It was hard for Nero to tell where the urbanized area ended and where the rural Nycean outskirts started, especially considering they were traveling in the dead of night. The houses and inns kept getting more and more sparse but never fully disappeared, one or the other popping up every now and then. At some point, the road simply crossed in front of the fields.

At first Nero, was vigilant, concerned about thieves and robbers, and he had every right to be so. His neighborhood wasn't always the easiest to live in. However, after some two hours and having left the suburbs behind, he allowed himself to relax a little bit.

"The night sky sure is wonderful out there...", he commented, looking up and the bright, starry sky.

"The lack of lighting makes the celestial bodies easier to see with the naked eye.", said Sharmon.

The only light the group had was Sharmon's, but he had cast a rather different one: it was pearl white and rather opaque. It provided way less vision than the one he had cast on the forest where Nero had trained, but at the same time it was much harder to see from afar.

Sharmon, too, was accounting for possible bandits. The light did not float above the group, but rather in front of it and at a very low altitude -about three feet- and the three of them simply walked immediately behind it.

These precautions served their purpose well, and the group found no trouble during its long march south. Four and a half hours after midnight, the group made a turn right, and Port Hope's bright lighthouse came into view. The salty smell of the sea also made its way to them, indicating they were arriving at the town just below the lighthouse, which still kept most of its lights off.

Another thirty minutes later the road became cobbled and not simply one of dirt, and it wasn't long until they finally approached the town's white walls.

There, they found the gates closed, and two female soldiers were mounting guard.

"Halt! Who goes there!?", said a stern voice.

The group stopped. Sharmon elevated his sphere of light above everyone, and made it shine brighter, revealing their faces.

"Wait... is that...?", said a rather maternal one.

"Nero?"

The boy's face lit up in a wide smile.

"Gala!? And Edda, too! What are you doing here!?", he laughed.

"We were assigned to this post a few days ago. It's too bad, we missed each other after your test...", said Edda.

"Haha, it's alright... did you hear about my second test results?"

"We did.", said Edda.

"In fact, we were waiting for you.", added Gala.

"Wait, really?"

"Yup. We are to guide you to the docks. Well, one of us is."

"And that would be me.", said Gala.

"Do you have ser Eldrich's note? Just in case."

"Yeah, we have it right here..."

Both Nero and Araven turned in their papers.

"All good... open the gates...!"

A loud metallic sound made its way across the dark early morning, and the gates rotated inwards, inviting the group into Port Hope.

Gala turned around, gesturing the other three to walk behind her.

"Swap places with me, I'm guiding them to the pier.", she told another female guard, who nodded and hurried outside; the guards closed the gate immediately after this exchange.

"Is this redhead the friend you were talking about in your room the other day...? She's gorgeous.", murmured Araven.

"Yeah, I've known them both for years.", said Nero.

Port Hope was a beautiful seaside town, colored mostly in white and some blue. The group noticed that many houses and stores had their lights on, indicating the locals were getting ready to start their day, just like everyone did back at Nycea. Above all, a few blocks ahead, the lighthouse shone proud.

"Not all of the town's coast is filled with docks. If you're looking for a ship, you can always use the lighthouse as a reference, and then turn left. The lighthouse marks the far end to the right of the docks, and the pier next to it is pier number one.", explained Gala.

"This doesn't look like a bad place to live.", commented Araven, looking around him.

"It isn't, that's why property prices here are very exclusive."

"Of course it is...", said Nero in a disappointed tone.

It was only a few minutes before sunrise when they made it to the lighthouse -its door was closed- and the group walked over the wooden planks to pier three.

A merchant ship was moored to the dock with a very thick and sturdy rope. On top of the metal cleat there sat a man in his late twenties looking rather bored.

"Oh gods, so it's him after all...", murmured Gala, facepalming.

"Hey! Thank goodness, for a second there I thought you wouldn't make it.", he said upon seeing the group approaching the pier he was waiting in.

He was wearing a brown jacket on top of a white shirt, simple green pants and brown leather boots, and a red bandana adorned his rather wild, shoulder-length brown hair. He also had a tiny bit of carefully grown facial hair, groomed to look natural and "a few days without shaving" in a very calculated manner than ended in a surprisingly successful result.

"Are you Arcturus Sanz?", asked Nero.

"What? No, not at all. My name's Ferguson. I'm here to pick you up and take you to Armorica."

"Ah, alright. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, kid."

Ferguson walked past him and stood in front of Sharmon.

"I'm told one of you is a summoner, you must be it. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Ferguson offered him his hand.

Araven and Nero looked at each other.

"The summoner", Gala intervened in an irritated tone, "is right behind you. This here is his familiar."

"What? Huh? For real?"

He looked behind him to find Nero staring at him, himself very confused.

"I, uh... I had no idea. I'm sorry. This man here totally looked the part..."

