Chapter 24

Taking the Ship

I handed out 6 spell tokens to the fish men, and the one that spoke my language asked if the command word I had chosen, 'activate' had to be in Trade as none of them spoke it. That took me a second to think through, but I decided probably not. It was intent and your own will that activated the magic, not the specific vibration in the air you used to communicate. It was magic. It could tell me the answer to basically any yes/no question I could pose. It could let me speak and understand any language, or tell me about the basics of any technological device I had never encountered. So just because I thought the command word should be a certain sound I was sure the magic could deal with it being another as long as the sound meant the same thing to each person.

They indicated they were ready.

"Charge!" Malachite shouted, drawing his sword. He seemed pretty exited.

As planned the fish men made their way into the cave, while Snarly pulled his dagger and vanished. Hanz powered up their weapon, and I slowly made my way after everyone. They pulled ahead quickly, I mean even Snarly could beat me in a footrace and as I came up to the entrance to the cave I saw the fish men fighting off sailor ghosts. My friends ignored all of them, simply rushing past them as per the plan, and turned the corner out of sight. I was now alone (apart from my two invisible companions of course) and looking into the cave as the two groups went at it. Now how can I best aid my new friends here? I mentally reviewed my spells and had a thought. The spell that made enemies drop their weapons just specified that a group of targets would be affected, not that those targets had to be corporal or not. I wasn't trying to hurt these ghosts, and magic itself could target ghosts no problem. I took a chance, gathered mana from the environment into my core, and cast the spell. It worked! All the ghosts fumbled their weapons, which to my surprise stayed visible rather than vanishing having left their hands. This also surprised one of the fish people wielding a halberd of some type who was in mid swing, slashing the ghost he was fighting across the chest. It staggered back and vanished.

Come on, I specifically said to try and avoid that!

I then spent a fairly amusing moment messing with the ghosts. They would reach for their weapons but I was much faster than they were. I could cast the spell, hold it, and when all of them had rearmed themselves simply let it go. They would then drop their weapons again. They repeated this twice more before they caught on, and the fish men basically backed them into the cave, near the bend, and held them there. I noticed there seemed to be another one missing, making me sigh, but I stood behind the line and looked them over.

"Can you understand me?" I called to them.

"What do you want, pirate?" said one back.

"Ah, you can. Good. Look, I know you feel you have a duty here, to keep other ships from meeting your fate but I assure you the compass will be taken out of human hands. No ship will ever be wrecked by it again because those that take it," I gestured to the fish people, "don't use ships." Not ships that sail above the water, anyway. I wonder if they have below the water ships? Like, pulled by whales or something? That would be cool to see.

"What are you talking about? What fate? We're just here to resupply and we'll be gone in the morning."

"You're ghosts! You haven't gone anywhere in years. Your ship is a wreck."

"It are not!"

"It is! Look at yourself."

He looked down. "I look fine, stop trying to trick us, such an obvious lie would never be believed. Pirate! If it wasn't for all that magic you kept using on us..."

I was trying to figure out how to get through to this guy, and if it was even worth doing so as they were effectively pinned now by the fish people but I heard a commotion in the direction of the ship and moved to investigate. I'd like to say I ran to investigate but we all know that would be a lie. Passing the ice elemental I realized it hadn't vanished yet, meaning they had somehow disabled it and left it for me. That's so sweet of them, they remembered! How about that? Passing it I came upon a strange scene. A rope halfway through the room was swinging back and forth, and Malachite was soaking wet. He was also missing his sword. Snarly, at least I assumed the invisible figure on the rope was Snarly as Hanz was also standing there looking around, must have let go and hit the rickety wooden door to the left of us and dramatically smashed through it.

"You have to give the little guy credit sometimes," Malachite announced. "Hey Orchid. Any problems?"

"Not on my end, ghosts are taken care of. How about here?" I asked, looking at the huge hole that was clearly the source of Malachite's current state. It seemed the water had made it in here and filled up the lower decks of the ship, so this floor would be all that breathing folks could get to. Alone, it would have just been me and Hanz, but we could send the fish people down there if we had to.

"Floor is rotten," he explained. "Snarly is investigating past here. Sorry, we had to kill two ghosts to get here. Two more ran off."

"That's odd, you guys aren't phased. I sort of saw-"

"I hear the sounds of combat," Hanz announced. "There may be more ghosts within that didn't get the message."

"I can get you over there, if you-" I started to say to Malachite, who swore, looked around, and shot upwards flapping his wings. He soared out of sight.

"Guess he has a plan. Well, I can get you over there if you-" I started to say to Hanz, who simply stepped into the hole and fell into the water.

I looked left and right, now standing there by myself. "Was it something I said?" I sniffed my armpit. I mean I can't be as bad as Snarly... I use cleansing magic all the time. Weird...

I heard a crashing from beyond and shrugged. If they didn't want my telekinesis magic to help them get over there, it was fine with me. Super fine. I didn't need their validation. I could leave right now if I wanted to. Would serve them right, really. Instead I just leaned back against the wall, arms folded. Is it cold in here or is it just me? Colder than it should be, I mean.

