Chapter 58: Hovela Town and the S.E.S. Goddess's Tides

…

~~With everyone else busy, I decided to try my luck at a shooting gallery on the Western Platforms. Totaling all of my winnings with how much I paid for three games, I made three rupees. I think I've gotten a little better with this bow the Gelto let me keep, and it seems like it might come in handy later on. It's as if I'm just collecting junk, though. I probably should give Sello his hammer back; up until now, I'd completely forgotten that I had it.

~~Found out earlier that shields are still out of my price range. I realize that one would be pointless once I make it back to the sky, but, if anything, it'd probably look good on the wall of my next assignment.

~~Whatever that might be. I just realized that losing the Island Sonata probably hasn't won me any sort of favor. I don't know that there are any policies or procedures for captains that lose their ships and happen to survive. I remember hearing a story about one captain who was fired from the company because his ship sank while he wasn't on it. His career was ruined because the Skyriders circulated his picture to other companies to let them know that he wasn't to be trusted as a captain. But then, I think they said he'd done it on purpose, for some kind of insurance scam. I don't know that I'll be allowed to keep any ship that I command back to the sky. I don't think I've done anything to get myself fired, but I can't say I'm looking forward to explaining why I left with the Island Sonata and returned with another vessel. The part involving the Princess of Hyrule is definitely going to get attention.

~~It's evening now. Irleen and I haven't had anything to do for almost the whole day. It feels weird. I took a look at a few history books in the Library. Then I took a bath. I just realized that my undersuit's missing. The Gelto must have taken it and replaced it for me; the one I've been wearing for the past two days is grey. They also patched my tunic. I'll have to thank them if I ever visit their camp again.

~~Our goal tomorrow is to at least get underway to the Ocean Realm. Luggard seems to believe that our going there is a foregone conclusion, and I think I can see where he's coming from. It'll feel strange not taking the Seventeen far beyond Hovela, but I admit that I can't wait to set foot on another ship.

…

The following morning, Link, Cale, Irleen, and Lidago picked up a quick breakfast from a produce stand and ate on the way to the platforms. Well, Link and Cale did; Lidago did not eat until a passing craftsman gave him a lump of coal as they passed each other. They had gotten up early enough to watch the sun peak over the eastern mountains as they walked. Cale had opted for a wardrobe change due to missing and ruined clothes from their venture through the Sand Realm. He wore a black waist coat over a blue-and-grey-striped, button-down shirt and a clean pair of brown dress slacks. It made him look the calmest Link had ever seen. Link, meanwhile, had put on all his gear so he was not carrying a heavy pack with him the whole time. Cale had returned the blue charm given by the Yook, which Link had tied around his right bicep.

When they reached the Seventeen, Luggard was examining the scarred boiler with an annoyed frown. Because there was a cylindrical tank jury-rigged to the top of the boiler behind the cooking pot.

"Sello again?" Link asked as they stopped to look at the tank, a battered hulk of slapped-together plates (most of which did not appear to be made of the same metal) with steel dinner plates pinning it to the boiler just a little off-center. Only a single, thin pipe connected it to the boiler.

"Yeah," Luggard groaned. "I go' 'ere 'bou' an 'our b'fore. When I pu' me 'ead in the firebox, I could smell somethin' wrong."

"Could it have been whatevah's in this… structuah?" Cale asked.

"Prob'ly."

Cale nodded. Then, after a brief pause, he asked, "What's in it?"

"I think it's booze, but I can' be sure. It don' smell righ'."

"Pehhaps it's an additive foh the engine?" Cale suggested with a shrug.

"Or he's put a distillery on top of the locomotive," Link said. When Luggard glared at him, he flashed a nervous smile and held up his hands in defense. "Maybe."

"Me boss wants me t' take 'er t' the shop," Luggard said. "I told 'im I would after I take ya t' Hovela. Bu' 'e's pissed, 'n the repairs is comin' ou' o' me own pocke'."

"It's not like Sello does this just to ruin the engine," Link pointed out.

"Couldn't you just… paint it?" Cale asked.

Luggard opened his mouth to argue, but he froze after the first sound. He glanced back at the locomotive and swept across its long body with his eyes. Then he scrunched his face as he thought. "Tha's no' bad, actually," he remarked. "Me boss only 'ates it b'cause it look like 'ell. And it'd save me money."

