Author's Preface
The next morning as the Rhytidome made its way west, Captain Oak made sure the crew was ready for their new adventure. He checked on the condition of his ship, made sure the crew was well fed, and that all the lines were fast. As he made his way to Tiko in the galley, he noticed Nariko messing with one of the deck guns.
“Best be careful with that thing. It’ll blow you to smitherings if you aren't careful,” Captain Oak said, as he stepped closer to take a look.
There were hammers and nails all around Nariko, the mess felt deliberate as if it was a warning to stay back. Some nails were pointed upwards giving a welcoming feeling to be stepped on. Nariko drove one of the nails behind her into the wheel of the deck gun.
In between hits Nariko told Captain Oak, “Wheel was loose, next shot, wheel gone, needed fixing,”
“Thank you, I will have to Khayri to check all the cannons,” replied Captain Oak.
“Did that too,” Nariko pointed down below deck.
Two crewmen could be heard as they fixed two more cannons. Khayri’s voice yelled over the noise of the two men about how he needed new cannons, and that Captain Oak still owed a new one.
“Right then, keep up the good work,” Captain Oak said, turning back toward the galley to meet with Tiko.
Nariko stopped hammering and looked at Captain Oak. She gave a faint smile and a gentle nod, as if she was trying to accept the compliment, but already knew the job she did was indeed good. She turned back and continued to fix the wheel.
The crew of the Rhytidome were busily running back and forth. They tied down the hull with ropes and a few hung from the mast to sew up any tears in the sails. Boso ordered the crew from the main deck, making sure everything was good for smooth sailing into the unknown waters. Once Oak made it to the galley, the smell of an oniony broth and fish filled the room. A few deckhands, that were out of rotation of today's labors, were in line for the soupy concoction.
“Captain Oak, food?” Tiko said behind a large bubbling pot.
“Make sure the crew eats first,” Captain Oak said as he looked around the room and saw Tiko’s medical bag lying on the table. “I just need something for the headache, and pain.”
“You won’t find it in there, Captain,” Tiko said as he scooped some of the broth into a bowl for the deckhand.
Captain Oak froze in place, and stared at the bag. His head rang and arm throbbed with a dull pain. Captain Oak, shook his head and walked past the bag, to a barrel of citrus, he reached for an orange and turned back out the door. Before Captain Oak left, he stopped at the door, broke open the orange and sipped the juice.
“Tiko,” said Captain Oak.
“Ey, Captain,” Tiko responded, still surviving the broth to the next deckhand.
“You shouldn’t have given me that stuff,” Captain Oak walked out the door back to his quarters.
Captain Oak walked past all the men rushing back and forth, he saw Boso and Stur arguing again. A few men circled the two in the altercation trying to encourage it to escalate further. Boso grabbed Stur by the collar of his jacket and continued to yell in his face. Captain Oak slowly walked up to the circle and watched to see where this would go. If it would need to be broken up, he would use his authority as Captain of the Rhytidome to shut down anything from going to crazy.
“You’re scaring the crew with your damn wives tales,” Boso stated.
“They’re not tales,” Stur snapped back. “I’m the only survivor.”
Boso pushed Stur back to the barrel he sat on.
“Famtom ships, cannibals, and monsters,” Boso looked at the crewmen standing in the circle. “If anything it looks like Stur is trying to mess up our adventure. Hell, for all we know that damn pig you call a captain put you up to this.”
“If it were up to me I would have never come aboard to go back to those waters,” Stur reached in his jacket for a small bottle. He took a swig and let out a long sigh. “I came here to give warning before your ship either sinks to the bottom of the sea or you become the meal to who or whatever is out there.”
The crewmen murmured to one another. The anxiousness would be felt in the air, as if the weight of these stories held everyone in place.
“Mr. Stur, that is enough.” Captain Oak said, as he stepped into the circle. “Everyone back to work. We cross over the edge of Martean seas and Gulliver’s western territory by sundown. We need to be prepared for anything, even if nothing happens.”
The men hurried away from the captain and continued their work to prepare the Rhytidome for the unknown waters.
