Chapter 12

Miracle Sea; Not Such a Miracle

 

            The day was new and so was the food. Darq rose out of his bed and stretched his arms as he looked over to the mirror hanging on the wall. Gello was standing in front of it, running his fingers through his hair, saying something about how perfect he was. Darq slapped his face and shook his head in disgust. Gello turned around and glared at Darq. “What’s your problem drunkard? Did baby forget to go to sleep without his drinky winky?” Gello ejaculated. Darq nodded and snapped off his belt buckle flask. He unscrewed the cap and took a large swig. He let out a sigh of relief and wiped his mouth off. Gello straightened his shirt collar and dusted himself off. “Here’s your problem friend. You’re lazy and constantly drunk. Is it really that fun? Honestly a woman wouldn’t come within a mile of you. A Kronase,” (Which is a type of pig from the Kronus continent), “wouldn’t even hold a conversation with you. Ugh….it’s useless. Anyhow, get ready for breakfast swine.” Gello threw his cape over his shoulder and stormed out of the room.

            “What a showboat. I have half a mind to fill his boots with saltwater tonight before he goes to bed…that’ll show him.” Darq yawned and walked over to the mirror. His hair was wavy and untamed. He hadn’t shaved in a week and was beginning to develop a horrid beard. His face was pale, his eyes were bloodshot, and his teeth were showing signs of falling out. “Dear gods….this’ll take some major work to pull off.” Darq thought to himself. He pulled his black backpack from under his bed and pulled out a small razor, some silver polish, and a jar of hair cleanser from Natu. He went back to the mirror and nearly hacked his face off trying to shave. After he shaved he cleaned his hair and found a clump of mud in the sink where he washed it. He took his finger and rubbed his teeth to his satisfaction (as if it would help). Finally, Darq sat by his bed, grabbed a cloth, and polished the metal plating on his leather boots. Now Darq could say that he was partially clean and ready for human contact.

            Darq flung the door open and walked into a large corridor at the bottom of the ship. The hall was clear and he walked hastily towards the upper deck. Marlo left his room, and as he opened the door, it slammed Darq in the face, sending him to the floor. Darq rubbed his face as Marlo helped him up. The two of them made their way to the stairs and opened the main hatch. They were now above deck and the sun was shining. Gello had his arms folded, waiting right beside them. “It’s about time you two showed your faces,” Gello said in a disgusted tone, “we’re late for breakfast and we’ve got another long corridor to go down as soon as we make it to the bottom of the other side of this ship." The gang was altogether now, and they ran to the mess hall. As they arrived, the captain, a tall dark man wearing a golden helmet with a large spike on the top, a crimson cape, and golden armor, was sitting at the table contemplating something. He thrust a dagger at the table and raised his head.

            The captain spoke, “Gentlemen, we’re only a day away from our destination…The winds blow in our favor and we should make it to Fre’lik port by tomorrow afternoon. From there, we will unload cargo and escort Master Montrevere and his companions to the Menkuala Library….what was that?” The captain was interrupted by a large noise coming from outside the ship. A Thunder storm brewed outside the ship and the noise grew louder. The captain stood up from his seat at the head of the table. “All hands on deck. All hands on deck. I have a bad feeling about this.” Darq and Gello exchanged worried looks. Marlo looked towards the ceiling of the room and pulled out his razor sword. Darq led Gello and Marlo to the deck, following close behind the crew. The captain was already on top deck evaluating the situation. The waters were roaring violently, and tossing the ship back and forth. The captain and the entire crew stood in silence as if they knew what was happening. In front of the ship a ring of water rose like a thunderous tornado from the sea. A ring a lightning crashed around it, intertwining and then dying down. The ring of water fell, and the entire crew (including our gang) gasped in horror. From the depths of the Mirarcle Sea arose a creature so ghastly that Gello passed out (but then again he does the same when a mouse appears). It was a thirty foot long serpent from the depths of the sea. Its scales were dark blue and shimmering and black horns protruded from its skull. Tiny wings emanated from its back and its snout contained rows upon rows of teeth. Its roar was profane. It shattered every glass object on the entire ship. It sounded like a combination of lion’s roar and a banshee’s shriek. Everyone held their ears and closed their eyes. Darq was entranced by the creature and looked it dead in the eye. It was offended. An aura formed around it, an aura so black that nothing could be seen, the wind picked up at a dangerously high speed. The entire armada’s ships were torn apart piece by piece by the storm and the creature’s wrath. Everyone went flying into the air and tossed about. The creature let out one last shriek in the darkness and then everything fell into silence.

