Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 4835689" data-attributes="member: 3285">Naoke: Part 12 – The Swimming DeadIt was Beldin’s turn at watch.  The night was tranquil, the sea calm.  Nothing, surely, would disrupt the Nǎoké’s journey now.“You don’t have to stand watch with me, Egil,” the dwarf said gruffly.  “I know your weak constitution isn’t accustomed to standing watch at these hours.”After the attack by the Fang, Baldric had buddied up the lookouts with men and women he could trust.  None of the pirates were among them.Egil chuckled.  “Thank you for your concern, Master Dwarf.  But I wish to pull my own weight around here.  I’m sure I can serve some good.”Beldin shrugged.  “Suit yourself.”Despite all the turmoil, Baldric was happy with the outcome.  Taking on two different pirate crews, despite the casualties, had bloated their numbers.  Kham, Beldin, and Ilmarė were three more people the ship couldn’t afford in provisions and space, given that the Yolanda, Patricia, Francesca, Egil, and Tranco were on board too.  When he asked Baldric about it, the captain merely winked at him with his good eye.  “I’m sure we’ll all fit just fine by th’ time we reach Freeport.”Beldin’s reverie was interrupted by a gasp from Brother Egil. “Egil? What’s wrong?”The priest clutched at his throat.  All he got out was, “Gluccck!”“What is it?” Beldin’s axe and shield were out in a flash. Egil fell to the ground.  He vomited up seawater, as if he were drowning even though he was safe and dry on the Nǎoké’s deck.A litany of gasps and groans reached Beldin’s ears.  He whirled to watch sailors falling left and right, collapsing as something wet and rancid flopped its way onto the deck.“Illiir!” whispered Beldin.  It was a corpse, bloated with seawater.  The night air shimmered around it, and wherever the strange bubble enveloped a man he fell to the ground, struggling for breath.Beldin took a deep breath just before the edge of the bubble enveloped him.He swung his axe, but the thing bashed him aside with one pulpy limb.  Windcutter skittered out of his grasp.The undead monstrosity let out a mournful groan and, glaring with unblinking white eyes, it lurched towards the dwarf.Beldin scrabbled backwards.  The thing wheezed and latched both hands around the dwarf’s throat.  The world went gray.  As a dwarf, Beldin had amazing lung capacity.  But even he could not hold his breath forever. He remembered Cho Sun’s ring.  Beldin pressed his hand against the corpse’s flesh and his open palm sunk right through the fibrous mass that was its ribcage.  Beldin closed his eyes and concentrated. There was a loud splash as all the seawater blasted out of thing’s back in a great geyser of seaweed and rotten flesh.  The desiccated corpse staggered backwards.The crew immediately stopped drowning.  Egil rose to his feet.“In the name of Althares, I adjure you to return to your grave!”He held up his holy symbol, a small hammer.  Light flared from it.  The thing covered its eyes, wailing, before hurtling itself off the ship.Beldin nodded his approval.  Egil smiled weakly.  He finally did have a use.“That’s it,” said Beldin.  “I’m becoming a pirate.”</blockquote>

Verification