Ramirez walked down the stairs of the Lobster Inn the next morning, pulling an arm through the sleeve of his suit jacket and buttoning it as he reached the main floor. Savory was sitting at a table, the only one sitting in the restaurant at this morning hour. "Good morning," she said when she saw him, smiling. "Basil's waiting at your Trotmobile. Watch out for bandits, okay?"

He shook his head slightly. "Is there anywhere in this country where there aren't bandits?"

She chuckled and spread her hands. "See you later. Bye now..."

Ramirez walked out to the parking lot to find Basil already sitting in Corvus. He made an exasperated sound in the back of his throat, annoyed at the presumption. He fought it down as he saw Basil smiling guilelessly down at him, and climbed into the pilot's seat.

"Alright, off we go!" Basil said excitedly.

Corvus made its way down the street the Lobster Inn was on, passing a multitude of stores where you could buy just about anything, as well as the local newspaper, the Urban Times, the Stock Exchange - which made him remember his stop at the Nefro Theater - and a massive church. They turned right and headed towards the appropriate gate, passing the large Memorial Park that was dominated by a practically sky scraping squared stone column in the center of its plaza.

As they passed through the city gate, Ramirez read the sign that declared that it led to the Cuckoo Forest and the town of Eurydika. But as they traveled up a dusty road, he noticed that while the higher slopes of the surrounding mountains were thick with trees, it was bare towards ground level. "Oh yeah," Basil said when he mentioned it. "They've got Trotmobiles with saws and axes to cut down trees and stuff."

That explains it, he thought. It was strange, seeing so many trees from a Valuan standpoint. Valua was always dark, so plant life was scarce, but the Valuan continent was rich with metals and minerals. That was why they mostly used steel in their building construction and shipbuilding, as opposed to Ixa'taka, which had the Green Moon constantly regrowing their endless forests. But they don't have a Green Moon here. If they keep cutting their trees down, eventually this land might look like Valua.

The bandits along the way to Dandelion's also showed another reason why trees were scarce closer to the road - most of them in the Cuckoo Forest used Trotmobiles that carried bunches of logs with their ends sharpened to points, and used them as ammunition to fire at travelers. How wasteful, ran through Ramirez's mind as he dodged a volley of logs and thrusted in, picking up one of the bandit Trots and throwing it into the canyon wall.

When they reached Dandelion Instruments, the workshop he used, Basil had climbed out of Corvus as soon as it was stopped and ran for the front door of the three story log cabin, shouting, "Dandelion!" Ramirez watched him disappear into the building. He acts like a child, he thought distastefully. He started walking to the cabin more leisurely himself, but the call of a some nearby bird forced itself on his attention, as it was repeated over and over and over... Ramirez was practically growling by the time he walked into the building and finally escaped the infernal racket. He had been tempted to get back into Corvus and launch a few cannon shells into the surrounding trees.

"It's been a while, Basil," a man of around Ramirez's own age was saying to the Globetrotter as he walked over. He was tall, tall enough to rival Lord Galcian in height, but was built along different lines. He was trim and lacked the sheer muscular bulk of the Lord Admiral of the Valuan Armada. He had long blonde hair with a headband to hold it away from his face, and wore a blue shirt, brown pants and brown shoes with a long leather apron over them. "I'm glad you're doing well," he finished in friendly tones. Ramirez guessed that this was Dandelion.

"Yeah, you too!" Basil burbled.

Dandelion noticed Ramirez and turned to him, asking, "...And this is?"

"This is Ramirez, he gave me a lift here," Basil answered. "He's a friend of Vanilla, our newest member. He helped Connie cross the Sabbia Desert!"

"I see," Dandelion said, impressed. "Well, my name is Dandelion, and as you can see, I make instruments here." He frowned slightly. "Speaking of Connie, how is she doing?"

Ramirez considered the question, and decided to try and fish for information. "She seems depressed," he said, watching the craftsman.

"It happens to the best of us, sometimes," Dandelion replied, a slight sigh in his voice.

"Oh yeah--Dandelion, can you take a look at my bass?" Basil asked.

Dandelion turned and looked at the tall instrument leaning against one of his worktables, leaning forward to get a closer look and bringing a finger up to his chin. "Hrmm... The neck looks a little bent."

"Yeah, that happened when the Killer Elephants attacked everyone," Basil said.

