A duel for speed.

- How do you move so fast?! You definitely have to fight me in speed!

- Why is that? I don't think I have any chance against you. – The guy said, gently fluffing the pillow.

- Nonsense! If I don't fight you in the race, then my pride as a scout will be shaken!

It is unclear how, but the group moved back to the deck, where by that time a fairly strong wind had already risen. The lower two levels of sails on both masts were raised so that the ship would not go sideways due to the sea breeze. Some sailors are lazily standing in their positions, waiting for any orders from the helmsman, while others are talking loudly on some topics incomprehensible to ordinary people. As they approached the slightly swaying walls, a group of guys raised their heads in order to see the yards, to which a kind of staircase led. Everyone was startled by the fear of heights, but Red, despite his trembling eyes, continued to smile.

- Who will climb the mast first! This will be our race!

- Hey, maybe it's not worth it after all? This is not for you to jump on the roofs of the city. Shelly said, holding the hood of her robe, which was constantly flying off because of the wind.

"She's right, Red. Let's do something without it, huh? Sven's voice was trembling behind the girl. With his short stature, it was natural to be afraid of heights more than others, so he didn't even worry about being laughed at about it.

Friends tried their best to convince the guy from this dangerous and stupid idea, but all their attempts were unsuccessful. He ignored the others and continued to look at Klim, who had been silently observing the situation all this time. In fact, he would also be interested in competing with someone in speed, but Red's idea seemed pretty crazy. Having no experience in navigation, he was going to climb the mast in such a strong wind, just to find out who could do it faster. No matter how unsafe it was, Klim simply could not miss such a chance to test his strength before arriving on the mainland. Taking a step forward, he looked at his opponent through fear.

- Don't you think that such a risky competition can't take place without betting? If I win, you owe me one silver coin.

"Ha... ha-ha! I like you more and more, Klim! If I win, you'll owe me one wish!

Nobody understood Red's message, but this condition more than satisfied Klim. On the mainland, he would need money to buy at least some equipment, which is why he agreed to the race. Without any additional arrangements, the two rivals stood right above the knockouts and got ready, listening to the countdown coming from the side. When Shelly announced the start, the guys abruptly jumped on the woven ropes and rushed straight up. The body seemed so light and free, which is why Klim immediately took the leading position. About halfway through, he climbed over to the outside so as not to waste time on it at the very end. Keeping up with him, Red did exactly the same, but this process slowed him down significantly. After making the last jerk, the guy gets to the mast, clinging to it and pulling himself up to sit down.

"It wasn't as hard as I thought."

Recovering his breath, he watched his opponent climb further with a disappointed look, but not with such enthusiasm. Suddenly, a strong wind blew, rocking the knobs, on which Red was still climbing. Under the weight of his leather armor, he began to lose his balance and fall backwards with a loud cry. Reacting quickly, Klim jumped back onto the ropes and grabbed his arm, but eventually flew down with him due to lack of physical strength. Soon the sailors pulled out the fools who had fallen into the water, having laughed at them before.

Blowing on the hot tea in the mug, Klim took a big sip to warm up faster. Taking off his soaked clothes, he hung them in the cabin, and in order not to freeze on deck, he threw a blanket over himself. Once again, when he heard the sailors standing nearby discussing his recent fall, he sighed irritably again, which caused Red's indignation. Sitting on the boxes opposite, he calmly crossed his arms over his chest, not even thinking about taking off his heavy equipment because of the water. The other two guys ran around him, trying to convince him to change into dry clothes, but the guy continued to stand his ground as punishment for losing. Suddenly he gasped and, fumbling in his pockets, tossed some object to Klim. These were two silver coins that he got for winning the competition.

- We agreed only on one.

"It's a gift to you for trying to save me." If you were a little stronger, you and I wouldn't have fallen into the water.

"Or if you'd taken off your gear before climbing the mast, Red!" If you were stupid the first time, then take it off at least now, otherwise you'll get sick! Shelly got even angrier every time Red was stubborn and wouldn't listen to her. Watching her pounding him on the head after gently wiping his wet hair, Klim turned his gaze to Sven, who was sitting next to him. It might seem that there were no emotions on his face, but his eyes occasionally glanced at the screaming girl opposite. Even a fool would understand what's going on between these three.

Soon the sun disappeared below the horizon and darkness came around, but not like on land. The stars and the moon reflected in the water did not allow the ship to completely plunge into darkness, because the light falling from them was enough to continue sailing. A bell rang from the side of the stairs leading to the hold, which was the signal inviting everyone to a late dinner. Either because of the change of environment, or because of hunger, but the fish cooked by the cook was just great. Despite the fact that of all those present, he was probably the only one who did not invest a penny in this trip, Klim greedily ate his portion.

"Hey, stop being in such a hurry, no one will take your food. – Reaching to the center of the table to take a piece of bread, Red's gaze involuntarily fell on his neighbor on the right. Watching as he lowered his head in embarrassment and pushed the bowl of soup away, the guy put him two pieces of bread that he had originally taken for himself.

- Stop pretending like you forgot how you hamster your grandfather's cooking after a whole day of training. Klim, don't pay attention to him and keep eating. You will expend much more energy on the ship than on land, so it's better to eat well. – Moving the plate of the neighbor on the left back, Sven cast an indignant glance at his friend behind his back, so that he would stop behaving so rashly. Everyone in this world lives absolutely differently, so judging them for some such trifles, like a sloppy meal, is stupid and wrong.

- Yes, you already give a person a quiet meal! Shelly, who was sitting opposite, said threateningly, because the seats on one side were all occupied.

When the ship dropped anchor, almost all the sailors went to the side. They were replaced by night duty masts in order to wake everyone up quickly in case of a sudden appearance of enemies. The group of guys also moved to their cabin, where they continued to talk about the newly discovered mainland, where they are now heading. Little is known about this place, but in the early days of the expeditions, many ore veins were found there, as well as other useful and previously unknown things. About a month has passed since its opening, but the adventurers who arrived there still could not advance to the center because of the large number of monsters that lived there. Having made a common decision, the rulers of all countries are trying their best to attract to the "Lacrote" as many explorers and adventurers as possible to speed up the exploration of the mainland.

- Monsters, right? I will lie, saying that I am not afraid, but I also have a great interest in all this. How many interesting things I will be able to meet there during my travels. – Lying in bed, Klim put both hands under his head. His cabin mates had also already packed their bunks, but the conversation didn't stop there. Everyone took some kind of comfortable position for themselves to continue discussing their further journey.

"Haha, that's right. And there's nothing to be afraid of, because there will be four of us. If we help each other, then we can overcome everything. Yawning widely, Red lay down on his left side and pulled the blanket closer to his neck.

"Me too?" Initially, you were the three of you.

- One more person will definitely not be superfluous, especially such a clever one. If you don't mind, you can join our group.

The guy's voice was getting quieter, which made Sven, who was lying over him, laugh softly. Red was the most energetic of the three, but in the late afternoon all his energy constantly disappeared somewhere, and he fell asleep faster than the others. It was rather awkward to continue the conversation without him, so Klim thanked his new comrades and, wishing them good night, turned over on his side to the wooden wall. Because of the waves outside, the ship was rocking to the sides, and the young man's consciousness quickly sank into sleep until sunrise. The noise on the deck made the guy jump up sharply, which caused him to hit the low ceiling.

- Damn garbage rats! Minotaur in my ass, where's my swill?!