Completed The Terror of the Sea

[Kiha]

Kiha was slightly pleased by the fear she felt rolling through the crew. She had never been left to feel particularly powerful at home but among these oafs, the murmurs she felt following her back left her standing a little taller, her gaze falling a little sharper on each of them.

Damn fucking right, they shouldn't mess with her.

She stood on the deck and watched them hustle and bustle with the ropes and the row boat, a small bit of relief blossoming in her chest.

It would have sucked to die there. People at home woulda never known.

 

[Ayman]

The time it took the Sparrow to leave the cove was half of what it had taken them to actually get there.

He had no idea why that was, a fact that he didn't want to admit any time soon. He'd spent quite a bit of time on this ship, and in truth the intricacies of sailing still escaped him more often than not. Still, it hardly mattered, and within a short while they were already on the ship.

A few hours passed by quickly, and then suddenly Ayman found himself standing within the Captains quarters around a rather large and ornately carved table. With him were the Captain, the First Mate, Kiha, and one more pirate who generally tended to head the boarding parties.

His name was Manheim, supposedly a former Captain in the Anirian Navy.

Dangerous. More so than anyone Ayman had ever met.

"So, why the bloody hell are we here?"
​

Manheim asked, peering at Ayman as though he were little more than a bilge-rat. The Smugler only smiled at him, looking at the Captain before clearing his throat. "Because we're going to hit the North Allirian Trade Company."

 

[Kiha]

Kiha stared at the lot uncomprehendingly, her mind spinning more than she would like to admit as she tried to adjust to their tongue and mash out their words.

Hit. Like smack? They were gonna smack someone? Well why would that require her? What was she gonna do, summon a storm and hope to smack them with a flying fish? Fucking rocks for heads, these lots.

"Yano stabbing does the job better," she said bluntly, their dopey smiles baffling her.

 

[Ayman]

Aymen blinked. "We're going to attack their merchant train."

Was this woman dense or trying to be funny?

It could be both to be fair. Ayman wasn't really an expert in comedy and...well she was definitely not native to common tongue. He frowned for a moment, glancing at the Captain. The man was staring daggers at him. It was clear that he considered this his plan.

It had been Ayman's idea after all.

"The North Allirian Trade Company is a huge private industry, they trade in silk, gold, spice." Pretty much anything worth money. "They have entire merchant fleets sailing this area. Impossible to attack because they have mages on board."

He glanced at Kiha. "But with you..."

 

[Kiha]

Kiha slowly raised a brow.

"I'mnat a witch. Imma shaman." Well. You know. Technically speaking. "The spirits do my biddin, aint no one out here can stop that," she threatened softly, still not entirely following their intention with her.

 

[Ayman]

What was the difference? Witch, Shaman, Mage...all of it was the exact same to them. They were Pirates, not scholars or anything like that.

To them Kiha was simply a tool to be used. "Look we just need a storm."

The Captain was still staring, clearly dubious about all of this still. Ayman knew what that meant for him, it meant that if this went sideways he would be the one taking the blame for everything. Not at all what he wanted to happen, particularly given...well, what that would mean exactly.

"A big one." He explained further. "So we can separate the treasure ship from the rest of the fleet."

 

[Kiha]

Kiha gave him a good long stare, mistrust lingering heavily in the gaze that slowly tore about the rest of the room.

"I can give ya a storm," she reiterated carefully. She understood that much, but there was something about... ships and moving them? Her thoughts spun backwards. Not for the first time, she wished she had taken to learning more words more seriously. It had been her idea to even try after all.

"Then, you leave me at a dock. A different dock," came her choppy terms again.

"I'll give ya a storm ya can go hitin persons in."

 

[Ayman]

"Oh we shall, Lass."
​

The Captain sounded almost happy when he said those words, something that made Ayman frown briefly. His fingers tightened for a moment, but he said nothing as he nodded and leaned over the table.

Best not...dwell.

"The trade route is here." They knew that much from information they had gathered themselves. Ordinarily NATC kept their routes hidden, but he'd made contacts in Vel Anir that had slipped a word or two in. Not that it had helped at the time. "A storm will blow them off course best..."

