The pillar gave off a slight glow as Kade approached to place her hand on the interface.

  A lattice of options unfolded in her vision. It reminded her of the helmsman's console back on the several modern warships she had served on. Well, modern before technology stopped working. There were columns and rows listing out the available items, item quality, their cost in tokens, and any restrictions they might have, including several class restrictions for classes Kade didn't recognize.

  The first layer was personal gear. A variety of blades with magical properties. Gloves that granted offhand parries. Armor with passive bonuses that increased stamina recovery, tighter guard breaks, keener dodges. None of it was junk. This wasn’t some early-dungeon loot table throwing bone scraps. These were battlefield upgrades that Kade could see would make the dungeon worth running repeatedly.

  The second ring shifted toward utility. Crew-enhancing items. Items that could offer party buffs, aura effects, even some modest healing enhancements that Stone could benefit from. Kade saw two choices aimed squarely at ranged support but nothing that changed their current risk profile.

  The third tier stopped her cold.

  Ship artifacts.

  The names were vague, requiring her to click on each item to see its details. There were reinforced hull struts. Warding runes to protect against magical corrosion. Magical sails. These weren’t the sort of prizes dungeon delvers bragged about in taverns, but they were perfect for the Horzion Talon and its mission.

  Kade ignored any item that was a sail, as the Horizon Talon had already received a magical sail as a reward. However, one particular item drew her attention. The name meant nothing, but the item's properties would be a game-changer.

  Keelheart Sigil

  Quality: Epic

  Enchantments: Aegis Forged, Salt-Stitch Weave

  Description: The Keelheart Core takes the form of a heavy bronze medallion, no wider than a dinner plate, and should be mounted directly into the ship’s keel housing just forward of the mainmast. Its surface is worked with layered nautical knotwork and low-profile runic channels.When the hull is under strain, the metal grows faintly warm to the touch.

  Reinforcement wards bound into the core distribute incoming force across the ship’s frame, stiffening bulkheads and deck plating at the moment of impact. Blows that would normally splinter wood or buckle supports are reduced by 10% and bled off through the keel.

  When the ship is no longer engaged in combat, the Keelheart shifts function. Salt-laced runes embedded in the medallion awaken, drawing ambient magic through the keel and into damaged sections of the hull. Cracks and warped planks ease back into alignment. The process is gradual, nearly invisible unless watched for hours at a time, but persistent in its effect.

  The hull will recover 1% integrity for every two hours outside of combat while under way. While docked, repairs accelerates to 1% integrity per hour.

  Kade didn’t blink as she read the description twice. They had enough tokens, with two left over. The damage reduction was a solid gain, but the real value was in the self-repair. After everything it had taken to get the Talon into dry dock last time, she knew keeping the ship intact wasn’t just a logistics problem. It was the weak point in their entire survival, and this looked like the first genuine answer they’d found.

  Two tokens remained. The others vanished into the machine like coins into a vending machine slot with a soft clunk.

  “You get us something flashy?” Myers asked behind her.

  “Not even close.”

  He stepped up beside her, peering over her shoulder with the curiosity of a man who’d stopped expecting good news but still wanted to know how the bad kind tasted.

  “Ship gear?” he said. “You’re fixing the boat instead of picking me up a shiny sword that bleeds poison every full moon or something?”

  “Fixing the ship so you don’t have to sleep in the lifeboat when we find another kraken,” she said.

  Myers snorted. “That's probably a good idea.”

  “We’ve been running on patched hull plates and borrowed time since the first." She said, "This was the only right choice until we can find long-term shipyard support."

  Ignoring the rest of his banter, she glanced past him toward the others. Stone had just finished binding Milo’s leg again. Mercer was checking the string of her crossbow while keeping an eye out for any surprise attacks. Lance still hadn’t stood. Briggs hovered near Levi’s body bag like a storm cloud looking for a place to land. Robin stood apart, arms crossed, her revolver already holstered, but her expression tight.

  No one spoke, but Robin’s silence was pointed. She hadn’t gotten the relic. She’d done the work and walked away empty-handed. Kade met her eyes for a moment. Robin didn’t look away. She just raised one eyebrow, as if she expected Kade to say something. Anything.

  Kade offered nothing.

  She hadn’t invited Robin. Or Colt. Or Levi.

  They’d shown up with their own stakes and their own orders. If they hadn’t gotten what they wanted, that was their own failing. This had never been their run.

