by Nelson, J P
We had one catapult on the stern castle and a ballistae on each corner of the main deck, but that was the extent of our long range defenses. I was no naval warrior, just an able-bodied seaman who scrubbed the deck, tied a few ropes, hoisted sail, whatever was needed of common nature. But still, I contemplated quickly and heard the captain in heated discussion with his officers.
Hastings must know our cargo, and apparently he had a personal grudge against Fieunas, but Fieunas couldn’t decide if Hastings would prefer to take the ship as an ultimate insult or sink the vessel for spite. All the while we were fairly caught and the two vessels were closing in on us fast.
If we turned full starboard and ran with the wind, it would take us into the Primrose Gauntlet. Maintaining our course would be to intercept the Gussi-Oht. At best she would steal our wind and leave us dead in the water. At worst, while we were dead in the water we could be fired upon and or boarded.
We could try to put into their wind shadow by steering larboard, stealing their wind, but there would be no way to evade those weapons … and we still would have the Gretchen coming up on our stern.
By the Hounds of Hades, I thought, stuck in the middle of the ocean, in a no-win scenario, positioned on top of bales of cotton with my bow in the center of the ship … bales of cotton …
I jumped off of my bale and ran to Fieunas and said, “Captain, you have to listen to me … I know how to save the ship!”
Chapter 59
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THERE IS A right and wrong way to do anything. What I did was the wrong way to address a captain, any captain, land military or naval, but we were running short of time and my idea would take some time. Providing, of course, Captain Fieunas used it.
The officers all turned to me with ire, they weren’t exactly discussing an intrusion to a tea party, but I held up my hand and insisted, “Captain I know I’m no naval officer but I was a major in the Keoghnariu Army and I have an idea to save this ship.”
Captain Fieunas’s mouth stopped in mid-movement and Quarter-Master Xiscoe suddenly creased his brow and asked, “Are you that Wulf, Major Timber Wulf who breached that pyramid?” Xiscoe glanced at the others and said, “I read about it in a book last year.”
I was caught off guard, a book? Having no time to think of it, however, quickly I said, “Yes, the same, but I have an idea …”
“Then quick with ye, Major, time is ‘a wastin’.” The captain instructed.
I explained my thoughts and got raised eyebrows for them, but we were in a dire straight and it was the best idea yet. The ship masters went to work straightway and I talked intently with the ship’s carpenter, asking questions and making clear what I had in mind. He corrected my line of thinking and gave me a better plan, but still based on my original thought.
We were under full sail and the captain pointed the bow straight at what was now clearly the Gussi-Oht before us. This would be a team effort for sure, and I was putting myself in the front of it all … literally. Both sides of the ship rails were lined with the cotton bales and the crew positioned behind with missile weapons. I instructed the quartermaster in my idea of staged fire and ran to the front of the vessel, climbed the bowsprit and settled around the figure head. I had never imagined myself with my legs wrapped around a lady in such fashion, but, well … and then I *Blended* with my bow ready.
So much counted on my firing each arrow true, there was no room for error.
Using what I now thought of as my *Long Sight* vision I could see an older gentleman looking through a telescope with an amazed expression on his face. In the Vedoic tongue I could lip-read his words, “What in Poseidon’s name is he doing? Is he daft? The idiot is going to ram us head on.” I saw him glance back sideways and I could barely make him out to say, “Prepare to make an emergency turn. Ready all weapons.”
The only chance I saw was to play the most ancient game of Chicken with our forward adversary, and at the last moment turn larboard. By running so close, those metal balls would not have room to hit the Faulta Whimn close to water line, and even in the case of damage we would still be sea worthy. I didn’t explain, but I knew I could help the carpenter repair any wood damage, at least well enough to get us to port.
The enemy main deck ballistae would not be able to fire at a high enough angle to slash our sails, either. Thus pushing those cotton bales to the rail; it would give at least one round of cover to the crew. And with both ships pushing by each other, and should I succeed in my own plan, we would be able to out distance the Gussi-Oht long before she recovered herself, nor would the Gussi-Oht have enough range to fire a second volley. But I had to be precise.
