Post by The Prettiest Squish on Jun 21, 2021 22:30:18 GMT -5
The fresh scent of sea salted air flooded into the room, passing by crates of various sizes all loosely veiled under a thick tarp until the last remnants of moisture came across the young woman sitting on the floor. While she sat there in her lonely corner behind the stack of boxes, she continued to chew on some tough bit of meat though with muffled breath in order not to disturb undesirable company. Evidently from the crumbs of biscuits and pork jerky riddling the creaky wooden floorboard in front of her, this was not her first time gorging on such decadent rations. When the woman finally managed to gulp down her last hunk of jerky she sighed with relief and sat back on the crate behind her.
"How long's it been since I left port? A day? Two?" The girl murmured to herself with a hushed whisper. She looked around for no other reason than to invigorate this longstanding boredom. The first few hours spent stowing away on the boat left her a great deal of time to inspect the cargo and its contents within. It only took a few minutes of browsing before she realized just how poor of an inventory this crew possessed: a bountiful collection of salted meats, dry biscuits, and enough rum to intoxicate the burliest of giants. She could only scoff at the booze before closing the crate shut. Her days of drinking were long past her but the parched sensation in her tongue betrayed her higher ideals. And salted pork jerky with biscuits did not help her endeavor of sobriety.
The woman squeezed her temple and squinted with sheer concentration. "Come on Rém, we've been over this. You gotta lay off the stuff." She took her right hand and clunked the side of her forehead with a good knock on the psychological door. "You've read about this before, girl. Humans can go a week without water, you'll be fine. So stop worrying, damn it." The woman sighed to herself and rested her arms back to her sides. She looked up to the wall facing east and saw the splash of seawater licking the air with its salty wisps. A frown overcame her rigid portrait. "Why'd it have to be rum?"
For the rest of the evening, Rémi sat in solitude dining on the finest cured pork and crackers. Occasionally some of the crewmen wandered inside to replenish their stock of rum but none ever ventured to the back. She chose her location wisely, after all. By the time night came, the upper deck had gone silent and the woman could hear the rustling and creaking of bodies entering their beds in the rooms nearby. She listened for a couple more minutes just to be sure. Silence. Her face finally lit up with some energy and at once her body flew up to an upright position.
Before the girl could saunter out of the store though, she needed to remove some bothersome accessories from her person - those that could generate noise and attract the attention of any cognizant seaman who lied awake during this hour. On the floor she placed her two swords, her boots, her lengthy indigo jacket, leather pauldron, and a pair of sunglasses. If it were any other occasion, should would have considered this modified attire as her pajamas. Alas, the shriveled serpent in her mouth had no taste for humor at a moment such as this. The woman tiptoed her way to the exit and slowly peeked through the wooden door with wary eyes. Through the slit, Rémi gazed into the halls of the lower deck and saw the area barren and unoccupied. "I guess everyone's off to bed then. Perfect," she whispered to herself with a satisfied smirk.
A clean turn of the oak gate and she was out of the room and into the open darkness. Moonlight flooded through a lone window at the port side of the ship but otherwise her eyes were forced to adjust. With this limited scope of view, Rémi chose to move with greater caution than previously demanded. She moved through the corridor with the pace of a slug but in due time managed to find herself at the base of a flight of stairs leading to the upper deck. Out of fear, she turned her head back to see if any eyes followed her trail. Instead the only discernible observation she could find was the vast distance the moon had moved since her venture through the passage. She exhaled a wisp of ease then just as carefully took her venture up the steps and into the fresh ocean breeze.
"Ahh~" she sighed, her arms rising above her shoulders for the first time in days. Free from the confines of a storeroom, Rémi looked off the side of the ship and toward the horizon. The overall view was no wonder to behold - in the twilight, all the world stood in bleak, still darkness - yet even so she found some comfort in the radiant grains glittering across the sable sky. For a moment she forgot what exactly drove her to come up until the crashing waves against the ship sprinkled a fine load of water against her naked skin. The woman trembled with shaky breath and held her arms together. "Brrr. Oh right. Water." Her eyes left the sky and gazed instead across the upper deck, searching for any receptacle that could hold the precious water that she sought.
Rémi scampered across the ship, not bothering to mind her steps now that she knew the men were asleep. When a barrel or a cask presented itself, she cupped her hands and poured the dubious contents into her palm before swishing it into her mouth. It took a mere second for her to figure most of the barrels the crew kept on board were full of rum. She did not make this dissatisfaction unknown as her lips clearly and quite blatantly spat every drop of booze over the side of the ship. By the end of her search, the girl had probably discharged a barrel's worth of booze alone. She wiped her mouth with a horrified grimace and groaned, "Why do they keep so many half-full casks up here? Do they each have their own? Ugh." Rémi wiped her sticky hand against the wooden mast before coming to a slouch. "They gotta have one just with water right? I can't be the only one who's sober on these seas." In a bizarre move, the woman walked to the side of the ship and looked down to the ocean below. Though she was a well studied lass, her own desperate needs were beginning to feel more tempting than following reason. She scratched her chin and pondered for a moment, "If I could somehow get a bowl and a fire going, I could probably boil the saltwater and use my clothes to collect the steam. That should be enough for the rest of the trip." As the woman stood in silence deeply contemplating the manners of distillation, she did not hear the subtle creak of a floorboard whining behind her.
"Hmm, that might actually work. But where would I even get the materials to start a fir- OOF!" Without warning, her head began to pulse and ache. She felt her body begin to lose its balance and soon started tilting on her side. Rémi tried to look around for the cause of such effects but all her eyes could see were countless stars and lights buzzing around the night air. Her body fell to the ground in a slump and she soon heard a group of footsteps approaching her fallen body. A large brooding figure stood over her but the girl could not see their faces. She could however hear what they had to say.
"I told you I heard something eating our stock in the stores. It wasn't just a rat, it was a damn human."
"Calm down, she's only a stowaway. We can drop her off at the next island and be done with it."
"She looks a bit underdressed, don't you think Captain? I bet she has some of her clothes stashed away somewhere."
Rémi widened her eyes at the stranger's demands. She clenched her fists and immediately threw out a punch at the first man she could hit. Her knuckles made contact with one of the shadows and an audible grunt came from the fellow on the left - the first speaker. As soon as the hit registered with the rest of the folk, a barrage of strong hands all went to grapple the woman's body to the ground. In her dazed state of mind, the woman could only lay there hoping for their mercy.
"Agh! I told you! Damned no-good human!!"
"That's enough, Tytos! Go fetch me some ropes before she hurts someone else."
"Captain, he may be right. What's the harm in letting this woman simply...y'know?"
"Go find the woman's things, Venn. They're probably in the stores. I can restrain her myself."
"...Sigh. As you wish, Boss."
One by one the woman felt pairs of hands leaving her body. Soon enough the only grip holding her back were two calloused palms clutched to her throat. Even in such a predicament, Rémi felt good about her chances of facing this stranger in sole combat but something about his demeanor felt off to her - in a good way. She could still barely talk in her current state but the initial daze had passed. The woman cleared her throat as best she could and muttered, "Would you mind letting me go now? I can cooperate if that's what you want."
In the dark, the captain's eyes barely shimmered through the shadows yet she detected a change of face once he heard her plea for mercy. He turned his head toward his companions and hung his chin in thought for a moment. She tried to gulp through the grasp of his fingers, unsure of his expected response. Before the girl could even ball up a fist to prepare for an undesirable reply, the captain spoke to her in a hushed tone, "Not here, not now. You have some explaining to do first...human."
It seemed like a good hour passed in the damp dark closet they shoved her in. She struggled to move in her condition. Through her bare skin she could feel the rough texture of rope tied around her body. The blindfold they wrapped tightly around her face had the familiar scent of unwashed body odor. It pained her to even breathe with the cloth so close to her nose. How much longer do they need me to wait? I said I was ready to talk. Ergghh.
Despite the level of containment these sailors put her under, they could not deafen the curious sword woman. During the time of her captivity, she heard faint murmurs and shouts coming from beyond the walls. The men were certainly arguing over an important matter but what exactly about she had no idea. All she could do was wait in silence and hope they come to a peaceful resolution. Not because she feared for her life but knew if push came to shove, her instincts would be to kill anyone in her way. A fact she wished to avoid by hiding in the storage in the first place. Before she could dwell on these darker matters any further though, suddenly there came a tapping on the closet door,
Her ears grew alert. "What is it?" said Rémi. A slight pause followed her answer before one of the previous men said back, "Captain says he'll see you now. You still willing to cooperate?" She couldn't help but sigh with relief at the good news. Finally the waiting was over. The girl said through a slight grin, "Yeah, yeah. Just get me out of this closet for fuck's sake." She heard a grumbling behind the door before the familiar sound of keys turning brought joy to her ears. A flash of light soon enveloped her vision even through the thin blindfold and the woman knew she was finally inches from freedom. The sailor's footsteps creaked toward her until she felt his calloused hands grab both her arms and raise her body up. He guided her to the exit and Rémi could smell the salty brine of the sea yet again. She never thought she could miss the scent of the ocean but anything beat being stuck in a storage closet for an hour.
