Part Thirty-One: Home Is Where the Heart Is
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Snek is a Good Boy
Part Thirty-One: Home Is Where the Heart Is
[A/N: This chapter commissioned by @Fizzfaldt and beta-read by Lady Columbine of Mystal.]
Sveta, Later
Sunlight danced on the waves, and the sails billowed gently. The boat left a ruler-straight wake with Karol's steady hand at the tiller. Bron, at the bow, shaded his eyes and scanned the water ahead while Sveta kept the sails trimmed.
"Can you see anything?" Karol called forward. "Should we cast the nets here, or keep going?"
"Nothing. I see nothing." Bron huffed in irritation. "Where could they be?"
Esmerelda erupted from the water alongside the boat and circled Sveta once before landing on her shoulder. Sveta had known she was coming, and reached up to caress her neck as she furled her wings. "There's fish down there," she informed both men. They could tell it was true, because Esmerelda had one in her mouth.
"Well, that's a start." Karol nodded to her, and she paid off the line to let wind spill from the mainsail. "Can your clever little beast tell us where?"
"She knows they're down there, and there's a lot of them, but compass directions aren't really her thing." Sveta urged Esmerelda off her shoulder; without demur, the hearth-dragon took to the air once more, swallowing the fish at the same time. Balancing easily, she pulled off her shirt and stepped out of her trousers. Underneath this clothing, she wore a one-piece made of some water-resistant material she was unfamiliar with, but which had enough give in it to make for a reasonable wetsuit. "I'll go have a look."
Bron shook his head as she prepared to go over the side. "I will never be used to this."
She grinned at him, then dived in. Esmerelda followed, the little dragon piercing the water as easily as she had. Beneath the waves, Esmerelda folded her wings in tight and undulated along at a frankly impressive speed. Sveta wasn't quite as fast or agile, but she was still far better than any merely human swimmer. As an added bonus, she could breathe the water as easily as she could the air above, and her eyes automatically adapted once she was submerged so she could see clearly, even into the darker depths.
Esmerelda—Sveta called her that because she was greenish and the name appealed to both of them—let out a drumming chirp that reverberated through the water, then led the way off to the side. She was very pleased with herself, which was understandable once Sveta saw the massive school of fish ahead of them. Normally there would've been some activity on the surface, but this lot were deeper than normal, which was why Bron had seen nothing.
Got it. Back to the boat. While the words didn't transmit directly over their bond, the intent was clear enough, and Esmerelda fell in beside her as they returned to the small craft. Sveta was deeply in tune with her, to the extent that she knew Esmerelda would be stealing at least one fish from their catch on the way back to the harbour. Karol and Bron had never argued her right to do so, and Sveta didn't think they were about to start.
Unlike Esmerelda, she couldn't jump a body-length out of the water on sheer speed, but she could come mostly out and, with a hand on the gunwale, vault into the boat in a shower of spray. This she did, landing on her feet and steadying herself into a crouch. Esmerelda landed next to Sveta and shook salt water off her wings.
"You have returned," Karol greeted her imperturbably. "That was fast. Have you found the fish already?"
"I have," she confirmed, and pointed. "That way, perhaps five hundred feet. It's a big school. We'll have to put the nets deep."
As Karol turned the rudder and the boat heeled onto the new course, Bron whooped with excitement. "See, brother? I told you she would be good luck to bring along!"
"You told me?" Karol laughed out loud. "Brother, you didn't say a word. I was the one who welcomed her aboard!"
Sveta tuned them out as she skimmed the water off her one-piece and re-donned her fishing clothes. Esmerelda was gliding alongside the boat as she finished, sharp eyes watching the ocean ahead. While Karol steered, Bron came back to where the nets were prepared, and Sveta worked with him to cast them to port and starboard. She knew the moment when the nets found the school, as the boat actually seemed to stagger in the water from the weight of fish they'd encountered.
And then they were laughing with the exhilaration as she took Karol's place at the tiller, while he and Bron worked to heave their catch on board. As the first fish, silvery and flopping, slithered into the bottom of the boat, she knew this would be a good day, a good catch.
Elmora Reborn
"So you think she's really from Bet?" asked Krouse. Reaching across, he squeezed Noelle's hand, and she returned the gesture. "It's a bit of a reach, don't you think? A fishing village in the middle of nowhere?"
Elmora shrugged. "I don't know what else she could be. You'd only get the name 'Reborn' from one place, right? So, I want to know. See where she fits in. Hell, she might even be someone I knew, back when."
"What if she doesn't want a reminder of where she came from?" asked Marissa. Still learning the trade of magic, she'd found in herself an affinity for fire-based spells, which discovery had caused half her teammates to facepalm and the other half to fall about laughing. "Ending up here is pretty well a guarantee of a shitty life story."
"Also," offered Oliver, "she might not even be from Bet. We all saw how many worlds the Master of the Castle watches over."
"In a phrase," Jess snarked, "far too many."
