The boat ride was not the most dignifying, but they made it and that's what was important. Though he complained, the noble's muscles grew stronger from the days of rowing. The exercise helped as he thought back on his days as an officer. Thomas practiced swinging the scimitar whenever he could and the raw strength helped. The pirate's weapon was a far cry from the officer's saber he once used, but it was better than what the others had.
He cursed his lack of foresight. Once he'd become lord of his land, his martial skills fell by the wayside as he was thrust into the depths of politics. Now, here on the frontier, his years of governance were useless and he struggled to remember even the basics of what he was taught as a young man. No, how could he have know what would happen? He still did not know to who's tune his life danced and he did not like it.
On occasion, He could be seen looking into a strange glass bauble. A glass sphere the size of a tennis ball with a goldfish swimming inside it. There were no openings for the sphere and it seemed much too small for it's inhabitant, but the goldfish was in good health. Thomas would muse to himself on the significance of this, uncertain if the fish was tied to his own life or to the strange dreams he had recently. A woman made of gold reaching out to him from the depths and a goldfish in a ball, was there a connection?
All told, you are at sea for four days and nights. The storm clouds clear away, leaving the hot sun to beat down upon you. With little in the way of potable water or food, it is far from a pleasant experience. And of course, there are the nightmares.
They are worse than ever before—full of horrible, unspeakable things. You awake each morning with a lingering sense of terror and dread, the dreams threatening to take a toll on your sanity.
At last, on the fifth day, you spot land in the distance! You row the ship towards the docks of a small fishing village. A community of twenty buildings spreads along the rocky southern shore overlooking a modest, sheltered bay. Among the shacks, you spot a tavern and a small temple.
I wonder if any of my people will be there, she ponders as Thomas roses towards the island.
Every morning Raven awoke to find another night had passed and although the sense of dread continued, he himself continued onward.
He gripped the small black stone in his hand that he'd apparently grabbed from the chest. A lodestone, he recognized when it had inadvertently grabbed on to his dagger through his pocket and held itself there. A neat little thing, although he wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do with it, it proved to be a handy distraction.
Upon spotting the small community fishing town and the tavern, Raven could barely contain his excitement. "Thank the New God! I cannot wait to get off this boat!" he rasped, hoarsely.
His stomach growled as hunger gnawed at him like it had back when he had been in the orphanage. His lips were dry and cracked now, his throat was dry, and his body ached all over. He smelled bad now too, he knew.
Just as he started imagining what he was going to do at the inn, Krislyx spoke up and he stopped, remembering the reality that he was in.
He coughed tried to summon some spit to his mouth so that he could talk normally.
"May be best for Thomas and I to go in first and try to get a feel for how things are going to be in town for the two of you. Maybe grab you a cloak since you don't seem to like being looked at too closely and all." he said to Krislyx.
I... I think it will be ok. Thank you for your concern, but that strange revelation I had made me realize that the Holy Matron was planning on revealing our people anyways. It is time for us to come out of hiding, I think.
I... I think it will be ok. Thank you, Ven.
Her smile is genuine for the younger of the two humans.
"Yeah, about that whole thing we saw..." Raven said, reaching up and touching the back of his neck, he glanced away from meeting her gaze. "Careful what you start saying to people. There's a lot of bad going around already and some people might just decide to take it out on you cause you're different. Just, just don't give 'em an excuse with that Demon Lord is coming bit."
After a few moments he spoke again.
"But that's all I gotta say on that. If you are feeling brave about meeting people, then when we land, that's what we'll do."
The moment after his triumphant words, Chiruut stops for some moments, his wings twitching slightly open and close.
When he can respond again, Chiruut shakes his head, then turns to face Kris.
"I saw...you, Kris-lyx. I saw your people! You are someone special, you are."
He continues to stare for a time, considerably more interested in Kris than he was.
***************************************
The nights are unpleasant. But Chiruut's mind is strong and he carries on. Well, as much as one can stuck in a boat with three softskins.
