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Events

Carrying Crystal Tears: Part 1

More than a few strings had been pulled to ensure that the shipment would be made without any incident with the Thieves Guild. A mammoth individual, at least around the middle, Marielle De la Roz hiked the collar of his coat up a little higher to keep out the cold as he stepped out of his stagecoach onto Ayotya’s port. Even with the garment covering the dagger tattooed to the back of his neck it was impossible not to tell he was a De la Roz with the shock of curly red hair that seemed to go in every direction.

Despite assurances being issued by his cousin, the Grand Consulate of Ayotya, Marielle didn’t trust his brother one bit. The Thieves Guild, Jean, couldn’t resist the temptation to hijack his last shipment of precious stones from Kerali. The sapphires ended up being sold to the same buyers Marielle had lined up, at no less than twice the price Marielle had originally negotiated; he still hadn’t thought of a “trick” that would put him back ahead in the contest of one-up-manship the two brothers were engaged in.

Another coach pulled up, only moments after the gold trimmed one that Marielle had arrived in, nearly a dozen burly men spilling out of it, each one holding a knife or a club- his guards. They wore the loose assortment of whatever garments would keep them warm that was typical among the lowest class of people in Ayotya, but their clothes weren’t why they were selected to protect him, each one large and muscular. Even in the sheltered bay, the waves pounded against the sea wall, foretelling a rough journey ahead for the Dontriedar. It was the largest galley in Marielle’s personal fleet and it would accommodate himself, his cargo, all of his guards, and the mercenaries whom he had hired additionally. The goons were dragging out two massive trunks of sapphires, the largest load Marielle had tried moving at once.

“Load them before the mercenaries get here.”

***

Varina walked ahead of him, along the cobbled path towards the port. He watched as he walked behind her, the wind seeming to toy with her hair, the straight ebony strands moving like an ocean of black. She was so beautiful.

The two had seen the notice put out by the government that any willing body to guard a shipment of the sapphires would receive a bounty of more than a few gold. They decided to take it that night as they lay together. Though it was far from either of their first jobs as swords for hire, it was the most important one he had taken to date. When a De la Roz offered a job, it wasn’t usually an offer as much as it was simply finding someone’s price. For how much was offered it would have been stupid for either to turn down the position, personal distaste aside.

***

“Please?”

“No.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“Pleaaaaaase?”

Sighs. “Fine.”

Still aching from his journey to Varans and back the last thing Hyun Ki Ahn wanted to do was travel more. It wasn’t so much that he was opposed to indulging Isabelle’s insatiable thirst for new experiences, but the thought of several days stuck on a boat without any running water (no baths), being stacked one atop the other with sailors and guards (smells bad), and no decent food (ewww... hardtack) wasn’t particularly appealing to him.

“Thank you Hyuny Bunny!”

With another exaggerated sigh Hyun turned his shifted from the conditions of the trip to what exactly they would need for the trip. It wasn’t as dangerous as a body-guarding job, but still pirates were serious business, especially with such a high profile treasure.

Isabelle was busy in the meanwhile, quickly shoving the bare essentials of what she would need in her own bag, trusting Ahn to figure out the rest. She always had her own plans, but she was astounded from time to time with just how well thought through her gender ambiguous friend’s designs usually were.

At the crack of dawn the following morning the pair of Ayotyans left Ahn’s residence, Isabelle looking forward to spending time with her new curious friend as well as the money the job would bring, Hyun’s own expectations about the same.

***

Fully loaded the Dontriedar bobbed at the docks while the two groups of mercenaries met with their employer. Marielle made no attempt to hide his open lust for the black haired one called Varina as he licked his lips. She had arrived with the brute with almost sickly pale skin and dark red hair. He wasn’t a De la Roz, well maybe not a legitimate one at least, there were bastards of the powerful family all over Ayotya. He watched as the man’s hand tightened around the hilt of the claymore, obviously angered by Marriele’s appraisal of his companion, the female giving off only a blank stare. Lovers maybe? Still he needed as many hands as he could get for the trip and he decided not to inquire how much an evening with her might cost just to further anger the one called Camdus.

