hi. “sequel” to the “prologue”. same situation, this is my own version of the war seas. im having a lot of fun coming up with ideas for it.
Chapter 1
Awakening
The rain pours, and the wind howls on an unmarked island within the Crimson Sea. As if it were a remnant of the wrathful gods, this island has always had a peculiar, permanent storm. This did not discourage the average adventurer, but the rough conditions have certainly sent a few to their graves.
A barque docks on the northern side of the island. A well seasoned crew emerges from the larger ship as orders are yelled from their captain, a well renowned merchant of the seas. He steps down the gangplank after his crew has spread out, enjoying the rain and view of the seas. Before he can turn to look at his home island, a yell is heard from a member of the crew.
“Wha… Ah, boss! Boss! C’mere a second!”
The boss climbs over the small rocks, approaching the island’s inlet. He spots what his crewmate was attempting to point out. A blonde man face down in the sand.
“A corpse? Is that really necessary?”, the boss says, with a calm tone.
“No, no, this guy’s alive! I… Think? He’s breathin, at least. I wanted your orders for what to do, first.”
“Alive? Hm… Stand back, and stand guard. Just in case.”, the boss replies.
With a nod, the crewmate draws a silver flintlock pistol, and withdraws. The boss walks up to the unconscious man, and kneels down. He puts a palm on him, and shakes him slightly. A groan emerges from the man, then a coughing fit.
“Easy, easy… Are you okay?” The boss asks
“Agh… I…. Who…?” The boy responds, with a confused tone.
The boy raises himself up, looking around. He puts a palm to his head, a sharp pain taking over his entire body. He looks up at the man before him. The man has a bit of stubble, and long black hair. A black eyepatch covers one of his green eyes, and he wears a teal layered robe with grey pants. Pain overtakes his body once more, forcing him to avert his gaze.
“Who.. Who’re you..?” The boy timidly asks.
The boss orders his crewmate to put the pistol down. “Lucian. How about you, pal? What happened here?”
“…My name? I… I don’t remember…”
Lucian seems a bit taken aback. He analyzes the boy, seeing quite a bit of damage to the boy’s clothes and body. “You don’t remember your own name…? Jeez, so you probably don’t remember anything, then, I’d assume…”
“No… I… How’d I get here…? I…”
“Take it easy. You’re probably a lost soul from the Wrath of the Gods.”
“The… Wrath of the Gods…?”
“Not even that, huh…? Haah.. Tell you what, kid. Help the crew out, and I’ll let you aboard the ship, sail you to Redwake.”
“Help.. Okay… How?”
“We’re gathering the fruit from this island. You know what fruit is, yeah? Just look around and find some. And if you find any chests hidden away, bring them to the ship. Got it?”
“Yeah… Alright.”
“Good. Go on, then.”
Lucian waves, and walks toward the ship. The young man finally stands, looking at his surroundings. It’s all unfamiliar to him, nothing he can recall. He goes around the island regardless, picking up any fruit he finds. Mostly, the endemic limes and coconuts to the island. He does manage to find a wooden box on the side of a small cliff. Assuming that this is the “chest” Lucian mentioned, he brings it to the ship.
After a bit more exploring, Lucian calls for the crew to return. They murmur amongst themselves as the boy boards the ship. Lucian speaks up.
“Listen up, don’t worry about the boy. Just a little part time work is all. Just treat him as a crewmate for now.”
The crew all nod in agreement, trusting their captain wholeheartedly. They return to their posts, as Lucian prepares to set sail once more.
“Listen, kid. We’re headed for Redwake now. We’re gonna go through all our findings, see if there’s anything related to you, alright? I’ll pay some Drachma for the trouble, and let you off. You can rest there, probably live there if the king’ll accept you.”
“Sorry about this… Thank you very much…”
“Don’t make me regret it, yeah? You wouldn’t know it, but it’s a decent risk takin’ you in. Come, now. Get below deck.”
“Alright, sir…”
The amnesiac follows his orders, going below the deck and sitting down to rest. He looks at his palms, his vision finally returning in full. Pain still wracks his body, but it’s at least lessened. The stiffness as well, has reduced a fair amount. Yet he still can’t seem to remember anything… His name should be easy to remember, right? The boy wonders to himself, as the ship begins to move. The sails unfurl, as the crew sets a course for Redwake.
Chapter 2
Redwake
After getting used to being on a moving ship, the boy talks with the crew, getting to know a little about the surrounding area. Redwake was to the west of this island, in an area known as “The Jaws”. The sea around them was known as the Crimson Sea, according to a map he had a look at. He ate with the crew, finally regaining some bit of vitality.
