章節 33: The Sea is A Dragon
The Dragon Lady was a large ship. It must have been 100 feet long and it's deck was 20 feet above the water. It's bow had a dragon's head carved like it was snarling at anything that came before it. The sails spread wide and shaped like wings and obviously recently replaced by their color. The wood that made it up was a dark auburn color with some kind of wax applied to its surface. The rudder was even carved to look like a tail wrapped around itself in a coil. (That's a beauty) I thought from my pack on Sam's back. "This'll be fun." I whispered to Sam.
"What is a girl doing here!?" A manly voice suddenly shouted. "This is no place for a woman!" A big burly man wobbled over toward us from a stack of barrels close by. He looked Sam up and down in a disgustingly lewd manner. I could smell him from my bag which showed how badly he reeked of alcohol.
"If you want to be entertained by something like a boat I'll entertain you with a rocking bed." He reached out for Sam. Sam reached for her sword at her left side with her left hand. Grabbing the hilt so the blade faced away from her thumb. Then something odd happened. Before the man could reach her his hand fell to the ground. But his arm didn't go with it.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!" He screamed as he fell to his knees. "My hand! MY HAND!" Blood began to steadily pour from his wound as he clenched his wrist stump.
A very gruff feminine voice was heard over his screams. "Anybody who says a woman doesn't belong here isn't afraid to deal with me or hasn't met me." My head turned to look. It was indeed a woman with every aspect of a pirate captain. The only thing she was missing was a skull and cross bones. Her captains coat flared at the bottom with fur at its edges. Three small gold hoops decorated each ear almost making her look like she had frills beside her head instead of ears. And somewhere a Spaniard was missing his favorite broad rimmed hat with a feather in it as this one sat nicely abover her brow.
In her hand was a long thin blade. One I would know anywhere. My eyes widened in recognition. ( What's that doing here?!) It was a long silver katana with blue scales that went halfway up the back of the blade. (And there's not even a speck of blood on it.) I thought in shock.
She sheathed her blade with calm gusto. It's scabbard not making a sound matching it's quiet lethalness. Much like her. She was a decent looking woman with tanned skin. Her eyes were ocean green with deep brown hair. Despite her slightly slimmer build, she seemed to exuded a silent yet potent power.
( She makes me nervous) I thought as she walked over to the man and grabbed him off the ground.
"Go see a doctor. I don't want to see your drunken face around here anymore. I've already given you two warnings with this. There will be no third one." She growled.
The man was dropped to the ground and quickly scrambled to grab his hand before running away. The woman slowly sauntered toward us.
"What's a lady doing around these parts anyway? No lady comes here without reason." She pulled out a curly pipe that people use for smoking. After lighting a match she puffed at her smoke a few times, sucking the matches flames down to light her pipes herbs before looking at us.
"Vorst sent us to board a ship called the Dragon Lady. Do you know where the captain is so we can talk about a voyage to the west country?" The womans eyes glittered a little at Sam's words. "The dragon lady captain.... I know'em. If Vorst sent you then where's proof? Vorst doesn't just send anybody to meet with the captain." I felt something by my claws and looked down.
" Sam! The note!" I grabbed it in my mouth and handed it to Sam from my pouch.The womans gaze flicked to me as I did so.
( What is that thing?) she thought.
Sam slowly handed over the note. " Vorst gave it to us to hand to the captain. " Sam's gaze flicked over the woman again.
"Judging from how you're acting and the way you're talking... I would say that that would be you." The woman smirked and opened the note. She read it quickly, sighed, then folded it and put it in her coat.
"Damned coot is calling in his favor for a noble.... figures." She heaved an even bigger sigh. She turned and called over her shoulder.
" Follow me if you want to board my ship. If not you can stay ashore."
Sam quickly picked up the pace and followed her up a long plank onto the ship and a crew member showed us to our quarters. Everyone has a small room aboard the ship. Though it was around the size of a small storage shack. It was cozy though a hammock and a desk were all the room had within. " Certainly better than nothing." I stated.
Sam put down her pack and my bag so I could get out. Sam rubbed her back a little trying to massage it's stressed muscles.
" You must be getting heavier. I could've sworn you were lighter when I bought that thing."
I walked around the room a bit before we went back up to the deck to see how things worked before we set off.
A few minutes later we were on our voyage. The boat rocked gently against the calm waves. As I went up to the front of the boat with Sam we passed a sailor who looked at me and paled before quickening his pace. I saw him talking with the captain a couple minutes later. He whispered something to her. She looked at him in disbelief and shook her head saying something back before he pointed at me. She finally got a good look at me stiffened as she turned pale.
It was later when the captain came and talked to Sam. " You didn't tell me that you were bringing a bad omen on my ship." She paced back and forth in our quarters.
I looked at her in slight agitation and spoke up. " I am not a bad omen woman. And it's not my fault I evolved into this form. If anything it's a good omen to you I'm friend rather than foe." She snapped around and glared at me.
" Your kind have been nothing but trouble. wreaking destruction wherever you go. If it wasn't for me owing a favor neither of you would be on my vessel."
" Are your kind much different?!" I refuted.
" Humans have robbed nests of eggs. Young of their mothers. Destroyed countless habitats of animal and monster kind. Humans are often a bad omen to monsters. The only difference between us is that humans help strengthen their weak ones. My kind aren't as forgiving. Its eat or be eaten. Kill or be Killed." I bristled slightly.
She fell silent for a time clenching her fists.
" Damned familiar. You really don't realize how little you know." She looked at me. " I take you two to the west and your on your own." She turned to storm out. Before she got to the door though the ship rocked violently as we heard a muffled scream.
" KRACKEN!!!!!!!!!!! AGH!"
We started running to the deck. The ship rocking violently as we went sending us tumbling to and from. As the captain opened the door we saw the deck swamped with water and what looked to be thick ropes everywhere.
The only thing different was that these ropes moved. They shifted to reveal large hooks on the ends dragging across the deck leaving long scratches on its surface. There must have been 10 of them.
As I looked around I noticed the man in the crowsnest was gone. Not just the man. The whole crowsnest was gone! And where the crowsnest was, a icy blue dragon head was staring at me.
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