"Twirl the golden strands around your fingers, braid them well and fine. Turn that morning misery into daylight shine." I sing gently as I did my hair in front of a gold-rimmed mirror. When the final braid was then crossed over, I smiled and brought my hand up preemptively. Loyal Lightning shot from the tip of my index finger and recreated the mirror into a perfumed breeze. Spinning around in my chair, I let it cover me until I seemed to shine.
Placing my hands on the wettest areas, I rubbed it in and seemingly polished my skin in the process. Its golden lustre shined bright and I was quickly on my feet with a continued twirl. Wreathing myself in magic to protect my face from the threat of embarrassment, I pondered. Today was a good day to try a new outfit but I wasn't quite sure at the moment.
I could just put on the one pair of clothes I had that I had originally departed with. But, I really wanted to see if I could wow the crew of the ship some more or maybe even Brewbrt if he cared. I did have some points of reference to work with, though. Everyone on the ship but Brewbrt was Eusorochiian so pleasing everyone was certainly within the realm of easiness.
"Might I suggest something that shows me off openly?" Loyal Lightning suggests rather plainly as I paced about.
Bringing my right arm up, I watch as he snakes up my wrist and appears in my palm, "What do you have in mind?"
He takes the initiative and creates a window without my say-so, revealing my distant homeland, "You have become the ship's figurehead as well as its guiding eyes. The homeland may be in sight but it is far from within reach."
"So I should tease them with attire that looks like home?"
"My suggestion is along those lines, yes." he answers before the window vanishes and returns to being another part of the ship's hull.
"And what do you suggest you be displayed as?" I ask as I sat down on my bed to put on my high-heel boots. With a satisfying snap, they were tightly pulled up to my thighs and I let Loyal Lightning dance about my fingertips.
"In my rawest state." he answers just as tremendous thunder boomed from the skies.
"That sounds dangerous." I point out as that would mean leaving active, divine magic running against my skin.
"Life experience has taught me that it is when things are dangerous and unapproachable that people desire them the most." he explains to me as he snakes up my arm.
"I'm not looking to be desired, only occupied for the time being."
"My point stands, friend."
"Fighting Jhrarda the Mighty and his thirteen brothers is quite the experience to draw from."
"I wouldn't say that... I am just one part of Mesofunderod." he sheepishly admits.
"Thurnmourer still depend on your power, did he not?"
"I was and continue to be the weapon, not the fighter."
"You were there, that is all that matters to me." I tell him as my right hand traced his power into the air. Bouncing an idea around my head, I got to work and my flesh began to be compressed. Starting from where my boots ended, I worked my way up to my neck. Yet, I had left a gap on either side around the area of my hips and a section in my core remained as exposed flesh.
Bringing a mirror back into existence, I stare at my form as pure lightning clung to it. Slowly, I filled it in with various soft materials and I began to alter the finer details. While it was a shame I couldn't call them authentic even if Loyal Lightning would've argued otherwise. I wanted to use ironskin pearls in my outfit.
To do this, I added some decorative copper plates onto the tops of my hips and fastened them towards each other. With a fine line of golden thread going through them, I filled in the gaps and I brought it together on a dangling line of jewellery. Copper circles held it all together in a series of bolo tie-like holds. Adjusting the length as necessary, I turned my attention to the rest of my outfit.
It wasn't exactly turning out as something that felt Eusorochiian, so I made a dark, patterned leotard to cover my legs and body. The ingenuity of it made me smile more and I was keen to show off the skin-exposing pattern to see how my skin looked in contrast to the darker fabric. Yet, I couldn't help but feel that my top half was a little thin on covering and maybe the same applied further down as well.
"That should do it." I comment once an almost black second layer V'd out from between my legs and up to my neck. Playing with my hair some more, I decided that a little cloak would help bring the outfit together. As my hair would look nice even if it went over my shoulders or if I kept them on the front end. A pair of extended sleeves then dropped down from my wrist and I swooshed them about.
