Tales of the Plot Complete

     “Enemy ship at four o’clock!” The watch called to him.

     “Battle Stations!” Garin called out to the crew.

     Pepper didn’t know how to man the cannons, but she equipped her Virtublaster 3000s and pointed them in the direction of the enemy ship. Captain Scarblade’s ship, The Revenge, had a skull on its flag and came closer and closer to the Black Pawkeet. They suddenly opened fire with cannonballs at either ship, and Maximilien manned one of the cannons.

     The fight was terrible, and Garin called for the crew to retreat. Benny the Blade hit Garin over the head, and he fell into the ocean below. Jacques, while attempting to board a lifeboat, was kidnapped by The Drenched. Maximilien and Pepper, as well as the rest of the crew of the Black Pawkeet, were taken prisoner by Captain Scarblade.

     Pepper gave a worried look to Maximilien, who grinned.

     “They may be takin’ us prisoner…” Maximilien trailed off. “But they won’t take us without a fight!”

     Maximilien drew his Iron Lupe Swords and attacked the whole group of pirates, including Captain Scarblade. He danced around the bridge of the ship and slashed and parried the Pirates and their swords. He made sure not to harm anyone, though he cut the belt of one of the pirates, which caused his pants to fall down.

     “Enough of this!” Captain Scarblade shouted and pulled out a Trusty Hand Cannon. “Stop your fighting, or your friend becomes PB and J!”

     Pepper, who had been fighting alongside Maximilien and fired her blasters at the Pirates, was caught by Benny the Blade and held by him.

     “I’ll surrender.” Maximilien sheathed his swords and went with Captain Scarblade to The Revenge.

     “I’m sorry, Maxie.” Pepper frowned. “You were doing such a good job, too.”

     “Friends are more important than glory.” Maximilien nodded.

     They sailed to Captain Scarblade’s secret base, where the rest of the crew of the Black Pawkeet was taken. Pepper pulled out a device from her knapsack which acted like a monitor, and they watched the fate of Garin the Usul.

      ***

      Garin nearly drowned in the water, but a friendly Maraquan named Isca swam over to him and placed a necklace around his neck. She smiled sweetly at him, and he found that he could not only breathe underwater but talk as well.

     “Who are you?” Garin asked the Aisha Maraquan curiously.

     “My name is Isca.” Isca explained, “I’m a survivor of Old Maraqua.”

     “Are we underwater?” Garin looked around, surprised.

     “Yes.” Isca nodded. “We’re close to Maraqua; would you like to see the city with me?”

     “I wou-ouch!” Garin grabbed his head.

     “I’ll let your wound heal before I talk about you to King Kelpbeard.” Isca nodded, “

     Isca was called to the King’s chambers, and Garin took the opportunity to explore the city. There were many interesting places, such as a Seashell Shop and a Bubbling Pit where a Neopet could see what they’d look like as a Maraquan.

     He swam into an armoury and found a Maractite Blade, which he stole and tucked away into his shirt so no one would notice it. Unknown to Garin, the blade was able to cut through water, as it could cut through air and was amazingly sharp and strong.

     Isca returned to Garin and returned him to the surface after his wound had healed, and he went to Scurvy Island to try to find his crew. He swam to the surface of the ocean and swam through the water until he arrived at the dock, and he climbed up. He found Talak working at an inn, who had bad news for him.

     “Your crew has been captured by Captain Scarblade and is being held at his secret base.” Talak explained, “You’ll probably never see them again.”

     “As well as my name is Garin, I will find my crew!” Garin spat, “Where can I find Scarblade’s secret base?”

     “I do not know.” Talak frowned. “You’ll have to find a way there on your own.”

      ***

      While Maximilien and Pepper were watching the monitor, Grish suddenly appeared in front of them on the screen, taking it away from the view of Garin the Usul.

     “You saw that Garin the Usul could breathe underwater with a special necklace.” Grish the Dimensional Krawk explained, “But because of the enchantment placed on you from travelling to different times and places, you can breathe underwater without it.”

     “Does that mean we can join Garin?” Maximilien smiled and wagged his tail a little.

     “Yes.” Grish nodded, “Now go!”

     Pepper and Maximilien looked for a way to escape. They didn’t let on to it while the guard was looking at them, but they tried to find if there was a way out.

