Limitless Lands, Chapter 22.

Chapter 22.

Shada led Larson out through the main door of the warehouse, Quix and the two spear wielding sailors accompanying them. A line of a dozen town guard stood at attention, covering the entrance and Larson could see more slipping around the sides of the building to where the other exits were. In front of the line of guards stood a guard officer and a man dressed in fine clothing giving off a distinct air of “I’m better than you”.

“I’m Captain Larson of the Gull Dropping; how may I be of assistance officer?” Larson asked the officer, who looked a little taken back at the huge, blood covered naga in front of him.

“We have reports of illegal activity in this location and that there might be some kind of disturbance going on here,” the officer replied.

“No, there’s nothing illegal going on here, at least not anymore. A gang of thugs calling themselves the Shining Tower were here, but we came to claim some of our lost property from them. Sadly, they responded to my friendly inquiries with violence and my crew and I were forced to defend ourselves,” Larson said, trying to look innocent.

“Hmm, I sincerely doubt that is the extent of what is happening here. Stand aside so the good officer and his men can do their work. Captain Racle, have your men retrieve the Shining Hand survivors, I would like to question them personally,” the well dressed man ordered.

“And you are?” Larson asked, moving aside to let the town guard inside, sending one of his crew to tell the others to stand down. Larson knew he was formidable opponent, but fighting the entire town wasn’t something he could do, at least not yet.

“I, if you must know, am Lord Thruston Mox, one of the lords of this city,” the man replied.

“Good to meet you Lord Mox, sadly, you won’t find any surviving Shining Tower members inside. We tend to defend ourselves very vigorously when attacked,” Larson replied.

“It appears you are quite efficient, now, let us go inside and have a little private chat, Captain Larson. There is something we need to discuss,” Mox told him. It didn’t exactly come across as a request, it was an order. Larson didn’t see any point in causing a stink at this time, after all, a lord of the city could be a valuable ally. Mox led him to the back of the warehouse and into the office that held the safe.

“Sir, do you need anything?” Nogreb asked. The orc had been going through the desk as they came in.

“No, Nogreb, head out to the warehouse and take charge of the recovery operations,” Larson ordered.

“Hold up for a moment, I’m assuming you have some documentation for what you intend to take from this warehouse. I know you’re claiming that you have some goods in here that might have been stolen from you. This is a city of laws, dear Captain, and our laws require documentation to prove you are the owner of something like say, a ship,” Mox said, the not so subtle threat was understood by Larson.

“Very well, Nogreb, begin to sort out our things, but don’t leave with any of our goods until Lord Mox has inspected our claim to them,” Larson ordered. Nogreb saluted and left the room, leaving him to hear whatever Mox was up to.

“Good, now that we’re alone, I think we have a few items to discuss, Captain Larson. Imagine my surprise when word reached me that a warehouse which I have some financial interest in was under assault. While these Shining Tower characters weren’t exactly impressive, they did keep things under control here. Now, I will have to expend considerable effort to see that his area remains working for the good of the city. Perhaps we can do something to help each other out?” Mox finally got around to asking.

Larson considered his response. It was obvious that this Mox was on the take from the thugs, and the last thing Larson wanted was conflict with one of the twelve lords that run the city. The fact that Mox hadn’t just ordered him arrested gave Larson hope that there might be a deal to make.

“Lord Mox, I’d be glad to consider any offer you might have,” Larson replied.

“Excellent, a reasoned response, not what you expect from a pirate captain,” Mox replied.

“Hold up there, I’m not a pirate, just an honest ship owner looking to ply his trade,” Larson argued.

“That’s odd, I believe the dossier I keep on piracy in the area has implicated your ship in several attacks. Why, the very respected Captain Helia of the Sea Jumper has reported an attack by your vessel recently,” Mox argued. It took Larson a moment to remember where he had heard of Helia and the Sea Jumper before. He had helped her fight off the pirates and Larson received a broken mast for his good deed. She knew that the pirate ship had changed hands but had apparently neglected to pass that information on. He made a note to deal with Helia and her ship if they ever crossed paths again.

“The Gull Dropping is under new management. We were being held prisoner by the pirates and overpowered our captors, taking the ship for ourselves,” Larson replied.

“An interesting story, true, but it does put me in a bit of a quandary. I have to uphold the law, and when a known pirate vessel enters the port, I have no choice, but to impound it for the good of the Free Isles,” Mox told him.

“I take it that you haven’t ordered me and my crew in chains because you may have something that we can do for you?” Larson asked.

“Indeed, perhaps we can use a pirate to catch a pirate. There is a particular pirate, a loathsome individual that calls himself Furious Fontaine. This Fontaine has taken my son, as well as the son of another Lord. The lads were scooped up by the pirates when some of their crew slipped into port recently. I have received the inevitable ransom demands and need someone to pay the brigand and recover my son Jonathan, and Lord Buxton’s son, Theodore,” Mox offered.

