Salt and Blood [A Pirate LitRPG]

Unions formed in times of war are often ones of tenuous circumstance, but they can often lead to monumental shifts on the world stage

-Excerpt from an unnamed book of poetry found discarded in a Highbream tavern

Commander Ackron hadn't been exaggerating when he said they would be put up in the best accommodations Nirodas had to offer. The building itself resembled a palace more than an inn, with the lobby being bigger than Rose's childhood home.

She wasn't used to such luxury, but revelled in it nonetheless. She hadn't allowed herself to relax much since the beginning of the war, but after their recent battle she felt it was well deserved.

They had baths with running hot water and more strange soaps and hygiene products than Rose thought possibly existed. She settled on some floral salts and a lotion that left her skin feeling smooth as silk.

The instant her head sunk into the puffy pillows, she fell asleep. For the first time in a long time, her rest wasn't plagued by spectres of the past or nightmares of her home burning.

***

The next morning, Rose opened the door of her room to find an exceptionally well dressed man standing at attention right in front of her. She froze for a moment, then realised she was still wrapped in a nightgown.

A less composed young woman might have panicked and slammed the door in his face. Rose instead gave him a stern glare for a few seconds until he cleared his throat awkwardly and took a step back.

"Apologies for the sudden visit, but your presence is requested in the lounge, my lady," he said, almost forcing out the honorific.

Rose suppressed a chuckle. It was rather hilarious being addressed by a well dressed butler as a lady, when she was a pirate in her nightie. "Thanks, you can let them know I'll be down in a moment," she replied, slowly closing the door.

The butler didn't move, a sheepish expression on his face. Seeing that there was something he still had to say, Rose paused and stared expectantly at him. "Was there anything else?"

He cleared his throat, before weakly waving a hand at her body. "Will you be changing into more appropriate attire?"

"Of course I will, you dolt!" she exclaimed, face going red as this time she slammed the door in the man's face. "What a fool," she muttered to herself, marching into the bathroom to freshen up.

Ten minutes later she strode into the lounge, dressed in form-fitting leather britches and a white blouse, with a cutlass hanging at her hip. She knew she was meeting the leaders of Derridas, so it was important to show a little bit of strength.

After all, it was pointless making allies if they simply treated you like a little sibling to boss around. If there was to be any form of alliance it would need to be on equal terms.

Rose realised she was the last to arrive. There were two plush couches set across from each other, with an ornate wooden table in between them.

On one side sat Commander Axel, Prince Everyn, and the second prince. Rose wasn't sure why the second prince was being included, but he was still a royal—people usually respected that sort of thing.

Meanwhile on the other couch there was only one familiar face. It was the commander who had been brought to greet them when they arrived at the docks.

She didn't recognise the other man and the old woman who sat on either side of him. They both had perfect posture and unexpressive faces, giving nothing away.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

The old man was nibbling on a shortbread biscuit, while the woman was sipping on a cup of tea, her pinky finger poking out from her gentle yet firm grip on the handle. Rose froze and gulped as she felt the dense fluctuations of arcane energy in the air.

Taking a moment to assess the people in the room, she realised those two elders were by far the most powerful. They were on par with Nasar, with the woman perhaps even close to Trent's core.

It seemed that Derridas had truly brought out the big guns. Rose felt rather unqualified to be there, but she would do her best.

After all, if they meant us any harm they probably would've just killed us outright. People who are that strong have no need for trickery and schemes, she told herself as she sat down in between Everyn and Axel.

Her gaze darted around the room, taking in all the small details as she made herself comfortable. It was a lounge typical of a noble's manor, with two bookshelves packed with dusty tomes in one corner, portraits hanging up everywhere, and plenty of furniture that looked as though it had been crafted when the country was founded.

The old woman didn't spare her a glance, while the man threw her a brief yet derisive glance. Rose noticed that the uniforms the two wore were completely different.

The woman's was familiar—it resembled the uniform of the Derridas commander beside her. However, the old man wore a completely different uniform in shades of red and brown, with gold tassels hanging from his shoulder pads.

"Sorry to have kept everyone waiting. I didn't realise we were having a meeting this early," Rose said with a smile once she was perched on the edge of the sofa.

The cushions were soft and comfortable, making her want to sink into them. Usually she wouldn't care much for appearances, believing etiquette to be a prison of stuck up nobles and merchants who wanted to be nobles. However, she was here to represent her nation, so a level of politeness was required.

"No worries, Rose," Everyn said dryly. "We were ambushed at breakfast."

"Perhaps if you made a habit of rising bright and early you wouldn't find yourself so blindsided by our invitation," the elderly woman said, placing her cup of tea down on the saucer.

Despite her age, there were very few wrinkles on her face. The only real sign was the grey streaks in her hair. She had an air of grace and dignity about her. Rose approved.

Etiquette wasn't her thing, but she respected anyone who'd achieved such a powerful core. Acting rashly in their presence wouldn't be wise.

"Well, usually I wake up with the sun but after the events of the past few days I felt that a lie-in was well deserved. What is this meeting about?" Rose asked, taking a shortbread finger for herself and nibbling it tentatively.

The biscuit crumbled in her mouth, filling it with buttery warmth and sugary tingles. Her second bite finished the rest and she took another while waiting for an answer.

This time it was Commander Ackron who spoke. He glanced at the woman and then the man before addressing them.

"First of all, would you be able to tell us the reason you were sailing around our coastline in a ship of the Minenblum navy?" he said.

"Oh that's easy to explain. We stole it while we were defending our country from one of their recent invasions. The technology is powerful and hard to replicate, so we decided to use it and study how it operates in the meantime," Rose replied, wiping the crumbs of the second biscuit from her mouth once she finished.

"As for why we were sailing around the coast, we were returning from our attack on Eastfel Bay. Commander Ackron mentioned that you'd been informed of it, so that shouldn't be news to you. We didn't want to sail down the Minenblum coast as that would allow them to chase us much easier," Prince Everyn added as Rose had begun to eat her third shortbread finger.

"What an outrageous claim. You say you were able to steal one of those terrifying ships in the midst of battle? How is that possible," the old man snorted.

Rose opened her mouth, preparing a sharp retort, but Everyn placed a hand on her shoulder. It was Commander Axel who spoke instead.

"General Vagor, I have long heard of your prowess in battle and strategy. However, I would appreciate it if you didn't speak so dismissively of the Emerlan Isle's forces. Rose here led the defence against multiple invasions. It is thanks to the combined efforts of her, the crown prince, and our valiant soldiers that such a feat was possible. If you called us here simply to mock us, we will be on our way," he said with a stern expression.

"Well said, young man!" the woman exclaimed, slapping a hand on her knee. "That's the kind of backbone a soldier needs for the battles to come. I'm sure that prickly old bastard didn't mean to mock you or your efforts."

"Thank you, Lady…?" Axel said, his expression unmoved.

"Duchess Windvayne, pleasure to make your acquaintance," she replied with a smile.