We made our way back to the Kiosk. The pirate woman with the gold teeth was still there, counting coins by lantern light.
"Three stamps!" I said, placing the booklet on the counter. "We completed all the challenges."
She squinted at the stamps, then nodded. "Aye, that ye did! The map's yours."
She reached under the counter and pulled out a piece of parchment.
We thanked her and moved on, somewhere to the side.
The map showed a location marked with an X back on the mainland. It didn't seem too far away.
I was still flustered, but—
I couldn't help it.
"Ready for a night of hard plundering?" I asked, like I hadn't embarrassed myself enough.
Llewellyn looked up and stared. "…You realize how that sounded?"
I knew exactly how that sounded. That's why I'd said it.
I looked at him, amused. "You weren't this shy when the crew was cheering you on."
Llewellyn eyed me again. His ears were still red.
"I can stop restraining myself, if you like."
…Huh.
Can I just pin him somewhere and kiss him?
"Didn't seem you were restraining yourself that much. You know, with the whole fingers in my mouth in front of the crowd thing."
Llewellyn gave me a long look, then said, "You swallowed eager enough."
"…"
…How does he never miss a beat?!
We crossed the last gangplank, and stepped onto solid sand. The beach stretched out before us, pale under the starlight.
According to the map, we needed to head back where we came from then keep going until we reached a rocky outcropping, then follow a path inland.
"Only a fifteen minute walk," Llewellyn estimated, studying the map. "Shouldn't be too difficult."
Right.
We walked in silence, the sound of waves filling the space. Every so often, our shoulders brushed and I had to stop myself from putting him flat in the sand and finish what the pirates had started.
Penguin chittered from my pocket, and continued until I realized he wanted me to fix his hat.
"Better?" I asked.
He chirped.
Ah, he really looked great. I should have done it earlier, but I pulled out my phone and took a few pictures.
Llewellyn eyed us, amused.
"Before I forget," he said after a moment. "We should check the shop for Dungeon-exclusive items. Now might be a good time."
Huh?
"There are Dungeon exclusive items?" I asked. "Since when?"
"Since always," Llewellyn said. "Your coat could only be found in Mondwyn Harbor, for example. Didn't you notice?"
I hadn't!
Was that why people online kept going on and on about my coat? I'd just thought they might not have System access and didn't know they could buy it themselves.
Though, normally, someone else would have replied explaining or offering to buy it for them for a fee, so I did think it was a bit weird.
This made much more sense.
I opened the System shop, curious now, and purchased a few items quickly as we walked.
The interface had a jolly roger icon, which didn't look ominous at all.
The first thing that caught my eye was a pair of "Sea-Blessed Boots" that let you walk on water. I wasn't sure when I'd need them outside of a nautical setting, but obviously I bought them immediately. Maybe I could go for a stroll on water in Baekhaven.
"Parrot Companion (Decorative)" was 500 Coins. The description read: "A loyal feathered friend that repeats everything you say with 90% more innuendo."
"…"
I scrolled past that one quickly.
"Captain's Weatherproof Coat" was 2,000 Coins. It looked heavy, like a fancy version of the one Alberan had been wearing, but in deep navy and with gold buttons. The stats were decent—weather resistance, +15% Elemental Magic boost, and a small charisma boost when dealing with "seafaring folk".
I glanced at Llewellyn, imagining him in it.
…Wait, no. Focus.
"Portable Grog Barrel", I read aloud to Llewellyn. "300 Coins. Never run dry! Refills with rum every 24 hours. Warning: May attract pirates."
"Better not then," Llewellyn said. "Unless you miss the obscene cheering."
I snorted.
I kept scrolling. There were navigation tools, rope that apparently never tangled, and various pirate-themed accessories…
"Kraken's Grasp Gloves" provided "enhanced grip strength. Items cannot be knocked from your hands. +15% to all grappling attempts", while "Siren's Echo Earring" (800 Coins) allowed "underwater breathing for up to 30 minutes".
Not bad, I guess, but I wasn't into earrings. I considered the gloves briefly, but in the end moved on.
"Lantern of the Ever-North" (700 Coins). This looked great. Effect: Flame always points north no matter the wind. Doubles as night-light. And would make a decent desk lamp, actually.
"Charm of the Sea Dog" (900 Coins). Effect: +10% charisma with sailors, smugglers, spies, and innkeepers.
I considered this. Did I want more charisma with sailors, smugglers, spies, and innkeepers?
…Yeah, why not.
Both lantern and charm went into my cart.
"Merrow's Shellphone" (2,500 Coins). Conch shell that lets you contact any crew member within a Dungeon.
So basically a fantasy walkie-talkie. Why would we need this if mobile phones worked in dungeons?
But then again, better safe than sorry.
I put two in the cart. I was going to toss one at Llewellyn later.
I added a few random items to my cart and finalized my purchases just as we reached the rocky outcropping.
"Found anything good?" Llewellyn asked.
"Boots to walk on water," I said. "Might take Penguin on a walk in his fish form." Llewellyn snorted. "What about you?"
"Navigation tools," Llewellyn said. "Some random gear—spyglass, gloves, rope that won't tangle."
I raised an eyebrow. "Rope?"
"For practical use. Not for… other purposes."
I grinned. "I think the crew might disagree about what rope's best used for."
Llewellyn gave me a look. "Do you?"
Well.
"Maybe. Depends what you plan to do once it's on."
Llewellyn's look lingered, amused. "I doubt you'd complain."
"…"
I mean, he wasn't wrong.
We kept walking, following the map's directions. The path wound inland, away from the sound of waves. Pine trees rose on either side, needles carpeting the ground and muffling our footsteps.
Penguin had settled back in my pocket, occasionally chirping at interesting shadows.
We reached a small rise in the path. From here, I could see the beach stretching out behind us, the floating tavern town still lit up with lantern light.
"How much further?" I asked.
Llewellyn checked the map. "Should be just ahead. Look for—"
Penguin suddenly chittered loudly.
Two smooth pillars stood among the trees.
A translucent barrier all around them made it impossible to proceed without walking through them.
We looked at each other and approached them cautiously. The moment we got to the entrance, the barrier flared with light and we could see that it covered the entrance too. An invisible force pushed us back.
[System Notification: Access Denied! Crew identification required.]
"Huh?"
Fuck. I suddenly realized what that meant.
"The beads," Llewellyn said.
Yeah. "Did you—"
"No," Llewellyn said.
Goddamnit.
Penguin also looked up at me and chirped to say that he didn't have them either.
We both stared at the glowing pillars, frustrated.
Penguin jumped out of my pocket and started looking around, as if to find something useful.
"System?" I asked. "We finished the quests, but forgot to grab the beads after the last one. What now? Do we need to go back for them?"
[System Notification: Crew identification tokens are required for entrance. Other marks indicating crew status are permissible.]
Other marks? Like tattoos?
Llewellyn had started going through a System window, probably the shop again, likely looking for something useful.
"I… might have an idea," I said.
Llewellyn looked at me.
"For the marks," I said.
"Well?"
"…"
Was he really going to make me say it?!
I raised my eyebrows.
Then, after holding his gaze for a moment, I dragged my eyes down to his throat.
Llewellyn's eyes widened slightly. My face had gone very hot.
Llewellyn stared at me. Then he closed the System window with a wave of his hand.
"Worth a shot," he said. "Come here."