Pirate Age

[Fox of Spades]

Spirits and second chances. The voice talked and Nolan listened. He kept his eyes focused on the ice-cold sand beneath his feet and avoided staring at the marble statues, but he listened to everything the spirit had to say and drunk in its words like a man that had been lost in the desert.

It told him about his friends, though he could not tell which was which.

The cook frowned but finally raised his head. If this spirit was giving him a chance, then he was going to take it. The Stardusk pirates were no quitters and if his friends were trying their hardest then Nolan would too. He repeated a silent prayer inside his head then thought of the spirit's question.

Purity. Hah, he had killed a man back at Waterdeep. He thought about it sometimes and for no particular reason. It had been the first time he had ever taken a life and it had left a heavy weight on his shoulders and a bad taste in his mouth. He wondered how the others dealt with it.

"Purity?" The spirit's voice flitted from statue to statue, so Nolan looked at none of them. "I killed a man at Waterdeep." The first words were whispered, but as soon as he had started, he could not stop. "I was watching my friend's backs. We were just trying to save the royal family...I told him to stand back, he didn't and I pulled the trigger. He might have had a family, but I killed him." The cook stared at his hands and shook his head. "I didn't want to kill him, but I did."

Pure...he didn't feel like it, not at all.


​

 

[Mizos]

Luro's eyes rested on the sky as Eden's words reached him, though it seemed he was still angry at something so he decided to just stay quiet and watch what was probably going to be his only sight for the next few decades according to Eden.
It wasn't too bad at least, the sand was...well it wasn't too hard and the sky itself was interesting and he was sure if he could move his head he'd probably see the statues for a little bit.
Still much as he wanted to lay here and think about everything he'd be dealing with for the remainder of his days, he couldn't help but think this place similar to a prison, bound in one place with nothing to do but enjoy the pleasure of one's own company and that of the guard who he assumed would be Eden.
Well he supposed it wasn't exactly like the prisons, he at least had some company this time, granted they were motionless and had terrified expressions on their fa- actually no it was exactly like prison.

He watched Eden fly towards the sky with what looked like wings, which Luro admitted was actually really impressive, before what looked like a spear flew through the sky slamming into Eden and pinning him into the ground next to Luro.
A loud voice boomed and seemed to echo across the endless landscape, at least to Luro before he watched as a figure floated down the from the sky.
This place was full of all kinds of surprises, Luro wasn't sure what to think about the floating illuminated armor hovering above him.
"Okay that doesn't normally happen in prison I take that back," Luro said glancing over at Eden whose name was apparently Sville.
He preferred Eden but he kept that thought to himself as whoever this guy was, if it was one, seemed to be Sville's boss.
At the mention of deserving to live Luro's eyes shut and his eyebrows drew down a little, it seemed man, whatever these guys were and on occasion nobility seemed to judge whether he deserved to live.
"Why can't I just decide it, all of this is too confusing?"

Luro's attention moved over to Sville or at least as much as he could muster as he spoke to him once more, talking about a riddle which he assumed was the test the giant armor told him about.
Apparently this was where he could fail and from what Sville said one of his friends had already made it out, so that meant one of his friends passed, he wanted to look over at the statues and see if one had stop freezing but that wasn't an option right now.
"I'm so bad at riddles, I can't ask for a hint can I?" Luro said before looking back at the armor.
He was certainly intimidating, a good kind of scary though not a bad kind like an angry lass with a sword in her right hand and a pistol in her left.
"If this is the guy you deal with I can kinda see why you're so irritable,' Luro mumbled over to Sville. "He seems like a hard person to get along with it."
With his peace said Luro closed his eyes and tried to think of some answer to the riddle, man being beast and what made him not a beast or something like that.
Riddles were hard to answer because sometimes people thought too hard, if he was drunk then he wouldn't think as hard and he could answer this question.
Everything was solvable with a drink in one's hand, Luro was reminded of this timeless philosophy and he was content at this nugget of wisdom.
He wondered if that was the answer but thinking about it men acted more like beasts when they drank so it wasn't rum sadly enough.
Maybe it was something on the body, animals had bones, eyes, hair, fingers...he never saw thumbs on a bird or cougar so was that it? No he was pretty sure some animal had thumbs, maybe monkeys, did monkey's have thumbs? Now wasn't the time to contemplate that if he could leave he'd check himself, which seemed the best thing since he was pretty sure Sville wouldn't answer the question.
No matter how far Luro dug in his mind no other idea came forward and he was starting to question if he needed to even answer it.
Being stuck here would be boring but it wasn't so bad, and if he couldn't leave then there wasn't much he could do about that.
He could choose not to answer the ques-
Luro's eyes widened as something in his mind clicked, were these those...those...revelations! That was it, one of those things...actually what was he thinking about before?
"Oh bugger I forgot what it was...focus...focus Luro. Use your head...gah nothing's happening!"
Luro shut his eyes digging as deep as he could to try and retrieve the thought.
He mumbled to himself going over everything he was thinking about grinning as it eventually came back to him.
"Choice," Luro said. "Choice keeps men from being beasts...cause beasts can only be beasts. They go off instinct and stuff...a monkey can't fly and cougars can't burrow underground like gophers but man could fly if he wanted too. I met this girl Rosa who built wings and flew through the sky...I mean she fell afterwards but still she flew high for a moment. I mean I was going to steal her wings cause it was pretty fun looking but she was a friend and I didn't want to steal from a friend, it's always awkward afterwards when they find out you have it. Then there's that long explanation how you 'accidentally' took it without them knowing and was going to give it back. It just didn't seem worth it, oh and she was really nice so I would have felt a little guilty...maybe."
Luro wanted to nod but still found it difficult to move his body so he just flashed a toothy grin at the armor.
"I mean we can't burrow underground yet but...you know I'm sure we could...kinda...well the good people anyway like the crew. They probably could find a way if they worked at it."
Luro took a deep breath and let it out only to inwardly flinch remembering the sword still in him his eyes moving over to it for a moment.
"So...yeah...is that it? I mean now that I think about it they could decide to be beasts but they'd still choose...hmm...aw man if I'm wrong I'm stuck without rum for the rest of eternity. That's the worse kind of punishment oh and the dying part eventually but mostly the rum."

 

[Prince]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The feline spirit that had guided Runali this far paused for a moment. This mortal girl that managed to bring these people together -- these rare people whose spirits were wrong enough to cross over from the land of the living and sustain their life force in Limb -- had completely overlooked the purpose of the question. She ignored the depths of the riddle. She didn't address it with logic or thought. She answered it without understanding that there was more to the riddle than just an answer. There was lesson held within the question. The answer to these questions were meant to bring those they're given to an epiphany where they realize why they were paired up with the spirit to begin with. Runali, in her answer of omnipotence or raw power, disregarded that sentiment. The feline had to pause. Of course omnipotence was technically correct, but Runali was right without understanding why. The pause this spirit was forced into was for that purpose. Could this girl, this leader of great men and strong spirits, be right without knowing why?

The spirit was forced into relatively deep thought. Seconds become eons as the spirit considered this. It took time, effort and raw power to attract those with powerful spirits. A spirit that could cross over is one in ten thousand, yet this girl had attracted four others just like her. Was her ignorance a gift? She had no idea what she was doing. She had no idea how to answer a riddle. She could barely sail, barely fight and barely lead, yet she had four people whose nature was one in ten thousand following her. She had a drunk that could resist spirits, a girl whose warrior spirit was tamed only by a paramour of phantasmal skill, a duelist of great grief and a cook of high passions. Was Runali more than just one in ten thousand? Was Runali the one in ten million that could bring together those with powerful spirits together because of her own power? Were these others attracted to her not because of her personality, but because of the raw strength of her spirit? The feline spirit wondered. The feline spirit was the spirit of a predator. Is that why she was brought to Runali?

Was Runali the apex of spiritual power? Was she a predator that drew in her prey? Or, was it more...

Time flew by, at least for the spirit. To Runali, it may have only been a few quiet seconds. The spirit came to a conclusion, however. Even if her answer was just technically right, even if the girl had not truly faced her epiphany, it was the will of her superiors and it was her own curiosity that demanded Runali be given her chance at life. "Runali, I will let you return to the world of living. I cannot promise that your friends will; they are not mine to assess. But, I hope reunite with them. Runali, there is something special about you, and I can't say it yet. I don't know it yet. But... I will have to give you part of me to continue on. I will grow with you. I will see what you become Runali. Please... don't disappointment me. You have more potential than anyone in your entire crew."

"I just don't what for yet."

