Three Months Later…
Stella let out a content sigh as she sat down at the tavern table. The Glacial Dragons had been together for a while now and had been spending time doing runs for some of the traders but never fully joining them. The four pirates had agreed to remain an independent crew. They had just returned from a treasure run for the Gold Hoarders and was sitting together relaxing with ale (except Ali who was sipping on tea). "Here's to another successful voyage, crew!" Stella raised her tankard. "Aw yeah!" Zhen cheered. "I'll drink to that." Koa smiled. "Mmhm!" Ali hummed. As the crew chatted amongst themselves, Stella noticed a shadowy figure standing at the back of the tavern, staring right at her. He had dark skin with reddish hair, beard, and wore dark clothing. What stood out most, however, was his glowing eyes. He jerked his head as if to motion Stella over. The young captain looked around for anyone behind her before hesitantly pointing at herself. He nodded. "Hey, uh, guys? I think this guy wants to talk." Stella whispered, motioning to the man. "Hm? What does he want?" Koa asked. "No clue." Stella replied with a shrug. "Well let's go find out!" Zhen hopped up from his seat and began to stride over. "H-hey! Wait up, please!" Ali stuttered in surprise before following Zhen along with Koa and Stella. "You're Stella, yeah?" The mysterious stranger asked as they approached, "Stella Icewind?"
"Uh, yeah?" Stella replied, "Why?"
"Heard about you and your crew. You're lookin' for the Shores of Gold like your mum. You'd do well to heed my warning, for this is no ordinary voyage you're contemplating. Few pirates have even heard of the Shores of Gold, let alone seen them with their own eyes."
"You know about the Shores of Gold?" Stella perked up at its mention.
"Aye. They say it's an island riddled with untold riches, ancient secrets, hidden tombs, and deadly traps. But you won't find it on any map, for it was swallowed up by the mists of the Devil's Shroud."
"I'm well aware. Mom told me stories about it. Do you know where it is then? Or how to get to it?"
The stranger took a book from the shelf next to him and handed it to Stella, "This book is the journal of the Pirate Lord himself. It tells of his first ship, the Magpie's Wing and the journey he took to find the mythical Shroudbreaker – the only way to part the fog and reach the Shores of Gold! If you dare to follow in the footsteps of the greatest pirate who ever lived, then take the journal and use it to find the wreck of the Magpie's Wing. It holds clues to the Shroudbreaker's whereabouts. Bring it to me, and I'll set you on your way to the Shores of Gold. But don't be fooled. Only the bravest, strongest pirates will be able to make it back alive…"
"The Shroudbreaker, huh?" Stella glanced over the book's cover. It was maroon with golden edges and a gold skull in the centre. Stella nodded with a confident smile, "Thank you. We'll find the Shroudbreaker and come right back."
"I wish you luck. You're going to need it." The stranger chuckled as he watched the four leave. Upon seeing them disappear out the door, he muttered to himself, "Guess we'll have to wait and see if what you said was true, Ramsey…"
"You really think we're up for this?" Ali asked as they walked up the Icebreaker's gangplank, "We've only been sailing for a few months and we're already taking on the Shores of Gold."
"We got this!" Zhen replied, reassuringly with his signature grin, "We've practically become pros at piracy at this point, right Koa?"
"Ali might have a point." Koa replied before turning to Stella, "Are you sure we're not rushing into this?"
"This might be our only chance to get there." Stella replied, "When I first set off to find the Sea of Thieves, I vowed that I would complete two goals: find the Shores of Gold on my mom's behalf and find out what happened to her. I can't let this slip away. We have to try."
"Hey, didn't you say Icebreaker was immortal or something?" Zhen asked, "Couldn't we just sail, sink, wait for her to come back, and keep going?"
"It's not that easy. Mom once told me that even her magic was useless against the Devil's Shroud. Icebreaker would've been able to return within the Shroud and would've resurfaced outside it."
"Whoa…the Shroud is that powerful?" Ali asked in awe.
"Seems like it. That explains why no pirate can part it. Not without this Shroudbreaker, anyway."
Stella walked into her captain's quarters alongside the rest of the crew and sat down, "But enough stalling. Let's open this up and see what our first move is."