***************************************
Chiruut suffers a little but his people are used to the heat of the Patchwork Lands.
He is still happy to see land and with it, food and potable fluids.
"Sensible, Ven. They might hate me and Kris. But I am willing to take risks to get off this boat, and get sustenance."
A handful of bedraggled humans mill about the village. They look askance at Kris and Chiruut but keep their distance.
The tavern near the docks bears a sign dubbing it The Captain’s Widow. Inside the dimly lit building, two teenage girls tend to a handful of tables while a stern-looking middle-aged woman tends the bar. She gestures for you to have a seat.
”Don’t get many travelers here in Chum, much less odd sorts such as yourselves. You look like Oceanus chewed you up and spit you back out again. Name’s Anileda. What’s your story, mates?”
As Chiruut exits the boat, the others finally have an opportunity to notice something.
Chiruut's shadow no longer exactly follows his movements. There is the slightest of delays in it moving when he does.
If he has noticed, he has not seen fit to comment upon it.
He certainly does not comment on the reactions of the villagers.
***************
In The Captain's Widow, he chimes in:
"Two rough sea trips in a row will do that. Anileda, I am Chiruut. This place is Chum then? Is there food? Water?"
”Water’s free. Food will cost you a copper,” Anileda says, filling four mugs with water from a pitcher and placing them in front of you.
Thomas rowed them in to shore, pulling the boat in with the other man's help. Sleep didn't come naturally on the boat and the older man was looking haggard. With some fortune, the golden woman kept the greater nightmares at bay with her presence. Tired, filthy and starving, Thomas barely payed attention to the conversation.
"So that wasn't some daydream? I thought all that prattle had kept infected my dreams. Then Raven's right, if you are some holy figure, it's better you keep that quiet for now. There's probably still slavers and pirates around."
***************
"We need beds, food and I certainly will use a bath. Once we're done, let's talk work. I'm sure there's jobs to be done here." Thomas tries to reserve himself from slamming the mug of water and fails.
"For all of us." Raven said, reaching into his pocket and sliding four copper to the proprietor. "But food first." Then he reached for his own mug, drinking the fresh water gratefully. "How much for rooms?"
Anileda takes your coins and calls to a large man in the kitchen behind her. "Four stews!" The man nods and begins preparing your food.
"It's a copper a night for accommodations. We only got two rooms, so hopefully that'll be enough for you. As for jobs, you're on your own. Most of the people here are just fisherfolk. You could try checking with Father Yenniker at the temple of Oceanus, or the witch, Grisla."
Kris is a bit nervous as they travel through town - she's not used to being this much in the open and all the eyes on her make her insecure. But finally they reach a place that actually has food.
Jobs? she asks. Did you want to settle here? I thought you were trying to get home?
Shifting her focus to the woman, she inquired, Do you know of any ships leaving port? I must return to my people.
Anileda laughs heartily. "I'm sorry, 'port?' Have you looked around? Ain't no 'port' here! Doubt there's more than forty people what live here. And we don't have 'ships' so much as 'boats,' snake-lady. If you're lucky, a ship may stop by for supplies on its way to Freeport, but could be weeks before that happens."
Thomas rolled his eyes at Krislyx's question. "Bah! I don't know how your people live, but we humans typically work for coin. If we're to charter a ship, we'll need the finances to do so. Unless you were planning to have Raven pay your way?" I may have no coin to my name, but begging is certainly beneath me. How difficult can these common chores be?
Chiruut nods in the direction of Ven, then gulps down his water.
After that, he says:
"Ven, thanks. Anileda, more water. Kris, jobs mean coin. Coin is useful."
Raven grimaced somewhat at the news of how little ships sailed past. "Don't really know how long we'll be staying, but I think we'd like to keep a roof over our heads for a while." Raven said to the others as he reached back into his pocket and pulled out a silver coin and 2 more copper pennies to hand the owner. "Thanks for the advice, Anileda. Both rooms for the week. We'll try to figure out something by then."
