Emma walked through the empty streets of town. It was six o'clock in the morning in Arkham and apart from some early birds taking a stroll through town there was nobody around. The manager thought about what to do once she got home, other than procrastinating in writing the mission report. The mystery of the mask prodded at her mind as she made her way to the center of town to catch her ride home.
"Hey," a voice called out.
Emma stopped and looked behind her shoulder. A woman of tall stature approached the manager, her pink hair flowing in the wind. She noticed the woman's red eyes that mirrored her own. Emma adjusted her glasses and sighed, thinking it was just a weird tourist asking for directions.
"Can I help you?"
"You know Amelia Watson, don't you?"
Emma's heart skipped a beat. "What?"
"You've been tagging along on her little trip to Innsmouth, am I wrong?"
"No idea what you're talking about," the manager started to leave.
The woman placed a hand on her shoulder. She had one ferocious grip and an ice cold touch that made Emma shudder. The manager shook her hand off and glared at the stranger, face-to-face.
"What do you want?"
"Amelia Watson. Where is she?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"We have business. I'm not going to ask again. Tell me where she is. Now."
"I'm warning you, back off."
The woman sighed. She stared into Emma's eyes, attempting to mind control her. The manager's eyes narrowed, unaffected.
Emma smirked. "Was that supposed to do something?"
"Alright then, I guess we'll have to do this the hard way," an amused smile flashed across the woman's face.
Before she could react, the woman jabbed Emma in the face, sending her flying to the floor.
The woman stepped forward, cracking her knuckles. "Talk."
Emma felt her cheek stinging from the blow but suffered no visible injury. "So we're gonna play that way, huh?"
The manager stood up, facing her opponent. The woman punched, but Emma dodged it, stepping back and kicked her in the face when she saw an opening. The woman recoiled back, but she did not fall. Emma tackled her enemy while she recovered from the kick, knocking both of them to the floor. The manager swung her fist, striking the woman's head over and over. The woman grimaced, looking at Emma with an annoyed look. She pushed her off with one hand, launching her back with enough force to create distance between the two.
Emma jumped up and unsheathed her katana. "You're one tough bitch, y'know that?"
The stranger smirked, grabbing the scythe hanging behind her back. "We both know who's gonna come out on top, so why not make it easier on yourself and give me what I want."
"Not a chance in hell," Emma rushed forward.
The manager slashed, but her attack was parried by the scythe's blade. The woman swung her scythe overhead and brought it down on Emma. She sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the blade as it sunk into the concrete below with a resounding crack. The woman struggled to pull the blade from the ground and Emma swung down in her vulnerable position. The sword sliced through the arm the woman used to block the brunt of the blow. The woman managed to pull the scythe out and jumped back from Emma's next swing. Black strings sprouted from the woman's stump of an arm and they slithered towards her decapitated limb. As they attached to it, the limb zipped back on to her arm, good as new.
Emma watched in awe. "What the hell are you?"
"Understand now? You can't beat me."
Emma shot forward, her katana clashing with the snath of the woman's scythe.
"What business do you even have with Amelia anyways?"
"That friend of yours has committed a sin."
"Like what? She doesn't seem like a person who'd do something evil."
"To cheat death is a horrendous crime."
"What do you mean?"
"Her soul was to be claimed by my master that day in the future. She escaped destiny by traveling back in time. My master sent me here to get it back."
"So what, you're here as his errand girl? Don't you have other souls to reap?"
The woman snarled. "Don't you dare call me an errand girl when you're one yourself."
The woman struck Emma at the side of her head with the bottom of the snath, stunning her with more than enough time to deal a critical blow. She grabbed Emma by the collar and proceeded to punch her in the face. Emma could only see stars as the woman ended her onslaught. The woman raised the blade of the scythe to her throat.
"Talk or else you definitely won't like what happens next."
Blood dripping from her bottom lip, Emma looked down, ashamed. "Fine. She's traveling to an island, to a city called R'lyeh."
"Where is it?"
"Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. That's all I know."
The woman pulled the blade away, dropping Emma to the floor. "Thanks for the info."
