It was at this time that Gareland had become more or less incomprehensible, the alcohol having taken its course. She was slurring her words, barely even conscious, so Paracelsus decided to get her a blanket and let her rest.

“You believe her?” Serpacinno asked, leaning against the railing, “Or… him?”

“I think that if she is lying,” He mused, “I could learn a thing or two about acting.”

“And do you think that she’ll agree to help us?” She continued, looking over into the water.

“Us? I didn’t know we were so close,” The captain teased, earning a groan from his partner, “But probably so. I don’t think she’d spill her guts out if she didn’t want to see this through.”

“Good, then you can deal with this.” Serpacinno pointed her finger to the water, which had grown calm and stopped glowing.

“Hey! What gives?” He shouted to the water. In response, a mermaid popped her head out, and now that Paracelsus got a good look at it - it was damn creepy. Beady, black eyes that looked more like marbles and a scaly, beaked mouth gave it the appearance of a deep-sea predator.

“That locket you gave us,” She said in a rattling, high-pitched tone, “It was a fake. It had no memories.”

“Of course it didn’t,” He made an indignant face, “It’s an object.”

The mermaid rolled her eyes in disbelief, “There were no memories of that object.”

“I see,” He said, thumb digging in one of his coat pockets, which Serpacinno took note of, “So any object with enough memories will suffice?” The mermaid nodded, and his face grew nervous.

“Well, do you have something for us?” She asked, rubbing her hands with impatience.

He deliberated for a second, rubbing his fingers on the object in his pocket. He sighed heavily, unable to decide if he should part with it. He closed his eyes and rubbed his face, frustrated at the idea of having to give away something irreplaceable; but, he acquiesced with a sigh, and pulled out the object. It was a small band, gilded, with the gold wearing away and revealing the brass underneath. It was adorned with various nicks and marks and was worn with time.

“Here you go.” He wrapped a length of wire around it and lowered it until the mermaid snapped it up greedily as a dog does with a piece of meat.

The effects were immediate and drastic, as the ship sped up and continued its course. Paracelsus leaned on the railing and looked out, wistfully. Serpacinno watched him, oddly enraptured with the sight of his sad, regretful pondering.

“You have a wife?” She asked, leaning backwards on the railing to lock eyes.

“I had a… partner,” He said, craning his neck down, “He and I,” He rolled his hands, “It was a promissory ring. He’s dead now.”

“Aren’t we partners?” She asked in a joking manner, patting his shoulder, “But really, I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure he was a good man.”

He grabbed her hand in appreciation, before springing to his feet, unwilling to allow his melancholy to taint their journey, “Thank you, Serpacinno. For now, let’s focus on the journey ahead.”

He picked up Gareland, carefully carrying her below deck to rest in a hammock, near his partner’s. After that, he slowly removed her cutlass and placed it ‘cross her torso. Then he returned to the galley, just because she passed out from drink doesn’t mean he wasn’t hungry, and he pretended that he just now realized they had left before the supplies he ordered were on board.

“Yup,” Serpacinno sat down beside him while his head was in his hand, “You just got it?” She leaned back, hands behind her head and feet on a table, “Why don’t you, alchemize us some food?”

He sighed, “Were it only that simple. It’s easy to take complex things like food and make them simpler, but the opposite is harder than you’d think.”

“So what’s the plan then? Fish and hope we find enough to eat until we land again?” Her stomach rumbled.

“We should be in the first interior sea, soon.” He picked at his nails, “We’re certain to run into another ship. We can bargain for food.” He curled an eyebrow in thought, “Or… if I recall correctly, this should be the Sea of Jellyfish.”

“Another old sailor’s tale?” She chuckled.

“No, no, an undeniable fact.” He wagged a finger, “I take it you haven’t been here much; the abundance of algae in the relatively shallow waters means jellyfish are in great supply.”

She balked at that, “You’re telling me we’re gonna eat jellyfish?”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Well, that’s one option.” He seemed hurt, as though he was excited at the prospect of feeding on them, “We can also use them as bait. Turtles, crabs, hell if we’re lucky we might catch gulls or a whale shark. We’ll still need to buy some produce, but other than that, we’ll be self-sufficient.”

“You seem to have a plan for everything,” She remarked, “I have to wonder if this too was part of it.”

He made a face of shock at that, hand on his chest, “You really think I planned us being without resources just so I could - what? Introduce you to the glorious life of jellyfishing?”

“I think you like showing off,” She was partially right in that regard, “And I think you found the perfect way to do it. Not that I care much, just make sure we do have enough to eat, yeah?”

He was embarrassed at being seen through so easily, thinking of himself as being as clever as a cat, or perhaps a fox. He raised his hands in defeat, and with his mood soured, he returned to the deck to watch the mermaids at work.

—

“Sir,” Graave bowed his head in shame, “I swear to you, I will catch them, on my name.”

Before him stood Commander Harlan, a tall, broad man and marine of thirty years. His stern face was only matched by his performative adherence to protocol, and he was not happy with his lieutenant commander’s decision to allow the bearman to pursue the criminals - although, he was more than anything relieved that he might yet benefit.

