Over the next two days, the ship steadily heads toward a Potorough port on the continent of Kilzer. During the journey, Danzo gets to know the other five people joining the Slayers.

  The ship they are travelling on, The N.S. Coaster, is his home for the next couple of days; it’s big enough to hold only those on the voyage. The main deck is open and large enough not to feel cramped. Below the main deck are the sleeping quarters with a small kitchen at the end. The kitchen is off-limits, with only the captain allowed to bring out meals. The sleeping quarters consist of three bunk beds, a small table in the center with stools neatly stacked in a corner, with the only source of light being a couple of lamps. The captain sleeps in a separate cabin on the main deck, directly near the helm of the ship.

  Besides the ship, there isn’t anything else to do besides look out to sea and sleep, and after a few hours, Danzo is already tired of the sea breeze.

  On the first night, the group of men are seated in the sleeping quarters playing cards. Although he doesn't want to join, Vito told him that it's best to avoid alienating himself on the field, so for now, he needs to go along with it. The game tonight is Faker, a simple card game where players stack cards upside down in order, in either decreasing or increasing rank, aiming to get rid of their hand; the fun is in lying about the face-down card, and others try to catch the lie. If called correctly, the liar takes the pile; else, the other person takes it.

  To play the game, they form a small circle. To Danzo’s right sits James Pristin, a well-built man with neatly kept blond hair. He places the first card down, “Alright, boys, five of hearts!”

  The group of men looks at one another, not questioning the card that he placed down.

  The man sitting to Danzo’s right is a large man named Gusto Latius. When getting set up in the sleeping quarters, Danzo gave him his bed sheets, as Gusto forgot to pack his own. As thanks, Gusto shared some of his snacks with him. “Come on, James. We only started, and you’re lying.”

  James smiles and scratches his head, “Guess you got me,” he laughs. Challenging him, he reveals James' card to be a seven of clubs.

  “Can you believe this guy, Danzo?” Gusto laughs as James takes his cards.

  A liar, huh? I need to be careful of him.

  Danzo simply shrugs his shoulders as Gusto places a card on the table, announcing, “Five of diamonds.”

  Sitting left of Gusto is a bald, bulky man named Bertrand Silby. He sports a well-maintained beard and snuck drinks onto the boat when boarding. Danzo is still unsure if the captain didn’t notice or didn’t care. He chuckles as he says, “Don’t worry, James, there will be plenty of time to practice your lying skills in Kilzer!” He places a card on the pile and announces, “Six of hearts.”

  To Bertrands' left sits Zeke Erlik, a rather nervous-looking man with neatly tied back hair. Unlike Bertrand, he has an average build and is around the same height as Danzo, maybe a bit shorter. Losing patience, James shouted, “Oi, Zeke! Are you going to play or what?”

  “Oh, sorry,” Zeke says nervously, “What was the card?”

  Bertrand and James exchange a mischievous look, and James answers, “We can’t remember, so you will have to guess.”

  “Oh,” Zeke says with a disappointed tone, “I-I remember now.” He takes out a card and is about to place it on the pile.

  But before Zeke can announce anything, Gusto stops him and says, “Gentlemen, let’s play fair.” He looks at Zeke and says, “It was a six of hearts.”

  A relieved look comes over Zeke’s face as he puts the card back in his hand and takes another out, “Five of clubs. Thank you, Gusto.” Gusto gives a simple nod while Bertrand and James have disappointed looks on their faces.

  Sitting between Zeke and James is Gilroy Morvel. Like James, his dark hair is well-kept, and he is always smiling. For some reason, Danzo didn’t feel comfortable around him. Something is off with him. “Be a good sport, Gusto. If you keep doing that, where will all the fun be?” He places a card on the pile, announcing, “Four of spades.”

  Up next is James, who places a three of hearts. It is now Danzo’s turn. Looking at his hand, he had the necessary cards. Sticking with the spirit of the game, he places a two of clubs and subsequently announces, “Two of clubs.”

  The game continues like this for a while; they only speak to announce the names of their cards aloud, sometimes interrupted by calls of lying and the loser taking their cards. After a while, Bertrand speaks while placing his next card, breaking the monotonous cycle, “So, what made you guys join the Slayers? He asks as he places his cards, declaring, “Jack of spades.”

  Zeke places his card and announces, “Queen of hearts.” He looks towards Gilroy, who stares back at him. He notices that everyone is staring at him, waiting for his answer. “Oh, me…I joined the Slayers to umm–...I don’t really have any combat capability, nor am I skilled enough to join the sustenance division.”

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  “So you joined just for the benefits, huh?” James smiles. Zeke’s face sinks in fear as he is asked that. He stammers for a couple of seconds before James stops him and says, “Don’t worry, I’m also here to get some cash and kick back. I hear the celebrations and women are something you don’t want to miss.”

  As James laughs, Bertrand joins in and laughs, “Heh, knew I wasn’t the only one!”

