Quest for the Red Lens.

a story
in-progressviolencemature
2020-02-01 14:29:34,
2020-02-03 07:15:04
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The Spirit of the Ship

The light shined through the blue lens but there was no sign of a map appearing.

"Are you sure you got the right one?" asked Morlock.

Ms. Incantasha looked frustrated tricking the light in every witch way.

"I'm positive this is the right one but I don't know why It's not working," she said.

A voice from the speaking tube sounded, "Captain, we're still on course and approaching a cloud of fog"

Morlock went over to the tube. "Set the ship down helmsman, we'll let it pass afloat for now," he said.

"Aye Sir" the Helmsman replied.

The Captain picked up his hat and coat. "Well Ms. Incantasia, I'm going to call it a night, tell me if you learn anything in the morning," he said. 


The Captain stepped out on to the main deck, the mist had fully engulfed the ship by now. The fog was so thick that seeing ten feet in front of you was impossible. A glowing blue aura crept behind Morlock. 

"Is something troubling you, dear Captain?" an unearthly yet feminine voice asked. 

Chills ran up and down Morlock's skin.

"Ha.h.Who's there?" Morlock asked shakingly.

"Oh my, Of all people I would assume that the Captain would know who I am." the voice answered. 

Captain Morlock turned to look at whom he was speaking to. His eyes widened.

"The Dutchess," he said softly.

A young woman in an alaberent gown and headdress stood there with a regal expression. Then gave a little smile and curtsied to the Captain. "Do not be frightened. Tell me what troubles my dear Captain?"

The Captain relaxed a little bit. "I'm having trouble deciphering a treasure map," he said.

"And how are you trying to do right now?" the Duchess asked.

"with light."

"why?"

"because the yellow lens…"

"Yellow is the light but Blue would clearly be another element, wouldn't it?"

"Water" Morlock answered 

The Duchess smiled at the Captain's cleverness. The ship was passing through the fog and the ghosts time was running out.

"Captain Horatio Morlock My time is short I Must warn you of the man with the half mas...Ahhhhhh"

before she finished the blue flames around her turned red and she quickly burned to ash blowing in the wind.

The Captain stood there still in disbelief when the ship's night watch found him.

"Sir, Are you okay sir?" the crewmen said.

Morlock came back to his senses. "Yes, crewmen. I'm fine, goodnight," he said.


The Captain woke up the next morning and went to his ward room where they were working last night. He took the blue lens and dunked it in a pitcher of water and looked through it. The outline of a map started to appear. He quickly traced the image down adding to the incomplete map before the lens dried.

Ms. Incantasha was relieved that the map was finally deciphered and yet irritated that she wasn't the one to do it.

The speaking tube sounded once again.

"Captain, We are approaching Prush waters now"

"Understood Helm, Cast aloft and climb to twenty four thousand feet."

The Captain opened the channel of the tube that echoes throughout the ship.

"Attention this is the Captain speaking. we're going over the Prush empire right now and to stay undetected we'll be cruising at high altitude. Everyone get your cold weather gear and PBE on. That is all." 

Ms. Incantasha was confused 

"It's summer and what is "PBE" mean?" she asked.

Morlock opened up a wardrobe and tossed a parka and gas mask to her.

"The air is going to get too cold and too thin to breathe so we are hooking up your personal breathing equipment so you don't pass out" he said as he fastened her mask to the air tank. 

The Burning Duchess soared above the Prush southern prairies two degrees from the whole ship turning into an ice cube.

Ms. Incantasha guided the helm crew to the western lone mountain beyond Prushland. They finally arrived at Arsenal mountain. Arsenal mountain looked like a cannon aimed at forty five degrees. There was a town a mile away from the base and three Mont-Diamont Skies Cruisers. 

"It would appear that the expeditionary forces  are already here" Morlock said looking through his spyglass. 

"Commander, Assign an away team of most Marines to parachuted with me during nightfall." Morlock ordered.

"At once, sir" Scipio said.