Voyage of the Swordfish

[Pregnant_Pickle]

It was early morning in Istraloth. As always, a heavy blanket of mist swaddled the island's rainforests, with only the occasional silhouette of a bird breaking the swathes of white. The lake was invisible except for its few channels, pouring water into the shallow sea that the Swordfish couldn't negotiate. The islands were silent all over, the fisherman of the coastal settlements not yet out in their launches.

Only one shape cut through the silence - a slim Scarabrian carrack, seventy-five feet in length, slicing through the deep blue waters around Istraloth. Its name was the Swordfish, and to Alyrio Moreira, it was the finest ship he'd ever been on, if only because he'd had his back scarred by a City Guard and his fingers broken by a club-wielding sailor to get it.

Alyrio stood on the deck, looking back at the receding islands and flexing the fingers of his left hand, which were starting to get some mobility back. Things hadn't gone well at the beginning of the voyage. Despite none of them saying they would leave him, three the sailors who'd come with the ship at Scara Brae had gone into Jadet and abandoned the voyage, and since they'd had their ship hijacked for a mission to a fantasy land, who could blame them? Alyrio had had to wait in Jadet for a while to hire sailors, but few wanted to join, and instead of the experienced sailors he'd hoped for, he'd acquired a crew of thirty-five wharf rats, green boys and the sweepings of Jadet's docks, as well as a few seasoned seamen here and there. Despite this, the voyage had proceeded without hitches, and Istraloth was something else entirely.

Few sailors from the Northern Lands had visited these almost uninhabited islands, but Alyrio was struck by their beauty instantly - the verdant green of the rainforests, the unbroken blue of the sea and the lake, even the islands' solid and forbidding crags. The islands were a perfect opportunity for the sailors to recuperate before the voyage, and they'd done so eagerly, spending their days fishing at their secluded anchorage on an islet at the edge of the lagoon, and taking the ship's launch up to one of the islands to wander through the forests. Settling on one of those reed mat cities wouldn't be a bad option, once I'm retired and all my work here's done.

But for now, the crew members he had were perfectly up to the task of sailing to Marista, the mythical continent Alyrio's father claimed existed to the south of Istraloth, far away from any charted territory. The only ones that there might be any problems with were two of the sailors he'd picked up in Jadet. Marcus Book, a huge, nearly silent warrior he'd taken on as hired muscle, who stood on his own and glowered at the other sailors as if he'd forgotten who they were; and Caelryn Fayne, a slim half-elf with cruel eyes who almost looked like she'd been born without a soul. Alyrio didn't quite trust those two, but if there were any problems, they hadn't come yet. And then there was Ward.

After Yari Rafanas had disembarked at Jadet, his Scarabrian contact Ward had come back to the ship and revealed he'd had a lot of previous sailing experience. Desperate for crew at that time, Alyrio had immediately taken him on as quartermaster, but now he wasn't so sure about his decision. Ward had never explained why he'd wanted to come back, even when pressed. Gods help me, if Yari's playing games with me even from Corone... Even so, Ward had proven to be a more than capable sailor, and that was what mattered at this point.

He was pacing along the deck now, bellowing orders at the sailors clambering among the masts. Alyrio hailed him. "Ship's sailing well enough, but we'll see how she stands up in a storm, eh?" he said. "Judging from this map... looks as if this land of yours, if it exists, would be about four days' sail away from here."

"Perfect. And it's just the right season, now the winter storms have gone. Set a course for south by southeast."

When Ward had gone, Alyrio retreated to his cabin, where he sat down at his table and picked up a quill, jotting down all the islets the ship passed. If they were going into uncharted territory, then so be it. They would make the charts themselves, or let others die if they went.

[Amen]

It was not so long ago that Marcus Book was in a Jadet prison for murder. Now he stood on the deck of a beautiful carrack, gliding soundlessly through the sultry mists of Istraloth in the early morning.

Let’s be honest with ourselves, he mused to himself as he bit into an apple. It wasn’t murder. It was murders. Plural.

He smiled as he chewed and, as always, it was a hard smile.

