I reached the small port today, the one marking the start of the Colossus Archipelago. It’s quiet here, the kind of quiet that makes your skin crawl. The lore of this place talks of giants, how they walked between islands themselves, but that’s just talk. Still, with everything I’ve seen, I’m not so quick to dismiss legends anymore.
This port’s my last chance to stock up before heading deeper into the archipelago. Spent the day bouncing between vendors and merchants, trying to trade what little I had for what I needed. Fresh water, rations, a length of rope—simple things, but enough to keep me going. Even picked up a new pair of boots; the old ones were barely holding together.
But there was one item I needed more than any other—a blade. Not just any blade, but one of the finest in the land, forged by a secretive smith whose name carried whispers through the back alleys. Finding the shop was a task in itself. The regular merchants had nothing for me, no blades worth a damn. I knew I’d have to dig deeper.
The seedy side of town held the answers, but it didn’t come cheap. Information here has a price, and for a pirate like me, that price is steep. I handed over a few doubloons to a man who looked like he hadn’t seen sunlight in weeks, and after some back-and-forth, he gave me what I needed—a name and a direction. He pointed me down a narrow alley that twisted and turned, each corner darker than the last, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure if I was walking into a trap.
The smith I found was as elusive as they come, but his reputation didn’t disappoint. The blade he sold me was a masterpiece—light in the hand, sharp enough to split a hair. The kind of weapon that could make the difference between life and death out there. It cost me more than I would’ve liked, but I didn’t think twice. Steel like that doesn’t come cheap, and I’ll need every advantage I can get.
With supplies in hand and a blade at my side, I decided to rest for the night, figured I’d need it. But the moment I laid down, I knew sleep wasn’t coming. Something kept gnawing at me, like I’d forgotten something important. I went over my pack a dozen times, checked and rechecked everything I’d bought. It was all there, but that feeling wouldn’t leave me alone.
Maybe it’s just nerves. Or maybe these islands are getting to me already. There’s something about this place—it’s different. Feels like the calm before the storm.
