novelraw Chapter 311 - 255 - Assembly of the Crew
Chapter 311 - 255 - Assembly of the Crew
None of quartet knew what to expect when they woke the next morning. This naivety didn't last long; their perspective was colored by what happened when they reached their first meal of the day.
Pure chaos. "Breakfast rush" couldn't hope to describe the mayhem that was the cafeteria so early in the morning.
"I feel sorry for the workers," Pacifica commented, as she picked at the breakfast buffet. All around them the chatter of excited festival goers blended together into an indiscernible cacophony.
Several uniformed Resonators rushed back and forth between the kitchen and the buffet, wheeling out fresh trays of food where the old ones emptied. The timers that sat next to each one went unused, as the food was consumed faster than it could go stale.
Once the quartet had their plates, a new problem presented itself.
"There's--uh, no tables," Rebecca noted, looking to-and-fro for any available seats. Every chair in the room had a rear in it. It was to the point where people stood by the walls and hastily shoveled their food in their mouths.
"Fuck this, come on girls, we're eating in our room." Shouri jerked his head toward the exit. He was going to enjoy his coffee in peace, and that was final.
As they made their great escape, they passed Vince, his duo, and Miro.
"Good fucking luck," was all the advice the guildmaster had for his fellow guild members.
Within the peace and safety of their room, breakfast was a much more serene affair.
As usual, Shouri sat on the edge of the bed while he used one of their tuners. His plate sat on his lap, which acted a small table where his coffee cup lived while he ate around it. "Oh, they have an app for the festival," Shouri noted, as he sipped his coffee.
"They do?" Pacifica scooted closer to her Maestro to peer over his shoulder.
Sure enough, he had downloaded the app in question. It appeared to be made by a company that specialized in these kind of "local experience" styled apps. The art decorating the screen was cute by Pacifica's own admission, and the app itself looked handy.
It not only detailed the events going on each day, but had a map, rules, and even lore about the festival itself.
In a surprise twist, it had a daily log-in bonus, similar to her gacha games.
Needless to say, the otter grabbed her tuner from her Maestro's side and began playing with it herself.
"Have fun with that," Shouri decided. He knew as soon as he saw it, that his precious otter would be enthralled by its design.
"Oooh, today's the 'Assembly of the Crew'," Pacifica read from her tuner.
"The heck does that mean?" Rebecca questioned.
"Dunno, apparently we have to wander around the festival to unlock bits of the story," Pacifica replied.
"There's a story?" Taika perked up.
Pacifica nodded, as she studied the screen before her. "So, apparently we have to form a 'crew' for the full experience. I can just register the four of us?"
With a flash of a thumbs up of Shouri, Pacifica did the deed and they were officially registered as the "PTRS Pirates". It was with this act that a little more of the app opened up to the eager otter.
She stood and turned to her fellow 'crew-mates'. "It says here we need to go downtown to the info center as our first destination," declared the water element.
Shouri, holding his coffee cup to his lips, motioned with his free hand to his remaining breakfast. Taika and Rebecca were also still eating. Pacifica cast a forlorn gaze towards her own half-finished meal.
"Fine," she pouted. "Don't blame me when the lines suck," and sat down to finish her food with the rest of the crew.
"Toldjya," said Pacifica, as they stood in line to enter the visitor center.
Downtown Jenteri was packed, to say the least. The info center had a lovely sign in fancy cursive that labeled it as "Visit Jenteri". It was on a street corner as part of a larger building, surrounded by many other such establishments. The streets were paved by asphalt, except for the intersections, which maintained the old brick from the city's younger days.
Taika sniffed the air. She poked her head down the line to see a different queue of people outside a restaurant that was next door to the visitor center.
"Smell something good?" Shouri asked.
"Grilling," Taika replied, her mouth watering as she spoke. "EEP!" the fox suddenly yelped.
Rebecca grabbed Taika's sides and pinched them. "Seriously girl, where the hell do you put it?" wondered the fire element.
"R-rebby, fermo! That tickles!" Taika laughed as the two foxes caused a scene in the crowd.
Shouri and Pacifica ignored them, focused on the tuners they held.
Thankfully for the peace, the line moved quickly and they were allowed in. As soon as they crossed the threshold of the building's interior, Pacifica's tuner beeped and they got credit for visiting the info center.
Not wanting to have spent time in line just to walk in and get out, they scooped up a collection of pamphlets detailing tourist attractions around the area. Besides the ones promoting the festival, there was a lot to see and do in the ocean-side city.
Nobody thought to bring a bag, so ultimately the horde of tourism guides found a home in Shouri's jacket pockets.
Escaping the clutches of the tourism board was easier than the trial it took to get in, leaving the quartet out and about on the town.
