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While the rest of you are busy searching the bottom of the pit, up top, Ishirou immediately sets to work pulling out additional rope and the old makeshift harness you used for Aakif's horse on Smuggler's Shiv. "This was made for a horse," he says, to Tar'kanas, "but with some adjustments, we should be able to make it fit Untari." He pulls out a knife and begins making those adjustments. He enlists Shokambe and Pezock to help him. The tengu is surprisingly willing.
Ishirou clasps Mahjik on the shoulder. "Do not worry. I don't think anyone here seriously believes that you would betray us."
Mahjik grins, and mentions to Ishirou on the quiet: "Looks like things are slowly falling into place in favor of us for a change. Nice." "I don't like to jump to conclusions," Ishirou replies. After a pause, he says, "But I hope so."
Ishirou nods at Urza. "I agree. Now."
When Douena has finished her speech, Ishirou wipes a tear from his eyes and begins the work of filling in the grave. He remains silent throughout.
Ishirou nods. He kneels down beside Jask and pauses for a moment. Then he takes a deep breath, reaches into Jask's mouth and rips out a tooth. He holds out the tooth to Douena. "I will dig a hole."
As you set up camp to rest for the morning, Ishirou, who has been helping to carry Jask's body, sets aside a place to lay the body down. He carefully removes stones and flattens the ground as best he can, then helps to put Jask there. "Should we bury him?" he asks.
Ishirou kneels beside Jask's body. "I do not know what to think anymore," he says. "I used to wish only for riches. Now, I know the value in friendship and loyalty. I wish vengeance for our lost friend, but I do not believe he would want us to seek that vengeance." He lays a hand on Jask's forehead and lowers his head, his eyes closed. After a moment, he stands up again, remaining silent.
"Now, if someone can get my wounds closed a bit, I would like to suggest we go after the men who got away while the trail is fresh and I can still follow the scent." "Only the girl got away," Ishirou says. "She will be in hiding, but we know what she looks like. Also, she knew Cheiton. Maybe he knows her and can help us find her."
Ishirou merely raises an eyebrow.
Ishirou nods. "Some things change, but so much remains the same."
Ishirou frowns noticeably at the newcomer's announcement. He lowers his head and says nothing.
Mahjik settles in next to Ishirou, the veteran has taken to his wary silence again - and the monk was eager to interrupt it. "Do you have wisdom to bestow on us? Perhaps there is some obscure bit of lore that you still remember from the Aspis Consortium, or have they no dealings deep in the Mwangi?" "The Aspis Consortium have dealings here," Ishirou says. "They have dealings just about everywhere. If they find out about the lost city, you can be certain they will want to find it, too. If we have not already left Eleder, they will probably try to bribe us to work for them instead of the Pathfinders, but I would not recommend such an action. They will make their offer sound reasonable, but they will fill their contract with hidden clauses that result in them getting far more than you will initially suspect. It took me years to buy my freedom from them. I would not wish to see the rest of you caught up with them as I was."
Ishirou raises his glass. "To friendship!"
"Gelik is correct about the Aspis Consortium," Ishirou says.
Ishirou thinks for a moment. "Not as happy as I expected," he says finally. "Our time on this island has taught me to value other things more than gold. But I am glad that we have found it."
Ishirou nods, a large smile on his face. "So it would seem."
Ishirou bends down and examines the body. After a moment he shrugs. "There is nothing to identify him, but his armour has been slashed and there are deep grooves on the ribs."
As the afternoon heat drags on, Ishirou gathers you all together to discuss plans for recovering the treasure. "In order to find the spot to dig," Ishirou reminds everyone, "we must climb to the top of the hill and wait for sunrise. I do not think we can make it to the hill today before nightfall, so we must either travel during the night or wait an extra day."
Douena looks up at Ishirou. "Have you ever talked? I don't remember." Ishirou gives her a quizzical look. "Of course I have," he says.
Bravely attempting to overcome her disappointment that Mahjik isn't turning into a vampire, Douena asks Ishirou, "Are you coming with us to find the treasure?" Ishirou looks down at Douena and smiles ever so slightly. He nods.
"The room that the devil figurehead came from is filled with many assorted things," Ishirou says. "I am sure there must be something metal in there, perhaps bigger than what we could make out of a coin. Of course, you did find many silver coins in a footlocker."
"Maybe so, maybe no," Mahjik tells Douena, "the pit in the village... we didn't see any signs of snakes, and the pit probably held prisoners to be eaten. I'm not convinced that this is what you're dream was on about." He looks over to Ishirou, "Maybe it's the treasure. Pirates surely trap their treasures that they bury on islands, right?" Ishirou shrugs. "It would still be a good idea to check the pit in the village."
"Perhaps I should go with the larger group to help spot traps," Ishirou suggests. "With you, Pezock, Sasha, and Mahjik, there will be four of you. That should be good for a small group."
"If I'm going around through the jungle, is there someone else who's good at spotting their traps? If someone steps in one of those on the way up the path, our distraction may go off earlier than we want it to." "I have some skill at spotting traps," Ishirou says with a nod. "However, if I am going with you and Pezock, I will not be able to search for traps on the road as well."
He seeks out Ishirou in the group. "Ishirou, you're a quiet one. Are you skilled at passing unnoticed in matters such as these?" Ishirou is sitting at the back of the group, watching and listening intently. "I have some skill at such things, although I do not believe I am as skilled as Douena. I am willing to put what skills I have to the test, however."
Ishirou nods slightly. "We have survived," he says.
