Ciara woke early to go out to the well and wash her clothes. She hung a line between two of the trees that appeared to have enough sun shining between them by climbing the branches to an appropriate height. Once the knots were tied she swung her upper body down and flipped her legs around until standing on the ground.
"That looks like fun!" A beige skinned, orange haired gnome commented from the next tree over. He climbed up his own tree and tried it himself landing feet first before toppling over.
"Almost." Ciara encouraged. "It takes some practice."
"Can you do anything else?" He asked her.
Ciara jumped into a handstand and used her hands to walk over to him. It had been a week since she had been able to do that and was afraid that she may be rusty. "You have some handy talents yourself." She stated pointing up at the eidolon in the tree. "I thought magic was discouraged here?"
"The closer you get to the capital, the more heavily it is regulated. The Lantanese believe in peace, and any magic used to threaten that is strictly prohibited. It can be used to promote creativity and knowledge. My family comes from a long lineage of summoners that developed bonds with these outsiders to help us in the fields develop our crops."
"Are they friendly?" She held out her hand as the snake-like creature that measured larger than the gnome that summoned it slithered down the truck. A forked tongue lashed out twice before allowing her touch the scales on its head.
"As long as they are in the presence of an ally."
"Tansor, stop poking around!" The gnome heard his older brother yell from the distance.
"I should really…."
"I understand." Ciara grabbed an orange that fell to the ground and tossed it in his basket before backing away and returning to her laundry. She knew there were magical methods of accomplishing mundane tasks such as this, but there was something comforting about being able to take care of herself. Besides that, she actually did miss the freedom of being able to spring around in an open field.
"Are you having fun?" Morganna asked from the doorway. "Come on in, I made some breakfast."
Ciara came in and found Dela and Ysabel at the table sipping tea and eating scrambled eggs with bread and jam chatting about something or another. The girls had enough in common that even when they weren't talking it seemed they were speaking the same language, a fact that Morganna both noticed and appreciated. Having another extrovert around would be beneficial for her love.
"Did you know our friend here is hiding the fact that she's an acrobat?" Morganna announced as she and Ciara joined the other two.
"You never mentioned that." Dela accused.
"Because I'm not." Ciara denied. "When I was four a traveling circus happened through town. There were these tightrope walkers performing these acrobatic feats 60 feet in the air. Mother said that they most have had a fly spell on them or something, but there they were performing cartwheel back handsprings on a tiny piece of string with no net below them if they fell. It looked like so much fun that the next day I went out to the courtyard and tried mimicking the moves."
"Tell me you haven't tried them on a tightrope?" Morganna wondered if her lust for thrill would take her that far.
"No. Eventually I got to the point where I felt comfortable on rooftops, but no tightropes."
"The gods know you're going to end up getting yourself killed." Morganna shook her head.
"Don't even say that!" Dela objected.
"I agree, Morgan, it would be best if we didn't put those thoughts out in the ether." Ysabel added. All a little less than thrilled that in a days time there little family was going to be broken apart especially since they were all finally at a point where everyone was healthy and happy.
"I will be fine." Ciara responded. "I am not as dauntless as you may believe. I do exercise caution when necessary."
"As you did when you decided to stab a giant octopus with a knife?"
"I survived!"
"You wouldn't have had Silphid not been there to take it out before it got in a full attack!" Morganna argued, before allowing herself time to calm down. "I'm sorry, I should not be telling you what to do. It's just….we all happen to care about you, and it's a frightening world out there. You act on impulse, a noble one, but impulse none the less."
"What do you want from me?"
"A promise that you'll think before you act, that you'll have an alternate plan in place in case the original plan doesn't work out." Morganna answered for them.
"And that you seek help when its required. If not from those your with, then we're one message away." Dela answered.
"I'll sail all the way to Thindar if you need it." Ysabel added. "I prefer we find another method, but if you need it…"
"I appreciate the offer, and I promise. Now can we please enjoy our last day?" Ciara replied.
They agreed and did just that. With Ysabel feeling better they spent the day working together to help her prepare for the audition. That evening most of the gnomes showed up to throw Ciara a going away party, bringing a feast of meats, breads, and wines with them. They lit a fire in the yard and told ghost stories complete with haunted ghost sounds coming from the orchard. Before sleep the gnomes used a magical wand to light off snapdragon fireworks high in the sky while Dela and Ysabel played her favorite songs. It was late when she packed up her bag to ready for her early morning departure.
Tenmink returned on his carriage to arrange transport back to the docks. She gave her Ysabel and Morganna a long hug and more promises of her safety before pulling Dela aside.