He goes back above deck, seeing The Jaws surrounding the ship. Before long, he starts to see red banners with a certain emblem adorn the spires, and the port of Redwake. The ship docks at the port, and the crew begins unloading, the amnesiac included.
Lucian haggles with the Port Master as the crew begins going through the chests, items, and materials found on the island. Nothing notable is found until they crack open a certain crate that was found near the southeast edge, surrounded by some wood. In it, among other ruined items, they find what looks like a straight bladed tanto. While the handle is weathered, the blade itself retains a perfect silver sheen. The inscription on the handle, while mostly illegible, gives a small hint toward the amnesiac’s identity.
“Cain”
“Cain, huh..?” A crewmate says, “Is that your name? Cain?”
“Cain… It… Sounds familiar… That must be it..!” The boy responds, lightening up a bit.
“I can’t read the rest, it’s a bit too rough. But at least we got a first name, eh?”
“It’s a start… Again.. Thank you all…” Cain says, taking the tanto for himself.
He examines the blade, the handle fitting perfectly in his palms. A sense of nostalgia washes over him as he moves it around. This had to be his… If only he could remember more… Nonetheless, it’s better than nothing.
Returning from a harsh haggling session comes Lucian, with a bag full of Drachmae. The crew cheers as they line up for their payday. Unlike most merchants, Lucian pays remarkably well, with very little actually going toward him. To some, it felt a bit suspicious, but most didn’t mind at all. After all, more Drachmae in their pockets never hurt them.
As Cain walks up to the front, Lucian notices the tanto. “So, that’s yours? Did you find anything out?”
“My name is Cain… I think. This blade… I remember it, and it has that name on it. And the name speaks to me… I’m pretty sure this was mine.”
“You aren’t pulling a fast one on me, are you?” Lucian jokes, laughing a bit as Cain looks a bit confused, “Ah, you’re a hundred years too young to manage that. Must be a nice alloy, if it’s survived this long in the elements, even in a crate. Here.”
Lucian hands Cain a bag of 200 Drachma.
“Is this really okay, Lucian? I mean, I… Didn’t help that much…”
“No worries, pal. You were a help regardless. I rented out the Red Finn- the local inn for us, you included. It’s getting late, so get some rest.”
“You’re a great man… Thank you, sir… I’ll make it up to you someday, alright?”
“Beware, kid. I’ll hold you to that. To your grave…”, Lucian responds, with a sinister smile. He laughs it off, and sends Cain down toward the Red Finn.
Cain walks across the wooden planks that make up the man-made island, admiring the beauty in simplicity. The spires were massive, many miles taller than he was, and every building carved into them. He approaches the inn, where he’s greeted by the crew. Before he can go up to rest, he’s approached by a certain member.
“Ah, Cain. Yours is the one all the way down, on the left. We pooled some
Drachma together, gotcha some real clothes.”
“Oh, here, please, I got paid too, I can-”
“Nah nah, don’t worry, kid. Lots of us lost folk during the Wrath of the Gods… So if we can help you out in any way, we will.”
“The Wrath of the Gods… You mentioned it before. Or, Lucian did… What was that..?”
“Right… Here, have a seat.”
The two sit at a table, across from one-another.
“So, it started about… I think it’s been 5 months? The weather around the War Seas got bad. REAL bad. It was like we were in the Dark Sea… Or, what the tales of the Dark Sea sound like. Massive storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, you name it. It was the making of heroes, and brought ruin to an entire kingdom…”
“An entire kingdom fell to it…?” Cain asks.
“Mhm. The Kingdom of Lumen. We don’t like to talk about it, people say it’s bad manners. But while it brought ruin to it, the very place we’re in right now was also established due to it.”
“Redwake was built during a time like that?!”
“Not exactly, but that’s the idea. See… Ah hell… Hey, I’ll continue tomorrow, alright? It’s quite late, and I’m rather tired. Plus, th’ boss is strict with our curfews.”
“Ah… That’s fine, I could use some rest myself…” Cain responds, yawning.
“…Weren’t you just unconscious for an indeterminate amount of time?”
The two laugh a bit, and head their separate ways. Cain goes to his room, seeing the clothes laid out for him. He smiles, shedding the wet rags and putting on actual clothes, a grey fitted jacket with a white undershirt, and black pants, along with a belt to hold his tanto. He sits on the bed, thinking about the transpired events. While he still doesn’t remember very much, at the very least, the people have been kind to him. He’ll find his way and his memories soon enough, hopefully. He puts the tanto on the bedside table and lies down for a night’s rest, the fatigue catching up with him and putting him to rest almost immediately.
bye. feedback is appreciated. hope you enjoyed.