He glanced up at the Captain who was watching carefully. "Here...I think."

Quietly Ayman cleared his throat, aware of the eyes on him.

 

[Kiha]

She gave a heavy sigh, fingering the silk she realized they let her have a little too easily. Right...

Best to be going about this one step at a time then. Eyes peeled for a tight spot and a place to bail, she coaxed to herself, more green than she'd admit about these affairs.

Hell, never trust a stranger in her book anyway.

She stepped forward, eyeing the map and the pin points speckled about it. "Aye, be done," she agreed, musing for a long moment.

"Ya got nay animals in ship?"

 

[Ayman]

Ayman blinked. "A cat."

He was a ratter, grizzled little thing, but good at his job. The Captain seemed to nod at that, agreeing with Ayman's words. The First Mate still hadn't said a single thing and was instead staring at Ayman as though the two of them were about to get into a knife fight.

It made the smuggler nervous.

"A few chickens for food." He added quietly after a moment, glancing towards the first mate wearily.

He didn't get the man.

 

[Kiha]

"Well. You'll eat good that night. I'll need them," she said without remorse, laying out facts as clear as day. "Spirits be needin their payment, no animal, no storm."

She held out her hands open palmed.

 

[Ayman]

Ayman frowned for a brief second.

"We don't need the storm now..." The Captain was staring at him again. Apparently the Witch was his responsibility now. "Won't for at least a week."

Maybe two, truthfully. They would have to wait until they actually saw the merchant fleet on the horizon, only then could they actually strike. "It'll take time to get there, then we have to wait for them to pass, and only then do we need the storm."

Otherwise this whole thing would be for naught.

 

[Kiha]

Kiha stared at him without comprehension.

From what she did catch, he was saying the same thing as her. But he was getting angry about it, an anger she was half tempt to match if just for receiving it in the first place!

"ʻAʻoleʻike kēia poʻe naʻaupō i ko lākou lima hema mai ko lākou lima'ākau," she huffed, shaking her head and crossing her arms at them.

 

[Ayman]

Ayman was feeling uncomfortable.

The Captain, the First Mate, and the Witch were all now staring at him rather angrily. The problem was that in truth he had absolutely no idea what he had done wrong. All he wanted was to mediate and...well survive.

He cleared his throat. "We'll...be...traveling...for a bit."

Yes...

"Why don't we reconvene when we're closer." He glanced at the Witch. "And I can show you where you'll be sleeping?"

Ayman wanted to leave the room.

Please.

 

[Kiha]

She snorted in acceptance, pushing off the wall she leaned against and going to leave the room without dismissal. A hand unconsciously tightened on a dagger by her hip as she step into the dusky air, the sea washing over her face and doing little to soothe a bad feeling slowly growing in her gut.

They really did let her take the silks too easily. What would Gal do? She asked herself.

Problem was, the bitch had been gone for near a decade. Kiha didn't know.

Maybe she had died to a bad trade deal. Maybe she shouldn't try to be like her at all. Fuck her. She would make the storm and leave, whatever that path looked like. She turned to look expectedly over her shoulder, having felt Ayman follow her out.

 

[Ayman]

He offered the Captain and his first mate a small nod as he left, fingers still tight just in case he had to defend himself. As soon as he stepped outside he felt a small weight lift off of his shoulders, something to do with the fact that he was sure the two men would gladly slit his throat if they had the opportunity.

A frown creased his face, knowing the thought to be true. ”This way.”

He pointed towards the back of the ship, gathering the Witches attention. Ayman still wasn’t entirely sure about the woman, but...the plan was just about the only reason that he was still alive at this point.

Robbing the North Allirian Trade Company would make all of them rich beyond even their wildest dreams.

It was why they had ignored the woman’s theft, why they put up with any and all of this. The NATC was perhaps one of the richest things in the entire world, more so than some entire Cities. Taking even one of their treasure ships meant the entire crew would be set for life.

Greed was a powerful motivator.