The two sailed on the sea on the small boat. An ordinary boat used for emergencies when the ship is hijacked. They were seemingly alone on the blue expanse of the ocean, but in reality, the sea is very much alive. Aside from the small fish that swam along the sea bed and hiding behind brilliant sprawling colorful corals; some of them are the size of hills, they were sharks, dolphins, groupers, and other sea creatures larger than them, such as great sharks and whales. Larger were those who can topple and tear ships with ease such as Sea Serpents and Fangwhales.

Even they aren’t the largest. But those lived in the oceans in the world.

“How much we have?” Vitelli asked.

“Three days of rations. Travel papers. Three gold. Your dagger. Everything else was on the ship.” Lewis rummaged the satchel that he had when they were playing cards on the ship.

They looked at the dark border of the horizon. They knew that somewhere leagues in front of them, there is the motherland of the Lainian Empire. Vitelli panted, as he was tired from rowing. He handed the oars to Lewis.

“Row.”

Lewis grabbed the oars and started rowing. He was already panting, fighting the weight of the oars and the weight of the water that he pushed. Yet he continued rowing, despite the weight of his arms.

“Why…why did it happen?” Lewis sobbed as he rowed forwards.

“I don’t know.” Vitelli was wiping his eyes with his hands, slightly sprinkled and sticky with seawater.

“I want to go home…” Lewis complained.

“It’s part of the journ- “ Vitelli hesitated. He wasn’t sure what to say, to make the situation a bit better.

“If we row far enough, we would surely find land.” Vitelli reassured. “I’ll row when you’re tired.”

“Yeah.”

Lewis switched with Vitelli after a short while, since he has less endurance than him. Silently, they rowed for their survival, not stopping, yet trying to maintain the same regular speed as not to attract some deadly creatures in the sea. Luckily, no creature or [Pirate] bothered their fight for survival.

As night comes, they stopped rowing. They rested on the still boat, with little to no waves that can topple their boat. Upon the black of night, there are countless stars that lit the night sky. White dots and orbs, with glowing outlines of red, blue, green and other myriad of colors, within a sprawling expanse of nebulous faint black light among the darkness.

“Wow.” Lewis mouthed at awe as his eyes laid upon the night sky, even in dire straits. At this moment, it seems like the sea momentarily stopped.

“The sky here is more beautiful.” Vitelli commented. He sat down on the boat, drowsily swaying on his seat.

“I’ll keep watch.” Lewis offered. “You’ve been rowing all day.”

“I can-“

“It’s the least that I can do.”

“Alright.” Vitelli lie down and looked at the stars, as Lewis rowed. Until morning came.

Days passed, as they took turns rowing the boat, their supplies depleting with every bite. Their throats were dry, and their stomachs threatened them to be eaten from the inside, but still, they rowed on.

But one day, the boat was suddenly pushed by something underneath the waves, jolting Vitelli awake.

“Wha-“

Vitelli gripped the sides of the boat tightly, as the boat accelerates by itself even more.

“I don’t know why the ocean suddenly moved by itself!” Lewis explained before Vitelli can speak.

Vitelli looked down from the boat. There was nothing pushing them underwater. Lewis suddenly remembered something that he read in passing. Currents. Or specifically, currents that appear out of nowhere.

“We’re riding on a phantom current!” Lewis remembered.

“Ugh, I feel like puking.” Vitelli complained about his seasickness.

“At least I don’t need to row anymore.” Lewis jestered.

“Hope we don’t sail further to the ocean.”

The phantom current continued forwards, speeding up gradually. They got used to the speed, and hoped that the current will propel them to land. They halved a piece of hardtack for them to eat. They saw a bit of land from the black border of the horizon, and gradually, the line of land became thicker, until they see tiny outlines of mountains, trees, and building.

It had taken them a couple of bells before the phantom current ended. Still, they were sailing with the momentum of the past current. Vitelli grabbed the oars and rowed while they are still moving. They haven’t eaten much since yesterday, since they wanted to save their rations as much as possible. He rowed as fast as he can, with the leftover momentum from the current.

They were now closer to land. A port with shimmering waters, full of ships and towering buildings. Close, but still far away.

