The Ruby Hunt

Lootin' day

Captain Fletcher gave them a tour of the ship before setting off. First stop: their rooms. Or rather, the room—it was just one shared space with a few mattresses scattered on the floor and a small closet shoved into the corner for their bags. Cozy, right? Next, he showed them the bathroom, which—if we're being generous—was about a foot wide. But the highlight of the tour? The sitting area. It had Wi-Fi and a smart TV, which instantly won everyone over. The kitchen wasn't too bad either, warm and a little worn, but they probably wouldn’t spend much time there anyway since Mrs. Wilson basically claimed it as her territory.
Everyone settled into the sitting area, relaxing after a long morning of searching for a captain. They still couldn't believe they ended up choosing him, but as time passed, it started to feel more real.
"So, when will we start setting off?" wondered Rose, looking at the captain.
"Well, not until I get my money!" Fletcher’s comment made everyone roll their eyes, except Peter, who unlike them, opened his wallet and started counting the amount Fletcher needed. But Eddie put his hand on Peter’s wallet and hand to stop him, then looked at the captain.
"Half now, half when we get there. We still don’t trust you—you tried to steal from us!" he barked at Fletcher, which made him roll his eyes again.
"Fine! But I didn’t take your friend’s money!" Fletcher retorted.
"You tried to, though," Jade shrugged, crossing her legs and putting her headphones on to block out their voices, focusing instead on the clear blue sea outside the window.
Peter handed Fletcher his money, giving him a polite smile, then turned back to his friends.
"Edna! C’mere, the money’s here!… Edna? Oh, for heaven’s sake, wear your hearing aid!" cried Captain Fletcher as he entered the kitchen to give Mrs. Wilson her money.
Fletcher's comment made Eddie chuckle, but it concerned Rose and Peter a bit. Oliver didn’t care much, and Jade wasn’t even paying attention.
---
Three days at sea, and it started getting boring for the kids. The Wi-Fi and TV didn’t amuse them anymore, and the food tasted blander each time they ate. They wanted to reach the island quickly, get what they needed, and go home—who knew treasure hunting could be so boring?
On the fourth day, Captain Fletcher’s ship suddenly jolted to a stop, grabbing everyone’s attention as they approached the captain to ask him about it.
"What was that, Fletcher?" questioned Rose.
"Shhh, I have to focus. Everyone buckle up in their seats!" ordered Fletcher. His sudden command confused some of them, as he hadn’t told them to do so at the start of the trip—even when they first set off.
"Wh... why, Captain? Is... there something we should worry about?" stuttered Oliver, his voice full of concern.
"But... I thought it was just a legend," mumbled Fletcher, his tone filled with anger and worry.
"What legend?!" asked Rose in a soft voice.
"The Crow’s Wing Armada. Aka... the Höllenloch Pirates," Fletcher hissed, his eyes wide.
"Pirates?!" gasped Eddie, echoing the captain, making Peter whimper as he adjusted his tie, trying to breathe more easily.
While they were standing, Fletcher spun the wheel with a hard turn, causing them to lose their balance.
"Everyone, to the room! Quick!" yelled Fletcher. As they sprinted towards the room, they were suddenly stopped by what seemed like flying men. Five figures wearing strange clothes jumped in front of them, each threatening them with a dagger, freezing the kids in place. Then, a man wearing a captain’s hat—covering his long, black, probably messy hair—appeared. Given his shaved beard and eyepatch, he looked young, no older than 24. He had a crow perched on his shoulder, which explained their name. Next to him stood a tanned girl with long black braids, adorned with golden chains—real gold, no doubt. She wore a smirk on her face as she looked around the ship, chopping a red couch in half and giving a hysterical laugh. Her eyes landed on Jade, likely drawn by her half-brown, half-pink hair.
"Oi, pink ‘air! What’s yer name?!" bellowed the girl pirate. Jade glanced around at her friends. The pirate in front of her looked strange—even for a pirate.
"Ye answer when yer asked, pink ‘ead," yelled the strange pirate.
"Jade... my name is Jade Quinn," muttered Jade, looking into the pirate’s eyes lazily.
The girl pirate jumped next to Jade, shoving the strange pirate aside. "I love yer ‘air. Should I take it?" she teased, pushing her sword dangerously close to Jade's hair. Eddie tried to step in, but the pirate in front of him pressed a dagger to his throat. Before things could escalate, Captain Fletcher entered the sitting room, with Edna following behind him.
The pirate captain approached Fletcher, sizing him up. "So, yer the captain, aren’t ya? Where ye headin’, huh?" asked the pirate, his accent so thick it was hard to understand he was even speaking English.
"The Tahiti Islands," replied Fletcher truthfully. "Is there a problem with that?"
"Nah... I s’pose not. ‘Less ye wanna cross me path—but ya don’t want dat," hissed the pirate, grinning before turning his attention to Edna. Meanwhile, the girl pirate had left Jade alone and wandered around the ship, breaking things for fun.
"What’s yer name, ol’ lady?" asked the pirate, eyeing Mrs. Wilson suspiciously.
"My name is Edna Wilson, my boy," replied Mrs. Wilson with a warm smile.
"Captain! Me name is Captain Godfrey. I ain’t yer filthy boy!" shouted Captain Godfrey. His sudden outburst shook Mrs. Wilson. "Sorry m-" but she caught herself. "It’s just, I’m staying with the kids, so it’s a habit," explained Mrs. Wilson. Captain Godfrey grabbed Edna’s hand tightly, causing her to wince in pain, before letting go and looking her over.
"How old are the ‘kids’?" called out the girl pirate loudly after dropping a small vase.
Captain Fletcher grabbed the nearest boy, who happened to be Peter.
"How old are ya, boy?" questioned Godfrey, grabbing Peter by the collar and swinging him around.
"Fifttommbtoju—" mumbled Peter under his breath, unintelligibly.
"Huh!? What?!" barked Godfrey, swinging Peter harder.
"I-I will be fiffff-f" stuttered Peter again.
"Answer, boy!"
"I will be... fifteen in t-two months," Peter finally managed, his voice heavy with his own strong accent.
"Fifteen in two months, eh? What day is it, boys?!" yelled Godfrey.
"Lootin’ day!!" shouted the girl pirate, making all the pirates on the ship burst into laughter, with her laughter being the loudest.
"Boys, follow Aradia! Nothin’ here important!" bellowed Godfrey, shoving Peter to the ground before following the others off the ship.
Once they were sure the pirates had left, the kids gathered around Peter to make sure he was okay.
"You alright, dude?" asked Eddie, offering Peter a hand to help him up.
"Been better," muttered Peter, taking Eddie’s hand and steadying himself. "But... what the bloody hell is Lootin’ Day?!" he asked angrily, waiting for an explanation.
"Yeah... what does that mean?" Rose chimed in.
"It’s a day designated for raiding ships. Pirates like to call it ‘Lootin’ Day’... comes from looting, you know," explained Fletcher.