Shrouded Seascape

"You know, I really don't hate them," Nico began. "I just don't understand. Clearly, I could give them everything they needed; why had they decided to betray me? Why? Is it because I'm too generous?"

Charles cleared his throat with a hint of impatience to interrupt Nico's lamenting. "Nico, I'm more than willing to discuss your personal issues, but not now. Can we focus on the relic? Are there any other details you can share? Particularly, is there any way to avoid its side effects?"

Charles was toying with the idea that perhaps he could avoid the side effects if he assimilated the relic.

Nico shook his head slightly and looked at Charles. His pearly white teeth gently bit down on the end of the silver spoon as he said, "I don't know. The relic belonged to my first mate, but he's dead."

Charles pondered for a brief moment before nodding. "Alright, I'll take the relic. However, I'm curious about one thing: why do you want to join my crew?"

Despite remaining skeptical about the relic's powers, it didn't hinder Charles from keeping it in his possession. He thought that perhaps, it might prove useful in the future.

"Because my ship is gone, and everyone's dead. You know Charles… I have nothing left now. I'm so lonely. I just… I really wish… for someone to give me a warm hug."

The scars on Charles's face twitched slightly. "Tell me what you are capable of. My ship is indeed in need of a second mate, but you'll need to prove yourself worthy."

Nico let out a sigh. "Look at you… When I first saw you, you were just an unknown captain staying in a run-down tavern by the port. I still remember how you looked back then. But look at you now—the renowned overlord of the Northern Seas."

"And look at me," Nico continued. "I went from a governor who had everything to a nobody, an insignificant individual that no one cares even if he dies. Why must life be so cruelly unpredictable?"

Traces of resentment were apparent in Nico's tone of voice.

If it weren't for the fact that he needed Nico's relic, Charles wouldn't even want to talk to the former. Every conversation with Nico seemed to always digress to some irrelevant topic; Nico never stuck to the point, and Charles was close to losing his temper.

"Nico! Stop with the idle chatter. Do you want to join the crew or not? If you continue on with your pointless words, there's no need for us to continue this conversation!!" Charles' tone sharpened.

Nico realized Charles was serious. He immediately placed his coffee down and reported, "Nico Sepro, age 49, physical strength Level 8. With relics, Level 9. I have over a decade of sailing and exploration experience and have gone on three surface expeditions."

Charles carefully studied Nico's face before turning toward the door. "I need to discuss with the others first. Meet me at the fortress gate tomorrow morning."

The next morning, the Narwhale was ready to set sail. Under the gazes of the other crew members, Nico climbed up the ladders to the deck and waved to everyone with a slight smile.

Standing on the solid ground before the ladder, Anna wore a large sunhat on her head. She had her arms around Charles' neck and playfully nibbled on his ear.

"This gay is clean," Anna whispered. "Everything checks out fine; he's not a spy from the Fhtagn Covenant."

"Why does Nico want to join my ship? What's his motive?"

"He doesn't want to die, and he doesn't want his child to die either."

Charles' eyes widened in astonishment at Anna's words. His gaze turned onto Nico on the deck. "He has a child? With his husband?"

Anna leaned back slightly and rolled her eyes at Charles. "Can men give birth? Why don't you try giving birth to one? Of course, he had a child with a woman. Don't let his current demeanor fool you. In the past, he used to be quite a—"

Before Anna could finish her sentence, Charles pushed her away slightly and headed toward the ladder. "There's no time for gossip. You can spare me these irrelevant details in the future."

"Jerk. Be careful out there. And don't die!"

Hearing Anna's parting words, Charles smiled to himself. With a powerful push from his seven or eight tentacles, he launched himself onto the ship like a cannonball.

Charles wasn't the only one setting out. Many other explorers had embarked after him. They all had the same destination—the coordinates of the darkness that Charles had marked out.

***

In a parts factory on Hope Island, Donna hefted a stack of bronze wires and walked toward the massive machinery that was roaring insistently.

She placed the wires next to a plump girl who was rhythmically picking up the parts, one by one and was placing them on the rapidly moving rubber conveyor belt.

Under the massive punch press, the simple parts were quickly transformed into usable components to be sent to other production factories.

At the sight of the female workers from the next shift entering the workshop, the others in the room sighed with relief—their shift had finally ended.

Away from the cacophony of the workshop, the women began removing their whale-oil-soaked uniforms while complaining about the factory's terrible working conditions.

"Argh! We have to work eleven hours a day now, with only three days off a month. When will these days come to an end?"

"Look at my hands! They're covered in calluses. Why are we women doing all this work? Have all the men died?"

"The men have been sent to the shipyards to build ships. There are no men in a factory. I heard that the Governor is up there exploring the surface, and it takes a lot of ships."

"UGH! I'm so annoyed! I want to rest! I want to go shopping! I want to go to a theater and watch television with my boyfriend!"

"Why am I not allowed to quit? Why did they make me work in this dirty factory!"

Listening to their complaints, Donna paused from wiping the machine oil off her face with a towel. She put on a slight smile and remarked, "Actually, things aren't that bad. The Governor even pays us extra for overtime. We even get free lunch."

The grumbling ceased immediately. The women collectively turned their gazes on Donna before exchanging glances with each other. Then, they began whispering amongst themselves with occasional bursts of mocking laughter.

The smile slowly faded from Donna's face; she knew what they were saying. They were probably saying that she was a country bumpkin from another island and an old woman who looked to be fifty years old despite only being in her thirties.

As a new immigrant from another island, having a house of her own didn't mean she was automatically accepted into Hope Island's society. She found it hard to fit in on Hope Island, where the adults, especially groups of women, often had complex motives.

In contrast, her daughter had made many friends at school; children's mindsets tended to be much simpler.

Adults were always complicated, and especially so when it came to groups of women.

"Donna, ignore them," the plump girl with freckles said, "Let's go home. Your daughter must be waiting for you."

Hearing her words, Donna quickened her movements. Indeed, her daughter Nene would have surely ended class and was home by now.

The two exited the factory with billowing thick smoke from its chimneys. The plump girl stretched lazily, commenting, "Ahhh. Work finally ended. time to go home and eat something good."

A radiant smile appeared on Donna's visage as she stared at the girl's broad back. She wasn't completely alone here; she had friends. The young woman in front of her, Jasmine, was a friend she could talk with.

Though they had differing ages and personalities, the two had become inseparable friends. Perhaps, their friendship was reinforced by their own perceived unattractiveness—one old, the other plump.

As they walked down the street toward their own home, a group of police officers clad in black uniforms dashed past, startling both of them.

"What's going on? Are they hunting down spies from the Fhtagn Covenant again?" Jasmine asked in surprise, clapping her hands over her double chin.

As soon as her words fell, a burst of red mist exploded in the distant sky. An unsettling emotion stirred in them; they knew all too well what this meant.