The deck of The Good Ship Galaya hung in eerie silence as the Captain and her crew stood in their battle positions, readying themselves and the ship for whatever came next.
While only initially visible from the crows nest or with Zephyr’s assistance, a subtle, sickly yellow light on the horizon came into sight not long after Adrian got into position. The glow of the Spirit Fleet.
Adrian was shaking in his boots, standing between a pile of unique wooden cannon balls etched with strange markings and a rough iron cannon. Beside him, Tragan dutifully checked over and readied the thing for battle; brushing out any old soot, checking for hairline fractures, re-wicking his lighter.
Seeing the half-dwarf act so calmly, so preparedly, he wanted nothing more than to feel the same way. Sure, this was only his first—or second?—battle, but what kind of pirate’s heart beat like the wings of a butterfly just because a single ship was approaching?
A real Boatswain in a situation like this would be shouting orders to everyone, taking full control over the ship so the Captain could act freely. Instead, he was trapped here in his own fear. It had taken all of his courage, as well as remembering the Captain’s advice about blind confidence, to even stay above deck for the incoming fight.
Truthfully, he’d rather have followed orders, found his way into the dark storage below, and hid until things were over with. There was nothing he could actually do here. He’d never loaded a cannon before. In fact, he was sure he was just getting in the Gunner’s way.
But that’s why he had to be here. He was useless. In the fight at the cove all he could do was watch and hide while his home was destroyed. Why didn’t he run off to help then? A single man wasn’t much, but one more cannon firing at an unexpected angle like he was at he would have likely gotten at least one clean hit. He could have even sunk a ship if it was small enough.
Instead, he was a coward. He hid on the ship like a rat and waited to die. Adrian would not do that again. If every pirate in the cove was willing to fight to the last breath, then he would be as well.
Taking a firm stance, Adrian steadied his heart and smacked his cheeks.
‘Confidence. Just be confident. Easy.’
Ignoring the fluttering in his chest, Adrian summoned the roll of parchment that showed his contract. He hadn’t noticed when it was just the Captain and himself, but apparently he was the only one that could see it unless he willed otherwise, so Tragan wasn’t distracted by its appearance.
Captain System Contract of Bondage
Name - Adrian
Age - 11
Race - Human/Elf
Captain - Narazenna Roth
Ship - The Good Ship Galaya
Position - Boatswain
Companion - Zephyr (Skyback Straika)
Bonded Constellation - Diadema Stellarum
Level - 1
Abilities
Wraith Steps (F)
Arborist (F)
Abyssal Royalty (?)
Boons
Blessing of Diadema Stellarum
Adrian had looked over the contract once more after returning to deck earlier so there were no surprises this time. The notable changes from when he initially signed it were his bonds with Zephyr and Dia, a level that was supposed to signify how well connected he was to Dia’s Energy, and a pair of new abilities.
He asked Murph about Arborist earlier and learned that it was granted to all members of Captain Roth’s crew thanks to Arbor Vitae. It was the ability they used to manipulate any wood around them to repair the ship, make his prosthetics, form magic cannonballs, and much more.
She also mentioned that the letters that appeared next to the abilities were similar to his level; meant to show how well he could utilize them with his new magic.
For the other new ability, given the name of it, he had been hesitant to share it with his crewmates earlier. Actually, he had immediately gotten rid of the contract when he saw it, hoping to ignore any implications that came with it.
Abyssal Royalty. Obviously the ability must come from Dia, given that she was the Abyssal Princess before becoming a Constellation, but what did it mean for him? It was probably too much to hope it would give him the ability to rule over Abyssals as their king. The strangest thing was that it didn’t even have the letter grade next to it, just a question mark.
Adrian couldn’t help but wish he had more information, but try as he might he couldn’t get the System to give it up.
‘Oh well.’ Adrian sighed, dismissing the contract. He wouldn’t figure anything out before the fight started, so answers would have to come later, when the Captain started teaching him.
“Hey, Tragan, how do fights like these usually work? Do Spirits even have bodies we can kill?” He asked the Gunner beside him.
