Drip-Fed

Shhhh... shhh.... Shhhh....

The wind brushed over the surface of the ocean, directing the waves in one direction. On and directly under the surface of the water, a variety of tiny forms of life competed with each other over the equally tiny plants. A variety of plankton, generally too low on the rungs of evolution to be aware of what happened beyond their most direct vicinity.

Shhh... shhhhhhh... shhhh... phhhrumph...

A geyser of water cut through the air, dispersed from the blowhole of a blue whale coming through. The creature was entirely non-magical and, at its size, in this Leaf, this far out in the ocean, it did not need to be. No predators attempted to hunt a fully grown blue whale. Offspring and growing ones, yes, but not an adult. As long as it was healthy, it had nothing to fear, drifting through the water.

Shhhh.... Shhhh... shhhh...

The blue whale took a deep breath, then sunk under the surface again. It did not descend far, as it was scanning the surface areas of the water for swarms of krill or other small, dense patches of animals it could filter feed on. With it travelled a school of small fishes that nibbled parasites off its enormous body.

Sh.... Shhhhhhh... shhhhhhh...

Slowly, the blue whale turned its enormous body. An object was cutting through the waves before it. It had some interest in the boat, but not enough to collide with it. Sticking its head out for a moment, the blue whale inspected the ship. On the railing stood a tall, broad man with black hair.

Shhh... SPLASH... shhhh

Apexus' ponytail waved in the constant wind, while he watched the blue whale's enormous head displace the water. The blowhole created another short-lived geyser. Then the whale was on its way again. Apexus wondered what it took to sustain such an enormous body.

Rrrrrrhhhuuuhrrr... shhh... shhhhhhhhhh

In the distance, thunder rolled. It was the original reason why Apexus had come out on deck. Rarely did one get the opportunity to watch a storm at a distance. Several kilometres away, visible thanks to the vast extent of the ocean, the black and grey clouds drifted by. The winds that moved them hit the side of the ship, tilting them off their wanted trajectory. The storm's destination was far behind them. The rain, the lightning, and the deep shadow they caused, none of that was theirs to suffer.

Shhhh...shhhh..."Darling?"

Apexus turned his head slightly, acknowledging Aclysia. Wordlessly, he offered her an arm. Grace in every step, compromised only by her eagerness, the metal fairy walked up to his side and let his hand rest on the swing of her hips. Together, they looked out towards the storm.

"What are you pondering?" Aclysia inquired.

"I am struck by the difference," Apexus confessed, gesturing between where the storm reigned and the clear day above them. It was the afternoon and the sun still stood high enough to light the world. "Under the cover of the storm, through rain and cloud, even the brightest day becomes so incredibly dark."

"The fuck ya philosophizing about?" Reysha asked, simultaneously jumping onto his back. The weight of the tiger girl wasn't enough to make Apexus move any notable amount. Soon, she stabilized herself with her legs around his midriff and arms around his neck.

"I was making an observation."

"Sure ya whe- is that a fucking whale?"

"WHALE?!" Korith shouted from below deck and came sprinting out. Apexus extended his left arm to the side and, a moment later, the entirety of the shortstack was hanging from it. Having leapt across the deck, she used the arm in place of a stool to look over the railing. "It is a whale! Wow!" The kobold stared at the massive fin that seemed to wave them goodbye.

"I did not know you wanted to see one," Apexus said. "I would have called had I known."

"I didn't think about it," Korith confessed, pulling herself further up the arm, as if it was some kind of handlebar. The blonde kobold followed the whale's form for as long as her eyesight allowed. "It's one of these things everyone talks about when you grow up and you never believe you will see one with your own eyes, you know?"

"No," Apexus responded.

Korith blinked twice, before she remembered that 'growing up' meant something entirely different to Apexus than virtually everyone else. "Oh, uh... well it's a thing. Like Divine Fruit, I don't think I'll come across one of those."

"Eh, give it a few years, you're hanging with the right crowd." Reysha rubbed the side of her face against Apexus, who affectionately responded in the same fashion.

"I regard that as an arrogant statement," Aclysia commented.

"Ya gotta have some confidence, bubble butt. We're awesome, I'm sure we can clear enough dungeons and do enough Divine Quests to get one of those to spawn."

