Chapter 62
The party was very… flabbergasted with what they saw. Coco flew up into the air in humanoid form, bringing the rope that was tied to the broken mast with her. She then transformed mid-air and pulled the ship along easily.
"What… oh my gods," muttered Nene in awe, "I wanna learn how to fly."
"What am I, spring onions?" said Aloe, "I could take you flying."
"Ah... but flying with your own effort is nice, isn't it?" the lore bard questioned.
"...You're not wrong..." admitted the succubus.
"I think we can relax for the moment," stated Lamy, ""We have a friendly dragon protecting and helping us, after all."
"So far so good… but I see dark clouds there," Botan pointed out. True enough, dark clouds were forming up ahead, hinting at a storm.
"Then, she'd better get in here if the winds are too much," added Polka.
At the speed of her flight, Coco towed the ship quite far when the storm hit and she was forced to go back to the ship. Thankfully, whatever holes that they suffered from the earlier attack were patched up during the tow. However, now they were stuck in dangerous waters. The roar of thunder from above reminded the bard of her dream and she shuddered at the thought. The storm was a lot rougher than expected but thankfully all the furniture was bolted down and anything loose was locked away in any undamaged storage. There were a few leaky cracks that appeared, but nothing that the half-snow elf couldn't mend with her spellcasting.
The storm eventually stopped. However, with most of the day gone, the dragon didn't continue pulling.
"I think we've been blown off course," muttered Captain Bhas as he unfurled his map. He was facing everyone on the ship, intent on informing everyone the situation they were in.
"Unfortunately, I have no idea where we are right now, even with the help," he continued as he glanced over at the dragon and the adventurers, "All we can do now is continue heading east. Thankfully, we still have enough food and fresh water. We can make it stretch out with the fish we can catch."
"I, for one, have no problem with that," Coco spoke up with a smirk, which prompted all the merchants except Hanar to shower her with thanks again.
The next two days, things went as planned. Coco would tow the ship from morning until evening and break for the rest of the night. The party helped wherever they could and did their best to bear with this. Entertainment was not lacking; between singing, trick shots, and circus acts, things were smooth sailing. Then, things took a strange turn. On the third day, Coco spotted an island and decided by herself to pull the ship there. Captain Bhas was surprised but was alright with it as he reasoned that everyone on the ship could do with stretching out their land legs and make some repairs on the ship. He hoped to find a tree sturdy enough to make into a new mast.
The island wasn't so large. Sandy beaches all around with a centralized forest. However, Coco pulled the party aside and told them something interesting.
"I saw a wooden house on the other side of the island when I was pulling the ship in," she informed them, "Now, I want to take a nap right now, so maybe you guys can go and investigate it?"
"Hmm, sure. I guess?" replied Nene.
"Hey, at least we're doing something," grumbled Aloe with a yawn, "Let's go before I get any more bored."
After the rest expressed a desire to help, they headed straight for the house. It didn't take too long as it was a small island. It was not on, but near the beach, sheltered by the trees. It was a simple wood house with a stone foundation and a smoking chimney, indicating someone was living there. Lamy tried the door but it was locked.
"Hmm, whoever is living here is out. I wonder where they went," she mused.
"Nothing strange inside," said Botan as she and Polka peered through the windows.
"He has a workbench though," stated the monk, "Wonder what he makes."
"Everyone, something's buried here," called out Nene from behind the house.
Everyone else hurried around to find her kneeling in front of a simple, unmarked grave bordered with white stones. It was a few feet away from a vegetable plot.
"Hmm, a spouse perhaps?" suggested the half-snow elf.
"Aww, that sounds sad," muttered the bard, feeling a sudden twinge of sadness.
Suddenly, a loud explosion rocked the beach on the other side of the island. Surprised, they made haste towards the ship, going around the beach after Aloe pointed out that since there was an explosion there might also be traps in the forest. They came across a beach burning in patches and a few sailors on the ground. They looked injured but alive. Meanwhile, there was a hunched old man having a yelling match with Captain Bhas.
