[Captain’s Log]. Captain Bantus, son of Captain Bantus (…this goes back a few repetitive generations), considered it to be one of his cornerstone Skills. His first class, [Captain of the Sea Strider], was a Wood-aligned class that was devoted to keeping his ship, the Sea Strider IV, in fewer pieces than its predecessor. His second class, [Shipboard Scrollwork], was a point of pride though. He had learned something that few of his peers seemed to grasp.
Namely, that it was hard to end up scammed if he kept absurdly detailed records of everything that went on aboard his ship.
The Ash-aligned class had numerous features, but his [Captain’s Log] allowed him to manipulate charcoal to write on scrolls anywhere within his vessel. With a few General Skills to help with the workload, he became capable of transcribing records of every single detail that went on aboard his ship, including his own thoughts that he saw fit to commit to scroll. Sure, he and his crew had to collect and store the various scrolls manually and, yes, storage space was rapidly becoming a major problem, but it was all worth it.
No one pulled anything over on him. His childhood best friend, Menius, could handle navigation and he always could depend on his first mate, Cutter, to manage the rest of the crew’s affairs—and see to those lazy scallywags he had bought to manage the oars.
Most of his scrolls weren’t worth the space they took. The records were dry, and the man’s personal ramblings were wildly uninteresting reads. But rare exceptions occurred, such as certain scrolls created during the third journey of the Sea Strider IV during the Summer of 4818.
Every forsaken time, we are nearly ready to finally launch our voyage, and then someone shows up expecting to be ferried around. Like we have nothing better to do. This cargo will never cross the Nostrum Sea itself, but ‘oh wait, I want to see somewhere else, make space for me.’ Friggin’ people and their friggin’ expectations! Oh, wait, I know this lad. A local ne’er-do-well, which makes him easy to reject.
See, the trick is to drive ‘em off not by telling ‘em off. That just makes ‘em argue. The real trick is to hit ‘em where it hurts. Quote a high enough price and they leave on their own. Faster and easier.
…
Oi, this is just unfair. Here comes that stupid kid, again. And now he has friends. Going to just tell Cutter to toss ‘em all off, we need to get underway and I have better things to do than to stand up here gabbing with the stupid.
What the bilge is a Sentinel supposed to be?
And why has my Cutter lost his nerve?
So, the woman has a ‘vivid’ level, who cares. My grandpappy had a vivid temper and it never earned him any special treatment. He got thrown overboard anyway. Meh, at least the woman knows how to negotiate proper-like. Tis a dying art. The stupid blindfold is never fooling anyone though, woman plainly walks with a seeing person’s confidence.
Still not liking it, but fine. A good haggle might right my mood.
Ha! The stupid wench made an idiotic promise, I shall be taking her for every coin she got when she breaks it!
…
Cutter says I need to get off the Sea more often. Feh on him! So, I forgot the name ‘Sentinel’ and had no idea they still made ‘em, big deal. How often does any ship captain have to deal with one? The Republic must be desperate if they’re making a woman one.
(Note written by Cutter: …Cap, for the love of the gods, don’t leave scrolls belittling women lying around while she’s on board. She could sink this ship faster than a sudden squall if she lost her temper. Also, we’ve been an Empire for most of my life.)
Stop making me regret teaching you letters, Cutter.
…
Finally underway and the waters are smooth as me pappy’s bottom. The slaves are still needy bundles of demands, but at least the Sea Strider is not stuck waiting around for the right winds like Primus’ ship. And Primus called me an idiot for selling off my rigging and sails. Who laughs now, Primus?! The answer is me. Because I am laughing.
Cutter can shove his side-eye overboard where it belongs.
…
Still have no idea how a worthless scallywag local became a Sentinel’s assistant, but the lad be working his butt off like a slave for me. I was grumbling about a deck needing to be scrubbed because of those friggin’ birds and this kid took a long look at the Sentinel and volunteered. Nothing better than free labor out of paying passengers.
The Sentinel herself has been strutting about the deck in her weird bug-looking armor ever since we got underway. Not sure why. Am sure she’d look better without the armor. You can trust this Captain’s eye for quality.
I think the Ranger be lookin’ a bit green though. Sea legs are more important than land legs, I would pity him if I cared enough to.
