Chapter 26: Ambrosia

Iris stood at the stern of the marvelous Jasantyl, his own royal vessel as he looked at over the horizon, toward the falling sun. The ship, named after his long deceased mother, had only sailed the ocean twice. Once on a voyage to Moun in order for Haden to venture forward to the great Tristan, and another around the cape and southward to Granseal. Since those last voyages, at least 15 years had past.

None of them had ever left the lush soil of Grans for any other land, and their uprooting had everyone anxious. Even Sye was somewhat disoriented.

"Can we not get there any faster? How long will this take?" he asked.

He, Orin, and Vahn stood on deck, looking out over the side into the ocean, with Iris at the bow, and the rest of them below deck. Vahn continued to look out over the sea, beaming at the slow moving waves. As the son of a historian, the heir to Hawel's and his fathers research, he knew much about Grans Island and it's history, but outside of that, he knew very little of the world. It was like opening a door to a new planet in his eyes.

"We only left port four days ago." Orin said, as he looked at Sye over his shoulder. "You can't expect we'd be there already. It will be at least another day or two."

Sye said nothing. He turned and walked to the open door that led below deck, and descended the stairs. Orin looked to Iris now, who stood motionless at the stern, his eyes soft as he tried to watch the ocean yet avoid the setting sun. Orin walked in his direction. He seemed distant since they'd left, and Orin was unsure of whether it was that he hardly knew Orin or his companions, or if he was still shaken by the happenings in Nazca days before.

"So…" Orin started as he came to Iris' side. "…who taught you swordplay?"

"Are you poking fun…?" Iris said, his expression now hardening.

"No, no." Orin said. "It's an honest question."

Iris' eyes softened again, and he turned his gaze back to the water.

"My father and the Nazcan General." said Iris.

"And who is that?" Orin asked with some hesitation.

"I'm going to see him in Moun, actually…that's the real reason I'm going with you." said Iris. "He might be able to teach me better…I know I've failed him and my kingdom with that pitiful fight I put up…"

"That's a foolish thing to say about yourself…" Sye had appeared behind them, almost out of the air itself.

"…he's right." said Orin.

"Don't toy with me. That horrid attempt to defend myself…" Iris said, grinning somewhat. "And those soldiers…who died right in front of me. Defending me…"

"They value your life more than their own. It shows how your people feel about you…" Orin said.

Iris did not reply.

"…but you never answered me." Orin said, as Iris looked at him. "The Nazcan General?"

"Rick." said Iris. "He trained me to use a blade from what he'd seen on his travels."

The name struck a certain cord in Orin. He wasn't sure why, but the name was familiar. He just couldn't put a face to the name…

"I see." said Orin. "What is he doing in Moun?"

"Trade disputes. Moun is our ally, and a close one at that. Without their supplies, Nazca's economy would plummet." Iris explained. "Apparently, Moun just stopped sending supplies one week before you arrived. Rick left to find out why a few days afterward."

"You simply lost contact with them?" Orin asked.

"Hm…"

Orin looked back out into the sea, his mind wandering. One week before? It seemed Moun suddenly cut ties with its ally at the same time Bowie disappeared. Orin doubted it was coincidence. It was as if everything on Grans was falling apart, with one similar evil behind it. Though Niro was gone, Orin couldn't help but think Grans would be different when he returned.

-----

A cold wind swept over North Parmecia, Mitula stood firmly outside her ancient shrine as the walls crumbled. The continent was not at peace. The beautiful blue sky that once was had become a cloud covered purple and red. Her eyes crept from one pillar to the next in front of her, the rubble of her shrine beginning to effect her subconscious. She was only glad she was able to save the Realm of the Storytellers and the most of the center portion of the shrine from destruction, but the rest lay crumbled and ablaze.

In front of her, at the entrance to her once beautiful valley of hope, stood what seemed to be the essence of darkness. A creature that shown a silhouette of a man, and yet, his figure itself was almost amassed in black flames.

"And so…" Mitula started with her eyes closed. "It comes to this, that a creature should rise again to kill the gods…"

The figure stood silent.

"…and though banished twice, his servants will succeed in their goal." she finished. "Why is it that I could not see this before? I know the fate of humanity, of this planet, and yet, I could not see the future of Volcanon nor myself before it was upon us."

"Not everything is up to you." said a voice that seemed to echo through the sky, yet had no body. "You've proved my point by suggesting the minions of Zeon would be the one to kill a goddess."

