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Once the ferry had pushed off the dock, the adventurer eagerly ran up to the main deck, hoping to catch a glimpse of Selbina from the sea. It was an amazing view. Selbina, surrounded by high stonewalls, was carefully hidden from view so that pirates sailing the sea would have trouble getting into or close to the port. The rock formations looked like they were shaped that way on purpose, but it was all created by nature. As the port town was slowly shrinking on the horizon, the adventurer looked all around the ferry, while the merchant pulled out his wares for other ferry travelers to purchase.
The adventurer could see nothing but water all around. To others, a similar view might have inspired feelings of isolation or despair, but to the adventurer the view meant untold potential. At any moment a new island might pop into view, or strange new creatures might jump out of the water. Even a storm could make a sudden appearance in the now-calm seas, and the adventurer would be happy at the new occurrence in his life. However, as is usually the case, the event he least expected was just around the corner.
As the adventurer looked all around the ferry, he spotted another ship, not far from them. He asked the merchant if it was another ferry headed for Mhaura, but the merchant kept quiet. His eyes were focused on the ship, watching its every movement. As soon as the other ship adjusted its trajectory to get closer to the ferry, the merchant yelled out to the people on the deck that pirates approached. The adventurer, astonished, stared at the other ship, trying to see the pirates. Before long the pirate ship was moving alongside the ferry, ready for boarding, and the merchant pulled the adventurer away from the edge of the ferry.
Finally paying attention to his surroundings, the adventurer noticed a number of people on deck, facing the pirate ship, ready for battle. There were two dark-clothed individuals, who covered their faces with a kind of black scarf. There was a girl with an enormous sword and a roguish grin on her face, and two other men with robes and hoods that covered their heads. The merchant was behind them, axe in his hands, but looking extremely nervous. The adventurer, unsure of what to do, lined up next to the group, pulled out his sword and prepared for battle.
The pirates themselves, visible now on their deck, wore long brown robes, and walked up to the ship’s edge, but did not board the ferry. The adventurer, confused, was about to ask for an explanation when he heard their very low chanting. The pirates would use magic to fight them. Three skeleton warriors appeared in front of the makeshift party, with empty eyes and evil grins on their faces. They carried heavy clubs and shields to fight the ferry passengers, and at once raised their weapons and charged.
Every sword-wielding party member rushed at the skeletons, slashing their bones and breaking shields. The two dark-clothed strangers and the girl fought bravely, dismantling the skeletons in a flash. However, the real fighters were the hooded men, using magic to attack the pirates from their ship, blasting them with both dark and holy magic. The merchant pulled back, in an effort to evade the fighting, and the adventurer decided to resume the usual role he had with the capitaine: stand back and heal.
The fighting seemed never ending. Though the party managed to beat back wave after wave of skeletons and weaken the pirates, in a few minutes the attack would resume, exhausting them very promptly. The adventurer rested between fights, as without him there would be no one to heal the wounds or cast protective shields. The battle went on for what seemed like hours, and everyone in the party was exhausted. The pirates were also tiring, as the interval between attacks was increasing.
Suddenly, during an attack, the pirates changed their chanting, and more skeletons then usual appeared. Surprised, everyone in the party retreated a bit, but continued their attack. The adventurer was incredibly tired, ready to give up and let the pirates win. But everyone else fought on. The girl with the enormous sword had trouble standing after she was hit on the leg, but did not stop attacking. The two dark strangers had blood smeared over their clothes, and the hooded magicians could barely stand. Even the merchant, who avoided the fight, was drained from fighting off the few skeletons that attacked him.
With that image as inspiration, the adventurer mounted one last healing spell. Concentrating his mind, he let loose a curing spell that healed everyone in the party, which was huddled together. The spell not only cured their wounds, but also revitalized them, filling them with strength and confidence. However, as soon as the spell was cast, the adventurer’s world darkened rapidly, and he fainted.
