Chapter 2

My short demonstration of the arts in Taela's cabin had somewhat bolstered my reputation among the other crewmembers... but I was afraid there was also a downside to it. I believed to have caused a stir with the darker and more shadowy figures that prowled the decks of the ship. It appeared that some people didn't like the thought of newcomers gaining the Captain's favour. I apparently, was one of the first people to ever do such a thing.

After the event, Quintus told me that most men often exited Taela's cabin suffering severe slash wounds to various limbs after declaring that they were mighty swordsmen. The greater a man boasted, the more she carved him up. That was one of her golden rules.

I on the other hand, had gotten the better of the Captain for the first time in the Narwhal's history and I hadn't bragged the slightest. That was probably what earned Taela's approval... and most of the crew's.

"Nice going there young 'un!" applauded an oarsman as I passed him by. "I watched the whole thing from the window. You're quite the treasure chest, full of surprises. "

"Uh, yeah. Thanks." I said softly as I slithered away from the burly man. Reluctant to retreat from all the congratulating crewmembers, I clambered down the staircase to get below deck. My intentions were to climb into my hammock, sleep out my fame and hopefully be forgotten when I wake up the next morning. As soon as I saw Jules Tann the cabin-boy bound up to me, I knew I wouldn't be doing that in a hurry.

"Aw Skipp!!! I saw the whole thing through the window! You were absolutely incredible!" The little boy began acting out the scene, prancing about while swinging his invisible blade. "She like stabbed at you but you managed to parry and then you deflected her swing and slashed her across her throat but then she got you back! It was sooo wild!" Jules fell to his knees and started praying before me. "Please! You've gotta teach me that stuff! You're like... GOD!"

Oh great, a fan club. How marvellous. The little squirt was going to be the death of me. I decided to take a different approach towards the boy. Perhaps a little history lesson would bore him away. "Jules," I said, "did you ever go to school?"

The cabin-boy nodded. "Yeah, I did once, but that was before me parents died and Kapitan Taela took me up. I sure do miss the history classes."

Damn. It looked like I needed a different strategy. "Be gone you little maggot!" I shouted, "I'm busy!"

Jules saluted, "Aye, aye Sir!" He then bolted off down the corridor. I grunted to myself. That worked well. Towards the end of the passageway, Jules accidentally slipped on a slimy floorboard and fell flat on his face. I managed to find it quite amusing.

"Tread carefully Master Inskipp," growled a voice from behind me. My heart skipped a beat as I spun rapidly to come face to face with the first-mate Vander. His wolf-like eyes narrowed thinly upon mine and an unsavoury smell wafted from between his lips. It smelt like raw fish. "I have mah eye on you little one. Cabin boy or not, you'll treat everyone with respect. And most importantly you shall pay respect to meh or I'll have yer screamin' under the cat o' nine before yer can say mutiny!" Vander prodded me roughly upon my forehead with a sturdy finger and snarled. "Don't you go thinking nothin' or I'll take you down boy. I don't trust ya and I don't like ya."

I took a step back and raised my hands apologetically in the air. "Steady on, Sir. I'm just trying to make my way around here. If I've done anything to offend you then I am deeply sorry..."

First-mate Vander wasn't there to hear the rest of it. He was already making his way up to the deck to challenge another unfortunate victim.

I shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Deciding that now was the perfect time to get some shuteye, I had a swift look around for my cabin. After discovering a door with the '3' symbol engraved upon it, I turned the knob and entered. The room was a bit smaller than I expected but it appeared comfy nonetheless. It consisted of two three storey bunks and a hammock. There was a small table and chairs bolted in the middle of the cabin which cramped up the space that the room had to offer. The sour smell of vomit lingered slightly in air and I assumed that it was wafting from the open barrel that was stationed in one of the corners. It was possible that one of my fellow cabin mates was not sturdy on their sea legs either. The room had a musty feeling to it and was illuminated only by a small kerosene lamp which hung loosely from the ceiling.

My thoughts were interrupted when a soothing female voice sounded from the shadows that were clothing one of the bunk beds. "You're that new kid aren't you?"

