Qira looked up from the crate she was sifting through, when Kaljei arrived at the makeshift dock with the last of their things. It was still early morning, a blanket of mist laying across the waters. With one last look back at the island, she closed the crate and stood up on the deck of the boat. A drua, made with sturdy wood and a low railing surrounding the deck. In the middle of it was a small shelter made of a woven canopy, where Kaljei carried their supplies.
"How are we looking on food?" Qira called out to him.
"We've got enough to last us until Lotuku, but not much longer." He replied, stowing the last bundle. Stowing it securely, he walked back to cast off the dock line, and the boat creaked as it drifted away from the dock. Soon, the morning mist began to lift, with the first rays of sunlight penetrating it and reflecting on the water.
Qira sat thoughtfully near the bow of the boat, taking in the scenery and the vastness of the ocean surrounding them. Her attention soon turned to Kaljei, who was keeping them on course.
"What do you know about Lotuku?" She asked him.
"Not much. It’s the largest city in the Samkani region, housing a group of privateers, and it's where most of the larger ships around here pass through."
"Sounds fancy. Maybe the market got something nice then."
"Looking for anything in particular?" Kaljei cocked his head as he looked at Qira.
"Eh, kinda? I was hoping to get something like a few pots or urns. It would be helpful with storage." Qira replied, and Kaljei shook his head with a chuckle.
"Fair enough. With how much you want to gather on every trip, we might as well."
"I don't gather that much! Just a few things, some herbs and the old things that are the reason we even set out."
"Including every shiny stone we come across?" Kaljei smirked as he nudged one of Qira's heavier bags.
"Only the colorful ones. They'll make nice jewelry or tools. There isn’t that much of it anyway—not more than what I can carry."
Kaljei chuckled at Qira's response, and she turned back to look at the water, leaning on the railing as she did. Soon, something caught her attention. A dark shape moving just beneath the surface. She squinted, trying to discern what it was through the remaining wisps of mist. As the shape grew larger, Qira recognized it: A whale, something she had seen plenty of times from the coast of her island, but never this close before. The ship was a fair distance from the whale when it surfaced, its glistening back arching out of the water before it descended again with a splash that sent ripples across the water and made the boat rock on the waves.
"I didn't think they ever got this close!" Qira said excitedly, still looking at the fading spot where the whale had been.
"We're not one of the bigger ships, so maybe that's why?" Kaljei suggested as he walked up to lean on the railing with Qira. He seemed momentarily in disbelief at what he had witnessed, but then shook it off. "With omens like this, we shouldn't have any problems reaching Lotuku."
"Yeah, you're right. Do you think we'll get to see dolphins too? They always seemed to be playful with the fishers."
"If we're lucky, but I don't think they would be near Lotuku."
"Aww…" Qira sighed, sounding disappointed, and looked out over the water once more. After a few minutes, she remembered something and walked over to the small cabin to retrieve their nets.
"I'll set up the fishing nets," she said as she carried them to the back of the boat, sat down, and laid her cane near her, so she could begin to free the nets. Once untangled, she started attaching them to the back so they could supplement their food. As she finished, she remained seated to watch her handiwork. The rope flowed as the water went through it, and with the ocean's depth here, it was safe from being torn on the bottom.
June 12th, 527 ED
The previous days had passed quietly as Qira and Kaljei navigated towards Lotuku. On this day, the wind began to pick up again, requiring Kaljei to adjust the sails. As he did, he called out to Qira.
"There's a ship in the distance! It looks like a merchant vessel of some sort," he said, pointing. It took Qira a few moments to spot it.
"Should we go to it? They might have things to barter."
"Sure, though we don't have a lot to barter with." Kaljei began to turn the boat, heading towards the ship.
"We can at least check."
Qira remained excited as they approached the ship. As they got closer, she recognized the flag they were flying: Drissau, the theocracy to the south. The realization made her even more curious, as it was uncommon to see such a flag around her part of the archipelago.
She signaled them with a lantern as they got close. The ship responded positively, and Kaljei positioned their boat close enough for them to talk.
"Hey, where are you heading?" Qira called out to the other vessel.
"Lotuku, we have a shipment for them." The captain replied, a large, green-scaled dricte, with features that looked similar to the stories Qira had read about the ancient dragons. She almost commented on this but stopped herself, remembering that it was considered ill-regarded by Drissau.
"We're heading that way too! But I think you're off course. You need to adjust your heading more to port. What kind of supplies do you have? Anything to trade?"
"We'll recheck our heading, and you can check our supplies when we arrive to sell them," the captain answered shortly, in an annoyed tone. Qira, equally miffed, turned and commented quietly to Kaljei.
"That's not very friendly."
