Kid sailed into the harbor, thinking about his three problems. He needed a crew. He had no doubt of that. How was he going to recruit people to fight the monster in the waters around the destroyed castle?

He didn't know if he would have to deal with the ghost pirates, but he felt like that it was something he would have to put down since they also seemed to patrol the area where he had to work.

He needed a set of fighters that could sail the seas and battle a monster as big as the boat he sailed in. He didn't think there was such a crew in existence. He might be able to get a few he could use to channel words to help him get things done.

He sailed to a dock, still thinking. He asked the ropes to tie the boat to the dock as he stood at the wheel. He looked around. He didn't have a lot of time, and he didn't want to be on the water with Typhon stirring up a storm. That would be asking for more trouble.

And he couldn't lie about the danger. That would make things worse for any crew that he did pick up. He didn't want to get someone killed if he could help it. And he didn't want to devalue the danger only to have it bite him at the worst time.

He wondered if he could equip his little boat with a cannon. That might be what he needed to get things done.

Did they still have cannons? He didn't recall seeing any on his brief stops across the isles.

He hopped to the dock and walked down to the harbor master's office. Other boats would be coming in. He didn't want to be displaced from his berth before he was ready to leave. Maybe the official would know sailors that needed a boat to sail on.

How many would sign up with him?

The office stood by itself away from the docks. Kid walked along, taking in the other boats getting ready to sail out, or coming in to berths to drop anchor. Fishing boats seemed the majority from what he could see. He thought the rest were merchants with a smathering of armed forces to deal with pirates on the water.

He supposed some of those could be pirates themselves. It wasn't any of his business as long as they didn't get in his way.

He doubted they would be able to stand up to the ghost ship without his help.

He knocked on the office door before he entered. He took in the interior before getting in line behind three other captains. He considered the building and what it would mean to be stuck inside if Typhon showed up to blow on it.

It was brick with two windows on the front of it so the harbor master could look out on the water. The front door was heavy wood with a lock made of a stout plank that would drop into brackets to keep the door from opening. The main room he stood in had a work desk and chair for the one official on duty, and another table covered with charts. Ledgers and books filled shelving on the walls.

Another door led to another room. Kid couldn't see the inside of that with the door closed. He supposed that it was either another office where the harbor master could work in private, or some kind of living space. Either was possible depending on how things were set up.

Kid waited as the captains haggled over what they should pay for their berths. He didn't have a cargo, or crew, and hoped he wouldn't be charged the fees that the others were for their much larger boats.

His turn came and he stepped forward. The harbor master looked at him silently, the coat of his office unbuttoned and his cap for his nearly bald head on one side of the desk. Button eyes showed a weariness of haggling with strangers his whole day.

“How do you do?,” asked Kid. He didn't put on a false smile. “I have taken a spot on Pier Ten. I just came in to check in and let you know I don't know when I'm leaving.”

The Harbor Master looked out the windows. He squinted to make out the boats better.

“Which one is yours?,” he asked.

“The small one with the gold and red paint,” said Kid. He pointed at his tiny craft. “It's the smallest one there.”

“Crew and cargo?,” asked the Harbor Master.

“None yet,” said Kid. “I'm hoping to pick up some sailors to help with a spot in the ocean. I'm going to need someone to watch the boat while I conduct my business.”

“There are always sailors wanting to sail somewhere,” said the harbor master. “Just put up a notice you want to hire a crew. They'll knock down your door to apply.

“Where would I put up a notice like that?,” asked Kid.

“There's a sign around the other side of the docks,” said the official. He stood and pointed in the direction he meant. “Just walk around and put up your sign and if you want to meet any prospects at your boat, or an inn.”

“Thank you very much for your help,” said Kid. He smiled.

“Just remember to be picky,” said the harbor master. “You don't want to be at sea with a bunch of want to be mutineers and pirates.”

“I expect the crew will be the least of my problems,” said Kid.

He nodded and stepped out of the office. He looked around, enhancing his vision with a question. He spotted the sign by the entrance from the town beyond the harbor. He wondered how many he could hire from this port.

He needed heroes if he wanted to face down the tick tock monster and the ghost pirate long enough to examine the ruins at the bottom of the ocean. He doubted he could get anything like that in this small town. The odds would have to be astronomically in his favor.

He didn't believe in luck that good.

He didn't believe he could get one.

He would at least try. He only needed five or six men. There had to be that many in port. If there were, he could sail back out to the site and accomplish his mission before the turning of the week. Pay would be assured just based on what he could do with the key if he could find it.

