Heart pounding in his chest, Caleb shoved his way into the great cabin.

The smell of smoke greeted him. It curled into one of his nostrils and made him cough. But he didn’t see any flame, and the morning sun had gone behind some clouds, leaving the room dim.

Tavia arrived behind him in the doorway.

“Caleb, what–” she began.

“Breena and Daffodil,” he replied quietly. “They’ve got to be affected too.”

“Dost thou think so?” Shaw said gruffly, as he came up on Tavia’s flank. “Thy wee beasties lack the same killer instinct that is part of mine own countenance.”

“Yeah, I think so,” Caleb said. “And since we need to keep one of the ‘wee beasties’ hidden, I need you to stay close to this door, keep anyone from entering for now.”

Shaw acknowledged this with a grunt. He closed the door by grabbing the handle with his beak, and then turned to face out towards the quarterdeck. The closed door blocked out almost all of the already-meager light, so Caleb invoked the spell he wanted to remedy the problem.

Dancing Lights

He called up a trio of glowing, bobbing orbs. Then sent them floating up to the cabin’s ceiling timbers. They illuminated the space, showing a lump under the sheets of his bed, as well as the smoldering edge of one of the parchments taken off the Damsel.

Caleb approached the bed cautiously. The lump under the sheets moved. He reached out and carefully pulled the sheets back, revealing a wide-eyed splashcat.

Her tri-colored tail was tucked low and held next to her body. But her shamrock-green eyes, while wide-pupiled, didn’t have a crazed, desperate look. So he decided to take a chance.

“Something scared you, Breena?” he said gently. Caleb crouched down and spread his arms. “Come on, I’ll get you out of here.”

Breena cocked her head, as if trying to understand his words. She let out a plaintive miaow.

“That’s right, come here, pretty girl.”

With stunning swiftness, Breena jumped from the bed into Caleb’s arms. The tarnished silvery tag that hung from her collar jingled as she did so. Then the cat climbed up onto his shoulders and curled around the back of his neck, clinging lightly to his shirt like a calico scarf.

The screen in his Quest Window updated.

Adventurer’s-Level Quest: Prevent additional magical companions from reverting to a completely feral state before they: a) damage/destroy your vessel or b) kill / injure themselves and/or members of your crew. STATUS: PARTIALLY COMPLETE.

“Watch out!” Tavia cried.

Caleb ducked as he sensed more than saw something zip by overhead. A zap! by as whatever it was popped his three light globes. He grimaced as his nose filled with the flatulent smell of swamp gas from the broken spheres.

The room was plunged back to darkness. But only for a moment. Tavia’s horn shone with a sparkling silver-gold phosphorescence, allowing them to see again.

“Daffodil?” Caleb called out. “Daffodil, come on out, no one’s going to–”

In reply, a feral-sounding growl came out of the darkness.

Okay, he thought. Seems that the ‘here, kitty-kitty’ method isn’t going to work on an Alloy Dragon.

For a split second, he thought he saw a flicker of blue eyes over by the shelves across the room. Caleb squinted at where he thought he’d seen the eyes. He was rewarded with Daffodil’s Character Sheet. One new entry attracted his attention.

Individual De-Buffs (Existing): Impulsive Nature. (Effects variable) Mental Abilities affected by 70% due to anti-magic spellcraft.

He took a step towards her. A red flicker of light flashed below the eyes, and a single lick of fire came out. It was little more than the flame from a disposable cigarette lighter, but it explained the burned parchment on the table.

I can’t allow any creature that can create an open flame to roam on board this ship! Caleb thought, as he set his jaw. I’ve just got to get my hands on her.

But as soon as he took another step, she turned on her chameleon-like ability and vanished. Caleb felt a rush of air as the shadow of Daffodil’s sinuous form passed by overhead, disappearing once again. Tavia swung her head back and forth, trying to follow the dragon’s path around the room.

“Tavia, I need to get Daffodil within your magical aura. If we can hold her there, she should come to her senses.”

“Maybe this will help.” The mare stretched out her neck and grabbed one of the nearby open storage cases in her teeth. Then she trotted to the center of the room and set it down next to her.

“That’s to store parts of the table when it’s not in use,” Caleb said. “Why this?”