     They eventually came across a loose brick in the wall, which, when pressed, opened a passageway out of the prison. The rest of the prisoners were asleep, and so was the guard. They opened the doorway and rushed inside and eventually escaped from Captain Scarblade’s prison at his secret base.

     “Well…that was easy.” Maximilien grinned.

     “Let’s take a boat to Scurvy Island.” Pepper explained, “A small lifeboat should work. My sensors, based on Garin’s location, show me that it’s not far off from here.”

     “Let’s go!” Maximilien and Pepper boarded the lifeboat and eventually found their way to Scurvy Island, where Isca and Garin were about to go under the water to search for Jacques.

     “How did you escape!?” Garin blurted out.

     “We have our ways.” Maximilien grinned. “Where are we goin’ now?”

     “We need to find Jacques very quickly.” Isca nodded. “He’s in grave danger. He’s being held by some evil Faeries named The Drenched.”

     Maximilien and Pepper dove into the water as Garin had, and they all swam behind Isca. She was impressed that they could breathe underwater as Garin could, and she knew there was something more to the adventurers than met the eye.

     The group swam through the oceans as many Walein and Pfish swam by them, and there was an immense coral reef. The coral was all sorts of different colours, and they were covered in polyps. There were some Crabula on the ground scuttling away at the sight of the adventurers.

     They eventually arrived at the cave of The Drenched. They swam inside and found that the entire area was an intricate system of tunnels. The walls were etched in brown and engraved with runes, which Isca was able to translate.

     “The runes say that there is great danger here.” Isca explained, “They also state that The Drenched may be the Curse of Maraqua.”

     They swam through the currents of the tunnels, and they found that some tunnels pulled them through, while others were calm. The group realised it wouldn’t be so easy as to simply swim into their cave and find Jacques; they had to use a map.

      Pepper pulled out a device which was waterproof from her backpack, which was enchanted to keep dry even under the water. She took note of the tunnels they’d already been through and even the tunnels they hadn’t and formed a map.

     “I think we can use this device to find our way to Jacques.” Pepper suggested.

     They followed Pepper, who took the lead, and they all eventually wound up in a cave full of bones and the armour and weapons of heroes who tried and failed to fight The Drenched. They were asleep, and Jacques was in a cage, though they enchanted him so that he could survive underwater.

     “I don’t remember The Drenched caves looking like this…” Isca trailed off.

     “Grish the Dimensional Krawk told us that things would be different because of our presence, and it wasn’t all like it would be.” Pepper explained.

     They swam silently to Jacques’ cell, and he looked at them hopefully. Though he didn’t drown, he couldn’t talk underwater. He had to give facial expressions and gestures for them to understand him.

     “Are you alright?” Garin whispered to Jacques, who nodded in return to him.

     “We need to find the keys to this cell, as using destructive means to free him would wake up The Drenched.” Isca explained.

     They all quietly swam around and looked for the keys, but they realised they were attached to the waist of one of The Drenched sisters.

     “I’ll carefully grab it.” Maximilien nodded as he delicately swam over to The Drenched. The eyes of the sister who held the keys suddenly opened wide, and they shrieked a loud, piercing shriek at the group.

     Maximilien quickly grabbed the keys and swam over to Jacques cell, and The Drenched attacked!

     “My weapons won’t work underwater!” Pepper called out.

     “You four swim on ahead; I’ll use my abilities to slow them down! “Isca instructed.

     Maximilien, Pepper, Garin, and Jacques swam out of The Drenched caves, but found that they had enchanted the caves so that the currents all pushed them into them. Pepper pulled out an ROV device which pulled them through the water, which was large enough for them to all hold onto.

     They pushed back past the currents, but Pepper noticed something shocking when she looked at her map. The tunnels had all shifted, and the map no longer showed them the right way out.

     “I have some bad news.” Pepper frowned. “The Drenched have changed the caves. I can’t find our way out.”

     “You’ll have’ta try!” Maximilien implored her, “Even if we can’t use th’maps, we can try our luck at finding our way out!”

     Pepper nodded and calculated the way the currents swept into the caves. They eventually saw the exit, but The Drenched pulled them further and further away from it. They felt like they’d never be able to escape, and they’d all wind up as slaves of The Drenched, or worse.

     However, Isca used a mighty blast of energy to propel them out of the caves and into the open ocean surrounding them. She then swam back through the tunnels and found her way back out as well. The Drenched could be heard shrieking from their underwater caves, and they gave chase.

