Captain's Log #1: A Chance Encounter On The Sea [Part 1]

Job Information:

Cap'n Erik's nostrils filled with the familiar salty tang of the ocean mixed with the fragrance of his favorite cigar which hung in his mouth, as his wooden ship sliced through the curling waves of  Cloud Sea. Fog as thick as the chef's crab soup at his favorite pub had rolled in unexpectedly. The only thing Erik could see was the dim light from his lit cigar. The sea was renown for the many mysteries it held beneath and on its surface. However, the ocean was infamous by most of the world for being hard to navigate by most sailors. But, Cap'n Erik didn't view himself as most sailors or most pirates. He was sailing by himself in this dangerous sea for adventure and treasures.

As Cap'n Erik voyaged aimlessly through this thick fog, his ship continued to be rocked by the waves of the Cloud Sea. Standing at the bow of his vessel and looking out into the mist with his hands crossed, he was undeterred from this turn of events. He pulled out the burnt-out cigar from his mouth and lit another one. It was then Erik heard a low thud hit the bow of his wooden sailing vessel. With curiosity taking hold of the man in his mid-twenties, he went to investigate what could have hit the front of his ship. Perhaps, it was another barrel of liquor which had survived a shipwreck or fell off another vessel.

Cap'n Erik walked toward the side of his ship and reached over it to see if he could grab whatever it was or to deduce what it possibly could be with his sense of touch. His fingers went through it for a moment until he felt the familiar sensation of coarse rope. "A net, eh?" He muttered to himself as he curled his fingers around it and felt a bit weight as well - holding on to it amidst curling waves. He reached another hand down and grabbed the mesh before he pulled on it with all of his strength, tossing everything on the ship.

With another thud, the net, and the items held in it landed on the deck. Cap'n Erik strolled over to see what bounty he had gathered from the sea. He saw a tail fin sticking out of the net and went to check out what type of fish he brought up. As he got closer, Erik was able to see more of the 'seafood' he took aboard. The tail fin led up quite a bit to what he expected to be a massive fish - maybe a marlin. But, as the red-haired man examined more the end started to become more human. Then in the middle of this ocean, Erik happened to spot two huge mountains that made his heart skip a beat for a second. A man such as Erik didn't expect to see this kind of sight in the middle of the sea.  

"A merperson, eh? And female to boot," Erik said to himself. He took his lighter from one of his pockets and flicked it on to get a better look at his prize. The flame illuminated a tiny area and allowed him to see her. She was unconscious or perhaps dead from the fact her eyes remained shut. If she was deceased, that meant she had a lot less use to him. Perhaps, he could sell her body to one of those scholarly types.  He took the lit cigar from his mouth with his free hand and pushed the burning end into the merperson's arm. A scream then echoed as the merperson awaken from being burned by Erik's cigar. A burn mark was now on her arm. "What the bloody hell?!" She yelled out starting to flail about on the ship. "Ah. You are still alive it seems, merperson. It seems fortune is favoring me today," Cap'n Erik replied. He relit his cigar and put it in his mouth.  

As the merperson recovered from the initial shock of being burned to back to consciousness, she looked around the ship and could tell that this was a different one than the group which tried to capture her before. "You, land walker, you are in the presence of Arcelia. I am the third princess of Merlora. I demand you set me free from this infernal contraption and escort me back home," She said looking at him with a heated gaze mixed with an air of nobility.  "Lass, if it weren't for the potential money you could make me, I would have killed you on the spot for making a demand of me, Cap'n Erik." He told her until he thought back on the next part. "A princess of Merlora. Never heard of it, but that means your father is wealthy, right?" While it wasn't in his job description as a pirate, Erik knew that nobility was generally rich. "If you are talking about treasures, my father has a ton of them, so I can make sure you are rewarded for escorting me home. But, I need you to free me from this thing," Arcelia replied.  It was then a smile came onto Erik's face. "Escorting you back home and freeing you from that net aren't mutual exclusive, Princess. But... I don't mind assisting you in exchange for a particular service in exchange." Cap'n Erik told her before he told her his demands.

"I am not quite sure what you are asking, land-walker, but I will indulge your odd requests. You may do as you like once you free me from this net." Arcelia told him. With that, Erik went and grabbed a knife from cut from the merperson from the net and then had her make good on the promise she had made to him.

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Word Count: 962/500