Bram: Hunt for the Irinen IC

The shouts from above jolted him awake, although the sudden movement sent the barrel which he was sleeping in tipping over. Before he could even fathom what happened, the barrel rolled forcefully with the rocking of the ship and crashed into the far side of the cargo storage. Rubbing his head quietly, Rai managed to crawl halfway out of the barrel before it decided to reverse its trip, dragging his half exposed body along with it.

Dizzy and slightly nauseous, the fire eater pulled himself out of the wooden death trap and climbed to his feet, golden eyes searching the cargo hold for some hint to the cause of the ship’s sudden turbulence. “Maybe a storm?” He wondered aloud, retrieving his staff from its hiding place as he cautiously peeked into the next room. Most of the crew had been generous about keeping his stowaway escapade hidden from the captain, but he didn’t want to risk bumping into one of the ones who didn’t like him.

A few more shouts and cries of panic sounded above, and Rai’s curiosity was replaced by a feeling of dread. He could clearly see the sun shining down from the top decks, and yet the ship was rocking about as if a monsoon had descended upon it. At least, he thought a monsoon. Sailing had never been his forte, or the various angry weather patterns of the sea. “Maybe I’ll just go back in my barrel and wait for dinner…”

Something thumped on the deck above him, and he glanced up slowly, only for a small trickle of red to drip down onto his face. “Oh…” He paled, eyes dilating as his heart leapt into his throat. “Oh! Oh! That is not good!” As if on cue, a strange creature dropped down from the deck above, screeching furiously at him as it’s massive tentacles raced forward. Rai yelped, spinning his staff in front of him and ensnaring the creature’s tentacles. Blinking once, he looked at the strange squid like monster. It tugged furiously against his staff, and he tugged right back, the two engaging in a strange tug of war.

“Can’t we talk about this? I’ll give you your arms back if you just let me go hide back in my barrel! Everybody wins, right?” His pleadings had no effect on the furious creature, and it simply tugged hard on its trapped arms, lifting the fire eater clean off his feet and dragging him halfway across the room before its arms managed to free themselves. Scrambling back up to his feet, Rai ducked nimbly under another vicious sweep of the tentacles, sprinting forward blindly as the squid tugged itself closer.

Jumping, he stepped roughly on the bulbous creature’s head, launching himself upwards and snagging the ledge to the next deck. “Sorry!” Rai hauled himself up, feeling the squid’s snapping maw at his feet. The next deck was no better, filled with both squids and crew members in various states of life and death. Ducking and weaving through the hazardous melee, the fire eater never took his eyes off the ladder to the main deck, blocking out the dead and dying in his mad dash.

“Should have got off this boat! Why did I have to oversleep?!” He moaned, scrambling up the ladder to what should have been the safest part of the deck. His eyes locked on the towering squid that loomed over the ship, and his already pale faced turned white. “…oh. Well…that’s…that’s just not fair, really.” An explosion rocked the ship, and the squid screeched in fury, the sound practically bursting his ear drums.

“Ow! Ow!” Clutching his ears, Rai soon found himself scrambling about the deck, once again dancing between the furious battle between monster and man. “Can I go back to bed? That sounds so much nicer than this nightmare! I miss my barrel!”

Alphonsus rolled about the middle deck like a bowling ball. When he finally managed to regain his footing, his ears were accosted by the fould shrieking of the giant squid once again. Alphonsus covered his ears and fell to his knees as the screeching of the beast outside invaded the middle deck as well. After recovering, with great effort, Alphonsus approached one of the larger cannons which fired twenty four pound rounds. Nailed next to the cannon was a barrel filled to the brim with cannon balls. Alphonsus then began the process of firing the cannon.

The merchant captain grinned- one of the giant squid's tentacles was wrapped, perfectly situated, right in front of the cannon's opening. Alphonsus reached into his pocket for a pack of matches. He scraped the red tipped match against the harsh packaging of the matchbox and a flame burst into being. The fat captain giddily reached to light the cannon. Just then, one of the baby squids latched its tentacles around Alphonsus' neck. The captain dropped his match and the package of matches and clawed at the slimy, red, powerful tentacles squeezing his neck.

Luckily for the hapless captain, a distressed Scrappy emerged from the lower deck with a sword in hand. The sword was coated in the black lifeblood of the ugly, wicked baby squids. Without hesitation Scrappy rushed to the aid of Alphonsus. He cleaved the squid's tentacles clean off. The tiny thing shrieked, however its shriek was nowhere near the severity of its mother. As the baby squid approached Alphonsus to deliver a killing blow Scrappy kicked it onto its side.


"You useless- finish the damn job!"

Alphonsus scolded Scrappy, he wasn't usually one for polite words. He picked up the matchbook and grabbed a second match, lit it, and lit the cannon fuse. The cannon roared as a mixture of cannon ball, flame, and gunpowder erupted from its innards. The recoil from the devastating weapon struck Alphonsus in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and sending him clear across the deck. He hit the wooden floor with a blunt thud and once again rolled helplessly around the middle deck. When he got up, he could hear the shriek of the squid once more. As the shriek expired, Alphonsus felt a second of personal gratification.

"Got you, ya bastard!"

Scrappy rejoiced in the deeds of his captain as well.

"Good job captain! Excellent work!"

"I know you oaf! Now go get help and fire some more cannons!"

"Yes, sir! Right away!"

Scrappy traversed all three decks of the Golden Albatross as he gathered help. Only a few cannons had the capability of hitting the squid, so Scrappy grabbed only three additional crewmates. The four crewmates prepared to launch a barrage of cannon fire at the great beast.

Ramya Moshe went straight from the brig to the deck and made her way back to Fasar’s Hoard. She’d seen the look that had passed between the woman in the brig and the Master Gunner, and she wanted to get to the bottom of it. It was going to be quite fun. The first place she looked was the first place she found him. He could be rather predictable sometimes. His need to keep busy with one thing or another made it easy to find him in the storage compartment.
She slipped inside through the shadows and leaned against a support beam, crossing her arms over her chest as a half-smile quirked her lips. “Well, Bors, I always figured ye fer a lady’s man, but I ne’er knew ye liked ‘em so feisty.”


