The rigging creaked as wind shifted more fully into the single square sail of the vessel. The yard swung slightly, spooking Darlin, and the tillerman grumbled as he leaned onto the tiller, holding a course against the limitless power of the elements. Darlin's eyes rolled back at me as she shifted her hoofs on the teak decking of the ship. I stared out over the swelling seas to the far horizon that seemed to merge with the sky itself and breathed deeply with a satisfied smile. Light spray flew from the sharp bow of the ship and seafoam curled to both sides in the wake of our passage. "Enjoying yourself?" Sachiko inquired, she and her horse effortlessly balanced on the moving surface of the vessel. Darlin was, of course, trained as all horses are to be familiar with riding on ships but she hadn't the experience the other had and often showed the white of her eyes as she look back and forth. "Oh yes, I've been out before but only a quick jaunt to islands to search for treasure." I replied. "This is wonderful!"
I had been riding up the road to Britain just a half hour earlier when Sachiko hailed me from one of her homes and asked if I wanted to join her on a fishing expedition. I'd been seriously considering taking up fishing as a trade and this would give me a chance to learn the ropes under the guidance of an experienced seafarer. I quickly agreed and after grabbing a few supplies from the marble shop I have near the Britain moongate, we rode down the the beach just south of the city. As we approached I heard a familiar rythmic crunching sound and rounding the corner of a house at the edge of the beach road showed me a hard working Ralf Stormrider on the edge of the beach.
His two bodyguards, Jen and Jan, glanced at us with narrowed eyes and then relaxed minimally as they recognized us. We said hello to Ralf but he just kept working, slamming the shovel into the sand with unremitting regularity, his eyes glazed in concentration. I suggested we try to summon some sand elementals to wake him up and a long, sharp pointy thing appeared in Jen's hand, as if by magic. I hurriedly explained I was just joking as Shachiko giggled, getting the ship ready for boarding. Ralf shook himself and looked up with a grin. "Jen's a mite protective, but then most girls are." Another sharp pointy thing appeared in Jan's hand and Ralf blanched and remarked quickly "Well, not girls...um, they are tough women..err, tough ladies...uh, well they can kick butt and I just love 'em and rely on 'em." Jan and Jen both raised their eyebrows at him and smiled, their weapons slipping back into the sheathes. "Whew, they do get touchy about that." Ralf muttered as he hefted his shovel again.
We boarded the ship and waved to the group on the beach as Shachiko gave orders to the tillerman. Shachiko examined Darlin and I and sternly remarked that if we felt sick, to do it over the side. I hastily assured her that we had our sea stomachs and there'd be no messes, as long as there weren't any storms. The sun cast a long glimmering path of incandescent light over the undulating surface of the sea as the Sachiko's Toy Boat caught the wind and heeled slightly to starboard, the wind strong in her sail. We sailed into deep water and I watched carefully as Sachiko readied and cast out the fishing net.
She grimaced and held up a bunch of sodden shoes, boots and sandals. "Often this is the usual catch but perhaps the farther away from the city we get, the less trash we'll pick up." Most nets last for 3 or 4 tosses into the briny ocean and it wasn't long before Sachiko's haul pack was filling up with fish of every color, size and shape. She explained how we could even troll fish using different fish she caught and I had an abstract vision of an aquatic troll glaring at us from the waveline. I shook my head as a tentacle beast surged onboard with a snarl! It's long tentacles whipped out at both of us with violent fury and Darlin tossed her head back, her lip curling with fear. But, between the two of us, the beast slumped into a mess onto the deck in short order. Sachiko raised one eyebrow and said "Sometimes there are two or three at once onboard." I was somewhat alarmed to learn that fishing spawn always appeared on deck. It wasn't as if you could sail away from them if things got difficult.
