Mitani drew a sharp, shuddering breath as color surged back into his face. On hands and knees, he coughed violently, expelling a thick, repugnant goo from his throat with every heave. The same substance the creature sprayed Zoe with. It splattered onto the deck, its consistency more unsettling than its fishy stench.

  The door behind them burst open, and Asher stumbled out, "I tried to find Damon," he said through heavy breaths, "He wasn't opening his door." He looked around at the scene in front of him. Yahd stood, a pink aura waving around him with a proud smile across his face—in his right hand, he held a limp, fleshy tube that looked like the eye of a crab in his right hand like a grotesque trophy. Mitani was still doubled over, coughing uncontrollably, with Kalimba patting him on the back. Blood flowed freely from his right arm. Zoe sat on the ground, completely naked, with a cheerful orange aura surrounding her. "Oh goodness," Asher averted his eyes quickly, pulling the damp towel from the ground and holding it out without looking. "Here."

  "Ah!" ” Zoe squeaked, her face turning crimson as she snatched the towel. In one fluid motion, she wrapped it around herself, and in under a second, sprinted out of sight. She ran to the other end of the yacht, disappearing to the rooms below deck.

  Asher blinked after her, turning back to Mitani, pointing, "Hey, he's bleeding pretty bad," he looked around the deck, "I'm gonna see if there's any first-aid around here."

  "No," Mitani said from behind him. He slowly rose to his feet. His voice was hoarse. He walked over behind a counter and picked up and unzipped a camo backpack that had been sitting there, unnoticed. He took out what looked to be a brownie inside a ziplock plastic bag.

  "Hey bro," Asher spoke, "I think you need to get your arm bandaged before you worry about munchies. It looks like it's about to fall off."

  Mitani ignored him, biting into the brownie with deliberate precision. Within seconds, the gaping wound on his arm began to close. "Don't need it," he said. Skin knit itself back together seamlessly.

  Asher watched in amazement as within a few seconds, the hole in his arm closed up; healing as if it were never shot in the first place. "How did you…"

  "It's my ability," Mitani said with a slight smile, "I utilize both enhancement and alteration. To put it simply, I imbue the food that I cook with restorative energy."

  Mitani's ability: Soul Food.

  Mitani is able to imbue the food he cooks with restorative energy. Eating his food can heal injuries up to broken bones and punctures; and can be used as emergency treatment—It cannot heal disease or dismemberment of any kind. The level of healing is contingent on a variety of factors: How soon the food is ingested after it is cooked, the quality of the food, and the level of love and care put into the food while cooking it. Soul Food can be applied as long as it meets three requirements. One: Mitani must have processed the food into a complete dish. Two: Mitani must channel his energy into the food the whole time while cooking. Three: The more effort and skill put into the food, and the more satisfied the creator is with the finished product, the better the healing quality.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Asher raised his eyebrows, "Wow," was all he could think to say.

  "Yup," Mitani held up his arm, "good as new!"

  Yahd walked up the stairs to the captain's cabin. A few minutes earlier, he had felt the ship lurch to a stop.

  As he got closer, he heard a muffled voice from behind the door and the sharp sound of what sounded like someone kicking a metal sheet.

  Yahd knocked on the door, "Hey, it's Yahd."

  "Come in," the muffled voice replied, irritation in its tone.

  "Is everything good in here?" Yahd asked, swinging open the white door. Behind it, Damon was sat in the captain's chair, wearing a loose white robe and underwear, skimming a large floppy manual book the size of an Encyclopedia Britannica.

  "No, clearly not," Damon sighed. Damon looked up, squinting at his face; it was hard to make out in the dark room. The only light came from the glowing buttons and switches on the yacht's dashboard. "You're the tech guy, aren't you?"

  "Sure."

  "Come here, 'cause the ship's controls are completely non-functional. There was some weird-smelling goo on it a little bit ago, and I got it off... Have you seen the other ship crew? It's like they just disappeared and now I've gotta fix this crap!"

  "I'll try," Yahd shrugged. He bent down next to the captain, who had a flashlight in his mouth, messing with the control console. 'Did that creature try and sabotage the ship?'

  A few minutes later, there was another tap at the cabin door.

  "What?" an exasperated sigh from Damon

  "Just me," Asher said from the other side.

  "Okay, come in."

  "Hey," Asher said, walking up to Damon. "Can I ask you something?"

  The glow from the switches and buttons on the yacht's dashboard made the inside of the dark cabin strobe.

  "Sure."

  "Do you know the girl we're gonna rescue?"

  "No. Never met her."

  "Why are you trying to rescue her?" Asher pressed, his tone a bit skeptical. His expression hardened. 'Fifty million isn’t exactly charity work.'

  Asher noted the perfect gleaming white veneers covering his teeth as he grinned, "I just want to rescue some poor girl trapped against her will," he said innocently. "Is that so suspicious?"