Good to set off on their adventure, Cahira stood and motioned for those around the table to do the same. “We be preparin’ ta leave—Bonnet, get yer crew ready ta shove off in thirty!”

He pursed his lips and nodded, vision shifting to Jack for a moment with a look that said he’d love to get his hands on the man at the end of their journey. “We will be ready to sail.”

She stopped at the door with the others behind her and shot a side-long glance at the Gentleman Pirate. “Ah, and lighten yer ship as best ye can; I don’t need ya slowin’ us down.”

Selvaria’s suspicious glare made the man shiver. “Yeah, we need to make this trip quick; I don’t want to be on a two-day dinner trip—”

Her expression darkened further as a thought seemed to pop into her head. “Cahira… Will I need to tow them if they’re too slow?”

“Nah,” she waved behind her, heading for the exit while subconsciously swinging her vessel around to run parallel to Bonnet’s boat. “If they’re too slow, we’ll just leave ‘em fer the monsters.”

“Haaa. That’s a relief,” Selvaria smiled, reaching up to pat Galatea’s head. “Who’s ready for their first big battle? Mhm! You’re gonna eat lots of fishes.”

A short hum came from Mara as she examined the fairly bare-bone interior of the Dreadnought on their way out. “Fiona mentioned some events involving the previous quest you did, and I’ve heard about… less intensive tasks Ana had back in Cuba, but what exactly are we supposed to be dealing with?”

“It sounds like they’re supposed to be a challenge if nothing else!” Nemesis grinned, tongue sliding over his glistening teeth. “It’s been too quiet the last few days, and I’m eager to have a fight.”

Ward slapped the Lion King on the back with a hardy laugh. “A fight be awaitin’ ye, Friend; there be glory and riches for all!”

“Hehe. I could care less about the riches and glory,” Nemesis muttered, claws easing out as they walked, muscular fingers flexing. “Give me something I can rip apart with my bare hands.”

“Aye, haha,” Jack hesitantly stumbled to the side. “There be a plenty o’ things ta wet yer thirst; I be sure of it!”

The nighttime, warm Miami sea breeze caught Cahira’s hair, forcing her to tame it while stopping at the side of her rail guard; snickering internally, she shot a sly grin at the confused Gentleman Pirate. “Yer time aboard mi vessel be up, mi man!”

“Eh?”

He took a step back and tilted her head in a telling gesture and jabbed her thumb to the side. “If ya could send our good man Bonnet back ta his crew, Nemesis, Love?”

“You must be—Cahira!”

A savage grin split the Lion King’s black lips as Selvaria and Mara giggled, and without hesitation, Nemesis’ swift hand closed around the back of the man’s coat before effortlessly tossing him off the rig.

“Excellent show, Man!” Jack clapped, watching Bonnet surprisingly snatch one of the rope ladders on his vessel in passing, skillfully swinging around to roll across his deck. “Perhaps ya should consider hangin’ up the Jolly Roger, Stede, and joinin’ the circus!”

“I am not amused!” Bonnet shot back with a disgruntled huff.

Cahira chuckled as she moved to the area she could jump off the Dreadnought, pulling away from the disgruntled small-time pirate crew. “I do appreciate ya, Nemesis; havin’ a man of yer particular skillset be a song to this lass’ heart!”

Mara lifted an eyebrow. “I hope you aren’t planning on exploiting Nemesis to fulfill all your wild fantasies; he has enough trouble trying to understand Rachel.”

“What’s there to understand?” Ward hummed, nudging the Lion King’s side. “If ya be wantin’ ta know how to be stealin’ a lass’ heart, I got a wonderful ten-step program that’ll catch any of the fish ya fancy!”

Cahira shot a thoughtful look his way while moving her vessel to settle alongside Zippy, and caught Selvaria’s lifted brow that said he clearly didn’t know who he was talking about.

“Jack, I’d love ta see ya try to woo Mythic’s lovely Lunar Hades Hare, but I be expectin’ yer intestines ta be on display across the mast the first night when ya inevitably try ta coppafeel!”

“Oof! A violent lass, be she?” Ward questioned with interest, but his smile faltered when Mara directed his attention to Nemesis.

“Think for a moment—what kind of girl do you expect someone like Nemesis to move countries for, hmm?”

“Ah-heh, point taken, mi Lovely Emerald Beauty!”

“Not a chance.”

“Hehe.”

Nemesis’ chest shook with entertainment. “Rachel’s underlings certainly are fun; don’t you think, Mara?”

“Mmh… I liked the stability we had in Cuba more than the chaos, but it is indeed more… lively, which is something I never thought I’d say, considering your daily stadium routine.”

