Seven Seas [ZX-MetalMonster and nikaanuk]

[nikaanuk]

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The adrenaline finally started to wear off leaving them tired and numb. Tori heard the rush in his ears when he stepped into the captain's cabin. There were still shouts from the main deck but he could barely head them now.

Slowly he walked to the bed, the red coat heavy on his shoulders, the smell of the blood following him. His arms hurt, the fresh cut on his side was now merely a source of a dull pain. His whole body started to shut down due to exhaustion. He fell to the bed, face first, and lost consciousness once he touched the pillow.

 

He jerked awake the next day when someone shook his shoulder. It was Luka, the boatswain standing over him, a tall and dark with almost black skin and long hair, always tied up tightly; his face still not washed from the yesterday's fight, stains of blood on his tattered shirt.

 

“Captain” he said and at first Tory wasn't sure why he's addressing him that way. Just when he reminded himself where he slept and what he did, the full realisation hit him and he broke out in a cold sweat. “You promised us a mage.”

 

Trying to do it gracefully, despite the stiff joints and the pain in his neck and shoulders, Tory got up slowly. He coat fell to the floor but Luka pick it up. He weighed it in his hand for a moment but it seemed too much of a responsibility and he handed it to Tori.

 

“They are waiting” he said and left the young man alone.

 

'They' meant twenty four angry people tired of being robbed and beaten up, who took their lives in theirs own hands somewhere between Summer Sea ad the Red Coast. And now Tori was their captain. Short, dark haired Tori, who was barely seventeen, who joined them when they attacked the ship he worked on; Tori, who learned how to write and read between the times the captain was making a good use of him. It was Captain Tori now. And will last longer if he finds a mage as promised. A ship without a mage soon would turn into a wreck.

 

The cabin looked just like it did when captain Colter last left it yesterday morning. The death got him in the battle. Tori remembered the smell of blood and gun powder, the pain in his side and the way his vision changed, the way everything moved to fast to notice, him going on an instinct.

He walked to the bowl and poured some water inside. He washed his face and ran the wet hands through his short hair. There was blood too.

 

At some point during the battle he noticed boatswain holding captain's body he felt like ice cold shots through his veins. With a scream of a haunted man he ran to fight again and the others followed him.

 

He looked around again, this time more consciously He hung the coat on his shoulders. It was Colter's coat, red with blood of his enemies, long, with golden buttons made on the gold he stolen from The Kingdom. Or so they were told.

Tori adjusted it, feeling heavy fabric stiff with salt, blood and dirt. It smelled with yesterday's fight and many previous.

 

He took a deep breath, checked if his side didn't bleed and then walked out. Slowly, feeling all eyes on himself, he climbed the stairs to the bridge. They watched him silently. He faced them and was almost surprised to see them all like yesterday. The same dirty faces, the same alert eyes, the same beards and hair and clothes. Only the ship was different, the part of the rail was burned, the rigging fell, through the holes made by bullets one could see the lower deck or the blue water. But they were not sinking so there was still hope.

Yesterday he spoke to them. He assured them that the Great King of the Sea took their captain, that they need now a new one for all the adventures that are coming. He promised them gold and blood and, more important, he promised them a mage. And they, drunken with the victory, cheered and screamed and Luka gave him captain's red coat.

 

Now it was silent. They were watching him and for the first time they realised that they've chosen a boy to be their captain. It was now when he needed to prove them that he can lead them.

 

“The battle is over. You fought well. But it's not time to rest. There's more ships like that” he gestured to the place where the rest of the ship was floating on the sea. “We need to prepare. We will stop at the nearest island and repair the ship. Then we will go to the south, where in one of Five Cities I will hire a mage. There will be no more fights like this! Next time we will have gods on our side! Are you with me?!”

 

After a moment of silence Luka shouted 'ay!' and the rest repeated more or less enthusiastically. Tori got the message.

 

He returned to captain's cabin to see the maps. This was something he didn't now very well. He maybe could read a map but he had no idea how to tell the position of the ship.

