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"The legends say there are two invincible ships: the elusive White Phantom, and the deadly Black Reaper. No storm, cannon, or magical attack can even attempt to damage their hulls, much less even think about sinking the vessels. Cannonballs bounce off their hulls, and monstrous waves miles tall cannot overwhelm them. Large rocks break at their mere touch.

"Not much is known about the White Phantom, as she almost always appears in a shroud of dense mist. The few that have seen her said that no ship ever made can match its beauty. Her white hull gleams like perfect pearls; her silver figurehead sees everything across the ocean, even straight into your soul.

"The ship roams the open seas without a captain or a crew, yet it achieves everything it needs to run. It is believed invisible ghosts run the vessel, but even the lucky ones who have stood on the deck of the most beautiful ship in the world have memories as hazy as the fog that surrounds her.

"The White Phantom is known to pick up shipwrecked sailors and ferry them straight back to the nearest port and deposits them there in the middle of the night. Somehow, she knows where the ports are, and saved sailors wake up on the docks the next morning with only hazy memories of the previous night. Perhaps it was because the sailors suppressed the memories of the haunted ship, or maybe there is some magic afoot.

"You are lucky if this is the ship that finds you. Especially compared to the White Phantom, the Black Reaper is not as kind. This ship carries a hoard of pirates as she roams the archipelago's seas, pillaging towns and sinking ships.

"Her black hull consumes even the souls of those that look at her. The eyes of the monstrous vaguely human figurehead cast a gaze of doom on whoever matches its red-eyed gaze. Not a speck of white or anything shiny or beautiful decorates its exterior. From its sails and flag to the masts and keel, the entire ship is darker than the new moon on a cloudy night.

"Very few have survived an encounter with this ship. It doesn't hide in the mist. Instead, it hunts ships under the shroud of night. Some it only steals the cargo, but others it simply sinks and kills any crew that survives.

"No alliance between the islands has ever been successful in driving the pirates of the Black Reaper away. Every attempt ended with death and destruction. Also, and no one has managed to bribe them either. No amount of gold can bribe the pirates. The crew of the Black Reaper is ruthless and unstoppable.

"If you are ever fortunate enough ever see a ship black as night in the distance, forget your route, and pray you can outsail it. In the best-case scenario, you will be left adrift and feed hungry sharks—"

WHAM! The speaker jumped as a wooden cup slammed against the table. "Joe! Stop scarin' the greenhorn! This storm is bad enough without your ghost stories." He looked to the skinniest member of the eight men around the table, "Travis, don't mind 'im."

"I'm not scared; I've heard of the invisible ships. Cut me some slack; I've been sailing with you for a few months now." Travis assured the burly, tattooed men around him, suddenly aware of the rocking of the boat as it rode the waves. The distracting enthrallment with the story was gone.

"I'm a shipbuilder's son," Travis reminded them, "and dad's dream is to build an invincible ship. Too bad no one can find anything on how to build a new one. I've not seen one of the two ships myself, but I am well versed in what they are. My father has talked to many people that have seen one of the ships. However, none of them has ever got a good enough look at them to figure out who made them or what made those two ships so special and magical."

Travis looked to the weathered faces of the men around him. He stood out among the men as the youngest member. He was barely in his twenties, while the men that sat with him were in their late thirties or more.

"I think of it as a good thing." One of the other sailors crossed his arms as he leaned back in his seat, effortlessly balancing despite the rocking of the boat caused by the moving water around him.

Muffled thunder rolled outside, the sounds disrupted by the waves crashing against the hull and the dense tar-coated wood that surrounded the opposite side of the walls of their belowdecks position.

"How so, Greg?" Travis blinked and looked to the oldest man among them. "Can you imagine how safe everyone would be if unsinkable ships existed? It would save many lives."

"Think about it." Greg leaned forward in his chair. "If all ships were invincible, then all pirates couldn't be stopped. We already have one invincible ship that recks havoc on the islands. Also, people would become reckless, sailing into rocky shores and hurricanes with no care for their safety."

Greg snorted as if it would further punctuate his point before he continued to speak. "This storm was sudden. We didn't purposely sail into this, and we battened up the hatches and raised the sail before the storm arrived. People with invincible ships would go into storms with full sails and no care for their lives."

The men sat in silence before Travis spoke. "I wonder what would happen if two invisible ships crash into each other. Would they both be fine or would their invincibility cancel out and they both would sink? Maybe only the ship with the stronger invincibility magic will survive?"