The spirit launched itself off its perch and returned to whatever spiritual smoke it was originally. It was the same technique it used to transform Runali this first time, however, the black smoke blocked out the rest of the world. Runali did not transform. She felt the ground on her feet disappear. She saw the black smoke lighten into a white fog. Whatever she may have said was lost in the fog as the spirit had no intention on discussing it further. The feline spirit floated in front of Runali for a moment. The whole world was shifting. As a matter of fact, she wasn't even in the limbo. She wasn't anywhere near those cold shores or under that silver sky. She was floating in a cloud of white smoke. With one final meow, the spirit launched itself at her face, pushing itself into her being through her eye patch. An intense burning sensation would have filled Runali, so much that the pain alone would have caused her to black out. As she blacked out... all that was left as white.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"What is beauty like yours, with no one to admire it?" Antoine asked her, mostly to parallel the rhetorical question she had asked. Antoine was the spirit of love, something that appeared lacking in Alicia. Every word he said, every breathe he breathed was that of amour, of affection of pure and raw passion. Antoine valued nothing in this world more highly than love, and despite his romantic nature, it was not only romantic love that he valued. Alicia, and Antoine could see this inside of her, had a love for her friends. She had those feelings, she merely muddled them in favor of her passions as a swordsman and her growing vengeance. Antoine smiled after a brief pause, then added, "You're right, Alicia. He who would forsake everything loses himself. But you... you are incredible person. Powerful, strong, intelligent, beautiful - rare. Losing you would be heart-shattering. I should know. But... it's not that simple. If you lose yourself, Alicia, so do your friends. So does everyone that cares about you."

Antoine allowed just a brief moment for what he said to sink in. She had passed her test and he was giving her his own life force. He had very little time to talk to her, and soon enough he would never be able to utter another word to her. "In life, Alicia, I was many things... a poet, an artist, a lover. But, I never fell in love. I always wanted it to be perfect - with someone perfect. I always wanted the person I finally said I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, that I might forsake my passions for... to be everything I wanted and more. It never happened. I am a spirit as I am because... I know that love is the strongest force I've ever seen, but it's far from a perfect one. Nothing is or ever will be perfect, so don't expect to be. Don't get upset when it's not. I will give you a gift that no swordsman has ever had, Alicia," Antoine told her. A tear, a single tear rolled down his cheek as he smiled. It had been so long since he had seen such a powerful change in someone. Since he saw their love. Since he could take them to a place where their heart could beat faster yet be at more peace than anywhere else in the world.

The world they were in before was fading away. The sun became brighter, the rays of pure white light filling the air.

"I know how a sword works. It works to kill, to slice, to maim... it uses the power of destruction, Alicia. With me as your spirit, you will gain a power unique to you and you alone. You will be able to channel a power that is not just pure destruction. You will be able to channel your desires. If it is for vengeance, so be it. If it is to destroy, so be it. But if you ever learn to channel even more powerful forces, Alicia, you will be the greatest swordsman alive, and I will be overjoyed to be part of that. Just as poet pours his emotion into his words, Alicia, and a painter pours his vision into his art... you will pour yourself into your blade. But you can't ever, ever forget that your blade means nothing if you have no reason to wield it," Antoine told her. Antoine, at this point, could only hope she understood. It would be a long, arduous task for her, and it would be a long shot if she could truly channel emotions that were meant to create incredible pieces of art and allure through a weapon. Antoine had faith.

Antoine collapsed into a hug around her. Antoine was theatrical, sure, but at the same time, it was easy to understand he was sincere. As he hugged her, he held her as if the white walls around her could hurt her. He held her the same way a forlorn lover would protect his other from the walls of an intense fire. If the only memory they had was that someone else would die first to grant just a few more living moments, that was the memory Antoine was creating now. His body, like the world around them, grew white. His spirit began to fill her like a warm blanket on a cold night. As the world became so white it would overwhelm any mortal soul, Antoine muttered, "someday, you will want to die for another. When you do, you will wield a blade like no other... and love like the rest of us."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Hell no, that's not it! Not even close!" Sville screamed, still writhing in pain from the spear impaling him.

"Then what be it, Sville?"

"The answer is honor. A beast chooses where it shits. It chooses its mate and how many! It has choice. But, a beast is motivated by its instincts and knows no better! Man must have honor," Sville replied.

"Then you are a beast, Sville. This man is many things, annoying being of them, sure, but you allowed your instincts to make your decision for you."

"Rules are rules! He failed my riddle, and I have no reason to grant him my life force! I won't sit back and watch him drink his pathetic life away! He is a mis--argh!" Sville began another rant, but ultimately shouted out in pain. The armored angel above the both of them twisted its javelin into Sville deeper with nothing but the motion of his hand, causing the black-winged to cough up more of his black blood.

"Honor is a choice, Sville. A man chooses his honor. His code. Or, to have one at all. You would claim that a man without honor is a beast, but I say a man without choice is a beast. But, Sville, we come to a dilemma...

If you don't don't abide by your honor and grant this man his life, you are but a beast. Yet, if I take the choice from you, you are yet again a beast. Quite the conundrum..."

The armored angel swooped down, landing in the sand. His armor forced him to press in heavy footprints into the sand as he walked over toward the two. His armor was truly a gleaming sight. It wasn't made of an Earthly metal, for sure. Luro likely paid no need to this, but the armor itself seemed to have a glow that was not reflective but truly its own. This armored angel made very little sense as well. Two spirits for the same person? Why even send Sville if he wasn't going to fulfill his bargain. Or, was Luro truly matched with him? Why would Luro be matched with someone like Sville?

The answer was simple. "Sville is the spirit of hypocrisy," the armored angel told him. "He was matched with you for various reasons, I would guess, but I believe he is example, Luro, of what you're becoming. You descent into drunken madness is making you as blind to the truth as Sville, and the intention was for you to see it. As you are so stubborn that you would not admit your humility before a spirit, where your life was on the line, he would not abide by his end of the deal and grant you your life. Do you understand? It doesn't matter if you do, you're fated your life back because of that Captain of yours."

The angel then walked over to Sville and looked down at him before ramming his metallic boot into the ribs of Sville, causing an audible crack. "I'll give you a choice, then, Sville. You can either adhere to your honor, or I will make you a beast. Literally. If you do not give Luro his life, I will reincarnate you as a fucking rabbit a thousand times over." The armored angel then grabbed his javelin and ripped it from Sville, causing him to pour out enough blood that it seeped over onto Luro.

Sville, meanwhile, replied, "that's not a choice! This is unfa-" before yet another kick to his ribs. Even though Luro wasn't capable of seeing, the metal boot had caused a grotesque indention into the rib cage of Sville. After a moment of intense coughing, Sville said, "just fucking do it... one lifetime with him is worth getting you leave me the fuck alone."

And, that is all it took. The black blood from Sville began to creep up and wrap around Luro. As it did, the angel pierced his javelin through it and through Luro, but with no pain. As if the javelin had only touched the blood itself. The black taint began to become white as it radiated light, and the angel looked down to Luro. "You don't deserve words, but I will give them. While Sville is hypocrisy, I am truth. Hypocrisy cannot exist without truth. There is truth in you somewhere... find it. Find it and if for no other reason find it because Sville is now bound within you. Force him to see the truth, Luro."

As the white fluid covered Luro entirely, the angel threw a flask at Luro, landing on his chest. It was of pure silver and it seeped into his body. "This is my gift to you. The gift of truth. Any water from that flask will be purified, be is sea water or from a river. He who drinks it will be made sober no matter what drink he has had. If you ever wish to face reality, Luro, I have given you the option." Those were the last words muttered by either Sville or the Angel of Truth as the white liquid had completely covered Luro. It filled his lungs, it drowned him again. Luro, like the others, was drowned in pure white void.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -​

"Monsieur Fischer, 'ave'you ever ''eard the words, 'do what you love an' you won' work a day in your life?' Well... that's what it was for me. I loved my work. / You see, I saw countless families torn apart. Orphans and childless parents alike. I did my very best to bring justice and balance to what caused such great sorrow. You may think it be lonely, but every face of a shattered soul I saw in my courtroom was of one I had a special, endearing love for. Love, Monsieur, is pure. It takes many forms. I may 'ave never loved another romantic, never took a wife, never 'ad a child, but I knew what it was like to love others. Refine love, Monsieur Fischer, an' what is it?" Kriss replied to Nolan before answering him. This spirit spoke more about his previous life than any other. That might be because his afterlife wasn't much different.

"But you see, Monsieur Fischer," Kriss changed tone, "I was never pure, not really. I hated the criminals that came into my courtroom. Of course, they had their due process, but I hated them. I was right, and righteous even, but I still knew my heart grew just a bit darker every time I saw smirking face across the room from a teary eye." To some degree, Kriss even lost some amount of his accent, albeit mostly because he was speaking faster and more gritty. "No matter how much I hated them, I made sure that I was right. That is what made me the Spirit of Purity. I could acknowledge my own faults, my own hatred, my own bias, and I would still assure myself thoroughly that I was correct. I worked to balance love and hate jus' the same as I brought justice to the courts.."