"I'll lead you to the captain. Please don't give me any trouble." The lad said behind her. His rough arms landed on her shoulders as he gently nudged the girl to begin walking. Rémi nodded and followed his direction. A good minute of traversing passed before the two came upon a flight of stairs. The woman, unaware of the situation, locked her foot into place against the step and began to fall forward. "Oh shi-" A strong grip grabbed her by the ropes and kept her nose from crashing into the woodwork. She sighed with relief and turned her head out of habit even though she could not see. "Thanks." The sailor brought her back to form and paused. "I said not to...you're welcome." The two continued the rest of their trek in silence until they landed right in front of another door. Rémi stood and waited while her guide knocked on the door three times. A voice called from the other side, "Bring her in, Venn."
She heard the door creak open and walked inside without further invitation. Venn followed behind her and began to untie the blindfold and rope restraints. The coils fell to the floor in a loud thud. With her arms now freed, she stretched to her heart's content. "Mmm!" Rémi still had to adjust her eyes to the incoming light but could see the silhouette of the captain in question. "So, you're finally ready to hear me out huh?" Before the man could speak, a second figure appeared from the corner of her eye and threw a sucker punch right at her jaw.
Rémi fell to the floor in an instant, though unharmed and unfazed. She shook her head and opened her eyes wide for the first time in ages. "What the hell was that....for..." The girl froze with surprise. Her vision became clear. Or had it? All this time, she expected there to be men standing before her. Yet her eyes did not deceive her. These figures were not of skin but scale. She saw a large blue skinned tank with a dorsal fin on his back and teeth the size of a shark's. Her eyes went to Venn who was not a brawny young sailor but a green giant with fins for facial hair and a lit up bulb emanating from his forehead. And the fellow who struck her did not look like a typical drunk brute but a monstrous spotted humanoid with a hinged jaw and glassy eyes, fangs as numerous as sands on a beach. "You...you're..."
"Fishmen! That's right! You pathetic little human. What kinda nerve do you have to talk to us so disrespectfully?" The eel-like man raised another fist as if to threaten her when the third of the bunch raised his open palm in protest. The resentful fiend looked to his captain and lowered his hand to his side, still staring at the woman with contempt.
"I suspected you didn't see us clearly in your prior daze. But yes, we are Fishmen. Simple sailors really, trying to get by. But more importantly why are you stowed away on our ship?" Rémi took a moment to stand back on her feet before she could answer him properly. But even with her body upright and both heels on the ground, she struggled to look these...people in the eyes. She gulped and cleared her throat. "I didn't mean to steal anything if that's what you're asking."
The ill-tempered lad stomped his foot but before he could say anything, the captain raised a fist this time and the gent quelled himself yet again. The captain spoke, "That doesn't quite answer my question. For what purpose did you need to stow away on our ship?" The woman clenched her teeth behind closed lips. She remembered exactly what happened the last time someone learned of her true identity. It was after all the reason she stowed away on this ship in the first place. But the growing impatience on both the men's faces told her this next reply could decide her fate. She sighed. "I ran into some trouble back in Orichal Hollow. I had to go on the run and saw your ship at the shore. I only needed to get to the next island. That's the truth."
This time, not a peep came out of the slithering sailor. Venn stood at the door, silently awaiting any orders from his commander. The captain stood in his seat, tapping his chin and staring intently at her. With such utter silence dominating the room, she had nothing to do but watch him look at her with those pale, glassy eyes. Even though he spoke like a man, all she saw was an apex predator wearing a captain's coat.
"So." said the captain without any warning. Rémi's senses entered high alert by the tone of his voice. She could hear Venn's footsteps creaking behind her. "You caused a bit of mischief at our hometown and needed to use our ship as an escape vessel? Is that right?" The woman cursed under her breath. Of course these Fishmen would be related to the ones she met at the island. She begrudgingly moaned, "Yeah..." She detected the slightest smirk growing on the eel-man's jaw. "Hehehe, you're in for it now, lass. Cap doesn't take light of people messing with his turf, let alone a disgusting human." This time, no hand rose in protest at his banter. Instead the captain rose from his seat. Rémi's surprise turned to shock as the tank of a shark slowly loomed over the three of them until the top of his head barely reached the ceiling. The woman barely came to his waist by the time he finished posturing. "Strange human woman from a sea I do not know, you intruded upon my ship, disturbed my men and harmed the place I call home. For these crimes, you'll walk the plank."
Rémi stood ready to complain, "Now wait just a second! I never said I hurt your people! I only fought a Marine on Orichal! That's it!" This revelation in her story stopped the shark in his tracks. The look on the captain's face shifted from judgement to that of confusion. Rémi heard Venn approach her from behind and heard him murmur, "Is that true? You...fought a Navy soldier?" She nodded with confident eyes. The girl then turned her attention to the fishman in charge and beat her chest with a fist, "And not only that, but with the help of...an ally, we defeated an entire ship of Marines plus their Commander, a Captain and a Commodore!"
"Impossible..."
"A-Amazing!"
"What a load of bullshit!!"
"Captain!" Venn cried out. The eel's eyes shifted focus and grinned with malicious delight at the fresh young prey cowering before it. It opened its mouth and licked its scaly lips as if it couldn't wait to savor this juicy morsel. Unfortunately for it, there was one more harpoon left on the ship and it was aimed straight for its head. With a TWANG, Rémi let loose the spear from her station and watched it zip through the air only to barely miss the titanic basilisk's brain. Through a swift duck of the neck the thing dodged the killing blow and reeled its head back with a pant, almost like it was laughing at them. Annoying little thing, aren'tcha?
"How long's it been since I left port? A day? Two?" The girl murmured to herself with a hushed whisper. She looked around for no other reason than to invigorate this longstanding boredom. The first few hours spent stowing away on the boat left her a great deal of time to inspect the cargo and its contents within. It only took a few minutes of browsing before she realized just how poor of an inventory this crew possessed: a bountiful collection of salted meats, dry biscuits, and enough rum to intoxicate the burliest of giants. She could only scoff at the booze before closing the crate shut. Her days of drinking were long past her but the parched sensation in her tongue betrayed her higher ideals. And salted pork jerky with biscuits did not help her endeavor of sobriety.
The woman squeezed her temple and squinted with sheer concentration. "Come on Rém, we've been over this. You gotta lay off the stuff." She took her right hand and clunked the side of her forehead with a good knock on the psychological door. "You've read about this before, girl. Humans can go a week without water, you'll be fine. So stop worrying, damn it." The woman sighed to herself and rested her arms back to her sides. She looked up to the wall facing east and saw the splash of seawater licking the air with its salty wisps. A frown overcame her rigid portrait. "Why'd it have to be rum?"
For the rest of the evening, Rémi sat in solitude dining on the finest cured pork and crackers. Occasionally some of the crewmen wandered inside to replenish their stock of rum but none ever ventured to the back. She chose her location wisely, after all. By the time night came, the upper deck had gone silent and the woman could hear the rustling and creaking of bodies entering their beds in the rooms nearby. She listened for a couple more minutes just to be sure. Silence. Her face finally lit up with some energy and at once her body flew up to an upright position.
Before the girl could saunter out of the store though, she needed to remove some bothersome accessories from her person - those that could generate noise and attract the attention of any cognizant seaman who lied awake during this hour. On the floor she placed her two swords, her boots, her lengthy indigo jacket, leather pauldron, and a pair of sunglasses. If it were any other occasion, should would have considered this modified attire as her pajamas. Alas, the shriveled serpent in her mouth had no taste for humor at a moment such as this. The woman tiptoed her way to the exit and slowly peeked through the wooden door with wary eyes. Through the slit, Rémi gazed into the halls of the lower deck and saw the area barren and unoccupied. "I guess everyone's off to bed then. Perfect," she whispered to herself with a satisfied smirk.
A clean turn of the oak gate and she was out of the room and into the open darkness. Moonlight flooded through a lone window at the port side of the ship but otherwise her eyes were forced to adjust. With this limited scope of view, Rémi chose to move with greater caution than previously demanded. She moved through the corridor with the pace of a slug but in due time managed to find herself at the base of a flight of stairs leading to the upper deck. Out of fear, she turned her head back to see if any eyes followed her trail. Instead the only discernible observation she could find was the vast distance the moon had moved since her venture through the passage. She exhaled a wisp of ease then just as carefully took her venture up the steps and into the fresh ocean breeze.
"Ahh~" she sighed, her arms rising above her shoulders for the first time in days. Free from the confines of a storeroom, Rémi looked off the side of the ship and toward the horizon. The overall view was no wonder to behold - in the twilight, all the world stood in bleak, still darkness - yet even so she found some comfort in the radiant grains glittering across the sable sky. For a moment she forgot what exactly drove her to come up until the crashing waves against the ship sprinkled a fine load of water against her naked skin. The woman trembled with shaky breath and held her arms together. "Brrr. Oh right. Water." Her eyes left the sky and gazed instead across the upper deck, searching for any receptacle that could hold the precious water that she sought.