Noelle shrugged. "Well, we're here now. May as well see how it plays out." She shaded her eyes and looked out over the harbour and the ocean beyond. "Did they say when the fishing boats were due back in?"
"Dusk, at the very latest," Paige said. "I checked. They come back earlier if they've had a really good catch, but otherwise they try to hold off until just before last light." She plucked at the strings of her instrument, a simple tune. Glowing motes drifted upward, then dissolved in the afternoon breeze.
At that moment, Ranger looked around from his perch on Noelle's shoulder, and stared out to sea. The green hearth-dragon had accompanied her, as far as Elmora knew, from the Travellers' earliest days on the Master's world, and had proven his worth a hundred times over. He let out an authoritative chirp, causing Noelle to tilt her head and reach up to stroke his neck.
"She's coming back in now, I think. Nobody else here has a hearth-dragon, and he says there's one on the way."
Elmora eyed Ranger appreciatively. "That's useful to know." While she would've liked to have bonded with a hearth-dragon herself—they liked her well enough, and she them—she'd never found herself clicking with one on an emotional level. She suspected this was at least in part due to the fact that she was still basically an asshole, and not truly interested in changing her ways.
They headed out onto the dock and watched the boat come in; riding low in the water, it was sluggish to respond to the sails and rudder, but the crew were clearly skilled enough to handle it. As it got closer, the call went out and people started heading down to the dock. At Noelle's unspoken gesture, the Travellers stepped aside and let them get along with it.
"Sveta and Esmerelda steered us right onto a huge school!" called out the burly man at the tiller. "If we'd filled the nets any fuller, we would've been swimming home!"
As the laughing, chattering villagers began moving the catch from the boat into large tubs they'd brought down onto the dock, the woman stepped onto the dock and looked around. Elmora knew the moment when the blue-green hearth-dragon on Sveta's shoulder spotted Ranger, because they both took flight and headed for each other. It looked for a moment like they were going to clash, but instead they flew in a spiral pattern around each other, chirping and squawking happily.
Sveta moved toward them with the rolling stride of someone used to the rock and sway of a small boat. "Hello," she said politely. "You have a nice hearth-dragon."
"So do you," Noelle said. "Noelle Meinhardt, of the Travellers. Maybe you've heard of us?"
"Not as such, no." Sveta tilted her head slightly. "Though with that name, I bet you're not from around here." Whatever magic it was that allowed them to speak the local language fluently, also made them hear the words in English.
Elmora chuckled and stepped forward to hold out her hand. "I see what you did there. Elmora Reborn, once of New York City, trying to live down a ton of bad decisions I made back in the day."
"Well, my major life-changing decisions were mostly made for me, but I was still in a bad way when Snek brought me here." Sveta's grip was firm, with a calloused palm that was evidently no stranger to hard work. "Sveta, also Reborn. They used to call me Garotte. Case fifty-three."
"Been there, done that," Noelle agreed. "I never got a cape name, but bad decisions led to bad things happening. And wow, you never actually heard of the Travellers? I think you just made Krouse pout."
"I am not pouting," Krouse protested, apparently more by reflex than anything else. "I just thought, you know, we were more well-known than that."
"We deliberately kept our heads down so we wouldn't draw more attention than we could handle," Jess reminded him. We didn't want people to hear about us."
"Mainly due to me," concluded Noelle. "So, are you free right now to stop and chat, or do they need your help in unloading the boat?"
Sveta glanced over her shoulder. "Looks like they've got enough hands on the job at the moment. We'll likely be heading out again in an hour or so, once the guys have cleared the boat out and we've had something to eat. So, what's your hearth-dragon's name?"
"Oh, I called him Ranger, after the woodland class in Ransack," Noelle explained as they started off the dock, back toward the village. "I know it never got as big in Bet as it did in Aleph, but did you ever play it?"
"That's where you're from? Huh." Sveta shook her head. "No, I played a game called Space Opera. Badly." She held up her hands and wiggled her fingers. "I was kind of lacking these at the time. Just a bunch of murder-tentacles."
Elmora grinned. "Actually, I think I do remember you. You're a bit taller than the last time I saw you."
Paige rolled her eyes and elbowed Elmora in the ribs. "Be nice. We're none of us who we were back then. Everyone's made a fresh start, and we're doing the best we can."
"It's fine." Sveta looked up at where Esmerelda was taking Ranger on what looked like a high-speed tour of the whole village. "Since I met Esmerelda, I've been able to accept what I did and what I was, and move on from everything without collapsing under the guilt." She glanced over at Noelle. "So, what does your bond with Ranger do for you? Esmerelda's an Ocean strain, so she's entirely at home in the water, to the point that she can breathe it, and so can I."
Noelle smiled fondly as she watched the darker green hearth-dragon darting after the ocean-foam one. "Ranger's a Forest strain. Once we get into the greenery, we can totally vanish. It's thoroughly useful in our line of business."
"Your line of business?" Sveta led them into what appeared to be the village tavern. "Gretz, pour us some drinks, please. These are new friends of mine."
