny islands dot the Serpent Sea even just a month ago, I'd have barely known there were any, but now I can recognize at least a hundred at first sight."

His commanding officer chuckled, "Yeah, it's not the most exciting thing, I bet, but it saves us so much time. Just the thought of having to sail to every light-forsaken rock in the sea to see if a band of pirates has managed to hide there makes my bones ache."

David gave Captain Charry the gimlet eye, but unfortunately, that only served to make the man laugh harder. "At least I don't have to step foot on the ships. I can't imagine the cold and humidity. Stuck with only smelly men as companions. No, thank you."

For some reason, his light ribbing didn't elicit the usual response. Is he so tired from the patrols? No, he came all the way here just after returning…

Looking at the slightly older man— who would have once been his inferior since it was rumored that he used to be a slave until the Revolution swept through his master's farms—David saw a weird look on his face.

It took him a moment for his sleep-deprived brain to slowly realize what that meant. "No…"

"I'm sorry to say, yes."

"No. No, it can't be," David muttered, shaking his head and desperately trying to ignore the growing grin on Charry's face.

"I would say I empathize with your suffering, but having been the one sent on patrol for the last month while you were sitting here in the toasty warmth, I can't." His lips were stretched in what was now a full-blown shit-eating grin, and David hated him all the more for it.

"But why? I thought we reached a sort of balance with the other factions." The complaint felt hollow. He knew very well that when the administration made a decision, it was final. It just so happened that he was on the bad end of it this time.

"The reward for good work is more work, Diviner Longs. You managed to personally discover fourteen warded hideouts, more than double what the next best of your colleagues was capable of." David really wanted to complain. He would have worked much less had he known it would have led to this! Oh, he had been so glad when the responsibility over the spell research had been lifted from his shoulders. He should have known better.

A tightness in his chest alerted him that he was skirting dangerously close to breaking the terms of his oath, and David sagged—nothing he could do about it.

"Oh, don't be so gloomy. The lads are a fun bunch, and we even get to fight a sea serpent once in a while!"

Yeah, that was precisely why Charry didn’t want to do it.

----------------------------------------

David supposed he should be grateful that he was given an entire day to prepare for his new deployment, thanks to the latest refitting the Wavebreaker was going through.

Since he had spent the precious time sleeping, however, he was much less inclined to think positively.

Waiting at the southernmost pier of Treon's increasingly busy port, staring up at the monstrosity of enchanted wood and copper, David finally put his dreams of a desk job with little to no responsibility to rest.

I would have gotten bored anyway. This is probably going to suck, but I cannot deny that the idea of going on an adventure appeals to me.

"Oy, is that the lad?" A gruff voice called from the ship, and David was forced to look up, trying to find where it came from, but with the tall gunwale, it was hard to tell.

"That would be him, yes. Lower the gangplank!” Captain Charry's more familiar voice replied, and David was forced to take a step back as his well-honed senses told him that he would get splashed should he remain where he was.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"Ah, that's no fun." The first voice grumbled as the long wooden bridge slammed against the pier, sending a wave of water exactly where he had been standing a second before. David frowned slightly as he stepped over the slick boards, feeling the faint sway of the sea beneath his feet. His legs already rebelled against the unfamiliar sensation, but he pushed the discomfort aside, focusing instead on the ship looming above him. He would have to suffer much worse before this deployment was over.

The Wavebreaker was massive, far larger than the merchant vessels he'd seen docked in Lamprey Port's harbor back when life still made sense. Its hull gleamed with streaks of copper, reinforcing the enchanted wood that gave it both resilience and speed. This was the first of its kind—an indigenous creation of the Revolution, built to rival the finest ships in the fleets of Garva and the Southern Kingdoms. Its broadsides bristled with gun ports, and strange mechanisms lined the deck, innovations that David barely understood but knew were deadly in the hands of the right crew.

He had seen them at work during some of his scryings. He wouldn't forget the sight of a Kraken's body being turned into pulp as the men cheered.

Speaking of the devil…

As soon as he stepped onto the deck, a squat figure strode forward, grumbling under his breath. Being one of the more memorable members, David already knew about him.

Anton, the ship's gun-loving dwarf, looked like he belonged more in a forge than on board a vessel. His thick, gnarled hands rested on his tool belt, which was stuffed with small hammers, wrenches, and the odd vial. His graying beard was tied into neat braids, though David could see bits of soot clinging stubbornly to it.

"You must be the diviner they've saddled us with," Anton grunted, looking David up and down with a critical eye. "Skinny lad, aren't you? You look like you'll blow over with the first good gust."

David smiled awkwardly, not entirely sure how to respond. "I'm David Longs. And, uh, yeah, I'm here to help with the scrying."

