Eventide Scriptures I - The Shattering of an Era

Chapter 5 - New Path Opened

Eiran's foot splashed, breaking the stillness of the puddle. He wore a padded sand-filled vest as heavy as standard armor of Isofean army, even though the rain made it heavier.

He exerted all his strength and took the next step. He had been accepted as a member of the navy, but that was not enough. To become a ship's crew, not just a ground support crew, he had to pass a series of other tests.

The final test was to cover the distance from the eastern bay to the military harbor in the west before the water clock at the endpoint ran out and rang the bell. His peers were already out of sight. He began to cough and stumbled. His knees buckled, and his hands gripped the sand.

He had to stand. His fingers clawed at the beach sand. He had to stand, or he would fail. His hair hung down, framing his narrowed view of the sandy beach.

Two years after moving to Fhon, he was still a dwarf. His legs refused to stand, no matter how hard he forced them. However, he would cross the harbor gate, even if it meant crawling.

Out of nowhere, a firm hand clasped his upper arm and helped him to his feet.

"Jeth..." Eiran recognized the teenager. He was tall with a broad chest.

Another person grabbed Eiran's right arm and draped it over his shoulder. "Come on, hurry, the water clock is almost out when we get back," Haran said. He was shorter than Jeth but equally sturdy. He had known them since his early days as a recruit.

"Look, my beard has grown thick waiting for you," Jeth said, stroking his smooth chin.

They supported him through the second half of the journey then let him go just before the harbor gate came into view. Without Jeth and Haran, his body heavy and sluggish, burdened by his own effort. However, in their stead, the cheers of his peers carried him through the gate just moments before the bell rang.

The examiner reopened the inkwell and wrote his name on the pass list. Only after confirming that did Eiran finally collapse. Pats of congratulations from his fellows shook his body. He had no breath left to shout with joy; no matter, now he was a ship's crew.

There was just one problem. It was not the test, but this turned out to be a stumbling block for Eiran.

Every crew lived in pairs with a partner. Partners would take turns working, save each other if one fell overboard, inherit the other's possessions if one died. They shared food, sleeping quarters, and watched over each other. A partner was one's other half at sea.

Aspiring ship crews built trust with their chosen partners during the tests. Unfortunately, Eiran's partner had failed the previous test, and now he was left without one.

Out of the hundreds who passed the test, some were friendly with him. Others avoided him, considering his physique a burden. Those who befriended him already had their partners. Jeth and Haran had even promised to be partners from the beginning. He could not ask them to be his partner now.

He had only three days to register with his partner. Three days were too short... No, there were still three days!

That very day, when even blinking hurt, he searched for a partner among those who were still unpaired. However, they preferred to remain regular sailors or try again next year rather than risk their fate to Eiran.

On the second day, he tried different approaches. He offered a larger share of his wages to potential partners. He would share his rations with the partner because he did not need as much as they did. He was willing to split his booty, his small frame required less space on the ship, he was a smaller target, he could climb the mast easily, he would not crowd his partner when they had to sleep in the crow's nest, he could make repairs in tight spaces, he would work with ropes in dangerous places, he would be on the ship while the partner took shore leave he would clean the poop deck he would do the deathwatch he would empty the puke bucket he would clean the rotting ballast he would also...