Dead-or-Alive

-Chapter 7.1-

-Chapter 7.1 🌊 Gnomes-

Days passed on the Ladann Tides fraught with gunfire and looting. It mattered not where the treasure came from be it a ship or a corpse, to a man sailing on a lawless ocean one could not afford to sacrifice coin for the sake of morals. Ship after ship sunk by their hands, enthralling the pirates so much so only few noticed Sybil held no part in the fight. She barely left her cabin, except to eat and get fresh air at the Captain's command. The boy still haunted her mind, but it was the red sea that drove her indoors. She knew Thatcher had been right. She fought to survive and survive she did, but every time she saw any resemblance to blood her heart would strike up against her ribcage. No logic, sound as it might have been, could save her then.

It wasn't until they were about to enter the Western Passage, and continue due north to Daechir's Bay, did she venture above deck on her own accord. The sun had reached its zenith, transforming the sky into vibrant hues of orange and yellow. Sybil kept her head low, pretending to hide from the blasphemous rays of light. She could blend in well with the jolly pirates around her, so long as the supply of grog didn't fall short. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits those days, drinking rum to boost the excitement. The booze called out to her, reminding her come a couple of weeks good-humored moments would become exceptionally scarce.

Reaching her usual spot by the railing, she breathed in the sea air, a welcome relief from the dank smell below, and a much more pleasant way to unwind than pouring that bile down her throat. The crew members behind her, already accustomed to the foul taste, sang similar shanties to the first ones she heard back on Fuegoryth. Gradually, the cheery songs faded into dark melodies.

"Ho, ho, ho, she is coming for you... I can see, Dragyn on the ocean..."

They repeated the phrase raising their mugs in the air, while Sybil tensed at their words.

"The first night waving her flag... The second night flanking our ship... The third night we will be in ashes..."

The men chortled, not taking their words seriously, but Sybil knew that possibility shouldn't be taken lightly. Faulting their lack of wit on old malt, she went to return to her cabin when someone caught her attention. "Say, have ye seen that Rowland recently?" At the shake of heads, he pressed on, "Neither have I! For a boy expecting us to face Red Jack at our own expense, the knave doesn't seem to have any interest in treating us right. Always holed up in his private room, he is! I bet he be a snob like them rich folk!"

Murmurs of agreement made Sybil cower where she stood. She never intended to come off as pretentious, but in all considering she couldn't blame them for making that assumption. Contemplating amending the situation, more sharp comments made the decision for her. Even the fiercest of giants stood no chance at getting her to move.

"Have ye noticed he never raids any merchant ships? It wouldn't surprise me to hear he turned into a veggie like Ollie."

A pirate Sybil didn't know the name of slammed his fist on the mast, offended by the comparison. "Ollie is a hero. That lad barely made it through one scuffle. I ought to run him through with a spear and save us all the trouble having to rescue the father of that picaroon!"

At that Sybil rolled up her sleeves and reached for her sword, but a hand on her wrist kept her from doing anything rash. Looking in the direction of the arm, she saw Sanji shaking his head. He put his finger to his lips, hushing her, and faced the waves. Scowling, she shoved her sleeves back down, giving them all a solid whack over the head in her imagination. That would have to suffice.

The pirates continued grumbling and Sybil's strain could not be any clearer. Taking pity on the lad, Sanji greeted the crew, "Buckos, how do ye fare? Well, I presume. Ye'd must be feeling top to muster the courage to insult the bloke behind his back. Say he overheard this conversation, what would ye do then?"

Spotting Sanji, most hollered in delight until his curt words sent their lips twisting down into a frown. "Why do ye defend him? Surely you, out of everyone, must hate when someone gets something they don't deserve. That lad has the Captain wrapped around his finger and what did he do? Bloody nothing!"

"Don't speak of things you know naught of! My life and my truths are not of your concern. As for the Captain, he has his reasons. Do ye doubt him because that would be the real issue aboard this ship, not Rowland."

Everyone appeared split on the discussion. Slowly edging over to the man they'd rather defend, Sanji outnumbered his opponent, but only by a few. "Chumps! The whole lot of ye! That lad is changing this crew and not for the better! Have it his way and we would never loot a merchant ship again."

Sybil scoffed, not considering 'loot' an appropriate synonym for massacre. However, not everyone felt the same. "Aye, how are we to take care of our families then?"

Men shuffled away from Sanji at that comment, but he refused to give up, especially when knowing Rowland stood only a few feet away. "Ye know nothing about the lad, yet ye claim he is destroying our crew? He wants to rescue his father and then he'll be on his way. Give him that and then I suggest you do the same. This ship doesn't need cowards."

Sneering, the man scouted the deck for a fresh opinion, his eyes landing on Sybil. "Ahoy, ye over there! What do ye say about that landlubber?"

Sybil didn't move and found herself gripping the railings. It would take only a second to jump if necessary, but maybe they'd go away. Maybe they weren't talking to her.

"Ahoy, ye in the cloak. Be there water in your ears?"

'Feak!'

A/N: One month ago today (okay, yesterday, 7/12), I published the first chapter of DoA and honestly I never thought so many people would come to enjoy it as I have (and still do). To celebrate you guys (and girls) I sketched up a map! It is by no means a professional rendering of Ato, but I did my best. 😄

The map below, you may notice, is slightly different than the one above. It has 11 white numbers. Those numbers are towns, cities, villages, what you will, that I haven't named yet.

Are you ready?

You get to pick the names! (Shocker I know! I'm so good at building suspense. 😉)

Comment the number and name in the comment section or inline here and come chapter 10(?) I will start to reveal the winners! Yes, I said start. I'm such a tease. 😝 This is to accommodate readers who haven't read to this point, so everyone has a shot at naming one.

Best of luck!

-Max- ❤

P.S. The Isle of 'Dancers' has been renamed to the Isle of Strumpets on the map, but the actual change in the book won't be implemented until the edit.