"Maybe they don't trade outside markets in Drissau?" Kaljei suggested. Despite the oddness, Qira couldn't help but nod. It was the only explanation she could think of when bartering among sailors was otherwise a common affair. She thought for a moment, then turned back to the captain.
"Safe travels then, may the spirits guide your journey." She said and bowed her head lightly. She could hear the captain scoff and she then sighed and looked at Kaljei.
"Let's just get our course back on track." Kaljei nodded and went to adjust their heading.
Qira looked after the merchant's vessel, curious if the captain would disregard her or not. As far as she could see, he never changed the course.
"What is up with Drissau?" Kaljei asked Qira after a few minutes.
"It depends on what you mean by that. They're the ones with the Iashien Order to the south. The big churches, priests in charge, that kind of stuff."
"Yeah, that. I've only heard of them. What is their religion anyway? They don't seem to care much about the Soulweave."
"Oh. I haven't studied it much, but I recall it is something about worshipping some gods that helped free them from the dragons I think. I think the gods lacked names though, just titles of their job. The Farmer, Teacher, Soldier, Artisan, Moon, Sun, and uh… I think it was the Traveller. There are some rules for the worship of each one but I don't know what they are, just that they like to keep for themselves except when Ni'rral pisses them off by moving soldiers too close."
"That sounds confusing to keep track of. Why would there be more than one?" Kaljei rubbed his head in what Qira guessed was an attempt to understand it.
"I don't know. But they seem to keep it separate. At least from what I understood it is kinda like having a Soul Keeper dedicated to only one of them, except there are both low-ranked ones and higher-ranked ones, but not in the way where the higher-ranked ones teach the lower-ranked ones. Maybe we could go and ask one of them after the expedition?"
"Eh, I don't think it is needed. If there is anything pressing we can just ask any we come across. If there is so many of them though, which ones communicate with the spirits?"
"I don't think any of them do." Qira sat down by the door to the cabin and shrugged at Kaljei. There wasn't much else she could tell with the bits she knew, but the lack of spirits was still odd to her when it was easy to prove their existence.
June 15th, 527 ED
It was not far past noon when Qira heard Kaljei call out her name, he seemed to want her attention outside on the deck, but it didn't sound like an emergency. She rubbed her eyes and stumbled out of her hammock, holding onto it for support until she managed to grab her cane and then walked out on the deck.
Kaljei didn't even have to tell her what it was. The boat was approaching a bustling harbor, with the city revealing itself vibrantly with activity. From small fishing boats to larger merchant vessels, all moored by the harbor or in the waters surrounding it. Dominating a hill was a fortress with tall watchtowers and cannons standing sentinel on the walls, Sapphire's Watch, the privateer headquarters of the city.
As Qira's gaze shifted from the fortress to the harbor, she saw the bazaar by the water. Vibrantly flowing tapestry with the city's colors and rows of makeshift stalls and masterfully made tents, adorned with brightly hued fabrics. Even from here, it was easy to see the large amount of goods being brought to and from the market and hear the shouting of hawkers attempting to entice passersby with calls about their goods, composed of tropical fruits, jewelry, pottery and other commodities from the islands. Each shout flowed with the wind, accompanied by the rhythmic beat of drums from the musicians and dancers in the street. Without a doubt, they had arrived at Lotuku.
As they reached one of the docks and moored the ship, the harbormaster came walking down the pier to them. It felt almost unreal for Qira, as she had to look up to see his face. He was an Amsoni, one of the tall felines, contrasting her own shorter height as an Amrilni, even though they were otherwise similar.
"Name?" the harbormaster asked, looking in his ledger.
"Qirandri Kiahilani. The Elders said it would be free."
"So they did. You're early, but with the order from the Elders, that will not be an issue. Welcome to Lotuku." The harbormaster smiled at Qira and Kaljei and stepped aside so they could disembark.
"It is pretty," Qira commented as her gaze shifted once more over to the entrance of the bazaar, almost enthralled by the vibrant colors.
"To the marketplace first, then?"
"Yeah, let's see what they have."
They didn't have to take many steps into the bazaar before they were surrounded by stalls and goods. Fruits were stacked high, filling the air with sweet scents mixed with the spice merchants' pyramid-stacked powders. Her attention was soon drawn to a particular stall. It had shelves with display cases, showing a variety of bracelets and necklaces, some from simple colored rope while others were made of polished metals. Curious, Qira stepped closer and noticed the woman who tended the stall easily looked old enough to be one of the elders, and was another Amsoni. Her fingers looked deft as she looked over an older bracelet. Qira looked curiously as she recognized the inscriptions as a bracelet belonging to a fisher, or once belonged. Qira opened her mouth to say something, but then she felt Kaljei's hand on her shoulder and she looked over at him.
"We don't have much to trade with, and we need it for supplies, remember?" he asked, and she lowered her gaze.
"Fine… Let's go find the supplies then." She sighed.
