Iguanatopia - ONC 2021 (Completed)

10: Enemytopia

A loud bang shook Alba awake. The whole ship was swaying. Slowly, her mind put the sound and the motion together. Another ship must be crashing against them. "Stay here," she whispered to Grace, whose frightened eyes peeked up from the other bunk. "It's safer here. I'll go up and see what's going on."

They had left Port Espada the day before, sailing toward a destination only Alba was privy to. She had, through Ignacio, given the crew a direction to follow, but nothing more. Prying eyes and ears were plentiful in the harbor. The slightest rumor of a treasure could lead to a dozen ships racing toward it. You could never be too careful, and for that reason Alba had also put them on a circuitous route towards their target, to ensure that if anyone watched them leave it wouldn't reveal where they were heading.

With Ignacio close behind, she hurried out in the corridor. She had hoped to be able to catch a few hours of sleep before giving new instructions to the crew, but it seemed like that was not to be.

Another bang bellowed through the ship as she ran up the stairs. Alba's heart raced and her hands shook. Ignacio gave out a low wheeze while rattling his tail against the steps.

A dark silhouette of a ship sailed up against the railing just when Alba reached the deck. The ship flew a flag decorated with a green skull. That ship could only belong to one man.

A plank was thrown out and the ship's captain stepped aboard the Estrella, followed by an entourage of green-haired sailors. Alba had to admire the crew for their commitment to their captain's chosen brand. If something could be green, it was green.

Across the deck, Lucien stood frozen in fear of his former tormentor. Alba wished she could run over and hug the boy, but the intruding captain blocked her path.

"There's that famous lizard captain," Captain Greenbeard bellowed as he walked across the deck toward Ignacio.

Ignacio let out a loud wheeze in reply.

"Is that all you have to say?" the man of the unusually colored beard asked. "I thought you were an enchanted lizard who talked. I thought you were the bleeding heart Captain Ignacio."

Alba realized that was her cue. "I am who they say I am," she commanded Ignacio to say. "I am a much better man than you."

"Being a good man never got anyone far on the seven seas," the other captain replied with a grin. "You can have your goodness, Ignacio, or whoever you are.... And I'll have the treasure!"

This utterance made Joe and Pedro, who together had taken the night shift by the wheel, act. Both men drew their swords and rushed to guard the map, which laid open on the captain's table. Subsequently, they ran into each other, probably on account of Joe not seeing Pedro because of the eye patch, and tumbled into a pathetic pile on the floor.

Captain Greenbeard walked over them with a laugh. "You should surround yourself with better sailors, Ignacio," he said. "These two blabbered about the map at the tavern and now they can't even defend it."

The excessive gloating gave Joe an opening. Since his eye patch had fallen to the floor he could assess the situation clearly and leaped up to thrust his sword toward the captain's neck. The sharp edge cut off a few tufts of green hair.

"Joe Finch," Captain Greenbeard said while shaking his head. "You're quicker than I thought. I never thought you would amount to anything, that's why I denied you when you wanted to be part of my crew. But you're still just a poser, with your fake eye patch."

"That's not how I remember it," Joe said, his eyes both intently focused on the captain. "You didn't deny me, I turned you down because I got a better offer."