Kriss then took out a small coin. It was two-toned in material with gold border and rising, but a platinum center. In the real world, the coin would have been worth a small ship. Kriss, however, simply opened his hand to reveal it, not really pulling it from anywhere save the air itself.

"You are right, Monsieur Fischer. It is human nature to want more, even if we 'ave attained our desires. Even if we capture our most fleeting, most difficult and even most impossible dream, we will dream further. The further we go, however, the more dangerous the stakes become. The more we lose ourselves. Never forget..."

Kriss inhaled deeply, pausing for a moment.

"Never forget, Nolan, that sometimes we 'ave to help others achieve their dreams, too."

Kriss then flipped the coin at Nolan, allowing it to flip in air. One side had a beautifully etched, feminine eye while the other had what appeared to be a bowl held by a balance. After the coin made its way to Nolan well over half-way, a white light beamed down onto him.

"It is time you return, Nolan. I have given you the Coin of Fate as a gift. Heads is the Eye Fate while Tails is the Scale of Justice. In the living world, the coin has a gift... when making two decisions, call heads or tails... you will invoke the gifts of fate and justice and be given the best decision of the two. But, flipping the coin comes at a cost. Each decision you make with it will shave off a day of your life. The coin has two other gifts... when used to bet, you always win, but you will lose a day of your life. And, once and once only, you make buy your freedom from the law with the coin, but it will then lose its powers. You can choose to cheat fate or justice, Nolan, but I warn you... the costs are steep."

Those were the last words from Kriss before the light enveloped Nolan... The costs are steep.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Bam!​

Right as Ray was attempting to thank him, Shaw threw a hook and punch Ray straight in the face. The speed was impressive and the force was enough to knock him to the ground. Even if it wasn't a surprise, the spirit had every advantage int he world at the moment.

"Now, boy, I tol' you time afta' time that you talk to much. It was fine 'til ya started that bullshit thankin' me and shit. The point of that whole damned riddle was to show you, son, that the only person holdin' you back for what you did is you. Even if others know, the only damned person in the whole world makin' some kind'a fuss about it is you. Youse the only one whining. Youse the only one whose whole life revolves around it, an I sure ain't got the patience to wait it out while you figure dat out from a damned riddled," Shaw retorted to Ray, obviously frustrated.

While Ray was on the ground, vines and grass began wrapping around his body, pinning him down with a surprising amount of strength given they were plants.

Shaw tossed the blood-covered idol into Ray and said, "you'll 'ave tah figure out yerself why that thing is importan', and Ray, it sure as Hell ain't 'cause it's a bear. I could've carved anyt'ing, but I like bears. The whole damned world don't revolve aroun' teh fact you shot a man, Ray." Shaw just shook his head. The whole forest was swaying in a circular motion, wrapping around them and causing the sun to bear down bright only in one little area. As the light grew brighter, Shaw just sighed.

"Boy, you see teh forest and miss the trees," Shaw said as the light grew bright enough to envelop Ray.
​

₪――――――――――――――――――――₪

₪――――――――――――――――――――₪
​

The white light was shattered by the loud roaring of rushing water and cranking gears. All those enveloped by the white light would find a somewhat rude awakening among a rocking, wooden platform of enigma as the area around them was only lit dimly and all they could feel was the smooth stain of quality wood beneath their fingertips. The entire platform came to a stop, but inertia kept them going. This was no ordinary ship. Ordinary ships didn't move this way. Not at upward angles with such great force. After the final thrust, however, the ship itself became stable and the grinding gears grew louder. Light began to shower through a large crack above them, and that's when they were first see the greatest ship of any sea.​

​

​

The Albatross...

The entire back half of the ship opened up like the wings of a beetle and masts larger than even those on the largest naval airships began to raise up, pulled by chains as thick as the biggest on the ship and pulled by metal chambers that housed the nose of the ship. As more light flooded in, the actual immensity of the ship was realized. The ship itself was technically 3,500 meters in length, but its deck alone was 1,700 meters and from it one couldn't even see the top of the bridge. The main mast itself was almost as long as the deck and it locked into place through the bridge. The main mast was the most impressive, towering higher than any other, but the fact that nearly a dozen other sprouted up of only slightly lesser immensity was no less impressive. The masts may have been the main show, but they were far from the only spectacle.

The giant wooden shell that once housed the entire deck and the masts was now lifted outwards to the sides of the ship like the wings of a beetle, but they split open a second time each, revealing a sail between each one supported by a complex series of rods. Each of these masts, more like wings, were as large if not larger in area than the main masts. Hundreds of crew members were darting around the deck and the bridge, scouring the leviathan of a ship to make sure the transformation from submarine to ship was a success. This ship wasn't just massive, it was fast. This ship was using the wind to sail the seas faster than any ship had ever. This ship had a great force behind it. It wielded a great mass and even greater size. But, it had an even greater captain.

The crew had awoken on a chained platform of sorts. It was suspended mid air via a series of pulleys, but that was mostly to absorb shock. Being unconscious, it was impossible for them to react to the tremendous forces of the transformation. Several wooden poles were pressed into the deck around these chains, and on one of them was a grinning, bearded man hanging off a pole and standing on a chain. The man was quick to introduce himself and his ship, "Hahah, aye maties, I see you made it from the silvah veil. I... am the magnificent Captain Jones. Davy Jones. An' this is my ship: the Albatross. This be the largest, fastest ship on the open sea... an' the only one that can retrieve the dead." The Captain could only grin as he boasted about his ship, and his appearance alone kept his words from feeling hollow:
​

Davy Jones

 

[Fox of Spades]

​

"Purity...is being refined over and over again." Nolan mumbled the words silently, his expression blank. The cook looked out of it and was thinking hard as he watched the apparition named Kriss take a physical form. It made sense, Nolan thought about miners and how minerals would have to go through flames and a number of things over and over again in order to become pure gold or diamond or silver. They had to be refined until they became pure.

He never thought of purity in the same way when it applied to people, but the spirit made sense.

"It must have been lonely." The thought of doing anything and everything for justice was a noble one, but he couldn't imagine living a life that depended on one thing alone, of living a life without anyone to share the joys and pains with. For a moment Nolan looked sad, but it lasted only a fraction of a second. "Everyone needs someone, but I guess it doesn't matter anymore...it was a noble cause."

Kriss continued to speak and Nolan thought about the first question once more. He wasn't like the spirit, he didn't have a single focus in life. If anything, Nolan had plenty of dreams. He wanted to have a happy family with Annie, he wanted to make his parents proud and sail the seven seas. Was there anything he wanted in life that he wanted more than anything in the world.

I'll do anything to keep my friends and family safe...anything.

Ever since he had found himself in this island of red skies and cold sand, he'd been asking about his friends and how to save them. He wondered if that was why he had been paired with the spirit of purity.

Kriss told him that he had one chance and he listened intently as the spirit asked him a question.

If a man has accomplished his greatest dream, what does he do next?"

He feared his answer wouldn't be good enough. Nolan had never been one for riddles, but he took a deep breath then spoke. "If a person achieves their greatest dream then they've achieved their purpose, but we humans are never really content. If we achieve something, we want to achieve something greater." The cook paused to fiddle with the sleeves of his shirt. "If someone's dream is to open a restaurant and they succeed, they'll want to open another and they'll want it to be better than the last." Nolan's expression was filled with determination. "If a man accomplishes his greatest dream. He aims for something higher and it never ends, as soon as the dream is accomplished a more ambitious one comes to replace it...well, that's what I believe."

He gave Kriss a nod, signalling that he was done.​

 

[Grothnor]

"Well, Ray, dats a good question, I won' lie, but, but... Youse used a whole lotta words tah get there. You gotta stop doin' dat, boy. All you had ta ask, was, 'Well, Mr. Shaw, what da Hell do youse wanna hear?' and dat'd be fine!"

Ray couldn't help but smile. "Well, I figured it wouldn't hurt to roll out the whole sales pitch." Shaw reminded him of a younger time when he hung out with a gang of commoners. They were a bunch of simpleminded hooligans, but they were pure and honest in action and intent in a way rather similar to the Stardusk Pirates. In the back of his mind he wondered where they were now.

When Shaw posed his riddle, Ray noticed the figurine he was carving and things eerily fell into place. Shaw mentioned a forest and he was carving a bear, and it could have been a coincidence but Ray seriously doubted that. The courtyard where he killed Daniel in had four trees and a stature of a bear suspiciously reminiscent of Shaw's figurine. He only paused a moment to realize this before he answered with the confidence of one who already knows the answer. "Two people know. The one who killed the man and the one who sent him."

