Xavier pulled himself back up to the ship with newly carved pieces of Poniwhale in his hand. He looked mildly disappointed at his haul and Rep turned his head quizzically at the meat in his hand.

“Is it not purple?” Rep asked. “Was the whale sick this time?”

“The whale was fine. You used too much fire within it! You overcooked it from the inside,” Xavier said, clearly miffed by the fact.

“I see. I was more focused on preventing the creature from striking the ship than I was about a perfect cook,” Rep said.

“Next time try to do both,” Xavier said.

At first Zalan laughed, thinking Xavier was joking. Then Xavier turned to Zalan with a glare and Zalan realized he was dead serious. Zalan looked away from his ire-infused gaze and cleared his throat, pretending his laugh was a cough.

“Hey,” Zalan said, desperate to change the subject. “I heard that Captain Buttonwillow saved your life or something?”

Xavier chewed thoughtfully on his charred meat. Swallowing glumly, he nodded his head.

“Yes, it is something I joined him to pay him back for. But I intend to remain on his crew even after repaying him,” Xavier said.

“You are still dedicated to repayment? I told you many times before that there was no debt that needed fulfilling,” Captain Buttonwillow said to him.

Xavier only stared at his captain, deciding not to get into that direction of the conversation. Zalan felt awkward between the two of them and leaned back against the side of the boat trying to distance himself. After a few seconds of awkward tension, Captain Buttonwillow grinned broadly at no one in particular and left for his quarters.

“My life is a debt that needs to be repaid,” Xavier continued as if he wasn’t interrupted.

“What did he do to deserve such dedication?” Rep asked, taking a bite of burnt Poniwhale.

“He fed me when no one else would.”

“Ah… yes,” Rep said, a little confused. “To be fed is very nice.”

“I think he means he was starving before the captain came by and fed him,” Zalan clarified.

“Yes,” Xavier nodded.

“I see,” Rep said, much more understanding now.

“He saved me from much pain. Even today, he quenches my appetite with such rich foods. All of the town of Lunic had left me for dead, starving on the side of the road. It was endless pain, every day.”

“You didn’t meet him in Oriton?” Zalan asked, interested.

“Ha! Oriton? Madam Hikma would never allow a man to go hungry on the streets of Oriton,” Xavier shook his head. Zalan found that idea impressive, not considering what kind of good Madam Hikma had brought to her town. It was strange to think that Ma and Madam Hikma shared the same city.

“And — sorry if this is a stupid question — but you couldn’t have a Healing Rest to get rid of the pain?” Zalan asked.

“Hunger pains are inescapable. They are constant. Horrible. And they are all encompassing. When you live without knowing where your next meal will come from, your entire life revolves around acquiring that next meal. Staving off starvation for one more day. The captain met me soon after acquiring his Elemental Power. He was so excited to share his tale, he insisted that he share a meal with me. Right there on the side of the road. I was too weak to walk. He came back the next day, telling me more stories and bringing me more food. Until I could stand on my own and choose to follow the one man who gave me another chance at life.”

Zalan was suddenly struck with the memory of the boys that he gave money to at the Elemental Rage Tournament so they could get some food for themselves. He hoped they were doing well.

“I am glad he treated you with dignity when you were in need,” Rep said. “The more I hear of Captain Buttonwillow, the more I am pleased we granted him ownership of The Aegeusson.”

“I wish I had swindled the ship from you and granted it to him, myself. Then maybe my feeling of debt would be done,” Xavier said.

Zalan let out a chuckle, thinking it was another joke. Xavier gave him another serious look. Zalan once again coughed, pointing to his neck like he had something caught in his throat. Xavier scoffed.

The rest of the day went off without any interesting events. Zalan excused himself from having to consume any monster meat, though the real reason was to stop being so awkward around Xavier’s non-jokes. The winds were fair and the sea was quaint. They weren’t harassed by monsters for the rest of the day and Zalan started to become anxious about reaching their destination. The novelty of being on an adventure at sea had worn off on him. He desperately wanted to be on the Island of Remains so that he could get back to steady land. He mildly dreaded the days of the trip that would be spent going back home. What if he was injured in his confrontation with Morloch the Manipulator? There would be no healing until returning to Oriton.

The next morning, Rep and Zalan found Nold sleeping on the upper deck. He was at a strange angle, like he didn’t intend to be lying there, but happened to fall asleep there. Zalan nudged him lightly.

