by Ian Rodgers
A lot of this was driftwood that came from ships that had perished on the Bluestar Ocean. It was clear based on the shape and cut. Lots of what came up were planks of various makes.
Looking at the jagged spires of obsidian that encircled the island, Gaelin could tell it would not be easy to venture out even if they managed to construct a raft. The tides were strong, and dragged things towards it. At which point, anything caught in the pull would have to either be small enough to slip past the gaps in the spiky cage that had risen from the depths, or it would be dashed to pieces and join the piles on the beaches.
It was pure luck Lily and Vala had managed to steer their dinky makeshift raft safely through the spikes in the midst of a storm and at midnight. One wrong move, one messy current, and the four of them would have ended up as fish food.
Speaking of food, a rumble cut through the air, and both men winced as hunger pangs assailed them.
“Find anything else besides pieces of ships?” Gaelin asked over his shoulder. Bigg Guy shook his head as he propped up the lumber he’d been carrying. “Perhaps string or something to fashion into a net for catching fish?”
“No. Wood and scraps of canvas, but little else.”
“Well, at least coconuts are edible,” Gaelin mused, eyeing up one of the round black shelled fruits hiding high in the palm trees.
Thinking about that, Gaelin walked over to his halberd that leaned against one of the trees and sized up the chance of using it to knock down some coconuts.
When he’d woke up, the D-ranker had first panicked when he couldn’t find his halberd. It was practically a divine artifact, and to lose it in the depths of the ocean was unthinkable.
Thankfully, he had found it nearby the raft the quartet had floated in on. He assumed he had been holding onto it the whole time, and only relaxed his grip after being healed by the Elixir.
Thinking of how the potent healing potion had been administered made the young man blush and he spent a few seconds fiercely tamping down his hormones.
Gaelin shifted his grip on the polearm and aimed the weapon at the top of the nearest palm tree with ripe coconuts.
“Fly, my might! Reach beyond, strike them down! Far Strike!”
A silvery haze crawled up around the head of the halberd, and when he swung it a crescent of magical energy shot off with speed comparable to an arrow.
The spell sliced the entire top of the tree off, which thudded into the sand. Some of the dark-brown nut-like fruits rolled off, and Gaelin stopped one with his foot. He bent down and inspected it, before turning his attention to the sundered tree top.
“The cut is far too jagged and rough. My magic also seems to have burned the target somewhat.” He sighed. “Guess I have to keep practicing. Still, I’ve come far in these past two months.”
Bigg Guy nodded from off to the side. “You are improving. You’ve gotten the hang of Magic Edge as well.”
“Blade Wave is draining, though. I’m glad I have a ranged attack now, but forcing my mana out of my body like that still takes too much out of me,” Gaelin complained with a wince as he felt his body tremble from the sudden strain.
A Level Four spell, Blade Wave was the medium-ranged version of Magic Edge, releasing a shockwave of razor sharp magic at a target. Thanks to the unique properties of his halberd, he had managed to grasp the concept of the combat spell, but actually utilizing it was still a way off.
He shrugged, putting aside matters of training for the moment, and dropped the coconut in his hand before bringing down the axeblade onto it and slicing it open. Milky fluids spilled out onto the dark sands and he passed one of the halves over to Bigg Guy.
“You know, I’ve never had coconut before. I wonder what it tastes like?” Gaelin mused. He pried a sliver of pale white flesh from the inside of the shell and popped it in his mouth, chewing slowly.
A look of disgust crawled over Gaelin’s face. “Urgh, tastes like chalk. But wet and chewy!”
“How do you know what chalk tastes like?” Bigg Guy asked, biting into the shell itself and eating it and the flesh in a single gulp. He winced at the taste as well but continued to ease his rumbling stomach.
“When I was a boy, me and a friend of mine would do all sorts of silly and stupid dares. When we heard from the local teacher that chalk was actually the remains of ancient sea critters, we dared each other to eat some to see if it still tasted like seafood,” Gaelin said, swallowing down another bite of coconut. A flash of pain entered his eyes as he spoke of Aren, remembering his childhood friend and the antics they’d gotten into.
