Chapter 9: Through a Nightmare
I respect her wishes and I have faith in her. As long as she is beside me, I will not fall.
IXH
Freya released the rope as her feet touched the deck of the ship. She took a few steps forward, looking around as Isabella, Haruka, and the rest of the boarding part followed. She set a hand on her hip, looking around. “No one’s up ‘ere.”
“So they’re all below?” Haruka asked as she glanced at the door leading lower. “Waiting or hiding?”
“Let’s find out,” Freya said, drawing her pistol and cutlass and kicking the door open. “Th’ rest of you, watch th’ deck.” She went down the steps with Bella and Haruka behind her, listening as they walked.
“This is kind of creepy,” Bella commented, gripping the hilt of her sword. “I don’t hear anyone.”
As odd as it was, the ship seemed entirely empty. What’s more, everything seemed to be in the middle of use. Half-eaten food remained on tables, lamps and candles remained lit and burning, books lay open on beds with messed-up sheets, half-drunk bottles of ale and other alcohol were sitting open on tables. “It’s like they disappeared suddenly with no warning,” Bella said, touching a half-eaten apple.
“No signs of struggle,” Haruka added.
“Struggle? No signs of them even bein’ in a rush.” Freya gestured around. “No chairs pushed out, no recent scuff marks. It’s odd, I gotta say.”
“Wait!” Isabella held up an open book that was beside a quill and inkpot. “Looks like we’re lucky, someone was writing in their journal.”
“Well, does it ‘ave any clues?”
Isabella held it open, reading it as Haruka looked over her shoulder. “Still don’t know where we are. Ship is moving but we aren’t doing it. Tiller moves by itself and Cap can’t turn it. Figured I’d feel better if I got this down on paper, but it’s just making me feel more insane.” The ship creaked loudly and they all looked around as it seemed to shudder before she kept reading. “Don’t know where it’s taking us but Cap says we’ll just have to wait for us to get there. It’s been an odd few days and none of us are sleeping; weird nightmares happening to all of us. Some are starting to act a little weird; I hope this doesn’t keep up. Hold on, I hear them on deck yelling about lights, maybe there’s finally another ship that can help? I’m going up to look.”
Freya tapped her foot as Isabella closed the book. “Okay… That’s… a bit creepy.”
“You don’t know of anything like this?” Haruka asked with a look at her.
Freya shrugged. “Jus’ tales. Ghost ship tales. ‘Course every tale’s got a root in reality, don’t it? This must be one.”
“In that case, staying on it may not be the best course of action,” Haruka said with a look at Isabella, who nodded.
“You came downstairs,” a male voice interrupted them. “That’s unfortunate.” The three spun around to see a young man walking out of a dark hallway. He wore what Freya and Haruka recognized as a modern-day suit, black in color with a black shirt. His hands were in his pockets as he walked and he appeared unthreatened even though Freya’s pistol was pointed at him. He had odd gold-colored eyes and fairly short hair, spiky and with longer bangs. Despite his apparent age (early twenties? Late teens?) he was a serious-looking man who spoke in a calm, bored tone.
“Why’s it unfortunate?” Bella asked, more curious than suspicious.
They all looked up as the sound of a door slamming came from above them. “That’s why.”
Freya cursed and ran upstairs with Haruka behind her, while Bella chose to peek around the corner, remaining with the man. They could hear Freya’s crew calling for her and pounding on the door, so the pirate captain figured it was locked somehow. However, when she tried it, it opened with no trouble only to reveal an empty deck. Freya blinked, stepping out onto the deck and looking around. “What the…”
Haruka walked out with her, looking to her left first, then around. “The Wake is gone.”
“What?!” Freya ran over, leaning off the edge and looking back and forth. Haruka was right; the Black Wake was nowhere to be seen. There was also a great deal more fog than she remembered there being a few minutes ago, enough so that they couldn’t see very far from the ship.
Isabella stepped out slowly, looking around. “Um… Where is everyone?”
“Gone… Jus’ gone. I want some damn answers.”
