Our group left the Guild after grabbing the egg and tomato sandwiches Vergil had prepared for us. The sun hadn't made it over the hill yet, but the light of day was more than upon us.
"Come, we will head down this way from now on," Braum said while waving for us to follow him.
I took Lesha's hand, and she pressed into me, kissing my cheek before we started to walk. This was a nice way to start the morning off, and the other four girls were walking ahead of us.
The boys, Victor and Corbit were smiling and talking, but Alana was stuck close to my side. I also noticed that she was glancing at the hand that was holding Lesha's.
I reached down and took her hand in mine. Alana tensed, and then looked up at me as we walked, but I just smiled and nodded to her.
After that, both of the girls were leaning into me, making it awkward to walk, but it wasn't like we had to go that far. It was worth it if it made this little girl feel better, and more relaxed for now.
I was about to take that collar off her and it was going to bring back some painful memories. I hoped to help burn the old ones away and replace them with new ones, everyone deserves to have a chance.
Soon we reached the water and dock area, but we still had to turn south to get to the one we wanted. The smell didn't bother me as much this time, and the skies were bright and clear.
We filled down the docks, but they must have been unloading a ship because there was only a single lane for us to walk through. The girls went behind me and we all filed onto the ship, getting on without a problem.
We were all pushed up to the front of the ship again to the raised deck. Once up there, we all found places to get comfortable.
All seven of us girls found a line of crates and sat down together. The boys had been pulled to the side and put to work running gear from the crates on the dock.
Turned out that all those crates were actually our diving equipment. Most of the things I knew, but there were several boxes of parts I didn't recognize at first.
The last thing that was brought up, and with great difficulty was a two-meter tall wooden wheel. It took all the men and Gloria who rushed over cruising to get the thing up onto the deck.
"What are they going to use that for?" Lesha asked, but I was just as confused as her.
"I am not really sure. It's not a water paddle wheel, all the boards are flat and worn on the inside like it was walked on. We will have to wait for Gloria or Braum to tell us," I said, but Alana spoke up.
"That wheel pumps air down to you and the rest of you in the suit that you will use. My dad used to wreck dive, and he used it…" Alana said with her voice trailing off.
I put my arm around her and rubbed her far shoulder, pulling her into me.
"Thank you, just relax for now and get some rest. I'm not sure how long it will take to get to the island, but I plan on putting you through the wringer when we get to the island. Close your eyes and lean your head on my chest," I said to Alana as she did just that.
Lesha to this as her own invitation, and cuddled up and under my arm. She stretched her neck up and I leaned in to give her a soft kiss, then she rested her head on my chest the same as Alana.
I wouldn't say that Lesha was jealous when she acted like this. No, it was more her just wanting to be included, and that was something that I found cute and endearing, and was one of the many reasons why I loved her.
Once the ship was cast off, and the deck had finally settled down, Braum and two tired-looking boys came up to where we were sitting. He smiled down at me and put a finger to his lips as he squatted down.
"Be about two hours till the island, I get you when we are close. I sure hope you know what you are doing here. I would hate to lose a Guild Leader after you gave me such a cool tattoo," Braum whispered with a smile.
"I have a plan, and I can also regenerate my body using blood. Don't worry, it will be fine, I think," I whispered with a half-smile.
"Oh, shit! I forgot to tell you, the boys and I have a little surprise for you, but I don't know if it will actually work or if it was just a big waste of time. The boys and I from the guild got blood taken and we have two jars about the size of my fist filled," Braum explained while making a fist as an example.
Oh? This was interesting, but would it work?
[YES! Finally, someone has used their brains, and now I can explain it. As long as it is sealed and kept cool, you can keep it for up to three days. With this, you can stop getting the chills. Keep progressing and the things will come to you, but I can only reveal them once you have discovered them, or ask the right question as you did just now.]
That was a relief, I was getting tired of having to make dungeon runs just to keep my blood supply up. Now, if the people were willing to give blood, I would be able to use it more and become more powerful.
"Thank you, I will need one of them when I get back to the island. We should try and see if it can be made into something I can wear, and take with me if I know I will need more, Do you think that would be possible?" I asked.
"Sure, we will think of something," Braum said with a smile as he stood back up and walked away.