Given the time of year it was, even the sunny southern coast of Lybertera was still a bit chilly. Comfortable for Shouri, Taika, and Rebecca, but annoying for the warm weather otter of their group.
Her burning desire to explore kept her heart warm, even if her body was not.
"Let's check out this story!" Pacifica declared.
"Let's go find somewhere not in the middle of the sidewalk," Shouri corrected.
The otter pouted and capitulated with her Maestro's suggestion.
They walked north two blocks and found their way to a local park. It was a small park, only comprised of a single city block, but it was more open than the crowded streets.
Sitting under the cover of a tree, the four gathered in a circle while Pacifica recounted the tale on her tuner.
"Our story begins with Captain Rufus, the most stubborn pirate to sail the seas. He had one golden rule: freedom above all else. He is recognized today as the Paglia Pirates' Maestro, but he never referred to himself as such and constantly deferred to his crew for decisions. He held no pride for his charge, he was simply the one to unify the crew, the central gear which they all spun, nothing more, nothing less."
"Sounds like someone we know," Rebecca said with a coy smirk, elbowing Shouri at her side. Taika giggled and mimicked her fellow fox's gesture.
"So, where to next?" asked Shouri.
"Down to the naval museum, it's a twenty minute walk from here," said Pacifica, cross-referencing the map with their correct location. "Yeah, let's go."
The walk to the pier was peaceful, to say the least. In the concrete jungle that was Jenteri, greenery was strategically placed in the form of palm trees. It felt like every twenty steps they passed one. The streets were closed off from vehicle traffic, so pedestrians could slip across to the sidewalk across the road with ease. Various booths and stalls had been erected in the newly freed space, but Pacifica was an otter on a mission. They were going to complete today's story quest, and she wouldn't hear any dissenting opinions.
Her beloveds followed her without question as they walked south, down main street.
"I never noticed how many one way streets there are," Taika commented as they passed under a traffic light bearing one of the aforementioned signs.
"Some city designer decided long ago that big cities like this function better from a traffic angle with interwoven one-way streets like these," Shouri explained.
"Is it really more efficient this way?" Rebecca wondered.
Shouri shrugged. "Who knows? I didn't go to city planning school."
They came to a large bridge which spanned the bay ahead, but Pacifica turned them sharply left and they followed another street, due east.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Traffic was allowed to play around this part of town, so they had to obey the traffic laws and stick to the sidewalks with everyone else. Across the street was the bay as well as another space set aside as a park. Many vendors set up shop in the expansive green space, with the smell of fried foods wafting in with the ocean breeze. The buildings shrank as they left the corporate center of the city and passed by many restaurants in more humble buildings.
"Oh, look, there's pawprints in the road," Rebecca pointed out.
Sure enough, alongside the normal road markers indicating lanes, there were yellow pawprints painted on the asphalt.
"What's it for?" Taika wondered.
"Some sports team, I think," Shouri mumbled, trying to find the answer on his tuner. "Apparently, some Lyberteran senators want to remove them because they're 'non-standard' or some garbage."
Fun fact successfully digested, they walked along for another minute or two before they arrived at their destination; or at least across the street from their destination.
In the bay was a giant wooden ship, much older than any of the four who beheld its majesty; more than likely it was older than all of them combined. It was no pirate ship like those patrolling the harbor--this was an old Quirettehrian battle ship, employed by the army.
City planning knew this would happen, and employed a couple of horses in bright yellow vests that stood on either side. The two Resonators acted as crossing guards to stop the flow of traffic so the many pedestrians trying to get to the ship could pass--their presence was appreciated, as there was no formal crosswalk down the street.
The quartet crossed with the rest of the gathered festival goers after the horse men stopped traffic. It was a small walk down to the pier itself where the battleship was docked. Sea water gently sloshed against the docks while Pacifica studied the tuner for the next bit of the story.
"Ken was a lunar weasel who was captured by the Quirettehrian Navy for supposed crimes against the state. In reality, it was later discovered he merely angered a local general, who sought to make an example of the man. Despite his ability to fight back with his martial arts, he submitted himself to be executed due to threats against the locals being levied against him. Captain Rufus happened to see the whole thing and convinced enough of those under the general to mutiny and expose his corruption, freeing Ken in the process. Afterwards, Rufus asked if Ken wanted to join his pirate crew, which at the time consisted of only himself."
"Wow, the lunar thing really is deep rooted, huh?" Rebecca spoke quietly.
"Unfortunately," Shouri grumbled.
"Rufus sounds like a nice guy though," Taika noted, more hopefully. "What did Ken do?" asked the lunar fox.
"Says here he was Rufus' first mate, kind of like his first Resonator sort of deal," as Pacifica said that, she looked between Taika and Shouri, who stood side-by-side.
