Captain Fraser stood uneasily on the aft of HMS Fairy. His sailors were nervous as well, but no one could say why. They had found eight wrecks in total, which was a considerable amount, given how many ships Bernans had left after the defeat at Lake Puella. While it was close-range fire that had obviously cracked the hulls of five ships, the remaining three looked almost intact. Three groups of marines entered the ships about one hour ago, and they had no contact with them since. It was strange, given the fact that the brigs were relatively small and the soldiers were already familiar with their layout. After all, all the brigs currently serving the King were captured Bernan ships.

"I don't like this silence, Captain..." The first officer finally announced loudly.

"Fuck, Kent... You had to?" Fraser facepalmed. "What the fuck is wrong with silence? No one is trying to kill us, and no one is shooting at us. Learn to respect silence."

"I..." No one learnt what Lieutenant Kent wanted to say because all three groups of soldiers emerged from the wrecks at the same time.

Captain Fraser observed them for a moment in nervous silence, but after a moment, he sighed relieved when the soldiers started waving at them that they had found something. When the commanders of each team started walking towards the HMS Fairy and their teams returned to the ships they had previously explored, Captain Fraser stared at his officer.

"If they had found something creepy or dangerous, it is your fucking, fault..." While the first officer struggled with an appropriate reply, the captain simply raised his finger in a warning. "Never tempt fate, Kent. Never."

With that, he turned away and joined the returning soldiers on the main deck.

"Sir... This is odd." One of them started, and the Captain instantly turned his angry stare towards the lieutenant. "These three ships are fully operational, sir. It's clear as day that one or even up to three parties fought with each other. Whoever was the winner took the remaining ships, and most likely, they didn’t have enough people to take all the ships with them."

"That's... Plausible but unlikely, given that a crew of just twenty could safely bring these ships to their new port. But I agree, this is just odd. Something creepy or dangerous?" Captain Fraser asked the soldiers.

"Well... To be honest, ships seemed fine, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched." One of the sergeants spoke with hesitation.

"Yup. Fuck it. There it is." Fraser threw his hands into the air. "You brought this on yourself, Kent. You will be in charge of taking these three potentially haunted ships back to Avalon."

"What?! Why me?" The Lieutenant was in shock.

"You jinxed it, so you are going to fix it." The Captain smiled coldly and looked at the last of the marines, who had been silent so far. "Anything else?"

"We managed to find the ship's logs, sir. After reading them, I must conclude that the theory about infighting has lost its viability. I mean, it might make sense, but that ship…" The middle-aged Human pointed at the closest of the abandoned brigs. "If there was some kind of infighting, Diamond Dusk's captain had no idea that something was brewing. He wrote some typical stuff about their cargo and the weather, hell, even a lot about the fall of their capital. It would be strange for him not to mention concerns about something like that."

"So?"

"Well... I wouldn't be surprised to find such logs on one of the completely destroyed ships. But on this one? Something is not right."

"Not really. The chances for any ship to be controlled by a single faction were close to none. The infighting option is still the most reasonable explanation. The crews fought among each other to seize control of their ships. We could count the bodies, estimate how many soldiers have fought, and even try to guess how many ships were here in the first place." Fraser shrugged. "We should prioritise taking these three ships. They will be three more ships for our Navy. Of course, we will ask the priests of Eriar or Hestia to purify them before you, Kent, return home with them."

"Aye, sir..." The Lieutenant sadly nodded but then brightened. "Shouldn't we ask the Admiral for the orders?"

"Good point." Fraser turned around and yelled. "Someone contact the admiral! Tell her that we can recover these three ships."

"One more thing, sir!" The Marines' Captain waved his hand as he finished comparing the notes all the teams had taken. "All three brigs had one of the small magazines repurposed into some sort of chapel. As you know, this isn't something commonly practiced by the crews. However, the religious items we found there do not match the known sermons of Hur'zhun or Jukk'nala."

"Hmmm... How many gods do the Bernans worship anyway?" Fraser scratched the back of his head.

"Ummm... They have about twelve or something like that, but there were three major deities... Oh, fuck..." The sergeant paled as he realised that they had probably fallen into a clever trap. "Oh, shit... Does the investigation count as defiling a temple or not?"

The Marines investigating the ships started running away as if devils chased them. The fact that battle-hardened soldiers were simply running for their lives put the sailors on the edge. Someone raised the battle alarm without the Captain's order, and the crew began preparing for an emergency take-off. However, before panic got the better of them, something landed behind the retreating marines and the ships. Many somethings, to be precise. The full platoon of Praetorians completely changed the tactical situation. The Marines took sharp turns and formed a perfect battle line behind the Royal Guards as a few Wyvern-shaped shadows hung over the soldiers. Whatever had scared the Marines was going to regret that.

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A mass of serpents started crawling from the closest airship, heading straight towards the soldiers. The Praetorians, who probably realised that their weapons were not best suited to fight a swarm, instantly changed their gear. Their sleek and deadly halberds disappeared, and they took out their black and gold shields and short spears. They formed a shield wall, but instead of waiting for the snakes to arrive, they ducked entirely behind them. It soon became apparent why when the ground between the Praetorians and ships turned into a blazing inferno. The two Wyverns used their fire breath to dispose of the snakes. The Praetorians waited for the fire to die off some before walking through the remaining flames towards the ships. After a moment that could pass for a thought, the Marines followed them while splitting into three groups.

"Okay... That's just fucked up." The Captain tugged on the bridge of his nose. "I blame you, Kent!"

