The Adventures of the HMS Harlot

Depravity Part 1: Otto River, Boatswain

Crack!

Crash!

Crackle!

Grunt!

The darkness billowed around the Harlot in a never ending stream of icy mist, making the work all that much harder. The deck kept sliding away from our feet as we struggled to tighten the lines and the rain drowned my shouts as I pressed the men to open the hatches to try and circumvent the backdraft from the portside. The only light came from the slow, arcing lightning drifting through the clouds; it would be welcome if it wasn't also a death sentence.

"Heave on my command!" Odessa shouted into the squall. The men's morale was down and I could see in their tired shrugs that they couldn't pull the lines any more taut. I gave my whip another crack but it did nothing. "Heave or I'll throw you to the storm!" Motivation is kind in any form.

Just as they made headway with the line, we were rocked again by the winds and I felt the sickening feeling of a drop and the rancid smell of burning wood . The engines have stalled and we'd been hit. "Gobbs, Jeremy, Conroy! Below deck to the engine room. Give Witherford any aid he needs."

The three untied themselves from the rail and disappeared with another crack of my whip as I turned my gaze to the wheel. Roy was uselessly tugging at the wheel while Victoria was helping Ethel pin a restless map to the rail. Odessa was nowhere in sight until I looked to my left and found her screaming something into the lower decks. She had screamed at us before to tie ourselves to the ship like it was our first maelstrom and there she was running freely over the whole boat. Rowena handed up a leather satchel a few moments later and Odessa was rushing over the slippery deck to Ethel.

Leave it to the air head to forget her cartography tools. I turned to see five men slumped against the starboard railing, arms slung over the side and their heads bowed in resolution.

"Were you told to stop?" I screamed as I approached them. I caught a glimpse of a rosary swaying in one of their fists.

In one swoop, I snatched the trinket from his hands and lifted him over the edge with my other hand. "Fly with the angels". I cut his line as his screams drowned in the roar of the clouds. "Should any wish to follow him, I would be more than happy to oblige. The only God up here is dead." Armada ways die hard up here. Very hard.

They scrambled to their feet and I feel a slight shudder as we gained altitude. Witherford must have been doing something right. Connor and Seymour scurried up next to me and the men, helping secure the lines. I didn't need to be told but Odessa did so anyway.

"Otto, we have so few prisoners as is. Don't do it again."

"Aye aye, mate."

I could see her turn that ruddy red she gets when she's mad, but any smart remark she had was stopped by the brilliant flash of light followed by an ear splitting boom. Upwards had exploded into an inferno. For such slow lightning, it lights up faster than breath. I didn't even need to command my men; they were scurrying up the rigging with me as we beat down the flames, Seymour beating all of us to the top in a flash of adrenaline.

Just as we got the last of the flames under control, the engines kicked back into gear and Roy threw us into a hard turn. The Harlot lurched forward and up in a quick burst and we went careening through the storm. It's was over in only a minute.

Blue skies. Fresh air. A strong breeze. It was beautiful to behold. I could have kissed Witherford for getting us out of there. Almost

"Ship off the Starboard" I heard Seymour call from the crow's nest. True to his eerie eyes, there was a merchant ship just a few clicks away. It had probably just got out of the storm too. It would be checking its condition, trying to make repairs, most of the crew would be below deck at this point. I caught Victoria giving the order in her demanding bellow.