by Phoenix Grey
"Ah." He nodded. "What's the likelihood that I'm going to get to see magic on this voyage?"
"Depends." Ruthren cocked his head to the side in thought.
"On what?" Azure pressed him for details.
"If we're attacked by any monsters."
"What's the probability of that?"
"I don't think we're hauling anything that would attract them, and Crosley is pretty good about staying out of their territory. I mean, Captain Gail," he quickly corrected himself. "I think I've only sailed with him once when we've encountered anything more dangerous than the sirens. They're guaranteed to show up, though. Harpies of the sea, they are."
"You really hate the sirens," Azure chuckled.
"I do. Lost a friend to one back when we were young and dumb. Or when I was young and dumb. He never got to become an old goat like me." His expression sagged.
"What happened?"
"Well," Ruthren sighed and shifted his weight, "there are times of the year when the water is just the right temperature for them to venture further inland. My friend, much like you, had wanted to see them. Of course, their beauty is legendary, so any hot-blooded young man would want to catch a glimpse. But it's not worth the danger. We've all heard enough horror stories to know that. Sirens are the main cause of death at sea. Not storms or hydras or any other horrible beast." He took a quick swig from the bottle before continuing. "We all told him it was a bad idea, but he insisted. Said he'd stuff his ears with cotton and tie himself to the boat he was in and he would be fine. He sailed out and never returned."
Azure thought on that for a moment. “It doesn't sound like there's any real proof that it was the sirens that killed him. It could have been a number of things. Maybe he's not even dead. Perhaps he sailed on to someplace else.”
Ruthren gave him an annoyed side-eye. “He's dead. And it was definitely the sirens that killed him.”
"But how do you know for sure?"
"That boat was nothing special. Little more than a rowboat. A school of sirens could have easily tumped it over. That's what I'm guessing happened."
There was no point in arguing with the merchant. He was well-convinced that he was right about this one. And what did Azure really know about the man he was talking about?
"So when will I get to see the sirens?" Azure asked, feeling like it was a somewhat insensitive question after what Ruthren had just disclosed about his friend's demise. Still, the story would not dissuade him.
"We'll be sailing into their waters about the time that everyone beds down for the night. If you're that dead set on seeing them, I'll tie you to the mast. You'll have to plug your ears with cotton when Jade casts Deafening Shriek; otherwise, you'll be affected by it. Then you'll have to take the cotton out of your ears to hear their song. Or rather, someone else will have to do it for you. Kind of hard to do it yourself when you're all tied up."
Azure hadn't thought about that. Hadn't factored in how helpless he would be.
"Would you do it for me?" he asked apprehensively, hoping that Ruthren would be bored enough to humor him.
"Nope." The merchant shook his head. "Just seeing those fishy bitches would make me want to take out a spear. You're on your own with this one."
With a sigh, Azure relented to the fact that he'd get no help from the merchant, either with his personal quest to see the sirens or to get drunk. It was hard not to be disappointed as he pulled himself off of the floor to go find Lonnell. He had been wrong about Ruthren; the merchant was no fun at all.
Azure found Lonnell sitting on a bench above deck with his nose tucked into a thick tome. It was apparent that he had had a better idea of what to expect on the journey overseas than Azure had. Or perhaps he already had the book on him.
"What are you reading?" Azure sat beside him, less interested in the book than in figuring out how to segue into his request.
Lonnell closed the book, using his thumb as a bookmarker. He glanced over the cover as if he didn't even remember himself. It was royal blue with beautiful swirling golden text that Azure couldn't understand. The cover was bordered in ornamental leaves, and the pages had been painted gold on the ends so that when the book closed, it looked like a gold bar beneath the cover. It was the most intricate book Azure had seen since coming to The Realm, not that he'd had too many to compare it to. Probably expensive, he thought.
"It's The Tales of Arun Pervaris," he said before flipping the book back open.
"The Tales of Arun Pervaris," Azure parroted. "Sounds like a fancy name. Who was he?"
