Strena The Voyage Part Eight

 A Defended Ship

It had been a month and Strena had been training her magic and violin skills. Yet Zaryb covered her fighting skills and made sure that they were all at their peak for her age. During this time at night she wrote down all that they did and enjoyed her time with Bash. Bash had shown her how to truly laugh again and, even though she could tell that the girl was far from a feminine girl by nature, how to be a girl again. To not be this emotionless killing tool and weapon but a real girl, the version of herself untainted by her upbringing. Which, she found, she loved most. On the other hand, when he was not teaching her violin, Cerpheres played tag, hide and seek and all other childish games. This made her feel like an ordinary child again. These things she treasured dearly as she knew that her time in partaking in such things was running out.

It was one of these mornings,when Cerpheres was playing tag with her, he tagged her and, as she chased the man to the downstairs, she looked up to see a ship with a green jolly Roger on it’s sails.

“Mister Cerpheres!”

“Just Cerpheres. You don’t have to be so formal all the time!”

“There’s a ship.”

He looked back it see it.

“Ahhh!” He purred. “The Green Pirates.’

“Who are they?”

He let out a playful chuckle.

“Tell me, does the name Captain Treeleaves ring a bell?”

“Yes. He’s the one that has three emeralds on his head!”

“Well that’s him and his crew.”

The ship came closer and closer and closer. Soon the rest came up and on the deck too. They saw the ship too. Then it turned slightly towards them. It was all too clear who they were aiming for.

“Well, all of you beauties need to get ready! Or they’ll blow us all right out of the water!”

“And why is that?”

“Nothing in particular. After all, they believe that there should be no ship on the water. So they destroy all the ships they all can see.”

Chashathrophogh nodded as they all scrambled to their positions and prepared for the battle. By this time, the ship was upon them. Strena looked at it and then at the water. She soon focused upon freezing it. The moment that she saw the shards of ice, she willed them into the hull of the ship.

Then she looked up to see Captain Treeleaves. She looked back at Bash.

“Take him!”

Bash looked up and nodded. She reached out and pulled the Captain of the ship. Soon the body rose up in the air. Then he gripped the handles of the wheel. Knowing that he would not let go any time soon, she willed the willed the wheel to be set on fire. The moment that the fire flared up Captain Treeleaves let go. The next moment he was top of the girl. He looked at her and she could get a good look at him.

She saw that he had bright green hair and the eyes the colour of a light green sea. He wore nothing but green pirate clothes, with a scarlet sunburnt face with flakey cheeks.

“What?”

She thrust her forehead into the head as hard as she could. This only broke his nose.

“Aww!”

He grabbed her by the wrists as he pulled himself up.

“I know what you are. You’re an unnatural!”

“A what?”

“You do not obey the laws of nature! You bend them to your will! That is what it means to be an unnatural and you still are more worse as you willingly ride the corpses of tree!”

“Don’t you too?”

“Aren’t you too?”

“What?”

“Isn’t that ship also made of trees?”

“Yes. It is a black spot that I have to bear for the sake of saving all those trees.”

Knowing that they had all they needed, Strena willed the man to sleep. He dropped off instantly.

Bash then pushed the man off Strena. Then they got to their feet.

“Now, Chash, Zaryb, be a good dear and get to the cannons?”

“Why don’t you?”

“Also it’s Chashathrophogh to you!”

Cerpheres smirked.

“One, I’m on the wheel, and two, your name’s too long.”

“I do not care!”

Then the first cannon whipped past them. Cerpheres looked at them dotingly as he raised an eyebrow.

“Fine!”

Soon the other two ran down to the cannons.

“Why does he keep pushing you like that?” Zaryb asked, putting a cannonball in the barrel.

“I don’t know. Honestly, I think he likes it way too much.” He said clicking his fingers, lighting up the fuse. The next moment it whacked into the hull of the ship.

Then an idea came to him. He summoned a fireball at the hull. He then looked down to see ice below the ship slamming into the hull.

“You do the cannons and I will do the fireballs.”

