The sun was shining. The birds were singing. The sound of the ocean could be heard in the distance, the rushing waters below in the channel adding to the noise. The Wind Cloak was caught on a snag in the northern Dragon Fang tower, and the three travelers were not happy about it. "Have I mentioned this sucks?" Nikado grumbled as he crawled along the post they had gotten caught on, pulling Alex up.
"Repeatedly," both told him at once.
The trip across the desert had been quickened thanks to a group of horses and a guide named Anne, an easygoing woman who did a bit of traveling across the desert continent to the hidden villages around. Most of them didn't have priests, making having a barrier impossible, and so they were generally kept under wraps or had struck bargains with the local monsters to keep things safe. Anne, it turned out, was on her way to the Dragon Fang towers herself to meet up with a friend, a mage named Shichiya. The mage had taken one look at Nikado and promptly disliked him, which had confused and irritated the other man to no end. After wishing the pair a safe journey back, the three had climbed the tower and put the cape to good use. It had been going well until they got caught on the post.
Grunting as he pulled Alex up, Nikado helped the man through the window before pulling Ameko up. "Oof."
"What's 'oof' about it?" the woman asked irately.
He gave her a piteous look. "I thought you were supposed to like us now that we're travelling together and all."
"I said I'd go with you. I said nothing about not calling you out when you're being an idiot."
Alex smiled as he reached out carefully, helping pull her in. Disengaging the cloak from its snag, Nikado scowled at the hole in it before swinging down through the window. "Well, that was a mess of fun. Shall we depart?"
Ameko nodded. Alex did as well, the man distracted by something he had found on the ground and picked up, a large, feathery tangle of strands that easily filled both hands. "What is that?"
"Dew yarn, I think," he commented, tucking it into a pouch on his belt. "It's a magic-infused thread that drifts about on the wind. You see it in the higher towers occasionally. I've never actually seen some before now. Well, shall we go on to Liamport?"
Nikado nodded, peering out the far window. The port city was visible in the distance, a sprawling city, only hemmed in by the high walls visible around most towns in their current time. "That's not too bad a walk."
"Hopefully, once we have a ship, we should be able to make better time to places," Alex said. "Particularly if we can find an enchanted one, though that might be asking for a bit much in times such as these."
"Let's go," Ameko agreed. "I'd like to stay in an inn and not smell of horses tonight."
Alex shook his head. "What is it with girls and being indoors?"
"Well, some of us aren't uncouth, smelly barbarians, Alex."
Nikado laughed, grasping each of their hands as he led the way. "Come on, let's go."
Alex glanced over at his companions. Although she routinely butted heads with Alex over various things (Alex was firm in her belief that she was a control freak), when they weren't disagreeing they got along pretty well, being the two more intellectually-minded members of the trio. He had to admit to himself that her company had gotten more tolerable. Maybe Nikado had been right and she had just been in the later stages of grief over Moonbrook when they had met.
Nikado. The other man still wasn't shy in the least about his affections, not even minding if Ameko was nearby or watching. Although he hadn't made any moves farther than the occasional stolen kiss on the cheek, Alex found the advances much less annoying than they had been. In fact, it was almost as if a corner of his mind welcomed them, and he found with a start that he was starting to appreciate them.
Not that it could be love. It was still a ridiculous idea; they were both men, after all, and Nikado still had the mindset of a younger man, still naive in many things of the world. And he himself wasn't attracted to the man, although he was admittedly not hard on the eyes in the least. There were many things that were attractive traits that Alex wouldn't have minded having himself, like the smooth texture of the other man's skin or the roughness of his thick hair, the sparkle in his eyes whenever he looked at Alex....
No. Couldn't be love.
"You're being quiet," Ameko observed as she dropped back, letting Nikado run ahead. "Is something the matter?"
"Ameko...." He watched Nikado ahead of them, the other prince not yet noticing that his companions were lagging behind. "Have you...ever been in love, by any chance?"
"Love?" Her cheeks turned a little pink at that, and then she looked in the direction Alex was looking. "Oh, you mean him?"
"I, well, I didn't say that."
She raised her eyebrows at him. "Wow, you've got it bad, don't you?"
"Wha--What would make you think that?"
"The fact that you can't talk straight about it, for one," she pointed out.
