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JULES
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“Do it!” Thorn repeated.
“You’d sacrifice yourself for her?” Jules asked.
Thorn pressed his throat into the blade. “We all would, boy.”
They’re working with the Iron Maidens, but surely a group of Pirates aren’t also zealots.
“There must be a better way.” Jules maintained his positioning over Thorn.
“You heard the Djinn. I’m probably the only one here who’s been inside a Shrine before, and their laws are ironclad.”
Jules looked up at the purple figure who towered above them. "These Djinns, are they evil?”
“You know any good ones?”
“Why would he want to tear us apart like this?”
“It’s not for us to know the Djinns’ wisdom.”
“I disagree." Something’s not right. With this Djinn, this Shrine, the Siren…this whole town. Jules looked around. "We’re in a maze. The whole point of this place is to solve a puzzle, or something. Like the point is to split us up, make us not think clearly, get caught up in the moment. To look out for only ourselves, and not each other. Like this whole damn town. They bolster you up, only to prevent you from actually trying the Shrine at the last minute…”
“Please. I’d rather you killed me than listen to you ramble.”
“Like the Siren," Jules ignored him. "You hear the lyrics, but you don’t understand the message. The words…” Thorn sighed dramatically. The Djinn only mentioned the Party. And Thorn said he’d been in a Shrine before. “That coat. It’s a Vessel.”
Thorn snarled, but spoke with reluctance. “It is. If you think I’ll tell you what it does, you can fu—”
“I don’t care what it does. I want to know what happened after you claimed it.” The answer stunned him. Thorn must have realized where Jules was going with this, and conceded to let Jules announce it. “Everyone,” Jules cried out. “Stop! We found a way out.”
Jules looked around the battlefield for the first time and was pleasantly shocked by his team. Cyrus had an enemy frozen, Katarina had hers between two blades, and Rukia and Whiskers…somehow had knocked out John the Pirate. Jules looked down at his own weapon, which drew blood from Thorn’s neck. He rescinded it with a sheepish smile.
“It looks like we actually won. But none of us want to kill any of you—”
“Speak for yourself,” Rukia shouted. She hopped on all fours and grew beefy, thick muscles. She erupted into flames and bared her fangs. Bloodlust filled her eyes. John shielded his eyes. “Ahhh!”
SPLASH! Cyrus dropped a water wall on her. It doused her flames and swept her away.
“Uh, thanks Cy. Anyway, thanks to Thorn’s experience, I solved this puzzle.” Jules gestured at the labyrinth. “This is a maze, after all.”
“So which one of you gets to claim the Vessel, then?” Maddie asked.
“It’s my idea, so I vote Cy.”
“You’d let the girl die?" Maddie shouted.
“No, I would never.” Whiskers hissed at Jules and wobbled toward Katarina.
“Oh." Maddie eyed the stumbling cat as she spoke. "Of course not. No deal.”
“Gotta be kidding me,” Cyrus said.
Katarina drew some blood from Maddie’s neck. “You’re not exactly in a bargaining position.”
“No one has to die,” Jules said.
“What, as if you’re really going to kill me? I don’t think you’re that rotten.” Maddie winked at Katarina. “Listen, it’s me, or it’s no one.”
“You’d let your crew die like that?” Jules bluffed, but still had to see her reasoning.
“Crew,” she shouted. “Do you trust me?”
“Aye,” Thorn and August said.
"Uh, well, I haven’t exactly met a Mermaid yet—"
“You insufferable fool,” Maddie whispered.
“We beat the Boss,” Cyrus said.
“And then we kicked your asses,” Katarina added.
“And I figured out the puzzle, so everyone can live. It’s clear that we are the stronger group.” Jules relayed his plan.
“It’s clear that you haven’t thought this through to the end, have you?” Maddie asked Jules. Of course I have. I just hoped you wouldn’t. “We all survive, then what? We fight again, on the outside?”
“I wouldn't be opposed to that idea,” Cyrus said. “Seeing how it turned out the first time.”
Maddie laughed. “We have you trapped. Do you think I’d take my entire crew into a Shrine? No, I only brought—”
“Bullshit,” Katarina said. She pointed to John. “No way I’m gonna believe what you’re about to say, that that kid is the cream of your crop.”
Maddie seemed unfazed. “You still haven’t seen Thorn’s Vessel. And, now that I’m aware of the newer stakes, I’m thinking I can try a little harder against you.”
“What do you mean?” Katarina asked.
“Men, we have two bounties on our hands. This one’s a Sin, too.”
Shit.
“Shit.”
“Ohhh shit.”
"MRROWRRR!!"
Thorn lit up. His coat’s gold outlines shined brightly, though nothing happened. Yet. Jules looked fearlessly at the old man. “Please, Thorn, please. Don’t do anything stupid. We shared drinks last night, and I’ll not forget that.”
“Seems we’re at a bit of a stalemate, then.” Cyrus tapped the ice sculpture of August.
