Chapter 212: B5 —19. Raguna’s Secret Mission

AuthorSME

PoV:

1. Cahira (Our Fire-Haird Pirate Goddess!)

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Cahira tentatively stepped past the barrier with Jack as she scanned the room, previously inhabited by evil spirits; the tribal markings and voodoo appeared to be lifeless after the Lion King cracked the floor.  “Huh.  Feelin’ anythin’, Jackie?”

The man stroked his beard, each eyebrow lifting up and down as he looked left and right, seemingly expecting the skulls to spring to life and start hovering again.  “There do be a tingle below mi belt…  Byaa!”

Mara and Nemesis gave weak chuckles as the man jumped at the fractured pile of bones before poking it with his sword; Monkey—his new skeletal companion—covered his face and shook his head.

Melissa, Selvaria, and Galatea’s attention were on the light below that Mara had pointed out to them; Bonnet and his remaining men seemed to be sticking close to the two monster girls as an act of protection but only remaining close enough not to draw their notice.

“What do you see down there?”  Melissa whispered.  “It’s so far down.”

Selvaria grunted, starting to chip away at the sides to make an entrance.  “Secret ending loot—extra boss?”  

The tentacles on Melissa’s back curled around to lift the child-like Leviathan up.  “Selvaria!”

“What?”

“You need water, right?  It could be dangerous!”

“But the power suit…”  she groaned, tail hanging limp as she stared longingly at the fissure.  “I’ve been so patient—but it’s nice you’re worried about me—no, Galatea… I don’t want you to turn into a skelly seal.”

Cahira chuckled as Galatea darted down to squeeze through the fissure but paused at the worried Leviathan’s tone.  “Haaa.  Well, loves, I suppose our only answer is ta go down.”

Bonnet cleared his throat, but her glare shut him up, forcing his hands up in compliance.

“I be gettin’ ta you in time.”

Her lips tightened as she saw Mara helping the Lion King slide on the tanktop he’d earned; in the end, they had stressed themselves more than she’d like to admit, but it was a hell of a lot better than their first Legend’s Quest.

“How be the King?”  she asked, sallying over with Jack; the man appeared to be trying to get a better peek through the widest gap in the floor.

Mara forced a grin, rubbing her raw throat as Nemesis examined Rachel’s face with a half-smile.  “Nemesis, you—oh, damn you…”

She sighed as the man’s eyes rolled back, and he fell back, yet the mermaid managed to hold him steady, showing she was more than just eye candy.  “He overexerted himself, I think—he should be fine, but when he gets like that, he just… does… he doesn’t think about the stress on his body.”

“Reminds me of his fight with the boss,” Cahira snickered.  “I got the 8k, slow-mo recordin’ sent ta me, by the way—tough stuff—I can’t be makin’ a place for him to rest just yet, so…”

Cahira’s vision hardened as she turned to point at Bonnet’s shifting men; most were as cowardly as their captain, yet she saw the few that had survived the fall and battled the undead horde on her ship—those that weren’t dead themselves—had shaped up a bit, stepping forward to salute her.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Help mi man here ta the side,” she ordered, producing two pillows and a blanket out of flames before placing them beside Mara.  “Afraid ‘tis the best I can do given the state of mi ship and mi, eh… lack of funds, hehe.”

Mara nodded, showing a thankful smile.

Once the sailors helped the pair, Cahira settled down beside Jack as the monster girls came closer to peer through the split in the earth.

“Aye, mi sweet, a bounty of treasure be seen—mountains of booty be a-shinin’!  Hmm—what’s that?”

Monkey screeched from his shoulder, causing Jack to rub his chin and hum.

“What’d he say?”  Cahira questioned, following its jabbing finger.

“Hmm?  Oh, heh, I don’t speak monkey, love!”

“Useless,” Selvaria sighed, turning to Galatea as the seal seemed to translate to her master.  “Uh… apparently, there are instructions below, and we shouldn’t touch anything until you read them—cool…”

Melissa glanced between the chatting pair.  “What?”