Ray looked to Shaw to see if his answer was correct, but only received a look saying 'go on.' He sighed and sat down next to a statue. "I don't know, that's all I got. I don't care for riddles, they're either too easy or they have answers you'll never guess like that stupid 'why did the chicken cross the sea' joke." He sighed, "So if that's not what you wanted to hear, I guess you're stuck with me. Heh, even if I did get out of here, I'd probably end up right back here. Worst part is, I don't even know who to blame for this. I mean, she gave me the sword, she told me to do it, but I wanted to. Lords know I really wanted to kill that son of a bitch, but I don't know if I can still hate him, because she said he beat her and she sold me out. I want to hate her, but I still love her, and unless I know why she did what she did, I can't do either. So in the end, I just end up hating myself, not just for killing a man who might not have even deserved it, but for being so eager to throw out my honor for the love of a backstabbing...." Ray roared in frustration. "Everything I've done was with my honor on the line. I prided myself on playing by the rules and being the better man. And I'm frightened that I threw it all away for nothing."

After a pause, he continued. "Anyway, thanks for putting up with my shit. I figured I'd get it all out of the way now and save you ten thousand years of moping." He sighed, relieved to get that off his chest. After thinking absently for a minute, he said, "Discounting any and all... supernatural observers, if the killer has no conscience, no one will know what happened, but if he does, he'll remember for the rest of his life."

 

[Winter]

She paid attention to every word which left the spirits mouth, feeling her mind become enlightened to the truths he bestowed to her in his final moments as the world around them began to disintegrate to make way for the blinding light. She could feel it as her mind lingered on his explanation about how she would be able to channel her desires and her emotions through her blade, feeling like a great veil had been lifted and she was now seeing things clearly for the first time. It wasn't will alone which held the power of destruction and the ability to achieve greatness, for it was far more than that. Every great legend that she knew, that she descended from had fought wars and battles with strong ideals and morals backed by emotion. It had been emotion alone that had allowed them to repel the pirate fleet at port Hurasai three years ago and it had been emotion that had allowed her to succeed in situations where she lingered mere feet from deaths embrace. All her life as a swordsman had been made clearer and after he explained it she realised that there had been times where she had channelled her emotions without even knowing it in order to will her victories. It was because of all of this that she could understand what he was trying to tell her, for love was one, if not the most powerful of emotions and should such a blade be wielded in the name of that emotion, they would indeed wield unfathomable strength, especially if that love was so strong that you would lay your life down to protect them. Alicia closed her eyes as he embraced her, allowing the light to consume them as the final shreds of this spiritual world began to disintegrate. But before it did so completely, she would utter the only two worlds she could before his spirit merged with hers. "Thank you".

 

[Capt. Blu]

The wait alone was killing her- metaphorically of course, but her anxiety kept her from opening her mouth. She practically leaned forward towards every twitch and movement the cat made. This was it. Her one chance to get her life back. Well, if she got anything out of this, at least she learned what she could be...and that spirits came in a lot of shapes and sizes- though this was the first spirit she had ever seen. In the wait, she started wondering if she could think any other answers to give the cat, but nothing came to mind- at least not yet. Runali looked back where the statues had been and then mentally sighed. Was this the end for-

She looked up as the cat finally spoke. A noticeable light in her eye appeared when she heard she was getting her second chance. 'Made it by a landslide...' Her thoughts reformed slowly into place. She panicked a little less now that the waiting was over and her answers were given. Of course, the cat didn't know about her friends, but Runali knew they could make it. She didn't know how she knew, but there was no doubt that they wouldn't come back. The words 'Don't disappoint me' rang in her ears. This was her second chance. There were a lot of people she couldn't disappoint. This cat was just added to the list, albeit, now it was at the top of the list.

"Aye." Runali saluted. The simple gesture told the cat that she'd do the best she could. And when she gave all of her best, she would strive to be better. It was also her farewell to the cat. Soon, the world was shifting again. The black smoke surrounded her and changed colors in the process. Suddenly, the cat decided to jump at her again while Runali was distracted by the changing. The pain was instant, causing the pirate to bring her hands up to her covered eye as if it would stop the pain. As she blacked out, the only thing she could really think was, 'This is one hell of a way to wake from the dead...'

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Runali groaned and rubbed her patched eye. That had to be one of the most painful experiences she had so far. The former captain- well, captain since she was apparently alive now, sat up and looked around to figure out where exactly had she been thrown to. Thrown, because the tossing and tumbling was one of the main reasons she had woken up.

"Whoa..." The captain stood up, staring at the massive ship that went for miles. She had never seen a ship this big, and she didn't think she'd get the opportunity ever again. Looking over her shoulder, she realized the others were there with her and waking up as well. Inwardly, she was overjoyed to see that they all made it, however she kept a level headed demeanor and smiled. "Good." It was all she could think to say now that she thought about it. She was happy to see them, but greetings were cut short when an extra voice bellowed.

"Davy Jones..." Runali's voice echoed much softer as she looked around again. He was the Davy Jones? Meaning this was the actual legend himself. The one pirate's always threatened to send others to. He was retrieving them from the dead. The captain definitely had her fill of myths and legends for the time being. From mythical sea monsters to the legendary Davy Jones...This crew had to be something special to see all of this and still be alive. Runali was lost for words. She looked back to see if the others had something to say too. All she really could manage to say was,

"It's an honor to meet you...And not be on the dying end it."

 

[Fox of Spades]

​

If you loved what you were doing, you wouldn't work a day in your life.

Nolan and Kriss had very different lives, but he understood what the spirit was saying. Back in the day, he used to work on a vineyard, it was hard work, but he enjoyed it and it never really felt like work, he just did it day after day after day until he decided that he wanted to sail the seven seas and see what the world had to offer.

He realized that in a way, he and Kriss weren't very different after all.

The spirit continued to talk about his life as a human and Nolan listened intently. Perhaps the spirit didn't mind, but Nolan still thought it was rather lonely. "It sounds like an honorable cause." He didn't know if his answer was the right one, but he steeled himself for what was to come. Maybe he'd get a second chance and see his friends and family again, or maybe he wouldn't. His fate would be revealed soon, but he didn't feel as panicky as he had at the beginning. Nolan was still scared, but he was no longer shaking and he held his head high, waiting for Kriss' answer.

Kriss pulled out a coin and continued to speak.

Never forget, Nolan, that sometimes we 'ave to help others achieve their dreams, too.

He reached for the coin that had made its way towards him as Kriss spoke of the coin's powers.

"I won't forget, and thank you." As soon as Nolan had said the words, he was enveloped by a bright light.

---

THUD

Nolan let out a groan as he curled up on the wooden floor. He felt like he had been beaten up, but it was bearable. The propped himself onto his elbows when he realized something.

Wooden floor?

The cold sand was gone. Nolan leaped to his feet, eyes the size of saucers. Had it all been a dream? Did some other ship rescue them from the ocean or something? He felt something round in his palm, so he opened his hand and noticed the coin Kriss had given him. Everything was real.

"Whoa..."

Nolan whirled around and noticed the captain and his friends. He let out a relieved breath and would have tackled the captain into a relieved hug if not for the figure that greeted them. Davy Jones. No way. Gods, this day just kept getting stranger and stranger.

Nolan straightened himself up, but unlike the captain, he was at a loss for words, so he took a deep bow. "Thank you for bringing us all back!"

​

 

[Winter]

Alicia's eyes opened slowly, her body and it's mortality feeding back into her spirit reminding her body of it's suffering as she began to feel the aches and pains. Her hands moved under her as her vision returned and with one push she steadily got herself to her feet. She took some deep breaths, allowing the oxygen to clear her mind and to help clear the general grogginess she was feeling as she began stretching her limbs. She glanced around, seeing her friends and letting out a small sigh of relief as she saw each one of them had made it with her, though she noticed Danny was not among them. Closing her eyes she allowed herself to lament for a moment before she made a mental note to gather the others for a funeral of sorts in her honour once they were more settled. Alicia turned and walked up beside Runali, facing the gentlemen that had appeared to be ferrying them back to the world above. She didn't know much about piracy folklore or the legends that existed among them, but from the way Runali addressed him it seemed he fell into one or two of these categories. She gave a small respectful bow, "Thank you Captain Jones" she said softly before turning to the others who had awoken, noticing Luro and Ray had yet to wake, "I'm so glad to see you're both safe" she said, looking between Nolan and Runali.

 

[Grothnor]

Shaw's blow and words shocked Ray into silence. Part of him wanted to retort that even though the world didn't revolve around a murder, his did, though even as he thought the words, he knew that any retort would be childish and wrong. As the light around him brightened, Shaw's last words echoed to him as though distant, and everything went white.