"Well, anyone would be caught off guard if you said something like that to them."
"Uh huh. So you like him. So what? Is there something the matter with that?"
"You...don't think it's strange?"
"Strange how?"
"That we're both...you know."
"Men?"
"...yes."
Ameko looked at him, then soundly thwapped him in the back of the head. "Ow! What was that for?" Alex said irately, rubbing at the back of his head.
"You're really tiresome, you know that?" she pointed out. "Take a page from his book. If you like him, just do something about it. You never know, after all," she said in a quieter tone. "You never know when the last time you'll see him is."
"Did you lose someone special in Moonbrook?"
"No one in particular, but they were my kingdom. My family and friends. I'll freely admit to being lonely since I lost them," she replied quietly. "I haven't found anyone worth fighting for, yet."
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "It was rude of me to bring it up."
She shrugged in response, moving ahead of him. "I'm over it. I can't dwell on the past forever. I've done what I can and now it's time to find something else in the present to live for."
"You could live for us," Alex told her softly. "I'm sure that Nikado's family or mine would open their doors for you."
"Thanks, but I wouldn't want to intrude on that kind of society," she said with another shrug. "You two don't seem that friendly toward your families."
Alex was caught off guard by her casual statement. "What makes you say that?"
"You two never talk about your parents," she told them. "Never. I talk about my father all the time and he's dead. How distant can you two be from your families to do that?"
Alex paused, looking back at Nikado. "You really think he's the type to be distant from his family? Look at how friendly he is with, well, everyone."
"That's what makes it stick out all the more." She sighed. "You really don't know anything about people, do you?"
"Hey, hurry up, you two," Nikado called. "I'll leave you behind."
"Hey, Nikado," Ameko called back. "Alex says he's in love with you."
"I did NOT!" he protested immediately.
"Oh, good," Nikado replied with a grin, "it's about time."
"Damn it, I did not! Stop making fun of me."
She cracked a smile before moving to catch up with Nikado. Alex watched the pair, and somehow found himself smiling as well. When had travelling together become so comfortable? When had he found himself falling for Nikado? And was he possibly falling for Ameko as well?
The inn had been their first stop, and as it had been late in the evening, they had agreed to put off looking for a boat until the next morning. Ameko still insisted on her own room, citing modesty issues, but their rooms had been placed next door to each other, and she had invited herself in to their room after her shower, running her fingers through her hair. "Ah, that's a nice smell," Nikado observed. "What is it?"
"Just the inn's soap. It's got a sea scent to it," she said. "Alex? Something on your mind?"
Nikado turned to look at the man, who was staring out the window in quiet contemplation. He offered them a smile. "It's nothing. I'm just thinking about things. Actually," he said, pointing out the window, "I'm looking over the shipyards. There isn't a lot there, and some of it looks to be in disrepair."
"I thought Liamport was one of the biggest ports with the biggest shipyard in the world," Nikado said with a frown.
"It is. This town probably isn't doing too well since the monster activity has shut down a lot of trading. We'll have to see what we can find. Hopefully we can rent a ship long enough to get to Tantagel and back, at the least."
"What's Tantagel like?" Ameko asked him.
"I don't know. I've heard stories, but the maps I've seen are vague at best. I'm just hoping the Tantagel castle is still there, at the least. There's no telling what's been wiped off the map since the monsters started their war in earnest."
Nikado joined him at the window, looking out. "It's so peaceful. You almost couldn't tell there are thousands of monsters roaming the lands and oceans." Alex frowned to himself as Nikado spoke, squinting down into the shadows. "Hm? Something the matter, Alex?"
"I thought I saw...." He shook his head. "Just a trick of my imagination."
"Once we get to Tantagel, then what?" Ameko asked him.
"I don't know for sure. I'm hoping Tantagel will give us some clues, to anything--to the whereabouts of Loto's sword and armor, to any clues on how to defeat Hargon or even get in to Rhone. We're pretty much running blind after this point."
"At least our finances should hold us afloat, pardon the pun," Ameko said, gesturing to their coin bags piled together on the table. "We'll also need to see about getting some higher demonination coins to take with us. That's a lot of spare change to be carrying around. It should be able to get us a boat and then some."
Nikado flopped down on the bed, stretching. "Well, at the least we're going in the right direction. Things are looking up. We've all found each other and now we have a destination, at least."
