Chapter 4: A Pirate’s Life Begins

A cold wind continued to persist for the next few days, along with rain. According to the other shipmates, Ivy had seen how sunny these isles could get. Now, they were likely to face a long period of rain. Where, even if it was early summer time elsewhere, the land and the skies had forgotten what season it was.

The first day on the ship left Ivy struggling to gather her sea legs. As she sat with the other crewmates in the galley, she hung about in the corner. Despite everything telling her to be present with her crewmates, she hung back. And, as always, she still kept a steady eye on her scepter.

The more she carried it, the more burdensome it had become. She had wanted to leave it behind. And perhaps she should have shifted back to the fifth realm by now, but a curiosity she couldn’t shake left her contemplating whether or not she had made a mistake. She could leave this realm at any time. Although lately, with her magic spent, she knew it would take at least a week of not using the scepter for it to work.

Captain Val sat nearby, a twinkle in her eye. Ivy nodded at her, and then pulled her bowl closer. Captain Val smirked, then she grabbed her own food, inspecting it before giving a disappointed look.

“Some oats for breakfast,” Captain Val said. “I hope you don’t find them too shabby. I keep telling the cooks here that they should at least add more salt. And maybe some pepper, because many of us can and do afford it.”

“It’s better than a plain fish,” Ivy said. “I ate that multiple times. In my home country, we always have the most fragrant foods. So I suppose it takes time to get used to.”

“Eh, I suppose,” Captain Val said. “Wait until we take you across the isle, to the main continent. They have food there which is unlike anything you would eat here, if you like fragrant foods. But. I am here because I want to know more. Tell me about that scepter of yours.”

Ivy grinned. “Want to make a guessing game out of it?”

“I suppose,” Captain Val said. “Tell me more about your parents, and where you’re from. And remember that among pirates, there are few taboo topics.”

“Now,” Ivy said. “And I think if I told Queen Lavender, she would understand it. But I stole this weapon from a king. Myself and my friends each had a part. The best part is? I killed the king with it. So, if you need to know one thing, it’s that a corrupt king died by the very weapon he used to suppress people.”

“Interesting,” Captain Val said. “So you are, in a sense, like what she is to our world?”

“Not exactly,” Ivy said. “I am very good at stealing, but it hasn’t always been for reasons so noble as taking out a king like that. I was paid to do it. Or I would have been.”

“About how much?” Captain Val said.

“Well, it would have been quite a bit,” Ivy wouldn’t tell this woman yet that she had no intention of returning. “I nearly took an arrow to the head for it. Ended up here. Turns out thinking you’re about to die is to shift between multiple realms. Unfortunately, it will take time before I can shift again. And every time I think I have enough energy to where I could maybe travel to the third realm, I end up fighting someone, and it ends up dwindling it. And I overused my magic earlier, so it might be much longer.”

“A shame,” Captain Val said, a wry smirk on her face. “A real shame. You’ll just have to stay here with us for now.”

“And I intend to,” Ivy said. “I mean, I was supposed to take this elsewhere. But it’s mine now. So while I killed the king, I had no attachment to the realm. Regardless of how people view it, revolutions like these happen all the time. And are we the ones to judge for it? No. A new villain will rise to power soon, and we’re going to have a whole new set of problems. As is the constant cycle.”

“I see,” Val said, her voice longing. She still smirked. “So you did all of that, and you could be labeled as a hero. But you only did it for one reason.”

“My rent was due,” Ivy said. She rubbed her hands together. “Even though I had begun to work at a small shop, it wasn’t enough money to keep my apartment. I was bound to face homelessness, and so I was desperate.”

Val placed her bowl on the ground. “Well, around here, you won’t have to worry about rent anymore.”

“And I suppose I wouldn’t have to if I made it back to my old world,” Ivy said. “Seeing as the guards were still intent on killing me.”

“We should spar with a sword, then,” Val said. “Although, do you care to learn about another invention here?”

Ivy perked as Val gave her a pistol. It was small enough she could hold it in her hand without trouble. She smiled. “Now this is new.”

“It’s yours,” Val said. “Even with your sword, and your stone, you need more ways to protect yourself when you’re on my ship.”

As they finished their breakfast, Ivy followed Val’s lead up the steps. She wanted to thank the woman, but her words dried up. As she held the weapon, she noted how Val also held out some leather band, and some bullets as well.

Ivy placed them around her waist and she smiled. Paired with her sword, she looked like a real pirate, and an adventurer at that. Somehow, even when she signed up to help take out the king, she hadn’r realized that this was all she wanted.

“Now guns haven’t spread throughout the entirety of the seven realms,” Val said. “Sometimes I question why, but as a realm crosser, your guess is as good as mine. Have you held one before?”

“Believe me,” Val said. “Many people find realm crossing impractical. And the king had a monopoly on the mines for the stone we would use. So there are many realm crossers who don’t get to use their magic. As guns themselves, I have not. I wish I had.”

“I can teach you how to shoot sometime,” Val said.

“If I could infuse my bullets with my dark energy,” Ivy said.

“Yes,” Val said, rummaging through Ivy’s short black hair. She gave a wry grin. “This is the type of thinking I emplore my people to use. But somehow I see you being a fantastic sharpshooter.”

My welcome aboard this ship has been great. Captain Val already treats me as if I were her family. And to think that, the other day, I felt as though I made a mistake when I joined.