(no subject)

[iniquiticity]

At night Fjord was thinking about the crystals and the temples and Uk'otoa. Not Vandran, he noticed, idly, and tried not to think about it. Not the Tide's Breath or all the old knick-knacks Vandran had kept around or the storm. His thoughts kept coming back to the crystals, one and two, both within him. Both in his sword, both --- both his.

What was going to be there, in the next temple? He hadn't been to that Archipelago, or maybe not a long time. But there was maybe the next place to gain power and feel the strange, wet, satisfying reward of Uk'otoa. A thing he did not know and did not understand and, despite the very understanding of how wrong it probably was, did not fear. He had great confidence that he should have feared it and yet he did not. He feared some result of unleashing some ancient beast, yes, in abstract. But that beast --- that beast had reached into a storm and plucked him out of it. Empowered him.

He touched his chest again. They moved slowly but steadily with the ragged sails. Dinner had been unsatisfying food that Jester had made. Even though it looked like lollipops and candy and cinamon rolls it had all tasted like nothing. Tasted, he had said with a laugh, like sailor food.

He heard footsteps on the desk and turned. Blue eyes under a mop of red hair met him. The ocean was cold at night and Caleb wore the ragged jacket which covered his bandaged arms. Fjord hadn't asked, but that was different from wanting to. Hadn't asked about Caleb's dazes after his intense displays of destruction. Hadn't asked, generally, about Caleb, even though he was 500% sure as fuck there were answers.

"Hi," he said, as Caleb moved to stand next to him. Caleb's dirty hands hung over the railing. Frumpkin the octopus made soft, wet kind of noises as he settled into Caleb's neck.

"Hello, Captain," Caleb replied, a faint amusement sliding through his Zemnian accent. Fjord was pretty sure Caleb's accent was real. "How go the seas?"

"Looks beautiful," Fjord replied. The ocean was exquisite, endless and rhythmic and clear, starts twinkling down into the darkness. If he squinted he could see out in the distance a place where clouds were covering the pinpricks of light but above them it was far.

Caleb's presence was a weight. He thought about them back in the underwater cave, Caleb scraping over his biceps with dagger, red blood dripping into the bowl. Caleb staring at him, those blue eyes intense. Caleb saying you owe me without those words. He did owe Caleb.

He couldn't shake the sense it was vaguely dangerous to owe Caleb. It was vaguely dangerous to owe Caleb like it was vaguely dangerous to wander into goddamn mystery temples that were prisons to aeons-old sea serpents. Caleb didn't look like much, but over the months he'd learned that out of all of them, Caleb had the most brewing under the surface. Like a fucking temple.

"About that bowl thing in the cave," he said, and looked down at his own arms. Jester and Caduecus had healed away the wounds - Jester looking at him with frightened eyes, not sure what he was doing, not sure what they were doing - Cadeuceus soft in his way, Seeing with a capital S.

"Ja? If only we had had some extra blood."

He looked at Caleb. He wasn't sure if Caleb was joking or not. It was hard to tell, with Caleb.

"Wonder what that thing did."

"Well, we can always come back. Somehow I don't think it's going anywhere."

"That's right."

He looked back out at the ocean. If he concentrated he could feel a faint thrum of the temple. A pull, towards somewhere. Maybe that was only him wanting, desperately needing to know. God, when Avantika had summoned that water and he had been seconds away ----

"What's on your mind?" Caleb asked.

"I just wanted to you know that I really appreciate that you're there for me," he said. There were not a lot of scrawny wizards on ships. There were certainly not a lot of scrawny wizards who were self-admitted cowards that got a little funny when they unleashed absolute hell. So it was different, Caleb. But not bad. He liked Caleb.

"Ah, well," Caleb gave him a little half-hearted smile, just in the corner of his mouth, "We are friends. Friends are there for each other, aren't they? We are here for you, so we are here for you."

"That's true, and I'm grateful for that." A beat. "After this, I don't know what we're gonna do, but if you wanted to go somewhere - Soltryce or otherwise, really - you know I'd do everything to get you there."

Claeb looked at him for a moment. Fjord again had that sense that a lot went on in Caleb's brain. That maybe it wasn't the best idea to commit to helping him. But Caleb had very significantly been there. There was no other choice, really.

"Thank you, Fjord," Caleb said, and turned back to the sea. He looked very small in comparison to the open sea. There was another moment. "So, when we get to this second temple, are you going to stick your sword in it?"

"Well there's three temples right?"

"We think so."

"So we're still safe from Uk'otoa with two broken."

