Acriaeaba was tall, thin, and with two piercing green eyes. When the duo of Seko and Nakyan entered into the Quarterdeck cabins, and effectively the Captains Manor, they found it to be fully lit and with a surprising aroma filling the air. Cria stood over a teapot and poured a cup for herself.

"If you'd like one you'll have to brew your own." Her voice was soft but with a hint at the iron beneath. Her skin was clear and unblemished, a stark contrast to the battered and bloody figured she'd worn before.

"Are you...?" Yans question trailed off as he eyed the woman

"An Arcanist? Yes, and a rather good one if I do say so myself." She let the rising steam of the tea fill her nostrils and draw out a content grin.

"Who are you?" Seko asked. He took the seat across from her and pulled a bottle of wine out of a cooling jar on the table before them. "Really."

"I told that one," She pointed to Nakyan "Both my name and that I could help."

"You didn't say you were a caster!" Yan defended "and you were in chains,"

"You found the key and let me go!" She snapped

"Chains?" Seko asked

"Infused Shackles. They remove one's ability to cast."

"What do you know about this Journal, then?"

"You were rather interested when I mentioned it." Yan added, folding his arms.

"Of course I'm interested in it, I'm after the Treasure of Depairyo. Or one of the items in that horde anyway."

"The Journal." Seko said again "What about the Journal."

"Enough to know that you need it."

"And therefore we need to pay you for it?"

"Pay me," She gave a devilish grin "or get me there."

"You want to join us?" Yan asked, "For the treasure?"

"And only for the treasure." Cria said nodding "I've a life to return to back in the Free Merchants, but I don't want to return without a way of helping my home."

"Hence the treasure?"

"Just one item of the Horde." She said again. She held up a single slender finger to indicate the number. "The rest is yours."

"How generous." Yan mumbled

"So you join the crew and help us get to the treasure, what then?" Seko asked

"We leave, and you return me to my home. You're pirates right? The coasts of the Free Merchants is always home to your kind."

"Careful there," Yan said "insults like that end up with dead offenders."

Cria gave a wry grin and waved her hand for effect, but nothing happened. She bore her eyes into Nakyan with a glare that could freeze the oceans themselves. For his part, Yan merely smiled and waved in his usual mocking fashion.

"Something wrong?" He asked. He followed her eyes to the blade at his hip and the two on his legs. "Ah, you wanted to use my own weapons against me. Clever."

"Shield spell, then." Crias eyes caught on the Belt and its gems. "Interesting."

"Attempting to kill-"

"Maim, please." Cria scoffed

"Attempting to maim my brother aside," Seko said, "We need to know that we can trust you if you're going to come with."

"Trust me?" She laughed, "You can't trust me, but neither can I you. You want to find that treasure and I need people to take me there. We both win."

Seko gave the idea a long pause and tried to mull it over. Concerns aside, that treasure was the best chance of turning this failure into a success. Problems enough were going to dog them after the recent attacks, and they'd need to be moving to escape it.

"Well, provided that you two can get along and not murder each other, I'm okay with it." Seko said

"Aye," Yan said, "I think that works for me. What about you huntress?"

"Huntress?" her expression revealed the quiet contemplation being done in her mind, whether to accept it as an insult or compliment. Apparently she'd found it as acceptable as any other and nodded. "Yes, that sounds fair."

Cria ran a finger downward on the table before her, tracing a circle on the surface. A light glowing orange stained into the table as her finger passed, until the points connected and completed the shape. The table within the circle vanished to create a hole that seemed to be ripped from the void itself. Cria reached a hand in and shifted it around, eventually gripping something and pulling it out.

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In her hand was a thick red journal, scarred and with puffed pages from water damage. She flung the book to Seko, who caught it with surprise, and then snapped her finger. The circle on the table vanished and revealed the wood once more.

"Thats the Journal." She said "That last records of Dotan Depairyo and his ships travels."

Seko handed the book to Yan and looked Cria up and down, she wasn't intimidating on first glance. The woman was tall and thin sure, but something else about her seemed to exude this air of frailty. He couldn't place it, how she drew that result if she was doing it on purpose, but Seko made a note to himself to avoid get tangled up with her.

A crewman came crashing through the door and rushed to their table, wearing a face of pure dread and fear. He pointed silently towards the door and mimed something, but the flailing did little to help. Seko shot up as the man entered, startled by the sudden noise, and placed a hand on the mans shoulder to help steady him. Nakyan rushed out the door, followed by Cria and Seko moments later.

Off the right side of the Galleon was a fin slowly rising from the deep & dark ocean. At first he thought it was a normal shark, circling just outside the edge, but as it turned and changed its direction Seko could see the flat of the fin. His heart sank and his blood froze. Just off the side of their ship was a Megalodon, steadily shrinking its circling.

"Deep Mother!" A crewman shouted, waving towards the creature.

