Part 1

It was charming, the sea. I found its repetitive cadence and endless horizon, charming. In a strange, calming way, restlessness didn’t approach me even once in the first three days of voyage. My impending threat of death, the need for a cure, the safety of my sister, none mattered at that time. Everything was put on hold, as if the sea had swallowed them whole, leaving only a hue of soft foam hovering gently over our heads. Mine at least.

The word “calm” did not bode well with my sister’s behavior. She was exuberant and full of energy, with eyes sparkling with life like a kid should. From the very first day, she would run around the ship with the captain’s daughter, climbing the masts like monkeys, perching on the crow’s nest and bothering the lookout, or generally bothering the crew…especially the cook. Though, bother is too strong of a word. If one were to describe them in the eyes of the crew, the most fitting description would be mascots. It was unsurprising how none of the sailors seemed to mind the two girls meddling, most likely due to them being used to the captain’s daughter’s shenanigans during previous trips.

I enjoyed watching them run around or play what appeared to be child’s games from a nice, little spot I found for myself. It was a thin corner between the railing and the right-most stair leading to the raised platform where the helm was. That corner of mine was raised about a meter high with nothing on it, a forgotten corner, unlike its twin on the left side where a bunch of barrels were stowed. I perched in my little corner whenever there was nothing to do around the ship. We weren’t asked to help nor work, but I still offered my hand whenever needed, as a way to pass time.

It wasn’t my first time at sea, not in this life. But the one and only time I traveled by ship was when I bought myself a cruise, which I mistakenly compared to this voyage. Alas, it was completely different. While Julie seemed to feel cradled by the continuous bobbing of the ship, I, on the other hand, wasn’t able to sleep a wink. Be it the sound of creaking boards, the whooshing of the waves, the incessant bobbing, or the seagulls and other birds screaming incessantly, I slept at best two to three hours a night. Surprisingly, it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would, compared to weeks prior. Yet still, dark circles formed heavy under my eyes as the third day came.

The morning of the third day was different. I was restless, ever since dawn, when I woke up, I could not find peace. No matter how hard I trained, how deeply I tried to meditate, or how much I tried to busy myself, I could not steer my mind off that restless feeling tingling just below my skin. I sat in my corner, scribbling and rewriting my old spellbook on a new book I bought in Blackwall’s market. A thick book covered in dark red leather with thin, black rope finings, very simple and very much like my old one. Yet, even though I was writing, my mind kept wandering away every ten or so minutes. That’s when I felt it, a slight change, almost insignificant, in the cadence with which waves crashed against the ship.

I thought it chance at first, a shark or a whale-like animal that swam too close to our vessel, but it persisted. Once, twice, tens of times the cadence changed. It was no chance at all. It was different, unknown. I got curious and stowed the book, ink, and pen away in the small bag on the back of my waist. I made my way toward the head and looked in both directions, searching for the source of that interference. I was not the one who found it.

The bell rang loudly, clearing the ship from any other sound except for the stomping of feet resounding vividly through the wooden planks. Sailors and company rushed onto the main deck, their eyes darting from the captain to the crow’s nest, wanting to hear the reason for their calling.

“Aight, aight, settle down boys!-” Shouted the captain, his tanned skin glistening with sweat as he made his way towards the railing separating his platform from the deck “- Lookout! What got you so riled up over there?”

“A battle, sir!” Replied the young man in his twenties in a strong accent.

“A battle?-” Asked the captain surprised “- Who’s fighting?”

“I don’t know, sir. There are two ships-” Replied the man concerned “- and a lotta smoke. I don’t see flags but they look as if under attack”

“Steer the helm, quartermaster!-” Shouted the captain “- Men! Get in position! Rules of the sea impose us to be of help if need be but in the off chance this be a trap, LEAVE NONE ALIVE!”

A great fuss erupted on deck. Sailors ran around executing orders barked by their superiors as they gathered weapons, fixed barrels and moving objects with ropes, and generally getting ready. Those who had no ability, or need, to fight hurried up and scurried below deck. Amongst them was Julie, dragging Ikirra, the captain’s daughter, to safety. She looked at me in the eyes, crossing our gazes for but a moment, but it was enough to see a shadow cladding the light that sparkled brightly the last few days. I knew at a glance that she was recalling the night of the raid, the moment she saw me. That underlying fear, embedded deep within her heart, was no easy ice to melt.

“Lad-” Said the captain from halfway down the stairs as he looked down at me still sitting in my corner “- You should join them below deck. ‘Don’t know how safe it’ll be once we reach ‘em”

“Thanks for your concern-” I replied as I stood up and walked to the end of the stairs, watching with uninterest the people rushing below “- but I’d rather not hide”

“Still-” The captain replied with exasperation in his tone “- Can’t let a guest, especially one so close to the king, rush in danger and die. My head would be the next to roll. I see you have a sword but…”

“I know, I know, you are worried it’s all for show, uh?-” I continued his unspoken words with a faint sigh “- Worry not, I can defend myself. Still, your ship, your rules, so let’s meet halfway. I’ll stay on deck but I won’t leave the ship. A guard dog”

“...Aight, that’s fine by me, but I’ll be leaving some men behind to guard as well” He answered with a purposefully heavy and loud huff that managed to ruff his thick mustache as he walked up the stairs back to the platform.

“Fine by me” I muttered as I leaned my back on the wall beside the double doors leading below.

In less than five minutes we were close enough to them that I could distinguish the various people fighting. And I wasn’t the only one. The men were restless some, especially the younger ones, even jittering as it was clear now that the smaller ship was being assaulted by the greater vessel. Pirates, clearly, by the sheer ruthlessness that seemed to hover in the air around those ships.

It was too late to turn back. Both the pirate ship and the assaulted ship had noticed our presence. The latter even rose the flag signaling for help and rules forced us to help if it was within the ship’s capabilities. The captain barked his orders, goading his crew with the promise of good meat and booze upon arrival. Simple but surprisingly effective.

I watched with disinterest as the events began to unfold, the restless feeling that held me hostage since the morning finally subduing. I felt as if it all was beneath me, as if it didn’t affect me. It puzzled me. Nonetheless, I kept my focus sharp and my mana ready in case things got dicey, though I hoped the need to resort to magic never came.

[How laughable of a mage!] I told myself as I thought of that.

I reached for my sword and caressed the handle. A meager consolation from an unfamiliar iron. The voices became loud enough for us all to hear, then became screams, shouts, and warcries. The men rose their swords and cutlasses, screaming to match their soon-to-be opponent’s might and we sailed close and closer until I could count the hats on the enemy’s deck. The anchor dropped and the catwalks fell, connecting us to the pirate ship now openly sporting the black flag. Floods of men rushed from our ship to theirs, meeting a flood of men rushing to our catwalks in an attempt to stop us.

The first souls were lost in that whirlwind of chaos and weapons. Both sides, rather all sides, were losing men with every breath. A stray arrow landed not even thirty centimeters away from me, what intrigued me was the trajectory of it which was opposite of where the pirate’s ship was. It was but a stray arrow, I paid it no mind, instead I focused solely on the captain’s actions.

He had a curious way of fighting, holding in one hand an elegant rapier shining in silverish hue while a long knife, something halfway between a hunter’s knife and a gladius, in the other. Despite his wide build, he was nimble and had good reflexes, though his swordplay was crude at best. There were no fancy moves, no swirls or complicated feints, he simply stabbed, thrust, and slashed, injuring and falling enemies at high speed. Those of his men who behaved like cowards at first seemed to breathe in newfound vigor as they saw their captain in the first line. A rare sight perhaps.

Our ship’s deck was now almost empty. Everyone was eager to “save” the struggling smaller ship from the big, bad pirates, thus rushing onto the pirate’s ship to end it fast. Other than me, two others stayed back when the assault on our ship began. Catwalks and ropes were thrown onto our deck from the smaller ship now creeping dangerously close to ours. Men dressed as sailors but with mugs similar to those of pirates came rushing in. I sighed as one of our men escaped to the pirate’s ship while the other fell back, behind where I stood. Soon, ten or twelve of our enemies were on deck, standing in front of me.

“Well, well-” Said chuckling one of those pirates dressed as sailors “- seems we’ve got one with balls in here, uh?”

“Say, laddy.-” Continued one other with long hair and a nasty, still-red scar running down his neck “- tis a trade ship, no? How ‘bout you step out and let us do our jobs and we’ll let you live? Not bad right?”

“No can do” I replied plainly as I extracted my sword and place it, tip pointing downward, in front of me.

“Nah-” Grumbled the man who spoke first “- No use haggling with this one, plus he looks like a fancy boy. Son of a noble or some shit, maybe? I’m boss’ll like to sell him out too”

“Sorry to disappoint but I’m not that valuable-” I replied faking a wide, business smile “- My father’s a soldier and my mother was a housewife. Can’t earn much from me but I’ll make you all a counter-offer. How about you turn around and leave this ship? If you do that I’ll let you all keep your limbs”

“HA!-” Shouted a third man sporting a long, unkempt beard “- issa threat! The laddy’s threatening us! HAHAHA”

“We outnumber you-” Added the first man once more as he pointed his sword at me “- so be a good boy and let yourself be captured! BOYS, GET HIM!”

At his words, the ten men rushed all together toward me and the doors, leaving behind the one who barked the order. I rose my sword with one hand, ready to intercept the closest opponent while, with my free hand, I threw the knife strapped to my thigh. I imbued no mana in my hands in preparation for the throw, surprisingly I did not need it. The knife flew past the first line of men, two side by side, and ended its flight as it lodged itself in the throat of the man behind them. He fell down almost instantly, wetting the wooden floor with a crimson pool as those behind him slowed their steps, whether out of fear or shock mattered little to me.

“So be it!” I replied as I swung my sword to meet the swordsman on the left.

Our swords clashed and our momentums came to a halt, our blades stuck in defensive position one against the other. I, then, moved in the opposite direction, towards the man rushing at me holding an iron mace in his hand. Taking advantage of his momentum, I entered his striking space and landed a kick, or rather a stomp, making full use of the thick side of my boots onto his knee. He was too slow to react, too untrained. He staggered and lost balance long enough for me to grab his own weapon, only to then kick him on the side and steal his breath as he rolled back.

“I warned you all” I said plainly as I swirled the opponent’s mace once in my hand, to get a better grip, and slam it down on the first man’s unprotected head.

Blood exploded from his eyes, nose, and mouth as he slumped down at my feet, dead. The others stopped and stared, finally making sense of my threats. Some even stepped back, dread in their eyes. I took full advantage of their hesitation and rushed in, sword in one hand, mace in the other.

“W-what are you waiting for?-” Shouted the man who first barked orders who had now fallen back many steps “- Gang up on him! Kill him!”

The to meet my blade was a man a few years older than me. I tried to cut his neck but, by sheer luck or good reflexes, he dodged my first swing and tried to retaliate sloppily. I smashed his knee with my mace and slashed at his neck once he was down on the other knee. Then came the next, holding a long scimitar. He tried to slash me vertically but I was too fast for him and his blade only met wood. With my sword, I blocked him from dislodging his from the floor and slapped him across the face with the mace, causing several teeth to fly out in the face of one of his companions, blinding him. Then, I slashed and smashed, then slashed and smashed, then slashed, slashed and slashed, until only three of them remained on deck. With broken spirits, they fled back in an attempt to escape my sword only to meet death at the hands of the captain’s crew.

“D-did you do all this…sir?” Asked one man with worry sounding clear in his tone once he saw me standing among the fallen opponents.

“Do you see anyone else here?” I retorted snarkily.

“No, but…ehm, it-it seems that those guys are not with the pirates but not with us either. Did they use the confusion to jump on board, sir?” Asked the man once more after regaining his composure.

“Exactly-” I said plainly, using the clothes belonging to a corpse to clean my sword “- If you mind, guard this place in my stead, I’ll go pay my greetings”

The sailor tried to rebuke me, probably in an attempt to stop me, but one of those who were with him placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head in a “no”. Once I figured they were indeed keeping guard and not running away like those before them, I walked the catwalk and joined those who attacked me on their ship. Using the chaos of the battle between pirates and the little ship’s sailors, I slipped through the deck and walked down the stairs supposed to lead to the cabins.

To my surprise, there were no cabins, instead the whole space opened up into three large sections. One was full of bed rolls and hammocks tied to wooden poles. Another had barrels, crates, and the sort while behind them stood a more enclosed section, supposedly the captain’s quarters. Finally, the third section was full of squarish things covered by dirty sheets. In the midst of that section was the captain with a few men, most likely hoping to hide away until our crew cleaned up the pirates.

He was dressed in ragged clothes, bleached by the sun and salt, full of holes and mismatched patches. A long leathery coat, too small for his large build, covered his whole body, stretching around the shoulders and unable to cover his sides due to his immense belly. The only redeeming piece of clothing was a fancy cavalier hat. It was made of black velvet refined with darker leather and silverly threads. A big and soft-looking feather in radiant gold and dark brown colors lay atop it, reaffirming that refined and elegant look the velvet first hinted at. Truly, a hat too good to be on that fat and unclean man.

