Chapter Two: Maiden Voyage

The boat gently rocked in the waves not far from the island's shore. Deep in the hold, illuminated only by the midday sun peering through a single small window, a lone witch sat at a small desk, a quill scraping across a sheet of paper, leaving ink in its wake. Gradually, the ink formed a ghastly image: a terrifying figure perched within the branches of a tree, leering down at its prey with its giant empty eyes, its fangs glistening in the moonlight. While it was far from a professional work of art, the minimalist bent almost added to the beast's frightful appearance.

The would-be artist lay down his quill, admiring his handiwork. He shivered, the memory of the real thing still fresh in his mind even after a week or so, as fresh as it would likely be when he was old and grey. One could hardly go five feet on the Boiling Isles or its nearby islands without running into some manner of horrific monstrosity, but something about this one was...different. He couldn't place his finger on it, but something about it seemed so familiar, which only added to its unsettling nature.

The witch was startled, nearly leaping from his seat, when there was a knock at the door. More of a thump, really. Without waiting for an answer, the unexpected guest opened the door, bringing a lantern with him. "'Ey, Alvin, ye awake?" came a gruff voice.

Alvin Grizzwold, adventurer extraordinaire; or so those around him would say. In truth, Alvin preferred to be known as an explorer, and his 'adventures' to be referred to as scientific expeditions, as he was quite adverse to the fright and danger that came with adventuring, thank you very much. The added light from the lantern illuminated Alvin's features: he was of slight build and middling height, with the countenance of a young man prematurely aged by years of stress, hidden beneath a weave the color of tow. "Titan, Ron, maybe next time try to avoid breaking down the door," he said, placing his hand over his chest.

His much-more swarthy companion grunted. "Cap'n wants ye on deck. We're departin' soon, she says ye should do one last check o' the island 'fore we're off." He glanced for a moment at the sketch of the creature on the table. "Ye still on that, lad?"

Alvin got to his feet, clearing his throat. "I-I was just getting it out of my mind," he said. "Sometimes, when something's completely taken over my thoughts, it helps to draw it, or write about it. Something about making it physical, you know?"

Ron shrugged. "Can't say I do, but it's no business o' mine, I suppose." He stepped aside, allowing Alvin to step out into the hallway, leading the pair to the top. "Surprised ye didn't know what it was, though."

"As am I," Alvin replied. "My expeditions have taken me all across the Isles and beyond, and I've never seen or heard of such a beast." He looked down solemnly. "Perhaps if I had, we'd have been more successful…"

Once again, Ron grunted. "Julius seemed ta know what it was, and it didn't help him none. Poor bastard. What'd he call it again?"

"A revenant," replied Alvin. He swallowed fearfully. "While my natural curiosity would very much like to stay a little longer to study it, the far more rational side of me wants to get away from this island as soon as possible, and never look back."

"You 'n me both," Ron said. "And let's hope that things stays here an' never leaves."

Once more, the revenant found himself perched atop the mountain that he called home, from which one could see for miles around. But this time, rather than stare out over the horizon, he focused instead on the boat anchored not far from the coast. A handful of witches had ventured inland, no doubt returning for one last sweep of the island before departing. All he had to do was slip aboard, and he would be carried away to far-off places he had been dreaming of for years.

And yet, when faced with the thought of leaving the island he had lived on his entire life, the revenant was struck by a pang of sadness. For his entire life, he had wanted for nothing. He had ruled this island as though he was its king. To leave all of this behind, likely to never see it again, to risk it for an uncertain future, would almost certainly be suicide, wouldn't it?

No. He banished the thought; no matter what lay ahead for him, it was worth the risk. He had survived, yes, but something itched within him, longing for more. There had to be more out there. Somewhere beyond that horizon, he could discover where he had come from. Who he was. What he was. And so he would go. He had survived this long, he could survive wherever this boat would carry him.

He was quite adaptable, after all.

Once the witches had made their way further into the island, the revenant bounded down the side of the cliff, agile as a mountain goat. Rocks and clumps of dirt slid down as he ran, but he was careful not to make too much noise. He sat still upon reaching the bottom, eyes and ears focusing to make absolutely sure that the search party hadn't caught his trail. Once he was certain, he made his way through the brush towards the boat.

