Greet the new day.

After a hearty breakfast, you go for a walk down the winding roads of Castle Phoenix. Even dressed in your casual attire, you seem to carry about yourself a certain kingly aura by how others perceive you, mostly the commonfolk that have some to live here. Plenty of your main party members often treat you in a way that would persuade others you aren't in charge at all, though to others you're likely seen as quite the powerful enigma. Repairs are going very well. New buildings are going up, and the walls are even stronger than before. Wherever there isn't cobblestone or dirt pathways, there's nothing but lush grass and flowers of every colour, as well as all manner of trees, some of which apparently will sprout various fruits come spring time according to Peony.

After strolling around for a time, you hear some very familiar sounds--something you haven't heard in ages, and you'd never expect from Absoterra. You pass the next corner to see three girls together.

Fava is there in her Alice-like puppet body--skin as if made from pale wood with faint lines from top to bottom and around any of her joints. Her hair is deep navy, messy, and cuts short at her shoulders. Besides the fact that this body is much better (in more ways than one) than her tiny pixie form, it otherwise looks just like her, especially in the face. She wears a grey crop-top somewhat like a sports bra, and very loose, baggy brown cargo pants that seem to barely stay on her hips, perhaps by various tools or parts in her pockets. With a proud shimmer within the glow of her magic cyan eyes, she looks down at what one of the other girls holds in her hands.

That girl in question is Lynx. She sits on a bench beside her. As usual, her black hair is tied up into pigtails by crimson bands, and she wears a patch over her left eye. A red and black tube top wraps around her petite bust, and beneath a dark belt is a pair of brown short shorts. She wears boots that reach up past her knees, and fade from black to red at the top, as well as fingerless gloves, though much is often covered, depending on how she stands, by her dark brown hooded cloak. She stows away many knives within. She would look quite edgy if not for her cute face and short stature, and also the face of joy she wears.

It isn't a blade she holds between her hands, but a yellow rectangle. Upon closer inspection, it's the Game Boy Color given to you by Ealdorman. By the sounds, she's playing Super Mario Land 2. A catchy tune rings behind the clinking of coins and the noise of jumping on goombas. Out of all things that have happened to you, this may be the most surreal. You stand silently for a moment from a distance before approaching, and beside her you spot the third girl, Dix. She's sitting on the bench as well.

Dixby of course is your little town's hermit gnome alchemist. She wears a white shirt beneath a set of black overalls. Her dark hair is tied up into a small ponytail behind her head, and around her ears she wears goggles, though right now, they're up to her forehead.

"Holy crap," you finally say. "I never thought I'd hear something like that again."

Lynx looks up from the game, but only briefly. She seems incredibly invested. "So this is a video game... It's amazing! Ooh, and I'm already getting so good at this. Easy peasy."

"Thanks to that Ealdorman, I was really able to outdo myself this time," Fava says. "He showed up early this morning, and dropped off some games he had for it. Meanwhile, I made more batteries. Pop a few of those suckers in this so-called Gameboy Color, and bam! Is this really something normal back in your homeland, Kyle?"

You nod. "Not only is it normal, but that's something from like decades ago. We got way more advanced games now. I don't even know how to describe it."

Dixby looks up. "She's been gaming for almost three hours. I don't think she's moved. Whatever cursed box has been opened, I think it can never again be closed. Poor Lynx. Rest in peace."

"I'm not dead!" Lynx shouts back, though right before Mario falls into a bit. She frowns. "You distracted me."

"What other games we got?" you ask.

Fava counts with her fingers. "This one's called Super Mario Land 2, 6 Golden Coins. Next we have Pokémon Gold. Mario Tennis. And Shantae."

"So many games to try! Oh wow," Lynx mutters.

"If we get any more of these, Lynx will never leave her room again," says Dix.

