The stench of gunpowder and metal didn't take long to fill the hallway. It was so strong that some crew members were coughing.
A somewhat weak male voice spoke within the crowd. "Clad, please close the door."
The bear looked back. "We have to find the creature now before it's able to get up the deck and escape. Ludovic, Amanda, come with me." With that, Clad made his way to the hole in the wooden wall.
A somewhat stressed sigh came from Ludovic while pulling his cutlass out once more.
The same male voice from before spoke and it came from a young weasel. With his pure white Monmouth cap tilted down, only his right brown eye was showing. "Why do you need her to go with you? And I'm not really comfortable having one of my workers go in there, Clad."
While pulling his cutlass out, Clad tried to reassure the weasel by saying. "Amanda has been in the armory much more than any of us, as this is her main area to clean and look after, so she can guide us." Clad could see the concern in the weasel's eyes. "I will keep Amanda in my sights so she won't get hurt, I promise, James."
Amanda, being a young weasel as well, gave James a smile. Not a normal smile, but a smile that let him know she will be careful. That was enough for James to nod his head slightly.
"Okay, Amanda you stay in front of us. Everyone else, make sure the other three exits are secured. Also, check the deck just in case." After saying that, Clad was quick to close the door with Ludovic and Amanda in the room. A door-locking sound was then heard from the inside.
While the rest of the crew was quick to split into teams to cover the many exits of the armory, James just stood in front of the storage door with Leo and Merlin.
"Is everything okay, James?" Leo asked.
After a deep exhale, James made up his mind on what he was going to do. "I'm going to wait a few seconds and I'm going into the armory too."
"Don't think Clad and Ludovic can capture the creature?" Leo clearly probing for a reason.
"Nah I get it," Merlin smirked a bit. "He's worried about his girlfriend, Amanda."
James's ears went down and he stumbled on his words. "H-How many times do I have to tell you that it's not like that between me and Amanda. I'm her boss and I-" Leo placed his hand onto Jame's shoulder, making the weasel look at him. "Just make sure nothing happens to them." Leo soon moved his hand to Merlin's back while walking away from James, somewhat forcing Merlin to walk in the same direction.
James continued to watch Leo and Merlin until they turned a corner and was out of his sight. Soon he reached into his pocket to pulled out a master key. "My brain says do not follow them but my instincts tell me Amanda is still in danger even with Clad and Ludovic. I'll wait a minute before going in."
"...Is it me or is it getting darker in here?" Clad asked while he, Ludovic, and Amanda were walking slowly.
The armory was half the size of a football field and it was lit by lamps. Some lamps would be built into the floor while others were attached to some wood pillars and railings. Most of the lamps on the pillars in front of the three weren't lit however so darkness took hold of a huge part of the armory.
"No doubt that it's somewhere in there." Amanda smacked her lips and sighed.
"Hm?" Clad focused on Amanda.
Amanda explained. "That area is where we keep most of our explosives and weapons in crates. That creature will have a lot of places to hide."
Clad seemed to already have a plan made as he turned to Ludovic. "Alright, you and I will check the area and Amanda will stay here to call out if the creature tries to run."
Ludovic had a confused look on his face. "Clad… I'm blind in my left eye." The otter point to his eye patch, as if trying to remind the bear.
"That's okay. Now come on." Clad held his cutlass in front of him.
Ludovic was speechless and he looked at Amanda.
"Don't worry. You are very helpful and that's why he needs you now." Amanda smiled and motion with her hand for Ludovic to follow Clad.
Without much of a choice, Ludovic caught up to Clad and they both disappeared into the darkness.
Amanda thought to herself. "I wonder if I should find the torch to light the lamps? Hm..."
Clad used his hands to feel his way around as it was pitch black. His ears moving independently to hear any misplaced noises.
"Clad, are you able to see?" Ludovic asked quietly.
While speaking quietly as well, Clad responded. "..Yes. What about you?"
"Kind of. So many crates. I really don't understand how Aam'neair's docking crew can load and unload all this for each voyage." Ludovic walked on his fours to get around the crate easier.
Clad was actually behind Ludovic and used his great hearing and sense of smell to follow Ludovic.
As the otter continued his way over and around the crates, something caught his left eye actually. It was something white and slightly bright. "I see something.."
Clad soon stopped. "What do you see?"
After leaning his head forward, Ludovic said. "I think it's the tip of a tail."
"It's the creature.." Clad's heart started to pound as he was getting himself mentally ready to capture the reptile. "How far away is it from us?"
"I say… 40 feet." Ludovic said.
"Right... Okay, There's no point in trying to seek up on it. As still a type of savage, I believe it's well aware of its surroundings. So I'm just going to rush at it and you come after to help." Clad soon stood up straight. One of the crates he stood up made a slight crunch sound.
"Are you crazy?!" Ludovic said in a loud whisper. "That thing was able to not only break its bondage but tore a wall open. It will kill you!"
"I can do the same thing, to be honest." Clad slowly made his way in front of Ludovic and started to sniff the air.
"So that means it just as strong as you Clad." The otter seemed really concerned for Clad's safety.
