The next day came and I was keeping myself somewhat entertained by listening to the extravagant and exaggerated tales of the crewmen keeping away from the work by hiding in their quarters. I mean the boat only needed half of a half of them to run at any time and the rest were just an insurance policy.

I stroked the white rat in my lap as the crewman in front of me told a tale of when he was aboard a ship that was attacked by pirates. He made wild movements with his hands, blonde hair becoming frayed and unkempt and he kept changing the inflections in his voice. It was obvious he was lying but the way he presented himself was entertaining enough.

“Nice one, Marcus. Now it wouldn’t be fair if our new friend, the Shield went by without joining us for a tall tale.”

Marcus, the one who just had spoken sighed, “Don’t call it a tall tale, Greg.”

“That’s what they are though.”

“Well, yes but, the sailors- as in we- have an unspoken agreement to act like our tales our true.”

“So, your tales are fake, Marcus?”

“Yeah, Marc, did you not really kill a hundred pirates?”

“Well, not all of my tales are false, but yeah, I may have made some, half, most of it up.”

The door behind me slammed open, and the first mate, a pale woman with dark hair and a serious air suddenly barged in. “Hey there, you lazy lay-arounds telling tales? You trying to get by without me?”

The leader of the crewmen, a white haired sailor named Leo greeted their superior, “N-No ma’am. Go ahead.”

“Very well.” She took notice of me, “Hmm, you girl, what do you think of the tales the others have told?”

“Um. They are entertaining at the least.” I reply.

“Well, then. I’ll make sure mine are entertaining at the most.” She walked into the middle of the room, still in full regalia and began,

“Let me tell you worthless curs about a tale from when I was young, a tale of twist and turns that won’t be told here because I don’t aim to bore. A tale of a party that I was invited to, of a captured princess and a guard, that’s me, and some kids who let the demon free. At a party for those of prophecy…”

I zoned out since I knew this story. I came back in when she started stretching it enough to make it new for me.

“And lo, the girl and the boy she tricked were trapped in the cage of the twisted beast, the cage my fellow guards had let the reach and soon their blood would soil their palms. So, when that scream and squeal echoed I ran to their aid, blade drawn from my side I leapt to the cage.

‘Foul demon of the cage, let the kids go or else face my rage.’

The demoness with its antler horn charged and broke free of the cage. It spoke with a voice of calm and inner rage, ‘I do not need to waste more time, be glad I spared your life. My mother is waiting so now I must go.”

I scrapped a leg with a blade as it bounded past, but it stopped not but to check it’s direction. By the time I turned to check on the children they were off after their quarry, but were stopped by the guard and relocated to the party.”

She bowed and the crew either sincerely or because they felt they had to clapped their hands together, loudly.

“So, who exactly was the demon princess?” Asked Leo.

“The daughter of Honi, um. What was her name?” She looked at me, “You killed her grandfather, right.”

I sigh, “Yes. It’s Quaza.” Deities, how far had my name spread? Then again, the fact a military member knew my name and need shouldn’t have surprised me. Ulther loved to boast about Vern and me when around other captains. I was kind of glad I wasn't recognized for more than that, then again I did have a recent 'makeover'.

“Thank you. She disappeared from the local area after that, and I finished my training and became a first mate under the Captain. Now, with all you idiots destroyed by my superior storytelling, I bid you adieu.” She bowed after the fifteen or so odd minute tale and I went back to hanging out with the crew.

I smiled as I stood up in front of the crowd and began a tale that Vern won’t let me publicly put in this book since it involves him going and- (Even that is too much- Vern).

(Fine.)

I was quickly tossed out of the room since I had insulted a hero and the main of the crew thought heroes to be above all else. Just like the folks in the capital believe the High Mother to be a perfect being. She was not. And the only thing Vern is above is humility, as am I quite often. 

I laughed my way back to my room and laid down on the hammock on my stomach. I began to kick my legs in the air as my mind wandered to a name:

Quaza.

That name. That demon.

Yeah, not going there. Olli was bad enough. I spent a whole night worrying that she’d show up around Vern.

I put past events out of my mind and relax, happy to lie in the middle of the hammock letting it gently swing back and forth with the boat and against the boat.

(Okay, screw it. I hate this boat, I am skipping to the part Vern will kill me for leaving out before I lose it from writing about the same thing over and over. You know what happened the next few days? I chatted with Sairah, Vern and Fredericka and hung out with Hayli where we mostly just chatted while she taught me even more about how to be myself.)

Okay. So the captain had just revealed herself to be a demon and the rest of the crew as well. Vern, Sairah and I are the only ones who fighting because Hayli and Fredericka had an eating contest the night before and were in Hayli's cabin suffering from it. 

Sairah was choking out two crewmembers while I tried to fight in a dress, which was harder than it looked. I was in front of Hayli's cabin currently stabbing a group of demons with a rapier from the before named. None of the crew was particularly strong or tough

"Vern! What did you do?" I yell at my brother.

"What did I do? Why is it my fault?"

"She yelled, 'Accursed Heroes, the sham has gone on long enough' then grew wings and everyone started attacking us." Sairah yelled back.

Vern shook his head, running over to us. He looked at me. I sighed, "Really?"

"Come on, just watch my back."

I nod and stand back-to-back with Vern. The captain stands and holds her... I think the term is cutlass up and started to gather electricity. 