Crawling as far out on the figurehead as I could, I watched the enemy vessel get dangerously close. I figure we were moving at three to four knots, and the Gussi-Oht at least twice that. I was going to have to fire quick and couldn’t afford to miss.
I can’t stay *Blended* unless I’m concentrating, and while I can walk, run or crawl … I can’t fight that way. The fellow I thought was the captain was not in position for me to make a shot, and I had to focus on my real target. I wasn’t trying to win a war or take a prize, I was trying to set us up for a get-a-way. The captain was aft on the poop deck where he could see from safety, and I dropped my effect as the ships came nigh together.
Captain Fieunas was manning the wheel himself and had aimed true to just a hair of the larboard side, so as to force the Gussi-Oht to swerve to our starboard. The problem was that I am right handed, and I was going to have to shoot my bow at right sided targets while hanging off of a naked woman statue with my legs, a statue which I saw left nothing to the imagination and carved to exquisite detail. I thought, ‘If Dudley could see me now …’
Absorbing power from all directions of essence, I tried to *Slow* the world around me and pushed for as much personal speed as I could. Taking aim as the vessels made their near collision I fired into the first opening of the missile deck and took the ballistae operator full in the chest … and then the next … and then the next … all the way to the end of the vessel. I heard a thick whang sound and a crunch against our hull and knew someone had replaced at least one weapon … no … make that two … but I wasn’t done and couldn’t worry about the two hits to our hull.
There was only a moment … and I *Channeled* from the ocean itself into one of my non-tipped wooden arrows and let fly at the rudder … HIT! With the strike I saw an effect, something like a swirling ball of solid water, explode as the arrow hit and splintered the rudder with a loud crash. I wanted to savor the moment but there was still too much to do.
With a gymnastic flip around the bowsprit I ran at top speed across the forecastle while carefully dropping my bow and quiver. I saw our crew doing well amidst some of the pirates trying to jump onto our vessel. You have to give that pirate captain some credit, he was persistent and wanted this ship. I grabbed a rope and swung below, ran more, dodged here, a cartwheel there, and practically vaulted up the one level of the aft castle, then to the poop deck where I was able to *Leap* and grab the yardarm of the main sail of the Gussi-Oht.
Swinging up and *Enhancing* my balance I took to dagger and hatchet and made my way across, cutting every lashing to the main sail in process. Crossbow fire was raining around me and I got cut several times, but not a solid hit.
What I never considered was that while under power of the wind, both of our vessels were heeling, or leaning, in our starboard direction pretty strongly. Once we passed between the Gussi-Oht and the wind, Gussi lost her power, which means nothing is there to keep her heeled. And now I was slashing that which was keeping her main sail up, killing what power she did have.
Where I had planned to jump wide to the larboard of the pirate ship, far from my own vessel … instead the Gussi-Oht rolled back to center and I found myself thrown back to the mast while trying to catch myself. As she came center, the whiplash effect unsettled me considerably, so using my momentum I *Leaped* upward and out toward the wa
ter. The result was my flying high into the air, over my own ship, and landing far to the larboard side of the Faulta Whimn’s poop deck, and solidly in the water.
As I flew the many rods up, and then proceeded to fall the long way to the water, I had time to rethink my whole life and wonder what in Zaeghun’s Lair was I doing up there. I also remembered that I was terrified of heights, and during the moment I quit going up and started coming down I suddenly remembered that these were shark-infested waters … and I was bleeding.
The splash hurt, and for the second time I went down deep and I tried hard not to panic. I also immediately tried to *Summon* a creature companion, fast. Do you remember the catfish? I do. Now let’s say shark … like, uhm, nineteen to twenty feet long tiger shark. I was hoping dearly the shark wouldn’t want a special reward for its help. Did you know a shark’s skin is like sandpaper?
