The Evernon Saga - The Journey Of Ascension, A Struggle For Godhood.

It was just before the break of dawn, the sky was a desolate shade of grey, with rolling clouds as far as the eye could see. A chilly coastal breeze blew through the lonely village of Birkstead. The sea was calm, with the various boats and sh.i.p.s of Birkstead's port gently bobbing up and down with the waves. It had rained throughout the night, staining the village and its streets with moisture. The air carried with it a pleasant, fresh scent. The kind that is only present after it has rained.

William and Magnar were walking along a pathway leading to the docks, where their first opportunity to acquire working experience awaited them. A light drizzle peppered the nervous duo with drops as clear as dew, and as cold as a widow's heart. They wore heavy hooded leather coats to block out the rain, whilst being warmly dressed on the inside. It was currently in the middle of autumn, with the days becoming shorter, the nights becoming longer, and the weather being grey most of the time.

"Hey Mag,"

"Yeah Willy?"

"I know you said you would come along, but this is your last chance to turn back. Just extending an offer."

"Don't worry Willy, I made up my mind and said that I would come, so here I am!"

"Magnar..."

William was once again touched by the words of this big oaf of a best friend he had. They continued along the path as it changed into wooden planks as they set foot on the docks. Walking to the right side of the docks, they quickly spotted the ship in the third spot from the right, out of 30 sh.i.p.s at the harbor in total. It was a reasonably sized sailboat of some kind, with two masts, decently sized sails and a respectable length from what their inexperienced eyes could see. The boys had neither an idea of what kind of ship, nor exactly how big it was.

After some brief glancing over the boat itself, they noticed a figure sitting on a crate on the docks, next to the ship. It then glanced over and waved, standing up. The boys looked at each other and walked towards the waving figure. As they approached, they identified a somewhat hunchbacked elderly man. He wasn't a complete hunchback, but seemed to be perpetually slightly bent forwards. William took off his hood, and greeted the old man.

"Ah, you must be William! Cathy has told me much about you, I bet you're a fine young man!", chuckled Joseph as he beamed at William. Pausing briefly, and with a hint of uncertainty, he asked:

"And who might this be?"

To which Magnar lifted his hood, exposing his firm-set and not unpleasant features to Joseph's scrutiny. William then explained that aside from his imposing physique and height that was rather uncommon for his age of 15, Magnar was just a year older and had also volunteered to lend a helping hand. Joseph was all for it, claiming 'the more the merrier'. He led them to the ship, explaining that the help that he needed was mainly the loading and unloading of his ship every morning and evening. Their morning gathering was relatively early in the morning, and was for the purchase and organization of the bait and supplies needed for the coming night, with the evening being when they set off for fishing. This was done early so that there was no work to be done throughout the day, and getting the selling it out of the way in the morning before setting sail near dusk again.

Joseph then explained that his ship is a Schooner, a ship just under 40 meters in length which is mainly used for trading. His crew, himself included, were mostly men who were getting on in their years, or were already well into a.d.u.l.thood. Most of them were fathers, and d.e.s.i.r.ed to spend as much time with their families as possible. Therefore, Joseph organized it so that they worked in the earlier parts of the mornings, setting up their stall at the fish market, before being free for the rest of the day. They would then gather later in the day, setting sail just before dusk to begin fishing through the night.

Joseph granted them that, for he too knew the struggles of being a father away from his wife and children for long hours at sea. But in his case, it was much worse. When he was younger, he was always on lengthy expeditions that lasted many days, to perhaps even several weeks. This emotional turmoil was one that he had experienced and did not wish upon his crew, which was a good one that had stuck with him through thick and thin all these years. He did not want to deprive them and their children of the precious time they had together.

The three then boarded the ship, whereupon William noticed the crew, composed of 12 other grown men, of varying ages, but all ripe and seasoned sailors. All of them were over 30 years old except for one, a 23 year old young man who had stopped his training at the royal capital to return due to his mother falling ill and requiring daily care. The crew all wore clothes that looked like little more than discolored rags, hinting at the harsh conditions at sea that they and their clothing had to bear.

Observing them as they lifted, transported and sorted crates and barrels, one would notice that every one of them was in fantastic shape, their musculature easily visible through their clothes, regardless of age. Their eyes also possessed a glint in them that suggested intelligence, which was proven by the fact that all the sailors knew and could perfectly recall everything that was placed or moved anywhere on the ship.

However, their ragged breathing was all the explanation William and Magnar needed to see why help would be appreciated. The crew's stamina wasn't with them anymore, it had left most of them 10, 20 or more years ago. William turned to Joseph, who still had an amiable smile on his face.

"Alright Mr. Joseph-"

The smile on Joseph's face vanished as a stern expression appeared on his face, one that the two hadn't seen before.

Until now, that is.

Joseph moved faster than Magnar or William could react to, grabbing William by the collar with one hand and hoisting him up that way, his feet not even touching the ground anymore. It was a lightning-fast and extremely domineering action, done effortlessly. The monstrous strength and speed displayed by Joseph was something that betrayed his age.

"That's Captain to you, young man. For as long as you are working for me, you shall refer to me as 'Captain'. Nothing more, nothing less. Understood?!" growled Joseph.