“Monkey used to be the great god of this island before he was cursed; he’s supposed to be pretty big stuff, but a group of people sailed here on canoes and claimed the island as their own.  He wasn’t having it, but they placed a curse on him, calling on their great death god or something.”

She huffed before chuckling.  “Heh-he-he… idiots.  Obviously, it didn’t work out for them in a few generations, and when the pirates started using this as a base, they made another deal—one that got them super-cursed.  Never good to make deals with a sneaky death spirit.”

Cahira pushed out her lips with a nod, and leveling a dirty look in Bonnet’s direction, she gestured to the puffed-up ape.  “There it is—Monkey God—sound advice…  Don’t touch anything!”

“I didn’t touch any damn curse,” Bonnet growled.

“Aye!”  Jack sneered, tapping the side of his head.  “Ya willingly jumped inta bed with the ol’ death spirit.  And ya wonder why ya don’t be cut out ta be upgradin’ yer quests, man!”

“Mmgm…”

Cahira pointed at Jack but could see Selvaria’s impatient bounces and scowl, saying she was ready to go.  “So, we got a puzzle or somethin’ to crack below—any more advice from our local Monkey God?”

Monkey’s excitement died down before looking at Galatea and muttering something that Selvaria translated.

“Uh…  Don’t sit on the throne.”

“Fair enough!”  Cahira laughed.  “Okay!  Eh, Melissa, would ya mind, love?”

The girl’s ears pulled back while glaring at the cracked floor.  “Uh… I’ll try, but I’m kind of a… ugh—fleshy… kind of bludgeoning power,” she winced at the word, glaring at her extended tentacles.  “I don’t know if I’m cut out for beating in floors like Selvaria.”

Selvaria pounded her chest—kind of cute as a little girl—and pointed at the floor.  “I’ve got this—catch me, lil sis!”

“Eh?!”

Jumping into the air Selvaria stomped on the edges of the fissure, causing small ripples to run through the ground; she still had a decent amount of weight for her size, and with a few saves from Melissa, the mini Leviathan made an opening that they could get through.

Cahira chuckled at the hanging girl’s thumbs up as Melissa lifted her back up, and Ward was already in the process of tying his rope around the destroyed altar; the first ones to rush in were the Myth of Scylla’s wolves, having some kind of slow fall ability.

“Wow,” the 18-year-old girl whispered, bending over the edge with Selvaria and Galatea.  “There’s so much treasure.”

Jack was about to jump in when the Leviathan stood in his path and held out her hand.  “Nope.  I’ll go first—I will have my power suit.”

“Fair enough, love!”  he chuckled, handing her the rope, but Cahira stopped her.

“Woah there, Selv!  Heh—let’s get a second… just to be sure.”

“Hmm.  Okay…”

Throwing her own cord through for Selvaria to use, it soon became clear the Leviathan couldn’t get down without falling, and after the 3rd attempt, Melissa offering to carry her down; Selvaria eagerly agreed, jumping into the girl’s tentacle arms to be princess carried down with Galatea joining.

Yet, Cahira had to come to their new Mythickin’s rescue as the girl hadn’t climbed ropes since her school gym days; guiding her through it, the girl managed it with her sticky tentacles, sliding at an even pace down the rope.

The others seemed to be fairly versed at the activity as they each shimmied down.

On her descent, Cahira took a quick look around; everything was covered by coins, jewels, chests, and alien artwork.  It would have been impossible to fit a sliver of the horde, even if she filled both Zippy and her Dreadnought to the brim.

Not far away from where the rope ended, she spotted the elevated, golden dais that radiated with an inner light; after joining the others and getting a closer look, she saw symbols etched on the glimmering surface.

Ten long layers rose to the center, where a grand throne was situated with a skeleton wearing a crown, adorned with lavish robes and jewelry.  On each of the six corners of the dais were altars, making over sixty, and every other one held an orb of swirling colors. 

