Adventurers In Fable - Chapter 17- The Vessel Revealed

Chapter 17: The Vessel Revealed

The light of the Parallax Convergence washed over the Celestial Voyager, illuminating every corner of the ship in a radiant glow. The stars aligned, the Etherium Quartz vibrated with cosmic resonance, and reality itself seemed to ripple. The truth could no longer hide.

The Imposter stood among them—its disguise faltering.

With a sound like tearing fabric and the hum of shifting energy, the illusion shattered. The figure the crew had come to know as one of their own, a quiet and kind-hearted Fable Beard Co. customer named Thom, collapsed to the floor. But as they rushed to his side, they saw it.

From within his body emerged a grotesque, glistening form—a creature no larger than a child’s toy, its body pulsing with translucent veins and luminous organs. Its black eyes blinked as it stared up at them, unblinking and eerily intelligent.

“I am The Vessel,” it spoke in a voice that echoed inside their minds. “My kind were lost… scattered through the stars… I found refuge in this form. You would have done the same.”

The Wizard raised his staff, but The Cartographer held out a hand. “Wait.”

The Vessel’s voice cracked. “It was never about beard care. It was survival. The formulas, the ingredients… they altered the host, made him stronger, more adaptable. But the damage… it was irreversible.”

The body beneath it no longer stirred. Thom was gone.

The Vixen’s eyes narrowed. “You used him. Twisted what he loved.”

The Vessel bowed its head, folding into itself. “I… did. And I regret it.”

Captain Interstellar stepped forward. “Then let your end serve a purpose. Tell us what you know—help us find what’s left. The true ingredients. The ones that can elevate—not possess.”

The Vessel hesitated, then extended a tendril of light. From it, a shimmering star map appeared, filled with unfamiliar systems and glowing markers.

“These are the worlds,” it said. “Planets forgotten by most. Places where the finest ingredients grow. Forbidden Roots. Crystalline Pollen. The Nebula Orchid. Find them, and your people may yet craft something pure.”

As its light faded, The Vessel curled in upon itself and dissolved into stardust, leaving only the memory of what it had once been—a warning and a map.

The room fell silent.

The Hero finally spoke. “Then that’s our next mission. Not just to recover… but to improve. To make something greater.”

The Wizard nodded. “Let Thom’s name be remembered. And let our journey continue.”

The Celestial Voyager set its course once more—this time not in pursuit of enemies, but of excellence.

For in the name of better beard care—and in honor of the soul lost to The Vessel—the adventurers would cross the galaxy.

To build something legendary.