"Tinka, have you ever heard of the story of the Knight and the Princess?" Minos suddenly asked.
Tinka couldn't help but look at him with some curiosity. "The Knight and the Princess? No, what is it about?"
"One day, an evil mage came to the kingdom and kidnapped the princess. The king was of course very angered by such an act, so he called towards the finest knight in the land."
"The Black Knight was his title, and he was known far and wide for being the most powerful warrior in the kingdom, so the king decided to get him to save his daughter."
"The Black Knight journeyed through the forest of darkness, the cave of evil, and the swamp of plague, before finally finding the tower where the evil mage was located."
"However, to his shock, when he went up the tower, he found no evil mage, but only the princess, working on her magic."
"The Knight was confused, so he asked the princess, and eventually she told him the truth. There never was an evil mage, in fact she had always loved magic, but her father forbade her from it since it was seen as evil, so she came up with this plan to escape."
"The Knight couldn't help but feel pity for the princess, so he decided not to reveal her scheme to the king, rather he simply told the king that the tower was empty, and the princess was gone."
"The king wept at the loss of his daughter, but he didn't blame the knight, for he knew he had done his best."
"However the knight didn't feel content with the ending he had orchestrated. The king had lost his daughter, and the princess was forced to forever remain alone in order to pursue her passions. For the knight who believed in love and justice, he couldn't sleep right with such a conclusion."
"Instead, he picked up his sword, and headed into the world, vowing to slay all evil creatures, for evil creatures were seen as the originators of magic, hence why magic was looked down upon."
"The knight journeyed through the land, through countless empires, and across endless seas. He would kill any evil creature he came across, he would be wounded sometimes, occasionally even coming close to death, but he remained firm in his belief."
"Until one day, the knight realized he had come back to the kingdom. Decades had passed, and he had killed an untold amount of evil creatures, his entire journey took him right across the globe, in a circle."
"By now, there were no evil creatures left, and the stigma against magic had slowly disappeared. The poor old knight was old at this point, his body riddled with wounds and illness."
"Using the last of his strength, he dragged his body back to the kingdom. He stood in front of the grand palace, and there he saw, the princess and the king, reunited once more."
"The knight smiled, knowing he had finally achieved success, and there he collapsed, the world having long since forgotten him."
"But the smile on his lifeless face was still bright, and in contrast to his broken body, that smile was one that contained infinite strength."
"I'll always be your knight Tinka. No matter how much the world tries to push you away, I'll cut one down that accepts you." Minos finished, looking Tinka in her eyes solemnly.
Tinka had stopped crying at this point, after such a promise by Minos, how could she still be sad? She suddenly smiled, and hugged Minos tightly.
…
The next couple days passed quickly. Minos had been given a new goal, which was to save Tinka and her tribe, but such a thing wouldn't be easy, and it had a time limit.
Minos was already an incredibly ambitious person, but with this new motivator, he found himself pushing even harder.
The boat that originally should have taken a week, was finished in only 3 days. Luckily in this time, the person who had bought the map hadn't come, which likely meant they entered the sea through a different location.
However Minos wasn't worried either way. Ronkus had long since told him there was a massive formation surrounding the tribe, one set by the former patriarch using his remaining life force.
Now that his boat was finished, it was time to head out to the sea alone. As much as he would miss Tinka, he knew that his journey was no longer about himself anymore, but rather an entire tribe's future rested on his shoulders.
As he lugged his boat into the Endless Seas, the entire tribe gathered around to bid him farewell. Tinka was at the forefront, she grabbed onto Minos tightly, giving him a sudden kiss before shying away.
"Promise me you'll come back." She said with a red face.
"I'll always come back." Minos said, as he began rowing his boat, heading deep into the vast expanses of the seas.
The entire tribe waved him goodbye, Ronkus and Meninka consoling their crying daughter. Minos felt as if his heart was gripped by a vice as he saw Tinka cry, but he turned back resolutely, knowing that he couldn't stop here.
He faced out towards the endless ocean, feeling an ambition as large as the ocean ahead of him fill his heart.
Pressure never stifled Minos, rather it just made him fight even harder, and now he was fighting for his love's life.
As he sat back onto the boat, he recalled back on the map. The Endless Sea was riddled with countless islands, some large and others insignificant.
The largest island near the Salt Breathing Tribe was the Volcamie Island. An island well known for the massive volcano that stood right in its center.
A couple dozen smaller islands dotted the ocean near Volcamie Island, and the Nine Sword Divinity's grave was said to be located somewhere around Volcamie Island.
Which island it was was still a mystery, and it would likely take decades to comb through every island individually.
Naturally Minos wouldn't pursue such an inefficient method, rather he decided to head to Volcamie Island first, feeling that he might find a clue there.
It was said that in the past, the Nine Sword Divinity had traveled to Volcamie Island, and according to the myth, when the volcano suddenly erupted, he used a single sword to separate the lava, saving the island from destruction.
Such a legend made Volcamie Island a popular tourist spot, and one could find a lot of information regarding the Nine Sword Divinity there.
Minos felt that if he knew the man better, he could possibly predict where he decided to end his life. Of course whether he could get anything out of this was unknown, but it was better than fumbling around aimlessly.
With his next goal in mind, Minos steered the boat and rowed with all his force. The island wasn't very far, so after 5 or 6 hours of rowing, he finally arrived at his destination.
The large volcano that was an icon of the island could be seen from miles away, and with it acting as a beacon, it was easy to find your way to the island.
Minos rowed up to the port before jumping out. Using a piece of rope he had prepared earlier, he tied the boat firmly to a wooden post.
Before he could exit the port and head into the islands, he was stopped by a young man who seemed to work for the island's authorities.
Volcamie Island was mainly controlled by three large families, and in order to port your boat, you were required to pay a small fee.
Minos naturally wouldn't argue with the local snake, so he paid the fee and entered the prosperous town right across the port.
The town of Volcamie Ports was quite active, merchants and sailors abounding on the streets.
The shouts of traders and buyers filling the market place. Business of all sorts taking place, giving a feeling of progress and development. Minos looked around curiously, taking everything into his eyes.
However despite the many interesting things going on, Minos already had his goal in mind. When it came to gathering information, the pub was oftentimes the best place to go.
After asking a few passerby's, Minos quickly got the direction to the nearest pub. After a few minutes of walking, he could already hear the loud, somewhat obnoxious shouting of the pub goer's.
Swinging open the large double doors, Minos was greeted by a rowdy pub filled to the brim with sweaty sailors. The fierce sting of B.O made Minos slightly recoil, his eyes watering.
It took a couple seconds for Minos to get used to the atmosphere, only then did he walk in, finding a spot for himself.
"What can I get for you lad?"
"Just your most popular drink."
"Most popular? Then you must want the Lava Spirits. This drink of ours can only be made on Volcamie Island because of the special environment, you can't get it anywhere else!" The barkeeper said, clearly feeling proud of his town's alcohol.
"Then let me have a taste." Minos responded with a polite smile.
Even though Minos was clearly young, the barkeeper wouldn't ask any question. This was a chaotic world where people had to grow up fast, and as long as you were mature enough to do business on your own, no one would consider you a child.
The barkeep quickly got Minos his drink but didn't drink right away. Pulling out a talisman from his robe, he activated it and dipped it into the drink.
The talisman showed a weak green light, then dissipated into ash. Seeing the result, Minos glugged down the drink, feeling the unique spicy flavor that gave the drink its iconic name.
As if lava was flowing down his mouth, his throat and chest heated up. It was like he was a dragon, about to spit out a cloud of flames. He let out a long exhale, appreciating the nuanced taste.