Limitless Seas 2, Chapter 10.

Chapter 10.

“Captain, glad to have you back, I see we’ve picked up a couple of strays,” Tarley said when Larson rejoined his ships. Both vessels had been brought to a pair of large drydocks, and the water was in the process of being pumped out by dozens of pumps being manned by the dockworkers as well as his crew. Bug Bartholomew operated two on his own, and Larson was willing to bet the ogre was pumping more water than any twenty of the dock workers.

“This was fast, we weren’t gone that long,” Larson replied. Ibn and the others with him went to join in the work, Ghonen, and the gnolls happily jumping in as more pumps were brought out by the dockyard crew.

“Here comes the dockmaster, he’s been pretty helpful so far,” Tarley advised. A man in a simple workman’s clothes and nothing to indicate his rank approached, a couple of dockworkers following behind him.

“Captain Larson, I presume? I’m dockmaster Khonas. According to my orders, your ships are to get my full attention, but we only have until sundown to finish up. Your, uh, rather large ship’s engineer has already given me a wish list of fixes and upgrades, but I wanted your input on what my boys should prioritize,” Khonas said.

“Go with whatever Bug Bartholomew requests, but keep in mind we need to find any potential new problems and prioritize whatever it is that can’t be handled at sea. In addition to repairs, I could use new sail and rigging along with some spares,” Larson asked. It was a lot, and he wasn’t sure at what point the dockmaster would cut him off, but he was going to try and get everything that he could.

“Not a problem, I’ll get started on looking for any hidden issues while the water’s getting pumped out. I can kit you out with sail and rigging, but I’m limited to stocks on hand which should be more than enough. I also understand you’re to have some access to the armory. I’m going to be tied up here with the ships, so if you’d like, I can have Watch Captain Cason show you to the armory,” Khonas said. Larson was more than happy to look at an armory he was going to pluck as many weapons as he could from.

The armory wasn’t too far from the drydock and was housed in what looked like a large storage shed, albeit a storage shed with an armored door. Several guards patrolled the area, and Larson suspected the guard had been reinforced to deal with any problems his crew might cause. The military dockyards were separated from the town by a wooden wall that seemed sturdy enough but looked to be more geared toward keeping out sticky-fingered locals than to hold up against an invasion fleet.

“My men will accompany you at all times. Touch nothing without permission and I will be the sole arbiter of what you can take with you,” Cason advised.

“Understood, may I take my marine officer with me?” Larson asked.

“Very well, but just the two of you,” Cason replied. Larson wanted Ibn’s input on weapons for not just his newly recruited marines, but also the rest of the crew. The armory wasn’t all that impressive, mostly containing racks of standard quality spears, shortswords, and crossbows. The siege engine selection consisted of a single catapult and ballista.

“What do you think Ibn?” Larson asked.

“The spears are a good option, they’re effective in most situations and it’s easy enough to train a crewman to fight with one, but we have several different fighting styles among the crew so a bit of everything would be nice. Let’s check out the armor selection before we decide,” Ibn advised.

Cason led them to the back of the armory where several racks held leather breastplates, studded leather greaves, and heavy gloves. They also passed a row of several dozen crossbows, larger weapons than a standard version, and they looked like they would pack a good punch but would take time and muscle to reload. Barrels of crossbow bolts were stashed everywhere, the city using the warehouse to store enough ammo to refit their patrol vessels several times over. A couple of dozen medium-sized round shields were placed haphazardly in a pile, serviceable but a bit battered from seeing hard use.

“What’s the deal on the shields, Captain Cason?” Larson asked.

“The guard is upgrading to larger, kite-shields that are steel-faced, and we’re getting the castoffs to store as the guardsmen and marines get their new kit. If you have a use for them, I won’t count them as highly against your total as I will for new weapons and gear,” Cason advised.

“What about the siege engines?” Larson asked.

“Not a chance, I’ve only got the two and I need them for replacements,” Cason advised, to Larson’s disappointment.

“Fine, I want the shields and a dozen of the heavy crossbows for sure, along with all the ammunition that you’ll let me take. After that, weapons are my priority, and whatever armor bits you can spare,” Larson advised.

“Sir, do you think Bug Bartholomew can make use of these?” Ibn asked, pointing toward the back of the warehouse where a pair of broken-down catapults were stashed.

“Those are too messed up for us to fix, I was going to throw them out since it’s cheaper to just order a new one, but if you want them, you can have them as a bonus. You’ll be doing me a favor to haul them away,” Cason offered.

“Thank you, our ship’s engineer can do something with them, what about the other weapons and gear?” Larson asked. Cason rubbed the short stubble on his chin as he calculated something in his head.