Vitelli kept rowing. He wished that he had enough stamina to reach the port. Already, Lewis collapsed due to fatigue. Seeing him prompted Vitelli to row faster, and faster. Until his vision blurred. Until all was black.

They both woke up in a wooden room with a blond-haired [Sailor], wearing a simple blue shirt is sitting beside the bed, crossing his thick arms.

The two boys stood up. They noticed that they are sleeping in an unusually large bed.

“¡Buenos días!” The man boomed enthusiastically. “Ahem, I bid you good morning, varamigos.”

“Where are we?” Lewis asked.

“In an inn. We found you unconscious in a dinghy.” The tall man informed them.

“Where, exactly?” Vitelli asked.

“Leuclir’s Landing, in the Lainian Empire.” He spoke. “Based on your travel documents, you must be from Aquinox, right?”

“Yeah.” Lewis answered, still groggy from being unconscious. “How long we were out?”

“Two bells.” He answered.

An old, balding bearded man with an eyepatch barged in. His upper muscles were practically bulging out of his white shirt, along with his potbelly. He was even taller than the young man sitting beside them; a foot taller.

“¿Están despiertos?” The gruff old man asked.

“Si.”The young man replied.

“I see you’re awake.” The old man said. “I’m Esprad. This is Mamael. We’re the ones that have saved you.”

They both noticed something about them. Elephant-like flappy ears and noticeably wrinkly skin, like those of rhinos and elephants. Their appendages and the rest of their body are compact and bulky. And even while sitting, they are especially tall.

Lewis just realized something. “Are you Giants?”

“No, Human. We are Half-Giants.” Esprad corrected. “Few true Giants walk the earth nowadays. Our kin shrink by the century.”

“Sorry about that, I got curious.” Lewis apologized for his rudeness.

“It’s fine. Please tell me what happened. Are you on a voyage or something? Who are you?” The old man asked.

“We are Lewis and Vitelli Balenatte…”

Lewis told the whole story, leaving out a few details. Leaving Aquinox to visit family in Lainia, then getting attacked by a [Necromancer] on a ghost ship. Sailing for their lives until they get caught into a phantom current that is coincidentally headed to Lainia, until they fall unconscious.

“I see.” Esprad stroked his beard.

The young Half-Giant stood up, easily towering the two boys of his height of 7 feet.

“What shall we do to them? Did you already register their travel documents to the Fronteriza Autoridad?” Mamael asked.

“Yeah. The documents are not fake.” Esprad reassured. “Let’s do the usual.”

“Usual?” Vitelli asked, on guard.

“Don’t worry. You will not be harmed on my watch. I’ll treat you to an undíayuda, like all good port-lackeys do.”

“Undíayuda is a Lainian tradition where we help and feed those who are lost in their travels over water for a day. We’ll help you get rested and fed before you Humans are able to travel.”

“We don’t exactly know where our family is. Our guardians died before they told us.” Vitelli answered.

“Hmmm…” Mamael scratched his chin. “How about we ask for a search in the Imperial Registro el Vestíbulo? Balenatte right?” Mamael asked.

“Yeah.” Vitelli answered.

“Too expensive. Those bureaucrats will not move a finger until a bag of a hundred coins is thrown on their big noses at the very least.” Esprad grumbled.

Lewis sighed, thinking of another way. Esprad held his shoulder.

“Tomorrow can worry about itself.” The old Half-Giant reassured. “Let’s get you all fed.”

The two boys stood up from the big bed. They realized that this room is slightly larger than a regular small home. Compared to the Half-Giants, they were tiny. The Half-Giants opened the equally giant wooden door. They walked on polished ceramic tiles on a wide corridor, made cramped by the Half-Giants. They turned left, and saw a spacious area where other Half-Giants dine on expansive and thick carved stone tables, eating on large wooden bowls.

Their stomachs grumbled, starving.

“One bowl of amleja sipasta for the Humans! I’ll pay!” Esprad turned his head to another Half-Giant woman manning the counter. “Y también el habitual!”

“Subiendo!” The Half-Giant [Innkeeper] replied, and rushed towards the back of the kitchen. They sat on a nearby table with free seats; it seems like that the furniture of this place is carved from stone.