Anton snorted. "Well, make sure you don't throw up all over the ship while at it. Bad enough we're all floating miles away good, solid ground without another mage making a mess of things."

Before David could reply, a second figure appeared at the top of the steps leading below deck. Rupert, the ship's second mate, towered over most men, and David wasn't an exception. With his broad shoulders and muscular frame, Rupert looked every bit the enforcer, though his calm expression suggested he was far more level-headed than his imposing appearance let on.

"Ease up, Anton," the man said in a low voice. "We don't want to scare off the kid before he settles in. Again."

Anton grumbled something unintelligible before turning back to the cannons that lined the deck, muttering about "soft mages" and "missing the mountains."

Rupert turned to David, his expression softening. "You'll get used to Anton. He just hates being away from the ground. But he'll follow Captain Charry into the Void if asked, and that's all that matters."

David nodded distractedly while he tried to figure out what "Again" meant. "I'll keep that in mind."

Rupert's eyes flicked over his slim frame and robes, instantly marking him as someone more familiar with libraries than battlefields. David hadn't had the time to think about whether he was dressed appropriately, especially since he knew enough lifestyle magic to be comfortable everywhere. Still, now that he was the subject of so much scrutiny, he was starting to realize he probably should have. "You're with us now, though. We look after our own. Just follow the Captain's orders, and you'll be fine."

Speaking of the Captain, Charry strode across the deck, commanding attention without effort. The former slave turned adjutant turned army captain, turned navy captain was known throughout the city for his daring tactics and his ability to inspire loyalty in even the most hardened of soldiers. Apparently, he had gone so far as to walk into burning buildings to save his men.

David would have dismissed the rumor, but with how protective the people who worked under him were, he was inclined to believe there was something to him. He certainly had come to like him, even if they only ever exchanged a few words when he passed his observations along.

His tanned skin gleamed in the sunlight, and his eyes carried a sharp intelligence that put David immediately at ease. Something about Charry's presence made the chaos of the world seem manageable, even if only for a moment.

"Well, Diviner," the man in question said, coming to a stop before David, "welcome aboard the Wavebreaker. I'm afraid we don't have much time for pleasantries—we've got work ahead of us."

David followed the Captain as they walked across the deck, taking in the ship and its crew. The sailors were a rough bunch, their clothes worn and their faces weathered from years under the sun. Many bore the brands of former slaves, remnants of their past lives aboard merchant vessels. But there was a quiet determination in the way they moved, a sense of purpose that gave them dignity far beyond their rough exterior. These were men and women who had been worked to the bone and, even with the possibility of a quiet farm life at hand, had decided to keep braving the seas to serve the Revolution.

"The crew's a good lot," Charry continued as they descended the narrow stairs into the ship's heart. "Most of them used to work these routes, and they've been at it long enough to know what it takes to keep a ship like this running. They saved me more times than I can count at the beginning. Be sure to heed their words if they tell you something."

David nodded, privately noticing that Charry didn't mind admitting his weaknesses. As they moved deeper into the ship, the air grew cooler, and the noise of the deck faded away, replaced by the creaking of wood and the occasional muffled shout from the sailors above.

Charry stopped in front of a small door and pushed it open. "This'll be your quarters," he said, gesturing inside.

David stepped into the tiny room, barely big enough for a bed and a small desk. It wasn't much, but the fact that he had a room to himself was a luxury he hadn't expected. The walls were bare, and the lone porthole let in just enough light to make the space feel less claustrophobic.

"It's not much," Charry said with a shrug, "but it's yours."

David turned to face him, grateful beyond words that he didn't have to share with the other sailors. Good people they might be, he didn't think he'd survive the smell. "Thank you, Captain. It's more than enough."

Charry gave a short nod before handing David a rolled-up map. "You'll be in charge of scrying the islands ahead, same as you've done before. But there's an added task this time."

David unrolled the map, scanning their route through the Serpent Sea. "What's the new task?"

"We need you to search the deep waters," Charry replied, his voice lowering. "There have been too many incidents. Sea monsters and creatures from the depths have attacked ships more often than we can justify. Your job is to spot them before they spot us and, if possible, find out what has them so riled up. That’s why you were shuffled here in such a hurry.”

David's stomach tightened. Scrying the surface wasn’t easy. Going into the depths wasn’t likely to be any better. Unfortunately, he couldn't say no. "I'll do my best."

Charry clapped him on the shoulder. "That's all I ask. We'll get through this, Diviner. The Revolution will not be denied."

With that, Charry left, leaving David alone in his new quarters. As the ship gently swayed beneath him, he sat at his small desk and spread the map before him, his mind already shifting to the task ahead.

The sea stretched out vast and unknown, but David felt something unexpected stir inside him for the first time in a long while—excitement.

I'm actually going on an adventure.