Emma sat on the floor, wiping the blood on her chin. "Who are you?" she asked the woman as she started walking away.
The woman turned back to Emma with her scarlet eyes. "Mori Calliope."
A couple of days had passed since their departure from Arkham. The two had made their way down the eastern coast to cross the Panama Canal. Passing through was simple because of Amelia's status in the International Detective Organization. While the two waited for their submarine to be refueled, a short bus ride took them to a nearby town. They grabbed a quick bite to eat and walked around. Amelia spotted a store selling firearms. The detective, unsure what could happen in the future, decided to stock up on revolver ammunition in order to defend themselves from anything that posed a threat. She also found an average hunting rifle that would be useful and bought it. Satisfied with her purchase, Amelia and Gura returned to the submarine and reached the other side of the canal.
Amelia Watson opened the hatch on the top of the SS Hammerhead when they were a fair distance from the mainland, peaking out to the open Pacific Ocean. Before they left Y'ha-nthlei, the detective asked one of the Deep One guards where to find the ancient city of R'lyeh.
"The Great Dreamer lies in what you humans call the Pacific, in eternal slumber."
"The Pacific's a big place bud. You'll have to be more specific."
"No one knows the true location of the city."
"Then how do your people find this place?"
"As we are connected with Lord Dagon, the Great Dreamer communicates with us. Though we cannot speak with him directly, he sends us messages through dreams in order for us to complete our pilgrimages."
Amelia climbed back down into the submarine and met Gura in the control room.
"How's it looking out there, Ame?" Gura asked, pressing a few buttons on the control panel.
"We're all set. Now to get to the middle of the ocean," Amelia replied.
"It's harder than it seems. I thought we could use the navigation app, but there's no one place this city could be."
"The only hint they gave us was that there'd be a storm surrounding the place, but that doesn't narrow it down any less."
"We got all the way here and we don't even know where to go..."
"Say, maybe you can do some magic and talk to the Dreamer."
"I'm an Atlantean, not a miracle worker."
Amelia giggled. "Well, maybe we should call Emma about this. Maybe she knows someone who can help us out."
Gura handed her phone over to the detective, who pulled the business card from her pocket. Dialing the number, Amelia put it on speaker so Gura could hear and raised the phone to her mouth.
"Cover Corporation Office, Emma speaking."
"Yo Emma, it's Amelia."
"Amelia? How's the search going?"
"We just crossed the Panama Canal and we're at the Pacific Ocean now."
"Where's Gura?"
"Right here, Emma, I'm doing good!" Gura called out from her seat.
"How's things over there going?"
"Fine, I just finished my report on five cups of coffee."
"Sounds like you need some sleep."
"Trust me, I crashed when I got back to the office. Didn't help at all," Emma chuckled, "The higher-ups want my report by the end of the day, so here I am. Anyways, what do you need?"
"Well, we have no idea where to go from here. We were thinking someone that knows how to travel the seas could point us in the right direction," Amelia explained. "You know anyone like that?"
"Hm...I might know someone that could help. I'll have to check if she's around there though. Wait there."
Amelia and Gura waited for Emma to reply. The detective hoped she could find the person who could help them.
"Alright, good news, she's in the area. She and her crew should be in Hawaii right now."
"Who are we looking for?"
"You might know her, her name's Houshou Marine."
Gura turned to Amelia. "The woman on the navigation app?"
"She works for you?" Amelia asked.
"Yup, apart from being the mascot of the GPS app, she one of our operatives. She's on an investigation right now at sea. If anyone was a master at navigating the seven seas, it'd be her."
"What's she investigating?"
"I'm not in charge of her branch, so I'm not sure, but judging by how the higher-ups need a special operative to do this, I think it's important."
"I see. So what's she like?"
"One of the most rowdy, no bullshit people you'll ever meet. We work at the same office and it feels like she's the most energetic thing in the room. Every Friday when her branch goes to the izakaya near our office, she drinks like there's no tomorrow. Trust me, I've been invited on occasion, you don't want to see what happens when she's wasted."
"You said she was a pirate?"