"Eh? You hear that?" The revenant froze. A pair of witches stood near the boat, seeming to be standing guard. It would seem he had left more of an impression on them than he had thought. He stood still as a statue, hidden among the bushes as the one who had heard him walked closer.

The other decided not to leave his post, leaning against a tree. "Didn't hear nothin'," he said.

"There's somethin' over here, I know there is." The more curious of the two scanned the overgrowth intently, creeping ever closer. Although he remained still and silent, the revenant bared his fangs, preparing to pounce should he be discovered. The witch drew closer and closer, until the revenant could almost feel his breath.

Just as the seafarer reached out a hand to push the leaves aside, a bird, startled by his presence, burst up from the grass. The witch stumbled back, falling over as the bird flew into the distance. His partner cracked up at his predicament. "Yeah, there was somethin' in there all right!"

"Aw, laugh it up!" he snapped. "At least I'm doin' my job!" With the two of them distracted, the revenant made his exit towards the boat.

The wooden behemoth floated gently in the boiling sea beside the island's shore. The only sounds that could be heard were the gentle lapping of waves and the soft creaking of timber, so the revenant took a moment to admire the vessel. While this was the first boat he had ever seen-he would have remembered if any others had come to his island-something within him recognized the familiar shape. This familiar feeling only served to reinvigorate his desire to be ferried back to lands unknown. Digging his claws into the sand, the revenant took a running start, and leapt across the waters and onto the side of the ship. His claws dug into the wood as he climbed up to the deck.

As he hauled himself up over the edge of the ship, the revenant tensed up when he heard faded voices coming from within the cabin. He crouched down to the floor, his eyes fixed on a shadow moving across the window. After a few moments, it was clear that they had not noticed him. However, not wanting to leave potential threats unknown, the revenant crawled over to the window, peering in through the corner.

Two witches: a young-ish man and an older woman. They were speaking over a sheet of paper placed on a table between them. Unable to make out what they were saying, the revenant was nonetheless curious. As he grew engrossed in their conversation, he became careless, briefly placing his hand on the window pane. This was just enough for him to be heard, and the young gentleman turned around. Just in time, the revenant retreated out of sight, slinking away to somewhere less crowded.

"Something the matter, Grizzwold?" asked the captain, curious at Alvin's sudden interest in the window.

Alvin stared out at the deck of the ship as though transfixed. "I just thought...I was sure there was someone standing out there," he said. "Surely you saw it too, right? A figure, peering in at us…"

"I didn't see nothin'," the woman said. "See, this is what I meant when I said yer too high-strung. Ya keep seein' things that aren't there."

Alvin continued to gaze outside for a moment, before he reluctantly looked away. "Sorry about that, Captain, I just thought that-"

"Sorry, schmorry," said the captain. "If there's anything you should be apologizing for, it's that there's nothing of worth on this island!"

"Sorry, Captain," said Alvin.

The captain gave him a look. "I didn't mean that," she said.

"Right, sorry," Alvin continued. "And anyway, this isn't a complete loss. This island is home to one of the most complete titan remains apart from the Boiling Isles themselves! That has to be worth something, right?"

The captain glanced down at the paper before her, which was a map of the island. "Eh, just looks like a head to me, but I guess you're the expert."

"Just a head?" said Alvin. "Oh, far from it! Not only have the expeditions found evidence of the titan's arms underwater, but analysis of the mountain suggests the presence of a complete ribcage and backbone! That's exciting, yes?"

"Er…" The captain was far from impressed. "I suppose if it makes ya happy. And this is the sort o' thing Talus was lookin' for?"

"Well, not exactly the same thing, but I'm sure that...that…" Alvin trailed off. He sighed, and slumped down into a chair across from the captain, disappointed. "Oh, who am I trying to fool? This entire journey was a bust! Mr. Archibald's never going to hire me at this rate…"

The captain looked around awkwardly, unprepared to offer emotional support. She tried anyway. "Look, kid, I'll admit, I don't know much about Talus or that club o' his-what's it called again?"