Rémi scampered across the ship, not bothering to mind her steps now that she knew the men were asleep. When a barrel or a cask presented itself, she cupped her hands and poured the dubious contents into her palm before swishing it into her mouth. It took a mere second for her to figure most of the barrels the crew kept on board were full of rum. She did not make this dissatisfaction unknown as her lips clearly and quite blatantly spat every drop of booze over the side of the ship. By the end of her search, the girl had probably discharged a barrel's worth of booze alone. She wiped her mouth with a horrified grimace and groaned, "Why do they keep so many half-full casks up here? Do they each have their own? Ugh." Rémi wiped her sticky hand against the wooden mast before coming to a slouch. "They gotta have one just with water right? I can't be the only one who's sober on these seas." In a bizarre move, the woman walked to the side of the ship and looked down to the ocean below. Though she was a well studied lass, her own desperate needs were beginning to feel more tempting than following reason. She scratched her chin and pondered for a moment, "If I could somehow get a bowl and a fire going, I could probably boil the saltwater and use my clothes to collect the steam. That should be enough for the rest of the trip." As the woman stood in silence deeply contemplating the manners of distillation, she did not hear the subtle creak of a floorboard whining behind her.
"Hmm, that might actually work. But where would I even get the materials to start a fir- OOF!" Without warning, her head began to pulse and ache. She felt her body begin to lose its balance and soon started tilting on her side. Rémi tried to look around for the cause of such effects but all her eyes could see were countless stars and lights buzzing around the night air. Her body fell to the ground in a slump and she soon heard a group of footsteps approaching her fallen body. A large brooding figure stood over her but the girl could not see their faces. She could however hear what they had to say.
"I told you I heard something eating our stock in the stores. It wasn't just a rat, it was a damn human."
"Calm down, she's only a stowaway. We can drop her off at the next island and be done with it."
"She looks a bit underdressed, don't you think Captain? I bet she has some of her clothes stashed away somewhere."
Rémi widened her eyes at the stranger's demands. She clenched her fists and immediately threw out a punch at the first man she could hit. Her knuckles made contact with one of the shadows and an audible grunt came from the fellow on the left - the first speaker. As soon as the hit registered with the rest of the folk, a barrage of strong hands all went to grapple the woman's body to the ground. In her dazed state of mind, the woman could only lay there hoping for their mercy.
"Agh! I told you! Damned no-good human!!"
"That's enough, Tytos! Go fetch me some ropes before she hurts someone else."
"Captain, he may be right. What's the harm in letting this woman simply...y'know?"
"Go find the woman's things, Venn. They're probably in the stores. I can restrain her myself."
"...Sigh. As you wish, Boss."
One by one the woman felt pairs of hands leaving her body. Soon enough the only grip holding her back were two calloused palms clutched to her throat. Even in such a predicament, Rémi felt good about her chances of facing this stranger in sole combat but something about his demeanor felt off to her - in a good way. She could still barely talk in her current state but the initial daze had passed. The woman cleared her throat as best she could and muttered, "Would you mind letting me go now? I can cooperate if that's what you want."
In the dark, the captain's eyes barely shimmered through the shadows yet she detected a change of face once he heard her plea for mercy. He turned his head toward his companions and hung his chin in thought for a moment. She tried to gulp through the grasp of his fingers, unsure of his expected response. Before the girl could even ball up a fist to prepare for an undesirable reply, the captain spoke to her in a hushed tone, "Not here, not now. You have some explaining to do first...human."
It seemed like a good hour passed in the damp dark closet they shoved her in. She struggled to move in her condition. Through her bare skin she could feel the rough texture of rope tied around her body. The blindfold they wrapped tightly around her face had the familiar scent of unwashed body odor. It pained her to even breathe with the cloth so close to her nose. How much longer do they need me to wait? I said I was ready to talk. Ergghh.
Despite the level of containment these sailors put her under, they could not deafen the curious sword woman. During the time of her captivity, she heard faint murmurs and shouts coming from beyond the walls. The men were certainly arguing over an important matter but what exactly about she had no idea. All she could do was wait in silence and hope they come to a peaceful resolution. Not because she feared for her life but knew if push came to shove, her instincts would be to kill anyone in her way. A fact she wished to avoid by hiding in the storage in the first place. Before she could dwell on these darker matters any further though, suddenly there came a tapping on the closet door,
Knock knock
Her ears grew alert. "What is it?" said Rémi. A slight pause followed her answer before one of the previous men said back, "Captain says he'll see you now. You still willing to cooperate?" She couldn't help but sigh with relief at the good news. Finally the waiting was over. The girl said through a slight grin, "Yeah, yeah. Just get me out of this closet for fuck's sake." She heard a grumbling behind the door before the familiar sound of keys turning brought joy to her ears. A flash of light soon enveloped her vision even through the thin blindfold and the woman knew she was finally inches from freedom. The sailor's footsteps creaked toward her until she felt his calloused hands grab both her arms and raise her body up. He guided her to the exit and Rémi could smell the salty brine of the sea yet again. She never thought she could miss the scent of the ocean but anything beat being stuck in a storage closet for an hour.
"I'll lead you to the captain. Please don't give me any trouble." The lad said behind her. His rough arms landed on her shoulders as he gently nudged the girl to begin walking. Rémi nodded and followed his direction. A good minute of traversing passed before the two came upon a flight of stairs. The woman, unaware of the situation, locked her foot into place against the step and began to fall forward. "Oh shi-" A strong grip grabbed her by the ropes and kept her nose from crashing into the woodwork. She sighed with relief and turned her head out of habit even though she could not see. "Thanks." The sailor brought her back to form and paused. "I said not to...you're welcome." The two continued the rest of their trek in silence until they landed right in front of another door. Rémi stood and waited while her guide knocked on the door three times. A voice called from the other side, "Bring her in, Venn."
She heard the door creak open and walked inside without further invitation. Venn followed behind her and began to untie the blindfold and rope restraints. The coils fell to the floor in a loud thud. With her arms now freed, she stretched to her heart's content. "Mmm!" Rémi still had to adjust her eyes to the incoming light but could see the silhouette of the captain in question. "So, you're finally ready to hear me out huh?" Before the man could speak, a second figure appeared from the corner of her eye and threw a sucker punch right at her jaw.
Rémi fell to the floor in an instant, though unharmed and unfazed. She shook her head and opened her eyes wide for the first time in ages. "What the hell was that....for..." The girl froze with surprise. Her vision became clear. Or had it? All this time, she expected there to be men standing before her. Yet her eyes did not deceive her. These figures were not of skin but scale. She saw a large blue skinned tank with a dorsal fin on his back and teeth the size of a shark's. Her eyes went to Venn who was not a brawny young sailor but a green giant with fins for facial hair and a lit up bulb emanating from his forehead. And the fellow who struck her did not look like a typical drunk brute but a monstrous spotted humanoid with a hinged jaw and glassy eyes, fangs as numerous as sands on a beach. "You...you're..."
"Fishmen! That's right! You pathetic little human. What kinda nerve do you have to talk to us so disrespectfully?" The eel-like man raised another fist as if to threaten her when the third of the bunch raised his open palm in protest. The resentful fiend looked to his captain and lowered his hand to his side, still staring at the woman with contempt.
"I suspected you didn't see us clearly in your prior daze. But yes, we are Fishmen. Simple sailors really, trying to get by. But more importantly why are you stowed away on our ship?" Rémi took a moment to stand back on her feet before she could answer him properly. But even with her body upright and both heels on the ground, she struggled to look these...people in the eyes. She gulped and cleared her throat. "I didn't mean to steal anything if that's what you're asking."
The ill-tempered lad stomped his foot but before he could say anything, the captain raised a fist this time and the gent quelled himself yet again. The captain spoke, "That doesn't quite answer my question. For what purpose did you need to stow away on our ship?" The woman clenched her teeth behind closed lips. She remembered exactly what happened the last time someone learned of her true identity. It was after all the reason she stowed away on this ship in the first place. But the growing impatience on both the men's faces told her this next reply could decide her fate. She sighed. "I ran into some trouble back in Orichal Hollow. I had to go on the run and saw your ship at the shore. I only needed to get to the next island. That's the truth."
This time, not a peep came out of the slithering sailor. Venn stood at the door, silently awaiting any orders from his commander. The captain stood in his seat, tapping his chin and staring intently at her. With such utter silence dominating the room, she had nothing to do but watch him look at her with those pale, glassy eyes. Even though he spoke like a man, all she saw was an apex predator wearing a captain's coat.
"So." said the captain without any warning. Rémi's senses entered high alert by the tone of his voice. She could hear Venn's footsteps creaking behind her. "You caused a bit of mischief at our hometown and needed to use our ship as an escape vessel? Is that right?" The woman cursed under her breath. Of course these Fishmen would be related to the ones she met at the island. She begrudgingly moaned, "Yeah..." She detected the slightest smirk growing on the eel-man's jaw. "Hehehe, you're in for it now, lass. Cap doesn't take light of people messing with his turf, let alone a disgusting human." This time, no hand rose in protest at his banter. Instead the captain rose from his seat. Rémi's surprise turned to shock as the tank of a shark slowly loomed over the three of them until the top of his head barely reached the ceiling. The woman barely came to his waist by the time he finished posturing. "Strange human woman from a sea I do not know, you intruded upon my ship, disturbed my men and harmed the place I call home. For these crimes, you'll walk the plank."
