Bruno stood upon the fourth-floor balcony of his new apartment, perched within a massive wooden construction nestled against a broken mountain. The ground below had parted, revealing a deep-water pocket, the perfect sanctuary for pirates and their ships. Here, they build their capital.
His gaze fixated on a particular vessel carrying the flag of Exalos, displaying a yellow fabric adorned with a silver eight-point star. It carried the diplomats sent by King Smenkhkare himself. Several pirate ships formed an escort, their anchors firmly planted at the port’s entrance.
Below, the city sprawled with its narrow streets teeming with people. It seemed simultaneously small yet vast, brimming with a motley crew of souls seeking refuge from their past lives, welcoming those with grudges against their former homes and rulers. While the city offered a haven for many, Bruno's ambitions stretched far beyond finding a place of his own among them.
Turning away from the view, he stepped into his sunlit room, where the warmth filtered through open windows and the balcony door. A bed occupied one corner, while a desk, adorned with a massive map of Frontier Island and scattered with his notes, dominated another. On the round table in the opposite corner lay his untouched breakfast, a piece of grilled fish and fresh bread, now cold due to his preoccupation.
Hungry but consumed by his thoughts, Bruno left the room and passed through the corridor to the first staircase leading to the upper floors. Pirates guarded these quarters, reserved for the esteemed members of Hugo Wagner's crew.
"Stop," instructed one of the guards.
"The king expects me," Bruno responded calmly, hoping to gain passage to the inner sanctum. His words prompted a meaningful look between the guards, uncertainty evident in their eyes.
One shrugged his shoulders to the other.
"Fine. Just don't make any trouble," the guard instructed.
Bruno began ascending the stairs, a heavy sigh almost escaping him as he reflected on the lack of discipline he had noticed among the pirates. Those who hadn't once belonged to the navy of Hanza, or Edward Samson's crew, seemed to lack order and structure. Due to this, the information flow from higher-ups was disrupted, but considering the diverse characters Hugo Wagner had to recruit, it was understandable.
Upon reaching the next floor, the guards were already informed of his audience with the pirate king. One of them even escorted Bruno to the designated room. Inside, a peculiar-looking man awaited him, seated behind a cluttered desk adorned with papers and maps. A large window behind his back was allowing the sunlight to penetrate the insides of the chamber.
The man had a long, grey beard concealing scars on his cheeks, and one eye hidden beneath a black patch. A large dark-green captain's hat obscured his probably grey hair, and his coat, of the same hue, featured numerous silver buttons. It remained open, revealing dark clothing underneath. A black shirt peeked from beneath a vest adorned with intricate golden thread details.
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"Sit down," the pirate king instructed, still engrossed in one of the reports.
Bruno complied, taking his seat as he began discussing his idea.
"Have you considered my proposal?" he asked.
"I'm not convinced. Vere is not on my side. He would still die for his king," Hugo Wagner pointed out.
"He would die for the princess," Bruno argued. "Right now, that princess is in your hands. He knows that Smenkhkare has a rat in the house. Vere has to be cautious, which means the person you should approach might not be the most obvious one. Vere will know. You don’t have much time. They need to go off that ship soon, and you know it."
Setting down the paper, the pirate king stared at the young alchemist, contemplating his words before finally nodding slowly.
"You might be right," he conceded.
"I am right, and you know that," asserted the determined youth.
"I do," Hugo Wagner agreed. "And that's why he is already in the docks, waiting."
"You didn't want to talk about that, did you? You want to speak about my offer," said Bruno, cutting to the chase.
"Yes," the sailor confirmed. "I'm not convinced. It's a stupid plan. Risky. Not to mention I don't trust you. You are just a boy."
"A boy who brought you the princess of Exalos. A boy who uncovered a coup against King Smenkhkare. A boy who bested the archmage Mamun. A boy who helped your hangover men," he started counting down his achievements.
Hugo Wagner clicked his tongue, impressed but still skeptical. "You are quite proud of yourself, aren't you?" he then asked.
Bruno shrugged nonchalantly. "It's nothing compared to what I want to achieve," he admitted bluntly.
The pirate king chuckled, but it was a short-lived laugh. "Your plans are impossible," he pointed out. "And you want me to invest a big amount into them."
"It's a small price for what you already received from me, but I'll make it even more profitable for you. Before you finalize your alliance with Exalos, you will have proof that my words are worth a lot of gold," Bruno asserted confidently.
Hugo Wagner stared at the young alchemist for a long while, tapping his index finger's nail on the desktop as he calculated the risk. "You are a gamble, kid. I'm not a gambler. But... Billy says you are somebody worthy of putting any amount of coin on. I trust Billy, so I'm gonna gamble this one time," he nodded slowly. "You will get your island, the supplies, and the crew you asked for your friend, Mamadou. You will get the orphans. We had trouble dealing with them anyway, so it's a slight relief... You will also get our support in your endeavor on Frontier Island, but I do expect a payback."
"There will be no delay in the shipment of the weapons. After everything is set up, the shipments will increase," Bruno assured.
"I want the formula too," said Hugo Wagner.
The young alchemist froze for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "I will supply the elixirs after I'm set up," he promised.
"Then I guess we are done here," said the sailor.
The young alchemist nodded, stood up, and left. The guard awaited him in the corridor and escorted Bruno all the way to the fourth floor. Although he got what he requested from the king of the pirates, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that he lost this bargain.
The formula had inexhaustible potential. Giving it away to anybody was a failure, but despite Hugo’s diplomatic approach to the situation, it was obvious to Bruno that the recipe was the only reason he agreed, making this awful trade a necessity.