The waves crashed loudly against the shore. Charles's eyes opened wide. The fresh shores of Copenhagen (the capital of Denmark) could already be seen nearby. Yesterday evening, after escaping from the prison, the friends had finally found Pampelpap's ship "Storm Eye," and now they were sailing with it.
"We are here, wake up!" Charles called to the sleeping crew. "Yes... indeed!" Herold, yawning, agreed. Soon the others woke up as well. The captain began steering towards the inviting shoreline.
The impressive ship gracefully docked at even more impressive docks. Pampelpap threw down rope-like stairs, and the quartet descended onto the wet docks. The streets were surprisingly quiet. It seemed to be Sunday. In the distance, church bells could be heard.
"Well then... maybe we should listen to the message of this object?" Murs suggested. "Good idea, I had honestly forgotten about it," Charles admitted. Murs carefully pulled out the object from his pocket, and even more carefully unlocked it. As before, a greenish light shot out of the object, revealing a figure in the center. "As I understand it, you have arrived in Copenhagen... The next path will take you to Norway. There you will have to reach the fishing village called 'Havn Nord,' which translates to 'North Harbor'... There is no ship that will take you there, as the sea route is too dangerous. So, you will have to walk, and only two of you can go on this journey. Murs! Pampelpap! You must return to Kraken Shores." He paused to allow everyone to discuss, then continued, "Herold and Charles! You must reach North Harbor within 5 days, do you think you can do it?" The conversation ended suddenly, but then resumed a moment later. "Oh, and just call these objects fones.' " Then the fone conversation stopped. The conversation was over.
"Well, Murs, we should head back home," the captain suggested. "I guess so," Murs reluctantly agreed. "Friends, we will miss you." "Yes, you gave us an adventure we will never forget, thank you for everything," the captain added. "Well then, goodbye!" Charles and Herold exclaimed together.
As Charles and Herold said their goodbyes, they waved to their new friends who were slowly returning to the ship, and they waved back as well. Their thoughts were already wandering to the adventure that lay ahead.
"How will we get to North Harbor?" Herold pondered. "We need to prepare food, and what will we drink, and perhaps a tent to bring along," Charles suggested. After saying goodbye to their friends, the two inventors began to venture further into the city of Copenhagen. They walked along the quiet and rocky streets of Copenhagen, searching for a place to restock their supplies.
They didn't have to search for long, as they soon found a small market on the outskirts of the city. There was an English sign that said everything was free! There they found everything they needed - a tent with poles (for the tent), assorted vegetables, and glass bottles of lake water. Perhaps they needed something to carry all these supplies.
Charles, after catching Kraken, had hugged his old bag. It wasn't too crazy, as the bag was already empty. Around the corner, they found a good bag store. Charles exchanged his wristwatch for a simple leather backpack in the store.
Finally, they were ready to go, they just needed to find out which way the so-called North Harbor was located. Luckily, just around the next corner, they found a house with the sign "Geo" above the entrance. It was clear that a geographer lived there and would know about such things.
Entering the house, Charles and Harold realized that this building was possibly a bit deserted. Inside, it was eerily quiet, and when the sun broke through the clouds and shone inside, they could see dust floating everywhere. "Oh, oh!" Harold exclaimed, and his voice echoed. Strange," Charles weighed in thoughtfully.
They wandered around the shop, but only saw shelves with geography books and maps, and some other odds and ends. "There, Charles!" Harold called to his friend. There, in the farthest corner of the wall, stacked with boxes, were some doors. They looked at each other, then started moving the pile of boxes away from the doors. "Maybe we shouldn't be breaking into someone else's house," Harold suggested. "It's not breaking in, we're just looking for a geographer," Charles justified. "Alright, I'll trust you."
Charles opened the door, half broken handle. The door creaked against the wall, and both of them ascended up the winding stairs that were behind the secret door. The wallpaper in the stairwell was very damp and peeling off.
Soon, Charles and Harold had reached the top of the stairs, and there were more doors ahead of them. These doors were heavier, but with great effort, the two burglars managed to open them. They found themselves in a large workspace with a person inside. "We are looking for a geographer," Harold immediately blurted out.
The stranger turned towards them and denied. "Oh, foreigners from Germany." "How do you know we are from Germany if we are speaking English?" Charles wondered. The stranger ignored the unnecessary questions and repeated, "Yes, I am a geographer, I can help you get anywhere! Just tell me the location, and I will give you the exact coordinates!"
"Well then, show us the way!" Charles almost whispered. The geographer led them to the adjacent room, where there was a table with a large ball on it, a globe, with a map drawn on top. "What is that?" Harold couldn't contain his curiosity. "Oh, that is my latest invention, I call it a globe!" the geographer explained. "How does it work?" Harold was genuinely interested. "It works like any map," the geographer answered matter-of-factly. "Alright, so where is North Harbor?" Charles asked slowly. "North Harbor? It is approximately... here!" the geographer held his finger on the spot on the globe where "North Harbor" was written in microscopic letters. It's no wonder the geographer wore glasses. Anyway, the name was in Swedish because the geographer was probably from the neighboring country - Sweden.