Haruka growled as Bella gripped her arm, loosening a fist to take the other woman’s hand. “Did they leave?”
“Course not! You ‘eard ‘em yerself on th’ other side o’ th’ door!”
She was right, of course. They looked over as the young man stepped out onto the deck and looked around. “Just like last time.” He looked between the three. “You’re all still here, though.”
Haruka gave him a hard look. “Do you know what’s going on?”
Bella looked over. “Or did you see what happened to this ship’s crew?”
He shrugged without removing his hands from his pockets. “I don’t know any more about what’s going on than you do. I don’t even remember how I got on this ship; all I know is when I woke up I was in the hold with a painful headache. I broke out expecting to fight, but the pirates were going crazy about some lights. They all ran up on deck and I followed, but when I got up here, they were gone.”
Isabella tilted her head. “You have amnesia? How much do you not remember?”
“Just getting here. I remember where I was before this; I remember going to sleep – I was in an inn at a town that wasn’t even coastal. I remember everything before that, I remember who I am. My name is Able.”
“Isabella.” She nodded to her side. “This is my girlfriend Haruka, and the dirty one is our friend Freya.”
“Not that dirty,” Freya said as she put her hands on her hips and looked out through the fog.
“This ship has too many mysteries,” Haruka stated with annoyance.
“Wait a sec!” Freya jumped, looking around. “Ship’s movin’!” She ran up to the tiller, finding it moving on its own. She tried to move it but it ignored her force completely. Looking up they all noticed the sails unfurling and the mast turning itself.
“Ghost ship is right,” Bella said as she looked around nervously. “What do we do here?”
“I’d rather not disappear like they did,” Able added. “We should look out for whatever lights they mentioned.”
“Can you-“ Bella blinked. “Did… any of you hear that scraping sound?”
Haruka cocked her head, listening as they all went silent. The sound was a wet scraping combined with splashes, coming from the side of the ship. Freya hopped down and leaned over. “We, uh… We got boarders.”
Haruka released Bella’s hand and moved forward as Freya backed up to stand beside her. A grey-blue-skinned hand came up over the side and the thing pulled itself up; a former man, it now looked more like a corpse, bloated and with its skin torn or split in several places and rotting in others. Its hair was oily and slick, revealing partial decomposition. As it stood on the deck it gave a disgusting gurgling sound, beginning to move towards them. More similar sounds came, signifying others beginning to climb up the sides of the ship from other angles. Freya leveled her pistol, Skaldi, at the undead creature and pulled the trigger, unleashing a burst of blue energy that tore through it, leaving a hole in its chest. It continued forward and she fired again, blasting off its head this time and causing the body to collapse and burst, pouring blood and rotten organs.
Fortunately they were hardened and reacted with little more than grimaces, including Able, who looked bored and subtly annoyed. Isabella stepped forward as another creature climbed the ship’s rail, slamming her sword into its head and knocking the thing back into the water. “Good idea,” Haruka acknowledged as she leapt forward and kicked another off. Isabella and Haruka each moved to one side of the ship, knocking away the undead as they attempted to climb over. Freya stood in the center of the deck, turning and shooting any they missed.
Able glanced over his shoulder at the upper deck where the tiller was, hearing more sounds coming from there. “What a bother,” he muttered as he walked up the steps, finally removing one hand from a pocket. As he approached one of the undead he opened his hand, holding it in front of the confused undead. A blast of white energy erupted from his hand, eradicating the thing’s head and dropping it back to the ocean below. He glanced to his left as another crested the railing. A slight narrowing of his eyes was the only sign of emotion on his face as he lowered his hand and flicked his wrist, creating a blade in his hand from the energy. “This is so annoying.”
Haruka used an open palm to strike the side of an undead’s head, causing a Death Mark to appear on its grey-blue skin. She then kicked it in the face, dropping it to the ocean where it exploded. She couldn’t use that ability too freely for fear of catching the ship on fire or blowing a hole in the side; if the ship sank, they’d be dead. Freya had moved to the bow of the ship and was using her cutlass Sigrun to hack apart the things climbing up there. Isabella had given up on simply knocking the creatures down and had drawn her iron sword in her left hand, using that to hack off limbs or heads.