"From our incomplete knowledge based on your dreams and the ramblings of a mad zealot woman, that is true."

Fjord looked over at him. "You don't think that's a good idea."

"I didn't say that." Caleb stared at the ocean and absentmindedly pet his octopus.

"If you think I'm wrong, I want you to tell me."

Frumpkin looked up at Fjord and, with a series of wet noises, slid onto the banister and up Fjord's arm. It was oddly comforting to pet a tiny octopus. Caleb was still staring out into the sea in silence.

"Fjord," Caleb said, and finally looked at him with those tired sharp eyes he had, "May I ask you a question? You don't have to answer me now. But I think you will answer it at some point."

"Let's hear it," Fjord said.

Caleb turned all the way to him and stuck his hands in one of his many coat pockets. He looked Fjord up and down, and then looked out at the sea, then back back at him. Fjord thought about that scrollcase in Zedash and how Caleb had to agreed to go with him over and over and the blood urn again. Caleb licked his lips from the sea air and spoke. "Now of course we have no idea what this temple could be. But let's say we go, and all the things that happened on lizardfuck island happen again and you get some magical powers from the beast chained under the sea. Now we have one temple left."

"Can't say I'd be opposed to that," Fjord said, "I get to learn more cool shit, thing's still got one more chain on it."

"But," Caleb held up a finger, "Then you then have a dream that says you don't get anything until you free the sea beast, and then when you do you get all the answers you can imagine and power beyond your wildest dreams." Caleb didn't blink. "What will you do then?"

"Caleb, I'm not freeing that thing," he said, "I'm not freeing some horrible sea monster and I don't give a fuck one way or another otherwise. We don't know what the hell this thing is, or maybe it's just a lying thing, or maybe there's other blood sacrifices involved and I'm the first one. All I know is that I came on this quest to get answers, and I'm certainly getting them, and if I get 90% of the puzzle without releasing some horrible doom serpent on us, that's good enough for me."

"I'm glad to hear that." Caleb reached out and gave his shoulder a pat, and Frumpkin softly squooshed over his arm and back to Caleb. "So, after this temple, what should we do next?"

"You don’t actually think I’d do that," Fjord said, brushing the spot where Frumpkin's arm suckers had left tiny ringlets in his skin, "Do you?"

"No, of course I don't," Caleb said, and Fjord did not believe him. "You are a good man, trying to unravel a mystery about yourself."

"I hope so." Fjord said. "Trying to be better. Checked and all that."

"You were an asshole to Nott in the cave. She went in that water for you. She hates it, if you couldn't tell."

"Yeah. Sorry."

"Don't be an asshole to her again."

It was not quite a threat and yet he knew what Caleb could do. He had watched the massive infernos fly from his fingers and saw him speed up and slow down things around him. Seen him wink out magic and crack an impossible cipher.

"I won't," he said, and resolved to mean it.

"I'm going to bed," Caleb took one more breath of the ocean, and then gave his shoulder a goodbye pat, "Make sure you get your rest. You need energy to break seals."

"Sweet dreams , Caleb."

Caleb smiled at him, thin. "You as well my friend."

When Caleb was gone he went back to looking at the ocean. He sat against the railing and looked over the deck and closed his eyes, letting the sea sweep through him.

He imagined them at the third temple. They had fought something big. He could see the prison, the crystal. It would be calling to him, warm. It would be reminding him all the things that he had now, all the things that he had been given. It would be promising him more. It had given him a taste and fuck, he craved the whole goddamn sandwich.

He put the Nein in his imagination. Yasha quiet, past her rage, watching him with a furrowed brow. Concern. Nott drunk, laughing, eating whatever they had murdered. Jester and Beau reviewing the fight. Cadeuceus still, watchful. Caleb taking a deep breath and gathering his confidence back.

He would walk towards the thing, wouldn't he? He would be drawn, holding the two-eye weapon he carried. It would be warm in his hand, glowing.

Cadeuceus would notice him first. Say something not quite demanding. I don't think it's a good idea to get any closer.

Beau. What the fuck are you doing?

Jester. Be careful! A giant sea monster could eat you!

Nott. Looks really fucking dangerous and we're going to die!

Yasha. You don't know what will happen.

Caleb last. Caleb watching him closely. Caleb shimmering with magic armor, a little tired from his spell-casting, standing in a doorway somewhere.

Caleb who had plans and goals and strategies. You could cover a lot with those bags under your eyes and that shabby coat. Caleb asking what will you do now, Fjord?