Oh God I'm so screwed...
The Ballista is caught between two opposing forces, to starboard is Lord Vickers and his enormous fleet. He stands atop the bow of his flagship, the Dawn-breaker, brandishing that black sword. He thrusts it into the sky, where a red lightning strike hits it. Behind him his men cheer as they ready for battle, cannons being wheeled into position, and muskets and pistols being cleaned and loaded were all anyone on those ships were doing.
To port was...Golden Hind's hull, but something was wrong. It had octopus tentacles protruding from every porthole, some breaching the ship's armour in places. It also bristled with far more cannons than could reasonably be carried for a ship her size, most horrifying however was...the mouth...oh god that mouth...a red, circular maw that could swallow a longboat whole, had broken through the bow, inward pointing teeth as long as a man's arm, and a dark purple tongue that looked more like an eel swayed back and forth from its centre.
That's when I saw her...Hind herself...standing just above that monstrous mouth. Her eyes...her irises were glowing a gold colour, their normal baby blue gone, its nothing like the warm glow of the pact we both signed, it was a far more sickly glow, her expression had no emotion behind it, I'm not she was even seeing me in that state.
"Shit where do I even go?!" I thought frantically. I just willed the sails to fully deploy, but I needed more speed! Before I could think of what else to do, I heard the sound I'd been dreading to hear ever since I ended up here.
"ALL SHIPS, OPEN FIRE!" Lord Vickers shouted, thrusting his sword forward towards Hind. The tense atmosphere was shattered by the immediate bellow of cannon fire across the water. The sheer volume of projectiles streaking towards me was more than the Ballista could stand, chunks of wood and steel were ripped from the hull. The fore-sail was torn from its mast, splintering it in the process. A stray shot smashed the main mast, I screamed as I dived away from the main sail crashing down onto the aftercastle, smashing the steering rack in the process.
While I could technically still manoeuvre the Ballista with my thoughts, it was increasingly hard to concentrate between the stress of the battle, and the damage I'd already taken. Then I heard a roar from the port side. I turned around, screaming yet again as the maw of Hind's hull bared down on me. With the sails mostly destroyed, I had no means to get away. Hind herself didn't even seem to register my ship was in her way, she just stared robotically towards Vickers, tentacles writhing behind her.
"NOOO!" I scream as that mouth bit down on the Ballista's aftercastle, knocking me off my feet as it plunged the ship into a steep list. I yelp as I bang my head on the deck, almost falling through a hatch into the ship's cargo bay. "No...this can't be..." I pathetically whisper, watching as the Ballista is finally torn in half by that monster hull's tentacles. The aftercastle ripped away from the front half, the part that I was still on board.
Hind didn't react the entire time, nor did she even look at me. She just sailed away to keep battling with Lord Vickers' fleet. I looked down at what remained of my ship, the water bubbling around me as the wreck started to sink, desperate to survive I climbed on the ship's one remaining mast, my head pounding in pain from the fall, blood and tears streaming down my face, I got to the top and looked back at Hind one last time.
"Come back! Please...don't leave me..." I half shout, half sob to her. Hind stopped her hull and slowly looked back at me, for a brief moment of hope, I thought she came to her senses. But my hope was quickly dashed when I saw her raise her arm towards me, the moment she did, a massive tentacle shot out the water in front of me. I scream again as I'm plucked off the sinking Ballista, while I didn't want to stay on a sinking ship, I had a horrible feeling about where I was going next. The tentacle brought me so I was eye level with Hind. She delicately stroked my cheek before speaking.
"Its a shame you broke the rules darling, I thought I had something with you, oh well, at least you'll enjoy the endless pleasure of being raped for all eternity." I could feel my blood go cold at her words, before I could plead with her not to, the tentacle hoisted me above the cargo hold, which opened by itself to reveal...more tentacles...so many squirming, wriggling tentacles...
"Goodbye Ken." Hind stated to me flatly, just before her tentacle's grip slacked on me, and I fell...screaming one last time.
"NOOO!"
I bolt upright in bed, panting like crazy. My bedsheets, pillow and pjs drenched in sweat. I could feel my heart threaten to rip itself out my chest with how fast it was beating. I try to breathe deeper before I hyperventilate, putting a hand on my chest to calm myself.
