Chapter 3: Settin' Off

Nice to see you there again lad.

"You too grandpa."

How you doin' since last night?

"Good."

An' what about your father?

"He's doing well."

Not much fer words are you boy?

"I'm getting better though."

You are indeed me lad. Keep up with your English an'
you might get as good as me!

"I hope so, I really like your stories grandpa."

I'm glad you like 'em.

So, on another note, I've heard you're gettin' a siblin'.

"Mmh!"

Boy or girl?

"We're not sure yet, I hope they're a boy, I don't have many friends I can play
with."

Why not any o' the girls? Ye might get along with 'em y'know.

"Ew, they're icky."

Ahahaka, really is that so?
Well, if you say so I suppose.

Now, where were we on that story?

"You and the knight said bye."

That we did.

"Also, why were they called Flint?"

Huh?

"Why were they called Flint?"

I heard what you said, what do you mean?

"That's my name Grandpa."

Ahaka! Well, how'd you know?

"Hmph."

Now now a bit o' banter 'ere an' there ain't so bad now.

"..."

Why you lookin' at me like that?
Hey get off o' me. Get down. 
Hey! Hey!

"Heehe"

If you weren't so cute, I'd wrangle you up ye know that?

"Grandpa scary!"

Yes, yes, I'm scary, alright.
Now, let's get back to where we were shall we?

"Mmh."

Right, so I were at the gates o' the Capital, goin' off on me journey.
I followed the rickety path laid in front o' me.
Bricked in jade an' cracked in marble.
Lookin' at the rich materials, I ended up feelin' bad at me own ruined outfit,
stained in bile an' wettened down to the bone.
Combinin' this an' me boots' heavy
weight, with me clothes lockin' me down by the water spongin' it up, 
an' you get a pair o' clothes that are one pain to walk in!
I had to get me self some clothin'.

Sadly, I had no money.
No wares to trade. An' no way o' makin' a livin' out o' me self.
So, I had to get somethin' somehow. An' I was pretty sure a wealthy
city like the Capital weren't about to let me grab me filthy paws over
any o' 'eir lines o' work.

So, I had no information to go off from an' I had to get me self
to a town who'd hire someone like me, regardless o' me
stinkin' attire. Not quite the easiest o' tasks.

Atleast, on me journey I could see some brilliant an' beautiful things.
One o' 'ose things were to me right, a bunch o' Giant Seahorses. 
The lot were in somethin' o' a pen. Some in stables an' others attached to
carts.
Luckily for me, someone was right there.
Thank goodness. Didn't take too long to find somethin', I suppose. 
Goin' up to a man takin' hold o' a pair o' reins. 
I went for some questionin',

- Hey. I'm lookin' for some work to do. Got anythin' I can do for a quick buck?

- Whilst I'm not hirin' myself, I know a rural area which might be.
It's quite a ways away over in the Southern West, and as long
as you ain't worried about catchin' a disease or two, I'd recommend
it. The people are rather nice, and their food is the stuff of dreams.

- Oh? Well, I better get there 'en! 

I made for me leave before bein' brought to a stop,

- Hey, I wouldn't recommend you walk, its quite a distance as I said.
Here, how about this, I'll ride you there on one of my seahorses.

- I don't really have any money.

- Well just make sure to pay me when you have some then.

- Man, I'm really takin' handouts recently, I kinda feel bad.

- Well, hey, we say that an outsider either grants fortune or great travesty,
I'm willin' to take bets that you'll be the former. Just hop onto the cart
and we'll be ready for business. I don't exactly get much anyways.

- Alright, alright. Fair enough. But I'll probably be more o' a hindrance
if anythin'! Ahaka!

An' so we went off, I asked 'em more questions about the world, 
an' that's when I found out about the Six Nations.

They teach you in school about 'em, don't they me boy.

"Mmh, there's the Corals, Wastelands, Boils, Islands, Caverns and-"

- The Sanctuary of The Silver Whale 

You're right me boy, an' that's when it perked me ears.

- I heard it was the home o' the Silver Whale. What do ye mean
sanctuary?

-Huh? Whoever told you that must've simplified it. It's called
The Sanctuary of The Silver Whale.

- Jeez, I must've only seen a small bit o' 'at thing if it's an entire nation.

- Oh yeah, you would've seen it wouldn't you. Luckyyy.

- Wait do people not usually go there?

- No not at all, the only people who we hear go there are outsiders.

- Wait, I just realised, how do you all know we're outsiders to begin with?

- The hair.

