The jungle seemed like an endless maze of humid and noisy greenery. Although none of the sailors wanted to admit it, they had all lost track of time from walking in the dimness of this tropical forest. The trees completely covered the sky, leaving the arboreal labyrinth in a state of semi-constant darkness.
Walking in single file, the sailors of the Altaïr hadn't said a word for what seemed like hours to them. Their actions had become quite mechanical, with Tolas leading the way with broadsword strokes, sometimes cutting a large cross into the trunks of the largest trees as a means of orientation. Then came Cornell, following his trail, Skepta advancing a bit more slowly while carefully observing his surroundings, and Raphaëlle, silently bringing up the rear.
While the crewmen were on alert for any sound, refraining from jumping at the slightest cry of an unknown animal they could hear, Raphaëlle moved around as if she was born in the jungle.
She immersed herself a little more in the essence of the woods as they ventured further into it. The “little-wolf” herself couldn't explain it, but this place welcomed her. Where other sailors stumbled on the roots, she skillfully dodged them without even seeing them. When the mariners had to avoid falling branches caused by animals jumping from tree to tree, she was the only one not hit on the head, predicting the trajectory of their fall almost instinctively. It was as if she found herself in her natural element and the stories of her childhood had always prepared her for such a journey.
Tolas, still leading the group, was not only focused on their progress but also on the time elapsed since they started their trek.
He looked up ahead, seeing through a hole in the canopy that the sun was setting. Sighing for a second, he turned his attention to the enormous tangle of intertwined vines in front of him. The boatswain could see a small clearing behind it, and after clearing the path in front of him, he was about to enter it when suddenly, he felt someone holding him by the collar. He turned around to see Raphaëlle shaking her head with a frown. Cornell and Skepta stopped in turn, a little surprised.
"Raph'? What's going on?" the boatswain asked.
"Wait, I think..."
Lowering her eyes, the young woman spotted a reasonably sized rock, picked it up, and, with a grunt of effort, threw it several meters in front of them. The stone suddenly sank into the ground as if sucked in, under the stunned gazes of the three sailors who then stared at Raphaëlle. She looked just as astounded as her companions, but for very different reasons.
"Ok, so those really were quicksand!" she exclaimed.
"But how could you guess that?" asked Skepta, incredulous.
Raphaëlle raised her arm, pointing to the hole in the canopy and the orange late-afternoon sky.
"Something I heard when I was a kid. When you’re in this kind of environment, you should always pay attention to the ground if you can see the sky because that means that water would gather in that specific spot and that... uh..."
Raphaëlle had lost the thread of her thoughts, taken aback by the expressions of admiration and astonishment her teammates were throwing at her. A little embarrassed, she slowly lowered her arm but decided to finish her explanation:
"...There's a good chance quicksand might form because of all the water accumulating in the soil, that's it."
Tolas, still in disbelief, finally smiled gently at Raphaëlle. She was truly a woman full of surprises.
"Thanks, Raph', I’m pretty sure I’d be worm food without you right now. Cornell, switch places with her; it's easier if she's behind me to tell me where to go."
"Y-yeah, sure…" Cornell replied absentmindedly as he still thought about the speed at which the earth had swallowed the stone before their eyes.
"Mister Tolas, are we still far from Ermythie?" Skepta asked, a familiar slight tremor of fear in his voice.
"If we keep going at the same speed, we should be there in around two hours." Tolas declared, signaling to his team that it was time to move.
Recovered from their emotions, the four sailors resumed their trek, moving even faster than before thanks to Raphaëlle's advice. She continued to marvel at the accuracy of her predictions regarding their progress. Tolas listened attentively, doing his best to learn from what his friend was telling him.
"Who taught you all this?" the young man finally asked.
"No one in particular. I just ended up picking up a few things listening to the guys at the Espadon. I guess most of it stuck!"
"You must have heard some amazing stories!"