He offered Nero his hand this time.

"Let us start over. I'm Ferguson, and I'll be your guide for your test."

Nero decided to let bygones be bygones and accept his greeting.

"Nero."

"...that means you're Araven, right?"

"The very same.", he smiled, and shook his hand.

"Glad I didn't mess up my greeting with one of you, at least.", he laughed.

The very first light of dawn was starting to peek far on the horizon.

"Listen here, you.", said Gala, crossing her arms and staring down at Ferguson, "these two traveled all night to board this ship and lend you and the governor a hand with the blight. They are not here to play; so take this job seriously."

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"Bu-But I assure you, I'm taking it seriously...", he defended himself.

Gala was in full uniform, save for her helmet which she rarely wore unless made to by a superior, and carried her sword to her left in the same place Sharmon kept his cane. Her attire, plus her character, let on very quickly that she was not a woman to be trifled with. She walked up to Ferguson, her face very close to his.

"You know,", she murmured to his ear in a tone so low that no one could hear her, "I've always wanted a little brother... and that boy over there is the closest thing I've ever had to one. If I hear that something bad happened to him because of your negligence... you and I are gonna have a little problem. Am I clear?"

"C-Clear as day, ma'am..."

She then turned to Nero and Araven.

"I have to go back to my post. Listen, Armorica is a very dangerous place and I mean that, the blight is not a joke. Promise me you'll take care of yourselves."

She was looking especially at Nero.

"We will.", Araven assured her.

"I promise.", nodded Nero.

This was kinda like talking to his grandmother all over again to him.

"Then, I'll be going now. I'll see you when you return; I want you to tell me all about your test next week, alright?"

"You got it. Thanks for guiding us, it was good to see you again.", said Nero.

Gala gave him a brief smile, then glared at Ferguson for one last time before turning and heading back to the gates.

"What a strict woman...", said Ferguson, scratching the back of his head.

Nero noticed he wasn't carrying any weapons, none that he could see, at least.

"So... when are we departing?", asked the boy, dropping his bag and taking a seat at an empty bench.

"In about an hour. You guys kinda made it on the line, given how much time you had to come. Why didn't you stay at an inn here?"

"I... well, that would have cost money.", said Nero.

"And I had some business to attend to before being able to come here in the first place.", said Araven.

"Ah, well, when you put it like that, I guess it makes sense."

"Can you tell us more about the situation in Armorica?", asked the blonde.

"Oof... it's very complicated.", Ferguson shook his head.

"We keep hearing that."

"That town guard was not kidding... the blight has the whole province on its knees."

"What exactly is this blight phenomenon?", asked Nero.

"...it'll be easier to explain after you've seen it with your own eyes, but it's like a corruption that spreads and contaminates everything... there's barely any drinking water, and most plants and animals are affected by it. They can't be consumed because it's as if they were poisonous."

"So how do people actually eat, then?"

Ferguson let out a sigh.

"...we survive on whatever the capital can afford to send us."

"What's the cause of this blight?", asked Araven.

"Uhh... it's an old story, and we're not entirely sure of exactly what happened. It all started like a hundred years ago, maybe more, and I think it had to do with the extinction of the dragons. What we do know for sure is that it was the direct cause of the fall of the Kingdom of Armorica back then. Nycea took control of only a fraction of their territory after the plague had destroyed basically the whole kingdom. Today, traveling to the lake or the lands that used to be of that fallen nation is flat-out impossible. Nobody that's gone deep into that territory has made it back alive."

Damn, the situation was looking even worse than what ser Eldrich's letter had let on.

"...and what are we expected to do, exactly?"

"Surely Nycea doesn't want us to purify this plague, does it...?"

"Oh, no, not at all. You don't have to worry about cleansing the plague."

"Well, that's good news..."

"Because it cannot be cleansed."

"...alright, I take that back."

"I mean, there was some research a few decades ago, but nobody found anything, as far as I'm aware."

"Then, what are we to do exactly...? How could we possibly help with the plague?"

"First we have to get there. We'll be going to the city of Trena, where you will be shown the place you'll be staying, and then we'll discuss what we'll do."

"We?", asked Nero.

"I'll be with you during the whole trip."

"Ah, I see. What can you do?"

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah. What magic are you capable of using? I've noticed you're not carrying a weapon."

Ferguson blinked.

"I'm not a mage. I work under Arcturus Sanz as an administrator."

"...wait, you mean to tell me that you're a government official!?"

Ferguson scratched his chin, pensively.

"I guess if you put it like that, yeah. This whole thing makes me a government official. Sounds fancy; maybe I should ask for a raise...?"

"You definitely should.", said Araven.

"Dude, don't encourage him...!"

"Alright, ladies. Are you the ones we're taking to Armorica?"

The whole group turned around.

