The Squid [TCO Part 1]

Strange waters

The weeks to pass were majorly uneventful. The odd argument separated the days that flew by as the crew of The Green Sea were as normal as ever. As normal as mismatched space pirates can be. A recent stop on a planet, self-sufficient and technologically advanced, yet they had no documents nor records of anything that the incoming ship had done. A short break and sanctuary in a sea of attack.

The ship had landed in the middle of a beach. The red water washed against the sand, calming and almost too quiet. The silence was welcoming and somehow ominous and the foreign jungles looked ahead. The ground below them however, gave the captain something to complain about.

Speaking of which:

Francis jumped off the last step and immediately scowled down at the uneven and soft ground, as if expecting it to be solid. "Sand... my boot's number one enemy."

"Oh please," Jericho jumped off the deck, straight into the waters,"how in the galaxies was your prissy ass an adventurer once? Was it when meteors hit the first planets?"

"Haha, very funny." he rolled his eyes, helping Shade off of the stairs "Keep up with that attitude, Jericho. We'll see what happens."

"Come on, cap. It was kinda funny" the second in command tried her best to cheer up the mood. Maybe she got a smile off of the captain, but man, did she have a short attention span "Come on, let's go into the jungle now! If there's any magic gem, it'll be in there."

The group followed as the captain set off into the wilderness, drawing his sword. The sword was quite something, Francis made it himself, or so he claimed. The blade had carvings of a language no one on ship could translate and the handle was supposedly made of dragon skin.

Jericho once mocked the idea "Pfft, dragon skin. That's impossible. Everyone knows you can't kill dragon hybrids, especially on your own. It would take the gods' strength themselves." And yet the captain stuck to his word, despite a few not believing him.

The captain started slashing down bushes and trees, all a different shade of blue. Shade sometimes squatted down to pick up some berries and fruits that fell down. One of which was a large, round, red fruit. Most worryingly, with an arrow stuck in it. She decided to speak aloud about it " Captain? We seem to have a problem."

He turned around and grabbed it out of the fruit, inspecting it closely "Hmm. Natives. I didn't doubt that someone would inhabit this planet, but I wouldn't have imagined a clan so close to the beach. They tend to avoid them, stay deep in the heart"

"Let me guess, this is a problem."

"No shit, of course it is Jericho. Any minute now a group could show up so stay alert-" almost as if the god of fate is watching them and laughing, an arrow scraped Francis' head. The man didn't flinch and just loudly inhaled.

"Fuck."

Just like that, the group started running, following Francis' lead with a barrage of arrows, spears and more being aimed at them. As they kept running, they heard loud thumps behind them, most likely the aliens native to this land. Francis being further ahead, failed to see a crater through the thick fauna and fell down it

A group of centaur-like creatures stood in front of him. Francis kneeled before them, panting and head pounding from the slight wound. Jericho and Shade quickly turned their attention to him, followed him down the side of the hole yelling at him "Captain!"

Shade looked at him, searching for an injury, however all the captain did was grab her hand and put her in the same position next to him, which Jericho quickly noticed and the captain pulled him to his knees, bowing unwillingly before the tall creatures. " What gives? You didn't have to pull that hard."

"Shut your snout, Jericho. Look at the symbols painted on their bodies. They're beings of the gods. Immortals, similar to higher dragon people. You bow the moment you see them, do you understand?" If Francis' words were a slap, it would leave a nasty sting.

The centaur's leader got closer, and sat down in front of Francis "Outsiders. Your leader has been shot. Let us aid you, then we will decide what to do with you"

Without missing a beat, Francis answered "thank you. You are kind beings. We apologise for infiltrating your land".

The leaders' name was Spryrink. He made predictions in the name of the gods once a year, and it happened to be within the week that he had prophesied newcomers to their planet. The locals were worried at first, but soon realised that The Green Sea were not people to fear.

The locals were friendly. Almost unnervingly so. The crew however saw past it, seeing as they needed supplies. A decision favoured all of the crew, especially Citrus. She had been waiting for inspiration in her cooking and was more glad that the quad squad would stop pestering for food. The centaur-like insects greeted the crew like long lost friends. They stood taller than all of them, and yet embraced them like family, saying that "Everyone deserves to eat". A comment that The Green Sea found reassuring on arrival to the colony.

Francis ordered Jericho to run back to the ship to explain what happened and gather the crew, while Spryrink showed the captain and shade to their resting place in the forest. The crew had stayed all day, mingling with the locals (who they discovered were called the Inoids), and the creatures helped their sudden visitors stock up with food and supplies for their journey ahead.

Soon, the rust coloured night grew upon them and the planets' inhabitants gathered around large mechanical tents, held up in the forest canopy. Campfires we're lit along the floor to light up the faces of families and friends alike.

"This is where you will stay. I hope your injuries will heal shortly" the leaders' voice was silk smooth, and deep, which in some ways complimented his dark skin with bright highlights of paint on it.

"Thank you, señor." Francis put his hands in his lap and bowed, shade quickly copying him "When Jericho comes back, please ensure his safe arrival here. Not to disrespect you, but I don't know what your planet is like after dark, and he's not been himself lately."

"Your worries are justified, do not worry, captain Tarazón. You are in safe hands." Spryrink watched the previously mentioned captain nod and the leader soon left the two in privacy.

Shade and Francis were for once at ease in a foreign land, and yet despite the welcoming nature of the Inoids, both felt as if the worst was yet to arrive. They were right, and yet wrong, in unimaginable ways.