Myrreos' Longest Journey - P4 Man on the Ferry

Part IV: Man on the Ferry

 

Ferry on Lake Mersen

We find Myrreos leaning with his only hand on the railing of a small but well-equipped ferry, its low bow piercing the light waves of Alvunne's central lake, lake Mersen. Did you know Mersen translates to 'crown' in your English language? Just a litttle something you'll be able to boast about knowing when you visit the Continent one day.   A flock of birds circle the clear blue skies above the ferry as it goes, adding their gawking to the soundscape. Myrreos is staring out at the shrinking village of Alphon where he lived for two months. He worked at an inn to pay for the crossing. Traveling around it would've been a long and even more expensive journey. You see, the lake is riddled with ships from ferry companies competing for traveling customers like him. Most of these used to be fishing ships until fishing became outlawed because of dwindling number of fish in the lake.  

The robed man

It is nice to see Myrreos has gotten rid of the hood over his face. It made him look like someone who had to hide something. But all I can feel is joy for his newfound freedom. It's moments like these that make you feel alone in the world, yet powerful enough to face any challenge.   An older man in elaborate robes moves up beside him, putting out his hands on the railing. He looks stern and sniffs loudly as he takes off his purple lined hood, uncovering his clean shaven face and long hair, perfectly braided into three distinct tails fluttering in the light breeze. When he speaks out into the distance, his lips curve into a smile.   "Nice view. And you picked well. This one's a real fine barge." His voice sounds warm and inviting, but it seems Myrreos has to concentrate to hear it over the sounds of the birds, the water crashing and the others talking around them.   "Are you the captain?" Myrreos asks, confused.   "Oh, certainly not, my one-armed friend." The man is talking louder now. "This is just my favourite barge to travel the Lake with. I am Pharinon, a High Priest of our beloved Mahi and an avid traveler! I've just been to Ferinta for the opening of a new beautiful place of worship. Then I visited Pervalme. I felt I had to be there for the signing of the Treaty!"   "You were there?" Myrreos sounds uninterested, surely attempting to chase his new acquaintance away.   "I was in the village. Visiting. I wasn't there to sign anything, really. I'm not that High of a Priest." He chuckles at his own words. "And what about you? Why are you roaming the high lake and traveling to Liburu?"  

Not for the feint of heart

Myrreos doesn't have to come up with a boring tale to cover his identity in response. A loud scream pierces through the peaceful soundscape on the ferry. Then, a loud ruckus follows. The priest looks up, a concerned look in his eyes, trying to see what's going on. The travelers on the ship all flock together around a man in a simple chiton crouched down on the ground. He's sinking slowly onto the hard wooden floor of the main hall of the ferry.   "What happened?" the man next to Myrreos asks a bystander.   A panicking woman answers shakily: "It's my son. He was complaining of chest pain for a while but now he just collapsed outta nowhere."   As a secret king, Myrreos had enjoyed basic first aid training as part of his education. It's a vital part of any leading family's education system, so Myrreos rushes towards the young man and turns him onto his back. It seems the man isn't responding or even breathing. A woman kneels by their side to help resuscitate the poor guy. As the woman takes over from him, Myrreos turns to catch Pharinon's gaze, but the priest has been backing away slowly. Myrreos' voice sounds angry as he shouts at him.   "Come on! You're a priest from Liburu. You're supposed to carry medical suplies. A little help here?"   "Well, yes, but the ship will have supplies as well." the priest turns to a bystander. "Where's the supplies?" The bystander shruggs with confusion on her face.   "If you don't get your supplies, the Lake will be your final resting place." Myrreos has really lost his temper right now, and understandingly so. What's gotten into that priest? But it seems Myrreos' has left an impression on him. He grabs two Sonde Stones from his bag and hands them over to Myrreos, who swiftly returns to the patient and pulls him upright into a sitting position. While the woman keeps him in place, Myrreos places the Stones on the victims' body, one on his chest and the other on his back, both directly over the heart's position.   Nothing happens. That's odd. These Stones are supposed to be Blossom Ore imbued with Blue Poppy extract. The extracts' powers on both sides of the body are supposed to find and attach to the Stones on the other side in order to send a shockwave into the heart. But it isn't working!   Then, Myrreos tries something new. He holds out his maimed arm and seems to wave towards the stone on the man's chest with a hand he hasn't even got anymore. Not since his encounter with his own brother in Pervalme, at least. Myrreos' waving motion activates the Blue Poppy extracts in the Stones and saves the poor man's life. That was close! But why didn't the Sonde Stones work properly?  

"Charlatan!"

Myrreos cries out as he finds Pharinon at the stern of the ferry. Amazingly, the priest smiles a devious smile at Myrreos storming towards him. He quickly adds:   "True, Myrreos."   Myrreos almost stumbles and trips over his own feet. Again, someone knows his name without being told what it is. The priest continues uninterrupted: "The Sonde Stone you used on the patient's back one was a fake. I sold the real one for some good money in Ferinta. I'll head back to Liburu and swap this fake out with another real one. Poof, no harm done. So the question remains: How did you manage to save the lad with only one working Stone?"   To this, Myrreos could only stutter and then: "I have no idea, really." The priest's smile curls even higher on one side of his lips.   "I think I have a job for you, Magic-arm." He adds, leaving Myrreos and myself with a lot of questions.