Bors froze at the sound of Ramya's voice, a cast of powder half lifted. He cursed under his breath and closed his eyes, breathing in and trying to calm himself. His mind was in turmoil, a thousand thoughts spinning through his mind as he worked, trying to get all facts straight and figure out what to do about Dyna. He should have known Ramya would see things, and hunt him down. She always had been one to stir up trouble then sit on the side laughing. That trouble making side of her had always attracted Bors, but kept him wary around her as well. After a moment he had himself under control and lifted the barrel up his shoulder and turned to Ramya with a somewhat shaky grin.
"Aye," he said with a slight chuckle. "Ye be a feisty one. Did no think ye be after me this early, though. Be guessing a few weeks out ta sea and a fight o’ two be enough ta rile yer blood, eh?"
He was talking a lot and that alone was a sign that something was wrong, and he knew that Ramya know it. He shut his mouth forcibly before he made an even greater fool of himself and heaved up a second caste, hoping to escape topside before Ramya cornered him.


Ramya smiled inwardly. Ah, Bors… He was so easy to read sometimes. He knew why she was here; he had to know. His smile was false, and her keen eyes were quick to see it. He was trying to play her, to deflect, but she wouldn’t allow that. She would keep them on track.

The darker woman took a step toward him, gracefully and subtly maneuvering herself between the gunner and the only escape. “Bors, ye should know me better ‘an tha’ by now.” The pirate-femme moved closer to him. “Knowledge be a far more powerful tool ‘an brute strength.” He spoke more now than was usual, and she knew it just as he guessed she would. It meant he was nervous, and that was good news for her though it likely wasn’t so good for him.

“Fer instance, I be knowin’ some’in’ ‘bout tha’ woman in th’ brig tha’ e’en she hadn’t guessed, and I may jus’ let ye in on th’ secret if’n ye’d be willin’ t’ let me in on yers. How d’ye know her, Chandler? It be an awfully big coincidence tha’ we attack a ship on’y t’ have two people from each ship recognize each other, ye know? That’s why I be interested, why I want t’ know who ye be t’ her and vice versa.”


Ramya's talking had given Bors the time he needed to collect himself. The woman was now standing very close and was looking up at him, her eyes sparkling with interest. He sighed to himself and adjusted the castes he was carrying. He would have to give her something, or else she would not leave him alone, and they both knew it.

"A' least right now she be friendly and trading information, has no resorted to blackmail o' threats. But, tha' no means I 'ave ta give 'er a lot, o' full truth," Bors thought to himself.

"Ol' friend," he said slipping back into his regular speech. "Shor' fling, nothin' more."


She could see his gearing up to tell her something, and she was prepared to listen. However, she was incredibly disappointed by what he gave her. Her left brow lifted skeptically. “Shore fling, aye? Can ye help me fer not believin’? Come on, Chandler. Ye wouldn’t o’ rushed outta there like a bat outta Hell fer a simple shore fling.”

Ramya looked at him prettily through her lashes. Her voice was soft and coy as any lady of the court trying to flirt with potential beaus, but the words that emitted from her lips didn’t quite sync. “Bors, if ye ain’t gonna tell me who she be t’ ye, I’ll just have t’ inform our very own Mary Alice that the babe in the woman’s gut be yers. At least if I can’t be getting’ the truth from ye, the first mate can.”


Bors froze. His mouth worked wordlessly as he stared at Ramya. A kid. His kid. A million thoughts shot through him. Memories of his own father, his time with Dyna, flashes of his childhood. He didn't want a kid, didn't have time for one. Bors shook his head sharply to get rid of such thoughts and glared down at the pirate femm. She was enjoying his reaction, it was written all over her face.

"Babe? Ye be goin' too far dis time lass," his anger building inside him. "She no be out ta sea if she has one, and it no be mine if she did." Bors turned around to leave, then stopped suddenly. "Aye, me and Dyna had a thing," he said quietly without turning around. "Spent more n' a score o' days wit her. Got too comfortable, had ta leave. Have no seen her since. Now, if you be done, I 'ave work ta do."


Ramya’s dark eyes gazed hard at the Master Gunner as she spoke. She could see the transition from understanding to anger, and she knew she’d struck a nerve. It pleased her because she knew he’d do what it took to get her off his back. The pirate’s amusement was more important to her at this point than his discomfort. In a way, it was a little like sibling rivalry, for the crew aboard Fasar’s Hoard was her family, and the Captain and Fire Mate were a little like their parents. Given, it was a very skewed family, but one nonetheless.

“I don’t be knowin’ tha’ she’d o’ been stopped by a babe in her belly regardless o’ whether she be knowin’ ‘bout it.” She knew when the time came to leave, and while she wanted her fun, if she pushed too far, bad things could happen, and she didn’t want to make an enemy of him. However, before she left, she wanted to say one more thing, “Ye should talk t’ her. If she no’ be a harlot, she be knowin’ better’n any who th’ father be. If it be ye, don’ ye think ye should know?” Her voice was softer. Though she was definitely not the family oriented sort, she had once been in a family that was happy before her father had scorned her for her… gift. Perhaps, if Bors was the father, he would be more likely to love it regardless of whether or not it had any talents. The real question was whether or not he would even try, and Ramya wanted to see how this would play out.

Leaving him to his thoughts, she made her way back to the deck, but she would be keeping an eye on him in case he decided to visit his former paramour.

The door to the Jolly Possum’s brig swung wide, and the lone ‘guard’ practically came out of his skin as the First Mate entered the room. Her eye narrowed, and she crossed her arms across her chest. “Ike, I gave ye this p’st to let yer leg heal, n’t sleep.” The injured guard tried to stammer an explanation, but she simply waved her hand dismissively. “Stow it. Git some grub, Greaves is serving.” Lowe wasted no time scrambling out the door, paling as he shuffled past the looming shadow lurking in the hall.

