//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 In the Sea of Thieves // Story: My Little Pony Friendship with Pirates. // by Regis Stella //------------------------------// [Welcome to Sea of Thieves!] [EXP 1000] [LEVEL UP X1] [Location: Ancient Spire Outpost] "Yup," I said to myself, "This is the Sea of Thieves," I was now standing up on my hind paws and walking to the edge of a cliff, where behind me was The Unicorn tavern where Tasha lived and worked. Down below me was the rest of the Outpost, with some differences. There was no Castaway Camp, the Pirate Emporium was not open, and there was no Reaper Shrine nor a Quest Board near the Shipwright. "Looks like I'm in year one all over again," I said with some nostalgia in my voice. Being a year one vet of the game meant I saw the game evolve from one update to another. "Now, how do I bring my crew here without screwing things up," I asked myself again. "I may be able to help with that," A voice comes from behind me. I turned around to see George the Mysterious Stranger, the Athena's Fortune Envoy, on all Outposts. "Oh, hello there," I said to him in a poor Obi-wan Kenobi voice. "You must be Captain William Hunter the White Wolf Buccaneer," George said to me, looking at me with wonder in his ghostly eyes. "The description by the Pirate Queen is on point. But, I wasn't expecting a real white wolf that walks on two legs and wears clothes like us, humans," "I have a feeling that that's going to be asked about and said to me a lot in this world," I thought to myself as George walked around me to get a better look at me. "So Calypso told you about me and my not-an-human-more-like-an-animal appearance?" I then asked him. "Yes," George said, "And was told to expect you, your ship, and your crew. Though you're here, but not your ship," "That seems to be the problem right now," I said as I walked to the Outpost's Docks, George waling behind me, "Maybe I was focusing on bringing myself to the Sea of Thieves and not my crew, ship, or Calypso here," "Then let's try that," George said then he gestured to the open waters of the Sea of Thieves, "Sing a shanty and bring your crew, ship, and my Queen here (George points to the end of the pier), and then we can get on with your first voyage," I took a deep breath, "Okay," I said. The Star Amulet began to shine a bright sea green as I began to sing South Australia. William Hunter: In South Australia I was born. Heave away! Haul away! In South Australia round Cape Horn. And we're bound for South Australia! Heave away! Haul away! Haul away, you Rolling Kings. And we're bound for South Australia! As I walked out one morning, fair. Heave away! Haul away! It's there I met Miss Nancy Blair. And we're bound for South Australia! Heave away! Haul away! Haul away, you Rolling Kings. And we're bound for South Australia! Nancy is standing on the quai. Heave away! Haul away! She wipes her tears as she waves to me. And we're bound for South Australia! Heave away! Haul away! Haul away, you Rolling Kings. And we're bound for South Australia! There's but one thing that grieves my mind. Heave away! Haul away! To leave Miss Nancy Blair behind. And we're bound for South Australia! Heave away! Haul away! Haul away, you Rolling Kings. And we're bound for South Australia! When we wallop around Cape Horn, heave away! Haul away! You'll wish to hell you'd never been born. And we're bound for South Australia! Heave away! Haul away! Haul away, you Rolling Kings. And we're bound for South Australia! Port Adelaide's a grand old town. Heave away! Haul away! With plenty of ale to go around. And we're bound for South Australia! Heave away! Haul away! Haul away, you Rolling Kings. And we're bound for South Australia! I wish I was on Australia's strand. Heave away! Haul away! With a glass of whiskey in each hand. And we're bound for South Australia! Heave away! Haul away! Haul away, you Rolling Kings. And we're bound for South Australia! But here I stand on a foreign shore. Heave away! Haul away! I'll drink to the girl I adore. And we're bound for South Australia! Heave away! Haul away! Haul away, you Rolling Kings. And we're bound for South Australia! Heave away! Haul away! Haul away, you Rolling Kings. And we're bound for South Australia! The water started to bubble and boil. Then my ship rose out