Discussion and Plans

The ship cleaved through the waves, its sole remaining sail billowing high in the sea wind as it raced toward Perilous Earth Island.

Xia Lun leaned against the wall of the Poop Deck, patiently oiling his Short Sword.

Heavy footsteps approached. He slowly looked up and saw the Priest striding toward him.

Everyone with the technical know-how was now aboard: the captain, the old man, the Priest, and Xia Lun himself.

The captain took a drag on her pipe and smiled at the Priest, who looked puzzled.

"All right, now that everyone's here, we can begin." Xia Lun put away his Short Sword and glanced around. "Please close the door. Thanks."

The old man shut it. "So what exactly are we discussing?"

"Getting on the same page," Xia Lun said. "We need to decide how to deal with the monster."

He paused to make sure everyone understood, then continued. "I have a preliminary plan. Once we're near Perilous Earth Island, we'll use the cargo hatch to ignite the whale oil at the bottom of the hold. I checked while I was throwing down the bodies. All it would take is one bullet and a few torches."

"Once the hold catches fire, the monster will have to come up on deck. It's much too large to fit through the cargo hatch."

"So it'll come out through one of the three companionways?" Captain Geliide raised an eyebrow. "And we secretly reinforce them so it can't get out?"

Xia Lun nodded. "One of them, to be precise. I checked the entrances this morning. Only the main companionway near the Forecastle is large enough for it. In fact, that's where it fell in."

"Then the plan is clear." The captain slowly blew a smoke ring. In the glow of her Pipe, her chestnut eyes seemed a little brighter. "Once we're near Perilous Earth Island, we seal the only exit, light the whale oil, and leave in the lifeboats. Heh. Setting a fire. I like it."

"That sounds quite workable." The old man considered it, then nodded. "So we just need to fool the monster for a few more days and keep it from eating anyone?"

Xia Lun shook his head.

"It's not that simple." He raised a finger. "There are two issues."

"First, the fire. Once it spreads, the wooden structure of the ship may not hold. If it burns through, the monster could climb out early and interfere with our escape."

"We also can't rule out the possibility that the fire will cause the whale oil to explode. We need to work out exactly how to set it."

And if we burn the monster to death, I won't get the rest of the Prayerbook of the Drowned, Xia Lun added silently.

He looked up and found the others had gone quiet.

The Priest and the captain both looked thoughtful. The old man was staring straight at him.

"What?" Xia Lun finally asked.

The old man clicked his tongue. "You're rather... good at setting fires. You weren't an arsonist before you went to sea, were you?"

"No," Xia Lun said firmly. "I just made a few simple deductions."

"Those aren't simple deductions. Without experience, you wouldn't think of details like that. Strange little details are exactly what set experts apart from novices." Captain Geliide tapped her Pipe and smiled. "Ah, never mind if you don't want to say. We all have secrets."

"Back to the point." Xia Lun shook his head. "Instead of waiting for the fire to destroy some part of the ship, we should make a weak point ourselves, then prepare an ambush there."

"You're the expert. I'll follow your lead." The old man braced his hands on the table. "Leave that to me. I'll study the ship's structure."

Without a word, the Priest took the structural diagram off the wall and spread it across the table.

"We also need to divide everyone into three groups." Xia Lun studied the diagram, then pointed to the side of the hull. "The first group will have five people. They'll lower the lifeboats in advance and stock enough supplies for our escape. If all twenty-one of us are leaving, we'll need at least five boats. That group will also plan what to do once we reach shore."

"We'll need people we can trust. Otherwise, they might leave early." The captain smoked as she looked at the others. "How about each of us nominates someone, so they can keep an eye on one another?"

"You don't need to guard against us anymore, Geliide." The Priest sighed. "You can choose them."

"And then you'll make plans behind my back?" The captain sounded as though she was joking, but her smile was faint. "Better to put checks in place now. It's better to speak openly than have everyone harboring suspicions."

"So why did the mutiny happen?" Xia Lun asked suddenly.

It was not idle curiosity. He had a nagging feeling that the monster's appearance and the pirates' sudden mutiny were connected.

The Priest glanced at the captain and Xia Lun, then sighed. "It's a long story. In short, Geliide was so determined to catch this whaling ship and get her revenge that she drove us straight into a storm. She sank our flagship and indirectly caused the First Mate's sister's death. But Geliide should tell you herself."

Captain Geliide touched the scar on her face and gave a cold laugh. "There's nothing to tell. I made the decision alone. Let's leave it for another time and finish assigning roles."

"The second group will ambush the monster. I'll lead it." Xia Lun tapped the table. "I need twelve people. Priest, help me find them."

The Priest nodded. "Of course."

"And the final four will be a reserve group to handle anything unexpected?" the old man asked.

Xia Lun nodded. After a pause, he raised a second finger. "Right. That was the first problem and how we'll address it. Now for the second problem we might face."

The sea wind howled beyond the door, and warm, damp air seeped into the room around its edges.

Captain Geliide held her unease in check and slowly drew on her Pipe. As she exhaled, the tension within her seemed to drift away with the smoke.

"There's another risk?" she asked softly.

Xia Lun nodded, his voice suddenly grave. "I'm only telling you what I suspect. Don't read too much into it—but that monster used to be someone aboard this whaling ship."

"What?!" Geliide's brow furrowed. Startled, she knocked her beloved Pipe against the table.

The old man leaned forward. "What? It used to be human?"

"A human turned into a monster, and now it eats people. That's blasphemy." The Priest murmured, "Eating human flesh, drinking human blood, hiding in a pitch-dark hold and demanding tribute every day... It sounds familiar."

"Like the nobles of Scarlet Lantern Island, right?" Xia Lun offered. No one laughed.

When the joke fell flat, he cleared his throat and lightly tapped the table. "So we can't rule out the possibility that the monster has an accomplice among the whaling ship's crew."

The atmosphere, lively enough a moment ago, went cold. Even the shadow cast by the table seemed to take on a chill.

"Come to think of it, the monster didn't attack any of the whaling ship's crew when it appeared." The Priest fell silent for a while, then said hesitantly, "But it did seem to attack you deliberately, Xia Lun."