The reefwoods are one of the more beautiful parts of the Glass ocean. The colorful 'trees' that poke out from the smooth surface of the ocean are in fact a type of hardy coral whose tentacles sprout in frond-like formations and flowers. The fronds absorb the light of the sun, while the flowers attract insects attracted by the scent of the nectar therein. The insects attract lizards and fish as well, which in turn attract vorpal crabs that eat the fish. The remains of the fish are then harvested by the coral as an additional food source, making the reefwoods their own little ecological system.
Asriel watched this cycle progress from the deck of a skimmer until the light of the sun gradually faded and the fronds and flowers receded into the coral, only for large pale leaves to emerge moments later, glowing softly.
"Wow." Shye said, her tail twitching as she lay beside Asriel on the deck of the skimmer. "So pretty."
"Yeah." Asriel said. Firefly-like creatures known as 'embers', were now flying around the glowing corals, their multi-color lights leaving small trails in their wake.
A click of a camera answered them. Asriel turned to see Sylpha lining up another shot with her comically large camera.
"Magnificent, isn't it?" she said, still sounding as though she had a cold. "It's amazing how the creatures have adapted to this environment."
Golemite responded with a slight snore; she was still fast asleep, despite the fact that Asriel and Shye were resting their backs against her side. The captain of the skimmer, a short woman with a decidedly mousey appearance (it was the tail and the whiskers, Asriel thought), was reluctant to take on the golem, but agreed to do so as long as Golemite remained stationary to prevent his skimmer from flipping. Since then, Golemote sat at the back of the skimmer, perfectly centered in front of the skimmer's engine, where the lift was the greatest. Bella was lying on a lounge chair nearby, wearing little more than a bikini and reading a book as she took in the sun.
"Captain Nobbs," Sylpha asked, turning to address the mouse captain. "Could we move closer to one of the trees? I'd like to take a nectar sample."
"I'm 'fraid not, Miss," Captain Nobbs told her. "That coral's razor sharp, you know. It'll tear through our hull in seconds … I've seen it happen to fellow captains who got careless. You want samples, try flagging down a Brinquella once we reach the islands; they harvest nectar, from what I hear. Potent stuff, from what I hear."
"It's alcoholic?"
"Oh, yes." Bella said idly as she flipped a page. "One shot's worth a good fifteen shards, and it'll make your head buzz for three hours. I considered collecting it myself, but it's just too dangerous."
"Couldn't you just have a crew man sail around and walk over to it?" Shye asked.
"And deal with the vorpal crabs? Those claws can cut through reinforced plating, and they have no problem attacking things bigger than them." Bella said. "No thank you; I'll stick to selling and leave the procurement for other people."
Asriel watched as one of the vorpal crabs slowly emerged from the water, carefully climbing up the side of the coral toward an unsuspecting lizard currently occupied with snapping at a few of the embers. The lizard noticed far too late; it tried to run, only for the crab to scuttle across the distance separating them with blinding speed and grab ahold of the lizard. Then, with a strange, deliberate care, it reached up with one claw and neatly severed the lizard's head.
"Right." Asriel said, feeling a little sick as he watched the crab calmly carried the headless lizard's still-flailing body beneath the surface.
"All right." Captain Nobbs said, "That should be the last reefwood until we reach the Natallis Islands. Everyone hold on."
The skimmer was forced to go slow through the reefwoods, but on clear water could go astoundingly fast. The sensation of travelling and the sight of the receding reefwood were the only indications of speed as the skimmer sped along the smooth expanse of the ocean, at least until the first of the Natallis islands appeared.
The Natallis islands were essentially large mounds of rock and sand rising through the depths of the Glass Ocean. Despite appearing smooth, the Glass Ocean did move in some fashion, causing a general accumulation of sediment, sand, and other materials in certain places. The smaller islands were mostly home to families of scavengers who searched the sandy shores for the usual assortement of seashells, as well as any goods and materials that could be of use.
The largest of these islands was Meringue Point, a large island about half the size of nowhere. Interestingly enough, the island was home to a large lagoon, with actual water created from large-scale converters similar to those used in kitchens across the glass ocean.
