She was having an outburst once again. He wondered what had upset her this time.
From his quarters, a spacious but bland room filled most notably with a bed, some storage and a desk, its surface neatly scattered with letters, maps and bounty posters, the captain leaned back into his chair. He rested his boots upon his desk beside his worn, simply designed, black hat.
He relaxed peacefully to sound of monstrous waves violently lashing at his window and let loose the occasional empathetic chuckle whenever he caught sound of the laborious grunts and shouts of his crew working under the ongoing storm.
He knew damn well as any experienced sailor that Eletheria wasn't one for mercy. He himself had been a victim of her wrath hundreds of times before, including on this very vessel, and he didn't doubt for a moment that he'd soon experience it again, in the coming days or weeks.
There was a powerful knock before the study and reinforced door to his room abruptly burst hope, allowing the roars and products of the storm to rampage in. However, the captain didn't seem bothered, in fact he didn't even flinch when his door, capable of holding off canon fire, was almost tore from its hinges. In the doorway, blocking the sight of black clouds, pelting rain and striking lighting, was a titan of a man, the captain's quartermaster and first mate. Water streamed from every bare, sculpted, dark muscle that constructed the man's bulk, but he was unfazed. Without invitation, his first mate stepped into the captain's quarters, ducking down below the door frame due to his immense height.
"Sounds rough" the captain grinned.
"The worst in a while," the quartermaster grunted, before effortlessly closing the door and locking the storm out. The giant man then grabbed the cloth beside the door and attempted to dry off the residue of the storm.
"It is, but imagine you've not came here to escape the rain," the captain said.
"No," the first mate shook his head. He wandered across the room and stood opposite the captain's desk. After fishing around in his satchel, that sat tightly upon his waist, the giant man pulled out a sealed envelope and passed it across the desk.
The captain recognised the mark of the Cove in an instant. The mark of the legendary pirate king unmistakable, whether rippling on a vast flag or engraved in crimson wax.
"What do they want now?" the captain grumbled as he sat up and took hold of the letter.
"My guess would be another bounty."
"I was looking to complain not for a logical answer," the captain muttered.
"I'm aware," the first mate responded, a small smile cracking across his stone like expression.
A sliver blur flashed in the air as the captain carved through the seal with his knife. The envelope held two pieces of worn paper. One was a letter, wrote in the sapphire ink of the ancient knights and in the familiar writing of an old friend. His eyes quickly traced over its contents. As his first mate has assumed, they'd been assigned a new target.
"Another crew has broken the code. They're pillaging and carving their way through the eastern settlements of Carulu," the captain informed. "We've been asked if we're able to handle them."
"Will we?" the quarter master inquired.
The captain nodded as always, not considering his options. His debt to the old man still wasn't paid, he doubted it ever would be, he must help maintain order across his oceans. Across Eletheria.
"We will," the captain confirmed. "Have Jeck respond, and Pitra begin to investigate our target. I want their last known location and predicted trajectory known in two days"
The first mate nodded. "And who exactly are we hunting captain?"
"Good question."
The captain removed the second paper from the envelope and splayed the bounty across the desk. The two pirates titled their heads in unison at the sight of the portrait. Both their gazes slightly stunned.
"About damn time," the captain grinned.
"I'll set our course east immediately," the first mate stated.
The captain nodded and just like he'd entered without invitation the quarter master left without dismission, returning to the storm's embrace without reluctance. The captain turned to the window behind him, its reinforced glass shaped into a tall octagon. His eyes locked onto the wrathful storm and rageful sea. Eletheria was beginning to once again calm.
Ceres took in a deep breath, letting the salty air fill and invigorate her lungs. Cool, coastal breezes danced along her skin and she stared up at the clear sky. It was a vibrant blanket of blue, sparsely decorated with patches of cloud and illuminated by the blazing sun above, which radiated a tropical heat down upon the sea.
Ceres had positioned herself at the bow of the ship, she sat, crossed legged, upon the wooden planks, enjoying as the vessel subtly bobbed across the serene, aquamarine water. Her grin never left her face as they sailed forward. Her hand remained constantly raised to the side of her head to prevent her wavy, navy hair from whipping back at her as it rippled in the flowing sea winds. In her lap rested her sketch pad along with its charcoal pencil, parting gifts from an old friend. The book's cover was black leather and while its white pages were thin they were also plentiful, granting the pad a sturdy thickness. Inside was filled with dozens of Ceres' rough sketches and notes, narrating her travels across the Carulu Archipelago. From the wildlife and fauna that could be found across the hundreds of thousands of islands in Carulu, to the various and numerous denizens who called Eletheria and her waters home, to anything Ceres found beautiful or intriguing. She hoped by the time her journey concluded she'd have a vast, fascinating gallery to show her family.
