Captain's Log #2: Voyage to Underwater Kingdom [Part 2]

Job Information:

An insignificant zephyr carrying the salty tang of the sea on its shoulders blew but was unable to move the sails of the ship. The blue swells placidly rocked the craft back and forth. The auburn-haired captain had gone into his private quarters to tend to his wound. It had opened up once again from his earlier quarrel with the Merloran princess, Arcelia. Cap'n Erik pulled out the medical container from the drawer on his desk - putting the supplies on top of it. Erik had learned the basics of pharmaceutical care from the doctor on his mentor's ship, so stitching this wound back up wouldn't be that hard. The real issue was not having any pain relievers, and the captain's intoxicated had worn off. Cap'n Erik gritted his teeth while he got the necessary items needed from the medical kit. Then he completed the procedure, he had watched the doctor perform again and again on the crew members of his mentor's vessel. It took a bit of time since he was stitching up his injured arm with only one hand.

A few beads of sweat had found themselves powers down from his head and running down his forehead. The auburn-haired captain reached his hand up to his brow and cleared the perspiration away - since he was now done with the medical procedure. Then, Erik poured a bit more medical alcohol on the stitches. He simply wanted to ensure there would be no infections later on. Erik grabbed a white waterproof gauze around his arm - hoping it would last until the trek to the underwater kingdom of Merlora.

With that done, Cap’n Erik went out on the deck of the ship, where Arcelia was looking at him with a slightly triumphant smirk plastered on her face. Erik furrowed his brow toward her but elected not to allow her cockiness to bother him. “Now, lass.” Cap’n Erik told her while he looked out at the sea for a brief moment. “I need to perform several tasks before we leave. So, my vessel doesn’t move while we are diving into the ocean to reach your kingdom.” After telling her that, Erik went to furl the sails of his ship and drop the anchor since he was unsure if the weather would stay the same. After all, the weather in the Cloud Sea was completely unpredictable.

Several minutes would pass until Cap'n Erik was done with his preparations for ensuring that his ship wouldn't move from its location. He was greeted by Arcelia, who was impatiently slapping her tail against the wooden board of the vessel. "How much longer are you going to keep me waiting, land-walker? I am growing impatient, and I am more than ready to start our journey to Merlora." She told him. Her arms were crossed in front of her as her fingers tapped against her arms. 'Spoiled brat.' Cap'n Erik thought to himself more than ready to end this little game, but he kept reminding himself of the treasure which was waiting for him. Beautiful Gold. Captivating Silver. Simmering Jewels. He knew there had to be a ton of it anticipating him. The thought of these riches which would soon be his, almost caused a tear to fall from his eye.

"Patient lassie, I will get you back to your kingdom as per our arrangement. I just had to make sure my vessel will be here when we get back from our little trip. So, calm yourself." Erik went into his jacket and pulled out one last cigar and put it to his mouth. He knew his cigars and lighter wouldn't survive the trip. So, he wanted one last wonderful smoke before he dove into the ocean. Cap'n Erik pulled out his lighter and took one last long drag of his cigar - blowing out a bit of smoke and watching it head up toward the heavens. "Ahh... I had to get one last puff of these before we head down below, lassie." Erik smiled at her before he put out his cigar. Then, Captain Erik placed his pack of cigars and his lighter on the desk in his quarters. He knew even if they survived the trip that they would be useless after getting soaked. Cap’n Erik then came back on to the deck was met with an even more intense gaze from Arcelia. The scene was similar to a person getting annoyed cause their partner keeps going inside to change clothing or forgetting something.

“Are you done now, land-walker?” The mermaid princess was still in her original position - slapping her tail against the deck and tapping her finger. She had grown convinced the captain of this vessel was doing all of this to pester her, and she had to admit it was working. “Aye, lass. I am done with all of the preparations, so we can get a move on.”Erik replied walking to the railing of his ship and looking over it. He made sure the talisman was well-fitted around his neck. While he might not have the insight of a sage when it came to magic, Cap’n Erik did know one thing about magic items. If they weren’t on your person, then you would be unable to use their abilities. The water pressure would instantly kill him and put an end to his sea-faring adventures. Arcelia dragged herself to Erik’s position on the boat. “Just follow me, land-walker.” The Merloran princess told him. “It should only take a couple of hours for us to reach the kingdom from this position. Then, you shall see how truly amazing the kingdom my ancestors establish.” With that, they dove into the ocean with a loud splash.

The salty water soared into the air and glistened for a brief moment before landing on the deck of the ship. Arcelia and Cap’n Erik had disappeared beneath the rolling waves Erik held his breath for a brief moment and looked around in the deep blue liquid. He was still near the surface so if this didn’t work then he would be able to swim up to get some air. The auburn-haired captain took a breath underneath the surf, but his lungs did not fill with sea-water as he had assumed they would. Instead, he felt his lungs fill with air as if he was breathing normally on land. Cap’n Erik looked around him and saw a variety of fish swimming around him. His sight was much clearer than it had ever been before. A smile came to his face before he felt something brush against him. Next to him was Arcelia who seemed like she wasn’t in a hurry. Rather, she was just watching the pirate captain take in the sights of the sea.

Cap’n Erik looked below him into the murky depths of the oceans and saw an enormous shadow beneath him. Instinct had overtaken the auburn-haired pirate captain for a moment and he pulled out one of the pistols he had on him and aimed the figure beneath him. It was then that a familiar hand gripped Erik’s wrist to stop him from blasting a shot at the pistol. His weapons were able to gather the magical energy that existed in the environment around him. So, they were able to work underneath the tides of the Cloud Sea. Arcelia pointed at - signaling for Cap’n Erik to take a closer look at the shadow beneath him. Erik focused his gaze and noticed the creature beneath them - flapping its triangular dorsal fins. The creature looked like it was flying rather than swimming.

With his curiosity taking ahold of him, Cap'n Erik decided to dive and swim closer to the beast. It was obvious from his companion's reaction that the animal wasn't hostile, or perhaps it was and that is why she didn't want him to shoot it. Either way, he went down closer and closer - the figure becoming larger and larger - until he was face to face with this behemoth. From the frame, it should have been obvious the creature was a manta ray. However, Cap'n Erik could scarcely believe a manta ray would be this colossal. It was roughly 100 feet or 31 meters in both length and width.  The manta ray's large eye looked over at the tiny human that was floating near it and continued on its way. It was then several others went by. Each ray growing larger and larger until he saw one which was about the size of a galleon. The bit of fear that was in Cap'n Erik's heart was now replaced with awe and wonder. For the time the pirate had been sailing on the Cloud Sea, he had never seen anything truly mystifying until now. He started to wonder what other secrets or fantastical beasts existed within this sea.

After the manta rays passed, Erik had noticed Arcelia had slipped behind him in his stupor and smirked haughtily at him which caused Erik to instinctively scowl at her. "There is no need to look so angry, land-walker. I know this is a new experience for you." The mermaid princess said. For a brief moment, Cap'n Erik was bewildered by this development. How was she speaking to him now that they were underwater? But, he realized that it was better not to ask too many questions when it came to the realm of magic. "We still have quite a ways to go to reach Merlora, land-walker. So, let's continue on our way now." With that, the duo continued to dive deeper into the ocean.

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Word Count: 1,598/1,500