Bonnet’s men, now dropping into the chamber, gawking at the mountains of gold; this wasn’t the type Cahira had—funny, system gold—this was real, and items of power were seen all over the place.

Jack walked around the dais with Selvaria, the most invested in it, as Melissa waited for something to happen, playing with Galatea; the monkey had grown surprisingly quiet while staring at the orbs.

From what Cahira could tell after several minutes of silent study, the people worshiped a great skulled-king that sat on the throne, placing the treasure on the black altars to remove the curse before leaving with the items to sail away.

The Gentleman Pirate was the first to break the silence as they all studied the etchings.  “To me… it appears we can only take what we can fit on a pedestal…  Damn, it can purify the undead,” he muttered, vision shifting between the skeletal drawings that became whole by lying on the broad objects.

He turned to his nervous crew that hadn’t taken part in his death deal.  “It seems we’ll have to split your share…”

“What?!”

“Hell no!”

Glares passed between the human and undead members of the man’s crew, yet Jack interrupted the growing tension.

“Lads, I’m afraid ya are the daftest of minds.”  Before the men could balk at his comment, he bent down to take the back of his sword, striking the butt against the bottom step; it crumbled away like brittle clay to reveal black stone underneath.  “Savvy?”

Selvaria nodded, arms crossed as she pointed at the bottom edge of the altar, where chips and cracks could be seen in the coating.  “Obviously, someone coated it—the tribal people or pirates were trying to hide something.”

Monkey grunted from Jack’s shoulder as he continued to chip away at the object, and Cahira jumped around, holding up a sword as a husky voice sounded behind her.

“I can help…”

Mara had joined them at some point when she’d been studying the podium.

“Oh—eh, how’s Nemesis?”

“Resting,” she returned, accepting the bottle of water Cahira summoned and handed her.  “Thank you for the blanket and pillow.”

Melissa and Selvaria frowned as they joined them.

“Are you sure—shouldn’t you rest your throat?”

The Leviathan crossed her arms.  “You should.”

Rubbing her neck while releasing a few low, testing hums, Mara directed them toward the platform.

Cahira followed the gesture, discovering the layers of gold cracking from the gentle vibrations.  “Oh?”

“Hmm…  It isn’t difficult.  So far as I can tell, something is disrupting their atomic bonds, weakening its structural integrity.”

Selvaria’s mouth tightened.  “Makes sense—the thing doesn’t like being covered.”

“Like… it’s alive?”  Melissa hissed.  “It’s not… going to curse us—is it a trap to lure people in?”

“We’ll find out,” Mara rasped, coughing a second before humming again; she took her time to walk around the platform, yet her voice acted as tiny hammers and wind, sweeping the covering away.

Cahira’s eyes widened when the first section was removed, and Jack laughed before jumping up the levels to stare at the black throne, where the displaced skeleton still sat; the songstress had been careful not to disturb him too much.

“Hehe.  Well, everything falls into place, eh?”

“Aye,” she mumbled, eyeing the forest of symbols—a host of monkeys dancing around their crowned king on a throne.  “The Isle of the Dead is actually the cursed land of the Monkey God—Raguna, you dog… putting us onto this.”

Rolling around her mouth, she wondered if the famed pirate legend of the seas had come to this place at one point when young and discovered its secrets.

“What about the purification?”  Bonnet growled, fingers tight as he stared at the solemn monkey on Jack’s shoulder.

Laughter rang out from the golden-toothed pirate as Ward turned to the man; Mara finished removing the dust to reveal the full story of the destroyed civilization of monkeys.

“The previous tale be one of truth, Bonnet!  We each get a wish from the Monkey God’s Throne.  Take what ya wish—treasure, weapons of power, tombs of great knowledge, or… life—a wealth of riches to last millennia is before you.  As it shows…”

He gestured to the blue markings in the obsidian stone.  “Speak what ya desire to the Monkey God on an altar—it will be given—but you may only keep or ask one thing.

