Made a fic for the Ghost Sails event on Discord, and decided to post it here. Here’s the 1st chapter!
Constructive criticism/reviews is/are appreciated/. It’s the first fic I’ve ever written so please don’t hurt me
Ozzie’s boots were filled with icy water, and the howling winds drove sheets of stinging spray across his face as he struggled to keep his grip on the helm. A storm came out of nowhere on the ship and all hell was breaking loose. Ozzie was fairly certain that the next wave was either going to capsize them or completely splinter their ship into matchwood.
This, he thought, is what being a pirate is all about.
Wrenching at the ship’s wheel with an effort that made his aching arms scream in protest, Ozzie leaned forward to bellow to the crew below. He might as well have been whispering, for the storm snatched at his commands and carried them away.
No matter. Each of the crew was an experienced sailor, and the last few days, plundering ships and navigating through beachings, had taught them to anticipate each other’s actions. For now, they would work without words.
Ozzie squinted through the darkness in the rain, to make out Calluna and Mullet moving in tandem. They had lashed ropes to the railings, and tied them securely around their waists as they wrestled with the sails, desperately seeking ever-shifting balance of the ship that would keep the ship darting between the waves without the sails being torn to shreds. The loud thunder that sounded like cannons and the downpour that felt like pebbles were being thrown kept Mullet wide awake. Jregjori was flying high near the main mast, keeping an eye on Almso and Hoski, who were both clinging to the mast for dear life. The rest of the crew were down on the lower floors watching for any holes that may spring out.
Upstairs though, it was harder. Behind Jregjori, a flash of lightning illuminated him. The loud boom that came after made Almso and Hoski cling even tighter to the mast. Jregjori felt a clang of fear in his soul, like the boom sent out a omen of something terrible that would gobble him up. This only strengthened the resolve of the others on the main deck, however.
Sock came out from below deck carrying a bucket of seawater from leaks of the ship. He ran to the edge of the ship and dumped the water back into the sea, all the while wailing, “AAAAHHH, THIS IS A TORTUGAN’S WORST NIGHTMARE!”.He went back down below to get more water to dump, still spouting more nonsense. He went back down below to get more water to dump, still spouting more nonsense.
This isn’t an ordinary storm, thought Ozzie. Ozzie was right. The storm ebbed and flowed across the sky, writhing like a living thing, and the crew began to taste an odd tang upon the air. Not quite sour and not quite rotten, but cloying on the tongue and in the back of their throats. It felt like trying to take a deep gulp of black treacle, but a treacle that began to burn cold, like a hand held too long in ice.
The ship groaned through this hellstorm, trying to keep itself together. With no idea of where might lie and no landmarks, they had no choice but to press on into the downpour. Another bolt of lightning, this one much closer, snapped Ozzie out of his reverie. They’d been lucky so far, able to angle through the waves without broaching and taking only minor damage to the hull, but their good fortune would only last so long.
Feeling a tug at his jacket, Ozzie whipped around to find Sock at his side, even though the…whatever Sock was, clearly bellowing, Ozzie had to put their heads practically together to hear what he was trying to say.
“LAAAAND!”, Sock shouted.
Eyes widening, Ozzie gestured impatiently and followed Sock’s outstretched nub of a hand. There was something there, alright. A dark and craggy silhouette that he could barely pick out against the backdrop of the monsoon. The ship gave a protesting creak as its captain spun the wheel once more, angling the bow toward the distant rock face.
Sock picked his way down to where Calluna and Mullet, both sodden and exhausted, were still fighting to capture the wild wind within the sails. Calluna, in particular, seemed dead on her feet, despite being one of the most athletic of the crew, and she gratefully relinquished her position to Sock.
“Never thought I’d accept bailing duty.”, she barked over the cacophony. But she had barely filled a bucket before she paused to stare, mortified at the horizon. “Ozzie has seen those cliffs we’re heading towards, hasn’t he? The cliffs that no one in their right mind would take us anywhere near?!”
“I’m sure Captain Ozzie knows he’s exactly what he’s doing!”, before giving the sail a particularly vicious tug.
More rocks began to appear, as the ship seemed to be sailing between 2 rows of stone columns that jutted out of the water in rows like huge teeth. Lifeless and sheer, they rose up on either side of the ship. Mullet suspected they could almost reach out and touch the stone as the ship bobbed widely on the waves.
Jregjori flew down enough for Ozzie to hear him. “Have you gone mad?!”, the bird squawked angrily. Calluna, Mullet, and Sock ignored the crow, fully furling the sails, leaving nothing but their momentum to carry them forward.
Suddenly, there was no more rain pounding down on them and Ozzie found he could hear things again as Ozzie’s call for light cut through the air. Spook, Satellite, and Quill came out to light lanterns for the crew, and went back down to assess the damage of the ship, after assessing everyone on the upper deck’s health.
The feeble fire was like a summer sun compared to the darkness they’d sailed through and more than bright enough to reveal the truth of their whereabouts. The ship had sailed through a crack in the cliff face and was now drifting through a large cave filled with sea water, moving lazily towards the far wall.
They dropped anchor at once, bringing the ship to a full stop, and took in their surroundings as Ozzie came to join them. The walls of the cavern were slick from the spray of the sea and the dark sandy brown rock were peppered with smaller exits and pathways, save for the view to starboard which offered an unobstructed view of a windswept shore and the turbulent ocean beyond.
This wasn’t like any other islands, and from the view starboard, there were entirely new constellations. They were somewhere else entirely.
End! Leave reviews or whatever y’all do, I’m just doing it for people’s satisfaction!
Satellite by @satellite-starss
Ozzie by @valentines-cryptid
And all the other ones in the GS group!
Chapter 2 is in the making!