"The Boiling Isles Adventurer's and Scientist's Guild," said Alvin. "He's head of the Lower Torso chapter." He smiled and looked fondly off into the distance. "It's always been my dream to be a member, ever since I was a boy. Mr Archibald was a big inspiration for me, you know. And he's more than an explorer, he's a genius when machines are concerned-Talus the Tinkerer, people call him! Why, he's one of the most decorated members of the Construction Coven!"

"Sure, right, yes," said the captain. "So anyway, even if-"

"With every expedition I took part in, I always thought to myself, 'One of these days, Mr. Archibald will offer me a membership!' That's the only way to get in, you know, being offered a seat by a senior member. The first time I was asked to take part in an expedition funded by the Explorer's Guild, I was so ecstatic, I almost passed out! And then, when we finally got out there...nothing. No lost cities, no undiscovered flora or fauna, nothing. And the second time I was asked, nothing. Same with the time after that."

"I mean, he's asked for you specifically four times by now," the captain said. "Surely that's worth someth-"

But Alvin was on a roll. "I mean, what kind of an adventurer doesn't discover anything new in his expeditions? I might understand it a bit more if this was typical, but it seems like I'm the only one this happens to! I was looking through the Guild's archives before we left, and only the trips I'm on come up empty! Is it my fault? Oh, once we get back, that's the last I'll hear from the great Talus the Tinkerer! Why would he want someone like me as a part of his team? All I've ever brought to the Guild are expenses and lowered expectations! If I ever-"

"ALRIGHT, ENOUGH!" The captain bellowed, startling Alvin into silence. "...Ahem, sorry. But you're bein' too hard on yourself, kiddo. Look...I may just be the witch you pay to ferry ya to uncharted islands like this, but I can tell that you're a very...spirited young man. Don't ya think that's why Talus keeps on hirin' you?"

Alvin sunk back in his seat as he considered this. "Driven or not, it doesn't mean anything without results." He gestured to the map of the island. "A find like this would be interesting to an archaeologist, but not so much to a scientist."

The captain blinked. "Isn't an archaeologist...a kind of scientist?" she asked.

"Yes, but the Guild rarely deals in archaeology," Alvin replied. "No, if Mr. Archibald would be interested in anything here, it would be the resources one could get from a titan such as this."

"Which are?"

"Couldn't tell you," Alvin said with a shrug. "That's something a scientist knows, not someone like...me… Of course!" He leapt to his feet. "I don't know what we took from this expedition, but someone like Mr. Archibald would! Once we get back, I'll have to fill him in on everything that we came across, and then he'll be sure to find something worth his while! Thanks a bunch, Miss Captain, you're a lifesaver!" With that, Alvin hurried out the door, excited to return to his quarters.

Meanwhile, the captain was left feeling where she was, feeling very confused. "...guess I'm a better motivational speaker than I give myself credit for," she mumbled. But there would be time to dwell on this later-now it was time to shove off.

Crewmembers were beginning to return to the ship, given the sounds of hustling and bustling outside. With no time to waste, the captain slipped on her coat and tricorn hat, and stepped onto the deck.

Witches and demons climbed aboard and came up from below deck as the final excursion onto the island came to a close. "Heads up-Captain on deck!" came the voice of the first mate. All the crewmembers stood at attention before she set them at ease, strolling up the stairs to the wheel.

The journey to the Boiling Isles would take no less than three days-child's play for a crew as experienced as hers. Without a cloud in the sky, and the waves still off to the horizon, there would surely be smooth sailing ahead. "All hands, positions! It's time for the Siren's Song to set sail!"

Day One

Upon climbing aboard the ship, the revenant's first order of business was to find somewhere to stay out of sight. Before the rest of the crew had come aboard, he had allowed his instincts to guide him towards the deepest, darkest, and most isolated part of the entire boat: the cargo hold. Partially drawn there by his natural affinity to small dark spaces like his former cave home, it was also the smell of frozen fish that had brought him down there. Mostly the fish.

As hungry as he was, the revenant knew he had to be cautious. Taking too much would alert the others that someone was there with them. He grabbed only a single fish out from the barrel, retreating to the far back of the cargo hold. A tarp was slung haphazardly over a few crates, creating a kind of makeshift tent for him to bed down.

