The old fisherman began to hoist the sail to his small fishing boat as it drifted near the coastline of an island covered in thick jungle. The sky was gray and gloomy, perhaps a sign of bad things to come. He glanced at his passenger; a young girl with shoulder length bright red hair, fair skin and looked to be about 5'7 in height. She had lovely light brown eyes that seemed to glow amber, even in this gray sky. He had met the girl two days ago when she arrived at his village, exhausted and nearly starved to death.
And to think that she turned out to be a hunter, he thought.
After personally taking care of her and giving her a couple meals to recover from her journey, she revealed herself as a hunter and vowed to repay her savior by hunting any monster currently troubling his village. It was like a blessing from the heavens, for the village was indeed plagued by a monster but could not afford posting a guild request. He still felt a little unsure because she wore light leather armor, the very basic of hunter gear. But he had to admit, there was a certain spunk to her. He anchored the boat and sat down, taking out a pipe and prepping his smoke. The girl stood, adjusting her ammo pack then slinging her simple looking bowgun over her shoulder.
"Well this is it, Ms. Sterling. This is the main island our villagers gather food and medicine supplies from… and this is where our current problem is. Like I mentioned before, our pest is a Kut Ku. It's usually a cake walk for hunters, but it is uncanny how many people have given up trying to fight it. I hope you succeed in this quest, it would help the village so much."
"Don't worry, sir. I will do everything in my power to take out this Kut Ku. It's the least I can do to repay you for your kindness and your wife's delicious meals."
His eyes began to water, but he held back the tears and smiled warmly.
"Hmm. Well then… you see that path between the berry bushes there?" he pointed, "If you head down that and go north at the fork, you should end up at a camp site. There isn't much there except a bed and a cooking spit. Feel free to use either."
"Thank you, sir! I'll take it from here."
She patted at her gear for a final quick check, then she disappeared into the path, swallowed by the thick jungle.
"I'll be back same time tomorrow, here at this spot! Good luck!" The fisherman yelled. He lit his pipe and had a smoke before heading back.
LOADING...
Victoria Sterling found the camp thirty minutes into her hike. Luckily there were blue mushrooms and herb patches not far from the site. She gathered a few of each and combined them to make a couple potions. Once she was done, she headed back into the jungle. Her first thought was to find clues on the Kut Ku's whereabouts. It had felt like a couple hours had passed since leaving the camp. Victoria found several jungle clearings and even a few piles of wyvern dung, but after a while her stomach began to growl and that was her cue to find something to eat. She remembered seeing a small family of mosswine sniffing out a clearing a while back, so she set off to find them again; thoughts of how to cook her pending meal making her even more hungry.
Not long into her hunt, she spotted the mosswine. Mosswine were docile and seemingly carefree, so she plucked a mushroom from the ground nearby and walked up to the closest of the hogs. She fed it the mushroom and sure enough, the little walking meal began to follow her. She started to head back to camp, when she heard a guttural chuffing sound. It came from behind her several yards away. She stopped, her heart begin to beat fast, she turned around to see the family of mosswine charging passed her, making her lunch run after them. Behind them was the biggest Kut Ku that she had ever seen. It had pinned one of the hogs to the ground and was about to make its kill when it sniffed at the air, and took interest in Victoria's scent. Victoria slowly unslung her bowgun and carefully grabbed a round of pellet shot.
Ok big guy…nice and easy… I'm no interest to you…just…go back to your meal…
The Kut Ku tilted its head in curiousity, staring at Victoria… after a few moments, it returned its attention to the caught mosswine and toyed with it, pecking it torturously. Victoria loaded the pellet shot and cocked her bowgun. The Kut Ku reacted to the sound and flared its wings, shrieking loudly, releasing the mosswine and charged in her direction.
"Oh crap!" she gasped.
She got off the shot in panic but was too far to do any real damage. She spun around so fast she almost lost balance. She sprinted, almost catching up to the earlier mosswine, the stomping getting closer and louder. She saw a clearing with a large rock formation up ahead and decided that using the rocks as cover was her best bet to shoot at the Kut Ku from a distance with crag shots. Sprinting harder, she made it to the formation and dove behind it. She felt a gust of wind blow past her as the Kut Ku dashed by just missing her, its momentum sending it a few yards in front of her. She got up quickly and took aim with her bowgun. She pulled the trigger... *click*
… What!? Crap! You didn't load yet, idiot!
