Age of Adventure

The waves hit the beach again and she felt pain on her ribs as the saltwater drenched her wounds and she shivers in pain.

She is breathing hard and as she slowly opens her eyes, her hair wet and her fingers are bloodied she noticed that she is still holding on to the plank.

The waves strike the beach again and hit her body as she was brought forward to the sandy area. She musters her strength and slowly get up as she crawls to the dry sand.

On top of her the sun slowly shows its face. She saw someone else in the distance. It is the cartographer.

She looks around her and she spotted a few items that drifted to the shore after the wreck. She walks while holding her stomach and rummage through one of the knapsack she saw.

She smiles a bit as she saw a potion bottle.

She took it and drink it as the color came back to her face. Feeling a little more refreshed she took the knapsack and went to the cartographer and make him drink it.

The cartographer finally opens his eyes and together they went to the forest on the island. If not for the situation this place would be quite a paradise

They survive the accident and they look at each other with awkward expression.

The accident happens because of the Mouth.

It is part of the sea that the sailor has come to call it the Mouth because it always reaps ships and its crew and not many dare sails it.

Her ship sails it and they were swallowed whole in it.

If not for the fact that she jumps out from the ship the moment she saw the downward spiral of the sea like a mouth that is about to swallow the ship, she would be dead.

After checking the shore, they found no survivors but they do found a few supplies. They began living in the island and survive with fruit and the beast meat that they found.

Most of them are not that dangerous but they do not venture deeper into the forest. They made their house on top of a tree and at night it would be cold.

She only envies the fact that the cartographer is an adventurer and would sometimes disappeared for a few hours before returning back.

Many people said it is the curse of immortality. They could only be in their world for only a few hours.

Somehow they have lived here for a week

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She looks at the open sea in fort of her and sighed. The wind blows around her and she felt the coolness but she is sick of being here.

"What do we do now, Vasco?" she asked.

"Captain, the only way we can get out of this is if some ships pass by here, and realize we’re here" Vasco said

She harrumphed and then she said

"Use your whisper thing" Vasco then scratch his forehead and then said

"I don’t have anyone who has a ship" He said, his voice sound dejected.

’And even if I do.... I don’t think they would dare sails the sea now that they know that the Mouth is real’

She looked around her camp now.

The washer boy survives, and some five sailors also survive huddling around the campfire, shivering from the cold.

They were found after a week as she and Vasco walk all over the island. Most of them were drifted on the other side of the island.

After scouring all parts of the island this is the current count of survivor. They all look dejected and she understand their feeling

What they saw is truly...terrifying. That is an undefeated force of nature. Many have become its victims but nobody had ever survived to tell the tale.

Even now she had a few nightmares about that place. That part of the sea...The Mouth....no wonder it is called the Mouth.

It is a literal mouth, a gigantic mouth.... that eat ships. A mouth so big it was like an abyss with no bottom.

Some of the sailors that’s survive thought they saw the realms of the Unseen One inside the Mouth.

Seriously.... that is not something that she expected when she started this journey.

And meeting the survivors of the accident is not the only thing she discover as she explores the island

When she was swimming to harpoon some fishes she found her ships on a rock on the other side of their survival site.

The ship is stuck to a big rock like someone lifted it up and smash it down to that rock. She got some supplies from there.

As she walks the deck of that ship, she did wonder for a few second of how did it get there but she did not ponder it for long since what is important to her is her survival.

A few days later the ship own weight drove it down into the sandy beach. It slanted to one side, jagged hole in the hull like it was being bitten.

It began being a site for the birds and Vasco took up a hobby of hunting birds nears the site.

The sound of waves comes again and she sighed again, full of regret. She should not have sailed this sea and went to this expedition of the New World.

She looks at Vasco and then asked him again

"How about we repair the ship?"

He looked at her and rolled his eyes.

"And how do you suggest we do that? Look around!" he gestured, his voice annoyed.

"Tell me, is there any craftsman here. Do any of them look like they can build anything!" as he pointed at the sailors and the survivors.

She was wrong but she did not like being told that so she silences him with her glare.

He shakes his head, sighed and sit down, calming himself and began walking to the campfire.

His words are true. She looked at Rot the Fat and Stinky Tim.

Those guys? Building something? The Night Mother would laugh and the Night Mother never laugh.

She shakes her head and decided that the only thing she could do right now is to wait.

She looks at the sky and she thought that the Fates must be laughing at her right now.

but one of these days, she is going to kick them in the ass.

And she walked to the campfire and throw a wood to the fire, letting the fire licked the wood, and the flame became brighter and once again she can feel the Fates are snickering at her.

Laughing at her.

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She felt her body being shake and she groggily open her eyes. She saw Vasco shaking her and she rub her eyes as she tries to make up the words that he is saying.

"Wake up Captain. There is a ship! There is a ship!" Vasco was shouting the words; his tone is excited.

Hearing that a ship is coming Tatiana quickly jumped out from her bed.

It makes her awake in an instant.

After all she has bene hoping that a ship would come here. She went out from her makeshift tent with Vasco following her from behind

She felt the wind against her face, the sunlight heat around her and she look at the sea in front of her, her curtains are still flapping

"A ship?"

"Yes Captain!"

’Come on let’s greet them." Vasco said. Hearing this Tatiana frowned.

"They agree to carry us?"

Vasco nodded. Suddenly Tatiana felt something strange. That is weird.

’Did they have any condition?’

Vasco shakes his head as she could see Vasco is eager to meet them. No doubt giddy at the thought of rescue

Did the world change since she slept last night? What profit can they bring to a ship? They would help them with no condition?

Since when the world became so nice? She follows Vasco and as she walks to the other side of the island she sees a sail.

