MIST: AFTER THE APOCALYPSE

Chapter Seventeen * Cap Flame *

* Cap Flame *

There was a Navy Captain who had eighteen warships under his command. He worked in his Vicinity to save sinking ships and help the poor. His sheer power and fame made the Dukes uncomfortable. He was known as Captain Flame, the savior.

He could mold fire and control it, so some people believed he was the son of the great Countess Nicho because of his abilities. No one knew his background or alma mater, but all praised him for his heroic acts.

Captain Flame noticed that the people of the whole Vicinity complained about being random attacks by strange creatures, some of which entailed kidnapping and murder. He ordered his army to patrol the Vicinity regularly as a result, not wishing to leave his people's safety up to chance.

Flame received a letter from the Duke one day. He was invited to his palace for tea. Tea? How strange. Nevertheless, Flame thought nothing of it and set sail for the Duke's personal island with the best of his crew.

Upon docking the ship, Captain Flame shook hands with a bulky man wearing the standard TDI uniform. The soldier was accompanied by two of his fellows.

"Welcome, Captain Flame. Please follow us. The duke is waiting."

Before long, they arrived at a large golden gate, where the TDI soldiers stopped Captain Flame's men from going further. "His Grace the Duke wishes to see the Captain in private," one of them reasoned. The Captain smiled at his men to reassure them before following the soldiers into the palace.

They walked along a road lined with hundreds of TDI men until they reached the inner castle gate. From then, Captain Flame alone made his way to the dining hall where he would meet the Duke. A gem-embroidered door was all that separated him from the strange tea invitation, and so he stepped inside.

The Duke was seated at the end of the dining table. Because the windows were open, blinding light masked the details on his figure from view.

"Captain Flame, welcome," the Duke spoke, his voice booming throughout the hall. "I am glad you accepted my humble invitation. Come sit. Do tell me, is Flame an alibi?"

"Yes, Your Grace." Captain Flame found his seat on the other end of the table.

"I am Duke Zark. Have you any idea why I summoned you?"

"I can only assume it is of utmost importance, Your Grace."

Before Flame could utter another word, he found himself standing on the waters of an open sea.

"Do not fret, this is an illusion." The Duke cleared his throat behind the Captain. "There is a dire situation in this area, which is known as the 'Death Zone.' A merchant ship has been wrecked here. I urge you to sail there and search for survivors."

"I am flattered that you think highly of me, Your Grace," Flame replied, "but am I not insignificant compared to you?"

The Duke simpered. "Be as it may, I had high hopes for you, young man. Your abilities would be imperative to the mission's success."

The Captain sighed to himself. If the Duke wanted him to do this, then he would. "Consider the job done, Your Grace. I humbly request directions to this 'death zone' area."

***

As his eighteen ships began sailing into the zone, Captain Flame tried to repress the strange thoughts he was having.

"Captain!" his Quartermaster yelled, startling him. "A manless ship just passed by at forty knots! Lookout says it appears to be hostile!"

"We can't stand down! There are sailors who need our assistance—"

"Fog!" the crew hollered.

"Keep moving!" Flame ordered. In minutes, all eighteen ships had entered the mist.

Save for the wood creaking above sea, an uncomfortable silence enveloped the area. Then, like the chime of a clock, a large wave crashed into several ships. "What in the name of...?"

"Sir! A sea creature of sorts is advancing towards the ship!"

Captain Flame cursed as he caught a glimpse of the inky shadow moving below the water. Next thing he knew, a slip of paper fell into his palm. "Thank you for your services, but I'm afraid this is where your career will end." That blasted...!

A hideously-sized creature emerged from the sea, making the Captain's crew freeze in position until it started advancing towards the fleet.

"Hold your fire," Flame whispered to his men, who relayed the message to the rest of the fleet. All of the sailors held their breath save for one, who couldn't control himself and fired a cannon. Just like that, all of the ships opened fire, driving the creature back underwater.

"Direct hit captain!"

"Not quite." The Captain had an ill feeling about this silence. After giving the order to retreat, Flame's nervousness amplified.

He counted the ships. Seventeen, including his own. Again. This time it was sixteen. They seemed to be lost to the mist. He rushed to the ship's railing to get a closer look.

No, the sea creature was pulling the ships beneath the water.

Desperate to prevent more deaths, Captain Flame shrugged off his heavier armor and dived into the water. The sea monster was massive, its four tentacles weaving ships like toys. Flame gathered all his strength into one ball of fire that would hopefully withstand the water, which was his weakness. As soon as it passed a diameter of ten meters, Flame hurled it at the creature's visible eye.

As it shrieked, the ships in its clutches shattered into splinters. Now its attention was on the lonely captain, who realized the peril that would befall him and tried to escape.

Before Flame could blink, a tentacle wrapped around his body, crushing his bones and his spirit, then tossed him out of the water like a used rag. He was unable to feel the impact of his body crashing back into the water; his consciousness had faded.

When he awoke, he found himself on a small boat. Someone had saved him, left him food and a letter. How long he was out, what happened to the rest of his men, he had not the foggiest idea. For now, the letter instructed him to head to an obscure location he hadn't heard of.

Four years passed.