The creatures seemed to be coming faster though, more every minute and from more spots. They kept getting onto the deck from undefended spots, forcing the four to kill them where they stood instead of knocking them back into the water. The deck was soon covered in oily black blood and gore but there didn’t seem to be any fewer undead coming. In fact, their numbers seemed to be multiplying. For each one they cut down three more seemed to appear. Able soon had a blade of energy in both hands, moving and spinning as he hacked through large numbers of the undead. Haruka channeled her chi through her body, strengthening herself so she could smash in heads with punches or kicks. Freya was hacking with one hand and shooting with the other, dodging back from swipes and grabs.
Isabella was doing the worst as she backed up a few steps and watched several of the things climb up onto the deck. She stood panting, her arms hanging at her sides. At this point they’d been going for twenty minutes and there was no sign of slowing or thinning numbers, just more undead coming faster every minute. Her sword in her scabbard was no more use with her weaker arms, forcing her to tie it back to her belt. She wielded her iron sword with both hands, needing the additional strength to cut through the rubbery skin with the dull blade. She stumbled back as one struck her shoulder, nearly getting a bite; she didn’t know what its slimy green teeth would do, but she knew it wouldn’t be good. She brought her sword across and hacked into its neck, but there the blade stuck, refusing to cut through or be pulled out.
Bella gritted her teeth, ignoring the sweat on her face as she planted a foot on its chest and shoved it off causing her to stumble back. She hated the fact that she couldn’t fight like she used to. Isabella of Two Faces should have cleaved her way through these things like a scythe through wheat, but she could no longer do that. Fatigue and pain crept through her body and her head grew foggy as she balanced herself, stepping forward and stabbing her sword through another’s head. She ripped the sword out as she ducked a swing from another, spinning and cutting its legs from under it. She came up and brought her sword down with a yell, stabbing it into the creature’s head.
Again the dull blade stuck, this time in the thing’s head. She stepped on its head, tugging on the blade, her weakening limbs making the process of freeing the weapon additionally difficult. A thick hand grabbed her and her eyes widened as the weight of an undead pressed down on her back, bringing her to her knees. She attempted to shake it off but to no avail. A second later the thing was yanked off of her; Haruka kept her grip on the creature’s neck and hurled it off the boat, sending it flying out over the water. She slammed her fists together with a yell, lining both with fire before she tore into the other undead near Bella, her fists simply tearing through them and sending pieces to the water below.
Isabella released the handle of her iron sword and stumbled to her feet, shaking her head. This wouldn’t work. She put a hand on the hilt of her sheathed sword only for Haruka’s hand to land on hers, preventing her from drawing the blade. She looked into Haruka’s eyes as the monk shook her head. “No.”
“Haruka,” she said with what breath she had, “I can’t-“
“No,” Haruka repeated. “It’ll shorten your life.”
“If I don’t use it now my life may be even shorter!”
“We’ll do the fighting,” Haruka assured her, her eyes pleading. “Please. Last resort. Very last.”
Isabella released the hilt. “…Alright.”
“Thank you.”
Both instinctively ducked as a white blade of energy flew past them, slicing an undead’s head in half and dropping it beside them. “I don’t know what you two are arguing about,” Able said as they looked at him, creating a new blade in his hand. “But maybe we should do it inside.”
Freya backed over to them, firing her pistol as rapidly as it could go. “That’s a good idea, keep ‘em off our backs.”
Haruka nodded, pulling Bella’s iron sword free and handing it to her. She then grabbed her hand, squeezing it reassuringly as they moved their way towards the door leading belowdecks. Isabella was quiet; Haruka knew she felt useless, and it was true that in her current state she couldn’t really fight enough to help them. But Haruka just couldn’t make the trade-off of worsening her condition even if it meant making this fight easier. She would fight with everything she had to prevent that from being necessary. It really helped that Able, whoever he was, appeared to be a very good fighter, cutting his way through the zombies as they moved. Freya followed behind them, hacking those that were close and shooting those coming.
