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Cretas Estallamos

I know it's true! There's a new world beyond the horizon! Untamed and unclaimed! Let it be ours!

0 · 673 views · located in Cre' Est

a character in “Chronicles of Cre' Est”, as played by KumoriRyuu

Description

Image


Age: 29
Height: 5' 3" (160cm)
Weight: 110 lbs (50kg)

Profession: Cartographer

Personality: Excitable and a child at heart. She's driven by a "no risk, no reward" mentality, and values curiosity above all else. She's also very competitive. She nurtures a sense of adventure in everyone she meets, and does her best to help them discover their inner adventurer and explorer. She's on a never-ending quest to "fill in the edges of the map," and won't be satisfied until she's seen everything this world has to offer. And along the way, if she can enjoy a few drinks with good people, she'll be extra happy.

Biography: She was born on the 18th day of the 3rd Ertal Moon as Cretas Illuen. Her father's a trader, and her mother's a seamstress. And from her father's stories about all the places he's been and the people he's met across Mar' Valoa, she developed a sense of wonder about the world and a desire to see everything her father did and more. This hunger for seeing the world was only reinforced when she received her first horse at age 14 and was allowed to explore the surrounding area around her home town. The more she saw, the more she needed to see more.

At age 16 she married her childhood sweetheart, Rocklin Estallamos. And by age 19 she was a professional cartographer drawing maps for clients of all life styles. At age 20 she gave birth to her first and only child, a daughter named Lemnia Estallamos. Today, Cretas has heard word of a new world that was supposedly briefly glimpsed by a crew of sailors who came in to port at her home town. They were drunk and had been suffering heat stroke during their voyage. So the validity was questionable. But she refused to let such claims go unexplored, and managed to convince Captain Lohren to be the one to take her there.

So begins...

Cretas Estallamos's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lemnia Estallamos Character Portrait: Cretas Estallamos Character Portrait: Tora Lithenmiir Character Portrait: Korrin Arzan
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Lemnia tilted her head and blinked.

"Huh. So he has thoughts on his mind? Are they, like, sitting on his brain?" She asked.

Tora glanced over his shoulder and noticed the pair looking at him. He offered a small smile and a wave, which made Lemnia smile and wave back with a giggle.

"He waved at me." She beamed, looking up at Korrin with a big smile on her face.

Tora returned to a neutral posture and took a breath while Cretas continued to check the compass and make mental notes on their position.

"What's momma got in her hand?" She asked while giving Korrin's shirt a little tug.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lemnia Estallamos Character Portrait: Cretas Estallamos Character Portrait: Tora Lithenmiir Character Portrait: Korrin Arzan
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Korrin, relieved that Lemnia did not ask him about why he thought he was alone for a long time. Moved on to other subjects. Like the thoughts on Tora’s mind, which made him chuckle a bit. ”Oh Yes, they are all the extra worries and extra stuff. They sit right on top a grown up’s head and then tumble away with concentration.” Korrin affirmed with a whimsical smirk on his face. He then watched as Lemnia waved at Tora, who indeed waved back.

Then her curiosity fell to her own mother and he looked very carefully from where he’s at. ”Looks like one of your mother’s mapping tools. It shows the direction a person is going. I never used one myself though Lemnia, because my Teacher, taught me to tell what direction I was traveling the Wilderness by looking at the stars. It’s not as effective as what your mom is doing, but I never got lost in the woods once I got good at it.”

Korrin chuckles a small bit. ”Well almost good at it. Cause it did cause me to run into a large Boar that almost ran over me.” He said, with an embarrassed tone and scratched the ear of his boar cloak hood in random thought.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lemnia Estallamos Character Portrait: Cretas Estallamos Character Portrait: Tora Lithenmiir Character Portrait: Korrin Arzan
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Lemnia looked up at Korrin and blinked in confusion.

"Hmm? You got run over by a board? How does a piece of wood run over someone?" She chirped.

Tora, having heard this, chuckled under his breath and shook his head.

Cretas, meanwhile, started noticing a slight deviation from the appropriate course and walked up to the helmsman.

"Pardon. Can you please steer us just slightly more South? We're a little off course."

"Eh? Sorry lady. You'll have to take it up with the Cap'n."

Cretas sighed and looked at the door to the Captain's Quarters. And all the while, Tora kept Cretas in the corner of his field of view.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lemnia Estallamos Character Portrait: Cretas Estallamos Character Portrait: Tora Lithenmiir Character Portrait: Korrin Arzan
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Korrin looked as Lemnia blinked in confusion and was about to ask what was wrong when she asked her question. He looked at her with raised eyebrows and sputtered. To say he was now thoroughly embarrassed was an understatement. ”W-well. . .” He said with a stutter, trying to figure out an appropriate response and looked at Tora’s direction, and saw that the swordsman looked incredibly humored by Lemnia’s question.

Oh how was he gonna spin this story?!

”There was one time,” Korrin said, thinking on his feet to make up the story, ”A wagon of lumber was being carted to a carpenter’s village. But then a bear was wandering on the same road, and all of a sudden, the bear was like, ‘This wagon’s in the way, I’ve got to get home for hibernation! I’m gonna smack this wagon!’ And knocked the wagon over! There was wood spilling out everywhere! One piece of wood was rolling down a hill, and I was walking down a forest path.”

Korrin then made a ‘whoosh’ sound. ”The wood rushed past me! Had I been six feet closer, I’d have been as flat as a piece of bacon!” he concluded his slightly wild, and mostly made up story. He eyed Tora looking at Cretas, who looked concerned about something. He thought nothing of it, as long as he kept Lemnia safe for the time being, he didn’t want to know what was going on until after Cretas came back.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lemnia Estallamos Character Portrait: Cretas Estallamos Character Portrait: Korrin Arzan Character Portrait: Captain Armedus Lohran
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Lemnia listened intently. Eyes sparkling with wonder until the very end as she held her little fists up by her stomach and made little "Ohh" sounds every few words.

"So big mister bear went to Hiber Nation? I haven't heard of that nation before. Isn't Ma' Valvo supposed to be a biiiiiiiig nation? Where's Hiber Nation?" Chirped.

Meanwhile, in the Captain's Quarters...

"Miss Estallamos. Of what service can I be for you today?"

"I've determined that we're slightly off course and asked the Helmsman to adjust accordingly. But he says only you steer the ship. So I'd have to take it up with you."

"Did he now? Well, we can't have that kind of miscommunication and lack of cooperation on such a voyage now, can we?"

Cretas only smiled in return.

"Never you worry, miss Estallamos. I'll be sure he understands the circumstances and that whomever else may find themselves on the wheel does as well. Please call him in here for me. I'll handle everything."

Cretas gave a nod of her head in thanks and stood up to leave. And while she couldn't see it, she had that feeling that eyes were upon her as she made her way to the door.

And on her they were. Every twist of the tight fabric of her shirt at the waist. Every curve of her hips, thighs, and posterior. The Captain watched it all as she moved with a wide grin. As she reached the door he made sure to look up to her face as she opened it and closed it behind herself, both giving a final nod of acknowledgement. And as the door closed, he took in a deep breath.

"This wait is killing me." He hissed with a long, sloppy lick of his lower lip.

