The Eighth Sea

"Out of the foaming waves, a rugged and dark thing passed before the ship, as large as the Cork, though it was clear that more than half of it the crew did not see, for it was still beneath the waves. And then it disappeared beneath, as quickly as it had come.

"There was a moment of tension aboard the Myth as all tried to process the terrifying image, unsure what to think or do.

"And then the ship stopped suddenly as if the level had hit land beneath, throwing everyone off their feet. A giant fin broke the surface behind and came down again, splashing water unto the screaming crew.

"'Draw your weapons, mates!" Captain Jack shouted, and the crew did so without thinking twice. A head appeared above the surface to starboard of the Myth, a gigantic head, as wide as the whole of the brig, with snake-like eyes that glowed brightly golden, like fiery gems. It went back like the head of some monstrous crocodile, with rows upon rows of teeth as sharp and long as spears.

"'Catherine! Load up the guns!'

"'Aye!' she said, before lunging below deck swift as could be, and men rushed down behind her to man the cannons as she barked out orders, but before all had gone the monster lunged. The ship rocked violently as it rammed its head against the hull. Men cried out in terror.

"The beast raised its scaly body above the waves, towering above the Myth.

"'What is that thing, cap'n?' The Quartermaster asked, to which Jack replied, 'The Leviathan, the guardian of the Eighth Sea.'

"It was like an enormous snake, only its skin looked rough and impenetrable. It came down upon the deck, and Jack yelled, 'FIRE!' he said, and the cannons roared above the noisome thunder. The creature shrieked and recoiled, a shriek so loud and horrifying that those with a weaker will threw themselves down to their knees and cried. But the Leviathan was not done. It came down upon the deck again, and this time its strike was true.

"Splinters flew everywhere, and men ducked out of the way of the speeding timbers. Catherine rushed out to deck shouting orders to fire, and a hail of bullets ripped into the hideous head as it moved across the deck towards the prow, men desperately jumping out of its way. It hit the main mast and made the ship rock again, but the timbers held. Suddenly Davy came up to the Captain, shouting," Our guns don' do nothin' to it, cap'n! We need another weapon!"

"It seemed to Captain Jack then that Davy had been drinking, for he was tipsy on his feet then."

"T'was the ship rockin', I weren't drinkin'!" Davy said, and there was a pause, for it did not seem truthful to the others, but Long Ben continued, "Anyway, this put the thought of drink on the Captain's mind, and he said, 'There be barrels of drink and oil!', but Davy did not understand.

"'Drench the monster!' The Captain shouted, to which Catherine responded, 'Aye aye,' and she turned to Davy, and said, 'Follow me!'

"Meanwhile the Leviathan had been wreaking havoc on the deck and had eaten now two sailors and thrown three others overboard. The pistol shots were indeed doing no harm to it but only made it angrier, and it began to lash about with its body, making splinters fly whenever it hit. Catherine, with the help of Davy and a few other men, arrayed the deck guns so that they pointed to the monster, and then she had oil barrels brought up. They filled fragmentation rounds with the liquid and loaded the cannons, and all hoped for the best. The monster struck again. Catherine was ready. The guns fired, and cannonballs broke harmlessly on the monster's skin, but her plan had worked. The oil in them was spread on its scales. The monster reared again on the ocean, while an archer fitted a special arrow to his bow. A ship hand came with a torch and lit the arrow's tip, and the man fired. The arrow whizzed in the air and embedded itself in the giant's neck. There was silence for a while as nothing happened, the only sound was the storm ahead and Fuzzypoo's yelps," Lopsy Jack smiled and held his hand up to Fuzzypoo, who was sitting on the top of his hat. The creature nibbled his fingers affectionately, "But then suddenly there was a gust of wind that blew the flame closer to the Leviathan, and suddenly the fire was spreading quicker than one could follow. The creature writhed and splashed into the water, but as it emerged they could see that the flame still clung to it. It let out a hideous yell, pitiful and dreadful to the listener, and the Captain's eyes showed sorrow for a second, but then they steeled over and he ordered a second volley of cannon shots, which hit the writhing pillar of flame on the horizon, and the wailing stopped. The monster fell, almost hitting the ship, and its fall caused a giant wave that swept the Myth into the storm, but as it came upon the turbulent waters, suddenly the sky cleared, and in place of the storm they saw they were under a bright fiery sunset, casting red and yellow and orange across a clear sky. The wind had changed, the air was moist and warm, and a slight breeze blew.

"The mariners, confused and drenched, many wounded or broken, stood, with their jaws open, and looked over the railing, marveling at the beautiful island laying sunbaked further south. In the north, where they had come, there was a line of clouds in the sky and they saw that the weather beyond was still gray and cold.

"'The Eighth Sea! Ha! We Found it!' Captain Jack said, and then everyone rejoiced. They sailed south and reached land by nightfall, and Lopsy Jack ordered his crew to rest and heal, and tomorrow we will explore this island, and we will not worry about fixing the ship till we come back."

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