Mary Alice shook her head with a sigh, before looking to the prisoners. Each one was examined thoroughly, and she muttered her thoughts quietly under her breath. Finally, she came to the lone woman of the bunch, and if the crew was to be believed, the luckiest one alive. Facing both Ramya and Tobias and managing to beat Ramya and almost best Tobias, it was a feat. Her features hardened as she approached the cell, locking eyes with the captive. “So, yer th’ mum’t’be, aye? Awfully bold t’ charge in’ta the fray with a babe in yer gut.”

Dyna looked up and held the woman’s gaze. Though most of her time in the brig she looked like she was asleep, she was always listening. If her guess was correct, this was Mary Alice. She had heard a couple of pirates discussing their…distaste for the woman, and a natural worry that their captain was all but keelhauled by the dame. She had two choices. Find a way to use Mary Alice as leverage, or find a way to win Mary Alice over. If what was said was true, she could whisper anything into her Captain’s ear and would see it done. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like Dyna was getting started on the right foot.

So, leverage then.

“So, yer de First mate then? Funny, I din’t see you in t’ fray at all.”

Mary Alice chuckled, leaning on the bars of the woman’s cell. “Aye, that I be.” The woman seemed defiant for someone with nothing left to play. If living with pirates had taught her anything, it meant someone was cheating. Caution would serve her best. “Someone has t’keep the crew shootin’. P’ty. Woulda stuck ye meself.” She grinned, although it was far from a pleasant thing. She pushed off the bars, pacing down the length of the brig as she once more examined their captives. “A fierce lot, ye be. Took ple’ty o’my crew wit ya.”

Idly, the pirate woman fetched one of her knives, spinning the weapon about in her palm as she walked, her grin growing ever wider. “Din’t keep ‘em from the locker, tho’did it?” Dyna heard the Bos’n growl. She quickly intervened

“Fine lot of a threat t’ward an enemy bound n’ locked behind bars, Miss Alice,” Dyna said sweetly, while visibly testing the bindings on her arms and legs. “No matter. We know how’t get a job done, whatever the cost may be. Wha’ was it…two t’ one? Again, no matter. Empty threats is all you got, along wit’a pretty little empty soul o’ yers.” Dyna felt more in control than she had had since the attack. Perhaps it was the desperation. Perhaps she was on to something. Perhaps it was just luck.

“F’rgive me, I din’t realize I was in the company of a priest.” She stopped her pacing, eye locked on Dyna as she struggled against her binds. “Aye, empty threats.” She tossed a knife casually through the bars, the weapon sliding up to Dyna’s feet as Mary Alice leaned back casually against the wall. “Git th’ job done. I’ll skin ye both, and if ye manage to best me, ye’ll be dead before ye reach the helm t’escape.” She gestured towards the knife, still smiling wide. “Come git me, hunter.”

Dyna looked at the knife, and then to Mary Alice. She could cut her own bonds…eventually. But it was a grueling process, one that would leave her vulnerable on the floor while the First Mate watched on. Dyna got the feeling Mary Alice was hoping for the entertainment. Dyna leaned to the side, and used her feet to kick the knife behind her. Mary Alice’s eye widened slightly, not a fearful face, just somewhat surprised. She was looking beyond Dyna.

Dyna glanced back and noticed the quartermaster leaning slightly over the bench. In his right hand was the knife. Dyna smiled. He was fearsome to behold, burns and slashes all over his body. Dyna inched backward and nearly laughed as he, with what seemed to be little effort, sliced her bonds. Dyna stood, stretching, and gently took the knife from him. He laid back down, letting his head fall toward the wall. The effort was far much more than he had let on. Dyna glanced at Mary Alice several times as she cut Doc, Carmichael, and the Bos’n free.

All four stood, arms crossed, staring on at the first mate. Dyna even considered tossing the knife back just to spite the woman, but Dyna knew better than that. She couldn’t let her anger carry her off into a worse situation. She needed to keep her head on straight. She gave the knife, hilt first, to the Doc. Of the five of them, the Doc was the least trained in battle. He needed an edge...in this case, a knife's edge.

“Well, Arch be damned. Ye’ve g’t a mind in yer head.” The First Mate chuckled at their hard faces, raising a slender eyebrow. “So, if ye din’t mind me askin…yer stuck in that cell still, so why ye look like ye just bested me?” There was a moment of silence, before Mary Alice laughed. “Unless ye think I’m gonna toss ye the key.”

Dyna’s face flared with embarrassment. She was starting to lose it. She wanted to grab the knife and thrust it through the bars, but only an idiot wouldn’t be able to move fast enough to avoid that. It was also clear that she wasn’t going to get anywhere with this woman. She hoped, secretly, that they could use the knife to pick at the lock later…but she wasn’t too sure of success.

At this point, the Bos’n stepped in, all smiles. “We very well know where our place be, Master Alice. We’re all just happy to stretch our legs.” Dyna glared at him, but said nothing. She refused to admit defeat, even when it slapped her in the face. Doc, as if on command, gently touched Dyna’s elbow. It read, “Back off, or you are going to get us killed.” Dyna sighed, and let her shoulders slump slightly. Carmichael arched an eyebrow, letting his arms fall to his sides. They didn’t have to win every battle.

Mary Alice grinned, straightening out to a more proper stance. “Ye seem a tad wiser. If yer willing t’a listen, the Cap’n has an offer he’d like t’a make.” Stretching her hand over, she knocked twice on the brig’s door, and it opened not a moment later.

Tobias entered silently, dark jacket hung over his frame and his hair tied neatly back in a pony tail. Letting the door swing shut behind him, the pirate gave the captives a once over, his dull eyes barely moving as he did. “Cut them loose, Miss Cordelia?”

“Shan’t listen well bound, Cap’n.” There was no delay in their back and forth, Tobias looking to her curiously.

“And the knife?”