"Who would get to eat it if we did?" Korith wondered.

"Whoever got the most wrinkles," Reysha responded jokingly. "So Aclysia is out by default."

"By my nature, I would derive no advantage from a Divine Fruit in any capacity. Bringing my immortality into it is unnecessary."

"Ya hear that? She doesn't want it anyway." Reysha giggled and poked Apexus in the chin. "What about ya, big man? Think you'll need a cure for aging down the line?"

Apexus softly tilted his head to the left, then to the right. "I don't know."

"You are certainly mysterious," a fifth voice joined their little gathering. Everyone was surprised by Mai's sudden appearance, although only Korith really showed it.

The kobold let out an 'eep' sound and fell off his arm, hitting the wooden deck. That she was so well-endowed in the butt section had a practical application for once. She spotted the Rogue teacher after a moment, the Stealth diminishing gradually.

Mai grabbed Apexus' wrist and pulled his arm down. The strength inside her body, especially lithe today, overcame that of the Monk-in-training convincingly. Although expected, Apexus could not help but be mildly intrigued by this loss in sheer physical strength. Magic tilted what eyes would have implied. With a shapeshifter like the Infiltrator, there was no way to tie her appearance to her actual power.

"You don't tire, it's quite useful," Mai observed, her hands pressing his muscles on the way up to his shoulder. In a purely academic fashion, she searched for any signs of strain, hardened spots or anything of the like. All she found was muscle fibre. On close inspection, it felt a little more flexible and smoother than regular muscles. A difference that could have just as easily been chalked up to him being a member of a peculiar race. The truth was more absurd and therefore the explanation was easily believed.

"I burn energy."

"Yes, but more efficiently. Must be quite nice not having to worry about your internal organs," she said quietly, making sure none of the sailors heard them. "If you were my pupil, I would keep you training with only breaks for sleep."

"Why don't ya train me that way?" Reysha asked.

"Because you're a borderline nymphomaniac," Mai responded sharply. "If I were to train you continuously, your capacity to retain information would be lost."

"All learning and no play make Reysha a sad kitty."

Mai let out a long sigh. "If any of my daughters turn out like you, I'd be disappointed."

"Hey, if ya mixed me and Niala together, you'd probably have grandkids by now."

"I suppose there are upsides," Mai hummed.

Before their conversation could turn into any other direction, she, along with everyone else standing by the railing, noticed Joey. The captain was in a sour mood, even more than usual, which was in stark contrast with his semi-happiness of recent days. They had been on the sea for fourteen days now. Four days longer than their original journey and they were nowhere near land now. That was still in the expected range of time, but the delay was enough to break down the appeasement the grumpy half elf had felt over the fortune the trip would make him.

"Bad news?" Apexus asked.

"For you," Joey revealed immediately. "We've had slow westwards winds for seven days in a fucking row and doesn't look like that'll change anytime soon. I've decided that we stop crossing against it and just accept where fortune takes me."

"So we aren't heading back to Teacher's Isle?"

"No, we'll be heading for Port Senvilla... that's on the northern coast of west Weststir," he added that second part after remembering most of the people he was talking to didn't know the map that well. "It'll be easy for me to sell the scales there and I can load up on some shit I can sell back in the Golden Fields."

Reysha raised an eyebrow, "So, this works out fantastically for you?"

"Yeah, so I'm fucking doing it," Joey stated, unapologetically. "Fuck these winds. If we try to go southward we'll be out here for another week at least. That could be done, but we'd probably have to stop in Elomerstir to buy some fresh water. Morale is low because I sold most of the booze and the extra trip was unplanned anyway."

"We are most grateful that you took us along this far," Aclysia assured him and bowed her head. "We will find our way back in our own time."

"Good... that's... good," Joey grumbled. Despite his ranting and good reasons, the captain was feeling a little bit bad about going back on his word. As an experienced seafarer, he did know that the ocean had a mind of its own. Some legendary captains had found their death not in a storm or thanks to some awe-inspiring creatures, but only because they assumed the winds would do them the favour of blowing in the right direction (or at all).

Seven days of attempted progress was already a lot invested. The group understood that.

