Fantasy The Open Seas (with TheDarkButterfly)

[TheDarkButterfly]

"For that, I'll have to point you to Patrick." He nodded to the captain. "I don't think it'd be a good idea to put you on a task that Patrick wouldn't want you doing. Not right now. I do have a question for you though." He looked at Caleb again. "You know how to fight? If you don't have at least a knife we can give you one to use. If that beast comes back, I think it'll be all hands on deck." He lowered his voice. "Between the two of us, the ship can't handle too much more damage. She's seen a lot, but I don't know how much more she can take at the moment."

He looked at Patrick again, knowing that if the ship went down then surely Patrick would go down with her. The man would not survive the loss of his ship. That was something that Alfred would try to prevent with all his might. "We'll make what repairs we can, but the waters ahead will be rough."

 

[Shy2Infinity]

The grimace fully crossed his face then as he noticed Patrick at the wheel. It might have been somewhat of a long shot, but he was hoping that Alfred wouldn't send him in the captain's direction. Honestly, how much of a coward was he? He'd bested many a bandit and creature and yet, he was made irrationally wary by one human male. It was the predator within him at work, he supposed.

As Alfred's attention came back to him, his eyes narrowed and slowly, the male patted the hilt of his short sword - which sat snugly at his waist. "I can fight," he promised. The only reason he hadn't before was because he'd been afraid that he'd only get in the way. He looked from Patrick to Alfred, then back again and nodded. For a captain, their ship was their most prized possession. He could understand that. "Yeah, I don't think anyone expected a kraken."

Other pirates, maybe or bandits but a monster from everyone's nightmares?

"Anyway, I'm gonna go have a chat with the captain." Turning grimly towards Patrick, he sighed dramatically. "If I die, tell Irissa to not throw me over board. I refuse to have my final resting place be at the bottom of the ocean with all manner of ghastly fish." And with that, he strode off to face his destiny.

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

"Don't worry. I don't think he'd kill you. Yet." Alfred chuckled at the younger male's comment, shaking his head as he left. Even though all that, they had been through already, at least Caleb still had a sense of humor.

Patrick adjusted the wheel slightly, thankful for the good breeze pushing them on their way. It wasn't the course they had originally planned on taking, but that had gone out the window the second they had survived the Kraken attack. Looked like their young companions would have to stick around with them for longer than planned. The port they were going to was certainly not a place he would want to leave the younger two at. They were adding on at least two weeks or more for travel time and ship repairs. He was afraid that there was some major damage that if left alone would eventually bring the ship down. He hoped that it would hold at least long enough to make it to port. They would have to be careful to monitor the belly of the ship.

 

[Shy2Infinity]

"Yet," he echoed with a roll of his eyes. By the time that trip was over, Patrick might be tempted to throw them over board, with all the trouble they would inevitably cause. But that was neither here nor there. The new 'trouble' was getting the chance to talk to Patrick without annoying him. This little setback would likely have him and Irissa stuck with the crew longer and that made him somewhat nervous. He and Irissa had once made the decision of not involving anyone in their affairs, but that rarely worked out and when it didn't, they then resolved to spend as little time with them as possible.

Now, unfortunately, they were stuck with a pirate crew. And who knew when they would be on their way.

When he came up, he cleared his throat and skirted around him - where he went to lean against the rail at the side.

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

Patrick glanced at him when he cleared his throat, keeping a steady hand on the wheel. "It seems adventure and excitement like to follow you two." He commented lightly. "Of all the things Alfred and I have seen, I can't say that a Kracken was one of them." He looked back out into the waters again, scanning them for any disturbance. "You seem to be all right. What of your counterpart? She wasn't injured, was she?"

Despite how tired he looked, his eyes were still clear and sharp. It seemed like he had only just gotten to sleep when he was so violently roused from his bed. Now he didn't have many plans to rest much. He and Alfred would follow the same sleep patterns as the crew. It was only fair. He wouldn't expect their guests to do so, but a part of him did hope that he'd be able to have his own bed when it came time for him to sleep.

 

[Shy2Infinity]

The pirate captain's words brought a dubious look to his rough face, to which he coughed into his arm. "You call it excitement, I call it something else." A frown tugged on his lips. Because while they'd seen many things throughout their adventure, this was... "Same with us," he gave an answering murmur. "We've seen a great many things that others would say were just legend, but a kraken would definitely be a first." And now they were trying to cautiously avoid the thing like that would happen. "Ah, no, not at all. In fact she's her normal, annoying self." Once again, he peered around the surface of the ship. "And what of you? Looks like we were lucky, no one was seriously injured."

