Chapter Text
Relief was the only thing that came across Piers' mind once he was able to place his Black Orb back into the core of his ship. He could feel the stress on his shoulders fade away as he saw how the ship stirred awake after slumbering away for the last several weeks.
Beside him, his four new traveling companions stared in awe as the ship came alive.
Well, they might have been staring at him too. He probably looked a bit too giddy. But who could blame him? After this stint in a jail cell and the ordeal in having to retrieve his ship's Black Orb, he had more than earned the right to celebrate!
He didn't think his scales were visible at any rate. His tunic and headwrap did a good job of hiding the scales that ran along his spine from view while he was in his humanoid form. As long as he was careful about not falling into the sea, or did something else equally reckless, he wouldn't start to go into a partial, much less full transformation.
For the time being, Felix and the others shouldn't have any reason to suspect that Piers wasn't exactly human. Piers fully intended to keep it that way too.
With the ship powered up, Piers lead the group back to the upper levels so that everyone could get settled in. He'd have to check the kitchen and the storage rooms later to see what tools and supplies were still aboard. If push came to shove, the supplies that the group had obtained in Madra and Alhafra should last them for a few days.
It was a pity that the ship hadn't been fully stocked when Piers got swept up in that tidal wave. And even if it had been, there was no way to know what would have been looted by the nearby humans or eaten by the wildlife that snuck onboard while Piers had been away.
On second thought, maybe it would be a good idea to ask the others for which port towns were nearby to stock up on supplies. As things were, he wouldn't be able to supplement their meals with freshly caught seafood as he would have done if he had been traveling with other Lemurians.
Land dwellers couldn't quite handle raw seafood like Lemurians could. Chances were he'd probably get more than a few suspicious looks if anyone saw him cracking open a crab and eating it without any form of cooking.
On the other hand, humans had created a lot of surprisingly tasty dishes that more than made up for not being able to eat freshly caught seafood. Plus, the variety of dishes was something short of amazing.
Going back to his new companions, the arrangement that Piers had struck with the group wasn't that bad. Felix and the others would act like his crew for the foreseeable future, and he would get to sail around Weyard to chart the current landmasses and seas, just as King Hydros had originally wanted him to do.
Piers just had to be careful about looking and acting as human as possible. No fins, no raw seafood, no swimming in open waters under the moonlight. It would be a bit unpleasant for him, but he would just have to make do and soldier through it. Better for everyone to keep thinking that he was just a "Mercury Adept" from a remote part of the world.
The last thing he and his homeland needed was for the rest of the world to learn that Lemurians were humanoid shapeshifters whose primary form was one that closely resembled what human stories described as mermaids…
Better stop thinking about that and focus on the here and now, Piers though after shaking his head to dispel his lingering worries. Right now, our priorities should be to resupply first, then look into how to get back to Lemuria. King Hydros will want to hear that two of the Elemental Beacons have now been lit.
"Piers!" Jenna's voice called out from a few rooms away. "Is this really the kitchen? I haven't found a single pot or pan."
Piers raised a hand to rub along his face. Judging by the sound of cabinets being opened and closed in rapid succession, either the Madrans or other scavengers had made off with much of what was meant to be in his kitchen, or he got swept away before that was properly provisioned.
"Coming," he called back as he made his way over to the kitchen, where he found both girls scurrying around and almost every single cabinet door and drawer was open. Not even a stray spoon or a single bowl was in sight.
Had there been a few scattered items, either intact or broken fragments of something, then that would have meant that humans had taken the supplies. The bare cabinets spoke of a different story however.
"Tools and supplies must have not been loaded onto the ship before I was swept away," Piers concluded given the sad state of what was meant to be the kitchen.
At least they had usable workspaces along with a table and enough stools for everyone. The team would have to use their camping gear and supplies for a while.
"Not loaded?" Kraden asked from his seat over by the table. "Why would you set out without supplies?"
A reasonable question, all things considered. And one that Piers could answer honestly. For the most part anyway.
"The ship was recently refitted," Piers began to explain as he started to close the empty cabinets. "It used to be a fishing vessel before I was granted ownership. The shipwrights had finished the structural changes when I was asked to take the ship out for a short test. It was meant to take me no more than an afternoon, a chance to make sure everything was working with the steering and overall maneuvering. Had things gone as planned, I would have been back home in time for dinner." Piers finished with a shrug.
"And then you were swept away by the tidal wave and carried all the way to eastern Indra," Jenna concluded, then started to look around the room in a different light. "Huh, that does make sense in a way."