The ship she found herself on wasn't large, just sufficient enough in size to comfortably support herself and its twelve-sailor crew, along with all the cargo it was transporting. It went by the name of 'Wave Strider' and had to belonged to the Smoits family for generations.
The Smoits were one the hundreds, no maybe even thousands, of family run commerce and transport companies that constructed the backbone of the archipelago's trade network. The Wave Strider was the foundation of their family business. It gave them the capability to transport cargo across the entirety of the Carulu Archipelago, from towering cities of limestone, basalt, coral and volcanic rock, to coastal towns, to the even the small villages of the ancient natives.
"Enjoying the weather?" a booming voice asked.
"You could say that," Ceres replied. She shifted her body around the face the approaching man. "A beaming sun, a refreshing breeze, calm crystal waters, what's not to love?"
"Not much at all, miss Palir," the man agreed. "This'll be a day to remember, maybe the best we'll get all year."
Mr Smoits, captain of Wave Strider, wandered up to ship's bow beside her. He rested on the railing of his vessel and allowed himself to feel the wind rush through is unruly beard, which had long turned white with age. Mr Smoits was a portly man, that Ceres guessed to be his in late sixties, he stood around average height with broad shoulders and stocky limbs. The sun bounced of his bare head and, as always, he possessed his jolly smile and rosy cheeks, fuelled by the flask he enjoyed keeping inside his jacket.
"More sketching?" he asked.
"Ahh yes," Ceres said, claiming hold of the sketch book excitedly.
"Let's see," Mr Smoits said, taking a seat on the floor beside her. Ever since they'd set sail and Ceres had begun to work in her pad, the captain had always loved to see and admire her work.
Ceres flipped through the pages of her pad, quickly arriving at the latest drawing. It displayed the rough sketch of a coastouga. A huge, carulu native, reptilian animal consisting most notably of a beautiful blue shell, beaked mouth, long spined tail and four fin-like limbs. The Wave Strider had come across a bale of them earlier, the reptiles were patrolling the coasts of some small islands searching for their favourite varieties of coral snacks.
Mr Smoits eyes glimmered. "Marvelous as always miss Palir. My eldest daughter would always love to draw and amaze me with her pictures, but I'll tell you one thing she never had a talent like yours," Mr Smoits chuckled.
Ceres couldn't hide her smile. "You flatter me Mr Smoits," Ceres thanked politely.
"Please how many times, call me Borrey," Mr Smoits laughed. "But I am serious miss Palir, with a talent like yours it'd be a shame to see it wasted. Give it some thought once you're in Belaxus."
"I definitely will," Ceres answered honestly. Creating a future with her art and travels would be a childhood dream come true.
With a grunt, Mr Smoits rose back to his feet and wandered over to the edge of his boat. He took a sip from his flask before it then vanished as quickly as it appeared, all while his eyes mischievously darted around, Ceres assumed most likely keeping a lookout for Mrs Smoits. Ceres, stifled a chuckle and, stood herself joining the captain at the edge of the ship and leaned over the railing glancing down at the clear waters. Through the shimmering waves she could see all the way to the seabed, a collage of pale sand, vibrant coral, rocks and aquatic plants.
"We'll arrive within the next fortnight," Mr Smoits informed. "After that we've only got a few more deliveries and pickups and then we'll arrive at Portris. If we maintain the same speed, I'd guess one more month of sailing and you're there. My wife tells me Mochel is still on schedule, so you'll be able to set off to Belaxus pretty much immediately."
Ceres couldn't help but grin at the news. "Thank you again," she said. "For everything. Getting me safely across the Carulu Archipelago, keeping me fed and sheltered and even organising my trip to Belaxus."
Mr Smoits chuckled. "No need to thank us little miss, you've been nothing but a pleasure. I'd consider trading you in for one of my own kids if they weren't all grown up and living their own life," Mr Smoits joked with a tipsy grin. "Plus it was the least I could do for your old man, may his soul rest well."
Ceres nodded in agreement with the captain's sentiment.
Not long now Ceres thought eagerly barley able to contain her excitement. Soon her journey would come to end and her new life could begin. The thoughts made her reminisce on everything it'd cost her to get this far.
Since the day she could remember her uncle had raised and cared for her in the grand city of Cubas. But then half a year ago her uncle had unfortunately passed to illness. On his death bed, he chose to leave her know closure or comfort and instead he'd briefly explained she possessed family in a southern city of Belaxus, her father's sister and her family, and they were soon expecting her. To say this surprised her was an understatement. For one, Ceres had never met either of her parents and didn't know an iota about them, except that they were both supposedly sailors. She'd instead lived her whole life her uncle, an old family friend of her mother. Secondly her uncle never explained how he knew her family or how they knew of her nor even why they were expecting her. Instead he had only provided an address, money and set her off on her way with the Smoits, not wishing her to see his last moments.
