Riv smiled and hefted his club. He took his job seriously and didn't seem to subscribe to a philosophy that allowed for much delay. With a blaze of golden glory brighter than any Marco had seen before from any source at all, he lit up the entire cave for a split second as he swung his club at a big slab of rock jutting out of the cave floor.

Just like that, there was no big slab of rock anymore. Riv himself was blasted backwards as the rock broke into hundreds of chunks and chips, flying forward in a cone of geology so quickly it filled the air with deafening whistling. It was so loud overall that Marco barely heard the screech and thump that followed.

"What in the frozen hells was that, Riv?" Elisa asked. "How did you do that?"

"I burned 70% of my strength," Riv answered back. "I was pretty strong for that second. Do you think we got it?"

"Only one way to find out," Marco said. "Can you walk?"

"Sure." Riv stood up without much trouble at all. "Just don't expect me to do any fighting. Let's go find the bastard."

They crept forward through the dark, moving the circle of light cast by Elisa's hands closer and closer to the edge of the room. Riv's blast had been in pretty much one direction, which simplified the search.

"When I find that thing, I'm going to destroy it," Marco said. "I'm so mad at it. I hardly knew I could be this mad. I need to vent on the thing."

"Somehow I think you’re going to have to learn to live with that anger and vent it out another day," Aethe said. "Look."

She was right. There really wasn't much left of it to vent on. One of the wings was off the bat completely, while the rest of it was so riddled with rock it was more granite than animal at this point. Just as they found it, it breathed its last.

"Not that strong after all," Elisa said. "You were right, Aethe. We just had to hit it."

—

They looked down the last stone corridor together, creeping carefully just in case there was another one of the bats. If there was, the plan was just to run. There was only so much battling they could handle, and as the Slicing Dark hadn't fed Marco any new powers for the ship, there was no real reason to keep grinding them. The experience wasn't even that good.

The treasure, such as it was, was a bit different.

"So that's good, right?" Marco asked.

"It's good in the way that things are better than you can understand often are. But it's not huge." Elisa tipped the wood up from the ground and took a closer look at it. "It's not very big. We couldn't armor the ship with it or make a mast."

"We could just put it into the mix and hope it's good enough to trigger a whole-ship upgrade," Riv offered. “But that seems unlikely. We just upgraded a while back and haven't really done anything with the ship since then. I was talking with the builders and they didn’t think that the ship needed much for a while.”

Marco tried to think of places a piece of wood about the size of a sleeping mat could help them, but it was difficult. He kept trying anyways. When it finally came to him, he knew the delay was built around the fact that this was one of the parts of the ship he rarely saw.

"The rudder," Marco said. "I bet this would be a great rudder."

He thumped it with his fist a few times and circled the piece. It really was a good material. It weighed very little compared to what it looked like it should weigh.

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"Yup. That's what we'll do." Marco handed the wood off to Riv, who tucked it under his arm. "Let's get back, now. I think we can agree there's nothing out here to find. However Quill has it hidden, it's not something we are going to find by hiking. That’s good to know."

—

Getting back to town wasn't that hard. The team split up once they did, with Riv and Elisa heading back to the ship to check on things and feed the chickens while Aethe and Marco went to find their one best vendor friend for advice.

"Wow," Chenchen said. "I can't even assess this."

"Really?" Marco said. "I thought you were probably higher level than us."

"I am, but I'm also not a crafter. This is an odd material, but whatever it is, it's pretty good. What did you say you wanted to do with this?"

"I want it as a rudder."

"That makes sense. It's probably your best bet unless some shipwright tells you different. Where do I fit in?" Chencehn asked.

"I want you to get us a shipwright we can afford. Someone who can work with this."

"Afford? Hah," she said. "Just leave it to me. You'll be here until tomorrow, at least?"

"At least."

"I'll take care of it. Don't worry. The guy I'm thinking of won't charge. He's… let's just say he doesn't worry about money much. Something like this material is pay enough for him."

