There was a heavy silence that hung in the air. The breathless panting had subsided and instead been replaced with wordless exchanges of pure bewilderment at Ara’s question. Each member took turns glancing to one another. As eyes drifted, several pairs rested for a moment longer on the latest addition to the group.
Lily sat exhausted on the ground, just beyond the immediate area they had all converged. The wind had once more picked up and an aching shiver had again overcome most present. Each person had several questions racing through their mind as fast as the wind blew through the canyons around them. And after an agonising, and rather boring, lack of outward intrigue, a voice finally spoke up.
‘So did you find the-’ Ara’s repetition was swiftly cut off.
‘No! We didn’t find the book! We found a plant that tried to kill us, and another weirdo who might try to! Okay?’ A stunned disposition befell all who were subject to an uncharacteristic outburst from Cairngorm. I’ll admit, even I wasn’t expecting that. Although it wasn’t as though it was unprompted.
With the veil of silence now broken, Mac took it upon herself to begin the interrogation, redirecting her attention to Lily.
‘Who the fuck are you?’
Once again standing to brush herself off, Lily straightened her back, presenting her best networking smile before answering, ‘Dr Lily Ceris, B.L.E.A.K.’
Mac’s brows furrowed as she took in the limited information. From behind, Satori spoke up, ‘B.L.E.A.K? Why does that sound familiar?’
‘It’s a greenhouse or somethin’ right? One of the smaller guilds in Kathernus. They work alongside The Golden Wheel and Arcanist Expanse sometimes, lookin’ at plants mostly.’ Mac stepped forward towards the academic as she spoke.
‘Well, that’s sort of an understatement. Its less of a greenhouse and more of a research institution-’, Lily’s clarifying mumbles went relatively unrecognised as Mac continued closing the distance, with Cairngorm just behind.
‘So, what’re you doin’ out here?’
Breaking from her defensive train of thought, Lily provided an enigmatically simple reason, ‘I was on a research trip. The last thing I remember was sailing west of Kathernus. It was a solo trip but I was meant to meet a team out there already.’ A short sigh bounced around the eager listeners before she continued, ‘I woke up around a pile of notes, and well, I figured they are probably important so-’
It was at that moment that forces beyond any form humorous control I may have suddenly decided that the haphazard and highly flammable rigging suspending the Pea Pod, could no longer withstand the consequences of the party’s presence. One by one, a barely audible snap sounded out from the ship as, like the creature they had discovered, it too plummeted towards the canyon’s floor in a fiery farewell.
‘Well… they were probably important.’ Satori chuckled slightly at her own joke, while everyone else did their best to ignore it.
Having collected himself fully, Cairngorm studied Lily much more closely now that the moment had presented a much less threatening atmosphere. She was pale. Very pale. Her skin was much less akin to the glow of freshly laid snow and more closely resembled frost bitten flesh. As her muscles contracted, the skin itself did not fold so much as it shifted to make space for the movement. Lily’s eyes took on a milky sheen as though some form of membranous blanket covered them.
Cairngorm did his best to approach Lily with more concern than curiosity, holding out his hand towards her, ‘If its alright, could I just give you a onceover?’
‘I mean, yeah. Sure.’ Lily flashed a relatively unsuspecting smile to her inspector.
Lily rested her hand in Cairngorms, and immediately he was hit with a cold shock in his palm. The temperature this high up was capable of freezing at one point, and yet somehow the person before him caused his hand to numb even further. As he closed his other hand around the forearm of his patient. The surface of her skin was leathery yet still malleable. There was a clear rigidity to her arm but something about its internal structure was irregular. Most pressing however, was the lack of rhythm to the pulse of her veins. Her heart was steady but thrummed to the beat that Cairngorm could not recognise.
Despite any clear indications that any normal person would take as reasoning to get as far away as possible from the strange person from the strange ship, Cairngorm’s empathy overwhelmed his distrust.
‘I think we need to get you to… someone.’ As he spoke, his hands retreated from Lily’s arm as she looked on puzzled by his concern. ‘You’re not shivering, your heartbeat is irregular, there’s something going on with you but I can’t figure it out here.’
‘What? No, I just- I usually have bad circulation, and I’ve clearly been asleep a while so, y’know. I probably just haven’t woken up properly yet.’
