Land of the Setting Sun
5/18/2007 - An Archer Out of You
I was doused completely in water, and drug under instantly, held to the boat only by the rope I'd cinched around my waist. It was a rocky current, bobbing my head over and under the water constantly as commotion raged above me. The edge of the boat was low to the ground, being a tugboat and all, but still far out of my reach and covered in slippery plastic. I realized I might die here, pressed up against the side of this boat. Already I felt my strength fading, as I was tossed about. Whenever I was above water, I'd hear gunshots tear their way through the air, screaming like banshees.
Something grabbed my wrist, and began to pull me upward. It was a rather weak and delicate hand, and I planted my feet firmly against the boat to build traction. Together with this stranger, I hoisted myself back on the deck, coughing up water. Qara held my hand, a concerned look on her face.
"Quick! Get down!" I shouted, grabbing her by the shoulders and forcing us both under the tiny space between the railing and deck. It wasn't the best defensive position, but hopefully we'd be unseen. I rolled over onto my stomach and peeked up at the attacking ship. It was massive, its shadow looming in the night like a phantom. It was painfully close too, and a bullet whizzing my by head a couple seconds later helped me pull my head back down under.
Captain Ganbataar was still rummaging around in his cabin, cursing loudly over the storm as he searched for something. The rest of the crew seemed fairly defenseless, unless we got boarded, their knives weren't going to do much damage. Instead, they attempted to out maneuver the larger ship, which wasn't going particularly well either. The larger ship was staying glued to our left side, constantly battering the ship with bullets. They were inaccurate shots, and most of them just bounced harmlessly against the deck or sailed overhead.
The cabin's door flew open, and Captain Ganbataar flew out of it with a wild grin in his eye. He was a completely different man than I'd seen on the deck of the boat earlier, lively and motivated. He whipped out a massive longbow, and that's when I realized we were going to die.
He drew the string back carefully, while threading an arrow onto the line. The draw on that had to be ridiculous, it was resting on the ground as he braced the string backwards. When he finally aimed and let go of the string, the resounding shot snapped the line completely and blasted the arrow forward with immeasurable velocity. It sailed over the gap between our ships, piercing the air. It disappeared into the darkness, and I had to squint to figure out what was going on. Suddenly, the night sky seemed to descend upon the enemy ship like a veil of darkness, completely coating the enemy ship. It seemed to be that the enemy's ship's mast had been hit by our Captain's masterful shot. I stood in awe, while Captain Ganbataar stood confidently on the deck, laughing maniacally in the wind.
I could hear the shouts of sailors on the other ship, it would take forever for them to repair the mast, and by then we would have already been long gone. Cheering erupted from the battered crew, as we left their pitiful ship in the dust. Something told me, however, that this was only the beginning of our troubles.
----------
That night on the ship, the seas had calmed, and I felt safer, knowing that our captain was capable. My mind reflected back on the stories that Dr. Blythe would tell, and I realized that perhaps I didn't give him enough credit. I decided to ask him about it in more detail that night but it didn't exactly go as I’d anticipated. I asked him specifically about Captain Ganbataar, about how he'd known about some rough and tumble sailor from Taiwan, and more importantly, what sort of adventures they'd been on.
Unfortunately, Dr. Blythe seemed wholly unwilling to talk. After a few minutes of trying to break him, I decided to go to sleep instead. About thirty minutes had passed and I was still lying wide-awake, wedged in between the railing and the deck. However, the night was not over. Aubrey, who had stayed relatively silent throughout the whole battle, was shifting in his sleep. The mysterious mute man got up slowly, as if he were trying to sneak around.
He began to head towards the back of the ship, searching around carefully with his eyes to make sure nobody was tailing him. Aubrey had already raised my suspicions starting with his tendency to remain silent at all times. Now, after not participating in the battle between the ships, maybe it was time to find out a little more information about him. His elongated shadow disappeared behind the cabin of the ship, trailed with intrigue and mystery.
