The journey remains mostly uneventful. The sailors do their work across the Cloudbreaker. Mechanics keep the engines running, engineers maintain the tools and functionality of the different compartments, navigators steer the vessel to their target and the captain oversees the work while dealing with some paperwork. Meanwhile Minot and the group continue chatting in the leisure room.
“This idiot’s a full-time job!”, Iv complains loudly among laughter. “The amount of times he's turned up after a fight bloodied and bruised are so many I stopped counting!”
“They had it coming!”, Minot counters, already a little inebriated. “You don't go looking for trouble if you can't handle the heat!”
“You're the trouble looking for others!” Iv flies in front of Minot's face. “If ya weren't recklessly jumping into fights against everyone and they mother I didn't have to spend half our earnings on medical supplies!”
“Oh, save me the drama, Iv! We don't even earn enough to treat all my fight trophies!”, Minot laughs. Schalk laughs visibly amused at the shouting match between the two. Velophine can't help but join the carefreeness of the sailors. She doesn't appear completely comfortable with the raw and aggressive conduct, but has gotten used to the volume by now.
“Hey, Minot. Speaking of jumping into fights”, Schalk interjects, “remember that time I had to get you out of trouble with the harbor admin? I bet Velo wants to hear that one.”
He looks over to Velophine who gets surprised at being mentioned out of the blue. Still, she nods in curiosity.
“Oh, shit, that's been a while”, Minot begins.
Several years ago, not long after meeting Iv, there was some high-nosed snotty lil’ bitch wandering around the lower floors of Rosavento. I heard afterwards he was “inspecting” the workers for his rich dad who chilled at the top floors and funded the place to a degree. I guess he's head of a guild in Relva Hesfor or something. Anyway, bein’ a high-nosed snotty lil’ bitch he was lookin’ ‘round all “I'm better than the dirty sailors”. I saw it in his eyes. That guy's never touched a tool in his life, not to mention a consenting woman.
For some reason only the Deity and the financial guild know he started harassing a worker. Don't remember what he worked as. I was hauling a crate of junk to the mechanic at the time and heard the yellin’. Went to look what was goin’ on and saw the worker - rightfully - spilling motor oil on the guy's squeaky clean dress. And it was that oil that doesn't go off clothes easily. Iv can sing you stories about that.
- Whole ballads!
Right. Of course, I was laughin’. The worker was laughin’. His mate was laughin’. But who wasn't laughin’ was the high-nosed snotty lil’ bitch who slugged the worker square in his stomach. I swear, the whole harbor went silent. And the fucker even smirked at the man, daring him to do anything ‘bout it. So, of course, I jumped the shithead and made his princess dress even dirtier. No rank or status will stop me from deliverin’ a knuckle sandwich with a side of fries.
But I shit you not, this shrimp got hands! I thought he’s just a stick dressed nicely to bend under the pressure of a paperclip. But no! He was hitting back and they hurt. We were punchin’ n kickin’ each other for a solid five minutes. I could hear the people around us forming a circle and cheering. I gave him a mean right hook and the guy dropped. He got up shortly after but then Schalk appeared, asking me “What happened here?!”, all shocked and white in his face. I stood there with bruises all over and spittin’ blood and said with a straight face “I won.” Then I collapsed and had to be carried to the nurse.
“You're so lucky I managed to sweettalk the Harbor Admin into dropping charges because you ‘defended workers from harassment’ and the guy's dad let it slide”, Schalk adds to the end. “Fighting a sponsor's son could've meant jail or worse.”
Velophine is still processing the story. “By the Sun's Radiance…”, she says quietly. “Quite the uh… violent event.”
“Yeah, but hey, I won”, Minot euphemizes the story. “But this bitch even started making bets instead of helping.” He points at the fairy who looks rather pleased.
“I made money on your victory. Coz I was the only one bettin’ on it”, she argues while flipping through imaginary bills of cash. “If anything I paid for your medical expenses.”
“Pff, fair.”
Velophine leans closer to Iv and asks: “Is he always like that?”
“Like what? A rabid dog itchin’ to hump a leg? Only most of the time.” Minot rolls his eyes.
“The remaining time he's a sweetheart who'd knit his fairy best friend cute clothes”, Schalk teasingly comments.
“You shut your trap!”, Iv and Minot reply at the same time. Velophine giggles.
“Oh, great silver clouds! What a tale!”, a voice speaks while the door is opening. Hagen enters the room. “We caught a feisty biter this time, eh, Schalk?”
“You wanna go, mate?”, Minot replies, relaxed but ready for anything.
Hagen raises his hands to deescalate any tension. “Woah, slow down. ‘Twas a joke.” The man is dressed the same as Schalk, but with more seams and patches. He looks younger than Schalk with his clean shaven face, sharp eyes and smooth skin. Schalk mentioned once that Hagen has been part of the Cloudbreaker crew for longer than he has been, which is quite remarkable for such a young man. He swipes a strand of light-blue hair to the side. The color has faded a little from long sun exposure over the years. It reminds Minot of Lise weirdly enough.
