The bustling of activity and clanking of equipment roused Hazel from blissful slumber. She woke with half-lidded eyes and stumbled over to the bathroom. The mirror greeted her with tousled hair and blank eyes, she numbly brushed her teeth.
She’d stayed up far too late peppering Saoirse with random trivia questions. She found out this boat was on some mix of leisure and expedition. Apparently, spirits didn’t need to eat, but new experiences and foods were always welcome.
Being cooped up in the City only went so far in the spirits finding meaning. Hazel was excited to hear there was a megapolis of some kind, and that she didn’t have to spend the rest of eternity on a small boat.
She glared at her toes. Maybe she’d find shoes. Or a change of clothes. For now, she pulled on the boots Saoirse had handed her for this trip. Lumbering out of her room and up the stairs, Hazel greeted the far too chipper passengers.
“Good-“Wait, was it morning? There was no sun. Crap, did she sleep through the day?
“May you claim the day, Hazel”, Alex said.
That works. “Erm.. you too?”
Alex grumbled. “The others had the same reaction too. Somehow I’m stranger than the deep-folk. ‘Praise the sun’ indeed.”
“Sorry, I’m just a little tired. How was your sleep?”
“Dreamless, unfortunately.” She replied simply. “Your greeting is much better than the deep-folk, very conversational.”
“Thanks?”
Looking around her, Hazel noticed the boat was smothered in fog. She frowned. The sea was so clear yesterday. “Is it normally foggy like this?”
“Usually just when we get close to land. My personal theory is the magic unreality of the sea meeting the firm belief of land causes it.”
The tall woman seemed annoyed, “Saoirse is mum about it though. Infuriatingly so.”
Having done a Q&A with Saoirse the night before, Hazel knew exactly what Alex was talking about. The way Saoirse disseminated barely any information with her answers WAS infuriating.
She opened her mouth to ask about this belief thing but paused. As Alex ran her fingers through her hair, Hazel noticed something.
“Wait, are you an elf?”
Alex, confused, replied, “You never noticed? Good on you, Hazel. Most people take a few months to get over their differences.”
Hazel burned with more questions but was interrupted by the island. The most noticeable thing was the scale. Even 50 meters out, the enormity of the landmass shook her. The central mountain was framed by jungle, and that, by a sprawling beach. Outside of the shape of the mountain, Hazel could not see much more as the island was enshrouded in darkness the further away from shore it was.
She turned to Alex’s whistle of appreciation. Sensing an unasked question, Alex started talking. “Large islands like these are usually off-limits. It’s only recently this one was cleared for visitors.”
Hazel did not have warm and fuzzy feelings about this information. She was roused from her anxiety by a hurried patting from Alex. “Look, Saoirse’s doing the thing.”
Curiosity awakened, Hazel watched as Saoirse placed her oar in the water. A wide path from the boat to the beach formed. Not like, physically manifested, but the sea became firm in her mind. Visually, it seemed just as still as the waters around it. But deep within Hazel, she just knew it was solid and immovable. Curiously, it was also as clear as yellow paint borders to her where the path ended and the sea started.
Alex huffed, and proudly, as if she herself had manifested it, “That’s raw belief, right there.”
Then, wistfully and slowly shook her head, “If we had just known about it… if I’d known about it - the papers I could’ve written.”
As if waiting for the appearance of this path, the passengers on the boat sprang into action. They filed out of the boat, heading off to their chosen activities for the day. About half the boat had opted to visit the island, with the small caveat that they had to stay on the beach.
She saw Tom traipsing about with a beach rod twice his height, engrossed in conversation with other, similarly kitted out, spirits. Tyson was not on the deck.
Then, with not a little trepidation, she hesitantly placed a boot onto the water bridge. Magic bridge. Whatever, she’d just refer to it as water in her head. It was… firm.
It felt like a solid, textureless memory foam. Like the moment when oobleck started softening after an impact, but permanently in that state. Tiny ripples in the sea ended on one side of the path but resumed as if nothing had hampered them on the opposite side.
Tracking the ripples to their source, Hazel realized that some spirits were setting up crab pots.
A voice, baritone and melodic, surprised her. “Jelly crabs, miss! They go for a proper premium back in the City!”
Oh no, Hazel thought. Capitalism in the afterlife? One of her friends specifically would have busted a gut at that.
