Disclaimer: Don't own Forgotten Realms
Italics means personal thoughts
Chapter 1: A New Life
1367 DR
"Damn him! Damn him!" Kaelan shouted as he slammed his fists into one of the crates. The captain was humiliating him! Captain Hollock knew damn well that he was the one who always contributed the most whenever they raided someone, so why was it that he was the one who always got to shittiest chores or the least booty. Hollock was jealous! Hollock was scared of his power! That had to be it.
Ok, so he knew only a few spells, but those few were much better than everyone else's none. Hollock would have no men left at all if it wasn't for him. Who was it that always cleared the enemy's deck when the fighting turned fierce? Who was it that charmed docking masters to allow them to dock for free? Who was it that had saved his own captain's life at the cost of almost getting hit? Him!
Kaelan turned his head to the entranceway when he heard a noise. It was the first mate, Lahnel.
"Captain said hurry up, Kaelan. We don't have all day to wait on your ass." With a chuckle, Lahnel left the hold. He so loved upsetting that boy. Kaelan was just too easy.
As the first mate left the hold, Kaelan's eyes almost turned red in anger. The Captain was doing it again! Demeaning him! Him! He was basically the ship's mage! How dare the Captain demean him! Kaelan turned from the doorway in fury as he looked through the crates.
The Captain was looking for specific things whenever he boarded a ship he had set his sights on. He wanted money, jewels, magic, or weapons. Preferably, he wanted all four. Sometimes he would accept artwork or food. Other times, he would order it destroyed. Any crew member could take any clothes or food they wanted. If it wasn't wanted and the Captain didn't want it, it was put to the torch... along with any people left on the ship. Kaelan had to admit Captain Hollock was one nasty son of a bitch. That was why he hadn't turned on the man already. Only Captain Hollock could keep the crew of thieves and cutthroats together.
Kaelan continued his search among the crates. If it was up to him, he would have just burned the whole thing to the ground. Gah, he was so angry! He wanted to burn it all!
Smashing through the last crate, Kaelan finally finished his exploration of the hold. He turned to storm out of the room then he stopped. It was almost like he could feel something strange emitting from behind one of the crates he had already basically destroyed. Cocking his head curiously, he went over to check it out. Kaelan had learned early on to go with his feelings.
Making his way to where the feeling seemed strongest, Kaelan saw a door hidden underneath a crate. He cautiously opened it. Squinting to try to get a better look, he didn't have much luck. He summoned a light to his hand with a simple word and descended down some stairs. He counted only five steps before he reached the bottom. With the flame guiding his path, he walked around the debris in his path. There really wasn't much to see in the room. That same feeling from before came upon him more powerful than before though, so he knew there must be something down here.
He finally spotted what he was looking for. Hidden under some debris lay a sword. His eyebrow rose in interest. He picked up. Then he started screaming. Pain coursed through his being as it felt like something was eating him alive. His scream went on and on until his voice broke and his throat turned raw. Still the pain coursed through him. Until, it stopped. He fell to the floor with what felt like every single muscle screaming in rebellion.
'Hello.' Came a genial voice. Kaelan tried to look around to see if anyone was there. He really couldn't move his neck around to even try to see, but he didn't remember anyone being in the secret room with him.
'When people greet you, you should really greet them back.' The voice spoke again. Kaelan was starting to get angry again. Couldn't the person see how much pain he was in! Couldn't he help?
'I am not really sure I could help you, though I wouldn't mind trying. I also can't see you since, well, I have no eyes.' The voice spoke in what Kaelan could now identify as his mind. The voice wasn't coming from a person at all! He had just gone crazy!
'Silly fool. It would have been so much better for you if you were raised by the elven side of your family instead of the human side. Humans can be so stupid and slow. I should know; I once was one after all.' By now Kaelan was becoming increasingly worried. He was also getting angry. His mom raised him just fine! Who cares about his stupid dad who wanted to go off and 'save the world' or something.
"What the hell are you?" Kaelan belligerently asked.