They went inside and Freya came in last, slamming and locking the door. After a few seconds the banging on the door started, but at least they all had a rest. They moved down the stairs, closing another door behind them, before they reached the table they’d been at before, each taking a seat. Freya sat on the edge of the table with one leg crossed over the other, leaning back on her hands and looking upwards, listening to the banging above them. Able sat in a chair and folded his arms, staring at the floor with a serious expression. Haruka sat in a chair beside Bella’s, keeping a hold of her hand as the woman laid her head on her shoulder.
“Hey kid,” Freya said as she looked over at Able. “This didn’t ‘appen before?”
“No,” he answered, not bothering to look at her as he spoke. “They just disappeared. Maybe this is them. We could be the next ones, who knows.”
“…That’s a soberin’ thought.”
“I don’t want to die any more than you do.”
Isabella watched them with half-lidded eyes, making no effort to lift her head from Haruka’s shoulder. “Able, how old are you?”
He glanced at her. “Twenty-one. I’m a human.”
Bella blinked. “You’re a human? But your eyes…”
“Unnatural. I know.” He looked back down, feeling uncomfortable as the other three inspected his odd golden eyes. “I don’t know why.”
“Sorry to pry.”
“It’s fine. You’re just curious.” He looked up, the slightest hint of a smirk touching his lips. “I’m pretty curious about me myself. Let’s hope we all survive this to talk about it.”
“It will be easier to fight them down here,” Haruka said, drawing his attention. “The three of us can alternate holding them off at the doorway.”
They all looked up as the sound of splintering wood reached them. After a few seconds of stumbling the beating began at their door. Able looked over at Haruka. “Why just the three of us?”
She glanced at Bella, who looked down. “She’s sick.”
“I don’t have the strength to cut through them anymore,” Bella said softly, apologetically.
“Oh. Alright,” he said, standing and glancing at the door before holding both arms out at a downward angle. He placed his left hand on his right wrist and held the fingers of his right hand as if he was reaching for a doorknob. Effort showed on his face as a glow of energy appeared between his fingers, intensifying as the seconds past. He clenched his teeth, grunting as his arm trembled, then raised his voice into a yell as the light extended and burst forth into a blade of energy like the ones he’d been using. He grasped it in his fingers before dropping his arms to his sides, catching his breath. “Here.” He flipped it around and tossed it towards Isabella, who caught it in her free hand instinctively.
Bella blinked, moving it around. The part between her fingers seemed to form the shape of a hilt even though the whole thing was pure energy. She couldn’t feel any weight to it and looked from it to Able as Haruka inspected it. “How did you do that?”
“I don’t know that either,” he admitted, looking back at the door as it shuddered. “I know how to do it, but I don’t know where I got the ability. Either way, that’ll cut through a lot without much trouble, and it takes no strength to use, so even if you’re tired it’ll work.”
Isabella smiled at him, spinning the blade once. “Thank you.”
Able met Haruka’s eyes as she gave him a grateful look, nodding subtle at her before looking back to Bella. “Just doing what I can to extend our life expectancy. Normally I’d worry about someone cutting their own arm off with that, but since you’re more skilled than I am I don’t think that’s a problem.”
She blinked, looking up at him. “What makes you think I’m more skilled?”
“I have a good eye.”
Freya hopped off the table, patting his shoulder. “You’re alright, Able, m’ lad. You live up t’ yer name.”
“…Thanks.”
Haruka stood up and pulled Isabella to her feet, looking at the door as it splintered a little under the beating it was receiving. “I don’t care what’s going on here, we’re going to survive,” she said, looking at the others, her eyes landing on Bella last. The knight smiled, giving her a kiss that caused her to smile despite their situation. She released her hands and cracked her knuckles. Bella turned the energy blade in her hands to get used to having no weight. Freya leveled her pistol at the door, aiming for the newly appearing break. Able opened his hands, creating two new energy blades.