---
​

He awoke slowly and felt like crap. Specifically, he felt like he had been roughed up by a gang of hooligans after drinking too much. Well, I've woken up in worse places... wait, no I haven't. Or I can't remember right now. Or something. Barely awake, he managed to open his eyes and look around to see his other companions and a pair of boots, accompanied by a booming voice introducing the boots as Davy Jones'.

Only partially conscious, Ray recalled Davy Jones as a myth and a childrens' cautionary tale. One distant part of his mind heard the words to be true, but it was ignored in lieu of the other, more pressing matters that plagued Ray, most notably the aches he felt, both in body and head, and Shaw's parting words. He felt ashamed and foolish for having had the true answer to the riddle spelled out to him, he felt guilty for being brought back anyways, he felt stupid for feeling bad about it in the first place, but mostly he felt like crap.

 

[Mizos]

The idea of being trapped here for all eternity because he failed a riddle didn't sit well with Luro but there was very little he could do about that now.
The answer was honor then, he would have never guessed that so he supposed he was doomed from the start on that one.
He mentally sighed but figured he may as well start getting used to this place, however the armored man spoke up and Luro was surprised to hear he didn't mind his answer though he did catch that bit about him being annoying.
Listening to the two speak he started to feel a bit of sympathy for Sville, he couldn't see what was going on but from their exchange this guy was getting torn into, when he landed Luro tried to look at him but his attention just remained on the endless sky stretched above him so he relied on his ears.
He ended up closing his eyes as he spoke of what Sville represented, a part of him just wanted to tune the spirit out but what he had to say was actually pretty interesting, aside from the hypocrisy part but he listened anyway.
When the flask was thrown on his chest Luro stared at it watching as it seeped into his body, he was going to thank him for the gift but when he found out what it was he sighed a little before he felt himself drowning once again, in the next moment everything faded away.

When Luro opened his eyes he found himself surrounded by an endless white landscape, on each side of him and even above endless emptiness was the only thing he could see for miles.
He looked around before patting his body a few times, his rifle was still on his back and a pistol still on his belt which was a good thing.
Lifting his head Luro's eyes landed on a figured clad in a black cloak their face hidden within the darkness of the hood. Being in the endless white made the figure stand out even more than being the only other person there.
"Ugh..." escaped from Luro as he stared at the person
Regretfully this wasn't the first time Luro had met this person and he was well aware this was a dream, a repetitious one that he's been in a thousand times over.
He watched as the figure raised their gloved hand and pointed at him, just as he did Luro reached up and gripped his ears as words flowed into his mind, familiar voices some of them his own words.
"Shut up..."
The figure continued to point and Luro glared at him before pulling the pistol off his belt, pointing it at him.
"I said shut up!"
Pulling the trigger Luro watched as the cloaked stranger fell to the ground going completely still, letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, Luro put the gun back on his belt before pointing down at the figure.
"You of all people have no right to say that to me."
The figure's head moved and looked back at him before it stood back up brushing off it's cloak, Luro shook his head and grabbed his rifle off his back as the figure reached up and removed the hood.
Luro's eyes narrowed as he stared at the blood pouring down the face of the stranger, and the fact that the two of them shared faces though the other Luro didn't have his tattoo.
Luro readied his gun and raising pointed it at the other him before resting his finger on the trigger watching as the other him tilted their head at him slightly.
"...how many times do I have to kill you until you stay dead..." Luro mumbled.
The other him grinned at him which forced a smile on Luro's face, it was hard not to smile seeing such a good looking one of his face.
"Ah well it doesn't matter, you don't exist anymore anyway."
Luro pulled the trigger and the moment the sound of the shot rang out Luro's eyes shot open and he quickly sat up.

What awaited him when he opened his eyes caused him to laugh a little covering his mouth to try and contain it, all his friends were around him.
They had survived not that he expected they'd die so easily but he still couldn't help but feel relieved seeing them all again, except for Danny but he remembered what had occurred and he had put that memory aside.
His entire body relaxed and he let out a long sigh before bringing a hand to his face, he trembled a little as what adrenaline was running through him had run out and he had to take a second to recover from everything that just happened, he wasn't forgetting that encounter anytime soon.
Once he felt he was somewhat calm again he looked past his friends to see a monster of a ship before him.
Luro was astonished at not only the size but detail in the design of not only the ship but what it was made of, it was definitely wood but even touching wood on the platform they were currently on he couldn't help but be impressed.
His eyes scanned the ship, from the masts, huge chains, to the bridge to almost everything within view. He noticed the metal on the front of the ship and nodded a few times to himself. When the wooden shell lifted outwards Luro wanted to shake the hand of the man who built this ship.
He's ridden on Man O war's for commissions and general repairs but he was pretty sure this ship could devour fifty of them in one motion.
When the captain revealed himself Luro was brought back to reality and he looked over at him, hearing his name Luro ended up touching his forehead with his finger.
He didn't know Davy Jones was an actual guy, he always wondered but here was the guy staring right at them.
Luro needed to choose his words carefully, he wasn't sure what he needed to say but the others had shown their respect for him and he was on his ship.
"Do you have any rum on here?" Luro asked ruffled his hair a little. "Oh right thank you for the help, your ship's amazing. I'm already in a committed relationship with one so I can't say anymore than that but I can look just can't touch, not that I would because she's your ship...speaking of which why the name Albatross? Also should I call you Mr. Jones? Captain Jones, DJ, Mr. D. Bob, something along those lines.""

 

[Prince]

Davy could not help but bellow out a hearty laugh at their reactions to him. True, he was a legend. Not just a legend, really. He was THE legend. Davy Jones was the legend that had echoed throughout sailors for centuries and for so long that most forgot the truth behind him. As Davy let a wicked smile form on his lips, a wooden walkway began to extend to the platform with a life of its own. It connected their wooden platform with the main deck of the ship, which was still magnificently huge. The area around them actually had several more of these platforms before a large, metallic chamber of some sort ended the back end of the deck. Around the chamber were huge cranks and chains while it had what seemed like a locking mechanism with spikes. Although menacing, this chamber worked the back fin while diving in addition to locking the large shell masts down air-tight when they folded in. This was form and function all in one, and it was as intimidating as it was complex.

"My ship the Albatross," Davy said as he kicked off the pole and landed firmly on the deck. He waited for them to cross before walking down the immense wooden landscape, which was obviously going to be a bit of a walk. "'cause when she was first made, she was the first ship that could sail the skies as well as the seas. She was a giant beauty... but the power 'a Davy Jones lies with the sea, an' we cain't ever leave it. We fit'er to dive into the ocean instead of sail the skies, but she'll always be the Albatross." The rest of their conversation was trivial to Davy. An honor to meet him, fear, rum, respect - nothing he hadn't heard before. Admittedly, few asked him for rum, but nevertheless, nothing he was unaccustomed to nor cared to explain. But his ship? He took great pride in the Albatross. You could ask any question on any day and he'd give you an answer to it if it was about his ship.

"Now, I suppose youse be curious as to what jus' happened," Davy said as he continued down the deck. He wasn't much for the trivial. After centuries of dealing with the stories of sailors and pirates, politicians and thieves, not a whole lot impressed him anymore. "All those souls lost at sea must pass through the Locker, a type of limbo where all the energy in the sea recycles itself. The sea is life. At teh bottom of this ocean, there be creatures that live without e'en the light of the sun. The light that gives life to all ot'er beings... don't matter to dem. The sea has its own power, its own life and the sea itself chooses those that get recycled and those that don't. The Locker is a place that souls are cycled. They turn to stone and slowly get eroded away by time, their energy fed back into the sea. But... there are those whose souls are powerful enough to stay awake inside the Locker. There, the sea itself tests, an' if you pass, you get a chance to return. I am an intermediate... youse'ee, I can catch those souls too weak for the Locker and give them new life. But, I have to recycle just like the sea. Each soul I save must serve the Albatross a hundred years before it can return to land. I have thousands an' thousands of crew I have saved, an if'n they want, they earn their lives back."

Davy then opened his arms almost theatrically as if to show them the sheer immensity of the operation going on around them. Hundreds of chains - not a single rope - hundreds of people manning them in perfect unison. Dozens of people swabbing the deck, cleaning up sea water. Dozens of people setting different parts of the ship, adjusting different tensions and different release mechanisms. On the deck alone, there were hundreds and hundreds of people operating different things. These people were his crew. Davy Jones didn't just have the largest ship, he had the largest crew. Not only that, his crew were lost souls. Saved souls. Souls earning their chance to live again. The entire ship was sanctuary for those souls lost at sea, and that is the reality they were looking at. The Albatross was a seamen's purgatory.