 

With a relief he took off the coat and looked at the maps on the table. He remembered when Colter said they are going to pass the Green Man Island, was the any chance that were still near?

 

There was knocking and Luka came in with the cook. Tori hoped this wasn't a revolt about food.

 

“Yes?” he asked as calm as he managed.

 

“Rodis here was in school in Touena.”

 

There was the best marine school Tori heard about. He frowned.

 

“Then what are you doing as our cook?” he asked fore he could stop himself.

 

“I'm better cook than captain” the man shrugged with a smirk. “But I still remember something and can teach you.”

 

Tori nodded feeling relief, now he had a chance to do it right.

 

It took them two weeks to get to first of Five Cities. Tori didn't lose any of the time, he learned as much as he could and slowly it became easier and easier. Or at least less alien.

 

When they harboured, Tori left Luka with the ship, he took only the cutlass, some gold and the coat and he walked to the streets, hoping that he will find a mage in one if the taverns.

[ZX-MetalMonster]

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The stubborn decision to always stay in the outskirts of the city wasn't helping Elijah now that he was at the heart of the metropolis and couldn't figure out where he was heading. He had been there before but never alone and it had been too long ago for him to remember anything useful.

Wherever he went he found himself in a crowd and surrounded by tall buildings that obscured his view and gave him the sensation that he was trapped. This fueled his phobia and added another grain of fear to his already crazed and paranoid state.

 

He could notice the people around him watching him from the corner of their eye and worried what it was they saw that caught their attention. Despite knowing it was impossible, he feared there was something on him that gave away his nature. It didn't occur to him though that they were weary of his disheveled appearance and the poisonous glare he shot at them.

 

His hostility towards them wasn't without reason however, he was expecting to recognize a dangerous face among them at any moment and besides that, at this point he wasn't fond of mere humans. He wouldn't have been this far from home without a single possession or place to stay if they hadn't turned on him and all it took was one moment of acting without thought.

 

It had happened only a few days prior that he'd gotten caught up in a fight and used magic to defend himself. The action was almost like a reflex and he regretted it momentarily even though it had saved him from being severely injured. His friends who had been on his side only a moment before easily turned against him and he knew he would either be locked away or be given an even more severe punishment then and there.

With his secret already revealed there was no point in restraining himself in using his talent any longer and with its help he escaped but was forced to run from his home. Soon after he realized he wouldn't be left alone that easily and that he was being hunted down by his former comrades.

 

Elijah grimaced at the memory and for a brief second a look of genuine sadness appeared on his face. He was more concerned than he was upset though and he quickly returned to looking for a suiting place and after another few minutes of walking up and down various streets he found it.

 

The spot concealed in shadows was a small area between buildings and here Elijah felt more safe to call upon his powers. Looking up he could see an open window and he dreaded someone would hear something or come out onto their terrace at a bad moment and catch him using magic. However there was no other place he could think of where he would be free to cast the spell he had in mind.

 

With a final glance along the buildings that surrounded him and down the path he'd followed to this hidden space he closed his eyes, clasped his hands together and buried his face between them. It was not something every mage did, actually it was a habit of his own but shielding his eyes from any light helped him concentrate and he liked to cover his lips while he spoke forbidden words.

 

After a few whispers he knew the outline of the city around him as though he was floating above it and could see from above where it's streets led. Still, he could see very far from where he was located and this upset him since he could remember times when this trick allowed him to see much farther than this and he'd been only a boy back then. He wasn't nearly old enough to start loosing his ability and in the back of his mind he was aware his talent that he'd been so proud of had faded with disuse.

 

Another few words fell from his lips into his hands and after a short delay Elijah could feel himself sway with a gentle wave of energy and calculated from it that his pursuers were to the east and not very close.

 

He breathed a sigh of relief and his hands fell to his sides but this didn't mean he could rest. Now knowing in which direction he shouldn't go, he returned to the busy street and rushed off, still without a plan or any idea where he could escape to.

