G watched the scene unfold before him as the ship moved under his feet. The last large stone had fallen away from the ship's helm, where the smear of a dead creature remained. Its shell and spindly legs reminded G of a crab or lobster. Parts of the shell looked reddish, and G was reasonably sure that this creature was the source of the smell he had noticed before descending into the ship's hold.

As the ship continued to slide across the large roadway, the left side horizontal mast slammed into the pillars on that side of the road. The impact sent a vibration through the hull of the ship that G could feel in the soles of his feet, accompanied by the heavy metallic thrumming of the mast. G's mind raced, trying to recall if the port was left and the starboard was on the right side.

The metal embossing in the wood glowed for a second as the mast struck the wall beyond the pillars. G could feel the magic swirling around the room, and a sense of awe mingled with his fear. The hull stopped moving with a jolt, sending him sideways again. Instinctively, G bent his knees, lowering his center of gravity to keep his balance. He couldn't help but marvel at the agility of his new form, but deep down, he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that he was still unprepared for the challenges ahead.

"G, take off the ring. Stop getting distracted," urged his familiar.

"Yeah, right, I forgot." G tugged on the ring, attempting to remove it with his other hand, but it didn't budge. Not only did it not budge, but he felt a heavy jolt from the ring when he tugged on it again, flinging his arm wide and spinning him halfway around. This time he lost his balance, landing on his behind.

"Ouch," said G as he shook his hand in pain. The pain was undeniable, but he noticed his hitpoints hadn't gone down with the energy blast.

"I can't remove it, Tocai," G admitted, feeling a surge of anxiety as he stared at the ring on his finger. His heart raced as Jowl Beard approached with his sword in hand.

"Whoa there, Kargan, it's ok, man. It wasn't hurting me till I tried to take it off," G said in a rush, pushing backward away from the hobgoblin.

"Stupid elf… I'll have to remove your hand now, or your mind could be shattered. The magic of the ring or someone else might take control of you," said the hobgoblin, still marching forward. G's chest tightened as he realized Kargan hadn't even noticed him using his proper name. This was bad.

"Wait, wait… Stop. It's not trying to take over my mind. My familiar would notice if it's affecting me, but please, wait a moment before you maim me. I happen to like my hands." G's voice was rising in panic, torn between trusting himself and heeding Kargan's warning. As his back hit the piled treasure behind him, G realized he wasn't going to be able to get away from the hobgoblin, and the weight of the decision pressed down on him.

Kargan stood there squinting his eyes at G. G could feel the magic coming from the hobgoblin, some sort of scan or analyze. "The magic is cursed. Why did you touch it?" Kargan stopped moving forward, waiting to see how G reacted.

"I don't know, it was just tumbling. I could have broken it or something, I don't know. It was just a spontaneous reaction to something falling off the table," G stammered, feeling the guilt and doubt well up inside him.

"Did it occur to you that the ring caused itself to fall out of the box so you would do something stupid?" asked the hobgoblin in a tone G hadn't heard before.

"What, can it do that? Of course, it can do that, magic, right, sorry. No, it didn't, and it all happened so fast," said G as the ship bumped into something else, and he jerked to the side a bit. It wasn't a hard hit this time. G looked up at the mirror to see the tent and small camp the goblins had just set up was flattened and scattered as the ship moved back towards the center of the roadway tunnel. He could see both horizontal masts now sticking out to each side, one looked a bit bent, but as he watched, it started to straighten. G saw the magic floating from the ship to the long metal mast, which started to move and shift. It was what had moved the ship as the mast had pushed against the lower rubble as it righted itself. The borrow beasts were holding onto the rails, and one of the masts, trying to steady it as they were shoved with the ship. The group of dark elves and several hobgoblins were standing in the front of the ship. Two of the elves appeared to shout orders pointing at the deck as the small army of goblins and hobgoblins milled about, uncertain of what to do as the ship was now a few feet above their heads.

Tocai spoke in his mind, "G, you should analyze the ring again, it has changed."

The sudden voice in his head pulled him out of his thoughts, and he looked at Kargan who hadn't moved. G felt torn between trusting himself and the concern of his companions. If anything, Kargan seemed to be taking a tighter hold of his sword.

G looked down at the ring again, his heart pounding in his chest. He was desperate to prove the ring's innocence, but the fear of what it might be capable of made him hesitate. The prompt to identify came up, and G braced himself for the truth.

Do you wish to identify this item?

He chose yes, and another popup appeared.

Magic Ring: Ring of Perpetual Optimism.

Description: This ring belonged to Guinidilda, the High Priestess of the Temple of Senses.

Effects: Cursed, Perpetual Optimism of the Wearer. Unknown.

