Caim climbed the slope. When he finally reached the crescent, he shielded his eyes from the burning sun and howling wind being whisked up by the violent sea breeze. Sand flecked off Caim's pale skin and it fell to the ground, soundlessly. He heard movement and turned to view the lush forest behind him. A thousand insects and birds called out in a deranged cacophony, as the trees were again disturbed. Hanna, Caim's girlfriend, rushed out of the forest and up the steep incline to reach her suitor. She grabbed his hand in a gentle, embracing movement and pulled herself up. "Caim... Must you leave so soon?" "I am afraid, as an assassin to the king, I must leave. I swear I will return. Wait 6 months for me to come back. Trust me... I'll return." He released Hanna's palm and strode to the ship. Caim's dirty blonde hair fluttered in the breeze and the plate armour he wore on his shoulder gleamed in the sun. When walking down the pier, an Apprentice bought Caim's knives and poisons in a bandolier and a belt. He glanced once more a his love and waved morosely in her direction as he boarded the ship. Anchor was raised and the ship started to drift away. Sailors could navigate freely as the Z'uthumerak was sedated after the many epic battles leading to it's downfall. Hanna wiped her eye as a single tear rolled down her cheek."Be back soon, Assassin." Thanks for reading the first part of Faded. Please give me your feedback and storyline suggestions. Much appreciated if you posted ideas to my wall. Part 2 coming soon!!
Caim's ship, the Dashiel, crashed over the cold waves under a torrent of freezing rain. Debris from the battle with Z'uthumerak littered the grey sea, requiring the captain, Talis Ohra, to pilot his vessel with all his skills. "When will we break this storm?" shouted Caim. Talis cried back, "I don't know! Why the hell do we have to get over this god forsaken ocean anyways??" Caim replied, "Orders from King Goauld himself. Just get me to Karum already." "Whatever..." mumbled Talis. "By the gods, this storm's getting worse by the second. Permission to turn around and head back to port, Sir Caim?" Second mate Denrial Anderus asked. "Certainly not. Why look, the water's calming already." The stormy ocean flattened into a pristine, mirror like surface in a flash. The boat halted in It's tracks. "Why have we stopped?" asked Caim, unaware of the the black mound appearing off of the port side of the ship. Talis turned and studied the lump of flesh. "What the hell is..." before he could finish his sentence, a tentacle whipped down, cracking the hull and crushing an unfortunate seaman. "Well, you MUST be sodding kidding me." Talis mumbled. The half destroyed body of the Z'uthumerak dragged itself through the mirrored water and onto the nearby island. Hubbub erupted on the ship as the crew scuttled to action stations. A chorus of Gunnery Officers cried "Fire the cannons!!"60 iron clad artillery pieces roared and threw their 20lb lead shot towards the beast. One by one, the shots hit home, throwing the creature back a meter each time. Captain Ohra shouted,"We've got the upper hand lads! Keep firing!!!Keep Firing!!!" Caim sat on the captain's chair devising a way to fully kill the Z'uthumerak. He sketched an initial plan- he would lead a small team onto the island and make it into the belly of the beast. He knew it was risky- but life or death situations call for life or death tactics. Caim rushed onto the main deck, narrowly missing a piece of wood flying by his head. "Talis!" Caim cried, "Talis!" "What?"came a muffled voice from the deck below. Caim jumped through a hole in the top deck and landed in front of the captain. "I need some men. I have a plan to take this leviathan down for good." "And that would be?" Caim whispered the plan into Talis' ear. "That's bloody insane! Contemptible! Stupid! Worth a shot." Caim took his small group of six assassins onto the raft. "Do we have everything?" Bjorn Salderson asked. "I've got the poison... The knife... And sawn off shotgun." Caim said. "A sawn off?" Cyrus sneered. "For when things get ugly.Yeah?" "Yeah." Caim and Bjorn pulled their knives and simultaneously cut the ropes suspending their craft. The team crashed onto the glossy sea. "Time to kill big, boys, time to kill big..."
Part 3-Leviathan Cyrus locked the oars into their hooks. He and Kalizma, the fourth assassin, grabbed their paddles and pushed them into the pristine liquid below, rippling the surface like a stone. They pulled the oars through the water and slowly but surely heaved the boat to Yamato Island, where their prey was holding against the Dashiel's cannons. The Z'uthumerak cracked it's wicked, barbed tentacles into the ship. Talis had nowhere to run whilst his ship was being relentlessly pounded by the aquatic nightmare. One by one, the men were being swatted like flies and the cannons crumpled like paper. Caim didn't have long to save them. "Double time, men! We've got to get there before its too late!" he shouted to his killers. After ten minutes of rowing, the tiny raft landed on the island, the foul Z'uthumerak 100 metres away from them. They knew that sacrifices would be made. Bjorn and Cyrus darted off to the left of the beast and started hacking at the creature. This only infuriated the Z'uthumerak as it turned and smashed Cyrus across the island. The other men winced as they saw his lifeless body crunch down by them. Kalizma began to panic. " We're as good as dead! " he wept. "It got Cyrus! He was like, our best dude!" "No. He was a rookie. If skills are needed, ask me." The assassins turned to look at the mysterious figure behind them. The black hooded figure stood and walked to the front of the men. In a womanly tone, she said-"Now you may think that Caim is our leader, however I am by far the mightiest." Caim strode over to repute their claim. "We are all strong here,"he said,"and now is no time to brag about our powers.We've got a task, remember?" "Don't drown us with this deluge of lies. Caim, you came here not to protect the crew, but to test your own ability. Cyrus is dead because of you." "Gods damn it!" Caim said. "it's not my fault he died! He was foolish and payed for it! Why blame me?" "Because, Caim, you are a poor leader." "Silence your foul words, scum!" Caim lept at his foe and pinned them on the ground. He drew his blade with his right hand and withdrew his enemy's hood with the other. He looked her in the eye and he knew who she was instantly. It was Hanna.