It took three days for the Man's Promise to limp its way to
the Slithering Coast, but in the frantic scramble to do with eleven what a crew
of more than twenty found hard going the minutes took on a strange dual
quality. Each moment seemed endless, yet
once they passed the memory of them vanished in the next crisis and it was
somehow shocking to realize that an entire hour or morning had suddenly flashed
by. When the land finally crept into
view it seemed more like an illusion, even as they rounded the tall headland and
sailed into the greenish-brown outflow of a sluggish jungle river, visibly
withdrawn from wide banks of red mud that had become a landscape of cracks in
the sun. The dense jungle foliage
surrounding the cluster of buildings and piers at the river's mouth was
yellowed and wilted, and there was little visible activity anywhere ashore.
A lone red and yellow flag flickered at the top of a
watchtower, followed by a similar sign from the roof of the massive shed that
obviously housed the drydock. Like ants
with a disturbed nest, dozens of figures emerged from the buildings to gather
on the pier. A longboat was manned and
launched and arrowed straight toward the Promise, where the crew put down their
tasks and gathered at the rail, looking at their shiny new Captain for
instructions.
Chopper frowned, then gestured to Reiko. "This seems administrative in
nature," he said, reassured when Reiko nodded firm agreement.
"Lower the cutter," she said. "Mr. Hands, come with me. Will you be joining us, Captain?" Chopper nodded and in short order the three
of them were coming abreast of the squibbers' longboat. A short, stoop-backed old man, balancing
easily, gestured a greeting as they approached, his leathery face splitting
into a wide grin.
"Welcome, me hearties!" he bellowed in a
surprisingly powerful voice. "I be
Rickety Hake, owner an' proprietor o' Rickety's Squibs!"
"Well met, Rickety," Chopper hailed back with a
winning smile. "Or is it Mister Hake?
Either way, a pleasure."
"Ah, Rickety be fine, I don't stand much on ceremony
'ere! She ne'er stood much on
me!" The man laughed hugely at his
own joke, slapping his thigh until he had a coughing fit and had to bend over,
wheezing. Chopper laughed as well in
open, unfeigned good humor, minus the wheezing, which obviously delighted
Rickety. "My guess is yer here t'
have that there ship squibbed?"
Chopper frowned pensively.
"That would be a good guess, Mr. Hake," Reiko
spoke up from beside him.
"Are we so transparent?" Chopper asked. "And the name's Chopper. Captain Chopper, actually."
"Oh, nobody comes 'ere fer any other reason, e'en when
we ain't got a drought. If ye'll let me
aboard, I kin have a look about, give ye an idea how long 'n how much."
"Permission granted, sir."
"Aye, yer a prince among pirates, Mister Cap'n
Chopper. C'mon boys, row me on
o'er."
They ascended to the deck of the Promise to find Feruzi
waiting for them with pencil and paper on top of a bit of board, looking like a
some kind of fantastical combination of cannibal and clerk. Rickety grinned hugely at her and then took
in the ship.
"Wonner if I seen this one before. If so, it's been a while. Or my memory ain't what it were. Or mebbe both, who knows. If ye have any special modderfercations ye
want done, jist let me know."
Feruzi showed him her paper, containing crude sketches of the deck
layouts.
"We wish to have a few partitions installed," she
said, pointing them out. He took her arm
all friendly-like, nearly eliciting a violent protest before she realized what
he wanted, and they left to tour the ship. Rickety's manner changed radically,
now all professionalism as he examined the bulkheads, kicked the masts, and
tugged on the ropes, all the while muttering nonsense under his breath like
"be needin a right-hand futtock here" and "for'sl yard loose,
very bad". Finally he stumped over
to Chopper, stratched his balding head, and announced, "She's in no great
shape, ye ken, but I reckon we kin do this fer two thousand gold, in 'bout six
days with good weather, which we sadly got plenty of at present." A sharp glint appeared in his eye. "Not t' be rude or nothin', but I'd like
t' be sure ye kin pay fer our services afore we get started."
Feruzi stalked into the Captain's cabin and returned with a
small case of jewelry and mixed coinage out of Plugg's stash of plunder,
displaying it with some ceremony to Rickety Hake. Unabashed, he produced a jeweler's loupe and
seated it over his right eye, then spent some time examining the articles in
detail. Finally, he grunted, indicating
satisfaction, removed the loupe with a sharp popping sound, and grabbed
Chopper's hand, pumping it twice vigorously.
Deal done, he lapsed again into the persona of Jovial Old Man. "Are ye new to life on the account? Suren I'd recall seein such fine folks
afore."
Chopper twitched.
"New, perhaps, but none to green for all that." His smile was sharp.
