The daylight star glistened the waters as it rested comfortably in the sky, like a bat on the roof of a cave’s mouth. The ocean’s rising breath cooled the sailors in an attempt to comfort the shipmen as they endured the Sun’s warming rays.
“I’ve heard stories of this sea’s hellish nature. I dunno where that got that from,” the sail rigger complimented, "seems pretty beautiful, I just might end up staying here!”
“Hell! I wouldn’t mind leaving you here, Tybrus!” the large Captain mocked, “The only damn time you closed ya mouth during the whole twelve weeks was when you was asleep!”
The pirates laughed at Tybrus as he began to simulate maintenance on an already tended to sail. His bronze mimicking skin glowed from sweat that began to creep from within. They sailed further into the sea until they were met with a behemoth stone wall that stretched for miles until curving further down. The Vice-Captain spotted some pillars that reached a fair distance upwards with a few decrepit homes upon them. The Captain noticed that his Vice was fixated on something.
“What’s da matter, Remus?” The Captain questioned as he raised his left dark brow, “You lookin’ concerned.”
Remus took his attention away from the pillars and threw it up to the Captain,
“My apologies Captain Jhorna. It’s just those buildings over there. The houses are rundown. I do not think that anyone is there.”
Captain Jhorna looked at the direction of Remus’s guiding finger.
“Our eyes ain’t as special as yours Remus, perhaps as we move closer we can make it out, but I ain’t doubting ya. A bit behind us was a little sand village. Three or four mo’ of these frigates could probably out length it. The whole place appeared to be deserted and ransacked. Seems that some others beat us to it,”
Captain Jhorna assumed before making way back to the wheel with his footsteps mimicking thunder as they collided with the ironwood deck. Eventually, they arrived at the pillars to investigate. Tybrus assured that he was first off the ship, hopping over before the frigate completely ceased movement, with another shipman following. He called out to Captain Jhorna, who was waiting out on the ship, too big to enter the house doors.
“Aye, Cap J!”
“What is it, Gyrus? You stowed away someone else with ya?” Jhornia mocked.
Gyrus is the most recent and youngest addition to the Vasten Pirates. Gyrus snuck himself onto Jhorna’s frigate before departure and was simply taken in once he was found. Jhorna uses this opportunity to train the scrawny young Alvarian man. Gyrus’s adoration for the sea’s mysteries drove him to stow away on the Vasten Pirate ship.
“There’s water in here. It’s just barely enough to get above the bottom of your shoes, but it’s kind of unusual. We’re fifty feet up.”
“Couldn’t it just be a bit-uh rain?”
“I thought that was the case too, but shells and sea vegetation is floating around. I believe it’s seawater, Captain.” Gyrus stated.
Captain Jhorna, bewildered, hollered out, “Let’s get goin’ y’all. Don’t want these shambling structures collapsing on ya.”
They began sailing away from pillars. The sea was lit by the Sun, but the experience left some uneasy. Remus did notice something which piqued his interest. As the ship began to depart, he stared at a point in the water. His eyes locked onto a pillar beneath the sea. Upon that pillar was an old house that, besides being completely submerged and dressed in sea life, remained relatively intact.
“Keep y’alls eyes keen on a golden rooftop, dat’s where our treasure is gon’ be,” Captain Jhorna informed his crew.
The shipmen utilized their eyes to their maximum potential to no avail, but something caught Remus’s attention in the far distance.
“Captain, there’s something down that way,” Remus told Jhorna as he pointed in the direction of a dark spot in the distant water.
“Yeah, I see what you’re talkin’ about. It’s probably some Humpbacks.” Jhorna said in reassurance before patting Remus on the back.
“Aye, Captain!” Tybrus shouted out, “Down there, far left! I see it!”
Captain Jhorna looked and saw the peak of the massive golden roof with a bit of black rock resting against it, “Good work, Tybrus!” Jhorna yelled and let out a laugh of accomplishment as he pulled the frigate near.
As Jhorna was removing his pirate gear, he turned to the crew,
“I know you got some big lungs Gyrus. You’re gonna be coming down ‘ere with me. Keep ya eyes peeled for any chests you see.”
“Aie aie Cap.”