…
I watch the Sea as I am wont to for a bit and I look back and me ship has befallen madness.
The Sentinel is, and I swear on my grandpappy this is true, dancing on top of the ol’ bare mast like we were in some sort of stupid festival.
I have no idea how she even got up there. Shimmyin’ up the mast is noisy, especially in that weird armor of hers, and that was before the ol’ mast became a sea of splinters. Septimus refused to climb it, even before that storm blew his nest off two years ago.
Freaking lunatic. In fact, this is stupid. I am going to ask her what she’s doing.
Overwatch. What the seaspray is overwatch? And how does overwatching something mean you have to dance?! Must be some weird sea madness. They better not blame me for her going off.
…
I try to get eight sea-forsaking-creaks worth of shuteye and everything goes to hell. The Ranger is shouting up a storm. That crazy Sentinel woman done jumped straight into the Nostrum! No one does that. She was in full armor too!
Not that I saw her do it for myself, but dead is dead. This is going to be such a hassle, I just know—
Why the fuck did I just get a crew kill notification for a level 120 ichthyosaur?!
What was that splash? And why is my Cutter scrambling away from the side of the ship, he is supposed to be my muscle! I guess I’ll have to see for myself what the crow is even going on…
By the brine! That crazy woman nearly killed me! She just somehow, and I have no idea how, jumped out of the water right onto the deck hauling a dead beast her own size! Wait, no, it seems a bit bigger. That is not important! What is important is that she did this in full armor. No, no, the important bit is that she could have killed me! I need to demand an explanation.
…
So, she is taking that stupid promise seriously.
…
Why do we have to move eight crates of cargo to set up our cooking supplies on the main deck? What idiot let the ship get packed this way?
(Cutter appears to have made a mark in the margin where he started to respond, then thought better of it.)
Crates Hyrria III through VII and Crates Opimius I through III are being relocated from cargo storage section IX to cargo storage section III. B-Group slaves II, IV, VI, and VIII are handling under supervision from Menius.
…
How the duck is she already dry?! I have yet to even give the tiller back to Menius! She should still be dripping everywhere and rusting that weird bug armor of hers, but there she is grumbling to herself about needing to take her belt off next time.
…
Okay, no. NO ONE, and I mean no one, tells me how to cook the Sea’s bounty on my own ship! Just because she happens to be a woman does not mean that she knows more about cooking a Sea beast than I do. I have been doing this for nearly 48 years now! She might know how to cook those weird beasts they get up on land, but the Sea’s bounty is my realm.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
(Note written by Cutter: I feel like it’s important to note that he’s ranting because the rest of us eagerly let her take over. Cap seems to think salted fish is the only flavor that exists. He threw a similar tantrum when we started stocking fruits and vegetables.)
My Cutter, I will throw you overboard with her. Mark me words. Do not make me start hiding the scrolls I use.
…
Nostrum take us all, the damned woman was right. This is better. It reminds me of me grandmammy’s cooking, may Samsara bring her peace.
Not that I plan to give her the satisfaction of knowin’. I shall moodily force myself to eat and—
Oh, to the depths with this, Sentinel are you seriously reading this scroll as I scribe it?! I see your face moving. I saw that smug smirk. Gah.
…
New rule for this journey: Do not let Cutter give the Ranger anything he brewed himself.
At least the Sentinel’s boy volunteered to clean the mess.
…
Oh, by the unknown seas, that is unsettling. No, it is sickening. Yes, sickening. And I never get sick, nothing makes me sick. Cutter can tell you as much.
(Note written by Cutter: He is physically preventing me from going below deck until I write to confirm his words are true.)
That woman asked if she could do her morning exercises, sent her to the bow where she would be out of everyone’s way. Simple. Did not expect problems.
But watching her nearly cost me whatever was left of my supper.
Mark me words, nothing bends like that. Nothing moves like that. Fishes in the godsdarned Sea don’t even move like that. It is impossible.
Which proves a suspicion I started having. I think she’s a selkie. That would explain everything. How she dove into the Nostrum and lived. How she leapt out of the water with a sea beastie in full armor. How she has such a level. And even how she can look so darnedly tempting even while being a freak.
