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nadiya-ffxiv · 3 years

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Bounty Call: Ghost Ship

BOUNTY DETAILS || A ship has been spotted drifting around the waters of Vylbrand, paying no mind to the other vessels it crashes into in its passing. Through the day on deck the ship appears empty but at night the true crew reveal themselves, freezing and possessing those who attempt to board their ship. The ship does not move during the day but at night it glows eerily, the spectral crew mates appear and fend off intruders as the ship continues on the waters. Slay the ghosts that haunt and drive the ship through the seas, allowing the vessel to be returned to the people of La Noscea.

LOCATION || Last rumored to be halted near the Bloodshore when the sun set.

REWARD || 40,000g for the spectral cloth of each ghost on board.

BOUNTY ROULETTE || (6) Unexpected Aid! A nearby adventurer chanced upon your hunt and helped at a critical moment.

As the residents of Costa el Sol returned to their homes, the golden hue of dusk slowly faded into the dark blue of night. The distant clicking of giant sand crabs could be heard over the gentle rush of the ocean waves, and the subtle crooning of a nearby seagull disturbed the otherwise peaceful night air. A single droplet of rain splattered against the wooden deck overlooking the shore, followed succinctly by several more until the entire beach became enveloped in a heavy rainshower. A quiet observer sat along the deck’s edge; an unassuming if not entirely ordinary looking individual if it hadn’t been for the wild mane of untamed curls whipping around her head. That and, of course, the pair of bunny ears protruding from the crown of curls, marking her as a Viera and generally an uncommon visitor to these parts.

“‘Scuse me, Miss,” a voice said from behind her. “I’m about to go on me break, but I can get ye a drink or sommin’ before I do?”

The Viera glanced over her shoulder at the barkeep. She gave him a small smile that did not quite seem to reach her eyes, and shook her head, “No… thank you.”

He gave her a curious look and shrugged his shoulders before disappearing to the other side of the circular rotunda. She heard the quick strike of a match and the strong aroma of cigarette smoke. It won’t be long now, she thought to herself.

As her eyes fixed themselves on the horizon, the young Nadiya Wolt was reminded of a great many memories. Life aboard a seaship hadn’t been a natural transition for the Viera. The majority of her young life had been confined to the security of the forest, after all. Even in the comfortable stillness of her bed in the Goblet, she could sometimes feel the soft ebb and flow of the ocean glide across her body like a long lost lover returning home. It was about the only thing Nadiya truly missed about that life. Then again, it hadn’t been a life of her choosing from the start.

Suddenly, the seagull from before squawked unpleasantly and flapped its wings in a mad dash to fly away. Nadiya watched the bird fly inland, brows knitting together expectantly, before spotting an unearthly glow beginning to form on the horizon. Its greenish hue permeated the dark blue surrounding it, until the shape of a ship materialized from the shadows. Her expression darkened as she verified what must surely be her target creep closer towards shore before eventually stopping several malms from the coast.

Nadiya narrowed her gaze. She took the next few moments to mentally prepare herself. The ship sat unnaturally still, its beckoning glow an ominous warning to all who witnessed it.

From the other side of the rotunda, the barkeep perked up at the sound of something falling into the ocean waters. He peered around the pillar he was leaning against, surprised to find the quiet stranger no longer sitting at her perch. He glanced around curiously, shrugged his shoulders again, and took a long drag from his cigarette.

Nadiya’s head broke the surface of the ocean waves as they raged around her. The wind had picked up, making the journey all the more difficult, but it hadn’t been an all too unfamiliar situation. She paddled onward, taking large strokes as she swam toward the glowing vessel. The waves, strangely enough, seemed to carry her there… as if the ocean itself wanted to aid her in her efforts. And as Nadiya closed the gap, the sheer size of the ship rivaled any vessel she had seen previously.

She paddled to the hull of the ship and gripped at its wooden beams with one hand, using her other hand to unhook a small blade from her thigh. In one swift motion, Nadiya stabbed the hull with the blade above her head, using it to hoist herself up and out of the water. She struggled to keep herself up, fighting to keep her grip on the slick boards, made even more difficult by the added weight of her wet clothes. Above her head was a small perch with a doorway leading to inside the ship. She would need only be able to reach the landing… if she could just keep from slipping.

With gritted teeth, Nadiya stretched an arm as far as it could reach and gripped the space between two boards. Lifting by her fingertips, she managed to hoist herself up enough to plant the heel of her boot on the hilt of the blade and push up, flattening her stomach to the wall of the ship. She took a moment to breath, eyes glaring at the landing overhead, before promptly leaping sideways with outstretched arms. By a narrow margin, her fingers found the edge, her legs flailing wildly as the ship lurched too and fro. Nadiya grunted as she heaved herself up onto the platform and slumped onto her side, the rain relentless in its pursuit of making this mission more difficult.

She suddenly regretted not having that drink from before.

Inside the ship, Nadiya couldn’t detect anything afoul. In fact, she couldn’t detect anything at all, which was perhaps even more unnerving. The door had opened up into what must be the captain’s quarters. A desk was stationed at the far end of the room with what looked like a bed adjacent to it. Approaching it, Nadiya sifted through pieces of parchment haphazardly strewn across the desk, attempting to find any clue that might shed some light on the mission. One in particular caught her eye: A sketch of a Roegadyn male, faded from water damage, with giant swathes of ink crossing out his features… as if someone had angrily marked out his face. Nadiya thumbed through several more, finding nothing more of any interest, and proceeded to a narrow staircase on her right.

