13.
The Captain couldn't quite figure out what was happening as he stares at Cain's body lying on the ground.
"I'll give you one last chance Captain... leave now and don't come back," Eris says in a snarl.
The Captain swallows down his sadness just long enough to look down at her. Her lips were curled up in a smile, her eyes twinkling in the moonlight. His sword was left hanging by his side by now and he couldn't help but take a step backwards from her.
"Fine," he says. "But at least cherish his body."
"I will," Eris says as she gets up.
The pirate who had killed Cain comes over to stand above the Captain, his angered eyes staring down at him. The Captain couldn't even think of what to do as Alaina comes up behind him, grabbing the Captain's arm to drag him slowly away from the scene.
"Come on," Alaina says, a hint of worry in her tone. All she knew was that they should take the offer while it lasted.
But the Captain couldn't take his eyes off Cain as he lies on the floor, the moonlight reflecting his blood-coated body. He wanted to run over to him and bury his tears into his neck, but knew that they were still on Eris's ship, meaning that they needed to get away while they still could.
So instead, he turns around from Eris, shaking Alaina's arm off his shoulder and jumps into the boat. Once Alaina was settled in beside a sleeping Nash, the Captain cuts the ropes of the boat, leaving them to drop down into the ocean.
The waves carry them further and further away from the ship, the Captain's eyes glaring at it. He could make out Eris's figure looking out at them, her hair flying in the wind. He still wasn't able to quite get past the fact that his best mate... his only family left standing and his only friend... was dead.
The sun gleams down on the boat, seagulls overhead were chirping and pecking at the mysterious boat. The Captain groans as the sun gently stings his skin, absorbing into his pores.
"Blade? Are you okay?"
Groaning further the Captain opens one eye only to see Alaina and Nash sitting upright in the boat, their eyes looking at the Captain in worry. Stretching, he cracks his toes and yawns up at the sky as he wakes up, sleep slipping away from him.
"Where are we?" he asks as he arches his back in order to crack it.
Sleeping in a boat was no an ideal place to sleep in. Especially when it had hard edges and the seats got in the way. Plus the waves were more apparent on a smaller vessel.
"In the middle of nowhere," sighs Nash.
"I've been trying to steer us towards the shore," Alaina says sadly.
"There won't be any land for miles," the Captain says, sighing sadly as he sits upright and looks around him.
There no nothing anywhere. All there was to see was the ocean around them, which was making the boat bob up and down here and there.
"How do you know?" Alaina asks.
"Because," the Captain replies simply.
He hadn't slept well that night due to the fact that nightmares had racked his brain. Images and flashes of Cain dying had shaken him awake, forcing him to try and get back to sleep once again. He still couldn't believe that he was dead... yesterday they were wandering through the forest and today... well today there was no Cain.
"I'm sorry to hear about your mate," Nash says with a sympathetic smile.
The Captain lets out a soft laugh, his nerves unable to be contained. He fiddles with his fingers within his grasp, his hold on his emotions unable to be distinguished.
"Yeah well... I should've just killed her," the Captain says.
He was angry that he hadn't been able to think of that before it was too late. Now she was on that ship, alive, and had probably fed Cain's dead body to the kraken. He just wished he could've moved faster from the shock now that he thought of it.
"You still can," Alaina says.
"How!?" the Captain says with a laugh. He knows that the answer wasn't going to be simple. Nothing ever was.
"She might have power but... she can be ruined," Alaina says, hope in her tone.
"I may as well hand my head to her myself in that case," the Captain says. "When she had me going blind and deaf I was useless... She is more powerful than I anything I've experienced. Which is odd seeing that she isn't a witch."
"Yeah, she killed the wizard in order to get his powers," Nash says sadly. "That's how she got to be powerful."
Alaina looks at Nash, confused by the Captain knew exactly what he meant. In order to gain powers you had to kill a witch or wizard and absorb their powers.
"That's how she kidnapped me. I came down the hallway, trying to find my dad when I found her killing the wizard and stealing his powers. I-I tried to stop her but... I was too late."
"Bitch...," Alaina breaths out softly.
"I'm surprised that she didn't die getting the power," the Captain says, his mind reeling.
"She's more powerful than we've anticipated," Nash says. "Then she drugged me and escorted me onto the ship. I'm just glad you guys got me out."
"Well we weren't going to leave you there," Alaina says.
"But I have nothing to go back to, my kingdom is ruined," Nash says with a heavy sigh. "I didn't even get to say goodbye to Enya and Mira."
"Then join me," the Captain says, looking at Nash. Nash looks up from his fingers to stare into the Captain's blue eyes.
