The enormous mast of the HMS Rallsfield rose above the darkness of the rest of the shipwreck site.
Surrounding the wreck was an absolutely colossal amount of icey cold salt water.
Descending into the abyss was pirate captain and former Princess Christine Muso. Christine sat in complete solitude in the diving bell as it traversed to lower and lower depths.
Christine speaked out of the window to see that the sunlight was becoming less and less visible and would soon be a distant memory blocked out by the waves.
When the Diving Bell had arrived at its deep sea destination Christine peeled open the hatch on the floor and dived into the freezing cold water.
Holding her breath she swam through the wreckage of the Rallsfield looking for sunken treasure.
The Rallsfield was an old Galleon which had sunk over a century before, with a boatload of unknown treasure aboard. No one had sove down into the depths to retrieve its long lost plunder under fear of death. Christine didn't care, she was strong in her faith and believed that even if she were to perish she'd see her parents again in paradise.
Wasting no time Christine swiftly swam into the Galleons treasure compartment, her and her crew had been preparing for this day for weeks so they had mapped the ship out by studying the schematics of similar vessels.
Once she made it to the treasure compartment she met complete darkness, the little sunlight that could be observed at this depth had evaporated and the jet black darkness filled the void in its place.
Paradoxically a pirates dream and nightmare, Christine was lost inside a room filled to the brim with gold doubloons, crystals, and other valuable jewels, but due to the intense darkness she could see any of it or her way out.
As Christine slowly ran out of breath and began to drown, the faint sound of an angelic choir could be heard, though she couldn't see her hand in front of her face, she could hear the music and she followed it to uncover the source.
As she got closer to the source the music grew louder and her breath began to replenish.
What sorcery is this
She thought to herself.
As she turned the corner the choir was so loud her eardrums were about to draw blood, but when she peaked around the corner the darkness was gone. A golden light pierced through the void and the source for this light was a giant chest.
This chest was solid gold with a golden aura circling around it. Christine grabbed it expecting it to be heavy, however to her surprise it was relatively light.
Whatever's in this chest I'm taking, for it truly is worth more than all this gold.
Christine pondered
She used the chest to light her way out of the bowels of the wreck and find the diving bell again. She reached into the diving bell and placed the chest inside before swimming inside herself, she closed the hatch, and then tugged on the chain signalling to her crew that she was ready to be hoisted back up.
After hours of decompression the diving bell was finally back above the waves, the crew of the ship placed it down onto the hardwood deck of the Rocketstalker.
Christine stepped out into the afternoon sun with the chest in her arms still glowing gold.
"Captain you're alive." First mate Damien Smire said in shocking disbelief
Christine gentle placed the golden chest on the deck as the entire crew encircled it in awe and wonder.
"What is it?" One of the crewmembers asked
"I've never seen a chest made out of gold before." Commented another
Damien navigated his way through the crew to reach the center where the chest sat, with Christine kneeling down right in front of it.
"Damien you won't believe it this chest saved my life down there." Christine said
"It saved your life" Damien asked
"It saved my life, I was on the verge of drowning in the cold darkness, when I heard a choir of angels singing, I followed the noise and it led me to this golden chest."
"So the chest is magical?"
"Yes, the chest is a special kind of magic. I think it's divine magic at play here."
"Are you sure it was angels?"
"I've seen countless magic objects, I mean my sister's a witch for crying out loud, and this isn't any type of magic. It's divine for sure."
The rest of the crew began murmuring to themselves impressed with the chest.
"So who can we sell this chest to?" Damien asked
"No-one!" Christine shouted
"But"
"The Rallsfield was headed in the direction of Cristo, the home of the Gods. It was on a quest that we've been chosen to finish."
"Christine I sincerely doubt that."
"Then how come it called out for me. Damien we must return it to Cristo, the Gods demand it."
"Christine we're pirates. Since when do we care what the Gods think?"