Alex nodded. "Tantagel is an ancient city, dating back to the time of Loto. I'm sure there should be something there, somewhere, that can help us. Let's get some sleep."
Ameko paused, then turned toward the door. "All right. Good night, both of you."
"No."
Nikado frowned. "Look, I understand it's in terrible shape, but--"
"Forget it, Nikado," Alex said, turning away. "If he doesn't want to sell or guide us, then there's no point in hanging around."
The prince huffed as the door was shut, glaring at it. "Some place this turned out to be. No one's got a ship that both sails and wants to be taken farther than the dock. What are we going to do, Alex? Do we even have any ship owners left?"
"There are still a few," Alex said, then paused, looking behind them.
"You're doing it again," Ameko pointed out. "What is it?"
"...It's nothing," he said after a moment. "I keep thinking I'm seeing things, but there's nothing there. Let's go on. The next one should be here." He pointed up at the rather ramshackle house, frowning as he looked at it. "Perhaps we should keep moving."
"No sense in not trying," Nikado said with a shake of his head, going up to the door and knocking.
The woman that opened the door was still in her teens, squinting up in the strong sunlight at them. "Customers? Ah, welcome!" she said, opening the door. "Come right on in and have a look around, see if there's anything that catches your fancy."
"Hm?" Nikado murmured as he looked around the inside. The place appeared to be a store, shelving covered with every type of imaginable tool and oddity, from normal hammers and nails to magical items he couldn't even guess the nature of. "What is this place?"
"You've not heard of the Hug-Bell trading store? We specialize in just about everything you can specialize in," the blonde girl bragged, placing her hands on her hips. "Hey, Austin, stop hiding in the back and come on out. We've got customers."
"Yes, I know, Ephemeris. I could hear you broadcasting that from a mile away," a boy's voice spoke up. He was the same age as her, a gangly young man with red hair and glasses. "Calm down and let them look at their own pace. You'll drive them off."
"Stop scolding me in front of the customers," she said with a scowl. "You always do this and that's what drives them off, you know."
Ameko had already drifted over to the magical items, stopping by a shell on a string. "What's this?" she asked curiously.
"Ah, I'm glad you asked," Ephemeris said, joining Ameko. "That's an Echo Flute, ever heard of it?"
"No. Don't flutes look more...." She gestured with her hands to indicate something long and thin.
Ephemeris shurgged. "I don't name them, I just come up with them. It lets you hear the echoes thrown off by certain magical items."
"'Certain' magical items?"
"Not sure what, exactly. There's a lighthouse south of Tantagel that it picks up something from, but I've never been inside there. I'm a trader, not a treasure hunter," she added with a shrug. "Does it interest you?"
"It is interesting, certainly," Ameko acknowledged.
"Unfortunately, we're not in the market for something like that," Alex addressed to Austin. "We're looking for a ship."
"A ship? For what?"
"We need to get to Tantagel, and possibly other places during that."
Austin frowned. "Why do you need to go there?"
"Research," Nikado called over, admiring a sword. "This is nice. You've got a good selection of armor, too. You two should take a look at this and see if there's anything that suits you."
"Ship first," Alex said firmly, "or we won't be going anywhere. Do you have a spare one?"
"We do have a spare," Ephemeris said after a moment. "Unfortunately, it isn't for sale."
"Could we persuade you to change your mind?" Alex asked after a slight pause.
She grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that. We'll lend you a ship if you go out on a treasure hunt. How's that sound?"
"You mean to the north?" Austin asked her.
"Of course to the north, what else would I be talking about?" She turned back to face them. "One of our ships was felled north of here. The cargo should be all right. The problem is that the waters are infested with monsters, so we haven't been able to get close to where it is. Think you could handle it?"
"And if we return this treasure, you'll lend us your ship?"
"If you return the treasure, you can have the ship," she told him. "It's the fastest one we have, but it's not defensible enough for our current needs. If you've a mind to use it, by all means."
"Are you sure about this?" Austin said with a frown. "What if they run off with the ship?"
"Dummy," she scolded him, "don't you remember? That's the ship with the recall whistle."
"Recall whistle?" Alex asked.