He nodded. Soon Zaryb loaded one cannon after th other. During that time Chashathrophogh lit one fire ball and fired one after the other. Then Zaryb lit the fuse of one cannon after the other. They both launched their attacks in rapid succession. They did this again and again and again until there was a gaping hole on the ship.

Meanwhile Bash shot at one pirate after the other before they could get anywhere near the ship. Strena kept focusing on the ice of the ship. Then she saw the line of fireballs shoot out of the ship.

Ignore this, stay on your job.

So she shot a shard of ice at one pirate after the other. Soon there was a gaping hole in the ship. Then she saw the fire and willed the fire to spread throughout the ship. Then it started to drop. She then pushed the ship away from their ship. Then it capsized.

Bash looked down as the rest tried to swim. Then she took out her bow and arrow. She shot them in the heads so they did not have to suffer when they died. 

Then they all moved on.

“That was good!” Gasped Cerpheres.

“Whatever!”

Then Strena felt her stomach rumble. She looked up at the sun, it was noon. So they all had their lunch.

“May I just say, you are all good! You are all so very good!” Cerpheres exclaimed, raising a glass of wine to them and drank, hiding him licking his lips.

“Urm…”

“No thanks to you!” Chashathrophogh and Bash remarked.

He chuckled as he licked his lips.

“I was steering the ship! Although you are all significantly better than my last crew and Captain Gerald’s put together! Well, apart from Kir. He had shown signs of greatness, it would have been oh so quite appetizing, if he weren’t so loyal to his dear old Captain!”

“Yes. What a shame!” Chashathrophogh said sarcastically.

Soon Strena ate as silently as she could. After lunch she saw another ship. The moment she saw the sails, she knew what it was.

“What?”

She pointed at it.

“Oh, there’s another Navy ship! Well time for round two.”

“What do we do?”

“What?”

“No, We will be on the cannons, Strena, Bash, go for the sails. That ought to stop them. That way we will have the advantage of movement.”

“Alright! Aaand-”

“You will help aid our magic.”

“Ooookaaay!”

They soon were at their posts. Bash waited for the ship’s sails to get closer and closer and closer. She looked back as she took out her bow. She nodded at Cerpheres as she lit the tip of the arrow and fired. Quickly the arrow became eclipsed by fire. Yet Strena used her magic to make the arrow go faster. The arrow hit the sails Strena used her magic to spread the fire as fast as she could.

Then she saw the second arrow fly. She caused the arrow to hit another as fast as she could. Then she used her magic to make the fire spread as fast as they could. She saw the third and she repeated the action. Then she spotted one put the fire out, yet it was already too late. The fire had already eaten the sail. Then the next one was put out but there was enough of the sail intact. Then she saw another arrow and she focused on that sail until it was put out.

The ship was still coming closer and closer and closer. She looked down. Then she focused upon the water to turn it to ice. Upon seeing this, the ship had to turn.

Then she saw an arrow pass her. This caused the fire to skim three sails. Then Strena focused upon the already destroyed sails. Then one of the flames was put out and they saw the fire had eaten the sails. Yet the ship was getting around the iceberg. So she had to not waste time on the small victory.

Then she saw the next arrow and she spread the fire. She did this until it was put out. Then the ship had passed the iceberg. She saw the next arrow. She pushed it on as fast as she could. Then she spread the fire. Yet it became close enough for Bash to shoot at it.

“Bash-”

That was when they heard an explosion. She looked back to see a hole in the hill. 

“Aim for that!”

Bash looked at her and nodded. She fired at the hole and she set the arrow alight. Then Strena spread the fire. Then any officers rushed to put the fire out. Then she saw the next hole. Bash fired and Strena spread the fire. Then more and more came to put it out. Then she saw the first fireball hit the ship. Then another and another and another. Strena did what she could to spread the fire. That was when Strena felt a slight strain, yet she forced herself on as the rest put out the fire.

Knowing that she was about to faint at any moment. She used the rest of her magic to push as big a wave as she could. Then thrust it into the holes of the ship, capsizing it. Then all went black.