The ocean spread around them and the sun was hot. Some of the crew ship mended the parts of the ship that didn't regenerate, others went on with their usual tasks. The Brymhelians were still with Goldeneye, telling them stories of the forgotten age and the doomed. He told them the story of his ship and her sister, of the Valkai who helped him built them and of the war or at least his side of it.

"I have never wanted to be part of it. I am what my kin call kha'n, a turncloak. Because I thought of befriending the Valkai. I wasn't the only "kha'n". Some of us had good hearts and still do." Goldeneye sighed.

"If you have a good heart why were you doomed with the rest of your kin?" asked him Ubba, looking at Vigo, still expecting him to scold him for his "misplaced" questions. Vigo did give him a nasty look but shook his head and kept his remarks to himself.

"I have been wondering the same thing for ages, but I came to the conclusion that they Deity have kept me alive for a reason. I have a part to play, whether for good or bad, I cannot escape it and I must fulfill it." He replied with a smile. "Like all of us here." He added with a determined tone.

"CAP'N! THEY'RE HERE!" cried a young man at the top of the nest.

The Brymhelians were startled, they looked at him, waiting for explanations.

"Don't you worry! It's the Kumkani! Sea Sultans! I've been waiting for them." The captain laughed and let out a joyful scream.

"What's Kumkani?" Asked Myga who thought he was the only one ignoring the nature of these creatures. His companions shrugged their shoulders.

They rushed to the edges of the ship, along with the crew who were as excited as their captain. Screaming and chanting, the ship rocked with them.

"What are these... sea sultans exactly? I see no ship!" Wungrim asked Hood.

"They rule these waters my friend! They're as old as the sun they say! As great as the waves we're threading! Awoooo!!" Hood was jumping while Wungrim backed off without an answer.

"They're odd yet majestic sea creatures. They're also very rare to encounter." Answered him Brymhel finally. "Of all the years I've spent in this ship, and as I told you before, I was born here, this is only the second time I will get to see them."

"Well what are we expecting to see exactly? Giant snakes? Glowing rays? Winged Sea horses?" He asked again.

"Maybe! There they are! They're resurfacing!" She pointed south.

A gentle light covered the skies above the area where Brymhel was pointing at. The waters broke gently at first and nothing, then suddenly and in the blink of an eye an enormous horde of Kumkani emerged from the waters like an army of infantry breaking through a shield wall made of glass. They were floating like clouds above the waters, with golden and silver colors, the ones on the front were singing and oblivious of the ship that was nearby. Behind them floated a bigger one, followed by smaller ones.

"That's a fucking Male!" Screamed Hood. "OH MOTHER YOU'D HATE ME TODAY AND I WOULD HATE YOU ALWAYS HAHA! SON OF A BITCH I AM THE LUCKIEST MAN ALIVE AWOOO!"

"Shut your fucking mouth!" screamed at him a man.

"A male is almost never out with the horde! This is unbelievable and incredible!" Explained Brymhel, but Wungrim and the rest of his companions were flabbergasted and almost deaf to their surroundings. Completely blown away by the scene in front of them. Ubba on the other hand had many questions and was stuttering, trying his best to make a correct sentence.

"They look... they look like... but? How?" Ubba babbled.

"Yes child! They look like everything you know and nothing you've ever seen. They have no shape but have all. Everyone sees different things and the same thing. They can look like whales but also look like men, they look like light and look like the dark depths of sunless oceans. They're wonderful creatures, but I see them as they truly are, and I wish you can. It's a beautiful sight to say the least." The captain's eyes glowed of excitement. "I will be back." He added before rushing to his cabin.

"Is he going... you know?" Ubba asked Hibe, who smiled in agreement.

"He is going to greet them, or at least try. He never succeeded to get close to them..." She added.

"Isn't it dangerous?" Asked her Myga.

"Extremely." She replied firmly. "They might look beautiful and peaceful but they're ferocious creatures if you startle them."

"Then why is he going?! Is he insane?" Objected Wungrim.

"Bet he is." Chuckled Ubba before meeting Hibe's eyes. "I didn't mean it..."

She smiled again as always and sighed.

"Our captain has always been curious about their origins. We don't know much about them. Except maybe that these waters might be their home." She said. "He won't be late." She added.

Everyone kept looking and enjoying the graceful walk of the Kumkani. It filled everyone on board with wonder.

"Can't he shapeshift into their form?" Asked Ubba.

"You are without doubt the most annoying dwarf I know!" Protested his brother.

Hibe chuckled. "Now you needn't to be so rude. That was a smart thing to ask." She said. "But our captain isn't that skilled in shapeshifting. You can tell from the golden eye he got. He might be a great Veer but his greatness comes somewhere else. Plus, even the greatest would struggle to take their shape. Anyone can spot him as "different" for he will lack the ever changing feature they're known for."

"Hmm yes it makes sense." Agreed the curious dwarf unaltered by his brother's comments as always.

Suddenly they heard a loud trumpeting and a whistle similar to that of a war horn.

