Solo (N of Riverfall) Way, Hey Roll and Go!

[Tydus Tempest]

31st of Autumn, 514

Four days had passed since Tydus Tempest's passage from the city of Riverfall and already he found that the incredible surge of anger had begun to wind itself from his mind. The rage that had burst from within him, the malevolence. The darkness of it all. It was maddening. Life-threatening, even. If the biography of Tydus Tempest was ever a tome that the world would see, it would be noted that it was a splotch of darkness, an ink-laden smudge that the Tempest wished to keep as was and ignore.

It was a series of atrocious events, each set with a mind of twisted and unfathomable logic. However, there was a measure of benefit that had come from it all. The compass that the Tempest held in his left hand as his right held tightly to the wheel. Gloves covered the Tempest's hands, the winds blowing strongly to the north as the compass kept to straight ahead. The wheel resisted in Tydus' hand and he quickly felt the need to place both hands to it as he allowed himself to survey his environment.

Brilliant blue eyes cast their gaze first to the sails of his ship. Rather than billowing in the wind, they kept tight, the Tempest having tied ball knots to keep the sails secured neatly to the mast. The sails were in prime condition and it was just left to the Tempest to keep himself on course. However, checking the compass, the needle had spun off course, and the Svefra was headed northwest rather than north, a frown pursing his lips as he realized that he was, if he kept his course the same way, about to step off from the Riverfall coastline and into waters that would lead him into the region of Falyndar. The Tempest had never been there, and had no intention of doing so.

Stay on course, yeah? It'd be senseless to waste a full day sailing back just because you petched up trajectory.

And when the Tempest finally resolved to correct his course, he turned the wheel. The ship's boom creaked with the sudden change in direction, the systems moving to turn the ship in the starboard direction, Tydus widening his stance to keep his balance. Once he made a full 90 degree course correction, traveling on the water in a forward direction of approximately (yet he had no way of knowing this) 80 meters, the Tempest checked his compass again. It was headed not directly north, but north-northeast in order to rectify the error in judgement he had made in his itinerary.

The waves crashed forcefully against the ship's hull, the calm skies telling the Tempest that Zulrav was with him this day, however, the Laviku's tides crashing against the bow told him that tide's progression, however, was not. Continuing to go against the sheer force of the tides was something that Tydus Tempest, lacking ability as a sailor, was quite willing to risk.

There's no rush. I'd rather get to Kenash a day off target than risk the Guilty Pleasure unnecessarily. Besides...

The Tempest's stomach rumbled in its place, the ship continuing to move forward as his hands held the wheel in place, and the Tempest found that it was enough. Crashing tides were quickly flooding the deck, Tydus struggling to maintain his footing. And thus, he decided to find the shore. Without using the compass, the Tempest figured his trajectory. Hugging the coast at a distance of approximately six hundred meters, Tydus was heading north-north east. This meant, that if he completed his turn right and towards the shore, he would have a distance of five-hundred feet, then need to turn again.

Repeated turning on unstable waters was a danger to both the ship and the Svefra, who could fall overboard. Rather, Tydus kept the ship on path north-northeast, clipping the wheel in place with the use of the lever used to stop it. When this was done, the boon locked in place, allowing Tydus to leave his station at the wheel and maneuver.

Once he was clear to do so, the Tempest flitted forward and quickly worked his way to the sails. He quickly unraveled the ball knots that held the sails in place, then pulled upon the ropes, slowly reeling the sails before hastily replacing the knots. Upon completion of the task, the Svefra moved to the stern and pulled at the reel that held his anchor staunchly against the ship. As the anchor fell into the sea, the ship continued on for approximately thirty feet before the anchor held in place, and with it, the ship was stopped. Pulling upon the reel, Tydus ensured the fit was tight and that the Guilty Pleasure was going nowhere. And with that, a relieved laugh escaped his lips.

"By Laviku's beard that was close... At least it's done with."