“Mr. Stur, to my quarters. Boso, cool down and break to the galley for a meal,” Captain Oak told the two men.
As Stur and Captain Oak made their way into Captain Oak’s quarters, Ash was still sleeping at the table. Captain Oak kicked the chair which shook Ash from slumber. With a quickness like a fox Ash grabbed two of her pistols from her inner coat and pointed them at Captain Oak and Stur. Her eyes still half opened with the weight of her eyelids shifting back and forth like the Rhytidome swaying in the sea. Captain Oak laughed with Ash’s barrels to their faces, Stur had a cold emotionless face.
“Captain!?” Ash said as she snapped back into reality. “You shouldn’t startle me like that.”
“I thought I would give Mr. Stur a warm welcome.” Captain Oak said as he lowered the pistols away from their faces, “Now, Mr. Stur have a seat. I have questions.”
Stur, with his stone faced nature took a seat, and as he sat he reached for his bottle again and took a swig. He held out the bottle, offering to Oak and Ash, but they declined. Stur shrugged and finished the bottle. He let out a burp, cleared his throat, and reached for a second bottle in his jacket.
“What do you want to know?” Stur said as he popped out the cork and took another swig.
“First, where are you getting the drink?” Oak asked.
“Don’t worry captain, the first one was mine, this one’s Boso’s, that prick,” Stur said.
“That’s fine, the arrogant jerk needs to be humbled sometimes,” Ash chimed in, she crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall.
“Second, in expanding Gulliver’s territory in the west, what dangers did you sail across?” Captain Oak asked.
Stur looked at Captain Oak with a dead icy stare. He lifted the bottle to mouth and drank, and drank, and drank. The liquid in the bottle spun into a vortex, disappearing into the mouth of Stur. Once the bottle became empty, Stur stared, his face puckering from the heavy intake of the drink.
“Seriously, no wonder your bosun’s a prick, if this is the drink he drinks,” Stur leaned back into his chair. His demeanor changed as the alcohol rushed into his body allowing him to feel loose.
“Mr. Stur, focus, I know the ship you were a part of was attacked by some no name pirates,” Captain Oak started.
“And who told you that?” Stur snapped.
“Your ex-crewmate, Grunt!” Ash said, she took a step closer to Stur.
“Ex-Crewmate?” Stur questioned. He turned around to look at Ash, and was greeted with a familiar looking pistol.
“And you will end up like him, if you don’t start answering the Captains questions,” Ash cocked back the hammer and held it closer to Stur head.
Stur turned around back at Captain Oak, his body went back to being cold and he leaned in.
“Those are no pirates, captain. Those were monsters. This island you idiots plan on sailing to is a trap. Gulliver wants to take these waters, but I don’t think even his power could stop what’s brewing over there. The natives that sail off that island have no sense of morals.” Stur said.
“Natives?” Ash and Oak questioned.
“How else do you think ‘pirates’ are sailing and attacking?” Stur replied.
“I was under the assumption that western pirates were sailing in the western islands. Now that we know its natives, that makes it easier to dictate where an attack can come from.” Captain Oak replied.
“Doesn’t matter, they will over power you anyways,” Stur said.
“We don’t need to out power, just out smart,” Oak said, “Gulliver likes to eat up everything in his path, but his mouth is bigger than his brain, and it looks like it shows in his crew too.”
“You don’t have a map of the island,” said Stur.
Captain Oak rolled out the cloth that held the drawing of the map. Both men leaned over to study its markings. Captain Oak pointed to all the different formations to where they could hide or have the best opportunity to run if they needed to. Stur’s eyes widened as pointed to the locations.
“These pincer-like formations are not ideal,” Stur warned, “we sailed past something similar and the cliffs moved, as if it tried to grab us.”
Captain Oak and Ash gave a puzzled look, the thought of moving cliffs couldn’t be possible.
“You sure it wasn’t falling rocks?” Ash questioned, “Or your drunken state with the moving of the ship made you hallucinate?”
“I may be a drunkard, but I know what I saw,” Stur replied, “and I tell you those dangerous places to anchor at.”
“How about the back side, opposite of the mountains?” Captain Oak asked as he pointed to a spot that seemed unsuspecting.
