Ever, Eyrisunn and Papaya joined the joyful Ser Archer at the end of the seashell path, where their feet tread upon a larger bank of sand. Waves sang a loud, sloshed song into the dark. Against the cavern walls grew luminescent sea grass and other such hardy, underwater plantlife. Among them stood three towering corals, somehow wildly overgrown, glowing red, green and blue in stalky silence. This was truly the belly of the grotto, where the wind blew through them and the cavern wall stared back, black and cold and imperious, giving no way forward.
"Perhaps our tale shall come to a banal end," whispered Papaya, clutching her wand. "I can see why the Yellowjackets could not find anything of value."
"They did not find the note," supplied Eyrisunn, perhaps in an attempt to revive his own hopes. He turned to Miss Starfall. "That gives us a distinct advantage, does it not?"
"It could," said Ever, "but it could also have been discarded evidence."
This did nothing to revive Ser Eyrisunn's spirits. Instead, he trudged sadly to the blue tower of coral and watched it glow in the dark.
"I do feel terribly for him," said Papaya to Ever. "He does have a family to feed."
"Why risk it on a profession like this, then?" Ever shook her head. "He might have picked up a trade. There is a surfeit of adventurers these days. It is entirely too competitive."
Papaya wrinkled her brow. "Of course, what you say is true, Miss Starfall… but, being so steady of reason, how could someone like you have been taken in by the temptations of adventure?"
"Pah. Temptation." Ever crossed her arms. "It is true that adventure is the trade of dreamers, but do not forget. It is also the trade of the desperate."
"Ah… So, perhaps, Ser Eyrisunn has had no other opportunities and is himself destitute," said Papaya, nodding in agreement (to what was anyone's guess). "Tradecraft guilds have been quite competitive as of late."
"Just so," agreed Ever, unwilling to admit she was at a loss. Just when had the conversation turned back to Ser Eyrisunn? Just when had Ever called him the desperate one? Yet, her ego would not allow the questions to fall from her lips, so she let them lie.
During this exchange, Ser Archer had been staring up at the green coral with dizzying fixity. Ever followed his gaze, counting seven arms as the coral stretched toward the ceiling, but she ultimately sighed and shook her head. There was nothing remotely interesting about the coral. She allowed that it was an excellent specimen of absurd height, but it did not warrant jaw-dropping appreciation.
"There will have been signs of activity, at the least," said Ever. "If only they would fall at our feet."
"Ah! But perhaps they have!" Papaya tapped the ground with the tip of her wand. "Are there not an awful lot of footprints in the sand?"
"They don't appear to be ours," agreed Eyrisunn, lifting his mighty foot. Sand came filtering out the chinks in his boot as he shook it. "Most of them look to be Hyuran."
"Or made with leather shoes, from the look of it," said Ever, kneeling to examine the sand.
There was no mistaking it. The sand had been disturbed many times over, and long before their rambunctious party had come to bear it witness. Mingled between the footsteps of Hyuran wayfarers, there were the odd depressions of Roegadyn feet alongside those of rounded Lalafell feet. Atop them lie, in various arching trails, a set of pawprints following the sandbank in circles.
"Have care," said Ever. "There were coeurls here until recently."
"Coeurls?" Eyrisunn tilted his head. "That does sound dangerous."
"Dangerous!" The archer laughed, head held back. "They don't scare me none!"
Papaya, who was walking in circles trying to follow the paths of prints in the sand, looked up with dizzy eyes. "Really? You aren't afraid?"
"What's tae be afraid of!" There was a glint in Ser Archer's eye, so much like a ray of the sun. It would not surprise Ever if the man did not fear even coeurls. Yet, the Spinner had woven a unique surprise altogether; for the archer then turned to the great green stalk and tore away one of its seven stone-strong arms. Merrily, verily, he laughed. The stump fell with a thud at his feet. "See? It ain't so tough."
Eyrisunn and Papaya stared at him, quietly uncomprehending. Doubtless they knew that a coral's flesh did not easily give way to a man's touch. Ever looked between them, back and forth, bearing the violent hope that one of her companions would point out the madness of this, that a man so ordinary could break stone as though it were glass! She considered, then, that perhaps the coral arm was not so tough as it seemed. She approached it in the quiet and tapped it with her foot. A wave of shock erupted across her features, expelling all indifference. She looked back to Eyrisunn and Papaya, wide eyed, as if to tell them it was certainly some sort of stone.
