by Tamryn Tamer
“Sorry!” Iris shouted while stifling a laugh in her pillow.
“I think your freckles are cute!” Zinnia shouted.
Madam Gardenia only came on deck to discuss business with the captain and always carried her parasol with her. He never really noticed it before but his interactions with her were almost always indoors or in shaded areas. He always assumed she preferred coaches for comfort but found himself smirking at the idea that she was afraid of freckling.
“You have something to say Lord Sebastian?” Madam Gardenia asked while glaring at him.
“I think you’d look cute with freckles,” Frost teased as the girls erupted in laughter.
“Captain!” the barrelman yelled from the crow’s nest. “Ship on the horizon! It’s still pretty far out but white sails and a gold flag.”
Cassia had vanished from her spot and appeared in the crow’s nest. The beautiful white-haired elf was leaning over the edge of the crow’s nest and staring intently at the horizon. Frost couldn’t see it at all but he figured that had more to do with him being on the deck than his vision since the barrelman was also human.
“Whoa!” the barrelman yelled as Cassia appeared next to him. “How did you get up here so fast?”
“The white sail is unmarked and the gold flag has what appears to be a white bird on it,” Cassia shouted while ignoring the man. “Men armed with what appear to be crossbows are lining up on the starboard side of the ship. I’m fairly certain they’re not friendly but I’ll know more when they’re closer.”
“Thank you,” Frost said while turning his head toward the helm of the ship. “What do you plan to do about this captain?”
“Men,” the captain shouted. “That standard belongs to the Swiftwing Company! Everybody to your battle stations!”
“Haru,” Frost said while staring at the irritated woman. “Should I be concerned?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” Madam Gardenia answered. “While companies are required to maintain peaceful relations while operating in Nir there are no rules on the ocean that compel us to be friendly. It really depends on whether the other captain feels there’s profit in attacking us. Captain, how concerned should we be?”
“It’s a coin flip,” Captain Cage answered. “You know how it is. But the fact that they’re lining up bowmen doesn’t bode well for a peaceful resolution.”
“Lord Sebastian,” Cassia appeared next to him and smiled excitedly. “Can I prepare?”
“Yeah,” Frost said, gently grabbing her arm and pulling her in close. “But remember, you’re Mitty, my bodyguard and only a level fifty-eight shrine maiden.”
“I remember,” Cassia smirked.
“I’m going to get ready for a fight!” Jasmine said as she excitedly hopped around throwing playful punches. “I can’t wait to break in my new equipment.”
“Me too,” Zinnia said as she rushed the Myrran, her large breasts falling out of the decorative ribbon wrapped around her body. “Whoops!”
“Um,” Iris stopped next to Frost and tapped his shoulder. “Are you going to stay up here? Shouldn’t you go get ready too?”
“I’m fine,” Frost said, reaching into the small back attached to his belt and pulling out a sheathed espada. Although he was shirtless, he wasn’t defenseless. He had two rings enchanted with weak barrier spells and his evasive abilities were excellent. “I have everything I need.”
“Maybe we should let you handle everything Lord Sebastian,” Jasmine joked while licking her lips. “Let you work up a sweat.”
“While I’m glad that your entourage isn’t panicking, they should be taking this seriously,” Captain Cage said as the girls rushed down toward their room. “The nearest coasts still belong to Rilia so it’s not as though we have anywhere to run to if things go south.”
“I wouldn’t be concerned about that Captain Cage,” Madam Gardenia said. “Between Lady Mitty and Lord Sebastian everything should be fine.”
“I’m not going to take your word for it,” the captain said as his men came rushing from the hull of the ship with tower shields and wooden racks.
The crew started lining up on the side of the ship with the racks and slipped metal pins into the bases of them before attaching their shields. The men took positions behind the shields and armed their crossbows and set out buckets of arrows. Other crew members armed themselves with swords and took positions anywhere with cover. A trio of rangers carrying longbows climbed up the mainmast and joined the barrelman in the crow’s nest.
