(I've been meaning to do this since... Chapter 6 or 7, though I never got around to writing it. After many promises and no results, I figured I'd end this off with what I wanted to write for almost nine months now. Welcome, my general peeps, to the Pirates chapter.
No one hold me to this, but I might write something else to this universe in the future. Trust me to already start building out in my head, but HHH, we'll see. For now, I hope all you peeps enjoy!)
Disclaimer: I do not own Ratchet and Clank or any of its characters. And as of February 1st, 2020... after four years of writing out so many first chapters that I've abandoned not long after... after finally pushing myself to focus on a project and see it through to the end... I have finally finished a multichaptered story.
Raindrops
XX
Drabble 1
The steady drum of the rain outside the wooden ship cast a sleepy lull over the cabin. Splashing water echoed in from the windowsill to the main room. A lone candle shined on the large desk, casting a small circle of light around the elegantly dressed pirate standing on the chair.
A quill scribbled against a faded parchment, green optics studying every line, loop, and curve of the faded black ink. The little robot reached up, careful not to let the blue sleeve of his tunic dip into the inkwell, and submerged the tip of the feather in the inky blackness. As he pulled his arm back, the robot narrowed his optics in frustration, a low hum of annoyance building up from his voice modulators.
All the clues were there… he just had to piece them together…
A loud clap startled the little robot, and the round head darted up to the cabin door to find a Lombax dressed in black-and-green tunic and trousers stumble into the cabin. A grog mug rested in the Lombax's right hand, and a splitting grin stretched across his face. "Clank, the party's getting crazy! You sure you don't wanna come out and have some fun?"
"Unfotunately, Ratchet, I am unable to break from my work. I believe I am close to cracking the late Captain Slag's code, and we may soon be en-route to a large supply of jewels and gold." As Ratchet closed the door behind him, Clank scratched a blocky finger against his head. "That is, if I am able to decipher the code before the Defense Force can."
Ratchet stepped close, sure to keep his mug straight, and moved around the large desk. Green eyes ran over the map, catching the foreign language in Slag's handwriting and the notes in Clank's, two sets of languages painting different pictures that were yet to intermix. He licked his lips as he shook his head. "I don't know if I can help you out, pal. Is there anything you can think of that I can do to help you puzzle it out?"
"Mm, I do not believe I have anything for you at the moment." Clank looked to his friend. "There is a vague familiarity to the language Slag transcribed his notes in, even though the language is, by the galaxy's terms, nonexistent. I do not understand why, however-"
It was like a candle lit above the little robot's head. The quill dipped back in the inkwell again, darting back to the map before settling on a bare piece of parchment. Notes appeared on the page, and Clank wrote as fast as he could to capture the thought down.
Ratchet leaned over his friend, backing away a few times to give the robot space only for curiosity to push his head back forward. His tail curled, and his body bounced excitedly as he pinched his mouth closed to not distract Clank.
"Using the cipher- adding a five-degree angle there- and accounting for a mid-twilight sun…"
Suddenly Clank paused, setting the quill to the side. A smile grew along his mouthpiece as the feather laid against the wood. "This appears to have many time-specific elements attached to this… though I believe I have finally cracked the code Slag attached to his treasure map."
"So, that means…" a flash sparkled from Ratchet's mouth as the candlelight bounced off one of the gold canine teeth "-grand adventure time?"
"Indeed…" Clank matched the eagerness of his grin. "At dawn tomorrow, we will need to set off towards Hoolifar to complete the first piece of the puzzle."
"Yes!" A bit of grog sloshed over the rim, and the Lombax quickly rubbed away the liquid with the sleeve of his green tunic. "I knew you could do it, pal!"
"Of course, when have I come across a code I have not solved?" The playful glint in his optics shined as Clank tucked the map and his notes in his pocket. "Now that the map has been deciphered, might I join in the celebrations?"
Ratchet handed the little robot his mug. "Thought you'd never ask. Come on, Clank, party's just about to get started…"
Drabble 2
CLANG!
Clank's dirk flew out of his hand, clattering across the wooden deck as thunder and lightning roared overhead. The sound of metal clashing mixed with the torrent of rain, adding to the maelstrom whirling around the two pirate ships.
The robot pirate sneered over his cutlass, slowly stepping towards Clank. He tapped the blade against his wrist. "Ah, ye wee little robit, looks like ye can't properly duel without yer Lombax friend around ye!"
Clank stayed in his defensive position, legs apart and fists raised. "I am able to fight, though admittedly the rain has made things a bit more difficult on my part." His optics blinked back stormwater as he leaned forward. "You will find out, however, that I do not take things lying down."
The pirate laughed, the roaring thunder almost drowning out the evil laughter. "AHAHAHA! Figured ye would, matey, with all the other times you've been under that space rat!"
A punch knocked the pirate square in the jaw, pushing him back.
"Must you be so crude?" Clank asked, a flash of annoyance on his face. Optics narrowed as his arms crossed. "I am simply the first mate and co-captain of the ship. Did your mother never teach you any decent manners?"
Rage painted the taller robot's face, and as a snarl and a form of spittle trickled out of his mouthpiece, the robot drew back his blade, ready for the swipe. "Yer gunna insult me mum like that, ye little trashcan?! Well, I guess it's up te me to show ye the good manners she taught me!"