“Never made past these cliffs,” Stur said as he pointed to the pincer-like formation.
“Then we need to be fast–” Captain Oak started to say.
“Captain! There’s a ship off in the distance.” A deckhand yelled behind the door.
Captain Oak and Ash stood up and rushed out the door. Stur laughed as the two left, and slowly followed after the two.
Ash grabbed the spyglass out of the crewmates hands and peered through, spotting the ship out on the horizon. The sails were tattered and planks of the sides were missing or had fallen off. No movement could be seen, but figures were seen unmoved. A flag fluttered in the wind and depicted a snake with pincers reaching for what looked like treasure. Ash’s face started to curl with a smile of determination. She looked to Captain Oak and handed the spyglass over to him. Captain Oak looked through and saw the same thing, but his face fell at the site.
Stur chuckled, “Welcome to the western seas, Captain. She’s coming to greet you. The phantom ship that started it all. We dubbed her, The Searcher.”
“Why Searcher?” Oak hesitated to ask.
“She is searching for prey that she doesn’t yet have,” Stur said as he put his hand on Captain Oak’s shoulder.
Captain Oak shrugged off Stur hand and faced his crew. With a look that only members of the Rhytidome understood, the crew all rushed to positions to start heading in the direction of the ship. Stur followed behind Captain Oak confused why he wouldn’t heed his warning.
“You’re sailing towards the phantom?” Stur questioned.
“You guys might have fallen for her bluff, but they haven’t dealt with a woman who has her eyes set on treasures,” Captain Oak said as he stopped and pointed over to Ash, “They haven't dealt with Ash.”
Ash could be seen loading up more pistols on her body and giving some of the crewmen large bags to stuff whatever they could carry. She then ordered some of the men to get the rope swings ready.
“You’re going to board?!” Stur shouted in disbelief. “You’re more insane than Gulliver.”
“Ah, not I, but Ash,” Captain Oak laughed, “Now let's make way to The Seacher, and tame this wild ship!”
As the Rhytidome made its way toward the Searcher, all the able-bodied crewmen had guns and cutlasses ready for whatever might come out of the vessel. As the two ships sailed closer together the figures started to look clearer. They were thin as bones, and most were slumped over on the side of the ship. Captain Oak signaled to tie the ship down and get ready to cross. The ropes and hooks were tossed and held the ships close together. Ash then signaled to swing across. The first set of men swung between the gap and landed on the ship's main deck. A moment passed before one of the men shouted that the deck was clear. Captain Oak, Ash and Stur were the next to swing across, with a few other deckhands. As the three made it across, Captain Oak’s rope snapped and fell into the sea below.
“Who tied that swing?” Captain Oak asked, the scowl on his face deepened.
“Not sure, Captain. I thought we tied four swings. Not sure where the fifth one came from,” Ash said, as she looked down the side of the ship.
“She’s playing with you, captain,” said Stur.
As the crew looked around the ship, Ash with a few men walked below deck. Captain Oak and Stur stayed above and made their way to what looked like the entrance of the captain's quarters. When Captain Oak walked in, the smell of mold and rotting wood filled his nostrils. He attempted to look around but his eyes watered from the smell. Stur pushed Captain Oak out of the way and trudged through.
“Working under Gulliver, you get used to smells,” Stur said as he went through some of the drawers in the room.
As Stur opened a wardrobe at the end of the room a skeleton fell on top of him. He struggled to get it off of him and yelled for help. Captain Oak held his breath and ran in. He brushed against something that moved past him, he took a moment to look behind him but saw nothing. Captain Oak grabbed the skeleton off of Stur and both the men ran out of the room.
“Did you see anything?” Captain Oak asked.
“Nothing,” Stur replied.
A yell came from below deck. Captain Oak ran down below, to find out what was the cause of the scream. When he reached below deck he saw one of his men trapped in chains. The chains wrapped around the neck of the crewmate and slowly lifted him off the ground. Captain Oak and another crew member tried to loosen the chains but it tightened even more. Soon the man passed out and Captain Oak commanded the crew member to shoot the chain in hopes it would break the grasp the chains held. A loud band rang out in the ship and the man fell to the floor.
