Chapter 11 Chapter 8 Tearing the Warrior's Soul

They found the merchant ship heavily heeled, with a considerable portion of her sails ripped off by chain bombs, and her crew - those still on deck - dead, sprawled across the deck.Deudermont and his experienced crew knew that other people had been on board the ship before.Such a ship usually carries at least a dozen crew members, and only seven bodies have been found.The captain had little hope that the missing man would still be alive.Sharks were seen in large numbers in the waters around the wounded caravan, and many of them probably had their stomachs full of human flesh. "Not more than a few hours," announced Robillard to the captain, catching up with him.The captain was at the rudder wheel of the wrecked ship, tied and held in place by a rope.

The pirates wounded her, killed her crew, looted valuables, and made her turn sharply and spin in the water.In the strong winds that prevailed throughout the day, Deudermont was forced to order Robillard to send a bolt of lightning to destroy the rudder and further damage the merchant ship so he could allow Sea Sprite to take control of the caravan. "They probably looted quite a lot," Deudermont reasoned. Remnants of stock in the merchant ship's hold suggest that the ship loaded from Menon and was once carrying a large quantity of textiles, although the cargo log makes no mention of exotic or special cargo.

"Bad goods," Robillard responded. "They'd have to carry a lot of them just to make up for the time it took to attack the ships and kill them. If they filled the hold, they're clearly headed for land." He paused, wet a finger , and lift it up. "And they had the right wind direction for such a voyage." "As fit as our own," said the captain darkly.One of his leaders was standing nearby ordering the last inspection of the survivors. The captain ordered the leader to return to the Sea Spirit immediately after the inspection. The hunt begins. Standing not far from Captain Deudermont and Robillard, Wulfgar heard every word.He agrees with the estimate that the atrocity took place in just one hour.The Sea Spirit's cabin is empty, and under strong winds, even if the pirate ship is heading for a safe harbor at full speed, she will soon catch up with the fully loaded pirate ship,

The barbarian closed his eyes, thinking about the upcoming battle, which would be his first move since Sea Sprite came out of Waterdeep.This was a defining moment for Wulfgar, and his determination and strength of will would yield to a courage so vacillating.He looked around at the murdered merchant sailors, those massacred by bloodthirsty pirates.Doom is likely to befall those murderers who will be thrown into the deep water to die in cold and solitude, or captured and sent back to Waterdeep, or even Luskan, to be interrogated and executed, and they deserved it all Such fate. Wulfgar told himself that it was his duty to avenge these innocent sailors, and it was also his duty to use his gifted warrior skills to uphold justice in this merciless world and bring safety to the innocent and helpless.

Standing on the deck of the battered merchant ship, Wulfgar tried to consciously evoke every noble quality, every ideal.Standing at the scene of the killing, Wulfgar called upon his instincts of duty and blame, the devotion of his old friend, Drizzt, who would not hesitate to put himself in danger for others' sake. . But he always sees Delly and Colson fighting against the cruel world alone, and he falls into sadness and helplessness. Someone prodded him in the side, reminding the Savage what was going on around him that he and the leader who had prodded him were the only crew left on the wrecked merchant ship.He followed the chief onto the boarding plank, noticing that Robillard was watching his every move.

The Savage walked back to the Sea Sprite, took one last look at the horrific sight on the merchant ship, and burned into his mind the image of the dead sailors, a memory he might need to call up when the time for action came. He tried very hard to suppress the image of Delly and Colson, and when he did, he reminded himself of who he was and who he had to be. Using common sense and a little Robillard's magic, the Sea Sprite had the pirate ship within sight shortly after dawn the next day.It was a formidable ship, a three-masted ship with two decks and a second ballista on the raised upper deck.Even from a distance, Deudermont could see many sailors wandering around on the deck of the pirate ship with bows in hand.

"Karin Bardeen?" Robillard asked Deudermont.He stood beside Deudermont, close to the prow of the speeding schooner. "Possibly," answered the captain, turning back to his emaciated friend. Sea Sprite has been chasing Karim Bardeen on and off for several years, one of the most notorious pirates in the Bay of Swords.It looks like they've finally caught the elusive killer.According to rumors, Bardin's ship was large and slow, equipped with terrible weapons and armor, a group of skilled archers and two disreputable mages.It has long been known that the pirate Bardeen himself is the more bloodthirsty of his kind, so the horrific sight on the merchant ship just now does fit Bardeen's pattern of behavior.

