Disclaimer: I have nothing to say here. This is an entire chapter of nothing but OC's. Unfortunately, it's also a ridiculously plot heavy chapter!
Exile 8.6
Captain Monsoon looked over the bow of his well-built ship. Dozens of masts reign and tower over the middle, supporting hundreds of sails as they explored the furthest reaches of the world. He was a tall elk, one of the tallest. It was for that reason alone the elders of Ikan'Thoa had needed him to hunt for what lay on the other side of the ocean. Lightning, specifically, had wanted to know. And Monsoon had to admit, he had a bit of a crush on her.
His husband knew, of course, of his feelings. Down below, the deer was busy making something scrumptious using those amazing culinary skills he had. But Dancer would never hold Monsoon's feelings or abilities against him. No, Monsoon knew exactly how lucky he was to have Dancer in his life. He knew exactly how lucky he was to be selected for this mission, and he knew more than that; why he was selected.
He gathered his energy, and set the wind to pull them forward. He was an air channeler, the rarest of all elementalists. Dancer was a fire caller, letting him call up any amount of fire and heat he needed for his dishes. Or his dancing. Monsoon looked over the bow. He had dozens of watchers, including a few others who were known for their eagle eyes, on the bird's nest above the main mast, but he always felt the need to keep watch himself.
Islands, small and large, passed them by. Most of them he already had charted out on previous expeditions. But no, he felt the calling of the sea once more, and so the elders supplied him with a bigger ship, more sapients and elementalists, and gave him one declaration; Come back in one piece.
But only after finding something being called for, of course. That part went unsaid. It would always go unsaid, but Monsoon heard it just the same. "Captain! Rocks in front of us!" he heard one of the watchers in front call out.
Monsoon gave it a small glance. Sharp rocks pointed out of the ocean, pointing towards them. Was this the elemental mountain's doing? No, it was much too far to be much of an antagonist. He pulled the wind to guide them away, turning the small wheel at the front.
The ship rocked gently, going in between most of the rocks. A few crashed hard against the wooden side, but Monsoon wasn't worried. This ship was more than hardy enough to handle a few rocks. It was the pride and joy of Ikan'Thoa's water couriers. With it, they had said, they could sail to anywhere in the world as long as an air channeler was on board.
"Miss us by a mile, they will!" Another watcher called out.
"Keep eyes on the horizon, boys, we got a way to go just yet!" Monsoon shouted. Agreements of various sizes and enthusiasm went up around the deck of the ship.
For days they would travel, using Monsoon's power to speed up the efforts. Dancer would occasionally pop up top to spend time with Monsoon, knowing that the captain wouldn't get much once they hit landfall. But hitting landfall seemed like it was closer to a pipe dream than anything yet. As far as his eyes could see, and as far as the watcher's eyes could see, it was ocean all around.
"Captain! Whirlpools ahead!" another watcher shouted. Whirlpools? Devious tricksters of the currents, they pulled in water far below. Any ship near them would be torn to bits. He leapt towards the bow, using his power over the air to allow him to fly for short periods of time. He landed gracefully, grabbing a rope that led to the first mast to ensure he kept balance. Even he didn't want to risk falling off here.
Dead ahead there were four, no...five or six. No...Monsoon kept counting as more and more whirlpools showed up. At first they were rare, then became more and more common. "Watcher! Keep an eye on the tides and tell me the way through!" Monsoon shouted as he leapt back to the wheel.
It was harrowing, and Monsoon was more than sure that if it hadn't been for the water couriers aboard, the ship would have been dismantled by the raging currents. But sure enough, as all things would, Monsoon would not have been directed away from his task, and the ship kept sailing. As the days passed, the world turned on its head. Instead of a pink sunrise, it turned a golden yellow. The sky was a tall green and pink instead of ocean blue. The islands turned rare, and Monsoon knew he was the farthest ever to have sailed from Ikan'Thoa.
"Stand fast, all! We have gone further than all others! Nothing shall dissuade us, as we explore new lands never touched before!" he shouted. He grinned as he got agreeable responses from all sides, of various enthusiasm.
Dancer popped his head up a moment later. "Dinner's ready!" he called out. That got most of the crew-mates attention, and Monsoon let out a chuckle as he saw the necessary crew-mates stay where they were needed. The others? They would line up for the ones that couldn't move.
He ran his ship his way. With understanding, and knowledge. "Captain! We got another problem!" the watcher from the side shouted. "Kraken!"
Monsoon looked down, seeing the large shadow underneath the ship, dwarfing the large wooden boat in its size. "Stand fast! Callers to the front! Lightning to the back! Couriers to the middle! Couriers focus on dodge and healing!" he commanded, roaring to the ship.
