Quests & Challenges

Four

The dawn came with an unwelcome surprise. A surprise that, really, they had no way to have anticipated, but that the Captain was insistent they should have seen. A surprise that ended with one furry, blue hatchling sitting most amused with herself on the deck. Peari had known the hatchling was trouble the moment she appeared, but had tried her best to care for the little terror.

It was a care that, if Crystalsong didn't manage to talk Gamble down soon, would go to waste. The captain was convinced that June had managed to somehow disappear half the crew overnight. Obviously, this was quite impossible, but the mirror had a tendency to act first and forget about the questions. So Crystalsong had gone to calm her, Peari stood guard over the hatchling, and the newcomer, Chaintwist, was at the helm.

Hopefully, the day would end peacefully, and no one else would have to face the open sea. That there were only four of them left was enough. With so few they would have to work in hard shifts to the next port, and if Gamble didn't throw June overboard, one of them would constantly have to watch her.

She had known when they started that sailing as a pirate would be a dangerous adventure, and perilous at best. Peari supposed she should have really considered what that meant. She was old enough to know better than to head off on an adventure with no plan, and she was almost ashamed that she had.

But she had been desperate, so desperate, to get away from the remains of her small clan, her murdered mate and children, that she had taken Gamble up on her offer immediately and without question. Now, as June cooed and wound around her legs, she knew that she could no longer be so selfish. The hatchling was entirely dependent on her, and she doubted the others knew how to care for her.

Not that Gamble and Crystalsong were not capable, they were, but Gamble had no patience for a little one, and Crystalsong was very much uninterested. Peari hoped that she would be able to continue to keep June safe.

Just then, the hold doors banged open, ejecting a rather irate mirror, hackles up and tail whipping the air behind her. Gamble growled, "The hatchling stays, but someone keeps an eye on it at all hours from now on, understand?"

Peari nodded.

[b][u]Day Five Results[/b][/u] [center][b]Failed Recruits[/b][/center] [center][url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=61689527] [img]https://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/616896/61689527.png[/img] [/url][/center] [center][url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=61689526] [img]https://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/616896/61689526.png[/img] [/url][/center] [center][url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=55164957] [img]https://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/551650/55164957.png[/img] [/url][/center] [center][b]Graduated into the Crew[/b][/center] [center][url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=55840833] [img]https://flightrising.com/rendern/350/558409/55840833_350.png[/img] [/url][/center]

Five

The day after she joined Gamble's pirate crew, Chaintwist woke not to rays of sun slipping through the gaps between planks, but an ear-shattering cry of, "All Hands On Deck!" She yelped and jerked, spilling out across the floor and bumping her limbs painfully. Then she groaned and started moving sluggishly. Today, she had hoped to not get yelled at, as the captain was in the port getting supplies, and so was not on the ship to yell at her.

But her hopes were dashed against the wooden deck with the smug grin of a purple nocturne. Crystalsong had been left in charge, and her word was law today. Peari, the only other veteran of the crew, had made it known in no uncertain terms that defying the dragon in charge, even if they weren't the captain, was just as bad. So up from the belly of the ship she went.

Alongside her came Peari, the pale imperial obviously drooping after having been up worrying about a screeching hatchling all night. Chaintwist worried that the older dragon might not hold up to whatever was in store for them today. It would be a shame to see her go, and the hatchling would likely go with her.

When they got to the deck, the sun had yet to fully rise and they found Crystalsong waiting for them with a yellow-patterned skydancer at her side. "Today, we'll be cleaning the entire ship from keel to mast. I want it shining before the captain gets back this evening." And with that, the four of them each grabbed a brush and set to work. At least Crystalsong worked with them; Gamble probably wouldn't.

Cleaning the ship was a difficult and tedious job, and Chaintwist hated it. Her muscles began to ache long before midday, and none of the others fared much better. The skydancer probably had it the worst though. It was obvious she wasn't used to this exertion, and she and Peari both nudged her back into motion a few times. Peari was doing exceptionally well, considering. Though it likely helped that the hatchling was chasing some bug across the deck instead of being under her caretaker's feet.

At midday, the four of them sat in an exhausted circle and had a mostly quiet lunch. Only the happy chirrs of the hatchling disrupted the silence. By that point, they had between them cleared out most of the interior of the ship and had only one room, the masts, and the hull to work on. She hoped desperately that she was not assigned to do the last one.

Her hopes came through, and Crystalsong took it upon herself to do most of the outside of the ship; Chaintwist only had to do a bit around the prow. The skydancer and Peari did the masts, and the hatchling had gone largely quiet. It was only later that evening when they would realize that no one had been watching her, which would spur a frantic, if quiet, search that they somehow managed to keep a secret from Gamble. They found her napping in a barrel.

