"Well, I never…"
Captain Alde, alongside all of the crew, stared out at the new island beyond the crack that their ship was anchored in. They had never expected this. For surely Caldisla was the only land mass that existed? Surely, surely they weren't ignorant of other islands?
Clearly they were. And what an island it appeared to be! Full of lush greenery and unique animal life… they had only to obtain a decent sample and return home, and the king could launch a proper investigative force.
So it was that Til led them onto the island. They marveled at the scenery, but there was soon more to be found than that. For they found a track. People lived there, somewhere.
As they pondered what to do, Egil turned to his friend and asked, "What do you think?"
"...I want to find out what sort of people live here." Til replied slowly. "I know we're only supposed to return with a sample, but if we had more information on these folks it might help us with our defenses… Besides, it won't hurt to take a few extra days and explore, right?"
"I don't know." Egil replied skeptically, "This place seems a little strange to me."
"Hm." Til chuckled. "I suppose it would be too much for you, then?"
"What do you mean?" Egil asked, his complexion reddening. "'course not. I can handle anything. I'm just thinking, you know, practically."
"I think a scrap of clothing or of a flag would be better evidence than an unknown plant, don't you?" Til asked him, "Wouldn't the king be more likely to allow future exhibitions that way?"
"Y-yeah, I guess…" Egil muttered, "But let's not get carried away, ok bud? We head back at the first sign of trouble."
"A fine compromise." Til said, grinning widely. "Ok, Captain, we're going to take a small group with us to explore. Whoever wants to stretch their legs a little can come, but make sure you have enough folks here with you to defend our ship and care for it."
"Yessir." Alde replied, "We will refill our stores and prepare for the voyage back as well."
After the party had been appropriately divided, with Tess resolving to remain with the ship, Til and Egil set off in one of the directions that the path led. Oddly, though, the path seemed to dead end only a little ways ahead at a small plateau on the side of the mountain where their ship itself was hidden. The plateau was rounded, but overgrown, and did not appear to have any particular use. There were some irregular stones lying in pieces on the ground, but none that showed signs of writing or inscription.
"It could have been a primitive place of prayer of some sort." Til said to himself, "Or perhaps a meeting place. These stones were brought here, and are not native. But there is no sign of recent life. It had been abandoned for a while. What do you think, Egil?"
Egil, who had been laying down comfortably on the gentle green slope, sat upright very suddenly. "Huh? Oh uh, yeah totally, praying native place. ANYways, hows about we take a walk the other way? Doesn't look like we'll find what you're looking for here."
Til hesitated, "I… suppose. You're right. Mission first."
So, they headed in the opposite direction. The path led them away from the mountain now, and they saw that in many places it was overgrown to the point that it seemed to be abandoned. Yet it was not. There was evidence of some recent activity at least. One soldier commented that it might be used by the local deer, which would explain the path still being in fair condition in spots. Til did not appear to like this explanation.
"I'm sure there's something at the other end of this path, even if it's mostly abandoned." He said.
After they had been walking for several hours, the path abruptly faded into nothingness. They searched hard to find the trail again, but it simply seemed to end there, in the middle of the forest. Try as they might they could find no trace of other paths leading in any direction but back the way they had come.
"Well, we'll just have to keep going in the direction the path was taking us." Til said as last. "I'm sure we'll pick up the trail soon enough."
"Prophet, sir." A soldier saluted, "With utmost respect I would point out that this island appears to be very wide and largely uninhabited. With our current supplies we will not be able to explore far-"
"We won't go very far." Til said, interrupting him. "This path wasn't built for nothing."
"That's another point, sir." The soldier said, choosing his words carefully. "We have, now, a clear pathway back to our ship. But this jungle is very thick, and if we leave the trail now it might be very hard to find our way back."
Til motioned at the mountain. "We know which peaks our shop is between. We will find our way back just fine. Come on, Egil."
Egil inhaled sharply through his teeth and shrugged. "Alright, whatever you say."
The going was slower now that they didn't have a clear trail to follow, and monsters began to appear with some regularity. They formed a good defense and held their own, but it certainly delayed their progress significantly. Their trek led them down into a valley and across it, but they had trouble seeing far due to the dense overhanging branches. One limber sailor would climb the trees every now and then to be sure their course was correct. But one time she came back down with bad news.
"I can no longer see the peaks behind us." She said, "We have gone too low and the hills block my view."