“Here’s what we can do, you’ll get a dozen spears, swords, daggers, and crossbows, along with a hundred bolts per weapon. I can give you a few pieces of armor, but our supply is limited, and I need to keep spares for my men. Let’s say ten complete sets of studded leather with some extra gloves and greaves, I have more of those than anything else. In addition to that, you can have all the old shields, and the ruined siege engines,” Cason offered.

“I can see you’re limited on armor, but how about a bit more help with the weapons, we’ll put them to good use by killing anyone who’s a threat to Stratwall Harbor,” Larson said, trying to eke out every bit he could from this deal.

“If you promise to skewer a few extra pirates for me, I’ll cut loose another ten spears, but that’s it, don’t ask for a dagger more or I’ll start taking things out of the deal,” Cason said, giving his final offer.

“Deal, thanks for your help, Captain Cason, I’ll send some crew over to gather the weapons and gear,” Larson replied.

“Good, have your crew wait outside the warehouse, my men will bring out what I’ve promised, and we have a few small push-carts you can use to move everything,” Cason told him. Larson pulled ten of his crew, including the gnolls to help haul their windfall over to the ships. The weapons would need some attention and refurbishing after sitting in the warehouse for so long, but cleaning, sharpening, and repairing the gear would be a good exercise for the crew. He was going to rely on Shada and Ibn to divide up the gear between the ships as well as put in place a training regimen once they were at sea.

Only one of the city’s warships was still in port, a ship displaced from the drydock by Larson’s arrival. It was an impressive vessel, and it resembled a scaled-up version of the Lost Soul. He wouldn’t say no to adding it to his fleet, but he preferred the better maneuverability of his Sea Venom. The city’s warship ship was armed with a trio of ballistae, one in the bow and one mounted on platforms on either side of the ship. A single catapult on the quarterdeck finished off the siege armament, but the crew would no doubt employ various ranged weapons in a fight, not to mention the probability that the city could hire mage support given their deep coffers.

It was late morning by the time all the water was pumped from the drydock. Workers began to scrape the hulls smooth and replace any of the boards that were worn out or damaged. The dockworkers were skilled, and with Bug Bartholomew’s guidance, they quickly transformed the two ships, bringing them, if not back to new, at least to as good a condition as they could get. Larson pitched in as much as he could. He was never afraid of hard work and enjoyed pushing his new body to the limit.

“Captain Larson, there is one more thing I believe will interest you. The  Sea Venom appears to have originally been an Imperium warship, an older, but rather effective design,” Khonas said, drawing Larson’s attention away from the new hull plank he was installing.

“What’s that? I’m glad for any help I can get,” Larson replied.

“You’re missing the ram that was once mounted to this ship. I don’t have an exact match, but I do have something in storage that seems oddly appropriate for your vessel. It’s a personal item of mine that I’ve kept for sentimental reasons, but I might be willing to part with it for a small fee. I rather like the idea of an old weapon being put to good use once more,” Khonas offered.

“Show me what you’re talking about. If it can help my ship, I don’t mind paying for it as long as the value is there,” Larson replied. Khonas led him toward another, older, storage building. Pulling a key from his tunic, the dockmaster unlocked the barn-like doors, enlisting Larson to help him push the doors aside to let some natural light into the warehouse.

The place was like a museum of naval history, old planks bearing ship names were gathered in one corner, making Larson wonder what their stories were and what happened for them to leave only a few planks to be remembered by. A collection of rusting ship’s weapons were arranged haphazardly on the floor, most being older and far less reliable versions of various catapults, scorpions, and oversized crossbows. They looked clunky and unwieldy, not at all like the weapons that Bug Bartholomew crafted for their vessels.

“Here’s what I was talking about,” Khonas said, pulling aside an old tarp to reveal a gleaming bronze object resembling a shark’s head. I kept this, it gives off a faint magic aura, and the mage I purchased it from said the ram would never corrode and would penetrate through a thick hull as if it were paper. He’s likely full of mukok dung, but I bought it anyway. Rams are out of fashion in naval warfare, but I thought you might like it. For a ducat, I can have it installed on your ship. You’ll put it to better use than having it sit here in my collection,” Khonas said.

“I like it, but as you said, rams aren’t exactly easy weapons to use, and a ducat could buy another siege engine for one of my ships with some coin to spare,” Larson countered.

“That’s what I figured, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. How about five landsmen gold, not a bad price considering my boys will install it for free,” Khonas offered.

“Deal,” Larson confirmed, passing the coins over and running his hand across the ram. As he did so, a system notification started to appear, then faded before he could concentrate on it. The magical connection to the ram faded a bit as if whatever had once powered it was nearly exhausted.