Gnawing on his pilfered fish, the revenant settled into his new home for the foreseeable future. While he could certainly have done without the constant rocking of the boat, it was a small price to pay for seeing the rest of the world. Though as unpleasant as it was, there was undoubtedly something mildly soothing about being rocked on the waves. After an hour or so of sitting in the dark and the silence, the revenant began to let his guard down just a bit. Nobody had invaded his privacy just yet, and the boat's rocking was getting more and more relaxing by the minute. The revenant lay his head down, closing his eyes for some light rest.

His nap would not last long, however. Some time later, the revenant's eyes shot open as the door to the storeroom creaked open. He craned his head in its direction, hoping that it was just the ship's hull. Upon hearing voices, it was obvious that it wasn't.

"...and then, he told me he didn't even have it anymore 'cause he had lent it to his cousin! So what was even the point of asking me over if he wasn't even gonna-"

"Alright, alright, just grab the ropes and let's get going! It's a rough one on the horizon, and I'd rather get ready sooner rather than later!"

Two voices, a man and a woman. The revenant was unfazed-he had known he would have to work his way around the crew from the moment he had stowed away. He stood as still as he could, hoping they would grab what they needed and be on their way. However, the sounds of rummaging soon told him that they were working their way back to where he was. He had to move. Being seen was not an option.

Years of hunting on the island had made the revenant more than adept at stealth. He soundlessly crawled out from his hiding place and climbed to the top of a nearby stack of crates, hidden by the shadows. A tall, rotund man led the search, followed by a much smaller woman holding a ball of flame in her hand. His eyes narrowed once he saw the flickering light.

"So, uh, that island was somethin' yeah?" asked the man. "Hey, you were out there, right? Out in the original scouting party where they ran into...y'know...that thing."

The woman scowled. "Yeah, I was," she said, revealing a large gap between her front teeth. "Why do you all keep asking about that? It's not like that's the only thing that happened out here!"

"Just tryin' to make conversation," the man said with a shrug. He continued rummaging around, unable to find what he was looking for. "Hey, bring that light closer, I ain't seein' any ropes."

"Sure, just bring the fire right up to the flammable cargo, nothing could happen," the woman said. Despite this, she moved forward, lighting up more of the room. The firelight was coming dangerously close to the revenant's perch, so he quickly leapt back to the shadows. However, as he did so, the force of his leap caused the crate he stood on to shift ever so slightly. This caused enough noise to grab both sailors' attention.

Both the man and the woman whipped in the direction of the clatter, the latter shining her light in that direction. "...So, uh…" said the man. "That definitely sounded like something's over there, right?"

"No, not really," said the woman, though it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself as well. "Let's just grab those ropes and get above deck."

"Mhm. Yeah, sounds good. There's, ah, just one problem with that," said the man. "They're over there." He pointed at several lengths of rope lying beside the crate that had just moved. Mere inches from the revenant's claws.

The two sailors looked at each other uncertainly, before slowly creeping in that direction. The revenant crept as well, moving as silently as he possibly could, which meant he wasn't moving incredibly fast. He knew that if it came down to it, these two posed no direct threat. But should they alert the rest of the crew, that was when he would have a problem. Even if, and it was unlikely, he was able to survive a direct assault from every single crewmember, that still left him floating on a ghost ship he had no way to control.

Hesitantly, moving an inch at a time, the pair grew closer to their target. Their eyes darted between the ropes, and the darkness behind the crate, expecting something unseen and horrible to leap out from beyond. Meanwhile, in said darkness, something unseen and horrible was silently hoping to remain unseen. The man reached out a shaking hand, stretching his arm to keep the rest of him as far from potential danger as possible.

Both the man and the woman were startled as a small creature with algae-colored hair darted out from the dark, scurrying to a hiding place on the other side of the room. After the scare, the two glanced at each other, and started laughing.

"Aww, just a little bilge rat!" the man said, picking up the ropes. "This island's got us all worked up over nothing!"

"What, you didn't actually think that thing had somehow made its way onboard, did you?" asked the woman, both of them returning to the deck.

"What? No, of course not! I just… Well, I wasn't scared, in any case."

"Yeah, me neither."

The door closed, returning the darkness to the cargo hold once again. The revenant stared at it while clinging to the ceiling, waiting until he could no longer hear footsteps before returning to the ground. Thankful that neither of them had looked up, he let out a low growl. He would have to be more vigilant in the future.

