“Don’t think you have to worry about that, you‘re not part of my crew.” Skree said.
Mills stopped walking, locking eyes with Skree. “About that…” he said, letting the words hang in the air.
“About what? My crew?” Skree asked, feeling a sudden burst of joy. “Wait, you want to join my crew don’t you?”
The pirate looked at him with a mischievous grin. “I was hoping to throw my hat in the ring. You know I’m a fine top man, and I could be an asset to your crew.”
Skree saw his opportunity to have some fun at Mills expense, so he shook his head. “Mills, buddy, I know we have been good friends up to this point, but you have a crew and I just don’t think you would be a good fit.”
Mills stomped his foot and his face flushed with anger. “Good fit? Listen here Captain,” he said, putting snarky emphasis on the word Captain. “I’m a damn fine sailor and your friend to boot. Half the Captains in Theseldora would be glad to have me aboard their ships.” He pointed a finger at Skree. “You’d be lost without me and you know it.”
He sighed, shooting the angry pirate a sad smile. “I don‘t doubt you’re a good sailor, otherwise Fenna would have kicked you off her ship a long time ago, but I’m trying to run an efficient crew and you have been nothing but trouble ever since I met you.” Skree barely kept a straight face as he watched Mills working himself into a full head of steam. His face was so red Skree thought his head might burst. Even Priestess looked ready to give him an earful.
He winked at the sailor and grinned. “It‘s a good thing I like trouble.”
“You bloody bastard.” Mills said, grinning from ear to ear. “You got me good.”
“That’s for pushing me overboard. Wanted to ruffle your feathers a bit.” Skree said.
Priestess burst into laughter. “You should have seen your face! Red as my scales!”
“Yeah, yeah.” Mills said, tousling her head. “He got me.”
Peels of laughter filled the air, and they started walking again.
“Fenna isn‘t going to like me poaching her crew.” Skree said. “Are you looking to be general crew or did you have a role in mind?”
Mills fished under his shirt and pulled out his profession medallion. He held it out to Skree, the shiny disk dangling from a gold chain. “Have a look.”
Miller Jefferies - Apprentice Sailor
Helmsman - Rank 2 - Journeyman
Captain - Rank 0 - Novice
Gunner - Rank 1 - Apprentice
Boatswain - Rank 4 - Master
Quartermaster - Rank 0 - Novice
Skree whistled at his rankings. He was a master Boatswain, meaning he could easily repair the ship and would add a ton of bonuses if assigned the role on his ship. Not to mention two ranks as a Helmsman, meaning he could easily take turns at the helm. No doubt about it, Mills would be a valuable addition. He handed the medallion to Priestess, and she inspected the details. She smiled, handing it back to Mills.
“So you are more than just a pain in the tail.” Priestess said, stroking her tail for emphasis.
Mills snatched his medallion from her tiny clawed hand and stuck out his tongue. He draped the chain around his neck and tucked it away. “What do you think?”
“You are a master ranked Boatswain, how could I possibly say no? Would you come aboard as our Chief Boatswain?” Skree asked, crossing his arms with a smirk.
“I think that would suit me fine Captain.” Mills said slapping Skree on the back. As Skree expected, a quest update appeared, bringing him close to the end of his quest and more juicy profession points.
Quest Updated - Find a crew, find a job and start sailing.
Completion: 80 percent complete
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 - Completed
Boatswain - Completed
Gunner - Completed
Reward: 35,000 Experience, 2 Profession points
Priestess tugged on Mills shirt. “What is poaching?”
He chuckled. “When a captain hires a crew member from under another captain. A crew member is free to leave at anytime, but captains can get real testy when someone like me leaves their crew.”
Skree huffed. “Someone like you?”
“You know, someone as experienced, naturally gifted and most of all, devilishly handsome.”
“I’ll give you two out of three.” This time Skree slapped him on the back and walked away.
Mills jogged after him. “Wait, which two?”
