"Then why… did you even ask in the first place?"
Shipwright Garrett and Quies stood aboard Valerie's small schooner—which, for a boat, wa-
"Because I've never actually sailed a ship this large."
Finishing his thoughts through words, Quies stood at the stern, positioned above the tiny storage room where he assumed his old armor was. Speaking of which…
'It should still be fine for use, right? Maybe like, repair the hole or two. It would be a waste to just leave it rotting in there. The zweihander though…'
The zweihander could go. It was a fine weapon, for sure, but his blood blade was superior in several aspects. For one, it was extremely flexible—able to be manipulated to different shapes to suit his needs. Because of this boon, he also didn't need to carry it around with him all the time. Bringing a sword on his back along with several other items really decreased his mobility, so decreasing the weight by all means possible was welcome.
Most of all, it just felt better in his hands. That was a priceless trait.
The schooner cut through the tranquil water like his blade did with air. The sails billowed, catching heaps of air and propelling the ship forward.
"I'd say you're doing mighty fine for someone who's only really sailed a single time."
"Yeah, well… you could say I'm a quick learner."
The truth was, this wasn't the first time Quies had practiced sailing.
In fact, sailing was an essential skill that nearly everybody in lumen learned when growing up, including Quies. On those priceless days where his dad took him fishing, he would take Quies out on his dinghy—far from the shores—and go fishing on it. Most of the time, they would catch an absolutely gargantuan fish that could feed them for weeks, maybe for even half the length of a season.
It was too bad. The last time he sailed on that boat, he sailed alone. After all, he needed something that would get him as far away from Etris as possible.
How else would he have crossed that distance? By swimming? He'd only do that if he truly lost everything. And if he did, one day, let everything he cherished slip through his fingers, swimming would be the least of his concerns.
Luckily, his dad had taught him the basics of sailing before he died…
Quies solemnly turned the wheel at the slightly elevated stern of Valerie's schooner. That was one of the only new things he had to learn to use. Since his dad's dinghy was relatively small, in terms of boats, it used a tiller to control the rudder—a handle extending outwards from the rotational point of the rudder inwards for the helmsman to control. However, since Valerie's schooner was larger, it used a wheel.
He found that he had to rotate the wheel much more than he thought he needed to in order to impact the ship's steering.
The wind blew from west to east, down the slopes of the greater islands on the western, non Etrean, half of the Eastern Luminant, a part unknown to Quies. Because of this, the staysailed schooner was sailing at beam reach for most of the time, both leaving and returning towards the docks of the Isle of Vigil.
"Sailing's… boring."
"Really? The distance from Etris to Erisia is rather large."
"The highway cuts down the time a lot… but yeah, you're right. I spent a lot of time at sea. I wasn't planning on going to Erisia in the first place, in fact."
"Where were you planning to go?"
"Nowhere. I… I just wanted to leave at that point."
The sun glinted off of the worn mask of the shipwright. Despite his veiled face, Quies could discern a slight expression of pity from him.
Or maybe it was just his mind giving him false reconciliation.
He never forgot that day. He never did. It was etched into his mind greater than any other memory he had. He tried hard to erase it, but the best he managed to do was cover up its traces. There were periods, stretches of time, where he could have normal days without that memory ever reappearing within his mind.
But it always manages to make itself present, somehow. It was as if there was something—a single piece of information which changed the whole narrative—that Quies hadn't figured out, or simply chose to ignore. If he did the latter, then he did a damn good job at doing so, because he couldn't remember anything amiss.
'Mom was getting groceries, I went fishing with dad, came home, mom wasn't home, the pantry was restocked already…'
He remembered it as clear as day after all. He was confident there was nothing he missed…
"Shipwright Garett, you said being a shipwright was an oath?"
"Yes… sort of like that fade-trimming friend of yours. He made an oath to cut hair, for some odd reason."
"He said he didn't like fighting much."
"Me neither. Yet, here I am making a warship for the Vigils to wreak havoc on the kingdom of Etrea. Why do you ask?"
Quies recalled the pile of metal and rare minerals which he assumed belonged to Shipwright Garrett.
'So that's what it's for…'
"I was just wondering what an oath was. I know what vows are—I made a temporary one with Valerie."
The masked shipwright perked up.
"Did you make a vow of mastery?" He asked aggressively.
"No, no, nothing like that. It was a vow of companionship or something… it lent me mutual control over her… uhh… realm."
Quies wasn't sure whether to reveal Valerie's vision shaping powers to Garrett. Sure, it might seem like an ordinary detail to him, but to Valerie, it could be a crucial facet of her identity she doesn't want others to know about. It was exactly like his relationship with bloodrend.
"Good… Never make a vow of mastery with anyone, 'kay? That's the one life lesson I'll give you."
"Sure, okay… So, uh- could you tell me more about oaths?"
"Right."
The shipwright relaxed once more, leaning on the edge of the schooner as it sailed across the Etrean sea.
"Its very similar to a vow, actually, in the sense that both of them are expressions of the soul, rather than your voice. It's like- what you say to someone, and what your intentions—your meaning—behind that statement was.
"Now, oaths are a greater extension of that. Rather than a statement, or deal, it encompasses your beliefs as a whole. It is the culture and practices you live by, and how you see the world through your own unique viewpoint. It's a personal religion, intentions from the soul which follow your morals. Being steadfast with your values and beliefs grants unimaginable power from conflicted depths of the soul."
He patted himself on the chest, as if pointing out where his soul was to Quies.
"I like building boats, and I want the world to be more connected. I believe that everyone should have the right to domestic and interluminary travel and not be stuck on the same island for their whole life. I believe that the freedom to move, to choose your surroundings, is the greatest freedom one can purchase for themselves, and I strive to give people that liberation. That's why I became a shipwright."
The masked shipwright walked to the front of the ship, staring at the clear blue horizon. The sun now hung high in the sky at its peak.
"One day, Quies, you'll find that resolution within you, I can tell you've been through a lot. Let the world show you the rest of its raw colors. Then, can you can choose a filter of your own."