The Butcher of Gadobhra

Chapter 234: Sailing Away

After the battle, Woodrat wasted no time getting the crew back to the ship. Ozzy carried the massive chest on his shoulder as they jogged across the Sargasso. The captain announced that treasure hunting was successful, and they were leaving immediately before something else happened. All of the crew were in agreement with him. They were still in shock from taking part in a battle with such a powerful opponent.

Woodrat was bruised and battered; the blows he took in the battle hadn't hurt until the fight ended. He wanted nothing more than to drink a bottle of rum and sleep away his bruises. But he wanted his ship more. He wanted to sail away from here with a good crew and a flashy ship and to show it off in every port he'd ever been to. He wanted to tell stories and show off his loot. Torn muscles and bruises would have to wait. He saw that his mate was limping as well. It took a lot of smoke to tear up masts and shatter ships, and he could tell that Ozzy was also feeling the effects. But the fight was over, and they were walking away with a chest full of loot. That was all that mattered.

The crew had had their fill of adventure and were also anxious to return to the ship. Getting underway would mean returning to everyday work and celebrating their victory with a mug of rum and a night of telling stories. The promise of a rich reward from the chest was also raising morale.

Admiral Lord Peerson, Knight of the Haze, First Minister to Queen Alura, 3rd Lord of the Inner Sea, Baron of Cingo, and Traitor to the Crown, has perished at last, along with his ship, Conquest.

In acknowledgment of his service to the Queens in this matter, Captain Woodrat of the Splinter is given the Island of Cingo and the hereditary title ofBaron of Cingo.

Each member of Captain Woodrat's crew will receive a splendid ribbon to wear on holiday commemorating this magnificent victory and a piece of the treasure the Admiral carried on his ship.

The Sargasso seemed quiet as they made their way back to the Splinter. When they were halfway home, Derrick pointed to a tiny bit of green that he had noticed. On the side of a derelict schooner, a tendril of the green vine was growing up the hull. Woodrat yelled to the crew. "Another good reason to be leaving. The salad is waking up and growing again. Mariah, take the lead and watch out for any live weed on the ground. Ozzy and Butterbelly follow her. If a vine gets frisky, it won't be able to bind either of you behemoths. Just pull it up or cut it off, and we can have some fresh greens for supper."

Despite the Captain's worries, they encounter not grasping vines on their journey and only saw one more wreck with greenery on it. They arrived at the Splinter and began loading the cargo. Woodrat ran back and forth, observing how the ship sat in the smoke of the flooded channel and then checking to ensure the cargo in the hold was secured correctly and balanced. The loading went fast, with Ozzy putting loads of freight into a net and Butterbelly bringing it up to the ship and lowering it to the hold. The rest of the crew unloaded each net as fast as they could.

When done, Woodrat stripped out of his coat and boots and swam down into the smoke to check the ship's draft. Ozzy took a deep breath and followed behind him, just in case. The Splinter was floating above the bottom of the channel with a good three feet to spare in most places. One strand of salad had grown up to the keel and was trying to take hold. Ozzy grabbed it and pulled it taunt, and Woodrat cut the vine with his sword. The salad whipped around Ozzy, trying to strangle him, but he quickly overpowered it and wrapped it around his arm before swimming to the surface. Once it quit moving, he put it in the galley for dinner.

The chains tying the ship in place were removed except for the two at the bow. Butterbelly took hold of one and Ozzy the other. The ship was heavy but floating, and they could slowly move it along the channel. Woodrat checked the depth constantly, but the canal had been dug deep, and Ozzy had compacted the sides of the track into a rigid mass that didn't shift. An hour later, they were at the end of the floating island, and the work began to attach the rudder and check every chain and sail.

Not every sail was in place yet. The top sail and flying jib would be added after they had a chance to see how the ship movedWoodrat wanted to get the Splinter movingslowly at first and check for any problems with loose cargo or minor leaks. With the rudder in place, the crew made one last check of the ship. All hands were nervous as Woodrat took the wheel and bent his will to the sails.

