World First

The day was coming to a close. The screaming from the captain's quarters had finally stopped. Thank the Gods. From what the crew were able to discern, from the random yelling going on, the situation was not good.

The head shaman was out. Either dead or something else. The Mage that went inside had the lungs of a whale from all the talking she was doing. And the quartermaster was passed out if the snoring heard through the door was any indication.

So for the most part to the rest of the crew the day was going just about the usual where magic is involved. Sure things could be worse but they were still on track to the new land in the center of the world! What was going to put a hamper on that?

"Hey! Any word from the Captain or Quartermaster?" Shouted a woman from the crows nest atop the main mast. Like a few of the women upon THE BANYAN'S RAGE she wore the same uniform as the rest of the crewmen only with the addition of a hood sewn onto the collar of the coat. Most of the others wore a more…. Risque attire.

"Nah! It's all quiet right now!" Responding to one of the crew manning the ship's wheel. "There was some muttering I could hear but other than that I got nothing! How 'bout you?! See anything up there?" They called back. So far the day had been nice up until the damned banshee screams of Mrs. Täro. No sight of any other vessels, a good haul of fish for the cook thanks to some of the mages, and none of the idiot civilians set a fire to the ship so far today. Seriously, who the hell thinks it's a good idea to have a fire on a ship just because it's a wee bit cold?

"No!" was the only response he got. The arguments that could be heard a few minutes ago had died down mostly. The only thing everyone could understand was the captain was not a happy shark. So for the most part the entertainment of hearing the captain scream at someone other than himself had died off.

The expedition up to this point had been smooth. Sure there were the pirates they came across earlier before they could reach the open ocean a few months back but that was about it. Sure a big boat like the Banyan looks appetizing to any pirate worth their blade but… when well over a dozen mages come out from below deck to repeal a boarding action anyone would reconsider. And when they finally raised the white flag they were boarded in return. Ooh boy was that a good pay day. Plenty of liquor and food to go around. No coin sadly. But that's to be expected with pirat…. And suddenly he's in the air. What? Oh hey that's the ship's wheel. Where's that go… and it's in the water. What is going on?

*Line Break*

To say Captain Edward "Mad Shark" Watanabe was having a confusing day would be an understatement. Sure he's had a few benders from time to time. He's dealt with pirates, mad wizards, dwarven merchant guilds, and so many other things that would bore any other rational man to insanity. But today was not one of those.

No. First he's been told by his First Mate they can't make it to the new continent because of some cursed reef. Then he's gone and gotten himself into the bind of explaining the situation to the ship's resident Shaman who may or may not have had a small thing happen with whom both have sworn to secrecy not to tell a damned soul. Then he sets off a magical bomb that KILLS SOULS somehow. Had another mage come in and explain that after an almost solid hour of the banshee screaming. Little did he know that was because her soul was being torn to shreds too small to feed a rat. Put the shaman inside the casing of said magic bomb. Then wastes most of the day for the new one to tell him he's gone and killed the closest thing he has to what he'd call a plan. Next the Shaman WHO IS DEAD! stands and starts to again scream. He's gonna need to speak with one of them mages to see if he's not suffered any damage to his ears. They're called druids right? That doesn't matter right now. Because right now he was sailing through the air down his ship's deck.

'Oh. That's not good.' He thinks to himself already seeing as he's gone past the main mast and will be passing the second any moment. If he doesn't slow down he's going to go sailing right off the bow into the water ahead of the ship. And if that happens… well. There's a reason why that's used as a form of execution. And like that he's found himself suddenly stopped where he is. 'What?' That's right, the other mage. With that he looks about to see the other one floating just off his right inches from hitting the second mast. 'That would have been messy.'

Trying to move he realizes he can't. He can only use his eyes. And looking around he again realizes everyone else around has stopped as well. Like a painting. Everyone frozen in time. And then it too stops and he flops to the deck like last night's catch. "WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?" He bellows at the top of his lungs drawing his sword and dagger from his hips.