Joey knocked twice on the railing and then went to spread the news to the rest of the crew. Soon, the entirety of the ship was turning. It was a swift change, spurred on by sails that were finally allowed to catch the wind as it came. Gentle as the breezes were, they were also constant. They gained tempo.

The westward ones were stable, day and night, for three more days. Then their luck turned again, blowing them northwards. Joey was annoyed beyond belief at that point, something he attempted to channel into his rowing efforts. If anger could have been translated directly into physical power, the captain no doubt would have been the primary motor force of the boat.

Instead, it was Apexus, Mai, Korith and Reysha who were mostly to thank for managing to gain some distance against the wind. On the nineteenth day of the journey, they finally arrived at the port.

It was a terribly messy landfall. The wind had picked up and it took practically the entire crew to work against it. With some navigating tricks, they diminished just how intensely they needed to work against the wind. That was fine out at sea. When trying to pull into port, there were other factors to be considered.

Not only did they have to line up with one of the piers, they also needed to both build the momentum to reach it and to pull in the pedals before they could get in the way. Even an experienced captain like Joey had his difficulties coordinating that effort. They spent almost three hours attempting to get the angle and speed right.

A combination of slowly changing weather and helpful onlookers finally let them connect to the pier. High tide washed them in, people quickly grabbed the ropes and secured them tightly to the posts, and the ship came to a halt. Anchors were lowered, everything double tightened, and the crew was allowed to relax.

"Guess that's it then," Mai said and stretched.

Joey, collapsed against a wall, raised an eyebrow. "You want to leave immediately?" It was the beginning of the night.

"Hubby has been waiting long enough," Mai stated and turned to her students. Apexus was fine, Reysha and Korith were beat. "I trust you won't do anything unwise on the way back?"

"What do ya mean? We're going right back to punch Melios in his prick face," Reysha joked.

"That's what I thought," the teacher chuckled and left the ship.

"We have made landfall at this location," Aclysia explained to the present two of her party, tapping on the segment of the northern coast. They were still aboard the ship, having used their quarters onboard for one last rest before they hit the road. "By my estimation, it will take us approximately 15 days to return to the Teacher's Isle on foot. Alternatively, we could direct ourselves straight south and aim for the coast. We may be able to purchase a passage to the isle from there, or at least ensure we skip half the land route."

"Doesn't look like we'd lose that much if we went there anyway," Reysha chimed in. "Would be wiser to go around those hills than through them, right?"

"Affirmative," Aclysia nodded, her finger trailing southwards. "Then our first destination shall be this settlement. Distance implies a two-day journey. Maintained roads may cut down on this."

"Well, no reason to wait, right?" Korith asked.

"Some reason to wait," Reysha said and pointed towards the open door. It was pouring, steadily and heavily, the thick drops on the planks creating a constant drumbeat. Only reason why the door was even open was to let the daylight in. "Let's see when the big guy comes back."

Apexus strutted through the city streets. Neither the rain on his naked chest nor the mud under his feet particularly bothered him. Losing heat to the environment was the only cause for any concern and it was so mild Apexus elected to ignore it. Instead, he kept tranquillity in his core and observed the rain for its interesting qualities.

His raised palm caught the falling drops of water, interrupted them momentarily in their journey to the ground. Eventually, the gathered water overflowed and spilled over the edge of his hand. Apexus followed one of those drops. His senses sharpened from the focus, and he could see the water in the dull light of the overcast sky. It fell like he had fallen in the first moments of his existence.

Unlike him, it became a part of the vast pool of connected water that covered the surface in puddles and continued deep down into the earth. With a splash, it was gone. Its individual existence lost, never to be restored in the same configuration.

Apexus noticed a worm squirming in front of him. He stopped and observed the creature, seeing it wind around in a desperate attempt to escape from the puddle that had formed around it. Without hesitation or consideration, he scooped the worm up and carried it to a nearby patch of plants that had been left to grow at the edge of some property.

He sat it down where the leaves of the plants provided limited dryness. The worm's instincts made it calm down, now that it was out of danger. Apexus spotted a myriad other interesting factors in the area. The rain changed the priorities for each of these small animals, be it that they got calmer, were in danger, or had their prime opportunities.