  Briggs caught her eye and gave a quick nod. Approval, maybe. Or acknowledgment that the choice had been the right one, even if it wouldn’t earn her any new friends.

  The interface shimmered once more, then powered down.

  No one moved right away.

  “All right,” Kade said. “Let’s get Levi and head back to the ship. I think I've had enough of this place.”

  Briggs stepped forward without a word. So did Myers. Lance and Milo were in no shape to lift anything. Colt lingered near the crates and didn’t look over. He didn’t walk off, but he didn’t step in either.

  Stone closed the bag, folding the top down and pulling the handles from underneath the enclosure to get better leverage. Myers grunted as he lifted one end with Briggs taking the other. They didn’t rush it. No one may have liked Levi, but that didn't mean his body shouldn't be treated with respect.

  Halfway across the room, Robin broke the silence.

  “Most people don’t bother,” she said. “Getting a body out of a dungeon is a good way to get more bodies.”

  Kade kept walking.

  “He was a representative of the Restoration Council,” she said. “He came down here under my protection. That makes his death and body my responsibility.”

  Robin didn’t argue. Just made a small sound that might have been disagreement, or just the end of whatever thought she hadn’t said out loud.

  It didn’t need to escalate. The line had already been drawn.

  Kade took point. She didn’t bother checking for other doors. There was only one direction left to go, and that was up the long spiral staircase beyond the boss chamber. If the dungeon had bothered building a shortcut, she wasn’t about to argue with it.

  They climbed in silence.

  Even Robin kept her footsteps light, her boots tapping against the stone in a steady rhythm. Colt kept pace, jaw tight from pain, one hand dragging along the wall when the steps grew too narrow. Milo and Lance followed just behind Stone, who had dropped back again to keep an eye on both of them. No one asked how far they had to go.

  The answer came as a sliver of light at the top of the stairs.

  It was cold daylight. Natural and gray, with a hint of wind curling down the shaft.

  Kade reached the exit first.

  She stepped out into the open air and paused at the threshold to look up.

  The top of the lighthouse was exactly how it should be. The massive central lens had reset, rotating with a slow, steady motion, and the beam it cast wasn’t flickering anymore or a sickly green.

  The fog hadn’t vanished, but it had retreated. Enough to see the waves past the rocks. Enough to glimpse the distant shapes of the Portland ruins.

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  She heard Briggs step up behind her, the rustling of the body bag giving him away.

  “Well,” he said. “That’s quite the change.”

  Kade didn’t answer right away.

  Visibility wasn’t perfect, but it was better. Navigating the region would be possible again. Maybe not safe, but more manageable. Monsters would probably still be a problem, but hopefully not ghost ships or giant undead sharks.

  "Goes without saying, but I think it's clear that Admiral Nightglass was part of the world event," Kade said.

  She glanced back at the group.

  Stone stood just inside the doorway, eyes half-lidded, trying not to look too hard at the daylight. Myers stood at the other end of the body bay, looking out at the coastline with the exhausted alertness of someone who was used to spending extended time in the field. Mercer hadn’t stepped out yet. She was probably staying back far enough to intercept any last-minute acts of desperation by the two remaining representatives.

  Robin stared out at the sea, the grimace still fixed on her face, while Colt lingered near the wall, silent and unmoving for a moment before continuing. No one looked back at the lighthouse as they started down the path toward the docks, their pace steady more due to fatigue than urgency.

  The Horizon Talon sat tied to the dock with sails furled, guns out, and a crew on alert.

  Kade could see the tension on everyone on deck as they approached. As they drew closer, a pair of marines hailed the party, weapons half-raised. One lowered a spyglass, then gestured sharply toward the main deck. Within moments, the cannons began to rotate back to rest positions.

  By the time the group came to the boarding plank, a full security team was waiting to receive them. Chief Gunner’s Mate Maleko stood among them, one foot braced on the rail, arms folded across his chest.

  He wrinkled his nose.

  “You lot smell like stale water and rot,” he said. “Might want to hit the showers before the galley. I don’t need that stench sitting next to my roast.”

  Myers chuckled. “I think that’s your way of saying welcome back?”

  “I was going for polite,” Maleko said. “You should hear what I didn’t say.”

  They hauled themselves up the plank, one at a time. Kade helped steady Lance as he made the step over. She didn’t miss how Robin and Colt both vanished below deck without a single word to anyone.

