Chapter 253: Departure

Chapter 253: Departure

Chapter 253 - Departure

The Intrepid floated like a behemoth among the vessels moored at the ivory port. White sails furled around its five masts and a meshwork of interlaced enchantments covered its dark hull. The runes were woven so tightly, Kai struggled to decipher anything.

It was a true seafaring ship, capable of sailing the open ocean without fearing marine horrors. Offshore, the sea became a patchwork of shifting mana regions that extended in all three dimensions. The boundaries were less distinct than on land, though deeper waters were always more dangerous.

Navigators spent their whole lives and professions guiding their vessels around dead zones. Kai trusted they knew what they were doing; they’d all be on the same ship after all.

It’ll be fine. It’s just water.

The route between the archipelago and the mainland had been charted to be one of the safest possible, according to the travel guide he read. Considering the soaring hawk on the back cover, it might not be the most impartial source.

There wouldn’t be any tourists if people died getting here.

Kai grabbed his spatial bags and joined the line of people ferried to the massive vessel. Fourteen years of waiting were coming to an end. He was leaving the Baquaire Archipelago, his whole world. While he’d miss his family, he was ready to leave.

I’ve waited long enough.

Keeping his composure against the excitement ballooning in his chest was harrowing. His muscles and magic begged to release the euphoria, but the same effort a red human would put into skipping would make him jump a meter into the air.

“Ready to embark?” Flynn clapped his back and joined the queue beside him, carrying Hobbes under his arm.

“Mroow.” His imperial grumpiness gave him a disgruntled glare, greatly displeased he had to embark like common peasants.

We talked about this.

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Would you have rather hid for the whole journey?

“Didn’t we agree to meet on the ship?” Kai glanced over his shoulder. With the crowd of people and clamor of sailors around the port, no one should be able to hear or see anything, still... “Better not to take risks.”

“I’ve checked, no one is following you. You’re not that important yet.” Flynn winked. “I hope you packed everything. This is the last chance we’ll get to see home for a while.”

“I’ve got everything.” Kai fiddled with the silver ring around his finger. With the money inside and the official ID in his pocket, he could buy anything he needed even if he lost his luggage. “What about you?” He lowered his voice. “You know you don’t need to leave the islands just to accompany me.”

Guilt had been racking up in the last few days. Flynn had had a life before he swooped back from the dead and monopolized him with his problems.

“Yeah, because you arethe only reason I might want to see the wider world, all its mysteries, foods and people.” Flynn rolled his eyes. “Glad to see your ego is still intact.”

“I— I had to ask.” Kai stammered, face heating up. “You’ve run around Higharbor to set up my cover story and organize the journey. It’s already more than I could ask for.”

“Mat,” Flynn let out a heavy breath, solemnly putting a hand on his shoulder. “Yes, you should definitely pay me for my amazing work with exclusive access to Hobbes' fluffy fur.” His seriousness cracked into a smile. “And yes again, I’m perfectly capable of telling your pretty face if I don’t want to do something. While I might have amended my timeline to fit with yours, I had long planned to leave even without you.”

“Oh... Well, I appreciate your help.”

“And I’m happy to give it. Remember I’m the big brother.” Flynn puffed his chest. “You’d be completely lost without me.”

“Right...”

Now who’s the egomaniac?

A guard checked their papers at the end of the queue and ticked their names off a list. “Matthew Reece Veernon. And you are Flynn Soveili... and pet.” She gave a single glance at Hobbes before she covered a yawn. “Here. Have a nice journey.”

“Planning on it.” Flynn grinned.

Aboard the boat that would ferry them to the Intrepid, they joined families with squealing children, richly dressed merchants, and a smattering of bright-eyed young people.

Kai took a seat at the back and lowered his tone as four beefy sailors started rowing. “Not that I’m not grateful, but why aren’t we taking an airship? That would take a quarter of the time, if not less.”

“Have you any idea how much those tickets cost?”

He shrugged. “A bag of silver?”

“Maybe if you travel within the archipelago.” Flynn shook his head. “To reach the mainland, you need a specialized carrier. That’s a couple of gold mesars for each person without the extra cost for luggage. Even then, we’d have to wait months or pay ten times that since tourists buy two-way tickets and only the fanciest cabins remain available.”

