A Survivor's Word, Part XI

Ahoy! Recently, I've been hearing a lot of great things about A Survivor's Word on the P101 messageboards, and I wanted to extend a thank-you to everyone who said they liked my work. Here, ahead of time, is the latest installment of A Survivor's Word!

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“Destiny, hurry up!” Delaney called down from below. Destiny turned and leaped off of the ladder, landing with one hand on the dock. She looked up and with one swipe of her spear, knocked the ladder to the ground. Delaney nodded and walked towards the one tie to the dock, placing both of her scarred hands on the rough rope, closing her eyes and letting out a single tear as her hands glowed green and effectively burned through the rope. Destiny used the ladder to push the skiff away, with no luck whatsoever. She turned away.

“Come on, let's set up camp in the lighthouse. It can't be so -” A squawking noise interruped Destiny. “What is it, you infernal bird?” She snapped. Admiral Midnight dropped something from its beak, a scrap of leather.

“Hmm..” Destiny started, looking over the scrap. “There's something on this, but I can't -” Sarah snatched the leather from Destiny and opened one eye very wide.

“It's the symbol of the Monquisition.” Delaney looked up.

“Hey, that's Juan's.” She said, looking up at the skarakeet. It landed on her head. Delaney's mouth gaped, and Destiny nearly keeled over.

“That can't be possible!” Fin exclaimed. “He had Mojo to last him at least a day!”

“It's the undead in the forest,” Sarah whispered, her throat dry.

“We're stronger than that!” Destiny barked from near the life fountain, striking the tip of her spear on a brick of steel, probably a remnant of the gaping hole in the lighthouse. Destiny occasionally drew sparks, but could never direct them towards the small handful of straw that she found near the dock. Destiny struck again and again, and her arms ached more and more after every strike. She gasped for air and put her weight just above her knees, kneeling down. “We're stronger than whatever lurks those trees.” When Delaney screamed, Destiny grumbled that she wasn't helping. She turned only when it happened again.

“I hear it!” She cried, her eyes wider than ever and her face starting to turn paler. “It's here!” Remmy clumsily caught Delaney as she collapsed, breathing unevenly and depleting her oxygen. Destiny rushed out of the lighthouse.

“Come on, let's set up camp. Delaney can rest on my sheets.” Fin followed Destiny into the lighthouse and put Delaney down.

“Cap, I don't think that this is going to work out too well,” He said, striking his axes against one another and guiding sparks to the fire. Destiny tried to laugh but ended up grumbling as she sat down, fanning he fire with a bandana wrapped around her calf. Unfortunately, it was still very sore when she had scaled the armada's galleon, and Destiny had applied the bandana to remind herself not to do something like that again. Fin's attention was focused on the fire, so Destiny stood up shakily and looked towards the top of the lighthouse. There, in the leftmost corner (when the dock is “left” and the land around Corsair's Cove was “right”) was a gaping hole, something that Destiny didn't like seeing. She grumbled again and started ascending the pile of debris. Who would do such a thing to the lighthouse – the bars that had fallen (or were taken down) had rusted terribly, but good for Destiny because she could grip onto it just a little easier. Destiny drover her spear into the mess, feeling for soft wood to drive the spear head into. She would then use the end to leap across the gap, pole vault style. Destiny then attached the spear to her back holster and climbed vertically, without any restraints. Destiny poked her chin over the top and scrambled over the edge, laying on her stomach for a few seconds before picking herself up.

Destiny always loved the summer months when she was in Grizzleheim being raised. Only then would there be full sunlight poking through the hemlocks and grendelwood, only then could she see the fish in the water, if she could get past all of the fisherbears. Destiny felt that feeling once again, as she could see everything moving below, the batacuda snapping at flying fish, while jellyfish and storm sharks just waded through it all. She was bathed in the radiant light, it heated her arms and made her smile carelessly. Destiny opened her left palm again, the palm that had suffered an intentional wound when she promised Avery the return of the galleon's survivors. She sighed and brushed that hand past her forearms, where in leather pouches laid silver daggers, beautiful things. She also knew where replacement eyepatch parts were (back pocket) and why her foot hurt a little (worn sole). Maybe this would work out alright.

“Woohoo!” Destiny heard a holler from below as Sarah started the fire. It gave off so much heat that Destiny started to worry about it.

“Well, that's good.” Destiny yelled from above, starting to slide down the mound of debris. She slipped back and slid on her palms and soles for ten seconds, yelling a little bi and making ruts in the shattered stone. “I'm ready for something to eat!” Remmy looked back at Destiny in shock.

“Yeah, we originally sent Juan out for that.” He said, his voice quivering,

“Oh.” Destiny concluded. What now? She thought. “Uhm, what can we eat that's not in the forest, but here?”

“Nonsense, we're ten times stronger than that monkey.” Fin grumbled.

“It destroyed the ship.” Remmy countered.

“It didn't destroy us,” Fin turned to face Remmy.

“It almost destroyed Sarah.”

“I'm not involved!” Sarah spat. She looked back towards the sky. “We're probably marooned here. No ship, no saviors.”

“Who needs 'em?” Fin grumbled. “If we need to run, we can grab a plank and paddle to Corsair's Cove. Easy as that, no?”

Keep Traveling!

Des