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JULES
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Rukia, Cyrus, and Whiskers all stayed back in the room to catch up on some long needed rest.
“I’m surprised Rukia is sleeping, to be honest," Jules said. "Sure got plenty of rest last night.”
“Whiskers dragged her back. I thought it was a bit odd, but they do have plenty to bond over,” Katarina said.
“Just like us.” Katarina looked at him curiously, almost softly, for once. They drank from their massive, overly ornate steins. He eyed hers and its carved impression of a goddess. “You should have gotten an outfit like hers today.”
“Pfftt. In your dreams. Then again, maybe I shouldn’t say that. Wipe that stupid grin off your face. Your mug-guy looks like he’s the god of bodybuilding. Maybe you should switch up your Skill set.”
“These little carvings in the mugs, the beer that's mostly foam… This town, man.”
“This town is mostly foam," she agreed.
“Exactly. I visited here with my parents, long, long ago. The only trip we ever took.” Jules wiped foam from his lips.
“I’m surprised your mom let you leave.”
“It was way before the Shrine. She’d never let me go otherwise. But this town was nice. More like Coralhaven back then. Fun local legends, yada yada.” They drank some more, while a nearby group grew rowdy. “I wonder what Coralhaven is like now, if it’s commercialized, too, or…”
“Or what?" Katarina leaned in and smiled. "A ghost town? I wonder what Aquilantis will be like after our little stunt.”
“Cheers to the Siren’s Cove Shrine Capturers!”
Can't even have a beer in peace. Jules turned to study their competition. They were cheered on by the locals, but received darts of jealous looks from the other tourists.
“SQUAWK—SIREN’S COVE!” the parrot shrieked. “SQUAWK—SHRINE CAPTURERS!!”
“Must be that group the Innkeep mentioned this morning.” He didn’t turn back around, but rather took in their features.
A young man, or a boy. Simple, childish looking, not really noteworthy. A young man, truly a man, mid twenties. Looks like he grew up on the sea. An old man. Nice jacket, Gramps.
“We better beat them to it,” Katarina said. “They look serious, the only other group I’ve seen that I can say that about.”
Young woman, strong presence. Captain’s hat, and a parrot.
“I’d hate to see more people die—Jules, are you even listening to me?”
Jules pointed to the only woman in the group. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I know her from somewhere.” He drank some more foam beer.
“You know a lot of women from somewhere?”
“What?” Jules turned around to face her rigid face. “Hey now, are you jealous?”
“Why, should I be?”
“Why are you getting defensive, Kat? Like you’re getting mad at me.”
“I’m not mad, are you mad?” Katarina downed what was left in her stein, slammed it on the table, and left him. “Ugh.”
Jules' eyes widened. They darted side-to-side. Left, right, pause. Left, right, pause. He slouched down. When he felt it was safe to move again, he moved his head inch-by-inch in her direction.
She’s really gone. What just happened?
Jules downed his drink.
After a while, he finished Katarina's, too.
“And anyone who says anyfing differ-rent, I’ll challenge ‘em here and now!”
Oh, the pretty captain-lady. Her face is red.
Hmm. My face is warm.
“No one brave enough to face our captain, then?” the man in his twenties asked.
“Bunch of grown men, afraid of a little girl?” the man-child shouted. So brave. He’s wasted.
The old man cleared his throat. Hmmm…
Jules leaned forward on one arm. It slipped off the table and jostled him. Well, the night’s still young. He stood up so fast that even the people shopping next door could have heard his chair scoot across the floorboards.
“Hey!” Jules pointed at them, or at least in their general direction. “I heard you over there, talking that shit!”
“Aye." The woman rose slowly from her chair. "And what of it, boy?”
“If it’s a challenge you want, just name the terms, and I’ll accept it.”
The old man glared at Jules. Gulp. The girl smiled, welcoming him to try.
“Agatha—Bring us a keg!”
The patrons erupted in cheers once more, both locals and tourists alike.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
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“Say that again." John the Pirate slammed his mug down on the table and glared at Jules—all four of them did. "Say that one more time, and see what happens.”
