James sat back against the mast, his torso still stinking of fish guts. Despite cleaning off most of the mess with wet rags, the stench was still there, permeating James’ nostrils with its putridity. He sighed in defeat, accepting that he was going to stay like this until he got himself a proper bath and better clothing at Vindis. He raised his left forearm, his iron bracer now exposed to the cold air. It had sizable marks from the silverhead attack, with one tooth still lodged in the metal. James plucked it out, tossing it aside. He was right to wear these cheap bracers, which were a courtesy of the loot he had plundered from bandits in the past months.

James had enough forearm injuries in the past, to where the young man thought it necessary to armor up his appendages. Rightly so, as the previous engagement had shown him.

“Didn’t think this would come in handy, though.” James moved to check up on his hand ax, which was sheathed on his belt. It was a backup weapon he had prepared for the trip, just in case he would ever lose his sword. He didn’t really expect to use it so soon, but it seemed as if fate wanted to test his readiness.

‘Funny how convenient it was to prepare before the voyage.’

James sniffed the air, scrunching up his nose at the stench once more. “Just wish that I wasn’t the only one who smelled like shit,” he muttered. James turned to the rest of the crew, most of whom were relatively clean compared to the young man. The silverheads had all been taken care of by James and his friends, leaving the crewmates unharmed and safe from danger. It did, however, leave James and Lilith smelling like fish guts. James glanced at the berserker, who was sleeping soundly on her end of the deck. She had eaten a feast’s worth of raw fish, yet didn’t seem to be sick from it at all.

‘Then again, sushi is a thing back on Earth. Maybe silverheads are safe to eat raw?’ James concluded. It was also possible that the savage woman had lived in the wilds for years and had built up an iron gut from eating raw foods and dirty water. That was also a theory James had settled in the back of his mind. The clan leader turned to Seamus, who was busy eating his prepared lunch, which consisted of biscuits and dried meat. He seemed so passive, his tired eyes half closed as he nibbled on his food. It was hard to see this peaceful person killing Hugo, the Lumen Knight from months ago. James had heard the stories about Seamus fights, all of them detailing how the young man seemingly massacred everything around him. He recalled the description Helen and Lowe gave.

‘He moved like a demon and fought without hesitation. Seamus was like a brutal herald chosen by Virtus.’

James remembered how Lowe had compared the young man to the God of War himself, a deity who only blessed those capable of extraordinary feats. That alone gave James much pause whenever he looked at Seamus. There was also the time during the marauder invasion. Kate Rowan had told her story to James, explaining to him that Seamus had ‘snapped’ and let loose upon the marauders who had come to her shop. James recalled something similar happening during their time at Aldren. He had seen Seamus lose consciousness during the fight at the clearing, which resulted in him being defenseless before Lilith came along.

‘Lilith… that’s another can of worms I don’t want to get into.’

Simply put, the berserker woman was a wildcard that James didn’t know how to feel about. She apparently had a connection with the young Halvorson, something that confused even Seamus. He had proclaimed that he had never had a sibling nor many family members outside of his mother’s sister, who had lived separately from the clan. James left that vague mystery to Seamus. He had enough of overthinking.

“Maybe I can sneak in a nap before…”

“Ahead! Vindis City spotted!” One of the crewmen’s voice cut through his suggestion, shooting down any hope of actual rest for the young clan leader.

“Nevermind,” James groaned as he forced himself to stand. Sure enough, once the sails were lifted, the floating city of Vindis was visible. It was the same as always, with buildings that were visible from afar. The floating platforms seemed static despite the rocky waves James’ ship was situated on. Then again, he was sure those buoys in the distance had something to do with it, as they were covered in enchanted runes. He could even see the many men occupying the ship barricade that surrounded the city. This was going to be James’ fifth time coming to Vindis, the last visit being a couple months back. Still, it didn’t mean James knew much about the city. Most of those visits were to turn in local bounties set on roaming bandits.

Back then, James’ longest stay at Vindis was so he could see off Finn and Brant, both of whom were involved in the Lumen Knight incident months ago. Both men had stuck with James throughout his quest and had even become injured in doing so. Despite their help, they did not reside in Yorktown anymore. Finn had been subsequently banished from the island, despite his efforts in the fight. Felix had not forgiven the other man’s involvement in Gryff’s attack on the small town. Brant had been given a chance to stay, since he had warned and brought Draugr’s Haunt as reinforcements during that fight. However, he decided to stick with Finn, opting to watch over him in Vindis as a precaution.

