MIST: AFTER THE APOCALYPSE

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Year 2770, 6th Sun

Vicinity One (The Bastion of the Wraith Princess)

"O' laddie! Ye lost?"

It brought pain to his soul every time. "No, sir, just... getting some fresh air. The cabin can get cramped."

"Ohh... fresh air, yeah? Plenty o' that at sea." Whether the man was actually steering the ship or poised at the helm to maintain his image, Aradag couldn't tell with certainty. To him, the nameless man looked more like a drunk, overworked nursery worker than a member of an expedition crew. "Ya got some booze? Need me some booze, yes... You, you... you fetch me the cook up at midnight, he knows where the booze is kept, he does, and... and ask... for a bottle... zzz..."

Aradag knew from his days in the Navy College that alcohol was the sailor's sworn enemy. Already he was skeptical of this particular lot. To him, they resembled more a bumbling band of pirates than a well-educated, experienced crew of sailors who made this journey several times.

It was only then that he noticed the absolute lack of people on deck.

That, and the black shadows that circled the Explorer from the depths below.

Goosebumps ran down his arms in his alarm. He couldn't make out any exact shapes, but the black contrasted with the dark blue of the sea. Snores continued to disrupt the calm of the night, much to Aradag's displeasure, so he turned back to look at...

He was not there anymore.

Footsteps thunder below deck and soon the Captain is tumbling out with Caloman in tow. Aradag could not ask after the missing helmsman before the two men began bombarding him with questions.

"Mr. Spectro! Have you seen anything out of the ordinary in the waters?"

"Anything yer not s'posed to see?"

"Son, you must answer me. Have you seen anything?"

"Why ye not talkin'?"

"A storm? A wave? A dangerous creature? Mr. Spectro, please answer me."

"Devil take yer tongue, boy! Ye seen a sea witch, that why ye so frail-lookin'?"

It took what felt like hours to get his tongue to move, partly because he had little to say at all. "I saw something black in the waters. Clearly visible, even with the lack of light. I don't know what it means, Mr. Caloman."

The Captain regarded the youth with a glare. "Somethin' black? What kinda somethin'? Don't be useless—!"

"Captain, please. Allow me." Caloman's interruption brought the Captain's scowl to a new height of scorn, but he yielded. "Now tell me, Mr. Spectro. What exactly did you see?"

"A big blob of black. I couldn't discern any identifiable shapes, unfortunately, but the thing looked enormous. Have you any idea what it may be, sir?"

"I may."

Aradag awaited his elaboration, but Caloman did not speak. Instead, his brow furrowed as he looked to be in thought. He looked at the sea then back at Aradag, and his signature smile returned.

"I have a hunch that the black object you saw is a sea guardian."

The youth's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "Sir, sea guardians are not—"

"Ah, but they are, son. Remember the Explorer is sailing on the High Seas; a specific species of guardian resides here, in this special patch of ocean."

"But why did it not attack the ship? Back home, those monstrous creatures downed my fellows by the hundreds." The mention brought on memories that Aradag wished to suppress. His fists clenched unconsciously.

Caloman smiled ever wider. "My condolences. The ships in Vicinity Three are crafted of wood or otherwise common material, are they not? But this beauty, she was blessed with the bones of a queen sea guardian. Bones that, if crafted skillfully into a ship, protect it from the wrath of hostile species. The Duke made a fine decision killing one for her."

Aradag didn't understand why, but Caloman's remark stirred unease in his stomach.

"Look again, son, and you will find the black replaced with the nightly blue of the water."

Look again, son, and you will find the black replaced with the nightly blue of the water.

Aradag did as he said tonight, then the following night, then the one after that. Each night, he would search the blue for that shadow he glimpsed, and each night he would find an ever bigger blotch of ink in the canvas of the ocean that disappeared when he looked away. Caloman had informed him at one point that the Explorer was not unique in its build, that she had eleven identical twins in every other vicinity. It made Aradag wonder if he would be as safe voyaging around the world as he was now.

The day of the Explorer's arrival in Vicinity One would be marked as the forty-fourth day of the voyage. It would also be marked as the last meeting between Aradag and Caloman for a good period of time, and as such, the gentleman invited the youth to eat in a traditional restaurant off the coast of the Vicinity.

"Vicinity One and its abundance of sea life," he had cheered.

At once, he took Aradag beyond the docks, apologizing to people he bumped into along the way. And oh dear did Aradag lag behind; he could not take his eyes off the dazzling lights and vivid yellows that decorated the streets. He stared at the corset-clad children as they chased one another, gaped at the exotic, spiced aromas that wafted from many an eatery. All around him, people thrived and colored the world how they saw fit, quite unlike the dull browns and olive greens that he was used to in his hometown.

Caloman found his facial expressions hysterical. He laughed as he dragged the youth along, grin unwavering until they reached their destination. Once Aradag stopped to catch his breath and bearings, he took one look at the flashing billboard... and turned to his companion for assistance. "Uh, Mr. Caloman, sir, the sign..."

"Oh, my apologies, I forgot that..." a sheepish smile replaces Caloman's earlier grin. "This is Doazinnali script. Quite different to Stroatsin, if I'm honest."

"Doazinnali...? This is the language of the Vicinity, I assume?"

"Aye. Them old geography books in Vicinity Three have it all mixed up due to the language barriers. The people of Vicinity Seven speak Ugsezan, not the Doazinnali creole that the locals here have adopted." Admittedly, Aradag didn't know what a creole was, but he took Caloman's word in. "Hm, the restaurant owner seems to have made some renovations to the building. After you, Mr. Spectro."

That dinner served as a farewell unto their next encounter, one in which bright smiles and insightful conversation were exchanged. Once the men were done, Aradag took it upon himself to escort the Quartermaster back to his ship, saluting him before diving back into the vibrant town.

With that, his doomed journey pulled him through the streets of Vicinity One with a cat-o'-nine-tails looming over his heart.