Tim and Elliott ran closer to the sound of rumbling from "Evergreed Island"'s road, whose road had slowed due to fallen pebbles, thumps of trees, wild winds, and thunderclaps that were encircling the process of enflaming the forest. However, because of the heavy rain, the process of soaking and burning leaves was being repeated.
"An entire break out of the storm, it's insistent and dangerous for the civilians yet we don't know how it occurred so suddenly."
"We'll solve that problem later, Elliott, but for now we should keep moving to Padstow."
The rush of thunder from a mysterious figure in the sky was followed by a similar blast of warped sensations. The bewildered Tim, who upon noticing leapt in the air over a tree's trunk, steamed his soles into the ground and slid on a soaked floor that was becoming muddy as Elliott chased after him.
While the forest continued to absorb the lightning and rain both of them began to notice a fade smoke that was coming in the distance.
"Don't tell me there's fire over there as well?!"
While denying the possibility Tim used his good sense of smell to exclude fire out of the option and concluded that it was a smoke of a chimney.
"That's Padstow, we've made it, now we just have to get to the others who're settled in at Jaro's home."
Elliott nodded for them to finally stand back in a civilized place, smiling.
The storm didn't appear to be relaxing, nor did the fog or rain. However, in a successful arrival, the two boys rammed their way through the door, catching the others' attention as they did so. Ayuka finished the meal, Nina held an artistic map of the ship's design while Codey rested in the corner holding a book. Each of them smiled indefinitely and was relieved that both of them appeared unharmed, other than soaked and tired.
As they sat frozen in their seats, both boys waited for the girls to finish the final preparations and finally the food was served with Tim's instantaneous shift in a mood of excitement and happiness.
"I can finally eat cooked meat properly made from a stove and oven and the fresh spicy sauce just improves its taste!"
Ayuka smiled and served another dish in front of Tim while Elliott already ate,
"Hand-made sauce mixed with Tsurai's fruit fresh liquid and a spicy sauce provided from the fruit being roasted is enough for keep the meat delicious and attends to your likings. Bon appetit, make sure not to create a mess!"
"I haven't eaten Ayuka's cooking for so long that after a long time I've been needy for her to make something out of the ingredients, used or not!"
Nina chuckled and salted the meat, taking a fork and knife and gently cutting through the heavenly-smelling and softly cooked meat, dragging it into her mouth as the sensation of excitement swooped over her. "It's so yummy!"
Proud and happy Ayuka smiled at them while keeping her hand on her perfectly shaped hip then immediately noticed Tim stuffing his mouth with food enough to irritate her once more for her to whack the top of his head.
"Stop eating like a pig!"
Then, Codey.
"You too, air boy!"
Both of the boys had received a bump on their heads and appeared to be bored and unamused.
"This is awesome! I wish my eyes were deceiving me, but do we really get to sail across "The Vast Expanse" with this entire ship? So cool!"
The ship was made out of wood, but it had many characteristics that resembled a pirate ship. It had an anchor, a deck, a kitchen, a cabin and a room to sleep and even cannons.
"The way that the ship is constructed makes me think that we're fake pirates. Can you do something about its design?"
Contrary to Elliott, who touched every surface of the ship, Codey complained.
"I can't believe I'm actually a pirate, this will be so cool!"
As Elliott's thrilling screams ran behind her, Ayuka leaned on the ship's fence.
"We're not pirates, we just got a similar ship toward it, but if we want the ship to sail we need to make a flag."
Nina smiled and grabbed a large brush then instantly coughed with a smile.
"Leave it to me, I'll draw it! For once in my life I could be useful for something when it came to our adventures!"
Codey glanced at Nina suspiciously before slapping the fence. They stared at each other in silence for several seconds, with her becoming increasingly uncomfortable and confused.
"You know you could say something if you have it on your mind, Codey."
"I don't trust you."
Crossing his arms, he left Nina freezing in place with her eyes widening and sweat slowly draining down her face.
