+++
The pile of barrels, chests, trunks, strong-boxes, bags and boxes was
impressive, Wyrdtoof had to admit. The last few prizes had been reasonably
good: their crews had been small and the fights brief but enjoyable. The
Ogresuns were in good spirits as a result.
In the dark of the Ogresuns’ hold, the small lantern hanging from the beams
overhead swayed and shadows lurched.
Wyrdtoof put a gnarled hand on something to steady himself, but the deck,
beneath his good foot and his pegleg, lurched and he over-balanced.
He swore loudly and creatively as he fought to regain his feet.
“What in blasted-hells is going on!?” he roared.
Fishgutz appeared, through the hatch above and slid down, boots and gnarled
hands on the outside of the companion-ladder.
“Boss, there’s something going on what you should see, like.” he said
nervously as he helped the shaman to his feet.
“Eh?” said Wyrdtoof, trying to recover his thoughts. But Fishgutz had already
gone, running back up the ladder in a flash.
Wyrdtoof suddenly noticed the sound of the voices on deck. The mood of the
ship was shifting: He could feel it in his bones.
+++
When he emerged from the hatch, into the cold night air, the light on deck was
weirdly blue: an extremely unusual colour in Aqshy.
“What’s amiss?” he called in a loud voice, loud enough to cut through the
noise of the crew’s excited chatter.
Kaptain Salty Ogbad looked over at him, standing by the rail on the wide
quarterdeck, the megaboss towered over the rest of the crew, even the massive
Brutes. He waved Wyrdtoof forward and the crew quietened down. They all wanted
to hear what was about to be said; none of them even tried to hide their
curiosity.
Ogbad passed his large spyglass to Wyrdtoof as the shaman hobbled forward
(after he was helped up the quarterdeck stairs, by a series of grinning
pirates - most of them newcomers he didn’t recognise). The shaman took the
glass and pointed it in the direction Ogbad indicated with a jerk of his chin.
The deck pitched again but Ogbad grabbed Wyrdtoof’s shoulder to steady him.
The source of the blue light was clear. A swirling portal hung in the air over
the surface of the river a few hundred yards away. The other side of the
pulsating, unstable, gateway was clearly visible through the spyglass: a wide
fertile valley, a vast city in a clear blue lake, and a jagged mountain range
in the distance beyond.
There was more though. It was clearly daytime in the valley on the other side,
but the sky was black and strewn with uncountable stars, blazing comets, and
half a dozen unnaturally colourful moons.
The ship was closing on the portal, every minute that passed reduced the
distance by a dozen yards or more.
“Where d’you reckon it goes, old friend?” said Ogbad quietly.
Wyrdtoof considered in silence for a long while before he answered.
“Well. It ain’t nowhere we been afore. Not none of us.”
+++
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