The Port City of Prym disappeared behind them as they saild west, and Ramsbottam couldn't help but feel... conflicted. About a number of things.

For starters, he was glad they were finally moving; the sooner they completed this mission, the sooner the war would hopefully end... and their ship could go back to being a simple merchant vessel. Of course, being on the move meant that things would also get dangerous for them- and they had lost enough men over the years to never want to go through that again, even if they knew how important this truly was...

Even more troubling... were their two new 'helpers'...

The woman, Polina... already felt like a comrade in arms. She carried herself like an experienced soldier, and connected well with him and the crew. Open and friendly, but with an edge to her that suggested readiness for what was to come.

But the man, Oliver... seemed cocky and flippant. And borderline unhinged. He made little effort to actually relate to anyone, stating that he 'wasn't really a people person'... And the glint in his eyes, like he was just waiting for the fighting to start- like he was eager for it... He seemed less like a soldier and more like a killer.

The fact that he also had strange abilities that Ramsbottam couldn't understand only served to further unsettle the veteran sailor.

"So, what is it you wanted me here for?" He asked, gazing off the rear of the ship as the two humans- as that what they had called themselves- quietly discussed something. The city was just a smudge on the horizon, though he knew he could see it a bit better using his spyglass- and he was tempted to do exactly that as, for just a moment, he worried that he would never see it again...

"We're about to do some testing, and we wanted you here so that no one would worry." Polina answered easily, a bright smile on her face, before turning back to Oliver. "You packed them, right?"

"As if I could forget them with how often you reminded me." Oliver scoffed, though his gentle voice took any possibly sting out of the words. "It was a good idea, though, using apples as improvised target. Floating and biodegradable... I kinda like the idea that we won't be leaving a mess behind..."

With a flick of his wrist, a bright red fruit appeared in Oliver's hand and he tossed it off the back of the ship- then repeated the actions twice more. Within seconds, the apples could be seen clearly from where they stood- and the ship, still moving, gradually moved away from them.

"So, these... apples?" Ram asked hesitantly, having never heard the word before. "They are targets for what? Shooting practice, I'm guessing?"

"Well, while we are using them for target practice, they're actually a fruit." Oliver shrugged, pulling out another apple and tossing it to Ram. "Feel free to try one if you want. But, yeah, gotta try out the guns to make sure everything works right- I mean, we're assuming they will, seeing as the air here is so similar, but it never hurts to be sure."

"Just don't eat the seeds in the center." Polina cautioned. "While it probably wouldn't be a big deal, it's better to be safe... Also, maybe just try a bite and wait a minute to see how your body reacts to it first... Though, based off of breakfast, I'm fairly sure it shouldn't be a problem. Our biology seems to be similar enough at a glance, but I'm not a doctor or anything..."

Ram shook his head, not really understanding everything that they had said... except that this was some type of fruit... His voice rose in indignation at the blatant waste. "You're just going to waste good food for target practice?"

The pair paused, exchanging a glance. Though Oliver simply shrugged, Polina nodded in sympathy. "I can see how you would view it that way, but we feel the test is necessary... And, honestly, we're currently carrying more food than we could eat for months- we could probably feed the whole crew for a few weeks without issues... and, technically, Oliver could easily get more food if we need it."

"That... doesn't make sense!" Ram exclaimed in disbelief. "It will be almost two weeks before we see a port and can resupply-"

"I operate by different rules, Ram." Oliver smiled cheekily. "Though, if supplies become an issue, I'm sure we can make a deal... But that is for later, if at all. For now, we've got a test to perform."

Before Ramsbottam could say anything else, something new appeared in Oliver's hand- it was shaped similarly enough to Ram's own flintlock pistol, except he couldn't locate the hammer or pan at all. The whole thing looked smooth and streamlined and... alien.

Though the loud bang after Oliver took a second to aim at one of the apples was fairly similar... But the absence of black smoke... Ram's confusion only grew.

"High and right, by an inch." Polina clucked disapprovingly, holding some odd looking thing up to her eyes- it looked almost like a pair of spyglasses glued together side by side... "Focus, Oli. With your abilities, you should be nailing these shots."

"That's like fifty feet, Poli!" Oliver scoffed, even as he narrowed his eyes in focus- and cored the apple with his next shot. "I mean... yeah, you're right... You're still a better shot though. Bright side of things, the guns will work."

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"You want the next shot, love?"