  Myers and Briggs moved with the body bag. Stone, Mercer, and the marines followed close behind, trading quiet mutters about showers and food, but nothing louder than that.

  Lieutenant Bishop waited just past the boarding point. His uniform showed signs of slight dishevelment. He gave a small nod as Kade approached.

  “Welcome back, Lieutenant,” he said. “Ship’s still in one piece. Mostly.”

  Kade returned the nod. “Mission was a success,” she said. “But not without a casualty.”

  Bishop's gaze slid toward the marines carrying the body.

  “Given the absence of Mr. Lennox, I'm assuming that is him in the bag? Restoration Council will want to know what happened,” he said.

  “They’ll get the report,” Kade replied. “Along with a very clear record that all three factions made plays for the artifact. Levi got himself killed trying to grab it instead of listening to instructions.”

  She paused. Let that hang for a beat.

  “Keeping him safe was my responsibility. I accept that. But he made his choice.”

  Bishop didn’t press further. He just offered a head nod, as there was nothing really more to discuss on the subject.

  Kade glanced aft, toward the quarterdeck.

  “Keep command for now,” she said. “I need a few hours to reset. Anything to report before I go below deck for my own shower?”

  “Understood,” Bishop said. “We had a few minor encounters while you were down below. Drowned mostly. Nothing we couldn’t drive off. There was… something flying in the fog. Never got a clear look. Since the fog thinned, no further sightings.”

  Kade nodded. “Keep a watch on it anyway.”

  She turned toward Devin Cole who was lingering nearby. She dropped the Keelheart Core onto a nearby crate with a solid thunk.

  “I brought you back a gift,” she said. “Get this mounted into the keel housing. Forward of the mainmast, just like the spec says.”

  Devin leaned in, eyes narrowing. “Is this what I think it is?”

  “Epic tier. Hull reinforcement and passive repair when not in combat.”

  “Well, damn.” He reached for it immediately. “That’ll buy us breathing room.”

  “I also pulled loot from the dungeon. They’re yours to catalog.”

  Devin made a quick note in the ledger. “Briggs handed off a few items as well. Anything off-limits?”

  “The skill book,” Kade said. “Lock it in storage. Not eligible for prize share.”

  His pen scratched once, then twice. “Understood.”

  She turned to go, then paused in the doorway.

  “Get me a tally when you can get it.”

  “You’ll have it,” Devin said, already reaching for a velvet-lined case to store the artifact.

  Kade stepped back out onto the deck and scanned the horizon. The fog had thinned here too. A few tendrils still clung to the waterline, but the visibility was already leagues better than when they’d gone down.

  “Lieutenant Bishop,” she called. “Bring us around and set course for port. Best possible speed.”

  He echoed the order immediately. The ship stirred around her. Canvas unfurled. Lines snapped into motion. The Talon creaked and groaned as it came about.

  Kade crossed to the hatch and moved below deck, boots heavy, hands loose at her sides.

  Signal in the Dark

  Quest Completion! You've recovered the second half of the artifact and returned it safely to your ship. The dungeon held more secrets than expected and revealed unexpected threats. The forces of the undead are gathering strength, while other dark forces move in the shadows. Return to Portland and establish a safe zone with all due haste.

  Reward: Experience, 250 gold, and Admiral's Command.

  A quick glance at her character sheet showed that completing the quest had been enough to push her to the next level. However, what really drew her attention was the reward, Admiral's Command. It was a gorgeous silver-bladed cutlass with jet black handle and scabbard.

  Admiral's Command

  Quality: Epic

  Enchantments: Echo of Command, Ghostfire Surge

  Description: The silver blade holds a flawless edge, untouched by time or rot. The guard is jet-black iron, cold to the touch, inlaid with silver filigree in the pattern of kraken tentacles. When drawn, the ghostfire flickers briefly, casting pale reflections that dance a half-second out of sync.

  When activated, Ghostfire Surge ignites the cutlass with ghostfire for a brief duration. The flame applies the burn effect to any living creature struck by the weapon. Spectral or undead entities struck by the surge destabilize, their forms struggling to remain cohesive. With sustained contact, the blade can fracture even the dead.

  Echo of Command is a passive ability that allows nearby allies to resist fear effects.

  Kade didn’t want to give up her current cutlass. She’d tuned the balance, adjusted the grip, trusted it like a second limb. But Admiral’s Command was a clear upgrade with the passive fear resistance, reinforcing presence, and active ability.