"Where do I fit into this?" Loyal Lightning asks as he moved around my body.
"Do you feel the gaps in the outfit? Fill those spaces out." I tell him and I smiled brighter than ever before as decorative, golden streaks held up various metal beads.
"I am quite active." he remarks as I use his powers to restore the room to normal once again.
"We are a pair." I giggle to him as I closed the door behind me.
"BEAUTY, SIGHTED!" the barrelman cried out from his post as I stepped into the open.
"Stop it..." I mutter as the crew give me their regards as I made my way across the metallic vessel. Reaching a fight, however, I stopped and I became unsure what to do.
"You two!" one of the men hiss as they broke up the fight within the moment.
"I'll keep it a secret." I tell them as I moved passed them.
"Appreciated, Lady Einervaene." the fight-stopper tells me with a bow which he forced the fighters to do as well.
"Brewbrt!" I call out as the gold-footed adventurer came into view. Shaking his head, he returned the greeting with a blast of magic that went past me and towards the crew.
"Back to work you ugly bastards." he curses as he steps around to my rear.
"I've told you it doesn't bother me anymore." I remind him to which he just snorted.
"You banded yourself in magic, didn't you?"
"Being naked as I get changed is a little different to being appreciated once the outfit is done."
"Just stick to the one you boarded with." he shrugs.
"I've had that outfit for two, three years now? It's all I have right now."
"I've had this armour and its various bits for far longer. And unlike you, I've picked up the wear and tear with pride."
"Shut up, you let the marks stay there." I huff as I shook my head bemusedly.
"Goldfooted Brewbrt certainly has a unique sound to it." he comments with a tap of his golden foot.
"Personally, I prefer Friend as your title." I remind him before he ruffled my hair with the flick of his hand.
"I prefer your mother over yo- Ow!" he laughs as Loyal Lightning poked him at my silent behest.
I sigh and look up at the approaching continent in the sky, "We'll both be able to see her again soon."
"Yeah, and we can put this whole mess behind us." he says as the shadow of the distant, floating land lights up with a sudden thunderstrike.
"To think the Anvil-Peak was actually on Thunlanann." I remark as we watched the lightning-laced islands.
"Thunder's Land is the name if you literally translate it." he says as he tapped the ship's hull.
Turning back to face him, "And Eusorochii means Lands Chained by Thunder's Light."
"So?"
"Name translations don't exactly mean much as to where a holy site beyond compare resides."
"Thunder's Land is a bit more specific than Metal Rocks Webbed in Storms." he comments knowingly.
"I wonder how my mother put up with you at times."
"Because she was a push over just like you." he jokes as his hand pushes my head forward.
"Lightning, if you'd please." I tell my bound friend who answered the call lightning quick. I smile at his reaction then I looked past him at the ship's oars.
"They should start rising up now." Brewbrt tells me.
"It's hard to tell if they aren't already." I remind him as I lean over the metal hull to look down at the lengthy stalk of lightning. I couldn't make it out from this far up, but, I could see how a piece of sea-bound metal guided the ship.
"Hey, Seaman, get the Captain, would you, your oars are going the wrong way." Brewbrt suddenly calls out before I pull myself back onto the decking.
"What's wrong?" I ask as I looked at the oars. Unlike what he had just said, they were instead going down in a rather pointed manner. Like a hand bringing all its fingers together at a single, somewhat narrow point.
"Maybe trouble." he tells me before he walks off in the direction of the Captain.
"I thought you said there was nothing wrong with this ship?" I ask Loyal Lightning as I walked towards the ladder to the floor down. Grabbing the handrail, I waited for his response.
"There isn't, there still isn't any issue. Something is just redirecting it." he explains as he travels out of my hand and into the bar.
"What could possibly redirect tools this precise?" I ask as I catch him with my palm as my feet tap onto the decking.
"A mass of metal will."