Outside, Cretas informed the helmsman to go see the Captain and said she'd hold it for him until he got back. And the instant he was inside, she brought out her compass and made the adjustment, holding the wheel steady and putting the compass away long before he returned. When he did, he was ashen and trembling as he informed her that he'd be more than pleased to take her orders on adjusting their course from now on. Cretas thanked him and walked downstairs before disappearing below deck.

And all the while, Tora kept a close watch on her.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Cretas Estallamos Character Portrait: Collen Merah
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Below deck, Cretas sat down in her spot on a mattress while leaning back against the wall.

"It's already been almost a week, hasn't it?" She muttered.

Beside the mattress was a small stool. And on the stool, a box. Cretas looked at the box with a blank face before closing her eyes with a smile.

"No time for that now, Cretas." She whispered.

A few moments later, she opened her eyes just in time to catch Collen coming down the stairs. She'd recalled seeing him rather flustered earlier. And as he laid down on a hammock hanging in the resting quarters section she smiled and stood up.

"Hey there, Collen." She said evenly as she pulled up a spare bucket and turned it over to sit on next to his hammock.

"How's life?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Cretas Estallamos Character Portrait: Collen Merah
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Collen sighed, turning his back towards Cretas. "I was awake all night. Unlike you lazy landlubbers. I'm going to sleep now."

"Oh my. "Landlubber's" a new one." Cretas chuckled.

"You seemed rather frustrated earlier. Would you like to talk about it a little?"

"She's not going to drop it, is she?"

"Apparently the Captain's hired just worthless landlubbers who run to throw up the second there's smallest wave and I'm left cleaning it up and doing their goddamn jobs."

Cretas smiled with a soft chuckle.

"I see. That does sound frustrating." She cooed.

She glanced over her shoulder at one such "new" crew member who was laying down and sipping tea to try and settle his stomach.

"You've been on the seas for some time now, haven't you? To be used to all this when they're all trying to keep breakfast down."

She looked back to Collen and patted his shoulder.

"Not to mention I see you always taking meals to the Captain. And just between you and me, I can't imagine that's too fun of a job, is it?"

"Yeah, my dad's a fisherman." Collen said, almost surprising himself about answering to Cretas in much calmer manner.

"And eh, I'm used to that bast---" he quickly snapped his mouth shut. "I mean Captain! I'm used to Captain and his ways." he said sheepishly now fearing Cretas might go rattle to Lohran about his slip.

Cretas smiled with a soft, knowing giggle and placed a hand on Collen's shoulder and leaned in closer.

"He is a bastard, isn't he?" She whispered.

"There's something off about the man. I can feel it. And if he wasn't one of the best sailors of our time, I wouldn't have chosen him for this journey. But I need his experience on the ocean if we're going to make it to the new world." She continued quietly as her thumb caressed his shoulder.

She then leaned up and spoke normally.

"Go ahead and close your eyes, Collen." She cooed, her hand gliding over his shoulder in small circles. "I'll be sure to wake you when the cook calls for the Captain's meal to be delivered."

Collen flinched as he felt her hand on his shoulder, expecting an earful. But to his surprise Cretas agreed with him. He nodded as she explained her reasoning of hiring him, but wondered wasn't there truly better choice for her to pick.

The soft, slow rubs on his shoulder felt calming. He had forgotten how his mother's touch felt, but could only imagine it was something similar. The boy closed his eyes, muttering "Thank you miss" and was soon drifting off to dreamworld.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lemnia Estallamos Character Portrait: Cretas Estallamos Character Portrait: Tora Lithenmiir Character Portrait: Korrin Arzan
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Korrin, after seeing Lemnia slip once more trying to look for Cretas, was both in shock and in slight shame for not looking out for her better as he then proceeded to walk over and help her up and start to dust her off. ”Goodness, looks like Mr. Collen must’ve done his work on cleaning the deck very well, eh?” He asked. After finishing the small dust off he looked about with her. ”Why don’t we check downstairs and see if she’s somewhere down there, if she’s not being busy that is?”

With that, he took Lemnia by the hand, like an elder brother would to his sister, gave Tora one more nod, and headed down to below deck to see if Cretas was indeed somewhere down there. It was a shame, he was rather getting good at the babysitting part of this job too and it’d probably be over until Cretas called upon him again. That is, if Tora didn’t beat him to it. However, Korrin knew better then to be jealous of Tora. After that first spar, Korrin had a much better respect for the man. He was a force to be reckoned with in a fight, and although he doubted one would occur again after his blowup nearly got him on thin ice with the Captain, Korrin was glad at least Tora would probably be one to rely on to bring it to a more quicker end.

But for now, he had to figure out where Cretas was hiding so Lemnia could be satisfied with knowing where she might be, and/or to conclude the babysitting duty for the day.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lemnia Estallamos Character Portrait: Cretas Estallamos Character Portrait: Tora Lithenmiir Character Portrait: Korrin Arzan Character Portrait: Captain Armedus Lohran Character Portrait: Collen Merah
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Lemnia held Korrin's hand, which was quite a lot larger than hers despite his own slightly shorter stature, and followed him down below deck taking extra care on the steps.

"No tripping on the last one." She said to herself as she hopped to the floor from the final step.

Scanning the room, Lem caught sight of her mother's red/brown hair in the corner over by a hammock.

"Momma!" She said, pointing to Cretas.

The two walked over to her and stopped short when they saw she was rubbing Collen's shoulder as he slept. Lem put her free hand over her mouth and tip toed forward with Korrin before letting go of his hand and climbing up onto her mother's lap.

"Thanks Korrin." She whispered.

Lem looked at Collen and smiled.

"Lubber Boy's tired." She whispered.

Cretas smiled and poked Lem's stomach.

"Let's just call him Collen, okay love?"

Lem nodded. "Mkay."

And with that, she leaned against her mother and quickly fell asleep.

---

6 Days Later

---


The sun was high, and the wind was dead.

On deck, several crewmen fanned themselves with their shirts as sweat poured off their bodies.

"Desmiel above... Why's it so damn hot?!"

"Aye. Didn't take ya fer the religious type mister Hog."

"Nah. Just like sayin' it."

"Ah. I gotchye."

Nearby, several crewmen were casting rods while another in the crow's nest kept an eye out for anything in the waters around them as the rest of the crew below hit the oars to make up for the lack of wind.

Below deck, things weren't much better. Sweat pouring off the crew as the temperature inside the belly of the ship rose with the sun. No wind, no fresh flowing air. Several men's hands slipped, letting the oar fly wild and sometimes hitting the man in front of them in the back. This almost ended in a fight on one particular instance after a second offense.

On deck, Cretas was wearing loose, thin sleeveless top and had taken one of her pairs of pants and cut the legs mostly off to make a pair of short shorts. She knew that showing this much skin was probably not a wise idea on a ship full of men who knew they'd not see women again until/unless they landed somewhere that had a brothel. But it couldn't be helped. She was melting.

Lem sat beneath the stairs where it was shaded with her own sleeveless top and shorts while trying to fan herself with one of her skirts.

"By Desmiel..." Cretas whispered. "What's with the wind today?"

By far the worst day at sea they'd had yet. Storms be damned. Nothing was worse than a dry, hot, windless day on the ocean where there was practically no shade or anywhere to escape the scorching heat.

However, the crow's nest spied something on the horizon.

"BLACK FLAG SHIP AHOY!!" He shouted.

This could only mean one thing...

The Captain burst out of the Captain's Quarters, fully dressed with his large Captain's Hat on as he leaned on the balcony near the wheel.