"Get off my island, scamps! This is my land!"
"Shut yer trap, you brine-drinking shrimp. Unless you have the deed to the island, you don't own anything. We're here to repair my ship!"
"I don't care! Get lost and leave my island or I'll blow you up!"
Coco sighed and wondered how this came to be. One minute, she was lounging on the deck and the next this old man suddenly hopped out of the forest, shouting at them about his island and other nonsense. He was the one who probably owned the house she saw much earlier. The captain went out to meet him and it devolved into this.
"Last chance, boy! Get off my island or I'll blow you up!"
"You and what army, old man!"
Her eyes widened when the old man shoved his hand into his sling bag and pulled out something that reminded her of an explosive with a wick. One of the sailors lunged for it but he got clocked in the head with a wooden hammer that suddenly appeared in the old man's hand.
"Bombs away!" he shouted as he lit the wick magically and tossed it.
"Back to the ship!" yelled the captain, signaling a retreat.
All the sailors dropped their woodworking stuff and ran away, everyone heading back to the ship for cover. All the while, the old man chased after them, tossing bombs willy-nilly. Coco sighed, wondering if she should run interference. On one hand, she was taking a break. On the other, the noise was really getting to her and she couldn't relax when all this was happening. It was then she spotted the adventuring party she sent out earlier. She smiled, figuring she could relax as they could handle this.
"Sir, please stop this! We are just trying to repair the ship," called out Nene with worry, "Please, just let us finish and we'll be on our way."
"Intruders! Trespassers! Get off my island!" he yelled out as he tossed another bomb, this time, at them.
Polka immediately dashed to the front, grabbed the bomb as it neared them, and tossed the explosive into the sea.
"Gods dammit, that was my last one," he exclaimed in exasperation, "I need more." He then ran back to the treeline and into the forest.
The party then looked at each other and nodded. They quickly ran back around the island. Coco chuckled and smiled. Things are about to get interesting for them.
"Will they be alright?" asked the captain with concern.
"They'll be fine," she assured him, "I think they bought you enough time to continue repairs. Better get to it… and get your injured treated too. Their ears must be ringing by now."
"Gah, stupid old man," grumbled Aloe as they ran back to the house.
"Hey, at least you aren't bored, right?" asked Botan with a grin.
"You're not wrong..."
They reached the house just as they spotted the old man ducking inside.
"Sir, please listen to reason," pleaded Nene in an attempt to calm him down, "We don't mean any harm to you."
A window opened a crack and his voice came out in a shout, "I just want to be left alone. That's the whole damn point."
"Please, think of your loved one," she continued to plead, "Do you think she would-"
"I live here alone! No one else lived with me and I want my privacy."
This was a big surprise to them.
"So… whose grave was that?" asked Polka in a whisper.
The door suddenly slammed open and the old man stepped outside brandishing a bomb, "You intruded that far!? I ought to blow all of you up!"
"Wait! You don't have to do this!" the bard replied frantically, "Please don't do that! Is there anything we can do? Anything we can help with? Please, just let the captain and his men repair the ship."
"You damn intruders! I'm gonna-ack," he shouted before a loud, audible crack reached their ears. He then let out an agonized groan and reached for his back. He glared at them for a moment before turning around. Grumbling under his breath, he told them, "Come inside. But don't touch anything."
They filed inside after the old man, only pausing to leave their stuff at the door. It looked like a normal-looking place other than the workbench off to the side, which had bomb components strewn over it, showing recent use. The old man then sidled over to the chair and sat down, drawing a groan of relief.
"Alright… what do you young'uns want," he mumbled.
"Uhm, we just came here to repair the ship. Once we're done… well, other than that, whose grave was that?" she asked after a spiel.
After a pause and a glare, he replied, "That… is my friend. I told him so many times he doesn't need to visit me. I secluded myself for a reason. Told that idiot so many times about the storms here but did he ever listen? Noooo. No need to listen to old Gundarson. Pah."