"I am sure Captain Bloodmourn would be sad to hear you
think of us as greenhorns," Reiko added.
"Oh, I meant no 'fense, ma'am. Jist curious is
all."
"No offense taken, of course," Reiko replied
smoothly, conjuring up a pleasant smile.
Rickety quickly changed the subject, although his eyebrows rose sharply
as if to draw a line under the exchange.
"We'll kip ye all in our main house while th' work's
done. If ye wanna take yer boats ashore,
we'll haul yer fine lady inter the dock an' get started."
"Thank you, Mr. Hake," Reiko said. The crew gathered their valuables and packed
aboard the cutter and longboat, which had more than enough room. They landed at a pair of docks along side
three small dinghies. The sea breeze
seemed unable to penetrate the green stink of the river, and the heat and
insects were oppressive. A few
sun-darkened workers perched on casks and crates, splicing ropes and mending
nets while they ostentatiously ignored the new arrivals. The crew of the Promise made their way along
the rude boardwalk to the shipworks to do some polite gawking as great cables
were secured to the Promise and she was winched into dock by a team of eight
straining oxen.
They then headed for the main house, a once-grand villa with
broad wings extending from the ground floor and an octagonal dome topped by an
ornate cupola, now sadly faded with time.
A board hanging slightly crooked over the veranda named it proudly,
"Rickety's Squibs". Smaller
hovels and sheds assembled of driftwood and flotsam surrounded it on all sides
and gradually merged into the jungle.
"How about we find a place to have a fine drink, Mr.
Kroop?" Reiko suggested.
"I think I'm about ready fer one, aye!" the cook
agreed wholeheartedly.
"Ask around, casual-like, and see if there are any
sailors in need of work," Chopper addressed everyone before they broke
up. Reiko and Feruzi nodded, Reiko
taking Fishgut's arm and making a beeline for the taproom, the house's most
prominent feature by far. Leila and
Sandara followed them. Chopper strolled
away, lost in thought, leaving Feruzi and Ezikial standing on the veranda with
the only two nominal non-officers, who seemed uncertain of what to do next.
Feruzi gave Rosie and Conchobar a wry look. "Do whatever you like, but stay together
for safety. Use the buddy system." Conchobar brightened at this, but Rosie made
a face.
"You heard the Master at Arms, dear," the gnome
said cheerfully.
"If you find a more interesting buddy, you may
swap," Feruzi said, trying not to chuckle.
"You can come with me if you like," Ezikial
offered.
"Gods yes, Mr. Hands.
Er, no offense or nothin'," the halfling woman added quickly when
Conchobar looked crestfallen. He
shrugged and ambled off. Chopper waved
to him as he passed.
"C'mon, Conchobar, I could use your keen eye to pick
out a hat befitting my new station."
Conchobar brightened immediately, never oppressed for long
in the typical gnomish fashion. "It
would be my pleasure, Captain."
They found the storehouse, a sort of combination outfitter and rummage
stall. Conchobar instantly fastened upon
a glorious red Captain's coat, only slightly motheaten and absolutely festooned
with gold braid, trim, and buttons.
"You would cut quite a dashing figure in this, Captain," he
said, pulling it out of the pile and holding it up, which caused the gnome to
nearly vanish beneath its impressive sweep and depth.
"This is precisely why I need you around. You're my head Concho."
Feruzi wandered the docks, looking for anyone who seemed to
have more time than work and stopping to pass the time with them. Several turned out to be former sailors who
expressed guarded interest in resuming their occupation.
Reiko prudently kept her alcohol consumption moderate and
watched as her exotic Tian looks drew glances and low-voiced comments from the
off-duty workers crowding the taproom.
She began chat in a lively manner about their recent exploits with
Fishguts, who in his cheerful inebriation was better than the trained chorus in
an Andoran play, salting her chatter with perfectly-timed exclamations of
"Aye, that be the truth!" and "It's a rotten shame!" In minutes, they had an intent audience, and
Reiko contrived to notice them accidentally and draw them into the
conversation. Soon they were rapt and
she allowed herself a satisfied inner smile as their reputation began to take
shape.
In this pleasant way, two more days passed. Early on the morning of the third, some of
Rickety's off-duty workers invited them to join in a game of ninepins and share
a small cask of beer cooling in the river.
"Absolutely!" Chopper said, joining them without hesitation. Reiko also accepted the offer.
The cloudless sky was the color of iron, promising another
scorcher. The locals set up their game
in the shade of the boathouse while others went to pull on the ropes leading to
the underwater keg. The rope suddenly
jerked and one man was pulled violently into the water. A woman yelled, the palms of her hands torn
where she was holding on only moments before.
