They could kill me if they wanted, I would not allow those children to be sold.
Jerinthal and the captain would probably hunt down my family next after I betrayed them.
But damn it! It was just not right!
They were children!
Another week passed of me serving Jerinthal.
He had appropriated me as his errand person. Ordering me for even the menial of tasks.
But thanks to that, I was able to enter his cabin whenever I wanted.
And just as I hoped, Jerinthal finally let his guard down and took off his bangle at times.
It was quite heavy and often bruised his wrist, or so how I convinced him.
Unfortunately, he never let the bangle out of his sight whenever he did take it off.
I tried to find a moment where I could snatch the bangle without him looking, but I failed.
There were times when Jerinthal would leave the bangle inside the cabinet in his cabin and he would step out to meet with the captain and Maran, but not long enough for me to take it and head down to the cage.
And so another four days passed by.
In three days, we would finally arrive in Chanlin and Jerinthal would be able to deliver the children to his client.
After all this time, I managed to figure out Jerinthal's schedule around the ship.
When he would wake up, when he would leave his cabin, when he would take off his bangle.
I needed to make sure Jerinthal was occupied while I steal the bangle and free the Tsamudran.
I just knew that so long as I got the children out of the cage, they would be able to escape on their own. I did not care whatever happened to me after that.
And so, I spent the next two days setting up my plan.
We were nearing Chanlin and other ships had started to pass Streaker by.
I had to execute my plan soon and it must work!
Since I was the newest deckhand and basically everyone's slave on the ship, nobody actually paid much attention to where I was going.
They would just assume I was running errands for someone.
That was why nobody was suspecting me crouching in the dark corner of the storage cabin.
We approached a cargo ship yesterday and purchased a good amount of food and wine.
Maran even wanted to buy the whole ship if only he could snatch some of the Streaker's crews to man the vessel.
I was never involved in the fighting. So I was able to sneak around the ship and do my preparation.
Jerinthal was currently celebrating with the captain and Maran in the captain's cabin. Something about them soon going to be very rich men.
The mage managed to find a good silk robe from the cargo ship and thought the bangle would not match his attire. So thankfully he left the bangle in his drawer.
Their celebration would take a while, but I wanted to take extra precaution just to be safe.
If possible, I would like nobody noticed the escape before it was too late.
I grabbed the matchstick and lighting box I stole from the First Mate's cabin. Then using the lighting box, I streaked the matchstick to set it afire.
I placed the burning matchstick at the bottom of the tobacco leaves crates we got from two plunderings ago.
I had made sure to move other flammable cargos closer so the fire would spread easier.
With the fire set, I sprinted from the storage cabin and made my way to Jerinthal's.
As expected, he was still dining with the captain and Maran.
I hurried to grab the bangle, hid it inside my pocket, and rushed to the cage.
The storage cabin I set aflame was on the opposite site of the ship where the Tsamudran children were held.
Most of the attention would be directed to the fire. Hopefully it would buy me more time to rescue the children.
"Fire! Fire!"
I heard someone yelling over at the deck as I reached the Tsamudran's cabin.
I quickly made my way inside and over to the cage.
The three children immediately leaned over the bars upon my arrival, looking eager and concerned.
They had been expecting me as well.
"I'm here! Don't worry! I'm going to get you all out!"
"What the hell is going on here?!"
A deep voice shouted at me as I was reaching for the bangle in my pocket.
I retreated backward until the cage's bars were pressed against my back.
The First Mate was standing at the door. Sword in his hand.
"When I did not see you helping out with the fire, I was wondering where you'd be."
He said, approaching me.
"S-sir! I was just checking to see if the prisoners are alright!"
I said promptly.
I could not dare to take out the bangle in front of him. All the crews knew what the prison's key looked like since Jerinthal often wore it on his wrist.
"I've been keeping an eye on you, sailor. Despite your obedient attitude, I know you hate us. I also know you were the one who stole my matchstick."
The First Mate said, raising his sword to me.
What did Jerinthal said about opening the cage again?
The First Mate stared pressing the blade against my neck.
