"I wonder what it'll be like."
"Very big. And nice enough to please an emperor."
I looked at my clone- my Doppelganger incredulously, as I have so many times throughout the past seven or so days.
I knew not if should have called him John or Rip or Tide or any other version of my title. He appeared just like me. His skin was the same sun-kissed tan as mine, wrinkled by the sun and the sea as much as it was scarred from battle. His eyes held the same silvered touch as mine and his clothes showed the same luster of a rambunctious young pirate heading towards the end of his youth.
And we acted the same. But also not. He knew the same things I knew. He retained my preferences and habits and ensured that they'd be reflected in the ship. But he also knew things I didn't. He taught me extraordinary things.
Or, he tried to.
Some concepts were easy to learn. Our blessings for example. Like Captain Silvertusk- Hogaz, we made pacts with the man inside the moon as followers, not servants. In turn, we were blessed not with spells, but with the ability to see through magical darkness and cursed with no longer needing sleep; instead requiring eight hours of light activity such as reading or, as I intended, napping.
Aside from that, Amun was a child of the Nox. That became obvious after seeing his shadow undead and then seeing him. He was born into the family of abyssal devils. Infamous sorcerers, known for bringing the darkest plagues to the southern peninsula for centuries on end. A pedigree that boasted names like the Necro King, the Raven Reaper, the Shadow Puppeteer, the Bone Child, the Mad Void Monk, and, most famously, in our eyes, Captain Darkblood.
On top of that, he was a God. A new God, yet one who's granted power to clerics and druids and rangers alike. A God of the Moon, of Twilight, of Engineering- making creations like that deadly ship- and… Mana.
Not magic, as Vexx presumed, but mana itself.
Him being a God of such things meant the powers and creations and knowledge he would grant us would far outweigh those most warlocks received, and it all depended on faith.
But, he was a Guildmaster on top of that. A commander of what was to become twenty legions of militant explorers. Warrior nomads on an eternal mission to traverse the lands, seas, and skies of the Mortal Plane without end.
And Commander Silvertusk was to command everything that touched the seas.
We, in turn, were to command specialized roles in the fleet. Captain Vexx was to form an elite force of warriors capable of fighting anywhere from the ocean deep to the open skies and even on land, far from the support of the fleet. Captains Stubbs and Stronghull would command ships designed to swim below the surface and respectively conduct reconnaissance or launch surprise attacks.
On the other hand, Captain Seadog was to command a fleet of fast attack boats and train her sailors to board other ships. And Captain Sinoshk would command hulking vessels adorned with massive cannons meant to bombard the lands from afar. Woodgrain and his halfling crew would learn to fly around in winged metal boxes to destroy ships from above.
And then there was me. In charge of surveying and mapping out the sea floor.
That's where I started struggling to understand Rip's words.
He spoke of strange things. He tried to teach me of the strange devices I'd find inside the ship. Tablets that contained all the realms' information, small enough to fit in a pouch. Screens that would let us view the actions of the Legionaries from across the peninsula. Machines capable of doing anything, and for what the machines couldn't do, the undead could.
The shadow undead and our clones, we all assumed, would make our lives easy. They cleaned out the rubble and began reconstruction on the island, cooked our food and more while we lounged and recovered and made plans for the future.
And once we healed, our days and sleepless nights were filled with education and training.
For every lesson we learned, we spent quadruple the time fighting our clones and the immortal undead. Triple the time was spent learning how to bend the elements properly. Double the time was used to learn how to fly. And on the seventh sundown, the night Mani's eye closed, the training halted suddenly.
Wordlessly, the Seven gathered to the outcropping of cracked stone and peered down the hill towards the coast to watch, to wait for a glimpse of that shimmering hull. But instead, the only shimmering light came from the sharp tusks and mail armor of a young half-orc.
He nodded to each of us while unfurling a large and highly detailed map of the peninsula onto the table, appearing as a standing cigar pinched at the middle before the end piece was blasted off.
From the island off the top right corner, a dotted line looped around the Horn of Mazi before stopping at a silver bead above the city of Chor.
It continued on, but with Hogaz's finger covering the route, we all looked to him expectantly.
At least until Vexx spoke up.
