Enlightened Empire

Chapter 263

Cold winds whipped swathes of water across the deck, harsh enough that the border between sea and air blurred.

“Hold fast!” Atau screamed against the endless roars of the wind. Although he shouted to boost the morale of his men, he didn't know if anyone could even hear him over the infernal nature around them. He himself held on to the rigging to his side with all his power, to somehow stem the endless tide.

As the floods battered him from all sides, he felt like he was inside a bucket of water tumbling down a hill. His body was pulled off its feet, yet he held on in desperation. His muscles burned, but he wouldn't let go. Only after a good while did the floods release their hold on him. His body was let back down and his unsteady feet returned to the deck. Finally, they had crossed through the worst of the giant wave. Only for a moment, Atau could breathe again.

“Well done! The worst is behind us” he shouted towards the men who would be somewhere around him. Yet in the distance, the waves only balled up into power again, as if in derision. He knew that this wasn't the last he had seen of these deadly waves, but for now morale was more important than truth. Just as he thought he would be safe to breathe easy for a moment, he heard the entire ship around him moan in pain as it rebounded from the enormous force the water had put on it. Some part to his left was strained too much and broke apart.

Whatever piece it was, it released a rope that swung at Atau's head like a whip. Exhausted, all he could do was raise his shoulder to lessen the blow. Even so, the rope hit him with the force of a steel cable. His hands lost their grip just for a second. When he regained his presence of mind, the admiral found himself down on the planks of his own ship.

Damn, if I stay here any longer, I'll die.

When he forced his body back up, he first stared at the blasted cliffs to his south that had given them so much grief. Covered in ice and with deep grooves inland, they looked like the claws of a giant beast that had reached for the sea to take them down. For a second, he contemplated his foolhardy decision to sail past the cape in this weather. Soon however, another wave grabbed their ship and forced Atau to focus on his feet – and his immediate surroundings – instead.

When he did, he realized that his earlier scream had been for nothing. No one was left on the quarterdeck. Whoever had been here before had long been washed off by the elements. Only he, as a powerful cultivator, managed to hold on. To his right was still the ship's wheel, which had been fastened with rope to guarantee they would sail straight in any weather. Up above, their mainsail was still there, though its bottom flapped in the wind in rags and had lost much of its luster.

There's nothing more for me to do here.

Staying on deck at this point wouldn't serve a purpose, it was only suicide. At first he had decided to stay here and guarantee that they would keep their course. However, now he realized that his actions were pointless. In their current state, the ship's wheel and sail would last long after he had been blown into the endless sea. Rather than waste his life here, he stumbled down onto the main deck and towards the ship's belly. Once he had opened the hatch and was about to sink down, he heard a scream to his left.

He looked up just in time to see one of the few brave sailors who had remained on deck in this weather. All this time, he had stayed in the rigging to make sure they would remain on course, just like him. Only his shadow rushed past Atau from up above, past the ship's railing and into the water. In the distance, the Starlight's mast disappeared behind the same giant wave that had almost swallowed them earlier. Pain filled his heart, but he still made his way down the stairs. Whatever happened to the rest of their fleet within this insane storm, he had no time to care about others. Rather, even just staying alive would be challenge enough.

Once the hatch was closed above him, the infernal roar of the wind and rain turned into a muffled scream, but were accompanied by the ship's pained groans. Dazed, he stepped down into the ankle-deep water. All this time, he had dreamed of greatness, of his legendary journey around the world. Yet although he knew the danger, he had never expected anything like this.

Back when they had anchored in Ak'challa, they had been warned. As the last familiar part along their journey, Atau had collected information on their future route back then. After all, there was a reason why Akchalla was the final destination for many expeditions to the west.

The Amsalew continent was vast and empty. Its barren landscape stretched from deserts in the south all the way north into ice and snow. And at its tip stood a cape that was almost impossible to cross, a violent area that swallowed ships with malicious intent, and a freezing cold that would kill anyone who would dare brave the route. The locals had called it the Cape of the Beast, and they had warned him to turn back and never attempt the crossing if he valued his own life.

However, Atau had been arrogant. A sea area covered in ice and snow, wasn't that just the same as his home of southern Yakuallpa? Weren't these coddled foreigners not just unaccustomed to the rough weather he knew so well? Even more, didn't he bring with him the greatest, most advanced fleet in the world? His ships were marvelous combinations of science and craftsmanship, their hulls sturdy yet fast. Their methods of navigation were manifold and had never been seen before anywhere else in the world. With their abilities and preparations, it would be easy to cross this deadly cape and stun the world, wouldn't it?

