Directly in front of them, their boat floated calmly in the water. On its side, in bold lettering, it read: "Merry Float." A tough-looking older man leaned against the handrail, puffing a pipe as he eyed the party.
"You guys Quick Fang?" he asked.
Kald stepped forward. "Yeah. Are you our captain?"
The man grinned and reached down a hand. "Name's Pedro."
Kald grinned back, shaking it. "Kald the Hero, leader of Quick fang."
Pedro let out a chuckle, "Quite the title." Then he ushered toward the boarding stairs. "Feel free to make your way on."
One by one, the party boarded the small but sturdy ship. Pedro moved to the wheel and began fiddling with levers and buttons—none of which the party understood. After a few minutes, he hit one final button and the boat gave a gentle rumble as it powered on.
By then, the rain had started to let up. Sunlight began to peek through the clouds, casting thin rays of light onto Zar. Lea and Kald got into an argument over who got to sit in the sunbeam… which somehow ended with Erina winning. Dalan, meanwhile, was hunched over the side of the boat, clutching his stomach.
Kald nudged him with a smirk. "Hey we haven't even left the dock yet."
Dalan shook his head. "Doesn't matter…"
"You ready to go!?" Pedro called from behind the wheel.
"Yeah!" Kald and Lea shouted back.
Pedro gave a wide grin. "Merry Float, out!"
Kald immediately turned to look at Lea and Elina.
They both rolled their eyes in unison.
The Merry Float then began to move, pulling away from the docks of Zar as the city slowly disappeared behind them.
"Hey, Pedro!" Kald called. "How long's the ride?"
Pedro turned slightly. "Hmm… little under an hour, give or take."
Kald nodded, then glanced at Dalan. He patted him on the back. "You got this, buddy."
Dalan looked up with teary eyes. "You think so?"
Kald hesitated. The man's face was so green he looked like a toad. "W-well… I wouldn't bet on it."
Dalan scowled and curled tighter into a ball. "Then why'd you say it?!" he started to gag.
"Just tryin' to reassure you," Kald said with a sheepish grin. "But I won't lie—you look like a gobin hahaha." He kept patting Dalan's back, harder each time.
"Quit slapping my back unless you want me to throw up on your boots."
Kald gasped. "Not my boots!!" and scrambled away toward Erina.
Lea, meanwhile, stood quietly by the railing, watching the gentle waves roll over one another. She kept an eye out for any sea creatures along the way, a excited expression on her face.
Kald sat down beside Erina. They leaned against each other, shoulder to shoulder.
"You tired?" Erina asked.
"Huh? Oh—yeah. A little," Kald admitted. "Woke up early to practice, and we rode all day…"
Elina studied him. "You didn't sleep well last night either, huh?"
Kald flushed. "H-how'd you know?"
Elina smiled and gently took his hand. "Because I know you're nervous about this quest."
"I…" Kald trailed off. Was it really that obvious?
"If it's really eating at you, next time… tell us," she said softly.
Kald looked away. "But as the leader, I can't just—"
"—Show weakness?" Erina interrupted.
He hesitated, then gave a small nod.
Elina sighed and smiled. "Don't be silly. We believe in you as our leader, no matter what. Fear, doubt, whatever—you think that's gonna deter us?"
Kald didn't respond right away.
"It wouldn't, by the way," came another voice.
Kald turned to see Dalan, his face still green as he looked at them. "You'll always be my captain vulnerability be damned." Then he gagged again and scunched back down.
"Dalan…" Kald muttered.
"Agreed," Lea said, suddenly sitting down beside them. "I'm with Erina. Whatever you're going through, tell us and we'll go through it together. That's what makes us a team."
Kald's eyes glistened then he quickly shoved his face into his sleeve. "Suit yourselves…"
A hand gently pulled his head down—onto something soft like a pillow.
He removed his arm and looked up to see Erina smiling down at him a he laid on her thighs. "For now, get some rest, Leader. We'll wake you when we arrive."
Kald stared up at her a moment longer… then smiled and closed his eyes.
I swear, he thought to himself, I'm the luckiest man in the world.
And with that, Kald drifted off to sleep to the sound of waves lapping softly against the hull of the Merry Float.
(And thus, Quick Fang's adventure continues!)