Chapter 59
Sturdy Sturdy
Barnacle-eyes
Chance of Mutiny: 35%
1 level until ketch evolution.
Growing, growing, growing! My fleet was growing, the plants—on all the sloops—were gigantify-ing, and camaraderie was growing. The salty, salty wind tasted like salt. Most days were clear, bright, and made for smooth sailing. Those days were the best for pirouettes.
“Morning,” I said to the day shift goblins. Night shift goblins moved below deck like they were shadows pushed by the sun. Boggo and Ella leapt from rig to rig above.
I peered over the taffrails at the mesmerizing blue sea which was still the same dark blue. I lowered a bailing bucket by rope and scooped water from the surf of a wave. My goblins helped me hoist the bucket with a couple of groggy heave-hos. With a grunt, I lifted the bucket over the taffrail. I dunked my sea map into the bucket like I was trying to launder a mop head. I unraveled the sea map, spread it on deck, and watched the illustration of the sea expand westward into darker blues.
[Congratulations! You have reached your first New Waters!]
[You have reached Admiral level 777!]
[Your ketch has reached level 750!]
[By Peg-tooth!—your ketch is able to evolve into a Galleon and travel at a speed of 3 times.]
[By Peg-tooth!—a sloop on your fleet is able to evolve into a Ketch and travel at a speed of 2 times.]
[Evolve ketch. Y/N?]
Hurray, Peg-tooth! Yes, please thank you!
[Ketch cannot evolve.]
[Not enough wood resources.]
[Collect wood resources.]
[Not enough ketches.]
[Choose and evolve a sloop on your fleet.]
[Not enough Commodores.]
[Promote 1 Captain to Commodore.]
“Lower sails, please thank you!”
“Aye aye, Admiral!”
“Drop sea anchor, please thank you!”
“Aye aye, Admiral!”
“Summon Thrush, please thank you!”
A cork popped out of a bottle from up high on the main mast. “Aye aye, Admiral,” squeaked Boggo.
A stream of beer stretched long and splashed upon the deck. A moment later, Thrush stepped through a slice of air.
“Hello,” said Thrush.
I leapt onto him and gripped him in a hug. “Thrush, my ships are evolving, I need more wood, please thank you.”
“Okay.”
Thrush stomped over to the starboard taffrail.
“Tether the trees, please thank you!”
“Aye aye, Admiral!”
Nets and ropes were prepared. Thrush began dumping tree after tree into the sea. They were lassoed and pulled up against the hull.
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My sloops slipped on over. Goblins rushed to taffrails to watch the spectacle. When I spotted Pinky-chew, I called her over. Gangways connected sloops, and she made her way over from sloop to sloop to sloop to ketch.
Who better than Pinky-chew? It was her that had fished the largest shark any goblin in my fleet had ever caught. The shark was so long that it could have fit twelve goblins like a sleeping bag.
Was there a better choice than Pinky-chew? She was a master at keeping her eyes on the sea. She was the one to confirm many islands and hidden rocks which Boggo and Ella had spied. She could even see better than I could through my monoscope! “Fear the rocks,” she told me. By Peg-tooth, what a captain to have.
Was there a harder working goblin than Pinky-chew? Not possible. She was often quiet, and when she was quiet, she worked even harder. “Distracts from sadness,” she told me. “Helps me from thinking too much about the goblins I lost at sea. I swear I will never let another ship sink again.” Instead of sleeping, some nights, she worked through the night. No other goblin was working double shifts.
Did any other goblin have more experience than Pinky-chew? No, no, nope. She was the one to volunteer hauling the next sloop I was working on. The sloop should have sunk, but she didn’t let it. She hauled it behind hers. “I used to sail a paddle-tugboat,” she had said. Wow, what experience!
Was there a goblin more trustworthy than Pinky-chew? Someone who trusted their Admiral to repair their black promotion boots when the soles had begun flapping off? And Remember-not did such a good job using her sewing skills on those boots. Pinky-chew didn’t even bite her fingernails when I suggested I take the boots for repairs! She trusted me wholly. Wow, I was so lucky to have her. I hope she knew I trusted her too.