Cahira chuckled as they began to banter a bit; Mara certainly did come off as a protective big sister, making her more curious about their past relationship. Clearly, there had been some kind of flame that passed between them, at least from Mara’s end, that was.

Nemesis had that cute, innocent, killer cat vibe that made her knees weak, but if he was after Rachel, she would need to play her cards carefully.

The Lunar Hades Hare came off as reasonable, yet Cahira had had an instinctive shiver when first meeting the young woman that put goosebumps through her, which only escalated after all the events they’d gone through.

Rachel had some kind of luck power that brought everything into her favor while either draining or nullifying anyone elses’ around her, and, if she perceived a threat, then there were storm clouds to follow her target.

It could be Moongmor’s obsession with her, having the eye of the gods, but Cahira would have bet it was the opposite; they were trying to ride the wind in her sails, and Cahira had undoubtedly done the same since she could sense the fountain of duality—Luck and Misfortune—the girl oozed.

Mind turning inward as Mara and Jack got into it, Cahira transferred to Zippy to tell Clay and hopefully recruit Maria; it never hurt to have a healer on deck. Selvaria stayed on the ship to examine the guns and educate her little transformed seal on the topic, with Nemesis exploring the levels.

Leaving the moss-haired woman to roll her eyes at Jack’s advances, testing the man to see how good his advice was, Cahira wondered how far he would get as she walked up the ramp to Zippy’s open gates.

She waved at the giant turtle when the not-so-little guy lifted his head to look at her, and she pondered for a moment if she should keep with her nickname of Zippy or go with Largo, the first name she’d picked out.

Zippy was easier and had already caught on, so she decided to stick with it.

Cahira’s lips tightened as she received a report from the Dragon Turtle that came in the form of downloaded knowledge rather than words, and she changed her direction from the control room to one of the bedrooms on the first floor.

Opening the door, she peeked into the dark room where the Sunlit Unicorn was sleeping between a dozen or so little girls. Dang. Guess she’s a bit preoccupied. I suppose she wouldn’t be up for it in any case, what, with the adoption stuff and carin’ enough to see if they find good homes.

She gently closed it and went to the control room, informing Clay of the expedition. He was more than a little happy she was leaving Zippy behind since it acted as a great controlled space; her Dragon Turtle had also—by some bizarre twist of fate—become an orphan shelter.

Exiting after briefing the military man, Cahira hummed on her way out, a lightness in her step; as she saw it, Mythic was more or less an organization with a lot of benefits she could utilize, and having a fun group of people—that happened to be incredibly strong—allowed a lot of leniencies in the rules and oversight many crews feared.

She rubbed Zippy’s slick cheek in goodbye, summoning a few tasty gems she’d gotten through her time in Cuba to give her good little boy a snack, and jumped on her ship to start the propellers.

Snatching Mara away from Jack—to her entertainment—Cahira summoned a table near the bow as the others broke away to talk amongst themselves. Nemesis spent some time with Ward as she explained their previous experience with this type of quest with the Myth of Iara.

The woman tied her lush, green hair into a braid while listening, only asking her to clarify a few points of interest until the end of her tale came, which didn’t take long with how swiftly Mara comprehended the experience.

“Hmm. It certainly sounds as if it was quite a trial, and without Rachel, none of you would be here.”

“Eh-hehe, yeah… I be a tad bit nervous without the quick-witted boss on mi ship, but I’m sure you’re up to the task! What be on yer mind?”

Mara held her arm behind her back, looking into the open sea they were entering with Bonnet’s ship tailing. “Feats of strength I don’t think will be too concerning, but yes, Rachel’s concern about our Seed level may be a concern; is that why you thought bringing Bonnet’s crew would help to level things down a tad?”

She blinked in response, making Mara sigh.

“You didn’t even consider that. Did you?”

“Nope! Haha! I just knew that he had some connections we be needin’. So…”

The woman’s shimmering light-brown irises drifted to the dark ocean, a slight frown touching her plump lips. “Mmh… There are a few possibilities that crossed my mind in your tale, and so far as I can tell, the trials were ‘tailor-designed’ to contend against those you had on your crew. It wasn’t just level, but type, and the interference by these demi-gods or… a rabbit the color of Nia’s hair?”

“Moongmor,” Cahira shrugged.

“As if that means something to me.”

“Hehe. Uh, Selvaria likes to call the dancin’ bunny Moon-Moon—apparently.”

“Uh-huh…” Mara folded her arms as she turned to stare at the exact place Selvaria, Nemesis, Jack, and Galatea had converged near the stern. “Do you believe this Moon-Moon will interfere again?”