All his years at sea, Atau had learned to respect the ocean. Yet only this once, he had forgotten his respect, and the harsh lessons he had learned in his early years. His bloated ego had spurned him on to attempt what others had told him was suicide, and today's disaster was the result. Dazed, Atau stood there on the swaying planks and thought of all the souls they had lost, all the souls they still stood to lose.

“Admiral, she can't take much more!” The sudden shout freed Atau's mind from its prison. Although he felt regret for his choices, he couldn't show weakness in front of his men. By the time he looked at the panicked eyes of the sailor who was wading down the hallway, the admiral's expression was already firm again.

“Just hold on! We only have to work for a while longer to stem the tide! Everything else we put in heaven's hand, life or death.” Though his muscles were already cramped, he clenched his fists to hide their tremble and shoved the sailor to the side. At once, he made his way further into the ship to understand how dire their situation was.

The first deck down from the topdeck was the gundeck. On ordinary days, it was the most orderly part of the ship, since every cannon, ball and railing had to be cleaned well for their training to play its full effect. Now however, everything within was chaos. Sailors were running back and forth with no coordination, everyone with his own goals in mind. Some had buckets in their hands, some planks of wood, others carried dead or unconscious comrades. One man simply stood in a corner, as his wide-open eyes observed all the chaos around him. The ship's cat was perched atop a floating barrel, all her muscles tensed from fear.

Within the entire gun deck, a film of gray muck was floating atop the water and made the air taste of sulfur. But at this point, no one had time to care about the state of the gunpowder. All along the ship's flanks, Atau saw his men desperately trying to plug the firing holes for the cannons. Even so, more and more water was entering the ship's hull through the gaps with every wave they hit.

“Don't slack off now, men! Not unless you want to see the stars early!” His powerful voice broke through the muted storm outside and finally reached his crew. “Someone give me a damn hammer and nails!”

As always, the head of the crew would walk in front. Tools in hand, he did his damnedest to fix their problems and save their lives. Inspired, the crew began to communicate again and soon worked hand in hand, under their admiral's orders. One nail at a time, they got to work and fixed the ship up to withstand the roaring waves. When they were done plugging the holes, Atau organized lines of men with buckets, to empty out the water in the hull.

Yet everything they did appeared futile. The holes they plugged would be replaced by new ones, or they would rip open again. The water came in faster than they could swing their buckets. Hour on hour they fought against the elements. In the process, Atau forgot everything. Forgot his responsibility to his men, forgot his home, forgot the chance of death, forgot all the women he had in every port. All he had left was work, with no goal in mind.

Just hit in one more nail, just move one more bucket.

Yet even the worst of nightmares had to end at some point. In the end, he felt like he had spent an eternity within the bowels of his ship. When he returned back above deck, the dark storm clouds had made way to the light of day. All over the ship lay exhausted sailors. The ship's cat sat under a beam of sun and dried off her wet fur. The hull was battered and bruised and the sail up above had been flayed into ragged strands of cloth, but somehow, they had survived.

Atau looked down on his fingers which were purple and swollen from the cold and damp. His left ring finger was twice the size of the others. At some point, he must have hit himself with the hammer, but he hadn't even noticed the pain through his numb, frozen fingers.

“Admiral, we have counted the men,” Ivo said after he had appeared next to Atau. Although his pale face was covered in sweat as well, Atau's second-in-command was still alive, still doing his job.

“How many men did we lose?” the admiral asked in a grim tone.

“On the Homeward alone, we lost nine. The other ships are still counting. Some have lost their captains or semaphore equipment, so communication may take a while longer. And...”

Ivo paused, a pained expression on his face. Thinking back to the storm, Atau's stomach sank, but he still had to know.

“And what?”

“The Starlight disappeared,” Ivo said in the end. “It has been hours since we passed the storm, and visibility is good again. Still, no one has seen the ship ever since. How much longer should we wait for them?”

Atau closed his eyes to feel the gentle sea breeze on his face. In his mind, he remembered the image of the Starlight swallowed up by the waves.

“They're gone. You know that as well as me.” In the end, he spoke out the uncomfortable truth neither of them wanted to hear.

“Then what do we do?” the second asked in a weak tone. All of them were battle-hardened veterans, but the last storm had taken much strength out of them. At this point, more than ever before, Atau had to be their leader.

“What else can we do?” When the admiral's eyes opened again, he was once more the firm anchor his crew needed. “We can't very well turn back from here, can we? We're already more than halfway through our journey, and I don't think anyone wants to cross that damned cape again. Whatever awaits us from here, it can't be much worse than what we've been through. Life or death, we will continue on and persevere until the end.”

Not like we have much of a choice, he added in his head. Thus, in much more somber spirits than before, they began the second half of their journey around the world.