You might hate me for doing this, but I still think it was the right decision. I am sorry father that I have failed to be a good prince and I highly doubt that I would ever be a good ruler. Perhaps brother is best suited for the job.
In the last twenty-four hours I have felt more alive than ever in my entire life. I have been in dangerous situations and I have been able to pull myself out of them without getting hurt thus far. I know that the dangers would only increase from now on, but dealing with these dangers as I progress in the quest is helping me to be myself. You would not believe me when I say that I have levelled up twice in the last couple of days! I have also received a few spells. This very message spell I have received because I dared to do something that most would shy away from.
I hope you do not hate me, father.
Timmy.
I reread the message before sending it. I had been reluctant to tell father about me acquiring new skills and levelling up when I had been in the castle, but I changed my mind. I hoped it would provide some kind of solace to my father to know that at least I wasn’t sucking at the quest like most things that I used to do at the castle.
All my mana was gone the moment I sent the message and I was pretty sure that if I got into some dangerous situation in the next few hours, I would most likely die. Yet, I had a great feeling of satisfaction as I sent the message.
We spent the night near the forest of Ultur itself. There was barely any of the night left in the first place. Apparently Gnaria and her friends were used to sleeping outside. They had pillows and sheets which they placed on the ground. The sky was clear, and there was not a chance of rain. I was given a pillow and a sheet on which to sleep by Zuli.
She was the one who lay down on the ground closest to me, though I would have been more comfortable to sleep next to someone else.
“Ever slept out like this?” Zuli asked me. There was not the slightest trace of sleep in her eyes.
I shook my head. My body was aching. Perhaps it was the lack of mana, perhaps it was the lack of sleep, perhaps it was because of all the physical exertions I had had in the last few hours. Perhaps it was all of it combined.
“Never before in life,” I said.
Zuli let out a laugh, realising the nervousness in my voice.
“Darn it,” she said, “you really don’t like me, do you? I have been pestering you ever since I met you, no wonder.”
“It’s not that,” I said with some hesitation though in truth she was correct.
“Oh, shut up,” Zuli said playfully. “Okay, I’ll stop treating you like some long lost lover of mine. Will that do?”
“No wonder you have never succeeded in charming a male cat,” Zorem said. “The moment you meet a new male, you start treating them like a lover. It’s a huge turn off, you know. That’s the reason why I didn’t fall for you, but fell for Nori.”
“Yeah, I guess you are right,” Zuli said to Zolem, while I listened wondering if I should speak anything. “I’ll be quiet and homely and play the role of an innocent girl the next time I meet a new guy.”
“One thing though, Timmy,” Zolem said to me. “Gnaria didn’t find any way to drink rum in the forest, did she?”
Gnaria had fallen fast asleep by now.
“She did,” I said, “but the rum turned to water.”
“So she hasn’t drunk a drop of rum in the last twenty four hours?” Zolem said, “She hasn’t gone that long without rum in ages.”
“Yeah, you should stay more with her,” Zuli added, smiling brightly at me, “Gnaria is a good girl, you know. I have a feeling that you are interested in her, even though that’s tragic news for me.”
Zuli said this rather dramatically. I found my mind wandering to the time when Gnaria and I had been in Dom’s garden and I had seen our plants, which were intertwined. Were Gnaria and I meant to be together? I didn’t know. I had met her only some time back and yet… I felt a strange closeness to her. I decided it was best to let fate decide.
General Information
Name: Timmy
Level: 5
Sex: Male
Race: Cat
Health: 370
Mana: 130
Strength: 43
Stamina: 45
Luck: 39
Chapter 16
It was noon when I awoke. We were sleeping very close to the walls of the forest of Ultur, and cats were moving about the street. Few of them even spared us a glance. Perhaps they thought we were a group of homeless cats. I yawned and stretched myself.
I thought it was pretty interesting that a prince should end up sleeping in the streets. What was even more interesting was that the prince in consideration was actually enjoying it. I had slept on the ground and though the ground was hard, I had never had such a deep sleep in a long while.
After a while the rest of the group awoke. Zolem brought us bread from a nearby shop which we ate for breakfast. And then the group asked me if I would like to accompany them to the next destination that they planned to go to. I graciously rejected the offer.
I had checked the map and decided that it was time I went to the place called Hostania mentioned in the map. Gnaria had earlier told me that the place could be reached by ship from the northern port. It was the next leg of my quest and also the nearest place to Drannia, where I was.
I said my goodbyes to the group. Gnaria suddenly held my paws with her own. She was different now compared to the Gnaria that I had known yesterday and there was a strange longing in her eyes.
“I… I did not thank you for saving me from the rat monster yesterday,” she said and she almost sounded like she was saying that because she had nothing else to say. “It would have eaten me had you not come. I hope we meet again someday.”
I nodded, and in her eyes I saw the plants in the garden that were intertwined. But I decided to leave the matter completely to fate and to focus on my quest instead. I left the group and I was able to get a carriage that was headed to the northern port.
