Deepwater port

Me and Ari spent the next week traveling through the woods. The trees grew less dense, and more flat land began to appear. After about ten or twelve days of travel, we had finally left the forest behind. It was nice to see a change.

I glanced at Ari as we walked.

“Ari, I never asked… where are we going next?”

She looked puzzled for a moment, then answered, “Umm… Deepwater!”

I had heard of the place before. It’s a city on an island in the center of a lake so massive it looks like an ocean. Lots of shady deals go on around there. It’s also the third biggest city in the kingdom.

The stretch between the lake and the forest is called the Blood Plains. Looking around, I saw rusty swords, broken pieces of iron, and crumbled buildings scattered across the ground. I guess that’s why they call it the Blood Plains.

As we traveled further, the wasteland almost looked beautiful in its own way. Eventually, we arrived at Deepwater Port — our one and only ticket into Deepwater.

The port was busy, crowded with shady dealers mixed among legitimate traders. The whole town seemed built on the phrase “I know a guy who knows a guy.”

Walking through the stalls, I spotted the docks at the end of the road. A small booth sat there — probably where I could buy a ticket. Ari stuck close to me, almost clinging. I guess she was nervous. Can’t blame her; these kinds of places are pretty sketchy.

I approached the man at the stall.

“Hey there — one ticket to Deepwater, please.”

The man, sporting a white mustache and a goofy hat, smiled.

“That’ll be 1,000 silver pieces.”

I stared in disbelief. We only had 59 silver.

“Sorry, sir,” I muttered, backing away. “We can’t afford that right now.”

Me and Ari turned and walked off. She pointed toward the local tavern.

“Yeah, good idea, Ari. Let’s stop at the tavern.”

We pushed open the heavy wooden doors, greeted by the loud chatter of drunk men, shady business deals, and the crackle of a fireplace roaring in the center of the great hall.

We both grabbed some food and ale and sat down. Ari never really does well in busy places. I guess she’s the nervous kind. She talks fine when she needs to, but she always keeps her cloak up in public.

Through the doors came a man in a black vest — tall, toned, with long slick brown hair and a cunning smile. He walked over to the counter and asked for “the regular.” Must be a local tradesman or some underground dealer.

With an ale in hand, he sat next to me at the great big main table stretching across the tavern. He took a sip, sighed, then turned to me.

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

Up close, he was pretty intimidating.

“Ahaha, no. We’re just trying to get to Deepwater.”

He looked puzzled. “We?”

“Yeah — me and Ari.” I pointed at her, sitting across from me, eating a bun.

A cunning grin ran across his face.

“Oh my, what a beauty you have there. Why hide your face? Even your hair is enough to show your beauty.”

Ari’s eyes glared from the shadow of her hood — a glare that screamed death.

The man raised his arms in surrender.

“Sorry, sorry, ahaha.”

With a quick turn, he faced me again and held out his hand.

“My name’s Lumo. Yours?”

I shook his hand. “Riven.”

That cunning smile returned.

“So, Riven, I can take you across the lake to Deepwater for free. All you have to do is a little favor for me when we get there.”

Ari kicked me under the table. I don’t think she liked him very much. But it was our only shot at getting across to Deepwater.

“Alright… what kind of favor?” I squinted at him.

“I want you to meet a friend of mine,” he replied.

With a sigh, I said, “Fine. When do you want to leave?”

With a smile, he shook my hand again.

“Tomorrow at noon. It’s half a day’s trip, so come prepared.”

He stood up and walked away

I leaned back, letting out a breath. “Well, that went better than I thought.”

Across from me, Ari lowered her hood just enough for me to catch her eyes. They were sharp, colder than I’d ever seen them.

“Riven… that man is dangerous.”

I raised a brow. “What, Lumo? He just offered us a ride.”

Her voice was quiet but firm. “Nobody here offers anything for free. Men like him always want more than they say.”

I tried to laugh it off, but her gaze stayed on me, burning like a warning. For a second, I almost believed her. Almost.

“Relax,” I said, forcing a grin. “It’s just a boat ride.”

But Ari pulled her hood back up, leaving me with a knot in my stomach I couldn’t quite shake.