Raiya- Early Game

by Russell Wilbinski

  Ship Name: Sawbones

  Ship Captain: Skree

  Ship Model: Galleon

  Ship Weight: 400 Tons

  Crew: 1/220 personnel

  You can find additional ship details in your assets menu.

  You have been offered a quest! Find a crew, find a job and start sailing.

  A ship without a crew is worth nothing to a captain. As the owner of a brand new ship, it’s time to find a crew. Fill the following roles:

  Captain - Completed

  Helmsman - Unassigned

  Quartermaster - Unassigned

  Boatswain - Unassigned

  Gunner - Unassigned

  Reward: Experience, 2 Profession points

  Do you accept, Yes or No!

  Congratulations, you have attained your first official position in your chosen profession. 5,000 bonus experience granted.

  Congratulations, you have reached Druid level 19. You have earned 5 attribute points, 5 unspent. You have earned 5 skill points, 10 unspent.

  Congratulations, Zuka has reached level 19. 3 attribute points earned, 3 unspent. 2 companion talent points earned, 4 unspent.

  Skree was desperate to open the prompts, especially his new attribute points and dig in, but there was still work to do. He accepted the quest, dismissed the prompt and noticed Priestess was smiling happily just as he was.

  “I own a ship! And we have a quest!” Priestess said cheerfully, clapping her hands excitedly. Skree bobbed in his chair and opened his mouth to respond but the Harbormaster cleared his throat again and pointed to the sign above his desk that said ‘No Idle Chatter’, so he clamped his mouth shut. The brusk man pulled out a roll of twine and bundled the papers together once more, tying the documents horizontally then vertically and handed them to Skree.

  “Please complete the rest of the forms and return them before you make any preparations to set sail. You can hire any crew you like and return those at the same time.” he explained, standing to his full height. “Congratulations again, Captain Skree.” He shook their hands and sent them on their way.

  Outside, Jury and Mills waited with bright smiles.

  “Oi, how does it feel to be a captain?” Mills asked, slapping him on the back. Skree remembered his profession title and opened his character screen, ticked the box to display his title of captain and closed the interface.

  “Feels great!” Skree said, grinning like an idiot.

  Jury nodded, shaking hands with Priestess. “You too little lady, you must be just as proud.”

  “I own a ship Jury!” she said, hopping up and down. “I will be a pirate just like you!”

  “Yes, you will.” Jury said.

  Skree hefted the bundle of papers with a grunt of effort. “Who knew being a ship’s captain required so much paperwork?”

  “The life of a captain is much more tedious than that of a run-of-the-mill crew member. We just have signed our lives away on a single sheet of paper.” Mills said, throwing an arm around Skree and pulling him along. “Let's stop by Pete’s and celebrate with a few pints.”

  “I don‘t know if I have time, I need to read over these pages and get started on everything.” Skree said, resisting Mills' efforts to move him along.

  “Come now Captain Skree, a few pints ought to do the trick. Plus, me and Mills will help, but I missed breakfast, and me stomach is grumbling something fierce.” Jury said, patting his rotund belly.

  “And you don’t want to see what he’s like if he misses lunch, downright nasty.” Mills said, making a sour face.

  “You know I get the spins if I don’t have enough to eat.” Jury said.

  “Fine, let’s get something to eat and you guys can answer some of my questions.” Skree said, walking with his friends to Peg Leg Pete’s for a much-needed lunch break. It was a beautiful day and Skree reveled in the cool breeze, the sounds of the city, and the distant songs of tropical birds that played through the narrow streets. Again, he realized just how busy Theseldora was.

  When Fenna had first described it, his imagination had run wild, picturing squalid living conditions, dilapidated housing, and gangs murdering people in the streets. He knew there were dangerous people in the city, like Butt-face and his ilk, but there were bakers, cobblers, smiths, and merchants of all kinds living their lives in this so-called pirate town. If it weren’t for the kobolds and Carver’s Bay, he would have been happy to call Theseldora home.

