Landing in the darkness of an alleyway near the port, Evelyn looked around to make sure the people she had just ran into, or anyone who looked like them, were following her or nearby. Once the coast was clear, she stepped out of the shadows and made her way back to the ship. Before stepping on, she looked out onto the ocean as the sun began to set. "I guess I have some time before having to meet up at the restaurant," she thought.
She steps onto the ship and sees a notification.
[Comrade Available]
[Comrade List]
[Darla Blume: Unlocked]
[Activate Darla Blume now?]
[Yes] [No]
"Oh great!" Evelyn thought as she made her way to her room below deck. "Goob must have got the shackles off. I should probably get changed before-"
"Oh finally! You're back!" Darla said sitting on Evelyn's bed. "Godric said you were out, and I could wait for you in your room. It's a lot cleaner than I had expected."
"I don't spend too much time in here and Godric?" Evelyn said as she walked up to her and gave her a huge hug. "It's nice to not have bars between us."
"I know right?" Darla said and then pulled away and said, "I've known your Captain longer than you have. He might be Captain Goober to you, but he'll always be Godric to me."
"But on a first name basis? I mean-"
"We've fucked," Darla quickly said.
Evelyn pursed her lips at the words and then said, "As the man who's technically my adopted dad… This conversation topic is officially over, and we will never speak about it again. Kapeesh?"
"Peesh-ka," Darla said. "So Godr-"
"You know what," Evelyn interrupted. "Goob. Just call him Goob. That's what I call him. Everyone else calls him Captain and due to the recent revelation, hearing his name is going to just-"
Putting her finger on Evelyn's lips, Darla said, "I'm sorry. Goob it is."
"Okay," Evelyn said. She looked at the sunset in the window and said, "So we have some time before we need to meet everyone at a restaurant tonight, so I have some things to discuss with you." Evelyn locked the door to her room and when she turned around, Darla was sitting on her bed like she had asked. Evelyn sat on the chair in her room with it slightly turned to her desk. She pull her coin satchel from her belt and laid it on the table and said, "Come on out Ember. We're home."
The satchel lit up and out jumped Ember who began to jump around in joy.
"Oh my Orc!" Darla said as her face lit up. "It's so cute!"
"I know right!" Evelyn laughed. "This is Ember. The spitfire embodiment of my skill Flame Body. So, pun intended, as I show you this, call it a warmup." Evelyn smiled as Darla had a confused look on her face. "System," Evelyn said. "Yes."
[Darla Blume's system activated]
In front of Darla's face, a screen popped up and next to Evelyn's, the same screen popped up.
"What is this?" Darla said as her eyes were wide with bewilderment.
"Welcome to my Siren System," Evelyn smiled. "The Siren Freya granted me this system when she transferred her powers to me."
"Freya? The Siren before you?" Darla asked.
"The original siren of fire. Or in the Siren tongue, Volgma." Evelyn added.
"So I need you to understand the system before we go out tonight. In front of you is your stat screen," Evelyn said.
[Name: Darla Blume]
[Age: 33]
[Level: 8]
[Current exp: 0/300]
[Species: Human - Powered]
[Power: Nature]
[Default Rank: First Mate]
[Title: Ex-Captain] [All Stats: +1]
[Stats:]
[Strength: 15] [+1]
[Vitality: 14] [+1] – [HP – 150]
[Defense: 16] [+1]
[Agility: 17] [+1]
[Magic: 20] [+1] – [MP – 420]
"Oh for fucks sake," Evelyn said reading over Darla's stats.
"Is there a problem?" She responded.
"No," Evelyn responded sourly. "I'm just a little jealous. You're level 8 and your base magic is 20? You're like a powerhouse considering the rest of your stats. I didn't reach most of the stats you're at until level 10."
"What level are you at now?" Darla asked.
"I'm level 11 but I had to upgrade my stats manually. Or at least that how we upgrade our power with the system," Evelyn answered. She looked back at the screen and was eyeing a peculiar line. She looked back at Darla who was slightly blushing. "You see it too?"
"First mate," Darla said shyly but with a smile.
Evelyn smiled and said, "You're really cute for someone in her 30's."
"Okay, I admit I'm small but still," Darla laughed.
Darla was indeed small considering she could see her now and no longer behind bars. Darla was only 5'2" tall but despite her size, a very powerful woman.
"And you're very beautiful too for your age," Evelyn added.
"Thank you," Darla blushed. "But is it really okay for my Captain to be flirting with me right now?"
Evelyn blushed, "Oh sorry. I was just pointing it out." As they both laughed, Evelyn looked out the window and said, "The sun is down. You hungry?"
"I was locked in a cell. Of course I am," Darla said.
"Then let's meet up with everyone!" Evelyn said unlocking the door to her room.
Walking into the restaurant named Rodney's Palace, Evelyn was filled with joy from the aroma of the food the moment she and Darla stepped through the door. "You smell that?"
"Neptune's beard," Darla sang. "I do."
