Captain?
Aye, what is it?
What is it now?
Give credit where credit is due, Luiec. This ship is the fastest there is. I can outrun a Shadowship in this old lady.
By the foul bowels of Jaal, you're right, Luiec. It's closing in faster than any storm I've seen or heard, Chaos or otherwise. It's like it's chasing something or someone...
All right, listen up! The storm's going to hit in an hour or two, and I want everything to be ready! Tighten the hatches, strap down the cargo, wake up the watch, and by Jaal's big toe, someone put a lid on the apple barrel!
How long will it take us to get to Alais?
We should reach the island by tomorrow night. Unless we get bad weather.
Thanks, cap'n.
It's actually cap-tain. Please do try to remember, and while you're at it, cut back on the scurvy sea-dog schtick, would you?
Just trying to fit in, sir.
You have as much chance of fitting in here as I do growing a second head, marrying myself, and moving to Corasan to start a pottery business.
Thanks.
Aye. Now leave me be.
Any chance of bad weather?
Well...as any experienced sailor will tell you, the weather is a freakish thing, and you never know quite what to expect.
What does your nose have to do with the weather?
Well, that's a story, be sure of that...
And...?
That's all. It's just a story, and you'd better be sure of that.
I'd like to hear that itchy-nose story.
Why?
Because I'm sure it's a real tall tale of the sea, filled with bravura adventure and victories snatched from the rabid jaws of certain death.
I had a bad accident with my nose hair scissors, and ever since that day, when the weather's acting up, my nose itches.
You gotta be careful when you trim those nose hairs.
Aye, I've come to that realization on my own.
So your nose itches when the weather's bad?
A deep, scarring itch, as from the filthy bowels of the Mo-Jaal.
Do you know any sea shanties?
Jaal be thanked, I do not know a single one.
Not even a "ho-ho-ho on a dead man's casket", or something like that?
If I went "ho-ho-ho" on a dead man's casket, girl, the crew would tie me up in the hold. With good reason too.
Would you like to learn a sea shanty?
No. Actually, there is nothing in the world I want less than to learn a sea shanty. I would rather stick my head up the arse of an Elgwan who's just had a dinner rich with beans, and light a torch.
I feel in the mood for a shanty.
And I feel in the mood for a keelhauling.
But, no, no chance of a storm at all, or my nose would be itching.
Oh, and before you leave, mind you only take two apples a day from the apple barrel. We're running a little short, and aside from fish -- Jaal forbid -- we have no other food on board.
Sir?
Leave me be, girl! I have work to do. We must avoid the storm, lest it comes on us like Jaal's calloused heel and crushes us.
But we're still going to Alais, right?
Hah! You can forget about that. We must avoid the dangerous waters of the islands and head straight for Ge'en if we're to stand a chance of outrunning the storm.
But I have to get to Alais as soon as possible! The fate of worlds depends on it!
And the fate of my ship and my crew depends on us changing our course for Ge'en. Now leave me be!
Sir?
Leave me be!
Captain, the worms have invaded the apple barrel!
Cursed be the Balance! First the storm, now this? Is there no end to the horrors? Let me see!
Jaal's infected arsehole, ye be right! Those are worms, all right -- vicious, snarling wheat worms driven mad by their hunger for a change of diet!
Good of you to catch it, girl, before it spread any further! I'll have to go pluck the apples immediately. They must be saved!
As far as I could tell, that was the only apple infected...but I could be wrong.
Hello, Tun.
Are you enjoying the ride, April?
I feel sick.
I'd enjoy it a lot more if the ground wasn't moving.
I'm having the time of my life.
Really? I thought you had a fear of the sea.
No. Me? No. I love the sea. Especially the way it keeps going back and forth and back...and...oh God.
Do not fret, we will be in port by sunset tomorrow.
Everyone feels sick when they first take to sea. It is natural.
Really? So when does it pass?
You will get used to it in a month or two. Three at the most.
Oh God... I'm not sure I want to get used to it.
But the ground is not moving. The boat is.