A curious Satori had wandered over to question the obvious, ‘How are you not freezing out here?’
Lily looked around at the group wrapped in various cloaks, coats, and tarps before tentatively asking, ‘Is- is it cold? I don’t… sorry who are all of you?’
Another silent moment passed. Not one born from exhaustion, but instead a quiet tension that did not ease simply.
Naturally, Satori stepped in once more to break the tension, pointing to herself then each other individual present, ‘Satori, Cairngorm, Mac, and the moody one whose about to yell at us is Ara.’
‘Guys!’ Ara’s voice called out from up ahead before another rope bridge. ‘If you’re done playing doctor, we should get moving. It’s only going to get colder the later we stay here.’
‘It’s probably best if we explain the rest on the way.’
Bidding final farewells to the burning wreckage of their first attempt at Retrieval, the party reequipped their packs, motioning silently to one another before pressing forward.
Before she could follow onto the bridge after the rest of the party, Mac was stopped by Ara who stood waiting from her minor vantage point.
‘You’re not ignorant enough to think that’s the whole story.’ Ara flashed a quick glance across the bridge towards Lily who was making her way carefully between each step.
‘Not in the slightest, but I don’t know what else to think. Reckon we just keep an eye on her for now.’
A simple nod between them was all that was needed before they followed on. Ahead, Lily grasped her arm, feeling the skin mould below her grip before shaking off the growing anxiety in her stomach.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
It was another twenty minutes of pressing forward before the party caught sight of the walkway leading to the next ship. Thankfully, rather than suspended like a maniac’s hammock, the next ship sat amongst the spires of the mountain – its hull pierced a number of times by jagged stone that jutted from the mountain like a hand grasping for a toy ship.
Though it certainly looked anything but a toy. The ship they approached was much larger than the previous. It was a galleon, and an opposing one at that. Beneath the clear, purposeful damage to the vessel, there lay evidence – memories of combat and strife. Deep carves into the wood had been left. Patched to repair but still visible. A deep wet crimson seeped into the wood of what remained of the hull, splattered simply with no artistry or theory at work. Call it somewhat of a cliché, but I couldn’t help but ruminate upon the image of blood seeping from an open wound as the paint of the ship had ran and dried from and around each puncture wound it possessed. I suppose the image also did not escape the group as they approached.
‘Little fuckin’ ominous don’t you think?’ Mac mused as they ascended a slightly more secured walkway.
‘Because everything else so far has been a delightful experience.’ As usual, Ara did little to disguise her attitude, but in all fairness, she had a point.
Satori narrowed her eyes pensively before speaking, ‘I don’t know. I think it has a certain charm to it. Like a kid’s finger painting or something.’
The deck of the ship creaked like an aching bone. Each footfall echoed out below within the hull, like a gentle knock against a door.
‘Well, splittin’ up seemed to work so well last time. The sooner we’ve checked every inch of this place, the sooner we’ll move on.’
With a confidence easily confused with expert synergy, the group departed in separate directions, paying little care to the concept of forming a plan beforehand.
Ara marched across the deck to the front bow of the ship. The figurehead had previously been obscured on their approach, but as she peered over the edge, the typically steeled outlander could do little to hide the shock in her eyes. Two enormous serpentine necks twisted around one another ending in frilled heads, whose jaws were lined with rows of serrated teeth not dissimilar from a shark. Ara hung her body partially from the ledge of the bow, inspecting the decoration as close as possible. The skin was tanned. This was no simple ornamental carving affixed to the ship. This was instead two preserved creatures, at least heads of creatures, mounted to the front of the ship like some sort of grand trophy. The yellow skin was patterned with uneven splotches of yellow that gave it a sickly hue. Most curiously however, and the thing that initially led Ara to believe these were manufactured decorations, was the sporadic arrangement of discolouration was shared between the two heads. She was certain that these creatures had been alive at some point, though she had never encountered something as peculiar as this.
While Ara ruminated on the on the ship’s adornments, Mac and Lily had made their way into the captain’s quarters near where they had climbed up onto the ship. Mac had been keeping a close eye on Lily since her conversation with Ara. That was until she stepped carefully through the doorway and immediately descended upon the desk centred in the largely empty room.