"Oh no..." I breathe as that could've only meant another island had fallen into the All-Coast. I gave a quick prayer after hearing this and then I continued walking. Passing by some of the oarsmen, I watch them for a little bit. It was interesting seeing how these men trained their magic in such a way as to make it near-bottomless.
The endurance they had for these year-long voyages was commendable in and of itself. So even with everything on my mind, I couldn't fault them for a slight slip-up. Seeing these men, actually, was rather humbling as I never had to work for my power, somewhat. My actual, magic power, that is, hated as it was...
"Lady Einervaene, care to join us?" one of the crew ask me all of a sudden.
"N-No, don't worry about apologizing." I preemptively tell them after it had made me jump.
"We're having a drink and just sharing tall tales if you'd like in?"
"She got scared from someone behind her, this would terrify her!" one of them guffawed before the rest broke into laughter.
"A scary story isn't going to bother me." I huff as I made my way to the quickly opened-up space by the table.
"Pretty thing like you ain't seen the slightest hard work." they huffed and I leaned in as a response.
"I've crossed this sea before, survived being shipwrecked, fought two wyverns, battled in the esteemed talent display of Suhurlodst and crossed lands embroiled by war and strife. So, please, try me."
"I know you said we were telling tall tales, but, really?" he asks the crewman who invited me other at first.
"I'm not lying!" I huff as I slam back into my seat to which they all laughed.
"Cheeks like that could never lie!" he chuckled as he put his mouth against his tankard. But, he just couldn't keep the amusement down and it rattled against his teeth. All I could do was pout further as my cheeks insisted on their crimson state.
"Alright, alright, back to the story, you got your rubies." one remarks before he bites into his rice snack.
"I've lost myself completely now..." he exasperates with a roll of his eyes.
"As useless as a noble trying to race the oarsman."
"That's just insulting."
"Get on with it!" one towards the back of the group calls out before a nutshell flew out and hit one of them.
"Alright, alright, I remember my place. So, there we are, sailing down from Piragaeya in our brand new, streamlined, finely sanded junk-"
"A piece of junk alright." one jokes before a few start to snicker.
"Shut up!" the storyteller snaps with a sparking click of his fingers.
"You were sailing down from Piragaeya's port on a junk." I say to him so he could remember where he was.
"Yes, thank you. So, finely-sanded junk, nice and new. Now she steered beautifully when near a collection of small islands. Those five sets of arcing oars did wonders for her. But the captain's got a bit of an easily wounded ego and he-"
"Just admit you're the captain!" another lets out to which more laugh than before.
"Will you shut up!" he snaps louder than before with an aggressive pat to the arm.
"Not sure what is more entertaining, the story or a bit of boat rocking." one snickers before he drowns the laughter.
"Me keeling you all down the guiding bolt will be. Now, the captain wants to show that his ship is just as good as these ocean crossers." the storyteller goes on with a tap of his foot at the end.
"Do the additional oars slow the ship down?" I ask as I wasn't all that bright when it came to the topic of ships.
"Yeah, essentially, his ship was made for easy navigation up there, along and between Eusorochii's lovely islands. Ships like these are focused in that they want to go where they want to go."
"Story about a ship being slow ain't very fun." one of the crew huffs.
"It's not about it being slow, it's what makes it slow. Something I'd get to if you lot learned to weld it shut." the storyteller complains.
"Blinded by his narrow vision, the captain sailed his junk out into the open seas. The crew knew something was off but they could not reason with the mentally wounded man. The ship dragged on and on until all the oars were tied down. What once spread out to guide her through dangerous paths now brought her closer and closer to the dark, abyssal water. The men were paralyzed, unable to figure out what to do. If they stopped, they'd sink. If they kept on going, they'd sink..." I decide to tell on a whim before I came to a stop once I realised they actually listened in.
"Near enough, near enough." the storyteller smiles to which I gave a sheepish one of my own.
"So what was the problem with the ship?"
"A rock fell." the storyteller answers with a smile before he starts getting hit around the head.
"Complaining that we were interrupting..." one of the crew complains as the group disperses into several smaller ones.
