Captain Redbeard swung the wheel to the right, narrowly avoiding a jagged rock the size of a small house. Rain had plastered his red locks to his skull as his he weaved the Wrath through the choppy seas of the seas of Sailors Grief. His crew worked frantically, setting the angle of the sails, making repairs below deck and bucketing water off the ship.
Behind them the ghostly ship Graveyard, captained by Captain Grave the scourge of Sailor Griefs seas. Already the ghost ship was speeding faster and faster towards them. A curse sounded from Redbeard.
"Carver! Get the cannons ready ya brainless frog eating pirate!" The rain and wind whipped the words from his mouth, he repeated it louder and this time his First Mate heard him and grabbed the arms of two other crewmates to go down below deck and prepare the cannons.
Redbeard heard the music that the Castaways they had met had spoke of, eerie and a whispering that spoke of turning back and jumping overboard to accept the fate of any who challenged the crew of the Graveyard. A splash sounded and Redbeard knew one of his crew had submitted to the whispering song. The rain was easing. They where nearly through, ahead the lights of the island Sailors Relief flashed through the grey sky.
With a glance back at the closing ship, Redbeard left the helm and brushed through two of his crewmates who paused in their repairs to give him a scared glance, Redbeard ignored the glances, he knew that this gambit would pay off, he felt it in his fingertips. Below deck chaos was rampant, the bang of hammers and wood, cannonballs being loaded with metallic thuds, water being bucketed out the back and shouts and yells.
"Shut up you mangy lot!" The noise quietened, "Sailors Relief is just ahead, keep the ship in top condition and I'll guarantee a years pay for all of ya."
A few cheers, the rest stayed in a stony silence, Redbeard waved them back to their work and went back to the helm, watching for any other stray rocks and the Graveyard. No one had ever escaped Captain Grave and his ghostly crew, Redbeard was determined to be the first. Ambitious they called him, but he knew that they we're just jealous he had a supposed unachievable goal, that he was going to make come true.
Still the Graveyard was catching the Wrath which was something Redbeard hadn't seen ever, the Wrath was the best fitted ship for combat and in rare cases retreats. Ghostly figures moved on the surface of the Graveyard, angling sales and repairing on the go. Redbeard looked ahead towards Sailors Relief, where safety lied. It was going to be close.
The eerie music continued, growing louder and more insistent as the Graveyard gained space on the Wrath. Two splashes signalled to Redbeard another two crewmembers had ditched ship to be embraced by the song of death. Carver came up the stairs in a hurry.
The rain had finally stopped, and after hours of it the sound of only the song brought fear to Redbeard's stone heart. The Graveyard surged through the waves, Sailors Relief was getting closer and closer, the gambit was about to be decided, Carver stood next to Redbeard as they stared back at the Graveyard, wondering if death or wealth awaited.
