Christopher Robinson
Stories
7
Chapters
2,452
Words
578.5 K
Comments
0
Reading
2 d, 0 h
-
There’s lots of things that skew a person’s perception of time. We were already experiencing some: the eternal night of the ocean depths, swimming through uniform spaces without references of motion. Add to that the experience of fleeing for our lives from an ocean creature that could have used a ship’s mast as a toothpick, and my body was seriously confused. Was it day or night above? How were the seconds passing so slowly yet minutes seemed to fly by? I always thought people with a timepiece on a…-
71 •
-
-
I clapped my hands over my ears and shouted deafly into the ocean’s expanse as the barrage of sonic-enchanted bolts screamed under the surface of the water. My hands did little to muffle the noise and nothing to stop the drain on my health. The effect and noise were both dimming, however. Sonic attacks were usually used to drive off sea monsters, but the enchantments were almost always tied to the speed of the enchanted projectile. As every sailor knew, that bolt was very effective when it first hit the…
-
71 •
-
-
‘What could possibly go wrong’ Gerald had said. Climbing up to the main deck, every glance sent my way was a reminder of what could go wrong. Thankfully either their fear of me or their desire to be home without any further incident had pushed them to go along with Billing’s promise not to fight. Not because I was particularly worried about losing. The best fighters on this ship were already dead. No, I didn’t want to risk any more faces in my nightmares than were already there. The first mate…
-
71 •
-
-
I stood over the body of my father and processed the fact he was once again gone from my world. It had been a shock to learn he lived and I had a quest leading me to him. It had been a struggle to learn who he was, the good and the bad, these last few weeks. Yet I had done it. I had wrapped my mind around this man being my parent. I had even forced myself to forgive him, whether he had wanted it or not. There was no reason we couldn’t have parted as neutral acquaintances – stars, I would have…
-
71 •
-
-
Was it me? I wasn’t stunned by the inference that I could start a mutiny – I’d come a long way since sailing on the Essential – I was stunned that my father called me Domenic. Not ‘Dom’ as in my alias, Dom Harter. Domenic. He knew. As I considered my father I couldn’t help but think that of course he knew. Disgraced or not, withdrawn or not, he was a Captain! And he would face me and my questions with dignity! Would he? Taking off my necklace and disengaging my ability, I dropped the…
-
71 •
-
-
My routine visits to Jorgagu and the subsequent hours of mind-numbing and throat-destroying orcish language practice lasted a day before second mate Lockwood visited me, flanked by a pair of fighters. Honestly, I was surprised that much time had passed. I’d expected him to poke his nose where it didn’t belong much sooner. “Mr. Harter,” he said. “The prisoner is not to have any interaction with the crew.” I eyed him, then the toughs he’d brought. He didn’t need the muscle if he was relying…
-
71 •
-
-
We missed the best tide to depart but the Isa was ready to go by the mid tide, so our planned departure day wasn’t thrown off yet again. Captain Darius had planned to address the crew that morning but had decided to wait until after we were at sea to make sure we met our time objective. While the crew rushed about getting the very last of the last things ready, I had the distinct displeasure of doing nothing. Abso-bloody-lutely nothing! Never had I set sail and not been involved in some manner. Not…
-
71 •
-
-
“Ho there, break it up!” I shouted. Saying ‘break it up’ sounded like there were two sides to a fight, but Gerald was just trying to protect his vital organs. The tarish seemed to think that if he let them get their licks in, they’d give up. Then again, this was his fourth tour aboard a navy vessel compared to my once. Maybe he knew what he was doing. But I’d be sliced up for chum before I let the man who’d offered me some relief from my guilt be used as a punching bag. I got some glances,…
-
71 •
-
-
I woke to someone jostling my shoulder and saying it was time for me to relieve Frederick and let the old man get his own rest. I had vague recollections of confusing and disturbing dreams, but besides a sense of disquiet they didn’t intrude on my waking hours. I assumed control of the flood barrier from Frederick – noting that it sapped slightly more mana because of some additional structural damage to the ship, but nothing too onerous. Frederick hardly said a word, just clapping me on the back…
-
71 •
-
-
The There was a now-visible ship firing on the sinking Going to help the I know what I’d do: slip beneath the waves, go right underneath the Graves gave the order to raise sails, and when I went to help the petty officers Siebert bade me to stay. It seemed that having an amateur war mage on the quarterdeck was more important than having a high level seaman aloft. “Mr. Frederick, you currently have control of the flood barrier, correct?” Graves asked quietly. “Correct.” “Pass it off…
-
71 •
-
- Previous 1 … 10 11 12 … 246 Next