     “We’ll have to make a good distance between us and them if we’re to outswim them.” Garin instructed.

     Pepper invited them all to use her ROV, which was a submersible mini-sub-like device which worked from a remote control. This particular ROV was shaped like a large boomerang, and it had many grooves to grab onto and swim with. They all grabbed on, and the ROV propelled them quickly away from The Drenched.

     The Drenched looked around for the group when they exited their cave, but they were so far away that they didn’t know what direction to take, and they decided to return to their caves and forget about their prisoners.

     “We’re free!” Isca beamed, “Thank you, travellers. We wouldn’t have been able to escape them without your help.”

     “We just like to help.” Maximilien blushed.

     As they swam for Scurvy Island, Isca stressed her concerns to Garin and the group.

     “I had a…a premonition about a coming invasion.” Isca explained, “I think we’re about to be attacked by pirates.”

     “Not on my watch!” Garin exclaimed.

     Jacques gave a strong nod, which showed how he felt.

     “We’ll help ya in any way we can.” Maximilien smiled.

     “I must go now. I must warn the King about the invasion of Pirates. I trust you’ll both be safe.” Isca explained.

     “I’ll come help ya when I’ve finished returning Jacques to Scurvy Island.” Garin gave an affirmative nod.

     Isca swam away and Pepper put away her foldable ROV, which, despite being a remote device, was able to help them through. They arrived at Scurvy Island only to find Captain Scarblade waiting for them.

     “Cast ‘em in irons!” Captain Scarblade growled, “We don’ wan’ ‘n’y’one innerferin’.”

     Captain Scarblade’s henchmen bound the group and took them back to his secret base, where they were locked up with the rest of the crew of the Black Pawkeet.

     The first thing Pepper and Maximilien did when they were thrown back into the same cell as last time was attempt to press the brick to allow the secret door to open. Though it was glued shut. Both the brick and the secret passage.

     “Looks like we’re stuck ‘ere.” Maximilien frowned.

     “Let me try something…” Garin pulled out his Maractite Blade and slashed at the cell bars, which sliced through them like butter.

     The crew cheered for their captain, and they all fought their way out of their cells. Pepper and Maximilien had their weapons and gear removed before being placed in the cell this time, and they recovered them and put them on before they left.

     On their way out of the secret base, there were many pirates who were left behind before Captain Scarblade went on the attack against New Maraqua. Maximilien drew his dual Iron Lupe Swords and attacked the pirates, while Pepper, whose pistols had dried, fired her Virtublaster 3000s at the pirates and took some down with her keen eyesight.

     Garin struck their blades and cut them asunder while Maximilien danced around the battle area, striking pirate after pirate. Though he didn’t truly hurt them with his massive swords, he was able to immobilise them.

     The pirates flooded the room, and the crew of the Black Pawkeet attacked after reclaiming their weapons, and there was a massive battle. Maximilien took on a group of ten pirates while Pepper pinged some of them off. She always made sure to hit them at non-vital areas of their bodies, though, even though the blasters didn’t pierce the skin but just singed some of the area it hit.

     Pepper flew through the air and grabbed onto a chandelier on the ceiling of the room they found themselves in and fired rapidly into the crowd, making sure to only hit Captain Scarblade’s Pirates. She then leapt off of the chandelier, which fell from the ceiling, and captured three Pirates who were pinned within it.

     Maximilien dove from the wall and used a corkscrew attack where he sheathed his swords and punched at the pirates with his massive fists and took down a whole row of them. Garin wielded his Maractite Blade and sliced through the Pirates’ swords and bucklers, and they all eventually retreated.

     They found their ship, the Black Pawkeet, docked at the secret base, and they all boarded their ship and sailed to the area of the ocean where Garin could feel that New Maraqua had been. Though he had been mistaken.

     “Pepper, Maximilien, you come with me. The rest, stay aboard this ship and be on the lookout for Captain Scarblade.” Garin instructed.

     The pair nodded and dove into the ocean with Garin, and they all swam to a new location. Though he was wrong. They weren’t near New Maraqua, yet Garin was sensitive to the calling out of someone who had been a Maraquan. They swam in the direction of the living quarters of Isca’s sister, Caylis. She swam over to him and cracked a smile.

