08-01-2017, 03:17 PM
Zack found himself chuckling once more at Caira, though he didn’t mean for it to be so loud and long. The girl had clearly seen her way across this vast and unique realm, and a had a good share of experiences from it. Something like that might have intimidated most people, but Zack was just content with the promise of more adventure in his future.
He went to question her a bit further, but suddenly his face shifted to a frown as he turned his head and looked out on the horizon. Before them was a rickety, old pirate ship with deteriorating sails. It looked like it belonged at the bottom of the sea, but instead it was moving towards them at full speed.
“What in the…” Zack trailed off as he watched the surreal sight before him.
Caira followed his line of sight and blinked several times in confusion.
Both of them realized it was the first ship they’d seen out here in a long time. In the dead part of the sea they were inhabiting, that was extra cause for concern.
“Gary!” Zack shouted into the open hatch. “Get a look at this!”
The periscope near them began to move, but Zack was already scooping up the injured Caira. This didn’t look like a bunch of friendly neighbors.
“Get inside!” a scientist shouted, likely under orders from Gary or Jad to relay a quick message.
Zack wasted no time hopping down the hatch with Caira, managing to not hit her or the giant Buster Sword on the ladder or any edges on the way down. He set her down and quickly climbed back up the ladder to close and seal it. The second it was ready, the scientist standing nearby rushed back to the control room, and both primes felt the submarine lurching and fleeing beneath the surface.
“Quick!” Caira said as she limped to her feet. “We need to talk with Gary and Jad.”
“You’re right, have a seat,” Zack gestured to the wheelchair.
Caira reluctantly sat back in it, and Zack pushed her right back to the command room. As they entered, Gary was still working the controls while Jad and his scientists were deep in their notes sprawled across the table. They looked up as the primes entered.
“What in the world was that?” Zack asked as he parked Caira by the table.
“The Vasty Deep is filled with unusual sights and creatures,” Gary announced from the controls. “There’s no telling when we’ll run across.”
“This close to where the star should be, though?” Zack asked. “We haven’t seen any other ships out this way.”
On a whim, Caira pulled herself to her feet, painfully, and stumbled over the the periscope.
“Zack’s right. Something’s off,” Jad admitted, and his scientists nodded in agreement. “We need to stay beneath the surface.”
“Let’s just bypass it,” Zack suggested. “It’s not like the star piece is on the surface. It probably sank and we need to go deeper.”
“Um, guys,” Caira suddenly broke into the conversation. Everyone in the room looked at her as she stared in horror through the periscope. “You need to see this.”
Zack looked to Gary as he turned around, but the old man gestured for him to be the one to take a look. As the ex-SOLDIER and the lead scientist made their way over, Jad merely helped Caira back into her wheelchair while Zack looked through the viewing device to see what was happening outside their sub.
“Oh, shit,” Zack said.
Despite the fact that they were easily over a hundred feet beneath the surface, the dilapidated pirate ship was behind them, sailing through the depths of the sea as though it was on the surface. And it was gaining on them.
“What is it?” Gary demanded.
“They’re following us,” Zack reported.
Confusion set across Gary’s face. “At this depth? How?”
“I don’t know, Gary, but they’re getting closer,” Zack raised his voice a bit to impress his point.
“We can’t fight a whole ship, there’s not enough of us!” Caira said with a creeping sense of urgency in her voice.
“Take us to the surface,” Zack suddenly ordered, still observing the approaching underwater ship.
“We’re defenseless up there!” Gary reminded the young man.
“We’re defenseless down here!” Zack countered.
“A fight is unavoidable,” Jad agreed. “We’ll have to take every advantage we can get.”
Gary hesitated, but pulled on the controls. The submarine lurched and shifted as it abruptly moved towards the surface. Zack was already turning towards the door, but stopped to look at Jad briefly.
“Can you get them armed?” the young super soldier asked as he gestured towards the scientists.
“I'll do the best I can,” Jad replied.
