Posts from [EXPEDITION] Wild Ocean

Characters: Snow White, Urthang, Cadaver, Akane, Geb, Sophronaios
All characters successfully reached the ship named "Chinchilla." This vessel was indeed strange; from the outside, it looked like a mixture of a polo ship and an elven sea ship. And who would have thought that as they approached the pier, they were greeted by a rather pointy-eared humanoid.
--"Excuse me," some of the characters probably asked, "we need..." They received an immediate response.
--"Captain Sanchez Navarro? Oh, where is he? I can't seem to find him anywhere..." The humanoid looked in a mirror and finished. "Found him! Here he is, Captain Sanchez Navarro, head of the expedition for the Kro Empire. You can ask him about all the details of the expedition. Reward? Generous. Of course, depending on your contribution, but we are talking about hundreds of gold coins. Where are we headed? Military bases – civilians shouldn’t know the names. Well, excuse me, I would love to tell you, but my tongue is tied. What are we carrying? Classified, sorry. Moreover, I must warn you right away that approaching the cargo is strictly prohibited. Again, I apologize, I didn't mean to.
--"Well then, let's get started! Fill out the forms and let's go!"
Very soon, the "Chinchilla" sailed towards its destination, occasionally stopping at cities within the Kro Empire. Meanwhile, the crew could get acquainted with each other. So, let's begin.

Captain Sanchez Navarro

An elven sea captain serving the Kro Empire. In fact, his island had been under the control of this empire for quite some time, so Sanchez is a true Kronic citizen. Crew members might notice his outward phlegmatism, which concealed a fiery temper, curiosity, and sometimes, unfortunately, cruelty. He not only designed the ship "Chinchilla" as the passengers saw it; he also managed to install a steam engine in it, similar to those recently used by polo ships. Do you think that’s all? No, because the engine wasn't made by the polo people; it was Cretan-made. And a Cretan woman maintained it, about whom we will talk later. It should be added that Sanchez possesses water magic and even uses it sometimes to accelerate the movement of the ship (as if the ship didn't have enough contraptions already). Oh yes, I mentioned that the "Chinchilla" is made of dwarven wood?

Meet Mini Jane

A strange character. She fixes and maintains the ship's engine, steers the helm, because she is the only one who understands all these buttons and levers. A little crazy, but that can be forgiven. Worse, she finds this trait extremely cute and charming and flaunts it. In short, just a witch. Who would have thought that Captain Sanchez would flirt with her? And oh, if it ended with flirting!

And his name is Rutyn Abirovich

In some ways, Rutyn's fate is similar to that of Captain Sanchez. He also grew up on one of the islands ruled by the Kro Empire, and from an early age, the orc absorbed polo customs, so now, except for the green scales all over his body, no one would distinguish him from an ordinary polo person. They have known each other for a very long time, and the captain is an unquestionable authority for the orc; Rutyn always carries out his orders without hesitation.

Celestino Leon

It turned out that Sanchez is quite a religious humanoid. If someone decided to ask him, "Why do you need a priest on board, Captain?" he would certainly answer:
--"Well, how else? What if I kill someone? Throw them overboard or something? Can’t I confess afterward?
Celestino is a purebred polo (oh, finally! It was starting to seem like there wouldn't be a single polo person on this ship belonging to the polo state and carrying out a polo mission!). He is a good, experienced cleric. Unfortunately, Sanchez's example shows that Celestino is probably too lenient with his flock.
Well, besides this magnificent quartet in every sense of the word, the ship, of course, was inhabited by many sailors, and everyone was busy with their own tasks. There was also one sylph, but he was somewhat strange, reclusive, didn't show himself to anyone, so even his name was practically unknown to anyone except the captain.

***

After a month of sailing, the ship had traveled an enormous distance and found itself in the Wild Ocean. With each mile, the concentration of posts and cities of the Kro Empire decreased and threatened to disappear completely when land appeared ahead. This was a rather large island, but it could have been even larger if it had absorbed all the numerous stones and rocks sticking out of the water, like the teeth of some multi-kilometer beast.
The captain observed this through binoculars: the island was still too far away to see all these features of the terrain just like that. Navarro clicked his tongue.
--"I don't remember there being such difficult seas here before! And the map doesn't tell me about all these reefs. Jane, what are we going to do?
Jane giggled.
--"We'll get through it; it’s not our first time!"
--"Okay, honey, as you say. But first, we need to drop anchor right here and solve one important matter."
The captain summoned everyone on deck. Everyone, that is, absolutely everyone. Even that reclusive sylph obeyed the captain's order. Then Sanchez began to explain the essence of what was happening.
--"So, rookies," he said in his usual, tired voice. "Let's begin. You must all understand that we are aboard a ship of the Kro Empire and acting on behalf of the empire. When I hired you, I asked you to fill out forms. Mini!
--"Yes, here they are, Captain," Mini Jane said with a sarcastic smile, handing the papers to Navarro.
--"Good. Now I will ask you questions. It's a standard procedure, a small check for loyalty. I need to make sure that all the data is correct and that you will serve the Kro Empire. If this is so, nothing threatens anyone, you see. Jane!
After this shout, Jane took a small iron device from her bag.
--"This is a lie detector. Just in case. So, the first one... Well, come on, you, Cretan. Gabriel, I think? Are you ready to answer questions?

Hearing his name, Geb tore himself away from the magnificent view of the sea and took a step closer to Navarro. - Yes, of course, Captain, I'm ready.