'I could study this for a while,' Apexus thought, watching an ant scout out the worm he had placed there. Upon the touch of the eusocial insect's mandibles, the worm went into a renewed panic. The ant retreated, but it would be back as soon as it had laid a pheromone trail.

Apexus remembered when he was threatened by a swarm of ants. Their ferocity and coordination had been the entire reason he had acquired the pheromone ducts as his first permanent Growth. It had never quite seen use for the original purpose, as he had envisioned ants to be the dominating species of the world. Their supremacy over their segment of the environment was clear, yet Apexus had far outstripped the weight class of the ants commonly found around the Omniverse.

Saving the worm would have been as easy as leaving a more interesting pheromone trail for the ants to pursue. Apexus chose to do nothing. Saving the worm from the rain was one thing, to save it from predators another. A drowned worm would do little good. The eaten worm would feed the colony of the ants.

'Then why is banditry immoral?' Apexus wondered. He left as the ants descended on the worm.

A little bit further down the road, he came across a man whose cart was stuck in the mud. Most of his features were obscured by the waxed raincoat he was wearing. He repressed a frustrated groan, not to agitate his donkey any further. When he noticed Apexus walking towards him, he was simultaneously relieved and slightly confused by his appearance. "Hey, you look like you can lift. Can you lend me a hand?"

"Yes," Apexus responded, straightforward and simple. He stopped next to the cart, checked where exactly the problem was. Before the owner could be annoyed with his stillness, the humanoid chimera stepped to the back of the cart and lifted.

The wheels were deep in the mud, but between his lift and the donkey being made to pull again, they came free. There was a squelching sound, as air and water rushed into the vacuum created. The cart found traction and rolled a metre forward. Then the man got his donkey to stop by gently patting its neck.

If a swarm of bandits now descended on the man, saved from the natural causes, would Apexus have helped him? Of course, he would have. But what made that different? "Could I ask you two questions?" the humanoid chimera asked.

"Seems fair. Thanks for the help, by the way," the man responded.

"Why is banditry wrong?"

That question gave the man pause. He pulled his hood back enough to get a clearer look at Apexus. He was a simple person in his mid-thirties. "You're one of those philosophizing monkly adventurer types, aren't you?" he asked.

"I find myself with a lot of questions and insufficient answers."

"...Never really thought about why banditry is wrong. I don't like the idea of being robbed... if I had to put a finger on it, there's just a lot of other stuff they could do instead of hurting their fellow man."

Apexus nodded, that was an answer that clicked and that satisfied him. The ant had to eat and it did not conceive of different ways to survive than to hunt other insects. Bandits had choices. They were sapient creatures and exploited other sapient creatures. To hunt and be hunted was life. "Where did you buy that coat?" he asked his second question.

The suddenness of that gave the man pause again. This was by far the weirdest interaction he had had in a long time. Even living close to Wise Shire and the various retired adventurers that populated it did not regularly cause contact with people this sudden in their social displays. "There's a shop by the docks that sells various water-resistant goods. I got it there."

"Thank you," Apexus said and turned around. After three steps, he reminded himself about the typical end of conversations. "Have a nice day."

"You too?" he sounded somewhat confused.

Apexus headed back the way he came. 'I should have searched the docks more carefully,' he thought. The entire trip had been about finding something that would let his loves ward off the rain. Their tents were treated, so the nights would not be an issue, provided they found decently dry ground. For clothes, all they had to resist water were the clothes they had bought for their trip into the White Ice Dungeon on Azenia-Ra. They were too thick for the Autumn weather, and Korith did not possess her own clothes for this purpose.

Apexus, as one of two people in the group barely bothered by the rain, had decided that he would be the one to look around for a solution to this problem. Usually, Aclysia took care of their buying and socializing. The shift of priorities was born only from a whim by the slime.

Heading back to the dock area, Apexus looked around and eventually found the shop the man had described. It was marked only with a tiny sign. Nothing indicated there was a tailor there. Word of mouth was the primary advertisement.

Apexus stopped shortly behind the door, staring down at a broad, rough, thick rag that had been left there. He was standing on it. It was perfectly placed so whoever stepped in would inevitably step on it. Looking at the clean stone tiles beyond, the humanoid slime understood and cleaned his bare feet as best as possible, before advancing into the store proper.