Her Majesty’s Swarm - Volume 4 - Chapter 6

The Nabreej Archipelago

Gilbert’s ship, the Muet, deftly avoided the Nabreej navy’s patrol lines and approached the archipelago. There were some close calls, but we made it there in one piece.

“Do the pirates ever attack Nyrnal’s ships?” I asked Gilbert shortly before we were due to land.

“Some do. My crew does too sometimes. With Frantz’s noose gone from our necks, we can hit Nyrnal’s vessels. Besides, hardly any ships sailing out of Frantz are worth raiding these days.”

Indeed. Since we’d laid waste to the Popedom, my pirate acquaintances were no longer interested in their trade ships. Many of them had switched over to ransacking the Nyrnal Empire’s ships instead.

“Still, some of our folks are afraid of Nyrnal, so they avoid messing with the Empire. They’ll only attack ships coming from the Nabreej archipelago.”

Even the pirates are afraid of Nyrnal?

“Occasionally, crews will attack the ships that sail between Nabreej and the Portario Republic. The Republic has precious merchandise from the new continent, so any pirate who can take that back to port safely can sell it for double its price. Although heading over to the new continent is a pain to begin with...”

“Portario Republic? New continent?” I echoed, confused. “This world has other continents?”

“You didn’t know? Portario is a nation on the new continent discovered far to the south. They’re in the middle of some war down there, though, so no one really wants to get involved with the conflict.”

So, there was another continent. I was curious as to what it was like, and if it was more peaceful than this one...or just as war-torn. As interested as I was, I didn’t have time to dwell on it any longer.

“Are we almost there?”

“Aye.” Gilbert nodded. “We found an inlet we can take to shore, so we’ll weigh anchor there. It’s a bit off the beaten path, but it should be outside of their navy’s patrol lines.”

Finally. Hopefully, we can find the antidote for Lysa here.

“All right. Over there! Get ready to weigh anchor!” Gilbert ordered his crew.

“Aye aye, sir!” the pirates shouted back.

This part of the island looked deserted, but the inlet was just large enough for a ship to hide in; I wondered if it was man-made. The Muet slipped into the inlet with skillful maneuvering, then dropped anchor. We’d made it.

“The closest town from here is Litight,” Gilbert told me. “Head straight west, and you’ll get there. There shouldn’t be any checkpoints, but if you do end up getting inspected, use these.” He handed me two slips of paper. “Fake passage permits. Should fool them; it’s a first-rate forgery.”

“Thanks, Gilbert,” I said. “You really thought of everything.”

“No, we owe you. You took revenge for Isabelle. Pirates never forget a debt.”

Gilbert had really helped us out. Without him, we never would have even set foot on the archipelago.

“Good luck, then.”

“Yeah.” I offered him a wry smile. “I’ll probably need it.”

Sérignan, my Swarms, and I watched Gilbert’s ship sail away after dropping us off. I sincerely hoped they wouldn’t run into any of Nyrnal’s ships on the way back.

“All right, Sérignan, let’s start the operation. Lysa’s counting on us.”

She gave a sharp nod. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

And so, we set off on our mission to get Lysa’s cure. We swore in our hearts that we would definitely save her.

♱

I ordered a few Worker Swarms to start building some structures, and then Sérignan and I made our way west of the inlet, as Gilbert had instructed. Forty minutes into our walk, a large town surrounded by walls came into view. That was probably Litight.

We cast our eyes to the city gates, where we ran into two soldiers standing guard and looking awfully bored. There would be a check after all, it seemed. I hoped Gilbert was right about the forged passes being convincing.

One of the loafing guards looked up at us. “Oh, folks from the east? That’s unusual.”

“Yes, I’m here on personal business. Can I pass?”

“You’ll need to pay the entry fee, then. It’ll be four romas for each of you.”

Oh, they just want me to pay?

“We’ll pay eight romas,” I said with a smile. “In exchange, there’s something I’d like to ask.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve heard they’re selling an antidote for a poison called the Witch’s Blow here. Is that true?”

