text: You step your feet into the water and discover it's ice cold. Not unaccustomed to cold swims, you know it's better to dive straight in rather than slowly wade. Quetzalli takes point, followed by you and your allies, and the two archers take the rear. The pool is much deeper than you thought. It's not wide, but the bottom seems endless. Underwater, you can see it's capsule-shaped, almost as if a castle tower. Many different passages and caverns line the way down. The water itself isn't hard to see through, although the abundance of flora prevents you from seeing the entirety.
  
  Quetzalli swims directly for one of the openings. The group quickly follows and you're relieved to find an air pocket within the opening. Seven heads bob up and down as you each have to tilt your face up to keep your nose and mouth above water. After everyone catches their breath, Quetzalli once again leads you farther down in the water.
  
  Long strands of dark green flora start to inhibit your progress down. It causes you to push the kelp-like plants out of the way as if opening a double curtain. After pushing aside a massive cluster of flora, you find yourself lost in a maze of green. Everywhere you look, you're met with a wall of green. Panic begins to set in. Your chest begins to burn as you're nearing the end of your breath. Suddenly a firm grip grabs your arm and pulls you through. Quetzalli. She motions to the passageway beside her. Finally out of the green maze, you catch sight of your allies. They're not nearly as deep as you are. The two archers seem to be ushering them into a different passage way above you.
  
  > stick with Quetzalli
  You're almost out of breath and allow Quetzalli to lead you into the underwater passage. As soon as you enter, a swift current takes ahold of you and Quetzalli. Unable to resist the current's strength, you preserve your energy and let it run its course. It takes you down several narrow corridors. Your vision begins to blur at the edges as you've reached the end of your breath. You need air, badly. Just as the world begins to go dark, you're thrust out of the water into an open cavern.
  
  "Even from another civilization, men are all the same," Quetzalli says.
  
  Semi-conscious, you realize you landed on top of her and the two soft rocks your head rested upon were not, in fact, two soft rocks.
  
  "Sorr—" you attempt to say before coughing up water. Luckily, you get most of it on the cavern floor and not Quetzalli.
  
  "Sorry, I must have passed out," you finally manage to say rising to your feet. You stretch your hand out to Quetzalli.
  
  She grips your hand and you pull her up. "The others aren't as experienced swimmers. They will have to journey the long route."
  
  "So it's just the two of us then," you comment.
  
  "Looks that way. Don't worry, the others will catch up," Quetzalli says.
  
  Quetzalli whispers incoherent words towards her spear and the tip begins to glow allowing you to see. The water stream that brought you here fires into another crevice on one side of the cavern, one that is too small for a person to enter. You get a sinking feeling there is no way to retrace your steps. The only way is forward. A tunnel lies at the opposite end of the cavern, the only way out. You take stock of yourself. At least your sword and dagger stayed on you. Besides being soaking wet and missing your hat, you're ok.
  
  > The tunnel
  The tunnel leads in a straight path for a few hundred steps and then begins a series of switch-backs. After what feels like an eternity of hiking, you arrive to a solid rock wall. Quetzalli doesn't seem to break a sweat during the incline. While you're in superb shape, your physicality is more dependent upon quick, dexterous movements. The raw strength required to climb uphill for hours is certainly something you're not used to, nor conditioned for.
  
  "What now? you ask. "We've seemed to hit a brick wall, metaphorically, well kind of literally, speaking."
  
  "I don't know those words. Stand back," Quetzalli says.
  
  She removes the onyx-beaded necklace from her neck and holds it to the wall. A low rumbling emanates from within the stone. Thin lines appear in the stone. They run up and down connecting into a rectangle. The rumbling begins to get louder and you feel the ground beneath you starting to shake. Then, suddenly, a light appears at the rectangle. The stone in front of you swings open like a door. Quetzalli enters and you follow closely behind. The doorway leads into the temple's catacombs. Stone coffins line the walls along with various altars and small statues of the feathered-serpent.
  
  "This is the necklace of Quetzalcoatl's high priestess," she explains. "In the temple's former years, the high priestess lived here. The necklace is what you call 'a key'."
  
  "Why do you no longer reside in the temple?" you ask.
  
  "The guardian drove us out. He once lived in your world. Do you know the man, Blackbeard?"
  
  "He was the deadliest man on the seven seas," you answer. "I can't believe he was actually defeated in combat. Rumor is, they were ambushed while celebrating and the entire crew, including Blackbeard, was stumbling drunk. I find it hard to believe any man could kill him in a fair fight. Wait...are you saying Blackbeard is here?"
  