“Tybrus, Remus, keep a lookout for any bastards tryin’ to get their hands on some of dis wealth,” Jhorna said with a chuckle, “Don’t worry none, shouldn’t be nobody else out here, they probably believe dem folktales.”
Gyrus and Jhorna dove into the pristine waters, revealing a massive chunk of land with a plethora of structures that had been disguised as the sea. The kingdom consisted of homes, a market area, a pub, a majestic castle in the center, and large strong walls that enclosed it all. As they traveled deeper, it grew dimmer. Gyrus illuminated himself with his Moonlight Magic, brightening the deepsea. He signaled Jhorna and swam into a bank that sat near the market. With his second magic, Water Magic, Gyrus pushed away some liquid, giving just enough room for him and Jhorna to have oxygen. An eroded door sat in the bank, leaking water. Jhorna pulled off the weakened door, releasing a room full of trapped saltwater. In the room, there remained one soaked bag. He grabbed the bag and shook it. The sound of clashing coins brought joy to Jhorna’s big heart and he looked inside.
“Yup, dats Lamina!” Jhorna said in excitement.
“The family has their own currency?” Gyrus questioned, perplexed.
Jhorna chuckled, “Nah, it’s money dat was being used back in the day. Perhaps dat’s where the Laminas got they name from?”
Gyrus shrugged.
“Here,” Jhorna told Gyrus, handing him the bag, “Send it up.”
Gyrus used his Water Magic to create a tough air bubble around the bag, giving it the ability to float up to the frigate. The bag made its way until it breached the sea surface, popping loud enough to get Tybrus’s attention.
“Tybrus,” Remus said, “That dark spot I mentioned to the Captain earlier… It seems to have moved closer… And, a mountain appeared on it?”
Tybrus wiped the water from his eyes as he boarded back onto the ship and gazed at the thing,
“Seems like a bad omen. Not sure if I’d want to live here anymore…,” Tybrus said with a nervous chuckle, “We should probably alert Captain Jhorna and Gyrus.”
Tybrus casts a weak white lightning beam near the area that he saw Gyrus and Jhorna last swim to. The two had already made their way into the sunken castle, unable to see the beam. They found a library with books floating around in the water as if telekinesis was at play. Gyrus shook his head in disapproval; the books no longer have use. They eventually found an entrance into a room guarded by a massive silver-blackish “door.” Gyrus casts a flurry of light and water at the big extraordinary door to no avail. Jhorna unleashed a gigantic iron cube at it, which did not even cause a scratch.
Gyrus created another bubble of air to give Jhorna and himself oxygen,
“Dat’s one helluva door right there! Woo-wee, don’t know who or what is gettin’ through that!” Jhorna said, paying respect, “All them riches mus’ be in there!”
“I heard that this place had a room where only one man could open it. I believe he was once regarded as the strongest in these seas… I believe King Arsen back at Magius knew hi-”
A head-spinning explosion interrupted Gyrus. The two men were forced into stumbling by the impact of a great force colliding with the castle. The air dome burst and the castle began to collapse.
“Holy hell! Hold on, boy!” Jhorna yelled out before the water completely covered his mouth. Jhorna grabbed Gyrus’s arm and stomped one leg down, blasting black iron from his foot, launching Gyrus and himself upward through a newly created opening at the top of the castle. It did not take any time for them to eye the cause of the devastating event. They looked down below them to witness a nightmare, The Devil of the Seas, the End…
A gargantuan red beast raged below the terrified captain and young man, thrashing and demolishing all things that had the audacity to exist around it. It’s massive red dorsal fin almost reached them despite the beast being underwater. It breached the sea, lunging itself a hundred feet into the air. Even with this great thrust, much of it remained within the water. It chomped down, just barely missing Jhorna’s leg. But luck only gave itself to Jhorna.
In the now raging ocean, Jhorna stared in shock and horror at a half-eaten Gyrus. The young man’s entrails hung out from under him, waving in the wind. He subconsciously held onto his dying crewmate’s hand, as the crimson liquid from Gyrus’s lower half polluted the water around them.
“I… I’m sorry Captain…” Gyrus struggled to utter as blood forced its way from out his mouth. The great beast’s ghastly eyes’ pierced the darkness of the water, appearing as two bright moons rushing upwards from the deep.
