Chương 985: [933] - Y04.033 - Worries on the Sea IV

"If you are still looking for workers, the children I am with, they are talented."

"Right?" Adam furrowed his brows towards the old man.

"They will grow well," the old man assured.

"They are their parents' children, each who were quite talented. If you are willing to take them in and nurture them, you will not lose, and I will assist your business."

"You'll assist me?"

"I am good at medicine."

"You are?" Adam asked, eyeing him up.

"Are you a doctor?"

"I have great medical abilities."

"Not a doctor though?"

"I did not take the exams, but I am very good with medicine. I have cured many, and I have delayed the death of many."

"My wife's pretty good at medicine, being who she is, but I would like another doctor. Although, you'll need to prove yourself at that sort of thing, but I'm not sure if I'm willing to potentially endanger someone for that."

"I am good at fighting too."

"Fighting?" Adam glanced down towards the scimitar at the old man's side.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"How strong are you?"

"I am stronger than the royal one within your company, and the mermen guards," the old Aswadian said confidently.

"You know who he is?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"We almost crossed paths."

"What does that mean?"

"We almost crossed paths."

"Why didn't you?"

"I was tasked with facing another."

"I feel like it'd be too dangerous for me to ask."

"Yes."

"So you're strong…" The old Aswadian bowed his head once more, feeling the gazes of the nearby Iyrmen on him. It was awkward for the Iyrmen to stare at him, considering they were likely to have heard of him, but with his current appearance, he was confident they would struggle to place him, and he was certain he could defeat these youngsters.

"You're pretty suspicious, and we're currently going through a turbulent time…"

'Is this some kind of test for me?'

"I only ask this of you because you keep company with Iyrmen."

"You trust the Iyrmen?"

"Yes."

'Seriously…' Adam wasn't sure if he was saying all the right and wrong things to mess with him.

"Do the children know magic?"

"One of the children's mother was a Priest."

"Was?"

"She has passed."

"I'm sorry to hear that…" Adam frowned.

"Are they orphans?"

"They are considered to be orphans now."

'Seriously, you can't give me straight answers?'

"Is there anyone after you?"

"Yes."

"How strong are they?"

"I can deal with those who chase after me."

"You can't do so when you've got to look after children?"

"Yes."

'Damn.'

"Alright, well I'm a sucker for this kind of thing, so I can at least take you and the children to the fort. I'll consider them VIPs, very important people, so no one can dare to lay a hand on their head, and once we get to the fort, we'll figure you out."

"Thank you."

"What's your name?"

"You may call me Bilal."

"Alright, sure." Adam held out his hand.

"Welcome aboard, Bilal."

"Thank you." Bilal shook Adam's forearm, allowing the half elf to feel the bracers hidden underneath his clothing. Jaygak watched as Bilal left, returning back to his room to allow the sailor to go free.

"He's dangerous."

"Yeah, I gathered that much. Still, he has a bunch of kids, and it looks like they're in trouble." Jaygak let out a gentle sigh, but said nothing, not since Adam had already stated the children were VIPs.

"Even if I long for blood, I'll pray our journey goes smoothly."

"Yeah, here's hoping." The town they arrived at later in the evening was small, smaller than Red Oak, but still provided them with ample comfort within the inn. More figures made their travels upon the ship from the town, though none brought with them little children, and none gave out the aura of death Bilal did.

"Hmm, hmm," the old man hummed, his long hair trailing down like tendrils of white. He sipped away at his drink, still humming as the day continued, leaning over the railing lost in his thoughts.

'Looks like he's about to fall off,' Adam thought, taking his place beside the old man, staring down at the sea.

"Water is so beautiful," the old man said, in his heavy accent. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Yeah, it is."

"Terrible place. Sea. Harsh, cruel mistress, they say, yes?"

"That's what they say, yeah."

"I have lover in ocean. Merman. Hmmm. Octopus, yes?" The old man raised his hands and waved them about as though he had many arms.

"Tentacles, very nice." He gave that kind of look only an old dirty sea dog could give.

"Yeah, man, I got you," Adam replied, glancing aside quickly, smirking.

"I think about ocean. I hear it call me. I live very long life, Noor bless me."

"Do you have any family?"

"No." The old man shook his head with such vigour, one might have thought he was offended by such a question.

