Bookworld Online: Marsh Man

Bokuboy

I stood on the rear deck of the ship that could survive a lot being done to it. Like me. I wore a mockery of the Gulf Kingdom's navy uniform with epaulettes on my shoulders that were twice as big, a hat twice as high, and huge buttons on the coat. The crew below on the main deck were snickering and chuckling at me and I hadn't even spoken yet.

“As you can all see, I have been reborn as the outrageous embodiment of arrogance!” I shouted and they all laughed. “We've done the Gulf Kingdom's job even better than they ever could!”

“YEAH!” The crew cheered.

“We've beaten the scum of the Eastern Empire back and ruined their shipping!”

“YEAH!”

“We've liberated their slaves!”

“YEAH!”

“We've stolen their food and made it edible AND delicious!”

“YEAH!”

“We're richer than most nobles and we kick them in the balls!”

“YEAH! Iron Balls! IRON BALLS!”

“What?” I asked, confused.

“That's your Pirate Name. Captain Iron Balls.” Jensen said with a grin.

“Are you kidding me?” I asked him.

“Nope! We voted on it the day after you tore your own heart out. If anyone in this world deserves a name like that, after everything you've done, it's you.”

I gave him a glare and he grinned even more. “I'm stuck with that name now, aren't I?”

“YES!” The crew yelled.

“Dammit.” I said and they all laughed. “All right. Fine.”

“YEEEAAAHHHH!” The crew cheered.

“I think it's time we get the information we need to get to our new lives.” I said and they all nodded. “We have one place left to explore, a place we're apparently heading towards anyway.”

The crew laughed some more.

“It's going to be dangerous and it's going to be scary... for the enemy!”

The crew cheered.

“I'll have armor pieces ready for anyone that wants them by tomorrow.” I said and they all looked surprised. “I'm back to my old self.” I held the palm of my hand out towards the water and cast the very first spell in the spell books we found. “Fireball.”

A two foot wide ball of fire appeared in front of my palm and then shot off like a cannonball. It hit the water a hundred feet away and exploded. The splash and steam blew up twenty feet into the air before dissipating.

The entire crew was silent for several seconds, then a deafening roar of cheers followed.

“We have another week before we get there, so keep up with your training and I'll learn more spells.” I said and they all nodded.

“We're all with you, sir!” One of the men shouted and everyone cheered.

“Good! Now let's get breakfast!” I shouted and they started to disperse.

Some gathered and talked, others went to do their duties that were delayed because of my speech, and I walked over to Hanna, Gella, Farra, Molly, and the older man. He still hadn't told me his chosen name.

“Any progress?” I asked them.

“Some.” Molly said and she smiled at her man as he approached. “Jensen, love.”

“Molly.” Jensen said and gave her a kiss. As soon as he did so, Molly's hand lit up and a little fireball hovered there.

“I see.” I said. “You're using your love as a catalyst.”

“No, it is a catalyst.” Molly said and tossed the fireball over the side of the ship and the splash was only about five feet wide. “I just can't concentrate without him by my side.”

I held my hand out to her and she shook her head. “Molly, trust me.”

Molly gave Jensen a pleading look and he smiled.

“He wouldn't risk it.” Jensen said. “He has to sleep sometime.”

Molly laughed softly and nodded as she took my hand.

I let my magic out and shared it with her. It made her gasp and she started sweating immediately. She did not fawn over me or felt pleasure... because there was no connection there between us. I stopped sharing and she gave Jensen a particular greedy look with her magic over-charged.

“You're up, my friend.” I said and clapped him on the back. “I'll have breakfast delivered in half an hour.”

“Yessir!” Jensen said and he and Molly quickly walked down to the main deck and entered the ship.

“That's a relief.” The older man said. “She has been worried about that.”

“I know.” I said and looked at the others. “Who wants to sit at the captain's table?”

“ME!” Farra, Hanna, Gella, and Ann said at the same time.

“Allow me to escort you.” I said and waved at the main deck. Farra and Gella took my arms as Ann and Hanna took up their positions behind us.

After breakfast, I went to the work room and set up the molds for armor pieces and used bits of metal and number ten potion to make the armor pieces. I made enough for everyone, even if they didn't want them. They would be available if they want them and that was the point. The girls sewed the leather into the right shapes for straps and holders as well, then we used number ten potion to attach them together.

We stopped for lunch and then continued on. Chest pieces, hip and thigh pieces, and even larger back pieces. Nothing was restrictive and it could easily be worn under clothing.

We ate supper and kept working until we had full sets for everyone. When we went to bed that night, I wasn't surprised that they wanted to continue the same rotation of cuddle time as when I was unconscious and hurt. I didn't have to warn them about abusing my good nature, because they abhorred Mage King abusing her position as much as everyone else did.

It was relaxing to know that there were other women that were as concerned about me as Helena was. My thoughts went to her and how much time I had been away. It was nearly five months already. I hoped that she had escaped from the Hag's faked Eastern Empire attack and that I would still have a home to go back to.

“Don't worry, Master.” Hanna said when she saw my face. “She'll be there waiting. I know it.”

“I hope she is.” I said and then sighed. “The question is, will she be alone?”

Hanna hugged me under the blanket and snuggled down to rest her head onto my chest. “If she is smart, all she will have with her is Vanessa and your son.” She whispered. “If she is not smart, you need to kill her husband to claim your rightful place.”

I nodded at her words, because they were true. If Helena survived and stayed true to her word, she will wait diligently for me even if my body was somehow produced for her. If someone else dared to step into my role and took what was mine... my vengeance on them, their families, and the Mages Guild will be terrible to behold.

For them.

_______________

Montage mode engaged. Skipping miscellaneous details. Speeding up time.

