44 - Ride the Tide

Once he reached the main deck, he found moving to be far more difficult. Sailors were criss-crossing the deck, heading from one task to another. Passengers were trying to find a place on the deck to call their own.

Normally, this would not be a problem, especially with the extra Dexterity from his new ring, but the other buff he had going was causing major issues. Thanks to [Dullard’s Heed], nobody seemed to notice Joe until it was too late.

He got elbowed in the head and then thumped in the ribs. His toes were stomped on, and it seemed like with every other step, he was tripping on someone or was tripping them instead. At this point, the triviality aura was causing him to gather more attention than it diverted.

Finally, he reached the staircase that curved up to the pilot’s deck. Sure enough, a small door was recessed under the steps. Joe ducked down and climbed through.

Given the size of the tiny door, he was afraid he was going to climb into a coffin-shaped space, but the room was bigger than it seemed from the outside. It was still very small, but he would not be forced to lie down or crouch. There were two long steps down into the area, and the ceiling was at least a foot higher than the top of the door. This allowed him to be able to stand up straight, with a few inches of headroom.

The space was only about four feet wide and maybe eight feet long. Thankfully, it had a port hole for light. A collapsed hammock was hanging on a single beam, looking like a netted bag. A quick glance across the space showed him where the other hook was for when he wanted to stretch the swinging bed out. There was a small sea chest in the far corner and nothing else.

Joe opened the little round window to let in some fresh air. He could hear Kyllean’s rumbling voice below him as he boarded more people.

“It’s all we have,” said a miserable-sounding man. “Please.”

“Sorry all, but you all ain’t the only ones trying to head east. Got a whole ship full o’ folk running away from the Red Army. The captain said I ain’t gotta charge for the little ones, but it’s three gold a head fer you two.”

“But …,” the man began again until he was interrupted by an airy female voice.

“How much room do you have, sir?” the woman asked.

“About ten more, then we gotta call it.”

“Very well, here this will cover the four gold they are short as well as the fee for my companion and I. May we embark?”

“It’s yer money. Go find spots. Stay off the fore and aft decks and no goin’ below. You folks can head up, too.” Kyllean’s voice boomed louder as he addressed the crowd. “The Dancer’s room for two more, and that’s it.”

Joe was more curious about the woman with the windy-sounding voice than the remaining boarding. He eased open his door and looked out through the stairs just in time to see her glide onto the deck. She looked to be in her mid to late forties but moved like she was as light as air. Her skin was pure white, and her hair was the color of a deep blue sky. She was dressed in loose pants and a long sleeveless coat. A small gray top left her midriff bare. The oddest item of her apparel was a long loose rope that she had wrapped around herself in a strange manner. It was wound around her arms and waist in a loose pattern of coils.

Joe debated using [Identify] on her, but he did not want to call attention to himself. If she detected the assessment, she might spot him hiding behind the stairway. When he saw her companion, he was glad he had not chanced it.

Following her onto the deck was a massively muscled and heavily armored dwarf. The man's skin was a very dark, ruddy color, almost like an unpolished garnet. His hair was a mane of orange and red that stood up in all directions. It almost looked like his head was on fire. He carried a large battle axe that glowed slightly, with molten light glinting from within the metal. On his other arm was a heavy shield. Each of his wrists bore a pair of heavy bracers fashioned from gold and patterned with white enamel. When he turned, Joe was able to see the emblem on his shield. It was the sun and moon symbol he had seen on the guards chasing Kaid. The symbol of Phealti, the God of Order.

The pair stopped on the deck and very deliberately scanned the crowd. They were clearly looking for something … or someone. They may have just been looking for an open spot, but Joe was afraid they may be looking for him. He froze. Joe considered closing the door but didn’t dare to. He did not want to even chance that small movement catching their attention. His hiding hole under the stairs was likely the best cover he could have had.

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The pair did nothing more than glance in his general direction before heading toward the front of the ship. Letting out the breath he had been holding, Joe eased the door closed. As he leaned against it, he realized he might not be out of danger yet.

Joe stored his gear in the small trunk and leaned his weapon against a wall. He sat down on the trunk and stared nervously at the entryway into his small sanctuary. The door had a small hook and eye holding it closed, which he had used, but the tiny lock did not give him any sense of security. At any moment, he expected to have the door slam open from the boot of those hunting him.

Around the door were the rib beams of the ship. Looking closer, Joe spotted a small gap between the boards. Glancing at his new staff, which was leaning against the wall, an idea occurred to him. It took him a few minutes of mucking around with the best angle, but he eventually managed to bar the door with the magically reinforced rod.