“An antidote for the Witch’s Blow, you say?” The guard considered it, then shook his head. “Haven’t heard of any vendors here selling that.”

Ugh, that means this trip is a bust. Still, we could go inside and gain some information.

“There, eight romas. Will this do?”

“Yes. Enjoy your visit to Litight. See you!” The amicable guard saw us off with a wave.

He was a nice guy. I’d hate to have to kill him later down the line.

“Sérignan, what do you think we should do now?” I asked.

“We should inspect the taverns and inns, or other places where information spreads easily.”

Taverns and inns were places where people gathered, meaning lots of gab. They were ideal sites for collecting information.

“Let’s start with an inn, then. We need to find out whatever we can as quickly as possible. Lysa can’t wait for us forever.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Lysa is in pain; we must make haste.”

I could feel Lysa’s agony through the collective consciousness, and it was terrible.

“Let’s hurry,” I whispered.

We walked out onto the city’s main street and scanned the area.

“There,” I said, pointing to a sign for an inn. “That one looks pretty big.”

It was a pretty sizable establishment, so hopefully that meant we’d be able to find the info we needed.

With Sérignan in tow, I stepped inside. “Excuse me.”

“Welcome to the Sea Breeze Arbor!”

A jovial girl had welcomed us. She wore what appeared to be a uniform, so she was probably an employee.

“Are you here for a room or to just sit down and eat?” she asked, flashing us a winning smile.

“We’d like something to eat,” I said. As the girl led us to our table, I added, “We’d also like to get some information, if possible.”

“Information, huh?” the girl parroted. “Sure, shoot! News and rumors are always flying around here!”

Talk about a cheerful gal, I thought to myself.

“Is there a shop in this city that sells a cure for the Witch’s Blow?”

“A cure for the Witch’s Blow? Oh, is that what you’re here for?”

Her response sounded promising. Had we hit the jackpot already?

She beamed brighter. “If you have pain in your lower back, go to the Custodio Pharmacy! They’ll have something to make that pain go away!”

“Er, no, that’s not our problem. We need an antidote for a poison,” I explained, rubbing the bridge of my nose in frustration.

Is she really going to be useful?

“Poison? Right, I remember now. The king forbade the sale of antidotes for certain poisons.” A pensive look came over her face. “I don’t know this ‘Witch’s Blow’ you mentioned, but why would they ever take antidotes off the market?”

“I think that’s relevant to our interests,” I told her. “Could you point us in the direction of someone who knows more about this ban?”

The only reason the monarchy would forbid selling antidotes was to make sure any relevant poisons would kill their targets.

“Raloooo!” she hollered to a man sitting behind the counter. “Do you know if the antidote for a poison called the Witch’s Blow is on the list of the ones that got banned?!”

Apparently, this Ralo was the innkeeper.

“Huh?!” he shouted back at her. “The Witch’s Blow? Someone’s asking about that lethal poison again?! Yeah, its antidote isn’t on sale. I don’t know why. Probably for some no-good reason. The king’s been getting involved with Nyrnal’s cronies recently.”

He shrugged and took on a more businesslike attitude.

“So, what will you be ordering?”

“The omelet rice meal and the fried oyster meal,” I said, pointing at the menu.

I already knew what Sérignan wanted, thanks to the collective consciousness.

“Coming right up; wait just a moment!” Ralo said and disappeared behind the counter.

“You’re quite the connoisseur to ask for the Sea Breeze Arbor’s omelet rice!” the waitress chirped.

“Is it good?”

“Very!”

Hmm. Now wasn’t the time to sit down and chow down, but I didn’t feel comfortable grilling these fine people without ordering anything.

Some minutes later, Ralo reappeared with our dishes. “Here you are: one omelet rice meal and one fried oyster meal!”

The omelet rice smelled great, but I was too worried about Lysa to really enjoy it. I’d have preferred to eat this with her. Just then, I noticed a slip of folded paper under my plate. I looked around to make sure no one was watching and opened it.

It read: “Come to the back of the store after this.”

I see... I guess the innkeeper knows more than I thought.