The Argo is a ship which runs the deserts left behind in the wake of the rising of a certain kingdom. This place is desolate, full of monsters which fall from above and spawn naturally. The Argo is a ship, which is built with monster parts expanded through conquest and Captained by Jason Ancient Greek Hero turned Desert Pirate.
To reach the City of Dis... was unbelievably impossible for anyone resembling a normal traveler. The desert leading to it was long, and littered with monstrous beasts both native, and descended from the realms higher in the sky than one's eyes could see. This day, however, a small group sought passage by way of a certain ship. Four people inhabited two self-drawn carriages. Upon the larger of these two was the former king of Zuria, Leorio, alongside the mage Nerys and Zuria's former queen, Kolin. The knight Lot rode upon the smaller carriage, watching the vessel adjacent to him along the way. "Are you done healing her yet? We have to meet with that damn desert rider, and the queen should be in prime condition!" Lot barked.
It seemed Leorio had nothing to say. He was quite concerned with his queen's wellbeing, but... at least most of those damn knights were gone. Perhaps he could now receive the attention he needed─ especially after chauffeuring her to the large ship ahead. Ah, what a vessel that was. Long, armed to the teeth including a mighty dragon-piercing spear under its mast, and brandishing a massive sail to accept the desert winds. There, was the group's goal... and atop that ship was yet another blonde male, muscular and clearly not afraid of flaunting it, given how the revealing nature of his ensemble rivaled that of Kolin herself. The entire front of his abdomen was exposed. Aside from a few armor pieces on his torso, he essentially wore an open, black leotard. This was Jason. The journeyman looked out across the blowing sands, seeing the approach of two carriages─ knowing that these could only be the people he'd been waiting for. Now then, where was this "queen" he'd heard so much about?
As they rode along, Nerys remained at the side of Kolin. She'd made the choice and at every turn she wondered if it was the right one. Her mind was repeatedly drawn back to the glowing intention in Merlyn's eyes when that woman had spoken. 'Sometimes living is worse than death...' a scoff. Surely, nothing that could happen between now and death could be considered worse than dying. There was little to be feared as long as one's life was intact. Such was the logic of a coward. Still there were few things she could do. Kolin, remained lying down clutching her side. Though the outer shell that was her body had been fixed, what was going on with it internally was far from ideal. In fact... Nerys looked to the knight known as Lot and sighed. Before instead speaking to Kolin, softly so as not to be overheard. "Do you wish them to know the truth of this?" she asked which only made Kolin scoff as she stared up at her. "Of fucking course you shouldn't tell them anything. Nerys you are absolutely useless..." she hissed, but it was just as low as Nerys' speech had been. Of course, Nerys sighed. This woman truly didn't know when to quit. She managed to be venomous literally to the person who was prolonging her existence. Most in her position would have been setting their affairs in order. She should have been freeing and comforting her Knights, not roaming towards some ship looking for crossing to the other side of the desert.
'Of course, this stupid bitch is blaming me. Literally, her entire body shattered and the only thing holding her together is spite. I put her body back as best as I could, but I can't fix the damage since it reached all the way to her fault in her diamond form,' thought Nerys. She considered all of this world she'd seen so far. She knew one thing as certainty. Nothing was going to save Kolin from breaking apart. She was bleeding internally, so much so that dark bruising covered much of her abdomen even after healing. In fact, it was so extensive that she barely imagined the woman wouldn't just die of an internal hemorrhage soon. "She is in the best condition she can be, Lot. That is all..." and indeed that would be all Nerys said. Kolin sat up, practically groaning, nothing was well. She reached up and moved her hair about, putting on her bravest face. Even so, she could feel herself bubbling within. She had to do something she had to begin to change ah, but she couldn't do just that huh? There were too many conditions at play for her to change now. She had to start this negotiation with the face she currently had. She needed to subdue this captain and then take the time necessary to change herself before this death became something too real. She could take that step and change faces, but... to do so now would lose her everything she'd already gained, and reveal too many secrets to the people she was around. She needed them to believe this was something she alone was capable of, so that they didn't get any dumb ideas about changing themselves and running off. They belonged to her, until she got rid of them after all. "All is well Lot. We can make haste and get across this godforsaken desert and make our way to my real seat of power."
Kolin was as well as she could be? What sort of pitiful answer was that? This useless mage had a single job, and it was to ensure the queen's wellbeing without fail! For her to only manage this much of an answer, Lot could only consider her a waste of magical ability. Well, maybe things would be alright in the end. Maybe it was only a matter of time before Kolin was in top shape again. A 'humble' servant could only hope.