“Probably… not, I think?” Cahira puffed out a sigh, pondering it for a time. “I can’t be sure, hmm, but I be believin’ he be more attached ta Rach, if nothin’ else—seein’ as he be a pet of that ol’ Celtic Goddess Eostre.”

“It would seem that way… We’ll see how things compare as we go. I think it’s safe to assume our challenges will be more water-based, considering we have Selvaria and I, who can take on aquatic forms. Nemesis, though…”

“Yeah, hehe, let’s hope we don’t meet somethin’ as strong as yer man!”

“He’s not my man,” Mara instantly shot back, giving her grin a dirty glare.

“Of course! Of course! Hmm-hmm. Ya just love ta be his lil’ songbird outta the warmth of yer bleedin’ heart. Makes sense ta me!”

“Humph. Until I can get more information, I’ll keep my speculation to myself.”

“Got it, Ms. Mossy!”

Mara’s vision somehow narrowed further. “You… did not just call me that.”

“I think it fits ya pretty well!” Cahira returned, eyeing her dress that highlighted her shapely figure before settling on her bound locks. “Hehe. I heard ya got a tail, too, when ya get in the tub; I’d like ta see a bit of tail miself if ya be willin’ ta humor a sea lass!”

A small smirk lifted her lips as Mara gave her a backward wave and walked away with a laugh. “Keep shooting your shot; I’m sure it will land eventually.”

“Aww! No fun. Hehe. I truly be wantin’ ta see it!”

She slowed to look back and wink. “Maybe you will one of these days.”

Shaking her head, Cahira watched her go, and, before long, Jack took her place.

With the taste of adventure on her tongue, Cahira smacked her hand against the wooden table with a beaming smile at the man’s reflected face; naturally, the scallywag had shot his own bullet at the Myth that missed its mark.

“Alright, Jackie! Let’s see this map of yers!”

“Aye! The winds be blowin’ in our favor, Love,” he laughed; his map and letter emerged from green flames as he flaunted them at her. “Eh-heh, except the love part be hangin’ low, eh?”

“Ya don’t be alone in yer troubles, Jackie! Want ta raise a bottle and drown our sorrows on the hope fer a nice body to share at the end of our tale?”

“Aye, aye! Captain Firelocks!”

She snatched the rolled-up papers out of the air at his toss, sending back a bottle of rum, and he popped the cork as she spread the parchment out, yet she didn’t take the spirits back as the clouded portions of the blank map began to fill in.

Cahira’s eyes narrowed. “Jack….”

“Oh! Now don’t this be a twist—a riddle be had, hmm?!” He downed a mouth full of the fiery liquid. “What says the winds of the sea, Love?”

The L on the parchment shimmered before words burned into the paper, thick mist rising out of the ocean to swallow them with Bonnet on their tail. Yet, Cahira now realized something wrong was afoot as she read the note aloud, Selvaria and Galatea joining them as they entered the wall of fog.

“How can one find what cannot be found? How can one fight what cannot be seen? How can one kill what is already dead? Earn a Legend’s support to capture the Heart of Darkness and sail through the deepest of seas to reach Isla de Marda. The Island of the Dead awaits your soul.”

“Spooky,” Selvaria grinned, stroking the back of her seal-baby, back in her animal form, but the girl’s smile faded as she read their map’s revealed destination. “Eh-huh—wait, haven’t we already been there?”

“You don’t say?” Jack whispered, stroking his braided beard while staring at the map in a knowing way. “Pirate’s Cove… Hehe. Somethin’ be tellin’ me ya know far more than… Woah!”

Cahira stepped forward, pistol flaring to life in her hand as she grabbed the man’s collar and brought the barrel to his throat. “What aren’t ya tellin’ me, Ward? This be no coincidence!”

The recollection of the island where she’d obtained her Dragon Turtle and met a rather terrifying Pirate Lord fixated in her mind; they were en route to enter the secret base of the experienced criminals of the sea.

“Speak straight with me, Ward; what games ye be playin’?”

Mara and Nemesis strolled through the fog with curious looks, having no doubt heard the conversation with their excellent hearing, and Jack glanced between their suspicious glares with a forced smile.

“Hehe. It seems mi suspicions be correct, Love. Savvy?”

Cahira grunted while shoving him back and returning to the map. “Bloody heck, Jack; what kind of devilish plot have ya entangled us in?”

“What’s up?” Selvaria mumbled, tail lifting to hold its bladed edge against the man’s nervous throat. “Should I throw him overboard—walk the plank—do you have a plank?”

