Captain's Will

23. Aft

The Grief and the Dungeness cut through the ocean side by side. A horde of unfamiliar features manned their ranks, mixing with Hongjoong's crew until he couldn't spot the crowns of their heads in the bustle anymore. They had hired many hands, enough to man every cannon on the navy ship and to help on the Grief while the Executioners would be wrapped up in the fight. Naturally, the added density of people would make it difficult to evade even one strike from the kraken without losses, but Hongjoong prayed its tentacles were too crippled for coordinated attacks.

The men were paid well enough not to question the odd union between the naval commodore and the pirate captain. Seonghwa commanded his portion of the wild lot without a shred of reluctance. As he stood tall and intimidating, no one would dare assume he spent his nights in the pirate's bed.

Whenever Hongjoong glanced over at Seonghwa, he felt challenged. The race had begun of who would beat the kraken first and who would get their men through the attack better. It spurred Hongjoong and distracted him from any dread.

His focus was on his dearest mates, of course. None of them had stayed behind to preserve their precious lives, so Hongjoong would do it for them. This time, instead of being the one away from danger, he would face it first if it meant he could save a life.

The wind whipped the flaps of Seonghwa's uniform around his leather-clad legs. He wore his weapons today, as they sailed back to the spot where they had roused the kraken last time. The filigree sword hung by his side and he balanced his rifle over his shoulder. Around him, hundreds of cannons and pistols waited to be fired in a haunting repetition of his entrance two years ago. Even untrained sailors bent under his rule to assume the proper formation.

Hongjoong's ship was its lovable cluster, as always. The men he had hired were all pirates and their bodies were armed to the teeth with all sorts of dirty trickster weapons. The sea dogs handled the ropes with years of experience as they readied for what they regarded as one of many fish in the sea.

Hongjoong played his role, as Seonghwa did. He kept his shoulders squared, reminding them of his position and to who they had sold their lives. Towards his usual crew, he spoke softly, but the others received barked orders.

It worked. They knew his name and his reputation. While wary of the navy ship by their side, they did their work as asked of them and battened down the hatches. Filled to the brim with men and cannons, the Grief's guts waited to become a deadly weapon once the kraken roused.

Wooyoung stood by Hongjoong's side with his maps. He had marked the dwelling spot and kept glancing at the captain's compass as he tried to determine how close they were. When his eyes lifted to search for the remainders of the stars in the night sky, Hongjoong scouted for them with him. No more distracting speculations cloyed his mind. The bustle of the men he had vowed to protect kept him grounded in the current moment.

How had the Enemy of the Depths fared during those two years? Had it suffered a great deal after their failed attempt? Killing it would have been more merciful, but if they had dawdled for the final strike, it would have cost San's life as well.

Hongjoong wondered if a beast like that had any perception under water. Surely, it wouldn't know they were the same crew attacking, though the pain of their weapons might flare its memories. Perhaps it was as resentful that some of them had survived as they were resentful towards the kraken. Both of them came back for more agony and to deal out more pain.

If they were lucky, the creature was old, and its scars wore on its might. While they brought new men, fresh and powerful, the kraken remained with its injuries. Like San, they left it mangled, an eye for an eye.

The skies were grey today, announcing rain to come down on them later. As Hongjoong stared at the racing clouds, he prayed it wouldn't happen during the fight. A slippery grasp on his sword and wet gun powder would diminish any advantage the Dungeness gave them.