  "Once the wielder of Quetzalcoatl's blade is defeated, he is charged with protecting the blade until Quetzalcoatl is born again. This is normally a peaceful process, but something is different with the current guardian, Blackbeard. He is obsessed with the blade and will do anything to prevent anyone from taking it."
  
  "One man drove everyone out? Your village looks more than capable of handling yourselves."
  
  "Not just one man. His crew resides here as well. I know not how they 'live', unless they have sworn fealty to the blade as well. If they have, their soul will reside in the blade for eternity along with Blackbeard's."
  
  "I imagine you have a plan on how to steal the blade from Blackbeard and his undead crew," you say.
  
  "I will kill him," Quetzalli answers tightening her grip on her spear.
  
  You begin to protest at her answer, but you sense movement out of the corner of your eye. One of the coffin lids moved, you're sure of it. Suddenly, all the coffins burst open almost simultaneously with an explosion of rock. Skeletons, armed with ancient swords and battle axes, begin to rise from their resting place.
  
  Quetzalli goes on the offensive masterfully spinning and stabbing her spear.
  
  > cast a spell
  Calling upon arcane power, you fire several small lighting bolts from your palm. The bolts hit a few skeletons causing an explosion of bones. As more skeletons are drawn to the rushing Quetzalli, you cast a shield on her. You haven't mastered the art of protection, but the shield would prevent at least one blow from sneaking in. The spell surrounds her body like a thin cloud.
  
  Satisfied at your arcane contribution, you draw your sword and engage the nearest skeleton. Its eyes are empty save for the small stream of black smoke exiting each eyehole. You parry its attack and counter. Individually, the skeletons don't pose much of a threat, but you work to quickly dispose each one attempting not to get overrun.
  
  After a few minutes, the majority of undead are defeated. You and Quetzalli put the finishing touches on some headless bones and take the stairs up from the catacombs.
  
  > Up the stairs
  The stairs lead into a sanctuary. You swing open the double doors and hoist yourself up then offer a hand down to help Quetzalli up. The sanctuary is a narrow room with an altar at one end. No sign of anyone is near. Lines of pews inhabit most of the room, although the majority are broken. A tall staircase leads up to the altar. A cage lies on either side of the altar, but that's not what grabs your attention.
  
  A cutlass sits on a sword stand atop the altar. The blade of Quetzalcoatl.
  
  As you start towards the altar, an invisible force stops you just before the first step. You fire lightning at it, but the force absorbs the bolt almost without any reaction. The bolt just disappears.
  
  "Not just anyone can approach the blade. Only the high priestess and her chosen priests can enter," Quetzalli says taking your hand.
  
  She walks through the invisible force and guides you through as well. The magic of the protective field causes the hairs on your arm to stand upright. You imagine her necklace is the key to entering, and you wonder if the Quetzalcoatl headdress granted access as well, but it was left behind with the rest of your equipment. Besides, if you were going to bring a hat, it would be your tricorn.
  
  Halfway up the stairs, black smoke appears around the sword. Once materialized, it swirls through the air around the edge of the cutlass. Finally, it centralizes in front of the altar rapidly increasing the swirling. Then, the smoke subsides to reveal a man. Blackbeard.
  
  He wears a black robe that appears blurred at the edges. Closer examination reveals small puffs of black smoke emanating from the robe. His beard is lit with fire at the tips and the entirety of his chest and back are holstered with pistols.
  
  "Thieves!" his voice booms across the sanctuary. "You'll never steal the cutlass from me."
  
  "You are the thief," Quetzalli answers brandishing her spear. "You have stolen the rebirth of Quetzalcoatl and corrupted the feathered-serpent's resting place. For that, you must die."
  
  "Ha-ha! How do you plan to kill the undead?" Blackbeard asks.
  
  "We are not inexperienced in that area," you reply thinking of the skeleton attack you just survived.
  
  Blackbeard turns to you and narrows his eyes. "Do you know why you're here?"
  
  "We're here for the blade."
  
  "She's here for the blade. I surmise you offered little getting this far, yes?"
  
  You begin to correct him, but then you stop. Sure, you helped with the skeletons, but they were destroyed easy enough. Quetzalli showed you the hidden entrance, underwater passageways, and unlocked every barrier to get here. What did she need you for?
  
  "Don't listen to him, shipmaster. He's attempting to divide our strength," Quetzalli speaks.
  
  > Question Quetzalli
  "He's not wrong...why did you bring me along? You could have gotten this far without me," you comment.
  
