I get up, do my usual morning rituals, and then go up to the deck to see how things were going with Ralan and perhaps issue a complaint.

  When I step out onto the deck, I wince as the winds of the sea whip my face. The clear blue of the sky and its reflection on the ocean are blinding. Ralan is nearby leaning against the railing and smoking. He notices me coming out of the ship, even without me saying anything. "You’re awake.” He tosses his cigar overboard into the sea and faces me. “You don’t look so good. Didn’t sleep well?"

  "It was pretty rough, especially with the guns going off."

  “The ship has automated defenses which fire at any monsters that come close.” Ralan says.

  “Without them we would have to fight off monsters ourselves. It’s usually enough to keep any monsters from getting too close but it is liberal with what it shoots at as far as proximity to the ship goes."

  "You don't have a shield or something?” I ask. “I thought all ships had shields these days." Almost everything is protected by a shield - a large bubble of electrified energy that deters monsters - these days. Anything where people live, sleep, and travel even more so.

  Ralan answers, "The ship does generate a weak local shield, but it’s only designed to stop fire from other ships. Most monsters can slip right through it. If I turn the automated defenses off, we'll probably have to fight throughout the night. You'll probably get even less sleep if we do that. Do your best to get as much sleep as you can tonight since we’ll arrive at the maelstrom tomorrow, probably late into the afternoon. I have a feeling we won’t be getting much sleep then.""

  "I understand, it’s fine. I’ll manage."

  Ralan continues. He fishes out a flask in his coat and takes a sip. "Nobody's ever come back from the maelstrom alive, so I have no idea what's in there, but I'd expect bad weather and lots of monsters. That is usually a safe bet for dangerous places."

  "I can't imagine that's all there is to it."

  "It could be.” Ralan says. “I wouldn't be surprised if the maelstrom was being caused by just one or two extremely dangerous monsters who've made their nest there. Worst case scenario is it could also be an apex danger monster: the most dangerous classification. If one of those is lurking in the waters, it would explain why nobody has ever come back alive. I shouldn't need to say this, but just be prepared for anything."

  "I'll be ready for tomorrow, no matter what."

  "Good to hear." Ralan turns his back to me and fixes himself once more upon the railing. "So, how are you going to stay busy today?"

  I take a spot next to him on the railing. "Between working on Ace and reading my books I think I'll manage to pass the time well enough for now." I look out into the open waters, looking for whatever it is Ralan is looking at, but don’t see anything in particular.

  "That’s good to hear.” Ralan says. “What are you reading?"

  "An old book about the elemental overlords.” I answer. “Specifically, Runin, the Goddess of Water."

  "No kidding?” Ralan’s attention is stolen away from the water as he looks toward me once more. “Kind of an odd reading topic."

  I did decide to keep the fact this journey is to supposedly meet Runin a secret from Ralan. If I told him that I was going to meet a god at the center of the maelstrom, he’d probably think I’m crazy. More than he probably already does. "My friend was interested in the elemental overlords it would seem. So, I’m trying to learn more about them."

  "I served Runin during the First War y’know." Ralan says, as a rather matter-of-fact. “Not in a very immediate capacity mind you, the people from the town I was born in were contracted to raid any enemy ships we saw in the waters near our town, waters belonging to the goddess herself, or so they say. We got to keep whatever we wanted from the raids, so it was a pretty good deal. I was more or less on her side during the war."

  "That’s right, you did mention you fought in the First War."

  "Only for about two hundred years, but yeah."

  His casual mention of fighting for two hundred years causes my brain to short circuit. Even though I know he isn’t a human from appearance alone, it takes a while for me to remember he is far, far older than I am.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. That must have been rough, fighting all that time.”

  "Rough?” Ralan rubs the back of his neck. “I don’t know about that. It wasn’t all that bad, at least not for me. The fighting on my home planet wasn’t very fierce. The whole planet’s allegiance was to the goddess so we never really fought any but the rare encroachers. The war came to an end not long into my adult years." He shows a faint smile. "At the end of the war I, and the people from my hometown, came out of the ordeal richer people. So, I really have nothing bad to say about the experience. Sure, maybe the people whose ships I raided would have a different story to tell, but hey, that’s war I suppose."

  "That’s a pretty selfish outlook."

  "That’s easy for an outsider to say in hindsight." Ralan glares at me. "Our mothers and fathers served Runin, and their mothers and fathers before them, and so on. It’s not like we had much of a choice. For as long as the history of our little settlement could be recalled, we served Runin in some capacity. Heck, some of the more spiritual ones even said she created us. That said, we weren’t fanatics trying to overtake the galaxy in her name or anything. We were hardly invested in her campaign, and you’d be hard pressed to even call us her followers. We were just living the only way we knew how to. For all intents and purposes, she became our Goddess because serving her was all there was to do really. There were no alternatives. It’s as simple as that."

  "It’s just kind of strange to hear someone talk about war so positively." I say.