The other two “guards” were something of an enigma, both were young, but despite wearing a dress and having effeminate features he would almost swear the one named Ahn was a boy. They held themselves well though, like they knew how to defend themselves in a fight at least.

“You’ll all do in a pinch I suppose, even if you are some of the prettiest guards I’ve ever seen.”

He smacked his lips for extra effect, one wasn’t without power when one was the richest man in Ayotya. The Cadmus one would need to be watched just to be safe though, he had the look of a wild dog in his eyes.

“You will sleep with my guards, take shift with my guards, and in general allow yourself to be watched by my guards at all times. I would consider it a personal affront if any of you weren’t to be seen because you were busy stuffing your pockets with what doesn’t belong to you. That said the Dontriedar awaits.”

De la Roz made it a point to always speak to any free agents he hired, it let them know that he was in charge and he was watching. He kept his guards near him as he walked behind the hired help. It was almost disappointing that Raphael’s promises held up, not a peep had been heard from Jean. Marriele guessed tipping off the guards to the assassination attempt against Major Winsley paid out after all, it only cost him a favor with Raphael, and what was a favor or two between relatives compared with the profit he was about to make?

Part 2

It was much to Hyun Ki Ahn’s pleasure that the Dontriedar didn’t seem to pitch nearly as much when he woke up that morning. Isabelle was still asleep in the hammock next to his own, having been up for the entire evening before on guard duty. The barracks like space underneath the main deck of the Dontriedar wasn’t anything like what he expected, the only smell seeming to be the salty ocean spray that permeated everything on the ship. Slipping out of the hammock Hyun nearly fell on his face still lacking the sea legs of the sailors or even the other guards. At least the nausea had passed and the thought of breakfast was a welcome one.

Weaving like a drunkard Hyun finally reached the small stairway that led him up to the main deck. The sky was a mass of grey, cotton like, clouds. The deck was as empty as Hyun had seen it so far, only a handful of sailors scurrying around to keep the sails and other rigging under control. At the bow, looking at the grey water ahead were the other two mercenaries that Marielle had hired. The one called Varina clung to Cadmus’ arm, the two rocking with waves as if they were part of the ship itself. With a sigh Hyun kept walking towards the large galley’s mess hall, holding onto anything that would keep him from falling over as he kept stumbling with every wave. A few of the deckhands smiled at him as he walked past, Hyun unable to decide if it was from his looks or from the fact that he couldn’t move more than five feet without nearly falling over. They seemed to think he was a girl, not something Hyun had ever stated or gone out of his way to make people believe, but for the time it did serve his purposes.

***

It was soothing to watch the ocean, the grey water meeting the grey clouds at the horizon- it was like looking into forever. He could almost feel his dark red hair curling in the moisture, damp from sea spray, but he ignored the sensation. Varina’s fingernails dug into his bicep, his arm beneath the sleeve covered with nail marks on nail marks. The pair had been keeping an eye on Marielle De la Roz for almost every moment they had been on the boat, watching him almost as much as he seemed to watch the pair. He and Varina had begun to get a feel for the merchant’s idiosyncrasies. The man was noble born, preferring to have his underlings do his work for him like most noblemen. What set him aside though was the fact that the massive man seemed to have a capacity for personal violence that was almost out of place in someone so rich. In the short time that Cadmus had know the round merchant he hated him almost as much as he hated Renard. Marielle represented everything Cadmus hated about the family De la Roz. He felt Renard’s skull in the pouch tied to his waist, bumping against his leg every couple seconds, still dead as the day it went into the leather bag. For the moment he was content to leave Marielle out of sight and mind though, pretending that it was just he and Varina floating in the middle of a grey forever.
***

Far from hardtack, Hyun enjoyed the plate of fruit and cheese that had been handed to him for breakfast. It had been weird eating from the rimmed plates at first, but it kept food from sloshing out, something the Ahn could appreciate as he drank some wine from a lidded mug.

“Enjoying the meal princess?”

It was all Hyun could do not to spit the mouthful of wine all over the table in front of him from surprise as Marielle spoke right in his ear. Swallowing the rest of the beverage Hyun quickly replied.

