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Salt and Blood - Chapter 34
🕑 Added 2024-10-06 14:02:12 +0000 UTC<< Chapter 33 | Table of Contents | Chapter 35 >>
1.34 - The Gates of Minenblum
The Bluestone Sea is a tiny corner of the world. What they call nations we see as backwater villages. Minenblum might pass for a town, but the royal family are an arrogant bunch.
-Excerpt from ‘The Scale of the Sea’ by Joshua Humphries
Trent was fast asleep in the cabins below deck, recovering from yesterday’s fearsome clash. Rose was at the wheel—her navigation proficiency was improving in leaps and bounds.
Felix was leaning against the railings beside her. The storm had passed and there was no need for constant adjustments to the sails.
“Thank you Felix. You’re a fantastic friend,” she said without taking her eyes off the horizon.
“I am. What exactly are you thanking me for, though?” he chuckled.
“You didn’t need to help us escape the Minenblum Navy. I know how you feel about pirates. So, thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. If they captured us, I’m sure I’d get branded as a pirate anyway. I’d rather wait to part ways and find a path back to Derridas on my own,” he said, turning out to sea to hide his blushing cheeks. “And whatever you choose to do with your life, whatever… misdeeds you’ve already committed—he waved an arm at the ship—we’re friends. That means a lot to me. I don’t want to see you jailed. Or worse.”
Rose was smiling ear to ear. A tear rolled down her cheek and she rushed over, pulling the boy into a hug.
“Hey, stop that. What are you doi-”
Despite his complaints, he hugged back even tighter. They stayed like that for a while, staring out to sea and enjoying each other’s company under the pink and orange evening sky.
“Go get some sleep, I can handle the ship for a while.”
“Are you sure? You need rest, too.”
“Don’t worry about it, I can sleep when Trent wakes up.”
“Thank you, Felix.”
“No problem.”
Whoever furnished the ship hadn’t skimped out on the bedding. Instead of stuffy bunks with scratchy blankets, the ship had ten bedrooms, each with fluffy mattresses and duvets. Rose sank into the soft pillows, bringing up her status to peruse.
Name: Rose Everblue
Race: Human
Occupation: Apprentice Scholar 5
Title: Apprentice
Available Titles: Murderer, Apprentice
Skills: Cleaning 11, Reading 11, Fishing 14, Swimming 8, Writing 12, Butchery 6, Cooking 6, Herding 2, Focus 14, Drawing 11, Sailing 14, One Handed Weapons 5, Blades 7, Pistols 9, Firearms 5, Unarmed Combat 1, Endurance 4, Precision 5, Arcane Attunement 2, Light Attunement 3, Stealth 4, Athletics 7
Traits: Sensitive Line, Deft Hand, Good as New, Tunnel Vision, Endless Inkwell, Quick Consumption, Knot my Problem
I wonder what my parents are doing right now. Her last waking thoughts were of home. They must be worried sick. Rose decided to write them a letter.
***
Dear Mother and Father,
It is Rose. I am writing to let you know that I am alive. More than alive. I am finally chasing my dreams. I’m having a lot of fun. Since leaving Fairwater Bay I’ve met more interesting new people than I can count and been in two naval battles, a breaching convergence, and a heist. That probably doesn’t make you worry less about my safety, but I don’t care. Life is so exciting. I have a profession now—Apprentice Scholar. It sounds more boring than it is. I have twenty two skills and seven traits! You might not believe me, but it’s the truth. This world is far more incredible, far larger than I ever knew. I hope I can show you both one day. I hope you are well. I love you.
Rose
Skill up!
Writing 12 > 13
Your profession has advanced!
Apprentice Scholar 5 > 6
Whorls splashed as a tear fell from her cheek and onto the page of her notebook, right beside her printed name. Rose hadn’t realised quite how much she missed her parents until she put it into words.
This was her journey. She couldn’t share it with everyone, as much as she wanted to.
The first rays of sunlight crept into the cabin as she tore the page from the book. Rose folded it neatly in two places and then dripped some wax from her candle onto the edge to seal it closed. On the back, she wrote:
Simon and Alyssa Everblue
Fairwater Bay
Emerlan Isle
Only after completing her letter did Rose realise she had no clue how to get it back home without making the trip herself. Something to ask Trent, when he woke up.