"Sounds simple enough," Link said. Then he glanced up at his brow. "What do you think, Irleen?"

Irleen let out a yawn. "Huh? Wha?" she answered.

"Did you fall asleep?" Link asked with a chuckle.

"Oh. Yeah, I guess I did. It's probably because you're standing around not doing anything."

Link glanced down the train's length. "So do you have everything we need?"

"No' much t' ge'," Luggard replied, scratching his nose. "I's only takin' ya down t' Hovela."

"Ah you ready to leave, Lidago?" Cale asked.

"Goron," Lidago replied with a definite nod.

"I've noticed you don't seem to have much in that satchel," Cale said, nodding at the strings Lidago held slung over his shoulder. "Is theah anything else you might need?"

"Lidago ready," Lidago answered. "Lidago have crack pipe."

Irleen emerged from Link's hat and hovered nearby. "You know, I get a completely wild image whenever you say 'crack pipe'," she said. "What's it for?"

"Pipe for crack," Lidago replied with a wide, toothy grin.

Luggard gave them a humored look. "Wha' else?" Then he nodded to direct attention before holding up a hand to wave. "Oy, Leynne! Some men 'roun' 'ere would be jealous!"

"Yes," Dholit replied as she, Leynne, and Dubbl approached, "but it's a tragedy that the one I wish to make jealous won't respond."

"You mean Link, right?" Irleen said.

Dholit gave her a grin as she leaned a shoulder against Lidago's arm, prompting a confused look from the Goron. "Well," she said, "at least the thihd woman in the group undehstands."

"Third?" Irleen replied with an indignant tone. "I was here first."

"We go' everyone?" Luggard asked.

"Dlunk?" Dubbl asked as she looked at the train.

"That's right," Leynne said, "Sello was supposed to come along."

"Not," Dubbl replied, pointing at the passenger car. "Dlunk."

All eyes fell on the orange limb hanging over the top of the passenger car. After collective sigh, Luggard scratched his scalp as he asked, "Someone wanna help me ge' 'im down?"

…

The journey to Hovela turned out much more quiet than Link had expected. With sunrise staring at them for most of the time, Leynne, Dubbl, Sello, and Cale had fallen asleep only minutes after Luggard departed Library Town, using the benches in the passenger car as beds. Link and Irleen, by contrast, felt restless. Link caught himself fantasizing about the looks on his fellow Skyriders' faces when he showed up at the home port in a new vessel. He could not wait to tell Captain Alfonzo about his travels across the surface. But as soon as his thoughts shifted to Line's reaction, he realized that he still did not know what had happened to his best friend. Signs pointed to Line being on the Horizon's Eye before it finally sank, but Link was still troubled by the fact that Line and his crew were missing. He was beginning to feel like he was an airman on the Grand Sails again, always trying to find Line because Line never seemed to be up to any good.

Irleen sat on the top of a bench and stared out one window for most of the trip. Her wings stood ready to fly the whole time, indicating that she was not sleeping like the other four in the car (Lidago and Dholit rode in the locomotive with Luggard). If his homesickness was any indication, she was probably thinking about her life back on Forelight Island. He knew she had been a little moody lately, and he wondered if their situation was bothering her more than him. He wanted to say something comforting to her, but he spent so long trying to find a good way to start a conversation with her that they had arrived at Hovela before he could get a word out.

Hovela turned out to be an architectural wonder. On the surface, it looked similar to Diggerton; cobblestone walls with flagstone foundations and exterior corners appeared to be the trend, although Link noticed a few houses had been made of wood or had some kind of wooden construction. These wooden houses looked like older buildings, making Link wonder if they had been built before the woods around Whittleton had begun to suffer from the haze. Although the ground was mostly bare instead of dried, dying grass like he had seen all over the realm, this area was showing signs of green growth. From a train platform accessible only by a walkway over other platforms if one did not want to chance being hit by a train, the group passed through a large station sporting sophistication not unlike some of the company offices Link had seen during his assignment on the Grand Sails. The station looked like most of it had been built using pure white stone shaped as if to emulate some kind of heavenly palace. People seemed to bustle about, many of them carrying some kind of travel bag. Link had only ever seen this kind of gathering at the Skyriders' travel office on Castle Island, but it was a storage shack compared to the lavish Hovela Station. He found himself intrigued by one hallway marked by an overhead sign reading "Station Hotel". What was a "hotel"?