Dandelion straightened abruptly and looked at Basil, eyes wide. "They attacked you!? Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, thanks to Vanilla," Basil replied.

"Oh really? In that case, I owe him my thanks," Dandelion said, glancing over at Ramirez briefly. "Basil, can you grab another neck from upstairs?"

"Sure!" Basil said, and ran up the stairs enthusiastically.

Dandelion turned to Ramirez as Basil left. "I don't hear much about events in town, since I live so far away," he said. "Where are you from, anyway? How'd you end up traveling with Connie?"

With an inward sigh, Ramirez recounted his story again, omitting the parts about his being from Valua, instead just sticking with 'From across Lake Luminoso'.

"...I see," Dandelion said as he finished. "What are things like where you come from?"

"Very primitive," Ramirez replied. "I came from Meme Village. I hadn't even heard of Trotmobiles until I crossed the lake." The second and third parts of that were true, while the first...

"Really?" Dandelion smiled. "Sounds like you've picked up the basics of them quick enough." He reached into his apron and pulled out an envelope and a sheet of paper. "By the way, would you give these to Connie? I'd ask Basil, but he'd probably forget about it. Please make sure she gets them."

"Got it!" Basil said as he came running back down the stairs, his arms full of bass necks.

"You didn't have to bring my whole stock," Dandelion said, amused. "Here, this one should do. Just give me a minute." He looked at Ramirez. "Why don't you take a look around? This might be a while."

Ramirez paced around the first floor a bit, but Dandelion was busy replacing the neck on Basil's bass, and Basil himself was watching with interest. Eventually, he made his way upstairs and found a teenager up there; by the heavy leather belt around his waist, he also worked there. "We haven't had visitors in a long time," he commented as Ramirez reached the top of the stairs. "I'm Tonio, the assistant here. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions about the workshop.

Ramirez took advantage of the opportunity to ask about Dandelion, and discovered that he was considered the greatest craftsman in the country, though he was a musician until a few years ago when he opened his shop, which specialized in string instruments - the violin, especially. It was apparently Dandelion's personal favorite. Tonio was acting as an apprentice, pretty much, studying under Dandelion to perfect his own craftsmanship.

He went back downstairs to find Dandelion handing the completed bass to Basil, who said, "Thanks, Dandelion."

"Tell everyone I said hi. Oh, and give Connie a hard time for not visiting!" Dandelion said, mock serious.

"Sure thing," Basil said, then tried to sound nonchalant as he asked, "Oh, Dandelion, you wouldn't ever maybe come back to the band, would you?"

"Oh come on--you guys are the Globetrotters now," Dandelion replied, smiling. "The fans want to see you, not some old has-been."

"Oh..." Basil's shoulders slumped.

"Have a little confidence," Dandelion said. "Go out there and enjoy yourself."

Basil perked up. "Yeah, I guess you're right!"

"Take care now," Dandelion said as he turned to Ramirez. "Hey, and you remember to look after Connie for me, alright?"

"I'm going to load the bass in your Trotmobile," Basil said to Ramirez, and hurried out the door.

Ramirez and Dandelion watched Basil hurry out the door, then the latter sighed and smiled wryly. "Crafting instruments is a lot more relaxing than performing music. This job definitely fits me best."

"Dandelion," Ramirez began slowly. "How do you know Connie and the others?"

"When we were young, Dr. Nutmeg took my brother and I in and introduced us to many important people," Dandelion replied. "That's how we met Connie and her mother. Dr. Nutmeg taught me a lot, and Rosemary, Connie's mother, taught me pretty much everything, starting with how to read music. Rosemary might as well be the mother of the Globetrotters. Everyone respects her, even Fennel."

He smiled, and continued, "And Connie's a really nice girl. She was good friends with my younger brother Chicory. Even after we moved to Happy Garland, she would visit us by train." The smile slowly faded. "Everyone in the Globetrotters liked Chicory. He was especially fond of Connie and Rosemary..."

Dandelion turned his head and looked out a window, appearing lost in thought. Ramirez watched him a bit, but when he was about to ask another question, Dandelion suddenly smiled and looked back at him. "Well, I'd better get back to work here. Maybe I'll see you around some time."