Reiko reacted instantly, dashing forward to grab the unspooling rope,
burning her own hands, but managing to arrest whatever was dragging at it. Chopper reached for his hip and cursed. "Gods below, anyone got a
knife?!" A blade was pressed into
his hand as he shed hat, coat, and boots, and he dove into the water.
The dock-worker was tangled in the rope, and a long, green,
serpentine creature writhed frantically, slapping the man with its tail and
stunning him. Chopper saw Reiko enter
the water beside him--she flung herself at the water-serpent and cut it with
her wakizashi. Chopper swam toward the
dockworker and was surprised as the serpent's head came around, revealing a
human face but, unfortunately, snake-life fangs that sank into his flesh. A feeling of icy fire flooded his body, but
he struggled to ignore it and cut the worker loose. Reiko jabbed the serpent in the neck,
distracting it long enough for the other workers on the dock to haul their
compatriot to safety. The serpent
slapped Reiko aside with its powerful tail and landed another bite on
Chopper. The three of them flailed
together through the water, churning up enormous quantities of mud while they
fought to kill or die. Work stopped as
everyone ran toward the fight, stopping uncertainly on the shore. Feruzi drew her bow, unsure who she might hit
in the murk, and then everything went still.
Then Chopper and Reiko surfaced, gasping, bleeding, and shivering.
"Bah, they are fine," Feruzi said. Reiko raised her fist, still clutching the
rope, and hauled the beer triumphantly to shore, followed by the serpent
creature.
"Can I get some boots made out of that?" Chopper
asked, accepting a blanket someone offered him.
Rickety shoved his way to the front of the crowd and shook his head over
the mess.
"Poor Selissa.
Musta gotten forced downriver by this damned drought," he said.
"Selissa?" Feruzi asked. Chopper looked a bit embarrassed.
"Er, was this an acquaintance of yours, then?"
"We got an understandin, but I s'pose their homes
upriver is dryin out. These lands belong
to the Nagas. Still, no harm, ye saved
my man, an' that's what counts. The
least I kin do is knock 500 sails off the price of yer squibbin."
"That's awfully generous of you. Do you have anything to treat burning
blood? Cos, my blood kinda burns right
now."
Rickety chuckled.
"Not so much, no. My druid's
got no gift fer dealin wit poisons, sorry t'say."
"Rats," Chopper said. "Guess I'm on bed rest."
The next morning lacked any further excitements aside from
Chopper staying in his bunk, sick as a dog, but in the afternoon the docks
erupted into shouting and all the workers outside began suddenly sprinting
toward the buildings, some even risking serious injury as they leaped to the
ground. "Get inside!" someone
yelled as he passed Ezikial, Reiko, and Feruzi where they were taking the air. "Get inside now!" A dark mass was rising from the jungle, like
a flock of enormous birds, but as they drew closer it became apparent that they
were not birds, they were wasps the size of horses, dozens of them.
They got hurriedly to their feet, but several of the wasps
were already closing. Reiko's sword
leapt out and intercepted two of the insects in midair. Feruzi dodged a third and sent arrows after
it. Ezikial's pistols thundered and one
of the wasps attacking Reiko exploded like a firework, showering her in gunk. She dispatched the second almost as quickly
and then they all ducked into the building, out of reach. The wasps buzzed outside, stinging anyone
they could reach and carrying them off once the paralytic poison took
effect.
One of the female workers fled toward the door, followed by
a pair of wasps who were rapidly closing.
Ezikial jumped off the porch, stabbing one with his blade and drawing
its attention. Reiko, only an instant
behind him, knocked it out of the air like a festive pinata. The woman they were trying to help screamed
and dodged as the other wasp attempted to sting her, then Feruzi's arrows
caught it. Reiko and Ezikial left the
wasps twitching and dying to pull the woman to safety. Moments later, the attack was over--the wasps
fled with their booty. Several workers
lay on the ground outside, paralyzed or dead.
"Fuck," Ezikial commented.
"There's nothing more we could have done to save them,
Mr. Hands," Reiko told him.
"ALARM!!" a faint voice cried in the distance.
"Oh, what now?" Ezikial demanded, beginning to
furiously reload his pistols. A galleon
rounded the headland--a Chelish vessel.
In moments, two boats were lowered and rowed ashore with furious
precision, where the sailors, or soldiers, disembarked. They were not dressed as Chelish invaders,
though. Eight men and women formed a
protective circle around a one-legged human man wearing a gorgeous indigo coat
with shining braid and buttons. They
looked around, surveying the carnage, and rapidly spotted the only three people
standing in the open. One of the
buccaneers, dressed in the armor of an Ushinawa warrior, was abruptly, deeply
shocked.
"Reiko?!" Nakayama Tatsumi asked.
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