A few hours after the attack had happened, Admiral Kaelin had managed to steer the ship amongst the cluster of large pointy rocks, situating it behind one of the largest ones until we could truly assess the damage.
Admiral Kaelin groaned softly as he approached the damaged hull of the ship, peering into the large hole below where numerous planks were ripped up and scattered across the surface.
Inside of the hole he could see the lounge area where he'd previously talked to me about the Black- Ember Charm. Usagiyama, who had been silently observing the scene, spoke up.
"Heh, I figure this damage would cost us a week's worth of food to fix," She said with a chuckle. Admiral Kaelin turned around and rolled his eyes with a sigh and chuckled self deprecatingly
"Of course before that, we would have to find proper shelter. This ship is in no condition to soar the oceans without proper maintenance," Admiral Kaelin explained.
He suddenly gestured towards the gaping hole in the hull.
"If we keep exerting the beauty will be a heap of driftwood in no time."
Usagiyama shrugged a small smirk ripping at the corners of her lips. "Well, you're the admiral. I suppose you have some sort of plan. After all, you did serve in a damn war."
Admiral Kaelin smirked a little as the salty breeze blew through his snow white hair.
"I suppose. Right now we're currently inside the Stratton Gulf, and I've heard travelers say there's civilization on one of the coastal islands."
…
Me and Jake stood on top of the ships bow, overlooking the foggy waters and the spiky rocks that resembled a giant's teeth.
Suddenly, we heard a noise coming from somewhere in the distance. I turned my head left and saw a small amount of yellow and white lights shining in the distance, accomplished by indistinguishable sounds of horns, chatter and laughter.
The thick fog grew hazier, and I could see something clearly in the distance. Beyond the small amount of spiky rocks showing in the way, I caught sight of a small town situated on the coast of an island.
My eyes widened as I looked towards Jake, who looked back at me with a small smile, his eyes flickering with anticipation.
I walked quickly down the staircase and approached Admiral Kaelin and Usagiyama as I pointed into the distance.
"I found civilization." I said, trying to hold back my relief. Admiral Kaelin and Usagiyama both looked towards the island and collectively sighed in relief.
"Well, do you think this hunk of wood can handle the small journey? I'm pretty sure that's Dreknoght Bay, one of the many ports that the Katshin Empire uses to import and export goods." Admiral Kaelin stated.
He took a few steps forward and approached the ship's wheel, gripping it with his wrinkled and aged hands.
"Let's go."
…
"I was half asleep when I saw him leave this morning. It's the evening now and he hasn't returned." Shinso said.
"It's not unusual for Isaac to leave for extended periods of time, but by now he'd probably return back here for something to eat or to clean himself," Carter spoke up, entering the room after scouring the entire base for my location.
Cattleya looked out the window and scanned amongst the market. "You said you saw him leave this morning?" She asked.
Shinso nodded, crossing his arms. "I did, even with my vision being half-blurry I've seen his figure enough to know it was him. He moves very quietly, almost like a cat."
Suddenly, Ling and Palsy entered the room. "Admiral Kaelin's ship is gone!" Palsy exclaimed.
"So he left without telling us? Damn it…Isaac was most likely going to tell him to prepare to leave because of the recent events, but why would he leave with them?"
Cattleya suddenly paused, her eyes narrowing in contemplation.
"Well, Isaac doesn't look like the type of person to keep a secret, or have hidden motives. He's always a pretty honest boy. But for him to depart without us knowing is very out of character for him."
Cattleya's observation only made Shinso's heart sink deeper, rendering him unable to speak for the next few moments.
"Let's think this through. Since Ling and Palsy were sent from the Katshin Empire to investigate the flesh blobs, and since our run in with the the demon organization, Isaac most likely went to tell the Admiral to leave for the Katshin Empire and destroy the Primordial Demon Kings resurrection spot as soon as possible."
A brilliant deduction!
Cattleya's eyes widened as she sighed softly. "That could be one of the scenarios—the one that I find to be the most likely."
"If he set off this morning he's most likely close to the Katshin Empire, so catching up with him wouldn't be too much of a hassle." Carter said.
"But how would we get there if our primary source of transportation had left?" Shinso asked.
Suddenly, Aizawa, who was accompanied by Olive, entered the room.
"I'm pretty sure tourism is a thing at this time, perhaps we could hitch a ride to the Katshin Empire if we can check the schedule…" Aizawa explained.
"Luckily I caught sight of it right before we entered the base. The touring boat, which is one of the boats in Frannitz Harbor, is set to leave tomorrow morning!"
Cattleya inwardly sighed in relief upon hearing the news. "Then I suppose we need to buy tickets?"
Aizawa nodded hesitantly. "I saw a mother of two but tickets to the Katshin Empire, each ticket cost 35 copper Lumin a piece. With the eight of us I could tell it's well over 300 Lumin for all of us if we include the numerous fees and taxes."
"Damn it…" Cattleya mumbled as she fished through her pockets and took out 20 copper Lumin, placing them on the table. "I was going to spend it on more historical references, but this is of far more importance."
Carter, Demetrius, Ling, Palsy, Shinso, Olive, and Aizawa all fished through their pockets and took out their own funds. After counting the funds Cattleya knew that they now had about 286 Lumin in total, a little less than what they could need for the journey.
She suddenly looked up at the rest of them and asked them to look more thoroughly through their pockets, but when no one had any more money her brows creased and her eyes flickered with worry.
"Won't someone need to watch the kid?" Demetrius asked. Damien, who had been sitting silently on an armchair upside down suddenly perked up upon mention.
"Well…hiring a nanny is far too expensive." Cattleya mumbled.
Suddenly, Shinso looked up and remembered something. "I'll be right back."
…
Shinso put on a short breast coat before heading out the door. The frigid air of the evening hit him like a hammer, but he was used to such a thing already.
He already knew the route to the bar and grill where he and I would usually go for shooting practice, so he mindlessly thought about miscellaneous topics as he walked through the streets, gripping his handgun loosely in the pocket of his coat.
Damien, who was clinging to his side, suddenly lit up when he saw the bar and grill.
"Is he gonna watch me while you're gone?" The child asked.
Shinso looked down at the boy and nodded calmly.
When he entered the bar Damien let go of the purple haired teen and beelined to the older man with the pinstripe suit standing by the door of the shooting club.
Damien wrapped his arms around Sebastian, and he embraced the youth with a tender embrace.
"Uncle Sebastian!" Damien squealed.
"Did I miss something?" Shinso asked, dumbfounded and amused by the sudden revelation.
Sabestian looked up at Shinso and chuckled.
"Well, your friend Isaac usually takes him here when he needs someone to look over him. We've grown and bonded to the point where I might as well adopt this fella!" He said with a chuckle, his golden tooth flickering in the dim lighter.
"Well…uhm…would you mind watching him for a longer period of time? Me and my crew need to set off to the Katshin Empire for about a week or two."
"I'll do it free of cost." Sabestian said as he popped his collar and looked down at the short white haired boy, his white wings flapping with anticipation.
"Really? You're a damn life saver!" Shinso gave the duo a faint smile before leaving the bar. The tall man with the golden tooth looked down at Damien and asked in a low voice.
"Are you fine with dogs?"