"To yer battle stations ya field rats! We'll not be lettin' no rival Pirates be takin' our ship er supplies!" He bellowed.

He then pointed to Cretas.

""You be gettin' below deck, there missy! And yer brat too! Won't be riskin' the two o' ya's in this fight!"

Cretas didn't need him to tell her that. But she appreciated the thought. She dashed to Lem beneath the stairs and picked her up to go below deck. On the way down, she passed Tora who was fully dressed himself and already had his sword primed with the thumb pushing it just so out of its scabbard.

Cretas grabbed his arm as they reached the same step.

"Be safe, Tora."

"You as well, miss Estallamos. If you hear anyone banging on the door, don't hesitate to grab that spare rifle there and fire directly at the center." He said, gesturing to a rifle sitting just by the stairs.

She nodded, and Tora exited the belly of the ship and closed the doors.

The enemy ship drew nearer, black flag waving as the oars propelled her through the water on a collision course with the Silver Moon.

"Stand fast me mateys! We'll show 'em what REAL pirates be made of!"

The crew roared in fury and anticipation. A far cry from the complaining, lazy maggots they'd been looking like but a minute ago.

Below deck, Lem huddled against Cretas.

"Momma, I'm scared."

Cretas rubbed her back.

"It's okay, my love. Everything will be okay."

"Are Hunty and Torrie gonna be okay?"

"Yes, my love. They're warriors. They'll be just fine. You'll see them when it's over. I promise."

"Mm."

She buried her face in her mother's chest, and Cretas held her close as she looked up listening to the sounds of the crew.

The ship grew closer and closer, turning at the last second as their own crew shouted a war cry and the first ropes were throw to try and get their men to board. Others grabbed their swords and bows and started preparing to battle as boards were prepared to be placed between the two ships so they could run across and engage in battle.

"SEND EM TA HELL BOYS!!" Lohran shouted, pointing his sword at the enemy ship.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lemnia Estallamos Character Portrait: Cretas Estallamos Character Portrait: Collen Merah
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Collen was just as exhausted from the heat as the rest of the crew. He was wearing his usual clothes but added a scarf on his head to get some protection from the schorcing sun. He was on a fishing duty but it seemed as if the fish were avoiding the heat as well as he had barely caught any. And even those were small.

As the black flag was spotted, Collen jumped up and looked towards the direction of the ship. He swallowed. The boy had seen two fights during his half a year serving under Lohran, but each time he felt as his heart was going to jump out of his chest. But during those two fights he had learned his position. Go below deck and help with the cannons.

The fights were scary for him. Even under the deck the sounds of metal clashing against metal, the crew's grunts, the Captain shouting over everything, made him fear for his life. But he had to do his part on the ship. The boy quickly headed down and below the deck, barely noticing as he hurried past Cretas and Lemnia.

Noticing Collen seemingly running around as if to take part in the battle above, Cretas wasted no time in gripping his arm and yanking him in close to herself.

"Collen! What are you doing? You can't be thinking of participating in this mess, can you?"

Collen blinked looking at Cretas with confusion. "They need me with the cannons." He stated while trying to get away from Cretas grip and head back to work.

Hearing this, Cretas felt a lump gather in her throat. But seeing his face and feeling his desire to get back to what he was doing in how he fought her grip...

She pulled him in close, whispering to him. "Listen to me, Collen. The enemy's going to be firing on us too. If you notice a canon pointing anywhere near you through the canon ports, you get the hell away from there. Do you understand?"

The boy nodded as the way Cretas spoke didn't leave any room for questioning. "Y-yes ma'am!"

Cretas's face softened and she gently pulled him into a half hug with her chin resting on his shoulder and the side of her head against his.

"Stay safe, Collen." She whispered before slowly letting go of his arm.

Lemnia was also peeking out from her mother's chest, nodding at him.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lemnia Estallamos Character Portrait: Cretas Estallamos Character Portrait: Tora Lithenmiir Character Portrait: Korrin Arzan Character Portrait: Captain Armedus Lohran
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Korrin liked heat as much as the next guy. But right now, with the wind not blowing, it was unbearably hot! It had him go without his cloak or a shirt! The ship wasn’t moving too, and it made him feel stranded. He did not like feeling stranded! Still, it did meant all he could do was wait for the wind, or something to happen.

Unfortunately, the latter happened. Another ship came and it did not look like it wanted to chat given how everyone was starting to scramble. Korrin scrambled to get his own weapons and be on deck as he watched Cretas and Lemnia get below and Tora looking ready for the fight to come. Korrin nodded towards him and got his bow ready and placed an arrow in it. He couldn’t spot young Collen so all he could do was hope for his safety during the coming insanity. He felt the flame twinge awake from the now growing possibility of the fight at hand.

When the Captain sent the signal, Korrin knew the fight had begun and he took aim towards anyone on the other ship and fired an arrow. He wasn’t sure whether the shot would hit in a shoulder, an arm, or the head of whoever the arrow would land, or just hit the side of the enemy ship. He just readied another arrow and aimed again.

He fired his first shot in this fight. He’d just have to keep fighting until the fighting was done. ”Desmiel Protect us!” he thought wildly.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lemnia Estallamos Character Portrait: Cretas Estallamos Character Portrait: Collen Merah
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The gaping hole left in the hull from the cannonball explosion flashed briefly as another cannonball flew through and out the other end of the hull into the open sea. But a shadow flashed by a moment later as someone, not known to be either friend or foe, fell into the water.

A few moments later, a water soaked hand slammed down on the floor boards and a burly man with a black band around his bicep hauled himself to his feet and drew his sword taking a look around to asses his new environment.

Collen was still hauling the ammo, sweating heavily as the physical work was snipping his energy and strength a little by little. As the ball from enemy crashed through the hull, causing more splinters to spread everywhere, Collen swallowed. The two fights he had seen previously had been nothing like this.

"Ey, boy!"

Collen was about to hurry to bring the ammo, as from the corner of his eye he saw movement. He turned to look towards it. "Enemy aboard!" he shouted.

The enemy's head snapped to Collen with a sickening, nearly toothless sneer.

Mister Figg was the first to see the enemy.

"Aye! Enemy aboard mates!"

He drew his sword and stopped manning his cannon to engage the man in combat. Thorpe, on the next cannon over, yelled to Collen.

"Bring me the ball boy! Quick! I can git one more shot off!" He yelled.

Collen, trying to avoid the now fighting men, hurried over with the ammo to Thorpe. He was trying to tell himself to focus on his task and not let the intimidating man get to his nerves. Certainly Mr. Figgs would deal with it swiftly.

He took another glance at he gaping hole of the ship, there wouldn't be any more, right?

Figgs found the man quite the handful. The men were about even in size. But this man was something else. Fast. Precise. He knew how to handle a blade. There could be no doubts about that. Only three clashes of their swords and Figg already had two small cuts on his left arm.

Thorpe loaded up the cannonball and quickly lit the wick which began a roughly five second countdown to the cannon being fired.

"Boy! Start helping the others! I'm gonna help Figg!" He roared as he drew his own sword and sprinted towards the action.

But as he did so, a shadow appeared in the opening of the hull.

The boy was feeling even more fearful as Thorpe joined the fight, hurried over to their pile of cannon balls. Even that seemed to be going down quickly. He was picking up one more as a sudden reflection of sun light caught his eyes and looked up. The shadow, that was another man with black band on his arm was pulling out his sword.