-- Jane!
A woman ran up and attached a device to Gabriel. Then she rummaged in her bag again and took out a second, similar device. It immediately moved to the captain's ear.
-- Thank you. Now, what is your full name? Place of birth? Permanent address? Citizenship? Religious beliefs? What are your reasons for joining the expedition?

Geb rolled his eyes – the realization that he had to adhere to formalities didn't exactly make him love them, and the prospect of repeating something that everyone already knew didn't seem very appealing. But he didn't have much of a choice, and he didn't want to annoy the captain (or his pretty assistant). Holding back Amy, who was unhappy that strange objects were being attached to her owner, and wiping the "I always yawn when something exciting happens" expression from his face, Geb briefly summarized the contents of his application, addressing the questions that Navarro was interested in.

And although, after many years of traveling the world, Selena had managed to shed that terrible image of Orcs that had formed in her mind in childhood, she still treated the green humanoids on board the ship with some caution, especially Urthang, who seemed even more savage than his fellow, Rutyn. Sometimes she found that her fingers unconsciously closed around the hilt of the sword at her belt, as if subconsciously preparing for battle.
Upon the captain's request, she went out on deck and silently observed the process of questioning the crew members, waiting for her turn. As she surveyed those gathered, her gaze stopped on Akane, a swordswoman from Ishiva. During the war with that country, Selena had met many of its people, some of whom she had killed herself, and others had killed her comrades... But despite this, over time, she saw in them just ordinary soldiers, like herself, and eventually realized that the Yoru were not much different from the Sylphs (at least compared to the Trogolodites), and therefore the girl from Ishiva did not evoke any negative emotions in her.

Sanchez pressed the device closer to his ear and listened intently for a long time.
-- Well, alright, let's assume you're not a Hive spy. So, next... Next... Oh! Zhur Vien. Sorry, Zhur, but I haven't seen you at all during our voyage; I've been wanting to hear your voice for a while. They say Sylphs have a good voice and a pleasant accent.
Zhur Vien was that reclusive Sylph. A device was soon attached to him, and he began to answer questions. Everything was proceeding as usual until the captain got to the topic of religious beliefs.
-- I worship Ferlite, -- Zhur stated firmly.
-- Who? -- the captain was surprised.
-- Ferlite, the Great and Unique Ferlite! -- the young Sylph's eyes shone. -- She is the most beautiful and most powerful of all the immortals! Captain, I respect the goals of your expedition, but it is far more important to me that I can visit an altar dedicated to her along the way! This is the most important event in my life!
The captain clicked his tongue, which was not a good sign.
-- So, you're a Sylph, and you abandoned your faith to worship an idol? And you're sailing with us to worship... some Furite?
-- Ferlite! And don't you dare call her an idol! I respect you, Captain, but such things... are not permitted.
-- And why didn't you say anything about the true purpose of your journey earlier? -- Navarro sighed heavily. -- I wouldn't have let you on board for anything.
-- That's why I didn't say anything, -- Zhur confessed passionately. -- But it doesn't matter now, because I will do everything I can to help you and the Kro Empire in this endeavor.
-- You won't. I don't need cultists and apostates on board. Alright, men!
The sailors and Rutin Abyrovich rushed to the Sylph and grabbed him under the arms before he could react.
-- Throw him overboard! -- the captain said, as if with regret, and the order was immediately carried out. The Sylph only had time to gasp.
-- What was that? -- Navarro was upset. -- What about the ladder, the sword, the sharks? You guys are too mundane. Take note for next time, okay? -- The captain slapped himself on the forehead. -- Jane! We drowned your device!
Mini Jane, as if expecting this, immediately pulled a second one out of her bag.
-- Oh, well, that's fine. Next... Next... Selena! Let's continue with the Sylphs.
The captain began to ask questions.

Am I the only one who thinks that Sanchez is actually a reincarnation of Vincent?

Standing on the deck, Akane cautiously surveyed the assembled crew. She had already gotten to know some of them, but most of the sailors remained strangers to her. Her gaze fell on Selene, who was approaching the group, and Akane awkwardly looked away.

Having finished answering questions, Gabe stepped back and began to observe what was happening. The execution of the Sylvan made him uneasy, although this suspicious fellow hadn't inspired confidence from the very beginning. The other members of the expedition, however, looked only slightly less suspicious, and Gabe decided to expect anything from them. Even from the two pretty elves. And Gabe realized in the first few days of the voyage that it was best not to approach the goblin at close range.

So, what is your full name? Place of birth? Permanent residence? Citizenship? Religious beliefs? What are your motivations for joining the expedition?

— Selene Renn, born in a small hunting village in eastern Terra, now destroyed. No permanent residence, citizen of Terra, monotheism of the Sylvan (Selene herself, however, after all the recent events, was not entirely sure of her own views on religion), — the last question was not the easiest, as she herself did not fully know her own reasons, — I love to travel.

Am I the only one who thinks Sanchez is actually a reincarnation of Vincent?

No offense to Mento, but he's nowhere near as good as Vincent...
Goodnight, sweet prince. You shall never be forgotten.

-- Wow! -- the captain exclaimed. -- I love that too, high five! But honestly, I can't stand traveling by ship; I'd rather... a train. Some dwarven iron train, you get on and... Sigh... Okay, Jane, attach the device to Akane! Ladies, as they say, onward! -- With each subsequent word in this conversation, Navarro's enthusiasm waned.
-- Tell me about yourself, please.

- I love fighting, I love mornings, apples, and I want to find friends.

Anyway, we always seem to have crazy captains.

– Alright, – the captain said impassively. – And what about your sexual orientation? No, it’s not in the application, but I’m curious.