"Sinestro's concert."
"The journey will take us a day at full speed." Hogaz flatly confirmed, making us howl and yelp and scoff in anticipation or disbelief.
Except for Vexx.
"You will meet the other Legionary Captains there." Hogaz continued with little concern. "Worry not about purchasing goods, the Legion provides. And I will cover the admission. Enjoy the vacation and enjoy yourselves. Just try not to get into trouble.
"I know not what Amun has planned for you during that time." He paused, then revealed his hand to show the rest of the meandering course making its way around the entirety of the peninsula. "But after, we're to sail around the peninsula to attend to my investigations. And along the way." He turned an unsettling smile over each of us. "We'll be looting ancient ruins, traversing dungeons, and meeting those pirate alliances you spoke of.
"I envision us returning to this island with a proper fleet behind us in six months. By then, we can turn this island into a proper stronghold and begin your initiation into the Legio Noctis. Any questions?" He darted his eyes between us a final time before standing tall, rolling up the map, and tossing a glowing slip of parchment on the table. "Write your names on this."
Many of us- everyone except Vexx and Lu-Lu, looked at him curiously but otherwise did as instructed and signed the thing. Noting only the vibrancy of the paper and how it seemed to turn over after being signed until it returned to its rightful owner. But he too spent seconds writing the individual slips before stowing the thing away and turning without a word or gesture.
Instead, I heard his voice ringing in my head. And by the looks of everyone else, they heard it too.
"Come. We'll go over your roles and the ship rules on our way to the docks."
With the prospects of Chor on the horizon, I could hardly listen. But I'd been a pirate since I could stand and plagued the seas for over fifty years. My ears caught everything.
In short, Vexx was second in command as the quartermaster, and I was the navigator. Stronghull was the chief engineer, Lu-Lu was in charge of surveillance and reconnaissance, Seadog was in command of the boarding force, Sinoshk was the gunner, and Woodgrain was to work in whatever the hangers were.
The other jobs like overwatch, cleaning, and cooking would be done by our clones and, unsettlingly, the undead, freeing our schedules up for more education and training.
As far as ship rules went, it was the usual stuff. No gambling- on or off the ship. Bringing men on women on the ship to bed was unallowed. Fighting amongst the crew was to be done on land, with blades or spells. No lights or open flames after dark. Vexx was to receive her share and the Captain's share of the loot, considering he denied his indefinitely. No raping people. And no slavery.
In addition, we were obligated to keep ourselves clean and presentable at all times. To that end, were given a catalog of clothes, weapons, and gear to choose from, compliments of the Legions. A compliment that we, as pirates, took seriously, walking away with clothes made of the finest materials, with many rings and gems, and even adamantine cutlasses, knives, and rapiers.
As the Captain said, his- our patron was generous. Even more so, considering stealing, robbing, and killing was fine as long as we didn't get arrested. And if we found ourselves without orders, we were free to do as we pleased.
Lastly, three things were to be sent up the chain immediately.
Undead being spotted, ancient ruins being found, or an encounter with an extremely powerful creature.
"If I may, Commander." I approached the half-orc once we arrived at the shockingly well-made docks. "When are we to embark?"
"At sundown tomorrow," he said, not removing his eyes from the faint glimmer of silver in the southern skies. "We'll take a day to grow accustomed to the ship. And our arrival will give us a day in Chor before the event."
"Aye." I nodded, and, fully satisfied with the answer, lowered my eyes to the object of our affection.
It was just moving into the position that rendered it dark in the night sky. A monthly event the Commander called the new moon.
We all stared and watched it creep into that position, fading slowly into a thin sliver of pale light that waved over us and remained at the shores, even as the eye far above fell into its slumber.
And then my eyes fell too.
Or- they tried to.
Instead, they remained locked on the ambiguously dark point of the sky while a searing cold began creeping into my mind, forcing a pulsing growth to burrow into my gray matter so it could conjure visions of a field of bolts and panels and constructs flowing together into a cohesive shape. The silver tendrils writhed deep into my skull, implanted knowledge on the thousand intricacies of the sliver that fell from the moon. Its specifications, amenities, capabilities, and so on and so on until the endless moment passed.