“Ye can handle ‘em, Cap’n. Maybe a scratch or two, but ye’ll be fine.” The captain simply shook his head, looking back to his captives. He simply stared for a moment, as if considering which course of action to take.

“I trust all your wounds are healing well?”

This was doc’s expertise, and the rest were silent as he took reigns on the situation. “Very nicely, ah, Sir. Your physician is quite talented.” Tobias nodded.

“I will pass along your praise.” He approached the cell, pulling a key from his jacket pocket and holding it up in plain sight. “If it’s all the same to you, I believe we can cut to the chase. Your crew’s unexpected tenacity took many of my crew with it, and now we’re ill crewed to keep both your ship and our own running properly.” He lowered the key to the lock, pressed it into the hole, and slowly unlocked the cell. His face never betrayed his thoughts, a spitting image of calm that even Mary Alice found troubling.

As the cell slowly opened, Captain Ormsby stepped into the opening, hand resting gently on the hilt of his cutlass. “So, what can you do to remedy the situation you placed me in?”

Dyna looked to the rest of the men, they looked back at her. This was a decision for Quartermaster Angel, not herself. There was no love between them and scarcely any respect, but she knew better than to overstep her bounds. There was no time to consult, no time to consider. This was their only offer, for all she knew it’d be the plank with them if they chose wrong. Nervously, she turned around and placed a firm hand on Angel’s shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked at her. She sensed he had not been asleep. "What say you, Quartermaster?"

"We do our job."

Tobias locked eyes with the Quartermaster, and the two seemed to have an entire conversation with naught but the intensity of their burning gazes. The pirate smiled, and held out hand towards the doctor. “You won’t be needing that anymore.” The man seemed hesitant, but eventually relinquished the weapon, and Tobias turned his back to the prisoners, holding it out for Mary Alice. “Keep a tighter grip on this, Miss Cordelia.”

She rolled her eye, snatching the weapon back from his and tucking it away. “Put’em t’work?”

He nodded, glancing over his shoulder to the four who were in condition to fight. “Aye. Your quartermaster has spoken, and as of now, you’re all my crew. Miss Cordelia will get each of you a task, until I see what you’re best at and get you sorted.”

Each of them gave a glance back to the Quartermaster, who nodded to them in turn as they left the cell and followed the First Mate out of the brig. With Mary Alice’s back turned, Dyna risked a quick touch to her belly. It felt the same as it ever had, and yet, completely foreign. She let her hand drop once again before the First Mate could notice.

Bos’n Walter started speaking jovially, as if with a long lost friend. “Master Alice, I am great man with numbers, organization is key. I’m a great people person too. There be plenty o’ work I can do for ye. Doc here, well, he’s doc! Mayhap your lady physician needs a hand. Carmichael is t’ finest sailor I ever laid eyes on, and I’m an old man m’self. And Master Cherali, well –“ His voice was interrupted by Mary Alice calling out “Swabbies!” Her voice was not shrill, nor demanding. It was almost as if she were calling for a puppy.

“Ma’am? Surely you don’t mean-“ Another sailor dropped a bucket, mop and few rags on the floor.

“Surely I do, Bos’n.” Her voice reeked irony. “Cap’n said he’d organize you lot later. Fer now, git this blood cleaned up.”

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Tobias watched the new crew depart, before looking back to the still weak Quartermaster. His features hardened, and the Captain slowly approached as he drew his cutlass. To his credit, the dark skinned man didn’t seem to fear the approaching pirate, simply staring with that blazing gaze of his. “If you’re going to kill me, pirate,” He practically spat the word. “…then get it over with. Save me the pain of looking at your face any longer.”

Captain Ormsby stared silently, his cold eyes sharpening into lethal points. “Killing you, while it might save me trouble later, would cause far too much now to be worth it. Four of them or no, I don’t need anymore dead crew before we venture into the break.” His cutlass pressed gently against the man’s leg, not hard enough to break skin. “So, Quartermaster, we’re going to strike a very simple accord. I’ll let you run this ship, keep your crew, even have a share of the bounty we get from the Irinen.” He pushed on the blade, driving the tip into the man’s leg, earning a painful hiss.

“And what do you get out of this, pirate?”

Tobias pulled the blade out, sheathing it away and offering the man his hand. “A little extra luck.” They stared each other down, neither willing to break the battle of wills. Reluctantly, Angel clasped Tobias’s forearm.

“We have an accord…Captain.”

That screaming! It was all Hasina could do to stay on her feet when that giant screeched its agony. Her hands clamped tightly and uselessly against her ears, trying to block the assault. Really, she couldn’t remain standing, and her knees hit the deck hard, her limbs slipping in the mixture of blood and foul, black ooze. Finally, it stopped, and though her ears were ringing and her head ached something fierce, she forced herself to rise and continue the fight.

She rushed forward toward… the swabbie? What was his name? Ron? Roe? The latter sounded about right, but there was no time to contemplate this or the acute skill in fighting he displayed that seemed beyond what a swabbie should be able to accomoplish, for his life would soon be ended if that miniature squid had its way with him while his attention was on its loathsome parent. With a flick of her wrists, her fans – which had closed when the beast had wailed – flew open, and with deft, graceful movements, they cut through the smaller squid like butter. She kept the blades very sharp.

He must have seen the squid at the last moment, for he gave her a grateful nod which she returned. However, that brief moment of inattention did little for her. She felt a slimy tentacle grasp her calf, and pain seared through her flesh. She gasped in pain, but she did not give up or panic though her heart raced wildly beneath her breast. Instead, she hacked at the tentacle with her fans until it was severed from its host, and she attacked the body itself. Her leg dripped blood, and she hoped there hadn’t been poison in its beak. She tore the sleeve of her shirt and tied it tightly above the wound just in case, and she prayed to the gods that the doctor survived this battled.

Pain shot through her with each step, but this was no time for giving into such a thing. Lives were being lost, and if she gave up, hers would also be forfeit. She continued to fight, to hack and to slash, to try to save both the wounded and the healthy. There were just too many of these tiny squids. Could they truly win?

