The gangplank was lowered. The Kraken’s Snack was docked on the port.

“The Kraken’s Snack will leave at the third bell of the afternoon! We will leave as soon as we get permission! Late passengers will be left stranded!”

Already knowing the ins and outs of traveling on commercial ships like this, the Tides of Sobek passively listened to the announcement made by the [Captain]. They already know that ships leave as soon as they’re repaired, or if their sailing schedules were revised. They went to the wooden checkpoint at the port, with a bald tanned man manning it.

“Travel papers.” The man at the checkpoint asked.

The party handed their papers, managing to avoid them getting wet during the storm. The ink on the letters was a bit worn but still legible.

“Purpose?” The man at the checkpoint inquired.

“Travel,” Sek answered. “Leaving within the day.”

“You may go.” He let them leave. “You are liable for anything that happens to your party, your belongings, and your actions within-“

As soon as they heard the listless warning of sorts from the man at the checkpoint, they immediately left.

The port city is vast, with buildings of different heights, beyond the tent stalls selling dried fish, seashells from the seashores, and other fresh seafood. The dock marketplace between the docked ships and the city proper smelled of sweat and sea, radiating an atmosphere of heat and fishiness much like any seaside marketplace. People of many kingdoms and races gathered here, Beastkin, Seafolk, Human, Elves, Dwarves, Garuda, and even giants 8 to 9 feet tall, and headless people in armor holding their heads on their sides or putting their heads back up.

“Hungry.” Vitelli mouthed, after seeing the grilled fish, souped fish, and fish being cooked in all manner of ways.

“Thirsty,” Lewis added, after seeing the drinks being sold in the market.

“The food is better within the city,” Ulron told the two siblings. “Bear with it for now until we get to the city proper.”

Buildings of both dried mud bricks and stone, with gable and valley roofs of sundried clay shingles. Stone pillars, meticulously decorated with etched designs of fish, waves, and seaweed, much like the decorations back in Aquinox, supported the bricked overhangs of many buildings. As they walked on the cobblestone streets, wider than those in Aquinox. Multicolored awnings sheltered people from the sun as they bought food and goods on the stall. The buildings here are much, much larger. People as large as 8 to 9 feet were entering stores, with wide doorways resembling archways or the ground floors is completely open, like an open hall.

They were among a crowd of Beastkin, Humans, and Giants. As they squeezed themselves through the crowd, they were on one of the circular plazas. A plaza with a gigantic marble pillar, etched with a language lost to time. A pillar is older than the port itself.

They entered a restaurant, with a red awning and outdoor seats filled with people, passing by the etched menu on a standing wooden frame. They entered inside the open-aired diner. A wolf Beastkin was manning the counter.

“Order?” He asked.

“Leechfish Nectarine Feta Paella and Honeyed Juice, For six,” Sek ordered for them.

“Coming right up. σεφ, παραγγελία!” He called the [Chefs] in the kitchen, passing a card of slate.

They sat down on intricately carved wooden chairs, surrounding the wood round table of beige and brown circles.

“What is that pillar in the middle of the plaza?” Lewis asked.

“An old memorial for [Soldiers] who defended this port city. I heard that it was made from a time before the Lainian Empire conquered this land.”

“Empires, huh,” Vitelli uttered. “How come the great Lainian Empire haven’t conquered Aquinox yet?”

“Politics, economics, and other things that even elude even me,” Ulron answered unsatisfactorily.

“Guess it’s complicated, huh.” Vitelli leaned on his seat lazily. Thel simply double-checked his bags, Sek looked around the place absently, and Kel stared outside silently.

“I read up a bit on it,” Lewis stated. “In short, Aquinox cannot be assailed due to the magical currents surrounding it, and it is the major trade hub of the world due to it being in the center of the trade routes of the Occident and Orient, and that’s not including its alliances-“

Vitelli put his fist on his head with a playful thud.

“Yeah, yeah, we get it, you’re smart.” Vitelli teased.

“Read a book sometimes.” Lewis riposted.

“I already know how to read.”

Before the sibling argument escalated, a Human [Waiter] placed the large pan of paella, a mixture of cooked seasoned rice, chorizo, shrimp, clams, and cubes of feta and large slimy fillets from a black, spotted leech-like fish. Plates and utensils were spread on the table, along with clay cups of yellow sweet fruit juice.

“Let’s eat,” Sek announced, stopping them. “Let us finish quickly, so we can shop.”

“Mm.” Kel took the first bite of the seasoned rice and fish, tasting the cooked fresh fish and the pepper of the rice, along with the briny cheese of the feta.

They ate with gusto, devouring the rice while pairing it with the sweet drink. The Skills that the [Chefs]’ used on the food were filling the travelers’ energy.

They immediately set out, walking towards the nearest market, wary of any [Thieves]. In the market, manned by [Stall Keepers]. [Sellers] of different races sold them what they need, dried meats, fish, and fruit, including herb bread, hardtack, and wrapped cubes of cheeses.

Later, they waited on the benches within the port, covered by a tent. It was a hot afternoon, making the Seafolk adventurers pour themselves with water from a bucket. The sun and air, in time, were the biggest enemies of their species. Lewis and Vitelli watched the waves beyond the ships, the briny air tingling their nose, and the shouts and murmurs of the foul-mouthed [Sailors] and the citizenry on the docks filled the air with lively noise. The [Sailors] hanging on ropes were removing barnacles, some with tentacles, worms, limbs, and acid spit, with their knives. The barnacles fell to the waters as they were scraped off. [Enchanters] on wooden platforms carried by ropes and [Sailors] or boats performed maintenance on the dissolving enchantments on ships. [Shipwrights] repaired the parts that need repairing with a little extra wood and nail, coupled with Skills.