The age-bent man behind the counter looked up and smiled. "Friend o' yours is a friend o' ours, Sveta girl. I hear you brought in another bumper catch just the now?"
"We did, yes." She ducked her head modestly. "Though it was more Esmerelda's doing than mine."
"And if you were not here, nor would be the wee dragon," Gretz reminded her. "Sit y'selves down. I'll have your drinks and eats out momentarily."
From the tone of Sveta's voice, she knew enough not to argue. "Thank you, Gretz." She gestured to a table. "Let's sit, and you can tell me about what you do for a living, and what's been happening in the wider world."
"You know, you can come with us when we go," offered Noelle.
Sveta shook her head. "No, I'm happy here. This is what I like doing. This is where I belong."
Snek
Snek is resting on winding-post when Master magic says people need help on Mouse world. Snek unwinds from winding-post and opens wriggle-hole. When Snek goes through, is in village like sharp-tooth lizards have, but humans here instead.
Snek sees people who need help. Is old and young people, standing in front of shadow-Snek that has bone crocodile skull for head. Snek think scales better for head, and nice hat on top, like Snek got from nice hat lady. Master magic tells Snek that shadow-Snek wants to eat old people and children.
Snek does not like that. Master has told Snek to not hurt children. Old people who have not done bad things should not be hurt either. Shadow-Snek wants to do a bad thing.
Snek wriggles forward and raises head. "Iss bad to eat children," he says to shadow-Snek.
Shadow-Snek does not speak to Snek. Then Snek sees lady near shadow-Snek. Lady speaks, and Master magic tells Snek what she says. "What the hell is that? Where did it come from?"
"Snek iss Snek," Snek says in words she will understand. "Ssnek came from Masster world. Bad wordss lady sshould not ssay bad wordss."
"I'm not 'bad words lady!" she shouts. "I am Murder Night, and you will die!"
Snek does not understand name 'Murder Night'. Snek understands name 'bad words lady'. It means lady who uses bad words. Bad words lady wants shadow-Snek to eat children. Bad words lady is bad person.
Shadow-Snek moves toward Snek, skull jaws open. Crocodile skull has many sharp teeth, more than Snek can count.
Snek has sharp teeth too, but Snek does not want to bite. Shadow-Snek might be friend if Snek can stop bad words lady. Snek wraps body around shadow-Snek instead. Snek is very strong.
Shadow-Snek cold to touch, like demon curse. Master has shielded Snek with magic to stop demon curse from draining life from body. Shadow-Snek is trying to drain Snek life. Snek does not want this, so he squeezes shadow-Snek with body.
"Stop that thing, Scavenger!" shouts bad words lady. "Kill it! Eat it!"
"Ssnek iss not 'thing', bad wordss lady," Snek says. "Ssnek iss Ssnek." Snek had thought this was already explained. Bad words lady is also bad listener.
Also, Scavenger is bad name for shadow-Snek. Snek does not like it.
Shadow-Snek keeps trying to drain Snek life. Master protection magic is protecting Snek, but very cold. Snek not like cold. Snek squeezes shadow-Snek harder, to force shadow-Snek to give up.
Moord Nag
Wherever this giant talking snake had come from, it was giving Aasdier distinct problems. Nothing she had ever encountered before had stood up to her Scavenger's power, but no matter how the giant shadowy form strove against the scaled body, the snake seemed to be winning. Lou didn't like this in the slightest, but she had an ace up the sleeve she wasn't wearing.
Aasdier discorporated, then reformed next to her, this time sporting a giant eagle skull. She watched as the snake—she was never going to refer to it by that stupid name—looked around for its adversary, then fixed on her and Aasdier once more. Her lip curled as it gave her a reproachful look.
"Sshould not hurt children, bad wordss lady," the snake said chidingly.
The sheer effrontery of the thing sent a wash of anger through her. She was the one, with Aasdier's help, who had carved out her territory, and kept all rivals at bay. Telling her that she had no right to do what she wanted in her domain? "No beast gives me orders. My Aasdier will kill you eventually, and take your power."
Yet it still did not yield to her authority. "Sshadow-Ssnek iss bad wordss lady familiar? Ssnek doess not want to kill another Ssnek."
She had little idea what it was prattling about, but the naïve desire not to kill gave her some dark amusement. Killing was what the powerful did, and the weak submitted to. "You cannot kill Scavenger, you stupid creature. He is me, and I am him." It was only true. She and Aasdier were bonded together, deeper than life itself.
Snek
Snek thinks about that. Bad words lady makes shadow-Snek. Snek knows what to do now.
If Snek puts bad words lady in no-eat place, he can take her to Master. Master will fix, like with all other bad people with powers from Mouse world. That is easy part. Hard part will be getting bad words lady into no-eat place, because shadow-Snek is between Snek and bad words lady.
Moord Nag
In the next second, Lou wondered briefly if she hadn't overstepped, as the thing came for her, massively fanged jaws agape. It tried to duck around Aasdier, but her partner and protector reacted before she really even recognised the danger, interposing himself and knocking the monster snake aside. Opening his beak, he tried to sink it into the snake's scaled hide, but its head whipped around and its jaws closed on the outside of the beak, forcing it closed.
