Chapter 9 - Power of Words; Letter of Law

Sol considered his options. Even if he could outrun the ship, there was no telling what kinds of communication devices, or magical items rather, were on the sailing ships. If they were military or law enforcement, they could send images of his ship to every port he might stumble upon.

More to the point, he was a just a civilian trying to make for the nearest port. Nothing wrong with that.

With a wave of his hand the sails wound up to half, then a quarter of their full berth. The speed of the ship dropped enough that the shouts from the standing officer had halted. Looking at her, even from a distance, he could tell she was shorter than anyone else in the long boat, and probably taller than him.

A boat filled with giants, strong muscles and powerful urges, a voice crept into his ear. He turned his head, expected Zyneria to be there ready to pounce him, rip off his clothes and invite those marines onto the ship to 'board him', the flush in face and the tightness in his britches told him that it would have been as much his idea as hers, at this point. 4


"Fucking a succubus must do something to a libido..." He acknowledged as he walked from the helm to the side of the ship. The ship wasn't sized that a single person should be able to sail it without magic, and that might be the problem here. As the longboat was almost upon him, he lifted a rolled up ladder and let it slowly roll down the side of the hull. He knew it was enchanted to neither damage the ship nor tangle on itself, but he felt no reason to show off that feature.

"Ahoy!" He waved at the crew of the launch. They had bright colored skin and horns, they wore uniforms that a Redcoat would approve of and their hats had ridges to accommodate their horns. Sol thought they looked like 'Oni' from Japanese games, except the more human looking sort, from the more adult Japanese games. One of them stood up and pointed her musket toward Sol.

BANG.

THUD.




----





----




----





----


It took Sol four heavy heartbeats to realize the shot hadn't grazed him, or been aimed at him. There had been the wet thud of a body hitting the deck, behind him. He turned and saw what looked like a mass of glass and light dimming into a black and twisty pile of flesh.

It was some kind of demented looking jelly fish.

He looked up, and saw flickers in the rigging of his ship. "Oh." He intoned, and drew his mage pistol. They hadn't broken off to arrest him, they'd come to save him from his ignorance of some local wild life. How embarrassing, also vindicating; pirates would probably know better.

He lined the sights up and pulled the trigger, a blue needle of light shooting up and piercing a mass of jelly furthest from his sails. He'd agitate them, draw them away from the sails, let the soldiers have a volley, pick of what's left. It should have been simple, except the air above his sails rippled and more than a dozen previously idle jellies awoke and began to extend tendrils out of their mass.

"Oh." Sol groaned and even as he felt the subtle shift of weight as four of the soldiers leaped right onto the deck, he lined up his next shot. 

The fusillade of magic and lead was loud and left Sol's ear's ringing but the jellies fell, and half a dozen more bloated bodies hit his deck, his free hand pulled his sword from his sheath, as he fired again, but felt the blast was significantly weaker than the previous blasts.

"Damn refractory period!" He swore as he drew his sword, he saw the soldiers has bayonets on their rifles and smirks on their previously stoic faces. Well he'd made them smile, at least. That was a good impression. The jellies began to lurch down, and Sol thought now would be a great time for a witty one liner.

"All this jelly and not a jar of peanut butter for leagues, what a waste." He managed to before he swung his sword through the nearest jelly. The blade hummed with a serration enchantment and the jelly was cut in half. Its sides fell to the deck and Sol could see the soldiers, actually, if they were stationed on a ship that would make them marines wouldn't it?

Their bayonets pierced the bulbous bodies of the jellies and they rolled the rifles in their grip, spinning the blade and stirring up the insides of the jellies, shredding them. The last jelly started to drift away, the spray of jelly blood hitting it and triggering a survival instinct. Sol felt his gun hum with a recharged reservoir, and he drew it with his off hand, easily aiming at the mass of jelly.

But he didn't shoot. It was leaving and it was just a mindless creature, probably. No sense killing it. The oni didn't reload or fire any shots as the jelly fled into the sea.

The sounds of the battle between the three ships continued unabated throughout the exchange, and Sol wondered what the metal ship had done to piss off the Oni ships so terribly.

"You there!" A voice came from behind Sol, he turned and was eye level with someone's well polished, totally regulation, and parade perfect belt buckle. He cocked his head upwards. The shortest of the oni was standing on the railing of his ship.  Her face was stern and all business. Her black hair was in perfect order. Her eyes, one green and the other yellow, were fixed on him.  He looked down and confirmed she was standing on the railing of his ship. "You've sailed into Varosi waters yet you fly no flag declaring citizenship, trader, or diplomat. State your name and purpose!"

