"Losing their blessing?" Rijin asked, "how is that possible?"

  "Each of our blessings is provided by our prime deity. If that deity were to choose to give up their blessing or if something crazy were to happen like the deity disappearing, then yes, the blessing would be gone, but that has never happened before," Fuju said.

  "But it is happening now," Rijin said inquisitively. Lia and Fuju nodded.

  "I do not want to jump to conclusions, but it is definitely a good place to start. There is a shadowy organization that is going after the heirs to the countries of Hize, and now a blessing has lost its deity? It is too strange of an occurrence for us not to investigate," Lia said, "and besides, we really do not have any other leads."

  "Is there anything we need to know about the blessing of love? Like anything that might help us fit in a little bit better or any taboos we should be aware of," Qrow asked. Lia was a little surprised since this was the most genuine Qrow had been. The Blessing of Love had never been Lia’s favorite place. Each of the blessings was very different from one another, but for many of them, Lia embraced the differences and found beauty in them. In the Blessing of Harmony, she appreciated their focus on being one with nature and getting to know the druids' ideals. In the Blessing of Joy, Lia admired the people’s zeal for life. But the Blessing of love was a place Lia had trouble truly understanding.

  "The Blessing of Love is…unique…they embrace love in a different way than many others and are interested in the ways that love can be expressed. It is a very beautiful and kind place, but there are some matters of taste that may make some a little uncomfortable," Lia said. The party donned confused looks, Lia could tell she was not getting her point across.

  "It's filled with brothels," Fuju said bluntly, "My lady hates it because the place is mostly filled with brothels." Lia kicked Fuju’s foot under the table. The party took a second to process the information before Rijin began to laugh out loud.

  "So we are going to a land that is filled with a bunch of prostitutes?" Rijin asked, still laughing.

  "Yes," Fuju answered, "but not only are there a lot of brothels, we will be there during their blossom festival; the first celebration of love this season." This spurred Rijin to laugh even more.

  "But our purpose is not to go to brothels and party, our purpose is to investigate. Just because the Blessing of Love has brothels and a festival of love does not mean our purpose is to be part of the festivities," Lia said in desperation.

  "So we formed a council to investigate a shadowy organization that is going after all of us, and our first assignment as this party of wannabe heroes is to go...to a bunch of brothels," Rijin could not help but laugh as he talked. Lia agreed that this sounded ridiculous.

  "Well, I guess this is going to be a fun vacation," Qrow said, kicking back on his chair.

  "Yes, let's go ‘investigate’," Varithorn said in an annoyed voice. The entire party, even if everyone did not say it, had written off their mission. Lia could tell what they were thinking, she could tell they no longer took this seriously, she balled her fist trying to find the right words to say, but she could not find the right words over her anger. Adonis had always been much more adept at controlling his anger in situations like this. Lia did not believe in this council, she did not believe in the help of these foreigners that she had only known oppression from throughout her life, but she did care about helping people; and right now, there are people in Penzamen who are hurting and they can help. Lia opened her mouth to talk, but Fuju rested his hand on her shoulder and spoke first.

  "Going to a land of brothels to investigate is a ridiculous notion; I am sure we are all well aware. I am also sure we are all not exactly on this council for camaraderie. Even if you do not believe in this council or think the rules that created it are absurd, it is still happening, so with all due respect to your highnesses: get over it. There are suffering people in Penzamen right now. It may be in a strange place, but if nothing else, there are people that are suffering there. Now I would like to believe that despite our differences, each of us still cares about the residents of this world. We are all trying to figure this out, but focus on the thing that is at hand: protecting people. And if you do not care about that, then think about your own self-interest. We have all lost something, or someone, because of whoever is after us, so if the way you get through this journey is by focusing on yourself, then fine; do that. Just get it done," Fuju said.

  Lia was speechless, as was the rest of the party. Lia looked around the table at all the other members, each of them pondering because of what Fuju said. Each of them came into this council for their own reasons. Some of them believed in doing something greater, some of them just wanted to get away from home, others wanted to protect their home. There was something all of them wanted to get from this journey, and they needed to focus on that. But how had Fuju known what Lia was thinking? Everything Fuju said was what Lia wanted to get across to the party but could not find the words, yet Fuju without any word from Lia was able to. Lia was skeptical but decided to table it for now.

  Qrow spoke up, "I know we are all skeptical of each other, but it would probably be a good idea for us to talk more about our skill sets. If we are going to be fighting together, I would rather not get killed because I do not know what my allies can do. I will be the first to go." Lia blinked, and Qrow was gone. Lia thought her eyes might be playing tricks on her, but everyone else was just as astonished, jumping out of their seats to look around. The party looked around the room, but Qrow had completely disappeared. The room itself seemed to grow darker. Despite being the middle of the day, the shadows grew longer, and the room felt very ominous. Lia looked down and noticed that the shadows coming from the wall behind her stretched all the way to underneath her chair. A shiver ran down her spine; she felt as if she was being enveloped, her heart began to race. Lia felt something cold and looked down to see a knife’s edge at her throat. She stayed completely still, unsure if this was reality. Lia felt soft breath on her ear and then a voice.

