I fear no monsters, for no monsters I see.
The sun was passing its peak in the sky as Thal and her crew approached the "port" at a painfully slow rate. Each movement of the ship was accompanied by a careening tilt to starboard as the water below deck shifted.
Thal clenched her teeth and hoped desperately with each jolt that the hasty repairs would hold. They had attempted to seal the larger gaps in the hull, but the barrels and large panels of wood could not be completely flush with the curved internal structure. Luckily, they had been able to sparingly lather their emergency stash of tar around the patches for a better seal, however, it still wasn't enough to keep the ship from taking on water.
Her body stilled as she recalled her fear days ago. Off the Oerwoud coast, the sky had darkened and lit simultaneously. Everyone on deck went silent. There had been nowhere to run as they stood on the deck of the ship in awe. The world seemed to hold its breath with her as a massive meteor flew overhead. Time slowed in terrible anticipation.
When the meteor finally made impact miles away, she could see the wave of impact and burning debris flying towards them. They rushed to take cover. The ship shook as earth chunks and huge waves crashed into them. It seemed to last only a minute, but the damage was done. A handful of her crew remained standing afterwards, while others cried out from their mortal wounds. She herself had earned a gash in her right thigh that still gave her a pain with every step along with a colorful array of scrapes and bruises.
Her eyes had quickly taken note of the vital problems and rallied to keep the ship afloat. The fires were the primary concern, but the abundance of water assisted their efforts. Once the fires were out, they worked all day and night to patch the most lethal holes. With so few hands, there was little they could do except shove things against the walls and hope they held. They had been lucky enough that there weren't any larger sections ripped out.
Despite their repairs, Thal knew it would only be a matter of time before they had an uncomfortable meeting with the merfolk below. To prevent that, she had needed to get them to the nearest port as quickly as possible. With all except the smallest of her sails burnt or shredded, they could only move at a glacial pace, but it would have to do.
Obviously, someone was watching over her as Thal and her crew crept into the Kaiholo Port. Or what was left of it... It was time to find a way to fix her ship. She wouldn't let one day ruin her entire life's work.
Thal clenched her teeth and hoped desperately with each jolt that the hasty repairs would hold. They had attempted to seal the larger gaps in the hull, but the barrels and large panels of wood could not be completely flush with the curved internal structure. Luckily, they had been able to sparingly lather their emergency stash of tar around the patches for a better seal, however, it still wasn't enough to keep the ship from taking on water.
Her body stilled as she recalled her fear days ago. Off the Oerwoud coast, the sky had darkened and lit simultaneously. Everyone on deck went silent. There had been nowhere to run as they stood on the deck of the ship in awe. The world seemed to hold its breath with her as a massive meteor flew overhead. Time slowed in terrible anticipation.
When the meteor finally made impact miles away, she could see the wave of impact and burning debris flying towards them. They rushed to take cover. The ship shook as earth chunks and huge waves crashed into them. It seemed to last only a minute, but the damage was done. A handful of her crew remained standing afterwards, while others cried out from their mortal wounds. She herself had earned a gash in her right thigh that still gave her a pain with every step along with a colorful array of scrapes and bruises.
Her eyes had quickly taken note of the vital problems and rallied to keep the ship afloat. The fires were the primary concern, but the abundance of water assisted their efforts. Once the fires were out, they worked all day and night to patch the most lethal holes. With so few hands, there was little they could do except shove things against the walls and hope they held. They had been lucky enough that there weren't any larger sections ripped out.
Despite their repairs, Thal knew it would only be a matter of time before they had an uncomfortable meeting with the merfolk below. To prevent that, she had needed to get them to the nearest port as quickly as possible. With all except the smallest of her sails burnt or shredded, they could only move at a glacial pace, but it would have to do.
Obviously, someone was watching over her as Thal and her crew crept into the Kaiholo Port. Or what was left of it... It was time to find a way to fix her ship. She wouldn't let one day ruin her entire life's work.
Becaue all this time the monster has been me.
THALASSA