“Travelling… is kind of scary.” Lewis realized.

“Yeah.” Vitelli agreed. “Back home, I was never afraid of storms, until we are in the middle of the ocean.”

“That’s where the fun is,” Lewis stated. “I suppose traveling is like gambling. With your life.”

Vitelli stared at him like he is insane.

“But it’s a fun gamble. I read stories of great adventures. Jerald the Joyous, an Elf who traveled the entirety of the Stokeburn Desert of Libertalia. Khris Topher, the one who had reached the four ends of the world. The point is, it’s all about the adventure.”

“The fun of it,” Vitelli added.

“Yeah.” Lewis smiled. “We've gotten too comfortable in Aquinox. I think that our supposed exile is a blessing in disguise.”

“Well-“

A horn blared throughout the noise of the meandering crowd of the docks.

“Boarding will end at 20 minutes from now!” The [Captain] of the Kraken’s Snack announced.

“Let’s go,” Sek commanded, making the rest of the party rise from their seats. They groggily walked towards the gangplank, careful to not fall off towards the fairly deep waters of the port. They headed below deck without fuss and rested.

The gangplank was lifted off the ship. Yet again, the Antelope Beastkin jumped on the ship’s floor before it is too late, unleashing the verbal ire of the [Captain] of the ship.

The ship set sail without any trouble under a calm sky and upon calm waves. Minutes away, they left within the sight of the Grecian island, and the winds of the sail were steering them towards the mainland of the Lainian Empire.

Vitelli was watching the clear blue sky, watching as a larger pelican-like leathery bird devour a seagull with a freshly-caught mackerel on its beak. The clouds were drifting along the blue expanse of the world.

“You think there’s any [Pirates] here?” Lewis asked as he was looking at one of the maps that the party has, pointing towards the waters between Grecia and the Lainian Empire, within the rest of the landmass known as Trislan, the westernmost part of the Yropian continent. The empire shared borders with two superpowers, the United Dominions of Avalon at the north and the Rominian Empire at the east.

“Nope,” Ulron answered. “The maritime borders of the Lainia and Rominia are always patrolled for each side’s possible aggression. They had a ceasefire for trials now, but yeah, the waters are safe except for the occasional sea monster.”

“Look, a ship!” Vitelli pointed at the ship on the horizon. A caravel with white triangular sails and a black keel bearing the violet and white flag of the Rominian colors sailed past them.

Lewis peered over the porthole to take a look.

“See, we’re safe here,” Ulron reassured.

The rest of the trip was spent playing cards, as the ships sailed closer to the coast of the Lainian Empire. Lewis’ incredible luck had once again made him the champion of Swords and Bucklers, and pocketed a portion of their allowances in his leather satchel, to give it to them back later.

But then, the ship rocked violently, throwing the cards and them on the wall. Sek looked at the porthole.

The party’s [Dangersense] blared within their heads.

A ship with no sails rose from the sea, its hull and keel painted with barnacles and muck. Its gun ports opened, and white lights suddenly emerged.

Wooden shrapnel sped through the deck after that explosion of light, as they were blown away, their bodies penetrated the wooden walls, landing on the corridor. The ship was mostly intact, but they were under attack. Shouts and roars echoed from above deck, along with the clanging of blades.

“We’ll help them fend off the [Pirates]!” Sek roared. “Run towards the emergency boats at the side of the ship! If the [Pirates] win, cut the ropes!”

“But-“

“Go!” Sek cut Lewis off before he can say anything. “Tides of Sobek, to me!”

They run above deck, with what remains of there and what they saw in battle. The living [Sailors] fought against corpses holding sabers and wands. The floor impaled them with the activation of the [Captain]’s Skill, who led from the back of his [Sailors] valiantly fighting.

Sek blocked a blade from a gigantic saber, from an imposing mass of bones and rotten flesh. The zombie Octopus Seafolk was pushing Sek back, dragging his feet, making them sink.

Vitelli dragged Lewis out of there, as the rest of the party battled the huge zombie. They ran on the sides of the deck, heading towards the ship boats hanging at the sides of the vessel, they quickly hopped on the nearest one.

Vitelli started pulling the ropes downwards. The forecastle deck exploded into a column of flame. Burning zombies emerged from the column of flame, sabers glinting in the sunlight. The corpses of their companions were walking with them.

“Aren’t we going-“

“They’re dead!” Vitelli snapped at Lewis, tears in his eyes. “Help me pull the ropes before the undead see us!” With haste, the two worked together to lower the boat as fast as they can. The boat splashed on the sea.

They silently row forwards, towards the general direction where the ship is heading, keeping close to the keel of the ship. Above them, they heard screams and guttural moans. A drop of blood had fallen on Lewis’ cheek as he looked up.

They rowed past the ship’s hull. Silently, carefully, but quickly, they rowed. Lewis looked back at the forecastle, and saw a living man with a staff of bone and ruby among the undead, seemingly controlling them. The undead at the bow stared at them with their red eyes.

They rowed out of sight of the ship. Yet the [Necromancer] ignored their escape, deeming them unimportant.