The aeromancers, along with some elementalists, positioned themselves behind the shields with the extra archers while the head of the aeromancers joined the captain at the helm. Frost watched as the aeromancer guzzled enough energy potions to leave him out of commission for two days once they wore off.
After about fifteen minutes Frost could see the ship on the horizon and estimated it was still a couple minutes out. Zinnia, Cassia, Jasmine, and Iris came rushing up the stairs completely armed and ready for combat.
Cassia changed into an ornate white robe with a matching white leather belt. An elegant scabbard holding her longsword hung from the white belt. Frost hadn’t seen Cassia use the blade but the way she carried herself suggested that her ability levels in swordsmanship were similar to his. Beneath her robe he could see white knee-high boots.
“Hm,” Frost said while staring at her hair which she’d pulled back and tied into a ponytail. “That’s a cute look on you.”
“I might have to wear it like this more often,” Cassia said with a playful grin.
Frost checked out the other women and quickly became concerned. All three of their weapons were uniquely designed to incorporate elemental gems in them and as he looked closer at their gear, several armor components were similarly modified.
Iris’ greaves not only had slots for elemental crystals on the heel and knee, but also had a series of holes drilled into them that appeared to connect to the gem slots. Zinnia’s shield had several slots on the inside of the shield and her sword’s pommel appeared replaceable. Jasmine’s gloves were the most absurd of the trio’s equipment. The black spiked gauntlets had large red gems inserted into the palm and the wrist guards extended all the way to her elbows, finishing in a bladed edge.
“Absolutely not,” Frost said while staring at the women. “First of all, have you all forgotten what happened when Phyrra agreed to help Renna test the Whirly?”
“But Renna tested these!” Jasmine said while smacking her gauntlets. “She even let me try them out on a dummy!”
“Second of all, I see fire gemstones in those palms and we’re on a wooden ship,” Frost said.
“You girls really should know better than that,” Cassia said. “We don’t want the ship to burn down.”
“I can swap them out,” Jasmine said while fiddling with the gems.
“We’ll be really careful,” Zinnia said while tapping her shield with her sword. “Please.”
“No,” Frost answered sternly. “Besides, Ca…Mitty and I can handle everything ourselves. There’s no reason for you three to fight. Just go stand with Haru.”
“But we…”
“No,” Frost interrupted while pointing at Madam Gardenia. “You three can be in charge of protecting Haru. You’re only allowed to fight if somebody gets near her.”
“Fine,” Jasmine said, pouting as she stomped toward the ship’s helm to join Madam Gardenia. Zinnia and Iris begrudgingly followed behind her. “I’m just going to have to hope somebody attacks her.”
“Renna did test the gear,” Cassia said quietly. “She wouldn’t have sent them out with defective items. You should have a little more faith in her. She’s not only beautiful, creative, and enthusiastic. She’s also much smarter than you give her credit for.”
“She’s certainly creative and enthusiastic,” Frost said while thinking of the energetic elf’s various inventions as well as her poor unsuspecting testers. “So enthusiastic that she never thinks through her designs and smart enough
to find other people to try them on.”
“Is this about the Super Sparkle?”
“Yes, it’s about the Super Sparkle,” Frost said. “But it’s also about the Zappy and the Zip-Zip and the Hoowoo.”
“The Hoowoo was a success,” Cassia said with a playful grin.
“As long as nobody used it for more than an hour,” Frost said.
“Mmm, personally that’s when it starts to get good,” Cassia giggled.
“Prepare to turn,” Captain Cage yelled while steering their ship away from the other. “If they follow then they either intend to attack or talk.”
As the ship turned off course the oncoming ship made similar adjustments and continued heading toward them.
“I don’t suppose that could just be a coincidence?” Frost yelled up to the captain. “Like when you’re trying to move out of the way of somebody else and they step in front of you?”
“Afraid not Lord Sebastian,” the captain said. “Men, ready yourselves.”
