The tense, private briefing was instantly shattered by a furious shout from the dock below.
"Set sails, you dogs!"
All four men, Chayne, Damurah, Tylus, and Westleh, whipped their heads toward the sound. Charging down the gangplank was Captain Maurzer Espadar, his usual swagger replaced by the desperate speed of a man running for his life. He was a whirlwind of frantic energy, a hefty brown sack slung over his shoulder.
Behind him, a raged, angry crowd of six men, wielding various lengths of wood and rusted blades, roared in pursuit.
"Up! Up! Up!" Maurzer screamed, hitting the gangplank at a full run. The plank bounced violently beneath his weight, and he scrambled onto the deck, tossing the sack onto the nearest coil of rope.
Chayne's years of piracy instantly kicked in. A clean getaway was paramount. "Tylus! Westleh! Lines up! Damurah, get to the foremast, now! Full sail, full sail!" Chayne roared, already bounding toward the main mast and commanding the other pirates.
Maurzer didn't wait to catch his breath. "That's right! Haul it, you beautiful scum! We owe the Duke a very large, expensive map!" he yelled, kicking the gangplank off the dock with a savage grunt. It fell with a heavy splash into the water.
The angry men reached the edge of the wharf just as the first sails caught the morning breeze. They could only shake their fists and howl frustrated curses as the Shadow Kraken, now carrying the Duke's stolen property and the key to elemental Armageddon, began to pull away from Repudi.
The ship is sailing, but the Captain is unaware of the massive secret the four men now share. Maurzer Espadar is already busy examining his loot within the brown sack
"Get this to the chart room! This map is gold!" Maurzer barked. He handed the map off to one of the pirates
Then, his focus shifted entirely to the sack's remaining contents, which he began pulling out one by one. First came a shimmering orb that seemed to sparkle and send faint strings of electricity across its surface. Next, he displayed a small blade that glowed faintly with a Fire rune crossed by a rune that suggested Explosion. He then held up a staff that was folded into three separate parts, etched with Earth and Light runes.
Chayne, who had just tied off the last of the lines, walked over. He snatched the folded staff from the Captain's hand. "Gods above, Maurzer! Where did you get this?" Chayne breathed, unfolding the staff and tracing the complex rune where the Earth and Light met. "This rune work is flawless. This stuff isn't just expensive; it's powerful."
Maurzer swelled with pride. "Exactly! I can't wait to use these bad boys out. How about I start–"
"No," Chayne cut in, his voice suddenly dropping the excitement and becoming heavy with command. He slammed the staff down on the coiled rope next to the glittering orb. "The show can wait. The true value isn't the power these runes bring; it's the knowledge we just gained tonight about why they exist at all."
The Captain, caught mid-gloating, stared at his First Mate. "What in the blazes are you talking about, Chayne? We just pulled off a masterpiece!"
"We did," Chayne agreed, his face now grim. "But while you were pulling off a robbery, the rest of us learned a truth that is going to change every single thing about this ship and this crew. Now, sit down. We need to talk about Damurah, his family, and the reason you just stole a stack of elemental toys."
"We should go to the Captain's quarters," Chayne said, his voice dropping to a low growl of command. He led the way, with Damurah, Tylus, and Westleh following close behind. Maurzer, still vibrating with excitement, picked up the sack of stolen loot and followed his crew.
Maurzer's quarters were a sharp, velvet contrast to the rest of the rough ship. He threw the sack down next to racks of his existing rune weapons. He settled into his chair, a velvety purple seat with a fearsome Kraken etched into the wood frame.
With the door securely closed and all five men accounted for, Chayne sat across from the captain. "I gotta ask... What the hell, Captain," Chayne said, waving a large hand toward the sack of glittering, stolen weapons.
Maurzer let out a bellowing laugh, a sound too loud for the small room. "You know I can't use elements! These babies are the closest things I will ever get to it! Every pirate needs a dream, Chayne, and mine is to feel like an elementalist!"
"We all have our dreams, Maurzer," Chayne countered, letting the excitement in the room die instantly. "But the nightmare we found tonight is why those dreams are now off the table. You want to feel like an elementalist? I'm telling you your newest crew member has a family secret that could kill every elementalist on the lands and sea, including me."
Chayne leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his focus absolute. "You haven't noticed we're heading back to Erenia? It's because your new cabin boy's real last name is Mercer."
"Mercers are a family that possesses the Powerhart. It doesn't just use one element; it commands all six. And if that power is destabilized, it won't just ruin a port or a city. Not even an island. It will plunge the world into pure elemental chaos. Tylus heard that a shadowy cult called The Sunless is hunting the Powerhart in Erenia right now. Westleh found a prophecy saying the last time this happened, the sea rose, the air turned to poison, and the elemental gods turned their backs on the world."
"We are sailing to Erenia to find Damurah's brother, Doren, who has the power. We have to find him before The Sunless does, or before the power tears itself apart and takes the world with it." Chayne concluded, sitting up.
Maurzer didn't shout, didn't curse, and didn't laugh. He peered around the three men and fixed his stare on Damurah. "We picked you up in Havenport, right?" He asked.
"Yes, Captain," Damurah confirmed, his voice barely a breath.
Maurzer leaned back into his kraken-etched chair, his eyes narrow and calculating. "You know how fast word travels these days? The Duke got word that everyone should be on high alert because of The Sunless and what went down there." He picked himself out of his chair, placing his hands behind his back.
"They say the Order of the Sunless were causing terror in Havenport just two days ago. It was pure chaos from what he was saying. The rumor has it that a large group of the Sunless, five elementalists, including a Water elementalist, a Fire elementalist, and a Dark elementalist, attacked a small group of four people."