The port was full of activity, mostly fishing skimmers and local kids on slicers. A few cutters were docked as well, looking much like the ancient sailing vessels used by humans. Asriel, who didn't know anything about ancient human sailing vessels, was fascinated by the large ships: the sails, the rigging, the figureheads, and most of all, the blades. Cutters move by means of massive bladed ridges under the bow and stern. Extremely sharp, these blades cut through the viscous ocean water with ease, allowing the ship to travel on the wind. Should the wind come to a halt, circular blades placed along the bottom of the ship will propel the vessel slowly, preventing it from sinking. These secondary blades are run mechanically, but can be operated manually, preventing the ship from ever getting stuck. It still happened of course, but it was rare enough to be considered suspicious when a cutter went missing.
The skimmer came to a halt beside the dock. A large claw attached to the dock lifted the skimmer from the ocean and set it neatly into an appropriately-sized parking spot, struggling only a little with the increased load.
Shutting down the ship's engine, Captain Nobbs said, "Well, I hope you enjoyed the trip. I'll be heading back in a few days if you want to catch a ride back with me, though I'm sure there are others who can ferry you as well if I'm unavailable."
"Thank you." Sylpha said, shaking the woman's hand. "Um … are you sure you won't reconsider?"
"Heading to the edge?" Captain Nobbs shuddered and shook her head. "No thank you. Even if my little ship had the energy to pass beyond known waters, I've got a husband and kids to think about about. No, I'll leave the adventuring to you people."
"Don't worry." Captain Nobbs added, no doubt seeing Sylpha's disappointed face. "This place sees all kinds of adventurers heading in all directions. You'll find a captain to take you further, I'm sure of it. Just … be careful, okay? You seem like decent folk, and I'd hate to have to tell Miss Bella that her sister's friends up and disappeared."
After smacking Golemite a few times to wake her up, Asriel and his friends stepped onto the reinforced wooden boards of the dock. They were half-way to shore before Shye spoke.
"Up and disappeared, huh?" Shye said, glancing back at Captain Nobbs's ship. "Is it just me, or does it sound like she knows somethin'?"
"She's just a-afraid of the unknown." Sylpha said, adjusting her glasses. "I b-bet there's all sorts of r-rumors about what lies beyond charted w-waters."
"Probably." Golemite stifled a yawn.
Asriel snorted. "Don't tell me you're tired. You've spent most of the last three weeks asleep.
"No such thing as too much sleep, Azzie." Golemite said with a chuckle. "Right now, though, I'd really like a good drink."
"Ah!" Sylpha said, the raccoon-woman's face brightening. "Yes, a bar would be an e-excellent place to ask q-questions about what's out there."
"Well, just be careful." Bella told them. "Bars around here can be a little rough."
"You're not going with us?" Shye asked.
Bella shook her head. "I'm going to see about getting us a cutter for the next part of our voyage. Don't worry; this isn't my first visit here; just remember to stay together. Lone tourists are considered easy pickings."
"Thanks, Bella." Golemite rumbled. "Talkin' wit you is always so reassurin'."
Bella shrugged, a ghost of a smile on her face. "Just being practical. Stay together, and we'll meet up in an hour or so, okay? And keep an eye on your packs; this stuff has to last us for awhile.
Any visitor to a port can tell you that any place with a large number of ships will have bars close by, as drinking and sailing are ancient bedfellows. This was definitely the case on Meringue; once Asriel and his friends left the docks, they found themselves not far from several bars, the busiest of which bore the rather benign name of 'the Salty Peanut'.
The reason for the name became clear all too soon … in fact, it became clear when Golemite put her foot down and filled the air with the sound of crunching shells. The floor was covered with discarded peanut shells and dust from shells long since trodden into dust.
Every table in the place had a large bowl of peanuts on it. Patrons ate the peanuts and tossed the shells to the floor without care in the world. Serving men and women occasionally made rounds, filling cups and tankards as well as the peanut bowls.
"Oh my." Sylpha said, a little taken aback. "M-maybe we should find a cleaner place."
"You kiddin'?" Golemite said, already moving toward the nearest empty table. "This place is perfect. Cozy, even."