The two of them shared a look, Roegadyn and Lalafell, then slowly came to smile.
"You're absolutely right, lad," said Eyrisunn. He lifted the torn stump and tossed it back over his shoulder. It hit the water with a loud splash. "There is nothing to fear."
Papaya laughed at this, but Ever clenched her teeth.
"He said coeurls," seethed Ever. "As did I."
"Beggin' yer pardon?" The archer furrowed his brow.
Ever pushed a furious finger to the archer's broad chest. "We are speaking of coeurls , you fo—"
Her words went unheard, for a great, metallic whirring drowned them out. Then, with a rumble, a narrow passage opened like a mouth in the cavern wall, gaping darkly wide at the adventurers who likewise gaped, eyes bulging.
"This is their secret," said Eyrisunn, sternly. "This is their captain's cabbage."
"The mechanism must be ruined now," said Ever, glowering at the archer, "and along with it, any hope for discretion."
Papaya shook her head. "That remains to be seen, Miss Starfall. They haven't come bounding towards us as of yet. One would expect—"
As if to challenge Miss Papaya's building argument, a patter of footsteps came echoing from the passage. Was it a man? No, it was two-but how far away were they exactly, that their shadows did not emerge from the passage? The distant light of lanterns deep within could signal them warnings, silhouetted in the dark; but none came, even as the echo grew louder, and Ever squinted helplessly, finding not their eager assailant.
"Die!" roared Eyrisunn, his mighty sword ready to strike.
Papaya shrieked. "Wait, Ser Eyrisunn! It is just a babe!"
Ever stumbled over a rock-or was it a moving thing? It was strangely warm, hardy though it seemed. She might have fallen, but Ser Archer caught her in his sturdy arms. He looked less stubby from below. His frame was turned statuesque, like an idol of the mighty Rhalgr. The man was a brick, she thought dizzily. Were all archers built this way?
"It's a coeurl," said the archer, looking into her eyes.
Her breath stalled in her lungs. All she could see was crystal blue. Then came the words: "I—beg your pardon?"
Ser Archer helped Ever to her feet. "It's a wee coeurl, a babe. He came runnin' right at ye. Didn't ye see him?"
Papaya squealed, lifting above her head the smallest catte Ever had never seen. He was barely spotted, but for a large patch over his eye.
"I shall call him Lumpy!" the conjurer declared.
"You can't possibly keep him," said Eyrisunn, sheepishly. "He may be small, but he is a wild beast. He will grow so large that he could swallow you whole."
"Lumpy would never do that," said Papaya, nuzzling the cub's neck. It purred. "He's a very good boy."
"Where's his ma?" asked the archer, glancing around. "It can't be far."
"A good thought," Ever admitted, reluctant. "I imagine it—"
Another echo sounded from the passage. This time, it resembled a man's drunken laugh, loud and deep, followed by that of a man higher in pitch. Eyrisunn took a step into the shadows, waving forward his companions. Quietly, the party followed the length of the corridor, carefully pressed against the wall. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that they were shielded by the mountainous body of Ser Eyrisunn. Try as he might, the Roegadyn knight was not well suited for tasks of stealth, and appeared to any onlooker a great lump of metal pressed against the stone.
Luckily, Miss Papaya was too short to be affected by his height, coming up only to his knee. She could see between his legs what lay ahead. Ser Archer followed behind Ever, though she cared not what he saw; the party had little use for his mind. Unlucky Ever, fiercely jealous of the distinctions of her companions' races, craned her Elezen neck time and again. She could not glimpse beyond the Roegadyn's great vessel, and was compelled to rely on her long ears.
"... And that's how ol' Chopper got chopped up!" boasted a man with a strangely shrill voice. "Keep that one under yer noses, lads."
"Cap'n' would skin ye alive if he heard," laughed a second man.
"Well, what was I t' do, man? It were comin' right at me, foamin' at the mouth!"
Sensing a pair of eyes, Ever glanced anxiously over her shoulder.