“It tastes odd, but not the worst I have eaten,” Bigg Guy claimed, biting another chunk off of his share.
“A part of me wants to know what’s worse than this. The more sensible part of me fears the answer,” Gaelin shuddered. The Ursine bobbed his head sagely.
“Very wise, you are.”
After their snack, the two men stared at the piles of lumber they had collected.
“Do you know how to build anything with this?” Gaelin inquired hopefully.
“Some. My clan build with wood and stone, and I think I can get a lean-to made,” Bigg Guy said as he examined the materials he had to work with. “If I use canvas strips as rope, should be fine.”
“There’s a lot of wood, at least. Need a hand for anything?” Gaelin inquired.
“Cut wood. Shape wood. Halberd useful tool,” Bigg Guy instructed, and the adventurer nodded, not bothered by the order. He’d cut firewood with his halberd before, and felt only a tiny bit of guilt for doing so. He was sure Kardale would forgive him for that.
“~Choppin’ wood, choppin’ wood! Oh my, oh me, choppin’ wood near the sea~!” Gaelin sang as he hacked apart the lumber into the sizes and shape Bigg Guy requested. He couldn’t help but laugh when he heard the Ursine humming along with him.
During this construction time two familiar figures emerged from the palm tree forest and approached them.
“Don’t quit your day job to become a singer, Gaelin. The ears of this world couldn’t handle it,” Vala snarked playfully, fingers in her ears. Lily nodded in agreement.
“Singing is a time-honored tradition when you’re working hard under the sun, you know!” Gaelin retorted, shouldering his polearm and wiping sweat from his brow before stretching. At some point during the day he had removed his shirt to keep from getting sawdust all over it, leaving his toned muscles on full display. Lily flushed and turned aside but not before she caught an eyeful of abs.
There was a cough as Vala stifled her laughter before she turned serious.
“So, we found a few things. This is island is volcanic, and one of four in an archipelago. We didn’t visit the other three islands, but we did see them from across the beach on the opposite end. They seem to be set up like a triangle, with three islands on the outside and a larger fourth island in the middle of them. And, there are people on that central patch of sand.”
“Good! Do you know who they are?” Gaelin asked. “And a better question, do you think they’ll know how to get out past the obsidian reef without getting killed in the process?”
“The answer to the first of your questions is ‘no,’” Vala said. “With just a hint of ‘maybe’ for the latter one.”
“Sounds like fun,” Gaelin said with a roll of his eyes. He wandered over to the decapitated palm tree and bent down, then tossed Vala a coconut from the bunch near his feet. He passed one to Lily as well. However, due to her refusal to look at him, the sturdy armored fruit smacked into her stomach. She doubled over, clutching her midriff and shooting Gaelin an angry glare.
“Here you go. Also, sorry about that,” Gaelin said as he quailed in fear under the archer’s heavy gaze.
Vala tapped the coconut in her hand, a spell writhing around her fingers. The shell split cleanly in half. She carefully pried it open so that most of the milk within stayed in one part of the shelled fruit. She peered at the insides with a frown.
“It’s not very ripe,” s
he revealed.
“Oh. Is that why it tasted off?” Gaelin asked. The earth elf nibbled a piece of it, before shaking her head.
“Partly, but I think some of the problem might also be the soil. The sand of the beach is black due to being mostly made of basalt. I think that composition of the island might affect the nutrition the plants receive, and thus the fruit they bear,” Vala suggested.
“Yet another reason to find a way out of here sooner rather than later,” the halberdier sighed. Everyone nodded heartily in agreement.
The rest of the day passed by slowly. With two extra pairs of hands, one of which held the power to bind and control nature, a duo of simple lean-tos were constructed under the swaying fronds of the palm trees.
Each one was built around a single tree as the support, and dozens of leaves were stitched together with Vala’s magic to create a wall for the impromptu tents.
