- August 2023 -

Monthly Challenges are cycling challenges that update on the first of every month.

A Salty Dilemma

While the heat of summer usually calls for a refreshing moment by the beach, this is not how you planned the day to go. As you were relaxing in the shade of some large trees next to your stryx after a refreshing swim, a panicked merchant beached on the sandy shore right next to you. Judging by their ragged clothes, they went through quite an ordeal. And indeed, it seems this poor sailor has been captured by merciless pirates! While they had the curtesy of leaving them alive, they took all of their merchandise, leaving them only a plank on which they used to swim back to the coast.

Desperate to get back their ship and the priceless cargo contained in it, the merchant tries to strike a deal with you. They'll give you half of the riches you manage to retrieve should you capture the ship back. With such a majestic stryx at your side, surely this band of unruly pirates has no chance, right?

And this is how you find yourself flying over the stolen ship, wondering how that merchant managed to convince you. Well, no matter now, there's no going back.

Depict your stryx retrieving the stolen treasure. Do they sneak onto the ship, relying on stealth to remain undetected? Do they engage the pirates in direct combat? Or do they try to sink the ship and then gather the treasure from the bottom of the ocean? Perhaps they just go for it and jump in to see how many shiny things they can gather before the pirates can react? Do they feel excited, or are they terrified of this whole ordeal?

Requirements:

Pick one of the following options.

Art

Prize: