Chapter 2 - Shipwreck

The fury of the storm grew steadily as the Khajiits climbed out onto the main deck. Whiteness and wind-blown snow flakes blinded them. They were in the middle of a blizzard, and out in the water they saw mountains made entirely of white. None of them had seen snow before, let alone an iceberg.

They retreated back into the ship and began gathering up whatever supplies they could find. Dead crewmembers were scattered about, their bodies and faces strained in the same hideous way as the man who had freed them. Although the Khajiits seemed to be immune to the disease, none of them dared to tempt fate by touching the dead.

The ship began to shudder as the hull scraped against something. There was a loud crunch from the front, and the sudden stop flung the Khajiits forward. Usually nimble and light on their feet, none of them were ready for what happened next as the whole ship started to flip over. Up became down and everything on the ship that wasn't tied down shifted and flipped. A giant table from the galley crashed through the wall and crushed two of the dazed Khajiits under it's weight. Ra'Kam dodged to the side as a barrel flew towards his head.

Slowly, the ship began to settle and the water began rising. The other Khajiits searched around but the scant supplies they had gathered had been dashed everywhere. Ra'Kam crawled over to the table to check on his fallen companions, but there was no hope. “What should we do Ra'Kam?” said a very frightened J'Dron.

Ra'Kam looked at the ceiling that had once been the floor, then back down. “Khajiits must swim down to get free.” The water had already risen to his knees and he waded over to the flooding stairwell. The water was freezing cold and his legs were already going numb. He took a deep breath and dove into the hole.

The water was so cold he could barely hold his breath. He looked around and saw two possible ways to go. Directly in front was a small corridor and he swam towards it. It turned left and right so he swam left. It looped back around and provided no exit. He swam back to the stairwell and broke the surface with a gasp. The remaining Khajiits looked at him expectantly and he looked back at J'Dron.

“There is one possible way for us to go. Swim quickly my brothers!” he said to them, then took another huge breath and swam down towards the other corridor.

There was a great deal of damage in that corridor and the tunnel was tricky to navigate, especially with fingers that could no longer feel anything. He looked back and saw J'Dron swimming behind him. A body floated past which caused J'Dron to panic, the air in his lungs bursting free as he gasped.. He tried to swim back, but got himself turned around. Disoriented, he began clawing at the ceiling.

Ra'Kam tried to reach for him, but J'Dron kicked at his touch as if one of the dead had grabbed his leg. Ra'Kam felt the back of his head strike something and suddenly he had his own panic to deal with. He had to focus.....had to. J'Dron made one last spasm against the wood, then went still.

Ra'Kam swam back to the stairwell with J'Dron's body in tow and broke the surface, breathing in some of the little air that remained. The water had already risen to chest level and the remaining Khajiits were praying for a miracle. “There is one chance my brothers,” he said to them “but you must be brave. If you cannot follow, then hope to one day see you all in Paradise.” He took another deep breath and swam for the exit.

The exit turned out to be a hole in the hull of the ship. The ship disappeared into the murk below him as he swam for the surface. The storm was still raging, and there was no escape from the bitter cold. He felt his body starting to cramp up, and flailed around for something, anything, to hold onto. Luck was on his side as he managed to grab a piece of debris that was floating nearby. He began weakly kicking towards some unseen shore as his consciousness began to fade