Chapter 35
Turns out, Skree didn‘t have to wait long to meet Old Greg, the man with more information on the Great Rift. He showed up first thing in the morning when they opened the doors of the boardinghouse to potential hires. This morning they were looking for the new helmsman
“What‘s your name?” Skree asked, bright eyed and bushy tailed. He was excited for the day ahead. Not only was he halfway done with finishing his crew after adding Mills the night before, his breakfast had been delicious.
“Iffin it please ya sir, you can call me Old Greg.” the man said hissing through his missing teeth. Skree perked up immediately. Old Greg walked up to the table and slid his cards across the table, one sleeve knotted at the end of a stump just below the Elbow.
Skree leaned forward, shoulders tensing. “The Old Greg who stuck his arm in the Great Rift?”
“Heard about that did you?” The old man wagged his eyebrows proudly.
Skree and Priestess exchanged glances, both excited by his answer.
“Can I see it!” Priestess asked like she was a preschooler wanting to get her hands on your phone.
“Priestess.” Hawkins grumbled. “Not polite to ask something like that.”
The old man perked up. “You want to see it?”
Skree peered at Hawkins nervously, and back at Old Greg. “If you feel comfortable showing us.”
Old Greg perked up immediately. “Hell yeah you can see it.” He strode confidently forward, undoing the knot in his sleeve with practiced ease. When he revealed his arm, Skree nearly gasped. A few inches below his elbow was a flat stump, an impossibly flat stump. as if his arm just ended in a perfect amputation.
“Behold, the arm that don‘t exist!” He said, moving his arm as if his hand was still there. Skree squinted at the place his hand should be. Extending away from the stump, he could swear his hand was there. He could see the fingers moving, the tendons in the hand flexing but there was no hand. There was nothing there. Skree tentatively reached toward him, nodding to the extended limb.
Old Greg nodded and Skree flinched when his hand went through the space. Despite not seeing it with his eyes, his mind kept telling him there was a hand right there. Four fingers and a thumb.
“Down low!” Old Greg said, holding out his hand for a hand slap. Skree instinctively slapped, and knowing for sure with his eyes that nothing was there, he still whacked the table when his hand passed through the empty air.
He turned to Priestess, “Side-to-side!” he laughed, holding the hand that wasn’t there sideways for another slap. She swung her arm and nearly lost her balance when she whiffed. Her eyes went wide staring at the non-existent hand and gasped, “That‘s impossible. I know there isn‘t a hand there, but, I know it's there.” She leaned forward, sniffing the hand that wasn‘t there.
“I can smell it, even though, my nose can't.” she said between each inhale of the scent. “This is impossible.” She turned to Skree, and he saw the amazement in her eyes. “This is impossible, right?”
Skree nodded. He couldn‘t think of a better way to describe it than Priestess had. He could see it, even though his eyes could not. He could feel it, but his hand did not. “Impossible.”
The old seadog was grinning wide enough for Skree to see just how many teeth he was missing. “No lad, not impossible…”
he leaned forward, holding up his middle finger. “Improbable!”
Skree jerked his head back. “Did you just flip me the bird?”
He winked, leaning forward to rest both his palms on the edge of the table and fell, whacking his head on the edge. Skree leapt from his seat, reaching across the table to stabilize the man. He looked up, a little embarrassed.
“Now imagine being me, I know its there, but it‘s fucking not!” He said, hastily turning away from the table, re-knotting his sleeve. “It‘s embarrassing when I forget. When I have the sleeve rolled up, it feels like it isn't there. Stops me from making mistakes.”
“That’s the most incredible thing I have ever seen.” Skree said reverently. “Do you still wish to sail with us?”
“Shouldn‘t you at least look at my card?” he grinned, jovial once again.
Skree‘s eyes shot open, realizing he hadn‘t. He snatched the card up, quickly inspecting the details, knees going weakand he fell back into his chair.