Hey, you try to tell my stomach that.
Why doesn't that make me feel any better...
How are we doing on time?
With the help of your magic, we are crossing faster than I had ever thought possible.
Keep her steady, Tun.
I will, April.
When will we be on Alais?
By sunset tomorrow, if the wind holds.
How fast is it possible to travel by sea?
I do not know. I have heard tell of a ship that once went so fast it took to the sky, and disappeared. From time to time, sailors spot the ship as it floats across the heavens. It is said to be an omen.
The Flying Dutchman, right?
No. They call it Bad Luck.
I have a question about your compass.
Of course.
I have some more questions about your compass.
Yes?
What's going on, Tun?
A storm approaches, April, and it is no ordinary storm...
What do you mean by "no ordinary storm"?
Look to the clouds, do they appear normal to you?
I'll let you go back to work.
Thank you.
What have you heard about Chaos storms?
That they appear only rarely, and that they signify great and terrible events in the near future. It is also said that they are weapons used by the dark lords of Chaos to hunt and destroy those strong in the Balance.
Can we escape a Chaos storm?
If we run fast enough and reach safe harbor...perhaps. I have not heard of a Chaos storm to last more than a single night, and this one is still quite a distance away. But it gains fast. I do not know, April.
Will you still be able to get me to Alais tomorrow?
I am afraid not. The captain has ordered our course changed south, to get us away from the rocky waters around the islands.
We are about three days away from Ge'en, but if the weather improves before then, perhaps he will be willing to turn about.
But I would not count on it, April. He cares much for his ship, and for his crew, and he would not risk it for anything or anyone.
You still need my magic to get wind in your sails.
The wind seems to be picking up on its own, thus Nebevay has no need for your magic, April. I am sorry, but once we reach Ge'en I am certain you will find passage to the islands.
I don't have a three days, Tun. The Balance is failing.
I am sorry. It is out of my hands.
I have a question about your compass.
Certainly.
I have some more questions about your compass.
Yes?
Do you want me to relieve you at the wheel for a while?
I am not sure if this is such a good idea, April.
What's the big deal? I just hold it straight, right?
Well...I could do with a short break to stretch my legs. Fine, but I will be back soon. And if anything happens just call out for help.
Of course. Thanks!
I think I may have strayed off course a bit when I was at the wheel.
I did not feel the boat turning.
Well, I have feeling we're gonna miss Ge'en by a coupla hundred kilometers if you don't correct our course.
Let me check the compass.
Is it my imagination, or is the storm getting closer?
By the Balance, you are right! The storm is catching up with us! We might have to ride it out. It is good we are nowhere near the islands, or we would have to worry about reefs as well.
Reefs? Nobody said anything about reefs. Tun, I have something to tell--
Captain! Sir! We need you on the bridge! The storm is closing in!
They look strange, it's true.
It is a Chaos storm, a strong storm caught in a magical vortex, drawn to strong magic like bees to honey. I have never seen one with my own eyes, but I have heard stories.
What kind of compass are you using?
It is just a normal spirit compass. When we are not navigating by the stars, or by the sun, we use this.
What's a "spirit compass"?
I forget that you are not familiar with the sea. A spirit compass points always to the magical north pole, and thus we may navigate according to it. It is very precise, unless affected by a strong magical source.
Won't the Chaos storm affect the accuracy of the spirit compass?
Tell me again what's needed to affect the spirit compass.
If the storm catches up with us, perhaps. But I do not think so. Only a very focused magical field in close proximity to the compass would be able to affect it.
A very strong magical field in close proximity to the compass.
Thanks, that's all I needed to know.
I hope this knowledge made you richer.
Thanks, that's all I needed to know.
I hope this knowledge made you richer.
By the Balance, you are right, April. It is good you were aware of your mistake or we might have ended up pierced on the deadly reefs of Tagate.
I will correct our course immediately.
Sorry about that.
Oh no, I let you take the wheel. I am just glad we are back on course.
Yeah. Back on course (coughs).