"Another one!" He shouted over the sounds of cannons exploding and Figgs and the first enemy clashing swords.

Figg and Thorpe continued their fight against the brute who'd let himself in. And unfortunately their combined skill would not be enough on its own as Figg received a blade through the stomach followed by a slash across the throat before Thorpe was able to do much the same to their enemy and finally take him down.

With Figg dead, Thorpe looked up too late to see the next enemy crawl up into the ship and throw a knife into the meat of his shoulder causing him to scream in pain. Several members of the cannon firing squad looked over as more began to pour in, and most had to abandon the cannons entirely and engage the enemy in swordplay. First it was one, then two, then three, then four, then five...

Before long, there were no men on the cannons at all. And the inner belly of the ship had become a battleground much the same as the upper deck.

As the fight continued, Collen started backing away towards the stairs. His eyes were full of fear as the man he had spent time with was faced with his death. The boy had never killed a man or even held a sword in his hand. The only thing he had was his fish knife on his waist. The boy looked between the stairs and the fighting men, the promise he had made to Cretas still in his mind. He had to get out of there.

The battle continued ferociously with men on both sides managing to get lethal blows against each other. And for a time, it seemed Lohran's crew held the edge. Two enemies remained to four of the friendly crew. But luck just wasn't on their side this day.

A new cannonball breached the hull practically vaporizing one of the crew, and leaving another with half a dozen massive chunks of wood now firmly buried in his body. One such giant splinter went straight to his head, dazing but not killing him instantly. But the and fell to the floor in a heap nonetheless, twitching and writhing until finally going still a few moments later.

Now two versus two, the final fight commenced. But while it seemed an even battle to begin with, it didn't take long for the tide to turn once more in favor of the enemy. All of the crew save Collen, Cretas, and Lemnia had been killed. And only one enemy remained. Eyeing Cretas and Lemnia for a brief moment, he turned his head and locked his eyes on Collen.

The man was easily twice his size and three times his weight at least. But beaten and exhausted as he was, he was a far cry from the burly beast which had first infiltrated the ship.

Nevertheless, he stumbled towards Collen and tried to thrust his sword into the boy's chest.

Collen was frozen in fear in place as the cannonball hit the ship. He could only use his arm to cover his eyes as the splinters flew around, couple of smaller ones scratching him as well. As he looked at Cretas and Lemnia, he felt a wash of guilt inside him. There was no way for him to protect them. There was nothing he could do. He fought against tears in his eyes. He didn't want to die like this.

"Someone help!" He screamed desperately to upstairs even if he knew it was pointless. With the fight going on, no one would hear him. The man locked eyes with him and the boy gulped. His instincts took the charge as his hand reached to his dagger and as the sword came at him, Collen managed to roll out of the way and used his knife to stab him in the leg.

The blade sailed just over Collen's shoulder as the boy's knife dug into the man's leg.

"Yaaarrrrr!!"

The man tried to grab Collen's throat with his free hand and brought his sword up, ready to stab through the boy's skull.

The boy yelped as he was grabbed by the throat and desperately stabbed the man's arm in hopes he would drop him. The man let go off the boy and as Collen hit the floor he groaned, but the desperation drove him to get up and dive his knife into the enemy's stomach over and over.

"Gurgh!" The man gasped.

Blood pooled down from each new wound inflicted. He tried one last time to get a hold on Collen, but his strength failed him and his hand was batted away. Again and again the blade punctured his stomach, chest, and sides covering both him and Collen with blood.

The man slumped forward, his head falling against Collen's upper chest and leaning back so their eyes met. The light and life within those eyes slowly faded as the pupils dilated and grayed out. The sword fell to the floor. And the man slid to the ground in a heap at Collen's feet.

... Dead.

Collen stood still. He couldn't move. He could only stare the man in his feet. The man he had killed. They boy started shaking, the knife falling from his hand and hitting the floor.

"No.... No... Nonono..." he whispered, shaking even more, tears gathering in his eyes. It was as if the whole world around him got lost. He only saw the lifeless eyes and darkness around him. It couldn't be true. He wasn't a killer. He wasn't on this ship. No. He would wake up home from his own bed. It all was nightmare. It had to be.

"Mom", he called in scared whisper wanting to wake up from the nightmare. Wanting to just feel her warmth as she hugged him. Collen fell on his knees and broke down in tears. "Mom..."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lemnia Estallamos Character Portrait: Cretas Estallamos Character Portrait: Tora Lithenmiir Character Portrait: Korrin Arzan Character Portrait: Captain Armedus Lohran Character Portrait: Collen Merah
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Tora managed to bottleneck his central plank quite well. In fact nobody was trying to use it anymore and instead were flocking to the outer planks where the crew, tough and scrappy as they may have been, were having difficulty containing the remaining enemies who tried to force their way on deck.

Tora dashed to the bow where the first plank was guarded by two fellow crew members fighting for their lives against a pair of rather slender enemies Tora could only assume to have been thieves more than pirates before joining the crew. They were giving Tora's allies a run for their money and had gotten a few choice cuts in on them already as well. Tora forced his way between the warring brutes and shoved the thieves back over and onto the plank where they nearly lost their balance. Tora hopped onto the plank and held his sword nearly vertical with the blade perfectly aligned with the first enemy's head.

"Get back on your ship." He calmly growled.

The two thieves sniggered and charged at Tora who had but to drop the tip of his blade for the first thief to run himself through on it. But the second had tilted his body sideways to avoid the blade coming through the back of his companion and shoved the man into Tora causing both to fall off the plank and to the deck of the Silver Moon. Tora tried to get the first man, who was still very much alive on his blade, but the second was already above him and preparing a stab downward into Tora's chest. However, he'd forgotten Tora's allies who each gripped the man by one of his arms and proceeded to pull until both were horrifically wrenched from their sockets with a sickening 'POP'. The man was thrown to the ground and stabbed several times until he moved no more.

Tora stood up, withdrew his blade from the first man's chest, and stabbed down through the thinner section of the skull at the temple until he felt his blade hit wood beneath. The man twitched several times, and then was still.

Tora pulled his blade free just in time to see the central plank now being overrun by two new enemies. Heaving a breath and shaking his shoulders he dashed over to intercept. Korrin was handling things on the other end towards the upper deck which gave Tora the room he needed to engage and quickly dispatch these last two intruders. When finished, Tora noticed that the Silver Moon's crew had prevailed as they were rushing the enemy ship, now all but deserted, and cheering with swords pumping as everyone breathed a collected sigh of relief.

Tora had been so focused on his task that he barely noticed Korrin had called out to him earlier. But thankfully it hadn't been necessary.

Sheathing his sword with a heavy exhale and wiping the sweat from his chin, Tora slowly leaned on the railing and sat on it with a hunched posture.

"That was tiresome." He mumbled to himself.

The chaos of the battle caused Lemnia to tremble in her mother's arms. The entire time, Cretas had her hands over Lem's ears to mitigate the amount of sound she had to take in while keeping her own eyes closed for the majority. But when Collen screamed for help, her eyes shot open. She saw Collen tangling with the man and immediately tried to pick Lem up to put her down on the side so she could help. But Lemnia wouldn't let go. She clung tightly to her mother refusing to leave her spot.