'Me?' The voice asked in faux innocence. 'Why I am the sword you just picked up. Made by one of the best sword-forgers of the time which just so happens to have a dead wizard's soul residing within it. You can call me Axiel.'
Kaelan moaned as he slowly lifted the sword that was, shockingly, still in his hands. The blade seemed to be made out of some dark purple colored metal with a clear black gem set right in the middle of the handle. It actually looked kind of cool. Though the whole talking thing would either be a good thing... or an absolutely nightmare. He was already betting on nightmare.
"So your supposed to be some super fancy sword?" Kaelan asked quizzically. "What can you do?"
'The better question is what can't I do, New Wielder?' The sword, Axiel he reminded himself, said excitably. 'I am sure you will find out my powers in due time, but I must say the one thing I can give you that you need the most is knowledge.' Axiel said like it was the most logical statement in the world.
"Why the hell do I need knowledge from a sword?" If he could have, Kaelan would have happily thrown the sword away from him then and there. He wasn't going to get demeaned by a sword!
'Oh?' Axiel's voice whispered enticingly throughout his mind. 'Those words coming from the boy who ran out on his master after only little over a year of studying magic? The boy who only knows nine spells?' Axiel chuckled before continuing in a much harsher, violent voice. 'I was a mage before I came to this sword, Boy! I can teach you spells beyond your dreams if you aren't to stupid and stubborn to ask for them!'
Kaelan's eyes opened in shock as the once calm, dignified voice turned almost painful in his head. He looked very carefully at the sword before slowly gulping and swallowing the next heated words he was about to say. Maybe he shouldn't turn down Axiel's offer. The sword had a point after all.
"I didn't run away, exactly." He muttered petulantly.
'Ha!' Axiel 'shouted' in his mind. 'Didn't run away? Is that what you call sneaking out in the dead of night as your master slept? You thought that since you had learned the lightning spell that you would be unbeatable. You thought with your charm spell and your lightning that you could take the world by storm. Look at you now! You were a very promising mage if you had just stayed where you were. Now you are a dog for a petty pirate! Pathetic!'
"Stop talking like you know me! I just met you, You Stupid Sword!" Kaelan shouted back at Axiel.
'What do you think all that pain was about, Boy? That was me combing your mind and body to see if you were worthy of wielding me. I know all about your past. You can't lie from me.' Kaelan detected a somewhat smug tone in Axiel's voice. This damn sword was really starting to piss him off.
"So you almost killed me, for what?" Kaelan demanded in aggravation.
'If you had not been fit to wield me, you would have died.' Axiel stated with no remorse. 'Feel glad that you met my requirements. Your blood and magical potential is just right for my wielder.'
Kaelan was starting to get feeling back in his body. He slowly set up and looked at the purple blade in his hands incredulously. This thing would have killed him if he didn't match the requirements? Was it insane? He tried to chuck the blade away from his hands. No luck. It was stuck!
Axiel's chuckle went throughout his mind. 'Did you think it would be that easy to get rid of me? We are bonded now, Boy. You won't be getting rid of me. After I whip you into shape, you won't want to get rid of me either. I am the luckiest thing to come to you since you came out of your mother's womb.'
Kaelan felt a growing sense of horror at the sword's words. Bonded... maybe even for life? Hell no! This couldn't be happening! He didn't want some weird sword to be able to talk to him for the rest of his life. There had to be some way out of this!
'Good grief, BOY! Calm down! I am not going to eat you. Do you know how many have actually passed my test? If you look over in the corner there.' Kaelan somehow knew exactly where Axiel wanted him to look. He looked to the right corner. He couldn't be sure, but it almost looked like... bones?
'That is the last person who tried to carry me. Actually that is the last three people who wanted to use my power. As you can see they are all dead. They were pretty useless anyway.' Kaelan thought he heard almost a twinge of satisfaction in Axiel's voice. He really didn't like this whole bonded to sword deal.