     “You are the only one who can stop Captain Scarblade.” Caylis explained, “We must make our way to New Maraqua and warn the King of Captain Scarblade’s treachery.”< P> Scarblade used an enchantment on his ship to sail beneath the waves of the ocean and approach New Maraqua on its own. Caylis suddenly froze and relayed the information to Garin, and all four of them found their way to New Maraqua.

     They swam through the streets of the city, and many Maraquans, fearing Caylis, closed their windows and swam into their homes. They eventually arrived at the castle of King Kelpbeard, who was enraged at Isca and Caylis.

     “You may all swim outside these castle walls for eternity!” King Kelpbeard cried, “Though not you. You’ll stay as my prisoner, Pirate!”

     King Kelpbeard snapped his flipper-digits like a thumb and the guards seized Garin. He tossed his Maractite Blade to Maximilien, who caught it.

     “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood, or I’d have thrown you both into shackles!” King Kelpbeard sneered, though he did prepare for battle with the invading forces.

     “I can do some real damage with this.” Maximilien grinned and waved the Maractite blade through the water as though it were air.

     “We need to stay focused, Maxie.” Pepper nodded. “Let’s try making our way back to the Black Pawkeet.”

     The pair swam back to the ship, and Jacques, who could breathe underwater, had secretly followed them to New Maraqua. He undid Garin’s cell, and they each equipped themselves with Maractite Blades while they swam back to the Black Pawkeet and met Maximilien and Pepper there. They instructed the crew to sail in the direction of New Maraqua, and they met up with Captain Scarblade’s forces.

     Some of the crew shared the potion that Jacques had received, which let him breathe underwater, and they dove in and started to attack Captain Scarblade’s forces. Maximilien, Pepper, Isca, Caylis, Garin, and Jacques swam beside Caylis’s massive pet Goregas, and they attacked Captain Scarblade from one side, while Maraqua fought at the other.

     The battle was intense, but Captain Scarblade’s crew had enchanted weapons which could work as well as a Maractite Blade in the water. Captain Scarblade had two Pirate Captain’s Cutlasses which he struck many Maraquan Soldiers with, and he was a force to be reckoned with.

     “He’s tough!” Garin called out, “I’ll fight ‘im.”

     Garin swam over to Captain Scarblade and dodged his Pirate Captain’s Cutlasses and struck his blades with his own. Though the enchantment on the blade was potent so that they didn’t break against the Maractite blade.

      Garin stared down Captain Scarblade and Captain Scarblade stared down Garin of the Black Pawkeet. An epic struggle was about to unfold, and only fate could tell who the prevailing force would be.

     Garin lunged through the water as effortlessly as he could move on land or in the air, and he clashed against Captain Scarblade’s Pirate Captain’s Cutlasses. Captain Scarblade, enchanting himself to move just as quickly, slashed repeatedly at Garin. There was a flurry of blades which looked like transparent cuts in the sea, and they moved so quickly that the water rushed into the areas which were empty from the motion.

     “He’s strong!” Garin called to Maximilien, who nodded and swam forward with his own Maractite Blade. The one which originally belonged to Garin. He quickly handed the blade to Garin, who fought two-handed. Maximilien had his two Iron Lupe Swords, and the pair struck at Captain Scarblade.

     The old Pirate Lupe was so skilled that he was able to dodge the blows and parry each fighter with one blade each. Pepper’s guns didn’t work underwater, but she did have a few tricks up her sleeve. She pulled out her ROV from her backpack and sped around the open ocean of battle.

     Pepper brought the ROV around and propelled it directly into Captain Scarblade’s midsection, and she pushed him through the water. He took his dual cutlasses and slashed the ROV, causing Pepper to let it go. It exploded, which wounded Captain Scarblade a little, but didn’t do much harm to him.

     “We’ve gotta think o’somethin’!” Maximilien called to Pepper, who nodded.

     “I’ll think of something, Maxie!” Pepper called to Maximilien, “You just hold him off!”

      Maximilien and Garin both struck at the strong blades of Captain Scarblade, which, despite their best efforts, just wouldn’t break. Captain Scarblade grinned and nearly sliced Garin in two, but Pepper knocked him out of the way.

     She had a device which could send force barriers and ripples through the water, and they acted like sonic blasts. Captain Scarblade dropped his two cutlasses and drew a dagger instead. He lunged at Pepper as though to finish her, but before he got there, King Kelpbeard swam between Pepper and Captain Scarblade, who drew yet another large cutlass.

