Grey’s prediction turned out to be correct. It only took the Thorny Reef two more days of travel before the eastern coast of the main continent came into view. As much as I had enjoyed my time at sea, I was looking forward to a long stretch of time on land, away from any Neptaurians or giant sea spiders.

I shuddered.

Still, I didn’t see a port waiting for us. Hell, I even climbed the main mast to join a bemused Sylvia to get a better look. Nothing. All I saw was a surprisingly forested coast. In fact, I think we had entered a mangrove. It was certainly hot enough in this region, from the sweat that even now pouring down my face. It was downright tropical right now, enough that I and most of the other fleshies on the ship had stripped down to undershirts in order to not drown in our own sweat.

Apparently, Bella didn’t see anything either, from the unimpressed stare she was fixing Grey with.

“Just wait,” Grey assured the both of us. “As I said, it’s a bit hidden. The people of Sancthaven enjoy their privacy.”

Bella snorted, but continued to sail along the path that Grey was directing her along. Over the next few hours, the Reef continued along towards the coast that was coming ever closer. Before long, I could make out the individual roots on the dense mangrove thicket that was hugging the coast. Before long, Bella had to call for the sails to be furled in order to stop the ship. We slowly drifted to a halt.

“Well?” Bella asked Grey, irritated. “We’re in spittin’ distance of the damn coast now. Where’s this damn village?”

Honoka, who had come up to join us at the helm dressed in a pair of white and red robes, snorted. “Calm down, girly. I’ve been here too. We just need to send the right signal. They don’t open the doors for just everyone, now. Get on with it, you old fossil.” She said to Grey.

Grey snorted, raising a hand into the air. “That’s rich, coming from you,” He muttered. Still, he cast a spell of some kind, launching a ball of bright white light into the high into the sky. Once it had reached a high enough height, it exploded into a sigil. To my eyes, it looked like someone had chopped a mangrove tree in half right down the center and then crossed those halves over each other.

You know, if I tilted my head slightly, it…kind of looked like a pair of axes.

Either way, that must have been the correct signal, because something unexpected happen.

A section of the coast before us shimmered and faded away. In its place was revealed a long, straight corridor of a river that led farther into land bordered on either side with more mangroves. There was no way that river was anything but man made. I cast a considering gaze along the shoreline as well. There must be a scout or something out there that had been waiting for the right signal to lower these defenses.

“Wha-” Bella sputtered, completely surprised. She wasn’t the only one. Impressed and amazed gasps erupted from many of the curious crew members that had wandered up onto deck. The sight was certainly shocking enough for me, as well. But, honestly?

I just thought it was cool.

“Oh!” Sylvia said, joining us on the helm deck. “An illusion I see.”

Grey smiled at his daughter. “Indeed, indeed. As I said, they rather enjoy their privacy out here. I only know of them from long dealings in the past.”

Bella cast a skeptical glance at the older man. “Thought you said these guys were just a fishing village? No godsdamn fishing village I’ve ever seen has an illusionary entrance.”

Grey and Honoka both laughed at her words, but it was Grey that answered. “They like to consider themselves a fishing village,” He said, still chortling at a joke only he and Honoka knew. “And the illusion is more for your safety in the end. After all, these coasts are swarming with pirates. They don’t want to have to slaughter every last group of them that come poking around.”

Bella narrowed her eyes at that, and snorted. “We’ll see,” She grumbled. Nevertheless, she still called for the sails to be unfurled at half mast. She turned the ship around and pointed it at the newly opened gap in the shoreline.

The Thorny Reef sailed in.

It didn’t take us long to find the village that Grey was speaking about. We were only sailing along the surprisingly wide river for about ten minutes before we encountered it.

It…really wasn’t what I was expecting, from the words ‘fishing village’.

This was a full-on town, and an odd one at that. The architecture was like nothing I had ever seen on Vereden.

It looked almost…grown.

Everything from the docks to the various ‘buildings’ in the town looked to have been grown from single tree seeds. It was hard to even call them buildings though. They were really just massive trees that had been hollowed out. Despite being visibly emptied for occupation though, these trees were still alive and holding up well under their own weight. In fact, they seemed to be thriving. Even though people seemed to be living in this…forest town, they had a myriad of different fruits growing on their branches. Woven netting seemed to connect many of the tree tops, as a kind of above-ground, literal highway. There were also plenty of branches that seemed to have been woven together to create either platforms or pathways above ground.

However, there was nobody visible in the town. Rather, all of the doorways that I could see were shut tightly. It was downright eerie how empty this place was.

It was only as the Thorny Reef pulled up to the bizarrely twisted dock along some equally bizarre boats that anyone appeared. Two people stepped out a hut that lay next to the docks. One was a sweaty looking human man dressed in light leathers, wiping his brow. He looked relieved to see the Reef, honestly.

The other person was…odd, to say the least.

They were tall, for one. As tall as the still comatose Venix, but much thinner. I couldn’t see a thing about their form, however. They were wrapped in what looked to be a thick, concealing robe that seemed to be woven from leaves. Their head was completely obscured by a similar hood, and over their face was a wooden mask, hiding their face from view. The mask was stylized after the head of a stag, painted in greens and golds. What looked to be real horns grew from the forehead of the mask, pure white in color. The masked figure was holding a gnarled wooden staff in their right hand and leaning on it as they watch the Thorny Reef dock at what I assumed was their port.