Rémi stood ready to complain, "Now wait just a second! I never said I hurt your people! I only fought a Marine on Orichal! That's it!" This revelation in her story stopped the shark in his tracks. The look on the captain's face shifted from judgement to that of confusion. Rémi heard Venn approach her from behind and heard him murmur, "Is that true? You...fought a Navy soldier?" She nodded with confident eyes. The girl then turned her attention to the fishman in charge and beat her chest with a fist, "And not only that, but with the help of...an ally, we defeated an entire ship of Marines plus their Commander, a Captain and a Commodore!"
"Impossible..."
"A-Amazing!"
"What a load of bullshit!!"
The sword girl stared daggers at the party pooper. He stared right back with greater venom in his lenses before looking to his captain for support. "Boss, surely you're not buying this hogwash, right? We don't even have any proof she did any of those things!" Hearing this logical rebuttal did brand the shark's face with a hint of uncertainty. He looked the woman up and down and grumbled with frustration. "Tytos is right. You only have claims. What evidence can you put forward to prove yourself?" Rémi gulped, hesitant to reveal the details of her ordeal. But if there was any way getting out of this predicament, she'd need to speak truthfully. The woman sighed and asked, "Do you by any chance carry wanted posters?"
An amused chuckle left Tytos' jaws. "Heh, what do we look like, bounty hunters? We told you, we're simple sailors. I guess you don't have any proof at all-" The young lad known as Venn stepped up and exclaimed, "Now wait, sir! We still have issues of the Daily Coo right? Don't they display some of the new bounties in there?" Tytos quickly glared at the subordinate with a red face - it was clear to the girl's eyes he wished to rush her execution without any proper evidence. Fortunately for her, the captain saw things quite fairly and spoke up amidst the standoff, "Is that so? Well make haste Venn, bring in all the issues we have." At the sound of this command, Rémi internally sighed with relief at the boy's quick save. It may have been a small gesture but it could be enough to save her skin.
While the junior sailor disappeared in search of the news, the three remaining stood in a brief silence until the next outrage occurred. As Rémi stared down the irate Tytos who was chewing down on his own batch of jerky, the belligerent eel-man grumbled, "What are you looking at human? Do I disgust you? Do you feel a boiling hatred? I'm sure you want to kill all of us if you had the chance." Before she could rhetort, the captain boomed with thunderous voice, "That's enough Tytos!!" The sudden nature of the shark-man's roar set both of the two on edge. The subordinate returned to his chewing in silence but remained to keep his deathly eyes set on the woman. Rémi however took this opportunity to examine the man in front of her.
Though he was a shark, an apex predator and a violent one at that, she detected no sense of aggression in his eyes. But that wasn't to say she sensed a lack of intent. He looked at her as one does when looking at a menu, unsure whether to eat one item or pass it up. She wasn't sure if that was any better than blatant bloodlust. With the clock ticking and her hands getting sweatier by the second though, Rémi had to wonder if her fate would be decided by some splotches of ink on a newspaper.
The two beasts in the room looked at her longingly and it set off all her alarms. In the corner of her eye, Tytos finished the last bite of his jerky yet the creature licked his lips still hungry for more. She began to sweat. Surely he's not stupid enough to fight me while his boss is over there. But to her surprise, the boss kept silent as Tytos approached her. Is he actually?... She balled her fists ready to retaliate. The eel-man got up in her face and breathed a putrid wave of salty brine over her. "You scared, girl? You should be." Rémi grinned and whispered, "I'm only terrified of what I can do to you." The look on Tytos' face morphed into a grimace. Before she knew it, the man swung his arm back ready to strike when the door slammed open.
"I found them all! Sorry for the wait!" The young fishman froze in his tracks when he realized what he walked into. "Oh is this a bad time?..."
"Bring them to the table, lad. Spread them out so we can see." Venn sheepishly nodded and nervously tiptoed around the two clashing forces to the captain's desk. Together the two picked out all the bounty related pages from the Daily Coo issues before the boss whistled to Tytos. "Grrr. You're not getting away scot free, human." Rémi watched him stomp away and inspect the newsprint with eyes full of hatred - eyes dedicated to find one chink in the strange woman's armor of integrity.
"Hmm." The chief rubbed his chin with a hint of discontent on his face. For a second Rémi assumed that her bounty wasn't in the pile. But the young one perked up, "What is it, captain? Did you find the human's poster?" The shark shook his head and pointed to a bounties board on the newspaper. "It just saddens me to see our kind on these things. A young squid mermaid, 9 million beri. A wolf-fish wotan, 2 million beri, and this tiny little goldfish, no bigger than my pinky, 10 million beri." The sword girl swore she saw a faint glimmer running down the man's cheek.
"It's an injustice on our people! I'm sure they've done nothing wrong to deserve those numbers! Got to be the work of a human blaming us for their own misdeeds." Tytos looked over at the woman and bared his teeth. Venn tapped him to attention and nudged to the captain. "Regardless of what they've done, I curse the world we live in where our lives can be amounted with coin..." The boss crumpled up the newsprint containing the heads of the seafolk and tossed it away. Venn looked down with a frown while Tytos seethed at the human woman standing behind them. "So that's it then right? Her story doesn't check out. I don't see the bitch anywhere on these papers." He faced her again and cracked his knuckles. "Pray that you can swim a few good miles, land walker."
"Are you losing your vision so early on in life Tytos? Or are you ignoring such clear proof right in front of you. The girl is telling the truth." Rémi widened her eyes and stood firmly at the sound of the news. She slowly walked closer to the table until she could see the captain's finger pointing directly at a crude sketch of herself in black and white: "Rémi Dermott - 43,000,000".
"F-f-f-fourty?"
"Th-th-three?"
"Million. Hmm, you've been quite the thorn in the Navy's side haven't you?"
"Th-th-three?"
"Million. Hmm, you've been quite the thorn in the Navy's side haven't you?"
The teal locked lass finally breathed a sigh of relief - her test was over. She looked to the men with a bit more ease and answered, "You could say that. I'm not exactly a fan of the government, if that's what you're asking. Nor any of its outdated ideas." She gleamed at the incredulous eel figure, whose jaw hung wide open with disbelief. Young Venn stood behind him with a starstruck glow in his eyes like he'd seen a miracle. The captain however remained stone-faced. His eyes went back and forth from the paper to the girl, assessing the situation with the evidence gathered.
Rémi felt slightly discomforted by his silence but didn't want to break his train of thought. She and the rest of the men awaited his judgement as he took one last look at her bounty, rubbing his finger over her name and tapping it a couple times. Venn came to his side and shyly asked, "So uh, is she good to go captain? It doesn't seem like she'll cause us much harm. We can drop her off the next time we make port, if it's okay with you." The girl rose her brows in surprise - that was twice now that this junior fishman stood up for her hide. If they weren't in this particular predicament, she could've sworn the lad had a crush on her.
But, as per usual, Tytos interrupted the mood with his own two cents on the matter. "Let her go? She stole our goods and dunked a good night's worth of drink overboard! Not to mention she struck me earlier! The bitch is trouble, kill her and be done with it." Rémi furrowed her brows with rage at this outrageous demand. She stomped toward the petulant seaman and growled in his face. "Listen you bastard! I've done everything I could to stay quiet and out of trouble! I have swords, I've killed a Sea King, you think I can't slaughter the three of you?" She looked about the room and saw a terrified look in Venn's eyes. Tytos stared down at her with the same resentful glare. "I kept to myself because I don't want to hurt you. I'm not like those humans you despise so much. Just let me stay until the next island comes, then you can kick my butt overboard. Sound fair?" She tried to gauge the mens' reactions but found varying degrees of emotions: fear, anger, uncertainty.
As Rémi looked to the captian for an answer, Tytos cackled to himself and clapped. "Impressive! A Sea King killed by a pair of metal toothpicks! I thought something was off about that bounty. It's not a photograph like the rest of 'em. It's a drawing, like something a fake would use." The woman bemoaned that not a single camera was on board that day. "Look...I was on a cruise ship before the Navy came. They don't exactly carry photographers on a wartime vessel." She tried her best to explain a potential hole in her argument but the fish fiend refused to buy it.
"Ha! A predictable excuse! You're not fooling me, human." Rémi twitched her eye, irritated with this unrelenting barrage of undeserved resentment. Since the moment he opened his mouth, the moray had done nothing but spew hateful rhetoric at every chance he got. Who did he think he was to judge her for some arbitrary reason? On the basis of her biology, some uncontrollable factor? The girl slowly rose up to meet the sea serpent, mere centimeters from his face. "What. Do you. Want." Tytos' pupils enlarged.