Quickly looking towards the shore, which was now in sight, Tydus approximated his distance to be several hundred feet out to sea. Not quite within easy swimming distance, but Tydus was to ride out the tides in a static location until he was able to safely make his way to a secure position. If Tydus wasn't careful, going too close to shore would make it exceedingly difficult to dig himself back out and begin sailing again.

Let's start with the major problem, then. Food. While I can't make my way to shore, I'm sure I can keep close enough to the ship to swim back, even with the waves.

Overconfidence was perhaps the Svefra's biggest flaw, and it would lead to trouble.

Fratava | Hypnotic Fratava | Common | Hypnotic Common | Vani

[Tydus Tempest]

The Tempest was prepared as it was to dive into the cool waters of the sea. However, in order to make the process of acquiring food in gthe sea easier, the Svefra required tools. While he possessed the gnosis of Laviku and could very well use it to acquire his meals with little to no effort, it was blatant abuse of the gnosis to do so more often than not. And thus, Tydus cast aside his leather sandals. Worn and peeling from exposure to the elements, they would soon need to be replaced.

Today was not that day.

Casting them, his cutlass and his acquired compass aside, he felt very and rightfully bare. However, it was as simple as acquiring a pair of gloves and the faded, worn pants that he wore at sea and he felt cluttered again. However much he resented the sensation of being incarcerated by clothing, a minimal amount of protection was needed in the waters of Laviku themselves. Sailing nude was a common occurrence, but swimming was an entirely different scenario. Abandoning the cutlass also felt off. While Tydus was no expert in its use, it was a tool of defence. However, he quickly replaced it with a light harpoon that was rested beneath the bulwark of his ship. Set underneath the gunwale on hooks on either side of the ship, the Tempest again felt prepared to defend himself. Even less tried in the usage of a harpoon, it was, at the least, a buoyant and long weapon to use for catching fish.

It's not everything to be a master at every single craft. It's better to be intelligent than skilled. The first is more adaptable to the wide variety of what could go wrong.

And with that, Tydus tired of thinking. He quickly set his pace toward the portside gunwale of the ship. And with his arrival there, he searched for the grappling hook that he was so fond of using. It was a difficult thing to use the grappling hook to board other ships, thought it was the intention of such a weapon. However, in the scenario he was in, Tydus was curious if the hook could be used in reverse. Rather than using it to leave his ship, instead to latch it onto the vessel and bring the 50 foot rope with him into the sea. A quick way to pull himself back towards the ship and not need to swim. It only made sense.

Tydus took several chimes, the waves still crashing over the casinor, water pouring into and out of the casinor with each swell. The Tempest was, more than once, forced to clench the gunwale for dear life lest his placement be disrupted, but he persevered. He not only accomplished the task of latching the grappling hook into the gunwale and securing it so that it would not move without applying angular force to the spokes of the hook, but he also tied the rope to the loops of the gunwale. It was a very simple, and to be fair, unsecured knot, but it was most likely sufficient support to proceed.

And thus, the Tempest took the rest of the coil of rope, approximately 47 feet of material,and threw it into the sea. The force of the throw uncoiled the rope as it flew out, leaving the material strewn about the waters. After he was done, Tydus took the light harpoon and set it upon the gunwale of the ship. Climbing onto the gunwale aside from it, a grin spread upon his features as he bent his knees.

Strength surged through the Tempest's body, his pulse elevated in elation. Anticipation surged adrenaline through his veins as he pushed off from the gunwale and quickly coiled his abdomen. using the momentum to throw his body forward, he brought his knees to his chest, his hands extended out. Fingers set into a streamlined, layered position, Tydus's body weight brought him to a diagonal position, the Svefra finally throwing his legs out for a final surge of momentum before he broke the surface of the sea.

And once more, the Tempest flipped in the water, three breaststroke kicks propelling him back towards the ship. The harpoon had fallen into the sea as he jumped off from the ship, but buoyant as it was, it remained at the surface, easily within reach and sight. Taking it in his hand, Tydus pushed off from the casinor and found his way into the sea.

It was then that Tydus would allow his mind to open to the power of Laviku's gnosis. Ocean's sense cascaded upon his senses, opening to him a world that was both completely unknown and intimately familiar.