As a follow-up, the gargantuan reptile again entwined its powerful body around Aasdier's. It clearly hadn't learned a thing, as once again, as soon as the pressure became too great, Aasdier vanished. In that instant, the snake launched itself toward her, jaws once more agape, but Aasdier proved himself equal to the task. Sword-like razor fangs slashed into his body, but there was nothing to take away, and Aasdier simply melted from between its jaws.
It tried something new then, creating a circular portal in front of its head and the other one next to her. Again, Aasdier was up to the task, pushing her aside before the snake could get its fangs into her. With each new failed attempt, she felt her confidence growing; all Aasdier had to do was weaken it far enough, and then its power would truly be hers.
When it tried yet again to wrap its body around Aasdier's and dominate him in that way, she almost sneered dismissively, then rethought her position. The last time she'd dismissed its attempts, it had almost gotten to her. Responding to her thoughts, Aasdier twisted around to bit it, forcing it to use its jaws to protect itself, and thus ensuring that it couldn't reach for her instead.
That was when the stunning impact came from behind. She found herself ragdolling through the air with no idea what had happened. Aasdier discorporated to protect her, then a portal opened right in front of her.
On the other side … was teeth.
Snek
Then Snek has idea. Snek puts wriggle-hole next to tail, puts tail through. Tail comes out behind bad words lady, smacks her. Bad words lady is coming straight toward Snek's head. Shadow-Snek goes to smoke, but Snek opens another wriggle-hole, puts head through, and catches bad words lady. Shadow-Snek forms next to Snek, big-tooth lizard skull open, ready to bite Snek's neck.
Snek puts bad words lady in no-eat place. Shadow-Snek goes away, does not come back.
Snek is very happy. Master will be pleased. Bad words lady has what Master will call 'interesting' power.
Playing with shadow-Snek was fun!
PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: GStringGirl
From: XxVoid_CowboyxX
Subject: Are you okay?
Hi. Sorry to bother you, but you haven't been on for a while and I just wanted to make sure everything was alright with you.
PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: XxVoid_CowboyxX
From: GoodGirlRiley
Subject: GStringGirl
Hi, Greg. Apologies for butting in on your PMs, but GSG is no longer online. (I'm a friend of hers). She was in a bad situation where she was (sorry, can't give more details because privacy and stuff), but she's a whole lot happier where she is now. Here's a [pic].
PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: GoodGirlRiley
From: XxVoid_CowboyxX
Subject: Re: GStringGirl
Uh, thanks for letting me know. That's a pretty wild picture. She looks happy. Is that a sailboat in the background? And is that really a hearth-dragon on her shoulder? I thought only New Wave had those? Who else is getting one?
PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: XxVoid_CowboyxX
From: GoodGirlRiley
Subject: Re: Re: GStringGirl
Yes, that's a sailboat. A fishing boat, to be exact. And yes, she does have a hearth-dragon. As for only New Wave having hearth-dragons, that's not exactly true. I've got two looking over my shoulder right now. I'm expecting them to start using the computer to look up funny cat videos any day now, if the boss lets them.
PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: GoodGirlRiley
From: XxVoid_CowboyxX
Subject: Re: Re: Re: GStringGirl
You've got TWO hearth-dragons bonded to you? How did you manage that? Did you visit Snek's world?
PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: XxVoid_CowboyxX
From: GoodGirlRiley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: GStringGirl
No, I'm not bonded to either one of them. You can only bond to one hearth-dragon ever. But there's a few that hang around here. They're good company, even if they do play pranks on me and each other whenever they feel like it.
Yeah, I did visit Snek's world. It's a nice place.
PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: GoodGirlRiley
From: XxVoid_CowboyxX
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: GStringGirl
Can I ask where you are that hearth-dragons just hang around? Or is it a secret?
PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: XxVoid_CowboyxX
From: GoodGirlRiley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: GStringGirl
Not really. I already told you where I was.
PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: GoodGirlRiley
From: XxVoid_CowboyxX
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: GStringGirl
No you didn't. You just said that you visited Snek's world.
PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: GoodGirlRiley
From: XxVoid_CowboyxX
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: GStringGirl
Oh.
I get it.
Is that where GSG is too?
PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: XxVoid_CowboyxX
From: GoodGirlRiley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: GStringGirl
Bingo (on both counts).
PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: GoodGirlRiley
From: XxVoid_CowboyxX
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: GStringGirl
Oh, wow.
Um, is there any chance I could maybe visit? I missed the last New Wave meet & greet with their hearth-dragons, and everyone who went is all over the internet talking about how cute they are, and showing off selfies, including the ones by Snap.
Also, maybe visit GSG if she's okay with that. Just to, you know, say hi and see how she's going.
PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: XxVoid_CowboyxX
From: GoodGirlRiley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: GStringGirl
We shall see. No promises.
