"Ah Captain Seko! Welcome home!" A portly man, piggish features and two tusks, waved a hand and poured a glass of ale for Seko as he approached the counter. "Good to see you back."

"Thanks Jack. Good to be back, honestly." Seko sipped the glass and frowned, the drink was watered down and with water he could taste. "Thanks a lot, Jack." he finished the glass and tapped the counter. Jack poured another glass, this time with a bottle of a darker liquid, then held out a hand for payment. 

Jack, not his real name and at this point Seko didn't know how to ask, was an older man. When Seko and Nakyan had first arrived, Jack had claimed he'd been a soldier in the Royal Imperial Guard before being thrown out for drunkenness. Seko wasn't sure how much he believed the old Hiander, but Jack had always seemed to shoot straight with him and that was the most Seko could ask for.

"Know anything about the treasure of Depairyo?" Seko asked, he slid a pair of coins across the counter to the man. One for another drink, the other as incentive. 

"Dotan Depairyo? Pirate legend and mass murderer? Of course I know of it." Jack pocketed the spare piece and smiled. "What's that old dust bag's treasure have to do with you?"

"Nothing. At least, nothing yet, maybe." Seko took a beat "Nakyan-"

"Ah, that'd be the reason." Jack said, "That boy has a habit of chasing the legends."

"That's still my brother Jack, and my fellow Captain." Seko warned. 

"Save it for the other Captain's lad, it's not worth you getting hurt. All I meant was, Nakyan has a habit of plying any fool with a legend for as many details as he can get."

"Wants us to chase the famed treasure of the ancient Pirate lord." Seko sighed

"That might be the first good idea he's had, truth be told a number of fame seekers have chased that dream." Jack poured himself a glass and took a sip. The Anchor, Jacks famed dive in the lower ports of Anriuku, was emptier than usual due to the time of morning. The port village was well traveled by pirates and peddlers for a number of reasons, one being its lenient stance on the activities of the occupants. The other was the drink and gossip available in the port and at its bars and taverns. 

"So Dotan really left a treasure?" Seko asked, skepticism edging into his voice, "Really?"

"I couldn't say," Jack laughed, "Only that thers been more than a few before you who've chased it and ne’er returned. Some more well known than you may think."

"So if it's real, and we go after it, there's a chance we might not come back. If it isn't real, and we go after it, there's a chance we might not come back?"

"Sounds bout right." Jack said

"These aren't good options Jack." 

"You're a pirate, not a privateer. You don't really get the chance at good options." 

Seko grumbled a response and nursed the emptying glass. Others began to trickle into the room, crewman and captains alike took spots at the counter or in booths. A pair of young servants came through a side door and took the new customers orders, carting drinks from Jack to the waiting customers. 

A tap on Sekos shoulder caused him to spin and come face to face with Reeves, who gave him a wide, toothy smile and pulled up alongside him. Jack made a quick drink of a lighter color and passed it to Reeves, who took it with a quiet gratitude and slid the man a coin. 

"Morning Captain."

"Morning Reeves." Seko raised his glass in Reeves direction, offering a cheers. Reeves followed, clanked his glass, and took a long pull. 

"To surviving the Raz." Reeves said

"To surviving the Raz." Seko mimicked, "Who'd have thought they'd send the pride of the Equinwade after our motley crew."

"It's not a surprise, captain. Not after we sank the last hunter they sent."

"Bah!" Seko waved the idea aside, "hardly a fight worth mentioning."

"Still, I agree the Raz is an odd choice of ship. Though the Arcannon seemed to handle it well enough."

"I'm glad to see you found a way to turn my rantings into a functioning product." Seko laughed

"Well, it took some time."

"But it worked, and worked wonders!" Seko slammed the counter, "Thank the gods for that."

"About the Crystals," Reeves said, his voice growing hesitant, "are we sure that removing the cannons for them was the best course of action?"

"When the Pasongunan takes to the sky my friend, you'll be happy we made the trade."

"Aye." Reeves gave a nod but didn't sound convinced. Likely he'd return to the rest of the Arcanists and discuss it once more, Reeves wouldn't approach without the pressure of the others. 

