A Gamer's Guide 197 (Patreon)
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He grumbles something at me about this being terribly unfair before making the two hostages follow us up back onto deck. Going by smell, I can tell that everyone is gathered all nice and tidy in the common area. Perfect.
Without any hesitation, I head there, Nazzo following behind me, only marginally less unhappy than his captives.
The common area is surprisingly quiet, even before I open the door and head inside. Since the room serves as both a relaxation and dining area, itâs fairly open, with plenty of space to sit, stand, or huddle on the floor. One corner of the room has been converted into a corpse disposal area, containing five guards and one former sailor. The five remaining members of the shipâs crew are all gathered in another corner, kept in place by the threat of violence and various other forms of hooliganism.
The seven pirates in the room turn to us almost as one. Jumpy, as usual. All but one.
Coda lights up upon noticing my arrival. âKitty, there you are! Youâre just in time.â Nazzo enters behind me and Codaâs turns to look at him, a shadow of disappointment flashing across his face. âItâs a shame you couldnât keep your claws off at least one or two of them. Having more hostages wouldââ
Before Coda can finish scolding me, the two turnkeys enter meekly, still tied up with goblingut.
I cross my arms and smirk. âYou were saying, Coda?â
A look of shock is quickly replaced by pride and he smiles at me. ââNothing of importance. Good work, Kitty! I didnât have a single doubt in mind.â
We look at each other for a few seconds before bursting out laughing.
It takes a little while for us to return to our wits, at which point the atmosphere in the room is positively frigid. Coda wipes at his eyes and takes a deep breath. âRight, right, sorry. Where was I? Oh, yeah! We have no idea what these people are saying, so I canât tell who to blackmail for their release. Can you ask them where theyâre from, where theyâre going, all that stuff?â
âSure thing, Capân,â I say, casually walking across the floor to where the five hostages are sitting. Thereâs the captain, dressed in appropriately fancy gear for the occasion, and then four sailors who look fairly experienced, except one, who looksâ
My nose twitches. I stare at the young sailor.
âŠVann?
He stares back at me, with all the ferocious resistance of a wronged puppy. Heâs partially hidden behind the broad back of one of the other sailors, but itâs his smell I recognize. Yeah. Thatâs him, alright. What the hell is heâ
Coda clears his throat and I realize that this isnât really the time to be needlessly intimidating. Hunching down, I turn back to the captain, trying not to look at Vannâs scowling face. While still trying to make it clear that Iâm totally not noticing him, Iâm able to extract some information from the captain despite my sweating and stumbling over words, the contents of which I then relay to my own captain.
In the end, Coda nods thoughtfully, his face set in a look of worrying seriousness. âSo this vessel not only belongs to a high judge, but is actively transporting a suspected regicide for judgment?â The way he says it, like all of the words are the names of princes and demi-gods makes me feel beyond cautious, so I just nod at him. âA high judgeâŠâ
I glance between the two captains. âIs a high judge really thatââ
âCan you ask him where the high judge is right now?â Coda says with what almost sounds like mild panic. Iâve never heard him like that.
Gulping, I turn to the other captain and repeat Codaâs question. He frowns at us. âDidnât you see him? He was down in the hold with the prisoner.â
He was? But the hull only had the guards and the turnkeys, andâ
My clothes suddenly feel very hot and stuffy. âUh, just to make things clearâŠâ I tug at my collar before leaning in, asking in close to a whisper, âThis high judge⊠he didnât happen to be dressed like a wizard, did he?â
âTynus the Sage of Three is known as one of Acheronâs greatest wizards, yes.â
âŠAh.
A meter or so away, Coda asks, âWhatâs he saying?â
âUmâŠâ I turn to him, trying not to look half as pathetic as I feel. Doesnât help much, though, and my ears are still left red. âThereâs a fairly good chance that I might have killed the high judge.â
Coda doesnât even flinch. The captain of the ship, on the other hand, flies into a ferocious rage, eyes flashing. âYou murderous beastâ!â Only barely restrained by his sailors, he thrashes, throwing curses at me and every ally Iâve ever made, and also my mother. Kind of impressive, but Iâm too busy being buried beneath a mountain of shame to really listen to it.
I lower my face to the floor. âIâIâm sorry, he attacked, and IâŠâ
âNo, thereâs no need to apologize,â Coda says evenly. âEven if heâd been alive, it wouldnât have changed anything.â
â...What do you mean?â
He looks at me, eyes shining with something close to envy. A wry smile tugs at his lips. âYouâre more innocent than you look, friend.â Before I have time to understand what heâs saying, he turns to the rest of the gathered members. âWeâre sinking it.â
âWeâreââ The words fall from my mouth heedlessly. âWhat are you saying? Why would weâwe canât possibly keep the hostages on the Frisk, we donât even have a hold! What are youââ
âWe canât let them live.â His voice is calm. Rational. âIf the kingdom of Acheron finds out that we killed one of their high judges, it wonât end with just one army, or just one fleet. Theyâd go after us until we were dead. Each and every one of us.â There isnât a single fault in his logic. And still, I find myself foolishly refusing.
âWell, sure, butâŠâ My gaze falls on Vann.