At the sight of the robed figure and its mask, something tickled in my brain. Something about that mask looked familiar to me, but I wasn’t sure what. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

Grey departed the helm, with most of what I was considering the leadership of our little band following in his wake. In other words, Honoka, Bella, and Woodrick, who had emerged from below decks some time ago. I trailed along behind them, spotting Sylvia breaking away from our group as I did so. In an inverse of Woodrick, I think she was heading below deck in order to inform the passengers we had arrived at our destination.

Grey waited patiently as the crew set down the ramp leading down from the ship, and then stepped off with the rest of the leadership following. I stayed on the ship, just watching from the railing. Grey approached the two figures that were waiting, and then did something that surprised me.

He bowed at the waist slightly at the robed figure. In fact, it wasn’t only him that did so. Honoka followed his lead and bowed as well, in a surprisingly respectful gesture from the normally firey old woman. “Elder,” Grey said respectfully, still bowed. Honoka remained silent.

I blinked.

This guy was older than Grey? Hah, was he over a thousand years old or something? Wait.

That actually sounded possible.

The other people in our party milled about in confusion at seeing our nominal leader bow to another. Looking uncertain, I even saw Woodrick bow slightly himself.

The robed figure sighed in an aged, creaky voice. “That isn’t necessary,” They said in a tired tone, accented in a way that I had never heard on Vereden. Now that we were closer, I could see that the figure’s eyes were visible through their mask. They were a surprisingly bright emerald in color, purer in shade than even mine were.

Grey and Honoka finally straightened up. “It is,” Grey said firmly. “Allowing our agent to stay in your home is very generous of you. The kindness of Ealáindeall will not be forgotten.”

Ealáindeall? I thought this was Sancthaven? Maybe it was just a quirk in Language Adaptation. I noticed that kind of happened sometimes, with names.

“I would rather it was,” The robed figure said pointedly. “We have no wish to be involved in the outside world, Favored of Elys.”

Grey dipped his head. “I have not forgotten. Rest assured, we won’t impose on your generosity for long, Elder. All I ask is that you allow us a night of rest, and then we will depart in the morning.”

The Elder’s hooded head dipped slightly in a nod. “Very well. You and your charges may stay in the guest hall for the night. But, I insist that all you bring ashore stay in the hall. My people are already anxious enough about outsiders among our boughs. I don’t wish to worsen that panic with wanderers. However, the pirates cannot stay.” He said in a firmer tone of voice.

Bella snorted, stepping forward. “You got a problem with pirates, old man?” She said challengingly.

The Elder’s pure green eyes fell on Bella then. Whatever welcome had been present in them for Grey was gone in the gaze he gave her. “Yes,” He said flatly. The dock that they were standing on creaked then, as if to punctuate his words. Out of the corner of my eye, I swear I saw something twisting and slithering. But when I looked, all I saw was one of the twisted roots of the landing.

I took a deep breath. Bella, maybe don’t antagonize the guy that Grey and Honoka had both bowed to?

She must have realized that as well, because she snorted then. “Whatever. Whitegull, finish up here and then we can.” Bella turned on her heel then and marched back up the ramp onto her ship. Despite her bravado, I could tell that she had taken the implied threat seriously as she passed me. Bella looked as wary as I had ever seen her. Her eyes flickered my way, before she began barking commands at her crew.

I focused back on the discussion below. The Elder seemed to have finished saying his piece and had begun walking away. Meanwhile, Grey and the remaining leadership had finally turned to face the patiently waiting human.

He actually saluted them, laying on closed fist over his heart and bowing his head briefly. “I’m pleased to see that your mission was a success, Grand Marshal. Agent Weston, at your service. I assume the rest of the hostages are on the ship?”

Grey nodded. “They are. I assume you brought the necessary transport for them?”

“I did,” Weston dipped his head again. “Two passenger carriages and the required horses. Both are waiting outside near the guest hall that you’re meant to use. As well, they’re outfitted with enough supplies for the needed journey. These carriages were chosen for their nondescript appearance in order to minimize possible waylaying. So they might be a bit, ah, bumpy.”

In other words, they weren’t going to be anywhere near as comfortable as either Gren’s carriage had been, or the Ironclad. Joy.

The Agent spoke up again hurriedly, before Grey could get another word in. “But that’s not all. I’m afraid there’s been some developments while you’ve been gone, Grand Marshall.”

Grey’s attention sharpened. “Speak.”

“Command made the decision to further strengthen their hold on the northern provinces, and forcibly evict whatever Loyalist presence that could be found. While successful,” The Agent reported dutifully. “This led to an unintended side effect. Reports of troop movements were received to be sighted at Helstein. Command was alarmed at the possibility of the gate to the south being further reinforced. The decision has been made to mobilize the Uprising in a second attempt to take it. With or without news of your successful mission. I was instructed to request your presence with the main host, upon your return.”

I straightened up in surprise. The Uprising was going to try and take this Helstein place again? Last I heard, they’d been turned away and lost a major battle there last time. But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised they were attempting to take it again. From attending Grey at Uprising meetings in Hollow Hill, I had learned that the Uprising was in danger of being unable to field a combat force soon if they couldn’t regain the majority of their noble support. They must be desperate if they were going to try now.

Grey must have made the connection I had as well. He sighed.

“Damn.”