Snake island

Thinking back to Pangur Ban’s sad backstory and the way the captain was so adamant not to let me board his ship judging solely by the way I look, made me reflect of how cloistered from the outside world I grew up, and makes me feel a bit guilty of the privileges I had compared to many others and how I gave so many things for granted not realizing how hard circumstances could be to some unfortunate souls.
 
Yet I’m grateful for my upbringing, grateful to the goddess as she has always looked after me, making my life as pleasant as possible, I also owe so much to Diene, she dedicated a good portion of her life to me and my wellbeing as well as to my development.
I’m well aware she was compelled by the goddess herself, but she did it with grace and goodwill. I can’t shake the feeling of guilt for leaving the way I did, nevertheless I can’t let them overwhelm me, more reason to use these emotions as fuel and motivation to succeed in my current mission. I promised Amellys to help her, a promise I made all those years ago and I tend to keep it. I’m sure Diche wills it so and wants to see me prevail, I wouldn’t be here without her.
And then I think about the kingdom, so many innocent people at risk, who if not us, who if not me led by Diche will help them? I will be their hope of a new dawn, they will know the light of the Golden goddess.
 
As I listened the “Captain” whatever-his-nuts, won’t even bother remembering his name, bash my looks and throw misogynistic and bigoted comments at me, I couldn’t help but feel confused and aghast, how could someone’s ignorance be so big as to completely cloud someone’s judgment? I felt angry at first but I took a step back and felt sorry for him.
I had never witnessed such a scene before. At the Cathedral, people try being patient and understanding of one another, there is a sense of community and everyone strives to be better each day, one small step at a time. I guess the harsh truth is, that doesn’t hold true everywhere, sadly.
All those hours training and improving my combat skills, not even all those books I read in secret when I would sneak into the library, ever prepared me to face other people’s bias and misconceptions.
 
Yet I remain steadfast in my faith and duties, like I like to tell myself: “Stay positive”
 
Pangur Ban is such a sweet yet tormented soul, you can tell, not only by the horrible scars he wears on his face but by the stories he tells of his past, that he has gone through a lot!
I’m glad the goddess put him in my path, he seems like a gentle person, I’m glad I was able to help him get into the boat using my superior intellect and magical skills.
 
Before the boat left the pier, looking at the big statue brought so many memories of my time at the palace, of the king Mahaan II and Mohun, what would they think of me if they could see me now? Would they be proud of how strong I’ve become? I like to think they would.
 
As it had become a habit, I spent most of the day training on the deck of the boat, practicing some spells and reading some books I had managed to take with me, It had been a peaceful trip so far, Pangur Ban is a very sneaky individual so I wasn’t too worried for him, he seemed like he could find places to hide easily, I just needed to save some food and bring it to him when no one was watching.
 
I woke up to utter chaos, as the ship rocked violently from side to side, sounds of people screaming and otherworldly roars of some gigantic beast, I immediately ran to try and find Pangur Ban and tried to get on deck to see what was going on, just to find out a KRAKEN! Was attacking the ship. We reunited with a monk called Loen, who Pangur Ban had met earlier during our trip. We had no other choice but to abandon the ship into unknown waters. Poor Pangur Ban, I remember he is totally afraid of water.
 
The ship stood no chance against such a legendary beast, it tore through it like a stick, its gigantic tentacles smashing and breaking everything, wrapping around it. But the ocean wasn’t totally safe, as a large hunter shark had noticed us and started to attack. I had no choice but to defend myself and my new-found companions with my holy magic.
Not only that but we also had to take care of the coward “captain” who was trying to escape without even trying to help others, he obviously didn’t stand a chance, being the weakling he was.
 
We washed ashore a seemingly deserted tropical island, by the grace of the goddess we’re all three safe and sound, we gather ourselves and decide to explore the island in search of water and food, Pangur Ban being the avid wilderness explorer he is, leads the way. I had never been in an environment like this one, yet again I rarely left the Cathedral, the training grounds and library consisted most of my world, ‘till I was old enough to accompany Diene from time to time in some boring diplomatic mission, I longed for adventure and battle, seems my wish got granted considering the circumstances.
 
We navigated the thick jungle with ease guided by Pangur Ban. We suddenly came across a giant skull, of some beast, after further inspection I could finally wrap my head around it. It once belonged to an imposing being, a naga, a dragon-like creature that existed long ago. In this state it was nearly impossible to determine the cause of its demise, the thought of such powerful creature fallen like this was intriguing, we also discovered some humanoid remains, a skeleton, a gruesome discovery, it was holding a map, possibly leading to a treasure, we learned back at the ship that a notorious pirate captain by the name of Navar had hidden it somewhere in a desolate island, coveted by many. Could this possibly lead us to it? Truly a blessing of the Radiant one.
 
Diche’s light was about to set, so we decide to make camp inside the skull, to use it as cover, after some pleasant conversation we decide to rest for the night, I fall asleep as Pangur Ban takes the first watch, when I finally wake up I get absolutely startled by a large feline, shadowy yet majestic and I learn Pangur Ban had somehow tamed the beast, which turned out to be a playful and cute large kitty cat. Loen was incredibly conflicted, he was attacked by a similar creature when he was just a kid so he had been traumatized ever since, poor monk but Pangur Ban assured him Cengwu, as he called her, was not gonna attack us.
 
After some quick breakfast, provided by our dexterous monk friend, we decided to try and find the temple mentioned in the map. We walked for a while until we came across a pond with what seemed drinkable water, as we took some time to refill our waterskins we noticed something sparkling at the bottom of the pond, and what seemed like a chest, led by the potential for treasure, I decided to jump in head first just to be surprised by a huge crocodile! The beast foolishly tried to bite down on me but my powers are far too great, protected by a shield of light I deflected the attack with ease and grace. I’m sure the goddess is so proud of me! Wish Diene was here to witness!
But I can’t let my guard down just yet, my two friends don’t seem as powerful as I am so I naturally feel the responsibility to protect them.
As Loen distracted the crocodile, I channel some deadly magic, I know I have to make quick work of the beast, just one hit of it could prove devastating, we can’t afford to be injured in uncharted territory, and so my eyes start to glow with blinding light as I unleash a searing beam from them, killing our foe instantly.
I noticed the look on the faces of my two companions, filled with awe and a hint of fear. They are wise to fear me, as I could wipe them out in an instance if need be, but obviously won’t, we’re allies, for now.
I tell them to collect their jaws from the floor and focus on the second one that had sneaked up on Pangur Ban, luckily Cengwu had proven to be very skillful in combat. I guess it is to be expected of a wild animal.
 
Once we took care of our assailants, I went back for the chest, it contained some sikkas and some potions, nothing crazy but not too bad.
We decided to press on, but my memory blurs from this point on. It comes in flashes, I remember a temple, some puzzling murals and a giant snake, that I, yet again, had to do most of the work to slain. I also remember finding the treasure of captain Navar, so much gold! Loen kept what seemed like a ceremonial dagger, it had some eerie vibe to it, we assume it had been used to perform sacrificial rites of some sort.
 
The rest is just a blur, it seems like Pangur Ban and Loen decided to stay on the island and explore it further. I wish them well. If the goddess wills it, our path will cross again.
For now I have a promise to keep…