Swamped

Expeditious retreat!

Don't get distracted. You're only in here for a map; there's no need to continue this fight. You don't even need the map right now, you just need to get away and call for help.

So you rush out. The moment you do, you hear a strange noise filling the hall. It doesn't sound like anything in particular, but your ears definitely don't care for it. Lou comes out a moment later, showing no signs of reaction.

You're struggling to keep your focus and think of where to go, when suddenly you hear a seagull squawking in your ears.

Strangely enough, the squawking seems to fight back the other noise. It's still a little distracting, but at least it's not making your head pound. You're fairly sure you don't want to understand how it works.

But you still don't have much time before Lou reaches you. At least you don't have to think that hard. Running remains the safest choice, and your options are upstairs, downstairs, or into one of the rooms here. And most of the sailors are downstairs, so you head that way.

Except you run into a lot of sailors gripping their heads in pain. They're not going to be much help like this. And you can already hear Lou's footsteps on the stairs behind you.

They've left a loose cannon unmanned. You can roll it between yourself and the Lou-thing to tie it up in these crowded belowdecks and give yourself some separation.

It looks like they were taking a cannon somewhere. You're going to have to check on where that order came from, but it's not your most immediate concern.

But the cannon is a useful obstacle. You rush to the other side and push it, wheeling it towards the staircase. The ship suddenly moves up, and the cannon goes flying, colliding with Lou as the ship moves down again.

You were, of course, running, even as you were glancing back to check on the cannon's course. Which means your momentum went a little bit out of control as the ship moved. You seem to have landed on someone; you issue a quick apology as you get up, without having time to check who it is.

Overall, that seems to have helped you more than hindered. Even if the cannon didn't hurt Lou, it should have kept him from being pushed forward the way you were. So you've bought yourself a good deal of distance. Hopefully, that will give you a chance to find some sailors who can actually help you. And maybe figure out what that damned noise is. You can still hear it just a little bit amidst the sound of a squawking gull.

Next to that, hearing Wiz's voice in your head is almost a relief, even as he gives you some unpleasant news.

Kraken tentacles!

A very large tentacle just burst through the wall. I don't know how the knife enchantment is going to react to it, but there isn't a lot I can do. If you have any ideas, I'd appreciate them.

Well, your plan was to get away. That's still a decent plan, but less of one if it's broken through the hull to the infirmary. Seems you'll have to switch to chasing it off.

You've got a rather annoying number of problems right now. The pirate ship, a magical hostage situation, the ship floating and sinking, a mysterious noise, a kraken, and whatever's going on with Lou, not to mention the various people in the infirmary. And you're fully expecting something else to happen on top of that.

Well, the kraken and Lou are the only problems you know of where you don't have something in motion already. So maybe the best thing to do is get the warden off the ship in hopes of getting that problem away from you so you can focus on the others. If you're very lucky, once she's gone the pirate ship will be as well. But you're not one to get your hopes up.

You're headed for the deck. Maybe you can give the sorts of orders you'd give in an emergency to scare the warden into fleeing sooner. The way things have been going today, they might even be needed.

Fortunately, it seems whatever the strange noise is, it hasn't reached the deck. So you quickly shout your first order and hope it's good enough to scare the warden off.

It's cliché, but it works—"All men to their stations!"

And somebody get me a polearm!

"Everyone, to your stations! Ready for boarding! Send a runner to the lifeboats! And someone grab me a halberd!" you shout.

You may as well get her thinking that you're going to be boarding momentarily, preferably in a last-ditch chance to escape your own vessel. In that case, it's best for her to leave now before she loses her chance - that, or let the pirates leave and drop whatever it is she stole, since Wiz said it couldn't be magically transported. Either way works for you, as long as Donnie is safe.

You should probably ask Wiz about what, exactly, she stole. You've just been too preoccupied to have much interest in it. You really don't like to deal with magical business.

Well, your bluff seems to have worked. There's a sudden explosion on the deck, and part of it fills with smoke. Probably looking to cover her escape.

Luckily, Swallow's already aiming. Just a moment after the "scout" emerges from the smoke on the boarding plank, it cracks and falls into the water.

