Across the Sea: Part One

NARRATOR NOTE//: Hello readers! Just a quick heads up, this chapter (and potentially the next) is very exposition/world-building heavy. It describes a lot of the races and potential locations that are in the World of Fucknowswhat. There is also going to be explanations for things that people have been wondering about for a while, and I thought that this would be the perfect time for that.

Now, if you're not a fan of a lot of lore/history, I totally understand if you want to skip this chapter as I realize some people are just fans of the sex chapters.

Anyway, thank you all for reading this crazy story of mine so far, and I can't wait to start the next adventure for the group! - JZ

---

THE NEXT MORNING:

John walks into the main eating area where he sees Amilia and Lani there.

"Hey you, you're finally awake" Lani says.

John knows those words all too well. He even lets out a small chuckle before saying, "Didn't know I was in Skyrim."

"Sky-rim? Is that when you-"

"Don't!" Lani and John both say, interrupting whatever perverted thing Amilia was about to say.

The trio then chuckle as John takes a seat. As John takes said seat, his mind calls back to the events of the rest of his adventures in the Everplane. A small smile then appears on his face as his eyes stare off into nothingness.

He is eventually snapped out of his trance as Lani says, "You seem very cheery today."

"More like fucked senseless" Amilia adds.

"Well, I'll have you know that Kyuala and I had nice quiet night together."

"Quiet huh? Guess you're not as kinky as I thought. Unless you're into ropes and gags... Ooooh... That's it, isn't it?" Amilia then leads forward, "C'mon, tell me... how'd you do it? Doggy? Wheelbarrow? Mating press? Oooh, you definitely seem like a breeding kink kinda guy."

"And I don't need to know about any of it!" Lani says, stopping Amilia's interrogation.

"Fine..." Amilia then looks at John before whispering, "Tell me about it later."

John just nods, but has no intention of actually telling her anything. John then decides to steer away from this topic by saying, "So, where are the ladies?".

"They're talking to the Captain, apparently there was a sighting of some pirates nearby" Lani explains.

Just then, John is given a bowl of what appears to be a porridge-like food. He then grabs the spoon and scoops up a spoonful before putting it in his mouth. The consistency and are both definitely similar to porridge, but it has a fruity hint within it.

John happily begins chowing down with Amilia commenting, "Seems someone worked up an appetite... Good to know."

Lani rolls her eyes, but does let out a small chuckle whilst John continues eating.

Not long after John started eating, the porridge is completely devoured. John then puts the spoon in the bowl before pushing it slightly forward.

"Wow, that was great" John comments.

"Well, better get used to it. It's all we're gonna be having for breakfast until we dock" Amilia says, obviously not too pleased with the lack of choice.

"It's not so bad, we could've been on a vegetarian ship" Lani says.

"Don't even joke about that."

Lani and John then laugh as Amilia shivers in the thought of the torture that being on a vegetarian ship would bring.

As the duo calm down from their laughter, John then remembers something he was thinking about last night, so he then looks to Lani and says, "Hey Lani, I've been thinking..."

Lani looks at him, wondering what the next words are going to be.

"I can't sugar-coat it, I still know next to fuck all about this world, and since we're gonna be stuck on this boat for the next few days... I was wondering if... you'd teach me?"

Lani is shocked, but not because of John asking for help.

"Of course I will help you! I should have been helping you already... I can't believe i've already shunned my duties as your guide... i'm a failure as a fairy".

Lani looks down at the table, seemingly disappointed with herself, but John says, "Hey, you are not a failure, okay? We've had a lot of shit to deal with the past few weeks. I also woke up from a week long coma a few days ago, so I think you've definitely earned some reprieve on the whole 'teaching' part."

Lani looks up at John, a small smile now on her face, "Thank you."

John simply returns the smile, seeing Lani feeling a bit better about the whole thing.

Lani then soon turns back into her old chipper self before saying, "Anyway! Now is as good a time as any, so, what do you want to learn?".

John thinks for a moment, trying to pick something specific, but he can't choose one single topic, "Uhh, I guess... everything, like different races, places, money, uhh, hell even history. Honestly, just enough of everything so i'm not always at a disadvantage."

Lani chuckles, "That I definitely can do! Alright, let's start with the continents!"

---

TWENTY MINUTES LATER:

Amilia is currently face down on the table, drool escaping the side of her open mouth as John and Lani are still talking.

"Okay, so three copper make a silver, and six copper also makes a gold?" John says.

"Correct!" Lani replies.

John then continues, "And two silver make a gold... then ten gold make a platinum?"

"Exactly! I know it can be confusing at first, but it'll get easier with time."

"Cool, so what's next?" John asks.

