Surviving as the Captain of a Mad Cthulhu Deep Sea - Chapter 7

chapter 7

Anna of Good Intentions

Chapter 7: Anna of the Ship

Chapter 7: Anna of the Ship

Drift Year 8, July 2nd.

Island exploration has been far more difficult than I imagined. I thought that untouched places would at best be inhabited by powerful monsters, but yesterday’s incident taught me a valuable lesson.

The island’s dangers are not merely physical; they also involve bizarre phenomena beyond human comprehension. I never once imagined that a monster could alter human memory.

But I will not give up. No matter how difficult it may be, I will see the sun again.

Fortunately, I am not alone on my journey home—

Just as Charles was about to continue writing in his diary, a small, soft, pale foot stepped on his back.

“How many times have I told you not to disturb me when I’m writing?”

Charles casually brushed the foot away.

“Tch, you were the one begging me to let you copy my diary back in elementary school summer vacation. Now that we’re stuck in this hellhole, you’ve suddenly become so diligent?”

Charles turned to look at the woman lying on the bed. It was Ship Doctor Anna. Her voluptuous figure, sprawled sideways, was visually striking, and the mature air of her every gesture stirred a man’s boundless imagination.

But Charles was already accustomed to such things.

“What are you trying to do now?”

Anna’s face bloomed into an even brighter smile at his question. With her right hand, she gently pulled at the shoulder strap of her dress, letting it slip loosely off one shoulder. Her left hand slowly slid up her pale, smooth thigh.

“Come here~ Let’s enjoy the moment~ We have plenty of time anyway~”

Looking at his long-time lover, a wry smile twisted Charles’s lips.

“Can’t you just let me rest? We just escaped. You ran so long on that island—aren’t you tired?”

Disappointment instantly washed over Anna’s face. She nudged Charles with her foot and complained in a hurt tone.

“When we first came here, you’d drag me to your room the moment you had a moment. What’s this? Are you tired of me after seven years? Do you hate me now? You’re such a bad man!”

Charles sighed, approached her, and gently held her. He patted her back lightly.

“Darling, please understand. It’s not that my love for you has faded. I’m just going through a really tough time right now.”

“If you don’t offer me my due today, don’t even think about touching me for the rest of the month!”

As Anna’s complaints filled the air, the oil lamp in the room slowly flickered and died.

The page of the diary on the table turned slowly out of inertia, revealing the previous day’s entry.

“They have colleagues, but what about me? Why was I the only one adrift? Being alone is so lonely. I wish I had someone to share this with.”

The next morning, Charles’s eyes fluttered open, and his head naturally turned to the pillow beside him, where he gently kissed Anna’s smooth cheek.

“I’m going to grab the key,” he murmured.

Still half-asleep, Anna pushed his face away with an annoyed gesture. “Go away, go away. Don’t kiss me without shaving. It’s so prickly it hurts like hell.”

Charles smiled, kissed her cheek again, and got up to dress.

When the energetic Charles arrived at the helm, he found Bandages meticulously steering the ship. He tapped Bandages on the shoulder and asked, “How is it? Everything’s okay, right?”

After surviving life and death together, Charles had completely shed his wariness of Bandages. If Bandages hadn’t escaped that strange tree, he might never have found the others.

His appearance was mysterious, but he seemed to harbor no ill will.

“N-no…”

Bandages showed no reaction to Charles’s familiar gesture.

“That’s enough. Go get some sleep. I’ve got it from here.”

Charles took the helm.

Bandages, as usual, gave Charles a polite bow in the manner of the Cannonball Cult and left the wheelhouse.

Charles steered the ship with a light heart. Though the night was pitch-black and there was nothing to see outside, he felt he hadn’t been this happy in a long time, and his mind was at peace.

Bang!

The door burst open, and Dip, pouting, stormed in, his face flushed with anger.

“Captain! That Water fellow shouldn’t be allowed on this ship! I demand he be fired! He was supposed to be managing the rats, but now they’re gone!”

“It’s not worth arguing with a crewmate over a few rats. They might have run off on their own.”

Charles was getting a headache. As captain, he had to handle conflicts among his crew.

“Impossible! I’ve searched everywhere. The rats wouldn’t jump into the sea!”

Just then, Water, a deckhand, burst in, his voice hoarse with defensiveness. He insisted the rats had vanished suddenly and that he had nothing to do with it.

The two men surrounded Charles, creating a commotion. Only when Charles showed them the bounty for this voyage did their attention shift.

Charles thought the matter would end there, but to his surprise, trouble erupted again. This time, it was a person.