The day was quickly won, the group shouting to me that the captain had been dispatched, making me think I hadn't heard them right.

"What do you mean dispatched? He must have been a ghost, and you aren't phased?"

"I could hurt him!" Malachite shouted. "He seemed more solid than any ghost I've ever seen. Same as the ones in the passageway. There's some chests here, Snarly is picking the locks!"

"Great!" I shouted back. I specifically said not to kill any ghosts. Disarm them, I said. Let them realize their mission is over and they can depart, I said. Does no one listen to me? "Let me know if you need help moving them!"

"Will do." He went back into the room again.

You know, with magic? Which is what I do? The only thing... magic?

We got the chests out, thankfully the compass was in the larger one along with a bunch of moldy clothes Snarly was enraptured with. There was every possibility the thing was down in the hold somewhere, and that would have been a problem, sort of. We did have fish men on our side... which begged the question why they hadn't just swam under the boat, come up from there, and looked around bypassing the cave and the ice elemental completely. But now wasn't the time. We handed the compass over (after I took a quick look to make sure it wasn't a 'press this button to flood the entire surface world' magical item) and they departed. As they did the ghosts seemed to be gone, so at least some spirits found their rest that day. Malachite was clutching a chest like it was his baby or something, so I pointed to it. "Find something good?"

"Mine!" he insisted, pulling it away from me. Then he seemed to shake himself and carefully set it down. "Sorry! Wow, that's a powerful instinct. Yeah, take a look." It was a classical pirate booty, with coins and gems aplenty, meaning if we could liquidate it, we were all about to be quite wealthy.

"Nice," I told him. "I guess the map paid off after all."

"You can say that again," he agreed, snapping the lid shut. "Can't wait to see what we've got here, but maybe back at home?"

"What's in the barrel?" I asked.

"Some kinda booze," Snarly told me. "Don't know if iths good anymore or not."

"Well, you can always use it as a rust remover or something."

"That is not factually accurate," Hanz told me. "In fact, the breakdown of alcohol molecules results in-"

"Anyway, I see you left me a gift," I told them all, thumb pointing back into the cave. "Let's get him healed. Cover him so he doesn't make trouble and I'll question him. Thanks, by the way."

"We can learn from our mistakes," Malachite told me.

Slowly, I refrained from saying, because I wasn't mean like that.

With the ice creature pinned and covered by a laser, a sword (a fish man had gotten it back for Malachite, he had lost it while almost plunging through the deck before) two daggers and my own allies, I cast a healing spell. The hole in the ice was pretty small, but it was in the thing's head, so I wasn't sure how much damage it had taken. Plus, I didn't want it too healed so it was a danger again, if it somehow decided to make trouble for us despite all the danger it was in. If it could blow itself up or something... ouch. But we had to risk it. I had to know what exactly we were facing. I had the spell already going to understand any language, and as the hole closed up it seemed to come around.

"You awake?" I asked it.

"I am," it replied. "You have left me alive for a reason, I assume?"

So it is intelligent. That's a good piece of information right there. "That's right. I'll trade you your life for information." Killing one of these or letting it go isn't going to matter much in the larger scheme of things. It's the only thing I can offer that has any meaning to it. Let's see if it values its own existence or not.

"It seems I have little choice."

"Correct. What are you doing here?"

"I am carrying out the will of the Gloom."

Guarding this old wreck is the will of the Gloom? It has strange tastes. "What is the Gloom, exactly?"

"The Gloom simply is."

What? "How did you come to this world?"

"The ways of the Gloom are not for me to understand."

So you have no idea? "What does it want?"

"To cover the land and make all who live here despair!"

But why? What does it get out of it? Still, maybe someone sent it here and we can find them and get better answers. "Do you have a master that you answer to?"

"I serve only the Gloom. You too could serve, I sense a great power within you. You would be a valuable asset to the Gloom."

"And if I did serve? What would the Gloom ofter me?"

"Service to the Gloom is it's own reward!"

Oh really? Not a very good sales pitch buddy. Maybe you aren't all that bright? I expected it to offer me knowledge, or more power. Not just... nothing. "Do you know how the Gloom came here? Did someone here invite it?"

"I tire of these questions! Either kill me now or release me as you promised."

I stared down at it. It didn't seem like it was going to budge. In fact those answers were more like a drone, or someone under the influence of magic robbing them of their ability to think about anything but what the caster wanted. Magic could be nasty like that. "Fine," I told it. "Go then, and tell your Gloom it will fail, because there are people in this world that will fight it, and win."

It just laughed and suddenly burst apart into water, splashing to the ground. Everyone jumped back, not expecting this. I sure hadn't. Did the elemental energy keeping that ice together just go away? Did it return home through some means? I'm more confused than ever now.

"Learn anything?" Malachite asked.

"Not nearly as much as I would have liked," I replied, shaking my head. "Certainly nothing we can act on, it was like the Gloom itself was controlling it. It was all just Gloom this and Gloom that. I can write it all down later, maybe send it to the guild? They should be told what's happening here. It didn't seem very smart, honestly. But it could talk... it's very strange."