Ramirez left the workshop, mulling over what he'd learned. I get the feeling something has happened with Chicory. But what? Basil was standing near Corvus, having stowed his bass away. He sighed as Ramirez approached, and said, "I wish Dandelion would rejoin the band... Oh well, let's head back." The two of them climbed into the cockpit and started back down the road to Happy Garland.

--

"Thanks for the assist," Basil said after Ramirez pulled into parking lot of the Lobster Inn. "You're a decent guy." He waved and said, "Laterz," running off into the building.

What a strange kid, ran through Ramirez's mind as he watched him disappear around the stone staircase. He leaned back against his seat and considered his options. I don't want to just sit around this Inn and watch them perform. That's not why Lord Galcian sent me here. Hmm... Perhaps I'll visit the arena. I haven't gotten a good look at these Trotmobile gladiators yet.

He steered Corvus back into traffic and made his way to the Garland Arena. It was by far the largest building in the city, so he was able to keep an eye on it by watching it rear above the levels of smaller buildings and use it as a guiding point. When he reached Trotmobile access door, he passed through and blinked as he walked his Trot up the concrete ramp. He could see the lobby of the Arena over a wrought-iron fence, and took in the crowds wandering around the marble floors with red carpets laid down in paths, stairs with gilded railings, and tapestries and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling high - very high - overhead. The area where the gladiators gathered, when he parked Corvus there, was more strictly functional in look, with bare concrete floors and a wrought iron railing looking down on the lobby below.

"Hey buddy, you can't park there," a mechanic said as Ramirez climbed out. "This area's fer gladiators only."

"I am... here to be in a Trotmobile battle," he replied. He'd meant the words only as an excuse to stay, but as soon as they left his mouth Ramirez's eyes gleamed. Hmm... What better way to hone my Tromobile fighting skills than to test them in battle?

"Oh," the mechanic said, nodding. "Well, it doesn't look like you got a license, so you better head down to reception and get one. Card's pretty full of fighters already, but they're always lookin' fer new faces to throw in there."

Ramirez nodded and headed down the red-carpeted stairs to the lobby. The reception desk was easy to spot, taking up a large portion of one wall with a black metal plaque on it with gilded letters reading 'Information Office'. "Welcome to the Happy Garland Arena," the female receptionist said after he walked over. She wore a white shirt, red bow tie and black pants with short brown hair. To Ramirez, it was a rather mannish-style. The only other women I've seen wear pants are Belleza and Fina, and they both try to look feminine in other ways. If not for her... attributes, I could mistake her for a man.

The receptionist listened carefully to his problem, then nodded. "Oh, sure, we could get you a license. Things have been slow before evening hours, anyway. The audience likes to have a bit of variety in gladiators from time to time." She gave him a form to fill out, which fortunately didn't ask for very specific information, and he handed it back after he'd finished. The receptionist turned to a typewriter and clicked and clacked away at it for a bit, then turned and handed him in cardboard card. It was dominated by a logo of a wooden shield with an orange line running through it near the top, the interior dominated by a black D. "Here you are, sir. A Rank D license. You can now battle at any arena in the country."

"How do I rise in rank?" Ramirez asked as he eyed the license.

"I'll take this one," said a man standing nearby, wearing an outfit similar to that of the receptionist. "I am Douglas, the expounder of this arena! That's right! I said 'expounder'!"

Ramirez glanced over at the receptionist, who was rolling her eyes. Alright, it's not just me then, he thought.

"Anyway," Douglas continued, "when you win a battle in the arena, you earn Victory Medals. You can turn them in for new frames for your Trotmobile, but we'll keep a count of how many you've earned over your career. Once you reach a certain number of medals, you advance to the next rank. From strongest to weakest, the ranks are S, A, B, C and D. You can only battle those who have the same rank, or lower, as your own. Anything else?"

"I would like to begin battling."

Ramirez soon discovered that there was only one other Rank D gladiator at the Happy Garland Arena, a former lumberjack named Sampson who was slightly taller than him, thickly muscled and wore a green shirt with 'Power' written on the front in white letters. Before long, he had turned in some UR to fight the battle and piloted Corvus onto a large freight elevator similar to ones he'd seen in Valua. The elevator rose and came level with the arena floor, where he saw Sampson's green Trotmobile 'Giant Sam' finish ascending opposite him. Spectators filled the stands and cheered and yelled for both gladiators as some curious droning pipes played a flourish.