“Hehe.  Be it a massive chest full of gems, such as this man shown in the picture, that met with the god of this island, or some item ye seek.  What will ye choose, men?”

Cahira closed her eyes and forced a chuckle, knowing how this would end by Jack’s pure curiosity, and she had her own reason for partaking in this quest.  She remembered Raguna’s words to her at the end of their first Legend’s Quest, streaming out a forced grin as the undead pirates rushed to get their humanity back.

So, Raguna…  There is a task I have to do to get the Pirate Lord’s Token…  Remember, red be your color for life… but green… green will grant me something eternal.

Selvaria seemed to catch onto what Cahira and Jack had puzzled through after seeing the markings because she didn’t try to take anything from the piles around them; this wasn’t the greatest prize—as grand as this place of riches was, it was a trap of sorts, set by the tribal people.

All of Bonnet’s undead men sucked up their pride and moved to the altars to return to life, yet Bonnet himself didn’t partake, a suspicious gaze drifting between her and Ward, no doubt wondering why they hadn’t rushed to do the ritual.

The Monkey God dully watched the men pray for life, and the spheres of power around the dias shimmered with light before granting their wishes, and Jack grinned.

“Don’t be wishin’ ta live, Bonnet?  It may be yer last chance, man—who knows what I might do—hehe.”

Bonnet growled and ran his fingers through his illusionary hair.  “I hate how you pirates live…”

“Which is why you’ll never be one of us, Bonnet,” Cahira laughed.  “Take yer medicine and spin yer own tale that you can tell all the fellas back home—fame can still be yers—I’ll collaborate with yer story to the U.K. Parliament.  Hehe… to an extent.”

“Haaa.  Fine.”

He was the last one to jump onto an altar and make his wish, yet he surprised Cahira in his specification.  “Make me a living, human legend!”

The orbs flared to life as everyone laughed, and when the swirling colors left him, there wasn’t anything that had changed about him.

“Bah… a scam,” he growled.

Selvaria snickered.  “Poor choice of words, stupid—you’re already the Legend of Stede Bonnet.”

“Huh?  That’s—not what I wanted!”

“Ya can’t say it didn’t give ya what ya wanted,” Ward mused, glancing around at everyone that was left.  “Everyone be good for mi gamble?”

Cahira gestured for him to go ahead with Selvaria and Mara; Melissa seemed to care less since she’d already gotten much of her wishes granted by Selvaria’s guidance and Cahira’s treasure ability.

“Alright then!”

Jumped forward, the monkey squawked as he reached out to take the crown off the man’s skull, smacking his head, but Jack only laughed before throwing the skeleton off the platform and putting the infuriated ape on the seat.

He instantly ceased as Jack rubbed his head and lifted the crown with a sly grin.  “I be expectin’ ya wish ta be wearin’ yer crown again, yer godly majesty?!”

“Hoo-ooh-ooh?”

The monkey glanced at them as Bonnet’s teeth ground together.

“You want to free the God Monkey—are you mad—what will he do?!

Jack turned and winked.  “I promised mi man here he’d get ta taste a nice banana, and I be a man of mi word, Bonnet.”

Mara, Selvaria, and Cahira nodded as the pirate promptly sat the crown on the confused monkey’s head before bowing and stepping away.

Bonnet ducked behind the pillars with his terrified men as the black stone flared a bright red, and the monkey began to transform to appear more humanoid, growing to the size of a large, hairy man.

The ominous vibes of the island were chased away in the steam of fiery clouds that burst out of the little, undead monkey, melting the gold and moving the gems to fashion a grand, underground temple of glistening, glorious riches, artwork, and sculptures, depicting the great God of Apes.

Heat passed through Cahira’s body as if ethereal, and, when it lifted, the monkey was replaced by a handsome humanoid primate wearing extravagant silks; the embellished crown had become far less showy, representing a circuit of simple, tiny jewels.