Freya suddenly shook her head. “Fuck me, I’m forgettin’ th’ most important thing!” The others looked at her curiously as she sheathed her cutlass even though a grey-blue hand had just broken through the door. She walked over to a shelf, tossing bottles left and right off of it. “Bad, bad, terrible, ass, bad, worse than terrible, bilge water… ah!” She grabbed a particularly dark bottle and bit the cork, yanking it out with her teeth as she moved back to her original position. She spit out the cork and brought the bottle up to take a huge swig of the stuff, lifting her pistol and blasting off the arm that jutted through. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve, grinning. “That’s th’ stuff. Come on in ye undead, puff-faced, seaweed-brained, bottom-scrubbin’, barnacle-‘eaded failures o’ life! I’ll put every one o’ ye back in’ th’ grave where you belong so none don’t ‘ave t’ suffer yer faces again, an’ I’ll spread th’ good news t’ yer mothers meself!”
The other three looked at each other and smiled, somehow feeling better about the situation. “You’re right,” Bella said as she stepped forward, waving the blade in her hand. “Why are we even letting them push us back?”
“It would be suicidal to go on the attack,” Able said, glancing over. “I have no objections.”
Haruka stepped forward, cracking both her knuckles and her neck. “Enough running, then. Let’s show them what we’re made of.”
“Aye, now you’re talkin’! Eyahoo!” Freya fired as the door burst open, dropping the undead that had broken it free, and then took another drink. Haruka rushed forward and caught a plank from the door as it flew towards her, placing three Death Marks on it before flinging it into the group of undead. The explosion killed several more, allowing Able to rush into the newly-opened gap and slash his way through. Isabella followed right on his heels, hacking those to the side as they passed. Haruka brought up the rear and holstered her pistol and drew her cutlass before following, choosing to keep one hand wielding the bottle.
The four of them broke out onto the deck which, at this point, was covered in undead. It was a renewed fighting team that met them, though; Freya’s laughter could be heard over the battle as she alternated hacking them down with taking swigs of rum. Haruka was using more of her energy for Death Marks now, causing explosions that scattered the thick numbers and made it easier for everyone to move. Able hacked his way through the thickest groups, cutting as many down as he could and staying on the move. Isabella took advantage of her temporary new weapon and used her skills to weave a defensive pattern through the crowds, removing limbs to make every undead less of a threat.
The knight met Haruka in the center of a thick crowd of undead and they stood back-to-back, turning slowly as they killed those that came near. Isabella felt alive then, smiling confidently as she rapidly dispatched opponents with little trouble. She was in the battle, every attack a fluid movement of a flowing dance. She didn’t feel like she once had, cold and detached; she felt warm, a part of something. She was fighting for something, for survival and protection, and so, even though she still felt tired and weakening, that only made her fight harder.
You really won’t use us? Think how easily we could cut all of these down – there’d be no danger!
I promised Haruka. Last resort only.
There may not be time for a last resort, Isabella. Haruka is worried, but she would feel even worse if you died here.
I respect her wishes and I have faith in her. As long as she is beside me, I will not fall.
Her point was proven as a burst of flame incinerated several undead that had pressed in on her side. Behind her, Haruka was panting with effort, but her eyes were shining. The mask on the left side of her face seemed oddly heavy at the moment, reminding her every second of what, exactly, she was fighting for right now. She ignited her hands with flame, replacing fatigue with determination as she punched through the undead, her fists tearing through them with no effort. With surreptitious glances at Isabella she noted with pride that the knight was holding her own with no trouble. It seemed a little odd that she felt pride for what Bella did; she would have to think on that later.
She noticed an undead grab Bella’s arm and pride was replaced with anger, with which she hit the undead so hard the only thing left was the grabbing arm, which soon fell to the deck. Isabella glanced back and winked at her, smiling. “Thanks, Ruki! I’d give you a kiss if we weren’t covered in disgusting juices and, you know, fighting off the endless hordes of hell.”
Haruka smirked, blocking a swiping arm and shoving the zombie to the ground hard enough to splatter its head on the deck. “I’ll take a rain check, assuming they aren’t actually endless.”
“That would suck, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes,” Haruka grunted, removing another head with a palm strike. “Yes, it would.”
