After a couple of days on the sea they arrived at the destination. When they entered the area a white mist was forming around them. "I think we are near," said Simon. "Near what? I can not see anything" said Marcel. "We are near the border of the White Mist" continued Simon. "Ah..." said Marcel scratching his head. "But how are we supposed to find anything in this mist?" he continued. "Just keep the helm straight and we should be fine," said Simon. Marcel did as Simon told him and kept the helm straight. After a couple of hours in the white mist they hit something. "Land!" Fred yelled while looking over the ship railing. Greg anchored the ship and they went exploring the island. On land was the same thick mist as on the sea. You could not see a foot in your face. "Everyone stay grouped, otherwise we might get lost," said Marcel while leading the way deeper into the island. "How are we going to get back to the ship?" asked Tim. Marcel turned around, and everyone looked at each other, when they realized what Tim asked they started turning pale. "We... We will find a way, for sure. How hard is it to find a ship?" said Marcel while stuttering. After a couple more hours of walking, they started getting hungry. "Are we there yet?" asked Rob. "We should be close, but it is hard to pinpoint an exact location," said Simon. "Are we there yet?" asked Hulio after a couple of minutes. "Almost there!" said Simon. "Are we..." and Tim got interrupted by Fred. "No we are not, we are still walking, could you please stop asking?" said Fred with an angry tone. "Wait!" Simon raised his hand and everyone stopped. "What?" everyone asked while looking around. "We are here!" said Simon and looked down. They were standing in quicksand. "Why can I not move my legs?" asked Greg. "We are in quicksand," said Simon with a calm voice. "Try not to struggle much" he continued. "Are you sure we are in the right place?" asked Marcel. "Yes, it says right here in the riddle," said Simon. "Easy to get lost, hard to be found, the quicksand path is your way out". "Hmm... Interesting riddle," said Marcel. "I would have probably never thought of it" he continued. They were sinking slowly and it felt like an eternity. "Is there nothing we can do to make it quicker?" asked Greg. "No, not really," said Simon. After a couple more minutes they sank to their necks. "Almost there," said Simon. "I also start to feel my legs again," said Marcel. When the sand got to their mouth Simon yelled, "Wiggle a bit to get down" and they did as told and fell in the cave beneath the quicksand.
"Is everybody alright?" asked Marcel while rubbing his back. "Aye!" they exclaimed. "This way," Simon said while pointing at a wall. The wall had the same markings as the others before. They followed the markings and got into a room. "There is nothing here," said Greg. "Are you sure we are in the right place?" asked Fred. "Yes, but this is strange. It should be here" said Simon. Marcel saw a crack in the floor. "We are in the right place, but not on the right level," he said and pointed at the crack. They were thinking of a way to break the floor. They tried jumping on it, but nothing. Hit it with rocks, but no luck. "What if there is another way down?" said Marcel. "And we are looking in the wrong place" he continued. "I have not seen other paths coming this way," said Simon. "Me neither" Greg confirmed. "Hmm..." Marcel scratched his head. "However we can spread out and look for another way. We do not have the tools to break the floor in a decent amount of time" said Simon and then they traced back to the point they fell from the surface. They did not find anything unusual besides the markings on the wall. Anna saw something shiny stuck into a wall. When she got closer she saw a strange tool. "Hey, take a look at this" She tried to pull the tool but it did not budge. "Let me try it," said Greg. He raised his sleeves and put all his force into his legs. He managed to pull the tool without much effort. "Nice!" Anna watched Greg from behind and blushed. "With this, we can break the floor, I think," said Greg. They went back to the room with the cracked floor and used the tool. The tool had a sharp end that they stuck in the crack and as it went up the tool was thicker making the crack larger. After a couple of tries, they managed to make a hole to see what was beneath them. Accustomed to the low light they were able to see a wooden chest beneath them. "Now we have to make this whole big enough for one of us to fit," said Marcel. "But how are we going to take it out?" asked Simon. "We will go and grab some rope from the ship," said Tim while looking at Rob. "I will come as well," said Fred while grabbing Tim's shoulder. "Then we will get to work until you come back," said Marcel. After a couple of hours, they managed to make the hole big enough for them to fit. By the time they finished the hole, Fred and the others returned with the rope. "We have found an easier way to get down," said Fred. "That is good news. Where is the rope?" said Greg. "Here!" Tim gave the rope to Greg. He tied the rope to a rock and threw it down the hole. "Any volunteers?" asked Marcel while laughing. "No? Then I will go" he continued and went down the rope.
