And we're back! Yiss!
God I've missed writing stuff properly. Even past the stress of the event there was a part of me that was like "Maybe I'll enjoy a week off…" and you know what, I don't know that I did. It was weird and horribly unproductive.
Today is also April Fools, and if you've ever wondered what that means for a journalist, you get loads and loads of fake news stories sent to you. Some are funny… in a very vaguely "eh, lol… maybe…?" kind of way, while a lot are just weak. I'm not even sure why companies bother because we'd never actually use any of it, so all it does is make my life harder because I have to fully read through leads to make sure there isn't some lame punchline at the end of it.
It's literally just a waste of our time. Great fun. Best holiday. Ten out of ten. Can't even ask people not to waste our time because then we sound like we have no sense of humour. Have to laugh to poor-pun news stories and go "oh you… you're so funny." Meanwhile rolling my eyes out my skull.
Ffs…
Beta: College Fool
Cover Art: Dishwasher1910
Book 8: Chapter 7
In terms of all the crap we'd been through it should have disappointed me that a ship full of Greycloak pirates declaring their allegiance to Blake wasn't the most ridiculous thing to have ever happened. After seeing a man turn into a Grimm monster, the dead be brought back to life and mind control on a city-wide scale, this didn't even factor into the craziness.
That didn't make it any easier to swallow.
"What the fuck is going on here!?" Yang yelled, stood in the middle of a pocket of Greycloaks with Ruby at her back. "We're fighting then we're not fighting and now this? Someone better start explaining or I'm tossing you all off this bloody ship!"
"I wouldn't mind the same," Pyrrha added, a pirate pinned on the end of her sword to a mast, the blade tickling his throat.
"Agreed," I grunted, pulling myself up by the railing and reaching for my knife. "Are we still fighting?"
The Captain I'd been in a battle to the death with looked my way with wide eyes, then back over his men. "Throw down your weapons!" he ordered. "Surrender immediately. Perry, inform those below deck! No more ballistae. Hold fire!"
All across the ship, the sounds of weapons being thrown down or stabbed into the deck echoed, ending the fight once and for all and showing that this wasn't a trick.
It was just madness.
Regular old insanity.
"Blake?" I asked, hoping for a miracle.
"I – I don't know…"
I sighed. "Of course you don't…"
"No! I don't! Adam… He was an old friend. An ally. I…" She turned on the Captain. "What are you doing as a Greycloak? How could you?"
"I'm not," the Captain, Adam, gritted out.
"You attacked our ship!" I fired back.
"You replied with our signals! We thought we were attacking other Greycloaks."
"Why would you-" My words cut off as an angry groan followed by a snap echoed across the ship, coming not from the one we were on, but our original vessel, the Wind's Fury. The mast, which had already been leaning precariously to one side, had finally snapped under the weight of itself. It crashed into the water on the other side of the ship, and the whole thing had begun to list precariously to one side, water filling its hold.
The crew were trying to stay above water by climbing on the side as it fell, while Weiss jumped off and managed to catch the bottom of a rope ladder hanging down the side of the pirate galleon. Just like that, our brand spanking new ship began to sink under the water, dragging the badly damaged Shelia with it.
"To be fair, that damage was done before we surrendered," the captain pointed out.
Blake sighed. "Adam…" She looked to me, then to the others on the deck. "If you're serious about being my allies then rescue those in the water and see them treated well."
I expected hesitation or argument, but the redheaded faunus nodded immediately and strode past me, down the staircase and onto the main deck.
"You heard her!" he snapped. "Throw ropes and ladders to those in the water. Do not harm them. Salvage what we can and have towels brought for our guests. Move! Yula, draw down the crimson flag and fly the Belladonna crest once more."
"Yes Captain!"
"Aye Captain!"
"And fetch medical supplies for the wounded!" he called out, slumping against the railing on the side of the ship. "And for me and the other." He looked back to Blake. "I think we have some explaining to do."
Yang laid a hand on the Captain's shoulder. Her eyes were blazing. "You think!?"
"Let him go, Yang," I said, staggering down the stairs with Blake's help.
