Chapter 42
Captain Morgan

~*~

Getting to Adventure Island proves to be more challenging than expected. We traveled to all three port towns, and none has a ship that will take us to the mysterious island. It's supposedly still under construction and not accessible to the public.

"You are the princess. Can't you get them to take us there?" Melisande asks, referring to the folks in Port Stoney running the ferry service.

"I'm afraid not," Cassis says. "Being a princess doesn't garner me much respect nor authority."

"We should just claim a ship and sail there ourselves."

"You mean commandeer one? That's not very...paladin-like. And plus, we'd need sailors. None of us here has any experience piloting a ship."

"We ask King Triton," Oren says. His words are the most sound thus far. "What's more, we should inform the king of the Champions of Freespeech."

Cassis sighs. "I was hoping to get information first before I bothered Father..."

"It could very well lead to nothing, but it could be a dangerous endeavor. We need all the help we can get."

"You're right, Oren. Let's go back to Asentus."

An idea crosses my mind; there is one person who can help us. After debating it with myself for a little bit, I decide not to let the group know just yet. King Triton might very well be able to get us to Adventure Island.

The journey to Asentus takes less than a day. Though the city looks exactly the same, the background music has changed. Whatever the reason, I can sense that something is about to happen. I communicate my worries to the group.

"What is it?" Cassis asks. "Is something wrong with your ears?"

"The music is different," Melisande answers for me, the change obvious to her as well.

"What's 'music'?

"Never mind...Let's talk to the king."

In the throne hall, King Triton is engrossed in a pile of scrolls.

Cassis marches over to the him. "Father, we have important news!"

The dialogue box catches his attention and he hurriedly puts the scrolls away. "Cassis and her friends. What brings you back to Asentus so soon?"

"We may have a lead to the third and final seal."

King Triton watches our words carefully, as we recount the encounter with the mystery man in the Moaning Valley. At the mention of the Champions of Freespeech, his eyes ignite with interest. "Another group of rebels?" he scoffs.

Oren chimes in. "During our travels, we came across many folks taken in by the idea of being able to speak. What's more, the disappearance of the great priestess Leola and other residents of the cities across Zephyria is a bit concerning. I suspect the two things are related."

Cassis seems to catch on to what the monk is alluding towards. "Do you believe these people have gone to Adventure Island seeking enlightenment?"

Oren nods. "It's a logical conclusion. We must put a stop to this conspiracy before the entire world becomes seduced."

King Triton's face turns dour. "And what about Katja? Any signs of her?"

"No, Father. But I have a feeling we'll cross paths with her very soon."

"The priority should be stopping these...fanatics."

"That's precisely why we came," Melisande says. "We need a ship to Adventure Island, where these fanatics have taken refuge."

The king thinks for a moment, but ultimately shakes his head. "Lucian and Cylaro are leading an exploration of the seas of Zephyria. I'm afraid Asentus is out of ships and competent crew."

We all sigh.

"There must be another way to get to the island?" Cassis says. "Oren, the Red Birds of Shalaron, do you think Master Vars would lend us a couple?"

"Hah!" the monk replies. "Never in a billion years. They are like children to him. The birds will only listen to him and a couple other monks. We're faster to swim to the island than to convince him to let us use those beasts."

Cassis turns to Melisande. "What about the Speakers Tribe?"

"No one aside from my tribe is interested in this matter..."

The rooms fall silent, as everyone continues to rack their brains around the problem. Now's the time to remind everyone of an acquaintance of ours: Captain Morgan. I tap Oren's shoulder to get his attention, then sign him my thoughts.

"A man...with a boat? Sad...Black hole...Ah hah!" The monk almost shoots to the ceiling when he figures out my proposal. "There's someone who can help us."

Three dialogue boxes appear simultaneously "Who?"

"Captain Morgan. He and his crew were captured alongside us by the former rebels. Most of them should still be in Fortra."

"Then that's where we'll go," Melisande says. "Let's make this quick and use a Teleport."

King Triton shakes his head. "We we extremely limited in Teleports. If you need to travel to Fortra, I suggest you take the desert horses. You can find them in Kamaraka."

Cassis nods. "We'll only use Teleport when necessary."

Melisande sighs. "I worry that Katja will beat us to the Champions of Freespeech..."

Oren smiles. "Katja should be facing the same problems we are. But we have more resources. We will beat her."

King Triton offers us some final words. "Should you need anything else, Asentus will support you. Go!"

We leave Asentus and quickly hike through the Royal Trail. In Kamaraka, Asentian soldiers greet us, somehow already up to speed with our plan. Among them, a familiar face appears.

"The horses are set," Jorry says. "I'll be navigating you through the desert. We can depart whenever you please." A woman, presumably Ayla, stands by his side. The two smile at us.

