Young Writers Society

Have you ever wanted to explore, to go beyond the known and to places no one has stepped before? Dreamed of vast lands and wilds, filled with creatures and plants and formations that none could have dared even conceive?

Now's your chance.


This is The Hippocampus, a ship that appears like every other: a three-masted carrack, not unlike that of great explorers such as Christopher Columbus. It is sixty feet long from stern to bow, equipped with canons and a crow's nest high above the rest of the boat. She is majestic, glorious, a creature of beauty.

But she is far more than simply a boat, a sea-faring vessel to carry people across the oceans. The Hippocampus travels not only the water but the stars as well. Constellations that dance far above this world, out of the reach of the explorers of olden times are what she calls home.

Where did she come from? When was she built? Who was the first to sail her?

No one knows when or why or how The Hippocampus came to be, not even her Captain. All they know is that this ship breaks the rules of space and time, crashing through the walls that bind the rest of the universe and shoving through rifts to worlds of dragons and fantastical monsters, as well as the more mundane places such as Earth.

And that is not all - she is not only restricted to floating on the top of the seas. When the crew seeks shelter beneath the massive deck, the masts may disappear and what was once a ship becomes a submarine vessel.

Her captain is Captain Aryessa Hanzel, a woman who's age is impossible to pin down with honey-blonde hair and dark golden eyes. She rules with a firm yet gentle hand, known well for her good care of the crew and ship.

The Story

For as long as anyone can remember, The Hippocampus has both been pursued and pursuing The Kraken, another star-faring vessel. How the feud began was mostly forgotten, but one thing was recalled: the ruthless, pirating nature of The Kraken. She is the boogeyman of the cosmos' seas and there are many tales of the black ship of the dark oceans and her nefarious captain known as Captain Golden-eye for his acute ability to find ships like his own or The Hippocampus.

The story begins as the ship lands in a world of wonder, where no humanoid has touched it. Huge islands cover the majority of the oceans, and bird-like creatures scream in the canopy as large, fish-like beasts leap from the water and swim aside the ship.

They are exploring this extraordinary land when the vessel begins to sink. The Hippocampus is forced to go towards shallow water as they fight to save her - they succeed, but discover that it was no accident. They were betrayed by one of their very own who was working for Golden-eye.

This is only the beginning, for they weren't the only traitor. When the crew was fighting to keep her afloat, the hippocampus bowsprit was damaged, and that is the key to her world-jumping.

Now, they're stranded on an alien world with traitors in their midst - and Golden-eye is sure to find them. It's a race against time, one that they are unlikely to win.

The Characters

They can be from any time, any world, any place. All the equipment on the ship is 19th-century - they can't bring any technology from their home with them unless it is 1800s or before. So no guns other than muskets and canons, really.

Other than that, do as you wish! They may have come from a magical world, so they might have fantastical abilities, or perhaps they are even aliens. They don't have to be humanoid, either - so long as they have a way of communicating with the others on the ship and have a job, they're in!

Character template:

The Rules

- Keep romance and violence PG
- Mild cussing allowed
- One character only, please (with the exception of a character and their familiar or something like that)

Aryessa "Lionheart" Hanzel

Captain Aryessa Hanzel stood hugged the main mast with her left arm, staring out across the endless ocean and the long, sixty-foot ship she called home. Her hair blew in the wind, a wild mane of strands whipped back by the ocean gusts just under the pennant that flew above her, the form of a leaping hippocampus on a field of sea green behind it. Her feet were planted solidly on the yard that suspended the topsail as she breathed in the salt-filled air.

This was her home, her calling, her love. The crew worked hard below her, manning the sails and ropes to keep her cherished Hippocampus afloat.

"Land ho!" Crisis called from the bow of the ship as a huge, looming island came into view out of the mist like a fairy tale.

The deep emerald and olive covered the massive land mass, great trees of incomprehensible size. Vines strung across the rocky cliffs that bordered a channel of deep seawater through its center, foaming at the edges as they crashed upon the rocks. A cacophony of screeches, bays, and screams could be heard over the sound of the waves and blowing wind.

I grinned - this would be one hell of an island.

"Through the channel!" I yelled down, my orders being relayed through the ship by the bosen, first mate, and numerous crewmen who heard my words. Masts were turned and adjusted, ropes pulled and tied, the sailors racing about the deck like scurrying rats.

On second thought, that maybe wasn't the best metaphor - but it was close enough.