  "You need to keep your guard up," it was Qrow talking to her. He had somehow enveloped himself in shadows and snuck up on Lia without being detected by anyone. Lia’s heart continued to race; she had seen and used invisibility spells before, but they had never been like this. Whatever he was doing was magic or ability completely foreign to Lia. Lia still felt the breath on her ear, but the knife at her throat loosened. Out of the corner of her eye, Lia caught a glimmer of orange light. With enough room to turn her head, she could see Fuju with his hand outstretched; a small fire engulfed his hand and was aimed at the figure around Lia. Qrow released the knife and backed away slowly, fully visible to the party now. Fuju did not quell the fireball.

  "I am what you might call a rogue. I did not grow up in palaces like the rest of you, I grew up on the streets. I will spare you the sob story. If you need someone to sneak in and take someone out, I am your guy," Qrow said, stepping back with his hands up. Qrow sheathed his dagger, and once again disappeared, but this time, he appeared back in his seat.

  "In a fight, expect me to disappear and look for advantages rather than holding the line; that is not really my specialty," Qrow said, kicking up his feet once more. Lia was still breathing heavily but had a smile on her face; she was exhilarated. Fuju closed his hand, letting the flames lick in between his fingers before eventually extinguishing.

  "I can go next!" Garus said with excitement, "I am a singer. I was trained by my voice teacher, Madonna, in the ways of being a bard," Garus strummed his lute. Everyone looked severely less impressed compared to Qrow’s display.

  "Garus, the music sounds great, but I struggle to see how it helps us in a fight," Rijin said. Garus continued to sing; Lia cringed a little as he continued to serenade the party, but Lia noticed something going on within her. Lia started to feel something welling up inside her. She felt focused, in tune with her surroundings, her senses were heightened, and she felt strong; like she could lift up this boat if she wanted to. Garus strummed a new tune, and the feeling left Lia’s body, draining her of the welling strength. The melody became darker; Garus changed from the major to the minor key, strumming a tune of sorrow. Garus focused his eyes on the wall behind Rijin’s head and strummed one loud note. The note sprang off the lute as a black mass. It sped at such a fast rate that the papers on the table flew about the room from the speed it generated The note swished past Rijin’s face and embedding itself as an imprint in the wall. Rijin turned to look at the wall; the wall was cracked and brittle from the attack. Garus strummed one final note and then bowed for the party, like a performer finishing his set.

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  "I do more than just sing. It may not seem like it, but I can control the arcane just the same as many of you," Garus said.

  Prometheus walked over and touched the new imprint that had been made in the wall. “Do you think you could have shown us that without damaging my ship?” Prometheus looked unamused. Garus grew sheepish, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

  "Allow me to help," Varithorn said. Varithorn stuck out his hand, and a golden light showed underneath his sleeve. A golden rune appeared in the air over the wall. The wood began to grow and changed until it had completely fixed itself, leaving no mark of the note having ever been there at all.

  "I am a sorcerer; I may not have as broad of magic as, say, Fuju being a wizard, but I am very strong with the spells I do have at my disposal. Versatility and power are my two main strengths," Varithorn said.

  Lia had always been fascinated by sorcerers. As a cleric, her power came from her goddess. She had no natural power, only the power of the covenant that has been bestowed upon her. Fuju was a wizard so he used the natural magic of the world to conjure spells and incantations, but a sorcerer had an innate magical ability. Lia had a hard time conceptualizing the idea of knowing magic from the moment you are born and knowing that it is something born from you rather than something you borrow from the world. Lia also knew that this fascination about difference had caused many problems in the past, especially during the pavest war.

  Rijin stood up, his hulking body almost touched the top of the captain's quarters with his height. “Magic users all alike it seems. I am a Paladin, my oath is dedicated to Thalassa; Goddess of the seas,” Rijin said. Rijin raised his hand, and the tattoos on his arm began to glow slightly white. Since they were on the sea, the smell of sea air was everywhere, but it felt like it grew more intense as Rijin raised his hand. It was still for a moment, but then the boat began to rock slightly, then it got more violent. The party started to brace themselves from the rocking, trying to take in their surroundings when a violent wind blew the doors open. Lia could not believe that all of this was happening simply from a man raising his hand; nature itself seemed to bend to his will.

  Rijin lowered his hand, and the glowing stopped, as did the wind and the waves. “I specialize in strength and protection from harm. While we are on the seas, I can protect us from any sort of harm that might come from the sea. As long as Thalassa is beside us, we will be safe on her seas,” Rijin said. Everyone in the room got themselves back in order, recovering from the disorienting circumstances they just endured.

  “A warning would have been nice,” Prometheus complained, cleaning off some of the papers around the room.

  "Apologies," Rijin replied, lowering his head slightly. “For the record, Prometheus, Thalassa does not have a beard.”

  “Oh, so you have met your mythical patron?” Prometheus said poignantly.

  “Mythical?” Rijin asked in a confused voice.

  "Rijin, no offense to you, or the people of Penzamen, but the idea that you have this patron god watching over you is incredibly narcissistic. Most of you so-called ‘paladins’ and ‘clerics’ are just sorcerers and druids with a crisis of faith going on," Prometheus said.