The interior was bare for the space it possessed, yet what was in there cried out in a display of lavish décor. The desk Mac began rifling through was intricately crafted with expertly stained wood somewhere between a deep red and brown – producing a faux-mahogany appearance. That is, except for the corners of the desk’s top surface and the legs on which it stood. Upon close inspection, and much to Mac’s brief appreciation, the material seemed more similar to bone than any wood or stone. Carefully carved depictions of various creatures wound their way across the edges and length of the material like tattoos that layer across one’s arms.
Lily took less care entering into the windowless room, instead crossing the large threshold to assess perhaps the most interesting aspect of the room: a series of mounted skulls presented on the furthest wall from the entrance. All three skulls possessed a different shape and were clearly from different kinds of creatures, though all equal in size. The far left looked most like a human skull though at least double, if not tripled in size. The far right was similar to the first, but curiously only possessed one central eye socket. Finally, the centre piece, the largest and most obscure of them looked more like that of up-to-date depictions of theropods – large reptilian-like creatures that were believed to be extinct. Lily ruminated on the shape of the skull. Of course, there was also a considerable resemblance to modern reptilian species but she couldn’t quite understand what this was supposed to –
‘Looks like a dragon, right?’ Mac had stepped from behind. The only indicator of her approach being the telltale jingle of a pouch of coins that were by the simplest terms of maritime salvage laws, hers. Finders, keepers and all.
Since entering the room Lily had the feeling of eyes having been latched onto her. She was at least glad to now know who it was burning metaphorical holes in the back of her head.
‘Sorry, what?’ Lily turned briefly bewildered by the comment
‘A dragon. You know, like…’ Mac’s sentence trailed off as she instead half-heartedly waved her arms in a short imitation of this hypothetical dragon. ‘Like the one in the painting.’ Mac jutted a finger over her shoulder in the direction or an ornate frame hung upon lacking one significant feature.
‘Painting? There’s just a frame.’
‘Well… now it is.’ Mac chuckled slightly, patting her pack as she did.
It was now that Lily noticed the delicately sliced edges of canvas that still lay within the frame.
‘You saw a painting and your first instinct was to cut it out of its frame?’
Mac shifted slightly. I minor discomfort arose and dissipated in an instant as she cleared her throat before replying, ‘Obviously.’
A customary silence followed for a few moments before Lily spoke up once more in a curious tone, ‘Well, can I see it?’
‘Oh shit, yeah.’ Mac fumbled around her pack as she spoke, gently removing the painting and unfurling it before the pair of them.
The brushwork was excellent. I’d seen better, but for a piece found in some dilapidated pirate ship in the middle of Mt Nowhere, it was just a little shy of what an untrained eye would consider a masterpiece. The depiction was that of three ships, all galleons, and all riding across storm-ridden waters while waves crashed against their sides as they would against the cliff face of a shoreside mountain. Despite the likenesses of the ships, each one possessed unique designs imprinted upon the main sail. Three distinct skulls.
Lily took a hold of the painting, studying it as she spoke, ‘Wait, these are the same as the ones mounted on the wall. But the middle one-’
‘The dragon?’
‘Yes, fine. The dragon. Look at the eyes. What’s sticking out of them?’
Looking closely at the image, the two saw what looked to be the hilts of two swords protruding from the eye sockets of the skull.
Without missing a beat, Lily thrusted the painting back into the hands of Mac, snagging an exposed dagger as she did so. Mac felt a spike of adrenaline in her spine as the stranger now brandished her weapon but before she could protest the thieving intrusion, Lily was stood before the wall’s grim display. Carefully she inserted the first of the blades into the central skull. A sharp grinding sound like a whetstone whispered from the socket. With a short thrust, they both heard a short click sound out from within the wall before them. Nodding to Lily, Mac took a step forward as she repeated the action with the second socket. This time, no click was heard. Instead, a low rumble reverberated around the room as the wall on which the dragon’s skull was affixed began lifting from the floor and rotating so as to reveal a small, simple room hidden behind.
‘Holy shit! Good job, doc.’ Mac pushed past lightly to enter the room.
In the small, squared room stood a short pedestal, rising no taller than their waists and sporting a small black box with a golden hinge and clasp, sealing it closed. Immediately Mac set about inspecting the pedestal. It was as simple as the room they found themselves in. No decorative embellishments, no buttons, or levers, or anything of the sorts. Just a small platform and a small box.