I made inquires in the port and came to know that the next ship that was bound for Hostania would only be leaving the next day in the morning, so I booked a room at an inn to spend the night.
Lying on the lice ridden bed that night I couldn’t shake off Gnaria’s face from my mind. I had been thinking only about her during my journey to the port and less of the quest on which I should be focussing on. Had I made a wrong decision in turning down the offer to travel with Gnaria and her friends? I did not know. It definitely would have been stupid for me to abruptly change my decisions, yet I felt like I shouldn’t have let Gnaria go from my life. I was pretty sure meeting her a second time would not be easy considering how large the world was, and who knew, I might not even survive the perilous quest.
I woke up early the next morning and went to the port. As I stood watching the ship that would take me to Hostania come to the shore, a familiar voice spoke just beside me.
“Timmy.”
I whirled around, Gnaria’s voice was unmistakable. And there she was looking at me with a slightly confused expression, as though she was afraid I might get angry with her that she had come to the port.
“Why did you come here?” I asked her, though inside me I felt an immense sense of gratitude for her.
“I don’t know,” Gnaria said, blushing slightly and not meeting my eyes, “I just felt like… I came here yesterday and hoped to meet you today morning here. Can I accompany you on your adventure?”
“It’s going to be dangerous,” I said to her. Inside me I thought that Gnaria must be one crazy girl. She had come to the port just like she had suddenly entered the forest of Ultur with me. But it was a good thing about her. She didn’t keep off doing the things that she felt she should do.
“Ultur was dangerous too,” Gnaria said, “but we came out of the forest unscathed. And- and,” Gnaria put a paw on her throat, “I promise that I won’t drink rum and cause any troubles like the last time.”
“What about your friends?” I asked.<
br />
“They let me come. They told me to meet up with them once I was back from the quest.”
“We might never come back from the quest,” I said to her.
A moment of silence passed. The ship reached the shore. A plank was thrown down and the captain began to shout to the passengers to board the ship.
“But I want to go with you… please?” Gnaria said looking up at me with her large eyes. I thought she looked cute that way. Once again I recalled the intertwined plants. If fate wanted me and Gnaria to be together, should I try to stop it? That wouldn’t be wise, would it?
“Fine,” I said with a shrug, “once we get the treasure of the goat king, you can keep half of it if you want.”
“Thank you!” Gnaria said and she threw her arms around me and hugged me tight. The cats around looked at us like it was an odd scene. Suddenly, Gnaria let go off me, blushing. The two of us boarded the ship. Gnaria told me that she had stayed in one of the nearby inns of the port just like me.
Once all passengers were on board, the ship set sail. For a while I struggled with the sea sickness and so did Gnaria. The constant motion was not faring well on either of us. Our health bars began to fall. And then, once a few hours had passed a notification appeared in my vision, telling me that from then on I would not longer feel sea sickness and it also provided me with some extra health. Gnaria also received the same notification and so did some of the other people on board the ship.
And then the journey became beautiful. Gnaria and I stood at the edge of the deck and watched the vast expanse of the sea all around the ship. The sea was very calm today and it reflected the frothy clouds in the sky. Occasionally a large fish would come to the surface. Sometimes an entire school of fish would come up to take a look at the ship. Gnaria and I did not talk much. There wasn’t much to talk about. She tried to ask me about my past, but I veered around that subject. I didn’t know if I should tell her that I was a prince.
It was around sunset that the calm sea changed its mood and became violent. The waves rocked the ship. The white clouds overhead turned black and it was clear that a thunderstorm was underway. The captain ordered everyone to get below deck, as he didn’t want anyone falling into the sea. There were few lamps below the deck and it was mostly dark. We could hear clearly the splash of rain on the deck above us. My hair stood on end as I caught a chill. I prayed that the ship would survive the storm. Gnaria stood close to me and she was visibly frightened. I wondered if she was thinking that she might have not made a wise decision in coming with me. The other passengers were also frightened. Out in the sea, I felt a strange sort of helplessness, one that I had not felt even in the castle. If, say, the ship sank how were we going to survive? There was no way to make a run. Plus, I was not the best swimmer, having neglected most of the swimming lessons.
And then, all of a sudden, the ship hit something below the water. My heart would have almost stopped beating. Many people were thrown off their feet, for the collision had been a violent one. Someone let out a cry that the ship had accidentally hit the peak of an underwater mountain and water was fast rushing into the ship. Were my worst horrors going to be realised? I didn’t know.
“The ship is going to sink!” someone cried. Everyone began to rush back to the deck, stricken by the panic and by the pandemonium.
I myself ran to the edge of the ship and looked beyond it, even as the rain pelted my body. I saw that the ship was fast sinking and it was unlikely that the captain could get it out of trouble.
“Are we going to die?” Gnaria asked me. She sounded rather calm considering the situation as though she was asking me something very normal.
I held her shoulders and looked into her eyes. I did not know what to say to her. For a few moments the passage of time seemed to slow down and I felt my heart beat lowering and the fear and panic going down if only a bit. Then suddenly the cries and the shouts returned to my ears. From the corner of my eyes I saw that a couple of life boats were being lowered to the sea.