"If it is, we have to be at our best or risk losing a lot of crew," Robillard said. Deudermont's eyes were behind his binoculars, and he didn't object. "One mistake could cost the lives of many of our crew, a mistake we've made many times lately," the mage continued. Deudermont lowered his binoculars, faced his mysterious friend, and then, understanding Robillard's comment, cast a sideways glance at Wulfgar standing by the starboard middle rail. "His mistake has been pointed out to him," Deudermont reminded. "He logically understands the mistakes he's making, even when he's making them," Robillard retorted. "When these events started, our big friend was not ruled by reason, but by emotion, by fear and anger. When you explained the mistakes to him, you called out his rational mind, and in the At that level, your words do work. But once he goes into battle, that sane mind, logical reasoning at that level, is replaced by something more primitive and obviously uncontrollable."

Deudermont listened carefully, even if he disagreed a little.Even though he expected the opposite to be the case, he couldn't deny his mage friend's inference.If Wulfgar acted irrationally and hindered Robillard's progress, Deudermont could not ignore the implications for the rest of the crew.After all, Bardeen's ship was carrying two mages and a horde of dangerous archers. "We're going to win this battle by circling that slow ship," Robillard continued. "We need quick and responsive, but also powerful steering." Deudermont nodded, because in fact, the Sea Spirit used mobility as its main weapon against many larger ships, often with one side facing the stern of the pirate ship, and the archers launched devastating attacks on the enemy's deck.So Robillard's words seem rather obvious.

"A powerful turn," the mage repeated, and Deudermont understood what the mage really meant. "You want me to assign Wulfgar to the helmsman." "I hope you do, it's best for the safety of everyone on Sea Sprite," Robillard replied. "We know how to beat a ship like this, Captain. I just ask your permission to proceed in the usual way and not to mix in dangerous variables. I don't want to deny that our Wulfgar is a formidable fighter, but he and I have sailed with us Unlike his friends, he was unpredictable." Robillard wanted to continue, but Deudermont stopped him with a raised hand and a slight nod, admitting the defeat of the debate.Wulfgar had indeed acted dangerously in previous encounters, and it would spell disaster for him to do so now against such a fearsome corsair.