Jules' hand still held his stein steadily, though it was now covered in someone else's foam. He stared back at John the Pirate. He looked to the left of him, at August the Pirate, the stoic one who really likes fish. Then to John’s right, Maddie, the captain-parrot-lady, and that really really old guy known as Thor. Now back to John the Man-Child.
“I said it once, I’ll say it again.” Jules leaned in to him, feeling completely unthreatened—what a joke—then he gave them all the nastiest look he could muster. “Mermaids aren’t real.”
John shot out of his seat, and the other three burst out laughing. With one massive hand, September the Pirate shoved John back down.
“Aye, he’s one of us,” Maddie shouted. “Another round!”
Mighty Thor lifted up the keg with his brawny muscles and poured them all another filling. Jules drank heavily, blissfully.
“Ah, no foam. You really know how to pour, Thor!”
“I told you, it’s Thorn.” Regardless, the old bastard smiled anyway. “And Agatha knows how to pour, as well. Just take a glance at the locals’ mugs. Wiser than we think.” Jules stared at him, confused. “What?”
“Who’s Agatha?” Jules shook his head as he asked.
“The Innkeep, you idiot.” Oh. Well OK then.
"Sorry about my man's manners." Maddie pointed her mug to the slop Mermaid-Boy left on Jules' hand and stein. "Spilled beer."
“Hiccup. Listen—you guys, you fucking guys—and gals, I know, Maddie, I know. You’re good guys. Right? Right.” Jules leaned back in his chair with an air of confidence. “You should probably join my Party.”
“I was born a leader, Julisha." Hahahaha, she said that stupid-ass name again. Aliases, I swear. “You couldn’t stand me.”
“Tell you the truth, Parrot-woman, I couldn’t stand myself right now.”
“Ha! Both of those are true.”
Jules leaned in and pointed at November. “See, I knew I’d get you to smile.” December shook his head in good humor and wiped away a foam mustache. “So, like, what? You like big fish? That's your thing?"
Maddie and Thor almost fell from their chairs, howling with laughter. Salvos damn, I’m on fire right now.
“If you mean Leviathans, the greatest creatures of the sea, then yes.”
Jules put his hands up in defense. “Whoah, sorry. Stoic’s back. Well—Yeah, I’m pretty sure they exist. And I’m not just saying that because you’re mad.”
“They do,” January the Very Stoic Pirate said very stoically. “With my captain’s help, I’ll find one some day.”
“Hey, maybe two—who knows? Seems like you’re quite the Maddie, leader. Thor, stop laughing, you’re shaking my table. Oh, what did I say? Anyway, I get where your crew of these two are at—but this guy must be your great-grandpa or something.”
“Easy boy, or I’ll spike your mead with something stronger.”
“Watch out, killer,” Maddie said. “He’s my most trusted Thornman, crew is. What? What did I say?”
“But so where’s your head at? Why lead a Thor in the first place?" Old Man Gramps shook his head. "Wowww, that was a long pause. Didn’t figure you the dramatic type. You must be after something, all of us are.”
Maddie eased up, leaned back in her chair, and smiled. “I’m in search of an early retirement!”
February and John the Two Very Different Pirates cheered her on. Julisha slammed his drink on the table.
“A marvelous goal! Splendid! Worthy of all the—the—my heavens, Sir. That coat—” Jules reached for Thor’s jacket, but grandpa angrily smacked his hand away. “Eh, sorry. It’s just that’s a very nice coat.”
“Maddie is the youngest Captain you’ll find on the line,” Great-Grandpa Thor bragged. “She’s already led us to great fortune in a short amount of time.”
Jules wobbled to his feet. “A Captain worthy of a toast,” he raised his glass yet again, “deserves a worthy toast!” Jules felt the flush and heat of his cheeks. Just glad they’re not my eyes.
Thor also rose to his feet. “To my granddaughter!”
Whoah, that’s cool. I started this.
> [Pang! Persuasion increased to Level 11.]
“To Leviathans!” March the Pirate stood up as well.