Magnar flinched, as he wasn't expected this, nor was he fast enough to react. He did however, notice the pitying glances from the crew. All of a sudden, a fear sprouted in Magnar's heart. It was indescribable, and Joseph was the cause of it. This slightly hunchbacked old man was making him, a strong, brave young man want to turn tail and flee? In addition to the terror he felt, his trembling limbs also felt like they were made out of lead. He didn't think that he could muster more than just over half of his strength!

"Yes...Captain." g.r.o.a.n.e.d William.

In truth, Magnar wasn't the only one who was feeling this fear and heaviness. William was suffering just as much. In fact, he was feeling it slightly more since he was directly in Joseph's grasp! This strange fear froze his mind, his thoughts, and any other impulse or intention he might have had!

Joseph released William's collar, letting him fall to the floor in a coughing and gasping heap. Just as swiftly as before, the fear and heaviness they felt receded. This left them confused and still quite frightened, but they momentarily pushed it to the back of their minds. Joseph then pointed to a stack of big crates, and assigned Magnar to assist in the heavy lifting to get the crates off the boat and onto the docks. It was then William's and the one other young man's job as the younger and faster ones to skillfully and carefully repackage their catch, and then transport without spilling anything, to their stall at the fish market. Essentially, they were the runners.

Over the next 2 hours, as the sun rose over the horizon and the people of Birkstead woke up and started going about their daily routines. Meanwhile on the sailors' side, crates had been lifted, barrels and their contents transported and repackaged, and the fish market was in full swing!

An exhausted William and Magnar collapsed next to a small stall, laden with buckets and boxes filled to the brim with fish of all kinds. Big, small, colorful, they had quite the haul for such an unassuming stall. Strangely enough, they also had the largest crowd of customers in the entire market!

The villagers at their stall attempted to haggle, or ask questions about certain things whilst buying, which Joseph handled with a smile and in a generally friendly manner. This was in stark contrast with the dominating attitude he possessed earlier that morning. The tired duo checked their Status:

Name: William

Age: 14

Level: 14

Experience: 9%

Health: 1,050/1,050 (Very Fatigued)

Mana: 650/700

Tier: 0

- Attributes -

Strength: 21

Agility: 25

Intellect: 20

Luck: 1

Name: Magnar

Age: 15

Level: 13

Experience: 59%

Health: 1,450/1,450 (Very Fatigued)

Mana: 300/350

Tier: 0

- Attributes -

Strength: 29

Agility: 13

Intellect: 10

Luck: 1

They were both frozen as they mentally checked their Experience, which had increased considerably. William had gained around 5% in just a few hours of work! Magnar was also astonished, as his Experience read 59%, which was 20% higher than it was yesterday. This was a very shocking leap for both of them. They discussed what could be the cause, and both came to the same conclusion:

What one has not done before, and is experiencing for the first time, shall contribute the most to their experience, even more so the more difficult or strenuous it is.

William and Magnar had never really given this concept much thought, but after thinking about and analyzing all their experiences that led to rapid growth, they all had this concept in common.

Suddenly, the prospect of having to do this job did not seem too bad.

Plagued by a ravenous hunger, the two decided on stopping by an inn that they frequented, called 'The Grumpy Lobster'. The inn is owned by Gerhard, a robust middle-aged man with a rotund belly that puts pregnant women to shame. He is an avid food enthusiast, and the only real cook of the village. The rest of the village learned how to season and prepare food properly from him and his father, who ran the inn before him. His father, Gerald, came to the village 80 years ago, when he was 20 years old. He started up the inn, and it was small. Just enough for 10 customers or so at a time. Before his arrival, the village had always either boiled, fried, or cooked their meals over n.a.k.e.d flames, completely plain and without seasoning of any kind other than a sprinkle of salt.

This culinary catastrophe enraged Gerald, bestowing upon him such a burning passion to teach, that he did just that. He taught the villagers about various herbs and spices, as well as how and when to use them. He used them in his cooking and fed the entire village. He demonstrated a wide variety of cooking styles that were possible to do at home. After having tasted the new, foreign, and delicious concept of 'flavor' from Gerald, the villagers were also eager to learn and try real cooking for themselves.

The reason why Gerald had the knowledge of all these cooking methods, styles and such, was because he hailed from a country that was basically on the other side of the continent of Evernon. It was known as:

Culinaricus.

It is a country where food and cooking skills were the main culture there. There was no religion, and no holy buildings. Just the 'holy' room known as the kitchen. In the middle of the country, there exists a mountain so gargantuan that it reaches high up past the clouds, and past the layer after that. It is known as Culinaricus Mountain. The rumors say that the peak area of the mountain is connected to where the Gods preside. More specifically, to the God of Cooking. Culinaricus is the country where all the famous cooks throughout the land hail from. Gerald was by no means famous, but he had enough knowledge to cause a food revolution in a small coastal village.

Ironically, despite the name of the inn, lobster has never been served even once there.

As William and Magnar reached the door of the Grumpy Lobster, they heard a loud and resounding voice resonate throughout the village from its gates.

"Hear-ye, hear-ye! I am a herald for the the Royal Kingdom, and the Square Table has issued a decree: There will be a selection test and tournament held in 6 months! The purpose of this is for the recruitment of young lads and lasses for the Royal Army!"