As they stepped back outside, Link could feel a difference in the air. He felt as if he had stepped back into the sky, feeling the initial burst of a Sky Line like he would whenever he stepped onto the deck of an airship. But then he could sense that the air was not the same. He could not figure it out, but when he opened his eyes again, he found himself staring down a long, wide road. The road was mostly dirt, but in places where it was steep, stone steps had been placed on one side. It descended until it became a wharf of flat, stone blocks. Offices and open-air shops lined the road, most of them open and already taking customers. Link thought it was strange that they would be open so early, but then glanced up at the sky to find that it was actually quite late in the morning. He could make out a few voices in the air, the ring of the local accent already familiar enough to be comfortable.

"A'oy, mateys!"

Except that one.

One man was standing to the side of the station's entryway, calling out to them with a hand raised. He wore a blue, button-down shirt with sleeves short enough to reveal a thick set of arms. His slacks were black and neatly pressed. From what Link could tell, he wore leather shoes painted black and polished to an unusual shine. His head had been shaved of all hair, leaving it to shine in the sun. Link at least assumed that it had been shaved because the man looked too young to be affected by baldness. Curiously, Link saw that he sported some kind of patch on his shirt. As he approached, he saw that it was a hammer and a wrench forming an X-shaped cross.

"Good tae see yeh again, Master Leynne," the man said, offering a hand out.

"Thank you foh meeting us," Leynne replied, shaking hands with him. "I… trust my message arrived at an oppohtune moment?"

"Couldn't be be'er," the man replied. "Already spoke tae me cap'n. 'E's waitin' fer us at the wharf." He glanced at the rest of the group. "'Ow many are we takin'?"

"Well, half of us will be staying in Hovela to leahn about vessels," Leynne said as he looked back at the group. "That will be myself, Ligado, Dubbl, Sello… oh, Dholit, I believe you'll have to remain as well?"

"No, I think Dubbl will get on fine without me," Dholit said as she stepped up behind Link. Link could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand and side-stepped away. "Afteh all, I wouldn't want my captain to become lonely."

Irleen, hovering above Link the whole time, flew a few circles. "You're creepy."

"Yer… cap'n?" the man asked.

"Yes, of couhse," Leynne groaned. He put a hand on Link's shoulder. "Link, this is Seaman Gold, a machinist aboahd the S.E.S. Goddess's Tides. Gold, this is Lieutenant Link, fohmeh masteh of the airship Island Sonata."

"Yeh'r kiddin'," Gold accused. "'Ow old is 'e?"

"Fourteen," Link answered, annoyed at the tone the seaman had taken. "And I know I might not look like much, but I was a captain."

"No, 'course not, cap'n," Gold said, raising a defensive hand. "Master Leynne already told me 'bout yer sit'ation. I was just expectin' someone a li'l… older."

"Well," Link said, crossing his arms, "if it helps, I was an airman ever since I was seven. I spent seven years training to take on almost every job on an airship."

Gold's eyebrows rose. "Seven years? Cap'n, yeh've got a year on me. If I may." He stood at attention and saluted.

Link was a little surprised by the salute. First, Gold used his right hand. And whereas airmen touched their hand to their forehead directly above their eye, Gold's hand touched the side of his head with the tip of his middle finger against his temple. The orientation was wrong as well. Airmen often appeared to shade their eye with their palm facing the ground; Gold's hand was oriented so that his palm faced the air behind him. Despite the weirdness, Link decided to humor him and dismissed the salute with his own.

"As you were," Link told him. Gold responded by relaxing his stance again. "You've been at sea for six years?"

"Aye," Gold replied with a nod.

"What can you tell me about your ship?"

"Pehhaps we should attend to the discussion as we walk to the whahf," Leynne suggested, indicating the direction with a hand.