Maurzer emphasized the elemental chaos. "They attacked three locals, a strong male, a female, and another local with unknown power, who were accompanied by an unknown male not from Havenport. The insane part is that the four individuals defeated all of them, even weathering an attack from a mysterious Lightning elementalist as they fled the port."
He pointed a finger at Chayne. "The Duke's official warning says this Powerhart is real, the Sunless are real, and they've already turned Havenport into a battlefield and lost! The Sunless are embarrassed and furious."
The Captain's words cut through the last vestiges of doubt, confirming the terrifying reality for Damurah. The pieces of the puzzle snapped together, revealing his reckless younger brother. He knew all the family secrets. He wasn't dumb, he was just always angry. He knew his father had the Powerhart and he knew Doren had the Powerhart.
He remembers the night before Sophron left. He was going to say his own personal farewells when he saw his father tell Doren. He will never forget it.
Damurah physically stepped back, his brow furrowed with a mixture of fear and frustration. "Doren..." he whispered, the name a ragged sound in his throat. He clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked. "You stupid... you didn't stay home..."
As the raw emotion overwhelmed him, the air in the small cabin grew instantly warm. Damurah began to heat up, his skin taking on a faint, angry orange glow that shimmered against the dark wood walls. Tiny wisps of heat visibly curled off his shoulders and the back of his neck, a clear, uncontrolled manifestation of his Fire element.
Maurzer, despite his boasts, was momentarily stunned by the sudden, potent elemental display right next to his velvet chair. He stared at the glowing cabin boy, the truth more real than any gold coin. He didn't need to ask another question. The element of surprise was gone. The only thing left was desperate speed.
Maurzer slammed his hand down on the arm of his chair. "Alright, that is enough evidence for me," he roared, his voice cutting through the sudden heat. "Chayne! Get to the helm! The Duke's map can wait. We are taking the shortest, fastest route to Havenport possible! Full sails, no stops, and I want the watch to be double-staffed. We are going to find those four fools and get that boy off their wanted list ²before The Sunless can finish their hunt!"
He then looked at the four men before him, a wild light entering his eye. "But before we sink ourselves into a world-ending quest, let's go test out the new toys."
The five men quickly ascended from the velvet confines of the Captain's quarters to the main deck. The sailors were already frantic, setting every scrap of canvas to obey the Captain's demand for maximum speed.
Maurzer walked to the main rail and placed the heavy, rune-etched loot on the capstan where the crew could see it. He showcased the orb of electricity and the Earth/Light staff, but his focus settled on the small blade etched with the Fire and Explosion runes.
"A man who can't use elements deserves to feel powerful every now and then!" Maurzer bellowed over the wind.
He grinned fiercely, unsheathed the blade, and sliced the air above the open sea. A brilliant, concentrated flame shot out from the blade in the exact form of his slash. It flew several hundred yards out to the water and erupted in a concussive explosion that sent a spray of water high into the air and rocked the entire Shadow Kraken.
Silence fell over the deck. The Captain's dramatic demonstration of power signaled the final end of any doubt or debate on why he stole that certain weapon.
He slammed the blade back into its sheath. The Captain then turned to his First Mate, his eyes blazing with a mixture of fear and adrenaline. He simply pointed toward the sea.
Maurzer stared at the rising plume of water out on the sea, his mouth pulled into a wild, delighted grin. "That was a beautiful explosion!" Maurzer roared, his voice thick with satisfied greed.
He carefully set the powerful blade down, wiping the sea spray from his face. He then grabbed the folded staff next, snapping the three sections together with practiced ease, assembling the Earth, Light, and Earth/Light sections.
Holding the Earth-etched end up, he felt an incredible, grounding weight suddenly settle toward the top of the staff. The unexpected gravity yanked the staff out of his grip. It fell with a sickening thud, impacting the deck and breaking the board beneath it.
"Hell yeah!" Maurzer yelled, completely unfazed by the damage.
The Light portion of the staff began to glow brightly but it faded quickly. The combined Earth and Light rune on the bottom piece continued to pulse. As Maurzer lifted the staff out of the broken deck, they all looked down: in the place of the shattered board was a sudden, vibrant patch of moss clinging impossibly to the wood.
The complex, powerful magic of the weapons was now fully apparent to everyone. A Earth/Light staff that turned into life itself.bThe grin vanished from the Captain's face, replaced by fierce concentration. He pointed the heavy end of the staff toward the horizon.
Maurzer, still riding the high of the explosion and the inexplicable growth of moss, set down the staff. He grabbed the shimmering orb next, the one that had been sparking with static electricity. As his fingers closed around the smooth surface, he let out a gasp. He felt an intense charge run up his arm. The air around him started crackling, and his hair slowly began to rise on his head.
Holding the orb in one hand, he pointed a finger out toward the open sea. A thick, brilliant stream of electricity shot from his fingertip, striking the water several hundred yards out. It skipped along the top of the sea like a flung stone before disappearing in a flash of white light. Maurzer looked at his finger in disbelief, then quickly pointed the orb-charged hand toward the sky.
"Don't you go creating a thunderstorm, Captain," Chayne said, his voice flat with warning.
The Captain quickly lowered his hand, the grin returning, but tempered now with respect for the raw power he held. "Alright, alright. I've had my fun."
He carefully placed the orb back on the capstan. "Chayne!" he commanded, his voice tight with finality. "Full speed to Havenport!" The Shadow Kraken is sailing at top speed toward Erenia and the looming threat.