The young paladin leaned half overboard as he enjoyed his breakfast, considering the receding isles that made up Istraloth. A sailor, thinner and far younger than even Marcus himself, was struggling with a rope to his left. In an effort to ignore the distraction the sailor offered, Book once again considered the possibility of remaining in Istraloth. The decision was already made, obviously, but the crew’s stay on the simplistic, paradisiacal island chain was the closest thing he’d ever had to a vacation and it was hard not to be tempted to remain.

“H-help!”

But no, Marcus silently sighed. He was only on board the Swordfish because he’d lied and claimed that he had some sailing experience, and it was only because of Moreira’s charity and good grace that he had been able to make his escape from Jadet at all. That or Alyrio was desperate. Either way, Book felt that it would have been wrong to abandon the man or the ship – destiny put him there in the first place and, let’s be honest, all this talk of lost continents was intriguing.

“Help!”

The paladin sighed, this time audibly, and turned to where the nearby sailor was struggling with that same rope. Only now, he noticed, the rope had come loose from its moorings on the guard rail and was pulling the boy slowly along the deck no matter how desperately he struggled with it. The boy was about to call for help a third time when Book caught the rope just above his hands, and pulled.

The young sailor stared a moment, mouth agape, as Marcus held the rope steady with one hand and took a bite out of an apple held in the other. The larger man chewed a moment, then raised his eyebrows. “Am I going to have to hold this for very long?” he asked around a mouthful of apple.

The boy leapt to action and secured the rope again with a complicated knot, and then breathed his relief.

“Thank you! Gods, thank you,” he said.

Marcus grunted, immediately disliking the kid for his Coronic Tradespeak. Still, it had been weeks since he’d said more than two or three words at a time, and he was beginning to grow sick of himself as a conversationalist. He swallowed his mouthful of apple and said, “Between the two of us, we make a decent sailor.”

The boy sailor cocked his head and grinned that he didn’t understand, and Book waved his apple at the recently completed knot. “I couldn’t untie that. Much less do one like it. I don’t know anything about boats.”


“Ah,” the sailor smiled. “And I weigh as much as…well, a coil of rope. I guess that’s why nobody else would take me as a deckhand.”

“I am Marcus Book,” he said, and traded his half-eaten apple from one hand to the other, so that he could offer his right. His Salvic accent seemed thickest when he said his own name: like Marcouss Bhouk, with too much breathy emphasis on the u and b sounds.

“Everybody calls me Combs,” the sailor said, taking the paladin’s hand in a firm handshake.

“Combs,” Marcus said. “Well, Combs, let’s agree. When I need a knot tied I’ll come to you, and when you need help staying on deck you come to me.”

The sailor chuckled. “Agreed,” he said. “I have to tell you, I half expected you to let me go overboard. The rest of the crew…well, the rumor is that you’re a killer.”

Book shrugged and took another bite of apple, turning his gaze back out toward the shrinking silhouette of Istraloth. “Sometimes rumors are true.”

“I suppose it wouldn’t surprise me,” Combs said. When Marcus glanced at him curiously, he explained: “This is the strangest crew I’ve ever heard of and, well, like I said, nobody else would have taken me on. No offense, but if you don’t know how to tie a taut-line hitch, I’m not sure why the captain took you on as a sailor either.”

“I lied to get out of Jadet,” the paladin said plainly. For a moment he was concerned Combs would tell on him, but then he realized that if Moreira asked directly he would have admitted it to him, too.

“An experienced captain would have tested your knowledge,” Combs said. “Hell, an experienced captain would have known it before you said a thing. And,” the boy lowered his voice, “and I’ve never heard of taking women aboard for long voyages. It just seems like he’s asking for trouble.”

Marcus smiled, tossing the core of his apple overboard. “We’re searching for a mythical land,” he said. As he spoke the ship began to swing into a new course, the bow seeking the southeast horizon. “We’re past asking for trouble. We’re diving into it headfirst.”