"Friends?"

"No."

"What about your merman lover?"

"No, no, no, no. Many years." He waved his hand, dismissing the thoughts as a lifetime ago.

"She much family now."

"How do you know?"

"I know." He pat his heart gently.

"I know."

"You should go check. You could see her again. Maybe she has no family, and she can use those tentacles on you again. Maybe she has family, maybe you could be friends with her again? Not sure what Lord Sozain will say with me trying to stop you from whatever you're trying to do but…" Adam held onto his amulet. Trick: Guidance 1D3 = 1 (1) Persuasion Check D20 + 5 + 1 = 15 (9) The old man shrugged his shoulders, but said nothing more, returning back to his drinking and his humming.

A horn blasted during their journey, the rain pitter pattering onto the deck as a sailor yelped, barely dodging a grappling hook. The hook slipped onto the railing as the mermen began to hoist themselves up. Adam sighed, donning his shield, and grabbing his axe.

'Alright.'

"Be careful, Adam," Jaygak said, inhaling deeply as she felt the cool rain against her skin.

"Remember. No armour."

"Yeah," Adam replied.

'At least it isn't the Twilight Month.' The hootering and hollering filled the air as the mermen, each slightly taller than the average sailor, climbed onto the deck, their snapping jaws clattering in the air. The clattering quietened as a trident pierced through one, before the Coralguard kicked the merman off, while the sailors readied themselves, ready to attack.

"Hey," Adam said, stepping beside the Captain.

"There's only a handful of them, so we'll handle them."

"You must be careful," Captain Rais said.

"They are dangerous."

"Yeah," Adam said, hearing the clashing of the Coralguard who were handling several of the feral mermen at once.

"I will fight the big one," Jurot said, his entire body flashing red hot.

"Okay," came the response from all three of the figures. Battle Order D20 + 1 = 20 (19) Jurot's hot red rage filled his entire body as he charged forward, approaching the largest of the mermen. A pair of tridents almost struck his side, but found their tridents against sword and staff. Jurot's axe clashed against the largest merman, who snarled with delight, but then shock as the pain rocked through their mind. The merman reached up, a mortal mistake as an axe split through their skull.

Jaygak's blade tore through a merman's side as a trident clattered against her shield, before her shining blade pressed another back, the young woman spinning her blade over her hand as the merman retreated towards the railing, glancing towards their side to notice the rest of their companions quickly overwhelmed.

Kitool struck a merman down with her staff, crashing against the merman's side, before she managed to drop kick another off the side of the deck, the merman flipping over the railing, dealing only minor damage to the ship as they fell into the water. Morkarai's blade cut through a merman almost clean through, the two halves dropping beside him as he plunged his blade into another merman, whose trident managed to slip through to his side, cutting through his clothing, but the merman fell forever still.

The Coralguard, with their jaws flexing from the annoyance and shame that he they were charged to protect had taken a blow, pierced through the mermen viciously with their tridents, kicking them off the end of their tridents, slamming their tridents lightly against the ship. Attack - Wraith (Advantage)(Flanking) D20 + 11 = 21 (10) D20 + 11 = 26 (15) Hit! Mana: 25 -> 24 Ability: Divine Smite 2D6 + 2D6 + 9 = 19 (2, 2)(2, 4) 19 damage! Attack - Wraith (Advantage)(Flanking) D20 + 11 = 21 (15) D20 + 11 = 26 (16) Hit!

Mana: 24 -> 23 Ability: Divine Smite 2D6 + 2D6 + 9 = 27 (2, 5)(5, 6) 27 damage! Onward Soar: 1 -> 0 Attack - Wraith (Advantage)(Flanking) D20 + 11 = 12 (1) D20 + 11 = 26 (15) Hit! Mana: 23 -> 22 Ability: Divine Smite 2D6 + 2D6 + 9 = 23 (3, 4)(2, 5) 23 damage! Attack - Wraith (Advantage)(Flanking) D20 + 11 = 13 (2) D20 + 11 = 17 (6) Hit! Mana: 22 -> 21 Ability: Divine Smite 2D6 + 2D6 + 9 = 26 (3, 5)(4, 5) 26 damage!