It was at the captain's command that the sails used their heat to move the ship. Woodrat told himself he wasn't nervous; this was just the excitement of having his own ship. Every sailor dreamed of this day, and it was rare that the dream came true. Even attaining the rank of captain didn't guarantee a ship under your feet that followed your commands. Many captains served on larger vessels, following orders of a higher-level captain. Woodrat thought about the first Splinter, his little raft, and laughed. He'd been so happy then. The wood of the raft was now part of this new ship with its fancy auric hull.

The three sails glowed, and the heat of the hull brought them up to full power quickly. The Splinter moved forward, cutting through the smoke with ease. Woodrat laughed with the sheer joy of sailing. "Alright, lads, let's see what this lady can do. She's fast; I'll tell you that. I'm barely giving her any heat, and she already surprises me. Make sure of your hold at all times, and let's start shaking her down. Mr. Derrick, I want you on lookout. Just because we left the Sargasso behind doesn't mean we can relax our vigilance.

The Splinter was under full sail, moving away from the graveyard of wrecked ships. Captain Woodrat ran the crew through drills, constantly calling for adjustments in the sails and moving the ship to a different course. The crew members were gaining more confidence in each other and sorting out the hundreds of small details that turned a group of individual sailors into a tight crew.

Ozzy was a conundrum to them. The first mate could light the small sails with his own heat, which usually only a seasoned captain could do. And he had woven nearly all of the chain on the ship. The chains and cables were thick and well-made, even supporting Butterbelly. But at the same time, he showed only a basic knowledge of sailing and was constantly coached by the captain and navigator.

No one joked about it, though. The horrific fight with Lord Peerson was fresh in their memory. He might not be much of a sailor, but there was no doubt about who was the toughest sailor on the ship. Still, watching him scramble up the chains to adjust a sail or move a chain was amusing. He was hesitant at first but quickly gained confidence, despite a few falls to the deck and once into the smoke.

Several sailors were anxious when he fell off a boom and into the smoke. Woodrat spun the Splinter around calmly, calling out orders like this was just another drill. They spotted the first mate thrashing in the waters, and when they came up alongside him, he threw the dead body of a 12-foot shark onto the deck. The shark had a mouth of broken teeth, and its head showed signs of many blows. Butterbelly picked it up and dragged it off to the small galley. He'd taken on some of the cooking duties, aided by two of the crew. Dinner that night was rum-battered shark steaks.

It helped that Butterbelly had an endless number of stories to tell about when he was learning to run the chains. "The captain told me that any broken chains were coming out of my pay, and that wasn't counting the cost of replacing the decking after I fell from the yardarm. I didn't make a single shell on that voyage and was in debt for repairs that took my shares from the next to voyages to pay off."

Ozzy had been curious about the 'splendid ribbons' until Mariah and others had explained it to him. 'Holiday' referred to those days when a ship was in port, and the crew was rewarded with days off to spend their pay, drink, carouse, and do whatever else they wanted. Many crews went out on the town together, wearing small bits of colorful clothing they saved for these special days. Sashes, hats, jewelry, and fancy coats were all popular.

The more outrageous a crew looked, the more successful the ship was thought to be. A ribbon was an award given for a battle. A 'Splendid Ribbon' from the Queens would get a crew free food and drink for days in most ports where sailors would want to hear the stories. Plans were already being made to use some of the colorful silk and bolts of cloth that the crew had plundered from the wrecks in the graveyard to make some fancy Holiday gear.

Woodrat had pulled out chart after chart trying to find a reference to his island. He'd found it at last in a sailing guide of the seven islands. "Here it is! Look! Only a day's sailing from the capitol near the outer reefs."

Mariah spread out a map of the area and laughed. "Not near the outer reefs, in them. See here? It notes a safe passage in only two places. And the draft is only sixteen feet at high tide and ten feet at low. The sailing atlas lists the island as being two miles long and one wide. It was a haven for pirates for centuries until Lord Peerson cleared them out using several frigates."

"He built a small castle overlooking the main bay after he was gifted the island by the Queens and made a Baron. It is used as a port for smaller ships before and after crossing the sea from the Kingdom of Nettles. There's a note about the reefs being popular with pearl divers despite being overrun by sharks and other predators."

