Swamped

Wiz, is there a way I can show you what I'm seeing? I don't know how to describe this.

"Well, I recognize the recipient's name," the Captain says, barely giving you time to send a reply back. "Alexander Long owns several duck farms in Kandria. It's a booming business over there, I understand. But if this is from another time, who's to say if it's even the same man?"

If it is, then this is probably about money. Or power. But you need to get back to Resk.

Tell me where you are and I'll have a look when I'm done here, you send through the hat.

That might be too long. It seems to be running away.

Describe it as best you can.

"The part that intrigues me is 'friends from the distant east'," you tell the captain. "Even more so if the recipient is in Kandria. That's already on the east edge of the continent."

"So you think they're talking about someone out here?" the Captain muses. "Maybe these pirates."

That's pretty hard, because it doesn't have much of a form. It's like I'm seeing the damn wind itself, it's just rushing around, and I don't know what it's doing. I'm guessing it's magic. Certainly not like anything else I've ever seen.

"That would be my guess. Though they might be even further along. Still, I assume whatever forces wanted me to pass on this message expected it to guide us in some way."

The captain looks thoughtful.

"One thing comes to mind. If these 'friends' are making offers in the future, maybe they're open to making a deal with us."

"Well, if they are the pirates, that raises the question of why they're attacking us without trying to talk. And if they're somewhere past here, I don't even know how we'd contact them. But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask, if we had a way to."

It's annoying to handle two conversations at once. You're already trying to think of what to say to Resk.

But then he saves you the trouble by saying something else. Something intriguing.