"You're vouching for him?"
"No, but I'm sure Blake is." I winced as we reached the bottom, favouring my good side. "And right now, we're not in a great position to cause trouble. Not if we want to have any chance of getting back to Vale without swimming it."
With a final and flatulent `glug`, the Wind's Fury vanished from sight.
/-/
The ship's physician saw to our wounds above deck. Most of the Guild were fine, having faced against pirates who, while Hero Classes in some cases, just didn't have our levels. Adam proved the exception to the rule being the Captain, and thus I'd taken more damage than most of the others. At least I'd given damage in return, as evidenced by the bandages wrapped around the faunus' side.
We'd been taken to his personal quarters, not just Blake and I but the entire Guild, along with Captain – or Ex-Captain – Anders. Even with Blake's assurances that he could be trusted, I wasn't prepared to split our group up while we were trapped on their ship. The pirates seemed genuine in their desire to not cause another battle, but I couldn't shake the disquiet I felt at all the grey cloaks hanging around. Adam had tossed his over a nearby chair, but it was still there.
Now that the fight was over, I had the chance to look at him a little more closely. I'd thought him my age before, but he was probably older. Maybe twenty-five or six to my nineteen. He had dark red hair that was swept back, with two black horns I'd not really paid attention to before. His face was smooth and handsome, and he had bright blue eyes that strayed to Blake every few minutes.
That aside, he was the first real Swordmaster I'd ever seen, and more than that, he had some of the same Skills I did. Except… they'd worked in different ways. His Skills had damaged me, while my own had done nothing to him but completely shattered one of his weapons. His sword was down at the bottom of the ocean and he somehow looked naked without it. His hand kept straying to it, finding nothing, and then flicking back to the bandolier over his chest.
I still wasn't sure how our battle would have ended if we'd kept fighting.
"I think we all deserve an explanation as to what this is," Weiss said, slapping a hand down on the nearby table. She was not amused at having been forced to abandon ship or get her Mage robes wet. "Greycloaks attacking us despite signals and then surrendering, and now they know you, Blake. You have to admit this looks suspicious."
The Assassin shuffled. "I admit it freely, but I'm just as in the dark as you. I didn't expect to find Adam here."
"Why don't you start with how you know this person at all," Ren suggested.
"Very well." Blake looked to Adam, but he nodded back, surrendering the floor to her. "You know that my father was something of the Governor of the Mirage Isles. Well, that still meant that he was a Pirate Captain. All those in the leadership were. Adam was my father's third mate."
"Third mate…?"
"It's a position on the ship. Junior and subordinate to the first and second mate."
"It was a junior role," Adam grunted, leaning against a large wardrobe and holding his wounded side. "Ghira was my Captain. My role model. He took a young orphan of the streets and gave him purpose. I met Blake through that, and we trained together."
"It was Adam's responsibility to keep an eye on me on the open water. Train me to climb the rigging, operate a vessel and how to stay out of trouble." Blake smiled nostalgically. "Not that we did much of that. We became good friends. Adam was going to get a ship of his own once he saved more money and we were going to go on adventures together."
I shifted awkwardly at the longing tone, not sure what I thought of it but knowing it left me unsettled. It was all in the past so it shouldn't have been an issue, but I couldn't deny that it was. "And then the Greycloaks happened?"
"Yes."
Seeing that Blake was unwilling to continue, Adam stepped in. "I lived with the Belladonna family when we weren't at sea. When the mutiny came, I was there with Ghira. He chose to fight to buy time for Kali and Blake to escape, and I was to take the gates with a small team of men to liberate them. The Greycloaks had struck hard and closed them. We attacked swiftly and without mercy, cutting them down and securing an opportunity for Kali to flee with Blake into the Mirage Isles."
"After that, we tried to return to the fight but Ghira had already fallen, cut down by that bitch, Branwen, and her allies. They claimed the Mirage Isles for themselves and no one dared argue. No one was strong enough. I retreated into the city and found Blake. We hid out for a while, until a few years passed, and we were able to sneak Blake onto a ship leaving for Mistral."
"You didn't go with her?" Yang asked.
