Crassus unfurrow the sails of his sheep. Ogres manned the ship, as they were resistant to curses and magic in general. The merchant tried to tell himself that this was no different from one of his oversees merchant trips, but the heavy weight on his shoulder told him otherwise.

Theanore had cried when she saw him off, but she had also smiled at his courage, too. Marinus and Cassius had both promised to look after Theanore and the rest of the children, and Esmer had kissed him.

Crassus touched the place where the dungeon core’s lips had met his, and he smiled. Ever since that walk around the lake, Esmer and he behaved like a married couple. Even though they weren’t one.

Perhaps when he came back with the witch truly dead, he would be worthy of Esmer’s hand. He looked down at his life-extending ring. Clotilde had tried to trip him when he was on deck more than once. To drown him in the water. But he had regained his footing just in time.

The witch was powerful, even in death. Of that, Crassus had no doubt. But the life-extending ring was level 9999 on the scale. A gift from Elmar and the last one he enchanted before he left the grotto the first time. Crassus was certain that he would reach mount Licht and its sacred springs.

“Captain, there is a storm brewing.” Said Gorgog the Ogre, the youngest brother of Norgog, the Chief of the Ogre tribe.

“Tie up everything and get below deck. We will wait it out.” Said Crassus as he began to furrow back the sail he had just unfurrow. The sky was blue and cloudless, but he was sure the witch was calling every trick she could to kill him and spread her curse on someone else. Thus, coming one step closer to life.

Crassus got down to the deck and began tying the barrels with tick ropes. The surrounding Ogres rushed to do the same. Soon, the skies were a stormy gray and the waves were swinging the ship back and forth like a parent would a cradle.

But, fortunately, they had everything tied up, and the sails were secured. It would be a nightmare if the sails became torn up. They had oars, but it would take them twice the time to reach Alerion with them.

Crassus looked at one of the Ogres and stopped him with a hand movement.

“Tell your brethren to get below deck. I will stay here to make sure we don’t get off course.” Said Crassus and the Ogre began to collect his fellows and to relay the message.

Crassus looked at the compass and found that while they had been tying everything down, they had gone to the west when they should have kept going forward. He gripped the wheel and began to move it back on course.

The rain pelted on Crassus’ skin, but he kept pushing to the east so that the ship can go back to the course it should have kept to. He looked up at the skies and screamed.

“Clotilde, I am Crassus. I will bring you to mount Licht. Not only that, but I will drown you in the sacred springs. You can make a tidal wave three times bigger than this ship, but my words will come to pass.”

Then, a giant tidal wave appeared on the horizon and Crassus heard a cackle come from his shoulder. He gulped. He hadn’t expected for the witch to take his words literary.

Furthermore, he began to wheel the wheel towards the east with even bigger urgency than before. The wave didn’t seem to have an end. And before long, it crashed into the ship, forcing it under the water.

Crassus awoke on sand with a bird pecking his nose. It was a seagull, and he shooed it off of himself with a huff. Rule number one while traveling to mount Licht: Never challenge Clotilde.

He groaned and looked around. There was no one on the island with him, and he was surrounded by wreckage. There seemed to be a giant mountain on the island that had smoke coming out of it. Wait, this was no mountain, this was a volcano!

Crassus racked his brain for any islands close to the shores of Eomis that had volcanos in them. He was only a week away from the grotto, so that ruled out Skull island and Net’s spikes island.

Which was good, since they were teaming with pirates during the entire year. He looked around and found some loose yellow stones laying on the sand. He touched them. They were fool’s gold.

“I am at Leprechaun’s island.” He said to himself, and he looked around worriedly. Leprechauns were little devils. They lured travelers to their mountains of fool’s gold, and then they played pranks on them.

But Crassus didn’t have a choice. He needed to meet the inhabitants of the island and ask for a ship. He was sure that once he passed the three tests that the leprechaun chief gave him, he was going to be sold a ship. Not only that, but he just hoped the Ogres were ok.

Crassus followed the line of fool’s gold to the heart of the forest of the island and cupped his hands in front of his mouth.

“Hello? My name is Crassus, and I am here looking for my shipmates and a new ship. I can pay, and I am ready to do your three tests.” Yelled Crassus and suddenly, a net unfurrow under his legs and forced him up to the branches of a tall tree.

Small child-like beings dressed in green suits with top hats came with pitchforks below the net. One of them eyed Crassus suspiciously.

“First Ogres, now a human.” Said the leprechaun. “And neither want our gold.”

“Sir leprechaun.” Said Crassus as the net dug into his sides. “My ship was wrecked by a wave. If you do not assist me, then you will have a murder on your conscience.”

“If I don’t assist him, he says. Well, human, do you know what we make our gold from?” Asked the leprechaun. Crassus shook his head.

“Seawater and stone. But we don’t mine the stone, oh no. Our captives do.” Said the leprechaun, and the hand on Crassus’ shoulder giggled at this misfortune which had befallen her host.