“It has a top we can secure, and it’s not air-tight. If we get Daffodil in here, she should be all right. The only problem is, how are you going to catch someone who can turn invisible?”

“I’ve got an idea. Give me just a bit more light.”

The unicorn raised her head and turned up the glittery glow from her horn. Caleb snatched up the still-smoldering parchment off the table. He blew carefully on the lit end, making the parchment glimmer and threaten to burst outright into flame.

Reedy-scented smoke poured off the document. In no time, the cabin filled with smoky vapor. Breena clung tight to Caleb’s neck, her little claws dug into his shirt and prickling his skin. She let out a tiny cat-sneeze.

A thump, came from outside the cabin. It was followed by a leonine growl.

“Shaw!” Tavia called. “What’s wrong?”

“Hast thou moved away from thy side of the door?” the griffin asked.

“Yes, but–”

“Some kind of savagery keeps trying to infiltrate mine own thoughts! I felt it more strongly as thy presence receded from me!”

Tavia looked back to Caleb, eyes wide. “This is alarming. It suggests other types of dark magic, not just suppression.”

“Which is why your Light Magic is proof against it,” Caleb agreed. He dropped the smoking parchment on the floor and stamped it out. Then he raised his voice to call to the drake. “Hold it together just a little longer, Shaw!”

“Aye, Captain. ‘Tis a struggle, but I shall.”

Caleb slowly raised his arms. Hawk like, he watched the thick layer of smoke that now hovered just above shoulder height. Finally, he spotted what he was looking for.

A little ripple or eddy in the smoke came from the far side of the table. As if something were lying there, breathing. He took a step towards it.

The ripple moved, zipping towards him and leaping over his head. Caleb grabbed at it blindly. His hands closed around a scaly torso. Breena let out a maow! and jumped over to Tavia’s shoulders as he did so.

“Okay, Daffodil,” he said. “Let’s get you–”

Suddenly, she began to thrash about. Caleb found that he had to grip with all his strength as Daffodil struggled in his grasp. While she didn’t try to gouge him with her claws, she wriggled in a manner that tossed his arms back and forth. He stumbled backwards several steps as he tried to keep his hold on her.

Dammit, this is like trying to wrestle a decent-sized boa constrictor!

“Watch out!” Tavia shouted. “You’re headed for the–”

But it was too late.

Caleb half-stumbled, half-fell out through the cabin door. Sienna, Donal, Patrick, and several other members of the crew stared in astonishment. Their Captain’s arms and legs jerked back and forth, moving as if dancing a strange jig with an invisible partner,

Shaw moved to block their view, even as Tavia shoved her way through the door. She carried the storage case before her in her teeth. Caleb turned and with a last burst of strength, managed to stuff the alloy dragon into the compartment.

He slammed the lid shut and turned the fastener to the locked position. Tavia touched her still glowing horn to the lid. Inside, Daffodil let out a horrified squeak of a gasp.

“I’m so, so sorry!” she said, in a voice just over a whisper. “I don’t know why I just–”

“It’s okay,” Caleb whispered back. “Just stay quiet for a bit.”

The screen in his Quest Window updated with a silent wink.

Adventurer’s-Level Quest: Prevent additional magical companions from reverting to a completely feral state before they: a) damage/destroy your vessel or b) kill / injure themselves and/or members of your crew. STATUS: COMPLETE.

“Captain!” Patrick said, as Shaw moved aside. “Are you feeling unwell? What’s going on?”

Oh, crap. Going to have to fake my way through this one if I’m going to keep Daffodil a secret. I just hope my diminished powers will do the trick.

He invoked both his Corsair Sub-Specialties.

Charisma Boost

Bluff Assist

“I’m not just feeling well,” Caleb declared to the watching crewmen, “I’m feeling superb!”

Patrick frowned. “Then you have me right kerfuzzled. What in Lir and Danu’s name was that all about?”

“That? That was my wizardry in action. Surely, you’ve seen me gesture when invoking my magic before?”

“Prayer’s up, I have. But–”

“But this was an extra complicated spell I was practicing. It needed more of what we’d call, ah, Body English. At least in my world.”

“Aye, that makes sense, I suppose. What spell were you tryin’ to perfect?”

“Why…I was trying to turn something invisible! Can’t you see it?”