"But youse don't need tah worry 'bout that... youse earned yer lives back in the Locker, not the Albatross. Once yer ship is repaired, I'll stock youse up and send you off on yer merry way. But be warned... no soul has ever died twice an' had the strength to come back," Davy said in a now ominous tone. He was serious. A soul barely had the strength to come back once, be it on the Albatross or in the Locker. If they died again, that would be their end. Half-way through the deck and Davy was just explaining these concepts to them, if they were listening. Considering the sheer complexity of what was going on around them by his crew, it would be easy to get distracted. "E'en the powah of Davy Jones can't bring backed a damned soul, so you be-"

A loud whistle interrupted Davy as he was trying to deliver his speech to the crew. Hanging off a support beam of some kind was a woman of raven hair in a gypsy guise. As even Davy turned to see her, and scoffed, she jumped down and plummeted at the deck. This was no short jump, either. No, this jump was several stories high, and as she was to hit the deck, a simple somersault in air allowed her to levitate off the deck before landing. She, this beautiful woman of black hair and eyes far more bright than those of the captain, swayed her hips as she walked over to the crew. She grabbed Davy's beard and tugged it before saying, "Oh Captain, you are so liberal with that word. Power. Whose power is it, again?" this woman asked. She was obviously playful, but this was Davy Jones. Who would do this to the Davy Jones?

"Well... Lilly... I suppose it be yours," Davy replied.

"Then, big brother, why would you tell our new friends all about the Power of Davy Jones when its actually his little sister that weaves the seas and carries the souls?"

At this point, Davy could only sigh. She ruined his charade, as she often did. "Because the world knows the name Davy, not Lilly..."

"Well, now they know Lilly," Lilly replied as she pushed Davy aside and walked up to the crew. First was Luro. She examined him thoroughly, then gave a sly giggle. "Another vagabond drunk, eh? Your type rarely have a strong soul. You must have something big to do before you die." Lilly then lightly slapped Luro's face, before moving on to Ray. Lilly examined Ray as well, but had no chuckle. She cocked her head before saying, "There is so much turmoil in your soul... no wonder you could not pass. I suggest, sir, you lighten up or straighten out, 'cause you ain't evah gonna be happy the way you are now." Lilly then grabbed his shoulder, her hand almost electrifying with an energy of indescribable nature. She moved on, however, to Nolan, and likely took the most time with him as she looked him down. "You're a tough one. A lot tougher than the others. You have a warrior's soul in a lesser body. You have a desire to protect, yet the desire to achieve. You're conflict, yet perfectly clear. I believe a few words a pirate Lord we brought back to life could help you. He said hope and prayer are the last tools of the weak. If you have to hope for success or pray because there is nothing left to do, you admit weakness because you have not the strength to accomplish what you want. Do not just hope, sir." Unlike the other two, Lilly gave Nolan a hug of sorts. He was the hardest to read, but she also wanted her words to echo out to the whole crew. That, and she wanted to tease Davy. He hated her being any kind of affectionate.

After that brief pause, Lilly swung around Nolan to see Alicia and she smiled. She even giggled again. "You met Antoine... I know his spirit likely better than all the others. If you met him, you're either a harlot or a virgin. Either way, I'm sure his advice will do you better than mine. Although..." Lilly then grabbed Alicia's hands and pressed her lips to Alicia's for just a quick moment. She grinned a she kissed the girl, her smile flooding onto Alicia. Inside Alicia, even, was the spark of Antoine inside of her that almost pushed her to embrace the act. Aboard this ship, Lilly was as powerful as any of the other spirits, but surprise more than anything likely held this event true. She broke it off before saying, "that was for Antoine... but if you had fun, well, so did I." Giggling again, Lilly let go of Alicia before finally turning towards Runali.

"No worries, no kisses for you. But..." Lilly then paused and stopped. "...but that is enough. Your soul is... powerful. That is all I will say." Almost as if the entire atmosphere this girl had created was dissolved by Runali, Lilly turned towards Davy. A few mumbles were exchanged between them and Lilly sauntered off. Davy looked towards the group the same as he did before. He sighed, then said, "Apparently, Lilly believes it best youse leave as soon as you can. I don' know what's gotten into'er; normally, we like to entertain our guests for a night or two. A type of reward for escaping the Locker. It won' be long before your ship can set sail again, probably better-made now than when she was first put together..." Davy looked over his shoulder, searching for Lilly, but she was gone. Something Lilly saw in the captain scared her off. Something Lilly saw turned the girl from playful kisses to fearful bantering. something in Runali made Lilly, the goddess of the seas, scared. Davy returned his gaze to the crew before asking, "Any questions, maties?"

 

[Capt. Blu]

Runali slowly started walking across the platform, eyeing her surroundings quietly. The ship was massive and incredible! To imagine such a thing taking over the seas and the sky was unbelievable. It didn't sound possible, but Davy was just a mere legend after all. Everything he did sounded impossible. She admittedly was too delved into the ship to hear all of what Davy was saying, however she did hear most of it. Seeing all those people, all of Davy's crew members working together in such unison was incredible too. All of them had been lost souls. All of them were trying to gain their lives back...and here was some rag tag crew of five who had bested death. What a surreal moment it was...Runali looked up at Davy and mumbled. "Don't die twice. Got it. The second time we face death, we'll be accomplished." The last part was more of a self proclaimed statement to her crew, or a goal even.

A whistle caught everyone's attention causing them to look up. At first, Runali didn't see who the whistle came from, that was of course before she witnessed the figure of a female leapt off a platform and onto the deck. There was no reason to be fearful in Runali's eyes. Everyone here was either a spirit or a soul, so she was sure the woman would have been fine. But was such a woman bold enough to tease a legend as she did? And did such woman claim Davy's power as her own? Things definitely needed to be explained... And they were! Lilly Jones, a beautiful woman in gypsy attire was the one with true power- and was none other than the little sister of the legend himself! That definitely was enough to put a look of surprise on the young captain's face. "Lilly Jones...Spirit of the sea and carrier of souls." The idea of it all made a small smirk form on Runali's face. A woman, more powerful than Davy. Davy Jones had just been a face for the power of his little sister- boy, no one would believe such a fantastic story. But, she definitely planned to tell this tale.

Down the line the spirit went. Lilly gave each of her small crew something to think about as they lived the rest of their days out, just as the individual spirits did. The captain listened to each piece of information that she gave her crew, knowing that it would be a lesson for them to learn on their own. However, it still felt necessary to know how to aid them in their own personal journey. Down the line she went, being full of surprises- particularly when she kissed Alicia.

Now, Runali straightened up, fully prepared to receive her own short speech and insight on her life ahead. She wasn't sure whether to respond to Lilly's comment about kissing her, unsure if it would be rude or not to the woman...Though being rude wasn't the problem in this case. One look from the woman and the lighthearted demeanor diminished. Her words had been something she had heard from the cat spirit she met, so there was nothing new of it. But...was that it? Lilly walked off without another word to them and Runali blinked, giving a side glance to her crew.

"I s'pose we shouldn't stay where we aren't wanted." Runali crossed her arms, still looking in the direction Lilly went. "I have a question actually." Her hands slipped behind her back and and her gaze turned to Davy. "When we return where will we be set? In the same place we encountered the sea monster, near an island deserted or not, or...?" She figured it would be useful to know these things before they ended up sailing the wrong way in their journey and having to backtrack.

 

[Fox of Spades]

​

Alicia woke up and was followed by Ray and Luro. Nolan felt a wave of relief, but the thankful smile on his face disappeared the moment he realized Danny was not with them. He hadn't seen her on that island of red skies and cold sand, but a part of him hoped things would be okay. After all, Davy Jones was standing before them and they had been given a miraculous second chance, so the thought of Danny somehow being alive wasn't exactly illogical. However, she was nowhere to be seen.

He lowered his head and sighed, but Luro asking Davy Jones about rum made him snap his head up. Out of all the things his friend could have said. How was Davy going to react to such a question?

To his relief, nothing happened and Davy talked about the Albatross instead. It was amazing and frightening and when he got to the part about it being some kind of purgatory, Nolan felt a shiver run down his spine. A hundred years...

His worries were washed away when Davy said they had earned their right to life back on the island. The thought of working for hundreds and hundreds of years on the Albatross wasn't a thought he wanted to entertain. His shoulders sagged and he no longer looked shocked or afraid—not even when Lilly came leaping from so high up.

The day had been full of so many surprises and Nolan was a combination of sad and afraid and confused, but most of all, he was just so tired. Everything from the island of marble statues to meeting Davy Jones and his apparently powerful sister felt so surreal. It was almost like everything that had happened today was just a really really long dream.