She pulled a small metal whistle out from her shirt. "Stand on the shoreline and blow this, and the ship will return to you. If you bring the treasure back, I'll give this to you. If you take too long, well, then you'd better count on that ship returning here eventually."
Nikado nodded, then smiled. "You have nothing to worry about. We'll definitely find this treasure. So, since we can spend a bit of cash on something besides a ship...." He hefted a sword before tossing it to Alex. "Check out the spells on that one."
Alex lifted it, nodding in satisfaction. "This is an excellent sword."
"Of course, nothing but the best," Ephermeris said with a laugh. "Take all the time you like."
The ship that Ephemeris was lending to them was perched in the harbor at one of their trading company's docks. Nikado checked to be sure they had the right number. "It's...."
The ship was obviously designed for no more than four people, easily run by a crew of two or three. The hull was painted white, the same color of the sails, and decorated in pastel pinks and greens swirled in little puffs of wind.
"It's...." Alex struggled for an appropriate word.
"Oh," Ameko observed, "it's adorable."
Both men looked over at her, Alex shaking his head in disbelief. Ameko walked over to the edge of the dock, hopping on, the boat not even rocking under her weight. "So, who knows how to sail a ship?"
Nikado shook his head. "In theory," Alex said with a frown, "though I've never had any practical experience, obviously." He stepped up, hauling himself onto the ship, moving out of the way so Nikado could follow. "I'll take the wheel, then. Ah, see those finlike protrusions from the side?" Alex said, pointing to a shape under the water, attached to the ship's sides. "Those are our oars, of sorts. It's another enchantment. This boat is really well made."
"What do you want us to do?" Nikado asked. "Unfurl the sails?"
"Leave them be til we've navigated out of the port. Start by hauling up the anchor and untying our ropes from the dock," Alex instructed.
Nikado moved to the back of the ship, the anchor beginning to move nicely under his muscle. Ameko hopped back onto the dock, untying the ropes and then jumping back aboard, landing lightly with ropes in hand. "You can wrap them around those knobs there, it'll keep them out of the way," Alex instructed as he looked around, letting the ship drift backwards. Touching a knob set in the center of the wheel, he pushed up on it, the fins springing to life and fluttering, propelling the ship backwards slowly. Smiling in satisfaction at the performance so far, Alex moved the ship out of the harbor, then spun it around, sending it forward into the open waters.
"Whoo! We're sailing!" Nikado called, going to the front of the ship. "I've never been on a ship before. Have you?"
Alex shook his head. "Not since I was a child," Ameko said, putting a hand to her head to keep her loose hair out of her face. "The breeze smells nice."
"It does," Nikado agreed, "and it's nice and cool. I could get used to this. Which way is north?"
Alex looked up at the sky, then pointed ahead. "The way we're going. The treasure should be easy to spot, so Ephemeris said. It's down in the ocean, but there's light down there that should reflect off the treasure and light up the waters."
"Let's hope so. This is a pretty big ocean to just start looking at random," Ameko said with a shake of her head. "I'll go check the stores and see where she put our supplies." Opening up the door in the floor to the level below, she went downstairs.
"You can unfurl the sails now, Nikado," Alex told him. "With the right wind, this ship should be able to make very good speed."
The other prince let down the sails, tying down the ends and watching as they billowed out. "Whoa!" he yelped, trying to get the last knot in place. "They certainly do catch the wind, don't they?"
"That is what they're designed to do, Nikado."
He stuck out his tongue at the other man, then perched himself on the rail, letting the sea breeze whip back his long ponytail as he observed the rushing waters. "We're going really fast. Ah! A fish!"
"Be careful," Alex instructed. "Don't fall in. And some of those fish might be monsters, so be careful."
"Yeah. More ultraviolent rays?"
"I've heard the northern waters are inhabited by maulruses," Alex said. "Unlike the ultraviolent rays, these really are ultra-violent, so we'll need to watch ourselves."
"We're all good to go," Ameko said as she reemerged from the floor underneath. "You should see the sleeping cabins, by the way, they're adorable. There's four of them, so we should have plenty of room. So any sign of anything glittering yet?"
"Not yet, but we are pretty close to shore." Alex looked back, seeing the coastline recede behind them into the distance. "We'll probably have to go farther out."
"Shame we don't have a better way to track it," Nikado said. "We'll just have to keep our eyes peeled."
