“I can’t be here.” Deacon said throwing some road bread from his bag at Tantus.

“Where are you going? Just give her a minute to reset.” Tantus pleaded.

“I’m going to search the ship. I’ll meet everyone back here.” Deacon said as he began to sink through the deck to drop down to the second floor. He landed with a thud after becoming corporeal again. Looking around to find ropes, barrels, various pulleys for rigging as well as a door leading out to the main deck. He assumed he was on the poop deck. If this ship was designed like his old history books, below this would be the quarter deck that had the captains cabin in it. That would be the best place for him to find the map.

“Ice in my veins. Ice in my veins!” Deacon yelled trying to convert his source of power back to the Nether Plane. It wasn’t working. Maybe because his emotional state was all over the place or that twinge, he felt when converting to the Perpetual Plane was preventing it. He didn’t know. Deciding he needed to calm down,

Deacon sat and tried to meditate. He focused his breathing instilling a sense of calm. His perception entered his mind space, but something was wrong. It all looked like old broadcast tv static. The celestial bodies that represented the hells he has access to where nowhere to be found. The static filled all the space. Deacon stood up in his mind and turned in place. Just then a hand made of the static reached out for him jarring him from his meditation. He felt a click or popping inside him and could feel the touch of the Nether Plane again.

“What the hell was that?” he asked himself. Looking around this deck he could see various items floating about. Deacon knew instinctively he wasn’t doing it. He pushed some aura out around him revealing two fully formed spirits lifting items with a menacing posture. It was almost comical.

“What are you doing? I can see you two.” Deacon said.

“You can see us?!” One of the spirits said with a surprised look on his face.

“Yes, you have a ghostly sword on your hip, and you are slowly waving a small barrel over your head getting ready to brain me with it. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just consume you both right now?” Deacon asked.

“Consume us you say? What kind of monster you be thinking you are?” Asked the other sailor incredulously. Deacon started to focus on his breathing drawing both spirits closer with sharp tugs. They instantly dropped what they were holding and drew their weapons. To Deacons surprise they weren’t immediately consumed using his technique. He began to think Zageracks was right that he needed to train that up some more. The first spirit that spoke lunged with the sword and Deacon batted his hand away getting another shocked look from the pirate ghost.

“How did ye do that? I’m a spirit and your flesh and blood.” Pirate ghost one said.

“I have powers that lets me deal with the likes of you. Now get in my belly.” Deacon said knowing full well the pirates wouldn’t get it, but he was low on soul energy after what happened.

“I’ll run him through for you, Quartermaster Tibits.” Said the other spirit who received Deacons left heel in his chest. Shocked to see the kick made solid purchase and sent him flying back out of the poop deck.

“Now stop that! We’re trying to add to the crew, and you can’t walk around here all alive. Flaunting your fleshy bits in everyone’s face. Give up your mortal coil so we can escape these blasted isles.” Said the Quartermaster as he pulled his flintlock and fired. Deacon used Spectral Dash to get around behind him. Once he was there, he noticed one of his phantoms from the dash effect laying on the ground with a bullet wound. As shocking as that was the other pirate reached up from the floor to grab at his ankles. Moving on instinct, Deacon grabbed the shoulders of the Quartermaster in both hands and jumped back. The goal was to slam the back of the ghost into the grasping hands of the other one. It went wrong when both he and quartermaster slipped down to the deck below. Deacon immediately went intangible to follow. Dropping down to a larger area where the two ghost pirates were conversing over what to do next.

“I don’t know what it is! But he can touch us. Maybe he can help the captain.” Said the Quartermaster.

“You want to send a monster after the captain? That’s mutiny.” Offered the other pirate.

“Come off it. It ceased being mutiny once the captain let us starve to death on this ship while the rest of the crew went treasure hunting.” Replied the Quartermaster.

“Why don’t you tell me what’s going on here before someone gets hurt? Or whatever your equivalent is.” Deacon said.

“Did he just ghost through the ceiling?” asked the younger pirate.