"One of the best. Her skill with her cutlass and flintlock pistol are unmatched. I've spared with her a couple of times and we've always been evenly matched. The only other person I've seen that could rival her skill with a gun is you. She knows the ways of the sea like the back of her hand."
"This girl could really help us out," Gura remarked.
"Alright then, we'll meet up with her," Amelia told Emma.
"Cool, I'll send her a message."
"Thanks, Emma."
"One last thing, do you know someone named Mori Calliope?"
"Who's that?"
"She's looking for you. She beat me half to death wanting to know where you were."
"Holy shit, are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm all good. My body's aching all over but I'll be fine. That girl is hunting you down. She's dangerous."
"Why does she want me?"
"Something about you cheating death."
Amelia sighed. "Well that's pleasant. Another great thing to add to list. Thanks for the warning."
"Stay safe."
Emma hung up.
"We're setting course for Hawaii, it'll be another few hours till we get there."
"That girl Emma was talking about," Amelia started, "I hope she isn't following us."
By the time the coast of the Hawaii came into view, the moon hung in the sky. Shimmering stars dazzled the two as they surfaced. Amelia pointed at the large pirate ship parked at the nearby beach. The submarine came to a complete stop a few yards next to it. Exiting the SS Hammerhead, Amelia felt the cool night breeze and listened to the waves crashing against the sand. She caught the scent of cooked seafood in the air. Gura looked around, seeing people lounging around. A few glanced towards them as they passed by the two and the submarine.
"When was the last time you came to the beach, Ame?" Gura asked as they walked through the beach.
"A few years ago. Well, when I was living in the future, of course. My family took a big vacation and we all met up at the beach. We would go out to the water and swim."
"Are you a good swimmer?"
"Yeah, I'd say so. How 'bout you, Gura?"
"Well duh, I was born underwater."
Amelia grinned. "You seem like the kind of person who needs floaties."
"What do you..." Gura had a moment of realization and her face went red, "Hey!"
Amelia laughed as the short girl jabbed her in the arm. Her annoyance was short lived, as she started giggling soon after. The detective heard cheering and jovial singing coming from a bar at the beachfront. Two burly men stood by the door as Amelia and Gura approached.
"You here for something, missy?"
"Your captain's expecting us."
The man turned to his partner, telling him to go in. A couple of minutes later, his partner came back out, nodding towards the man.
"Alright, you can go in."
Amelia and Gura stepped into the bar. It was a full house, with men and women sitting in all the seats. A couple of pirates were playing cards at one table. Two groups threw shot glasses at each other in a drunken stupor from across the room. Some men were passed out, unconscious on the floor. From the front of the room, a woman with a pirate hat, an eyepatch, and a red dress stood up raising a mug filled to the brim with beer.
"Oi, pirates, another drink on me!"
The detective's ears were blasted with thunderous cheers and songs. The woman chugged the mug in one gulp with a large grin on her face. The two walked over to her, Gura stepping over a man lying face down on the ground.
"You're Houshou Marine?"
The woman took a seat on her stool. "That's Senchou to you. Emma told me you two were coming. Bartender, another one!"
"We need your help."
Marine scoffed. "I don't know if Emma told you, but we're on a mission right now."
"Can't it wait? We really need to find something."
"You think I have time to waste going out of my way to help you out? My crew and I are busy at the moment."
"Doing what, getting drunk?"
"What can I say, my men deserve a break for all their hard work. I'll say it again, we're on a mission. We don't have time to help you."
"But Emma said you'd help us," Gura said.
"I didn't promise anything, I only said I'd just meet you here."
"Why would you agree to meet us if you knew you'd just say no?"
"Let's just say I owe Emma a few favors. Now that you two have arrived here I can cross one off the list. Sorry to say this, but you're on your own," Marine raised her fresh mug of beer to her lips.
"We're trying to find an ancient city and your our only hope of finding it!"
Marine's eyes widened. "An ancient city?"
"A place called R'lyeh. It's somewhere in the Pacific, but we can't find it."
"Well that's interesting." The pirate placed her mug on the counter. She remained silent for a moment before speaking again. "Very well, I might be able to help you out."