Looking around he see's absolute chaos. Deckhands running to and fro containing a whole mess of problems. The entire array of sails seemed to be trying to free themselves from the masts. Thank whatever gods were watching cause if he had gone over in these winds he'd be torn apart underneath the ships hull. The Quarterdeck was a mess. The front looked like it'd been torn into like a fish on Friday. The boatswain was nowhere to be seen along with most of the Quarterdeck. So either he'd been reduced to splinters like the rest of that section or he'd been sent flying by whatever was destroying his ship.

"MAGE! WHAT DID YOU DO!?" He found himself pointing his sword upon the mage who had saved him from a grizzly fate. He also found he'd taken the natural disposition of shouting again. Not because of his rage like most situations but because of the wind. The damned thing was going so hard he'd nearly lost his footing from standing at first.

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! SHE DID!" She shouted back pointing above the carnage that had been his quarters.

And above his quarters was Mrs. Täro. She was floating in a cyclone if that is what he could describe it. The air around her was visible somehow. It probably had something to do with magic but that was it. She looked like a little kid. She was crossed legged floating there. And all around her was HIS stuff. His notes and boards, papers and sketches, everything he had just been looking at earlier in this bizarre day. She was looking back and forth at everything around her. From his notes to the crew to every single little detail on his ship. And then she stared at him. It was a look of crazed glee. One he'd seen on numerous crew men who had gone insane from their voyages and subsequent run in with any number of beasts on the seas. But there was one main difference this time. There was a purpose in her eyes.

"Captain, you know the wind would only push you back into the waves. You can't go forward, you have to go up! ALSO YOU FORGOT TO CARRY THE FOUR!" was all he heard from her before the very ship started to move. Slowly at first. But then it stopped. With a sudden lurch the very vessel stopped. Looking about he had seen some of his crew lower the anchor. Others were raising the sails. The right decision, all things considered. He'd drilled these men numerous times to act without him should something happen and he wasn't around. And he was currently standing slack jawed giving no orders. He's gonna have to give these dogs a raise later.

From counter boarding action to ship repair in combat. He had made sure to miss nothing he had learned in teaching these dogs. But in the situation they were in, with everything going on he could only think one thing. "YOU FOOLS WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" He bellowed, turning around and waving his arms at the crew. Everyone stopped in their actions to look incredulously upon him. To them it was as though he had finally snapped. Not the way a sailor does from a mermaid or sickness. But from complete insanity. The acts he had drilled them in regularly wasn't what they were supposed to be doing?

"ALL HANDS TO YOUR POST AND RAISE THE BLASTED ANCHOR!" He again shouted marching to the front of the ship. The entire time the crew stood there completely vexed. Not knowing what in the blue abyss was going on. "WELL?! WHAT ARE YOU BILGE RATS WAITING FOR? GO! GO! GO!" He shouted once more, snapping them out of their stupor and causing them to sprint to their stations. If there was one thing the men knew was even if their captain was mad if he gave an order you followed it.

*Line Break*

'Ahhh that's so much better.'

'Right?! I thought we were gonna be sophisticated.'

'I think you're looking for the word suffocated.'

'That's what I said.'

If there was one thing she needed right now. It was to shut these voices up! She couldn't think. She felt as though her head was about to explode from all of the sounds? 'They're called words dearie.' The words, yes, the words being constantly moved 'said dear' SAID! ALL THE WORDS BEING SAID! They were gonna make her head explode!

'Did somebody say EXPLODE!'

'NO' was a resounding shout in her head. And this caused her to go flying into the air through a hole in the roof. And with her came a random assortment of whatever was around her. She had stopped maybe a few dozen feet in the air and she realized something. She was in the middle of the ocean. On a massive boat. 'It's called a ship.' 'Isn't a ship just a big boat?' 'Well yeah but no.' And the voices just kept going! They wouldn't stop for a second. Every single one was at some volume or other. Some a quiet whisper and others blaringly loud as though they were trying to come out of her head. And then a paper smacked across her face.

'Oooo! What's that?' And like that all the voices stopped. What? For the first time in however long it's been they finally shut up enough for her to think a singular thought. 'The papers. Duh. The ones around you.' And with that she actually looked around her. The paper on her face flying off. She was somehow flying? Eh, that doesn't matter. The voices actually shut up somehow so she'd be …. would be…. uuhhhh…. 'Damned, dear' That's it! She'd be damned if she didn't take this chance to have some sort of quiet.

So she looked. And oh boy. There were numbers galore that she couldn't make heads or tails of. And then the voices started again. But this was different. They weren't a constant bo..bom...beating on her head. They were whispering. All of them. No one individual voice was prominent. And if actually felt nice. Like the ocean breeze in her hair. Or it could just be the literal ocean's breeze. But who cares, it was nice. And then they started getting louder again.

'Next one.' 'YEAH NEXT ONE!' 'More. Give me More!' were just the few she could make out over the droning of the others. Before she knew it she put another paper in front of her. And again and again she kept doing it. And the whole time the voices were quietly talking amongst themselves. Not screaming at her to do anything and it was… it was nice.

'The captain was so close.' 'Yeah. He just missed that division over there.'

'Division?'

'When you have to minus something so many times it's easier to do it in multiples like eggs or…'

'BLOOD!'

'or blood. Yes.'

'He screwed up after that. It's caused the whole gaggle to completely fall apart.'

'Hehehe! Right! If he had us do it on these numbers we'd have torn the ship apart! HAHA!'

What?! But this ship was massive. How would she have done that all by herself?

'Oh dearie. You're not alone any more.'

'Yeah now tell the captain he forgot to carry a four and do what we tell you.' Uhhhh. Okay?

*Line Break*

'She's going to tear this ship apart!' Was one of the few thoughts racing through Watanabe's head at the moment. 'Nothing prepared, no back up lines, no spare riggings. And WHAT FOUR!?' For the life of him he had no clue what she was talking about. And if whatever she is about to do is what he thought she was going to do … then gods save them.

"Free all sheets! Wait for my command!" He bellowed over the gaining winds. The entire crew stood slack for a second to stop themselves from being carried from the deck by the winds. "Slack to all sheets!" He commanded and with it every sail fell to the deck in heaps of cloth and wood. "Cut the fore and main trusses!" He shouted again running to the stern of the ship, passing the crew and the random mage or colonial that came up to see what was going on. He pulled his sword out once again cutting rope and line in the randomest spots to those uninitiated to the art of sailing. He made it to the very rear of the ship, halting to see how it was all coming together.

'We're going to slow.' was the only thought he had. And then the ship lurched. Not forward or aft ward but upward. 'She's going too fast.' He thought again looking up at Mrs. Täro to try and see what in the blue she was thinking only to see she was no longer there. 'Your going to sink my ship you damned siren!' He thought. "MOVE YOU DOGS! SHE'LL SPLIT US IN TWO IF YOU DON'T MOVE!" He ranted while running back to the bow of the ship. "Aft yards astern!" and with that command all the sails started to line parallel to the ship. "Swing the main yard to the port! And moor it to the foremast." He shouted once more before pointing to his second who was behind him. What?

She had somehow been following him the entire time all to his lack of awareness. She was shouting at him but he had no clue what she was saying.

Great looks like his hearing was gone. That or the wind was going so fast that her voice was being carried away with it. But that's more than likely the concussion talking so… oh. He might have a concussion as well. "Ease the aft! Full hoist to forward and aft sails!" He shouted at her pointing in both directions. If he could trust anyone to rig the sails in this mess it's her.