Her eyes widened.

"Zeon will kill Volcanon…" said the voice. "…but his enemies will kill Mitula, or so it is said."

"Who are you…" she asked.

"Surely you can see that…" said the voice evilly. "Surely you can see who we serve."

"I cannot…" she lowered her head.

"I will say no more. You are merely mortal before this might, and my words will be wasted if I were to explain…" the voice hissed. "…Kayd…"

The figure started forward, slowly, almost floating toward Mitula. She shuttered as it made its way toward her, not knowing whether it was man or beast because of its faceless guise.

"I'm immortal, can you not see? How…how can it be that we are slain?" Mitula called into the blackening sky.

The figure was suddenly in front of her, as if it's sluggish movements had turned to something faster than light. It raised its arms to attack, its flaming black claws almost a separate being.

As sudden as it had appeared, though, the creature blurred backward, a bolt from Mitula herself having thrown it back into one of the nearby cliffs. It lay motionless, embedded in the rock face as Mitula's eyes glowed yellow and a barrier formed around her body.

"I cannot die!" she roared as she lifted her arms.

The reddened sky became gray instead, and a heavy rain began to flow down from the clouds. As she watched the seemingly unfazed creature regroup itself and come down from the cliff, she felt her power coursing, beginning to pulse. The figure floated forward across the water, which was now being hit with a barrage of raindrops, making its way ever determined toward the goddess.

"Damnit!" she roared, as she brought her left hand behind her, her figure now arched with her right hand turned in Kayd's direction.

Her entire body was forced backward as a large yellow ball gathered within her palm, and began to grow slowly.

"You should not resist." came the voice.

At her side, from nowhere, another figure appeared. A man cloaked from head to toe in robes black as night, a blade in his hand. The sword glowed with an eerie dark purple and black, it seemed to almost groan. Before Mitula knew what was happening, her ball of energy shrunk slowly, and then disappeared, her barrier gone with it, and her eyes turned back to normal.

The black sword within the cloaked man's hand now protruded from Mitula's chest, the blade having torn through her back and emerged from the other side.

"You…how…is this…possible…?" she asked, her eyes fading.

"We of the soulless…" started the man. "Are left rotting in the abyss that is Arc Valley, but no more."

Mitula fell back onto the blade, now onto the wielder's arm. He supported her as he spoke.

"We are free again, but I have respect for someone so powerful." whispered the man. "So you will leave this world with no further pain."

He pulled the blade from her back and let her fall to the ground. She gasped for air, and with last breathes, spoke.

"Who…are…you…" she managed to say.

He drew the blade back over his head silently, and just before he brought it in to finish her, he muttered…

"Verd."

-----

Orin stood below deck, a goblet in his hand. He sipped the water from it carefully as the ship rocked atop the waves. A crack echoed in the night, rattling the ship, like the sound of distant thunder. Orin made his way above deck as a second thunderclap rang out, feeling something ill in his stomach. As he looked into the sky, which had suddenly become as dark as that of the night, he could feel his heart jump into his throat.

"What…is this…?" he said to no one in particular.

Sye, Keith, and Duran stood nearest him, Iris and Trevor nearby.

"Something horrid has happened…" Sye said, his eyes set on nothing in particular. "I can smell it in the air. A strong stench of…of…"

He looked toward the front of the ship, in the distance, on the horizon, stood the cape of North Parmecia. Above it, stood red clouds, moving and spreading over the area slowly.

"What in the hell…?" Keith's eyes widened.

"…I can't place it…but…" Sye said, seemingly disoriented.

His eyes narrowed.

The earth began to quake, now, the waves began to toss the ship as another crack echoed through the night sky.

The rest of the group had now made their way out into the open, and at the sight of the sky and the distant clouds, they all looked astonished in the direction of the cape. No one had anything to say. It was like the end of the world had fallen upon them, and they were watching it begin from afar.

Orin suddenly remembered what had happened days before. The eclipse that had darkened the sky. Now, though, when it should be twilight, the sky was completely dark; black; starless.

"It's those spirits!" Orin said as he made his way to the bow. "They're here. They're already in Parmecia."

A bolt of lightning seemed to erupt from nowhere, slamming into the rear of the ship, and dunking the stern. Ikara and Duran fell out into the rushing waves.

"Orin!" Tess screamed as the stern emerged from the sea, most of it having been completely destroyed.

