Volume 3

Chapter 5: Letter of Approval

"Why can't I rent a ship? Can I not just use one of the many dinghies you have?"

"No can do, my guy. I've been ordered to not let anyone who deems to be too weak to own a boat. You're going to need proper authorisation from one of the Instructors or anyone above as a note of approval. And you'll need to learn how to use a boat correctly. Just cause they're cheap doesn't mean it won't take work to build one" Mr Shipwright says. Each person I talk to seems to keep reminding me that I'm weak as hell and that I should stay away from the boats. I guess it's for my own good, wouldn't wanna lose my life at the age of 15 for someone I barely even know. But how am I supposed to get that note? Maybe if I defeat Mattheus, I'll be able to get a recommendation. I should probably get more training gear too, possibly a dumbbell or more books.

After some time, I finally find Instructor Matt. He's chatting with Maestro, The guy that's pretty good with weapons. As Matt spots me in his peripheral, his mood changes. I like to tell myself that I'm not that much of a problem. But reality will often disappoint. As he finishes talking with Maestro, I walk over to him. "Ay Matt," I ask "How do I get your approval to sail a boat?"

"You'll get it when I decide you're good enough."

"How good?"

"Good enough." This isn't getting anywhere. I know my skills aren't well enough to top him in combat. There may be another way. But how? I could try to impose myself as someone strong. But that might be troublesome. I could try to poison Matt to get him to give me the approval. But I'm not stealthy enough to lace his food. However, the water system could be an option. Everybody seems to make fun of me anyway. Although Lance Leshi's brother is cool, and now that I think of it, I don't know if I can get my hands on any poison. I'll grab some training equipment in the meantime and think.

Chapter 6: Night Docks

The ankle weights are a nice fit. They're not too heavy, but heavy enough to build leg strength. And this book titled "How To Make Friends" is good too. Maybe it'll stop everyone from talking shit about me. However ever since I tried one of the lines it tells me, I feel like I just make more enemies. Not too long ago I said to a guard "Hey Hivekin, can I bug you for a moment?" and they looked at me as if I were insane. I tried to break the ice with "You ever been to a Canor restaurant? The food's pretty howlright." And it just made things worse. Then, as if it wasn't enough, my dumbass says "Me-wow, is that the new Felinor fashion?" and I swear one of em got into a fighting stance, ready for battle.

I'm tired of this place. I want to leave right now, to Erisia. I take a look at the ship docks just to gaze at the sunset. Think how much longer I need to wait till I can venture out to sea. In the middle of a thought, I notice something very crucial. There's barely anyone here. At most, there are one or two shipwrights supervising the boats. Then a brilliant idea came into my head. Something just snapped, something inside of me. I now know what I needed to do to head for Erisia. Timing is all that matters now.

And so night fell upon me. "Where are you going at this hour of the day?" Mr Innkeeper asks. "D'you use up all the toilet paper so you have to use the leaves outside?" I've fucking had it...

I sneak towards the docks. To my surprise, there wasn't a single person anywhere. Not even a shipwright or a guard! Brilliant. It makes things a lot easier. As I go ship by ship, boat by boat, picking out which one I should take with me to Erisia, I recall something. Where the fuck is Erisia. I've come all this way, a couple of meters from the inn, I can't pussy out now. I'm just going to have to wing it. Muscle memory kicks in and I begin undocking one of the Schooners. I'm surprised I know what to do, it's as if I've been doing it before, for some time now. As I was finishing up, I hear footsteps from the other side of the dock. It's familiar, I recognise it. No time to think, just get onto the ship and open up the sails. It's probably only a shipwright anyway. What's the worse that could happen? Whoever's wearing those boots let out a grunt to clear their throat. I recognise it. It's Instructor Mattheus..

I don't know why he's here at the docks. He's got zero knowledge of ships or how they work. He could just be patrolling the area, but I would've been caught earlier sneaking here. It's night so if I hide inside the deck, he won't be able to see me. Then he stops. Did he see the rope unattached? Did he see the sails halfway down? Stress builds up from within and my body starts shivering. This may or may not be a problem. Fortunately, after what seemed to be an eternity, his loud chunky boots start to walk away. I poke my head above the deck to inspect the are-"Get ready, freshie"