Til thought for a moment. "It'll be alright. We know what direction to go, after all."
A few soldiers exchanged worried glances, wondering now at the dangers that an unknown island might bring. They had never been lost before. What if they couldn't find their way back?
"Heh, y-yeah." Egil said, seeing that the party's morale was lowering. "It'll be a cinch. Hey, let's look out for a good camping spot huh?"
"Camp?" Til repeated. "Oh, I suppose it is getting late. We can get a little farther today, though."
Egil said nothing, and they resumed their march. It wasn't until the sun had nearly set that he had managed to convince his friend to stop for the night. Even so, Til didn't engage much, and Egil himself ended up taking a good deal of charge over the matter.
The soldiers and sailors all strove to enjoy themselves as their meals were prepared. They talked about the island, Caldisla, and how they would certainly earn great honor for this discovery. Likewise, some shared their fears of being lost, and tried to reassure one another that the Prophet knew what he was doing. When the night grew dark they set up a watch and went to bed. But Til stayed up late, pacing, thinking, and remaining completely oblivious to the activity around him.
Egil tried to speak to him before bed, but Til insisted he was fine, and that he was merely making plans. Not quite reassured, he still let the matter go and slept a peaceful first half of the night, afterwards participating in the watch himself.
The following morning was rushed, with Til insisting they get an early start. Again, they spent the day walking, and much of their time was spent fending off enemies. They encountered no sign of human life, and their course began to veer ever so slightly away from the straight line they had been following. The men expressed fear that their supplies would not support them the whole journey back if they went on ahead another day. Some said that the captain would grow worried. Others mentioned that the same amount of time traveling in would be required to travel back.
Til eventually stopped addressing these issues and kept leading them onwards in silence, but almost faster than before. Egil followed hesitantly, growing more and more worried, both about the party's morale, and about Til himself.
When they halted for camp that night, Egil approached his friend once more.
"Hey, uh, so what's going on?" He began.
"Nothing." Til replied. "We've got a long march tomorrow."
"Back to the ship?" Egil asked.
"No, of course not. We haven't found any good evidence yet."
"Well, uh…" Egil scratched his head nervously, "The thing is, it's been more than a day since we left the path, and I'm not sure if you've noticed but the party is worried that we're not going to be able to get back if we keep going."
"We'll be fine."
"Well, how about we head back to the ship and sail around the island?" Egil suggested, "I'm sure it'll be easier to find a sign of life that way."
"As soon as we get back on the ship the crew will sail us home." Til replied quietly. "The mission was to obtain a sample. They are worried about encountering the pirates, and since we're just a scout ship we wouldn't be able to hold out against them. This is safer."
"Safer?" Egil motioned to the fresh injuries on his own arms. "Does this look safe to you?"
Til's expression didn't change. "Those are only still there because you were too lazy to heal yourself."
"I- well ok yeah..." Egil sighed, "But that's not my point. You're not yourself right now, and everybody can tell. If you want to talk about it, I know I'm not the best at listening but I'll try."
Til didn't reply. "You're just really excited about exploring a new island, right?" Egil guessed, "I don't really get it, but I'm sure it means a lot to you. But, maybe we can put it off until later, when you have better supplies. Maybe after Caldisla isn't in danger anymore."
Til reacted to this last part, and Egil thought that perhaps he had managed to convince him. "So, let's head back tomorrow, ok? We'll get a good sample off of on of these monsters and a unique plant, and after we've found and chased off these raiders we'll come back and you can be a regular archeologist."
"It's not that." Til said, "it's not the island I'm interested in."
Egil blinked and furrowed his brow. "It's not? Then what's got you so excited about exploring here?"
Til took a breath, "Have you ever had the feeling that you were missing someone important, but without knowing who they were or anything about them, or even if they ever existed?"
An image of the doll spirit that had led the ship to the cave flashed in Egil's mind, alongside an image of a small crying child. He looked down solemnly. "Maybe a little."
"I don't know who it might be, but since we arrived here I've felt like I was grasping at the shadow of that missing someone. Like I might round the next corner and a person would be standing there, and I would remember and realize that I had been looking for them all this time."
"Still…" Egil said, "Still, we can't endanger the crew for this. Like you said back in Caldisla, we have to break the curse first, the one that's erased all the books in the library. Right?"