Who better than Pinky-chew.
“Reporting for duty, Admiral!”
I withdrew a Fable stone from my inventory.
The goblins shushed. The sea hushed. Goblin eyes went big, big, big.
“I hereby promote Pinky-chew to Commodore.”
Pinky-chew clomped a boot; she saluted me. Her chin wrinkled and her eyes went glossy. I placed the Fable stone into her palm. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head for a moment.
“I saw Peg-tooth!” said Pinky-chew. “And Fin-ears! And Gurgle-liver!”
“Well what quest path did you choose?” said Thrush. “Which goblin god did you assign?”
Pinky-chew shut her eyes. She sniffled. “Wind Shaper! Fin-ears!”
[Evolve Pinky-chew’s sloop into ketch. Y/N?]
Yes, yes, yes!
“Release the trees, please thank you!”
“Aye aye, Admiral.”
Ropes were managed. Trees floated off toward Pinky-chew’s sloop. The trees splintered apart with cracks like whipped lightning. Bark and debris compacted into boards. The sloop absorbed the new boards. A mizzenmast was formed and erected. Sails were rigged. Goblins hooted with glee.
[6 of 13 sloops have been assigned under Commodore Pinky-chew’s command.]
[You have enough ketches, Commodores, and sloops to evolve your ketch.]
[Evolve your ketch. Y/N?]
I punctuated my yes! with an extra flashy pirouette.
My ketch evolved.
The difference between my new galleon and my old ketch was so great, it even sounded different. When the sea crashed against the hull of the ketch, the sound was harsh and bright. Against the hill of the galleon, it was deeper and softer. The galleon had a third mast and even more sails. The sails on the ketch had whipped and cracked in the wind like paper. The sails on the galleon thwomped and beat like whale tails slapping water!
Walking from one end of the ship took twice as long. I had to peer twice as far to see the prow over the gigantic plants from atop the deckhouse. There was Belut, sniffing air between rows of onion. He seemed to take less space now that the ship was wider. The galleon could hold another dozen raised beds too. It was strange to see the bare deck, but that meant there was more room for goblins!
It was my first experience on a ship that didn't throw me port or starboard when it rolled, nor toss me from the stern to the prow when it pitched, nor spun the sun or stars when it yawed, nor flip my stomach when it heaved, nor brought the ship dangerously close to another when it swayed, nor knock me off my feet when the ship surged back and forth. I had never been on a ship so strong and stable. After a quick pirouette, I kicked the new mast.
“Sturdy, sturdy!”
Long-toes and a dozen goblins came up from the hatch. “Admiral! Come see.”
Below deck, there were more quarters. One for this, one for that, one for this and that, and “Let’s put the kitchen here!” I said. Long-toes was so pleased with the idea that he and a team of goblins began rolling giant onions and garlic from the deckhouse to the new kitchen. New portholes in the ship offered bright sky views.
Goblins had to stand on green ladders to peer out and see the sea. It was so far below compared to the ketch. And when looking over the taffrail, the sea was much further down. Fishing lines needed to be extended! …So many plants and goblin; I had never seen the sloops from so high and so close before.
“Admiral, come look!” said Hunch-back. I followed his hobble to the stern. There were new pulley mounts which hung away from the ship. Thick rope descended down to a small little boat! Inside the boat was a goblin who seemed rather confused. He shifted around in the small boat, which could only hold 2 or three more goblins. A jolly boat!
“How’d you get down there?” I said
“…I don’t know,” Soft-song said.
“Green ladder, please thank you!”
“Aye aye, Admiral.”
Goblins hopped onto goblin shoulders, one after the other. Like bending a fishing rod, the green ladder arched and drooped down from the deck of the galleon into the jolly boat. I climbed down the green ladder of shoulders and heads and elbows and legs and hands and noses and ears. A tiny yellow furry arm tried to help me along the way! At last I made it down to the jolly boat.
I cleared my throat and withdrew a pair of big black boots from my inventory. “Soft-song, I hereby promote you to Captain of this jolly boat!”