The ship lurched, and her fans skittered from her grasp. As she went after them, the wailing began again, and her head was assaulted anew, bringing her to her hands and knees. She felt illness rising in her throat from the pain, but she couldn’t let herself be sick right now. It was too important that she retain her breakfast for energy and so she wouldn’t be caught off guard while heaving.

Finally, it ended, and she was able to regain her footing. She was a bit dizzy, so she allowed herself a brief moment to be still before tearing into her shirt once more and plugging her ears with the cloth. She couldn’t take a direct barrage against her ears like that again. At least the cloth would muffle the sound a little, so she wouldn’t suffer quite as much.

She witnessed Scrappy gathering a small handful of people to the canons, and it struck her what their plan entailed. Hasina gathered a few more people, dividing them into groups. They would protect those manning the canons from the miniature squids. The giant squid may not have been quite as immediate a problem, but without her, they would have a fighting chance against the young. Perhaps they would retreat or become confused enough that they could easily be taken out. This was important, so she stood and fought off the squidlings while the canons were armed and fired. She noticed that others had taken her cue and stuffed cloth into their ears as well. When the next squeals of pain and anger flourished, the pain wasn’t quite as intense or debilitating.

Of all people, it was the lackey that gathered everyone into a somewhat organized plan. Scrappy had gathered men to the cannons, and more men were gathering on any cannon that they thought might take aim on the giant beast. Hasina had, by example, gathered the rest to guard those trying to load and aim the cannons.

James followed suit, also ripping a piece of his shirt into three bits: two to shove in his ears, and another to tie around his head like a bandana. It was smart thinking; the squid's main offense was that blood curtling scream that constantly knocked them off course and allowed the smaller ones to move forward without consequence.

James had had some practice on cannons, but long range weaponry had never been his forté and he didn't think that it would be any different today. Instead, he moved to take his place among those protecting the cannons from the squidlings. While backing away from the larger beast, he tripped over another fellow who had been traversing the deck from stern to bow. Where exactly he was going, James hadn't figured out. Who the man was, even more of a mystery. James had not yet seen him on the ship. He weilded a staff nothing like Grintawh's, and muttered an apology as James shoved off of him.

"Watch yourself," was all James said as he untangled himself from the other. There was no time for any more words, for three squidlings were approaching him and he'd not fallen into the best position on the ship. He relieved his swords from their scabbards and worked to cut them to pieces as artfully as possible. Someone screamed "FIRE!" and cannons pierced the giant squid's body. Even with his ears covered, he still fell to his knees from the pain of that horrible noise. While on his knees, a squidling fell atop him. It's beak was at his neck, its tentacles wrapped around his arms, pinning them to his torso. His neck burned something fierce, and he tried to remain calm as he worked to move his sword in a direction - any direction - that might get the squid to release it's death grip. It was to no avail.

James felt a pounding that only made him hurt more, until suddenly the pressure of the tentacles was released and the squid fell away. James sat up, instinctively reaching back to feel the damage. It was bad, but no time for that now. He ripped the rest of his shirt off and tied it round his neck and under one arm, to keep the pressure there. He looked up to his savior, it being none other than the mystery man with a staff. Of all the things a man might do when saving another, James never expected one to giggle. Of all the responses a man might give when in the presence of the man who saved him, James did not expect himself to laugh. But laugh he did.

Then he stood, blood dripping down his bare back, and turned to face the beast. It was up, but it was bloodied. Another round from the cannons ought to do it. If only everyone can keep alive long enough for one more round.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A volley of cannon ball fire tore through the giant squid, the mother, the monster. The agonizing shriek rose up again, but higher than before. Alphonsus, Scrappy, and the others were brought to their knees, then their backs as they rolled around in great pain. Just as the shriek had reach its apex, the bulk of the squid- it's large bulbous body- exploded in a mess of black, sticky blood and steaming red organ bits. The deckhands would have quite a mess a to clean up. In suit, the baby squids exploded as well, leaving behind just as thorough a mess throughout the whole of the ship. All that was left of the squid mother was a giant yellow beak that rested on the deck of the Albatross.

Alphonsus laughed. Scrappy eyed his captain with a concerned gaze before inquiring.

"What's so funny cap'n?"

"The deck hands have to clean the mess! HAHAHAHA!"

Alphonsus was a cruel man at times. The chubby captain got to his feet with some aid from the ever loyal Scrappy.

"Well, I suppose we should make for a port then," said Alphonsus.

--------------------
The journey was miserable. The deckhands did indeed clean the ship single handedly, and it was made to be spotless, unless they wanted to be out of a job. As for the rest of the crew, most were alright, save for the unlucky few on the top deck whom had received an unpleasant shower of squid remains. Needless to say, the entire ship smelled, and despite the best efforts of the crew, it would need some sort of potent aroma to purify the Albatross of its stench.

Finally, the Albatross docked at the small Island of Toalla. It was one of the many islands often left off the more popular maps, just to the east of Mathyr. Hasina had probably been to Toalla before, Alphonsus certainly had. It was an ideal island for trading; the people needed supplies, being ignored by most, and Alphonsus often needed a place to land. Although many of the Albatross' goods were damaged, Alphonsus managed to turn a profit, being the smart businessman he was. Most of these profits went towards the repair of the Albatross, being that the giant squid had caused much need of repairs. Having not a way to get rid of the stench, Alphonsus purchased many barrels of limes- both to stave off scurvy and act as a sort of perfume for the ship.

As the fat captain returned to his quarters, he pondered on the activity of the last couple days. He wondered exactly how many men were chasing after the Irinen, and how much valuable time he had lost in a fight with a squid and in getting ship repairs. It would be at least another day before the Golden Albatross was ready for a real journey. As Alphonsus slipped into a sweet slumber, visions of gold and riches unimaginable danced in his head; the treasure of the RS Irinen would be his.