"Well, since I kinda got side-tracked with talking about the continents and history, I think it's time we talk about the different races of the world. First off, the Fuckions, they are a somewhat common race which are basically this worlds version of humans. They don't have any innate powers, and their only real identifying traits are their wide array of colour, like that pig from yesterday. Next, let's talk about the most common race, elves, they've been around almost as long as orcs and us fairies. Now, there are quite a few types of elves: Snow elves like Terra, dark elves like Tally, wood elves, moon elves, sun elves, which are the rarest. There are also wild elves, but they don't exactly like people."

John sighs, "Uhh, wow. I really wish I had a piece of paper to write that all down."

"No need! I can write all this down later and give you the notes so you can memorize everything."

"Thank God, pretty sure my brain would crumble trying to remember all of this" John says.

The two let out a small chuckle before Lani continues, "Anyway, third on the list is orcs. They are the second most populated race in the world, and they make up almost seventy percent of the population in Reduna'zriam. There are two different types of orcs, regular and dark orcs. A regular orc is self-explanatory, but a dark-orc is created when an orc is altered by magic to make them stronger which in turn alters their body, and drains them of their colour. There's also different colours of orcs, for example, there's green, purple, blue, and there's also red."

Just as Lani finishes talking about orcs, Amilia stirs from her sleep momentarily, scratching her ear before going back to happily snoozing away.

John and Lani then look at the sleeping cat, a smile on both of their faces as they do. Lani then looks back to John before saying, "I guess we'll move onto what we fairies call, the suffix folk."

"First, let's start with the fur-folk. Now, there's quite a few to mention, cat-folk, wolf-folk, rat-folk and rabbit-folk. Now, you've obviously know about cat-folk considering you know Amilia, but they're not all horny devils like her. Wolf-folk are similar, but they're obviously wolves. Rat-folk are very different, there isn't a lot of vocal interaction with them since they usually communicate with squeaks and chittering, but there has been a few instances of some talking to outsiders. They also tend to hide away from people, choosing to live in sewers and underground in order to stay away from us. I won't get into their habits, because it's simply... revolting, to even think about. Rabbit-folk are also different from cat and wolf-folk, but in a less disgusting way. Rabbit-folk tend to live in seclusion in forests, but it isn't uncommon to see some roaming around in some cities. Rabbit-folk also have some innate affirmation for vivomancy, so they usually become healers."

"Woah, and that's just fur-folk?" John asks.

"Oh yeah, you'd think with all of those races that they'd be the most populated, but they haven't been around nearly as long as all the others."

Lani then continues, "Next, we move on to bird-folk. Bird-folk usually stay away from any and all people, they aren't aggressive per se, but if you attack them, you're getting a whole swarm of angry birds coming to ruin your day. Unfortunately, any bird without a flock is hunted quite often by the rich for their variety of colours and their feathers which are sold for quite a lot. They also live up in almost every mountain, so be very careful if we have to traverse up one."

"Duly noted."

"Then there are dragon-folk or dragon-kin as they call one another. They are extremely rare to see away from their island of Drakina, so rare in fact that we don't even know how populated their island is. From birth until death, they are brought up to live the life of monkhood. They are also very dangerous foes in battle, incredibly adept in fire magic, both casting and breathing it. There have also been rumours that they can call upon the form of a full dragon if needed, so I would highly encourage staying on their good side if we ever meet one."

"Yeah, a good rule of thumb, never piss off anything called dragon."

"Very wise. Now, last of the suffix-folk is fish-folk. They are less rare than dragon-folk, but you don't want to meet them, ever. They are highly aggressive to anything that doesn't have fins. They usually dwell in flooded caves and swamps, so never go into either without a large, well-armed party that are ready to kill. They are well-versed in the art of hydromancy, but they have also been documented as being excellent with spears and staffs."

John exhales, "So, to summarize... Don't piss off the fish, dragons or birds. Don't join the rats for dinner, don't get myself attacked by the wolf or cats, and if I do... go to the rabbits."

Lani is stunned, letting out a few stammered attempts before saying, "Well, uhh... I... well yeah, that's about right."

Just then, the duo hear some footsteps approaching them. That's when they see Kyuala and Terra walk over to the table.

"Ahh, you're awake! I guess our little dream with Tally wore you out more than I thought."

Kyuala then sits down beside John before kissing her husband. Lani then looks at them and asks, "Dream with Tally? What do you mean?"

Terra giggles, "The Seer gave them a goodbye gift in the form of an Everplane Sender."

Lani is stunned, "An Everplane Sender?! I knew the Seer was well-versed in magical items, but I never thought she would be able to make an Everplane Sender."

"It seems there's more than meets the eye with our favourite Seer" Terra says.

"You make it sound like you know more than one" John responds.

