06-26-2016, 02:53 PM
“Where?” the young woman asked, her blank stare clearly telegraphing her unfamiliarity with the location he was referring to. The Sage chewed his lip as he considered his options. “So none of you are familiar with the Island, I would guess then?” The young woman scratched the back of her head, “The name sounds familiar, Cinnibar… I know I’ve heard that name before.” Lou and the Sage exchanged a glance, as Noodle pondered. It was on the tip of her tongue! Her eyes snapped wide open and a large grin broke out on her face.
“The Pokémon place!” She exclaimed, and now it was the Sage’s to turn to reply with a blank stare. “Yeah! That’s the place where you can find Missingno! I’m sure of it!” she paused in her excitement, and gave the Sage a confused glance, “Are you saying that place is here? That would just be weird!” The Sage just shrugged at her, “I was told to meet someone there, but since I will be needing to take myself there now, I was hoping for directions.” He got out of bed, surprised at the speed of his own recovery
“Oh. Sorry. I haven’t been here that long myself.” replied Noodle, sucking her cheek. “Hey, I know! Maybe we can ask the old sailor guy!”
Lou looked up as she said this, “is he feeling better too? We’re turning into a veritable hospital. out here!” he muttered,
"I know, right?” Noodle replied with the enthusiasm of youth. The Sage got to his feet unsteadily, started to follow her, and nearly fell over. “Are you alright?” The young woman asked with concern, as the Sage slumped against the nearby wall for support.
“Yes, yes.” He replied hurriedly waving away her attempts to help. First impressions are important, even when the person in question has already seen you bleeding out. They halted for a moment in the streets while the Sage summoned his cane again, then proceeded up to the mansion. “We would have moved you here as well,” Noodle explained as she went, “But I wasn’t sure it was a good idea with the way you were looking.” They made their way up the stairs slowly, towards the upper portion of the island, Lou Reed staying behind, after making some excuse about having other affairs to deal with. The two primes entered the mansion, and Noodle led the way to the room where she had left Issac Carter.
“Um, excuse me? Issac? We were wondering if you… hello?” The Bloodlance was nowhere to be found in the room, and Noodle turned around with a furrowed brow. “That’s just odd! Where has he gone off to?” The two primes began to wander the halls, searching for the missing Bloodlance. The Sage followed the other prime through several rooms, many of which contained contraptions and oddities that he could scarcely fathom the use of. The girl claims she owns this place, perhaps she is an inventor of some nature?
They found Issac Carter on one the balconies, single arm resting on the banister as he stared out into the emerald sea. “Issac?” the young woman asked, “Are you feeling any better?” The old soldier turned to regard the two primes with his standard stoic grimace. “The wound? It’s healing, if that’s what you mean.” Noodle nodded “That’s good, you had me worried. We were wondering if you could help us. This is…um… actually… what was your name?” she said, turning a curious eye to the Sage who stepped forward onto the balcony that he felt was not nearly thick enough to be structurally stable. “I am but a humble sage, and I come seeking a route to Cinnibar Island. I was told you are most experienced seaman on the island right now.”
Issac Carter gave the Sage an appraising look. “You are going to get yourself there? What direction is north?” The Sage was painfully aware of the moment it took him to utilize the sun to find the right direction. He pointed quietly, eyes still locked with Carter’s.
“You’ve never sailed a day in your life have you…” the Bloodlance said, there was no contempt behind the statement, no subtle admonishment, it was simply the truth.
The Sage shrugged, “I did not grow up along the coast, and my youthful travels were… cut shorter than I would otherwise have preferred them. I will have to learn though. Cinnibar is still my destination, can you tell me how to get there?”
Issac grunted, “So that you can get nabbed by the first Imperial patrol you run into? They have the island in a blockade. You will need someone who knows how to get through that kind of thing. You don’t want a route to Cinnibar, you want a route to Blue Flame Island. You’ll be able to find someone in Bilgewater that can get you in.”
Now it was the Sage’s turn to look skeptical, “You want to send me to a smuggler’s port? How far out of the way is that detour? My contact will not be waiting forever.” not that he knows I am coming yet… Issac shrugged,
“it isn’t actually that far out of your way, a day or two south southwest of the bearing you would otherwise take to get to Cinnibar from here. The whole journey should take less than a week, three days to Blue Flame, four more to Cinnibar from there.” He gave the Sage a meaningful look, “If you get the right ship that is.”