There was a door at the top of the stairs. Nadiya quietly pressed a palm against it and peered through the crack as she eased it open. Her eyes widened at what she saw.

Clambering across the deck were over a dozen men. But what made them truly horrifying were their pale, ghostly complexion… their eyes hollowed out to an empty blackness and their expressions seemingly frozen mid-scream.

Wait… literal ghosts?! Nadiya thought. She hadn’t thought this would be an actual ghost ship. When she had accepted the bounty, Nadiya fully presumed that this was nothing more than a seaman’s tall tales. That what some were calling a ghost crew was merely fantastical ramblings of men imbued with too much corrupt aether. It quickly dawned on Nadiya that she was woefully unprepared for this. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t get the time to back out, as one of these ghostly men suddenly blocked her view from the door and thrust it open.

Nadiya jumped back and stared up at the figure, his empty eyes burrowing down at her with the weight of a hundred lost souls. She froze, unable to think of anything to do, when her instincts took over and she kicked a foot out toward his chest. It made contact, surprising herself, and he was sent careening backwards onto the deck.

Nadiya sprinted out and leapt over him, teetering sideways as the ship swayed angrily back and forth. The commotion she had caused caught the attention of the other crewman, their gaze shifting toward her. She pivoted in a circle, realizing she was surrounded, and backed into the ship mast. Her feet bumped into a fallen broom and she quickly scooped it up, brandishing it as a weapon. Nadiya felt insurmountably foolish, but what good would her pistol do against ghosts?

One of the men came at her and she made a wide swing at him with the broom, making a loud crack against his jaw. Nadiya squeaked, eyes wide as she watched him stumble backward. A beat passed, and then she promptly dropped the broom and unholstered the pistol from her hip.

Several rounds went off, each one a direct hit as they came at her. When one would attack, she would shoulder him in the chest, firing at another as he came on her opposite side. Even in close quarters, Nadiya could be a deadly shot, made evident by how she ducked, twirled, kicked, and swung the barrel of her pistol. Nadiya scaled the ladder leading up to the crow’s nest, giving herself the high ground to pick off each crewman as he tried to grab at her ankles. When the bodies of each crewman laid strewn across the deck, one lowly individual stood at the helm of the ship.

“You know…” she began as leapt from the ladder, her boots making a wet thud against the deck. “For ghosts… you all are a very corporeal bunch.”

The man’s back was turned to her, but Nadiya could clearly make out he was the captain of this ship. She stood her ground, pistol raised to aim at his back, and said, “Any last words before I send you back to a watery grave?”

The captain was motionless, his arms crossed over his chest. The rain pelted them relentlessly. For a moment, Nadiya assumed he would keep his silence, and so she cocked the hammer back at her pistol and readied her finger on the trigger.

Then, he began to laugh.

As he did, the bodies of the crew began to rise from the ground, each one shuffling back to his feet. Nadiya watched in silent horror as they did, and quickly tried to think of an escape plan. Before she could throw herself overboard, a voice called from overhead.

“What did I tell you about playing in the rain?!”

She looked up just as a man fell from the sky, a rose lanner circling overhead.

“Nikolas!” Nadiya exclaimed, suddenly glad to see a friendly face.

The Midlander landed behind her. Without hesitating, he threw out his arms wide and a blinding light beamed out from his chest. Nadiya had to cover her eyes, but could just make out the dark silhouettes of the crewmen disperse into ash as the light enveloped them. They opened their mouths to scream, but no sound escaped them. And as the light faded from sight, so too did their fleshly bodies, leaving nothing but the dirty garments in their wake.

Nikolas turned to Nadiya, raindrops scaling down his face as he smiled. “You’ll catch a cold, my dear Nadiya…”

Nadiya smiled a wide, toothy grin. “I’d kiss you if you’d actually like it, you know that?”

Nikolas grinned wryly, “Yes, yes… and though you are quite the beauty, dear, you lack a certain masculine aura that I personally find most alluring.”

Nadiya grinned back at him before promptly returning her gaze to the one remaining crewmember. The captain faced them now, his seaworn face twisted into an angry grimace.

“I follow your lead,” Nadiya said and gripped Nikolas’ hand. “My aether is yours.”

He smiled, squeezing her hand in his, and held up his palm to face the captain. As the light grew from his hand, the captain let out a colossal scream. The dark hollows of his eyes and mouth persisted in the light before they too faded into dust, leaving nothing but the clothes on his back on the ground. Nadiya approached the heap, picking out a cloth bandana and holding it out in front of her face.

“That’s 40k… and more if you can find any others,” she said to Nikolas, plopping the spectral cloth in his hands.

“Not bad… though, I expect to split the pot 70/30 now…seeing as I did all the work.”

Nadiya scoffed, paused, and then moved toward the helm. “Make it 60/40, and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

Nikolas grinned a cheeky grin and went to retrieve any more spectral cloths. “Can’t say I don’t love me a good deal,” he mused, pocketing what he could find from the scraps of clothing.

Nadiya rolled her eyes and shook her head. She placed either hand on the wheel and called out to Nikolas behind her, “Let’s bring this beauty back to Limsa, eh?!”

FIN.

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