Chapter 493 - Engagement at Sea (Patreon)

The water here really is green. I thought those were just stories, Sami thought as he stared at the waves of the Verduic Sea.

On their way to Rasacopa, they had come close to the island of Yua, which meant they were around halfway through the first leg of their journey.

So far, their travels had been largely uneventful. Though first, it had taken them a few days at sea to get used to sailing at high seas. However, with Sami's carefully selected crew, many of their issues had been greatly alleviated. Not to mention, a well-traveled route, protected by Saniya's powerful navy, had allowed them to make their way from Saniya deep into the Verdant Isles without any major incident.

Only once had they seen a military vessel, but it had been one of Saniya's own galleons patrolling the waters to deter pirates. As soon as they had seen them fly King Corcopaca's silver triquetra on purple cloth, the ship had ignored them.

Ever since that day, Sami had felt completely safe. With such a powerful force on their side, surely no pirates would dare touch them and risk the wrath of Saniya's mighty fleet, right? Thus, he had begun to enjoy the journey instead.

As they traveled further north and west, the temperature kept rising, and one by one, the environment of the islands going past them changed. From temperate islands and deserts, they soon only saw tropical jungles, a complete novelty for Sami. He was determined to at least spend some time in one of these impressive forests once they reached Rasacopa, if only to feel a closeness to nature he hadn't felt ever since he had left his rural home.

Yet just when Sami was caught in his own thoughts, convinced that they would be able to reach Jurau on Rasacopa without trouble, a shout interrupted his peace, and heralded the appearance of such trouble instead.

"Ship ahead!"

Up on the crow's nest, the lookout shouted down, and then sent down a series of signals to inform the crew on deck that an unidentified ship without a flag was approaching. Soon, Sami could see the ship as well. From around a small reef besides their route, a raid ship from the Verdant Isles suddenly appeared — far closer than was comfortable — and steered straight towards them. The outlook had called them unidentified, but for Sami, their identity was unmistakable. Only pirates could look like this, and approach them with such purpose.

The narrow rowing ship lay low in the water, its pointed keel cleaving through the waves with every stroke of its countless oars. Behind each of these oars would sit a fierce verduic pirate, ready to board their brand-new galleon and kill them all for their riches. Just at that moment, a ghastly sound spread across the waters, like the desperate screams of a dying man. Much to his dismay, Sami knew the source. This noise came from a death whistle, a conch-shaped horn which created an ungodly scream, often used by pirates in these waters to intimidate their victims as they approached.

As soon as they heard the noise, the inexperienced, leaderless crew fell into a panic at the imminent raid. People ran around confused, all of them with their own plans. Some wanted to steer the ship away from the threat, while others wanted to unpack their cannons to fight back. Others yet just wanted to hide below deck and hope for the best. Yet as he saw everyone around him panic, Sami instead returned to an eerie calm. Through Qawa, he managed to transmit his orders to the whole crew, which managed to restore a semblance of structure to the chaos aboard his vessel.

First, Sami ordered his men to inform Chanca's ship of the raid through semaphore signals. If the situation on their ship was that chaotic, surely Chanca's wasn't any better, so he needed to give them every help he could. However, right after, he had to take care of his own crew's safety.

Thus, his next order was for their crew to adjust their course and fully unfurl their sails. In his plan, they would speed up and steer slightly north-east, until they would face the bow of the pirates with their broadside. Then, they just had to hold the heading. Once their course had been set, there wasn't much more he could do. Or rather, his presence was more needed elsewhere. As soon as the course had been set, he transferred the authority above deck to Qawa and personally went down to the orlop deck to help coordinate their cannon fire.

Although his men were still fearful, and lacking experience to boot, they had at least spent some time training on the cannons since they had gone to sea. After more chaos and a lot of struggle, they finally managed to load two of their three starboard cannons by the time the enemy raid ship had reached within five hundred meters of the Suyana. Already, they were well within cannon range, too close for comfort. By now, the raid ship had long zeroed in on them, closing in rapidly with every pull of its oars.

No more time to wait for the last cannon to load. If we don't fire soon, we might not get another chance, the captain realized.

Although Sami's chest tightened more and more, he pretended to be calm as he gave his orders.

On his "Fire!," the two loaded cannons shot a salvo towards the enemy ship. All he could do now was hope that they would land a critical hit to gain some time for a second shot.

One, two, Sami counted, as he watched two fountains of water splash up harmlessly far in front of the raid ship. The sight made his stomach drop further, yet he forced himself to continue. He couldn't lose his head, or their resistance would collapse.

"Keep going," he shouted with a cracking voice at his frozen crew. "Reload!"

Yet just as the desperation began to overwhelm him, he heard someone shout "They're turning!"

Soon, more voices joined in, as his crew's panic turned into celebration.

Through the small gunports in the orlop deck, Sami could confirm the shouts. Indeed, the raid ship seemed to have been intimidated by their amateurish attempt at firing, and had begun to turn, eager to escape the battlefield.

Maybe they thought we were just firing a warning shot. I guess they mistook our incompetence for mercy.

As Sami tried to make sense of this messy encounter, the sailors around him celebrated their 'victory' over the pirates. Not long after, they would reach Rasacopa without any further incidents.

