Limitless Seas 2, Chapter 26.

Chapter 26.

“Captain, good to have you back, how are things going with the others?” Tarley asked as the Sea Venom made its way to the dock. Lord Buxton must have sent a message out to give them free passage since none of the customs boats stopped by the city for an inspection, which meant no extra tax and no bribes needed to be paid to Harbormaster Willoughby.

“Things are just starting to look up, Larson said, inviting Shada and Tarley into the captain’s cabin.

“You should know, one of Lord Buxton’s servants came around earlier looking for you. He wanted me to inform you that he requests your presence at your earliest possible convenience. Something tells me that your earliest possible convenience meant right now,” Tarley said.

“He can wait a few minutes while we debrief each other. How are things going with the recruitment and training?” Larson asked.

“Not bad, we’ve gotten the word out that our ships pay well and we’re seeing a higher quality of sailor looking to sign up. Some cut and run when they hear we’re a fighting ship that’s going after pirates, and a few left because I think they thought they were actually joining up with the pirates,” Tarley said.

“How many so far?” Larson asked.

“With the ones you left behind here, I’ve got sixty-two able-bodied sailors signed onto the ship’s rolls. I suspect as I run them through their paces, we may lose one or two, but I think most will stick around. The gnolls scrounged up some more of their kind that Ghonen wants to sign up as marines. They were about as ragged as the others when we first saw them, but I think once they get a few good meals under their belts, they’ll do just fine,” Tarley advised.

“With the crew aboard the Venom and the ones left back at the estate, we’ve got a good start, but we’re nowhere near capacity, so keep working on it. If this summons from Lord Buxton is what I think it is, we won’t have much time before we need to shove off again. I’ll leave Shada here with you to help sort out the new recruits,” Larson said.

“That’s good, sir, I can use the help. Sadly, not much of what we’ve signed on looks like officer material, but once at sea some of them might surprise us,” Tarley said.

“Why don’t we shift Theo over to the Lost Soul with you? I think he has the makings of an officer, and it would do him good to work under you. Treat him like an ensign, but don’t spare the rod if he’s slacking or messing up. I’d rather his father be angry with us for working his son half to death than to leave the kid with some false sense that he’s ready to command,” Larson offered.

“I like the boy, he’s still too green to command, but I’ll take him under my wing like you asked. I’d also like to sign on one of the gnolls as my ship’s surgeon. He’s a druid and has healing spells and a few other tricks that might do well in a fight. I could still use a skilled bosun and a ship’s engineer, but we’ll make do,” Tarley said.

“You’ll more than make do when you see the weapons we’ve created. Bug Bartholomew and the others are working out the final kinks, but we should have at least a couple of guns ready to go in a few days. For now, I’ll head out and see what Lord Buxton wants with us. Get with Lucian and have him arrange provisions for a lengthy voyage. We also need him to secure more of the sorcerer’s sand, as much as he can get without anyone getting too curious about the purchase,” Larson ordered.

“We’ll get it done, sir, you worry about finding us a fresh prize to take,” Tarley said.

Larson left his cabin and started for Lord Buxton’s estate. He knew the way pretty well by now, and he could make good time, even without a fancy carriage to haul him around. With his current odds standing at fifty-fifty as to whether a fancy carriage was carrying him to a meeting or an ambush, he was more than happy to slither towards his destination without any assistance. There was a lot to do, and he really wanted to stop and check on Lucian and the shop, but there wasn’t going to be time.

“Hello Captain Larson, how is the pirate hunting business going?” One of the guards on patrol near the noble district asked.

“Well enough, Houlihan, we hope to get back to hunting again soon. You boys keeping the makon at bay?” Larson asked. He recognized the guardsman from the fight inside the city and had run into him a few times while in town.

“Aye, no trouble since that night, we lost too many good people then, and we’ve had a hell of a time finding replacements. Have to send half-trained guards to walk the patrols, but at least there are enough of the old hands around to keep them out of trouble,” Houlihan said. Larson was figuring out their ranking structure and this one would be something akin to a senior NCO.

“Keep up the good work, and if you ever need help while on patrol, feel free to call on any of my crew,” Larson said, taking his leave. Houlihan was walking patrol with three other guards and two of them looked clueless, likely the recruits he was mentioning. Larson had his own trouble with finding quality crewmembers, so he could empathize a bit. The city had taken some serious casualties during the battle with the makon, and it would take time and effort to rebuild their forces.