- That's it?

- Yeah.

- Really?

- Mmh.

- Well, I-

- Basically, we have different coloured hair, in that those of us Aquariets down
here have a set of hair dependin' on nationality. Blue or green for Corals;
red or yellow for Boilers; purple for Wastelanders; pure white for Islanders;
grey for Caveners; and as it is said by legend, silver for those who lived in
The Sanctuary of The Silver Whale.

- How fittin'.

-Yup.

- Wait but people might have white, grey, blonde or ginger hair. What happens 'en?

- Well for white, they wouldn't have the same purity as Islanders I'm sure of that.
As for the other three... They'll likely be mixed up.
I've seen a 'blonde' haired outsider before,
took a lot of convincing before I believed that they were an outsider.
There was one difference at least, between them and Boilers, that is.
Boilers usually have very vibrant hair.
And whilst I'm not sure of what 'ginger' is, but
the same probably goes there, if it follows pattern that is.

- Well, I don't know there, but oh well,
might not need to think too deeply about it for now. 
On another note. If no-one but outsiders have gone to the Sanctuary, 
have there been any that have gone back?

- Well, I'm not all too sure. You'd have to check with someone who knows
what they're talkin' about. Maybe the Arch-Mage might know.

- Arch-Mage?

- Yeah, they're like the protector of the Wastelands, if you're headin'
there for work, you might as well try to see them too.

- Wait, hol' on I still don't get the whole Arch-Mage thing.

- Oh, basically it's just a title given to those who mastered the arts
of magic. There used to be seven, but six of them died in the war.

- Ye keep bringin' in all 'ese weird things. Slow down would ye.

- My bad.
Just get to the Arch-Mage and they'll explain anythin' you need to know.

- Alright 'en.

So, with that we sat in silence. Me self starin' off into the distance, at the fields
o' vibrant coral an' dancin' seaweed.
Me self rivetin' in the sight o' exploration an' adventure.
O' what excitement filled me lungs.

Marble pillars littered the path, breakin' down the further we went along.
Bloomin' yellow fish swam by, flocked by others shinin' in green.
Crustaceous, crimson lobsters crawled the ocean floor, ignorin' anythin' beside 'em.
Sea turtles glided from above, not thrown by what laid beneath 'em.
Giant Clams thrown about, clackin' away in chirps to the sea's loomin' choir.
An' o' course the Giant Seahorse pullin' our cart was there too, with its
pink an' purple stripes lightin' the shimmerin' roads ahead.

Blinkin' from the miracles before me eyes,
I was startin' to feel tired. A long day it had been. With me stayin' up
for so long, I had bound to get drowsy eventually. 
An' so I found me self noddin' off.
What a shame, to find me self missin' all o' 'ose
wonderous sights that paved the way.

***

I was woken by the sound o' yellin' tryin' to perk me up,

- Wake up.
Wake up!
We're here already get up!

- H-Huh, what, where?
Oh right, must've winked a nap.

- Winked a nap you say? What an unsual sayin'.
Nevermind that though, we're here.

- Oh, thanks.

- Dont sweat it... Just make sure to pay me back when you can.

-  I promise I'll try to!

- Not try, I hope you pay me back for this. I'm not goin' to let you
get away without givin' coin.

- Alright, alright. Ye've persuaded me. I'll give when I can.

- It'd be 17 Glint, don't forget it.

- Glint?

- It's the currency here. It'd usually be more, but you're an outsider so I'll give
you a discount for the luck you'll give. 

- How kind.

- You better not take it for granted, alright.

- I won't, I won't.

- Anyways, the Arch-Mage should be at the top of some mountain.
Not sure which one it is, but it'll probably be the tallest.
I've heard they don't like company too much an' are rather secluded
from the villagers down below.

- Thanks for yer help.
An' so that I don't forget it, what's yer name?

- The names Troy. You can usually spot me by my trademark black and white
striped attire.

- You always wear that?

- Yeah, the hat too. It helps to get the attention of customers.

- I guess so. Anyways, thanks for everythin'. I'll be seein' ye Troy!

- Dont forget my payment! They screamed from a distance. I'm startin' to
see a pattern with these farewells.

On another note, that was how I found me way to the Wastelands an'
the village we find ourselves in now! The Village o' Mary. In which is a tale I'll
tell another time.

"Againnn? Awww."

Yes, yes. I don't want your parents hearin' that I'm tellin' you 'ese
tales, so I'll be off an' make a runner alright.

See ye later, alligator!

"In a while, crocodile!"