"Arun Pervaris was one of the last wood elves. This book is a collection of the adventures that he went on to try to save his race."
"I'm guessing it didn't succeed if he was one of the last." Azure rubbed the back of his neck.
"No." Lonnell sighed. "It's a tragic tale, really. At the end of the book, he's betrayed by humans. His body was given to alchemists to be used for parts. His race died out a few years later. Or rather, were hunted to extinction."
"That's horrible." He screwed his face. "Why?"
"Elves were some of the most magical creatures to ever grace The Realm. Many of their body parts could be used to make powerful potions. An evil necromancer who was also a master alchemist discovered this. Other alchemists noticed that he was performing magic through alchemy that no one had ever seen before. Once the secret was out, the hunt was on.
"The Realm is filled with alchemists and mages. Elves, in all forms, are a long-lived race. They didn't often reproduce, so they weren't able to replenish the lives that were lost. Humans hunted them to the last one all for the sake of...magic," he said distastefully. "Magic that upset the balance. Magic that was never meant to be."
"But you just said it was alchemy," Azure corrected him.
"It was an abominable type of alchemy. Magic and alchemy married into one. While the process of creating these potions was technically by alchemic means, the results were unnatural. The magic was so unique that the potions were given their own class. They were called Elf Spirits, for it was believed that part of the reason why these potions were so powerful and so magical was because every elven component was made up of a piece of that elf's soul. It was really quite grotesque, if you ask me."
"That does sound horrible," Azure agreed. "So that means there are no elves left in The Realm?"
"None. Both wood elves and high elves were decimated. That was a little over two-hundred years ago."
"Well, that sucks." He was admittedly disappointed, not just acting. Elves had always been his favorite race in most games...unless they were the Keebler variety. They were otherworldly beautiful and seemingly graceful. It was hard to imagine a fantasy game without them. Even the original version of The Realm had them as a selectable race. Azure didn't understand why they'd been taken out. The lore behind it was all well and good, but it was still kind of sad.
"Anyway, that's part of what this book is about." Lonnell lifted it, drawing Azure's attention. "One of the last things that Arun did was defeat the necromancer. Krezor the Plaguebringer, they called him. The cool thing is that their combat was one on one. Elf magic versus dark magic.
"Of course, no one is sure if that's how it really all went down because no one was there. All they know is the story that Arun told before he died. But all elves are innately good and not prone to lying, so there was no reason not to believe him.
"The battle is painted epically in this book. I would have liked to have seen it with my own eyes." Lonnell stared out into the distance for a few moments as if picturing the battle before snapping back to. "You can read it when I'm done, if you'd like."
Azure glanced down at the book. Considering that it hadn't crumbled into dust from Lonnell looking at it, he could only assume that it wasn't something that he could mass digest like the language books he had read before. A book that thick would likely take him more than the boat ride was long to finish.
"I'm afraid I can't read Elvish," he said with false regret. While the tale did sound en
tertaining, he had never been a big history buff. And if he wasn't interested in reading about history in his own world, then why would he care about it in this one?
"Pity." Lonnell frowned. "That will probably change when you get to Hawking's. Many of the life spells are in Elvish. I assume it will be a prerequisite before you can learn them."
Azure wondered if it would be like college and he'd have to buy the book himself. That would suck, but he'd do what he had to do.
"So," not able to find a smooth place of transition, Azure tried to segue into what he really wanted to know, "are you planning on staying out and seeing the sirens tonight?"
Lonnell snorted. “I have no death wish. Besides, I doubt Bronna would approve of me looking at other women, even if they are the fish-tailed variety.”
"Oh, come on. I'm sure Bronna isn't that uptight. She seems like a fun gal." Azure elbowed him playfully, but he wasn't smiling.
"No. If that's what you're into, more power to you and have a blast, but whenever the sun goes down, I'm going to bed."
"Well, that sucks." Azure's entire body sagged. "I was hoping you would at least stay on deck and help me watch."