"They're submerging again!" Shouted someone.

"Oh already..." Said Brymhel sadly.

"Did something scare them off?" asked Myga.

"No, not necessarily. They only emerge for a little while and then leave for God knows how much." Replied Hibe. "Well, at least we witnessed it!" She added happily.

Wungrim took out a small notebook from his pocket, pulled a pencil from it, opened it to the last empty page and started doodling. His face was still but his tongue was slightly sticking out of his mouth.

Hood was peeping at his notebook and looking at the dwarf's face with a wide smile.

"What are you drawing?" He finally asked of him.

"Whatever those were." The dwarf replied firmly.

"Interesting." Declared Hood, while touching gently the folded pages before Wungrim gave him a concerned look. The doctor stepped back. "How is your leg by the way?" He asked.

"Better." Replied the dwarf resuming his drawing. "Thank you." His lips betrayed him, he smiled.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"You're younger than you look." Told him Hood. "Do you like drawing?"

Wungrim sighed and nodded yes.

"Can I look at your work once you're done?" Insisted Hood with his questions.

"Once I'm done. Maybe." Wungrim gave the man hope to cling on.

"Alright!" Hood was content, but not done. "Did you draw the battlefield?"

Wungrim frowned at him.

"Oooh I crossed a line there." He gestured cutting an invisible piece of paper and pretended to eat it, then zipped his mouth before leaving the dwarf alone.

"Don't pay attention to him. He meant not to offend you. He just doesn't know when to stop. He pissed me off too when I first boarded with them." Maruth tried comforting the dwarf.

To her sight Wungrim closed his notebook.

"He is less annoying than you." He said to her.

She was taken aback by his offensive words. "Excuse me? I thought we already jumped our earlier misunderstanding..."

"We did. You still lied to us. We don't like lies." He replied.

"When did I lie to you?" She questioned. "Oh I see... when I said that my brother sent me... well I am sorry. I didn't think of a better thing to say."

"You could have been honest." Advised her the petty dwarf.

"Oh really? You would have believed me if I said 'Hello I am the child of the wizard you think is behind the siege that's ravaging your land, I'm here to help you with the Vultures, the notorious sea criminals who are led by a smart demon?.'" She confronted him.

"Irony will not make things better you know." He told her. Wungrim shook his head. "Forgive me. I cannot help it. Compound and tangled schemes like these confuse me. I am not the brightest of my kin."

"No, forgive me but also trust me when I say I had no other choice. You were after all going to kill me just by knowing I was a witch... and I don't blame you for that. I understand. I would have done the same to whoever harms what's dear to me." She said.

"It must have been hard for you as well. Goldeneye told us you and your brother ran away when you thought your father was behind this madness. He also said you were trying to stop him." Wungrim sighed. "That must have been devastating..."

"It was but now I'm more than relieved to know that my father has nothing to do with this mess. He has always been a difficult person, but never a murderer nor a tyrant." She told the dwarf.

"The captain is back." Interrupted them Hibe. "You should wait for him in his cabinet. All of you." She advised the Brymhelians.

Myga and his dwarf companions did as they were told and followed Maruth. The cabinet wasn't big enough for all of them but they still managed to sit in the chairs and the wooden ground. Myga struggled the most to get inside, he was too big and too tall for the door. Hibe closed the door behind them and left for her duty. Goldeneye's desk was empty with nothing but the world map carved on the wooden table. Light broke into the room from the round windows. Behind the captain's empty chair was a door, from where Goldeneye got it. He was soaking wet.

"Ah! Forgive me." He said. He pulled his chair and sat on it. "Well now, I have told you as far as I know of this nasty business. Maruth my child, you take it from here while I dry myself, and tell our friends all you know of the Jewels of Mahavhar."

"Sure." Maruth swallowed her fear. "Before I do that, you have to know who I am and what I am. My father, brother and I aren't just wizards. We're scholars. Which means we're highly ranked warlocks."

"Do you work with the ministry?" Asked Ubba.

"Alright, I swear on our father's grave that if you ask any question, starting now, I will shoot both yer legs." Threatened him his brother pointing two pistols to his head. Ubba didn't flinch.

"You know I would" Ubba smirked at him but his brother didn't lower his guns. "Alright fine! I'll shut it." Ubba put his beard in his mouth and his brother finally lowered his pistols.

Everyone just looked at them without saying a word.

"To answer at least that one question." Maruth finally said. "No, but we did work together a few times. You see, we're not only scholars but we're the only living wizards, as far as we know, who studied the teachings of Mahavhar."

Ubba raised his hand, his beard still in his mouth. His brother, who was sitting on the ground next to Myga, hands on his guns, gave his brother a nasty look.

"Yes...?" Inquired of him Maruth.

"Who is this Mahavhar and how come his teachings are only known to you three alone?" He asked quickly while spitting his beard, then turned to his brother. "I asked for her permission first!" He added waving his risen hand.

"You be damned..." His brother muttered.

"Well... to cut it short. Mahavhar is the one you call Brymhel..." She declared.