Til didn't respond. Egil sighed. "Well, I'm heading to bed. I won't walk away, even if you decide to keep going without the crew. Captain Owen put you under my protection, and I'm not going to disrespect his commands."
After Egil had left, Til picked up a stick beside him and began to write things in the dirt. He drew a map of Caldisla, wiped it out, and tried to figure where the island would appear on the map. He then tried to draw the island as they knew it so far. Between the two mountains he wrote 'ship', and he marked out where they had camped before, and where they were now. Two days out. What if Caldisla was in danger? It was practical to warn them. But they were so close… he was sure they were close…
In the dirt next to their current campsite on his map he began to write out his name, but he stopped before he had written the 'L'.
"I'm being selfish." He said aloud. "Egil is right. First things first is protecting Caldisla, then breaking this curse. Not the other way around."
Thus resolved, he left his drawing and turned to head back to the campsite. On the ground behind him was his incomplete name, 'TI-'
The party was thoroughly relieved when Til announced that they would be heading home in the morning. They thanked him with great fervor and resolved to get an early start the next morning. Also to gather as much evidence as they could on their trip back to suffice for the King.
High spirited, the majority of them turned in for the night. But Til did not sleep well. He awoke in the middle of the night, disturbed by something. It wasn't a sound so much as it was a smell of some kind. Sensing danger, he peeked outside his tent. There was a layer of fog over the campsite, one that was barely visible. The soldiers standing watch appeared to be nodding. Til could see Egil himself slumping over at his post only to shake himself and sit upright again.
Something poisonous was in the air. Til grabbed a blanket and held it over his face shouting, "Quick everybody, wake up! There's poison in the air! We need to get out of here!"
Noises, stirring. Til grabbed his herbal antidotes and swallowed one, preparing to give the rest to the soldiers.
"Quick everyone!" He shouted as he exited his tent. The soldiers stirred, but did not seem to register what was going on. Some of those in the tents caught on and took up the call, being as they were slightly more protected from the fumes.
Til handed Egil the antidotes first and he took them. But before he could help anyone else a shrill shout came from beyond the bushes. "No, Zheng! You alerted them before my spell was complete!"
"I didn't do anything! You did something!"
"Quick, charge them before they escape!"
From beyond the reaches of the firelight poured several pirates, all of whom immediately set upon the drowsy soldiers and pushed them to the ground. They did not appear to be using their weapons, intent more upon capturing them.
Til looked around for a weapon, fighting off the effects of the sleep spell. "Everybody quick! We have to fight back!"
But the camp was in complete chaos. Egil, recovered enough to realize what was going on, made a decision, grasping Til's arm firmly he turned and ran in the opposite direction from which the pirates issued.
"Oi, Wang, you're letting those two kids escape!"
"You're in charge of the assault! I'm in charge of the spells! Get after them you meathead!"
"Egil- Egil!" Til tried to pull out of his grasp. "We can't abandon them!"
"We're not." Egil said calmly, dodging trees as they made their escape.
"But-"
"Shush!"
They ran a small distance until Egil stopped and looked up at a tree. "Quick, up there. We'll be safer."
They climbed up the branches until both began to feel their strength fade out. "The poison is catching up to me again…" Egil muttered. "We need to rest for a minute."
Til positioned himself between two branches and fumbled with his pack, trying to get his herbs out again. But the combined strain of running, climbing and inhaling noxious fumes was too much and he passed out before he could do anything else.
When he came to consciousness again, his head aching and body sore, he found that it was somewhere around midday.
Midday? What about the rest of the crew? Were they all killed? Had they been taken?
Egil was rising as well, groaning and stretching. "That was some powerful sleep spell…" He muttered. "You good, Til?"
"We have to get back to camp…" Til said, beginning to climb down. "We have to rescue everyone."
"We will." Egil said, trying to stretch. He winced and rubbed his neck, muttering. "Trees sure make you feel welcome don't they?"
"Egil…"
"Til, it's ok. Those pirates wanted to capture everybody. Not hurt them. They wouldn't have used a sleep spell if that wasn't the case."
"No… Egil, look."
Egil caught himself before he fell and glanced at his friend, who was staring in shock at something across from them. He followed his eyes and saw movement a few trees over. Two figures were running along the tops of the tree branches. They were visible for a moment more, and then disappeared into the foliage.
"What was…? Hey Til, wait for me!"
Til didn't wait. He dashed forward through the trees, trying to catch up to the two figures. Egil followed, keeping an eye out for the figures himself. But they didn't reappear.
