In the dead of night with tor hand, teran walks briskly through Lignum town. He weaves past fme-lit nterns and nods to the [Guards] on patrol, of which there are many. He’d ordered an increase in night patrols after the i, and clearly his orders are being followed. Even at night, the dark town is still a wellspring of activity, especially he harbor and pubs. Men of the sea tend to sleep te and wake early. It truly boggles the mind how so many fun with such little sleep.

  Eventually, teran reaches his destination, a small but anor oskirts of the towes, thankfully, that there is still light within the building's residence.

  He walks up the few porch steps and knocks on the door.

  Then, he waits patiently. Oher side of the door, he hears the tapping of feet.

  “Hello? Who is it?” Asks a child’s voice from beyond the door.

  “Cy, it’s teran. I would like to speak with yrandfather and his guests.”

  “One moment!”

  He hears the tapping of feet, a muted versation, and theapping er feet. Two locks clid the door swings open.

  “[Governor],” Myers says tiredly, “please, e in.” He steps to the side. “The guests are in the living room.”

  “Thank you.”

  He ehe manor and Myers closes the door behind him. Two clicks and he is locked inside.

  Knowing the manor, since he’d lived in it before, he goes straight to the living room wherein all the guests are situated around an anized pile of s, ons, and jewelry; a veritable horde of treasure ah.

  “Please don't tell me you’ve stolen all this.” The words escape his mouth faster thahought.

  The cat sighs. “Seriously? You steal from seventeen people just one night, and now any form of wealth you acquire is assumed stolen?” The cat shakes his head. “No, this was not stolen, unless you think taking objects from decades old corpses is sidered stealing.”

  teran frowns at the cat for several long moments, then he realizes.

  “This is from the s! From everyohat's failed my request over the st eighty years!”

  The cat grins. “Finders keepers.”

  teran rexes. “That's fihe wealth I gee from having the corruption removed is vastly more tharis and s you’ve found.”

  The cat yawns. “Good, cause I wouldn't turems in anyway. Me and Borris had to wade through a shit ton of mud to get it. On another seems you’ve gotten the report about my success. So my question is, how long until my ship is ready?”

  teran smiles happily. “Indeed, what you’ve done for me is truly grand. I’ve spoken to my [Harbormaster]. Tomorrow m, he will unload the ship from ste and cheake sure the ship is fit to sail. I’ll have the paperwork ready for the transfer of ownership.”

  teran frowns for a moment. “Are you even able to write?”

  “Yes,” the cat answers resolutely.

  The [Governives the cat a long look before tinuing. “Once ownership is transferred and paperwork is pleted, all you need are supplies and you leave at your leisure. I’ll have additional [Stevedores] on site to facilitate preparations.”

  “You’re rushing, teran,” Myers interrupts. “All this could have been expined in the m instead of the middle of the night. Is there something you're not telling us?”

  teran takes a slow breath. “I should have figured you’d see through me.” He grimaces. “[Bounty Hunter] Raaf is asking about both you,” he looks at the cat, “and Quasi. I know why he’s after Quasi, but not why he’s after yardless, I’d rather have both of you off my isnd as soon as possible.”

  “Does he know where I live?” Myers asks.

  teran shakes his head. “Not yet. I told him I’ll find out and tell him tomorrow.”

  “You e warn us. Is good honor,” Boris says happily.

  “Dummkopf,” Irmgard begins. “He came here to get rid of us. Clearly, he doesn’t want a frontatioween us and this [Bounty Hunter].”

  “I disagree, my frauleiapo,” Cillian ters. “He could have informed the [Bounty Hunter] of our location. If we died ot captured, then he could keep the ship for himself. The fact he is here and taking a risk shows a degree of honor.”

  Irmgard frowns. Her gaze shifts to Quasi ying down while Cy brushes his fur.

  “What are your thoughts?”

  The cat yawns. “My thoughts? It’s rather simple. We wake up early ao the ship. Cillian, Boriss, and you will grab supplies while me, Cy, and Myers stay out of sight. We’ll board it as soon as we and the sail.”

  Quasi raises a paw at him. “I’m pretty good at seeing a person's character, aeran isn’t wholly honorable. He does want us gone as soon as possible, but not so badly he’d lose sleep over it. No, that hets relegated to Myers.” The cat stretches his cws, and then purrs softly from Cy’s brush.

  teran g Myers. Myers gives a soft smile and a nod. “Don’t worry teran, I’ll make sure my problems don't return to you.”

  The [Mayor] sighs. “Thank you… and please, be safe. I’m going to head bae.”

  The discussion done, teran leaves the manor.

  _________________________________________________

  The m, the whole group arrives at the harbor, a rge shipyard filled with half a dozen ships in various states of stru and repair. Four of the ships are Corvettes, two are frigates, one halfway under stru, and the other under repair.

  “Are any of these ours?” Cillian asks.

  “No,” Myers answers. “None of these ships are cored.” He points at a rge wooden warehouse he Edge. “Your ship is in ste there.”

  Quasi nods from in Cy’s arms. “Lead the way.”

  They follow Myers past workers in the midst of stru to the hangar. The door is already open and the sound of men w echoes from inside.

  They ehe warehouse. In the ter, an aged wooden frigate, with faded paint and bare masts, rests on an equally aged woodele. [Dock hands] and [Stevedores] bustle around the vessel, provisioning and repairing it uhe dire of a [Shipwright] as old and faded as the paint.

  “That looks really old,” Cillian ents. “ it even float?”