Lilly spoke to them one by one, mentioning aspects of their personality and dishing out advice. Nolan expected something similar to the slap she gave Luro, or the retort she gave Ray, so when she hugged him and told him he had a warrior's soul, a confused expression flashed across his face. "I'll remember those words," he said, but he was even more confused when Lilly suddenly kissed Alicia then moved away from the captain.

Eventually Davy and Lilly discussed things among themselves and they were told that they needed to leave as soon as possible. Davy Jones asked if they had any questions and like the captain, he found himself asking one as well. "Is the other member of our crew on this ship?" It felt childish to even ask, but he couldn't stop himself and a part of Nolan couldn't stop wishing for another miracle.



​

 

[Winter]

Alicia followed quietly as they walked down the almost impossibly sized vessel, marvelling at it's size and design much like she had with the things she'd seen at the Brass Cape. Still she remained silent, merely observing and paying attention as Davy Jones spoke. Her curiosity however was short lived as the whistle drew her attention, almost startling her before her eyes centred on a women of outstanding beauty. She could immediately tell she was powerful and more so after her landing, like she could feel her aura or something on a scale which couldn't rightly be measured. It caused her to furrow her brow a little but she pushed it aside, rationalising that it must have been some kind of side effect from being aboard the ship of the dead. Alicia watched curiously as the women moved between Luro, Ray and Nolan finding the interactions to be interesting even if it didn't make much sense to her. These were her friends after all and anything more she could learn about them was certainly welcome. What happened next hadn't been what the young women from Yula Fei had expected, finding herself once again locking lips with a spiritual entity. When the women moved away Alicia let out a long sigh, "I swear the next person who spontaneously kisses me is walking away with an awfully big paper cut..." she said, just loud enough that those standing close enough to her would hear. She was truly tired of being kissed by strangers and as the thought passed her mind she turned towards Luro, giving him a soft smile before sucker punching him straight in the jaw. She would wait for him to react before smirking, "That was for what you said when I was tying the sails..." she said before turning her attention back towards Davy Jones, also quite curious to learn where it was they would be dropped off.

 

[Mizos]

Luro was a bit saddened that there was no answer to his question about Rum or what he should call Davy Jones but at the very least he answered the question towards his ship which was the question, aside from the rum, he was most curious about.
Hearing him speak of it and watching the people in motion he admitted he was taken in by the sight itself, he couldn't imagine cleaning the deck of a ship this big but if the love for it was enough he supposed it'd be worth the effort, least that's how he felt towards the Coral Pearl.
He remembered having to clean a deck all by himself as punishment when he was younger, it would probably take months if not years to clean this one on his own. Granted he tended to start and stop working but that was another matter.
Hearing they didn't have to stay Luro was both happy and saddened by that, he wanted to inspect the ship from top the bottom and regretfully from what Davy Jones said if he died again the opportunity wouldn't be there.
He was still surprised he came back once already.

When the woman who was named Lily appeared Luro wasn't sure what to think, he was glad to see another woman, that wasn't a part of the crew, after almost being trapped forever with Sville and the armor...though he wasn't sure if the armor was a man but that was a question he didn't want an answer too.
Still something about her seemed off, something deep in his instincts told him to watch himself.
Hearing she was Davy Jones little sister and about her power he was actually glad to be sober this one time, he generally ignored that gut feeling when he wasn't.
When she spoke with him he rubbed the side of his head after she slapped him, which he didn't mind that much.
"Hey I'm not a vagabond...actually hold on."
Luro counted a few things on his fingers mumbling to himself.
"Never mind that might not be too far off, I prefer handsome wanderer though."
He watched her speak with Ray and eventually Nolan as she seemed to tell them each something, he didn't understand what it meant but it seemed important.
When she spoke of Nolan he grinned as he glanced over at him catching what she said about his warrior soul.
He figured there was more to Nolan and hearing it from someone else brought him a bit of joy, though when she hugged Nolan Luro brought a hand to his chin his smile widened just a little more at the sight.
"Not bad Nolan you got more affection then Ray, I hope your lass isn't the jealous type," Luro said chuckling a little.
However once she reached Alicia Luro was surprised to hear not only what she had to say but also what followed, his brows arched a little at the sight before he gave a small content nod, he didn't think Alicia would steal the show from Nolan that one caught him off guard.
"I stand corrected congratulations Tashigi, normally you have to put a few drinks in a lass for that happen..."
Luro watched as Lily spoke to the captain his eyes narrowing a little seeing her playful manner diminish, his attention ended up moving to Alicia however as she spoke and he arched a brow wondering if this Antoine had gotten one in too.
From what it sounded like Alicia's experience seemed less violent then his...he wondered if he should ask the others what they experienced.
Just as he was entertaining the thought he noticed Alicia smile at him, he returned one of his own but it faded as her fist slammed into him, he put his foot down to keep from staggering but he held his cheek eyes wide at the act.
He smiled a little at the pain but it left his face as confusion took over as to why she had punched him in the first place.
When she spoke he straightened his body fully before a small nervous chuckle escaped from him remembering that particular instance.
"I didn't say it was bad a view..." Luro said trailing off at the end. "Damn you hit like a sailor Tashigi, I can't tell because of your sleeves but you got some muscle don't you?"
Luro turned back to Davy Jones as he mentioned something about questions, he ended up catching Nolan's and he only glanced in his direction, it was a good question but he had a feeling he knew the answer mostly because Danny wasn't with them right now, though he wouldn't mind if he was wrong.
"I have a few," Luro said holding a finger up. "Everything's still on the Coral right, nothing was lost at sea or anything? The rum, the throne chair, the large bag in the rum room. The spare rum, the just in case rum, the rum to deter more from being stolen during an attack and the rum to drink if the bait rum is stolen too."
Luro stopped for a moment making sure he covered everything before he went back to his questions.
"Also you know the spirits? That armor guy put that one guy in my chest. Eden...no that wasn't his name, Sivel, Sovel...Swivel....what the devil was his name again...Sville that's it. How exactly do I get him out? I can't reach in here."
Luro knocked on his chest to show this.
"Not sure how I feel about an easily irritable guy stuck in there you know. Pretty sure he doesn't want to be friends either."

 

[Grothnor]

Ray managed to pick himself up. Once he had gotten to his feet, he realized the ache was not nearly as bad as he first believed, and was able to walk it off. Only his emotional anguish remained and that too faded as he began to grasp the enormity of the ship and crew, situation and company, and was replaced with awe. After all, who could say they met the Davy Jones and lived?

His awe dissipated by shock when a gypsy-like woman arrived and began tugging the beard of the legend and evoking an almost bashful response. As she began eyeing up Luro, he realized she would likely be doing the same for all the crew. His emotional turmoil came flowing back. When she came to him, he was dreading her assessment like a guilty child before a disappointed parent. Sure enough, her words seemed to offer no comfort, but then she reached for his shoulder. Ray was at first startled and surprised by the movement, but something, either the way she held him, some look in her eyes or maybe even magic, told him that everything was going to be alright. He took a deep breath, ragged from emotional strain, and exhaled, seeming to breathe out some of his demons.

Once Lilly Jones had moved on through the crew, Ray managed to quirk a smile at Luro's comment about Nolan's attention from Lilly. It was a jibe made in terrible taste, but Ray couldn't help but smile at having his friends back. He then began to wonder how long they had been in the Locker for, and more mundane things, like the damages to the cannons from either battle or seawater, and where he could get a razor and a nice bunk. So when Lilly asked for questions, he asked, feeling much better. Everything was going to be alright.

 

[Prince]

Davy listened to their questions, but he didn't answer them immediately. In fact, aside from the questions regarding liquor, most of the questions were fairly diverse, thus merited a diverse series of answers. As Luro was murmuring on, Davy gently tapped his hand to a large metal door, likely spanning two stories in height. In response, it opened almost as gently with the sounds of well-oiled and properly maintained gears and chains offering a barely-audible explanation. When the doors completely opened, Davy walked through them and into a large chamber that acted as a ground floor with several eloquently designed elevators, staircases and even a chandelier hanging as a centerpiece. The bridge of the Albatross resembled that of a cruise liner for the rich and well-off more than that of a pirate abode, but why wouldn't it? If the Albatross was the only home Davy would ever know, did it not make sense that his home would be as lavish as his legend? The ship was worth more than an archipelago of islands, and the riches that would prove it could be found down the countless halls Davy had not the time to show them.