Luck. Such a thing that many people took for granted. Skill was vastly necessary, but all in all, luck was the difference between life and death.

He observed Patrick as he manned the wheel. Though the man was tired, the look in his gaze soothed him somewhat. Although, there was only so far that stubbornness could take one before their sleeplessness caught up to them, and what was a crew without their captain? Mentally shaking off the thoughts, he decided to focus on the reason why he was there. "I must admit, I'm more than a little antsy myself. I was wondering if there was something I could do?" He was antsy before, but now that the kraken had shown up, he almost felt like he was counting the seconds before its arrival. Slightly joking, "I might be able to enlist Irissa's help as well?"

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

Patrick couldn't help a slight smile at Caleb's words. "I'm fine, thanks." The smile faded slightly. "And yes, we were very lucky that we got out with no serious injuries. Can't say the same for this lass, though." He patted the wheel. "She'll carry us for a while yet, though." He looked thoughtful at Caleb's question, mulling over things he could have the young companions do while aboard. He hadn't planned on putting them to work, but if they were offering...

"Well, what are you good at that could be a job?" He asked, eyeing Caleb. "Know how to mend? There's always things abord that could be tended to with a needle. I also see that sword there, so I'm assuming you know how to use it?" He looked Caleb up and down. He wouldn't put him in the rigging, that would be too dangerous, but he could put him to work on the deck at least. The younger male didn't look like he had the arm strength for hauling at ropes, but that could always be gained through a few weeks and blisters.

 

[Shy2Infinity]

Badump. Badump.

Something he didn't expect was for the way his heart would react to the smile Patrick donned. It wasn't a full smile, but it still took him off guard by the way it lightened some of the shadows the captain possessed. His fingernails squeezed into his arms as he tried to tell himself, Calm down. It's just a smile. Just -- Nonono. He was not going to be crushing on the pirate captain, of all people! That was ridiculous. Patrick vastly annoyed him. That thing he'd said about Irissa before aggravated him greatly. If she'd been around when it was said, he had no doubt she'd react horribly.

So he couldn't fall for the pirate captain! But he couldn't help remembering Patrick's smile, long after it'd faded.

He just managed to tune into Patrick's question, and tried not to look like he'd just gotten caught doing something he shouldn't have. His heart was only just managing to slow its frantic pace. There were a few things he'd learned on their adventures that would've been useful, Irissa too for that matter. "Yeah, I know how to mend." Being able to mend was vastly needed when a majority of the time their clothes ended up getting torn in some way. Then Patrick pointed out his sword and he rested an easy hand on its hilt. "I do," he answered simply. Then his head cocked. "I also know basic carpentry skills, so I can fix whatever. I can also cook."

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

"I'm afraid we're past the point of basic carpentry." Patrick chuckled lightly. "Cooking is a good skill, but unfortunately this lass has no kitchen. When we first got her neither Alfred nor I could cook and we're not the best at it now. None of the crew is much for cooking either. Your real work would be mending and maybe fighting if it came down to it." He rubbed at his jaw, the stubble there scratching beneath his fingers. "I doubt that you'd need to fight unless that beast comes back." A light glinted in his eyes at those words.

"Anyways, what can the little miss do?" He asked, glancing along the horizon again before slightly adjusting the wheel once more. "And don't worry. We won't ask you or her to do anything that you would hate to do. Nothing too hard either. I don't expect you to do the same jobs as the men." He nodded at the crew. "Easy tasks only."

 

[Shy2Infinity]

There it was again. The thumping in his chest that made his face turn red. He tried to pay it no attention and glanced away with a huff. He didn't need this. Of course, the captain's next words made him do a double take. "What." He didn't exactly mean for it to escape but now that it had, he wasn't about to take it back. A flicker of stubbornness lit his gaze before he looked away, with an oddly snobbish air. "Sounds like you both should try my cooking. I'm proud of my ability to throw together ingredients and make it good." Ah... But that was a little out of turn for him. Slumping slightly, Caleb looked away and tried to ignore his flaming cheeks.

He was more than a little relieved that Patrick went on. When Patrick mentioned the beast, he once more rested a hand on the hilt of his sword - glancing uneasily into the calm waters. There'd been no sign of it, but that didn't mean that it wouldn't come back.