"Hey maybe they'll write kick ass stories about us in the future," Rebecca grinned.
"Someone make sure to capture as much of Pacifica's bitching about the cold as possible," Shouri chuckled.
"Hey!"
And then they caused a disturbance as Pacifica chased Shouri around, to try to pull him into a headlock.
The final stop for the day was an event hall known as 'The Buried Treasure'. It was a twenty minute walk from the pier, but an easy one. They simply had to go back up the street they had just come down and they'd arrive.
It was… interesting, to say the least. First, they thought they had found it by the big building covered in vivid paints in many colors, with artistic renderings of some famous actors or something on the side. Surely, such a extravagant structure was their destination?
No, that was the parking garage.
So, they kept looking. Every time they wandered around the block they couldn't find any building that looked like an event hall. Just this drab looking eyesore of a building with aging yellow bricks next to "Tony's Tacoria" (which confusingly only sold pizza).
"Oh my god." Shouri stopped his gaggle of girls. "That's the event hall." He pointed at the drab, sad yellow building.
Pacifica compared her tuner map to the building in front of them. "Huh."
The quartet crossed the street and entered the building. It appeared many others were just as stumped as there were far fewer tourists at this location than the others.
"Oh, I get it!" Pacifica cried out. She shrank when she earned a dozen eyes on her for her outburst.
"What is it?" asked Rebecca, quieter.
"It's the 'Buried Treasure' because it blends in so well. I bet if we can find it in this office building, we'll get the last part of the story," Pacifica deduced.
Shouri nodded in agreement. "Sounds about right. Let's get to looking."
They weren't the only ones looking around. Several other Maestros and their own bands of Resonators were on the hunt. Some came from upstairs looking confused, while a few carried themselves proudly.
Making their way down the main hall, they found a pair of elevators awaiting them. Pacifica pressed the call button and they waited.
The left elevator opened and the four boarded.
"Which floor should we try?" Taika wondered.
Without a word, Pacifica hit the third floor button.
"Why?" asked Rebecca.
"This is the third part of the story, so I just figured they'd so something like this."
The elevator rose to the selected floor, and hung for a moment before the doors opened slower than normal. As soon as they did, the tuner beeped with a notification chime. That's not what drew their attention, however. Above them hung priceless crystal chandeliers, glowing in the three colors of rhythm. Paintings of ships and the sea hung proudly on the walls by well-known artists. In the center, was a buffet table with all kinds of hors d'oeuvres available for the guests.
A lion in a pirate costume greeted them. "May I see your app?" he asked in a formal tone, completely dissonant from his attire.
Pacifica nodded slowly and flashed the tuner, while still taking in the ambiance.
"Excellent. Please enjoy." The lion stepped away and waited for the next guests to arrive.
The quartet walked in proper to appreciate the art, and eventually gathered at the large table bearing the appetizers. While they made small plates for themselves, Pacifica did the honors of reading the last part of the day's story.
"Maia, the crew's navigator, was a lightning cat famous for her thievery. At the time, she was painted as a petty criminal by the nobility, but in reality she cared deeply for those less fortunate that could not fend for themselves. As such, most of her ill-gotten goods were given to the poor and downtrodden. She exclusively attacked the rich or well-off, especially corrupt officials, which only helped drive their pursuit of her. She came across Rufus and Ken, and initially planned on making off with their pirate treasure, but ultimately found herself a new home with the Paglia Pirates."
"Oh! I've heard of her!" Taika realized.
"You have?" quizzed Pacifica.
"Yeah, there's a lot of books about her adventures. I didn't know she eventually joined a pirate crew," said Taika.
"That's interesting. People lead crazy lives, huh?" Shouri pondered aloud.
"Yeah, look at us," Rebecca pointed out.
"Yeah…" The other three sighed.
Pacifica smiled at her tuner, noting the big "You did it!" displayed on screen alongside a notice for her to come back tomorrow for the next part of the tale.
"I guess we can go wander around," she shrugged.
"Hopefully Vince hasn't managed to get himself into too much trouble," Rebecca commented.
"It's not Vince I'm worried about," Shouri grumbled. "Not so long as he has troublemakers A and B with him."
"Mila and Zephyr?" Rebecca raised a brow.
"Zephyr mostly, but those two have been pretty tight ever since they became a trio, and I know Miro isn't gonna reel them in," Shouri replied.
Pacifica placed a hand on Shouri's shoulder. "Relax whats the--?!" Her mouth was clamped shut by the Maestro.
"Sah-ji," he mouthed, as if speaking the sage's name would summon him. The otter nodded quickly, but quietly wondered how much trouble they could really get into.