Idle chatter

"This is unexpected." I hummed, looking at the ex-prisoner that tried to kill me after freeing him. He straight up exploded when he hit the wall.

I wasn't trying to kill him in that first hit, I held myself back even with reinforcement. It looks like I underestimated how strong my base strength is now after leaving the tutorial. I turned over to the unconscious guard, I used the guard as a test for my newfound power. I was able to control it, but I didn't reinforce my body to knock him out.

I guess C+ in stats is still pretty damn good if compared to a basic human body. I don't know how to compare the stats of a servant to a human body. There was too much fanon and crap in the past related to the nasuverse. So I can't tell what is true or not. Like I heard Shirou Emiya's tracing canonically lasted basically forever without any upkeep. But other's said that they didn't, so I won't be able to tell the truth without figuring them out for myself.

"Sigh, think about it later." I decided to stop before I went off on a tangent. For now to focus on my current situation. I'm currently in Divinity 2.

I remembered playing Divinity 2 back in my first life because a friend gifted it to me and wanted to play together. Unfortunately it's been so long that I don't really remember the story that well.

I think I remember the origin characters. One had a demon in her head or something. One guy was an undead skeleton that was actually related to the current divines. There was a dwarf with a nice beard. A lizard guy that seemed like a dick and an elf with a revenge boner on someone. I tried to recall their names, it was on the tip of my tongue, but I gave up. I knew I could remember if I could just hear it again as a reminder.

Well whatever, story might not be the same and doesn't really matter to me. I have no interest in being a god, but the magic of this world would be cool to learn.

With that in mind, I decided to move to the ladder.

∞

"There! Not too tight. I hope? The collar I mean. Oh, not to worry. Every dog has to get used to it's leash." The magister that greeted me when I arrived said.

I felt my brow twitch a bit. I just needed to breathe and calm down. I wonder if this was how Cu Chulainn felt whenever someone insinuated he was a dog due to his title: Hound of Ulster.

"Not a bad design overall. A bit too bulky for my taste though." I responded, jiggling the collar a little.

"Yes well, research has only gotten as far as mass production in recent times."

"Yes, it shows." I nodded in agreement towards the lady. "While the inner workings are impressive, I can see that the design of the body was simply an afterthought."

"Indeed, the need of keeping the populace safe should of course trump over immediate comfort after all." She preached. Ugh, I never liked these types. So sure of themselves that any atrocities they commit is fine as long as they are in the right.

"Well enough of that. In the meantime, your next stop will be Magister William. All passengers have to be registered in the ship's manifest, and he's the chap in charge of the logs."

"And where can I find him?"

"You'll find him on the other side of this deck. In the officer's quarters."

I nodded, deciding to leave promptly before she annoyed me. I'm not really the type to just use violence for everything that doesn't go my way, at least not anymore. But I felt like if I continued to speak with her, then it would have ended with my hand through her heart.

Exiting the room into a small hallway with two guards standing to the sides of an open door. Passing by, I couldn't help but take a glance inside. Blood was visible on the floor, a body unmoving and judging from the way the knuckles of the guards whitened as I got closer. There was a murder.

I continued passing by without speaking to either of them. Although I had an alibi of having this collar fitted on me, I didn't want to chance the possibility of paranoid guards caring if I was truly innocent or not. So the best way to avoid making a scene, is to not be a nosy idiot.

∞

Stepping out onto the inner deck, I noted the sound of idle chatter. I guess this is where all the other prisoners like me are at.

I wasn't really in a rush to find that magister to get registered, so I felt like getting a good look at who else I'm with before this ship gets attacked by something. I am pretty sure it got attacked by something later. Again memory on the story is a bit hazy.

"Ah there you are, *ahem* husband!" I blinked and turned to the voice. A red head girl surrounded by kids was looking at me. "Would you please tell this very charming gaggle of not-at-all-brat-like babes that I am by no accounts this 'Lohse' woman? Nor do I sing - in fact I'm deathly, deathly allergical!" The way she spoke reminded me of those old time english plays. Also a click ran through my head as I recognized the name.

On one hand, I could just ignore this and move on with a shrug. On the other hand, I could play along instead of being a prude.

With a nod and a grin, I locked her arm with my own. "Indeed, they must be mistaken!" I gasped dramatically

"How very correct you are, spouse of mine! Madam Josephine Gribbles De Peeb refuses to be confused with anyone else!" I snorted as the kids started laughing.

"What? What's so funny?" Her pinched face cracked into a large grin as she shoo'd the kids away with a laugh. "Yeah okay, you found me out. Go on and git and maybe I'll sing you somethin' when I'm good and ready!"

She turned to me with a flat smile, dark eyes and dirty haired. Well I probably don't look so good myself considering I haven't bathed in awhile. "Gotta keep ourselves entertained, haven't we?"

I nodded "True enough, Lohse I guess?" I asked with a hand out to shake.

"You'd guess right." She said returning the gesture.

"Any chance you know anything bout the murder back there?" I asked pointing a thumb behind me.

"Nope! Trying not to find anything out either. Ignorance is bliss; the utter-er, the better" Oh god I don't understand this slang, what is 'utter-er'?