James wondered if both men were still at Vindis. He was initially worried that Finn would go to Jarl Ivan and tell him of James and Yorktown, but he had his doubts lifted when Brant volunteered to stay and watch Finn. Brant was one of the first people to swear loyalty to James, an act that surprised the clan leader.

“I hope he’s doing well,” James muttered. He had enough experiences in Vindis that proved to the young man that the city was not welcoming. Riddled with winding pathways and dangerous folk, the city was a place where one would struggle to find solace. Despite its beauty from afar and the remarkable achievement it had as a floating city, Vindis had a darker underbelly that James himself didn’t want to poke at.

“Sails up! We’re approaching the barricade!”

Dimitri’s shouts seemed to animate the rest of the crew, who all moved with efficiency to raise the sails. Once the black canvas was rolled up, Dimitri’s words echoed once more across the deck,

“To oars men! Take this ship to the checkpoint!”

The men all did as told, without hesitation. James watched as they all moved to the sides of the longship, picking up the oars that laid by the railing. He turned to the rear of the ship, where Liam had moved from the rudder of Draugr’s Haunt. He now brandished a mallet with a wrapped cloth tip, his other hand holding the drum necessary to make sure the rowers kept their tempo. Fascinated, James watched as Liam striked the drum, pacing the beats as the crew rowed the longship.

DUM

DUM

DUM

Stolen novel; please report.

The rhythmic beat was all there was, the only other sound being the splashing waves. James looked ahead, where the checkpoint lay. It slowly grew as the men rowed, their oars fighting the ocean’s current as Liam’s drum kept on tempo. Finally, Dimitri gave the call.

“Stop!”

Liam’s drum went silent, and the crew stopped their movements, leaving Draugr’s Haunt dead in the water. It slowly drifted to the barricade’s opening, where another longship awaited them. They had extended a long chain across the gap, something James initially didn’t notice. Thankfully, Draugr’s Haunt was going at such a slow pace that it gently nudged against the chain before stopping completely.

James sighed in relief, remembering the markings that chain had left on Frostbite the last time they had come to Vindis.

“Oi! State your–” A gruff voice called out from the starboard side, before it cut off mid-sentence. “Ah, it’s you…”

James smiled and turned to the owner of the voice, a dwarf who worked guard duty for Vindis’ barricade.

“Argyle, right? Good to see you again,” the clan leader greeted. He watched as the dwarf in question raised an eyebrow.

“Didn’t recognize your ship, Red Slayer. What happened to your old brig?” Argyle prodded. James cringed at the nickname. Red Slayer was a name Argyle and his friends had come up with after James’ show of ‘intimidation’ the first time he had come to Vindis. He never knew the name existed until his second visit to Vindis, when Argyle recognized the young man. By the time he found out, it was already too late for the clan leader.

“Frostbite is back home. This is a new ship, pillaged from a dangerous orc camp,” James boldly stated.

Argyle laughed at that. “Yeah yeah. We’ll add Orc Destroyer to your profile, along with Lumen Killer and Red Slayer.” He responded in jest. James couldn’t help but chuckle. The dwarf was unaware of the reality behind James’ story, instead only believing that the young man was someone who told only tall tales and exaggerated his achievements. James liked it this way, since Argyle didn’t treat him as some sort of freak or being of incredible power.

“Alright, the fee is still thirty silver. Any and all weapons must be turned in at the harbor. Cargo must be checked and, of course, names will have to be marked down, understood?” Argyle droned on his scripted words, his hand stroking his braided beard as he talked.

James nodded and reached for his pouch. He pulled out a valdora piece before he tossed it to the dwarf. Argyle caught the blue coin with ease. The dwarf bit down on the precious metal to make sure it was the real deal. A smirk then came across his lips and he pocketed the coin.

“Alright then, same spot as last time. I’ll let the harbor workers know to turn a blind eye.” Argyle gestured towards the floating city ahead before signaling to his men to lower the chain.

James nodded and turned back to Dimitri, who grinned. “Let’s get to rowing men!” the shipmaster shouted. The drum’s steady rhythm returned, and James watched as the longship made its way to the upcoming harbor.

