[Remedy]

Monday – Roald

“I'm telling you, we can make it,” Monday declared as the crew's eyes wearily watched the churning clouds ahead. The storm did not look pleasant, but they all knew it's exactly what they signed up for. Well, all except Roald Grey, who already had a phobia of open waters. He was plenty drunk at this point, which wasn't helping his nausea, but they all - him included - agreed it would be better that he spend the trip passed out than panicking on the ship.

As if on cue, the pale-faced Roald threw up over the ship’s wooden railing.  

[1]

[Remedy]

Richard

“We trust you, Monday… but if I have to repair the hull one more time I’m throwing you overboard,” Richard warned, though everyone knew he wasn’t serious.

Their goal was to reach a deserted, unowned island in the middle of the Re’nee Sea. Tales of rare, undiscovered creatures drove them forth into the tumultuous waters. Surely they would find something new where few had been before. If they could make it there, their next destination would be Lambastia, a continent full of fresh territory and opportunity that the crew hoped to take advantage of.

[2]

[Remedy]

Fraser - Forrest

Suddenly the ship lurched to the left and the crew scrambled to find their footing.
“Shit, did we just hit something?” Forrest yelled.

“It’s just a current,” Monday replied, though everyone felt there was a hint of uncertainty in her voice. “Take down the sails and turn the engine on. We need to fight through it or it’s going to pull us in the wrong direction.”

“Who put you in charge?” Fraser, the team’s captain, joked. They all knew Monday was an expert at ocean navigation and travel, so the group quickly sprung into action.

[3]

[Remedy]

“Roald, get down to the cabin. We don’t need you falling overboard,” Fraser yelled to the drunk man who was desperately clinging to the railing. He didn’t need to tell him twice – Roald immediately scrambled for the hatch that led to the crew’s storage and sleeping area.

With their one liability out of the way, the rest of the group went to work. Richard retreated to the back of the ship and followed another hatch down to the engine room. With his engineering expertise, he had built the thing himself and knew exactly how to maneuver the parts to get the power they needed to make it through the rough currents.

[4]

[Remedy]

Fraser followed Forrest up the mast to haul and tie up the sails. They needed a way to automate this process, as it was dangerous to be up high in such a tumultuous sea. Richard had been working on a solution, but it wasn’t ready in the time frame needed for this expedition. They had to do things the old-fashioned way.

Meanwhile, Monday stayed at the bow of the ship to keep an eye on the storm ahead. Ocean expedition was still new to most of the crew, but at least Fraser, Monday, and Richard were experts. Forrest had some experience as a passenger during commercial ocean travel, but was adapting well to his role as a crew member on this ship.

[5]

[Remedy]

Down in the engine room, Richard was experiencing some trouble. He wiped sweat from his brow as he worked to find the reason behind the engine’s failure. The rest of the crew didn’t know yet, but the engine had been on the fritz for a few weeks now. Delayed starts, random bouts of cooling, nothing too dangerous – but now it was completely refusing to start up.

The large man cursed under his breath as he worked with various stationary parts that should have been moving.

[6]

[Remedy]

On Richard’s third try to get the engine started, it fired up. He was baffled, but ran with it in the hopes that it wouldn’t cool down or shut off again. It would have to be repaired when they reached the next port, provided they could make it there.

Monday stood at the railing at the front of the ship and surveyed their surroundings. The current was pulling them to the southwest, which was not the direction they wanted to go. The ship had embarked from Jawan, The Sea City, which was the closest port to Lambastia, but with the way things were going it wasn’t going to be a straight path to get there.

[7]

[Remedy]

That was well and fine, though, as they were hoping to find a tiny, unmapped island between the two continents. Its exact location was a rumor, but an explorer in Jawan had provided her with a map after she exchanged a hefty number of keystones. She hadn’t told Fraser how much she spent on it and could only hope the information was legit. This expedition was her idea, so if anything in her control went wrong she’d be the one to answer for it.