He stepped back, smiling. “Someone is going to have to break the whole door down to get in here,” he uttered to himself in a smug voice.

Returning to his seat on the sea chest, Joe fished out the crystals he had bought. He knew he would only be learning a few of them, but he also had an idea he wanted to try out. Currently, Joe had two points in Strength and one in Vigor to spend, as well as one free point. Yet Joe was pretty sure he could get an achievement if he was smart about which skills he selected.

The first two crystals he put to the side were the green Vigor-based pair. One was the common skill [Poison Resistance], and the other was the uncommon [Stun Lock]. Joe liked the idea of [Stun Lock] better, but depending on how his experiment went would determine which one he went with.

The next one was the perception-based [Retrieve]. This was one of the skills he hoped would earn him an achievement.

The [Stone Spike] spell he was pretty sure was one he would learn another day. He grabbed it mostly because it was cheap, and when he was flipping through the baskets, he felt drawn to the skill stone, the same way he had been with [Steadfast]. Thanks to Madina Spooner, he knew he had a strong Earth affinity. It was a hunch, but Joe wondered if these stones were tied to that earthen affinity and so he was naturally drawn to them.

As he was about to put it to the side, Joe realized he was being an idiot. He didn’t need a catalog to tell him what the skill inside the shard did. He could [Identify] it himself now.

[Stone Spike]- Common - Spirit: This skill manifests a pointed spike of rock, ranging from half a foot to two feet in length. The object can be held and wielded like a poniard or projected at a target in Close range. It inflicts piercing damage equal to your Dexterity plus 1-2 points for each skill rank you have with this skill. Cost: Modest Mana | Range: Close. {Earth}

The spell was even better than he had hoped. Considering how many times he had lost his staff already, being able to summon an impromptu melee weapon, as well as gaining a ranged attack, could be very helpful. Still, this was one of the last spells on his list at the moment.

The next task was tackling the tacky wax cluster. He pulled off the [Steadfast] shard and assessed it. He had been correct in that it was a defense against being tripped and helped with walking on difficult terrain. As he was aboard a ship, he could see that one being a plus for his voyage. He started a pile of maybe’s with [Steadfast].

One by one, he began plucking and using [Identify] on the red stones.

[Hammering Blow] was an uncommon skill that provided a straight-up enhancement to bludgeoning attacks. Its damage output was stronger than [Swift Strike], but had too many drawbacks. One, it would not stack with [Swift Strike] and Joe didn’t think he needed two non-compatible damage boosts. Secondly, Rhiley had already warned him against damage-specific spells. Lastly, being an uncommon, it would eat both his open slots and only give him a moderate boost to smacking things in combat. [Hammering Blow] went into another pile, the no pile.

[Cleave] enhanced the follow-through of melee attacks, adding damage and allowing for attacks against additional targets. It would stack with [Swift Strike], so it went into the maybes with [Steadfast].

[Shield Bash] was self-explanatory. And a no. Joe didn’t have a shield. Also, shields and quarter staves did not mesh well.

[Strong Arm] provided a quick burst of strength to deflect attacks or push a target away. Given how badly he had gotten mauled when Kaid got close, this one was tied with [Steadfast] for his strongest maybe so far.

[Beast of Burden] increased one's carrying capacity and made strength-based work easier. Another strong maybe. Joe wasn’t sure how far he would have to go after he disembarked to get away from the Phealtians and Duke Amberwroth. Being able to lug significantly more gear over a long distance might be vital.

Lastly, [Sundering Strike] enhanced attacks to break through armor, both man-made and natural. That could have been helpful against the hard chitin of the beetles. Again, this one didn’t stack with [Swift Strike], but it performed a different enough function that Joe put it in the lower end of the maybe pile.

Looking between his two favorite red skills, Joe made a choice. It was time to try his first idea for an achievement. He knew you got achievements for the first time a significant occurrence happened. He wondered if you also got them for reaching thresholds or completing sets. By learning [Steadfast], he would have a skill in each of the five skills. He hoped that would be achievement-worthy.

You have learned the common skill: [Steadfast]. This skill increases your surefootedness, assisting you in traversing slick terrain such as mud or ice, as well as resisting {Knockdown} skills. Cost: Minor Stamina {Earth}

Joe waited. And waited. And sighed.

It turned out that one of each was not a valid way to earn achievements.

He was not too upset. He was pretty sure he had another way to earn one.

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