Legend of the Seven Seas

Tartarus

The moment was short-lived as the ship jolted when one of the riggings broke, men scrambling to compensate for it. Sinbad glanced over at the gates, knowing what he had to do. The ropes weren't made to last in this position. They couldn't stay here.

"Turn it hard to port." Sinbad called, making his way towards the men.

Odette chased after, already knowing what his plan was and she was not letting him get away that easily. The boat was turned so the side was facing the glowing gates.

"Cale!" Sinbad Called.

"Aye?"  Cale asked.

"If I don't make it, the ship is yours" Sinbad told him, picking up a length of rope.

At his blunt words Cale's easy smile dropped. Everyone seemed to get the gist of the situation and gathered around their beloved captain, staring at the man with a mix of awe and sorrow.

"Sinbad." Marina gasped out sadly.

This man truly was different than what Marina had always thought.

"Men, it's been a privilege robbing with you." Sinbad announced looking over all of them.

With a nod he turned only to jump back at a very determined Odette staring at him.

"I'm coming with you." Odette announced, leaving no room for argument.

"And don't tell me the realm of chaos is no place for a woman." Odette smirked at him.

Sinbad pursed his lips and nodded thoughtfully before tossing a double hooped lasso around the two of them. He quickly tightened it, dragging her up against him.

"I would never say that." Sinbad confirmed with a tease, staring at her unashamedly.

Odette smiled at the man.

"Odette you can't be serious?! What would your father say if you didn't come back?" Marian quickly protested, worried for her friend.

Odette smiled wryly.

"....I think on some level he would expect this from me." Odette grinned deviously.

A bark caught interrupted them and they all glanced down to see Spike happily tossing a piece of rope over himself, waning to tag along with his master. Sinbad sighed and took the rope off, rubbing the dogs head fondly.

"Hey, sorry boy. Not this time." Sinbad soothed.

Spike whimpered but didn't protest. Odette and Sinbad grasped hands and took a deep breath, looking over at the gates. Glancing at the other side of the boat they shared a knowing grin. Sinbad held up their hands and squeezed before leading her in a sprint towards the opposing side of the ship. They lept off the railing, Odette yelping as they dropped before the rope caught and roughly swung them into the light of the gates, disappearing with a crackle of electricity.

Sinbad held tightly to her hand as the two silently freefell, with no sign of ground anywhere. Odette gazed around, stunned at how the walls moved with constellations and navigation maps while beneath them was just a thick fog. She flinched and Sinbad managed to pull her closer as they passed some constellation creatures on the way down. Suddenly a desert appeared beneath them as they continued their descent at a rapid pace. The two braced for impact, Odette clenching her eyes shut and digging into his broad shoulder while he instinctively held her head tighter to him. After a moment they peeked open their eyes to see they were hovering over the ground instead of crashing into it. Startled they managed to scramble to their feet, eyes darting every which way as they scanned for any more oddities.

The sand beneath them seemed to shift and roll like waves on the ocean. A dark shadow was cast under their feet and Odette was tossed backwards as the sand began to rise up. Sinbad quickly caught her but before they could right themselves both were tossed aside and sent rolling down the hill as she dune grew. The sound of creaking caught her attention while Sinbad was caught up in helping her stand. Odette's eyes widened as a broken old ship rose up before them, looking like it would topple over any second. As it tilted forward she grabbed his arm harshly.

"Move!" Odette ordered, trying to keep calm.

The sand hindered their attempted run so Sinbad threw them both forward, the mast barely missing them. He remained hovered over her protectively as they sat on the sand, shifting to avoid spears that were now poking out of the sand. Settling in an open spot Odette watched in terror as empty armor of past warriors from all over appeared around them, looking so dead and cold as they held their spears upright. As quickly as they appeared they returned beneath the grains of sand.

"Come on." Sinbad quietly coaxed, hoisting Odette up by her waist.

Once Odette was upright once more she gently pulled out of Sinbad's arms, curiously watching the sand that was being swept away in front of them. All around stone pillars and broken castles appeared, giving the land an even eerier look.

"Well I can see why no one ever visits." Odette pointed out nervously, trying to ease their fears.

Sinbad chuckled tightly, attempting to go along with it. What had he gotten them into?

A thud caught their attention and the duo whipped around to spot several mystic creatures surrounding them. Sinbad latched an arm around her waist, determined to keep her close by. However, there was no place to go as the numbers of beasts grew around them. Sinbad quickly unsheathed double swords from his waist while Odette pulled out a knife from her boot. The two stood back to back trying to keep an eye all around them.

"Now, now my pets..." A melodic voice cooed from out of nowhere.

Odette jumped in surprise at the new voice while blinking through the sand twister that had come out of nowhere. The beasts quickly scattered.

"...is that any way to treat a guest." The voice continued, softly scolding the creatures.

Sinbad blinked against the sand pelting his face. As the winds grew, their weapons where ripped form their grasp and tossed into the sandy abyss they had just come from. A couple of chairs mysteriously appeared behind them and the sand melted away to place them in a dark, stone throne room. Odette stared at the sand that seemed to create a curtain around them, rushing just on the outside of the few broken pillars. Up on the top of the small staircase sat a throne with a skeleton perched upon it. The two took a step back as the glanced around.

"Ok, I'm severely creeped out." Sinbad muttered under his breath.

"That's an understatement." Odette agreed, still eyeing the scenery.

From behind the throne a dark shadow made its way towards them, the sound of slow clapping heard as it approached.