[MinzigFrish]

"Alyrioooo?" Zarah half sang, half questioned as she peered around the corner of her cabin. She had just roused from a long nights sleep. Though this was her first (in all technicality her second, for her first included Mr. Yari, a ferociously fun bandit... though this was basically a continuation of that same trip) time on board any sea-faring vehicle, she found that she slept like a log. All she could figure was that the gentle tossing of the water was like a silent lullaby. It was a lovely thing, but enough of that. She was on a hunt at the moment. Distractions, distractions... She tsk tsked herself and scanned the empty hallway with brilliant purple eyes. Where was that man? She had really only been socializing with him, paying no mind to the rest of the crew. Up to this point, she really hadn't worked up any reason to. They were all only ship hands, there to work and run the ship, a task neither she nor Alyrio could pull off. But now, she was beginning to second guess it.

They were headed to an island, one that many had never even began to imagine existing; would just the two of them be safe exploring it alone? Perhaps it birthed new species of creatures, giant insectoids and vast carnivorous plants. Those monsters wouldn't spare the duo a second glance before devouring them whole. She was sure Alyrio had contemplated this before hand. He must have. Which meant he obviously would have hired help, perhaps an expert jungle explorer, or someone who dealt well with snarling and hungry beings much larger than themselves. Zarah gave a small sigh and ran a hand through her long moss-green hair. She should probably go up to the deck and make her presence known to everyone, if not only to befriend her future companions.

"Alyrio?" She called once more, then surrendered and wandered casually up to the open deck. The sudden temperature drop caught her off guard. It was certainly busy, crew bustling about to do whatever jobs they'd been hired to do, others simply relaxing and enjoying the scenery. And what beautiful scenery it was. Zarah found herself headed for the boats railing, taking in the enormous blue ocean. It was both unnerving and awe-inspiring to think that no matter how far you looked in any one direction, there wasn't the slightest scrap of land to be seen. The sky was a softer shade of blue the the water, clear and cloudless as if they were engulfed in a cerulean bubble.

"Well, if this isn't amazing, then I don't know what is..." She murred to herself. The overpowering odor of salt burned at her sensitive nose, making it twitch. She drew her attention from the sea to take in her company. Her eyes landed upon one man in certain. He was hulking for sure, probably the biggest (and most intimidating) man on board. She sized him up in her head, nodding at the fact that in a fight with him, she could probably hold her own. He munched on a plump apple, though it drew no attention from her. She would much rather take a bloody steak any day. That man, if anyone, would be one of the people who came along to explore the island, she was sure of it. She glanced in the opposite direction, seeing no one else of interest until -voila!- she spotted Alyrio. She hurried to him, tucking a strand of hair that the breeze was having its way with behind her ear. "Hey, captain. Any estimate on how close we are?" She cocked her head questioningly, then continued without waiting for an answer. curse her attention span. "Oi, I almost forgot what the light of day looked like. How long was I huddled up downstairs?" Zarah raised her arms above her head and stretched heavily, the hem of her ankle-riding skirt raising only an inch or so. "It's an absolutely beautiful day, wouldn't you agree?"

[Pregnant_Pickle]

Alyrio remained in his cabin, leaning over his charts, until Zarah's voice broke through his sea of thoughts. He turned around and smiled. "Oh, hey. You were actually down there quite a long time. A shame you couldn't have come over to Istraloth with us, it was absolutely beautiful."

Zarah had been picked to come along on the ship for survival skills - skills that, as a part-time wolf, Alyrio was sure she possessed. It was really too bad that she'd spent about three-quarters of the voyage so far curled up sleeping below decks - the sailors needed every opportunity they had to socialise with each other if they were going to stay with each other for a long time, and so far, Zarah had remained aloof. Even Marcus was standing on deck, chatting to one of the younger deckhands. Alyrio saw no reason for her isolating herself like this, but let it slide.

"We're a few days sail away yet, but if we go full sail ahead with this southeasterly wind, we'll be there in no time, so don't worry about that. I tell you what, let's go on deck. I've got to see if there's any islets nearby that I might have missed." Alyrio gathered up his charts and quill, stretched, and climbed the stairs out of his cabin onto the forecastle.

On deck, a sense of excitement lingered in the air. Three of the sailors who were not on duty stood around in a small group, muttering among themselves, their eyes wide as saucers. Even those attending to tasks were not working so hard, staring at a point on the horizon.