Waking up hours later, the adventurer unexpectedly saw a clear, blue sky. He could feel the breeze and the ferry was still moving, so he knew he was still at sea. Slowly sitting up, and with an enormous headache, the adventurer quickly realized the outcome of the battle. Though tired and wounded, the party sat on deck talking and laughing, sharing small pieces of food to regain their strength. The merchant noticed the adventurer was awake, and at once the party shifted to surround the adventurer. Everyone explained to him how his spell had shifted the battle, as the pirates were unable to summon more skeletons afterward and were finally driven away by the magic users. Once they knew the adventurer was alive, they sat down to rest and enjoy the remainder of the trip. Each of them thanked the adventurer, who expressed his happiness, and he looked up at the sky with a warm, but tired, smile on his face.
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Even with a full moon out, La Theine Plateau was very dark that night. The adventurer peeked around the tree to check the situation. Three orcs in front of him were camping around a fire, all patiently keeping an eye out for lost adventurers. The border between La Theine Plateau and Ronfaure had always been a high-traffic area, and even with the placement of a Royal Knight there, security was by no mean established. The adventurer knew that to make it past the orcs he would have to fight them one by one.
He wished the capitaine were there to help him. The capitaine would dispatch of at least one orc, or distract them while he attacked from behind. However, the capitaine was currently busy, training some more to hone her already deadly skills, and also helping to train those less skillful than her in the woods of Ronfaure. The trip to Windurst, magical capital of the world, which he had planned for a while, would be no easy task for as inexperienced a person as him. The adventurer knew he’d have to survive on his own, but he welcomed the challenge.
Even lacking the capitaine, the adventurer had become a decent challenge for an orc. He had learned how to wield a sword properly, and practiced new attacks that would fill the hearts of orcs with fear. He also learned to cast debilitating magic attacks, like Poison and Blind, which would help him during his travels. And his Scale Armor was as trusty as ever, filling him with confidence. However, the trick this time was making it past an Orcish Fodder and two Orcish Mesmerizers, which could cast the same incapacitating magic as the adventurer, and even worse.
He remembered the bow and arrows he had purchased that morning, and decided now was as good a time as any to use them. The adventurer quietly prepared his shot, hiding in the darkness form the orcs, who still had no idea they were being targeted. Carefully taking his time aiming, he finally let an arrow fly. Unexpectedly, the arrow his one of the Orcish Mesmerizers in the chest, knocking him down and giving the adventurer time to ready his sword. The other two orcs began looking around, searching for the adventurer’s hiding place, when a bright light blinded them for a few seconds.
After casting Dia, he leapt at the group of orcs from the shadows, swinging his sword at the Orcish Mesmerizer who began to cast Poison. Managing to interrupt the magic attack just in time, the adventurer drove his sword into the orc’s torso, pushing it into the ground where it lay motionless. Just when he thought things would be easier, he felt a pain in his chest, and saw the other Orcish Mesmerizer standing behind the Orcish Fodder, an evil smile on its face.
Now poisoned, the adventurer had to act fast before the weakening magic took full effect. Charging at the orc casting magic, he swung his sword through the air, striking the magical staff of the Orcish Mesmerizer and breaking it in two. Now defenseless, the orc turned to run, and the adventurer quickly cast Blind to slow down the getaway. Blinded, the orc ran at full speed into a wall, knocking itself out. The adventurer, relieved that one more orc was down, turned to face the Orcish Fodder. The Orcish Fodder has not wasted its time while the other two orcs distracted the adventurer. It had cast Howl on itself, gaining strength to dispatch the poisoned adventurer.
Feeling his strength abandon him, the adventurer tried to cast Cure to heal his wounds, but the orc interrupted him and pushed him back against a tree. Regaining his composure for a second, the adventurer focused his strength into a massive blow to the head of the Orcish Fodder. Possessed by rage, the orc did not evade the attack, and now found its vision clouded by its own blood. Cracking the orc’s skull gave the adventurer time to retreat and heal his wounds, while the orc blindly swung his axe through the air.
