Chapter 5

  "Who the...", Minot wonders.

  The woman is standing on deck of their ship, grabbing the scarred bulwark with both hands and looking into the distance with a perplexed expression. It is difficult to read her face. Somewhere between confusion, anxiety and contemplation. Those dark-brown eyes are looking for something, but they fear what they might find. Her gaze is so fixated on the distant horizon it appears she is looking directly at something. Softly the wind blows through her black hair. A few strands sway while the rest dances at her shoulder's height. Curiously, her hair features some yellow highlights hidden between the dark strands. They shimmer lightly in the sun's light.

  She seems lost in thought. Minot and Iv exchange a confused look and approach her.

  "Hey, Miss!", Minot shouts to get her attention. She jumps from the sudden call, ripped from her thoughts, and turns to them. She has a slender build and wears a rather decent dress. Not too fancy, functional for travel, and completely out of place this low in Porto Branco. With eyes wide open she looks at Minot.

  "What are ya doing on my boat?", he asks.

  "FIRST!", Iv yells. "That's a ship! Second! Your ship? Bitch, I built it. It's my ship!" Iv temporarily forgets that a stranger is on her ship and blasts Minot.

  "I helped build it, so it's also mine!", he counters. "More importantly ..." He turns back to the woman. Her shock has turned into befuddlement. Maybe she hasn't seen a fisherman and a fairy argue over semantics before.

  "Who the fuck is you?"

  The woman collects her composure again after this sudden scene. She bows down nervously with both hands on her lap.

  "Sorry! I didn't mean to trespass!", she replies with a shaky voice. She might still be recovering from her zoning out.

  "Sure looked like it, y'know. Standin' on sum other guy's boat." Iv's grinding her teeth, but she keeps it in.

  The woman laughs embarrassed. "Hehehe... yeah... I uh,..." She stumbles around looking for the right words. "I was just... curious! I wanted to see how it would feel like standing on a ship like this."

  "Bullshit." Minot crosses his arms.

  Iv looks rather pleased. "I like her. She knows what she is talkin' about."

  Minot scoffs.

  "What's your name, girl? I feel like we'll be fast friends", Iv asks, flying closer to the woman. Minot rolls his eyes and puts his arms back down.

  "Velophine!", the woman replies. Iv's positive reaction seems to have calmed the woman's nerves. "I have traveled a few times, and it was always on passenger ships so I never got to know how it feels standing on deck, feeling the wind in my hair and the sun on my skin."

  "Well, greetings Velophine!", Iv smiles and extends her hand. Velophine extends her hand for a handshake, realizes the size difference and instead raises her index finger.

  "My name is Iv, I am a fairy, ship mechanic and great conversation partner!" Iv shakes Velophine's finger. "The dumbass over there is Minot." The woman chuckles at the introduction.

  "Bitch", Minot replies. He approaches Iv's new friend. "Yo, I'm Minot, fisherman and keeper of an overgrown butterfly with tyrannical tendencies."

  "Oi!" Iv throws Minot an angry look. "I'm not your pet, you dick!"

  Velophine laughs. "Haha, you two are funny!" She clears her throat and wipes the sweat off her face. "Do you always speak like that with one another?"

  Minot and Iv look a bit embarrassed. They never really thought about it, but they really do talk like that all the time. It's so normal to them they don't even notice it.

  "Anyway", Minot distracts. "Velophine, right? That's quite the unusual name. Where're you from?"

  "Name sounds like something my parents would've come up with", Iv comments.

  "Well, ...", Velophine answers in a quiet voice. "I had to move a lot when I was younger. Most of my childhood I spent in uh..." She puts a finger on her cheek. "What's it called now? Ah, Verdemar."

  "Damn, that is far away from here", Iv replies in surprise.

  "You know it?", Minot asks.

  "A friend of mine is taking care of the forest over there. But I haven't visited it myself."

  "It is a very pretty island", Velophine adds. Her expression shows signs of happy memories and homesickness. "Full of lush greenery, many flowers and fruits, a large lake and even a few hills. After it joined the Empire of Relva Hesfor they changed the name. That was years ago but I still struggle to keep the new name in my head."

  "What was it called before?", Iv asks.

  "Cesolia."

  "That's a pretty name, too."

  "Yeah, it matches yours more than Verdemar", Minot says. Velophine smiles at his words.

  "So, what're you doin' here then, Velophine?", he asks, getting the conversation back on track.

  "Oh yeah!" Her pitch went up, realizing they have gotten sidetracked. "I have somewhere I need to go. And for that I need the ship of legend that is anchored right there." She points at the Cloudbreaker that is standing tall a few piers down.

  "You WHAT?!", Iv yells excitedly. "You're gonna get on the Cloudbreaker?!" Velophine steps back from the sudden scream. She didn't know fairies can get this loud. "What do I have to do to get you to take me on board?" Iv gets closer to Velophine's face as she pleads.