Oren gives him a skeptical look at first, but eventually relents given the circumstances. There's really no reason to distrust Jorry anymore; the man has wife back. Despite having been betrayed by him, only Elric can still harbor any kind of grudge. I suppose with his knowledge of the desert, he's become useful to the king.

"We'll depart immediately," Cassis says without much hesitation.

The four of us get on separate horses, each with our own driver. I sit behind Jorry on one horse, and we lead the others. As we kick into motion, the town of Kamaraka fades, and the Asentian desert appears. Dunes of sand flash by faster than I can count. Ten seconds later, the green of the Highlands come into view. The horses come to a stop, and we get off.

"We'll wait for you here," Jorry tells us. "Just give the word and we'll take you back to Kamaraka."

"Thank you, Jorry," Oren says, already forgiving him. "Have you spoken with Elric lately?"

He shakes his head. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"He would be happy to know that Ayla is fine."

Jorry shrugs.

"Let's get going," Melisande says. "To Fortra, right?"

As we walk over to Fortra, I can't help but start to think about Elric again. He left our party so abruptly, but in no time at all, we may see him again.

"I wonder if Elric has recovered from his loss?" Cassis asks no one in particular.

"Losing a loved someone isn't something you can easily recover from," Oren replies. "It's best we avoid him when we get to Fortra, as not to stir any pains."

He's right. It's probably best to avoid Elric, but a part of me wants to convince him to rejoin us. I have a feeling we'll need his help on our mission to stop Katja.

After a short walk, the old rebel town fades into view. The burnt houses have been replaced by new ones more colorful than before. There's literally no sign of destruction. The people appear joyous, and the fields are flourishing. Fortra is starting to look a lot like Fiddles.

"Isn't that Princess Cassis?" some says.

"Oh, it is her!" A woman gives us the stink eye. "I bet the king wants us to join the kingdom. I say no way! Fortra is ours. Get out of here!"

"Be nice. It was her who convinced the army to leave us alone."

"True...alright, I forgive her."

Cassis heaves a sigh. She approaches the two and asks, "We're looking for Captain Morgan. Do you know where he is?"

"I saw in wandering in the desert this morning."

"No, that was some other old man. Captain Morgan, he's over by the grape fields right now, I believe."

"Are you sure? I was just there."

As the two argue, a third person arrives. It's Elric.

"Captain Morgan is at the beach....where he always is. What are you doing here?"

Upon seeing him, Cassis and Oren light up. They approach, but the thief backs away slightly.

"You look like a changed man," the monk says, remarking on Elric's new attire. "How have you been?"

"I'm not interested in talking. Don't cause any trouble."

"We won't," Cassis says. "We just need the captain's help, and then we'll go."

Elric doesn't stick around to hear what we have to say. He shakes his head and leaves.

Stepping foot on the North Beach brings back memories. In retrospect, our time here wasn't so bad. Monotonous, yes, but many relationships were formed during our time as captives.

Several villagers are wandering about, probably searching for crab meat. I recognize a couple of them to be the former crew of Captain Morgan's ship. The captain himself is seated on giant stone close to the waters, staring quietly at the sea. We head over to see how he's doing.

"Captain Morgan?" Cassis says. "So glad to find you here."

The old man cocks his head in confusion. "Who are you?" He looks more disheveled than I last remembered.

"That's Princess Cassis, King Triton's daughter," Oren jumps in to explain. "We're here to ask for your help."

"Ah, the monk...and his sidekick the priest!" He eyes me and smiles. "You've sure progressed."

I nod, then point to the wrecked ship still in the exact same spot as when I last saw it.

"The ship? What about it?"

"We need to get to Adventure Island," Melisande says. "Can you take us there?"

The captain scratches his head. "Adventure Island...You don't need me. There are plenty of ships that sail there."

"Actually, no one would take us there," Cassis explains. "Which is why we came to see you. We can provide a ship. We just need a crew to pilot it."

Captain Morgan gets off the stone, stares at us for a moment, then says, "I can't help you."

"Why not?"

"Are you too afraid to sail?" Oren asks. "After that...incident."

"Don't insult me with that nonsense! I've been on a ship since the age of five. Nothing scares me! Nothing!"

Melisande frowns. "Then why not join us and get back to sea?"

"I can't..." Captain Morgan sighs. "Not without my Breanne."

I immediately understand, and so do the others. Having been so preoccupied with finding the last seal and stopping Katja, I had forgotten about the quest from Captain Morgan: repair his ship. Now, it looks like that'll have to be our main focus.

"Then let's fix her up," Oren says.

"Do we really have the time?" Melisande asks.

"It's a great idea!" Cassis studies the shipwreck and nods. "Asentus should have all the materials we need to repair it."

Captain Morgan's eyes light up. "Are you sure? It's won't be cheap. Maria needs a specific kind of wood."

"Just tell us what you need and we'll get on it."