Tragan looked up from his preparations and eyed Adrian, noticing his clenched, shaking hands. After a second, his lips lifted into a wide, toothy smile.
“Aye, yer’ a virgin to this aren't ye? No need to worry. The Spirits can be violent bastards if they’ve gone off in the head, but a big enough boom’ll send the ghastly fucks back where they came from just as easy as an Abyssal. A few well placed shots and they’ll be blown away like piss in a storm. Just be sure to stay calm, toss me a cannonball when I call for it, and this will pass in no time.”
Adrian nodded, feeling better after seeing him act so confident. Happy with his response, Tragan fumbled around in the pocket of his loose pants and pulled out a handful of something in his closed fist. He made sure to glance up toward the sky, mumbling something about a ‘damned bird’ before revealing a small pile of candy coated nuts, grabbing Adrian’s hand, and pouring a few into it.
“These here are Tertian holy tree nuts. They only grow on clear, starry nights on the tallest cliffs of the sky mesa. The old half-drake monks say they’re full of the Constellations’ Energy, so if ye eat a few before a fight it’ll make yer’ magic stronger as well as wardin’ off the bad Spirits,” Tragan explained seriously.
Adrian eyed the candy in his hand suspiciously. They looked tasty, but could they really be so magical? Still, it couldn’t hurt to be safe, and Tragan seemed sincere enough. Adrian shrugged and said a word of thanks, then casually tossed a nut high into the air, opening his mouth to catch it.
Just at that moment, he felt a pull in his mind and felt an overwhelming surge of emotion pour into him. It was all mixed together so he couldn’t tell what it meant, but he recognized Zephyr’s unique way of sending him a message from the warning about the Spirit ship. Anxiety threatened to well up inside him as he worried about an incoming attack, but it cleared in an instant when he caught sight of his partner diving from the cloud he had been hiding in.
He barely had time to notice a speck in the sky as Zephyr left his cover, diving with a zealous screech and snatching the snack out of the air a few inches above Adrian’s mouth. The young straika circled his head, this time sending a clear sense of victory while taking up a perch on his shoulder.
Tragan burst into laughter and Adrian quickly closed his hand, hiding the remaining nuts from the curious dragon bird who started incessantly pecking at his ear.
“There ye go, longear. The hatchling ain’t nervous so you don’t want to spook him, do ye? It’s just–”
“One minute until they’re in firing range! But there’s something else in the water too; it looks like they’re chasing a giant patch of algae headed straight for us!” Murph’s warning call sounded off from the crow’s nest, easily being heard over the wind and waves thanks to her magic.
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Adrian noticed Tragan’s expression darken for a brief moment at her words, but he steeled himself fast enough that he couldn’t be sure it had even happened.
“Stars!” Captain Roth cussed loudly. “Adrian, climb to the nest immediately and stay there. Murph, I want constant updates on the Abyssal’s position and size. Everyone else prepare for close combat. The Spirits are not our enemy.”
Adrian froze at the new order, overwhelmed by the sudden change until Tragan grabbed his arm and shoved him toward the nearest mast. Zephyr, surprised by the sudden jerk, leapt off his shoulder in a whirl of blue feathers and started circling the area.
“No time for dallyin’, longear! Yer’ not ready for a fight like this,” the Gunner exclaimed.
Adrian instinctively followed their instructions, taking hold of the rope net surrounding the column without pause. As he started climbing, the Captain continued after Murph shouted out more information that Adrian missed in his rush.
“We’re up against a bloom-type Abyssal, at least level 40 based on its size but mostly adapted for speed if it can outrun the Spirits. Arbor magic will be useless so Sloane and I will be stuck with physical abilities only. Tragan, do your best to keep it off the hull; Sunny, burn any of it that climbs on deck and I’ll deal with any fire that spreads. We only need to slow it down until it runs or the Spirits can finish it off.”
Adrian was already halfway up the mast. His arms were straining and his breath came out in heavy gasps, but he’d been climbing cliffs and ropes his whole life and speed was no issue. If he weren’t so overrun with adrenaline, the climb would be as easy as jogging along the beach.