Whatever the case with Kolin may have been, she was at least capable of lifting herself. Her words were reassuring enough that Lot accepted them with a bow. Shortly after, Leorio's chariots lifted the group into the air, where they hovered over the Argo. Jason, casual as he was, waved them down without a word. Leorio took this opportunity to descend, landing both chariots atop the ship's hull while Jason stood nearby.
"The blonde one, right? You're the one I'm supposed to be doing business with?" Jason asked rhetorically. The Argo's captain unabashedly appraised the supposed queen. Yes, the description he'd been given upon demanding it was just about right. However... "Damn shame. Those guys of yours, they never put 'bimbo bombshell' in the description when I asked them so nicely for something accurate. So, what? You wanna get through this desert; what's your offer? Transport don't come cheap, little lady."
'This idiot is also blaming me. Knights are the sword and shield of their patrons. I didn't see him jumping in to take a fully expanded blast from Excalibur. Why did I choose this?' the mage asked herself... and the answer was simple. Nerys was a coward and thought the likelihood of her death at the hands of Guin and Elyan were too high to risk. She was selfish with her own body and wished only too keep living in solitude. She wished to return to her deep enchanted tower and study. She wanted to know the mysteries this world gave so she could exploit them to go back to a lifestyle she was more accustom to. Working as a mage, in a kingdom to help raise the magics of a prince and princess. Those lives or rather the life of one spoiled and exceptional... that was what Nerys was used to, the culture shock of starting from the bottom of this world wasn't one which she found pleasant and as such she'd tried to cut a few corners. Those corners led to the fall of the former Queen and King. It'd been Nerys that found out about the Executioner. It'd been Nerys who'd told Kolin how to connect with him... all on her search for immortality and a way to get rid of people. She never made such a contract herself, she was quite fearful of the consequences... but the mad queen had shown no issue. Nerys had expected the world to claim its toll long before now, but no... Kolin still lived and the Executioner was at her beck and call and for this Nerys could only blame herself. She'd wanted to rule Zuria but as its sovereign, and now... she was on her way to some terrible ship with terrible company all because she didn't want to die.
Kolin in the moment had pulled herself together. She still hadn't forgotten the words of Nerys. The kind of Queen she apparently wanted. How stupid. As they lowered onto the Argo, Kolin saw for the first time the man she assumed was Jason by the story-telling of Dagonet. Another name which made her mind sour. Either way, this man was exactly as described, blonde, muscular and absolutely disrespectful. A scoff left Kolin at his words to her. 'Bimbo Bombshell'? Was that supposed to be some kind of compliment? Of course, none of the men who were hers would ever say such a thing about her, they valued their lives. "No one would ever say anything so outright disrespectful. You'd do well to remember that..." Kolin said. She was still herself after all, and this man would behave as all men did in her presence. "And yes, you will be transporting us through the desert. The cost is worth the prize... the city on the other side is mine... I heard you enjoy what life has to offer, that place will have much. You will of course, be treated as a honored guest should we arrive safely but time is of the essence, we need to move. I don't expect one like you to deny such a thing..." Kolin's words were the same time she would have always spoken. She expected to be humored and didn't expect resistance. "Now where are my quarters... I require rest." She didn't require rest, she was literally dying. If she were being honest her vision was blurring and the whole of her body felt weak. Curse Nerys for only being able to patch her up this much, what did it matter that she was broken in her diamond form, she was still flesh and blood? Ah, but Kolin didn't really think of consequences as normal people did, and it was obvious that though she understood a great many things, the actual mechanics and physics of this world escaped her at least a little. Such was how they ended up with that problem with the sorceress Merlyn.
No one would say anything so disrespectful, she said. Jason gazed upon the alleged queen with a raised brow, wondering who the absolute hell she actually thought she was. She wanted passage across this desert by the great hero, Jason, and she thought she would be the one treated respectfully? Did she believe he would just casually whisk her across the desert sands, risking his crewmen as a good deed to a woman he didn't know? Jason stared, his arms crossed and his lips curled into a grin. "You hear that, boys?! I will be transporting her queenliness through the desert! In exchange, I get to be treated as a guest in the whorehouse of a city this bitch has thrown together in the middle of our open road!" he announced to the working crew, sparking the laughter of many. Kolin truly didn't understand what sort of traveler she was dealing with, it seemed. She was so certain that he'd do as she wished, risking the life and limb of his own underlings for her gain... just to have access to that awful place? He'd seen the city of Dis numerous times along his travels; he wasn't concerned with having some runway treatment.
Ah, but the upstanding queen Kolin required rest! How very rude of Jason to speak so callously of her in her weary state. With a snicker, he beckoned for the queen to follow along into the hull. "C'mon. Boys, do what you want with anyone who thinks they're gonna follow. The queen here's gonna step into my office to talk business," he said, intending to lead the way into the ship's map room... which happened to double as the captain's office and occasional quarters.
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