Rumerra - The Journey Begins

Chapter 14 - The Magornis (Part III)

The elves were not the only ones who had problems with pirates. It was precisely as Loretta had foretold—the southern sea was swarming with them right now. They were all preying on ships traveling to the Tournament island in anticipation of the Magornis. A lot of nobles and royals were going there, and tons of riches were to be plundered from them—a true pirate's paradise! King Matthew and his fleet also found themselves under some heavy fire from them. They half-expected this, however, and were well-prepared, just like the elves. Still, this didn't stop the pirates from trying. And boy, did they try. The skies were swarming with crow-riders, spells, and flaming arrows while the king and his family sipped tea in their private quarters and let their army handle the situation.

"It's the same every Magornis!" Matthew shouted when the ship shook and he dropped his porcelain cup. "That was a family heirloom as well! My grandfather gave me this tea set!"
Disgruntled, he stood up and unsheathed his sword.

"You're not thinking of going out there, are you?" his wife looked at him with a worried expression. "That's way too dangerous! Stay inside here with us." She hugged their son.

"I wasn't the captain of the White Knights for fifteen years to sit in here and drink tea while my men are out there fighting these mongrels!" he announced and stormed out.

He walked into quite the chaos when he stepped foot on the deck. A bunch of dwarves dismounted their crows and were clashing steel with the White Knights that accompanied the king. He tilted his head to the left as an arrow whizzed past him and rammed itself into the mast behind him. "Damn animals," he grunted. "That does it!"

Matthew swung his sword at an incoming dwarf, breaking his maul and cutting his head clean off his shoulders. Blood sprinkled his expensive clothing and he sighed. "So annoying..."

The king took a walk across the deck, killing three or four more dwarves before turning his head to the skies. There were a bunch of crow-riders trying to set their sails on fire. Matthew grabbed onto a rope and cut it, the counterweight pulling him upwards. He slashed a wing off a crow as he swung himself unto the mast and landed elegantly. Argus was standing on a small platform on top of it, casting spells at them as well. "Showing off again, my king?"

"Just trying to keep in shape," Matthew smiled at him. "Where's that prized student of yours? Probably brushing her hair somewhere below deck, isn't she?" he said mockingly.

"I suggest you hold on to something," the old wizard answered calmly. "She's coming."

A strong gust of wind almost knocked Matthew off the mast and he grabbed onto a rope at the last second before he lost balance. A dragon swished by, making short work of the flying pirates. It flapped its wings, making monstrous winds that blew away practically all the attackers and put out the fires tearing through their sails simultaneously. Argus and Matthew held on to the mast to avoid being blown away as well. When the wind finally died down, they saw the beast fly toward the nearest pirate ship and breathe fire, setting it ablaze.

"What is that thing?!" the king yelled to the headmaster, who was wearing a satisfied grin.

"That's your champion," he replied casually. "I guess she's done brushing her hair."

Matthew fell silent. He sheathed his sword and nodded. "She'll do. She'll do just fine."

***

With the pirates successfully fended off, after a few more days, Tournament island came into view. Velvet stood on the ship's helm, leaning forward and observing it.

"LAND AHEAD!!" she shouted at the top of her lungs and pointed.

"Yes," Loretta, who stood behind her, said calmly. "We know. Why are you yelling?"

"Oh, I just always wanted to shout this," the girl turned around and laughed. "I've read it in many stories. The great Thoracc yelled this too in his ocean adventure!"

"Who's Thoracc?" the princess asked, a bit confused.

"Only the greatest light wizard that ever lived!" Velvet exclaimed. "According to the story."

"Ah, I remember now," the elf smiled. "You told me you loved reading fairy tales a lot when you were younger, isn't that right? Was this one that you read?"

"Correction. I love reading fairy tales. This didn't change. I still do to this day!"

"That's nice," her friend nodded. "Mother used to read them to me too. Not this one specifically, but others. I liked hearing about distant lands and people that traveled them."

"Yes!" Velvet agreed. "Fairy tales are the best! My dream is to travel the world like Thoracc one day. And look, we are doing it right now! Isn't it exciting?! Even pirates attacked us! This is like a real adventure! I am absolutely loving this! Thank you for taking me with you!"

The princess laughed. "I guess it is like an adventure, huh? I never thought about it like that."