"Really?" Amelia and Gura asked in unison.
"But first," Marine raised her index finger, "you need to prove to me that you deserve my help."
"How?" the detective asked.
"That's for you to figure out. Do something to impress me or my men and I'll decide whether or not you'll get my help."
Amelia and Gura stepped outside, unsure of what to do. They decided to head back to the sub to brainstorm.
"Any ideas?" Amelia asked, sitting on the couch in the living room.
"Nope, I've got no clue."
"Me either."
For a while the two sat in silence. Amelia lied down, her arms behind her head, staring at the ceiling overhead. Gura sat on a beanbag chair, mind in the clouds. The clock ticked, the hour hand hitting nine. Amelia noticed the door to Gura's room opening and peered at it. A small shark with a little red hat and enclosed in a bubble floated outside, heading towards Gura. Gura looked up as the shark landed on the tip of her nose, staring down at her with curious eyes.
"Hi there, Bloop. Whatcha up to?"
Bloop motioned towards the ukulele sitting at the dining table. Gura stood up and grabbed it.
"Wanna hear a song?"
Upon receiving a nod, Gura proceeded to strum a few chords, humming a pleasant melody. Bloop smiled, swaying around to the tune. Amelia couldn't help but smile herself.
"You didn't tell me you could sing like an angel, Gura."
Gura blushed. "Thanks, Ame."
Amelia giggled to herself, turning her attention back to the ceiling. "What kind of music do you think the Captain and her crew likes? Maybe rock?"
Gura's eyes widened. "Ame, you genius."
"What?"
Marine enjoyed another drink. She felt a tap on her shoulder and saw the two girls standing behind her with eager looks on their faces.
"Oh, you two. I thought you weren't coming gonna come back."
"We're ready," Amelia said.
"Who's up first?"
Amelia turned to Gura, giving her a nod.
"Me."
"Alright then," Marine whistled, getting the attention of all her crew in the room, "OK everyone, little miss shark girl here's gonna give us a little entertainment! Take it away, short stuff!"
Gura held on tight to her ukulele and stood up on one of the vacant tables. Marine and the crew watched her with awaiting eyes. She turned to Amelia, who gave her an encouraging smile. Gura looked back to the crowd, closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Um..." she started, a nervous tone in her voice, "This is an old song but one you might know so, uh, sing along if you want, haha." She laughed awkwardly.
She held her ukulele in the crook of her arm, positioning her fingers over the right strings.
"What will we do with a drunken sailor? What will we do with a drunken sailor? What will we do with a drunken sailor? Early in the morning! Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Early in the morning!"
Amelia was impressed with how strong and loud Gura could raise her voice, while maintaining the elegance of her normal singing. The crew's went from being unimpressed to starting to pay attention. Marine leaned in forward, becoming interested.
"Shave his belly with a rusty razor, Shave his belly with a rusty razor, Shave his belly with a rusty razor, Early in the morning! Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Early in the morning!"
By the time Gura finished the fourth verse, Amelia could hear a few people in the room begin to hum along.
"Put him in a long boat till his sober, Put him in a long boat till his sober, Put him in a long boat till his sober, Early in the morning! Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Early in the morning!"
A few more people began to quietly sing along. Marine glanced around the room. Gura's voice never faltered and she continued.
"Stick him in a scupper with a hosepipe bottom, Stick him in a scupper with a hosepipe bottom, Stick him in a scupper with a hosepipe bottom, Early in the morning!Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Early in the morning!"
The singing became louder and more people joined in. Gura's nervous expression began to fade as she saw what was unfolding in front of her.
"Put him in the bed with the captains daughter, Put him in the bed with the captains daughter, Put him in the bed with the captains daughter, Early in the morning! Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Early in the morning!"
The entire room, apart from Marine whose mouth curled in to a soft smile, was singing along to Gura's sea shanty. Amelia joined in with the crowd who sang in perfect unison.
"That's what we do with a drunken sailor, That's what we do with a drunken sailor, That's what we do with a drunken sailor, Early in the morning! Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Early in the morning! Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Early in the morning!"