"Are you sure it was just a rock?" I ask as that surely couldn't have been it.
"No... There's more to it. But I don't want to make such a powerful claim on reality."
"I don't follow?"
"There's a old island nation out there between Eusorochii and the colonies. It's quite different from either of us and they are happy to keep it that way. But, during that story, I was lucky enough to wash ashore there. It's a place called Ancypt, lovely place, you might like it as you are on your way back from Jherikra, right?"
"I think I've had enough mountains for one lifetime." I answer more so in reference to my time at Anvil-Peak.
"Well, if the good memories ever come to surface again... Haul them to the front of your mind, it's a nice place."
"I'll consider it, sure, but, what about this place has to do with the story?"
"They believe that the words have real power on life as a whole. If you tell a story with it in, it will occur once again."
"So... If they were to lie about a beast killing their livestock, it would just happen?"
"Yes."
"But that's just coincidence...?"
"I thought so too, once. But it was read or heard the good parts or the bad parts of stories that I began to notice them more around me."
"I see." I let out as I ponder the idea. It was a weird way to talk about the process of learning, I had to admit. But, anyone could look at my homeland and think the same way as I was now. There wasn't just one way to do things or learn about them.
"It's been nice talking to you, Lady Einervaene. Try not to be too hung up on this sailor's tall tale."
"But you were telling the truth?" I question only for him to just stop and smile before he then left. Standing up, I leave the table myself and walk some more with a curious eye. I still found it quite interesting how the ships of my homeland blended solid, faultless metal with wood and other materials. There was just something so unique about the ships from Eusorochii.
The one we took to that island some time ago from the colonies was a mostly wooden construction. The people of Jherikra didn't quite seem to understand what a ship was in the traditional sense. Where as the people of the Grand-Kingdom knew about ships quite well, their empire was built by them, after all. Yet, they built theirs so steadily, piece by piece.
Ships like these were carved straight from Eusorochii itself!
"Have you ever made any ships, Lightning?" I ask my friend as my hand touched one of the ship's support carvings.
"I have never had the need to, no."
"Was the All-Coast Sea not around all that time ago?"
"It was, not as it is now, but it was."
"And the gods and goddesses just never saw the point in ships?"
"Their power is great and vast even without my power of creation." he answers as his powers trail behind my hand to make a beautiful display from the ship's internal bulkheads.
"Wouldn't that technically make you God of Creation, then, not Thurnmourer?"
"I am a tool, not a god."
"That is a lie, you are my friend and we're going to save my mother together." I correct as I do my best to hug the living stormlight.
"Yes, my duty to you is reaching its climax." he tells me as we find ourselves going up the aft ladder.
"It will be strange not having you with me, Loyal Lightning." I tell him as I spread my arms out onto the edge of the ship. My rear was raised up behind me and it gently swung in the air as I looked out at the waters we had sailed.
"You can always visit me, you have earned my trust. It will be a far safer trip for you in the future."
"I've said goodbye to too many friends, Lightning. I don't want to lose you too."
"I had your word back on that mountain." he reminds me as he shoots out from the ship to gaze back at me.
"I know, I won't break my promise." I sigh as he returns to my arm.
"I know you won't, the honesty is appreciated."
"But what if just coming home with you isn't enough?"
"I will save your mother, that was the promise, if I must stay at your side to accomplish that, then I will."
"I find myself hoping that you do." I gently laugh uncertainly. Was that the sort of thing I should be hoping for if at all? I wanted this all to end. For the days where I worried about my mother to just not exist anymore, I wanted her to be safe.
It's all I have ever wanted for so long... Above everything else in my life, that was the one thing that stayed constant. I had a debt to her that I had to repay and this was that moment. My mother has cared for me for so long, and it was only right I paid her back in kind.
"Einervaene! Einervaene! Dammit, Einervaene!?" I heard Brewbrt call out across the ship. Using my power, I appear before him with controlled grace.
"What's the problem?" I ask as he takes up my hand.