The Sage nodded, “Show me how to get to Blue Flame then. I will trust your judgement.” Issac moved back inside and over to a nearby table.
“I’ll need a writing utensil and some paper for the map.” The Sage began to look around the room for something suitable to use. “I think there’s some paper here somewhere,” Noodle said, “I’ll see if I can find any!”
Carter shook his head. “Boy, you too are both new.” They both looked at the bloodlance, confused. “You’re primes for crying out loud! Summon up some bloody paper and let’s get to it!” There was a moment’s glance between the primes, where they shared embarrassment at not remembering, then the Sage began summoning a roll of parchment, and Noodle summoned a ballpoint pen and sketching compass.
In a short while they had the requisite materials and Carter outlined many of the more important locations of the Vasty deeps for the two new primes. The Sage copied down the locations and details into one of his books, while Noodle silently memorized the information. “…And that’s why you won’t be able to get through the blockade without experience. The Mermaid’s Teeth is a treacherous route for even the best of sailors. You are definitely not that. Get a smuggler from Blue Flame Island, they’ll know the route far better,”
The Sage stared at the map with a puzzled look on his face. “Why would they do that?” he asked, and the bloodlance raised an eyebrow at him. The Sage persisted “Why would they leave the route open. The Imperial navy surely has the manpower to extend the blockade to encompass the Teeth as well. Why do they leave a path to get through to Cinnibar?”
Issac grunted. “Because it makes their life easier. The imperial blockade is above all diplomatic, the Empire doesn’t want to make enemies here, the Navy is just applying pressure to try and leverage an alliance. Smugglers will always try to get through a blockade, some may sell weapons or defenses, but most are just selling food. Hunting down every frigate crossing the blockade would be difficult, there would no doubt be some that would get through, and your men are run ragged trying to keep up.” The old veteran fixed the Sage with a meaningful stare.
“But give them a dangerous path, they’ll use it, they’ll die, and you don’t have to lift so much as a single oar.” Carter straightened up to address the prime, “Oh no, Admiral Kizaru doesn’t make such simple mistakes as those. Any other questions, Prime?”
The Sage crossed his arms, but shook his head. “Now I suppose I will just have to summon a vessel capable of making it to Blue Flame.”
“The Pokémon place!” She exclaimed, and now it was the Sage’s to turn to reply with a blank stare. “Yeah! That’s the place where you can find Missingno! I’m sure of it!” she paused in her excitement, and gave the Sage a confused glance, “Are you saying that place is here? That would just be weird!” The Sage just shrugged at her, “I was told to meet someone there, but since I will be needing to take myself there now, I was hoping for directions.” He got out of bed, surprised at the speed of his own recovery
“Oh. Sorry. I haven’t been here that long myself.” replied Noodle, sucking her cheek. “Hey, I know! Maybe we can ask the old sailor guy!”
Lou looked up as she said this, “is he feeling better too? We’re turning into a veritable hospital. out here!” he muttered,
"I know, right?” Noodle replied with the enthusiasm of youth. The Sage got to his feet unsteadily, started to follow her, and nearly fell over. “Are you alright?” The young woman asked with concern, as the Sage slumped against the nearby wall for support.
“Yes, yes.” He replied hurriedly waving away her attempts to help. First impressions are important, even when the person in question has already seen you bleeding out. They halted for a moment in the streets while the Sage summoned his cane again, then proceeded up to the mansion. “We would have moved you here as well,” Noodle explained as she went, “But I wasn’t sure it was a good idea with the way you were looking.” They made their way up the stairs slowly, towards the upper portion of the island, Lou Reed staying behind, after making some excuse about having other affairs to deal with. The two primes entered the mansion, and Noodle led the way to the room where she had left Issac Carter.
“Um, excuse me? Issac? We were wondering if you… hello?” The Bloodlance was nowhere to be found in the room, and Noodle turned around with a furrowed brow. “That’s just odd! Where has he gone off to?” The two primes began to wander the halls, searching for the missing Bloodlance. The Sage followed the other prime through several rooms, many of which contained contraptions and oddities that he could scarcely fathom the use of. The girl claims she owns this place, perhaps she is an inventor of some nature?
