The Shrouded Ghost

Tales of the Eighth Sea -- (Told by the now 83 year old Greg RENolds.)

The Shrouded Ghost

*This is a world where the largest mainland is an island 1.39 KM by 2.12 KM. This main island is called Salene, the capital of the Eighth Sea. The Eighth Sea is full of pirates that show no remorse, sea monsters beyond belief, and powerful captains. But there is one name the whole world knows, Captain Gregory Frail Renolds or just simply, Captain Ren. (43 Years Old)

I finished the route knowing we may have to enter dangerous waters; The crew finished with the ship's stock. I called upon the crew to gather on the main deck and announced “We are due to set sail in 10 minutes sharp, and as the code says, if you are not abroad you do not come! We will be set for Golden Sands and be prepared, we have no clue what could be lurking in the water.” Some of the crew perform last minute procedures and secure the cargo in the ship’s hull. “One minute,” I exclaimed. “Raise the anchor, drop the sails, we are off.” I headed up to the wheel where I was met with Jack Darlo, he used to be one of my most trusted crew members. I gave him the voyage details. “Jack we may be sailing through the Sabbeht Channel, you know what lies there. I just need you to be prepared for anything.” “The Sabbeht, Ren I’m not going through there, Jack replies.” You know what I’ve seen there, I’m never going back.” I tried to debate with Jack but it was no use.``Jack if we don’t go through the Shabbeht it will increase the chance we run aground or hit underwater rocks, I explained. Taking the Shabbeht Channel is the safest option.`` Jack finally just goes with the plan, still quite frustrated. He knew the Shabbeht Channel was a nesting ground for trouble such as an encounter with the Shrouded Ghost, the deadliest shark in the sea. Night fell as the ship sailed by Terrance Point, the third highest altitude in the sea at 498 feet. Terrance Point also is about 4.5 miles from the Shabbeht channel; The Shabbeht channel itself is 3.2 miles long. There are few crew members that patrolled the deck at night whilst most of the crew slept in the quarters below deck. I had my own personal room accessible from the main deck. I awoke around midnight and headed towards the wheel. Jack was half asleep at the wheel and was ready to go to bed. I head over to him “Jack you’ve had a long day, get some sleep and I'll take the wheel till morning,” Ren says. Jack is thankful and slumps down to his area in the below decks. Around 2:20 Am the ship is entering the Shabbeht channel but I'm hesitant and order to park the ship at a nearby island until the crew awakes the next morning. I didn’t want to take any chances while the crew was asleep. When the crew awoke in the morning I gave the go ahead to enter the Shabbeht Channel. Jack had been anxious, praying the ship wouldn't meet its end due to a mishap with the Shrouded ghost. Jack ran to my Quarters that morning, busted through the door and gave me a piece of his mind. “Ren, I can’t go any longer,” Jack yells. Please I just want to get on the dingey and just get out of the channel.” Jack was too stressed and wasn't thinking of what he’d do out on the water. I reply “We’ll be out of the Shabbeht Channel soon enough, just calm yourself.” Ren steps out of his quarters onto the main deck as Jack follows and Ren continues. “Besides Jack, what are you so afraid of out here anyway?” The Shrouded ghost?” Jack that shark is just a myth.” Jack is about to shout back at Ren but is interrupted by a muffled roar. “What was that?” Jack says in a concerned tone, then it hits him. Jack begins to panic “Ren...REN we’re GOING TO DIE!!!” Ren it’s here... the Shrouded ghost it’s HERE.” There is another muffled roar. Jack continues to shout. “Ren, this shark killed my parents!!! I knew this shark was real, you didn’t listen!!! We need to abandon ship, we can’t kill this thing.” I made the decision. “Man the cannons, we’re not going down without a fight.” Jack yelled out at me demanding hme to back down. I didn’t  listen and continued to shout orders. Then in the midst of the chaos it grew quiet… Too quiet. I knew the inevitable, the shark’s appearance, and there it was. With the loud roar of a thousand lions the mythical Shrouded Ghost emerged from beneath the waves. In an instant cannonballs are shot at this behemoth. The cannons seemed to have no effect on the shark, in fact the cannon fire angered it. The angered shark charged towards the ship and in that instant Ren proclaimed “We’re DOOMED!” The shark with full force slammed into the side of the ship creating many holes in the ship’s hull and knocking some of the crew off into the water. ”ABANDON SHIP, ABANDON SHIP,” I cried. Water gushed into the ship through the many holes created by the shark's attack. The ship was sinking fast. The lower levels flooded, drowning crew members trapped below. For crew members that fell in the water the worst is yet to come. Many at that point had fallen into the water due to the way the ship was sinking, so if they weren't killed by the debris or the falling masks, the shark would've taken care of them. I was one of the only ones to run to the dinghy at the back of the ship in an attempt to escape. When I got to the back of the ship Jack was there. He lay on the deck dead with a bullet hole in his chest. I looked out onto the water where I saw Myrtle Seinfeld rowing away on the dinghy. In a fight for who would escape on the dinghy Myrtle shot Jack and left as soon as he could. I didn’t know what to do so I just jumped off the boat into the water and swam, as fast as I could. The ship had been fully submerged and all that was left was the debris and the masts that had fallen ,floating in the water. As I got further out on the water the screams and shouts from the crew faded away until it was silent. All I could hear were the crashing of the waves. A few tears ran down my face because of what happened that day. Jack’s death, the deaths of the crew, and that my ship had sunk. After hours of drifting through the cold water I finally hit a small island. I laid on the beach for a few minutes then I smelt smoke. I went to investigate and there he was. It was Myrtle sitting by a fire. Now was my chance for revenge. I saw a rope on the beach and a nice looking tree so I think you can guess what happened. I’m not going to fully admit what I did to him that night in revenge for Jack, but let's just say it started with a rope and ended with the ashes of a dead body.