The Kut Ku blew a fireball right in front of her feet, the impact sending her reeling back and landing hard on her back, knocking the wind out of her.
Whoa... why was that... so powerful!?
Ready for another attempt, the Kut Ku made a second charge towards her. With no time to recover she got up dazed and bolted in the opposite direction, her lungs still empty. Fifteen yards into her sprint she was able to gasp for breath, her heart was racing!
Crap crap crap! I better not take a direct hit from that! Next chance I get, I'll reload my gun and shoot it in the face. How do I get him distracted?
She looked around for another opening as she ran into the next clearing, she saw a huge wide tree that was standing alone, clear all around its sides.
There! I can run right at the tree then dive to the side at the last second. Hopefully momentum will come into play.
She slowed just a little to make sure the Kut Ku focused on her and not the tree. The tree now coming up fast, she got ready to dodge.
Aaaand… She dove to the side, kicking the tree for an extra push as milliseconds later the satisfying sound of success rung loud! *CRRAAACK!*
"Whoa! Aahhh!" Someone yelled.
Victoria was shocked to hear another voice.
Wait! Did that thing just talk?
She looked around for the source of the voice and spotted a woman falling from the tree the Kut Ku just rammed into. She hit the ground, landing on her bottom.
"Tchhh, owww! What the hell!?"
The woman stood up and picked her gear off the ground, a sword and shield made of black crystal-like feathers. She holstered her sword to her back, looking at Victoria in anger.
"Hey you! Whatcha do that for!? I was having the best dream too! Aw man…"
Victoria stood in awe at the woman who fell from the tree. She was... so beautiful! Taller than Victoria by about half a foot. Her hair was white with black tips, flaring around her head while drawn into a ponytail. She wore dulled gold and faded blue and white colored armor, but only wore a mail, tasset, and greaves.
"Well, you gonna just stand there?" She asked, "Apologize!"
The Kut Ku, who was dazed a moment ago, looked as though it was about to regain its composure. Victoria pointed at the monster directly behind the mystery woman.
"Ku…ku…ku..!"
The woman, looked amused suddenly, pointing at herself.
"Eh, ...cu..CUTE? Ah ha ha! Well, I suppose I can-"
"KUT KU!" Victoria shrieked!
The Kut Ku stood, towering over the mystery woman; smoke seeping from its beak. It tilted its head opening its beak, ready to chomp the clueless woman's head off.
"Look out!" Victoria yelled!
The Kut ku's massive open beak came down towards the woman. It looked like it was all over, but in that instant the woman's carefree expression went cold. She dropped into a low squat with her legs together, pivoted her front foot and smoothly rotated as her thigh muscles exploded making the woman spring up toward the Kut Ku's gaping beak. She swung her shield up in such a fluid uppercut motion, it bashed loudly into the beak making it crack and splitting it in different places. The Kut Ku threw its head up at the sky, stunned. Now in the air, the woman elegantly completed a half rotation facing the Kut Ku. She unsheathed the sword from her lower back and jammed it into the neck. Gravity helped her to carve down to its chest. As she landed, she rolled under the Kut Ku and stabbed its belly twice quickly, then pounced into a summersault smoothly back to her feet. She walked a few steps till she was clear of its tail range and sheathed her sword again. She turned to see the Kut Ku stagger, sway a few times, then collapse to the floor. The woman slowly clasped her hands together, closed her eyes and seemed to bow her head in prayer while the beast took its final breath. She opened her eyes and glanced at Victoria. Victoria felt a chill run down her spine as she looked at the giant lifeless Kut Ku. Her legs felt shaky. She slung her bowgun over her shoulder, walked towards the woman thinking of the right words to say… but her vision quickly blurred and darkened and all sounds faded away… Victoria blacked out.
LOADING...
Victoria woke up, her vision recovering from a slight blur. She noticed the gray sky between the canopies of the jungle had gotten darker. She realized she was on the rock bed, back at the camp. Warm fire crackled at her side. Then a face appeared looking down at her in wonderment. She met the eyes of the woman who had taken down the giant Kut Ku.
"How are you feeling?" She asked.
Victoria stared into her eyes. She had never seen such beautiful blue eyes before. They were ice blue with a purplish center, and… so bright. But she saw sadness in them as well. She wondered what could have made such sad eyes. Even so, Victoria felt almost at peace losing herself in those eyes… Then her own eyes widened and she shot right up to sitting position, looking away from the stranger so she couldn't catch Victoria blushing.