The revenant returned to the makeshift tent he had claimed as his burrow. Laying down, he could hear rustling as bilge rats scurried within their dens. Although they would surely have made for a nice snack, they would make even better cover for his presence. Perhaps he would leave them be, at least for now.

Day Two

Alvin gripped tightly to his pen with one hand, the other holding onto the side of the table for dear life as the ship was thrown violently by the storm. Sheets of rain slammed against the side of the hull, with the only thing louder being the thunder and lightning that occasionally lit up his quarters. A commotion came down from above as the crew fought against the storm, and seemingly something else by the sounds of it. Between the noise and the makeshift carnival ride, getting any work done now would be next to impossible. Although he doubted he would be much help against something like this, he decided to head up top to offer anyway.

Casting a spell to protect himself from the boiling rain, Alvin headed out into the storm, and was greeted by the sight of a full-on war going on. While a few of the crew members struggled to keep the ship together, many more were protecting them from assault by a plethora of tentacles reaching up from beneath the sea. Alvin briefly considered heading back, now that it was apparent that the storm was the least of their worries, until he heard a familiar voice called to him.

"Oy! Grizzwold!" It was the captain, blasting away at several tentacles with lightning spells to keep them from wrapping around the hull. "Glad I caught ya, I need to ask you something! You!-keep this thing occupied!" she shouted to a nearby shipmate, before heading over to Alvin.

The explorer's attention was still focused on the monster as the captain approached. "Are you sure this is really the best time, captain? It looks like you have your hands full here…"

The woman waved it off. "Nah, it's just a kraken, these things attack us all the time! Trust me, my crew is more than capable of handling one of these. Honestly, the storm is the greater danger here. Now come on, I've got something to show ya." She walked over to her quarters, indicating for Alvin to follow.

"That's...not exactly reassuring," he said, but followed her anyway. He tried to ignore the sounds of screaming from behind him as he closed the door behind him. "Now, what was it exactly that you wanted to show me?"

The captain sat down in her chair. "Kid, you're a scientist, right? You've seen a fair share of animals and critters in your time?"

"Well, I-I guess I have," Alvin replied. "I've never seen a kraken up close before, if that's what you're asking about."

"No, it's not that," said the captain. "No, what I wanted to ask you about...was this." She picked something up from down by her feet and placed it on her desk. It appeared to be a set of fishbones.

Alvin examined the skeleton in confusion. "It looks to me like what's left of Ron's lunch," he said. "How does this involve me? Don't you have tons of fish like this down in the hold?"

"That we do," the captain replied. "But that's what's so strange about it. This fishbone was found in the hold. And I shouldn't-"

The conversation was interrupted as a shouting crewmate was slammed against the window. Both of them stared as the unfortunate man was then dragged away by his ankle by a tentacle. The captain continued on with little fanfare.

"I shouldn't have to explain to you that we don't put the fish back when we're done eatin' it. No, something else did this. Think you can come up with what?"

"I don't know, are you sure it wasn't a bilge rat?" asked Alvin. "I heard we have a few on board. They eat fish, right?"

Yeah, they'll eat anything," said the captain. "Thing is, there's no way a single bilge rat, or even a small group, could strip a fish to the bone like this in under a day. And if there were enough to do that, well… I think we'd know if it was a full-on infestation. I'm worried it could be thresh barnacles."

"Mm, that is something to be worried about," said Alvin. In addition to being carnivorous, thresh barnacles could tear apart the hull of a ship in large enough numbers. "Tell you what: if you don't need any help with that kraken situation, I'll take this back to my quarters and look at it further."

"Great, would you?" said the captain, getting to her feet. "That'd be a big help! And don't worry about the kraken, nothing we haven't handled before! You just focus on doin' what you do!"

Alvin was ushered from the room by the captain, who drew her sword and ran off to join her crew in dealing with the titanic sea beast. With one last look at the forest of writing tentacles besieging the vessel, Alvin returned to his room, trying to ignore the fact that the ship he was on was literally under attack.