It was a grand time on the seas, talking and fighting tentacle beasts, wave elementals, crocodiles and watching the graceful dolphins slip through the seas beside us effortlessly. The sky was clear, the seas were relatively calm and the company was good. We were hauling up tons of fish, dozens of shoes and even worthwhile things like treasure maps and assorted objects. Sachiko used her last fishing net up and suggested we try trolling for a bit. I heartily agreed, my spirit thrilling to the adventure. We buffed quickly and Sachiko commanded the tillerman to sail troll! As we moved forwards, she mentioned offhandedly that occasionally, big red blots of some sort of monster would appear and they were extraordinarily dangerous, often killing fisherfolk in 2 or 3 hits. Kind of like an ancient dragon turned to goo but with all the strength. I laughed uncertainly and becamea lot more alert.
For awhile it was wave elementals, air elementals and tentacle beasts but then a black wisp surged up from the waves in an angry hiss! The tillerman exclaimed in horror "What ha' you unleashed on us, man!?" The water boiled violently where it had come from and my mouth was suddenly dry. Sachiko unlimbered her bow and started taking shots at it. I had a bow but had never really learned to use it so I just hoped it would come close. But, this Wisp must have been confused or tired because it expired quickly. We grinned at each other and gathered in our virtuous loot!
We continued to troll and after a few miscellaneous monsters, another Wisp appeared, it's black core surrounded with scarlet energy bursts. Sachiko looked over at me and asked, "Do you want to try it?" I knew Wisps could be extremely tough but the first one had folded so quickly, I felt we could do anything. "Sure!" I replied confidently. Sachiko told the tillerman to furl the sail and he groaned as he did it before covering his head and murmuring prayers to the sea gods. I had my bow in hand and sent an arrow whizzing over the slate gray waves to strike the Wisp dead center! It surged forward with impossible speed the same time as Sachiko said, "We can still sail away..." I quickly dropped my bow and grabbed my mace as the Wisp slammed into me with irrepressible fury. Magic spells slammed into me, sending Darlin staggering along the tilted deck. My health plummeted and before I knew it, the light of life had faded and I stood insubstantially on the deck of the ship.
The tillerman, peeking out from a corner of the sail he was hiding under, whispered to me that I could be resurrected now if I wished. I looked with my ghostly eyes and saw Sachiko battling the Wisp. I could not let her battle it alone! I knew I would be ultimately vulnerable the moment I came back to life but my body was lying at my feet and surely I could grab potions and bandages quickly. I nodded affirmatively to the tillerman and suddenly color came back into my world. I started grabbing things, trying to avoid looking at the staring, dead eyes of my previous body. It is always unsettling to see ones own corpse. I seized a potion of greater healing and started to shout out to Sachiko that I'd be at her side helping in a moment when the world went gray again. Even in my disembodied form I could hear the raucuous, windy laughter of an air elemental that had been hovering off to the port of the ship. I hadn't even seen it I was so focused on getting alive and ready to help.
Somehow, Sachiko vanquished the Wisp by herself and I came back to the world of the living once again. Ethereal messages sounded in my mind from other inhabitants of the World and I assured them I was in good hands. Sachiko's hands were shaking slightly from exertion and emotion but her eyes flashed with triumphant victory as she kicked the dead, broken form of the Wisp. "I fed it the sharp, pointy end of my rapier of destruction. I don't think the meal agreed with it. Definitely not a happy meal for that wisp!" she exclaimed. "Oh, I am sorry." she said in a soft tone as she gazed at both of my dead corpses. It was quite strange standing there in my body with two of my bodies dead on the deck of her ship. "Hey, I said 'Sure!', didn't I", I laughed shakily. After making sure I had everything, Sachiko had the tillerman swab the deck and my pale corpses drifted into the depths of the sea along with the crinkled black core of the Wisp.
Sachiko was out of nets and we weren't in any mood to do more trolling at the moment so we sailed back toward Britain. Our heads jerked up as we heard death cries ringing through the land. "What is going on?" I wondered and quickled msg'd those that had died. "Oh no! Mutant rats are invading Skara Brae." I told Sachiko. "Ewww, rats again?" she grumbled as we reached the shoreline. "I really hate rats." I replied as Darlin leaped from the gangplank to the shore.