She turned to see a small person with a big grin. They weren’t disproportionate or anything, just small. Hazel wasn’t sure what was up with these spirits that made them so easygoing. Especially if capitalism was still on the cards.
“Praise the sun!” He said jovially. His skin was very pale for a self-professed sun-praiser. He was bald, but more than made up for it with his extra bushy eyebrows.
He wore a very sensible hiking outfit, with the addition of a large butterfly net. Everyone had a cool gimmicky accessory that made them stand out these days.
“Yes, praise be.” Hazel tried.
Failed as well, if his mirth was any indicator. “As good an attempt as any! I am Gustav - adventurer and space explorer extraordinaire!”
Ah, a face to put to a name. On second thought, he seemed familiar to her. “Do I know you from somewhere?”
He put a hand to his heart. “Alas, I see my impression on you has not been the best. I was the one who questioned you after that snake attack.”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
That was a revelation that was not welcome. Hazel’s eyes narrowed. What was his game here? “What do you want?”
Scratching the back of his bald head, Gustav seemed remorseful. “I’ve lost my touch over the years here. I apologize for how pushy I was. Truthfully, I want to ask you about where you came from!”
No. Hazel, frankly, was still annoyed at this spirit. She was not down to be amenable.
“No.”
She felt a small sense of satisfaction worm its way into the feelings part of her brain as the man seemed surprised. His butterfly net waved around in the air as he grew more agitated. He started, “It’s just a few quick - “
“The others are probably already on the island. We need to get going.” And Hazel walked.
Smugly, she noted the man had a hard time keeping up with her. Frustratingly, however, he did not let up on his questioning the whole walk. He could not take a hint. By the time they reached the group, Gustav was out of breath, and Hazel was out of patience.
She recognized Alex and Saoirse in the clearing, but there were two strangers she did not know. Saoirse was dressed in her usual get-up, complete with the sandals, but carried along a comically large knapsack.
A well built bearded man wearing chest armor, and a tall elvish woman wearing a linen blouse and long cotton pants accompanied Saoirse and Alex. Presumably, Evans and Kei respectively
Saoirse noticed her discomfort and took that as the cue to begin the briefing, thankfully silencing Gustav as she did so.
“As most of you know, this island was recently cleared for entry. However, that does not mean this place is safe. There will not be any regional beasts on this island, but there are still creatures that can threaten you. If anything happens, the mist guard I send with you will alert me. So do your best to stick with it.”
“Besides that,” Saoirse flashed a lopsided grin, “I trust you to make your way around. If my group finds our target, the mist guard will give you a signal. Otherwise, I’ll know through it if the other group finds it first. We’ll meet back at the beach once we find the target, or 12 hours have passed.”
”Kei, you’re with me and Hazel. The rest of you, remember to stick with this fella.” At that, a milky gas seeped out of Saoirse’s oar and collected in one spot. As if filling up a humanoid-shaped beaker, the gas steadily filled out its shape in the air starting from the feet.
Out of the corner of her eye, Hazel noticed Gustav tinkering with what looked like a pocket watch. Looking around, everyone except her and Saoirse were. She promised herself she’d get one when she was in the City. Capitalism be damned.
She wandered over the Saoirse. She’d been curious about something ever since hearing about the expedition but now it was happening... “Aren’t you worried about the other passengers on the boat?”
Saoirse gave her a look. “Hazel, I’ve done this for over a thousand years. I left a couple of my guards at the boat too.”
Oh. Awkward.
After everyone was synced up, Hazel bid Alex farewell as the two groups split up the island into two halves to explore. Saoirse led the way for Hazel and Kei with her now-signature oar shining in the gloom. Intrigued by her newest companion, Hazel greeted them.
“Hello, I’m Hazel.” Nailed it!
“Kei,” they replied simply. “I see your plight with Gustav. I apologize for him. He’s been around nearly as long as I have, and the years wear on him more than it does me. There is a personal matter pressing on him that I am not at liberty to share. He used to be much more personable to speak to.”
“As personable as chewing gum,” Hazel groused, then was hit in the face by a stray vine. Sputtering, she continued. “You’ve spoken to him before?”
“Yes, he was quite enamored with the concept of being non-binary.” Kei mused, “his civilization is all men, as far as I know.”
“Wha - ow!” Hazel tripped over an unseen and exposed rock. The embarrassment stung as much as the fall.
