Inquisitor Cooper Ackie wore his own overcoat as well. Unlike Gabrio, whose outfit had a mask connected to a canister. His outfit was that a black outfit donned with a bird mask. He looked like a God of Death, waiting for a pitiful soul with that iron lamp on his desk.

“Doctor, you’ve been busy.”

“Inquisitor, I have news.”

Inquisitor Copper Ackie’s head froze. He stopped writing.

“Report then,” he set aside his writing stick.

Gabrio placed the flask containing the herb samples he got from the topside. Taking the cork off the bottle, pulled the herb from the flask’s bottom, and placing it on the Inquisitor’s desk.

Gabrio pulled a clean paper from the desk of the Inquisitor and produced a magnifying monocle that the Inquisitor could use. He handed the monocle to the Inquisitor as he pulled more herbs from his medicinal bag.

“Please look at the herbs.”

Inquisitor Cooper Ackie nods. He inspected the herbs and compared them from the ones that Gabrio separated.

“Some of these have strange creatures. Reminds me of maggots.””

“They are. I’ve checked most of the charred barrels, Inquisitor. There is no infestation, but if this continues they might infest the supllies and possibly make some of them unuseable.”

“We have quarantined most of the crew.”

“Most of them can still get out and have a snack in the bar. The supplies need to be safe from these infestations. The situation isn’t ideal and if this continues, then we might have an infestation in the Galleon.”

“Are you sure?”

“I need to get to the Ark and discuss these findings to one of their Researchers. She has better equipment and I am sure that they would notice by now.”

Inquisitor Cooper Ackie handed back the magnifying monocle. Gabrio didn’t dare to let any of these maggots to spread and immediately took them inside the flasks.

“Are there anything that you want to discuss?”

“We need to get out of this sea immediately, Inquisitor. This is a death trap, and every minute we spend in this death-infested sea will pollute the very air we breathe inside our bodies. It won’t be long until the bodies of the crew weaken with this miasma they breathe.”

“I wish we could get out of this sea. But right now we can only endure with how rotten the air is. You want to get in the Ark right? That isn’t happening with how we are moving. We can however, send your message to Arkshelled. Even the birds won’t get lost. The Lady will understand.”

“That’s good.”

“Leave your samples behind. I will have them delivered and tagged.”

Gabrio’s shoulder sagged. Inquisitor Cooper Ackie took the samples and started writing a missive. Gabrio stood silently without a movement and only the sound of him breathing through his hosed canister.

“Doctor, there are people who do not mind you and there are others who do.”

“What do you mean?”

“Many admire you for your work ethic, Doctor. But some think that your coddling of the crew are intrusive and that there are many who think that you are treating them like weaklings.“

“Pride, who could have guessed.”

“Most of them would come to you when they are sick. It is hard to hate a man who would stay awake for the sake of healing tem. Some think that this is your way of atonement for being a Ravaian.”

Gabrio snorted with a laugh.

“They can think what they want of my intentions.”

Inquisitor Copper Ackie nodded. His writing stick scratching the last line of the message. He then wrapped the flasks with the message and inserted them into wooden tubes for carrying.

“Can I entrust the rest to you?”

“if you’d allow me.”

“Visit Daro and tell him to listen to what you say,” Inquisitor Copper Ackie threw a mark on him. “Your words are my words, but this is only to your duties. Do you understand?”

“Understood, Inquisitor.”

“Gabrio of Fort Rava. Keep up the excellent work.”

Gabrio bobbed. “That’s what you are paying me for, Inquisitor.”

“Hmm, I am not paying you good enough then.”

Gabrio left the Inquisitor’s office. Walking the passageways of the Grand-Galleon, he forgot how empty and large the Grand-Galleon was without the crew walking around. Obscured by the fog and the pollution from the lit incense. He could barely see and only the iron lamps flickering on the side of the passageways that marks where he was going could be spotted

Lay below the deck, he found the soldiers standing on guard, making sure that none of them would start a fire. Most of the soldiers had wrapped themselves with googled bird beak-like masks that came with their sleeved uniforms. Seeing Gabrio, the soldiers nodded and kept their watch.

The hatches sealed and the bulkhead ports sealed up. Most of the cabins where the crew sleep and gather are open, so they can breathe while basking in the incense smoke. This was a method that had been a practiced in Accad, Gabrio thought of this method as rather primitive. They would still breathe the same air.

But then again, this was only to make them cope with the stench creeping in their noses.

Even the stench they smelled during the battle in that the Atoll was nothing compared to the foul odor coming from the sea. Even he found some men sniffing on the black powder packs to cope with the smell.

It didn’t take him a while to reach the deck where Quartermaster Daro was. Quartermaster Daro was a giant of a man, larger and wider than the lanky men working in the supply hold. He towered over almost everyone, and yet he was in the supply hold watching over the men. Like everyone that was essential to the safety and health of the Galleon. He wore his own bird beak-like mask and wrapped himself in protective clothing. Turning, his gaze landed on Gabrio, who waited for him to notice.

“Doc, what brings you to the supply hold?”