Davy stepped into one of these gold-plated elevator shafts, complete with ruby accents and large crystals acting as covers for the locking mechanisms. The floor of these shafts were ivory tiles while dark contrasts of steel and ebony were on the outside of the elevator, which made the brightness of the metals and floor stand out even more. Davy waited for the crew to step into the large chamber before letting out a gruff clearing of his throat. "First off," Davy said as the elevator silently descended. The lighting was questionable. It was another small chandelier of sorts, but it did not sway. Actually, neither did the first ones. These were solid metallic constructs to make up for the fact the ship dived. Everything in the ship only had the illusion of movement - a replica of freedom. "we can't always salvage everythin'... whatever perishables were on yer ship now belong to the sea. We secured most important items, treasures, saved what clothing and paper we could. Not much... but, since these liquors are so important to youse, we did restock an abundance of wine. T'is all I have. There will be food and fresh gunpowder, as well," Davy explained. Their ship had sunk. He could bring people from the dead, sure, but salvaging everything that touched water would prove to require a far greater miracle.

Almost in perfect time with the end of his speech, the elevator came to a stop. Its doors opened to reveal a less ornate, yet still impressively-large and metal hallway. Davy grabbed one of the rails and gently drug his hand across it as he walked forward at a brisk pace. "Danny is gone. Swallowed by the sea before I e'en showed up. Her spirit was not strong enough to reach the locker, an' even if I got there in time, she would have a whole century of toiling before she could have her freedom. She be dead, an' it's best you move on after youse say yer goodbyes," Davy explained in a tone that could only be described as matter-of-fact. The railed hall eventually opened up into an antechamber full of water. Inside the Albatross was its own dry dock of sorts, and below them the Coral Pearl stood among supports. She was completely rebuilt, in perfect order. If anything, she was in better shape now than she was when she crashed. The masts were new, that creaky plank that tore a mop when you went to swab the deck? It was fixed. Every little scratch or peel in the finish was covered flawlessly. The Coral Pearl looked like it was maintained by, if anything, the Navy in how well it was prepared. Even its metal was polished.

Davy stopped at the rails and pointed them to a staircase. "Walk through the dock, board on the support platforms and I'll flood the chambers. Oh, and as fer yer spirits... only Lilly knows them. Who they are, what they are, why the be... but more importantly, I know dis. Youse stuck with them fer life. It was their energy that gave you new life; you woul' not be on this ship wit' me now if not fer them." Davy tipped his hat to the crew, then merely waited. He wasn't telling them where he was dropping them off. He wasn't telling them any more than he already had. Lilly wanted them off the ship, and it wasn't wise for even Davy to go against the will of Lilly Jones.

 

[Capt. Blu]

The crew followed after Davy, all amazed by their surroundings. None of them had seen such high priced luxury so close- not even the riches Ray had seen compared to this. "This is one fancy ship." The captain mentioned as they walked along. Of course, in all his pride, Davy grinned, more than willing to boast more about the Albatross as they continued their trek. The captain's fingers ran across the gold and jewels, admiring them as they continued. Davy sure did know how to splurge for Lilly and himself, but who could blame him? Her attention turned back to the man in charge- well, sort of in charge. Lucky for them, a lot of their stuff was saved from the wreck- important things at least, that being their treasure. Runali readily went through the things they needed once they officially set foot in the land of the living, however, once more they were fortunate enough to at least be given a restock in food and drinks to Luro's fancy. Out of the millions of souls, billions even that were sent through to Death's Door, they were the ones that made it.

They continued further on in the Albatross, mostly in silence as Davy answered questions. Hearing of Danny's demise made Runali's hand clench into a fist for a few moments. It pained her to be reminded of how close she was to saving Danny, and how fast she was gone. 'I promised I wouldn't let go...And she slipped right through my fingers. She trusted me too.' Runali decided not to speak of Danny at the moment. They would give her a proper funeral and say their goodbyes when the time was right. Now, however, was not the time. Seeing the Coral Pearl refurbished did put a smile to Runali's face. It had been awhile since she saw her ship so nice. She was excited to board and inspect and take a closer look. From where she stood, it seemed the ship was even better when it was first made. The crew was herded onto the ship, with Davy's final words resonating with them. Runali Lev was the last to board the ship. Her gaze fell on Davy for a moment before she gave a final nod. "Thank you." It was all she said before hurrying off to board the Coral Pearl with the others.

"And give Lilly our thanks as well!" She called out when she had made her way to one side of the ship. Runali still was curious about what happened before with the woman, but she decided to leave it be for now. It wasn't clear whether Davy had heard her or not but the area around them began to flood as the Coral Pearl was once again prepared to sail the seas. Looking back as the sails and rigging were adjusted by the crew, she noticed the Albatross looked similar to that of a whale. "Huh..." Though, moments later, the Albatross was gone and once more along with Davy, was nothing more than a legend.

---

The StarDusk pirates were met with the sight of the morning sunrise. A sunrise. The fresh salty air. A gentle breeze. Never had Runali felt more happy to have every- or at least 90% of her senses back. She took a deep breath and turned to her crew with a wide smile. "Who says we're just a buncha new pirates sailing blindly into their doom? Well, I don't think anyone has yet...but that's not the point." She leaned against the helm of the ship, with the sunrise behind her. "We've faced death. We've seen legends. There's more to this crew than we think. Aye, we have stories to create, better yet, we have legends to make." With her speech over, she leaned against a railing in front of her and then saluted her crew.

Before they dispersed to explore what was left in their ship, Runali called to them again. Once more, she looked back at the slow rising sun. "I also think it's the perfect time to commemorate our fallen comrade."[/hr]

 

[Winter]

~"What I would have given to see her smile one last time"~​

Alicia followed with the rest of the crew as they boarded the Coral Pearl, smiling softly when she ran her hand along the polished wood rail, walking towards the base of the stairs which lead towards the helm. She stopped, turning to face Davy as Runali thanked him, politely inclining her head to give him her thanks as well before they would depart from the Albatross. Seeing the sun lifting from beyond it's horizon caused Alicia to feel a sense of great warmth as she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath of air and allowing it to swell within her lungs before she exhaled deeply. For a moment she was almost overcome with emotion, the sentiment of nearly having lost this moment for eternity reminding her of what she took for granted in this world. But she supposed it was exactly that which was one of the reasons Antoine had come to her in the first place. Alicia looked down at her two swords, one broken, the other a simple basic version of the other. She sighed softly to herself before turning to look up as Runali spoke, feeling relieved that she hadn't been the only one who wished to hold some kind of funeral for the loss of Danny. "Excuse me a moment" she replied before she walked through the door and towards her room, gripping the newly polished door handle before walking inside.

She saw some of her things remained while others seemed missing, though thankfully it seemed most of what she considered important was right as she left it. Alicia walked over to a draw before pulling it open, withdrawing a small black box which she set down on her lap as she sat on the edge of her bed. Inside were seven wax candles from her home land, each decorated with patterns and made with fine delicate care. She withdrew one, placing the box on the bed before walking back outside to find Runali. "Captain" she said, attempting to get her attention before she presented the candle. "Where I come from, when we lose someone we care about at sea... we light one of these and set it adrift to the sky so that their spirit may find it's way from the depths of the ocean and be guided up to the afterlife. Considering what we've just been though it might seem... insignificant, but to my people it is a strong tradition. I would like to offer this candle for Danny" she said before she looked down at it. She would need to calve Danny's name into the wax and she would need to craft the lantern for the candle which would enable it to fly, but it was nothing she couldn't do fairly easily and quickly.

It was a belief in her culture that once a person dies at sea and their body can not be recovered for a proper burial, a sky lantern is made to guide their soul from their body towards the afterlife. The sea in this instance was viewed as a plane with no direction, up or down to the perceptions of a soul and so it was a strong tradition that you must provide a guiding light to help the soul find it's way home. After the battle at port Hurasai she remembered the sky lit up like a beautiful canvas of stars as sky lanterns ascended from the beaches. It was truly a beautiful sight to behold, if not a somber memory. Alicia looked back at Runali as she awaited her reply, Danny was her crew mate after all and for all she knew pirates had their own traditions. But if not, than at least they could share this tradition with her and find comfort in this.

After Runali gave her approval Alicia once again disappeared for a short while, constructing her lantern and taking extra care to ensure it was finely made with all the respect it deserved for the person it would be dedicated too. She took a fine brush, painting Danny's name on it in the form of a symbol that represented it. She painted other symbols too, symbols that her culture believed would help to protect her spirit against the negatives energies and spirits that lurked within the dark. Once it was finished she set the candle inside the lantern, testing it's balance before taking it outside. It was beautifully crafted, made with light materials and decorated with precise brush strokes. Unfortunately she didn't have any other color to use for the lantern itself other than white but it would do. Alicia turned to the crew, holding up the lantern for them to see. "Runali, as Captain it is your job to light the candle. But it is the person closest to Danny who should be the one to cast it" she said before her eyes fell on Nolan, "I'm sorry, I haven't spent enough time in this crew to truly know who was closest to her, but Nolan I could tell you two were close. Perhaps you should be the one to cast it?" she said, holding it out towards him.