[i]Four days later...[/i] 

The murky waters sloshed along the barnacle covered rocks that made Sartosa's southern shore so perilous. The land beneath the waves waxed and waned like waves themselves, running aground careless ships and halting any attempts by foreign navies to make it to shore, at least in one piece. Luckily, Markus had been here before, but only once, on his first outing as a sailor. Morgan had been here half a dozen times, and so he was navigator as they slowly made their way through the current; a 'sweet spot' only pirates knew of. How this ship was able to make it there without representation would surely be spoken of later, but as for now, Markus simply wished to make it to shore. 

The last four days, he had gotten acquainted with Sir Beauchamp, a disgraced gentleman turned sailor of Lyonesse, as well as Sketti Hammerhand, an eccentric Dwarf slayer. The two had not been traveling together until both of their vessels were attacked by Druchii, but they had become friends since their captivity and Markus welcomed them aboard with open arms. He needed someone who spoke fluent Brettonian and Sketti was apparently a good gunsmith and engineer, if his claim of being the 'best in Barak Varr" was to be believed. He'd let them prove their worth. 

What was more difficult was proving Emmaline's worth to the crew. True, they had been fine with her as the cook's assistant, but the fact she was a sorceress wasn't entirely well received, even with Markus' approval. Not to say all of them were of such a mind. The lookout named Ostand, along with Hafdan (who she healed with more traditional means) and Frankfurt had no quarrel with her. Even Morgan was warming up to her, though he did poke fun at her every now and then. An old dog having fun with someone who was clearly a greenhorn, bumbling about the ship as the waves shifted the floors oddly in rougher weather. 

But the wind had been with them, and with Sketti happily aiding in their repairs, Morgan and Reeve and the rest of the crew got the Hammer underway in the matter of a day and they saw Sartosa's ramshackle spires in the distance just on time, right as the sun set on the fourth night. 

Suddenly, the night lit up in flames. The sky exploded in incandescent colors as loud 'pops' and 'poofs' filled the air. Markus' crew screamed at one another and ran to and fro, grabbing weapons or hiding below decks for fear of a bombardment, only to realize they were fireworks. Markus had stepped out onto the deck, watching the apparent festivities curiously. No wonder no ships had halted their approach. 

"Guess they're celebrating something." Morgan said behind him, raising his head so he could see past the wide brimmed hat atop his head.