“Inquisitor orders,” Gabrio showed the Inquisitor’s marks. “Secure the supplies and make sure that none of the parasites such are these are in the supplies.” He showed the rotting sample and handed the magnifying monocle to him. Daro took the monocle and inspected it. His voice groaning as he saw the maggots inside the flask.

“You think that maggots like these are inside the supplies?”

“No, but we need to be sure that there are no leaks. It took three minutes for these maggots to infest the herbs in topside. We don’t want them entering the supplies, so I need you to check them fast.”

“Exposing them like this could get them infested. I haven’t had them supply the dried food and have them eat the hardtacks. Don’t want to risk opening them and see the crates contaminated.”

“What about the iceboxes?”

“Remains sealed, and by orders of the Captain and the Inquisitor they remain that way. I assure you they won’t be entering and I have them locked. No one takes them out unless we see the clear skies.”

“Vegetables?”

“In the iceboxes, other than that, there are the spices that are in glass jars. They strap most of them with leather so they don’t break when they fall. But that maggot is alarming, doctor.”

“It is. Look, watch out for these and have them gather here so they know what these maggots are.”

“You lot come here and see this!” he barked orders at the workers. The workers managing the supplies hurried over and crowded around the two.

From Gabrio’s count there were about fifty-two workers active in the supply hold. He had them examine the maggots so they might know if they see one. It took a while for them to examine and after that Gabrio told them to keep their mouth shut while waving the mark of the Inquisitor around. They went back to work.

“You’ve been in topside. Smells terrible?”

“Where do you think I got the maggots from? Topside, there’s nothing but rotten bones and flesh. So much for being the mythical ‘Sea of Reeds’ that we always hear about on the Frontier.”

“Frontier, huh, say, you think those space blinks still happening?”

“Don’t know. All I know is that it comes out of nowhere and turns the goddamn sea into a desert of salt. No warnings. No signs. It just happens and then everything turns to shit.”

“You got friends in Old Carthan?”

“A few, there were folks who appreciated my doctoring. Hard to believe that I ain’t getting spat on by people now. Then again most of the time me and Zyra are patching things up. I am more of a Surgeon now than a Doctor.”

“Old Carthan is rather tame, no?”

“It was, you know how there are still royalists who thinks that the Dynasty should have not gone away and they think of you brand of people as Quacks and schemers. Strange, knowing that it is unreasonable, then again, your solutions never work most of the time.”

“Please, they just cannot somehow get it inside their heads that an Alchemist and a Doctor’s medicine is the same. I think they rather believe the Scholars and the Surgeons and the Brew mixers about it. The thing is that somehow they make it clear that there is difference. It is simply stupid.”

“Tradition is hard to part, doctor. Accad has been welcoming, no?”

“They are, and it wasn’t until recently that we could practice medicines again without permissions from the Constable, the Magistrate. I am just glad that they gave me this chance.”

“My men will handle the supplies, doctor. Let us pray that light does not abandon our supplies.”

“I’ll head out then.”

Gabrio left the supply hold. He went back to the clinic where he found Zyra looking after the clinic. There were patients on the bed who are covering their faces with the masks.

“The ports closed?”

“They are. Have the Carpenters, Caulkers worked on making sure that none of it enters the decks. You took your time to get back.”

Gabrio slid into a chair and leaned on the table. He took out the flask samples and placed them on the surface of the table. Zyra took the sample, grabbed her loupe and examined it.

“Oh, these are parasites, but lighter and smaller.”

“They can travel by the wind if they are that size. Three minutes on the floor, a herb became infested with the creatures.”

Gabrio inspected his sleeves and palms for any maggot that might have stuck on him. He was at least sure that the overcoat he wore and the wraps would keep him safe."

“Hmm, I know that we are treating ourselves as if we might get a plague. But this one is a maggot formed from the carcasses of the sea monsters,” she placed the sample back on the table. Her surgery loupe back in her pockets. “The real problem if there are smaller creatures than this. We don’t know what diseases these maggots carry, and it might pose a risk to the fleet.”

Zyra placed both of her hands on the table.

“Explorers got this one, I guess.”

“And you said that they were mad for being prepared for a situation like this.”

“You have more protection than anyone in this Galleon.”

“I can’t take risks when I know that we might not get back. We must account for the things that might happen in this voyage. Being this prepared is good enough, but I don’t like the idea of worrying so much.”

“I can take over for now. You should rest once in a while, Gab.”

“I know,” Gabrio rubbed the foggy glasses of his mask. “I should rest myself. Been roaming around the Galleon and it is simply disappointing. A rotting sea of bones and corpses, and even more monsters coming to kill us. If we reach the Icean Spine, what will be our fate be? What can we do, not knowing that we don’t know what to expect?”

“Okay,” she clapped her hands. “You need to rest now and go back to your room. I’ll call Robert and Wiles to keep anyone out from calling you. Rest for a while before you think of all the responsibility for this Grand-Galleon.”

Gabrio stopped himself. He stood up without a word and got out of the office. Zyra followed him and made sure that he was in his bed. Gabrio took his mask and placed it on the side. Zyra guarded the door and seeing that he was going to rest. She locked the doors and left Gabrio alone to his thoughts.

He didn’t know that he could be this tired.

So much to worry.

So much to do.