In front of them stood, tall and proud, a brown-haired young woman -no older than twenty six- dressed in a mostly blue outfit with black high boots that didn't reach her knees, and a white shirt below them.

"Ah, are you captain Elena? Yes, this is them. I'm Ferguson, from Armorica, here to guide them.", he offered her his hand.

"And who are you supposed to be? Their babysitter?", she asked Sharmon, studying him from head to toe and ignoring Ferguson completely.

The aforementioned crossed his arms.

"On days such as these, it does feel so.", he replied.

She smiled, then took a step forward and walked past them towards the wooden merchant ship.

"Get on board. We got most of the cargo loaded a few hours ago in preparation for your trip. I'll show you around and then we'll be off."

They walked up the ramp and boarded the ship.

"Amazing... it's my first time on a boat.", said Nero, taking in the view and getting a feel of how the floor under his feet fell.

"And hope it won't be the last, kid.", said the captain.

Ferguson looked overboard down to the gentle waters.

"...depending on the trip, sometimes you'll wish it was.", he said.

The ship's crew began to board, too, carrying all sorts of stuff that Nero had no chance to ask what they were for.

"Okay, pay attention. You're all on my ship now. While your feet are above these wooden planks, my word here is law. Got that?"

"Aye, cap'n!", said Nero.

Nobody laughed, though Araven did smile a little.

"This trip will last for some twelve hours, so it's not going to be a difficult one. We'll border the coastline all the way until we arrive at Trena. If you gotta vomit, you do it overboard or I'll seriously kick your ass. The College asked me not to make you work and paid for all expenses in advance, so be glad for that. My crew, however, has shit to do and if I catch any of you interrupting their work I'll have you make up for it for the rest of the trip. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Elena.", said Ferguson.

"That's captain Elena to you. Now follow me, I'll show you where you'll be staying."

Ferguson sighed.

"Man, why all are women here such hard asses...?"

It looked like the poor guy couldn't catch a break. It's not like he was being improper with them or anything, either. Nero felt kinda bad for him.

Captain Elena gave them a quick tour through the decks, and showed them a single room with some makeshift beds on it.

"You can use this place to drop your belongings and stay if you need to sleep or if it's raining. Otherwise you can be on the sun deck. Just don't bother my crew, and don't go to the rower's deck."

"Alright. Thanks.", said Nero.

Captain Elena then walked up to Sharmon.

"And you,", she said, taking a closer look at his chest, his neck and mask, as if trying to figure him out, "can join me above in my quarters."

Nero frowned.

"Captain, excuse me."

She turned to him, raising an eyebrow.

"Sharmon is my summoned familiar. He never leaves my side."

"Well, he's going to for a little while if you wanna make this trip. My word here is law, and you agreed on it, kid. So, care to join me above?", she smiled at him.

Sharmon was staring down at her.

"I shall join you, as per your request.", he said.

"What...!?", Nero couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Be at ease, boy. I will indulge our captain for the time being, is all."

"It's good to see there's at least one man among these children.", Elena chuckled, and started walking up the stairs, followed by Sharmon.

"What do we do now?", asked Araven.

"Well, I'm going to the upper deck, too.", Nero was looking straight at the other two, "I'll wait outside if I have to."

Araven dropped his stuff and lay on a bed.

"I think I'm gonna sleep."

"...you know what, I think I'll do that too.", said Ferguson.

Nero walked up to the sun deck, there the only superstructure was the captain's quarters, and leaned against the border of the ship in a place where he could watch over the door without getting in the sailor's way.

Captain Elena opened the door for Sharmon but didn't walk in behind him.

"Wait here for a minute.", she said.

Then, she turned to the sun deck and talked to her quartermaster for a minute, before addressing the crew:

"Drop the moorings! Raise the sails! We're headed north along the coastline!"

The men obeyed immediately.

Elena turned around and went back to her quarters, closing the door behind her.

She bit her lip at the sight of the sorcerer sitting on her favorite couch.

"So... care for a cup of wine? Perhaps something stronger?", she asked.

"I do not drink."

Elena laughed loudly.

"There isn't a man on this land who doesn't drink."

Sharmon did not reply.

"Hmm... enigmatic, are we?", she observed, while pouring herself a cup of red wine.

"I am here to assist the boy that's standing outside vigilantly. I have agreed upon your demands, yet I would like you to remember that you have been paid to provide a service."

Elena sat right next to him, resting her elbow on the back of the couch, and her face on her palm.

"I was paid to ferry you to Trena, and I'm doing that right now.", she said, taking a sip.

"Hm. That you are."

"So, what's under that mask...?"

She tried to touch it, but a black-gloved hand caught hers before reaching it.

His grip wasn't violent, but firm.

"Something", he said, "that is not meant to be seen."

Elena smiled.

"...well, that only makes me want to see it more."

And with that, the ship set sail -and rows- under the morning sun towards the plagued lands of Armorica.