[nikaanuk]

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Tori was here only once before when he only started to be a cabin boy. He remembered two or three taverns he saw at the main street but his captain passed them and took him somewhere else: to a small, dirty place smelling with gin and fish. Tori went there now, getting lost only once. The place seemed even smaller and dirtier and only one look told him he won't find here what he's looking for.*

 

The problem with mages was that they shouldn't even live and that no one with half a brain would ever admit to be one. It was also very dangerous to ask about someone with magic skills. Tori wasn't even sure how to recognise a mage, but that was probably the point of hiding. He sighed and looked around, going out on the main street again.*

 

The town was big, thought it was the Third which was the biggest among the Five. He bit his lip, wondering quickly. Where he would go if he wanted to hide? Where one does find a mage?*

"Colter?! What are you doing here?" He heard and turned to see a tall, blond man approaching him quickly. He stopped however when he saw a strange face. After a second he laughed. "I just took you for my friend, excuse me."

 

The man didn't look like a pirate, maybe he was one of the clerks from the Kingdom, who came here sometimes to buy all they weren't allowed in their homes.

 

"If you mean Captain Colter, he's dead. He died in the fight, two weeks ago."

 

The stranger's face changed. "Did he really? Well... I imagine that was hard on you... And you became the captain instead? Was he ever teaching you?”

 

Something in the way he asked the question reminded Tori about Colter. He raised his chin higher.

 

“I was his servant.”

 

Stranger's eyes narrowed. “Were you really?” He asked and came two steps closer. “And what have he taught you?”

 

“Nothing what should interest you” he answered and nodded quickly. “I'm busy. Good bye.”

Before the man could say another word, Tori left him on the street, feeling like an old dream is creeping behind him.

 

He entered one of the taverns – Gin and Blue Oyster – and all eyes turned to him. And stayed on him. The owner – tall man with dark skin and black hair – rested his hand on his hip watching him.

They all knew the coat and some of them might even remember the young boy who would sometimes follow after the captain. Finding the strength in himself, Tori said loud and calm:

 

“Captain Colter died two weeks ago in the battle with King's ship. Gold Maiden has now a new Captain – Tori. Let's drink for captain Colter's soul!” There was a murmur of appreciation but their eyes stayed wary.

 

“Come and sit with us, captain!” Called one of the boatswains whom Tori saw once though he didn't know where or when.

He walked towards the table and nodded at the owner to bring them gin. After all he could make some acquaintances.

 

 

The night was long but it was still dark when he came back. He tried not to drink too much but the world spun a little and sea hummed in his eyes. He climbed on the main deck just to see Luka on the watch.

 

“Captain” the man nodded and Tori repeated the gesture. “How did it go?”

 

“He'll come” Tori assured and walked towards his cabin.

 

He didn't find the mage yet but they were talking a lot and Essdel – the boatswain – promised to ask some people. The chances were small as there was no one new in the city but for the time being, it was really good result.

 

Falling asleep Tori promised himself that tomorrow he will return to the city and find the mage – with or without Essdel's help. Otherwise he doesn't have to come back.

[ZX-MetalMonster]

As the day had progressed Elijah looked for more dark corners and isolated spots in order to check how close his pursuers were. Fortunately he could no longer even sense their presence after a couple of hours and all of the spells he cast after that were only out of precaution. Running and hiding slipped from his mind as night fell and he began to feel colder and tired though.

 

When he headed into the city Elijah hadn't thought about where he would stay or what he would do for food, the only thing he had on his mind then was getting away from the people he knew. Now that he wasn't in a panic he was beginning to realize how little thought he'd put into this escape. He frowned to himself as it became and he still walked the streets aimlessly, every part of the city beginning to look the same to him.

 

The masses of people he'd been annoyed with gradually dissipated and soon he could clearly see the people remaining on the streets were not very friendly. None of them were interested in pestering someone who had nothing valuable on them and was as much of a mess as Elijah was by now.