“You should know, we’re part of a bigger team.” Maddie slowly pushed away Katarina’s blades and arms. “I wish to speak to your leader, Julisha, alone.”
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The girls came down from the pedestal. Katarina joined Whiskers, and then Jules and Maddie approached each other in the center. Maddie stopped an inch or two out of kicking distance.
“Since the ruse has faded, my real name is Jules. Jules Tideshaper.”
Maddie folded her arms and sagged to one side. What’s she waiting for? The parrot landed on her shoulder. Jules studied them for a moment, and then he got it. A thin smile crept across his face, and he clicked his tongue. Jules laughed, a good, hearty, long laugh.
“Give us a head start," he said. "Oh Wise One.”
"Smart man." Maddie beamed back at him. "One day.”
“Three.”
“Two.” Jules’ friends shouted in protest, but he reached out for a handshake. Maddie took it. He pulled her in close and whispered in her ear. “My offer from last night stands for you and your crew. Think about it. I have a feeling we will meet each other again, and soon, Captain Maddie Redwood. I’m not sure when, I’m not sure where, but you and I—and our comrades—we'll all be stronger.”
She turned in toward him. He felt her breath on his cheeks.
“Of mind, resolve…" Maddie looked him up and down. "And body. Goodbye for now, Wrath.”
He gripped her harder as she moved to walk away. He whispered even more softly. “Jules. My name is Jules. Some day, I’d like to learn yours, too.” He released her and left her speechless as he walked away.
“Cy, unfreeze that man. Rukia, Whiskers, leave the daydreamer alone.” The two drunken Familiars protested, but stopped terrorizing John. “And you, Thorn. Time to abandon ship.”
Thorn spat to the side. “For but a moment.”
Jules received Notifications from them to join his Party. One, two, three. OK—
“Alright, I’m claiming the Vessel now,” Maddie said. She reached up towards the Djinn from just below it. “Better accept them all!”
“Wait!” Jules opened his Menu.
Click click click click!
He accepted them so fast he didn’t notice the fourth one pop up. Maddie touched the Djinn, and the world ripped away to white. Everything disappeared, and Jules fell into a vortex.
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> [Shrine Hunting — Quest Objective FAILED: Capture the Shrine in Siren's Cove.]
Jules and his friends sprinted through the forest outskirts. Trees blazed past them in blurs thanks to their Rune-powered legs that whisked them away as fast as possible. Rukia and Whiskers flopped about in the wind; they clung on to their Sins for dear life. Drunk lushes couldn’t keep up on their own and now they’re slowing us down even more. Better start the clock. He pulled up his Menu and started a countdown for 48 hours and shaved off a few minutes for how long they’d been running.
“Did you boot them, Jules?” Cyrus asked.
“Boot who?”
“You moron,” Katarina said. “Boot those rat motherfuckers from our Party—Now!”
“Crap.” Jules scrolled through his Menu and found three familiar faces and names. His face dropped at the fourth. Yep, thought so. He hurriedly studied Thorn, August, and John’s profiles before kicking them to the curb.
“What are you doing? Why are you still on that screen!?”
Jules winced. You sound like those harpies, Kat. “Getting intel on these guys…” Jules glanced through Salty Pete’s info. His profile picture, it’s so cute, adorable even.
“Hurry, before they do the same!”
Jules took it all in.
> [STATS — Peter, aka Salty Pete. Race: Parrot. Rank: UNRANKED — Under 18. Class: LOCKED — Insufficient Skills. Skill Slots: Unavailable.]
Jules hurriedly clicked the red X mark over the parrot’s face and kicked him out of their Party, too. “OK, Kat. They’re goners.”
“And so are we.” The forest thickened as they took a longer, safer route back. Rukia and Whiskers flapped in the wind with each step. They cried relentlessly and left behind a trail of slobber.
“I wonder what that Vessel was,” Cyrus said. “I still can’t believe you gave it away!”
“I trust you, Jules," Katarina said, "but we’re all gonna have a serious conversation soon.”
“When this place is far behind us,” Jules said. They’d left the inn fully packed and ready to go this morning, so they headed straight for their docked ship, where they were greeted by a jolly group of merry, brainwashed men, the ones they'd kidnapped from Aquilantis.
“Welcome back, oh Holy—”
“Save it,” Cyrus snapped. “Set sail immediately.”
“Every OK?” the Sailor asked.
“Will be, if we’re out of the bay in five.” The Sailor saluted Cyrus and ran off to prepare the ship.
“Cy…” He ignored Jules and unpacked his soaking bag on the deck. “Cy. We said we’d let them go here. They’ve got lives, families—”
"And one final job to do. I’ll kick them off after they’ve readied the sails. You've got your own job to do. Tie them up."
A few chaotic minutes later, Cyrus addressed the group of Sailors, whose ship they’d commandeered in Aquilantis. “Men, it brings me great sorrow to inform you that our next destination is too dangerous to carry on with you."