  “Well, looks like we are all scumbags,” Gilroy laughs as he places his card, “King of Clubs!” The three men laugh loudly at their shared ambition, while Zeke just gives a nervous laugh, trying not to stand out.

  As Danzo watches, he isn’t surprised that the rumors he heard before joining are true. He looks to Gusto on his left. Surprisingly, he has a disappointed look on his face. Curious, he asks him, “And you, Gusto?”

  Gusto smiles as he looks at him and simply says, “Unfortunately, I wanted to join the Rescue and Sustenance Division, mainly the Amplification sector.” A sad expression comes over his face, “My father thought that I needed to become a real man and not some loser in a lab, so he forbade me from joining them.”

  “He was fine with you joining the Slayers?” Danzo asks out of curiosity.

  “He was happy. He doesn’t know their current reputation, but at least now I can work on my toys without worry– And you, Danzo?”

  He notices the others are having their own conversation and continues his with Gusto, “Can’t say for now. I need to evaluate the field and the situation before I decide my future course of action.”

  Gusto has a surprised expression on his face as he quietly says, “So you are here to actually be a Slayer. Interesting. But I suggest you keep quiet about that for now.”

  “Why?”

  “From what I dug up, many have come to reform the Slayers, but for some reason, something goes wrong, and they don’t last.” Gusto leans in and continues in a hushed tone, “Someone or something doesn’t want the Slayers to come back. So if you tread this path, be careful.”

  “Wait, how do you know I-” before Danzo can continue, Gusto interrupts him.

  “You and Maria aren’t as quiet as you think, and my ears are quite sharp,” Gusto chuckles.

  “Wait,” Danzo takes a look at his face again and recognizes him. He sat behind him during classes in school. “I remember you.”

  “And I remember you, too.”

  “Didn’t expect another of my classmates to join the Slayers,” Danzo says as he scratches his chin.

  “I hope it won’t be an issue. By the way, congratulations on Maria.”

  Danzo has a minor flashback to the events that happened earlier that day. Unsure what to say, Danzo replies, “Thank you…I think.”

  Seeing as the card game has been forgotten, Danzo and Gusto return to their corner of the room to catch up. To Danzo’s surprise, they got along well, mainly due to Gusto’s patience with Danzo’s demeanor.

  The rest of the days on the ship, Danzo mainly speaks to Gusto or reads a novel he brought with him. The meals aren’t great, and sleeping on the ship took some getting used to. He didn’t understand how babies liked being rocked, but it clearly isn’t for him.

  He rarely speaks to Gilroy, Bertrand, and James, as it seems they formed their own small group. Always laughing like old friends. The only one who stands out in that group is Zeke; he always seems unhappy with them. Sometimes, Danzo and Zeke would have small talk, but they wouldn’t get very far before his supposed friends would join. But maybe this is how he always is.

  On the last day on the ship, Danzo can’t help but stare out at the sea. Bored. He already read through Vito's notes multiple times, and the book he brought along is uninteresting.

  “Danzo, are you not feeling well?” Gusto asks as he stands by Danzo.

  “No,” Danzo replies, “Just bored.”

  Gusto leans on the rail, looking over the sea with Danzo. “Do you miss home?” He asks.

  “No. I know I'll return one day, but for now I have work to do,” Danzo answers.

  “I see,” Gusto says, trying his best to make conversation, “So what did you do when you were bored back home?”

  “Hmmm, you know, I was often focused on training and preparing. I would rarely have moments like this.”

  “So strict,” Gusto chuckles slightly, “But you didn't answer the question.”

  Danzo pauses for a moment and remembers Maria's constant interruptions, not letting him get too far with what he was busy with. He replies, “Because Maria was around so often, she stopped me from getting bored.”

  “So Maria kept you entertained?” Gusto asks in surprise.

  “No, she would just annoy me a lot,” Danzo says as he pinches the bridge of his nose.

  “That must have been nice,” Gusto responds, a slight tone of sadness in his voice.

  “Really? It was a hindrance.” Danzo turns and leans back on the railing, crossing his arms.

  “Having someone who wants to talk to you all the time. You won't know how valuable it is until it's gone.”

  Danzo looks up briefly and reflects for a moment. Remembering the time when he and Maria weren't on speaking terms. It was unpleasant. The memory of when they started talking again brings immense comfort. He smiles and says, “You're right. I suppose I took it for granted since she always hung around me.”

  Gusto looks and smiles back, saying, “I'm surprised she was into someone so dense.”

  “I wouldn't say dense. It's more accurate to say uneducated about people.”

  The two go silent for a bit. The only things that could be heard were the sound of the waves hitting the side of the boat and the gentle gusts of wind pushing past, the smell of the sea accompanying them.

  After a couple of seconds, Gusto asks, “Say, Maria wouldn't happen to have a cousin or sister?”

  “She has cousins overseas,” Danzo answers.

  “Could you ask her to… You know?”

  “I know what?” Danzo asks.

  Gusto sighs and says, “Right, I forgot.”