They sat on the granite table. Lewis was the first to speak.

“Is there a way for us to contact our family in Aquinox?” He asked.

“Aquinox is quite a ways away.” Esprad stated. “Well, we can try sending a letter from the Messenger’s Guild, but it will take a long while, not to mention the risks that it entails. The fastest way is sending a [Long-Range Message] spell from the Mage’s Guild, although it can get pretty expensive.”

“How expensive?” Lewis asked.

“Gold, even if Aquinox was a couple of days away.” Esprad answered. “And even the former option costs a lot since it will be delivered from Aquinox.

“Everything costs coins…” Vitelli sighed.

“I got an idea.” Mamael interjected.

“¿Qué?” Esprad asked.

“Viejo Cordesero!” Mamael mentioned.

“Ah,” Esprad mouthed, and then turned to the boys. “Well, since you mentioned that you had worked in Aquinox before, how about you help mi amigo out?”

“What’s his profession?” Vitelli asked.

“A [Trader] of sorts. Travelling the whole empire. You might encounter your extended family in your travels, while earning money. What’s your Classes?”

“[Apprentice Shopkeeper], and Vitelli here is a [Knifefighter] and [Bodyguard].” Lewis answered. He didn’t mention his recent [Gambler] Class.

“[Bodyguard] at such a young age? Can’t say that it's impossible, but it’s rare, since child [Soldiers] exists.” Esprad expressed his surprise. “I heard of a [Weapon Trader] who has a boy [Undercover Bodyguard] on her side so that she can fool those who attempt to attack whenever there’s a deal to be made.”

“Well, I’m just curious how did it happen? In the safety of Aquinox no less.” Mamael inquired.

“Long story.” Vitelli simply answered.

“Want to do this?” Lewis asked Vitelli.

“Well, I can’t exactly leave you alone, could I?” Vitelli answered coyly.

“True.”

“Aquí tienen su comida.” The [Innkeeper] served the three huge wooden bowls on her muscular arms, and distributed it towards the table with speed.

“Gracias.” Esprad gave her twelve silver coins.

The bowls were massive, compared to normal bowls. Then again, the two Human boys are eating in a Half-Giant establishment. They both shared a big solid wooden bowl for themselves. Creamy, peppery thick flat noodles with a bunch of clams and cheese. Meanwhile, their companions have bowls of saucy rice mixed with entire fishes, shrimps and seafood, along with onions and garlic,

“The Half-Giants scooped up a mound of rice from their bowls and ate with gusto. The Human boys were overwhelmed at the large serving, despite being a shared bowl. But after that initial culture shock, they greedily ate the pasta after not eating properly for days on end,

“Repetir!” Mamael raised his bowl. One of the [Barmaids] grabbed his bowl. A few moments later, his bowl was refilled.

“How did you find us by the way?” Lewis asked.

“We are [Trawlers] by trade and Class. We had finished a fishing trip when we found you unconscious on the boat.

“Oh.” Lewis mouthed.

“We’ll buy some clothes and other supplies for you after this.” Esprad informed them.

Lewis nodded.

After they ate, the bulky wooden door of the inn opened. The boys looked around within a wide cobblestone street under a clear, sunny blue sky. The buildings are made out of stone and tiled roofs, with emphasis on stone pillars and arches. The windows and doors were large, in both height or width. The buildings here are wider and taller than most of Aquinox’s buildings. Within the streets, the roads are split in two by a traffic island, knee-high. One side is for the Half-Giants and the other is for the other races. Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Beastkin, Dullahans, and even some reptilian folks. The Half-Giant’s lane has more space than the non-Half-Giant lane. Some Half-Giants and Beastkin dressed in red and brown tabards on their gambesons, wielding spears and staffs. Although the street itself is spacious, the Half-Giants find it cramped.

They waded through the non-Human lane, taking in the sights. The boys feel like they are tiny people in a big world.

“Why the lane?” Lewis asked, noticing the divide between Half-Giants and other races.

“Smallfolk have been trampled before.” Esprad said succinctly.

“Makes sense.”

They walked with the Half-Giants at the other side of the lane, until they arrived at a sprawling plaza the size of an arena.

And so here is the start of their journey.