“We’ll need everything we can muster,” Zack nodded. That answer would have to be good enough. He and the old man's talents would have to carry this team. “I’ll slow them down. Gary! See you up top!”
“Wait, what!?” Caira interjected, struggling to stand up.
“Me and Black Magic over there got this one,” Zack shook his head as he put a hand on Caira's shoulder, preventing her from standing. “You just rest. You’re too injured.”
“I can still do something!” Caira protested, but Zack wasn’t hearing it.
“You’re the VIP, here,” Zack said with a cocky smirk. “Let me do what I’m good at.”
Without allowing a moment for protest, Zack marched onward. He moved through the submarine with swift efficiency, as if there wasn’t a gigantic slab of metal strapped to his back. In no time he had climbed the small ladder and pried open the hatch once more.
Zack stepped onto the deck of the submarine once again, taking in the strong scent of saltwater in the air. It was overpowering, this far out, but it was certainly better than the smell of burnt ash he was so accustomed to, even this long after his departure from that verse.
The pirate ship burst to the surface, and now a skeleton crew could be seen jumping about the vessel. They were just the same as the ship: deteriorated, with no business still standing. And yet they were. Zack grinned as he heard the war chants echoing from the ship, and watched the creatures bounce around in excitement. He gripped the handle of the Buster Sword and pulled it from his back. He knew he had to stay focused, because with Caira out of commission he was the only one truly capable of holding his own, but there was a subtle excitement in this situation. It was the type of thing he was born and trained for.
Zack raised the massive blade straight up, and rested his forehead against the flat side of it. He closed his eyes, and recited the old phrase that had been burned into his memory by his training officers in the land before the Omniverse.
“Embrace your dreams,” Zack whispered to himself, among the last silence this dead sea would sea for some time. “And protect your honor.”
He whipped the Buster Sword down to his side, and then jumped up with all the strength his legs would allow. It was more than enough to close the gap between the two ships, to the great surprise of the skeletal raiders. As he descended, he held his massive blade ready to strike, to buy all the time Gary, Jad, and the ragtag group of infantry needed to stand their ground.
“Come and get it!!!”
He went to question her a bit further, but suddenly his face shifted to a frown as he turned his head and looked out on the horizon. Before them was a rickety, old pirate ship with deteriorating sails. It looked like it belonged at the bottom of the sea, but instead it was moving towards them at full speed.
“What in the…” Zack trailed off as he watched the surreal sight before him.
Caira followed his line of sight and blinked several times in confusion.
Both of them realized it was the first ship they’d seen out here in a long time. In the dead part of the sea they were inhabiting, that was extra cause for concern.
“Gary!” Zack shouted into the open hatch. “Get a look at this!”
The periscope near them began to move, but Zack was already scooping up the injured Caira. This didn’t look like a bunch of friendly neighbors.
“Get inside!” a scientist shouted, likely under orders from Gary or Jad to relay a quick message.
Zack wasted no time hopping down the hatch with Caira, managing to not hit her or the giant Buster Sword on the ladder or any edges on the way down. He set her down and quickly climbed back up the ladder to close and seal it. The second it was ready, the scientist standing nearby rushed back to the control room, and both primes felt the submarine lurching and fleeing beneath the surface.
“Quick!” Caira said as she limped to her feet. “We need to talk with Gary and Jad.”
“You’re right, have a seat,” Zack gestured to the wheelchair.
Caira reluctantly sat back in it, and Zack pushed her right back to the command room. As they entered, Gary was still working the controls while Jad and his scientists were deep in their notes sprawled across the table. They looked up as the primes entered.
“What in the world was that?” Zack asked as he parked Caira by the table.
“The Vasty Deep is filled with unusual sights and creatures,” Gary announced from the controls. “There’s no telling when we’ll run across.”
“This close to where the star should be, though?” Zack asked. “We haven’t seen any other ships out this way.”
On a whim, Caira pulled herself to her feet, painfully, and stumbled over the the periscope.
