“And yer sure that I won’t choke to death?!” Ulgrin said with quite a bit of anxiety in his voice.

Alyss looked at him as if he had kicked her dog. “Of course the potion will work. I wouldn’t skimp on stuff like this. It’s going to feel a bit strange, but it should work.” She paused. “Err, it will work. Yeah.”

Snorting in amusement, Raelza quickly downed her vial. “You said the quiet part out loud, Alyss.”

The alchemist crossed her arms in frustration. “Just drink it, Ulgrin! You’re supposed to be our fearless leader, not quaking in your boots at the thought of getting wet.”

“I have good reason to fear the waters.” He replied with a grumble. Picking up the glass vial he examined the contents. A cerulean blue liquid filled with tiny bubbles. Not having any way to put it off, he pulled the stopper and chugged. Hmm. Tasted like mango. A moment later he burped. “That’s one of your better tasting brews.”

“Yeah, yeah, keep insulting my work.” Alyss replied.

“Saezz for one enjoys your accomplishments.” The lizardfolk said, seemingly having no issue with jumping into the ocean. “Though that might be because he can hold his breath for many times longer than you all can.”

“Lucky you,” Ulgrin bit back, walking towards the edge. “Everyone got their stuff prepared?”

A round of affirmations was returned and he looked into the roiling blue. Waves crashed against the hull of the ship, gently rocking it back and forth. Ulgrin felt a bit naked without his full set of gear. He still wore his chestpiece, helmet, and gauntlets, but had to trim the fat in order to swim without issue. You didn’t want to sink in these waters, they went down for leagues. The cracks had been explored somewhat.

But no one had ever reached the bottom. Had been that way ever since the Shattering. As far as he was concerned there was no coming back.

Taking in a deep breath of potentially the last bit of air he’d get, Ulgrin leapt over the edge.

For a moment his stomach lurched in freefall and then he made contact with the waters. Almost immediately his dwarven bulk began to sink down. Instinctively he began paddling for his life.

Air! Need to surfac- he pushed down those thoughts and sucked in a breath. Saltwater filled his mouth, but he could feel the air moving past his esophagus and down. His nose stung, but he could freely suck in and breathe out. “Blub.” He started to say, groaning at the fact that speech didn’t properly translate down here.

Three other surges of bubbles indicated his party had followed him. Alyss and Raelza struggled for a few moments before realizing they were indeed not dying.

Ulgrin felt a deep sense of jealousy at the fact that Saezz was taking to this like, well, an alligator to water.

“Blub-blub!” He called out to them, trying to be overheard. Now that he was properly looking and his eyes had gotten used to the stinging water, he could see a strange and alien environment around him. Open water as far as the eye could see. Herds of fish swam this way and that, guided by unseen currents.

The other three swam over to him and he made a few gestures. Notably towards Saezz to pull out his magic item.

Saezz did so, for a moment staring at the pair of wands.

[Perhaps I might help facilitate conversation?] Suddenly the voice of Lorekeeper spoke. He blinked at the sight as her form appeared before them. [Initializing telepathic link.]

He felt a strange sensation at the back of his mind. Almost like something was being stretched like putty. Then he was met with contact.

[I hope nobody notices if I piss myself when a shark comes to eat us.] He could hear the voice of Alyss, distantly and muffled, but definitely recognizable. [Oh shit. You can hear that, can’t you?] She doubled over in embarrassment. [Ohh, Gods above and below. Why, Lorey? You betray me now?]

[My apologies, Alyss. I should have anticipated that you all wouldn’t know exactly what I meant.] The spirit seemed almost abashed in contrast to her normally neutral appearance.

[Saezz is quite confident you would have found a way to say that out loud regardless.]

Ulgrin waved his arms. [As much as I enjoy the novelty of our thoughts being linked,] he was definitely intrigued in how this whole thing worked, [we don’t have much time to banter. There’s a ship we need to take down. And it’s getting closer.] He could vaguely see it through the waters, or at least the bottom.

The vessel cut through the waves, now on a straight path towards their ship.

Saezz nodded, quickly raising the oddly shaped wands. Bulbous at the end, almost like a mace. [Apologies. Please grab on, everyone.]

They did so, finding positions to cling to the larger lizardfolk for dear life. Alyss clung to his back like an ape, Raelza held onto his neck, and Ulgrin got the worst position with a face full of reptilian arse. Though he had to admit to himself that it was a nice ass. Definitely up there on the list.

