Chapter 36: Kraken Dread, All-Night Brawl
Dusk bled orange over the waves.
The cog rolled steady, crew laughing, fire still warm on the aft deck.
Mike had finally stopped retching long enough to slump against a crate, eyes half-closed.
Bart clapped him on the back.
"You alive, landlubber?"
"Barely," Mike mumbled.
"If we hit one more wave, I'm joining the fish."
Mimi snickered.
"Drink some water. You look like a corpse."
"I feel like one."
One of the older sailors leaned over, grinning into his ale.
"Lad, if you turn any greener, seagulls'll start building nests on you."
Another banged his tankard.
"Five copper says he's heaving again within a minute!"
"Make it ten!" a third yelled. "I'm backing the wave!"
Mike flipped a lazy middle finger without lifting his head.
"I hope a shark eats all your bait."
Bart clapped him again, half-sympathetic, half-teasing.
"Quit whining. Land's closer than you think. You can hug dirt for a week straight."
