Dud woke up to the face of Silver Chariot looking at him.
"Good morning, were you here the whole time?" Dud asked his stand with wonder and astonishment.
SC nodded and moved away, letting Dud rise. Dud got out of the sleeping bag and left the tent; the sky was painted in oranges of dawn, and the sea breeze was pleasant. He freshened up and noticed he had a few extra berries. Making him smile.
"Hey SC," Dud called the stand unnecessarily, "Could you help me pack?" asked Dud unnecessarily.
SC wordlessly packed everything into the bag neatly using its superspeed.
"I will see you later," Dud said as he dismissed SC.
Dud stretched a bit and summoned his other familiar.
(beep!)
"Good morning to you too, Herbie! Do you feel better?" asked Dud with a smile.
(beep)
"That is good to hear. Want to race?" asked Dud, grinning mischievously.
(beep?)
"I have a few tricks." Dud waved his hand, dismissing the question, "So, want to race?"
(doubtful beep)
"Let me put this in you real quick," Dud said, placing his bag inside the car.
"Ready?" asked Dud as he got into the runner's position.
"3"
(vroom)
"2"
(vroom, vroom)
"1"
(vrrrrr...)
"GO" (..rom)
Herbie overtook Dud, but Dud slowly gained on it, much to the surprise and joy of the car as they raced along the beach. By the time they saw the port, Dud had taken the lead, but they were neck and neck for the final stretch.
"I win!" yelled Dud as he leaned against a pole, catching his breath.
(challenging beep)
"Bring it on." Grinned Dud as he did his cooldown stretches.
"See you on the next island?" asked Dud as he took his bag out of Herbie.
(Beep!...Beep)
"Okay, so only on islands that we can race then?" clarified Dud.
(Beep!)
"See you later then," said Dud, dismissing the car.
Walking into the town proper, he spotted a clothing store; he entered it intending to buy a cloak, shoes, and anything else that caught his eye.
The door made a jingle as he entered the store.
"Hello, what can I get ho? " asked the shopkeeper with a gulp.
"Are you okay?" asked Dud with a concerned frown.
"I am fine! Everything is FINE! It's not like there is a tall scary dude or anything!" explained the shopkeeper, looking like he was going to faint.
"... I am not that scary, am I?" asked Dud, pointing at himself dumbly.
"...Not so much now that you have a dumb look on your face," the shopkeeper whisper-yelled.
"Great!" Dud said with a grin that caused the shopkeeper to nearly faint, making Dud frown.
"Ya know, I will take a look around the shop while you calm down and gather your courage, after which you can help me. Is that good?"
The shopkeeper rapidly nodded to that, to which Dud started looking through the collection of boots that fit him; there weren't that many, and all of them were identical, and Dud thought it was lucky enough that they had any in his size to begin with. He kept a pair separate from the stock and went deeper in to find a generic brown cloak that fit him, and to his absolute delight, it had so many pockets on the inside that he could probably empty half of his bag. Unfortunately, he did not find any clothes that fit him.
Dud arrived at the counter with the cloak and boots.
"You have socks that go with these?" asked Dud, lifting the boots.
"Yep," answered the much calmer shopkeep as he brought a tray of socks from below the counter.
"How much for everything?" asked Dud after selecting a couple of pairs of socks.
"That would be 12,540 berries. You can pay me 12,500," said the shopkeep with relief.
Dud paid for and wore them before heading out exploring the rest of the town.
He found a general store where he bought toiletries and soap that worked in the sea and had breakfast at a restaurant where he bought a tourist pin as a souvenir before heading to the dock to see if he could hitch a ride.
He reached the dock to see a merchant ship unloading its cargo.
"Hey there, can I speak to the captain of this ship?" asked Dud as he approached the people who looked like the captain and a dockmaster.
"You are looking at him; what do ya want?" asked the captain, looking up at Dud.
"Name's Dud. I was hoping to catch a ride off the island; I can pay for it if you want," said Dud as he held his hand up for a handshake with an easy grin on his face.