“Did you sleep up here last night?” Zalan asked.

“No. Or perhaps yes, I suppose,” Nold said, yawning and picking himself up.

“Why?” Rep asked.

“Why?” Nold repeated slowly. He blinked a few times as he processed the question. “Because… you did not let me stay in your quarters! The crew quarters are far too uncomfortable.”

“This couldn’t have been much more comfortable,” Zalan tapped his foot lightly on the wood making up the deck.

“You know nothing,” Nold said derisively, picking himself up.

He began stumbling to go below deck. Zalan narrowed his eyes in confusion as he realized that Nold looked like he was going to take a nap in the place he just complained was too uncomfortable to sleep in.

Captain Buttonwillow burst grandly from the captain’s quarters and breathed in the salty air. He looked up to the reconstructed crow’s nest. Rosemary stood in the basket above.

“A beautiful day for a storm,” he said to himself. “Rosemary! Anything of interest happen overnight?” Captain Buttonwillow called up.

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“Yes! The most incredible thing!” Rosemary said. “The winds were at our back almost the entire night! Incredible, powerful winds! I believe we saved a day or two of our time!”

“Amazing!” Captain Buttonwillow said, elated. “Did you spend the whole of the night adjusting the sails to make sure we were always catching the most wind? Or perhaps steering us in the right direction?”

“Neither! The winds were always perfectly pointing us to our destination!” Rosemary said proudly.

Captain Buttonwillow’s face cracked a smidge. He shook his head lightly.

“The winds were always at our back?” he asked. “Was there a creature of the sea that was blowing those winds? Or perhaps you had an Artifact to do that?”

“No, nothing in the sea I saw. And the only Artifact I came aboard with was the Wavebinder I used to rescue you.”

“Very well,” Captain Buttonwillow said ambivalently. “You may come down. Get some rest after keeping such diligent watch.”

“Is something wrong?” Zalan asked, reading his expression.

“I am perhaps overthinking things,” Captain Buttonwillow said. “Winds carrying us to our destination is not unheard of. But normally, we have to adjust our sails to take advantage of such a boon. Rosemary is experienced enough to know when and how to change the direction of our sails. But she said it was never necessary… It frankly sounds unbelievable.”

“Perhaps we should take this as a blessing?” Rep asked.

“Perhaps… It would be quite odd for me to take it as an omen,” Captain Buttonwillow mused. But the look on his face made it clear he had determined this was a bad sign. Zalan wondered how good winds could be a bad thing.

“It’s out of our control, so it’s destiny, right?” Zalan tried to offer his philosophy to increase his optimism.

“Indeed,” Captain Buttonwillow said. “Destiny does not have to be good. It only means that we should be prepared for the unexpected.”

“How much time does it save to have the wind at our backs all night?”

“I would estimate about two days,” Rosemary said as she climbed down the mast.

“Then… we should be seeing the Island of Remains today!” Zalan said, excited.

“Indeed!” Captain Buttonwillow said, snapping out of his contemplative trance. “Enzo! Xavier! Get to your stations! Steer us to our glorious destinations!”

“Sir!” They saluted diligently. Scrambling, they ran to their respective positions on the ship and began using their Elemental Powers to propel The Aegeusson forward.

Zalan ran to the bow of the boat. He leaned over the edge and peered toward the horizon, taking in everything he could. He wanted to be the first to spot the Island of Remains. If they would shore up on it today, it meant that they should definitely be able to see it soon. It would be a welcome change of pace from the endless waters in every direction. It would do very well to make him feel like he wasn’t trapped on the ship anymore. Rep caught up with him.

“Eager to take on Morloch?” Rep asked.

Zalan’s posture slackened as the thought crossed his mind. The Island of Remains meant he might have to battle Morloch the Manipulator. It might even be as soon as that same day. He might have to kill him. He ran a hand through his hair.

“You’ll be there, right? Madam Hikma said I needed my friends to take down Morloch.”

“You imagine I have anywhere else to be?” Rep gestured to the empty sea.

“Right,” Zalan breathed nervously.

“You will be fine. I will be there to assist you every step of the way. We will overpower the Monster of the Mindscape, I assure you,” Rep said.

“I’m not used to you giving me the pep talks for upcoming fights,” Zalan sighed. “You really think we can take him?”

“Two of us at Level 6 and 7 are a good match for any fighter. Few could take us both down single handedly,” Rep said.

“What about Oshrad?”

