Fantastic Beasts of Records: Lecherous Prince Of The Sea

"They are all dead". I expressed. But the liveliness in my voice died down the moment I finished talking.

It took a moment for him to process my words, and when he did…. "Captain.." His voice croaked. His eyes widened in disbelief and his expression… his expression was laced with doubt.

I repeated, "They are dead". My expression remained emotionless because I didn't trust my body to openly display what I deeply felt. "We were ambushed by the magical beast responsible for the frozen moonlight ice. I... I would have saved them, but the distance between us before the attack made my attempts impossible".

"Did.. y..ou…. Did you con..firm their deaths?" Mad John asked. He spoke as though there was a huge lump that blocked his throat.

I shook my head rigidly. 'No... there was no time".

Mad John slowly digested the information before he seemed to think it over with a much more inexplicable mixture of emotions -shock, disbelief and dread on his face.

He replied. "That's... that's impossible." His voice was visibly unstable as he walked towards me and tightly grasped my shoulder with his hands. "Captain, that isn't true, right?".

Sigh! If this keeps on, I have no idea how the conversation will end up or what Mad John will do next! Still, I needed to apply some amount of emotional intelligence since I can't have people willing to protect my back if I cannot show them that their well-being is important to me.

As my thoughts raced, Mad John released his grip from my shoulders and began to mumble under his breath. His expression became fierce as a calculative gaze took over his eyes.

Even without context, I could already contemplate the things that he was currently running through his head.

I proceeded to sigh heavily before I stretched my right hand forward and grabbed his shoulder. "It's not your fault, so don't think too deeply about it".

The moment my words fell, he snapped his head towards me and narrowed his eyes at me.

"It's my fault" I admitted.

He nodded.

You know that this is the part where you disagree with me and try to assure me that this isn't my fault?

But, even though I was petty, I wasn't that petty to hold it against him.

Reassuring him, I continued. "But even if they died in such a way, doesn't that mean that we should hold a proper burial for them".

His eyes widened. He opened his mouth to speak, but soon after, he swallowed back his words and fell silent, unable to utter a word.

I knew that slaves, or sea slaves in particular, didn't get proper burials and merely had their bodies thrown into the sea once they reached the end of their subscription limit on life, or if they got infected by some kind of incurable disease. So, I figured that this might be the best action that I could take.

Moreover--

"B---"

"Yes" Even before he could open his mouth and attempt to speak, I interrupted him "We will head back to the Vrymath Kingdom and retrieve their bodies before we sail back into the sea and give them a proper pirate burial".

I also wanted to find the whereabouts of Nina. If she had died, then I would have no other choice but to lay her body to rest. But even with our connection, it was hard to tell if she was still alive or barely on her last breath. Just like Bones, I couldn't be sure what her current condition was without seeing her.

I didn't forget to add. "And also, while we secure their bodies, we will also use the opportunity to find the beast that had attacked us, and use its body as an offering to our fallen crewmen".

His composure grew, and I watched as he gulped down the lump in his throat and spoke with a much clearer tone. '...Cap..tain... are you alright?'"

For heaven's sake, pick a side, and stay there.

My eyes twitched. It was hard for me to control it.

"Why are you asking?" I posed a question to him.

He remained silent for a moment. He cleared his throat and faked a cough a few times before he responded. "Captain, although I am saddened by the death of my fellow crewmen, I am also happy that you are willing to retrieve their bodies and offer them a proper burial. However, if the beast that attacked you and caused all this mess was the same one responsible for the Moonlight's ice phenomenon, then I think it would be absolutely foolish to go after it". He shook his head the moment his words ended.

"Are you doubting me, Mad John?"

He shook his head. "I do not doubt your power and abilities, Captain, and neither do I doubt the conviction behind your words. However, I fear for the aftermath of such a decision".

A stiff, chuckling sound entered my ears, and I shifted my side to the side of the bed to see grandpa pokemon rolled over on the bed, trying to hold in his laughter.

I inwardly grimaced. No matter how seriously I tried to take this topic and ensure that I completed it, it was becoming increasingly hard for me not to take it personally.

My eyes shifted once more to Ag'na, who gazed at me with a sly expression. His voice echoed in my ears. 'Give it up. Words alone are meaningless against a being of might and power. You may be the destiny changer, but you can't change the fact that your destiny and life will come to an end the moment you decide to go toe to toe with my main body.

He was bragging. I could tell that he was bragging. A pokemon is bragging against me.

Ag'na continued. "And in case you were never told, as a revered beast, the only one capable of taking my life is either another of my kind or my successor.' His eyes shifted towards Bones, who quietly observed our conversation with a curious gaze.

My eyebrows furrowed.

"I am not backing down, Mad John".

Yes, I was petty enough to take this personally.

A deep sigh escaped from the middle-aged man's lips. "You are being as brash and stubborn as always, Captain. I can assure you that although we will be forever saddened by their deaths, we will also be forever grateful that you managed to secure their bodies and give them a befitting burial". Sadness reluctantly took over his eyes. 'Believe it or not, Captain, but not every sea slave gets to be given such an opportunity".

"Ahem!" Annabelle suddenly interjected. " Captain, although this concerns me less since I haven't had the chance to properly meet my fellow crew members. But, Sir Mad John is right. Although we managed to escape from the Bramoth the first time, it was all because your tamed beast..." She focused her attention on Bones before reluctantly withdrawing it back "… had managed to temporarily cripple the beast and give us enough time to escape".

"You too" I said, as I shifted my attention towards Annabelle, who was finally voicing her own thoughts on the matter.

With a slow, deliberate nod of her head, she replied, "Yes. I believe it would be unwise for you, or any of us for that matter, to cross paths with that beast again. Unless, of course, you're planning to commit suicide, captain".

The chuckle in the background grew into a burst of full-blown irritating laughter.

I ignored it, though mentally, I gave Annabelle a round of applause for not making me doubt whether she was a spy or not. However, I had already made up my mind.

Mad John reluctantly saw this and nodded his head in understanding. "Very well, Captain" He said. "I admire and respect your decision".

Meanwhile, Annabelle shook her head in utter disappointment.

In addition, Ag'na's voice penetrated my ears, "Your stubbornness will lead to your death, human. I assure you that you are going to die. No one--"

Regardless, I tuned out his ceaseless warnings.

Before focusing more on how to deal with Ag'na's main body, I directed my attention to other pressing matters. I asked. "Where are the women who arrived with me?".

Mad John looked at me suspiciously, and a deep frown suddenly appeared on his face.

What now?…. Don't tell me that there is another problem that I need to deal with!

"Queen Edna is currently with her husband" However, Annabelle was quick to give to me a response.

My eyebrows quirked upwards in surprise.

So she decided not to keep her identity a secret. Well, since I decided to bring Vanessa along, I can understand her decision to reveal her identity and--

Wait a minute!

My face froze. My thoughts came to a halt. My gaze shifted towards Annabelle, and all of my attention was focused on her.

I questioned. "What did you say?" My ears attentively listened as I did my best not to miss a single word that came out of her mouth.