“No, no no no Gyrus I’m go-gon’ get us outta here! Just hold on Gyrus, hold on!” Captain Jhorna teared up and began choking on his words, “Tybrus and Remus are powerful people, be-believe dat! Believe dat!”
The dying young man struggled to point but pulled together enough strength to do so in a general direction. His hand lined up with a demolished frigate. Floating by it, an impaled Tybrus and Remus nowhere to be seen.
Gyrus grasped for air to transform it into words, gathering enough energy to be able to produce scratchy, broken sentences, “L…Let go Capt… We w… Will both die if you don’t leave me…Set yo-yourself free go-god dammit…”
Agony and demise began to transform the Captain’s mind, “Shut up with that shit! I’m-I’m getting us out of here!”
The beast’s massive maw mimicked a caved as it overcame the two debilitated pirates.
Jhorna launched upwards, holding onto Gyrus’s hand tightly. Gyrus casts a small blast of light on Jhorna’s arm, stinging him just a bit to get the man to free himself from Gyrus’s life-leaking body.
Water rushed into the monster’s gullet as if a portal to hell had torn open reality and began swallowing the ocean. The rampaging water dragged Gyrus down into the beast’s guts. Jhorna screamed in agony as the half-body boy disappeared into the darkness of the blank-eyed beast. Through his tears, he spotted a body drifting into the gaping jaws of the behemoth red shark.
“Remus? Remus! No, no! I’m not losing anyone else to this sack of shit! I re… I refuse!” Jhorna yelled as he launched himself towards the floating body. The Vastus-blood captain used his dwindling energy to push himself to Remus. The sea beast caught eye of the flailing bodies and aimed its fury towards the man who was desperately trying to save his friend. It charged at them and opened its mouth wide, ready to devour. Jhorna fired a large diamond-shaped iron projectile into the unnatural shark’s right eye, permanently removing its privilege of sight. The White-Eyed Beast turned around and dove back under the sea. Monstrous waves caused by the monster’s rampage were now prevalent and they tried to consume Jhorna as he desperately attempted to keep Remus and himself above water and make way to land.
“Remus! Remus, you gotta git up man, I ain’t gonna be able to keep us up…” Jhorna pleaded with a face full of tears and blood.
“I-I’m not going on much longer, sir…” Remus said in broken, dry words.
“Don’t you goddamn say that ta-me! Just swim a few and I, I can bring us the rest of the damn way!”
“No, Capt, Captain, you don’t unders… Understand…” Remus pulled his shirt up to show a large chunk of his torso missing.
“My time’s up, Cap…It’s been a pleasu-”
Life could not stretch itself long enough for Remus to finish, but it did give enough to let his last facial expression be a grin.
Jhorna let the man’s body float free in defeat. He lied in the water, arms, and legs sprawled out. He no longer cared to fight. He no longer wanted to struggle. He just wanted the end. The Alpha did not come back to torment him any longer. It let him be as if succeeding in its efforts to break the man’s spirit. Time drifted the mentally and physically shattered Jhorna to a stone island. He lied on the stone ground for hours, staring into the sky as the Sun went to rest before finally sitting up. A flintlock from a drifting crate made its way to Jhorna’s destination. He grabbed it and stared down at it. His hand guided the gun to the side of his skull. He stared at the dark water for a moment, having all of the events play over and over again in his mind. The Vastus-blood, blank face and mind, apathetically squeezed the trigger. And it clicked. The gun did not function and was free of ammunition. Jhorna screamed at the sky in misery. He screamed until his vocal cords tore and bawled egregiously. He slammed his head against the stone in a desperate attempt at achieving death, only to shatter the rock and cause himself to receive some scratches.
“Prometheus, please just kill me. Kill me now, please… Please!” Jhorna yelled at the sky, but alas, nothing happened. The only thing he received was a clear night and solitude. The big man fell to his knees once more and began to sob once more, alone on a formation of rock in the middle of a Jezebel of a sea.
This is a few days late. It also literally late, 2 am. Please give me constructive criticism on my failures, it is greatly appreciated.
Edit: Not sure why the part at the end is bold…
