I reincarnated in game

30 Mistaken Identity

Once that they were aboard, Hugh and Judi removed the duster cloaks and put them in one of their bags along with their purloined identification.  They felt much more comfortable roaming around in their own clothes than in the flowing garments that the ladies had worn.  They had even started to relax a bit. 

Hugh had never been on an airship in real life; only when he was playing Ether Sword.  “I have never been on an airship this large before; I am going to take a walk around and check it out,” he said. 

Judi and Kenneth were much more familiar with airships so declined to accompany Hugh.   “Go ahead, we will wait here for you,” the two replied.

“OK.  If I am not back in half an hour, send out a search party!” Hugh joked, and then set out towards the bow of the ship. 

The airship resembled an old fashioned sailing vessel made of wood and straps and pipes. The wooden walls of the passenger deck had some functional drapery as well as a tidy bar where drinks and refreshments could be purchased.  The deck itself was well laid out with seating in small clusters on each side of the main aisle.  These areas were outfitted with comfortable, padded chairs where passengers could relax and enjoy chatter or refreshments.  There were other compact areas with chairs around mini tables where two or three people could gather; similar to the setup where Judi and Kenneth were waiting for him.  He felt exuberant like he had no cares in the world; he paid little attention to the fact that his fellow passengers were watching him while he explored the airship.

Near the bow, Hugh noticed a stairwell leading up towards the open, main deck.  Stairs also descended to a lower level which appeared to be at the bottom of the ship.  A sign posted on the lower door read, ‘Restricted Access’.  Recalling the prisoners who had been the last to disembark from this ship when it arrived in Ossal, Hugh surmised that the lower deck was probably where they had the holding cells for exiled prisoners being transported to the fourth level.

Choosing the stairway leading upward, Hugh found himself looking up at the underbelly of the huge balloon which provided the buoyancy for the massive wooden ship.  He was fascinated by the intricate pattern of sturdy ropes which bound the ship to the floatation device; they stretched between both structures to maintain the balance, stability, and safety of both the crew and passengers.

He loved the hum of the engines which were situated on each side of the ship.  He went to the port side to observe the intricate gear system atop the enormous metal cylinder which housed the crystals powering the immense propeller.  The propeller was currently in the vertical position to provide a forward thrust.  The blades could be rotated to provide a backward thrust for greater maneuverability of the ship.  The whole propeller assembly could be rotated to a horizontal position to provide upward thrust to launch, or a downward thrust to land, such as they had witnessed from the patio at the inn.    

Hugh looked over the side.  He was thoroughly enjoying himself and the sensation of floating among the clouds; watching the earth receding below, however, he knew that Judi and Kenneth would soon be wondering where he was so he headed back towards the stairwell leading back to the passenger deck. 

After just a few steps down the stairwell, everything went dark.

When Hugh opened his eyes, he had no idea how long it had been since he had started down those steps.  He blinked a couple of times to clear his blurred vision.  He also realized that he had a slight taste of blood in his mouth.  He went to wipe his mouth with his hand but realized he couldn’t move his hand.  He looked down.  His hands were tied behind him and lashed to the chair he was sitting in.  “Oh!  This ain’t good,” he said to himself. 

He raised his head and had to squint because there was a bright light above him.  Through his narrowed lids, he saw the shapes of several men, dressed in black with white stripes.  He could see the shape of their epithets but couldn’t read the contents because of the glare from the overhead light.  He had no idea who they might be.

His first thought was that his false identification had been discovered.  He quickly looked to the left and right to see whether Judi and Kenneth had been apprehended as well … he felt a measure of relief when he did not see them bound beside him.  Hopefully, they were safe wherever they were.

“So you’re awake, now,” said an authoritative, male voice from the circle of men around him.  “Let’s not beat around the bush.  We know who you are and what you have done, so why don’t you just start confessing.  It will be less painful for you if you just start talking!”

“Confess? OK, I just made a new ID so I could board this ship … I came to forth level without my card because someone took it from me,” Hugh explained, thinking, technically he wasn’t lying … the thugs did take everything he owned, including his ID.

“We’re not interested in any of that … we mean your other crimes!  We know that you are Father John, and that you are a priest from Sdel.  You stand accused of over-collection of taxes and tribute, bullying of innocent citizens, and murder of those too poor to pay.  All of these crimes add up to the death penalty!”  The leader took a breath, and then continued, “You are a man of the curia; what were you doing down on forth level? Maybe you were looking for some female companionship using illicit funds? Or maybe you were gambling the collection money that you swindled from the people of the towns that you ‘ministered’ to?  Come on, confess!”  The man in charge was incensed just thinking about the crimes this man had committed. 

“Wait! What! You mean you I am not here for the ID?” Hugh exclaimed in surprise.

His question was ignored.  “You stand accused of heinous crimes.  What do you have to say for yourself before we sentence you to die?” shouted the man in front of him.

This was real serious.  Those men weren’t playing around.  Hugh realized he had to keep talking to stave off their plans to execute him and maybe, stall them long enough to give Judi and Kenneth time to come looking for him.

“Well, I have a few things to say actually … One, I didn’t do any of whatever you said I did.  Two, I am not Father John or whoever you think I am.  Three, I can’t ‘stand’ accused of anything because, as you can see, I am sitting,” Hugh declared.

“Funny … but this is no laughing matter!  Father John, we know you would say anything to save your own hide!” the interrogator shouted.

“No, honestly, I am not Father John.  I am not even a priest!  I came on board with two friends.  If you untie me, I can go find them and you can ask them yourself.  In fact, they are probably looking for me right now,” Hugh hoped the man would believe him.  He wasn’t surprised when they continued on as if he hadn’t spoken at all.

“We have a little bit of time before we dock on third level … we will see how funny you think this is when you are hanging from a rope!” the investigator said with a wicked grin.

Judi had started to worry when Hugh failed to return in the timeframe he had set out. “Where is Hugh?  He should have been back by now?” Judi commented out loud.

“I don’t know,” Kenneth replied.

“Well, maybe we should take a look around for him.  After all, he did say to send out a search party if he wasn’t back in a half an hour,” Judi said in a joking way; she didn’t want Kenneth to worry in case that Hugh had just taken longer than expected on his sightseeing tour.  They both got out of their seats and walked around the passenger deck looking for their friend.  When they didn’t see him, Kenneth and Judi walked up to the main deck; there appeared to be only crewmen going to and fro, doing their ship tasks.  Hugh was nowhere to be seen.  They returned to the staircase and started back to the passenger deck.  As they got to the landing, Judi thought she could hear some shouting coming from behind the ‘Restricted Access’ door.  Turning to Kenneth, she held up her hand.  They stood quietly and listened.  Several voices could be heard; it sounded like someone was being interrogated.

“Wow, I would hate to be that person,” Kenneth whispered to Judi.

Judi perked up her ears.  Her curiosity got the better of her; she descended to the lower door, pressing her ear against it.  “Oh, this isn’t good, Kenneth.  I think that is Hugh in there!”