Stella opened the book and began to read aloud,
"Journal of the Pirate Lord. Voyage for the Shroudbreaker. Ninth Summer on the Sea of Thieves. Chasing Legends. Another journey, another journal. The Shores of Gold! A great secret! An island of treasures…swallowed by the Devil's Shroud. A Lead. Ancients could reach new islands through the mists. Parts the shroud…pathfinder. Wayfarer. Shroudbreaker! There may be more to find in the Ancient Isles. We'll start there."
"Ancients?" Ali asked. "Said to be the true first people to arrive in the Sea of Thieves, before it was even called that." Koa explained, "All the vaults, ruins, and even some cave paintings were left by them. They were also said to possess magic-esque abilities."
"Maybe they're related to Stella and her mom?" Zhen suggested, "They're magic!"
"Could be." Stella replied before continuing, "Artifacts of the Ancients. Found after days of scouring islands. Very old chest. Still good as new. Totem inside. Animal totem? More than a statue? A key? The key to the Shroudbreaker. Sail to the Shroudbreaker. Use totem. Take Shroudbreaker. Drink. Shores of Gold. Drink!"
"I like this guy!" Zhen laughed as Stella kept going.
"Ambush! The Burning Blade came for us. We are no match for her infernal cannons."
"The Burning Blade…that's Flameheart's flagship." Koa muttered in shock. "They were attacked by Flameheart himself? What rotten luck." Zhen added.
"I made my choice." Stella continued, "Into the sea went the chest. The ship's log will help us find it again. No one shall take it! We will lure them into the wilds. Away from the chest."
"Clever." Koa mused, "Then again, he is the Pirate Lord. Wouldn't expect anything less."
"Keep going!" Zhen begged, hopping up and down, "I wanna hear what happens next!"
"Ok, ok! Sheesh!" Stella playfully rolled her eyes and continued, "We made our stand in the shallows of an uncharted isle. The jagged spires of the Crooked Masts to the fore. Old Crook's Hollow to the aft. The ship's log went down with the ship. Without it, we can't reclaim the chest. Another may yet claim the Shroudbreaker."
"Hmm…Crooked Masts and Old Crook's…" Ali muttered. "You know something, Ali?" Stella asked, closing the book. "Dammi un minuto!" Ali left the room in a hurry before returning a minute later with a scroll, "I remember when I was sketching the Crooked Masts for the first time, I saw an unmarked island off the coast. I marked it's location on this map of the Wilds for me to sketch out next time I was up there." Ali laid out the map on the table and sure enough, between the Crooked Masts and Old Crook's Hollow was an X with the note 'Unmarked Isle. To sketch later.'
"I betcha that's where they went down!" Zhen beamed. "Then that's where we're going." Stella smiled leaving the room, "Ali, set our heading!"
"Aye, captain!" Ali grinned before heading down to the map room.
"Zhen, hoist the colours!"
"Raising the glorious dragon of ice!" Zhen laughed as he scampered up to the crow's nest.
"Koa, give me a hand with the anchor?"
"You got it, captain."
Stella and Koa turned the capstan while Zhen raised the Glacial Dragons' flag. Ali came up from below deck and lowered the sails to full canvas before grabbing the wheel. The Icebreaker took off into the waters as soon as the anchor was fully raised. "Away we go!" Stella cheered as her beloved Galleon cut through the waves.
"We should be close." Ali muttered, studying the map. "Land ho!" Zhen called from the crow's nest, "I see the island!"
"Raising the sails." Koa rushed up to the helm and began raising the sails as the ship got closer before lowering the anchor. "The ship should be under the water somewhere." Stella said looking over the railing, "Let's head down and-"
"CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNOOOOOOOOONBAAAAAAAAAAAALL!"
A red and orange blur went past Stella followed by a large splash. "Did…did he just jump…from the crow's nest?" Stella was stunned. "Yup." Koa replied simply, "Let's go." Koa hopped the railing and dove into the water, Ali and Stella following suit. After swimming around for a bit, they finally found the wreckage of the ship, seeming to be snapped in half. Stella made a hand gesture to signal Zhen and Koa to check one half while she and Ali check the other. On Stella's half, she saw the entrance to the captain's quarters with a sign above it: Magpie's Wing. Definitely the right ship anyway. Stella and Ali swam into the room and began looking around. Stella heard Ali hum loudly from the left side of the room, getting her attention. Ali held up a book in her hand and pointed at it before giving a thumbs up. Stella nodded in understanding before swimming back to the surface with Ali close behind. Stella gasped upon breaching the surface with Ali right beside her. Koa and Zhen surfaced not long after. "You find it?" Koa asked. "Sì!" Ali held up the book. "Alright, let's get back to the ship and read it so we can find the chest." Stella smiled before swimming back to the ship.