“Sure, that’s a task we could easily accomplish, but why hire me when you have all the resources of this port at your disposal. I’m sure you have several warships that could make the exchange,” Larson argued, fearing he was being setup for something.

“This is a delicate personal matter, and it would not do to have too much attention placed on my son. He was always an impressionable young man and has romantic illusions as to what the life of a pirate is like. There is a good chance that he offered himself up for capture in some foolish attempt to join the crew. I want you to pay the ransom, recover my boy, and then eliminate the pirate threat,” Mox said.

“And what are you offering? Just the threat of imprisonment and impounding of my ship isn’t much of a motivation,” Larson asked.

“I can offer something very valuable for a man like yourself. As minister defense for the port, I have the authority to issue letters of marque on behalf of the Free Isles. In essence, Captain Larson, I can give you a legal license to become a privateer, which give you permission to commit piracy of a sort. There are certain restrictions, of course, but you would have an almost free hand against any other pirates and vessels of nations that we designate as hostile,” Mox offered.

It was a very attractive offer, one that opened great possibilities for him and his ship. Legal authority to attack other pirates and the like had the potential to be very profitable, even more so once he and Lucien got their store up and running. The stolen cargo’s the pirates had plundered would become his. He had to counter his excitement with the realization that this deal was a bit sketchy and he didn’t trust this Lord Mox in the least. For now, he would take this deal and try to grind out any advantage he could get.

“I think we can agree to this, only, I will need that letter of marque upfront. My ship also needs some work done and new provisions to be laid in, which I would expect you to cover. I also need some coin to upgrade our equipment and weapons,” Larson requested.

“Don’t overstep your bounds, Captain Larson. I will see to it that your vessel is provisioned, but that is the extent of my largesse. I will also be taking that,” Mox pointed to the safe, “as well as the cabinets and desk. You can use whatever else you scrounge up in the warehouse to fund your necessary repairs. These are coordinates for the meeting, and you will be expected to arrive in ten days’ time, any later and we risk having my son, and our deal, killed. One day after you’ve rescued my boy and dispatched the pirates, I will meet you just off the island for the transfer. At that meeting you will get your letter of marque and I will get my son,” Mox countered.

“Agreed,” Larson said, reaching out to shake hands and seal the deal.

“Excellent, Captain Larson, I hope this can be the start of a profitable relationship. Send some of your people over to my estate tomorrow and my people will see that you are properly provisioned. Fair seas, Larson, I will see you next at the rendezvous. Do I need to mention that I expect my son to be alive and in good health when I recover him?” Mox said as he left, ordering the guard to load up the items he had requested. Once the safe, desk, and cabinets were taken to a waiting wagon, the town guard left.

“What exactly happened with the two of you? Shada asked.

“We have just been given our first job. We’re going to rescue Lord Mox and Lord Buxton’s sons from some pirates. In return, we’re going to be given a letter of marque for the Free Isles,” Larson told them.

“That’s amazing, with a letter of marque we can do just about anything we want at sea,” Nogreb said, clearly excited over the possibilities.

“True, but our targets would be limited. In fact, I believe we’ll try and specifically target pirate vessels and raid any of their bases that we can locate. That way, we’ll be well received at any of the Free Ports,” Larson replied.

“Our ship isn’t exactly in any state to take on pirates, sir. What are we going to do about that?” Shada asked.

“First, we clean this place out for anything valuable. Tomorrow, Shada, you’ll take some of the crew to retrieve provisions from the estate of Lord Mox. Nogreb, send one of our men back to the ship, we’re going to need more hands to sort through all of this. Have the messenger stop at Lucian’s place and get him over here too. We might need his help in figuring out what is worth the effort of hauling away. Too bad Lord Mox took the safe with him,” Larson said.

“Don’t worry, sir, I had a peek inside before you came into the office, it was mostly documents, many of which I bet would be embarrassing to Lord Mox if they became public knowledge. There was a small bag of coin, which I thought you might want,” Nogreb said, tossing a small coin pouch to Larson. It turned out to be another dozen landsmen gold, 412 fins, and a similar number of scales. Not a fortune, but enough to help pay for repairs and hire more crew.

“Nice work, Nogreb, now let’s get the rest of the place picked clean,” Larson replied. The offices were mostly empty, the cargo strewn about the main warehouse was going to be their only chance to find some decent loot. Of course, Larson had the dead thugs searched for valuables, which netted him a handful of scales and the weapons from both his deceased crew and their opponents.

As they started on the crates, Lucian arrived along with Kipper. They jumped right in and helped sort through what they’d found. Like Larson suspected, most of the containers held trade goods that were not very valuable. Included in the lot were several loads of household good, like plates and utensils. Larson had a good selection sent over to the Gull Dropping for his crew to use. The rest would go with Lucian to a small storage building he was renting; it was good stock for the shop they were going to open.