The water filled everything below deck within a few moments, tipping the ship backward as rain suddenly began to shoot down from the sky. The bow now slanted toward the darkened sky as Orin and the others tried to compose themselves, even though many of then were now on their backs because of the sudden tossing of the boat and its angle in the water. The ship slowly dipped deeper into the ocean as it began to sink…

Sye stood, seeing as he had also stumbled at the force of the tossing ship, and gained his standing on deck. Ikara screamed as she was dunked by the many oncoming waves of this sudden storm. Orin grabbed onto a steel handle attached the mast closest him to keep his balance as the boat was dragged down. He could see Ikara thrashing about, trying her best to keep her head above water. Duran, on the other hand, he could not see. Orin couldn't hesitate now, he could give no directions, no orders to the others. For all he knew Duran was dead, and Ikara was dieing, he could not waste time.

He dove forward toward the side of the ship, his hand outstretched for Ikara's. She was well out of reach. Sye fell at his side, his arms a bit longer, and he reached out.

"I can't…" he said, standing bolt upright after a moment.

Orin stood and dived in. With no other way of getting to her, it was his only chance. As he hit the cold water, he realized it may be simply a way of biding their time to save her. The ship would eventually sink and they'd all be tossed into the rapids anyway.

He could hardly see under the water and the force of the waves wasn't helping his stroke either. He tried his best to reach into the mass of bubbles in which he hoped Ikara was still struggling to stay above water. His hand touched a wet, cold cloth, and he knew he was on target. He pushed himself forward, grabbed Ikara by the waist, and pushed himself up into the open night air.

A large wave smashed him hard in the face as he, too, now struggled to keep himself from drowning. Ikara, who had rapped herself around him out of fear was making that twice as hard. He pushed forward with nothing but his legs, but to no avail. The slowly sinking ship was growing out of reach, and the salt in his eyes made his sense of direction quite weak.

"Ikara…" Orin sputtered as a wave caught him and dragged him down a bit.

She coughed up water as the wave passed over her as well.

"Hang onto my shoulders. We'll never get back…this way." he said as he tried his best to wrench her away from him but not lose his grip.

She simply obeyed, pulling herself around to his back and rapping her arms around his neck rather firmly. It hardly helped though. The sinking ship seemed to grow farther and farther as Orin and Ikara were repeatedly pummeled by the ocean's fury. Orin could feel Ikara's grip loosening as they were hit hard by a wave, and were sent tumbling underwater. As they both came to the surface gasping for air, Orin suddenly felt Ikara being torn from his back.

"You're so stupid!" screeched Jo as she grabbed Ikara under her arms and lifted her into the air. "Orin! Diving in the water like an idiot! Now I have to save you, too!"

Jo darted back toward the ship, Ikara hanging motionless in her arms, and within less than a few seconds, as Orin came back to the surface after being hit by another wave, Jo lifted him from the furious water as well.

Ikara lay still, her hair and clothes soaked, her eyes somewhat glossy in shock of the near death experience she had just suffered through. She was panting heavily, but lay back in the exact position Jo left her in. Orin sat on deck, sitting up and trying his best to keep himself in place since the backend of the ship was tilted into the ocean, panting just as heavily as Ikara. Before Orin could say anything to Jo, she took off out over the water again.

"…Duran." Orin mouthed as he looked out into the water, which was still crashing into the ship relentlessly.

"We'll never make it to Moun." Sye said, as he knelt next to Orin.

"What?" Orin said, not taking his eyes from the water.

"Something is deathly wrong in North Parmecia. The waves won't stop, the ship won't last. We won't make it to Moun." Sye's expression tightened, and Orin looked at him.

For the first time he could see Sye was showing some sort of human emotion. Was it fear? No, Sye was beyond fear. It must have been…for once, the ranger felt helpless here in the middle of the ocean amongst the waves. He couldn't control his fate here, he couldn't ensure his survival, his life would be kept or taken depending on what the ocean willed, and a place of helplessness is not the ideal environment for someone with the underlying instincts of a wolf.

"We'll be lucky to reach land at all…" said Vahn.

"So this is as far as we go…after everything we've gone through. This is as far as we go…" Ikara had sat up, and she had her face in her hands.

Orin looked at the slowly sinking stern, the hope slowly fading with it.

"There has to be some way out of this." said Trevor. "I'm not dieing like this. It's pitiful."

Simon nodded heartily.

"So what do you propose?" asked Vahn.

Trevor looked to the ground. He knew just as much as the rest of them they could only pray the waters would somehow be merciful.

