Awakened [1]

"Alright, Mary, let's be off. Ye did well, by the way." Jack said, giving her a hearty pat on the shoulder in camaraderie.

Mary flinched slightly before swiftly stepping back and pressing her finger against his shoulder, channeling a jolt of electricity through him, just enough to make him shiver and feel a twinge of pain.

"What? Ye're free to strike me, but I ain't allowed to retaliate?" she retorted with a smug grin.

"Har har, ye two really get along, don't ye? Like a pair of lovebirds," Ort quipped from the side, holding a torch that cast a flickering glow upon his face.

The two turned toward him with scornful glares, Mary narrowing her eyes to convey her distaste. "If I had my way, I'd leave him with the seadogs, for he's just another seadog himself," she declared.

Jack took no offense, instead firing back with a jest, "Shouldn't have made ye vice captain, I should've made ye a mere maid and deck swabber."

Mary's mouth fell open, her eyes widened, and her brows shot up. She blinked rapidly a few times before drawing herself back, "Vice captain? Since when?"

"Uhm, since ye joined me fully on my adventures. Wasn't it clear? I mean, there be only two of us on board," Jack explained.

Smiling, she expressed her gratitude, "Thank ye, cap'n."

"The villagers be awaitin' the heroes. Ye done yet?" Ort inquired.

"Uh, Ort, a question," Mary began, receiving a nod from Ort. "Might we somehow slip away and have a quick scrubbin'? I'd rather not have them villagers thinkin' of us as blood-soaked and muck-covered heroes." She voiced her concern.

"Arr, of course," Ort replied with a hearty nod. 

After taking but a few paces away, the very earth beneath them started to tremble, sending tremors deep into their bones, prompting them to assume their defensive stances. No words were exchanged; they focused intently on deciphering the source and nature of the disturbance.

"There, near Ret's body," Jack directed, his voice sharp and clear.

With deliberate steps, the torchlight revealed Ret's body as Ort approached it. "There be nothin' here. Are ye certain ye saw somethin'?" Ort questioned.

Meanwhile, Jack and Mary stood motionless, each fixated on a different part of the ground near the body, as if they'd glimpsed a specter. Ort's mind raced, wondering if Ret was about to rise from the dead or if some other ill omen was afoot.

Before Jack's eyes, a modest, arm-sized stone temple began to rise from the earth. It bore the marks of age and weathering, its surface rough and worn as though shaped by centuries of relentless erosion. It stood proudly on a flat, rectangle base, upheld by four sturdy, ancient columns. These columns supported a slightly curved roof, giving the structure an aura of grandiosity and intricate design.

On the base, where the columns converged, a small, recessed area revealed an engraved sigil—a circle surrounded by branching veins. The sigil pulsed with a shifting blue light, its intensity waxing and waning gently, casting a soft and dynamic glow that accentuated the intricate details of its design.

In front of Mary, a similar arm-sized stone temple emerged from the ground. It rested on a flat rectangle base, supported by four robust columns, and its roof mirrored the slight curve of Jack's temple, maintaining that ancient aesthetic. The base of Mary's temple featured a recessed area with an engraved sigil shaped like a triangle, interlaced with complex patterns. This sigil glowed with a steady blue light, pulsating softly and creating an ethereal, almost otherworldly aura around the structure.

Ort can't see it, but Mary and I can. He glanced at Mary.

Snapping out of his confusion, Jack acted first, turning around to face Ort. "I don't know yet. Somethin' be lurkin' 'round us. Best ye be leavin' and let us handle this alone."

Hearing Jack's words, Mary snapped out of her confusion and played along, "It must've been that cursed stone that stopped movin'. The wicked force escaped and now be targetin' us."

Terrified to the point of swallowing saliva, Ort said, "Aye, should I fetch some backup?"

"Nay. The fewer souls 'round, the less risk o' someone gettin' hurt—or worse, possessed and turning into a new beast," Jack said with a dramatic flair, as if telling a spooky ghost story by the campfire.

"So be it. Best o' luck, lads. Don't ye go gettin' yerselves killed."

When Ort left, Mary provided light and asked, "Can ye see this?" pointing at her temple.

"Nay. And I'm guessin' ye can't see mine?" Jack pointed at his own temple.

"Nay."

"What could it be? Just appearin' outta nowhere after so long?" Mary asked.

"I don't know, but I reckon it's tied to our artifacts, our Link, given the sigil on mine."

"Mine's got a sigil too, a triangle."

"Only one way to find out," Jack said, grinning with a hint of madness. "At the same time?" Mary asked.

"Aye."

And so, the two approached their respective temples, kneeling and further soiling their garments with mud as they scrutinized the structures more closely. The blue radiance of the sigils grew more intense as they drew nearer. As they extended their hands towards the interior of the temples, just above the engraved sigils, they were enveloped by a soothing warmth that had a profound impact on their emotions, instilling a deep sense of safety and welcome. 

"This be surely connected to our Link, I can feel it," Jack declared. 

They turned to face each other, exchanging solemn nods before placing their hands on the surface of the temples. In an instant, the gentle warmth they had previously felt erupted into a searing, fiery sensation, as though they had plunged their hands into molten lava. 

Crying out in pain, they struggled to withdraw their hands, which felt as if they were encased in leaden chains. Their attempts to move were thwarted, as if invisible anchors had been cast upon them, rendering them immobile. 

Each second seemed to stretch into an eternity, consumed by excruciating agony, until...