I peered into the obscurity to see the faint silhouette of a young woman lying on the bunk. She emerged from the darkness and her face became visible from the radiance of the lamp. "Little Inskipp is it?" she said with a curious stare.

I nodded. "Yeah, that's me. But I'm not sure were the 'little' term derives from. Everyone seems to be saying that and I'm not that small!"

The woman gave a slight chuckle. "I wondered who was going to be filling the space our cabin. You've caused quite a stir onboard here Inskipp, you're the one that everyone is talking about. They all seem to love you."

"Well the first-mate Vander doesn't seem too impressed," I replied dully. "He's beginning to give me a hard time."

The woman nodded and pulled back her wavy chestnut hair from her face. "Well if the stories are true, then it's no wonder that he is. How do you think he became first mate, Inskipp?"

"I have no idea," I said.

"Well then I'll tell you. Vander was the first man to ever earn the Captain's respect. He too had beaten Taela at her little game, just as you did. He currently feels threatened that you could replace him at Taela's side. There's now someone else aboard the Narwhal who has the power of defeating him and he doesn't like the thought of it one bit."

I acknowledged the woman with a nod and decided that it was time to make some introductions. "Hi, I'm Inskipp."

"Oh, I'm sorry. How rude of me," replied the woman apologetically. She sat up and held out a slender hand, "My name's Natasha, it's a pleasure to meet you, Inskipp."

I stepped forward and took her hand with a warm smile. Her palm was delicately smooth and comforting to touch. At that precise moment, it seemed like it was love at first site. I had heard about such stories and had thought very little of them. But now I had reason to doubt my original view on those tales.

While our skin was locked into place, I took a swift look at her physical features and estimated her age to be in the early twenties, quite similar to mine. She appeared to be reasonably impressed with my appearance and I had the same feeling about her. Her long, wavering chestnut hair spilled neatly over one shoulder and her gorgeous smile was one of the most beautiful things I had witnessed in my life.

My gaze slowly slipped from her emerald eyes and pert lips to notice that she was wearing rather revealing clothing. The top buttons of her white shirt were undone to reveal a very deep and healthy cleavage. Natasha caught the direction of my stare and giggled. After suddenly realising what I was doing, I pulled myself away feeling incredibly embarrassed. "Don't worry Inskipp," she said with a small smile, "You're just a man of base desire. It really doesn't matter."

I blushed violently. "I, uh... Sorry 'bout that."

"Look for all I care," she said casually, adjusting her position on the bed. "I really don't mind."

I laughed. "Now you're just being naughty."

Natasha giggled back, "I guess I am. It's nice to know you Skipp... do you mind if I call you Skipp?"

"Sure, why not?" I said smoothly, "Some people are already calling me that." My mind wandered to a vision of Jules the cabin boy. "So else is sleeping with us?"

Natasha pointed to the bunks in order as she spoke. "Well, we have you, me, Gabe, and Flangers."

"Flangers?" I said with a surprise. "The ship screw-up?"

"Oh don't be like that," chided Natasha, "his intentions are well, it's just that he's... he's a bit clumsy, that's all."

I pointed at the two remaining bunks. "What about them, who sleeps there?"

"Oh, those bunks are broken. The canvas has tears in it; you'd just fall straight through." Upon a closer inspection with the bunks, her statement proved to be true.

We talked for little less than an hour and discussed things like origins and occupations. I went over a few of my searching expeditions and she listened to the stories admiringly. I then told her that my current project was to discover a lost temple located within the jungles. I was quite surprised when she said that she'd heard of the rumour as well though she didn't believe it to be true. Natasha on the other hand was going to the MalteeseIslands to visit friends and family that occupied some of the local tribes stationed there.

After some more talking and good laughs, I learned that we had a lot in common and I found that I really enjoyed her company. I could tell that she was very attracted to me as she was always in some form of trance while I was speaking to her. Natasha seemed to be growing more and more beautiful with each passing second. Something was definitely going on here. I felt a little shallow with all the sudden feelings rushing in, but it had been a long time for me, and it was probably the same for Natasha.