Marius's boat rocketed across the water, it would take the night to sail to Marok from Heau. Xavier was prepared for the long haul, this was nothing compared to what he had done in the past.

The two girls in the back of the boat had pulled a blanket over them. Their important items were safely stored under one of the seats, and now the girls were drifting off into sleep.

Xavier looked up at the stars to check his location, the pirate was on the right path. Being out on the open sea and making progress. It felt a little like Xavier was back with his friends.

However, those who remained were scattered across the archipelago. It was comforting that Xavier would at least be seeing Arvirdi soon.

Marius and Canonball were back at the Azure Cove, the sanctuary Xavier could always rely on. Though even there, trouble was brewing. The United Pirate League were desperate to seize power and control the council in the cove, effectively rendering it useless.

The pirate would love to be more involved in fighting them, but he was spread too thin. His ship and his crew were still away, it was impossible to say when they would be back.

Helena and the rest of his pirate friends were sorely missed. It would be nice to at least have that consistency, but there was little certain in the archipelago. Especially now.

"Still with us, captain?" Luna's voice softly asked. The pirate snapped back onto reality and tried to hide how off guard he had been caught.

Xavier cleared his throat and gripped the wheel. "Yup, just confirming our location. The stars are pretty bright tonight, which makes it easier."

"You can tell where we are, just by looking at the stars?" Luna asked, bewildered.

Xavier chuckled. "Pretty much, it takes a lot of practice, but the stars give it all away. They're always there, and there are so many nuances you can learn. That was one of the first things I was taught when I was brought on to be a pirate."

"Do you think you could teach me?" Luna asked. "Just a little, I'm having trouble sleeping." She explained.

The pirate smiled and pointed up at the sky. "It's like a whole language. Once you can find them, you can orient yourself. Those five stars up there, that's Crius's Mace. Always points north. Then Atlas's Sword is right over Marok, so you can always find it if you head towards the sword."

Luna peered at the sky and furrowed her brow. "I think I see the constellations. Hard to be sure though... guess I'll have to learn." The conversation died down, so the girl spoke again. "Xavier, I can see a sadness in your eyes... one I'm not too inexperienced with myself. Are you alright?"

The pirate froze up and began to grip the wheel of the ship tightly. Keep cool, keep cool. He told himself. Xavier couldn't muster a reply, he had to keep cool.

Luna looked off to the side. "I'm sorry, I hope I didn't misspeak. I just-I'll go to sleep now." Luna rejoined her girlfriend on the seat of the boat, and Xavier continued to sail the ship into the night.

The boat began to approach Marok as the sun started to rise. The two girls woke up when Xavier announced they were nearing the island.

Marok's bountiful life didn't cease even in the winter. A beautiful forest rose into the sky with numerous trees proudly displaying their greenery. The island was a marvel, and it was thanks to many Marok people possessing Life Magic which allowed them to manipulate the island.

Xavier had visited many times, but it never got old. Especially when the winter set in and it was the only warm place in the archipelago. The boat navigated around a few rocks and pulled into the docks.

There was trade abound on the docks, with various people trying to do deals with merchant ships. Xavier recognized a few small pirates that were present on the docks, selling wares to Marok traders.

One man was negotiating on board a ship, trying to get some sacred 'texts of the Maker' as he called them. Another two men were selling an entire shop's worth of gems aboard a dinky ship. There was always something new in Marok.

The trio hopped off of the boat and made their way into the town proper. The village was bustling as the day got into swing. Flowers surrounded the entrances to many of the huts, and Xavier took a deep inhale of the air. This was what living in harmony with nature was.

They made their way to the chief's office, a large tent pitched in the center of the town, where Arvirdi was standing. The man hadn't changed much at all since Xavier had last seen him.

The chief noticed the pirate and smiled. "Xavier! Great to see you again! Was your mission successful?"

Xavier gestured to Maya and Luna. "See for yourself, far as I can tell we've got the Eighth Guardian right here."

Arvirdi raised an eyebrow but smiled. "I am Arvirdi, the Chief of Marok. Welcome, both of you."

Luna smiled. "I'm Luna, and this is Maya. I supposed I'm the Eighth Guardian, I'm just as confused as you likely are."

The man scratched his chin. "This world works in odd ways, I wouldn't be surprised at all if you were a Guardian. Rhea, the Guardian of Marok, possessed this wisdom to her I haven't seen in many humans. And yet she turned against us, I must wonder what her true motivations were."

Xavier decided to shift the subject. "Well, speaking of Guardians, we did away with Clymene. And now we're looking for the whereabouts of the next Guardian. Any ideas?"

"Hmm, unfortunately no. Tradton's been distant from us for some time, which I assume doesn't bode well." Arvirdi divulged. "I did actually need your help, we've been suspecting someone is tampering with records. Little things seem off, but we have no idea who is behind it. And our neutrality makes it difficult to take a more straightforward approach in case it's another nation, so I wanted to ask if you would be willing to stake out the tent tonight."

Xavier processed the request, and put his hands on his hips. "Alright, especially if there aren't any leads, we've got nowhere else to be. The lasses and I can handle any potential issues."

Maya raised an eyebrow. "Hold on, neutrality? If someone's messing with your stuff, why can't you do something about it?"

Xavier shot the girl a look, but she didn't seem to catch his eye. "Unfortunately, if the perpetrator is representing a nation we have an alliance with, it could jeopardize our relations to apprehend them," Arvirdi sighed.

"That doesn't make any sense, they're the ones jeopardizing it! And how does having us take care of it keep things neutral?" She pressed. "I mean, you would've told us where Tradton's fleet is if you knew when you know we want to destroy it, how is THAT neutral?"