"I know you're just waiting for the right moment to betray us a--"
Instantly I felt the cage's bars on my back turning to mist.
I immediately fell on my back and everything happening so fast after that.
The two eldest Tsamudran leaped forward, seized the First Mate each by his shoulder, and pushed him to the floor, pinning the huge man down.
The youngest, the small girl who looked barely five years old, quickly snatched the First Mate's sword and plunged it deep to his throat. Blood fountaining all over.
It all happened so fast that the First Mate could barely have time to react.
Jerinthal and Maran had told all of us many times about the Tsamudran. But seeing their strength and brutality firsthand was a whole different matter.
I had watched the First Mate fighting against four imperial army soldiers. He managed to kill them while only getting a scratch to his forearm.
But these three children managed to end him in less than two seconds.
I could see why Jerinthal thought of them as beasts.
But damn it! They were still children!
I quickly got up and closed the door of the cabin that the First Mate just let opened. We would not be escaping through that way.
As I made my way back to the children, I noticed that a side of the cage had vanished. Like the bars had just went up to smoke.
I supposed since it was a magic artifact, you did not open it like a regular cell.
I turned to the Tsamudran children who were now watching me with cautioned eyes.
They were not bothered by the First Mate's blood staining their faces. Let alone with the fact they just killed a man.
"You're going to escape through the ramp."
I told them while pointing to a large square panel on the ceiling connected with a dangling rope.
It was what we used to bring the cage down from the deck when they first arrived.
"It will lead back to the deck. Everyone is busy fighting the fire at the other side of the ship, but you need to hurry and jump into the ocean once I pull the ramp down."
I explained to them.
"Come with us."
The eldest girl said to me.
This would be the first time any of them speak up.
"I'm sorry. But I can't breathe underwater like you."
"We can get you to dry land. You will survive if you leave."
The youngest said with pleading eyes.
She managed to look innocent despite the First Mate's blood staining her young round face and the bloodied sword on her tiny hands.
"Now that you've freed us, you've betrayed your fellow humans. They will kill you if you stay."
The boy said while kicking the First Mate's body.
I could not help but smile at their words.
Truly. How could anyone think of them as monsters?
"Yeah! I saw the First Mate went this way!"
I heard someone coming down from the hallway. Followed by few more footsteps.
I quickly grabbed the dangling rope of the ramp.
"There's no time! Remember, immediately run up to the deck and jump over to the ocean!"
I said to them again.
After seeing their nods, I pulled the rope and let the ramp swung down.
"Go!"
The three children thrusted their legs and immediately leaped to the deck in one big jump.
I heard the door behind me swinging open and people flooding in.
"There!"
I still did not know what to do about the Tsamudran's offer, but I would definitely be dead if I stayed there.
I quickly rushed up to the ramp and prepared to jump over the ship's railing and into the water.
That was when I saw the three Tsamudran children hanging in the air, as if being held by an invisible rope.
"I was wondering why did you change your mind so fast. Turns out you actually never did."
I turned around and saw Jerinthal standing over the deck. His hands were facing the three Tsamudran children hovering in the air.
I heard about this. It was a spell a mage used.
Telenises or something like that.
Damn it! It could be used on living things?!
Was this how Jerinthal trapped them in the first place?
Maran and the captain as well as the rest of the crews were standing behind the mage.
The fire seemed to have been put out.
Now they seemed like they could not wait to plunge their swords into my heart.
"Why are you doing this? Why are you betraying us?!"
The captain grunted.
"Because they are children! I can't allow you sell children!"
I shouted to him back.
Since I was a dead man anyway, I did not see why I had to keep up appearances.
Maran chuckled at my words.
"They are not children. They are monsters. The worst there is. Didn't you hear how they killed my men?"
"Forget it, Maran. I've known people like this one. They won't be convinced."
Jerinthal said with a mocking smile. He turned to the captain.
"I can't hold my telekinesis on these beasts for long. We need to return them back to their cage. Grab the key from that man, I'm sure he has it. We'll soon arrive in Chanlin and I want the rest of the trip to be as uneventful as--"
Before the mage could finish his sentence, a golden trident flashed by and ripped his hands off.