  She took a steady breath, stored her old cutlass in the satchel, and equipped the new one, then opened the interface to review her skill notifications.

  The skill notifications rolled in a moment later.

  + 1 Sword Combat | Extensive hands-on experience demonstrates that cutting the problem in half remains efficient.

  +1 Pistol Combat | Practice makes perfect. Shooting things also helps.

  +2 Light Armor | Practice dodging death has upgraded your ability to survive bad decisions in lighter gear.

  +4 Leadership | You led through the cost, bore the failure, and kept the line from breaking. Others follow because you did not flinch.

  +2 Dirty Fighting | You’ve refined the noble art of kicking them while they’re down. And possibly on fire.

  The constant fighting over the past few weeks had pushed her skills faster than her level curve could keep up with. The simulation message tied to the leadership gain felt like a slap. Losing people came with the job. That didn’t make it easier, especially when it had been avoidable. Especially when it came down to political games that never should have touched her crew.

  Kade took a long, steadying breath, forcing the anger back down. Not just for the senseless death, but for the fact that the factions had gambled with her people to play their own angles.

  Level up! Congratulations, you are now level eleven. Go forth and defend the realms, mighty hunter. You receive one (1) stat point for Intelligence and may allocate one (1) additional stat point as desired.

  She allocated the point to Dexterity without hesitation. Even with her Deck Fighter ability helping her keep balance on unstable ground, more agility meant cleaner footwork, tighter pivots, and faster recoveries in close quarters. It wasn’t a flashy pick. It just made her harder to hit and quicker to strike, the kind of edge that kept people alive when the terrain turned against them.

  She opened her character sheet and scanned it out of habit, looking for anything unexpected. The numbers were where she expected them. No surprises. It wasn’t like the games her nephews used to play, where leveling came easy. Out here, everything was earned one grind at a time.

  For a moment, her mind drifted. She hadn’t thought about them in days. Her sister’s kids were always glued to a screen, talking about loot drops and rare bosses as if they were life and death. And now it actually was. She wondered if they were out there somewhere, if they had made it through the cataclysm. If they were still talking about games, or if the world had taken that from them too.

  Name: Sarah Kade

  Class: Corsair

  Level: 11

  Health: 360/360

  Mana: 240/240

  Stats

  Strength: 10

  Dexterity: 8

  Intelligence: 12

  Constitution: 8

  Charisma: 9 (10)

  Abilities

  Against the Tide

  Battlefield Assessment

  Blade Whirl

  Command Presence

  Deck Fighter

  Riposte of the Kraken

  Stormwall Stance

  Skills

  Amphibious Combat: 2

  Amphibious Movement: 2

  Dirty Fighting: 18

  Grenadier: 2

  Leadership: 27 (32)

  Light Armor: 14

  Ocean Craft: 10

  Ocean Navigation: 8

  Pistol Combat: 14

  Sailing: 8

  Ship Combat: 9

  Stealth: 1

  Sword Combat: 25

  Tactical Negotiation: 2

  Kade stripped out of her gear in silence as she entered the shower section of the head. The armor went first, followed by the sweat-soaked undershirt and blood-flecked greatcoat. The pieces hit the bench one by one, the smell of dungeon rot rising off them like steam. Her gloves were stiff with dried muck. One boot squelched when it hit the deck.

  The shower stall wasn’t much, just a metal frame with a freshwater pump and a drain in the corner of the marine locker room. But the water came hot, and for five full minutes she didn’t move, just let the grime swirl down the drain as the spray hit her shoulders.

  The last of the dungeon stench washed away, leaving only the sharp tang of soap and salt. Her skin stung where cuts were still healing, but it was the clean pain that came after survival.

  Kade shut off the water and leaned both hands against the wall for a moment, eyes closed.

  She toweled off quickly, redressed, and pulled her hair back into a tight knot. By the time she stepped out, the Horizon Talon was already cutting a clean line through the open sea.

  Portland waited.

  Hopefully, Voss had managed to keep the factions from killing each other in her absence. But hope was thin these days. Everyone wanted a piece of the pie. No one wanted to share the consequences.

  She’d seen what that greed looked like in the dungeon. It had a body bag and a nameplate.

  Someone’s going to make their big move soon since the play for the artifact failed. Just a question of who gets stabbed first.