"Thousands of years ago, some say even before the Ancients arrived in what we now call the Sea of Thieves, this land was known as Okaaz do Stin, roughly translated to 'Ocean of Freedom'. There, ancient creatures we see as rare today lived in abundance. Megalodons, krakens, merfolk, and even creatures deemed extinct or even myths today…dragons. Dragons were the prevailing race among them all, laying claim to the sky, sea, and land, and were masters of magic thought lost to us. About a thousand years ago, there were two specific dragons. A dragon of flame and ash, and a dragon of ice and glaciers. They both wished to rule over Okaaz do Stin but had very different opinions on how it should be done. The flame dragon, with his destructive power, claimed that the sea should be ruled with power and strength. The ice dragon, with her healing nature, believed with compassion and an open heart was the right way to lead as a ruler.

Things came to a head when the flame dragon decided that the best way to solve their issue was to battle it out. Initially the ice dragon refused, saying it would neither solve nor prove anything. But even her patience had limits. After being attacked several times, she snapped and finally fought back. But their battle had serious consequences. Their anger and hatred for each other became so great, that it began to manifest into a physical form: a creature made from shadow that lived off of pure destruction. This creature was dubbed the Shadow Leviathan and it only sought one thing: the destruction of all that got in its way. By the time the two dragons realised their mistake, it was too late. The Shadow Leviathan was on a primal rampage killing all life in Okaaz do Stin, starting with the dragons. The two knew that they had to do something before they lost the home that they both loved. Thus, setting aside their differences, they set off to find a way to seal away or destroy the Shadow Leviathan before it was too late.

Their journey brought them to a wolf pack. The dragons asked them for aid, but they refused, claiming the matters of dragons mattered not to them…except for one wolf. A small runt-of-the-litter pup. He offered his assistance to the dragons who were hesitant of bringing such a small wolf into battle. The little wolf, desperate to help, went onto his island's highest point that night and howled at the full moon, begging for help. Even as a storm rolled in and blocked the moon, he kept howling. Just when he was about to give up, he was hit by a bolt of purple lightning. The blast transformed him into a huge wolf with 7 tails and purple sparks dancing across his fur. Fuelled by this strange new power, the wolf reapproached the dragons, ready to help. The dragons almost didn't believe this was the same little pup they had met the day before but accepted his help, dubbing him the Twilight Wolf.

When they arrived back in Okaaz do Stin, it was pure chaos. There were no dragons to be seen and the Shadow Leviathan was resting on an island protected by a forcefield of shadow that prevented magic beasts from entering. Just when it felt like all hope was lost, three humans arrived in Okaaz do Stin. These were said to be the first Ancients. They offered the three beasts their assistance in any way possible. The three beasts decided to seal their souls inside the humans, letting them wield their powers in their stead. With the beasts' powers and the ability to take their forms, the trio used their united power to seal the Shadow Leviathan in the island's volcano, with the Twilight Wolf being the only beast capable of releasing it. And their names live on as the surnames of those three humans.

MacTíre the Twilight Wolf.

Flameheart the Ashen Dragon.

And Icewind the Glacial Dragon."

Stella stared awestruck at Ais as she finished her story, "So you see, you and I are descendants of the Twilight Wolf and the Glacial Dragon. And I think you can guess who number three is…"

"Captain Flameheart…was a legendary beast?"

"Is or was. Nobody knows what happened to him. But if a beast dies, the power is passed on to their next of kin or someone they trust." Ais explained, "So if Flameheart died, either a relative or someone he trusted is now the Ashen Dragon. When your mam died, you became the Glacial Dragon. Same when mine died…" Ais's expression turned solemn for a moment before she shook it off, "But it doesn't happen instantly. The gem, which represents the beast's soul, must judge their next host as worthy before merging with them. The gem basically becomes a second heart for its host. If it's forcefully removed, the host will slowly die as their body can no longer handle the power now surging through it. Humans weren't meant to wield the kind of magic they did."

"That's…dark." Stella was a little disturbed before changing the subject, "So that means your last name is MacTíre?"

"Technically, yeah." Ais replied, "I pretty much inherited my powers at birth since my mam died giving birth to me."

"Oh…I'm sorry…"

"It's grand. Sure, I've had nearly 30 years to get over it." Ais shrugged, "But anyways, you said you unlocked healing and soul scrying so far, right? Along with the ability to summon your ship."

Stella nodded.

"Well, pardon the pun, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are still powers laying dormant in you. Including the ability to take on your bestial form."

"Wait. Are you saying I can turn into a dragon?!"

"Yep."

"And that means you…?"

Ais smirked as her markings seemed to glow and her pupils disappeared, here sclera turning black. Her scars glowed a faint purple, her hair turned dark purple, and two fangs poked out of her mouth. "And this is just the hybrid form; a half-way transformation that provides an extra boost to your powers." Ais chuckled, "These tunnels are too narrow to show off my full form."

"It's that big?!"

Ais couldn't help but laugh at Stella's reaction, "Who knows? Maybe when we finally have our rematch, you'll be able to show off your full form by then and I can show off mine."

"How big do you think mine'll be?"

"I'd say roughly the length of a galleon, maybe longer."

"Whoa…how do you know all this?"

"My mam left me a collection of old books that were passed down through the many generations of MacTíres. It documented the entire legend of the beasts and how to use the powers of the Twilight Wolf."

"Can you teach me how to use mine, then?"

Ais shook her head.

"Aw, why not?"

