-- part 1
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“Land ahoy!”
One of the sailors called, the boat’s crew bustling around to prepare for their landing. The seas in the area were rough and monster-filled, but the land ahead of them was even more perilous. All of the ship’s crew could now see the foreboding, scorched landscape of Sin right over the churning ocean. Knowing that the land most commonly referred to as “Hell on Earthland” was right before they prompted nervous shivers from the fainter of heart. Usually, the crew of the SSS Shayu only dared to do business far from the coast of Sin, but this time around they were sailing right up to it. However, they trusted the promise of Captain Cody: that he wouldn’t let a single one of them die.
“Prepare to lower the anchors! We don’t need to be right next to the shore, just close enough.”
The man in question commanded his men, standing confidently at the helm of the boat. He was an elderly man dressed only in a black and gold coat, pants, and waterproof boots. However, that sharp look in his eyes was the thing that allowed his men to place so much trust in him. Cody was never one to take risks without weighing loss and gain, and he had told his crew this venture would lead only to “gain”. They trusted his shrewd judgment, but you couldn’t blame them for still being nervous. When fishing up stuff remotely close to Sin, you had to be an accomplished crew like those on the Shayu. They weren’t even that close, yet all kinds of monstrosities emerged from the dark blue waters.
Well, everyone was nervous, except for one person.
“Woah, so that’s Sin, huh? Pretty crazy that I’ve never been sent there earlier.” A young girl was leaning on the railings of the Shayu, gazing leisurely at the dark silhouette of land. She was dressed in a black cloak complete with a hood that served to obscure her face. However, that didn’t prevent people from seeing the long locks of blonde hair overflowing from it, or a flash of her blue eyes. The cloak itself was moderately decorated with reasonably intricate gold trimming, but that didn’t help any of the crew get an idea of who she was. Apart from Captain Cody, no one knew why the youth was even trying to get to Sin. Either way, it must’ve been a good deal if he agreed the moment the stranger approached him
“Listen ‘ere lassie, ye be headin’ to the Obsidian Volcano, right?” The old captain walked up to the young girl, lifting his pipe to his mouth. “Once ye the shore, it’ll be just over yonder.” He gestured towards a particularly mountainous area in the far distance.
“Alright, thanks a lot, Old Cody! Hmm, I think this is close enough, so I’ll be casting the spell now.” A few of the shipmates working on deck could hardly hold themselves from retorting to the name “Old Cody”. It was well known that before the Captain came to own his ship, he was just a minor fisherman, and that name was a remnant of his previous life. However, the moment he entered the major leagues, he made such large tides with his success and daring personality, evolving into an important figure in the shipping community almost immediately. Calling such a man by “Old Cody” would only be disrespectful, but the crewmates couldn’t allow themselves to get too mad at the stranger. From the bright, naive tone of their voice, they were incredibly young. Additionally, Captain Cody didn’t seem to mind it, so it wasn’t their right to get indignant in his place.
“Make sure ye get a nice chunk of that True Obsidion. After all, my crew is one of the greatest in the seas, hence the smooth sailing even in Hell’s ocean.”
“Yeah yeah, alright.” The young girl placed her hand on the floorboards, “Annnd, it’s done! I won’t take more than a day to deal with my business, so I’ll send out the signal when I’m ready.” She climbed ontop the ship’s railings, dangerously perched in front of the churning ocean. But, the most stunning thing was the fact that her feet actually left the boat; she’d jumped right off it.
“!!?!” The crewmember preparing to lower the anchor had borne witness to the stunt, watching with his mouth agape as the young girl rocketed through the sky towards the country of Sin. Oddly enough, the ship hadn’t experienced any damage from her using it as a springboard for her ridiculous jump, but not as odd as the sight of a dot traveling across the wasteland at an incredible speed. “What the-”
Cody turned his sharp gaze at the sailor, “Matey, what’re you waiting for? Want the ship to wreck in the depths of hell? Lower the damned anchor.”
“Y-Yessir!” The man worked the crank, but he still couldn’t get over the shock of seeing the young girl flying through the air with nothing but what seemed like a slight jump. It was reasonable to conclude she was a mage, but so were many of the members working on the SSS Shayu, yet they didn’t have that kind of power. “Who in the world…?”
Captain Cody chuckled, blowing out a puff of smoke. “She’s a wee little fortune magnet, that’s what. Never thought I’d come across ‘er twice.”
“Again?” The crewmember echoed.
“I’ll tell yee since I like yee, matey, but she was the one that allowed me to buy this here fine vessel. The funds from cooperating with her to find treasure and turn in a bounty were incredible.”
“Wait was she the one who assisted you in finding the treasure of Divide Island?!” The crew member was flabbergasted. Most people knew that the first instance of Captain Cody’s awe-inspiring tale began with Divide Island’s coveted treasure. Back when he was still “Old Cody” and only owned a shanty rowboat, he had competed with a whole pirate crew and came out on top. Additionally, the pirates were turned in to the authorities for a hefty sum. Of course, everyone knew he hadn’t done it himself, after all a captain’s most coveted skill was networking. You had to know many strong, influential people to make your way through Earthland’s seas. The insight of a merchant, the heart of a fighter, and a stroke of luck was all necessary to ever make it big as Cody had. But still, it was shocking to see the person who had helped in the Divide Island incident since the old Captain said himself he didn’t know who they were.