"Fair enough, I'm just gonna check out our fellow shipmates." I bid her farewell for now.

Suddenly, her eyes cloud to an unnatural black. Greyish veins run down her face, and her mouth tightens into a cruel sneer. As quickly as they came, the clouds clear. She smiled as if she didn't just get possessed by a demon... Oh yeah she's definitely one of the origin characters.

"Good luck, chief." She gave a small wave before going about her own business.

If I remember right, the particular demon that invaded her mind was pretty strong. I immediately squashed the urge of battle lust from inside. Calm down, I am not some sort of barbarian that jumps at every possible adversary just because they could be strong!

I am a summoner! A magus! I let my minions do the fighting and elegantly eliminate them from a distance! I enjoy the scholarly pursuit of knowledge and secrets!

With my inner pep talk done, I moved towards the middle of the deck. There were a couple of dwarves seated across from each other at the table. Two human sized lizards were at the other side, complaining about something.

"One of us wouldn't kill our own, they're trying to take us out one by one!" I turned my attention back towards the dwarves.

"Can we just skip to the part where I reassure you and you shut up?" The other dwarf with the more impressive beard responded with a bit of annoyance and exasperation.

"You think me mad?"

"Mad? No. Insufferable? Surely."

"What are you trying to hear, anyway?"

"I'll tell you if you can keep quiet long enough for me to listen!" The bearded dwarf closed his eyes in concentration.

I got a bit closer with interest. The dwarf with the beard raised a brow at my approach but otherwise didn't bother opening his eyes. After a small pause of silence, I heard him speak.

"Listen up, boy. You hear that?" I raised a brow and assumed he was talking to me. I just realized I only turned 18 in this life recently. Damn, it feels weird to be young enough to be called a boy again.

"Depends on what I'm supposed to be hearing." I responded after the other dwarf didn't react to the question besides crossing his arms.

"The ship, of course." he clarified.

I also closed my eyes, focusing on picking up any small details. The unintelligible chatter from the shipmates, the groaning of the wooden floorboards. The boom, crash and crackle of the waves.

"I'm not a man of the seas, but I think the sea feels different than usual."

"Aye, it's her... anticipation you're feeling. I'd hold onto your breeches if I were you mate." He said quietly, cracking a smile. "That's all you hear, though? Listen close." he nodded for me to attempt again.

Breathing in, I let my senses wash away the ambient noise. After a moment, an annoying squeak broke the silence, causing me to furrow my brow. "A squeak?" I let out the breath I was holding.

"Aha!" His eyes snapped open as his countenance broke into an expression of joy. He clapped my back a couple times, I had to admit he had arm strength. "There! You heard it, didn't you? I knew it! I knew it! Aye, this is good news, boy. good news."

"What was it supposed to be?" I wasn't sure what the squeaking meant.

"It's the wheel. The wheel, don't you see. You beautiful idiot! Squeaks whenever the helmsman jerks it clockwise, which means were heading east." He nodded with crossed arms in self confirmation.

"Burn my beard! That means... if we've been traveling for... YES! Only 10.34 nautical miles to Fort Joy..."

"Why are you excited about that? I haven't exactly heard good things about the place." I raised a brow. If I remember right, that's the place that 'sourcerers' were relocated to. Still kind of confused on why I was captured and mistaken as a sourcerer when I was unconscious.

"Heh. No indeed, boy. But that ain't my final destination." He leaned back stroking his beard.

"That'll be all, thank ye kindly boy."

I took the hint and left. I considered talking to those bipedal lizards next, but something else drew my eye. An elf sat in front of a few barrels, lazily rolling dice onto the surface.

"Snake eyes." I heard her chuckle. "I bet that's just what they'll look like." I wondered what exactly she was playing.

"Got room for one more?" I idly asked, wondering what kind of game only required dice.

"Game for one, I'm afraid. Rolling dice. Deciding fates."

"Oh, you can scry the future?" the ability of clairvoyance was rare.

"Not the future, no. But I can read the past in flesh. One of the perks of being an elf, you see. I'm quite good at it too." she smirked.

I just remembered the elves of this world could literally find out someone's past by consuming their flesh. Truly an impressive ability as a racial trait.

"I could lick your arm and tell you how you spent the night before last. Shall I?" She offered

I was both intrigued and curious. Both due to her ability and the fact that I have no recollection after I passed out.

"Very well, let's see what you got." I held my arm out.

She gave my arm a vigorous stroke of the tongue. Kind of similar to a cat grooming themselves.

"Hmm... you were in a cave, trapped beneath some rubble. As you were on the verge of death, you wracked your brain until managing to escape via some method of teleportation. After that, nothing. You were unconscious until you woke up here." She finished.

"Sounds about right." I nodded, also noting the fact that she could not see what happened to me while unconscious.

"Of course it is. The truth is there. Skin deep. But don't worry, I don't lick and tell." She said with the hint of a coy smile.

"Well, thanks for the experience. Maybe we should do this again sometimes, you have my intrigue." I bid farewell.

I glanced at the rest of the collared shipmates on the deck and decided to just find that Magister to get registered before I get annoyed by a random guard.