‘It doesn’t seem trapped. Then again, I wouldn’t put it past Captain Whoever.’
Lily and Mac stood for a moment in quiet contemplation.
‘I mean obviously we open it, right?’
‘Oh, yeah. Absolutely.’ Mac shifted her hand towards the box, though it was swiftly swatted away by Lily.
‘Wait! What if it’s like, weight sensitive? Maybe the pedestal could feel us take the box. Stay here, let me find something to replace it with.’
Lily shifted out of the room to investigate the desk in search of something similar in size to the box, eventually grabbing a small glass inkpot, and turning to see that Mac had already retrieved the box.
There was a tense moment of anticipation as the inkpot clattered to the ground. Mentally they both were recounting the steps taken to reach the entrance to the cabin, should an unforeseen, if not totally avoidable, turn of events result in the need for a hasty exit. But no. Nothing came. And a deep breath was shared by all of us involved.
Carefully, Mac unclipped the clasp on the box, lifting the lip slightly to peer inside. She saw no immediate signs of any inner mechanisms and so with an air of not-so-certainty, the box was fully lifted open.
Inside was a plush velvet cushion wedged into the base of the box. In the centre of said cushion was a small indent in which a thick silver band was presented. The ring was polished and clearly taken care of. A small blue inlay wrapped itself around the circumference like a winding river.
Dropping the box to the ground, Mac held the ring up close to her eye to inspect it.
‘Fancy.’
Lily pulled Mac’s hand closer to inspect it herself. ‘Looks like some kind of wedding band.’
‘Like for a proposal? Well, I propose we fence it when we’re back to the city.’ A small look of horror overtook Mac as she slipped the ring onto her finger. ‘God I sound like Satori.’
‘Yeah that was bad.’ Lily gave a sympathetic, pitting exhale from her nostrils.
‘You’ve been here five minutes, what do I care?’ Mac chuckled back at her own retort before spinning on her heels.
Not wishing to leave any room to tempt fate, the swift exit was still decided to be the best course of action as Mac began making her way towards the quarter’s entrance, newly acquired riches literally in hand.
‘Shit, wait. Don’t forget my daggers!’ Mac snapped her fingers towards the skull which, upon their exit had descended once more.
Lily had grasped one, however, upon reaching for the second, the one Mac had inserted, the blade suddenly flew from the socket in the direction of the ring bearing rogue. Swinging her arms up to her face in defence against the supernatural blade, Mac awaited the sharp impact. But it never came. Instead, she felt a weight in her right hand. Hesitantly, she pulled her head away from her arms to find the dagger she had requested firmly grasped and certifiably unthreatening for the time being.
A wordless question passed between the two witnesses of the dagger’s flightpath. Mac dropped the dagger carefully to the ground. The blade pierced lightly into the floor below and bounced back and forth for a moment before settling, hilt pointed towards the ceiling. Once more Mac snapped her fingers and the same instance that the sound echoed out from her motion, the dagger flew back towards her, hastily settling back into her palm. Lily stared on in astonishment while Mac sighed heavily as the realisation of what they found set in.
‘Fuckin’ magic.’ Mac turned on her heels to retreat back to the deck of the ship. ‘And still no fuckin’ book!’
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
With the rest of the party’s searches remaining relatively fruitless, the group decided it was best to continue on to any other stable looking ships in sight. That was when they caught sight of their next objective. A frigate with empty masts and still in relatively proper condition – as compared to the previous ship. Most notably about this ship however was the complete lack of cannon portholes. The sides of the ship were completely void of any kind of window or viable weaponry. As Satori had noted during her second expedition into the depths of a ship, the cannons found on the galleon were strangely pristine. Weathered, yes. But clearly tended to in some capacity. As for the ship they now approached, all that could be examined were light scratching and carves into the woodwork of the outer hull.
‘So, third time the charm, right?’ Cairngorm possessed a relatively positive attitude, despite the circumstances. Nevertheless, the day was growing older and the wind threatened to return in full force. With their paths forward limited to rope bridges and planks that were better off un-walked, a positive mindset was the least of their needs. Time was the dangerous factor, as always.