After the music faded, there was the sound of a gunshot and Sampson's Giant Sam started rolling towards him on its caterpillar treads, its buzzsaw arm frame spinning. Ramirez watched him approach cautiously, then thrusted forward with his sword poised - only to find the Giant Sam's other arm thrusting forward, landing a punch with a CLANG that rattled his bones.

He slashed forward and backhand, then quickly thrusted backward away from another punch. Strangely, Sampson wasn't making use of his buzzsaw. Perhaps this is why he is D Rank. Ramirez dodged quickly around as his opponent doggedly rolled after him slowly on his caterpillar frame. He began thrusting in, landing a couple of slashes, then dodging back before the Giant Sam could respond.

Before long, smoke poured out of Sampson's Trotmobile and it ground to a halt. Cheers erupted from the crowd, and Ramirez let them wash over him as he piloted Corvus back to the elevator, sword arm raised in triumph and catching the light of the afternoon sun.

"Man yer strong!" Sampson later commented in the battler's lounge after he'd climbed down from his Trotmobile. Ramirez nodded silently to him, then returned to the reception desk where he was handed two small gilded medals with red and white ribbons attached. He looked at the two Victory Medals sitting in his hand. Hmph, not much of an award. His hand closed around them, and he looked up at the gladiators above. But I can get more.

--

Vanilla slid his harmonica back into his jeans pocket, smiling and waving to the crowd as the afternoon concert wrapped up. Connie smiled at him when he looked over at her. "I love the feeling I get after a concert," she said.

Vanilla smiled back. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

It took a while before enough of the crowd left to see a familiar figure with slicked hair, sunglasses, a blue shirt with black stripes, black pants and black boots sitting at one of the tables, arms folded.

"Fennel!" Connie exclaimed, surprised to see him there.

Vanilla rubbed the back of his head. "Why are you here?" he asked, confused. "I thought you wanted to pursue your own music."

Fennel slowly stood, resting one hand on his hip. "That's not why I'm here. Have you guys heard about Vision Ranch?"

The Garland Globetrotters exchanged looks; it was obvious none of them knew what he was talking about.

"What's going on?" Marjoram asked.

"They're sayin' some weird creatures have shown up there, and they're tearing the place apart."

Connie gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth. "Dr. Nutmeg!"

Fennel brought a hand up. "He was still okay, last I heard. But a Civilian Army has formed to fight them, and we're meeting at Wagtail Canyon."

"If there's trouble then we should go and help," Marjoram said, then brought a hand to his chin. "I'm going to have to cancel our next gig in Neuhafen, though."

"You're right," Connie said, nodding to Marjoram. "They need our help. Our tour can wait."

"Someone should tell Dandelion," Savory said, sounding troubled. "I'll go tell him and catch up with the rest of you later."

"I could go with you," Basil chimed in.

Savory smiled. "I'll be fine Basil," she said, nodding to him.

Basil rubbed the back of his head. "Well, okay. If you're sure," he said, sounding both dubious and disappointed. Savory nodded to everyone, then hurried out of the Lobster Inn.

Connie suddenly turned to Vanilla. "What are you going to do?"

"Of course I'll come," he replied, nodding. "It really sounds like they need help."

"Thank you!" Connie said, clasping her hands together briefly.

"What about Ramirez, though?" Vanilla asked. "He hasn't come back yet."

"We can't go searching through all of Happy Garland for him," Marjoram pointed out reasonably. "Besides, we'll leave a message for him at the bar."

"Yeah, I guess so," Vanilla said, frowning slightly.

"Come on! Let's go!" Basil said, and ran out the doors alongside Fennel, who walked out more sedately. Marjoram walked over to the bar, while Connie waited near Vanilla since she didn't have a Trotmobile of her own.

Vanilla headed for the doors leading outside. I hope Ramirez will be okay.

--

Galcian stood at the window of his bridge aboard the Serpent, his black and gold cloak wrapped around himself as he stared out at the vortex. Behind him, a Valuan soldier approached with a familiar woman just behind him, her dark red hair cascading down past her shoulders.

"Lord Galcian," the soldier began, "I present to you your Fourth Admiral, Belleza."

"...Very good. You may leave," Galcian said, never turning his head.

