Verlena followed behind Teres, and together they exited the cave, journeying across the island where it was nestled. It didn't take them long to reach a grand vessel. The ship stood as a sleek, metallic marvel, with detailed markings etched across its surface.

A ramp from the ship rested against the island sand. Esca Cassius, a woman with moose ears, antlers, and a little moose tail, stood upon said ramp, displaying an annoyed expression. She had a number of piercings on her face, and locked her gaze on them with her sparkling golden eyes.

Esca, hand on her hip, pointed assertively with the other toward Verlena and Teres. "Shame on the both of you for leaving me unattended for so long! We sailed circles around this area just to find this island, a place so hidden and mysterious must be home to loads of threats! So I requested for the two of you to make this quick! Did it go in one ear and out the other??"

Teres replied. "Nope, I remember everything you said clear as day. Problem is, our ship's maid isn't here to be makin' demands." He walked past Esca, and stepped onto their ship. "Instead, you should be preparing the thing to set sail, and then makin' our dinner."

"Eh..? Slow it down there, I'm still recovering from the trauma you put me through! And I am not the ship maid, I am the ship caretaker. I suggest you don't label me as some slave, or else I'll leave the two of you stranded the next time you take this long!"

"You wanna hang around this island of joy a little longer then? If you're filled with so much trauma, then right here's the only place you can relax and recover from it."

"No no, of course we're not staying here. I'm simply saying don't rush everything, okay?"

Verlena ascended partway up the ramp, stopping next to Esca and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. With a gentle smile, she said, "Yes of course. Please, Esca, take however long you'd like to prepare our departure and cook our meal."

"Ah, why thank you Verlena. Will do!" Esca returned the smile before heading up the ramp alongside her.

Once everyone had boarded the ship, Esca placed her hand against a mechanism, which retracted the ramp back into the vessel. "So then, question number one. What kind of frightening hazard held you guys up for so long??"

Sitting on a fancy bench that stretched across the interior of the ship, Verlena answered. "The cave city mentioned in our contract, had been overtaken by an army of incredibly bizarre mutant creatures. We made an attempt to rescue who we believed to be the only survivor of the situation, a young girl, but Teres discovered that she was in reality, both the leader and source of our opponents. He ended her life, reversing the mutations and returning everything effected back to normal. And that is all, contract complete... I suppose." Verlena's hands rested on her thighs. Slowly, she began tightening them both into fists. "But.. I cannot just forget what has happened here and move on to the next contract. The entities we encountered were unlike anything I've seen before. Teres and I have undertaken so many contracts that I've lost count, and despite that, this is the first time we've come across anything unidentifiable. We got involved in something truly unusual, and I believe the thing that hired us must be connected to other, similar nightmarish events, which would explain its abnormal appearance. I believe we should seek this individual again to see if they have more contracts available."

Esca briefly shut her eyes. "Verlena, I think that is an incredibly stupid idea that we should not consider at all. We should instead move on and take on a normal, only moderately dangerous contract this time. Prying into this supernatural business will only get us cursed, handicapped, enslaved, killed, or all of the above!"

Ignoring Esca, Teres responded to Verlena. "You and I think a lot alike, I can't let it go either. But before we start searchin' for the eerie S.O.B.... I think it'd be best if we wait and see if the thing comes itself to contract us again. May not need to find it if it takes a liking to us."

"That's true..." Verlena said. "We have never seen them prior to our agreement. It would be a bit odd for them to contract us this one time and never again. Though they may have been too busy to deal with a nightmarish event they would have taken care of themselves normally, and decided to contract a high tier group to deal with the occurrence. There is no way to know for sure, we're only able to hypothesize for now."

Teres replied, "Yeah, so we'll wait it out a while and hopefully get another job from it. Can ask it some questions and try to learn as much as we can without pissin' it off. But... if it doesn't come to us again, we've still got some options." He opened his coat, and the corpse of the girl spilled out. "Snagged the corpse of the worm girl and brought it along with us. Can bring it to a researcher and see if they can discover anything worth a shit. As for the mystery client themselves, we'll figure out how to track 'em down if it comes down to it."