Would Deudermont be willing to risk such a thing for a friend's ego? He watched Wulfgar more closely, the big man standing by the rail, watching their prey nervously, fists clenched, inner sparkle in melancholy eyes. Wulfgar crawled down the cabin reluctantly—even more reluctantly when he realized that he was actually better suited down there.He watched the captain come, coming towards him from Robillard, but he was still surprised when Deudermont directed him to go down into the stern cabin, where the helmsman worked during the battle.Usually, the rudder of the Sea Spirit is controlled by the upper rudder wheel, but when entering battle, the driver in front of the rudder wheel just relays the order to the crew below, who can turn the ship more powerfully and reliably as directed. Wulfgar had never steered an artificial rudder, nor did he think that was the best place to use his talents. "Bitter face," said Grimsley, chief helmsman. "Out of range of mages and archers, you should be happy." Wulfgar barely reacted, just stepped over and picked up the heavy tiller. "I guess he put you down there because of your strength," Grimsley continued, and Wulfgar realized that the gray-haired sailor was trying to minimize his emotional damage. The Savage knew better.If Deudermont really wanted to use his immense strength to steer the ship, he should have placed Wulfgar above where he was manipulating the mainsail lines.Years ago, on the original Sea Sprite, Wulfgar had once steered the ship beautifully and powerfully, bringing her bow out of the water, accomplishing a seemingly impossible maneuver and winning the day. But now, it appears that Deudermont doesn't even trust him to do that job, and doesn't allow him to see the fight at all. Wulfgar didn't like it—not at all—but this was Deudermont's ship, he reminded himself.He was in no position to question the captain, especially with a battle looming before them. After a while the first cry of warning was repeated.Wulfgar heard the impact of a fireball exploding nearby. "Pull her to the third line from the left!" Grimsley yelled. Wulfgar and the other man at the side of the long tiller tugged hard, aligning the top of the tiller with the third line from the left on the wall. "Pull back the first one on the left!" Grimsley screamed. The two responded, and Sea Sprite reversed from a sharp turn. Wulfgar listened to the incessant calls from above, the hum of bowstrings, the swish of ballistas, and the explosion of magic.These sounds cut to the heart of the noble barbarian warrior. warrior? Wulfgar couldn't be trusted to fight, couldn't be allowed to perform the tasks for which he had been trained his entire life, so did he still have the right to call himself a warrior?Who he was, therefore, he had to doubt so much that he was doing nothing but mule work while his comrades—men of lesser fighting skill and strength than himself— fought right above him. With a growl, Wulfgar responded to the next order, "Second from the right!", and then when Grimsley complied with the yell from above, ordered to cut to the left, making Sea Sprite turn as fast as she could. The turn was so sharp that Wulfgar pulled back violently on the tiller. Wulfgar forced the pole full to the left, the spats and rudder creaking in protest, and the Sea Sprite tilted so violently that the man behind Wulfgar at the tiller lost his balance. "Easy! Ease!" Grimsley shouted at the powerful barbarian. "Don't you throw the crew off deck, idiot!" Wulfgar relaxed a little, and accepted the reprimand because it was well deserved.But he hardly listened to Grimsley, except for those specific instructions shouted by the old seaman.His attention was more focused on the sounds of battle above, the screams and shouts, the constant barrage of spells and ballistas. Someone else is on top to take his place in peril. "Hey, don't worry," Grimsley pointed out, apparently noticing the frustrated look on Wulfgar's face, "Dudemont and his boys will win today's battle, no doubt about it!" In fact, Wulfgar didn't doubt it at all.Long before his arrival, Deudermont and his crew had successfully engaged in such battles.But it wasn't what was tearing at Wulfgar's heart.He knew his place, not because of that, but because of his own weakness of heart, and this was the only place where Captain Deudermont could responsibly place him. Fireballs rumbled above him, lightning crackled, bowstrings buzzed, and ballistas fired hot charges with a loud whoosh.The battle lasted for nearly an hour, and when the order passed through Grimsley via relay, telling the crew to put the rudder back on the wheel, the people working around Wulfgar rushed onto the deck following Grimsley , to view the fruits of victory. "Wulfgar was left alone in the cockpit, sitting against the wall, too ashamed to be there, too afraid of someone dying in his place. Presently he heard someone on the gangway, and was surprised to see Robillard come down, raising his dark blue robes to make the step. "Control has been switched back to the helm," said the mage. "Don't you think you might be able to help us salvage what's in the pirate ship?" Wulfgar glared at him hard.Even seated, the barbarian appears to tower over the mage.Wulfgar was three times the man's weight, with arms thicker than Robillard's legs.Apparently, Wulfgar could tear the mage to shreds with no trouble. If Robillard had the slightest fear of the savages, he did not show it. "You did this to me," Wulfgar pointed out. "What did you do?" "Your words put me here, not Captain Deudermont's," Wulfgar said, making his point. "You did it." "No, my dear Wulfgar," said Robillard viciously. "You did it." Wulfgar lifted his jaw and stared defiantly. "Facing what could be a very difficult battle, Captain Deudermont has no choice but to move you here," the mage was happy to explain. "Your own arrogance and self-assertion limit him to giving you that. Do you think we'll risk the loss of our crew just to satisfy your indulgent rage and high self-awareness?" Wulfgar moved forward, stood up, and curled up in a ball, as if intending to spring up and strangle the mage. "Unless you've been utterly stupid, what else could have guided you to act like this in the last battle?" Robillard continued, looking hardly intimidated or nervous at all. "We are a team, well-disciplined, and everyone has their own blame. When one person doesn't do what's set, our team is weakened, operating independently instead of acting as one. That's what we can't do. Tolerated. Neither you nor anyone. Therefore relinquish your attacks on me, and your threats of condemnation and impotence, or you will find yourself swimming." Wulfgar's eyes did widen a little, at odds with his deliberately restrained stance and gaze. "And I assure you, we're far from land," finished Robillard, stepping up the gangway.But he paused, looking back at Wulfgar. "If you didn't like today's battle, it might be wise for you to stay there the next time we enter Waterdeep and anchor." "Yes, perhaps that's the best way," continued Robillard, after a short pause, musing. "Go back to dry land, Wulfgar. You don't belong here." The mage was gone, but instead of trying to chase him, Wulfgar fell back against the wall, slid into a sitting position again, thinking about who he had been and who he was now—a horrible truth he didn't want to face. He can't even begin to look ahead and consider who he wishes to be.