As for eating and drinking, food was taken care of with coconuts and fish, and thanks to Vala and Lily being able to use the Cantrip Summon Water, they were in no danger of running out of fresh fluids to drink. With sustenance not an immediate issue, the group was able to focus on setting up their campsite.
By the time the two shelters were finished, dusk had arrived, bathing the beach in crimson and gold. It contrasted well with the ebony sand and azure waves, and the beauty of the scene buoyed Gaelin’s heart somewhat.
“You know, if it weren’t for the fact we’re effectively trapped here, this would be a lovely place to vacation.”
“Agreed,” Vala said with an approving nod. She then shot Gaelin a searching look and he answered with one of confusion.
“Can I help you?”
“Just curious about what your relationship with Lily is.”
“We’re friends,” Gaelin said shortly. Although the Druid looked like she wanted to argue she just shrugged and walked off to where Bigg Guy and Lily were trying to make fishing poles.
Gaelin shook his head and sat down, back up against a tree. The cool breeze was lovely, and in no time he felt his eyelids drooping. After a short sigh of contentment he let his weariness carry him off to slumber. He wasn’t worried about missing dinner. He was certain they’d wake him for the fish bake.
.
The next day was pretty much like the one before, although instead of waking up in pain from sunlight piercing his eyes, he woke up from his spot in the tent next to Bigg Guy. They had separated the tents by gender, mimicking their sleeping arrangements onboard the Blue Wave.
After a quick and somewhat unappetizing breakfast of coconuts and hastily cooked fish the quartet gathered in a circle.
“Alright, let’s divide up today’s chores,” Lily said, taking charge. She turned to the other three who nodded.
“Gaelin, Vala, you two are to explore the rest of this island, and see if we can swim across to the other islands. Also, see if you can find some other source of food, and maybe some extra resources we can find a use for.”
The duo nodded. Lily then turned to Bigg Guy. “You’re with me today. We’re going to continue combing the beach for supplies, and do a bit of fishing to stock up on food.”
The Ursine nodded and trundled off, eager to look through the flotsam in hopes that his own equipment might have washed up at some point.
Tasks assigned, Gaelin and Vala headed off into the jungle for their mission. They were quiet as they walked, focused on their surroundings. But the silence weighed down on the Druid who finally snapped and was the first to speak.
“I can’t take this anymore!”
“Whoa!” Gaelin shouted, jumping a bit in shock from Vala’s sudden outburst and her subsequent shove of him against a tree. He stared at the earth elf in confusion.
“What in the Hells…?!”
“I can’t stand seeing you and Lily tiptoeing around each other! I thought it would have gotten better after a good night’s sleep, but it turned out even worse! Did you not see how she utterly refused to even look in your direction?! Or how her mood has plummeted?! What is wrong with you two!”
She shook the D-ranker a bit for good measure before leaning in, her forehead just barely pressing against his. Her green-gold eyes stared into his brown depths, demanding answers.
“I do not understand you two! So, I am only going to ask this once: what is the deal between you? What sort of twisted relationship do you have with each other? And what in the Hells drives Lily to such lengths?”
“You think I don’t see how she’s trying to act more mature and adult-like? How she struggles to keep up a façade of normalcy? Why is she an adventurer, Gaelin? What is she trying to accomplish?”
Gaelin stared back at her for a few moments before snorting and brushing her hands away. He then pushed her back out of his personal space.
“It’s not my place to tell, but I can also see you won’t stop hounding me or Lily. So, I will counter your question with another one, and that will be all you get.”
This time, it was Gaelin’s turn to press down on Vala, rooting her to the spot as he placed his hands on her shoulders while he stared at her.
“What do you know about the recent political events in Tashel?”
Vala shook her head in an effort to clear away the haze of anger that had filled her mind from the events just then, and thought the question over.
As she did, Gaelin stepped back and examined the flora nearby to see if anything was edible.