G spoke out loud so Kargan could hear him, hesitating for a moment as he weighed the consequences of his words. "The ring is called the Ring of Perpetual Optimism, and the effects are Perpetual Optimism." G skipped the part about cursed and the Unknown still at the end. He really didn't want to be called Lefty for the rest of his existence. If he lost his hand and still lived, would he have it if he were reborn again? He didn't want to find out the hard way.

Kargan's face became angry when G stopped speaking, "I can clearly see that it is a cursed item." He moved fast like a snake, his sword zipping towards G's still outstretched hands. The slice came right in at the top of his hand as the hobgoblin intended to shear off the four fingers before G could pull his hand back.

There was another flash of light and pain as G's hand was struck, but the sword didn't shear through the fingers. G's hand was in the path of the blade, and a fraction of a second later, his arm jerked his hand down. G hadn't reacted when Kargan swung. The ring had done it somehow. Kargan moved to strike again.

"Wait!" said G loudly, panic creeping into his voice as he pulled his hand farther down into his lap. "Look, I know you don't want to take the risk, but I'm taking the risk and losing the hand. Can you wait a moment and let me think, please?"

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Kargan growled, "I am sworn to help you, and I am helping you. Wearing a cursed artifact could destroy you or your mind."

"Wait, I release you from that promise for this one purpose. You do not need to chop off any part of my body to help me," said G, hoping that his words would resonate with Kargan.

Kargan stopped then, frowning. G could see he was battling some inner conflict. He huffed after a few moments and slammed his sword back into his sheathing loop.

G took a deep breath, torn between relief and concern, "Ok, this isn't such a bad thing. I'm feeling better about this trip already."

Tocia's voice turned serious as he chimed in, "That is the ring affecting your mind."

"Nonsense, my familiar, I feel right as rain, " projected G as he stood up. He looked at Kargan, who had stopped waving his sword around but was still looking at him harshly.

"Look, I understand you think this is affecting my mind. My familiar believes it is also, but I, for some reason, think this isn't a bad thing. Which, of course, should trigger me into believing it's a bad thing, but there you have it, it doesn't," said G, his voice wavering with uncertainty.

"What familiar?" asked the hobgoblin, puzzled and looking around.

Whoops, he hadn't discussed or even hinted at Tocai's existence before this to the hobgoblin. G took a deep breath and tapped his short top hat. "He lives in my hat. His name is Tocai, and he is watching how I behave also. He agrees with you about taking the ring off, but when I tried, the ring stopped me, and when you tried to cut it off, it moved. It is possible if we continue to try, it can do me more harm than wearing it. Actually, I think it will do harm to me if I try to remove it. I do not know how I know this, but I know it. When I used my abilities on the ring, I discovered information. The ring used to belong to a high priestess named Guinidilda, the High Priestess of the Temple of Senses. I have no idea what that is, do you know?"

"No, I have never heard of such a place or person. The inner workings of gods and their priests are not something I care to involve myself in. The religions of Mirbor promise power but take everything from those that quest for it. It is dangerous to ask for power from higher beings, and most will deceive you, and in the end, you become enslaved or worse," He smirked a moment, showing some sharp teeth, "That isn't the case now in Mirbor; the gods have gone missing, and their priests lash out at anyone that doubts they will come back," said Kargan.

"What do you mean missing?" G questioned, his thoughts drifting to the behemoth in the water gateway that had been so huge he couldn't see it all, and that wasn't even a god, according to Kargan.

"I do not know the details, but a celestial year ago, the priests became frantic, and we were sent out in every direction to look for clues. There were two gods of Mirbor that were worshiped by almost everyone there; the priests made sure of that. Without a deity protecting a city, it can fall prey to other cities that do have deities. That creature you saw at the portal? A deity would help protect the city by redirecting it away or fighting it in battle. If the deity fails to stop a threat, then their worshipers would be at risk. Many deities have multiple cities they are worshiped in, but this far away from the capital and how the queen separated from the court there, we had only two. Before you ask how a god comes into being, I do not know, nor do I care. I stay away from higher beings, as I said -" Kargan stopped speaking as the ship swung around, and they both had to move to keep their balance.

G looked at the metal mirror to see several hobgoblins and goblins on the ship, turning a large horizontal windlass situated on the upper deck. G thought it might control the sails, but as he watched, the mast's far ends swung backward, streamlining the ship's shape as the horizontal side masts swung to the hull, fitting snugly with the tips pointed behind the vessel. That made sense to him. How would you dock a ship that had masts pointing out in every direction?

