Chapter 80
Woolbane Broth
Barnacle-eyes
Chance of Mutiny: 13%
243 levels until fleet evolution.
“Maybe-land-ho!” Cried Boggo and Ella.
Their voice came to me muffled through the wood of my galleon. I rose when I heard dozens of goblins running on deck. Whether they ran amok, I had no idea! Up, up, up! I bounced out of my bedding and into my big black Admiral boots. The laces were impossible to tie, as usual. Each day’s knot was always differently difficult!
Boggo appeared then between bags of boots set against the wall. “Admiral!” He was huffing and puffing.
“Yes?”
“Please thank you!” came Gabby’s muffled voice just beyond the door.
“There’s maybe land ahead.”
“Land-ho!”
“Admiral, Belut says he’s home.”
“Fiberthorn Cove? Are we there?”
Up, up, up on deck we went! And goblins were indeed running amok with excitement. I wrestled my way through the giant plants and tulip flowers until I finally arrived at the prow. A fog drifted on the sea. It was like a milky cloud and it almost dripped. I brought my monoscope up, wiped the lens, and peered through. The lens magnified a dark strip of land. Thousands of small fires flickered along the black strip.
“Admiral!” said Remember-not. She brought over a freshly dunked bucket filled with sea water. There was only one thing to do with that. According to Slime-tooth, knowing a know turns a know into a knew! So, I knew just what to do! Oh Slime-tooth…I was learning all these new things about him! Well, I dunked my sea map into the bucket of sea water, rushed into the deckhouse, and laid the map out. At the top of the map, the coast of Fiberthorn Cove stretched for some distance with a depiction of black sand. Suddenly—
[Congratulations Admiral!]
[You have crossed the sea! Your fleet has reached level 760!]
[You have reached Admiral level 855!]
[Reward! 10 bronze rank Admiral loot chests, 1 silver rank Admiral loot chest.]
[All Commodores have received 1 loot chest pertaining to their quest path if applicable.]
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
[1 sloop may evolve into a ketch.]
[1 jolly boat may evolve into a lugger.]
[Evolve 1 sloop. Y/N?]
[Evolve 1 jolly boat. Y/N?]
[Not enough Commodores to evolve fleet.]
[Not enough resources to evolve sloop.]
[Not enough resources to evolve jolly boat.]
So much to do! Like Touch-toes said that Boggo said that Slime-tooth used to say: First things come before the second things! The first thing to do was to lower sails and lasso the docks. After each and everyone of my commands, Gabby followed up belting “Please thank you!”. Capstans were churned; sea anchors were lowered. Soft-song tossed a rock tied round with rope overboard the jolly boat. The splash sounded like a slap on a drumhead.
We moored at an empty port. The cleats were rusted; the docks were salted. Monsters like Belut—ram-faced humanoids—gathered upon the black beach with torches. In the fog, the torches glowed big with halos. They watched as gangways were slapped onto each next deck from sloop to sloop to ketch to galleon. Goblins rushed aboard the galleon with big wet eyes. I stood in the crook of the sprouted blades of a giant garlic.
“All right, snots! We’ve got spit beer to deliver. It’s time for your rewards!” All my snots gasped. It became so silent, I could hear every cold breath contribute to the fog. “Line up at the galleon gangway! Remember-not and I will distribute your rewards as you disembark.”
“Please thank you!”
The goblins lurched toward the gangway. Their hammered flower dresses ruffled. They opened their hammered flower backpacks and prepared open pockets and flaps.
I clomped on over to the gangway with Gabby on my heels. Belut was there too. The first goblin to disembark on new lands stepped up.
“Fast-heart!” said Remember-not.
“Five silver,” I said.
“Please thank you!”
With 100% glee, Fast-heart stashed the silver coins into their backpack and squealed. Their footsteps beat down the gangway.
“Look!” a few snots chorused.
Upon the black beach, goblins emerged from the fog to shake hands with Fast-heart. More goblins! My snots pressed forward.
“Clumse-step,” said Remember-not as the next goblin stepped up.
“Five silver,” I said.
“Please thank you!”
Clumse-step tumbled down the gangway.
And so it went, snot after snot, five silver after five silver. And as it went, the chance of mutiny dropped from 13% to 12% to 11%, all the way down to 01%. After Remember-not, the last to disembark were my Captains and Commodore. Each Captain received 1 gold. Pinky-chew received 2 gold.
Belut pointed down at the deck by my boots. A yellow poof of fur in black boots held the hand of a blue poof of fur in black booties. Both wore cloaks and tiny backpacks. I dropped to my knees.
“My sloop besties! It's your turn for rewards!”
“Please thank you!”
“Aye Aye Admiral,” said Ella.
The gold that I gave them fit in their hands like saucers! They slid the coin into their backpacks like a stack of books.
“Come,” said Belut. “My journey is at its end. I’ll lead.”
I followed Belut down to the black beach. Gabby trailed.
The black sand was crunchy. It felt like I was stepping on broken glass. I hopped and skipped behind Belut. Crunchy, crunchy!
Torchlight whipped and snapped in the fog. Hurlicorns drew from the fog washed in torchlight.
“Belut!” They chorused.
Streams of warm breath flew from Belut’s nostrils. “I have goblin spit beer.”
“Did you have to bring the goblins too? There are already too many here.”
Hurlicorns laughed.
“Goblins are the best!” I said.
Goblins hooted in the distance.
“This is Admiral Barnacle-eyes,” said Belut. “The best goblin I know. A true leader. And there’s another to meet. A fearsome creature. Let’s introduce her to fresh woolbane broth at BlackHill Tavern.”
With that, Belut led Gabby and I through the fog into the Hurlicorn city.