"Ha! A predictable excuse! You're not fooling me, human." Rémi twitched her eye, irritated with this unrelenting barrage of undeserved resentment. Since the moment he opened his mouth, the moray had done nothing but spew hateful rhetoric at every chance he got. Who did he think he was to judge her for some arbitrary reason? On the basis of her biology, some uncontrollable factor? The girl slowly rose up to meet the sea serpent, mere centimeters from his face. "What. Do you. Want." Tytos' pupils enlarged.
"Tytos." The captain finally spoke up after seemingly hours of deliberation. The man in question did not move back this time. The chief cleared his throat and called again, "Tytos. The human has my answer." Rémi turned toward the boss with anticipation. His glassy lenses looked at her with an unnatural opacity - a fogginess which she could not penetrate through to ascertain his motivations. What is he thinking?... She waited.
He looked back and forth between her and his brethren, only moving his eyes and keeping his body in place. "With what we've heard and seen today, this human - Rémi Dermott - will leave at the first sight of land." Tytos immediately roared in protest, "Now wait a minute, cap! Tha-" The commander raised a quick hand to silence his outspoken subordinate. His glared quickly shifted from a deathly predatory stare and returned just as swiftly to a neutral glaze. "Permit me to finish, Tytos. She will leave our vessel if and only if...she can prove her strength." At the sound of this condition, a cruel smirk appeared on the serpentine sailor's face. The captain looked to her with a concerned expression. "I can't tell if you're speaking the truth but if you are who you say you are, then this will be an easy task for me to discern if you pose no threat to us. Do you accept this challenge?"
She saw the growing toothy smile of Tytos stretching further by the second. The conditions of this challenge were never named but she already suspected what it entailed. Hmmph, whatever. It gives me an excuse to teach this guy a thing or two. Rémi stepped up with a smirk and beat her chest with a fist, "Bring it on."
The moonlight showered the deck of the ship in a faint luminous glow. Rémi stood at one end of the deck while Tytos stretched his limbs - never taking his bloodthirsty eyes off of her. While her opponent finished warming up, Venn approached his senior crewmate with a great scimitar, golden in make with a mirror polished edge that shined brilliantly under the moonlight. He brandished the sword in his slithery hands and wielded it masterfully, spinning its curved edge with lethal speed. He giggled to himself as he rubbed the sharp tip with his fingers, staring at her the entire time.
Venn then came to her with the two claymores they confiscated from her belongings earlier. He presented the weapons for her to take but the maiden shook her head. Tytos widened his eyes with confusion. "What's the meaning of this? You don't know how to use those toothpicks of yours?" Rémi scoffed at the accusation. "This is a battle of strength right? Surely a naturally stronger man like yourself doesn't need a fancy tool like that to beat a puny human like me?"
Off to the side, the captain watched from a seat, smiling ever so slightly at the stowaway's sharp wit. Tytos on the other hand grew red in the face and threw his scimitar away, propping it upright against the floorboard. "You know the funny thing is, I know you're playing me...But you're right." His enraged sneer expanded back to that toothy grin of his and the eel-man cracked his knuckles with a loud pop! Rémi responded with a sharp turn of her neck, sending a sharp bang amid the cool night air.
The two stared each other down in perfect silence. From the upper deck, Venn and the captain observed the stage. Tytos slowly hovered his foot forward and kept his sights locked on her at all times. Rémi stood in wait and moved not an inch. A few more seconds of posturing continued before the look of sinister intent revealed itself upon Tytos' face. Without warning the man with the explosive temper made a mad sprint for her head. In the blink of an eye, he was at her face ready to strike.
She was surprised. For such a condescending fellow she expected him to be all talk. In a way, she was thoroughly pleased to be proven wrong.
Without hesitation, he swiped the air with his webbed claws, just barely missing her hair as she ducked. As she knelt to the ground Rémi kicked her leg out and swept the ground in front of her in a swift crescent arc. Tytos reacted quickly however and hopped off his grounded foot before the kick made contact. While he landed back to the deck, Rémi pushed herself back up and returned to a neutral pose albeit with an amused grin now replacing her prior scowl. "For a simple sailor, you move like quite a fighter. Perhaps you're not all bark like I thought."
The fishman chortled with a wet gurgle and rolled his eyes. "Even a sailor's got to know how to defend himself in these waters, girl. And what made you think I was so weak? Is that a hint of supremacy I detect?" The girl quickly lost her smile and sighed with exasperation. "Forget my thinly veiled compliment then. I'll just have to beat some humility into you." She adopted a more proper fighting stance with both fists raised to her chin and her foot extended out. Tytos picked up on the change and snickered, "If you can." The foes rushed forward at the same time.
This time around the two discarded any evasive maneuvers and opted entirely for the offensive approach. Starting with Rémi, the broad shouldered lass dove straight in with a jab to the man's face, landing a solid knuckle sandwich into his cheek. However the eel hardly flinched, instead taking this opportunity to grapple the woman's extended arm before tossing her over his shoulder into the floor.
"Oomph!" she groaned as the impact vibrated through her body. Slightly dazed she could barely see the silhouette of a boot descending toward her face. Rémi instinctively flipped her shoulder over before a thud landed right behind her. Before she could regain her footing, the sea serpent's hand grasped her hair with one hand then pummeled her visage with the other. POW, SMAK, THWOP! Each hit drummed a deep beat that echoed through the ship's deck. From the upper railing, Venn covered his mouth and flinched with every new blow. The captain remained calm as ever and sat patiently.
Down below Tytos continued his barrage of strikes, never relenting on the rhythm of his beating. "Hahaha! I'm loving every bit of this, squashing a worthless human like you! If you feel so bad about it, then curse your parents for making you so weak!" His fist landed twice more before suddenly a hand appeared and intercepted his smash dead in its tracks. He froze up. The woman whose face he'd been crushing uninterrupted for a good minute slowly turned and for the first time that night his eyes reflected neither hatred or resentment, but fear. He looked down and saw through her bloodied face a glowing gray eye with pupils black as the deepest depths. "Y-you're still conscious?" She squeezed her hand around his fist until a deafening crack could be heard across the entire ship. "AAAHHHH!!-" Before he could scream even more, Rémi swapped her grasp on the poor fool's hand and wrapped her fingers around his wrist. With minimal effort she plucked him off the ground and slammed his body to the floor just beside her.
An audible gasp came from the upper deck, "Wow..." Venn turned to the boss with open eyes and stammered, "D-did you see that sir? I've never known anyone who could budge Tytos let alone haul him with one hand! Who is this girl?" The captain chuckled and replied, "Well that's just what we're trying to find out, son. Now keep watching, it's not over yet." The good subordinate nodded and turned back to observe this unprecedented duel.
The two were back at their feet but a little worse for wear this time around. Rémi swished her mouth before spitting a glob of blood onto the floorboard. Tytos held his swollen hand with tender care, still seething and foaming at the mouth. "You bitch...I'll kill you." The lass sneered with scarlet stained teeth and smugly remarked, "Wouldn't be the first time I heard that. Yet here I stand all the same."
In his rage, Tytos roared with a guttural noise unlike anything she'd heard up til now. The Fishman's body popped up with thick veins coursing through his arms and neck. Welp, that certainly ticked him off I guess. She watched him heave and pant with bloodshot eyes and a grimace that could make a baby cry. For some reason, he pulled back his hand toward the ocean and made a grasping motion like he was clawing onto something. Hm? Telegraphing an attack from so far away? He already tried to hit me before so what is this going to accomplish? Tytos' scowl then pulled back into a mischievous smirk; his whole arm bulked up and the faint shimmers of mist began to collect around his skin. Rémi squinted at the phenomena, highly confused. What in the - But before she could even react, the Fishman made his move. He swung his arm forward like he was throwing a fastball and through the dim moonlight raining down, she could see them - water droplets, no, more like water bullets.
Her eyes widened in shock before she quickly used her arms to shield her face and body from the attack. Through blindness she could feel a barrage of machine gun fire clash against her clothes, tearing the fabric asunder and bruising the skin underneath. She winced in pain at the sharp impact of each pellet piercing her outer layer, drawing beads of blood with each prick. Gah! Since when could he do tha- OOF!! As if the hellfire weren't enough, the underhanded underling arrived with a sucker punch to her gut, propelling his fist so far that she could feel her stomach touch her spine.
Rémi flew into the air still dazed from the attack and only just now recovering from the bombardment. But Tytos refused to let up. Before she could make a safe landing, the Fishman leapt into the air and grabbed both of her ankles tightly. The momentum of his jump sent him flying over her which caused her to flip along with him as he rotated through the air and eventually threw her back to the ship in a grand slam. THUD!! her body came crashing down, breaking the wood upon impact. "Tytos, you're supposed to be testing her strength. Not the deck's." The captain commented from his seat. His subordinate landed on a knee and sighed with enjoyment. "Hahaha, of course Boss. It'll all be over soon." He struggled to get back on his feet when the sound of movement froze him in place.
"So any more tricks up your sleeve or?" The monstrous moray felt a chill run down his back. It was impossible. He turned and saw the human woman standing upright, looking back at him with unimpressed eyes. She rolled her arm around, stretching it like she was warming up for an exercise. And while she did this, she continued to give that bored, glazed look in her eyes. "Cuz I mean - if that's all you have - you're not gonna kill me. Not even if you tried 'til dawn." A slight grin appeared on her lips.
