Cid could almost see the Barren Wasteland Port Town on the horizon. "Finally . . . we're here," he muttered, clicking his tongue in annoyance. "That took days.
This place is really fucking far . . . and hot!"
His grey hair was whipped by the relentless wind, and the hot air burned his skin and eyes. He cursed under his breath, glaring at the desolate landscape. "Ah, goddamn it! If it wasn't for the Player Association, I wouldn't have come to this godforsaken place!" He then addressed his troops, who were busy preparing to land at the port. "Let's get this done and over with, then return home!"
The elves on board nodded in response while Silphie, Cid's elven commander, approached him. "My Lord, there are two warships fast approaching our location."
"Huh?" Cid was startled and grabbed his telescope, focusing on the approaching vessels. Indeed, there was two giant warships heading their way. "What the?! Are they going to attack us?! Captain, you said this town wouldn't attack us. What's going on here?!"
The captain of the ship, an Ilithid with a half-human, half-octopus head and tentacles as limbs, was equally baffled. "I don't know what's going on. This is my first time here, so they must have thought we're a foreign ship. Sound the alarm and give me my Echoshell; I will announce to them that we aren't a threat and come in peace!"
As soon as he got his amplifying voice shell, the Echoshell, the captain immediately announced to the approaching warships, "Don't attack! We have come in peace!"
The two warships didn't falter, but they weren't hasty either. "State your business!" a voice boomed from the lead warship.
The captain looked over at Cid. "Don't be too harsh with your words, boy, or it will be the end for us."
Cid glared at the captain, his pride simmering beneath the surface. Despite his desire to assert dominance, he realized now wasn't the time, but his ego wouldn't allow him to fully humble himself.
Some inhabitants didn't like players and banned them from entering their town. However, others chose to remain neutral for the sake of trade and social relations as well as peace. The Barren Wasteland Port Town was one such neutral town that valued trade above all else. Located in such arid regions, trade was their only means of survival.
"I don't care if they have warships! Tell them my brother is the leader of Aegis Union, and if they don't want to get annihilated, I demand that they let us dock at the port!" Cid demanded.
The captain was having trouble. "Look, even before your brother hears the words, we'll already be at the bottom of the ocean. So, it's best to wait if they told us to wait. This isn't our land, boy."
Cid stomped his foot in protest, and Silphie couldn't help but sigh. It was time to intervene, or their young Lord would get them all killed.
"My Lord, we only brought ten of our troops with us. I don't think this is the right time to be picking fights with this territory," Silphie said.
Cid growled. "And whose fault is that?! We left half our troops back home, just as you insisted! I told you we should've brought them with us. Who in their right mind would dare attack my territory? They know they'd be annihilated if they even thought about it!"
Even with all our troops present, we still couldn't win this. Silphie wanted to say but refrained. Cid was only a Novice Lord, and having twenty elven troops was already considered lucky, thanks to his older brother, Cedrick, who continued to supply him with troops.
Still . . . "It won't be long, my Lord," Silphie tried to console him. Besides being a commander, her role was also to placate her Lord's mood. "Those warships are trouble, and none of us could swim for long hours.
We're easy pickings for that warship if we rush things."
Cid's anger didn't dissipate; he knew that, but his pride wouldn't let him back down. "Fine then. One hour, then we dock at their port whether they like it or not."
Cid stormed off to his quarters, leaving the captain staring at Silphie, seeking a solution to their docking dilemma. Even after an hour, they couldn't risk rushing to port without a signal from the town. The captain felt caught between a rock and a hard place — facing Cid's fury on one side and the threat of being blown up on the other. The situation was giving him a serious headache.
Silphie shook her head. "Don't mind him. He's still young and impulsive."
The captain sighed. "Players these days . . . so young and arrogant."