Cretas pleaded with Lemnia to let go, but the girl wouldn't hear of it. And, too late, Cretas looked up in time to see Collen stabbing the man several times, caking them both in blood, as the man died up against Collen.

The look on the boy's face alone...

The sounds of war all around them came to a stop all at once. A few cheers and the sounds of their allies running onto the other ship were all that crept through the hull's openings. Collen dropped the knife and asked for his mother. And Cretas's cheeks were stained with tears as she whispered to Lemnia that it was over. Lemnia looked up and asked Cretas if she was all right, to which Cretas replied that it wasn't her who needed help right now.

She was finally able to set Lemnia down and approached Collen. He seemed in a daze, almost. Not really acknowledging her approach. But nevertheless she knelt down in front of him and, without saying a word, gently coaxed him into her arms as she placed her cheek against his, stroked his hair, and started humming.

Collen was still deep in his own mind, not registering it was Cretas hugging him. However he replied to the touch and moved ever so slightly closer to her. He was sobbing quietly, tears running down his cheeks as Cretas kept humming. Even with his eyes closed, he saw the lifeless eyes staring at him.

Cretas accepted Collen's subtle move towards her, and wrapped her arm around him slightly tighter as she continued humming and stroking his hair.

Lem came up behind her mother and held onto her sleeve while looking up at Collen. She couldn't say anything. She didn't see what happened. She saw a lot of blood and all the guys laying around not moving. But... Mommy would help her understand later. For now, she buried her face in her mother's sleeve and refused to move.

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Character Portrait: Cretas Estallamos Character Portrait: Collen Merah
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Collen Merah


After the battle had ended most of Collen's day had been wrapped in haze. While the rest of the crew was cleaning and repairing the ship, the boy was mothered by Cretas. She was making sure he got a fresh set of clothes and cleaned up, fixed his injuries and told Collen to get some rest.

However the sleep came with restlessness and nightmares as every time he closed his eyes, Collen saw the dead eyes of the man looking back at him. After waking up sweaty yet from another nightmare, he sat up and looked around him. It was nightfall, most of the crew was asleep and snoring, most likely too exhausted from the battle and the work to stay awake any longer. He spotted his knife someone had found and cleaned up and placed it on a barrel next to him. He slowly reached at it and wrapped his hand around the familiar handle. Had he really killed a man with a fishing knife?

Collen left out a sigh as he placed the knife back down and walked up to the deck. The scent and sounds of the sea usually calmed him down and helped to clear his thoughts. He rested his arms on the railing, looking at the horizon. A crescent moon peeked behind a thin layer of clouds that slowly moved through the sky. The night was silent except for the waves hitting the side of the ship.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. For whatever reason the gods of the sea had spared him today but not without teaching a lesson. Until now he had been surviving by staying invisible and doing as told. But it wasn't enough. If he truly wanted to survive, he would have to get stronger.

As he opened his eyes again, there was a hint of unusual determination in his eyes. He wasn't going to be scared anymore.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lemnia Estallamos Character Portrait: Cretas Estallamos Character Portrait: Tora Lithenmiir Character Portrait: Korrin Arzan Character Portrait: Captain Armedus Lohran Character Portrait: Collen Merah
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Cretas sat on one hip against the bow's railing, looking at the landmass ahead with a subtly furrowed brow and tight lips. Lemnia watched from nearby hiding behind the forward mast. Her little eyebrows were oblique and there was hesitation in the tiny shuffles in her feet as she inched out from behind the mast and began approaching her mother who was now in the middle of taking a deep breath and sighing through her nose.

Lem's tiny hand gripped the fabric of Cretas' shirt giving it two soft tugs. Cretas' eyes closed, her brow softened, her lips relaxed, and she smiled as she looked down at Lemnia.

"Momma? Are you still mad at the giant hat man?" She squeaked.

Cretas' smile weakened ever so slightly as her own eyebrows faintly furrowed once again. She reached down and picked Lemnia up, kissed her forehead, and set her back down in the same spot before as she looked back out towards the landmass.

Lemnia backed away a few steps, clasping her hands in front of her chest before turning around and going to sit down against the mast with a heavy sigh.

A moment later, she felt a tap on her shoulder. And as she looked up she saw Tora, long since back to full strength and health, leaning down and smiling at her.

"What's wrong, Lemnia?"

"Momma's still angry."

"Oh?" He asked as he scooped her up in his arms. "How can you tell?"

"She only doesn't talk to me if she's mad about something."

"Ah, I see. I'm sorry."

Lemnia leaned against Tora and closed her eyes.

"Torrie. Is momma okay? She won't tell me what happened."

"You mean after she went to see the Captain that night?"

Lem nodded.

"Well, um... It's... Ah..." Tora took a deep breath and rubbed Lem's back. "It's complicated, little one."

"What's comlicpated?"

Tora chuckled slightly.

"It means it's hard to explain. What happened that night... Well... I remember what you said about your family history. I think it brought back some bad memories for your mother."

"Oh. Memories of daddy?"

"Probably."

"Mm."

Her little hands gripped his shirt more tightly, and Tora looked over at Cretas who was still frozen like a statue staring at the ever growing landmass that served as their temporary destination for repairing the ship and filling out their crew.

"Hey. I have an idea."

"Mm?"

"Go over to your mother and say "I'm sorry life is so complicated." It might cheer her up a bit."

Lem snapped upright.

"You think so?"

"Yes. I think so."

Lemnia smiled brightly and turned rapidly in his arms as he struggled to set her down safely against her struggling. The instant her feet hit the deck she was sprinting back towards Cretas before... THWAM!!... Face plant.

Tora winced, but smiled with a soft chuckle.

She trips over literally nothing... And I don't know why I've come to find it amusing.

Lemnia straightened up quickly and rushed over to her mother grabbing her pants and tugging mightily to get her attention. When Cretas finally glanced down at her again, she beamed.

"Momma. I'm sorry life's so comlicptaed."

Cretas's lips parted slightly as her eyebrows turned upwards just so. She stifled a laugh, and then burst out laughing as she reached down to pick Lemnia up and held her close with a kiss to the forehead.

"Thank you, my love. I needed that."

Lemnia's beaming smile softened as she felt he warmth of her mother's body against the cool mid-morning air. Slowly she closed her eyes and snuggled against Cretas' chest as the latter stroked her hair and kissed her crown before resting her cheek atop Lemnia's head.

Watching from nearby, Tora took in a satisfied breath and looked out at the horizon.

That landmass was all but upon them now. A large inhabited island a few hundred miles from Mar' Valoa. It had set them back a little over a month to get here. But after that attack at sea the ship would need the repairs and the new crew if she was going to make it to the new world Cretas spoke of. And Tora could see the port coming into view through a subtle haze nestled above the ocean's surface.

Suddenly, Tora got a chill. He subtly turned his head just enough to see the Captain had emerged and was standing beside the helmsman at the wheel and looking out at the landmass ahead like most of the others on deck... Except...

No. He wasn't looking at the landmass. Tora followed his eyes and was led directly back to Cretas and Lemnia. Glancing back at the Captain he could see a subtle smirk on the man's face. But he also clearly saw the cut below his left eye. That cut gave Tora a tiny hint of joy and satisfaction. But other unseen marks left his joy and satisfaction fleeting, and very soon after replaced by subdued rage and determination to redouble his efforts in fulfilling his oath.

This ship, and more importantly her guests, would see no further misfortune so long as he was alive and on board.

