He directed his steps towards his parents' house.
At the same time he had to take Pierstrasse again. He heard the familiar rush of the waves. Gray slowed down and saw the stars reflect in the water. The moon enveloped the area in a faint white light and Gray soon reached the street where he lived. From a distance he saw that light was still shining from the small windows of his home. He turned in the way to the front door and opened it, stepped into the narrow hallway. A few candles flickered on the walls next to the massive paintings that had come from his father's forays, and the dark wooden floor creaked as Gray walked over them.
The light was still flickering under the kitchen door and he heard his mother talking to a guest. Gray decided to keep his mother and her guest company and went into the kitchen, whereupon the heads of the two people present turned around in shock.
"Oh, it's you.", Said Ira, Grey's mother.She was already wearing her nightgown and her thick brown hair was disheveled. She must have slept already. So it surprised him more that at this late hour she received another guest. He eyed him intently.
It was a man in his 50s. He wore a black hat and was also wrapped in a long black coat with a stand-up collar.
He looked familiar from somewhere and Gray took a seat at the table.
"Gray, this is Ot Gould, the navigator of the Poseidon."
The alcohol had suddenly disappeared from Grey's blood and he thought more clearly than it had been for a long time.
"What is he doing here?" He asked his mother now.
"He can best explain that to you himself. I'm going to sleep now. Please escort Ot out afterwards."
With these words, Ira said goodbye and climbed the stairs to the second floor to the bedrooms.
Ot, who had been sitting in the shade most of the time, leaned closer to Gray in the light, who could now see his facial features more clearly.Ots face was badly scarred and the typical black beard of a pirate was enthroned on his chin. He blinked slightly annoyedly at Gray out of his eyes.
"I have a message for you from your father!", He began in such a rough voice that apparently had a few bottles of rum and years at sea too much under his belt. At the mention of his father, Gray stared at Ot in disbelief.
Since the mysterious disappearance of his father, he had no clues whatsoever what had happened to him. But, since now - after three months - they still hadn't heard from him, they had to accept his death for better or for worse. He was completely unprepared that the former navigator of the Poseidon, his father's ship, was sitting with him and had a message from him for Gray. And so there was nothing else he could do but keep staring at Ot.
He rummaged around in his duffel bag and took out a large book, put it on the table in front of Gray."What is that?", Gray had found his language again and now pierced the book with his eyes. "Captain Abaddon gave it to me shortly before he died."
"So is it now clear that he was killed?"
"Yes, he was. And apparently the old fox suspected it, otherwise he would not have entrusted this to me."
Ot ran his hand over the leather cover of the book.
"What is it?" Asked Gray impatiently.
"Your father's lock book."
"His lock book?"
"Are you hard of hearing or what? Yes! His lock book. It was his last will, so to speak, that you get it and not Slaight."
The more Gray asked and wanted to clarify, the more opaque it became. Why should his father trust such an important document to him and not to Slaight, his older brother? Neither of them had the best relationship with their father, but Slaight had turned his back on the family a few years ago and disappeared. It was almost heartbreaking for Ira to see one of her babies leave the nest, but she was beginning to feel hatred for her firstborn."Why?"
"How should I know ?! I'm just the ambassador here."
"My father trusted you. You were almost like friends. So tell me what happened! Why did he have to die ?!"
Ot took off his hat and a bald head appeared. He leaned back and blinked hard at Gray.
"We were anchored off an island. There was a fight with the merfolk and your father must have been killed in the process. I can't tell you how he found death now. Only that these damned sea creatures are to blame The ones with their disgusting fins and scales- "he interrupted and haunted the ground," They caught him and then what else I do with him. We were on the ship and only heard his screams echo from the island . "
"Wait a minute. You want to tell me that the Aerandir actually exists? It's just a legend!"
"No, boys. They exist and they are responsible for the death of what is probably the most feared pirate!"Gray ran his hair nervously as Ot continued:
"I was so free and read the lock book and found a letter from your father."
Ot leafed through the book and finally found a yellowed sheet of paper on which Gray instantly recognized his father's handwriting.
"What ?! A letter ?! What's in it ?!"
"Just enough that you inherited the Poseidon."
Gray snatched the letter from him and scanned it. Indeed. His father had bequeathed him his ship, the ship with which he had weathered so many storms and sailed seas. For Gray this ship had always been the epitome of freedom and accordingly he was shocked that it should now be his.
"Well, me and the crew are here with the Poseidon in port, waiting for orders, Captain."
Gray jumped up and paced up and down a few puzzled steps.
"Wait a minute, I can't be your new captain from one moment to the next ?! You don't even know what all this means for me!""Damn it! Now calm down again, boys! You behave like a hysterical woman! If all of this means as much to you as you say, then it will certainly not be difficult for you from now on, the captain of the Poseidon." Your father was a clever man and he will not have left you the ship, let alone the title, for no reason. "
"Yes.", Gray mused and sat down again, "You're right ..."
Now it was Ot who got up. He packed up his things and put his hat back on.
"You can visit the ship tomorrow morning. It would also be in the interests of the crew that you come."
"I will!", Gray replied full of confidence and held out his hand to Ot.
"You still have to work on your handshake, fellows. Otherwise you won't be taken for full. The crew in particular will be very skeptical of you."
"Let that be my concern."
"Don't panic, I will.", Ot said and disappeared into the streets of the city enveloped in the darkness.This little boy was too naive, he thought. He would never make a worthy captain and never reach his father's level, even if he tried his damned life to get it. Ot was by no means convinced of him and was furious at that. Angry at Abaddon for ignoring him so shamelessly. Actually, the Poseidon would have been his property. But his captain had thwarted him, which he disliked very much, but he could not do anything against the order. We'll wait and see, he thought, how the crew would react, who didn't know anything about all of this.
After this train of thought he was already facing her:
The Poseidon was a true masterpiece of a ship. In the many years that they have now sailed with her, no other ship, not even the Royal Navy, had managed to hand her the water. She was only worthy of a mighty pirate, someone like Dwayne or himself; him: Ot Gould!A wonderful ship. Perfect down to the smallest detail, from the aft deck to the three masts, she was immaculately attuned to piracy. Powerful for a massive cannon attack, robust to withstand weeks of rough seas unscathed, and agile to evade the attack. (Höhö .... How cheeky ... Note from Cloud ^^)
Ot was infatuated with this ship and under no circumstances did he want to let such a runaway fellow take it from him. But for the time being the little one could still be very useful to him and therefore he did not want to show his displeasure. For the time being.