"If your sentiment towards your belongings matter, gather them up." he warns before he turns back to the Captain as he sails.
"What's the problem?" I ask again, but, this time, I focus on the naval officer.
"If you want off my ship, yer going to have to do it privately." he explains without the secrecy and slight of tone I would've normally expected from such a message.
"Brewbrt?" I ask as my question had not been answered.
"Einervaene, grab your things." he tells me sternly with a guiding hand on my back.
"But what about the crew!? Why can't you just answer me?" I ask after I turn around sharply.
"Ladies and children first. These men are sailors. If Undwote must dive deep into Oceinater's realm, then so be it."
"Somebody, please, tell me, I can help."
"Einervaene!" Brewbrt nearly snaps at me.
"Right..." I meekly answer as I go down the steps to return to my cabin.
"There is danger." Lightning says as he seemingly sniffs the air to find a direction.
"I don't understand why people won't let me try and help... We can do something, Lightning, surely?"
"If that is their choice then you should respect it." Lightning tells me.
"You fell out with the God of Thunder because he needed to shatter your greatest creation to defeat the Fourteen-Headed Beast!" I remind him to which he sizzles away quietly. I sigh and look down and I move to grab what few things I had. But, suddenly, she ship shakes and I nearly find myself against the cabin walls. I get back up without an issue, but I can't just let something like that slide!
I bag my stuff regardless, however, and I place it outside before I rush back up to the other two.
"Do you have everything?"
"What was that?"
"Hav-"
"What was that!?" I repeat firmly with a flash of Lightning's golden power.
Brewbrt looks back at the Captain, but he also struggles to maintain a lengthy, matched gaze, "I will, then?"
"You were the one who arranged for this voyage..." the Captain mutters before he starts to laugh.
"Einervaene, look. It was not easy arranging a ship to take us to Eusorochii and while it wasn't intentional... It is your fault."
"My fault...?" I let out as confusion smothers me.
"Since you left that mountain... You've become too powerful, Einervaene. You understand what that means, right?"
"I've not tried to endanger anyone!" I argue just as another tremor rocks the ship violently.
"I'm not saying you have, Einervaene... But there are things out here that are threatened by your power, they see it as a challenge."
"I'm not a danger..." I repeat as I nervously bring my hands to my face.
"Einervaene, grab your things, it's time to go. The crew have spent their wages as if it were their last, now, let's go."
"No!" I tell him as I snatch my hand back out of his grip.
"Einervaene!"
"I WILL NOT DAMN THESE MEN TO AN EARLY DEATH!" I scream up at him with a voice that boomed like thunder.
"Quiet down..." Brewbrt urges as another tremor rocks the ship.
"No! IF YOU WANT TO ENDANGER THESE MEN, THEN COME UP AND FACE ME!" I scream down over the ship's side and at the water far below.
Nothing happened. Then, a roar.
"DRAGON!" a sailor crys as the waters suddenly part to make way for a behemoth. Rapidly rising from the waters, a dark shape takes form as another roar fills the air. Steeling myself, I step out onto the thin wall just barely and I gaze down. Lightning's power kept me still, but everyone else was holding on for dear life.
"EINERVAENE, LET'S GO!" Brewbrt roars as his armour clanks and bangs.
"If you want me dragon... Then you can face me." I tell the steel-scaled beast as it finishes rising up to meet us. The ship barely matched the width of one of its claws and each tooth is showed was wider than even the fattest man. And there were hundreds of them. This creature was as literal as one could be for the definition of giant.
"You come into my realm, Human?" the tremendous repitle whispers as its long body bends forward to bring its head closer.
"I come through Eusorochiian waters to get to the realm of the Bosphama!" I answer as Lightning flashes out of my arm aggressively.
"Did I not hear you correctly, Human?"
"You did." I answer as I have Lightning grab my staff which I then point up at him. Golden sparks arc about it and the dragon's eyes clearly focus on it.
"You are nothing." it realises as it stares intensely at Lightning's display.
