The Games for Gaiathal (Part 3 of 'A Tale of People and Apples Trilogy')

Chapter 1: Alone No Longer

With a sigh but an extra kiss, he relented, scanning the damage to the ship and beyond.

"I thought there wasn't land for miles..." Luka said as he took her hand and walked to the side of the vessel, inspecting their sudden surroundings.

"There wasn't... it's like this shore came out of nowhere," She said to him.

Luka looked to his watch map, and realized him and Calysa were on a land mass not documented before in Gaiathal history. The red dot on his watch indicating his location pinged and flashed in the emptiness of the ocean, still as stone.

The duo scanned the shore, and they realized wherever they found themselves was a significant chunk of land. Luckily for the both of them, the shore appeared to be entirely empty of Outlanders or civilization in general. And there was no sign of the Scientist.

Where were Solan the Scientist's ships? If an armada that large now hid from their eyes, this Lost Continent must have been giant.

"What's the plan?" Calysa said to him as his fingers locked with hers.

"We look for Solan," He replied, and he started packing two large backpacks with supplies the Raven's had left them. "Get Eeva back. Return to the other continent and see if Maeve knows how to kill her brother, and the Dark. With Eeva back and as rightful ruler, hopefully us saving her will pardon me."

Calysa looked uneasily at the motor of their vessel, smashed and destroyed, all propellers apparently missing from the crash, doubtful the plan to return would work. "I know I couldn't start the motor before, but I am certain you couldn't get that working now, either."

"You're right. Looks like we will have to steal a ship from Solan, too," Luka said and scratched his head, squinting as the sun shone in his eyes.

The two vacated the vessel with their large backpacks of supplies, Luka jumping down onto the sandy shore, sinking into the wet sand with a splat. He offered to help Calysa down from the cabin of the vessel, but to his delight she swatted away his hand.

"Just because I'm your girlfriend now doesn't mean I'm some damsel in distress," She smiled and squinted at him, and with a great leap of her strong slender legs, bounded to the dryness of the sandy shore instead of Luka's murky region.

Luka lurched forth with his muddy boots, and tightened his backpack to his shoulders. "I like the sound of that," He said to her, smiling.

"You like 'damsels in distress'?" Calysa asked, unbelievingly, taking offense.

"No, idiot. You calling yourself my girlfriend," He said as he caught up with her. "Though, don't I have to ask you to be, or something? Remember, I wasn't really socialized as a child..."

Calysa playfully flicked Luka's shoulder for his name calling and then blushed and laughed at the latter part of his sentence. "You are surprisingly adept at socializing, for a Warrior Wolf super soldier, thingy... or whatever Lleyton made you," She said grinning, both walking towards the tree-line.

"Okay, but seriously, do I have to ask you to be...?" Luka said to her, still not knowing the correct customs of Calysa's Orcas.

She rolled her eyes at him and mischievously turned, and said, "Now that you mention it, there is a process. Usually, the Orca males vying for someone's heart swim into the ocean and capture the largest fish that they can with their bare hands. Then, the Orca that brings the largest fish back to the Orca female is given the blessing of their hand in partnership - the title and label of 'girlfriend'."