Lightning flashed off the metal sword as it swung downward.
A gunshot rang out amid the other clashing of sword, and the pirate froze before collapsing to the ground.
Ratchet grinned from behind the pirate's fallen form, holding up Clank's fallen dirk. "Heya, pal!" he yelled over the pouring rain. "Sorry about the wait! Woulda been here sooner, but I wanted to grab this before it fell overboard!"
Clank stepped around the fallen pirate, rushing to his friend. "Thank you, Ratchet, and I am grateful you saved my weapon from becoming fish food."
"Eh, it was no problem." Ratchet flipped the dirk carefully, then stretched out the grip for Clank to grab onto. "Though it was a close save… you might want to stop insulting their mothers so much. A pirate's mom is special to them."
"I shall stop insulting their mothers once they start showing the manners most of their mothers neglected to teach them," Clank said, the hiss of the dirk sliding into its sheath lost in the rain. The robot looked up at the Lombax, a simple smile on his face. "Thank you for watching my back, Ratchet."
"No problem, Clank, though the real question is-" Ratchet held out his hand, back bending slightly "-will you do the same for me?"
Mischief infected Clank's grin. "Always," the little robot confirmed as he grabbed his friend's hand.
Ratchet flipped Clank around, and with a simple click, the robot was held steady on the latch on Ratchet's back. Clank's legs and arms folded, a Hoverpack extending from his side compartments.
Thunder and lightning cracked and tore at the sky, and churning waters swarmed around the ship. All around, Ratchet and Clank's crew fought back against the Blackwater pirates, metal swords dancing in battles as fierce as the storm trapping the ships. The tide of the battle was turning, and the Blackwater pirates shouted in confusion as they searched for someone to give them a direction against the surging defenders.
"Ready, Clank?!" Ratchet yelled over the storm. His head cocked to the side so he could hear Clank's response.
"Always ready, Ratchet!"
And as the sky broke under the force of the maelstrom, the Dread Pirate Ratchet and the Cunning Pirate Clank rushed into the fray, ready to fight off the invading pirates and continue on the grand adventure further awaiting them.
And that's it. Oh my god, this is finally done.
My chest's so tight because I'm still kinda in shock that I've finally made it. If you've followed me for a while, you'll definitely know that I have the worst time when it comes to finishing the longer projects I start. Speaking of which! Here's something only like seven people will understand... Miss OmniscientPapaya, it took me two-ish weeks, but by God and the light of Orvus himself, I WILL NOT DRAW 25 UNO CARDS BECAUSE I JUST FINISHED A MULTICHAPTERED STORY! (Technically a story collection, but the point comes across)
So because I want to treat myself and do something selfish, I'm going to include this section at the end of every multichaptered story I complete...
Author's Corner:
-Start to end date: March 25, 2019 to February 1, 2020
-What inspired you to make this?: I got a comment on "Under the Stars" from someone saying that they really liked the Ratchet and Clank friendship fluff. Since I hadn't written fluff for them in a while, it was raining heavily, and I was in the middle of getting some pieces together for the Zootopia collaboration, "The Fluff Files," I mixed all my inspirations together and wrote out the first chapter.
-Favorite chapter(s)?: 1, 12, 15, 17, and 19. 1 is nice because it still holds a lot of charm; 12 because of how fun it was to write out cowboys; 15 because of... well, Miraculous, and because of how fun the banter was to write; 17 because of Dante's dance... it's so good; and 19 because it's the only "cathartic" chapter that I look back on and not feel embarrassment over. It's still relatively fresh, but it seems to hold strong compared to other chapters.
-Least favorite chapter(s)?: 5, 11, 14, 18. 5 was very clearly an emotional thing that I needed to get out, and I remember feeling better after writing it. I don't regret writing it, though it REALLY stands out like a sore thumb. 11, 14, and 18 (and in some cases 13, though I like it so I won't count it on the list) were all just chapters that were fun when I wrote them, but don't have much charm to me when I went back to reread them.
-Song that would describe the entirety of the story [collection]?: This was originally made with a lot of jazz music livestreams, something that had soft music and rain to listen to. I'd say they're the ones that can really cover all the chapters, but if that's not anyone's style, then "Umbrella" by Rihanna definitely is my choice.
-Something you learned from this story?: I can finish what I start. It will take time. It will take effort. It will make me not want to write for it at times, and it will fill me with inspiration at others. It will take me a large amount of time... but I can finish a project that I start.
That's it for "Raindrops." I have a sort of companion collection/sequel-ish fic collection planned where it would feature only AUs and Crossovers, though I'm still thinking it over. For right now, I have another project to finish up, Marinette March prompts to work on, and requests to clear out of my overflowing queue. We'll see what happens in the future.
Thank you to all of the people that followed, favorited, and reviewed this story! I can't thank you enough for all the support you've given me throughout making this, and thank you thank you thank you for reading. Without you, this story wouldn't be where it is today, and I hope I was able to provide some entertainment. :) Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all you've done for me.
And without much more, I'm off to mark this complete. See you all in the next story! :,,D
XD