As expected the days aboard the ship slowly fell into a routine, especially when Osilliaice and Alustriea started apprenticing under the sailors. The former proved her adaptability as she often contested with the old sea hands, clambering all around d the rigging in contests over who could do so liar jobs the fastest without errors. Much like her time amongst the elves, the lizardess adapted to sailing like she'd been born on a coast. She wasn't the most proficient when handling the sails or fine knot work, but as she priorly proved, the rigging of a ship was quite easy for her to scale.
Alustriea on the other hand spent most of her time under studying with the navigator, with Xing Lei's pill, her sea sickness had vanished and her interest in learning how to direct the ship could be focused on. When not assisting the navigator she seconded the ships wizard, a rather grumpy fellow who like her had suffered from bouts of sea sickness. A bribe of the pill saw the man become slightly more sociable, though in the end he still was rather abrasive, such was just his way.
Xing Lei himself focused on cultivating, though he did help the crew with various odds and ends. Like Alustriea, his spells could enhance the sailors to make their job easier but more often than not they had stuck the kobold in the normally cramped crows nest. His keen eye sight was a boon that the captain was all too willing to exploit. Thus the days continued training and working, and much to the sailors happiness, the odd passengers weren't filling the night with cries of passion that made them want to toss the trio overboard.
Two weeks out from the desert, Xing Lei was in the crows nest watching the waters as the ship cut its course through the waves. The sails were full of wind giving g them good time this day. Scanning the horizon he noted the first change in days, narrowing his yellow eyes he looked into the distance as two large ships jockeyed for position, from what he could see it reminded him of the pirates of the inner sea. Leaning over the edge of the nest and called down, "Pirate battle starboard side on the horizons edge!"
Looking up from the wheel the captain stared at the kobold before looking into the distance, pulling out a spy glass to have a look himself, nodding confirming the warning he grabbed the wheel and spun hard changing course towards the distant fight, "All hands prepare for battle! It's one of our brothers caught up with gold hooks bunch."
From near by Osilliaice looked to the captain, "Gold hook?"
Focusing on steering the ship the captain nodded, "Pain in our company's arse that one. Fancies himself the Dandy of the Sea. Bedecks himself in a king's ransom of gold that he robs off our merchant rigs coming to and from Tol-Vatal. He's most known for his left hook hand which as you likely can tell, he cast out of solid gold. Normally we'd mind our own business but that bastard is targeting one of ours again, left to it we'll likely take a hit in the long run so best to see if we can drive the blighter off."
Turning to the first mate the captain barked, "Mr. Kord, if you'd be quick about it, please get the wee elf lass and Mr. Toss up on deck, some spell bombardment would be most welcome."
The first mate nodded hopping down the stairs vanishing into the aft castle. Osilliaice cocked her head, "Does this Gold Hook pirate have black powder cannons?"
The captain blinked and quickly shook his head, "Nay lass, thank the gods for that small mercy. Those contraptions seem more prevalent to the southern shore of the northern continent or along the western continent. Down this way is mostly regular armaments, there's likely to be a mage but no, no gnome cursed tinker toys to give us all nightmares. To ask such, you and your lot have fought with the things before?"
Osilliaice nodded glancing to the crows nest, "My mate has, the tale he told of it certain reflects your own sentiment. These gnomes, do they have a presence at Tol-Vatal?"
The captain nodded lightly, rather glad for a mundane topic to take the nerves off as the ship cut through the water towards the distant ships, "Aye they do, most factions have a representative on hand in case any of their people wants to make a go of the jungle."
As the captain started relaying more orders to the crew, Osilliaice stood back watching Alustriea and the ship mage Toss filling the sails with additional wind. Looking up high, Xing Lei stood in the crows nest, a curved blade in hand. It seemed one and all needed the distraction this battle would bring so Osilliaice darted below decks toe grab her spear, she silently hoped Gold Hook would be worth the distraction.
Glancing down from his place upon high, Xing Lei could see the excitement sweeping through the crew, what actions had become tired wrote were not infused with a purpose, wether it was to save their fellow ship or just the chance to cross blades with pirates, it was a rather weighted coin toss on which was the greater motivation for the overtly bored crew. For himself, ever since the inner sea voyage, he had been rather indifferent to the voyage. It was certainly a longer voyage but seeing the ocean every day hardly wore on the kobold.
It wasn't that the trip in itself was exciting, but rather his body was practically vibrating with power. Once would think the natural energy that made cultivation possible would be thinner this distance from shore but such was not the case. Every time Xing Lei trained, wether it was cultivating the foundation technique or going through what battle techniques he knew to go alongside it he felt power practically surging through his body whenever he meditated, it was almost like the taste of drinking from a cold natural mountain string when all you knew before hand was mundane well water.
