The Innkeeper

Chapter 1712: It’s time

Pebbles was invincible, and immortal, and now he even had the cultivation realm of an immortal. That did not make him immune to pain, however. Fly swatter arms or now, he was no match for the ferocious Captain Jack.

So, reluctantly, Pebbles took off his parrot feather captain’s hat and shoved it in his cheek, saving it for later.

Although Jack was not fully satisfied with the beating he had given Pebbles for trying to steal his natal treasure, there were only so many hours in the day he could spend on that. Once Pebbles relented, Jack, much to his dissatisfaction, had to stop beating the hamster.

Right after that, Jack called for a crew meeting. Now, logic dictated that he hurry up and bond with his ship first, but now that he had already come out, there was no point in going back to his quarters. Best to hold the meeting first.

For once, Jack was pretty serious, because the first thing he did once the meeting was held was not explain the reason, but question the three Boblings. Jack had never bothered asking any of the crew their histories or affiliations, so the fact that he was doing so now with the Boblings immediately alerted the crew to how serious the impending conversation was.

“Under normal circumstances, I’m quite welcoming of others into my crew,” Jack said, looking at the three blobs of smoke.

The Boblings weren’t actually made of smoke, it was just that their actual bodies could not be seen, even by Jack. The fact that he saw smoke was a big deal at all, for none of the others from the crew seemed to notice anything amiss, or if they did, they didn’t show it.

“However, this is a critical time for the crew, so I cannot afford any security risks. So, who are you? What do you want? And how can you track Bob? If you answer these three questions honestly, I will consider letting you join us.”

Longbeard resisted the urge to whistle. It was rare to see Jack so serious. What he didn’t know was that Jack was finally free of that accursed stench after a very long period of time, so he could finally put his entire mind on the tasks at hand instead of using a large part of his mind and will power to resist the urge to rip off his own nose.

“Well, this is awkward,” said Bobling 1, scratching his head. Jack noticed that when the Boblings talked, they took on the appearance of a fairy – most likely since he, the observer, was a fairy. To Pebbles, they probably looked like hamsters.

“You have to add more gravitas in your voice when you say ’awkward’. Take note. Well, this is awkward,” said Bobling 2, living up to his own advice and adding real feeling into his last sentence.

“How about, instead of answering those questions, I assure you that we mean you no harm,” Bobling 3 proposed.

“Look, I understand that sometimes people have secrets that they can’t expose. That’s also exactly why I am going to have to ask you to leave,” said Jack. “After all, just like you have certain things you cannot share, so do we.”

“Amitabha, like I always said, sharing is scaring. It is best not to share things. Instead, just give everything good to me,” Monk contributed to the conversation. For some odd reason, no one reacted to him though.

The three Boblings looked troubled, and then huddled up and began whispering amongst themselves. Bobling 1 stuck its head out once to glare at Jack, but Bobling 3 just bonked it on the head and pulled it back in. The conversation went on for a while.

Finally, when they split up, Bobling 3 stepped forward.

“Alright, we have determined that your concerns are totally valid. However, for reasons I cannot state, our background cannot be disclosed. At the same time, we do not want to leave either, for to bask in the presence of Bob is most magenta. So, I have a proposition for you. We will swear eternal servitude to the great Bob, and never do anything against his interest.”

Jack rubbed his nonexistent beard and wondered why neither Lex nor he could grow facial hair. It was highly demotivating. Also, he considered the three Bobling’s proposal. The issue was that what he wanted to do next was highly sensitive, and the fewer who knew about it the better. At the same time, he understood that he did not have a mysterious realm to fall back to, nor did he have a system to rely on. Allies could only help him, and he would need all the help he could take.

“Alright, in that case, you may attend the meeting. Come on in,” Jack said, stepping out of the way and letting the three Boblings inside. The crew quickly ran to sit in their designated seats, as if they all hadn’t been hiding right behind Jack and listening in.

“Alright guys, I know it’s all been fun and games so far, but things have changed. I didn’t think this day would come so soon, but it’s here. We need to talk about the crew, and how we’re going to operate moving forward.”

All the casual smiles slowly faded away, and even Goldilocks turned towards Jack, paying close attention to his words. The duck had really grown up.

“We went through much to reach the Artica realm, all so that we could become immortals. I told you all at the beginning that this was the only way for us to become immortals, and it was a shared goal. We all worked for it together, and we all shared the risks it entailed together. But now, I have to head off to a mission that is entirely personal, and if you all continue with me, not only will you be undertaking great risks for my sake, you will be exposed to a lot of things that may affect you for the rest of your lives.

“At the same time, if you come with me, you will be exposed to certain secrets that I cannot afford to leak. It’s not that I don’t trust you all – I do. Except Pebbles. And Goldilocks on occasion. But the rest of you, I trust. The question now is, do you want to put yourself at risk for my sake? If you don’t, I will make arrangements for you to go back to the Folklore realm, or anywhere else that is within my power. I won’t leave you stranded. But if you want to continue on with me, then it’s time that we become a real, proper crew.”

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