Seko gripped Yans arm to get his attention "We need to leave!"

The crew of the Seas Bast Catch that they'd captured tried to flee by jumping over the side and into the water, but moments after crashing into the ocean a spout of blood shot out as a massive shark swam away. Deep Mothers, Megalodons, it didn't matter the name for them it only mattered what they were capable of and how hard they were to kill.

"We could fight it!" Yan had to yell to be heard over the sounds of movement and the shouts of orders. "think of it?! Slayers of a Deep Mother."

"Get it in your head, were not here for fame!" Seko tightened the grip on his brothers arm and locked eyes. "It means nothing if we're dead."

Yan wrenched his arm away with more force than Seko would have expected, the gem must have still been active. "Damn you Seko! How can we earn a name for ourselves if we don't-"

"Imperial Chaser!" Another crewman shouted.

Seko rushed to the left side and spotted the growing dot of the Imperial Chaser fast approaching. He cursed under his breath and barked an order for retreat to the crew.

"We're leaving!" It was an order now, not a question or attempt to persuade. "Get on the damned ship!"

Yan looked as if he wanted to protest but decided against it and jumped over the edge to the Pasongunan. A crash against the Galleon tipped the vessel slightly and sent more people crashing towards the seas, hungry monsters waiting for their mother to serve them.

"Eado!" Seko cried out for the man. Even with his height, in the chaos it was difficult to tell if he was still aboard. As it happened he was and had heard the call, presenting himself only a few moments later.

"Aye Captain."

"Eado make sure that everyone gets back on the ship."

"Aye sir," He paused with a thought "Everyone?"

"If they breathe they need to have a chance to leave this hell we created. Neither the Deep Mother nor the Chaser will give us quarter."

"Aye sir!" Eado rushed off into the crowd, shouting orders to the competent of the crew who could aid.

Seko launched himself over the side and braced to land on the Pasongunans deck. He fell with a heavy thud and lost his balance but forced himself up and rushed to the helm. Aithur stood as he had before, though he now held a pistol in his left hand, preparing to fire at any moment.

"Captain!" He holstered the pistol, "Yan landed a moment ago, but I believe it may be time to leave sir."

"I've called a retreat already, Eado is working on making sure everyone gets aboard. Tell Vel to start up the lifters." Aithur nodded and repeated the order into the pipe.

"Aye captain!" he heard her reply.

A lithe form crashed down beside Seko and he readied his pistol for conflict. Cria stood looking a bit worse for wear and raised her hands in surrender. Seko sighed and holstered the side arm again.

A piercing atonal sound resonated through and around the ship, sending some of the less prepared crew to the ground clutching their head. He felt his stomach drop as a weight was suddenly pressed against him from above, the Pasongunan slowly rising upwards as the sound began to die out.

The ship slowly lifted to match the height of the Galleon and the crew threw raiding bridges across the gap for the waiting people still aboard the sailing ship. A sprinkling of pops was the only warning that they had before a wave of Cannonballs crashed into the sinking vessel.

"Who are they trying to sink?!" Aithur shouted

"Anyone in their sights." Seko said. He jumped the stairs down from the helm and stopped at the first bridge as three of the Imperial Crew crossed with restrained panic. He waved them through and motioned for them to take cover below.

"Why aren't we leaving?" Cria had raced to Sekos side as another barrage ripped through the Seas Bast Catch, shrapnel and wood showering the Pasongunans broadside.

"We need to get the crew out."

"Your crew is out!" She shouted

"Eado!"

"Aye captain!" The Hiander held three injured crewman over his shoulder and on his back. "All accounted for that we can get."

"Aye! Pull the bridges and give me full sail!"

"Aye Captain!" Aithur shouted from the helm "Bridges gone men! Full sail, we take to the skies!"

"You're saving the imperials?"

"Would you prefer I leave them to the Inquisition or the Deep Mother circling us?"

She was quiet, seemingly withdrawn from the conversation.

"Get to the lower decks, or take one of the officers cabins. I don't care what you do so long as you stay out of our way." Seko pushed past her but felt a grip on his arm

"I can help!"

"Then don't just say that!" Seko screamed "Do something to help!" He shook his arm free and climbed back up to the Helm.

The bridges lifted and were pulled back, allowing for a distance to grow again between them. Seko heard the crashing of wood as more cannonballs tore into the Pasongunan, only partially clipping the Galleon now.

Seko pressed Aithur aside and leaned in to the pipe, "Vel, get us the fuck out of here."

"Aye captain! Full power."

The Pasongunan rose quickly, rising above the range of the Galleon before coming to a stall. The sails of the ship were dropped and were filled instantly with strong winds, gripping their ship with a power and launching it forward. Seko stood at the edge of the Helm and watched as the Deep Mother crested the water and crashed into the Galleon, followed by an explosion of energy being released from the not-so-distant Imperial Chaser.