On the deck was a hobgoblin yelling at the others, who were turning the wheel of the windlass, and they stopped as the masts came against the hull. G didn't think the top mast moved, but it wasn't near the top of the passage. The ship would easily fit down the dark pathways road with the masts stowed behind like that. He had never seen anything like it before, and he felt a chill run down his spine as he looked into the metal mirror in front of him. The odd feeling passed, and he thought he saw an opportunity there. G's curiosity was piqued, and he knew he had to learn more about this ship.

As he wrestled with the strange feelings brought on by the ring, he couldn't shake the nagging itch that there was something more to it than what he knew. The inner conflict continued to build within him as he weighed the potential risks and rewards of keeping the ring on his finger.

"I'm sorry, Kargan," G said, his voice strained with the weight of his thoughts. "I know you're only trying to help me, but I need to figure this out for myself. I promise that if I feel the ring is doing more harm than good, I will find a way to remove it."

Kargan eyed G with a mix of concern and resignation. "Very well," he said gruffly. "But remember, if you need help, you need only ask."

G nodded, his thoughts swirling with uncertainty and curiosity as they continued to journey on the strange ship. The ring seemed to simultaneously offer a sense of comfort and an ever-growing feeling of unease. He looked at the man in the stasis box and then back at Kargan. The hobgoblin was studying the images displayed in the mirror above the table.

"I think we need to open the magic man's cage here. We don't know anything about this ship, and it's quite possible this fellow can also help us with information about this ring," said G, motioning to the bearded man in the stasis box. G studied the man, noticing the fur-trimmed leather coat he wore. He was dressed for the cold, G thought while wondering what kind of life this stranger had led. The frozen man was staring at the front of the box with his mouth half-opened, and appeared unhappy. The "man" in the stasis box might be the key to unlocking the mysteries of this ship and their means to escape. "We don't know what kind of information this mysterious man holds, but it's worth taking a chance and opening this box to find out."

Kargan spoke forcefully while eyeing the box, "No, that's a terrible idea. You don't even know if he's human. He could be anything. Don't be fooled by appearances, elf. In the dark pathways, anything is possible, and inviting the unknown is dangerous."

In the back of G's mind, he could see a weight scale. On one side were the worst things this man could be or do, and on the other was a feather with the word "hope" printed on it. Oddly, G was leaning towards hope. Inside, he knew this wasn't how he usually thought. He had prided himself on balancing risk and reward his entire life. Hard work, risk, and reward, but now, even knowing that the risk far outweighed the potential for reward, he just thought the feather with "hope" was the correct choice. He realized the ring's magic was affecting him, and he really didn't care, which should be setting off all his internal alarms against bad ideas.

"You stand there and be ready, and I'll open it. If he becomes threatening, you can poke him a few times with that sword, and we are no worse for trying it," said G. He judged Kargan was slightly taller, and the man looked like he would be in his late 50s and should not be a physical problem for the hobgoblin.

Kargan nodded and moved to stand, ready, his sword now drawn as he stood to the side of the stasis box. G placed his hand on the first latch on the glass front. He looked at the box with his new magic sight and saw the aura of magic around it as before. He identified it with his new talent.

Do you wish to identify this item?

He chose yes, and another popup appeared.

Stasis box.

That was all the information he received. The prompt or skill seemed to think he should know this was a stasis box and nothing unusual. Was it a common item? G really didn't know, but there was no further information from the prompt.

Taking a deep breath, G pulled the first latch without any visible changes. As he reached for the top latch, Kargan shifted his stance and gripped his sword tighter, anticipating what might happen next.

G popped the last latch.

He heard the man speaking, "and this idea of putting me in a stasis chamber won't worrrr….. " the man was instantly unfrozen as the door swung open. He was looking at G, then quickly over at Kargan and his sword.

He was a tall, imposing figure with a weathered face and ice-blue eyes. His fair complexion and strong jaw revealed his Nordic heritage, while his silvery white hair contrasted the deep lines on his brow.

His attire spoke of a man accustomed to the cold, a thick leather coat trimmed with fur draped over his broad shoulders, providing ample protection against the freezing winds that swept through his homeland. Underneath the coat, he wore simple, sturdy garments designed for function rather than fashion. His boots were well-worn but still solid, clearly built to withstand long journeys across treacherous terrain.

Despite his stoic exterior, a warmth to his gaze hinted at a reservoir of compassion and wisdom. His deep, stage-trained voice carried a quiet authority that commanded attention and respect. The man demanded, "Who are you, people? That damned to all hells crustacean! And the way you are looking like you are going to swing at me. Can't you see I am unarmed? Why are you pestering an old man, for that matter? How did you get in here?"

The man stopped moving and waved away the sword as he stepped out of the tall box. Kargan tracked him like a cat on a mouse as he walked.