"I'm sorry to have you put so much on faith." Seko said, "But the Explorovestria-class was the one Leterje used, and the fact that we managed to commandeer one before its decommission is fate. If some Hatoians can figure it out, then I'm sure we can."

"They also had the funding of the Empire at the time." Reeves said

"In a way," Seko smiled, "We do as well."

"Is it true that we're after a big timer this go around?"

Seko silently cursed Nakyan and pivoted in his seat. "Nothing so serious as to draw your attention, but enough to give our old girl a once over in the dry-dock."

"Well, that should give the crew some time to rest."

"Such was the plan." Seko said, "We need to gather the team and discuss the mounting of the Arcannon."

"Ah yes, another piece of equipment to add to my list."

"Reeves, our modifications to the Pasongunan have saved the lives of every crewman nearly a hundred times over. Surely that's a fair reward for the work." 

"What about you Reeves?" Jack asked. The man had clearly been in a different conversation for sometime and was inserting himself back into a far removed topic. 

"About?"

"The treasure of Depairyo, and your crews hunting of it." 

Seko gave a groan as Reeves turned to face him. "The treasure of Pirate Lord Depairyo?"

"He isn't a Pirate Lord, he was a rebel and a pirate. You both keep on conflating his history." Seko shot

"I wasn't aware we believed in dreams for fortune." Reeves said, 

"We don't," Seko said, "but we need to pick something and-"

"The imagined fortunes of a deranged Imperial is the best option we have?" Reeves asked

"It's AN option." 

"And not a great one," Jack offered 

"I don't know how I feel about it Jack, a bit concerned now that you ask."

"Reeves, we're going after a treasure ship. It just so happens to be carrying some items of Depairyo, and Nakyan thought it would be a good compromise."

"You don't need to convince me, Captain." Reeves said "I just feel it'd be against my honor not to point out the stupidity of the task."

"No need to remind me." Seko said

The wind was cool and salty. It was always colder close to the water, especially so far into midsummer nights. Seko picked up a shell from the powdered sands and held it up to the sinking light. He inspected the holes, the wear time had on objects otherwise indestructible, and felt a sense of ease wash over him. He let the easy push and pull of the tide soak his bare feet as he passed along the beach, towards a small cabin hidden in against an outcropping.

The cabin, if one were to be so kind, was nothing more than rotted shreds of driftwood hastily assembled into the approximation of a home. Yet Seko found the sight as something of a warm, welcoming beacon. A waiting embrace from loving family. He pressed aside the dangling cloth he'd hung for a door and inspected the spot with a careful eye. Bums and drunks oft traveled the shores each night when the drink no longer satisfied, sometimes that drunken stumbling would bring them to the small shack. It was an occupational hazard, but it seemed that nothing had been disturbed. 

Seko dusted off a wobbly chair and set the shell on the table. He pulled the long sidearm from its holster and placed it delicately next to the shell. He dropped his tricorner onto a second nearby chair and threw off his coat. His bed, which actually was a bed, had a small storage chest beneath it. The box was held with Kasa chains and a simple lock. The chain would never break, but the lock was something even a novice could handle. He'd never been worried about thieves before, and that likely wouldn't change anytime soon, at least not for the contents of this particular chest. He removed the lock with a sigh and lifted the lid, revealing a bundle of papers, three journals, and a few bottles of dark liquor. Seko pulled out a bottle and closed the lid. 

His life was far different from what he'd planned. Finding out the bureaucratic nature of the Empire was something that Seko had prepared himself for, whether he'd really understood or not. What he hadn't expected was to find those very bureaucrats to be so petty. Surely a position and its stature would have a prerequisite of honor, yet the men that had driven Seko and Nakyan from their family home had seemed more like highwaymen and robbers. 

"I hate you father," Seko said, raising his uncorked bottle, "but I don't know how much I blame you anymore." 

