Limitless Seas 2, Chapter 23.

Chapter 23.

“Now there was a reaction I didn’t expect. Come, let me get another blood sample, we need to document this,” Sarvo said. The elderly alchemist was swaying a bit as he tried to stand, a combination of the smack he had received from the ogre and the effects of the explosion.

“Hold on, I believe I know what happened, something similar was used to great effect in another place. Tell me, Sarvo, has this world never developed gunpowder?” Larson asked, finding it hard to believe that the simple formula for gunpowder hadn’t been discovered by someone at this point. In a world of magic and scrying, multiple people should have come across it.

“Gunpowder, never heard of such a thing,” Sarvo replied. Larson explained as best he could the way it was made and that sent Sarvo running from the cellar to his shop to gather the ingredients.

“He’ll be gone for a bit, we need to try and keep this knowledge to ourselves, it could mean a huge advantage over anyone we come across if we can find the correct way to harness it,” Larson said to Bug Bartholomew.

“I can eatses the finger stabby guy, he’s old and stringy, but probably tastes good enough,” Bartholomew offered.

“No, we’re not going to eat Sarvo, we might need him,” Larson said. He then launched into a description of simple firearms and how they functioned. The knowledge was strange, and Larson knew there was more to it, advanced designs that far surpassed the simple weapons in his head. Maybe something in this new world was restricting the information, or it was simply something his mind had failed to hang onto in the transition from his old world to this new one.

The ogre forgot about eating Sarvo as Larson described the weapons. As he spoke to the ogre, Larson could almost see the gears turning in Bug Bartholomew’s heads as the brothers contemplated the engineering behind creating cannons and handheld weapons. They could hear Sarvo rummaging around in the shop above, talking loudly to himself as he tried to replicate the gunpowder, giving the ogre time to work on the design of Larson’s new weapons. Having actual gunpowder would be preferable to a source that needed two-headed ogre blood to ignite.

“The calculations are intriguing, and we’ll need considerable testing to create a viable weapon, but I think we can cobble together a prototype rather quickly. I will need the services of a blacksmith, should we bring Felicia Burrowton in on this?” Bug asked. If they would need help, and the halfling smith had been honest in working with him in the past.

“Yes, I think she’d jump at the chance to help make something no smith has ever made before. I’ve told you everything I can remember, and we’ll need help figuring out the ratio of blood to sorcerers’ sand that we’ll need to fire the weapon. Things will be simpler with gunpowder, though, and Sarvo shouldn’t have trouble figuring it out,” Larson said. If they needed blood, that would be a challenge, Bug Bartholomew was the only ogre of his kind that Larson knew about, and from what he had said, they were rare enough that their birth was seen as an omen from the gods.

“Your theory of this ‘gunpowder’ is false. I’ve tried every conceivable ratio and I can’t get so much as a wisp of smoke out of it,” Sarvo said, returning to the cellar in annoyance. He demonstrated on several different powders that all looked like gunpowder to Larson, but he wasn’t exactly an expert.

“Well, perhaps things work differently here, I was in another world, after all. Keep trying, but we’ll probably need to go with the sand and blood method to create a propellant. That brings up the question of what we need to do with you, Sarvo. I can’t have this secret leaked,” Larson said.

“Leaked! How dare you even insinuate that. This is a major alchemical find, and I’ll not squander that knowledge by distributing it haphazardly about the realm. No alchemist worth his salt would divulge a secret as momentous as this. I demand you allow me to work on it with you. My skills will pry open the secrets of the sand and the blood it interacts with,” Sarvo said, practically salivating over the idea of a new discovery.

“I don’t know, what do you think Bug Bartholomew?” Larson asked. He was taking a bigger risk with every person he brought in on this project.

“We can always eatses him if he talkies our secrets,” Bartholomew offered.

“While a fresh meal is desirable, I do feel that we might need his expertise in some manner. My brother and I are expert engineers and I’m sure the smith can help us with any metallurgical questions we may have. Sarvo may also prove useful in determining optimal conditions for the use of the sand. Hopefully, he will also be able to discover some way to ignite it other than through bloodletting your ship’s engineer,” Bug added.

“Very well, Sarvo, you’re hired on a trial basis. Help us refine the process and I’ll see you get paid handsomely. In return, you’ll help supply us with healing potions and anything else we may need at a reasonable cost. Work with Lucian at the Privateer’s Provisions, he’s our supply source and we may even be able to feature your products in the shop. Make no mistake, if you leak word of our discovery, I will kill you, slowly and painfully,” Larson threatened.

“No need for all that, I want to work on this, though I will bill you for my considerable talents. The only additional thing I ask in return is that I become the sole provider for any reagents you may need for the process, that’s the only way I can control the quality of our finished product. Do we have a deal?” Sarvo offered.

“We do, so long as you charge us a reasonable price for your services and any goods that we may need to procure through you. Before you ask, I will be the one that determines what a reasonable cost is. I pay my people fairly, and I’ll do the same with you. Now, I have another stop to make, you two get with the smith and start working out what we need to get a prototype started. Bug Bartholomew, make sure we have a guard on our sorcerer’s sand and that we get a barrel over here for Sarvo to examine. Don’t blow the place up while I’m gone,” Larson said.

As much as he wanted to dig into developing a weapon from the explosive sand, he needed to get with Lord Buxton to hash out their reward for putting down the threat of the Hypogean portal. He also needed to work out what to do with Theo. There was also the fact that Lord Mox was imprisoned and not swinging from a rope. The man was far too slippery to allow him this much time to formulate some plan of escape.

Larson was trying to figure out the best way to approach Lord Buxton when one of his crew tracked him down at the alchemist’s shop. Apparently, Buxton had sent a carriage over to take him to the estate. It was still waiting for him when he returned to the dock, and like before, Ibn was going to join him on the journey. This time, there was no kidnapping and ambush by thugs, instead, they found the vehicle was very comfortable. It was a far cry from their last meeting with Lord Montgomery Buxton, and with Lord Mox imprisoned, there didn’t appear to be any reason for skulking about in dodgy taverns every time they needed to meet.

On the way there, Larson explained what had happened with Bug Bartholomew at the alchemist’s shop, and the new weapons they were trying to develop. Ibn didn’t seem all that shocked, informing Larson that there many odd destructive devices used by the various Imix factions. If he could work out how to build cannons, Larson believed that Ibn would be a bit more impressed than he seemed now. Arriving at the extravagant Buxton estate, they were ushered into a study where Lord Buxton and several of his servants waited.

“Welcome, Captain Larson and the illustrious First Fang of the Serpent. Come, tell me about your latest journey. I assume it was successful?” Buxton asked, his mood jovial. Larson was impressed that he remembered Ibn’s title. The man had done his homework, whether that was a good or a bad thing remained to be seen.

“Thank you for seeing us, Lord Buxton. We were indeed successful and were able to shut down a portal to the Hypogean realm. Given the size of the army that was preparing to enter our lands, I think we’ve avoided a disaster. Here’s a trinket I brought back for you in case the other lords need confirmation,” Larson said, pulling the imp’s head from his storage, much to the shock of the attendants.

“Ghastly, Fremont, get that on ice and shipped over the council building as evidence. Under my authority I can authorize a modest payment for services rendered,” Buxton said, pulling a large pouch of coins from his desk as they waited for the servants to clear the room.

“Now that extra ears are gone, how is my son,” Buxton said, his jovial demeanor gone, replaced with a look of concern.

“He’s back aboard the Sea Venom and doing quite well. I think he enjoyed the trip and did your family name proud with his work ethic. Do you want me to keep him there or do you have other plans for him? I believe he would like to stay aboard, and frankly; I could use him on the crew. He’ll make a good officer with a bit more experience under his belt. Am I wrong to think that a future lord of Stratwall Harbor would do well to have actual experience at sea?” Larson asked.

“Yes, having documented experience in command of a vessel would solidify his eventual place on the council of lords, though I would hope it would be at the helm of something a bit less hazardous to command than a privateer’s ship. It’s good to hear my boy is safe and while you’re in a dangerous business, things here haven’t exactly been safe,” Buxton said.