 

He didn't want to sleep on the ground somewhere and did his best to avoid that but after being tuned away from a few places and failing to find any better option he ended up curled up on the grass in a courtyard of some building. The repeated use of magic after suppressing the ability for years surely had a great influence on how exhausted he ended up. He would have used it one more time to get himself warm though but he'd never been any good with such spells. Instead he drifted off shivering slightly, hidden away behind shrubbery.

[nikaanuk]

Despite the fact that he stayed out late, the next day started very early for Tori. He wanted to avoid the danger of meeting too many members of his crew - which was riddiculous in a way. But he had no good news, or news at all for them and it didn't seem right to show them how little he could do.

 

He was on the streets before many people showed up and he walked aimlessly for some time, before he noticed a man curled on the side of the temple. It wouldn't be surprising if not for the place - usually there were no people laying on the ground in the place like this. Soon some priest would kick him out of here, if he was still alive. He seemed very dirty and very weak, but it could be just the light.

 

Tori passed by him and walked down the street, hoping that in the better part of the city he might find someone who could help him.

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Elijah woke up feeling stiff and had no doubt he would have problems with his health after spending the night outside, especially when it happened to be so cold. He didn't have much time to worry about this though as he remembered his pursuers quickly upon walking up and this reminder that he still might be in danger encouraged him to jump to his feet despite the pain he felt throughout his body.

 

Despite not having a watch with him he could estimate from how few people there were out on the streets that it must be early in the morning. This information didn't mean much to him though, he only cared that there wasn't a crowd around to prevent him from using his magic. He looked around cautiously and began to walk, still preferring not to cast spells out in the open, and slipped into the shadows close by to where he'd slept on the ground.

[nikaanuk]

The evening found Tori in front of one of the taverns with a bottle of gin, watching as the sun set. People on the streets changed now, the merchants and craftsmen were off to their houses and sailors and pirates walked the streets now alongside with the whores, prophets and mad men. They created a colourful crowd, passing by him, stealing glory from the lanterns burning at the door; where the sunlight would discover the dirt, the illness in their eyes and bodies, and the fact they were all wrecks the fire saw merely the pride and arrogance.

 

 

Tori took a long sip and started to walk again, trying to at least pretend that he is not an useless little shit.

He didn't find the mage, he has spend the whole day walking the streets and he didn't know where to look for the man. He kept spending gold and now he was afraid to come back. Because when he does, they will hung him for lying to them and for not bringing the bloody man with him.

 

 

He stopped on the corner nearby one of brothels, wondering if he could maybe taste it for the last time, before he dies, but he decided against it. There was not enough money in his pouch and he was not in the mood. He started to walk towards the docks until he has found a nice spot at the end of the alley, which was quiet and empty and he drank slowly, wondering how they will finish him off.

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Elijah slipped into the shadows again, this time a few trees concealing his magic instead of walls, and spoke quiet forbidden words into his hands to see what had changed during the night. After having his spells confirm that he is far from danger over and over again he'd begun to feel safer and became less hostile but now he found out something different. He started to worry and panic again as soon a she realized the men who chased him were too close for comfort and he wasted no time in starting to run away again.

 

There was something Elijah had overlooked in the countless times he checked the area around him and it turned out to be a obstacle he can neither overcome or avoid. just as he began to put some distance between himself and his pursuers he halted in front of a wast stretch of water and a row of docked ships and only then realized how close he was to the ocean.

 

Elijah quickly began looking for another isolated place but by now the crowds form the previous day had reformed and there seemed to be even more people where he was. Running off in a different direction didn't seem like a smart move when the men who were following him had been close enough to surround him by now. Instead the mage tried to blend in with the people around him as best he knew after which wasn't an easy task for someone who was normally alone or part of a very small group.

 

A few hours passed like this and in that time he managed to progress only a small distance along the shore. He was on high alert and for good reason since at one point he found one of his pursuers only a few meters in front of himself. Initially he panicked but snapped out of it quickly enough to successfully slip into some shady shop on the side of street and observe the man from inside. The danger passed but Elijah staid where he was and since no one paid much attention to him in the busy establishment he spent most of the day there before being kicked out.