He was staring at her. With eyes hard and focused, Ser Archer stared at her and smiled to himself. Following his gaze did not divulge to her why or at what exactly. She conceded her nose was too sharp and her lips too small; but he did not comment on them, nor were his features distorted by the petty urge to tease. She glanced toward the cavern wall to find nothing of interest. Upon realization, the archer's gaze warmed as he produced a guttural chuckle.
Ever scowled, feeling keenly her historical dislike of not being privy to the joke. "Pay attention. We could lose out on invaluable information."
"Yer hair is mighty lovely," said the archer.
Ever rolled her eyes, urging them not to look at him any longer. Then, she turned them a time more to the chattering pirates. What did he know about Elezen hair? What did he mean to achieve by paying her a vapid compliment? For the sake of her dignity, she prevented herself from grinding her teeth with fury; however, it cost her much focus, and she lost her sense of sound to a cauldron of hot, irritated sentiments churning at the base of her chest.
"It's the colour of starlight," provided the archer. "Silver-gold. Not one or the other. Both, somehow."
Eyrisunn seemed to be engrossed in the pirates' conversation, his sword and shield at the ready. Papaya drew her wand, Lumpy wriggling with mischievous glee under her opposite arm.
"How kind of you to notice," said Ever flatly, and unbelieving. Whenever a man spoke sweetly to her, there was only one reason. He wanted to make a fool of her. He would make her smile, maybe even blush, then laugh to himself and his friends when recounting the tale behind her back. She had seen it happen too many times. However, she was armed with the truth this day. So long as she ignored him, Ever would not be fooled again.
What a waste, she thought. A man like him should not bear such strength. Perhaps I was feverish when I saw the whole thing… but then there was the coeurl—coral.
"What an absolute waste," Ever huffed, drawing her scepter.
"Of yer hair?" The archer was stunned. "I wouldn't say that. Ye've got lovely eyes, too, Miss Magic."
"What did you call me?" Ever snapped, a smidge too loud.
The laughing pirates drowned out her affront. Eyrisunn turned to hush them, scowling with obvious disapproval. His chance to admonish them was lost when a new speaker cried out in agony.
"Fools! Ingrates! Filthy pieces o' worthless trash!" A man with a three-pointed hat addressed the drunken sailors, his sword raised high in the air. "Which one o' ye chopped up ol' Chopper, huh? I should chop up the lot o' ye!"
The crimson parrot sitting on his shoulder squawked in kind. "Chop 'em up! Chop 'em up! Cap'n! Cap'n!"
"Cap'n, no!" wept the shrill-voiced pirate, jumping to his feet. "It weren't us! Swear! We swear!"
"Swear on what!" The captain swung his blade, sending his drunken crew stumbling backwards. "Honest men don't need swears!"
"Now's our chance," hissed Eyrisunn to his own crew.
One of the pirates, alive with the captain's accusation, heard the Roegadyn's command at once; and he immediately turned to point a finger at the knight. "Them, Cap'n! They're the coeurl murderers!"
"Murderers!" shrieked the parrot. "Murderers!"
"Preposterous!" bellowed Eyrisunn, emerging from his 'hiding spot'. "You're the murderers! We've come to address your crimes, Reavers!"
"If you haven't slaughtered Chopper, then why's the little maid carryin' her cub, eh?" A shallow-eyed Reaver waved his fist. "Yer the ones what've got blood on yer hands!"
"He was all by himself," said Papaya, clutching Lumpy to her chest. The couerl cub uttered a questioning mew. "What was I supposed to do?"
"This is ridiculous," said Ever. "We heard you boasting about chopping up his 'Chopper' just moments ago! There is blood all over your clothes!"
"That's from a good, honest day's work," the pirate shot back. "You try raidin' the coasts without soilin' yer hands! But you magic types always come back spotless—ye must've come here t' poach poor Chopper an' raise her cub so ye could poach him too!"
"You complete and utter lunatic!" Ever drew restless fingers through her hair. "Do you honestly expect him to believe—"
"Worse than a killer is a cat killer!" roared the Captain, who clearly believed them.
"Oye!" cried the archer. "Let's settle this like men!"