Stretching slightly he looked at the ships getting closer and closer, the real question was if he'd beat Osilliaice in jumping the rails to assault the pirate vessel directly. Though considering the captain, the man preferred things running in an proper order, chaotic elements were quickly dealt with so his ship could sail on with little or no hiccup to how it should. Jumping the pirate ship before boarding was called for would more likely see them relieved of duty for the rest of the voyage rather than complimented for their prowess.
Lifting his gaze to the distant horizon, the mix of blue water and blue sky seemed to run together forever. It was acalm8ng visual even as they sailed closer and closer to the already engaged battle. From his perch, Xing Lei winced seeing the pirate vessel turn sharply and ram the merchant caravelle. Brightly colored figures swarmed over the pirate ships railing to bring the fight to the merchants.
While their own vessel was making good time, chances were better that the pirates would have their initial boarding done with by the time the passenger ship got in combat range. Watching the vicious battle, merely a collection of ants from his height, Xing Lei watched with a sense of detachment. He could understand the captains reasons and a chance to test his training was also good but it was feeling alot like back in the Ironhand kingdom, he wasn't expecting a true challenge from a bunch of thugs, it could barely be called exercise.
Looking to the blade he held, Xing Lei sighed. That was something else that needed forging when they made landfall. His spear had taken a severe beating in the recent past, it almost felt like a part of himself was missing. In a sense it was, even in his old life he had had a great affinity for the spear arts, training from his teens until the day he died and now into his second life. Looking to the sabre in his hand he sighed, being a cultivator meant being adaptable but one always had a preference.
Looking into the empty sky, listening to the waves crashing around the ship he slipped into a focus, dispelling plans and thoughts, solely paying attention to the herald of battle. The captain would call and he would be able to let loose. Hopefully the pirates had a trump card or two to play or this would be over as soon as he left the crows nest. It would be nice if they had a drow or redscale in their midst, if it was just some goblinkin he could leave it for Osilliaice to handle and not waste his own time.
Exhaling and dismissing the negative thoughts he waited for the call which came soon enough, their own ship crashing against the pirate vessel was like a bugle horn sounding the army's charge. The captains order to board unleashed the flood gates with Osilliaice leading the way, she was their sides spear head but the true death knell was the short figure who leapt from the crows nest with seemingly no regard for his own life, but it was the ones he fell upon that truly heard death ringing his cursed bell.
Sadly Xing Lei did not get much of a work out, his charge was lead by a simple technique, to the pirates it looked like a simple punch but the area around the strike a like a black powder keg had gone off. Dozens of the pirates were tossed around like leaves in a hurricane, the ones that fell to the unforgiving sea below counted themselves blessed as those explosive blasts rang out above scattering their crew mates.
The battle had not even taken an hour, the pirate ship looked like it had been through a vicious gale, the fore and aft castles had sizable chunks gone as were the deck rails. One of the secondary masts had cracked off where the body of a pirate had it it with the force of a full charge battering ram. By the time Gold Hook had ran up the white flag, three quarters of his crew were dead, or wished very much they were. A lone kobold leaned against the mast watching the two crews rounding up the pirates and extracting the ships.
The pirate vessel itself had taken the worst of it, while the merchant ship could limp home the formers ability to set sail again was severely limited. Ultimately it was decided that the pirate ship would serve as a prison barge secured between the two other vessels as they dragged it back to port, neither the merchant ship nor their own really wanted to store the prisoners. Osilliaice offered to play warden with Xing Lei's help which was sure to keep the bandits of the sea nice and docile.
With a ship of fools under lock down the next few weeks went rather quiet, other than some weather for a few days lashing the ships with a Heaven's worth of rain no further delays impeded the journey. Three weeks with the pirate ship in tow was to be expected a trying time, most captains would not have bothered, but between the two reptiles and the elf helping, it had proven rather easy to bring the prison ship for such a stretch. Yet still they made it, the looming continent of Tol-Vatal was in sight, the fortified port a sore thumb sticking out of the wild tangle of jungle.
Three ships chained together had drew a crowd, even more so when the battered ship in the middle was identified as a pirate ship. The local lord was even on the docks to greet the captain to learn the story of how they managed to drag in this ship full of pests. One thing lead to another and the two reptiles, with a lesser association given to Alustriea was soon dining with the lord to learn of what brought such capable adventurers to his port. With much of the pirate capture in Xing Lei's name, the early few days of their time in port was streamlined.