What happens next is harder to follow. You definitely hear a splash, and you see a bright light, and then suddenly it doesn't feel like the ship's shaking. You barely have time to think about what it all means when Wiz contacts you.

The tentacle went away. We've still got a big hole here, though. And the knife is still pointing at Donnie.

It takes you a moment to form a reply.

We just knocked the warden overboard. Best guess is, she fried the kraken to save herself. But it's hard for me to get a good look from here.

Wiz sounds a bit puzzled when he responds.

The knife would strike if she'd died or fall unconscious. What about the mask?

What mask? you ask.

It's what she stole. I suppose I didn't mention the specifics earlier.

Now that, you really ought to check out. After all, it's apparently the thing Nual was so upset about. But you're hoping that dropping her overboard gave it to the sea, as requested.

You cross over to the railing. It's hard to see anything down there. Though there's definitely no kraken thrashing down there now, at least.

But after a moment, you see a rope being lowered by the pirates. It starts rising rapidly after a while.

Then you see it come up with a lot of seaweed attached. The rope only makes it about halfway up the ship before the seaweed seems to be pulling it back down. And... you think you can make out someone's hand in there?

Probably the warden, then. Looking a bit closer, you think you see that hand holding tightly onto a pouch. So the seaweed's not letting her go until she drops that mask or whatever it is.

Well, maybe you can do something about that.

I don't suppose Swallow could hit the rope from here?

You think about heading up to see Swallow. She might be able to shoot the rope, or better yet, the hand holding the pouch. But you're not sure this stalemate won't break by the time you get up there.

But maybe you can send a signal. She can see well enough, so you just need to draw her attention to the target.

Before you can think any further on that, somebody hands you a halberd.

"Er, if you don't still need it, sir, I can put it back," the sailor says nervously.

Well. You can't think of anything to hit with it at the moment, but it's a nice big stick with distinct ends. Should be good for pointing out what you want Swallow to hit, if nothing else.

Now if you could just be sure her eyes are on you somehow.

You can use the shiny blade to reflect the sun and flash a signal in her eyes.

You take a quick glance over the deck in hopes of catching something that might give you an idea.

Then your eyes catch your reflection in the polished tip of the halberd. And you have a thought.

If you could catch the sunlight at the right angle, you might be able to make it flash and draw her attention that way. Of course, you'd need to figure out the right angle.

Well. You never bothered to drop the cross-staff, did you. You put it down and adjust it to work out the angle the sun's at - you figure that ought to be where the light's brightest. Then you put the halberd's tip on the end of it, and start shifting the tip towards the hole.

A bolt bounces off the tip of the halberd. Well, you suppose she doesn't have a lot of ways to signal you, either. But now that you've got her attention, it's time to direct it elsewhere. You wave the halberd a bit before pointing it towards the rope. Specifically, the hand you can barely see clutching a pouch in the midst of all the kelp.

You hear a piercing scream, you see the pouch drop, and you see the kelp retract into the sea, leaving a screaming woman hanging from a rope. It rapidly pulls her up.

You haven't heard from Wiz yet, though. So you can't be sure Donnie's safe.

And then you're caught off guard by what the pirate ship does next.

It starts moving... Vertically!

The damn thing floats upward.

Granted, the ship you're on has been floating up for a while now - and it does again while you're watching - but not nearly as high. Though, now that you're out on the deck you make a note to do a headcount if things ever settle down. Everyone seems adjusted to it now, but the first few times might have surprised them. Someone might have fallen overboard.

The knife just fell down. Donnie's fainted, though.

Well. At least that's one problem you have an idea how to deal with.

Get a washcloth on him. We're short on infirmary beds last I checked...

There's a couple of empty ones, Wiz replies. They do look like they were in recent use, though.

Right. Lou wasn't there, and Wiz didn't mention the strange military man. You can't look into that right now, though.

Get him on one of those beds, then. Better than nothing.

As you finish, the boat falls to the water again. This is really starting to annoy you.

But nuisances will have to wait, because Lou's just run onto the deck.

