"Get back to work!" Lord Ashtor shouted at his workers. His face turned red as he tried, poorly, to keep the situation under control. They were not happy about the new revelation, "Go! Now!"
He then turned his attention back to Lucian, "Take your ship and move it away from my dock. If you know what's good for you, you'll disappear from my sight."
"Are you threatening me, Lord Ashtor?" Lucian's smile slipped slightly, "Shouldn't we talk like two gentlemen instead? I'm just here to inquire about the well being of my ex crew, not to cause any trouble."
Lord Ashtor clicked his tongue and ordered his guards to bring the thirteen people over to the dock.
"They are unharmed as you can see, but you are not going to get them back. Not after you tried to embarrass me in front of my people. I won't forget this," Lord Ashtor threatened, "I will make sure the merchant guild knows of your attitude. They chose me, not you. You lost. Get it?"
The Vices by Lucian's side just snickered at the threat.
The thirteen members looked uncomfortable, and their heads were lowered, but they didn't say anything.
There was no rule that said you couldn't leave one job for a better opportunity. The loyalty contract they signed didn't mention anything like this either. Only that they would be blacklisted from working for Lucian ever again.
They would have resigned the normal way, but Lord Ashtor had ordered them to hurry up and to not bother with such details.
So they did, not wanting to miss out on an opportunity to make more money. Only now, with Lucian standing here, did they realize how their actions must look.
They felt like they had been caught doing something illegal, when in reality they were just doing what most people did, looking out for themselves.
Goblin waved at them, making it worse with his big innocent eyes, "Hey, how are you guys? Nobody has threatened you to do something you didn't want to do, right? Like killing your families if you don't do it?"
Roland suppressed his laughter and joined in with his worry, "Do you need our help?"
Jax made a gesture that he was ready to fight, and Leaf was preparing his knives to throw, "We have your backs! Just whistle!"
The thirteen people received some weird looks from the staff on the ship. They were all thinking that they betrayed their old employer and friends for money.
It was a bad rep to have.
The thirteen people wanted to jump into the water and disappear. Lucian was making it hard for them to leave without feeling like the worst scums of the world.
Lucian didn't even say anything bad and Lord Ashtor already looked like he was about to explode.
His veins were bulging on his forehead, and his hands were clenched tightly, "I didn't threaten anyone!"
Lord Ashtor defended himself, putting all the blame on the thirteen people as if it was all their fault, "They agreed to the terms and accepted the deal! I didn't force anyone to do anything! Blame their greed, not me!"
"WHAT?" The captain from among the thirteen yelled in rage at the accusation, "You told us Sir Arclight fell out of favor with the guild council, enough to lose everything! I have a family to feed and can't take the risk of not getting paid!"
Lucian chuckled and walked back to the wheel of the ship, "Let's go."
The Vices followed him from behind, their ears perked at the fight that was about to occur, each grabbing their binoculars.
They didn't want to miss a single moment.
Somehow the fight they sought had come to them, and they were more than willing to enjoy it.
"The paddling," Lucian reminded them, "We are still short on manpower, and the wind is not on our side either."
They sighed, but obediently did as he ordered, moving inside the ship to paddle. They could still watch the drama unfold from here. The show must go on.
"Haha, look at that! They are going at it!" Jax whistled when the rest of the crew demanded a raise for working under the same conditions.
'Who knew someone's misfortune could bring so much joy to others?' Lucian mused, listening to his Vices who were having the time of their lives, 'Note it down Voice. It seems to be a universal trait.'
'Don't include me in your jokes,' Voice replied. Lucian had began to treat it as his student in belief that Voice was using him as a learning material, 'You also seem to enjoy the show. What does that make you?'
'Someone who has a good eye for potential entertainment,' Lucian replied, 'And a person who has a refined taste to appreciate it.'
'...' Voice went silent, as it often did when Lucian gave a self-praising, logical reply to its questions, or at least logical enough for it to have a hard time countering.
Lucian smiled and took a deep breath, letting the ocean air fill his lungs. He would like to go further away from land, but it wasn't safe enough with so few people, so he settled for traveling close to the shore.
'Voice, do I need to worry about A's taking revenge on me?' Lucian asked.
'I'm not a fortune teller, but he doesn't seem like a criminal mastermind. I think he is just a loudmouth,' Voice replied.
'I would rather not look down on him. See Celine for example and the way she behaves,' Lucian said, 'It's the small things that count. His connections, his ability to make deals and the fact that he can use his father's influence to create some problems.'
Voice thought for a second before it replied, 'What do you have in mind?'
'Observe how A's will deal with the rebellion and if he is able to reach a compromise. That should give me an idea of what to expect,' Lucian thought. 'And how big of a threat he could become in the future.'
Lucian and his Vices parted with good moods and smiles, enjoying the day despite the minor setback they had with their plans.
Who knew, Lucian might actually get some new men willing to expand his fleet, some who valued loyalty and their work environment more than gold.