Larson personally oversaw the installation of the ram; they first extended the keel and Khonas worked with Bug Bartholomew to install additional bracing to resist the force generated by ramming into another vessel. If they did use the weapon, Larson wanted his ship ready for the task. He personally hoisted the ram up so that Bug Bartholomew could affix it with oversized fasteners, securing it to the keel and balancing it just right. If the ram was even slightly off-center, it would create additional drag, lowering their speed and making the ship unwieldy. The strange magic was felt once more as he held the ram in place and he could sense a yearning inside the ram, as it craved something it couldn’t quite reach.

“Captain Larson, you’re as ready to sail as we can make you in a single day,” Khonas said as the sun began to set on the horizon. Larson had lost himself in the work, too focused to notice the day was almost over.

“Thank you for your efforts, Khonas, I’ll make sure to let Lord Buxton know about all the hard work you and Captain Cason are doing,” Larson replied, watching as the drydock was unsealed and the sea began to flow in, slowly lifting the hulls of the Sea Venom and Lost Soul. The crew reboarded, Larson taking the five gnolls aboard his ship, and sending Bug Bartholomew over to help out aboard the Lost Soul. He didn’t want to throw the potential burden of the gnolls into Tarley’s lap if he could avoid it, and since the Soul didn’t have a siege engine yet, it would give Bug Bartholomew time to cobble together a functioning weapon from the pair of broken catapults that Captain Cason had given them.

It was a bit early, but the currents were already pulling slightly toward the open ocean, making things easier for Larson as his pair of ships slipped from Stratwall Harbor and made their way out to sea. With freshly cleaned and repaired hulls, both ships moved like a pair of hounds straining at the leash after scenting prey. This made all the hard work worth it, Larson thought as he moved to the bow of the Sea Venom, looking down at the sea that had become a part of him in both lives.

“Your ships move well, not that it’s my area of expertise, but it seems like you put your time back at the dockyards to good use,” Sergeant Wrend said, the surly soldier walking to stand by Larson, watching the sea being split by the front of their ship, the ram hiding just below the surface, waiting for its first victim.

“Thank you, my crew is still green and has a lot to learn, but we’ll get there. I appreciate you and your men pitching in,” Larson replied. The soldiers had been ordered to help by Wrend, and while they weren’t skilled dockworkers, strong backs were needed more than skill for many of the jobs they had completed.

“Can’t have my boys getting fat and lazy, this ain't some pleasure cruise,” Wrend said. Larson thought about their destination, and the potential threats they may face there.

“You’ve fought the Hypogean forces before, what can we expect if we really do find an open portal at our destination?” Larson asked.

“Ah, the beasties from there are different, and each of them deadly enough. They run the gamut just like the things here on the surface. Humanoids called troglodytes made up their fodder, strong but slow and stupid. There were nasty things called lurkers, all claws and teeth, they were. Oh, and we shouldn’t forget the giant spiders that were the size of a horse and used just like cavalry by the enemy. Lots more, and they were all ordered around by the imps, devious little monsters, not strong, but cunning and many were able to cast spells,” Wrend advised.

“You’re not exactly painting a pretty picture for us, my crew aren’t hardened soldiers, but they’ll fight hard,” Larson said.

“Don’t you worry there, Captain Larson, my Ignominia gave these creeps the business before and we’ll do it again. You’ll see, you and your little sailors have nothing to worry about,” Wrend said, his tone mocking, but Larson didn’t get the vibe that it wasn’t intended to be nasty but was more along the lines of the various military branches digging at each other for fun.

“My crew isn’t all that experienced in battle, but I can assure you, I have no problems holding my own,” Larson replied. Wrend looked at him intently, finally deciding on something.

“I think you’re right, Larson, you’ll do well enough, but I still think you’d have fared poorly back in the tavern if things had come to blows,” Wrend said.

“I disagree, but let’s hope it never comes to that between us. We’ve got a fair deal worked out for all parties involved and I intend to keep my side of the bargain,” Larson said.

“You seem like a man of your word, even if you are an officer, so my boys will behave themselves until it’s time not to,” Wrend said, taking his leave and heading belowdecks where his soldier’s had been given space to bunk down, leaving Larson alone with his thoughts.

It was times like this, alone with his ship and the sea, that he felt like he truly belonged. Larson reached out to his mana feeding it into the sea below, smoothing the currents for the Sea Venom and while they were making good time, Larson just loved the feel of coaxing the sea to do his will. This time, though, it felt different. There was a resistance to his efforts, no, not really a resistance, more of a lessening of his power as if something was dissipating his mana before it could do its work.

“Where am I?” A strange voice resonated in his mind. Larson lost his concentration, dropping his spell as he looked about for any threats. Not finding anything out of order, he tried to tap into his mana once more, but found that his mana pool was nearly drained. It would take time to replenish, but once it did and he used Command the Currents again, would the voice return?