It took Maya an hour to fully explain everything to Patty and Cyll. The two of them listened silently throughout her entire story, not interrupting her once. By the time she finished speaking, the orange rays of the sun were already starting to peek above the horizon.

“Well, that certainly explains a few things,” Cyll said, breaking the silence. “Yggdrasill is a very old dungeon. Even in my day it was huge. And it’s still protecting you?”

“To some degree,” Maya said. “Not explicitly, but I think it’s stopping people from learning about me somehow. If it hadn’t been, I’m sure Sorrow would have already found me.”

“If you make a name for yourself, even the World Tree won’t be able to protect you,” Patty observed. “Once people know who you are, there’s no going back. Do you want to disguise yourself or something?”

“I don’t know if there’s much point doing anything like that,” Maya said, frowning. “At this point, I think Sorrow has either forgotten about me or just doesn’t care much. He’s been in power for years. I’m just a bad memory. I’ve got no desire to change who I am to keep running from him. That’s why I’m assembling a pirate crew. I’m going to kill Sorrow.”

“I can see why you weren’t spreading that information around,” Cyll said. He chuckled. “I’ve obviously never heard of this Sorrow character, but I’ll help you cut the bastard down.”

“As will I,” Patty agreed. “We’re part of this crew, Maya. Your troubles are our troubles.”

“And yours are mine,” Maya replied, blinking back tears. She considered hugging them again, but settled for a firm pat on each of their shoulders.

“While we’re talking about troubling pasts, I think I should probably throw in my own coin,” Cyll said. He cleared his throat. “I don’t have many goals at the moment. I’m rather enjoying the surface and all the new things, but there’s one piece of unfinished business that I need to attend to.”

“After all the years you were underground?” Maya asked, her eyebrows raising.

“Aye. To be specific, there are three things I need to take care of. The pirate warlords that locked me in that prison ten thousand years ago.”

“They’re still alive? I didn’t think humans could live that long,” Patty said.

“Once you get strong enough, age starts losing its grip over you,” Cyll said, his brow furrowed. “They’re incredibly strong, but they’re only immune to age. A sword will kill them just as well as anyone else.”

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“Almost anyone else,” Maya corrected. Cyll nodded his head slightly to cede the point.

“Almost anyone else,” he agreed.

“Well, you won’t have to do it alone,” Patty said. “Maya and I will help you, whenever the time comes.”

Maya nodded in agreement. It was Cyll’s turn to glance away quickly. He forced a thank you through his lips and then blinked furiously.

“What about you, Patty?” Maya asked. “Any dark secrets or plans of killing people that we need to help you with?”

“Nope,” the puppet replied cheerfully. “I’m enjoying myself enough as it is. Maybe I’ll figure something out along the way.”

The island rumbled slightly. It only lasted for a second, but they all tensed as the sand threatened to split beneath their feet.

“I think it might be time to go,” Maya suggested. “I think our stay is wearing out. I hope you have that boat, Cyll.”

A wide grin split the immortal pirate’s face. He turned to the water and reached into the pockets of his pants, revealing a small marble the size of a fingernail.

“I’ve been waiting to do this,” he said, grunting as he hurled the marble far into the ocean in front of them.

It made a small splash as it hit the water and then sank beneath the waves. The ripple vanished beneath the waves. There was a tense moment of silence as the three watched the ocean.

A bone shaking thrum ripped through the air. The water rippled as a powerful ring erupted from where the marble had landed, spreading out through the ocean. It dissipated harmlessly against the island, but continued onwards until it left their vision.

The ocean seemed to shudder. A ship’s bow punched out through the waves. It rose higher and higher into the air as the rest of a sleek black ship followed behind it. The ship finally completely left the water, standing upright with the bow pointed to the sky for an instant before crashing down onto the sea.

The ship was slightly larger than a sloop. The figurehead was a beautifully carved mermaid. Her mouth was open in a huge smile full of dagger-like teeth. Intimidating black flags hung from the masts.

“She’s beautiful,” Maya breathed.

“Do you like the mermaid? I made her myself,” Cyll said, flashing his shark-toothed smile.

“The mermaid is amazing. How did you make all of this?” Patty asked.

“Akrun did most of the work,” Cyll admitted. “He mostly had me stand around and watch. I made the mermaid, and suggested a few…upgrades for the ship.”

“Well, now’s a good a time as ever to show us!” Patty said excitedly. “Let’s go!”

Maya started to nod, but something tugged at the back of her mind. Her eyebrows raised slightly.

“Give me one second,” Maya said.

She jogged back towards the innards of the island without waiting for a response. It only took her a minute or two to arrive at what remained of the lake she’d spent a month living off. A lot of the water had drained away.

“I have to go,” Maya told the water. “I can’t stay on this island. There’s a lot I need to do, and I don’t think Akrun appreciates me being here.”

Another image appeared in her mind. Maya started, glancing down at the water in surprise. The lake sent her the equivalent of a nod. The pirate captain shrugged and stretched out her hand.

The remaining water – about the size of a large man – erupted towards her. It wrapped around the captain’s neck, thinning out and expanding outwards until a long watery cape rested over Maya’s shoulders.

“Oh man,” Maya laughed. She spun and walked back towards the ship, her new cape fluttering violently behind her despite the complete lack of wind. “I could seriously get used to this.”