The Cruise of Destiny-Chapter 1: From Wence Doth Thy Come?

Sing to me, O KARLTOR, of the boy and his dog, the chosen Two,

“I grow tired of that old story. Tell me a new one!”

A tale of adventure, the wonder of Karl and the resolve of Abita,

“Put the dog and her brood on a boat. Karl’s boat. Lost at sea!”

Bring their exploits to light, of their quest for redemption, seeking the glory in your name,

“With pirates and robots and talking sharks! With danger and mayhem, anarchy and singing!”

Sing of your people, the discovery of your land, and the Saviors of the Great Spider!

“My Will shall prevail! Let the story begin….”

Now


Karl awoke with a breeze in his hair and a dog’s tail in his face. His lips smacked in the salted air, the dog’s pungent fragrance filling his nostrils. It was bright outside, and warm, a glorious afternoon by most accounts. But he was much too confused to enjoy the moment. He sat up and scratched his head. “Abita, old girl, where in the bloody blazes are we?”

Abita barked, moving her body to face Karl. Sitting on the wooden planks beneath her. Her lips twisting slightly upwards, the faintest trace of a canine grin. She bakred again, a short, sarcastic noise, alluding to the obvious.

“Oh yeah, now I see. We’re on my boat. Brett Favre’s Buoy. I missed you, buddy. How did we get out of the Tucson harbor? Weren’t we in Utah?”

“That you were. But some evil force hath brought thine folk to the sea,” a voice boomed from behind Karl. Karl spun around, leaning on his hands, and peered into the sunlight, slowly processing the face before him.

A calm face stared back, one eye glaring through a coif monocle at him, the other lost behind an eye patch. Stubble in dark patches huddled across his face, tan lines of skin weaving trails between the blotchy clans. In his hand was a long cutlass, rusty to the hilt, curving slightly towards the tip, wavering slightly from a shaking hand, white knuckles protruding from tattered gloves.

“Trevor?” gasped Karl.

“That’s Captain Trevor, to you. And you better mind the helm before we crash into that cruise ship ahead.”