of the water, and I heard some coughing and gaging and swearing from my crewmates. "Captain!" Flutters called out, flew off the ship, and slammed hug into me. "Ha ha ha ha, alright, Flutters, I'm alright," I said while flutters hugged me with like a plush toy. Very tightly. Then she looked at me with a stern glare, "DON'T leave me like that ever again, Will," She said, then she hugged me again. "Captain Hunter," Tia said, getting my attention. "Yes, Ma'am?" I asked her as I got up from the pier's wooden planks. "Great job with bringing your ship, your crew, and myself to the Sea of Thieves," She said with a nostalgic smile as she looked around the Outpost. "Thank you, ma'am," I said. "Now that we are in the Sea of Thieves, there's something that needs to be done," I took off my Star Amulet and handed it to Tia, "I believe that this will be much safer in your hooves," Tia looked at the Amulet and then me, "Why? My faithful pirate?" She asked me. "I don't want to summon or send myself or my crew to another world by mistake when we sing shanties," I said. Tia took the Amulet from my paws with her magic, "I'll take this and keep it safe for you, Captain," She said as she put it in a pocket on her overcoat. "Now, I believe that you have some reputation to gain for you and your crew?" "Oh ya," I gasped, "Alright, crew, follow me to the Gold Hoarder Tent," I said in an excited tone. "He's a happy one, isn't he?" George said to Tia, "Just like you when you were a fresh face pirate," "Yes, yes he is," Tia replied. [Gold Hoarder Tent] [Owner: Herbert the Hoarder] [Quest Gained: Complete a Quest from the Ancient Spire Gold Hoarder] [Reward: Crew Reputation for Gold Hoarders to Level 3. Crew Reputation for Ancient Spire Outpost to Level 1] "What the hell are you?" Herbert asked rudely to me. "William Hunter, Captain of the White Wolf Pirates," I told him, "And I'm a wolf, a special wolf," Herbert snorted. "You're not like any wolves I've ever seen," He said. I sighed, "We're new to the Sea of Thieves, and we were told that we should get a voyage from here. So what do you have to offer?" "Straight to business, I see," The crazed gold man said with a sly grin, "I got a good voyage for you and your crew of horses to go on," I sighed again, "They're ponies, but I'll let that slide. How much for a beginner voyage?" "No coins are needed to buy one voyage from me," Herbert said, "But don't let this be a returning thing when working with us Gold Hoarders, GOT IT!" "Got it," I winced as he handed the voyage to me. I turned back to my crew and signalled them to follow me, and we headed back to the ship. We got back to the ship, and I got out the map and looked at it with wide eyes. "What's the wrong captain?" I heard Time Turner ask me. "This map happens to have a lotta treasure chests on it," I said as I turned the map around for the rest of my crew to see, "See what I mean," They had a look of surprise on their faces as they counted the x's on the map. "Eighty treasure chests on this one island?!" Twi said in a loud voice, "Who would place so much treasure there?" "Someone who did a bad job of keeping their gold safe and sound," Dashie said. "Either way, it's just waiting there. Ready to be taken away by a bunch of young and inexperienced pirates..." I said slyly to my crew. "Think about all of that money that you could have..." My friends agreed to the voyage, and we set sail to Devil's Ridge. Devil's Ridge was just ahead of us as we were on the ship, and my crew wondered how they would get to the shoreline. "Well, I, for one, don't want to get wet at all. Unless it's a shower, then no thanks," Rares said to the crew. "COME ON, RARITY!" Dashie groaned. "Everyone has to pull their weight around this crew, guys," I said to my friends as I got on top of the railing on the ship, "And the quickest way to get to the shore without using a cannon is this," I draw my sword and charge it up for a new move, "SWORD DASH!" I thrust my sword, and the weight of my attack made me dash to the water and appeared on the island of Devil's Ridge. "Come on, you guys!" I said to my crewmates, "This treasure isn't going to dig itself up anytime soon," [NEW SKILL GAINED] [SWORD DASH LEVEL 1] [Charge your sword for a dashing attack against a foe. (Also useful for launching yourself from a cliff or