"Oh, you have no idea!" the young woman excitedly exclaimed. "We had so many different kinds of people coming in! Sailors, adventurers, liars, scoundrels and explorers every night! I don’t think I was ever bored in that tavern..."
Tolas had a big smile on his face. Raphaëlle almost never talked about her life before. She had been violently torn from her hometown and he knew the subject was usually too sensitive for him to bring up. But he was happy to hear the joy in the deckhand's voice.
"What's the best story you heard there?"
"Oh, man, there were so many, I couldn't tell you off the top of my head. But I'm sure I probably missed the best ones."
"What? Why?"
"My grandmother always managed to snatch me away when those kinds of stories were flying around. She thought they were 'inappropriate for such a young lady'." the young woman replied with a nostalgic chuckle.
"Oh, we talking about what kind of stories?"
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"Things like “the sailors latest visits to Floria’s red district brothel” or “Captain Testosterone's sexual conquests.” Most of the time, when I found a way to sneak back in, they were already finished. But now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure I can remember a story that also happened in jungle."
"Was it an appropriate adventure for a young lady?” Tolas asked with a smile, dodging low branches.
"They often start as one, you know?" she pointed out mischievously. "I remember it was about an old explorer on an uncharted island with a native who had served as his guide. When my grandmother arrived, he was explaining how they had to warm up when they got lost in the forest at night."
"I don't see what’s wrong with that, it sounds like it was gonna be sound advice."
"Do you know how to warm up together at night?" Raphaëlle asked innocently.
"You have to stick close to each other, right?"
Suddenly, Raphaëlle grabbed Tolas's arm and pulled him back towards her. A huge tree branch fell where the bosun had been just seconds before. He had clung to Raphaëlle and, looking dazed, he stared at the branch on the ground. He turned to Raphaëlle, who watched him with a teasing smile.
"Apparently, it works better if you're naked..."
"Wh-what, what?" stammered Tolas.
"To warm up. Are you paying attention?"
Raphaëlle resumed her walk with the same expression on her face.
"If you don't mind, I'll take the lead, alright?"
Tolas nodded, ears red and a sheepish look on his face. Raphaëlle had a way of making him lose his composure effortlessly. He followed the young woman with Cornell and Skepta close behind.
The sun had almost disappeared and the last glimmers of late afternoon would still illuminate them for about an hour. Raphaëlle, who had become accustomed to her new environment, was starting to feel a tinge of boredom settling in. Despite the gargantuan size of the jungle, they hadn't seen a single wild animal and now that they had found a somewhat safe path, the monotony of the walk had dampened her enthusiasm. She felt like she was wasting an adventure.
But about a hundred meters from their destination, Tolas suddenly began to slow down with a worried look. Raphaëlle realized that she couldn't hear footsteps behind her anymore and turned around, intrigued, before heading towards the young man. Skepta and Cornell were already next to him, patiently waiting to know more.
"Mister Tolas? Is something wrong?" Skepta nervously asked.
Tolas lowered his head to his map, having trouble making out the details, before looking straight ahead again, his face becoming more and more closed. Raphaëlle approached her friend, looking concerned.
"Tolas?"
"According to the map, we should be right next to Ermythie," he said. "The city should be straight ahead... so why can't we see anything?"
The three sailors looked at each other, confused, until Skepta opened his eyes wide, the realization hitting him like a brick.
"There's no light coming from the city..." he let out in a hurried breath.
Cornell and Raphaëlle understood in turn. Given that one of the Queen's laboratories was on the island, the place was under her protection and benefited from all possible and imaginable technological advances. This also meant that at the very least, the city should have been equipped with streetlights that would have illuminated their path for some time if they had been functional.
"So, it means that..." Skepta continued before being interrupted by Cornell.
"That in tha best-case scenario, we’d be dealing with a ghost town but in tha wors’-case..."
"The Cormoran’s fleet is probably still in town." Tolas finished, now on high alert.