End of Part Thirty-One
Part Thirty-One: Home Is Where the Heart Is
[A/N: This chapter commissioned by @Fizzfaldt and beta-read by Lady Columbine of Mystal.]
Sveta, Later
Sunlight danced on the waves, and the sails billowed gently. The boat left a ruler-straight wake with Karol's steady hand at the tiller. Bron, at the bow, shaded his eyes and scanned the water ahead while Sveta kept the sails trimmed.
"Can you see anything?" Karol called forward. "Should we cast the nets here, or keep going?"
"Nothing. I see nothing." Bron huffed in irritation. "Where could they be?"
Esmerelda erupted from the water alongside the boat and circled Sveta once before landing on her shoulder. Sveta had known she was coming, and reached up to caress her neck as she furled her wings. "There's fish down there," she informed both men. They could tell it was true, because Esmerelda had one in her mouth.
"Well, that's a start." Karol nodded to her, and she paid off the line to let wind spill from the mainsail. "Can your clever little beast tell us where?"
"She knows they're down there, and there's a lot of them, but compass directions aren't really her thing." Sveta urged Esmerelda off her shoulder; without demur, the hearth-dragon took to the air once more, swallowing the fish at the same time. Balancing easily, she pulled off her shirt and stepped out of her trousers. Underneath this clothing, she wore a one-piece made of some water-resistant material she was unfamiliar with, but which had enough give in it to make for a reasonable wetsuit. "I'll go have a look."
Bron shook his head as she prepared to go over the side. "I will never be used to this."
She grinned at him, then dived in. Esmerelda followed, the little dragon piercing the water as easily as she had. Beneath the waves, Esmerelda folded her wings in tight and undulated along at a frankly impressive speed. Sveta wasn't quite as fast or agile, but she was still far better than any merely human swimmer. As an added bonus, she could breathe the water as easily as she could the air above, and her eyes automatically adapted once she was submerged so she could see clearly, even into the darker depths.
Esmerelda—Sveta called her that because she was greenish and the name appealed to both of them—let out a drumming chirp that reverberated through the water, then led the way off to the side. She was very pleased with herself, which was understandable once Sveta saw the massive school of fish ahead of them. Normally there would've been some activity on the surface, but this lot were deeper than normal, which was why Bron had seen nothing.
Got it. Back to the boat. While the words didn't transmit directly over their bond, the intent was clear enough, and Esmerelda fell in beside her as they returned to the small craft. Sveta was deeply in tune with her, to the extent that she knew Esmerelda would be stealing at least one fish from their catch on the way back to the harbour. Karol and Bron had never argued her right to do so, and Sveta didn't think they were about to start.
Unlike Esmerelda, she couldn't jump a body-length out of the water on sheer speed, but she could come mostly out and, with a hand on the gunwale, vault into the boat in a shower of spray. This she did, landing on her feet and steadying herself into a crouch. Esmerelda landed next to Sveta and shook salt water off her wings.
"You have returned," Karol greeted her imperturbably. "That was fast. Have you found the fish already?"
"I have," she confirmed, and pointed. "That way, perhaps five hundred feet. It's a big school. We'll have to put the nets deep."
As Karol turned the rudder and the boat heeled onto the new course, Bron whooped with excitement. "See, brother? I told you she would be good luck to bring along!"
"You told me?" Karol laughed out loud. "Brother, you didn't say a word. I was the one who welcomed her aboard!"
Sveta tuned them out as she skimmed the water off her one-piece and re-donned her fishing clothes. Esmerelda was gliding alongside the boat as she finished, sharp eyes watching the ocean ahead. While Karol steered, Bron came back to where the nets were prepared, and Sveta worked with him to cast them to port and starboard. She knew the moment when the nets found the school, as the boat actually seemed to stagger in the water from the weight of fish they'd encountered.
And then they were laughing with the exhilaration as she took Karol's place at the tiller, while he and Bron worked to heave their catch on board. As the first fish, silvery and flopping, slithered into the bottom of the boat, she knew this would be a good day, a good catch.
<><>
Elmora Reborn
"So you think she's really from Bet?" asked Krouse. Reaching across, he squeezed Noelle's hand, and she returned the gesture. "It's a bit of a reach, don't you think? A fishing village in the middle of nowhere?"
Elmora shrugged. "I don't know what else she could be. You'd only get the name 'Reborn' from one place, right? So, I want to know. See where she fits in. Hell, she might even be someone I knew, back when."
"What if she doesn't want a reminder of where she came from?" asked Marissa. Still learning the trade of magic, she'd found in herself an affinity for fire-based spells, which discovery had caused half her teammates to facepalm and the other half to fall about laughing. "Ending up here is pretty well a guarantee of a shitty life story."
"Also," offered Oliver, "she might not even be from Bet. We all saw how many worlds the Master of the Castle watches over."
"In a phrase," Jess snarked, "far too many."
Noelle shrugged. "Well, we're here now. May as well see how it plays out." She shaded her eyes and looked out over the harbour and the ocean beyond. "Did they say when the fishing boats were due back in?"