"No. I wanted revenge. I had a Captain to avenge and good friends I'd lost. Blake wanted to help with that too," he said, earning the Assassin some irritated looks from us. "But it was her parents' last wishes that she escape to safety. I managed to convince her to do just that."
"And then you joined the Greycloaks?" Blake hissed. "What were you thinking, Adam? How could you?"
"It's not what it looks like."
"I think that's obvious from how he attacked us," Ren said. "He also mentioned that you provided him Greycloak signals as the main motive." The Monk watched Adam closely. "You've been fighting against the Greycloaks from within, haven't you?"
The Swordmaster nodded, standing a little taller. "Once you left, we had little plan of what to do or how we might get our vengeance. We were but a few hundred loyal men and women against thousands who would rather not run afoul of their new masters. Ultimately, the Greycloaks took control and installed their own people across all walks of life. Ship Captains has to don the cloak and pay a portion of their earnings to Greycloak coffers."
"We knew we needed a ship and a crew, but to do that we had to be Greycloaks. So, we did. We slew some in secret, stole their outfits and used those to procure more and to get ourselves instated as the crew on a large galleon. This one." Adam tapped the wooden wall. "Then, once we were deep at sea, we staged a mutiny and killed the Captain, taking over and crowning this The Retribution."
"And you've been preying on Greycloak ships ever since," Ren said.
Surprised, I stared back at the Captain as he smiled viciously.
"Aye. Mirage Codes became Greycloak Codes and it's a dangerous life at sea. We'd signal for peaceful pass by and then launch attacks on those ships that replied in kind. Merchant ships we would let outrun us. The Greycloaks expect their Captains to come back with loot, but no one ever said it had to be taken from innocent people."
"You sunk and looted those ships that had already raided coastal towns, both killing Greycloaks and securing enough lien to remain unsuspicious." Weiss hummed, impressed. "And because no one knows just how those other ships were destroyed or what loot they were carrying, the Greycloaks were none the wiser as to the fact there was a traitor in their midst."
"Is that true?" Blake asked.
"Yes." Adam nodded. "It's not been as easy as you make it sound. There have been losses and taking on new crew is a risk. It only takes one person to sink our operation and the more time that passes, the more people forget about how much better life under your father was."
"Wait," I said, suddenly annoyed. "Does that mean if we hadn't had Blake send the signals back to you, we wouldn't be in this situation!?"
"We would have let you escape, yes. We only attacked because we believed you Greycloaks."
Yang turned and kicked a chair onto its side, summarising my mood perfectly. We'd been clear and dry with nothing in our path other than a problem we'd gone and created. What sickening irony.
"What now, then?" Ruby asked.
"Now? I don't know." Adam shrugged. "I never prepared for this or thought it would happen. I always assumed I'd sooner or later die bringing down Greycloak ships, and I was fine with that. But I'm unwilling to risk Ghira's daughter." Adam turned to Blake. "You were never supposed to return, Blake. I thought that was our deal."
"The situation has changed. Raven intends to bring about the end of the Mirage Isles. Maybe even all of Remnant."
He stepped back. "All-? You jest, surely. I know she's a monster but she's only one woman."
"I'm afraid Blake is telling the truth," Weiss said, stepping in. "Though we cannot tell you everything, Raven is planning to summon a Grimm of considerable power. One she hopes to slay and gain the Exp from." As far as a cover story went, Weiss' was a good one. "Unfortunately, Vale is determined that even with her high Level, she won't prove successful. That Grimm will run rampant across the Mirage Isles, killing everyone. It may then come for Vale."
Adam's face was ashen. "By the waves. Then why? Why are you here!?"
Blake drew a deep breath. "I had to stop it."
"Madness! You should have remained in Vale!"
Yang grinned. "We said that."
"Coming out into the jaws of such a monster. Are you an idiot!?"
Weiss nodded. "She is."
"If you can all stop ganging up on me for a moment!" Blake begged, hands held up. "I knew this was a risk. I knew this was a bad idea. That's why I came alone and without telling anyone, because I only wanted to risk my own life." She turned to Adam. "But I came for you. I had to get you out of here. You and all the others who helped me and my family."