When the party would expect the creak of wooden boards below their careful steps onto the ship, instead an eerie silence echoed around the ship – the only sound being that of slightly muted boot colliding with floor. As they party made their way fully onto the deck, any confidence grown during their previous venture had quickly diminished. Something about this new structure felt off. There was at least some comfort previously. Factors that they had come to expect that no one could necessarily name, but felt appropriate for a ship. Here, the deck was pristine. They felt themselves steady as the wind no longer seemed to force them in any direction. It was as though nothing existed outside of where they found themselves now.
Cairngorm let out a bashful clearing of his throat, ‘Maybe not, actually.’
‘Alright gang, well lets split up and-’ Satori’s faux-enthusiasm was cut short by Ara making for the set of stairs leading below deck. ‘I was gonna say search for clues.’
‘We know!’ Ara cried out from the level below them.
A mixture of smirks and sighs made their way around the rest of the group and Satori followed in Ara’s path, while the remaining group members made for the ship’s cabin.
Damp. Hollow. Each footstep echoed like a gentle call and response. Much of the internal wood was long warped from a deep set moisture that had built up over an unknown amount of time. A rancid petrichor swam around the space as Satori and Ara found themselves at the base of the stairs.
‘What kind of pirate ship doesn’t have cannons?’ Ara set off towards the end of the ship with Satori in tow.
Upon first glance, the are they found themselves in was relatively unremarkable. Where as the previous ships at least contained rotted cargo and crates to contain them, here? Well Satori did little to hide her disappointment.
‘Well, I’d say this was a disappointing yet effective scout. Let’s just move on.’
‘You know, if you stopped for a second to look around, I bet you’d find the world a lot more interesting.’ Ara began making her way across the ship’s length.
Taken aback by the unexpected sass directed towards her, Satori followed begrudgingly.
‘Oh! Oh, I find the world interesting. But typically, my intrigue lies at the bottom of a bottle, or in a warm bed. Preferably with the best looking man or woman my very interesting bottle has led me to. You know what your problem is?’
‘Quiet.’
‘Exaclty! You’re so quiet. I mean I get none of us are exactly up for sharing, but we don’t know a damn thing about you, and yet-’
‘Shut up. And look.’
Ara had spotted something towards the end of the ship. Nothing moving, thankfully. But something. Which frankly was enough cause for concern in this rickety hellscape.
‘There’s a nicer way to say that.’ Satori’s protest was whispered and yet still burned on Ara’s nerves as she groaned in frustration.
The pair ventured deeper into the ship, and further from the stairs leading up. Details came slowly as each step was taken. At first it seemed like just a bundle of sticks. But another step revealed they were much to pale and similarly shaped to be any kind of twig. Next came the deep set etchings that grooved their way through each length. Finally, just a few feet from the strange pile, Ara correctly identified the collection of objects piled to one side of the floor.
‘Just a pile of bones.’
The pile wasn’t particularly large by any degree. In fact, it seemed as though the jumbled collection made up, only a single adult human – or something similar in size.
‘And Ladies and gentlemen, the award for biggest waste of time goes to…’ Ara shot a dangerous glance at Satori. ‘C’mon, it’s a pirate ship. In a city of pirate ships. There’s probably bones in every draw and crate on every ship we’re yet to go to.’
Satori reached down to collect one of the bones, not breaking eye contact with Ara. The expected milky hue was bleached yellow as though it had been left out in the sun for who knows how long. Obviously this was strange, but no more so than the fact that the arm Satori had grasped came attached to a hand with each individual bone firmly affixed. A hand that, just a moment later, had grasped Satori’s arm back.
What followed was one of those beautiful attempts at rationality. It was reserved and considerate as each member present considered a ubiquitous thought:
What the fuck?
At that moment, a shrill cry sounded as though all the pain and fear of the world manifested in a single breath. A cry so primal and horrified, I find it unbelievable that the world itself did not recognise the anguish and terror in this moment.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Cairngorm, Mac, and Lily had found their way into the cabin. When compared to the barren private space of the previous ship, these quarters appeared flush with delicate furniture and fineries befitting some kind of minor noble. Large standing bookshelves lined the walls perpendicular to the entrance. Though a thin layer of dust sat smooth over the cabinets, their quality was undeniable. Both Lily and Mac made for the bookcases with different goals in mind, yet both eventually retreated empty handed. Meanwhile, Cairngorm had found his way to the centre of the room.