"Lord Sozain," Adam called out, his heavy steps approaching the feral mermen, who forced the sailors back with their long tridents.

"Please accept these sacrifices in place of my family." While the others had each slain one, two, or three mermen by their lonesome, there was a particular young man who, with every swing of his axe, slaughtered a merman.

His steps were heavier than his heart, as Adam sliced through the mermen as though carving through tender chicken, his axe slicing through the ribs of the first merman, a back swing cutting the neck of the second, before he split the third's skull, and the fourth, who held up their trident to defend himself, and had tried to turn to flee, was split from their left shoulder to their right hip.

Adam inhaled the salty air, feeling the gentle pitter patter of rain against his skin as he closed his eyes, barely hearing the retreating cries of the mermen. He steeled his heart, feeling a sickness rising within his gut, but he remained within the blankness of his thoughts, allowing the darkness to accompany him.

"Aren't you going to come out?" Karza asked, seemingly speaking to the air, but a moment later, lightning crackled from her mouth as the shadow of a serpent loomed over the ship, shifting it slightly while a beam of water struck against the pair of Coralguard. The lightning blasted the serpents side, causing it to convulse for a moment, before it retreated into the depths, fleeing with the handful of mermen who had managed to survive the ill timed attack upon a particularly fortunate ship. Victory!

XP Gained: +500 XP: 8 900 -> 9 400 Quest Complete: Protecting the Ship XP Gained: +100 XP: 9 400 -> 9 500"You should have kept the mermen at bay if you were just going to run," Karza grumbled, crossing her arms, glancing aside towards the rest of the figures. The Captain had mostly guessed Karza was a dragon, but after it was confirmed, he bowed his head with a hand over his heart.

He shouted something in Aswadian, and the sailors quickly threw the bodies overboard, not wanting to bring the ire of the mermen for keeping the dead, nor the various Sea Gods who may take the opportunity to curse them for not returning the mermen back to the sea.

"Oi," a figure called, wearing a tunic of scales, his long black hair kept at bay by the turban he wore, his long beard long and wispy. He wielded a scimitar at his side, and the shield of alcohol in the other. An amulet of silver dangled over his chest, engraved with the symbol of the waves, a general amulet of the sea rather than any particular deity. He shouted something in Aswadian, and the Captain replied.

The Sea Priest glanced aside towards the sides of the ship and grumbled to himself, the sailors picking up the pieces, another holding onto the Priest so he wouldn't fall, while the Priest chanted the words to his magic and began to mend the broken bits of ship together, somehow managing to reconnect even the railings together, and as much of the damage caused by the weapons as he could.

'Damn it,' Adam thought, clouded by a storm of worries as he thought about the death he had brought.

'Damn it.' As the ship continued to sail from town to town, the noonval sun continued to beat upon the half elf heavily, though the sailors had fixed up a small shelter for the half elf upon the deck, all the while he cooled their water for them.

"He is not stingy with his magic," a sailor said approvingly, cleaning the deck with a rag, while another checked the health of the various ropes.

"He is fae, they are queer." The sailor bowed his head, the logic completely sound to him. Adam sighed, drinking his cool water while in the shade, unable to face Vonda while the stench of death clung to him so recently. Adam winced slightly as a bird fluttered towards the shade, a bird no larger than his palm, a pale shade of blue, almost white, with its head a deeper blue, while its beak was black.

"Hello," Adam called out. The bird's head tilted towards him. Adam reached up to his amulet, his free hand forming symbols in the air while he chanted the words to a spell. Mana: 25 -> 24 Spell: Goodberry The ten berries flowed into his hands, each slightly larger than a grape, before he held one out for the bird in his open palm. The bird half hopped towards his hand, before nibbling against the berry.

"Seatit," Captain Rais said.

"Hard to see."

"Yeah?"

"Good omen." Adam noted the rest of the sailors were glancing their way towards him and the seatit.

"Yeah?"

"Very good luck. Last time I see, ten, eleven years ago, Shen sent me letter. I helped protect the royal family on ocean. Paid for my grandson's wedding." Rais smiled a long smile, almost revealing his teeth through his beard.

"Great fortune."

'The whiplash of emotion I'm having is going to take years off of me,' Adam thought, letting out a sigh.

"So, are you my good luck charm?" The seatit nibbled on the berry.