Fratava | Hypnotic Fratava | Common | Hypnotic Common | Vani

[Tydus Tempest]

When one experienced the breadth of Ocean's Sense, it was quite unlike any sensation that a Svefra could name and truly vocalize into an explanation. Whereas Tydus had heard it described as being akin to being blind and suddenly having the power to see, it was distinct. For the senses had their ceiling. They had a limitation. The eyes could only see in one direction at a time. They could only process so much and rarely was it something more powerful than what the eyes could withstand. The other senses were much the same, if possibly even more limited.

Ocean's Sense possessed no such limitation. Distance was the only parameter, and that parameter, in the scope and grandeur of the Suvan Sea, was enormous. Oceanus bestowed Tydus with the ability to not only know where all sentient life was, but he possessed with it, by the grace of Laviku, informational data. He could tell the scope, size and shape of his quarries. He could, if he closed his eyes, feel their pulse beat as one in an eternal symphony of the ocean. Their life forces exuded in their bodies as luminous, distant glows of light, and all in combination they overwhelmed; all in succession they dominated.

Tydus Tempest was, as he had been before, brought to the intense realization that he was, in the magnitude of Laviku's all-encompassing design, little more than a small, glowing speck of dust in the incomprehensible, voluminous amalgamation of fluorescence. It was both humbling and awe-inspiring at the same time. However, as quickly as the realization came, it faded away. The need to capture food was paramount, and in the all-sight of the Ocean's Sense, Tydus found a suitable school of fish that was rather nearby. Thirty feet to his left.

Tydus tread the water beneath him, legs kicking beneath the ocean's surface as his right hand cast about in search of the rope that he had thrown into the sea. Successful after a moment, the Svefra found that the section of rope he had grabbed was not an end, and pulled as strongly as he could. The length of rope threw itself upon the surface of the water, and with its motion, Tydus set himself into motion, as well. Two breaststroke kicks propelled him forward, the coil of rope brought along with him before he released it behind him. His other, 'free' hand dragged the harpoon, forcing his motions to be rather suffocated. However, rather than set on his stomach, he had elected to progress forward while on his back. All the while, he was employing the use of his Ocean's Sense to keep track of his query.

When he was within distance of the school of fish, Tydus released hold of the rope and gripped at the harpoon right at the middle. Keeping a tight hold, Tydus changed his kick to a freestyle kick and paddled with one hand, moving forward. Once he was within range of a fish, he attempted to skewer it with the harpoon. His hand moved sluggishly, quite unskilled and unable to use the harpoon with any sort of hydrodynamic grace. And thus, the Tempest missed. The fish, aware of Tydus' movements, lazily looked at him for a moment before swimming away without a care. This left Tydus humiliated and insistent on trying again.

Another fish was no more than five feet away. He needn't even move to skewer it. And thus, he raised the harpoon and righted his posture.

Harpoons are meant to be hydrodynamic, Ty. It's obviously you. So don't swing it at all. A perfectly... straight...

The Tempest raised the harpoon to waist level, the tip aimed at the fish as Tydus tread water. He did not use his eyes to aim, for that would bring his head beneath the water and hamper his ability to breathe. Rather, his eyes were closed. And Tydus plunged the harpoon forward. The spear-tip of the harpoon met with bone and flesh, rending meat from bone, blood leaking into the water as the sickening crunch of broken bones garbled through the water. Tydus felt the kill, a measure of pride surging through him.

After all, it was the very first, if not one of the first, times Tydus had ever hunted for a meal without seducing it into his hands with Laviku's gnosis.

Oceanus is not a right. It is a privilege. I cannot abuse it, for my 'father' does not wish for me to.

To use the Ocean's Sense was not an abuse, but to seduce fish into nets or hands without a struggle violated the laws of 'survival of the fittest'

Only some...

Tydus' thoughts were interrupted by a particularly large wave splashing water into his face, salt water on the verge of pouring down his throat before his gnosis instinctively converted it to fresh water. The pain was there, regardless, and it caused Tydus to hesitate, in which time the rest of the school of fish scattered, but settled not far away.

