《The Merchant of Altliore》


 Arrival (1)

    Winds repeatedly whipped the flags the ship was wearing, causing the signals they represented to be largely pointless.


    ¡°Glad we didn¡¯t have to compete with winds like this,¡± laughed a young man, holding his hat down with his left hand to keep it from flying off his head.


    His older friend grinned, shouting over the wind ¡°Aye, we would¡¯ve been stranded, at the mercy of the storm.¡±


    ¡°Matfried would¡¯ve loved that, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    The middle-aged man looked across the deck with searching eyes. ¡°Speaking of, where is that old geezer?¡±


    ¡°Down below, what else did you expect? He¡¯s probably grumbling about the cold, the wind, and the devil. And I¡¯m the devil that forced him on this journey, if you asked him!¡±


    They snickered, imagining the old man crouched in the corner of a room, muttering to himself. The young man turned around, raising his head to look at the Port Yardarm.


    He asked, despite already knowing the answer. ¡°The only flag that matters is the only one you can recognize, is that it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the point of the G and H flags having different colors, Euler.¡±


    ¡°How long do you reckon we¡¯ll have to wait this time?¡±


    ¡°Depends. Are we betting?¡± The man grinned, his eyes twinkling.


    Euler smiled in response to the superfluous question. It had become a tradition, by now. ¡°Sure. What¡¯s your gain?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be taking that hat off your head! Then I can walk around town, strutting around town like the biggest cock of them all.¡±


    The both of them heard a guffaw behind them, and as they turned around they could see a man hunched over, clutching his sides as he descended the stairs from the poop deck.


    The man wiped tears from his eyes, approaching the two at the railing. ¡°Oi, Ricimer, if your wife heard you now she might just die of laughter.¡±


    Ricimer grunted in response. ¡°At least I have someone to show mine, Captain.¡±


    The Captain turned his head, unable to hide the slight contortion on his face.


    Euler shook his head beratingly. ¡°Low blow, Ricimer, low blow. In that case I¡¯ll be taking two bottles of your wife¡¯s liquor.¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Ricimers eyes bulged. ¡°Two?! That¡¯s Hellweg robbery!¡±


    Euler laughed, ¡°One for me and one for the Captain to drown his sorrows. Stab a man in his heart and you¡¯ll be held responsible for his safe recovery.¡±


    The Captain¡¯s eyes glowed, exclaiming, ¡°Aye! Hand over the spirits of the gods, mutinous Bosun, otherwise you might just be forced to walk the plank.¡±


    Unable to retort, Ricimer relented, ¡°You bastards. Fine.¡±


    Euler slapped his shoulder, ¡°Don¡¯t act like you¡¯re losing out. Do you know how many ducats this hat cost me?¡±


    ¡°Aye, aye, I¡¯m aware. So, what say you? How long ¡®till the Pilot arrives?¡±


    Euler looked over towards the harbor, watching on as ships were piloted towards the port. Then he scanned the other ships alongside them, likewise waiting to enter the port. There must have been at least five dozen medium and large sized vessels, not including the scores of smaller ships.


    They were likely to be the last trading ships to enter the harbor before it completely froze over, as the ice had already started to form on the shores. Ships would then be forced to either complete their journey at a smaller port city a few kilometers outside of the harbor or continue sailing around the Second Dex Peninsula to arrive at the third largest port city of the northern shores, Mikilenburg. Most would decide to take the latter option, since the first was a terrible alternative for most trading ships. The small city lacked the infrastructure to properly store and transport most trade goods. Not to mention it was notorious for having a corrupt administration.


    As he swept his eyes towards the city once again, he could barely make out the city ¡®Wappen¡¯, a flag bearing its unique coat of arms, and smiled.


    ¡°5 minutes,¡± he shouted over the wind.


    ¡°You¡¯re insane! 2 hours is more like it!¡± Ricimer answered.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see!¡±


    The Captain glanced at Euler, wondering what he had seen to make him say that. Although the two constantly made wagers for the sport of it, he knew how valuable the hat Euler carried was. And more importantly, he knew how valuable it was to Euler. He didn¡¯t worry too much however ¨C Euler never lost a bet he cared for before.


