The sun shines on the community at Coral and business starts again. Well, at least it officially starts again. As early as the crack of dawn people have already scrambled about, doing business with pirates and smugglers that arrived from their early dawn raids. After all, Coral is a pirate's region, and the majority often stay in the port town of Azure, where every pirate's need is well-catered and provided for.
Drifter owns a moderately large shipyard at the port of Azure - a treasured possession and livelihood that he had earned from his parents now both dead. His family had been notable shipwrights in Coral, and many pirates and merchants from nearly every region of the West had turned to them for repairing or modifying their ships. Now it's just him running the shipyard with a small group of craftsmen under his management.
Several pirates had docked in the port and was looking around the shops that lined the port area, Drifter's shipyard among them. Most of the ships had markings of violence upon them and there was even one whose one side of the hull was completely splattered with what seemed to be blood. Another ship was decorated with siaka bones on its bow and its captain, as Drifter took the man, with its formal pirate attire, headed towards his shipyard.
"Think you can do some stuff on my dear Bane Siaka?" the pirate asked Drifter, who was standing just outside his shipyard.
Knowing well that the pirate was referring to his siaka bone-adorned ship, Drifter replied quite calmly. "That wouldn't be a problem. What needs to be done?"
"I'd like some changes made to the rigging there. You see that?" the pirate said, pointing at his ship's rigging, which appeared like a tangled mess of rope splayed around the ship. Drifter tried his best to hide the smirk that suddenly came over him as he stared at it. "Think you can re-rig her to make her faster?"
"'Course I can do that, but why would you want to hire my services just to change the rigging? Surely your hull needs a little patching up as well. Your sails look - "
He was cut short as the pirate drew a dagger up his neck.
"I thought I made myself clear, boy." the pirate said threateningly. "Change the rigging of that ship, and we're done. Now, if you don't want to take the job, then there are still a lot of shipwrights here that can, I suppose."
"All right, you've made your point." Drifter said, his voice slightly strained by the dagger. "We'll get started at once."
"Good. I'll sort some stuff out with the Guild merchants around here. I'll come back for her at sunset."
"It should be done by then."
The pirate returned to his ship, gathered his crewmen, then left after permitting them to roam the town. Drifter then set off to work, gathering his tools and calling for some of his helper craftsmen.
"This should be a piece of cake, especially with the new rigging style I've been working on." Drifter said, as they boarded the ship and started working on the riggings. "It's the perfect opportunity to try this out!"
"But sir, isn't your rigging plan not yet tested? What if it slows the ship down?"
"I doubt it should. It's a pretty stable design from ships that had escaped the Lintha pirates. It should work here as well."
"As you say so, sir."
The rigging work took most of the day, as Drifter and his crew had to work through removing the pirate's battered rigging and implementing Drifter's rigging layout. True enough, the job was finished right at the moment when the pirate captain returned from the town with his crew.
"Well, you got it done?" the pirate said, staring at his ship's new rigging. "Right. I'll pay you half of what it took to get that done and the other half when we return."
Drifter shrugged. Dealings like this are never rare, for pirates always test out ship modifications before paying the amount in full. He agreed, and returned to his shipyard.
Drifter owns a moderately large shipyard at the port of Azure - a treasured possession and livelihood that he had earned from his parents now both dead. His family had been notable shipwrights in Coral, and many pirates and merchants from nearly every region of the West had turned to them for repairing or modifying their ships. Now it's just him running the shipyard with a small group of craftsmen under his management.
Several pirates had docked in the port and was looking around the shops that lined the port area, Drifter's shipyard among them. Most of the ships had markings of violence upon them and there was even one whose one side of the hull was completely splattered with what seemed to be blood. Another ship was decorated with siaka bones on its bow and its captain, as Drifter took the man, with its formal pirate attire, headed towards his shipyard.
"Think you can do some stuff on my dear Bane Siaka?" the pirate asked Drifter, who was standing just outside his shipyard.
Knowing well that the pirate was referring to his siaka bone-adorned ship, Drifter replied quite calmly. "That wouldn't be a problem. What needs to be done?"
"I'd like some changes made to the rigging there. You see that?" the pirate said, pointing at his ship's rigging, which appeared like a tangled mess of rope splayed around the ship. Drifter tried his best to hide the smirk that suddenly came over him as he stared at it. "Think you can re-rig her to make her faster?"
