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	Chip, too?
	Days of sailing passed by. A storm lurked on the horizon behind them, matching Isar's mood. They would soon be at Port Vor'Gra in the Brigands' Shores, where Isar could relax. He anticipated it most impatiently. Early in the morning, Isar had dragged himself out of bed, gone for food, and had Tiagri and Julk take Gossamer and Chip to the bilge, where they were chained up, separately so there was no talking between them. Isar did not want another desertion like Slurk. The grey skies put all of Isar's crew in a bad mood. The cold spray of the sea wold normally delight them had only irritated them, Isar's mood didn't change even when he went to the bow to watch the figurehead bobbing up and down as it moved with the ship. He tapped the wood of the guardrail angrily, not quite sure why he was so angry. "Captain?" Isar recognised Kruk's voice. "Aye?" Isar watched the shady horizon very slowly draw nearer. "Siltar has had 'Vindicta' completely plundered, by the powers what a haul! He asks if he should give it to you now, or hold back until we get in Vor'gra incase ye wanted to trade it there." "We'll wait and see. Could be something in there we like, eh?" Kruk smirked. "Aye, Cap'n you're right. I'll send the message back." Kruk was about to go down the steps, but Isar turned. "Kruk, how's your head?" The man paused, bemused. "Good, thanks Cap'n. Tiagri helped a lot." Isar nodded. When he was back in his cabin, looking at the charts of the Lokli Sea, Oswyn joined him. "Captain!" Isar stopped, and looked up. "Chip is very interesting." The navigator took a seat. "He came from the North, from Brookna. When he was able to, he got on a ship to Jeilk to make his way. Met Slurk there. Before he did, though, he was a thinker. And by the sails on our masts a think he still is." "Uh, Oswyn, how did you find that out?" "Tiagri's been tricking the words out of his mouth." "He thinks?" Isar wasn't quite sure what that meant, doesn't everybody think? "Asks the questions with answers that no one's found yet. He can manipulate language cleverly, he knows these shores very well…"Oswyn seemed pleased, and relieved. "So we should keep him alive? I'll consider it. When I talk with the boy myself, that is." Isar was already considering what the boy could be used for. When Oswyn stayed silent, Isar glanced up to see that the navigator wasn't standing there. He could hear Oswyn's voice above him at the helm. He was giving Grundal directions of where they were, as it was hard to tell with such a grey sky and a murky horizon. "Land-ho!" Grundal bellowed. He had a soft, deep voice, one that could command with a niceness about it. "Vor'Gra!" Isar whispered to himself, heading eagerly for the deck. He breathed in lungful of the fresh, salty shore air of the place that he could call home, though he true home was on board 'The Remorseless'. The 'Vindicta' was close behind, with the few men on it working to their limits to bring the ship about. There wasn't really enough of them on there. Isar noticed, despite this, that his decks were more lively. Vor'Gra always made the men feel bettwe. It was their Port, the ship's true berth. "Grundal, I'll take her in." Isar decided pleasantly. The helmsman grinned as he rushed off to make himself useful somewhere else. Getty was on his way down from the crow's nest, whilst the riggers worked extra hard for those last few moments before the sails were neatly tied up and they had lots of hours to rest and relax. "Spill, men! And as I bring her about, keep them in and tied up suitably! Someone get those ropes sorted! And I want the gangplanks readied!" Isar ordered. He was sure Siltar was commanding likewise on the yellow vessel. Isar didn't really need to yell those commands, it was more of a traditional thing for Port Vor'Gra. It wouldn't feel right if they weren't said. "Captain, what will we do with the prisoners?" Kruk asked once they were ashore, panting. He had hurried off of the ship. "Get Chip out, leave him with Oswyn and Tiagri. Gossamer can stay right where he is. Tell whomever is left on watch on the ship to keep him eating and drinking. I want him alive and healthy…ish. I need to talk to Siltar. We're selling 'Vindicta', no matter how attached he is to the yellow vessel. Oh, that's a point, ask Gossamer what he'll pay for the ship. It should be interesting. After that, meet me in 'The Seven Spokes'." "That place is for beggars!" Protested the mate. "Not the part I know of it. I can't believe you don't. No matter, you'll see. The other men are granted the liberty ashore they've been waiting for. Don't be late, Kruk." With that Isar stolled away, unused to the still land, used to the rough ocean. He staggered with unnatural fluency, that being his sailor's gait, and had that ever-present sense of authority to his stance. At the back of 'The Seven Spokes', Isar sold the 'Vindicta' for several large bags of gold coins, a barrel of clothes to take aboard 'The Remorseless', and about two months worth of provisions for the ship. Probably even more. It was a fair deal, Isar thought happily. "A pleasure doing business, I assure you Cap'n Isar." The old, stout man brushed his scraggly grey hair away, smiling toothlessly. Kruk was stunned, he had been led through a small door that he hadn't noticed before into a large chamber stocked to the ceiling with trading goods. There was a table in the middle, a few makeshift chairs and lots of candles hanging from the ceiling. "Of course. There's no one aboard her, but the watch on 'The Remorseless' will ensure no harm comes to her." Isar returned the smile of courtesy. "We'll be going now. We have things to do, and no doubt you do too. Kruk, help me take these barrels. We'll go back to the ship first, then find Oswyn." The old man watched them disappear back into the filthy, smelling tavern, coughing as he did. Kruk tried to look back, but could not without nearly dropping all of the things he had in his arms. Despite the dark night, Port Vor'Gra was awake and lively. It was almost as if the Pirate Port lived, on a whole, to completely different waking hours. Isar and Kruk pushed through the crowd in a bagnio most of Isar's crew were familiar with. Minstrels were playing music, women danced, and men drank, satiating themselves. Eventually, they found Siltar. "We sold 'Vindicta.'" Kruk explained. "Made quite a profit." Isar added. "Oh…" Siltar seemed dismayed for a moment. "Well, Gossamer shan't be too happy…Shame, it was such a nice vessel." Siltar was distracted by a woman that danced near him. She was dressed in yellow silk. Most of the women dressed in silks of all the colours in the rainbow. "Siltar! Where are the men, we need help carrying all of this." Isar reminded Siltar harshly, disgusted as he had been in Hort. Isar never displayed lust so casually. It was distasteful. "Where's Oswyn?" Siltar pointed vaguely into a corner. "Or he was there…" Isar found the alcohol on his breath repulsive. Oswyn looked furious. "You've spoken to that oaf, have you?" He exclaimed, forgetting for a moment that it was not his place to critisize the second mate. "Oswyn, where's Chip?" Isar used a calm tone. Oswyn hesitated. "You lost him?!" Isar roared. People turned and stared, but the music went on and the awkwardness was soon over. "Siltar! Lost him. I went to get Tiagri and when I got back Chip was gone and Siltar was far too busy being infatuated by women with scraps of silk draped over their bodies!" Isar stormed out. Oswyn exhaled slowly before following, his cheeks red. Kruk took large strides, the barrels in his arms blocking his view of everything in front of him, yet still finding it easy to catch up with the Captain. Isar did not wait to ask the watch on the ship about Chip. He went straight to the bilge. Gossamer was there, alone. "When did you last see Tiagri?" Oswyn asked. "When you were here taking Chip away. How is the boy, anyhow?" Nobody answered him. Instead, they rushed back to the deck, frantic in the search, whilst the moon was still high bathing them all in its soft light, and lanterns burned low throughout the port.
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