When casting Cure, the adventurer gave his position away to the orc, who headed straight for him, axe raised in the air and ready to take him down. The adventurer stood his ground, stepped out of the way at the last second, and slashed the belly of the orc, who fell growling in agony. Crawling a short distance away, the adventurer waited for the effects of the poison to disappear, all the while going over the bloody battle in his head. He was beginning to drift into sleep when he heard a familiar voice through the linkshell.
He heard the capitaine’s voice, looking for people to tackle the Valkurm Dunes, leading to Selbina. Her voice calmed the nerves of the adventurer, who responded to her query in an exhausted voice. Worried, the capitaine inquired as to the well being of the adventurer, but he assured her of his eventual recovery. The capitaine’s voice kept the adventurer awake, and reinvigorated him. When the effects of the poison diminished enough to allow him to walk again, he informed his superior of his desire to travel to Windurst, and they decided to meet in the sand dunes to ensure their survival.
Still a bit dazed from his battle, the adventurer reached the dunes before sunrise, and immediately felt a chill through his body. The Valkurm Dunes were expansive stretches of sand surrounding the port town of Selbina, the stopping point for the ferry to Windurst. Without a map, the area was an indecipherable maze, with murderous goblins and gigantic insects behind every sand dune. Making his way over the dunes, the adventurer eventually reached a small oasis in a flat area, where he sat and tried to locate the capitaine through the linkshell.
Sitting in the oasis waiting for an answer, the adventurer spotted a person walking not far from him. He stood up and ran after the stranger, who carried a big axe on his back and seemed to know where he was going. Upon catching up to the stranger, the adventurer asked for directions to Selbina. Introducing himself as a merchant, the stranger explained that he was on his way to Selbina to ferry over to Mhaura for merchandise, and welcomed the adventurer to follow. When the merchant asked why the adventurer was sitting on his own in the middle of the dunes, the adventurer explained the situation and told the merchant of the capitaine. The merchant explained that it was better to wait in Selbina, safe from the monsters, or follow him all the way to Mhaura, if Windurst was the adventurer’s destination.
With no response from the capitaine, and his desire to see new lands, the adventurer began to wonder if the earlier contact with the capitaine was only his imagination, delirious as a side effect of the poison. Deciding to continue ahead, he followed the merchant closely while they made their way through the dunes toward Selbina. The adventurer saw many strange creatures in the dunes as sunrise approached, including bats, leeches, crabs, and enormous sheep. The ecosystem of places beyond La Theine Plateau was a mystery to him, but just getting a look at strange new creatures drove him forward. The merchant pointed at things the adventurer had never seen before, and seemed to have something to say about every single one of them.
The adventurer then saw a great rock formation ahead, and the merchant told him it was the entrance to Selbina. Eager to see what the famed port town looked like, the adventurer dashed ahead. Once through the gates, for the first time he caught a glimpse of the sea. The water around Selbina was not quite blue, but it had a slight aqua tint to it. The great rock formation he had seen earlier actually formed the foundation of the many wooden houses in the town. Everything was coated with thin layers of sand. The adventurer instantly adored the little port town.
The merchant’s voice broke the fantastic dream of the adventurer. The adventurer learned that the ferry would arrive in a couple of hours, so the merchant would buy some supplies for the trip and wait for him by the port. Still unsure about heading out without informing the capitaine, but with no response from the linkshell, he decided that it was probably a dream and followed the merchant. After buying some food necessities and visiting a friend in town, the merchant led them towards the port, to the ferry ticket counter.
Passage to Mhaura was not very expensive, but the ferry was no passenger ship. The trip would take about six hours, there were no individual rooms, only the main hold and deck, and there was absolutely no claim of a safe voyage. Even knowing all of this, the adventurer bought his ticket and ran down to the port to await the arrival of the ferry. He sat by the dock’s edge, enjoying the breeze through his hair, looking out at the vast ocean. The ferry quietly and slowly drifted into view, and after letting all the passengers from Mhaura out, welcomed the travelers from Selbina. Visions of a great, unknown land filled his head, and without looking back, the adventurer said goodbye through the linkshell and stepped into the ferry, ready for the long voyage ahead.
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