Sol met her gaze again and felt his fingers slack on the grip of his sword. The movement earned a reaction from two of the soldiers already on deck. Both leveled their bayonet tipped rifles at him.

"You're on my ship." He stated flatly, and did not move from where he stood so close to her waist. "It's poor form to board a vessel without at least asking for permission, isn't it?" He wasn't sure how 'old world' these Oni were, and how close they were to the old world of Earth. But if their style was any indication they had to have some level of obsession with propriety and rules.

"Laws of Engagement, Book of Naval Action, Matters of Boarding, Subsection on Exceptions: In times when a ship or crew is in clear an present peril, the 'Request to Board' may be suspended until the danger is passed." The officer, for surely she was one with all that recitation, spoke with conviction.

Sol had spent too many evenings over dice games with rules lawyers not to miss the chance.

"Suspended until the danger is passed." Sol repeated, then holstered his gun and with the now empty hand gestured at the dead jellies. "SO. You're on my ship."

The oni officer took a moment to reconsider her position. Her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of blue, as was her natural skin tone, and she coughed. There was a slight shake of her head and the four marines quickly disembarked Sol's ship and returned to the longboat.

"My apologies." She stated and took a step backward to fall the few meters to her longboat.

"Accepted, and Forgiven." Sol nodded and sheathed his sword as she went. He walked over to where the ladder was attached to the railing, and the longboat waited.

"Permission to come aboard?" The officer asked, a slight grin on her face, despite the blush.

"As Captain, I grant it." He nodded. The officer began to climb the ladder, and as she reached the rim,  Sol extended his hand to her. She took it, but didn't put her weight behind it.

So Sol simply held her hand as she pulled herself up. 

"Lieutenant Saori Brainsbury." The officer offered a salute, Sol returned it, still treading into murky water with this oni officer. "Permission for my squad to board?"

"Granted, though with the jellies dead," 

"Jellies?" She cocked her head. Sol indicated the dead jelly fish.

"Ah, the Gelatini; you call them 'jellies' in your land?"

"Sure." Sol answered quickly. 

"I see, still there is the matter, again, of you sailing without the proper flags." She pointed up at the neutral flag flapping in the wind. There was an odd snap to it, like it had been covered in slime.

"I got lost and picked a direction," Sol answered no noncommittally. "I figured if I sailed west long enough I'd reach civilization." A small bit of flattery there as the four of the first soldiers climbed up the ladder, followed by four more. The officer stood a little straighter.

"Well the Varosi nations have a long and ancient history and have advanced in many ways other nations have not." There was a bit of national pride in that statement, Sol thought, much like there's a bit of salt in the ocean. He smiled and nodded.

"That was my hope. Though, I am curious;" Sol pointed at the three ships still sailing away. "What's that bit of violence about? The ships seem to be hammering away, but noone's sunk or exploded yet."

"Ah, you are unfamiliar with the dignity of Varosi Battle Contests," Sol could feel the exposition explosion building and the looks on the soldiers faces confirmed he was in for an earful, unless he acted fast.

"Are those like war games, where both sides use 'marking' rounds to score damage without actually killing one another?"

"Ah, that's," Lieutenant Brainsbury coughed into a fist. "That is a very civilian way to look at it, but not incorrect. However we were detached with live ammunition, when it was confirmed by the Admiral judge aboard our vessel, that your ship and the jellies were not part of the day's events.

"Day's events?" Suddenly something clicked. "I figured I was at least 'near' some major trade routes, is the reason I haven't seen anyone in these waters," he began and saw the Lieutenant nod.

"You are quite deep in the waters ceded to these games. They are border waters, and some of them neutral, but all the same. It is strange you made it this far without encountering a safety patrol."

"Maybe they thought I was one of their ships?" Sol suggested, and got some smiles and a laugh from the soldiers. 

"I doubt that very much," Brainsbury pointed up and Sol followed her gaze to a shadow drifting solid and black against the sky. It was an airship. 

"OH." Sol repeated, before looking back down at the Oni visitors.

What should Sol do Now? Invite them in for tea? Ask for directions out of the war game zone? Blow the Flute? wait... hey GET OUT OF HER VEILA! *cough* or something else?!