They anchored at a large radius away from the island, with Ewan, Kidd, Frost, and Orange taking turns to patrol the circumference, while the rest maintained their peak on the warship. When a plethora of uneventful days went by without a ripple in the ocean, the apparent oddity melded into their routine, and their normal life resumed.
Ewan focused on the modification potions for the Elementalist, practicing and testing other potions on the side; Nana trained her control with the new type of Anima, while also tinkering with her artifacts; Kidd worked on his moves with Walyn and improved his stealth in the corridors; Stefan strived to normalize his new life without light, and trained his soul with the whispers of Anima; and Lance almost always stayed in the training hall, mastering the weapons, also meditating to manage his breath.
The course of months pitted them against some decoys, when the pirates sacrificed a ship to slip away, but Ewan’s control over the situation with directing the patrol and conducting his men felled their plans, and they ran back to the shelter of the island. However, the immediate retreats and their lack of initiative to start a conflict in the near waters gave Ewan an estimate of the range up to which Graventos would mind the chaos, and so, Stormfalcon backed off even more and the perimeter of their blockade soared. Nonetheless, they endeavored to either smother the pirates on the island or slay them out on the ocean.
….
“Is it my turn already?” Kidd griped and groaned, sprawling on the top deck, staring at the starry sky.
“Get your ass up.” Ewan flew into the protective cover and kicked his butt. “Don’t slack off out there,” he said.
“It’s boring, Boss. And that muscle-head made me accompany him in training, I’m tired.”
“You just need to sit there and keep an eye out,” Ewan said, looking down at him and nudging his ribs with his boots. “Hurry up or I’ll bald you.”
Kidd sighed, and with a slouched back, hovered away from Stormfalcon. He was replacing Ewan, and Frost and Orange would also rotate on his prompt, so he floated along the circumference like a dead dog, leaving his grumblings in his trail.
Ewan frowned at his drifting back, reflecting on the current situation. The blockade had blended into their routine, and that showed a problem in itself. They were here to make some coins, and whether what they earned was a profit or a loss would depend on the effort spent on it. And they’d already spent a lot. It wasn’t worth it, the pirates weren’t worth the struggle, the thought seeped into his mind and made him reconsider their choice.
“Long ago on a simple island, there lived a family of two, a husband and a wife.” Yet, he’d merely completed the thought and hardly mulled on it when a man’s husky voice rumbled onto the warship, and he froze. He neither knew the owner of the voice nor recognized the source, but it was Graventos, he had no doubt. “With the consummation of their loving marriage, the wife soon became heavy with child. After ten months of grueling yet rewarding struggle, she finally gave birth. Did she bear the husband a son or a daughter?”
The perplexity skyrocketed in Ewan, along with the dread of the unknown. Was it a question for him? Did he have to answer it? And what would happen if he answered incorrectly…
“She bore him a son.” Ewan betted on the supposed rules of neutrality for the Guardians and took a chance.
“Incorrect.” The voice thundered. And Ewan grunted in pain as his knees rusted, the reddish-brown patch spreading on the skin. He could barely stand, his joint creaked and ached with his weight, but he held his own and straightened his back, his breath choppy.
Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!
“The daughter was healthy and plump, she howled her cry upon birth, and they named her Violet. She spoke her first word at eight months, she called out Dadda. The beloved princess became the anchor of the married couple, and they loved her beyond themselves,” the man said. “When she turned five, her father took her to the market. She giggled in the hubbub, she loved the crowd, and she fell in love with a gray-furred puppy. Her father bought the puppy for her, and they named him Ears, for he had long flappy ears. He became a part of the family soon and was the daughter’s best friend. She fed him, walked him, bathed him, slept with him. But when Violet turned eight, Ears died. The princess bawled at his death and couldn’t let go of his corpse; she was heartbroken and devastated. So, did her father console her, taught her the lesson of life and death, and buried the dog? Or did he skin him, striped the innards, and turned him into a toy?”
Ewan struggled with the agony as his knees trembled, yet he answered with a steeled mind. “He turned the dog into a toy.” The abnormality of the situation led him to the deviant answer.
“Correct,” the man said. And there came no backlash, Ewan survived this round.
“The toy soothed Violet’s heart, even without a breath in him, Ears made her happy. But a year of passage saw her interest in the toy wane, and soon it ate dust in the corner, forgotten forever. Now at ten, her fascination led her to birds, and she fell in love with a parrot that was eloquent, each word spoken crisp and distinct. And they named him Hawk for his unusually large wingspan. She talked to him every day; he became her confidant. She told him things she never even told her mother. And Hawk never betrayed her trust, he never uttered her secret. He greeted her mornings, he sang her to sleep, yet at thirteen, she began to detest his voice, it irked and annoyed her whenever he spoke. So, did her father teach her to be loyal, did he punish her for being mercurial? Or did he kill the parrot, tweaked his voice, and gifted the toy-Hawk to his daughter?”
. And it has 40+ chapters ahead of the Royal Road release on it!
You can also join my
Note: Members are charged on the day they join, and then monthly on that same date. For example, if you join on the 10th, you'll be charged on that day, and then monthly on the 10th.
