Year 31

If you ever get back to Hessla, you swear to the gods that you're leaving and never setting foot on a ship again.

When you left a year ago, you figured it would be a couple months maybe. You didn't know how far away all these places you're raiding were going to be.

These raids are practically slaughters and you're not particularly getting any thrill out of doing them especially since there's barely been any loot to be had. Last raids you did go on we're more about scavenging the town's fruit supplies and medicine rather than valuables.

Maybe you'd get more out of these raids if you were of the rapey nature, but curse your parents for raising you to at least adhere to some sort of moral standard. Though some of them seem content on buggering each other. (And no matter how long you've been at sea, you can honestly say there's nothing that would even make you THINK about sticking it to any of this loathsome lot you're with!)

You also had problems with not just a major storm, but a few larger ships that apparently thought it would be fun to open fire on you for the shits and giggles. Doesn't help that the navigator got killed during that exchange and you got severely off course while attempting to outrun the superior ships.

Not to mention repairs on the open sea with only half the crew also take a long damn time. On the plus side, you've learned your way around a ship a lot more, though you fully intend on never using this knowledge again if you can help it.

And at least you haven't encountered any mermaids you guess.

As you lean against the ship's railing look out at the setting sun, you try to keep your own sanity by thinking of happier times with your sister or Zalmora. You hope either of them are doing a hell of a lot better than you are right now because this is without a doubt the WORST idea you ever had.

Right along the idea where you left the fucking inn because you didn't want to settle down and live like some regular jerk off. Would it really have been so terrible? It couldn't have been worse than THIS.

"You're right, it couldn't be worse than this. Come back, I forgive you." You suddenly hear a voice say that sounds exactly like Zalmora.

You look around and then hear it again.

"Come back to me my love." The voice says in more melodic tone.

Your head starts to feel odd and you begin to hear faint little song. You can't even make it out, it's just an ongoing tone seeping into your skull...

Without thinking you look at the waters below and see a couple of splashes and a glimpse of a large fishtail.

"Regina! I knew you'd come back to me! I'm coming darling!" You suddenly hear a voice shout which fortunately breaks your concentration.

You look over to your left and see Scully jump over the side of the ship. This is soon followed by the Captain coming out of his quarters.

"FISH BITCHES! WAX! WAX! WAX! DON'T LOOK AT THE WATER!" He shouts nearly falling over in the process.

Fortunately, Captain Rifiv was so paranoid about them from last encounter that he made everyone carry some with them at all time.

Scully was either wrong about mermaids not being in northern waters or you're more off course than you thought. Either way it doesn't matter because you're being assaulted by them and you're shoving wax in your ears.

The wax doesn't quite drown out the song completely, but it's helping enough that you at least don't feel like you're falling under some sort of enchantment now.

Captain Rifiv is using a telescope to look past the nearby mermaid infested waters in the hopes of finding some sort of land. Meanwhile most of the crew is busily filling their own ears with wax.

Unfortunately most doesn't mean all...

Even with wax in your ears you can still hear the nearby gunshot of an enchanted crew member shooting one of his fellows.

"WEAK MINDED FOOLS!" You can hear Rifiv's muffled shouts.

Doesn't take long before there is chaos on the ship and you're also fighting off your fellow enchanted crew mates. Well "fellow" might be too strong of a word since you didn't even like most of them.

You then hear a loud explosion coming from below, the entire boat rocks and you fall to the deck. You aren't sure what happened, but it can't be good because the smell of smoke is very prominent and while you aren't entirely sure yet, but you think the boat might be starting to sink.

As you attempt to get up, Captain Rifiv is doing his best to hobble over in your direction.

"One of those charmed fools just lit a fucking powder keg below deck! This ship is going down! Come on, help me to the emergency rowboat! I saw a patch of land to the north!" Rifiv shouts before he stumbles to the floor of the ship.

He's having a hard time getting up, and you see yet another charmed crewman walking over to finish him off.

You look over to the emergency rowboat and you realize you could probably get to it a lot quicker by yourself.

You defend the captain

Maybe you're having some "good deed" moment during this dark hour, but the old guy actually has been more or less alright with you.

You run over to the captain and block the charmed crewman's sword with your own, then you follow up with a thrust with your dagger that's in your other hand. It sinks deep into the assailant's chest and as he slumps to the deck, you help the captain up.

"Come on! Come on! You're too fucking slow! Move your ass!" He orders.

You start to wonder if you should have just left him!

With the captain in tow (And shouting in your wax filled ear) you make your way to the rowboat, get in and deploy it. It drops a lot faster than you intended and you land hard, but there is no damage and all you get is a little wet from the splash back.

"Row! Row! Row northward and don't do anything else! Don't look at anything except down at the floor of this boat!" Rifiv shouts.

Between the wax, the captain's shouting and some more explosions from the ship as it sinks, you're not hearing the mermaids anymore. It suddenly occurs to you, maybe that's why Rifiv is still doing all this shouting. Now you're glad you helped him.

Still, blocking your hearing is only part of the solution. Now you're in a rowboat which is a lot lower to the water. You see a green hand reach out from the water and grab the side of the boat...

"Damn it man, I told you not to look! Close your damn eyes! Just keep rowing, we're almost there! Get back sea sluts! Yargh! Yargh! Get back! You'll not get me with your wiles!"

You do exactly what Rifiv says and try to focus on just rowing as you close your eyes. It isn't easy though since you can still hear the sounds of battle and the captain shouting the entire time. You also feel a bit of pulling at not just the oars, but your arms as well. You don't know how the old man is holding out so well.

"Stop! No...YOU'RE NOT MY WIFE!" You hear the captain shout.

And then nothing but a loud splash.

You call out to the captain, but hear no answer. This causes you to row faster with all your strength while still keeping your eyes closed.

"Come to us...let go..." You start to hear in those melodic voices again.

You can't think of anything else to do so you start singing various bawdy songs you've heard over the years at the top of your lungs as you row for your life.

"...AND HER ASS TASTES LIKE MOLASSES AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS MIGHTY FINE! SECOND VERSE! OHHHHHHHH..."

As silly as it is for you to be singing loudly in the middle of the fucking ocean about a priest's daughter losing her anal virginity, it's keeping you alive. This must go on for at least an hour or so.

Eventually you hit something, or rather something scrapes the bottom of your boat. At first you think it's the mermaids trying to tip it over or something, but you risk opening your eyes and find that you've hit land or at least the rocks near it. In fact you've damaged the boat and you once again find yourself aboard a sinking ship.

Fortunately, the mermaids seem to have stopped harassing you and the water isn't too deep so you make it to shore. Even so, you run pretty far inland before you stop to take a better look at your surroundings.

You cautiously remove the wax from your ears and you don't hear any mermaid songs trying to bewitch you any longer. You do hear the sounds of a few birds though. Wherever you are, you're in a wooded area with a large amount of trees and bushes.

You aren't sure how big this patch of land is though; for all you know it could be a small island or a large continent. One thing is for sure though, it's cold and you're a long damn way from home.

While this isn't the best situation, you're not giving in to despair. As soon as you figure out how to survive here, maybe you can somehow figure out a way to get back.

Or maybe you'll just stay here. You'll see how it turns out.

Either way your days of being a rogue are over.