"Okay, now, let's see what we have here…" Alvin sat down and pushed aside his papers, setting the fishbones down in their place. He slid open a drawer and produced an eyepiece to get a closer look. "Hmm...now that is odd…"

As expected, the bones were covered in tooth marks from whoever or whatever had eaten the fish, but the marks themselves were unusual. They weren't the small, nibbling dents that a bilge rat would have left, or the haphazard, gnashing slices of a thresh barnacle. The spacing indicated a larger creature, but they didn't match those of any witch or demon that was a member of the crew.

Alvin set the eyepiece down, wracking his brain. Did the ship have a pet he didn't know about? No, surely the captain would have thought of that first. Maybe someone's palisman? Of course not, that was stupid. But something had eaten it, no doubt a stowaway of some sort...but what? Did shatterjaws ever climb aboard ships? Or it could have been a leviasnail, or a young selkidomus, or…

In the midst of his brainstorming, his eyes approached the pile of letters and drawings he had set aside. On the very top sat his sketch of the revenant, leering down with those empty eyes, its fangs bared. Alvin froze, as though he truly was facing down the beast. He glimpsed back down to the bones, back over to the drawing, and back down again.

"No...surely not…" he whispered, picking up the bones to examine them again. Suddenly, being attacked by a kraken in a terrible storm seemed like the least of their worries. The size of the tooth marks definitely added up, as did the sharpness, but he couldn't know for sure unless he had a real specimen to compare them to-something he could do without, alive or dead.

Without evidence, he decided against telling the captain. The idea of having such a stowaway was almost unthinkable, and right now, it was little more than a suspicion. Doing his best to push the thought to the back of his mind, Alvin decided to bed down for the night. Before crawling into his hammock, he turned over the sketch. He could do without something like that staring at him.

Had the storm been a bit quieter, he might have heard the sounds of animalistic screeching coming from beneath him. And had he been looking out the window, he might have seen a tentacle retreating back under the waves, bearing tooth marks identical to those on the bones.

Day Three

So far, the revenant had been successful in avoiding the crewmembers who came down for supplies. So far, he had been relatively unnoticed in the stealing of food. But there was another problem he had not considered yet, gnawing at his insides as he tried to compose himself.

Bile. That sweet, invigorating nectar that the island had plenty of, was no longer within his reach. Without a steady stream flowing from his mother's bile sac, the only source for leagues around was within the witches above him. He could smell it, flowing through their veins. It was all he could do to keep himself from scrambling above deck and throwing himself at the first unfortunate witch he saw.

The revenant's claws dug into the floor, leaving deep marks in the wood as he resisted the urge. His eyes glowed blue with fury, but he held still. To reveal himself now would be suicide. Although it was hard to focus on anything more than the scent of the bile, he did everything he could to take his mind off of it. His body shivered, but his mind held strong, images of the island gradually giving way to other landscapes. What would the mainland look like, he wondered? A vision came to him, of a village of brick houses with thatched roofs. He knew he had never seen it before, and yet it was far too visceral to be simply his imagination. Just what was he?

This was good; yes, thinking about this kept him distracted. He continued imagining the land he was travelling to, some possibilities more fanciful than others. He pictured sprawling cyclopean cities that rose to the heavens. Golden desert oases illuminated by several moons. Would this new land be made around a giant like his mother as well? This led to a vision of a massive being striding through the sea, carrying the city on its back. Before long, as the images raced through his mind, his insatiable craving for the magic bile slowly faded to the back of his mind. He knew he would need some before long, but for now, he could keep his desire in check.

A commotion came from up top. The revenant listened in to hear the ship's crew rushing around above deck. With the memory of the kraken attack fresh in his mind, his first thought was to go on the defensive. But this wasn't a panicked commotion like last night-they were excited, of course, but there was no sense of urgency as there had been yesterday. Almost like whatever was happening was routine. He climbed up to the ceiling to hear better.

Though the meanings of most words escaped him for the time being, he was still able to tell the crewmembers apart by their voices. Most of them were inconsequential to him, but there was one who he had singled out as the leader, who was now barking orders. Words such as "port" and "dock" surfaced more times than could be mere mentions. As well as one he had heard many times before in these past three days.

"Lllll...laaand," the revenant growled, sounding out the word he had been waiting to hear. A wave of excitement washed over him, wholly unrelated to his bile craving.