There, neatly positioned on the floor, sat a comfortable and honestly expensive looking pillow surrounded by pages of blank, weathered parchment. Cairngorm banished the question of why someone would seemingly spend so much money on something as simple as a pillow and instead turned his attention to the elaborately designed pedestal sat just before the pillow. Three silver rods reached up from the ground like an intricate tripod twisting in the centre before once more splitting off to form an hourglass shape. Neatly positioned between the arms of the stand laid a small clear glass orb.
‘Guys, could I get a hand with something.’
Lily and Mac returned to his side, investigating the small collection of items. Lily shifted through the paper, checking each side for any sign of markings, while Mac peered intensely at the orb and its stand.
‘Doesn’t seem like there’s any mechanism attached to it. It’s bolted down though. Have you tired pickin’ the ball up?’
‘The orb? No. What if it… I don’t know, what if it blows up or something?’
‘Then we’ll hold a lovely funeral. C’mon what’s the worst that could happen?’
Lily set down the blank pages before shuffling back a step, ‘I mean blowing up seems pretty high on the list but-’
A sudden shriek sounded from below the ship. It clearly wasn’t Ara so immediately the party leapt to their feet under the assumption that Satori was in some kind of danger. Though perhaps that was a generous assumption. Nevertheless, they had better investigate. Mac quickly made for the door while Lily packed what few blank pieces of parchment that she could into her bag. Cairngorm reached for the orb, damning the possibility of consequences.
Just as Mac had reached the entry way they had passed through previously, the door slammed violently in her face with enough force to threaten the integrity of the frame. Glancing back at Cairngorm, orb in hand, she could do little but sigh, and brace her arm as she readied herself to slam into the blocked passage.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
‘Ara get it the fuck off me!’
‘I’m trying just hold still! Stop fucking dancing around!’
With a final flail of her arm, the grasping skeletal hand soared back into the pile of yellowed bones that, at once, began to rattle into motion. The reconstruction was systematic. Beginning with the feet finding their upright position, the leg bones then clicked into place like a button snapping into its clasp. Over the course of a few seconds each minor rod of bone clambered its way into place until stood before them was a fully built human form. Minus the gross fleshy parts of course.
‘Hiya there-’
A heavy impact send the chattering skull of the figure reeling from its “neck”. The head tumbled around the ship as the body went chasing briefly, and Ara pulled back for another swing.
‘Hold on! Almost got it!’ The voice somehow emanating from the skeleton was deep and gravelly with heavy inflections sporadically spaced between his few words that he spoke in a thick accent.
Satori placed an arm in front of Ara as she wound up for another blow.
‘You have to be kidding me.’ Ara dropped her arms to her side and decided it would be best to take a short lap around the space.
With a short click into place, the skeleton spun around to address his attackers, still with a chipper tone to his voice, ‘As I was sayin’. Hiya there! Welcome aboard The Rune Carver! I, William “Bombardment” Bones, will be your quartermaster, keeper and head-cannoneer for the duration of your service.’
Ara’s patience, temper, interest and frankly anything else keeping her here had worn too thin for her liking, and she turned to retrace her steps back above deck.
Behind her Satori called out, ‘Ara, I kinda like him!’
‘Of course you would!’
Paying no attention to the retort, Satori returned her focus to Mr Bones.
‘So… Billy… You’re like, actually a skeleton?’
‘As opposed to what?’
‘Never mind. Maybe you can help us, we’re looking for a book. Three triangles on the cover. Maybe dark and mysterious? Now that I think about it, we really didn’t have much to go off of.’
‘Well as much as I am required to be of assistance to any and all crew of the ship, I’m afraid something like that would fall under the charge of my mistress, Madam Maria, one of the three lords of Plunderer’s Belt.’
‘Right. And she is… where exactly?’
The featureless face of Billy twisted for a moment as he considered Satori’s question.
‘Is-is she not here?’
There was a strange note of sadness that carried itself on Billy’s words. Satori couldn’t help but furrow her brow.
‘No, it’s just me and my… entourage. We’re kind of in debt so we got lumped together. Well except for Lily she’s just a little weird and we found her on one of the ships that crashed and burned in the canyon.’
The sombre mood didn’t seem to shift as Billy remained silent.
‘But maybe she’s around here somewhere. Why don’t you come with us? We’ve got a couple ships still left to check and we’d appreciate a guide and at least one person who might know what the hell is up with this place.’
