Eijnar stepped back onto the deck first. He took a sharp turn away from his private quarters and headed to the right. Further down the side of the ship was an immaculate silver cannon parked between the railing of the boat and the captain's quarters. The captain smiled as he took Narrita by the shoulder and pointed at the weapon.

"Managed to get this from that raid on Xiwao."

"What is it?" Narrita asked. "Looks like a regular cannon to me."

"That's where you're wrong. Those Xiwaoans are clever engineers. They're masters of crafting intricate and effective weapons." As they stepped closer, the shape and intricacies of the cannon became clearer. Besides the brilliant silver metal that made up the bulk of the cannon, its shape was longer and narrower than usual. The base section where that the held the fuse was larger and rotund, contrasting with the relatively thin barrel.

"Looks... odd..." Narrita said as she tilted her head.

"It is a peculiar design. But it's deadly. When we were sieging that village, some of our men were blasted to smithereens by a few of their cannoneers. Despite the losses, I couldn't help but be impressed by the accuracy and deadliness of this weapon." Eijnar opened a crate perched again the wall of his quarters and stepped to the side to let Narrita have a peek inside. "It requires special ammunition too. We took what we could."

Narrita reached down in the crate and held one of the large black spheres. She struggled a bit to get out of the crate because of its mass. "Heavy for such a small thing. It feels like it’s the weight of a regular cannonball but about a third of the size."

"Exactly!" Eijnar picked up one for himself, hoisting it out of the container with one hand. He let it bounce up and down in his hand before giving it a pluck with his finger. "They go further, travel with more precision and pack more of a punch! From what I've heard, there's a special substance inside that makes these things explode with the potency of a mage's fire spell."

"And you'll just be firing these things into upper Farrowport?" Narrita said with disgust as she dropped the cannonball back into the crate. For a moment, Eijnar became paralyzed in fear as he watched the ammunition fall back into the container.

"Be careful with that! You don't want to blow us all up, do you? I know you had a nasty falling out with the rest of your gang, but I don't think you'd want to blast everyone on this boat to smithereens!"

"Whatever," Narrita said with a shrug. "Maybe it'd be best if everyone on this boat went down! More lives would be saved that way!"

Eijnar stepped closer to the bandit, wearing a scowl as he grabbed the collar of her jacket. "Now. I've been unusually patient with you." The captain pinched his pointer finger and thumb together in front of Narrita's eye. "But I’ve just about run out. I'm not going to hold my temper for someone that doesn't appreciate my generosity. Understand?"

Even though Narrita's body shook, she kept her composure and chose not to respond. Eijnar eased his grip after seeing Narrita unfazed. "Now then. I wouldn't suggest doing that. There's enough ammunition in there to blow this dock up and everyone else on it. Would you be willing to take all those lives in a petty act of protest?"

Narrita pursed her lips and shied her head away.

"Of course not. Didn't think so. Besides, we need these to take on that big, flying bug queen."

"Are... you sure it'll work?"

"Don't see why not. All those tales about how powerful the Insectus Queen? They're ancient history. They were using wooden spears and stone arrows to try to take it down. They didn't account for modern advancements in weaponry." Eijnar's confident demeanor returned as he slapped the top of the cannon's barrel with the palm of his hand. "If this thing can't kill our big bug problem, nothing will."

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"And let's say it doesn't. Then what?"

Eijnar closed sealed the crate of ammunition. "I'll figure that if it ever gets to that point."

"You sound well-prepared," Narrita said with derision. "You lost your deadly parasites. You had to force the help of a bunch of crooks to fight your battles. And now, you don't have an escape plan in case your weapon isn't as effective as you hope it to be."

"You didn't listen to word I just said, did you? About how I want you talk to me?" Eijnar scoffed.

"I did." Narrita shook her head. "But I'm not letting your words get to me. Besides, I'm just pointing out some very obvious flaws in your strategies. If anything, you should be thanking me."

"I didn't capture you and your men to think for me. I captured all of you to fight. Now, I'm going to give you two options. Listen close, because I don't feel like repeating them. One..." Eijnar held up a single finger in front of Narrita's face. "You can stay here. We've got a cell for special prisoners down in the bottom of the boat. Same place where keep the Ghenkans that try to flee from battle. The scent of blood is a bit strong, but you should get used to it after a while. And there'll be someone else down there to keep you company."

"Maybe he could be the first member of my new gang," Narrita said with a forced smile.

"Yeah. And it'll be the last decision he’ll ever make, too. Now, onto option number two." Eijnar held a pair of fingers inches away from Narrita's eyes. "You can join us on the siege."

"You're asking me to go up with you and everyone else to take on the Farrowport Guard?"

"No, no," Eijnar said with a chuckle. "I won't be going up there. Someone has to be here to fire this beauty in case that Insectus Queen gets out of hand!" He smacked the backside of the cannon. "But I'll make sure you'll be amply protected. Think of yourself as having your own set of guards to make sure you don't get hurt."

"Or run away, I assume."

"That too. But look at it this way. If you decide to join my men, you'll get an idea of how we fight. Our tactics. Our mannerisms. It'll make the transition into becoming a Ghenkan that much easier!"

Narrita sighed. She looked over towards the center of the island. The mountains and building at the peak of Farrowport partially blocked out the glowing white moon. "To tell you the truth, I'm not too fond of either choice."

"Well, that's all I got for you. If you don't want to choose, I'll make the decision for you. You have to be quick though, we've got to head out while there's still moonlight."

"Right. I suppose I'm coming with you then."

Eijnar jabbed the bandit in the shoulder. "I knew you'd come around! Our armory is just around the corner." The captain snapped his finger as he turned to face the other way, prompting Narrita to trail behind him. On the opposite side of the captain's quarters was another small room at the top of the ship.

Eijnar opened the front door and stepped inside with Narrita. Much like the captain’s private room, the weapon storage contained stolen goods from across the world. Blades and swords of various materials, shapes and sizes all lined up the shelves built onto the walls. Ostentatiously designed armored from various cultures covered wooden dummies and lined the center of the room like an inanimate army ready to march.

"Take whatever you want from here, Narrita," Eijnar said with pride. "I don't let many people in here. Not even my old co-captain."

Narrita picked up a long and curved sword from nearby stand. She held it by the hilt in one hand slowly rotated it as she slowly caressed the smooth silver metal with her fingertips. "Probably because most of these swords would get someone killed if they actually tried to use it in battle. These look more like art pieces than real weapons."

"True. But there are some blades in here are the perfect blend of lethality and craftsmanship. Tell me, what's your preferred weapon? Sword? Axe? Perhaps you like to take out your foes from a distance?"

"I'm familiar with daggers."

"Ah, excellent choice. Not much range. But I can always appreciate someone with the confidence to get up close to their foe." Eijnar headed to the corner of the room and reached up to the top shelf. After moving a few scimitars and hatchets out of the way, he came back down holding a dagger in one hand and its sheath in another. "How's this?"

Narrita took the weapon and examined it closely. "This will do. Looks a bit plain though to be in this room."

"That's real gold on the hilt and sheathe. A bit more valuable than your run of the mill dagger."

Narrita stashed the blade in its case and held it close. "Fine then. I'll hold onto it if you're willing to let me."

"It's all yours!" Eijnar said as he spread his arms. "Consider it a gesture of good will!"

"I'll keep that in mind when I'm fighting for my life," Narrita replied coldly.

"If you stay close to the men I assign to protect you, you'll have nothing to worry about." Eijnar walked past Narrita and headed out the door. "We'll be heading out for the siege soon. So if you got any more questions or objections, try to keep them to yourself."