A short distance away, Able found himself surrounded. That wouldn’t be such a problem if the things hadn’t managed to grab his arms, preventing him from swinging and pulling him back as another grabbed his ankles. “Tch… What a bother,” he muttered, arching his back as he opened both hands and blasted the two holding his arms with energy. Once he was free he hit the deck with his hands, twisting the zombie holding his ankles to the ground. He moved on top of it, blasting its head away, but more pressed in. “It just doesn’t stop…” He crossed his arms and then threw them out, emitting a dome of energy that shoved them all back. “How did… That would’ve been useful earlier,” he grumbled as he stood, dusting himself off before creating two more blades and letting the shield drop, leaping once more into the fray.
Freya was having fun, either despite the situation or because of it. She hacked apart undead with a wild chaos devoid of planning or tactics. With a frown she noticed the bottle in her hand was empty, shaking it to get the last few drops on her tongue. She debated going back down to get another bottle, glancing at the door. “Hmm… Nah, better not.” She shrugged and smashed the bottle over a zombie’s head before drawing her pistol in her now-free hand, grinning and hacking and blasting her way through the horde. “I’m outta booze an’ you sons o’ bitches are keepin’ me from getting’ more! Not a wise course of action, pansy-asses!”
The fighting continued for a few more minutes before Haruka noticed something odd. She nudged Isabella, getting her attention. Ahead of the ship, where it was going, eerie lights could be seen floating above the water. They were silent and moved little, but it still felt like they were watching, waiting. Haruka looked over and noticed Able was looking at them, too. She was surprised as Freya appeared beside her, looking a bit more grim. “Deadlights,” she stated, drawing Haruka and Bella’s attention. “No one’s really sure what they are, but they’re tryin’ to guide us from life.”
Bella blinked. “But I don’t want to be guided from life yet…”
“Yeah, they don’t tend t’ care. I’m guessin’ they’re usin’ these things to try t’ drag us down.”
Haruka curled her hands into fists. “Then we’ll fight to keep that from happening. Get up to the tiller!”
The four of them surged forward, fighting harder now that they could see what might happen to them. As they fought their way up the steps the deadlights seemed to arrange themselves in odd patterns, giving off a feeling of agitation. Suddenly pain shot through all four of the fighters, along with a bright light blinding their eyes. The other three heard Freya yelling for them to move forward, though, so they did, making their way to the top. Freya’s laughter was clear behind them, letting them know the direction to move away from. Haruka raised a hand, blinking as her vision seemed to return. The other two shook their heads, looking around as things became a bit clearer.
Finally, Freya became visible, back on the lower deck surrounded by a mass of the undead. She’d holstered her pistol and was now just swinging wildly as they grabbed her, dragging her over the edge. There were too many in the way for any of them to get through to her, but she just continued laughing maniacally as they pulled her down, calling out insults until she disappeared over the side and beneath the waves. Since the main force of undead had remained going after her, the other three were free, and as the ship came nearer the deadlights the undead began to retreat over the sides. The three remained looking in silence at the side where Freya had disappeared until the ship arrived at the lights.
In a flash, they were back. They were on the deck of the ship surrounded by a confused crew, with the Black Wake looming beside them. Isabella stood up shakily, looking around. “What… happened?”
Byron shook his head. “You tell us. The door slammed shut, we bashed our way in and none of you were there. We looked all through the ship, no sign of anyone. Now you’ve just reappeared with no explanation – where were you?”
“Hey,” Griswold said as he stepped forward, “Who’s that?” He pointed at Able, who was dusting himself off and trying to ignore the looks of the pirates. “Where’d ‘e come from? An’ where’s th’ Cap’n?”
Isabella looked down as Haruka looked off to the side. “Dragged under,” she stated.
“There were deadlights,” Isabella continued. “And endless bloated undead. It seemed to go on forever. Near the end they pulled her under.”
The crew fell silent, none really knowing what to say. Byron removed his hat, smoothing a hand over his hair. “Ah… Let’s get back on the Wake. We need to figure some things out, I think.”
