Setting sail 11- Seven More Nights

Rushing through the streets he made his way to the archives. The elven manual in hand, he opened the dropbox and placed the book there. It could be checked back in at the end of the day. Or maybe it was tomorrow morning. He wasn’t entirely sure which. Regardless Amy would find it and return it to where it belonged. His time with it was over. Next on his to do list was the docks. He wouldn’t be allowed on the ship and Barry would probably drag him back to his house if he tried to do any kind of labor, but he could still speak with Dortas. The young gnomish lad had grown on him like moss on a stone. The noises of the dock in the late morning greeted him and he proudly marched on. A few gulls screeched and circled above, diving occasionally towards the stall that was actively swapping fish. What surprised him most was a ship besides the Gracious Pearl being docked. It wasn’t a rare sight, but they wasn’t one scheduled for another two days.

Eyeing the other ship cautiously, he continued to walk onto the Gracious Pearl. The deck was relatively lively. People he didn’t recognize milled about in naval uniforms. The more important ones seemed to be speaking with the captain directly. Wilkes could see his jaw clenched tight, but didn’t hear any yelling yet so figured it was fine. Erik pointed to him while in the middle of a conversation with two of the naval sailors. The pair turned on their heels and walked directly towards him.

“You must be Wilkes of Thellin, son of Rebecca?” He was greeted by a woman with wild red hair and a heavy spread of freckles. She stood somewhere around 5’2” and had a shapely build. The belt on her coat only accentuated her small waist more. He decided not to stare at her body and went back to her face before giving the wrong impression. There was an intelligence in her sparkling blue eyes that left him staring at her rather than answering her question at first.

“Depends, who’s askin’?” Wilkes finally spoke after a short pause. He was gonna be somewhat defensive, and the redhead narrowed her eyes slightly. She had a bit of a temper as he saw her teeth grit as she tried, and failed, to suppress a low growl.

“I’m Pauline. I work with the navy as a magical tutor. I was told that this back water island managed to create a two bit spell crafter. I figured it would be the one rumored to be out killing pirates. So is that you, or is some other yokel going to wander onto this ship and be who I’m looking for?” Pauline spoke with a rising fury. The man that was with her put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and she took a few deep breaths.

“Yea, I’m Wilkes. I don’t appreciate being called a yokel. Sure, Thellin might be the smallest of the islands, but we’re most certainly not backwater.” Wilkes argued back calmly, Pauline then eyed him up and down. It was the usual romantic kind of analysis. No, she eyed him like a specimen in a lab.

“Will you give us a demonstration then? A life in the navy reserves could put some bolding on Thellin’s name on the map.” The sparkle had turned from intelligence to curiosity. He glanced at the man with her. He was rather unremarkable. Relatively fit build, close cropped brown hair, brown eyes, and a thin scar over his lips.

“Uh, I mean I could. I only got some basics and some situational stuff going for me. Who’s the piece a dozen guy here? Does he talk?”

“My name is Jeremiah. I do talk. I’m just a navy sailor.” Jeremiah spoke briefly and with a good bit of bass to his voice. Wilkes nodded at that. A like minded kind of guy, quick and to the point. With a yawn Wilkes started to stretch. He glanced up to the helm and waved to his captain.

“Captain! Am I still on bed rest or can I show the navy what I figured out I can do?” Wilkes called his boss. A thumbs up was the only response. Barry seemed to scowl at that, but bit his tongue. Nodding to Jeremiah, he motioned for him to put up his fists. The naval officer nodded and took off his coat. It was folded and left on the railing.

Moving further into the deck where they would at least have space to tussle, Rangpar suddenly made himself adamantly present. The apprentices flanked him and eagerly cheered for Wilkes. Offering a handshake as a sign of good will, Jeremiah honored that. It seemed he was a good man one way or another, on first impressions. Wilkes immediately used an elven stance. Leaving his head and torso exposed in a fist fight seemed stupid, but he had a plan. Jeremiah eyed him nervously, a tight boxing stance keeping his face covered and torso half guarded. Wilkes waved him on with a free hand. A lunging step let a jab fly, Wilkes twisted freely to the side and danced around the blow. A series of jabs began to chase him, and he remained mobile.