Ishirou offers to handle the "swift and merciful death". With a quick swipe of a dagger, he slits the man's throat. He then disposes of the body.
Ishirou nods. "I was very impressed," he says. "She has great talent, as does Gelik in his presentation."
Ishirou looks a bit surprised by the question, but he quickly recovers his stoicism and nods. "I would be happy to."
Mahjik smiles serenely; if he wasn't on watch one might suspect him to be absent-minded. "Maybe the wise men would laugh at me if they heard this. Douena and I may have done something that we will pay dearly for. And Lorenz has found a personal hole that he must cross. But right now these are significant concerns for us: and these are problems that we made for ourselves. Not somebody else. Even if it is by taking a step backwards, we are taking hold of our own destiny. I think this is a good thing; it makes me glad." Ishirou nods quietly. "A step in any direction is better than no step at all."
Mahjik siddles up to Ishirou. "Wise man realizes that often the thoughts unspoken are the ones that need hearing most. Have you learned something from the fights with the natives that have escaped the rest of us?" Ishirou thinks for a moment. "They fight fiercely," he says, "but not tactically. For most fights, they probably rely on large numbers to overwhelm their enemies,so they will probably be easiest to deal with in small groups. However, now that they know of our presence, they will probably band together in larger numbers. Their leaders may also be smarter warriors than their scouts, so we shouldn't take anything for granted."
Ishirou remains silent for several seconds after Mahjik's question. He simply stares out over the bay. Finally he says, "Once, it was money and riches. When I was young, I behaved foolishly and my father died because of my foolishness. Now that I have paid off my debt to the Aspis Consortium, I wish only to begin a new life. I am not sure I have discovered yet what will motivate me in that new life." He falls silent again and continues to stare out over the bay.
Mahjik stretches; "It feels so much better now. Thanks to you and the others, I've learned more and become stronger in heart and mind." After a bit of a pause, he asks: "You didn't really say yet - do you think it is better to move on again? Should we camp here a while longer?" Ishirou gazes up the side of the cliff. "I am not sure. The enemy has an easy route to jump out at us from above here. From the hilltop, we would have much more warning of an attack from any direction, even up. But this location is better suited for exploring in other directions. Wherever we put the camp, I do think it will eventually be necessary for those out exploring to spend one or two nights away from the camp. The could be dangerous, but necessary."
"Or we could be out for more than a day. "You will need to if we do not move the camp," Ishirou says. When everyone turns to him for an explanation, he stares back. It takes a moment before he realizes why he's being stared at. He looks momentarily embarrassed. "The instructions on the map," he says, "specify that to find the place to dig, we must wait for dawn and then walk to a point atop the hill where the sun appears to be rising directly between two large rocks jutting out of the sea to the east."
Ishirou, who is on watch with Gelik at the time, rushes over and awkwardly tries to tend Mahjik and make him comfortable.
"Nothing that has not already been said," Ishirou says. His head turns slowly as he scans across the clearing. "Something watches us. The monkey was a warning that we have entered its territory." He stares out towards the cliff edge. "We must be vigilant."
Ishirou draws his katana and waits at the ready while Mahjik investigates the jungle edge. He sheaths the sword again when Mahjik returns, but he remains tense for the remainder of the watch, and watches that particular area almost exclusively the whole time.
"I see," Ishirou says. "He was a brave man. I will honour him in my prayers." He gives Douena a pat on the shoulder and heads to his bed.
Ishirou is the one who has woken Douena up for her watch. He looks confusedly at her. "What of the first mate?" he asks.
Mahjik: Ishirou nods in response to Mahjik's musings. "What if Ieana did not intend for the ship to crash? What if she expected to use the Jenivere to leave?"
After a little while of silence, Ishirou speaks again. "You mention much of your master and wise men, and have asked me about who or what my master is. I tell you now that I have no master. I am a free man. But that has not always been so. Until very recently I was indebted to the Aspis Consortium. I spent many years working as a sailor, thug, messenger, soldier, and guard for the consortium. Only recently was I finally able to pay off my debt and leave them. I set sail on the Jenivere in search of a new life. I do not yet know what to make of what has happened and how that will impact things to come." He falls silent again while he drinks a long swig of water from his waterskin. Mahjik gets the impression he's not used to so much talking. He goes on, "During my time with the Aspis Consortium, I collected several promising treasure maps, acquired on various jobs. One shows the location of an old pirate's stash her on Smuggler's Shiv. The notes on the map indicate that recovering the treasure will take several people. I did not mention this before as I was not yet sure I could trust you all. But now I think it is for the best. Perhaps there is something amongst this treasure that can aid our escape from this island. Even if there isn't, the treasure could provide us with great wealth for when we do escape." He opens his back and pulls out a few scrolls. He unrolls a couple of them before he finds the one he's looking for. It shows an outline of Smuggler's Shiv and indicates that the treasure is on a plateau near the southern end of the long curved peninsula that makes up the northern part of the island, just north of the thin curving bay in the south.
Ishirou contemplates for a moment and then nods. "Yes, there is value. I would be happy to spar with you. There is no time tonight, but tomorrow."
"I, too, am honoured to to be trapped here with you. By exploring the island, you and the others who go with you are doing us a great service."
Ishirou bows his head slightly to Mahjik. "You're welcome," he says.
Ishirou looks at Mahjik thoughtfully. After several seconds he speaks, "Being your own master is not all it's made up to be." He goes silent again.
Ishirou watches the display without any change of expression. When Mahjik finishes, he says, "Impressive, but worthless." He returns to watching the dark jungle. |