"What was his name?" asked the half-snow elf.
"Nathan Frisby."
"Wait, that's Pekora's teacher… oh, so he really was dead," said Nene with a sad face.
"Oh? You met his student? Well, I suppose he did mention that one time or another," he muttered. Looking at them, he asked, "Are you returning to Gekko then?"
"Nope. We're returning to Lithos," spoke up the fennec girl.
"Huh, too bad then… still..." he continued to mutter as he glanced over to the side of the room, where a small box was, "Well, I suppose I can do that… you don't need a full deck to experiment and draw out the effects."
"Huh?"
"You, girl. Bring that box over," he commanded, "My back still hurts."
Nodding, Botan went over to the box and carried it to the old man Gundarson. Gingerly, he pressed a few things and slid the top open. Then, he pulled out a deck of dulled ivory cards. Almost immediately, Lamy's shield started glowing.
"This here is a magical deck of cards," he stated the obvious, drawing their interest immediately, "This box, Frisby designed to try and dull the effect of the cards to make it safer to handle and experiment with. Now, do you want to draw a card?"
They looked at each other with wariness. A mysterious magical item they know nothing about and this old guy was offering something to them. Do they take one?
"If you draw at least one card, I suppose I can leave the ship alone," the old man said begrudgingly, "And I must be honest, I also want to know what kind of thing Frisby dropped in my lap before he passed away."
"Alright, I'll try this. I'll draw one card."
And Aloe immediately marched up and drew one card. Almost immediately, she paled when she noticed that the card had a silhouette of a demonic-looking thing surrounded by flames. After a few seconds, the card burst into flames and vanished from her hand, the deck glowing softly for a moment before going back to normal.
She spun to face the old man and shouted, "How in the Nine Hells did you get a Deck of Many Things!? I'm already having reservations about going back but now it gets worse!?"
The old man shrugged and replied, "He said the box was to dull the effect of the cards. It probably isn't as bad as you think." He then placed the deck on the table.
"You don't live there like I do, you old fart!" she yelled back exasperatedly.
"Erm, what is this deck and why are you so… like this?" asked the bard hesitantly.
The succubus then got into a long explanation of what a Deck of Many Things is and how things can either be extremely horrible or amazing when you draw the cards. "And I drew a Flames card, which means I am in deep shit when I get back," she groaned as she slumped to the floor, "Damn it all. Seriously, how the hell did Frisby get a hold of those cards?"
"You know what, let's draw a card each," suggested Polka.
"Haven't you listened to what I said!?" Aloe said incredulously.
"I mean, it could be extremely bad, but it could also be extremely good," the fennec monk reasoned, "Who knows? Maybe we can get something to help with your Flames thingy."
"I guess..."
First up was Botan.
"I draw one card," she declared before doing so. Her card had a black-colored portal that was sucking everything inside.
"Hmm, the Void?" she was able to say before the card suddenly floated up in front of her and a vortex appeared to suck something out from her face.
"Botan!" cried the others as some silvery-white substance started pouring out of her mouth and eyes.
As the last wisps of it came away, her body slumped down to the ground and the card flew over to her pack and siphoned that same thing into it. As the others hurried over and opened the pack, they spotted the card shunting the silvery-white wisps into the potion with the bubbling blue liquid.
"Aloe… what does that do?" asked the bard as the process ended and the card vanished.
"The Void card steals your soul and puts it somewhere else," the succubus explained in a hushed tone, "But normally, it won't place it so close to the body. The effects are truly dulled." However, glancing over to her friends, she continued, "I still don't want to take any chances though… but for now, let's return her soul to her body."
Polka took charge with that, taking the potion and slowly dripping the now shining liquid down the incapacitated archer's throat. Meanwhile, it was Lamy's turn.
She shuddered as she glanced back at the lion girl before declaring, "I draw one card."
The card she drew had many stars on it. She blinked and felt her thoughts become a little clearer as the card vanished. Glancing over to the bard, she nodded.
