"Here we are," I say as we crest the hill. "Port Zephyr."

Port Zephyr rests past the bottom of the hill, a city of around twenty thousand people, most of the buildings constructed with stone to help them with the salty wind and the heavy storms they sometimes get. The only other port town that could rival is it Port Gale, near the mountains to the north.

From here, we can see people walking through the streets, and at the edge of the ocean, ships in the docks. None of them have their sails out, which I find odd. With as many ships as I can see, I'd expect one to have been arriving or departing or performing its checks.

"It smells," Drake scrunches up his nose. "Like fish and the ocean."

"Yeah," I say. "Let's go."

We descend the hill and make our way into the city, joining dozens of others entering. Our first destination is the docks. It's better to find out when the ship we'll be taking is leaving than to book a room first. Otherwise, we might book longer or shorter than needed, and I'd rather not have to deal with rebooking.

My first action once we reach the docks is to seek out the dockmaster, who's currently sitting in his office, reading some report or other.

"Hello," he looks at us. "How can I help you?"

"We were wondering when the next ship leaving on the Dungeon Path was setting sail," I tell him.

"There won't be," he tells me. "Not for awhile. The wind faded too much over the last couple of years to sail properly, and even with the ocean calming, no one wants to row a boat for that long. No ship has left this port in weeks if it wasn't to fish for the day."

"The winds have picked back up, though," I say.

"For now," he says. "But it ain't likely they'll stay up. It's only been a couple of weeks since they returned, after years of being faded. Sailors want to make sure of the wind before they set sail, and Wind Mages aren't capable of helping a ship. The Mana cost is too great, and their spells aren't the best for keeping the sails intact."

"Do you know of anyone who could be persuaded?" I ask. "We need to get to the Water Shrine, and would prefer to take the Dungeon Path on the way there."

"No matter how much you want to spend," the dockmaster says. "Ain't a ship here that'll set off for you. The risk of the winds dying again is too great."

"They won't," Drake begins. "The reason-"

I clear my throat, and he stops. I point a finger at the dockmaster, then cast a wind blast at him. I've done one every night so far, before bed. There's no real risk there, and the hunger isn't all that bad, solvable with just some bread and cheese or some fruit.

While my magic isn't useful enough for combat against those linked into the System or monsters, the blast is still powerful enough to make a point. The dockmaster is knocked over, papers scattered around as everything on his desk is blown about.

He quickly returns to his feet as I pull my hand back under my cloak. I can't see his face, but I'm sure he's staring at me in shock.

"The Wind Guardian isn't the only true wind mage around," I say. "I can guarantee that any ship that takes me to the Sacred Isles will have no need of using their oars. The wind may cease, but no more than would be normal."

"It… may… take some time to arrange a crew," the dockmaster tells me.

"I'll give you one week," I tell him. "It is quite urgent that we make for the Sacred Isles."

"And you wish to go the Dungeon Path?" He asks.

"Yes," I answer. "I do not know how long we will be at the Sacred Isles, but we will be heading to the other continent after we finish our business there. It would be appreciated if the crew will agree to take us all the way on our journey, including waiting at the Sacred Isles for us to finish our business there."

"A crew that will take the Dungeon Path to the Sacred Isles," the dockmaster grabs for paper, then reaches into a drawer and pulls out a fresh inkwell, opening it up and grabbing a quill, then he begins writing. "Then to the eastern continent. One week from today. A wind mage guarantees the wind will not fail any more than normal."

He finishes writing things down, then quickly moves the paper, probably realizing his ink from the inkwell that fell over when I blasted him was leaking onto the paper.

"This is a tall order," he says. "They likely won't agree to it for cheap, especially with the way the wind has been."

"There will likely be others wanting to travel as well," I say. "We do not mind if they journey with us, as long as they understand that we will be going to the eastern continent, and therefore the ship will not be returning here after they do the Dungeons on the Sacred Isles."

"Y-yes," the dockmaster quickly writes something down. "Where are you staying, so that I can contact you?"

"We haven't looked for an inn yet," I state. "We wanted to arrange passage first. We'll return in one week, and expect a ship by then."

"What if I'm unable to arrange one that soon?" He asks.

"I want the most trustworthy crew that's willing to go," I tell him. "Who will also agree to take us to the eastern continent after. If no one trustworthy agrees initially, then tell a trustworthy crew who might to be here at eight in the morning on the day of the deadline. I will convince them myself."

"You sound confident," he says. "They may not trust it, even if you're a wind mage who holds the power of a Wind Guardian."

"It isn't the power of a Wind Guardian," I correct. "But the power of a true mage, not just someone linked into the System. Remember: no takers, then tell the most trusted crew here to be present here at the docks at eight in the morning on the day of the deadline."

"Yes," he writes something else down. "Is that all?"

"Take me seriously," I tell him. "I have urgent business that I must attend to. Drake, let's go."

I turn and leave, and Drake follows. We look for an inn that's not too far from the docks, but not too close, either. We eventually decide on the Flying Fish Tavern and pay for a room for one week.

