He did not expect that he would be carrying a crate of hardtacks from the Captain's Wagon.

He met the Captain when he was walking to Old Carthan. He spotted him, recognized him, and said, "Can't have my Doctor starving now eh? Besides, it might smell below the deck. I hope it won't bother you, see?"

Captain Malfor was a man with a groomed mustache. He carried a firearm and a needle sword on his waist. He was the kind of man who would give one of his firearms as a gift for a person he barely knows. Gabrio, who did not have experience in using firearms, got his first try on using one.

The pistol itself had a leather grip and linen wrapped around the griip. Captain Malfor taught Gabrio how to shoot and reload the pistol. Although Gabrio suspected that he only wanted to shoot the bottles in the tavern. The tavern where Captain Malfor did not get his drink.

The lesson came with the experience of feeling the recoil and loud thunder-like sound. The Captain smiled as he taught Gabrio. It was clear that this was the Captain's way of relaxing, by firing these firearms. " Look at it lad! The marvels of engineering and science! Do you know how many of us dreamed of flying the sails to the thousand islands? Lands unexplored that we could finally reach! As long as we have cannons and know the ways to make them then we will have no fear from the beasts!" He said with glee in his voice.

This was the Age of Man. The Age where Kingdoms that ruled the lands had now come to reunite under a new name. Aon, the United Lands. The continent where they made anew after fighting, that despite the different beliefs. They are of the same blood. They belonged to one continent. That as brothers and sisters of Aon, they must unite if there was an enemy to face beyond Aon. And through this newly made United Kingdom, so the Seven Words of the Nation of Aon was born.

Through our own merits!

Through our labor!

Through our daring and determination!

Through our perseverance!

We will not slacken!

We will not tire and lose courage!

And so that when the storm comes, we will never despair!

The bold words came with power. Words that took Gabrio to Old Carthan, by following the Seven Words of Aon. It was the same words that somehow brought him to shoot bottles near an old tavern.

Captain Malfor, who looked at the broken glasses, nodded with satisfaction. He gave Gabrio two pouches worth of ammunition. Adding to that, he taught Gabrio how to clean and maintain firearms.

"Insert a clean cloth inside that barrel lad," Captain Malfor said. He sang the seven words of Aon as he left.

Ears still ringing, Gabrio placed his crate of hardtacks below his bed. Then he carried himself to the market to buy cloth for the pistol. Shouldering his way through one of the stalls.

The Old Carthan market was a melting pot of goods, spices, and curious. Fenced by tall brick buildings, cobbled pavement, and stalls with goods displayed.

Gabrio noted a stall selling firearms that are recently made.

The mixture of gunpowder, spices, heated cobble, and salty wind made for quite a smell in the air. Around the market were burly men guarding the side with rifles fitted with bayonets. Above the roof slates of the buildings were gunmen who steeled their gazes on the crowds. About four of them, who wore leather jerkin scanned the crowd without blinking.

Steering away his gaze from the gunmen on the rooftops. He browsed a stall and bought a bundle of rolled cloths. He bought extra from his coppers and placed them inside his rucksack. He had bought more because his Mentor, the Surgeon of Fort Rava, had taught him to do so he can be prepared.

The Surgeon of Fort Rava was an old spiteful man who Gabrio apprenticed under to survive. Anyone could be a Surgeon as long as someone taught the trade. Gabrio had started learning to become a Doctor when he entered the surgery room of Fort Rava. It was when he carried the Surgeon's tools that the Surgeon noticed him. He gave Gabrio a scalpel, then ordered him to cut up a man's stomach. The Surgeon taught him where the organs were, and by the end of that gruesome lesson. The Surgeon said, "You'll become a Doctor, for Sanity's sake."

He didn't know why the Surgeon taught him. He didn't know why the Surgeon allowed him to become a Doctor. But through learning from that Surgeon that he was able to escape Fort Rava. The place where he learned how to be extra careful, and learned how to always prepare for the worst.

Cloths have many uses. Besides, Gabrio thought that he may need them for purposes other than wrapping wounds. He was finished with the store. Gabrio left the market while walking under the shade of the edges of the roofs. Along the way, he cursed how he had so little coin despite being a Doctor. Indeed, he was not hired because he was good. He got hired because his services were cheap and he was a fool eager to board a fleet heading for trouble.

Nonetheless, Gabrio wondered if his skills were enough. Humanity had made better ships, firearms, mortars, and cannons. But in the ways of medicine, they were so behind that he turned to the imaginations inside of his head. He was not enough to be called a good doctor.

He was however. confident that these thoughts were useful. It was because of this that he had confidence in treating common illnesses and wounds. He only wished that someday the ideas inside his head could become reality. For what was the purpose of dreams other than to manifest them into reality? He wanted to make these real someday, and yet he was lacking. He lacked so much in theory and wisdom.

It does not bother him that he could not make use of them immediately. It was the same as asking for rewards despite not doing anything to be worthy of one. If he wanted to make these ideas real then he needed to continue his studies. For now, they are locked inside the back of his head. Complaining does not help. Hence he could only focus on what was in front of him.

With those thoughts churning inside of his head.

Gabrio was already on the Grand-Galleon, climbing aboard, and finding the ship boys lined up. The Sailors were teaching them. The Apprentices were next to the Pages, ears perked up as they listened to the Boatswain and his mates. Not far from this group was a stranger. A woman with black hair tied into two braided tails. She was carrying her luggage and wore a wooden box strapped like a backpack on her back.

Approaching her, she turned her eyes to Gabrio who was holding his bundle. She sniffed and said, "You have the smell of medicine on you," she looked at the bundle he was holding. "I heard there was a Doctor aboard. You must be him."