"Evelyn! Darla! Over here!" Goob was yelling out to them from across the restaurant. They sifted their way through the busy tables and took a seat at the large table for the Crystaline Pirate crew (and Darla).
"Well I hope you all had a good day today," Goob smiled to them. "Cause we had a great auction for that sea beast!"
Laylee was still a little sour, "Well good for you."
Noticing Laylee's attitude, Goob said, "Oh dear. Are you mad about the list I left you? We'll be here for a week. You didn't have to go today."
Laylee moaned feeling a little at ease as she said, "Ugh. It's fine. At least I got it all done and don't have to worry about anything else for the rest of the week."
"Exactly!" Goob smiled.
"ExAcTlY," Laylee mocked.
Kanaka put his arm around Laylee and kissed her forehead and said, "Settle down babe. How about tomorrow we have a date on the town."
Blushing, Laylee said, "Oh okay."
A man in a dark red chef's uniform and three bus boys came over to the table with trays full of food and as they placed the food on the table said, "Only the best and the special for you Goob my man!"
"For those of you who weren't with us, this is Rodney! Owner of this fine establishment!" Kanaka introduced him. "And this redhead over here, is our crew's chef! Evelyn!"
Rodney took a look at Evelyn and said, "Well missy, a chef aye? How of about from one chef to another, I give you our new menu item a taste?"
Evelyn's eyes began to light up and she said, "Yes please!"
"Then I'll be right back!" Rodney said as he retreated into the kitchen.
Goob, Kanaka, and Wasabi were smirking and laughing.
"What's up with them?" Evelyn thought.
She looks over at Darla, who at this point is eight tacos down. Noticing Evelyn's stare she said, "What? I love Tacos?"
"I'm not affiliated with you!" Taco said as the whole table burst into laughter.
Rodney emerged from the kitchen with a large piping hot smoking smothered burrito with a blue sauce and cheese. Placing it in front of Evelyn, he said, "The new special on the house! A smothered sea serpent burrito with a sauce from the hottest pepper known to date. The blue and ripe pythagorean pepper!"
With the delicious looking dish in front of her, Evelyn now knew why the boys were laughing now. She looked up at them and Kanaka said, "Rodney here bought the best and most delicious cut of the sea beast! And you, Evelyn, sure deserve this!"
With tears in her eyes, Evelyn took up a fork and knife and dug in and devoured the dish and then slouched back in her chair and said, "Neptune bless you Chef Rodney!" And everyone cheered.
Evelyn was mostly smiling to the message in front of her.
[Mission: Try Serpent Grade Beast Food: Completed]
[Reward: Master Chef title upgrades to Master Chef+]
[Master Chef+: Add skill upgrades from Master Chef title are increased by +1]
[Secret Title unlocked: Yo-La-Lu's Master]
[Yo-La-Lu's Master perks:]
[Str: +5] [Agl: +5] [Def: +5]
[Title effect: HP falls below 25%, Strength, Agility, and Defense is doubled.]
Evelyn immediately equipped the title once she saw the perks.
[Stats:]
[Strength: 20] [+5]
[Vitality: 20] – [HP – 200]
[Defense: 17] [+5]
[Agility: 19] [+5]
[Magic: 22] – [MP - 440]
The rest of the night the Crystaline pirates celebrated a successful haul of selling off the meat and materials of the sea beast until the late hours of the night. They all made their way back to the ship once they had their fill to eat and drink. Getting ready to turn in for the night, Jackson put his arm around Evelyn and whispered in her ear, "Care to join me tonight my love?"
Although she wanted to, Evelyn replied, "Unfortunately, not tonight."
"Babysitting?" He said assuming Evelyn needs to watch Darla.
Smiling, Evelyn said, "Don't be like that."
"Later?" He said.
As Evelyn and Darla arrived at Evelyn's door, Evelyn said, "Later."
"You love that boy, don't you?" Darla said sitting in the chair in Evelyn room watching Ember bounce around.
Smiling, Evelyn replied. "Yeah." She then walked over to a cabinet in her room and pulled out what looked like a few blankets and a spare pillow and laid it out next to her bed on the floor. "There, that should be comfortable for you."
"I'm bunking with you?" Darla said excitedly.
Evelyn was undressing when she noticed Darla was staring at her, "Yeah. How do you sleep?"
"Not like that," Darla said pointing at Evelyn's underwear.
Rolling her eyes, Evelyn got into a nightgown and said, "I wasn't done to getting dressed for bed."
Darla laughed and said, "Well do you have another?"
They both got ready for bed and laid down and Evelyn asked, "Are you ready to start working on your system tomorrow?"
"Oh yeah. What are we going to do?" Darla asked.
Letting out a slight giggle, Evelyn replied, "We're going to go after a dragon."
"WHAT!" Darla shouted, sitting up and looking at her. But Evelyn was already sound asleep. She laid back down and said to herself, "A dragon? Is there really a dragon here?" And Darla's first notification showed in front of her.
[Mission: Accompany the Volgma siren on her Dragon quest]
[Reward: 2 assignable stat points, 50 exp, coin]