"Blake." Adam's eyes softened, though there was still angry concern there. "I… I appreciate that, but-"
"Then job done." I said, interrupting before they could carry on and make things even more complicated. "Blake ran away to find you. You found us. We can go home now. Job done. We all get out of trouble and Blake saves her friend."
Pyrrha looked confused for a second but quickly caught on and clapped her hands together. "Yes! Jaune is right. While this didn't exactly end in a manner we intended it to, our goal was always to return with Blake to Vale, while hers, apparently, was to help you, Adam. Surely, we can all return to Vale now in peace and be done with this. There's no reason to travel on to the Mirage Isles."
I stared at Blake meaningfully.
She capitulated. "If you will, Adam. I don't care about anyone else there. They turned on my family. If the Mirage Isles is going to sink, I'd rather they sink with it."
Adam looked between Blake and the rest of us, no doubt slowly piecing together just what had brought Blake out onto the open sea and why we were here. While he didn't have the full story, he no doubt had enough to go off.
"I'd be happy to oblige…"
My head perked up.
"But I don't think we can."
Shit.
"Why not?" Weiss demanded. "We can't go to the Mirage Isles. Raven knows our faces and names and would hunt us down. Not to mention Sa- the Grimm she intends to summon. The whole island will be destroyed!"
"It's not reluctance that stops me agreeing," Adam said quickly. "My allegiance is to Blake and Blake alone. If she says to set sale for Vale, I shall. It's a matter of logistics. We just can't make the voyage."
"Why not?"
"Because we're less than a day out from the Mirage Isles," Blake realised. "You didn't stock the ship for a longer voyage. Is that right?"
"I'm afraid so." Knowing that we wouldn't understand as Blake did, Adam addressed our party. "We're a Galleon of some hundred and twenty crew. That's a lot of mouths to feed and our supplies are already low from the raids we've undertaken. We were on our way back to the Mirage Isles when we caught sight of you and came to investigate. Right now, we've got less than a day's worth of food and water."
A day? That wouldn't be enough to make it back to Mistral, let alone Vale.
"We need to restock. And the only place to do that…"
"The Mirage Isles…" I groaned.
Adam nodded.
"Are you sure we couldn't make it back to Mistral?" Weiss asked. "A day without food isn't so impossible."
"And if a storm hits and it becomes three days? Four? Without food, perhaps, but lack of water will kill us before that happens. I would like to see Blake safe and away from here as much as you, and my crew if what you say is true, but we simply cannot make the journey. We need to take on supplies. That means stopping at the Mirage Isles."
"For how long?" Yang asked.
"Two days. Forty-eight hours."
"Why two? Can't you stock up faster than that?"
"Greycloak inspections." Adam said, sneering the name. "Pirates aren't the most honest people and they'll look us over to make sure we're giving our fair cut. Only once that's been established will we be allowed to purchase supplies. The supplies are relatively simple; I can have us stocked and moving within six hours. It's the inspection that'll take longer."
"You can't rush it?"
"Not without drawing questions on why I'm in such a rush. A crew coming back off the open sea ought to be looking forward to spending some of their hard-earned lien. Be awful suspicious if we were desperate to get back out there."
Anything that drew attention on us would be bad. And it was bad because I was coming to realise we didn't have a choice but to go to the Mirage Isles. Our ship – both our ships – had been sunk, and any supplies on board were either on the bottom of the ocean or rotten through. Our only hope was to dock at the Mirage Isles, avoid alerting anyone and then get back out of there.
"If we dock at the Mirage Isles," I said, looking directly at Blake. "Will you promise not to cause a scene?"
Her golden eyes grew wide.
"Jaune, you can't be suggesting this," Yang growled.
"I have to. What choice do we have?"
"We go home. We take a chance on a storm and risk it."
"If we do, we'll be dead if one comes. I'm not prepared to take that chance. Is anyone else?"
The other members of the Guild looked between one another uncertainty. I wasn't the boss of them, but I'd raised a point I knew they couldn't ignore. Whatever happened on the Mirage Isles, we could try to fight. We could adapt to. Dehydration in the middle of the ocean? There was nothing we could do about that. We'd be helpless.