“It sped up, Captain! 5 seconds until Abyssal contact!”
Adrian’s eyes widened in shock. He couldn’t help but turn his head to look down at the incoming threat.
Just like it was described, the bloom Abyssal appeared as a large blanket of mottled green and blue algae nearly as wide as The Galaya. It didn’t appear to have anything like eyes or a mouth but that didn’t mean it wasn’t threatening. As he watched, it finally made contact, crashing into the side of the ship and sending the ship listing to the other side.
Adrian gripped tightly to the net, wrapping it around his ankles to prevent being thrown off the mast while the boat rocked back and forth. Too scared to keep climbing, he kept watch on the situation.
Down below, the blanket wrapped completely around the ship and algae started crawling up the side of the hull. Spikes and barriers made of vines grew out of the side of the ship, slowing its progress, but it slid over and around them without issue. That is, until Tragan shouted at the top of his lungs, raised an open palm to the sky and slapped his extended gut, releasing a slam louder than any cannon.
A visible shockwave blasted the Abyssal on the nearest side of the hull into pieces that flew back into the sea. With his elven eyesight, Adrian noticed a thin layer of black goo underneath the mat of algae that wiggled and writhed under the assault, but came back together in the water before climbing once more onto the hull, this time without its plant cover.
Elsewhere, searing white beams of light flew from Sunny’s fingertips. Each one was thin and only burned for an instant, but sliced through the Abyssal like a scalpel, leaving blackened scars in the wood of the ship. Heavy chunks separated from the mass, losing the strength to keep hold and falling back into the water. What stayed was set aflame, and where the fire kept it at bay, the creature could no longer climb the hull while it struggled.
Unfortunately, the two crewmen couldn’t be everywhere at once. On the other side of the ship, Sloane and Roth held glowing swords, hacking away tendrils of algae that came over the gunwale. They ran around the perimeter, taking down as much of the Abyssal as they could, but it was relentless in its fight to get aboard.
As Adrian watched, the algae reached the ship’s deck. His four crewmates had to back away from the edge to keep it from wrapping around their ankles. Before long, they were all nearly back to back under the mast.
“Sunny, Kraken!” Captain Roth shouted.
A pulse of green light was sent out from her foot and all around the group, thick vines grew from the floor until there were 8 in total that surrounded them, each nearly twice her height. At the same time, the tips of each tentacle started glowing briefly until they burst into a white flame.
The Captain waved her arms and the burning tentacles moved along with them. Each swipe brushed the algae and black goo off the deck, directly burning it to ash. Swathes of space opened up around the group, giving them room to maneuver and push back against the torrent. Every so often, Adrian caught a flicker of movement where Zephyr dove into the mayhem, letting loose a small jet of blue fire from his beak before flying back up to escape retaliation. It seemed the combat had reached a point where nobody could gain any ground.
Fortunately, distracted by the fight, the Abyssal had stopped rocking the ship. No longer scared of being thrown off, Adrian loosened his ankles from the net and got back to climbing.
He couldn’t do anything to help down there. They were right, this fight was far beyond him. Once again, he was useless.
“Incoming attack! The Spirit ship is firing!”
Adrian was only a few feet away from the crow’s nest when Murph’s shout came. Instinctively, he turned his head toward where the glowing yellow ship had come to a stop nearby. Between them and The Galaya, floating orbs of the same sickly yellow appeared and disappeared at random, forming the general outline of a cone that encompassed them entirely.
Without warning, their attack was launched and a wave of yellow gas was blasted out at high speed, following the laid out path. The gust crashed into Adrian before he could react, tearing him free of the net and sending him flying through the sky.
“Adrian!”
He could only react to Murph’s horrified scream by screaming himself. He flew out past the algae bloom above open water in a second, flailing wildly. Through his bond with Zephyr came waves of panic that multiplied with his own. The straika dove toward him, crashing into his back mid-air and scrambling to hold on to Adrian’s jacket with his sharp claws, but he was too heavy, and falling too quickly for Zephyr to grab hold.
Adrian hit the water with bone-breaking force and his vision went black in an instant.
----------------------------------------
Adrian was floating in the sky.
