Chapter 16: Road to Bilgewater
'At least, this way there weren't any victims.'
"Now, what were you saying before about teaching us new tricks?" Ekko asked.
Syrme smirked.
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"D-Do you Re-Really have to g-go?" Jinx said, between sobs.
It has been one month since he arrived on Runeterra. And yesterday, Syrme officially became an animagi, his chosen animals forms were of a Raven and a Spider. The spider, in particular, was a Redback Spider, also known as Latrodectus Hasselti. The redback spider is small and agile, and his bites could cause nausea, vomiting, and even paralysis.
"I will visit very soon. Don't worry, even if I'm gone, the room won't disappear." Syrme said, already guessing what was on her mind.
"Goodbye!" She said, disappearing.
Syrme couldn't help but grin at her antics.
He already said goodbye to the group, so-
Someone tugged his sleeve.
'Mhmm?' Syrme looked to the person who wanted his attention.
Vi.
"Thank you." She said, bowing a little and with a little blush on her cheeks. She didn't say many words every time he was near, so he was surprised when she was the one who called him.
Syrme smiled at her and began to remove his black leather jacket. He then grabbed the jacket and put it in Vi's arms. She looked at him.
"Why are you giving me this?" Vi asked, confused.
"I know you liked my jacket from the moment you put your eyes on it. So I'm giving it to you, I have more clothes like that with me." Syrme said.
She lit up like a Christmas tree. Looking at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
"Goodbye, Vi."
After a while, she woke up from wherever she was.
"It wasn't the jacket... idiot." She breathed, heading back to the gang.
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"Now, if I want to reach Shadow Isles, first I need to go to Bilgewater... then I'll have to take a ship and cross the seas to the south." Syrme said, looking at the map.
"And before that, taking another ship to Bilgewater... this is going to take a while." Syrme sighed.
Syrme started his journey on the Jungle of Ixtal. He advanced through several campings and small villages. In one of them, near the northern part of the Shuriman Continent, there were rumours about the area. Some of the people tried to warn Piltover about a Green-plant woman, they said that the owners of a flower shop were eaten by her.
Near the village was the forest of Kumungu. Where the people said the woman was coming from. Syrme decided to surround the forest, as he didn't want to face the green woman in her habitat.
It was most probably Zyra.
He passed the jungle in his raven form for a week, flying through the trees, and taking breaks from time to time. He arrived at Mudtown, and from there, he kept flying until he reached The Serpentine Delta.
Next to the Serpentine River, there were several mini Islands with ports for the ships. There were also points of interest for merchant and traders.
He was going to ask about directions in a bar from the last Isle when he heard an intriguing conversation.
"Well? Have you discovered where 'he' was headed from the last time I spoke to you?" Said a soft feminine voice.
"Yes, he is coming back to Bilgewater, it's an ideal opportunity for you. Right now, he should be halfway there. If you go onboard now, you could still make it." The other person said.
"A word of advice though, he has got another ship. A big one this time, so be cautious."
"Thank you, I owe you one Jhon." Said the female voice.
When Syrme heard the words ship and Bilgewater, he couldn't let go of this opportunity. He got close to the lady and decided to try his luck.
"Good day, Ma'am. I couldn't help but eavesdrop your conversation. Do you mind I come along? I am in need of a ride. I swear will make it up to you." Syrme said, cordially.
The woman with red hair looked at him sharply.
"You weren't close to us, how did you hear that?" The woman observed. She put a hand in his hip, hands readied in her guns. However, when the woman looked at him, she relaxed a little.
"Easy there ma'am, I just want a ride to Bilgewater. Tell me the payment for the trip, and I promise it will be like I don't even exist." Syrme reasoned with the lady.
She looked at him a few seconds more.
"I don't think it's a good idea. I will be facing someone strong on the way to Bilgewater. You are still a kid, and I don't want your death on my shoulders." The miss explained.
"If you are worried about me being not strong enough, you shouldn't be." Syrme said solemnly. But, she didn't take his words seriously.
"Yeah? It's for me to decide that, kid." She said handing him a gun.
"Shoot over there, if you hit the sign you pass, if not..." She shrugged, trying to get rid of Syrme as soon as possible.
Syrme raised an eyebrow and stared at her.
"Just like that?" Syrme asked, just to be sure.
"Just like that." She nodded.