Damn fish... making it harder for me.

Fratava | Hypnotic Fratava | Common | Hypnotic Common | Vani

[Tydus Tempest]

How simple it could have been to change the will and direction of the school of fish and seduce them into his casinor. it was a desire that overwhelmingly placed itself within his mind, a powerful, persuasive desire to forgo the laws of the survival of the fittest and live as the gnosis of Laviku called him to be. It resonated with him to become the shark. To become the apex predator again. The shark did not care about its circumstances or the laws and niceties of fairness. It did not relent or hold back. The shark was a beast of destruction that sought after the most ruthless and immediately devastating form of victory.

It was the shark that Tydus remembered himself becoming in the city of Riverfall earlier in the Fall. Ruthless, unrelenting, chaotic, destructive. Tydus had acted to sate his own amusement and his own, fully selfish desires. And it had felt good. It felt right. But was the shark Tydus? No. It was a part of him, a mask like many of the others that obscured his true self from view. It was a lie that Tydus wore and a self that he invested his time in becoming so as to shield himself behind the armour of many assumed and self-constructed identities. And it was the only shame that Tydus was so talented at constructing his identities, for few would know the real Tydus. The man behind the mask was obscured behind the grinning facade.

And he liked think that he preferred it that way.

Tydus Tempest the Podmate was unable to survive in this world. He died with the Tempests on the Waverunner's Fist. No... rather, he perished in Riverfall. He died the day that Tatianna's cutlass was surrendered to Aedre.

And with that surrender of the relic of his pod's legacy, he had moved on. The masks had completely covered the identity that was Tydus' obfuscated conscience.

I am Tydus' frozen heart. Left to die so that the rest of him can live on.

The harpoon raised again as Tydus took a deep breath, submerging himself into the waters of the Suvan as his Ocean's Sense flared. Luminous globes hovered before him, above him, below him. And the harpoon was thrust forward, missing all of them completely.

I am Tydus' fierce incompetence. Wrought with the destruction of his pod, shown to forever laugh and spit in the eye of his pride.

Bubbles rose from Tydus' mouth as a soundless scream burst from his lips, the harpoon raised again and thrust for a second time. The swing at this juncture was more fluid, it tore through the water and punctured the tail of yet another fish. It struggled against the harpoon before blood fled from its body like a redhanded thief from a guard.

I am Tydus' shattered world. Intent on clinging to what was with hands wrought from broken glass.

The blood wafted through the water, Tydus taking two breaststroke kicks and a pull with his free arm before breaking the surface of the ocean's water and searching for the rope that would help him pull himself back towards the casinor.

I am Tydus' fractured hope. Shattered with his world and staggered to the brink of destruction.

Tears mixed with the salt water of the sea, water flooding into the Tempest's throat as yet another wave crashed against his body as his chest heaved. His fist was clenched around the harpoon, knuckles white, face flushed, his arm exhausted.

I am Tydus' desperate soul. Filled with the knowledge that he can not continue in this world alone...

Fratava | Hypnotic Fratava | Common | Hypnotic Common | Vani

[Tydus Tempest]

The sadness that overcame the Tempest scion was no match for the anger within him. It burned within his gullet, raged with the flames and quickly overwhelmed the tears that stung at his eyes. As he saw the two fish skewered on his harpoon, he found the number reasonable, not wanting to take more than he was willing to eat. And thus, he reached for the rope that was tied to the casinor. He did not keep his grip, for with one hand on the harpoon, it was too difficult to use it as any sort of scaling agent to reach the casinor. Instead, he used it as a guide. Legs kicked furiously as Tydus Tempest tilted his entire body to the side.

His free arm stretched out as his legs worked in tandem to form a butterfly kick. Rather awkward in nature, it managed to do its job to keep Tydus' head above the water, but he quickly found that the speed was not fast enough. He could sense it in his mind, the luminous globes scattering quickly about. Tydus felt the echo far before it came, a plethora of the glowing lights sinking in the water before they were swallowed by a much larger glow. Tydus immediately stiffened as he realized what had happened. A large creature was approaching, far larger than him. Eight feet in length, the Drumthroat loomed closer, and as Tydus looked to his side to see the harpoon, he knew that he was not safe.

