>>5430017>>5430026"Top of the morning, captain!" You salute him as he returns the gesture. "How is Gunpowder doing?"
"Sorry to inform you, boss. I don't think your stallion here is doing that well." Roderick claps his hands close to each of Gunpowder's ear, to which he barely answers to.
His left eardrum has been ruptured and left unusable, his right one had all the effectiveness of a hearing submerged in water. It hurts to admit it, but Gunpowder appears to be deaf by all considerable terms.
Still being able to speak to him by sheer thought reading, you see that contrary to popular belief, Gunpowder can actually become flustered with something other than lack of fight.
'Vlad! Vlad! Why can't Gunpowder hear Vlad?'
He panickily neighs on two feet, startling Roderick as he sidesteps away from the horse's hooves.
"Are you sure he's fine to stay aboard? I thought the ship had a place for housing animals." Magnifico stands up straight after his eyes were reddened from the gas blow.
"Gunpowder is no mere animal. He's been fighting the good fight for longer than I have, both in horse years and actual years. Even if he shat on the wood frame, I would still ask to keep him around."
"Ah, a prized family horse?" Roderick manages to tame him with a vegetable of his choice, asking for one by the passing crewmate enjoying his meal.
"Something like that. I've made a promise for him to get to see my arch-nemesis one more time."
"Sounds like a good story to listen..." He inquires about your backstory, but you have a trade to offer.
"I'd be down to telling you, if you answered me one thing..." You asked him if he knew someone capable of teaching you how to swim. Being afraid of the ocean and needing to take Sivir out of the bottom of the ocean, you tell him if he perhaps could spare some lessons.
"Of course. We marines have to learn how to swim on our first few days of training. Though I don't think I am a good master, we could strap you to a raft and have you exercise some lessons on calmer tides. I don't think you will learn enough to be a professional by the time we reach Skellig, but at least enough to not drown yourself if you fall off the boat."
"I'm fine with that." You tell him, finding a few free hours of the day to practice also reminded you of your relationship with the undines, to which Schierke recommended you to hone your mind with the spirits of liquid form.
Why not try both? Time is not something that passes quickly when you have nowhere to go.
>Roll a 2d100, first for swimming, second for magical training.