Nice chapter D_R! Turns out he could make it worse I love how you worded that 😂

Guess who originally got here first... me... guess who read and commented last...

...also me 😂

Great writing D_R! Not that this says much coming from me... but you're a lot better than you used to be at this game. Feels more alive and natural.

@Greenie, I was aware 😂

@LeastFitAstronaut, Thanks! It's hopefully going to get better!

@Fireblade, Thanks!

@Greeny, Danke! I am slowly improving. Slowly but surely.

Just gotta say, Part II is so much better than Part I. 😂 I am loving the writing so far.

its good when everybody enjoys the story, even the writer

Yeah! When the writer doesn't enjoy it, the readers are bound not to as well.

@Dragon That actually wasn't the case today... I'm writing a story about my family some of our friends going on a wild adventure... after I got captured by orcs... and I let my sister proof read it. Anyways, I hated what I'd written today, and my sister said she liked it... 😂

Your sister was probably just being nice… JK! JK! 😂 I bet it was really great, especially if orcs were in it.

@LFA 😂 😂 No, I think she was genuine... and actually, there were no orcs in this chapter, only references to them 😆

@Greenie, 😂 dang, well yours is probably better then mine 😆

@Greeny, Well, you're a great writer anyway.
I think it's more for longer stories, if the writer's heart isn't in it, the reader can tell. And the writer won't write as well, at least in my case.

@Astro, Orcs are always entertaining 😂

Chapter 3
Shipwreck

“Armica, Fort, wake!” Niger none-too-gently shook his companions. Fort was instantly awake and ready, the seasickness having fallen away. Armica took longer and woke with a groan and yawn. Niger winced at the noise and hastened his companions up.

“No questions, just pack and be ready to embark. Minimum noise!”

Swiftly they hastened to obey, rolling up bedrolls and grabbing weapons. Niger stayed alert, listening for any sign that the courier was getting nosy. He didn’t think so, the chap was bound to have a headache and would want to be on his way.

In slightly more time than it takes to tell, Armica and Fort had their gear stowed and packed. Now they looked towards Niger for their next direction.

“Follow,” Niger hissed and he led them to the boat. Armica loaded the bedrolls while Niger and Fort shoved the boat into the water.

In another minute they were underway in the main river, once more fighting the current. Armica leaned far over the bows, searching for hidden rocks in the darkness. After several hours of near misses with the bank, Fort came aft to the tiller.

“What’s goin’ on, sir?” he yelled about the rushing river. “This is madness, we can’t see where we’re goin’, we’re going to wreck.”

“We will be alright!” Niger yelled back. “I cannot tell you now, but something terrible has happened and we need to reach the Northern Kingdom as quick as we can!”

“Let me take over, sir,” Fort said, reaching for the tiller. “You’ve barely slept!”

A gust of wind slammed into the sail, shooting the little ship forwards. The wind continued to strengthen, and Niger pushed Fort away. The water galloped under the keel. Armica shouted something from the bow but Niger couldn’t hear. Clouds covered the stars.

“Fort!” Niger yelled, “tell Armica to find somewhere to land!”

Fort nodded, but too late. A rogue gust of wind hit the ship, spinning her around. Niger fought the tiller, but they had hit the rapids.

A terrible rending, cracking sound ripped the night as the ship was caught in the teeth of the river. Keeling over on her side, the ship was ripped from the rock and flung back into the river. Niger vaguely saw Armica thrown into the water and yelled her name before he, too, was engulfed.

Cold. Which was is up? Spinning, spinning. Confusion. Need air. Dying. Something smashed into Niger’s body, flinging him against a rock. He barely had wits enough to grab it and haul his head above water. The ship, upside down now, shot downriver.

“Armica! Forten!” Niger yelled. He thought he saw someone float away and he grabbed them. It was a half-conscious Fort. Dragging Fort to the shore he left him to search for Armica.

He ran along the bank, fear growing with every step. But he found her coughing on the bank several hundred meters away.

“How’s Fort?” she asked, standing with slight difficulty.

“He’s alive,” Niger said, “You received the worst, being at the bow. Come.”

There were no trees anywhere, and what wood which washed up from the ship was soaked. A cold, wet night awaited them.

“Come, we cannot sleep,” Niger said sharply as Armica flung herself on the ground. “We would freeze. Come, we must walk.”

“Good sense,” Fort replied, dragging Armica back up again.

Niger felt awful as he saw a trickle of blood run down Armica’s temple. He knew they all were bashed and bruised, but the night was cold. Far colder than home.

“I’m sorry, Armica,” Niger said, placing his hand on her shoulder. “I cannot let you stay here and freeze.”

“It’s alright,” Armica replied. She stood straight, determination in her eyes. “We didn’t come all this way to let a small shipwreck stop us! It can’t be that far to a village or town. And walking can’t be any worse than rattling around in that wooden tub.”

Niger nodded.

Their wet clothes made the wind ten times colder. Out here on the wild, flat plains, the wind keened constantly. The night wasn’t dark, but the long black shadows behind every blade of grass made seeing across the wind-swept fields impossible.

By the time the sun finally showed, the companions were exhausted and hungry. Niger called a halt and they sheltered in a small dip away from the wind and full in the sunlight. Armica fell fast asleep instantly, but Fort came to Niger, insisting he rest and let Fort keep watch.

It was noon before they set out again.

Four miserable, hungry, freezing days later the companions stumbled into a small village on the banks of the river.

Very nicely done! I like how there's dialogue but yet again, the narrator speaks cynically at times 😂 I love it 👍 also, first comment

…the ship was caught in the teeth of the river.
I can just imagine giant water teeth grabbing hold of the little boat and swinging it around like a dog with a chew toy. 😋

Great Scott! I didn't anticipate this 😂... great job!

And wait... does LFA get the nickname "Astro" now? 😲... so unfair...

#HoustonASTROSForLife

Four miserable, hungry, freezing days perfectly describes my experience camping

Epic chapter!
good gracious, was I the only American who actually slept last night?

@Gman Yeah, I think so O_O 😂

@BricksAndBones Yeah, I agree with you there... just take out the word "miserable" 😂. I love camping... and do it quite a bit 😂