  “It .” “It .” Both Meyers and a voice from behind us answer simultaneously. We turn around and see teraer the warehouse with a smile. The man g Boriss for a moment, raising an eyebrow at the massive pack strapped to his bad the literal chest on his shoulder. He turned bayers. “It is good you all heeded my instrus. One of Raafs crew came asking for your location this m, and I was forced to give them the address.”

  “So they’re at my home today?”

  “Most likely. Maybe they woer if your doors are locked, but I doubt it. Regardless, you are here and preparations for the ship are underway. Speaking of which, I think an introdu is in order.”

  teran raises his arms towards the ship. “This is Timbergrove, a cored heavy frigate. Her keel was id a hundred years ago, hewn from a single Arborean tree from the isnd's ter. I [Captaihat ship for many decades. I think you will find her quite impressive.”

  “Your boat looks like a salvage job.” Irmgard excims firmly.

  teran opens his mouth to speak, but Myers interrupts. “The ship is very well made and in perfect dition. The old man raises a finger. “You are looking at the deg wood around the ship and the old sails, but all of that easily be repced and repaired. The most important aspect of a ship is its hull and the top and side masts.” He points at each piece of the ship. “A cored ship is naturally resistant to decay and damage- of which there are none.”

  teran smiles. “As he said. The core is intad the steerage works. She’ll have fresh rigging and sails before you take off. Unfortunately, we don’t have time to check the runes, nive her a fresh coat of paint.” He g Quasi, “I’ll leave that to you and your crew.”

  He gestures to the ship’s dder. “Let me show you around and where you stow yoods.”

  We follow teran as he leads us up stairs and onto the deck. The deck is in perfect dition, the polished wood unmarred by time, but everything on the deck is clearly in decay. Boxes, barrels, s, rope, all reveal decades of age.

  We follow him to the pilot box, where you’d expect the ship’s wheel, but instead, a natural wood altar of iwined roots rises from the deck, as though grown in pce, and s around a shiny, softly glowing, white orb bigger than my head.

  “And this is the ship's core, never removed from the tree that this ship is built from.”

  Myers strokes his long, old wiseman beard. “I’d heard that this town carved out a ship from a single, aged Arborean, but this is the first time I’m seeing it. It is quite impressive. I imagi takes quite a bit of time to build.”

  teran nods. “It takes three times as long, but time is paltry when you sell the ship as though it is a cored frigate. But, enough about that. I imagine you all are adept at using a core?”

  I g Myers, a man who clearly has experien ships. “Of course.” I answer.

  He nods. “Good. Follow, let me show you the guts.”

  We follow him below decks where the musky smell of old wood bites at the nostrils like a swarm of thirsty mosquitoes. The bulkheads of the ship are in perfect dition, but the wooden doors and furniture all show signs of decay. He shows us the captain’s , that fortably fit two people, two bunk rooms for crew with deg hammocks included, a privy, ship’s mess and galley, all on the first deck. The forortion has several small ste partments for food and supplies, and twelve portholes for ons in the lower deck- of which there are the lowest part of the ship is a rge ste area clearly intended for the main cargo.

  At the end of the expnation, we are led bato the deck. “And there you have it, that is the Timbergrove. I hope you are impressed with your new ship. Now, all I need is the future [Captain] of this fine vessel to follow me to my offid sign some papers.”

  “Sounds good.” I look to my panions, “Boriss, Cillian, and Irmgard, go buy all those supplies and have them rushed to the ship. See if you also repe of the old shit in the ship. Use however much you need. Me, Cy, and Myers are going to go fill out paperwork.”

  Cillian chuckles. “You should never ever tell someoo use as much as they hat's a good way to find yourself destitute.”

  Boriss ughs. “rade Cillian, is funny joke. You are like shrewd unist. You make good deal and make enemy cry when you take money.” Boriss taps his new coat happily.

  Myers clears his throat. “Though I’d love to see the [Governor’s] rea to a cat writing, I must quickly leave to finish some loose ends.” He g Cy. “I leave your hands for the time being.”

  I raise an eyebrow at the old far, and nod. “I’ll make sure he’s safe.”

  I watch my crew and Myers leave the building. Then, I ride my short mount to a ba where several dots are ready fning on a desk. teran sits on the far side of the desk and Cy sits opposite. I hop oable and await instru.

  “Now, I’ve already filled out the dots for the transfer of ownership. All I need now is ynature…” he pauses, staring at my paws.

  “I’m going to want to read it first, then I’ll sign.”

  “Umm,” he frowns for a moment. Then he pushes the stack of dots to me.

  I g the dots ahe page in a matter of seds. Then the page, and the , finishing the long and legal dot in five minutes.

  “Huh. This is actually pretty straightforward, albeit needlessly long. I sign right away. Just give me something to sign with.”

  teran opens a drawer and takes out a pad of ink. “A footprint should be acceptable.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “Why the fuck do I o put a footprint as a signature? Just give me something to write my h. I didn’t waste time learning to write my signature from Cy all night for nothing.”

  He frowns at my words, but does as he is told. He reaches into the desk again and brings me a quil and small ink bottle. I take the quill with my mouth, dip the tip itle, and then sign Quasi Eludo as my signature on one of the dots.

  When I push the signed dot at him, his eyes raise in surprise. “Your penmanship is impeccable. It reminds me of royalty.”

  I wave my paw. “Yehs, yehs. ’m ‘n amashing student. Now, yet me ‘on’ntrate. ’ve ot sheheral ‘ots to go ‘n this quill tashtes ike ird’s ass.”