I half-swung, half-jumped, and half-climbed down, dropping to the ground with a catlike grace and walked to the bow, looking ahead besides Crisis.

"Good eye," I told her - even I hadn't seen it at first through the thick fog.

She grinned and looked across the sea. "Thanks."

"Of course!" I clapped her on the back and trotted back down the deck to check on the rest of the crew.

I am sitting on my sphere, eyes closed, and breathing slow and evenly. Even as I hear the general hustle and bustle of the ship around me, the various creaks and groans, the calls of the crew back and forth, my mind is drifting and branching off, showing me the myriad possible futures of the Hippocampus. Not all of them are good, but I tend to ignore the worst, as the likelihood of them happening is relatively small. In any case, I am more concerned about what will happen if the bilge continues to contribute to the rot of some of the inner hull planks of the aft-side belowdecks. Not a good situation. I'll need to inform the captain that we need to collect some seasoned timber next time we make port at a place where such material is available.

Inadvertently, I let out a sigh, as my mind attempts to drag my consciousness back towards Arbre. There are versions of me that never left. That died in the Sack, or continued running and never found the Hippocampus. If I allow myself to enter those worldtracks, I will discover just how badly I failed my fellow avout, and, coward that I am, I cannot bring myself to do that just yet. In time. Though this is what I always tell myself. It has been nearly three years.

With thoughts of home now directing my consciousness, I cannot focus on the task at hand. I open my eyes and glance around the gloomy hold, and noting, without even needing reference from other worldtracks, that we will also need to top off on water, cured meat, and fruit soon. Can't have the crew getting scurvy. That did happen once, in the first year I was on the ship. Not a pretty picture.

With another sigh, I stand, and catch my head-sized sphere before it rolls away. Using an unscrewing gesture, I shrink it to the size of a golf ball and slip into a fold of my bolt, which I have in a quick and dirty wrap around my waist. It is bloody hot on this world, and bolts were made by people living in temperate climes. Grabbing a sheaf of papers from a nearby table and a pen, I head abovedecks. Now seems as good a time as any to broach the supply situation with the captain, given how we have just recently arrived on this world.

As I poke my head up from belowdecks, I hear a cry of "Land ho!" and I smile to myself. Well, that's good then, at least. Hopefully we can resupply quickly here, wherever here is. I quickly stride over to the gunnel and get my first glimpse of the island-an extremely large one, by the looks of it, with cliffs and massive-looking trees covered in vines. Screeching and baying can be heard even from this distance.

Before I can get much more than a passing observation in, however, I notice that the captain has made her way across the deck. I jog over to her, feeling the first sheen of sweat already begin to form across my narrow shoulders and chest. Great...what a seemly way to address pressing business problems.

"Captain," I say, "We need to talk about resupplying. We're low on pretty much everything, and there are some desperate repairs that need to be made to the inner hull aft-side."

Cerulean water reflected amber and blue flecks of light that meshed together in shades of purple, the result of two stars orbiting one another in perfect binary unison. I sat upon the very tip of the bowsprit taking in the environment around me. We had been approaching a nearby planet for the better half of the week. As fast as the Hippocampus was, she had struggled through quite the storm for the last few days. We had made it to the surface yesterday but a thick fog had set in making navigation near impossible. Of course, the ship seemed to have a mind of its own at times, so it didn't feel like we were going to stay lost for more than a week. I stood from my position slowly, willing myself back to the Quarter Deck.

"Through the channel!" came a cry from the top of the ship. That would have been the Captain, Aryessa Hanzel. I relayed the order to the crew on the main deck, and like a well-oiled machine, ropes flew, masts dropped and raised, and the crew scurried about. The Hippocampus shifted direction and gained speed. A spray of water crested over the bow of the ship, glistening like diamonds. The wind blew from behind us, propelling us into a wider mouth of the channel. The fog had cleared enough for me to identify a large landmass covered in vegetation.

We would most likely make landfall by the afternoon. I paced around the quarter-deck, inspecting the main deck, keeping an eye out for any mistimed maneuvering, anyone shirking their work, and so on. My foot kicked something into a corner. I frowned, all loose items and containers were to be tied down or stored in correct places. I bent down to retrieve the item. It was a thick wooden rod that looked to have been snapped off of something. I sighed, the ship was falling into bad disrepair. Even worse, I didn't even know what the Hippocampus was made of, the sails, wood, roped, even the paint was made of unknown material. It would be impossible to replicate for an Archival Kingsman like myself.