"Well, they said due north," Alex consulted a magnet set in the post of the wheel, "and that's where we're heading. So we should run across it."
"What were they doing out this far north, anyway?" Nikado wanted to know.
"Probably on their way to or from Beran," Alex replied. "From here, it's pretty much due north.
Ameko frowned. "I thought it was in the south."
"It is, depending on which direction you're approaching it from. The world doesn't just magically end after a certain point," Alex explained. "It's round. You can sail from one end to the other and never find an edge."
"Hm," Nikado mused. "I guess I've never thought about it. But it's quicker to go this way?"
"I think so. I really don't know much about southern geography," Alex said with a shake of his head. "We'll have to look for a map."
Ameko nodded, resting against the rail on the opposite side of Nikado. "This is nice," she said with a sigh. "You could almost forget we're racing against Hargon to save the world."
"I think it's good to be able to take time to relax," Nikado replied, smiling softly. "If you're always suffering through battles and trials, you'll forget why you're fighting in the first place."
"So who are you fighting for, Nikado?" Ameko asked him.
He thought about it, then shrugged. "You two, I guess. And because it's the right thing to do. My teacher pretty much tossed me out the door and told me to go find Cannock, so that's what I did. I guess...I also felt sorry for the soldier that came all the way to Lorasia to deliver the news with his final breaths. His name was Coren, Ameko."
She shook her head. "Poor Coren. He really had the worst sorts of luck, you know. What about you, Alex?"
"What about me?"
"What are you fighting for?"
Alex was silent for a long moment, considering the question as he kept the ship on course. Finally, he answered, "Because it's what my brother would have done."
"Your older brother Jer?" she asked.
"Yes." Alex's eyes were downcast, so she decided not to pressure him any further.
Nikado didn't agree. "Well, at least you're honest," the other prince said with a slight smile.
"I figured you were going to get onto me for mentioning my brother again."
"I thought about it. But I think you're starting to be yourself just by being here."
Ameko looked from one to the other. "What's this about?"
"My brother died many years ago. I'm expected to live up to what he was able to do while he was alive," Alex explained. "But I'm not the same sort of person he was. I'm not terribly strong, and I don't have his courage. All I am is smart."
"That's a good thing," Ameko told him. "I don't think I could tolerate traveling with two idiots."
"Hey!"
Alex snorted at that. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"I'm glad you came with us, Alex," she said in a quieter tone, letting the wind push her hair back. "I don't want to even try and imagine what it would have been like with someone else."
"Why, Ameko," Nikado said with a grin. "Are you warming up to us?"
"What's this 'us' you speak of? I like him," she said, pointing to Alex before pointing to him. "You're an idiot."
"Again with the 'idiot' remarks!"
Alex shook his head. "You two are too noisy. Go back to looking for this spot. If we don't find it by nightfall, we'll drop the anchor and catch some sleep."
It was early the next morning when they finally could make out an unusual color of seawater ahead of them, golden light flickering in the waves. "Up ahead," Ameko called out. "I think we might have a winner."
Alex turned the wheel to skirt next to the lit up patch, peering down into it. "Seems like it. Who wants to go check?"
Nikado quickly took a step back. "I'll take a look," Ameko declared, tossing off her heavier robes and leaving herself in light undergarments. Having done that, she leapt off the side of the ship.
Nikado paused. "She's a very attractive woman," he observed quietly.
"Yes," Alex agreed before turning to look at the other man. "Are you falling for her?"
"Possibly. It's possible to love two people at once, right? Because I'm not giving up on you."
"Perhaps you should. We are both men, after all."
"No way! Not when I was just making some progress on you," Nikado declared, throwing his arms out. "I'm going to love you and make you my lover!"
"Y-your lo--" Alex straightened his back. "Now see here--"
That was as far as he got, for Nikado tackled him to the ground, resting his head on the other man's chest and listening to his heart. "You're a very attractive man, you know," he said in the same quiet tone.
"How am I attractive? I'm quite plain looking."
"You have a nice jaw," Nikado told him, tracing a finger along the other man's jawline. "And your eyes are simply stunning. It's like looking into a deep forest. Old and wise."
"So now I'm old?"
The other man grinned, resting his elbows on Alex's chest. "I also like your sense of humor."
