"Oh, I see," I said. That had been a close one.
Sea serpents could reach lengths of hundreds of meters and weigh hundreds of tons. They could "breathe" water—or rather, turn themselves into living water cannons—and in their native element, almost nothing could match their speed. A genuine aquatic dragon.
Though fire dragons were supposed to be intelligent—then again, maybe not every single one of them actually was—these kings of the ocean likely weren't. Still, I couldn't say for certain. There wasn't much reliable information about them, and what little did exist mostly came from the accounts of lucky bastards who had somehow survived an encounter with such a predator.
I probably don't need to explain that during such encounters, people were far more concerned with staying alive than with trying to engage in philosophical debate with a creature the length of two battleships.
A cruiser running into one of those things wouldn't have particularly good odds either.
After scouting out a suitable anchorage, I parted ways with Suki and promised to return tomorrow with my crew to resupply and quarter them. After that, the rest was simple: get back in the boat, head out to sea, and, and start tossing firebursts into the darkening evening sky…
Twenty minutes after I began "signaling," I was already standing on the deck of the Leopard, briefing the crew up to speed.
"All right then, gentlemen sailors," I addressed the assembled warriors, "prepare for disembarkation. Objective: rest for personnel and replenishment of water and provisions. A duty watch will remain aboard, rotating daily. Estimated shore leave: two to three days."
The men stood in disciplined silence—but their eyes betrayed complete approval and eager anticipation.
"Now for the details," I continued in a less formal tone. "We're currently at Kyoshi Island—a neutral territory. Which means that if anyone violates regulations here, I'll punish it even more severely than I would back in the Fire Nation. I have no intention of making enemies out of neutral locals because someone couldn't keep himself under control. Especially since, thanks to their proximity to the Earth Kingdom, the locals already view our people with suspicion and hostility."
That dampened their mood a bit.
"Now for the good news. We'll be quartered at the training compound of the Kyoshi Warriors."
No reaction.
"For those unfamiliar with them—the Kyoshi Warriors consist entirely of girls between sixteen and twenty… twenty-two."
Ah. There it was. Enlightenment. Realization. Suddenly they were looking at me like their beloved commander-father.
"And once again, to avoid misunderstandings: these girls consider themselves warriors, and they've earned that right. Warriors—not whores. So if anyone ends up finding himself a girlfriend by mutual consent, fine. But if some idiot tries to 'buy love for the night' or insults our gracious hosts in some other way and causes a scandal involving neutral territory..."
I let the pause hang for a moment.
"I'll execute the idiot on the spot. Understood?"
Yes, none of that was exactly regulation. Then again, most of my crew consisted either of idealistic young patriots around my age fresh out of training, their dreams of "honor and glory" not yet beaten out of them—or hardened veterans handpicked by my father, the sort who thought with their heads rather than what was in their trousers. Still, I had to make it clear.
A large part of my plan to recruit Suki and her squad depended on creating the right image of my nation—one they could witness personally instead of hearing secondhand from merchants and rumor-mongers.
"That's all. Dismissed."
The men headed off to get ready.
***
"Phew…"
Once I finally made it back to my cabin, I blissfully stretched out on my bunk.
Hmm… I should probably bring along a couple of bottles of wine. Who knows—maybe I'll get lucky with Suki… Not that I was counting on it too much, but can't a sailor who hasn't seen the opposite sex in a couple of months indulge in a little daydreaming?
The night and the landing both passed without incident. As agreed, the villagers sent over provisions, which meant the unlucky bastards stuck on duty would have to do more than just watch the ship—they'd be hauling cargo too.
Well, life's unfair. Shouldn't have screwed up and earned yourselves extra duty, heh-heh.
The rest of the crew quickly scattered across the island to enjoy their well-earned rest. Some headed into the village in search of a tavern. Others, having managed to acquire fishing rods, went off to find a good spot to fish.
There weren't many enthusiasts of that sort, though—after all, you could fish just as well from the ship while it was drifting, so doing the same thing on land felt a little excessive. But whatever, everyone has their own hobbies and quirks.
Most of the men, however, were far more interested in seeing these Kyoshi Warriors I'd mentioned.
At first, the villagers treated our arrival with understandable caution. But the men behaved themselves—no trouble, no provocations—and they spent money freely at the local shop (surprisingly, there was something like a souvenir store) and the island's only tavern. As a result, the locals' mood improved rather quickly, and the wary glances became far less frequent.
Though not for everyone.
As usual, the issue lay with the women—more specifically, the warriors.
(End of Chapter)
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