  She sighs. "Don't listen to the spirit. He's trying to turn us against each other."
  
  "That does not answer my question," you say.
  
  "Fine. The rebirth of Quetzalcoatl has mostly been outsiders, shipmasters from another world. No one from our village has tried to claim the cutlass in many years. Upon the next shipmaster's arrival, I had a vision he would be instrumental in the god's rebirth. True, I could get this far on my own, but only Quetzalcoatl incarnate can wield the cutlass."
  
  "You do not believe you can wield it?" you ask.
  
  "I did not say that."
  
  "So what am I here for?" you ask.
  
  "Only Quetzalcoatl knows," she replies.
  
  > Question Blackbeard
  "Keep talking, Teach," you say.
  
  His eyes flash anger. "You'll not command me, lamb."
  
  "Lamb?"
  
  "That's what they see you as. A lamb to be slaughtered to their god. The sword feeds on blood."
  
  You turn to Quetzalli. "Is this true?"
  
  "No! Well, yes, the blade's strength grows with blood, but that's not why you're here," she answers.
  
  Your hand grips the sword at your hip. "If you attempt to break our partnership, it will be your blood the cutlass drinks."
  
  Visibly angered, Quetzalli speaks through a clenched jaw. "Don't threaten me, shipmaster. Keep your eyes on the mission. Our true enemy is Xolotl and the blight."
  
  It's a sad thing to see another of my kind seduced by the beauty of the indigenous population," Blackbeard intervenes. "Tell me, would you agree to this partnership if she wasn't strikingly beautiful?"
  
  Your face goes red as you briefly make eye contact with Quetzalli. Towards Blackbeard you reply, "I'll do whatever it takes to obtain the cutlass."
  
  Joining your side, Quetzalli adds, "We'll both do whatever it takes."
  
  > Battle for the cutlass
  The answers, or rather lack of answers, you discover don't make you less uneasy, but that's a problem for another time. At least until the undead pirate in front of you is defeated. Giving Quetzalli a reassuring look, you draw your sword and dagger and make up the staircase. The stairs are wide enough for Quetzalli to follow at your side.
  
  "Careful of the flintlocks," you whisper to her. "And watch for an ambush from his crew."
  
  Blackbeard is simply armed with a ceremonial knife. You find it a bit strange that he does not wield the cutlass, but then come to the realization the guardian of the blade cannot be the wielder.
  
  Quetzalli charges forward spinning her spear in front of her. You follow and circle to Blackbeard's flank. She stabs forward, feints a low attack, and then finishes high. Blackbeard parries her initial attack and dodges his head from the high attack. You stab your sword to his back -- at least you attempt to. Without looking, the knife blocks your attack and slices towards your wrist. You manage to divert the blow at the last second with your dagger.
  
  Thinking you have him distracted, Quetzalli thrusts forward with the point of her spear. Blackbeard turns and catches the spear with one hand before the point can pierce his body. He taunts Quetzalli with a smile, then brings his knife to cut the spearpoint from the shaft. He draws a pistol from his chest and fires. Quetzalli barely dodges out of the way with a quick roll to the left. Blackbeard tosses the flintlock aside and swipes downward with the knife. Another roll puts Quetzalli out of reach from the knife. The missed attack leaves a nasty scrape, visibly and audibly, on the floor where Quetzalli's body just was.
  
  Recognizing her vulnerability, you take the offensive to distract Blackbeard until Quetzalli can recuperate. You assault with a series of uppercuts and thrusts employing every dirty tactic you know. Mid-assault, you toss your dagger to Quetzalli who catches it with one hand. She takes the spearpoint in her other as a makeshift knife. Blackbeard expertly parries each one of your strikes almost with ease. With Quetzalli joining your attack, you feel the tide beginning to turn in your favor.
  
  Your sword strikes true. The tip pierces Blackbeard's heart. Black smoke begins to pour from the wound growing in volume until his entire body explodes in a dark cloud.
  
  "I can't believe we did it," you comment to Quetzalli.
  
  She gives a slight smile clutching at her side, then collapses. You notice a deep cut at her side. The spearpoint and dagger clatter on the floor as she drops, echoing throughout the now quiet sanctuary.
  
  You rush to her and hold your head on your lap. "Breathe easy now," you command. "You'll survive this."
  
  As you eye her wound, a sparkle catches your eye. The blade of Quetzalcoatl lies unguarded. You know what you must do.
  
