Alone, in the middle of the dark sea, drifts Owen and Trent on a sailboat. They were both wrapped in blankets from their backpacks and laying asleep on the deck of the boat. Owen opens his eyes slowly as he groans into a stretch. He yawns and gazes out into the open sea. The waters were calm and rocking the little boat gently, cradling it in its arms. He looked up to the sail, which is retracted. The wind was calm on his face and the scent of saltwater filled the air. Owen sat up and dug through his bag and pulled out a pencil and a sketchpad.
He opened the sketchpad and started to draw. With every stroke of his pencil, he felt relaxed. The worries of the world around him seemed to stop. He seemed to shut out the rest of the world and just focused on his drawing.
"A-are you drawing," Trent said awake from his sleep.
Owen got startled and closed the sketchbook. He stuffed it back in the backpack and zipped it closed.
"I didn't know you draw. How did u get a sketchbook all the way out here?" Trent said.
"I always carry it with me...it relaxes me...," Owen says.
"Well, no wonder you are so closed to everyone," Trent said.
"Closed...?" Owen asked.
"Man, you are really shy. Can I even call you my rival?" Trent laughed to himself.
Owen sighed and stared down at the bottom of the boat. Trent then slowed his laughing and sat next to him.
"Look...I think that it is amazing to have a hobby like that. All I had to do was just make fighting my hobby...," Trent said.
"Fighting?" Owen said as he looked at Trent.
"Yeah...my parents would always want me to train. I had to get my family's stupid contract spirit, after all...," Trent said.
"Is...that why you...," Owen said trailing off.
"...asked you to kill me...?" Trent said finishing his sentence. " Yes... I didn't want to take on this responsibility, because it felt like I threw my whole life away... what hobbies I wanted to have, what things I wanna do, and what people I want to stay with...it feels like I did this...only to please my parents..."
Owen sat and gazed out on the open water. He looked down at the waves crashing on the boat. It gently rocked the boat back and forth like a mother lulling her child to sleep.
"I...I didn't know...," Owen said.
Trent sighed.
"No...I should have reacted the way I did...I can never control myself...," Trent said.
The silence continued until the saw something on the horizon.
"What is that?" Owen asked.
"What if it's another ship," Trent said raising the sail.
"Maybe they know the way!" Owen said.
"I doubt they would tell us. Most people that sail these waters are pirates. If we have nothing to give them, they will surely kill us," Trent explained.
The wind caught the sail, but it wasn't enough to push them very fast. The ship in the distance began to draw closer to them. They could see at the top of the highest sail, a black flag.
"Pirates?" Owen asked.
"I am sure of it. Let's hope they didn't see us," Trent said.
The ship sailed closer. The waves it pushed out rocked the little sailboat as it came to a halt. The sailboat almost tipped over. A voice could be heard from the ship's deck.
"Ay, who ye be?" the voice said. Owen and Trent put on their backpacks and readied themselves for what was going to come.
"Who said that?" Trent shouted.
Trent and Owen heard thumping and then, WHOOSH. The saw someone who jumped from the deck of the large ship. He landed right on the nose of their ship. The guy was big. He was very wide and had a big black pirate hat and black curly hair. His clothes were tattered and torn. He gazed up from behind his hat and spoke.
"I am Captain Abel. Captain of the crew of Voltworth and slayer of the great beast of Crookvac and escaped the leviathan of Caven's keep," Captain Abel said. "What business would you have with these seas, laddies?"
Owen froze and looked at Trent, who looked back to him in confusion.
"Well?! Ye gonna tell me or not?" Abel said impatiently.
"W-well...we...," Owen said trying to speak but tripping on his words. "We come here from Bay City, and we are trying to get to...Py."
"Py? That's mighty far, even for some washed-up sea bears like yourself," Abel said glaring at them. " I am looking for crewmates that will take up arms against the grand leviathan. "
"You want to end the leviathan? What do you care about a beast?" Trent asked.
"This beast is no ordinary beast. It is a hazard to the sea. It rally's up and tanks any ship it can into her drink. Many a man were killed by it," Abel said.
"But you said you escaped it," Owen said.
"Escape, yes. I was the first to escape it," Abel said.
"Then why go back?" Trent asked.
Abel walked across the sailboat. When he got to Trent, he looked him dead in the eye and said, " I made a promise."
Trent thought for a second and looked at Owen. He turned back and spoke: "I am sorry, but if taking us to the foreign shore is out of the question, then we can't join your crew. I am sorry," Trent said.
The captain gazed at Trent in disgust.
"Good thing I'm not askin' ya," the captain said summoning his weapon. It was a curved, green sword with witing down the sides.
"Legendary blade, Koga, at yar service gents," Abel said. "Now get on me ship or your blood will paint the sea with rubies"
Trent and Owen both summoned their blades and stood at attention waiting for an attack when they heard a loud whistle from on top of the mast of Abel's ship. The three of them turned their heads to see a cloaked figure dressed in black. All that could be seen from inside the raised hood was a white outline of a mask with horns on its top and a smile across its face.
"Damn you! He is back!" Abel shouted.
The cloaked figure jumped from the mast and summoned its weapon. A long white scythe is what he was twirling around his body as he fell. The outer part of the scythe blade met Abel's sword. The hooded figure landed on the blade of his scythe, causing it to lower the blade collision.
The hooded figure spoke: "get out of here...you have no business here. They are mine..."
"No...you...DONT!," Abel said as he pushed the scythe back and caused the hooded figure to stand on the sailboat.
"They call ye the black demon, yes? I heard of ye. Scourin the seas for pieces," Abel said.
The figure stayed silent as it picked up its white scythe and swung it on his shoulder.
"What's the matter? Done with fighting?" Abel laughed.
Abel rushed at the figure and tried to cut him. Before he made contact, the figure lept into the air and backflipped over Abel. The figure landed behind Abel with the scythe blade on his throat.
"W-what kinda treasure ye huntin any way?" Abel said panicking as the blade rested on his neck.
"You are lucky I won't kill you here...," the figure said.
The figure then turned its head and gazed at Owen. The figure sighed and turned back.
"You will paint the sea red, yet...captain Abel," the hooded figure said putting away their scythe.
Abel dropped his blade too and grabbed his throat to catch his breath.
"Damn...you...ye...bastard...," Abel said.
The hooded figure turned to look at Owen.
Owen tried to take a step back but his feet won't move. His arms lay bound to his sides. He struggled in his invisible chains until he fell and entered the water with a sploosh.
Trent looked back to see what the noise was, but Owen was gone. He looked off the side of the small sailboat, but nothing. He turned back to see the hooded figure was gone. Trent then tried jumping in the water to try to get him out, but it was no use. The light magic doesn't work well underwater and Owen was nowhere to be found. Trent hoisted himself back on the little sailboat and lay across it.
"Damn it!," Trent shouted.