Krafft's Anomaly Notes

Chapter 83 Iceberg
"Shout all the boys, we have to throw away the cargo." Due to the short distance, Seaman heard Becker's instructions to the boatswain who had just boarded the deck.

The bosun was surprised by the fog without warning, and thought he was still in a dream when he heard the captain's words, "Our supplies are not short, there is no need..."

"Call everyone, throw away the cargo, and wake up the first officer by the way. I know he just fell asleep, so tell him to wake me up if he doesn't want to sleep in the sea." The hand holding the steering wheel trembled slightly because of the cold, Becker The order was repeated, and an inexplicable sense of urgency passed from him to everyone on the deck.

"Ximan, go and watch from behind, don't squeeze together."

The captain will only be more sensitive to the wind speed that even old sailors can detect.The experience given by long-term sailing made him clearer than anyone else that the current speed was far from enough, at least not enough compared to the approaching speed of that thing.

Ditching the cargo is a judgment call.They need to go faster, even at the expense of months of effort and a lot of supplies, and more if they can.

You don't need to know what it is, it doesn't matter what it is when you are approached by something that is higher than the mast on the sea surface.

The good habit of unconditionally carrying out the captain's order made the boatswain act, and the sleepy sailors were awakened, and then they received orders that were completely incomprehensible, and they were all driven to the bottom warehouse to move out the cargo that had just been placed for two days.

The first officer climbed onto the deck clutching his knees, and limped to the side of the captain, "What's the matter? There's a lot of cargo in this batch, at least two extra trips are needed to make up for it!"

"Speaking of which, it's better to help, and throw the ore down first." Taking off the plush skin cap with residual warmth on his head, his gray hair was exposed to the cold, commensurate with experience and prestige enough to overwhelm anyone on board.

Crates of ore were poured down, and the stones wrapped with metal and crystal particles fell into the waves, splashing continuously, and the sound of falling into the water was continuous, which was no different from the sound of throwing silver coins into the water. Seaman watched I feel a little distressed.

Watching the first box of minerals being dumped into the sea, the first officer let go of his knees and covered his heart instead. The pure loss was expressed in the most intuitive form.The sound of dragging and lifting heavy objects below the deck never stopped. The sailors didn't care about the money that had nothing to do with them, and they just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"Why don't you throw half of it first..."

Before the words were finished, there was a loud and dull sound of falling into the water, and the first officer searched the deck, trying to scold some idiot who accidentally dropped the box into the water.

Everyone stopped, and the people on the deck looked at each other. The two sailors who had just dumped a box of minerals were carrying an empty box, and they were also looking for who threw the large item directly overboard.

Then they recalled that the sound was not a heavy object falling from the side of the boat.It came from a greater distance, echoing in the depths of the cold mist, and it took two breaths for the splash to return to the ocean.

Suddenly, he had the illusion that he was still in the ice field, and was pulled back to the barren and barren coast of the ice field, at the end of the dark mountains, on the high cliff overlooking the ice sea.Years of solid ice propped the black rock apart, and the two fell into the crashing waves of the ice pack, smashing the surface of the water.

Anyone who has seen it once will never forget that scene. When the crushed ice and water spray rose to the highest point, the roaring sound of water roared.

The Iceman told them that the ship that passed by unfortunately was overturned directly, and was sucked into the vortex formed by the seawater backfilling the cavity, and was swallowed by the ice sea together with the broken wood floes before they had time to call for help.

Since seeing it, Becker has consciously avoided the ice-covered cliffs along the coast.

They had been on the journey for more than two full days, and those cliffs, falling ice were thrown beyond the horizon, but the sound was unmistakable, the tall and steep thing was in the fog, and the glacier broke off it.

"Don't stand still, throw them all away!" Becker was the first to react, and he yelled at a group of shivering guys who were about to squat down, even his own hand holding the roulette was already stiff and uncontrollable.

The whole ship was running at an unprecedented speed, and the sailors went in and out of the bottom warehouse, moved out every box of ore, and dumped it into the sea.All non-essentials were thrown out, and every possible effort was made to reduce the weight of the ship.

There was a thunderous falling sound in the water for the second time, followed by the third and fourth times, as if a behemoth was moving and waking up, shaking off the old glaciers that had been deposited on it for many years.

The terrified sailors chanted prayers that no one could understand, and even tried to drag out the escape boat and put it into the water. The first mate drew out the blade and pushed them back to their posts with their backs, "This is an ice sea, there is no big boat No one can live!"

He looked at Belk, and the captain nodded his approval.

There was no more ore left in the bilge, and the sailors threw away the empty boxes, tore off the precious furs, and threw them into the sea together, despite the fact that the increase in speed was negligible.

If it hadn't been for Becker to stop it, it would not be impossible to throw a few people crying with their heads in their hands.

