Hero's Journey

Chapter 56

The early morning is a dark and starry one. The waves, now a midnight blue, beat against the boat's haul. It is a roaring beast in the otherwise silent night. That is until...until lights dot the distance, burning against the horizon.  As the boat slowly approaches, sound fills the quiet.  Drunk laughter, the clang of weapons, bangs, and shouts.  The boisterous noise nearly blocks out the more sinister happenings of the sword-shaped island.  Muffled screams and bloody cries.

The island of Duzzbuzz's capital, Sin, has earned its name.

Kagon stands near, but not too close to the prow of the ship.  He hasn't slept much since setting off from Lithko weeks ago.  The ship's endless rocking has been a constant reminder of his hated location, Lividia Ocean.  His fear of the ocean has never affected him so badly. Now that his trust has been broken, deep inside he feels as if he can't trust even the cunning sailors to watch over the deadly ocean through the night.

The lights and noise from Sin brings the promise of land, but it does little to cheer Kagon's downtrodden mood. He rubs at the dark circles under his eyes.

I've been betrayed before by friends, but it has been a long time. My thick callouses have faded overtime. I've grown soft. He tells himself, but really he knows that every time he is betrayed it hurts the same. Sometimes when a person pretends to be strong it makes them so. He hadn't intended on caring for his so-called scribe, nor has he even recognized it as that.

"You easily grow attachments to people, Kagon. You're lying to yourself when you say that you don't, otherwise this wouldn't have been so easy." The first woman he had and ever did love romantically had said as she stole everything he owned.

Kagon's mind wanders to that time. Maybe there was some truth to her words, but then again, I was young and naive at the time. I've changed, haven't I?

One of the sailors approaches Kagon. "Er, we've docked at the port. Your friends are waiting for you." He says before adding nervously. "Oh, and please hurry. The captain does not want his ship to be docked here for too long, he has expensive cargo that he does not wish to endanger."

Kagon nods ridgidly. "Understood." He turns towards the people the sailor had said were his friends and walks right past them and on to the docks of Sin, leaving them to trail after him. He ignores the flash of hurt in Delia's eyes.

He's only spoken to her when it was necessary and avoided her throughout the journey. He can't be around her, not after she's been lying to him for so long.

"Hero, slow down!" Maude calls. The stocky man has to jog in order to keep up with his long strides. "We need a strategy. If we just burst into every tavern in Sin, asking for a captain to take us on a voyage to the Shadowlands, then we'll just get laughed at, or worse killed."

Kagon lets out an annoyed sound and stops at the nearest street corner. When he looks to where the docks are, he's surprised to see just how far he's walked.

The farther from the sea, the better.

After a few moments, Kip and Delia catch up to the two. Kagon tries not to look at his ex-scribe as he speaks. "Maude pointed out to me that we should have a plan, as you know I'm not a man that thinks plans are a necessity. So, any ideas?"

Delia's voice fills his ears, but he still refuses to look at her. "We could go into one of the more popular taverns and have interviews. We'll let them come to us so we don't look the fool. Not to mention, we could lodge there for the night."

Kagon nods and begins walking towards the nearest tavern that appears to be receiving the most amount of people.

"Idiot! We should stick together!" Maude says, jogging by his side once more.

Kagon shrugs his broad shoulders. "Then keep up."

Deep down he knows he's acting childish and ridiculous, but it doesn't stop him from continuing.

When Kagon skids to a stop in order not to slam into the back of the person waiting in line in front of him, it is then that he's knocked out of his stupid attitude and back into reality.

The filthy cobble streets are cracked and there are unconscious or lifeless bodies strewn across the ground. A couple of them are completely bare skin, most likely robbed. There is loud music filling the air and not quite blocking out the more sinister sounds. Screaming, crying, and grunting from the many dark areas across the city. Danger is everywhere.

Adrenaline courses through his veins. He's been stomping ahead of his group and moping like a child when his group is in danger. Despite his dislike toward Maude and the hurt Delia dealt to him, they're his group. Therefore, his group to protect.

Kagon turns to see Kip, Delia, and Maude directly behind him and he feels himself calm at the sight of them.

His eyes meet Delia's and he holds her gaze for the first time in weeks. Her eyes are bloodshot and rimmed with dark circles, her rosy cheeks are pallid, and she could use a bath. However, when she sees him actually looking at her, she smiles timidly, unsure, and he realizes that she's the Delia he's always known. She lied to him and hurt him, but she didn't lie about who she is inside. She's still the same shrewish, clever, and insecure lass that he's been traveling with all along.

Kagon does not smile back at her, but something inside him has begun its path towards forgiveness.

The hero clears his throat. "We'll get some rooms and get cleaned up. The better we appear, the more serious the people will take us."

"Great idea." Maude agrees. "They sniff out a wealthy person easily, so if we look the part they'll be more likely to believe us when we offer them a lot of money to take us to the Shadowlands."

Kip looks down at his worn clothing and then back up at Maude. "This is all I have."

Maude waves his hand. "I'm not worried about you and Kagon, finding us rich looking attire won't be a problem. I'm more worried about our female friend."

"Me? Why?"

"Almost all women within Duzbuz, especially in Sin, are prostitutes. And the ones that aren't are lowly maids and cutthroat business women --the kind that run the brothels."

Delia's eyes are wide at this bit of news.

"Only the business women and higher class prostitutes have enough money to buy expensive clothes, money that we can't spend. Their clothes are way more pricy than any of the men's clothes."

"So...then what?" Kip asks.

"I suppose we'll have to find a classier prostitute whose clothing isn't too revealing and steal it from her." Maude shrugs.

"That's not right!" Delia proclaims with a horrified expression.

"Why not just buy it from her, it'll cost less than buying something brand new." Kip suggests.

"Then that's what we'll do, and after that we'll make a deal and add another criminal to our ragtag group."  Kagon says.

"Hey!  That's not true anymore!"  Maude interjects as they enter the tavern at last.