Alright … the shark was my friend … for the moment … now I just had to hold my breath until it got me to the other vessel. Using the dolphin’s teaching, I had practiced and learned to hold my breath for a quarter of an hour. At first I had been worried I wouldn’t be able to hold my breath long enough to get to the Gretchen, I shouldn’t have worried. That shark moved so fast it pulled right out of my grip. Then it came back and had to let me grab hold again. Even knowing this thing was my helper-of-the-moment didn’t help seeing a twenty foot long eating machine swim so fast straight for me.
We got to the vessel in quick order and I got my hands on the underside. There was little time and I would need air, and I was still bleeding. ‘Focus, Wolf, focus,’ I told myself. Adhering to the wood was no problem, although I had to work to hang on, even magically. Tracing the keel, and the up the underside of the ship, I looked for that best place the carpenter told me to go to, which was right at water line … then I locked on and directed my energy into the wood to make it *Rot* in as big an area as I could.
There would be one chance for this, because I had to breathe to make most of my effects work; and it’s a little hard to breathe underwater if you are a mammal. I was beginning to get concerned as all of my breath started leaving in bubbles, and then my *Awareness* felt something big coming through the water my way, and it wasn’t my tiger shark buddy … it was bigger.
On the verge of panic, as the last of my air left my lungs and I strained for breath which wasn’t there, the hull of the Gretchen began to collapse inward … and the rush of the water took me with it. As I was carried in with a rush, a shark’s head followed me in, just narrowly missing my torso. Fighting for a breath, and to get my legs away from the thrashing shark, I scrambled in as the water started pouring in and filling the hold.
Finding the door to the upper deck, I pulled my sword and was about to push through when it was opened by startled crewmembers. Grabbing the first one, I yanked him back into the flooding hold and began my fight to the top.
I’d like to recount the whole thing to you, but it wasn’t pretty, and to be honest I was swinging at anything I could to get to the main deck rail. The crew was wondering what had just happened, and I wanted off ship as fast as possible, hoping my own mates would actually swing around to get me. The thought of being in the ocean with sharks all around didn’t have me excited with anticipation. And seeing me on the top deck wasn’t likely to invoke the pirates to let me stand around and heal myself. To top it off, I was now covered in blood from the crew I had been fighting, not good.
The damage I had done wouldn’t likely sink the ship, although it could. What we were hoping for, and seemed to be what was happening, was for the crew to become so preoccupied at saving their ship they would momentarily forget about me. Several had taken a spare sail and, if my ship’s carpenter was right, these laddies were going to try stuffing that sail in the hole I had made. Long story, there was a way to do it and get a ship back to a dock for refit. The point is, it kept a bunch of them off of my back and would give the Whimn sailing time to get away.
Some of the pirates had a small boat they were packing into, and I didn’t think they were going to invite me aboard. I saw a flat piece of wood floating in the water, so as I was fighting my way around the deck I sliced me a sailor, cut one of the ropes lowering the boat, grabbed a paddle, and sheathing my sword I leapt overboard. While in the water I tried my best to *Blend* as I swam for that big piece of door.
The wood turned out to be a piece of a stall in the hold; apparently where a cow may have once been kept for milk. I think my blending worked fairly well, but my *Awareness* was screaming and I got my legs onto the tiny raft as a shark rose up and nearly capsized me. So much for my blending, the pirates saw me, but apparently wrote me off as shark food. And the sharks weren’t fooled by my magic. I was bleeding, remember?
Moments later he came up from beneath and knocked me and my raft both out of the water. I got my knife in hand as the shark came back around I managed to face it off and applied *Stone Bones* and smacked it in the nose. The smack was more to spin me out of its way rather than a means to pummel it. As I smacked the giant fish I laid my Mythril Blade into the side of its body and slashed a seven foot gash all down its gills and the side of its body.
Trying to spin into a kick, I pushed myself off the shark’s side fast. *Detecting* my slab, I made for it as fast as I could and managed to get aboard and just laid there. Looking below and seeking out the heat of the fish, I watched a shark feeding frenzy I wanted no part of … and they said we were brutal in the coliseums and pits. It gave me a whole new perspective to having a friend for dinner.