Despite knowing he'd hate it and most likely reprimand her for giving 'someone like him' such thought, Ceres was lost in grief for the first month of her travels. She didn't draw a single picture, write a word, she didn't even leave her room. But then one day something just clicked in her mind. She accepted reality and moved forward like her uncle would've wished. Soon her sorrow and solitude was replaced with excitement as she realised her dreams were finally coming to fruition. She'd soon have a family, a connection to her parents, and most of all they wanted her. As his dying act, her uncle had given her everything.
Ceres felt her heartbeat wildly as the thoughts danced across her mind, and she witnessed her dreams play out in the glimmering waves below.
But then sudden impressed whistle of captain Smoits drew her from her daze. She glanced up from the sea and her eyes focused off into the distance. An enormous ship sailed smoothly through the crystal waters, effortlessly carving its path through the waves with its immense bulk. An array of black cannons and artillery lined its deck and vast rippling flags hung from its grand masts. She could the silhouettes of dozens upon dozens of men working upon its decks and levels.
Ceres felt her heart drop. "Pirates," she muttered, retreating back a step. It was the first time she'd seen them on the open seas. She'd heard and read a hundred stories, some painted them as heroes, protectors and legendary warriors. While others … they gave her a reason to be truly terrified, a cause for the blood to drain from her skin and encourage her to hide in a hole at the bottom of Eletheria.
"Aye," Mr Smoits stated. To Ceres' confusion his jolly demeanour never faded and he continued to happily watch the pirate ship sail forward.
"Should we not be worried?" Ceres questioned. She considered all the valuable cargo the Wave Strider transported and its lack of defensive capabilities, surely that made them the perfect target.
"Nay," Mr Smoits stated casually. "Look at the flag. Recognise it?"
Ceres focused on the main flag attached to the largest mast, it was so vast it was almost the size of the entire Wave Strider. Fluttering upon its fabric was a cyan ring crossed by two blades upon a field of abyssal blue. Ceres knew very few pirate crew emblems, and this wasn't one of them, if she was being honest she thought they all involved a skull of some kind. A jolly roger she believed it was called.
"I don't," Ceres answered. "Who does it belong to?"
"Not who. What," Mr Smoits grinned. "That little miss is the symbol of the Wardens. The Wardens of Eletheria."
Ceres' eyes shot wide, amazed, all fear wiped away in a mere moment. She'd heard of wardens as a child, but then again, who from these seas hadn't. The guardians of the sea, the keepers of peace across Eletheria. They operated from the Cove directly under the pirate lords, sailing from the Thelsi Isles to the Carulu Archipelago. They patrolled the seas and oceans, enforcing the sacred laws, they called the code, and opposing those who'd dare to break them. They'd always been depicted as protectors of the innocent combatting the criminal and rouges of their kind, keeping the populations of Eletheria safe.
"Wondering what they're doing all the way out here?" Mr Smoits inquired, scratching his beard.
That was a good question Ceres realised. They were in shallow waters, dangerous for larger vessels, and while calm they were still close to many settlements, even a city. Along with the fact that it was broad daylight, it wasn't the ideal conditions and environment for a siege. It made Ceres agree with the captain's question what were they doing out here? Who were they searching for?
Suddenly the massive vessel erupted in cannon fire. Both Ceres and captain Smoits stumbled back, as they witnessed charred debris being torn from the ship's structure and plunged into the sea. The wardens attempted to fight back but the ambush was quickly laying them to waste.
"Full speed!" Mr Smoits bellowed, his usual jolliness replaced with panic, in an instant. "Get us out these waters!"
The ship's crew set into motion immediately, their captains commands snapping from their stunned daze.
Something tore into the ship, Ceres didn't see it, nor did she even hear it. But she damn well felt it. The entire vessel quaked, and Ceres was threw from her feet and slammed painfully onto the deck.
The captain relaxed upon bowsprit of his ship, his back lying comfortably against the thick wooden pole and one leg dangled freely, teasing the calm, aquamarine waters below. His hat rested upon his face blocking out the sun and protecting it from Solu's beaming heat.
He laid motionless trying finally to catch the sleep which he critically lacked, but it never came. The captain grumbled defeated and sat up and pushing his hat up upon his head. Now there was two things to be annoyed at. The first being there complete inability to locate their prey.
He glanced around to find himself still surrounded by endless fields of crystal waters. Could be worse, he considered, Eletheria could be pissed.
"Zan!" a woman called out from his deck.
The captain never bothered to turn even as his crew's gunner and second mate placed a foot on the base of the bowsprit.
"Have you got good news for me Pitra?" he asked.
"He's been sighted" she said, he could hear her smile. "I've already set our course."
"Good," the captain grinned.