Gasping for air, Seth opened his eyes to see a misty sky overhead, but his body ached everywhere he attempted to move, every muscle in his body throbbed in pain as he lay on the cold wet floor beneath him. His eyes darted around, seeing bodies of the crew laying helplessly at the shore.
Horror spread across his mind, having remembered everything that happened prior to falling unconscious. Slowly, he stood up and carefully observed the area they were in. "What...is this place?" He pondered out loud. There was no sign of any ship or familiar landmark in sight.
In front of him was a vast ocean, but the moment he turned around, he saw nothing but a rocky landscape filled with hills and no trees or animals at sight, as slight fog seemed to block some of his vision. Then he noticed something sticking out in the distance.
A groan can suddenly be heard next to his side. Turning to see the source of the noise, his eyes were met by Billy, who is slowly getting up from the ground. "Where the hell are we?" he asked, wiping away the dust that had collected on his clothes while observing his surroundings with a curious and cautious eye. "I swear that the sh*t we experienced in that storm was real; there's no way that was a dream," he added on top of that.
Before the boy was prepared to greet him, Genno lightly tapped his back, making Seth jump in fright as he screamed like a girl, "AHH!" and causing Billy to burst out in laughter due to the high-pitched tone of voice from his mouth.
Blushing heavily, he turned to scold Genno for this action, "D-didn't you know not to do that!" Glaring at the long-haired teen, who in response simply shrugged it off without much care as he returned the gaze, "Seriously! That was very rude of you!" Feeling embarrassed from the snickering that came from his friend's lips,
Then one by one, the once dead men rose up like zombies, groaning in pain and confusion from what had just occurred. Seth sighed in relief of his mistake, happy to know no one had died being thrown onto the shore after their ship had been sucked into a whirlpool.
Morgan rose from the ground with weak legs, holding her stomach to prevent her lunch from coming out. "We're alive," was relief in her words, but at the same time, feeling nausea from the trip they went through, she said, "It almost took me forever to recover from that, but fortunately, you three woke up just in time," thanking whatever deity exists for their fortunate event of surviving that deadly ordeal.
Gathering her bearings while the awoken crew were busy helping and talking among themselves, she approached them with a thrilled display as she swooped all three of them in her arms, hugging them in a joyous mood. "I was so fearful of losing you all," her eyes nearly began to tear.
They reciprocate the gesture except for the confused Genno, who were simply looking at this act weirdly but nonetheless relieved that everyone is still alive. "It is good that we are still breathing, thanks to your magic, milady," Captain Holt approached them despite everyone's clothes being soaked into water.
As she turned, his face turned completely red, "by the great divines above," staring at her beauty and voluptuous body, which are visible underneath her damp dress that clearly shows her figure and curves. "My apologies for...err..." Realizing what he was seeing, he nervously averted his eyes away.
Noticing this, she felt a wave of shame and embarrassment in not realizing this sooner or in reality: "I should fix myself before anything else," acknowledging this problem as she uttered a spell, causing not only her but also everyone else to have their clothes dried in one sudden act.
The crew was confused and in awe at this, unsure of what just had happened. "Woah, I'm dried," one of them whispered in amazement, while the other nodded in agreement and responded in kind, "Whatever has happened, I'm glad that I don't have to deal with being wet."
She then coughed, bringing the captain's attention. "May we continue in regards to finding their base of operations?" The woman said with growing impatience. Her sense of urgency and irritation can be seen in her voice, prompting him to respond accordingly.
Awkwardly giving out a couple of coughs in getting himself together, Holt nodded, for he was trying not to look directly at her chest. "Aye, let us talk about navigating through this place." Getting back to the topic, he was about to speak until he was interrupted.
"I wish to help in this case," Genno casually volunteered, which caused the two to look at each other before nodding to him. "Good," relieved, the three began to speak about what and where to go in hopes of reaching where their base is.
Leaving only Billy to look at the trio speaking like adults and leaders, making him feel left out at this very moment, "should we join them?" Turning his head, a look of surprise came when he noticed Seth blushing heavily in a rather mysterious manner, "partner, you alright, bud?" Concern for his well-being as he placed an arm around his shoulder, "you look really red; something on your mind?" He questioned in confusion.
This is confusing, what his friend is looking at in the first place? Especially how embarrassed he became. So with this in mind, the blond boy decided to find the source, and then it clicked him where Seth was staring the whole time, causing the cowboy to gasp in shock.
"Your...you like her, don't you?"
Seth immediately pushed away Billy's arm with a still reddened face, unable to speak nor stare as he was too ashamed to admit it. "I don't!" He lied through his teeth, feeling guilty for his actions after lying to his best friend's face.
