Chapter 3: Danu
In another world, on a momentous day in the past.
A light breeze swept over the coast, carrying with it the signature scent of the ocean. Waves crashed against the rocky shore, wetting the beach with droplets of water.
'Right on time…'
The girl's deep ocean-blue eyes were fixed on the horizon, scanning for any sign of movement. Her smooth black hair flowed to the wind's whims, revealing her face as she finally caught sight of the ship she'd been expecting.
She nibbled on her lip nervously, her face a mess of anticipation, reluctance, and fear.
'This is necessary. If I don't do this, everyone could be harmed.'
The girl stood up from where she'd been seated on a small boulder. She wore a dress unlike anything one might find back on Earth. It was made from tanned deer leather but was still somehow thin and flexible enough to move like cloth, and had been dyed the same blue color as her eyes.
She made for an enchanting figure.
"Danu, do you see them?"
The excited voice of a young man called out from behind the girl, and she turned to look at her companion. Dressed like a young squire, the boy's clothes looked quite formal, and combined with his short, well-groomed beard, he looked quite knowledgable.
Her head slowly nodded as she answered his question.
"Finally! We've been here for a week already!"
A short way from the beach, a small campsite had served as their home over the past few days. It wasn't just the two of them present- there was a small trade caravan that'd come with.
"Go fetch the others, and a horse for me. You need to remember not to come close once the ship is here. It will be dangerous."
At Danu's words, the young man ran back toward the camp. After watching his back disappear from the beach, the girl returned to watching the slowly approaching boat.
Carried upon its decks were adventurers and pioneers. People who set out into the unknown, hoping to find evidence of a new continent. They weren't the first, and likely wouldn't be the last.
A year ago, almost to the day, another ship had appeared on this same horizon. There had been no one here to greet it, and the boat's inhabitants made their way inland, eventually encountering a small village.
It was one of a few small towns nestled deep in the northern woods, safe from the continent's conflicts. No one expected that the place they'd gone to find peace would be the site of the next great change.
The world of Suvia only knew two continents, labeled as East and West.
Outside these two continents, there was only the ocean. Violent winds and waves threatened to sink any ships and the powerful storms that ripped past the coasts brought fear to the hearts of sailors.
It was intransverable. For hundreds of years, many explorers made attempts at discovering new lands, but none ever returned alive. Eventually, the idea of there being more land somewhere out there diminished and was eventually forgotten.
The boat continued to move closer, and soon Danu could make out an emblem threaded through the ship's sturdy sails. The emblem depicted a poofy, black bird- a turkey.
It wasn't an animal that could be found here on the Eastern Continent, and would also go unrecognized in the West.
This boat… was from somewhere else. Another continent, lying somewhere beyond the ocean's raging waves and deadly storms.
"Danu, I'm back!"
The young lad from before shouted out, interrupting Danu's thoughts. He was now atop a horse, and his hand held a rope to guide along a second mount. Following behind the boy was a group of merchants. Just from a glance at their faces, anyone would be able to see the resemblance between the boy and the group following him.
An older woman urged her horse ahead, stepping out from the group.
"Danu, are you sure you want to do this alone?"
"Yes, you've already helped enough. I can handle my part."
Danu crouched down, sticking the tips of her fingers into the water. It was cold- frigid, almost, but still felt comforting to the girl.
Withdrawing her hand, she looked back up at the group of merchants.
"All of you should stay back when the ship arrives. The same situation as before could repeat, if we're not careful."
A small orb of water jumped from the water below the girl, flying up until it hovered in the air just above her palm. A tiny blue inscription appeared on her palm, and after a moment, the water began bubbling. Bits of salt and dust began to fall from the orb, cleaning it of any impurities.
After a few seconds, the water calmed once more and Danu shook her hand, letting the salt fall to the ground. She then leaned her head forward, swallowing the now clean orb of water.
"Watching you now, it's almost hard to believe our plan worked."
The older merchant woman's hand slapped against her own forehead, trying to block her vision of Danu. The girl's cheeks bulged from all the water in her mouth, making her somewhat resemble a chipmunk.
Swallowing down the cool water, Danu grinned.
"It's all thanks to your genius!"
The woman snorted.
"Hmph, mine? I don't think you should be the one saying that, given your accomplishments."
Danu shrugged, then turned back to gaze at the ship. It had drifted further down the horizon as it approached and now was within shouting distance. The faint sound of cheers could be heard from its decks, the passengers excited to finally see land once more.
"Looks like it'll land a bit south of here. I'll head over right now."
Danu patted the shoulder of the horse that the young man brought, then hefted herself up onto its saddle.
"I'll say it one more time. Stay far back, and let me handle this."
After giving those few last words, she urged the horse to begin along the beach. Emotions swirled within her as she rode, amplified by the rapidly decreasing distance to the boat. The vessel had already stopped moving, and now its passengers could be seen bustling along its sides, preparing smaller paddle boats. Crews of men hopped into their landing crafts and began making their way toward the shore.
"Hey! There's a person! A girl on a horse!"
A shout echoed from the main ship as someone spotted Danu, attracting the attention of all the sailors.
The leading landing boat had already nearly reached shore, and after seeing the girl, they put more effort into their paddling. Just as their boat reached shore, Danu arrived in front of them and hopped off her horse.
Speaking in a different language than what she'd used with the merchants earlier, she addressed the sailors.
"Hello. Do you have enough food for back?"
Her words were heavily accented and difficult to understand.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You go back. Do you have the resources?"
"Are you trying to tell us to go back? Like hell! We've been on that damn ocean for over a moon! I'd rather die here!"
Danu's eyes swept over the leading man's face. His eyes were determined.
'He's never going to agree… he probably knows they won't make it back home anyways. I guess it really comes to this.'
Danu raised her arm, pointing to the ocean behind the man.
"Sorry."
"Huh- AAAH!!"
A cylinder of water shot from the shallows behind the man, its surface glittering as it turned to ice mid-air. The trajectory headed perfectly toward the man's neck, and in less than a second, it met its target.
"Orien!"
The rest of the sailors watched on in shock as their leader was impaled through the throat, the ice spike's sharpness so lethal that it nearly separated the man's head from the rest of his body.
"You bitch, you killed him!"
Danu waved her hand at the water once more.
"Sorry."
Five more ice spikes shot from the water, and within a matter of seconds, the entire landing crew had been wiped out.
After shoving their bodies from their small landing boat, Danu took their place and began making her way out to the main ship.
'I have to kill them all… until they stop coming back.'
A large wave formed under the girl's boat, launching it toward the large ship and giving the rest of the sailors no time to prepare a defense. Huge amounts of water spilled over the deck, as Danu lept aboard, giving her plenty of resources to work with.
Even while seeing their doom, the sailors couldn't help but be entranced by her as they watched Danu control the massive amounts of water.
'She looks like a goddess…'
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone