Chronicle XVIII

Above Big City, EmBark sailed on a trail of ice conjured by Daddy Chill, heading back toward the ocean to locate Seven Seas, Captain of the Ocean. If the civilians below weren’t used to that kind of thing, it may have caused a panic. It was difficult not to move slowly with such a method, so people did watch for a bit as they walked by. Nothing too interesting for the likes of Big City, however.

They plopped into the ocean just past the harbor and sailed on, Daddy Chill explaining his confidence in their destination. EmBark sat listening with her tongue hanging out, picturing her captain as DC spoke.

“Silas wasn’t fulfilled as a crabber. He said of all the battles that could happen on the ocean, we chose the most one-sided. From that picture you have, I can see why he’d say that. He actually looks formidable there. The Silas I knew could have been blown over by a gentle breeze.”

EmBark wagged and wiggled, awaiting the continuation.

“Before we capsized… before I was able to do what I can do now, he mentioned a hidden archipelago halfway across the world. He talked about it like it sounded like heaven to him. Said that he heard all the sea creatures there evolved differently. That the ocean was angry, mountainous as any area of land could be. I always thought he was just an old dreamer, but he gave me a decent idea of where he believed this place to be. You’ve searched for him everywhere that you know of, so if he’s not there, he’s not anywhere.”

EmBark’s face grew determined and she stood on the edge of the ship, her beard flying backwards as they sped across the ocean. Water was choppy and slowed their passage down significantly. DC conjured some true ice into EmBark’s bowl in the wheelhouse, providing her endless dripping water. She no longer had to scavenge for fresh water on her travels, she laid against his leg when he stood and slept against his back when he slept. They quickly became good friends as they travelled the world together.

Far from any shore, EmBark and Daddy Chill awoke to thunder. They rocked wildly from mounting waves. There was no storm overhead, however. As they continued onward, they crossed over into a strange area of the ocean. Water below them was many different colors, all flowing into and out of each other. Instead of the usual blue sky, it was a fiery red, orange and yellow swirl. It was also completely silent where they were. At first.

“OH HEY THERE’S A COUPLE NEW GUYS HERE.” An irritating voice announced, seeming to come out of the air itself, which now felt lighter.

“Are you talking to us?” DC shouted back into the sky, looking around for a source.

“OOPS, DIDN’T THINK THEY’D HEAR ME.”

“Guess not.” He looked down at EmBark and shrugged. She was still looking around, jumping up with her front paws on the edge of the ship to check over every side.

They followed a path of calm water between mountainous waves. Shallow waters were just past the worst of the ocean. They stopped near a sandbar to have a look around and determine next steps, as the map had become useful. Maps were no longer of use. None of the islands around were charted. DC suddenly hopped out of the ship to walk on clear crystal sand, water up to his knees. He froze a block of ice a few feet ahead, which began to float and he brought it to the ship.

“We must be close.” he commanded the cloudy ice to melt and from it emerged a crab the size of a car. It lunged at EmBark quickly, revealing that it’s claws had sawblades embedded in the shell. EmBark fearlessly barked to intimidate it, standing her ground. It disregarded her show and pressed on. Daddy Chill sat on the edge of the ship calmly and just before it reached the pup, he flash-froze it. A thick buildup of ice connecting it to the floor from the direction DC shot it prevented the crab from moving. 

“YOU SEE THAT!!? THIS GUY DOES ICE THINGS!” the disembodied voice said, raspy and excited.

EmBark sat back down and looked happily at her friend, believing this to have been the only threat. Proving her wrong was a creature neither of them had encountered before. Charging up from under the sand, a massive drill-horned rhinoceros with the lower body of a whale crashed through the ship’s dead center. It carried with it a tidal wave, heading straight for the boat.

Daddy Chill quickly reacted, shooting ice at the break in the boat to hold it together. He successfully built an ice bridge between the broken halves. EmBark launched a harpoon from the side of the ship and nailed the Rhinomaid in the stomach, leaving a rope attached. It charged forward beneath the sand, dragging the ship along with it. As it inadvertently helped them evade the coming wave, Daddy Chill focused on pulling the halves of the ship back together.

“CAN WE HELP THEM?”

“That would be great.” Daddy Chill responded, though the voice wasn’t asking him.

“OOPS… THEY HEARD ME AGAIN.”

“Ugh.”

As the beast moved, the wave began to grow below the ship. EmBark took a moment as the ship’s halves touched back together and focused on joining them. A loud SNAP, and the boat was one again. She barked at Daddy Chill, thanking him for his help. Another bark signaled time to cut the rope.

A blade of ice detached the rope from the Rhinomaid. They watched from above, riding the wave, as the beast drilled on, going deeper, becoming shadow as it dove deep into the translucent, crystalline sand. Once the seas calmed, the pair was thrilled to see in the distance a tower. It wasn’t of stone or wood, but of the remains of all manner of sea creatures. At the very top, it appeared to have a throne built of massive helms from many different ships. It had at the top a hammock made of sails.

EmBark knew right away that this was made by Seven Seas. She excitedly sailed towards it, commanding the ocean below to rise.

A loud whistling sound filled the air. Daddy Chill leapt towards his new friend to defend her from a flying object, shielding himself with ice to protect them both. The object struck the ice, cracking it and sticking out of it. It was the jagged shell of a turtle, knives pointing from all of its peaks. DC dropped his ice to inspect the shell, but more whistles began. EmBark lifted the ship higher to dodge anything incoming and to see where they were being thrown from.

Behind the tower, a wild, giant man grabbed the shells from the tower itself, having no fear of it falling apart. EmBark wagged and barked. It was Seven Seas. He was changed, but it was him.

Daddy Chill looked at her barking and was instantly impaled in his shoulder by one of the shells. He turned back around, pulled up his socks and covered the shell in ice. As he launched it back at the mad man, he felt pain on his calf, his pure white sock began to fill with red. He looked back bewildered, as his little friend, the captain of the ship, EmBark, moved to bite him again.

“WOAH.”