“It’s Skrolm!”
A cry came down from the lookout atop the ship’s mast, immediately whipping the crew into a frenzy.
Skrolm was a large nation—similar in size to our destination of Mintar—that fought for control of these waters. They were a country that prospered on maritime trade. So why would the crew be concerned about sighting them? Well, to Mintari traders, the Skrolm Navy were effectively pirates. As you might expect, the people of Skrolm saw the Mintari ships as nuisances that were only good for the riches that could be looted. Interfering with their trade became not only natural but a matter of policy in their fight to control the sea.
That said, they still recognized the value in these merchants who traveled the seas. It wasn’t all that uncommon for such merchants to switch affiliations, so it was rather rare for the Skrolm Navy to kill or sink merchant ships. Instead, they imposed a toll on passage through their territory, taking a portion of the money and goods on board to ensure that trade with other nations wouldn’t be profitable.
Of course, Mintar and all of their other rival nations practiced similar behavior. Though it was a brutish practice from my perspective, it was common sense here on the open seas. Besides, it wasn’t just navy ships the merchants had to worry about. There were also state-sanctioned and independent pirates to deal with.
From this distance, it did appear we were dealing with an official navy ship. There was a large contraption on the deck that looked like a ballista made to fire an anchor. When thinking of ships, I imagined they would be armed with cannons, but gunpowder had yet to be developed in this world, so navies armed themselves with ballistae and catapults instead. In short, they lacked firepower when it came to sinking ships. Their ranged weaponry was only intended to inhibit and restrict their target’s movement, while the real battle would be settled in close quarters.
Though the Skrolm ship was equipped with sails, most of its power came from its oars. The oarsmen would take up arms and join the fight once they got close, so we were clearly outnumbered. But as for our speed, we had a good wind behind us, so even with our ship heavy with merchandise, we were still coming out ahead.
“They’re not that close. We’re running! Full speed ahead!”
It seemed the captain of our ship—a man named Suin from the Ancient Gold Empire—had reached the same conclusion, as he immediately gave the order to try and outrun them. The lookout had sighted them quickly, so we still had a considerable distance between us. At this rate, we might be able to escape without issue.
That is, if nothing else were to happen. Of course, we were not so fortunate.
Even if they were engaged in piracy, we were up against a military vessel. We couldn’t expect them to be on the same level as common criminals. Not in some abstract mental sense, but their training, equipment, and numbers all made them exceptionally powerful. The biggest problem facing us right now was the last of those.
“Captain Suin, we can’t keep going in this direction.”
While at sea, the members of their crew surrendered everything they had to their captain. Knowing this rule, I hesitated on whether to speak up or not, but in the end I steeled myself and interrupted him giving orders.
“What? I know you’re a forestfolk, but you agreed to listen to what I say while we’re at sea. You can see how busy we are right now, so please don’t bother us.” Despite the frenzy of the crew and Suin himself, he made a clear effort to remain calm and collected as he shut me down.
Well, that was about the answer I expected. He was quite wealthy for a citizen of the Ancient Gold Empire, and quite knowledgeable as well, so he knew to be polite with a forestfolk or elf like myself. If he had been from anywhere else, I likely would have gotten more than an earful of angry ranting.
“I understand, but there are two ships waiting ahead of us in this direction. If we keep going this way, you might be in trouble.”
But he wasn’t from anywhere else, so I figured he might actually listen to what I had to say. I imagined the two ships I could now see ahead of us were in cahoots with the ship chasing us from behind. Otherwise there would be no reason for the ship behind us to continue its pursuit while clearly lacking the speed to catch up. They were using their superior numbers to surround us. We were heading right into the middle of their net.
Suin’s expression grew dark. It seemed he fully understood the situation we were in now and regretted making the choice to run. Naturally, the toll levied on ships that tried to run was much greater than those who obediently came to a stop. It encouraged them to be more cooperative in the future and made an example of them for other ships.
There was also the possibility that the captains of the three ships had, in order to sate their own greed, specifically tried to trick Suin’s ship into running so they might charge that extra toll. Even on a military ship, the authority a captain held at sea was next to absolute. The more they collected in tolls and fines, the heavier their own pockets grew.
I didn’t hold that against them or anything. Even if they were part of the navy, life on the open seas was still dangerous. Without some sort of incentive, there would be no reason for anyone to take up the post. I was only bothered that they happened to be targeting the ship I was on.
I was sure the Skrolm navy had their own circumstances to consider, but that went for Suin and the crew of this ship as well. Suin had chosen to run because he knew that submitting to the navy’s toll could have a significant impact on his future business. And I, as someone who had booked passage on this ship, prioritized their goals over the navy’s.
“You can escape by going that way, though,” I said, pointing.
We had a strong tailwind keeping us ahead of the pursuing galley. If we changed direction, we’d lose the speed the wind was giving us and be caught by the ship behind us. That was why the other two ships had set up downwind of us.
But Suin stared at me for only a few seconds before he started barking out orders. “All right, I’m trusting you on this one. Hard to port! The wind is about to change! Be ready for it!”
✦ ✦ ✦
Ah, men of the sea were all very adaptable. Hearing Suin’s shout was distinctly pleasing.
“Wind and water...”
So I couldn’t hold back either. I entreated the aid of the spirits in the wind blowing past us and in the great sea below us to push our ship in our new direction.