As they landed back on their feet, Noname dropped a question
" What the hell have you been doing down there Henry?"
"Long story cut short...." Henry responded quickly. ".....turn the ship around now!"
"What!..." Noname exclaimed. "... seriously Henry!? After we have gone this far?"
"Sorry to open this chest but we haven't even moved up to a kilometer. It's not possible for this ship to oppose the strength of this wind..."
" And that's why we are letting go of the sails!"
" We are heading in the wrong direction Noname!...". Henry blasted with a sense of compulsion. "... Our ship has gone off course! This is isn't wind from the North, this is wind from the West, in fact according to Louis it's....." He stopped on Noticing his nephew's absence. ".... Louis!? He's supposed to be here!"
" Apologies..." Louis said as he dragged along the sail which had been let loose completely, he had earlier seen the sail being carried away by the wind and had to catch it before it was out of reach.
"....apologies Henry but knowing the importance of this sail I couldn't just let it go."
" Brilliant of you louis!..." Henry complimented him. "...now without waisting our time, spill the rum!"
" Right!....from my knowledge of typhoons....."
" Did you just say typhoons?" Noname asked in suprise.
"Yeah....we are actually on the outer rainbands of one and it's headed South. Any direction we face that's not South will only bring us closer to the eyewall of the typhoon and make the wind stronger.
West and Northwest
" Advantage?!" Noname asked in deep thoughts contracting his eyebrows with interest.
" Yes.." Louis continued "...the typhoon could probably sweep us back into course, we just have to stay away from the eyewall and maintain our position at the outer rainbands..."
" Yerr lost your anchor Louis? Coz that's crazy!". Noname scolded but immediately change his facial expression and gave a mischievous smile saying...
" Crazy it be ..... and that's why I love it!... Jack!..." he ordered. "...turn the ship around! Santiago! Take that sail from Louis and fix it back to the mast, we've lost three of em to the storm already and three won't be enough to attain a good enough speed. Henry drain this ship off her heavy weight and Lee!...stand by!"
"Aye aye!!!!!". They all chorused and immediately took action in executing their proposed orders.
As the ship rotated clockwise to face the opposite direction, Henry and Louis completed their tasks with haste but Santiago struggled to secure the loose sails, his fingers moving with precision and urgency. The lightning flashes and heavy winds indicated they were at the edge of the inner rainbands, the typhoon's second most treacherous realm. With the ship aligned with the wind it moved automatically.
Santiago focused on fixing the sails, his mind racing with the knowledge that their fate hung in the balance. While he fixed the partially loose sails Santiago's hands moved deftly, his fingers straining to secure the sail's edges and his eyes fixed on the task at hand. He tied the ropes, his knots precise and swift as the wind howled and the sail billowed threatening to break free at any moment. The vertices were the key to controlling the sail, and Santiago's expertise was crucial.
He had secured the lower vertices of the partially loose sail and the upper vertices of the completely loose sail but the unfixed lower vertices remained flapping wildly in the wind like a bird in flight. As he held them, the wind inflated the sail like a balloon and he fought to maintain his grip. His knuckles white with tension, his legs firmly on the mast and his arms stretched wide he pulled the vertices with all his might, his muscles straining against the wind's unyielding force. He knew that securing the vertices would have a hand determining their fate and he refused to yield to the tempest's fury. The wind raged on but Santiago's focus never wavered, his hands held on with a grip that belied the chaos around him.
Jack too dragged forces with nature; As he wrestled with the wind, he summoned every last ounce of strength and might to tilt the wheels and defy the irresistible force of the typhoon's eyewall.
It was a battle of wills, pitting two men against the unyielding power of nature. The outcome hung precariously in the balance as if fate itself was waiting to see who would yield first....but as is often the case when humanity dares to challenge the natural world, nature ultimately emerged victorious.
Jack's Herculean efforts proved no match for the tempest's fury as he pushed against the wheels with all his might, his legs slipping on the wet timber beneath him. Nature sensing its advantage seized the opportunity to strike sending the all-strong Jack tumbling in the wind's direction. His body now a mere projectile crashed into the mass causing the all-agile Santiago to lose his balance for a fleeting moment. In that instant, Santiago's grip on one of the lower vertices faltered threatening to undo all their progress.
The scene was one of chaos and turmoil as the storm raged on seemingly determined to claim victory over the two men who dared to challenge its authority. Jack's fall had set off a chain reaction putting the entire crew at risk and it was now up to Santiago to regain his footing and reassert control over the sail. The fate of the ship and its crew hung precariously in the balance as the battle between man and nature was almost at its climax.
In a swift response, Lee and Noname sprang into action to mitigate the crisis. Lee, quickly hurled his trusty cleaver at the wheel expertly lodging it in one of the wheel's spaces and anchoring it to the floor. This temporary measure effectively halted the wheel's rapid wind-driven rotation buying precious time for the crew.
Seizing control of the wheel, Henry and Louis took the reins, their hands moving in tandem to stabilize the ship's trajectory. Meanwhile, Lee rapidly ascended the mast, his agility and strength propelling him upward with urgency. His ascent was perfectly timed as he reached the top just as Santiago struggled to maintain his grip on the sail..With a deep sense of camaraderie Lee stretched out and grasped the other vertex joining forces with Santiago to pull the sail taut. Together they managed to maintain the balloon-like shape, harnessing the wind's energy to propel the ship forward with remarkable speed. Their synchronized efforts were a testament to the crew's unity and determination as they battled against the tempest's fury to emerge victorious.
On the other hand, Noname with a swift and decisive motion surrendered himself to the powerful gusts of wind utilizing the momentum to propel himself towards the unconscious Jack whose body had been fully ejected from the ship. With a surge of adrenaline, Noname grasped Jack's limp frame and dragged him back onto the vessel struggling against the forceful winds to pull him to safety. As he finally managed to haul Jack below deck, the rest of the crew stationed at their post stood in awe witnessing the ship slice through the waves with an unprecedented velocity. The speed was nothing short of phenomenal, as if the very elements themselves had conspired to propel the ship forward, leaving the crew to marvel at the sheer force of nature's power. The ship's rapid progress was a testament to the fury of the wind and the sea, a spectacle that left the crew breathless and bewildered.
"Captain!..." Henry called out to Noname. "...there is a compass in my right pocket, check if we are headed towards North!".
Noname struggled and drew out the compass, upon opening it he saw the needle turning from East towards North by a degree per second.
"Captain!" Henry called out to get a response from Noname
"Aye North it is!... You guys just hang in there a little longer."
At this point, the eyes of the pirates were all glassy and their muscles had been strained almost to its climax especially that of old man Henry. By now the compass was almost at North..... only a few degrees left...
" Keep the grip... just a few seconds..... NOW!"
It had hit North and this was a time for them to steer the ship out of the typhoon, they had only a few seconds to do so... quickly Noname joined the duo at the wheel followed by Lee. As for Santiago, he plopped to the ground from the mast as he had exhausted all the energy within him. This was the point where all hands were to be laid on deck to totally overcome the effect of the typhoon. They struggled with all their might to steer the ship in the opposite direction, it was a drill of four men against one nature..... At this point, it was a matter of who would give up first..... It was either they overcome nature....or let 'NATURE' come over them!