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

North of Valenfrost, far away from the floating city of Vindis, laid the churning black waters of the abyssal sea. The way the waves violently crashed and swirled signified that something big was affecting the currents. Usually, this meant that a leviathan was hunting, looking for any poor ship to devour. It wouldn’t be too far from the truth, as Bloom meant the creatures would soon awake from their long Frost slumber.

However, no leviathan nor serpent affected these waters, as runic symbols suddenly appeared above them. They formed a circle, resembling a gate formed of magical glow. Soon enough, the runes brightened and a magical screen appeared. Out of the screen jumped forth a brig, the runes on its hull glowing white hot as the smell of burnt wood permeated the air. The ship crashed against the waves, rocking for a while before the black waters finally calmed down.

As the ship went still, a man ran to the port with haste. He bent over the railing, vomiting out the contents of his previous meal.

Gwenyth watched as William threw up into the black sea. His body shuddered from seasickness, his knees wobbling as he tried to hold on to the railing.

“First time riding a runic gate?” Arthur called out to the herald, who continued to retch. Gwenyth tried to sympathize with the sick man, remembering the first time she had gone through a rune gate. She was barely a couple hundred years old then, and the experience rocked her like no other.

Rune gates were spells first conjured by Wizards of old. The spell had been in use back during the early centuries before becoming lost after the Second Great War. Of course, they came back a couple centuries later, after the Resurgence. They were revolutionized into travel for ships during that time, used only for ships under Lumen control.

The ship Gwenyth was on currently had the runic spell engraved in its hull. The gate spell required a skilled Wizard to activate it, forcing it to use the ley lines of Azura as a guide to where to go. Still, despite this incredible magic, the ship could only go so far into Valenfrost. The ley lines were fractured to all hel, making it risky to use the rune gate to travel along them. No one knew if it was dangerous to use the cracks and no one wanted to test it either.

Gwenyth walked to starboard, peeking down at the hull. The runes were smoking, the heat of their magic reaching the deck. The rune gate won’t be able to be used for a while. Gwenyth estimated it to be a week before the ship was ready to jump again.

“Now, where to?” Arthur called out to the elf.

“Judging from the map you people provided me, I’d say we go south. The closest breakpoint is by a small settlement, Buravon. It’s a small island, easy to scour,” Gwenyth called back.

‘I hope our disguises hide the fact that we’re from Azurvale.’

She touched her fake hair, which had been fabricated by a Wizard back at Norum. It was black and short, with a couple of braided ends, making the silver elf look like a rugged merc. She even had illusory scars to sell the look. She wore a dark tunic over a sleeved shirt, its edges frayed. Her armor was that of gambeson, with a rough cape and sheath to cover her saber up. Even Gwenyth’s prosthetic was wrapped in bandages, making it look like her left arm suffered from horrible scarring.

“Something worrying you?” Arthur asked.

“All I ask is that we stay inconspicuous. We might look like the average nomad, but these people are quick to notice foreigners,” Gwenyth stated. Although Arthur and Gwenyth looked and could act the part, the rest of the crew was… off. William was obviously foreign, even with all his new clothing and fake hair. He acted out of place, like a naive soldier from Lumen City despite his veteran status. Eilif was also a problem, as the bounty hunter oozed a threatening aura. His brass goggles and grinning mask didn’t help.

“Don’t worry, it’ll only be me and you going into town.” Arthur assured the elf. “I don’t trust William to keep his damn mouth shut for even a second.”

“You can’t be serious!” William cried out. “You can’t just leave me here on the ship. My body can’t take the rocking… I need solid ground! I need–Ugh!” William went back to retching.

Gwenyth sighed. “Good. It’ll also keep the ship safe. Gods know what kind of filth roams the waters…”

“You sound like you hate the north,” Arthur pointed out.

“Of course I do. Do you not?” Gwenyth turned to Arthur, who chuckled lightly.

“It’s terrible. Filled with wretched folk and disgusting creatures. But in a way, it’s exciting.” Arthur admitted.

Gwenyth raised an eyebrow. “You truly are a strange man. I wonder why Delphine chose you as her apostle.”

That did it for him. Arthur laughed heartily, his arms crossing as he turned to the elf.

“Believe me. We both didn’t have much of a choice.”