The Butcher of Gadobhra

Chapter 261: Let's get the hell out of here before the damnable gods show up.

Jack raced through the Smoke, leaping from current to current as he searched for the troublesome Butcher and Captain. How had they done this? They were long shots—secondary characters in his grand design. Captain Sharkovic was still building a crew of heroes. The Great Ship Vardark was still aground on an island filled with savages. He hadn't even talked to the Weaponeers of the Deep Fire or begun talks with the Smokeling Horde. His entire story was coming apart as Cyclones waged war across the planes.

He wasted precious time chasing after Old Joe. The battle was moving too fast. His only hope was to find the Butcher. This was easy as the large man from the Conjunction had a piece of The Burning Man inside of him. He rode a fast current to the end, popped out of the Smoke, and found himself on his missing ship. A ship with glowing sails was flying away in the skies above him. The only person who noticed him was Old Joe, who raised his middle finger, communicating everything Joe thought of him. Jack began to conjure his own ship to go in pursuit but was stopped when a rough, clawed hand wrapped around his neck, and a very dangerous harpoon was put against his throat.

"Don't do anything that you'll regret, Jack. Don't struggle. Don't run. You know how much that excites me. I've chased and caught you, but I'm holding back a feeding frenzy. It won't take much for you to trigger it." Aeto'le was breathing hard, and her voice was raspy with repressed violence. Palaimon noticed that even at the height of her passion, his sister's eyes were still the dead black they always were.

Palaimon stood before Jack, making the sometimes-trickster god focus on him. "You have a mess to clean up, Jack. A Black Quadrireme sits here, full of lost souls, and a Great Ship of rescued sailors needs my help. The heroes you created are sailing away on greater adventures. We will speak with the old Cyclones later, but now, we must show the mortals that we are gods and keep our promises."

Jack took a last look at the rapidly moving Splinter. It hurt to see the ship leave without him. They were off to have fun, and he wanted to go too. He'd have to visit Woodrat later and get the story from him. As much as Palaimon loved the little Captain, he had a connection to Jack as well. "Agreed. I promise that I will, as you put it, 'clean up my mess.' " Aeto'le dropped him to the deck. "Some part of me hoped you'd try to run again. But I will help as well. That ship and its crew were hunted by foes that outmatched them. They turned hunter to prey and won. They have my respect."

Jack bent and picked up a globe of black fire. Someone and it had to be Old Joe, had reached into the Butcher and pulled out the little piece of The Burning Man. The little piece had grown and held hundreds, maybe thousands, of souls taken from charred husks. Just as well, Jack wasn't sure what would have happened had Ozzy kept this in him. Jack was already split in two; he didn't need the competition.

Palaimon was already on the other ship, speaking with the Captains, complimenting them, and offering assistance. He split himself into dozens of lesser gods to heal the wounded or revive the newly dead. Evergreen made such a fuss about returning a soul to the upper Smoke without making the proper journey, but that didn't feel very good today. These men had fought and died to restore the cycle of life and death. He could undoubtedly reward those who died in the last day by restoring them.

Aeto'le moved among the crew, drinking with them and asking for their stories. Morale improved significantly as she coaxed those who had died to throw away the memories of death and dance with her on the deck as the crew pounded out a beat and a lone fiddle appeared to add a tune. She reminded them that they were hunters and not prey. She would sleep with the bravest that night, and her children would be born the following season. Half would be sharks, and half would walk as men. All would be hunters.

Evergreen arrived, making a stately entrance as she descended from the Sky. She had always been slower than the others, an annoyance she hid poorly. The nature Goddess had fixed the gaping hole in Dauntless, new wood growing as the wood wrights watched in awe. She went several steps further, fixing anything wooden on the ship that wasn't in perfect shape. The crew would remember her on the days they could nap on deck, every chore on the ship finished. When that job was complete, she spoke with the ship's senior Captain.

Cavendish was in his best uniform, trying to remember the protocol for talking to a goddess. Luckily, the meeting was brief. Evergreen handed him a letter. "Please take this to my granddaughters, your Queens. Things have changed, and we will see more changes in the future. We should talk and plan. You shall be my ambassador to them in this matter." Cavendish held his breath as she pinned a cluster of living leaves and flowers to his uniform and departed.

