The goddess had an athletic, slim, yet ample body with a curvaceous grace that had to be optimized for aesthetic pleasure with an algorithm that only the divine could understand. Her skin could only be described as mother of pearl, iridescent, and translucent. Her long, flowing locks were of a silvery or platinum color, it was hard to say which as her position (floating in the middle of a strange aura of light that had appeared from the fog) made everything change color at certain intervals. Her eyes were of the deepest ocean blue Bastian had ever seen, even if he counted the ocean itself. She was wearing a diamond crown and lots of opulent jewelry, but her appearance was still friendly and lovely.
Bastian knew in an instant that the only dream of a human being was to kiss the feet of such a sublime being, and that the goddess appeared as the one thing people wanted the most.
Apparently, the deepest desire Bastian Black had was just a divinely beautiful and friendly woman in a position of power, which was rather wholesome if he stopped to think about it. However, all he could think of was her face and body.
"Goddess, I apologize," he blurted out.
"No need to. You are worried about your ship, hm? About the possible existence of a traitor?"
"Yes," Bastian said slowly. He had ruled out Amanda and Sammy, but he knew that something was going on. However, if the majority of the women had been on the wrong side, he would have been dead already. He could say for a certainty that the supporters of Gorgo were the minority, if there were more than one, and that they or she could not act out in the open. Therefore, he was feeling less nauseous about it than he would have if the tables had turned.
"I know Amanda isn't that person, and Sammy isn't the traitor, either, but I do not know enough to make any accusations," he continued.
"I can help you with this one thing," the goddess said. Her voice sounded like the jingle of thousands of gentle little bells.
"You must remember what I say: there is no traitor. But Roy Gorgo can exert his influence wherever his magical symbols are drawn. Do you understand?"
"Someone has drawn his symbols?"
"One of them has a tattoo on her skin. That is how the magic of your enemy can act on your ship, poison your animals and cause misfortune, even without a traitor amidst you. It is much like him being present as a ghost. You need to talk to the girl who has mistakenly taken the symbol on her skin and make her get rid of it entirely. Or cover it with new ink."
Bastian was pretty much sure that he didn't want to partially skin anyone, so he figured he would pick the second option.
"Who is she?" he asked.
"Sharona."
He had expected Lia, to be honest, but he also had not seen any tattoos on her, so maybe he should not have been so surprised. Wilda had a tattoo, too, but it wasn't a symbol, and Wilda was a redhead - the face Bastian had seen in the scrying mirror had been framed with dark hair. It could have been Roy Gorgo himself, but Bastian trusted the goddess in any case. Nothing about her embodied the trickster archetype.
He was certain that she had his best interests in mind.
"Sharona made a mistake that she barely remembers. Her tattoo is a portal, and through the tattoo, Captain Roy Gorgo can influence your life. You need to talk with Sharona."
And then the goddess smiled, with such benevolence and love that Bastian could drink from it like from a fountain. He felt the overpowering affection of the goddess as she whispered what he had to do.
"You need to get her naked, you need to earn her trust so that you can see the tattoo with your own eyes and talk to her about replacing it with something. I assume you are not willing to rip her skin off."
"No, I am not," Bastian chuckled. The idea about inking a different symbol on top of it was much better. Less violent. Even though Bastian personally felt that women were hotter with no tattoos.
"You are doing so well," the goddess said. Apparently the gist of it all had already been discussed, and now she was trying to validate him.
Perhaps he would be able to sleep with her one day if he could please her in other ways first.
"You are a benevolent leader, a good captain. Although you have shed blood, and you have become a horrible person in the eyes of ordinary sailors, you are also the whole world to your subordinates. You have treated them with respect and love. Although you are a pirate, Bastian Black, you are a good man as well. I am proud of you."
She knelt on the waves, levitating just a bit over the surface of the deep blue water that reflected her luminous eyes, and pressed her lips on his forehead. The feeling he got from the kiss was an electrifying surge of power, a shower of love that swept him into an instant state of trance. He wanted to kneel in front of her and swear his loyalty. He wanted her to kneel in front of him, too, so that he could see what she was like under her flowing clothes. His eyes were burning from the effort he was putting into not crying like a total wimp, but the love she had for him was just that strong.
And she was hot, hotter than anyone he had ever met.
"How can I find you again?" he asked as she stood up again, breaking the contact.
"I will find you instead," the goddess said. "Don't bother yourself with prayers to me, or sacrifices, because I know your devotion to my charm before you even think about me. You are free to read about me, though."
She vanished into the fog with a cheery burst of laughter and he woke up, thinking about how firm she had to be when touched.