Valor leaned on the ship's railing, his fingers clutching tightly to the handrail as he inhaled a deep breath of salty air. An instant later he was hit by the ocean spray, and he winced, squeezing his eyes shut in defense against the cold. A grin broke out over his face, and he gripped the railing tighter as a laugh bubbled up from his throat. He had never been at sea before, only read about it. It was exhilarating.

They had been able to find a boat without much difficulty, as one had been scheduled to leave that very day to deliver a shipment of goods to the city directly across the ocean. Valor had tried to barter passage for the four of them, but the ship's crew, about 20 men for the small vessel, had been leery of the enderman and shadow creature that made up half of their group. Just when Valor was growing desperate, Wraith had swept in to sweeten the deal with some of his own coin. He had called it 'an investment towards further riches'. Whatever his reasoning may be, his help had secured them passage aboard the ship, and they had left at about midday the previous day.

Null and Wraith had traveled by sea before, and Valor had gotten used to the rolling of the deck fairly quickly, despite his broken leg. In fact, he was finding it almost easier to get around, due to the environment having a good number of natural handholds for him to balance himself on. The captain of the cargo ship had told him that they were making good time, and should arrive at port in two or three days. Being unable to do anything to get to his destination faster made him anxious, but at the same time it was… freeing. He could use this time to rest and prepare for whatever may lie ahead.

Qorin, on the other hand, was miserable.

The enderman had been on edge since the moment he had first stepped onto this boat. He spent most of the time in the cargo hold, roaming anxiously back and forth or curled up between stacks of tied-down crates. Every so often he would come up on deck for some fresh air, but would quickly retreat again to avoid being burned by the sea spray. Valor was sure he was counting the minutes until they arrived.

As his thoughts drifted to the enderman, Valor turned away from the horizon, making his way along the railing towards the hatch that led down to the hold. Perhaps some company would make him feel better.

The hold was dimly lit, a single oil lantern hanging over the narrow staircase that led down into the cramped space. Regardless of this, Valor had no trouble sighting Qorin among the crates. Not only did he give off a soft glow, but he made a constant… whirring, almost keening noise that hadn't gone away since the ship had left the shore.

" Qorin?" Valor called softly as he approached, limping heavily on the hollow-sounding bottom of the ship. The enderman lifted his head, misery evident on his face. "How are you holding up?"

" I'm alright." Qorin said, but the whine from deep in his chest betrayed him. "How long until we arrive?"

" The captain says two or three days." Valor sank down next to him, placing a hand on Qorin's knee in what he hoped was a comforting manner. "Have you slept?" Qorin shook his head.

"I feel unwell."

" Right." Valor felt bad. Of course, there was no other way across the ocean, and Qorin was courageous and determined to complete his mission. But Valor still hated to put him in such an uncomfortable position. He sighed, leaning back against the crates as Qorin lowered his head again. Perhaps he would find relief if Valor could find a distraction.

Valor's brown eyes scanned the dim hold, searching for something that could hold the enderman's attention, before his gaze finally landed on the bluish-green stone built into the wooden walls.

" Hey," he nudged Qorin, pointing to the band that ran around the hold. "Do you know what that is?" Qorin blinked at him, then the stone.

" Rock?"

" Not exactly. It's called-" Valor paused, realizing he didn't know the word for it in the enderman tongue, and switched back to common. "Prismarine. It's not stone, not in the traditional sense." Qorin lifted his head a bit further. "It's light, and watertight." Valor went on. "It meshes well with wood. That's why it's built into the ship's walls. But it isn't mined out of the ground, it's made by a species of sea creature."

"Sea creature?"

"Huge fish." Valor lifted his hands, spreading them apart to illustrate. "As large as a full grown man, with a single eye and covered in jagged spikes. The elders are four times as big. They're called guardians."

Qorin blinked, looking slightly uneasy. "I would not like to encounter such beings." Valor chuckled.

"They're not hostile, not unless you get near their nests." He assured him. "And I'm certain this ship won't get close to those. Even so, they're not particularly dangerous unless you're in the water with them, which is something we won't have to worry about." Qorin nodded slightly.

"And, they… make the rocks?"

"Right." Valor nodded enthusiastically. "They build their nests out of it. It's the main reason people are killed by them, actually- unsafe harvesting practices. They go to harvest prismarine, and the guardians think they threaten their young, so they attack."

" How can you safely harvest it, then?" Qorin asked. "If they see your presence as an attack?"