The soldier saluted. "As you wish..." He turned smartly and marched away, leaving Belleza to fold her arms and watch the Supreme Commander of the Valuan Armada. She didn't dare to speak first; her arrival in the Lynx had been met with suspicion, and the escort to the edge of the vortex had seemed grudging.

Galcian let the silence drag on a bit longer, than finally spoke. "This area is not your responsibility, Belleza. I have taken personal command of the Mid Ocean Fleet since I exiled Alfonso to Ixa'taka."

Belleza closed her eyes and bowed her head. "I realize that, my lord." She decided not to mention the latest news coming out of Ixa'taka. So Vyse actually sailed across South Ocean? She smiled briefly. He is turning into quite a problem for poor De Loco and Alfonso. "As commander of the Armada's Intelligence branch, I felt it necessary to discover the reason such a large force is deployed in this area."

Galcian closed his eyes and lowered his head in thought, then turned halfway to look at Belleza. "As it happens, it is... fortuitous that you have arrived."

Belleza blinked and raised her head again, looking at him in puzzlement. "My lord?" she asked.

A small smile came to Galcian's face. "This vortex is no ordinary discovery, Admiral Belleza. It is, in fact, a doorway to another land."

Belleza frowned slightly. "A doorway?"

Galcian turned to look out the window at the vortex again. "It is an unknown land, lying under none of the Six Moons." He paused to let her absorb that statement a moment, then continued. "I sent Admiral Ramirez through the vortex some time ago to establish an outpost... and gather intelligence on the new land."

Belleza felt a surge of annoyance at that. It was, after all, her specialty. "Surely my lord knows that such a special operation could have been under my supervision."

"Indeed," Galcian replied. "...Ramirez has fallen out of contact. He took it upon himself to venture deeper into the new land some time ago and hasn't been heard from since." He turned halfway to look at Belleza again, his expression unreadable. "I want you to pass through the vortex and reestablish contact with him."

Belleza blinked, then stepped slowly forward to the window and stared out at the vortex. Another land? Under none of the Moons? The thought was disquieting... yet also intriguing. "...I see," she finally replied.

Galcian looked back at the vortex. "Once you have reestablished contact, you are to work with him to learn all you can of the new land. He has been there for some time, so he should have some idea already of its ways. You, however, shall bring your experience as a guiding hand. While Ramirez is capable, he lacks your special talents."

A smile crossed Belleza's face. "I understand, Lord Galcian. I shall not fail you." Galcian glanced sidelong at her for a moment, a smirk briefly appearing on his face. It suddenly disappeared as a flash of light drew his attention through the window again.

As Galcian and Belleza watched several shells landed among the Valuan ships guarding the vortex, sending them turning in several directions to discover where they were coming from. Behind them, the same soldier came running up. "Lord Galcian!" he exclaimed. "The fleet is under attack!"

"By whom?" Galcian asked, his voice cold. His tone seemed to add, Whoever it is will pay dearly.

Belleza suddenly pointed. "There!" Galcian looked forward in time to see a small red ship sail up over a Spellship, then back down and arrowed in straight for the vortex, Valuan shells exploding around it. It had a steel grill along the bottom portion of its prow, with several cannons visible, along with black sails with white patterns along its top and sides. They had barely enough time to take in the details before it disappeared through the vortex.

Galcian's eyes narrowed as he watched the vortex, then he looked at Belleza. "Prepare to pass through the vortex. The need to reestablish contact with Admiral Ramirez has just become more urgent." He turned away from her and stalked off across the bridge.

--

Gilder, known as the Unfettered, half smiled as he leaned an arm on the wheel of the Claudia. Behind him, his crew were still recovering from the disorienting effect the... I guess you could call it a vortex, ran through his mind.

"Ha, that was fun," Gilder said as he turned the Claudia sharply and sent it heeling sharply away from the vortex, looking down at the large lake and mountains below. He let out a low whistle. "I knew the Valuans must have been hiding something important, but this is really something."

Gilder had heard about the Valuan presence around a point of light on Sailor's Island when he'd stopped by Polly's place for a bite to eat. More importantly, he'd heard about ships that went into it and didn't come out for quite a while. Adding it all together, Gilder still hadn't been exactly been sure what it all meant, but he was always ready to try something new.

A grin suddenly came to his ruggedly handsome face. "I'd like to see Clara try and follow us here," he said, then peered out through the window.

"Alright boys, let's go see what we've gotten ourselves into here."