As the topic turned towards Irissa, he considered it. A hand rubbed fiercely at his stubble as he considered it. "Very little that would be useful on the ship... She has some basic knowledge of first aid. She can identify poisonous substances, including plants. She's also very physically active, despite what you've seen so far..." Crossing his arms, he frowned into the distance. "I've tried to teach her how to mend things but that didn't work out how you might expect." Remembering something, all he could do was grumble, "The one thing she's clumsy in apparently."

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

Patrick smiled slightly again at Caleb's comment about cooking. "Well, I'll have to try it once we make port then. And I'm sure we can find something for her to do on the ship, even if it's not mending. If it's any consolation to her, my sister's not keen on mending either. I'm afraid that skill never passed to her." He chuckled, a warm light glowing in his eyes as he spoke of his sister. "There were many things that she could do, but mending was not one of them. I guess I took all that talent for myself." He smiled fully this time. "But, we can't be good at everything." He winked at Caleb. "As I said before, my weak point is cooking."

 

[Shy2Infinity]

Some kind of expression crossed his face, made him appear much more light hearted than usual. Was it pleasure? Joy? Or simple satisfaction? In any case, he stood straighter and gave a rapt nod, "You shan't be disappointed, captain." That was a first for him. He usually said the title with far more sarcasm than that, and hardly said it out loud. When he mentioned his sister, he considered it. Caleb, himself, had never known any siblings. He'd never known any biological siblings, and he'd never known any adopted siblings. "Hm. As far as I've known, I've always been an only child."

Before he could say anything, he was once more taken off guard by how easily Patrick could wink at him and not think anything of it. A flutter filled his stomach and he self-consciously rubbed at it, as if he could stop it at all.

He smiled, slowly. "I know I've shown myself to be good at everything but if I have to say what my weakness was..." He considered it, rubbing his chin as he stared at the floor boards beneath their feet. There was one weakness he could say. Something that someone like him had a huge weakness in, but it was dangerous for him to talk about it. Him and Irissa both. "Animals hate me. The moment they so much as smell me, they either race off or attack me. I am a certified repellent for all things cute and fluffy."

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

"Ah. I should put you in the belly of the ship and you can scare the rats out!" He laughed. "But seriously, that's good to know. Ports tend to have quite a few different critters running about, so we'll be sure to keep them off you if it comes to that. And before you worry, no, I'm not going to blame you for that beast attacking my ship. That was just pure bad luck, I would venture. With all the time we've spent on the ocean, it was about time we ran into something strange." He sighed softly. "I just hoped it would have been something a little less damaging."

He fell silent for a moment, watching the crew work. "I've heard of stranger things besides a Kracken wandering the waves. Much stranger." He thought briefly of the tiny locket his sister always wore, far older than he could imagine.

 

[Shy2Infinity]

He stayed there for a while more, chatting with the captain about anything that crossed his mind. It was only after he'd left that he realized how much he'd gotten sucked into Patrick's chattiness. That had not been part of the plan. If Irissa ever saw such a thing happen, she was bound to notice. Keeping to the plan he enlisted Irissa's help with crew work. Though he couldn't help remarking how easy it'd been. He didn't need to twist her arm at all. She must have been getting just as antsy as he was.

Time passed like that, on that ship. No one seemed particularly keen on avoiding watching the waters, even with the work ahead of them. There was always that thought in the back of everyone's minds, What if it came back? But who knows, maybe they had left the kraken's territory? Or maybe it'd follow them to the ends of the earth. Whatever they thought, the waters stayed clear for days, to the point that some may wonder if the monster was well and truly gone.

It was a few days afterwards that their next catastrophe happened. On a day with an overcast sky, where the sun was trying its hardest to pierce the muggy clouds. It looked like the skies might pour any moment and a few faces turned up towards it, undoubtedly displeased.

"Ugh... The last thing we need is rain," Irissa scowled at the skies.

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

"Rains can bring rough seas." Patrick sighed, rubbing his chin. "It doesn't look to be a storm, luckily, but we still must be careful. No telling if it could turn or not." Alfred and he had not gotten much sleep over the past few days, making sure that at least one of them was awake and above ship to keep an eye on things. Both men looked tired, Patrick more than Alfred. After the attack, he had nearly stayed up for 24 hours again before Alfred finally needled at him enough to send him to bed. That first sleep had been deep and dreamless thanks o his exhaustion, but the others that followed had not been so restive.

Alfred was at the wheel now, doing his best to keep them on course without the sun to guide them. "Should we lift sail, Pat?" He asked the captain. Patrick shook his head.