“Aye, that he did. By the ten hells, he’s relentless.” Spat the Quartermaster.

“Calm down. I’m just looking for the captains map. Maybe we can make a trade of some kind.” Deacon pleaded if only to end the bad pirate schtick.

“The map, ye say. The map is in the captains quarters. Captains gone mad on account of losing his whole crew to the demi-god bitch out there and being trapped in this nightmare for hundreds of years. Our last orders were to raise a crew so we could sail out of here. You asking us to disobey captains orders on his own ship?” Asked the Quartermaster.

“You’re both dead and trapped in a holy prison. You’ve served longer than any captain could hope for.” Deacon replied.

“Your words be true, but the captain was a good man. He was deserving of respect before going mad. You seem like a capable lad. Do you think you could help him move on?” Asked Tibits. Deacon flinched at the flashing notification in his vision before it opened on its own.

New Quest- Captain Man Cave Man- Bring Captain “Black Powder” Pete back to his senses. Grant him and his crew their long-awaited eternal rest. Rewards; Variable depending on performance.

“Son of a bitch.” Deacon said pacing back and forth.

“So you’ll do it? Captain hasn’t left his quarters for such a long time.” Tibits added.

“Ok let me talk to my party. I can’t believe there was a third quest hiding under the last two. Wait here I’ll be back.” Deacon muttered as he went out toward the main deck ignoring the locked door and just slipping through it. He was not looking forward to going back and talking to them. There hasn’t been enough time since he stepped away. As he climbed the stairs, he noticed there were strange glowing mushrooms over any wood exposed to the air. He’d have to ask Tantus what they were. At the top of the stairs he found his party tossing large mushroom caps over the side of the ship. He looked over the railing to see the undead scatter anywhere the caps fell.

“What’s with the mushrooms?” He asked.

“Yes, yes it works! Oh good Deacon, we figured out why the hull isn’t swarming with undead. These mushrooms are filled with life energy that just repels them. I wouldn’t eat them though. Look over there.” Tantus said like a giddy child.

Deacon looked where he was directed to see several of the Sharkskin Tribesman laying on the beach. While Deacon was interested in why the zombies didn’t bother them, the longer he looked the worse the scene became. Several of them were bleeding from the nose and others had huge bulbus pustules growing all over their bodies. Periodically one would burst flinging spores into the air while the host just fell over dead.

“Disgusting.” Deacon said.

“Oh yea its bad. It seems whatever eats the mushrooms becomes a spawning chamber. Insidious design.” Ralph said standing next to a silent Amanda.

“So I ran into to some ghost pirates. You know what I’ll just share the quest info through the party.” Deacon said trying to keep his presence as minimal as possible. At the same time he lifted a mushroom cap and flung it into his bag with Polterheist.

“Crazy gnomish creator of an alchemical nightmare locked in his room? He’s going to use that black powder on us, isn’t he?” Ralph asked.

“I’m pretty sure he created all these mushrooms as well. What a genius.” Tantus said.

“Well I think we should all go talk to Quartermaster Tibits. He may be able to give us some insight into how to calm him down.” Deacon added.

“The captain has to be long dead. Why don’t you just consume him like you do the energy from those zombies?” Tantus asked.

“Good question Tantus, you get a gold star. It appears the stronger the spirit the more it can resist me. Maybe my ability isn’t high enough level. I’m only level fifteen and my technique is only at level three. I tried it on the two ghosts downstairs, and it was like playing tug of war.” Deacon answered.

“Well we need that map and answers to where the idol on this island went, right? Not much for it.” Ralph replied as he pushed off the railing and headed toward the stairs. Amanda followed behind him not even looking at Deacon.

“She just needs time.” Tantus said sidling up to Deacon.

“Yea I don’t think an apology is going to work on this one. I promise to stop experimenting in the field.” Deacon said.

“Maybe you should find out more about your powers before you experiment at all. There has to be someone you can talk too.” Tantus said and moved to the stairs.

“There is, and he owes me a favor.” Deacon replied.