Algernon Black

(Chapter 32) Damned to Dust

"Rough seas ahead." A badling crewmate announced as he struggled with refastening ship's sails.

"Just like the way, everything else in this world is heading" His senior and well-seasoned shipmate replied. Jared was eavesdropping on the conversation a few feet away. He came out to the bow after too much turbulence made laying down in his cabin impossible as the conversation of the men now made relaxing impossible.

"Even passing the port into Etilia seems like a gamble. Estera's been exploring that river further south and I don't think Etilia's gonna like that much."

"Well, Estera must have a death wish then." Said another one of the shipmates. A man younger than both of them but much more impressive in his stature and size. "If they want to press into Etilia's territory they have to get through the psychotic prince that guards it."

Jared's ear, already open to the conversation, opened wider. "And with that artifact in his control, Estera wouldn't stand a chance."

"From what I've heard it's Etilia that wouldn't survive." The other shipmate grumbled over a pipe in his mouth. "Rumor is that the king in Estera got himself two artifacts in his control, and I wouldn't be surprised if he got himself a third with how fast he's been building up his country."

Jared's seasickness grew along with the knot of worry swallowing his stomach. He had secured a ride on a cargo ship that usually traded on the Crimson coast so he knew their information was relevant, as was unfortunately probably their predictions.

"Maybe he'd take the one Etilia's got for himself. And then he could give Emora a run for their money."

Jared scuffed under his breath. No one could compare to the way Emora trained their artifact users, no matter how talented or psychotic.

"Yeah well, I've heard the newest user they've got is no joke with his artifact. Barely eighteen and said to be the most powerful man to ever hold the weapon. I bet he'd be a fair match for any prince or king." The youngest among them envied.

"Well, I'd settle to see any of the artifact users go against one another." The old man said, with his pipe spewing smoke into the air with each word he puffed out. "It sure would be an interesting fight."

"It wouldn't be a fight." The captain of the ship declared after coming to see what was taking the sails so long to raise. "It would be a war." His skin had turned to leather on the open sea and created strong wrinkle lines by his eyes that went all the way to his hairline. When Jared had made the contract with him for safe passage, he half expected him to turn him down with how serious he took to running his ship, but he relented only because of how serious Jared was to get to Etilia. "And a massacre for anyone and everyone near them." The captain used some magic to pull down one of the tougher sails that the three men before couldn't do with all their strength combined.

"I think I could give them a good fight if it came to it, captain." The younger boy said. "I've even picked up some magic from you." He held up the smallest ball of light magic with his hand that immediately went away when he lost his footing from the rocking boat.

"You'd be crushed as easily as the dust they walk on." The older captain replied. "With only dust left of ya after." The younger crewmate went quiet as did the older ones who listened to the captain like he was telling a story to a child before bed as thunder bellowed off in the near distance. "Them artifact users aren't just raised and bred to be as powerful as the weapons they wield. They do things that aren't possible for man. Take on armies without a single scratch, fly, turn boulders into pebbles, disappear before your eyes, or shoot enough energy out of their weapon to split ten of these ships in two. The things they're capable of don't make them human anymore, it makes them gods." His voice was as coarse as all the salt in the seas and only Jared understood how true his words were. "This world may have lost vessels a thousand years ago, but now we have those artifact users, and with how psychotic they're all said to be, I don't know which one could damn humanity more, but I know this world will be damned if they all start fighting. So, you lot better be praying to the right gods so that don't happen."

"Yes, captain." His team replied in unison.

Jared imagined Lucy in Attwood, where he knew at least one artifact user was in close proximity to her every day. He looked up to the storm ahead as more thunder screeched.

The captain made a quick glance over at Jared as the only one to take notice of the young man's eavesdropping. Like his sense had told him when he first met the boy, he was smart, smart enough to know the severity of the captain's warnings as was shown by the blatant anguish contorting his freckled face.