Astral Odyssey by Virgil Knightley & Jay Aury

Author:Virgil Knightley & Jay Aury [Knightley, Virgil & Aury, Jay]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Royal Guard Publishing LLC
Published: 2024-04-05T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

The Windlass cruised onward through the void, Dorian guiding their ship through the chaotic traffic of barges and ships that headed in and out of Sphere. As they neared the direction they needed, Dorian slowed their vessel, noticing a build up of crafts ahead, all turning carefully, crowding the space above and below a wall of what appeared to be blinking lights flowing across space.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

Fable whipped out her spyglass and peered through it. She smiled smugly, ears flicking at confirmation of her theory. “Yep. Just as I thought. Swarm of space jellies,” she said, lowering the glass.

“Dangerous?” Dorian asked, tensing.

“Can be,” Fable admitted. “Their sting can paralyze you for a few hours. But they usually keep to themselves.”

“Exactly,” Melia said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. She shrugged. “Fuck it. We’ll go through them. Just keep it slow.”

“Should work,” Fable agreed, closing her glass and tucking it back into her belt. “As long as they’re not startled, jellies keep to themselves. Onward, cutie!”

“Alright,” he said, wary but trusting their judgment. The oars beside The Windlass swept at space, ferrying their craft into the immensity of the swarm. Dorian kept it slow as they glided into the jellies.

It was a surreal experience for sure. Glowing, blinking lights filled the small, jellied creatures, their transparent caps wobbling as their tentacles wiggled and pushed them through the air. As Melia had hoped, the ship’s slow passage didn’t bother the jellies, who merely swam around it as their blinking lights washed over the deck and quartet in eerily beautiful waves.

“Wow,” Dorian murmured in amazement, struck by the strange beauty of the scene.

“Not bad, huh?” Emberly noted with a lazy grin his way. “And a great opportunity!”

“She’s right,” Melia chimed back in, brightening visibly before vaulting over the rail.

“She is?” Dorian watched as Melia vanished below decks. The elf emerged moments later, hauling several large nets. “Uh…” Dorian said.

“Jellies may not be great for flavor, but they’re wonderful for hydration and even sustenance in a pinch. Plus, they take forever to go bad,” Fable explained.

“Sure do,” Melia said, looking more delighted than ever before, her hair a dancing mane of purple flames. “And a perfect chance to make things a bit...interesting.”

“Oh?” Emberly giggled, turning fully towards the elf. “Got a little contest in mind, elf?”

“Just an idea.” Melia dumped the nets amidship. “Whoever catches the most jellies in two minutes, wins!”

“Wins what?” Dorian asked, his brows raising.

“Good question. Let’s wait until the end to think of something,” Fable said with an impish smile.

Dorian gave the faun a hard look, which she shrugged off with a flirty lip bite. He gave up and shrugged. “Fine by me,” he said.

“It was my idea, so I’m game,” Melia said.

“Yahoo! Let’s do it!” the faun cried.

Emberly cackled. “Why not?! Let’s play!”

“I’ll go first, then Fable, Emberly, and finally, Dorian,” Melia said, and though Dorian could see she was trying to hide her excitement, he was hardly fooled as her hair soared through the entire rainbow in a matter of seconds.

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