Sachiko drydocked the ship and we headed to the bank to examine the results of our fishing adventure. I didn't feel quite great, I felt duller in ways than I had before and I realized that some of my skills had degraded due to my two deaths. I sighed and then nearly jumped out of my skin as a Sewer Rat and a Deadly Sewer Rat leaped at us from the dark opening of a drain, next to an old building. They squealed viciously and died quickly with the two of us dealing cool eyed punishment. We both sighed and continued to the bank where we sold most of the stuff we had gained and examined the rest. Another deadly sewer rat invaded the bank but Aislin Darkenwald, Eiodolon, and Ki'Anna Stydoran stomped it into a mush. I asked the town crier what the news was and he mournfully pronounced, "Oh rats!" He continued on to tell of the invasion in Skara Brae.
Death cries continued to ring out sporadically and we headed out of the bank. Suddenly, Sachiko wrinkled her nose and said "I smell a rat!" I almost laughed at the phrase but the deadly seriousness in her gaze made me grip my mace tighter. Down the passageway between two buildings we saw a small, dark figure that glowed a sickly green color. It darted across the alley and we charged forwards. Rounding the corner we found the deadly sewer rat. Ki'Anna Stydoran was there casting bolts of blistering electricity into it as the Illustrious Lyllwen Green yelled "Ah ha! Deadly Sewer Rat". She attacked also but she didn't seem all there, as if she was just a dream of the usual vital Druid I knew. James McLeod joined in the fray and shortly the deadly sewer rat was just dead.
More death cries rang out! James and Ki'Anna headed away, possibly to Skara Brae. Sachiko looked at me, looked at the stinkin' corpse of the rat and said, "So, do you want to do maps or fight rats?" The noxious smell of the swiftly decaying rat wafted past me and I winced. "Well, maps would be more delightful, besides, just about everybody is in Skara now and it is a small town, there might not be much room, I don't mind if the rats take over the cheese factory there, and the horrible way they slither around..." I rambled on. Sachiko grinned and replied "Ok then, let's do maps."
She handed me a pack of maps and I made sure I had my two bags of treasure hunting runes. I won't try to describe everything that went on during the next few hours (aren't you glad about that?!) but I'll touch a few high points, so to speak. We had several tattered and frazzled maps as well as a frayed one. The first few were almost laughable considering the loot and wimpy spawn but we kept assuring each other that this could change. Sachiko looked at me sideways and remarked nonchantly, "After all, maybe a black wisp will appear." I shuddered and thanked her for her reminder.
One map was north of Yew, near an peninsula with three blunt points. I had a rune that went to the top of the peninsula and it was just ten or twenty seconds of riding to get down to the bottom, where the hidden chest should be. It took us about an hour to make it down! I guess every monster had scheduled a family gathering for that specific time, or else someone told them we were coming. Ogre Lords, Titans, Ogres, Ettins, Harpies, Corpsers, Rats (the normal kind), Frenzied Ostards, rabid dogs and cats, Gazers, you name it! An incredible spawn of monsters surged back and forth over that small peninsula and the word was out that the two of us were there.
Several maps spawned several gazers and gargoyles of different types and those were a bit tougher but the two of us combined our skills and vanquished all. Another time we had a map just south of Vesper and although it seemed we were far from where I thought the chest should be, it kept indicating that we should keep moving the way I thought. We ended up in Ophidian hell before I finally handed Sachiko the map and asked her to doublecheck me. She stared at it for a moment, stared at me and said "Well, it is east of here, you've been leading us west." I didn't say anything for a moment and then just apologized blushingly. Oh...west/east...umm, oh nevermind. I must have been getting tired or something.