"Just a dream...just a dream..." I think to myself, trying to put the nightmare out of my mind. I look around, my bedroom looked just like it had before I went to sleep. Clearly I was still on the Ballista; still intact and not being eaten by a half-ship, half kraken monster. I get out of bed and look outside a porthole. The sun was just coming above the horizon, a new day. I'm OK...I think...Hind will likely pick up on my anxiety if I see her again, I might as well just be honest, I mean something must be wrong for me to have a dream like that.
I got changed into my clothes and changed the sheets on my bed. Thankfully it was just sweat and not...other fluids. After getting ready, I grabbed a banana from a barrel and went up on deck to survey my surroundings. There was nothing around for miles, but just as I was about to put away the telescope, I hear the sound of splashing from behind the ship. I head up to the top of the aftercastle to get a good vantage point and I see its Golden Hind's hull surfacing from beneath the water. Guess she finally caught up to me.
The apprehension from my dream returned upon seeing it surface, looking away for a moment I closed my eyes and started muttering to myself, trying to force the image of the nightmare from my mind. "Its just a dream, its just a dream, its just a dream..."
"Darling? You OK? You don't look so good." I heard Hind call to me from her hull. I look back as she pulls alongside the Ballista, concern plastered on her face.
"I...I'm fine, I've got some intel, but it isn't too much." I tell her, hoping to distract her from my mood. Hind jumped over from her hull onto the Ballista, before the hull vanished back down beneath the waves. She didn't seem to care about the intel and just looked at me with sympathy. I turn to head into the Captain's quarters to show her what I've found, but she but a hand on my shoulder to stop me.
"Ken...what's wrong...please tell me." Wow...my real name and everything, she really was concerned. I turned back around and looked into her eyes a she wrapped her arms around my neck, the way they sparkled with care and concern for me, damn she's... genuinely so beautiful, I couldn't keep it from her.
"It...its just a bad dream...it really freaked me out, but I'm fine now." I tell her honestly. Hind raised an eyebrow at me, before she could comment I explained fully what happened, about her hull looking like a monster, the emotionless look in her eyes, the destruction of the Ballista, and me almost being left to die, only to be thrown by her dream counterpart into a fate worse than death. Going through it again made me want to cry, I could feel my chest choking up as I finished speaking and my eyes started to sting.
Hind didn't say anything at first, she just pulled me closer into a tight hug, almost cocooning us both in her tentacles and pressing her breasts into my chest. "I would NEVER do that to you Ken, even if you broke the pact, I wouldn't put you through anything like that." She sounded like she was about to cry herself, but she pulled back for a moment with a smile on her face, and a single tear falling down her cheek. "But...I'm so glad you can tell me something like this, please... let me help you."
I try to laugh it off, but it comes out as more of sob. "Help me?...what do you mean, I don't ge-" Before I could finish, Hind kissed me, although she's kissed me before, this felt very different; she was being very passionate and a little forceful, pressing my back against one of the masts. She moaned quietly as she pressed her mouth against mine, gently nipping my bottom lip. I didn't feel the annoyance or fear I'd normally feel from the last few times she did this, it actually felt nice, calming, like whatever negativity from before was being chased away by her touch.
Before I knew it, I was kissing her back, putting my arms around her waist as we both embrace each other. We stay that way for about a minute, before Hind breaks the kiss and nuzzles into my neck, making sure her antler didn't bump into me. "You feel better now darling?" She asks me in a soft voice, gently rubbing my back. I take a moment to look over myself, feeling relaxed now that she was here soothing me.
"Yeah...much better." I replied, wanting to show how grateful I was that she took me seriously, my hands started to wonder, going lower down her back, and finally onto her motherly hips. My body felt like it was on autopilot, loving the curves of her form as I traced my hands along her contours. I heard a quiet giggle from Hind as I caressed her bum cheeks through her dress, guess she likes being touched there. But before I could go any further, she gently, but firmly grabbed my wrists and pulled them upwards away from her behind and back to her waist.
"Ken, not now." She says calmly. Whoa...I was almost shocked by that command, Hind...THE Golden Hind, is turning down a sexual advance?
"Really? You don't want..." I start to say before she puts a finger on my lips, non-verbally hushing me.