'Let go of your anger and stubbornness, and you will see just how useful I can be. In fact, I operate just like the elven Selu'Kiira. Of course I am not just going to dump stores of knowledge in your head like some of the Selu'Kiira can though. I just don't work that way. If you want my knowledge, you are going to have to earn it.' Kaelan could only snort. This time he was sure he heard way more than a twinge of satisfaction. Axiel was practically beaming with pleasure as he talked.
Kaelan actually started giving Axiel due consideration. He was finally getting over the whole talking sword thing. Now he could really focus on just how powerful of a weapon he had stumbled upon. Every tale he had ever heard mentioned sentient weapons as being some of the most powerful weapons in the Realms. And this Selu'Kiira stuff sounded powerful too. He didn't know what the hell the sword was talking about, but the Elves always came up with the most powerful of stuff.
"Say I do consider keeping you." Kaelan said. He pretended not to hear Axiel's 'not like you have a choice' comment. "Can I use you as a spellbook?"
Kaelan could have sworn he heard Axiel sigh in exasperation. He might have been just imaging it though... Not likely considering the sword talked directly into his mind. He chose to ignore that as well.
'Yes, you can consider me as a spellbook. Though something as powerful as myself is so much better than any spellbook.' Axiel had such a wonderful way of making spellbook sound like shit. He certainly had a very high opinion of himself, or was it itself? It was confusing thinking about a sword like a real person.
"So what can you teach me exactly?" Kaelan was starting to get actually curious. He had finally gotten movement back in all of his limbs a couple minutes ago, and he was currently sitting on what looked like a broken bench. He wouldn't have put money on that though.
'Boy, I can pretty much teach you whatever you want to learn. Want some illusion magic? I got that. Want lots of destructive spells or maybe some conjurations? I have many of those. Want any high powered rituals that can bend the very fabric of space? Well I might have one or two of those somewhere in here.' Kaelan could only listen with stunned disbelief. His old master had only known spells from one school of magic. Axiel was pretty much saying he knew spells from many different schools. A small grin started growing on his face. Maybe this wouldn't be as bas as he first thought.
Axiel on the other hand was still listing off things that he might teach the Boy if he turned out good enough. 'Oh and if you are really lucky, I have one or two necromantic spells that served me well when I was alive. Nothing too powerful, but they are handy when you are in a tight situation.'
Axiel knew that he had gotten his new wielder hook-line-and-sinker. The boy was his to mold as he pleased, and he just so happened to want to mold a mage that didn't fear getting his hands dirty. That was one of the main reasons he wanted to reside in a sword in the first place. No fancy gem or crystal for him! He wanted a warrior not some bloody, sniveling coward!
Axiel figured that he might have gotten a real catch on this Kaelan. The boy really had some high potential before he got stupid and ran away. So what if the Host Tower was becoming increasingly dangerous. From what Axiel could tell of Kaelan's memories, it would be years yet before the situation became truly dangerous. Hell, it was only 1365 DR when the boy got to the Host Tower. To leave it in late 1366 DR was stupid and a waste of good potential. Oh well, the boy was with him now. Even stupid people can sometimes have the best of luck.
"You stupid half-elf! Get your fucking ass out here, now! The Captain is getting real impatient with your slow pace!" Kaelan's look of happiness instantly turned sour as he heard the voice floating down from what he guessed to be the entrance to the hold. He was just glad Lahnel hadn't actually came down into the hold. He would have gotten awfully curious if one Kaelan hadn't been there.
Lahnel's voice brought reality crashing back down. If Kaelan showed his new sword to anyone, word would get back to the Captain. If he sword was as powerfully enchanted as he was beginning to expect, the Captain would take it as his own for sure! The problem with that was that he now wanted to keep the sword! He wasn't going to give it to that same Captain who demeaned him all the time. No, the sword was his!
'Um... just making conversation here... and getting you out of your really long rant, but one of my abilities is making myself undetectable. If I, and you, don't want anyone to notice me, then they won't. Its actually a pretty easy process.' Axiel commented cheerfully. Now that most of the serious stuff was out of the way, and his new wielder's hissy fit, he was back to his cheerful, dignified self.