Asriel followed his friend to an empty table, Shye not far behind him. Fortunately, the padding of their feet was thick enough to keep them from having to pull more than a few bits of shell from his feet.
They'd only been sitting a few moments when one of the servers, a rather harried-looking bird-woman with blue feathers approached their table.
"Whaddya want?" She asked, eyes on her notepad as she held her pen poised above the paper.
"Um … do you have a menu?" Sylpha asked, unable to keep the nervousness from her smile.
The bird-woman gave her a long, hard look. "Got it memorized. Ya want ale, rum, or grog?"
"What's in the grog?" Golemite asked.
"If ya gotta ask-"
"-It ain't what ya want." Golemite finished. "Got it. I'll have ale."
"R-rum." Sylpha said, looking more nervous than ever.
The server glanced at Asriel and Shye. Asriel smiled cheerily back at her until she shook her head and said, "One ale, one rum, and two milks."
"Can I have chocolate imilk?" Shye asked, only to receive a baleful glare in return before the bird-woman walked away from the table.
"Friendly sort." Golemite said with a chuckle.
Shye and Asriel didn't respond, already going to work on the bowl of peanuts. While Bella packed them plenty of rations, dried fruit bars were only appealing for so long.
Sylpha took a handful of peanuts as well, but had trouble cracking them open.
Golemite leaned toward the raccoon woman. "Need some help?"
"P-please." She said, moving her hands away from her pile of peanuts.
Golemite slammed a hand down on the small mound, which in addition to opening the shells also reduced the peanuts within to pieces best described as crumbs.
Asriel chuckled softly, but his mirth wasn't long-lived. There were a lot of looks going their way, and not many of them seemed all that happy. Even the ape bartender stole furtive glances at them as he polished tankards with a dirty rag.
The server returned as Sylpha stared sadly at her pile of peanut fragments. She quickly set the drinks in front of each person before setting down a greasy basket of onion rings as well.
Before Asriel could comment that they hadn't ordered anything to eat (yet, anyway), the server jerked a thumb at the bar, saying, "Compliments of the lizard."
The group turned as one to the bar, where a lizard woman in a heavy leather coat gave them a sharp-toothed smile before raising her glass at them.
"Huh." Golemite murmured, "Looks like someone wants to be a friend."
"What should we do?" Sylpha asked, the look of terror on her face more befitting a woman who was just told a cadre of cannibals was inviting them to lunch.
"Just look friendly, that's my motto." Golemite gave the lizard woman a smile and raised her glass in turn. "Still, place like dis, could be easy to poison somethin'."
Asriel looked at Shye, who was already on her third onion ring.
"They're good." She said through a mouthful of onion and breading. "Try some."
Shrugging, Asriel decided it was worth a risk. It was good, if a bit on the greasy side. That worked in it's favor; it reminded Asriel of Jenny's diner.
"Uh-oh." Golemite said as she raised her glass. "Looks like she's comin' to say hello."
"What?" Sylpha said, eyes widening.
"Jus' relax." Golemite told her. "Dis is what you were lookin' for, yeah? Someone to ask about rumors and stuff?"
"Well, y-yes, I know, b-but-"
A tankard slammed down on the table, still held by a scaly fist.
"Ahoy there, mates." Said the lizard woman, setting the chair she'd dragged behind her beside Sylpha, much to Sylpha's discomfort. "Didn't mean to be interruptin' ya, but bein' a charitable sort, and seein' as you're tourists, I figured I'd welcome ya to our fair little city. Naddy's the name."
"What makes you think we're tourists?" Asriel asked. Something about the woman struck him as a bit off … and at the same time, very familiar.
Naddy laughed, showing off plenty of sharp teeth. "Anyone could jus' look at the lot of ye and figure that out, boy. Buncha land-lubbers like you stick out like sore thumbs. Say, what brings you out this far, anyway?"
"Said it yourself." Golemite said before raising her glass again. "We're tourists lookin' to have a nice vacation."
"But Golemite," Sylpha said, "I thought-"
"See the sights." Golemite interrupted loudly, "Get somma dat great sea air we keep hearin' about."
Naddy gave Golemite a big smile that clearly said she didn't believe a word of it. "I see, I see. And what sights have you got in mind?"