As Gura sang, the crew's chants increased in volume, almost to a deafening degree. A few men were standing with their arms around each other, swinging their mugs of beer from side to side. The shark girl grinned from ear-to-ear. The captain clapped along, beaming in delight. After they finished the final verse, the entire bar exploded in jubilant approval. Amelia helped Gura step down from the table and complimented her. A couple of the men and women walked over and raised a glass to her. A man even gave her a slap on the back with a hearty laugh, startling Gura.
"She may be a young lass, but she has a voice that could shake the heavens!" one of the pirates commented.
Marine stood up. "Well, I had no idea you could sing. It's been a while since a shanty got me this revved up. Good on you, Gura!"
"Thanks, Senchou!"
The captain turned to Amelia. "As for you, I don't know how you can one-up this."
Amelia flashed a confident smile. "Trust me, you'll be interested in this."
Marine crossed her arms. "Oh really? Well then, out with it."
"Senchou Marine, I challenge you to a duel."
The room went silent. Flabbergasted faces spread across the room. Gura had a nervous expression, even after expecting this to happen. Marine began to laugh, the only sound in the room apart from the quiet conversations amongst the crew talking about how Amelia was in over her head challenging the captain. The detective remained unfazed.
"A duel?"
"A little friendly competition."
"What did you have in mind?"
"A game on how skilled we are our guns."
At this point the crew started to chuckle at Amelia's proposal.
"You do know who you're talking to, right?"
"Emma told me you have a good shot, but I want to test that."
"How do you suggest we do that?"
"Easy, just take a couple of bottles and shoot 'em. Gura here's gonna give us a countdown when to draw. We shoot ten bottles. Whoever hits the most bottles wins."
"And you really wanna do this knowing who you're going against."
"Hey, I'm a competitive person. I love a good challenge. Besides, I think you'll be in for one hell of a treat."
Marine smirked. "Don't act too confident. It'll feel even worse when I kick your ass."
The crew, interested in seeing if Amelia could talk the talk and also walk the walk, got the bottles ready swiftly. They watched as Amelia and Marine stood side-by-side a few yards away from the front of the bar. A woman placed a bottle on the counter. They both kept their hands near the holsters of their guns, prepared to shoot at the drop of a needle. Gura sat at one of the tables watching Amelia, who noticed her and gave her a reassuring smile. Gura sighed.
"Alrighty. When I say draw you shoot. I'll count down from three. Are you two ready?"
The two nodded, not breaking eye contact with the two bottles in front of them.
"Three...two...one...draw!"
Amelia pulled out her revolver and shot. Marine pulled out her flintlock pistol and shot. The captain's bullet pierced the bottle, making it explode into pieces. The detective's bullet missed the mark by a couple of inches, embedding itself in the wall behind. The crew chuckled. Marine tilted her head towards Amelia, giving her an unimpressed look.
"Unlucky shot," the detective said with a smile, twirling her gun in her hand.
Placing their handguns away. The shattered bottle was replaced with a new one.
"Senchou one, Amelia zero."
The next countdown came. The two took their shots, Marine's hitting once more. This time, Amelia scored a direct hit. The crew were still unmoved. With both bottles destroyed and replaced, the two got ready again. The result for the third, fourth, and fifth shots remained unchanged. Amelia and Marine would hit their shots on target. The crew leaned in more and more as the two would fire their guns at the same time, staying on par with each other. The sixth and seventh shots both reduced the bottles to hundreds of shards. On the eighth shot, the two drew their guns and fired. Amelia's bullet hit the bottle, however Marine's missed the mark by a few centimeters. The captain, along with most of her crew had their eyes wide. Some had their jaws dropped, blinking once or twice to make sure they just saw what happened. The two hit their ninth shot and were tied.
"Let's make things a little interesting," Amelia said.
"What do you have in mind?"
"If I win, you tell me your mission."
"And if I win?"
"I'm up for anything you choose."
Marine chuckled. "Then I'll have you swab the deck squeaky clean."
"You're on."
"Alright, you two ready?" Gura called out. Upon receiving a nod in reply from both girls, Gura continued. "OK...three..."