A low chuckle came from Jack as he backed up a little for Selvaria’s tail to follow the retreat. “I think ya be a tad too fixated on this here plank idea, Lass!”

“Well, we are pirates right now.”

“Mara?” Nemesis asked, following her to the map as she crossed her arms under her bust.

“Hmm… Would this be an extension to your previous quest, Cahira?”

“It certainly seems ta be that way,” Cahira growled, keeping her pistol on Ward’s face. “No… perhaps it be a branching connection?”

Fingers sliding across the parchment with words, she sighed. “I believe I know what it be askin’ us ta do, and… how does this affect mi own follow-up Legend’s Quest. Hmm… Look here, Mara.”

She put away her gun now that Selvaria was keeping the pirate submissive, her seal taking on its Leviathan form to hiss in his ear, and summoned her own parchment to show the Myth.

“Ah… You said the L was gold before?”

“It indeed was, but now, ya see its change?”

“Hmm. Only a tad of red at the bottom, where your Legend’s Quest L is totally red. So… Ward’s quest was linked with your own, but only slightly; he was looking to have a larger reward than he could have had.”

Jack tried to tilt Selvaria’s tail away without success as she brought it closer at his touch. “Yikes! Hehe. Let’s, uh, not overreact here! I thought yer aid would strengthen mi standin’, and I happen to have been right! Treasures abound! Don’t it be a good thing we all be gettin’ a little somethin’ extra fer our troubles, hmm? It don’t think wanting the best for mi crew be a bad thing, Love!”

“Your crew…” Cahira hissed, shaking her head as the fog lifted to show the island in the distance. “You used me to reach a checkpoint, Jack; a smart lad, yet stupid beyond belief. Perhaps this will be skippin’ a few steps and get us home quicker, yet mi gut tells me we have a storm awaiting us in the waters ahead.”

“Drink?” Jack offered, holding out a bottle that Selvaria refused, but Cahira took it to lighten the edge.

“Haaa… Jack, ya best be keepin’ close to mi rump if ya want ta be makin’ it outta this place in one piece.”

Selvaria read the atmosphere and withdrew her tail. “Don’t worry. I’ll eat anything that tries to eat us.”

“Haha!” Nemesis’ fist met his palm, causing a small shockwave. “The Island of the Dead? I’ve never fought the dead.”

The Leviathan's head tilted to the side, a small twist coming to her lips as she licked them. “Bones are nice and crunchy, and the marrow is actually pretty good. Even if they can’t die, they can’t do much if they’re little shards, boiling in my stomach acid.”

Jack shot his hand in the air. “That’s what I like ta hear, crew! Oh, Cahira, do we have a tavern on this island?”

“There do be one, Jackie, hehe, but you and I, unfortunately, be needin’ ta visit another place.”

“Right! We got places to be, but…”

“Mara,” she grinned, summoning a bag full of tinkling gold and shaking it temptingly in front of the pirate before tossing it to the woman and asking, “mind stockin’ us up as we’re occupied?”

“Sure. Hmm. What is this place like, Selvaria?”

The girl’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Oh. Can Galatea and I get some food, too, Cahira—Nem-Nem, and Mara, too?”

“Knock yourselves out!”

“Yay!” she unemotionally cheered, lifting her hands up for the dragon seal to clap them. “Food!”

Cahira eyed Jack as he laughed the tension off, and she had to wonder if someone had put him up to this; few knew how the System worked like Rachel, and this seemed like blatant exploitation by the man.

Setting her ship on autopilot to the docks, Cahira grabbed Jack by the collar to her companions' surprise, and dragged him inside.

“Woah, heh—Love, eh… at least buy a man a bottle o’ spirits! Aye?”

“Mmh…”

Entering an empty cabin, she tossed him onto the bed to sit on the bunk across from it, leaning against her knees and folding her fingers under her chin. “If ya don’t be straight with me, Jack, yer gonna be locked in here for the foreseeable future, and… I can’t be tellin’ ya what happens ta the people in mi ship when I dismiss the vessel… Savvy?”

Jack straightened himself, eccentric demeanor tempering as he summoned a bottle to toss in her direction. “A desperate man does things he be wishin’ he didn’t, Love.”

Catching it, Cahira popped the cork and extracted the paper, vision narrowing as she read its contents.

Hello, Jack Ward. I am sure you are in quite a troubled state after finding your precious Queen Anne’s Revenge and crew vanished into thin air. Where are they? Safe, for now. What must you do to recover your stolen treasure? It’s simple, really!

Travel to Miami and convince Cahira, the Legend of Grace O’Malley, to start the Legend’s Quest you’ve recently received from your heist of Blackbeard’s vessel.