Gold led them down the road as he spoke. Link, Leynne, and Irleen were the only ones really listening; Dubbl and Cale appeared more interested in only following the back of the pack while the rest glanced around at the town. "The Goddess's Tides is a steamer that's been in service fer a decade. Prob'ly ain't the youngest maid out there, but she still turns an 'ead."

"A steameh?" Leynne asked.

"She runs on a steam engine, but she's got sails in case o' engine failure."

"Just like an airship," Link said. "When the wind doesn't afford it, we switch to a steam engine to propel vessels upwind."

"But you can't rely on that soht of system foh too long," Leynne said. "What do you use foh fuel?"

"Coal," Link answered. "But we don't really use a lot of it; most airships can go as much as a year and a half without having to refuel. It's actually a little scarce, but we make do with the mines we have. Sometimes, we even find whole islands made of coal."

"Me cap'n's been gettin' the same feel lately," Gold said. "We 'eard 'bout the train comp'nies stoppin' cargo from the Fire Realm. Our regular suppliers keep denyin' us fuel. And part o' our job's tae get supplies out tae the islands in the Ocean Realm we can still reach."

"You mean there are islands you can't reach?" Irleen asked.

"A numbeh of the Spirit Tracks in that area span the wateh across the realm," Leynne explained. "With the wateh on the rise, it's made it hahdeh to navigate past them."

Gold gave them a side-nod and a pained look as he sucked in a breath through his teeth. "That ain't quite the reason. Look, yeh'll prob'ly understand t'morrow. I need tae know where yeh'r goin'."

"Cale," Leynne called. Cale nearly collided with Sello as he jogged past the group. "I believe you have ouh destination."

"Well… not quite…" Cale replied. "All-all we know is it's somewheah neah Kakucha Island; anotheh island pehhaps in the southwest."

"Per'aps?" Gold asked. "Yeh don't know?"

"It's a ratheh vague description, I know," Cale said, "but if we had access to a chaht oh something, we could probably nahrow it down."

"Ain't many islands tae choose from," Gold warned.

Link shrugged. "Only makes the search easier."

"Most o' 'em are unin'abited."

Link glanced away for a moment. Then he said, "Which means that some could be, right?"

"Aye, I s'pose," Gold said with a nod. "But the one 'o says we go is the cap'n. 'E's waitin' fer us on the ship."

When they reached the wharf, Link was surprised to see how large it really was. Most of the area immediately around the main road was made of large slabs of grey stone. Shops and warehouses sat closest to the main road. Further down the shore, anchored to the cliff, several docks stretched almost to the horizon, each one of them the familiar wood construction Link could recognize anywhere. Seamen in similar outfits to Gold wandered up and down the docks, some of them hauling crates between the warehouses. Link found himself looking at vessels in as many shapes as he could see at any port in the sky. Brigs, barquentines, sloops, cutters, at least one galleon… he even saw a three-masted schooner which reminded him of the Island Sonata down to the mismatch of old and new hull planks. He also saw a few ships without sails. One was a small, fat-hulled vessel with what looked like a shack built on the weather deck. The other one appeared to be the size of a brig and low to the water compared to the vessels nearby. Instead of sails, Link saw that its motion was achieved by a pair of wheels paddling the water on either side, demonstrated as the ship traveled west.

Gold took the group to a ship of the same configuration as the one passing the wharf. The hull was painted white, although it looked to have taken a beating at one point due to a number of scuff marks across the hull. These were being painted over by a pair of seamen suspended on scaffolds over the sides. Its most prominent feature was a large pipe protruding from just abaft the ship's superstructure, which sat amidships. The aft side of the hull bore the name S.E.S. Goddess's Tides, a practice Link had never seen before since all airships identified themselves by their unique pennants. Leynne told the group to wait while he, Link, Cale, and Irleen followed Gold onto the deck. Here, Link caught sight of seamen on their knees, scrubbing the wooden deck with soapy water. Two more appeared to be checking one of a dozen guns which sat secured to the deck.

"Those guns see much action?" Link asked, his head turned to look out at the deck while he followed Gold toward the rear of the bridge.

"On occasion, Cap'n," Gold answered. "Pirates an' all."

"Understandable," Link replied as he followed Gold up a small flight of stairs on the side of the ship's main superstructure.