About an hour later they made port, and the skeleton crew began disembarking as Tora remained on board despite the crew's insistence he come along. A silent glare from Tora was all the crewman needed to know to back off and go about his duties on the shore. Tora had lost sight of Korrin during this time, but he knew he was somewhere nearby.

Meanwhile, Tora kept a firm gaze squarely centered on one man standing on the upper deck who was now looking down at Collen who'd just emerged from below.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lemnia Estallamos Character Portrait: Cretas Estallamos Character Portrait: Tora Lithenmiir Character Portrait: Korrin Arzan Character Portrait: Captain Armedus Lohran Character Portrait: Collen Merah
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Korrin’s recovery was one of hesitation rather then slow healing. It took about a week for the young man to feel confident to put his full weight on his leg once the bruising on his knee healed and faded away. Then it took him a day longer to feel confident in moving about the ship, albeit more guarded then ever since the ship was not only in need of repairs, but the crew number was only barebones so he tried his best to avoid getting into trouble.

Then the day came when they arrived at their temporary destination to repair and resupply to continue their journey to the new world. Korrin slowly emerged from below deck during the hour before the ship made port, quietly observing Lemnia’s interactions with both Tora and her mother. What he didn’t know was what was worrying Cretas, or making Tora have a look of quiet determination. He held back a chuckle when Lemnia fell once more. So the flame flickered at the back of his mind as he pondered with his thoughts.

Should I stay on the ship or should I see where we’re going has to offer? he thought in debate with himself, It’d be good to have a leg stretch on solid land. But what troubles my friend? And what troubles Ms. Cretas? There are strange circumstances where clearly I can choose either choice.

His mind pondered, and wandered, going through every scenario he can think. Some that made him unworried, some that did. Some that made Korrin fearful of even deciding, and some that drove him further down a rabbit hole of questions. So he pondered, and pondered all the way to port. Korrin finally resolved his debate by that time.

If I do explore what Port has to offer, I am not to stray too far from the ship, or out of earshot of the people aboard it. Desmiel only knows what this tense feeling I’m getting is. Worry? If so, I must banish it from my mind. Try to achieve this ‘oneness’ Tora told me about. He resolved, So one more time, if we do walk off, stay near the ship or within earshot of anyone onboard who’s got good lungs. If Tora or Cretas calls for me, I’ll run back onto the ship as fast as I can. This is a good plan.

He assumed it was a good plan, but Desmiel only knows what on earth Port had to offer. So as the Barebones crew walked down from the ship, Korrin stood near where they exited, trying to get a view of what was available close to the ship that he could explore real quick and return to said ship just as quick.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lemnia Estallamos Character Portrait: Cretas Estallamos Character Portrait: Captain Armedus Lohran Character Portrait: Collen Merah
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Collen had kept working just as Lohran had told him to, making sure to pull his weight and even more to cover for the missing crew. It had been a tough couple of weeks but Collen didn't let himself give up. After all the Captain had agreed to teach him sword fighting if he'd kept working.

As they closed the shore, he prepared for the usual supply run. Since this time it also meant properly repairing the ship and getting more crew, it was no time to rest. For him getting on dry land wasn't a huge deal as often times he felt more at home on the sea. But if there was one thing that tempted him on the shore, it was the taste of sweet, fresh fruit.

However Collen had one more task to do before joining the others. He still didn't understand why he had to be a message boy but knew better than to question Lohran's orders. He walked around the ship looking for Cretas, eventually finding her on the deck. He also noticed the Captain but paid no further attention to him as he headed over to the woman.

"Miss Estallamos? Captain wants to talk with you." He told her in a neutral tone. He then glanced at Lemnia realising Lohran had never mentioned anything about the girl. "And….Uhhh…. I guess I can keep her company?" He rubbed his neck as he remembered the previous encounters with the girl that hadn't turned out well for him.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lemnia Estallamos Character Portrait: Cretas Estallamos Character Portrait: Tora Lithenmiir Character Portrait: Korrin Arzan Character Portrait: Captain Armedus Lohran Character Portrait: Collen Merah
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Cretas' eyes landed on Collen as he approached, and she gave him a knowing smile as he relayed his request to have her go see the Captain and offering to watch Lemnia. Setting her daughter down beside Collen, she stood up and gave Collen's shoulder a light pat as she walked by him towards the stairs leading to the upper deck. She cast a quick glance to Tora whose eyes were locked firmly on her the entire time.

As she approached the Captain, he greeted her with a smile and a light bow.

Thank ye fer accepting my invitation ta chat, miss Estallamos. Come on inside.

Cretas nodded in silence and followed him into his chambers, and Tora was quick to jog up the stairs as quietly as could be and stand beside the door with one ear planted against the wall.

"Have a seat, miss Estallamos.

"Thank you for the offer, Captain. But I'll stand."

"Suit yourself, milady." He replied as he poured a glass of wine and offered it to her, which she politely refused with a shake of her head.

"That was quite the setback we encountered, wasn't it?" he asked as he took a sip from the wine glass and sat down in his chair.

"I wouldn't call it a setback so much as a tragedy. You lost quite a few of your men, didn't you?"

"There's always more men willing to join a vessel like the Silver Moon if you know where to look."

Cretas' eyes narrowed beneath a furrowed brow.

"What did you need to see me about, again?"

"Ah, yes. I don't believe we ever settled firmly on a form of compensation for this voyage, did we?"

"I thought I laid out the terms quite clearly. We both take our place in the history books as the discoverers of a new world."

"You see," he began as he stood up from his chair and faced the sea through the window behind him. "That's nice and all, miss Estallamos. But I've never been one for history or reading. And you can probably tell that from the lack of books or paper in this room."

A cursory glance around the room proved him right. Not a book or paper to be seen other than maps of the ocean which he'd plotted from his years of sailing.

"I'd like something a bit more concrete, you see."

"Such as?"

"Something I can feel." He said, taking a sip of wine. "Something I can taste."

"Would you like some sort of drink or food named after you?"

The Captain laughed heartily as Cretas took a slow, silent step back towards the door.

"Nothing like that, miss Estallamos." He said calmly.

"Then what is it you want?"

Slowly he finished the wine and turned around to set the glass on the table.

"My men and I call the sea "home," miss Estallamos. And as you might well be able to imagine, even if we enjoy our own company in song, dance, gambling, and chat, the sea becomes a very lonely place as time passes."

Cretas silently gulped a lump gathering in her throat.

"You've a daughter to take care of. And I've seen how attached to the boy you've become as well. You're a fine maternal specimen. But you're past your prime now that you're, what, almost thirty now?"

"I'm not comfortable with where this is going, Captain."

"Your comfort isn't a requirement, miss Estallamos. Think of this as nothing but what it is. Compensation. In exchange for finishing this journey, I want you to give yourself to me and the crew for a single night on deck. Your girl and the boy can stay below deck with that troublesome lad and that robed warrior who constantly watches you all."

She felt a bead of sweat drip down the back of her neck.

"It's not asking much, miss Estallamos. You're a beautiful woman in many, many ways." He said with eyes trailing to her chest. "Neither myself nor my men who survived the journey so far have felt the warmth in over a year at least. And those who'll be joining us today likely are no different."

"Like I said, Captain. This is making me uncomfortable."