"Hey take it easy now, you're safe." Implored the woman.
"Ah, I guess I let the excitement overwhelm me. Thanks for taking care of me" Victoria exhaled.
The woman who had been kneeling over the pillow of the bed, swung her legs from under her and over the edge to sit facing the fire.
"Oh, don't worry about it. So tell me, what's a newbie hunter doing going after a high-rank Kut Ku?"
"H-high ranked!?" Victoria squealed. Crap, this could have been bad, she thought.
She regained her composure and turned to face the woman.
"Ahem, you know… I could have taken care of it! I am a decent hunter after all."
"Oh, that so? Well then sorry to steal your game, ha ha. Anyway, I'm Desiree." She smiled.
"Victoria Sterling. Nice to meet you, Ms. Desiree."
Victoria also took a seat at the edge of the bed towards the fire.
"So how long have you been hunting?" Desiree asked.
"Well… about three months now. But I've been training for two years. Anyway, this wasn't a guild quest. I kind of just took it upon myself to help the village that helped me out of a pinch."
Victoria was feeling a bit embarrassed now that she thought about it.
"Well, a word from the wise… always check to see if the village posted a request through the guild hall. It would be trouble if the guild finds a licensed hunter not following protocol."
"About that… the villagers said something about not having enough to cover guild hall fees. In any case, what in the world were you doing sleeping in that tree, Ms. Desiree?"
"Uhhh, eh heh heh… Well, to be honest I had just eaten lunch. And after some tasty fish, I found that clearing and climbed up that tree to gather my bearings. Uh, turned out that tasty fish was a sleepy fish."
Desiree rubbed her neck as she chuckled sheepishly.
A klutz!? Victoria wondered. The sky darkened even more, chilling the air.
"So what hunter rank are you, Ms. Desiree?" Victoria asked.
"Please, call me Desi. I, actually have no rank. Though I did retire from guild services a couple years ago."
"Retired? So what do you do now?" Victoria asked.
Desiree got off the bed and walked to a pile of dry wood and fed the fire, making it flare brighter and warmer. Desiree stared at the fire for a while, then turned to face Victoria.
"Well… ironically enough, I help people who can't afford guild fees. I find the rewards to be much more satisfying. I can carve whatever parts I want, and trade the rest to the villages."
"But, isn't that poaching?" Victoria asked.
Desiree held up her index finger, a sign that knowledge is about to be taught.
"Hmm, yes and no. While people who hunt outside of quests for villages or guild halls are looked down upon, there is a legal way."
Victoria narrowed her eyes in thought of this statement.
"And what way is that?" She asked. Desiree continued her seminar.
"It's called the Survival License."
Victoria raised an eye brow, showing her interest.
"This particular license is rare. It only becomes available to experts who have served as officers in the Guild Knights and have been acknowledged by a guild grand master. And what it allows is the ability to live out in hunting grounds, able to slay monsters that are an immediate threat to your wellbeing. The spoils are one-hundred percent yours to do with as you please. However, it requires a pretty hefty seasonal fee to maintain. But all in all, well worth having."
Victoria thought that bit of info was valuable and actually exciting to hear. Wait a minute!
"A-a-are you saying… you used to be a Guild Knight!?"
Victoria exclaimed. Desiree looked at the fire with an amused face.
"Hmm, I wonder" She teased.
In awe, Victoria asked "You look fairly young to be retired from a service that takes five years to enter. How old are you, Ms.…uh… I mean, Desi?"
Desiree couldn't help but grin in anticipation to the reaction of her interviewer.
"I'm twenty-two years old."
"Eeeehhhhhhhhh!?" Victoria's jaw dropped!
Ha ha ha, everytime! Desiree thought.
Victoria gathered her thoughts and began to calculate in her mind. Twenty-two! Holy hell! Ok, so she said she retired a couple years ago… so at around age twenty… meaning she was fifteen at the least before joining the Guild Knights. But it takes about five years in service to even earn an officer rank. So she would have to have started hunting around age… te-te-TEN!
"Wait a minute! You got your Hunter License at age ten!?" Victoria asked, stunned.
Desiree's eyes widened.
"Whoa! Hey you are pretty good! Yes, that is correct."
Victoria felt defeated. She was nineteen years old and just barely earned hers a few months ago.