Prep work for crew complete. Potions created and stored. Enchantments completed. Done.

_______________

We knew the shipping schedules by heart as we entered the large port that the Eastern Empire used as a beachhead into the continent. We were using the main concealment enchantment to hide the ship and floated into the harbour completely unopposed. I also installed Blocking enchantments on everything to stop what the Hag had done to my ship. We would not be losing our movement or weight enchantments or lose access to the new things I had made.

Heavy Kracken Tubes.

Thanks to learning the 'Push' rune, I no longer needed a miniature catapult to launch the ammunition at a high speed. They could be launched right from the deck of a ship with the push rune enchanted at the bottom of the launch tube.

It could also launch full-sized logs with no trouble.

With a pulley system and the logs piled right beside the thing, it could be loaded by two men and I, Gella, Farra, or Molly could launch them. Which meant that we had four of the massive things ready to fire as we entered the harbour. We each picked an Eastern Empire ship to target and let the first volley go.

The logs had metal tips with overcharged Fire enchantments on the ends, so they tore through the hulls of the ships with only one shot. The explosions and fires they caused would have made everyone cheer if I hadn't included the silence enchantment in the concealment one. I learned my lesson with the marsh panthers about making noise, even when not being seen.

Our next shots took out the guards, the two shacks, and the patrolling army platoon. You haven't seen a massacre until you've seen twenty men be mulched by a single shipboard weapon.

We kept firing as our ship slowly drifted into the middle of the harbour. The scene was reminiscent of when I was kidnapped, except we were not firing on civilians. Only army and navy targets were hit and when we ran out of ones close to the water, we tilted the tubes up and took aim at the garrison and other army buildings.

Thanks to my extensive knowledge of building army bases, we easily targeted the right buildings and pretty much wiped out the entire place in only twenty minutes. We were also almost out of ammunition for the Heavy Kracken Tubes. That was okay, though. We had plenty for the eight cannons on each side of the ship and I turned the ship to face the broadside towards the port town.

I moved the ship sideways to bring us closer to the docks as I let the concealment part of the enchantment lapse, then I walked up onto the bow spirit and spoke loudly, thanks to another weird spell called Amplify.

“NO CIVILIANS WILL BE HURT IF YOU DO NOT ATTACK US!” I said.

Almost immediately, dozens of crossbow bolts and arrows flew from various buildings towards us. The crossbow bolts were a waste of ammo because they couldn't reach us. The arrows were easily deflected by the Mage Shield around the ship.

“I ONLY GIVE ONE WARNING.” I said. “FIRE!”

Eight enchanted and flaming cannonballs soared through the air, each aimed at one of the buildings that had fired on us. Each were hit on the top floors and the buildings immediately went afire. A second later, they exploded. The next shots took out more targets and soon there was nothing that wasn't burning.

No one else shot at us.

I brought the ship, still broadside, all the way to the docks. There was a mostly empty berth with the burning remains of a navy ship in it, so I chose to shove our ship there. The sounds of crunching wood was loud as our ship crushed the wreckage, then I dropped the weight enchantment and the ship settled down to put the deck at level with the upper dock.

We were hooked on and a crew of our trusted slaves were left behind as I and the rest of the crew stepped off of the deck as one. We formed into a marching formation and carried bags of swords on our backs. As we marched through the port town, we tossed a sword at any slave we saw.

“You know what to do with that.” I commanded and they always nodded, picked up the sword, and disappeared into whatever house they were near.

By the time we reached the garrison, I had nearly two hundred slaves behind me. I pushed aside the mangled metal gates and we all walked through the opening and into the garrison.

“FIRE!” A man's voice commanded and dozens of arrows and crossbow bolts flew at us... and bounced off of Hanna's, Farra's, Gella's, and my own personal shields. My medallions were really great and the shocked looks on the enemy's faces was priceless.

“Show these vermin that we are no longer their slaves.” I said and the entire group behind me yelled and stormed the place.

The enemy died shortly after.

There were a lot of hurt slaves, though. Liberal use of potions and kind words had them praising us for saving them all.

“We didn't save you.” Gella said and smiled. “We only liberated you and gave you a weapon. You saved yourselves.”

The other slaves looked confused for several moments, then one of them got it. “We're free! FREEEE!”

I ignored the celebration and entered the main building of the garrison. We had already killed the CO and I suspected that the XO was here somewhere if he wasn't already dead. I concentrated on my vigilance technique and felt someone inside the main office.

“If you are a slave, open the door and be free.” I said and felt movement. “If you're an army man, surrender and be treated humanely.”

“Not by slaves!” The man shouted and kicked the door open as he fired his crossbow at my chest. His mouth dropped open when it bounced off.

“Death it is.” I said and swiped my glowing sword across his neck. His body fell to the floor and I stepped over it to go inside the office. I quickly searched it and smiled as I found what I wanted in the large top drawer of the desk. I pulled out the papers and maps that showed the rest of the continent and where they were getting the supplies shipped in from.

Jensen came into the room with Molly on his arm. “Sir, we have the PX payrolls.”

I smiled and rolled up the papers I had and stood. “Give each of the new slaves ten gold and tell them that there are commercial ships that we didn't burn to the sea.”

Jensen barked a laugh. “We're going to have another ship following us if we tell them that!”

I walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “More hands make easier work.”

Jensen nodded and we left the main office as several of our crew came in with canvas sacks to fill with loot. Nothing of value would be left behind and then it would all be burned to the ground, thanks to the Immolation potion recipe that I fixed and made as easy to brew as number ten potion. When we were done, nothing of the town would be left.

I only give one warning. If they don't listen, that was their choice.