"Tie off all sails!" He shouted after another lurch of the ship made him nearly fall over into the waters. The waters looked like they wanted to swallow him from how bad they seemed to be raging. The sky was completely open though not a cloud in sight. How were they… Doesn't matter. Turning around again he saw all the sails rising back to their positions only this time they were side to side not on top of another like they should be. 'Good. Now all we need is' and then the ship jumped. It literally jumped out of the water for a second from all the wind blowing against it's hull. 'Oh shit.' "All hands amidships!" He bellowed again, he swears if he survives this he's going to need a cauldron of whatever those mages have just to help ease his throat.

Every single Deckie turned from their posts and ran for the center of the ship. Every. Single. One. Looked stark white terrified. These bastards had served with him for nearly twenty years now and had fought practically all of the ocean from pirates to fancy privateers and sea monsters. But this… this was something completely new to them. They heard the fear in their captain's voice. Now he may have not shown it during his running and screaming like any other man. But their captain wasn't any other man. He was Captain Edward Watanabe, the legendary "Mad Shark of the East"! He knew no fear. He had stared down a dragon and didn't even flinch when it requested to come aboard. But right now. Right now he looked like he was ready to tear throats and hoist O'Malley. The only time they could remember this look wasn't even on the captain. It was on his father. And he died getting them all out of the horror they were in at the time, Edward included. And now he had that very same look on him. He was going to die before anything happened to them.

And then he burst towards the bow of the ship blade still drawn. No one knew what he was doing, only that either they were about to die or witness a miracle of the gods. And upon reaching the fo'c'sle did he stop. He turned around and grabbed a random rope swinging around and tied it off. And then the ship lurched again and again and again. It kept going and all any of them could do was look upon the Banyan's Rage and pray.

If the gods they had heard so much about up to this point actually existed then this was proof. For the very ocean pulsed around the vessel before it's sails unfurled and the Rage started rising from the ocean's grip. Slowly but surely the vessel started rising into the open sky like a gull opening its wings. But like everything they've heard of these gods so too was a cost so as to balance the scales. Riggings, ropes, and sails tore from their places. Some swung around freely or fell into the ocean. Others seemed to lash out at any they could reach. Striking crew and passengers alike. It was as though the Rage was lashing out in pain with the way the riggings moved.

"Come on girl. Hold on for me. You've had worse than this. Hold on." Edward whispered. He could see Mrs. Täro now. She was on the Bowsprit. Just sitting there with her arms extended rising up and down like the gusts of wind. And then she stopped. And then the ship burst forward. It was as if the Rage had been fired from a Qunari Cannon. And it took the Captain everything he had to stay standing. He had to drop his blade in order to hold down his hat so it wouldn't be carried off by the winds that had exploded from behind him.

After what felt like an eternity when in reality was only a few scant seconds he looked up. And everything looked normal again. The wind was blowing behind him carrying his vessel forward like every other day at sea. Mrs. Täro was still sitting on the Bowsprit but other than that she seemed fine. Turning from that sight he saw everyone in a pile near the back trying to get up and inspect themselves. Looking up is what truly took his breath away.

The sails were opened like a dragon's wings carrying it on the wind. The beautiful shades of autumn from the sails seemed to shine resplendently in the sun's light. The very ship felt as though it was lighter somehow. And then he picked up his blade and bounded to the side to look over. And the ocean was zipping by. The Bilge was barely touching the waves and every now and then shattering one that rose to meet the Keel.

And then he heard it. The cheering of his crew. Looks like his hearing was back. And would you look at that, the sun is setting. "LADS!" He shouted. Turning he saw he had everyone's attention focused solely on him. He would never realize it nor would he ever admit it but with the sun setting behind him his crew believed a god was upon their ship. "How does it feel to be the first ship to fly?" He said just above his normal voice to ensure everyone heard him. And the response? Well that was easy.

A resounding cheer to be heard across the world.

A.N.: If any body says I forgot about the Quartermaster just read The Argonautica.