Never heard of Oceanus before. And they have a witch on the island as well... oh well. Can't be too bad, right?
He didn't miss the clues his companions gave as they spoke. Chiruut was eager to amass wealth. Thomas didn't like to be indebted to anyone, but understood its value. Krislyx, well she had a naive sort of world view but even she must have realized things aren't free. Still, it was all something he could potentially use.
Yes, I know of coin. It is what uncivilized cultures use when they cannot join together for a common cause and for the betterment of all, Kris says.
But before she can get a response, she turns back to the woman, Do these boats ever go to other islands? Are there other places nearby which, if someone had a boat, they would be able to go?
"Occasionally. This island is a few miles away from the larger ones that officially make up the Pirate Isles. You may be able to find somebody willing to ferry you out that way," the bartender says.
One of the two teenage girls brings you each hot bowls of fish stew. Up close, you can see they bear a family resemblance to Anileda. Then girl's hands tremble slightly as she places the bowls on the bar.
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Chiruut makes a familiar hucking sound after Kris speaks, then replies:
"Uncivilised? Hehe. I think you might enjoy my home hive, Kris. Life there is *all* about serving 'the common cause' for the good of all in the hive. By pure coincidence, that also happens to be what the Queen thinks is good. Amazing, that is!"
Once the stew is before him, Chiruut draws the bowl to his small mouth and begins to down it.
"Bah! Even livestock work for the 'common good'. As men, we're driven by more complex desires. Those of proper stock must part the sea of cows and ensure the herd is going in the right direction. Even then, the cow is a dumb animal. It must be goaded and controlled with the right tools, in which coin serves its best purpose." Thomas rants over his bowl of soup with memories of courtroom arguments flowing through him. In time though, hunger quiets the old man's tongue and he drinks his soup in peace.
Not wanting to be confrontational, Kris changes the subject, So more populated islands are only a few miles away and reachable by boat? she says, turning the statement into a question at the last moment. If only we had a boat, huh guys?
It is late afternoon by the time you finish your meal, and you can see Chum's fishers rowing back to shore, their boats riding low on the water from the weight of their catch. One by one, they pull up to the docks and begin unloading their cargo.
All save one, however. The last boat is still 20 yards from the docks when a piercing shriek fills the air. The shriek soon becomes a chorus as five enormous eels burst from the water around the boat! The two fishermen on board cry out in fear as the beasts begin snapping at them with their sharp fangs!
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Raven eyed the girls slight trembling as she brought them the meal.
"No need to be scared, girl. We might look strange but we're not bad folk."
Later, as the meal carried on and conversation continued, Raven stared at Thomas and his declaration for several long seconds, the audacity settling over him before he couldn't contain himself.
"Oh for the love of Astrid, proper stock?! Is that the sort of thing you nobles were in your tents arguing about all day?" Raven said, incredulously to Thomas.
He rolled his eyes and chuckled after a moment, then settled back looking at the older man.
"Just to let you know, I've seen a handful of your 'proper stock' choose the wrong direction and improperly use your tools for goading us common folk. They screamed just as loud as anyone in the hands of the inquisition. So don't go thinking you're better than us."
He stood up then, leaving his bowl of soup only half finished "Chiruut, you're rooming with me." he said, then stepped outside.
.... .... ....
Bloody hell, that man is infuriating. he thought angrily to himself as he skulked around the fisher village.
When the fisher's returned his temper started to cool and his body reminded him that it was still quite hungry.
Damn it Ven, get it together! You're smarter than that, but you let some useless argument cause a problem with that man. Don't forget, he found the boat that saved your hide.
As the last boat came under attack with the sounds of horrible shrieking in the air, Raven rushed to get a clear view of the scene.
By the New God, they're in trouble... but what the hell am I supposed to do? Not like I'm out there. Besides, what's in it for me, risking my life?