"Please let this go right," Monday prayed to no one in particular.

[8]

[Remedy]

Fraser and Forrest managed to haul up the sails just before a gust of wind came through from the oncoming storm. The wind was coming from the north and would have blown them away from their destination had they not accomplished their task in time. One behind the other, the two men carefully descended the mast and stepped down on the deck below.

“Check on Richard, see if he needs help in the engine room,” Fraser instructed Forrest, who nodded and ran off to follow his command. Fraser headed to the bow of the ship to meet up with Monday and discuss their next action.

[9]

[Remedy]

Meanwhile, poor Roald was suffering in the cabin below. The swaying of the ship was horrible for his motion sickness. He had already thrown up again and was not looking forward to cleaning that mess later. Curled up in a bunk with a pillow over his head, he tried desperately to fall asleep.

Realizing he couldn’t, he rolled over and reached into a cabinet beneath his bunk to procure a bottle from his secret stash. He unscrewed the cap and took a swig, but as he was drinking, the ship lurched again and liquor splashed all over his face.
“Shit!” Roald cursed, recapping the bottle. “What the hell is goin’ on up there?”

[10]

[Remedy]

Monday was relieved when Fraser showed up beside her. “We need to fight against the current,” she told him. “The storm is pretty small, the currents are what we should be looking out for.”

“You want us to head into the storm?” Fraser asked for clarification.
“According to the map, that’s where we need to go. There’s a reason this island is relatively unknown,” Monday replied. “With the engine running we can cut through the choppy waters.”

Fraser nodded and considered this for a moment. “Someone will have to stay outside to navigate, and another person should stay with them to make sure they don’t fall overboard. Everyone else should be below deck.”

[11]

[Remedy]

“I’ll stay with you and help you steer the ship,” Monday declared. Fraser hesitated – he was nervous about her staying on deck in stormy weather, as losing Monday was perhaps his greatest fear. He had developed a strong fondness for the purple-haired astronomer, feelings that were not completely platonic. She didn’t know about his feelings yet, and he didn’t feel comfortable telling her given his position of authority. He knew he wouldn’t know where to go without her, though.

“Okay. I sent Forrest to the engine room to help Richard, they should be able to keep things running while we navigate. Roald is already in the cabin, I doubt he’ll be coming back up any time soon.”

[12]

[Remedy]

In the engine room, Richard was working diligently to keep things running smoothly. He barely noticed when Forrest joined him, but caught a glimpse of someone climbing down the ladder.
“How are things going?” Forrest inquired.

“It’s running smoothly,” Richard lied. His pride was holding him back from admitting there was anything wrong with the engine he built. It wasn’t a complete lie, either; things were running smoothly at that moment. “We just have to stay here and make sure it stays that way. Which it will,” he continued, and if Forrest caught any of the uncertainty in Richard’s voice, he didn’t mention it.

[13]

[Remedy]

With the engine working, the ship was able to cut through the currents with a fair bit of turbulence. Monday and Fraser worked to keep their footing, which wasn’t too much of a challenge for either of them as they were accustomed to the occasional rough water travel.

Fraser stood at the helm and controlled the movement of the rudder to keep them going in the direction of the storm, per Monday’s instruction. Soon there was wind and rain crashing around them. Without hesitation, Monday clung to Fraser’s waist to keep herself from blowing over as he gripped the helm. Fraser felt his heart skip a beat, but tried to stay focused on steering.

[14]

[Remedy]

The waves were formidable but not impassable as they cut through the currents and the storm. To an unexperienced traveler, this expedition might seem foolhardy, but the two stationed at the helm had enough experience and trust in each other to make it through.

Beneath the deck, Roald was having an increasingly rough time. He could hear the crash of the waves against the ship and the roaring winds above and began trembling with fear. Curled in the fetal position in his bunk, he pulled his blanket over his head and began praying. Despite the fact that he was probably in the safest spot on the ship, he felt certain that death was imminent.

[15]