NOVEL NEXT Ch. 5. Advancement, Luck, Growth
“We’ve got a patrol to port!” I shouted down to the others. They must have had protocol set up, as they all started moving quickly. We didn’t have any cargo that couldn’t be explained, so the only things that really needed to be hidden were the masks and the clothes they wore when raiding ships. What little cargo we did have was mostly spices and the clothes the crew wore for normal day to day activities. They all ran below deck before coming back up without their masks. They quickly went back to what they were doing. After all, other than their pirate uniforms, which may not have been recognized anyway, there was nothing to point out our ship as anything but a normal merchant vessel. I descended from the nest and took my place at the helm.
With as small a ship as ours, not a lot needed doing at any one time. The cadets had already swabbed the deck, we didn’t have much cargo to manage, the dishes to clean were few and fast when there were only nine people on board, and we had yet to receive any damage. I doubled as a helmsman and navigator, so that took care of another job. This meant that Helena and Delilah spent a lot of time teaching the cadets different card games while the others worked the sails. It might seem strange to teach children how to gamble, but card games are a good method of learning how to read people, and how to hide yourself. Plus, they’re pirates, gambling comes with the territory. Apparently the games had borne fruit, as even the kids' faces showed no hint of nervousness as the patrol ship approached.
Once the patrol was about 200 yards out, I could spot a signaller raising a flag on the bow of their ship. Luckily enough, at least one signal flag appears to be the same in both worlds, as I recognized kilo (a request to communicate). I had Rita, Helena’s mother, to raise the flag that most resembled charlie (yes, confirmation). They responded with lima(a signal to stop ASAP), and the older men on board raised the sails. Once we had slowed enough, Rita released the capstan to drop anchor and raised yankee (the flag signaling a dragging anchor), and soon after swapped it with mike (my vessel is stopped). During this process, the patrol had altered their course to run parallel to us before they themselves stopped.
A rowboat was lowered off the side of the patrol ship. I was once again reminded that there is no such thing as the body’s limits in this world as I watched the four oarsmen make just three strokes to cross a 150 yard gap in just four seconds, faster than some speedboats. Granted, a boarding party would likely be made of sailors at higher levels than most of the crew on account of the danger that the job came with, but still.
I left the flydeck to meet the boarding party at the railings, just in time to hear a voice call from below.
“Lieutenant Commander Ysvald requesting permission to board with my party!” The voice came from a man standing at the front of the boat wearing what was obviously an officer’s uniform. It consisted of a navy blue set jacket and bants, accented with lines of white and streaks of gold, along with a bright white cape and officer’s cap. There were two pins in his collar, a crossed sword and rifle over a square, which likely denoted his rank. The uniform was also also worn by the oarsmen with the exclusion of a cape and different pins, giving credence to the idea that the pins were used to help denote rank as on earth. Without the cape, epaulets could also be seen on the shoulders, embroidered with a series of a star and two thick lines which would place their rank at lieutenant. They were all armed with swords on their left hip, but the Lieutenant Commander also seemed to have something like a flintlock pistol on his right. Most of the party appeared human, but the two rear Lieutenants had a size and green tint to their skin that would suggest they were half orcs.
Deciding that I shouldn’t keep such a number of officers waiting, I responded by throwing down a net for them to climb. “Permission granted Lieutenant Commander!”
In a moment, the boat rocked as four sets of boots landed heavily on the deck. A fifth set landed lightly not a second after as the Lieutenant Commander landed in front of his men. They hadn’t even touched the net, instead jumping 30 feet above the top deck and landing on it in a show of force, both a testament of their Strength to jump so high, and their Agility to do so from one rocking boat onto another. The Lieutenant Captain was even more impressive; his ability to land lightly despite jumping so high showcased an extreme agility.
This would have been an effective tactic against most small crews, as the majority of their classes would be non-combat, and thus level slower, meaning they wouldn’t have the stats to do such a thing. However, this was a pirate crew, and one that frequently hunted in the oceans in between raids. Even without levels, the fact that we were a species born of the ocean meant that even the children who had yet to gain their first level would be able to breach only ten feet less than the height of the boarding party’s jump, and their experience raiding ships would allow them to land with equal grace.
“I thank the Lieutenant Commander for minding the integrity of my deck with his landing.” As I inspected the Lieutenants closer, I noticed my subtle jab did not go unnoticed. Two of them were human, and the other two half orcs like I had thought. The lieutenant Commander, however, surprised me. He was apparently some kind of elf, judging by his ears. He didn’t give me much time and quickly responded.
“Certainly. I am here to investigate this ship. It had no name on its side, is not on any list of ships that are scheduled to come through here, and flys no flag. I take it you are the captain of this vessel?” Ysvald raised his eyebrow.
“Yes Lieutenant Commander. You may call me Matthews. Captain Matthews.” I decided to use my real name in the moment. I had hoped he would recognize my last name as such and think of me as someone of importance.
“Captain Matthews. That’s a surname. Are you [Nobility] Captain Matthews?”
“Of a sort.” I didn’t want to accidentally trip some kind of lie detector skill, so I worded it vaguely. ‘Being the Chosen of a god has to count for something, right?’
“I see. Well, unfortunately we still have to search your ship for stolen goods and/or contraband. My men will do so while I ask you a few questions. Please have your crew comply with their search. As long as nothing that would incriminate you or your crew is found, we will swear secrecy on anything that might be found and considered sensitive.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant Commander.” I turned to my crew and nodded. I trusted they would be able to handle the search.
“Well then, let us begin the questioning. We will start with a few basic questions. What is your name?”
“Roland Mattews.” He seemed satisfied by the answer ans he paused and nodded to himself.
“How old are you?”
“24.”
“What is your marital status?”
“Bit personal, but I have never married.” He raised an eyebrow at my statement, but continued.
“Have you ever been questioned like this?”
“Is that an official question, or are you just curious?”
“Curious.”
“Yes, I have never been questioned in this manner before.”
“How many years have you captained this ship for?”
“Less than 1.”
“Is it new?”
“To my knowledge.” He took a moment before nodding his head one more.
“Let’s get to the more relevant questions. Have you ever committed murder?”
“No.”
“Have you ever enacted, ordered, or witnessed an act of piracy?”
“No.”
“Which port did you depart from?” I had to take a moment to think of how to answer that.
“This ship’s starting location was where I arrived in this world.” He frowned at that.
“Your birthplace then. Where would that be?”
“A place so far away it ceases to be relevant.” That caught his attention.
“Is this ship on a diplomatic mission to introduce your birthplace to the wider world?”
“No, I have no way to return.”
“Were you banished”
“No.”
“What is your charter and who granted it?”
“We sail by Njord’s word, we need no charter. Our purpose is to make port before the coming storm.” I was totally bullshitting, but it seemed I had said something significant, as the Lieutenant Commander’s eyes opened wide.
“Are you or a crew member a candidate for Njord’s Chosen?”
“Not to my knowledge.”
He looked skeptical, but shook his head. “Last question. What is the name of this vessel?
Something called to me as he asked that question. I felt every inch of the ship for a moment. Every fiber in every board and every rope. I felt the waves against the hull, and the sand slowly trying to cover the anchor.I felt the wind threatening to unfurl and fill the sails. I hadn’t before, but in that moment I knew.
“You stand on the deck of FRAMI.”