The frayed map was north of Skara Brae. We buffed ourselves thoroughly and Sachiko cautioned me that we might have to run away. I dug up the chest and popped the lid. Three enormous demons appeared, gleaming redly under the setting sun. They stood tall on their hoofed feat and glared down at us with anger. Two full fledged mages of the evil variety raised their hands, the air already beginning to scintillate with eldritch energies. A bone d00d grunted and unlimbered his notched, killing weapon in a businesslike manner. I glance at Sachiko and galloped off, sheets of flame slamming into me, curse and weaken spells cascading off me. The bone d00d and a couple other monsters passing by followed me as I quickly started applying bandages and gulping potions. Whew, I was down to almost zero health there for a moment! I saw Sachiko move into view just above me, battling one of the demons. I yelled, "I'm just below you, be right there as soon as I finish off this bony guy!" She waved that she had heard me and put the finishing touches to the immense figure of demonic might. It toppled and Sachiko helped me polish off my opponents. We moved cautiously back up toward the chest and the two mages attacked again! But, in short time, we had them vanquished. That just left two more demons. As we moved into their sight, they stared at Sachiko, hatred blazing in their eyes. I could have knotted a lace doily for all they cared, they were unhappy with her. I took advantage of that and started slamming one of them with my mace. Sachiko had to dash off to heal and he finally looked down at me with confusion. "Hi smiley!" I remarked, swinging my mace again. "How's the weather up there?" He roared for his friend to help him just as my mace slammed once more with lethal force into his ankle. I'd love to hit them in the head or something but they are so tall, the best I can do is whack their ankles. It does the job though. The last demon and I fought tooth and nail, spell and mace, and as Sachiko arrived back on the scene, he finally toppled. Of course, she had done both of them severe damage before. I was just 'swabbing the deck' in a manner of speaking.
After all the maps were done, we headed to the Skara Brae bank to see what all we had. I was the unofficial looter and had filled two bags full as well as a pack almost full. We sold things and examined all the magic items we had acquired. Mr Benson would be happy to see me the next day. Well, Mr Benson is never happy to see anyone but I'd be happy to see him. Sachiko made me keep the loot to pay for my death taxes and since she had so much 'stuff' anyway, as she put it. We spent the next undetermined length of time chatting in the bank. I learned much from Sachiko, a long experienced adventurer of renown in these lands. Bonita, the banker, kept coming up and interrupting us, asking if I needed anything and asking that if I could, don't die so much because my death cries were beginning to deafen her. I sighed and Sachiko laughed and said that she thought Bonita liked me a lot. It was dark outside and I was tired now. A veritable day filled with danger, adventure and welcome, friendly companionship. It is one thing to go solo and explore and adventure, it is another one entirely to be able to share the experiences with another.
We were about ready to leave when I saw Nicodemus ride by on his horse. An Ancient Sewer Rat leaped out of hiding from the shadowed eaves of the nearby building. Nicodemus galloped back past us and Recalled away! Whew, at least he hadn't fallen prey to this most dangerous of the mutant rats. It must have been left over from the assault earlier in the day. Sachiko and I watched it outside the bank. I asked if it could open doors just as a guard spotted the rat and attacked it! The guard realized he had his hands full and headed for the door to the bank. We moved back hurriedly and then I galloped to the back, the guard behind me and the slavering vermin behind him! The rat bit Barnett the guard exactly twice and he slumped to the floor. I galloped out the back door and circled around. Where was Sachiko? I cautiously entered from the front and saw Bonita slumped in a bloody pool in the center of the bank. Whereas I had vacated the premises rapidly, Sachiko had moved quietly to the side and let the rat run past, stringing her bow of power with intent in her eyes. As I joined her, the Ancient rat was busily munching on another bank inhabitant who had come by to check on his investments. Hate to tell him but his stock just plummeted. I murmured to Sachiko "Time to go?" and she replied softly "Maybe" as she sent an arrow winging at the powerful yet rather stupid Ancient Rat. "If he stays behind the counter.." she continued, narrowing her eyes in concentration. I started shooting the Rat as well and listened to Sachiko's advice as to what to do if it came our from behind the counter. We must have expended 50 arrows or more but the Ancient finally roared despairingly and slumped to the floor. Hmm, sounded like a dragon roar to me, not a rat squeal.
That was the end of the day of adventure, a most optimistic end. I thanked Sachiko effusively again and she grinned at me and said she had enjoyed it all immensely. We promised to do it again very soon and I headed home, Darlin so weary she kept stumbling over the cobblestones in the street.