“Captain! Someone’s coming!-” Shouted one of the sailors guarding said captain as he called for the attention of the others and formed a line of defense between him and me “- Stop there, intruder! Turn back or you’ll die painfully!”

“Empty threats-” I replied as I fell into battle stance a few meters away from them “- Same as those your crewmates did once they attacked me. Now they are the dead ones”

“What are you waiting for, Wan?!-” Croacked the captain with a sweaty brow and sloppy demeanor “- Kill him! Kill him now!”

As soon as warcries erupted from their throats, the five men rushed at me altogether. They all held cutlasses in their hands, some only one others two, and their aim was to use their numbers to overwhelm me by closing me in a circle and attacking me from all directions. I did not trust my prowess with the sword to the extent that I could win at their game. Makin full use of the thinnest of the corridor that separated the three sections and the numerous wooden poles, I slipped away from their formation every time they seemed to close on me while also delivering small wounds at my assaulters.

Finally came an opening. One of the bigger men, whose leg got repeatedly injured by my blade, slipped on a bedroll and briefly lost balance, causing him to fall down on one knee. I jumped at the chance and slipped through the hole the man left in the formation only to slither behind said man and slit his throat while doing so. The scene was enough to shift the momentum of the fight and deliver a heavy blow to the remaining sailors. They attacked again, more rageful, more blindly, and with less conviction. I dodged and dodged until one fell behind in the formation, giving me enough time to strike the man closer to him. A thrust to the chest and he was laying on the floor, choking on his blood and holding his chest tight. The formation crumbled and the three remaining men now attacked me at random. I sustained a small injury to the thigh in exchange for taking the hand of one of them. The rest was easy and in the next dozen of exchanges, I was the only one left standing.

“Now then, captain-” I said after regaining my breath and walking towards the cowering man “- It’s only you and me now. Care to tell me what’s this all about?”

“...I have no clue what you’re talking about! The one thing I know is that you killed my men. ON MY SHIP! It is an unforgivable sin!” Shouted the man in what I thought was a hopeless attempt to call for the attention of those on the main deck.

“Let us be civil, yes?-” I replied placing the sharp of my sword against the side of the man’s neck “- Your men were the first to attack me. Retaliation was fully within my rights, is it not? Our ship came to your air and you repaid our good faith with betrayal. Care to explain that?”

“Tha-That was a mistake!-” Stammered the captain “- An honest mistake! We thought you were with the pirates!”

“Oh really?-” I asked rhetorically as I moved my blade closer to his neck “- And yet I remember clearly your men saying how elated you would be if they captured me and those below deck. I also remember them saying something about me being a noble. Is that what you do? Mistake nobles for pirates and proceed to capture them on sight?”

“Well, yeah…mhhm, that is…I-I mean” Stuttered the captain, clearly unable to come up with a sound answer before being interrupted by a series of muffled noises coming from behind the sheets. Then, I connected the dots.

Wordlessly, I moved my sword away from the captain and with a single slash I cut down most of the sheet, revealing a series of cages containing a great number of individuals. Though surprising was that none of them was human, or rather, all of them were half-human. Their lower body was a fish’s tail and all of them had crests and fins like a fish would. Their hands were tied behind their back, their mouth muffled with a tied piece of cloth, and their tails tied together with chains.

“I see we have company-” I said as I cut more sheets on both sides of the section, revealing more and more chained people “- Merefolk, uh? I guess you are a slaver, right?”

“No, no, I-I’m-” The captain tried to say before being stopped by the tip of my sword resting against his lips.

“Shh, I heard enough from you. Let’s hear it from them now-” I said slashing once more, this time aiming for the piece of cloth tying the closest merfolk’s mouth “- Mind coming closer so I can free your hands?”

“Who are you?” The man around ten years older than me asked with a sore voice.

“Sorry, but I do the questioning right now-” I said placing the sword once more against the captain’s neck before he could attempt to flee “- I’m sure you’ve heard our conversation so, care to tell me your side of the story?”

“...We are merfolk of the red-shore tribe. While out hunting, men came to our dwelling and kidnapped our young. We set off to pursue as soon as we found out but got captured in the process. These people are slavers! Kidnappers! Free us, please” Said the man with a rageful fire burning in his eyes.