"Thank you, but I should try to get back at least. The pirate life isn't exactly my forte."
"It can be anyone's forte," the Captain argues. "You just have to let it be your forte."
Nash stares into Blade's eyes a moment longer, before turning away.
"I'd always wanted to live on the sea but last night had changed my mind drastically."
"Aye... I understand," Blade says.
"But then again... I'm travelling with the best band of pirates ever," Nash says with a smile. "So I'll take your offer under consideration."
"Thanks," the Captain says.
"May I suggest we duck for cover?" Alaina asks.
The Captain turns to look at Alaina, before following her eye line over his shoulder and to the ship in the distance. At first his heart clenches in fear, before realising that he shouldn't be afraid.
"It's The Dark Curse," breaths the Captain.
"Excuse me?" Alaina asks.
"Demetri Silver," Blade says, turning back around to look at Alaina. "He'll help us. He's a friend."
"Are you sure you can trust him?"
"Of course," Blade says with a scoff. "He's probably before me on the 'most feared pirate' rankings."
"His name doesn't sound scary," Alaina says.
"Trust me... he's just as obsessed with unicorns as I am."
After a few minutes of trying to paddle towards the ship while waving the dark vessel down, they were boarding the Dark Curse. Nash gets hauled up over the ship's edge and lands with an 'oomph' on the ground.
"Well look who the unicorn-queen dragged in," Demetri says as he stands before Blade, his blue eyes looking across the three of them.
"How's it been?"
"Fine, thank you," Blade says as he looks across the crews faces. Most of them he hadn't met before. Even though they'd had only had one encounter before, Blade felt as safe as he'd ever felt on the Dark Curse.
"And what exactly are you guys wanting?" Demetri asks with an eyebrow raise.
"A lift," Blade says. "Anywhere."
"Where's your ship?" Demetri asks with a furrowed brow.
"Somewhere...," Blade says. He didn't even want to think of where it was at the moment.
Demetri raises his eyebrow further before shrugging and walking off to his wheel.
"Make them feel welcome!" he tells his crew. "and please," he turns around. "Get them changed."
They were all in the dirty clothes from yesterday, Alaina still in the party gown, Nash in his tuxedo and Blade in his ripped clothing from the forest still.
"Thank you," Blade says, walking off after Demetri while the crew walk over to Alaina and Nash, intrigued by the sudden event.
"No problem," Demetri says as he walks onto the quarterdeck. Blade nods his head at Julian who was already at the wheel.
"Long time no see Captain Leroy," Julian says, a girl by his side. She smiles sweetly at Blade, her long brown hair falling over her face.
"Same to you," Blade says with a soft smile.
Captain Demetri and Julian had both comforted a younger Blade and Cain when they'd escaped the ship from Eris's rule. They'd both ended up just like Alaina, Nash and Blade had ended up, on a boat on the endless seas with nowhere to go.
"Oh stop boring the guy Julian and get back to work," Demetri says with an eye roll.
Julian only huffs before turning around to explain to the girl, who listened contently.
"I hadn't realised you'd agreed to girls on your ship?" Blade says to Demetri.
"Aye we'd come across an... adventure a few months back," Demetri says. "And you know I can't keep myself from the face of danger."
"Oh I know," Blade says.
"Where is the other blonde-haired boy?" Demetri asks, looking over the railing at Alaina and Nash.
"H-he... died," Blade says. "last night."
Demetri's eyes come back to look at Blade's who turn solemn automatically.
"Oh... I'm sorry to hear. He was a good-looking lad."
"Aye he was," Blade says, his head looking towards the ground. "Eris killed him."
"That bitch again?" Julian says, joining in on the conversation.
"Yeah, she... she pierced him through," Blade says, the images coming back to him. "And he couldn't do anything to stop it."
"I remember teaching him those skills," Julian says. "He was a quick learner."
"Aye, he was a brilliant swordsman," Blade agrees.
"And now what is your plan?" Demetri asks. "Where you be heading?"
"I need to try and find a way to destroy her. She seems to have some dark magic lurking within her and I need to get rid of it, in order to kill her," Blade says.
"Sounds like a plan," Demetri says, stretching his fingers out and cracking them.
"Please, I don't need you guys to get involved in this," Blade says. "I'll handle it."
"Oh I'm sure you can handle it," Demetri says sarcastically. "But you see, Julian and I have survived Merveil, a vicious princess and a bunch of notorious navy and pirates. A dark magic bitch isn't anything."
Blade could only smile.
"Thank you. I suggest we head south then."
Demetri smiles before taking the wheel.
"South it is then."