"Whatever's around." Golemite said with a shrug.
Realization suddenly dawned on Sylpha's face. If there was any doubt that Golemite was lying, Sylpha suddenly blurting out, "That's right! We're just, uh, here to look at, uh things." Swiftly put it to rest.
Golemtie sighed and rubbed her temples as Naddy let out a loud laugh.
"Nice try." Naddy said, "Most tourists go to Gealle; people headin' out here generally fall into two categories; people lookin' to off-load shall we say questionable goods, and adventurers … and stop me if I'm wrong, but you don't look like people needin' a good fence."
Golemite leaned forward, eyes narrowed. "We're da kind of people who don't need no one pokin' dere nose in our business, Miss Naddy. Tanks for da grub."
Naddy's smile froze on her face for a long moment before going wider. "Now is that any way to treat a friend?"
"We ain't friends." Golemite said. "An' if you don't go find someone else to bug, I'm gonna get real unfriendly."
"Really?" Naddy said, lifting her tankard. She started to take a drink, only to suddenly turn her tankard and throw the remaining liquid at Golemite's face.
Golemite let out roar of pain as the foul liquid ran down her face and stained her shirt. The rest of the crowd was silent now, all watching with wide eyes as Golemite rose to her feet, eyes now glowing red. "Dat was a mistake, missy. I'm gonna crush you like a bug!"
Golemite brought one massive fist down, only for Naddy to skip back out of the way, causing the golem's fist to slam into the table and knock it to the floor.
Shye, who had the forethought to grab the onion rings before the fight started, quickly put some distance between herself and the group as Golemite rushed at Naddy, tackling her to the bar. The ape behind the bar started jabbering as Naddy caught Golemite's fist and held it with a strength her form belied. The other patrons were cheering, with the occasional wolf-whistle sounding above the clamor.
Still, stopping the punch wasn't the same as overpowering Golemite, and soon Golemite was forcing Naddy to the ground. The lizard-woman's free hand scrambled at the bar before grabbing a bottle and smashing it against Golemite's head.
Golemite staggered back, falling to the floor with a thud that shook the room. Naddy picked up a chair despite the protests of the bartender and slowly approached Golemite.
"You learned your lesson yet, or do I need to club it into ya?" Naddy asked.
Golemite didn't respond, other than to slowly push herself up from the floor. Shrugging, Naddy approached Golemite from behind, raising the chair to smash it into the stone woman.
"Oy! Fish-face!" A bowl full of peanuts flew through the air, the peanuts bouncing off Naddy harmlessly while the bowl smacked her right in the skull. The crowd went silent, their eyes all moving to the source of this attack. Asriel was surprised to realized that it was him: he'd thrown the bowl and shouted the insult.
"Really, kid?" Naddy said, a look of disbelief on her face. "You want summa this"
Asriel stood defiantly, his hands clenched. "You leave my friend alone."
Naddy stared at him a moment longer before an evil grin spread across her face. She took a step toward him, only to stop as a massive stone hand caught her other leg.
"Mus' protect da prince." Golemite mumbled before hurling Naddy across the room.
She slammed into a man who truly had a fish face, knocking him into a bear of a fellow who looked to have passed out some time ago. The bear awoke with a start before glaring at the fish face and sending him spinning with a well-aimed swipe. Fish-face stumbled into another patron, this one a short burly fellow who wasted no time in leaping onto Fish-face's back and pummeling him with tiny fists. This caused Fish-face to flail about, knocking into other patrons until it seemed everyone was on their feet. The bartender gave up his attempts to contain the crowd and ducked behind the desk as the fight became a brawl.
Asriel hurried over to Golemite, who still looked a little shakey.
"Your Majesty?" She mumbled.
"It's me, Asriel. Are you okay?"
"Jus' fine." Golemite said. "Where's Shye?"
Asriel looked around, but could find no sign of their friend or her little flynx, Mina. He was still looking when a loud whistle shot through the room, bringing everything to a halt. Literally to a halt, it turns out, as Asriel found he couldn't move.
Armored monsters entered the room in uniforms that Asriel didn't have to recognize to know that they belonged to the authorities, whoever they may have been in the city of Meringue.
