DESTRUCTIVE MYTH

Leaning back against the wooden frame high above the sails, Drathis was in his element, fresh air, and warm sun, nothing but open see in front of him, he never wanted to be in a dark place again.

He sat pondering what Sural had done, he still felt perfectly fine, still his normal self.

“Nothing will happen to you if you do nothing.” He repeated the words, it hardly made sense was it a defence spell? One in which he lost his power if he tried to attack Dimas or her him? What if it wasn’t a curse at all and it was all just mind tricks? To make him feel as if something was wrong?

He dosed, so tired of the constant threats, so tired of not having a break, just so tired.

“What in the bloomy is that?” A loud voice yelled sometime later.

Drathis peered over the wooden railing almost missing the commotion being carried in the strong wind. The captain was pointing while others rushed to look, Drathis turned over getting up, and looked out at sea; far off in the distance was a storm? He wasn’t sure, it looked like a black cloud or tidal wave, so dark it had to be unnatural.

“Rain clouds?” One crew member questioned

“Na, too big for them hey, you think a freak storm captain?” Another shouted.

“Yeah, looks like it. One hell of a big one!”

Drathis shook his head, it couldn’t be a storm it was too big, too dark.

“Secure the sails!” The captain yelled giving orders all over the deck. Drathis shut his eyes, blocking out every sound, trying to focus his senses; sitting in a prison cell wasn’t completely useless, he had trained his ears to hear sounds from up to a mile away, trying though under sudden pressure was tougher. Taking a deep breath, he focused on his heartbeat, how it sounded with each beat, moving to the ship and all the other sounds from the ropes being pull, orders being called out, to the waves splashing against the side of the ship all the way out to the unnatural black storm.

“It’s a hurricane.” Drathis opened his eyes charged up.

“What are you sure? It doesn’t look like one.” The captain called up rather suspiciously.

“We need to go around it, captain.” One of the crew called out a slight tremble in their voice.

“It’s too big, we will never make it.” The captain turned his head up to Drathis. “How sure are you? It’s very dark and odd-looking to be one.” Uncertainty was evident in the captain’s voice.

“I’m sure, there is something traveling inside it, so whatever the hurricane is carrying, that’s causing the odd appearance.” He watched it closely, it would hit in about two hours if they didn’t do something.

“We need to turn the ship around now!”

“We can’t laddie, the shore is long gone.” The captain replied pulling a rat-eaten map from inside his tunic, slamming it on a barrel next to them.

“Dam the shore just turn around.” Drathis snapped climbing done the mainmast.

“It’s too immense we could never outrun it.” The captain ran his finger over the map.

“Isn’t it worth a shot?” A crew member asked.

“We, here now!” He said placing a finger, Drathis observed the map, he hadn’t seen one in many years and a lot had changed, he followed the captain’s finger to the Black Maser grateful it was far away.

“Great! Then we need to make a sharp right down to, Gozza!” Drathis shouted turning to see the storm growing in size it was the closest land to them now.

The captain and a few others got into a deep discussion all pointing to the map. Drathis looked back at them frustrated rolling his eyes. “Look! We have no other choice if we wanna stay alive!”

“Right!” hesitated the captain, “You heard him! Let’s turn this baby right, now!”

“Eye, eye!” Most replied rushing all over the deck grabbing ropes, Drathis gripped the railing as the captain spun the over-polished wooden wheel right holding it tight in position, pulling a strained face.

Drathis knew if he tried, he could do it with ease but he wasn’t about to disrespect the captain on his ship.

“Release the sails!” The captain roared, the ship turned a sharp right grumbling and creaking as it bobbed, the waves were starting to increase in size and the wind was starting to howl around them announcing what was on its way.

“All?” Three men shouted holding one sail.

“Yes damn it!”

After a few minutes, five enormous sails were released and were secured quickly in place as they bulged with the wind.

The ship suddenly picked up a great amount of speed and kept at it.

Drathis turned to face the captain with a huge impressed smile as his hair blew back.

The captain looked at him smiling.

“Yip! Nothing I like more than letting her loose.” He said with a deep bubbly laugh.

They sailed on forward at a high pace, hoping to outrun the storm, but the massive waves were causing delays, choppy and not a steady current.

According to the map they were coming to the mouth of a large river soon that would lead them into Gozza. The captain grabbed his telescope looking for the river mouth, there many miles ahead he could just make out the small outline of the mountains.

Drathis spun to see the hurricane advancing, it was intimidatingly huge, he strained his eyes trying to focus on what the black water curled veins were until he spotted a few ignite then be extinguished.

“Shit, the hurricane is carrying oil,” Drathis shouted to the captain, the wind kept picking up making a deafening sound, he could hardly hear his own voice as it began to rain.

Drathis didn’t know what to do, he looked down at his hands gripping the ship’s frame shaking it in frustration, wishing the ship could go faster.

“There is nothing we can do laddie, we need to just remain calm, preserve our energy for when it hits.”

