Tisha stands on the deck of the pirate ship, sailing through a thick fog, looking out into the distance. Beside her, the Captain stares, reaching for the hilt of his sword. He draws his blade, and she stares off into the distance as the fog surrounds them. He twitches and swings, only to stop himself just above her head.

            “Too scared?” She asks.

He smirks. “If I did it. I wouldn’t make it five more steps, would I?”

            “Probably not. Not like you can hit me, anyway. I’d dodge it and fill you full of arrows.”

He sheaths his blade. “Do you know about this area?”

            “I’m not from these islands.”

            “Of course, you don’t know then. I’m sure most wouldn’t realize it unless they're deep-sea sailors.”

            “So, what’s this place about, then?”

            “They say over a hundred years ago a Demon was felled in these waters. Its corpse corrupted the water and monsters were drawn to it. Since then, no sailors have sailed this area wanting to avoid certain death.”

Tisha nods. “I see.”

            “Then you know why we should avoid this area. We should leave. Your little lord has to be elsewhere. There’s nothing but the open ocean here. No islands, no land, nothing of value.”

Tisha nods as he rants. “Pepper?”

            “Yes.” Pepper flies in as a small ball of light floating around Tisha’s head. She lands and takes her human form, waving at the Captain who turns away from her.

            “Are you sensing Glyn and Mila around here?”

Pepper nods. “Yes. I can sense both of them. It’s harder to pick up on Glyn, but Mila is easy to track with her abundance of Mana.”

            “Which way?”

Pepper pauses and then points off into the distance. “It feels stronger over that way.”

            “Okay. Captain, give the order!” Tisha yells.

He snarls and turns to the helmsmen. “Take us starboard!”

The helmsman nods and turns the wheel as the ship slowly turns right.

            “Thank you.”

            “Don’t thank me yet. I wasn’t kidding about the stories or the monsters. It’s up to your crew to deal with that since most of my men are injured from, well, your crew.”

Tisha nods. “Fine. At the very least, we’ll save the helmsman. After we get our friends back, I’m sure we can find our way back without you.”

            “Not so fast, girly. You underestimate the seas. These islands need a navigator. You can’t just sail recklessly. That’s how your little lordling got himself into this mess.”

            “You may be right. But… if it comes down to it, we’ll manage.”

He snarls as his tail wags with anger. He turns away, stomping across the deck as everyone turns to him.

            “Pepper.”

            “Yes?”

            “Make sure we save him too if it comes down to it. I would rather not let him die on us so easily.”

Pepper nods. “Of course. I don’t plan on letting any of us die. We’re on a rescue mission, not a suicide mission after all.”

            “Okay. But if it comes down to it.”

Pepper laughs. “Alright. I’m going to check on Rufus. He’s getting seasick from all this rocking.”

            “He’s from a fishing village. How does he get seasick?” Tisha asks as Pepper flies away as a small ball of light.

 

Hours before Tisha, after conquering the pirates in battle, Tisha and the captain made a deal. In exchange for the use of his ship and navigation skills, his and his crew’s lives would be spared. The group would set out to find Glyn’s group, while a portion of his forces remained on Jubert Island. Tisha, Pepper, Rufus, Ivar, and Fiona set off with the pirates, leaving the others behind to watch over the island. Now Tisha sits on the ship guided by Pepper and the Captain hoping to find Glyn or any sign of him.

            “Nothing but ocean,” Fiona says. “I could use a fight about now.”

Ivar rolls his eyes. “Go spar with the pirates again, then.”

            “No way. I scared them off.”

            “You tend to do that.”

            “Come on guys, focus,” Tisha says. “Pepper says we should be getting close.”

            “Close to what, exactly? I don’t know what we’re looking for.” Fiona says.

Ivar nods. “I know Glyn and the others are alive. But there’s nothing but water out here.”

            “Maybe they’re in some magic bubble underwater or something?”

            “None of them know any magic capable of doing that.” Ivar pauses. “Well, maybe Glyn does. But could he hold it for this long, considering his whole curse thing?”

Tisha sighs. “We have to do something or else this trip was a waste.”

They turn to Rufus hurling over the side of the ship with Pepper patting his back. “Take it easy,” Pepper says.

            “I’m fine. I should be fine as long as….” He pukes again into the sea.

            “Why did we bring Rufus again?” Fiona asks.

            “In case something attacks. We have to be ready for….” Tisha turns, staring out at the water. “…anything.”

Tentacles emerge from the water and surround the ship. Tisha fires off her arrow at them, only for her arrows to fly through the monster’s limbs. The thick fog surrounds them as several more tentacles emerge from the sea.

            “What’s this?” Fiona asks.

            “No idea.” Ivar stares. “I’ve never seen a sea monster this big before.”

Rufus stares as the tentacles seem to emerge from the fog. “Guys. I think the monsters are….”

A tentacle slams down towards him with Fiona swinging her ax towards it. The tentacle fades into fog as she swings, saving Rufus.

            “Okay, that’s new.”

            “The monster is made of fog!” Rufus screams.

Pepper stares at the tentacles and takes a deep breath. She claps and shoots out a burst of wind in all detections dissipating some of the surrounding fog. She forms a barrier of wind, keeping the fog away as everyone gathers around her.

            “What is happening!?” The Captain yells out. “You brats dragged me into a Demon’s nest. I know it! I should’ve just died in battle.”

            “It’s not a Demon. Trust me, a Demon would be crazier.” Fiona says.

            “It’s a monster that hasn’t fully taken shape,” Pepper explains. “Its body can only sustain itself from the Mana infused into the mist.”

            “What does that mean for us?” The Captain asks.

            “As long as my barrier holds, it can’t attack us. However, we also can’t leave.”

            “We’ll we’re going to die here them.” He sits on the deck. “Should’ve known it’d end like this.”

Tisha rolls her eyes. “That was the thing that got Glyn. Meaning it dragged him and the others somewhere.”

Pepper nods and closes her eyes. “I can sense the others underneath us. It feels like they're both here and not here at the same time. A feeling I’ve only felt from the Dungeon before.”

            “A Dungeon out here?” Ivar asks.

            “Whatever’s the cause, we need to find a way to reach them without being dragged in.”

            “I can contact them. It’ll take considerable focus to breach the dimensional walls. If my barrier wavers Rufus, please support it with your magic,” Pepper says.

Rufus panics. “I don’t….”

She grabs his hands and gives him a gentle smile. “You can. You’ve learned a lot in the past two weeks. And you pulled off that Wind Spell earlier today. You can do this.”

He nods. “Alright, I’ll try.”

She walks backwards, standing in the center of the ship as a bright glow comes from her body. The light shines through the darkness and she smiles.

            “Glyn, Mila, it’s good to see you both doing so well.” She says reaching the pair trapped in the Dungeon.