"Oh, I have met multiple Seers over my years of living in my family estate. They came from far and wide to appease my fathers ego, and hoped to get compensation in the process of kissing his rich behind. I can also say that none of them were anywhere near as adept with magic as the Seer you all know."

John then asks, "Do the Seers not have names? Cause surely that gets incredibly confusing when there's more than one in a room."

"No, Seers do not take names" Lani explains, "Seers are their own race in the world, born from druids. They are born with the purpose to help people with seeing their future, whether that helps the person or not, isn't in their control. When they vow to become a Seer, they vow to revoke their name, any potential status within the druid commune, and any personal ties. The life of a Seer is often described as incredibly lonely, that is most likely why most Seers aren't too kind."

"And what about the ones who don't take the vow?" Kyuala asks.

"They are stripped of their ability by an incredibly harsh ritual. It often leaves the person on the brink of death, those who survive are thrown into the wild, banned from ever returning to the commune" Terra explains.

The group go silent for a few moments, apart from Amilia's slumbering murmurs. That end revelation just stunning the rest of the group. Eventually, Lani quickly perks up the conversation again by saying, "Let's move onto centaurs!"

The sudden restart in tone is amusing to the others, but Lani doesn't give them much time to react as she starts talking, "Centaurs are quite neutral when it comes to everything. That's not to say that they like people however, they usually don't care for us. There are quite a few types of centaurs, but they're mostly different because of their tribes. You have the Plainriders, Duskdrifters, Rainwalkers, Windwailers and the Icemakers. The Plainriders usually light brown or blonde coloured coats, and are usually patient with outsiders, they have settlements in areas with large plains. The Duskdrifters usually have dark brown or black coats, they are also fairly neutral, but they're usually nocturnal. They usually dwell within large open caves, they seem to be most friendly with Plainriders, but they aren't entirely peaceful. The Rainwalkers are more apprehensive toward outsiders due to their unfortunate history of being hunted by goblins, and a whole lot more, for their deep blue coats. They tend to live by bodies of water, usually that means an island within swimming distance to the mainland, but they have also been documented as living near waterfalls. Icemakers are the rarest of the tribes, they live up in Enuchuka, the coldest continent. It never stops snowing there, so the Icemakers naturally evolved to have extremely white coats, but their tell-tale sign is their remarkably diamond-like eyes, both in shape and colour. Unfortunately, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the last tribe... The Windwailers."

Lani's hesitant tone combined with Kyuala and Terra's disgusted reactions almost spell out everything John needs to know already.

"The Windwailers are a tribe of grey coated centaurs that live within the Network. They are notorious for kidnapping travellers, and either enslaving them or... eating them. They are always disavowed by the other centaur tribes as they're more monster than centaur now. They don't even speak, they only communicate through grunts, clicks and roars. Some say that you can even hear their horrific calls throughout the tunnels... Anyway, the less we think about them, the better."

The trio agree immediately as Lani stops talking, hoping she changes the subject once again.

Surprisingly, Terra is the next to speak up as she says, "Since Lani spoke about centaurs, I guess it is only fair is we speak about minotaurs as well. Now, most minotaurs are simple creatures as they live for a few things: Violence, copulation, and more of both. There are some who break this mould like Kyuala's friend Sylus, for example. There aren't any different types of minotaurs, so you don't have to worry about any specific variations. Minotaurs are also pretty commonplace in any city, or backwater slum, so expect to see quite a few of them. Minotaurs are almost usually mercenaries, their love of fighting most likely being the key factor in that choice."

John then asks, "Okay, is there any race that won't rip my head off in a heartbeat?"

"Well, apart from the rabbit-folk, the Geminae are usually quite kind-hearted" Lani says.

"Geminae? Who are they?"

"Oh, I can take this one!" Kyuala says, "The Geminae are a race of people with gems in their heads, like that woman in Wyverns Port."

"Zyrotte! Oh, she was so kind" Lani says, reminiscing about their stay in the Stallions Stable.

Kyuala then looks back to John, "Anyway, from what I remember, they have some sort of latent magical ability, right?"

Terra then answers, "Yes, each of the Geminae are born with a magical ability. It varies depending on the person, but their natural born power is greater than most adept mages. A well-trained Geminae can be a very dangerous foe, there is actually a story about a Geminae warrior in Muprosyll who is incredibly feared by even the deadliest of warriors."

"Also, Geminae aren't even natural to Fucknowswhat. The first known Geminae was actually a drop-in a few hundred years ago" Lani adds.

"Do they still drop here? I can't say i've actually seen any drop-ins so far" John says.

"You will when we dock."

The group look at Terra in confusion, so the elf elaborates, "There are quite a lot of former drop-ins living in Mulvenscroll. The dockmaster is also a former drop-in. He is also kind man, so he will definitely understand your situation, John."

