He had forgotten something, something about the large pirate ship. Cannons!
Just as he thought that a loud and ancient voice bellowed through the chaotic air. "Fire!"
He was late and he saw with a foreboding of death as the large black projectiles spit from the pirate ship and crashed against the deck of his own ship. The force of the impact sent his body flying, his head colliding against the wooden planks with a resounding thud.
Damien groaned, his head throbbing from the impact.
The first round of cannon fired and hundreds of men and pirates alike lie dead or injured on the deck of the ship.
As he struggled to his feet, the world swayed violently around him. A sudden bout of nausea overtook him and he staggered backward, barely managing to hold on to the railing.
Half of the ship was gone, splintered and drowning. The captain was nowhere to be seen, nor were many others.
There was a tranquil silence after the firing. He desperately searched for Luther. He clutched the rails as he pushed himself to the other side of the ship. The ship was sinking. At an alarming rate.
"Luther!" He shouted his companion's name. "Luther!"
Water gushed out from the other side of the ship, sweeping dead pirates and the crew like a black hole absorbing the light. Just as Aviora squawked from the end of the ship and he rushed there.
He saw Luther hanging on the rail as two pirates were desperately clinging to his legs as the ship was tilting, pushing everything on the side to the sea.
The pirates were laughing and smiling. Luther was straining, his grip inches away from death.
Aviora swift downwards and grab one pirate. His face was filled with terror as he tried to scream. Her talons dug deep into his hand, crushing bones and ripping flesh.
Damien ran to Luther, grabbing his hand and pulling him up. His sword cut through the air, striking one pirate and severing the other's hand.
The ship was sinking, and the water was rising fast. The three of them, Damien, Luther, and Aviora were on the highest part of the ship. Just as, he heard another command, the same dreadful command. "Fire!"
Damien grabbed Luther and jumped to the ocean just as the projectiles sunk the ship without any mercy.
They swam, their body battered and exhausted.
Damien grabbed onto a piece of wood and hung on it. The sky was dark with just a hint of orangeness on it. Luther was hurtled from the ocean by Damien and he desperately clung to the wooden piece.
Aviora landed on a nearby rock. Her body was drenched with seawater. Damien looked at her, she was covered with blood. He knew she wasn't wounded, but the blood belonged to the pirates.
"Aviora, come here," Damien said and the bird did as commanded. She walked towards him and he caressed her wet feathers. "The island. We need something to reach the other side. Can you fetch me something to write on?"
The bird spread her wings and flew to a nearby rock, she was quick and Damien saw her dive into the ocean. Moments later she emerged with a piece of small wood and dropped it before him.
He carved on it: "Father, it's me, Damien. The ship we boarded on was destroyed by the pirates. We are alive, don't know for how long."
He wanted to write "Please hurry up" or "Help us," but it felt like he was begging and desperate to save his life. So he wrote just that.
"You will find my father to be like me. With the same eye color. Deliver this to him. He might be in the tallest building there. Hurry up."
Aviora nodded her head and grabbed the wooden piece before soaring into the sky and vanishing into the darkness.
"Come on, it's not safe here." He said to Luther, watching the great flames that once was his passage. The captain was nowhere to be seen more likely dead or captured by the pirates.
The ocean was calm and serene, strangely the gentleness and coolness of it made him forget about the onslaught that happened just minutes ago. The great flames masked their presence from the other side where the Lost Ship was anchored, scouring anything valuable and killing anything alive.
He adjust the wooden piece on his chest and slowly drifted to the darkness of the ocean.
They don't know how much time had since gone, they don't know where they are. They just know they are alive. Barely.
He felt hunger and drowsiness. Beside him, Luther lay on his back, eyes closed, seemingly in peace. The stars were like fireflies in a dark room, several and beautiful.
The once great fire was distant now, there were no behemoth ships or anything in sight and the cargo ship, once, scattered across the ocean.
His teeth clattered as the coldness kissed his skin. The wetness of his dress made him shiver and he curled his knees to his chest.
He stared at the sky, watching the fireflies dance, their golden light fading in and out.
Damien's mind wandered, his thoughts drifting to the events that led them to this desperate situation. The battle, the loss, and the sinking of their ship played out in his memory like a recurring nightmare. The weight of their survival pressed heavily upon him, knowing that the odds were stacked against them.
Luther stirred beside him, his eyes fluttering open. The two locked eyes for a moment, their silent exchange conveying a shared understanding of their dire circumstances. They were adrift in the vast expanse of the ocean, their fate uncertain and their hope dwindling.
"We need to keep going," Damien said, his voice hoarse from exhaustion. "We can't afford to give up now."
Luther nodded, his face reflecting determination mixed with fatigue. They kicked their legs and propelled themselves forward, clinging to the piece of plank that kept them afloat. The salty water stung their eyes, but they fought against the waves with every ounce of strength they could muster.
Time seemed to stretch on endlessly, the minutes blending into hours as they battled against the current. Damien's eyelids grew heavy, the exhaustion threatening to consume him. But the fear of succumbing to the depths of the ocean fueled his perseverance.
Just when they thought they couldn't endure any longer, a glimmer of hope emerged on the horizon. Aviora returned, swooping down gracefully and landing on the wooden plank with a small object clutched in her talons.
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