"Technology is about to get crazy," says Fava. "I mean, if we got this new source of power, imagine what would happen if we found or recreated other things from Earth? Oh boy, I'm salivating at the thought. We could be the place with innovations nobody else has even thought of before. I mean, I can't even think of it! You need to tell me more about it all, Kyle. You need to!"

"All right, all right. I'll share what I can," you reply.

"A lot of the outfits we've been seeing were inspired by your home world, right?" asks Dix.

"Honestly, I'm kinda glad we can make you feel a little less homesick somehow," Lynx says. "Even apart from how cool it is for us."

Fava slowly creeps over to you as others speak. She then grabs your arm, and squeezes it over and over again. "I need more," she mutters. "If Ealdorman comes back, I'll squeeze every last bit of information out of him too. Maybe he's hiding more from us."

You look to the engineer and smirk. "If I start listing pieces of technology from Earth, are you gonna get too excited though?"

"Only one way to find out~!" She grins wide as her grasp tightens.

"I was meaning to ask actually. Do you think these batteries could power the airship?"

She withdraws her hands, and ponders with a hand to her chin. "Hmm. Not likely. They're incredible, since I made them, though they aren't meant to provide power to anything that massive. But maybe we could come up with something similar. Yeah, I know why you're asking. The ship doesn't have much of its fuel left, and it's something I haven't seen around this part of the world before."

"That'll be something we try to figure out next then. Though it only needs power to fly anyway."

"That's right. It probably has a day or two left of constant flight, but you don't really need to do that out at sea. Just sail normally, and fly when you need to dock somewhere like back home for now."

"We should go soon," comes a sudden voice from behind.

Much to the awe of the others, a completely nude, tall, powerful woman enters the conversation with a mighty spear gripped within her hand. Vyzia the red dragon stops short of the bench where Lynx is gaming

Lynx's eyes trail up her body until she mutters, "Oh wow... Eyepatch sisters."

"I don't wear an eyepatch," is all the dragon replies with.

"Right. But you should! It would look really cool on you."

"Hm," is all she responds with.

"We do know where to meet the Silver Hunters, and yeah. We shouldn't keep them waiting long," you say. "So I better put together the team that's coming with me."

"And one member of that team is absolutely going to be myself," comes yet another new voice--haughty and confident. Sashaying herself into the conversation is Lady Malakae Vraelion, garbed as usual in her sexy crimson qipao. Her gold scaled tail sways left and right as she runs her fingers purposely back through her long head of hair as if to pose as a model may. The jewellery around her horns jingle, and her piercing yellow gaze scans the group briefly before stopping specifically on Vyzia. There it remains. "And she's still here."

"Of course she is, Malakae," you explain. "Not only is she our new ally, but she's part of the reason we're even about to go on this quest."

Vyzia crosses her arms over her mighty bust and stares emotionless though intensely back at the other dragon. "If you wish to come, at least know of the mission, or stay home if you dislike me."

You turn to Malakae. "You can come, but you need to behave. If all you're going to do is fight with Vyzia, it'll be exhausting for you too."

The scoffs and brushes her hair to the side. "Whatever. Of course I can behave. I'll come, and I'll show to you all the true power of a dragon. Just let me know when we're departing. I'll be ready."

Lynx then hands the GBC to Dix and stands up with excitement. "Ooh, ooh! Can I please come, Kyle? I've been wanting to quest with you for awhile now. As much as I'd like to stay here and beat this game, I better actually get out there before Dix ends up being right about me. Plus, isn't it a trope that sailors have eyepatches? If I come, and we get one for Vyzia, you'll have two on your crew."

The red dragon touches a hand to her wounded eye. "Strange logic."

Fava than raises her hand. "I'd like to volunteer too, and not just because everyone else seems to be doing it. I'd love to help maintain the airship while it's actually in motion. If you need a resume, you need only to look at all I've done. Surely the ship will exceed operations with me on board."

"You're not wrong. It would be smart to have an artificer with us," you reply.