"And I'll say again, miss Estallamos. Your comfort is not required. You just need to agree to meet us all on deck tonight around midnight, get on your knees, and enjoy the festivities. I'll make sure the men know that no harm is to come to you. Just a nice night of passion to celebrate the soon-to-be discovery of a new world. You can have all the things named after your and your place in the history books. We'll take the pleasure of your company as payment. Deal?"

"I must refuse, Captain."

"It wasn't really a question nor an offer, miss Estallamos."

"I won't repeat myself, Captain Lohran. You have my answer."

"Then I'm afraid your daughter will have to do for a substitute."

Cretas' eyes exploded to the size of saucers.

"You wouldn't dare..."

"She's a bit young for me and the men. But her body is essentially the same as yours, just in a smaller package. So it's either you or-"

Cretas launched forward slamming her hands into Lohran's throat before he could react as they fell to the floor with Cretas straddling him and pushing down with all her might. Her eyes burned with fury. Her teeth bared and clenched tight. Her nails sunk into his flesh resulting in small rivulets of blood seeping to the ground against his choked gasps.

Lohran struggled beneath her. Despite being an average sized woman she held a shocking amount of strength. He couldn't get his feet into position either as she shifted her hips every time he tried to get a leg up to buck her off.

"Not... Your first... Rodeo... I see." He choked out.

Cretas only growled like a feral beast in response as she continued pushing down against him for all her worth.

However, moments later she felt a sharp pain in her left side which earned a shriek of pain. Lohran had reached for his dagger and slammed the side of the blade into her oblique. He'd held back enough for it not to be fatal or in any way crippling. But the message was clear as he turned the blade, point-first, towards the now open wound and pressed the tip into it.

"Time... To get off me... Miss Estallamos..." He choked.

Cretas refused to move.

"What would she think... If she saw you now?"

Cretas' eyes widened, and in the momentary lapse of focus Lohran finally bucked her off. As she landed on her back on the floor he flipped himself over and on top of her, blade to her throat, and his hips nestled between her legs as he used his own to force them apart.

"A little prelude to tonight, miss Estallamos." He said in a somewhat hoarse voice. "You made a wise choice. I doubt her little body would withstand our lust."

Cretas' snarl returned, but she remained still.

"Midnight, miss Estallamos. Don't be late. And keep this to yourself. Otherwise... Well... You have an imagination, don't you?"

"Desmiel will burn you for eternity, Lohran."

"Good thing I'm not the religious type then, isn't it?"

Lohran cautiously stood up and smiled down at her.

"I look forward to my payment, milady... You may leave now."

Cretas made it to her feet, keeping her eyes locked on him the entire way as she backed up towards the door and opened it. Stepping through, she snarled one last time before slamming the door and smashing it with her fist.

Tora, standing beside her, immediately knelt down by her side to inspect the wound.

"Get away from me!!" She shrieked.

Tora was taken aback, as was Cretas whose eyes once again became as wide as saucers.

"You're not... I..."

Her eyes began welling with tears as she brought her hands up to cover her mouth and nose, and Tora was instantly on his feet and calmly embraced her.

"I'm so sorry." She squeaked in a muffled tone into his chest.

Tora stroked her hair and took a deep breath.

"We need to have a chat of our own." He whispered.

Cretas nodded, gripping the lapels of his robes as she cried into the crook of his neck.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lemnia Estallamos Character Portrait: Cretas Estallamos Character Portrait: Tora Lithenmiir Character Portrait: Captain Armedus Lohran Character Portrait: Collen Merah
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Collen watched as Cretas left to meet with the Captain, and to his disappointment, Tora soon behind them. Collen had hoped to get some help from the man to watch over Lemnia. With a sigh he turned his focus back on Lemnia, trying to think something to do with her. Despite the girl being almost the same age as his brother, he felt lost as he had rarely spend time with him.

He rubbed his neck. "So... Want to go to the shore? We can stay close the ship so your mom can see us." He eventually suggested offering his hand to her to lead her off the ship.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lemnia Estallamos Character Portrait: Cretas Estallamos Character Portrait: Tora Lithenmiir Character Portrait: Korrin Arzan Character Portrait: Captain Armedus Lohran Character Portrait: Collen Merah
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Twilight.

The sea painted orange-yellow with the fading sun on the horizon.

One lonely cloud already dissipating to make way for a clear night sky.

Cretas sat with Lemnia in her lap below deck chatting with her about her misadventures with Collen while Tora leaned against the wall nearby in a seemingly meditative state.

"Is that so? You almost ran into someone's house?"

"Uh huh!"

"My, my. The poor boy." Cretas giggled.

I'll have to thank him for watching her later. She thought.

As the sun disappeared giving way to night, Cretas put Lemnia down for the night and lay in the cot beside her stroking her hair while the little angel clung to the pillow in a contented sleep.

Time marched ever onward, and the dreaded hour was drawing near. And as Cretas began hearing more and more of the crew beginning to gather on deck, she knew her time was running out. Looking down at Lemnia, Cretas' mind became a whirlwind of memories good and bad. And as she closed her eyes and leaned down to kiss Lemnia's forehead, she stood from the cot and swallowed a lump in her throat.

As she stood, Tora's eyes slid open and locked onto hers as they shared a silent moment before he too stood up and walked up beside her.

"Are you ready?"

She shook her head, and he placed a hand on her shoulder with a soft grip.

"If anything goes wrong, scream."

She nodded and patted his hand before walking quietly to the stairs leading up onto the deck. Opening the door cautiously, she looked back to make sure Lemnia was still asleep along with the other newcomers to the crew, numbering only three or four, who were being left out of Lohran's activity. She took a deep breath as she looked up at the beautiful star-filled skies and walked out onto the deck shutting the door softly behind herself.

Inside, Tora stood on the last step with one hand on his blade.

Captain Lohran and what remained of his original crew were all present on deck gathered in a circle around a lantern. Lohran himself stood in the center of the circle with a large, calm smile on his face.

"There ye are, miss Cretas. We've been waitin' for ye."

"Surely you don't need to talk like that anymore, Captain?"

Lohran chuckled.

"I suppose ye be right 'bout that, miss. But I be a pirate through n' through. An' me crew 'preciates it when we talk like pirates do."

"I see. So you're folding to the whims of the many."

Lohran's smile disappeared as Cretas stopped her advance at the edge of the circle.

"I be bowin' ta nothin', miss. And I advise ye ta watch yer-"

"How many times has it been, Captain?"

"... Wut?"

"How many times have you spoken with your crew over the years as if you grew up without an education or a sense for verbal articulation? How many times have you thought about just talking like yourself, and shied away?"

Lohran's face darkened even against the light of the lantern, and the crew all began to slowly glance his way with rapidly paling faces.

"Ye be threadin' mighty thin ice, miss. And I advise ye ta watch yer tone."

"You articulate like a noble with me, yet you choose to speak like a common sea urchin with them," she said while gesturing to the crew. "Why is that? Is it because you think they're too stupid to understand your full vocabulary? Or maybe you think they're too ornery to appreciate your natural eloquence?"

Lohran walked forward and stopped a single step shy of bumping into her, glaring into her eyes with that icy stare he was so famous for.

"One more word and we'll be draggin' the little missy on deck with ye."

"Good luck with that, Captain. Don't forget who's below deck with her."

"Ye think the swordsman can protect her from us?"

"I know he can. After all, you've had every opportunity to get rid of him along this journey so far. Yet you refrain. Why is that?"