    Barely half a minute had passed until a galley could be seen leaving the port to approach a stationary vessel just over a hundred meters forward and starboard. Nine other ships were situated between them, with many more lingering behind in a haphazard formation.


    The Captain noticed the galley¡¯s course. ¡°There goes the next one.¡±


    Ricimer looked over. ¡°Of course, they go for the biggest ship they can see. I bet the Jacht are just wishing for them to break some sort of obscure law so they can take everything for themselves.¡±


    Euler just laughed, ¡°That¡¯s not how it works, they can¡¯t confiscate whatever they want.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. It¡¯s stupid anyway, we¡¯ve been waiting much longer than them.¡± All of a sudden, he saw the Captain start shaking his head while chuckling to himself. ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡±


    ¡°You starting to regret your bet yet, Ricimer?¡± The Captain asked.


    Confused at what he was missing, he looked at the galley again. It was clearly a vessel the belonged to the Jacht, the coastal guard unit of the Hellige Empire. The ship was small, with a total of 18 oars propelling it across the waters of the harbor. 18 men, likely villeins, worked in unison while a few others were standing around them. And at the helm ¨C


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    ¡°Damn is right,¡± snickered the Captain.


    Ricimer clenched his jaw. ¡°They¡¯ll never spot us though, not with the wind ripping our damn flags off.¡±


    Euler held the railing as he fished his pocket watch out. ¡°Is that what you think?¡±


    One look at Euler and Ricimer turned around to look at the flags.


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    ¡°Damn is right,¡± snickered the Captain.


    Four minutes and twelve seconds later, the galley drew parallel to the Cogniscio.

 Arrival (2)

    The trio moved towards the side, letting the crew secure a ladder over the railing to let the new passenger aboard.


    A man with short, ash colored hair and a full stubble climbed aboard, greeting the crew by name as they helped him. Standing at a short 1.72m, the only impressive thing about him was the uniform he wore, as well as the relative sense of power and athleticism it created as it stretched relatively tightly over his chest and arms. Perhaps due to his slightly downturned nose, he had a sort of hawkish character about him. He spoke shortly with the First Mate, then walked over to the trio that had been waiting to the side.


    ¡°Euler! Long time no see, my friend!¡± he grinned, offering his open arms for an embrace.


    Euler gladly accepted, laughing, ¡°It sure has been, Ardoin. We were gone for a whole eleven months this time.¡±


    ¡°Aye, no doubt I¡¯ll be hearing more of your adventures later. I say, you look more and more handsome every time I lay eyes on you. If my daughter were here she¡¯d be stealing you away to her chambers, ha!¡±


    The Jachtman spoke truly - Euler was blessed with handsome features. With his dirty blonde hair cut short at the sides and tied back at the top, he wore his hair in the traditional style of the Suebans, a tribe that roamed the lands he came from nearly a millennium ago. Although it was a style rarely seen today, many people proudly claimed heritage to the tribe as it was one of the most well-respected military forces in its day.


    In addition, he possessed a strong brow, light brown eyes, an even nose and a well-groomed, full beard. He stood at 1.84m, and although he was not the most athletic of men, he maintained a strong body and ate healthily, granting him a lean and muscular body.


    In contrast to the attractive Euler, the man standing next to him, Ricimer, looked like an ugly duckling. Long hair messily drawn behind his ears, a carelessly cut beard and a nose that had been broken one too many times made him almost indistinguishable from the beggars that plagued many cities. If he wasn¡¯t wearing his Bosun uniform, someone might have just arrested him for being on the ship.


    ¡°Ricimer, looking dashing as always.¡± Ardoin grinned as he clasped the mans arms in greeting.


    ¡°Be careful that I don¡¯t seduce away your daughter, Ardoin.¡± He barked back.