The captain looked him up and down before clasping Dud's hand.
"I am Captain Gus. Help me load up my purchases and unload them at the docks tomorrow, and the ride's yours. Deal?"
"Deal! When should I be ready?" asked Dud, letting go of the handshake.
"Be here by the dock by 11 tomorrow and not a second later," said the captain before his attention was grabbed by someone else.
"Got it," said Dud as he went back to town, intending on exploring the rest of it.
He found a mapping store where he bought a map, compass, stationery, and a sketchbook, after which he checked in at the local lodge, where he ditched his baggage and went exploring.
He returned before the sunset, not having found anything too interesting but enjoying various things about the island itself; he had his lunch, went to his room, and slept.
Dud woke up to a notification:
{Achievement: Survive Day 1
1X Bronze Ticket}
"Not now," said Dud, dismissing the notification, took care of his morning needs, checked out of the hotel, had breakfast at the restaurant, and headed towards the docks. Seeing no one there, he sat down to sketch the ship rather poorly.
"You are early," said Gus in lieu of a greeting, getting Dud's attention.
"I don't have a clock, so I figured I might as well be early. Need help?" asked Dud, pausing his sketch.
"That looks like shit. Is that supposed to be my ship?" asked the captain with a raised eyebrow.
"Hey! I am learning." Dud protested, holding his sketchbook closer to his chest.
Gus chuckled, "Me and the boys are having breakfast, so be ready to load up the cargo in half an hour."
"Got it," Dud said, continuing the sketch.
Half an hour later Dud discovered another aspect about himself: he was strong. Strong enough to easily carry two of the heavier crates and jump onto the ship easily, earning himself a whistle and cheers from the crew.
"Man, you are strong; those muscles ain't for show, huh?" said a crewmate as he slapped Dud on the back, earning himself a pained hiss.
"Could you not? My back burns," replied Dud, sitting straight to avoid straining his back further.
"That's why it's important to pace yourself," said another crewmate. "Where are you heading anyway?"
"I was thinking of going to Lvneel; it's pretty much at the center of North Blue, and I will decide where to go next after that," said Dud, recalling the contents of the map.
The crew started to laugh a bit, which confused Dud. "Ya are one lucky bastard, aren't ya? We are headed to Lvneel too," said a crewmate.
"Guess I need to talk with the captain about extending my stay." Said Dud with a smile as he continued chatting with the crew.
After the crew had their break, the captain returned, and they set sail.
"Hey, Gus?" called Dud as Gus entered the captain's quarters.
"Yeah?" asked Gus as he waved Dud into the captain's quarters. It was a simple room with a bed, a few cabinets, and a table with a pinned map.
"I heard from the crew that you guys are headed to Lvneel? I was hoping I could tag along with you guys until we reach the kingdom."
Gus frowned at the request.
"It's going to cost you more than a few chores," said Gus, agreeing to Dud's request.
"How much?" asked Dud with a shrug; he was planning to pay the captain the first time anyway.
"10,000 berries"
"No way, it's only like a month away, 6000 berries, and I am going to arrange my own food."
"8000 if you are going to arrange your own food, but you are still going to be dead weight on the ship," countered Gus.
"5000 berries, and I am going to act like a crewmate until we reach Lvneel," countered Dud.
"Deal," said Gus a little too quickly, confusing Dud.
Gus chuckled.
"I pay my men 8000 berries per month. Ignoring the cost of food and entertainment, I am making a profit even if I have to take care of your food," explained Gus.
"Ah...I dropped the anchor on that one, huh," said Dud with realization.
"So welcome aboard, greenie. You have much to learn," said Gus with a grin as he led Dud out to explain things to the crew.
Later that night, as Dud lay on his modified hammock after an exhausting day, two notifications popped into existence for him.
{Achievement: First time out on the sea
1X Silver ticket}
{Achievement: Greenie
1X Bronze ticket}
Dud dismissed them and went to sleep.