Everyone squinted at a spot just above and to the side of the quarterdeck. A couple of the crew shook their head. Patrick and a few others called out Nay.

“That’s fantastic news, then!” Caleb declared. “My spell worked!”

“Captain, what did you turn invisible?” Noack Miley called, from down below on the main deck.

Dammit, Noack, you’re not helping here!

“You know, that’s a good question,” Caleb hedged. “Before I tell you what it was, I need to see how long the spell lasts. So I want at least one person to keep an eye out, and as soon as you see an invisible object appear, let me know.”

Miley considered. “Aye, that’s as good as done, Captain.”

The murmurs from the crew around him indicated general agreement.

“Good man.” Caleb looked over to Sienna and Donal. “I’d like you to join Tavia, Shaw, and myself for a quick conference in my cabin.”

Donal called Noack up to take over the helm. Sienna assigned one of the crew to keep their eyes on the spot where Caleb’s ensorcelled invisible object might theoretically appear. Then they squeezed inside beside the unicorn and griffin.

“All right,” he said, as soon as the door was closed. “It seems like the artifacts on that island up ahead are decreasing Shaw and Daffodil’s levels of sentience, and ramping up their violent tendencies. Tavia’s immune, probably due to her Light Magic. Breena seems unaffected as well. Maybe because she’s a cat, they don’t seem to be affected by a lot of things.”

“Mine own temperament is fine for now,” Shaw rumbled. “So long as I am near Tavia, my mood hath been benign enough.”

“That’s good,” Caleb said. “Because I need you to fly her and Daffodil over to Matagorda, right now.”

Sienna stared at him. “You want them to fly further into…well, whatever is affecting them? That’s madness, Captain! For them as well as you!”

A new screen popped up at the edge of Caleb’s vision.

WARNING:

YOUR NEXT ACTIONS WILL RESULT IN A SPLITTING OF YOUR PARTY.

THIS WILL MATERIALLY ALTER YOUR OPTIONS GOING FORWARD.

DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE?

YES / NO

He tapped YES, and got a second screen as a reward.

New Adventurer’s-Level Quest: Sway your officers’ opinions enough to neutralize opposition to your decision. STATUS: IN PROGRESS.

Lir and Danu’s Helpful Hints:

Command of a ship is dependent on all officers working together, or at least not working in opposition to its goals, and the orders given to attain them. We recommend that you do NOT utilize your persuasion-related Corsair skills to complete this quest. Prolonged use of these skills amongst one-on-one relationships will eventually lead to the erosion of trust and disillusionment of your officers. We highly recommend you avoid these problems as they could lead to loss of crew efficiency, insubordination, mutiny, and can result in rather colorful forms of death. We even more highly recommend that you avoid death, no matter whether it is filled with color or not,

“This isn’t madness,” Caleb explained, as he swept the screen out of the way. “It’s a calculated risk. True, our friends are affected more strongly the closer they get to the island. But if they stay on the ship…we’re headed right into the epicenter of it all, at Matagorda Port. If Shaw takes them just to the edge of the island, and both he and Daffodil stay close to Tavia, then there’s a better chance of everyone remaining sane.”

“I don’t know…” Donal said, frowning. “There’s still a chance of them succumbing and going feral.”

“There is one other factor to consider,” Tavia said calmly. “Should any of us become overwhelmed by this dark sorcery, then it is best that it happens when we are separate from you.”

“Yes, but what about–”

The unicorn shook her horn no. “There is no mitigating factor. If I or Grimshaw were to lose control aboard the Spitfire, we could sink the ship with all hands.”

“Maybe we need to reconsider this,” Sienna said, though she spoke reluctantly. “We can’t afford to lose Shaw, Tavia, and Daffodil. Maybe we need to look at Patrick’s plan once more. Rescue a dozen people instead of all fifty.”

“We’re rescuing everyone,” Caleb insisted. “No ifs, ands, or buts.”

“But why? Why take this risk?”

“Because I didn’t share with you one last document we took off the Damsel.” Caleb went to the table and picked up a half-rolled up scroll. This one carried the skull mark of the Death Cultists, and was written in red instead of black ink. “I didn’t think it necessary at the time. But things have changed.”

He cleared his throat and began to read the Myrkur document aloud.