Choices Are Made

The students shuffled around nervously. Staying here was no good, but they had bounties on their heads down south. True Order agents would chase them everywhere if they picked up their trail. The nation was also descending into chaos. One wrong move here could cause a disaster.

Chris gave them a few more minutes to think.

"That's enough time to think. Raise your hand after I call out each option. We'll see what everyone wants to do. Don't worry about being unanimous. Let's begin with option number one: to stay in this village and keep a low profile? Please raise your hand."

Only a couple of the students raised their hands. Angry villagers came knocking for their homes back already, and the conditions here were not that great. Those who wanted to stay just wanted the stability. If Craigmyle Point didn't work out, then they could easily become homeless.

"Let's move on to option number two. Who wants to seek opportunities at Craigmyle Point in any form?"

Most of the students raised their hands. The town would provide decent food, water, shelter and safety. As Nafriton students, there was no way that they couldn't get a job. Those who were undecided or originally considered the last option decided to raise their hands. All except for four.

"Okay, that's most of the group. Who's interested in heading down south?"

Murmurs rippled through the group as Daren raised his hand. Aayla closed her eyes to think. She finally raised her hand with a sigh. There were too many things that she needed to know. What happened to Ramona? Who is the Prophet of Terra? Why is her bounty so large?

Many others frowned, especially Chris. Staying in this crummy village was one thing, but going down south was an entirely new level of dangerous.

"Why do you two want to go down south? Miss Glowery's bounty alone is more than the rest of ours combined, not to mention you, Sir Forolan."

"Young Master, I agree. It's too dangerous."

"I need to find my grandfather and go back to Halcyon."

"As the heir of the Forolan family and future Halcyon City Lord you need to stay safe and grow up stably. It's best for you to stay here."

"No. I can't just stay locked away forever," Daren's expression hardened as a heavy pressure descended on the group. "Staying up north might be best for my safety, but not for Grandfather's. Or Uncle's, or Halcyon's. This is not a request nor do I need your permission."

Chris bit his lips and struggled for a few moments. He finally sighed then bowed his head. The pressure disappeared as Daren calmed down. All eyes turned towards Aayla, the only other person who chose the third option.

"I need to find my godmother. She's all that I have in this world. Besides, with Forest Waypoint taken the True Order will show their ugly faces up here within the next couple of years."

Both of the final voters were stubborn, and dug in their heels when others tried to convince them otherwise. Ultimately, the rest gave up trying to persuade them.

"Well, that should be everyone except for you and I, Jacki. I'll stick with my young master, so what about you?"

"I'll go with you," Jacki immediately replied. "I mean, with you, Aayla and Sir Forolan."

With this single decision, the fates of many were decided.

**********

Chris guided Aayla, Jacki and Daren through the crowded night life of Craigmyle Point. Mercenaries met up at bars after returning from their patrols, and several groups returned from hunting or fishing. The town had a surprisingly expansive port that was kept safe by a small bay and barrier islands.

Smuggling had increased after foreign merchants had picked up the scent of war. They had long braved the stormy seas in normal times, and the True Order was too focused on the south. Ships could easily skim along the coast of the Ural Bay towards Solitary Bay, a smaller bay that sheltered Craigmyle Point.

These smugglers would sell of all their goods and try to take on local specialties to take back. With all of the overhunting, there was a surplus of magical beast products. However, no one was selling because they needed those products for personal use and trade.

The small group decided to hitch a ride with the smugglers down south. They had a rough plan, and would do more thorough planning on the way south. First, they had to get dropped off along the coastline near Nafriton and Forest Waypoint.

There were ships ready to leave when they arrived at the docks. The group looked around for a bit. Chris carefully studied the emblems, crews and ships scattered around the docks to find what they needed. Most of the merchants here were a bit rough but honest.

Few were true smugglers, but one had to weed out the treacherous and cunning ones who would hand them over to the True Order. Some would take your money then try to sell you off as a slave abroad. With the war going on, no one would know. Foolish young wizards were especially popular.

Jacki helped Chris to narrow the choices down to three ships with trustworthy looking crews and leaving within the hour. After short negotiations, the group decided to travel with the crew of the Sail Crane. Before Aayla could take out her purse, Daren took out hundreds of thousands of tiurs. The captain gladly agreed.

A motley bunch from the Leistung Empire, the particularly rowdy crew seemed like a mismatch for the elegant, swift Sail Crane. The group had two rooms, one for ladies and the other for gentlemen. The ship set off as soon as the new passengers got on board settled into their rooms.

Jacki and Aayla put what little luggage they had away when there was a knock on their door. Chris pushed open the door and Daren followed him in. The door shut behind them.

"Thanks for paying for our tickets."

"No problem. Grandfather promised that the Forolans would take care of you."

A faint blush appeared on Daren's cheeks as he nodded. Jacki and Chris exchanged glances. That silly little boy was trying to act cool. Chris coughed and spoke up.

"We need to start planning for when we get off the ship. No matter where we get off, we'll have to sneak our way through miles of True Order territory. Aayla can't keep using her skill the entire way."

"Is there a way to speed up the process? We could always buy tamed magical beasts."

A wry smile appeared on Chris's lips. "What we need would only be available in Forest Waypoint, which we can't go to. At this point, we could go west along the Glacier Mountains, then take the Havrevel south to Cuoq. Or we could travel south along the Northern Divide Mountains until we reached Fort Niumta."

Jacki immediately objected. "The glacial ice wolves are going crazy in the Glacier Mountains. Travelling along the Northern Divide Mountains will take us right by the True Order occupied Nandel City. Not to mention they could take months on foot to cross. What about crossing over into the Ferreus Empire?"

Chris looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head. "Travel would be much faster through the empire with magical transportation. However, the borders are closed on the Chinebarian side and the Ferrean government might try to keep us. Besides, someone doesn't have her identification papers."

He glanced at Aayla for a couple of seconds before Jacki realized who he was talking about.

"What if I used spatial magic? I have the materials for a couple of formations. The military placed outposts with beacons all over the province. We could hop from one outpost to another. This should take us far enough the mountain ranges and Forest Waypoint."

"That's still risky. We can't directly travel into an outpost. No matter who controls it, we would be arrested on the spot."

"I can modify the formations to drop us nearby and not directly into the outposts."

A loud knock interrupted their argument. The first mate invited them up to the deck to watch the ship leave port. Travelling at night was dangerous yet beautiful. Magical beasts were attracted to light, and the coastlines were rocky. Storms from the Ural Bay would hide the stars and interfere with magical artifacts.

Each crew member seriously manned their stations as the ship pulled away from the dock. Wind magic filled the sails until they exited the safety of the Solitary Bay. There, the currents and winds pushed the ship along its course.

The captain ordered for the normal lights to be turned off. After sailing in the darkness for several minutes, special magical lights turned on. Instead of a normal white color, these lights were a vivid red color. They flashed over the water to search for magical beasts, obstacles and the shore.

When they final reached the open ocean, the group went back to their rooms. The weather should be mostly calm all night with chances of storms the following afternoon. They had some time to adjust to sea life before the waves got rough.