"Maybe I should talk to him, see if he has any advice about the whole companion thing. Anyway, is there any other races I need to know about?"

The trio look amongst themselves before Lani says. "Well, we could talk about half-orcs and half-elves, but we already went over orcs and elves, so no real point."

"There is the Amornians" Terra adds.

"Johtun already told Daffy and I about them. We were up in the watchtower, so we had to find a way to pass the time."

The group think a little more, but that's when Lani says, "I could talk about fairies? We aren't incredibly common to see, but you never know when you'll need that knowledge."

"I'd like to hear more about fairies personally" Kyuala answers.

"Then it's settled!" Lani says happily, "So, way back when the first people were walking the world, fairies were created by the angels to be a sort of... guiding force. We would be assigned a person to guide, to try and help them live their life as best we could. Our goals would change however, when the first drop-ins were sighted. We would then transition from helping the people of this world, to helping the newcomers who had no clue. We're also gatherers of knowledge, any little detail we can get our hands on gets added to our vast library of the world."

"What about different types of fairies? Is it only female fairies?" Kyuala asks.

"Oh no, there's both male and female fairies! Like many of the other races, we can have different colours, different styles wings, even different coloured wings. There are fairies who are no longer guides however, and they become teachers or historians. There are also fairies who just retire, but they usually still help when asked."

John then recalls back to the fight with Imoga, the part where she shouted "Pixie!" which is almost burned into his memory. Something about it just bugs him after hearing Lani talking about fairies. It eventually gets too much, so he asks the question.

"What about pixies?"

Lani's face drops in an instant. Her usually happy, bubbly expression, just completely crashing down into one of shock. The others see this and are worried, Terra then asks, "Lani... are you... okay?"

Lani doesn't immediately respond, instead, she takes a few breaths before saying, "Pixies are... fairies who have lost their purity."

The trio look amongst each other, a mixture of surprise and shock on each of their faces.

Another question forms, but it's Kyuala who asks it, "What do you mean 'lose their purity'? Like their... virginity?"

"No, nothing like that" Lani responds, "A fairy has a purity within their soul which grants them the ability to pass through the veil from this plane to the fairy plane, it acts as a sort of... key. A fairy can only lose their purity in one of three known ways. The first way, is if a fairy corrupts themself via the use of dark magic. The second way is if a fairy abandons their companion for any reason deemed unworthy by the council. Thirdly... is if a fairy... takes the life of their companion."

The trio now completely stunned, silence and tension growing with every second they share shocked stares. John then thinks about what Lani said, 'A fairy can lose their purity in one of three known ways'.

"Wait... Lani, you don't know dark magic, right?" John asks.

"Correct."

"And you haven't abandoned me by choice, correct?"

Lani then answers, "Correct. I only left your side because Imoga needed me to enhance her power, and the Council deems that the act of abandoning your companion to deny a great evil the power they seek, is an understandable reason for a fairy to leave their companion."

John then finishes his point by saying, "Okay, and considering i'm your first companion, you haven't killed companions."

"That is also true."

Terra seems to understand where John is going with this, so she then asks, "You said that a fairy can only lose their purity in one of three known ways. So, do you think there is any other way that a fairy can lose their purity?"

Lani is silent for a few moments before letting out her answer, "Perhaps."

Lani then looks up at Kyuala with a specific gaze. Kyuala looks back and seems to understand the look Lani is giving her as she says, "We'll give you two a moment alone."

Kyuala and Terra then get up from the table, but Amilia is still asleep. Kyuala then picks Amilia up in a princess carry before the trio leave the room.

John and Lani are now the only ones in the room/canteen area. The fairy is now looking down at the table, seemingly scared of looking John in his eyes. John sees this, so he says, "Lani... you don't have scared to talk to me. You're my friend, you can talk to me about anything."

"That's just it... this isn't just anything."

John doesn't respond, instead he lets Lani take her time with what she wants to say.

"Growing up, all I wanted to be was a guide. It was my everything for years, and I didn't just want to be any guide... I wanted to be the best guide a drop-in could ask for! And now... i'm tainted because of my perverted actions."

Lani puts her head in her hands, shame filling her entire body. John on the other hand, is confused as to what Lani meant. He thinks back, but nothing about his time with Lani seemed to be perverted. The only time that may have been the case was setting him and Tally up, but she wasn't even there when it happened... was she?

John then thinks back to his first night in Fucknowswhat, and his first time visiting Tally's shop. The memory is clear as day, the embarrassment, the shame, the guilt he felt as he accidentally covered Lani in his baby batter. Did he cause this? Was he the reason that his innocent guide lost her purity? Was he the reason that she might not be able to go back home? All of these questions form in his mind, but Lani eventually snaps him out of his internal questioning by saying,

"John... I have something to confess..."