February 7, 2019, 5:05 am. The morning before setting off into the great blue yonder.

As I wake in the morning, I find that Smoulder and Rufka have somehow found a way to smother me even further into the corner. I suspect the extra blankets are helping with that. Not sure where they grabbed those from, but our bunk now extends a few feet past the edge due to pure girth.

I doze until Rufka finally shows signs of life. Then I subtly let her know I'm ready to get up. By dumping her on the floor. Smoulder is spared from this fate by virtue of using Rufka as a landing pad. While they're still wrestling their way free of the blankets they used to ensnare me, I escape to the deck. Rufka's curses are probably going to wake up the others, so I go to see if there's any food. It's a pirate ship, so they should have food, right?

I find what might be a galley down the hall, a long table with over a dozen chairs along the sides. No sign of the throne, so I suspect the captain doesn't eat here. Or maybe she only brings out the throne for visitors?

Unfortunately, there's no obvious food. There is an enchanted station at one end of the room, and my scan does reveal that it's a food preparation unit. But nothing that's prepared. I'm tempted to give it a try, but spot Rufka stomping towards me, sparks dancing over her hands.

I laugh as I escape out the far end of the galley, darting up a ladder that... doesn't lead to the deck, but to a subdeck that's barely tall enough to crawl through. If it wasn't also jammed full of crates. Dropping down the ladder, I come face to face with Rufka.

Several minutes later, our tickle fight is interrupted by Vul'tel, the captain's second. They maintain the same blank look they had when showing us our room yesterday as they say, "The captain would like all guests to attend her in the navigation lounge."

"There's a navigation lounge?" I ask while elbowing Rufka out of my face until I get enough room to sit up.

"Yes."

"Can you show us where it is?"

"Yes." Before I can escape Rufka's grasp, Vul'tel turns around and starts walking away. Rufka and I scramble to our feet, and I only kick her once before we are standing behind Vul'tel. She leads us back on deck, then into the raised back part of the ship where I'd assumed the captain's quarters would be. Inside is a room that stretches across the entire width of the ship, surrounding a table that has several physical maps on it. Not a single holographic map to be seen.

Along with the captain are three familiar faces. The Taken we encountered outside Rufka's cabin are standing to one side, Ael'thani smirking with all four of her arms crossed. Neither of her companions share her smirk, standing quietly behind her.

Next to Kellica, Beth is arguing in low tones with the Captain, who maintains her steady grin as she cuts Beth off, "You did not ask for exclusive travel arrangements. And they have paid for their passage. In full."

I can't help but squint at the Taken at this. They're coming with us? Does this mean... I might get a chance to pet the super-fluffy puppy?!

There are far worse traveling companions.

...TPWM...

"So," I say as I sidle up next to Kellica. "What's going on?"

"The K'mintar has granted me my Vigil. However, she has insisted that since I named Ael'thani as my shadow, she needs to travel with me. And the others are here as witnesses to make sure neither of us act… overtly."

"A waste of our time," Liktik complains, flicking their tongue out. "There are problems within Aethire we should be addressing."

This earns a glare from Ael'thoni, "Are you saying you disagree with our duty?"

"No. I disagree with the K'mintar's belief the Truth Seeker would run off."

"At least one of you respect her," Rufka says, patting Kellica's shoulder in what I'm sure is supposed to be a sign of support, even if it does make her stumble a step.

"Yes, yes. You all have history. But you are all to be good friends on this trip," Captain e'Tell declares, placing a hand on Rufka and Ael'thoni's shoulders. "You are all to behave. No violence, or you will find yourselves swimming back to shore."

For a moment, everyone goes silent. Then I ask, "Does that count for when we stop?"

Instead of answering, e'Tell lets loose a deep laugh, turning back to her map and explaining our route south, and where we'll be stopping. Only a couple short breaks along the coast at Strongholds that only have a few K'tharn in each.

The first day of our journey is quiet, the captain's reminder hanging everyone after we leave the navigation room. Later in the day, Tipan explains that thinks the ship counts as the captain's stronghold, which means her rules are more than just guidelines. They're System enforced.