"Time to fry, hero!" Really. That's the line you use for an attempted killing of a Hero? 

The lightning flew towards Vern. I shook my head. I could hear Vern chuckle.  He reached out a hand and focused. The hiss began and I could feel the air gain that harsh quality that always happened around that kind of magic. That strange reflective object appeared in his outstretched hand. The lightning entered it and then the object broke sending back a zigzagging bolt of energy that bounced around the deck until it struck the captain who yelled in pain before starting to burn. The deck was quickly cleared by the three of us, any magic made mute by Vern's magic. I was glad he didn't overuse it. He did complain the mark burned a few times but soon the only one left was that pale First Mate.

"I knew cheaping out was a bad idea." She snapped her fingers and the bodies began to blink away. "Seriously though, no mercy at all?"

"You're trying to kill me!" Vern yelled charging at her. She dodged with ease.

"Yes. They were. I am not. I'm just an observer. The Lord will ascend. Just so you know." She then snapped her fingers and more bodies blinked.

"Who sent you?"

"If you're afraid it was those two, no. It was the Council." She looked at me, "Though I expect her mother wouldn't mind you two dying. I'm not paid to do anything else so… goodbye and probably see you soon." Then snapped her fingers and disappeared.

"I fucking hate spatial mages." Vern complained.

"Oh, we get lost in one corridor and you hate an entire magic type?"

“No it’s the fact they never fight with it as well. Waste of a cool power.” Vern said as his eyes glared at me. "Wait… who's sailing?"

Sairah and I looked at each other and she ran to the helm. Vern and I broke into the captain's cabin to find it... empty except for a map and compass. Our island was marked in a big red circle.

We looked at each other and shook our heads. We both had the same thought, "Hope Sairah can navigate a boat."

(Gonna Time Skip to a few days later.)

I walked up to my brother, “Hey, Vern.”

“Yeah, bro, fuck sorry, sis?”

“It's fine. Are we on course?”

“I hope so.” He said as he turned the wheel slightly side to side into the endless expanse of the ocean, trying to read a map and use some myriad of nautical instruments at the same time. Sairah had let us try and learn since it was apparently a good skill for us to have.

“We should be going faster. We did lose a lot of weight.”

“Yeah, and we also lost a lot of manpower.”

“We still have all of us.”

“Sairah nearly sank us by trying to sail in a storm, Fredericka keeps trying to eat all the food, Hayli is actual sick now, thanks to you, who by the way will only stay on the very center of the boat and otherwise hangs out in the commandeered Captain’s Cabin. And the only crew that weren’t demons stole the only lifeboat so we can’t even use prisoner of war laws."

“Hey, I help steer… at night so you can sleep.”

“Yeah, but at day I need someone up in the crow’s nest.”

“That is even more of a death trap.”

“You’re the only one that is small enough to not break the toothpick pole and that I trust to stay concentrated.” He replies.

“Well, have fun.” I say patting him on the back. He grumbles and returns to his navigation. Hopefully we wouldn’t get lost. That would be bad. Last time Vern got lost we ended up in demon territory. That did not end well. Nothing ever ends well for Vern and me, especially back then.

The day passed with me mostly ushering soup to Hayli and helping out with the sails. Then the next day arrived after a nice night passed out in the Captain's Quarters.

The land approached on the horizon, rapidly increasing in size. Birds flew onto the ship and off, inspecting the intruder to their home. We were another few hours away, meaning these birds were probably out hunting when they took note of us or something. I don’t know, I’m not an expert on that.

I could make out another boat, twice the size of ours by the island, barely visible. It looked a bit worse for wear. As in it barely classified as a boat more like a wooden skeleton that was rested on the rocky shore. I screamed inwardly looking at it.

“Holy shit, the hell happened to that boat?” Fredericka remarked viewing it through a telescope.

“Whatever it is, I hope the others are fine.” Hayli said solemnly.

“Heroes don’t die so easy, I’m sure the others are fine.” Sairah reassured her.

The island was a green jungle, lush and beautiful. I wanted to be on it. I glared at it, as though trying to will the wind to blow harder.

“You can’t make the wind blow.” Vern said shaking his head at me.

“You could if you had bothered to not skip magic training all the time.”

“I have that magic though, and besides it’s not like any harm came from it.”

“So, we just wait because none of us have magic that can do wind stuff?”

“Apparently.”

“Cool.” I say, but it is not cool.

I leave the deck and return back downstairs. Sairah and Hayli were in the kitchen making lunch. Sairah threw a sandwich at me. I caught a few sandwich ingredients and stuffed them in my mouth. I thanked her with my mouthduk and retired to my room. 

Hayli followed me and joined me. "Terra, are you ready?"

"Do you need to ask?"

"Same. I wonder if they'll be anyone fun on the island."

"I wonder if any of them are alive. That was barely a boat."

"Yeah." She looked down to the floor, "So... I need to help on lookout. You should rest, best way to pass the time." She leaned down a kissed my cheek smiling at I grew red. I tried to say something, but she was already out of the room. 

I sighed and tied my hair up and got my butt into a nightdress from Fredericka. I was slightly concerned that we were the close in sizes.

It was time for a nap. I sighed and fell on my old hammock, a perfect place for a few quick hours or so of a nap that was easily waken from. I closed my eyes hoping the island would be ready for me to jump onto when I awoke.