"The captain is returning!" The voices of the crewmen echoed in excitement as they rushed to find a spot from where they could see their approaching captain.
Jubilance and joy were palpable in the atmosphere. Serena sighed to herself because this evidenced the deep feelings these men felt towards their captain. Would she ever experience such devotion?
Turning to face Oulong she noticed that even if some of her men were partaking in the cheering, Oulong himself looked gloomy and downtrodden. Serena sighed again and decided to have a serious conversation with her subordinate later on.
Lampa jumped down from the crow's nest and ordered the men to ready themselves for their captain's arrival. Just as they finished preparing a ladder and some ropes, the figure of their captain appeared in their eyes.
Farmer was standing on the sea-dragon's head. To push the large draconic corpse over the water, he was using his staff as a rowing oar in a manner which made him look like a gondolier. Some of the crew might have laughed at this sight were they not experiencing vast amounts of relief.
Having to watch their captain approach the ship, Lampa completely lost his patience after a few minutes and dove headfirst into the water under the astonishment of those present. Clearly, he was the one who'd worried the most. As fast as he could, he crossed the distance separating them.
In just a few moments, he climbed up the carcass of the sea-dragon, ignoring it completely, and kneeled before Farmer. To him, there was only the captain in his eyes. "Captain, I'm so glad you've returned." He cried out, devoid of his usual cheerfulness.
"Really, now, lieutenant? Do you have such little faith in me?" Mocked Farmer. He had long grown used to Lampa over the years and pulled him up quickly.
"Captain, what is this thing?" Finally bringing himself to examine the beast they were standing on, each glance made Lampa's eyes widen more and more to the point it seemed they were about to pop out.
"Just a sea-dragon I had a disagreement with." Brushed the matter off Farmer. However, Lampa was staring at him as if he had just witnessed a godly being soaring through the sky.
A sea-dragon! A fucking sea-dragon!
This was an earth-shattering being of legends. And his captain was riding its carcass with such a relaxed demeanour that it seemed as if this was the most ordinary of things. Truly, every time Lampa thought he held a grasp of the full extent of Farmer's strength, his captain would prove him horribly wrong. As such, he couldn't help but bellow in laughter.
"What are you so cheerful about, now?" Smiled Farmer.
"My captain, I just realised that you're returning victorious and riding a dragon!"
"Yes. And?"
"You're now a hero of legend! All the best tales tell of a hero riding a dragon when his quest is complete!" Guffawed madly Lampa.
Farmer wanted to respond that he was nothing like any of those heroes Lampa alluded to. But the moment he wanted to open his mouth to speak, he understood just why his lieutenant found the situation so funny. Imagine the faces of those famous poets having to tell the tale of a pirate riding a dragon? Wouldn't they suffer a severe heartache from having to place a criminal of the seas on the same level as one of their legendary characters?
Thus, Farmer joined in with Lampa's laughing. Together, they kept chuckling nonstop until they were able to dock the mountain-like carcass of the sea-dragon alongside Alana's Regret. Many on deck could not believe their eyes and even pinched themselves to check that they weren't dreaming.
They were going to be rich!
As soon as Farmer boarded his ship, he took in a breath of fresh air. Looking around, he saw the eagerness in the crewmen's eyes. Smiling slyly, he gave out his orders as he stood on the ship's ballustrade. "Men, we've been idle in these waters for too long. I'm sorry, that's my fault. To make it up to all of you fine people, I've brought you a gift!"
Farmer waved towards the massive draconic remains floating in the water. With the Sun high up in the sky, the light reflected off the sea-dragons scales with such splendour that it basked Farmer in a majestic radiance. Each person there was brimming with gleeful laughter as they cheered Farmer's name.
"This sea-dragon and I had an argument." Explained Farmer when the cheering quieted down. "As you can see, I had the upper hand during our 'debate'." This caused another round of voluptuous laughter to resound all over the ship. Even Raven couldn't help but to partake despite not fully understanding what was so funny. "However, this beast was honourable enough to accept its loss with dignity and lavishly covered me with benefits, so that I could return laden with gifts! We, as good pirates, should honour this beast and make sure nothing goes to waste! Harvest whatever you can fit in our storage, leave the rest as food for the local fauna. Prioritise fangs over the meat!"