Everyone collectively climbed back onto the much larger ship. It was an eerie moment with no one speaking or joking, moving almost automatically. On the deck they all found a place to sit or stand, and either stared at the deck or out over the waves. Isabella sat beside Haruka and leaned against her, taking some comfort from the arm around her. She was strong and had suffered quite enough in life to know how to deal with it, but she was still unable to stop a few tears. Haruka remained silent like the rest, running her fingers along Bella’s arm but keeping her eyes on the deck. Able hadn’t known the captain so he stood off to the side and remained respectfully silent, quietly examining the ship and crew he found himself with now.
After ten minutes or so Byron cleared his throat, getting the attention of the others. “Well… We have to decide some things now. This ship is Captain Black’s, but…” He trailed off as an eerie sound made everyone look around. Isabella and Haruka stood slowly as fog appeared, thickening around the ship. A cool wind howled past the ship and suddenly the sound of scraping on the side reached them.
“No…” Bella said, shaking her head. “They followed?!”
Haruka clenched her fists and her teeth, glaring at the side. Half the crew pulled pistols and aimed for the side, and they all watched it as the scraping of something wet climbing the side continued. The crew tensed, and Isabella crept towards the side, drawing her iron sword again. These things just wouldn’t let go; she could already hear more coming from other sides, and everyone began looking around nervously, but they concentrated on the first one. Revenge was clear in their eyes as they aimed. Haruka stayed beside Bella, grateful, at least, that they would now have an entire crew to help fight.
Then the first hand landed on the railing, except it wasn’t grey-blue skin. Freya pulled herself over the side, dripping wet and with her saber clenched in her teeth to aid in climbing. She hauled herself over the rail and landed on the deck, pulling the saber from her mouth and giving a look to the crew who was standing frozen in shock, still aiming their weapons at her. “If you’re gonna fire, ye better make sure y’ kill me with th’ first volley.” She blinked as Isabella impacted and hugged her, slowly patting her back as the crew cheered. “Uh… lass?”
Bella pulled back to arm’s length, inspecting her. “I thought you were dead!”
“Bah!” Freya smirked, clapping her on the shoulder. “It’d take a lot more than that t’ kill Captain Black. Was a grand adventure, though, wasn’t it? Ghost ships, movin’ corpses, deadlights, great times!” she said with a grin, throwing her head back and laughing. Bella couldn’t help but laugh with her, while Haruka just folded her arms and shook her head with a smirk of her own. “Anyway, those bastards followed me, so let’s get goin’ an’ leave ‘em behind, eh?”
Haruka frowned. “Won’t they follow wherever we sail?”
Freya grinned and winked at her. “Not wherever we sail, m’dear. Byron!” She barked out, causing him to snap to attention. She stepped forward, sweeping a hand to indicate the crew. “Get these brainless buffoons t’ stop standin’ there an’ get movin’! We got ten thousand creeps climbin’ my beautiful ships sides, scratchin’ up th’ wood. Get me outta this water!”
“Aye, Cap’n!”
The crew jumped to work, dashing in all directions as Freya turned back to Bella and set a hand on her shoulder. “You need t’ sit down an’ rest, lass. I don’t want you collapsin’ on me.”
“But… What about fighting?”
“I got a whole crew, don’t worry ‘bout that. We’re all done, we’re sendin’ in fresh fighters.” She looked at Haruka. “You watch your girl, eh?”
Haruka tilted her head. “I can manage that.”
“Good.” Freya looked over at Able. “An’ you, kid, you jus’ do whatever y’ wanna do. Once we’re outta this mess we’ll get you set up.” After he nodded she grinned, sheathing her cutlass and drawing her pistol. “Alright, I want ten o’ th’ least cowardly men up here fendin’ off th’ invaders! First man that lets one of ‘em on my ship gets t’ join ‘em in th’ deep!”
Haruka pulled Bella away from the side as the crew rushed around, doing everything rapidly. Many of them began to line the sides, firing down at the creatures climbing up them. Freya herself was singing as she headed up to the tiller, beginning to spin it. The sails were unfurled completely as the ship pushed forward, gaining speed rapidly. “Now hold on, people, ‘cause we’re ‘eaded for th’ smoothest sailin’ I know, but th’ trip there’s a rocky one!”