"But you know I have no powers, I'm just a human unlike you crazy people."
"Your drawing..."
Others were generally interested in Codey's answer as he appeared to have been worried about her drawing.
"You're worried about my...drawing?"
Codey nodded and then grabbed the brush, slowly pressing it on her forehead.
"Because I have never seen you draw, I can't trust you to design the appropriate flag. You cannot mess up even once or our flag will be uglier than Elliott."
In response, Elliott lifted his torso behind Codey's shoulder and peeked over him at a distance.
"Hey!"
She instantly snatched the brush back into her hand, spun it, and smiled confidently as she scratched her nose with an amusing expression.
"I've been painting since I was a baby, so you can trust me that I'm the most talented painter here!"
Nina unfolded the flag and kneeled on the deck to paint with the colors she received from Jaro. The rest of the crew kept looking forward, except for Tim, who had been impatient and bounced up and down continuously in hopes of getting breakfast..
"Come on, Ayuka, cook a meal for me before we set sail, I'm hungry!"
As he held Ayuka's hand, she felt a bit irritated and sighed in disappointment.
"When are you not hungry? Fine, I'll prepare breakfast for all of you."
"Thank you so much, Ayuka!"
Tim screamed with delight while still being impatient to the point that Ayuka gripped her own wrist before walking toward the kitchen with sweat running down her cheeks.
"I need to keep quiet about that, it was too close."
The past that was memorized in her brain was enough to make her feel a bit depressed for a few seconds but she cooled down while preparing a meal.
It had passed several minutes since Nina started painting and Ayuka started cooking with the boys cleaning the ship to prepare them for the journey with Jaro bringing along several tips for travelers.
"What's this?" exclaimed Codey who opened the book and began looking through it with Jaro only smiling with delight.
"There is a map as well as traveler's tips on how to operate a ship and how to survive on it. You should be careful out in the sea where there are hundreds of things that will try to kill you and many islands that you may have to visit to get food or additional resources."
"Hmm, that's something useful, thanks a lot Jaro. Do we have to pay you or anything?"
"Pay me? You're kidding right? From the moment we met, you've already done enough for this island! Keep it, it's our gift along with the ship!"
"That's very thoughtful of you. I hope you will be able to join us at the breakfast if you wish! Ayuka's cooking it so you won't need to do it yourself!"
"I'm glad you made the meal yesterday! Please be cautious and watch out for the "Sea Lords," these ginormous beasts will hunt down their prey and swallow them whole, but I may be worrying for nothing, you are all talented Duelists so I believe you'll pass through without incident!"
Codey smiled and nodded while shaking his hand with Jaro. "With trust I am grateful for your honorable words! We'll set sail soon and thank you for all the help you have given us!"
"You're welcome to come back in the future, we'll be glad to treat you again! Those who help us with such a difficult task are never forgotten."
It was cute to see Codey smiling at their thanks, but he was shy of their gratitude, so he giggled when he heard Tim shout. "Everyone, put on the flag, we're about to set sail!"
Jaro was interested and listened to the other comments when asking another question.
"I suppose you've made Tim the captain of the ship? Interesting choice."
"It may seem that he's a bit clumsy at times, but he's a person we really can trust. He's been leading us for quite some time now and I think he will be the right captain for this ship, plus the wind tells me everything. Not to mention that he's been useless in finding our way on this island!"
Having said their final goodbyes to Jaro, Tim, and the rest attached the flag and prepared to trek out into the sea, with the "Evergreed Island's" civilians waving them farewell as our heroes returned the favor.
"Be safe out there, kiddos! Remember to watch out for the "Sea Lords" and make sure to visit many islands, there's a map with some of the islands drawn on it!"
"Thank you, we'll make sure to be careful!"
As they finally set sail through "The Vast Expanse", our heroes were filled with joy and curiosity in their grand mission to reach the "Outer-Sea Barrier" while at the same time firmly believing in the effort to eradicate the "Black Storm" and preparing to face many adventures.
To be continued...