Syrme reinforced the gun and his eyes.
And pulled the trigger.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The miss, believing a kid like him couldn't even lift the weapon correctly, widened her eyes at the smiley face made from the shoots in the mentioned sign.
"Is that good enough?" Syrme said with a smirk.
The lady looked at him again, evaluating him.
"We will set sail in ten minutes. Hurry up." The miss said, picking her things from the table and leaving.
'She looked familiar...'
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"Raise the flag higher! I want the people to know who is going to put down 'The Saltwater Scourge'!" The previous lady said.
"Enjoy your last breaths while you can, old sea-geezer." She said mumbling to herself.
"Set Sail!" One man from the crew said.
"Full steam ahead!"
They placed correctly all mainsails and the masts. After finished and deploying the Sailboat, they started doing things on the ship. Some of them were reloading the gunpower. Others few cleaning the ship floor.
Syrme was carrying his new trunk to his cabin when Captain Lady stopped him.
"You. You are the kid that was good with guns. What is your name?" The Captain said.
"My name is Syrme, captain." He said bowing.
"Don't call me Captain, you are a 'guest' in this ship. Only my fleet gets to call me captain." She said, cleaning her guns.
"You may call me Miss Fortune."
'Another champion... I am on a roll.'
"Where did you learn to shoot like that, kid?" Miss Fortune asked.
"That was my first time shooting with a firearm." Syrme admitted.
She rolled her eyes disbelievingly. "Yeah, right."
"I just happen to have good accuracy." Syrme defended himself. But she ignored him.
"Tomorrow in the morning we might confront the dangerous thing I told you before. So, prepare yourself, because you are going to engage too. That will be your payment for staying on the ship." She explained.
"So... who is the person we are raiding tomorrow?" Syrme asked, inquisitive.
"You should have heard of him. He is known as 'The Saltwater Scourge', but his name is even more notorious." Miss Fortune said. Then, her eyes changed dramatically.
Her eyes held Fury.
Her eyes... held Vengeance.
"Gangplank." She let out the name with spite, glaring at the sea.
'Like I said... I'm on a roll.' Syrme thought, depressed.
"By the way... are you any good making food? Our chef just died this morning." She asked.
'Another group that will fall into my food of gods.' He rubbed his hands cunningly.
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"Full house!" She exclaimed happily, munching her part of the pepperoni pizza. Groans and depressed sighs were heard from her men.
"Not so fast, Miss Fortune. Today, your luck isn't with you." Syrme replied, revealing Four of a Kind.
"What?!" She shouted, scowling at him. He chuckled and plucked the gold from the table.
"Again!" She demanded.
'We have a Tsunade in Runeterra.' He recalled with a smile.
They played and played. At some point, the rest of the crew stopped playing and left the two play alone game after game.
"Are you sure you want to keep gambling? At this point, I don't know if you have left any more gold." Syrme warned.
She finally conceded, letting out a frustrated sigh.
"If you want, you can take back your gold. I have no use for it at the moment-"
"So, tell me more about yourself. An enigmatic kid appears in a gambling bar of a distant island from the Serpentine Delta river..." Miss Fortune trailed, expecting an answer.
"I came from Zaun. I needed to go to Bilgewater, and thanks to my precious luck, I found you. A captain of a ship, with destination to Bilgewater. Sorry if it seemed rude to overhear, it's just..." Syrme continued.
"It's okay, kid. Is there anything worth in Bilgewater that requires a kid to go there, all alone?" She asked.
"I planned to find someone willing to lend me a ship, or someone agreeable to take me to... Shadow Isles." Syrme explained, hesitating on the last words, fearing her response.
"Shadow Isles... SHADOW ISLES?! Are you suicidal?! What did you lose in Shadow Isles to make you want to go there?!" She exclaimed, totally confused.
"I don't think you'll believe me if I told you. Let's just say I need to travel there and leave it at that." He finished.
"I don't get you. Just when I think I know a little more about you, you go and destroy that thought immediately." She threw her hands in the air.
Fast knocks were heard in the door, and the person barged into the room, sweating and troubled.
"We have 'him' on sight, Captain." He said gravely.
She promptly got up and went to the deck, where all the crew was reunited.
"Prepare the Cannons and the Powder!" She barked, as soon as she came.
"TODAY, WE COLLECT THE BEST BOUNTY IN RUNETERRA."