Ozzy was enjoying a moderately decent mug of rum and watching as Woodrat became more cheerful as the day went on. "Pirates, pearls, and sharks. It sounds like a colorful place you inherited."

Woodrat removed the map of the island and its reefs from the sailing atlas and was pinning it to the wall of his cabin. "Doesn't it? Don't forget pirates. I'm betting they came back as soon as no one was looking. There may be some work to do to clean it up, or it might be more fun to leave it as it is. It will be fun to find out. I never thought I'd get some land of my own, and now I have an island. And I wouldn't want something bigger. Too much work and not enough time on the smoke."

Downing the last of his rum, Ozzy patted him on the shoulder. "Careful, you'll be a respectable Captain soon, you and your crew hobnobbing with nobility."

Mariah laughed. She, too, was looking forward to seeing this Cingoo. "It will take a lot to clean up this crew. But this windfall of blessings was a darn fine start. All of the crew have seen benefits from the fight."

Woodrat nodded. "They certainly earned them. I was never so happy as I was to see them show up and tear into the hull with boarding axes. I had hoped that freeing you would let you gather them and sail away. But crazy loons that you are, you chose to come back and fight. And that's something I won't be forgetting."

Captain Woodrat and the crew of the Splinter have vanquished a foe far above them in power. For this, the Gods in the Smoke reward their valor.

Captain Woodrat is rewarded with 30 CSP, +2 Aura, and 3000 experience points. The good Captain will be promoted to Admiral when the proper time comes.

First Mate Oswald is rewarded with 30 CSP and 3000 experience points and has earned his promotion to Captain.

Navigator, 'Mariah,' is rewarded with 20 CSP and 2000 experience points and has earned her promotion to Sailing Master.

The crew of the Splinter are each rewarded with 10 CSP, 1000 experience points, and +200 Smoke.

Most of the crew had moved up at least a level. Derrick had made it to Level 6 and been promoted to mate, choosing to study navigation under Mariah. Ozzy had much to think about.

He'd made captain and needed to make some choices about spending the experience and CSP. He was up against the barrier between Tier 2 and Tier 3. He scrolled through the numerous announcements, wishing he could talk to his friends about the decisions. His chances of getting home were much better once he moved to Level 11.

First Mate Oswald has ascended to the lofty position of Captain. Your title will continue to be Mate until you acquire command of a ship of your own or become an officer on a ship that can accommodate multiple captains and masters.

You have gained +1 CHR, +1 RAD, and +1 WIS.

You have earned +10 Core Skill Points.

You have gained access to the Officer's list of Core skills.

You may choose one specialty skill for attaining the rank of Captain and for being victorious over such a fearsome foe:

  Gain the Captain's Perk: Reputation-Powerful and Protecting (+2 Shielding.)

  Gain the Captain's Perk: Reputation-Hard but Fair (Increased Morale, Increased recruitment.)

  Gain the Captain's Perk: Reputation-Friendly but Terrifying (Increased Morale, decreased mutiny.)

  Gain the Captain's Perk: Reputation-Crazy but Lucky (Increased recruiting, Increased Loot.)

  Gain the Captain's Perk: Follow me to Hell! (Increased Morale in a fight, Increased damage from the crew.)

  Gain the Captain's Perk: A Captain worth following! (+2 Aura.)

You have completed the quest: Shipbreaker's Revenge.

You have gained the perk: Whale's Strength, which will increase as you grow. Currently, the bonus is +3 for both STR and CON. If you increase your tier, this perk will reward you with +1STR and +1CON. You will also do four times the normal damage when attacking ships. Just because the quest is over doesn't mean there aren't still ships that need breaking!

You have options for a new class at level 11.

He glanced over them and then dismissed the screen. He needed to pay attention to the ship until he was off duty. And then came the fun of opening the sizeable glowing chest sitting on the deck. The crew’s curiosity was growing, but tempted as they all were, they wanted far away from the Sargasso and into calmer waters first. It was a full evening: Shark Steaks, a barrel of rum, a chest of treasure, and then some thinking on Level 11.

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