The memory of what Anileda had said, offered itself in his mind.
Oh, right. Maybe getting these people thinking I'm here to help will get them to ferry us to other islands. I need to get the others.
Earlier
Chiruut does not add much more to the conversation. But he does seem amused by the comments of the others.
He does reply to Kris:
"A small rowboat, which could be torn to pieces by a storm like the last one. But you are on the right track. Boat and crew who know these waters."
****************
Now
The shriek reaches Chiruut and his head twitches.
Threat. Not waiting here to be hunted.
Chiruut gets up:
"I scout threat. Come or do not."
He then moves towards the door.
Kris watched as Ven leaves in anger, and not a few moments later do the screams sound. She immediately looks to Thomas to see what he does. She's not used to screams like this, and her first instinct is to hide rather than run towards danger. Chiruut ran towards the danger, though. Maybe he was a better person than he tried to let on.
Thomas grumbled at Raven's words, though he knew some of them were true. The noble had seen plenty of bloated pigs in the ranks of office, he'd hated them just as much as they feared him. Just the thought of those chicken-hearted bastards made him want to puke. But the sound of screaming roused him from his thoughts. Taking one last swig of the soup and grabbing the pirate's scimitar, Thomas ran for the sound.
The boat was still too far for Thomas to reach properly. Not seeing many other options, the old man takes a particularly large fish and heaves it toward the attacking eels, hopefully distracting them enough for the fishermen to row closer. "Row, you cretins! Get to shore!"
Thomas’s distraction seems to work, as a pair of eels break away from the boat to devour the large fish. The fishermen row closer to shore, but the remaining eels pursue. The loud shrieking of the largest drive the others into a frenzy as they tear at the fishermen with their fangs. ”Argh! Help!” one shrieks, as both men are terribly wounded!
Seeing that the others reacted already, Raven looked around for something he could do as well.
"Damn, if they're too distacted they may not be able to do anything. How can I... nets, rope!"
"Drop your catch! Throw your nets over the eels and don't bother picking them up again! " he yelled to the desperate pair. Then he glanced around, "Rope, I need rope!
Kris follows Thomas out the door to see what all the commotion is. The eels are attacking those fishermen! she thought to herself. Initially besought with fear at having to do something, she looked to both Ven and Thomas. Both were moving to action. Both were headed towards the danger. That was not something she thought they would do. Weren't humans bad people? Selfish people who only cared about coins and treasure? Yet here they were, risking their own lives to save others.
She set her face to a look of resolve and started moving forward, slipping off the dock and into the water towards the boat. As she did, she pulled out her stone egg, held aloft by the chains wrapped around the stone itself.
Shavra, she said, Hold back the chaos!
A grey light burst out from her, wrapping a sphere around her for five yards. The light enveloped the fisherman and all the strange creatures surround them. Quick! To the shore! she called out to the men.
This is ridiculous. Thomas said to himself as he ran down the dock and leapt for the boat. These simpletons better be grateful, I want that damn boat out of here. The old man sailed through the air...
It is certainly a threat. My softskins at least are not helpless!
Not so far from the shoreline, Chiruut is a little surprised by the actions of Thomas, not as much by Ven.
Even Krislyx is doing something!
He rushes forward, into the water, then focuses his mind.
Just like the fish!
The fishermen follow Raven’s advice, throwing their catch and nets into the water to distract and entangle the shrieking eels. Chiruut swims forward and crushes one of the eels with his mental abilities, impairing it. Kris follows, enacting an area of order around her. Thomas makes an epic leap, just barely making it into the boat! He slices at an eel but fails to hit.
The eel Chiruut injured swims over to attack the yerathi while the two others by the boat snap at Thomas. The warrior takes a hit, but Kris’s spell ensures it is just a glancing blow.
Chiruut considers striking at the eel's mind but decides to use his axe!
Telepathy hardly works on the simple.