"All right, all right." Said a man with the head of a pug. "Maker's Breath, you lot are startin' a bit early today, arentcha? You coulda let me finish my coffee."
There were a few grumbles and insults following this from around the room, none loud enough to pinpoint. The pug cop sighed and said, "All right, I'm gonna release the stasis field, and I don't wanna hear a single word; just point to whoever started it."
Asriel wasn't surprised when a moment later, most fingers were pointed at him and Golemite, with the rest pointing at the recumbent body of Naddy. His body froze as the pug's magic took hold again, freezing both him and Golemite in place. He could only watch as Naddy, Golemite, and he slowly rose into the air and followed the pug-cop out of the bar.
The cells of the Meringue jail were basically the same as cells anywhere, not that Asriel had much experience with such things. Stone walls, beds that were more properly described as slabs, and metal bars preventing those inside from leaving. Asriel, Golemite, Sylpha, and Naddy were put into different cells watched by a sleepy-eyed dog who snapped to attention when the pug cop entered and delivered the prisoners. The sleepy guard remained awake long enough to pour what appeared to be dog kibble into four bowls and set one outside each cell close enough for the occupants to grab them before returning to his chair. Within moments, he was fast asleep.
Asriel tried a piece of kibble, more out of curiosity than actual hunger. It was hard and bore the popular taste of chicken mixed with sand.
"Well." Naddy said, plopping down on her cell's plank and pulling a worn deck of cards from her coat pocket. "Anybody up for a game?"
Asriel ignored her, focusing his attention instead on Golemite. "Hey, are you okay?"
"Yeah." Golemite tried to sit on her bed, only for the plank to splinter under her weight. She blinked a few times before simply resting her back against the wall of the cell. "I think I'm gonna take a nap."
"What? No, Golemite, you can break us outta-" Asriel stopped as the sound of Golemite's snoring almost overpowered the snoring of the guard.
Sighing, Asriel sat on his own plank. He looked over to Sylpha, only to find her huddled on her own bed, hugging her legs to her chest. The white fur of her cheeks was tinged red from her blush.
"Don't worry." Naddy said, shuffling her cards. "We might as well do somethin' to pass the time, yeah?"
"This is your fault." Asriel said, glaring at her.
"Me?" Naddy said, feigning innocence. "I just wanted to be friendly, and offer you a ride on me ship. Yer friend was the one who got all sniffy about it. C'mon; just one game. It's not like we got anythin' else to do."
She was right. As annoying as that was, Asriel let out a sigh and nodded.
"Good." Looking at Sylpha, Naddy asked, "How about you, cutie?"
That seemed to snap Sylpha from her embarressed trance. "C-cutie?"
"You want in?" Sylpha flipped the top card of the deck and twirled it around her fingers, revealing it to be the ace of hearts. "You want in?"
Sylpha's blush was back. "Oh … um … well …"
"Good." Naddy tossed the cards with expert aim, landing them face-down just past the bars of their cells. Lifting her hand, she asked, "Ante is two pellets of this crap they call food."
About an hour passed before Shye arrived at the cell block with Bella in tow. She glanced at the cells one by one, starting with Golemite still asleep in her cell and Naddy shuffling her cards beside her own half-full bowl. Bella turned to the other side of the cell, where Asriel was toying with his last piece of kibble while Sylpha stared at her cards with a fierce intensity, her own bowl overflowing.
"Bella!" Asriel said, dropping his pellet and rising to his feet. "Shye!"
Bella clucked her tongue as she glided down the stairs. "Honestly, I leave you alone for a few moments. A good thing Shye had the forethought to run out of the bar."
"That's right." Shye said, Mina letting out a meow of agreement as well. "I had to eat the rest of those onion rings by myself."
"You poor thing." Asriel said without an ounce of pity in his voice. Shye stuck her tongue out at him. Shaking his head, he flicked his final piece of kibble across the cells, where it bounced off Golemite's head. Golemite sat up with a start.
"Whazzat?" Golemite mumbled, peering around. "Where am I?"
"Jail." Bella said as she approached the sleeping dog guard. "But not for long. Officer?"
When the sleeping guard failed to respond, she rolled her eyes and leaned down close to his ear.