His main issue was the fact that Saezz’ tail kept whacking him in the face. But he’d deal with it for now.

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Pointing the wands towards the enemy ship and activating them, Saezz let out a grunt as the water in front of them warped. Quickly a ‘cap’ formed in front of them all, angular like a canoe. They began shooting forwards, propelled by arcane means. It was actually quite fun.

Fish and fauna made way in their wake, quickly getting the hell out of the way. It was just as fast as Redeye had said. He’d ridden a galloping horse once, but this was much smoother.

Very aware that the clock was ticking, they made for the enemy ship. Apart from a few curious fish there were no obstacles to stop them from getting there. The ship loomed over them, strange creaks echoing through the waters as the hull shifted. Saezz navigated to the ship’s flank, holding steady with it.

[Right. Let’s grab on, everyone. I’d like to stick my head above water and see what they’re planning.] Ulgrin drew his hammer and twisted it around to expose the spike.

He reared back and swung, grimacing at the slower speed the water made for attacking. Still, it gave him leverage to grab onto the ship. Now able to hold on he drew a dagger and wielded it as well, managing to stab his way up the side and to the surface. Precious air met him as he breathed in deep.

Following him, his companions surfaced and likewise took this chance to rest. “Much better.” Raelza said in a whispered tone, though they wouldn’t need to be that quiet considering the amount of noise coming from the top deck. “I think I swallowed some water by accident. Eugh.”

“Saltwater shouldn’t be too bad for your health in small amounts.” Alyss replied, checking her waterlogged bag. Everything had to be sealed in glass jars, but it appeared as if nothing had broken during their trip. “Why are we surfacing, anyways? There’s not much to learn.”

“We could be mistaken.” Saezz replied. “They could be looking to talk. But by the sounds of it, they are preparing for a battle. Listen closely.”

Distant shouts could be heard. Orders to move ballistae ammunition, gather equipment, and prepare for a boarding operation. This definitely wasn’t the sound of a merchant vessel trying to trade with another. They hadn’t given any semaphore signals nor magical symbols. Well, it was safer to be thorough.

Ulgrin nodded. “Had to check. Wouldn’t want to blow u-” He paused, listening intently.

“Get moving you bastard! Why do we even bother with these damn slaves if they’re not going to do a decent job!” A dull thud could be heard. “We’re almost there. If you don’t finish bringing the bolts I’ll chop off a leg!”

Closing his eyes, Ulgrin wished that things could be a bit less complicated.

Looking towards the others, “Shite. Plan B it is. We can’t blow this thing up, they’ve got innocent people on board. Pirates and slavers? I guess it goes hand in hand. Scum.”

“Slavery?” Alyss furrowed her brow. “That’s like, really rare. They must be bold if they’re doing that sort of shit here.”

Such an act had a complicated history. From what he had read, around five hundred years ago it had gotten to the point where a nation had begun magically enslaving people. Not only was it a horribly immoral act, the possibility that anyone could be turned into a walking puppet was… poorly perceived. Upon deliberation several powerful nations had gathered their forces and smote the place responsible into the dirt. All research around it had been destroyed, and the practice banned.

Taking others as slaves was almost universally outlawed and meant severe punishments. Of course, just because something was illegal doesn’t mean people would stop doing it. The practice just became far more underground. Or they made it more gray by calling them ‘serfs’ or ‘debtors’.

“So we shall be boarding and attacking when they least expect it? Saezz thinks this plan is far more exciting.” The lizard’s lips curled into a bloodthirsty grin.

[Excuse my confusion, but what is a ‘slave’?] Lorekeeper asked, confused.

“Ah…” Raelza shrugged. “It’s when you take a person and force them to work for you. There’s a bunch of other shitty parts, but usually they stick a magic collar on you that zaps you when you disobey an order. At least that’s how things normally work these days.” She grimaces. “I’ve come across a few work camps in the wilderness. Usually they do hard labor like mining, but there’s worse options.”

[Strange. Have things really recessed so much that you must do such things?]

“No. The bastards doing these things do it because there’s money to make.” Ulgrin spat into the water. “Greed is a curse that affects all humanoids, it seems.”

