Maelstrom

<p>"James! Wake yer happy ass up and get the rigging aligned!" Captain Bell yelled at a seemingly careless boy around the age of 16 as he stared off into the vast sea. He had dark colored hair, but when the sun hit it just right, it shone with a hint of crimson red. His eyes were piercing blue like waves reflecting a bright clear sky. He was well built and deeply bronzed from his years served aboard a ship.<br/><br/>"Aye Cap'n! I'll get the rigging squared, but sir, there seems to be a bit of a squall headed our way! The ripples on the sea say it's to be a big one!" James shouted back. Captain Bell pulled out his looking glass and scanned the sea. On the horizon was a vast and quick approaching blot of pure darkness.<br/><br/>"Aye, she's gonna be a Maelstrom. A big one at that. Batten down the hatches! Mast at full sail! Rigging taut and everything not nailed down gets tied down! We ain't gonna outrun this storm! So we're gonna sail straight through 'er!" The captain barked orders. Nigh upon two hours later the first squall battered their sails, but the Mary held true, the gaff sail turned sharply to the left, though the crew caught the rigging, it still caused the ship to veer sharply portside.<br/><br/>"If yer going to be lazy, ya shoulda been a merchant! Open yer eyes and keep her taut!" Captain Bell bellowed at the crews delay, as he wrestled to turn the Mary back starboard. The high speed winds and rough waves tossed the ship and her crew like a toy boat in a tub. Over the next five hours the crew ran about restlessly, tying down all the cannons, and securing the cargo. Not all treasure was silver and gold. They plundered sugar and other valuables that could be sold for coin.<br/><br/>"James, I need you at the helm lad! Keep her on course, don't let us get hit by rogue waves or water spouts. She's a mighty hurricane! Hahaha!" Captain Bell laughed thonderously, he enjoyed a good adventure, he always told James; 'Life is an adventure lad, and at it's end, begins a new one; death!' He was a crazy captain, but all his crew loved him. On the Mary, no moment was a dull moment.<br/><br/>"Aye Cap'n!" James rushed to the helm and jumped to his station. It was arduous work, the water currents tugged at the rudder, and the waves battered the sides making it that much harder to keep on course. James struggled with the helm, but kept the Mary straight. It wasn't until the first rogue wave hit, that trouble struck. It came at them unseen from the portside, slamming over just side of the hull, smashing parts of the deck, and splintering the sides. The wind seemingly got fiercer, and the waves rougher. To James' dismay, the helm was stuck and no matter how much James struggled, she wouldn't budge.<br/><br/>"Captain Bell! The rudders gone dead sir!" James called out as he continued to wrestle with the helm, hoping the rudder would turn again, but instead, he felt a vibration like wood on wood, every time he attempted to turn the helm.<br/><br/>"Oh shit. That's not good." James muttered under his breath. That meant that the tiller had come off of its track.<br/><br/>"Cap'n! The Mary is but a sitting duck!" I heard one of the crew shout from below. Which means he was stationed where the tiller was. Captain Bell, charged out of his cabin, and stared right at James.<br/><br/>"Boy, didn't I tell ye to avoid these problems? Abandon ship, or drown with her! Come on James, it ain't yer fault." The captain then began to loosen the ropes holding the long boats.<br/><br/>James instead grabbed a rope and ran down to the decks below, passing the cargo hold and going straight for the tillers rigging. The tiller was entirely off track and being held firmly against said track by the steering rope. James grabbed the rope a little ways away from the tiller, drew his blade and then cut the tiller loose. He quickly ran and began pushing the rudder out and up. Being in the middle of a storm, proved the task daunting yet, James succeeded in replacing the tiller back in its track.<br/><br/>Using the rope he had brought down with him, James began tying the severed rope back together. Though a temporary fix, James had no doubt that it would hold. Once he made sure it was taut and functional, James sprinted back to the helm, he got a stare from Captain Bell, he looked a little annoyed, but James still grabbed the helm and prayed it work. He gave her one heave, and the Mary steered back on course, the men cheered and Captain Bell laughed. The whole ordeal took less than ten minutes to fix, but felt an eternity.<br/><br/>"What'd I tell ya lad, life's an adventure!" The captain barked the orders to get back to work, and he took the helm. He sailed the Mary with pride, and he rode the storm with ease. She emerged victoriously, and her crew more tired than hurt.<br/><br/>"Men, make for the next port. The Mary is in need of fixing." Captain Bell said, patting the Mary softly and lovingly.<br/><br/>"James, I need to talk to you, come to my cabin." Captain Bell beckoned to the exhausted and collapsed James. He followed wordlessly, certain that he was to get a scolding.<br/><br/>"Cap'n, I apologize for my ignorance in the ships proper care." James blurted the moment they got into the cabin.<br/><br/>"Lad, I ain't mad. I'm proud. Over these ten years I've cared for you, you've grown to be like me own son. Nothing makes me happier than to see you take swift action, and save me ship and crew." Captain Bell looked almost relieved as he sat in his chair behind his desk.<br/><br/>"This ship is my home. I couldn't abandon it. It was my fault we were in that mess anyway captain." James replied with a tinge of guilt.<br/><br/>"Lad, I've taught you all I know. I'm not at all upset or mad. Only pleased with yer growth. At the next port lad, I want you to go off on yer own. Build a reputation, and find a ship and crew to call yer own. I feel like I'm just too old for this now. I'm reachin neigh sixty-four years now, and I can tell me final adventure be approachin mighty fast." Captain Bell wasn't sad, there was no hint of anything other than acceptance and excitement, in his tone of voice.<br/><br/>"Cap'n, I need to learn more, I'm not ready yet sir. There's so much more to learn!" James began to tear up, he saw this man as his savior and mentor. A father figure he never knew before. It pained James to know Bell was close to deaths door.<br/><br/>"The only things yet to learn, is experience in yer own adventures. I've given you the tools, now show me how to use them! Hahaha!" Captain Bell laughed with more pride than humor. James' tears fell, and he knew, that Captain Bell had nothing else for him, only his wisdom and parting words.<br/><br/>"Aye Cap'n, I'll be a pirate feared on all the oceans, with a crew that strikes fear into other men's hearts. And a ship as grand as a galleon, but more deadly than a man of war!" I vowed to him.<br/><br/>"Then let me part you with a gift, and a few words. Walk over to that chest over yonder, here is the keys, it's a trick lock so you will need to use all three in the correct order, middle, right, and then left." Captain Bell directed James.<br/><br/>James followed instructions and unlocked the chest, finding a pistol and sword. But, unlike any he'd ever seen. The metal on both weapons were a pure black that shone with an evil gleam. Whilst for the pistols, the wood was a crimson red, as well with the hilt of the sword. The scabbard too was a crimson red color.<br/><br/>Underneath was a suit. It was light weight, but durable. It seemed to be made of a material that shimmered with energy and was mostly black, but had some red inlay to boost the appeal.<br/><br/>"Get it on lad. I want to see it. It was a gift from a very old friend, but sadly the size was too small. But, it seems a fair gift for ye." Bell motioned.<br/><br/>"Aye Cap'n." James quickly donned the suit on and fastened the weapons to their respective places.<br/><br/>"A perfect fit. No doubt, you will earn a fierce name on these seas. I have given ye me final gifts, and now for me final words of wisdom. Never let emotions cloud yer judgments. Take yer leave son, and my the seas favor yer journeys." Captain Bell dismissed James, and he walked out onto the deck of the Mary, knowing that this would be his final sail with her and her crew.</p>