Amelia's fingers were at the ready, gliding just above the grip of her revolver.
"...two..."
Marine stared at the bottle straight ahead, refusing to blink even for a second.
"...one..."
Amelia felt sweat drip down the back of her neck. She did not know if it was because of the tropical climate or the tension.
"...fire!"
The detective drew her gun in less than a second and fired. Her eye on the bottle, the captain took a shot at the same time. Both bullets struck their targets simultaneously. The match ended in a draw. The crew gave the two a round of applause. Amelia twirled her revolver in her hand, holstering it. Marine turned to the detective with an satisfied smile.
"So you kept up with me, huh? You're good, I'll give you that.
"You're not too bad yourself, Senchou."
The captain let out an amused laugh. "Men, I'd like to introduce your new guest crew mates."
The crew raised a mug with an exuberant "Ahoy!" to the two girls, who gave each other a fist bump.
"Nice shooting, partner."
"Thanks! Can't beat your singing though."
"Alright you two," Marine started, picking up a new mug of beer from the counter, "I'll let you in on mission we're on."
"But didn't we tie?" Amelia asked.
"I had fun, so I'll tell you anyways."
"Alright, go on."
"We're also on a journey to your ancient city."
"You guys too?" Gura asked.
"I thought so, why else would you make a 180 after refusing us? Have you found it?"
"Unfortunately we haven't. All I was told was that it was somewhere in the ocean."
"Why are you after the city?"
"The corporation sent us here to find the city, but I only accepted to do it for one reason. One word: treasure. Who knows what kind of riches await us there?"
"So you're in it for the money?" Amelia asked.
"Well of course, we're pirates! With that money we could make improvements on the ship and add new things to it. Think of all the things you'd do with the treasure, think big."
Gura perked up, a huge grin on her face. "Ame, we can do so much with the treasure. I could buy new defenses for the sub! I can buy that karaoke machine I've always wanted!"
The captain grinned. "Now that's what I'm talking about."
Amelia smiled. "We could do a lot, but we don't even know if it exists. Remember Gura, we aren't going there to find treasure."
"Oh right, old guy first, treasure second!"
Marine turned to the detective with a curious look, sipping her beer. "So why are you two going there anyways?"
"We're trying to find a deity."
"A deity? Like a god?"
"The deity is called the Great Dreamer. He lives in that city."
"Senchou!" a pirate called out, stopping Marine from asking more questions.
"Yes?"
"We found someone on board the ship."
The three girls and the crew left the bar and saw a few men dragging something by its arms. Its was emaciated and unable to resist. The men dropped it at Marine's feet.
"We found it in the cargo hold. Didn't even try to fight back."
Amelia looked down at it. The green, scaly skin, fins, and blank eyes were unmistakable. A Deep One sat at the captain's feet.
"A stowaway, huh?"
"What should we do with it, Senchou?" a pirate in the crowd behind her asked.
"Wait," Amelia interjected, "you're a Deep One, aren't you?"
The fishman raised his head. "Yes."
Gura helped the Deep One get to his feet.
Amelia recalled her talk with the guard, her eyes lighting up. She turned to Marine. "Senchou, we're gonna need his help."
"How so?"
"Deep Ones travel to the ancient city. He can lead us to there."
"Can you?"
The creature nodded.
"Very well," Marine faced her crew, "Pirates! We're setting sail immediately. Get the ship ready for departure."
"Aye, aye, Senchou!" the crew sprinted for the boat.
"You two, I'll have some of my most trusted men guarding your submarine. We don't know what's going forward, but at least we can defend ourselves on my boat. The same can't be said about your sub. I want you two to get our guide here some food and rest."
"Got it, Senchou!" Gura and Amelia shouted.
The boat floated out from the beach. Gura stood at the side of the deck looking out the the Hawaiian coast as it drifted further and further into the distance. Amelia gave the Deep One a bowl of soup, nodding as he thanked her for helping him.
"Don't thank me, thank the captain."
With the moon still high in the sky, Houshou Marine's galleon set course to the ancient city of R'lyeh.