Much like when the roar of the cannon caught one’s ears unawares, James ears were ringing. He untied the cloth he’d wrapped around his head and shook his head a little, assessing the damage to his ears. He heard a roaring laughter behind him, and he turned to look. It was his captain, pointing at what was left of the giant squid, laughing hysterically. His captain mentioned that the deck hands would be cleaning up the mess, and James wondered…was that still in his contract?

Using the cloth in his hands, James futilely tried to wipe the squid gore off his person. That was when he noticed Daniel Cotton staring at him from across the ship. He moved purposely, toward James, and James looked away and busied himself with cleaning off his weapons. “Don’t do this…” James thought, but it was far too late.

Daniel pointed the sword at James’ feet. “I’d ask ye to clean me blade, swabbie, but’ seems that ent your title. Who are you?” With the last question, he lifted his sword to James’ neck.

“I’m just hired hands,” James replied calmly and clearly as one could with a blade to their neck.

“Hired to do what, exactly? Don’t ye lie to me,” Daniel glared.

James put his hands up, “Look, the captain needed an extra blade. Take it up with him,” James offered.

At this point the crew had begun circling the two, watching with keen interest and much enthusiasm. James looked out to the crowd, and it didn’t look much to his favor. Most were grinning at his peril. As he searched the faces, he locked eyes with Hasina. She wasn’t smiling. She met his gaze for a moment and then turned away abruptly. James wasn’t sure what it meant.

A few moments later, he heard his captain’s voice. “Mr. Cotton, what is the meaning of this?” Alphonsus bellowed.

“Found some scum on board, sir. He says you hired ‘im!” Daniel tore his gaze away from Daniel and toward the captain.

“What of it, Marine?” Was all the Captain said.

“Men like ‘im can’t be trusted. Ye can’t even know if you’re his client, Captain. Mercs’ allegiance is to the highest bidder. Though’ that’s why you hired a Marine. Leas’ I’m legal.”

At this point James spoke up. “My contract is good as any Naval Officer’s oath. As I recall, we wanted to remain out from under His Royal Majesty’s eyes.”

Alphonsus’ eyes, lit with anger. James was playing a delicate game here. The Golden Albatross was for all intents and purposes a legal ship on a standard route. Not all the crew even knew what they were after. It was why Alphonsus’ had hired both a Marine and a Mercenary. It was why the Marine he’d hired had been the rougher sort. He was walking the line with doing what needed to be done, and doing it quietly.

“Where the Albatross lies with His Royal Majesty isn’t of anyone’s concern, Mercenary,” Alphonsus said coldly. “But I’m curious, Mr. Cotton, as to why you give a damn?”

Daniel looked back at James. “Bad dealings with these lot, Sir,” he said.

“What would you have me do, Mr. Cotton? We aren’t pirates. I don’t send mates to walk the plank.”

“Y’ said we’d be making for port. Drop ‘im off.” Daniel replied.

So it came down to this: one or the other had to go, and whichever Alphonsus chose would set the tone for the ship’s fate. Toss Cotton and he loses the legitimacy of his ship, possibly even revealing his destination. Who knows what Cotton would take to the navy. Toss Roe, and lose a valuable asset to the crew on what was bound to be a perilous journey.

There was dead silence when Hasina’s voice rang in the crowd. “We’d lose one fantastic swordsman,” she said, without any anger or enthusiasm. It came out as a straight fact, and the thought locked into each pair of eyes on deck. Many began mumbling in agreement.

The decision was made. “Put that sword away son,” Alphonsus said to Daniel Cotton, “And see yourself off at port."

***

James no longer had to conceal his weapons. Though he was no longer a swabbie, he wasn’t much of a sailor either, so he did his part cleaning up the squid mess. As he stood on the pristine but stinking ship looking to shore, Daniel turned back and looked him in the eye. The look said that it wasn’t over between them, and James believed it. It was a look much like the one his brother gave him, years ago, when they had run into each other. James understood hatred. He knew where it stemmed from –

Fear.

As James stood at the ships railing, brooding as Daniel disappeared into the crowd, He noticed Hasina emerge from below deck and make for the ramp. James walked toward the ramp and met her just before she descended from the ship. He called out to her.

"Master Onnos! A moment?"

She turned and looked at him. "Yes?"

"Good day, Ma'am. I'm James Roe. The...ah, the guard. I never got to thank you properly for saving my skin the other day," he said to her, "On more than one occasion. Thank you."

Hasina fought bravely against the baby squids who mercilessly attacked the crew of the Golden Albatross. The dark skinned woman would have been lying if she’d said there was no worry in her mind that the humans wouldn’t survive. The squidlings were powerful, and combined with their vast numbers and their mother’s blood curdling shriek, they were a formidable foe. It was a shock that so many of the crew continued to live long enough to shoot canons at the largest enemy.

Perhaps the will to survive against all odds was the only reason why they were able to destroy those terrible creatures. After all, a human’s will could be a powerful thing, especially when it was so concentrated. Emotions were infectious. At least, that’s what Hasina’s people had taught her. All souls of people were connected on some level, and when one person felt something strongly enough, others could begin to feel the same thing. The more people feeling an emotion, the greater it affected them. A person could become consumed by something simply because a great number around her or him felt it. Sometimes, it wasn’t a good thing, but in that instant, on the Gold Albatross, it very well could have been what was saving their lives.

Protecting those manning the canons was dangerous work. After the first one hit the giant, the infants because to swarm against the key offenders, mostly ignoring the rest of the crew. That is… until they realized they would not obtain access to the true enemy without taking out those protecting them.

Hasina slashed and hacked at the squidlings, their black life’s blood coating her brown flesh as it sprayed her. Two caught her off guard, gripping her arms with their suctioned tentacles. They dragged her to her knees just as another moanful shriek wailed from the mother, causing bile to rise in her throat at the pain that couldn’t quite be dulled enough by the cloth in her ears.

