John woke up feeling refreshed. It was a few days after his successful trip upstream, and he was enjoying life in the village. He spent his time relaxing, fishing, and hanging out with Alfy. The young gnome was working on his own version of the rum barrel, just without the barrel.
The original "Rum Barrel 2.0" got a new paint job, and was now a brilliant red. John felt like he was driving a hotrod of a boat as he sped up and down the river.
During this time, John learned a bit more of local geography. This river was an extremely long one that originated from a massive mountain range in the west and flowed all the way through the continent. There were several lakes and forks in the river, but eventually they all led to the great eastern sea.
All along the river, small towns and fishing villages had sprung up. In spite of the large fishing industry, the fish populations had proved surprisingly resilient and prolific, showing no signs of decreasing.
"Crackers!" John yelled out to the pigeon perched on the top of his boat's mast, "its time for another upgrade, I'm tired of you being a pigeon. All you do is shit on my boat."
"Coo?"
"Splat"
"Ew! Cracker!!! That's exactly what I'm angry about! You better shut that butt of yours or no more snacks!"
"Coo! Selfish bastard!"
"How many loot points needed for the next level?" John sighed, his current amount had dropped down to 4 silver too quickly.
"20 silver, coo!"
"That's too expensive! How am I going to earn all that here? Give me a discount!" John did a sudden maneuver causing Crackers to fall into the water.
"Coo! Glug glug glug!" John fished up the dirty bird before it floated away or was eaten. He still needed his system after all, and he didn't know if he'd get a replacement interface.
"Let's head back upstream for a short visit, last time was so profitable. Also we can use these new disguises I bought yesterday." John fished out a set of red clothes, a bright red mustache that covered half his face and curled upwards near his cheeks, a set of thick goggles that Alfy had given him, and some reddish looking dye.
"Crackers, how do you feel about a makeover, your grey feather are too mainstream. You gotta be a trendsetter, not just a sheep following the others mindlessly. Other birds will look up to you and respect your individuality." John tied Crackers down before mixing the dye with some whitewash and water.
"Coo! Let me go! I don't want to be pink! Grey feathers are a sign of wisdom!"
"Don't worry Crackers, I'll mix you the perfect color. Don't you know this year's Pantone color is 'living coral'!? That'll make some heads turn, I bet none of these fools have even heard of that color."
...
"Crackers! Hold still! I've almost finished the last coat. When I'm done, there won't be a bird alive that's capable of resisting your charms."
...
Fergus Thompkins was plump young man. Growing up in a town where his every whim was met with approval and flattery, his recent troubles had been exceedingly unsavory.
"So, you came back for revenge, eh?" He drummed his stubby bejeweled fingers on the table. Lunch today was chicken. After his last traumatic rainbow trout encounter, he didn't even want to see another one in his life.
"Just you wait, I'll catch you and your bird before long. Nobody messes with a Thompkins and gets away with it." Remembering that his enemy had escaped down the river previously, he had a lightbulb moment.
"Fred! Joe!" Fergus signaled to his henchmen to approach.
"Yes boss!" Fred replied with a sloppy salute. He had failed the recruitment test for the town guard and was now stuck serving a brat half his age. At least it paid well.
"Gather up the boyz, and prepare my ship. We'll be taking a little cruise down the river. A friend of ours is waiting for us to visit."
...
The "ship" as it turned out, was a large felucca, at least it used to be. It stood out from the boats near it due to its size and flashy paint job. Fergus had spent a lot of his bountiful allowance modifying it and was quite proud of it.
It's main mast had a proper large lateen sail. It had an added bowsprit to which a staysail was affixed, and a shorter mizzenmast rigged with a triangular Bermuda sail. Essentially it had been so modified that it could now be called a yawl. Indeed, it's name, painted in bright red on the yellow hull was "The Yellow Yawl".
The creative name was Fergus's idea, and much to the embarrassment of his goons, he was convinced it was genius.
Fred and Joe along with a couple others were loading up some food and other supplies onto the boat. Some bows and arrows, some fishing equipment, all manner of things were stored carefully in the little cabin built right behind the main mast. They had even packed 3 sets of clothes for Fergus in case he wanted a change.
...
A lumpy looking trimaran sailed into the harbor around noontime attracting the attention of quite a few people.
"Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. What a fine town this is! What lovely people!" A young and healthy voice called out. "When I started my voyage a month ago, little did I know that the place of my dreams would be found so soon!"
The well dressed young merchant stepped out of his boat while twirling the tip of his exceptionally large mustache. On his shoulder, a bright red bird perched awkwardly as if ashamed of its looks.
A few fishermen and some of the local women approached to see what the fuss was.
"Ah! My good people, is there anyone who is interested in purchasing my boat?" John addressed them confidently, he was tired of the little thing and couldn't wait to get a bigger one. "It has been a trusty vessel, both sturdy and stable. Look at these two outriggers, with such modern technology, it would be hard to capsize."
A few people instantly left when they found out he was just selling something.