"Will you write?" Dela asked her.
"It sounds like you will be taking to the road, it may be hard, and until I know for sure where I am to settle…"
"Of course." The girl was sullen.
"There is someone." Ciara explained. "A sister, I mentioned previously. Her name is Tamarie of Wolfswift manor in Grand Ward, Calimport. If you settle for a time or require anything at all let her know. As much as I can, I will be in contact with her."
Dela nodded with a lump in her throat growing. Ciara pulled her into an embrace as tears spilled on her shoulder.
"Its your turn to promise me you'll take care of each other."
"Promise." Dela muttered out before finally releasing her grip. She returned to the house, not able to watch as Ciara left in the carriage. It was only then, while seated and on her way back to port that Ciara released a single tear. Soon that sadness turned to excitement as she was ready to debark on her adventure.
The line was already lengthy by the time she arrived. There were plenty of familiar faces, and plenty others that were not. The next planned stop was planned for Samargol then Thindar. It was to be a long venture down the Wild Coast. She hoped this group of travelers would stand up better than some of the last. Ariana sat under a tree feeding Eboni the remnants of the pork she had just consumed. Not yet interested in entering the steady line.
"I trust you found shelter?" Ciara commented on approach. She had invited Ariana to stay with her and the others, but the elf assured her that she would be able to find her own accommodations. It had been a long time since Eboni was free to run, and Ariana wanted to ensure that she could provide her that.
"I rested in an abandoned cabin in the hills. Eboni got the exercise she was lacking, and the opportunity to hunt." Ariana replied.
"It appears we all got what we needed." Ciara noticed the line start to move. "Shall we go?"
Ariana got up and the wolf followed. Their room was already secure, there was no real hurry to board. As soon as she did enter the lower deck Ciara was greeted by Silphid and offered a seat at their drinking table. The cards had not yet come out as they shared tales of their exploits in town. A new member joined the group. A harsh looking woman that called herself Raquel with dark skin, black hair, and a tribal design tattoo adorning the left side of her face who was seated on the lap of Gnarg.
Ciara was quiet as she watched the island fade off into the distance. It was Ivan that lent a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"She is better off." He whispered.
"I know." She replied back. "I heard you were good to her."
He smiled. "A sweet girl, it was hard not to."
Ciara merely nodded.
"Are we going to get this game started or not?" Rogar asked impatiently.
"I will deal." Silphid volunteered after a week working on his shuffling skills. Raquel opted out of the deal instead provided Gnarg with much wanted attention. Attention that she was sure he got plenty of on shore.
Djin was still the only that came close to matching Ciara in her ability to palm and switch cards, he had upped his game since she laid down the challenge during that first night. No one else at the table was aware of the growing respect for each other's skill. They kept the secret knowing that developing the talents would benefits each others chance of survival in the new adventure they were heading towards. As she evening entered and another win under her belt Ciara offered to buy the next round, she felt it necessary to making amends for her unknown deception. When the boat began rocking sooner and harder than it previously had, she decided to make her leave before the slight buzz she was feeling turned disastrous.
She was surprised to see Ariana below deck in the cabin, usually she remained above until high moon.
"The storm shall be treacherous this night. Take heed and keep cover." Ariana warned.
"Very well." Ciara threw her bag on the top bunk and laid down for a nap. If the night was going to be as bad as Ariana suggested, then there was little hope of getting much sleep. She woke up to churning in her own stomach that she had been lucky enough to avoid thus far in their venture. The familiar odor of sickness filled the cabin floor and she knew the only way to avoid giving in to her own gag reflex was by seeking the air above. The alcohol must have still been in her system because she had to shake off a dizzy spell before heading up the steep ladder.
A violent lurch downward sent Ciara rolling forward. She used her years of tumbling to stop herself safely in a crouch on the upper landing, taking a deep sigh of relief before continuing to the upper deck on adrenaline alone. Wind ripped through the sails, the rain appeared to be coming in sideways. She gripped tightly on to the side deck to avoid toppling over as the ship fiercely rocked, having her seriously reconsidering the wisdom of not heeding Ariana's warning. The thought she saw the shadow of a gargantuan tail fin drop onto the stern shattering it into pieces before she was thrown back and the world around her went black.
Her head ached as she was brought back to consciousness by the growing need to breath. Her lungs were filled with salt water. Ciara pushed herself up to cough up as much seawater as she could. Forcing her into a fit that left her gasping for air.
"Are you going to live?" She heard from her left. Ciara looked over to see two Silphid's standing over her holding out their hand to help her up.