So saying, the archer unleashed a rain of arrows on the pirates and their captain. One of the three drunkards fell instantly to his death, having been shot straight through the heart. Blood spread from his wound like a lily in bloom. It gave Ever pause, for she had never seen a man killed so quickly, let alone a man dying at all. The gentleness of the archer's features had melted away, leaving only a stone cold countenance and razor sharp eyes.
"Walter!" cried the shrill-toned pirate.
"No one takes a bite outta Madison's crew except Madison himself!" cried the captain, shaking the arrows off his shield. "Onward, ye scalawags! Gut 'em like the swine they are!"
"Swine they are!" sang the parrot. "Swine they are!"
"Even now you would deny your crimes?" Eyrisunn charged at the captain with a ferocious swing of his sword. "Then you shall be brought to justice by my blade!"
Ever flinched as the knight's steel cut through the air, then through the flesh of the captain's arm. It did not rend the limb, to Ever's great relief, but blood splattered against the cavern floor all the same. She held fast to her resolve, refusing to shiver at the sight. She had known that violence and fatalaties had been part of the adventurer's lifestyle long before she had joined it. What was so different from shredding, burning or shocking foes when they were Spoken men as opposed to mute beasts? If every conflict could end with words, then the Fury would have no place in Heaven or Hell to bring down Her mighty spear. The time was nigh.
Papaya, noticing Ever's hesitancy, spoke up at once. "Oh dear! Miss Starfall, you have gone pale! Perhaps you ought to take a small respite. I'm sure we can handle this with just three."
Ser Archer's arrows soared through the air, then cut through flesh like butter. Eyrisunn's sword rang against Captain Madison's shield. Ever clutched her scepter to her chest.
"Watch this," she said, softly.
Papaya smiled questioningly, unable to hide her deep concern, but said nothing. To Ever's bitter disdain, the battle had progressed without them. There had been no change in the result; the knight and archer matched the Captain's every attack with one of their own. In a fit of rage, Madison bared his teeth at the paladin and thrust his sword a time more. The wind answered his attack with an edged sound, as if appreciating the grace of the cut and mimicking it itself. Despite this display of strength, it reached neither Eyrisunn nor Ser Archer, and they continued their assault unflinchingly.
It must be said that the captain of the Serpent Reavers was no novice when it came to the art of combat. However, his speciality lay in evasive tactics, for he remained undamaged during the assault, regrettably landing no attack of his own even once in the battle. This Ever sought to remedy with a flick of her scepter. Its ruby core answered the spell singing in her heart; for a wild flame sprung from the Captain's trousers, then grew twofold as it ravenously devoured the ratty raiment.
Captain Madison erupted into high-pitched screams. "Fire! There's fire!" He darted through the open doors behind him, into yet another passage. "Fire! Me pants are on fire!"
"After him!" roared Eyrisunn, running with all his might. In his eagerness to pass the threshold, he tripped over a protrusion of stone from the cavern floor.
Ser Archer, who had made to follow him, stopped to kneel beside his leader. "You alright there, big guy? That were a nasty fall."
Papaya quickly found his other side. Lumpy, sitting atop her head, mewed with concern. "It looks like it was just a scrape… Can you stand?"
"I am well, Miss Papaya," growled Eyrisunn, rising to his feet. "Miss Starfall, what is the meaning of this? We nearly had him, but that you sent him running!"
Ever fought to resist the smile pulling at her lips. "You looked like you needed a hand."
"He cannot have gone far," offered Papaya. "This must be their hideout, as was suspected. While it is true we must capture and arrest him, there is much and more to learn. And there will be more pirates lying in wait for us the deeper we go."
"Caution—yes. We must act with caution, as you say," grumbled Eyrisunn. He stood a bit taller and studied the faces of his companions. "Gather your arms, my friends. Prepare yourselves. He may well send others to come for us."
Isn't that what she just said? Ever failed to conceal the disapproval pinning her eyebrows high upon her forehead. Can he actually think for himself? Why does he insist on being the leader?
"Have you something you'd like to say, Miss Starfall?" Eyrisunn loomed over Ever, looking more suspect than she.
"After you," said Ever, walking past him to the open doors.
There would be time to examine his character at the close of their expedition.