This was the other reason he was selected for this journey. He was more than a capable fighter. He grabbed his spear, and waited for the inevitable, right next to a variety of fire callers not named Dancer. He didn't have to wait long. Long, tall, and giant whitish clear limbs started to rise up from the water. Was this beast part water elemental, as well, Monsoon wondered. "Attack!" he called out as the tentacles started to crash around the ship.
The fire callers shot out long streams and whips of flame towards the limbs, and not one seemed to have any effect. The water couriers were more effective, using the water inside the limb to toss it back into the ocean. Then the beast's head decided it would join them, towering over even the tallest of masts.
Nearly as wide as the ship was, and almost twice as tall, it had seven eyes, each as large as Monsoon, staring at him through their oblong lens.
Monsoon knew it was over almost as soon as it would start. "Lightning, target the eyes!" he roared, and the bolts started flying. They had to be extremely careful, as their skill set was based almost entirely on offense, unlike the other elements whom were more balanced. The bolts hit true, and beast roared. Monsoon felt it shake the ship and shake his bones, down to the very inside of his body. He whipped up a small whirlwind, and flung himself at the beast. The wind became his walkway, and as the giant beast attempted to sink their ship, he was cutting away at the eyes behind its face.
The beast fell away shortly afterwards, and Monsoon leapt back to the bow of the ship. It was mostly undamaged, except for a small knick where the beast had attempted to use its beak to eat the wood.
Hardly a scratch, considering it would very easily have sunken them had it chosen too. "Damage report! Casualty report!" Monsoon shouted. The damage was minimal, and the casualties even less. Only a single injury, and that had nothing to do with the Kraken. No, the injury was someone who had stumbled out of the hammock that morning, and stubbed their toe on an overturned bucket.
Having prevailed, Monsoon sailed them onwards and forwards. They had only a bit of material left over from the original building, but Monsoon decided it would be best to live the nick. That way, it was a reminder to the crew that anything can and will happen out here in the open ocean.
The days continued, with only the large birds to show them they were on track. The sky went from green and pink to a much less alien grey, and the rain started to fall.
And it fell. And it fell. And it fell. Even with the courier's doing all they could, the water was continuing to pile up on the lower decks. Dancer was having trouble keeping a fire lit in the galley, not because of the water but because fire itself was starting to fail. The other fire callers said something of much the same.
Even his air was harder to control and command. Water held no love for the couriers, sometimes doing the opposite of what had been commanded of it. Was this another trick? He could pull back, save everyone on board. The elders would be appeased by this knowledge, that this far would mess with the elements themselves. They would hold no shame for him. But he knew he could keep going, and he commanded the ship to do so. His curiosity and his drive for adventure drove him to do so.
The storm passed overhead, wind and tornadoes lancing at the ship like vines on plants. Rocks would appear out of nowhere, attempting to pierce the ships hull, and whirlpools generated from nothing. It was as if the elements themselves were opposed to his coming. He would have enough for the elders...if he could turn around. He gave behind him a glance, to see a row of rocks towering over the ship blocking any route back.
Still he forced the ship onwards, ignoring the dirty looks of the crewmates, and the betrayed look on Dancer's face. He would keep them going.
The storm ceased, all at once. The ship was nicked and cracked in many more places, now, and was barely capable of sailing. But once the storm ceased, and the sun appeared as a blood red moon overhead, Monsoon found himself in the center of his namesake.
But the elements had come back to him. And with them, the identities of the crewmates had come back, and they gloriously labored under new instructions to fix the ship while they had the time.
Birds of all kinds soared above them, none of them he'd ever seen. Not one or two wings, but several sets. On another nearby island, the first they'd seen in months, a large black creature with a tail nearly as long as it was, using it to grab grass and trees. It gave them a heartfelt glare with its three eyes, and despite the distance, Monsoon felt himself shudder.
The cyclones hit first, suddenly. One moment everything was empty, the next the spots next to them were filled with giant tornadoes. Monsoon tried to exercise control over the twisters, only to have them escaped from his grasp as soon as he felt it. The wind filled the sails, and sped the boat along far faster than he ever could do. The tornadoes followed them, pushing them along. He felt the wind smack him in the face, almost literally, as they were pushed.
Monsoon gripped the wheel hard, only pointing at the watchers to yell him which way to go to smack into something. The path was clear, minus the two tornadoes at their side. The sky was a bright lavender now, with the sun a dark blue, sitting high above them. It never seemed to move, Monsoon noticed, as the watcher in the front yelled "Landfall!"
It wasn't just another island, Monsoon could tell instantly. There was a small beach, but then large mountains carved into the sky. If it was an island, it was a large one. Monsoon grinned. "All prepare for landfall!" He shouted.
There was a cheer from all sides, just in time for Monsoon to realize the tornadoes hadn't stopped. He called the wind to turn them around, or at least slow them down. The element refused to answer him, and as they got closer, several of the crewmates realized Monsoon wasn't controlling things. "Prepare for crash!" Monsoon shouted.
