Lucy couldn't stop watching Ivy pour one gallon of grog down her throat. After she finished, she slammed her tankard mug down and wiped her mouth. Her face bloomed red as if she was turning into a tomato. "Auuuuuuuuuuuh! Yes! I needed this!"

Charles glared at the girl while holding his tankard toward his lips. "How old are you, lass?"

Ivy burped like a hippo. "Sixteen! You got a problem with that?"

"Well, the empire never allowed kids to drink under twenty."

Ivy pointed her finger up. "Screw them! I can drink anywhere I want!"

She directed her finger toward a pig tavern girl, walking by. "You there! More grog!"

The pig nodded and took Ivy's tankard. She hustled toward the bartender counter near the kitchen doorway.

The tavern was both spooky and cozy. Strange green mist flowed around the dirty wooden walls with lavender scents as if it haunted the bar. Even the candlelights within the mist looked like yellow eyeballs, glaring at Lucy.

But the customers looked like they were drinking in peace at their tables. Two badgers, a bear, a skunk, four ducks, and dogs, enjoying their comfy drinking while a goat played a banjo in the corner next to a stack of barrels.

Lucy also noticed a hyena couple drinking at the counter; one was wearing a raggy brown dress, and the other wore a loincloth. A primitive couple, not causing any trouble.

Charles said the hyenas were the first natives on Blackmare who practiced voodoo and witchcraft. Like most tribes who had the first contact with the Imperial colonists, they either assimilated into the colony or move underground to pick off the settlers like rodents. But as strong as the Imperials were, the rebellious natives never succeeded. Some battles were unfair, but the ones who cooperated had earned benefits and stronger protection.

The hyena natives traded herbs, spices, and medicines while living with the settlers. Voodoo practice was forbidden because the settlers feared the strange power. Not many hyenas accepted their practices being abolished, but they stayed in line for the sake of surviving.

“So what do you need from us?” Charles asked, eating a bowl of seaweed salad.

Ivy held up her hand. “Hold on!”

A pig tavern girl returned, handing another cup of grog to Ivy. “Enjoy.”

Ivy sipped her drink. “Ah-yes! I haven’t drunk this in ages! It makes me feel so alive!”

Lucy rolled her eyes. She never agreed kids should drink alcoholic substances at their current age. But not everyone has control over the islands with logical rules.

“What is it you want?” Charles shouted with an impatience tone in his voice.

Ivy placed her tankard down and burped. “Oh-yes! I almost forgot!” She cleared her throat and held up her finger. “I need help to find my captain in the swamp. He’s been gone for days!”

“You have a captain?” Lucy asked.

“Oh yes, I was his cabin girl with his pirate crew. And no, I’m not their whore. I prefer ladies! HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Is that why you are dressed as a boy?” Charles asked.

Ivy gave her her catty grin. “I tricked a few lasses, here and there. But my feminine scent couldn’t fool them.” She sipped her drink. “We came here to trade our stolen loot until my captain heard rumors about the Howling Caverns. It is a dungeon built by the Black Foot tribe to hide their stolen treasure. After the Imperials killed them, their spirits stayed in the caverns to protect their loot. Whoever goes in there, they never come back out.”

“And you believe your captain went there?” Lucy asked.

“With his crew, yes! He ordered me to stay and watch his ship. After he vanished, a bloody player stole his ship, leaving me stranded here. I lost all my gold and I have no place to sleep. That explains me pick pocketing people.”

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“You could have joined a different crew to leave,” said Charles, stirring his fork in his salad.

Ivy sighed. “I didn’t want to leave my captain. I still believe he is alive out there. His crew might be dead, but he is the strongest bear alive. Will you help me find him, please? If he is dead, I still need to know!”

Charles finished his bowl and pushed it aside. “What’s in it for us?”

Ivy drummed her fingers on the table. “Uuuuuuh, since I lost the ship-crap-crap! We could join your crew and share the treasure with you. I will surely join you if you help.”

[Ivy] has offered you a quest! The Search for Captain Miller After hearing about the legends of the Howling Caverns, Miller and his pirates venture into the Blackmare swamps, leaving Ivy behind. After he never returned, Ivy is worry sick about his missing whereabouts. It is most likely he and his crew vanished in the Howling Caverns, but Ivy wants evidence. Do you wish to accept this quest?

Aye, or nay?

Lucy turned toward Charles. “I got a quest notification from her.”

Charles nodded and held up his finger to Ivy. “One moment, lass. We need to chat in private.”

Ivy sat back. “Okay.”

Charles ducked under the table and pulled Lucy down with her.

“What?” she asked.

“Accept the quest,” Charles ordered.

“Why? We only came here to get a crew.”

“If we help her, we can get her captain’s crew.”

“We might not have enough time. What if Captain Flipper already found Ghost Island?”

“Would you whether face Captain Flipper and his entire crew on your own?”

Lucy glared at him. “Yes, I whether attack him and die immediately.”

Charles raised an eyebrow. “Is that sarcasm I smell, or it is your foul breath?”

Lucy growled.

Of course, she wouldn’t be foolish enough to attack a pirate ship on her own. Getting more people on her side would guarantee her victory and survival. “Okay, let’s continue the chat with Ivy.”

Charles smiled and rose off the floor.

Lucy sat back in her seat and folded her hands on the table, facing Ivy. “We decided to help you find your captain in the swamp. But only if you promise us a crew and gold.”

Ivy shot her arms up. “Wha-hoooooooo! You got it!”

Congratulation! You accepted the quest!

Lucy pointed her finger up. “We should find the Howling Caverns. Your captain could be there, as you stated.”

Ivy pointed her thumb up. “I agree.”

“But how can we find the dungeon?” Charles asked.

“My captain visited a voodoo witch doctor named Tashina. Her grandparents were part of the Black Foot tribe. They helped their followers build it.”

“And she knows too?” Lucy asked.

Ivy sipped the rest of her grog. “Um-hum. She is the only one who knows where it is. If we meet her in the next town, it will be easy to find the dungeon. Agree?”

[Ivy] offered you a side quest! The Dark Witch of the Swamp Tashina knows where the Howling Caverns are located. If you can recruit her, she will bring you to the dungeon. Do you accept this side quest? Aye, or nay?

Lucy nodded. “I accept that decision too.”

Congratulation! You accepted the side quest!

“What town does she live at,” Charles asked, placing his fork into the empty bowl.

“A town called Tarrin,” Ivy answered, “it isn’t far from here, but the swamp road might be risky.”

Charles smiled. “Risky is my game, lass. Right, Lucy?”

Lucy shrugged.