Distant Shores 2: Waves Of Time

An Explanation Would Be Nice

"So what do you want to know?"

Monterey and the other Tritons gather around your crew, ready to answer all your questions. You notice that the crew looks excited at the prospect of meeting mythical creatures and to be honest, you are too. It's more than that; this is also a chance to learn about a piece of your heritage. For starters though, you need to break that curse, so for right now that is where your line of questioning begins.

"Were you guys responsible for the nasty storm we just sailed through?"

Monterey nods his head.

"So does that mean Tritons are responsible for all the ships that go missing in this area?"

You can tell you struck a nerve because none of the Tritons look comfortable answering that. Their faces are plagued with guilt. One of them steps forward.

"You see miss, there is more to it than that. We aren't monsters, we swear."

You glance at Edward and you know you're both silently questioning that statement since you saw what they did to the Tinsel Mary. Monterey claps his webbed hand on the other Triton's shoulder.

"It's alright, Havelock. I'll explain it."

Monterey lets out a deep breath.

"As you can see this isn't something we're proud of. Now I'm sure you know about the Fountain of Youth, correct?"

You nod your head, and he continues.

"It is our life force, the source of our magic, however it is very powerful. We've seen kind hearted sailors develop a dark soul when they think of possessing it's energy. Our home was getting attacked every day and night. Many Tritons were injured or killed in these battles with the selfish humans. We had to start going on the offense and begin attacking first. It's true that we've sunk more ships than we care to admit, but we try to sink them quickly- we don't want to drag out pain any longer than necessary."

The Triton named Havelock speaks up,

"And majority of the ships we sunk were filled with the most unsavory people you could imagine. Innocent travel ships don't sail in these waters."

You counter with another question.

"If you try to sink ships quickly, then why did you drag out the Tinsel Mary's demise?"

"That's a whole other story. We actually had an agreement with the crew of the Tinsel Mary. For four years we gave them what little gold we could come up with- because of the curse it wasn't much, but they accepted the offer. We give them gold, they try to keep ships away from here; less people and Tritons would get hurt so win-win situation."

You look over and see your crew's solemn gazes; you all know this isn't going to have a happy ending.

"The crew of the Tinsel Mary decided they wanted more gold. When we couldn't meet their demands they decided to make their profit by selling out our location to other ships. I've never seen so much destruction in my life. They wouldn't keep up their end of the bargain, so we took matters into our own hands. What you saw was a means to an end. We're sorry you all had to witness that, but at least with that particular ship, I have no regrets."

He fixes you with a piercing gaze as he speaks,

"Now before you judge us, I'd like to ask you a question."

You nod and Monterey glances at your growing belly as he probes,

"Wouldn't you do anything you had to, in order to protect your family?"