“Yes, the food is much better than I expected!”

Marielle smiled, but there was no happiness in the man. It was more like the smile a cat would give a cornered mouse before devouring the small rodent.

“Good, good.” He cooed. “I paid to have good food brought on board specially for those that are working for me, much better than hardtack and grog.” Hyun smiled appreciatively, popping an errant grape that had been rolling along the rim of the plate in his mouth. “Of course I’ve noticed that the people that the people who should be working for me are busy standing on the deck like a pair of loons or are stuffing their faces at my expense instead of taking their scheduled shift...” The baron’s fingers tapped on the table next to Hyun, one digit after the other instead of all at once. Hyun nearly choked on the grape as he suddenly realized what time it was, not breaking his own level stare from the Marielle’s own. The bell that was rung to signal the hour must have gone off while he was eating, the effeminate boy biting his tongue so as to not babble apologies. Marielle De la Roz’s smile grew bigger, but his eyes stayed the same, cold and calculating like blue diamonds.

“Apologies master De la Roz, I’ll make sure the others know.”

Forcing himself not to run when all he wanted to do was bolt, Hyun managed to keep himself upright long enough to turn the corner away from De la Roz, padding as quickly as he could towards the bow of the ship. To show fear to a man like that would be worse than bleeding while swimming in a pool of sharks.

***

Cadmus noticed the girlish boy coming up behind the two. The dress and hair hadn’t fooled him or Varina, but as of yet the two groups of guards had yet to speak. Not giving the effete one a chance to speak Cadmus spoke first.

“What do you want boy?”

Most people recoiled a little when Cadmus spoke like that, his voice gravely with menace. To his credit Hyun didn’t flinch at all.

“Just to let you know it’s our shift to guard.”

He departed before Cadmus could reply the boy had already walked off, grabbing onto a rail that lined the edge of the ship to keep steady.

”Let us go and do what we are paid to.”

The pair followed behind him, heading beneath the decks to the closed off chamber that held the chests of sapphires. Hyun was already there, a dagger in hand ready to fight what appeared to be one of Marielle’s burly escorts.

“What’s going on here?”

Hyun’s eyes didn’t break contact with the man looking guiltily at the three.

“He was stealing sapphires, I saw him putting them in his pouch.”

It was obvious from the way the man held himself that he was doing exactly as Hyun had said. His eyes darted wildly from side to side, briefly wondering if he could overpower the three. Cadmus pulled out his sword, disabusing the thug of any such attempt.

“Th-there is plenty here, we could get rich and he would never notice with so many stones. I’ll share, I won’t t—t-tell anyone!”

Part 3

None of the three parties said a word, only the creaking of the Dontriedar disturbing the silence. Each second that passed made the thief’s eyes dart more frantically from face, to face, to face. Cadmus stood ready, sword in hand, while Varina’s fingers moved slowly to the coilreed whip looped at her hip, trying to loosen the small latch that held the weapon to her belt without being noticed.

With a roar, more born from terror than bravery, the thief pulled out a knife, dashing towards the smallest of the three. Cadmus let out his own roar, trying to reach the thief before he reached the boy in girl’s clothing. Metal whizzed mere centimeters in front of Cadmus’ face as he moved, a dagger thrown by Hyun tearing into the sailor’s shoulder. Inertia carried the sailor forward, the man tackling the small boy, the dagger Hyun had ready in hand flying out of his grip from the impact.

“Don’t move, I slit her throat if you so much as breathe wrong.”

Almost as much from force of will as muscle control, Cadmus managed to stop his headlong rush nigh instantly. Part of his mind was screaming at him, calling him an idiot for stopping regardless of the consequences. Shifting the blade from one hand to another Cadmus stood stalk still, his body motionless except to move with the sway of the ship. His body was a weapon waiting to be unleashed as he contemplated the chances of Ahn surviving if he were to attack.