Leaning against the side of his red-stone chair, the man’s half-smile was centered on Jack.  “You have done well in your trials, humans…  To think you had the strength to banish the Spirit of Shadows, even if I had severely weakened him, is… impressive.  Your trust in me, when I was stuck in such a humble state is even more astonishing.”

Jack lowered himself in a bow.  “I am but a humble man of the sea, God King of Apes.”

Cahira drew their focus with her laughter.  “Shut up, Jackie; he knows you did it for a reward.”

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“Pleasantries, love!  Hehe.”

Bonnet nervously stepped out to bow from the bottom step.  “God King of Apes, do we each receive your gifts for this release?”

“Idiot,” Selvaria sighed.

The Monkey God tilted his head with a leer.  “Rewards do not come to cowards—be gone.”

He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture that had his crew cry out in fright, throwing their hands over their heads; the flaming clouds the Monkey God released overshadowed only those that had taken the deal from the god’s oppressor.  When the haze left, the cowardly men were nowhere to be seen.

“As… much as I disdain men like that,” Cahira said with a strained laugh.  “I, uh, do need Bonnet, yer Godly Majesty.”

He hummed, glaring to the side with a thoughtful expression as his tail swung back and forth by his left leg.  “I merely sent the rabble to the shore; you may pick them up when you leave.”

“Wonderful!”

Selvaria seemed to have had enough as she jumped forward, turquoise eyes shimmering with anticipation.  “Can I have a power suit—one with an arm cannon, can go into space, and store water, and grab onto stuff, like Samus’ suit—oh, and it has a Hyper Mode that grows with me, and I become a Super Suit Leviathan Destroyer—oh, with death balls I can make, and fly?!”

“S-Selvaria,” Cahira stammered, but the Monkey God was laughing at her request.

“You were certainly fun to watch, young lady; the mockery you made of the Spirit of Shadows brought me great joy.  For entertaining me so, and the guidance you showed toward this conflicted soul,” he whispered, motioning to Melissa and making her straighten.  “You shall have your desire.”

Selvaria squealed in one of her rare, non-monotone moments as he waved his hand for an advanced-looking, sleek space suit themed in red, gray, and black metal to appear.

“I’m a space Leviathan—mua-ha-ha-ha—now I’m my own ship, Cahira; Starfleet General Selvaria, Leviathan Destroyer!”

Melissa giggled as Galatea cheered, floating forward to give the Monkey God a big, seal-eyed, shiny stare.

“Hehe.  Yes, I saw your bravery, as well, Galatea.  You may have a large fish—heh, yes, it can float with you… and won’t give you fish breath.”

She sang as a plump, delicious-looking fish emerged from a cloud of smoke to hover over to the seal, wiggling in the air with excitement.

The Monkey King rose to his feet, patting the animal on the head, and in a surprise turn of events, causing Jack to step aside as Selvaria and Galatea floated off to do their own thing in the air; the Leviathan was still the size of a small preteen.

Cahira watched with a lifted-eyebrow smirk as the Monkey King’s tail swung left and right as he stopped before the surprised mermaid and offered a sweeping bow.  “My Lady, I could hear your lovely voice throughout the island, and it pains me to hear such stress in it now.  You opened my ears again to bliss…  What is it you desire?”

Well, heh, consider me jealous!  Cahira internally laughed.  Still, can’t fault his taste.

She whispered as a small puff of steam rose from his hand to enter her mouth, healing her throat.  “Oh… uh, thank you.  Umm, hehe, I don’t really want anything in particular.”

“Eh?”

“Huh?”

Cahira and Jack choked.

“Nothing?”  Cahira pressed in disbelief.

Mara gave a helpless, somewhat girly shrug for the badass she was.  “Hehe.  I’m honestly fairly happy with how my life is…  Umm, well, I suppose you could heal Nemesis.”

The Monkey King chuckled.  “You truly are a pearl in the sea…  Consider it done, and can I make a request and offer you a gift?”