Kaelan looked shocked for a second before his face broke out in a grin. It was a grin that really showed just how young Kaelan truly was. The boy was only nineteen. In actual years though considering he was a half-elf, it still meant he hadn't even reached adulthood. Adulthood of half-elves was generally considered twenty. Kaelan was still a year away.
"Nicely done, Axiel!" Kaelan whispered out loud as he made his way up the steps and through the hold. He quickly exited the hold and climbed even more steps to reach the outside again. For some reason, it felt like he had been below the deck for hours though logically it could only have been thirty minutes or so. He took a deep breath of clean air anyway.
"Stop your fooling around. Report to the Captain!" Lahnel yelled when he saw Kaelan just standing there looking like an idiot. Sometimes he wondered about that boy. He shook his head before going off to make sure all the affairs were in order. The Captain wanted the boat fired in fifteen minutes.
Kaelan's face twisted ugly for a second before regaining control. Oh yes, one day he was going to show them all! Now days though, he would be the best ship mage he could. With Axiel along, he would actually be able to increase his power. Kaelan had noticed that he wasn't gaining much power lately. He had initially attributed that to having no real challenges, but it could also have been because he had no one to teach him new ways of doing things and new spells. Now that problem was gone! He couldn't wait to really start training again. He was excited!
Kaelan walked over to the Captain who was looking over on the prisoners from the opposite side of the ship. Captain Hollock, no matter how angry Kaelan got at him, could do a pretty fine job at pirating. The only obvious problem was that they only attacked vessels that they were sure wouldn't put up much of a fight. In the little bit over a year that Kaelan had been with Captain Hollock on the Riller, he had never once got in a magic battle with another mage. He guessed he could consider himself lucky.
"Reporting as ordered Captain. I checked the hold carefully. Most of it was spices and other things of that nature which you specifically said you didn't want to burden our ship with." Kaelan reported.
"Took you a bloody long time to report that there was nothing down there, Half-Elf!" Hollock spat out at him. Kaelan could see that the Captain's eyes were bloodshot already. The man sure could drink when the urge came over him. The crew had quickly developed a habit of walking softly whenever the Captain was in that kind of mood. Kaelan grimaced as he realized that he might face the full wrath of a drunk captain. Not a pretty idea.
"I wanted to make sure your orders were followed to the letter, Captain." Kaelan stared straight in Hollock's eyes while desperately trying not to flinch back from the downright evil look within them. Hollock had no boundaries. While Kaelan really didn't mind killing the people they raided, inevitably, Hollock would take his fun too far and the crew, mainly him, would have to clean up the mess. Kaelan didn't like cleaning up messes.
"Thats good. Thats real good, Boy!" Hollock started laughing uproariously. Kaelan joined him for safety's sake. He really had no clue why they were laughing.
"You keep up good work like that and I might just have to kill Lahnel and have you take his place! Hahahahaha!" Continually laughing, Hollock left to order the deaths of the prisoners. He usually at least killed them before burning the boat. Sometimes.
Kaelan eyes narrowed as he stared at his captain's retreating back. The man knew keenly how to turn men against each other. For Hollock to declare that loudly that he might replace Lahnel would surely force Lahnel to plot against him. It was a win win for Hollock. Whoever stayed alive was obviously the better person, and that person would get the second-in-command. Now normally, Kaelan would have enjoyed the chance to pit his brains and magic against Lahnel's sheer bloodthirst but not now! He needed time to study magic! He couldn't waste time preventing getting killed.
'Eh, don't worry so much, Boy. Things will work out as they work out. You just got to kind of flow with it.' Axiel's voice whispered through his mind. Kaelan shivered. He had almost forgotten that the sword was still there.
"I can't wait to see how things work out." Kaelan muttered sarcastically before heading back over to Riller. A couple minutes later, the Wandering Songbird went up in flames. There were no survivors. One more ship had been added to the hundreds already littering the sea floor of the Sea of Fallen Stars
Kaelan watched for a while as they slowly sailed away from the burning wreck. He then turned away and made his way under the deck. One thing the Captain did allow him was his own private room. Even the Captain understood that wizards needed their space and privacy. Kaelan knew that learning from Axiel was most likely going to take a long time and be extremely difficult. For some reason, he didn't care at all. He was excited.