The Brymhelians looked at each other and burst into loud laughter.

"No no no witch, you have no clue who Brymhel is. Just stick to what you know of witchcraft and leave our allfather to us." Riposted Vigo mockingly.

"She speaks the truth." Objected Goldeneye firmly. "I have told you before, the answer to your questions will not always be what you expect. How you feel about the truth will not change it. It is right even when you believe it to be wrong."

"It just cannot be!" Protested Myga."Do you even know who Brymhel is?"

"Yes. Do you?" Answered him the captain. "You have no clue who Mahavhar is, and yet you dismiss the possibility of him being your maker. That is my child is what my mother would call thickness."

The giant shrunk in embarrassment. His companions looked at Goldeneye in disbelief.

"Carry on child." Goldeneye ordered Maruth.

"I know this came out suddenly and I approve of your skepticism. But as Erving said, you cannot change the fact that it is true. I'm not trying to dissuade you from your believes, I'm adding truth to it." She explained.

"A mortal cannot be a maker." Wungrim said.

"I never said he was mortal." Maruth replied.

"He once was of my kin." Declared Erving.

"What do you mean was?" Asked him Ubba, this time Vigo approved of his brother's question.

"I wasn't there when it happened, but he changed... he is now a kin of his own, with no one like him..." Goldeneye was filled with grief.

"From what he left behind of his own account, Mahavhar described what he calls "a divine ascension" during the very first wars to ravage the earth. Perhaps it would be best if I show them what happened... on you." Maruth said, looking at Erving.

He stared at her for a moment, then at the Brymhelians. "I suppose it is necessary." He sighed. "Children... I need you to stay calm... my appearance will startle you." He warned them.

He stood up, walked in front of his desk, pushed it along with the chair to make room then sat on the wooden ground legs crossed. "I cannot do it standing up, I will break the ceiling." He added, Maruth who was on his right nodded at him. He then, took a long and deep breath and closed his eyes. His blue veins started to manifest on his body, then came the horns, then the pikes on his spine, tearing through his clothes, which were worn and not made. His shapeshifting wasn't the greatest. The wings tore what remained of his shirt and jacket, and although he was seated on the ground his wings still made holes through the ceiling. The Brymhelians looked at him, frightened and unable to place a word, even Ubba.

When he opened his eyes, they were golden and he looked at them in discomfort. "Forgive me." He said.

"This is the true form of a Veer." Declared Maruth. "They will need some time to adjust to the sight..." She told Erving kindly.

"I know..." Goldeneye said.

"This is... that's what you conceal underneath your man shape?" Ubba stuttered.

"I can see that nothing ever sways your curiosity Ubba." Maruth chuckled covering her mouth.

"You should be thick to not be curious about this!" Riposted Vigo. "No offense... Cap'n"

"So you mean to tell us that Brymhel is like this?" Asked Wungrim.

Erving sat silently.

"No, not anymore. Mahavhar was once like Erving here. He was a Veer, a very strong one, probably the strongest..." She replied, hesitating on the last part.

Erving nodded in agreement.

"He was. He also was a messenger of the Deity. The one who sinned most. Because unlike us, whose duty was to obey the laws, he was supposed to direct their executions. I ignore why nor how he derailed from that path." Goldeneye looked at Maruth hoping for an answer.

"He never said why in his teachings. He only spoke of how he repented." She replied. "Anyway... Mahavhar once had the same body as Erving here. You can see that aside from few features, he looks exactly like Men and Wizards. During his ascension, the wings and horns of Mahavhar were torn off of his body. They merged with the land to give birth to you and the winged serpents of the west. This might sound unnatural but it's exactly what happened." She carried on while pointing at Goldeneye's body.

"It explains why you are more resistant to magic than mere men. The essence of witchcraft is within you. That is also why you live longer." Explained Erving still seated.

"The Dragons know of this tale, they probably know more than us." Maruth said.

"Your ancestors must have known as well, but unlike dragons, their memory must have altered somehow. The dragons however still know the tale almost as it is." Explained Goldeneye.

"Well, where is this Mahavhar now?" Asked Wungrim.

"We don't know yet, but it is crucial we find him." Replied Maruth. "We cannot stand up to Marid on our own. All we can do is slow him down for a while, but we cannot defeat him."

"Still, as I told you before, Marid isn't the only threat." Added Goldeneye. "Are we done? I'm uncomfortable." He asked Maruth.

"Yes sure." She said.

Goldeneye then closed his eyes again, shapeshifting to the appearance he wears. When the procedure was over, he stood up and stretched. "Ah!" He let out a sigh of relief. "Much better. I grew fond of this body." He added jokingly.

"What is this threat you talk of?" Asked him Ubba.

"The world is changing at a high speed. An alarming speed. And as far as my knowledge goes, I believe it is trying to adapt to some unknown changes." He explained. "We need someone who knows more about this matter to help us. Mahavhar is our only hope."

"What changes? We haven't noticed anything?" Asked him Myga.

"You'll understand when we reach our destination." He simply said.