“I could have you court-martialed, Lieutenant.” He growled, arms crossed over his chest, “Were it not for the testimony of the priest,” He was referencing the priest who witnessed the battle between the two, “I would have done so.”

“I understand, sir,” He sank lower, kneeling before his superior’s superior, “But you must also understand the threat these people could pose. If they keep sailing inward, there’s only one logical conclusion as to their goal.”

“Need I remind you Ashland has not yet joined the Union?” Harlan reminded, “If we go traipsing about in there, I should doubt their referendum will not go in our favor.”

“Sir, I implore you give me your ear!” Graave was unable to contain his frustration, “I will catch them before they can see Ashland on the horizon.”

“No.” He said, “You won’t; with an entire squadron backing you, you failed to capture two criminals, and in fact, witnesses report that a third one joined them.”

Peeares chimed in, head touching the floor, “It was my fault, sir. I told our men to arrest a civilian on a suspicion that didn’t pan out. If anyone is to blame, it’s me.”

“Raise your head, son.” Harlan commanded, which was complied, “I don’t think the blame should rest with you. But I’ll offer you a deal: capture those criminals, dead or alive, and tell everyone it was under my tutelage. Fail, and keep your lips sealed about this whole ordeal.”

“Of course sir,” Graave spoke for the two of them, “We accept.”

—

“Counterfeit?” Paracelsus asked indignantly, “What makes you think these are counterfeit?”

“I’ve an eye for these things, boy,” The captain of the Wild Gazelle said, her tone gruff and deep like most sailors, “It’s missing Tencha’s signature brush strokes.”

Fakes tears welled in his eyes, and they glowed in the moonlight, “Oh, woe is me!” He threw his head back and covered his eyes with his arm, “I spent all of my money on these, and they’re fake?”

The captain sighed, put her hands on her hips, and took the painting, “Tell you what - you seem like a good kid, so I’ll let you have three crates of veggies, alright? Just be more careful, most people aren’t as generous as me.”

“Thank you ma’am,” His words and rapturous joining of his hands were all pre-planned, knowing how to inspire sympathy was one of his talents, “I’ll never forget this as long as I shall live!”

She rolled her eyes in some mixture of embarrassment and endearment, “Alright, off with you.”

With one final bow, he took a crate in each hand, and let Serpacinno take the third back to their ship. He undid the parlay hooks and they were off again, at the very coast of the first interior sea. With the Gazelle turned away, he snickered at how easy it was to take another mark.

“Don’t you feel, in the slightest bit, bad?” She asked, even though she silently went along with his plan.

He pinched his thumb and index together, “Perhaps, just slightly. But she’ll not be wanting, she’s right near the coast. And she wouldn’t have given us anything if she thought she couldn’t spare it.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” She said, biting into an orange.

“Ha-ha,” He faked with the snide sarcasm of a child who was just asked if they want to go to school, “And besides, you were certainly in no rush to stop me.”

She clicked her lips, and pointed at him for a few seconds, “Yeah, that’s fair.” She took another bite, “I was only messing, anyways.”

With silence lingering over them, and his stomach still unsatisfied, he leaned over the deck and impatiently watched the trawl he’d fashioned onto the back of his ship. The jellies proved smarter than he would know, although the murky darkness of the water meant he couldn’t see. What this resulted in, when he withdrew the net some half-hour later, was less than ten jellyfish being caught.

Still, it was enough for tonight’s dinner. He stripped what flesh he could, and stewed it in a simple sauce made from tomatoes, and finished the dish with a small garnish. As he was doing this, Serpacinno walked into the galley, having smelled the cooking, and had to admit there was a certain attractiveness about him, one hand holding onto the bar above his head for stability.

“You’ve been alone for some time?” She asked, picking at the food with a disgusted visage.

“Because I can cook?” He ate, grateful for the food.

“Well,” She took a hesitant bite, it was better than she thought, “You can cook. You can catch fish. You can sail. And you got a silver tongue.”

“I’m afraid I’m not following.” He bluffed.

“Plus, as someone who was also alone, I can tell.” She argued. “You have this sad look, like you’re still alone.”

He scratched his chin nervously, “Why would I feel alone? I’m eating dinner with a beautiful woman, aboard my own ship. And we’ve even got a new friend below.”

“I thought I made it clear that don’t work on me.” She took to the soup more eagerly now, seeing as the taste was inoffensive and it was smooth enough to drink.

He found himself oddly vulnerable at that. He didn’t want to admit it, but she was much cleverer than he’d initially thought. She might not have quite matched his scheming, but the fact that she was able to so easily see through him did give him pause. He was so used to being able to think circles around people without them suspecting a thing that when such ability was stripped away, he began to nervously tap his foot.

“Touché.” Was his only reply, and the chuckle he’d been given in response only made him more nervous. The only solace he found was that she’d seemed to like him in some way, or at least tolerated him.

He resolved in his head, then, to carefully watch her, and make sure that she didn’t turn her sword on him again.