You wake up the next day in your cabin. The ship moves across the sea. You are gradually getting closer to your goal...

Your sleep was long. It's likely that your sleep duration has been affected by the accumulated fatigue that has occurred due to the events of the last few days. When you woke up, you saw that the half-orc Oolok was sitting on a chair near the bed. He holds in his hands a small apple with a bite mark visible on it. The half-orc chews a piece of apple and looks at you.

You yawn. Then you ask, “I fell asleep quickly last night. Have I been sleeping for a long time?

Oolok replies: “About 12 hours of continuous sleep. You're lucky to have friends who can watch over you while you sleep."

You stretch your arms out to the sides and stretch your stiff joints.

You say: “You are hinting that there may also be problems on the ship... I’m not sure that your fears are justified... Maybe this ship is relatively safe? We managed to leave the city of Skelweerd. I'm sure this ship was inspected by city guards before it sailed. Therefore, it is unlikely that any of the bandits were able to get on board the ship..."

Oolok frowns and says: “It’s better to be too vigilant than to get a dagger in the belly for not being vigilant enough...”

Having said this, Oolok finished his apple, stood up from his chair and began rummaging through his backpack. He's probably making sure his things are in the right place.

You got out of bed and looked around the sparse interior of your cabin. However, you are not surprised. It would be naive of you to assume that the captain of the city guard of the city of Skelweerd will spend money to provide you with a luxurious stay on board this ship...

You feel a slight sea motion. Due to the unfamiliarity of your current position, you experience a slight feeling of nausea. But you manage to restrain yourself.

You think: “With time, I’ll get used to it. I just don’t have enough sea travel experience..."

Oolok turns around and says, “Here’s another reason to stay alert and vigilant: keep in mind that you should regularly monitor the safety of your luggage, Jerome.”

You ask the question: “Do you have any reason to fear theft from sailors?”

Oolok looks at you condescendingly and says, “Don’t be naive, Jerome. The first reason to be wary of theft is the very fact of having at least some valuable items in your luggage. And the second reason: this is the presence of about a hundred persons nearby who are the crew of this Orlanian dromon. In addition, there are a small number of passengers on the ship that are unfamiliar to us.”

What you didn't expect was that you, Oolok and Franz are not the only passengers on this ship.

You took your bag and you checked the presence of all the things that made up your luggage. After a couple of minutes, you realized with satisfaction that all your things were where they should be. Nothing was stolen. You touched the hilt of your elven dagger, which is in a small sheath on your belt. This touch, for some unknown reason, instilled a bit of confidence and peace in your mind.

You asked the half-orc: “Where is Franz now?”

Oolok said: “He went to the galley. He said that he wanted to see how things were going on on this ship with food preparation and drinking water supplies. And he also wanted to talk to one of the sailors..."

You feel vaguely uneasy about Franz's absence. The reason for this concern is not clear.

You think: “Perhaps my mind is tormented by the tragic events of the past days... I am becoming overly suspicious...”

Your thoughts are interrupted by a loud knock. This sound occurred due to the fact that someone suddenly opened the door to your cabin.

You jumped in surprise. Oolok pulled out his sword, which had previously been disguised in some rags.

A tall, black-haired human stood in the doorway. It was your friend Franz.

He laughed and said, “Looks like you two will soon be raising the alarm even at the sound of some ship rat shitting in the corner of the cabin! Ha! Ha!

Franz entered the cabin and sat down on the second chair. In his hand you see several crackers.

Franz ate one cracker and said: “Rye bread crackers. I went to the galley and looked at the food and drink that this ship has. I managed to buy some of these crackers from the ship's cook. I can say that the food and drink on this ship are as meager as the interior of our cabin.”

Oolok put his sword away and again disguised the sword with rags.

The half-orc then asked Franz: “What did you manage to find out from talking with the sailors?”

Franz finished his crackers and replied: “The ship is loaded to capacity. The purpose of this ship's voyage to the elven island city of Tior-Faen is to sell a large batch of orlanian cloth. Boxes of goods filled almost the entire hold. In addition to the hold, boxes with goods also occupy one of the cabins. By the way: there are usually five cabins for passengers on this ship. Now cabin number 1 is filled with wooden boxes with cloth. We are in cabin number 4. Judging by the stories of the sailors with whom I shared a bottle of ale: some unusual passenger lives in cabin number 5. All the information that sailors know about him: he is an elf, he rarely leaves his cabin and he is a rather irritable guy. Cabin number 2 is occupied by a human male, who works as a mercenary and travels in search of an employer. This mercenary's name is Oswald Dreinig. He is an old acquaintance of the captain of this ship. And one more thing: this guy loves to drink. Cabin number 3 is occupied by an elderly human merchant. He sells books and scrolls. Judging by the words of the sailors, this stooped, funny old man often travels to sell his goods or to buy new batches of books.”

Oolok listens with a thoughtful look to the information that Franz was able to obtain through communication with some of the crew of this ship.

You also feel restless.

However, another part of your consciousness senses the absurdity of aspirations that make you see a threat in every person you meet.

You think: “If I fear for the safety of my life because of every sound or because of every person, then I will soon go crazy! I left the city of Skelweerd... I need to relax and calm down a little... I need to take my mind off my paranoid thoughts..."