"Get back to work, you rogues!" Alyrio yelled to them, before going off to find Ward, who was standing at the ship's bow with a telescope fixed to his eye. "What's going on here? And what's everyone gawking at?"

Ward shook his head. "I've never seen anything like this. Look there, in the middle distance, and you'll see it."

Alyrio glanced off, squinting hard to where Ward had pointed, and saw a large, rounded object rise out of the water a couple of miles away, stay there for a few seconds, and submerge again. "That? But that could just be a whale..."

"No, Alyrio. That's no whale, I'm sure of it. Look through here, and you'll see exactly what I mean."

Alyrio fixed the telescope to his left eye and continued to look at the place where the object had surfaced. What he saw when it surfaced again, about half a mile away, transfixed him.

This thing was larger than any whale that ever existed, almost a thousand feet long, and who knew how much more of it was below the surface? And where a whale's skin was covered with bumps and pits and scars, the surface of this thing was perfectly smooth, and a uniform coppery colour. It was quite pretty in a way, almost translucent and shining with the water glinting off it, but eerie, as it was probably most unlike anything that existed on Althanas.

Alyrio handed the telescope back to Ward, not believing his eyes. "That thing seems to be surfacing at regular intervals, moving away in that direction. Set a course to follow it. If it's some kind of animal native to these waters, it might lead us to Marista. If it's something else, I'm sure it'd be a great discovery."

"And if it doesn't lead us anywhere, and it takes us on a wild goose chase?" Ward said, frowning.

"If it disappears, we turn back towards the northwest, back on course." Alyrio left him, and turned back to Zarah. "That big thing I saw in the distance... it's like nothing anybody here's seen before. We'll follow it now, and see where it takes us."

There was one other thing he wanted to ask of Zarah. "Zarah, I have a job for you. Keep an eye on our friend Ward, and also on the big warrior and the half-elf. I have my suspicions about all of them. Make sure they aren't planning anything... untoward."

[Amen]

I bunnied Ward here. I'm not sure if it's bad form to bunny a third party's NPC. If so, have Yari let me know what Ward would have said and I'll change it and refrain from doing that in the future.

If and when Alyrio and Zarah looked up to find Marcus, they would not see him where he had been a moment before. The sailor with whom he was chatting stood now with a group of sailors who had found a spyglass, and were now taking turns looking out toward the mysterious sea creature.

A quick search would instead find the moody paladin not far away – indeed, he must have slipped past the pair without them noticing. He stood beside Ward, his considerable arms crossed over his chest.

“Do not misunderstand me,” Book was saying to the quartermaster. “I’m not questioning orders. This is the captain’s operation and if he wants to sail us straight to hell, I’ll sooner jump overboard than mutiny. I simply wish to express my…discomfort. That thing is big, and if it decides it doesn’t care for us following it…”

“It wouldn’t take very much effort to capsize us,” Ward said. “Believe me, I know. But if Alyrio says we follow it, we follow it. The best we can do is be prepared for whatever might happen. Besides, we brought you on board in case somebody or something decides to try and do us harm, eh?”

Marcus chuckled darkly, looking out over the crew. “If I’d known things were going to be this strange and you were going to pick a fight with something that size, I would have run the other way.”

As he spoke, the paladin’s gaze settled on where Alyrio and a young woman stood talking, and he raised his eyebrows. He’d heard there was a woman on board but had not yet actually seen her until now. Even so, he could have hardly braced himself for the sight of her: she had green hair and seemed by her dress more a gypsy than a lady of the sea. When he’d first heard of her presence, Marcus had assumed Alyrio brought her on as a bed-warmer. Now, with her exotic looks and dress and apparent youth, he didn’t know what to think.

“Stranger by the minute,” Marcus said to Ward without taking his eyes off of Zarah. “Maybe I should have run the other way.”