"If Blake is recognised, we're dead," Pyrrha pointed out. "We can't beat Raven."
"I won't cause any problems," the Assassin promised.
"You've already done just that!" Yang snapped. "Why should we believe you now?"
"Because I only took those risks when it was just myself! I snuck off on my own. I told you all to stay. I broke into Ozpin's office so that he would seal the gates. I'm not going to do anything when my actions will be responsible for all of you. Besides, I only did this to try and warn Adam and the others. I never thought I could actually beat Raven."
"Though you were going to give it a try if you had to," Ruby whispered. "You stole the knife Jaune made me."
Blake looked away.
"Fuck's sake," Yang groaned. "You're an idiot. Not like there's much we can do, though. Is there? Mirage Isles it is. Hell…"
"We have spare cloaks," Adam said. "You can hide among the Greycloaks and my crew can be trusted fully. I can subtly speed up the inspection on the guise of hiring new crew. We've docked and resupplied there for years, so I doubt anything will happen."
"And if it does?" I asked.
Adam's hand fell to his sword, except that it had been kicked into the ocean. "I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty if I have to. I have no loyalty to those Greycloak dogs."
"Let's leave that as a last resort," Ren said. "If all goes well, we'll be out within two days."
"If all goes well?" I snorted. "You should be a comedian. When has anything ever gone well for us?"
Ren smiled ruefully. "It doesn't hurt to hope for a miracle."
/-/
Despite our best efforts, we were headed to the Mirage Isles.
It felt like we'd somehow failed. Worse, it felt like fate had conspired to make us fail, leading us to the only Greycloaks on the ocean who would attack us specifically because we used Greycloak signals to escape harm. Had it been anyone else, we'd have been fine. Had we simply knocked Blake out or not trusted her to perform the signals, we'd have been fine.
How were we supposed to know?
We'd been granted small rooms in the galleon, with Ren and I sharing while the girls had their choice of other rooms – Blake sleeping in the Captain's Quarters though without, to my guilty relief, Adam sleeping with her. He was bunking with his crew. Anders and the crew of the Wind's Fury were among those, mostly sticking together and trying not to draw attention, counting their lucky stars that they'd somehow survived the encounter with the Mirage Isle Pirates.
The pirates themselves ignored me, moving around the deck and the ship with purpose. It had taken them a while to draw up the chains attached to their ballistae, and also to repair the little damage the ship took. A few tried to swim down and see if there was anything to salvage of the Fury, but the ocean floor was too deep, and it had long sunk out of sight. What supplies the ship had were on the bottom of the ocean. A few barrels floated above, but that food was soggy and sodden. The water barrels, weighed down by their contents, had sunk like rocks.
I noticed Blake watching me from a distance away, no doubt trying to decide whether she wanted to talk to me or not. I wasn't in the mood for it and was grateful when she gave up, stepping into her quarters instead and closing the door.
Maybe it wasn't right to hold her responsible for all this, but it sure as hell felt like she was.
Better I avoid the fight entirely.
As long as nothing goes wrong, we'll be out of the Mirage Isles and away. But if Raven summons Salem in that time then we're in trouble. I'd just have to hope she didn't. And that she didn't realise I was on the island in the first place. Either of those was a lot to hope for but both at once had me on edge. Our efforts to prepare for Raven hadn't done enough to convince me we had a chance. My new Rune designed especially for her was still a prototype and relied on Ruby's speed more than I liked.
My hand rose to touch my locket, the artist's picture of Blake and I together sealed within a protective casing of Star Metal. It was warm to the touch. Unnaturally so.
"Ahem."
I dropped my hand and looked back as Adam stepped up beside me. The Captain wore his charcoal-coloured coat once more, that might be mistaken for a Greycloak at range. The bandage around his side was freshly replaced and he stood with arms crossed, looking out over the ocean.
"I understand I have you to thank for Blake's safety. She tells me that you helped her integrate with other Heroes in Beacon. You have my thanks." Adam drew a breath. "And the thanks of the Belladonna household, I'm sure. Ghira and Kali would have thanked you themselves for looking after their beloved daughter."