Xavier looked to Luna for help stopping Maya, but the girls both seemed to be staring daggers into Arvirdi. "Lassies, it's more complicated than-"

"Xavier, I can answer their questions," Arvirdi cut in. "If we aren't directly involved, it won't be worth breaking any alliance with us. And me telling you information I know is different than violating agreements between nations."

"And yet you also trade with Kingston," Luna jumped in. "The same Kingston that has made our lives miserable, how is hurting us neutral?"

The chief put his hands up. "I'm sorry that you have suffered under Kingston, but you must understand their actions are not in my hands. I have to protect my nation first and foremost."

Maya was unimpressed. "Mhm, are you protecting Marok, or setting it up for destruction? Lucky for you, some of us will actually take a stand and stop Kingston before it's too late." The girl declared, and she stormed out of the tent with Luna trailing behind her.

Xavier sighed. "Sorry, Arvirdi, they're young. And spent their whole lives in Heacha... we'll keep an eye out tonight." The pirate then took his leave.

Xavier caught up with the girls as they were heading down to the ship. "Hey! Both of you! Lasses, what were you thinking? Arvirid's trying to help us!"

Luna faced Xavier and rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, Mr. Xavier, but I just don't have sympathy for someone like that. Unable to take a stand, especially with how much we've struggled."

The pirate sighed. "I understand, but Arvirdi's doing the best he can. Marok is in a complicated position, and Arvirdi has to take into account his nation and not just his own beliefs. He's got a lot more to worry about protecting than you or I do."

"Still, Marok's an incredibly powerful nation," Maya countered. "Why do they just sit idly by and let things happen? They're so obsessed with neutrality they aren't even neutral!"

"I agree," Xavier said, catching both girls off guard. He scanned around to make sure nobody was listening in on their conversation. "I'm not a fan of Marok's position as the ultimate enabler any more than you both. I've always pushed Arvirdi to intervene, ever since I arrived here after the Centrixia rebellion. I just... I'm sympathetic to the man. And I believe when the time is right, he'll guide the nation in the right direction. Until then, I want to remain on friendly terms with him."

Maya and Luna were shocked to hear the vulnerability from Xavier. "Alright cap'," Maya responded. "I guess that makes sense. If you're with us, I suppose we can play nice. What's the plan from here?"

"Excellent!" Xavier grinned. "The plan is simple, we're going to wait out and see if we can find this mystery person. Best case scenario, it'll be one of our enemies. If not, we'll wait here a few days and see if Arvirdi gets any news. No luck, and we'll go to the Azure Cove and plan our next move from there." He explained.

Maya and Luna both nodded at Xavier. "Sounds good!" And the group went back to their boat.

Xavier awoke to Maya snapping her fingers in his face. The pirate had decided to get some shut-eye while waiting for nightfall. The sun was now below the horizon, and a cool breeze was blowing through Marok.

During the winter months, the island didn't get nearly as humid as it did in the summer. It was a much more comfortable visit than when he passed out in the lush jungle last time.

The group made their way over to the tent and crouched behind one of the houses, staring the entrance. Nothing happened for a little while, and they got to take in the sound of cicadas echoing from the woods.

Then, a figure shrouded in darkness began to approach the tent. Xavier held out an arm and narrowed his eyes. It was hard to make out exactly who was approaching the tent.

The figure slipped inside of the tent, and Xavier motioned for the two girls to follow him. "Let's see what our friend is up to."

They stood outside the tent for a moment, hearing rustling inside. Xavier then opened up the flap and found a spindly man peering over several documents. Xavier didn't recognize the man, but he was certainly not from Marok.

The man practically leaped to the other side of the tent. "A-ah hold on now! It's not what it looks like! I'm not a Marok National!" He threw in.

Xavier chuckled. "Relax, I'm not either. Which means we get to have some fun." Xavier approached the man, who turned and ran out the other end of the tent.

Xavier turned back to his allies. "Cut him off!" And then chased after the mysterious crook. Xavier came out of the tent and was hit by a projectile blast of water.

"S-stop now!" The man commanded. He fired another blast of water at Xavier.

The pirate got up and put a hand out, freezing the water and firing it back at the assailant. The ice slammed into his stomach and Xavier stomped over to him.

The man got back up and started to run off, but was suddenly stopped by a blast of lightning. Maya and Luna stepped in his way, and Xavier tackled the man.

"Alright, let's make this easy for everyone. What do you want with Marok's documents?" Xavier demanded, brandishing his weapon while holding the man down.

"I-I don't know anything! I swear!" The man squeaked. Xavier narrowed his eyes and raised his weapon. "A-alright! I work for T-Tradton!I'm helping plan for an i-invasion of Marok!"

Xavier could hardly believe that, it seemed insane. He opened the man's bag and looked through the documents. Various details of Marok's defense formations had been copied, but then he found a UPL seal.

"Tell the truth, what's the UPL doing here?" Xavier pressed.

The man's eyes widened and he whimpered. "Ahh! Okay, okay! The UPL is working with Tradton to take over the Cove! I-I'm here to do infiltration in Marok since they're next, and make sure nobody here finds out until it's too late!" Xavier could hardly believe that story.

"Mhm, right. The UPL would do that, but I don't know if Tradton would. This doesn't add up." Xavier concluded.

The man started to writhe and squirm. "The invasion was launched tonight! You can go and see for yourself! I swear, I'm telling the truth!"

"He sounds like he's telling the truth," Luna posited.

Maya rolled her eyes. "Probably a professional liar."

Xavier hoisted the man to his feet, and pushed him to start walking. "Let's go check it out, shall we. Arvirdi's got nothing to worry about now that the mole's been caught, and if Tradton's there, there's likely a Guardian. Worst case scenario, he's working with the UPL. And pirates love some justice."