Jo reappeared on the deck. She was soaked now as well…but Duran was still nowhere in sight.

"He must have gone under…" She said with a pained expression. "I couldn't find any sign of him…"

Keith and Ikara both looked at each other, there expressions neutral until Ikara's eyes began to tear. Orin said nothing.

"We have to worry about ourselves now…" Iris said, sounding as caring as possible. "If we all die…"

"We won't die." Tess hissed. "There's too much we have to do."

"Who says what we've accomplished already isn't enough?" said Sye.

"You son-of-a…" Keith's fists were clenched. "My best friend just drown…as far as I know we were all he had. Just because you've got nothing left to live for doesn't mean we're willing to just lye down and…"

"Stop it." Orin stood and looked out into the raging waters.

The cape was now a great distance to the northeast. The tide was pushing them south, and about a quarter of the ship had made its way into the ocean. The boat would most likely be under water in a little more than an hour or two.

"Arguing won't help us. We…just have to wait it out." said Orin.

No one said anything, and though he didn't realize at first, the thunder and lighting were gone as well. The sky was still dark and the rain was still drenching them, the sky to the north still coursing with an ominous reddish glow.

-----

The ship had drifted due south with the push of the ocean's current. The tides had found there way to the southern reaches of Parmecia, and yet, after many hours, still more than half of the ship remained above the water's surface. By what Orin thought to be some kind of miracle, they'd been spared by nature and willed to go forward, even if their destination had been flipped around within a matter of minutes in the past night. As the shoreline became visible, and the boat crept closer and closer to land as the sun rose the following morning, there was not a settling aura in the air around them. As hard as it had been getting over from Granseal to Nazca, there was so much left to do. Grans Island was nothing in comparison to this behemoth continent. The only thing now as heavy on Orin's heart as the disappearance of his father was the loss of his friend. If he even turned up the notion that it may have been something he'd done to cause Duran to fall overboard…it was not something he could live with easily.

A crack of the ship heavy upon the ocean floor brought Orin from dreams to reality. It was just before noon and he had dozed off on deck in the light of the sun. Now, though, the ship was on shore…where, he wouldn't know until he had gotten off onto dry land. He sat up and looked around. The water was splashing up on the lower half of the ship, the half in the water, and the rest had landed on the shore in shallow water. There were a few meters of shallow ocean in front of the ship, about 40 yards of sand and seaweed, and then the dry grasslands. The plains were a thing of glory after roughly a week on the sea. Trevor stood at the front of the ship, and turned to Orin when he had realized he was awake.

"Hm." said Trevor, as he walked toward Orin.

Trevor looked strangely older in the light of the sun. He was at least 20, Orin now noticed, and he had a ragged look about his face after so many days away from civilization. His facial hair was slowly coming in, and it made him look quite handsome, rather than unclean.

"Seems land has pulled us in in these past hours. That was somehow shorter than I'd expected…" said Trevor, his hands on his hips.

"The current must have gotten stronger…maybe the storm caused it." said Orin, somewhat distant as he peered out toward the horizon.

Tess, who had both been leaning against the mast opened her eyes and looked at Orin wearily, her face a mix of somberness and sleepiness. She looked like she'd cry at any given moment.

Sye, who was sitting and leaning rather awkwardly against the other side of the mast kept his eyes closed, but it was apparent he was also awake.

"What will we do…?" said Tess wearily.

"Find the nearest town. I'm not exactly sure were we are, but…" Orin looked over at Ikara, who had fallen asleep next to Keith, both of them leaning against a large crate that stayed in place despite the slant of the ship.

"And what lead do we follow from there?" said Sye. "Do you really know where we go even if we find the next town?"

"I don't know yet." Orin replied.

"You don't know…?" Sye's eyes opened, and he put both his hands and he knees as he leaned back harder against the mast. "So what hope do we have, then?"

"Just as much as we did when I left Granseal." Orin said.

Orin could have sworn he heard Sye give a faint 'ha', but he was too busy thinking on other things.

"I don't care much really…" Tess said suddenly. "…were we go next. Just as long as I don't have to wade around on this damn hunk of wood for another second."

Tess moved the bow and jumped into the shallows without hesitation. Trevor watched her go.

"Very strange, that 'un." He said, seemingly amused. "But that's normal for a women."

"Women are not as different from us as…" Sye started.

"Oh, don't start on that, Riddles. You've got way too much opinion." said Trevor, who smiled widely.

