Wild Dragon of Rome 6 (Patreon)

“Finally, Londinium,” I muttered as I walked toward the port, carrying nothing but the silver and the small box that held the dragon heart, disguised as a regular pleb. Then, I took a deep breath, and my nose twisted. “And, the smelliest…” 

It was hard to overstate just how badly the port had smelled. A part of it was more than fifty thousand people living there, all treating the sea as a convenient place to dump their garbage. The port area was even worse, with thousands of sailors, plebs, slaves, and livestock, each with its own smell. 

The Republic might be famous for its incredible works of infrastructure, but that was only true for richer areas. Britannia was too unimportant to receive such investments, and even if it was assigned, I had no doubt that it would end up in the governor’s pocket. 

Their riches were more important than the comfort of the lower classes. 

However, I couldn’t complain. The smelly state of the ports meant that only the worst of the guards had been assigned to the area, meaning I didn’t need to worry about a hawk-eyed guard who might be looking for a potential escaped slave or outlaw. 

As for the search for me, it was yet to spread that far. Thanks to replenishing my mana repeatedly, I managed to outpace the blockade they tried to create. They clearly didn’t count on me traveling non-stop for the last three days, not even stopping to sleep. 

The only reason I hadn’t keeled over was the dragon heart. I had used it to replenish my mana several times, using Earth to push myself to the limit, and using Water to improve my recovery. A wasteful combination that was only possible due to the constant replenishment of the crystal I carried. 

And, now, here I was, in the port, disguised as a wide-eyed pleb with dreams of more, looking for a ship to get in. I had enough silver to rent a cabin, but I was afraid of picking that path. Just because I managed to outpace them didn’t mean that I was free of their control. I needed to get a job, particularly on a ship that would be against being searched by government employees in principle. 

That left smugglers and pirates as the best option. 

My search soon brought me to the edge of the port, where the sailors were even more arrogant and the guards even more lacking. The ships that were docked there were far more attention-grabbing, and not in a good way. 

One humongous ship in particular caught my attention. It was pulled to a premier spot, the area next to noticeably empty despite the overall crowded state. The colors of the hull and the sails were bad enough to hurt my eyes, and I spent my life with my uncle, who loved to initiate a colorblind peacock in a desperate attempt to prove he fit with his noble peers. 

The ship was no less ugly than the silk tunics he thought of good taste, but in a different way. First of all, the ship was coated in black paint, and not a soft grayish black to make sure that the ship would be hard to spot in the dark of the night. 

No, it was a shiny black that shouted its presence even under the slightest light. Red sails hardly helped. There was a flag I recognized, one that belonged to the governor, implying that they were under government service. 

Privateers. Of course, that was a fancy name for pirates that promised not to attack government ships, instead raiding enemies. I could easily imagine that ship hitting the villages along the shores of Gaul and Germania, hunting for treasures and slaves. 

Disgusting people, but they represented an opportunity. Their status as a privateer flying the flag of the governor, combined with inevitable illegal activities meant that they wouldn’t be willing to allow any casual search. 

It was my best ticket to get away. 

I just needed to get hired by them … which was surprisingly easy. I noticed a team of sailors prowling the streets, picking people off the streets before dragging them to the ship. Forcing people to work as sailors was illegal, but the few guards that frequented these parts turned the other way. 

The perfect opportunity. 

I drifted close to one of those gangs, acting like I was too careless. At the same time, I clamped over my elements, hiding my ability as an apprentice mage. Thanks to my most recent improvements, it was even harder to hide it. It would be lucky if I could hide it for longer than half an hour without it turning painful. 

It was the cost of improvement. During the last three days, I experienced more improvements than I did for a full year. Now, I was at the edge of reaching the next order. No wonder the countries were willing to declare war on them. 

Unfortunately, while the order of mage was closer than ever, I didn’t have the luxury of taking that step. Reaching the next order was a delicate process that might last weeks. Meaning, that only after I reached the mainland and found a nice corner to hide, I could attempt to reach it. 

As for how to reach the fourth order and attain the power of a sorcerer … well, even with the dragon heart, it was years away. Dragon heart might have miraculous effects, but even it had limits. Otherwise, countries wouldn’t have treated their sorcerers as rare entities. 

“Hey, you. Come with us,” said one of the sailors as he grabbed my arms, breaking my thoughts. He was an apprentice mage as well. 

“W-what’s going on?” I stammered. “Please, let me go. I’m just here to find work.” 

“It’s your lucky day. You’re hired,” he answered as he dragged me toward the ship. I hid my smile as the sailors pushed me among a few unlucky plebs, and moved toward the ship. 

Still, when we got near the ship, I couldn’t help but wonder whether it had been the right choice to get recruited. The reason, was a sudden explosion sound that belonged to a fire spell, followed by a charred body flying off the deck. A fire mage, and one with a particularly poor attitude. “God damn it, Publius,” someone shouted. “How many times I have told you that don’t kill deckhands for stupid reasons.” 

“It wasn’t a stupid reason,” a gruff voice bellowed back. “He insulted me.” 

“How?” 

“He brought my dinner late.” 

“For Neptune’s sake, you idiot. The captain is going to gut you if we’re late because of you. We’re short-staffed as it is.” 

“Don’t worry, we’re at the port. I’m sure the guys found enough sailors to replace him,” answered the gruff voice, but I could hear the fear in his tone. The captain in question was clearly a formidable man to scare a mage with such a poor attitude. 

It was an explosive combination. I wondered whether it was the right choice of vessel. I looked around, wondering whether I should risk a commotion and get away…

After a momentary consideration, I surrendered with a sigh. Their attitude, combined with their obvious hurry, made them an excellent option to get away. 

I just needed to be careful. 

“Come on board, you useless sacks of shit,” Publius shouted from the upper deck, finally revealing himself. He was a tall, gruff man with a scared face, showing that he was no stranger to combat. Combined with his identity as a fire mage, he was a dangerous opponent. 

I made a note to stay away from them as much as possible. 

A few of the other ‘hired’ help stepped on board first before I followed, my back slouched. One advantage of living most of my life as a pariah in my own home, I knew exactly how to avoid attention. Keep my presence low, volunteer to take dirtiest, but least visible jobs, and never make eye contact.

“Listen to me, worms. I’m the first mate, and unless the captain is here, my word is law,” Publius bellowed as we stood in front of him. As he explained his status, he started punching us one by one. Then, it was my turn. 

His fist flew toward me, fast but direct. Dodging a telegraphed punch was easy, but it would also alert everyone on the ship that I was more than another clueless pleb. I just looked shocked as I let the punch connect, but threw my weight back at the last second as I rolled back. 

Publius moved to the next hire, satisfied with his achievement as I did my best to sell his success with grunts. “Stand up, dog,” said another sailor as he kicked my ribs. I rolled, then slowly stood up. As I stood, I trembled, like I was barely hanging on. 

Not the most promising start to a journey, or a dignified one. Still, considering I was avoiding a province-wide manhunt by joining, I didn’t feel like complaining. 

It might be rockier than I had expected, but it was still a new beginning. I just needed to stay calm and keep my head low in what clearly was a pirate ship until we reached a port outside Britannia. 

How hard could it be?