Cursed Draw

The Golden Sea, The Silver Sea, The Jade Sea, The Turquoise Sea, The Devouring Ocean, The Ocean of Shadows. These and the other yet unformed or unfound seas are each a treasure trove in their own unique ways. We tend to think of the ocean as a source of Water Resonances which of course it is. Yet in those mysterious depths, one can find relics, creatures, and treasures both natural and created bearing all manner of Resonances and Resonance crystals.

This adventurous writer has personally seen the creation of numerous oceanic Cards and artifacts with Pressure, Shadow, Beast, Pursuit, Abyss, Tectonic, Life, Bloom, or even Lava Resonances.

And all of that is before we begin to think about the countless sunken vessels and their cargoes.

-The Audacious Deck Builder's Guide to: The Ocean, Forward

Chapter 20: Swell

Alabaster

The Silver Sea deserved its name. As was often the case with seas across the world it was named after the color it seemed to turn at sunrise.

As the pair of boys had started their journey at mid-morning the Silver Sea just looked like a sea. Maybe a little on the greyer side than the water in hotter climates, but Alley had no frame of reference for those.

The dark-haired boy didn’t really need to consult the little lodestone compass he had drilled into the bench he worked the rudder at the back of the Bay Runner from. After crossing the choppy water of the headlands out onto the sea proper the boys had swung the vessel south. From there all they really needed to do for a few days was keep the mainland in sight and to the west.

Alley still glanced at the plate-sized stone compass from time to time, just to be sure.

This close to Cursed Isle the coast of the mainland wasn't too different to what he was used to.

Tall cliffs made of the same gray stone that jutted from the ground on his home island. Atop them, he could make out familiar pine forests.

He wondered if Darius’ Pursuit-infused eyes could make them out better. Whilst a True Deck which his Crown Of The Cursed King still technically was could eventually grant incredible power to one's body, a Trials Deck like Prince Of The Dawn Hunt was far more quick acting and specialized in the changes it wrought. According to the few books available in Valeton a Trials Deck was far more dangerous to control the growth of as well.

Driving the skiff south remained a simple matter, fun in fact for the next several hours. The sun wasn’t strong exactly but reflecting off the waves it heated the boat enough that neither boy needed their cloaks. Curse Locked as it was he didn’t mind folding the ratty cloth dealer up and stowing it in a little chest secured under the bench. He couldn’t Manifest anything anyway.

The tiny ship wasn’t quite as nimble as he was used to but Alley still found it simple to control, especially with his friend working the sail for him. Of course, he could manipulate the sail from a pulley next to the rudder but it was a lot less efficient, not to mention splitting his attention and energy. It would make a simple task into one that required some timing and forethought.

As things stood they were able to mostly chase the wind and even launch the boat off of waves for brief stints of air time. It probably wasn’t something they should do to the vessel, but it was just too much fun. Coaxing whoops and laughs out of both of them as they clung to the tiny ship mid-flight.

Having already discussed how the boys were going to approach the trip southeast they both kept their eyes peeled for little bays, beaches, or ways up the sheer cliff sides. While Alley could probably scale one with his bladed hook the plan wasn't to abandon the boat but to find a place where they could moor it.

While spending the night on the sort of open sea was hardly out of the question, the Knots family had explained it could occasionally become very dangerous for such a small vessel away from shore after dark.

The pair’s search for a place to overnight the ship became a significantly less simple prospect when the sun was about two hours past its zenith.

“Is that what I think It is?” said Darius, gesturing at a swelling formation in the water between the skiff and the cliffy shoreline.

At first, Alley wasn’t sure what his friend was talking about, he could see the swell but he wasn’t sure what Darius thought it was. Setting the rudder’s lock so they didn't veer wildly off course, Alley grabbed the sail rigging line for stability and leaped onto the railing for a better view.

After a few seconds of squinting he nodded. “ Yeah,” He called back cheerfully. “ I’m pretty sure it is.”

From beneath the waves, the familiar coils of a MuckDwell River Dragon surged to the surface. While the serpentine water dragon was certainly large enough to easily threaten the skiff. It was hundreds of yards away at least and seemingly focussed on heading unerringly south. Alley doubted it even noticed them when its head rhythmically broke the surface.