“We are not talking about Oshrad. Our opponent will be a man who lives on an island in the middle of the sea. I think he is rather lacking in ways to gain Experience.”

“Yeah,” Zalan agreed.

“Though, he still might try to break our toes.”

That brought a laugh out of Zalan, alleviating his concerns.

Rep and Zalan remained at the head of the ship, hoping to be the first to detect the island. Rep and Zalan practiced using their Elemental Powers in the water to pass the time. Zalan still struggled to curve lightning more than about thirty degrees. He strained himself in trying to get anything more than that. Rep tried to imbue his hand with flame, then quickly put it out when it looked like he would burn himself. He was no closer to imbuing his hand than he was before beginning this journey. They continued to practice for a few minutes until Zalan got impatient with his lack of progress.

“Shouldn’t Nold be teaching us stuff? I thought he still called us his students,” Zalan said.

“He must still be asleep.”

“Yeah, after already sleeping on deck. What’s up with him, he’s all over the place,” Zalan shook his head.

“He seems about the same as before. Which is to say mysterious, strange, and generally unsettling.” Rep shrugged.

“Yeah, I don’t really like being alone with him.”

“Captain!” Magnolia called from the crow’s nest. “There is something straight ahead!”

Rep and Zalan pinned themselves to the front edge of the ship, watching closely for the island. Zalan saw something just above the edge of the horizon.

“Is that the island?” Zalan asked.

“They look to be storm clouds,” Rep said.

“Oh, yeah, I see it now,” Zalan sighed.

“I knew I smelled a storm!” Captain Buttonwillow said triumphantly.

“Not just the storm. It is difficult to verify. Something stirring under the clouds,” Magnolia said, peering.

“A monster, then,” Captain Buttonwillow determined.

Captain Buttonwillow joined Rep and Zalan at the bow. Everyone on deck stared in silence. The ship groaned quietly and the water brushed the side of the ship. The waves were becoming more tumultuous. Zalan looked between Captain Buttonwillow and the horizon, trying to figure out whether there was something to be seen. Zalan could see the movement under the clouds, but had no idea what he was looking at.

“I see it now, captain,” Magnolia sighed. “A Leviathan.”

“A shame. That will put us back some time,” Captain Buttonwillow muttered.

Zalan could barely see it now, the slightest shift in the water beneath the clouds. Like a series of waves crashing together. Something must have been swirling beneath the water.

“Change direction!” Captain Buttonwillow demanded, waving his arms port side. “We are not to engage the Leviathan! Xavier, slow down our speed. Enzo, put everything into turning this ship away from that Leviathan. We are to make a wide berth and go around. Do not let it get a clear glimpse of us.”

Enzo nodded immediately, grateful to see his captain take the creature seriously. Xavier stopped firing Elemental Air at the sails and Enzo shifted the ship to the left. The clouds above the Leviathan expanded, approaching The Aegeusson. They could avoid the monster, but not the clouds. The storm was approaching them.

The waves had more white caps. Zalan started to feel anxious about the ship. A slight sense of claustrophobia came over him. He felt trapped. There was no escaping the sea if it started to go wild in a storm. It made him especially grateful that they were avoiding more encounters while the water became more aggressive.

“That should do. Make a long circle around the Leviathan,” Captain Buttonwillow ordered, keeping his eyes on the Leviathan’s waters. “And increase our speed! We do not want to be caught in a storm!”

Xavier and Enzo increased their Elemental Power output, shifting the ship forward at an increased heading. Zalan felt a little more at ease to be moving faster. It felt like they could outrun the storm if they got their speed right.

“There it is, captain! The Island of Remains!” Magnolia pointed.

Rep and Zalan looked out to the horizon once more, elated to see a land mass poking out of the sea. The island was surrounded by debris floating across the water around it. From the distance, it looked like pieces of the island broke off and decided to make an asteroid belt around it. Zalan blinked as a tiny raindrop struck his face. The rain was coming in. They had arrived just in time. They would be able to make it to shore before the rain got too bad. He smiled, feeling grateful for their timing.

“I’m ready to get off this thing. Are you ready to navigate the island?” Zalan asked Rep. Rep nodded confidently.

“Captain! There was more than one!” Magnolia screamed.

Her voice was full of fear. Rep and Zalan looked up to see what the commotion was about and widened their eyes.

A Leviathan’s head and neck was sticking out of the water, looking down on The Aeguesson with massive teeth bared.