Everything was dead silent as the Bonereaper chuckled darkly as they slowly shambled towards Rooke, dragging the scythe's blade through the sand. Rooke was shaking but tried to keep her composure, "I-if you think you scare me, you're wrong! I'm not afraid of some grim reaper wannabe!"
Bonereaper just broke into hysterical laughter as they continued to shamble forward.
"H-hey! What's so funny?!"
Bonereaper continued to laugh, not taking their eyes off Rooke.
"S-stop!" Rooke pointed her blade at the Skeleton Lord, "If you kill me, Graymarrow will-"
Bonereaper stopped laughing. In the blink of an eye, they dashed forward and lobbed off Rooke's arm with a single swing from their scythe. Rooke fell to her knees, clutching her shoulder and screaming as her severed arm writhed on the sand. "NEVER SPEAK HIS NAME IN MY PRESENCE!" Bonereaper roared. Purple runes appeared on the blade of the scythe, causing purple sparks to dance across its surface as Bonereaper held it high, "DIE!" Bonereaper swung the scythe right through Rooke's torso. Rooke struggled to reach out to where she had dropped George's pendant before the fight, "Geor…gie…" With that, Rooke exploded into a pile of bones. Bonereaper silently placed their foot on Rooke's skull and crushed it beneath their boot.
Stella hesitantly stepped forward, "U-um…hey, uh…thanks for- AHH!" Stella suddenly felt herself hit the sand as Bonereaper pinned her to the ground, scythe blade held against her neck. "Stella!" Jim exclaimed as Koa and Zhen aimed their weapons at Bonereaper while Ali hid behind Briggsy. But before anyone could do anything…
"ARGH! NO!"
Bonereaper suddenly stumbled backwards, dropping their scythe and clutched their skeletal arm that seemed to be twitching and writhing erratically. Stella watched on in shock and confusion Bonereaper glared at her. "Stay out of my way…" they muttered before a bolt of lightning struck where they stood, and they were gone. Stella let out a sigh of relief, not realising she had been holding her breath the whole time, as Jim rushed over to her, "You ok, Stell?!"
"I-I'm ok…who was that?" Stella asked as Jim helped her to her feet.
"Bonereaper." Briggsy replied, "A fellow Skeleton Lord. But for some reason they only ever go after other skeletons, never pirates. Well, except for that close call…"
"Well, at least they helped kill Rooke." Ali replied. "Yeah…would've preferred if I was the one to end that brat." Briggsy mumbled. Stella walked over to where George's pendant lay and picked it up. "Either way, we should get the pendants back to Madame Olive. Maybe she knows how to set Rose and George's souls free." Stella began before turning to Briggsy, "You coming?"
"To the outpost? Like this? No thanks. I don't want anyone to see me like this…" Briggsy replied solemnly, "Especially them…"
"Briggsy…I think they'd want you there…" Ali said, putting a reassuring hand on Briggsy's shoulder, "You're their captain and friend after all. So what if you look a little different? It's still you deep down, right?"
Briggsy thought for a moment before sighing in defeat, "Why do you have to be right…? Fine, I'll come. But if someone sees and attacks me, it's your fault, icy!"
"I'll take full responsibility." Stella smiled. Briggsy nodded before dusting off her coat and sheathing her sword, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go reunite these lovebirds already!"
Olive nervously fiddled with her box before perking up at the sound of footsteps approaching her tent. Stella poked her head in the tent, "Olive?"
"Captain Stella! Did you find them?" Olive asked anxiously.
"We did, sort of. We also brought a friend but…just don't freak out, ok?"
"Um…alright…"
Stella and the rest of the crew entered the tent, with Briggsy tailing them. "Is that…Captain Briggsy?" Olive was shocked to see the Skeleton Lord in front of her. "Relax, I'm not here to hurt anybody." Briggsy reassured, "I went to help Icewind as soon as I heard my old crewmates were in trouble. Speaking of…" Briggsy handed Olive the two pendants. Olive gasped as she took the two pieces from her, "Rose...George! By the heavens, I can hear them crying out from the pendants. I've never seen a curse this powerful before...I...I don't know what to do."
"Apparently it's Graymarrow's work." Koa explained, "Rooke used some of his secrets to bind their souls so she could have George for himself."
