The captain returned to the ship before sunset with fury still burning visibly across his face. The moment his boots touched the deck, every pirate and slave straightened instinctively. Nobody dared speaking when he looked like this. Even the sea itself seemed quieter around him. He walked across the wooden deck slowly while staring toward the distant forest where the village hid beyond the trees. One pirate approached carefully. "Captain… we lost their trail near the eastern cliff path." The captain didn't even look at him. "Then find it again." His voice remained calm, which somehow felt more dangerous than shouting. Another pirate hesitated before asking, "Should we attack directly tonight?" Finally the captain stopped walking. His single good eye slowly shifted toward the pirate. "You think villagers are stupid?" The man immediately lowered his head. "No, captain." "Good." The captain spat over the railing before speaking again. "They expect attack from shoreline." A cruel smirk slowly appeared across his scarred face. "So we won't come from shoreline."
He ordered two pirates to remain hidden near the village and monitor every movement. The men immediately disappeared into the forest carrying small spyglasses and knives. Only after they left did the captain finally turn toward the slaves chained near the lower deck. "Move." Nobody reacted fast enough. The captain suddenly pulled out his pistol and fired beside one slave's head. The deafening gunshot echoed across the sea while the terrified man collapsed screaming. "I said MOVE!" Immediately the slaves scrambled upright in panic. The captain pointed toward the ship storage areas. "Bring every weapon out." Crates were dragged across the deck one by one. Rusted swords. Spears. Gunpowder barrels. Rifles wrapped in cloth. Heavy hooks. Iron chains. Even strange metal harpoons meant for hunting creatures larger than men. The slaves worked nonstop while pirates barked orders and kicked anyone slowing down. Vikram's absence had made the captain especially violent today. One old slave stumbled while carrying ammunition and instantly got whipped hard enough to collapse. "You think this is vacation?" the captain roared before kicking him aside. The rest worked faster after that.
Then the real horror began.
Several slaves were ordered beneath the ship itself while others dragged massive wooden wheels from storage. Huge iron bolts. Chains. Support beams. The pirates began attaching giant reinforced wheels directly to the sides and underside of the vessel. The slaves looked terrified because they already knew what was happening. One younger slave quietly whispered to another, "He's taking the ship through jungle again…" The second slave's face immediately lost color. "No…" The captain overheard them and smiled slightly. "Yes." The smile looked monstrous beneath the orange sunset light. "Tonight we hunt."
Hours passed while the ship transformed slowly into something unnatural. Wheels taller than men were fixed beneath the hull while thick rope systems connected across both sides. Heavy iron hooks locked into the wooden structure with loud metallic clanks. The once-normal sea vessel slowly became a monstrous land machine. The captain eventually walked alone toward the deepest chamber inside the ship. The air there felt suffocatingly hot. Massive pipes covered the walls while steam hissed endlessly through metal vents. At the center of the chamber stood a gigantic furnace-like engine glowing faint red from within. Coal burned beneath iron chambers while strange symbols had been carved around the machine itself. The captain stared at it silently before pulling a glass bottle from his coat. Thick dark liquid sloshed inside it unnaturally. Without hesitation, he smashed the bottle directly into the engine. Instantly the furnace roared alive. Steam exploded violently through the pipes. The entire ship trembled hard enough to shake dust from the ceiling. Somewhere above deck, slaves cried out in fear as the wooden structure groaned like a waking beast. The engine began making deep rhythmic noises almost resembling breathing. THOOM. THOOM. THOOM. The captain smiled while placing one hand against the hot metal surface. "Wake up," he whispered softly. Above deck, the massive ship slowly creaked forward by itself despite being nowhere near water.
Meanwhile, inside the forest near the village, nature itself had started noticing something wrong. Dogs resting near village entrances suddenly stood alert and growled toward the distant trees. Oxen tied beside carts stomped nervously against dirt while birds resting upon rooftops flew away all at once. The villagers immediately noticed. One guard near the eastern watchtower frowned. "Animals acting strange again." Another looked toward the darkening forest uneasily. "Maybe storm coming." But the dogs kept growling nonstop. Deep. Aggressive. Fearful. Somewhere far away beyond the trees came the faint sound of wood grinding against earth. Slow. Massive. Unnatural. Yet whenever villagers listened carefully, the sound disappeared again beneath the wind.
Deep inside the jungle, dozens of chained slaves pulled enormous ropes across their shoulders while stumbling through mud and roots. The modified ship slowly moved between trees like some gigantic predator crawling through the forest. Steam hissed from beneath the hull while the giant wheels crushed roots and stones beneath impossible weight. Slaves strained desperately against the ropes while pirates whipped them from behind. "PULL!" one pirate screamed. "FASTER!" Another slave collapsed from exhaustion instantly. The captain calmly walked past him and fired a pistol into the man's head without even slowing down. The body rolled beneath the massive wheel with a sickening crunch. "Anyone else tired?" Silence followed. The remaining slaves pulled harder immediately. Slowly, terrifyingly, the giant ship continued moving deeper through the jungle toward the village.
Night eventually settled over the island completely.
Inside the village, warm lantern lights glowed softly from wooden homes while guards kept watch at every entrance. Vikram sat near one of the houses with his injured leg stretched carefully beside him. The wound still hurt badly whenever he moved too much. For the first time all day, things almost felt peaceful. Then Seraphina approached carrying two wooden bowls carefully in her hands. "I made dinner," she announced softly. Vikram blinked in surprise. "You cooked?" She nodded proudly before sitting beside him. "One of the village aunties taught me." Vikram looked suspiciously into the bowl. "That confidence worries me." Seraphina immediately frowned. "Rude." He laughed quietly before taking the bowl from her. Steam rose warmly into the cold night air. For several seconds they simply ate in silence while distant waves crashed softly against the cliffs beyond the village. Then Vikram suddenly paused mid-bite. Something tasted… wrong. Very wrong. Seraphina noticed immediately. "What happened?" Vikram looked at her carefully. "Did you forget something?" She blinked innocently. "No?" Vikram took another bite just to confirm. Then realization hit both of them simultaneously. Seraphina gasped softly. "Salt." Vikram nodded slowly. "Salt." Silence followed. Then Seraphina covered her face in absolute embarrassment. "Oh no…" Vikram tried not laughing. "It's okay." "It tastes terrible!" "I've eaten worse recently." "That does not help!" She looked genuinely horrified at herself while Vikram struggled containing his smile. "It's really not a big deal." Seraphina groaned dramatically and buried her face into her hands again. "I can't even cook properly." Vikram shrugged casually. "Doesn't matter." She looked toward him shyly through her fingers. "You really wouldn't mind having a wife who can't cook?" Vikram answered instantly without thinking. "Yeah, obviously." Then his brain finally processed what she had actually asked. Silence exploded between them. Seraphina's eyes widened completely while Vikram nearly choked on air. "WAIT—" Seraphina immediately stood up. "I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING!" Her entire face turned bright red before she hurried away almost running. Vikram sat frozen holding the bowl while his brain completely malfunctioned. "I think you absolutely said something," he muttered weakly to himself. Far away beyond the village lights, hidden deep within the forest darkness, the captain watched the settlement silently from atop the monstrous wheeled ship while steam hissed around him like breathing shadows. And slowly, inch by inch, the giant vessel continued crawling toward the sleeping village.