***

Ahn’s entire body was covered in cold sweat as he kept his eyes locked on the rusty piece of steel that pricked at his neck. He could feel a small droplet of blood welling up at the tip of the blade, slipping down his throat, onto the salty smelling wood that made up the floor. There was no way to reach any of the knives he kept tucked against his leg, he’d be dead before his fingers touched even one of the blades. His eyes burned from sweat, but still he didn’t blink, praying that Cadmus wouldn’t make any fast movements.

***

Cadmus moved slowly, crossing one leg in front of the other as he sidestepped to the left, moving away from Varina and the thief. Half crazed the thief tried focusing on all three at once, darting from Hyunn to Varina to Cadmus. The farther Cadmus stepped away the harder it was for the thief to watch the other two, he could see Hyunn wince as the dagger dug in a fraction deeper, the single trail of blood turning into a thin stream. It was obvious that the man’s left arm, the one without the knife, was nearly useless. Sleeved in blood it hung limp at his side, that meant all of the man’s balance would be his legs, one bad wave and the knife would go through Ahn’s throat.

He had moved far enough away from Varina that the two formed a “V” with the thief in the middle. The man’s head jerked in either direction, not able to move fast enough to see all three at once, all Cadmus had to do was cough to get the man’s attention. Twisting his head to keep the tall man with the sword in his line of sight, the sailor heard only the crack of a whip before his face suddenly grimaced in pain. The coilreed whip wrapped around the sailor’s neck, Varina yanked back as hard as he could, the man screaming as he flew backwards. The knife completely forgotten, the thief clawed in vain to rid himself of the impromptu necklace of pain. Varina placed one foot on his chest using it to steady herself as she pulled on the whip, the weapon digging deeper into the man’s skin.

The screams had were audible throughout the entire ship, the patter of bare feet on wood closing in on the room. Two large guards burst into the room first, Marielle following close behind. Hyun had recovered enough to pull himself up against one of the walls, his hand covering the small hole in his neck as he watched with terrified fascination.

“Explain yourselves, now!”

His face completely red with rage, Marielle glared at the tall one who simply sheathed his sword as if there wasn’t a care in the world.

“Just doing our job as you requested. This man, your man, was stealing what you paid us to protect.”

Kneeling down by the writhing man, Cadmus held him down long enough to pull a small bag out from under the man’s shirt, tossing it to the red haired trader. Marielle dumped the contents into his hand, a handful of shimmering blue gems. He looked at Cadmus, then at the flailing guard that was held in place only by pain and the dark haired one’s foot. His face was screwed up with rage, not because he had been stolen from, but because it was one of his own who had done it the crime, who had made him look bad.

“Take him onto the main deck,” he directed towards his guards, “...call everyone and I want you,” the baron jabbing a fat finger at Cadmus, “...to execute the traitor.”

Without waiting to see the mercenary’s reaction he whirled around, stomping towards the main deck. Two of the larger guards stayed behind, the rest following their master like dogs.

***

Sea spray whipped Cadmus’ hair around without mercy, his sword glowing dully, reflecting the grey light. At his feet the traitor simply looked at the deck without emotion, a red ring of blood and blisters around his neck from where Varina’s whip had him. The deck was crowded with every sailor, servant, and guard that could fit on the large galley’s main deck, Marielle smiling at the pale skinned soldier as he watched the proceeding.

Just another face in the crowd the Hyun watched with a blank face. Isabelle fussed over the transvestite’s neck, tying a red silk scarf around the wound. Almost oblivious to his friend’s attentions Hyun watched. It had all happened so quickly, but any fog the wine held over him was cleared up by the adrenaline still surging through his body. He hadn’t wanted to cause a man’s death...

A perverse part of Cadmus wanted to remark to the man that at least it was a beautiful day to die, but he kept his lips shut as he lifted up his sword. With a dull thunk the man’s life ended, his head flying into the air, then landing on the deck. A small rose of blood formed around where the head hit the wood, the skull spinning for a moment before finally stopping, the face staring squarely at Cadmus himself.

With the spectacle over with, Marielle headed back to his quarters barking a final command over his shoulder as he left.

“Dump the rest overboard and take the rest of the day off, you earned your keep for today.”