  “I have met her,” Rijin said, “she is my mentor and guardian, so I have had the pleasure of meeting with her many times.”

  “Then whoever this woman is is scamming you,” Prometheus laughed as he said this, “no goddess is giving you your power. The same things you can do, I can do with my creations.”

  Lia could not sit by and be insulted any longer. “Then prove it,” Lia said, “if we are simply imagining our deities, then please show us this power you possess.”

  Prometheus reached into a bag at his waist. “With pleasure,” he said as he pulled something out of the bag. He held in his hand a small wand-like device; it was long and slender and completely made of metal. He held it out into the room and waved it in the air, creating a rune in the air. A moment later, it felt like a great amount of suction was being drawn into the device in Prometheus’s hand. Lia noticed that the device had little lights near the end of it that began to light up one by one as the suction continued. After about ten seconds, the device beeped.

  “Wonderful,” Prometheus said. He held the device in the air and waved it around. The tip began to glow white, and again the boat began to rock. A strong wind blew through the door again, shuffling things around the room violently. Prometheus swished the device again, and the tip stopped glowing, and all at once, everything stopped, just like when Rijin put down his arm.

  “See?” Prometheus said in a matter-of-fact manner, “with one of my devices, I can replicate your goddess’s power.”

  “How is that possible?” Lia asked, dumbfounded.

  “This device is able to take the arcane energy that hangs in the air and replicate the spell, incantation, that was cast with that energy,” Prometheus said. As he talked, Lia had a hard time conceptualizing what Prometheus was trying to get across. With a small stick, he was able to replicate the power given to someone from a goddess. Rijin was not having the same crisis of faith; in fact, one could even say Rijin looked unimpressed.

  “So you are saying this arcane focus you have creates takes arcane energy from the air around us?” Rijin asked. Prometheus nodded. “But your original assumption was that our ‘gods’ do not exist because you can do the same things as us with that little device. But if you are taking arcana out of the air and in order to replicate the spell, that does not prove my goddess does not exist; it just proves you can use her energy to recreate a spell.”

  “Ouch,” Varithorn said, “Prometheus, I gotta admit he kinda has you beat there.”

  Prometheus shrugged off the comment, “regardless, I have the ability to create devices infused with arcana. This device is one of many that I have in my arsenal. I am sure you will see many of them throughout our journey. If we come across any strange devices, I should be of help, but as far as combat goes, I myself am not the most helpful.”

  The members of the party turned to Lia. She had been thinking in her head so it took her a second to notice their stares. Everyone else had gone, had presented their own skills that they bring to the table, Lia had kinda hoped she could fade into the background during this part but it seemed she would not be that fortunate.

  “Well umm,” Lia started clearing her throat, “I am a cleric; if there is any healing you might need during this journey, I can be of service. Alhayaa, the goddess of life, has blessed me with my healing abilities. So I hope that if you ever need to feel a little better, you will come to me,” Lia said, trailing off at the end of her sentence.

  “That is it?” Qrow said, “I thought this was show and tell.” No one else said anything but it seemed like the others agreed. Lia had been worried about this eventuality.

  “Well my abilities mainly lead towards dealing with the injured so since none of us…” Lia started.

  Garus stuck out her arm, there was a small cut on it still fresh with droplets of white blood that had begun to dry up. “I accidentally ran into the banister on the way up cutting myself, it is minor but does this work?”

  Lia gulped, she knew she could not back out now. She stood up and walked over to Garus’s side. Lia looked at Garus’s arm, analyzing the cut.

  Lia thought. She began to reach out towards Garus to heal him, the runes of life tattooed on her hands began to glow as she touched him. Lia closed her eyes, letting the arcane energy flow through her hands. She focused on her breathing, on her surrounds, trying to stay in the moment, but then things got murky. She felt like she was on a flowing current, her mind waivered. An image appeared in her mind. She saw a long black floor that led to fire in the distance. The fire smoldered and tried to fight but it began to dwindle despite its vast size. Lia felt her own spirit waiver as she watched it dwindle. She fear the fire going out, she fear what it being snuffed out meant. She tried to force the image out of her mind but it persisted. Panic filled her mind, then she heard a scream.

  Her eyes burst open. Garus screamed out in pain.

  Lia thought to herself,

  Lia took her hands off of Garus, but he continued to scream. He grabbed his arm in pain, and Lia scrambled to figure out how to help. In the middle of the chaos, Garus’s scream turned into a laugh. Lia looked confused until Garus stopped grabbing his arm and continued to laugh.

  “I am sorry, Lia. You looked so tense. I was trying to lighten the mood a little. Sorry if I went too far.” Garus showed everyone his arm; the cut was gone.

  “Thank you for healing me,” Garus said, still laughing a little. Some of the other party members laughed a little as well, and others criticized Garus for the joke. Lia was too dazed to tell which was which. The only person she could focus on was Fuju and the pale color of his face.

  “Excuse me for a moment,” Lia stood up and walked towards the doors. She thought she heard some protest or some of the members trying to rectify the situation but she was too lost at the moment. Lia walked out of the Captain's quarters, leaving the conversation behind.