Which Beth is relieved by, if the way her shoulders slacken once Tipan informs us at dinner. I don't really share her relief, but then, I've been more concerned about the etiquette of asking to run my hands through Poogell's super fluffy fur.

Seriously, he would make the best pillow ever.

Shortly before dusk, Beth brings Tipan and I below decks, to a private room she's acquired for our use. It's only a little larger than our bunk rooms, but it has a desk along one side, with a bench that's secured to the floor by a railing of all things. The mounting is so mechanical, I can't help but inspect it further. And other than reinforcement runes, I confirm that it relies on regular physics to keep it in place. After securing the door, Beth pulls out a thin stand that more than makes up for the lack of other magic in the room. It may look like little more than the frame of an umbrella glued to a tripod, but every millimeter of its surface is engraved with runes.

"Okay, now Genitha said I need to…" Beth mumbles, tugging at the stand for a second until it unfolds, the arms securing themselves to the ceiling before stretching around the room. When they link again at the stand, the entire room is cut off from outside mana. Even my tethers are suppressed, though I can still feel them if I focus on one at a time.

"For privacy. A gift from Genitha," Beth explains as she pulls a book out of storage. A familiar book, that she and Genitha showed me shortly before we went into Elementalist's Peak. Beth explains the general concepts laid out inside to Tipan, including the anit-System nature of it. Then Beth pauses for a second before locking her emerald green eyes on Tipan. "Tipan, we think your sister left you this for as-"

"That's Iviicka's?" Tipan asks, stepping away from Beth and bumping into me. I quickly grab her hand as she breathes heavily. "And... you think she left it for me?"

Beth's gaze weighs Tipan for a few moments before she nods. "We do. We're not sure why, but Genitha's friend thinks it's been... keyed to you."

"I..." at this, Tipan steps forward, laying a hand on the book. "I didn't think she still cared."

Beth glances at me for a second, then back to Tipan. "Well, seems she did. We're pretty sure there are no traps on it at this point, but it could still be a risk. But if you don't want to chance-"

"No!" Tipan cries as Beth reaches for the book. Then she runs a hand upward, straightening her back and her mohawk at the same time. "No. If Ivicka left me a message, I want to read it. Though..."

"Though?" I prompt softly, still holding her hand.

Tipan turns to me with a half-smile. "I would prefer to have you here when I do. And Roberts. Just in case."

"Sure. I'd be happy to."

"I'll get Roberts. And hope you can get some bloody answers out of this book," Beth grumbles, reaching for the book. But Tipan's hand comes down on top of the book.

"I... believe it would be best if I held on to the book, for now. If it was meant for me..."

"Right. You do that," Beth agrees, nodding then placing her hand on the empty umbrella frame before looking back to Tipan. "Come here. You shouldn't be bringing the book out without this. Genitha suspects it's what the Taken are after."

Tipan steps forward, and Beth guides her through the activation and deactivation of the mana-blocker. I'm pretty sure the function is similar to the mana-gathering devices, though it affects a much smaller area. And it blocks magic, obviously.

Once Beth is done showing us how to activate the mana-stand, she leaves the room and Tipan looks to me. "Thank you. I know she was... awful, at the end. But maybe this will let me know what happened to her."

"I hope so," I reply. Despite having stood up to Ivicka's madness, I never hated her. And if reading her last words can help Tipan, I'll be here for her. And if Ivicka left a trap... well, I'll be here for that too. Hopefully.

Roberts returns alone. Which is probably a good thing. Once we close the door again, I realize just how cramped the space is. Beth deploys the mana-blocker again then lays the book out on the table. She starts paging through it, stopping at the first of the obscured pages with a small gasp. I'm watching for any sign of harm, ready to Pause. But Tipan's eyes just fill with tears as she reads down the page. Then she turns to me. "She... knew she was going crazy. Or suspected, at least."

"Oh, what's it say?"