Seaman stared at the fog behind the stern, and he clearly heard the loud noise of falling water coming from the side and rear.

And getting closer, the sound of waves crashing on hard objects, the waves smashed and scattered into spray.Huge, grim, and hard, with all the hallmarks of those snow-covered peaks, which should stand in the wasteland, among its kind.

The speed of the ship has reached the limit. The crew members are arguing about abandoning some fresh water and food. Different people loudly declare their claims. Those who can no longer bear the invisible source of sound in the cold fog beg the captain to give them a small boat to fend for themselves. More crying and praying, regretting why I set foot on a place beyond the sight of the gods for money.

These human voices were intertwined and indistinct, and faded in Seaman's ears. He heard the sound of broken pieces falling into the water, the same as the sound of dumping ore, but higher, allowing the stones to roll down a steep slope, It made a crisp sound like knocking pottery.

But the ore has already been poured out, and even the loaded boxes have been thrown away.

He realized that this was a sign of coming, and watched in horror as the thick white icy mist rolled more intensely, his feet seemed to be rooted and nailed in place, and his only thought was to detect the warning in time, as if he could have a chance to avoid it it.

All the people arguing on the front deck heard screams from the stern of the ship that were deformed by panic and inhuman.It was as if the fear of the northern seas and mountains that had accumulated in the chest for several years was squeezed out by a huge force at once, squeezing out the remaining air in the lungs, tearing open the glottis and spitting it out.

This scream awakened the fear and awe of the outsiders wandering in the ice sea when they first arrived here. They were overwhelmed by the endless icy waters and undulating mountains, and learned that their stable sailing for more than ten years was just a small accident that had not been corrected by that thing.

The few who still had the guts, or who turned blindly, could see what little light remained in the mist dim, and cold, imposing shadows move through the white chaos.Chunks of solid ice broke away from its surface, and the ship nearly capsized in the surging waves, throwing its tiny occupants up and down.

No mind or body could continue to watch it in the midst of unnatural turmoil, and they clung to their nearest fixtures and prayed until exhausted.

……

……

"And then, then?" Kraft held the cup and took a sip of the liqueur given by the captain. This kind of wine is a bit like the carbonated drink that otherworldly souls like, but the bubbles are not so rich. It is really different from stories and candles. Perfect match.

"Then they returned to Wendeng Port and sold the ship and trading rights. Becker handed over the acquired property to his son to take care of, and set off for his hometown in the inland countryside." The captain took a sip of the cloudy liquor in the glass And exhausted, blowing out a breath of alcohol that was as thick as about to be ignited.

"Other crew members spend their days drunk in the tavern, going in and out of places that are prone to unspeakable ills, or going back and forth between the wine table and the gambling table, and most of them were squeezed out of their last copper coins before they forgot about the voyage."

Perhaps because he thought this was too frustrating as the ending of the story, the captain opened a new bottle of pungent spirits for himself, and after being declined by Kraft, he filled his own glass, took a big gulp, and made some supplements.

"Hi...some of them sold the news a few times among the buyers who were inquiring about the news, and most of the little money left to live on went to the mainland." The sky outside the window had already darkened, dense raindrops hit the deck, and the wind was not strong , Well set off the atmosphere.

The story was over, and the audience was still unfinished. Kupp, who had been suffering from dizziness for a day, came in and heard the second half. He shivered, not knowing whether it was because he was weak or frightened.Judging by the look in his eyes, he still wanted to listen.

Kraft asked his doubts for him: "It's over like this? How did they escape?"

"No, they came back alive anyway. Some of them are no different than dead. They are not doing well." The captain shook his head and sighed. People who live at sea have some empathy. Can you guarantee that their today is not their tomorrow?
So the story is really over, there is no plot of brave captains or sailors fighting monsters in ordinary sailing stories.

It sounds like a group of people were driven mad by something they hadn't even seen in the fog at sea, the incident came to an abrupt end, and they somehow returned to the port to spend the rest of their lives in misery, and the echo of misfortune refused to let go after leaving them.

Such a distinctive style reminded Kraft that he had heard another story about the northern ice fields.Speaking of which, he has been in the college for so long, but he never found a chance to go to the students of the seminary to verify the authenticity of the story shared by his cousin.

Out of excitement, the idea of ​​compiling a collection of stories as an amateur was revived. At that time, I could open a separate volume for the mysterious wild world north of Wendeng Port.

"I would like to include this story in a book, if possible. Where did you hear it?"

"Oh, it's a long story." Speaking of this, the captain took another sip of his wine, the irritating liquid seemed to choke tears into his trachea, and he coughed and burst into tears.He was unknowingly drunk and a little out of sorts.

"Guess who is the second generation of the ship who bought the trade opportunity?"

"Uh... what should I call you?"

"William, William the Beard."

(End of this chapter)