"Subdue Mr. Lou!" you shout, pointing. At least you've got numbers here. And, for that matter, a halberd. You don't think you'll be needing the cross-staff any more, though this really isn't the time to be putting it back.

Three sailors near Lou grab him, but he throws them aside effortlessly. Damn, he's strong. There's probably magic involved somehow.

Well, regardless of how he got that strong, you need to stop him somehow.

Tar and pitch!

You glance at the damage on the cross-staff. It was more useful for tripping him than doing any lasting harm; your halberd would probably do no better.

Though, really, knocking him down again would be good enough if you had a way to keep him down. You glance around. There's the ropes on the rigging, of course, but he could just snap them. You'd either need something very durable, which you're not sure you can find... or something that's not solid enough to break.

Your eyes settle on a barrel of tar and pitch. No doubt there wasn't time to finish re-applying it after the storm.

"Ms. Morgan! Carry that barrel and follow me!" you shout to the sailor standing closest to it. She glances at the barrel, shrugs, and picks it up, as you rush for Lou.

The sailors have already rushed him again, to no better effect than the first time. Still, it gives you an opening to sweep at his legs, knocking him down again. Fortunately, Ms. Morgan is quick to catch on, and starts dumping the barrel out on him.

"That's enough," you tell her. "Best to save some of that for the ship."

As you hoped, Lou is struggling but unable to break out of the sticky mass. Of course, you don't see a safe way to move him anywhere else, but at least it removes him as an immediate threat.

So the main problem you're left with is the floating spell. Everything else amounts to cleaning up. You're definitely going to want to check those charts, though - to properly do repairs after the kraken attack, you'll need to ground the ship.

Of course, you also need to check in with the captain. He's going to want to know what's going on. And you get the distinct feeling you and Wiz need to have a long talk.

So. What should you take care of first?

Your duty is to the captain first and foremost.

Best to start with the Captain. For one thing, he's the only one here with any clue as to whether Nual was satisfied. You start making your way up, dropping off the cross-staff in Chip's room along the way.

You hold onto the halberd, though. Just in case.

When you arrive, the Captain is on his knees in prayer. You hope he's getting good news.

He stands up and turns toward you.

"You put a valuable item at risk, Mr. Resk."

Hells. Figures you'd get criticized. You've heard enough stories about how hard it is to please the gods.

"But it has been claimed by the sea, and is no longer in wicked hands," the Captain continues. "Nual has blessed us with calm waters and the wind at our backs."

"Good to hear."

"I would watch myself if I were you," he says.

"What, Nual's mad because my plan might have let the warden get away?"

"Just the opposite," the Captain says, shaking his head. "He was excited. Nual loves it when mortals take chances, Mr. Resk, and you've taken a lot of them today."

You suppose that makes sense. After all, sailing is a dangerous business, even more when you're going as far out as sea as this ship is. But you don't quite understand his concern.

"So why should I be worried about that?"

"Because, Mr. Resk, when the gods take notice of a mortal, they may select them for a great task. Perhaps even greater than charting a course to a new continent."

Oh, hells. As if you didn't have enough to deal with already.

"I'll keep that in mind, sir," you reply. "But, ah, getting back to why I came here, I have some matters to report."

"There's something else we need to discuss first," he says. He seems strangely unemotional. You've got no idea what he could mean.

What could be more urgent than a status report after a major engagement? Unless he already got the gist of it from Nual somehow. In which case, maybe Nual clued him in to something else which has gone unnoticed... Remaining sleeper agents on the crew?

"Sir, with all due respect, we've just escaped combat. It's very important that I pass along what I know about damage to the ship and crew..."

"It is," the Captain agrees. "But this is even more important than that. We have not entirely escaped."

He's getting that knowledge from Nual. Which means you're not expecting to have it clarified. Still, worth a shot.

"Then who's attacking us? Cultists we haven't found? More sea creatures? A wizard? The forces of another god? Merfolk?"

Instead of answering, he walks over to the porthole. You follow him, and look out.

And you can see it in the distance. The Ship of the Dead.