"Keep them down until the wind starts to pick up. The sooner we get to port the better. Let's hope we aren't blown off course." He crossed his arms, staring out at the horizon as if he could will the port into existence. "Just a couple more days to go."

 

[Shy2Infinity]

Irissa turned from the sight and frowned at Patrick. She and Caleb had mutually agreed to give the captain his bed back whenever he went to sleep, after all, the captain needed his beauty sleep! But that meant, of course, that she and Caleb would also be lacking in sleep. Which mattered little, there were far more pressing things to worry about. Like how the skies looked like they might pour any moment. They hadn't seen the kraken for those past few days, which worried her. They'd been far too lucky those past few days. She hoped they weren't overdue for another disaster.

"Blech..." She stuck her tongue out, resting her chin on the rail. "I don't like it, why can't it be sunny? Now everything looks all sad and stuff."

"I'm personally happy that the sun is gone." Caleb's voice washed over them as he came to rest on the rail next to them, raising a brow at her in the process. Raising a hand to the air, the wind teased at his sleeve. "At least like this, we won't have to pray for a bit of chill. I'd rather not nearly collapse from the heat, thank you very much." Though Irissa pouted at him, he shrugged in response. And personally, he thought a tiny bit of rain might be preferable anyway.

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

Patrick smiled at Caleb a little. "You get used to the heat after a while. The sun's a lot more forgiving after you've been out under it enough. And the breeze keeps it cool enough." He looked back up at the sky. "But yeah, some rain would be nice. Not a storm, but rain." He laughed. "If the gods are kind enough to us poor souls!" He glanced over the seas yet again, still looking for some shadow of a beast that may or may not come back. He had kept everyone on high alert, not letting them get too relaxed. They could rest while the ship was being repaired. He'd rather them be too uptight on the crew then let them relax and be killed before they made port.

Alfred glanced over his friend thoughtfully. While he seemed like he was joking, Alfred could tell that Patrick had a serious not in his words. It really would be the gods' kindness to let them make it. He would make Patrick rest when they made it to port.

 

[Shy2Infinity]

"I don't think I'll ever get used to it," he griped, casting a bitter look towards the sky as if the sun might deem to peek through the clouds. It didn't, of course, and he relaxed somewhat. He was extremely hot natured, so the chill of that day worked well to banish some of the uncomfortable heat. "That's a big if," he joked somewhat teasingly. "I think the gods enjoy watching us suffer, but then again, I probably would too if I was immortal.

"Just because you're sadistic, doesn't mean everyone else is," Irissa stared at him, practically daring him to refute her. They'd been... A bit more snippy with each other over the last few days as lack of sleep and wariness over the monster finally caught up to them. Now they were glaring at each other; the silence between them becoming electrified with unspoken words.

"Must you deny everything I say?" It was the kind of argument that, on a regular day, might have been only for teasing. Today, it seemed they were getting a little short-fused with each other.

Irissa harrumphed, ignoring Patrick and Alfred for the most part. "When you're blatantly wrong, how could I not?"

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

Patrick listened to the younger two for a seconds before he and Alfred exchanged looks with each other. Alfred gently cleared his throat. "Alright, that's enough. We're all on edge here, so let's just take a moment to breathe." He tried to soothe. "Just give it a couple more days and then we can have some time to ourselves. Just hang on until then and then we can get off the ship and stretch and have some real food. Maybe some treats, right?" He tried to smile reassuringly at them. "Maybe just go to other sides of the ship and staying away from each other for a bit for now?"

 

[Shy2Infinity]

They might have continued on, but Alfred clearing his throat froze them in place. Slowly turning their attention to the first mate, they both looked more than a little sheepish. They rarely felt the need to argue with the other and for the most part, it'd been mostly playful jabbing. Caleb was made short of temper by his sickness and being constantly on edge, while Irissa seemed to be restless because of the monster and her own troubles twisting her thoughts.

The two now looked at each other, apologetic for the growing argument, but knowing they ought to spend some time a part. It would only grow into a bigger one if they didn't take some time to their selves.

"Fine," Irissa muttered, her eyes seeking out the floorboards beneath their feet. She turned and trudged away to the other side of the ship.

It was after she left that Caleb pushed away from the rail, running a hand roughly over his face. "That... Was dumb of me. I'm sorry that you had to see that." But even as he spoke the words, he knew that it wasn't them he should have been apologizing to. Though, even if he had the chance to apologize to her right now, he knew that he'd have to wait. Attempting to right now might just send them both into an argument again. Glancing over his fingers around the ship, his lips pulled into a frown. "I'm going to go find something to do." It was an excuse, of course. There was little to be done on that ship. In actuality, he just wanted some time to himself.