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"In the end, we drove the pirates back into their reefs. Had we known the waters better, we would have pursued them and sent their little boat into the underworld. It's their luck, this time. Anyway, that's what happened," Sami concluded his story.

Of course, he left out most of his and his crew's incompetence. In his tale, they had also met several raiding ships organized by one of the colored kings, instead of a single one without a flag. After a fierce exchange of fire, they had heroically fought off all of them and continued their path safely.

"Sounds like you had quite an adventure, stranger," the young man who sat on the bar stool next to Sami commented. "So you are here to drink and wait while your men sell off your goods and load new ones?"

"That as well," Sami admitted, before he added: "But I also want to know more about the general situation here in Jurau, Rasacopa, and on the surrounding islands. I'd rather not get surprised by any pirates again, you see? Even if we managed to fend them off easily the first time, there is no reason to take any extra risks, is there? Who knows, maybe next time they organize a large ambush to take revenge."

"Well, so long as you pay for my drink, I do not mind telling you whatever you want to know, friend," the man replied with a friendly smile, one which almost masked the transaction which had just been established between them. Though of course, this clever deception wouldn't let Sami forget his end of the deal.

"Of course," he thus said, before he turned to look at the barman across the tavern's counter. "Could we get two..." Sami thought for a second, before he asked: "What do the patrons usually drink here?"

"Two cups of Unaqha coming up," the barman said without an expression, and turned around to fill two cups with a clear liquid from a large, earthen bottle. While Sami was waiting for their drinks to arrive, he looked around the fine establishment he found himself in, although there really wasn't much to see.

Compared to the constant, light drizzle of Saniya — which was sometimes interspersed with intense showers of rain or impenetrable mist for variety — the Green Island was a paradise on earth. The capital of Jurau, set in the bay of the same name, was always covered in sunlight, which showed off the beautiful architecture of its many small courtyards built along the gentle curve of the sandy shore. Yet despite this strong first impression, the locals didn't seem to appreciate their superior natural conditions much. At least in here, Sami couldn't see any of the city's sights.

For some bizarre reason, the Deep Well — which was supposedly Jurau's most infamous tavern — had no windows to enjoy the outside view.

Maybe the windows were boarded up to protect the hungover drinkers from sunlight, Sami mused.

That was the best guess he could make after a look at this dive's clientele. Both Sami and Chanca had come here to gather information. As soon as they had entered, his friend had picked out the darkest corner, where three older men sat surrounded by a hill of full and empty bottles and cups, despite the early time of day.

Clearly, they were regulars of the place and spent most of their time drinking here. Just as clearly, they would know a lot about the area as a result. Most likely, that was the reason Chanca went to talk to them, apart from the excuse to drink early, of course. However those drunks in the corner were also clearly unreliable and shady, much like most of the other patrons in this low-down place.

Such observations were also the reason Sami had picked his own drinking partner. Unlike most everyone else in here, this young man's clothes looked clean and his eyes seemed clear. He didn't have a beard or a stubble either. Overall, The young man looked well put-together, like a useful member of society, which was the reason Sami had approached him specifically.

Two soft thuds made Sami turn around again to find two shallow cups filled with a clear liquid before him and his fellow drinker. Cautiously, Sami picked up the cup so he wouldn't spill anything and turned towards his neighbor.

"Cheers," he said, and downed the drink all at once, before anyone could reply. It was a decision he regretted immediately. Liquid fire entered his mouth and burned his lips, throat and stomach. Right after, an unpleasant, lingering taste followed, as if he had swallowed a rotting carcass doused in lamp oil.

Yet Sami barely noticed the vile taste. He was too busy wheezing and coughing through tears, trying to force some air through his destroyed throat before he would choke to death on dry land. All around him, the cheap tavern erupted in uproarious laughter.

"Are you alright, friend?" his neighbor asked, and hit Sami's back a few times to help him out.

Although his words sounded like genuine concern, he also had an annoying smirk plastered on his face. After a few more hearty coughs, Sami finally recovered and replied as he wiped some tears off his face: "Yes, I'm fine. But I think someone just tried to poison me."

"Well, Unaqha is not something you are meant to drink in a rush, friend. For that, you would need a lot more experience," the man replied, and slowly sipped his drink as if to show off his poison resistance. While Sami was still recovering from the local customs, his new 'friend' turned to the barman and added in a smug tone: "Please get something more foreigner-friendly for my friend here."

"You got it, Stickboy," the bartender replied with a smirk. "One fruit wine coming up."

"I'm sure something like that would be more your speed," the man called Stickboy told Sami. As he spoke, his voice and face carried a sincerity which made Sami question whether the man with the strange name was trying to help him or make fun of him. Rather than unravel the mystery, Sami wisely decided to ignore his embarrassment and move on.

"So anyways, I thought it would be good to learn more about the state of the war, since we will be traveling around these waters a lot," he picked up their previous conversation instead. After all, he had now paid the agreed price, so it was time for his new 'friend' to uphold his end of the bargain.

"That sounds like a wise idea," Stickboy replied, and sipped some more of his poison. "What do you want to know?"