One of the sailors called, the boat’s crew bustling around to prepare for their landing. The seas in the area were rough and monster-filled, but the land ahead of them was even more perilous. All of the ship’s crew could now see the foreboding, scorched landscape of Sin right over the churning ocean. Knowing that the land most commonly referred to as “Hell on Earthland” was right before they prompted nervous shivers from the fainter of heart. Usually, the crew of the SSS Shayu only dared to do business far from the coast of Sin, but this time around they were sailing right up to it. However, they trusted the promise of Captain Cody: that he wouldn’t let a single one of them die.
“Prepare to lower the anchors! We don’t need to be right next to the shore, just close enough.”
The man in question commanded his men, standing confidently at the helm of the boat. He was an elderly man dressed only in a black and gold coat, pants, and waterproof boots. However, that sharp look in his eyes was the thing that allowed his men to place so much trust in him. Cody was never one to take risks without weighing loss and gain, and he had told his crew this venture would lead only to “gain”. They trusted his shrewd judgment, but you couldn’t blame them for still being nervous. When fishing up stuff remotely close to Sin, you had to be an accomplished crew like those on the Shayu. They weren’t even that close, yet all kinds of monstrosities emerged from the dark blue waters.
Well, everyone was nervous, except for one person.
“Woah, so that’s Sin, huh? Pretty crazy that I’ve never been sent there earlier.” A young girl was leaning on the railings of the Shayu, gazing leisurely at the dark silhouette of land. She was dressed in a black cloak complete with a hood that served to obscure her face. However, that didn’t prevent people from seeing the long locks of blonde hair overflowing from it, or a flash of her blue eyes. The cloak itself was moderately decorated with reasonably intricate gold trimming, but that didn’t help any of the crew get an idea of who she was. Apart from Captain Cody, no one knew why the youth was even trying to get to Sin. Either way, it must’ve been a good deal if he agreed the moment the stranger approached him
“Listen ‘ere lassie, ye be headin’ to the Obsidian Volcano, right?” The old captain walked up to the young girl, lifting his pipe to his mouth. “Once ye the shore, it’ll be just over yonder.” He gestured towards a particularly mountainous area in the far distance.
“Alright, thanks a lot, Old Cody! Hmm, I think this is close enough, so I’ll be casting the spell now.” A few of the shipmates working on deck could hardly hold themselves from retorting to the name “Old Cody”. It was well known that before the Captain came to own his ship, he was just a minor fisherman, and that name was a remnant of his previous life. However, the moment he entered the major leagues, he made such large tides with his success and daring personality, evolving into an important figure in the shipping community almost immediately. Calling such a man by “Old Cody” would only be disrespectful, but the crewmates couldn’t allow themselves to get too mad at the stranger. From the bright, naive tone of their voice, they were incredibly young. Additionally, Captain Cody didn’t seem to mind it, so it wasn’t their right to get indignant in his place.
“Make sure ye get a nice chunk of that True Obsidion. After all, my crew is one of the greatest in the seas, hence the smooth sailing even in Hell’s ocean.”
“Yeah yeah, alright.” The young girl placed her hand on the floorboards, “Annnd, it’s done! I won’t take more than a day to deal with my business, so I’ll send out the signal when I’m ready.” She climbed ontop the ship’s railings, dangerously perched in front of the churning ocean. But, the most stunning thing was the fact that her feet actually left the boat; she’d jumped right off it.
“!!?!” The crewmember preparing to lower the anchor had borne witness to the stunt, watching with his mouth agape as the young girl rocketed through the sky towards the country of Sin. Oddly enough, the ship hadn’t experienced any damage from her using it as a springboard for her ridiculous jump, but not as odd as the sight of a dot traveling across the wasteland at an incredible speed. “What the-”
Cody turned his sharp gaze at the sailor, “Matey, what’re you waiting for? Want the ship to wreck in the depths of hell? Lower the damned anchor.”
“Y-Yessir!” The man worked the crank, but he still couldn’t get over the shock of seeing the young girl flying through the air with nothing but what seemed like a slight jump. It was reasonable to conclude she was a mage, but so were many of the members working on the SSS Shayu, yet they didn’t have that kind of power. “Who in the world…?”
Captain Cody chuckled, blowing out a puff of smoke. “She’s a wee little fortune magnet, that’s what. Never thought I’d come across ‘er twice.”
“Again?” The crewmember echoed.
“I’ll tell yee since I like yee, matey, but she was the one that allowed me to buy this here fine vessel. The funds from cooperating with her to find treasure and turn in a bounty were incredible.”
“Wait was she the one who assisted you in finding the treasure of Divide Island?!” The crew member was flabbergasted. Most people knew that the first instance of Captain Cody’s awe-inspiring tale began with Divide Island’s coveted treasure. Back when he was still “Old Cody” and only owned a shanty rowboat, he had competed with a whole pirate crew and came out on top. Additionally, the pirates were turned in to the authorities for a hefty sum. Of course, everyone knew he hadn’t done it himself, after all a captain’s most coveted skill was networking. You had to know many strong, influential people to make your way through Earthland’s seas. The insight of a merchant, the heart of a fighter, and a stroke of luck was all necessary to ever make it big as Cody had. But still, it was shocking to see the person who had helped in the Divide Island incident since the old Captain said himself he didn’t know who they were.