The ship itself roared as it crashed into the sound. Monsoon wept internally as he heard the ship being torn apart by the violent winds and even more violent collision. The ship soared up the coast and through the purple grassy plains. Monsoon did everything he could to keep the ship upright, the earth carriers that he had wisely asked to come along doing much of the same.
Up the mountains the winds took them, grinding their hull to dust underneath. As the ship went into a small valley, the tornadoes on the side finally dissipated, and now it was only under Monsoon's power that they hadn't flipped. He kept up the wind, allowing the ship to gradually slow down before stopping in a sudden lurch.
"Sound off! Casualty report!" Monsoon shouted. There were a variety of reports, but the end result was clear; the ship was doomed, and would not move. The earth carriers could only do so much. Of the crewmates, over half of them were injured during the crash, and it was luck that Dancer only got a mild burn.
The valley was uneven, with one side much shallower than the others. Purple grass leeched from the ground, waving in the air lackadaisically. The sky was a light lavender, and the sun a dark blue. Where ever Monsoon had found himself, it was not normal. Instantly he sent out search parties to find materials. Food, water, and wood. Even if he had to build a new Ikan'Thoa here, he would, and he could. He could be a new elder. There hadn't been an Air for generations.
He stayed in the Captain's Quarters, starting to write the reports that someone would eventually ask for. Dancer popped up to him a few hours later. "Monsoon...where have you been? Have you been here the whole time?" he asked. The elk looked at the deer quizzingly, and nodded.
"It's only been a few hours. The parties couldn't have come back yet."
"It's been days, Monsoon! And one of the parties...they think they found something," Dancer said.
Days? Monsoon thought. That was impossible. He would know if it had been that long. Grudgingly he got up, hearing his bones creak against him. It had certainly only felt like hours, and he wasn't hungry as if he hadn't eaten for days.
He left the Captain's Cabin, and blinked in shock as there was now suddenly a small village, where before had stood none. It was a miniature copy of Ikan'Thoa! Monsoon walked through, wondering how they had done this so quickly. Dancer had said days, but it looked more like several week's worth!
"Captain! Oh it's the Captain!" a crewmate shouted from their hut. A female iguana, Monsoon noted absently, with the fair bulge of pregnancy. But he hadn't...he hadn't allowed escapades on his ship, but that didn't mean they didn't happen. But he would have known if someone had gotten pregnant! And yet, she looked several weeks.
"Captain! We sent Dancer for you, but it took him weeks to get in and get back out!" another crewmate said. Monsoon blinked, wondering how this had happened.
"How long...how long have I been in the cabin?" Monsoon asked after a moment.
"Weeks. Almost a month, if I was right. We sent Dancer in days, but he disappeared too! He came back out a week ago!"
"Dancer said...it had been days. I knew only hours. I'm grateful that you all have managed to come this far without my guidance," Monsoon answered quietly. "He mentioned that there was something someone had found?"
"Yes! An incredible sight! We have the route mapped out by now, you have to come with us!" two of the crewmates said. They grabbed the elk by the arms, who didn't fight back. The other thing Monsoon noticed in the new village? There were no signs of elementalists. It was as if everyone had forgotten how to use their elementalist abilities.
The two crewmates dragged Monsoon forward out of the village. Purple grass turned to yellow followed to red, some with blue stalks and some with green. It wasn't the type of green he knew though, but rather a poisonous green, sneaking up to bite at his eyes.
The pathway was beaten down, and Monsoon felt something inside him shift. He had already wanted to know what was out here, but now he wanted to know what was out here. He wanted to know what was out here.
His boots hit the cold ground. He looked down, hearing the soft crunch as his boots hit snow. His crewmates were barefoot, but continued to drag him as if the snow didn't matter. Within a minute they passed a long veil of vines, into a cave with no mountain to surround it.
It wasn't a cold cave, but a warm one, with rivers of water flowing upwards around it. They stopped at one just long enough to drink, and Monsoon saw the crewmates age pass in front of his eyes before turning back to the actual age he knew them to.
A part of him knew that it was dangerous, and stupid. But another part of him knew that this was why he'd come out here. There was no other reason than for this discovery. For these great discoveries that his crewmates had made in his name!
He took a drink of the water, feeling the bubbles on his throat as he saw himself at the desk back at the Cabin, talking with a deer. Who? Who was the deer? He had thought he would know. Something about it seemed familiar. He saw the boat crashing into the mountains, and flying backwards across the sea. Instinctively he felt his power flex, creating massive tornadoes next to the boat. Were those tornadoes his own? Why shouldn't they be?
He saw the rocks, the whirlpools, flash before his eyes before he saw only the downwards spilling water. "Incredible, isn't it?" One of the crewmates said. "I can't wait to show this off to everyone!" the other said.