Selkies are just as dangerous as my grandpappy said. I bet they be what killed Primus’ pa.
I need to find where my scrolls are from when old Selvus still served, he always rambled about how to protect yourself from selkies. Shoulda known selkies were no myth, no matter what me pappy said. Grandpappy always was smarter than he.
…
Menius says he saw ornithocheirus on the horizon, so we all stay below decks until after sundown. I do not care if the Sentinel says they were just birds.
We take no chances. Not ever again.
…
Crates Hyrria III through VII and Crates Opimius I through III are being relocated from cargo storage section III to cargo storage section IX. Thorius is doing it himself, and it be what he gets for knocking Crate Opimius III over. There was no indication of anything breaking and it landed gently (on Vettius’ buttocks).
Vettius is fine, I seen him walk off worse.
…
Vettius decided to ask our paying passenger to rub his sore buttocks. The Sentinel might be a selkie, but no one spits on my honor by harassing paying passengers. Ordered Cutter to throw him overboard.
Alas, poor Vettius, I knew you well. But that be too stupid to tolerate. I would say I dread apologizing to your wife when we get back there, but the shrew will probably thank me for—
What in the name of the unspeakable in the deepest depths of the Nostrum is that Sentinel doing now?!
She just dove in after Vettius and—
Oh, flip me over, they are both already back on board? What is even going on anymore?
Wait, why is she glaring at me?
…
New rule for this journey: Do not throw anyone overboard unless they do something even more extremely stupid.
…
New rule for this journey forever, apparently: Do not throw anyone overboard.
Gah, what use have the Nostrum for the Republic’s laws?
…
The Sentinel is apparently talking to the slaves. This can’t possibly end well.
…
Winds are picking back up, soon enough we will start seeing other ships on the Nostrum, no doubt. Things are going completely swell. And I am fine with the slaves operating in shifts and getting to roam the deck and get into who knows what all while they do it.
So long as the cargo remains secure, everything is fine.
…
This time the crazy Sentinel came out of the Nostrum with two sea beasties. I feel like this is becoming normal. This should not become normal. Nothing about this voyage or this woman is normal.
…
Four of my slaves and the Sentinel’s “assistant” have joined her for her freakish dance exercises this morning. Then another slave showed up with a sea-danged flute and started to play for them. I would say I have no idea where he got the thing, but this situation has my Cutter all over it. The man always had junk in his trunk.
Somewhere along the line though, I feel like I have lost control over me own ship. I think I will man the tiller today, that always improves my mood.
…
Rain, light. No delay expected.
…
I seem to be getting used to the madness. I walked right past the Sentinel doing exercises alongside every single slave that should be aboard this ship. Not even going to question which of my crew are manning the oars to enable this.
This is my life now.
…
Made it to our first stop. The Sentinel found out there’s a Dark [Healer] in town and dragged the Ranger off. Most of the crew is spending some time in town, working with Juncius to get the proper cargo swapped out. The man is still an ass.
We will resume our journey after breakfast. Maybe the Sentinel will ditch.
I, of course, will remain aboard the whole time. My Cutter will be here more often than not, I be certain. He is reliable like that.
…
24 crates removed, 18 added. Crates were selected by myself, verified, and cross-confirmed with Juncius. New crates are positioned in cargo storage sections I, II, IV, and VI. No continuing cargo has been moved.
Note to self, when we are underway again, make Thorius walk through the cargo hold until I am confident that he will not ram right into crates again.
…
The Sentinel came back, alas. We’re getting underway, once Juncius finally gives us authorization. Always hated him. Dang slacker.
…
We’re detouring a touch deeper into the Nostrum. Not dangerously deep, of course, but I don’t like the look of the water up ahead. Captain’s intuition says it’s dangerous. A half day delay is expected from the route change.
Menius says we should proceed and rely on the Sentinel. Cutter waffled and decided not to vote either way. He says he trusts my judgment which is smart, but he also reminded me that she is “stronger than monsters.”
We detour.
…
Been five days since the Sentinel last found a sea monster. Not sure if this is some selkie trick, but it feels weird. Fishing has been less successful too.
Hoping whatever caused this is what went the way we avoided.
Losing the Sea Strider IV would ruin me.