“Take him to Tiko,” Captain Oak commanded the crew member.
“Ey, Ey, Captain,” Said the crewmate.
Captain Oak rushed to find the others. They were filling the bags with whatever looked valuable, but none of it looked like gold, jewels, or treasures. Captain Oak saw Ash break open a box, but only dust blew out from the box. She then continued to kick open any containers, the more she kicked the more furious she became.
“Ash, that's enough,” Captain Oak said.
“The treasures are mine!” Ash shouted in response.
“This is nothing more than an abandoned ship. Anything of value must have already been ransacked," said Captain Oak.
“There is still one more level down below,” Ash said in hysteria.
“Men, grab what you can, and tie over the cannons. I will stay with Ash and we will be over soon.” instructed Captain Oak.
As the men tied the cannons and carried what they could Captain Oak and Ash walked down to the hull below. The stagnant sea water that made it home here gave a salty stale feeling in the air. Ash was about to hop in the water, but Captain Oak stopped her and tossed a piece of loose wood into the water. The ripples disturbed something underneath, Captain Oak and Ash drew their guns and pointed them at whatever would climb out of the hull. A large crab scuttled out of the water and snipped the air in frustration. Ash giggled at the sight, but soon stopped when the snapping echoed in the hull and countless amounts of crabs snipped the air. The walls were covered with pitchers, and the water in the hull lowered with the lack of crustaceans in it. At the end of the room Ash spotted a chest with a lock and key.
With a flash Ash rushed across the room, the crabs snipped at her and a few grabbed hold of her coat. She turned the key to unlock the lock, it popped open with ease. She flung open the chest and was greeted with gold, jewels and different looking valuable treasures. She started stuffing her bag, and as crabs started to rush in her directions, she snapped and fired at a few of them. Making them scatter from the impact of the bullets and crab parts. Captain Oak rushed in with his billy club and batted away the incoming crustaceans.
“Oak! Your bag!” Ash shouted.
Captain Oak tossed his bag, and as it fell onto her arm, she fired another shot at the swarm. She then stuffed Captain Oak’s bag with whatever she could. Once both bags were full she stuffed her pockets with the remaining treasure. The crabs started to move more in unison, and began to chase the two. They ran up to the main deck and saw that most of the men made it back to the ship. As Captain Oak and Ash ran to grab the swing, some started to fall into the water.
“They’ve been cut!” Ash pointed out.
“The one at the end,” Captain Oak said.
They rushed over to the last remaining swing, both jumped and made it across, as crabs started to fall off the side of the ship. Like a waterfall of shells and pinchers. When both fell onto the main deck of the Rhytidome a few crabs scuttled out of the coats and pockets with a few coins and bits of treasure. Ash jumped to her feet and made chase to the thieving crabs.
“Those are mine, I stole those fair and square,” Ash said as she took pot shots at the little crabs.
Captain Oak stood up and walked over to the side of the ship. He pulled out crabs from all over his person. He flung them off the Rhytidome into the waters below. As much as he disliked the little buggers he thought they should have a better fate in the bottom of the ocean versus being blown apart by bullets. As Captain Oak tossed the crabs off the side a figure caught his eye. At first he thought it was a giant crustacean but shook his head and the figure looked like it climbed around the bow of the ship. Captain Oak followed it and saw that it was climbing up. He pulled out his pistol and drew aim at the creature. Its shadowy form shimmered back and forth, Captain Oak had a hard time focusing. He quickly took a shot at the creature, but the bullets rushed past it. It stopped shimmering and looked up at Captain Oak, its mossy green eyes, emotionless, stared and quickly scuttled underneath the Rhytidome.
“Crew! We have a stowaway,” Captain Oak warned, “Look for a giant crustacean with mossy green eyes.”
Captain Oak turned and noticed that his crew was not moving. They just stared at their captain and began to chuckle.
“Looks like those crabs gave you a scare,” Boso mocked as he kicked a crab that scuttled past his feet.
A loud crunch was heard below deck.
Khayri’s voice could be heard from the stairway of the lower deck, “She’s taking on water, Captain!”