“I’m sure this will sound heartless but slavery is permitted in most kingdoms-” I said, causing the man’s ire to be aimed not only at the captain but at me too “- If you are this man’s property I cannot intervene. I am a human, I must abide by human laws”

“WE ARE NO ONE’S PROPERTY!” Shouted the merfolk man as he wriggled in anger in what must have been an attempt to look dangerous.

“Then, show me” I answered plainly.

“Show you?” He replied perplexed.

“Yes, to my knowledge, legal and certified slaves are marked on their bodies with symbols belonging to said slavery company that are later modified to also show them being property of their master. I know not of the process in which those marks are made, but, since you are supposed to be this man’s slaves, shouldn’t you all have been marked? Thus, if you do not possess a mark, you are not a slave, ultimately proving that this man’s a kidnapper” I explained more calmly and detached than I thought I was.

“We are merfolk!-” Shouted the man as he gritted his teeth “- We do not abide by human laws!”

“But I do-” I replied glaring at the snarling merfolk “- I’ve already spilled enough blood to come here. I’d rather not add more innocents to the list”

“...what do I have to do?” Said the merfolk with a sigh speaking volumes of his resignation.

“Lose your clothes”

“Eh?”

“I said: lose your clothes. I need to check for the mark, don’t I?” I said, inching closer to the merfolk while keeping a watchful eye on the captain.

“‘Suppose you do” Replied the merfolk with an even heavier sigh as he began to untangle the strips of pearl white cloth covering his upper body and the metallic plates adorned with shells.

I searched the man’s toned body for the mark, both the front and the back. But there was no sign of it ever being inscribed on him. Other than a few fresh wounds and bruises from what seemed to be a beating, his body was clean of human traces. With a satisfied sigh and a glare that said “I told you!” the man began to pick up his clothes and dress again while I repeated the same process with three more merfolk, both men and women, to make sure the first wasn’t a fluke. None were marked.

“Seems you really are kidnappers and the whole deal with pirates attacking you was an unlucky event. Well, there’s no need of you any longer” I said readying my sword for a swing at the man’s neck.

“NO, PLEASE WAIT! I CAN-” Tried to plead the captain before he was interrupted by the sharp end of my blade running through his throat.

“Ohhp, this is payment for wasting my time-” I said grabbing the fancy hat before it could fall into the now-forming pool of blood “- Now onto freeing you guys”

I dug through the bodies and found the keys to the jails in the chest pocket of one of the five men that attacked me. It then took me a while to try every single key in every single socket before I could free each and every one of the merfolk. They delivered their thanks and the man I spoke to introduced himself as Poiseus, a captain of the red-shore tribe’s soldiers. Seeing how the chaos on the upper deck had died down quite considerably, I began to make my way up, followed by the twenty or so merfolk, not before cutting off the head of the captain.

The fight was still raging strong once I exited the stairs but it seemed to have moved towards the pirate’s ship rather than staying on the kidnapper’s. Over there, it was a free for all. Pirates were defending their ship while actively trying to kill the kidnappers and defending against my crew. They outnumbered us but the pressure put on them from both sides seemed to be enough to even the odds, turning that battle into a stalemate. With a loud whistle, I focused their attention on me.

“Your captain’s dead!” I said once the noise died down, then I threw the severed head as proof causing the dead captain’s crew’s faces to pale in shock.

A cheer erupted from the pirates as they began to slaughter the remaining kidnappers. Not knowing those were kidnappers, my crew jumped into the fight even more fervently, causing chaos to rise once more. Suddenly, a bell rang loud, deafening even, from the pirate’s ship and all pirates rapidly and fairly orderly fell into a defensive position, trapping those who were on their ship in a vice-like grip.

“Hello there, sir mage-” Said a loud, young, and charming voice coming from behind the row of pirates “- I didn’t expect to find one of your kind here…quite a tragic way to ruin my plans, I see”

“I didn’t expect a pirate to be able to discern a mage from a common man” I retorted wittily, waiting for the owner of the voice to show up.

“My name is Captain James Finneas-” Said the man proudly as he made his way through his men and stood up on top of the railing of his hip, purposefully looking down on me “- I can see you are not from these parts so I’ll spare you the lengthy details about me and my career. Courtesy dictates you introduce yourself, no?”