“Haha.  I suppose,” Mara chuckled, her lovely voice returned to its luster.  “If it’s something I’m comfortable doing, I don’t see why not, and you’ve already granted me two gifts, in the form of my healed throat and friend.”

Friend, she calls him, Cahira mused, but, in all honesty, her relationship with the Lion King certainly was an odd one to classify.

A loud boom behind her made Cahira jump as the grinning Lion King broke through the floor above to land amid the rubble and gold.  “Haha.  Who’s next, Mara?”

“Nemesis…”  Mara laughed.

The Monkey God didn’t seem perturbed by the large beastman’s entrance; in fact, he flashed his teeth at the lion, stretching out while approaching him.  “I’d like you to sing a song of the heart, wearing this amulet that will record it so I may hear your heavenly voice again.”

Mara lifted the exquisite ruby necklace up, and a somber look crossed her eyes, yet a smile was on her lips as she nodded.  “I can do that before we leave.  I’m flattered a god would be interested in hearing my voice again…”

“It is only natural,” he returned, offering another bow as Nemesis stood nearby, arms folded and a grin showing his sharp teeth; he wasn’t radiating his typical fierce aura, showing he didn’t sense the Monkey God as an enemy.  “You have the voice of a goddess of song infused into your very essence.”

“I will do my best to meet your expectations.”

Cahira was impressed by the interaction, filing it away to give the devilish hare when they returned.

The Monkey God next addressed the Lion King, and Cahira couldn’t help but chuckle as he grew to meet the giant, 230 cm beast’s height.  “I can already guess what you desire, but speak it, brave warrior.”

“Single combat.  Show me the strength you possess, and let me feel the joy of a thrilling fight.”

Cahira’s hand came to her face in exasperation—Rachel and Nemesis truly did belong together—she could see the wicked Lunar Hare doing the same thing, but at least Rachel could value the information he could give her, which would probably be what she wanted.

Then again, her intimidating boss would likely try to weasel out as much information as she could for free.

The Monkey God nodded with a half-smile.  “You’ll get your wish when I have finished here.”

“Haha!  I’ll prepare then,” he grinned, licking his black lips.  “Show me my limits so I can surpass them!”

“Careful what you wish for,” the monkey chuckled, moving away to address the wishes of Bonnet’s men that had fought on Cahira’s ship, showing their bravery.

The nervous men showed respect and wished for pretty standard stuff—naturally, wishing for more wishes was off the table—success, wealth, and attractiveness seemed to be the standard.

Three were left after the exchange—Melissa, Cahira, and Jack—after the Monkey God sent the pirates to the shore to wait for their ride with Bonnet; they barely invoked the Monkey God’s notice by their actions, rallying to Cahira’s call.

Stopping in front of Melissa, she chuckled at the girl’s nervous shifting, unable to make eye contact.  “I am aware of a great many things, young lady…  It’s not hard to see the growing courage you’re building.  Hard work and effort are rewarded.  What is on your heart?”

Selvaria floated down, shiny helmet peeling back as she showed a soft smile.  “I bet I know what.”

Galatea chirped, falling out of the sky to land on the Leviathan’s back.

Melissa took a deep breath, hand held against her breast, and Cahira wondered if she was going to ask to be turned back into a human or get rid of the Seed inside her.

“Can…  Can you bring my little sister here?  We were separated, and… and I need to help her.”

Right…

The Monkey God’s vision softened, yet he shook his head with a sad shake of his head.  “I’m afraid my reach cannot extend beyond my realm of influence.”

Melissa’s ears and tail drooped with her gaze.  “I see…  I suppose that makes sense.”

Her eyes lifted to look into his bright blue eyes as the Monkey God lifted her chin to retain her focus.  “Just because I cannot bring her to you does not mean I am powerless.”

Opening his palm, a compass appeared in his hand.  “Take this… you are resonating souls, and so long as you touch this, it will point you toward your counterpart.”