Unsurprisingly, his reaction was expected: "Hey man," raising his hands in surrender to show he isn't going to make fun of him anymore; "its fine; your still growing through puberty like me, and our feelings can get complicated at times." noticing Seth's eyes dart away in guilt of his falsehood, he rubbed his friend's shoulder to ease the tension between them; "so don't sweat it, partner; boys will be boys as they say," reassuringly grinning.
Seeing how understanding he was, he gave him a thankful smile before becoming serious again. "But it isn't right. I see her as a mother, not someone who I have interest in." This time, the honesty and seriousness of his voice reflected upon Billy's face. "Not only that, it is sin to have lustful thoughts," hurt in committing such grievances that his beliefs are strictly forbidden.
Unsure what to say, he decided to just speak up about what he thinks: "If you were me, it's better to wait until you've grown as an adult," Billy suggested in hope of improving this situation, "because what we feel at our age is simply just a phase," continuing as Seth's expression seemed to brighten up slightly.
"But what about the lustful thoughts I just had?"
Scoffing at this with a smile, "Everyone has had it one way or another; it's nothing to be ashamed of, and I'm sure the big man in the sky will surely keep forgiving you for this minor error, especially in our age," he smiled upon saying that in confidence, as it made Seth release a sigh of relief.
"I'm glad..." Happy to know this, he felt lighter by a hundred weights being taken off of his shoulders. "Thanks for hearing me out; I appreciate it a lot." His sincere and appreciative words caused Billy to chuckle with a grin on his lips.
He playfully nudged at the boy in jest, "It's what friends do, partner," patting his back in comfort as a sign of accepting this new development, "especially since we are brothers now." Having not forgotten this, it was reaffirmed by their strong friendship.
The two then laughed with one another, finding their conversation both refreshing and refilling because they have each other's backs in times of need. Billy and Seth are truly like forged brothers who can never be separated no matter what obstacles lie ahead of them.
Morgan, however, overheard their conversation from afar, causing her to smile after what she was witnessing. "Their bond is cute," she commented as the two also turned to see those brothers like relationship, finding it adorable of their closeness in times of stress and uncertainty.
Even the captain agreed on this take, chuckling lightly on their part, "Aye, I agree with you there, miss witch," as they are distracted in watching the two boys talking and joking to each other. One of the crewmen then confronted the three with a question in mind.
"Captain Holt, are we good to go?"
A young adult, around his early thirties, with short dark hair and thick eyebrows, asked his superior, "Are we ready to travel through this barren land?" and asked once more if there were any preparations necessary for this journey while also waiting for further orders.
Glancing at the two, they nodded in confirmation before his attention went back to the sailor. "Is everyone armed?" he asked, which caused the man to nod with affirmation as the said sailor pulled out a flintlock pistol from his coat, showing it to him while holding it by the barrel end.
"Good," Holt answered with relief before focusing on the rest of his men, who were now looking at him, awaiting orders as they held all sorts of weapons, from muskets to maces altogether. "Let us embark!" Shouting in command, "follow my lead, and riches shall be our reward! Let our blood flow red today!" Before motioning forward into the unknown, not knowing what danger awaits them in the days ahead.
And so, their march begins as everyone starts moving forward—a ragtag group of people consisting of seamen, each carrying some form of weaponry ranging from cutlasses, muskets, and pistols to blunt objects like hammers and shovels to spears, and so on.
Around a hundred men are gathered to follow behind their captain while his guests walk beside him. Although Billy and Seth had to catch up after realizing their deportation, everyone else has started moving to the unknown.
"Come on," Billy grabbed his friend's wrist without much thought before dragging him away from the direction they came. "We can't stay behind or we're going to get lost, brother," as the two ran together to follow after the rest of the party.
Reaching to the very front of the crew, where the rest of their friends are, Morgan smiled in seeing them, "You decided to join us, haven't you boys?" Her comment made the two feel foolish for forgetting to stick with everyone else, "It's good to know you're aware of your safety at least," glancing over their shoulders to spot nothing but rocks and mist surrounding them.
Genno crossed his arms and grumbled with an annoyed expression, "You took time to come over," commenting on their delayed appearance while Seth blushed in embarrassment at missing out on joining earlier than expected, "Perhaps you should pay attention in case another trouble happens," lecturing the two while the sounds of men's footsteps echo throughout the terrain.
It seems as if there is nothing but barren, rocky landscape with some hills along the way; this place is desolate in comparison to lush environments back at their homelands. There were no plants whatsoever and no sight of life itself. A eerie and somber ambience that hangs around the air filled with cold breeze blowing through the mist that makes them shiver whenever it blows.
After a few more minutes of walking, they eventually reached a strange new area where scattered grass filled with red hues decorated the ground and a couple of strange towers in the distance. There is a pathway leading up that winds up the hillside.
But they immediately stopped when they noticed a figure from a distance approaching them, holding a spear with his armor as red as the grass themselves. A sign of impending conflict draws closer and closer with each step taken.