“Lord Sebastian,” Cassia nodded toward the ship. It was still a little over a mile out. “Wouldn’t it be wise to get rid of the oncoming ship before it arrived in range of ours? There’s always a chance that they’ll use fire magic and damage our ship. If you’d like, I could simply run over there and cut the bottom of their ship open. I also have a small assortment of attack spells that could probably reach them from here if I fully charged them.”
“I’d prefer not to draw too much attention to ourselves,” Frost answered. “I’m a merchant and you’re my bodyguard. People will have questions if we instantly wipe out a ship.”
“People with questions can always go missing before they find the answers,” Cassia replied.
“They could,” Frost said. “And if it comes to that I’ll let you know. In the meantime, let’s handle the enemy ship properly. Use barriers to protect this ship and eliminate anybody that comes on board. I’ll handle the enemies on the other ship.”
“Lord Sebastian, I’m your bodyguard. It should be the other way around, shouldn’t it?” Cassia smiled while elbowing him. “Are you worried about me?”
“Yes,” Frost said. “But not in the way you think. I’m worried about what you’ll do if you’re the one over there. It doesn’t need to be a slaughter.”
“Oh please,” Cassia chuckled. “What are you going to do? Tickle them into submission? I’ve been so good lately. Can’t you just let me enjoy myself by wiping out some heretics?”
“You have been good which is why I’d hate to give you a reason not to continue being good,” Frost gave her ass a smack and heard several guards positioned behind them mutter profanities.
“Fine,” Cassia sighed while glancing back at the men standing behind her. “I’ll protect the ship and you can board theirs.”
“Thank you,” Frost said. “I’ll be sure to reward you for being a good girl later.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
Frost activated Aura of the Divine, Breath of the Goddess, and Fate’s Guidance as the oncoming ship sailed toward them. The moment he activated the abilities he knew their intent and it wasn’t good. He sensed hostility and the same type of tension he would sense from bandits hoping to ambush him on the roads in Zira.
“It’s going to be an attack,” Frost yelled to the captain.
“You don’t know that for sure,” Captain Cage said as the enemy ship raised a white banner with a black scale on it. “And it looks like they want to parley.”
“They definitely intend to attack,” Cassia said, confirming his own feelings.
“Captain Cage,” Madam Gardenia shook her head. “If Lord Sebastian and Lady Mitty say they intend to attack, they intend to attack.”
“Banner says otherwise and I’m not about to start a fight with a ship that says it wants to trade,” Captain Cage said. “I have a reputation to uphold. Raise the trade flag to show we’re not a threat.”
“That’s a mistake captain,” Frost said. “You’ve turned off course to avoid them and you’re accepting a trade request. You’re pretty much declaring that you’re thrilled to avoid a fight.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Captain Cage asked.
“Nothing unless you’re up against somebody looking for easy pickings,” Frost said while staring at the enemy ship. “Then you might as well be yanking down your pants and presenting your ass for a good fucking. If you have a battle flag you should raise it, might deter them.”
“I’m not going to be taking orders from an elf-fucking lord with no sailing experience,” Captain Cage said as the ship got closer to them. “And for your information Lord Sebastian, if you raise the trade flag, you trade. If your company violates that then nobody will trust your company in the future.”
“There’s an easy solution for that,” Cassia laughed while pointing her blade at the enemy ship’s crow’s nest. “Make sure nobody survives to explain what happened.”
“Maybe that’s how you merchants do business on land but it’s not how we do it at sea where you need to rely on each other,” the captain snapped. “Fucking degenerates.”
“Captain Cage,” Madam Gardenia snapped angrily. “I am officially advising you to raise your battle flag before that ship gets any closer.”
“I’ll be sure to add your advisement in my log,” the captain said. “But I’m the captain here Bloodtail. You’re just a passenger. If you’re worried you can head to your room.”
“I’d rather remain in view of Lord Sebastian and Lady Mitty,” Madam Gardenia said. “Jasmine, Iris, Zinnia, keep your guard up.”
“Yes ma’am,” the girls said simultaneously.