It was a nice sentiment and I accepted it as such, but I knew that wasn't why Adam had come out to talk to me. I'd have liked to say I sensed him hovering around, but the truth was that I'd been keeping my eye on him and had just seen him dithering on how to address me.
"Let's not beat around the bush, Captain. I'm not in the mood for it."
Adam inclined his head. "As you will. You dislike me."
"That's not fair. I don't even know you."
"And yet you still dislike me."
I didn't deny it. Couldn't.
"It is understandable, I suppose. I have attacked you and inconvenienced you. My actions will place you and yours at risk, and you're unsure whether I can be trusted. Considering the circumstances, I don't blame you. You'd have to be incredibly naïve to place your faith in me."
"Blake says you can be trusted."
"Indeed." Adam eyed me warily. "But you also do not trust her."
My hands tightened on the railing. "That's nonsense. Blake is a close friend and I trust her with my life."
"Friend? I thought her your lover."
How had he known that? "Things changed." I snapped, looking ahead. "We're just friends now."
"Have they? When I asked her what her relations with each of you were, she informed me that you and she were lovers still."
What? My eyes shot to his even as my stomach roiled, leaving me sagging against the railing as my head spun. Why couldn't Blake just make sense for once? For one time in my sodding life couldn't she come with a fucking instruction manual.
"I don't know what to say to that. Can we not have this conversation?"
"I suppose it's none of my business. We were never involved," he added. "She was a child when her parents were killed, and I was hardly interested in her that way. Still, if you are done with, then it might be best for you to set things straight with he-"
"I don't need this."
"Very well." Adam let it go. "We will be approaching the Mirage Isles soon. In fact, we're within sight of it."
I looked out over the ocean seeing nothing of note. Not even a collection of mist, which I'd have happily imagined the Mirage Isles to be hidden within. There was absolutely nothing. Not a rock above the water all the way to the horizon. Not so much as a swell on the ocean.
"Mirage Isles, huh. I guess there's some trick to it. It's invisible to people who don't know where it is?"
"Close. I can't give a better answer other than to say the island itself has properties many don't understand. We simply learned to take advantage of it for our purposes."
"Raiding, killing and pillaging."
"Yes. I won't ask for you to endorse it, but I grew up with this. It was always normal to me." He eyed me from the side. "And to Blake. We never had the opportunity to be Heroes, Soldiers or Labour Caste. The Caste System doesn't exist here at all."
Amazing that the system I personally hated was used in two Kingdoms, Vacuo and the Mirage Isles, and that both were Kingdoms I'd never have wanted to live in. Did that mean the Caste System really was protecting the peace, or was it just their unique circumstances? Either way, I knew what he was saying. That didn't mean I approved.
"You don't have to explain yourself to me. As long as you've been aiming your efforts at the Greycloaks, I'm fine with you being pirates."
"Ha. I guess you would be. Hardly makes us pirates at all now that I think about it." Adam pushed off the railing. "You'll want to don the cloaks when we arrive. It's not safe to stay on the ship when the inspectors come on."
I grimaced. "I don't really like the idea of Blake being ashore."
"Neither do I. Make no mistake, I agree fully with you and your companions. Blake should have stayed safe in Beacon with you. I risked my life to get her out so that she could have a happy life. Throwing that away to come here?" He shook his head. "I had strong words with her. Heated words." He winced. "She's so stubborn."
I laughed. "Tell me about it."
"Her parents weren't much different. Good people. Brave and loyal. Once we dock, you'll be free to enter the city at the base of the Isles. Not everyone there is a Greycloak, just the important people. There are plenty of regular folk you can mingle and hide among. That goes for Blake, too. Even if she's recognised, only a loyal Greycloak would report her. Too much trouble bringing their attention down on you in any other case."
"How likely is she to be recognised?"
