GLIT got up slowly and almost staggered back to the ground, but Ash was there to help her. The boy glanced at her with all the concern his face could muster. "Are you okay?" he asked, looking into her eyes. For a moment, she was at a loss for words. They paused, staring at each other and communicating a thousand emotions silently.
"I'm alright," Glit answered at last, shaking herself free from his grip. "Thank you." He nodded, and they both turned to Felis, who had gathered enough strength to stand.
"What do you mean I am a Cryptid?" Glit asked, her brows furrowed.
"I mean you are a Cryptid. What other meaning is that supposed to have?" Felis replied, clear and direct.
Glit was dumbfounded by his reply and nonchalant attitude; he didn't even seem to care about the weight of his words. She wanted to scream at him, to say something, but she had no idea what to say.
"How do you even know?" Ash interjected. "Cryptids are supposed to have abilities beyond explanation. Neither I nor Glit possess that kind of…" he began, but Felis seemed fed up with their incessant questions.
"You are a Cryptid!" he yelled. "There is nothing you or I can do about it. That is what you are, and from today, I need to start preparing you for the worst to come," he trailed off, scrutinizing both of them with his gaze. It scared Glit a little, and she stepped back. Felis wasn't surprised; he knew how intimidating he looked when he was serious, and the scar above his right eye didn't help.
"Look, kids. I know this is a shock, but you can't change what you are. Starting from today, things might get a little rough. That assassin," he pointed to the unconscious body of the once-invisible man, "he is just the first of many. A lot of people will begin to seek you out now, and I can't protect you as much as you can protect yourselves," he sighed.
"Protect us from what? Why are we suddenly a target?" Ash's head was boiling with questions, and Glit could see him physically writhing in discomfort. "We've been on this ship for years. This is my third year here, and now someone's coming to kill us? How do they suddenly know who we are?" He let out his anger and confusion in one go.
Felis gazed at him. "When Glit found the Asterisks, many in my crew were surprised. Some were spies hiding under our noses, and that's how they knew she was a Cryptid," he nodded.
"That doesn't make sense; your boys have been finding Sigils longer than we've been on the ship," Glit countered.
"Yes, but not Asterisks. The Asterisk Sigil only appears to Cryptids; no human would even be able to perceive it. The Asterisk is one of the two Arcane Sigils and is very diabolical in nature," Felis explained.
Glit's eyes widened in realization. She remembered when she'd found the Sigil and One-Eyed Rowan had brought it out of the ocean in a jubilant mood. Felis hadn't been so happy. She didn't understand why at the time; she thought maybe it was jealousy, but now she realized their captain was a better man than that.
"What are we going to do now?" Glit asked in a shaky whisper, her face contorted with fear.
Felis smiled. "I am working on that, but first, I need Mute and Kay here. You are all in the same boat," he said. He opened his mouth to say something else, but the door clicked open, and One-Eyed Rowan walked in.
Glit glanced up and smiled at the vice-captain of the crew. One-Eyed Rowan was a tall and lanky man with an exceptionally scary look. Besides the fact that he'd lost one eye, he had dreadlocks and a pirate scarf tied around his forehead. This style made him look like a pirate from one of those big ships that could scare even the God King in his sleep.
"Heyo Glit, what's up in this room? Did the kids do somethin' wrong?" Rowan asked in his birdlike tone.
"No," Felis said, stepping aside so Rowan could see the body tied to the post.
"What the hell is that, Cap?" Rowan asked, walking forward and staring at the unconscious body. "Is he a Cryptid?"
"Yes," Felis replied.
"Cap'n, I think we might have to vacate this ship then," Rowan said with a dreaded sigh. This was the first time Glit had seen Rowan this serious; he was usually always joking around.
"Why would you say that?" Felis inquired.
"This assassin is one of them Marines," Rowan said, pulling off the mask from the face of the invisible man and throwing it to the captain.
"Well, maybe we can try to evade the Marines for now?" Felis proposed.
"We can't. That's why I came below deck. The Navarch is here to see us," Rowan stood up and checked the two guns safely tucked in the holsters hanging on both sides of his pants.
"Let's go see the Navarch," Felis exhaled and signaled everyone to follow him.
Glit and Ash were completely confused about what was happening, but there wasn't much they could do, so they just followed their captain. They hadn't reached the top deck when they heard a loud trumpet blast from the sea.
They were all already used to this sound; it was the Navarch's trumpet, and as expected, the ship's announcer began. "By the order of the Leviathan, our God and King, I hereby announce the arrival of Helios Charlemagne, Navarch of the seas. Prepare to accept the subject of the God King himself!" the announcer declared.
Glit and the others pushed the door open to face the arrival of the most powerful person on the waters and a significant customer of Felis and his Cryptological potions. The sailors began to lower the boat's bridge as the Navarch's ship connected their own bridge to it allowing for free traversing between the two boats