Begin the attack.

The sun is barely peaking up over the sea when your ship is already in motion. Your crew dresses, eats breakfast, and makes preparations. Far in the distance, visible only through spyglass, is an island like no other you've seen before. The western half looks as if made from molten stone, and the air above it distorts by the emanating heat. To the east, you can see an arctic landscape, where it's impossible to tell apart snowy hilltops from large formations of solid ice. There's a port in the center, though it's shrouded in a glistening mist formed by the **** temperatures meeting in the middle. The swirling winds of hot and cold rise up to something you can see with your naked eye--a floating mass of earth up in the sky.

Both the Kunzite Kraken and the Sky Warren maneuver strategically to the other side. You can no longer see the port. The northern entrance to the island is hardly a point of entry at all. There's nothing but a hellish landscape of hills and ravines both scorched and frozen by ancient elementals. None would dare approach from this direction--except for you of course. You come to a stop shortly after the Silver Hunters, and once again, the tendrils of said ship latch onto yours. It pulls in close, and planks are dropped to allow boarding between the two vessels.

Either the seas this morning are eager, or the strange climate of the island affects the wind, as even the surface of the ocean ripples wildly by its mighty blow. Captain Silver's crimson cape wafts far back behind her as she stands before you--cutlass drawn. She holds her weapon up and it shines brightly under the bright morning sunlight. Her loose swashbuckler's garb ruffles. Though her hat stays firmly atop her head, her long, curly hair flows back like a cloud of pale pink. When she smiles, her single silver tooth sparkles.

As colourful as your own party is, Captain Silver does stand out as well. Like a blue-skinned web-eared elf, the aqulo is beyond comfortable out at sea. The mist of the ocean lightly coating her skin glistens radiantly, and she presents herself both body and mind as a woman who knows full well her own beauty and skill. "So then, Captain Warren. I think I already know the answer to this question, but how much of your crew are you bringing to shore?" she asks.

"Was the plan not to bring everybody?"

"Some need to remain with the ships, though I'm no fool. My crew may be more adept at sailing the seas, though I can tell by looking at you all that you have greater experience with battles I couldn't hope to presume. We run into our fair share of scraps, though there's something in your eyes, Kyle. You've survived great dangers. I was hoping you'd say that, because I'd rather your full power be at our disposal."

"Just some demon kings and ancient beings, also legions of robots."

"So most of my own crew will stay to guard both our vessels. With me, I'll bring only one other. Xue. I have two smaller boats we can row to shore. With fifteen of us going, we'll split into a group of seven and eight. Bring what you feel you'll need. Remember, we'll be fighting the environment more than anything else until we get to Thunderbeard."

"I've trained for the worst!" Bek shouts from aside. "I can't lose to some fire or ice."

Niki and Lynx share the satisfying slap of a high-five.

"Finally, we can show them the power of a sunheart," says Lynx.

"Damn straight," Niki adds. "High highs, low lows. How many of you would survive the depths of the Oraang Desert?"

Lalarin snaps the spandex of the titillating cut down the front of her skin-tight suit as she approaches. She looks herself over, and your eyes join hers. She looks amazing in anything, though in such a thin bodysuit she leaves only so much to the imagination. By a thin strip, her thighs are teased, as is her cleavage through at thin line down her chest, but even if that wasn't the case, at times it looks like her body is merely painted emerald green by how perfectly it forms to every curve of her physique. Her eyes are hidden behind her mask, but with no other part of her face concealed, you still don't know how she ever had a secret identity.

From a tiny loop at her side, she withdraws her tiny black rod. She whips it to the side, and as she does, it extends to a length roughly equally to her height, though only if you're measuring to the tips of her ears. Next to Eva, she perhaps look a little more akin to a hare to Eva's more bunny-like demeanour.