She looked at Gabrio. By Jove, she have big round eyes. And there was something in those big round eyes that made Gabrio identify her for what she was. And there was also that remarked about the medicine she smelled on him.

"Gabrio, and you must be our Surgeon," Gabrio said, donning his Physician's face.

"Zyra is my name," she smiled. "I am the Surgeon that will be working with you. To have a Doctor, Surgeon, and a Healer inside this Galleon. The people working here are lucky."

Gabrio felt her eyes sized him down as she offered her hand. Gabrio took that hand and saw a tiny smile on her. Her index and middle finger had callouses. Which made Gabrio thought that she must be well-trained with her scalpel or trained in other things than that. Gabrio took his hand and started to the hatchway.

“The Apprentices are rather busy aren’t they?”

“They are.”

She made small talk as Gabrio opened the hatchway. He pulled on the rope of a pulley. He took the wooden lift and strapped their belongings on it. She climbed down first while carrying her wooden backpack. She then raised her thumb at Gabrio. Following her down the hatch, and unloading the luggage from the lift. He saw Zyra looking around.

"A large hall for a Grand-Galleon," her voice trailed, bouncing on the halls.

"It isn’t called a Grand-Galleon for nothing. Over 100 feet high masts and sails. 200 feet long with six decks and broadside cannons. We have 200 guns on both sides and about five hundred men and women of Milostiv in this Galleon.”

Gabrio paused for a breath.

"Outside of this ship, there are 25 caravels and 5 carracks that recently arrived. Five thousand soldiers in total. Both armed with breechloaders and flintlocks.”

"So no more swords and spears," Zyra said. "The Age of Melee-Combat dies."

She said that with a low toned voice.

He stopped on his track as he spotted Caulkers, Carpenters, Coopers, and Apprentices. They were carrying chickens and was going their way. Some of them were pulling on cows as well. Gabrio thought that since this was going to be a long journey. Even the Grand Fleet commandeered by the Admiral should hold more than it should have.

“I see that they gave you a breechloader?” she said, pointing her chin on the pistols Gabrio carried.

“Ah, Captain gave it to me.”

“We have an important person aboard?” She asked

Most of the time, Captains were either the one handling the soldiers. Or a very important person that had come aboard. This time the Captain was different.

“Ah, he navigates the seas and aides the pilot. As for the important person, you have heard of the Lady?”

She nodded. He walked to the right of the hallway to avoid the Constable who carried a rifle on him. Behind the Constable was the Inspectors, Purveyors, Accountants, Treasurers. Following them were the eager Scribes who held their tomes on their chest. On their belt were pouches of writing sticks.

"So they are using them as well," Gabrio noted.

It took them a while to reach the deck where the clinic was. He eyed Zyra for a second. She doesn’t seem tired with that backpack of hers. He counted the cabins and placed the crate next to her door.

“So this is my place, so far from the deck,” she rubbed her arms. “Do they have a light around here?”

“Fireplaces inside a ship is rather,” his voice trailed. "But we do have iron lamps and candles.

“Burners. Do they have burners?”

“I don’t think they’ll be eager to have them aboard.”

She sniffed. “And they have cargoes of inflammable materials alongside dried grasses. But we can't have something that would prevent us from turning into ice?"

They did spot dried hay along the way. It was messy and odd how there was almost an entire community in this galleon.

Five hundred people inside a Grand-Galleon without anything to warm themselves up. Then what happens if winter comes? He hopes that they don’t find ourselves in that position.

"The Lady aboard might help us with that?”

She fished out her keys, fitted it inside the lock, and shouldered the door. He takes a step inside and placed the crate on the table.

“I don’t know about that,” she said, moving the crate close to her. She unlocked the straps and pushed the lid open. Inside were not the tools of her trade. Instead, there were clothing and personal items. Seeing those laces and ribbons made Gabrio turn his eyes to the wall.

“Pardon.”

“No trouble. My tools are inside my backpack. Still, I may have to buy a coat with how things are going to be. Sailing to a plausible cold environment might be a possibility for this Galleon. I do hope we avoid them. But knowing the Thousand Islands aren’t called a thousand islands for nothing. We must prepare for the worst.”

He nodded. This fleet itself had installed icebreakers on the front of the ship for that scenario. This fleet was ready to sail even if the winter comes. After all, If the fleet is going to explore the fabled thousand islands. Then it was bound to see hill-like ices. But Gabrio rather thinks about that when that time comes.

“I’d love a stiff drink,” Zyra said, placing her clothing inside the trunk. “I guess you must be a drinker? You have to be. You are of the medicine.”

“Not that much,” Gabrio said. “I like being sober.”

“How sad.”

He rose a brow. He then let go of the word that wanted to come out of his mouth. She didn’t look at him and was focused on placing her personal belongings inside her chest. Her focus broke when ‘sunlight’ shined inside the cabin. She threw her eyes to the source.

“They…installed glass windows? Are there many like this?”

“Yes.”

“Are you kidding me?”

She tapped on the round window.

“This isn’t going to break, right?”

Gabrio pointed at the hatch above the round window. If there were signs of cracking on the round window. He should pull the hatch down and lock the hinges. With that secured, he should run for carpenters and caulkers to have it patched up

“What were they thinking?”

“They wanted to survey the bottom of the ship. Orders from the Magistrate and the Chancellor I am afraid. He also approved of this idea.”

“Himself? The Chancellor?”

“Yes.”

She rubbed her forehead.

“Is it too late to get off?”

She said with a pained voice. Gabrio couldn't help but agree with her on this issue. What were they thinking about putting a round glass window on the bottom of Galleon’s hull?