They found Issac Carter on one the balconies, single arm resting on the banister as he stared out into the emerald sea. “Issac?” the young woman asked, “Are you feeling any better?” The old soldier turned to regard the two primes with his standard stoic grimace. “The wound? It’s healing, if that’s what you mean.” Noodle nodded “That’s good, you had me worried. We were wondering if you could help us. This is…um… actually… what was your name?” she said, turning a curious eye to the Sage who stepped forward onto the balcony that he felt was not nearly thick enough to be structurally stable. “I am but a humble sage, and I come seeking a route to Cinnibar Island. I was told you are most experienced seaman on the island right now.”
Issac Carter gave the Sage an appraising look. “You are going to get yourself there? What direction is north?” The Sage was painfully aware of the moment it took him to utilize the sun to find the right direction. He pointed quietly, eyes still locked with Carter’s.
“You’ve never sailed a day in your life have you…” the Bloodlance said, there was no contempt behind the statement, no subtle admonishment, it was simply the truth.
The Sage shrugged, “I did not grow up along the coast, and my youthful travels were… cut shorter than I would otherwise have preferred them. I will have to learn though. Cinnibar is still my destination, can you tell me how to get there?”
Issac grunted, “So that you can get nabbed by the first Imperial patrol you run into? They have the island in a blockade. You will need someone who knows how to get through that kind of thing. You don’t want a route to Cinnibar, you want a route to Blue Flame Island. You’ll be able to find someone in Bilgewater that can get you in.”
Now it was the Sage’s turn to look skeptical, “You want to send me to a smuggler’s port? How far out of the way is that detour? My contact will not be waiting forever.” not that he knows I am coming yet… Issac shrugged,
“it isn’t actually that far out of your way, a day or two south southwest of the bearing you would otherwise take to get to Cinnibar from here. The whole journey should take less than a week, three days to Blue Flame, four more to Cinnibar from there.” He gave the Sage a meaningful look, “If you get the right ship that is.”
The Sage nodded, “Show me how to get to Blue Flame then. I will trust your judgement.” Issac moved back inside and over to a nearby table.
“I’ll need a writing utensil and some paper for the map.” The Sage began to look around the room for something suitable to use. “I think there’s some paper here somewhere,” Noodle said, “I’ll see if I can find any!”
Carter shook his head. “Boy, you too are both new.” They both looked at the bloodlance, confused. “You’re primes for crying out loud! Summon up some bloody paper and let’s get to it!” There was a moment’s glance between the primes, where they shared embarrassment at not remembering, then the Sage began summoning a roll of parchment, and Noodle summoned a ballpoint pen and sketching compass.
In a short while they had the requisite materials and Carter outlined many of the more important locations of the Vasty deeps for the two new primes. The Sage copied down the locations and details into one of his books, while Noodle silently memorized the information. “…And that’s why you won’t be able to get through the blockade without experience. The Mermaid’s Teeth is a treacherous route for even the best of sailors. You are definitely not that. Get a smuggler from Blue Flame Island, they’ll know the route far better,”
The Sage stared at the map with a puzzled look on his face. “Why would they do that?” he asked, and the bloodlance raised an eyebrow at him. The Sage persisted “Why would they leave the route open. The Imperial navy surely has the manpower to extend the blockade to encompass the Teeth as well. Why do they leave a path to get through to Cinnibar?”
Issac grunted. “Because it makes their life easier. The imperial blockade is above all diplomatic, the Empire doesn’t want to make enemies here, the Navy is just applying pressure to try and leverage an alliance. Smugglers will always try to get through a blockade, some may sell weapons or defenses, but most are just selling food. Hunting down every frigate crossing the blockade would be difficult, there would no doubt be some that would get through, and your men are run ragged trying to keep up.” The old veteran fixed the Sage with a meaningful stare.
“But give them a dangerous path, they’ll use it, they’ll die, and you don’t have to lift so much as a single oar.” Carter straightened up to address the prime, “Oh no, Admiral Kizaru doesn’t make such simple mistakes as those. Any other questions, Prime?”
The Sage crossed his arms, but shook his head. “Now I suppose I will just have to summon a vessel capable of making it to Blue Flame.”
If history is to become legend, it first must be recorded.