Jeremiah seemed to become aware of how mobile Wilkes was and decided to stomp on his foot before swinging another punch. Momentarily paused in his movement, Wilkes ate the punch clean to his jaw. Now with witnesses, just in case the navy was planning something sneaky, he was doing deliberate self defense. Whirling from the blow, his heel struck Jeremiah’s jaw in turn. When his hands met the deck he grounded himself. He needed to be patient. Keep the magic as secretive as possible, don’t want to go showing anything that will get him immediately conscripted. Now back on his feet, he reassessed Jeremiah. He stood at roughly 5’11. Seemed to be somewhere around 200 pounds. Large frame, physically fit, and clearly well fed. Compared to where Wilkes stood at 5’10 and 170, he was at two physical disadvantages. Better use some magic then.

Jeremiah closed the gap again, a hook with his left this time. Wilkes brought up an arm to block, and traded a jab to the other man’s diaphragm. He heard the air rush out, and then strong gust push him back. The leather of his boots scuffed the deck as he was flung backward. With his opponent on the backfoot, he pressed on the attack. A quick barrage of jabs struck Jeremiah’s raised guard. He was buffeted by repeat gusts of wind in changing directions each time. The naval sailor was being tossed by conflicting forces from his jabs and the wind he was creating. If his base had been any weaker in his stance, he would’ve tumbled.

A swift kick to the outside of Wilkes left thigh caused the struck limb to buckle beneath him. A stomp came hurtling towards his chest, but he thankfully rolled away quickly enough. On all fours he rushed the other man and tackled him to the deck. Jeremiah was forced to raise his guard as punches rained down. Wilkes wound his fist back and swung a hook, when he met nothing but guard a gust of wind pulled the two off the ground. The peanut gallery went wild from the railing. The naval officers stopped mid conversation to stare at them. Jeremiah dropped his guard for a second to notice the two of them were now at fully standing height in the air. When the deck came up to meet him again, Wilkes used his body as a platform to jump off of. Both men breathed heavily and smiled at each other.

Wilkes dropped his guard and stretched out a hand. There wasn’t need for more of a fight. What had needed to be proven and demonstrated was shown. Wilkes fought against someone that had both reach and weight on him to a near stand still, then turned the fight his way with magic. Pauline looked at him greedily from the sidelines.

“I do have a few questions for you Wilkes, assuming you are open to a small questionnaire?” Pauline had practically ran to him while he was still catching his breath. He nodded, but raised a finger until his heart rate fully settled.

“Tell ye what, I’ll answer yer questions, but only if my buddy Erik can be present.” Wilkes said, Pauline nodded and pulled out a small parchment and a stylus. The apprentices all ran up to him and gushed about how cool he was while he noticed Pauline growing slightly annoyed.

“What’s the matter Polly? Ye don’t like the lads?” Wilkes decided to tease her, and he saw a vein bulge slightly on her forehead. A sinister glare focused onto him. It was hard to take her seriously while looking down slightly at her. He did notice there was a bit of bulge alongside her back with her coat on. Weird.

“Do not call me Polly.” Pauline snapped at him. She grabbed the laces of his shirt and tugged him down to be eye level with her. Somehow she seemed even more attractive now. If they’d be sailing with them to the mainland like his gut told them they might, he would try to have a good bit of time conveniently around her. He could tell Beatrice about it when he returned from Osan. Grabbing her wrist and wrenching her hand from his shirt, he straightened. The half foot difference in their height showed itself again. He smirked at her.

“Sorry, force of habit to get under people’s skin. They never quite beat it outta me.” Wilkes said calmly. He straightened his shirt a bit and ushered the apprentices away. He needed to talk to Dortas later, but somehow he had roped himself into being interviewed.

“Excuse him, his manner got lost at sea when he was shipwrecked.” Erik made himself known. He had been watching with interest and picked up on his presence being requested. Pauline side eyed him before she finally spoke.