     King Kelpbeard drew his trident and the two struck and moved swiftly through the water. Pepper, Maximilien, and Garin all went to help the King, but he shouted at them.

     “Don’t intervene!” King Kelpbeard yelled to the group, “I need to do this alone!”

     The King swam across Captain Scarblade’s ship and over a coral reef, and the two kept striking one another, which caused flashes of light under the water as their blades and weapons connected. King Kelpbeard fought with the fury of a thousand suns, while Captain Scarblade moved with the grace of a cosmic storm.

     They eventually reached the surface and moved through a bubble of water which was specially made for King Kelpbeard to move through the air. The bubble floated upwards into the air, and the two traded blows and struck each other’s weapons while they hovered in the sky.

     “You’ll regret coming to New Maraqua!” King Kelpbeard cried out.

     “You’ll regret not turnin’ yer treasures over to us!” Captain Scarblade simply grinned.

     Meanwhile, below the surface, Maximilien collected Captain Scarblade’s dual Pirate Captain’s Cutlasses and attached them to belt holders that were also dropped. He sheathed his Iron Lupe Swords and used his newfound cutlasses to fight off the pirates who were still attacking the forces of New Maraqua.

     Jacques and the rest of the Crew of the Black Pawkeet fought against Captain Scarblade and his forces. The invasion was being driven back, and the soldiers of New Maraqua were helping Garin and his crew, and they helped vice versa. Captain Scarblade fell from the bubble in the sky as King Kelpbeard thrust him out of it, and he fell into the ocean below. Captain Scarblade, who knew he would have to retreat, wanted revenge on the people who caused him to fail.

     He swam diligently at Garin with his cutlass about to strike him while he was distracted by the pirate forces, but Goregas swam by and bit Captain Scarblade and caused him to call for a full retreat.

     “Fall back!” Captain Scarblade called out, “We’re n’vr gonna win at this rate!”

     Captain Kelpbeard did a flip in the air as the bubble dissipated and fell to the ocean below. The Pirates were frightened, and they took Captain Scarblade’s enchanted ship and brought it to the surface and sailed away into the distance. The battle was over, and the forces of good had won.

     There were many of Garin’s crew and the soldiers of New Maraqua who were wounded and injured. Pepper pulled out a medical device which was designed to move a laser across them and heal them, and Maximilien used his Bag of Healing Dust, which didn’t get wet even in the water, and sprinkled some onto the wounded. It floated around the water but sank like sand to the wounds and injuries of the warriors.

     The group stayed underwater for several days while Garin’s crew healed. They were treated to some delicious seafood meals, and they were given the honour of exploring the city while the wounded recovered.

     “For saving New Maraqua and driving off the Pirates who would plunder us, I hereby grant an invitation for you and your crew, Garin, to live peacefully under the water here at New Maraqua. I also grant Caylis the ability to live here again and no longer live in exile.”

     “I appreciate the offer, but I’m a land creature by habit.” Garin nodded. “I’m sure my crew will feel the same way.”

     “I’ve lived in the open ocean for so long, it’s the only life I know.” Caylis explained, “Thank you for your offer, though, Your Majesty.”

     “So be it.” The King smiled, “I’m in a good mood today, so I’d be more than happy to grant you any request.”

     “May I keep the Maractite Blades I took?” Garin asked curiously.

     “Yes.” King Kelpbeard smiled. “And you may keep those cutlasses you found, Maximilien. What of it, you two? Will you become Maraquan and live under the waves with us?”

     “As much as we appreciate the offer, I feel that we’re needed elsewhere.” Pepper nodded.

     “She speaks fer both ‘f’us.” Maximilien agreed.

     “I understand.” The King smiled broadly, “Please, stay with us for at least a short while. You’ll need to recover from your battle, and there are people here who can soothe your weariness and help you to rest.”

     “Much appreciated!” Maximilien smiled and swam over with Pepper to some of the structures which had Maraquans in it who were waiting to give them a luxurious massage, as well as some gel which mixed over Pepper’s smooth body and Maximilien’s furry body, which worked like shampoo. They wore their pants, but took off their shirts.

     Maximilien and Pepper rested for hours at the treatment, and soon, they got up and swam around the city. They found an old VHS store which sold tapes for old VCRs, and Pepper picked up a few of them and placed them into her knapsack to watch at a later time. Maximilien purchased two sheaths for his Pirate Captain’s Cutlasses, and since they helped New Maraqua so much, it was all free for them.