Back to the campsite they went, finding pirates still raiding it, taking all of their stuff and packing up, enjoying the food… Their garb was foreign, and Til seemed to marvel at them. Here was his proof of human life. But at what cost had he obtained it?
"Maybe we can defeat them." Til said in a whisper.
"We need to find where they're keeping their prisoners first." Egil reminded him.
There was movement to the right of them in the trees. Egil grasped his sword, wondering if the pirates had climbed up there too. He could make out two figures. The same they had seen a few minutes before. He placed a warning hand on Til's shoulder and the two watched carefully.
One of the two, a girl in a colorful outfit that did not resemble either the pirates or Caldislan garb, pointed to them, and her companion noticed. He motioned with his finger to them to be silent.
"Strange." Til whispered, "They must not be with the pirates, otherwise they would turn us over."
"Perhaps they're natives." Egil posited.
The pirates soon finished up, and the two who seemed to be the leaders, a scrawny mage named Zhang and a big guy named Wang, called for the men to move out. Keeping an eye on their direction, Til moved closer to the two strangers.
"Who are you two?" He asked.
They didn't respond, and only looked at him warily. "Do you not speak my language?" He asked them.
The boy turned to the girl, and she nodded to them. "We understand. You are the two that the pirates failed to capture."
Egil raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, but how did you know that?"
"We overheard them." The boy replied.
"..."
"..."
"Well uh, what're you two doing up here then?" Egil asked.
"The pirates mistook us for you." The boy said, grinning. "And now we're going to go and help the island get rid of its turmoil."
"What?" Egil asked, confused.
"You two are natives?" Til asked.
"No." The boy replied, "We're… well, it's complicated."
"We need to keep up with the pirates." The girl said,"they are beyond our sight range."
"Ah, right." And the two began to climb the trees after the pirates. Til and Egil followed, equally curious and driven by their own mission to follow the pirates. They exchanged no more words for a while, only following the small procession of pirates, none of whom had yet happened to look up.
After they had gone on a ways Egil asked the boy why they were following the pirates. "They robbed us and captured our crew, but they didn't hurt you."
"Well uh," The boy inclined his head towards the girl. "I'm just following her lead, and I'm not sure if she wants me to talk about it."
"Soon." The girl said quietly.
"She said soon." The boy repeated with a grin.
Til and Egil exchanged glances but said nothing.
Soon the pirates came out of the forest, marching along a green slope towards what appeared to be a tall fortress in the distance. It was seated on the edge of the ocean, and had a great pier filled with many, many ships. The single turret was covered in metal and spikes, surrounded as it was by a second wall. It looked impenetrable and ready for war.
"Ok." Egil said, "Well, that certainly looks like a good time."
"At least we know where they're at." Said Til, trying to be optimistic. "But we can't follow them. We'll be seen."
Egil shifted his weight and crossed his arms. "How're we going to do this, then?"
"We will help." The girl said without looking at them. "Our quest is to free the island from an evil influence."
"A what?" Egil asked.
"I'm Sylvie Oblige." She said as she crouched down, appearing to examine something on the ground.
"Til Arrior."
"Just Egil."
"My name is Procyon." The boy said, holding out his hand. "Pleased to meet you both!"
Til looked between the two. "I just have a question if you don't mind, what country are you both from?"
Procyon scoffed, "I'm not from any country! Well, not that I can remember. I've got amnesia, but it doesn't really bother me. Oh, and Sylvie can't say."
Egil choked, "Uh, can't say what?"
"Where she's from. It's a curse. We're trying to break it so she can talk about everything and so I can get my memories back."
"Curse?" Til repeated, intrigued. "My country is under a curse of some sort. Perhaps you would know how to break that one."
"OUR country." Egil repeated. "Either of you Caldislan?"
"N… not that I know of." Procyon replied. Sylvie shook her head.
"But you're not from this island either?" Til pressed.
The two shook their heads.
He inhaled sharply and took a few steps away, saying excitedly, "Then there's a lot more to this world that we don't know yet…"
"Til." Egil said and followed him.
"This is great news! And if there's more continents that means this island itself might not be a big part of the curse."
"Til." Egil repeated, and then lowered his voice. "Are we going to trust these kids to help us? They're not very old, and I'm not sure how useful they would be in a fight."