Old Greg - Grand Master Sailor
Helmsman - Rank 5 - Grand Master
Captain - Rank 5 - Grand Master
Gunner - Rank 5 - Grand Master
Boatswain - Rank 5 - Grand Master
Quartermaster - Rank 5 - Grand Master
“You‘re a Grand Master?” He choked.
“Damn straight. Life at sea is the life for me.” Old Greg said, pounding a fist on the table.
Fenna stood, striding over lazily. He pulled the geezer into a hug. She pulled away and looked him over. “This is the old goat that taught my dad how to sail.” She patted his lapels. “You’re retired remember?”
He chuckled, whistling through the gaps. "Now I’m unretired.”
“And why is that?” She asked, folding her arms across her chest. “You never, unretired, when I asked all those times.” she said. If she were a normal person, Skree would have said she sounded upset, but this was Fenna we’re talking about. He had never seen a more unflappable woman.
“’If my grand-daughters getting on to a new ship, with an untested captain, you‘re damn right I’m unretiring.” He said grudgingly. He nodded at Skree. “No offense, Captain.”
Skree smiled. “None taken.”
“So you‘re telling me, that if I hired Elaina out from under Captain Skree here you would join my crew right now?” She asked. She glanced at Skree. “No offense.”
He rolled his eyes. “None taken.”
“No Fenna, I want to watch her lead a ship. I would have gone out on the Rose, but that Delavega was a worm. Thinking himself the handsomest man in Theseldora when everyone knows that’s me.” Peels of laughter burst from his throat.
Fenna chuckled, pulling the old man in for another hug. “May the sea welcome you back.” She unentangled herself and turned, waving away the conversation. “He’s all yours Skree.”
“My question stands, do you still want to join our crew?”
He snapped a salute. “Ready and willing Captain!
“You can join on one condition.” Skree said seriously.
The old man grinned, wiry beard making his expression even more exaggerated. “You want to hear the story don’t ya?”
“You guessed it.”
“I promise, on a long night at sea, I will tell the crew the entire tale of how the Great Rift stole my arm.”
Old Greg shuffled away, and Skree let Mills know they had acquired their Helmsman. As the door shut behind Mills, a quest update appeared.
Congratulations! You have completed the quest Find a crew, find a job and start sailing. You have successfully hired a world-class crew and are ready to face the challenges of the open sea.
Captain - Skree
Helmsman - Old Greg
Quartermaster - Elaina Delacruze
Boatswain - Miller Jefferies
Gunner - Milford Moultry
Reward: 100,000 Experience, 2 Profession points
With a smile, he closed the prompt. Now there was only role left to fill. Hawkins had made it clear, even though you won’t see it in the ship screen, a ship's cook is the glue that holds the ship together. Imagine his surprise at the very end of the day, a familiar face walked through the doors.
“Good evening Priestess, and to you as well Skree.” Jury said as he stepped in front of the table. Before either of them could say hello back, Fenna was striding toward him with balled fists.
“Oh, no. Not this time.” she said pointing at Skree. She wagged a finger in Jury’s face. “You are not leaving my crew, no way no how.” She whirled on Skree angrily. “First you take Mills, then Old Greg signed on and now you’re trying to poach Jury?”
Skree took a step back. He hadn’t seen her this mad before. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! I have nothing to do with this.”
She glared at him, leaning across the table. “You expect me to believe that?”
“Um, Captain?” Jury asked, holding up a finger. “It was Priestess who asked me.”
Fenna stood up from the table, glaring daggers at the kobold. “How could you do this to me?”
Priestess shot her a wide-eyed apology, one that reminded Skree of a scared puppy. “Fenna, I’m sorry. I asked him before I knew what poaching was. Mills told me all about it.”
Fenna clenched her fists harder, and growled. She poked a finger in Jury‘s chest. “You’re lucky I like your cooking too much to kill you.” She stormed past the portly cook, her shoulder colliding with his on her way out the door. Hawkins stood, straightening his coat.