  > take the blade for yourself
  You gently place her head on the ground and approach the altar. The gold-spiraled cutlass sits on display daring you to take it. You take a deep breath and reach your hand out. The handle fits perfectly in your palm. As soon as your grasp the hilt, you feel energy shoot into your body. It's comforting, reinvigorating. It feels like the first sip of cool water on your parched throat, only in a continuous state.
  
  You turn back to Quetzalli. Her lifeless body lies on the floor looking up toward you. In her last moments, she witnessed her god in the flesh, Quetzalcoatl incarnate, reclaiming his blade. Her visionless gaze looks full of wonder as she gave her life in service to her god's return. You walk to her and shut her eyes. Then you pick up her body and navigate to the temple's main entrance.
  
  The sound of combat stops you in your tracks. You hear a voice you recognize: Victoria's.
  
  You arrive at the temple's exit. You stand looking down the giant steps leading to a narrow pathway. The main entrance is a bottle-necked, bridge-like road leading up to the temple's steps. Two unlit torches are in front of you, one at each side. Looking down, you see Victoria, Freddy, Procter, and the two native archers engaged with a giant beast. The beast has the head of a dog and the body of a lizard. It towers above its combatants and your allies look to be barely surviving. This must be Xolotl. You traverse the steps into the fray. The fighting subsides at your arrival.
  
  The beast, Xolotl, rears its ugly head. "You have brought the blade to me. How convenient. After I kill you, I will destroy my twin brother once and for all."
  
  You softly put Quetzalli's body on the ground in preparation for the upcoming battle. The two archers rush to her side.
  
  "You are a poison upon this island and I will destroy you. You will never take the blade away from me," you say drawing the cutlass.
  
  "If it is your death you wish for, I will gladly grant it, mortal," Xolotl growls.
  
  "Come on then, the blade thirsts for blood," you answer.
  
  You charge forward as if guided by the wind. Freddy throws a barrage of throwing knives to follow up your assault. Victoria and Procter begin casting spells of destruction. You dodge Xolotl's swipes and make several deep cuts on his legs as you run between his giant legs to his flank. Two bolts of fire hit Xolotl's nose almost simultaneously. If they caused any damage, he doesn't show it. Arrows bounce off Xolotl's scaly chest as the razor points aren't sharp enough to penetrate. Xolotl attempts to smash you underneath his tail, but you easily side-step each time it slams down.
  
  Xolotl raises his head for a moment gathering focus. Static energy fills the air. He turns your direction and fires blue lightning in your direction. You're barely able to raise the cutlass defensively and block the elemental attack. The blast disappears within the blade and a voice whispering instructions fills your mind. You imagine sending the blast back and as you think it, blue tendrils project from the blade catching Xolotl unaware. The blast fires through his mouth and creates a hole out the back of his head. With a resounding earth-shaking thud, Xolotl's body falls to the ground. Witnessing your power, the two natives drop to their knees and begin saying prayers to their god.
  
  > The aftermath
  The village is disheartened at the death of their champion and high priestess, but they throw a giant celebration in Quetzalcoatl's return. A statue is constructed of Quetzalli, who will forever be a hero of her people, the first champion and high priestess who brought Quetzalcoatl to flesh by her actions. As the celebration continues into the late hours of night, you sit alone staring into the fire. The drunken bodies of both the natives and your crew lie scattered around you. Despite the disagreements between the two, Freddy and Procter are passed out drunk with their unconscious heads holding the other upright.
  
  "I didn't know the captain of our ship was a god," Victoria comments sitting next to you.
  
  "V, you know me. I'm not the superstitious type, but the power within this blade is real," you say.
  
  "I believe you," she says. "I don't think we would have survived Xolotl's attack if you didn't show up."
  
  "How did you end up on the front steps?"
  
  She sighs. "One of our 'guides' took the wrong underwater passageway. I suppose I can't cast the blame solely on him. Procter was about to run out of air and the guide took us to the nearest air pocket. The water current ended up being too strong and it carried us out near the front steps. We figured you could use back up and decided to take the frontal assault."
  
  You take the bottle from her hand and take a generous swig. "I think the hard times are over, V. The Sanguine is among the deadliest ships in the Caribbean and we possess the weapon of a god. I don't see a reason to return to Nassau. What could Rogers do to us?"
  
  "He's a powerful enemy to make, Cap, but we trust your decision."
  
  You put your arm around Victoria. "A captain is only as good as his first mate."
  
  Your eyes meet for a second, illuminated by the fire. "Captain, I think you've had too much rum," she says and squirms from your arm.
  
  You grin. "I think you're right. By the way, have you noticed your ponytail hangs to the left?"