 

When he reemerged outside, the sun was setting and it was becoming dark again. He was beginning to feel the full effect of having nothing to eat but suspected that sleeping out in the cold the previous night had earned him a high fever now too. He couldn't think of anything that could help his situation though and as he walked back towards the city and away from the ocean he was sure he'd had enough of this. Only a few steps later he leaned on the wall and slid down to the ground.

[nikaanuk]

Tori turned his head at the sound of unsteady steps. When a stranger sat down he only smiled and reached the bottle towards him, not even fully seeing him in the darkenss.

"You look like you could use some" he said, the alcohol and the taste of his own failure made him talkative and friendly. "You can drink with me, you may be the last person to do so."

He shook his hand lightly and the alcohol splashed inside the bottle.

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Elijah looked up at the other man when he moved a bottle in front of him but after a moment of reluctance took it with a couple of quiet words of thanks. He was glad he'd run into this stranger and could at least comfort himself by seeing someone else who is equally hopeless as himself. After taking a few big gulps of the alcohol, despite knowing how easily it would affect him, the mage handed the bottle back.

-"What's going to happen to you?" He asked in a grim tone and hoped the other didn't expect him to get up.

[nikaanuk]

"I am a dead man" Tori sighed sounding suddenly very young.

He took the bottle and drank slowly. The alcohol didn't even burn at this point, just filled his stomach, sinking deeply and heavily along with fear.

 

"I became a captain of my own ship. But the crew will hung me in the morning. Well..." he added taking another gulp and offering the bottle to the man. "I don't know if they kill me in the morning but this is when I'm going to go back to them" he added.

He looked at the moving shadow in the darkness. "What is it with you?"

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Elijah wasn't reluctant the second time the bottle was offered to him and didn't bother to pay attention how much would be left by the time he gave it back. The more he drank the less he cared that he couldn't think very clearly and was tempted to say things he shouldn't.

 

-"I don't think they will hang you as soon as you get there. An event like that, it takes planing you know." He commented obviously already affected by the alcohol as was to be expected considering it was the only thing in his system.

 

-"I have a few friends looking for me... they won't need a lot of preparation to deal with me." The mage explained with a frown but sounded almost angry. "I did something stupid... it would had been fine if no one saw, but I did it right in front of them."

[nikaanuk]

Tori nodded and finished the last sip before throwing the bottle into the water.

"I was stupid myself, I know how it is. And I know that stupit should be punished" he sighed. "I thought I can find a mage for my crew. I should have known better, captain Colster never found one, I thought he was just lazy or that he never planned to really have one... but now I see... This is why Luka let me be the captain, he knew.." he finished quietly, shaking his head.

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Elijah momentarily tensed upon realizing the strangers intentions and gave him a strange look that contained both hostility and fear, the same one he'd used to ward off people passing him on the streets the entire day.

 

-"What do you want with a mage?" He asked careful to sound natural and eliminate even the subtle anger that had been evident in his voice previously.

 

After being chased and constantly fearing for his life Elijah had a hard time considering that this man he'd only met had good intentions. The only reason he could think of why the crew of a ship could be looking for a mage was to hand him over to be locked up in exchange for some prize.

[nikaanuk]

Tori smiled a little smile.

 

"Because without one you are not a real deal. King's men have all the best ships and people and if you are not better, you never leave the Safe Sea. Except it's not safe for us of course" he shrugged.

 

He looked at the water for a moment, almost forgetting about the other man.

 

"As a child I would listen to the old stories about the Big Sea, about the Cemetery and imagined that I was also there, in a search for an adventure. Then they have send me on a ship as a cabin boy..." he looked in the direction of the other man. "The life wasn't very nice but it was better than staying on the land... Now, when I had the crew, I thought that we can do this, you know? We can just... sail all the way west until we reach the Last Line and then even farer..." He dropped his gaze with another shrug. "But these are legends too, you know. You cannot get to the Last Line without hiding your ship into the mist, without avoiding all the shallows... And they say there are monsters too." He sighed deeply. "But I can't tell you stories, the rum is gone."