He stood there in shock, unable to process it. Dozens of punches to the face, shot by water bullets with no protection, a solid punch to her organs and a flying slam to the ground. Just how was she standing completely unfazed?? "This is not possible! You are a mere human! Lower. Inferior. Unfit to even grovel at my feet!!" Tytos dashed toward the girl in full force, both arms ready to slash. But Rémi had tolerated enough nonsense tonight. Her grin disappeared and was replaced by a tight frown. "Fun's over, bud."
She blasted to him in a sprint, throwing him off guard. He recoiled at her arrival, twitching uncontrollably - unable to move. Rémi thrust forward and grabbed Tytos by the throat, squeezing the air out of him. As he writhed in her grip, she pulled him in close and swung a haymaker directly into his face. "Raghh..." The Fishman's body went limp making it easier for the woman to perform the next task. Using both arms, she grabbed him by the neck and collar and threw him into the air. Tytos flew a certain distance before leveling out and descending in a flat position. From below, Rémi jumped up to meet him by slamming her shoulders into his back, bending his spine in reverse like an spread open book. "GAHH!!!" The ride was not over yet. As the two dropped back together, the woman hooked her arms around his neck and legs and waited until the inevitable impact of the landing to contort his body even further. When the thud of their descent came, so too did the crack of Tytos' back. He screamed in pain, "AHHHHGG!!" then fell into a raspy groan as the girl finally tossed him to the ground in a slump. She looked down at him, breathing more heavily than before and muttered, "Was that too weak for you?" No witty response came her way.
With the duel coming to a swift and painful end, Rémi finally approached the upper deck and looked above at the captain. She tried to catch her breathing, finding it harder to collect herself. Nonetheless she did her best to speak up loud and clear for the man to hear, "Well I've done it. I passed your stupid test. Are we good now? Can I stay until port?"
On the side, young Venn watched his senior crew mate on the ground writhing and groaning in pain. The lad covered his mouth and looked away at the woman he protected several times, his eyes shaded in disgust. The girl however needed a final answer. This whole mess surely had to be resolved by now? But one closer look at the captain's visage and she could sense something was wrong. He slowly rose from his seat and stared down on her with piercing eyes. "You failed." Rémi widened her eyes in shock.
"W-what? I beat the guy fair and square! One on one, hand to hand! Is this some kind of sick joke?" She shouted in protest, wheezing at the end of her words. It was becoming apparent to her now just how dry her mouth was getting. But she couldn't appear weak - not to him. The shark in uniform loomed over her like a titan and huffed through his nose with great disdain. He shook his head with closed eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're mistaken. This test wasn't about measuring brute force, it was about testing the strength of your character." Rémi furrowed her brows in confusion. Say wha? He continued leering down at her with disappointment and resumed his reasoning, "When I saw your name on that poster, I wanted to believe you were who you claimed to be. But now, after this wicked display of rage, I now see you for what you are - a savage, cruel beast." He began to roll up his sleeves, revealing a pair of incredibly thick brawny arms with veins running down the length of them. Rémi gulped. "Tytos was right to judge you after all. You are like all the other humans before. And you are not leaving this ship alive."
Rémi tensed up and cursed. This was the worst case scenario she could have asked for. But how could she have predicted this? And what test of character was this geezer talking about? Who was he and what did he see in her name? The woman stepped up and pointed at him accusingly, "This whole thing was rigged from the start! You have this guy spout his hate and vitriol nonstop and expect me to go easy? What a load of bullshit!"
The captain's nostrils flared as he puffed up his chest to double its size. The previously composed chief of the ship then bellowed with rage, "YOU HAVE LOST!! No one is to blame but yourself for this failure! I had hoped, nay, I had believed you were as patient, merciful and kind as your name suggests but it was all a lie! I should have expected as much, the evil of man is inevitable!" The man pulled his fist back just as Tytos did before. A strong mist wrapped around his knuckles and shimmered in the moon's glow. Rémi seethed, It can't end up like this. After all this time, trying to lay low, it all has to end like this? The apex predator hummed with focus, charging his attack, before finally growling a ferocious roar into -
DUN DUN
The three froze when the belly of the ship rumbled with an unnatural thunder. Venn's skin went cold and clammy.
DUN DUN
The three looked about the ship, scanning the waves for any irregularities. In the distance, two sails broke the surface and circled around the vessel. Rémi could hear her heart beating inside her chest.
DUN DUN
The three stood stiller than statues now, watching the sails skate through the tides until suddenly they dipped beneath the water and faded into the darkness. The captain lowered his fist and looked around with frantic breath.
A moment of silence. The night returned to normal for just a second. Saltwater slapped against the ship, moonlight rained on the deck and the wind howled a ghastly whisper. Rémi, too anxious to continue this haunting calm, whispered, "What was tha-"
SSSSSPLASH!!!
Before she could finish her sentence, twin monstrous eels emerged from the water's surface, screeching a scream that pierced through the frigid ocean air.
"Venn! Man the harpoon!" The captain abandoned all desire for vengeance as his sense of duty took over. Amid the ensuing pandemonium, Rémi spotted the youngster frantically running to the front of the ship where two harpoon installations were set up side by side. She looked to the captain whose eyes locked with her for a brief second before the two of them nodded in agreement at the temporary truce. The girl rushed to join the lad's side and took aim with the hooked spear. Although she could see somewhat through the darkness she still found it difficult to track the wild spontaneous movements of the sea serpents. Every instant she thought the spear was lined up, the worm would twirl and writhe several yards to the side.
Behind her, she heard Venn curse under his breath as he hastily shot his own harpoon into dead water. Taking note of this, the eel to that side of the ship ceased its evasive maneuvers and dove straight for the young man with its jaws wide open. "A-ah! Help!" From the upper deck of the ship rang a tremendous BOOM as the captain fired a hand cannon into the bottomless maw of the sea snake. The beast coughed smoke and flames from its mouth before retreating underwater, leaving its twin by itself.
Rémi looked up to the chief, who looked quite proud of himself for making such a vital shot. When suddenly, the lone viper screeched in fury and locked its glassy eyes right at the man with the cannon. The captain was taken aback and nervously began to reload his firearm. Rémi saw what was about to occur and aimed the harpoon straight for where she knew it would strike. The snake reeled back and in a split second dashed forward and smashed its snout into the captain's chest, sending him flying into the mast with a heavy thud. He made no effort to get up.
"Captain!" Venn cried out. The eel's eyes shifted focus and grinned with malicious delight at the fresh young prey cowering before it. It opened its mouth and licked its scaly lips as if it couldn't wait to savor this juicy morsel. Unfortunately for it, there was one more harpoon left on the ship and it was aimed straight for its head. With a TWANG, Rémi let loose the spear from her station and watched it zip through the air only to barely miss the titanic basilisk's brain. Through a swift duck of the neck the thing dodged the killing blow and reeled its head back with a pant, almost like it was laughing at them. Annoying little thing, aren'tcha?
Before she could load a second harpoon into the gun, the snake returned to its menacing bloodlust and hissed a ghastly whistle. Without any windup, it sprung into action and charged straight for the helpless fishman at her side. Rémi's eyes widened at the suddenness of the attack and made a panicked decision. She jumped to Venn's aid and grabbed him by the shirt before throwing him to safety. The rancid breath of the serpent awaited her as soon as he landed and the woman felt the force of several tons of sea flesh slam upon her.
"Ugh...Miss!" Venn rubbed his head, bruised from the impact, and watched as the cyan crowned lady went flying over the deck of the ship and out of sight. The massive moray turned its sunken eyes toward him and cackled a hollow chuckle. The young fishman began to sweat and shake. He looked desperately around his surroundings for any means to defend himself. But alas no weapon could be found. Instead what he found spelled worse for the situation at hand. Behind him, he recognized the body of the unconscious Tytos still face down on the ground. "Sir Tytos...Oh no." The boy could hear the smacking of teeth nearby and realized what it meant. He looked to the predator and saw it no longer fixated on his smaller frame but on the vulnerable, meatier body of the captain's right hand. "Y-you. You stay away from him!" Venn stood up to the best of his ability but quivered as he held his fists to his face. The snake glanced at him for a second but shook off the threat like a minor inconvenience. It slowly slithered forward now, knowing all threats were eliminated - it could take its sweet time.
However, to his own shock, Venn ran between the prey and the predator with arms outstretched. "O-over my dead body, snake! You won't lay a finger on him!" The serpent in question blinked and scanned the lad with scrutiny. It performed something akin to a scoff at this heroic gesture before lunging forward faster than the boy could react. It chomped down on his tough scaly arm and lifted him into the air. Venn groaned in pain desperately punching against the thick skin of the serpent but to no avail. With one swift motion it threw him away to the captain's deck in a bloody heap. Unable to stand, unable to move, the sailor watched as the giant beast opened its jaws wide to swallow his superior whole. "N-nooo!"