"Each beast unlocks their abilities in their own ways." Ais explained, "Even what was written in the books were just guidelines for the Twilight Wolf. The Glacial and Ashen Dragons have their own ways too. Unlocking your powers relates to what you value most in life. Ashen Dragons usually value strength, courage, and power. Twilight Wolves value loyalty, justice, and equality. And Glacial Dragons value kindness, compassion, and freedom. And even then, each individual is different from the ones before. No beast is the same. But don't be dejected. I know you'll figure it out. You already unlocked a good chunk so far, so it's only a matter of time before you've reached your full potential as the Glacial Dragon."

"Stella! What's taking so long?! Where'd you go?!"

Stella looked back at the cave entrance where she could hear Zhen calling her. "Looks like your crew is waiting for you." Ais smirked, reverting back to her human form, "Go on, get. I'll see you around, scálaí oighreata."

"I've no idea what you just called me but ok!" Stella grinned, "See ya, Ais!"

Stella quickly rushed out of the cave, leaving Ais standing alone. She sighed as she glanced at a painting of the Twilight Wolf. "Loyalty…heh. Who am I kidding…? A coward like me doesn't deserve this power…"


"And we're back!" Zhen cheered as the Icebreaker pulled into Plunder Outpost's docks, "Now let's get these items to Olivia and get to finding that bag o' bones!"

"What did you get up to back on the island, anyway?" Koa asked as he lowered the gangplank, "It took you a while to get your cloak."

"I ran into Ais again." Stella explained what the bounty hunter told her.

"So not only can you turn into a dragon," Zhen began as the crew walked onto the island, "But so could Flameheart? And Ais can turn into a wolf?!"

"I don't think there was any records of Flameheart turning into a dragon…" Koa muttered. "Maybe he kept it a secret?" Ali suggested, "Like a secret weapon if things ever went bad for him. I know I wouldn't expect him to turn into a dragon if I was fighting him. Not that I would. That's a death wish…"

"Well, I kinda hope you figure it out soon!" Zhen grinned, "I wanna see a real-life dragon!"

"No pressure!" Stella laughed.

The four pirates entered the Order of Souls' tents where Olivia was studying a skull. "We're back. And we got the treasures." Stella announced as they entered. "Ah, welcome back." Olivia greeted, "May I see them?"

Stella handed the tools over to Olivia, who looked them over, "Ah, the tools of an adventurer. I spend so much of my time surrounded by bones, it is sometimes easy to forget that they were once people too…" Olivia gave the crew a stern look, "Tell no-one what you're about to witness! There are some secrets that even we, the Order of Souls, are forbidden to share…"

"Your secret is safe with us." Stella nodded with a serious expression.

"Then let us begin. By recall's light and wisdom's might, the past shall point towards the future…Behold! The true power of the Order of Souls. There are few left with the knowledge to create an artefact with such… potential."

Olivia placed the items into a box filled with glowing blue mist before taking something from beneath her table and rubbing it in her hands, blowing what seemed like glowing blue dust over the box. She then took a bottle of mysterious blue liquid and drank some before pouring the rest into the box and aimlessly tossing it over her shoulder with a crash. Finally, she took what seemed to be a human femur bone and snapped it in half before throwing the pieces in the box, causing a roaring blue flame to erupt from it before the box slammed shut. Olivia placed her hands on the lid and the box began to shake with rays of light emerging from it. Nearly as soon as they appeared, the lights faded, and Olivia opened the box to reveal a stone compass with a golden needle. The item glowed the same colour as the mist flowing from the box.

"That. Was. Awesome." Stella said with stars in her eyes as the rest of the crew had their jaws practically hitting the floor. Olivia chuckled, "It's a rare opportunity, but I do enjoy seeing others' reactions to the magic the Order possesses." She then handed the compass to Stella, "Imbued with the Order's magic, this compass will point the way to Briggsy, no matter where upon the Sea of Thieves she may be lurking. Once again, I implore you to be cautious. Death has only made her more formidable. Should you triumph, return to me with the skull of your enemy. In exchange for such a valuable prize, I will do all that I can to help you onwards along your journey."

Stella accepted the compass with a smile, "Thank you for everything. We won't let you down!"

"I have a feeling you won't. Also do tell your crewmates to close their mouths, they'll catch flies."

Stella giggled as she watched her crewmates shake themselves from their shocked stupor. "I'm, uh, gonna go stock up. Make sure we're ready for the fight." Koa cleared his throat before leaving the tent.

"I-I'll go make sure the ship's ready to go!"

"I'm gonna make some bombs for the ship!"

Koa was quickly followed by Ali and Zhen. "An interesting crew you have." Olivia gave a small, amused smile as they left. "You don't know the half of it." Stella joked before following them out.


"Rations?"

"Check."

"Explosives?"

"Check."

"Weapons?"

"Fully loaded and sharpened."

"Ship?"

"Icebreaker is shipshape and ready to go."

"Alright, I don't think I'm missing anything." Stella said as she finished going through the checklist below deck with Koa, "Ali, any ideas on where the compass might be leading us?" Ali was over at the map with the compass beside her on the table and was using a ruler to judge what islands the compass could be pointing too. "The compass is pointing north-north-east, so if I had to guess…" Ali began, looking up from the map, "It looks like we're heading to Shipwreck Bay. If that's the case, then we'll need all hands on deck once we get close. The island is surrounded by sharp rocks making it difficult to get close without becoming a…well, shipwreck."

"I'll keep that in mind." Stella nodded, "Alright. We're all set. Let's let loose the sails and find ourselves a skeleton lord!"

"Aye-aye, captain!"

To Be Continued…