  Mills stepped in front of him, barring him from entering Pete’s tavern. Skree raised an eyebrow and asked. “Mills, what are you doing?”

  He grabbed Skree’s shoulders and met his eyes with a grin. “Me and the crew wanted to thank you. First, Captain Fenna told us how you overpaid by a significant margin for your transport, and we heard from the families of the men we lost on that island. They said Fenna paid them restitution far exceeding what is standard, and that you were the one to thank.

  Jury stepped beside him, nodding his approval. “You have proven to be a friend to the captain and the crew of the Typhoon. For that you have our recognition. We wanted to do something nice for you, both to thank you and to congratulate you on the new ship.”

  “Now.” Mills said, releasing his grip and turning to face the door. He looked over his shoulder, grabbed the doors and threw them open with a grin. A cheer burst from inside and Jury threw an arm around his friend, grabbed Priestess's hand and pulled them toward the door. “Let‘s have some fun!”

  Inside, the entire crew of the Typhoon held mugs of cold ale in salute as they entered and Pete rushed over to push mugs into their hands so they could join in the cheers. Skree and Priestess raised their mugs and everyone slammed back the ice cold brew with gusto. Pete led them to a long table or rather, a dozen or more tables pushed together to make one long table. In the corner stood another table that could have seated twelve men, stacked high with platters of food. Meat, vegetables, fruits, and even pastries covered in a bright red jelly that covered every inch.

  Skree was so amazed by the display he felt tears welling in his eyes. The crew of the Typhoon had become a second family to him, they had saved him and the kobolds from certain death. He would have done anything to repay them and here they were, trying to repay him for his actions, actions he had considered necessary. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Priestess jamming pastries into her mouth at a prodigious rate, all while Jury laughed like a maniac at her frantic snacking.

  In small groups of two or three, they greeted him, shaking his hand, telling him their funniest memories from their days at sea and he listened with a smile. These were his people too. He may not be a member of the crew officially, especially now he had his own ship, but damn if he wasn‘t going to miss them in the weeks to come. It took an hour or more to greet everyone, and eventually he had time to sit down and enjoy the mountains of food that had shrunk considerably since his arrival.

  In that quiet moment, an unfamiliar woman approached him with a sad smile on her face, and a young child in her arms. He met her gaze and knew immediately who they must be. She stopped a pace away from him, readjusting her hold on the toddler who fidgeted in protest.

  “Good day to you, Mister Skree.” She said with a curt nod.

  He smiled and said, “Skree is fine, no need for the mister. How can I help you?”

  She looked at the boy in her arms, no older than three and stroked his tiny blond head. “This is Michael, and my name is Belladonna. I wanted to meet the man who Captain Fenna spoke so highly of and who paid my husbands restitution a hundred times over.” Tears welled in her eyes and she pulled the child closer to her.

  “I’m so sorry for your loss. What happened to your husband was a tragedy and wouldn‘t have happened if he hadn‘t been waiting for me. I know money won't bring him back, but I hope it will help you build a new life.” he said, his eyes misting with tearsas well.

  She nodded. “We will miss Monty, but I was under no illusions about the dangers he faced. He was a pirate, constantly sailing treacher
ous seas and battling with merchant vessels. Every day he risked his life to support his family and keep us free of the tyranny of the central kingdom. He loved it, the danger, the fighting, all of it. He would have hated me if I asked him to give it up.” Her eyes were distant as she recalled her husband. As if breaking from a trance, she shook her head and focused on him.

  “Thank you again Mister Skree. I wanted to introduce myself and little Michael here so you knew what your generosity meant to the families of the fallen.” She hoisted the child to her other hip and pointed at Skree. “Can you say hi Mister Skree? Say hi!” she said in an excited, high-pitched voice. After some coaxing, the little boy mumbled. “Hi Mista Skwee.”