Blood had streaked across his wrist, mixed with guts and shards of bone, all awash, then scattered. A single drop was enough to attract predators, and Tydus was fucked. Alone. Vulnerable. There were more glowing presences to be had, larger, collective forms. Large fish, sharks, and serpents. Beings far greater than himself. And the shark swam ever closer. The trajectory that Tydus saw it heading in, the one that would intersect with him, ended at the Guilty Pleasure, and Tydus had no intention of losing his ship, or his life, this day. He burst forward again into a breaststroke kick. He abandoned the harpoon, raising it over his head and tossing it forward before he swerved to the right.

Fuck. Fuck! Not this thing again... What am I going to do? What?!

Tydus' strength was waning, the salt beginning to wear upon him. He'd been in the ocean for approximately twenty chimes in search for food, and the waves were affecting him. Suffering in the midst of the oceans, Tydus Tempest wore forward, drained and unarmed, holding onto the rope in order to pull himself back to the Guilty Pleasure when the time was right.

No time for a brilliant escape or a plan. I just have to hold on, not die, and pull myself back to the Guilty Pleasure so that I can man the Harpoon and kill this thing.

But, he had no idea how he was going to get out of this. He saw no way out just yet. The Tempest reached out with his Ocean's Sense. It flared with the plethora of Laviku's creation, and though Tydus didn't have the power to control the larger of the sharks in order to help defend him, he found... something. He flared with the awareness that the smaller being was present. It was looking, monopolizing upon the scattering of the fish that the Drumthroat had instigated. It was a small beast, approximately the same size as Tydus himself. Likely, it was on the cusp of reaching its maturity, but it was an asset. Tydus reached out to it as the Drumthroat turned its body, having just finished swallowing a number of fish whole. Tydus could see that it's body was geared towards the harpoon.

And it swam. Faster than Tydus could ever begin to imagine, the Drumthroat tore through the water, its trajectory taking it through the rope and tearing it in twain. Tydus cursed again, but reached out to the distant shark,

Come to me. I need you.

The shark seemingly hesitated, much more intent on devouring the last of the fish it had made its target, but it trudged forward obediently. It swam even faster than the Drumthroat, tearing through the water as the larger behemoth of a shark was attempting to swallow the fish on the harpoon. The fish were rend from the harpoon and the weapon cast aside.

And then, it turned towards Tydus, for the trail of blood, while faint, was still on his scent. The predator was not yet done this day.

But, Tydus had formed a plan.

Fratava | Hypnotic Fratava | Common | Hypnotic Common | Vani

[Tydus Tempest]

The Svefra's muscles were beginning to burn from the exhaustion of trying to keep afloat. His body was tired, his heart racing in his chest as the Drumthroat swam forward. Less than thirty meters away, the beast's maw was wide. Wide and billowing as it was, the Drumthroat was fearsome to behold, yet something felt off. Slower than a powerful predator, the beast did not seem as threatening as it looked. But, that was until the beast released the shockwave from its mouth. The Tempest was immediately cast backwards, his arms numbed. He found difficulty in moving, panic setting in his gaze as he set about towards working out the pins and needles that immediately worked into him. It was then, the Drumthroat about twenty feet from Tydus, that the shark struck.

It rammed into the larger and less agile Drumthroat, its head immediately and powerfully colliding into the beast's gills. Bubbles burst from the gill, and the drumthroat began to struggle violently in place before it lashed to the side and swatted the shark back. Tydus could feel the smaller shark's pain, a flicker of hope arise in his features as he found his body in working order. He had sunk several feet into the water, and resurfaced at once. Coughing and sputtering, he immediately cast into a crawlstroke kick, his arms pulling the water as he tilted his weight every third stroke to breathe. His body was tiring, but he was no longer endangering the ship. The drumthroat was distracted with the more agile shark, which swam around it, lashed with its tail, and swam towards the casinor. Just as Tydus had begun climbing out of the water and into his ship, he gave the smaller shark another order,

No, not towards the ship! Swim around! Towards the bow. I'll take it off your back when I'm out.