âOr are you saying youâd rather we put our lives on the line for mere money?â
âNo!â I say. âI justâŠâ My hands ball into fists. âThey shouldnât need to die because of us. Because I went out of my way to get us wrapped up in this.â My chest tightens. âWouldnât that be too cruel?â
âMaybe,â Coda admits. âHowever, we canât afford to prioritize their lives above our own.â His eyes sharpen. âOr do you have some other reason to argue with your captain?â
My jaws snap shut. I canât argue. Not against that. Still, my eyes fall back on Vann. As I stand, feet fixed firmly in place, Coda begins to order the rest of the crew to leave. A few of them complain about how this was all a waste of time, but Coda placates them with the promise of greenberry pudding for dessert, which they accept with only minor grumbling. As theyâre leaving, Coda explains whatâll happen next, and I listen, a hollow feeling carving a place for itself in my chest.
âWeâll leave the hostages here with you, and youâll handle it. Take care of them, and then when youâre done, come out and weâll sink the ship properly. Is that alright with you, Kitty?â
Yeah, of course. Of course itâs okay. What else could it be? This is more merciful than simply barricading the doors and letting them die to the tar and smoke and fire. Not to mention that I get more experience. Of course this is the best option. I nod at him. This is right. He smiles at me, and then he leaves, closing the doors. And for close to a minute, Iâm standing in the room, and the hostages are watching me. There are seven of them, and one of me. As Iâm futilely waiting for the horrible WHITE numbness to leave my chest, they all reach the shared, incorrect conclusion that maybe, just maybe, if they all went at me and once, they could defeat me.
So, they attack me. The coordination is almost impressive. But itâs just not possible.
<Goblin Lv.11 Defeated.>
<Goblin Lv.10 Defeated.>
<Goblin Lv.9 Defeated.>
<Goblin Lv.12 Defeated.>
The captain falls dead at my feet. The room is a bloodbath because I fought with reluctance. All the while I was hoping that once I killed this next one, Iâd finally find the duty and loyalty needed to kill Vannâthat Iâd be filled with some kind of fulfilment, and I wouldnât feel so unsure anymore. But it didnât come. All but him are dead, and I feel nothing but hollow.
The hollowness isnât enough to make me kill him. Heâs on the floor, atop the fancy, blood-soaked rug, clutching at his arm. I scratched it by accident. Not deep enough to actually have him bleed out like that, but⊠But if I donât help him soon, it might get infected, or he might bleed too much, orâŠ
I shake my head. What the hell am I even thinking? Going against Codaâs orders, all for the sake of some random sailor I came to know in passing almost a year ago? I must be insane.
I look down at him. His murky, dark eyes stare up at me in a mixture of terror and animalistic determination. I grit my teeth.
âŠDamn it.
My hands, previously balled into fists, fall open-palmed and I hiss a sigh between clenched teeth.
Kneeling down, I quickly grab his shoulders and force him to face me. His eyes shine with BLACK hatred even though a light fog of blood loss. âHey,â I say. âVann. Listen to me. Can you hear me?â His eyes widen slightly at the mention of his name. Good enough. âYou have to listen to me. I might be able to get you out of here alive, but youâll need to follow my lead.â
His voice, although thin and weak, is perfectly clear. âDâdamn you⊠demonâŠ!â He drags a raspy breath down his dry throat. âI would rather, haah, haah, die than⊠fâfall to your⊠temptationsâŠ!â
I take a nice, calming breath. âYeah, sure, but for now, I just need you toâŠâ While Iâm still holding him, he passes out. Excuse me? âHey, wake up, damn it!â I whisper-shout, shaking him by the shoulders. Damn it, damn it, damn itâŠ!
Thereâs a knock on the door. âKitty?â Nazzo calls from outside. âUh, is everything alright in there? Are you⊠done?â
âJust a minute!â I call out. âI have to, um⊠Bite through a bit of cartilage!â
In the meantime, I try to get Vann awake by gently slapping him, but when that doesnât work, I get a bit more violent, which also doesnât work. Shoot.
âKitty?â Coda shouts from the other side of the door. âIs everything going well?â
Okay, shoot, damn it, Iâll justâ
âIâm coming in,â Coda says, the doors opening just in time for me to heave Vann onto my shoulder. Codaâs eyes move over the small bloodbath for a moment, whistling at the sight. âExcellent work as always. I trust you got your fill ofââ His eyes fall on me, or rather, at the goblin hanging limp from my shoulder. â...Whatâs that all about?â
âOh, itâs, uhâŠâ I smack Vann on the back. âA snack. For the road. Which is standard human behavior and not to be questioââ Atop my shoulder, Vann groans. Ah. Shoot.
âHe seems awfully alive for a snack,â Coda comments.
âI like them fresh,â I say suavely. Now that I think about it, it isnât even a lie, which makes it easier to tell and make him believe. âDo you have an issue with it, captain?â And, then, to really lay it on thick, âIf you want to, I can leave it hereâŠâ
âAh, no, of course notâitâs no issue. JustâŠâ He gives a slightly tense smile. âNezzo and Farello donât really like seeing that kind of stuff, so take it in private, alright?â
âWill do, Capân.â
And that I do.