When Kaelan reached his room, he shut and locked the door. He knelt on the floor and crossed his legs. He started meditating as if he was about to read over his spellbook. He then communed with his sword.
"Axiel, can you start teaching me now?" Kaelan asked eagerly.
A whistle like sound filled Kaelan's mind then a chuckle. 'Hehehe, you sure change your tune pretty fast, Boy. What happened to all that anger? What happened to your horror on being bound with me?' Axiel asked.
"Can you just start teaching me?" Kaelan muttered in irritation. "I may not be completely over the whole pain filled bonding, but now that you have shown me just how useful you can be, I would have to be an idiot to just ignore you! I am not stupid, you know!"
'Hehe, could have fooled me, Boy.' Axiel's amused voice said.
"And what's up with you keep calling me boy anyway? I am nineteen! Give me some respect!" He demanded petulantly. He wasn't going to keep taking that kind of disrespect from a stinking sword!
"Boy, that is what you are. I have seen eons pass since my birth as a human. I am older than you by magnitudes you can't even imagine. I will keep calling you boy, Boy, until I see that you have finally matured. Only then will I start calling you by your name.' By the end of his speech, Axiel's voice had token on a lilt that many sages affected. To Kaelan, it really annoying.
He muttered a few obscenities under his breath before he decided to just let it go. If Axiel wanted to play his game, then he would graciously allow it. It wasn't like he could actually make the sword stop anyway.
'And yeah,' Axiel said with something akin a sigh. 'I guess we can start your teaching now.'
"Finally!" Kaelan muttered in excitement. He couldn't wait to learn all kinds of powerful spells.
'But first!' Kaelan could only groan as Axiel kept extending the time until he could finally learn. 'I want to know what you will do with my teachings. I really don't actually care. I juts ask because I don't want you thinking too small. I should only be wielded by great men who actually accomplish stuff in the world after all.' Axiel said with all the presumption he could muster.
Kaelan's teeth grit in consternation. He hadn't actually thought of what he would do with his new powers. The spells already under his control were: magic missile, a light spell, a telekinesis spell, a lightning spell, two different charm spells, a spell to create a small sound, a small fireball spell, and a spell to create a low level magical barrier around him. Hell, he could only even memorize up to ten spells at one time! Kaelan knew that he had a lot of room to grow. He would need be able to increase his base magical powers by a lot if he wanted to truly use everything Axiel had said it could teach him.
If I learn even more powerful magics, what would I do with them? He pondered thoughtfully. One thing I know I won't do is stay under Hollock's thumb! But where can I go from here? And should I even need to stay here while learning what Axiel teaches. Considering Axiel wants me to like lead armies or something, I will need all the power I can get. Maybe I should hunt down some other powerful magical items?
Axiel followed Kaelan's internal monologue very carefully before he jumped in at just the right moment. 'Searching for other powerful items sounds like a grand plan, but I don't see you ready for to actually face too strong a challenge for a while yet. You are going to need loads of experience before you can even think about taking on powerful traps or guardians.' Axiel told his wielder thoughtfully.
"So is that a good enough answer for you, Axiel? I will go and find a couple more powerful items. Maybe some kind of powerful staff to go along with my powerful sword." Kaelan said with a grin.
'That goal will be suitable for now. Now I believe I can finally begin to teach you, but if you want to truly benefit from my teachings, you will have to leave this ship. There is just not enough room for you truly flex your magical muscles. Thus, the first thing I will teach you is a spell of flight. When we come close to the next port of call, I want you to fly away from the ship. Then we will make a temporary camp somewhere isolated, and I will make you work so hard that you will doubly wish you had never met me until you are up to something resembling my standards. Got it?'
"Uh... maybe? How hard is this working going to be exactly?" Kaelan asked with a slight hint of trepidation. He really didn't want to kill himself through overwork after all.