When the Tempest cast the order, he felt an immediate, and decidedly familiar sensation cast over him, a glance cast back towards the shark before it turned obediently in the water. It cast to the left, towards the bow and accelerated afterwards. The Svefra did not imagine to have a great deal of time, and though the stiffness continued to plague him, he stepped forward and moved towards the mounted crossbow that made up the Heavy Harpoon on his ship.

On the way, he clutched yet another of the light harpoons, intent on using it this time as a projectile. Once he reached the Heavy Harpoon, it took approximately a chime to load the harpoon into the crossbow, the Tempest pursing his lips as he noted both the large and small forms of the drumthroat and shark respectively. The larger seemed to trudge on while the smaller began to tire. And thus, the Tempest knew he needed to do... something.

Reaching into the water, the Tempest pressed his palm to the surface, and Ocean's Sense as a flared within his thoughts. He immediately targeted the smaller shark and cast a thought into the sea, knowing that the fish would receive it.

Slow down and bring it closer. I'm going to save you, like you saved me. But I need it to be closer.

The shark seemed to hesitate for a moment before it turned yet again and thrust its fin from side to side, propelling it through the water and closer to Tydus' casinor. The Drumthroat, obviously, followed suit. And as the drumthroat made its way closer, Tydus manned the Heavy Harpoon. Aiming the harpoon was a difficult task, for its sheer size made his line of sight narrower, but he managed. Aiming the harpoon for thirty feet pointed towards the northwest and into the sea, Tydus waited for the drumthroat to approach. And, led by the smaller shark, it did. Tydus' fingers hovered over the firing mechanism.

5... 4... 3... 2... 1! NOW!

And so, the Tempest fired.

The Harpoon tore through the air and pierced the waters of the Suvan. It hit its target, puncturing the drumthroat through the torso, though the shot was not lethal, from what Tydus saw. It bled profusely through the water, sluggish and obviously suffering in its movements. And rather than attack the shark, it now aimed at Tydus. 'Safe' within his ship, that obviously meant that it intended to attack the Guilty Pleasure, a vessel that Tydus valued more highly than the lives of any of the companions he knew. A vessel he had wrought with his own hands from the disgusting falsifiers known as 'normals'. It was a word that the Tempests had coined, and Tydus carried it with him. Non-Svefra sailors was the most literal meaning, though it extended to all that mistreated the Svefra. And eventually simply turned into all non-Svefra.

And so, Tydus valued the Guilty Pleasure for it was both his home, and the product of his desire to rectify the falsehood of non-Svefra traversing of the sea. Particularly in a non-Svefra vessel. It was disgusting. This pleasure was from where it derived its name.

And thus, to defend his home as it rocked violently by the thrashing attack of the drumthroat, Tydus sprung into action. He took with him this time his cutlass. And sprinting forward, Tydus leaped forward. He dove straight into the water of the Suvan Sea as the drumthroat turned from the casinor. The vessel seemed undamaged in terms of sail-ability; however, the ship would forevermore bear the ugly scars of the attack. Long, jagged teethmarks embedded into the side. The gunwale was splintered at the port side. And so, to prevent further damage, Tydus would risk himself instead. For to lose one's ship in the Suvan was to die anyway.

The cutlass was held in his right hand and though Tydus possessed no special ability with it, he knew that to win this fight, he needed to be armed. Splashing into the Suvan, the metal was heavy in his right hand, his left pushing his tired body through the water as he adopted a butterfly kick,

Are you still there, shark? Let's finish this predator. Go underneath the casinor and ram it out of the way. I'll climb onto it afterward and stab it dead.