He was a tall man dressed in fire red, black, and golden clothes. Long blonde hair waved down until they reached the captain’s shoulders. His head was adorned with a black bandana and his hair were, at times, tied in locks and braids adorned by colorful pearls. His exposed chest showed a long scar running diagonally from his left shoulder while bits of a tattoo of what appeared to be an anchor showed up from behind his cream-colored shirt. His eyes were of a verdant green, bright and full of spite as if a flame burned hot behind them. His witty, even though quite cocky, expression, together with his overall look, made him look less pirate-like than I thought one would, even granting him an intelligent look.

“I am Raphael Bluescale, a mage as you said-” I replied making a big show of tipping my new hat and bowing in respect. Though of course, it was naught but an act “- I suppose we are having this conversation and not aiming for each other’s life for a reason?”

“Oh yes-” Replied the smug man “- As a pirate, I’ve been cruel and I’ve done some awful thighs, but I’m still a captain and a captain cares for his crew. I know stories of you mages, how you can use nature to kill hundreds. I’d rather not see it with my own eyes”

“Is that why you took these men hostage? To prevent me from sinking your ship?”

“But indeed!-” Answered the captain clapping his hands “- Let’s strike a deal, shall we?”

“What kind of deal, pirate?” I asked crossing my arms.

“One in which me and my crew leave to see tomorrow. Tell me, mage, what would be enough to let us leave and go our separate ways?”

“...Safety for my crew and reparations” I replied plainly, though hiding a slight, excited smirk.

“Of what kind, if I may ask?” Replied the captain smirking just enough for me to see.

“You have a powerful vessel, Captain Finneas, I’m sure you are a wealthy man. One gold coin per life of my crew your men took. Then, we live and breathe each on our own”

“You are a greedy man, sir Bluescale” The captain replied showing me with teeth.

“What can I say-” I replied with a shrug of shoulders “- I value life that much”

“...So be it-” Sighed the captain as he snapped his fingers “- Boatswain Thompson! Count the dead belonging to the trader’s ship and pay one gold coin for head…Once done, we’ll put them on a rowing boat, sail away and let them go”

“You won’t go further than a hundred meters before releasing them. I am a man of my word, Captain Finneas, I won’t harm you or your people as long as you do not harm mine” I said glaring at the man.

“Very well…”

In a matter of minutes, the pirates led by Captain Finneas, had gathered twelve gold coins and were now lowering my captain and his crew on rowboats while also putting some distance between them and us. Once even the last of our men had been delivered, Captain Finneas ordered to spread the sails and the ship gained speed, finally putting sensible distance between us.

“I will not forget this, Raphael Bluescale!-” Shouted the captain from afar “- You impeded the work of Captain James Finneas and that is a sin I shall remember!”

“Tch, suit yourself” I whispered to myself.

With the situation now resolved, the captain and the leader of the merfolk began discussing their next moves while I helped the crew get rid of the corpses and clean the blood littering both ships. The captain was apparently one of the very few people who had amicable relationships with the merfolk and had conducted business with them for some time. He offered to bring them to their island, but the merfolk refused stating that, if they accepted, their debt in our regards would grow too big for them to shoulder. Thus, after exchanging some pleasantries between them, the captain of the merfolk soldiers offered me one of his necklaces. It was a fine necklace made with a silver-like metal adorned with shells and pearls in various shades of red. He told me it was a sign of friendship, recognizable by every tribe of merfolk. If I were to show that necklace to any of them, I’d be spared the blade and treated in fair manner. Though it would not signify their trust as merfolk are generally distrustful towards other races, especially humans.

With an order from their leader, the merfolk jumped off the ship and began swimming, creating complicated patterns and water games under the surface, giving us an unforgettable show. The cleaning continued and the discussion of what to do with the kidnapper’s ship ensued. It was decided that the ship belonged to me as I was the one who infiltrated, killed the captain, and resolved the situation. Not knowing what to do with it, I asked it to be dragged along and, once we reached port, I would sell it, giving part of the earnings to the captain. The cargo held by those kidnappers was composed of food, drinks and a number of weapons. I exchanged food for coins and gifted the booze to the sailors while the captain agreed to sell the weapons in my stead for a fee.

With the second ship now tightly bound to the main one, sailors on break partying on both, food being cooked and delivered and the two kids now running around like nothing happened, the sails were set and the wind carried us forth. Music, cheers, dances, and songs continued until the sun had long set as more and more men fell drunk and sprawled across the deck.