Everyone...who was everyone?
They grabbed his hands again, and he ripped his hands away from them. He didn't need their guidance anymore. He was the captain! He was Monsoon, named after the storms that beheld Ikan'Thoa for generations!
He parted the still waterfall at the end of the cave, and had his jaw drop. Greens, purples, reds, violets, blues, blacks, whites, yellows...every color under the sun popped out at him. It was a field of flowers, sitting on top of a tidepool. The water was a sterling silver, as if someone had taken quicksilver and left it to melt. At the center lay a glorious golden silver orb, constantly fluxing between the two colors.
The flowers bloomed and died within seconds of each other. Within minutes, they would sprout back from seeds, before blooming fully, all while the tidepools went up and down like an infinite wave.
"This is amazing," Monsoon said as he stared into the infinite depths. He got no answer, and he looked to see the two crewmates gone, only skeletons in their place. How long had he been gone again?
He stared at the Blooming Tides once more, watching as their entrancing dance enraptured him. From bloom to death to seed to bloom again. The tide never went fully out or fully up, instead seemingly random up and down. Sometimes it seemed faster, but minutes passed as it ensnared Monsoon's vision.
There was a jolt of fear down the back of his mind, of anyone else finding this place. The Blooming Tides must be protected at all costs, he knew. He used his power to grab a nearby boulder, shoving it in front of the entrance, the stilled water as he passed under it. He was in the field again, having skipped the cave entirely.
He wasn't worried. No, the village must ensure that no one lived to know the story of the lost tides. He ran, his boots coming undone from years and years of wear and tear. They had been new when he had been home. But where was home? He'd just left home.
Yes, he'd just left home. That must be it. He rushed passed the boulders that denoted the place where he'd left, heading towards where he thought the ship had been docked.
Despite it being only a few hours since he'd left, he saw with a grin that the boat was gone, having long since decomposed. Only small pieces of the metalwork meant to keep its shape was still there, and small pieces of others, like the stairs.
The village was gone, where once had been the hustle and bustle of everything gone by, now only the haunting memories of everything remain. Monsoon could see the ghosts of everyone still there, acting as if nothing had changed since he'd left.
A deer walked up to him, aged and old with a walking stick. "Monsoon...?" he said with a charitable smile. "It's been so long...we all thought you had died."
The deer looked familiar, and Monsoon saw the small glint of gold on the deer's hand, matching his own, but he didn't understand why. "That's okay. Just assume I had. It's better for everyone, I think," Monsoon said, as he whipped up a small tornado in the center of what remained.
Dust was kicked up instantly, sending small pieces of bamboo and other woods through the few others still alive and remaining, regardless of age. The deer stood still, as if unbothered by the oncoming storm. "What happened to you, Monsoon?" the deer asked again.
"The Blooming Tides happened. They must be protected at all costs," Monsoon answered as he picked up a spear, racing forward and piercing the deer through his heart. "Protect the Blooming Tides."
"The cursed tides...mean nothing to the damned," the deer answered as if unbothered by the spear through the heart. "It's happened so many cycles now. Hundreds at least. You've come back, when I am old, and killed me."
"What?" Monsoon asked, walking backwards slowly.
"Watch," the deer said. "I hate this part the most," he continued, motioning towards the dead and drowned boat. Within minutes, another boat looking exactly like the one that he had originally captained...long ago. Crashed right where he knew his had crashed.
Days and moons would pass as quickly as he could watch them, of others setting up a village, having a fun and difficult time setting everything good for the Captain's inevitable reappearance.
He felt the tides turn. A snowstorm hit, followed by a massive drought that lasted for years. He felt the blooms shift, and wild animals attacked the village. Rocks would fall, and others would get hurt. He felt the tides turn, and once more peace beget the village.
The blooms shifted, and everything collapsed. The tides turned, and more difficulties arose. A never ending cycle of death and destruction, each caused by a turn of a tide or the blooms within them.
And finally he watched as he came down the mountain, a copy of Monsoon, ready to do the finale that the Blooming Tides had dictated, and he killed the final surviving member of his chosen family.
His own Dancer.
"It cycles. And repeats, and here we are, trapped and damned, unable to break out. The other elementalists tried many ways to devise traps to ensure we weren't caught here, but as we are here, they failed."
"The rocks, the whirpools, the kraken, the firestorms, the tornadoes...those were all us."
"And now...the cycle repeats once more," Dancer said softly, as Monsoon felt the tides shift and turn, and the blooms slowly fell from their flowers. He felt his vision white out for a split moment.
Captain Monsoon looked over the bow of his well-built ship. Dozens of masts reign and tower over the middle, supporting hundreds of sails as they explored the furthest reaches of the world.
Heavy-handed plays the part. Remember, this entire chapter was a story as dictated by Spark.
Until next time.
