Chapter 25 – Heading Towards Galtea

They left the island colony 981 before the storm hit. Seris had already done what she could with the elder with her lethal sweetness. Everyone in the house of elders was sad to see her go. The best Darya received was concerned looks at her tightly wrapped arm. Some of them had the nerve to blame the toddler for it without knowing anything.

Lurim clung to her like a koala, trying to come along with them. It took a lot of coaxing to pry him off and leave him with the adults responsible for him. Seris managed to sweet-talk him for a bit and sealed the deal with a bribe. She gave him a magical trinket from her pouch. It was a small crystal orb with some of her green mana swirling inside. The elder successfully lied to the boy that it was a magic thing that could bring the good Dovarist ladies back if he behaved well and prayed hard enough. Darya didn’t feel good about lying to him, but it was necessary.

She made sure to tell the elder to keep a closer eye on the boy. If he escaped again, there was a good chance of his swimming out to the open ocean looking for them.

Fominel was already on the ship by the time they returned to the pier. He had prepared the Desert Rose to leave. They waved farewells to a crowd of at least a hundred merfolk who came to see them off.

Fominel navigated the ship to the right, sailing along the skirt of the island as if they were heading towards something on the other side. They watched the crowd disappear behind cliffs as they rounded the island, reaching the opposite shore where the abandoned pier was.

He took the boat there to bring the two corpses that he’d already prepared earlier.

Seris healed Darya’s hand while they watched him from the weather deck. Luckily, none of her bones were actually broken.

It was a few joint misalignments that Seris was able to fix without mana. Darya ended up howling into the wind.

“Serves you right!” Seris said, pressing her fingers everywhere. “What were you thinking! brawling with pirates!”

“Quick! ow ow ow! numb it! ouch! Seris!” Darya clenched her teeth as Seris poured a clear potion on her wounds that made her skin smoke faint blue.

“I’ll fix it in one go, no need for anesthetics!” Seris said, grabbing her hand with both hers. She placed Darya’s limp hand on her chest and began her breathing exercise. Green mana burst from her skin pores.

Her cracked skin mended itself, closing all wounds within the next minute. Seris kept touching and squeezing everything until Darya stopped wincing or moaning in pain.

“You’re scary!” Darya said, taking her hand away from the evil elf.

She laughed when she was done. “That’s what you get for doing stupid things!” She dabbed Darya’s tear-filled eyes with a handkerchief and kissed her cheek as if that could make things better—

Unfortunately, it did.

Damn it, me and my elf weakness.

Fominel returned shortly afterwards, and they helped him bring the boat back into the ship with the ropes. He stored the dead pirates under the boat.

“What do we do with them?” Darya asked as they tied the ropes.

“I’ll toss them somewhere they won’t be found,” he said, wiping his hands on his robe. “How’s your hand, princess? Is it working like before? I don’t know what you hit him with, but I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Darya flexed her hand in front of his face.

“You’re doing all sorts of weird stuff now!” Seris complained.

“Hm. It’s my super punch! It can one-shot any enemy!” Darya said, clenching her fist.

Fominel raised an eyebrow and shook his head in disapproval.

“Super punch?! Ridiculous! You’re a mage! Don’t ever use it again!” Seris warned.

Fominel cleared his throat. “Wait, I only noticed now. Where’s the ring, princess?”

Seris’s mouth hung open. “By the light, don’t tell me you lost it!”

“No, no! It’s right here!” Darya said, patting the gloves hanging by her belt. She dug in, took out the ring, and wore it on her middle finger again.

“Curse you to hell! bandit! I will curse your entire bloodline! May the plague be upon you and your family! May your children shrivel like raisins!” Sarka was yelling at the top of his voice.

“Huh?” Seris leaned back.

“Sarka, it’s me! calm down!” Darya said.

“Ah—wait!” Sarka cleared his throat. “I assumed I had fallen into the hands of some idiot bandit!” he let out an uncomfortable laugh. “Oh, how relieved am I to be on your beautiful finger again, princess!”

Fominel sighed, clapping his hands. “It’s about to rain, and we should sit down and talk everything over.”

He quickly adjusted the sails and set the ship on course. Travel was slow with the calm winds before the storm.

Back in the living room, Darya was pleased to find Enta curled up asleep on a silk cushion that she had put him on. She resisted the urge to pet him again. It was better not to pointlessly waste the little guy’s precious three stamina points.

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She placed the Sea Crystal necklace that Lurim gave her on the table and sat down. Fominel was pouring hot tea for everyone. He paused when the blue crystal slid across the table.

“Is that a Sea Crystal?” Fominel asked, pulling it by the necklace. “I haven’t seen one in ages! Did those pirates have this?”

“No, the little boy gave it to me,” Darya said. “You two know how to use it?”

“I used one years ago for a trial back when I was in the mage academy in Rhakali,” Seris said, blowing on her teacup.

“Good! We need this thing to find where the girl is,” Darya said.

“What girl?” Fominel asked with a frown.

“The little boy who was with me gave this to me. Now I have to find his sister, who was kidnapped by some RCMF pirates. The merfolk Seer we wanted had gone looking for the girl; he’s also missing.”

Fominel’s mouth fell open. “What! Alright, what have you two gathered? Where should we even begin?” he asked.

“I think I’ll start,” Seris said.

“Permission to speak, princess!” The deep voice of Sarka startled all three of them.