The salty air breezed across the poop deck through the ghostly sea mist. Whiteness surrounded the entire ship, including the sky.

Although Lucy couldn’t see the moon, she knew nightfall had arrived quickly.

After Lucy helped Byron free tribe members from the slavers, Walton high-jacked her ship and kidnapped Charles. To reach him, she had to steal Captain Flipper’s armor ship before the cat sailed away too far. Whatever the cat’s plan with Charles, she will not let him get away with it. And rescuing Charles became her new sub-quest to complete.

As the sky turned dark, the Iron Maiden drifted into a fog with barely any visibility. Of course, sailing through the fog was risky. Anything could hide in a fog and ambush a travelling isolated vessel. Pirates, sea monsters, or even ghosts. But as long as Lucy’s friend was on the line, fear won’t stand in her way.

“You see anything, Ivy?” Lucy shouted.

The cabin cat girl in the crow’s nest shouted, “I see nothing! Is Kiki back?”

“No! I hope she didn’t get lost.” Lucy’s heart pounded at that thought.

The tropical parrot girl was good at flying while scouting for whatever Lucy needed to find. But flying through a thick layer of fog was still risky.

Soon, a flapping sound reached Lucy’s floppy ears. On her right, she saw a shadow land toward her. “Kiki?”

The parrot girl stretched her wings. “Squawk! I found the Iron Maiden!”

“Where?”

“On the other side of the white wall! North I think. Squawk!”

The parrot meant the fog, which looked like a giant white wall of clouds on the ocean's surface. Maybe the fog wasn’t big after all.

“Did you get the chance to spy on the ship?” Lucy asked.

Kiki shook her head. “I flew around it, but I saw nobody there. Squawk!”

“Nobody is on the ship?”

Kiki shrugged. “I’m not sure. It looks abandoned. Squawk! Maybe Walton and his crew are sleeping inside.”

Lucy rubbed her chin. It sounded weird that a ship would suddenly stop for the crew to rest. What if Walton noticed the penguin’s ship was following him?

He probably ordered his pirates to leave the ship so they could sneak aboard her ship when she approaches the Iron Maiden. They couldn’t have disappeared unless something cursed the fog.

Her father told her many scary stories about the sea. Although her intelligence attribute was low, believing anything would keep her and her crew alive.

“Nice work, Kiki,” she said. “You can rest now while we approach the ship.”

After Kiki saluted her, Lucy approached the steering wheel below the poop deck. “Get the cannons ready! Don’t shoot unless I give the orders!”

Her crew’s feet scrambled across the main deck and below within the ship. They immediately prepared the cannons for battle. If Walton’s pirates hid in the fog, they would meet her cannon fire.

Tashina and Byron approached her.

“Wi inna battle now?” The hyena voodoo priestess asked.

“Not quite.” Lucy kept her eyes forward while turning north. “Kiki found the ship. I assumed Walton noticed us and decided to wait so his crew could ambush us. But Kiki didn't see anyone aboard.”

Byron crossed his arms. "They could be sleeping. That shall give us the chance to ambush them."

"I thought so too, but what if it's a trap? They couldn't have fallen asleep immediately while sailing."

Tashina grinned. “Sometimes it takes a leap of faith tuh si di outcome.”

“No matter what, remember your friend,” said Byron. “He still needs you.”

Lucy nodded and turned her focus back to the front. The salty sea mist drifted apart as the Ruthless Peaker reached the clearing.

Lucy could see the entire sea now, and- The Iron Maiden!

Charles’s vessel floated still under the moonlight. Behind the ship was an island silhouette, not very far. But that island wasn’t important.

“Pull the sails down and lower the anchor!” Lucy ordered.

After the ship halted, Lucy picked up her spyglass and peeked through it at the Iron Maiden. No lights glimmered within the ship, and nobody strolled on the deck. Not even a lookout sat in the crow’s nest.

Kiki was right. The ship looked abandoned, but how could that be?

Lucy kept her eyes on the ship since she left Byron’s island. Nothing changed until the ship sailed into the fog.

A cold shiver ran down Lucy’s spine. With her doggy keen senses, she knew something wasn’t right.

She lowered her spyglass and turned toward her two crewmates. “You two will come with me. We will sneak aboard and look closely. If Walton’s pirates are still aboard, I will signal the others to attack while we find Charles.”

Byron grinned, flashing his shark teeth. “Should I transform and eat the pirates?”

Lucy giggled. She almost forgot the tribal panther was a wereshark who could only transform at night. “Not yet. Ambushing them will give us the upper hand. First, we must scout the ship.”

Tashina and Byron nodded.

*****

Before Lucy hopped into the rowboat with Tashina and Byron, she checked her character status.

Lucy Longsilver Level: 19 Race: Cocker Spaniel (Dog) Class: Pirate Captain HP: 190 MP: 0 Experience Points: 0/1,900 Proficiency Points: 2 Strength: 7 (17) Speed: 6 Intelligence: 4 Charisma: 7 Computer Player Skills: Crafting Scent Stealth Fencing Equipment: White dress (DP+5) The Vanquisher (Cutlass AP-10) Health potion x 1 Elixir x 2 Fear bomb x2

Lucy doesn’t remember how strong Walton was when she met him. But since he was an NPC, he won’t stand a chance against her.

Lucy, so far, was the only Computer Player in the virtual world of Skulls and Crossbones Online. She could grow stronger and gain new abilities, which no NPC could do. The only people who could challenge her were Players and higher-level enemies.

Without the ability to level up, Walton will be at Lucy’s mercy. And he better pray he didn’t hurt Charles.

After Lucy sat between Tashina and Byron, the panther held up the paddles and stroked the water into motion.