With a new plan in place, the party maneuvered their way to the aft of the ship, maintaining stealth for the moment. If their new course was to succeed they would need to wait until the right moment. That right moment was unfortunately when the Bunch-of-Apples would make contact, but there wasn’t any other option.

Exhaustingly long minutes passed as they clung to the side of the ship. Ulgrin felt a chill go down his spine. He would be killing people. Bad people that did terrible things, but still people. How did you feel when you fought? He asked, staring at his ancestor’s warhammer.

No response came. The time came for them to strike. As the Bunch was gained upon the ships began exchanging artillery fire. Bolts flew through the air and cracked against wood. Luckily they were protected from any stray shots.

“Now’s about time. Start climbing!” Ulgrin commanded as the ships became dangerously close. Already, he could hear shouts for grappling ropes to be thrown. He and his party began scaling the side, painstakingly slow for his liking. Ulgin was the first to ascend, climbing with fervor.

He was met with a scene of war. Pirates gathered for a boarding action, equipped with light armor. They wielded scimitars, rapiers, tridents, and spears. Some were exchanging crossbow fire with the other ship, sharp twangs filling the air. Ulgrin took a deep breath and drew the horn-staff from his back.

Fulmination almost sung in his hands as he gathered power. His heartbeat quickened. Death called to him. He pointed the staff towards a cluster of pirates, staring at their faces.

The hairs on his arm rose and blinding light filled the air. A bolt of lightning crashed through the air, paying no heed to anyone unfortunate to be in its path. People close to the bolt seized up as its power arced into them. Arriving at a cluster of pirates it impacted with the mainmast and exploded.

Wooden shrapnel filled the air and the closest went down, covered in wounds. Ulgrin felt his gut lurch at the sight, his hearing returning, bringing with it the screams of the injured and the death rattles of the downed.

Almost immediately the crew turned to face a new threat. A nearby pirate raised his axe and charged, quick on his feet.

The human’s charge was ended as Saezz pulled himself over and threw himself at the pirate. They went down in a tangle of limbs, blood, and gurgling. His friend crushed the other man’s neck with one swift crunch.

A bolt flew past him, striking another pirate. He recoiled back, clutching at the object in his shoulder before it blew up in a conflagration of flame. One of Raelza’s enchanted arrows. It took both him and several other fellows. Thankfully the ship didn’t catch aflame, but it was a close one.

Turning back he was met with Alyss’ shocked eyes. She took in the battlefield but grit her teeth and drew a bomb. Another pirate was clocked in the head with force as she launched the projectile with her atlatl. Another detonation covered the ship, once again throwing the whole crew into disarray.

Finally, though, it seemed as if they had been noticed by their real targets.

Ulgrin could see figures glowing under his magical sense. Heavily armored, they wore enchanted breastplates, helmets, and shields. Having been stationed near the boarding action in preparation they began to run for his group. Six in total, led by a particularly intriguing individual.

The man was a dunvi, that much was certain. Despite being in the middle of the ocean he was clad head to toe in plate armor. It glowed heavily to his sight. Additionally he wielded what seemed like an oversized bardiche, the quicksilver-lined weapon quite intimidating.

He approached at a relaxed pace, face obscured by a frog-mouthed helmet. Ulgrin was already beginning to spin up another spell, but the dwarf raised a hand and clenched it.

The ship shook, and a pulse of energy washed outwards from it. A thick fog began to fill the air, turning a chaotic environment into a blinding mess. Ulgrin could scarcely see more than ten feet in front of him. He and his allies gathered together, forming a circle against the outside world.

“You come here on MY SHIP?! You kill MY MEN?! You break MY STUFF!?” A booming voice echoed through the fog, the din of battle calming for a few moments. “Oh, you’ll be begging for death when we’re done with you! I don’t care what the contract says anymore, you’re going to be broken!”

Movement caught his attention and Ulgrin turned, hastily raising a shield. A javelin bounced off, sending a shock through his system. Enchanted. A powerful one too, amplifying the wielder’s throwing arm.

Steps clued in that their enemy was approaching. “I am Captain Saltgrit. Prepare yourselves for a world of hurt. You’re not leaving this ship alive.”

This is where the fun begins. Ulgrin gets his first taste for blood and finds himself conflicted. Death is a complicated subject to him. Hopefully he'll get over his hang-ups and prepare for a real opponent. Apologies for the delayed chapter, life has its way with things.