            Darq opened his eyes slowly and blinked as the sun hit his face. His arms clung loosely to a piece of driftwood. “Is this it?” he thought. “Stranded.” He was wrong however. He saw land….a beach. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. The trees along the shore were rich and full of vibrant colors. “Is this WaiShai?” he thought to himself. He took his arms off of the driftwood and swam as fast as he could to shore. His body was weak. He literally crawled onto the sand and laid face down in it. He took several deep breaths and attempted to stand. It wasn’t working. He heard a conversation not to far off. It was strange. He clawed his way closer to the voices and listened.

            “All you are doing is delaying my duty. I will collect the runes one by one and return them to Querus. Now leave me be children.” The voice that spoke was deep and rough. The accent was strange, he was certainly not from anywhere in Kronus….but maybe he wasn’t from here either.

            “Listen closely Menichoe,” (that’s “many-koe-ee”), “and take note. Euce and I are here to bring the runes back. Just remember, as soon as you slip up, we’ll be there to catch you and destroy you as well. Have fun plant head.” The other voice sounded like someone had stuffed a bird down a blyte’s throat. It was gruff and yet high pitched. It seemed to alternate. The conversation was over now and Darq safely assumed that the people talking were gone.

            “Planning an ambush criminal!?” a feminine voice said harshly as Darq was pulled to his feet by his hair.

            “Ow, ow, ow!” Darq yelled as he turned around and faced his addresser. “Owww…….heeeeyyyy. Good gods. You’re, you’re….You’re hot lady! You going anywhere tonight? I’ve got absolutely nooooooo plans. So what’re you into? Drinking, eating, playing around under the covers?!” The woman slapped him before he could continue rambling. She was 5’8” with shoulder length blonde hair, two katana blades were strapped to her back as well as a royal blue cape, her lips were red as the roses of Nanuse in spring. On her left hand a large oval shaped shield was strapped on and was engraved with a Mooshnain symbol that read “Galaxy.” Her stomach was exposed, she wore a blue sweater that came to her midriff, an orange skirt that was not so conservative, and her boots were knee high and laced tight. She wore a mask over her face, and her eyes were an iridescent blue. Darq’s favorite feature however was her breasts, however, before he could look longer than two seconds, the woman had socked him right in the nose. “Ayah!” Darq yelled. “Why are you so violent, and what did I do….Because if you wanna imprison me, I’d be so happy….sooooooooo happy.” The woman punched him in his left eye this time and pulled his hair with her other hand.

            “It’s my turn to talk scumbag,” she replied, “Now, what’re you doing here? This place is off limits. Get out of here before I’m forced to apply violence.”

            “Ooooooh. You like it rough? I’m fine with that. That’s cool.” Darq said candidly.

            “Grrrr. Why doesn’t anyone take me seriously?” The woman said as she fell to her knees and cried in a most grotesque way. “For years Galaxy Girl has protected this land and now she’s a joke. Why?” She continued to cry as Darq burst into laughter.

            “Galaxy…..hmm…girl? Pahahahahaha! What an idiotic name. What? Did a three cycling come up with that one? Oh I’m too sick to laugh. I’m gonna hurl.”

            “You see! You see! No respect. No gratitude. I suck at this, mom was ten times better.” The girl tore off her masked as she sobbed. Darq turned stared at her face as she cried and his entire body was revitalized. He walked over to her firmly and forcefully stood her up. He grabbed her face by the cheeks and kissed her in an overly vulgar manner. She nearly gagged and kneed him in the groin, but not after blackening his other eye. Darq fell to the ground as he simultaneously vomited and smiled with pleasure. Galaxy Girl kicked him in the ribs and ran away. Darq didn’t bother following.

