Ozzy was getting flashes of panic from the pod of porpoises as they realized a large shark was nearby. They formed a tight group around the young to scare off the predator. Porpoise weren't predators, but they weren't defenseless, either. They were so near the Splinter that some of the pod were bumping against it in their panic. That panic turned to intense fear as the smoke erupted, and a huge shark came from deep in the smoke catching a porpoise in its maw and leaping into the air. It bit its poor victim in two, swallowing half of it. The pod made an odd keening noise that filled Ozzy first with sadness and then with anger.

The shark fell back in the smoke and began circling the pod, staying a hundred feet out from the boat. Ozzy had two harpoons ready to throw, but was unsure if he could hit at that distance, and waited for a better shot. Twice more the Void Shark struck, coming from below to snatch a victim from the outer ring and leaping to the air, only to dive back under before Ozzy could attack. For a long few minutes, nothing happened. The shark hadn't left, and the pod knew that, and that meant Ozzy knew that. It would attack again, sooner or later.

Woodrat was making sure the sail was ready to push them across the smoke. His natural inclination was to run for it, even knowing the shark was hunting them and could find them from leagues away. They were notorious for hounding even large ships. "We probably should run and put some distance between us and the fish. It's going to make a meal of them until every last one of them is gone. Their instincts are betraying them. Against normal sharks, grouping up works. But not against this monster."

Ozzy saw how the porpoises clustered tighter and tighter around the ship. He had a choice: Run and leave them to their fate, stay and use the porpoise as bait, or try to get them to scatter and cause a diversion so that most of them got away. He thought for a moment and then made his choice. He couldn't let the thing kill them all. It solved nothing and it would still be pursueing them.

The problem was, he couldn't talk to them like Rolly did, just yell and scream and stomp on the boat, while pointing in one direction after another. Four of them suddenly darted out, racing away from the shark while it was on the other side of the ship. The pod began to split up, more small groups breaking away. The shark tried to race after them, cutting through the center of the pod, and coming closer to the boat. Ozzy placed his harpoon in the spear thrower and took his first throw.

The Void Shark was racing in fast, focused on the food getting away from it. It didn't see the harpoon at all. The weapon was driven deep into the creature by Ozzy's 25 strength and the extra momentum made possible by the woomera. Dark chain followed; the end wrapped firmly around Ozzy's right forearm as the Trammelian Chain connected the two hunters. Ozzy braced and was still almost pulled into the smoke as the shark hit the end of the chain. The ship began moving after the shark as it pulled Ozzy, and Ozzy braced against with one arm around the mast. The porpoises that had nearly been caught raced away.

The shark leaped in the air and then dove down, the chain pulling the boat forward and then going slack. Ozzy could half see; half feel the Void Shark as it circled back towards them under the surface. Woodrat was at the edge of the hull, handling the sail with one hand, and the rudder with the other. In a flash of intuition, Ozzy knew what was going to happen. He took two steps and grabbed for Woodrat, pulling him backwards just as the shark came up from below in the gap between the pontoon and the deck, shattering part of the decking and barely missing Woodrat.

The shark's momentum took it ten feet in the air before it crashed back onto the decking, breaking planks. The harpoon had made a terribly wound in its side, but it was far from dead. And still very hungry. The deck of the ship tilted as the weight of the creature shifted it back and forth.

Ozzy took his second harpoon and drove it deep into the shark’s body, holding onto the weapon with both hands on the haft of the weapon, trying to keep the shark from snapping up Woodrat. The chain from the first harpoon was wrapped around the mast, and Ozzy took in all the slack with Chain Drag. The captain leaped for one of the outriggers and drew his sword. As the shark tried to slide back into the sea, Ozzy grabbed one harpoon with each arm and held it in place. It thrashed much harder as Ozzy started stealing its smoke. It was harder to pull it out of the Void Shark, like fighting against a tide. But the smoke was pouring out of it and Ozzy drank it in. They had to kill this thing before it destroyed the boat or got away.

There was no vision this time of swimming or hunting. Little insight into the creature other than its need to keep eating. Just the overwhelming feeling of hunger. Ozzy was suddenly ravenous, and only the smoke of this creature was going to satisfy him! His strength grew to 30 as his furnace burned fuel at an alarming rate, providing him the smoke he needed for the battle. His muscles were straining and his mind was being lost in the shark's hunger as he sucked away its life.