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Elijah listened carefully and staid silent for a long while after the other man had finished talking, the anger he'd felt dissipated but a saddened frown lingered on his lips. He knew nothing else than life on land and the places the stranger mentioned meant nothing to him, still he was sure he understood him, or at least what he was feeling at that moment.

 

-"I... I can find you a mage." He said reluctantly and refused to look at the man beside him. There was still doubt in his mind if he should even attempt to fix things or if it would be better for both of them to accept their faith and part ways with that. Still, he knew the other man wasn't even aware how close he was to what he'd been looking for and it seemed unfair to not even give him a chance to save himself.

 

-"I would have to ask for something in return, but it's not much." Elijah added and was careful not to make it seem like he was a liar trying to abuse the strangers desperate situation.

[nikaanuk]

Tori raised his eyebrows.

 

"You really mean in? You know... Someone?" he asked, the hope clear in his voice.

 

Then there came the shame. He talked about big deal of things he never told to anybody simply believing this was his last night. But what if it ws not?

 

He bit his lip. "What would I need to give you for bringing the man?"

[ZX-MetalMonster]

-"I don't want you to give me anything." Elijah said still cautious even though it was too late to change his mind. As the other man seemed to brighten up he found it more difficult to stay gloomy himself and when he finally looked over at the other he put together a more neutral expression. "It's dangerous to be associated with a mage, just promise me you wont do anything to hurt me."

[nikaanuk]

Tori opened his mouth. "You are mage?" he tried to see the mans face in the dark. "I'm sorry... You just... I don't know. You don't look like one... I don't know." He laughed embarassed. "I am a pirate, you know... It's not very safe too."

[ZX-MetalMonster]

-"What did you expect I'd look like. We don't have horns and pointy tails." Elijah snapped even though the other man didn't say anything that could upset him very much. He was just nervous that another person found out what he is.

-"I can protect myself with my powers but I can't use them in a place like this. If someone sees me they will either try to hurt because I am a mage or capture me and hand me over to the authorities. I'm just asking you not to do any of those things." He explained though he was now more confident that the other man was on his side.

[nikaanuk]

Tori shook his head. "I'm sorry, I thought that the mage seems more... powerful, I suppose." He shrugged. "We are not going to sell you out. But I can't promise you that you won't die." He explained. "But then if we die, we die together."

[ZX-MetalMonster]

What the other man described was enough for Elijah and it was certainly better than what would happen to him if he were to stay on land.

-"It's nice of you to warn me but I've already made up my mind to go with you." The mage explained as he scrambled up but remained leaning against the wall beside the other.

-"We're both done for if I stay so there’s no point being afraid of getting killed." He added with a sigh.

[nikaanuk]

For a moment Tori stayed silent, listening to the sound of waves splashing against the ground. He started to doze off, with the warmth of the coat and the alcohol still in his blood.

 

"They will hang us all if thy ever catch us. A big feast on the main place in the nearest city. Sometimes they take you for days before they find big enough to gather twenty people" he explained and sighed deeply letting the cold air clean his head a little. "And someone may sell us then, to save their skin..." He propped his hand against the wall and got up unsteady. "Come on then, the ship is waiting" he reached his hand to the mage.

[ZX-MetalMonster]

All of the grim descriptions the other man presented him with didn't matter much to Elijah who just wanted to be away from the people who were still searching for him in the city. He feared death regardless how they planed to kill him but he still wanted it to occur later rather than sooner.

 

When his new friend started to get up the mage was unsure if he should help him but decided just to step a bit closer so the man could hold onto him if he needed to. It confused him a bit though when the man reached out to him and he looked at him blankly for a second before taking a hold of his hand awkwardly.

[nikaanuk]

Tori grinned at him. "Welcome on Gold Maiden. You'll see her tomorrow, in full glory, but let me tell you that you won't find ship faster than her" he added proudly and let go of his hand. "Now..." he said, resting against the wall, again unsure of his legs. "What can you do exactly?"