"Well- are you familiar with beekeeping practices?" Valor asked. Qorin just stared at him. "In beekeeping, people harvest the honey that bees make by building campfires beneath their hives so the bees get confused by the smoke and won't attack. Interacting with guardians is a similar concept. They actually emulate the toxins that the Elder guardians release, so that the guardians think they're one of them. They're not very intelligent, the guardians, and despite having an eye making up the majority of their face their vision isn't very good.

"They're also friendly when away from a nest." Valor went on. "Young guardians, after leaving the nest, usually travel alone or in groups of up to three until they eventually either settle at an existing nest or start a new one. That's one reason I've been up on deck so much, I was hoping I might see one."

" Wait," Qorin cut in. "If you've never seen one, how do you know all this?" Valor's grin softened, his gaze going to Herobrine's pickaxe where it lay at Qorin's side.

"When I was young, my father brought me books that he'd found to help me learn how to read." He explained. "One was about guardians. I was fascinated with them, and begged him to get me more information on them. He obliged. I feel bad now- guardians were just about the only thing he heard me talk about for the better part of two years. He put up with me, though. One time he even brought me a guardian spine." Qorin smiled a bit, and Valor realized that the nervous trilling had stopped.

"What was so fascinating about them to you?"

"I'm not sure." Valor said honestly. "Perhaps it was just how far removed they were from me. I had never even seen an ocean, or any body of water larger than the river near our home. The thought of an underwater creature as large as a full-grown man that can strike you with a ray of magic from thirty feet away- it was fantastic to me." Qorin hummed.

"I think I would like to see one too, as long as it did not attack me."

"Perhaps after all this nonsense is over, I can find one and show you." Valor suggested. Qorin nodded.

" I still do not like the water."

"I understand." Valor patted his knee. "Though maybe it would be nice to meet one of the creatures helping to keep you dry." Qorin looked at the wall, where the prismarine shifted colors in the dim light, and nodded.

"Maybe."

"How's sea life treating you, Valor?" The voice, called over the roar of the ocean, made Valor frown where he leaned against the railing. He glanced over his shoulder to find Wraith coming up behind him, his hood lowered to reveal hair cropped short as he stopped next to him.

"Well enough." Val replied simply. This man gave him a bad feeling, and he preferred not to interact with him as much as possible.

"Good." Wraith nodded approvingly. "This is your first time at sea, yeah? Most folk are queasy and miserable their first trip, like your tall friend." Val shrugged a bit.

"I suppose I'm steady on my feet. Enough, anyway." He shifted his broken leg. "And Qorin hates the ocean for other reasons."

"Right, right, water burns." Wraith leaned against the railing beside him, gazing out to sea. "On that note, would water not be a good tool if we were to get attacked again?" Valor considered this.

"I suppose," he said slowly. "Though we would need to be careful not to hit Qorin."

"Right, of course." Wraith fell silent, and Valor wondered if he should go. Qorin had finally fallen asleep, so he didn't want to bother him, but he also didn't want to be around this virtual stranger.

"Who are you, Wraith?" He asked at last. "Are you a treasure hunter? What made you decide to approach us?"

"Sort of." Wraith didn't look at him, still gazing calmly out at the horizon. "I'm a mercenary. Or bounty hunter, depending on the day. Whatever puts money in my pocket." So he was motivated by riches. At least he probably wasn't malicious, then. "And you?" He tilted his head to look at Valor. "I know you're looking for your trinket, but what's your day job?"

"Vigilante." Valor glanced over his shoulder to make sure none of the crew were nearby. "After my father died, I took up his mantle and continued his work."

"Wasn't your father a mad killer?" Wraith asked, a note of confusion in his voice. Valor shook his head.

"No. But he allowed people to think he was. It kept him out of the spotlight while he dealt with the people that the law wouldn't." Valor lowered his voice a bit, wondering why this was all coming out. He didn't even trust this man. But it didn't matter, did it? His father was dead… mostly. "The idea was to keep us safe. I suppose that didn't work." Wraith didn't answer for a few moments, studying his face.

"I met him once." He said at last. Right, he'd claimed to have seen his face. "Well, saw him, anyway. Struck down my potential employer with lightning. He certainly looked the part of a madman." Valor side-eyed him.

"Did your potential employer deserve it?"

"Oh, yeah." Wraith nodded. "Turned out he was in other businesses than the one I approached him for."

"Right." Valor turned back to the ocean. Wraith didn't speak for a minute, then finally asked,

"How old are you, Valor?"

"I'm twenty." Give or take.

"Mm." Wraith nodded. "How long has it been since he died?"

"About a year."

"Ah…" Wraith fell silent, and, anticipating sympathetic remarks, Valor decided to take his leave.

"I'm going below deck." He turned away, limping along the railing and leaving the mercenary behind.

valor your autism is showing

~FFF