"Give more slack to the foresail, we want to coast her in, not drift her aft!" I shout to the deckhands. Captain Hanzel swung down from the topsail, landing with grace on the main deck. She said some words to Crisis, before turning away and walking around to check with the crew. Ah yes, Jaksyn, our bosun would probably have much to complain to her about. Hopefully, this landmass would provide us with some good resources. Hanzel was an odd one for sure, she was just like the Hippocampus, unknown. I can't quite pin down if she's human or not, but in my time here, I do know she has the heart of a dragon, and the might of a mountain. With the Captain now on deck, I turned and walked towards the back of the quarter-deck, inspecting our supply of on-deck armaments. At least these were identifiable. I could replicate most of the basic components for the weapons. The gunpowder was a bit tricky, but it is just elements mixed together in a blend. Two swivel cannons sat on the railing of the quarter-deck, allowing for combat engagements at the rear. We kept the muskets below deck, but most flintlock pistols were in a chest secured to the deck.

All looked well, and Captain Hanzel had arrived on the quarter-deck. I turned and greeted her. "I know that Jaksyn has already chewed your ears off with complaints about the ships disrepair, but we have another problem," I explain, handing her the wooden rod from earlier.

"This could be to anything, why show it to me?" she asked, looking at the piece of wood.

"I may not know what exactly your ship is made of, but I can tell the difference between the materials. That little piece of wood matches the material of the bowsprit. I'm worried it may have been damaged during the storm," I say, leaning against the railing. "While I may be content to observe this world in every nook and cranny, not all of our crew have that leisure. If the bowsprit is damaged we may be stuck here for quite some time."

"I see... which one are you again?" Captain Hanzel asks. I frown, thinking it over. Was I Rosewald? Perhaps I was Ashir, it was hard to tell with them having nearly identical appearances.

"I suppose I am whichever one you are most comfortable with at the current moment. I may be Ash when shouting your commands, or I may be Rose when we are having a casual conversation. I'm sure some of the crew feel more comfortable with a female first mate and some with a male." I reply.

"Ah, well, we shall have to inspect if any damage has been done when we disembark. Hopefully there will be some good trees on..." she pauses.

"Is something the matter?" I ask, taking the wood piece back and slipping it into a pocket.

"Sorry? Oh, just an old feeling, nothing to worry about," she replies, shaking her head. "Let's get this old girl into that cove over there."

I nod my head, taking my place beside her, helping navigate the crew towards landfall.

Doctor Colton Cross

Colton Cross was cleaning his various medical instruments when the cry for land reached his ears. The tall ex-warden straightened, adjusted his glasses, and headed above deck.
He could see their destination ahead, barely near enough to spot. Cross leaned against the railing, ignoring the bustle of deckhands around him, and gazed out at the sea, brow furrowed.
The ship had picked him up as he was fleeing the country; an experiment with a twelve-year old girl diagnosed with bipolar disorder had gone too far and the police had come to put a stop to it all. Cross couldn't bear to be parted from his work, but he had forced himself to escape the law, going undercover until the strange vessel had discovered him. Cross had introduced himself as a travelling physician, saying he was in need of work.
The fools had believed him, and so far all was well. He planned to leave as soon as he could find a good asylum and re-establish his good name, but in the meantime he played an intriguing game, watching the rest of the crew closely, jotting down their fears, peeves, loves, and pleasures.
Cross had been on the ship for a month now, and he'd already filled two notebooks. Most of the notes were on the scribe, Hugh Kidwelly. Cross was intrigued by the boy's strange skin condition, and observed him for long periods of time when he had the chance.

Cross shot one of the deckhands a glare as she bumped him, then returned to his cabin, picking up a scalpel and turning it over in his hands, stroking the blade with his thumb. The doctor returned to cleaning the scalpel and the other tools, humming a song to himself as he worked.

The smell of the sea made me weak in my knees. Since I only lived in the wooded regions of Cyropass, I never actually saw the sea for what it was until today. My sergeant had told me about this special boat that was traveling the globe in search of something magical. I didn't believe him at first because I thought that this ship, The Hippocampus was make-believe and was only told to children to give them something to strive for. But with the days after he had told me of this, I began to think that it could possibly be a real boat. My sergeant had also told me about that if I came back alive with the magical item, I would be promoted into the army, which was a long passion of mine to join.

So now I stand at the Southern port with a crowd of people walking by, looking at the fresh fish. The summer wind felt nice in my hair. I am only going to bring a small packsack with me on the trip because I have this thinking that we will be stopping for supplies later on and possibly get some more stuff there. There were other boats here; fishermen working their shift and pulling fish by the net full. My stomach was doing flips as I was trying my best not to puke in front of everyone. Three people were waiting nearby too. A dirty looking few who one seemed to be holding a chest and one of them a small baggie. The other was leaning against the wall with their chin down. I began thinking of what these three things were creatures from the East, where most of the mining happens. One part of my brain also thought that were going to enjoy schadenfreude as different creatures passed by.
I didn't let that weigh me down as I decided to review on what I could do on the ship and look ahead as I was thinking. It had been almost four hours since I had gotten here. My sergeant mentioned how there would be different creatures on the boat, possibly after the same thing I was so I would have to be careful about making friends or enemies. I hope that I could at least find a few friends or something. He didn't tell me what the ship looked like nor did he tell which way it'd be coming in. All he had told was that the ship was going to the South port and I shouldn't be late.

My patience was running thin until I saw a huge boat slowly making its way into the South port. Other people saw it too, turning around and gesturing to others to look. I sighed unhappily, heaving my packsack over my shoulders. As it approached the port, a lone rope fell off the side and onto a wooden belaying pin nearby. The ship was huge and my stomach seemed to drop down in fear of going onto it. I stood in the shadow of it, along with some other folks (mostly kids) and looked up. The door of the ship open and a wooden ramp was placed out. Someone came out with a scroll and started reading off what it was doing here and what it needed. The caller had called my name and I shakily went up.
And since I was tall, I had to look down at the short person. We shook hands and I went inside the ship and we were off.

I didn't enjoy the smell of sea salt and water spilling onto my shoes but I would have to seeing as this would be my home for who knows how long.

Hugh Kidwelly

The concept of land fills me with an intense longing. I have never been at sea for so long, or really any increment of time before, and the concept of dry ground feels almost foreign - unnervingly so. Having taken notes on the mundane happenings of the day, I decide to treat myself to some time in the crow’s nest, where I will be separated from the excitement for a short, blissful time. I cannot be of much use on deck anyway; I can barely tie a bowline knot, much less comprehend the bizarre tongue of sea-goers. Although, I am slowly learning to translate. Port for left, starboard for right. . . . . or is it the other way around? One would think that I would have more to show after spending a month on this vessel.

As I scale a makeshift rope ladder up the mainmast, I suddenly catch a glimpse of the land beyond. It appears to be a verdant place, which likely means that it is inhabited whether the life is intelligent or not. Hopefully, we are welcome.

I reach the crow’s nest and methodically begin sharpening one of my charcoal sticks. Then, I commence on sketching the distant island using a small spyglass as my aid. As far as I can see, the coasts consist of craggy, sea-bitten bluffs, which would be difficult to scale. Perhaps, we will be fortunate enough to find a harbor with a beach that we can row into, if we have not already.

I am new to sketching, but I believe that I have improved greatly since I began a couple weeks ago, especially considering that I have been forced to adapt to writing with talons. Doctor Cross is the only individual on board whom I have shown my artistic works, and he tells me that I seem naturally gifted. He frequently offers me advice, and I highly esteem him as a mentor. He seems more captivated by my unusual appearance than the others, but he is a doctor, so I suppose that is to be expected.

The wind carries the caterwauls of strange creatures over the crashing waves, and I make sure to include this in my notes. I try to distinguish the individual calls of what must have been dozens of species, but they are so jumbled and pandemonic that I give up after writing out the four that are most pronounced. Above the ruckus, an avian warble, a seemingly-agonized scream, a mournful howl, and a raspy screech cut through most sharply. I do not eagerly anticipate encountering all of these strange beasts.

As we grow nearer, I see that this strange land does have a harbor. . . . and a port. There is indeed intellectual life here.

I make a note, “Sea life is foreign and isolating. I miss my family and wonder fearfully what terrible fate they have faced for me. What have I done?” Then, I make my way down the mainmast and toward the ship’s bow to see if I am needed on deck. On my way I exchange a glance with Doctor Cross, which lifts my spirits. I suppose, It is not all bad here.

The captain had decided to lead an scouting party through the uncharted island territory. The land was foreign, but the sea ports hinted at intelligent life. She made sure to select a balanced mix of battle-hardened warriors, in case of ambush or hostility, and progressive explorers, to assist in relations with the indigenous people. Rain had been selected as the latter, if course.

He disliked having to go on land. It went against his better judgement. Unlike his crewmates, the water was more than just a home to him. It was an extension of his body. That body made of water belonged sailing across the water. His people had not considered boats to travel the lengths of oceans, but once he learned the joy of sailing, he never wanted to return to the land.

However, he had been selected, and so he would do his job. After all, he had had past experiences with other civilizations, more so than many of the other crew members. If anyone was to help build foreign relations, it would be him. Captain Aryessa knew that upon choosing him, so to decline the offer would be to ruin her entire set of plans.

The sun was high in the sky when the scouting patrol was set to meet. They met on the deck of the ship, and at the designated time, Rain was surprised to find that nearly all of the crew gathered there. "Who exactly on this ship wasn't selected?" He asked in surprise.

"Absolutely no one," Captain Aryessa said with a short laugh. "It made sense for everyone to get some time off the ship. We've been on board for three months straight. I know it doesn't affect you, but that really gets to some of us."

"With all due respect, ma'am, isn't that risky?"

"I'm aware of the risk. But I feel that the payoff will be worth it," she replied. Rain simply nodded in response.

Aryessa turned to address the group. "It's time we move out. Let us go." With that, she turned around and made her way for the bridge of the ship, beckoning for the crew to follow.

April was filled with excitement as she and the others disembarked the Hippocampus. She hadn't been on land for a long time, and was looking forward to feeling solid ground under her feet. She hadn't been on board the ship nearly as long as the other crew members had, and life at sea was still very new to her. As she looked around the port, she noticed a crowd of people were watching them. That is, if you classed them as people. They looked like skinny Kangaroos, but with snouts as long as their fingers. Their skin had a greenish hue, and their feet and hands were webbed. From the looks of their faces, they didn't get visitors often. April smiled at them kindly, but this only made them more scared. They began to scamper around wildly, waving their limbs in the air.

"Don't worry." said Captain Aryessa, seeing April's confused expression. "I'll handle this."
April and the other crew members watched as the captain conversed with the onlookers. Their language was too complicated for April to understand, but the captain spoke it as fluently as if it was her mother tongue. Once they had finished, she addressed the nervous crew.

"We have permission to stay and restock." said the captain, smiling. "Although they will expect you to help out around the village." There were cheers from the crew. Helping people was one of the things they did best.

"How did you get them to cooperate with us?" April asked as the crew unloaded supplies from the vessel.

"Ah." said the Captain mysteriously. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."
April grinned nervously, then went to help Crisis carry a particularly heavy crate.

Crisis

"I got it I got it I got it!" I yelped, lifting a crate roughly twice my size. I managed to carry it halfway to the destination before the balance was upset and it started tilting to the left, bringing me with it. "I don't got it I don't got it I don't got it!" I yelped, before a helpful person grabbed the other side of the crate. I peeked over the top of the crate to see who the kind person was. April stood on the other side. "Thanks!"

"No problem." She responded, helping me carry the crate.

"Hey, have you ever thought about the meaning of life?" I asked- since that was what I had been thinking about while walking until the crate had decided to tilt to the side.

"Sometimes." She responded. "I haven't come up with much more than that everyone has a different purpose in life."

"True. Though- for the life of me, I can't figure out what mine is." I grinned sheepishly, blinking my upper set of eyes.

Together, we helped unload the rest of the cargo. I would bite off more than I could chew, and April would come to my aid.

I was a bad judge of my own strength.

I loved everything about the ship. I loved sailing, I loved landing on new and interesting places, I loved discovering new and interesting things. Ever since I had first boarded The Hippocampus, I had been in love with this life. I loved the feeling of the wind sweeping my antennae backwards, the smell of the sea, the fascinating cultures of every alien we met. I wanted to keep going like this forever!

When the crates were all unloaded, I wandered through the world- staying close enough to the ship that I could hear if someone called me. The plants were quite interesting, and I spent a few minutes looking at them all. I didn't dare touch them without a guide, some of them could have been poisonous. Most of them towered over me, but I didn't mind. My stature didn't let people know what trouble I could possibly be until it was too late. It had helped me hide in that barrel to get aboard the Hippocampus in the first place. It was why I was here.

I smiled, skipping back to the boat to see what was next. I shouldn't be gone for too long, and make everyone else do the work. There was bound to be more work to do, at least until nightfall, and I was going to pay my keep.

Lydia Firenze

My knife slides out of my sleeve with a practiced flick as I emerge. I had been in the galley when I heard Crisis's call, but I was ready to go. I had almost gotten used to the sea, but at least Manhattan had steady ground.

I'd been sailing on The Hippocampus for a few months now. I liked it here. Rain had been friendly. Sure, the guy with the floating ball was kinda weird, but who was I to judge? I had a giant scar on the left side of my face and I could make a killer spaghetti.

Captain Aryessa stood on deck, talking to the rest of the crew in animated tones. This ship was her life. I can tell by the way her honeyed eyes take in the scene as the crew works, shouting commands like a natural leader.

I slowly make my way to the bowsprit and glance over the scene before me. I can make out the blurry image of land in the distance--I don't know how Crisis saw it from so far away--and the sight both thrills and frightens me. A knife can only go so far.

Land comes closer, and I can make out a dock. There's people, which means potential recruits, which means more people to cook for. I sigh. It's lonely in the kitchen, but what can I do? They love my meals, and after all, I am a maid. If I can't cook, then the crew can't live.

With a sigh, I pull myself away from the view and make to head downstairs. The galley door slams behind me.

Doctor Colton Cross

Dr. Cross stepped off the gangplank, leather medical bag in hand. He surveyed the port quietly before going to stand beside Kidwelly. The young lad had a look of elation on his face.
"Glad to be back on solid ground?" Cross asked, looking sideways at his companion. Kidwelly nodded, smiling nervously at the doctor.
"I thought we'd never get off the ship," he admitted. "Where do you suppose we are, exactly?" Dr. Cross gazed at the vast trees and sandy beach, brow furrowed.
"If we were where I lived I would say we're in the Caribbean, but since we're not I can't say I know much. We do seem to be in a warm climate close to this world's equator," he added as a large, colorful bird flew overhead. "I'll have to examine the fauna of this island closely." He shouldered his bag. "I'm going to explore a bit. Would you like to come? Perhaps you could sketch some of the creatures." Cross attempted and failed to smile kindly, but Kidwelly noddde eagerly.
"I'd love to, sir! But shouldn't we ask the Captain first?" Cross shrugged.
"If you'd like. I don't need permission to carry out my work." He stalked off.

Dr. Cross was gazing up at a large yellow bird when Kidwelly caught up to him, panting.
"The captain says to come back in an hour," he gasped out. "You move fast."
Not breaking his concentration, Cross nodded distractedly and took out a pad and pen.
"Draw this bird, Hugh." He passed the implements to the boy and sat down, taking out his own notebook and making a few notes.

Restocking didn't take long - the kangaroo-like people were friendly, if not shy; here, they were prey to the other, larger creatures of the mysterious island. I conversed with their leader as the crew worked to help them and loading the ship with fresh supplies. They weren't really tool-users due to their lack of thumbs but they were quite intelligent and their language was quite sophisticated. The tongue of the hippocampi is one of those languages that seems to make its way through many worlds, and though my native language wasn't the same as theirs, it was close enough to be able to talk with relative ease.

They were nomads, a kind of hunter/gatherer type society. They were mostly herbivorous, I discovered, though some meat or bugs supplemented their diet. I wondered how many stomachs they had, though I didn't ask; such a thing is usually impolite. Their "village" was simply many of almost nest-scrapes beneath tunnels of long grass that they went on all fours through. Their greenish skin kept them well-camoflauged in the grass that was lush all-year round, for most of their water came from the very thick fog that had prevented most of us from seeing the island in the first place.

They'd never cooked things before, either, and when Lydia cooked up some sizzling bugs and salad, we all had a wonderful dinner. I translated for the kangaroo-people, who called themselves a noise something between a neigh, growl, and hiss, and I must say we had some very interesting conversation that evening.

We slept on the coast that night, either on the ship or the shore; I chose to go back to the Hippocampus, simply because I preferred being on the water if possible.




We set sail the following morn, bidding farewell to the neigh-growl-hiss and going down the channel that night. The cacophony of raptorial shrieks and racous cries from birds and beasts I knew not of greeted us as we sailed.

It was around noon when I felt the ship rock just a bit too far to the left; I knew my ship as well as I knew myself, and just that inch made a difference. I took off past the crew and went down below decks, racing down with much speed to the very bottom of the ship. Water lapped at my boots; the ship was sinking.

I raced back to the deck. "Sinking!" I yelled. "Lockdown the lower decks! All but the main crew, abandon ship!"

"Prepare to make landfall! Hard!" shouted the captain. The Hippocampus was keeling bad to one side. I sprinted to the foremast, releasing the mechanism on a gearbox and grabbing a rope. I flew to the top of the mast, landing right on the tip. The ship slammed into the shore, making an awful grinding sound. I lept from the mast, diving into the sandbar, drawing a flintlock from my robes.

"Captain, we have a problem!" I shouted, surveying the exterior damage to the Hippocampus. What I wouldn't give for some quality weapons at these times. Captain Hanzel swung down and landed beside me. "The bowsprit is... well suffice to say, it's completely gone. Not even some of the Eldest Kingsman would be able to fix this."

"How, how did this happen? Everything was fine this morning." muttered the captain, looking at the shattered pieces of the bowsprit. I swung my arm around and shot a large, catlike animal as it leapt.

"I even inspected everything this morning, we even had repairs done the night before. Furthermore, we are in a foreign place, with foreign dangers. I need a good portion of our remaining crew to help survey the area and set up camp." I replied, returning the flintlock to my robes. " I can replicate and manipulate most of the materials here, I've analyzed them in our time here. Setting up defenses will be easy, but fixing our ship will take time."

"See to it immediately. I'll oversee the Hippocampus, I want to find out what ha..." just like the previous day, Hanzel paused. This time, I might have known why.

"Yesterday, when you mentioned something familiar. You wouldn't happen to know if other ships exist like yours? I believe there's one near identical that just flew into the system. Heading right towards us. I estimate two weeks until arrival maybe less."

"Only has there sailed another ship such as the Hippocampus, I should very much hope that is not the one you detect," replied Hanzel, wringing her hands. I said nodded, signaling some crew members to follow me and secure the area. Much work was to be done.

Elmer Petvyre

The sea wind seems to clog my throat. The only breathing I could do it through my nose but even that burned. I begin to blame myself for even coming on the trip but I realize that this trip was to gain honor by joining the Croypass army. Most of the crewmates on this ship are nice enough to explain where my room was and how long this trip would take (though most joked that this ship never had a destination but will stop when the captain tells them to). I walked around the ship while gripping tightly onto the side beam of the boat as we sailed away. There was water all around us. I wasn't completely used to this change and I began to think back home. How the woods smelled, grass pressed against my feet, and-

"You don't look so well."

I whipped around from my daydream and looked around for the voice.

"I'm down here." I looked down at my feet and sure enough, there was a small creature with knobby ears and slit eyes that were pressed into his face. Reminded me a little bit of pressing buttons into fresh bread dough. The creature was wearing a worn down suit with no shoes on. There was a little hair around his ears and head but not so little that he looked bald.

"Who are you?"

The creature smiled and bowed. "Forgive me. I'm Millicentiham Jones or if you like, you can call me, Ham. I've been assigned to help you on your quest to join the Croypass army."

I blinked for a moment and asked, "Is this some kind of prank?"

The creature stood up straight and laughed. "No, no. It isn't."

"Do you have pro-"

He then pulled out a small scroll and handed it towards me. Keeping my eyes on the creature, I unrolled it. In small writing that was squeezed together, I could make out that this creature was here to help me. I looked away from the writing and down again at him, who was staring back at me. There was a twinkle in his squinty eyes.

"Interesting," I muttered before handing the scroll back to him. He took it gingerly and shoved it back into his inside coat pocket. "Now, tell me, what are you?"

"I'm a brownie. Can't you tell?"

"I can tell. I was just making sure. Who sent you?"

"The army major. Hagmar Luren. He wanted to make sure you were doing your job, not just slacking off and saying you did it anyway. He thinks you wouldn't do that but you know, the army orders him to do it," Ham chuckled after saying this. I frowned slightly. I had planned to do this myself but now that I had a companion, I began to think what could go wrong. I think that having some company could make the trip more fun than it was.

"Well, that does make sense, I suppose. I'll show you to my roo-"

"I already know where it is, Elmer. Though, I don't know where the kitchen is. Could you show me that instead?"