A masked man sat on a creaky wooden chair, with legs of uneven lengths that wobbled on the wooden floor of the dock. He had originally been here to finally work on blueprints for a ship he was commissioned for, which he was supposed to start a couple days ago. He really should've started earlier, the client paid a hefty sum of notes after all! He was already halfway done with the blueprints, and was planning on leaving a few minutes ago but decided to stay for the sunset. In a world as chaotic and fickle as this one, there were seldom moments of calm like this.
As if affirming his thou-
Crash
However, the masked man stayed as stoic as ever, only ever pausing the movement of his pencil for a short moment. Though, under his mask, he was rolling his eyes. He knew exactly who this was. To be fair, he had nothing to complain about, as that meant there would be another client, which meant more notes for him! A few moments after the sudden crash,the man heard the sound of gushing wind and even more wood breaking.
"Hey Garett! Long time no see!"
The man reluctantly looked up to see a jasper haired woman land on the dock a few meters away from where he sat. He had first met her the day before.
"Say, do you think you can do me a favor and… uh…"
She put a hand on her chin, contemplating.
"Yes… I can fix your ship Valerie…"
***
"Why the depths did you just ram your ship into the wall?! That was a perfectly good ship!"
"It's just a schooner. I have more than enough notes to pay for the repairs, most of which I got from my time as a diver. You see, back then…"
Quies dismounted the ladder and followed Valerie, passing by a masked man who he presumed Valerie was talking to earlier. He seemed unnaturally still, even for someone at rest. The sound of their steps transitioned from a hollow thump to a light clack as they followed the stone pathway away from the dock and onto the actual island itself. The sun had already set by the time they arrived on the island. Speaking of which…
"Welcome to the Isle of Vigil young man!"
Valerie threw her arms out in a grandiose way, as if presenting a monumental achievement. A passing bystander gave her a weird look, and quickened her steps. Before he could focus on anything else, an unmistakable scent whiffed by him and Valerie.
'Food!'
"Food!"
His thoughts synchronized with Valerie's shout of excitement. As they exchanged a glance, Quies trying not to fold under the immense pressure of her gaze, a silent understanding developed between the two. Before they could do anything else, they needed to get something to eat.
'Gosh I haven't eaten since… since morning! Damn, I'm starving…'
After going through what happened in the last few hours, Quies had completely forgotten about his appetite. Before Quies could even twitch his muscular fibers to move his leg for a step, Valerie had practically teleported to the front of the food stand. The poor soul running the thing must've had a heart attack.
"Look, I don't care how much it costs, let me have one… no, two of everything! Everything!"
As Quies closed his distance from Valerie, he noticed the sheer amount of excitement Valerie held. Her eyes were wide, in awe at the view of so many delicious delicacies. Her cat-like ears perked up. Her mouth was similarly agape. A few more seconds of leaving it open like that and she would be drooling.
"Uhh… Vale-?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm getting food for you too Quies. And who gave you permission to call me Val?! Well, it is a step up from harlot…"
"You… nevermind."
The person running the stand gave both of them a strange look with his sunken eyes. They were most likely the last customers of the day before the shop closed. Ending it off with a bang, as some would say. He put a steaming hot bowl of what seemed to be mushroom soup on a tray with every type of dish the man sold, with another full tray right beside it. Putting in some effort, he heaved one of the fully stacked plates with both of his hands, careful to not spill any of the food.
"Thank you! Hey Quies, mind holding this for a bit."
Quies stared at the full tray with at least a dozen different dishes, and shook his head lightly. Meanwhile, Valerie held the tray effortlessly with one hand.
"Oh c'mon! You're not very gentlemanly at all!"
She picked up the other tray with her free hand, thanked the owner of the store once again, and gestured for Quies to follow her. The two walked up a long flight of stone stairs, Quies nearly out of breath after they reached the top, and ended up near a quaint little building and a small cave that led into the mountain.
"Pick up the pace! I'm already four hours late!"
"...just… a moment…"
Quies stood at the topmost step. His hands were on his knees, supporting the rest of his upper body while he panted heavily. Hearing Valerie's exclamation, he mustered his will and began walking again. To his surprise, Valerie passed by the small building and began walking towards the hole in the mountain. Quies wanted to ask Valerie where they were going, but the position of her ears warned him against doing that.
Eventually, the two entered into the cave, lit by lanterns hung on its otherwise featureless walls. The hard sound of their steps bounced off of its walls; Valerie's ears twitched slightly.
Then, as sudden as the transition from the outside and the cave was, the two were suddenly suffused with bright lights. As his eyes quickly focused on the change in lighting, he noticed that the architecture of the interior was similar to the little building outside. Tall tan walls stood tall around them, with wooden pillars stretching from floor to ceiling. The tan wall was accented by a lightly discolored stretch of red bricks that stretched from the floor to Quies' torso. The floors were wood once again, but felt firm and solid rather than hollow like back at the docks.
Valerie walked over to an open doorway with beautifully detailed sliding doors and entered. He promptly followed. Even before entering the room, he could already hear the sound of metal hitting metal.
"This is the training room. The super uber duper important person I'm meeting is supposed to be in here, so, do me a favor and hold your own tray, will you?"
Quies wanted to retort, but noticed her flat ears. Bracing himself, he held his hands out as Valerie slowly let go of the tray. The weight was definitely more than Quies could've carried up the long flight of stairs, but he could manage for now.
Because when he entered the training room, he felt a potent pressure resonating from the far left of the room.
'If I can feel that pressure from all the way over here… how strong is this swordsman that Valerie said she had to meet!'