With that, another explosive cheer echoed and the crew mobilised to fulfil Farmer's orders. Farmer himself was struggling to keep up a front of strength in front of these people and hence called Lampa over and, together, they went to the captain's quarters.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Farmer tore off the clothes covering his chest and revealed his sorry state to Lampa. "Fuck that serpent. The bastard really fought hard." He groaned as he examined his injuries in front of a mirror.
His torso had a black floral scar from where the lightning had struck him. The skin around it was charred. An inch below his heart, there was a big gaping wound the size of a fist where you could see the other side of Farmer's body. The edges of this hole were jarred, and a pungent smell of decay could be felt in the room emanating from it.
"Captain, I'll have the best elixirs brought up right away." Bowed Lampa ceremoniously.
"No need. I have what I need here." Waving Lampa's suggestion away, Farmer opened a large wooden chest beside his wardrobe. From inside he pulled out half a dozen bright green class four healing elixirs after rummaging for a bit. "But I need you to bring me up to speed with the matters that transpired on ship during my prolonged absence."
"As you command, captain." Obeyed Lampa. He waited for Farmer to drink a few elixirs and then lie down on his bed before describing the events of the last few days. "The prisoners we took from Krieg have had mixed results. Krieg's man has been actively seeking out jobs and has been trying to help in whatever way he can."
"Could he be scouting us out, spying on us for Krieg?"
"I don't think so. I see no dishonesty in his eyes, captain. Furthermore, he told me how he was a slave once and was purchased by Krieg. In his own words, he was threatened to obey Krieg's orders. Now that he's here and he's had a taste of how things are on Alana's Regret, he's hinted at wanting to join."
"I trust your judgement, Lampa. You will care for this man. If he asks to join, the decision will be up to you." Said Farmer after contemplating the matter for a minute. "What about the others?"
"The five women are refusing to talk. I tried offering them a job in the kitchen, but they spat on me. I would've killed them myself for that, but I don't know what your plans are so I simply had them placed in the gaol."
"You did well. This matter I'll solve later on. What about the girl?"
"You mean Raven?"
"Raven?" Asked Farmer in puzzlement.
"Aye, that's the name Krill gave her. The little girl without a tongue, I mean. To be honest, captain, the crew have taken quite a liking to her; myself included. She is fiery, determined, and exceptionally perceptive. She listens to anything and everything, quietly learning as much as she can. Plus, she's absolutely adorable."
"Good, good." Farmer commented more to himself than to Lampa. Raven? What a terrible name, he thought to himself. "Anything else I should know about?"
"Only one small matter, captain. So small I hesitate to even mention it."
"Say it or don't say it; don't beat around the bush."
Taking a deep breath, Lampa proceeded to detail the small confrontation between Krill and Oulong just before Farmer arrived riding the sea-dragon. He seemed angry at the words said by Serena's warrior but made no effort to seek Farmer for justice.
"That's it?" Asked Farmer incredulously. "You should know by now what nobles are like. Don't take it to heart, he's just a narrow-minded fool."
"I know, captain, but I worry the crew might take matters into their own hands."
"Very well. Have my orders passed down; no one is to harm a hair on Serena or any of her subordinates for the duration of this voyage. I will speak to her personally of this matter on the morrow. For now, leave me to rest."
"As you command, captain." Bowing for one last time, Lampa exited the captain's quarters and locked the door behind him, leaving Farmer to his own devices.
Farmer groaned miserably and finished off all the remaining elixirs one of the other. Afterwards, he crossed his arms and meditated to enter into a trance-like state wherein his recovery rate would increase twofold.
That night, singing and celebrating could be heard from the kitchen. The mood was rife with delight. It had been an extremely good day harvesting the sea-dragon's corpse. Due to its massive size, many hours and a large amount of manpower were needed before the ship's storage had been filled to the brim. Once they were finished, the corpse was cut away from the ship and sent drifting away; looking like it had been half-eaten by a horde of hungry ants.
As a reward, huge amounts of dragon meat were grilled slowly over a weak fire and were served alongside a generous serving of roasted vegetables. No one dared to miss this succulent meal and the dining area was quickly flooded with pirates. Serena and Raven were reserved a spot to one side and enjoyed the chaotic spectacle of the dinner amidst chuckles.