Tipan shakes her head for a moment before turning back to the book with a small frown. "It... talks about her work with Folthka. And an experiment. An early attempt at what they did to Josh and Rose. But they didn't use another user... they used an old core that Folthka had recovered. According to this, they didn't know who it was from. But this was... she talks about bursts of anger just seeing Kalim. Or Bem. It's why she suddenly started serving on distant flights. Oh, I have to tell mother."

"You sure about that?" I ask, as I remember what it was like when I discovered what really happened to papa.

"What? Why wouldn't I tell her?" Tipan demands, glaring at me. I stutter, unsure of how to reassure her.

At this, Roberts clears his throat, getting us to look at him, "I believe Alexis is just worried about how your mother may react."

I point a finger at Roberts while nodding. "That. That's what I meant."

"I... I'll think about it. But for now... I'd like to continue."

Roberts and I share a nod, and Tipan turns away from us. I can't help but notice that she shifts slightly away from me as she continues reading. And that she's no longer sharing what she finds. Part of me is relieved she can get closure, even if only a little. Another part is hurt that she's not sharing anymore. Which I guess is my fault.

I remain lost in my thoughts for another half-hour before Tipan snaps the book closed.

"That's enough of that," Tipan declares as she pushes to her feet, the book disappearing into her storage. Then she reaches over and deactivates the mana-blocker. "Thank you both, for being here in case... in case something went wrong."

"Of course," Roberts says, angling his head toward Tipan slightly before leaving the room.

I shuffle after him, but Tipan grabs my hand just before I'm out of the room. "I do appreciate you being here. And... if it's okay with you..." she pauses, chewing her lip as our eyes meet, "I'd like it if you were here next time I read as well."

There's no stopping the smile that creeps across my face, and I don't even try, nodding to Tipan. "Of course. Might have to bring Rufka if it's going to be a regular thing though."

The corner of her mouth crinkles upwards as she chuckles softly. "I suppose I could live with that. Long as she sits still and remains quiet."

"Oh. Is that all?" I ask, trying to imagine Rufka sitting still for half an hour. And realizing that she'd totally do that. As long as we're cuddling. "I'm sure we can manage."

After all. I do love my cuddles.

...TPWM...

The next few days pass quickly, as the Twice Scuttled cruises south along the coast. The Taken agents mostly keep to themselves, though I do manage to pet Poogell. His fur is as silky as it looks. I also find Ael'thoni harassing Kellica on more than one occasion. Harassment that's quickly dropped when Rufka or I show up. It gets to the point that Rufka and I take turns keeping Kellica company.

It's while Rufka is keeping Kellica company, that Tipan asks me to read with her again. She's been through the entire book by this point, but sometimes she'll go back to a previous page and swear she's discovered something that wasn't there before.

Which, if it wasn't a magic book with words that literally hide themselves from my vision, might've had me doubting her. But with that as a baseline, who am I to judge.

As Tipan mutters to herself, I close my eyes and work on testing Pause. I've been performing experiments for the last couple days, testing to see how long I can extend it by spending more and more Facet. I've also been combining it with my new Channeling ability, which I'd dismissed as a cheaper way to maintain multiple spells when I first acquired it. But I'm starting to suspect it's more useful than that.

Simply dumping extra Facet in hasn't been very impressive. It takes nearly my entire pool just to increase the duration by half. However, when using channeling, I've discovered I can keep it going much longer. But it comes with a major downside. I can't cast spells. Which isn't to say I can't use magic. I can still use the instinctive magic that occurs within a small area around me, my magical presence or aura. But I can't form the runes that give greater direction to mana while I'm channelling my Pause. Not even a second channeled ability.

Which would make it extra boring to practice, if I wasn't also learning how to expand and contract my aura. Theria implied my aura was what set Rufka on fire, so working on it is kinda important. And inside the mana-blocked area, it's a lot easier to tell where my aura ends.

Not that it makes it easier to control. Controlling my aura is like trying to adjust the skirts of one of those big flouncy dresses that aunt Sharon loves by pulling it into place using spaghetti noodles. Still, I think I'm making progress. My aura used to just butt up against the edge of the mana-block, but now I can pull it back a few millimetres. On one edge. Over less than a metre of the perimetre. It's a lot harder than controlling my actual magic.