And then Woodrat was there, on the other side of the shark. His sword slashed through the shark’s skin and muscle like butter, cutting a deep incision over four feet long. Smoke poured out of the beast, and was greedily sucked into the sword until it glowed red hot and burst into flame. Captain Woodrat stared for a moment at the glowing blade and then severed the head of Void Shark in one blow, both the shark and sword screaming together as it died. Ozzy was near to passing out. He'd spent too much heat too fast to maintain his hold on the voidshark.

Woodrat stood, the cooling sword in his hand, and a strange look in his all black eyes. He turned to Ozzy and licked his lips.

Ozzy stood up on wobbly legs and glared at him. "If that sword talks you into trying something stupid, I'm going break off both of your legs and toss you in the smoke for the sharks and then snap the damned thing in two." Waves of intimidation poured off of him, and part of him wondered what Woodrat would taste like.

The sword made moaning noises as it anticipated another fight, but Woodrat smiled and sheathed it. "You would, wouldn't you? Bless your little heart. And my spirit would thank you before I departed, for saving me from this cursed thing. You're a good man, Mr. Ozzy."

After a small break to catch their breath and calm their nerves, Ozzy got to work gutting the shark. The job was half-done by Woodrat already. The captain told him to take it slow, and be careful of the core he was sure they'd find. It was inside the huge stomach of the creature, a dull black orb three inches across. Woodrat pulled it out with two pieces of wood he used like over-sized chopsticks. He wrapped it up and tied it tight in three layers of sharkskin for good measure before putting it into the Deadman's Chest.

"That thing is both valuable and dangerous. Part of the legend of the sword I wear says it and the other swords like it were crafted in a forge heated by burning cores of void beasts. There are stories about some captains even consuming void cores like they would a normal core. Powerful stuff, but it changes a person. Supposedly your furnace gets huge, but it’s always hungry for more fuel. I'd rather sell it off and buy beer and wine for year."

"Why would people pay so much for a core? Are cursed swords so popular? The other option doesn't sound good at all."

Woodrat chuckled. "No, it doesn't. And I don't think there is a man, or woman, alive that knows how to created something like the seven blades. There are other uses for a core, or a void core. They make excellent lures for the larger creatures that some ships hunt. It's hard to entice a Kraken to come up from the deep for normal bait. But put enough heat and smoke around a core and you make a prize that draws them up. And a powerful core from a Void Beast can be used as bait for a larger one, as dangerous as that might be."

They found other things in the sharks’ guts. Gold buckles and copper buttons. A dozen metal coins, and a ruby necklace with twenty-one glittering red stones. Woodrat's eyes gleamed as he looked at it. The last item was a dull grey orb two inches in diameter, it's outer layer rough like the skin of a shark. Woodrat held it up for Ozzy to see. "This is a shark's core. A monstrous one. It quit growing and became just another bit of treasure once it went over to the void. It will have some of the shark still in it, part of its spirit. A man can gain something from it by consuming it."

Woodrat gestured towards the chest. We'll be selling that bit of treasure and splitting the take 60/40. I get the Officer's split, and you get all of the crew's share. He tossed the coins, and gubbins in the chest. As to the rest, the shark core is a special treasure, but the necklace will buy a lot of fun in any port." He picked up one of the coins and flipped it. "Call it Mr. Ozzy."

"Heads."

Woodrat looked at the coin. "Heads it is. You have first pick, the core or the treasure. I'll take what's left."

Ozzy was sorely tempted to keep the necklace and bring it home for Suzette. But he had a notion of what a bit of the shark’s spirit might give him. He picked up the core. Woodrat nodded and scooped up the rubies. Then he looked at the remains of the Void Shark. "Too much even for your gullet to eat. Let's take it's hide and the teeth, dump the head and guts over the side and keep most of the meat. Then we need to move away from this spot. I don't want to be here when this things cousins scent food in the waves."

It was slow sailing with the broken ship, but Woodrat had sailed far worse. After a few minutes of traveling, Ozzy was happy to see some of the pod of porpoises returning and gliding along beside them.

Captain Woodrat

You have slain a beast of the void. The bodies of these creatures may differ, but what they represent is a primal force of hunger.