“Care to expand on that, why aren’t Lord Mox and his scumbag son dead and buried? I would have thought that working against your city and supporting pirates would warrant a rope, not a prison cell,” Larson asked.

“Things aren’t quite that easy when a Lord is the accused. Mox has powerful connections, and despite the evidence against him, we haven’t been able to finalize his fate just yet. I expect that problem to resolve itself shortly, but until then, I’d like to have you hold onto Theodore a bit longer. I will compensate you for your efforts by giving you the first crack at the nest of pirates once we figure out where it is. Mox knows, but he's unwilling to give it up unless we guarantee his freedom and restore him to the council, which, of course, we’re not inclined to do,” Buxton said.

“I’m glad to have Theo around, but it’s going to be tough to keep it quiet that he’s on my crew. Too many people know it and while my crew keeps a sharp eye on our vessels, I can’t guarantee his safety or that we won’t have some assassin slip aboard. I assume Lord Mox still has those types of connections if he’s avoided punishment so far,” Larson said.

“True, ‘accidental’ death is still my main concern. Too many family members of the lords judging his case have gone missing or met untimely ends. I’m reasonably sure that he’s got a few of the lords on his side because he’s holding hostages somewhere. No, it’s best to keep Theodore out of sight, and somewhere that he’s unlikely to be found. I have an older estate that I’ve been trying to sell. It’s at the northern end of the island in an area that is sparsely populated. It should give us a perfect place to hide my son. There’s even a dock there where you could berth at least one of your vessels if you so desire. I will offer the temporary use of this manor free of charge, but there isn’t much in the way of staff other than a few groundskeepers,” Buxton offered.

“That might be perfect for what we need. It’s out of the way and some work needs to be done on my ships that can be quite noisy. I assume there aren’t any neighbors to disturb in this location?” Larson asked. If the place was as secluded as Buxton made it seem, it might be the perfect place to test out the weapons that they were developing.

“As I said, the place is sparsely populated, mostly farming lands with a small village nearby. My family made much of its initial wealth by overseeing these farms and providing fresh provisions to the vessels visiting Stratwall Harbor, but we’ve moved on toward bigger and better things than managing a bunch of dirt farmers. I own much of the property around the estate, so there should be no distractions,” Lord Buxton said.

“Excellent, we’ll move the Sea Venom out to your estate, and if you need anything. Send word to the Lost Soul and they’ll get in touch with me. I need time to prepare, but I wouldn’t mind taking a crack at these pirates when you find out where their lair is,” Larson said, happy to have an out of the way place for one of his ships, as well as a chance to test his firearms without attracting any excess attention.

Lord Buxton was done with them and called a servant to usher them back into the plush carriage for their ride back to the docks. On the way, they counted out the reward that Buxton had given them. The sack of coins held 385 landsmen gold and 840 scales. It wasn’t a vast fortune, but it would help with all the additional supplies they were going to need.

Back at the docks, Larson filled Tarley and Shada in on their plan. For now, he’d take the Sea Venom along with a good portion of the experienced crew, leaving Shada, Tarley, and Ibn behind to watch over the Lost Soul and continue to recruit and train new crew to fill up their ranks. Lucian helped Bug Bartholomew wrangle up a large wagon that they used to load up all of the equipment that both Sarvo and Felicia would need to start their work. Theo and a detachment of marines would accompany the wagon with their gear and take the overland route to the secluded manor they would be working at.

Larson wanted to oversee the cannon project since it would mean their domination of the seas if they could get it to work, but he was also torn at leaving Tarley and the others behind to recruit the new crew. He wanted involvement in who was chosen, as well as the final veto on the candidates, but with the crew growing and, hopefully, even more ships added to the fleet, Larson would need to trust his officers to get the job done on their own. Tarley had performed well enough with the Lost Soul and had done nothing but prove himself capable and loyal since Larson had known him.

They shifted most of the supplies aboard the Lost Soul over to the Sea Venom, it would be much easier to provision the ship remaining in port, rather than trying to haul supplies to an out-of-the-way location. The less contact with the outside world, the better, at least until Lord Mox and his son were dealt with permanently.