Undercurrents Stirred

BOOM!

Thunder raged, and lightning lit the rolling black clouds that blotted out the stars like parasites. The wind howled, hurling fat raindrops across the whaling ship's decks, where chaos and death reigned.

One raindrop swiftly accelerated under gravity. Amid deafening battle cries, it struck a cloudy eyeball, then broke apart with a soft patter.

Gone in an instant.

The spray scattered across the deck and seeped into the wood, becoming an invisible trace of moisture that slipped into the deathly dark corridor of the third deck.

The noise abruptly fell away.

It was like entering another world. Though only a wall separated the deck from the hold, the instant one stepped inside, every sound from outside vanished as if swallowed by the deep sea.

In the dark, silent corridor, only a muffled set of footsteps could be heard.

Xia Lun had tried to tread lightly, but the hold was so quiet that even his soft footsteps sounded jarringly loud.

His nostrils twitched. In the stale air, he caught a greasy, sour stench, like rotting fish.

It came from the cargo hold below. He knew it was whale oil.

Whale oil's highly flammable. Toss a torch down there, and the whole ship will go up in flames.

The soundless darkness fed his imagination, and Xia Lun couldn't help letting his thoughts run wild.

But why did the pirates take over this ship? What happened to their old one? Did it sink?

His boots splashed through a puddle on the planks as he walked on, still thinking.

Before long, he spotted another crack in the ceiling ahead. The clamor of slaughter poured through it.

Xia Lun stopped to listen.

"Get in there! That monster's nearly finished!" the First Mate shouted again. "Anyone who retreats dies!"

"First Mate, a huge wave's coming!"

"We're done for! Lady Mustache, protect me!"

Cries of alarm suddenly erupted across the deck.

Xia Lun took a moment to understand. Then he drove his sword into the wall beside him, lowered his center of gravity, and braced himself. The wave was almost upon them!

The ship abruptly pitched forward. Before Xia Lun could find his balance, a deafening BOOM rang out, and the entire hold lurched violently downward!

As weightlessness seized him, Xia Lun gripped his sword hilt with all his strength, fighting not to be thrown away. Only then did he realize what he had overlooked.

The captain was missing, the First Mate was busy with his power struggle, and everyone else was either dead or fighting the monster. No one was steering the ship!

Worse, they were in the middle of a storm!

A massive wave had struck the bow. The ship must now be at its crest, airborne and spinning!

The tilt grew steeper. Xia Lun suspected the ship had tipped past ninety degrees. It felt ready to flip upside down onto the sea!

Through the crack, Xia Lun caught another glimpse of the formidable Abyssal Hand.

Before the power of nature, even the monster looked as helpless as an insect. Momentum flung it into the air with a shriek. It slammed back down, then slid helplessly away like a toy crushed and kneaded by a child.

Don't fall into the sea! Xia Lun's heart leaped into his throat as he watched the Abyssal Hand slide farther away.

The other half of the Prayerbook of the Drowned was still stuck in the monster!

If it fell overboard, everything he had done would be for nothing!

The ship suddenly leveled out. Xia Lun felt as though it had slammed on the brakes, a tremendous force driving into his back.

Crack.

Fortunately, Xia Lun's Short Sword held firm, and he managed not to lose his balance and pitch forward.

He let out a breath, pulled his sword free, and looked ahead.

Perhaps the wave had done him a favor. Not far ahead, he spotted stairs leading up to the deck!

The exit was right there.

But just then—

"The monster fell into the hold through the hatch!" a shrill voice called through the crack overhead.

Another voice, deep and low, demanded, "Nobody move! First, tell me what happened to the captain. I saw your brother attack her. Are you staging a mutiny?"

"A mutiny?" The First Mate gave a cold laugh. "Quite the opposite! I saw that prisoner who calls himself Carpenter ambush our brave captain. The bastard even murdered my brother!"