“Are y'all enjoying yourselves?”
Hagen joins the round and Schalk brings him a glass of rum. “You're the guy that held onto the snapped rope of the crane yesterday, right?”, Minot remembers.
“Yep! Hands still hurt, haha!”
“How come you have both the arm strength and the reflexes to catch that huge fish?”
“Was in the Hesforian Army for a few years. The training was brutal but effective. Got drafted when I was a teenager and not long after I joined the war against Luzre on the Frontline.” He takes a sip of the rum. “The fighting was terrible. Saw lotta good men die. In my last battle I got injured badly and was honorably discharged.” He pulls his shirt up and shows a nasty scar that runs from his left side across his belly and down to his hip. “Those Lucians fight on another level.”
“Is that how you got into the Cloudbreaker crew?”, Iv asks. Minot appears less interested in war stories.
“Nearly begged Cap'n Loi, haha! I didn't want an office job. Being active out in the open is what I enjoy. And helping people!” He finishes his rum.
Minot plays around with his glass. He sighs. “As long as those guys kill each other far away from me and don't bother me I'm fine. I just wanna catch my fish, argue with the dumb fairy and eat sum good every other weekend.” His reply is unusually harsh. Minot doesn't care why the Empire of Relva Hesfor and Kingdom of Shining Heart Luzre are fighting. For all his life they have been waging war with no end. Some warships have appeared at Porto Branco to load supplies and coordinate fleets, but he has always chosen to avoid them. He wants to maintain his simple fishing lifestyle.
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Velophine looks at him. She seems understanding but still she lowers her head after hearing his words.
“Hey, I and the other soldiers have fought to keep you and the others safe”, Hagen replies calmly.
“Whatever, man. Let em do what they want. It got nothin’ to do with me. I'll focus on fishin’ and gettin’ attacked by a freaky bird. Better than armed soldiers.”
Velophine opens her eyes a bit in surprise. “What kinda bird was that?”, she asks way quicker and more directly than she intended to.
“Oh yeah, I wanted to tell ya”, Minot replies. His mind is taken off the topic of war and he is subconsciously grateful for it. “Yesterday after fishing a weird white bird with glowing bits attacked us on our boat.” He covers Iv with his hand before she can complain. “It was spewin’ white mist and had sharp talons. It's responsible for the damage you saw. After I killed it the artifact dropped. And now we're here.”
“I see…”, Velophine replies while contemplating. She sits down straight deep in thought. This doesn't go unnoticed by Minot and Iv.
“So you lied, ya sea dog!”, Schalk accuses him in a joking way. “Ya're keepin’ exciting stories from your good friend?”
“Would ya have believed me?”
Schalk chuckles and takes a sip. “Prob not, haha.”
Hagen clears his throat. “Well, the air's gotten uncomfortable. I'll go back to my spot.” He stands up and goes to exit the door. He turns around. “Oh yeah, we'll reach the Gate soon. Schalk, don't forget about briefing the passengers.”
“Aye. I didn't forget”, Schalk reassures him. Hagen takes his leave. “Aight!” Schalk slaps his thighs with both hands and stands up. “Let's do it now while we're still reasonably sober.”
“Hey, Minot.” Velophine leans closer to him. Her face is serious but somehow still soft. She is closer than he expected. “Can we meet outside after this?”
Minot is a little caught off guard but he wants to talk to her anyway. “Sure.”
Small lines of clouds pass by the Cloudbreaker. A flock of birds accompany her and offer a melody for the journey. The sun is high, the sky is blue. Yet there is a lingering unease. Velophine stands on a narrow platform that is on the ship's port side. It's connected to two doors on the hull and is mostly used for hull maintenance, but it's sturdy enough for passengers to use if they want a moment of peace and privacy. The quiet wind softly blows through her hair, exposing the yellow highlights in her black hair. She is leaning on the railing and stares into the distance deep in thought. The Frontier, the massive wall of clouds, gradually appears on the horizon.
“Quite the different feel from Iv's boat, eh?”, Minot asks behind her. He has just gotten onto the platform himself.
“It's calming, but also unnerving“, Velophine answers. “This peace and quiet here while a gigantic storm rages behind that barrier of clouds.” Those words feel like they are not just describing the state of the world.
“Sometimes it's hard imagining that storm. I only heard stories about it.” Minot stands a few meters away from her and leans with one arm on the railing. “What do you know about it? You seem to know a lot.”
Velophine stands straight and turns to him. “It's honestly worse than the stories.” Her tone is serious and worried. Minot and her spend a few seconds in silence. Her face shows a mix of fear and anxiety, but a glimmer of determination. As if she aims to do something about it.