"There has to be something you can do! They can't stay like this!" Briggsy interjected. "Briggsy's right." Stella agreed, "You and Rose were close right? There must be some way to help them."
Olive was silent for a bit before nodding in agreement, "You're right. Rose was always there for me, even if it meant she got hurt so I'd be okay. Well, I'm grown up now! My turn to take the blow!" Olive scrambled behind her table, gathering components, "I thank you for all you've done for me, but whatever happens now you must not interfere. There's one last ritual I can attempt, but it's forbidden because...because few can take the pain. But even if I don't survive, Rose? Well...she'd do the same for me."
"Reversing soul binding isn't an easy thing to do…" Jim muttered.
"You know?" Zhen raised an eyebrow.
"I-I mean, I've heard rumours anyway. But never tried it myself. Mainly because Graymarrow is the last person I want to piss off."
"Please be careful, Olive." Stella warned with a concerned expression. Olive nodded in acknowledgement before taking a deep breath. She connected the two pendants together, causing them to emit a blue, misty glow, before giving it a kiss and placing it in her transmutation box along with what looked like a two dolls which she tied together with a strand of her own hair, and some green mist that dripped from an old skull.
Koa couldn't help but notice Jim watching intently, more so than the rest of the crew, as if he was studying every step, but he just brushed it off as anxiousness – they were all worried, after all.
Olive closed the box and held its sides tightly as she closed her eyes and focused. The box began to shake violently as voices began to emanate from it. Stella could make out Rose and George's voices calling to each other but were drowned out by Rooke's voice. "You'll never take him from me! He's mine! MINE!"
Olive's breathing became laboured as she struggled to keep a grip on both herself and the box which had now begun to shake violently, along with the tent. "Come on you two…you can do it…get out of there…" Briggsy muttered, not taking her eyes off the box for a second.
Suddenly, the lid of the box flew open as a bright light erupted from it, sending everyone stumbling back from it. "Did…did it work?" Ali asked, shielding her eyes from the light. As the light faded and everyone uncovered their eyes, two souls emerged from the box. Rose and George. The two souls turned to face each other with shocked but relieved expressions before Rose pulled George into an embrace. They held each other for a moment before Rose looked over George's shoulder and noticed Briggsy, who tried to hide her face by tilting her hat down but gave up on it upon Rose putting a hand on her shoulder. Briggsy looked up to see the two smiling at her. She chuckled, "Yeah…I wanted to lose some weight for your wedding, but I think I over did it, eh? Go ahead and roast me, Rose." Rose seemed to let out a laugh at Briggsy's attempt at a joke. "Now listen to me, you two." Briggsy began, "Just because you both are all soul-sy now, doesn't mean life's over for you two. I'd say it's just beginning. Because now nothing can split you two apart. Not Rooke. Not Graymarrow. No one. So, stay together, love each other, and enjoy the eternity you two now have together. And maybe one day I'll maybe even join you love birds. Until then, go enjoy yourselves for me, alright? Don't let ol' boney Briggsy keep you waiting any longer." Rose nodded before both her and George turned to Olive, who was on the verge of tears, smiling happily at the two. Rose mouthed a thank you to her, which Olive responded with a nod, wiping a stray tear from her eye.
And with that, Rose and George disappeared.
Ali sniffled, "I…I promised myself I wouldn't cry."
"I didn't." Zhen added before breaking into sobs and blowing his nose using the hem of Jim's coat.
"OI! My coat is not a hanky!"
"Dude, are there bite marks in this thing?"
"Don't ask…"
The crew laughed a bit as Stella turned to Olive who was still breathing heavily – the ritual clearly had taken a lot out of her – but smiling, "I did it! Wild Rose! George! They're together, at last. They're free from Rooke's curse. I don't think they'll be returning anytime soon. But they've found one another, thanks to you! They're eternally grateful and so am I! I'll make sure everyone in the Order knows what you and your friends did for two lost souls today. If anyone can make it to the Shores of Gold, it's you!"
"Well, I could've told you that." Briggsy chuckled, "But, uh…maybe leave my name off the record for now. Don't want it sullying their name or anything."