"Dusk, at the very latest," Paige said. "I checked. They come back earlier if they've had a really good catch, but otherwise they try to hold off until just before last light." She plucked at the strings of her instrument, a simple tune. Glowing motes drifted upward, then dissolved in the afternoon breeze.
At that moment, Ranger looked around from his perch on Noelle's shoulder, and stared out to sea. The green hearth-dragon had accompanied her, as far as Elmora knew, from the Travellers' earliest days on the Master's world, and had proven his worth a hundred times over. He let out an authoritative chirp, causing Noelle to tilt her head and reach up to stroke his neck.
"She's coming back in now, I think. Nobody else here has a hearth-dragon, and he says there's one on the way."
Elmora eyed Ranger appreciatively. "That's useful to know." While she would've liked to have bonded with a hearth-dragon herself—they liked her well enough, and she them—she'd never found herself clicking with one on an emotional level. She suspected this was at least in part due to the fact that she was still basically an asshole, and not truly interested in changing her ways.
They headed out onto the dock and watched the boat come in; riding low in the water, it was sluggish to respond to the sails and rudder, but the crew were clearly skilled enough to handle it. As it got closer, the call went out and people started heading down to the dock. At Noelle's unspoken gesture, the Travellers stepped aside and let them get along with it.
"Sveta and Esmerelda steered us right onto a huge school!" called out the burly man at the tiller. "If we'd filled the nets any fuller, we would've been swimming home!"
As the laughing, chattering villagers began moving the catch from the boat into large tubs they'd brought down onto the dock, the woman stepped onto the dock and looked around. Elmora knew the moment when the blue-green hearth-dragon on Sveta's shoulder spotted Ranger, because they both took flight and headed for each other. It looked for a moment like they were going to clash, but instead they flew in a spiral pattern around each other, chirping and squawking happily.
Sveta moved toward them with the rolling stride of someone used to the rock and sway of a small boat. "Hello," she said politely. "You have a nice hearth-dragon."
"So do you," Noelle said. "Noelle Meinhardt, of the Travellers. Maybe you've heard of us?"
"Not as such, no." Sveta tilted her head slightly. "Though with that name, I bet you're not from around here." Whatever magic it was that allowed them to speak the local language fluently, also made them hear the words in English.
Elmora chuckled and stepped forward to hold out her hand. "I see what you did there. Elmora Reborn, once of New York City, trying to live down a ton of bad decisions I made back in the day."
"Well, my major life-changing decisions were mostly made for me, but I was still in a bad way when Snek brought me here." Sveta's grip was firm, with a calloused palm that was evidently no stranger to hard work. "Sveta, also Reborn. They used to call me Garotte. Case fifty-three."
"Been there, done that," Noelle agreed. "I never got a cape name, but bad decisions led to bad things happening. And wow, you never actually heard of the Travellers? I think you just made Krouse pout."
"I am not pouting," Krouse protested, apparently more by reflex than anything else. "I just thought, you know, we were more well-known than that."
"We deliberately kept our heads down so we wouldn't draw more attention than we could handle," Jess reminded him. We didn't want people to hear about us."
"Mainly due to me," concluded Noelle. "So, are you free right now to stop and chat, or do they need your help in unloading the boat?"
Sveta glanced over her shoulder. "Looks like they've got enough hands on the job at the moment. We'll likely be heading out again in an hour or so, once the guys have cleared the boat out and we've had something to eat. So, what's your hearth-dragon's name?"
"Oh, I called him Ranger, after the woodland class in Ransack," Noelle explained as they started off the dock, back toward the village. "I know it never got as big in Bet as it did in Aleph, but did you ever play it?"
"That's where you're from? Huh." Sveta shook her head. "No, I played a game called Space Opera. Badly." She held up her hands and wiggled her fingers. "I was kind of lacking these at the time. Just a bunch of murder-tentacles."
Elmora grinned. "Actually, I think I do remember you. You're a bit taller than the last time I saw you."
Paige rolled her eyes and elbowed Elmora in the ribs. "Be nice. We're none of us who we were back then. Everyone's made a fresh start, and we're doing the best we can."
"It's fine." Sveta looked up at where Esmerelda was taking Ranger on what looked like a high-speed tour of the whole village. "Since I met Esmerelda, I've been able to accept what I did and what I was, and move on from everything without collapsing under the guilt." She glanced over at Noelle. "So, what does your bond with Ranger do for you? Esmerelda's an Ocean strain, so she's entirely at home in the water, to the point that she can breathe it, and so can I."
Noelle smiled fondly as she watched the darker green hearth-dragon darting after the ocean-foam one. "Ranger's a Forest strain. Once we get into the greenery, we can totally vanish. It's thoroughly useful in our line of business."
"Your line of business?" Sveta led them into what appeared to be the village tavern. "Gretz, pour us some drinks, please. These are new friends of mine."
The age-bent man behind the counter looked up and smiled. "Friend o' yours is a friend o' ours, Sveta girl. I hear you brought in another bumper catch just the now?"