'You'll adjust.' Axiel said without compassion. 'Now, I will begin your apprenticeship under me. This should be fun.'
Kaelan actually started worrying on just what he had gotten himself into. Axiel made it sound like he would be traversing to death and back, but it couldn't be that bad, could it? He surely hoped not.
Kaelan stayed in his meditating position for the next few hours as the ship made its way on the Sea of Fallen Stars. Their next destination was the famous city of Raven's Bluff. Captain Hollock had finally decided that it was time to sell off some of their more bulky cargo. Hollock was a man who had absolutely no trust in anyone or anything. Thus, pretty much the entire treasure of the ship's pirating history was located locked with Hollock's cabin. His stinginess allowed him to build up a respectable amount of gold coins and gems.
Inside Kaelan's Mind:
"So all I have to do is draw on the Weave to surround my body with magic and the magic will lift me up?" Kaelan clarified after Axiel finished with a long, complex explanation.
'Don't forget the bird feather. It can be any kind of feather though, so there should be a couple on this ship somewhere. When you leave this ship, you should probably use up three of your ten spells just on this Fly Spell. That will make sure that you don't come to an unfortunate demise by falling.' Axiel told his wielder.
"You know," Kaelan mused. "I could really get used to these transmutation spells."
'Ha! I'm sure you could. You don't have to worry about running out. I have plenty for you learn if you so wish.' Kaelan could only shake his head. It seemed Axiel always had more spells to teach him.
Kaelan slowly brought his senses back to the outside world. He slowly stretched to get movement back into all of his limbs. Whenever a mage went into meditation, they had to be sure not to let their blood stay in one place too long. If they did, they could be sure to come out of meditation with a limb or two asleep. Kaelan was just glad that proper meditation was one of the things he actually learned at the Host Tower.
He left his cabin to see just where the Captain had planned for their next port of call. Once he got on deck, he asked one of the crew.
"Yantel!" Kaelan hailed. "Where has the Captain got us going now?"
"Where you been, Kaelan! The Ole Captain actually has us going somewhere nice for once! We heading for Raven's Bluff, My Boy! Make sure to take in all the sites because you aint going to be seeing anything near as nice for a long time. Harhaha! I even hear we be going back to Pirate Isles after the Bluff." With that, Yantel went back to his duties.
Kaelan grimaced in response. Usually Hollock would take them to piss-poor fishing villages and other dumps to gather supplies. If the man was actually taking them somewhere nice, it must mean the Captain wanted to unload some of their stolen goods.
'This is perfect, Boy. Stop your grimacing.' Axiel whispered through his mind.
"What are you talking about, Axiel? Captain is not going to be happy with me leaving. If I depart in Raven's Bluff of all places then there are many, many eyes to report my location. I thought you wanted this to be a private training place." Kaelan whispered under his breath.
Axiel snorted to himself. He truly wondered when his wielder would figure out that he could just talk in his mind. Kaelan didn't have to vocalize everything he wanted to say. Oh well, its kind of funny anyway.
'You think any two-bit fishing village is going to have spell supplies? If you want to be an actual wizard, you are going to have to get arcane ingredients. Raven's Bluff is the perfect place for this.' Axiel used the most devastating strategy in history on his wielder. He used pure logic. It usually worked.
Damn, he has a point. Kaelan grudgingly admitted that Raven's Bluff just might be the best place to go. Then another thought struck him.
"Hey, Axiel. Where am I going to get enough money to buy all these arcane ingredients?" He asked with curiosity. Surely, Axiel somehow had some money somewhere.
'How the hell should I know?' Axiel said while still using logic. He had only been in Kaelan's possession for little over half a day after all. 'Don't you have some money or something? You are supposed to be this ship's mage after all. I would think you would get a sizable cut out of any prizes.'
Kaelan blinked in disbelief before bursting out laughing. "Was that a joke? I get the worse jobs on this whole damn ship! Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the Captain wasn't even giving me the same share as he gives the rest of the crew!"
