We didn't bother taking in any jobs. I mean, we already spent a lot of time in the guild, and our ride was probably ready by now.
"Are there different guilds?"
"Nope. But there's branches in almost every city. And every country too. Oh and, for now, don't really join any parties. It's okay to explore and see the guild and stuff but don't take in any jobs for the first six months either. Always prioritize your safety and take safe easy jobs like finding cats or something. And I mentioned how there's kidnappings, remember? So be mindful of that too."
Uh-huh. Den had warned me about kidnappings before too. And though I thought it was normal for people in this world to treat kids as adults, just one look at Den's face made me think otherwise. Despite everything he was in agony, pure agony. Frustrated. I guess despite everything, he wasn't okay with me going to boarding school.
"I'll keep that in mind," I said. "Besides, the academy is safe, right?"
"Yes."
I never really let go of his finger and just followed him around. My feet were pretty much dead at this point with all the walking. These last few years, I'd trained and my stamina had increased considerably. However, it was hardly enough. Yeah, I was a literal child but it wasn't going to fly from now on.
Den and Mom were trying their best, but their hands were tied. It pained them just as much as me or perhaps even more. Especially Mom. I just worried what would happen to me and all that crap, but what about Mom? How was she feeling? How would she deal with this?
Sigh.
By the time we made it to the seashore, it was close to the afternoon. I was worried the ship would leave. But as expected, it had barely started taking in passengers. "We have a single cabin on the second floor," Den said. "Should be decent."
The harbor was mostly made of stone. They had a carved stairway and lots of ships. Mostly just small fishing boats with one or maybe two large ones. Incidentally our ship was the largest of the bunch. It wasn't as loud as it was in the morning but the ambient noise still made me reminiscent of grandma's place.
"How long would the ride last?"
"A week."
So, we were moving quite far. I could see why Den mentioned I wouldn't be able to go see him or Mom. This world was too dangerous for a kid like me. But we had no choice.
We went down, and after confirming with one of the ferry staff, went in. Large deck, no apparent smell or distractions… so far. We were led to the second floor (from bottom) and it was for the general public; smelled like it too, musty, ammonia-ish and definitely that age old lovely brown stuff smell. Yeah, I hated ships and trains for that one reason.
Our cabin was pretty small with two bunk beds. Next to the beds, we had a closed window that was half submerged and a stool. That was it. But hey at least it didn't smell in here! Or so I wanted to say, but it still smelled pretty shit. Literally.
"We're staying here for a week, so get used to it," Den said. "Which one do you want?"
"Top one," I said.
I didn't trust these beds. What if the top one just broke down and Den fell on top of me? I'd be pretty dead. So the logical choice was to choose the top one. Worst case scenario, I'd fall, break Den's nose and that'll be the end.
"Sure. Also, I'm sure you're aware but be sure to lock the door whenever I'm out. And don't let anyone in."
"Got it!"
That said, he actually went out and I locked the door.
With the door locked the smell was somewhat bearable but that was about it. This ship was wooden but the window was glass. Though wood, it was strong thick ass wood. And they had some sort of a lighting system next to my head and a small hole in the ceiling for ventilation. Are they using oars and stuff? Didn't seem like a rowboat. And didn't seem like they had any sort of engine either. They weren't solely relying on wind or something, right?
Well, it wasn't my problem. Yet.
Tremor. The ship shook and then shook again. Before I realized, it started moving, the water. No wait, the ship was moving…backwards?
No, the cabin is backwards, dummy.
So yeah, just as the afternoon sun blessed us with its orange presence, the ship departed from Axel port on route Xanir port. No sound, and no excessive shaking either.
Normally it took 5 days to get across but Den told me to not be so optimistic. Given how he knew much about this route and the journey, I didn't doubt him. Besides, I knew how these estimations worked.
Sometime later Den came back and we just watched the green water swirl together. "How's the ship moving?"
"They have a Magical Device that pushes on the water. It's downstairs."
"I see. Are Magical Devices common?"
"I don't think so. You can find some in dungeons, that's why people risk their lives to venture within. But most are created by the high society and sell for pretty high prices."
"So Derec was going into that cave to search for magical devices?"
How come I hadn't heard of it before?
"No, he was in there to hunt for the giant centipedes. Those things are a delicacy of sorts and people pay for that privilege; bigger they are, more luxurious."
I almost gagged. The shit smell wasn't helping. "Anyway, if these devices are expensive and dungeons exist here and there, how come people still haven't found all of them?"
If people were diving into said dungeons to look for the devices, shouldn't they have found them all at this point?
"Well, we don't really know it's a dungeon until we hit the bottom layer and deal with the master of the dungeon. Besides, most of the dungeons are unknown and often you'd see floors change in dungeons. Remember how you fell down and found yourself in a room we couldn't access no matter what?"
Made sense. Dungeons in this world tended to change shape and layout so it wasn't unlikely for most people to not have an accurate way to navigate and find all the treasures. "Who created the dungeons, anyway?"
"Who knows."
Well, Den wasn't helping. But I was glad to have a talking partner. If I was alone right now, I'd be pretty much freaking out. I did travel alone in my previous life. But never longer than a single day's worth. If I had to travel maybe two or three days, I'd bring a friend. I could see how I was just being a wuss but… but yeah.
We watched the orange color over the water slowly turn dark and soon it was time for dinner. However, just the thought of eating in this hellhole made me wince a little. "Are we going to eat here?"
"No, let's not," Den understood. "It's more fun to eat on the deck anyway."
***
When Den said it was more fun to eat on the deck he meant simply one thing- pain.
Blegh!
Apparently, when I boarded the ship, I forgot for a second that sea sickness was a thing. And no, I wasn't really sick. But a handful of the other passengers were and they were having quite the time unloading everything by the guardrails. The breeze was going against them, so I didn't smell anything. And I hoped it would stay that way.
"Better than eating inside though, right?" Den said, smirking.
Fucking hell, dude was enjoying this! "Do-do you happen to like seeing people in pain?"
"Only some people."
Sadist.
Anyway, I somehow made myself ignore the ongoing cries and focused on the dazzling sky and the roaring calm seas. Sip! This soup was actually pretty decent. But after having Mom's soup for years, it wasn't doing for me. Wonder how she's doing…
"Would we be able to sleep at night?" I wondered. "The ship would sway a lot, right?"
"Lucky for us, it's winter." Den sipped his warm drink. Probably tea.
Speaking of winter, I did feel somewhat chilly.
"What would happen if it wasn't winter?"
"Remember those occasional drizzles? Well, other parts of the world and particularly the sea, gets really wild during those times. There's so much rain and wind, you'd get swept away."
Well, he did have a point though. The ship was surprisingly still.
Bluergggghhh!!
Yet people were going crazy on the other side. Did make me wonder how they traveled during the summer and rainy season. This world didn't have air travel or teleporters and stuff. So how they handled themselves in midst of a storm, that I was awfully curious about.
***
As the night deepened, so did my horrors.
In a word; I could not sleep, no.
The ship didn't move as much as I thought it would and that was great. But the smell, the horrible creaking noise, and the occasional cries of infants or toddlers was pretty much screwing with me; hearing heightened as hell, I could even hear people snoring from across the hallway! And that continued for hours and hours until somewhere very late night, I finally fell asleep only to be wakened by my raging bladder.
Sigh… yeah, nights were painful here.