"We did, yes." She ducked her head modestly. "Though it was more Esmerelda's doing than mine."
"And if you were not here, nor would be the wee dragon," Gretz reminded her. "Sit y'selves down. I'll have your drinks and eats out momentarily."
From the tone of Sveta's voice, she knew enough not to argue. "Thank you, Gretz." She gestured to a table. "Let's sit, and you can tell me about what you do for a living, and what's been happening in the wider world."
"You know, you can come with us when we go," offered Noelle.
Sveta shook her head. "No, I'm happy here. This is what I like doing. This is where I belong."
<><>
Snek
Snek is resting on winding-post when Master magic says people need help on Mouse world. Snek unwinds from winding-post and opens wriggle-hole. When Snek goes through, is in village like sharp-tooth lizards have, but humans here instead.
Snek sees people who need help. Is old and young people, standing in front of shadow-Snek that has bone crocodile skull for head. Snek think scales better for head, and nice hat on top, like Snek got from nice hat lady. Master magic tells Snek that shadow-Snek wants to eat old people and children.
Snek does not like that. Master has told Snek to not hurt children. Old people who have not done bad things should not be hurt either. Shadow-Snek wants to do a bad thing.
Snek wriggles forward and raises head. "Iss bad to eat children," he says to shadow-Snek.
Shadow-Snek does not speak to Snek. Then Snek sees lady near shadow-Snek. Lady speaks, and Master magic tells Snek what she says. "What the hell is that? Where did it come from?"
"Snek iss Snek," Snek says in words she will understand. "Ssnek came from Masster world. Bad wordss lady sshould not ssay bad wordss."
"I'm not 'bad words lady!" she shouts. "I am Murder Night, and you will die!"
Snek does not understand name 'Murder Night'. Snek understands name 'bad words lady'. It means lady who uses bad words. Bad words lady wants shadow-Snek to eat children. Bad words lady is bad person.
Shadow-Snek moves toward Snek, skull jaws open. Crocodile skull has many sharp teeth, more than Snek can count.
Snek has sharp teeth too, but Snek does not want to bite. Shadow-Snek might be friend if Snek can stop bad words lady. Snek wraps body around shadow-Snek instead. Snek is very strong.
Shadow-Snek cold to touch, like demon curse. Master has shielded Snek with magic to stop demon curse from draining life from body. Shadow-Snek is trying to drain Snek life. Snek does not want this, so he squeezes shadow-Snek with body.
"Stop that thing, Scavenger!" shouts bad words lady. "Kill it! Eat it!"
"Ssnek iss not 'thing', bad wordss lady," Snek says. "Ssnek iss Ssnek." Snek had thought this was already explained. Bad words lady is also bad listener.
Also, Scavenger is bad name for shadow-Snek. Snek does not like it.
Shadow-Snek keeps trying to drain Snek life. Master protection magic is protecting Snek, but very cold. Snek not like cold. Snek squeezes shadow-Snek harder, to force shadow-Snek to give up.
<><>
Moord Nag
Wherever this giant talking snake had come from, it was giving Aasdier distinct problems. Nothing she had ever encountered before had stood up to her Scavenger's power, but no matter how the giant shadowy form strove against the scaled body, the snake seemed to be winning. Lou didn't like this in the slightest, but she had an ace up the sleeve she wasn't wearing.
Aasdier discorporated, then reformed next to her, this time sporting a giant eagle skull. She watched as the snake—she was never going to refer to it by that stupid name—looked around for its adversary, then fixed on her and Aasdier once more. Her lip curled as it gave her a reproachful look.
"Sshould not hurt children, bad wordss lady," the snake said chidingly.
The sheer effrontery of the thing sent a wash of anger through her. She was the one, with Aasdier's help, who had carved out her territory, and kept all rivals at bay. Telling her that she had no right to do what she wanted in her domain? "No beast gives me orders. My Aasdier will kill you eventually, and take your power."
Yet it still did not yield to her authority. "Sshadow-Ssnek iss bad wordss lady familiar? Ssnek doess not want to kill another Ssnek."
She had little idea what it was prattling about, but the naïve desire not to kill gave her some dark amusement. Killing was what the powerful did, and the weak submitted to. "You cannot kill Scavenger, you stupid creature. He is me, and I am him." It was only true. She and Aasdier were bonded together, deeper than life itself.
<><>
Snek
Snek thinks about that. Bad words lady makes shadow-Snek. Snek knows what to do now.
If Snek puts bad words lady in no-eat place, he can take her to Master. Master will fix, like with all other bad people with powers from Mouse world. That is easy part. Hard part will be getting bad words lady into no-eat place, because shadow-Snek is between Snek and bad words lady.
<><>
Moord Nag
In the next second, Lou wondered briefly if she hadn't overstepped, as the thing came for her, massively fanged jaws agape. It tried to duck around Aasdier, but her partner and protector reacted before she really even recognised the danger, interposing himself and knocking the monster snake aside. Opening his beak, he tried to sink it into the snake's scaled hide, but its head whipped around and its jaws closed on the outside of the beak, forcing it closed.
