The price of madness vol.01 : Dream and Condemnation

Mask of Distress

"Take me there..." Began the wolf.

"You sure ?" Worried the young Nar', swallowing quietly.

"Leave it to me..." You'll love it. She said.

A split second later, 113 slammed into the deck of the ship. The armlock she inflicted on him was intended to show him how to do it but its execution was far too fast for the boy to remember anything.

"You understood ?" She asked helping him up. "You have to be more flexible on your supports."

He wasn't sure he had understood, but nodded all the same so as not to act as a dummy more than necessary. Even if being glued to her did not displease him, it must be admitted. They were unfortunately the only ones to have kept their armor, the wind blowing the hood of 113 and Ni'iterci preferring it anyway, her collar once again open making the young Nar' dream. The other two had stored theirs in their cabins so that the sea air wouldn't damage them.

"Come on, the fun ends." Keryll said. "Let's go to the sword now."

Ni'iterci went to sit in the shade of the mast next to Brena who was basking in the sun. Her aunt was much more pedagogical than Ni'i and slowly showing with clear movements what she was explaining. Within weeks, he had learned the basics of hand-to-hand combat and swordsmanship, with nothing else to do on board. Brena was in charge of his physical training. Even if he had a certain musculature, it was not balanced and some of his muscles were not working properly. After a while, the pains he had learned to endure vanished, proof that the training was paying off even though Brena was just scolding him and adding more exercises each time. Of course, he didn't match any of them. From an early age, they were trained to fight and think like the greatest generals in this world. It was not in a few weeks or even a few months that he was going to approach their level.

The journey was to last five months. The boat was an immense galleon of the Betorian navy bought by Ivancar's Gold. A three-storey boat for more than three hundred cannons. A marine juggernaut that nothing could stop once launched. The flag that adorned it was that of the War Sisters, but the sails bore the merchants' great acronym, a golden compass rose. About forty crew members, including the sailors and the Sisters in charge of their protection, shared a large compartment of the ship. The four companions had been placed in cabins normally reserved for guests near those of the merchants. They were escorted by three war frigates, also Nar', which respectively took the lead, the starboard side and the port side of the ship.

The calm did not last eternally because halfway they reached the Maelstrom. A huge weather disturbance placed all along the Wrecker Corridor with a gigantic cyclone all around it. It was because of HIM that this place was called the "Wrecker Corridor". A lot of ships disappeared during its crossing. It would even be more correct to say that very few ships came out of it.

"Are we going to cross it?" Brena asked.

"Afraid of getting wet?" Ni'i scoffed.

Brena groaned, nudging her friendly. The captain of the ship alighted near them.

"Ladies. Sir... You should take cover in your cabins. The crossing will likely to be bumpy."

"It's fine, thank you." Keryll said. "I want to see the navy in action."

"As you wish, General."

The captain bowed and walked back to the helm. The crew was accustomed to carrying important figures but never as high as the second of the Order. The tension was palpable, and the Maelstrom seemed to scare them less than Keryll's judgment. The storm wall was getting dangerously close and already a few miles away you could feel its power. The currents were strong and the waves crashed against the hull. Seeing that all the sailors were attaching themselves with ropes, they decided to do the same and it was probably not a bad idea because the wall was now a few hundred feets away.