Friedrich stood at the bow of the Brass Stormer, revelling in the salty air as the ship sailed across the ocean. As daunting as his destination was, he felt a strange sense of calmness that he attributed to being close to his goal. For so long, he had desired a boat with which he could use to rescue his father and now he had one.

Not only did he have one, he had reliable and strong companions that would help him once he reached the Orion Tower. It was a most fortunate stroke of fate that he met each and every one of them, from happening upon Marina and Teleri while adventuring to being pulled into Keldracht and meeting Pheston. He could not help but shake the feeling that one of the gods, perhaps Jorren himself, was looking upon him favourably.

Pheston approached and plopped himself on the ground. “What a view, my friend,” he said upon drawing a deep breath. “There’s something to be said about just sitting here and taking it all in.”

“It eases the soul,” said Friedrich.

“That it does, lad, that it does. I’m sure your father will be impressed with this vessel. Who wouldn’t want something so shiny to escape with? It’ll be a real kick in the teeth to his captors.”

“You’re so confident we’ll succeed?”

“Yes,” said Pheston firmly. “Aren’t you?”

“It’s strange,” said Friedrich with a dry laugh. “I can see our success in my mind. All of us fleeing the island with my father, but I cannot see what happens next. Where do we go when we’ve evaded the wardens, guards, and whoever else gives chase?”

“Wherever we need to go to ensure you and your father are safe from retribution,” said Pheston. “If I have to stand guard over the door for a month, I’ll do it, my friend. Don’t think that you’re being abandoned the second we touch the soil of Eradrel again.”

Friedrich smiled. It was comforting to know that Pheston was not helping solely out of a sense of repayment for being rescued from Keldracht; he truly did consider Friedrich a friend and was helping him because he wanted to, even though that meant he was apart from his family for longer still.

“You don’t want to return to Corobath right away?” he asked.

“I’m sure we could stash the pair of you away there if needed,” shrugged Pheston, “but there are probably places you could thrive a little closer to home, where the world is not so foreign to you. Don’t you worry about me, I’ll return home when the time is right. Bjorn and Alf will spread the word about my miraculous return to Terna and the rest of the whippersnappers will know I’ll come visit eventually.”

Pheston stood up, patted Friedrich on the shoulder and wandered off. Friedrich looked over his shoulder and saw Marina sitting blue-faced near the wheel. She was rationing seasickness potions that Sigurd had given her, neglecting to drink them until her nauseousness grew so bad that it negatively impacted her ability to maintain Shockwave’s existence on this plane.

Teleri, meanwhile, was sitting on the starboard railing, letting her feet dangle from the edge and hang over the water. She was frowning into the distance as though she could see something. When she realised Friedrich was looking at her, she beckoned him over with a concerned look.

“Something the matter?” the Mercian asked her.

“There is another boat,” said the Alaurian quietly. “Your eyes as a fox are not as keen as mine, but I would appreciate a second pair of eyes.”

Friedrich took Kitt’s form and stared towards where Teleri was pointing. There was definitely a vessel approaching them, but it was considerably smaller than the Brass Stormer. It had a small red sail that caught the breeze, pushing it in the direction of Friedrich and his companions.

He turned back into a human and looked to Teleri.

“Did you see it?” she asked.

“I saw it,” he said, “but I couldn’t make out who was onboard. Can you?”

“No, but I suspect it will not be long before I can. I am unsure if we should wait for their approach or ask Marina to move us more quickly.”

Friedrich looked at Marina who was massaging her temples with her eyes shut. “I don’t think we’ll be sailing much faster than this unless she quaffs a potion.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Stubborn girl has plenty and she insists on rationing,” scoffed Teleri. “She has more than enough for the journey there and back. Over cautiousness is a foolishness that I have come to expect from you humans.”

“You constantly chastise me for recklessness,” chortled Friedrich.

“There is a balance you can strike,” said Teleri. Friedrich took no heed of her, knowing that she exhibited many of these traits herself and remained completely oblivious to that fact.

He walked over to Marina. “Are you alright?” he asked.

“Mhmm,” she said, smiling weakly.

“We’ve got another boat approaching us. We can either wait for it to come closer or try and outrun it. It may not bother following.”

“Yep…”

“Which would you prefer?”

“Maybe it’s not hostile.”

“Maybe not,” said Friedrich, returning to Teleri. “She’s not going to take the potion,” he told the elf.

“That is no surprise,” said Teleri, “but I can see the crew of the other ship now. One of them is bold enough to stand at the front, thinking he is intimidating.”

“Well?” asked Friedrich expectantly.

“Goblins.”