He also stands straight and asks: “What’s that most important thing you're after? The way you said it makes me think it's not the golden artifact.”
She nods. “Indeed it isn't.” She lowers her head, then turns to face the Frontier. “It's an ancient text written on a tablet. It's somewhere on that island. I'm sure of it!” Minot is slightly taken aback by her resolve. She usually is so shy and polite, but when it comes to this topic her expression changes. She continues: “It should hold important information, even on how to stop the Frontier from shrinking.” Hastily she adds: “If I can translate it.”
“Stop the Frontier from shrinking?”, Minot repeats in surprise. He thought this was just about her home, but it seems her aspirations are higher. “And this is related to your home?”
“Yes. My ancestors were there. When the Frontier was made.”
Minot's eyes widen a bit before he narrows them again. This is quite the revelation he thinks. ‘Can this girl really beat whatever power is forcing the giant wall of clouds to shrink? What is the deal with her?’ He wonders if she can also translate the text on Callan's Cinzite Sword. He almost opens his mouth to ask her, but since it is confidential Imperial information he will wait after the mission and bring her to Callan. He doesn't want to risk messing with the highest rungs of the Empire’s Military. This mission is about the artifacts, not the sword after all.
“What even is the Frontier? And how do the artifacts play into this?”, he asks.
Velophine turns around again. “We don't know all the details. But the story that has been passed down across history is that the Deity that is still being worshipped today has created it back then. It was to stop this massive and evil storm that was endangering humanity and all life on the islands. It had already destroyed several islands and cost people their lives. She had used those artifacts and spread them across the habitable world as nodes to keep the Frontier active. But it couldn't last forever so the storm has swallowed more and more islands. And with them some of the artifacts. With each island consumed the Frontier grows weaker.”
Minot takes a second to process the information. Apparently in his pouch he holds something like a divine artifact that keeps the Frontier up and with time more of the world gets consumed. He has already subconsciously accepted that the storm was eventually going to approach. Porto Branco, his home for almost all his life, is very close to the wall. For a long time he hasn't felt that mounting dread weighing on his mind. The prospect of the world maybe ending has never felt so close, and he hates that feeling. His somewhat normal life being taken away by a storm forever ago. He already lost what life he could've had had the storm not forced him and his parents to flee, and now it would do it again.
He stares at her, but he is actually staring through her at the Frontier. The protective wall feels closer to a slow glacier eventually crashing into him. He takes a deep breath. “And you can stop that?”, he asks, his voice shaking a little despite him trying to suppress it.
“I… don't know yet”, she replies honestly. “There is a way to deal with this, but it will take me time to find it. And I… I can't do it alone anymore. I tried.”
Minot lets that last part of her response hang in the air. He knows what she is implying. Probably that's why she wanted to talk to him. He has calmed his mind a bit from the revelation. He crosses his arms and with a serious voice he confronts her: “Speak your mind. I know this isn't all you want to say to me.”
Velophine didn't expect the sudden demand and jumps a little. She thinks silently for a few moments. Her eyes scan Minot all over, especially the pouch, his now healed wound and his serious face. Finally she opens up: “I noticed your… dismissive and skeptical attitude towards me. I mean, I get it!”, she chuckles nervously. “We're still strangers to one another and now we're spending a lot of time together, on a big ship on the way to a very dangerous place where all sorts of things can happen and-”
Minot raises his hand to make her cease the waterfall of words. “Trust is rare, especially in my business. Backstabbing, stealing and exploitation teaches you to treat it with more value than gold.” He gives his words a moment to take effect. Velophine listens intently. “You appear outta nowhere on our boat, talk vaguely about your intentions, I'm sure there were some half truths and for some reason we end up on the same mission with world ending or world saving implications. You seem to know shit about what's going on. I have every reason to be skeptical.”
Velophine lowers her head in acceptance. She can't say anything to rebuke his words. He doesn't want her to think their cooperation has to end here, so he adds: “Iv’s pretty fond of you, and just for her I'm willing to give you a chance. She is family to me. All I need is a clear and direct answer. Can I trust you?” He stares at her with the same intensity Captain Loi looked at him. “Yes or No?”
Velophine perks up and meets his eyes. She takes a bit to answer despite not wanting to take so long. A lot of things must go through her head. At last she clearly answers: “Yes. You can trust me.” Her face features the same determination from before.
“Good”, Minot nods. “In return I'll help you with your quest. But I'll hold you to your word.”
“Understood!”, she happily replies and bows in gratitude. “Thank you so much!”
Minot sighs and lowers his arms. A lot of pressure falls off of him. “Aight, let's go back in. We should reach the Gate soon.”
“Aye!” Velophine giggles imitating the sailors.
The Frontier grows ever bigger on the horizon.