Gwyn looked at the writer with a sense of confusion. What was going on? How many had followed them? And if she was there, why didn’t she help with her magic? The Nonpareil had many questions, but first, he checked on the elf girl for injuries. Of all of them, Mina looked the best off. Not even a scratch.

  Fiona was still swaying a little from the blow she had taken, but otherwise seemed okay. She snuck up behind Gwyn as he checked Mina and leaned on him for support.

  “Sorry,” the blue girl said. “Haliegh and I thought it would be fun to follow.” Her tone suggested that zero apology was intended. In fact, it seemed almost accusatory. The fact that he wandered off with a strange girl wasn’t lost on the earthling, but he didn’t expect the other two to make such a big deal about it. Nevertheless, he was glad they came, had either not intervened when they did, his fear of dying on some alien world might become a reality.

  “Th… Thanks for your help, either way,” Gwyn said. “Even if you didn’t bring your Needaimus,” he added, noting Haliegh’s bare arms and legs. She shook her head.

  “I don’t have one. All the ones back home are only good for punching and kicking.”

  “What else would you use them for?” Fiona asked.

  Kako, having stood in near silence, coughed to direct attention her way. When all looked at her, she smiled.

  “Well, I thank you all for protecting my dumb girl,” she patted Mina’s head. Weakly, the elf stood up and leaned on Gwyn’s other side. He leaned them straight and broke free from the grips so he could partially and awkwardly cross his arms.

  “Do you know something?” he asked.

  “Nothing more than what Mina has told me. Some sort of treasure hunters after a Neediamus stash, could be a fun adventure for sure!”

  Gwyn was sure Mina hadn’t said anything to Kako since the author’s arrival, and he wondered if she could see through the eyes of the elf like familiar magic. If he ever got a chance, he would have to ask, but there was a more pressing concern to stamp out.

  “Could be, but nothing we ought to worry about. We shouldn’t have gotten into that fight even.”

  “A Needaimus Stash?” Fiona gasped. Haliegh looked just as intrigued. Gwyn shut his eyes and groaned.

  “A big deal then?”

  “It’s been centuries since a stash was found. They thought the Needaimus Rush period was long over!” Haliegh said in shock. “Finding one would make an individual very wealthy, and be a huge asset to any nation….” She looked at the blue princess, who seemed to be lost in thought. “I ought to go tell my brother about this….”

  Before the green-haired girl could walk off, Kako held out an arm in her path. She flashed a confused look at the shorter writer, but halted and took a half step back.

  “If you run back to grab him, dear, the ones who took off will get their first,” Kako said.

  Gwyn looked back and forth between the two before looking at Mem, who was still bonded to his arm. It had said nothing in the whole time, but more than that, now that the fighting was over, seemed to feel cold.

  Gwyn whispered, “Hey.” When there was no reply, he smacked his metallic hand against his thigh and hissed again. “Hey! Do you think this needaimus business is real?”

  I’m not supposed to say, Mem finally answered within Gwyn’s head, but I feel them out in the ocean.

  That gave the Nonpareil more questions than answers. He gritted his teeth, wishing he had his pill case still, and scratched at his left arm. Fiona, who seemed deep in thought, finally lit up.

  “I should find those Needaimus for Quenth!” Gwyn was unsure of what other things she pondered, and how much influence her Needaimus, Sun, may have made with suggestions only she could hear. He was sure she was deciding on something that would get them all in trouble and was fully intent on letting the blue princess go alone at this rate.

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  Kako grinned. “Well, dears, I happen to have visited this resort in the perfect transportation for you to give chase.”

  The dark water glowed purple out at sea, and all eyes seemed to turn that way. Gwyn heard Haliegh walk up to Fiona.

  “If we find a stash, we split them 50-50 between Quenth and Roanoke.”

  “60-30! Gwyn is here too!”

  “Nonpareils don’t represent Quenth. And weren’t you taught math properly?”

  “Of course, Gwyn’s going to support Quenth, right Gwyn?” Before the Nonpareil could say no, whatever Kako was building burst from the water. A spray of surprisingly unsalty water got in Gwyn’s mouth. As he spat, the vessel settled on top of the water—a massive yellow submarine. It was at least as large a passenger bus, with an almost cartoony-looking design that exaggerated fins like a fish.

  “Oh!” Fiona said with glee. She vanished in a blue flash and appeared on top of the ship. “This is what you would call cool, right, Gwyn?” came from the distance.

  “Really,” Gwyn muttered. He looked at Kako, “Why a yellow submarine?”