"'Course I can do that, but why would you want to hire my services just to change the rigging? Surely your hull needs a little patching up as well. Your sails look - "
He was cut short as the pirate drew a dagger up his neck.
"I thought I made myself clear, boy." the pirate said threateningly. "Change the rigging of that ship, and we're done. Now, if you don't want to take the job, then there are still a lot of shipwrights here that can, I suppose."
"All right, you've made your point." Drifter said, his voice slightly strained by the dagger. "We'll get started at once."
"Good. I'll sort some stuff out with the Guild merchants around here. I'll come back for her at sunset."
"It should be done by then."
The pirate returned to his ship, gathered his crewmen, then left after permitting them to roam the town. Drifter then set off to work, gathering his tools and calling for some of his helper craftsmen.
"This should be a piece of cake, especially with the new rigging style I've been working on." Drifter said, as they boarded the ship and started working on the riggings. "It's the perfect opportunity to try this out!"
"But sir, isn't your rigging plan not yet tested? What if it slows the ship down?"
"I doubt it should. It's a pretty stable design from ships that had escaped the Lintha pirates. It should work here as well."
"As you say so, sir."
The rigging work took most of the day, as Drifter and his crew had to work through removing the pirate's battered rigging and implementing Drifter's rigging layout. True enough, the job was finished right at the moment when the pirate captain returned from the town with his crew.
"Well, you got it done?" the pirate said, staring at his ship's new rigging. "Right. I'll pay you half of what it took to get that done and the other half when we return."
Drifter shrugged. Dealings like this are never rare, for pirates always test out ship modifications before paying the amount in full. He agreed, and returned to his shipyard.
******
"Oi! Open up!"
Five days passed since that time, and Drifter had just retired in his house beside his shipyard when he was awakened by a loud banging on the door.
"Who could this be?" Drifter asked, getting up from his bed and opening the door.
"You scum!"
A fist connected violently with Drifter's face, knocking him off balance and sending him crashing on the dining table. Several people piled inside the house, and from the glare of the streetlamps outside Drifter recognized one of them.
It was the pirate from five days ago.
"You sabotaged my ship and cost me a lot, you vermin!" the pirate said, grabbing Drifter by the neck of his shirt and pinning him violently against a wall. "You're gonna get the other half of your payment, boy, but it won't be like the payment last time!"
"Wh-what did I do?!" Drifter protested. "I just changed the ship's rigging like you asked! I even used a special type to make your ship go faster, so why do this to me?"
The pirate hurled Drifter into his working desk.
"Your rigging didn't help us when the Lintha raided our ship, boy." the pirate said. "Now we're without a ship, so we'll have to gather our resources and buy a new one!"
The pirate and his crew dragged Drifter out of his house and beat him senseless right outside his doorstep. He was out cold when they finished with him.
"Take him to the Guild's ship." the pirate said. "He'll help us fund our new ship."
They carried Drifter's unconscious body to a large ship owned by Guild merchants.
Five days passed since that time, and Drifter had just retired in his house beside his shipyard when he was awakened by a loud banging on the door.
"Who could this be?" Drifter asked, getting up from his bed and opening the door.
"You scum!"
A fist connected violently with Drifter's face, knocking him off balance and sending him crashing on the dining table. Several people piled inside the house, and from the glare of the streetlamps outside Drifter recognized one of them.
It was the pirate from five days ago.
"You sabotaged my ship and cost me a lot, you vermin!" the pirate said, grabbing Drifter by the neck of his shirt and pinning him violently against a wall. "You're gonna get the other half of your payment, boy, but it won't be like the payment last time!"
"Wh-what did I do?!" Drifter protested. "I just changed the ship's rigging like you asked! I even used a special type to make your ship go faster, so why do this to me?"
The pirate hurled Drifter into his working desk.
"Your rigging didn't help us when the Lintha raided our ship, boy." the pirate said. "Now we're without a ship, so we'll have to gather our resources and buy a new one!"
The pirate and his crew dragged Drifter out of his house and beat him senseless right outside his doorstep. He was out cold when they finished with him.
"Take him to the Guild's ship." the pirate said. "He'll help us fund our new ship."
They carried Drifter's unconscious body to a large ship owned by Guild merchants.
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