Esca said, "Now this idea, I much prefer. I'll put all my faith in whatever weird client you're talking about's ability to hide from you two, and keep all its shady business a secret from anyone who dares attempt to learn too much."

All of a sudden, a large wave of sea water splashed across the ship. From behind Esca, a bird-like aquatic creature opened its gaping mouth, attempting to chomp both her and the ship itself.

Esca's eyes widened in alarm as she noticed the colossal sea creature behind her. Through the pores of her skin, a pink mist seeped outward from her body. With a swift motion, she pointed her arm towards the entity, directing a substantial amount of the mist down its throat. Moments later, the creature exploded in a gruesome burst of flesh and blood.

Blood rained onto the deck of the ship. Esca heavily panted. "You know, I think I've finally mentally overcome the distress you two put me through! In which case, it's high time we get going! Be careful and keep your balance! I heard that the sea surrounding this island is home to a dangerous race of bird fish. We wouldn't want anyone falling overboard, and encountering something like that now would we??"

Without delay, she promptly channeled her mist towards several mist sensors spread throughout the ship's interior. These receptors were strategically positioned across the vessel. They were designed to harness and direct Esca's mist dispersal ability to generate powerful and advanced thrusts that can be aimed anywhere, allowing the ship to move in any direction, hover, or even significantly ascend into the air and act as an airship. The elaborate engravings etched across the ship illuminated a rich, deep blue hue. Before long, the vessel was fully prepared and embarked on its course toward Shimmer, a city crafted entirely from crystal.

"That'd sure as hell be a disaster. Not sure how you would handle it especially. A powerless maid like you needs our protection, or you'll be toast." Teres said. "Speaking of which, I'm in the mood for just that. So go make our dinner already ya lazy procrastinator. Probably slaughtered a hundred of those things waitin' for us without breakin' a sweat. You've been just fine."

Esca sneered in response. "Tch. Very well then. As I said, I suppose I've mentally overcome the distress. So I'll get to it." She crouched down, and lifted a piece of bird fish flesh. "I shall cook these here pieces of flesh, and see how a rare and undocumented species like this fairs taste wise. Alongside the mentioned toast. Now be patient and it will be prepared soon enough!"

Some time passed, the trio enjoyed the bird fish and toast, engaging in conversation as they journeyed back to Shimmer. The city was nearly within sight.

Standing up, Esca cracked her back, then placing her hands onto her hips and gazing out toward the direction where Shimmer would first come into view. "You know, one of my personal favorite views I get to see as this ship's caretaker, is that initial glint Shimmer's magnificent skyscrapers give off from a distance. Ah.. it's truly a magnificent city! I can't believe this is where you received the contract from that freak-.." A colossal crystal chunk whizzed past Esca's cheek, narrowly missing her and abruptly interrupting her speech. The crystal plunged into the sea just behind the ship, generating a towering wave that drenched the vessel, coating it with a layer of water. "Oh-.. uh, was that a piece of Shimmer I just saw...?"

A moment later, numerous chunks of crystal were flung in various directions. One surged directly toward the ship's center like a missile. Swift as lightning, Verlena intercepted its trajectory, her blade slicing through the crystal's core, fracturing it into shards."Please Esca! Push our ship to move as quickly as it can, so that we may see what on earth is going on!!" She urgently exclaimed.

"Okay- very well! Give me a sec, and please make sure none of those things blast my head straight off my shoulders!!"

"Is forgetting you have your own powers some new thing of yours?" Teres questioned.

Esca didn't respond, instead focusing on flooding the receptors with her mist. The intricate engravings along the ship intensified into a deeper blue, as the vessel propelled forward at an astonishing speed directly towards Shimmer.

Amidst the onslaught of crystal chunks hurtling across the sea, Esca skillfully steered the ship to evade their path. Any that eluded Esca's evasion were swiftly dealt with by Verlena or Teres, ensuring the safety of the vessel.

Before long, the ship grew close enough to Shimmer that the city became visible. As it fully came into view, a grim and devastating sight revealed itself. Shimmer... had been completely wiped off the map.