Lord Konudepa, as their father had insisted on being called, had started as an honest enough man and sailor. He was poor but thought to make a name for himself serving his King. "The Nirukian King, not the Imperial" He would say. "A man should never give allegiance to one so unwilling to help those around them." Their father had been a harsh man, but a good sailor. By his eighteenth birthday, the young man had earned his family a place in the Nirukian nobility with acts of bravery behind the mast. 

It wasn't until he joined the proper sections of the Imperial Navy that the man had begun to drink, and not at first. Something had happened, but he never told Nakyan or Seko what. As far as either brother could tell, their father hadn't told anyone. Whatever had happened had effectively disowned the family in all aspects but openly, and before long their father had begun to drink. Then one day he disappeared, leaving behind a whole life and family without a word. 

Nakyan and Seko were never close, not during their youth anyway, but the loss of their father had driven a stake into the near lifeless heart of their family. They had each other and that was all they had now, and both brother was becoming painfully aware of that fact. They joined the Naval efforts in an attempt to reclaim their families honor, but...

Seko took a pull and set the bottle down. He was tired. He was barely twenty-four and he was tired. Nakyan likely felt the same, though sometimes the man's dedication to his lifestyle almost seemed to fuel him, but surely the wear and tear of time was taking its own toll out on him as well. Seko picked up the shell and gave it a few short tosses, it whistled as it spun each time. He felt the cool of its form and tried to focus on its physical center. 

With a breath, Seko pulled at a mental thread in the back of his mind. It was a quiet companion now, with the training Reeves and Vel had offered he felt he almost had a handle on it now. The thread burst to life almost straight off, and Seko could instantaneously feel his body being filled with an urge to move, and tried to force that feeling into his hand holding the shell. 

"Gungi." The shell lifted silently upwards until it came to a rest at eye level. "Seems I'm starting to get the hang of this."

Seko motioned with his left hand and the shell stayed in place. He motioned with his right, and the shell remained still. He tried to focus on the shell and give it the instruction to move away...but still the shell refused to move. He hung his head and sighed.

"Nizo" He motioned with his left hand and the shell slowly drifted in the direction his hand had indicated. He felt the motion in his head, his mind tracking his magic and its connections around him. Seko picked up the pistol from the table and motioned out the cloth-door with a thought of more force, "Nizo."

The shell nearly shot out of the shack, cloth flapping wildly from the force. Seko gave quick chase and tracked the object mentally. He let the tether to the shell reach the edge of his mind before shouting another command.

"Nekyu!" 

In the distance, Seko watched the Shell rocket skyward, traveling at a pace that would injure even a Hiander. The tether reached its end, and he felt the link snap harmlessly, but the shell kept going upward, being carried by its own momentum. Seko pulled up the pistol and tracked the object, doing his best to align the muzzle with the flying shell. It slowed and nearly stalled in air before dropping with increasing speed towards the quickly approaching ocean. Seko made one final adjustment and pulled the trigger, timing the shot with a restrained exhalation. A bolt of piercing green light shot from the pistol and struck the shell, shattering it into a puff of white dust. 

"Nice shot." Seko spun around to see Vel leaning against the shacks wall. Her eyes followed the shards that were falling with a restrained delight. "You're really getting good with that thing."

"I should hope so," Seko said, holstering the pistol, "I was trained with it for years."

"The shell. You really got it going this time." Vel pulled the cloth aside to let Seko pass. 

The pair took seats across from each other, and Vel took the bottle with a look of exhaustive relief. 

"Thank the seas, I was worried you'd be as dry as the others." She drained half the bottle before setting it back down with a satisfied smack of her lips. "Almost better than seawater."

"What about Jacks?" Seko asked. He'd come to appreciate the Arcanists of his crew, they'd been the ones to start teaching him magic after all. When they'd first joined, Seko felt as dismissive of their necessity as his brother, but their use was becoming far too practical to ignore. 

"I'll not waste my money on that watered down hog piss." She spat in disgust. "Sickens me that you lot spend your time there."

"Kicked out again?" He smiled as Vel flung her arms upward in resignation 

"One fight! One, Seko! I tossed one Captain on his ass and-"

"Wait, wait. Captain?"

"I think? Real creep, if anything."