"Wow, you have to be the youngest person to accomplish such a feat." Now it was Desiree who had the look of defeat.
"Actually, there was a boy who got his license the same time as me. And he was eight years old."
Victoria felt a chill thinking of such accomplishments.
"How in the world did you two do such an amazing thing?" Victoria asked.
Suddenly she saw the sadness from earlier in Desiree's eyes. Desiree directed her gaze at the fire.
"Let's just say our childhood was… rough. I mean… really, it was just that we excelled with ranged weapons, never had any close quarter fights until I was around fourteen. Even then, I could only wield light weapons and went after small game. He, on the other hand…" Desiree trailed off.
Victoria decided she was done asking questions for the night.
"Let's get some rest. I have a villager coming by boat to pick me up tomorrow. Maybe you would like to come back with me?" Victoria inquired.
Desiree smiled, her eyes warmed with the fire.
"Maybe. Lets get some rest then."
Desiree grabbed a sleeping bag from the supply box and laid it near the fire before saying good night. Victoria laid back down and was able to catch the clouds fading away, revealing the night sky.
LOADING...
The smell of delicious barbeque filled the morning air, and Victoria awoke with a rumble in her stomach. She rubbed her eyes to clear the sleepiness and then wiped at the surprise drool that somehow made it to her earlobe. After fixing herself, she looked at the giant slab of meat slowly roasting over the cooking spit. She looked around to see she was alone in the camp. She got up and couldn't help but walk over and lick her lips in anticipation of a tasty meal.
"Don't even think about it!" the hidden Desiree announced.
Victoria could feel the embarrassment warm up everything between her ears.
"Ah..I-I wasn't going to touch it! I swear!"
She got a little sad at the thought that she wasn't going to get any of that lovely roasted meat after all. Desiree came out from behind the brushes, carrying another slab of meat left on the bone, and it looked well done. She handed it over to Victoria.
"I was cooking this piece on the other side of the tent. This one's yours" Desiree smiled.
"Oh gosh! Thanks so much, Desi!"
Victoria grabbed the bone slab from both sides and carried it to the bed, sitting on the edge. She watched as Desiree grabbed the bar holding the slab of meat over the fire and lifted it from the spit. Desiree sat next to her and took a bite.
"Mmmm, bamn faff goob! Moffing wike fome Kuh Ku fo bweckfaf" Desiree mumbled.
Oi, chew your food before talking! Victoria thought.
She took her own bite, and her face lit up from the juiciness and flavor!
"Oh ma goomeff! Foh gooooob!" Victoria muffled excitedly.
Victoria and Desiree gave each other a look of satisfaction and continued their meal and discussed the different meats they've eaten in the past, mouths full and all.
Once breakfast was over, they packed their items away and prepared to depart. Desiree walked behind the tent and dragged out a small sled which carried parts of the Kut Ku she had defeated yesterday. She had scales, parts of the shell, webbing and the ears all in a bundle while using the giant beak as a treasure chest holding it all in. Victoria was impressed.
"Hey when did you have time to get all that together?" She asked.
Desiree tugged on the rope and answered "Well when I was carving some meat off the guy, I figured the size of his materials would fill my purse with a good amount of zeni. Don't worry, since it was your bounty, I'll split the reward with you."
Victoria couldn't help but feel happy.
"You are so kind, Desi!" Victoria swooned.
Desiree chuckled then turned to face the direction leading to the ocean.
"Lead the way to the pickup zone, Victoria."
Victoria patted at her gear for her routine quick check, then took the lead.
It took about fourty minutes this time, to return to the area where the old fisherman waited. He was already anchored and awaiting Victoria's arrival.
"Ahoy!" He cheered.
He looked at Desiree and stared a bit, unable to help noticing how exotic she looked. Then he noticed the sled of Kut Ku parts. His eyes widened and he jumped out the boat onto land.
"My word! You did it! You actually did it! Ms. Victoria, you're a hero!"
He held her hands in his with sincerity.
"Ah ha ha! Well of course! But to be honest, it was all thanks to our friend here." Victoria said, referring to Desiree.
"And who might you be!?" the old man asked.
"I'm Desiree, sir. I hope you can allow another passenger onto your boat."
"Of course! Any friend of our hero Victoria, is a friend of ours!"
Desiree grinned at Victoria and loaded the Kut Ku parts onboard. Soon after, they set sail to return to the village of Galrok.