"Are we there yet?!"
"You should know, you're in the crow's nest!"
"I'm so booooooorrrrrrrreeeeeed!"
Koa sighed before turning back to where Ali and Stella stood. Ali was steering while Stella was rereading the log. They had followed the log to find the chest where a scarab-shaped totem was stored. Thanks to Ali's extensive knowledge of the islands, they deduced the vault where the Shroudbreaker was held was on Crooks Hollow. "Looking at these notes…the crew must've been terrified the whole time. Being chased by the Burning Blade mustn't have been fun…" Stella muttered. "The Burning Blade struck fear into any crew who spotted it." Koa explained, leaning against the railing, "They say that if you saw it on the horizon, it was already too late. They were lucky in a sense it was just the Burning Blade and not the whole Ashen Dragon fleet."
"What ever happened to Flame-" Stella stopped herself, remembering the superstition, "Him?"
"No one knows." Koa shrugged, "He left for a few years for an unknown reason but when he returned, he went on a pirate-killing rampage, saying he will have vengeance. Then he suddenly disappeared. Some say he was assassinated; some say another crew defeated him…hell, there's even a rumour that your mother and her crew returned as a ghost crew sent by the Ferryman of the Damned to end his tyranny because she was the only one who could measure up to his strength."
"Wow…sounds like people really looked up to mom, huh?" Stella mumbled, placing her hand over her crystal. "She did play a major role in his legend. The only pirate he considered to be a worthy rival."
"Hmm…" Stella became lost in thought. She never realised how big of a deal her mother really was. Between the stories and her magic, could Stella even-?
"LAND HO! FINALLY!"
Zhen's cheering snapped Stella out of her thoughts. The ship was quickly approaching Crook's Hollow. She would have to save that thought for later. Now, they had a relic to find!
"Ok, the Scarab Vault should be behind this waterfall." Ali led the crew onto the island with her map in one hand and the vault totem in the other, "Hope nobody minds a shower."
"Don't worry about it. Koa desperately needed one!" Zhen joked. "Says the one constantly smelling like gunpowder and sulphur." Koa smirked. Zhen stuck out his tongue as they went under the waterfall. "And it should be riiiiight…ah! Here we are!" Ali smiled as she found the little pedestal by a candle. Ali placed the key on the pedestal and part of the cave wall opened, revealing the vault. "Ok, if this vault works like the others, that means we have a small timeframe before the entire vault fills up with water. So, we should solve the puzzle fast." Stella began as they entered the vault, "Let's all take a pillar and I'll read out the instructions. Be ready to turn fast."
Everyone stood near a pillar and Stella lit the first three braziers, "Ready…set…go!" Stella lit the final brazier and ran to her pillar as the door slammed shut and water began pouring in.
"Idol, warrior, warrior, warrior!"
Everyone quickly turned their pillars to match the callout.
"…done!"
"D-done!"
"Done!"
Stella ran to the pedestal and pressed the button on it.
"Ok. Boat, boat, boat, person with idol."
"…I got it!"
"Me too!"
"Gotcha!"
Stella pressed the button again.
"Final one! Person with idol, three people, three people, three people!"
"Done!"
"G-got it!"
"And done!"
Stella waded through the water, which was waist deep at this point, and slammed down on the button. Water stopped pouring in and the door opened, allowing the remaining water to flow out. "Nice hustle, guys!" Stella cheered. "Hey, there's something showing on the pedestal!" Zhen called out as he ran up to it. There were three images, all appearing to be locations on the island with lit up circles in them. "Hmm…hey look here." Koa pointed at the front of the pedestal, "There are three holes here. Maybe these are the locations of whatever's supposed to go here."
"Sounds about right." Stella agreed, "Let's split up. I'll take this location. Zhen, you take this one. And Koa and Ali can take the last one."
"Sounds like a plan!"
"Sounds good to me."
"O-ok!"
"Alright. Let's meet back here when we find them! See you in a bit!"
To Be Continued…