"Are you sure we'll be able to leave then?" Drake asks as we make our way into the dining area.

"Yes," I answer. "I have a way to guarantee a ship."

As much as I would hate to use it, I can show something that will guarantee we find a crew. Any captain worth his salt would recognize it and know that I'm serious and on urgent business. I probably could have showed it to the dockmaster, but I don't want to pull it out. It's better to try other ways first.

With the show of using magic that's not a Skill, he'll probably make a better effort than if I hadn't blasted him with the wind.

Drake and I take a seat at the bar, there aren't many seats that are full. I suppose that most travelers are probably arriving, finding out that there's no passage, then leaving. A few are probably sticking around in the hopes that someone will agree to take them, but not many. Of the handful of guests eating and drinking in here, half of them are probably locals here for food.

"Two plates, please," I say. "Some of your best cold ale to go with it."

"No problem," the barkeeper says, then steps away.

"Oh!" Drake looks past me. "He doesn't look human."

"Hm?" I glance over.

The guy he's looking at is about our age, with black hair and bright, azure eyes. What's probably caught Drake's attention is that, instead of ears like ours, the man has a pair of wolf ears atop his head, and there's also a thick, fluffy black wolf's tail coming out from beneath his dark blue tunic. He's wearing black pants and brown leather boots, and looks pretty familiar.

I can't place him, though. I've met a fair few humewols before, including a few who've gone to visit Granny, but most of the ones I knew were from while I lived in the capital. He's our age, though, so I wouldn't recognize him from back then.

Oh. I know who he is.

"He's from the clans," I tell Drake. "There aren't many of them in this area. There are a couple of villages by the mountains, some on the islands, and I've heard rumors of one or two on the other side of the continent. There are also a few on the islands. However, most of the clans are on the other continent."

"That's why you didn't seem so surprised about my appearance," Drake says. "You've see… whatever those are."

"He's human," I say. "Of the humewol variety. I'm of the humeras variety, as are most people here on the western continent. You'll probably see various human races while we're here in Port Zephyr, it's more common to see them here than further into the kingdom due to the nature of port towns."

"Okay," Drake says.

The bartender returns with our food and drinks, then refills the humewol's drink before heading down the bar. We dig into our food, Drake eating a second plate of it along with two more steins of ale, then he heads off in search of the bathroom.

A few minutes after Drake leaves, the humewol moves over to sit beside me. A few more guests have arrived, but there's still plenty of space here. My guess is that he's figured out who I am, despite the cloak and deeper voice.

"You're deepening your voice," he says. "But I recognize your scent. Going around incognito?"

I knew that humewols had better senses of smell than humerases, but I didn't expect him to actually remember my scent after these last few months. We did barely know each other, after all.

"Hello, Dancing Claw," I greet him. "It's been a little bit."

"So you do recognize me," he chuckles. "I wasn't sure if you were a little too drunk for that week to remember me after or not."

"I don't remember much else," I admit. "But I'm not going to forget someone I slept with. That would be in bad taste."

"It would be," he agrees. "Have you moved on from him?"

"Yeah," I answer. "You helped me with that, actually. Got over it and went on with my life after you left, thanks."

"You're welcome," he says. "What brings you here to Port Zephyr? Going on a quest?"

"A couple of quests," I confirm. "You?"

"I was hoping to catch a ship to the Sacred Isles," he tells me. "None are sailing right now, though. It seems the wind's been unreliable."

"Planning on returning?" I ask. "Or going further?"

"I'm not sure, actually," he tells me. "When I visited the Oracle back then, she told me to obtain an item, then head to the Sacred Isles. That's all she told me, really, but if that's her advice, then I will follow it. What about you?"

"I'm going to the Sacred Isles," I tell him. "Then later, to the eastern continent. I need to find a ship and crew first, though."

"Good luck," he says. "No one's wanting to travel because of the wind."

"I've heard," I say. "It went still around here."

"Yeah," he says. "I heard it was vicious in some areas, and that it even sank a few ships just from the force of it."

I'm glad we dealt with that part of the problem already, then. It would be bad to travel across the sea, only to have the wind destroy the ship I'm on.

"Are you linked in?" He asks.

"Of course," I answer. "My quest is to find an incredibly rare treasure, and it's not a good idea to go into Ruins without Classes."

"It's not," he chuckles. "Well, I wish you luck on your quest. I'm heading back to my room to get some sleep. Good luck with your love life, if you have one. And if not, may you find a good man."

"You, too," I tell him.

Dancing Claw finishes his ale off, then leaves, and as he walks away, I realize that I let Drake go off on his own. I think I lost a dragon. Considering the tavern is only so large and he can't enter a bedroom with a key, I'll give him a little bit to find his way back down to me. There are only so many places he could go, after all.

Unless he wandered out of the tavern in search of the bathroom. That is a legitimate worry.

As I wait for Drake to return, I wonder about Drake's response to seeing Dancing Claw. He didn't seem to realize there were more types of human than just the humeras. At the same time, however, he didn't seem to think anything was strange about me being nonchalant about his appearance apart from the traits being reptilian, and he didn't seem to think much of the fact that the pants I bought for him already had a split in their design. Did he think I split and hemmed the edges myself?