The servant at the entrance to the Buxton estate was expecting him and quickly ushered Larson into Lord Buxton’s private office. This office was about the size of an entire deck on the Sea Venom, but he supposed that being a lord of the city meant that Buxton had to put on a good show for his visitors. Paintings, artwork, and various keepsakes were placed around the office. Larson was sure they were expensive or rare, but he didn’t have a taste for such things and felt they were a foolish waste of money.

“Ah, Captain Larson, good to see you again. I trust our previous arrangements are working out well?” Buxton said, not going into detail until the servant had left and sealed the doors to the office.

“Aye, we’re settling into the estate, and even doing some repairs on the place for you while we’re there,” Larson answered.

“Not needed, but appreciated nonetheless. That estate is kept more for sentimental value and I’m sorry to say I’ve let it become a bit neglected as of late,” Buxton replied, pausing while looking at some documents on his desk.

“I take it that you have news on the pirate stronghold for me, given the urgent summons,” Larson said.

“Yes, we’ve made some headway with that fiend Mox. A deal has been worked out with the council of lords, one I’m not entirely happy with, but one I’ll have to adhere to nonetheless. Mox has given us the location of the pirate stronghold, as you may have guessed, but things are a bit more dire than we had thought. The pirates aren’t just your typical rabble, these are organized and have gathered just about every scallywag in the zone under the command of someone they call Lord Makon,” Buxton advised.

“I assume that this pirate lord is not an actual makon?” Larson asked.

“No, according to Mox, it is a human. Supposedly, the man has some control over the creatures and they never attack his ships or his stronghold. It’s likely hogwash, and something dreamed up to further bolster his position among his misbegotten kind,” Buxton answered.

Larson thought about the shark figurine that he had found in the Hypogean Realm. Maybe this pirate lord had made a deal with the imps for some of the devices and had been the one to use them against Stratwall Harbor. Larson had initially figured it was Lord Mox, but while the man was a devious schemer, he didn’t seem the type that was willing to learn and perform some blood ritual that summoned a crazed swarm of makon.

“You notice that they never call themselves something normal. I think I’d be more concerned over a pirate that called themselves Friendly Steve than someone with a name like Lord Makon. Stupid name or not, you say that he’s gathered quite the force under his banner. Where exactly is their base of operations?” Larson asked.

“Here, this is a list of the ships that the man supposedly commands. It’s a long one I’m afraid. Mox didn’t know all the particulars, but we were able to dig up some information on the size and types of ships, but the total number of crew and the defenses on the stronghold itself are pretty much a mystery. As far as a base of operation, they are located in a small chain of islands, right here. Lord Mox claims to have never been there personally and couldn’t say exactly which island the stronghold is located on, so you may have to search around a bit,” Buxton said, pushing a map over for Larson to see.

Pulling out his Salt Stained Map, Larson transferred the information over. The islands were to the southeast of Stratwall Harbor, a good week’s sail away from the city. It was a long haul, but it made sense that the pirates would be willing to sail a bit further to reach their hunting grounds if it meant that their base of operations was more likely to remain secure. Once the map information was transferred over, Larson reviewed the list of ships before putting the parchment into his storage.

The flagship of Lord Makon’s fleet is a modified ship of the line named the Sultana. It was taken from the Free Isle fleet of Port Darrington. Having three masts and four decks, the ship can house a crew of over 200 and has 7 mounting points for siege weapons of various sizes.

Four other vessels are converted large cargo brigantines. They are reasonably fast and feature various armaments. The most successful of Lord Makon’s captains operate these ships, and they are seen as a prize to aspire to. Each has been modified by their captain, so there is no standard among the pirate fleet for ships of this class.

Four large galleys are also present in the fleet. While armed and ready to take a prize when one crosses their path, these are primarily used to haul supplies to and from the stronghold. The design of these ships allows them to modify their appearance in order to allay suspicion when in port.

A dozen sloops of various configurations comprise the main hunting force of the pirates. Fast enough to catch any cargo vessel and mounting a pair of siege engines, the ships can outrun anything they can’t outfight.

The fleet is constantly changing as losses are taken and new vessels seized, so the exact size of the fleet is difficult to determine at any given time. The majority of the ships will be at sea, but there are always several in port that can add their crews and weapons to the stronghold’s defense.

Converted from an ancient monastery, the stronghold guarding the pirate cove mounts several siege engines and while some effort has gone into preparing its defenses, the walls have seen better days. Typically, the pirates count on defeating threats at sea whenever possible.

“I was expecting a small nest of pirates, and you’re telling me there are over twenty ships I may have to fight. You do realize I have a grand total of two ships under my command, and we still haven’t fully crewed or armed them,” Larson said, not liking the odds if a good chunk of the pirate fleet was there to oppose him, not to mention who knew how many siege engines would be mounted in the stronghold.