In the hold, Xia Lun narrowed his eyes. He knew at once that "Carpenter" meant him.

The First Mate meant to turn the truth on its head, make Xia Lun an enemy of every survivor, and justify his own coup.

Xia Lun wasn't angry about being framed. Anger wouldn't help.

He kept listening to the conversation above.

"I clearly saw that prisoner blind the monster," the deep voice protested. "If your brother hadn't insisted on attacking the captain, that monster would've—"

"So you'd rather believe a lowly prisoner than me?" The First Mate's voice turned cold. "Watch your words, Priest. The storm's eased, but it isn't over."

Then the First Mate changed tack. "Still, I understand your concerns. We need to find a way to rescue the captain first."

"But the captain's probably dead, and the monster's in the hold," the shrill voice chimed in.

The First Mate chuckled, his implication clear. "What if she's still alive? We can't just leave her to die."

"..." The deep-voiced Priest fell silent. "What about the prisoner?"

"If he wants to join us, we take him. If not, we chop him up," the First Mate said bluntly. "We've lost too many men. Trading slaves again would be too risky. We might not be able to keep them under control."

The First Mate raised his voice, turning their private exchange into a public address.

"Lads, one more push. Everyone gets triple shares this time. Priest, go calm the poor prisoners and recruit any brave young men with a taste for freedom and adventure."

"Gunner, take a few men and guard every entrance. Don't let that monster climb back up."

"Right," replied the shrill voice—the gunner.

"Old man, count the fresh water and food we've got left. Perilous Earth Island is at least six days away. We'll have to ration carefully."

"No problem," answered another voice, slightly hoarse.

"And what will you do?" the Priest demanded.

The First Mate laughed twice, then said coldly, "I'll go into the hold to rescue the captain and avenge my brother. The monster may still be roaming down there. I'll take on the most dangerous job myself.

"But I need a little time to prepare."

Rescue the captain? More like finish her off and silence her... Xia Lun couldn't help thinking.

He glanced at the stairs ahead, then abandoned the idea of going straight up to the deck.

Falling into the hold had cost him his best chance to use the prestige of defeating the monster to shape what happened next.

With a few words, the First Mate had already taken control of the situation.

In his version of events, Xia Lun had become an enemy of the other survivors. If he went up now, he might end up fighting them all.

Xia Lun looked down at his equipment belt as he thought.

He had already used Heightened Focus as many times as he safely could. He had only eight bullets left, and there were still plenty of pirates.

If he fought everyone, he was dead.

The First Mate might lack the skill and discipline to handle practical problems, but when it came to power plays and manipulating people, he knew exactly what he was doing.

Xia Lun narrowed his eyes and considered his options.

He had just killed the man's brother. Reconciliation or negotiation was probably out of the question.

He could try to catch the First Mate when he came down into the hold, kill him and his loyal men, then find a way to turn the remaining pirates against one another.

Whatever he did, if he wanted to survive, the First Mate had to die!

But the window for killing him was short. Xia Lun estimated he had five minutes at most to set an ambush.

He hurried forward, studying the layout as he went.

A dozen or so meters ahead, the passage split into a T-junction.

One branch led straight to a stairway several people wide. At the top lay the aft deck.

Unless something changed, the First Mate and his loyal men would come down those stairs.

Xia Lun turned to look the other way.

The other branch was completely blocked by a heap of planks, tables, chairs, and other debris, forming a barricade.

A pirate's corpse lay in front of it. It must have fallen through the crack in the ceiling. Several daggers were still strapped to its equipment belt.

This was hardly a good place for an ambush.

After a moment's thought, Xia Lun turned toward the closed cabin beside him, took hold of the knob, and gently pushed the door open.

Click.

As the old wooden door creaked on its hinges, Xia Lun saw what lay inside and froze.

Blood.

Fresh blood everywhere.

Amid the blood covering the floor, the bald female captain sat against the wall, glaring coldly at him.

The pirate captain was still alive?!