There was a gentle breeze in the air and her lips tingled with salt when she stepped out onto the deck. A beautiful morning—their last at sea, before arriving at their destination.
She could already see the cliffs of Minenblum on the horizon, wearing a golden crown as the sun poked over the top of Eastfel Bay.
Imposing and mighty. This would be her first real adventure in a city. Her brief stint in Highbream didn’t count. They’d barely had time to explore while planning the heist.
It was a rather minor city, all things considered, but still twice as large as Greengate—the capital of Emerlan Isle. Cobbled streets, buildings with more than one floor, and a vibrant, eclectic medley of people.
Rose didn’t know what she was more excited for—the exploration or the chance to have her treasures refined by a master craftsman. Or at the very least, a skilled one. She had no money, after all.
The ocean was calm and the ship required little adjustment. Felix was still at the wheel. She waved to him across the deck, but walked to the front of the ship instead.
Sitting on the prow was peaceful. Rose took out her sketchbook and pencil, trying to recall the magnificent, terrifying clash between Trent and the Commodore. She wanted to give him the drawing as a gift, but feared she couldn’t do justice to the incredible scene.
Starting from how she had felt was always easy. Art was an outpouring of emotion, so going back to the roots helped her drawings take shape. Soon her pencil was flowing across the page and the world faded away as her focus took hold.
***
When they had sailed into Highbream, Rose had still been riding the high of escaping the convergence and not focusing on their surroundings. Sailing into Eastfel Bay was incomparable—an experience enriched by the fact they were sailing on their own pirate ship.
The city itself was tucked into a bay, surrounded by towering cliffs. They had to pass the twin fangs to approach the bay itself—rocky outcroppings that jutted into the ocean like the fangs of a wolf, ready to tear into ships that weren’t mindful of the hidden reefs.
As they rounded the final corner, the city finally came into view. It sat on the lowest of the cliffs, yet still was perched high above the ocean like a watching bird of prey. Some called it the ‘Gates of Minenblum’ due to its position at the edge of the Aetherdew Ocean to the north of the continent.
The harbour lay at the base of the cliffs—they were a city unto themselves. Even at a distance Rose could see dockworkers scurrying about like ants, ferrying cargo as they loaded and unloaded the myriad ships that were sprawled across the bay.
Most fantastic and magical of all were the moving platforms. Powered by tidestones, they were grand affairs that traversed the cliffs, carrying new arrivals and cargo up to the city and departing folk back down.
Rose hadn’t believed Trent when he told her they were not a working of magic or the tide, but technology created by human hands. Once again her horizons were expanded. Truly, the world was filled with endless possibilities.
“Trent, won’t it be dangerous for you to enter the city? That navy guy chasing you was from Minenblum, right? You must be a wanted man here,” asked Rose.
“It’s fine. The navy has their own dock on the other side of the fangs. Besides, we’re only here for a day or two. Three max. Nothing will happen. If it does, you just sail into the distance and continue chasing your dreams, dear Rose.”
It was a lackadaisical response that did little to assuage her fears. There wasn’t much Rose could do however, so after they docked in the spot they had been assigned, she gathered her letter, her sketchbook, and her ship’s log and made her way towards the moving platforms.
Trent was going to handle the supplies. The Crown of Salt hadn’t been empty when she stole it, so there were plenty of miscellaneous goods for him to sell or trade.
Felix decided to come with her. “A last adventure before we part ways. I’ve never been to Eastfel Bay before, so I’ll explore with you,” he said.
“Let’s hope you can keep up with that big head of yours weighing you down,” quipped Rose.
He chuckled with mirth. “You’re only that quick because yours is empty.”
They kept up the light hearted banter all the way to the base of the cliffs. It was easier than facing the weight of their emotions.
When she’d been blown off Unrequited Love the previous time, she hadn’t been given a choice. There was none of this… guilt. She felt like she was letting Felix down by leaving him behind.
But she wore a smile on her face. The heavy stuff could come later. A gruff worker waved them over. There were queues for each of the platforms and they needed to be signed in.
More than anything, Rose wanted a chance to see the inner workings of the grand machinery that powered the entire system. Would they let me?
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