Nene then stepped up confidently and declared her action, "I draw one card."
The card she drew had the moon on it. And before her eyes, the moon suddenly flowed out of the card and the liquid-like white mist reformed into a humanoid shape with beady black eyes.
"You have but one wish. What do you wish to use it on?" it declared and asked.
Glancing over at the hopeful succubus, the lore bard then said, "I wish to undo the effect of the Flames card that my friend Aloe has incurred."
"As you have commanded," it declared before it snapped its fingers. As it and the card it came from disappeared, the succubus leaped and gave her a flying hug with a squeal of happiness.
"Uh… what happened..." groaned Botan as she woke up. Looking at the potion bottle in Polka's hand and her position on the ground, she muttered in understanding, "Ah, the card."
"Yosh, no worries. I think I can help get something back," declared the fennec fox girl as she got to her feet and marched over to the deck, declaring, "I draw four cards!"
AN: Greetings, readers. Welcome back.
Thanks to Coco, the journey was slowly whittled down with ease. However, there is a storm brewing over the horizon. That same storm seems to have blown them off-course, so the captain takes a gamble. Technically, Lithos is to the east of Gekko, maybe a little on the north side but that is the general direction, so the captain did make a reasonable assumption. Of course, we can't have that be all that happened. So, they come across what looked to be a lonely island. As the ship made a stop for repairs, Holo5 make an investigation of a mysterious house Coco noticed. However, as they took a look around, the sole inhabitant went the other way and tried to drive the ship away with not much success. The party came back, old man runs away, the party goes back to the house, and they find out some interesting things. And thus, we come to an altered version of the Deck of Many Things.
For those who don't know, the Deck of Many Things is a very game-altering wondrous item a.k.a. special magic item. There are two types, a 13-card deck and a 22-card deck. In the chapter, I used the 13-card deck as the 22-card one is supposed to be the rarer version. The benefits and the disasters drawn from it can be said to be very extreme. Extremely good and extremely bad. It is game-changing and more than likely game-ending. However, the altered version I call the Deck of Many Nerfed Things. Emphasis on Nerfed. You still need to declare how many cards you draw but the effects are very toned down, unlike the original legendary item.
As for the cards featured here...
Aloe drew the Flames card.
Pre-Nerf- A powerful devil becomes your enemy. The devil seeks your ruin and plagues your life, savoring your suffering until it attempts to slay you. This enmity lasts until either you or the devil dies.
Post-Nerf- Instead of a powerful devil, it's a mid-tier devil, probably someone looking for a promotion or someone trying to avoid a demotion.
Botan drew the Void.
Pre-Nerf- This black card spells disaster. Your soul is drawn from your body and contained in an object in a place of the GM's choice. One or more powerful beings guard the place. While your soul is trapped in this way, your body is incapacitated. A wish spell can't restore your soul, but the spell reveals the location of the object that holds it. You draw no more cards.
Post-Nerf- Instead of an object very far away, your soul gets placed on a random item on your person.
So, it is assumed that you have to destroy the item or somehow use it to restore the soul in the original Void. Hence, for this nerfed version, the item has to be destroyed or in the case of foodstuffs and rations, be consumed, to release the soul. In this case, Botan has to drink the Potion of Heroism she took from Rah'zevim's treasure chest. Most unfortunate? Maybe.
Lamy drew the Star
Pre-Nerf- Increase one of your ability scores by 2. The score can exceed 20 but can't exceed 24.
Post Nerf- Increase one of your ability scores by 1. The score can exceed 20 but can't exceed 22.
Nene drew the Moon
Pre-Nerf- You are granted the ability to cast the wish spell 1d3 times.
Post-Nerf- You only get one wish.
Polka drew 4 cards!? Nani the FAQ?
Next chapter, we see the results of Polka's shenanigans. Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.
PS: If you want to see what the other nerfed cards look like, other than what is listed here and Polka's cards, let me know. I'll include them in the next chapter.