IN THE MIST | seongjoong

01

"That's the last of them."

Hongjoong glances over after removing his sword from the ribs of another pirate, noting both the disheveled and bloody state of Wooyoung who breathes heavily, kicking over a fallen body with the tilt of his head. His eyes move from Wooyoung to the rest of the ship and bodies that have scattered across the deck. He sees the members of his crew all across, Mingi cringing at the dead bodies while Yeosang pokes through them, no doubt searching for something of value.

San is piling the bodies along with Jongho while Yunho wipes his blade with the shirt of the soldier he'd slain.

His crew was small—the smallest in the sea he supposes, but one of his men was worth a hundred of someone else's. He never worried much that they wouldn't make it out of a battle alive, and time after time again they prove themselves to Hongjoong and it never fails to make him smile.

"Raid the ship. We need supplies and whatever they know about the trident." Hongjoong instructs and the crew nods, dispersing to follow their captain's orders as Wooyoung approaches the older man.

"Don't you think we should consider another way of getting information on the trident?" Wooyoung questions, tucking his daggers back into his waistband and shirt. Hongjoong purses his lips with a glance towards his master at arms.

"Do you have a problem with what we are doing now?" Hongjoong questions, and they both know that its a genuine question, not something Hongjoong would ask to trap the man by any means. Wooyoung shakes his head, regardless.

"I just think it's not very efficient. We've raided five ships so far and they all barely knew anything, let alone something helpful." Wooyoung answers honestly, glancing at the fallen bodies that he wonders they could've prevented. Well, it's not like he felt remorse for the dead crew since they were known to traffic humans, as far as to traffic young children.

"It's put us ahead of many, though." Wooyoung nods at Hongjoongs words.

"But not at the top." Wooyoung notes and Hongjoong sighs with a nod, acknowledging that yes, they may have jumped ahead in the race to control the sea, but he was still not at the top. His crew had fame on the seas, don't get him wrong. By far, they were likely the most feared crew due to their elusiveness and the small numbers they carry that still seems to be more than enough to leave sunk ships in their wake. However, it seemed like they were on a pointless chase for a treasure they know nothing about now.

"We still have to get ahead of Chris." Wooyoung adds and Hongjoong nods once again with a hum.

"And we will. We just need something that will give us the edge. I'm not sure what they know or have, but they are by far the closest to finding the trident." Hongjoong speaks with determination, never known for giving up at any point in time even if it seems that he should. Chris' crew, a bunch of stray kids and misfits–an odd combination of people that occupied the  Oddinary ship. Despite their odd match, they still worked perfectly with each other and, with ease, got ahead of the crew they just ended. Hongjoong's not sure how he'll go about getting ahead of them, as raiding them would not be a smart option due to their own fire power that matches his crew's. However, he knows he'll get ahead somehow.

"Whatever they know or have is keeping them on the top, instead of us." Wooyoung frowns with a sigh before Yunho is peeking out his head from the cabin he had been searching in.

"I might've found something that will put us ahead." Both Hongjoong and Wooyoung raise their brows before following Yunho into the cabin where there were scattered papers and a surprising amount of people fallen inside. Perhaps protecting whatever information Yunho had just discovered.

"Remember how we were saying their movements were strange? Heading toward abandoned waters?" Yunho asks, glancing back at Hongjoong and Wooyoung who nod.