  The moment hit him in the chest like a hammer. His lip quivered, and he blinked away tears. “Hi little man.” Deep down, Skree knew it wasn‘t really his fault, and short of offering to raise his kids, he had done everything he could for Monty’s family. Fifty gold was a fortune to most people and now it was up to Belladonna to take care of their child alone. He hoped the money would at least give them a better life.

  “Belladonna, if there is ever anything else you need, just let me know. If I can help, I will.”

  She wiped a tear from her cheek. “You‘re a good man. You have already done enough for me and Michael. He will live a good life, thanks to his uncle Skree.” she said with a wink.

  Skree tousled the boy's hair and made a silly face sending the boy into a giggling fit. “Take care Belladonna.”

  “You too, Mister Skree.” She said, walking away through the crowd and out the door without glancing back. He shook his head and plopped into the chair, not sure how to feel about the whole thing. Across from him, Fenna dropped a plate of food and sat, settling into the chair with a groan.

  “Tough conversation?” she asked, cramming a slice of meat into her mouth.

  He shrugged. “Something like that. Thank you, by the way.”

  “For what?” she said around a mouthful of food.

  “Giving them the restitution as you promised.”

  She stopped chewing and glared at him. “After weeks on my ship, did you really think I would take advantage of a widow and her kid?”

  Shame filled him as his careless words echoed in his mind. He hadn’t meant to offend her, or accuse her of anything, but still, she was a pirate and had taken advantage of him more than once. “Fenna I…” he said, but stopped, realizing he should just apologize. “Sorry.” he said, lowering his gaze. “You didn’t have to tell them it came from me.

  She relaxed, popping a grape into her mouth. “You‘re welcome, and I had to tell them.”

  “Why?” he asked. “You could have taken all the credit.”

  “That would be the stupidest thing I could have done.” She said, shaking her head. “Then everyone’s family would expect me to pay them a similar restitution every time someone dies. Kindness is bad for business.”

  Skree rolled his eyes at her flippant attitude, but still, she was probably right. It would have been more trouble than it was worth. He grabbed a handful of grapes from her plate and stuffed one into his mouth with a grin.

  “Now, tell me how to put together a crew for my new ship.”

  Chapter 32

  Hawkins, Jury, Mills, and Priestess had joined them after the party died down and most of the crew had gone home to their families. Over the course of a few hours, they drilled into him everything he needed to know to hire a crew. In the morning, they would hold interviews for potential crew members at the boarding house and Skree would pick people to join his crew. Hawkins offered to join him for the interviews, and Skree was grateful for his offer.

  After their discussions had ended, Skree and Priestess returned to the boarding house to rest and prepare for what would surely be a long day of tedious interviews. Skree ran himself a hot bath, poured himself a large glass of wine, stripped out of his clothes and slid into the water with a sigh. His thoughts wandered as the steam drifted by in swirling patterns and let the heat relax his aching muscles.

  Eventually, he opened his character sheet and decided it was time to address the many prompts waiting for his attention.

  He opened his skills list and saw the 10 points just waiting to be spent. When he had rescued Priestess, the Great Sword had been a liability, and it forced him to use his hatchets, which he had been seriously neglecting in his training. He pulled up his weapon skills and considered where to put his points.

  Skills Rank

  Daggers 7

  Thrown weapons 2

  Short blades 5

  Great weapons 20 (28)

  Archery 13

  There was so much more he needed to learn to be effective in combat and only having five weapon skills was problematic. He needed to train in as many possible but Theseldora was keeping him very busy. For now, he dumped his points into short blades, boosting his hatchet damage.

  Short Blades Rank 15 - All damage from short blade weapons increased by fifteen percent

  He changed tabs and inspected his attributes.

  Character NameLord Skree

  Hit Points680

  Mana Points300

  Stamina545

  Strength31

  Dexterity23

  Constitution58

  Intelligence20

  Wisdom15

  Charisma18

  Each time he leveled up, he got five more points to spend and each time, it was a painful process. He never knew what change would be best, what attribute might save his life in the next fight. His strength was pretty high and his constitution was over fifty points. He could continue to maximize his survivability, but then he might miss opportunities from stats like Charisma. Wisdom was important for mana regeneration, but did it make sense to spend his precious points there when he was pushing himself to be a powerful melee fighter?

