Swamped

"You know what doesn't make sense to me?" one sailor says to another. "If this pirate ship's been out all the way here, how did it handle the storm earlier? We only got through because of our wizard. Barely, at that."

"What's it matter? There's not going to be another storm soon, so I don't see how that's going to help us out here. In case you hadn't noticed, their shots are getting pretty damned close."

Close? Not hitting?

"It's just, the whole thing is weird. Why would there be pirates this far from the mainland in the first place? You'd have to sail quite a ways to ever see a ship."

"Let the officers worry about that," the other sailor grumbles. "You and I, we don't get paid enough to be thinkin' that hard when there's a firefight going on."

"But we're not on the cannons," the first protests.

"No, but in case you ain't noticed, they've been gettin' closer with each volley. Not hard to think their real plan might be to board us. Which means you and I are probably gonna have to fight, and unless you got some reason why figurin' out how they dealt with the storm is gonna help us fight 'em, it's a waste of our time to think about it."

A storm? That immediately makes you think of the rain back in the swamp. It takes you a moment to remember that other places don't deal with bizarre monsters when it rains, just water and lightning and maybe strong winds.

Still, on a ship, that alone would be extra serious. And you'd be content not to deal with any more rain while you're here. You've got enough unpleasant memories of it.

Regardless, it seems that the fight hasn't gone decisively in either side's favor so far. But the pirates seem to be moving towards boarding the ship. Seems a bit odd given the way Carma was talking, though. You got the sense she expected them to sink this one.

Well. You've got a little more information, at least. You wonder if you should listen and try to learn more, or head upwards and see what you find there.