"I don't think they're more than a year or two younger than you and I." Til replied. "But I understand what you mean. We don't know them yet, so we should be cautious. Still, I think they're alright."
"If you say so." Egil replied rather dejectedly. "I guess it will be better to have some help."
"So," Til turned and walked back to the two. "You both are willing to help us rescue our crew?"
"Yes." Sylvie replied, for the first time meeting their eyes. "We also have business in the stronghold. Would you help us eradicate an evil influence on this land in exchange?"
Egil crossed his arms, hesitant. "What exactly do you mean by that?"
She looked at him, her expression betraying nothing. "I do not know myself. There is a spirit on the island we must awaken as part of our quest to break our curse. But she will not rise when the spirits are unhappy. We will fix this."
Egil didn't understand, and certainly wasn't ready to agree to anything, but Til decided it sounded like a fair trade. "We'll help you in any way you need."
"It's a deal, then." Sylvie said, and she diverted her eyes to a nearby tree, which she became suddenly very invested in, feeling the leaves and bark curiously.
"Well… as long as I get to fight some challenging battles I suppose I'll be happy." Egil grumbled.
"Cool." Procyon said, "So what's our plan? Frontal assault?"
"If it was just me, totally!" Egil said with a grin. "I'm one of the best soldiers in my country. But unfortunately my master tasked me with looking after this little troublemaker." He jerked a thumb at Til. "So no, we won't be doing any of that stuff. He's not a very good fighter."
"Excuse you." Til said, offended.
"Well, I could try and sneak up to the building and find a way in." Procyon said. "I don't think the fortress was built in order to keep out the villagers on Takachiho. It was built in case they got invaded by the mainland. So, maybe there's a crack somewhere since they're not necessarily keeping a lookout for more people."
Sylvie glanced at him and nodded. "Procyon will be fine. He is very limber."
He grinned, happy for the compliment. Egil coughed and turned away, unconvinced and a little disturbed. Surely the kid couldn't dodge the eye of that big tower.
"I'm up for it." Til said, "but come back if it's unsafe."
Procyon nodded and, before Egil could even react, he was gone. When he turned around he did a double take. "Wait, where'd he go?"
"His lineage blesses him with agility and speed." Sylvie replied, looking out at the waving grass beyond the edge of the trees. Procyon was there, rolling, standing still for a moment, and then dashing here and there in a pattern that made it look more as if he was an animal. He was indeed very limber. He seemed to be able to go from a standstill to a dash. It was rather impressive. Egil and Til both lost some of their doubts.
For Procyon, he was simply having a great time. He wasn't sure how but his body remembered these movements. He knew how to remain undetected. After a a while of dodging he got pretty close to the tower and looked up at it. Something was odd. He could see spots for guardsmen to be posted, but he saw nothing on this side. He made his way to the front and found a guardsman facing the port. But there did not appear to be any posted inland.
He was so confident of this that he jumped up and waved his arms. There was no response from the tower. The four of them could walk right up to it undetected.
Ah, and there! There was their quick way inside. A loosely screwed metal sewer plate. This fortress was not designed to keep people out. Or if it had been, it was designed by an idiot.
Was it only there to make the pirates feel grand and rich?
Procyon didn't even bother trying to be sneaky, and simply jogged back to them. "It's unmanned on this side, but it might not stay that way forever. Should we try it?"
"We will encounter human enemies inside." Sylvie said, "We will have to incapacitate them, otherwise they will alert the entire fortress. Are you all prepared for that?"
"Bring it on." Egil said, adjusting his sword strap.
"I think so." Til said.
"Sure." Procyon replied.
"Hm." Sylvie looked down at the ground and kicked a rock away. "Odd, because in my vision we rush in there and everyone freezes and we get captured."
"The what now?"
Procyon shrugged and explained, "Sylvie can see the future sometimes."
"WHAT?"
"Ah." Til said, believing he understood. "Hey, we'll be alright. There's nothing to worry about. We're all motivated to rescue our friends, and to help you with your quest too."
"Well, I'll try really hard to not be scared." Procyon said. "Now, allons-y mon amis!
"What was that?"
Sylvie set her jaw and smiled grimly at Til. "Well, let's see then. You clearly do not believe me."
The four traveled across to the grate that Procyon had found, and with a good heave thet managed to detatch and and lift it up. Dropping down one by one, they entered the underground sewer system. It was tight and smelly, but well lit thanks to all the holes in the roof.