a ship)] "And you get a new skill if you do a sword dash," I added. Eventually, everyone got to the shore, got out their maps, and tried to find the treasure. "Alright, everyone, once you dug up a treasure chest that you find, bring it back to the ship," Everyone nodded and got to find their share of the treasure chests. (Sing along everyone!) William Hunter. (I soon found a Captain's Chest and hit another treasure chest. I began to sing a very fitting song in times like these. And soon all of my friends brought their Captain's Chests.) "I got this map from a friend of a friend, He's a bloke who met an unfortunate end. He stole it from a thief he knew well, Is the map for real? Time will tell, hahaha," White Wolf Pirates. (I brought my Captain's Chest back near the ship. And it was piling up.) "Treasure, Treasure, And plenty of it in a sunken chest. Treasure, Treasure, Yes, we love it, no time of rest. Buried in water, icy cold, He who finds it gets the gold. Treasure, yes we love it, Treasure, and plenty of it," William Hunter. (We got the next quest, a riddle quest, and it was the same one from the E3 2017 gameplay trailer. But at the end of the quest, As Flutters was Digging it, we found something more.) "It's down below in a creepy cave, All the riches will come to he who is brave. She was brave and he who is not, Yes, the booty was here, and X's mark the spot, That's right, hahaha," White Wolf Pirates. (We got a Chest of Legends. And we were some very happy pirates. And we all sing together.) "Treasure, Treasure, And plenty of it in a sunken chest. Treasure, Treasure, Yes, we love it, no time of rest. Buried in water, icy cold, He who finds it gets the gold. Treasure, yes we love it, Treasure, and plenty of it," (We got another treasure map, and it was double the amount of treasure chests, we all raced to find the chests and brought them back to the ship and sailed back to Ancient Spire Outpost. As soon as we reached the docks, I summoned a lot of my Skeleton Pirate Deckhands to bring the treasure chests to the Gold Hoarder and place them near him.) "Treasure, Treasure, And plenty of it in a sunken chest. Treasure, Treasure, Yes, we love it, no time of rest. Buried in water, icy cold, He who finds it gets the gold. Treasure, yes we love it, Treasure, and plenty of it," William Hunter "Hahaha, the first voyage is a success laddies, we have three hundred Captain's Chests and an Athena Chest," [NEW SKILL GAINED] [Inspiring Song] [Sing an inspiring song to make your party members better at their tasks] Herbert looked surprised beyond surprised at the sight of the Captain's Chests. "How?! How did you get all of those treasure chests in just one voyage?!" "I guess we got fortunate," I said, and then I cringed at the joke I made, "Pun not intended," I muttered to myself. "Well..." Herbert said, "I take them in," I then commanded my skeletons to start turning in the loot that we gained. I held the Chest of Legends in my paws and took it to George in the tavern as the skeletons were doing that. "Well, well, well," George said while smiling, as he looked at the chest in my paws, "Your first Chest of Legends, on your first voyage, too," "I was not expecting an Athena's on my first voyage, in the Sea of Thieves," I said as I put the chest down near his feet. George smiled, "Call it a gift from my queen," He said, then he opened the chest and turned it to me to see the crazy amount of gold in it. "Holy crap," I said in awe of the gold that was in that chest. I kneeled to get a better look at it, and I was amazed at the sight of it. I reached out to the gold and took a handful of it. And for some reason, I was happy to have so much gold in one place. "How much of this will go to Calypso?" I asked George. "Not a single coin, all of this gold is yours," He said. My jaw dropped at the words of what George just said to me. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," I said as I hugged him. "No problem, sir," I heard him say. [GOLD INCOME: 2,000,000 Gold Coins into Crew Treasury] "Two million gold!?" I whispered to myself. [QUEST COMPLETE: Gain 5 Reputation for Ancient Spire Outpost for your crew, Gain 1 Reputation on all Outposts for your crew] I let go of George and thanked him, closing the Athena's, picking it up, and taking it to my crew. To be continued.