Jack made a huge show of leaping from spar to spar as he lit the sails of the dauntless. Strangely, he didn't get the awe and respect he hoped for. It hurt when he overheard two crewmen talking. "Oh, sure, it was helpful. And, of course, a god can snap his fingers, but when Captain Ozzy did it, now that was an impressive feat! Breathing out fire like he was Prometheus himself. That had style." Jack grumbled about it later, after Evergreen arrived. "To think I taught that ungrateful man to breath fire!"

The other gods rolled their eyes. Evergreen asked. "And what was his reward for your quest? You set him a huge task, and that task is accomplished."

Jack was still sulking. "Does he deserve more? I saved his life, gave him a title, and enhanced his magic. And I helped him find the Old Smoke, who he was looking for."

Palaimon disagreed. "But didn't you do all that for you, Jack? Ozzy and Woodrat might have died a dozen times over, but they persevered and survived. They found a way to save themselves and to save others. I find that admirable." Aeto'le chimed in as well. "A god shouldn't be ungrateful, Jack. Your reputation might suffer. Well, suffer more." She laughed at him, but not with her eyes.

Jack made one last attempt to squirm from their logic. "And what of the rest of you? You all gained from this. Shouldn't you also bear part of the cost of the reward?" He was surprised when all of them nodded in agreement. Ozzy was asleep, Suzette sprawled across his chest on his first night home, when he heard the small fire in the hearth pop and crackle. Suzette woke as well, watching smoke pour out and forming four figures in the center of the room.

Jack smiled at him with pearly white teeth. "The gods of the Smoke are grateful for your aid. For my champion, I give the ability to Imbue Heat."

Aeto'le looked at the two of them. "Give greetings to my cousin when you next see her. May all of your creations have Sharp Teeth."

Palaimon spoke quietly. "For rescuing so many, you have my blessing. May you always find your way home."

Evergreen went last. She stood tall and spoke with a proud voice. "As the goddess of Nature, Light, Life, and Magic, I will let you select any spell, and its potency will greatly increase. Choose wisely, for the closer the spell is to my domain, the greater the gift."

Ozzy thought for a moment. He mainly had smoke and heat for spells, and the shark goddess seemed to be saying she would upgrade one of his spells. He had Cleanse, which should count as a light spell, shouldn't it? Imbue Wood had to be nature, but it was only a cantrip.

"May I ask a question? Can the spell be a cantrip?" Evergreen seemed taken aback for a moment. She wasn't used to mortals asking questions. Still, it was a fair query. The system that oversaw mortal magic did distinguish between 'Spell' and 'Cantrip.' The mortal was trying to make sure his request for a gift was correct.

"Yes, you may ask for an enhancement to a Cantrip. And such a small spell will certainly benefit more than a more powerful spell. What do you choose?"

Jack could see the Butcher was amused by something. The mortal looked at Evergreen and said. "I choose the Solar Arrow cantrip that Suzette knows. Enhance that for her, please."

Evergreen froze. Jack and Aeto'le laughed. "You did say any spell, dear. And you should know that any champion of mine will have a sharp mind."

Palaimon smiled benevolently. "And he's simply being generous and helping others. I approve."

Evergreen nodded and vowed to phrase things better in the future. "Very well. Consider it done. You have our thanks, Captain Ozzy. We grant you the freedom of the Smoke." A giant sea chest appeared, made of polished wood. The gods of the Smoke vanished.

Captain Ozzy has completed the quest given to him by the gods of the Smoke and has their thanks.

Jack Fyrebeard has granted you the Skill: Imbue Fire. He leaves it to you to learn its uses but reminds you that he enjoys flaming weapons.

Aeto'le had granted your creations of smoke additional damage as long as they have teeth. She thanks you for making such cute sharks.

Palaimon has given you his blessing. You now have the Perk: Find my way home. You will always have a general direction of where home lies.

In all her glory, Evergreen has enhanced the cantrip of the sorceress, Suzette, into a much more powerful Spell: Evergreen's Shining Lance.

Captain Ozzy has earned 30 Core Skill Points.

Captain Ozzy has been granted the freedom to travel the Smoke. The gods ask that you let them know beforehand so they can brace for impact.

You are given a gift. It is up to you how you use it.

Suzette hugged him. "I forgive you for not asking. That was clever. I can't wait to go into a dungeon with it. What do you have in the chest?"

Ozzy opened it carefully. Nothing appeared, and it seemed to be a regular chest. Inside was folded sailcloth; the sheets were thick, fluffy, and white. A small leather book was titled 'Basic principles of sailing and plans for a sloop of twenty-four feet in Length,' and a double layer of shiny, auric ingots in the bottom of the chest.

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