The captain turns to me. "Do you still have the quest?"

I nod.

"Wonderful!" He looks at us with appreciation. "You go gather the materials. I will rally the crew. Together, we will fix this beauty and get her back to sea!"

After a celebratory cheer, we review the required materials and get to work on acquiring them. The parts for the interior of the ship, we learn, are all available in Port Stoney. Only the pieces of expensive Maple Wood will take more time. They seem only grow in Fiddles, and we need permission from the king to cut down a free trees. With Jorry and his team's help, we speed through the Asentian Desert, gather everything we need, then return to North Beach.

"You folks are quick," Captain Morgan says. "Do you have everything?"

We lay out the materials on the sand for the captain to inspect.

He strokes his beard, pleased and excited. Then, he turns to the crew of ten and announces, "Alright, we have a ship to build. Get to work!"

As the captain's words disappear, the ground starts so shake. From an opening in the ship, two giant crab claws swim out, gliding through the sand towards us.

"It's the King Crab!" someone yells.

The creature bursts out of the sand, revealing a shiny red body half the size of the ship.

We brace for battle, as the world spins out of control.

* BATTLE START *

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[battle scene omitted]

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* BATTLE END *

The King Crab explodes into innumerable pieces, sprinkling the beach with its healing flesh. Villagers scatter to collect the bounty, while we catch our breath. There's no need to heal the group, as we all gained a level from that battle.

"With that taken care of," Captain Morgan says, "let's get back to work!"

Like an assembly of robots, the captain and his crew burst into motion, zipping around the beach with perfect coordination.

"This will take a few days," he tells us. "Go rest in Fortra, stock up, and I'll let you know when we're ready to set sail."

As soon as his words vanish, the sun begins to set. The four of us leave North Beach and make our way Fortra. It's already dark. We head over to the tavern and agree to sleep for three days, then regroup. By then, the ship should be complete.

The first and second nights fly by in a blink. Waking up on the third day, I decide to go to see Elric and try to convince him to rejoin us. As expected, he's up in the watch tower on guard duty.

"Oh, it's you," he says, giving me barely a second of a glance. "Well, this should be an interesting conversation."

His sarcasm eases the tension.

I join him by the rails, following his sweeping gaze of the lands around Fortra. Although I've been up here a few times, I've never really paid much attention to the view. The sea, the beach, the desert, every landmark in the north is visible from up here. It's no surprise I was spotted when I tried to sneak into town that one time. I chuckle to myself.

"Look, the ship's almost complete," he tells me, pointing to a brown blob on the beach. "Captain Morgan has regained his spirits thanks to you."

Initially, I was worried that our conversation would comprise me signing to him in futility while he scratches his head in frustration. The unexpected frankness he's exhibiting is a surprising, yet welcome change.
Elric moves over to the south side and scans the desert. "Jorry and Ayla came by the other day. At first I wanted to strangle him, but then I realized my anger was misplaced. Even though he's so far up the king's behind, I can't fault him for it." After a long pause, he continues. "Tillis...I still miss her."

This kid needs a hug, but I opt for a stroke on the back.

"Thanks."

At this moment, I feel it's time let him know why I'm here. I sign up my reason to him, and he pushes me hands aside.

"Don't stick those things in my face," he says. A sigh later, he continues, "I know what you're here for. You want me to rejoin the party."

I nod.

"I'll think about." He walks over to the west side of the tower and stares far into the horizon. "I've been investigating something...Nevermind, just go."

I prod him to say more, but he brushes me aside.

"I said I'll think about it."

Satisfied with our conversation, I leave him alone and descend the tower. Back in the tavern, everyone is asleep. I lie down in my bed and close my eyes.

When my eyes reopen, another day has already begun. I leave the tavern to convene with the group outside. How they always seem to wake up before I do is still a mystery to me.

Cassis does a stretch and smiles when she sees me. "Ready? Let's go check on the progress of the ship."

As we leave Fortra, my gaze lingers on the watch tower, hoping there would be a last-minute surprise from Elric. But, I suppose he's decided not to join us after all.

When we get to North Beach, Captain Morgan and his crew greet us with enthusiasm.

"Ah! I was just about to head over to town to tell you!" the captain says. He gestures to the view behind him. "But as you can see..."

"The ship is complete!" the crew of seven men blurt.

We rush to the shore where the new Maria is anchored. it looks the same as before, from what I can tell. A pier has also been built for easy boarding. There, a handful of villagers wait to see us off.

Captain Morgan ogles at the ship with pride. "Maria...We'll take good care of you this time." He comes to and turns to us. "Are you ready to leave?"

There's no question about it. We all nod.

"It looks like someone else is joining us." The captain points past us.

It's Elric.

Without a word, he strolls down the pier, then up the ship. The crew board. We follow them in, and before I realize it, the ship has already pulled away from shore.

~*~