The Altaïr’s men drew closer to each other, eyeing the jungle more cautiously. Now that they were much closer to their goal, it was as if the danger had become more palpable.
The three men, who had almost always lived at sea, couldn't help but think of all the legends surrounding the Cormoran’s fleet and, above all, of all the horrors they had heard about it. Even Cornell, usually dismissive of Skepta's fearful temperament, was starting to feel a cold anxious knot in his stomach. All possible and imaginable scenarios passed through Tolas's mind. He already saw himself failing his mission. He could almost see Captain Krag's disapproving look, Raphaëlle's disappointed expression and finally his brother's, as mysterious as usual but tinged with a form of disdain that he knew he would never bear to see.
But before the crew completely succumbed to panic, Raphaëlle's voice rang out in the ambient darkness, strong and confident.
"That’s perfect, I needed to hit something!" she declared in a combative tone.
"W-what?" Cornell said, confused.
The young woman turned her head towards her team, raising an eyebrow.
"I can see y’all are getting your panties in a bunch because the Cormoran’s crew might still be here. But guess what? Standing around and waiting for them ain’t going to change shit. Remember our mission? The goal’s right there guys. We can’t just quit now.”
Raphaëlle's words were like an electric shock for Tolas, jolting him right back up. He clenched his fist and stared directly into his friend's eyes. She returned his gaze with one of her famous predatory smiles that he loved so much. The young woman could feel the energy back in Tolas's body and he now stood upright in front of Cornell and Skepta.
"Raphaëlle’s right. Pirates or not, our mission’s still the same. We still need to know what happened in the city, and above all, we need to check on the royal laboratory and make sure it still stands.”
The bosun looked up at the sky. Night was gradually falling on Nesperides’ Island, and the darkness seemed about to engulf them completely. He took the flashlight out of his bag and lowered it to the ground, still turned off.
"Sailors? Listen to me carefully."
Raphaëlle, Skepta, and Cornell all approached Tolas. He remained silent for a few seconds before adopting a determined expression.
"We're going to stay in a tight formation as we approach the city as much as possible. Raphaëlle, you’ll be scouting ahead of us but not too far. Skepta, stay by my side; we'll be on the lookout for any suspicious movements. Cornell, you bring up the rear. If there's any issue, remain as discreet as possible and keep me informed. Silence is our best weapon for now. Is that clear?"
The three sailors nodded silently, indicating that they understood the instructions. Tolas handed the flashlight to Raphaëlle, and she took it firmly. Before she turned to start walking, the young man grabbed her hand without saying a word. She frowned for a moment, a bit surprised, before meeting Tolas's gaze. She could see a mix of emotions in his eyes—recognition, fear, pride, and even a hint of jealousy. But above all, she saw gratitude. She placed her free hand on his and squeezed it before they both nodded, and Raphaëlle took her position.
As the sunlight completely faded away, Raphaëlle turned on the flashlight, pointing it towards the ground and confidently moved straight ahead.
After more than five minutes of walking, the young woman stopped without a sound, patiently waiting for her companions to catch up. Sensing that she hadn't stopped due to an imminent danger, Tolas, Cornell, and Skepta stood beside Raphaëlle as she abruptly turned off her flashlight.
The three men furrowed their brows simultaneously, wondering why she had suddenly turned off her light when they realized they could all see a faint glow coming from about thirty meters ahead.
Carefully, the sailors approached the source of the glow, witnessing the outskirts of Ermythie’s southern exit that opened directly into the jungle. The glow came from two lampposts that struggled to illuminate more than two meters in front of them. One of them flickered ominously which caused Skepta, on the verge of fainting, to audibly swallow.
Unfortunately for the frightened technician, they had no choice; they would have to pass through this entrance if they wanted to explore Ermythie. Maintaining the formation instructed by their bosun, the team gathered their courage and entered the city as stealthily as possible.