But since I'm not doing anything else while waiting with Tipan, I continue my efforts.

When she calls our reading session to a close, we make our way above decks to enjoy the scenery. The south tip of the Aetherian continent passes on our left (which Roberts has informed me a couple times is the port side, but I still think of it as left) while ahead of us is the main reason we've come on the Twice Scuttled instead of flying. Ahead, the ocean stops following the rules of physics. Or at least, the rules as I've always known them.

Instead of the smooth curve of the horizon, the ocean lifts up. A shiver runs down my spine at what would be a city destroying wave, rising like a mountain. But it's so much more than that. It's dominated the horizon since the morning, and it stretches up into space, towards Ukila. This is the ultimate point of the Great Tide. A water-spout bigger than any mountain on earth, surrounded by constant mana-storms. And apparently, it's always like this, just usually to a lesser degree.

Somewhere inside that maelstrom, is the dungeon we're here to complete.

We could've chosen an easier one to get to, but the rewards...

The Twice Scuttled pierces through a wave, the water crashing down around us, but not hitting us. Not through enchantments, but careful management of the ship's stronghold boundaries. Captain e'Tell is using the System's stronghold effect as a shield. Because where we're going, enchantments have a habit of being torn apart.

Which makes me wonder at the difference. Why is the System able to create a magical effect enchantments can't?

Another thing to study.

The captain is at the rear of the ship, at the wheel, which she's revealed is mostly symbolic. She can command the Twice Scuttled without even being aboard, though she remains cagey about the range. Not that I blame her.

Beside the captain on one side is Beth, who's enjoying the 'relaxed' shielding of the uppermost deck, her hair flowing in the wind. The relaxed shielding is a feature, as far as the captain is concerned. Makes the experience more authentic. On her other side, looking far less pleased, Ael'thani glowers at both the captain and Beth while clutching tightly to the nearby railing, water dripping from her fur.

I move up to join Rufka and Kellica, who are at the front of the ship in the other part where the shielding is relaxed. It's so loud, that even yelling I wouldn't be able to hear the sound of my own voice. Not without using magic. Which would defeat the purpose of the relaxed shielding. So when I slide up next to Rufka, I just give her a smile while wrapping my hands around the rail. The ship crashes through another wave, and the water washes over us again. But here, enough is let through to soak us.

Not a typical design feature, but the Captain assured us it's safe. Mostly. If we see dark shapes in the water, we're supposed to retreat to the central deck. It's only happened once so far, and turned out to be nothing.

We stay there for ten minutes before I decide to leave. Rufka follows, which means Kellica also tags along. I find Smoulder sitting in the middle of the safe, and dry, zone. She doesn't mind looking out at the surrounding ocean, but she is definitely not a fan of the wet zones.

Wicking the water soaking me away with a wave of my hand, I return to the galley, where we've been spending a lot of time talking. And playing games. And generally just spending time when we don't want to be wet or cramped.

Roberts, Josh and Rose are talking with one of the Taken when we arrive, the lizard-like one, Lik'tik. Josh is nodding enthusiastically. "Yeah, just like that. We have a bunch of words in our language that sound like other words in Vausian. For example, bell in Vausian sounds like sausage."

"And Reaper sounds like 'Oh damn'," Rose adds.

"My personal favorite is how close the Vausian phrase for please sounds like 'au contraire'," Roberts chimes in.

"That's not even English," I say as I take a seat next to them.

"It's close enough," Roberts counters while pushing a plate of steaming... sausages towards me. I stab one with my fork, holding it up as I raise an eyebrow at him while the others go off on several other words they've noticed, with Rufka joining in with words I pretend not to hear.

"It's how the conversation started. Lik'tik here was commenting on how similar the word sausage in Vausian was to idiot. I believe there was an implication that Ael'thani was occasionally sausage-like," he informs me with the smallest trace of a smile.

I can't help but smile while taking a bite of the sausage.

Then I almost choke, as the heat hits me.

Gah! Why can't elemental resistance work on spicy food!