After sniffing the air for a few more seconds, Clad went back to Ludovic. "Is the creature still there?"
Ludovic's eyes focused on the same area he first saw the bright object, but all he saw was dark crates. "It's gone. Dang-it."
"We were too loud and it must have gone to a different hiding place." After silent exhales, Clad sat on a crate. "I have a feeling that we are dealing with something that's beyond us."
After placing the sew and needle onto a table, Doreen double-checked his stitches on Apolline's arm. "How does your arm feel?"
Without moving the pillow from her face, Apolline response was slightly muffled. "It feels a little numb and tight. Why didn't I feel the needle?"
"Because the anti-venom I injected in your arm has Etomidate, which can numb your nerves." The beaver right hand was reaching for the bandages but was just out of reach. "It will take about two weeks for your arm to heal. So don't move that arm too much and don't try to lift anything with it as well."
"But this is my writing arm. How am I going to write in my diary?" Apolline's voice still muffled behind the pillow
Aam'neair went to the corner that the bandages were at and handed it to Doreen. "Use your right hand for now and you know it's hard to hear you with that pillow in the way."
With a sharp gasp, Apolline moved the pillow from her face. As she looked up at Aam'neair she wanted to say something but feared that her friend was still mad.
"Just looking at your eyes I know you're sorry and I forgive you. But as your captain, you disobeyed my order, so once we get back to Maroon Vale… I have to...I..." Just seeing Apolline's apologetic face was getting to Aam'neair as she slightly stuttered. Doreen's arms slowly crossed and when seeing this, it meant something to Aam'neair. "...I'll have to kick you out of my crew." Her hazel eyes looking away from Apolline's red eyes.
"I understand. I just thought I could do what you and your crew do all the time. But I ended up almost getting us killed.." The antelope's ears went down.
Aam'neair didn't like seeing Apolline so upset and just seeing her ears go down was almost enough for Aam'neair to reconsider her decision. "But I..."
"Aam'neair.." Doreen's voice was stern and he kept his arms crossed.
The lioness flinched just a bit and sighed. "Right… I stand by this decision."
Apolline seemed to already know that something just happened between Aam'neair and Doreen. "Doreen don't do that!"
"You and I knew she was about to say that she doesn't want to kick you out of the crew. But she is the Captain and she has to stand by the rules she and the Queen of Maroon Vale have placed on all ships." Doreen soon looked to the side to stare out the window, seeing the sea that was only illuminated by the full moon's light. "I don't like it either but-"
As if a switch was flipped, all three animals in the medical ward were on high-alert as they heard strange scratching sounds under the floor.
"Ahhh! What's making that noise?!" Apolline pressed herself to the headboard of the medical bed.
Aam'neair was looking down at the ground as she tried to figure it out herself but then Val came rushing into the medical ward.
The jackal almost tackled Aam'neair from how fast she came in. "Captain! Savage got out!"
Aam'neair's ears perked up. "Where is it now?!"
Val's lips trembled as she tried to make out the word. "A-Ar….Arm... Urgh!" She started to rub her head furiously.
"Armory?" Aam'neair placed her hand onto Val's hands, making them stop.
Val nodded.
"That explains the noise from under us at least," Doreen said and he soon looked at Aam'neair once again. "This creature has caused a lot of trouble in a short amount of time. Do you think you and your crew can handle this?"
Doreen didn't sound very confident and Val was the one that spoke up for Aam'neair. "We'll take the savage down!"
Apolline was staring at Aam'neair as she was a pretty good judge on what animals could be thinking and the hazel eyes she was looking at didn't have the same fire as before.
"We'll have to find it before it does something and the whole ship explodes." Aam'neair already seemed to be mentally drained, evident by how she didn't run but only sped walked out of the medical ward with Val.
Apolline then looked at Doreen. "She doesn't have a plan, does she?"
Doreen answered. "No, she doesn't. It's clear that this is a situation she never thought she'll be in. But this will test her leadership and her eight years of experience. I am confident she will handle it the best way she can."
A sighed escaped Apolline's lips as the urge to help was filling her thoughts but with one quick look of her injured arm, it reminded her what happened the last time she tried to.
"Where could I've put it?" Amanda said to herself as she was on the left side of the armory. The area she was in was somewhat dark by one side having no lamps lit. She moved a little closer to the dark side when she saw something glisten for a second. "Ah, there you are." Without a second thought, the weasel went to the area and there she did find the torch, but it wasn't the object that shined. When her hand reached towards the torch, all of the sudden the crates on her right side pushed towards her as the white gecko moved forward. The torch was on one of the crates and it flew into the air.
Amanda screamed as loud as she could. Everyone in and out of the armory could hear her and they rushed into the armory. Amanda was paralyzed from fear when watching the huge gecko slowly crawl towards her. The torch broke as soon as it touched the ground and when oxygen got into the capsule that held the gas, it instantly ignited into a fire. Besides the floor, the first thing the fire touched was a crate of gun powder. But the gecko could pounce on Amanda, the crate exploded and the force blew both away from each other. The explosion also left a huge hole in the middle of the floor and water was coming in. And what made the situation even direr was fast the explosion spread the fire onto other areas of the armory.