Her flesh seared in pain as their beaks penetrated her skin, and more converged on her as she struggled to free herself. Even through her desire to live and her fight against death, Hasina recognized that this could very well be her final fight, that she would probably die. While emotionally accepting this was difficult, being as logical as she was enabled her to realized the truth of her situation.

Like any human, the thought of death gave her a fresh surge of energy. She fought harder, slicing with her fans as fiercely as she could despite her tentacled bonds. She managed to cut herself momentarily free of their limbs, and they squealed at the pain though they were not yet of the size like their mother that their voices could debilitate a person. As peaceful a person as she was, she didn’t want her death to occur without taking out a few of the enemy with her. After all, if she could kill even a few, those few could no longer attack her comrades.

Another squeal from the squid mother, this one ten times more terrible than the previous ones, filled the air. It was so agonizing that her muscles seized and could no longer be made to move. Five squidlings rapidly grasped and bit into her as the screech amplified in volume. So much pain coursed through her body that she was losing herself to it. The certainty of death filled Hasina, and tears streamed down her face at the realization. She didn’t want to die, but she couldn’t face this agony forever. Death was seconds from grasping her in its claws.

Then… it stopped, and the squidlings began to expand until their bloated bodies could take no more.

The navigator was splattered with black ooze and stinking flesh so thick that her own wounds could not be detected. She fell onto all fours out of weakness, and the putrid aroma of the dead squids caused her to gag and retch repeatedly, but she somehow managed to keep her stomach contents down.

It was over…

By some miracle, she – with many of the crew – had survived. Relief was brief, for the pain of her wounds and the sorrow of those lost began to settle unpleasantly over her. The crazed laughter of the captain did nothing to ease her pains.

However, just because the squid battle was over, it didn’t mean peace had been achieved. She forced herself to her feet, to look around at the mess of the ship. It wasn’t too bad. There was some damage to the wood, but for the most part, the worst of it was the gore of the squid and human bodies that littered the deck. She sighed, weariness settling into her as well as the pain she tried desperately to ignore. She didn’t seem to have any serious wounds though some were deep. The squids must not have encountered humans often enough to know just where the deadliest spots to attack on their unfamiliar bodies would be.

Carefully, she removed the cloths from her ears. They were caked in black ooze, but where it had been pressed into her ears, it was still white with a few specks of red blood. She hadn’t realized that the agonizing shrieks of the mother squid had actually caused blood to leak from her ears. Knowing this, she realized she was lucky she could still hear at all, that worse damage hadn’t occurred.

Then she heard a voice, one that spoke with contempt, and she turned to look. Daniel Cotton was confronting the swabbie whose name she still could not recall. She moved slowly toward the two, and she felt her heart begin to beat faster as Cotton lifted his sword aggressively toward the other. While the others gathered around seemed to be enthused – after all, this fight had nothing to do with them this time – Hasina felt no glee at this clear display of ignorance and accusation.

She met the eyes of the false-swabbie, and she knew she had to do something to stop this. She turned away from him and sought the Captain. They were friendly enough toward one another on a regular basis, and he had personally asked her to accompany him on the ship to seek the Irinen, so she knew he wouldn’t discount her word. He respected her, and she respected him, and that was what mattered most when she found him and told him there was a confrontation that needed to be stopped.

Her depleted energy caused her to move more slowly than Captain Gillard, but she made it back to the gathering just in time to hear the Marine tell the Captain that men like Roe – yes, that was his name – couldn’t be trusted. Hasina was adamantly against discounting anyone based on anything other than who the person was and how they acted. Basing the merit of a man on his looks or occupation was something that truly bothered her, for she had faced both racism and sexism ever since she’d left her home, and she was sickened by such things.

Then it came down to a choice: either the mercenary stayed or the marine stayed. Neither men were truly familiar to her, but she’d seen the mercenary fight, and he had displayed more honor in this confrontation than the marine had, so the choice of who she’d rather have aboard seemed clear to her. “We’d lose a fantastic swordsman.” There was no emotion in her voice as she spoke, for speaking emotionally would only damage her cause. Facts were that to which men responded in times like this, not the emotions of women. Slowly, a wave of agreement seemed to sift through the crowd, and it was decided that Roe was the man they’d rather have aboard in the event that any other attacks came.



A short series of funeral rites were held for the deceased in which the bodies of men were sent to sea. Those like Hasina who had been wounded were tended to by the doctor who had miraculously survived with hardly a scratch. Several of her lacerations had required stitches, and while she was told to take it easy, she helped to clean the ship as well as she could. She had cleaned herself to the best of her abilities, but taking a dip in a sea was a bad idea when one had so many wounds to be agitated by the salt in the water. As a result, her hair still smelled terrible, but she was able to clean herself enough that her presence wasn’t entirely offensive. It probably helped that the wood of the ship seemed to have absorbed the foul odor, so she didn’t seem so smelly herself.

At last, they made it to land, the small island of Toalla. Hasina had been here once previously, a year ago. The people had initially been distrustful of her, for they didn’t get many outsiders aside from the odd merchant or two, but even their visits were few and far between. However, once they’d grown accustomed to her exploring their land and socializing with them, they were quite kind and welcoming, and she liked them quite a bit. She wondered if some of them would recognize her after the year she’d been apart from them?

Hasina moved to leave the ship as it was anchored securely. She wanted a bath, and she wanted to help restock supplies. She had things she could trade to the people that they may like, and she remembered where some of the good spots for gathering food and water were. Plus, they had streams in which she could properly bathe without hurting herself with salt water.

As she moved to leave the ship, a voice stopped her by calling to her in a very formal way. She turned to face the Mercenary with a soft, “Yes?” She smiled softly as he officially introduced himself and thanked her for saving him from the squidlings during the battle and from mutiny after it. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you legitimately. I apologize that I did not take steps to do so sooner.

