Deep Sea Embers

The “coffin” has returned.

On the aft of the Vanished, Duncan looked expressionlessly at the gorgeous wooden box lying quietly in front of himself. The droplets of water on the edge leaking next to his feet confirmed he wasn’t dreaming – he really did throw the darn thing into the sea not long ago.

Such a strange situation was enough to make anyone feel the chills, but somehow Duncan’s mood at the moment was calmer than he had imagined.

Perhaps it’s due to already being on the eerie ghost ship, or because he had recently experienced a thrilling “drift into the spirit world” and a collision with a steamboat, or perhaps it’s due to the evil-looking goat head for several days. Regardless, Duncan seemed to have grown an immunity to strange supernatural phenomenas in this world.

In fact, as early as the last time he threw this “cursed doll” into the sea, he had vaguely guessed that things wouldn’t end so easily.

He lowered his head, not surprisingly noticing that the iron nails and chains were gone, then used the tip of his pirate blade to pry open the lid again.

The gorgeous gothic doll still lay quietly in the center of the red velvet lining, hands folded, idyllic, and elegant.

But this time Duncan clearly noticed that the corners of the other side’s skirt seemed to have traces of being wet by the sea with a faint smell of the ocean from inside the coffin.

Up to now, this strange doll does not seem to have any other out-of-line or dangerous behavior except the back and forth, but just the “going and returning” was already enough to attribute it to what they call a “cursed item”.

Duncan watched the doll for another good while, then suddenly broke the silence with a smirk: “I suddenly want to satisfy my curiosity…”

When the words ended, he turned and walked to the entrance of the cabin not far away and left the doll alone on the deck.

Although he was wary of the doll and did not want to leave the other party by his side, but Duncan had confidence the many living creatures” on the ship would be enough to deal with anything that might arise.

And he has some “preparations” to make during this time.

Duncan crossed the aft of the deck, opened the wooden door leading to the lower deck, stepped onto the wooden staircase that was god knows how old, and came to the cabin under the deck, which belonged to the “upper cabin” where the cannons, powder kegs, and iron balls were placed.

As he swept his gaze over the things that looked quite old at a glance, an idea suddenly came to his mind.

Can these cannons reload themselves too and fire when he wills it?

What about the freshwater tanks on board? Do they also refill on their own?

What about the damaged places during a battle? Are they also self-repairing? Or rather… does this ship even have the concept of “damage”?

The questions came out one by one, but he couldn’t think of an explanation for any one of them.

Duncan knew very well that he knew too little about the ship. Although he had explored it to some extent over the past few days, he only had a general understanding of its superstructure. Those deeper areas were far too eerie and menacing for him to explore with the limited time he had on hand.

But now, the possibilities were riling up his curiosity to a new high.

This was his ship, and he deserves to know about the “Vanished.”

This may be a change largely due to him taking control of that steering wheel, but he didn’t know that. Shaking his head, the guy left the idea of exploration for another time and returned to his initial plan.

Armed with several iron shell balls, Duncan returned to the aft of the deck and made a peculiar face. “Did she make any movement?”

“Not at all,” came the voice of the goat head at once that sounded far too similar to someone that’s been muffled for far too long, “this lady is as quiet as she looks, and you should trust my judgment that she is completely harmless to you. Since she keeps coming back on board, it may indicate there is a connection between her and the Vanished. A great horticulturist once said…”

“Shut up.”

“Okay.”

Ignoring the thumping annoyance in his veins, Duncan stared expressionlessly at the doll in the coffin.

I don’t know if she really can’t move, or if she’s still pretending to be asleep, but regardless, I’m going to find out.

Solid cast iron was particularly heavy, and when executing traitors on a ship, a single cannonball strapped to the leg was the best way to ensure the seasoned sailor fed the fishes.

For this occasion, Duncan decides to make it four before returning to the lower cabin for another four – making it a total of eight.

Eight cannonballs, plenty to fill up the remaining space in the wooden box with that elegant doll sleeping at the center. Well, elegant wouldn’t be the right word anymore, but creepy would definitely fit the bill.

With great effort, Duncan sealed the lid off again and pushed the wooden coffin to the edge of the deck. Finally, with a spinning kick of his life, he shot the box right into the sea for the third time. This time, he made sure to witness it sinking into the depths with his own eyes.

The voice of the goat head came into his mind then: “Captain, have you repented? If you regret throwing away the loot, the Vanished can still use its anchor to salvage the box again. Although the correct use of the anchor isn’t meant for that, but the anchor says it can try….”

“Shut up.”

“But I see you’ve been standing on the edge of the deck for a long time…”

“Shut up.”

“Okay.”

Duncan heaves a long sigh. He couldn’t admit to the bootlicking goat head that his toe hurts from that spinning kick….

So, with the painful sting still apparent in his shoe, he maintained the serious and majestic appearance of a captain overseeing the waters until many minutes later. Whether Duncan actually looked like a proper captain or not was one thing, but he’s certain no one would mock him for it.

After returning to his quarter and waiting quietly for a few more minutes, he estimated the timing should be about right and got to where the windows were. This spot was below the stern area, so he should be able to peer through the opening and see what he wanted.

“Captain, you are…” The goat head couldn’t help but ask after witnessing this odd behavior.

Duncan stared intently at the sea surface and replied without looking up, “I’m wondering how that ‘cursed doll’ keeps coming back.”

“Erm… because she’s a cursed doll, that’s how?”

“…… I appreciate your uncomprehensive attitude, but I think that even if she is a cursed doll, there must be some kind of process in her coming back on the ship. I suspect she’s also able to communicate but refuses to do so. If I can grasp onto her reasoning, then perhaps we can stop this charade and get some words in.”

Listening to Duncan’s explanation, the goat head went quiet for a good two seconds like its contemplating the idea: “Captain, your energy…. seem to have grown higher. That’s a good sign! You haven’t been in a good mood since you awoke from slumber. As your loyal first mate and second mate…”

“Shut up.”

“Okay.”

After the goat head had quieted down, Duncan focused his attention back on the sea surface.

The “coffin” seemed to have really sunk into the deep sea…

But with the experience of the previous two times, Duncan was extra patient this time. Silently calculating the time and silently observing in wait. Then it happened. The doll reappeared in his line of sight as he expected.

Amid a wave, the delicate wooden box that looked like a coffin had become a makeshift boat with the gothic doll paddling the sides with her arms. Truly an imposing sight in how she managed such a feat against such waves.

Naturally, Duncan was stunned for words at this sight.