“Yes, but only a few ships at most will be present when you arrive, and your crew has already handled one of the more notorious of the lot. Furious Fontaine was no slouch and I doubt the others have anywhere near the same level of moxie,” Lord Buxton said, dismissing his concerns.

“You have a fleet of ships here in Stratwall Harbor, it seems like this would be more along the lines of a military operation than a privateering raid,” Larson argued.

“With the news of this many pirates running about, we have to keep all the ships at our disposal ready to escort merchantmen, not to mention the need to protect the city from a direct attack,” Buxton replied.

“Just how many warships do you have? Can’t you spare a few to assist me?” Larson asked.

“I’m afraid not, we have only a few of the larger warships, and those are needed for escort duty. The others are smaller and used to protect the nearby sea lanes. I’m afraid you’ll have to do this on your own, unless you’d like to relinquish your letter of marque. I can always raise some mercenary force if this is too much for you,” Lord Buxton said with annoyance. Larson tried to calm himself, the pompous lord had no idea what he was asking.

“Fine, we’ll take the commission, but understand that this may take some time. I’ll have to hunt down the pirates, whittle their numbers down before I can make a run at the stronghold,” Larson said.

“I’m sure that’s a reasonable strategy, tactic, or whatever you call it, but I must insist on at least a cursory raid on the stronghold first. Word of the pirate threat is already out, and the citizens are concerned to the point that there are threats of withholding tax unless we deal with it,” Buxton said. It wasn’t ideal, but it wasn’t likely there were more than a few ships defending the stronghold. Maybe he could bait one or two out, take a prize, and give the walls a volley or two with the guns before declaring mission accomplished.

“I’ll take run at the stronghold, but after that, I get to pursue the pirates as I see fit. We’ll also need to talk about compensation for our efforts,” Larson said.

“Here, this is an advance for your raid on the stronghold. With tax issues looming I’m afraid I can’t offer more at this time, and you’ll have to see to outfitting your ships with what I’ve given you. Every prize you take in this first raid is yours to keep without any tax obligation to the city, but after that, we’ll expect a cut as well. The same goes for any loot you may find. Take out this stronghold in the first go, and all it contains is yours, other than any identifiable cargo that might be traced to its rightful owner, that is,” Buxton offered.

“Very well, after this first raid, a fair tax will be allotted. How about a single ship to assist us in the first strike?” Larson asked, trying to get some extra help.

“No, that’s not possible, but how about this. I can arrange for some of our marines to supplement your crew. That should give you enough blades to take the fight to the stronghold with your first strike,” Buxton countered.

“That will be acceptable, do you have a timeline for when this has to happen?” Larson asked.

“Today would be preferable, but I understand you may need some preparation. Stratwall Harbor will expect you to leave on your mission in no more than three days from today. That should give you enough time, do not bother asking for more,” Buxton said.

“Very well, now, what exactly was the deal that Mox cut with the council? I take it that he’s not going to hang?” Larson asked.

“Sadly no. He’s been stripped of his titles and forced to give up a considerable portion of his holdings as recompense for his actions. Other than the financial blow and the hit to his social status, the man will be free to go about his business with the understanding that any further shenanigans will result in his immediate execution,” Buxton said.

“A small hit to his wallet is not going to stop Mox from causing us problems in the future. I assume that since he’s stripped of his titles, the man’s fair game if crosses me again?” Larson asked. If Mox wanted to continue to pay for attacks on Larson and his crew, he was ready to end the man.

“As far as the city’s concerned, he warrants no special treatment. If he acts up, you have full authority to defend yourself and your interests, just like any other citizen,” Buxton confirmed.

“A final issue, what about your son. This could be a dangerous mission and he’ll be given an ensign’s berth aboard the Lost Soul,” Larson added.

“Being an officer will serve him well in the future, and I expect you’ll do everything in your power to keep him safe. Our marines will also do what they can for Theodore. Good day, Captain Larson, I shall leave you to the task. I expect great things from you once again. Rid our shores of this scourge and you’ll be a wealthy man, why, there is even a seat on the council that might be in play if things go exceptionally well,” Buxton said.

Larson knew there would be trouble if something happened to Theo, but the offer of a seat on the council was one he wasn’t opposed to. It would likely mean a lordship for himself and becoming part of the nobility would definitely help him to achieve what he wanted with this new life. He would get this done, and enrich himself and his crew at the same time. A few days to prepare, then it was time for the hunt.