The serpent hissed aloud and went for the kill....only to be stopped mere inches from Tytos' body. It choked on its gasp as its eyes frantically looked around in search of something. It was then that Venn, in his steadily slipping state, noticed the spikes of teal poking out from behind the behemoth's slimy body. "Miss...you're..." Relieved at the sight of her, he rested his head atop the floorboards and rested their fate in the hands of the stranger.
Ordinarily grabbing a sea snake was quite difficult given the slimy mucus encompassing its body. But the task was completely simple once her fingers were embedded in the flesh itself. Rémi grinned devilishly as the worm writhed and screeched as her nails dug deeper and deeper into its skin. With great effort she flexed her muscles and began to pull the moray like it were a game of tug of war. Now the serpent who was once inches from Tytos' body quickly saw its prey grow distant by the second. It screamed in protest and lashed out by squirming along the floorboards. But vengeful Rémi continued to smile and even began to laugh. "Y'know something, you almost had me there. When I saw the two of you, I thought we were in danger. But now? After that measly hit? Heh, now I can see there was nothing to fear."
She clawed and pulled the snake closer and closer until the beast could take no more and charged at her with an unhinged jaw. But she had seen its trick enough times to be fooled. Before its fangs could even reach her, she clasped both hands around its teeth and exhaled through a nauseated grimace. "Whew, wash your mouth much? Tell you what, I'll help you rinse!" Pivoting her stance on one foot, she turned toward the ocean below her and roared as both hands carried the titanic eel forward. Its body squirmed the best it could but the lock of the woman's grasp was inescapable. Rémi lunged forward with a stomp and with one mighty heave threw the snake headfirst into the crashing waves.
As she looked down at the bubbly foam emerging from the sea, the moray's body slowly sunk below the surface. She sighed with relief but only for a moment. With no other threat occupying her attention, she was finally made aware of a pain she tried so hard to contain. The lingering hunger that prevailed her this entire trip slowly crept upon her during the night and had finally taken its toll on her stamina. "Guh." She dropped to one knee and gasped. "Guess jerky and biscuits don't quite provide a nutritious breakfast..Heh." The lass looked to the others on the ship to determine their states. Tytos though still downed appeared to be in the midst of awaking from his blackout. Venn while bloody all over his arm, looked perfectly fine all things considered. The captain...the captain was awake and sat upon the edge of the upper deck staring down at her.
She paused and recollected herself. Looks like the ceasefire is over. Rémi's breathing steadily escalated in frequency as the staring contest between the two parties continued. Of what he was thinking, she had no earthly clue. All the girl could do was fight to her last breath aboard this damned ship. And by the pain her stomach and the burning in her muscles, it appeared that would be quite soon. "Hrrgggh..." She pushed against the floor until she could finally stand on both feet. Once finally upright, the woman adopted a fighting pose and scoffed with weak breath. "So...we doing this or what?"
He was silent. He only watched her from above as she stood there, waning in strength. She grew a bit impatient and walked a little closer, trying to goad any reaction out of him. "Well? You said I wasn't leaving this ship alive right? I'm waiting, oh captain my captain." He made no visible sign of his emotions to that horribly worded provocation. Instead he spoke with the calm candor of the man she knew in that office. "Dermott...if that truly is your name. Why would you fight for us? Why go through the trouble of saving this young man when you could so easily dispose of these things by using us as bait?" She was taken aback. Confused, even. Was he not even interested in a confrontation?
She lowered her fists and scrutinized his face; no deceit to be seen in that scaly visage of his. Rémi gulped, feeling what inkling of saliva she had slithering down her desert of a throat. "Because..." she said hoarsely, "like I said, I was never here to hurt you. I just wanted a ride and I'd be out of your hair. But you guys just had to turn this whole trip into a shit show." The man was unimpressed by her answer and shook his head. "That doesn't necessarily answer my question though: why risk your safety for us? We, who threaten you, insult you, and abhor your very existence. Why?"
Rémi felt bewildered by the second. What did this geezer want from her? Was it so difficult to understand that she wanted no bloodshed? For what reason was he arguing philosophy with an enemy? And why, oh why, was he so fixated on her name? She paused to breathe and began to speak when out of nowhere,
KADOOM!
The ship quaked like thunder as the seas screamed with rage. The two of them knew what this entailed. Wasting no time, Rémi looked overboard to inspect only to be whipped backwards into the air by a most familiar grin. She coughed a spray of blood before descending down and slamming on the hard wood below. The captain, at half strength, barely had the energy to stand and face the renewed sea serpent yet again. He sighed and clutched his chest with a tight grip before staring into the devil's glassy eyes once more. "If we're to die here, then it will not be a coward's death." He pulled back his fist and shimmered once more with spiraling moonlit mist. The serpent guffawed at the futile nature of this attempt then charged forward...only to be met by the fist of one sir Tytos. The beast choked upon the surprise attack and fell into the water granting the men some time of reprieve. Tytos, being the man he is, scoffed at his captain's words and remarked, "Tch, only a coward would accept the possibility of dying. We are Fishmen, we do not lose to mere worms of the sea!" But through the facade of toughness, the captain could see Tytos shaking at his very core.
Before the two could even exchange one more word, the beast was ready to strike again. Its eyes now bloodshot with rage, it unhinged its jaw and bellowed a roar so vile and wicked unlike any creature they'd heard before. The captain held steadfast though and continued to charge his strike but the eel had no patience to afford this time. In one swift strike it shot through the air like a bullet and smashed its snout against the captain's chest, pinning him against the back wall. "Captain!!" Tytos cried. The Fishman jumped to free his commander from the serpent's clutches but that was exactly what it planned for. With no one else to stop it, the creature quickly turned and aimed its fangs right for the vulnerable Tytos. He raised his arms to defend but it was too late.
The floorboards cracked under the weight of such force as the eel sent him crashing down in a bloody mess. The razor sharp teeth cut through his arms and pierced partway through his body. But through some means of stubbornness or determination, the Fishman endured and stopped the beast from closing its maw. "Grrr...I refuse to die so undignified." His arms shook at the crushing power of the sea snake and began to give in. Fear overtook his face and the Fishman knew his strength was fading fast. "I...We are Fishmen, we cannot lose like this!" His arms grew numb from the pain and the blood of his wounds dripped onto his face, mixing with the tears falling down his cheek. He choked on his words and wept, "P-please...I don't want to die!!"
The monstrous moray made one last attempt to crush its prey to death only to be interrupted by an explosion of force at its cheek. As its teeth stuck inside Tytos' limbs broke apart, the tube of fish meat rolled down the ship deck and into the sea below. The Fishman breathed heavily in shock, still sobbing with blood on his face. He looked to the ocean to ensure the threat was gone then looked up to see...her.
Rémi panted and wheezed, feeling her arms and legs grow weak from the pain of starvation and thirst. What little energy she had left was keeping her conscious and standing and even then she'd no idea how much longer. Even so, the woman looked down at the broken bastard she faced moments prior and extended a hand to help him up. He looked utterly confounded, unable to process this gesture. It was only until she said the following, "Get up....your men need you." that he adopted that look of confidence again and he pulled himself from the ground. Now the two stood together side by side, awaiting the inevitable. "It'll be back y'know..."
Rémi offered a tiny wheeze in place of laughter and muttered, "Yep...so get behind me. Guard your friends." Tytos looked at her with puzzled eyes. "You can't do this alone, you're barely alive as it is!" He watched the woman stare intently at that raging sea, ready to face what emerged from its murky depths. Her eyes, so warm yet devoid of color, never wavered in their conviction. She was serious. "Y-you're...You're only human. That thing took apart our whole crew. What can you do by yourself?" Before she could answer, the inevitable returned.
The devil of the water slithered up without a sound this time, with no fanfare or pomp to celebrate its arrival. It simply stared at them as a mindless predator would, with eyes of bloodshot crimson ready to kill everything and anything it saw. And right now reflected in its lenses was the face of the blue spiked woman standing before it.
Rémi gulped and pointed at Tytos' sword he threw away moments prior. It still stood upright from the time he discarded it. "Get me that sword and you'll find out." The Fishman desperately wished to argue, to convince her that their forces combined could stop the beast but she was so sure of herself. Even through her panting and wheezing, he detected not a shred of weakness nor doubt. "I have no idea what you're about to do but fine." He made one step toward the scimitar when the sea rumbled yet again causing the two of them to exchange a glance of horror. "Oh dear Neptune..."
RAAAGGHHHH! From beside the bloodshot moray, its companion twin returned with its mouth still charred and burnt from the captain's shot. As injured as it appeared however it was no less furious and ravenous as its sibling. Rémi's face turned dark, the situation had turned for the worst. She looked to Tytos to signal him. He got the message and sprinted right for the scimitar. But the snakes caught on to their trick. The newly revived serpent screeched and lunged forward with its teeth ready to chomp. Rémi tried to turn and grapple the tube away but her feet froze in place. Grr, no! Tytos reached the sword and turned to throw it only to see a red abyss awaiting him. He went solid as rock and fell to his knees. Rémi couldn't even scream for him to dodge. The two awaited imminent destruction. Until from the upper deck, they heard a commanding shout
"Senmaigawara Seiken!!!"