Melissa took the item, a shiver running down her spine as she stared at the spinning pointer that stopped to the southeast; it took a moment for it to sink in before tears came to her eyes to drop onto the glass.

“Thank you…”

The Monkey God produced a golden pear, offering it to her.  “I empathize with your situation, young lady…  I was trapped and cursed, the same as you; give this to your sister, and her pain will… at least become bearable.”

Lower lip beginning to tremble and unable to speak, she nodded and accepted the gift as Selvaria hugged her from behind.

Giving her a reassuring smile, he broke away, finally stopping in front of Cahira with a short huff.  “Pirate Queen… leader of this expedition that facilitates my release.  I will replenish what you’ve lost and restore your vessel in order to continue your journey…”

Cahira caught the underlying tone, looking at Melissa’s soft cries as Selvaria and Galatea comforted the healing Myth of Scylla.  “Ya really are a kind fella, huh?”

The Monkey God puffed out a long stream of air as he looked between her ragtag crew of Myths and Legends.  “When you spend as long as I have, longing to feel emotion and life again…  Heh.  Let’s say you cherish what you lost more when reclaimed than what was never taken.”

“I can get behind that,” Cahira whispered.  “Thanks fer being a swell god—not many of ya, huh?!  Haha!”

He shrugged, showing a wry smirk.  “Just as there is a small subset of mortals that ruin the whole’s reputation, it can be said the same for deities.”

“Fair.”

“Your wish?”

“Haaa.  A Pirate Lord’s Token.”

As if expecting the request, he turned and gestured at the altars, where shimmering coins appeared.  “These are those that remain unclaimed… select one you desire.”

Cahira gave him a short bow before moving to look between the red, yellow, green, and blue coins, showing a skull with crossed swords and a bandana on each; Jack paid close attention to each one.  She reached out and took the green.

The others vanished, and the Monkey God chuckled at the golden-toothed pirate.  “Unfortunately, Jack, such a reward is only given to those who have handled a quest with their own crew.”

“Hehe.  I wouldn’t want to rob myself of the adventure!”  he cheered.

Cahira swallowed as the god addressed her again, tone one of warning.  “You may have the coin, Queen of the Sea, but you must prove yourself to it by meeting with its previous owner and gaining their blessing.”

She grinned and flipped the coin in the air before catching it.  “I assume I know who the previous owner is already.  Hehe.  He be a slipper-tongued devil—red be his color fer life, but green be offerin’ somethin’ eternal…”

“You have your wits about you,” the Monkey God mused.  “Now, for the one who gave me my freedom.  What is it you desire?”

Jack’s glistening smile flashed as he gave another bow.  “The finest banana, Lord Monkey, sir!”

Laughter came from the god as he held out his hand for the golden fruit to appear.  “You are a strange human, Jack Ward.”

“A man of mi word—be it a person I respect I be given’ it to—hehe!  The finest banana, mi Lord Monkey.”

“Huu-haaa…”  The Monkey God accepted the returned banana and tucked his bottom lip under while admiring the fruit.  “It has been too long.”

His vision closing to enjoy it in darkness, he took a bite of the first food he’d had in who knows how many ages, tears coming to his eyes to fall down his cheeks.  “Taste…  I can taste again…”

Savoring each bite, they patiently waited until he finished and cleared his cheeks.  “Jack Ward.  You’ve claimed your reward.  Now, I’ll offer you a gift.”

Cahira held her breath in anticipation as he gestured to their right, where steam billowed from the floor; Jack’s big reward—like Zippy was for her—but this time, he actually completed the positive side of the bonus quest where MoonMoon had killed theirs.

“What every pirate most prizes…  A vessel to carry them on their adventures; a token of my appreciation—The Ebony Pearl.”

A black galleon, equipped with powerful magical cannons, much like Zippy’s powerful armaments; the interesting part, a crew of howler monkeys, outfitted with weapons, screaming their welcome to their new captain.

“The finest crew from the Monkey God’s Isles, and below deck, a pocket dimension with living quarters and space fit for a Pirate Lord.”