            The sun was shining on this, one of the worst and best days of Darq’s life. He had landed on the northern coast of Wai Shai and was a mere month’s walk away from the Menkuala library. So he stood himself up, dusted off his sun dried shirt, and found a path that went right through the bayside forest. Wai Shai was known for its beautiful foliage and this forest was no exception. Darq gasped as he took in the new environment. This was his first time in Wai Shai and it was breathtaking. The wood on the trees was dark red and the leave sprang forth like dark green warriors, protecting their queen. Little did he know, he was being robbed as he looked at the trees, dumbfounded. He soon heard a rustling behind him and turned around.

            “Just what the hell do you think your doing?” Darq asked as he turned around. A 4 ft tall blyte, (you remember what those are, right?) greeted him with a grunt, and continued to ransack his belonging from his rucksack. “Oh I see,” Darq said with a smirk, “Somebody wants a little trouble…is that it? Well then. Let’s go, stupid.” Finally some action; Darq was ready to pound the ever-living crap out of something, all by himself. He reached behind his back and pulled out Manus, his trust mallet. He lifted it high into the air and prepared to deliver the little sucker a fatal blow. Before he could bring his hammer swiftly down, however, the blyte let out a cry so horrible that the earth seemed to shake, or so Darq thought. “Why you little,” Darq complained as his mallet slipped out of his grasp and fell to the ground. The ground beneath them continued to shake, almost as if following a pattern. “Well that’s odd,” Darq thought, “I though that whole scream thing was over.” Little did he know that the scream didn’t cause the earth-shaking, so much as it aroused the thing which shook the earth.

            From the area of woods just east of Darq, the noise continued, until finally two giant, black-green, three fingered hands grasped the trees and ripped them down to make way for its passage. One foot burst forth from the new clearing, and another soon followed, until what seemed to be a giant blyte appeared before Darq and the mini-thief robbing him. “Holy mother of crap,” Darq mumbled under his breath as he scrambled to pick up Manus. The big blyte became enraged at the sight of Darq and its mini counterpart. It stomped forth with all the fury of a thousand storms as Darq continued to try and find Manus. A humungous blyte foot was over him when suddenly the sound of metal and cloth rustling in the wind came from ten feet up. Darq turned around and saw none other than Galaxy Girl, who had come to his defense. She had leaped from a tree onto the hideous beast and began to hack at it with one of her katanas, as her royal blue cape was blown about. “Whoa,” Darq yelled as saw her in all her glory. Shortly after his cheer, he delivered a swift boot to the 4 foot tall blyte’s face and took what was stolen from him back into his sack.

            Galaxy Girl sheathed her katana and back-flipped gracefully off of the shoulder of the big blyte. On her way down, she grabbed it by the wrist with both hands, lifted her arms high into the arm, and swung the creature’s arm at full force. The velocity at which the arm traveled was so fast, that it sent the creature almost flying into the air, feet first, and it landed flat on its back. Galaxy Girl dusted her hands, straightened her skirt, and smiled warmly at her victory. Darq was drooling not but a few feet away.  As he collected himself, he approached her, mallet over his shoulder. “That was some awesome combat thing there GG. Say…uh…Where’d you learn that stuff anyhow?” Darq asked with a smirk smeared across his face.

            “Well,” Galaxy Girl replied, almost flattered, “As the daughter of the original Galaxy Girl, I was trained to take her place, and so it is imperative that I master several combat skills in order to protect this area and its peoples.”

            Darq slapped his face and dragged his hand down slowly until his eyes met hers. “You’re way too hot to be doing this sort of thing,” he said dryly, “Why don’t you and I go get a drink someplace around here and see if we can’t have some fun?” Galaxy Girl held eye contact with him and couldn’t help but feel sorry for the pathetic booze-hound, and so she agreed, reluctantly.

            Being that she was a native of the region, Galaxy Girl led Darq to a local tavern a few miles up the coastal forest path. There, they both got a drink, and proceeded to talk.