'… Aren't you supposed to be a wizard... Why don't you just kill some people until you get some respect. You don't seem to get much otherwise.' Axiel struggled not to laugh. He really did. How the hell did I get a wielder who can't even get respect from some filthy pirates? The boy might have potential, but it seems I am going to have to drag it out the whole way. Ah well, once I teach him the Archer Spells, no one will disrespect him anymore.
Kaelan's eye ticked as he heard the suppressed chuckles echoing in his mind. His own damn sword was laughing at him! Slowly though, his eye stopped twitching. Even he had to admit somewhat of the hilarious nature of the situation. Here he was, a wizard. He only had nine, now ten, spells but still! He should easily be able to demand respect from any pirates! But he allowed himself to be treated like dirt, and so the pirates treated him like dirt. It was his on fault for taking their treatment when he first signed on. Granted he was only eighteen at the time and recently fled from his master, but still. He shouldn't have taken anyone's shit.
"Yeah, yeah. You can quit trying to suppress your laughing. You suck at it." Suddenly a huge laughed boomed throughout his head as Axiel took him at his word and stopped trying to suppress his laughter. "And I have to admit that you are right. I guess it doesn't matter though since I am planning on leaving. The real question is what to do about the money."
Axiel slowly got his laughter under control as he contemplated his wielder's problem. Technically, wizards could make quite a bit of money using their skills, but since Kaelan had no money, he couldn't even buy ingredients for spells or rituals. That meant he couldn't make a quick coin by enchanting something. The boy also couldn't enchant anything anyway, so that path was closed for the time being. Maybe he could steal it? Axiel's mind went into overdrive as he finally thought of an actual plan. Since Kaelan was leaving the ship anyway, why not take a little of his "back-wages"?
'I have got an idea for you.' Kaelan's eyes widened as he felt Axiel's smugness. 'You are going to steal all the money you need. But, you are not going to steal it from anyone in Raven's Bluff. No! You are going to steal it from your very own Captain Hollock.' Kaelan snorted. Axiel was really going over the top with his dramatics, but then he actually started thinking of the idea.
"This is going to make the Captain extremely pissed. I mean like pissed enough to hunt me until his dying day. The Captain has a thing for money." Kaelan warned.
'So what? You are going to be gone and in seclusion before "the Captain" even knows you are gone.' Was Axiel's easy answer.
"How will I even get into the Captain's room without him knowing?" Kaelan questioned. He ostensibly ignored Axiel's derogatory way of addressing a person that he himself always called in the strictest respect.
'Well you know how I can make people not see me, right?' Kaelan nodded his head. It had only been a few hours since Axiel had told him about that power. 'Well that power can extend to my wielder as well. All you have to do is activate the ability.'
Kaelan desperately tried to think up any more excuses for him not to steal from the ship he had served on for more than a year. Sadly, he couldn't. Sighing, he resigned himself to the plan that Axiel was whispering in his mind.
The next day passed quickly for Kaelan. He spent pretty much the entire day in his cabin talking about different spells with Axiel. When Lahnel had demanded him get to work, he had just told the first-mate that he had some new spellwork that he was working on. That had shut the man up quick enough. Not once had Kaelan ever told anyone that he had new spells to work on. He had gotten a chuckle at the small hint of fear that had appeared on Lahnel's face for just a second.
Axiel told him about a series of spells known in his time as the Archer Spells. Axiel wouldn't tell him what they did. He just kept saying that the spells were extremely powerful. Kaelan liked the sound of them already. He had gotten the unexpected shock early in his pirate career of learning that his lightning spell wasn't the most powerful spell in existence. Now, he could finally upgrade into the higher spell ranks.
The second day after he found Axiel dawned clear. Kaelan was already up and about. He had been told that they would reach Raven's Bluff around midday. Kaelan had to already have snuck into the Captain's quarters, unlocked any locks, and snuck back out to cast his fly spell all by an hour before midday. He figured an hour would be plenty of time to disappear within Raven's Bluff.
Finally his waiting payed off as he spotted the Captain leaving his quarters. Kaelan activated the magic that Axiel assured him that it possessed. He stared at his hands. It was strange. He didn't fell any different at all. He was also visible. Hesitating, Kaelan decided to trust in the strange sword he had found. Axiel hadn't led him wrong yet.