“Kind of majestic “ Alley said, watching the monster.

“Don’t turn into a gawking bumpkin just because we are off Cursed Isle” Teased Darius in return. “It isn’t like you have never seen a MuckDwell before we killed two of them just the other day.”

Alley rolled his eyes. Darius had been traveling the world since he could walk he couldn’t understand what all this meant for his friend.

A few minutes later another dragon surfaced, then another, and another. The pair of boys shared a look. The dragons were all heading in the same direction, a stream of monstrous river beasts tearing south at speeds far greater than the boat could manage.

“I’m thinking maybe we head a little further out to sea.” Said Alley. His cheer at seeing the Dragon migrating through the waves had noticeably dampened.

“Yeeeaaah.” Agreed Darius making a ‘yikes’ face. While none of the dozens of dragons seemed to pay them the least bit of attention both boys made their weapons ready as the skiff veered away from the river of churning white water the serpentine monsters were creating.

Alley unwound the CoreSteel chain from around the mast and attached it to the base of his bladed hook. For his part, Darius did something similar. At the front of the tiny ship built into the tip of its bow was a hand-turned chain winch. The chain in question was made of wrought iron, making it both heavier and weaker than Alley’s CoreSteel. But then it was just metal, not the result of working a natural wonder. More importantly, it allowed Darius to use his spear like a harpoon and still recover the heirloom.

If their luck held the pair of boys wouldn’t need their weapons, sadly their luck did not in fact hold.

A few miles ahead the lead dragons in the school began to turn, veering away from the coastline just as the Bay Runner had. That alone might not have been too significant of a problem. The moment the boys spotted the change they began to turn the ship and raise the sails. It might cost them a few hours, but they could just stop the ship and wait for the stream of dragons to pass harmlessly by.

As much fun as driving the skiff through the stream might be, Alley wasn’t stupid. He might enjoy dodging the surging heads and coiling bodies, coaxing as much speed and maneuverability as he could from the skiff to burst through the dragon-made rapids. That was just not the sort of thing one did on the first day of their journey if they could help it. Not if they wanted to reach the intended or any other destination at least.

“Guess we are waiting.” Said Darius shaking his head. Maybe half a second later the stream of dragons to their west exploded into wild movement scattering in all directions, including directly at the stopping skiff.

“Or not.” he finished lamely, which drew a snort of amusement from Alley.

The boys wasted no time reversing their decision to raise the sail, getting the tiny boat moving at something resembling speed again. Clutching the rudder with whitening knuckles Alley found himself living out what he had just been imagining. Desperately driving the ship between the erratic coils of the MuckDwell dragons, while white salty spray from the creatures movements bucketed down on the boys.

Breath speeding up, pupils dilating, he shouted orders to Darius, as he tried to both control the skiff and predict the movements of what felt like dozens of dragons. As always reality and imagination were very different things. Yet as he desperately tried to keep his boat from being dashed to pieces in the living river Alley realized he had been right about one thing. This was really fun.

Upon first seeing the River dragons making their way south near the coastline the boys had talked it over and assumed this was part of the monster's mating migration pattern. It made sense but did not explain the sudden erratic breaking of formation which appeared to be happening at several points further south as well.

“ What the hell is going on?!” Yelled Alley as the entire sea around them churned.

He didn’t need to wait long for an answer. From beneath the wildly kicking waves something far larger than a MuckDwell River Dragon emerged, multiple somethings.

Pitch black tentacled monsters Alley had never seen but recognized by description. Huge octopus-like creatures but only possessing four tentacles, their bulbous central bodies sporting enormous dark gems where a regular octopus would have eyes.

“Uhh that.” Offered Darius unhelpfully as the four Abyss King Krakens they could see began their assault on the migrating dragons. “I thought these things didn’t surface during the day” continued the red-haired boy, shouting to be heard over the increasingly savage waters around them.

Everything Alley had read suggested the same thing but apparently, the deep sea krakens had made an exception this afternoon.

“Well. “ Alley called back. “I guess they do.”