Khy'eras

Funny thing - 'heroes'. We celebrate their power and brilliance, praising their actions as they kill and maim the ones who terrorise us. Commonfolk get on their hands and knees, practically licking the dirt off their bloodied boots as they march onto the next town, then the next town, then the next. And for what? What do they get in return? She asks herself who the real winner is, the people who are always saved and never have to truly worry about the end of their days, or those that risk their lives to let the peasants run around their day to day business. What did she get from it all? What did Bonnie want from this journey when she set off almost 10 years ago?

Even she doesn't remember now.

Water laps against the shore of Fellsgard, splashing against the little ships and spraying the people wandering the harbour. It was misty today, but nothing overly dreadful, you can still make out the shapes in the near distance, ships docked out further and the fisherman trying to catch what they can. But their's something larger, something with a silhouette more sharper and ominous than the rest. It creaked and moaned, the shadows in shapes like a serpent reeling up to strike. It moved slowly, but faster than everything else around it, bumping into boats yet still maintaining a sense of serenity as it grew closer to the harbour where people had gathered to watch.

The fisherman were the first to see it, gasping and making croaked calls for help. It wasn't loud, yet they didn't stay quiet. It was more due to the fact they weren't sure if it was dangerous or not, or simply just an oddity drifting through the wrong part of the sea.

each moment, the creaking drew closer, and the sound of tattered sails flapping in the wind became clearer as the jagged shadows revealed itself to be... A ship. Or some kind of semblance of one anyway. It was wooden for the most part, and floated on the surface. But it seemed damaged and torn, a patchwork of scraps that mended holes and tears. Bones the size of bison had been used to cover certain areas, and other more jagged bones were protruding from every angle making it seem more hellish. What was most peculiar was the flag and sail itself, baring the same colours as the other ships around here. Was the flag also the same?

People leaned in closer, whispering of the strange bone ship that had embedded itself into the docks. There didn't seem to be any crew, just a ghost ship that drifted aimlessly around yet... Still heading somewhere with intent. It made people wonder, was this the final destination of this ship? And who were the original crewmembers?

There was a feeling about the mist today that made it the perfect afternoon to grab an order of hot cider and soup at Mac's. Usually the fog sat back a few miles out onto the water, but today the mist drug itself forward to the harbor, occasionally parted by waves that crashed against the docks or the people who walked along the port. Wish sat alone at her table that was positioned on the first floor by a window and gazed at the busy Fellsgard citizens. With her people watching, she focused on finishing Mac's specialty, a bowl of delicious, creamy clam chowder laden with a generous amount of potatoes. As she brought spoonful after spoonful to her mouth, Wish noticed how folk began acting strangely, several sailors shouting and pointing to... nowhere?

As Wish narrowed her brow and set her spoon to rest in her bowl, she noted that there was something definitely out there, coming through the thick veil of mist. Lifting a hand, Wish rubbed at the window's glass attempting see better, but all she could gather was that while select people outside grew more frantic, others watched with wide eyes and stood still. She had to get a better view. Downing a few gulps of cider and dropping gold pieces on the table to pay for her meal, Wish wandered out and moved towards the docks where people were congregating.

That was when Wish finally got the visual she was searching for. A ship, bearing sails of the same colors and sigils of Fellsgard inched its way to port. As it got closer, one could make out that the ship was damaged and had been covered by a patchwork of bones. There was no one to be spotted on its upper deck, therefore the ship was seemingly sailing to Fellsgard of its own accord, making it reminiscent of a nightmare. The sailors and captains that frequented and managed the harbor weren't expecting any ships in today and certainly not one like this.

Then, at long last, the ship hit the docks with a loud thud and rocked a few times in the water. It was also at this moment that those previously shouting had went silent, not exactly sure what to do. Not a single soul was leaving the ship; the large vessel paused at the harbor as if watching. For a time, Wish did the same until she got tired of waiting. If no one was coming out, she, at least, was going to go in.

Lifting the wings her Fae bloodline gave her, Wish hovered into the air and then dropped down onto the upper deck, her boots quietly touching the wooden panels. The deck was slick and slimy, as if the ship had lingered in wet and dark places. As Wish looked down, she noted that the deck had not been kept up with and due to the moisture, parts of it grew with mold and... were those barnacles? Just how old was this ship?

Wish lifted her head and keeping her feet steady with the very slow rocking of the ship, she called out (with a hand on one of her rapiers), "Hello?"