Kaelan made his way over to the door that led into the Captain's cabin. He placed his hand on the handle and quickly opened it. His breath of relief would have been easily audible to anyone nearby when he found the door unlocked. As quietly as he could, he slipped inside.
Kaelan looked around in wonder for a second. The cabin was so much better than anything else on the ship that comparing it would be a farce. He softly closed the door and began exploring the room. Kaelan actually took a page from last time and made sure to check for secret entrances. He also tried to feel for any magic, but if there was any, his senses weren't picking it up. It wasn't until he looked under the bed that he found the main thing he had been looking for. A huge freaking chest.
Slightly giddy, Kaelan pulled it out. Or at least he tried to. The damn thing was heavy! Grunting, he made sure to use two hands and set his feet actually on the bed. He heaved with all his might. Finally the chest started sliding from out under the bed. When he got the thing out, he had to wipe sweat of his head!
"Ok, let's see just what I am going to be taking with me." He muttered with glee. After he got over his reservations of stealing from the Captain, Kaelan couldn't help but get excited over all that money that was about to be his. Kaelan leaned down to open the chest when he got stumped. "Damn! So close." In front of his face was a big lock.
"Breath, Kaelan. Remember what Axiel said. A little telekinesis should be able to open any simple lock." Kaelan closed his eyes and muttered the spell under his breath. Once it activated, he used his hand to guide the force within the lock. He expanded the force once it was inside the lock. He jiggled his hand, and the force mirrored his movement. Suddenly, a click could be heard throughout the room. Kaelan was already doing victory laps in his head.
Trembling in excitement, Kaelan opened the chest... and was summarily floored by what was inside. There has to be hundreds of gold coins in here! Not to mention all of the jewelry and gemstones! How the hell did the Captain amass all of this? I didn't think we raided any ship this loaded? While his mind went blank from all the gold in front of him, his hand was very busy caressing all the beautiful gold within his reach. Kaelan dug into the chest and started pulling out as much as he could to fill into a couple sacks he had brought with him. He had a lot of filling to do.
Once Kaelan had filled both sacks, he snuck out of the room as quickly as he could. It wouldn't do for him to get discovered now! He made his way to his cabin where he had all of the things he was taking with him ready. He grabbed his stuff and headed out the door. He was glad his sword's magic seemed to be working. He hadn't been noticed yet.
Kaelan made it to the deck without issue. He walked/ran over to the railing. Land was in sight. He made sure that all of his stuff was securely hooked to his belt before beginning casting his spell. He pulled out the feather he had found in an out of the way corner. Waving his hands and the feather around, Kaelan spoke the words necessary to activate the magic. And activate it did as he felt his body grow lighter and lighter. He willed himself to rise. The best thing about it, he rose! It was absolutely amazing. He was flying!
Kaelan took off over the ship and began making his way to the coast. A grin split his face until he could no longer see the ship he had served on in sight. Kaelan could no longer hold it in. He let out a tremendous whoop of delight.
"YEAH! Finally free! WHOOH!" In his celebrations, he started doing increasingly acrobatic maneuvers as he flew through the air. It was awesome!
'Calm down, Boy. Hurry up and make your way to the city. Something tells me that you don't want to be anywhere near the docks when Hollock finds out you stole over half of his stash.' Axiel's wisdom filled his head, but he still almost ignored it. He wanted to celebrate! But a sense of reality did reassert itself at his sword's words. Kaelan calmed his flight down and sped towards the city. Once he got nearer land, he would turn northward to make for Raven's Bluff.
After about ten minutes of flying, Kaelan could finally see his destination. The City of Raven's Bluff appeared just as magnificent as he could have imagined! Even from the air he could see what looked to be thousands of people moving around in the streets. He couldn't wait to start exploring. Kaelan had arrived at Raven's Bluff where he would finally begin his next step in growing into a powerful wizard. Oh, how he couldn't wait!