All eight men sitting at the table paused and remained silent for a few moments as they pondered the answer.

BOOM!

All eight men tumbled out of their seats as an ear-splitting sound lurched the boat to one side and interrupted their pensive moment.

"That didn't sound like thunder." Greg stood time his feet as the boat slowly returned to its upright position.

Water began to seep across the floor and fill the room at a surprising rate. In only a minute, half an inch accumulated around their feet.

"We're taking on water!" Joe jumped to his feet, then dashed out of the room and up the stairs.

Travis stood, briefly frozen, while the other crewmen dispersed, most of which went back above deck. What's going on? What's happening? This was something he didn't know how to handle. He stumbled a bit as the ship once again rocked. The water was already above his ankles.

"It's no good!" Joe shouted as he emerged from the next room in a voice that easily traveled through the entire ship, even through the storm. "We've taken too big of a hit! My magic isn't strong enough to hold back the amount of water and patch the hole! I've done the best I can, but we're going down!"

At the base of the stairs, Joe paused and turned to face Travis. "Kid!" He ran over to the young man and gripped his shoulders. "Grab anything edible or important as fast as you can, then head straight to the lifeboats. We have a bit of time before we go under." He roughly shoved Travis towards the door that led to the ship's small kitchen, then ran up the stairs.

Travis stumbled with splashing steps, then thoughtlessly obeyed the orders as he regained his footing in the rising waters. As he grabbed jars until his arms were full, his stunned mindset slowly faded. I got all the food I can carry, now I need to get out of here. He looked down as something bumped against his leg.

A crate! He dumped the jars onto the countertop, then grabbed the floating open wooden object in his hands. "This bread is soaked and ruined." He grimaced, then dumped the wet baked goods into the water and filled the box with the jars. When he realized there was more space, he rummaged through the cabinets and dumped more dry food into the box.

Once it was full, Travis grabbed its handles, then raced through the rising waters as they neared his knees. He stumbled as the boat lurched slightly, but the man remained on his feet. When he reached the stairs, he climbed out of the water.

Rain partially blinded him and the wind threatened to blow him across the deck. His shoes squelched with each step, but he continued towards the nearest lifeboat despite the difficulty.

"Travis! Come on! Both boats are loaded!" Joe's voice reached Travis's ears as a blurry shape in the rain waved to him to hurry over to the boat. "We have the emergency radio and flares, you're the only thing left!"

Travis followed the voice; then relief washed over him as he felt hands grab his own and took the food crate from him.

"This is a good haul." He dropped the food into the boat and kicked it under one of the seats. Once done, he offered a hand to Travis. "Climb in!"

Travis reached out his hand to accept.

However, a massive wall of water suddenly swept over the ship and buried it under a mass of water. Travis yelped as he was knocked off of his feet; his vision turned to a swirling mess of white and dark blue.

Suddenly, though muffled sounds filled his ears, the environment calmed, at least in comparison to just a few moments ago.

Am I dead? Travis blinked, then he panicked as he realized where he was. No, I'm underwater! He exhaled a small plume of bubbles as he swiftly swam his way towards the turbulent surface.

When his head breached the surface, a loud chorus of mismatched sounds immediately reached his ears: the constant crashing of rain, the occasional groaning of wood, and the loud random shouts of his eight crewmates. The merchant vessel was gone, shattered into a multitude of pieces of all sizes that were slowly dispersing among the fierce waves.

"TRAVIS!"

In the middle of the storm, Travis had no idea who was shouting. It sounded like the captain. The rest of the crew must have dragged him into one of the lifeboats. He looked around, but could no longer see the boat that had been his home for the last few months. "HEY!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, then coughed as saltwater splashed into his mouth.

"TRAVIS!"

This time, the lone man in the waves managed to locate the two lifeboats among the chaos of the wave. Travis began to swim with the breaststroke towards the boat, but no matter how hard or fast he swam, the storm-induced waves refused to cooperate. Despite his efforts, the boats drifted farther and farther away, and his muscles began to scream in pain.

"Travis!"

He could barely hear the men call his name.

Suddenly, his hand slammed against something hard, and he gripped it. However, it wasn't a boat, it was a large floating piece of wooden debris. Out of breath, Travis climbed onto the planks and gripped it with the remainder of his strength. A sudden wave washed over him and threatened to flip his raft, but thankfully, he remained upright. I'm going to die here.

Author Notes!

Welcome to my next story on the planet of Majaki!

I'm working on the map, but it will take time. Please be patient with me.

I hope you are enjoying this story so far!