Her grey eyes stared back at me, inky and familiar. The dark waves rippled below as whatever force that kept this ship in the air left the water undisturbed. I tried to remember the stories she used to tell me. Anything. I remembered her favourite story, of the Sea Dragons final battle. I had vague memories of fighting, a sense of adventure, magical artifacts, but nothing solid, nothing useful, came back to me. It hadn't been that long ago when she stopped telling me stories. When life became hard for a different reason. I had to work harder from then, not just to keep myself distracted, but to keep us alive. I was around fifteen when she first became sick. She used to keep telling me the stories whenever I'd visit, until a year after, when even that seemed to take its toll. I shouldn't have forgotten so much in so little time, yet I did. I couldn't place whether I had just discarded them as unimportant, or if my mind had been occupied elsewhere for so long that those memories got buried. But all I knew, was that every attempt at unburying those thoughts came along with painful memories of Gran Shelly. Her body lifeless in her bed. Her frail and clammy skin, her lifeless eyes.

"Not into sleeping?" A gruff voice said from behind me. I sighed quietly under my breath, the sound and sigh getting carried away in the wind. Strands of my brown hair that had come loose from the bun brushed against my cheek as the wind carried them aloft.

"Never been my thing." I shrugged nonchalantly. Axe leaned back against the railing, his silver hair billowing over the railing.

"You're taking this oddly well for an Eastilian." Axe stated, still not looking at me, but at the stary sky above.

"That sounds like a reptile. I'm just a person." This got a chuckle from Axe. "And yeah, I wouldn't say I'm taking it well. But I've had enough problems in my life, eventually you learn to stop being surprised. It makes it harder to stay vigilant." I was taken aback by how much I'd spoken since coming on this ship. My voice had often gone croaky from lack of use before, but it seemed I had too much spare time now, and too many people involved in my business, and me in theirs. I ruffled my free hand through my hair, the other still clutching the picture of Gran Shelly that fluttered in the breeze. A chill ran down my spine from the cold, but I supressed the shivers. I was too tired, mentally, to bother about my physical state.

The smell of smoke touched my nose, bringing my thoughts back to my days with the Ashens. I glanced at Axe and almost laughed at large pipe he held between his lips. "Subtle." I scoffed, returning my gaze to the picture.

"Want some" He asked, holding the comedically large pipe out to me. I shook my head. That was a mistake of my old life, before Gran Shelly fished me out and cleaned me up as best she knew how.

"Whatever shadows are following you, don't let them occupy your thoughts for long. Life as a pirate isn't easy, you won't be smooth sailing from here on out." Axe's tone reminded me of a father giving advice to his son. I had never got a taste of that, so somehow, this was comforting.

"Hm" I responded. "You say that like being a pirate, the one creating peoples shadows', isn't a choice."

"Maybe. But you're here. Plus, I think 'creating peoples' shadows is an over statement, don't you?"

"Hey, I'm not judging you, I wasn't- I am not much better. Just stating facts."

"Hmph. Well, in any case, don't let your thoughts consume you. You'll have a lot of free time before we reach the Leviathans Hoard." Axe said, his tone casual, like he only half cared about what he was saying. I liked that. It made him sound less controlling.

"Surely you have some work for me on this ship. I don't do well with 'a lot of free time'."

"Hm." Axe hummed in thought. "Perhaps you can assist another crew member when you're not giving us intel. We'll just have to figure out your strengths. But that's something for the captain to decide." I shrugged in response. Ship work didn't sound fun- scrubbing the deck, spinning the wheel, whatever jobs were required to keep this ship aloft.

"I guess I will go find her then." I stated as I hid the picture back in my pocket.

~Captain Talaedra's POV~

My talk with Axe was frustrating as always. He was a good man, a father figure to me almost. Yet it frustrated me that I couldn't live up to his expectations. I was determined to run the Sea Warden at least as good as he had. Yet these last two years have not been easy. I tapped my nail against my wooden desk in frustration. The crew respected me, I knew that, but to what extent? Did they only respect me as a fellow crewmate? Or did they only respect me while Axe was around? Was that really respect? I sighed, remembering how they openly showed their irritation at my decisions surrounding Kota, yet became like obedient children as soon as Axe began to speak.

I had been noticing more lately. They were getting annoyed with their new leadership. The way they glared or huffed when I'd make an order. Yet I knew, this was my crew, we had each other's backs through thick and thin, now that I was in charge it wasn't any different. I just needed to gain their real respect and prove to them I could be trusted as their captain. I've been here since the beginning after all, ever since I founded the Sea Warden alongside Axe when I was only ten. I smiled at the memory. Each member that joined grew our crew into what it is today.