“We are not going to die,” I said with much resolution to Gnaria. Not today. If we could get on one of the life boats both of us would survive.
Chapter 17
The problem was that there were a total of four lifeboats and by no means could they save the lives of all the passengers and of the crew members. Still, I grabbed Gnaria’s paw and pulled her towards the life boats. The people were fighting with each other to get on the life boats. Funny how people changed when death was staring at them in the eye. The same cats would probably have talked very nicely to each other yesterday. Now they were ready to kill each other to save themselves.
I found a wall of people separating me from any of the life boats, and then a thought clicked in my head. The Long Hands spell!
I quickly activated the spell and shot a hand at one of the boats. The other cats were surprised seeing the rare Long Hands spell in action. I caught the edge of the boat as hard as I could and I began to pull myself towards it, somehow forcing my way through the crowd of people to the edge of the ship, all the while having my other arm around Gnaria. The moment I was able to reach the edge of the ship the life boat was lowered.
Gnaria and I jumped from the edge of the ship to the boat. Many other cats also jumped, hoping to somehow get onto the already overcrowded boat and save their poor souls. Most of them landed in the sea instead and cried out for help. A couple of male cats landed on top of the other cats who had already boarded the boat, and they were kicked and boxed and thrown to the sea by the other cats who feared that the boat would sink if the weight was too much. Gnaria and I landed in the sea. I still had my hand attached to the boat and I began to pull myself towards it, even as the other cats who had boarded it began to row the boat away from the sinking ship. The water was cold and I knew that in a few minutes I would be shivering badly. All my fur was soaked with water and it was making me heavy. Plus, even though Gnaria was kicking her legs and moving her arms, I was still holding onto her and I was supporting most of her weight. I yearned to get onto the boat, but there was barely any space left in it.
I wondered if I had doomed myself and Gnaria by using the Long Hands spell. While it was still possible for me to shoot my hand at the ship and pull myself and Gnaria back onto it, but the speed at which the ship was sinking made it clear that it would mean giving up all hopes of survival. The other boats had been lowered from the ship already and they were also packed full. There were countless cats swimming around the ship and crying out. There were still many cats on the deck of the ship and so was the captain and most of the crew members. While most of the cats were crying out, some had their paws clasped and their eyes closed in prayer. The captain watched his sinking ship rather stoically, quite aware that he was bound for death and he seemed to have accepted his fate. Yet, I couldn’t help but think that the captain and the crew were noble in not fleeing in the life boats earlier for they must have had the first access to the lifeboats.
After a while the boat that I had been holding onto had come a considerable distance from the ship and I turned my head away from the ill fated ship and focussed instead on holding onto the boat. My hold was wearing even as my health and mana levels fell. The violent sea on top of that was giving me a hard time.
The boarders of the life boat were in little better mental condition than those who still remained on the ship. Most of the passengers of the life boat were crying. While there was a little food and fresh water, it was obvious that all of them couldn’t survive beyond perhaps a day.
And then someone decided to make the competition less and began to attack his fellow passengers and throw them into the sea. A couple of his friends helped him.
One burly cat came to remove my hand, a grin on his face. The kind of grin that a cat who is about to die has in an attempt to do a final evil deed and squeeze some pleasure out of it. He grabbed my hand and tried to push me away. With my other hand I pointed at him and shot an air arrow. He fell back. His friend saw me. I raised my other hand
at him, but I realised that if I shot another air arrow, then I might not be able to use the Human Hands spell. Human hands were better at gripping than cat paws and it would be catastrophic.
But as he came to wrench my hand free from the boat, the sky behind him suddenly became darker.
I realised that it was a giant wave. Seeing me stare behind him in horror, the cat too turned to have a look backwards. Just then the massive wave hit the boat. I closed my eyes and I focused on three main things at the moment.
To not let go of the boat.
To not let go of Gnaria.
And not to breathe in water.
The water tried to pull me away from the boat. But it was perhaps the sheer determination to survive that forced me to remain glued to the boat. And then the wave was gone as quickly as it had come. When I opened my eyes again, the sea was still rough, but I couldn’t see any other wave of the magnitude like the previous one. Gnaria beside me was weak from the battle with the wave.
“Come onto the boat,” a voice said.
It was only then did it dawn upon me that the boat was empty except for one cat, a rather frail looking one. The other cats had all been swept away by the wave, which had thankfully spared the boat itself. The cat had somehow survived the wave, holding onto the boat, while the other cats had been busy throwing other cats off the boat or in preventing other cats from throwing them off the boat.
The previous passengers of the boat were all at considerable distance from the boat and they were only getting farther away from it. I saw the second cat that had tried to wrench my hand free of the boat in the distance. He went below the surface and he didn’t come back to the surface. I did not feel much pity for him.
I pulled myself up onto the boat and then helped Gnaria onto it.
Catheroes Page 35