Jack stumbled forward to eagerly shake the god’s hand, bowing repeatedly before running off in his fish-legged way to run aboard his new vessel to claim as his own.

“Thank ya—yer too kind, mi lord—too kind—Monkey Crew!  We sail fer glory—glory, and rum—lots of rum!  Rum fer glory!”

Cahira giggled as steam rose around him, and her Dreadnought was filled with gold—including quality gems for Zippy to enjoy on her return—and restored to health.  “Much appreciated, Monkey God.  I, uh… heh, expect Nemesis’ request will take some time, yes?”

He smirked, a twinkle in his blue eyes, the empty banana in his hand vanishing to appear on the top of his throne like some trophy.  “Not as long as you might think.”

“No offense, heh, but I’ll believe it when I see it; mi mans over there be the King of Beasts, after all!”

Nemesis roared with laughter at her comment, just finishing his stretches.  “Show me the power of a god!”

Cahira would have loved to watch, but the Monkey God transported them to another part of the island after moving them to the shores; Mara began preparing her voice for the song.

She was a little stunned when after a minute, the god was back with a grinning, passed-out Lion King; Mara laughed at the satisfied look on the knocked-out lion before transporting him to a bed to rest on Cahira’s ship.

On the deck of her ship and with the soft push of the waves, Mara began a somewhat somber song about keeping little secrets; the tone showed an internal conflict and how it was better to keep it from the person she cared for.

Cahira assumed it was about the Lion King but wasn’t quite sure if it was at the same time; the musical mermaid continued to be an enigma, even when singing a song from the heart.

The Monkey God was enamored by the songstress’ powerful and pure voice as she revealed a piece of her heart; Cahira was impressed the woman could do it so openly in the first place, showing how content the Mythickin was with herself, which contrasted her song she sang at the same time.

Such a mystery…  It doesn’t need to be love, but secrets she knows will hurt someone she admires and wants to be around.  Man, way to get a girl enticed…  You vixen!

Galatea had one last request, which amused the Monkey God and confused Cahira;  apparently, she wanted him to teach her how to play chess because Moongmor always beat her, and to play with her mom.  Selvaria had mentioned it in the past, but she didn’t expect it to be true, but the Monkey God entertained the request.

Bonnet and his disgruntled men were still trying to argue with the men who did receive a reward to split some of the profit, but Cahira was done with that and left them to fight it out in the belly of her ship—they were afraid of the Monkey God.

As Selvaria and her went through a crash course on God’s Chess, Cahira took a speedboat to Jack’s ship to check it out.  She was shocked to find the interior was gigantic; a massive, roomy mansion that was filled with full master bedrooms for his loyal monkey crew.

Another stunning revelation was that she could understand the monkeys—not in speech but intent—as they guided her around.  Jack was already getting hammered in the kitchen, raising a bottle with a cheer, when she showed up.

“L-Love!  Ya gotta try bottle mi rum—mi bum be numb, and flying stars!”

Laughing, she didn’t turn down the offer and took the bottle; it was sweet as honey yet left a pleasant burn that made her moan while dropping into a seat across from him.

“Ya got yer dreamboat, eh?”

“All thanks ta ya, love!  Code de—huh… sticky the rum… no—rum, rum… rum is good…  Sticky the code!  Aye!  Mi heart be aflutter, hehe…  Adventu—”  he tipped back, passing out on the floor as her monkey escort snickered, bringing more of the boys over to haul him off.

“Adventure, indeed—well, time ta be headin’ home.  We got a tale to tell, hehe.”

After returning to her own ship and seeing the Monkey God off, they returned to Miami; it was time to report to Rachel and see what she wanted to do about Melissa and her sister, Blackbeard, Bonnet's link to the U.K., and see if the girl thought they were in the position for her to bring the token to Raguna, but whatever it’d be, the intimidating Lunar Hell Hare would stir up a whirlwind, she was sure.

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