Drathis watched the storm approaching feeling helpless.

“Well? Go on down, grab a bite we need to be prepared.” The captain ordered, locking the wheel with his arms.

With that Drathis left going below deck passing busy men, into his empty cabin, he assumed perhaps his nerves were making the captain more frazzled, and staying away, for now, might help them both. He slumped into a chair, looking around the room, it was plain dark wood with a single glowing lantern hanging from the roof swinging too and frow. There was a bed on one side with old sheets and an empty bowl on the floor next to it, a desk in front of him, and a single circle window behind displaying a dark sky and white-capped breaking waves. He wondered why the Hurricane was carrying oil? And what else was inside it to cause the explosions.

He pulled himself to the desk, took out his sword, and leaned back examining it.

My, oh my it was a beauty.

He pulled the sheet from the bed and started rubbing it, to bring the shine more to life, after a few moments it started vibrating, he dropped it standing up slowly, recalling the previous hands that had touched it and died. Looking at it carefully, It was like no other he had ever seen, he loved it, its colors reflected in such dark light alone were out of this world, and its emeralds shone brighter than ever seen. He wondered why it vibrated at the oddest of times was it a warning of some kind? He rubbed the back of his neck his tattoos burning.

Whatever the reason, he would unlock its secrets someday.

He grabbed it sliding the sword through his new casing, stepping backward then falling onto the bed.

A deafening explosion shook the whole Tormaloner and Drathis jumped out of bed rushing to the top deck, pushing his way past people, into the cold wet, howling dark sky. He spun around looking for the captain among the crowd finding him still at his wheel raging at his men. How long had he been below deck it had felt short-lived, but on deck, things had gotten much worse, the wind and rain were threatening to rip the clothes off his skin.

Holding on to a nearby secured barrel he watched as they climbed a large wave, in the distance, he spotted a town’s light. Drathis held his breath as the ship dipped from the large wave soaking almost all on deck spraying a few fish on deck, the fish that were still alive managed to flop once or twice before the wind launched them back into the air. He frowned looking closer at the odd shadows around them, then froze. The hurricane was here and riding with it were a few ships particularly close behind them, active with the enemy.

He looked closer onto the ships, and the things on it were not humans, made sense, no logical being would want to be with this storm.

They were gliding as they walked, he tried to study them but another wave hit and he turned from the harsh spray stretching out his arm to a screaming crew member being pulled by the wave.

He turned back to the closest ship, was it the creatures he had read about and now recently heard about in the market from the storyteller?

They were pitch black and leaking oil into the wind, he saw sparks and fire, their breath was the heat of the lava, very useful to burn their enemy with, how they didn’t sink their own oil-soaked, lava flowing ship he had no idea.

One crew member accidentally bumped into Drathis, who in turn grabbing his sword holding it to the man’s throat.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Others shouted looking at them.

“HEY! This in no time for fighting! If you need to kill someone climbs off bored onto our enemy, the gods know there is enough to go around!” The captain shouted holding the wheel with all his might. Drathis lowered his sword and rushed to the very back of the ship to study the enemy better, he hoped he was wrong, perhaps the other ships all dropped their oil lamps everywhere, at the same time.

He couldn’t even convenience himself with that lie.

“Oh SHIT!! Those, are, the real WAR, Black Maser’s ships!” Drathis shouted horror written all over his face.

“So bloody what?”

Drathis turned to face him, his eyes piercing right through the captain.

“Didn’t you hear me? They Black Maser ships.”

“Oh. Yeah, heard of them.” The captain said turning slightly pale. “Heard about them a lot.”

Drathis watched the captain, as much as he didn’t have any experience with them, it was clear this crew had encountered them sometime before.

A cannon exploded from one of the ships hitting the Tormaloner, shaking her viciously.

“DAMNIT!” The captain roared then shouted a few more orders at four men throwing things off the ship hoping to make it go faster.

“What?” Drathis asked tensed all over watching the captain’s face.

“That hit is gonna give us one bloody big leak!” The captain said fuming. Drathis sensed the ship losing her speed as she took on water.

“How far are we until Gozza?” Drathis shouted holding on to the railing as another wave hit them.

“Uhm, at least fifteen or fourteen miles away.” The captain called out looking at Drathis then his sword in worry. “Now don’t be doing something, stupid with that sword on this deck.”

Drathis gave an odd half-smile gripping his sword. Then looked at three of the ships almost touching the back of Tormaloner. He shivered slightly at the thought, closed his eyes concentrating, he had to do something, they would all be dead soon and he had no idea how to man a ship by himself.

“Well, I won’t be doing something stupid on this, deck,” Drathis answered taking a running jump up off the Tormaloner holding his sword in both hands roaring through the air like a black flying sprite, landing on the closest Black Maser ship slicing through an oiled soldier. He stood up throwing a piece of wood at one’s heart as he hacked another’s head off behind him; he spun around slipping on the oil and water surface skidding to a stop stabbing another through the heart. Four down, a couple hundred more to go.

