Waves crashed against the ship's sides as dozens of heavy boots marched across its frame.

"Alright, you know the deal, Sprin." An armored figure shouted out from the top of the deck.

Their massive vessel effortlessly snuck upon us in the dead of night. Without hesitation, Sprin and his crew dropped anchor, allowing many armed soldiers onto his deck. Draped in black and green, the men and their ship all shared the same visage. A spider with all eight limbs spread inside the mouth of a snake.

"I know, Yates," Sprin said, watching the men spread around his vessel. "You follow me around so much; I'm starting to think you're interested in finding more than just contraband."

Sprin shot the armored man a wink creating laughter from his men. Yates, on the other hand, looked less than pleased.

"This is what, the fourth time you've stopped us? You haven't found anything yet. A smart man like you shouldn't waste his time."

"The whispers of Aramaz are never wrong."

"Well, I'm sure if I tried looking for something, I'd find it on the fourth or maybe thousandth time. It wouldn't make me divine."

"Hold your tongue, 'Captain.' Or you'll find yourself facing more serious charges than smuggling."

"Alleged smuggling." Sprin corrected. "I thought your God was all about evidence?"

Sprin's crew laughed in unison as some soldiers stopped to look back at their leader.

"Get back to searching!" Yates shouted out as his men scattered in response.

Yates scoured the ship, watching both crews performing their respective duties. His armor reflected the moonlight despite its black tint. A spider sat emblazoned across the front of his chest, with each leg spread evenly across his torso. However, the most impressive part of his ensemble swung against the wind. Every breeze blew his cape away from his fastened tightly to his steel shoulders.

"God help me. I love capes." I muttered to myself.

Despite being on the other side of the ship, Yates' eyes immediately shot in my direction. There's no way he's looking at me, I told myself.

"You!" Yates shouted out, pointing directly at me.

I spun, looking for anyone potentially more deserving of punishment. As I turned back, the older man had closed more than half the distance between us.

"You weren't a part of his crew before he docked at Thaxton. Who are you?"

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"A passenger," Sprin said, putting himself between me and the black and green armor set.

"A passenger?" Yates replied in disbelief. "People would pay to get off your ship, not board it willingly."

"Har har har." Sprin mocked. "Well, he is, so it'd be best if you left him alone. It's bad enough you stop me before and after every port. So I won't have you hurting any other business I decide to stir up."

"I don't think I'm bothering anyone, right?" Yates smiled down at me menacingly.

He was a large man with a dark complexion. A stark white beard contrasted his tanned ebony skin, and his teeth seemed just as white. I could tell he was trying to intimidate me, but my focus was entirely fixed on the verdant flag whipping wildly behind his back.

"I'm sorry, sir. But where did you get that cape?"

The two men shared a look of confusion before Yates replied.

"It was a gift for devotion to my Temple."

"Ah, I see. So there's not like a store or merchant you could-"

"No," Yates replied, clearly confused at the interaction. "Carry on."

"Careful boy," Sprin said to me under his breath. "You're talking to a Fang of Aramaz."

"What's an Aramaz?" I replied.

Yates stopped in his tracks. Clearly, still honed in on our conversation. As he spun slowly, a scowl had placed itself on his brow. His eyes locked onto me, filled with pure hatred.

"For your sake, I will pretend as if this isn't a jape. Aramaz is the benefactor of all pursuits of knowledge. A pure representation of the desire to learn and achieve complete awareness over one's surroundings. Whether that be beasts," He turned to Sprin. "Or smugglers."

Yates drew his blade, sinking it into the ship's railing next to me in one swift motion.

"Or idiots who make stupid jokes."

He stared intently in my direction as I avoided any eye contact at all costs. Instead, I stared at his blade wedged into the ship's lumber. It was black as pitch and reflected no light, unlike his armor. For only a second, I thought of trying to use Material Reclamation but ultimately decided that would make the situation much worse.

"Sir, there's nothing here." One of Yates's men called out as he emerged from below deck.

Yates yelled in frustration as he quickly turned away from the Captain and me. He walked aggressively back to his ship as his blade stuck to the wood next to me. I saw a moment to take it for myself, but as I reached out to grasp the sword, it jerked violently from the wood. It flung itself across the air for a moment before being caught in Yates' grasp.

Yates just used the Mythic Skill: Tethered Weapon.

"A word of warning, stranger," Yates stated while sheathing his blade. "If you had any sense, you'd stay as far away from this smuggler as possible."

I nodded towards the stranger, unsure if he wanted an actual verbal response. As the broad black and green figure boarded his ship, his men followed quickly behind. They raised anchor and sailed off as Yates stood by the railing of his boat, it felt like his eyes never truly left my person. Once the ship was entirely out of sight, everyone on Sprin's ship released a collective sigh.

"Who the hell was supposed to be on watch?!"

After the not-so-random search of Captain Sprin's vessel, the remainder of our voyage remained thankfully uneventful. I spent the rest of my time sewing and joking among the crew. Mostly at the expense of Lucky, who was dutied with watch the night the Fang of Amaraz visited us. The crew mocked him and threw some light punches, but that was the extent of any kind of punishment.

I repaired small tears spreading across the ship's sail. I also crafted a new wardrobe for the crew as thanks for their transport.

For the fur-covered captain, I crafted a tunic made of a silk cotton blend. Breathable as it was mostly for show. He informed us that the less clothing you wore, the higher status you possessed. Only soldiers wore clothes in his people's land. The rest of society remained nude as a sign of peace and prosperity. I was grateful he decided against showing us all his high position.