I had no doubts that they would have my back if the time came.

I movement on the corner of the desk caught my attention. A black spider the size of my hand crawled slowly across the table. I smiled, gently picking it up in my hand and gazing into its collection of eyes. "What about you Nexus?" I asked it. "I know you have my back. Things are about to get even rougher old friend." News spreads despite your most desperate attempts to stop it. Soon it will be known that the next clue has finally been found. People will be after us. Other pirates who will try to steal the crystal key in hopes of finding the treasure first. It wouldn't be easy, but we all knew as much. We all were determined to face any hardship, make any sacrifice, to be the ones to find the Leviathans Hoard.

A knock at the door caught my attention. "Come in" I spoke as I gently lowered my hand until the back of it touched the desk, allowing Nexus to climb down. Closing the door behind him was the boy, Kota. He wasn't that young, but I couldn't help but look at him like a boy. The way his thin frame made him look small, almost caved in on himself, made me wonder what life he'd lived up until now. His cheeks were beginning to sink, the bags under his eyes obvious, his skin so pale I wondered what his original skin tone was. He didn't seem to notice however, as he strode confidently yet cautiously to my desk, stopping a few feet away. His eyes scanned the room in constant yet seemingly subconscious weariness. I couldn't blame him. This was all unfamiliar to him. His eyes scanned over Nexus before continuing their search of the room.

"You gonna squat that, or should I?" His voice was hoarse for his age. He'd fit right into ship life. I smiled at the thought before responding.

"Nexus pays his share of the rent by eating the pests around here. We'd be much worse navigators if all our maps had holes in them. I'd sooner throw you overboard than 'squat' this one." I said in amusement as I pet Nexus's furry legs as he moved slowly across the desk.

Kota didn't reply to that. I glanced up at him for a second, seemingly lost in clothes that shouldn't have been too big for him, before returning my eyes to my eight-legged friend. I suppose we will need to buy him some new clothes next time we land.

"Axe says you can occupy me for my stay." He said, getting straight to the point. Good.

"I can trial you in a few roles, helping the crew. Maybe one of them could benefit from an extra hand." I stated, mind wondering. In truth, I knew most wouldn't want to share their space or work, let alone with an Eastilian. While he didn't seem like to have the negative traits of one: lazy, unintelligent and greedy, I knew those traits might surface in time. Until then, I wondered where his skills might be needed. Eastilians' were known to be resourceful, perhaps I could find some use for him somewhere.

"Very well, I will see to it tomorrow. But before then, I need you to pay Lennon a visit to help with the process of... remembering." I knew it wouldn't be easy; he might even go back on the bargain if it gets bad, but it had to be done. Lennon is good, let's just hope the boy cooperates.

~Einar Yarrow's POV~

The sound of screaming didn't do much to quell my concerns. It had been too long since I'd heard anything. I held back the urge to sigh heavily as I flipped the knife around in my hand. The crimson blood drips down its point and ticked quietly against the metal floors. Like a lullaby, interrupted only by the ugly screams of the man behind me. I was becoming impatient. But what could I do? I couldn't become hasty, I had to be precise, calculated, efficient. I spun around on my heel, causing the man to flinch in his seat as I now faced him. I could see my own blue eyes in the reflection of his, cold and deadly. Were they always that way? It was like looking at someone else in my reflection, yet who was I? My head throbbed as, for the millionth time, I tried to remember what I had once looked like as a child. I was met with emptiness once again. A void of memories that should have been but were stolen. My hand clenched tighter around the knife, my voice coming out sharper than its blade, foreign to me, like someone else was speaking through my mouth.

"I'm running low on patience, Mr Corvus. There's no point in being tight-lipped here." The man quaked in his chair, fingers gripping the chair he sat on until they turned white, his eyes were wide and watery, looking at me like a ghost. "Let me ask one last time, Mr Corvus." I said, my voice becoming dangerously quiet as I crouched beside him, our eyes becoming level. I stared into his wide eyes, which stared right back at me. I let the silence stretch on for a moment, only broken by the sound of his blood dripping beneath him, paired with his uneven, strained breathing. Finally, I spoke, drawing the knife back against his bleeding stomach and pressing just enough for it to hurt, just enough to make him believe the threat. "Where. Is. The locket?"

-Interdimensional Pirates
-April Bluebird/@BlueWhiskers1
-22/Oct/2025
-Chapter 12: Threat
-1924 words
-575 👁‍🗨, 65 🌟, 56 💭.