[MinzigFrish]

Zarah nodded with a smile. "Certainly. I'll.... do what I can, keep an eye on each of the men and such. Hope I don't trip." She playfully nudged Alyrio with a snicker at the bad joke. Almost immediately however she sobered and fixed her gaze on the distant bobbing mass. "Hm... So, what do you think it might be? A sea monster, perhaps? How exciting. Don't you think it just may fare better for everyone, though, to keep en route? I mean, this thing may get us lost, or eaten, either by itself or some even larger and more ferocious beast..." She shivered slightly at the thought. "Sure, I can take on something the size of a bear and come out the victor, but I reeeeeeally doubt that we could stand a chance against one of those... things." Zarah offered a shrug to her own question.

"Then again, perhaps it's a vegan. Maybe it's lonely and, to show it's appreciation for our company, it'll lead us to some vast treasure hoard. Ooooh, I can almost smell the gold now!" She wiggled her hips excitedly. A chill suddenly ran up her spine as she felt eyes on herself. Zarah spared a glance back, to find Ward and a strange man speaking. The man, even larger than Ward himself and, in her opinion, even more menacing, was the one watching her. He looked foreign, wearing dark clothes that most definitely weren't native to these parts. This was the man Alyrio had asked her to keep an eye on, she was sure of it. Just peering at him from a distance made her uncomfortable. She flashed him a small smirk and blew a kiss before turning back to Alyrio. Yes, she had an eye on him all right. Keep your friends close, but your potential enemies closer.

[Pregnant_Pickle]

The ship continued on through the day and through the night, changing watches every so often so the sailors could get some rest. But Alyrio didn't rest. His mind was still on Marcus, and that massive coppery creature. Probably some kind of sea monster. But then again, why would a sea monster's skin be that smooth and shiny? A combination of excitement and nervousness filled his body. That sea monster was probably a new discovery that would bring him fame and fortune... if he lived to report it, since he was sure they wouldn't stand a chance if it attacked.

He stayed up all night, working on his charts, writing in his journal, and occasionally popping up on deck to check on the progress of the creature with his spyglass. And it was always in the same position each time he checked, moving straight to the southwest and bobbing above water every couple of minutes or so. He assumed that it was coming up to breathe that way, like a whale, but there was no blowhole or any other breathing organ on its back. Perhaps it breathed through its skin. And besides, wouldn't a creature that size have massive lungs?

The fourth time Alyrio turned to look, Ward was up there again. "Twelve Gods, man, you're wearing a groove in the deck with this constant progress check. Why can't you get some rest?"

Alyrio shook his head. "Not a chance. My mind's stuck on that thing."

Ward exhaled and rubbed his forhead. "The boys are running themselves ragged with excitement over wondering what it could be, and the older hands are convinced it's a mirage. I'm half convinced myself, because it's always moving one way, and we never get any closer to it..."

"I want to follow this. Think of it if we discover a new creature, Ward!"

"Aye, a new creature that's built like Queen Valeena's palace. And what shall we do if it's not friendly?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Alyrio, truth told, had not really thought about that possibility, and didn't care, caught up in the rush of discovery and adventure.

"If it does come to that, I think Marcus would be an asset to our side. Y'know, the big Salvic warrior?"

He'd touched a nerve with Alyrio. "We can't just rely on Marcus. Yes, he looks a fearsome warrior, but he's Salvic, and he doesn't look trustworthy..."

Ward looked incredulous. "Untrustworthy? I'm a bandit who helped you hijack a ship! You thought I wasn't trustworthy, but you took to me when you saw my experience. I'm sure with Marcus you'll do the same."

"I just..." Alyrio waved a hand. "Forget it. Make for that island on the horizon, and sail around it for safe anchorage. I'd like to map it in the morning, and see if it's an outcrop of Marista."

Ward cracked his crooked grin. "Now that looks like a real plan. None of this sea monster and mythical continent business... hang on..."

Ward strode over to the bow and peered at the island, clearly visible and given an eerie aspect in the crystalline moonlight. The monster, a great black shape visible only by the glint of the light on it, was making for the island.

"Cut speed," Alyrio commanded the deck watch, wanting to see if the creature would get on to the island. And that is exactly what it did, extending appendages as thick as mature oak trees onto the beach before hoisting itself on shore clumsily with an audible grinding sound, water cascading back into the sea.