  She snorted and wrapped her arms around her stomach as she chuckled.

  “You see, in the town where I was born, lived a man who sailed to sea,” the writer stopped on her last word due to laughing overtaking her speech. Once she settled down, she grinned at Gwyn and said, “It just seemed fitting, don’t you agree?”

  “You’ve been to Earth, haven’t you?”

  A flash of light from the corner of his eye, and a yelp from Haliegh in the distance, confirmed Fiona had teleported her. He shuddered.

  “A good question, for another time,” Kako winked, she raised her voice so Fiona would hear, “for now take Mina with you, she knows how to drive the sub.”

  “My ability can’t move her!” Fiona yelped back.

  “Mina, be a dear and swim over there.”

  The elf girl’s ears drooped, and she replied, “Yes, Mistress Kako.”

  “Now you better be hurrying to your lady friends,” Kako grinned at Gwyn. “I am personally jealous, spending a nice underwater cruise with two beautiful girls and Mina.”

  “I’m not going. This smells of an adventure that will go wrong. I’ve had enough of that.”

  Kako pressed a finger to her chin and tilted her head enough that one twintail smacked against her neck.

  “You think it will go bad, and you want to leave them to handle it alone? I thought better of you, personally.” Gwyn said nothing, but clenched his good hand into a fist. “You need not worry about anything; you will survive healthy and unharmed. If anything gets rough, you will have Mina too. She’s useless and stupid, but has her moments.” Gwyn didn’t reply, but Kako tilted to look past him where the sub was. “Plus, I don’t think your lady friends are going to give you a chance. I personally love how excited they are to rush into this!”

  “What?”

  The next second, Gwyn landed face-first on top of the sub. His head spun, and his stomach needed a minute to settle into its proper place. “Fiona!” he shouted.

  “Sorry, but how else were you going to get over here?”

  Mina clambered on top and wrung the bottom of her umbrella dress out.

  “Maybe he could have walked across the water?” the elf offered. Kako’s assertion of how she was stupid echoed in Gwyn’s head. He wished he could have interrogated the author for more useful commentary. Such a task was no longer possible, as Kako waved from the distance and walked back to where the others would have been waiting. Gwyn had half a mind to jump in the water and swim to shore, but the writer was correct in her accusation that if he thought it was dangerous, he shouldn’t let them go alone.

  That and the fact that with one bad arm, he was no longer sure he could swim. He didn’t complain as they closed themselves into the sub and sank into the sea.

  Sinatra sighed heavily after hitting his head on a branch. He turned around to view his compatriots while rubbing his blue forehead.

  “And you are certain Princess Fiona came this way?”

  “Well, maybe not directly this way, but she followed Gwyn when he went with that beauty,” Simeon tapped the tips of green index fingers against each other while avoiding eye contact. Sinatra knew he should not have left the other two in charge of watching events, but he was sure he got a nice picture and wanted to print it as soon as possible. Yet, stacks of a great shot of Fiona weren’t as good as the real girl herself. What would they do if something else amazing happened? He shuddered to think of the possibility of their fan club missing out on a whole adventure!

  “Wait a minute?” Siegfried chimed in, “What do you mean ‘that beauty’? Our princess should be your one and only!”

  Simeon’s face flushed.

  “Simeon!” Sinatra shouted, “Have you forsaken our ancient fan club for a mere passing fad?”

  “Of… Of course not! You just have to admit though….”

  “We have to admit nothing! We must execute Fiona Fan Club Protocol S, Order 66, Subclass B,” the leader said. He felt emotion drain from him as his tone took on a somber cadence.

  “Not subclass B!”

  “I’m afraid so. You must atone for your actions against the fan club…”

  “No.”

  “…By acknowledging your folly in supporting some stranger over our Princess…”

  “Please, anything but that, I promise it was only a misspeak!”

  …and writing an essay on why the stranger is superior to our princess, which will be shared among the rest of the brothers and sister of the Fiona Fan Club. After which you will be left up to their whims. May Crenussal have mercy on you.”

  Simeon fell to his knees and clutched at the dirt. He sniffled, but didn’t break into tears.

  Siegfried chimed in, “I have already messaged the main group about Simeon’s slip-up.”

  “Oh, any replies about the expected punishment?”

  “Just one reply from Colton. It says, ‘Where in the five lands are you three?’”

  The trio suddenly grew quiet. After a moment of pause, Sinatra spoke back up.

  “Simeon, you are hereby exempt until further notice. We need to discuss our reply to our boss. May Crenussal be merciful on us all.”