It's unmistakable, even this far out. No other ship could move so fast with its sails torn and enormous holes in its hull.

"The sun has just begun to set," the Captain continues. "We have until nightfall before they attack in full force. We need to make the most of that time."

Easier said than done. What can you even do to prepare?

Mix cocktails (the exploding kind).

You still have to report on what's happened, but then, there's someone you can give orders to without talking to him in person. It's just that he won't necessarily follow them.

You're now Wiz. You've gotten Donnie to safety, though you're still no closer to figuring out what's causing the ship to lift and lower. He's starting to mutter things under his breath, which you aren't paying much attention to. You've got no business snooping, after all.

And then you hear Resk talking to you.

Wiz. The Ship of the Dead is coming for us. Don't suppose you know anything about how to fight ghosts?

Really, now. You thought he knew better than this.

Haven't we discussed this before? Ghosts don't exist.

You hope you don't have to repeat the whole proof. It's so tedious to explain all the ethereal properties that prevent a dead soul from lingering in the mortal world.

Fortunately, Resk seems to know better than to press the point.

Maybe not, but there's a ship that looks like an utter wreck sailing towards us at high speed. And according to the stories, we've got until nightfall before it attacks.

You roll your eyes. You suppose you'll have to take this a little seriously.

Well, the most likely explanation is that someone is controlling the ship magically. They'll probably try to ram us, since we've taken significant hits already and it's easier to fake a ghost ship than an entire ghost crew. If the ship's already in poor shape, cannonballs won't do much, so our best bet is fire.

Resk sounds annoyed.

Wonderful. Then when they ram us, they'll set us on fire too.

Ah, of course. His ignorance of magic showing itself again.

That would be fairly effective with normal fire. That's why I was thinking of using magic to speed it up so the whole thing burns away in less than a minute. I'll still need about a barrel's worth of fire powder to get it set up in time, but it should work.

Resk sounds relieved.

Great. Ask the quartermaster for some. I've got to finish filling the Captain in on what's happened.

You were hoping he'd send someone on your behalf. Not only is it tedious, but the quartermaster doesn't like you. You never bothered to find out why, since you rarely deal with her.

Oh well. Best to get it over with. You start heading for the quartermaster's.

"Hey! Wiz! Wait up!"

Someone's calling to you. It takes you a moment to remember who it is.

Colleen?

It's Colleen. She helped with fixing up your shelves after they were knocked over during a particularly bad storm last month.

You saw her in the infirmary a moment ago, asleep. She still seems quite tired, but you notice a hint of ether about her. The warden probably kept the patients asleep to avoid too much of a commotion while she was summoning swamp chickens.

And speaking of those chickens, they disappeared once she left the room. Except, apparently, for the one Colleen is holding up in front of your face.

"You mind telling me why I woke up with a swamphen sitting on my head?" she asks. "I can't imagine one could have been smuggled in and gone unnoticed for six months. Even if it was an egg, they only take two weeks to hatch. And what happened to Donnie? He's out cold."

"The hen was summoned here by a wizard who had infiltrated the ship," you reply. "She had taken on the role of warden. I suppose that position's open now, as is that of the cook. She threatened Donnie, and I'm not sure if he was rendered unconscious through magic or simply fainted due to the stress, but he's safe now. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm afraid I have work to do. And shouldn't you be resting?"

She just stares at you for a while. You turn around and continue walking. But her footsteps suggest she's following you.

"What in the hells is even going on?" she shouts, finally.

"We're still working on figuring that out. Unfortunately, we don't really have time, because the Ship of the Dead is supposedly about to attack us."

Colleen suddenly goes quiet. So does everyone else in the hallway you're walking down.

Oh, that's right. You've spent so much time thinking about how silly the superstition where no one calls you by your name is that you've forgotten about some of the other ones they have.

Though now that you think of it, this one is less of a "don't mention the Ship of the Dead" rule and more of that "everyone fears the Ship of the Dead". So now you've got an entire hallway of frightened sailors. Who might spread the word and frighten more sailors.

You should probably try to calm them somehow before they go and do that.