The creature was vaguely humanoid, and as huge as Alyrio had predicted it would be, extending at least a thousand feet into the sky and humungously bulky. It possessed the two arms it had used to get onto the beach, and two others - they couldn't be made out from this distance properly, but seemed oddly pointed. A faint purplish glow pulsed around its eyes.

Eventually, standing still near the beach, another grinding sound came from the thing, and something that sounded like a whoosh of air made its presence felt. Four shapes were vaguely silhouetted against the moon, somewhat dragon-like.

"Is this some kind of water-going golem?" Alyrio asked, absolutely stunned.

"Could be. But from what I've seen, it had creatures inside it, and I've never seen that on a golem."

Alyrio shook his head. He'd just got another reason to explore the island in the morning.

[Amen]

Dead of night in the middle of an uncharted sea, on a stolen ship crewed by strangers. Marcus lay awake in his hammock, rocked by the sea, and listened as a skeleton crew paced the deck above. Most of the work had to be done while the sun was up and thus a majority of the crew slept around him – restlessly. He could hear them shift and sigh, and their unease was palpable.

His mind wandered briefly to the Thing they now followed, and it struck him as unlikely that they sought a hidden continent and, in the vast ocean, they discovered an unknown creature on the way. Perhaps the same thought had occurred to the rest of the crew already, and that was why their dreams were so troubled.

Jib shifted on Book’s chest and let out a tremendous sigh. Jib was a cat and, to hear the sailors tell it, the eldest member of the crew. He’d been brought aboard years ago to keep the rats in check and, for the most part, avoided humans and remained unseen. For whatever reason, the beast had chosen to break this custom when it came to Marcus Book, and had developed a liking to spending part of the early morning dozing against the big paladin’s warmth. Marcus, to his own surprise, found that he did not mind this new companion.

Book began to pet the cat, which in turn began to purr. Jib had been ridden with fleas and ear mites when Marcus had first come aboard. Internal parasites too, probably. It seemed possible, if not probable, that the feline had somehow known that the paladin meant health: such parasites did not survive well so close to the Light, and every passing evening in Marcus’ hammock meant more of the pests dead or dying. Indeed, Marcus had spent the first few nights with Jib brushing dead fleas off his shirt after the cat left. Tonight there were none.

When Jib drifted back off to sleep and his purring quieted, the paladin lifted his book and resumed reading. It was dark below decks, illuminated by a few slivers of electric-blue moonlight, but Book’s eyes glinted like polished doubloons in the deep shadows. He could see where normal men could not, and used this benefit to read while most slept. He was a night owl. As a younger man, and as a child, it was his wont to wake well after noon and go to bed some time before dawn. His work forced him to shift his hours: now he slept early, and rose well before the sun.

Hours passed, the stack of unread pages slimmed.

Eventually part of the night shift came down to bunk, but they did not come as quietly as they normally did. One, who slept near Marcus, gently woke a man who was not yet on duty and began to whisper to him. Book listened curiously, unseen in the dark, as the sailor told his fellow a story.

Apparently the mysterious sea beast had somehow beached itself, and reared up like a man, and…what? Given birth? Marcus could not make sense of the man’s telling. Perhaps it their dialect of Tradespeak, which was subtly different from that spoken in Salvar, and more-so for sailors and other workmen. It sounded as if he was trying to say that there were men inside the sea-monster.

There was no mistaking the last part of the story, however: Alyrio had given the order that the island be explored come morning, and morning was not far off now.

The paladin waited until the conversation quieted, and then for the sailors to fall into disturbed sleep. Then he gently closed his book and set it among his things, and pet Jib for a short time until the cat was fully awake and, satisfied with his nap, jumped down from the hammock and stalked away in search of his livelihood and breakfast. Thus freed from his nighttime duty, Marcus rolled out of his hammock and began gathering his things.

He strapped on his belt, and to it he affixed his mace. He pulled on his heavy boots, and then his hide jacket, which would protect him both from the early morning chill and light slashes. Over this he strapped on his scabbard, in which was ensconced a blooded sword.

The paladin’s eyes blazed in the dimness.