     Garin and Jacques met up with Isca and Caylis, and Isca gazed deeply into Garin’s eyes.

     “Are you certain you don’t want to stay?” Isca asked Garin sadly, “I’ve grown to care about you in your time with me.”

     “I care for you, too.” Garin smiled, “But my calling is to the sea and sailing it, not living beneath its waves.”

     “I understand.” Isca nodded. “You can keep the necklace, and hopefully you can come visit sometimes.”

     “I’d like that.” Garin smiled as he and his crew, who had recovered from their wounds, swam up to the surface of the water and climbed aboard the Black Pawkeet and sailed off into the distance.

     Isca and Caylis swam over to Maximilien and Pepper, and talked to them like close friends.

     “What about you two?’ Isca smiled, “You’re always welcome in New Maraqua.”

     “As much as we’d like’ta stay, we’ve gotta prepare for our next jump.” Maximilien explained.

     “Jump?” Isca asked curiously.

     “Yes” Maximilien nodded. “This isn’t th’first place we’ve been to lately. We’ve been all over Neopia, both in time and space.”

     “You must be exhausted, then.” Isca nodded. “I’ll arrange for you both to sleep in the castle. I’m sure King Kelpbeard would allow it.”

     “That sounds wonderful.” Maximilien and Pepper smiled as they followed Isca to the castle, and King Kelpbeard gave his blessing for the pair to spend the night there.

     They both swam over to some beds, strapped themselves into them and fell fast asleep.

     They looked around, and they were in a land of many vibrant colours. It was like they were in a warp zone, but since they had been asleep and not awake, instead of travelling again, they were simply in a place in their dreams. Grish walked over to them and smiled at the pair and began speaking.

     “You’ve done yet another good deed.” Grish smiled. “I can tell you this now, but no more: The reason you travel will soon make itself revealed to you, and it has something to do with Maximilien’s parents.”

     “I need’ta know more!” Maximilien blurted out.

     “I cannot yet tell you, sadly.” Grish nodded sadly, “Though…I can help you in your journeys.”

     The pair suddenly woke up the next morning, and they were still in Maraqua. They had some breakfast of more seafood, and they swam to the surface of the ocean in the hope of finding the Black Pawkeet. It was nowhere to be found.

     They swam around for a while until they came across a massive island in the distance. It took them several hours to swim to it, but they eventually arrived at it. There were very rocky, jagged rocks in the water which prevented them from simply swimming to the shore of the island, and they had an ominous feeling about it. They didn’t know if they had shifted from one time to another, but they knew the island had something to do with their purpose.

     They watched as it looked like the island was moving, and they realised that they had to discover whatever was going on quickly, so they didn’t get even more lost. They looked up at the sky and saw a prismatic object fly across it, and they didn’t know what it meant. They walked onto the island, and they met Grish again, who handed Maximilien a key.

     “This key will enable you to enter the temple when you need it most.” Grish smiled and vanished in a burst of light.

     They walked onto the island and found all kinds of tropical plants and palm trees. It was a deserted tropical island, and they didn’t know what to make of it. They looked around and took in the sights and sounds, and there were the sounds of many tropical birds. The sand left imprints of their feet whenever they walked, and they saw the prismatic object land a short distance away from them in the forest of palm trees.

     They tried to navigate their way to the object, and they eventually came across a Rainbow Faerie Pteri named Hernando.

     “Greetings!” The Pteri smiled and bowed his head. “My name is Hernando. I would love to be your guide on this island.”

     “It’s good to meet an actual person.” Maximilien nodded. “Where exactly are we?”

     “You are on the Lost Isle.” Hernando explained, “I felt called here away from my normal perch and felt strongly that I needed to guide someone. Then I met you both. My name is Hernando, and who might you both be?”

     “I’m Maximilien, and this is Pepper.” Pepper bowed politely.

     “As long as we’re here, we may as well make the best of it.” Maximilien nodded and sat back as he and Pepper took out food rations from her backpack, which miraculously stayed dry even though they were just in the ocean.

     Hernando shared some of the food as well, and fortunately they had many food rations for one another to share.

     “What exactly is this island?” Maximilien asked Hernando curiously.

     “You’ll see.” Hernando said solemnly.

To be continued…