The crew cheered for Damien as he said that. Christine stood up and said
"Because, breaking their divine laws is one thing, but stealing from them directly is another. Damien when you do you're going to one of two places. Which one do you prefer? The Great Beyond or the Underworld."
"Christine I'm sure everyone, from the purest of priests to the wickedest of witches wants to get into the Great Beyond, but some of us can't."
"Damien, if we return this to them, they'll be forever grateful to us. They'll forgive any crime past or future and we can get into paradise when we slip this mortal coil."
"Maybe you have a point."
"I know I do."
Christine picked up the chest and placed it into Damon's arms, she then pointed southeast shouting
"Full sail to Cristo lads!"
# Ashland Island
Sekivo, Queen of the Demons, Patron Saint of Pirates and Goddess of Suffering sat with her legs crossed on her throne in her dimly lit throne room.
Sekivo took a sip from her wine glass, as she sat in nearly complete silence and calm.
Until one of her senses went off, she could feel an anomaly, something not quite right.
She put down her wine glass and asked
"Jezebel. I want you to be honest with me. Where is the Rocketstalker at this moment?"
Sekivo's younger sister Jezebel who is the Goddess of Magic and Fortune Telling stood in front of a crystal ball.
"The Rocketstalker is about forty knots away from Cristo. It appears they just salvaged the wreckage of the HMS Rallsfield, taking a chest from the wreckage." Jezebel answered
"What's in the chest?" Sekivo asked
"The Elder Gods would be mad if I told you."
"So whatever's in that chest is important to the Elder Gods!?"
"Yes."
Sekivo laid all the way back in her
Damn that Christine, she flies my flag then betrays me by taking a holy artifact and delivering it to the Elder Gods. No on my watch. I'll have her head for this
Sekivo thought to herself
"Just so you know you lose when you go after Christine." Jezebel said.
Sekivo scrunched her eyes as her face turned red and then lunged at her sister and violently attacked her.
Jezebel screamed in terror but there was nothing she could do.
Jezebel lied on the ground clenching her side in utter pain.
"I don't make the future, I just predict it." Jezebel commented
"Well your prediction is wrong." Sekivo replied
"Go after her then. Prove me wrong."
"I will."
Sekivo pressed her middle finger and thumb together and both hands, she then snapped her fingers simultaneously vanishing into thin air.
# High Seas
The Rocketstalker decreased in speed the closer it got to the Holy Island. The island immited strong winds towards any ship that got near it, any ship that got too close however would burst into flames before sinking.
Christine was determined, despite pleas from Damien and many members of the crew Christine kept forward.
"We'll be incinerated if we get closer." Damien pleaded
"They won't harm us, we're helping them out." Christine retorted
"How do you know that? You have no way of knowing that?"
Just then the man from the crowsnest shouted.
"Three ships on the horizon! Triremes! Torn sails with black insignias!"
The man in the crowsnest then fell from the masts soaring down before smacking into the deck of the ship.
The crew of the ship scurried over to him, but it was too late, the man was dead.
Christine and Damien looked behind themselves to see the three ships approaching fast.
"It's Sekivo." Christine said
"Here for the chest no doubt."
"Told you it's important."
"Fine, but pissing off Sekivo isn't a good idea."
"Pissing off the Elder Gods is an even worse idea. Battle stations men!"
The black Triremes were gaining on the Rocketstalker, Christine had the ship turn its broadsides towards the three Triremes and the she shouted
"Salvo!"
The deck of the Rocketstalker came to life with a loud bang, all fifteen cannon on deck fired simultaneously. The lead cannonballs flew through the air like the most elegant of birds before they struck their target, All three Triremes had flamethrowers on the front. One of the triremes took a direct hit in the flamethrower causing it to explode. A black fireball rose into the pinkish blue skin."
The frosty bite of the fiery explosion, nipped at Christine's bare flesh, causing her to shiver.
"Huh, whoever heard of fire being cold." Christine remarked
The two others sliced through the waves like a hot knife through butter, closing in on Christine's vessel with each passing second.