"A few days ago, you turned me down because I wasn't in the right mood for it, I respect you so much for doing that for me. Now you're the one who's clearly not in the right state of mind for sex darling, just because you think you want it now, doesn't mean you'll want it when you're feeling better, I don't want you to hate me for that, if you really want to do it with me darling, I can wait until you're fully ready, and not just because you want to repay me." Hind explained, a serious tone in her voice.
I was speechless, I genuinely didn't expect this from her. Hind then pecked me on the lips before separating herself from me with a smile. "But on a lighter note, you like my ass darling~? I noticed you groping it~" She teased with a smirk, turning to show her hip to me before spanking herself. I blushed deeply before chuckling nervously.
"Well...I'll be honest...I find your whole body attractive and...beautiful..." I sheepishly admit, looking away a little embarrassed. Hind blushed too, looking offside while brushing her hair behind her ear with a shy smile.
"Darling...you're so kind to me, I'm used to crass and lewd comments on my body but...nothing so gentlemanly." She confessed, her pale cheeks turning pink. She giggled before walking away. "Now...lets go over what you got from that outpost shall we?" She stepped down from the aftercastle, leaving me stunned for a moment. Once I pulled myself together, I chuckled to myself for a moment, before following her into the Captain's quarters.
A few minutes later...
"Echo fleet is just a secondary priority? He's so obsessed with capturing or killing me that Echo fleet isn't important enough to stop, I don't know weather to be flattered or concerned by that." Hind complained, looking over the photo of the letter.
"It just means he won't care about them until its too late, but more importantly, we know where he's going: to towns and cities to spread awareness about your bounty. It means we have some time before he starts actively hunting you, whatever plan you have, we need to do it fast." I point out to Hind. She looked up at me and nodded.
"You're right, Vickers will need to wait until we're done investigating the Fountain of Youth, someone has to stop Echo fleet, if Vickers won't do it, then its up to us." Hind agreed.
"Did you find your ghost ship friend?" I asked. Hind nodded while staring down at the photo.
"Yes, Mary is waiting for us at Shipwreck Point, where we got into the Fountain of Youth last time, well more like sucked inside by the master of Echo fleet: Tester." Hind told me.
"What happened that day?" I asked her, wondering what it must have been like to journey into that mythical place, this Tester person sounded very powerful.
"Tester managed to trap us in the Fountain of Youth's...dimension, for lack of a better word. While she was strong, she wasn't very smart, and once we blew up the machine that was holding us there, she sank beneath the waves with nothing to power her abilties." Hind explained. "If Echo fleet is returning, then either someone has replaced Tester as their master...or somehow she's returned." She added.
"What exactly can we do if that is the case? You had multiple kansen last time, it will just be you, me and Mary, if something bad happens there we'll be massively outgunned and outnumbered." I tell her.
"Well we know what to do this time, and despite their growing strength and numbers, Echo fleet currently isn't as strong as they used to be, clearly they're still recovering from their defeat, I have a strong feeling we won't run into as much resistance as last time." Hind sounded pretty confident about that, I really hope it isn't misplaced. "Besides the longer we wait, they stronger they get, if we go now, we should be OK."
"I hope you're right." I tell her, willing the Ballista to change course for the New world. "What exactly is the plan once we're inside the Fountain?" I asked, curious as to what exactly Hind's goal was.
"That depends on the condition of the Fountain itself." She replied. "If its just like we left it; in ruins and nobody guarding it, then we investigate, maybe it will give us a clue as to where this new Echo fleet is coming from." Hind finished.
"And if it IS guarded and fully functional?" I.
"Well then we run like hell and warn as many people as we can, gather up the other Tempesta for another all out assault and hope the new leader is as stupid as Tester was. I know its not exactly well thought out, but I'm hoping the former is true anyway heh heh."
Hind rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. I sigh, great, our best plan to save the world from Echo fleet is hoping their new boss is a moron...not exactly a winning strategy in my eyes.
Then I got a strange feeling, like a sixth sense activated somewhere in my head, I looked over at Hind and it was clear she felt the same way. "We're not alone out here are we?" I ask her. She shook her head, then looked around, as if trying to better sense why we were feeling this. I head out on deck to use my telescope again. I just couldn't shake this weird feeling that we were being watched. I extend my telescope as Hind followed me, taking out her own telescope.