•••

Janet watched the commotion below and wondered if she should send more soldiers. It still could have been a trap, and someone was observing them from a safe distance, ready to spring that trap at any moment. Three ships just waiting to be taken were simply too tempting to pass, no matter who had found them. However, unless they were rigged to explode once they moved, nothing would stop her from reclaiming them. As if on cue, the Marines spilt out from the ships, and the Elf sighed. Thirty Praetorians jumped out of her ship with a wave of her hand. They landed safely on the ground almost fifty metres below, thanks to the prototype shock absorbers developed by Olivia and Shirley. The two Dragon Knights hovered their mounts just above HMS Fairy, and Janet nodded. However, the snake swarm that had chased the Marines caught her by total surprise.

"It was such a lovely day..." She sighed.

The Wyverns burned the serpents that tried to attack the Marines, and just moments later, the Praetorians stepped into the flames.

"Show-offs." She grinned and turned towards the helmsman. "We are landing. Okelight, prepare your men."

"Aye, aye, Ma'am!" The Marines’ commander saluted and started barking orders.

Just a few moments later, Victory was standing still, within boarding distance of Fairy. The Captain and the first officer stood in front of the Admiral and briefed her on what they had found.

"Of course, everything was fine until my stupid first officer started saying stupid things." Fraser exhaled heavily.

"Lieutenant... Were you absent from the lesson about red flags in the academy?" The Elf sighed as heavily, just as the older captain had before. "No! Stop. Before you say everything else, you will repeat those classes."

"Yes, Ma'am..." Kent agreed in a defeated tone.

"Dismissed, Lieutenant." Janet saluted the man and focused on the Captain, waiting for Kent to leave. "So... Now when a kid is gone, tell everything."

"While it's good to give him a first-hand lesson on fate and misfortune, I'm rather inclined to believe that was a trap. I would personally bet it was set by the faithful of the last Major God of Berna, the deity called Ertu."

"I agree. While we had many clues about Jukk'nala and Hur'zhun, the bits of information about Ertu are woefully scarce. The King believes that the last major deity of Berna might be some kind of a trickster."

"My Lady! The ships are now clear, and as you suspected, the traces we have found suggest we angered some deity. However, the Praetorians, who purged the Bernan chapels, say that the deity has lost all connection with the ships and they are safe to bring to Avalon. They used the purification scrolls provided by Queen Irene since they detected another, much more sinister trap. The retaliation for cleansing the chapel was the immediate death of a caster. Three Praetorians were killed in the process, Ma'am," one of the returning soldiers reported.

"Hmmm... A bit strange..." Everyone turned towards a young woman's voice and kneeled in unison. "Oh, please... Stand up."

"Goddess Verka! It's a pleasant surprise to see you here." Janet smiled with relief.

"I sensed a looming danger hanging over the expedition forces, Admiral. It not only piqued my curiosity but also angered me and, frankly, offended me." Verka explained, but seeing the paled faces of the people in front of her, she smiled. "Don't worry. Now, it's a personal matter, and you are all under my direct protection. Someone thinks they can replace me as the Goddess of Vengeance."

"Outrageous..." Captain Fraser clenched his fists. "How we may assist you, my Lady?"

"I will change your orders slightly, Admiral Sparrow. King Theon is aware of my actions and has allowed me to ask for your help." Verka smiled viciously and grabbed a map that popped up from thin air. "West from here lays a Dungeon within the ruins of a city. The one who challenged me resides in the ancient temple within that city. We will capture the city, subsume the Dungeon, and confront the Bernan Deity of Vengeance."

The people around the young Goddess looked at each other in silence. Before the silence became awkward, Janet nodded. "It will be as the King wishes to. Shall we ask for the assistance of Lady Elisabeth's forces?"

"No, she has other orders. However, the deity who killed the Praetorians and, most importantly, the four Mortals violated the rules. That means I will be present during this mission, and I will confront that Eternal personally. The remaining Praetorians and the Dragon Riders will be enough to represent the King. If the enemy Dungeon Core has a death wish, one of the King's scions will be dispatched," Goddess Verka said with a dangerous gleam in her eyes. It was clear as day that she was furious.

"What shall we do with the ships we reclaimed?" Captain Fraser asked, and the Goddess made a few angry steps towards the flagship railings.

"They are cleansed, so you can take them home with the prize crews," she said, but suddenly, she smiled charmingly yet dangerously toward the nearby Marines. "But do me a favour, boys, and tear down those altars right now."

Two hours later, all religious items found inside the ships were piled in before Verka. The various tomes, chalices, daggers, bells, drums, and robes rested upon the wooden tables. The tables themselves were simple but thick and heavy, with their surfaces cut and stained despite visible traces of a very thorough cleaning and attempts to keep them as perfect as possible. The Marines who volunteered to destroy the shrines of the Bernan God were absolutely indifferent to the worried gazes and questions voiced by the sailors. After all, Verka was a very generous Goddess who always heard their prayers during battle. If anything, the Marines were proud to serve their Goddess. While Eriar and Hestia were unquestionably the favourite Gods of the Arcadians, the other Eternals couldn't complain about the lack of the people's attention. The Guardsmen often called Zeus to their aid; the sailors, on the other hand, prayed to Zephyr and Hera. The Marines, however, true to their spiteful nature, chose Verka as their patron Goddess.

Right now, seeing her standing in front of the few hundred Marines, all smiling coldly in the soft rays of the setting sun, Janet couldn't help but sigh. The Goddess of Vengeance took the torch from the hands of Major Okelight and tossed it onto the pile with a satisfied smile on her face. Janet could swear she heard painful moans coming from the pyre, but the cold laughter soon deafened the faint sound.

"I'm coming for you, imposter..." Verka cackled, and soon thereafter, all the Marines joined her in menacing laughter.