Ah, sleep. Sweet, warm, lovely sleep. Anne wished she could stay wrapped in her blanket forever and become one with the bed. Maybe even evolve into a rare species of lazy sea slug. But life was cruel.
[WARNING: YOU HAVE BEEN LAZING AROUND FOR TOO LONG.]
What an annoying system she had. There was no rest for the captain. Certainly, the ship wanted to work her to the bone.
Anne opened her eyes slowly, still tired from her last outing. "Can I get five more minutes, please, oh great mother ship?" The Rogue's Embrace answered with an angry creak in its old wooden bones, like a grandma scolding her for skipping chores.
"Aye, aye. I will get to work." She yawned, rolling herself out of the bed. Her body was still in pain, every muscle screamed when moved, but that was expected after all the running and especially the cliff jumping. All because she decided to be a little adventurous.
But it all went well in the end. Sure, she set a house on fire, almost drowned, and now everything hurts… but hey, they got the loot!
Why did a slacker make things more difficult, you might ask? Well, Anne didn't have a goal in life besides sleeping all day. So if she was going to have to work her way to the seas, then she might do it in a fun way.
Preferably without all the running and cliffs next time.
Slowly and painfully, Anne dragged herself to her desk. As long as she looked busy, the system wouldn't nag her, and studying, apparently, counted. And there was no way she was going up to the deck. Nyx and Rat could deal with the ship.
This was the Safe Sea after all, the most boring patch of water in the known world. No giant storms, no sea monsters, almost no pirates. No dangers hidden on land. Also, no treasures either, and that's why most stayed away. This small sea was just used to smuggle goods and for forced vacations for some.
"After getting a small crew, enough to make this ancient grandmother functional, we should leave these lame waters." Anne muttered, pulling out The Wayfinder's Code from her drawer.
Anne hadn't looked at it since the first day, and to be honest, she hadn't even read it all. Too lazy for that.
Flipping through the pages, she noticed a few updates. Nyx's profile was there now, along with a list of her freaky assassin powers. Anne raised an eyebrow.
"Huh, was this here before, or did it show up just after Nyx's addition?" She mumbled, turning to a new section of the book: Bloodlines. And in there an in-depth description of the Vethari bloodline could be read.
Living Shadow Bloodline
Origin: Vethari Race.
Grants shadow affinity: they can melt into a shadow and reappear elsewhere. Enhances senses in darkness, boosts reflexes, and grants natural skill with stealth, daggers, and being cryptic in conversation.
Note: Vethari don't have to be assassins, but they usually are.
It had more specific information, but it was too much mumble-jumbo for Anne, and she had no interest in it. Knowing or not, she would die for one either way if they so wished. Still, one line caught her eye:
Bloodline Ascension: Locked.
"What does that even mean?" Anne sighed, dejected. "Now that was something it would be cool for the system to explain. But no, that has no explanation." Were bloodlines able to evolve? Or was Ascension another thing?
In this world, each race had one or two original bloodlines. They could also be passed down to other races through kids. Which meant a half-human could have the Living Shadow Bloodline. It was just always a lottery which bloodline the kid would get.
Well, whatever. She had no bloodline, and she had no interest in making her possible future killer stronger anyway. Maybe in the future, she could give a thought, if she could ever trust Nyx anyways.
Another yawn escaped as she got her feet up onto the desk.
That's when she spotted another section she hadn't seen before. Her eyes widened.
"I really should start reading this book better, right?" She muttered, defeated. "Why did they have to make it a manual instead of a true, easy-to-understand, in-your-head system, though? Making me work for everything, tsc."
The page read:
[Wayfinder's Tasks]
[ ] GET TWO CREW MEMBERS
Reward: Summon 20 Common Crew Workers
[ ] GET FOUR CREW MEMBERS
Reward: Summon 40 Common Crew Workers
[ ] GET ALL SIX CREW MEMBERS
Reward: Summon 60 Common Crew Workers + Unlock Main Quest
"So all I need is five more weirdos, and I get free help?" She paused. "Wait. Summon like what? Creepy undead workers? Weird spirit dudes? Kelp people?"
She stared at the book for a second longer and then at the coat in the wardrobe.
"I swear, if it is rats…."
She couldn't even finish the thought. Disgusting.
Shaking her head, Anne closed the book and left it on the table. She grabbed an old map instead and lazily walked out to the deck. Anything to clear her mind of that cursed image.
"Oy, the Captain Slacker has arrived." Rat announced smugly, hopping onto her right shoulder like he owned the place.
"Princess, did you sleep well?" Nyx asked, her voice playful.
"Aye, aye. You two are lovely." Anne muttered, dragging herself to the wheel and unfolding the map. "Nyx, where is that quartermaster you said?"
"Oh? You still remember?" She was surprised. "He should be at Mournhay Port. Doubt that old rock has moved an inch."
"Not far. We should have enough supplies to head straight there." Anne yawned. "Go rest. I'll take over." She paused, then added without shame. "Oh, but first bring me something to eat."
"Do you think I'm what? Tsc." Nyx complained, melting into the shadows and leaving.
Anne smirked. She had no doubt Nyx would still bring her something.
Fortunately, she had bought enough food for a week before going on her little adventure at the merchant's house. Of course, it had been bought with Nyx's money. Anne was broke.
Still, for some reason, she was kind of excited to meet this quartermaster. She didn't even care what kind of guy he was. Tall? Grumpy? Old and wise? Didn't matter.
What mattered was one thing:
What would she summon?