There was a slight splash, and Ameko hauled herself over the rail, shaking some water out of her hair. She raised an eyebrow at the pair. "Well, don't let me interrupt or anything."
"Is it down there?" Alex said, pushing Nikado aside and sitting up.
"Yeah, it's down there, all right," she said with a frown. "But the ocean's deep. I don't know how we're going to get it up to the ship. I couldn't get down that far. What?" she asked, noticing Nikado's eyes on her.
He pointed at her. "Those garments are very see through when they're wet," he pointed out helpfully.
There was a moment of stunned silence on her behalf before her face darkened and she launched a fireball at his head, sending him scampering for safety. "Keep your damned opinions to yourself!" she shouted, storming off downstairs.
Nikado's head poked back up, patting himself to make sure he wasn't on fire. "I was just letting her know."
"She's right, you know," Alex told him. "Sometimes, you are an idiot."
Ameko woke to the sound of voices. Frowning to herself as she got up, she picked up her wand, listening carefully. After a moment, she determined the voices were coming from outside of the ship. Monsters.
Throwing on a heavier robe, she crept outside the room, listening as the voices chattered. "Someone else has found it now. We can't let them have it. It's our bounty."
"Yeah, but what should we do? Kill them?"
"We could. I bet there's only two or three of them. We can take that many, right?"
"Yeah, I bet we can. But it still doesn't solve our problem."
Pushing open Nikado's door silently, she stepped inside on silent bare feet, giving his shoulder a shake. "Nikado," she hissed in his ear.
He opened his eyes, and she put a finger to her lips, then to her ear. He sat up as he heard the voices, frowning as he picked up his sword. Not bothering with more than the shirt and boxers he had on, he opened Alex's door, waking the other prince in a similar manner. The voices continued to talk, moving to above them with splashing and slurching sounds.
"Men of war, probably," Alex said after a moment. "Relative of the slimes. Don't let their tentacles get you, they can put you to sleep."
Nikado nodded, leading the way. Ahead of them, the door to the interior of the ship opened. "Well, come on, we haven't got all day."
Ameko moved forward as the first man of war descended down the stairs, and she struck it a firm blow with the hilt of her blade, sending it flying back onto the deck. "They're awake! They must have heard us!" one of those voices said in panic, the jellies swarming backwards hastily.
"Of course they heard you, your voice could wake the dead."
"Well, you're the one that insisted on talking to me!"
Alex looked over at the other two, raising his eyebrows. "What's the matter with you lot?" Nikado said with a scowl, pointing his sword at them. They skittered back against the rail in fear at the gesture. "It's rude to wake people up like that."
"S-sorry," the men of war apologized in a mass, extending their tentacles in front of them and tilting their bodies as a sort of apologetic bow.
"What do you think we should do with them?" Alex asked, hefting his sword.
"I've got an idea, actually," Ameko said, gesturing for the other man to put his sword away. "Hey, you lot. What are you doing out here?"
They looked at each other, and then one of the jellies drew itself up self-importantly. "We don't have to answer to the likes of you. What are you doing out here?"
Ameko gave them a look, then twirled a bit of fire between her fingers, and they bowed again. "We're sorry!"
"Answer the question."
"We're trying to get to the treasure down there," one of them spoke up. "You saw it, right? All that wonderful sparkly gold...or, at least, we think it is."
"Why haven't you gotten it?" Nikado asked with a frown.
"We can get it," the jelly explained, "we just can't take it anywhere. It's too heavy to haul around. We've been trying to figure out a way to get it to shore or something."
Ameko nodded. "We came here for the treasure too."
"You can't have it! It's ours, we found it first fair and square," the men of war began protesting.
She raised a hand. "Now, listen a bit. Neither of us can get it as we are, right? We can't get it off the ocean floor, but we can take it to shore. You can't take it to shore, but you can get it off the ocean floor. Do you see where we can benefit from a mutual agreement?"
The jellies looked at each other. "You can bring it up here," she explained patiently, "and then our ship can take it away. You see?"
"Hey, that's not fair," a man of war protested. "Then you get all the treasure and we get nothing but a backache."
Nikado blinked. "You guys have backs?"
"No one's suggesting you work for free," Ameko said. "We're looking for the treasure to return to its owner, so we really need to have it. But what if we paid you for your trouble?"