"Have you every tried teaching your son or daughter to sail? What better boat to get them as their first! With this boat's perfect craftsmanship and stable design, your children will be safer than ever."
A few parents and young fishermen approached John to ask how much he was selling it for.
"Considering it's novelty and unique design, I'll auction it off now to the highest bidder.
What followed was a short but quick bidfest until
"Sold to the upstanding gentleman standing in the back for 6 silver! Congratulations sir for winning this limited edition boat."
...
Walking away with a pouch full of coins, John explained in a knowledgeable manner to the bird on his shoulder.
"You see Crackers, it's all about first impressions. You've got to strike while iron is hot or whatever they say."
...
Fred and Joe were working up a sweat, the other two goons had slacked off, leaving them with the bulk of the heavy lifting. They were closer in age to Fergus so they were treated better.
"Those young good fer nothins", complained Joe silently. He too had once aspired to move upwards in society, now however, because of a rich kid's whims he was stuck in this dead end job.
Fergus had singled him out from his father's guards and claimed him as a personal servant. If not for that, Joe might have been promoted to captain of his own little squad.
The way people looked at him with disdain, the way Fergus ordered him around, and the pay cut or beating he'd receive for not carrying out an impossible order were driving him mad.
Fred wasn't much better off, but he had less prospects in the first place. The only skill that came to him naturally was following orders without thinking. The poor oaf. Neither of them had any family in town, but leaving wasn't an option either. They didn't know anything of the outside world.
...
John listened attentively as Crackers narrated the series of complaints Joe muttered. Nobody expected a bird to be so capable.
"Crackers my old friend, I think we have found us a noble cause worth helping!" Stepping around the corner, John approached the two henchmen.
"Ah greetings! What a fine ship!" John complimented the yellow boat.
"Back off punk!" Fred took a threatening step forward.
"Hey hey, don't worry I'm just here to socialize." John kept his distance but maintained his smile. "I'm new in town, and thought what better way to learn about it than through the mouths of it's hard working citizens."
The two henchman were uncertain of what to do, I mean, the guy seemed harmless.
"Here have some rum, I got it right from the tavern over there. You took look like you could do with a breather." John passed them a small bottle each and sipped his own as he sat down on a nearby crate.
Fred and Joe agreed whole heartedly, they deserved this break. Taking a swig of their drinks they joined John in sitting down. They chatted together about the local gossip and John made up some stories about some lord out east who spent his fortune on buying a gold bars only to find out later that they were only iron bars painted gold.
"So how is work in this town?" John asked, "you two seem like fine fellows, I'm sure there'll be prospects lined up for you in the future!"
That hit a sore spot, "meh, we are kinda stuck in a dead end job at the moment." Joe admitted, "dont go telling anyone I said that mind you. It'd come back to bite me I'm sure."
Fred nodded along with a sad face, "boss don't give us many options" he sniffed a little, "I always wanted to just be a fisherman. It's a good life, peaceful, without people yellin at you to do this, do that, punch this guy, break that thing."
Joe gave him a pat on the back, "There there, let's not complain too much, someone might report us."
John had heard enough, "I happen to be looking for a couple able bodied men to work for me. You could call me an adventurer of sorts, or maybe a merchant... no that's not quite right either."
Fred and Joe didn't quite understand.
"What I mean is, how much are you being paid?"
"Well, that depends on how well we perform our duties... sometimes we get a silver or two for a week. Other times we only get food."
"Well, what would you say to a chance to get out of this dead end town and live a life of adventure! Exploring the unknown! Acquiring valuable treasures! And voyaging to new towns and even cities!"
"What do you mean?" Joe was tempted.
"I'll hire you to help me sail my ship down the river. You would be my first crew members. One day, we will sail the great sea on a huge ship the size of a castle and all will hear of our mighty exploits and daring deeds!
"Yes!" Fred jumped up excited, looking at Joe, he could see the excitement in his eyes too.
"What about the young master Fergus? He'd be sure to try to bring us back." Joe cautioned.
"Joe my old friend, it's time to leave that sniveling wimp and make your escape! It's easy, I myself have done it twice!" John blurted out, "oops!"
Realization dawned on Joe and he stood up angrily, this was the one master was after! Catching him would mean a huge reward!
"Fred, whack him! He's betraying us! He wants to catch me and report you to Fergus! Quick before your chance to escape is gone!" John jumped up yelled.
Surprised by John's out burst Joe was unprepared for Fred's sudden fist. Regret filled his mind as he passed out, why did he let greed trump his bravery!
Shocked by what he had just done, Fred panicked, "What have I done?! Fergus is gonna have me beaten until I'm black and blue!"
"Fred my good man, you have just taken your first step to freedom and a better life! Do you not have hopes and dreams? How will you achieve them by staying here? Will Fergus allow you to settle down and enjoy the good life? No! That bastard is an ungrateful turd" John patted Fred's shoulder and lead him towards the yellow boat.
"Come with me! Explore the world! Someone once said '"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."