Lonnell lifted an eyebrow. “How am I supposed to help you watch?”
"Ruthren said I would need someone to pull the cotton out of my ears once Jade finishes casting Deafening Shriek, because my hands will be bound to the mast."
"And how am I supposed to do that if I'm also tied up?"
"I had assumed you wouldn't be."
Lonnell chuckled and shook his head.
"What?" Now it was Azure giving him a strange look.
"You really don't know how things work, do you?" When Azure didn't deign to respond, Lonnell continued. "Sirens emit a...frequency of sorts. Seeing one is enough to make you crave getting closer. Imagine two magnets held really far apart, but not so far that they lose their magnetism. The closer they are together, the stronger the pull. You'll feel the pull as soon as you see a siren. As it approaches the ship, that pull will only get stronger. What I'm trying to tell you is that just seeing one is enough to make you want to jump overboard. Only the strongest of men can resist.
"Hearing a siren, on the other hand, will drive you mad. You will not be able to resist the compulsion at all. You will stop at nothing to get free to get to the siren. That is where their real power lies."
"So what you're saying is that even if you were unbound, you wouldn't be able to escape their spell?" Azure simplified.
"Yes." He gave a curt nod.
"But what if you didn't look? What if you just focused on me?"
Lonnell sighed. “It's entirely too risky. Not worth it when one wrong glance could spell the end for me.”
It was understandable. This wasn't something necessary, just something that Azure wanted to do. And it was seeming less and less like it was actually going to happen.
"So wait." His head perked up in thought. "If what you're saying is true, then how does the captain steer the ship when there are sirens?"
"He doesn't," Lonnell replied, casting his gaze at Jade where she stood at the bow with her arms wrapped around herself. "The sea mage does. It's the most important job on the ship next to being the captain. While the sirens are out, she will be making sure that we stay on course. If any drunk idiot happens to wander on deck, it's her job to protect them with her spells."
"Oh." Azure was admittedly impressed. "But what about her? Wouldn't she fall prey to the sirens as well?"
"Most women are immune. There's a very small percentage who are not, and you can probably guess where their sexual appetites lie."
"Interesting. That makes sense though, I suppose." He stared at the woman while she stared out at the sea, presumably watching for sirens and other potential threats.
"Having said that, she'll be the one who cares for you while you're tied to the mast, if that's still what you want."
Azure felt a bit guilty for being selfish enough to still want to see the sirens. If Jade was going to be the only person on deck once the sun went down, it would probably be a pain in the ass for her to tend to him. He didn't want her to dislike him, but at the same time, he wasn't sure when or if he'd ever get a chance to see sirens again.
"I suppose I should go speak to her then," he said, pulling himself up from the bench.
"Go on then." Lonnell shooed him off, eager to get back to reading his book.
Trying to figure out how to approach, Azure paused for a moment. When he thought he was ready, he took apprehensive steps, wondering if Jade would even accept his request. He was sure she'd tell him he was being foolish like everyone else had.
Jade turned before Azure was able to reach her, looking lost in thought. She smiled softly at him. A gust of wind caught her long fading auburn hair, sweeping it into her face, and she quickly moved to brush it out of the way.
“Hey there,” she said in the way of greeting.
"Hi. I'm Azure." He held his hand out.
Jade glanced down at it for a moment before turning her eyes back to the sea. “Nice ta meetcha, Azure.”
"And you're Jade?" He hesitantly stepped up beside her, following her gaze to see what she was looking at. The deep blue water rolled in the distance but seemed relatively calm. All that could be seen for miles was the ocean, a vast wasteland of unforeseen wet dangers.
"I am," she replied, keeping her answers short.
"Ruthren told me you're this ship's sea mage."
"I am," Jade said again.
"How does one become a sea mage?"
Her eyes shifted to him, dark brown and narrow beneath thin eyebrows. She assessed him, much as Captain Gail had before he had told them their fee for boarding the Shropshire. “Ya couldn't become one, so what does it matter?”