As a follow-up, the gargantuan reptile again entwined its powerful body around Aasdier's. It clearly hadn't learned a thing, as once again, as soon as the pressure became too great, Aasdier vanished. In that instant, the snake launched itself toward her, jaws once more agape, but Aasdier proved himself equal to the task. Sword-like razor fangs slashed into his body, but there was nothing to take away, and Aasdier simply melted from between its jaws.
It tried something new then, creating a circular portal in front of its head and the other one next to her. Again, Aasdier was up to the task, pushing her aside before the snake could get its fangs into her. With each new failed attempt, she felt her confidence growing; all Aasdier had to do was weaken it far enough, and then its power would truly be hers.
When it tried yet again to wrap its body around Aasdier's and dominate him in that way, she almost sneered dismissively, then rethought her position. The last time she'd dismissed its attempts, it had almost gotten to her. Responding to her thoughts, Aasdier twisted around to bit it, forcing it to use its jaws to protect itself, and thus ensuring that it couldn't reach for her instead.
That was when the stunning impact came from behind. She found herself ragdolling through the air with no idea what had happened. Aasdier discorporated to protect her, then a portal opened right in front of her.
On the other side … was teeth.
<><>
Snek
Then Snek has idea. Snek puts wriggle-hole next to tail, puts tail through. Tail comes out behind bad words lady, smacks her. Bad words lady is coming straight toward Snek's head. Shadow-Snek goes to smoke, but Snek opens another wriggle-hole, puts head through, and catches bad words lady. Shadow-Snek forms next to Snek, big-tooth lizard skull open, ready to bite Snek's neck.
Snek puts bad words lady in no-eat place. Shadow-Snek goes away, does not come back.
Snek is very happy. Master will be pleased. Bad words lady has what Master will call 'interesting' power.
Playing with shadow-Snek was fun!
<><>
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PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: GStringGirl
From: XxVoid_CowboyxX
Subject: Are you okay?
Hi. Sorry to bother you, but you haven't been on for a while and I just wanted to make sure everything was alright with you.
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PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: XxVoid_CowboyxX
From: GoodGirlRiley
Subject: GStringGirl
Hi, Greg. Apologies for butting in on your PMs, but GSG is no longer online. (I'm a friend of hers). She was in a bad situation where she was (sorry, can't give more details because privacy and stuff), but she's a whole lot happier where she is now. Here's a [pic].
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PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: GoodGirlRiley
From: XxVoid_CowboyxX
Subject: Re: GStringGirl
Uh, thanks for letting me know. That's a pretty wild picture. She looks happy. Is that a sailboat in the background? And is that really a hearth-dragon on her shoulder? I thought only New Wave had those? Who else is getting one?
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PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: XxVoid_CowboyxX
From: GoodGirlRiley
Subject: Re: Re: GStringGirl
Yes, that's a sailboat. A fishing boat, to be exact. And yes, she does have a hearth-dragon. As for only New Wave having hearth-dragons, that's not exactly true. I've got two looking over my shoulder right now. I'm expecting them to start using the computer to look up funny cat videos any day now, if the boss lets them.
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PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: GoodGirlRiley
From: XxVoid_CowboyxX
Subject: Re: Re: Re: GStringGirl
You've got TWO hearth-dragons bonded to you? How did you manage that? Did you visit Snek's world?
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PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: XxVoid_CowboyxX
From: GoodGirlRiley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: GStringGirl
No, I'm not bonded to either one of them. You can only bond to one hearth-dragon ever. But there's a few that hang around here. They're good company, even if they do play pranks on me and each other whenever they feel like it.
Yeah, I did visit Snek's world. It's a nice place.
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PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: GoodGirlRiley
From: XxVoid_CowboyxX
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: GStringGirl
Can I ask where you are that hearth-dragons just hang around? Or is it a secret?
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PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: XxVoid_CowboyxX
From: GoodGirlRiley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: GStringGirl
Not really. I already told you where I was.
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PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: GoodGirlRiley
From: XxVoid_CowboyxX
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: GStringGirl
No you didn't. You just said that you visited Snek's world.
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PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: GoodGirlRiley
From: XxVoid_CowboyxX
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: GStringGirl
Oh.
I get it.
Is that where GSG is too?
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PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: XxVoid_CowboyxX
From: GoodGirlRiley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: GStringGirl
Bingo (on both counts).
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PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: GoodGirlRiley
From: XxVoid_CowboyxX
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: GStringGirl
Oh, wow.
Um, is there any chance I could maybe visit? I missed the last New Wave meet & greet with their hearth-dragons, and everyone who went is all over the internet talking about how cute they are, and showing off selfies, including the ones by Snap.
Also, maybe visit GSG if she's okay with that. Just to, you know, say hi and see how she's going.
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PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: XxVoid_CowboyxX
From: GoodGirlRiley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: GStringGirl
We shall see. No promises.
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End of Part Thirty-One
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