Damien, who stood at the helm, used every ounce of strength he had to turn the Rocketstalker. Though it was a mere Sloop, it was just as hard to turn as most seafaring vessels.
Though he tried with all his might to move the ship in time, it was an effort down in futility. The two other Triremes rammed the Rocketstalker with so much force they nearly capsized her.
Some of her crew were flung overboard into the cold salty water.
Christine herself was thrown off her feet and onto the deck of the ship.
"If that's how she wants to fight, then that's he we'll fight. Fire the swivel!" Christine shouted
One of the crew members ran to the tiny swivel gun. He pulled the trigger to show the power of the tiny gun. The gun fired off like a cannon with, the barrel filled with smoke and fire sending a tiny led ball out at a high rate of speed, the ball whistled through the air before plunging down into the water a an angle so precise it disabled one of the enemy ships rudder, disabling it in the process.
"I got a hit Captain!" The man shouted
Christine had just risen from her fallen state, cheered him on.
"Aye Lad."
As Christine got back on her feet she bore witness to the broadsides of the Trireme aimed dead at her vessel.
"Broadsides lads!" Christine shouted at the stop of her lungs
Both ships were nearly capsized by the immense amount of force being used to fire broadsides, the water between the ships were moved as the insanely hot lead cannon balls flew ferrous at one another.
Each ship was nearly torn to splinters as the cannonballs easily punched through the wooden hulls of the ships.
All the smoke from the cannons blocked the warring vessels' sight from one another, as the smoke began to clear Christine and Damien peaked out over the side of their badly damaged ship, to see none other than the Goddess of Suffering herself standing on the deck of the Trireme.
"Surrender now Christine, and I just might spare you." Sekivo said
"You cannot stop me! I'll never surrender." Christine yelled in reply
Sekivo conjured up her rifle in her arms, while Christine ran over to the swivel gun.
"Damien keep her course straight! I'll handle Sekivo." Christine demanded
Sekivo fired her rifle multiple times striking Christine's ship, but missing her.
Christine used every ounce of her energy to turn the swivel towards Sekivo and then fired it. The lead ball was akin to that of an eagle flying through the air, smashing Sekivo in the gut sending her falling flat on her ass.
"I will wear your intestines as a necklace!" Sekivo held her levatited back up to her feet.
Sekivo violently threw her sites aiming for Christine's temple.
"Enjoy the underworld bitch." She said but right before her finger could pull the trigger back the booming voice of angels shook the waves and a bright light shined down on Christine brighter than the sunset over the horizon.
Christine began to levitate off the ground.
"What's happening to me?" Christine asked as she began to freak out.
The crew of the Rocketstalker were stunned, watching in awe as their Captain began ascending to the Heavens.
"Oh no you don't!" Sekivo yelled
Sekivo began to levitate as her straight black hair became unferrelled
The palms of her hands were laid out as orbs that were somehow clear yet dark appeared in her palms.
Before Sekivo could attack her a powerful boom came from the sky and a golden arrow flew at Sekivo with such speed it was invisible to the human eye.
The arrow plunged into her sending her splashing into the ocean, with such force the water splashed high into the sky sending massive waves through the ocean. The Rocketstalker was nearly capsized by this, on the contrary Sekivo's ship was violently pushed over with the mast being torn from the hull, and the crew being dragged down beneath the waves.
Once Christine reached the clouds she was nearly blinded from a city of shining gold.
Christine had tears running down her face.
"It's the most beautiful thing i've ever seen." She said
Christine then landed flat on her feet on the golden path, she walked along the streets of golden amongst the souls of the righteous.
Though she wore heels she felt dwarfed by the massive building towering even higher into the sky.
Her heart was on the verge of bursting from joy and she almost collapsed when she saw the souls of her parents standing there waving at her.
Christine was about to go over and hug them until the world around her evaporated into golden dust, the dust twisted around in a tornado like fashion.
Christine's heart was about to literally explode. First excitement, then joy, and now completely incomprehensible terror.
What's happening? Where's paradise?
