The returning captain remains before Arrus on the main deck, his account book tucked beneath one arm. The Seawren swordsman and the Seawren's second swordsman stand ready with blunted foils while the Seawren's acting officer watches the captain’s judgment settle over the ship.
The Returning Captain
Give me the training plan first, Master Gandon. How many men, how much time, and what precisely will you teach without turning my deck into a brawling ground?
The Returning Captain
Then state your authority. Are you an instructor under my command, or do you expect my sailors to obey you as though the Admiralty had placed you over them?
Pike opens the account book to a clean page and taps his quill against it. The gesture makes clear that training, discipline, and expense will be recorded together, not settled by charm alone.
The Returning Captain
Finally, the passage west. I know the Seawren’s route, but I need the exact terms: your berth, your duties, your payment, and whether your promised barrel of rum arrives at Cornwall or remains a handsome fantasy.
the Seawren swordsman
Captain, he has already taught us to value balance before speed and survival before ceremony. The men will listen, provided his place aboard is plainly settled.
The Returning Captain
There is the matter, then. Answer me plainly, envoy, and I will decide whether the Seawren carries you west under a sailor’s bargain, an officer’s arrangement, or not at all.
The deck falls quiet around them. The Seawren swordsman and the Seawren's second swordsman hold their foils at rest, the Seawren's acting officer studies Arrus closely, and Captain Pike leaves the decision waiting in the open air between them.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure Captain Pike’s approval for the passage and training arrangement