LOADING...
After half a day, they arrived at the shores of Galrok. Once anchored, two villagers and another older gentleman welcomed their arrival. Victoria knew the older man as the elder.
"Welcome back, young lady. I'm glad to see that you succeeded your mission!"
Victoria told the elder how she found Desiree and how it was she who defeated the monster. They looked very amused and glad either way that the Kut Ku was out of their hair.
"Come now, let's get you ladies settled. I'll have some of our townsfolk prepare you a small feast to celebrate your victory!" Announced the elder.
The girls smiled then followed the elder. Desiree enjoyed walking through the village. It was smaller than most villages she had been to, but it was homely. It reminded her of her home town except this was much cleaner. Victoria informed Desiree that they were being led by the elder of the village. It didn't take long to reach his villa.
"Elder, where is your blacksmith?" Desiree asked.
He pointed at a small building that had some patches of black rock along the side.
"He is in the basement of that building there. The stairs are inside, shouldn't be hard to find." He answered.
"Fantastic, thank you! Victoria, I'll catch up to you. Shouldn't take more than twenty minutes."
Desiree took the sled into the building. Sure enough, twenty minutes later, she walked out with two sheets of paper in her hand.
"Here you go, that's nine-thousand Zeni in blacksmith credit. Not bad for an easy quest split."
"Nice, and here you go." Victoria handed Desiree a small coin purse.
"The elder insisted I take the reward. I did this quest for free, but you didn't have a choice in accepting or not. So the reward is yours… three-thousand zeni"
Desiree smiled, and took the bag.
"Thanks Victoria. I know exactly what to do with this."
"Alright then, so the elder is lending us his guest house. We can stay there all week. I for one can sleep all week, ha ha" Victoria shamelessly announced.
Desiree smiled at the lazy thought.
"I'd like to take a nice hot bath right now. I've been using frigid river water back at that island. And I was there for a couple days too. Know any good spots?"
"Yeah, there is actually a heated bath here in the guest house. I'll go outside and get the fire going."
"Thanks, I appreciate it!"
A few hours had passed and the girls were settled in for the evening. The feast that was promised was actually a small meal but… Kelbi chuck and the freshest vegetables prepared and seasoned, it wasn't bad at all. Everything was delicious and the elder listened again to the events on the island. A mini barrel of the village's special ale was given to the ladies and they didn't waste anytime or held back. It wasn't long before Victoria's face began to glow. Desiree held her liquor well and decided to call it a night. Victoria slept in the first floor of the guest house, and Desiree slept on the second floor. Desiree wondered what her next move would be and if she was ready to head for the town of Elgantis. She dozed off, mid thought.
LOADING...
A small bird sang on the window sill of the second floor guest room. The sun had risen, and the village produced sounds of labor. Desiree awoke fluttering her eyes until the light was bearable. She climbed out of bed and grabbed the glass of water that was on the small dresser near her bed, then walked towards the window. The bird flew away as she laid the glass on the window sill. She felt the warm gentle sun as she gazed out into the village. Though small in population, the village looked very busy. Houses huddled near the elder's villa. A path travelled through the center of the village into a lower level field in which all the shops had been set up, the grocers were opening up their stands. Just outside the shop area, gatherers were prepping boats to explore the island which the Kut Ku had recently lost claim to. Fishermen walked from the docks towards the shops with heavy nets full of fish slung over their shoulders. The Road then forked into two paths. On the right path, children were running into what appeared to be a small sized school. The left path lead out the village. Desiree took a deep breath, and exhaled with a smile. Picking up the glass of water and pouring some over her hand before splashing her face and wiping with her garments. She drank the rest of the water, then picked up her gear and equipped her weapon and armor. She headed downstairs and found Victoria sitting on a chair, tying her boot straps. Desiree felt bad that Victoria was wearing such basic gear. The urge to take her on a hunt to get her better armor was rising. Victoria looked up at Desiree and smiled.
"Good morning Desi. Breakfast is on the table in the kitchen. Shall we?"
"Sure." Desiree smiled.
Even though it had been a long time since she had a companion, she felt she shouldn't get used to company.
It probably would be best if I didn't get too close to her. I'll have to head out soon.
They walked into the kitchen and had a seat, opposite of each other. There was an older lady who greeted them and directed them to enjoy the meal. Everything looked delicious, though there was just as much as last nights course. Desiree didn't hold back. She grabbed everything within reach of her seat, slowly making a pile of plates in front of her.