Both ships slowed their approaches as they came into range of each other and Captain Cage handed his first-mate the helm. The large man walked toward the edge of the ship and took a position behind the shields as the two ships stopped parallel to each other.
Frost immediately began scanning the crew of the opposing ship. Most of them were under level thirty but two of them in the crow’s nest were level forty-five elementalists and he could sense fighters with similarly high levels hiding behind the crates lining the deck.
“This should be fun,” Cassia whispered while playfully tapping the pommel of her sword.
“Just protect the ship,” Frost said quietly. “I’ll handle the rest.”
“Ahoy!” an old skinny man wearing a gold tricorn hat yelled from the other ship. “I’m Captain Everston of the Swiftwing Company! Who am I speaking to?”
“Captain Cage of the Black Crown Company!” Captain Cage shouted back at him.
“You have some strange folks aboard your ship Captain Cage,” the man said while scanning Frost and Cassia. “Never seen an elf that high-level. Who are they and where are you sailing in from?”
“I’m sailing in from Zira,” Captain Cage answered. “And who they are is none of your concern. They’re guests on my ship. Are you going to stand around asking questions or you want to get to trading?”
“What is all of this yelling about?” a woman’s voice said while walking out of the captain’s quarters.
Frost would have described the woman as extraordinarily cute. She was on the short side with long fluffy white hair that flowed everywhere and nearly reached the floor. Her bangs covered her eyes but the rest of her facial features appeared gentle, except her smile which Frost would have described as sensual.
The woman was wearing a large blue decorative hat which matched her knee length naval style coat. Under the coat she was wearing a short matching blue skirt and white thigh-high stockings with a pair of dressy flats.
Frost was unsure of what to make of the gorgeous well-dressed woman.
“Captain,” she said, approaching Captain Everston with a scowl. As she walked, Frost noticed three large fluffy tails that were previously hidden by her hair and realized she was a Kina. He imagined that her ears were hidden under her azure hat. “What is going on here?”
“Well,” Captain Everston nodded toward Frost and
Cassia. “We’re just discussing some trading.”
“Trading?” the woman glanced at the armed men and bit her lip. “Captain, you hired me to bring you good luck. I’m not feeling very lucky. Maybe you should trade with another vessel.”
“You normally bring your Kina out when trading?” Captain Cage asked, clearly picking up on the Kina’s behavior. Several shifted their positions while pretending to move some barrels. “Can’t think of the last time I needed a Kina to help me figure out a fair price in a trade.”
“Indeed,” the Kina said as she scanned Frost and Cassia. He did the same. She was only level thirty and her listed class was enchanter so she wasn’t a fighter. The woman glanced at Madam Gardenia standing at the helm, although with the hair in her eyes Frost wondered how well she could even see them. “Might that be a member of the Bloodtail Clan I see?”
“It is,” Madam Gardenia answered. “Haru Bloodtail. What should I call you Whitetail?”
“Erena of the Whitetail Clan,” the Kina answered, forcing a smile. “A pleasure to meet you Lady Haru. Your reputation precedes you.”
“What kind of reputation?” Captain Everston asked the fluffy white woman.
“Haru Bloodtail is rather notable among Kina merchants,” Erena said. “She successfully joined a major trade company at the age of twelve and over the years she has engaged in an extraordinary number of successful business ventures. She is also one of the few Kina to find success outside of Nir. For the past seven years she’s been cultivating alliances and supply lines in Zira and there are some rumors that she’s looking to expand. In the Black Crown they call her Lucky Haru.”
“Lucky Haru?” Captain Everston said with a smirk. “I suppose everybody’s luck has to end sometime. Attack!”
Erena sprinted back into the captain’s quarters as the assault began.
The enemy crossbowmen released a volley of arrows as Captain Cage and his crew dove for cover. Most of the arrows glanced off the row of shields but a few found themselves lodged in the legs and arms of crewmen. At the same time, a barrage of ice spears rained down over the crewmen hiding behind the shields, landing in various legs as the men scurried out of the way of the projectiles.