As he headed off, he didn't notice the massive shape snaking along beneath the waves.

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

Alfred sighed and shared another look with Patrick. It took a lot to get used to being in such close quarters for so long, especially with the stress they were all under. The first thing on their list after they made it to port and got the ship situated would be to find the nearest inn and drown themselves a little. Or at least find some decent food to enjoy. "I think we need to get them a treat when we reach port." Patrick said to Alfred thoughtfully. "I think we could all use it." Alfred nodded in agreement.

It was quiet for just a moment before a cry went up, drawing both men's attention. "Captain, movement in the water!" The voice shouted, instantly putting everyone on edge.

"Draw your weapons!" Patrick yelled, the crew quickly following his orders. "Make ready for an attack. You fall over, we're not fishing you out!" He drew his pistol and Alfred locked the wheel before grabbing his rifle. They would have to either kill the beast or drive it off before it brought the ship down. The Ragamuffin would only be able to handle so much more.

 

[Shy2Infinity]

He'd scarcely vanished from sight before the cry went up and he stood at attention, rapt alarm consuming his features. Was the beast back? No, that was a dumb question. Of course they wouldn't manage to get away without any major issues. All around him, the other crewmates hastened to jump into action. Laying a hand on the hilt of his short sword, his lips pulled into a scowl before he turned back hurry back towards the captain and his first mate.

As he met up with them, he drew his sword. It exited its scabbard with a dull shing! From the corners of his eyes, he could somewhat see Irissa peeking out from the stairwell. Subtly they nodded at each other, a temporary resolution.

Once again, the kraken rose from the ocean's depths. It was just as huge and imposing as that first time, and Caleb would swear to his death that it had gotten bigger. More tentacles rose from the water, just a wriggling mass of slimy appendages. Interestingly though, one eye was swollen shut. Its one working good eye rolled around in its socket until it landed on Alfred. It stared for a moment before some kind of emotion - heated and dark - filled its one eye. Then, it roared and Caleb had to resist the urge to cover his ears. Its hate filled roar so easily pierced their eyes.

And without much more fanfare, the tentacle brought its tentacle down towards Alfred.

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

Alfred swiftly rolled to the side, dodging the tentacle before he took aim from a kneeling position. He open fired at the beast as the rest of the crew started their own attack, determined to protect the ship. Patrick also took shots at the beast, careful to stay by Alfred's side like last time and buying the other man time to reload his rifle. Patrick wanted the creature dead for the damage done to his precious ship, but he would settle for chasing it off again. Maybe fully blinding it would make him feel a little better about the damage. Besides if they survived this, they would have one hell of a story to tell. He doubted many people could say they survived one Kracken attack let alone two of them. If they made it out alive he would have to reward the crew handsomely.

 

[Shy2Infinity]

Despite the kraken doing its best to destroy the ship, Irissa was relieved to see that it wasn't doing as much damage as she thought it would. In fact, it seemed like they were firing off many more shots than the kraken. But from her hiding place, she saw its tentacle. The one that had slammed towards Alfred and missed him, it was still lying there. She watched Caleb slice a nice chunk out of it, as well as a few other crew mates.

There was something... Weird, about it.

It took her seconds too long to figure out why and by the time she realized it, the tentacle had bowled over many of the crew mates and wrapped itself around Caleb's arm. She gasped, covering her mouth in alarm as the tentacle tried to pull him overboard. Caleb pressed his lips together, face whitening some. His feet held firm as he hacked and slashed at it. But when another tentacle smashed against the ship, the vibrations made him stumble.

And the kraken itself? It seemed to have learned from its recent run in with Alfred. It refused to stay still for long, forcing the crewmates to guesstimate their shots.

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

Patrick saw the tentacle wrap around Caleb's leg and finally drew his own sword, leaving Alfred for a moment to assist the younger male. He lifted his blade, bringing it down with one powerful stroke, intending to sever the appendage that clung to Caleb. Alfred did his best to find a solid shot at the other beast's eyes but the way it moved made it difficult to find one. He hoped that if he could blind it in both eyes it would retreat permanently. Chase it off and keep Patrick from doing anything too reckless, that was his two priorities at the moment.

"Alfred, get the damn thing already!" Patrick bellowed over the commotion as he swatted at another tentacle with his sword.

Alfred scoffed softly to himself at his words. "Easy for you to say." He grumbled as he took another shot at the beast. He still didn't have a clear line to it's other eye.