…
Menius swears he saw sails to the south right as the sun came up. No one else saw it, and a fog be brewing up today. Easy to see things in the fog, we all done it. No shame.
…
The wind has turned against us, pushing against the ship. We may not have sails, but it still slows us down. The sky has only gotten darker throughout the day and rain feels inevitable.
Wait, scratch that, it just started coming down.
If it gets much worse, we might need to stop for the day and fall further behind.
…
Menius was right. Was about to go belowdecks to get some shuteye, but I see the torches in the distance. They be giving up on stealth and heading right for us, and those colorful sails can only mean one thing.
Pirates.
Thorius, you should have eyes on this scroll if you are paying attention. Prepare the slaves for transfer, Sea willing they will be willing to bargain. Losing the slaves will hurt, but losing the cargo will sink us as sure as the pirates could. Cannot afford it.
My Cutter is coming back up on deck. Fine Cutter he be, but we be plainly outnumbered. They are closing fast too, we cannot possibly outrun them off oars with the wind against us.
No, I do not care about the Sentinel, outnumbered is—
Right, words. Bad habit.
…
The Sentinel just showed up, with the Ranger in tow. No sign of the boy, they probably left him under the deck. Smart. Could have done without someone second guessing me decisions, but maybe her presence will make the pirates more willing to accept my offer if she is really as scary as Cutter says.
Why is she asking where the pirate ship is? The night may be moonless and cloudy, but their torches be obvious.
Wait.
No.
She be asking about the distance. Menius and the Ranger are arguing a bit. But that—
Has she seriously been actually blind this whole dang time?! I would have sworn I be seeing her see, no matter what that stupid blindfold said! What use is a blind [Warrior]? Nostrum take her, this be bad. We need to keep her from giving away—
Where is she going?
WHERE IS SHE GOING?
What, no!
I got no words for this. Seen her dive into the Nostrum plenty of times, the novelty wore off. Never seen her launch herself off the deck so far I half-expected the Sea Strider to sink. She is running on the water. Not that novel, my Cutter used to have a Skill for it. You see it all the time. But this is unlike any gimmick I seen, I think this is just how fast she is.
Starting to see why Cutter is afraid of her. Also, definitely a selkie. No person could do that.
Plesiosaurus just breached the water and tried to take a chunk out of her. She missed the beast and now that Ranger is trying to shout about its location. Asking Cutter what its color is.
“Less than hers.” He said it with a grin too.
I fully admit, my old eyes are too slow for this. But it looked like she just punched the beastie and resumed going for the pirate ship. I do not see the beastie but oh she already reached the ship.
…
Life be weird.
Live long enough and the world will remind you of this fact again and again and you never quite grow numb to it.
The pirates be escorting us now.
Their ship is a piece of junk, it looks like, and probably was cobbled together from a few different wrecks. Might even be held together by Skills, that or they used a shop’s entire stock of nails. It might be big, but it looks fragile, and it be slow.
They actually have their beastie pulling their ship to keep up. Gah, coulda outrun them the whole time probably. Oh well, it be moot now. Surprised the beastie survived the Sentinel, though it do be missing teeth.
“They’re Adventurers, they were just clumsy about offering their services.” The Sentinel was obviously lying and is not as good at it as she thinks. More proof that she be a selkie. But the lie has become the truth and that is good enough.
Even my Cutter agrees.
(Note written by Cutter: Of course I do, I’m not stupid enough to complain about not getting robbed or killed.)
He be wise.
…
Second stop, no problems. The Pirates, sorry, Adventurers stayed aboard their own vessel and out of sight. The Sentinel said she was buying them new sails.
Septimus runs a solid dock. Cargo transfer is already underway and we depart at sun-up.
…
Now the Sentinel seems to see just fine! I caught her reading one of my scrolls! She be laughing!
…
Ariminum is finally in sight. This journey has taken years off my life, I swear. Eager to be done with it. Also, one of the slaves I bought turned out to have made ships, and he has some ideas about how to improve the Sea Strider.
Cutter, you can stow that smirk. Didn’t say the journey or the changes were bad. I said they took years off my life.
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Nozomi Matsuoka.
Sarah "Neila" Elkins.