The rest of the group followed Jenna's example.
"Guess that does explain why the lower levels looked so empty. Aside from the jellyfish that made themselves home," Felix added.
"I'm afraid so," Piers admitted. "The shipwrights might have left some things on board in case additional work or adjustments needed to be made. We will have to inspect every room in more detail and make a list of what supplies we need to obtain ourselves."
Seeing the various nods and hums from the group, Piers figured that the others had accepted his word. Wisely, he kept to himself the mer related aspects of said renovation.
The full truth was that the ship had previously been used for carrying crabs, lobsters and a few other assorted goods harvested at sea. Those goods would then be transported back to the island of Lemuria, to be used, traded and consumed by the people there, both those that could shapeshift, and those that had become land-bound. That was how the nation was able to provide enough food for all of its citizens.
Unknown to outsiders, about three quarters of the Lemurian population lived below the waves. Some in caves, some in homes built from carved stone. The land on the island was very limited, so people had to use it wisely. Only a fraction of the land was usable for farming and raising livestock, so the rest was reserved for communal buildings and for homes for the few people that had lost the ability to shift into their aquatic forms. Which happened from time to time, usually due to injury or illness. His own mother was one such example.
Back before Lemuria had cut ties with the rest of the world, the kingdom boasted of a handful of ships that would regularly trade with coastal towns around that dotted the Great Eastern Sea. Those ships were built in such a way that humans would be none the wiser to the true nature of the Lemurian crew. However, since Psynergy was sealed away, and Lemuria sealed its borders along with that, the Lemurians realized that it was far more efficient to use the ships to transport what was being hunted and harvested from around the inner Sea of Time back to the island.
Shortly after, almost every ship had been retrofitted to be more comfortable to the Lemurians' aquatic form: larger sleeping quarters on account of their fins and tails, separate holding pens for the live cargo (nobody liked waking up from a crab pinching a tail fin), hatches below the waterline so that people could enter and leave the ship as needed, and so forth. The overall shape and design of the ship remained the same, and it still sailed over the surface, so it was just the interiors that were remodeled.
Piers' ship was the first to be refitted back into the original layout meant for trading vessels.
"Good news is, that before I got caught by the tidal wave, everything was handling beautifully. Far better than I could have hoped for to be quite honest," Piers said with a wide grin.
Kraden nodded his head. The elder was likely relieved to hear that the ship was indeed seaworthy.
"A testament to Lemurian craftsmanship no doubt. Well then, shall we see what we can put together for lunch?" The elder asked with a cheerful smile. "I believe a warm meal is in order after having spent the last few hours hunting jellyfish."
Piers couldn't have agreed more.
Soon enough, the group was sitting down at the table and enjoying some grilled fish over a bed of rice. As they ate, Kraden was scribbling away on a piece of parchment ideas on what supplies they should prioritize on obtaining, with everyone pitching in ideas and then discussing the merits behind each one.
Some ideas were sensible, while a few of Jenna's were humorous, but not realistic given their current funds. Piers was just hoping that once they had obtained the essentials, that there would be enough left for him to purchase some parchment and ink. He was itching to start making maps in earnest.
At the end of the meal, they had a workable list and a rough plan on where to go get supplies. At Felix's suggestion, they would go to Madra first, and then they could travel eastward along the coast of Osenia in search of rumors of how to reach Lemuria. After all, legends and rumors often had a hint of truth, and at that moment just about anything that could help point them in the right direction would be welcomed.
Despite the odd circumstances that brought them together, Felix and the others turned out to be a respectable crew. After a little bit of initial handholding, in about two weeks' worth of time everyone had grown accustomed to life at sea. During that time period, they had been able to catch a few rumors of where Lemuria used to be located.
Other more concerning and not as cheerful news was hearing about the sea was boiling, and with that, fish populations had been dwindling away. It made Piers worry for his people, especially since they heavily depended on the sea's bounty just to survive.
Food shortages had become a common sight across every seaside town that the party visited. It had not gotten to the point of calling it a famine, but it was enough for everyone in the group to limit what food supplies they purchased in each town they set foot on. For a group of semi-seasoned warriors that could wield Psynergy, hunting, fishing and foraging was an option that usually paid off. Civilians with no combat experience had very few alternatives for putting food on the table.
As much as Piers was tempted to dive into the waters to see if fish had become as scarce as the human fishermen claimed, he didn't want to risk it. He trusted his human companions, and they trusted him to watch their backs. He did not want to upset the delicate balance by accidentally reveal his other form.