One of the crates held the weapons and armor for Ibn Hasma and his men. Their armor consisted of thick leather, reinforced with metal rings and was worn under their robes. Each of them had a conical metal helmet with a spike on top. As far as weapons, they all wielded curved scimitars, and Ibn wore two at his waist. The Blades of the Desert held small bucklers in their off hand, the bucklers featured a metal spike in the center, allowing them to be used for both defense and offence. Long, curved knives that were almost short swords rounded out their weapons save for two of the men that had short bow’s and a quiver of arrows strapped on their back.

There weren’t any other exciting finds, but there were more items for the shop as well as some blankets and the like that would be used on the Gull Dropping. Lucian was able to rent another cart and they spent an hour ferrying the goods over to the ship and the small storage building he had secured. After gathering all they could, Larson led the last of the crew still working at the warehouse back to the Gull Dropping. It was the middle of the night by the time they finished, and as they passed one of the still crowded bar’s, Ibn stopped him.

“Captain, my men and I need to stop here for a moment and take care of something. Please do not interfere, we will be back to the ship shortly,” Ibn said, leading the blades toward the scummy looking inn. They drew their weapons as they approached, and the bouncer stared at them in shock. This must have been the place they had been drugged and kidnapped at. Larson sent the others ahead, sticking around to see how this played out.

“You, who is it that ordered us drugged,” Ibn commanded. The bouncer made the mistake of going for the studded club that was leaning against the door. One of Ibn’s men thrust his buckler forward, the steel point piercing the eye socket of the bouncer and killing him instantly. The group slammed open the door, Ibn bellowing as they entered the inn.

“This establishment has foolishly tried to injure myself and my men. All who work here will now be slain for that offense. The rest of you patrons must leave now or share their fate,” Ibn ordered. Larson watched through one of the dingy windows as the dozen or so patrons of the place tired to decide what to do, about half held up their hands and skulked out the front, the other half drew blades and joined the employees to face off against Ibn and his warriors.

Larson was still unsure of his newly hired marines, but if this was the bar where they were drugged and kidnapped, he wasn’t going to try and stop them. The bartender pulled an axe from behind the bar and called to the back. A handful of kitchen staff ran out, wielding meat cleavers and various types of knives. The two servers that were on duty pulled daggers and joined in. The patrons who were choosing to fight all had various weapons, and the whole group outnumbered his force by better than two to one.

Ibn didn’t hesitate, confidently stepping into the room as he began to twirl his twin scimitars. His men spread out, their own weapons at the ready. With a shout, the bartender charged Ibn, trying to split the man in two with an overhead strike of his axe. One of the scimitars lashed out, deflecting the axe as the other raked across the bartender’s belly, spilling his guts on the ground. Several more patrons and workers charged Ibn, who’s blades became a blur, deflecting blows and returning precise strikes. The so-called Blades of the Desert were also impressive, showing skill as they held off a numerically superior foe.

Ibn dropped another pair of opponents and his men each had killed their first, causing the seven remaining defenders to back away. The inn didn’t have a rear entrance, but one of the servers tried to open a side window and climb out, a blade intercepting her and cutting down the server as she made it halfway through the open window. The two remaining patrons threw down their weapons and held up their hands in surrender. Ibn wasn’t taking any prisoners and cut the unarmed pair down without hesitation. Knowing they had no other option, the remaining workers charged, only to be taken apart by the Ibn’s warriors who now held the advantage both in skill and in numbers.

Ibn searched behind the bar, finding several small coin purses that he tossed to his men before searching their victims for more, taking whatever valuables they could find. Larson entered the inn and considered having Lucian come to collect the booze and foodstuffs here, but someone was bound to have heard the battle and the town guard was likely already on their way. Larson didn’t want either himself or his people to be found at the scene of a second massacre tonight.

“Well fought, Ibn, it looks like you live up to your title,” Larson said.

“Do you find fault with my methods?” Ibn asked.

“No, you showed no mercy where none should have been expected. The people here drugged and robbed you with the intent of selling you into slavery, I would have done the same,” Larson replied.

“It is good to know our new employer understands the way of retribution, I believe we will get along well with you and your crew,” Ibn replied motioning for them to leave. As they made their way back to the ship, Larson came to a decision.

“Ibn, I would like you to become the officer of my marine detachment, which your men will form the core of. It will mean a better share of any prize we take, but I would require that you agree to serve for at least a year,” Larson told him. The system had revealed that he could command one additional officer, but what would happen if he exceeded the limit was unknown.

“A year? I think I can agree to that. This should be a most interesting time,” Ibn said, slapping Captain Larson on the back.

“Oh, I think you’ll find things are about to get even more interesting than you think,” Larson said as they came into view of the harbor and the Gull Dropping. Standing right beside the ship, and in obvious discomfort, was Bug Bartholomew. What could he be wanting that would make him risk coming this close to the sea?