"Hard to say. If she stays masked, I doubt anyone will pick her out from hair alone. It's been a decade since she was a regularly seen figure. She was just a kid back then. As for the name, Blake isn't exactly common, but at least the `Belladonna` isn't visible. I'd stay around her at all times." Adam nodded to my name floating above my head. "If you surround her, your names will all mingle. Make it hard for anyone to pick out details."
At the prow of the ship, a pirate clung onto a large bell that hunt on an ornamental structure of wood and stone. He began to shake it violently, sending out loud tolling sounds.
"Looks like we're here."
I watched as the pirate tolled the bell, the rest of the Guild coming out onto the deck to see what the noise was and taking places with me alongside the port-side railing. The bell continued to toll loudly.
Something in the air rippled.
Had I imagined it? That brief flash of colour. Of grey and brown in the distance. It seemed impossible. There was blue as far as the eye could see. A blue ocean connecting to a blue sky.
And yet, something was there.
As the bell tolled again, the air in the distance rippled and distorted, brief glimpses of colour showing through in a wavy pattern, before it washed away and revealed only the ocean once more.
"Impossible," Weiss whispered.
"You saw it as well?"
"I did, too," Pyrrha said, leaning forward. "I saw rock."
"I thought I saw a dock," Nora added.
We'd all seen something. I leaned forward with the others, straining to focus on the point where the ripple of light had been refracted, and when the bell tolled loudly once more, I caught the moment at which – I assumed – the vibrations brushed against that point. Briefly, very briefly, I saw a tall rock face with a collection of wooden shanty buildings at the base.
And then it was gone. Replaced with the ocean.
"It's the sound of the bell," Ren said. "Or the vibrations, Maybe the frequency. It… It doesn't make sense. Weiss, can you understand this? Is it magical in nature?"
"No. I mean… maybe." Weiss bit her lip. "Atlas is at the forefront of magical development, but that's not to say we can create everything. I suppose it's possible something like this could be made. A lock and a key of some sort. But I can't even begin to think how you'd go about disguising an entire island."
"No one knows how it works," Blake said. "Only that it does."
I glanced her way, met her eyes and then looked back, unprepared to deal with the confusion I felt.
"This is it, then. These are the Mirage Isles."
"Yes."
The bell tolled once more, ringing out louder and louder, and another answered – answered from the Mirage Isles itself, tolling along with our own. It set off a cacophony of ripples that originated outward from a wooden bell tower that slowly appeared as if from nowhere, or rather was slowly revealed, its wooden beams and slats leading down into the ocean appearing, followed by a series of piers and jetties, ships and vessels of various sizes.
It spread further, caught by another bell tower as it let out its own peals. The wooden docks swept back onto a gargantuan platform more like a ship's deck than an island. The Mirage Isles weren't really islands at all, but more akin to two gargantuan stone spikes sticking up out of the ocean, around the base of which, just above the water and connected between them, a floating city was situated atop of wooden platforms.
Rope and wood ladders spanned up from it and around the spires, sometimes connecting between and even travelling into them, through hollowed out tunnels that seemed to work their way through the rockfaces. Ships surrounded the Isles, mostly moored at the docks, but with others anchored a small distance away and secured by huge, knotted ropes. Sails were furled and masts creaked, leaning left and right as their vessels bobbed in the deep ocean.
Between the rock spires themselves, numerous structures made of tent and wood lay, the larger and busier ones collected at the bottom, while smaller ones clung precariously to the faces of the mountain, secured on the literal edge of nowhere with rope bridges leading down and around.
Everything looked like it might be swept away by a stiff wind, let alone a storm, but when the waves swept under the huge decking, I realised that, like the ships, the entire city bobbed up and down. It wasn't so much a fixed community but a giant ship of its own moored between the rockfaces, with hundreds of smaller ships docked at it.
"Welcome to the Mirage Isles," Adam called. "The Greycloak haven."
Mirage Isles here we come. I'm not sure where I was getting ideas from this one for. Maybe a touch of Water World? That absolutely wonderful (terrible) movie from ages ago? Or maybe it was me playing Sea of Thieves ages ago. Hard to say for sure, but I definitely recall a few Sea of Thieves places that had cool rope bridges around tall rock formations.
Next Chapter: 8th April
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