“Of course. It’s always bloody golems. Nasty little rats.” He tapped the goblin mask hidden under his scarf. “Except for you, my friend. You always come in handy in a pinch.”

Teleri sneered and drew her bow. “I will sink their boat before they come close.”

Friedrich pushed her bow down as she readied an arrow. “Let’s not be too hasty here,” he said.

“What idiotic notion have you concocted this time? Are they to serve as our front guard upon entering the tower? Will they be enlisted as decoys? Perhaps they’re the start of a budding invasion fleet?”

“Calm yourself down,” said Friedrich. “I was simply going to suggest we let them get close enough so that we can loot them once we’ve slaughtered them.”

Teleri turned red. “Yes. Yes, that is a good idea. What is your plan?”

Friedrich took his goblin mask in his hands. “I’ll slip out of sight, pretend I’m a prisoner, and request they approach cautiously.”

“And you believe they will prioritise the safety of one of their own even though the goblin from the mask was not of their tribe?”

“Only one way to find out,” said Friedrich, slinking away to cover.

“An idiotic notion,” muttered Teleri, flexing her fingers. She would shoot at even the twitch of a goblin’s hand in the direction of its spear.

“Kyaaagh!” cried Friedrich running out from behind his cover and leaping onto the railing. He waved his hands frantically, catching the attention of the goblins as well as his other companions.

“What is the boy doing?” asked Pheston. He glanced in the direction of the goblin’s boat. “I see.”

“What?” asked Marina, struggling to get the word out. She quickly brought a hand to her mouth, worried she would vomit.

“Goblins approaching,” said Pheston. “Don’t worry about them. Just cover your ears and keep focused.”

The goblins looked to each other and yapped something in their foul tongue that Teleri could only just hear. The words were indecipherable, but their tone was cold and cunning. They were up to something, but one of the goblins raised a hand in greeting to the goblin upon the brass ship.

“They’re approaching,” said Teleri quietly. “I suspect they will board us and try and kill us.”

Friedrich grunted in agreement. He could feel the emotions of the goblin he inhabited, suggesting that he would have done the same in life. Goblins were nothing if not creatures of violent trickery and he would see them dead and looted in five minutes; he was very much aware of the irony.

The goblin boat drew close and Teleri whipped out her bow as the goblins flung their spears. Friedrich dove aside and Teleri did the same. Mid somersault, she unleashed an arrow that pierced one of the goblins through the heart. The others gave a screeching battle cry as they leapt at the brass ship, sinking their nails into its side. Their nails on the metal wailed and, much to Teleri’s surprise, the goblins were climbing their way out.

She shot them as they ascended, but there was more than a dozen of them and they were persistent. Friedrich took his chance and leapt onto the goblins’ boat. He sank his fingers into the sail and tore it as he slid down onto the small deck, forcing the half of the climbing goblins to drop back onboard to accost him. He nimbly dodged the lunges and swipes, giving his best back. He tore chunks of flesh from them, he blinded them with eye gouges, and even tore one’s throat clean open. All the while, Teleri continued killing the remnants of the would-be ship-stealers.

Once the last goblin fell, she hopped onto the smaller wooden boat with Friedrich. His mask fell from his face shortly after and he tucked it underneath his scarf once again. Friedrich took her by the legs and lowered her to the water where she retrieved a couple of floating corpses from the water and hoisted them back on deck, leaving the entire crew ready to be looted.

“And to think that after all this time, I could have hijacked a boat from a crew of goblin pirates,” said Friedrich.

“This vessel does not look sturdy,” said Teleri, stamping her foot and splintering one of the planks on the deck. “We must be close to land because I do not believe this boat is truly seaworthy.”

Friedrich looked at the dead crew. “Let’s bet, shall we?”

“Forty-five kupons,” said Teleri, knowing immediately what his bet was about. “Whoever is closest gets two-thirds of the spoils and the other gets one third. Are we agreed?”

“Agreed. I’m expecting forty-six kupons.”

Teleri frowned. “That is a sly guess. If I am a single kupon under, you win.”

“Precisely,” chuckled Friedrich.

The duo looted the goblins and piled up their meagre spoils. Once they counted everything out, the total amounted to forty-two kupons. Friedrich shrugged it off and took his fourteen kupons as Teleri smugly placed hers in a pouch on her belt. Friedrich turned into a fox and Teleri threw him on deck before leaping onto the railing herself. She climbed back on deck and Friedrich gave Marina and Pheston the go-ahead.

“Where’s my kupons, eh?” asked the smith.

“Where were you when we were fighting the goblins?” asked Friedrich.

“Should have left the pair of you behind,” grumbled Pheston and then muttering under his breath about being left out of all the fun.