"Why couldn't I become one?" Azure furrowed his brow, trying not to be offended.
"Because yer a boy. Only women are sea mages."
"Oh..." He shifted his weight. "I suppose that makes sense...with the sirens and all." There was a long uncomfortable silence between them. It quickly became clear to Azure that she was a woman of few words. "Speaking of sirens濫
"No." She turned away from him abruptly, heading towards the bridge.
He gave chase. “Please. I've never seen them before.”
"And the better ya are fer it." Jade didn't slow. "Ma brother told me ya would ask this, and I already told him no."
"Why not?" Azure asked stubbornly, realizing that it almost sounded like whining.
Jade spun on her heels, and he practically ran into her. “Because this isn't an entertainment ship. If ya want ta see sirens, there's a vessel in Chaman Bay that takes men out ta see the sirens fer a fee.”
"Where's Chaman Bay?"
"In the Kingdom of Noseon," she told him before continuing up the stairs.
Azure hesitated, feeling like he would get in trouble for going onto the bridge, but then he decided to continue up anyway. It wouldn't be long before the sun faded over the horizon, and he wasn't about to let this go. “But I'm not planning on going to Noseon.”
"That's too bad for ya, then." Jade took the wooden steps two at a time, seemingly in a hurry to get away from him.
They reached the top where Captain Gail was manning the helm. Thankfully, he didn't seem angry when he saw Azure trailing behind Jade. In fact, a broad smile took over his face.
"Ya asked her, didn't ya?" His grin grew wider.
"You knew she was going to say no." Azure glared at him.
"She always does." He laughed.
Jade had reached Captain Gail's side and turned to flank him. He placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her an overzealous side hug as if they'd both just played a big joke on Azure.
"If you knew she was going to say no, then why didn't you tell me to begin with?"
"Because she's my sister, and I love antagonizing her." Captain Gail leaned away from Jade to look at her, and she quickly slapped his chest, pulling out of his grasp.
"Yer an ass." She g
lowered at him.
"Yes, I am," he replied, clearly proud of it. "All joking aside, though, ya should let the boy have his fun. Ya only see a siren fer the first time once."
"And it's often yer last time, too," Jade grumbled.
"It will be fine." The captain waved her worry away. "You'll keep him safe."
"That shouldn't be my responsibility." She crossed her arms over her chest.
"There are no obstacles in The Misty Waters. The ship practically steers itself. You'll have time ta tend ta him and steer the ship," he argued for Azure. Perhaps Captain Gail was on Azure's side after all. Or maybe he had just been wanting to annoy his sister. Whatever the case, as long as things fell in Azure's favor, he didn't care.
"The last thing I want ta have ta do is blow through my Mana potions just because this kid wants ta see sirens," she said irritably.
"Perhaps I can compensate you?" Azure dug into the satchel at his hip. At that, her eyes lit up. "How does two silver sound?" That was about twenty dollars in his world. Probably what he'd pay for the same experience in real life. Maybe? He'd never been sightseeing on a ship before.
Jade took the coins from him, but she didn't smile as she looked at them, her face still stuck in a half-frown.
"Look there, Jadie. He's even willing ta pay ya." Captain Gail nudged her, sounding excited for his sister, though Azure couldn't tell if it was genuine or fake enthusiasm.
"This isn't even enough ta cover two Mana potions at the market," she grumbled before sticking the coins in her purse.
"Oh, don't act like that," Captain Gail chastised her. "Ya make yer own potions anyway."
"If I didn't, I wouldn't be able ta afford ta eat with what ya pay me." She glared at him.
"Ya act like you pay fer them. It's a business expense."
It looked like the two were about to start fighting, so Azure decided to take his leave. “I'll come up when the sun goes down, yes?” He held both of his thumbs up, hoping to interrupt them long enough to get confirmation.
"Come back up in about an hour," Jade told him, still not looking happy.
"Good stuff. See you then." He waved to the siblings as he turned to walk away, listening to them squabble over finances until the wind drowned them out.