"Hoist the sail! Hard to starboard!" shouted the leader of the seafaring witches. "And for titan's sake, slow down-the last thing we need is the repair bill for that pier!"

"H-hoooist...saaail…" The revenant repeated her words. "Harrrd...to...starboa-"

In the middle of his learning session, the door to the cargo hold suddenly creaked open. The revenant clamped his mouth shut, going silent as a harried young witch quickly walked inside. He muttered to himself as he searched the cargo, completely unaware that he wasn't alone. In his haste, he hadn't bothered to shut the door behind him.

Perhaps it would have been smarter to simply wait until the ship was empty to sneak out. But, rather than wait, the revenant decided he had waited long enough to discover what this new land had to offer. As quickly as he could while still remaining hidden, he slunk out through the open door.

"Aha!" said Alvin, picking up a rucksack from the ground. "I knew I'd left this in here!" He slung the bag over his shoulder, adding it to several other packs, pouches, and pockets he carried. After doing a quick check that he had all of his material, Alvin headed back above deck, taking a breathful of night air.

It had been a long two weeks, but the expedition had finally reached its conclusion. Alvin would be the first to say he enjoyed his work, but he was nevertheless glad to see the welcome sight of the Bonesborough skyline. Especially with what a fiasco this journey had been. The Siren's Song was being tugged into place, the boarding ramp descending. With no time to waste, Alvin hurried to disembark.

"Grizzwold, where ya goin'?" the captain called after him. "We have procedures for these things, ya know!"

"Sorry, Captain, but I can't afford to wait!" Alvin called back. "I have to get this data to Mr. Archibald as soon as possible! Just send anything I missed to the building!" With that, he scampered down the ramp, passing by some dock workers as he raced into town. The last the captain saw of him was him waving down a carriage, his coat bulging with diagrams and research notes.

The captain shook her head. "Yeesh. Always thought he of all people'd be the stickler for protocol…" She shrugged, moving on to tend to her ship.

Not long after Alvin had disembarked, another passenger crept from the vessel onto the shore. The revenant, taking advantage of everyone bothering with removing the cargo, crawled down a line of rope and onto the cobblestone. His claws clicked against the ground, earning him some unwanted attention.

"Uh?" A dockyard worker had heard him, turning around to find nothing there. "Hullo? 'S anyone there?" He approached the spot the revenant had been moments ago, who now clung to the underside of a nearby pier.

Although the revenant wasn't worried about the boiling water-at least, it might have been water-below him, something else caught his attention. A curious seagull had perched on a post just feet away from his face, its eyes meeting his. On the surface level, the bird was completely inoffensive, and posed no danger to him. But deep inside of him, something about the creature stirred up terrible feelings, just like that raven. Though he had no idea why, this bird, with those beady eyes and curved beak, gave rise to feelings of rage and despair. He took a swipe at the gull, his mouth silently snarling, and it took flight.

The bird flew away, startling more of them nearby who joined into a flock. The dockhand watched them fly up, turning back to his work. "Feh. Nothin' but seagulls." As he walked away, the revenant quickly hauled himself onto the pier, and further climbed onto a nearby building. There were no lights on in the windows, but he stayed away from them regardless.

Taking shelter beside a chimney, the revenant caught his breath. This was the third time he had been saved by a small animal-he was unsure of what to make of it. He would have to do something about his umbrage with birds in the future. But for now, his top priority should be to somehow acquire some magic bile, as he was unsure how long he could contain his cravings…

The mainland! In his hurry to get to safety, he had almost completely forgotten that he was in an entirely new land! The docks had been nothing special, but from his current vantage point, he would have a much better view of what this place had to offer. He crept to the edge of the roof, and…

The sight almost made the revenant fall to his knees. Nearly the entire landscape was covered with buildings. Those in the distance raised to the heavens, and all of them lit up the entire city with lights of every color imaginable. Even at night, the streets were alive with hustle and bustle, filled with witches, demons, and creatures the likes of which he could never have imagined. This place...this was nothing like he thought it would be.

This...this was even more incredible.

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap. Alvin restlessly tapped against the armrest of his chair. Although he had been in this room plenty of times, something about the interior that called to mind a log cabin, although one nearly three times the size, always made him restless. Several other witches sat in the room as well, while more still entered and exited through the sliding double doors. He looked around at all of them, internally doubting that their business was more important than his, then admonished himself for thinking something so rude.