"Contrary ta the popular opinion, I don't be killin' just anyone fer-"

"You're scared of him."

Lohran's mouth snapped shut.

"You know who he is. And you know what he does... And you're scared of him."

A hand shot out and gripped Cretas' lapels and yanked her in close, practically nose to nose with the Captain.

"Care ta repeat that one more time, missy?"

"You... Are... Scared... Of... Him." She repeated with a confident smile.

Cretas was thrown to the ground in the middle of the circle knocking the lantern over, but thankfully not breaking it.

... The handle on the doors leading below deck slowly and quietly turned as Cretas chuckled and started to get up with Lohran approaching slowly.

"Throw me around all you like, Captain. Your rage simply proves my point. And your crew knows it, don't you lads?" She asked giving them all a glance around the circle.

All of them were still as stone and trembling like leaves in a storm as the Captain walked into the middle of the circle with her.

"I honestly can't say I've ever been pushed so far for so little." He growled.

Cretas' smile widened.

"See? Talking like yourself wasn't so-"

The back of the Captain's hand arced through the air and slammed into the side of her head knocking her back several steps and into one of the crew who caught her and held her up. With her head swimming Cretas coughed and rubbed the impact site while blinking to restore her blurred vision as the Captain stalked closer.

"I thought we had an agreement, miss Cretas. You'd come out here and give us our due time to enjoy what's been deprived from us for so long, and in return we'd leave the brat alone. But you truly don't seem to comprehend the situation you're in now." He looked to the one helping hold her up and gave a nod with a scowl, and the man nodded back feverishly as he pushed her towards the Captain.

Catching her in an iron-clad grip, he swept her legs out from under her and slammed her down onto the deck once more knocking the wind from her lungs.

... The handle on the doors leading below deck turned.

Back in the circle, the Captain knelt down over Cretas.

"I wanted this to be a simple affair where we'd all be able to relax a little, even if all parties were in disagreement as to the why behind all this. But now you've gone and pissed me the fuck off, miss Cretas. And you're going to pay the price for it. You and your little brat."

Cretas gathered herself enough against her gasps for breath to glare up at him.

"But don't worry, the brat won't be getting what's coming to her until morning. For now..."

His hand moved towards her lapels in preparation to tear her clothing away when a blade rested itself on his shoulder.

"That's quite enough."

"This doesn't concern you, boy."

"Actually, it does. Not that you care, but I swore an oath long ago to protect the innocents of this world from people like you. And I've no plans to break that oath anytime soon."

"The lady agreed to this, boy. Have you no honor for such a bargain struck between two consenting adults?"

"Not when that bargain came at the cost of the dignity and safety of the innocent party."

The blade slid closer to the Captain's neck, the edge gently touching his skin.

"Rise."

Lohran slowly let go of Cretas and stood up, the blade never moving from its spot against his neck.

"Turn around slowly."

Lohran did as told, facing Tora with an eerily calm and empty stare.

"You really think you can stop this, boy?"

"Your crew is just trying to be a good crew for their Captain. I can't fault them for that. But if they make a single move to help you then I won't hesitate to cut them down with you."

Lohran's lips curled into a smile.

"You really think swinging your little sword around is going to be the end-all here?"

"A blade is merely a tool, Captain. An extension of a warrior's body. The skill and will to cut you all down to protect the innocent lives on board this vessel lie within my body and mind. Not a piece of metal I carry with me. Even without it, you and your skeleton of a crew are no match for me and the young man downstairs."

Lohran burst into laughter.

"You think that temperamental oaf is a threat to us?"

"Far more than you give him credit for."

"Well, I'll leave you to that little delusion. For now, would you kindly remove your blade from my neck? It's getting itchy."

Tora's relaxed frown deepened as the blade was pressed harder against the Captain's skin and draw back until it was free of his shoulder. It wasn't enough to draw blood. But it did get a subtle twitch of pain from the Captain's cheek.

The blade, however, remained pointed directly at the Captain's stomach.

"You and I will now make a bargain."

"Oh?"

"If you're so lustful for female company, find it in a brothel. I'm sure you know of a few locations nearby we could visit after the ship's repairs are complete. But consider miss Estallamos and her daughter to be firmly under my protection. You make one move towards either of them, and your life will end."

The tip of the blade came up and touched underneath Lohran's jaw.

"Bargain?"

Lohran held his icy stare.

"It's not just about the female company, boy. It's about the who in the female company. And miss Cretas is everything I'd ever want or ask for in such a lustful endeavor."

Lohran's right knee was suddenly struck by a powerful blow causing it to collapse as he went down onto said knee and popped himself up with both hands.

Cretas then walked around to stand beside Tora with a deep scowl on her face.

"You want me? Too fucking bad! I had my share of horrible experiences with my ex husband. And you're not going to give me new nightmares!" She growled.

Lohran chuckled.

"Oh, trust me miss Cretas. We wouldn't give you any nightmares. If anything, you'd be dreaming of joining us for such an experience again." He said as he looked up hungrily at her.

"You couldn't make me believe that even if you got me stupidly drunk to the point of being near death, Captain."

Lohran stood up somewhat shakily on the now injured leg.

"Well. Can't say I didn't give you a fair chance now, can we?"

"Enough. This entire debacle ends now. You and your crew will either find your satisfaction at a brothel, or you'll all kiss my blade as it sends you to eternal sleep the next time you make any such attempts on miss Cretas' body and well being, or that of her daughter. This is your only warning, Lohran."

Lohran's smile vanished.

"You forgot to say Captain."

"The term Captain is one that implies respect. And you don't have mine."

Tora lowered his blade and backed away with an arm extended to urge Cretas to back up with him. Together they made it back to the doors leading below deck and shut the door behind them with Lohran glowering at them the entire way. Once below deck, Tora finally sheathed his sword and glanced at Cretas who was still staring intently at the doors just over his shoulder.

"You should try to get some sleep, miss Estallamos."

Cretas' eyes slid to meet his, and she took a deep breath.

"So much for my name then, huh?"

"Hm?"

"Back there, near the end of the... conversation, you called me Cretas. Although I suppose there was the miss in front of it. But still."

"Oh!" Tora said with a blush in his cheeks as he gave a hasty bow. "My sincerest apologies!" He whispered forcefully.

Cretas giggles.

"It's fine. I actually prefer it if you call me by my first name. It sounds nice coming from you."

Tora rose and cleared his throat quietly.

"You do have a beautiful name, miss Estalla-"

He was silenced by Cretas' index finger coming to rest on his lips, and the blush returned to his cheeks when she gave him a playful wink and a smile.

"Ah, ah. That's miss Cretas from now on." She whispered.

Cretas then leaned up and kissed Tora's cheek, much to his shock and confusion. Giving him a playful pat on the chest she turned around and spotted Collen asleep on his own cot, which earned a smile as she walked past and to the cot where Lemnia was still sound asleep clinging to her pillow and laid down next to her. It was indeed time for her to get some much needed sleep. And there was no better spot to do so than right here next to her beloved little angel. Drool on the pillow and all.

Tora, meanwhile, swallowed a lump in his throat and tried to shake his head to rid himself of this odd sensation. Was this what it was supposed to feel like when a woman was flirting? That was what this was, right? Or was it simply her being grateful and expressing it in a way he hadn't experienced before? But if it was so, then-... Agh!! So many questions!

"Women are complicated." He whispered to himself.

cron