Why does he have such a slappable face?

“I wanted to give you something.”

“Wait... You got me a gift?”

Is it that surprising?

“I figured now was a time as good as any since we’re leaving the archipelago. But I can still hold onto them till your next birthday”

“Them? As in more than one? Now sounds like a fine time.” Flynn’s eyes sparkled. He stepped aside to let him inside. “Please, be welcome to my humble abode.”

The cabin was an identical copy with the bed placed against the opposite wall and his luggage half stored in the chest in the corner. Flynn shut the door and bounced on his bed with a wide grin. "What is it? Does it shine? Or is it something to eat?”

“Kind of.” Kai said to let him stew.

“You didn’t need to get me anything.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I didn’t get you any present.”

“You’ve helped me pull my life back together. That’s a dozen times more than enough.” Kai sat in the little space available. “I did promise to not forget your birthday again.”

“That was, huh... more than two years ago. And I think you’ve got a pretty good excuse.”

“Yeah, I was stuck in the Sanctuary and missed two birthdays. And after I came back, I thought I might as well brew them into proper elixirs.” Kai held two vials in his hand. One glowed with a blueish white, while the other was a smoky black.

“Oh, they’re shiny! Well, one of them anyway.” Flynn observed them curiously. “What are they?”

“Elemental enhancers.”

Flynn furrowed his brow at the name, his jaw slowly hanging open. “You mean...”

“Yup, you drink them to increase your affinities, I’m not sure by how much. They’re for Shadow and Lightning. I imagine you can guess which is which.”

“I— Have you any idea how much these are worth?” His voice rose an octave.

“It’s rude to look at the price of a gift, but probably more than an airship ticket or ten.”

“I can’t—”

“If you say you can’t accept them, I’m going to shove them down your throat.” Kai threatened with a smile. “I’m not joking.”

Flynn clutched the vials to his chest. “I’m happy to take them. It’s just... I’ve heard about these things from merchants, they’re not something you can even buy usually.”

“Well, I’ve found quite a few treasures in the hidden realm. And you don’t need to feel bad, I’ve also consumed my fair share.” It had been a waste to take them without refining them into elixirs, but the Sanctuary didn’t allow him to be nitpicky.

Most raw elemental enhancers were unique, and any alchemist with the knowledge to brew them in the payroll of the Republic. Not that he could show them to anyone without calling down a crowd of thieves and robbers. He would have never managed to refine them alone without Favored Son of the Isles—particularly the boon and skill Yatei bestowed. Gifts of the Earth granted him an intuitive understanding of how to find and use any natural treasure, while Natural Prodigy helped him pick up things much faster.

Flynn looked at the dark vial. “You can also use Shadow.”

“It’s not my main element. I found that inky root in the last month, so I decided to keep it. A few points more wouldn’t make much difference.”

Not compared to a divine blessing anyway.

Flynn watched him with obvious skepticism. “You said you didn’t know how much this would increase my affinity...”

“Hmm... Reishi thought it was between three and four points before I made it into an elixir. The lightning one was a bit better.” Seeing his continuous hesitation, Kai scribbled on a page of his notebook and ripped it for him. “Here, you can have this one too.”

“What’s this? Seventy, sixty-six...” Flynn read confused.

“Oh, I forgot to add the names.” Kai quickly fixed his intentional mistake. “Now you can always carry a piece of my genius with you.”

Major Affinities:

Water: 68 > 70Nature: 60 > 66Space: 38 > 62Earth: 51 > 57Shadow: 46 > 50

He had been lucky that the Sanctuary could produce suitable treasures for all his affinities, though he had only found one for Water away from the murky sea. Being his highest element, it was also the hardest to improve, and most resources had no effect. Space was the easiest for the same reason. Zervathi’s blessing, Hobbes’ bond and a sparkly iridescent fruit had made his affinity soar.

Watching shock and envy creep on Flynn’s face as he made sense of the numbers, Kai grinned. “How’re you going to watch my back if you’re weakling?”