When he reached the floor of the cave it was soft, as if it was not made by stone. The texture was similar but the feeling was different. Marcel slowly went towards the chest and right before he opened it he saw something glowing. The light reflected on the string that was attached to the wooden chest. "We have a problem" he yelled. "What?" asked Greg. "This wooden chest is trapped" Marcel continued. "Can you disarm it somehow?" Greg yelled. "I will look around!" said Marcel and started to search for a way to safely disarm the string. He followed the string to a wall and the string went right through it. "There is no end to this string" Marcel yelled. "What?" said Greg. "It goes through a wall" Marcel continued. "I will come down, wait!" and Greg went down the rope. "See?" said Marcel. "That is indeed strange, what are we going to do?" asked Greg. "Is the rope long enough to get to the wooden chest?" asked Marcel. Greg went and stretched the rope and it was just enough to reach the wooden chest. "What do you have in mind?" asked Greg. "We will tie the chest with the rope, we climb back up and then we take the wooden chest," said Marcel. "Hmm... That is a good idea" said Greg and helped Marcel tie the chest with the rope. They climbed up and explained to everyone what to do and then they started counting. "Three... Two... One" said Marcel and then they all pulled the rope along with the wooden chest. The wooden chest fit perfectly through the hole they broke in the floor. They grabbed the chest and the cave started shaking. The trap activated and below them, the room started to fill with water. "Let us get out of here!" said Marcel and grabbed the chest with Greg. "Lead the way, Fred," said Greg and they all followed him to the surface. The mist was not as problematic as it was when they got on the island and they made it to the ship safely with the wooden chest. "Good job everyone," said Marcel while smiling. "Let us see what is inside" he continued. When they opened the chest they were surprised to see what was inside. There were precious stones and maps that no one had ever seen before. The paper was engraved with jewels and it had a strange green color. "I think we hit the jackpot!" said Greg while admiring the shining content of the chest. Everyone was happy to see that their efforts paid off once again. "How do we get back is the question now," said Marcel. "In theory, we should head straight ahead in the opposite direction we came from," said Simon. They boarded the ship, raised the sail, and turned the ship as Simon said. They sailed for a couple of hours until it got dark outside, but the mist was not disappearing. "I think we are lost," said Hulio. "How about we stay the night and hope that tomorrow will be less mist?" asked Marcel. They all agreed, lowered the anchor, and went to sleep.
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In the morning, the light barely made it through the thick mist. Marcel woke up and went to the helm. As he was going up the stairs he saw a human shape leaning against the helm. "Who are you?" asked Marcel the person. "Who am I? That is a good question" said the person and jumped down to where Marcel was staying. "Look over there!" the person pointed to Marcel's right. As he turned around the big ship standing near there captured his attention while the person took out his sword and put it at Marcel's neck. "Now I am asking the questions," said the person. "What brings you out here?" he continued. "We got lost in the mist and we tried to find our way back to Flakin Sea" answered Marcel. "Good answer, but that is not what I was talking about. What is the reason you came to the Sea of Mist? Treasure? Trading? Stealing?" the person asked once again while pressing his swords against Marcel's neck. "T... T... Treasure!" said Marcel while slowly turning pale. "That is more like it!" said the person and released Marcel. "You have a familiar smell" he continued. "Familiar smell?" asked Marcel while rubbing his neck. "Hmm... I am not sure from where, but it feels familiar" the person continued. "I am known as Drought on this sea, how are you called?" asked Drought. "I am Marcel," said Marcel while extending his hand. "Ah... I remember now!" said Drought and grabbed Marcel's hand. "You are the one that Frownie mentioned" he continued. "Frownie?" Marcel looked at him confused. "Ehm... Captain Frown" Drought coughed and said. "Yes, we have met a couple of times," said Marcel. "You are lucky! If not for your connection with Frownie I would have emptied your ship and let you astray on the sea. But... Because I am a nice guy" Drought stopped and then whispered "And because Frownie is scary" he coughed and continued. "I will help you get out of this mist". "Thank you!" Marcle bowed before him. "Do not mention it!" Drought turned around and went towards his ship. "Actually..." he stopped and turned back to Marcel. "Mention it to Frownie next time you see him," he said and jumped back on his ship. "Follow me closely when you are ready!" said Drought and waited at his helm. Marcel went downstairs and woke everyone up. Briefly explained to them what happened and then they started following Captain Drought's ship. After a couple of hours, the mist disappeared and they could see clearly again. "Thank you!" said Marcel and his crew. "Do not forget to tell Frownie!" said Drought and then vanished into the mist. "Frownie?" Greg looked at Marcel. "Yes, that is how he is calling Captain Frown," he answered. "They must be close" Greg smiled. After a couple of days on the sea they arrived back at the Black Lagoon. With their supplies depleted and a lot more treasure and maps to decipher. Marcel and Greg brought the wooden chest to the tavern and the rest went to town and bought supplies. They all celebrated that night another successful adventure and they were happy that once again because of their connection with Captain Frown, they were helped by another pirate.