The water was cold.

Thoomp-thoomp-thoomp.

The droplets of air that floated back to the surface tickled her skin.

Thoomp-thoomp.

Dull cracking, splintering. Muffled shouting. Something was tapping, drumming above.

Rika opened her eyes.

The infinite blue, freezing, alive with the muffled roars of warfare. A long wood pole - a mast - shattered and groaned as it splashed in beside her. After a quick moment of confusion for waking up in the ocean, she panicked back to the surface. The rush of noise faded in along with the dream.

Black flags flapped against gold and red ones. Muskets popped and flashed. Glints of sunlight and tinny clashes as swords met each other. Captains barked orders, men shouted in war cries. She was late to the fight.

Rika climbed up the side netting and onto the top decks.

The enemy ship was close enough to shatter and spill its contents onto them. The pirates were already boarding the enemy vessel and fighting and dueling and killing the enemy crew - Spaniards. Metal armor bulging over the torso. Curvy, shiny helmets. Hilarious mustaches. These were the conquistadors she had heard so much about. The conquerors destined to defeat the Americas.

A Spaniard aimed a musket at her. She threw out her hand and flicked her wrist upward. A burst of wind came from under him and threw his rifle away. He stared in horror at the realization, then in agony as a pirate bullet sparked into his chest.

She scanned around for any sign of a player. There, on the upper deck, two guys in similar Spanish armor, one white guy and one black. Around them, a thin silhouette that caught the sun - an aura!

After activating her Lightweight skill, Rika took a running leap over the edge, over the ocean between them, and slammed her mace against the side of the enemy ship. The spikes dug into the wood, and she scurried over onto their deck like a squirrel. The ship bobbed and groaned and cracked. Dozens of duels between sailors and marines around her. She grimaced against the noise, recoiled against the smoke. She looked over at the two players, and they looked at her. Then, the unexpected.

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They jumped off the ship.

She hurried over to see them swimming toward an empty rowboat. They crawled aboard. They were... laughing? The white guy took off his helm, and his blond hair caught the sun. It might've not been a player at all. "Mondego!" she yelled. She took a nearby musket off the ground and aimed it.

She was too slow.

They both had their rifles aimed at her but before she could duck - click click. Wet gunpowder. They grimaced hard enough for all to hear. She fired the gun with a flash and a pop - nothing. By the time the smoke cleared, Mondego and his friend were already rowing away from the battle and toward land.

Rika knew they were already right off the coast of something, she didn't know what, but it didn't matter. She was sure that was Mondego. Every instinct screamed at her to jump in and swim after, to catch him and demand the truth, demand answers, demand justice, but she knew to wait.

The battle was wrapping up, the enemy ships surrendering. Captives taken, loot shared. When the pirate commander finally logged in to see the bounty of his men, he laughed and cheered with them.

▲▼▲

Rika stood on the shores of historic Mexico, gulls squawking, breeze blowing, sun warm against her skin. Her tight leather armor was still damp and her hair was sticky wet from the saltwater, but from the lessened sensory load, she didn’t mind. She bid her farewell to the pirates, and they, with confused reluctance, rowed back to the fleet with her alone on the shore.

This was something she needed to do alone. Here, in ancient Mexico, there was a secret to uncover, a power to unlock, and hopefully, a traitor to kill.

The pirate fleet turned to sail back to Hispaniola. She was alone again.

She checked the leather pouch given to her by one of the pirates - a couple of gold coins, a small canteen of water, and a handful of bread. She tossed them into the sand, but fondled the coins a few moments before chucking them in her mouth. With a heavy gulp, a notification appeared in the corner of her vision as a tiny glimpse of light.

+370 XP

The waves crashed behind her, her boots sank into the sand as she walked. She was far from anyone she had ever known and far from any hint of safety. Lifting her hand in front of her, she swiped the air, and the status screen slid into view, bathing her face in a blue glow. She tapped her way to the map only to find it completely clouded over - undiscovered.

She was both scared and excited.

These were the emotions she searched for. This was the reason she played these games. These were experiences she could never have as a university student. She looked far into the forest, far into the path ahead. She had no idea how long it would take to reach civilization, no idea where the temple could even be - but if she could find it, she would likely find Mondego.

Rika swung her musket over her back, strapped in her war mace, and darted off into the new world.