Chapter 494 - Stickboy (Patreon)

"What do you want to know?" Stickboy asked, apparently satisfied with his payment.

"I wanted to know if the passage from here to Saniya is safe?" Sami began, before he realized that it was a foolish question. Of course the active war zone full of pirates wasn't safe. Before anyone could call him a fool, he quickly explained himself further. "I mean, of course, we met pirates this time, but is that the norm or the exception? How likely are we to meet a raid like that in, let's say, ten trips back and forth?"

In response to Sami's precise question, the man called Stickboy hesitated and thought for a few seconds before he replied.

"Well, that depends," he finally mumbled vaguely, much to the young captain's annoyance.

"Depends on what?" Sami still suppressed his displeasure and played along with the coy reply. If he upset the local, he wouldn't learn anything, and would instead find himself opposite an entire tavern filled with violent drunks.

"It depends on which routes you are taking," Stickboy finally revealed, before he took another sip and added: "Also, which flags you fly."

At last, Sami had gotten some useful information out of the interaction. Not even his previous embarrassment mattered anymore.

"I understand. So long as we stick to the main trade routes and fly the flags of the southern kingdom, I think we will be fine," he summarized.

After all, the main routes should be the ones most tightly protected by Saniya's and Rasacopa's navies. Further, the flag of the southern kingdom would surely scare off all attackers. Not only was the average level of strength from southern kingdom vessels much higher, any attackers would also no doubt fear retaliation for their actions should they dare attack a southern galleon.

However, much to Sami's surprise, Stickboy didn't agree immediately. Instead, he frowned, seemingly unsure, before he asked: "Southern Kingdom? Is that the purple flag?"

"Yeah, why?"

"These days, the favorite goal of pirates are apparently those ships flying the purple flags of Medala," Stickboy explained with a deepening frown, one which only furthered Sami's confusion. Only when a cup with a light-red liquid landed in front of him did his head start working again. For the moment, he ignored the cup and made sure he hadn't misheard.

"That doesn't make any sense," he insisted. "I thought we were protected by Saniya's and Rasacopa's navies. Why would the pirates attack us more than anyone else? Are they fools?"

"Before those big captains from the isles and your turtles from the east can protect you, they have to clean up all the Colored Kings hiding out on the isles first. So long as the Kings are still out there, they will use most of their energy on their main task. And there is an awful lot of water to cover between here and Saniya. Those war ships cannot be everywhere at once, not when they have to focus on other things. So no matter how many ships your people have, there is always plenty of opportunity to slip between the cracks and commit some quick murder and plunder. And a good raid captain will always have an escape route ready in case they get surprised by enemies. So he can always retreat when he meets a strong foe, just like what happened to you."

Sami thought back to the swift escape the pirates had staged during their engagement. Maybe they hadn't been scared at all. Maybe their actions were based on harsh lessons learned through years of experience. At least that made a lot more sense than Sami's naive belief that they were somehow afraid of his crew's ineptitude.

"Also," Stickboy continued while Sami was still collecting his thoughts. "The ships with the purple flags always carry rich treasure in their holds, or people they say. Everyone on Rasacopa knows that, and so do the Colored Kings. That flag's purple cloth alone is worth a fortune."

Only now did Sami realize that he had been foolish himself, despite calling everyone else a fool. Everyone was always bragging that only the wealthy southern kingdom could afford to color its flags purple. How could he never have considered this a problem? Why did they show off their wealth like idiots when they were only merchants, prime targets for piracy?

"So we have a target on our backs then," he thus concluded in a gloomy tone. At the same time, he quietly vowed to get his hands on a few more flags in Jurau. He would be damned if they continued to fly Saniya's flag all the time. In case they met a friendly ship, they could always just switch quickly, right?

"I apologize that I could not bring any better news, friend," Stickboy said, and patted him on the back. However, Sami waved off the sympathy.

"Not your fault. I have to thank you for telling me the truth so honestly."

You could have also said nothing, and then told some of your friends at the harbor that we were an easy mark, Sami added in his head, cautioning himself to be more careful with his words in the future. However, his drinking companion seemed to share none of his concerns.

"You have paid for my drink after all," the easygoing stranger said, and raised his cup again. "And you provided some company when I needed it. I am celebrating a promotion, you see. Celebrating by myself would have been too sad."

"In that case, let's drink to your promotion, friend," Sami said, rather than ask this 'Stickboy' why he wouldn't drink with anyone else here, or why he didn't simply go to a better place to celebrate. Instead, he finally picked up his fruit wine and clinked cups with the young man with the inexplicable epithet. This time, the drink was fruity and cloyingly sweet, far too much of both for Sami's taste. However, he didn't want to keep complaining and appear like a difficult customer, so he just awkwardly sipped his drink for a bit.

"So what is it you do after your new promotion?" Sami asked to pick the conversation back up. As a bonus, he could stop drinking his fruit juice so long as he was talking. To his surprise, this Stickboy's job was one he could relate to.

"From next week onward, I will be the supervisor in one of the green crown's textile mills south of Jurau," Stickboy said, with a pride in his voice which proved he had no idea what he was getting himself into.

A fellow sufferer then, Sami concluded, and immediately found 'Stickboy' to be a lot more endearing.

"You know," he began, "Back in Saniya, before I got involved in this whole merchant business, I also-" yet before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a voice from behind.

"See, those men back there were right!" someone shouted from behind them. "This one really is from Saniya!"

Sami turned his head to find a group of five people awkwardly standing in the middle of the tavern, facing him as one of them was pointing straight at the captain. Yet when he saw Sami's disapproving look, the rude stranger quickly lowered his finger again.