"Excuse me," someone says, sitting beside me.

I look over and find another humewol sitting there. He's about my age, and is dressed in a similar outfit to Dancing Claw, though that doesn't surprise me. Many from the clans wear similar clothes, and if he and Dancing Claw are from the same clan, then it would make perfect sense that he'd be wearing a similar outfit while traveling.

The main difference between his outfit and Dancing Claw's is that he's wearing what's probably a wolf's fang hanging from a leather cord. To either side of the fang are a series of beads, one of bone, one of a black stone, another of bone, then another of black stone.

"Yes?" I ask, nearly forgetting to use my deeper voice.

He's attractive, just like Dancing Claw. His presence and approach were unexpected, though I did notice him before, when he walked in while Dancing Claw and I were talking.

"Did I overhear your talk with Dancing Claw correctly?" He asks. "You're into men?"

He only caught the last part of the conversation, but Dancing Claw did wish me luck finding a good man. This guy's question is more curiosity than anything.

"Yeah," I answer. "Dancing Claw and I hooked up while he was visiting my town a few months ago. Are you his-"

"No," he answers. "I mean, while I don't have an issue with him, he's not my type."

"Into women, then?" I ask.

"No, no, men," he says. "I just don't think I could ever bottom, and I know that he doesn't."

"Ah," I say. "So do you-"

"No," he answers. "You?"

"Yes and no."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I'm wondering that, too," perfect timing, Drake. "How are 'yes' and 'no' an answer to something?"

"Did you hear the question?" I ask.

"He didn't finish it," Drake answers as he sits beside me.

"He was asking if I had a boyfriend."

"Oh," Drake answers. "The answer to that is 'no'. I'm Drake. We're traveling together."

"I don't have a boyfriend," I tell the humewol. "But I do have Drake. We're adventuring buddies who also have sex."

"Oh," the humewol says. "Is it-is it okay if I ask how you two got together?"

"It was raining, we were both soaking wet when we got to the apartment, he ripped off my our clothes and forced himself onto me, and we've been doing it ever since," Drake deadpans. "He's turned me into his slave, and now, I must do whatever he wants, whenever he wants it. The only bonus is that he's not as ugly as you might think. Sadly, he needs a few more inches to really be enjoyable."

Wow, Drake can make jokes. That's new.

"First," I say. "I'm the bottom. Second, he climbed into my bed while I was sleeping, and after a discussion regarding our mutual attraction for one another and desire for sex with the other, we decided that we shouldn't hold back. Third, he's actually talking about my height."

Drake's commented a few times he wishes I was a few inches taller. Apparently, me being of an average height bothers him a little. It doesn't seem to affect our sex, though, so I'm not sure why he wishes I was a few inches taller.

"Fourth," I say. "He gets in a grumpy mood if I wake up first and don't wake him up with sex, so let's talk about who dominates."

Both of us, if we want to get specific. Judging by the flush in the humewol's cheeks, though, we won't be discussing that further. I wouldn't want to with others around, anyway. It does look like an embarrassed flush rather than an uncomfortable one. I should probably adjust the angle of my head again, if I'm seeing that much, I'm risking someone seeing my face.

"So," the humewol says as I lower my head again. "What brings you two to Port Zephyr? Were you hoping to get a ship out of here?"

"We'll be taking one," I tell him. "We're going to the Sacred Isles, then the eastern continent."

"I got here right after they stopped sending ships out," he says. "Been stuck here since then."

"Trying to flee the continent?" I ask.

"Nah," he answers. "I've always wanted to meet the Water Guardian. I wanted to wait until I turned nineteen to go off, but I got a little too impatient."

"To link into the System?" I ask.

"Yeah," he answers. "I'd be able to earn money a little faster. As it is, even if a ship does go out, I don't think I'll be able to afford it. Work isn't that good right now for anyone who's not an adventurer, since we don't go into the Dungeon nearby. Even for those who do, though, it's not all that lucrative. The port's main thing is fishing. I've got six months until I can link into the System, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do now."

So he's eighteen and a half, then.

"Yeah," I say. "I wish you luck."

"Thanks," he says. "I'm Shadow Fang, by the way."

"A pleasure to meet you, Shadow Fang," I say. "I'm Nate, and my friend here is Drake."

"It's nice to meet you," Drake says. "Have you tried joining a mercenary company?"

"The local ones won't take non-adventurers or people they aren't familiar with," Shadow Fang shakes his head. "I was hoping ships would start sailing again within a couple of weeks. Now I'm trying to decide on if I should just return to the village and give up meeting the Water Guardian until after I can link into the System. Hopefully, they'll be setting off again by then."

"They probably will be," I tell him.

"Maybe," he says. "I'm renting the room for another two nights after tonight, then I have to decide if I want to continue renting it or head back."

"Good luck with your decision," I tell him. "I'm going to head up to ours, we've had a bit of a journey to get here."

"See you around," he gives us a small wave as we stand.

"See you," I wave.