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Chapter 22

Piracy and Pumas

The two-mast cog we were pulled up to had no netting on its sides, and the only way up to the deck seemed to be a net that was lowered, initially for our cargo.

“Ladies first.” One of the rowers said to Gamilla.

“Oh, but you, sir, are so much closer.”

The inside of my nose itched. “Why not just lift the longboat all at once?” I asked.

.....

“With so many heavy people in it?” asked rower three.

Narces started clenching his jaw.

I turned around on my bench to be facing them. Hands were on wooden pegs, oar handles, on the net itself. On weapons.

“And you’re about to insist we ride up inside a net.” I said.

“It’s the only way you can get from here up onto the deck.” Rower one responded.

I sighed.

“Husband?”

“If you can, take them.” I said. “They’re yours.”

“Fires, children of Hellfire, fear me and obey!”

“We won’t let you cast!” said rower four, advancing with his oar held like a staff, or perhaps a giant club.

I rose to face him, and he tried kicking me.

Why did people insist on making things easy? I grabbed his knee to throw him, and he brought his other knee up toward my head.

[You have taken eight points of bludgeoning damage. After armor, two points have been received. 7/30 health points remain.]

Oh. Right. Madonna and I were wounded from yesterday’s fight.

Whatever. I was committed. Rower four and I both went overboard.

It was clear someone had taught him some manner of counter-wrestling, but it was all based around strikes – exactly the sort of moves the water slowed.

I bit and clawed and attempted to apply holds.

He tried to pry me off using the oar as a lever. I let it pry me off his chest so I could work on his side.

He attempted to grab me, and ripped off a patch of shirt from my left shoulder.

Didn’t he need to breathe? And he seemed more agile than he should under water...

Did he possess some class giving him underwater abilities? Or had he found himself in situations like this often enough that he ...

No, there he went, trying with his free arm to get to the surface.

And then he tried shouting something at me. Underwater?

What would cause...?

I activated Animal Sense from my hunter powers. Just in time, I was off him.

A grey thunderbolt struck him in the legs, leaving him with only one. He screamed.

Reef sharks, the smaller six-foot ones, only half and again my size, only bit for eight or twelve points of damage. It didn’t matter to him, he was toast.

Did you know that you could use Stealth and Swim at the same time? It’s amazing what you learn under duress.

I passed one of the rowers on the way up; I think it was rower two.

Above the longboat, the deck of the cog burned merrily, churning out greyish smoke.

I came up at someone’s ankle. I didn’t recognize the boot, so I bit, and pushed off the boat.

[You have scored a YELLOW critical, for double normal damage.]

His blood flowed freely, and I realized belatedly that if he’d been tainted...

But he wasn’t, and as the bolts and arrows from above, I pulled him into the water.

[You have been struck by a YELLOW critical, for double damage (16 points). After armor, you have taken ten points of damage. -3/30 health remains. You are at negative health, and will experience a brief time of unconsciousness.]

I jammed my claws into the bottom of the longboat with the last of my will.

Dang it, THIS is why I hated quests. And fighting.

#

I came to on a bobbing surface of wood. The longship, I realized, as I puked the contents of my stomach into the ocean.

Hey! No, that was MY food... But a quick glance showed more than four fins piercing the surface of the water.

And a two-mast cog, largely intact, but sails burned away, with very few people still fighting the fires.

I slumped, lacking the energy to find a bench.

“How many ... who did we lose?”

“You’re not free of me that easy, husband.”

“Gamilla and I are okay, boss, but your friend... she needs help, bad.”

“Why are we rowing AWAY from the village?”

“They hurled a spear at us when we approached.” Gamilla said.

“Will she live long enough for us to row to Vernice?”

“Not an issue, boss. We just need to make it to that vessel.”

It was a one-mast fishing boat, but it had a sail. There were other boats, further away, but also responding to a ship clearly in distress.

Oddly, I wondered what had happened to the sea-witch aboard that vessel- the ability to move large volumes of water is useful when fighting fires.

“We need a medic!” Narces shouted, as we neared the fishing vessel.

“Haven’t got one, try the larger vessels!” His vessel sailed past us. I am told he saved four lives that day.

The Perky Unicorn had a trained surgeon. I dozed into and out of consciousness while he worked on Kismet.

Then he came to me. “This is going to hurt.” He said.

“What’s...”

[Your pain threshold has exceeded your remaining health, you will experience a prolonged period of unconsciousness.]

During the flashes of consciousness I had over the next two days, I inquired often after the others, because I couldn’t remember who was alive and who was not. And in my dreams, natural though they were, the Council of Sharks explained to me that everyone I ever knew was dead.

At least some blessed soul kept feeding me ginseng tea boiled in salt water.

“Where?” I asked, when I gained consciousness.

“Stupid husband. If you had armor, you ought to have been wearing it.”

“I’d be on the bottom of the ocean.”

“Just rest up. I’m told the gods favor fools like you.”

#

Kismet survived, but she had a severe injury to her right lung. She had twenty-six days of bed rest, per her system timer. She had a 94% chance of a full recovery, also per her system.

I hoped those were based on her healing rates, and not mine.

“The problem,” Gamilla said, “is that all of these medical expenses weren’t in the original budget. We’ve got coin for now, but we’ll need a good chunk of coin in a month or so, or we’re all homeless.”

My wife snorted. “We find a few rich people, and take their money.”

“Not that easy.” Narces said.

“You’d be amazed what people will agree to after you light them on fire.”

“Wife?”

“Stupid person?”

.....

“Please try to focus on things that keep us out of jail. As Gamilla just said, we don’t have money for bail.”

“All we need is a ship. I know where there are silver statues, about yay big and set with blue gemstones for the eyes.”

“Ugh.” I coughed up phlegm, which had crusted blood in it.

Turns out I had my own severe injury, which I’d put biomass into speeding up the healing. It had five days left, and only then would I start getting my normal healing rate.

“Can we trust the locals to leave Kismet alone, or do we need to post a guard?”

“I’ll stay behind as guard, boss.”

“No, I will stay behind as guard. She needs her bandages changed twice daily.” Gamilla said.

“I ought to be able to fit one of those statues into my inventory.” Narces said. “We could carry a second, if we have to.”

“What is our legal status?”

“Boss?”

“We set a ship on fire. What’s our legal status?”

Gamilla spoke up first. “Pirate flag in their hold, slaves in chains aboard.”

I must have made a confused noise.

“Illegal slaves, not proper ones.”

“Oh, so jail time for them, then?”

“Nah, boss. They execute pirates here. And black-market slavers.”

I rubbed my forehead. “How do they tell who’s a legal slave and who isn’t?”

“Legal slaves have a letter called a Slave Scrip. Details their name, lineage, reason for slavery, notable skills, and the like. Has to have a genuine government stamp matching their brand.”

“Huh. So we’re legally in the right?”

“Hard to tell.” Gamilla said. “Codified laws. Right now, we’re under house arrest while they determine just how much damage was done to the Gran Fatale during the fire. We’ll need those funds prior to our court day. We’ll be imprisoned if we don’t have the funds or a way to pay them.”

Madonna spoke up. “All the more reason we need to get those statues.”

I sighed. “We rest and heal first. Where are these statues?”

“Far side of Sea-Bat Island, or whatever you want to call it.”

“Namarikti.” Gamilla said.

“Wait. So this temple is firmly in Night-Cat territory?”

“Pumas.” Kismet said. “Black cats the size of men up to twice the size. Those are pumas, Rhishi.”

#