Gold stopped at the top and knocked on the closed door. Then, instead of waiting for a response, he pulled the door aside and stepped in. When Link stepped in, he saw a room twice the size of his cabin on the Island Sonata. The whole wall facing the front of the vessel as well as a single panel on either side were glass panes fitted into a metal frame. A wheel sat right between the side windows, polished brass tubing with leather grips between every other spoke. There was a table near the back corner of the room, removed from the door. It looked like the kind of table used for plotting courses, its function confirmed by the number of measuring tools stored in the glass panels between the legs.

Two men stood on the opposite side of this table from the door. One was a seaman who, for no reason Link could gather, was missing hair from the left side of his head and face. The other was a tall man with slight tan. He wore a blue uniform jacket adorned by large, gold buttons and epaulettes. He also wore a blue bicorne, sitting on his head with one flat surface turned toward anyone he faced. Link noted to himself that, although nice, a bicorne worn by any airship captain would indicate that the captain had lost his mind. His thick, black beard reminded Link of Captain Alfonzo, although this man appeared shorter and a little leaner.

"Cap'n," Gold said, saluting. The man he addressed, the one in the blue coat, responded with the same salute. Gold indicated Leynne. "This is Master Leynne."

"Wha', Leynne?" the captain replied in a graveled voice. "Ah, yeah. Welcome abaard. Ye be the one wha' gave us tha' 'duoscope' thingy, do ya be?"

"Yes," Leynne replied as the captain rounded the table. "Captain…?"

"Albel," the captain replied as he grasped Leynne's hand. "Cap'n Albel. Been 'avin' some fun with tha' device o' yours."

"I'm glad you can find use foh it, Captain."

"Aye, meself as well. I take it yer 'ere t' ge' tha' 'tour' Gold said ye be lookin' fer."

"Actually, I have a favoh I would like to ask. And, if necessary, I can pay."

"Well, I 'magine we can do somethin' 'bou' tha'."

Leynne indicated Link. "This is Lieutenant Link, fohmeh captain of the Island Sonata. He needs passage to the Ocean Realm."

"A cap'n? 'Im?"

Link stood at attention and folded his arms behind his back. "Seven years as an airman, two days in command."

Captain Albel gave him a strange look. "As a… airman?"

"The Island Sonata was a three-masted schooner. And an airship."

Captain Albel's eyes went wide before he started laughing. "Hahahahahaha! Those boys in the air mus' be crazy!"

"I've been an airman since I was seven, Captain."

Albel's laughter died to a quick chuckle before he spoke again. "No offense, Skipper. I wish I 'ad me own command tha' young."

Link relaxed. "I wish I still had it."

Albel raised an eyebrow at Leynne. "The Island Sonata was shot out of the sky oveh a month ago. Myself and a few colleagues ah attempting to put togetheh anotheh ship foh him."

Albel nodded. "Hence why ye need t' see a ship," he reasoned.

"Hence why Link needs to go to the Ocean Realm," Leynne said. "We believe that moh associates of the original shipbuildehs may still live in the realm."

Albel cocked his head to one side. "Travelin' the Ocean Realm, well, tha' be a prob'm lately, matey," he said. "An' we go' a cargo t' ge' t' Kakucha Island."

"Well, fortunately, our destination isn't too far from there," Link explained. "We believe there's an island to the southwest of Kakucha Island."

"Aye, dozens," Albel replied with a nod. "Bu' we don't go' time t' drop off cargo an' passengers."

"Cap'n Albel," Gold said, stepping forward. "We don't got the time tae drop 'em off at another island, but the people on Kakucha 'ave their own boats."

"An' 'ow many be comin' 'long, Mister Link?"

Link tried not to react to the condescending tone Captain Albel's voice took. "Me, Cale here, a Gelto associate, and a fairy."

"I will be remaining behind foh that touh," Leynne added.

Albel nodded. "One 'undred rupees, an' we 'ave no prob'm."

"Oh, well…" Leynne trailed off as he reached for his pocket.

But Link was faster, drawing his pink wallet from his trouser pocket and pulling out rupees before Leynne could tell what he was doing. Leynne stopped and watched Link deposit five red rupees in Captain Albel's hand.

The captain nodded as he held one rupee up to the light. "Ge' yer stuff. Gold'll show ya t' yer cabins."