"The ship is looted, I suggest we depart," Hanz told us.

"Yeeeesss," I agreed slowly.

"Is there something else?"

"Maybe." We left the cave and I stared down at the ship. "They were just guarding the compass, even if they didn't know it. I doubt most of the crew even knew the captain had such a treasure. Why would he tell them." Could it have been the captain's will keeping them here? He knew what had happened to the ship, and he wanted to prevent anyone else finding it. His crew was so loyal they stayed even after death. Huh, a romantic idea, I guess.

"What are you thinking?" Malachite asked.

"Not about romance! What?" I cleared my throat. "I think the ship and what remains of the crew that's aboard should be finally put to rest. They did us a service we didn't even know about, and it's not fair they just are left here to rot. Bones of the crew or the ship. It just doesn't seem right. You're sure we've gotten everything out of the ship there is to get?"

"Completely," Hanz agreed. "But I am still not following. Our only option is fire, and the ship will not burn. It has been here too long."

"That's not what I have in mind at all. See, I think you guys have been, in a word, underestimating me as of late. Let's see what we can do to remind you what I'm all about." I took a deep breath and regarded the ship. Telekinesis magic on a target affects the entire target. That's why I can't cast just on somebody's ear and rip it off. It's the whole target or nothing. So the ship should hold together long enough to be moved. If I can put my money where my mouth is. If I can't, I am about to look very, very foolish. Or die to backfire, I guess? Nah, that won't happen, I know what I'm doing. Right? Right! I opened my mana core further than I had ever dared, mixing ambient mana with what was stored there. I raised my hands, carefully taking as much time as I could to cast the spell, and a bright circle, brighter than any before, appeared above it. Rotating and glittering, the ship shuddered as magic took hold of it. I gritted my teeth and released the magic. "Move," I commanded, and swung my hand around, making a lifting motion with two fingers. The ship responded. I raised it slowly, as that was the most dramatic, the water pouring from it as it lifted clear out of the water, my three companions stunned into silence beside me. I made a shoving motion, and it headed out over the water. When I felt it was clear of the rocks (I had no idea how far that would be but I pushed it out pretty far) I pointed my fingers down. "Sink," I commanded, not that I needed to. I just felt it was more badass. The ship complied, splashing back down into the water and rapidly sinking out of sight. "Now that is a burial at sea," I announced, making a slashing motion and dropping the spell. I put my hands together and bowed my head. "May their souls finally rest in peace." I looked between my awestruck companions. "Yeah," I said to them as I turned and walked away from the edge. "And don't you forget it."

Okay, may have laid it on a little thick there, but wow that was amazing. I did it! Still have far to go, what's she even talking about? Huh, maybe it was because of that comment I wanted to try it in the first place? I really shouldn't show off like that. But did you see their faces? I mean not Hanz they don't really have a face but the others? Yeah that was worth it. I think? Yeah, sure...

"Er, sorry about all that," I told the others when they came over to me. "Not sure what came over me just then. Not like me at all. Let's just forget the whole thing happened!"

"We are not ignorant of the fact it is your magic augmenting us greatly," Hanz told me. "We do appreciate it."

"What are you even talking about? Did something happen? I don't recall anything. Let's go! You ready Malachite?"

"Perhaps it is best if we depart."

"Don't forget tha chesth," Snarly reminded us. As if we would.

We made it back to town without incident, and Snarly sat at the table looking over the gems and chortling to himself. Not chuckling. Not laughing. This was a chortle if I ever heard one. He set some aside and rattled off some numbers to Hanz, as he still couldn't read apparently, and when done Hanz announced the total. It was quite large.

"But can we find a merchant with enough capital to buy all of these at once?" they wondered. "Though I suppose traveling to a few merchants would be less suspicious."

"We did acquire them legitimately," Malachite reminded them. "That ship was there a long time, no one is going to come looking for them at this point. Plus it, uh, sank." He glanced over to me. "So it's not even as obvious it was there in the first place. We should be in the clear. My concern is the taxes we'll have to pay on the lot! It'll be considered income by the town!"

"No doubt," I agreed. "We can ask around, it's too late tonight." This was true, it was getting dark and even I didn't want to carry a sack full of gemstones around town at night. Even with my favorite bodyguard. Too easy for a pickpocket to slip something away from you without you even noticing.

"Agreed," Hanz agreed. "We should place them into the 'safe' for the night and leave that task for tomorrow. We have another few days before the date of the meeting, correct?"

The safe being me sculpting the stone of the floor in the basement, shoving them into the hole, and covering it again. It works. "By my calculations, yes," I agreed. "Then we can go after this dragon that's flying around and visit our lovely sewer system. Really looking forward to that one!"

"Ith not so bad, onth you get used to it," Snarly told us, gathering all the gems back into the bag. "I'm going through the chest, thanth for taking it to my room, Malachihe."

"Sure thing little guy," he said, rubbing his head. "You have fun."

"Sthop that!"

"Night all!"

I took the bag and headed downstairs, tomorrow should be interesting.

Little did I know how interesting.