Around the ships there is a lot of people conversing and loading stuff.

Is that.... Could it be... and as she come closer her suspicion were right. She knew that sail.

And she knew the name of that ship and the Captain of that Ship. Storm Start. She was about to turn back when a voice she recognizes greeted her.

"Hah, there she is. Lady Tatiana, how do you fare?" he asked his smile is still greasy like always. He seems to be expecting her.

"Lyle" she said, her voice is cold a bit

"That is me milady" he said, still smiling like a snake.

"Still wearing that silly hat?" she pointed to his hat.

"Why, milady, it is my best accessories that I have" he said seemingly hurt before chuckling

She laughed.

It has been a long time since she met the captain of StormStart that braves the New World Sea.

"Did you know it was me that is stranded on the island?" She asked

"Honestly no. But we are short on crews now and we decide to take this people in our ship and ask them to help us. Then from the crew we got to know that their captain is Tatiana."

She looks behind Lyle and saw that they are unloading a lot of stuff. As she looks at those crates and barrels, Tatiana finally knew why Lyle came here.

His island must be one his secret island where he put stashes of illegal trade items.

No wonder she felt like someone has been here before. But she pretends like she sees nothing and continue her verbal conversation with him.

"So, impure intention?"

"No, no. It hurts to think that you think me of such man. I would just ask them to help me" he said fiddling with his sash.

"You mean you will sell them as slave in the new world, right?" Tatiana asked

"Ah, you like to jest milady" he said chuckling

Let him play his game of denial.

"Will you help us then?"

"For you milady, surely. But if we take them to our ship they have to help us"

She looked to her crew and asked them

"Can you help this kind captain of this mighty ship?" Lyle clearly like the praise as he laughs that fake laugh of his

They all nodded in agreement. Anything is better than being stuck on this island.

"Then, come aboard" Lyle said wearing a crooked smile. Her sailor helps Lyle crewman loading the crates and barrel into the ship as Tatiana and Vasco climb the stairway and enter the ship.

Lyle give her a given a cabin room while the other will help on the ship either scrubbing the floor, or help move the cargo.

Vasco can be seen talking with the StormStart explorer, conversing on maps and trade routes.

As Tatiana look around the ship, she found that here is nothing else she could do and return to her cabin.

After finished loading the cargo, the ship sails the sea and night finally came

That night Lyle came to her cabin for a round of drinks and as he sits himself inside the cabin he asks her

"I did not mean to pry" and then he proceeds to pry ’milady but what happen to you milady that you are in this such sorry state?" he asked

He offers a drink, a wine from some kingdom in a faraway land. He looks outside the cabin and saw that darkness beckons and he lights a candle so that they could still converse.

She took the wine and immediately she felt that it was a strong wine, suited to her taste. She could even smell the spices added to this wine.

It is a different kind of wine then she has ever tasted before. He gave her his wine so at least she could revel him with her story. Slightly drunk she then exclaimed

"Why, do I have the story for you!"

Then she began retelling him her adventures in the sea. He just listens and nodded and sometimes interjected

After finished hearing the story Lyle in his always dramatic manner clapped and then he said

"If you really want to sail the New Sea, a small ship like that will not suffice. There are many dangers to brave, not only the Mouth. There are monsters that lurk in the New World Sea. You also have to know where the threats are so your sailing will not be delayed." He said

Tatiana narrows her eyes and ask

"What do you suggest?" Lyle smiles and then she said

"Go to the Holy Maiden of the South and ask for her support."

"The Holy Maiden?"

Is there such person?

"Yes the Holy Maiden of the Church of Light. She supported many expeditions to the new world searching for something. It droves the sailors into a frenzy and many ship is volunteering"

"What something?" she asked curious.

’Is it treasures?’

Lyle only chuckles and then he answered

"An elixir." He declared

Elixir! Tatiana was shocked at the answer

"Elixir? That’s it! She commissioned ships to travel to dangerous sea to find an elixir!’

She couldn’t believe my ear. Lyle smiles and then continued

"Not only for that surely. She also commissioned to find new city and colonize the land under the name of the Pope." Lyle explained

"Is she a queen?"

Surely she is a Queen. Such ridiculous request can only come from royalty. Lyle shakes his head and said

"No, she is not" Lyle answers

"She is not?"

"She is not" he confirms

That could not be. She thought to herself

"When she gave orders did anyone follow her orders?" she asked

This puzzled Lyle

"Yes" he answer

"Humph, then she is a queen." she snorted at Lyle. Lyle on the other hand just laugh but he did add

"No, her title is the Holy Maiden, Maid of Arleans"

She laughed and then said to him.

"Listen, Lyle. That is just word people made up. In reality, the king is not the one who orders, or whether people called him king or queen, the kings and queens are those who orders, and the people follows that order. Maid or Holy maid, what does it matter. People follow her order, that makes her a queen"

He just looked at me.

"Hah, maybe you’re right"

He drinks from the goblet, feeling joyous all the same. Tatiana never like Lyle because he never seems to show his true emotions

The candle flickers.

"So will you follow my advice?" he asked after a brief moment of silence.

The waves lapped against the hull of the big ship

"Maybe. Who would let go an opportunity to meet a maid, so lovely and so pure. If a maid is like that, imagine a holy one" she giggles.

"You jest, milady"

"Oh, this one is not a jest, brave captain" she smiles as the night deepens.

A few weeks later, Lyle drop her and her crew at the South, in the Port of Arleans. She then looks at this grand city and the large building in the center of the city

With marbled windows and beautiful arts inside it that large tall building is none other than the Papacy

With Vasco beside her, she walks out from the Port and into the city

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