He watched the four he had sliced carefully waiting for them to bubble back up into form and fight again.

They didn’t.

Ah the joys of having the queen’s sword, she had obviously made a backup plan in case any of her creations tried to turn on her, the sword, and its unexplored powers.

No wonder she had been such a bitch about giving it up, if all else failed it was this sword that never would.

Drathis made every oiled freak drop dead, as he worked his way through the front of the ship.

Six arrows came for him as he stabbed another, dropping to the ground, they soared over him sinking right through three others while he glided his sword from one enemy’s knee to another sending them to the floor spilling lava in pain. He jumped back avoiding the hot liquid slipping again.

He pushing an abnormally big barrel with his one foot down the stairs to the cabins below, knocking a few out in the progress. Gripping on the greased ropes best he could another wave hit them and sent a lava-cooled rock slamming into the side of his leg pinning him.

Catching his breath from the wave that just passed, he tried to break free as bubbling black oiled spear came soaring through the air sinking into his left soldier. Drathis roared in pain raising his sword cutting a soldier coming closer.

The ship rocked violently with a wave releasing his leg, he slid to his knees in anguish, placed his right hand on the spear’s handle, slipping as he tried to tighten his grip lifting his head to the heavens, then pulled it out slowly yelling to the storm.

He stood up slowly, surrounded by twenty-odd soldiers eager to kill.

Drathis closed his eyes raising the sword, waiting for them to come forward, as frightened as he thought he would be in the situation, he was just as eager to kill.

They rushed him as he raised the sword above his head then down around him cutting through seven stomachs, five necks, and eleven other odd parts, as more oil and lava splattered out of them drifting off in the rain.

He worked his way through them literally unstoppable with such a deep rage taking over he felt god-like dancing through the deadly hurricane.

Eventually, he ended up on the back quarter deck on a ship spinning out of control through the storm unmanned, he grabbed the railing searching the sea; he spotted two other ships nearby and one that looked to be friendly, he turned as a sword came slicing past him into the railing, he moved like a ghost forward towards what looked to be the captain, ready with a red-hot moon shaped weapon.

“Yours doomed either way!” The captain hissed through black dripping teeth.

They circled each other, waiting for the other to attack, Drathis kept his eyes on him no saying a word.

As he had hoped the greased captain attacked first, hitting him with all his might nearly sending Drathis right through the wooden floor.

Drathis fell to his knees with the force. his left arm losing strength with the wound, holding his sword hard against the captain’s, it was so close to his face he could feel the heat and if it wasn’t for the storm, he was sure the hissing would be just as intimidating.

He pushed with all his might but the sword was inching closer and closer to his neck, he felt his own sword start to vibrate with energy.

The ship rocked again dangerously close to another and the swords slipped sending hot sparks in Drathis’s face.

I will not go like this!

The violent wind tipped the ship again separating them.

A strained cable snapped sending a wooden beam their way, Drathis lost footing sliding backward into the wooden frame clicking his whole back, the captain sloughed towards him and so did a few other soldiers who had now swung in from the other ship.

Drathis stood up holding his paining shoulder.

He shut his eyes willing all his strength tightening his grip on the sword, focusing his arm to be one with it, and something triggered in his mind, something he hadn’t felt before, sending a powerful rush through him.

He opened his eyes to see his sword raised in front of him glowing a brilliant emerald from the stone sending the glow right down to the tip of the sword, he felt a heat radiating from the back of his neck.

The captain’s sword met his, and the connection sparked a blinding glow on the deck.

He backed up unable to see slicing the air until his vision returned, but there was nothing, they were all gone.

He walked a few steps amazed every time, then looked down as to where the captain had stood, the curved blade was in a puddle of oil cooling, his own sword was still vibrating with glowing energy, he scanned the decks again making sure none were left.

He was too close to the other ship and ran to the end of the ship after turning the steering wheel a sharp right trying to avoid the clash, but it was too late, he leaped through the air a few meters landing on the other ship as it connected, cracking and snapping, molding into each other, swinging on the ropes he climbed one of the fallen masks hanging off the ship and took a running leap through the air just reaching the Tormaloner hanging on the railing.

Looking behind him as the one ship exploded into flame blocking the rest of the ships behind them.

He turned back to his friendly human crew trying to regain his breath, with a huge grin on his face.

The storm they might survive, they wouldn’t have the enemy.

He made his way back to the captain holding on to everything along his way passing pale faces in the dark storm, frozen in place; he realized then that they had all been watching him from the very beginning.

He swallowed hard, so much for keeping who he was a secret.

“Well, come on! I didn’t save you shit heads to stall us further!” Drathis snapped trying to stand still as everything begun to spin, he tried to grab on to the side of the ship with an oily hand, slipped and fell to the deck knocking his head, he groaned turning over to look at his shoulder, it was burnt at the side swollen with oil, wood fragments, and blood, a lot of blood, he lay there holding his shoulder as another wave came crashing down on them.