The shark dove deep into the ocean as Tydus swam, splashing violently and on purpose in order to attract the drumthroat's attention. When it turned, it began to swim, only to be punished with a flank strike by the shark. It twitched violently from the strike, obviously stunned, and Tydus took his chance, The beast's maw was wide open and Tydus kicked violently, abandoning all caution and ascending, cutlass held in both hands as they streamlined in order to increase his speed. Tydus then flipturned just as he reached the shark, stomping down with protected feet upon its jaw. The shark's body did not move and Tydus's sandals definitely would not survive the impact, though it allowed his body the positioning and leverage to press to the shark. The cutlass was still held in both hands, blade pointed down. And thus, Tydus brought it down upon the top of the drumthroat's head. The blade pierced through its body, Tydus twisting it with the last of his strength before his mind went blank.

The Svefra collapsed in a sea of blood, falling into the ocean as the drumthroat's corpse floated in the sea.

Fratava | Hypnotic Fratava | Common | Hypnotic Common | Vani

[Tydus Tempest]

Bubbles escaped from Tydus' lips as he sank deeper. His legs lacked the strength to pull him back up. His consciousness had faded with the fatigue, his body on the verge of inhaling water and subsequently ending his life. However, before he could, the shark moved. It caught the Tempest as he sank, then quickly pushed him upwards. The resulting motion stirred the Tempest from his state of unconsciousness. An immediate breath was taken, though the Tempest, head still half below water, took in more water than oxygen. Sputtering madly, he struggled to keep afloat, the shark rubbing against the Tempest's back. Scratches formed on Tydus' flesh, though he maintained afloat.

A breath was taken after the rest of the water was coughed out. He took another breath. And a third. Then, he turned around to face the shark that had helped him, a curiosity firmly set in his eyes. Tydus stared at the shark for a moment, curious about its intentions, though they were unreadable behind blank, soulless eyes. However, the Tempest quickly found that he didn't have to search for its intentions. The shark's intentions quickly found themselves streaming into the Svefra's mind as he touched its skin, a smile working its way onto his features as he realized the desire. There was a want for companionship. A need to find another to latch onto.

I remember this shark. I met him in the bay earlier in the season. He... followed me?

Eyebrows arched in surprise as the Tempest found the familiar scar on the shark's top fin. Shaped in a circle, it seemed to be from some sort of smaller creature, and with that, it was conformed. This shark had sought its pod, following Tydus from Riverfall. And the Tempest would gladly allow this. The shark had saved his life, fought at his side. And with that assistance, Tydus was still alive.

I'll name you Crash... Now, I need to rest, Crash. I think you do, too. Let's get to shore. We can rest there and start back towards Kenash tomorrow.

It took Tydus much longer than the previous time to climb onto the ship, his body burning with the combined effort of swimming and exertion. He made his way to the anchor and reeled it up. It settled tightly against his ship, and Tydus made quick, but painful work raising the sails yet again. Taking to the wheel, the Tempest turned the ship and allowed the wind to carry him towards the shore. Billowing in the wind, the sails were not as tight as they should be, but Tydus had been lazy with it, knowing he'd reel them again in a matter of chimes. This resulted in making it back to shore more slowly. Though, after ten chimes, Tydus was settled parallel to the shore at a distance of eighty feet. The water was approximately twice Tydus' height in depth.

Perfect. Now to just drop anchor and rest for the night.

And so, he followed the steps, dropping anchor and reeling the sails yet again after setting the wheel. immediately afterwards, Tydus, rather than resting, made his way to the water. He tread water and watched as the shark swam towards him. His lips formed a wide grin as his fingers pressed to the surface of the shark's skin when it stopped. Traversing the shark's rough flesh with his fingers, Tydus spoke into the shark's mind.

We're going to have a blast, Crash. You're me tavan now. It'll be that way for as long as either of us live.

A grin burst upon the Tempest's lips as he allowed his body to float to the surface, the Tempest keeping himself still as Crash slipped beneath him, assisting in the process for but a moment. For several chimes, Tydus would stare up at the sky, a giddy laughter bursting from his lips,

It always starts with a tavan, doesn't it? I'm sorry, Vesh... But life goes on. I just hope that you're happy, wherever you are.


Fratava | Hypnotic Fratava | Common | Hypnotic Common | Vani