The following day Cain wakes up with a small furry body wrapped around him; Misha must have woken up enough to cuddle, but not enough to bother changing back to human.
It's not a bad experience, like having a big house cat, so Cain gently pets her fur, sending her back into a deep slumber as the ship splashes through the natural waves. The water magic evens most of the crashing through waves out, but for mana conservation, they don't alter the bigger swells out of existence, leaving the ship to gently rock and sway as it races through the water.
They don't get to sleep much longer before Nemu comes to wake them up for breakfast, smiling at the fact that Misha is still a Felian. She has changed to the cream haired Neko form she's become fond of lately, abandoning her fully furred appearance in favor of the feeling of sunshine on her skin and the ability to change clothes.
"Arms up. Now equip that, and let's go eat." Cain instructs Misha, using [Noble Command] to get the sleepy Dark Apostle to comply.
Cain smiles at her half conscious reactions while putting her in a light yellow sundress that compliments her current tawny fur and carrying her out of the cabin to the table. He's fed her an entire bowl of oatmeal and is pouring her second cup of coffee before she wakes up enough to realize what's going on.
"When were you guys going to point out that I was still a cat?" She asks, flustered.
"We weren't. You looked so happy being spoon-fed oatmeal that we thought you could stay that way a while." Mythryll teases her from where she's stretched out in a hammock with a book.
"At least put my bikini back on next time." She grumbles, equipping it under the dress Cain put on her but not changing back to human.
There's not much to do but relax the morning away, so Cain decides to return to a hammock on deck to watch the ocean and sip on a fruity concoction with a heavy dose of Rum. The mid-afternoon brings the only excitement of their day, the sight of merchant vessel sails on the horizon.
The ship changes course to come near them for a conversation, a custom between merchants when they have or need news, Nila informs them.
They drop sails and release their spells, coming to a halt within talking distance of each other, and the other Captain hails them with a friendly wave. "Well met, Queen Rose. We just came from the Port of Bursa, and a battle has broken out for the city. You don't want to be anywhere near there, as both the Pirates and the Navy are seizing cargo for the war effort."
"Much appreciated. We came from a long stay in Assah, with an afternoon stop in Pampa. Everything is calm there, and we didn't see any other vessels taking the offshore route yesterday." Nila responds, and the first mate of the other ship takes notes.
With a hearty goodbye and an exchange of Northern Rum for Southern Fruit wine, the two ships go their separate ways.
"If there's fighting, it will have spread to much of the desert coast. Do you want to go to the deep sea and then cut back straight to the Capital city of Landis? There's an island port that is famously neutral. We could stop in there and have some fun."
"I see no good reason why not. We had a pretty good time in the last port."
Nila changes course, headed east into deeper waters and further from the coast. According to the map she's following, there may be monsters here, so Cain calls out the Giant Armored Octopus as his Greater Golems and has them escort the ship.
Pure numbers should keep most of the resident monsters away, and at the very least, it will keep anything from sneaking upon them.
Honestly, the chance of seeing monsters twice in one trip is pretty low; most vessels only see them once or twice a year and get attacked even less frequently. But it's better to be safe since Cain's luck runs both to insane benefits and increased danger chances.
The Port they're headed for has been affectionately named Tortuga by the transfers who settled it. By the standards of the mainland, it's a Pirate Port. But in reality, it's much more like the early days of Las Vegas. Liquor, Gambling, and black-market goods are all overseen by a group of strong organizations that sees it in their best interest that visitors return.
They plan to pose as rogue merchants, stopping in to have a little fun on their way, using the convenient excuse of the battles near the desert. Disguised, nobody will recognize them on land later in their journey, even though they'll surely recognize the ship.
Supposedly it's not a crime to visit, but Cain prefers to keep his group anonymous when he can to avoid hostage situations should he upset even more people.
Plus, Misha is adorable as a Felian. Their joints and bodies work differently than humans, making stretching out on almost any flat surface an enjoyable experience, and she's taking full advantage of it, laid out on a mat next to where Mythryll is tanning.
The Elf has made it her mission to get a proper tan before they reach Landis, even buying one of the specialty coconut-based tanning oils from Pampa. It's fast acting, giving even fair Elven skin the beginnings of a lovely bronzed glow after a day in the sun. It supposedly also prevents sunburn, but they'll have to see tonight if that's true.
Nila has done the same, her ashen gray skin beginning to pick up a bit of a blue tone, like the other Wave Riders they've seen. Good timing, too, because in a Port full of Pirates and other Sailors, a Wave Rider without a tan would stand out like a sore thumb.
They sail for three gloriously peaceful and sunny days before the island comes into sight. There's a large volcano in the middle, explaining to Cain's mind why such a place exists in the middle of an ocean, and many ships are anchored near the city.
"Alright, who wants to go as themselves and who wants a disguise?" Nemu asks happily.
"I'll take one for sure." Evangeline raises her hand with a rueful grin. Seraphim here would stand out; they tend to be pretty strict with morality.
"I'll be me." Laura decides, landing on Vala's shoulder as the Demon waves off Nemu's disguise offer.
The Seraphim whispers something in Nemu's ear, and the Felian giggles before changing her into a tall, buff Tigerkin man, with mostly bright orange fur but black and white stripes.
"Oh, I didn't know you could do that. That is awesome. But I'll stay as me." Nila smiles, looking over the burly form the Seraphim has taken.
"Do me too. Maybe a Lion man with a long shining mane." Mythryll suggests, getting her wish.
"Okay, that's strange. Does it always swing like that?" Mythryll asks, swaying her hips in the loose pants she put on before transforming.
"Not always, but most of the time." Cain jokes, making the girls snicker as Mythryll realizes that she just said that out loud.
"Hmph. Jokes on you, I'll take this sexy little Elf ashore." She teases in a deep, growling voice before wrapping an arm around Nila.
With two Beastkin men plus Cain, their group looks much more normal now, compared to the other crews they've seen. Nemu decides to go as herself, but in her armored outfit, as the notes included with their chart informed them that it's customary to go ashore armed in such places.
Again they'll be leaving the casters and Puppets on board to look after the ship while everyone else explores. The Supporters don't mind, knowing they'll be able to chat with nearby crews, and they'll need to do some maintenance and supervise the Puppets while they clean the boat anyhow.
The bay is a solid volcanic rock bottom, no good for anchoring, but they've drilled moorings attached to thick chains into the seabed. Available for a nominal fee, of course.
They also offer a complimentary shuttle that runs a loop through the bay every twenty minutes, both to make sure nobody is moored without paying and to deliver crews and goods.
The Vampire currently piloting the vessel is a friendly sort, so old his fangs are almost the only teeth he has left, and he's got a list of goods in demand and ones in high supply, so crews know what to bring what to save for another port.
They're desperately short on arms and armor, the war effort having diverted or bought them out. They only want level 100 or higher items, but the Darklight Host has plenty of them in stock, made mainly by Dimnys and Lickity.
Once they finish basic training, Cid and Char intend to power level the crafters, but without Cain, it will still take them a while to reach the first advancement.
"Tell me, ferryman, is there a good buyer for armors here? Or would I do better to set up a stall myself?" Cain asks, and the Vampire gives him a toothless grin.
"For the eminently reasonable price of only fifteen percent, the local Armory Association will gladly buy any suitable items you have. They even pay the premium rate for Legendary items of all levels." That settles it then. No need to operate a booth; they can move a load of goods in a hurry here. Including ones that were nearly impossible to sell on the mainland.