My encounter with the shark actually pushed me farther away from the Gretchen, and luck was with me as my paddle floated almost within reach. I had to use my sword several times to finally get the paddle to me, but then I worked hard to put more distance between us.
In the other direction I could see the Whimn coming my way, so I lay there for a few moments and *Self Healed* before going back to my chore of rowing. When they picked me up, all I wanted was to go back to bed and call it a night … well, it was morning now. I couldn’t help but wonder if they would want me to stay up and take my turn peeling spuds.
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I sailed the Whimn for several months after that and I learned the old man on the Gussi-Oht was indeed Captain Hastings himself. We didn’t see him after that, and Captain Fieunas had no intention of pressing his luck. As it was, the word went out that we were the first in years to win a battle against Hastings, and the pirate was livid, vowing to lay claim to Fieunas’s head and mount it on the end of the Gussi-Oht’s bowsprit.
Our captain was no coward, but he wasn’t stupid, either. The time came to put in and have some major refitting done, and it was the Port of Miranda where he chose to do it. Miranda was one of the main ports among the Georgian Islands somewhat south of the equator. It was a beautiful place, tropical, and grew the sweetest pineapple I had ever eaten. The girls were something else, too. But the layover was going to take quite some time, as Fieunas wanted to rebuild the entire poop deck, and I really wasn’t interested in a vacation. He was also contemplating an alteration of the ships sail rigging to include triangle sails on the front of the Whimn. It would be a radical move, but he had been thinking in favor of it ever since the encounter with Hastings. To increase the harnessing of the wind, he thought, if this really worked, even five or so more degrees, it could make a revolutionary difference in merchant sailing.
Jude tried to talk me into staying around, saying Crayge was thinking me up for advancement to a Mate’s position. He wouldn’t bring it up until close to time to cast off, Jude said, but … And to be honest, I thought about it, but somehow it just didn’t appeal to me. Not that it was in any way something to sneeze at, but, well, I was still in a bit of a funk.
You don’t spend years of your life brutally killing people, on rare occasions even someone you recently ate a meal with, and then suddenly wake up and say, “What? Oh, I don’t have to do this anymore? Great …” and then just get on with your life
. And there were those other things … things I still had no answers for. Maybe … maybe just over that next horizon …
The problem was I didn’t know what I was looking for. At least, I told myself, I was hunting.
After a few days in Port Miranda, I cast off for a short run aboard the Grinning Walter III as a Sea Marshal, which meant I was protecting an article from possible thieves aboard ship, not pirates. In this case I had to protect a sealed wooden box measuring one foot wide by one half foot thick by three feet long; a box of which I wasn’t told what was inside, but I had to protect it until it got to destination. No problem, I thought.
Talk about an adventure … me and that box went through three ships, getting stranded on a desert island, four attacks while at sea, a high-speed chase with my stolen box in a wagon and me running across rooftops to recover it, my being arrested as a jewel thief, breaking out of jail, exposing a guild of black market child merchants, crawling through a sewer, swallowing a lizard, being swallowed by a whale, almost falling into a volcano, floating for miles in the air from a cliff-top ruin while hanging onto the four corners of a tapestry, almost getting married to an island tribal woman with a bone in her nose, and more … and not exactly in that order.
Finally I showed up at my destination with the box in good repair, on a wagon, at the Big Island of Kadmus, in the port-town of Lydia. I was met by a grumpy, hardnosed man who didn’t say thank you or job well done. He got me to sign off on a document, handed me a receipt, and gave me a sack of gold coins before having someone take the wagon and drive off with me just standing there. To this day I still don’t know what was in that box.
The time had come, I decided, for me to stay on land for a bit. Having yet to trek an island, I thought I would take me a walk across the hill and take a look at what the locals called mountains. It was interesting to say the least and I had a few more small adventures, but when I walked out on the other side I was pleased to eventually find the Port of Foljur. I had been here once before when aboard the Faulta Whimn.