Dirt

Nina told Gordon about the incident. It was Gordon who picked up the boy and took him out of school. Passing the streets of Solus, the boy was covered in thick furs to protect him from the cold. The onlookers were curious to see what the commotion was all about, but Gordon didn't let them the chance.

At the Stannouses', Gordon placed the boy on his bed. Nina and he were served hot tea by the madam.

"Thank you very much for safely bringing our boy back, Mr. Fahrenheit, Nina." Lina smiled, thanking them.

"Madam, it was my honor. If you may, I'll take my leave. There are people left in the school waiting for lectures, so there are some things I have to do. Thanks for the tea." Gordon put the cup down after finishing his tea and left.

"Young lady, can you tell us what happened?" Lina asked Nina, and she was told about the incident at the lab. Helena was there too, listening to them talk.

"I should have known, for my boy to stay there all night, experimenting. He should have rested at least." Lina remarked.

Linus moved from his bed. "Sir Linus, don't move. You have to take a rest. You have overworked yourself for quite some time." a voice spoke to Linus.

"Is that you Nina. There's still much to do. I can't just rest." Linus replied, trying to get up.

"For the love of Enqui, rest! The lady tells you so. It's wintertime, so relax a little." Lina told him, sternly.

"That's right, brother. You had been too busy these days. Why not rest?" Helena jumped in, showing her lively hazel eyes.

"Helena, you've been doing well. Please forgive your brother for not paying attention. Have you done your maths yet?" Linus replied to Helena, and upon mention of maths, she immediately turned her face away.

"You're still sick, but you can still pick on Helena. Poor girl." Nina chortled.

"Oh, come on, I didn't mean it that way. Sorry, Helena. I'm glad to see you're doing better." Linus addressed the girl.

Poking her finger on the tip of Linus' nose, she said "Don't talk like that when you're the one who's sick. Mmmkay, I hope you get well soon. You don't seem that bad, I'll pick up on my maths in school. Stay strong, brother!" Helena walked away and left the room.

"Mother, you're right, it's winter. I can't just sit here. There's so much to do. This is the only way we can get ahead." Linus rose up, sitting on the bed. Breathing in and out deeply, he felt difficulty just maintaining his posture.

"Son, take it easy. I haven't seen anyone your age who works as hard as you do. It only makes me sad seeing you suffer in such a state. Please, take a rest." Lina caressed his cheek with her warm hand. Then she pressed Linus down by the shoulder, forcing the lad in the bed.

"Alright, mother." Linus replied, pulling the blanket up his neck. He then looked at Nina. "My lady, I do not wish to take advantage of your kindness. I'll be fine. Mother will take care of me."

"I'll be right here by your side." Nina told Linus. She looked at Lina with her bright emerald green eyes, firm and unmoving. "If I'm not imposing too much on you Madam. I wish to take care of Linus till he gets well. I've taken care of merchants' kids before as a side job, so I'm very much used to taking care of people."

"Alright, dear. We're in your care." Lina smiled warmly.

"Since you wished to stay, fine. Nina, tell me a story, please." Linus pleaded.

"What? You knew like everything Gordon knows, I've got no stories you haven't heard." Nina shrugged her shoulders.

"Not that, tell me about yourself. Why you live with your Uncle Gordon." Linus said.

"Ahh… that's a long story." Nina clutched her fingers tightly. "I didn't use to live with Uncle, until that one tragic day…" Nina narrated her story.

Long, long ago, Nina lived with her family on a small island south of Stoneaxe bay, the Minorous Island. It was a place rumored for its rich resources. It was said that the rocks there contained naturally occurring gold, silver, copper, and other precious metals. But its fame was better known for its business prowess, welcoming merchants without discrimination whether they come from the north or south.

People who lived there enjoyed prosperity, until one day, the Blacksand pirates came in and invaded. It was a gradual affair. At first, the pirates came in only to trade their wares and slaves, to which the Minoruan Council turned a blind eye as they also took interest in profiting from the pirated booty. Eventually, the pirates frequented on the island, with some staying over for alcohol and women after conducting their business. The islanders and the pirates lived in harmony.

However, an incident forced the council to act on the pirates' presence on the island. While drinking, the pirates had an argument with the locals over a harlot. The pirate group insisted that it was their man who came to pick up the woman first, while the locals insisted that it was their brother who came first. The argument turned into a drunken brawl, which quickly escalated into a bloody skirmish when one the pirates took a dagger and stabbed one of the locals in the pub.

The council was enraged, summoning all available men to drive the pirates out of the island. They tried to kick the pirates out, but it was the councilmen who got beaten back when the pirates fought. Naturally, the islanders weren't used to altercations and didn't have much experience in battles, causing them to lose against the experienced fighters. Nina's father was one of the men who fell in the battle.

Knowing the Blacksand pirates' reputation, it was very likely for the islanders to be enslaved by them to be used as toys or be sold as servants for profit. Nina's mother knew beforehand what the aftermath of the incident would bring, so she spoke to Gordon about escaping the island before the pirates took full control.