Speaking of which, Eva adjusts her blouse as best she can, and flattens out her miniskirt. In her hand is her pink-tipped focus. Cute and sexy as always, Eva the mighty sorceress is ready for adventure. She flicks and swishes her wand, practising as best she can before the final stretch of the adventure begins. Whether it's the change in outfit since you first met her, the amount of experience she'd gained, the time you've spent together, or her growth in maturity and confidence, she does appear differently than that faithful day in the Adventurer's Guild. She may be short, but there's a grandness in her demeanour, though that's mostly when she isn't flustering in a state of panic.

Snow tests the torque of her bow string--a weapon actually stolen, as seems appropriate for one of the rogue class. Though she's far more of a loyal ninja than a thief, the bow previously belonged to Anyana, the anglermaid serving under Demon King Gwynevere. She stands focused with eyes trained on the island in the distance. She wears quite the tightly-worn bodysuit as well, though is more generous with her skin than Lalarin. She wears tall boots and gloves which cling to her skin as closely as the swimsuit-like outfit which covers down her chest and between her legs. She pulls her mask up to cover the bottom half of her face, and then looks to you with an affirming nod.

Though she isn't exactly experienced in travelling the sea as one born in a desert, Niki is ready for any adventure. She bangs her mace against her enchanted shield in excitement. At first glance, she's sort of changed the least since your first meeting. Though she did receive new armour and a weapon, it looks hardly different than what she had before--tight brown shorts, a breastplate, and segments of steel around her hips, hands, and the like. Though more deeply, you can feel a comfort that began as merely a shield to guard her sensitive heart. For so long, she wasn't accepted by anybody. Now she stands as the bulwark to protect all those she cares about.

She leans over to Amara beside her, grabs her by the shoulder, and pulls her in for an embrace. "... and if I do get banged up or whatever, I know I have Abso's best healer to patch me up. You'll keep throwing those healing spells at me, right?"

Amara blushes and giggles nervously. "Y-Yes. I am more than happy to oblige."

"You probably shouldn't get too excited about somebody needing to be healed," Eva comments. "Maybe try to avoid getting hurt to begin with."

"Nah, I'll be fine. If there's danger afoot, jump behind me. I can take it!" Niki shouts.

Once released from that mighty grip, Amara straightens out her dress. She's of course often seen as the most innocent of the trio, especially by her more modest attire, though you're definitely aware she's just a freak in different ways. With a fair complexion, slender physique, and a body garbed by a lovely white dress with a nurse-like cap atop her head, she truly is like an angel in all ways except the literal, though the pink heart and white choker around her neck flashes another side of her for those who know. Every day, she takes another step closer to her dream--to become more like her mother. The way she stands before you with silver staff in-hand, she already appears like a beautiful, elven archpriest, no matter how she views herself.

Besides the hint of a wood-like material tinting her skin, and her wings currently withdrawn, Fava in this human-sized body does resemble her regular form in all ways except for two--her size, and her size. Otherwise she moves with ease, to where it doesn't seem at all like somebody tiny is piloting her from the inside. The longer you've known her, the more comfortable she's gotten doing everything this way, unlike a pixie such as Delphi who is incredibly comfortable in her size. You may not have known Fava for as long as many other girls present, but she's an invaluable artificer and ally.

She stretches her arms up high over her head, and while the body may technically have been crafted by her own tiny hands, it certainly doesn't look any less human. Just like with Alice, her skin feels and acts the same as any other's, and her body has just as much... bounce. Her cropped, tight top does little to stop this. "I thought about staying behind since I know so much about the ship, but who knows what sorta weird stuff we might encounter on the island? You might need me." She smiles wide and plants her hands upon her bare sides, just above her baggy, saggy trousers.

"Are you sure you want to come with?" you ask, looking down to the gnome with a pack slung over her shoulders.

Dixby yanks on the straps to readjust it on her back. "I am."

"It'll be dangerous you know."

She pulls her goggles down over her eyes. "I can handle it. I may look small, but I'm pretty tough. Also it defeats the purpose of having experimental potions if I can see the results myself." With black overalls, a white shirt, and hair tied back into a short ponytail, your resident gnome is ready to go. Though rather quite, she seems more interested in giving you a show at the expense of others than taking you herself. She's a mischievous hermit, though it seems rare she pulls any sort of pranks on you directly. She just likes when you're around while the girls are *suffering instead.