“I should go, calm her down, before she really kills someone.” He looked at Jury with a scowl. “You should have talked to her first. You know how much she loves your Éclaires.”
Jury twisted his shirt in shame. “I know, I’ll apologize to her later.” From outside, they could hear Fenna roaring followed by the crashes. Hawkins moved toward the door, but stopped before pushing them open.
“Better make that apology a baker's dozen.” He said, then strode out of the boardinghouse.
The three of them stood in silence for a moment, listening to Fenna‘s shouts fade into the distance. Jury looked between them, eyes settling the kobold. “But you only asked me this morning?”
Skree did a double-take. “and you asked him, anyway?”
“You keep forgetting something important.” She said, her fangs in mock ferocity. “We‘re pirates and we do what we want!”
A grin crept onto his face, achingly slowly as it settled in his guts. They were pirates now. They had a ship, a crew and one of the best cooks in the business.
“Welcome aboard Jury!” Skree said, extending his arm. They shook hands and Priestess ran up, hugging the portly man.
“It’s official, the Sawbones crew is complete! Best day ever!” Priestess said, jumping in absolute joy.
Chapter 36
The next day, Skree assembled his crew chiefs. He wanted to set a plan in motion and let them know his intentions. Jury had spent the night at the boarding house and woke early to prepare breakfast. Skree greeted them as they arrived. Elaina arrived twenty minutes early, uniform pressed, hair tightly wrapped in a bun.
“Good morning, sir.” she said with a polite nod. Skree directed her to have a seat at the table and Jury swooped from the kitchen, laying down a perfectly garnished omelette. Skree nodded approvingly at the picturesque plate. Elaina thanked him and ate, taking great care to not drop any on her uniform.
Next to arrive was Master Guns Moultry, the dwarf dressed in tight leather armor with a golden scabbard at his hip. Skree extended a hand in greeting and Moultry took it in his crushing grasp. Skree winced as the bones in his hand grated from the immense pressure.
“My god Master Guns, that was a mighty handshake.” Skree said, rubbing at his throbbing hand.
Moultry guffawed, slapping his thigh excitedly. “A firm handshake says a lot about a man. Care to shake again?”
Skree flexed his aching hand and shook his head. “Hard pass.” He gestured to the table. “Please, have a seat.”
“Grandfather?” She asked, standing quickly. She looked at the old man, dressed in an old sailor's uniform, marching toward the table with a giant grin on his face.
“Hello Tadpole!” he said, throwing his arms around her and pulling her into a hug. Skree chuckled watching her reaction. She froze like a deer in headlights. She didn‘t hug him back or say anything, she just stood there awkwardly as he squeezed her. When he let her go, she took a step back.
“What are you doing here?” She asked. Skree could see his arrival shocked her.
“Some of the boys told me you was joining our young captain's crew, and I thought, hell, it’s been a long while since I been out on the open seas.” He tugged at his wrinkled clothing. “I dusted this old thing off this morning and it still fits. A good omen if there ever was one.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. If it isn‘t Old Greg.” Moultry said between bites. The old man tipped an imaginary hat to the hungry dwarf.
“Aye, it‘s good to see you old friend.” Old Greg said with a grin.
Elaina finally found her words again. “You swore to never sail again.”
He gripped her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “And miss the chance to sail with my little Tadpole? Not in a million years.”
“Despite how thrilled I am to see you Grandfather, I worry about your health. You’re getting too old for the sea.”
“Too old? Too old?” he asked, feigning shock. “Girl, I forgot more about sailing than you’ll ever know and I am fit as a fiddle.” He jumped into the air, and when his feet hit the ground he yelped, reaching down to clutch at his wounded ankle.
“Grandfather!” she said, rushing to his side. She reached out to offer him support, but he popped upright and shot her a gap-toothed smile that made him look twenty years younger, despite the missing teeth.
“Gotcha!” he said, bursting into laughter. Elaina crossed her arms angrily.
Raiya- Early Game Page 26