Under the blazing heat of the sun, I sit atop the deck of our makeshift ship, hammering down the final touches, my hands bloody. Not once in these past three day's have I slept. Maggie's been nagging me too.
She's fallen asleep, wrapped around the sails.
I quietly hang a sail over her, so that she doesn't get sun burn. Her lips have already chapped, and dark circles reside under her eyes. Her cheeks are slightly flushed, I hope she's not sick... that might delay our progress.
A few minutes go by as I work in silence.
The sun is almost in position; the Crown's ship will be passing soon.
"Wake up! She-devil" I shout, tossing a nail on her head.
"Blimey! What's your problem?!" She asks, in outrage.
I point to the sun, suddenly she's no longer upset. Standing up, she swiftly fixes the sails to the mast. She glances me, "It's time, Mav."
I smile,"finally."
The ships isn't pretty but it'll float, I hope...
She began building the ship two years ago. Without my help, it would've probably taken another year to complete. This woman can be quite lazy, which is shocking, given the determination burning deep within her emerald eyes.
We stand on the beach, where we built the ship. There's no dock, so now we have to push it into the water. Considering the ship's size, it's not a huge problem.
Maggie reels at the thought of pushing the ship. She's not physically strong, but like Shadar, she's quick. Her marksmanship is impressive, enough to wet any man's pants. She'd probably put a whole in it...
Nevertheless, we push the ship into the water, and climb aboard before it floats away. Neither of us is skilled at maneuvering a ship. In fact, Maggie barely knows anything about them. She only knows how to build a basic one, because she had found one of her father's books about ships. She's quite smart, so learning something entirely new isn't much trouble for her.
We float off the shore, of the small island. Waiting for the military ship. Suddenly remembering our first conversation, I ask, "You said this island is called 'Nekro island', what's it mean?"
She glances at me, then turns away. Gazing out at the sparkling blue sea. Before answering, she takes a deep breath, "I named it myself, actually. Before, it didn't have a name, much like any other island that doesn't belong to nobles."
She sighs, before continuing, "We were happy here on this little island. We didn't have much, but we were happy. Then one day that man washed up, injured. My parents cared for him, for a long time. They didn't know what he was then, and he didn't know what they were." She turns to me, her expression sombre. Her red hair fluttering gently in the soft breeze.
"They were revolutionaries... planning to overthrow the Crown by uniting the common folk," She says, smiling sombrely. "A silly dream, a dream that cost them their lives. Now they're nothing but corpses. That's what 'Nekro' means."
Looking at her, I don't know what to say. Iuckily, I don't have to. The military ship is within sight, it's time to move.
Of course, we can't directly tail the military ship; they'll blow us to pieces with their cannons. We just need to find out where the prison is located.
So that's exactly what we do. Following the military ship, from a distance. Our small ship blends in with the horizon.
We follow after the military ship for awhile, moving further and further away from Nekro island.
Suddenly, their ship halts. The waves begin to stir.
"Have we been... spotted?" Maggie asks, worried, as she steers the ship.
I grip my wooden spear tightly.
My eye's stay fixed on the water bellow the military ship. "no... it's worse than that." I reply.
It's not that they have spotted us, they've spotted something else, a sea monster. Their ship is under attack by an enormous sea serpent. The creature is at least four times bigger than the one I fought in the pit.
It wraps its scaly body around their ship, boom! Cannons fire into the monster... but they have little effect.
A cold sweat runs down Maggie's back. If cannons don't scratch it, what can her mere flintlock do?
I watch the serpent curiously as it opens it's huge maw, revealing several incredibly sharp teeth. The crew fire their harpoons into the beasts long body; these seem to cause damage. Perhaps the wepons are special, like the wepons the Owner's men used to capture sea monsters.
The serpent is only enraged by their feeble attempt. The sunlight dances beautifully across it's shiny scales, as it smashes it's tail against the deck. The air is filled with the gruesome sound of dying men, bones crunching, guts spilling.
"Mavro... what do we do? If the ship is destroyed, we'll never find the prison!" Maggie asks, desperately.
"Nothing. Not yet, at least." I reply.
The sea serpent continues it's relentless assault, devouring several crown soldiers. Painting the ship red, it's fury shows no signs of stopping.
"What do you mean?!" Maggie asks, frantically. Struggling to keep our ship steady.
"We don't need the whole ship to find the prison, just a single hostage will do. I say, calmly.
Maggie's expression turns grim, though she doesn't protest the idea.
"Now! We need to go, now!" I shout, noticing the few men left on the military ship. There could be men bellow deck, but that's unlikely.
"B-But what of the sea monster?" Maggie asks, concerned.
"Leave that to me, you just focus on capturing a hostage." I tell her, unconcerned by the threat of a sea monster, which annihilated an entire military ship. The crown's military ship.
My eyes shine with blue radiance as we approach the military ship. The serpent strangles the crowns vessel.
Once we are in range, the serpent instantly set's it's sight on the next meal. I draw the serpents attention, and Maggie swings onto the military ship, using a sea weed rope.
The serpent turns it's massive head towards the moving target - a foolish mistake. I throw my wooden spear with all my might, aiming straight for the beasts eye. My spear doesn't reach the beast. Instead, it's swatted away by the serpent's tail with little effort.
Just like it swats me into the water with little effort.