“Tashel recently went through some upheaval, I think. Something about the crown princess being kidnapped or running away after her father died…” the Druid trailed off and turned a stupefied gaze onto Gaelin. He merely nodded silently.
“I think you’re starting to understand why Lily is so driven. And why she and I cannot be together. If we were in that sort of relationship, that is,” Gaelin said, the last past hastily blurted out.
Vala was too busy trying to process the idea that the bossy spitfire archer was actual royalty to notice the slip-up her companion had made.
“I don’t believe it! Yet it makes so much sense,” she mumbled to herself. She shook her head.
“And does her being with you have anything to do with her grandfather effectively taking control of the country?” she asked after a moment. When she saw the look Gaelin gave her she flushed.
“Oh. Yeah. It’s Marquis Orlon we’re talking about. Or duke, I suppose, nowadays. His hatred for elves and the Second Elfish Domain is well-known. Almost as much as his lust for power.” When Vala saw Gaelin’s curious expression she shrugged.
“You don’t travel through human territories as an elf and not figure out who in power hates us beforehand. Knowing which nobles are outspoken bigots makes it easier to avoid ending up in the fief of some racist lord who might pick a fight or make trouble simply because of our ears.”
“Makes sense, unfortunately,” Gaelin said with a sigh. The two stood around in awkward silence for a bit before he suggested they keep going. Vala readily agreed, eager to get on with their task and end their uncomfortable discussion.
Still, as they traversed the lush greenery, Vala’s head swam with thoughts. Ultimately, the main question that continued to surface revolved around how Lily would react to having her secret known.
That same question bubbled about in Gaelin’s head as well, though he knew letting the Druid find out would earn him swift, painful reprisal from Lily. He shivered, already feeling the phantom pains of her punishment.
During their introspection, the pair ended up walking all the way to the edge of the island’s wooded area. Jolted from their thoughts by the sun sharply striking their faces as they stepped out from the cover of the palm fronds, they looked around at the new sight.
Of the other three islands, only the middle one was clearly visible from the beach they stood on. It dominated their view. The island was large, several times the size of the one they were on. Not to mention there was more diversity with the life on it. Even from a distance large crabs with massive claws scuttled abo
ut on the central island’s beach. It too had black sand.
The other two beaches were barely noticeable, the bulk of the main island of the quartet obscuring them. The distance between them didn’t seem all that far. They could swim to the middle island with no difficulty, and the water seemed shallow and clear. The whole set-up was reminiscent of a lagoon.
“Looks lovely,” Vala commented as she took in the view. “If it weren’t for the fact we’re trapped here, I might find it even better.”
“I don’t recognize that species of crab over there,” Gaelin said, eyes narrowed as he peered at the far-off beach with Reinforced eyesight.
“Describe them to me,” Vala instructed and the adventurer nodded.
“Let’s see… they all seem to be around the size of a pony, their shells are a mix of pale, sandy brown and sea-green, and their claws are almost as big as their body,” Gaelin replied.
“Based on their size, both that of their bodies and claws, those are Club Claws, then,” the Druid asserted. “They’re harmless. Unless provoked they won’t attack, and even then, most will try to scurry back into the ocean if possible.”
“I assume their main method of combat is to strike with their huge claws?”
“Of course. They’re crabs. How else would they attack?” Vala asked, chuckling at Gaelin’s question. A tiny dusting of red brushed across his cheeks.
“Do they taste good?” he asked after a moment of recovering from his embarrassment. At Vala’s nod he grinned eagerly. Maybe they could have crustacean for dinner tonight!
“If we have a chance, we should definitely grab one,” the earth elf agreed, unconsciously licking her lips.
Investigation of the beach facing the lagoon didn’t reveal any signs of habitation. There was something that resembled a tower on the middle island that poked above the tree line, but from its position, it and any structures on the island were far on the other side. They’d have to swim to the middle island, then trudge through the jungle to reach it. Still, if it meant people and a way out, then there was no way they wouldn’t take the chance.