“Zack’s right. Something’s off,” Jad admitted, and his scientists nodded in agreement. “We need to stay beneath the surface.”
“Let’s just bypass it,” Zack suggested. “It’s not like the star piece is on the surface. It probably sank and we need to go deeper.”
“Um, guys,” Caira suddenly broke into the conversation. Everyone in the room looked at her as she stared in horror through the periscope. “You need to see this.”
Zack looked to Gary as he turned around, but the old man gestured for him to be the one to take a look. As the ex-SOLDIER and the lead scientist made their way over, Jad merely helped Caira back into her wheelchair while Zack looked through the viewing device to see what was happening outside their sub.
“Oh, shit,” Zack said.
Despite the fact that they were easily over a hundred feet beneath the surface, the dilapidated pirate ship was behind them, sailing through the depths of the sea as though it was on the surface. And it was gaining on them.
“What is it?” Gary demanded.
“They’re following us,” Zack reported.
Confusion set across Gary’s face. “At this depth? How?”
“I don’t know, Gary, but they’re getting closer,” Zack raised his voice a bit to impress his point.
“We can’t fight a whole ship, there’s not enough of us!” Caira said with a creeping sense of urgency in her voice.
“Take us to the surface,” Zack suddenly ordered, still observing the approaching underwater ship.
“We’re defenseless up there!” Gary reminded the young man.
“We’re defenseless down here!” Zack countered.
“A fight is unavoidable,” Jad agreed. “We’ll have to take every advantage we can get.”
Gary hesitated, but pulled on the controls. The submarine lurched and shifted as it abruptly moved towards the surface. Zack was already turning towards the door, but stopped to look at Jad briefly.
“Can you get them armed?” the young super soldier asked as he gestured towards the scientists.
“I'll do the best I can,” Jad replied.
“We’ll need everything we can muster,” Zack nodded. That answer would have to be good enough. He and the old man's talents would have to carry this team. “I’ll slow them down. Gary! See you up top!”
“Wait, what!?” Caira interjected, struggling to stand up.
“Me and Black Magic over there got this one,” Zack shook his head as he put a hand on Caira's shoulder, preventing her from standing. “You just rest. You’re too injured.”
“I can still do something!” Caira protested, but Zack wasn’t hearing it.
“You’re the VIP, here,” Zack said with a cocky smirk. “Let me do what I’m good at.”
Without allowing a moment for protest, Zack marched onward. He moved through the submarine with swift efficiency, as if there wasn’t a gigantic slab of metal strapped to his back. In no time he had climbed the small ladder and pried open the hatch once more.
Zack stepped onto the deck of the submarine once again, taking in the strong scent of saltwater in the air. It was overpowering, this far out, but it was certainly better than the smell of burnt ash he was so accustomed to, even this long after his departure from that verse.
The pirate ship burst to the surface, and now a skeleton crew could be seen jumping about the vessel. They were just the same as the ship: deteriorated, with no business still standing. And yet they were. Zack grinned as he heard the war chants echoing from the ship, and watched the creatures bounce around in excitement. He gripped the handle of the Buster Sword and pulled it from his back. He knew he had to stay focused, because with Caira out of commission he was the only one truly capable of holding his own, but there was a subtle excitement in this situation. It was the type of thing he was born and trained for.
Zack raised the massive blade straight up, and rested his forehead against the flat side of it. He closed his eyes, and recited the old phrase that had been burned into his memory by his training officers in the land before the Omniverse.
“Embrace your dreams,” Zack whispered to himself, among the last silence this dead sea would sea for some time. “And protect your honor.”
He whipped the Buster Sword down to his side, and then jumped up with all the strength his legs would allow. It was more than enough to close the gap between the two ships, to the great surprise of the skeletal raiders. As he descended, he held his massive blade ready to strike, to buy all the time Gary, Jad, and the ragtag group of infantry needed to stand their ground.
“Come and get it!!!”