After about fifteen minutes of sitting in the room, a voice suddenly called out. "Grizzwold? Alvin Grizzwold?" Though it took him a moment to recognize that this was, in fact, his name, he stood bolt upright and approached the desk.

"Oh, y-yes, that's me," he said, holding tightly to the many papers spilling out from his pockets. "Alvin Grizzwold, here to see Mr. Archibald?"

The demon receptionist pointed over to the elevator. "He's ready for you, go ahead." Alvin politely thanked her before cramming himself into the elevator, already filled tightly with numerous other witches. As the grating squeaked closed, the others shot him indignant looks as he grinned apologetically.

The elevator climbed several floors on the building, and the others began to get off. By the time only Alvin was left, it had reached the very top, adjacent with a neon sign reading 'Boiling Isles Adventurer's & Scientist's Guild' with smaller words below it reading 'Lower Torso Chapter.' Alvin walked down a hallway lined with portraits of numerous high-ranking members of the guild. He waited before opening the door, pondering if he should knock first. As he had made an appointment, he decided against it.

"Mr. Archibald?" he asked quietly, peeking his head through the door. "You're ready for me?" The office was filled with the sounds of tinkering, coming from the desk at its center. A bronze telescope was being worked on by floating tools causing the noise. Unable to see the Guild leader, Alvin stepped further into the room.

A deep, wizened voice replied from the other side of the room. "Alvin! Welcome back, my boy, welcome back!" Alvin turned towards the voice's owner, a short, balding witch with a large brown beard. From the waist down, he was carried closer by a clockwork contraption held up by four metal legs. "I hadn't expected you back so soon! No rest for the weary, I take it?"

"Ah, Mr. Archibald, it's good to see you!" said Alvin, almost dropping his research. "Er, yes, I could have gone home to sleep, but I doubt I could have rested without bringing you my findings!" He held up the multitude of papers filling his arms.

"Looks like quite the successful expedition, then," said Talus. "Let's make some room for you, shall we?" Drawing a spell circle in the air, the old man then levitated the telescope aside, along with the tools, which continued working on it.

"Right. I'm… Well, I'm not sure if you could tell, but I'm very excited about what we learned!" Alvin spread the various maps, charts, and diagrams out across the desk. "Now, the island itself was rather small, but it was just as you suspected: there was roughly thirty percent of a titan embedded within the mountain! And not only that, but we found evidence of its arms below sea level! Now, the flora and fauna was nothing to write home about, but…"

As he continued, Talus was more interested in a particular sketch that had worked its way into the rest of Alvin's findings. "Dearie me…" Talus donned a set of glasses from his breast pocket to better see the disturbing image. "Pardon me for interrupting, my boy, but is this one of yours as well?"

"Hmm? Oh, er, that-that's just...a drawing I made," Alvin said. "It isn't-well, it is based on my research, but it isn't relevant to my overall findings. Simply...something we ran into, is all."

"And you say it isn't relevant?" said Talus, looking up at the young explorer. "My dear Alvin, if you truly came across such a beast in your time on that island, I must know about it at once! Why, if this is what I think it is...no, I shouldn't jump to conclusions. Now, tell me everything!"

"I-if you want," Alvin said hesitantly, reluctant to return to that moment. "We...weren't alone on the island. There was something else there with us, something...intelligent. It wasn't a demon, at least not any kind I'm familiar with. Whatever it was, it's aggressive, it even killed one of the sailors. He and a few others called it-"

"A revenant," said Talus, picking up the drawing.

"Y-you're familiar with it?" said Alvin.

"Only vaguely. Revenants are the stuff of legends, thought to only exist in the nightmares of disturbed individuals. But if what you discovered on that island was indeed one of these monsters, well… My boy, this discovery could very well rewrite everything we know about our world."

Alvin was quite taken aback. "Everything? Forgive me, but how can such a creature be so significant? I-I mean, I can go over my notes to see if-"

"Nonsense, my boy, you've done enough for now," Talus said. "You go home and rest. I'll call for you when you are needed. And don't worry…" The witch looked down at the revenant's visage. "...I'll take care of everything."