Sye's eyes opened slightly, and then closed again, but he didn't continue what he was saying.

Trevor, turned and walked back to the bow, seeming pleased with himself. Orin then noticed Vahn and Jo were not in sight, nor was Simon. Before he turned to ask Trevor, his question was answered.

"You're two friends went ahead to find the next city. The priest and the devil…" Trevor said. "Simon did the same. He's a bit of a perfectionist…thinks he can do things better if he doesn't know who he's along with. Took me a long time to figure out what makes him tick."

"How'd you meet him? He seems very distant even with you." said Orin.

"Yeah. I met him back when I was still a boy. Trained in Nazca, I was. He came along one day with a cargo ship from Moun as a stowaway. Almost got away with it too." Trevor explained with a good amount of enthusiasm. "Stumbled off the ship and was taken to prison right off. They couldn't keep him there long, though. He was just a kid, ya know?"

"Hm." Orin said, quite interested at this point.

He could tell that along with his skills with a blade, Trevor knew just how to tell a story.

"So, I kinda snuck into the area he was being kept and tried to talk with him. He really didn't want to give me too much information, so I left him alone." Trevor continued. "They planned to carry him back the next day to Moun…but I found him to be interesting. When I talked he listened…whether he cared for what I said or not, I don' really know. So, next morning I…I shot the guard taking him onboard in the leg with a pellet from my sling. He howled like a baby and Simon got away…and when he rode by me, he kinda just scooped me up."

Trevor turned and gave Orin a smile.

"He's a really mysterious guy. Ten years its been since that day and I still don't even know where he's from, originally. Makes him fun to be around." Trevor explained. "And he doesn't go on and on mumblin' like Riddles over there."

Orin smiled a bit as Sye opened his eyes again.

"Ah, don't get all sore at me, Synorok. I'm only playin' at you because I know what kind of guy you are." said Trevor.

"It baffles me how you come to think that makes any sense whatsoever…" Sye said sternly.

Trevor just laughed and turned back to Orin.

"What do ya say? Hungry?" Trevor said.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Orin replied.

In the last day, they'd run completely out of food even with the provisions Haden had provided them before they departed.

"Thought as much. Come on." said Trevor, as he turned and jumped overboard.

Orin stood, and turned back to Sye.

"If I find anything you'd like I'll bring it back for you." Orin said.

"Worry about yourself and your friends. I'll find plenty tonight." said Sye.

He promptly drew his blade and pricked his finger.

Orin understood, turned to the edge of the boat, and jumped down into the shallows.

-----

"He could still be alive, you know." said Vahn, as he walked along.

He and Jo had made their way south across the plains. In the area they were now in, the ocean was visible in the north and west, to the east, the sky was jagged with mountain ranges, most taller than any they'd seen on Grans. In the south, there were also mountains, that sank into ocean as they came into the west.

"Hm." Jo walked beside him, seemingly indifferent to the conversation.

"I mean…if he washed up near Moun someone may have found him before…he…" Vahn looked to the ground as they walked.

"Just keep a look out for people, okay?" Jo had noticed the amount of sadness in Vahn's voice and knew it would be best if he thought about something else.

"Yeah, okay." Vahn picked his head up and kept his eyes on the horizon.

"So, you know about me, right? What about you…?" she asked.

Interest in his past actually made Vahn surprised, especially since it was Jo who was sounding curious.

"Well…I was born on Grans near Yeel…" he started. "My father and mother were both warriors of the Shining Force. They're gone now, though."

"Oh…" Jo looked to the ground now.

She got the feeling she had only made Vahn feel worse, from going from thinking of the possibility of his friend having drown, to his parents who could be in just as bad a shape.

"No…well, they're not dead, as far as I know. I guess you could say Orin and I are in the same situation. I left my mother alone at our home, but…I'm not sure she's still safe."

"…and that's all of your family…?" Jo asked.

"No, my sister…Kasha is staying in Granseal, now. There's no place safer on Grans." said Vahn.

"And does she do as well as you in magic…?" Jo asked, trying to keep the conversation light.

"Well, my father did try teaching her, but…she's too young to understand, and she might hurt herself." Vahn explained.

"You did so much before you met me, it seems." said Jo. "I'm just tagging along, I guess."

"I never really understood why you chose to come with us…"

"Sye asked me…"

"I can't believe that." Vahn said earnestly. "Something else made you come with us."

She said nothing. She didn't like it that someone was able to read her that well.

