CHAPTER 210- SEA BRIDGE

[Keeno POV]

The day after our impromptu beach visit, we got up early and prepared to head out. Before we left though, I had another run in with that tired man from the morning before. He was still as unapproachable as he seemed yesterday, and I honestly didn’t know how to approach anything relating to him even though I promised Margaret I would. Deciding to just stop thinking about it completely, I resorted to the best possible option I could.

‘Margaret, are you awake at the moment?’

The other end of the telepathy reached her, though the response was slow.

‘Ugh…Keeno?  Is something wrong?’

The clear sleepiness in her voice was clear as she still had a bit of a dazed tone.

‘Nothings wrong, per se, but I think I’ve found your uncle.  I know I promised I’d get him to go back to Lokir, but I don’t really know how to accomplish that. Especially since he seems…unapproachable.’

‘…I can come there then.’

Clarity had begun to color her voice.

‘Give me a bit and I’ll be there.’

Ten minutes later a shining door appeared next to me and Margaret stepped out.  She took a look around her to get her bearings before turning to me.

“Even though it hasn’t been that long since we last saw each other, it’s nice to see you all again.”

We all had a moment of greeting and catching up before Margaret got down to business.

“Where is he?”

I gestured in the direction the man went and Margaret and I walked over to the corner of the building we were meeting behind. Looking around, we saw the man sitting on a bench, reading another newspaper.

“Well, that’s definitely my uncle.” She said as her tail swished in slight agitation. “Keeno, will you leave this to me?  I can give him the scolding he needs, you don’t need to wait around for me to finish.”

“Are you sure?  We can delay our departure by another day or two if needed.”

She smiled a little but shook her head.

“It’s not necessary. It’s a family matter.”

“Margaret, you’re my Valkyrie, that makes you part of my family too.”

She smiled.

“I appreciate that, but I would really appreciate it if you left this to me. There is a lot of baggage here and some of it is personal.”

With her insistence I had to acquiesce.

“Alright. We’ll head off then.”

“I wish you all luck in your journey. Feel free to call upon me if you need my help.”

We shook hands before I turned back to the others and we started making our way to the bridge. I decided to tactfully ignore the yelling going on behind me and the sound of a weapon being drawn.  As we walked, I noticed that Freya seemed to be agitated. Glancing at Pram she had definitely noticed as well, but deciding not to butt in I tried to ignore it for now.

{Keeno.}

‘I’ll ask later when we are more alone. It’s getting too crowded and there are too many angles around. I trust your spell, but I think this is something best discussed out loud.’

{Alright.}

When we finally arrived at the bridge, we got stuck in a queue. Not a very long one due to the time of day, but just long enough to be annoying. Two hours later and we were finally at the front. There were several guards at the small gate checking cargo on wagons or checking identification. The other half of the guards were doing the same but for people arriving from the other side of the bridge. When it was finally our turn, we grabbed our guild cards and showed the guard. After the confirmation she pulled out a stamp and stamped our guild cards.

“Everything check out, but before you go, there is a mandatory explanation of rules. First, do not, under any circumstances, throw or drop anything into the sea. It is an affront to the Goddess of the Ocean. Especially now since it seems like someone has already enraged her and the seas have been flooded extra dangerous. Second, in the event of any storms, take shelter at the closest possible checkpoint, even if you have to backtrack. Third, in the event of a monster attack, as adventurers, you have an obligation to assist in repelling or killing them, this is a rule of the Guild you should have been told of before. Fourth, in the event of disputes between people, and monster for that matter, try to keep collateral damage to a minimum. There is only so much space for everyone and any damage done should be reported at the next checkpoint. And finally, try not to impede traffic. As I said before, there is only so much space and for people going both ways and it takes a long time to cross. It’s better for everyone that everyone work together to make the journey smooth.”

With her explanation finished, we thanked her and stepped forward. While there were a lot of people and a lot more space than it seemed, I could understand the reason behind the rules. Even with enough space for 10 large wagons to move alongside each other, it left little room to truly move should a fight break out.  In front of us the bridge extended as far as the eye could see, lines of people doing the same, with slightly considerable lengths between them. As we moved, we kept a pace to allow us to be relatively private as long as we didn’t talk too loud. I looked over to Pram who was holding an agitated Freya’s hand.

“Freya, are you alright?  You’ve been off since yesterday.”

The worry was evident in Pram’s voice as her tail curled and uncurled in worry.

“I want to say yes, but I don’t really know. I mean, I feel fine physically, but it’s like I have this itch in the back of my mind that’s constantly coming and going. It almost feels like I’m regressing to what I was like before I met all of you.”

Her left ear twitched as her scowl deepened.  Pram squeezed her hand tighter which Freya reciprocated.  I didn’t really know what to do, so I just clenched my fist in frustration.  Looking over to Freya again, I tried to reassure her.

“Let us know if it gets worse, Freya. While I don’t know how to help right now, we’ll all try our best to get this settled.”

She nodded her head but didn’t say anything.

Chaos Realm:

Nykuro: Nye he he.

Swii: *nervously looking around*

Nykuro: Target acquired. Prank magic activate.

Atmos: *Silently standing behind the two, watching the inevitable chaos*

Payto: *target of prank* *stands up and walks only to trip* Eh!?

Nykuro: Nye he he.

Swii: Hehe.

Atmos: *looks proudly upon her new Disciples in the Way of the Pranks before vanishing, unknown to all present*