You have earned 1000 experience that may be used for Smoke Eating or Swordsmanship.

You have earned 10 points to be spent on Core Skills

You have earned the gratitude of the Pod of Nequeshan.

Mr. Ozzy

You have slain a beast of the void. The bodies of these creatures may differ, but what they represent is a primal force of hunger.

You have earned 1000 experience that may be used for Smoke Eating or any Hunting Skill

You have earned 10 points to be spent on Core Skills

You have earned the gratitude of the Pod of Nequeshan. They promise to bring you many more sharks to kill.

When Ozzy had found out how few CSP Woodrat had had when they first met, it explained a lot about the wide grins and exuberance that his captain had every time they gained points or experience. The man had spent decades as a common crewman, unable to advance because of the system of ranks on a ship, and constant problem of having enough smoke and heat.

Woodrat had talked about how both fuel and heat were controlled on a ship. There was a constant need for heat to be replenished in the sails. Only someone that could learn the skill Heat the Sails! was eligible to become a Mate. Of course, once you had the skill, your captain expected you to contribute some of your heat each day. On good ships those sailors were supplied with more food, and a special drink he called Grog, that helped to replenish heat. On a bad ship, the crew lined up and was required to give as much heat as they could, and kept starving and fishing constantly for any bits of fuel or smoke.

He compared that to what the corporations had tried to do with contract workers. If Sedgewick hadn't had so many threats nearby, and if his group hadn't had some luck, they might have stayed at Tier 1 forever, happily working away on their little chores. They'd broke through to Tier 2 through a series of unlikely events. Well, unlikely in the real world. In Genesis, unlikely was the norm, and the unthinkable was getting common. He'd told some stories to Woodrat, and the captain had rolled his eyes in disbelief.

Billy was the key to keeping their freedom in Sedgewick. He'd made a good start by waking him up with some harsh truths, and he'd been immediately more like the old Billy. He had no doubt that Rolly, Suzette, and Ben would keep working on him. Suzette had accomplished miracles with the deals for the tavern, the brewing, and then the treaties with the various groups around them. He just hoped that what he was learning or earning here in the Smoke ended up being worth the time away. And there was his rebuilding Charnel Pit to think about. He hated the idea of the thing finishing and then just sitting quiet and dormant. He wanted to get back to it and get another batch of bacon started. Maybe try Canadian Bacon next, and some smoked brisket. If he could find sharks, he was going to smoke up a whole shark. He wanted to eat it in the Conjunction and see the difference.

Just thinking about his Pit gave him some ideas about it. Those chains! He had such a better understanding of how to work chains now. What would those alien metal chains feel like to use? He had a sudden vision where he stood high in pit, looking down as his chains grabbed sedge carcasses off of a wagon and dragged them into the smoke-filled top stories. That's where he belonged and was going to head back to, as soon as he could.

The little daydream ended and he looked out over the smoke, seeing the porpoise leap and play. Knowing he was going home made him feel better as they sailed slowly along on these strange seas.

Captain Woodrat (Mate, Veteran Shipwright) Level: 6 Much better thank you, Warming up

Smoke: 1525/1525 Heat: 650/2325 Fuel: 662/1623 Furnace: 0/27 Smoke Eating:0/15

Mr. Ozzy, (Crewman, promotion to Mate pending.), Level 10 Slightly Injured, Blazing

Smoke:5770/5770 Heat: 5000/13250 Fuel: 1023/5570 Furnace: 0/150 Smoke Eating: 0/130

"HOLY SHIT! What the hell is it doing? What did you numbskulls do to rile it up?" Joe had been sitting by the small firepit outside the smoke pit listening to one of Makken's long winded and sometimes pointless jokes, when he saw Sam and Luther slam the doors to the pit and run away. From inside came the sounds of chains and splintering wood.

Luther was staring in fear at the building. "Nothing. Nothing at all. It took a load of sedge beast, and cleared out the carcasses in record time. Then grabbed the next wagon and did the same. I could swear the chains were humming and singing. Then the chains went berserk! They struck out at the walls, tangled themselves up, and grabbed the wagon and started breaking it up. That was enough for us! It's like a crazy beast. Sorry Joe, but we're done for the day. Hopefully it's calm tomorrow."

The sounds of chains slamming into stone walls seemed to say that was going to be unlikely.