"Thanks for the meal!" Desiree said.
She began to scarf down the food like it was going to walk away if she didn't eat fast enough. 5 minutes into her meal, she finally looked up to chat a bit with Victoria, only to find her mouth open, looking at Desiree as though she had seen another Kut Ku . Desiree almost choked on her food trying to hold back a laugh. She chugged a mug of armor seed tea before inhaling again.
"Ha ha, what's the matter Victoria?"
"Well I… I've never seen a lady eat the way you do."
"Ah this? Well, not only does my body require larger amounts of sustenance as I got stronger over the years, as I got closer and closer to death with each hunt, I look at every meal like it could be my last. I can't help but enjoy it at this level."
Victoria looked as though what she said made sense. She looked at her small portion, and decided to attack it as Desiree had done. Except she was still very slow, and she almost choked several times trying to speed up. Desiree couldn't help but smile. It was kind of cute.
"Ha ha, don't worry. You'll get there eventually." Victoria's face was flushed but had the look of determination as she chewed the last of her meal.
They both thanked the lady and headed out into the town. Heading towards the shop area, Victoria kept glancing over at Desiree as they walked along side each other. Desiree noticed the glances through her peripheral, and decided to ask what was on her mind.
"What's the matter, kiddo?"
"Oh! Well I was wondering… where do you plan to go from here?"
"I see. Well to be honest, I kind of enjoy just wandering the world. I was going to head out today to continue my travels."
"...Oh, ...I see."
Victoria had a troubled look on her face.
"Um… Desiree. I… I..." Victoria paused, then suddenly had a look of determination. "I would like to accompany you on your journey! Err... if you don't mind, that is? I feel I could learn a lot from you!"
Desiree stopped and looked her directly in the eyes. She could see the resolve. She felt bad that she had to turn down adventures with such a kind girl. But she knew where she was going, Victoria wouldn't survive.
"I appreciate your offer, Victoria. But the road ahead of me is very dangerous. And I hate to say it but, you are a beginner at all this. You still have to go through much more training."
"But I…" Victoria halfheartedly replied.
Victoria bit her lip and looked away. She squeezed her eye lids tight for a moment... took a deep breath and sighed... then with a look of sadness turned back to Desire.
"You're right. I would probably just slow you down." She looked so bummed.
Desiree feeling bad, decided to make a suggestion. "If you don't have a destination, why don't you head to Yaboon Village? It's a great port for beginners to train and rank up through the guild hall. I have to head in that direction, so we can travel together a bit longer."
"I... yeah, I can do that." Victoria looked up at her and smiled.
That's the spirit, kid. Desiree thought.
"Alright, let's get us a ride on the next boat heading to Yaboon."
Victoria nodded, and led the way to the docks.
They came across the old fisherman at the docks, and asked about ships heading in the direction of Yaboon. He pointed at a large beautiful boat with sailors loading cargo onto it. It had the colors of the guild hall on its sails. The upper deck stretched half the size of the boat and was packed with a dragonator, and still there was room enough around it for people to lounge about. The lower deck and back half of the boat held the mast and had plenty of canons and ballistae. The old man gave them a voucher for the ride, he also gave Victoria a small greenish stone.
"This is malachite ore. I know it's pretty useful for strengthening weapons, so please accept it! I hope you become a great hunter, Ms. Victoria"
The old man smiled. She observed the ore a while before putting it away.
She gave the old man a hug and said fair well. They walked over to the dock and handed their voucher to a sailor standing near the plank of the ship, and he waved them along. They were greeted by the captain, a burly man with a barrel chest. He wore a classic brown leather hat, akin to pirate hats with skull n bones on them. According to the old fisherman, he earned the nickname Rowdy Roscoe. Roscoe showed them where they could place their belongings and relax during the trip.
"We'll be heading te two small villages before we get te Yaboon Village. It'll take about a week te get there, sea God's willing." The captain said, wiping his brow of sweat.
"Thank you, Captain." Victoria said.
The girls walked to the upper deck where they wouldn't be in the way of the loading crew. Victoria leaned against the rails and took a deep breath.
"Hmm, this is starting to feel pretty exciting!" Victoria said, appearing to recover from the rejection.
Desiree smiled, not minding at all that it was going to be a long ride.