Abyss

CHAPTER 37

Silence had the crew tightly gagged in its embrace. The Mediterranean never really experienced this for years. In their last expeditions, their cheers and laughter could particularly be heard by other ships if they intend to pass by. But now, only the sound of waves echoed rashly as it hits the Medusa.

Their eyes were casted over the wooden chest in the middle of their deck with their superiors discussing something among themselves. Aloysius, the right hand man of their captain, had an unreadable yet wary look in his face. 

His eyebrows almost meeting each other as he was listening silently while Darius and Arsen spoke. Whatever it was, the crew dare not question and interfere. They knew they had probably had their hands on something they shouldn't even have. And that already meant that they would pay the price if karma ever gets to them.

It took a while before Aloysius spoke with uncertainty and hesitation. "Are you sure that's the one?" 

Darius nodded. "The engravings doesn't necessarily translate into words. Not even one of us knew what language it was."

Aloysius approached the chest with hesitation before deciding to study it. And there it was.

"It looked like symbols," he mumbled out. "Are you sure it isn't tied to any other language?"

Arsen shakes her head at him. "Not that I know of, no."

As they stored the chest away, Elysaria signals for their ship to get closer. One of her crew members made sure to take a wooden plank as the two ships sailed next to each other.

Arsen and Elysaria crossed their ships and made it back to the deck before nodding at Darius and Aloysius.

The two ships sailed silently at the rocky waves, both preparing to head towards devon's cradle. The crew had hesitation written all over their faces but decided to wave it off, trusting their own captains and continued to sail.

Once they arrived at devon's cradle, it was oddly calm. Even the crew seem surprised that they weren't seeing the creature yet.

Darius frowns. "Something's not right."

Aloysius waved it off. "Whatever the reason why it isn't here, I'm glad it's not coming for us."

Elysaria's voice could be heard from the other side, warning her crew. Aloysius glanced back at Darius with a nod.

"Seems like we're not the only ones who noticed," he commented before both of them heard one of their crew members calling them out.

"Look, Captain!" one of the crew pointed out, their voice tense. "Other ships. From Arkenheilm."

And to their surprise, they saw another ship in the distance. Darius quickly waved at Arsen's direction, signaling. She looks at where he was signing and quickly shakes her head.

"That's not one of ours!" Elysaria shouted back for them to hear before a huge boom echoed. The Valka Agro swerved and almost lost its sail if only not for Arsen grabbing and taking control of the wheel.

The ship shuddered violently, and Darius stumbled back, his grip on the treasure loosening. Panic surged through him as he realized they were under attack. He turned, his eyes scanning the horizon for the source of the assault.

Another cannonball whistled through the air, crashing into the water nearby. Panic set in as they scrambled to get the chest onto the deck.

"Enemy attack!" Darius exclaimed. "Get to your stations!"

The ship's crew leapt into action, their training taking over as they prepared to fight back. Aloysius and Darius took his position at the helm, eyes scanning the approaching enemy vessels.

Through the chaos, Darius spotted the enemy ship's captain, standing on the deck of his ship. Ophelia, his wife's sister. Their eyes met across the water before her glare was directed at Arsen and Elysaria.

"Brace yourselves!" Darius yelled out to urgently warned the two before gripping the wheel before doing a hard turn. Once he did, he suddenly widened his eyes when another ship slammed theirs as well.

And then, his heart skipped a beat. Zschova's brother had somehow managed to close the gap between their ships. Before Darius could react, the brother leaped onto their deck, his eyes burning with rage.

The brother's attack was swift enough to surprise the Ravenbourne captain. Darius fought back but the brother's relentless assault put him on the defensive spot.

The ship rocked beneath their feet, the waves crashing harshly.

Aloysius and Darius fought Zschova's brother with their swords, dodging his attacks by merely inches — making them both drop the chest from their hands to maneuver the ship easier and away from his attacks.

As they both almost overpowered him, they saw Ophelia throwing her spare gun towards him as Aloysius and Darius quickly backed away. Zschova's brother held a smug look, reloading the gun before taunting them both, aiming the gun at Darius.

Aloysius tried going for cover but was quickly shot on the shoulder. Darius yelled and tried to go to Aloysius to help him back up when he stumbled back, his eyes widening in shock as the cold, unyielding barrel of a gun pressed against his temple.

"Don't move or I'll shoot."

Zschova's brother eyed him, a malevolent smile curling his lips. "You should have stayed away, Darius. You shouldn't have stuck your nose on things that don't concern you."

Darius' thoughts raced, his every instinct urging him to fight back. But in that tense moment, he knew that one wrong move could seal his fate. Death. It was almost singing to him even. The ship creaked and swayed beneath them, silencing the cries that Aloysius was letting out.

Aloysius, even if injured, decided to try his best to catch the attention of the other ship.

With a fierce cry, he lunged at the brother, his attack strong enough to make the man stumble. The man's grip on the gun faltered as shot another bullet in the sky, roaring and quickly gaining the attention of the Arkenheilm's leader.

And in one quick attempt, Arsen grabbed the shotgun from the deck, aimed, and fired at the man - launching him to the deep waters below as Zschova's brother bled to death.