Flashback Next Stop Zeltiva

[Vincent Gorvald]

Thread Start

Timestamp: 26th of Winter, 497

The next day dawned on a choppy sea and signs of a storm brewing in the distance. The captain couldn't risk going back into port with the city watch on full alert so they would have to weather the storm out on the ocean, the more experienced sailors among the crew offered up silent prayers to the gods as they worked.

Hervink was an experienced sea captain and had weathered many a storm at sea and so set to making preperations as best he could to lash everything own before they were hit by the full force of the storm. Every hand on board was gainfully employed lashing down crates and furling the sails, removing what they could of the rigging that could easily be stowed and securing their belongings belowdecks.

Vincent hurried about in a panic, he had no idea what to expect but what he took from all of the preparations of the crew was that his world was about to be turned upside down, and so it was.

The storm hit with full force only three bells later and once it hit there was strictly no one allowed on the upperdecks without a safety rope, not that you would want to be up there for anything, but there were two men on watch at the helm at all times attempting to keep the ship off of any rocks and there were two men on the bow keeping a lookout though all that anyone could see was great big walls of water as the ship rolled head on through the waves.

Vincent certainly felt the sea sickness now, he along with most of the rest of the crew attempted to get some sleep while they were not on watch by lashing themselves to purpose built hooks on the bulkheads.

Soon enough though it was his turn to take a watch, since there was nothing much to him he was sent up to the bow to keep watch while Lucy and another crew member wrestled with the helm. Vincent's eyes were about as wide as they could go, he stared out into the darkness with great trepidation, wondering what was to come next. The storm raged on and on around them, big green walls of water washing them further and further off course. Suddenly there was a loud crack as a lightning bolt pierced the sky overhead to come down and strike the sea not 500 meters from where he stood on the bow of the Alabaster. Vincent quite literally nearly shat his pants, the shockwave from the blast almost stopping his heart. Several more bolts of lightning struck the sea in different locations further away from the ship before one finally came down and struck the mainmast with a god awful crack! sending splinters of wood flying in all directions and spreading flaming wreckage across the deck. Vincent leapt into action, while the surface was wet it was covered in a thick laquer which burns like nothing else and within moments the flames were eating their way across the deck. Vincent tore off a piece of sail from the main mast and began beating at the fires pushing them back where they tried to claim more ground.

Thick black smoke alerted he rest of the crew where the crack of the lightning and the sound of the splintering mast didn't and they rushed into action. "Safety ropes be damned" the first mate called, "get out there you lilly livered bastards before we all become shark meat!" The first mate didn't need to add the threats as sailors suddenly rushed about the deck holding on wherever they could, to whatever they could they set about drowning the spot fires.

It was such a strange sensation to be drenched and cold while fighting fires, but it was certainly the situation for Vincent and the crew right through the day and well into the night as they were on alert for more fires and were busy trying to salvage what they could of the mast.

That was the longest day of Vincents life so far, but as they came through the other side of the storm it was also the most life affirming exerience he had ever had.

Once they returned the ship to some semblance of working order the captain set a course for Zeltiva, it was slow going without a mainmast but there was no other place they could get the repairs they needed anywhere in Mizahar.