Extra Scene, Act 1, Chapter 9 (Charlie and her crew)

We focus a bit on the peculiar pirates in this extra scene, and see what happened to them when Belicar/Nisa sent MC and their group to Taoro!

Charlie and her crew are original characters created by my brother Enael, belonging to one of his upcoming novels called The Legacy of the Sea.

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The sudden change of scenery makes Charlie's head spin. Her body, along with her crew's, crashes against the wooden deck of her ship. The rest of her comrades jump up in alarm.

"Captain!" Evelyn's voice sets the crew into motion.

"Agh..." Tenney groans as he gets up with the help of a couple of mates. "I'm too old for these kinds of falls."

"What the hell happened to you? the white-haired woman inquires.

Ajax and Aren, the twins, also sit up, rubbing the spots where they had been hit by the fall. Savhi didn't utter a single complaint; the strong woman simply stands up, raising her sword and scanning the area for that strange individual.

Charlie blinks, eyes fixed on the clear, cloudless sky, processing what had just occurred. A violent tremor shakes the ship, causing the entire pirate crew to lose their balance. Charlies otter shrieks and clings to her shirt with his claws.

"Shit!" someone exclaims, pointing towards the island.

The ship tilts dangerously to one side, and no one is prepared for it. However, before anyone has the misfortune of falling to a certain death, Evelyn acts. The gears of her hat and coat begin to spin at full speed, and the ship disappears and reappears several meters away from the origin of the tremors. They continue to shake, but not as violently.

As they regain some stability, Charlie crawls to the side of the ship and uses the railing to stand up. Her brown eyes widen, astonished, and her jaw drops as she watches the island they had been on just a minute ago slowly sink back into the ocean depths.

Once the temple disappears underwater, taking with it any chance of exploring a new and mysterious land filled with strange treasures she could never uncover, the tremors cease, and the waves return to their natural state.

The ship stabilizes, and Charlie, speechless with shock, looks down. There is no trace of the island, as if it had never existed, and the waves gently lap against the vessel.

Terrified, Charlie’s otter hide inside his owner's shirt, seeking her protection with a series of high-pitched whimpers. Charlie absentmindedly places a hand on the little lump he made in her shirt.

The sound of the sea reaches her ears, its melody back to the same serene and calm tune as always. That pointy-eared, blue-skinned guy has vanished, or at least, he isn’t nearby.

Charlie looks at her crew; they couldn't believe what had just happened either. The twins look at each other, gesturing without speaking but understanding perfectly. Savhi keeps a firm grip on her sword's handle, but there is no one dangerous around them anymore.

Tenney, finally on his feet, walks towards Charlie. The rhythmic clatter of his titanium peg leg resounds with each step. The little man scratches the back of his neck with his hook. "What a shame about the treasure..."

Evelyn puts her hands on her hips; the gears of her clothes have stopped spinning. "What the hell happened?"

Theo, another crew member, steps forward, his eyebrows furrowed with concern. "Are you all right?"

Charlie still doesn’t respond, her shoulders slumped in disbelief. But a few seconds later, her brow furrows, and her eyes reflect a burning rage.

"Goddammit!" The woman slamms her fists on the ship's railing. Her otter scurried to the floor, running towards the cabin. Charlie keeps her eyes fixed on the spot where the island was. "Hey, you ugly big-eared bastard, give me back my island! That loot is mine! Do you hear me?!" The silence only made her angrier. The captain raises her fist in the air. "Are you so scared you won't even answer?! And hasn't anyone told you how ridiculous your goatee looks?! Freak! Pipe-eye! Don't you know who I am?! Just wait until I catch you!"

The crew let the woman vent; her shouts echo through the area, but no one answers. The individual left them to their fate and didn't seem to have any interest in the pirates. Then Aren jumped, as if he had just remembered something important.

"Hey... what about Rayco/Gara and the others?"

That question halts the captain's furious rant. Charlie furrows her brow and purses her mouth.

---

[If Charlie likes the group]

Her gaze falls back to the sea, over the spot where the island disappeared. She whispers a question to the sea, and in return, receives the same mystery. Even it doesn’t know. Her fingers clench the wood with some helplessness, but there wasn't much to do about it other than trust in the abilities of her new friends.

The group was strong, and the sea had marked Rayco/Gara as a powerful being; they would be safe.

Or so Charlie hoped.

[If Charlie doesn't like the group]

The safety of her unexpected travel companions isn’t her concern. The short time she spent in that world has been enough to know it is dangerous. If they die, tough luck. Although she has to admit, a part of her would be disappointed if the witch, Ada/Omar, died; learning more about their powers would have been interesting, and she also can’t ignore Rayco/Gara. It isn’t common for the sea to take such an interest in someone who wasn't a Source.

---

With a sigh, Charlie turns around, leaning against the railing with her arms crossed. "I imagine that weird goatee guy must have done the same thing to them as he did to us. Sent them somewhere else."

Tenney clicks his tongue in annoyance. "Well, we're out of payment."

Charlie growls to herself, but almost instantly stops and brings a hand to her chin, thinking. She begins to tap her lower lip with her finger, and a wide, mischievous smile slowly forms on her face.

"I wouldn't say that." Her brown eyes gleamed with malice. "Tenney, to the helm, let's turn around. Boys, get to work! Let's see how good the security is in a kingdom without a monarch."