Dreadnaught

I woke up in my cabin, the gentle sway of the ship trying to lull me back to sleep. I forced myself from the comforting warmth and walked to my dresser. It contained the clothes the crew had given me, some David had made by hand, as well as a mirror on the inside of one of the doors, and a drawer tower stocked with toiletries in the top most drawer. I changed clothes, shaved my stubble, and brushed my hair before walking outside with my toothbrush in hand.

I surveyed the deck, my eyes adjusting to the sun quickly due to the Constitution I had gained over the past couple weeks. I couldn’t find any of Ghili’s grandparents, but the rest of the crew was accounted for. Delilah was dealing a new hand to Helena and the kids, and going off the scent coming from below deck, Vox was making breakfast. I checked my Status Windows from the previous night.

I had thought about making Ford [First Mat] or Rita [Quartermaster], but those positions weren’t a priority at the moment, especially since I wasn’t sure what effect they would have. With Henry, we had discovered that [Cadet] increases the rate at which one gains all skills related to sailing by five percent. I had hoped that [Chaplain] would grant some healing ability or buffs for the ship, and Helena certainly had a great aptitude for it as a very knowledgeable theologist and as a very pious person. Unfortunately the [Title]’s wording was vague on some of its effects.

I would have preferred to grant someone [Chief Medical Purser], but no one on board seemed to have great aptitude with medicine, although Helena did show a little. However, to give her [Chief Medical Purser] would be a huge waste of her potential as a [Chaplain], and I didn’t want her to be disappointed when if I would later have to give someone else [Chaplain].

Boarding actions were extremely dangerous with a crew of our size, and as I’d hoped, [First Marine] offered the perfect solution to reducing that danger. I had given it to David, as he had mentioned that he had served as a marine in some military once upon a time.

Finally, Vox had shown an aptitude for maintenance of the ship, as well as much of the operation of the deck, so I gave him the [Bosun] [Title].

All together, I was very pleased with the effects of the [Titles]. They’ll for sure be a huge boon when we finally engage enemies at sea. I spat over the railing before approaching the card table.

Based on the number of cards on the table and how it was arranged, they were playing blackjack. Henry pushed his bet forward, three scales from a red lancefish, a large bet to say the least. One by one the players revealed their cards. 16, 17, and Henry with 20. Finally, Delilah revealed her face down card. Along with the jack, the lucky ace meant the house took the lot.

“Tough luck. If you ask nicely, Henry, I might give your scales back.” Delilah had a sly smile on her face as she watched Henry squirm. Henry however was insulted.

“That’s Cadet Henry to you, you card shark.” He stood up and crossed his arms sternly, but I didn’t miss the peaks he took at his prized lancefish scales, and neither did Delilah.

“That’s no way to talk to a lady, Cadet. I suppose you don’t want these after all.” She grabbed the scales and moved to put them in a pouch before Henry gave in.

“Aunty Delilah, may I please have my scales back?”

“Fufu, I suppose I could help such a cute young man.” As Delilah handed Henry his scales, I sat down at the table.

“Deal me in this time.” I turned to Helena. “Hey Helena, I was wondering, what are [Professions], how do they work? I wanted to wait until it came up in our lessons, but the curiosity is killing me.”

Helena’s answer came as Delilah finished shuffling the deck, “That’s a pretty simple question to answer. [Professions] are exactly what they sound like; they’re jobs. The higher level the [Profession] the better you are at the job. This can manifest as finding the job has become easier, a more visible improvement, like getting more done in less time, or even gaining more knowledge about the [Profession]. Keep in mind that not all jobs have [Professions]. There is, for example, no captain [Profession]. Most captains have the [Sailor] and [leader] [Professions], though some solo and/or small captains switch one out for [Strategist] or [Wayfinder]. You can gain a [Profession] by doing actions that are associated with the [Profession]. You want the [Guard] [Profession], go guard something. Many prominent theologists believe the First Pantheon decided on two professions and the broadness of many [Professions] to make it easier to rise to higher positions or switch professions entirely. After all, it would be hard to get a [Captain] profession if you didn’t have the money or resources for your own boat, and who would hire someone to captain their ship if they didn’t have the [Captain] [Profession]. You can switch [Professions] by focusing on it, just like you did with the [Titles], but you can only do so once a day.”

I did as suggested and new windows popped up.

It would seem my stint as a hallway information broker bore fruit. Other than the few hundred I made from girls who didn’t trust their boyfriends, of course. Morally dubious, but gas was expensive. Honestly, my whole “job board” took me down memory lane.