  “Decisions, decisions.” Taking a long pull from his drink, he stared down at his chest and stomach. Thanks to the way attributes forced tangible changes to his body and mind, he was covered in lean corded muscle that just a few weeks ago he would have thought an impossible feat. He never had a real desire to get ripped in his old life, but in Raiya, strength mattered. Gently he prodded at his chest, surprised at how hard the muscle was to the touch.

  “Those beach bod diets would kill for these kind of results.”

  His finger traced a line along a scar, jagged and pale on his abdomen. Even healing magic had its limitations and not all wounds would heal without scarring. It was just another reminder how critical every single point of health would be in the days to come. With a sigh, he spent the points on more Constitution.

  Constitution63 (+5)

  A quick glance at his main stats displayed the changes.

  Hit Points730 (+50 HP)

  Mana Points300

  Stamina570 (+15 Stamina)

  Once again, Skree was very happy to see his companion gaining experience, even without being involved in the quests he was undertaking. If Zuka didn’t get experience like this, it would be no time at all before Skree raced past him in levels and they would not be able to travel into danger together, and just the thought of losing Zuka’s companionship sent a pang of sadness through him. Sadly, the talent he wanted to buy for his companion cost 8 talent points, and Zuka only had 4, meaning he wouldn’t get a significant upgrade for another two levels. Once again, it was just attribute points for his loyal companion.

  Hit Points590

  Mana Points370

  Stamina455

  Strength22

  Dexterity33

  Constitution49

  Intelligence27

  Wisdom13

  Charisma13

  This time, Skree felt putting point into intelligence would hamper his companions true strength - his savage attacking speed and damage. He dropped the three points into strength, giving Zuka a more powerful bite, and a minor increase to stamina.

  Hit Points590

  Mana Points370

  Stamina470 (+15)


  With a simple thought, he closed out the prompts and settled into his bath. In the silence, his mind wandered back to his old life, to his family. What would his father and mother be doing right now? Did they even know he was gone? Was his sister doing okay in college? If they did know he was missing, what did they think happened to him? So many questions, but as with most things in Raiya, he had no answers. He wasn’t sure if it was the steam, but his vision blurred and he shut his eyes, trying desperately to avoid falling into a dark mood. He would choke down his feelings and face the challenges of this new world with a brave heart.

  Chapter 33

  “Wow!” Skree said, looking out the window of the boarding house. “The line of interviewees is around the block.”

  “Many people have been looking for work lately, Fenna and I have been turning down people left and right since we got back to Theseldora. Easy pickings.” Hawkins said, seated at a table covered in crew forms just waiting for signatures. Despite his excitement, Skree was anxious about screwing this up. What if he wanted to hire someone who Hawkins thought was a poor choice?

  Even though Hawkins has way more experience than him, he still wanted to ensure he had a crew he could trust and hopefully like. Life at sea was dangerous and not having a good crew could spell disaster. He shook out the nervous energy and glanced at Priestess, sitting beside Hawkins at the table. He was glad to have her here and knew she was often a better judge of character than he was.

  Outside, Mills and Jury were organizing everyone into groups based on the skill sets and roles they wished to fill on the ship. Fenna slipped inside, leaning her back against the door. She wiped the sweat from her brow and huffed. “Looks like we got the word out. The crew has been bragging about you in taverns for days and now everyone in the city wants to join the crew of the Sawbones.” She pushed away from the door and sat in a chair off to the side.

  “Love that name, that was your friend on the island right?” Fenna asked, looking at him with a kind smile.

  He nodded. “Sawbones was the High King of Kobolds, and one of the best friends I have ever had.”

  “You really cherish your friends don’t you? No one ever named a ship after me.” she said, jutting out her lower lip in a dramatic pout. Skree chuckled and took a seat at the table.