The rest of the sailors went back to work, anyone who didn’t have to stay the deck abandoning it as quickly as they could without being conspicuous. It was just Hyunn, Isabelle, Varina, and Cadmus left around the man’s body, Cadmus grunting as he hefted the corpse over the side of the boat. With almost casual ease Varina kicked the head after the body, moving to Cadmus’ side.

“I wonder what kind of fish we’ll catch with that bait?”

Varina simply smiled at Cadmus, the two walking back to the bow to watch the water and horizon meet. Out in the distance though, interrupting the endless grey was a jagged line of black- the silhouette of Varans.

To be continued.

Meeting G'elor

Grent, Setheo and A'tal were almost at the gates to the city. It had taken them a while to get everything in order, but it had all finally been aranged. Each man carrying a large leather rucksack carrying provisions and water, a sleeping bag and some cooking tools. It was a long trip, and they were apparently travelling on foot. Tamilian had arranged no transportation. Setheo was a little annoyed at this, but sat contentedly in comparison to Grent and Atal. Setheo's rucksack was much lighter than theirs, and the two were wondering why when their answer came to them, Setheo whispering a small verse in tongues, reaching down into the ground, and pulling up a clod of dirt that turned into a bright green apple in his hand. Taking a bite, Setheo looked at Grent, confused at the obviously disgusting facial expression the man wore.

Tamilian hadn't arranged horses for the three, but he had arranged something much more significant for them. Just as the Aethergard was preparing for its trip to the desert, Setheo noticed a familiar face hopping towards them, people scattering as he went. Setheo was a little honored, but also a little annoyed. Why had his master sent him along?

The dark blue, child sized bulture hopped up to the three, instantly jumping and flapping in the air, perching haughtily on top of Setheo's shoulder. Agarae winced a little bit as six extremely sharp talons dug into his side, but G'elor didn't push hard enough to draw blood, and he was not nearly as heavy as he looked to be. Setheo supposed it was within sense for a four foot tall, talking, dark blue magical vulture to weigh less than twenty pounds.

"We've changed schedules." Said the bird immediately, not even greeting the crowd. G'elor had a very abrasive personality, and although he'd only spoken to him once in person, Setheo could tell it was a reflection of the Arcanists. Tamilian didn't leave his estate hardly ever, only pressing Council matters or the first day of a semester class prompting a public appearance. All his other lectures were taught by TA's, and all his errands were run by either G'elor, or Agarae. And between the two, G'elor definitely had precedence. The bird knew it, although he knew equally well that it was sort of strange for a talking bird to be leading an expedition, thus the position on Setheo's shoulder. G'elor had played the part of the Demonologists own familiar before.

"Err... Who's he?" Tolorian asked. Setheo decided he'd save the real explanation for when the bird was out of earshot, but for now something would have to do. Atal had already met G'elor before, in fact it was G'elor who had gone to the Uxmali by himself to ask Atal's assistance in this task. The Uxmali, for better or worse, owed Tamilian a favor.

"This is an associate of mine. You're travelling with us then?" said Setheo, looking up at the two beady eyes staring at him from above his own shoulder. G'elor looked down nonchalantly, preening a feather and then looking over at Tolorian and Atal.

"Yes. The master needs a message sent to the Elder Sage at Harakka. Further, we hear that the Uxmali may still be there? I believe there was a slight bit of discomfort at the Council..."

Word of the Councils happenings hadn't reached anybody in Varans but Tamilian the Wise, and Atal had no idea what he was talking about. It was true however that the Uxmali were one of the most stationary of the tribes, and they did not move their herd quickly or easily. It was entirely possible that if the Aethergard travelled straight to the desert, they would arrive before the tribe did.

G'elor just kind of looked at the lot of them, clearly uninterested in explaining himself to these lesser peoples. In a normal situation he would have had to, and it would have been a great cause of annoyance for an Arcanists familiar, but luckily Setheo was used to this sort of an affair. Deciding that the sun was already too high in the sky, he simply started walking to Harakka, a half empty rucksack on his back, and fifteen pounds of turkey on his shoulder.

To be Continued

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