After a month of traveling together with humans, Piers knew that he was pushing it with going for so long without shifting. His back would itch at the worst possible times and he was having to refill his waterskin almost thrice as often as the others did.
It wasn't as bad if he could feel the ocean breeze on his skin. Even a light mist was enough for him to feel whole and refreshed.
Nothing could have prepared him for the hell that was a desert. It made Piers want to make good on his sailor persona and colorfully curse out the gods-forsaken area that was Air's Rock.
Reaching the mountain had been a trial for Piers. He was constantly lagging behind the others while trying to climb up the sheer cliff side. Thankfully the others made no remarks and were extra patient with him. He must have been a really sorry sight to see. It got bad enough that during the final stretch, he was leaning heavily on Felix to keep moving forward.
As far away as he was from his native element, it made him really respect both Felix and Jenna, given how both were able to set foot on a ship and sail at sea with a straight face.
The inside of the mountain was blessedly cool compared to the outside, affording Piers to get a bit of a second wind (pun may or may not have been intended) to carry on. It didn't change the fact that it was a mad man's labyrinth in there.
Kraden had taken the lead there and instructed Felix in carving matching symbols near each entryway and set of stairs. If not for the elder's quick thinking who knew how long the group would have been running in circles.
At the end of the maze, the Reveal Psynergy that Sheba earned was an unexpected surprise. Not that it made jumping across invisible floating platforms particularly pleasant – especially in his weakened state! – but at least getting out of the mountain was far easier than getting into it was.
The final stretch of the journey was leaving the desert and making their way to Garoh, the nearest village. With liberal use of the Psynergy Avoid, the group was able to reach the edge of the desert with only having to fight a few monsters along the way.
Did it leave him almost out of Psynergy to cast the spell every handful of minutes? It did. Was it worth it? If it meant that he could get out of the desert quicker and got him closer to drinking his weight in water, it was!
Or at least, that's what he wanted to believe up until a pack of giant wild birds came out of hiding and attacked the group. And they had been so close to the one lone bridge that would have allowed everyone to cross over to the eastern side of the river that marked the boundary of the desert.
Jenna had been the first to notice the birds and cried out in alarm as she started to fling fireballs. The others soon followed with their own spells, and Kraden stealthily taking cover away from view. Without Psynergy to spare, Piers was left with just his sword and his wits.
Exhausted as he was, Piers still put in the effort to dispatch the birds. He had been able to dredge up the last of his reserves and cast a couple of spells to aid the group. Between the combined onslaught of Psynergy, half of the flock was down in a matter of minutes. Those that remained had been craftier and smarter, opting for hit and run tactics to better dodge the spells being thrown their way.
It soon got to the point that only Sheba as able to reliably hit the birds with her lightning strikes, with Jenna coming in as a somewhat distant second. The men had little to no luck, with their spells taking too long to cast, or were easy to maneuver around when the emus were running at full speed. That lead to both Piers and Felix to take on defensive positions around the girls, providing them cover and opting for quicker counter attacks where possible.
It didn't take long for the birds to figure out that Sheba as the dangerous one there. Before long, most of the attacks were aimed at her. Piers and Felix certainly had their hands full blocking, deflecting, and otherwise keeping the birds at bay.
The fight dragged on more than either side would have liked, but little by little more and more of the emus started to fall.
They were down to the last pair when Piers' strength finally failed him.
Felix was busy using weaker versions of his spells to distract one of the birds, trying to create an opening for the girls to strike. The other had been running towards Jenna. Piers quickly moved to place himself between the blasted bird and the fiery head headed girl.
Then suddenly, the bird changed directions, skidding on the sandy ground for a few body lengths and making a turn towards Sheba's backside. It had been a feint!
And Piers fell for it.
The bird was far too close to the young Wind Adept that he had started to think of as a younger sister. He wouldn't have time to intercept. If the emu managed to pounce on the girl at full speed… Piers wasn't sure if she could survive.
Without thinking, he did the only thing he could do. He ran and pushed Sheba out of the way taking the hit for himself. He heard Sheba yell in surprise at the same time the emu squawked in rage of having its plan foiled.
The initial kick left Piers gasping for breath. He also felt more than heard his armor cracking under the bird's powerful legs. What he did not expect was for the bird to madly flap its wings and use the momentum to literally kick Piers away with both legs.
He was kicked right into the river they had wanted to cross not so long ago.
The last thing Piers remembered was the shock of the cold water against his dry, aching body.