Me and Toby cleaned ourselves up, switching into the long flowing robes provided by the order, they fit loosely they were only temporary, they would be replaced upon arrival at the order's headquarters, tailored to our specifications, for a fee, or for higher ranking members, you could get them enchanted.
Now dressed in the dark midnight robes we left the blacksmiths meeting with the waiting Earl, who took us to a large sea-fearing vessel beside the shipyard, the galley was mammoth stretching forwards over one hundred meters, its mast reached upwards into the clouded over, the sail was down, its worn black form wrapped by fraying rope.
Earl led us onto the galley, introducing us to the other young newcomers, as well as the first-level arcanist, leading the recruitment, he was tall in stature, his face held a subtle grief, his docile eyes held an equability, but behind that was a powerful passion and a stronger abhorrence. He glared at everyone, his slack hand caressing the side of his double-breasted coat, then running through his matt back hair, he turned to return to the captain's lodge, his large back brooding, betraying his strength.
Watching his broad retreating back, coat wrapping his tight musculature, over the coat I saw a bangle on his arm, it was a simple silver, tarnished with age it sat tightly against his tick arm, he wore it high too high for what it was, it was closer to his shoulder than his wrist, resembling an armband.
One thing odd about it was the muddy looking tattered strip of cloth tied to it, the cloth was unremarkable, bleached with age.
He disappeared into the lodge only leaving a glimpse of its luxurious midnight interior, and the door was slammed shut.
Silence followed as nobody knew what to think of the strongest one of them, a fabled arcanist, holding the might to decimate a forest, to kill or at least fight that heinous beast from the forest, that glacial menace, but he looked alarmingly human.
The silence was broken by another of my seniors, who coughed lightly addressing all the newcomers "sorry about that, arcanist Kite is currently in a foul mood, please find your recruiter and ask for your room number, they should take you to your onboard accommodations, go there and pack up, we're estimated to leave before nightfall."
After stowing my bag away, beneath the bunk beds afforded to new members, I went back above onto the deck to watch the galley leave the port.
The black sail was hoisted open revealing a complex insignia, the insignia, representing the 'caliginous order of the frayed' was made up of numerous interweaving symbolisms, encircling the edges was a black serpent with fiery scarlet eyes, there was a lion in the center biting the neck of the serpent, just below its head, its paw constraining the serpent's tail.
The lion had dark gunmetal grey fur, with large, stretched bat-like wings, the serpent's coiled midsection was wrapped around a twisting branch, on its end a dangling crimson apple, hanging just over the lion's head, the leering apple with a lustrous gold stem, fading into the dark mahogany branch, seemed to mock the lion.
The whole insignia was circular with a band of twisting gold patterns around the circular rim, and a vermilion, bloody backdrop.
The hired work hands and surfs busied themselves preparing the ship to set sail, and before long the ship was ready to leave the dock.
Whilst it was approaching dusk, the arcanist kite came, eyeing everything with marked suspicion, searching for anything amiss, finding nothing wrong, he ordered the sailors to start the journey and briskly left, not before one last scowling, sweeping look over the deck.
The ship started leavening the harbor with a jerk, heading into the awaiting mouth of the river, due to its depth it was possible for mountainous ships to pass through, having tales, of intercontinental, ships vast and brooding, that once passed through, contemptuously.
As we left, I looked back at the night-lit city, the beam of the distant lighthouse catching my eye.
After watching the city disappear into the foggy horizon, I looked around the sheer craggy cliffs lining this part of the bank of the river, enjoying the cool refreshing breeze of the night and the smell of wet wood, earthy and natural.
Reflecting I noticed elder Murthy, hovelling over from the corner of my eye, we talked about menial things until he left ordering me to 'go rest'.
The gentile rocking of the ship awoke me, as it sailed through the stretching river, looking around the dark dampness of the cabin, I hauled myself out of my lower bunk to open the circular window's blind, the outside was still relatively dark, the flowing river reflecting the golden light of dawn.
The rivers oppressing might synchronised with the bone hanging from my wrist, as I looked down at it, it glowed ever so slightly, trembling, then I felt the ambient might in the surroundings fade as if absorbed.
The might permeating the river, was perpetually the same, mildly oppressive, a weak deterrent, I'd never heard of it changing like this, could it be that this bone can absorb this mysterious energy?
Was this bone fragment a form of conduit, or was I just overthinking, either way I don't have the knowledge or power to dabble in this affair. Mabey chip could do something eventually, but right now it's working on the swordsmanship closing in on seven percent.
Spurred on by the slow progress I grabbed my wooden sword, moving onto the deck to get some training in, after training for an hour a snide voice came from behind me "what use is training your body when a single spell can kill you, even something as crude as this." I turned around sweat pooling on my brow and I saw arcanist Kite, he was holding what looked like a revolver to my head "one shot of this. Toy, can kill you, painlessly, so knowing this why do you train your feeble body, is it for the little difference it makes in a fight, pleasure, to look better, to 'be the better you' or to prepare yourself."
The scorn in his voice was venomous, as calmly a possible I answered, curbing the instinctual fear of my trembling body "lord arcanist Kite, I don't know what you're talking about I train to further my understanding, of my body and technique."
I managed to speak without stuttering, he looked over me dismissively "well whatever you do, I don't care just remember one thing, don't use such a convoluted technique, it's disrespectful to the order's dignity." then he lowered the firearm, holstering it in the inside of his coat.