"We apologize if we have disturbed you, sire," another one said. His bearded, weathered face was as awkward as it was apologetic. "However, I could not help but overhear your conversation just now."

"What do you want?" an annoyed Sami asked in a gruff voice, one which was supposed to show that he wasn't interested in an answer at all.

Though of course, his anger wasn't all acted. A strange bunch had suddenly appeared just when he had begun to relate to this 'Stickboy'. He was about to gather even more information, and could even make a connection in the textile industry, which would bring him endless benefits. How could he not be angry at the interruption? Yet while all the others looked intimidated by Sami's attitude, their apparent leader with the beard still stood his ground and continued to ask questions.

"You see, we are all farmers from Rasacopa, and we have been trying to make our way to Saniya," he began. "As you are a merchant who travels the route, would it be possible to take us along? Although we have limited funds, we would be willing to work for our fare."

"Not interested," Sami just said at the end of the man's pleading speech, before he turned around again. Even if the next goal of their journey had really been Saniya, he wasn't interested in taking along a bunch of freeloaders who knew nothing about the seafaring business.

"But-"

"We're on our way to Chutwa." he interrupted the voice behind him, before the man could launch into another speech. "For you, we are going in the wrong direction. Unless you want to follow us to Chutwa, you are asking the wrong captain for help. So you best look for some other ship to fulfill your dreams."

"Even so, we would like to thank you for your time, sire," the voice behind Sami said, before he heard the steps of the strangers disappear behind him again.

"You could have still taken them along. Sooner or later, you will obviously return back to your home port," Stickboy argued. However, Sami wasn't interested in his sophistry.

"Why? With the way they were dressed, they clearly have no money, and I know they're no sailors. Since they have no skill, why should I take them in? I don't hand out alms on my ship."

"How would you know that they are no sailors? Were there some hidden clues?" Stickboy wondered. However, the answer was much simpler than that.

"Just some common sense," Sami said. "They look like a loose group of disparate people, who only seem to have their goal in common. All of them want to get to Medala. Note, they want to go to Medala, not to Saniya. They're probably on their way there for the free land our king has been offering. Who else but some poor tenant farmers or useless people would leave their home for an empty promise and some vain hope?"

Of course, Sami wasn't quite as dismissive of these people as his speech implied. After all, he himself had considered getting some land in the Verdant Isles before. It had been his exit strategy away from his dead-end job in the manufactory, at least until Ulan's pregnancy.

No matter what he said, he still believed in the words of his king, a man of honor and integrity, who had offered free land to anyone who dared to make the trip across the ocean. If nothing else, he didn't believe that their mighty king would ruin his reputation, just to fool a few poor souls who were only yearning for a better life. In that sense, Sami had sympathy for these landless commoners, who were about to start a difficult journey he himself had almost attempted.

Still, no matter their circumstances, he wouldn't take some farmers and day laborers onto his ship. By the time he could teach them how to tie a proper knot — meaning by the time they became useful members of his crew — they would reach Saniya and all his newly trained sailors would run off again. It was a waste of his time and energy. If at least they could pay for their passage, he could have considered taking them along, but as it was, he couldn't afford to do business at a loss.

"Still, I think you were a bit harsh, friend," Stickboy insisted. However, Sami just returned a critical look.

"Better to tell them the truth straight away than to tiptoe around and waste their time, and mine," he said, and drank some more of his overly sweet wine. "They don't need sympathy, they need passage, something I cannot provide, not to the conditions they want. Now that they know I don't offer what they seek, they can look for a ship traveling in the right direction elsewhere." Sami paused for a second, before he looked back at the dejected backs of the group filing out of the tavern. For a moment, he considered if he should say the true main reason for his rejection. In the end, he decided that it didn't matter and added: "And I also didn't like the look of the one guy."

"Their leader?" Stickboy guessed. It wasn't hard to guess, really. Among the strangers, their bearded leader was the only one who stood out.

"Yeah, I thought the way he talked was weird," Sami summarized the vague unease he had felt from the stranger, before he thought deeper and came to another conclusion. "He was too composed, and I don't think a farmer or laborer would have a straight back like that."

The more he thought, the more unusual the man seemed. He also appeared to be quite pale compared to others. Clearly, he wasn't working outside all day, unlike his companions.

"I mean, he did speak in a strange tone," Stickboy admitted. "He might be from another island."

"Maybe," Sami said, though he didn't really believe it. Still, there was no point in brooding over someone he would never meet again. "But in my experience, it is always a good idea to just stay away from strange people. That way, you also avoid any unnecessary trouble," Sami thus concluded the topic.

"Is that why you chose to buy me a drink, rather than any of the regulars?" Stickboy asked with a smile on his face. In response, Sami had to smile as well. The living dead in the back of the tavern were certainly strange, though by now he wasn't sure his drinking companion was any more normal.

"Back then, I didn't yet know your name was Stickboy, or I might have chosen differently," Sami quipped.

"It is Yuraq, actually," Stickboy corrected him. "But Stickboy is fine. That's what everyone calls me."

"In that case, pleased to make your acquaintance again, Stickboy," Sami said, and raised his cup of barely-wine once again.

Hermit's Notes: Some old faces reappear (though I'm not sure anyone remembers), and some mysterious, new stranger.

Since these chapters are all essentially one long chapter each, which I need to re-read and then cut up into smaller parts, it's probably better to post them in bulk. So I'll post three chapters today (to finish the current mega-chapter), and another two tomorrow.