"See anything?" She called to me after a few seconds. I'm just about to reply when, I do in fact see something.
"Yeah...looks Blue Baroness's entire pirate fleet on the horizon, and its heading straight towards us." I tell her, sighing as I head to the steering rack. "I guess they're mad I broke one of their ships in half, we better get moving." I added, willing the Ballista's sails to fully deploy as put my hands on the wheel.
"Ken wait, they'll chase us all the way to Shipwreck Point. if we don't fight them now! We can't get caught between them and Echo fleet!" Hind points out to me. I look back at her, shocked she'd suggest fighting.
"Fight?! We're outnumbered Hind! AND they have a Man o' War with them! Taking that fleet head on would be suicide!" I argued. She just smirked up at me from the deck and shook her head.
"Darling...you haven't seen the full extent of our powers, trust me; we can win this." She told me ominously. Before I could ask what she meant, I heard a rumbling noise from underneath us, and the Ballista start to shake from whatever was happening beneath the ocean's surface. I let go of the steering rack to peek over the side, the water was bubbling all around the ship, in various spots all around us I could see dark shapes beneath the surface, getting more and more defined as whatever was below rose towards us.
"Hind...whats going on?" I ask cautiously as I back away from the side of the ship. Hind just chuckled and walked to the ships bow, the rumbling from all around us got louder, soon enough I heard splashing noises from every direction. That's when I realised what was happening...
"You have an entire fleet just chilling out down there?!" I exclaimed, looking around at the various dark blue and gold ships surrounding us. About 4 Frigates and 6 war sloops rose up from the sea, Hinds own hull then followed suit, manifesting itself in front of the Ballista. Hind looked at me with a smile.
"I run a small business~" She cheekily answered my earlier question. Hind then joined me up on the aftercastle and stood by the steering rack. "It looks like they still outnumber us, so I suggest you stay behind my fleet and let the MP ships do the bulk of the fighting." She orders to me.
"MP?" I wondered out loud.
"Mass Produced, kansen have a limited ability to summon and control conventional ships. Whatever you do, stay away from that Man O' War, The Ballista won't last a minute in a firefight with that thing, I'll handle it myself." Hind explains. I nod to her, indicating I was ready to follow her into battle.
"Whats the plan?" I ask her, turning the Ballista into the wind to charge towards the pirate fleet.
"We split into two teams: My hull and the frigates will charge straight towards them head on, you lead the sloops and the Ballista into a flanking attack, hold still a moment." Hind then placed her hand on my shoulder, before I ask what she was doing, I gasp feeling something flow into my body from her, I look down and see her arm is bathed in a soft, golden glow. The same energy that bonded the two of us together through the pact.
"Now you can command those sloops just like the Ballista." Hind told me, taking her arm away. "We can do this Ken, remember you're stronger now, we may be outnumbered, but we have them outmatched in every other aspect, I know you're attached to this ship darling, I won't let them sink it~" She added with a smile. I smile back, looking ahead at the Blue Baroness's fleet, I steel my resolve and grip the wheel tighter. But just before Hind jumps away to her own hull, I needed to know something that had been bugging me.
"Hey Hind, why haven't you fought the Baroness already? Surely she's no match for you right?" I asked her. Hind looked back at me, an annoyed expression on her face, seems I accidentally hit a nerve, oops.
"We had a gentlewoman's agreement not to attack each other, or those we deemed too innocent to steal from, but ever since you told me about the Red Whale, I've decided to revoke that agreement, that dishonourable bitch has murdered CHILDREN, so I believe me when I say this darling: we're erasing a true scumbag off the face of the world for that heinous crime!" Hind shouted to me. Then jumped off the ship, and I was left on the Ballista's deck completely dumbfounded by such a passionate response.
But I quickly snapped out of it once I saw we were minutes from entering cannon range with the pirate fleet, I willed the Ballista and my new sloop escorts to load their cannons, no turning back now...
A/N: Going to be away from my computer for a long time, so their won't be any updates for a while, please review this guys, I REALLY want to know how you feel about this style of writing and story, since I haven't seen many like it on this site. Thank you!