  "It’s not like I don’t think it was a bad thing overall. I’m not that cold. I’m just saying I got out of it alright. Yeah, I had to do some things that could probably be looked back on and judged harshly, but you’ve got to live selfishly to survive. That’s just true of life, wartime or not. If you aren’t taking from someone else, someone else is taking from you."

  "I can’t say I agree."

  Ralan scoffs and gives a dramatic shrug. "Hey, listen, I’m just telling you about my experience with the war. I survived and I’m here now. That’s all there is to it. What you think about me doesn’t really matter. I don’t need to justify my actions to anyone." After a few moments of silence he continues, "So, back to what we were originally talking about, what does that book of yours say about Runin?"

  Despite how well Ralan spoke of his wartime experiences I imagine there is more to it than he lets on. I don’t suppose it is proper for me to pry though. “It speaks pretty highly of her, I guess.” I answer. “Well, it speaks highly of all the gods of old, but I think it makes Runin sound particularly majestic. It says Runin brought down rain to grow the universe in its infancy. She laid down the rivers, the seas, and the lakes. Basically, her waters gave life to mortals."

  "That sounds like the stories they’d tell about Runin alright. How nostalgic."

  "Did you ever meet Runin?" I ask.

  Ralan laughs. "Ha! No way. The gods were mysterious to say the least. They always acted through intermediaries: avatars. I never even met one of her avatars, only tertiary representatives. We were nothing special. Nothing to warrant such an esteemed guest. They say each of the old gods had a very small inner circle who they met face to face but otherwise nobody ever saw them. At least none who lived to tell about it. Kinda makes you wonder if they even existed at all."

  "What do you mean by that? You don’t think the gods were real? Just made up by people?"

  "No idea." He answers. "Y’know, when I was a boy, I used to dream about becoming one of Runin’s inner circle. Seeing her glory in person. What kind of person could rule over such a massive part of the universe and have earned the right to be called a god? She would’ve probably been more beautiful than anything I could ever imagine. Wouldn’t that be something? Meeting a god?"

  For all his talk about service to her and his admiration, it sounds more like how someone speaks of a fairytale than a god or a leader. "It sounds like you admire her quite a bit." I add.

  "I just haven’t heard her name in a long time. It brings back memories from long ago. Different times when people were more devoted to gods and goddesses."

  "What happened?" I ask.

  "The war ended. That’s what happened."

  "What does that have to do with why people would be devoted to the gods?"

  "Everything." Ralan says. "Kid, don't you know? The war ended because the gods disappeared. Or so they say. Nobody really knows what happened to them, the story goes they left this plain of existence and took their fighting to another realm entirely. Whatever the reason, once the gods were gone there was no reason to follow them. Even less of a reason to continue fighting, at least not until people could come up with new things to fight over."

  "Were the gods that important to the war?" I ask.

  "Of course. The First War was also known as the War of Control. The whole point of the war was the fifteen elemental overlords were fighting for complete control of the universe. To bring the other gods into submission and be the supreme deity. It might be difficult to comprehend, but in the days of the war you were a follower of one god or another, whether you liked it or not. Usually, it just came down to which of the gods’ territories you were born into. That usually determined which god you followed."

  I give Ralan a few curious glances as he stares out into the sea. He is a lot more knowledgeable than I gave him credit for. I thought he was just a random drunk. Maybe this is just common knowledge for beings who have lived so long, who lived through war. "It’s kind of hard to believe that everyone just stopped believing in gods as soon as the war ended. I can say for sure that I’ve never heard of them."

  Ralan answers me between sips of his flask."Why anyone would follow a god who has abandoned this realm is beyond me. You’d be surprised how fast it all fell apart once word spread that the gods disappeared. Even still, it’s not like nobody worships the elemental overlords anymore, but you'll be hard pressed to find them in everyday life. The only people who devote themselves to gods these days are hardcore zealots or people whose entire lives were built around the gods before they disappeared. You won’t find them around here that’s for sure. Basically, people who can’t let go of the past." Ralan takes a long gulp from his flask, emptying it out.

  "You don't think the elemental overlords are still here?"

  "I’m not even sure they were here at all in the first place. I don’t know why they would be here, if they were real. I think people would’ve noticed by now if the gods were still around."

  Are the elemental overlords really gone? Doesn't that mean this whole journey is pointless? Will Runin even be at the maelstrom like the fortune teller said she would be?

  "What’s the matter kid?” Ralan asks. Though his attention is still chained the horizon. “You look troubled."

  "It’s nothing."

  "If you say so.” Ralan says. He breaks away from the railing and starts back toward the inside of the ship. “Well, it was nice talking, but I’m going to head back to the bridge. What about you?"

  I answer him, "I’m going to go grab a bite to eat and then go down to the cargo hold and work on Ace for a while. I think it’d be nice if we could have it operational when we reach the maelstrom."

  "Okay. You know where to find me if you need anything."