Wow, there’s a lot of us standing now.
“To Mermaids!”
You blew it. The whole thing sucks now, John. It sucks.
“To Thorn, August, and John—May we find fame and fortune everlasting!” Maddie and the others all looked to Jules to cap it off.
“To—”
Never dying?
The Apocalypse?
Arcanics?
“Hiccup!”
“HERE! HERE!”
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“Wazzit?” Jules woke up to Cyrus shaking him. He sat up, much too quickly. A gnarly headache pounded him back into his pillow, his thin pillow. Even the pre-dawn twilight proved too much for his eyes to handle. He groaned, but finally opened his eyes to see Cyrus smiling at him. Gonna be one hell of a morning.
“You certainly had a late one, Jules.” Cyrus looked over to Katarina’s room. “What did you two get up to last night?”
Cyrus leapt back to dodge a throwing knife that came through the walls, the thin walls. Jules practically had to fall out of bed to get out. Gonna be one hell of a day.
Besides Jules, they walked a straight line to what the townies called The Parade Walk. It began at the very edge of the city limits, beneath a massive archway decorated in gold and silver. A red carpet rolled out from the archway and into the woods. This is the path to the Shrine? What a circus.
Banners dedicated to all sorts of sea deities, and of course the occasional advert for a specific shoppe, lined the walkway.
“Anyone else noticing how the further along we get, the more spaced out these things are?” Cyrus asked.
“Not sure if Jules is noticing much of anything right now,” Katarina said, “but they are also more combat-related the further we go.”
Jules groaned. “I am noticing a slight sense of aggression in your tone.”
They finally came to a sign urging caution, and proceeded to more caution signs that quickly transitioned into danger signs, and then signs that read “Danger Danger Danger.” Finally, they ran into a group of three Guards.
“Oi, halt,” Guard One said. “Ain't no one’s prohibited past this station.”
“He means to say everyone’s prohibited past this station,” Guard Two said.
“Right I did, then.”
I am too hungover for this shit.
“Listen,” Katarina said, “we are going to capture that Shrine, and you’re gonna let us pass.”
“We’re going to be the Heroes of Siren’s Cove,” Cyrus said. All three Guards bursted out laughing.
“Children like you?” Guard Two said. A soft melody began to play in the background.
“Besides, no one who captures this Shrine never gonna be called no Hero to Siren’s Cove,” Guard Three said.
“Tell ya’s what," Guard One said. "Everyone’s gotta pass a test to get by, so if you pass the test you can proceeds.” All three Guards laughed again.
“What’s the test?” Jules asked, a bit aggressively. He sensed angry looks from Cyrus, Katarina, Whiskers, and even Rukia from his backpack. Why the hell is this woman singing so early?
Guard One opened his palm. “Har har har—Take this coin from me and—”
Jules flashed forward and swiped the gold coin from his hand. He bit it to test it out, then threw it on the ground. “Of course it’s fake!”
Guard One looked to his fellows for help. “Uh, theys passed the test, Sam.”
“Unfortunately there ain’t no childrens allowed,” Guard Three said. “Against the local laws. Island Elder can’t be having no more dead children.”
“But I passed the test.” This singer needs to shut the fuck up.
“Don’t yell at me, boy. Don’t want to hear any…” Everyone looked off toward the Shrine. The music grew louder, the woman’s song clearer.
“Beautiful,” Cyrus said.
“So pure,” Jules said.
“It’s alright,” Katarina whispered.
They all walked toward the sounds and forgot their argument. The Shrine was as beautiful as the song. A lovely red torii gate, with silver and gold etchings on the solid, sturdy wood.
Sure, it’s covered in bats and harpies and their nests—smells a bit like dung—but it’s so gorgeous… Those look like really sharp fangs. Vampire bats? Why don't you have fangs that big, Rukia? A harpy, four feet tall, with wings eight feet wide, crashed down in front of them.
“Hello,” one of the Guards said. The other two waved at her. No one fought it.
When the song stopped and Jules finally came to again, they were surrounded.
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