“I have three questions. How often can you use that wind magic on a scale of once a day in bursts like that, to as naturally as breathing? Second, how long have you been capable of using magic, and how quickly did you reach your current level of mastery? Third, do you have any other magical abilities you did not present during the demonstration?” She tapped the back of her stylus on her parchment while asking the questions, almost punctuating the seemingly routine questionnaire. Wilkes cast a glance to Erik, the half elf nodded for him to answer honestly.

“As naturally as breathing after some rigorous training these past few months. Roughly three months, right after the tide reapers invaded I cast that spell for the first time. I punched a hole in a storm while we were at sea. Created a second eye in it the followed the ship during a rescue mission when one of our apprentices went overboard.” Wilkes decided to not be entirely forthwith about all of his abilities. Just the ones he believed could only prove he had wind magic to a reasonable person. The creek healing him, and his repeated dream interruptions from gods would be his little secret.

“Mhmm, can anyone verify that you created the second eye of the storm. And further, who has been training you?” Pauline scribbled furiously on the parchment. She seemed to be writing a lot which he figured was good for her, and only potentially good for him.

“All the members of our crew were in attendance. Captain Jonah Tellish can tell you more about it. I admit I dove in after my apprentice when he went overboard.” Erik answered before Wilkes could.

“Right, only your crew can verify a cataclysmic scale magical feat. So far I have only seen things befitting a mage half your age. Impressive you learned in such a short time, and without an incantation to boot. Nothing befitting a service bonus.” Pauline stated a bit mechanically. She seemed a bit disappointed in that.

“If it storms while we’re sailing again I can do it again. I have an incantation for it.” Wilkes offered, her eyes slid over to him from Erik. He coulda swore he heard the gears turning in her head. “What’s a cataclysmic scale magical feat anyways? Is there a scale for that kind of thing?”

“You don’t know about the magical index? The scale that magical feats are measured by and rank the mage that caused it?” Pauline answered his questions with questions. She seemed to be more confused than he was at the revelation.

“Don’t have a magic tutor here in Thellin. We’ve been learning about magical theory in books from the archives.” Wilkes admitted. Her eyes went wide at that. She began to assess him closely, doing a full circle walk around his body. Poking and prodding at his body. He stiffened and bristled at the touch.

“Huh, yeah you’re purely human by the look of you. No innate advanced magical route there. Just kind of a prodigy then. Especially to just figure it out after starting your career. You are an odd one, Wilkes of Thellin.” She scribbled more on her note pad. Rolling the page up she tucked it into a pocket for later it seemed. Next she clapped her hands once. She stood looking smugly at him.

“Just Wilkes is fine, Pauline.” He assured her. “Because I can see a scheme when it’s brewin’. Yer plannin some kind of escort so ye can keep a close eye on me aren’t ye?”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. The tide reapers have been more active, and with your name still running through their rumor mill you are at a slight risk with your voyage to Osan merely days away. I can’t promise I will be there, but someone will.” She was playing coy. No one would introduce themselves as a magical tutor, interview a novice mage, and then just not stick around. Or at least, that kind of decision didn’t make sense to Wilkes. He folded his arms, and chewed his lip for a second.

“Right, well I guess I’ll just keep killing pirates. Already spent the money I earned from the last bounty we cashed.” He spoke honestly, not hiding that he saw it that way. Exactly why he couldn’t place. Admittedly he would prefer not to encounter them on the open sea where it would be an even playing field. Deep down he wanted to hunt them down without his fishing crew. Pirates were still people, there was a chance some could be rehabilitated after the particularly violent ones were ended. That could be his job in the navy. Killing pirates, making sure they didn’t have the chance to terrorize a small island like his again.

“If you can make your way to Terial, I would be delighted to help you with the paperwork to join up. May even get you assigned to the same ship as myself and Jeremiah.” Pauline offered sincerely. He couldn’t get a clear read on her, but could tell this was at least a mostly genuine offer. He nodded slowly.

“We’ll see. I’m set to be a man of will here shortly, can’t go running off to be a spoke in the navy’s wheelhouse until I make good on that. Hope ye understand.” Wilkes countered. Pauline’s sharp smile wavered but remained on her face afterward. He found himself staring at her plump lips as she spoke.