    Turning towards the Captain, Ardoin saluted informally, ¡°Captain Bernard, always a pleasure.¡±


    ¡°T¡¯is mine, Pilot Ardoin. The lake would¡¯ve frozen before we could dock if it weren¡¯t for you.¡±


    ¡°Just doing my duty, Captain.¡±


    The ship¡¯s crew had already begun working with the Jachtmen, offering them their warpankor so that they could begin entering the port. While it carried oars, simply due to the size of the vessel, it would be faster to simply begin warping the ship rather than rowing against the intermittent wind at this point. In addition, it made traffic being piloted in and out of the port safer.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯d better get to work. We have some ungodly amount of ships still waiting on us.¡± Ardoin climbed the stairs to the poop deck and stood at the helm, working together with the Second Mate to use flags and communicate with the Jacht ahead.


    As he watched the Pilot begin commanding the crew, Ricimer couldn¡¯t help himself. ¡°Say, Captain, aren¡¯t you pretty much useless? You just stand around and watch as other people actually steer and take care of the ship.¡± He looked at his superior and relished the fact that the Captain was essentially stripped of all authority within city waters.


    Bernard stroked his grey moustache, glared at his Bosun and smacked him in the head, ¡°Say, aren¡¯t you pretty much useless? You just stand around and watch as other people take care of the ship. I¡¯m pretty sure I don¡¯t pay you for being uglier than everyone else.¡±


    Ricimer started walking off, shouting in reply, ¡°Euler¡¯s the one that pays me, not you!¡±


    ¡°And yet I can still tell you to clean the deck with your arse!¡±


    Ricimer popped the middle finger, walking towards the Bosun¡¯s Mates.


    The Captain sighed, turning to Euler. ¡°You indulge him too much, Young Master.¡±


    Euler smiled and shook his head, ¡°If I don¡¯t indulge him, then no one will. Or do you think his wife actually lets him retain any of his dignity?¡±


    The Captain grimaced and ran his hand through his receding hair. He hadn¡¯t been young for a long time, and ever since his wife had passed from an illness, he began to feel the years creep upon him as well. His hair transforming weren¡¯t the only signs of aging he carried; his belt felt significantly tighter than before as well.


    ¡°Aye, she¡¯d likely be the one to make him wash her clothes.¡±


    The Captain sighed again, the city growing larger in his gaze.


    ¡°Are you planning to go on another voyage this year?¡±


    Euler frowned, shooting a quick look at his friend. ¡°No. I doubt my uncle would pay for one, either. I¡¯m not sure what has happened in the past year, but I doubt there will be any good news.¡±


    The Captain nodded and remained silent. They watched as the crew began hauling the anchor line in, propelling the ship forward. Warping was, in general, very tedious and only implemented when necessary or without alternative. The Jachtmen would carry the warpankor, a sort of secondary anchor, forward and then lower it. The large ship they¡¯d be guiding would then pull on the anchor, using it to travel forward. Then rinse and repeat.


    ¡°This will have likely been my last journey captaining your ship, Young Master.¡±


    Euler nodded, unsurprised, and lay a hand on the Captain¡¯s shoulder. A few seconds later he spoke, ¡°I¡¯m aware.¡±


    The Captain sighed again, for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. ¡°My wife and I, we were never able to have children. This,¡± he waved his hand, ¡°is my home. And they-,¡± this time he motioned towards the crew, ¡°are my family.¡±


    ¡°I know. They are mine as well.¡±


    The two stood in silence a bit longer, taking in the sight of the city. When they were almost finished with docking, Captain Bernard looked at Euler.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be staying here. With everything going on,¡± another sweeping motion, ¡°I would most likely just keel over from the stress of travelling all the way to Altliore.¡±


    ¡°And give up your home and family?¡± Euler couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    The Captain looked at him, wistful and melancholy. ¡°My story ends here. Yours is just beginning, and, as much as I would like it, I won¡¯t be privileged enough to see yours through. When I was First Mate and my Captain told me his time had come, he said that every new beginning is just another beginnings end. This is just my beginning¡¯s end. And you, Young master, are the crew¡¯s new beginning. It¡¯s time for you to be their Captain.¡±


    Euler laughed despite himself. ¡°I still mix up forward and bow, Captain.¡±


    His response elicited a small smile from the Captain.


    ¡°And yet you command the ship and are responsible for the safety of crew and vessel.¡± He looked at the young man. ¡°That¡¯s all a Captain ever is.¡±