The thought that the key might be gone crossed his mind. He still had to make sure. Not having Gai around to make things difficult just made things easier to get done one way, or the other.

Being released from his commitment could change everything for him. Once he was sure that things would be better, he could settle somewhere, or sail the endless sea without a real destination in mind. He could put any crew he signed up off as soon as he was sure he was done.

The removal of the two menaces getting in his way would help anyone wanting to cross that stretch of water. The ruins didn't matter as long no one could get to them from the surface. And he doubted there was another mage extant in the world.

Kid hoped there wasn't another mage walking around in the world. His kind had done enough to ruin the world. They had killed untold numbers sinking most of the land under the water.

And Typhon roaming about was a lasting effect harming the people. How many had been thrown into the air and died when they hit the ground somewhere else?

Getting the key and killing Typhon would be worth it.

Kid paused in front of the sign. What could he post here that would get him the crew he needed in this place? He worked on the sentence in his mind for a few minutes until he was sure he had just the thing he needed. He called for a piece of paper and spoke the message on the paper. He pinned it to the board on a protruding nail for that purpose.

Now all he could do was wait until he had his crew.

He decided to walk into town and look around for supplies. If he did get a crew, he doubted they would want to live on fish the whole time they were at sea.

A lanky man with a lantern jaw walked the other way, arms swinging as if his hands were great weights pulling the rest along. He had one eye, the other was covered with a patch. He glanced at the notice, squinting at the words. He hitched up his pants and turned around.

“Are you the one that posted this notice for fighting sailors?,” the lanky man called to Kid. His voice was like rocks rubbing together with an accent that was barely understandable.

“That's right,” said Kid, looking over his shoulder. “I need to excavate something in the ocean and I need sailors to help me.”

“I don't have a berth anywhere,” said the lanky man. He clapped his hands once. A chicken dashed to his side. “How much is the pay?”

“I don't know yet,” said Kid. “I'm willing to negotiate as long as you're aware that the voyage needs to succeed before you can get paid, no matter how many times we have to try to reach the goal.”

“How bad is this voyage supposed to be?,” asked the lanky man. The chicken jumped into his outsized hands.

“It will be bad for just one man to try on his own,” said Kid. “Two would have just a fraction of a chance. That's why I am trying to put together a full crew.”

“Sign me up,” said the one-eyed man. “I'm bored sitting in port with no boat of my own. I would love to get on the water again.”

“This will be incredibly dangerous,” said Kid.

“I can handle a little danger,” said the recruit. One hand patted the chicken's back while the other held him in the air. “Me and Pep have been through some things you wouldn't believe if we told you about them.”

“All right,” said Kid. “What's your name? We can talk while I look for supplies.”

“Name's Heg,” said the sailor. “This is Pep. I've had him since he was a chick, and he has been good luck on every voyage I have brought him on.”

“What happened to your eye?,” asked Kid. He started walking toward where he thought the market should be.

“We were on some cursed piece of land and got separated,” said Heg. “A tree limb caught on the wind put out my eye. Pep came out of nowhere and we fell in a groove in the ground. Trees fell on top of us and protected us from the storm. I dug us out the next day.”

“Were you sailing with a crew?,” asked Kid. He heard a rumor he was going in the right direction.

“Yeah,” said Heg. “They all died. The ship was smashed to flinders while Pep and I hid out.”

Kid winced at that. Other crews might not want a sailor sailing with them that survived a disaster like that.

Suspicion would have labeled Heg a pariah after something like that. This might be his only chance to sail the seas.

“I'll hire you,” said Kid. “Help with this supply run and we'll check to see if anyone else saw the notice.”

“I didn't think you would hire me,” said Heg.

“What I am doing is going to be extremely dangerous and I need all the help I can round up,” said Kid. “You and any others might get killed while sailing with me.”

“It's better than dying in bed,” said Heg. “Right, Pep?”

The chicken clucked in disapproval.

“Adventure is our name, Pep,” said Heg. “You might as well accept it now.”

“Do you know anyone else that might want to sail with us?,” said Kid.

“Not off the top of my head,” said Heg. “I'm sure there are others wanting money. There always is.”

“I would like to get the rest as soon as possible,” said Kid.

“Let's lay in the supplies and then we can tour the local taverns,” said Heg. “We should be able to find a couple down on their luck and looking for a way to turn things around.”

Kid nodded. A few days at sea without any drink should fix their problems for the time he needed them sober.

And he could ask them to refrain until the job was done.