That is all! Start the quest, and enjoy the spoils and status earned; the Queen Anne’s Revenge will be in the Miami Bay when you return.

Happy hunting, and welcome to the rank of Pirate Lord!

Now, Cahira, I expect you to read this letter once Ward has completed his end of the bargain, and you are intelligent enough to see the results of a Pirate Lord Candidate that enters another pirate’s Legend’s Quest. I am confident you would have heard of me by now, and I cannot wait to meet you in person.

Love from China, Zheng Yi Sao

Parchment crinkling in her hands, Cahira let a hot stream of air pass through her teeth. “Mmh-hmm-hmm… Zheng Yi Sao… said to be the most successful female pirate in history, hmm? Haaa… Alright, Wardie. How do I know ya ain’t just spittin’ words?”

He leaned back to stare up at the bunk with a dark frown. “I can’t be provin’ I didn’t forge such a scheme, but it be the livin’ truth. Sao be a vicious woman, and word be she sails with the full weight of China at her stern… I don’t know how she caught wind where I stashed mi prize—it be possible a traitor be on mi small crew—that be mi own trouble, though.”

Cahira’s focus wandered back to the letter. “Heh. Bonnet doesn’t know you don’t have the Queen Anne?”

“The sod doesn’t know a stern from a bow, Love.”

“Haha! I don’t doubt you on that, Ward… Fine. Quit givin’ mi ship that puppy-dog stare—you’ll make ‘im blush—Haaa…”

She gave the man a wry smirk as he grinned and sat up.

“I can quiver mi lip if it makes ya feel something special, Mi Queenly Rose!”

“Follow mi lead, Jackie… This don’t be a place to be foolin’ around.”

Taking off his hat to bow to her in a somewhat playful, mocking gesture, he cried, “Aye, aye, Cap’in!”

Throwing a pillow at his laughing face, Cahira rose to her feet and exited the cabin, Mara, Nemesis, Selvaria, and Galatea outside. “We be reachin’ shore! Can ya show our new crew around the place, Selv?”

Her tail swung up in a salute. “Aye, aye. And food! Lots of food.”

“Ehhh…” Cahira summoned a second bag of gold and tossed it to her. “Figure ya might need a little extra?”

Galatea nodded hastily as Selvaria held out her other free hand, making Cahira laugh and throw her another. “Don’t go spendin’ it all in one place, and we be shovin’ off within the next few hours, mi glutinous beasties!”

“Arrr!” Selvaria responded, holding up her clinking bags in bliss. “To the foodery, ye scallywags.”

Mara and Nemesis followed after her in utter confusion at the made-up word, English not being their first language.

“Foodery… Are you talking about a bar?”

“I could go for some alcohol,” Nemesis returned.

“The foodery awaits, scum of the seas!” Selvaria repeated, directing them down the hall like a staff sergeant. “Food!”

Cahira giggled, motioning for Jack to join her. “Well… let’s go meet a retired Pirate Legend…”

She shivered at just the thought of her previous encounter with the old, devilish-eyed lord of the sea in the run-down bar at the edge of town.

“Raguna should be waiting with a bottle of the worst spirits ye ‘er plum had the displeasure of touchin’ yer lips—ya best drink all of it, Jackie—we be in his part of the sea, and ya not be wantin’ ta disrespectin’ a… creature like ‘im.”

“Oh, joy… How bad can it be?”

“Heh. You’ll taste it yourself soon enough, and Bonnet can be the ‘gentlemen’ he is and take mine! Haha!”

“Cheers ta that!” Ward laughed, taking a swig of the already open bottle she offered him. “Rum be rum, no matter the bottle!”

Cahira exited her already docked ship, Selvaria leading Nemesis and Mara down the dock with many pirates coming and going; Bonnet was just making it into the port, the well-dressed man wearing a new suit jacket after Nemesis had ruined his last.

A nervous jitter touched Cahira’s tight stomach as she collected the man and made her way up the streets to both pirates’ fascination at the port town. Will Raguna bring up the quest he’s already given me? If I have to complete the next one without Rachel and the rest of the crew… We could really be in trouble.

Vision lifting to the shabby establishment as they neared sooner than expected, Cahira took a deep breath and held it for a second before easing it out.

A lot had changed since she’d left this bar, and perhaps Rachel’s warning about leaving Zippy behind had been the right choice; his presence alone might have sparked something far greater, which could have been Zheng Yi Sao plan, wanting to test what came next.

The door squeaked in the silent part of town as she led the way into the bar.

I bet the Queen Anne’s Revenge won’t be the only thing waiting for us when we finish. Still, what an adventure this will be!