Koal's Journal Session 10
Setting Out
We started our voyage back to my island today. The ship we’re on is called the Bad Luck. I hope the name is ironic.
It’s only been a day, but I’ve not felt well since I left land. I think it’s my nerves. I’m worried about being on the sea, I’m worried about my island, and I’m deathly worried about Oh-Kae.
A short while ago, we found something I had hoped to never see while on a boat. A hurricane. I’ve never been able to remain calm around storms, and being confined to a ship did nothing to help. I think my friends saw the cause of the storm. I agreed to do whatever they needed me to. Anything to stop that storm.
I went below deck afterwards. I didn’t want to look at it anymore. Instead, I tried to make two pendants. One for a wedding, one for a funeral. It probably wasn’t the best idea. Instead of just worrying about the storm, I’m now worried about the storm, my fiancée, and death.
Ryyan visited me. He told me to be brave, which I thought was a little laughable at first. He acts like this all the time, surely I deserve at least one fear.
But his help didn’t stop at his words. He cast a protective spell on me; one that could keep me safe even if I was overcome with fear. I thanked him. I feel bad for being dismissive of him.
He’s a really good leader, even if he doesn’t think so. He truly wants me to be the best I can be.
At this point, I have to at least try and fight. But I do think I’ll just wait for someone else to drag me into it. It’s one thing to be thrust into a perilous situation; it’s another thing entirely to walk into one of your own volition.
The Dragon Turtle
I’ve done it. After years of cowering in the wake of every storm that pops up in the sky, after years of being paralyzed by the sight of a dark cloud, I’ve managed to overcome my fear. I don’t know if I can do it twice, but I’ve at least done it once.
While I was below deck, a cannon ball burst through the hull. I wasn’t hurt, but I was brought face-to-funnel with the hurricane.
I admit, I was still terrified at the sight of it. I started to hyperventilate. I could feel my body locking up. But before I could black out, I heard Deneb’s voice. Shortly after, I saw the moon. I focused on it instead of the storm. It helped me stay calm. The hurricane was still there, but I didn’t have to focus on it anymore.
At that point, I realized that fire was starting to spread through the ship. Our crew was panicking; they didn’t have any clear direction. I decided to teach them what I had just learned.
I addressed the whole group, and I asked them, “What are you afraid of? The fire? These measly flames? This is nothing to be scared of!” I then ran through the flames to get to the hole in the hull. Ryyan’s spell kept the fire from touching me, so I started removing the burning parts of the ship. It probably wasn’t the best way of doing things, but it was all I could think of. Thankfully, the Sentinels were able to get to work on the actual repairs.
Before the hole was completely patched up, I saw a black-robed figure fall past it. I thought it was Deneb, and I was proven right as Ryyan immediately jumped after her. He was carrying a rope. I tried to grab it because I was worried that he forgot to tie it off. I was right, but I was of no help. Afterwards, I raced to the deck of the ship. It was the only way I could keep them in my sight.
It wasn’t long after that that the ship split in half. I fell in the water next to Snickerdoodle. I managed to get her to the Dragon Turtle, which was tethered to the other ships. I noticed that Alice was trying to climb onto one of the ships with those tethers, which gave me a much flashier idea.
I sprinted from the turtle’s head to its tail. The tail was wagging up and down; I jumped from the highest point in the tail’s movement, and I landed on the enemy ship.
Ryyan’s magic proved to be invaluable. I was immediately set upon by four ETE members with spears. None of them were able to lay a scratch on me. They retreated almost immediately. The one ship that remained uncompromised tried to fire upon me. I knocked the cannonball into the ocean with a headbutt. With Ryyan’s support, I had become invincible!
I decided that, if we were going to commandeer this boat, we would need to be rid of its remaining crew. I burst into the lower deck and immediately embedded my axe into an ETE member. The remaining members, who appeared to have run into Alice, decided to run off. They’d rather face the tumultuous waves of the ocean than my axe! There were two members who properly surrendered. We haven’t really done much with them. We eventually just lashed them to the mast.
Ryyan helped me one last time during this encounter; he healed the scrapes and cuts that I had taken during the fight. This caused him to pass out, but I kept him from falling over. Pash seemed really happy about that. I’m not sure why.
From Turtle to Landfall
Deneb sent the turtle on his way. The only thing between us and my home was the ETE blockade. Thankfully, Alice was able to navigate us through it.
Once we finally made landfall, our dragons set out on their missions. Shrike took his stories to his dragon, Pash infiltrated Arbor to make it easier to save Oh-Kae, and Coeller scouted out the guards.
The four of us had plans as well. Deneb tried to find some healing herbs, Alice hunted every living creature on this part of the island, and Ryyan tried to write a song about the desert.
I decided to have a chat with Ryyan.
I wanted to thank him for what he’d done. I told him that I only wanted to teach him about my island’s customs, but that wasn’t exactly true.
I told him that permanent graves were very rare due to the difficulty in maintaining them when you live in a nightmare. That instead, we make keepsakes and mementos that we keep in our house. Remembering those that have passed is a deeply personal thing, and we take it very seriously.
Once I was done, I presented him with my real gift: A heart-shaped pendant with the sigil of the Flamewrought Duchy on it.
I was worried about him. I knew that losing his aunt bothered him, but I wasn’t sure if he had time to mourn. There was no funeral, no eulogy, no wake, and no sign that Ryyan was ready to move on. I wanted him to know that, while he was on my island, he was welcome to take as much time as he needed. It feels weird to say he liked it, but I think he appreciated it.
For some reason, I thought I heard the sound of a lovebird freaking out while I was hugging Ryyan. I don’t remember seeing lovebirds on my island, so that was weird.
Planning
Coeller finished her scouting mission, and she brought back bad news. Arbor is being guarded by our friends. Arrata is leading the guard. I don’t want to sacrifice one friend for another.
Caper also paid us a visit! It wasn’t the best circumstances, but it was nice to see her again.
She told us about the nature of the ETE army. They use undead creatures called Skindancers(walkers??). These creatures take control of another person, and force them to do their bidding. They’re weak to fire. You can free someone by either killing the skindancer, or performing a ritual on their victim.
I am scared. I don’t really know what to do. The others seem to have a plan, but I’m too scared to think of one. So far, I’ve only been good at killing the ETE. That’s not an option. What can I do?
What can I do?
EDIT: I decided I wasn’t happy with the last paragraph, so I took it out.