"Nonsense, Briggsy." Olive shook her head, "If it wasn't for you helping the Glacial Dragons, Rose and George might have never been reunited. You claim to be a monster, but it's clear the love you have for your crew; for your friends hasn't extinguished. And they both love you too, skeleton or otherwise."
Briggsy seemed surprised for a moment before groaning, "Suddenly, I'm very happy I can't cry like this. I'd be a right mess, admittedly. Don't tell anyone you heard me say that, got it?"
"Your secret is safe with me." Olive giggled.
As the crew exited the tent after saying farewell to Olive, Briggsy turned to Stella, "Well, you better get me back to Shipwreck Bay before someone sees me. After that, I assume you'll be going after the next stone, right?"
"Yep. Maybe you could…?" Stella began with a hopeful tone.
"If you're gonna ask for me to tell you where it is, you're roaring up the wrong tree, dragon."
"Aww…"
"But since you did help reunite George and Rose, I'll tell you this much. I…'hired' a pirate known as the Trickster to build a lair full of traps to secure it. If you want to know where it is, I'd recommend you start by talking to her old business partner on Plunder Valley: Salty."
"Plunder Valley. Got it."
"Stella?"
Stella heard Larinna's voice calling her name, seeming to be getting closer, "Shoot! Briggsy hide!" Briggsy glanced around frantically before spotting a barrel near Olive's tent. She made a beeline for it and jumped inside, closing the lid after just as Larinna turned the corner. "There you are! I thought I saw your ship in the dock." Larinna said as she approached the crew, "And Ali too? Where's the crew I assigned you to?"
"A-about that…" Ali scratched the back of her neck, "There was kind of a mutiny. They tried to shoot me and take the treasure for themselves. So, I kinda…blew up the ship. The treasure sank with the ship. Sorry, Larinna…"
"It's alright. You made a good call." Larinna sighed before turning to Jim, "And what about you? Have fun during your little lunch break adventure?"
"Pretty uneventful. Some sailing, some digging, ran into the Bonereaper…you know, the usual." Jim shrugged.
"Wait. You met the Bonereaper?" Larinna faced Stella with a shocked expression.
"If by 'met' you mean 'have their blade pressed against my neck and nearly die', then yes!" Stella replied, rubbing her neck instinctually.
"Talk about a close call. Not many encounter the Bonereaper and live to tell the tale. They're said to hunt skeletons but that doesn't stop them from hunting down the odd pirate or two."
"Tell me about it…I guess we were lucky to get out unscathed, huh?"
"Well, I won't keep you any longer. I better drag this troublemaker back to- HEY! Oh no you don't!" Larinna shouted as she spotted Jim sneaking off towards the Icebreaker. He tried to make a dash for it, but Larinna grabbed him by the back of his coat and began to drag him back to the tavern, "You have work to do, no more skipping out!" Jim pouted before waving at Stella as he was dragged by her, "Be seeing you, Stell! Thanks for the trip!"
"No problem! I'll stop by again before we set off for the Shores of Gold!" Stella replied as she watched Jim get pulled back towards the tavern.
"It's safe now, Briggsy." Ali whispered to the barrel that Briggsy was hidden in. The skeleton lord popped out of the barrel, the lid flying off. "You heard of a jack-in-the-box, now get ready for Briggsy-in-a-barrel!" Briggsy chuckled, earning a giggle from Ali, as she climbed out. "If I didn't know any better, Briggsy, I'd say you're having fun!" Zhen laughed. "Maybe a little." Briggsy replied, "Only because you four are a bunch of clowns."
"Hardy-har." Stella rolled her eyes with a smile, "C'mon. Let's get outta here before someone else sees us."
As the crew walked onto the docks, Briggsy turned to Ali, "Hey. Just wanted to say thanks."
"For what?" Ali tilted her head to the side.
"Y'know, for the company. It was nice having someone fleshy to talk to. You're a good egg, Daggers."
Briggsy's head seemed to do a strange tilt which Ali raised an eyebrow at, confused.
"Oh. I was winking. Forgot I can't do that anymore. Whoops!"
Ali giggled while Briggsy just chuckled, giving the navigator a friendly shove. Stella was watching the exchange over her shoulder with a smile before continuing onto the ship.
To Be Continued…
