Finches

Chapter 10 - The Journey Begins

"Well," started the fisherman. "I went out early this morning and spent a little more time than usual on the water. As a result, I came back with a little... how should we call it...parting gift for you."

"Oh, you didn't have to—"

Then the fisherman stepped aside and gave Colt a clear view of the "gift." It was a giant barrel, nearly the size of Colt himself, full of—you guessed it—fish.

"You can't be serious."

The fisherman grinned at Colt in response. "I told you I'd find a way for you to repay me."

"Yeah, but I didn't mean... oh, never mind."

The fisherman looked proudly down at the barrel. "This took quite a bit of work, you know."

"Not as much as it will take me," Colt muttered, then, "Hang on, how is this a 'little' parting gift. This thing is probably the same height I was two years ago!"

The old man's smile didn't falter. "Great, isn't it. You see, as the Authority base is almost impossible to reach other than by ship at scheduled times, there's not many goods imported up thataways. Some good quality fish goes for a high price up there, much more than my normal rates."

"I bet," Colt replied. "Well, if I did have a chance of surviving this before, that's shot now. No way me and this thing get up there in one piece."

"So make sure to protect the fish then."

Colt gave the old man a side glance.

"I'm kidding," assured the fisherman. "You'll be fine. Just deliver the fish and that letter, and we'll call it even."

Colt smiled and shook his head. He hung his sword on the side of his pants and used both of his hands to hoist up the giant barrel. "If I deliver these things for you, you owe me big time."

The fisherman shrugged, looking bemused. "Who knows?" he said. "Maybe it'll save your life."

Colt smirked a little. A giant, cumbersome barrel of fish saving his life. He highly doubted it. "Maybe it'll end my life," he retorted under his breath.

And with that, Colt started the walk into town. The first step of his journey.

"Hey, Colt!"

Colt sat the barrel down and turned back toward the fisherman.

The fisherman just stood there staring at him for a few seconds, then nodded. "Good luck!" he said. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

Colt opened his mouth to respond but couldn't seem to find any words, which was a phenomenon he experienced very rarely. So he closed his mouth and just nodded back to the old man, before picking up the barrel again and heading into town.

To get to the side of the island that the Authority base was located at, Colt needed to pass through the town. The fisherman's shack was on the west coast of the island and the base was on the east side, so Colt had concluded that the safest way to make the journey was to go as far as he could in the town area of the island before he was forced to step off the beaten path.

Walking through the town turned out to be a challenge in itself. The barrel was even heavier than it looked (and it looked pretty heavy) and so he had trouble carrying it. He had to set it down every now and again to rest his arms, and while he was carrying it he found himself wobbling back and forth. It was hard not to drop the barrel, and he scarcely avoided doing just that several times. It was also very hard to see where he was going, as the barrel was so tall and wide that it almost entirely obstructed his vision.

Despite all of this, Colt couldn't help but admire the town. He noticed it on his trips to town before but he hadn't really had the time to take it all in. He'd always had somewhere he needed to get to or find. But now he had time, as he was just walking, and he came to realize that he'd never seen something like this before. All he'd really seen was the inside of a pirate ship, which contrasted heavily to a place like this. The town was an incredibly beautiful place, filled with delicately made structures and blossoming trees. Most shops were crafted from wood and stone, featuring some bold lettering at the front to announce what it sold. All the roofs were flat, which wouldn't have looked good if it weren't for the fact that you could see the rest of the town better. There were also tons of people going about their business, talking to each other and carrying baskets and bags full of something or other. Everyone seemed relatively happy and content, which was a stark contrast to the mood on the Bloody Manta.

One particular person was not happy for very long, however. As Colt was walking and absent-mindedly admiring the town, something that he'd known in the back of his mind was coming finally happened. Being weighed down and not being able to see properly, Colt collided with another person. The collision threw him off balance and his feet fell from under him. The barrel flew from his grasp as his back crashed to the floor.

"Ow," he mumbled.

Colt struggled to his feet and noticed the person he had knocked over sitting on the ground, currently struggling to get a barrel of fish off their head. Finally, the person succeeded and the barrel popped off their head and went tumbling across the road.

The girl who had just escaped the flying fish barrel was breathing heavily. She wore an outfit made from leather that looked odd on her in comparison to the silk that most females wore. She had blonde hair with pink highlights, which was also very odd, and looked to be around the same age as Colt. She was also covered in the fish that had seemingly escaped from Colt's barrel when it landed on her head.

The girl didn't seem interested in the fish covering her, however. She wasn't even looking at Colt. Instead she was sitting faced away from him, focused on something that was lying on the ground. After a closer look Colt determined that it was jewelry of some sort. Or rather, it used to be. Whatever it was, it was laying on the town road smashed into a thousand tiny pieces.

"Oops," Colt said. "Sorry about that."

The girl turned to look at him for the first time. In her eyes Colt saw flashes of annoyance and irritation. She only said a total of five words to him. "You owe me. Big time."