I never actually believed things would go smoothly. I’d been waiting, my heart overflowing with pessimism, for something to go wrong. Maybe a leaky boat. Maybe I’d have to convince an angry mob that I wasn’t trying to poison them. Being robbed by this zone’s Adversity Management within the first hour of showing up wasn’t on my list of things to look out for. But that’s exactly what happened.

After they left, Ghost reappeared, perching beside me without comment. I might’ve scolded him for running away, but I didn’t. He was right to. If they’d taken me captive, Ghost would’ve been my only chance of escaping. If they’d captured us together, that would’ve probably been the end of the line. Escaping Adversity Management is no easy feat. Thankfully, they didn’t recognize me, or it would’ve been a lot worse. They thought they were only robbing a merchant, but soon they’ll start to piece together what that treasure actually was.

Not right away. There were no instructions included with that case. Just unmarked vials, which I planned to use with my self-sterilizing injector gun. Something they thankfully did not find. They’d likely analyze the ingredients. If their medical expert was still alive, they might reason out the purpose.

It only took half a day for Bereth and Isaiah to return.

“The boat is empty and ready for the cargo,” Bereth said, opting to stay on the boat this time while Isaiah stepped off to offer help.

“No cargo,” I said.

“No cargo?” Isaiah repeated.

“Yep, that’s what I said,” I snapped. “We should’ve dumped the fish after all. Bah!” I grunted, kicking the sandy earth at my feet. “Nah, they’d have followed us and taken it anyway, and probably sank us in the process. At least now we have a chance of getting it back.”

“Slow down, Taylor. Get it back? Did… oh gods of the sea… PanTech pirates.”

“PanTech pirates, if that’s what you want to call them. A lousy, rogue Adversity Management unit acting well outside of protocol. Give these guys a chance to play king, and they almost always take it. I need to meet with the leaders of the other two islands immediately. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to take it back.”

Isaiah gasped. “What? You’re mad, woman. There’s no way we could take something back from them. We have flintlock pistols and swords. They have long guns that, fired by a single individual, can sink our naval ships in one shot.”

I stepped forward, grabbing him by his shirt collar, shaking him.

“Then watch everyone die! I’ve seen what this virus does, and no doubt you have too. It’s horrible. It’s why I’m sticking my neck out for everyone in these zones. Why do I care more about the people affected by this virus than those who know them? Does that make me mad?”

Isaiah reached down, grabbing my wrist, trying to remove it but finding himself unable to budge me. His eyes widened, looking at my arm as though he were the one who was mad after all.

“Your strength… it’s beyond any man’s. Yet, you wear no bulky armor. How?”

I let him go, allowing him to fall back onto the ground.

“Good genetics. Now, are you going to take me there or should I move on? I can always resupply my vaccine doses and visit the next zone.”

Bereth fidgeted with the oar, clearly in great distress. “Oh… it’s not that we don’t want to take you to meet with them, but… they’re not on good terms. They’re foolish people with a long history. Even with everything happening, they’d rather make war with one another than unite against the bigger threat.”

“Well… what’s new? Maybe this latest issue will convince them otherwise.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“I’ll take you to Redbank Island first. It’s the closest. From there you can see for yourself how unreasonable they are.”

I looked to Ghost.

“What do you think?”

“My thoughts are irrelevant,” Ghost said.

“No they’re not,” I insisted.

“I’ve already told you, I’m sticking with you this time. You’re entirely predictable. You’re going to get on that boat, go to the island, and without having any idea how to solve this problem you’re going to throw yourself at it like a fool.”

“Wow, you’re right. That really wasn’t helpful,” I said. “Suggestions on a better approach?”

“None. There is no other approach. Explorers League couldn’t hope to threaten Adversity Management fortified on an island. We’d lose good people for nothing. The problem is for the people of this adversity zone to solve. If they aren’t interested in solving it, we should move on.”

Bereth sighed, sitting and placing his hands on his head.

“Please, give it a try. If they won’t listen to you, we’ll give you a ride back here when you’re satisfied so you can continue your journey.

“Wait a moment.” I headed into the bushes to recover a few hidden items. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake I made in the last zone. After recovering my sword, Twisted Key, I returned to the boat and sat in the middle. Ghost flew over and perched beside me.

“Ready to depart?” Isaiah asked.

“Let’s go.”

As Isaiah pushed off, I felt a strange sensation. The realization hit me, and I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t had this epiphany sooner. I’d never been on water before in my life. This was my first time in a boat, or on any body of water larger than a bathtub. I found myself staring as it slowly passed by, occasionally seeing faint signs of life below the surface. A fish emerged from the water in a large arc, splashing back into the water, startling me.

Ghost flew into the air without comment, circling the area for a couple of minutes before diving toward the water. His feet barely dipped below the surface before rising back into the air again, a fish in his talons. He landed in the boat, tearing into his lunch.

“Where did you learn to do that, Ghost? You’re a desert falcon.”

He paused briefly.

“I watched an eagle catching fish from a lake.”

“Did they… teach you?” I asked. “Can you still communicate with others like you, the same way a regular falcon could?”

“No, no one taught me, and why would I?”

I nodded, deciding it best to leave Ghost alone with his meal.

“Tell me about the island leaders,” I said, looking to Bereth.

“Redbank Island is ran by a woman named Lunaria. Yes, the name is self-made. Do not ask her about her real one. She’s a very superstitious woman who believes the stars determine everything, so tread carefully on that topic. Best to avoid it entirely. She established agriculture on Redbank Island using only stolen seeds from Adversity Management.”

I nodded. “Smart woman. What about the other island?”

“Rockport, named because of the rocky terrain there. That island is led by a man named Jeremy. An expert fisherman and wildlife conservationist. He put a stop to overfishing, sends in divers to study the ecosystem, and now we fishermen can feed all three islands. He’s a very headstrong character. A man of science, but… mostly a ruffian who spends too much time in the tavern drowning his sorrows.”

“These two leaders sound a lot alike. Maybe someone should play matchmaker and bring them together. That should unify both islands,” I said.

Isaiah stopped rowing for a moment, sharing a nervous glance with Bereth, who sighed.

“They were husband and wife once. Had a daughter, but she disappeared. She’d be a bit older than you. After that, the two quickly grew apart. Jeremy, who couldn’t keep his feet on the same patch of earth for more than a minute, decided he’d rather tackle the challenges of Rockport. Perhaps he thought he’d become the next Captain Markus.”

“Wait, Captain Markus?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at Ghost, who seemed to have already perked up at the mention of the name.

“An old tale. Over a hundred years ago, a fisherman turned pirate captain gave Adversity Management a run for their money. Sank one of their ships and they had to call in backup. He became a bit of a folk legend here.”

I didn’t want to be the one to tell them I’d met their legend personally, fought him, and narrowly stopped him from seizing control of PanTech to create a military dictatorship. Some hero…

“Oh…” I laughed nervously. “Okay, so now I understand why getting them to cooperate will be a challenge. All the same, they’re not going to have much of a choice. I’ve dealt with my fair share of stubborn men and delusional women.”

“You speak… bluntly,” Bereth said. “Is that a diplomatic strategy that often works well for you.”

Ghost made an unusual noise. I could’ve sworn it was a laugh.

“Ghost, did you just… laugh? At me?” I asked.

“I would never,” he said, digging back into the fish.

“I’m not exactly the most successful diplomat, but I’m the only one out here trying to help all of you, so I’m what you get.”

Bereth bowed his head. “My apologies if I sounded judgmental or ungrateful. You have our deepest gratitude for trying.”

The boat bumped gently against the shore.

“We’ve arrived,” Isaiah said.