Christine thought to herself, on the razor's edge of sanity.
The golden dust then turned into a place of shining gold with enormous thrones with enormous humanoid beings sitting on them.
Christine now had the golden chest in her arms again after leaving it on the ship.
Oh yeah this thing. I forgot about this
She thought to herself.
Towering above Christine were the elder Gods. Wodor, Sofier, Easos, and Nomon.
Christine quickly goes to her knees dropping the chest in the process.
"Oh sorry." She said
The building shook violently when Nomon said
"Christine Muso, you have gone through immense trouble to deliver our chest. Why did you put yourself through this trouble?"
Christine couldn't help but shake, amd she petitely replied
"I...I...I found this chest in the wreckage of the HMS Rallsfield. I knew it was holy so I thought I'd give it back."
"She is one of pure heart." Easos said
"Purer heart than most in that forsaken realm." Sofier replied
"It truly is my least favorite version of our creation." Wodor added
"Enough!" Nomon shouted
"Christine Muso, by returning this Chest instead of taking it for yourself you've proved to be of pure heart and righteous mind. Though you have committed many crimes against our Holy laws, I can only commend you for this generous act. On the hour of the day you shed that mortal coil, your eternal soul will be accepted into the Great Beyond." Nomon decreed
Christine with tears running down her face was literally choking on her words.
"Than...than...than...thank you." She said
The magical chest then disappeared, vanishing into thin air and appearing in the palm of Wodor's giant hand.
"Were you ever curious enough to wonder what was in this chest?" Wodor asked
"Not really." Christine answered
"Well I'll show you anyway."
The chest magically opened and while a golden light shined out from it Wodor revealed the chest to be completely empty
Christine gasped at the realization.
"It was a test." She said
"A wise guess." Nomon said
"Now we believe you have a more mortal matter to deal with. Well a mortal matter dealing with an immortal." Easos commented
Before Christine could even blink she was no longer in the realm of the Gods, but back on the badly damaged deck of the Rocketstalker
At her feet were the lifeless bodies of her crewmates, and standing next to the mast was Sekivo with her rifle in her arm.
Christine tries to silently sneak past Sekivo but her attempt is worthless when Sekivo in a crazed voice said
"Christine, we're both adults here. Come and face you death with dignity."
Sekivo turned to Christine to reveal that her rifle now had a bayonet, and written in fire on the bayonet was her name.
Sekivo began to slowly walk towards Christine with her bayonet pointed at her.
"So Christine how do you want your insides rearranged?" Sekivo cackled
As soon as Sekivo reached Christine instead of defending herself Christine fell to her knees.
"Goddess will you please forgive me for my transgressions?" She asked
Sekivo dropped her rifle in complete shock,
"What?" Sekivo asked
"I have angered you in some way, it wasn't my intention to, but I did. I'm asking you to take pity on me and my crew."
Sekivo looked down into Christine's eyes and for a moment they both looked each other in the eyes.
Sekivo then growled
"I'll forgive you this one time, but if anything like this ever happens again. I'll chain you up in a dungeon and force feed you your fingers! Got that."
"Yes" Christine said
Sekivo then picked up her rifle and with all her might smashed Christine in the head with it, knocking her out.
Sekivo stood over her unconscious body and said
"Consider yourself lucky, I've never let someone off this lightly."
Christine came back to consciousness later that night in Damien's arms on the ship.
"I have a splitting headache." Christine complained
"I small price to pay for meeting the Elder Gods themselves" Damien said in reply
"I guess."
Christine looked up to see the beautiful stars shining down upon Oceanlandia.
"Sometimes I wonder if the sky is a sea and the stars are islands." Christine remarked
"If the sky was a sea, the pirates would be nearly unstoppable. So many different stars that no lawman would ever find you." Damien replied
Christine then looked out over the badly mangled deck of her ship, to see a bunch of lights on an island in the distance.
"Derzy no doubt. We're almost home lads." She said, before the crew cheered
She then drifted back out of consciousness.