  Minot grabs Iv by the legs and pulls her back. "Easy there, you freak. You're scaring her." Velophine smiles awkwardly. "But yeah, where are ya going that you need the Cloudbreaker?"

  The woman gets quiet for a few seconds. She looks down to her feet. The floor of the deck still has the scratch marks and blood drops from the fight with the white bird. She puts her hands together. Her body sways slowly from on side to another. Her lips pressed together. After some time of deliberation she replies.

  "There is something I need to find. Something connected to my home and my past. And it's not just one thing but several, and they are all scattered. I have finally pinpointed the location of the most important part, but..."

  "It's behind the Frontier", Minot finishes her sentence.

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  "Yes", she confirms. "And not only that. Like I said, Verdemar is not my actual home. It, too, is behind the Frontier somewhere." Minot grabs the stone attached to his necklace. He is reminded about his own home. The piece moves softly between his fingers as he contemplates his situation. He finds kinship between him and Velophine. Despite still being a bit wary of her he feels like she is genuine here.

  Velophine continues: "Sadly, my true home is off-limits for me still. I need to find the other parts first." Iv and Minot look at her with questions in their eyes. She puts on a shy smile. "I know this is very vague, but it's something I must do."

  "I getcha", Iv replies nodding. Minot lowers his head. He only answers with a low "Hmm." He makes sure Velophine knows he has some doubts, but he leaves it at that. She thanks the two with a polite bow, jumps off the ship and onto the pier. She takes a few steps.

  "So you're the one who put up the escort request then?", he then asks. Velophine looks at him surprised. They stand not even 2 meters apart.

  "Uh, yes! How do you know?"

  "A sailor of the crew is a buddy of mine. We had been talkin' about who would be crazy enough to go past the Frontier."

  "Hehe, yeah... that is me", she confirms embarrassed. "It is important, so I-"

  A sudden voice is heard coming from the direction of the large ship. It's Schalk running over to Minot and Velophine.

  "There you are, Miss Velophine!", Schalk shouts. He seems to be out of breath from searching for her all over the harbor. "You suddenly vanished. Thank the Deity you didn't get hurt or fall off the island."

  "Oh, yeah. Sorry!", Velophine apologizes. "I got lost in thoughts and found myself here again. I promise this won't be an issue on the trip."

  "It better not be", Schalk warns her. "A wrong step beyond the Frontier is not good for your health. Also the Cap'n woulda killed me, haha." He looks over to Minot and Iv and sighs in relief. "Thanks you two for findin' her."

  "No biggie!", Iv replies excitedly. "We made a new friend so we're even."

  "What she said", Minot adds less excitedly. Velophine looks at him. Her expression soft, but hiding some underlying unease.

  "... I should be going", she announces calmly. "It was nice meeting you two. Really!" Iv gives Minot a mean stare. She can't help but feel that he is making her new friend uncomfortable by being so dismissive.

  "We can still accompany you to the Cloudbreaker!", Iv offers her. The mood has gotten a bit awkward and she wants to lift it up a notch. Also any second she gets near the large ship is another second of happiness for her.

  Velophine's face lights up from hearing that. She nods enthusiastically and Iv joins her in her good spirits. The two women look at Minot, waiting for his response. Schalk also stands there in anticipation.

  He stares at the three. No party makes a sound. Only the harbor noises fill the empty space between them. At last Minot shrugs. "You ain't hearin' a complaint from me."

  "Aye!", they celebrate.

  The group of four makes their way over to the Cloudbreaker. Schalk at the front, Minot slightly behind him, Velophine and Iv next to each other behind them. They are having a lighthearted chat, talking about travelling and food. Turns out Velophine has a taste for sweets but doesn't get to eat many on her travels. Still she gets to try the local cuisine. They talk about how the different food of a culture shows the history and character of its people. Sometimes, how a nation presents itself doesn't always match how they really are. Despite Relva Hesfor being a military oligarchy ruled by a Senate and a figurehead royal family they have an efficient food production pipeline. Hesfor values progress, thus many machines have been invented to help with agriculture and cooking. The Empire's national dishes have an unique savory flavor that comes from their special ovens. Magical energy flows through Cinzite rods that heat up the food inside. This special flavor is -sometimes jokingly - called the "Taste of Progress". Schalk turns around and politely interrupts their conversation.

  "The trip is tomorrow, but the Cap'n still wants to speak with you", he reminds her.

  Velophine nods with a smile. "I know. We still need to finalize arrangements."

  "You didn't before, Velo?", Iv asks, giving her a nickname.

  "I only arrived at Porto Branco today and there is only so much we can plan via the request forms."

  The group arrives and stands in front of the Cloudbreaker. The large letters stand proudly on the hull and announce the ship's name quietly to the world. A few sailors are cleaning the hull and deck. A mechanic is checking the harpoon systems. He seems to be fixing the screws that attach the device to the ground. A female sailor brings him a box with replacement screws. Iv is again charmed by the ship's splendor.

  Suddenly a sailor shouts and all the others stand up straight. Even Schalk reacts to the call, arms close to his torso and legs pressed against one another. The cabin door is heard being opened and heavy steps echo across the port. The entire harbor fell silent. Above the people's heads a man is walking across the deck. His silhouette gradually appears behind the bulwark. The evening sun shines behind his head, the sky's orange and yellow hues complimenting the large figure, as if to give him their radiance. For a moment the man and the ship seem like equals. The same sailor from before calls out again: "Captain Loi Temperal, ahoy!"

  "Ahoy!", the crew replies. Not just them, but the other harbor workers, sailors, mechanics and Iv herself. On top of the vessel Loi Temperal, Captain of the Cloudbreaker and seasoned sailor of 46 years, looks down on the harbor. No wind blows, as if to make room for the man. His front side is still hidden in shadow because of the sun setting behind him, but Minot can still make out that he is wearing a grey brimmed captain's cap and a long grey coat with black edges. The man has his hands inside the pockets. Even though he isn't flexing his muscles the coat seems to struggle to keep his large physique inside.

  The captain looks around for a moment and ends when he sees Schalk and his group. His deep and coarse voice completely drowns out the silence of the harbor. Years of barking orders, alcohol and hard labor form a voice that demands respect and refuses mercy. "Found the girl, have ya, sailor Schalk?"

  "Yes, Cap'n!"

  The figure moves closer to the edge. He bends his knees a bit, then jumps over the bulwark and lands in front of the group with little more than a simple sigh. Iv is in disbelief seeing the captain of her dream ship in front of her. It almost looks like she is fainting. Minot moves closer to her in case she does suddenly drop from the air.

  As captain Temperal stands up he grows more and more. His towering 2 meters stand above any of the other people around him. Now that he is closer Minot can see him much more clearly. He has never seen the captain from up close before. The captain features a dark complexion, many wrinkles on his face, bushy eyebrows and a thick white and black beard. There is a scar on his forehead. Despite the rugged looking face his eyes are sharp and can stare deeply into one's soul, as if looking for treasure hidden inside their minds. Under the coat he wears a similar uniform to Schalk, but more worn and with patterns Minot doesn't recognize. Must be the sigil from the captain's home island.

  Captain Temperal looks directly at Velophine, not giving the two unannounced tagalongs any attention. After a short time scanning her he scoffs. "You're no aristocrat or noble, girl." His voice is much more relaxed than when he addressed Schalk.

  Velophine looks confused at his remark, but also at the tone shift. "Uh, that's right."

  "Apologies." Captain Temperal takes his cap off and bows slightly, revealing his short cut black hair. Parts of it have started to turn grey. All four witnesses look in shock and surprise at his unexpected politeness. "Usually aristocrats and nobles ask for the stupidest of escorts." He puts his cap back on and adjusts his coat. "And when I saw the escort was to somewhere beyond the Frontier, I thought I got a right stupid spoiled son of a bitch."

  Velophine laughs feeling a bit uncomfortable, but relieved that the captain is being friendly. "Happy to be a... welcome surprise, I guess."

  "More than welcome", he replies, rubbing his nose bridge with his thumb and index finger. "Alright. Let's talk business. Ya want to go to an island beyond the Frontier, right?" He pulls out a piece of paper and confirms the request. "This island moves around inside the storm, but you've given us coordinates that check out with our calculations. Travel time would be around three hours if we don't catch strong turbulence, plus another two hours that takes us to get to the nearest gate."

  Velophine nods. She has pulled out a booklet and is looking at her own notes.

  "I think I don't have to state the dangers, right?", the captain asks.

  "I am well aware, but thanks for asking." Velophine answers with conviction in her voice she hasn't shown up until now.

  "Good. Lost many a good man for way less out there." He flips the paper over and pulls out a pen. "This is a big detour and will delay our next missions by 2 days. But we discussed it with the harbor administration and it just about works out. Any longer and I'd have to listen to some baby whinin' again about delays." He sighs. "Like we don't have anything else to do."

  Schalk chuckles at the truth of the statements. He has been a witness to that a number of times.

  "Supplies are enough for the trip and your payment covers extra fuel as well." The captain signs the paper in a swift gesture of his hand, folds it and tucks it away into his pocket. "If nothing else comes up we can set sail tomorrow at 7." Velophine nods.

  "Esteemed Captain Loi Temperal, Captain of the Cloudbreaker." Behind Minot an all to familiar voice calls out. And with a confidence he doesn't like. Callan is walking towards the group with a document in one hand and a white pouch in the other.