“You’re welcome, but to be fair, if it wasn’t for your idea to bomb the mother squid, we would all be dead. The rest of us were too preoccupied with the small ones to even worry about their leader. For that, I owe you my thanks. Perhaps our life-debts are now evenly balanced?” Her golden eyes peered into the man’s grey orbs. He seemed to be a private man, so she didn’t ask anything of him about his past. If she had, he likely wouldn’t have responded to her, and even if he did, it was none of her business. If he ever wanted to speak of himself to her, he would do so of his own accord and not with her prompting. It was that simple.

“Would you like to go to shore with me? The locals have good food, and once they get used to you, the Toallans are a friendly people.”

It wasn’t until late into the night that they finally got the ship cleaned up. It was an unpleasant task, tossing the bodies out to sea without much more than a tilt of the head up to whichever god was in their heart at the time. Dyna tried to ignore the shark fins that protruded from the water, encircling the floating dead as if taunting the poor man’s soul. They lost quite a few men that night, good men, and their hearts were dark.

There were three pirates that sat watch of them, two of which she had no name for the faces of. The last was Ramya, the surgeon, who was working on the Jolly Possum to make her sea worthy again. Doc worked alongside her, and together they got the ship in working condition much faster than if Doc was alone. Dyna tried not to feel any jealousy for the fact that Doc had something better to do than scrub blood off the ground. She filled that part of her with pride that he refused conversation with her. While he was a naturally quiet guy, she hoped Ramya took it for the contempt that it was. Doc was a subtle man, but she learned to know when he was angry.

Once or twice Dyna thought of trying to take on the three pirates and make sail. Ramya was distracted, and the other two were lounging lazily on the deck. It would be easy enough, except for two problems. One was communicating to everyone about an attack without letting the pirates on. Especially with quartermaster below deck; there would be no way to warn him of any sort of plan. The other problem was the sad fact that the Jolly Possum would be difficult if not impossible to sail with just five men. That’s assuming that they could sail out of range of the pirates fast enough. All in all it seemed a suicide mission, and Dyna gave up hope of escape. At least, of escaping that night.

In the darkness, Dyna, Bos’n, Carmichael, Doc and she finally finished. Ramya bid them goodbye, telling them to get some rest because they would be sailing in the morning. One by one they slowly marched below deck. Dyna was the last to descend, and before she did so she glanced behind at the two pirates who were keeping watch. She noticed that they were being replaced by two other men. It was too dark to see their faces, but Dyna’s heart stuck in her throat as she imagined Bors standing guard over her imprisonment. It was anger, she told herself over and over, ignoring that something else feeling that made her heart hurt.

Below deck the crew found Quartermaster Angel in the captain’s quarters. He filled them in on the agreement he made with Tobias, and they each in turn told him everything they had learned interacting with the pirates. It wasn’t a lot of information, but they shared every scrap of information they had heard, who distrusted whom, who seemed like an enemy to be wary of and who was cannon fodder. They shared it all but one detail: Dyna was mum on being pregnant or knowing Bors. She was glad that no one else offered up the information either. It wasn’t going to be a secret for long, and it wasn’t that she didn’t want the quartermaster to know. Likely the Bos’n would tell it to him when she wasn’t around. She was embarrassed of it…and they all knew it.

“It’s agreed then; we should be keepin’ our heads down and waitin’ for de right moment. When that is, I make de call.” Quartermaster Angel said.

“Yes, Captain,” they all responded in turn. Hearing it made Dyna’s eyes mist. Chance had been a fine captain to sail with. His body was not one found among the dead. She could only imagine that he fell to his doom during the battle.

He shook his head. “Na. Perhaps when we be sailing freely again, I’ll take de title for me own. But what use is it to us now? As useful as an empty bottle o’ rum. Call me quartermaster.”

They nodded to him, murmuring “Quartermaster,” before finally retiring. They had only a few hours before sunrise, and as much as they didn’t want to take the advice of a pirate, sleep is what they needed. The captain’s quarters emptied as everyone retired to their original quarters for the night.

---

The next morning Dyna woke early and dragged herself above deck. She was feeling very nauseous, and wanted very much just to puke over the railing. However, when she emerged into the early morning dawn she found the ship already occupied. There were four pirates already above deck.

“Good Marnin’, Sailing Master.” One of them said with a devilish grin. “I’m Quartermaster Renshin, and ye’ll be takin’ orders from me from now on. This be Ike, Wain, and Terry.”

“This is it. We havin’ t’ sail on nine hands?” She questioned him, trying to hold back the queasiness she felt in her stomach.

“Eight hans’, really.” Renshin responded, smiling. “I’m jus’ ere’t watch.” With that he cocked his pistol and aimed it at Dyna’s head. “Now get t’ work. We’ve got ground to cover!”

The rest of the Jolly Possum crew had emerged behind deck and stood behind her. She turned and looked at them, arching a brow at Angel. He just shrugged back to her. “Ye heard what he said. Let’s get dis boat movin’.”

---

It turned out that Quartermaster Renshin wasn’t really there to give orders as much as make sure Angel was giving the right sort of orders. He was a glorified babysitter: a threat. A good threat too, he was one of the men that they had assessed as a worthy foe. However, in the days following she found that he was as agreeable a foe as one could be. He carried conversation, told jokes and laughed with the crew, and even helped out sailing when they caught a rough wind. In fact, she could almost forget at times that he was an enemy…which was undoubtedly what he was trying to do. He may have been friendly, but he kept one hand on his holster, and she did the same.

It was a little over a week of sailing when very suddenly, Fasar’s hoard pulled up their sails and dropped anchor. Dyna shouted orders trying to get the Possum to stop before crashing into the ship ahead of them. She turned the wheel and guided the ship up next to the other, the both crews working to slow the fast moving vessels. She looked over to Sailing Master Mosey, who was frantically pointing ahead. She turned and looked, pulling her hat back to get a clear view.

Carmichael handed her the looking glass and she turned to scan the horizon. In the distance the dark blue water turned to a murky green, and beyond that, a deep brown.

“The Tolian Reef,” she murmured, gazing out beyond. “The break must be near.”