“Captain! Water has disappeared!”

Hearing the Boatswain’s words, Charles, who was at the helm, frowned slightly. The missing crew member wasn’t a rat. How could someone disappear without a trace on such a small ship?

Charles ordered all hands to search for the missing deckhand, but even after scouring the entire Old Rat, the man couldn’t be found.

The joy and relief of completing their mission had vanished. By the time of the 6 PM meal that evening, shadows loomed over every face, and everyone ate without tasting their food.

Seeing the crew’s expressions, Charles realized that as captain, he needed to take action. If something from the sea had dragged the deckhand overboard, that would be the best-case scenario. What terrified him was that this might just be the beginning, and the disappearances would continue.

“From now on, everyone must move in pairs. This applies even when going to the restroom. And all firearms must be carried at all times.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“As you command, Captain.”

Charles, his face grim, lowered his head and ate his food. Suddenly, a white hand reached out and gently tapped his arm.

A soft female voice whispered in his ear, “Don’t worry. We’ve made it this far. We’ll get through this too.”

Charles’s anxiety eased slightly, and he forced a smile at Anna, who was sitting beside him. “You don’t need to comfort me. It’s just a minor issue. And you shouldn’t wander off carelessly either. Stay close to me.”

“No problem. Just don’t complain to me later about how annoying it is.”

Anna wiped Charles’s face with her right index finger, then put the finger, now covered in bread crumbs, into her mouth.

When Charles had taken a couple of bites, he noticed Anna resting her chin on her hand, staring at him intently.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

“I had a snack earlier, so I’m not hungry at all right now.”

“What snack could you possibly have on your stomach? You’re not on a diet again, are you? You’re not even fat, and starving yourself is bad for you.”

“Alright, alright. Mind your own business, Great Captain. I’ll find something to eat if I get hungry.”

After finishing their meal, Charles began patrolling the Old Rat to check on the safety of each crew member.

With no idea why the deckhand had disappeared and the enemy hidden while his own crew was exposed, this clumsy method was the only option for the time being.

The atmosphere on the ship returned to what it had been before setting sail. Everyone was on edge, terrified of vanishing silently, and did their best to keep themselves visible to others.

Whether Charles’s method worked or the entity had left the ship, the Old Rat remained remarkably peaceful for the next few days.

Four days later, Charles stood at the bow, gazing out at the pitch-black sea.

“At the latest, the Old Rat will reach the Sea Mark zone within three days, and by then, we’ll be safe.”

While mentally calculating how much time remained until they could return to the island, Charles turned to Anna, who was sitting on the capstan.

“Anna, let’s go to the engine room together.”

“No way. It’s stupid to follow you around all day, east and west. What’s there to see in this cramped, rundown place? If you want to go, you can go alone.”

Anna’s expression was annoyed.

“Don’t let your guard down. Being alone is very dangerous.”

Charles stepped closer and gently tugged at her arm, but she shook him off.

“Ugh, I said no. Why are you being so annoying? Besides, the Mummy is up there watching. What’s the danger?”

Charles looked up, his gaze shifting upward. Through the transparent glass, he could clearly see the Bandaged Navigator at the helm.

“Alright, sit here and rest. I’ll be back soon.”

Charles opened the door and headed to the Turbine Room on the lowest deck.

The interior was stiflingly hot, the core of the steamship’s power. As Charles entered, he saw James, the First Assistant Engineer, shirtless and adding fuel, and Boatswain Dip beside him, panting like a dog in the heat.

“Captain, I can’t take it anymore. Please switch with me. It’s too hot down here,” Dip complained, his face glum.

“Hold on a little longer for the safety of our crew,” Charles replied.

“Even a man-eating monster wouldn’t come this far. It’s so hot down here—who could stand it except someone as big as me?”

Charles moved to James’s side and patted his sturdy shoulder. “You’re working hard. The new ship will have much better insulation.”

James smiled innocently. “I’m used to it. Except for the heat, working down here is quite comfortable.”

“When we get the new ship, you’ll be too busy to manage this place alone. Then you’ll become Chief Engineer, and you’ll have to supervise all the first, second, and third engineers.”

James looked startled by Charles’s words. He hastily stepped back half a pace and began fanning himself rapidly with both hands.

“No, no! I can’t manage people. Let someone else do it. I’ll stick to handling the complaints. Really, I will.”

Just as Charles, still smiling, was about to reassure the sailor, a sudden, loud clang came from a nearby pipe. The Old Rat let out a piercing shriek, and everything around them instantly tilted at a 75-degree angle.