From middle school onward, I was both a baseball player and musician, even getting scholarships for both. A full ride and then some when put together, it allowed me to go to college for free. Oh how talented I was, a scholarship athlete, musician, and terror of digital seas. I was almost done with my logistics degree when my illness was declared terminal. The college was kind enough to not take away my scholarships, but I didn’t see a point when I would never get the chance to use my degree. Maybe that’s a quitter’s attitude, but I didn’t want to get a degree I might not even be able to lift when I got it.

Shaking the depressing thoughts out of my head, I swapped [Strategist] for [Leader]. I figured I wouldn’t be getting into much combat at least until my ‘walls’ solidified. I had to maximize those gains after all.

The game went on while Helena explained [Professions] and I did the swap. I was holding a queen and a king. Helena and Henry had hit multiple times, while Ghili stayed, same as me. Delilah called for the bets. Helena put forward a copper, Henry a purple scale that looked like a fanfish’s, and Ghili put forward a pretty blue conch shell. I took stock of what I had and realized I didn’t really have anything to bet. I didn’t really need to bet anything, but I felt I should. Apparently Helena had noticed my plight, as she offered a suggestion.

“If you want to bet something, Captain, how about a wish, to be redeemed at a later date. It would have to be a wish within reason of course, but it’s something both you and Delilah could offer.”

“Then I put forward one wish, to be redeemed at a later date.” Although a wish could potentially backfire, I was sure Delilah wouldn’t take it too far. Besides, I had 20, and the odds of her getting blackjack twice in a row is next to nothing, especially when her face up card was an eight. Starting with Helena and ending with me, each player flipped their cards. 18, 19, 15, and as said before, 20. Delilah flipped her hole card: a three. She drew a four. She drew a two. She drew again, and an excited smile grew. She placed down the last card she drew, revealing it as a four.

“The house wins. I’ll be saving that favor, Captain~.” A shiver went down my spine. ‘I may have made a mistake.’

Apparently the older members of the crew had left early that morning to secure supplies, as they returned just before breakfast with a cart full of wood planks, rope, lacquer, and foodstuffs. The cart’s dwarven driver seemed confused as to why that was all they got, but he must have dismissed it as either none of his business, or as aquatic species shenanigans. After we loaded the supplies onto the ship, Vox presented to us excellent seaweed omelets. If we had someone else as talented at managing the deck and ship maintenance, I definitely would’ve made Vox [Head Cook] instead of [Bosun].

Unfortunately, now that all the adults were present, I had to spoil the good mood. “Now that everyone’s here, I believe there are some questions that need answering.”

Sensing my tone, Helena sent the kids Below deck. Ford stood up and gestured to the door of my quarters, “Let’s speak in your quarters. Wouldn’t want anyone to listen in on something serious enough for you to act like this, Captain.”

“So what’s this about, Captain? Dock Guard suspicious or something?” I appreciated how David came out and asked what he wanted, but he could be really intimidating sometimes.

“No, this is about what the System showed me when I looked at the crew menu.” I took on a stern expression. “I understand having a surname is something of significance in Aesirvale. I thought you were pirates, not ordinary pirates for sure, but normal enough. However, not only do you all have surnames, but Henry, the one person on this ship without one, has the [Squire] profession! I haven’t checked the rest of you, but I don’t doubt you have some un-piratey jobs if Henry was able to get the [Profession] of a trainee knight.” The eyes of all the accused went wide. “Look, I’m not angry, but if I’m going to trust you going forward, I’m going to need the truth. I’m going to need the whole truth. Starting from who you were before you were pirates, what led you to become pirates, and what led you to me. I want to know all of it.”

Vox was the first to speak up after a moment of wide eyed silence, “How? I knew [Captains] could look at a portion of their crew’s Status Pages, but the necklaces should have hidden our names and [Professions].”

“So you deliberately hid them from me?” I tried my best to hide the anger and betrayal I felt, but it came through slightly in my words. I knew I was being a little unreasonable, as they had only known me for two weeks, but I still felt the way I felt. This time, David answered.

“No, Captain, Roland. We did hide our status, but we weren't necessarily hidin’ from you. We’ve been hidin’ them for so long that it we didn’t even think about it.” David looked me in the eyes as he talked. The orbs didn’t waiver for a moment as he spoke.

“I believe you, but that doesn’t answer any of my questions.”

Ford stood up and walked to the board Helena used in our lessons. He picked up the chalk and began to write. The Great Clans. He turned back to me and asked me a question. “How much has Helena taught you about us deep elves?”