I was doused completely in water, and drug under instantly, held to the boat only by the rope I'd cinched around my waist. It was a rocky current, bobbing my head over and under the water constantly as commotion raged above me. The edge of the boat was low to the ground, being a tugboat and all, but still far out of my reach and covered in slippery plastic. I realized I might die here, pressed up against the side of this boat. Already I felt my strength fading, as I was tossed about. Whenever I was above water, I'd hear gunshots tear their way through the air, screaming like banshees.
Something grabbed my wrist, and began to pull me upward. It was a rather weak and delicate hand, and I planted my feet firmly against the boat to build traction. Together with this stranger, I hoisted myself back on the deck, coughing up water. Qara held my hand, a concerned look on her face.
"Quick! Get down!" I shouted, grabbing her by the shoulders and forcing us both under the tiny space between the railing and deck. It wasn't the best defensive position, but hopefully we'd be unseen. I rolled over onto my stomach and peeked up at the attacking ship. It was massive, its shadow looming in the night like a phantom. It was painfully close too, and a bullet whizzing my by head a couple seconds later helped me pull my head back down under.
Captain Ganbataar was still rummaging around in his cabin, cursing loudly over the storm as he searched for something. The rest of the crew seemed fairly defenseless, unless we got boarded, their knives weren't going to do much damage. Instead, they attempted to out maneuver the larger ship, which wasn't going particularly well either. The larger ship was staying glued to our left side, constantly battering the ship with bullets. They were inaccurate shots, and most of them just bounced harmlessly against the deck or sailed overhead.
The cabin's door flew open, and Captain Ganbataar flew out of it with a wild grin in his eye. He was a completely different man than I'd seen on the deck of the boat earlier, lively and motivated. He whipped out a massive longbow, and that's when I realized we were going to die.
He drew the string back carefully, while threading an arrow onto the line. The draw on that had to be ridiculous, it was resting on the ground as he braced the string backwards. When he finally aimed and let go of the string, the resounding shot snapped the line completely and blasted the arrow forward with immeasurable velocity. It sailed over the gap between our ships, piercing the air. It disappeared into the darkness, and I had to squint to figure out what was going on. Suddenly, the night sky seemed to descend upon the enemy ship like a veil of darkness, completely coating the enemy ship. It seemed to be that the enemy's ship's mast had been hit by our Captain's masterful shot. I stood in awe, while Captain Ganbataar stood confidently on the deck, laughing maniacally in the wind.
I could hear the shouts of sailors on the other ship, it would take forever for them to repair the mast, and by then we would have already been long gone. Cheering erupted from the battered crew, as we left their pitiful ship in the dust. Something told me, however, that this was only the beginning of our troubles.
----------
That night on the ship, the seas had calmed, and I felt safer, knowing that our captain was capable. My mind reflected back on the stories that Dr. Blythe would tell, and I realized that perhaps I didn't give him enough credit. I decided to ask him about it in more detail that night but it didn't exactly go as I’d anticipated. I asked him specifically about Captain Ganbataar, about how he'd known about some rough and tumble sailor from Taiwan, and more importantly, what sort of adventures they'd been on.
Unfortunately, Dr. Blythe seemed wholly unwilling to talk. After a few minutes of trying to break him, I decided to go to sleep instead. About thirty minutes had passed and I was still lying wide-awake, wedged in between the railing and the deck. However, the night was not over. Aubrey, who had stayed relatively silent throughout the whole battle, was shifting in his sleep. The mysterious mute man got up slowly, as if he were trying to sneak around.
He began to head towards the back of the ship, searching around carefully with his eyes to make sure nobody was tailing him. Aubrey had already raised my suspicions starting with his tendency to remain silent at all times. Now, after not participating in the battle between the ships, maybe it was time to find out a little more information about him. His elongated shadow disappeared behind the cabin of the ship, trailed with intrigue and mystery.