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[Orombur]

A sharp gust of wind rushed through the port, tossing the breaking waves against the wooden frames of ships moored along the docks. Horse hooves rose and fell against the cobblestone streets, their clipping and clopping mixing with the creaks of rusty chains on tavern signs and the cawing of gulls in the skies above to help complete the orchestra of New Portland. People rushed about, their days far too busy to stop and admire the sounds of the city.

The sign above the door to The Leather Tankard squealed louder than all the others, swinging vigorously with each new gust of wind that danced down the streets. It proudly boasted the tavern’s reputation as the best spot in the city to “stop and let the piss out.” The inside was filled with a few boisterous sailors sharing their greatest and least believable sea stories and laughing loudly.

At a table with a view of the ocean, Eduin sat, watching the fun, the grin on his face spreading from ear to ear. He loved the company of the sailors and often spent his evenings down at the Tankard, laughing with the rest of them. If he didn’t have business shortly, he would be at the bar sharing a drink with the group.

“I’m telling you,” one of the older men said, his speech slightly slurred, “you wouldn’t believe the size of it! As big as my ship, if not bigger! It could swallow a man down in one gulp! I drew my sword and stared the beast down, though I’ve never been more scared!”

“Aye, and I’ll bet you slew the monster too, didn’t you?” One of the younger men asked sarcastically. “Stabbed it right in the eye!” A round of raucous laughter sprang up around the bar. It was well known that the older man barely knew his way around a sword, though he could out-sail any of the younger men.

“Careful what you say,” the older man warned. He took a long gulp from his mug, and then looked back up at the crowd. “They may call it the Golden Sea, but the shining stops at a point. When the skies go dark, the seas go darker.” He had a faraway look in his eyes as he thought back to his sails. “There’s things out there that shake a man to his core. Dark islands, jagged rocks hidden below the waves, and worse.”

Eduin chuckled under his breath. The old man was always telling his tales of the seas beyond the horizon. A few laughs rose from the group. “Calm down, you old prune, you’ll go spooking the children,” someone said, and drunken joy found its way back to them.

The door to the Tankard swung open and a man wearing boiled leather walked in. On his chest was the Royal Navy insignia, a large galley with oars dipping into a golden ocean. A red cloak hung from his shoulders, contrasting the brown of the leather and displaying his captain’s rank. The man was tall and his face was hard, lines etched into his forehead underneath his closely cropped graying hair. Only a hint of hair was on his face.

His eyes scanned the room and fell on Eduin. The captain walked over to his table, leaned his sword against the legs and sat down across from him. “Greywater,” he said. “You could have chosen a finer location.” He looked around the room again, the distaste clear in his eyes. “Certainly there are better places in town.”

Eduin’s grin receded a little, and he tried to look more serious. “There’s no better place in town. The sailors are too drunk to care what we’re talking about, and no one will hear us over them.” As if to reinforce his point, a loud round of laughter broke out from the group.

The captain sighed. “Very well then. Let’s get to business.”

Eduin pulled a folded up map out of his pocket, pointing at New Portland. The city was found on a large peninsula, and served as the main port for the kingdom. Nearly all of the ship-borne trade ran through the city’s port, and the Royal Navy’s base and training school were both located there. “We start from here,” he said, excited to finally be speaking to the Navy. “There are plenty of people in New Portland who would be willing to help. From here, we set out southwest, until we hit the Serpentsbane Islands.”

The captain rolled his eyes. “Weren’t you warned about this, Greywater?” He placed both hands on the table and stared at Eduin. “Hasn’t anyone already told you no?”

Eduin continued on, undeterred. He was used to hearing responses like this early on. “From the islands we sail west. I know it sounds crazy, but somewhere out here is another chunk of land, just like ours.” He pointed to the middle of the empty Golden Sea. “I’ve heard the stories and seen the old maps. Something big is out there! We could go find out what!”

The captain stared at Eduin for a few moments, letting a silence fall over the two of them. “Tell me something, Greywater. Where have these stories come from?” He motioned to the sailors at the bar. “From these fools? The same men who speak of mermaids and sea monsters? Do you believe them every time they tell you they caught a fish bigger than a person? And the old maps were made by barbarians. Those same maps were missing the entire northern half of our lands, the lands that they lived on! Your sources don’t exactly inspire confidence.”

“Imagine that there was something out there,” Eduin said. “Imagine if we discovered that. The Navy, the King, everyone who backed and funded this would go down in history!”

“Not if the Navy puts their back behind this expedition of yours. We need our ships right here at home Greywater. You know that better than most.”

Eduin nodded. There was rebellion brewing in the streets of New Portland, as well as the capital. King Dulin was not well loved by the people. Many were starving, and blamed him for their predicament. Eduin had no love for the king himself, but rebellion was far beyond what he wanted. No one had come forward in open attack on the crown yet, but it was not far away. “Two ships, that’s all we’ll need,” he said.

The captain shook his head. “You already know our answer. It has not changed. We will not support this.” He stood up and picked up his sword, placing it back on his belt. “Good day, Greywater.”

[James]

((You need to write more, Orom. Or at least post them on here more. Your writing is always strong and this beginning isn't an exception. The only thing I would say is we don't really see any disappointment/despair from Eduin when it becomes apparent his expedition isn't taking place.

Although this setting seems familiar. I think you wrote an assignment/competition piece within the same setting, didn't you?))

[Orombur]

((Trust me, it felt pretty good to be able to sit down and write that. And yeah, it's the same setting I used during the Assignment last year. Been formulating the story in my head for a long time.))

[Deleted]

((I enjoyed it. This feels like the beginning to something I would buy and read, to be honest. I look forward to more, Orum. I saw no glaring errors on the technical side, either, so I'll echo James' response and say you should indeed write more.))