"We appreciate it." Marco hesitated for a moment, then. He had things to say and questions maybe only this woman could answer, but trust was an expensive thing. He decided if he was going to take a shot, it might as well be here. "Can I ask you some questions? They are going to be probing."

Chenchen raised her eyebrows.

"Odd way to start up that kind of conversation, but I suppose I appreciate the honesty."

“I'm just wondering. You mentioned that most of the people here are washed up, that their careers are over, or else they are retired. And you said it was seeing the elephant and all.” Marco paused. This next part was important and he had to handle it delicately before he annoyed their only friend on the island. He wished that Elisa was there in that moment, before deciding to take the plunge himself. “I know that happens. But I'm just wondering if it could be more than that. Do you think that some people stayed without seeing the elephant.”

"Phew. That’s a big topic. I mean, it could be," the woman said. "I don't think it is, obviously, or I wouldn't have said what I said. What has you doubting it?"

"It's just, where I grew up, say." Marco drew a little island shape with his hands, in the air. "It was a little island called Gulf Isle. Most of the people there didn't adventure, either, but most of them weren't adventurers in the first place."

"I've seen places like that. You have to have bakers and farmers and things," Chenchen said.

"Right. Gulf Isle was a place for those kinds of people. It was perfect for them, in fact.” Marco lit up with a small smile as he remembered his life before getting a class. It was funny how he had wanted nothing better than to leave the small island when he was growing up. Now that he couldn’t go back? He wished he had spent a bit more time there. “But even there, where most people weren't the type to go out into danger, you still had people who did. Captains and Explorers and combat specialists. I know, I used to follow those guys around asking questions about what it was like."

"And your point is?"

"It's not like that here. Besides some people Quill sent out, I don't think I've seen a single ship move from its place on the docks. It makes sense for some people to retire, but everyone? I only know of one person who encountered this island and really left, and it was us. We had only been here a day."

“I haven't thought about it like that. There are people who come in and out, of course,” Chenchen answered with a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"But anyone who stays longer than a certain amount of time. Say a week. Do they ever leave?" Marco pressed.

Chenchen was silent for what felt like far too long to be thinking. Just when Marco started getting a little bit nervous, she spoke again. “Not really. But people only stay a week if they are tired. Even Quill. He doesn't leave the island much. Not really. He was the first person to settle here. He built that mansion and never went to sea again.”

"Yeah."

Marco kept it to himself, but of all the things he could see himself trying to imagine, Quill being a person who had seen the elephant and chickened out from further adventuring was among those he was least likely to accept. The man wasn't shaken or afraid. He just had something better here than the sea could give him. He was playing a different game, whatever it was.

"I guess that makes sense," Marco lied. "Thanks for answering. I really appreciate it. One last question, I guess, and it's easier. How does the town stay in such good condition? I really can't find anything that's wrong with it at all. It's so bright."

The woman smiled. “Isn't it? It's just hard work, I guess. I suppose I'd still live here if it wasn't like that. It's definitely a bonus that it is, though.”

“Is there anyone with a class like that? Someone who can polish things up or just generally fix things that are broken.”

Chenchen’s smile reversed, and she took a few more seconds to respond again. “No, not that I can think of. Leave the wood here, I’ll get it onto your ship soon. It should help in whatever you’re trying to do next.”

“Got it, thanks,” Marco said quickly. “Really helpful. I’ll come visit again as soon as I can.”

Marco left the fragment of wood with her, with promises to come check on the ship the next morning. On the way back, he met the rest of the crew. Aethe was oddly silent up until the others were there, then took the lead.

"She can't imagine anyone is here for any reason except that they want to be," Aethe said. "And she really believes that."

"And she only sees the illusion," Marco said. "I doubt she's the strongest here, but she's strong. More than strong enough to fight us as a group, I think. She doesn't see through it at all. That’s bad."