"You wish to fight this beast?" Lightning asks me as a portion of his endless power flows back into me.
"If I must."
"Einervaene!" Brewbrt snaps as he grabs my free hand.
"Get the crew to safety." I tell him.
"I am getting you out of here, the shore is not far, let's go!" he urges to which I pull my hand back.
"This ship and its crew are under my protection, Dragon."
"It was under Subtelty's protection before you came along... Human."
"I have a name, Beast." I hiss as sparks fly off of me.
"As do I, Girl."
"I AM EINERVAENE BOSPHAMA! DAUGHTER OF THE LADY BOSPHAMA!" I declare with the backing of the storms in the sky.
"I AM BOISENMARCK, THE STEEL-SCALED KING OF THE SEAS!" it declares normally to which I feel a shiver go through me despite the power I currently wielded. B-Boisenmarck...?
The strongest sea dragon in recorded history...
No, "I do not care."
"You would be wise not to overstep your authority, Bosphama." Boisenmarck informs me as its many limbs and razor-tipped flippers extend out, clearing the sky of mist.
"You would be wiser to back away." I say with a forceful tap of my staff that made the sky light up with Thurnmourer's pride. The great dragon looks up at the sky and gazes about before growling air blows out towards my homeland.
"Your people prize heritage, lineage and blood over all things else, no?" the dragon asks as it presents its snout.
"Yes." I answer even if on the inside I was going 'unfortuatenly...'
"Then you know that a dragon of my name cannot just turn his back to an insignificant human."
"If you so much as damage this ship or kill a single seaman aboard it, I will see you reduced to a meal for the destitute!" I threaten as Lightning makes another display on my staff's top.
Boisenmarck takes note of this and even seems to flinch at the power, "Kneel."
"K-Kneel?" I question with a scoff.
"Einervaene..." Brewbrt warns as his magic lights up behind me.
"Kneel before me, Bosphama. Submit before my might or I will crush this ship and damn your people specifically for this transgression!" the dragon snaps as its teeth are shown off once again.
"I will not kneel, and you will not endanger this crew, let alone my home!" I tell it to which Brewbrt struggles to hold in a scream.
"This... This... Grrrr... Girl!" boils out of the witch behind me.
"Back away." I warn the dragon as Lightning's power calls out to even the storm's that held Eusorochii together. Backing away, the dragon stares at the great power before he turns back to us with a snarl.
"SO YOU CHOOSE DEATH." his voice boomed despite the calm expression he seemed to have.
"I choose their life!" I tell him as I point the staff out at him, unleashing its power in a torrent of scale-melting bolts. The dragon roars and is knocked down by the power and falls for ages. When he finally hits the water, tsunami's break away from him in all directions and his lower half whips up.
"BRA-" the Captain began to shout before the ship was suddenly carved open from the bottom.
"Brewbrt!" I call out to my friend as he braced himself in the air with his magic.
"I'LL HANDLE THE CREW, YOU SORT YOUR MESS OUT!" he shouts at me in an almost excited manner as he disappears under the ship.
"Lightning, make sure we can get back aboard the ship." I tell my friend as I break away from what kept me in place before.
"Done." Lightning as the sky rumbles in response to Boisenmarck's roars.
"LET ME FEAST ON YOU, STORMLIGHT!" the dragon roars with explosive force as its head shot out of the water.
"Will you kill if asked to, Lightning?" I ask my friend as I fall towards the rising beast of steel.
"I will create that which can." he answers as bolt after bolt surges into my golden body.
"I will call on you when it is time, then." I tell him as I present his power once again to the Sea-King. With another world-shaking roar, the dragon fell back into water with more ash breaking away from it. Watching the beast as it swam with the speed and agility of a small fish, I prepared another attack.
"STORMLIGHT!" Boisenmarck roared from deep beneath the waves as the spike at the very tip of its tail suddenly appeared. Presenting my staff, I block the blow and lightning blasts out all around me as his force of being comes down onto me!