Attend the assembly on the main deck

Three hours pass in the blink of an eye. You would have thought you’d only been laying in the hammock for fifteen minutes if not for the sailor currently banging two pans together and marching through the lower deck.

“If you can move, move your ass up to the main deck!” says the sailor in between bouts of banging. Apparently you weren’t the only ones to get some rest after that craziness, as you see plenty of sailors rolling out of their hammocks at the sign of the banging pans. You and Lia both follow their example and get ready to head upstairs. It feels as if you never quite fell asleep, but you do seem at least a little rested. Blythe wakes up as well, and to your surprise is able to roll out of her hammock on her own, albeit very slowly. Lia beats you to the punch and offers the elf her shoulder to lean on, then the three of you move upstairs together.

The scene awaiting you on the main deck is, in some ways, more grim than it was three hours ago. The mid-afternoon sun shines on splatters of blood which still cake the deck everywhere you look, and off to one side are piled corpses of the fallen, wrapped in their own hammocks and soon to be buried at sea. Assembled in three rows of ten in the center of the deck is a group of sailors, all facing towards the rear end of the ship. In front of them, also standing in a row and facing the rear, are five specialists who are each in charge of maintaining some aspect of the ship, its crew, or its cargo; you’d expect the doctor to be in this group, but you don’t see him. Off to the left of that block of crew stands the woman you protected earlier, Miss Smith, looking very displeased to be attending this meeting. Finally, standing to either side of the door to the Captain’s Quarters and facing the rest of the attendees, are the first and second mates. With the exception of the irritated, but otherwise healthy, Miss Smith, everyone in attendance looks haggard and bloodied. You and the girls join the assembly by standing off to the right of the sailor block. Moments later, Captain Witterel exits his quarters and addresses the crowd.

“As you all know, we suffered a catastrophic **** this morning,” he says, standing staunchly at attention in front of the assembled crew. “This being primarily a merchant vessel, we were unfortunately ill-prepared to handle such an unforeseen circumstance. There is little we can do to remedy such ill-preparedness now, but I shall nevertheless urge you all to be on your guard from this moment onward. It appears these waters are far more dangerous than any of us expected.” Without turning his eyes from the crowd, the elven ship captain starts pacing slowly side to side as he continues his speech. “It grieves me to report that eleven lives were lost in the attack, including our esteemed guests Mr. and Mrs. Burgh. We of the Ishelle pride ourselves on the excellent care of our honored passengers; this is indeed a heavy blow.” Captain Witterel stops and stares at Miss Smith for a few seconds, it being obvious to you that those last words were said specifically as assurances to her. He then returns to his central, staunch position and continues his address. “Also among the dead is the good Dr. Henson. As many of you know, he acted swiftly and with great courage in our darkest hour, carrying many of your injured brothers and sisters down to the ward and administering emergency care. I would ask for the same commitment to the line of duty from any choosing his, the most noble profession.” The captain pauses for a moment of silence before carrying on. “Our reduced numbers due to **** and injury have necessitated a rearrangement of the roster. Lieutenant Tonaril will inform you directly if your shift has been affected. Dismissed.” The captain then salutes the block of sailors, who salute back before dispersing.

“Ready to head back to bed?” you ask the girls. Both of them look eager to enact that plan, but you’re all thwarted by Captain Witterel appearing before you. The man looks you each in turn, once again choosing to keep his attention on Blythe as he starts talking.

“I am sorry to hold you three, but I would like a few words,” he says. “First, I would like to thank you for your aid in the battle earlier. It has been brought to my understanding that you were each of tremendous value in the defense of this vessel. For your efforts, I would like to offer you all the private guest room recently vacated by the late Mr. and Mrs. Burgh. It is not much, but I hope you will find the accommodations agreeable.” The captain then turns his attention from Blythe to you. “I have been informed that you are a healing mage of outstanding talent,” he says.

“I do what I can,” you say, thinking back on how much time you’ve spent recovering from mana fatigue in the last couple of days.

“My crew is in dire straits after this attack,” says the captain. “Without Dr. Henson, I fear many of the injured may not make it to port. I am afraid I must ask you to lend me your aid in getting them back on their feet. Will you do this for me?”