“Nooo!” several men cried out. “We love you all!”
“Sweet Salvos, listen,” Cyrus rubbed his forehead. “In the battle of the Immortals, we Virtues must defeat the evil Sins! None of you will survive the long journey to Shinsora. You must go. We simply cannot allow such a tragedy to befall you, and…”
“Tarnish our good reputation,” Katarina said flatly.
“What about the little devils you captured?” a man shouted out. Katarina snapped her fingers. Jules hoisted up Whiskers and Rukia, hogtied together by a single rope. He strung them up by the mainmast.
“Have no fear, men,” Jules bellowed, “for they are secured!”
The men booed the Familiars. “Damn cat and fox tried to steal our ship!”
"And they kicked our asses!"
"Let us have a piece of 'em!"
“They are safer with us than anywhere else, so leave them be,” Cyrus ordered. The men groaned but eventually agreed. Jules set sail, and the ship departed. “Farewell, men! Thank you for donating your ship to The Mighty Cause!”
“Long live the Virtues! Salvos save the Virtues!” The men repeated the chant, long after they were beyond ear shot.
"Man. We should'a just killed those guys," Rukia said as she spun around, ass-to-ass with Whiskers, suspended beneath the mast.
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RUKIA'S CORNER (BONUS)
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Rukia reflects on how she bested John the Pirate in the Siren's Cove Shrine
Rukia staggered, still drunk from playing ball.
So much ball.
Was it too much ball?
No, I don’t know there’s such a thing as too much ball. Anyway, I’m just happy I drew the long stick for once, fighting this loser.
She had Mermaidboy, as she called him, trapped against some weird wall of water. How'd this even get here? He was covered head to toe in scratches from her sharp, and vicious, and deadly, and lethal, and deadly-but-also-beautiful-yet-deadly claws, claws that could chop clean through this boy, claws that could chop down a tree, knock down an entire skyscraper, if only she wanted to—and only if they existed in this world—claws that could—
Mermaidboy jabbed his spear at her. She thought about cursing him out, but chose to laugh in disdain instead. Yeah, that made me look cooler.
“You fool! I’m immune to spears, you should—Ow ow ouchy. Hey!”
That damn parrot swooped in on me again. I keep forgetting about him. Just think of him as another ball… She stood on her hind legs and pointed at the squawking nuisance, though she was drunk, and it was hard to point accurately, and he kept moving around, Salvos-dammit. Her eyes glowed crimson red.
“I’ll show you the Stormfront!” The parrot darted away, fear clearly in its beady little bastard eyes.
“Coward,” all three of them said.
“Heh heh heh…You were right to fear me—”
Wait, three voices? Rukia whipped around.
“I’m pretty sure it fears me.” The black cat walked up slowly and stealthily to them. He alternated between purrs and hisses, then he wobbled and rolled an ankle.
"Oh, for heaven's sakes!" it cried.
Sniff sniff. Ah, catnip. Not the first I've known to fall to the false allure of drugs, to vices likes gambling, money, fame, balls—no, balls are fine, I can quit whenever I want—
“Ahhh!” Mermaidboy went into a spear-stabbing frenzy.
Whiskers and I disbursed—Uh, I mean, Whiskers and Rukia disbursed—and then scrambled back in to attack him from opposite sides. Their drunkenness had really set in as both kept constantly missing him. Mermaidboy kicked them both, and Rukia rolled away, hurt, badly bruised, beaten, struggling, gasping, now near death—Oh no, oh Jules, oh no Jules, I’m dying, I’m ugggghhhhh dying…
“It’s time we reveal it to them all,” Catnip said ominously.
Rukia gasped. “No—Surely you don’t mean… Our secret style?!?”
“We’re in no state to fight without it—the revered, the sacred, the secret…” Whiskers trailed off for her to join in.
“WU FANG STYLE!” they shouted in harmony and leapt into kung fu stances.
Oh, yes, fear me. Rukia saw the terror in Mermaidboy’s eyes at their sharp fangs and pointy claws.
“Rukia, Wu Fang Style #2—Fusion Dance!” An excellent choice, even coming a cat. So glad I taught you the ways of this incredibly difficult style in just a day or two.
They crab-walked and circled their arms toward each other, then flung their arms away from the other. They tilted back into each other and touched the points of their claws together, and then—
“Look—A mermaid!” Catnip shouted.
Merman looked away, distracted, and both Catnip and Rukia kicked him in the family jewels, in true, fused unison, and he fell over in slow motion. Droplets of water fell from the sky, like shining diamonds, like the flashes of cameras recording history of a victorious underdog champion
Ah, TKO. Utter bliss…
"Once again, fox, you are full of yourself. You flat-out denied me when I asked you to show me the Wu Fang Style—"
"Aha! So you admit that it exists! And therefore admit that's how it really went down!"
"What? No, I didn't... I didn't!!"
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