Beneath him, The Good Ship Galaya swayed wildly back and forth under the assault sent out from the Spirit ship. Where the yellow gas passed, the blue and green algae turned brown and shrunk back into itself, laying still on deck or falling off the hull back into the sea, never to move again.
The Captain and his four crewmates all braced themselves, holding each other or whatever they could find to keep steady in the wind, but it seemed to cause no other ill effect.
Adrian raised up his hand and waved it in front of his face. It was completely transparent, glowing a pale green color. When he brought it close, it passed straight through his head without hindrance.
If he could breathe, it would have hitched in his throat as he came to a grim conclusion.
‘I can’t believe it. My first real fight as a pirate and I already-’
“You’re not dead yet, Adrian.” A soft voice popped in from beside him and Adrian jumped in surprise, though he didn’t actually move. Looking around, he quickly found a familiar purple-blue orb.
“D-Dia?” He asked in confusion. “What in the Depths do you mean I’m not dead? Look at me! I’m a Spirit!”
It was clear to him already. How else could he be here right now except that he died on impact? Soon, he would be forced down to the Undersea to join the Spirit fleet himself.
The ball of light that was Dia shook back and forth. “No, the fall knocked you out, but it is fortunate that you did not die immediately, otherwise there is nothing I could have done.”
Adrian stared at her for a moment, attempting to gather his thoughts before replying. “So… what happened to me then?”
“You must have seen the ability I granted you, no? Abyssal Royalty?”
Adrian nodded wordlessly.
“It’s something I came up with that mimics the power I used to wield as a member of the royal family. Something separate from the System and the Constellations that allowed us to tap into our natural strength and dominate the seas,” she explained. “When I saw you fall unconscious, I forcibly activated it to save you, but it seems the tweaks I made to make it work within the confines of the System weren’t exactly perfect…”
Before he could ask what she meant, Dia floated over, drawing his attention to the spot where he had fallen. Where Zephyr was circling a spot in the sea that appeared to be boiling.
“I used a bit too much Energy in the transformation, and, well… it appears to have driven you mad. If I hadn’t brought out your soul like this, you would likely be permanently affected.” she continued as they both watched.
The bubbling came to a stop and for a second, the sea was calm. Then, a single, massive tentacle exploded out of the water. The limb was easily three times the length of The Galaya and twice as thick around. Without hesitation, it started swinging violently around the area.
For the next minute, it swung around the area without direction. It slapped the top of the water, creating tidal waves dozens of feet high that pushed The Galaya away like it was a piece of flotsam rather than a warship. The yellow gas that filled the area was dispersed in an instant in the maelstrom the flailing tentacle left in its wake. What remained of the dying Abyssal suffered the same fate as the dead algae and black goo was torn to shreds in the shockwave and rained down into the sea. The tentacle came close to smashing into the Spirit ship, but just before impact, the entire ship disappeared from sight in a puff of smoke.
Finally, it calmed down and sank back below the water.
Adrian was staring, wide-eyed and mouth open, at the violent display. There were no words that came to mind to convey whatever he felt in that moment, so he just stared at Dia blankly.
“Yes, that was you. Or, rather, your body. The instincts of the Abyssal that I invoked to help were too powerful for your mind, and they easily took control. You will likely have some side effects for the near future, both from the transformation and from having your soul torn from your body, though I cannot say what they may be.” Dia answered his wordless question, but only seemed to bring more to mind.
“Why would you give me such an insane ability you Depths-damned lunatic?! What if I had used that earlier to test it out and just gone crazy, or turned into a giant octopus monster on board the ship?! And what in the stars do you mean by side effects?!” Adrian shouted wildly, overwhelmed by everything going on.
Unfortunately, before the guilty looking Constellation could answer his many questions, he felt a pull on his soul, dragging him down toward the sea.
“Just be careful, Adrian,” she called out as he quickly sank toward his body. “Make sure to start really really small! I’ll try and make sure it doesn’t make you go mad next time!”
“Blasted sea wiiiiiiiiitch-” Adrian screamed until he hit the water, and his vision went black once again.