11-04: Journey On The Sea

"Blegh..." Veronica gagged, leaning over the side of the ship, sick from the constant rocking of the ship.

"Lass! The cap'n wants to see ye in her cabin." One of the crew members garnered Veronica's attention.

"I'll be urg... I'll be there in a moment."

It took a moment for Veronica to try and clear her head, and body, of sickness, though she eventually felt better enough to walk over to Rena's cabin. The room was large, a clear mix of an office and bedroom, as well as a personal armory and trophy room. Weapons and shields on one wall, animal skulls and furs on another. Pinned debris that's been polished and lacquered, potentially remnants of ships she had destroyed.

"There you are, Veronica. Come, sit. It's time to tell ye the story of the Old Mermaid."

"The story?"

"Mhm. Remember how I said she were cursed?"

"Yeah. I remember. Still feel odd being on a cursed ship."

"You don't have to worry 'bout that. She only be cursing the cap'ns. Sometimes. Most of the time. I think."

"You... think? Haven't you been captaining this ship for hundreds of years?"

"Nearly six hundred years now."

"You keep giving different numbers."

"I know. That's on purpose."

Veronica only cooked her head in response, confused at the blind pirate.

"Anyways... the story, what is it?"

"Yes, yes. It started when I was just a teenage lass. My father captained his own ship. He was a damn good pirate. Raising all sorts of chaos on the seas. However, he disappeared shortly after I recieved a letter from him, detailing where this ol' girl was hiding, even sayin' she was a ghost ship filled with riches. He said something about trying to get her for me, and that he'll leave clues for his riches. However, he never came back."

"Oh... I'm... sorry for your loss?"

"Don't be, he was an ass. And an idiot. Anywho... When I was old enough, with as much money I could save, I stole myself a fine vessel and hired a crew. I had to garner myself experienc for it all, but it didn't take too long. After sailing on the seas, stealing and robbing whatever we could for a decade, I finally decided it was time to look for my father. And my first stop was..."

"The Old Mermaid?"

"Indeed. I set up the sea, a ghostly galleon filled with gold was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. She sailed all alone, no captain or crew guiding her. On my travels, I heard many tales of her, including a tale that she couldn't be tamed."

"A living ship?"

"Sounds laughable, don't it? But, considering what happened... Ahem, anyways, we sailed for months before eventually finding her. A phantom ship in the midst, manned by no crew. And so, we boarded her."

"What happened then?"

"Nothing. We searched the entire ship, and naught was found. No crew, no damage, no plunder. She was empty. But, I couldn't just leave her all alone. So, I took her helm. And that's where it all went wrong. A mighty tempest grew, waves crashed into her, and we grew distant from our first ship. Only a handful of my crew stayed behind, and the rest of us were here. But, I was not letting her get away. 'We'll break through' I shouted out, someone had to do something. I steered her as my men tried to make sure we were actually moving. The wind blew stronger, the ocean raged against us, tried to break our will after claiming the first ship."

"Something seemed to be telling you that it was a bad idea."

"I know. I didn't care. She was the only current clue I had to my father. But this girl, I needed her, so I fought against her, and soon enough, it all went silent. Even the seas went calm, as if by spell. No signs of fight or flight were in her. All was well until I tried to really take her helm."

Rena paused, as if remembering g a traumatic memory. But she just smiled.

"Her rigging came alive, she hung my crew before me eyes, she stole my sight and cursed me as her captain. That's when I learned that she'll claim the souls of all who try to take her. And thus, I was all alone, the only one to manage this ship, blind and in pain. The first few weeks went by helplessly, the corpses of my crew still hanging by her rigging. It wasn't till some other sailors came by and 'rescued' me."

"I don't like the connotation you put on there."

"In exchange for bring my ship home, and letting me keep her, they raped me viciously for the entire sail back. They made sure it would take a long time, making stops at minor ports and uninhabited islands. By the time we had gotten to proper civilization, I was cut up, beaten, covered in all sorts of fluids, but I had my ship."

"You make it sound like it was all worth it."

"It was. Or at least, I don't remember how I felt at the time. So I assume it was worth it."

"So, what happened next? You lost your crew, your money, and even your eyes."

"Even after she took my eyes I could still... see. Not in the typical way. But, it was like I just... knew what was in front of me. A plank of wood, a barrel, the hinges of a door. But, all I truly see is just darkness. Yet, I can tell how tall you are, the length of your hair, the color of your eyes. The length of your—"

"I understand! You uh, don't need to carry on." Veronica interrupted, growing red hearing that a blind woman can easily see her manmeat.

"But, I could still 'see' in an unconventional way. So, I took on the homeless, took to piracy again, and we became rich. More crew, more supplies, more infamy. We then were requested by King Alexander Montague. Instead of having us arrested, he offered us privateering. We work alongside their navy, and we still get to commit piracy, as long as they don't fly Montague colors."

"That seems like... something a lot of people hated."

"They did. We killed a lot of people. But hey, it worked. And here we are today."

"That's it?"

"Yep. Found the rest of the clues over time, and now we're here. Anyways, want to fuck?"

"... I don't, oddly enough, I'm not horny at the moment."

"Fine. Maybe later then."