Fate Beckons
"Hey Ethan, we're almost there, give me a hand up here will you? The storm is really giving us a battle of its own. Don't worry, your stalkers are nowhere in sight and a battle during this weather would be pointless."
Ethan stepped onto the deck of Gero's ship, Horizon's Rose, and stumbled over himself as a wave crashed into the starboard side of the hull. He picked himself up and called out to Gero, his voice muted by the wind.
"What was that?" Gero called back.
Again Ethan called to Gero, his voice swept away by the storm. He pointed toward the port side, and Gero looked over just in time to notice a green and yellow fireball screaming toward his ship. Both sailors grabbed onto the nearest secured objects just as the orb struck the ship's hull, exploding on contact and collapsing two of the masts.
"Ethan!" Gero screamed at the top of his lungs, "Where did that come from?!"
Ethan screamed as well, the hint of his voice sounding worried and confused. Just then two more fireballs appeared, both coming from a common location but seemingly from a ship hidden in the storm. Both Ethan and Gero held on again as one shot blew the bow of the ship into the abyss and the other barely missed another mast. Gero righted himself and manned the stern's technologically augmented bow cannon. He aimed it in the direction of the fireballs' origin and started firing mortars. One-by-one the mortars were blasted into the darkness, replaced alternatively on either side of the cannon by the batteries under the deck. The cannon's usual rolling and clicking sounds were completely muffled by the storm. The mortars plunged into the depths silently, missing their elusive mark every time.
Another fireball appeared from the same point behind the storm's veil. It crashed through the hull of the ship and water began to rush in with great force.
With hesitation Gero whispered, "I didn't think it would end this way... I know that it's customary for a captain to go down with his ship, however I'm afraid that I can't go quite yet."
Two more fireballs became visible through the rain.
"You've been a fine ship, but I'm afraid I must disembark, lest the world also suffer your abysmal fate."
One fireball screamed overhead while the other took down the remaining mast. The ship began to turn over, sinking toward its watery tomb. Gero ran toward Ethan, dodging a pile of barrels that tipped over with the recent strike.
"Hey kid, can you swim?"
Ethan nodded, and looked toward yet another shot aimed toward Gero's wrecked ship.
"Ethan, it's a tragedy but there's no honor in staying," Gero remarked, looking toward the stern, "she cannot sustain more damage and the fire keeps coming."
The fireball flew overhead, narrowly missing the deck.
"Time to go."
Gero threw Ethan into the black water, diving in after him and swimming away from the ship. Two blasts could be heard from behind, tearing through the hull of the ship with debris falling into the water. Gero turned around in the water and watched as a fire reached the supply hold, igniting barrels of gunpowder and blowing his ship to pieces. With hesitation, he turned and followed Ethan toward the east, seeking an elusive shoreline that must be near. |
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