There were several variants of the Swedish flag on the walls, as well as a few flags from other countries. "And how do we get there?" Harold asked before Charles could. "Veeeery easy, follow along the coast to the north, and you'll be there in a few days!" the geographer made it all sound much simpler than it actually was.
Well, then thank you for the help! Let's now hit the road, come on, Herold! - Charles said goodbye to the geographer and they both set off on their way.
The day brought them good progress. However, the next day was already more difficult to follow the coastline, as it was foggy and hilly. The following day passed without notice, it was peaceful. Only in the evening a storm started, and the water supplies ran out. In the morning of the last day of the journey, it was still raining and thundering. Luckily, they found a stream from which they filled water in a bottle. On the fourth day, they finally reached North Harbor!
The village was located on the edge of the forest, and there were some people around - northern fishermen. There were also small docks where some boats and a ship were docked.
After a while, they wandered into a bar. This country was completely new to both of them, and they didn't understand a word of what people were saying here. It truly was a different land. They struggled and managed to somehow order two glasses of milk. After receiving their order, the friends sat on a comfortable sofa by the window.
When they had finished their milk, they went outside. It was still a cloudy day. They decided to take a walk along the docks. Everything was going smoothly until they came across an interesting seal, dressed like a northern pirate... How can I help you, travelers? - the stranger asked in English, with a heavy Norwegian accent.
Oh, we are looking for something, or someone. - Herold immediately replied, and Charles pointed at him. Oh, you must be the ones I've been looking for all day! - the stranger burst out. Tell us more. - Charles urged. Let me start by saying my name is John Kopings, but you can just call me Ron. Besides, I found this clue that told me everything, and yes, you probably already understand the point. - Ron declined. So, we need you to take us to, uh... somewhere. - Charles concluded. Yes, exactly, the clue told me that I need to take two travelers to the ruins of Thistle castle. Only the wolf knows where that is. - Ron spoke wisely.
Not really knowing where their destination was, the trio set out towards the edge of the forest, and beyond... I think we should go this way! - Ron suggested when they reached a crossroads. Maybe we should take a little break and, uh... enjoy the beautiful nature of the forest? - It was Herolds, who complained of fatigue. Herolds is right, we could use a rest, my old legs are not keeping up. - Charles admitted. After a little hesitation, Ron enthusiastically said. - What a wonderful idea!
They decided to set up a tent and light a campfire. The pine forest around them was extremely beautiful, it literally shimmered with beauty. How many days have we been walking? - Charles, completely exhausted, asked. We literally just set out a few minutes ago. - Ron couldn't help but marvel at Charles' confusion.
The trio still had a good amount of food and drink left, but Ron decided to go and gather some forest berries that were growing near the campsite. Well, age still bites. - Harold spoke to Charles. No, nonsense, confusion only arose from the hot sun, maybe I even have a sunstroke, I did teach you that such things happen. - Charles spoke a bit harsher than usual.
Anyway, I'll probably take a nap. - Harold yawned, and soon he was snoring. Charles followed his example, and also fell asleep…
***
Bridgeton woke up after an unknown amount of time. It was midnight, and the moon mysteriously shone over the northern forest. As usual in such cases, he decided to take a short walk to help him fall asleep. In the dark, yet, due to the moon, the silvery walk went quite well.
Suddenly, a mysterious voice echoed from the thickets. - Three will be one, behind the doors will be... - and the voice disappeared. Charles felt like it was a warning about something that might happen in the future.
A chill ran down his spine, not because the voice seemed strange, as if it was coming from his head, but from the eerie air outside. He hurried back to the tent, and moments later he was sound asleep.
***
Morning brought beautiful bird songs and warm sunshine hugs. Did you hear the strange voice last night? - Charles mentioned at breakfast. I only heard such a strong and unclear voice in my dream. - Harold recalled. That voice warned us about something, probably about the doors, so we need to be careful with them. - Charles explained.
Doors? Interesting, maybe there are some doors near the castle ruins. - Harold pondered. Oh, what are you babbling about? - Ron interrupted them. - Let's eat before the food gets cold. They did just that, and for the rest of the day, they didn't think about the doors anymore.
Ahead of them was a long road, over mountains and valleys. Breaking camp, the friends resumed their journey. After several peaceful, sunny, and warm hours, ominous clouds began to form, and the weather was turning towards a storm. Despite the threat of the storm, they continued on their way, they couldn't afford to lose time!
They soon arrived at a clear lake. Oh, a dead end! - Ron exclaimed. Then we simply go around. - Charles wisely suggested. Hey, look! There's a small boat, maybe we can just row across the lake with it? - Harold suggested his idea. Good idea, let's get in! - Charles agreed. Ron pushed the boat into the water, with both passengers getting in quickly afterwards. The boat ride was enjoyable for everyone, the weather was fair, and the water was calm.
After a few minutes on the water, John Copings remarked, - Hey, where are the oars? Uh... he he, nowhere. Looks like we'll have to paddle with our hands. - Charles huffed heavily.
Charles rowed with one hand and held onto the boat with the other. He sat with his legs up, casually observing the wooded surroundings. After a few strokes, they were already in the middle of the lake.