Polina shook her head, giving him a stern look. "You clearly need the practice more. Remember the plan, Oli: if trouble comes, we engaged with superior range... and try to dissuade them before cannons can come into play. Now, those apples are far enough out, so switch to your rifle and show Ram what we're working with."

"Ok, FAL it is... or maybe I should try out your Mosin-Nagant?" He asked with a teasing smile.

"You keep your hands off my baby." Poli mock growled in answer.

Ram shook his head in disbelief at the two- that shot was impressive for a pistol; but, then again, Oliver had mentioned that his weapons were better than what they had... and the rifle that suddenly appeared in the strange man's hands was just as different as the pistol had been.

He was growing more and more curious... especially since Oliver didn't even reload the pistol between shots! Just how many times could it shoot like that? And where was the powder even kept? Or basically anything else that should have been necessary-

The crack of the rifle echoed out, with Oliver peering through what looked like another spyglass- one somehow attached on top of the rifle- and the apple jumped in the water again... then, the man rapidly switched targets and fired again.

And again.

And again!

Within seconds, all three apples were broken into pieces that were left floating in their wake... and Ram could only stare slack-jawed at the display. Even his best riflemen had no hope of ever firing so quickly, or accurately at that distance... and Oliver claimed that Polina was better?

"What the hell was that!?"

"That..." Oliver smiled smugly as the rifle disappeared. "Was just the tip of the iceberg."

Polina nudged Oliver with a scolding look, shaking her head. "Be nice, Oli. We just showed him things he never could have imagine- and you know it."

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions Ram, and I'll do what I can to answer them- some of them, at least. Oliver... is just going to stand here and try not to make my job harder- won't you, Oli?"

While Oliver simply grinned at the mild rebuke, Ram's mind was racing... there was so much he wanted to know!

"Ah... yes, I have... some questions..." He began slowly, trying to prioritize what was most important. "You're guns are noticeably different; how do they work without a hammer and pan? Why wasn't there any black smoke after he fired? And why was a spyglass strapped on top of the rifle?"

"Actually, I'm a bit curious about the odd duo spyglasses you were using..."

"Wait, actually, it's more important to ask about where you got these guns... and how to get more. Is that possible? It would make a great deal of difference if-"

"Sails to the North-East!" The lookout's shout cut off Ram's excited questioning.

"The flag-" A tremor of fear ran through the young lookout's voice. "-it's the Liar's Truth!"

Cursing, Ram turned in that direction and pulled out his own spyglass. While his view wasn't as clear as the lookouts- due mostly to them being up in the Crow's Nest- he could still make out the ship heading their way.

"I'm guessing that's a bad thing." Oliver stated the obvious, his eyes already locked onto the bit of sails he could just make out. "How far away would you say they are, Ram?"

Ram sighed; this strange man they had hired... could he not see how serious this was? They had barely started their trip and already pirates were swooping in... And it would only get worse from here. "A little over three miles, maybe... And that particular ship is a bit faster than us, and already at full sail..."

"Do they have any cannons aimed forward?"

"Why the hell would that matter!? They'll catch up before long and likely aim to board us!"

Oliver sighed, and Polina quickly jumped in- she already knew what Oli was getting at, and that he would hate having to explain it. "As long as they don't have any cannons aimed forward, we just need to stay ahead of them for a bit- it doesn't matter if they are gaining on us, Oli and I should be able to dissuade them. The important thing is for us to stay out of the firing arc of their cannons."

Ram gaped for a second at the ridiculousness of what she said- how could two people dissuade an entire ship using just rifles? But... after seeing what their guns could do... and as long as they didn't give the other ship a chance to make use of their cannons... He really couldn't be sure of anything.

"So... you just want us to try and stay ahead of them while you shoot? How confident are you?"

"With Oliver's accuracy-" Polin mused, ignoring the indignant huff from her boyfriend. "-he can probably start dropping them at about a thousand feet... if he focuses properly. I could probably do it from a bit farther-"

"Not happening, love." Oliver said, all hints of humor fled from his voice. "I don't want that on your conscience-"

"Oli, sweetheart, love of my life..." Poli began, instantly making him wary- she rarely spoke like that... except when she was about to shut him down hard. "I'm not a delicate flower and you know it... and it definitely won't be the first time I've had to shoot an asshole!"

Turning back to face Ram without waiting for a response, she smiled brightly. "Just ask the Captain to stay ahead of them and we'll handle this."

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