Just before sunset, the captain returned to the ship to find it in much better condition than it had been in many years, and four exhausted dragons strewn about. She huffed exasperatedly. "Good job cleaning up. We'll head out in the morning."

[b][u]Day Six Results[/b][/u] [center][b]Failed Recruits[/b][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/61713162][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/617132/61713162.png[/img][/url][/center] [center][b]Graduated into the Crew[/b][center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/61750489][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/617505/61750489_350.png[/img][/url][/center] [center][b]Lost to the Waves[/b][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/61604970][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/616050/61604970_350.png[/img][/url][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/60878781][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/608788/60878781_350.png[/img][/url] [/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/61750868][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/617509/61750868_350.png[/img][/url][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/55840833][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/558409/55840833_350.png[/img][/url][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/61750489][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/617505/61750489_350.png[/img][/url][/center]

Side note: I missed yesterday due to a bunch of things happening all at once, so today there will be two!

Six

The dawn excursion the captain had promised the night before would never come. Morning came and went, but the ship remained stationary, no motion on the deck, and no sounds from below. Investigating further would reveal an empty barracks and kitchen, a depleted hold and silent beams. Only the captain's quarters had any sort of indication of life, and it was a sad, lonely one at that.

Sometime during the night, most of the crew had up and gone. Only the Captain and a recent recruit remained. The two of them had ensconced themselves in Gamble's room to talk about what might have happened to the others, whether they left on their own or had been forcibly removed.

They would not come to a solid conclusion, though each proposed many theories. Each had grains of truth but failed to grasp the whole of it.

Peari had decided to leave. As much as she had wanted this when it began, it was no longer her place. Nor was it any place for a young dragon to grow up. So she had taken June and gone during the night. She had resolved to do her best for the little one, and allowing her to remain on the ship was only dangerous for both of them.

Crystalsong had not left on her own either. She had realized that taking over this ship was something she would never do. But something she did already have was the loyalty of some of the newer recruits. She had been the one to train them, and both Keshav and Brewmaster had openly expressed more interest in following her. So she had taken them with her in search of a new ship that she would captain.

Keshav had not really wanted to be a pirate, but it had seemed like it would be fun, and she detested being bored. Then she had spent her first day aboard the ship, and that had not been what she was looking for at all. When Crystalsong had suggested they leave, she had been more than happy to go.

Brewmaster was true to her name, and had originally come aboard with the intention of being a ship doctor. But the position was not one that existed. The current captain had seemingly little experience with actually taking care of a crew and not just leading them around on whatever adventure struck her fancy. So it was an easy decision to go with Crystalsong.

In the wake of the mass desertion of her ship, Gamble decided that she needed to devote more time to taking care of her crew and making sure she was doing what was important to them and not just serving her own interests.

[b][u]Day Seven Results[/b][/u] [center][b]Failed Recruits[/b][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/61714637][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/617147/61714637.png[/img][/url] [/center] [center][b]Graduated into the crew[/b][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/61714638][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/617147/61714638_350.png[/img][/url] [/center] [center][b]Lost to the Waves[/b][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/61686991][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/616870/61686991_350.png[/img][/url][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/61714638][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/617147/61714638_350.png[/img][/url][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/61604963][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/616050/61604963_350.png[/img][/url][/center]

Seven

It was a short run, relatively speaking. And they had accomplished relatively little in that time. Sure, some treasures were plundered and gold was gained, but she could not help but feel that she and her crewmates had not done enough with their time. But that mattered little now. None of them were going to make it out of this anyway.

She and Chaintwist had managed to convince one more dragon onto the ship before they headed out to sea, a tundra called Leafwing. But it had been in vain. Less than an hour from land, when the port had finally faded from the horizon, they were attacked by a school of Maren.

Really, they had been tempting fate by setting out with so few, but Gamble had seen no alternative. Had they stayed, eventually they would have been driven out, and remaining near the coast had presented its own dangers. They were far from the only crew on the sea, and she had been attacked by others before. With only the three of them, getting caught like that would have been certain death. Not that this wasn't, because it was.

The other two were already gone, pulled under the waves by poison and grasping hands. She prayed for their souls, to whichever god might be listening. The ship was in ruins around her, and her fading vision could still make out the swirling currents caused by movement under the surface. She had simply found a larger piece of wood to float on and they were waiting for her to slip off it.

She wondered what would happen to her body. She had heard rumors of all sorts of things that the Maren did to those unfortunate dragons they drowned, but had always thought it to be exaggeration. Now, dying with numerous wounds and toxins in her blood, Gamble could not help but wonder.

It probably didn't matter. She would be dead by then, so why should she care?

This one was actually fairly short, but I guess that's what happens when you keep rolling 11 as the daily event. Anyway, hope you enjoyed!