Deciding to take her advice seriously, Haruka headed towards the cabin entrances, where there was a bench she sat on with Bella. Able sat near them and the three watched as the horizon seemed to tilt a bit. “Um,” Bella began, looking as if she was unsure if she should tell someone something seemed wrong. “Does anything seem weird to you guys?”
“You mean does the ship feel like it’s sinking?” Able added, glancing around himself.
“Yeah. That.”
Haruka glanced upwards, listening to Freya singing above them. “She seems unworried. I’m sure she knows what she’s doing.”
“Well, if you SAY SOOO!” Bella nearly fell off the bench as the entire ship lurched upwards, dragging itself out of the water. The sound of rushing water poured in behind them as the ship shuddered and shook, gaining altitude every second. The three simply stared in amazement as it began to level out far above the water. Looking behind them they could see storm clouds trailing the ship, roiling behind them as if it was their wake. “Oh,” Bella said lamely, staring. “So that’s where the name comes from.” She stood up and moved towards the edge followed by Haruka and Able, looking over it at the water far below. “Ruki, you never told me ocean ships can fly.”
“…They can’t.”
“Not usually,” Freya spoke up from behind them, grinning. “But th’ Black Wake’s a special ship. She’s got all kindsa things that make ‘er special, an’ this is one of ‘em. Those zombies ain’t gonna be a problem for ‘er.”
Isabella looked back at her, wide-eyed. “This is amazing. I’ve never flown before! Well, I mean, not intentionally.”
Haruka raised an eyebrow. “You’ve flown unintentionally?”
“Well there was this one time with a dragon, and he tried to escape, and I jumped on him but he kept going…”
Freya laughed, clapping her on the back. “Have I mentioned I like you, lass?”
Bella smiled at her. “I won’t get tired of hearing it.”
“So I’m probably not in safer company now than I was before, am I?” Able asked with a slight hint of amusement.
Haruka smirked at him, shaking her head. “You’re probably worse off. Sorry, but we have terrible luck.”
“Terrible?!” Freya looked at her oddly. “It’s excitement! Adventure! Grand experiences!”
Isabella giggled. “I think Haruka and I would both like at least a break from so much excitement.”
“Bah. Couples; I’ll never understand ‘em.”
“Maybe they just have common sense,” Able suggested.
“You sayin’ I’m crazy?! I mean, I am, but are you sayin’ it?”
“No.”
“Good.”
“Now that’s what I’m saying.”
“Well excuse me for livin’! I ain’t never gonna understand wantin’ a borin’ life, neither!”
Isabella didn’t expect her to, and it didn’t matter. She turned back around and folded her arms on the railing, watching the clouds pass by with a smile as she listened to Freya and Able debate whether or not endless danger was a good thing. She was still tired, but it didn’t seem to matter so much anymore; right now she felt more lazy than anything, and she felt like she had time to be tired. She could rest a bit later; right now she just wanted to enjoy the moment. She felt Haruka’s hand on her waist and looked up to see the monk studying her. “You’re happy,” the brunette stated.
“It’s hard not to be,” Bella responded. “All of us made it; I was scared we wouldn’t, but we did.”
“We worked together.” Haruka looked over the side. “It’s different not doing everything by yourself, isn’t it?”
“It is…” Bella sighed. “And it’s so much better.”
Haruka looked at her. “By the way, you owe me a kiss. We’re done fighting zombies.”
Isabella laughed. “I guess I did say that, didn’t I? Well, I can’t have outstanding debt.” She reached behind Haruka’s neck and pulled her down into a fierce kiss that lasted much longer than the monk had been expecting.
It deepened before it finally ended a full minute later, and she blinked as Bella pulled back. “Wow.”
Bella smiled, leaning into her as she looked back over the side. “That won’t be the last.”
“I hope not.”
Bella looked up at her with an expression of love and contentment. “I owe you a lot more than that.”