Plan the attack.

Even Bek and his newfound opponent gather around, either because they finished up, or they both sensed the proper discussion was beginning. Either way, Captain Silver extends her arms and turns to face all present around the smouldering hearth--a couple dozen bodies in total. The map remains sprawled out, with pen scribbles all throughout, noting how long it would take to travel there by sea, the best direction to approach, and all the rest. As fun-loving and flirty as the captain seems to be, she's survived this long out here for a reason. On top of that, Xue seems to be the most analytical of the bunch, even if he still speaks the least.

She starts her explanation. "The Isle of Cryonition was supposedly once a lush, vibrant land of all manner of flowers and trees and animals, though that was before the coming of the Empress of Fire and the Empress of Ice. Stories say that they chose the island as a place to settle an old rivalry, but it ended up leaving the land forever changed. Now the entire western half is permanently scorching hot, and made up of smouldering stone and endlessly roaring flames. The east side of the island is freezing cold, and covered by snow, and frozen lakes and streams. Neither is livable any longer, so all life there is long gone.

"Aak'aba the Empress of Ice is an ancient immortal being, not unlike that Seno'nojoch you dealt with before. I don't know if she's a pure elemental or something else entirely, but the same goes for K'iina the Empress of Fire. Though they rarely have ever left the Isle of Cryonition, they still occasionally make pacts with mortals, granting them power in exchange for something. We don't believe that's exactly what happened with Thunderbeard, however. He does seem to have powers, but I've never heard of him using any that sound like what he'd receive from either of them."

Mole wipes her brow. "I'm a sweaty mess just thinking about how hot it'll be there."

"Or how cold!" Eva says. "I much prefer the heat."

"I have a feeling nobody will be stoked to step foot on either side," adds Stax.

Niki shrugs. "Sunhearts can brave any temperature. We're resilient."

"And you're leagues above most," you reply.

"Aw. You're gonna make me blush."

"But that doesn't keep the others safe. How are we gonna brave a land that's unbearably hot, or dangerously cold?"

"There's a dock people use, right?" Stax asks. "The base there has to be an exception, just like the floating island where Thunderbeard lives."

"You got it," says the captain. "But if we sail straight into port, we'll have his entire fleet and those on land firing everything they have directly at us. Sadly, we're gonna have to sail around to the opposite side and push through regardless. It's my understanding that it isn't like someone would instantly die stepping foot there. It's just going to be... Well, it won't be fun. But once we figure out to Thunderbeard, we'll break down his front door and let him have it."

Xue squints his eyes and ponders to himself. When he speaks, he doesn't look to anyone in particular. "We know Thunderbeard made a deal with both Aak'aba and K'iina, though we don't know what that deal would have been. If we run into either of them, it'll be bad."

Stax grins at you. "Sorry, Kyle. They might be empresses, but you probably can't fuck your way out of this one, unless you want to lose your dick."

In response, Niki stands and places her hand firmly on your head. "You take that back. Kyle here will find a way to win. I mean, we've already got Yin and Shivra back home. It would just be like, a more **** version of that, right?"

"I'm not so sure, Niki, but I appreciate the support," you say.

"Are you..." Stax looks the warrior over curiously. "Are you cheering for Kyle to defeat them in combat, or to fuck them?"

"Oh. Uh. Actually, I don't really know where I was going with that," Niki replies.

Captain Silver bursts out laughing. "That's one way to plan an attack! But here. This is my suggestion. We've got a pretty damn good map of the island here." After wiggling her fingers in a beckoning gesture, one of her crewmates hands her another map. She flattens this one out over the other. "We first anchor out here, and then take a couple smaller boats to shore, landing in the western half. Then we try not to burn to ****. We hike along this way, and over into the east side. If we don't turn into ice cubes, we should be able to make it to about here, and then we'll have to make a decision. We either find the way up ourselves on the way, or if we don't, we charge into the port base and take them from behind. They'll definitely tell us once we're done with them."

Suddenly, a spear flies through the air, and it slams into Vyzia's readied palm. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."

Malakae huffs. "So what are we to do about these **** conditions?"

"Strong willpower and an adventurer's spirit," answers Captain Silver. "And probably some healing magic."

"I accept this plan," Amara replies a hand in the air.

"Aye!" shouts Bek, slamming his foot to the ground. "Put a fucking wall of fire and lake of ice water in my path and I'll scorch off my balls and freeze myself solid if it means getting to tear a hole straight through Thunderbeard's lair."

Vyzia looks down to him. Though she doesn't speak, she gives an affirming nod.

"I've sat beneath the falls of frigid water," Snow says to you. "No matter the climate, I'll be at your service."

"And I'm a sunheart too, so I'll be fine!" Lynx shouts with pride.

Lalarin grabs the rod at her side. "A heroine can't be stopped by flames or snow. Stick close to us, Dixby. I know your body is small--"

"And not as resilient as a goblin's," Stax chimes in.

Dix looks between them. "I also have potions that may help."

"Oh! You do?" asks Lalarin.

"Yes, though not for all of us. I'll bring what may be useful."

Eva wraps her arms around herself and shivers. "Okay but, these are like actually helpful potions, right?"

"I guess when you have no other choice, you'll have to trust me and find out."

"That's a scary thing to say."

Captain Silver reaches out to grab your hand, and you hold hers in response. "Everyone! We'll spend the rest of today preparing for war. Sharpen your weapons, gather your apparel, fill the ship with all we'll need, eat and drink, and then get to bed nice and early. Tomorrow morning, we start sailing for the Isle of Cryonition. This'll be like no battle we've had before, and we've tackled pirate fleets, sea monsters, skeletons, and ghosts. But thankfully, we have a most powerful ally here to support us." She looks to you, bends down slightly, and then presses her lips to the back of your knuckles. "Isn't that right?"

You return her lingering gaze with a look that speaks better than words may, smirk, and then cast your eyes over to your crew. "You heard her. Today we prepare, and early tomorrow, we set out. It looks like we have more ancient beings to face. We befriended Lepo and Feli, came to an understanding with the Summerlord, escaped the guts of Seno'nojoch, and now we storm the gates of Aak'aba and K'iina. I don't know why they protect a slavelord, but as long as they're on his side, they're no friends of ours. We'll break down the doors and grab this dwarf by his beard."

"Oh!" Bek reacts in shock. "Such a cruel maneuver. And one he deserves. We'll grab the beard and cut it right off his face."

"And then I will impale his heart," adds Vyzia.

"Guess that would solve it, yeah," you say.