The only one who's absence was noticed was Farmer himself. When asked about it, Lampa brushed the matter off with a casual excuse, responding that Farmer needed a decent rest after his colossal battle with the beast. This remark was met with many nods of acknowledgment. They had all seen the gigantic sea-dragon. To say that their captain was a genuine monster for having killed it was an understatement. It was only natural for him to need to rest.
Thus, the rest of the dinner transpired without anyone feeling bad about the lack of Farmer's presence. Notwithstanding, several toasts were raised in his honour and a few even improvised a song about his deeds. Lampa laughed at this so loudly that he almost toppled over. He imagined the face his captain would make if he was there to witness his crew clebrating him in such a manner!
The moon rose in the night sky and the crew returned to their respective places of rest. They had all exhausted the final reserves of their energy during the feast and were in desperate need to sleep. Hence, silence draped itself over Alana's Regret, broken only by the snoring of pirates.
This was the perfect night to carry out any malicious misdeeds like an assassination.
Quiet like a shadow, a human-like shape climbed down the hull of the ship, making its way to Farmer's window. With a flash of arcane light, the window lash was released, and it was easily opened by the shape. Slowly, but silently, the shape entered Farmer's quarters and retreated away from the moonlight.
Hidden within the darkness, the shape (which obviously belonged to an assassin), drew a sword from some unknown location and crouched over itself, lying down on the floor. At the same time, Farmer opened his eyes into two narrow slits.
Despite being in a trance-like state, he had sent out his spiritual sense over a short distance. A safety measure he had picked up over the years. Evidently, this habit of his had saved him once more because he was immediately woken up when his window had been opened with some arcane art.
The darkness of the night might have been a problem for any other human, but to Farmer it was no issue whatsoever. Thus, he could clearly see an assassin dressed in a large black cloak lying on their belly slowly moving towards him. In their hand was a malevolent-looking sabre held backhandedly.
The assassin was oblivious to the fact they had been discovered and continued with their plan. As they neared Farmer's bed, they raised their head and Farmer was left stunned. Stunned because he recognised the assassin. It was Oulong.
Fighting back the urge to mock Serena's subordinate, Farmer had to make every effort to not reveal himself to be awake. Knowing just how weak this would-be murderer was, Farmer could relax. Even if he were to just lie there letting himself be struck over and over again, Oulong wouldn't be able to harm him in the slightest. Furthermore, he might want to talk before carrying out the assassination; nobles were arrogant like that.
Sure enough, before long, Oulong rose with a mad look of success plastered on his face. He was worried that Farmer would wake up but, seeing the gently breathing pirate lord in front of him, Oulong couldn't help but praise his skills in his thoughts. Wanting to look into the eyes of his prey and witness Farmer's expression as he killed the pirate, he then raised the sabre in his hand and placed the tip of it on Farmer's neck.
"Who...? Oulong?" Asked Farmer acting as if he had just been wrestled from a deep sleep. "What are you doing here?"
"Surprised, Farmer?" Whispered Oulong hatefully. "Don't even think about calling out for help. That will just speed up your death. Don't you want to live for a few more minutes?"
"What. Are. You. Doing. Here." Carefully enunciated Farmer with a trembling voice.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to kill you, Farmer."
"Why?"
"Because you bewitched the Young Mistress!" Spat out Oulong furiously. "Don't think you fooled me just because you fooled her. I know what you're planning. I know you want to enslave her and gain access to her family through her!"
"What nonsense is this?" Farmer was acting earlier but now he was genuinely startled. Since when did he have any aspiration of joining the aristocracy? He found them disgusting, for Naosh's sake!
"Don't play coy with me, Farmer! You fooled the others, but you didn't fool me! You're just a lowly pirate! How could she ever look at you like that without you having bewitched her?! Just confess to your sins and I'll grant you a swift death!"
"You want to kill me because of such a reason?"
"What more reason do I need?"
"Very well. I won't beg, nor will I confess to anything, because I did nothing. Just be done with it." Casually remarked Farmer, somewhat worrying Oulong. Why was he so calm? Thought the would-be assassin.
Pushing the thought to one side, Oulong shouted a victorious howl and plunged his sabre into Farmer's neck with all the strength in his body. Just when he expected a spray of blood to land on his face he discovered, to his horror, that the sabre hadn't even broken Farmer's skin.
Farmer, in turn, was looking up at him with a face full of scorn.