With that suggestion, the bony face of Billy rose and a confidence straightened his shoulders.
‘That sounds like a top idea! Let’s get going Ms…’
‘Satori is fine.’
‘Well then Ms. Satori, lets collect your group before they harm themselves!’
‘Wait, what?’
Billy rattled past Satori, his legs shaking audibly with each step taken. Despite his unsteady appearance, he shifted with an elegant experience of someone who had been manoeuvring like this for a while.
Satori laughed before speaking aloud to herself, ‘Man, this groups fuckin weird.’
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
‘Oh my god we’re gonna die on a fucking pirate ship! Oh my god I’m gonna die on a fucking pirate ship surrounded by weirdos!’
‘Maybe instead of having a panic attack, you could attack the door and get us out!’ Mac slammed into the barrier repeatedly to no avail.
‘Wordplay? Seriously? Right now, you have to make a jokes?’ Lily was frantically searching around the space for any sign of a hidden exit.
‘I’m trying something new!’
‘We’re going to die and you think now is the best time to trial your new standup routine?’
‘Wait, wait! Everyone stop!’ Cairngorm dropped the orb to the ground, swinging his arms out. Everyone froze as they were. Lily balanced on one foot mid-stride and Mac remained pressed against the door after another failed attempt at pushing it over. ‘Does anyone actually hear anything?’
A moment passed. Then another. Each member remained frozen in place. There was no sound. No smell. The room was as static as they were.
‘Has anything actually happened?’
‘Aside from the door swinging shut on its own and trapping us? Well, I’ve got a bit of pain in my shoulder now.’
‘No. I mean, has anything moved? Is the room getting warmer? Is anyone getting weirdly sleepy or feel funny in any way?’
Everyone remained silent as the realisation dawned upon them all at once.
A sudden knock reverberated against the door which was enough to make the three trapped members jump.
‘Are you all done in there? We’re leaving.’
‘Ara? Is that you? The door is jammed, Cairngorm touched something he shouldn’t have.’
Words would never be enough to explain the anger he felt in that moment as Cairngorm’s jaw went slack at Mac’s explanation of their situation.
‘Okay. Have you tried untouching whatever he did?’
The three stared in silence as the dulled words sounded from the other side of the door.
A bashful Lily approached the orb that now rested atop two sheets of parchment that she had been unable to snag earlier. She paused just before picking up the glass object, peering through the clear material. Below, inscribed onto the paper was a light blue colouration. Shifting the orb to one side, as quickly as the inscription had appeared, it was gone again. Thankfully, putting two and two together, she grabbed the orb and parchment in each hand, holding it steady against one another. Like a lens, she peered through it to see the blue ink had returned. She couldn’t quite decipher the images and symbols hastily scrawled across the surface of the page, but nevertheless they were there.
Collecting the item from her hands, with little time for Lily to protest, Mac slotted the glass orb back into its original resting place. Without so much as a click or hiss, the door opened to reveal an impatient Ara – arms crossed, scowl firmly plastered across her face.
‘How many idiots does it take to open a door?’
Lily looked back down towards the pedestal as she pushed aside the fear that she had gathered with a wandering band of comedians.
‘Guys I think we should take this with us.’
Confidently Mac strode out of the room before calling back and waving Lily out the same direction, ‘Way ahead of you.’
Once the party was firmly outside the notably non-fatal room, a snap of Mac’s fingers brought the orb flying into her palm as the door once again swung shut.
‘Reckon we can con someone out of sone coin for a “Magic Orb”.’
‘It wouldn’t exactly be a con. I’m pretty sure it is magic.’ Lily responded in protest.
‘That’s the spirit!’ Mac said before tossing the orb back in the direction of Lily. ‘So where to next?’
Satori’s voice was heard from the top of the stairs, ‘Well Billy said something about The Friend of The Deep giving us a good view of what’s left of Ship City.’
One by one each member of the party stood in a combination of awe, horror, and honestly a lack of genuine surprise given what they had encountered thus far. To the side of Satori stood a tall barebones depiction of an adult human, now equipped with a black bandanna tied firmly around the crown of a skull that gazed at each member meticulously through empty eye sockets.
‘You gotta be kiddin’ me.’
Monster of the month 
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