The Goddess Returns

Chapter 1: The Lonely Coast

The Lonely Coast was said to be the safest route from the small coastal town of Akasar to the continent of Lafaire's capital city, Hourence. Little traffic, no pirate or raider activity, no monsters—sea, land, or air—and calm, balmy waters even a complete sailing novice could navigate with ease.

The thing about sayings is that they aren't always true. The Lonely Coast could still claim lives, or wreck ships, or lose whole loads of cargo if the gods happened to be in a capricious mood. And on this particular day at the beginning of summer, a long-forgotten goddess stirred from her extended slumber...

* * *

Akasar was home to the largest branch of the Merchant's Guild outside of Hourence itself, a bustling palace of a building with several large courtyards for commerce and trade to take place. Sandy stone walls stood tall on all sides, with brilliant white roofs and intricately carved Arabesque panels.

Shaded hallways were alive with the footsteps of merchants and traders and privateers, and at every corner and doorway of import stood a guard in the traditional white and red garb of the Guild and carrying sleek blast cannons, rifle-like weapons utilising magical infusion for additional damage.

Towards the rear of the Guild premises, a private port bustled day and night, no matter the weather, with the salty sea breeze carrying hints of exotic spices and delicate textiles imported from faraway lands.

At the end of one of the many white marble-flagged piers stood two young ladies in high standing at the Guild, preparing to set off on a simple trade mission to the capital; the result of a breakdown of the regular overland train line. Five days around the Lonely Coast, a day to drop cargo and kick back in the city's magnificent Pleasure District, and another five days back. Easy money.

The shorter of the two, a dark-skinned girl with a slight frame, had white hair the colour of purest silk with maybe just a hint of sandiness, tied up into two buns perched at the rear of her head. Her amber eyes followed crate after crate as they were loaded onto their schooner's deck by a mechanical crane the Guild had recently invested in. She occasionally glanced down at a wooden clipboard cradled in her arm, nodding in satisfaction.

Her partner, a woman a good head taller than her with ivory skin, had what might be called a voluptuous figure, with long cocoa hair reaching to her posterior and deep ocean green eyes. Her younger partner was lithe and modest in every aspect compared to her rounded curves, making for an interesting little and large dynamic.

A well-dressed young man walked up the pier, his pointy shoes kicking up dust with each footfall and his hair styled with a new-fangled invention simply called Hair Glue. He came to a halt by the two girls and bowed, his fine, ivory-handled rapier pointing skyward for a moment, before returning upright and placing a hand on the weapon's hilt.

"I trust you are both well?" he said. "Guild Master tells me you're heading around to Hourence to drop the latest shipment of Alto Spices, Levana?"

The older girl, who looked a few years senior to her shorter partner, nodded at him. "We leave as soon as the last crate is loaded. That storm over Cavot's Basin did a good job of wrecking the viaduct, I'm told."

"Alas, even the latest advancements in magical technology are feeble next to the power of the Mother Goddess," the young man said. "In any case, I wish you a safe trip. And on that subject, Sui"—he turned to the younger girl—"you might wish to keep your Mind's Eye active. Our Seers tell me we're due for a storm along the Lonely Coast."

The white-haired girl addressed as Sui raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that, boss? Lonely Coast hasn't had a proper storm in all my nineteen years."

"I'm sure he wouldn't be telling us if he didn't think it was serious," Levana said, noting that the last few crates were now being loaded. "We'll just have to be extra careful, Sui."

"I'm always careful!" Sui snapped.

"I said extra careful, Sui, I wasn't impugning your ability behind the wheel," Levana said, holding both hands up in hopes of mollifying her partner.

"Well... all right," Sui said. She waved at the young man. "See you in a couple of weeks, boss!"

With that, she walked up the gangplank and stepped onto the deck of her beloved Carval, the vessel left to them by Levana's father when he was awarded the position of Admiral of the Fleet; it was an unusual move, going from a trade vessel to commanding a whole navy, but circumstances had conspired to put him into a spot of bother involving the Carval, a pirate flotilla, and commanding a ragtag fleet of ships to victory against a superior foe.

"We shall see you on our return, Master Yenson," Levana said, giving the young man a shallow bow of her own.

"Send a lightgram message on your arrival, if you would?" Yenson said. "We have no other ships scheduled to take the Lonely Coast route for the next week, most of our vessels are heading east to the Alto Lands, so it'll be nice to know you reached Hourence safely."

"We will," Levana said, and headed up the gangplank, which she pulled up behind her and stored in its stow spot, clamped into place along the inner hull. She called up to Sui, who was already manning the helm. "I'm starting the generator, Sui!"

"Ready when you are," Sui called back.

Heading below decks, Levana made for the rear of the vessel, where an eldritch device squatted like a toad on a lily pond. Several large flywheels with belts connecting to smaller wheels adorned the machine, plus cogs and pistons and other parts of a mechanical nature. And in the centre, a green crystal the size of her fist.

Levana pushed a red button on the machine and stepped back as it hissed and whirred to life, forcing air through a series of tubes running the length of the vessel, which in turn ran up the main mast and terminated at strategic points along the lengths of sturdy wood holding the sails.

The sails billowed and Sui carefully turned them about to head out of the port and into the gentle waters of the Shadowy Bay, named for the perpetual shadows cast by high rock faces and trees surrounding the area. Soon they were on their way around the northern coastline in a crescent shape, turning back on themselves in order to head to Hourence on the continent's western coast.

The Lonely Coast beckoned.