Kei seemed as placidly amused by it as they were everything. “All clones, according to him.”
Hazel ruminated over that, thinking of the implications. There was so much she wanted to ask, but opted to focus on the hike instead. There was an eternity to figure it all out anyway. Kei didn’t seem to mind the silence, and they slowly plodded along, Saoirse their steadfast pathfinder.
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One foot in front of the other. Watch for the root. Check for vines and branches. Don’t get smacked in the face. Tedious. She’d agreed to the adventure and excitement. Big snakey fights. Ugh.
Otherworldly trees meant nothing to her when she didn’t even recognize earth trees. They all looked the same. In the first place, isn’t it weird for there to be botanical life in a place that receives no light?
Saoirse said they were all variations of fungi and not trees. But it was honestly a cop-out. Kei had disagreed, and Saoirse just shrugged and laughed and said maybe the mushrooms believed they were plants.
Most of the trek though, was done in silence.
She perked up when Saoirse stopped suddenly. The feeble light from the oar winked out and the captain whispered, “There is a metal-tusk boar ahead. We can go around it, unless -“
“I’d like to hunt it.” Kei bluntly whispered back.
A silent exchange occurred that Hazel could not see in the pitch black. Kei had moved up and they didn’t deem it necessary for Hazel to hear their plan. Hazel huffed inwardly. She’d never had to work her senses before on earth. In fact, she’d always suppressed them somewhat in the overly sensory world, causing them to fall behind her innate strength.
Creeping forward, Hazel’s gaze fell upon a mountain of a creature. This was the boar? Saoirse turned the lights back on, this time at a brighter intensity than the soft glow it had before.
The sudden lights blinded Hazel. Rubbing at her eyes, she opened them to see Saoirse’s apologetic face. “Sorry, I’ll give a warning next time.”
In the light, Hazel had a better view of this boar. True to its name, the tusks looked like solid iron. The metallic sheen was visible even through the dirt. The still rippling muscles of the apartment-sized creature were visible even through the shaggy and matted brown fur.
Seemingly content that Hazel was not hurt, Saoirse turned towards the third member of the little group. They had commenced butchering the mountainous beast. “Ever impressive, Kei. That was barely a hunt!”
The person in question didn’t even skip a beat in their methodical slicing. “We are surrounded in my element, how could it have taken longer than it did?”
Hazel finally saw the tendrils of wood shish-kebabing the boar. Overgrown roots had tethered it in place and muzzled it before its quick demise. Oh. She’d been wondering how Kei had zero trouble navigating earlier.
“Told you they were plants,” Kei stated.
Saoirse, enigmatic as always, just laughed and agreed.
Somehow, all the meat fit in the knapsack Saoirse carried. After burying the creature and paying their individual respects, they moved on. Saoirse seemed to know where they were going.
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“Are the others as strong as you, Kei?” Hazel wondered aloud. Saoirse was once again laser-focused on some kind of divination she had to be doing, with how confidently she’d been moving through the jungle.
“No, I’m the strongest one on that boat outside of Saoirse. And maybe you.”
“Me?”
“Yes - even the strongest spirits will quail before even the weakest shade. Captains - and I assume captains-in-training - are not similarly restrained.”
“Shades.. that snake - is that why no one else could help? It's some kind of special beast?”
“Ah, you haven’t been filled in by our captain. It is a sort of polite fiction between the captains that all monsters are beasts or native fauna. Among the more experienced spirits, however, we know there is more to it. Occasional beasts that strike without warning and inspire primal fear in us spirits.”
Kei paused. “The captains, everyone we’ve asked, are unwilling, or unable, to acknowledge this. All except.. you. Perhaps it is a geas you have yet to make. I can only speculate.”
Hazel realized she was in dangerous territory, and at risk of being found out as not quite normal. But she was also roasting with curiosity. “Saoirse’s been lying to us because of this geas?”
Oh, she hadn’t kept her voice down. She could see Saoirse wince at the accusation. She’d apologize later.
Kei reassured her. “No, she isn’t lying. The fact we’re able to speculate about it in front of the captains - we’re sure it must be some kind of coercion stopping them from telling us.”
Feeling strangely at talking about Saoirse like she wasn’t there, and having most of her curiosity sated, Hazel let the conversation lapse.
More walking. Oh god, they’d have to do the whole hike back as well eventually.
What a bore.