"Officer Benz?" She whispered, her voice soft and sweet.
"Mmm."
"I have a message from Sergeant Evans."
"Mmm?"
"That's right. I believe he wanted me to tell you … WAKE UP!"
The guard awoke instantly, leaping to his feet and bringing a paw to his head in a salute.
Shaking her head, Bella pointed to her friends and said, "I'm here to pick up these three."
"Right." The guard barked, still sounding a little nervous. As he fumbled for the keys, Naddy quickly got to her feet.
"Say, couldn't see to getting' me bailed out as well, could ya?"
Bella glared at Naddy. "From what Shye says, you're the reason they're here."
"All right, fair enough, but she did mention my offer, yeah? You lot, you're plannin' an expedition, that much is clear just lookin' at ya. You'll need a good cutter, and my ship's the fastest on the Glass Ocean."
"Hmm. A shame your ship's captain got herself locked up in jail for instigating a fight." Bella said as the guard dog opened Asriel's cell.
"Just a bit of a brawl, lass, that's all." Naddy said with a laugh. "Everyone enjoy's a good rough and tumble with one's mates every now and then, eh?"
Bella didn't respond. The guard released Golemite, who shuffled out of her cell, still looking at little dazed.
"Look here." Naddy said, a slight note of panic in her voice as the guard approached Sylpha's cell. "I know we ain't got off on the right foot here, but you need me. I'm the best captain around, and my ship's gone farther than any other."
"I'm sure every captain in the port would say the same thing." Bella said as Sylpha stepped out of the cell looking ashamed.
As Bella led the others toward the door, Naddy called out, "But none of them has actually seen what's at the far shore of the Glass Ocean, have they? None of them know about … the Edge."
"The Edge?" Asriel said, turning around. "You mean the shore?"
Naddy pointed to the lock of her cell meaningfully.
Asriel, Bella, Golemite, and Sylpha went into a huddle.
"Well?" Bella asked, "Is she trustworthy?"
Golemite shook his head. "Not a chance."
"That doesn't mean she's not tellin' the truth." Asriel said. "Sylpha, what do you think?"
"M-me? Oh, I d-don't know. S-she seems nice. She's brash and all, but I don't think she means to harm any of us; she just wants in on the adventure. There's not a lot out here, and the possibility of seeing something new, of being part of that experience … it's a major draw. Oh, I'm sure she's hiding something, but everyone has secrets."
Everyone stared at her in silence for a few moments. It was Golemite who eventually said, "You gleaned all of dat from playin' cards?"
"And what happened to your stutter?" Shye asked suspiciously.
Sylpha stuttered for a few moments uncertainly until Asriel felt it necessary to cut in for mercy's sake.
"Look," Asriel said, "We need a cutter, right? She's got a cutter, and given h
Bella approached the cell door, hands on her hips. "And I suppose you'll take us there?"
"Well, yeah. For a price, o'course; runnin' a ship ain't a charity. Let's say … a hundred coins, minus the usual fifty-coin travel fees for bailin' me out of here?"
"Seventy coins."' Bella said.
"Seventy-five." Naddy countered. "I did buy them onion rings."
"Seventy-three, or you can just cool your heels in that cell."
Naddy made a show of deliberating before letting out a sigh and saying, "Fine, fine. Seventy-three coins it is."
She spat on her palm and held it out to Bella, who accepted it without flinching much to Asriel's surprise. Bella nodded at the guard, who shuffled over and unlocked the cell.
"Thank ye." Naddy said with a grin. With a flick of her wrist, all of her cards flew back into her hand. "So, now that we're all mates, maybe you can be tellin' me what it is you're really wantin' to do?"
"Let's see your ship first." Bella said evenly.
Naddy gave a surprisingly graceful bow to Bella. "Of course, miss, of course."
As Naddy took the lead, Golemite slowed to walk beside Asriel.
"Azzie," She said, her voice masked by Naddy as the cutter captain bragged loudly to Sylpha of her ocean exploits. "About da Everstar …"
"What Everstar?" Asriel replied, eyes on Naddy.
Golemite nodded in satisfaction. "Glad we're on da same page."