That caused the jellies to look around at each other. "Look," she said, fishing through the pockets of her robe and holding out a few coins. "We have lots more where this came from."
"Oooooooo," the jellies said as a whole, admiring the coins.
"It's our understanding that most of the treasure isn't shiny, anyway," Alex added in. "Most of it could be damaged by water, that's why the chests are sealed. The coins would be more useful, right?"
"Well...." The jellies looked at each other again. "How much?"
"How much can we afford?" Alex asked the other two in a low voice.
"Give it all to them. We've already gotten our armor and weapons. We can always get more," Ameko pointed out. "Let's not hold back. We need their help."
Nikado nodded agreement. "Come this way, and we'll show you," he said to the men of war.
They backed away again. "No way! You'll just lure us into a trap."
"I'll go get our stores," Nikado said, standing. "Stay right here." The man retreated down the stairs, returning swiftly with a large bag, pulling a bit of its contents out onto the deck.
"Oooooo," they agreed, eyes going wide at the amount of coins spilling out of the bag.
"Well? Do we have a deal?" Ameko asked.
"Deal! Deal! Deal!" the jellies chanted, each agreeing with its neighbor.
Ameko smiled. "Then shall we get started?"
There were a few other negotiations: it was eventually agreed that they would pay half first and half when the job was done, to ensure that everyone was treated fairly. Once assured that most of the treasure was indeed not shiny in nature, the jellies were more than willing to pawn it off, hauling up chest after chest. Ameko removed her robes again, joining them in the water to help them navigate the chests up to Alex and Nikado. "She certainly looks at home in the water," Nikado grumbled as he set a chest down on the deck. "How many more to go?"
Ameko disappeared under the water, reappearing a short time later. "Only about three or four!" she called up before returning to directing the jellies.
"Hey," one of them commented at length to another, "what if Hargon ever hears about this?"
"Have you met him?" Nikado asked curiously.
"Oh, no. We're way too far out to be under him or his generals. No one comes out here, after all," one of the men of war answered. "But if he did...."
"Why does he have to know?" Alex pointed out. "Just tell him you killed some sailors and stole their gold. That should make him happy, right? You've even got a sunken ship to 'prove' it. See? It'll be fine."
"Yeah! It'll be fine! The one in green is smart."
Nikado laughed at that. "Yes, he certainly is, but the one in blue isn't a slouch either."
The men of war conferred on that. "No, the one in blue is an idiot," one of the jellies called up.
"Why, you--"
Alex laughed at that. "The men of war are pretty sharp, themselves."
The jellies seemed cheered by that, Nikado sulking as he leaned against the rail. "And what about me is so idiotic?" he grumbled.
"It's your face," Ameko said as she hauled herself back up, making sure her clothing was adequately covering her this time. "You have an idiotic expression. Not to mention every time you open your mouth."
"I don't like you anymore."
"Is that all of them?" Alex asked Ameko.
"Seems to be. Think this will make those traders happy?"
"I think it'll make them more than happy." Nikado offered a hand to one of the jellyfish. "Nice working with you."
The man of war curled up his tentacle so he wouldn't put Nikado to sleep, accepting the handshake. "Nice working with you too, humans. If you ever have more gold, come see us again!"
"We certainly will," Ameko said. "Let's haul up the anchor and start back. It'll be morning soon."
Nikado yawned, stretching. "Can't we have a nap first?"
"To be honest, I'd rather get out of this territory. It'd be better for us and them if we aren't in monster-occupied territory when something more important happens by."
"She has a point," Alex agreed. "Nikado, haul up the anchor. I'll get the ship turned around."
He nodded, and soon the ship was moving again, Nikado waving to the men of war, who waved back. "That was some pretty good thinking, Ameko. Not to mention surprising. I didn't think you liked monsters."
"I don't like monsters that go around killing humans. If they'd tried, I would have toasted them faster than you can blink."
Nikado smiled slightly at that. "Still, I'm glad we made some allies of some monsters. I'd rather work with them than fight them. I'm sure there are some that are as unhappy about Hargon as we are. He is called the tyrant of monsters, after all."
Alex nodded. "If it's possible, we'll see about doing it again. But for right now, let's get back to Liamport. And from there...on to Tantagel."
