Descend Here

Mad?

Admiral of Stars Cattleya was closest to the door. She rose at once, looked past the tall Giant Shark Yorg, and peered outside.

Clamor, curses, and shouts reached her ears. Everywhere she looked, people were running, as though pirates driven mad after a revel were chasing and brawling with one another.

Was that the madness he meant?

Cattleya frowned.

The other Pirate Admirals also left their seats. Giant Shark's captain, Vice Admiral Deep Sea Hall Constantine, who resembled a hybrid sea monster, reached the door first. He pushed past his subordinate and strode out. Cattleya and the others followed, unwilling to risk a confrontation in the cramped room.

The docks outside the two-story building were in chaos. What Cattleya saw was not the drunken fighting so common here, but something far bloodier, more violent, and uglier.

Several warehouses used to store ale, dried fish, and bread were ablaze in the distance. Smoke billowed into the clouds, staining the already overcast sky black. On the ground, countless pirates had drawn their blades or were using their Beyonder Abilities to slaughter one another without a shred of reason. The shouts and clamor came from their fighting.

From time to time, a blood-soaked Beyonder would lose control under the strain of injury and madness. Scales or fur sprouted from their body, and they attacked every living thing nearby in a frenzy.

Even more ordinary pirates lay rotting and bleeding from their mouths and noses. Some collapsed on the docks; others fell straight into the sea. An unknown attack had already claimed their lives.

A deadly disease? A curse that drove people mad? Or a deeper form of corruption?

Several possibilities flashed through Cattleya's mind. She reached to remove her glasses and gather more information with Eyes of Mystery Prying, but ultimately stopped