Beneath the dark night sky, a steam freighter with a great smokestack belching thick black smoke sailed steadily across the rain-shrouded river, heading west.
"We're almost at Sailiuna Harbor. Stay alert, everyone." Kobinse emerged from the cabin in standard-issue leather armor, his hair meticulously combed and his face stern. His pale blue eyes swept over the idle sailors on deck. They immediately felt as though a beast had fixed its gaze on them and instinctively straightened their backs and stood at attention.
He nodded to himself and was about to say more when the captain, a man with disheveled hair and a bulbous red nose, opened his mouth and said drunkenly,
"Hey, little Kobinse, want a drink?"
"Captain Andes, I'm carrying out a delivery for the kingdom. The rules say I can't drink." Kobinse glanced at him. "Captain, you're my superior, so I have no authority to reprimand you. But when we return, I'll report to the count that you drank while on duty."
"Rules? Rules only constrain people who follow them. Look at the nobles. Which of them takes the rules seriously? Little Kobinse, you care far too much about them." Captain Andes shook his head, took a deep swig, and belched. "As for the count, your father and I are friends. I held you when you were little and helped bathe you. You even peed on me more than once. Are you sure you want to tell the count what happened here?"
Kobinse gave a wry smile. "Captain Andes, you know how important the cargo we're escorting is. If we can't get it safely to Sailiuna Harbor..."
"But if it's that Black Dragon, the crew's vigilance won't make a difference. And if it isn't that Black Dragon, is there any other evil force left on this river?"
Kobinse