Egil laughed as he looked around the place. "I suppose they thought having vents would keep it from being smelly and didn't consider the fact that ANYBODY could just rip them off and drop in."
"Quiet." Sylvie urged them. "We must find the dungeons."
Around a few corners they went, encountering nothing, but soon they reached a door which clearly led out of the sewage system. Opening this with no apparent regard for stealth or danger Procyon walked right inside. Within the room were several pirates lifting boxes. They stopped and stared when the four entered the room.
"Well uh, I suppose we fight now, huh?" Procyon muttered sheepishly.
With a shout the pirates drew their weapons and charged, Procyon nimbly dodging their first blow and running up the man's arm. Egil blocked a blow from a hammer that made his sword rattle and his teeth clench. Til cast a protection spell upon himself and drew his own sword. He blocked a blow and parried back, remembering a move that Owen had taught him and disarming his opponent in a matter of seconds.
He had to incapacitate the man now. But he hesitated. He had never struck a lethal blow up on a fellow human before. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Egil, too, was hesitating, having his man at blade point too. Procyon was dodging blows, but dealing none.
They were thugs, right? They had kidnapped their crew. They had ambushed them. They would have killed them first if they had the chance.
But, they were also human beings…
The pirates detected their hesitance and redoubled their attacks. Regaining weapon and vigor. The three fought desperately to stay alive. Suddenly…
"You stupid clay-brained flap-dragon! I bet you make onions cry when they see you!"
With a shrill shout the pirate that Til was losing to suddenly convulsed and fell to the floor with a bolt of lightning. He looked up in surprise and found Sylvie wielding her staff and striking at the enemy which pinned Procyon down.
"If you were any more gutless you'd be dead!" She shouted, and the pirate fell back in a burst of flame.
The last one faced her and she froze him instantly in a block of ice. "Craven lily-livered little barnacle! I told you, but it's not like any of you would listen!"
Heart racing, Til looked up and saw that the doorways into the rest of the building has been sealed off by ice, and the rest of the men had already been incapacitated. He shivered. He didn't like fighting humans.
"Get up, Mr. Doubting face!" She spat, and then to Egil "Hey, get over here you little self-satisfied prig! You too, Procyon."
The three gathered sheepishly. Sylvie took a deep breath and let it out. "Forgive me. It is hard to control my temper when I am casting."
"She doesn't mean it though." Procyon explained.
"Yes, I do." Sylvie looked up at them, her eyes glinting dangerously. "You all need to understand. This isn't some fun adventure like in a fairytale. People die in this story. YOU are the one, the only one, who decides whether that person who dies is you or the enemy."
"But-" Til began, hugging his shaking arms. "But surely we don't always have to kill?"
"Not all the time." She said, her gaze softening a little in pity. "When we can, when we have the time and resources, we will avoid battle and incapacitate without killing. But that isn't always going to be an option.
"It's clear none of you have ever seen real battle. Well… mostly." She looked at Procyon sadly, and continued. "In our journey there is going to be pain and death. We can avoid it as much as we want, but it will find us. This shadow follows all adventurers. These same men might have burned your hometown to the ground and killed your family in another world." Egil paled at this, and she nodded to him.
"In a perfect world it wouldn't be this way." She said softly. "And it isn't wrong to want that, we can keep trying to reach that perfect world. But… we still have to get through the trials of living through our world as it is now. We have to fight for our lives here."
There was a space of silence. She turned away and picked up a shard of ice, turning it over in her hands. "Does anyone doubt that I can prophecy?" She asked softly.
"No, ma'am." Egil replied.
"I did, but I believe you now." Til admitted.
"I always believed her." Procyon said with a smile. "It's ok, you two. I think I've done this before. It's hard to get past it, but the truth is a lot of these pirates have been harassing the villagers, and they probably plan to raid more merchants and steal more people's livelihoods. Just… thinking about that maybe."
"I don't like it." Til muttered, "But I'll do it to get my crew back. It's my fault we came out here this far anyway. If it wasn't for me…"
"It's ok." Egil reassured him, "We all make mistakes."
They exchanged looks and nodded, their eyes showing newfound determination. Procyon patted them on the backs and stepped over to Sylvie. "We're following your lead on this one." he said, "I won't rush ahead again."
She sighed and slumped, seeming tired. But the next moment she was standing up straight and nodding. "Then let us proceed."