From the lake, they could now see the mountains with their snow-capped peaks, reminding Charles of vanilla ice cream. Look! - Harold marvelled. - I have never seen real mountains before! Now you see them! - Ron, admiring Harold, smiled. And soon we will have to climb over them. - Charles reminded sharply.
After several rowing maneuvers, they had reached the other side of the lake. Suddenly, the boat rocked, as it seemed to have hit a rock. Then it capsized, throwing everyone into the water. Luckily, everyone knew how to swim, and they swam the remaining distance to the shore. That was quite fun. - Charles remarked ironically, shaking his wet clothes.
They decided to continue their journey, despite their soaked clothes. The trio started to climb the mountain path slowly and carefully. It was deceptive, as it seemed like they would have to climb over the entire mountain range, but in reality, the path led in a completely different direction.
At the top of the hill, a wide view of the mountainous landscape awaited them, all the mountains appearing as one. They floated in the sea like islands. The Flooded Fjords - Ron explained the strange landscape. Charles and Harold looked at him with no words. - Over there… lies the legendary, myth-wrapped Thistle Great Island. There, what we are looking for is located - the ruins of Thistle castle.
They all stared at the epic sight of the mountains floating in the water. And, unfortunately, they also looked at their next path - across the waters and mountains. I, by the way, could probably get there alone, but you… - Ron looked at his water-sensitive friends.
We'll stick together, we'll definitely figure something out. - Charles said seriously. - Let's go! Are you sure? Alright, I'm going, see you on the other side! - John Copings bid farewell to Charles and Harold for now. Ron jumped into the water, which was a good distance below them, rushing down the stream.
Reaching the water, he began swimming forward at an incredible speed, through the Flooded Fjords. What will we actually do? - Harold asked his friend. We'll soon see. - Charles said calmly. And so they spent the whole day - collecting branches, stones, and other debris. Charles had a plan, he had a dream he wanted to fulfill.
He had planned to get a man in the air, to make him fly, and finally there was a chance to engineer that device. This would help them cross the Flooded Fjords. After a long day of work, Harold was tired and decided to rest.
***
When he woke up the next morning, he noticed that Charles had been working all night. And now an impressive flying machine had been constructed. Looking for Charles, Herold stumbled upon him. Oh, good morning, Herold! What do you think of the flying machine? - Charles asked vaguely. It's... amazing! Can we try it out right now? - Herold jumped excitedly. Yes, let's go! They both approached the machine, and Herold examined it closely. What does the flag mean? - Herold asked, reaching for one of the stone wheels. C. and H., Charles and Herold! - Bridgeton explained.
So that is our favorite flag, because we are both on it! - Herold beamed. Alright, let's sit inside. Then they both sat in the flying machine, and Charles began to operate the mechanism, turning and pushing all sorts of levers, buttons, and other wonders. After a moment, something began to spin, and the machine started moving forward. It sped up at an incredible speed.
It seemed like Charles had hacked the very laws of physics and turned off friction. Both passengers joyfully held on to each other as they shot up the stone ramp directly into the air. They were flying! "Hooray, it worked, the wind stream will carry us and soon we will be on the island!" Charles shouted, hoping for Harold to hear him over the merciless noise of the wind that chilled their ears. Harold just nodded and, looking down, noticed that the huge mountains they had seen moments ago now looked like ants.
Friends enjoyed their flight in the wooden contraption. Harold, after some thought, immediately understood how his friend had managed all this. Charles had apparently created a simple mechanism that reduces friction at the molecular level, turning it into energy that propelled the aircraft faster and faster. Then, he simply calculated the location of the airflow and built a ramp to correspond to it.
They were already approaching the grand island when suddenly the wind stream changed direction. Soon, the aircraft descended straight down as there was no longer wind to keep it in the air. "Oh no, what now?" Harold panicked. "I have a plan," Charles simply stated. Then he grabbed Harold and jumped off the plane. "What, are you crazy?" Harold exclaimed.
Shortly after the fateful leap, Charles activated another mechanism. And wings shot out of his backpack! Both of them were soon flying again. "That... was... AMAZING!" Harold exclaimed with joy. "Yes, I was prepared for this occasion," Charles explained.
"So you knew the aircraft wouldn't withstand the flight?" "Of course, I knew it wouldn't, I had measured the airflow." "And you didn't tell me anything?" After the epic, emotion-filled flight, they safely landed at the ruins of Thistle Castle. While Charles removed his wings and left them on a rocky outcrop (because they were too heavy to carry everywhere), Harold announced, "I thought Ron would be here to greet us, but I don't see him anywhere."
"Maybe he hasn't arrived yet," Charles suggested. After Charles had removed his wings and left them on a rocky outcrop, they went to look for their old friend - Ron, who for some reason was called John Kopings. His nickname didn't seem to match his actual name.
They walked among the crumbling towers and platforms, calling out their friend's name. Ron was nowhere to be found, disappearing into the air like the morning mist. "Alright, let's go to the main building, maybe he got impatient and went ahead?" Charles suggested. "Okay, let's go."