Just a hair's breadth away from being consumed, Tytos watched as his captain's fist plunged into the serpent's nose - the sound of bone breaking accompanying the strike. But in one fell swoop, he blew it away to the front of the ship to the surprise of its angered twin. Shocked and confused at what just happened, Rémi watched as the captain grabbed the scimitar from Tytos' hands and tossed it to the sword girl before collapsing to his knees. To the side, the serpents recovered and let loose one final war cry of death before blitzing her way to end this conflict once and for all. Rémi caught the blade in her hand and swept it across, feeling the weight of steel empower her through the pain. The captain in his exhaustion cried to her with a desperate plea, "DO IT!!" The sea demons screamed and cried with abominable blood lust. But with the steel in her hands, she could finally think at peace. She closed her eyes.
The girl tucked the blade behind her and breathed. She felt the last traces of her strength collecting in her arms, her legs for this last swing. No hesitation. The sound of evil approached and she opened her eyes. "Seule....Rosé!!!" Rémi stomped forward and with all her inhuman strength blasted a gale of killing edge that rocketed toward the infernal serpents and cleaved their massive bodies into fleshy ribbons. Tytos and the captain witnessed with their own eyes the monsters who had been terrorizing their ship be turned into lifeless strings of meat that fell to the ocean below never to be seen again.
"I...I've never...." The Fishman could hardly speak. "She truly is who she says...I believe it." The captain's eyes watered with amazement.
Rémi, however, felt nothing impressive about this victory. Instead she only felt the bitter cold creep up on her at last. She dropped the blade at her feet as her legs gave way. The girl fell to her knees then collapsed on to her back, clutching her throat for even one drop of water. Where she lied, she could see the stars glittering in the night sky and remembered the stories of her books, how even the brightest star may one day fade and die after a glorious burst of light. Was this her moment? Was she the fallen star? Her vision slowly faded from her as she felt her breathing come to a crawl. The soreness of her body was absent from her now, though not just the pain, everything. Heh, just like old times. Dying for strangers I never liked...I've got quite a bad habit to break...Maybe one day. Yeah, one day... The stars vanished and the sound of the waves grew silent as the grave.
Daylight. She felt the warmth of morning wash over her skin. Morning? She sat up quickly only to be met with a crippling soreness resonate through her body. "Ouch..." she whimpered.
"No need to be so eager right out of bed."
Rémi turned to find the captain in front of a door, his arm wrapped up in a cast and hung over his belly. "You..." He chuckled and pointed to the area beside her. The girl looked down and saw a tray of fresh food prepared. She looked at him puzzled. "But...I never leave alive?" The man refused to hear anymore and raised an open palm to cease any further discussion. "None of that now, ya hear?" He turned his back to her and said one more thing before leaving the room, "Finish up and meet me on the deck when you can move. I already know you have questions for me." And just like that, he left as suddenly as he appeared. Confused, Rémi observed the room she was in and gasped. It was the storage space she'd be hiding in all this time. He's...letting me stay? She looked down at the tray of breakfast and gulped. Another gasp. I can swallow? I can breathe. I... She looked to the door hoping for answers but knew she would not get anything else until she was ready to leave. Rémi grabbed a fork and knife and shrugged her shoulders before chowing down properly for the first time in what felt like forever.
Rémi turned to find the captain in front of a door, his arm wrapped up in a cast and hung over his belly. "You..." He chuckled and pointed to the area beside her. The girl looked down and saw a tray of fresh food prepared. She looked at him puzzled. "But...I never leave alive?" The man refused to hear anymore and raised an open palm to cease any further discussion. "None of that now, ya hear?" He turned his back to her and said one more thing before leaving the room, "Finish up and meet me on the deck when you can move. I already know you have questions for me." And just like that, he left as suddenly as he appeared. Confused, Rémi observed the room she was in and gasped. It was the storage space she'd be hiding in all this time. He's...letting me stay? She looked down at the tray of breakfast and gulped. Another gasp. I can swallow? I can breathe. I... She looked to the door hoping for answers but knew she would not get anything else until she was ready to leave. Rémi grabbed a fork and knife and shrugged her shoulders before chowing down properly for the first time in what felt like forever.
Outside, the sun was blinding to the eyes. She walked out on that open deck and saw the wreckage of the aftermath in broad daylight. Cracked mast beams, broken floorboards, eel guts in the sails. "God, what a mess." she remarked bluntly. She heard the captain laugh at the side of the ship, resting on the railing. As she approached him, he reached over and brought forth two familiar sights. "My-"
"Yes. Your swords. We had them sharpened and polished for your during your rest." He offered them to her with both hands. She eyed him suspiciously before accepting them back into her possession and putting them aside. There were far bigger things to discuss than weaponry. "So," she began, "What did you need me to talk about? Why is this savage, cruel beast suddenly so worthy of this much hospitality?"
The captain chortled at the echo of his old words, slapping himself on the wrist for making such remarks. "Yes, I did call you that didn't I? Apologies, had I believed you were who you claimed to be this whole mess could have been avoided." Rémi groaned with discontent and shook her head. She bashed the fragile railing with a closed fist and spoke more assertively than before, "You keep mentioning my identity. What is it to you? Do you know me from somewhere? Were you my long lost uncle or something?"
To her surprise, the captain did not look to her this time but to her sword. More specifically he pointed to the silver blade, Glóirstar. "Twenty years ago, I was sailing these waters with another crew. A tad more...aggressive, they were." She could see his face shift uncomfortably as if remembering a darker time. "We didn't take kindly to humans, as they never did to us. Any man or woman of land dwelling skin we hated with all our being. I am not proud of those days." Rémi stood and listened.
"But one day, we ran into a Navy vessel, ten maybe twenty times bigger than our own little ship. It took up our entire view, I swear we were done for. I didn't wish to incite any unnecessary deaths so I allowed them to come aboard and make their inspections." He tightened his fist and furrowed his brows. She continued to be silent. "I still remember how they looked at us, disgusted by our very existence. Some of the soldiers made jokes plugging their noses and mimicking fins on their faces. I had to hold back some of my men from going out to kill them all..." Rémi wanted to stop to tell him to calm down but before she could, his face relaxed all on its own. He sighed and cracked a gentle smile, "But then, one man came down from the warship. An odd man. He greeted us not with repulsion in his face but with a warmth unlike anything I'd ever seen. He...smiled at us." The captain grinned as a single tear ran down his cheek, remembering that very day. "He spoke to us as we spoke to each other, not with mistrust or hate but as equals. And when he had finished his work and turned to leave, he shook my hand and apologized for the inconvenience. Can you imagine? A human Marine officer lowering himself to me, a lowly Fishman sailor?"
Rémi assumed this opened the room for her response. She nodded in agreement at the supposed insanity of it all and looked out to the horizon. "Yeah, don't quite see that nowadays, huh?" She turned to the captain, curiosity piqued by this random story, and asked, "So who was he anyways? And why are you telling me all this?"
The chief chuckled and placed his hand on her shoulder. "That's why you're here. You already know who he is. And why I gave you back that sword." Rémi raised a brow. "I don't know any Marine officers chatty with Fishmen. I fucking hate the Navy. The only reason I even have this sword is cuz of my da-" She paused. The man looked at her with a proud grin and nodded. "Captain John 'Mad Jack' Dermott. The greatest man I've ever had the privilege of meeting. And what stroke of luck that his very daughter stands before me."
Rémi stepped back. She didn't want to believe it but there was no reason for him to lie. The captain sensed something wrong with the sword girl and lowered his voice, "I didn't mean to startle you so. I admit, I was quite surprised that John's flesh and blood would turn out to be a pirate. It's why I called you out as a fake...But after seeing how you risked your own life to save complete strangers who have shown you nothing but hate. I knew you were the one." The woman turned away and looked out to the ocean in search of something. "I'm nothing special. I just did what I thought was right."
"Aye, that you did. Yet I can tell you've got a noble heart, lass. But you're still young and impatient. Learn to trust others and maybe you won't find as much strife as you have." He gave the girl some space and joined in her ocean gazing, watching the waves crash and break endlessly across an infinite sea. "I have to ask however, what made you take up pirating on the open seas? Boredom? Adventure? Something to prove?"
Rémi stared aimlessly at the water and buried her face in her arms. "I don't know anymore. It's complicated..."
Taking the hint that the conversation had run its course, the captain turned to head back inside when he stopped and chuckled to himself. "You know, I don't believe I ever told you my name, yes?" The girl looked at him, curious. He pointed a finger at the silver sword once more and simply said, "John." The girl cracked an amused grin for the first time and muttered, "I'll stick with Cap'n if you don't mind." The chief nodded and returned inside, leaving the girl by herself.
Alone, she laughed again at the absurdity of the coincidence. "Captain John, the greatest man I ever knew...well said, captain John. I see why you like him so much." The swordswoman looked down at her precious toys and eyed the silver edge in her hands. The initials, J.D. shone brilliantly. "If only I could feel the same." She looked once more to the outer edge of the world, palm over blade, obscuring the letters in darkness.
