Kristen, not deterred by the completely shocked faces of Lucia and Olivia, spurred on.
"Just think about it!
All of our problems that we face are on this cursed continent, those humans who won't stop trying to find us and other ancient monsters that are looking for us as well now.
If we left, who knows what we could find. New opportunities! New allies! Maybe some hot guys as well if you know what I mean hehe~
AHEM! Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that this could be our chance."
'Hmph! I ate that speech up.'
After finishing her speech she sat back down with a satisfied expression on her face, feeling proud of talking for so long.
Lucia and Olivia exchanged glances, passing signals on what they should do. After a few seconds of back and forth Olivia finally cleared her throat and gave an answer.
"Well, its not as if its a bad idea but..."
She began but stopped halfway, not wanting to diminish Kristens spirits.
"We don't exactly have a way to get across the ocean. There are all kinds of beasts that lurk in the depths of those waters, and trying to fly over it would be impossible." Lucia stepped in for her.
"Why is it impossible?" Kristen asked.
"Because it goes on for thousands of miles. Too long for anything to even attempt to cross, well, perhaps...no, that would never work." She muttered the last part under her breath.
"What would never work? Tell me."
But Kristen luckily heard it and pressed for more.
Reluctantly, Lucia answered her question hesitantly as she knew that it would only give her false hope.
"We could board a human ship, but they would surely notice us and try to kill us. They hate all beasts, besides the ones that are slaves."
"What if we disguised ourselves with an illusion or something?" Kristen had a gut feeling that this was what they were supposed to do.
Olivia joined in on the conversation.
"It could work, although the chances of being discovered are high."
"Better than trying to avoid the humans out here." Kristen countered.
Weighing the options in her head, Olivia realised that Kristen wasn't entirely wrong. They would likely get killed if they stayed where they were, and even if they tried to run it would surely be futile.
Lucia also came to the conclusion that the argument had some good points.
"Hypothetically, if we were to do this, do you guys know any ports nearby?" Kristen inquired.
"Yes, I have a map of this district and its connected to a dockland where ships come and go all the time." Olivia absentmindedly responded, still churning over things in her head.
"Perfect! So what do you say? Go and live or die and stay."
Kristen asked them.
Glancing between the two, Olivia raised her wing to vote yes. With an exaggerated sigh, Lucia also raised her wing to show support, annoyed because she knew that a world of pain was awaiting them.
Anything that was involved with humans always had some consequences.
Kristen gasped dramatically, eyes sparkling.
"YES! Democracy wins!" She threw both wings into the air like she'd just conquered the heavens. "History will remember this moment as the turning point of our glorious migration!"
Lucia pinched the bridge of her beak with one talon.
"There is no history," she muttered. "And if there is, I would prefer not to be remembered as the idiot who smuggled herself across an ocean inside a wooden coffin full of humans."
Olivia ignored them both and pulled a small folded parchment tube from the leather satchel that was somehow always hidden from view. She tapped it once against the stone and unfurled it carefully against the moonlit rock.
The map was worn but detailed with inked coastlines, forested regions marked in dark brush strokes, human settlements etched in precise script.
Kristen leaned over it immediately.
"Ooooh. That's very official-looking, you've been holding out on us."
"I thought it would get broken if I left it with you guys," Olivia replied.
'Ouch! Rude, much?'
Lucia stepped closer, golden sparkles in her feathers very faint but visible under the moonlight. "Where's the nearest port?"
Olivia traced the map with the tip of her wing.
"We're right here." She tapped a jagged forest marking near the river bend. "If we head southeast for two days, we will reach the main road. Follow that and it leads to Dockland Harbour."
Kristen squinted at the small inked drawing of clustered rectangles by the shoreline. "That's where ships come and go all the time?"
"Yes," Olivia confirmed. "Trade vessels, fishing fleets. Occasionally larger merchant ships that travel beyond the continent."
Lucia's eyes shined. "Beyond."
Olivia nodded. "There are at least 16 known continents across the Eastern Sea. Most trade stays coastal, but some ships make the long crossings."
'16?!? Holy shit! Back on earth we only had seven, or was it 8?'
Kristen puffed up her chest proudly. "See? The universe supports my ideas."
"The universe tried to kill us less than an hour ago," Lucia replied dryly.
Kristen waved that off. "Minor setback."
Lucia got into serious mode once more which gave the others the cue to start discussing the plan.
"We can't just board any ship. It needs to be one that we actually know is going to another continent or country. Either one is fine." Lucia murmered.
Olivia hummed in agreement. "Smaller fishing boats won't travel far enough. Coastal traders barely make it past the shoreline."
"So we need a deep-sea merchant ship," Lucia concluded. "Large crew with plenty of cargo. Enough chaos that three 'passengers' go unnoticed."
Olivia folded one wing behind her back thoughtfully. "The illusion could mask our forms. Make us appear as something small and non-threatening."
Lucia's gaze drifted to the faint glow along her feathers. "Sustaining a wide-area illusion for days would be impossible."
Kristen frowned. "But a small one?"
Lucia shifted on her claws. "If I limit it to the line of sight. Anyone directly scrutinizing us could break through.
But the real danger of it all is..."