***

The horizon was peach-colored and the nighttime stars were fading as Marcus Book took the deck. He looked to the southwest, and was at first surprised to see that they had arrived at land. There was no sign of the sea-creature, but the squire figured Ward had wisely brought them around so that they could go to ground without being seen.

He searched the deck for a time before he found Ward and Moreira together, undoubtedly planning the venture ahead. Before they noticed his approach, he spoke up. “I hear you’re going to shore,” he said. “I’m coming too.”

[Pregnant_Pickle]

Alyrio put on an unsettlingly forced smile. "Excellent. We could use a fighting man if we're going to face that. Ward, you can come too."

Ward frowned. "No offence, but I'm not facing that... thing without a strong pint of ale. You can go yourself."

"I am your captain, and that is an order! Besides, it looks totally dormant anyway. Hasn't moved a muscle since last night."

"It hasn't moved a muscle," Ward continued, gritting his teeth, "because I don't think it's alive. What kind of living creature could stand to have people inside it?"

Alyrio hadn't thought of that. "So it's some kind of automaton. Big deal. And unless its inhabitants come back, we'll be in no danger at all."

Ward shook his head. "Fine, I'll come to the island. But you don't know what you're getting yourself into, you mark my words."

Ward, Alyrio noticed, had only grown more defiant about the creature, frequently questioning his orders. I always knew he was going to snub my authority. I'll have to see if this develops into something more. "Zarah," he told the girl, who had been standing nearby from the night watch, "I want you to come along as well. You'll probably be able to see if this thing is anything unnatural."

With that, Alyrio hoisted the boat overboard with Ward's help, and clambered in. "Marcus and Ward, take the oars. Zarah and I can keep watch."

[Amen]

Marcus rowed in stoic silence. It felt good to exercise again, especially in the cool humidity of the tropical early-morning. In time he felt the slightest bit disappointed that the ship was able to get as close to the island as it did, for the boat reached the shallows quickly. At that, Book volunteered to drop out of the boat and drag it ashore, which he did with equal composure.

As his fellows emerged from the boat, Book scanned the beach. The shoreline turned in toward the island in a sharp bend not far to the right, and it was around that bend that they would find where the sea-creature was beached. Or automaton. Whatever the case might have been, the four of them could see its silhouette rising above palm trees, but Marcus did not think it had noticed their approach. Indeed, he wondered if it were capable of noticing anything at all.

With a final glance back toward the shadowy tower, Marcus turned to Alyrio and Ward. “The crew mentioned that figures emerged from it. We should entertain the notion that they’re hostile. Certainly they know we followed them. Perhaps I should hide in the jungle while the rest of you attempt a parlay. If it’s an ambush I’ll be able to ruin it, and if they’re friendly my presence will only complicate negotiations, given my weapons and…appearance.”

Book paused, glancing between Ward and the captain. He sensed tension there, though he wasn’t entirely certain of the cause. He glanced also at Zarah, suddenly feeling like the odd one out. “Just a suggestion, of course,” he said quickly. “I’ll do whatever you think is best, Captain, I just want to be sure we’re not walking into a trap. We’re in unknown waters, here, literally and figuratively.”

[MinzigFrish]

"He's got a point." Zarah gave a slight nod in Book's direction, breaking her streak of silence for the past few hours. It wasn't as though she didn't want to talk, she just had nothing to say. Anyway, it would be for the best if their party seemed smaller and less intimidating, in the case that they encountered natives or perhaps even a wild beast. Of course, they wouldn't even need Marcus's help if it were only a creature. She spared a glance to Alyrio. "What say ye, captain? I personally just want to find out the whole mystery of the beached whale. The anticipation is murder." She made a chopping motion across her neck with one hand.

Zarah sniffed, taking in all the new smells. Other than the pungent salty odor, the strongest scent was aromatic, slightly fruity. She assumed it was coming from all the trees that lined the beach, hiding their own ripe treasures beneath oversized palm leaves. She made a mental note to taste some of the islands native fruits, always one to jump at the opportunity to try new things.

"I don't sense danger near, so I'd place a good bet that we weren't spotted on arrival. We've got the upper hand with the element of surprise. It's your call, captain." Zarah peered at him with large violet eyes. "What'll it be?"