"Yes!" Fava bounces in celebration. "Nailed it."

Dixby the gnome puts the handheld down beside her. She then hops from the bench, and stares up at the others who tower above her. She takes hold of her goggles, and slips them down to snap over her eyes. "Hey, Kyle. Weird request."

You look down to her. "Go ahead."

"I know I never really like to even leave my house, but... can I come with you too?"

"I'm surprised, but of course you can."

"It's just been awhile, and I'm curious what sort of things we may discover so far from here. Ingredients I've never seen and whatnot. Also I could make us of what I've already made."

"And I'm sure those potions will only help, right?"

"... Mhm."

"Right then. Well, I'd like to grab Niki, Eva, and Amara, so on top of that, we'll have Vyzia, Lynx, Fava, Dixby, and Malakae. Not so bad. Though you know what you're signing up for, right? This will be a pretty different kind of quest than usual. We'll be sailing far out to sea, and battling some sort of evil pirate captain. If you don't like the ocean, I'd advise against coming with us. Speaking of the sea, does anybody know where Gwynevere went?"

Snow steps silently closer, having neared without a single person hearing her approach. She's dressed as she normally does, in ninja-esque attire consisting of a tight black one piece swimsuit above thigh-high boots, and elbow-length gloves. A sword dangles sheathed at her hip, and the beautiful bow she took from Anyana all that time ago hangs from her back. Before speaking, she pulls down the mask that often covers the bottom half of her face. "I do," she says. Her snow-white hair and fair skin are the perfect contrast to her otherwise dark visage, though much like Lynx, her ability to appear edgy is betrayed by how cute she appears, especially with the feline ears atop her head and her swaying fluffy tail.

"... You move like a shadow," comments Vyzia.

The catfolk bows her head in thanks. "The Demon King Gwynevere entered the Royal Bath early this morning and never came back out. I checked to see, and there was no trace of her inside. It's most likely that she was transported back to her lair by way of the water."

"That's right," you add. "She was going to speak with the Lady of the Lake about being taken back to the part of the deep sea where she lives, though now that the Lady can appear in our baths, she didn't even need to walk to Crystal Lake. But that figures. She didn't even say goodbye. Anyway, thank you Snow. You're great as always."

She blushes faintly pink and bows yet again.

You approach her and place a gentle hand atop her head. You hear her breathing quicken even before it makes contact between her ears. You pat and then pet her, and watch as the kitty ears twitch. "Would you like to come too?" you ask.

"Yes!" she blurts out rather loudly. She then sinks back, and tugs her mask to once again conceal her nose and mouth. "I mean, I would be honoured."

"Aw yeah," Lynx cheers. "As the Spymaster here, I have to say that Snow is the greatest spy I've ever known in my life. With her archery skills, we'll take our enemy crews before their ships are even within range of their own weapons."

"You flatter me," Snow whispers back.

You clap together your hands and look to the rest. "All right. Vyzia, you speak with your own people and tell them what they need to know. And come to me if they need anything. Lynx and Snow, ready what you need. You're used to working together, and you can probably imagine the sort of threats we might face. Fava, you get that airship engine working as best you can. Dix, get any potions you think we'll need and have Malakae help you. I'll start gathering the others, and we'll set off as soon as we can."

"Got it," Vyzia says, and she turns to leave not even a second after. Efficient.

"My duty is to carry bottles?" Malakae asks.

Dixby looks up to her with a smile. "They aren't heavy. You look pretty strong though anyway, so I doubt it would matter."

"... You're correct. This will be nothing to me. Lead me to these potions in question."

"You've got it."

Lynx. Snow. Fava. Dixby. Vyzia. Malakae. Niki. Amara. Eva. That's ten including me. Not a bad crew. It's hard to prepare for something we haven't really done before though. We'll see how good everyone is out on a ship. Though from what I've learned here, it's best not to plan too much when bringing these girls along.