"When you say 'on his ass', you mean..."

Vel gave a devilish smirk, "Lifted him up and tossed him out the door and onto his lazy ass." She wiggled her fingers and the bottle rose to sit in her waiting hand.

"Are we paid up, Vel?" Seko asked. He felt a sudden need to change the subject, as well as a need to assure himself all was well between them.

"Aye." She said "Worried?" Vel gave a wink and took a pull before extending the bottle, which he graciously accepted

"Should I be?" 

"No," she smiled, "not in so many words. It's just that you're starting to learn the basics, thinking about becoming a real Arcanist?"

"I'm confused, Vel, what makes someone a real Arcanist?" He took a pull and mimicked the pass, the contents now vastly lower. "Aren't the Real Arcanists those in the colleges?"

"Bastard." Vel snapped, "That's a low blow, even for a crook like you. Not every Arcanist needs to belong to those controlling monsters in the Consortium, or join the stuffed up prudes in the college. A Real Arcanist learns what they need to survive." She poked a long burn on Sekos hand as if it were proof. 

He pulled his away, then realized the suddenness of the reaction and took a breath. "Aye. So in the vein of surviving, why are you here, Vel?"

"I can't visit my Captain in his luxurious home?" She indicated to the surroundings, "Surely you can spare the time for your favorite Arcanist and tutor."

"Something wrong with the Arcannon?"

"No, no. Nothing's wrong with anything. I think I'm just surprised, is all."

"Surprised?"

"How long have you and your brother been Captains of the Pasongunan?"

"Well... Maybe a year or so?"

"You hired Reeves and I eight months ago, and we only started teaching you six months ago."

"That would be about how time progresses, aye." Seko said with confusion, "your point?"

"Who are you two? You don't want to tell the crew, and even drunk Nakyan won't spill."

"Is that all? You came all this way because you're curious?"

"You both are our Captains, I'm concerned that I don't know you two, and I don't trust things I don't know."

"A hard stance for an Arcanist to take, given the field."

"Are we really going after the treasure of Depairyo?"

Seko scoffed and rolled his eyes before mumbling, "Bastard can't keep his mouth closed."

"Is it true, Seko? Are we going after cursed treasure now?"

"Cursed?" He'd never heard of a curse being attached to ancient pirates treasure. "What do you mean cursed?"

"Neither of you know anything about this?"

"I asked Jack."

Vel gave him a killing glare and sighed. "That figures."

"Yan wants to chase the fame and fortune, and I can't say that I disagree that we need a big win. The crew's hungry after the Wolf-Whale pack, and we haven't exactly gotten lucky on our recent attempts. Or has the Raz already been so quickly forgotten?"

"It hasn't," She said, "But this might be something to be more afraid of."

"So? What's the story?"

"As I know it? Dotan did a lot of bad for a lot of good, but that didn't keep him out of the dangers of powerful people. An Arcanist that Depairyo had robbed was someone who had been hunting him for some time, apparently the man had the forethought to create something valuable that Dotan would consider taking if he were ever robbed."

"What'd he take?"

"Some pendent or something, look, that isn't the important part. The curse was that Dotans spirit would forever haunt his wealth, family, and any that would dare to take the misbegotten gains of the pirate lord."

"We take the treasure and we're cursed? Isn't that a bit too simplistic for some Mage with a desire to end the life of a Pirate Lord?"

"All I wanted to say was that you may want to consider avoiding getting involved in Depairyos treasure. I don't feel like going down with the ship, not when it's avoidable anyway."

"I appreciate the warning, but I don't need your council on this decision. Yan and I have made a decision and that's the way things will be."

Vel gave an annoyed frown and stood with a huff, taking the bottle with her. "Fine then, Captain, will you be needing our services or training before our suicide mission?"

"I'm certain I can survive without you all until we depart in the next few days."

"Good." Vel made to slam the door in anger, but found that throwing a cloth flap offered little in the way of similarity. She gave Seko one last frown before adding "you better figure out where you're going Seko, else you'll drag us all with you into whatever mess you cause." then left.