Gordon took them to a fishing boat to escape, but the pirates spotted them fleeing. They shot arrows at them, but it was already dark, and they were already at a good distance for the shots to make a clean hit. By sheer bad luck, one of the stray arrows made it to the boat, claiming the life of Nina's mother.

That one tragic night caused both of Nina's parents to perish. Gordon took pity and raised the little girl all by himself. It was a good thing that Gordon knew how to deal with merchants, thanks to his heritage as a Minoruan merchant. Gordon was able to take care of the child and himself by selling information and telling stories, which led him to meet Linus.

Ding! [You have a new notification.]

[Quest: Take revenge]

[The Blacksand pirates have destroyed too many lives and property. Running rampant, they displaced many people and caused disruption in people's lives. Your task is to bring pirates to justice.]

[Objective A: Win battles against blacksand pirates]

[Objective B: Wipe out the blacksand pirates' fleet of ships]

[Reward A: Skill points up every pirate ship sunk]

[Reward B: Physics (Passive Skill)]

[Accept the quest?]

Without a second thought, Linus accepted the quest. He felt the tension brewing.

"I'm sorry, Nina." Linus held Nina's hand firmly as tears dripped and wetted them. He felt bad for Nina and became more enraged learning of the atrocities the pirates committed. If left alone, the pirates would only grow richer, bolder, and more entrenched in their wicked ways. Linus felt a strong conviction in his heart to rid the waters of the Nozul Islands of pirates for good should he get the chance to do it.

Nina wiped her tears away and cleared her throat, saying "No, it's alright. It's long past, so I have already accepted it."

"One day, we'll get all the pirates, I promise. All we have been doing this time are preparations. We beat them twice on their own game, and this time we'll beat them again in the sea." Linus told Nina.

"Thank you, Linus." Nina couldn't help but tear up again.

"Come on, Nina. Please don't cry. It saddens me to see such a beautiful flower cry." Linus wiped her tear away with his finger and kissed her hand.

Slap! Nina weakly slapped Linus' hand away. "Even at this time, you can still tease me like that. But… Thank you, Linus." Nina wrapped her hands around Linus, giving him a hug. Warmth spread throughout her chest.

"Errrhhmm!" Lina stood by the door watching. "Young lady, I remember you said you'll care for the patient, but isn't that a little too much?" She glared daggers at Nina.

Nina found the boy's head rested on her ample bosom, reddened. "Eeekkk!" she screamed, caught by surprise she pushed boy back in his bed and looked away, pretending nothing happened. She clutched her fingers tightly, nails digging to her palm, and sat by the bedside like a statue. Her face was beet red up to the ears, steaming like a dumpling.

"Nina, it's okay, don't be embarrassed." Linus reached his hand to Nina, but she was unmoved, petrified. Then he turned to his mother, laughing uncomfortably, "Mom… this is. Nothing, just comforting her? Hehe!"

"Hmp!" Lina harrumphed, turned her face away from the boy and exited the room, stomping on the floor as she walked away.

"Nina, I'm serious. We'll get revenge from the pirates, soon enough." Linus said. Nina nodded, still embarrassed.

Three days passed and Linus was out of his bed, feeling better. Loosing a few pounds, he felt the weather a little colder than it was before. With the madam's permission, he went back to his lab, experimenting with the acids. He heeded the pieces of advice given to him and slowed down his work than usual while he's still in recovery.

"That's it! Victory!" Linus shouted, his voice resounded in the room.

"Linus? What happened?" curious, Nina checked on the boy.

"Well, have a look at this thing." Linus showed Nina the ceramic beaker.

"Brown dust? Dirt?" Nina asked.

"Dirt? You'll see soon enough. Let's go to the Mountain settlement and meet Raymond." Linus replied, smiling. He transferred the contents of the beaker to another container, sealing it securely.

***

"Jared died in battle, while Gaspar and Garry lost and got captured. The rest of the brothers were enslaved to quarry rocks for the rest of their lives." Crimson kneeled, bowing his head down.

Priscilla walked to Crimson. She lifted Crimson's face with her fan folded. "Tell me, who recommended they handled this operation?" The mistress was visibly enraged. Frowning, wrinkles manifested in her face and her eyes were bloodshot, expressing fury.

"It was my mistake, my mistress." Crimson admitted, swallowing a mouthful of spit.

"FOOL!" SLAP! Priscilla hit Crimson in the cheek with her fan, knocking away his mask. Crimson's face was exposed with burn scars disfiguring half of his visage.

"That looks better, why hide it?" Priscilla revealed a mocking smile. "No one messes with the Blacksand Warriors and gets away with it. Crimson, take responsibility. Prepare a fleet of galleys and take our men with you. Commence your attacks on Solus this spring." She ordered, pressing the tip of her fan on Crimson's forehead.

"As you wish, my mistress." Crimson replied.