*They totally enjoy it.

Not far off is Stax the goblin, still dressed in an even sluttier version of what Captain Silver wears. The outfit fits her perfectly. Perhaps in another life, she was a pirate captain instead. When you first met, she was leading a crew of misfits of her own after all. None of them are currently present, though at this point, she also doesn't seem to consider herself a leader any longer. She stands at your side, armed and ready, as both your treasurer and shortstack rogue.

And next to her is Bekram, still garbed in brown, red, and steel. He holds his massive maul over his shoulder like it's nothing. Even the average fully grown human would struggle to lift such a weapon, yet he swings it with ease. He may not be as durable or as strong as Niki, but he seems to simply see this as a goal he can endlessly chase. In fact, you don't know what he would do if he ever reached the end. His joy comes from the journey. All he wants to do is battle strong monsters and stir up some chaos. He's a simple man, but you can't help but respect it. He's fightsexual.

Lynx is once more garbed in her cloak. By most angles, she conceals what's beneath, which is that of a rather scantily clad girl, though that isn't unusual around Tivera from what you've seen. She wears short shorts, thigh-high stockings, and a tube top, and while her figure is petite, she maintains an edgy visage even if it's betrayed by her personality. Her hair of course is tied up into pigtails, and her left eye is covered by a patch--coverage for her Rite of the Sun marking.

She slips on her fingerless gloves, one of which conceals her other marking. Not only does this allow her to hide her weak points, but if another sunheart were to see she has two, just like Niki, she would be ostracized. Thankfully neither her nor Niki have markings that could be seen ordinarily, with the other's being on her breasts.

Malakae may be a dragon, but she still feels entirely out of place. Her people are known for being in positions of power, meaning that despite their strength, gold dragons are often seen as more political than anything, so unlike the red dragon nearby, she's far from feral. She's done up with jewellery and wears a fine red dress. Between the window showcasing a bountiful amount of her cleavage and how high the qipao is cut, it doesn't look like anything somebody should be fighting in, though if nobody is going to say that to Eva either, then there's no reason to say it to Malakae.

She raises her eyes up to the taller dragon nearby. Though she smiles, it's more sour than sweet. She places her nails upon her bust and opens her lips, and before words even escape, you can sense the arrogance. "I suppose once we've landed, I'll finally be able to showcase the true power of a gold dragon."

Meanwhile, Vyzia is finally wearing something new! Well, it isn't clothing. She has a large backpack hoisted over her back, and to your surprise, the thick straps actually wrap over her massive breasts. It's the first time you've ever seen them covered. Mostly anyway. She isn't doing so on purpose, so it doesn't always remain. Still, it's quite the shock, like the opposite of seeing someone naked for the first time. Despite the pack being full, she moves entirely unaffected. And besides that, she does still wear a few pieces of jewellery made by stretching green vines, and Lynx's gift of an eyepatch still covers her missing eye.

She squeezes the shaft of her spear and glares down at the other dragon. "Don't disappoint me."

Malakae plants her hands on her hips and furls her brow. "What is that supposed to mean? I'm not here to impress you."

"Then who are you here to impress?"

For just a moment, the gold dragon glances to you before a faint pink fills her cheeks, and she stares daggers up at Vyzia. "Nobody. Everybody, I mean. I don't know. Stop trying to confuse me and prepare yourself. We're almost set to leave."

"With me, Xue!" Captain Silver orders.

The mysterious man clad in dark, to where only his pale blue hair and chestnut eyes can be seen, follows his captain.

Captain Silver and Xue board the first boat, along with Stax, Fava, Bekram, Snow, and Malakae. Seven.

Straight after, you lead the next boat with Vyzia, Eva, Amara, Niki, Dixby, Lynx, and Lalarin. Eight.

And that makes fifteen. Everybody is set to go.