"I'm not really sure, myself. Maybe I just wanted to be around people." she grinned a bit, her eyes to the ground.

-----

"I thought you were a swordsman…" Orin said as he watched Trevor pull back the bowstring and let an arrow fly.

The arrow widely missed the coconut Trevor was aiming for.

"I prefer a blade, but it's not hard to shoot an arrow." said Trevor, as he gave Orin one of his wide smiles. "Being accurate is the hard part."

Trevor fired another arrow and missed again.

"You're doing it all wrong." Keith had appeared from behind them, Ikara at his side.

Her face gave the impression she was worn out, and she didn't look at any of them.

"You can't just generalize when you aim." Keith pulled his own bow from his shoulder and aimed at the tree, his arm unfaltering.

His arrow shot, his arm remained still, and the arrow struck the coconut and brought it to the ground.

"Now if we just need someone to break it open. If…if only we had an ax…" Keith glance at Ikara for a moment, and back to Trevor, whose expression had become stern.

Orin was looking out toward the water.

"I'm sure this will do." said Trevor as he reluctantly unsheathed his blade and made his way over to the tree.

Keith, on the other hand, took aim at another coconut, and brought that one to the ground, his arm still unfaltering.

-----

"…it's true your swordsmanship is still fairly poor," Sye said, his eyes closed, his back still against the mast, "but I'm sure you could improve."

Iris said nothing.

"It's not a necessary skill for a prince anyway." Sye added.

"I know. I…I wanted to learn how to fight when I was young. I'm not entirely sure why. When I was a child, according to my parents…I was a different person." Iris explained.

"We all grow into ourselves…" Sye replied.

"No…that's not what I mean. A different person." It was obvious Iris was unable to explain what he meant easily.

Sye stared blankly in his direction now, oddly, his eyes fixated right on Iris' face. Deep silver eyes…

"Like you were, maybe, before you went blind." said Iris. "I'm sure you were different then."

Sye grinned, a surprising expression, indeed.

"Well you couldn't possibly have been like that…when you were so young." Sye's grin faded slowly back into his indifferent expression.

"I was reckless as a child. Disobedient, and not the way a child is normally a handful. I…I once held a blade to my father's throat as he slept. If he hadn't felt my breath on his face at the last minute…" Iris was suddenly afraid he'd said to much, and wasn't sure why he'd even brought it up.

"Really…" said Sye, quite interested, though he refused to show it. "When did it happen that you suddenly became who you are now?"

"I'm not sure. My earliest memories are of my first day of training with my father. Everything else…I've taken the word of my parents for all that." Iris said.

"Strange…" Sye began, but was interrupted by the sound of something against the side of the ship.

Suddenly, Trevor emerged from over the side, a makeshift net in his hand, within it, were several coconuts. Orin and Keith came up behind.

"Brought back a snack, at least." said Trevor cheerfully, holding up the coconuts. "Thanks to Hawkeye here."

Trevor patted Keith hard on the shoulder.

Sye didn't look at them, seemingly uninterested. Iris, on the other hand, moved forward toward them. He stopped suddenly, though, realizing the weight he was carrying.

"Gah, I don't know why I torture myself…" said Iris, as he detached his mantle and the heavy steel plated shoulder braces attached to it, and threw them on deck, a heavy clunk echoing as they hit. He proceeded in removing his gauntlets as Trevor sat atop the crate Ikara and Keith had been resting on earlier. Ikara had also come up over the side of the ship, with some effort, but Keith helped her up some of the way.

"We…kinda ate some before we came back, so the rest is just for you and for when the others come back." Trevor explained.

"We should probably get off this ship…by tonight the ocean will have taken it back out to sea." said Orin. "We'll set up camp somewhere along the shore."

"Good idea." said Keith.

"We'll wait until everyone returns, though." Orin added.

Trevor took out one of the coconuts, placed it on the crate, and drew his sword. He proceeded to crack the well protected fruit open, and a bit of the milk splattered on the deck.

"You drink the milk, I take it…?" Trevor asked.

"I'll drink anything at this point. Never tried coconut anyway." said Iris with a weak smile.

"You've been missing out." Keith said.

Trevor handed Iris one half of the coconut, which was filled with a translucent white liquid. Iris drank down most of it with a single gulp, and then bit into the inner flesh of the fruit, seemingly enjoying it thoroughly.

"Good, eh?" Keith asked with a small grin.

"Mm." Iris said as he swallowed a large chunk of coconut. "Like fruit of the gods."