Unfortunately, Chiruut does not take the sea water into account and fumbles with the weapon!
Kris held up her holy symbol high, the grey light emanating a sense of orderliness as she followed the boat. She made sure to keep the fishermen in her circle.
Thomas! Chiruut! To the shore! Quick!
Seeing that it would probably take just a little too long for things to happen the way he wanted, Raven changed his plans. Seeing that the eels were largely distracted, he rushed forward into the waves to get closer.
Bet no one expected this! he thought, as he drew and hurled his dagger at the closer of the eels currently attacking Chiruut.
Whether he hit or missed he was unlikely to ever see the dagger again, but it was a small price to pay to seem like a hero for the onlookers.
Thomas staggers as the boat rocks beneath his feet, the unpracticed seaman now facing hungry predators. With unsteady swings, Thomas attempts to stave off the eels as the fisherman do their thing.
"Row, you slugs! We need to dock right this minute!" the noble barked as his blade catches nothing but air. He was not keen to fight these creatures in their home territory if he had to. Damn, this little boat can barely hold our weight. If one of those overgrown worms leaps aboard we might sink!
Chiruut and Thomas miss with their attacks, while Kris helps drag the boat towards the shore. The eel fighting Chiruut bites at him, but his armored shell keeps him safe.
The fishermen frantically row to shore and scramble out of the boat. Raven dives in to help Chiruut, badly wounding his opponent. While that eel dives underwater to flee, the two that were attacking the boat shriek and close in on Raven. One bites him, though Kris’s magic protects him again.
Chiruut hacks down at the eel, now more sure of his grip!
Thomas attempts to throw his spare dagger at the eels attacking Raven, but it goes wide, providing little more than a distraction. The days of rowing and fitful sleep were catching up with him, and Thomas was nearing the extent of his stamina.
Out of the water! Quick! This way! Kris urges the stubborn men who keep insisting on fighting the eels in their own territory.
Yet she still asks for help in a whisper, Shavra, please help them.
"Gaah! Damn that hurt! Raven cursed as he was bitten in the leg Glancing back at Krislyx, he nodded, feeling a surge of inspiration.
"Like to play that way, do ya? How about we drag you out of the water instead?!"
"The fishermen are clear. It is time to go!", adds Chiruut, and withdraws from the water!
Chiruut and Thomas miss with their attacks. Raven grabs hold of an eel briefly before the slippery creature wriggles out of his grasp. The other eel bites him again.
Across the way, the two eels that has been distracted begin to close the distance towards you...
Kris moved next to Ven, Come! Quick! Leave them be! she yells over the commotion as she tries to encourage Ven to get to the shore. She will not leave his side.
With Raven being the only man in the water, Thomas hesitates for a moment. The man certainly hadn't won any points with him earlier that day, but the memory brought with it a burning anger that spurred the noble into action. I'll show that fool the difference between myself and those cowards.
Thomas grabs a length of rope from the dock, throwing it to the man in the water. "Grab hold fool, and we'll pull you to shore!"
Once Raven grabs onto the rope, Thomas pulls him ashore, indignation overpowering his fatigue.
With pain mounting and the battle, such as it was, seemingly turning against him and his companions telling him to move, he did not waste any more time.
"Right, yeah!" Raven said, through gritted teeth, distractedly shaking the second eel off his leg. Grabbing on to the rope Thomas had tossed him, he grabbed Krislyx's hand. "Come on th- Woah!" he was surprised by the older man's strength as he was suddenly jerked toward the shore but glad to be pulled free.
As Chiruut swims back to the docks, Thomas helps haul Kris and Raven out of the waters. The eels shriek and thrash about in the waters, but so long as you stay on the docks, you will be safe from harm.
The fishermen are extremely grateful for the rescue. They offer you a weird idol that they dragged up from the ocean depths, worth 5 ss. In addition, Anelida offers you free food and drinks at The Captain’s Widow for as long as you stay in Chum.