"I am not sure yet." She stated with a horse voice taking in a few more deep breaths before accepting the offer to be aided up to shaky legs. She steadied herself against his chest. "Where are we?"
"The beach." Silphid answered vaguely, since that was all the information he was privy to. She looked to the shoreline and saw what remained of the battered and busted Dragon's Maw. Bodies were scattered everywhere amongst wood fragments strewn about. It was the sight of Ariana and Eboni laid out under a palm tree that spurred her to action. She ran over and slid down next to her checking for signs a life. Feeling breath on her hand, Ciara started shaking the elf and calling out her name until her eyes fluttered open.
"Eboni?" She cried out in a weak voice. The wolf was laying under her arm unconscious, its bleeding stabilized. The last thing she remembered was her companion pulling her to shore. She used her power of healing to revive the wolf before sitting up herself. The sky was gray, and she could see her breath in the air as she exhaled. Passage of time was unknown. "This isn't right." She commented. "This chill, is unnatural."
"What would cause it?" Silphid asked her unsure of what to do with that information.
"I know not."
"Are there any other survivors?" Ciara looked up to Silphid. The pounding in her head was becoming almost unbearable.
He shrugged and sifted through the wreckage grabbing packs and supplies as he could find it. Ariana assisted the search by checking for breathing and pulses. From what she could tell the search was fruitless, not only were the bodies beyond saving, but the corpses had been stripped of any valuables. Pockets were ripped, belts taken, inlays of valuable metals removed. Luckily their bodies had been left undisturbed.
"I think I found our bags." Silphid returned with three backpacks. Ciara opened hers, laced up her armor, strapped on her weapons, and wrapped her cloak around her . He also brought over a chest that had been sticking out of the water. "Do you think you can open it?"
She pressed her eyes together trying to clear away the double vision.
"Are you well?" Silphid asked her.
"She has a concussion." Ariana answered for her. Unfortunately she had only one curative spell on hand, and there didn't appear to be any berries on the beach to enchant for the sake of an herbal remedy.
Ciara rummaged through her bag to find her lock pick set. She examined the lock to determine the appropriate picks, grabbing number 3 and 16. She jingled them around and broke the hook on number 3 before cursing out loud and pulling out number 5. After breaking that pick, Silphid volunteered to open the chest his way and lifted his sword over his head. "One more try." She stated, pulling out lock pick number 4, which slipped in and opened the lock effortlessly.
She rummaged through the contents finding what appeared to be the captain's log of ports and times all written in some kind of sailor code. She found a sealed envelope with a wax seal of two crossed swords, and a silver moonstone hilted letter opener, a monocle, pouch, and mirror. She showed the items to the Ariana to study qualities for any magic. Ciara opened the envelope in attempts to read the letter, unfortunately, the ink had run from the water.
"These items have magic." Ariana handed back to the letter opener, monocle, pouch, and mirror. "I believe this is what is called a traveler's pouch. It holds approximately 1,000 coins without adding to its weight, but I am unsure of the rest."
"I don't know about you guys, but it looks like we're loosing daylight and I do not want to be camped out surrounded by corpses." Ciara commented after tying the pouch to her belt.
"Are you in a condition to hike?" Silphid asked her.
"I suppose we will see." She pulled herself to standing position with the man's help and slid her backpack over her shoulders after attaching a bedroll to the bottom. "Which way?"
There was sand in every direction, jungle in the vast distance away from shore. "It may help if we had any clue where we were. Our best option is picking a direction and hope we stumble upon a village." Silphid commented.
"This is the northern peak of Chult." Ariana ventured based on their trajectory. "If we go west we will encounter the Mistcliff Mountains, and south would send us into the depths of the jungle, our best option in finding a village is venturing east."
Silphid looked at where the sun was peaking through the clouds as it started to set. "This way then."
The three adventurers spent an hour hiking through the sand before fatigue set in. Ciara collapsed down and Silphid attempted to string up a tent out of the canvas in his bag. He had some experience with engineering that he hoped would prevail. Unfortunately as he tied one end to loose sticks the other fell over and decided to build a fire instead. Ariana scourged the area for food and was able to bring back enough for everyone to eat a small meal.
"We should figure out a watch rotation." Ciara suggested over dinner.
"I'll go first, you look like you need the rest." Silphid volunteered.
"Human vision has limits that those with elven blood do not. You should take the final watch as the sun is rising. I shall go first this night." Ariana advised, giving both herself and Ciara credit for being better equipped to see farther with a fire burning.
"Sounds reasonable to me, wake me up when you need me." Ciara wrapped herself up in her bedroll fully armored with her short bow at her side, using her cloak as an extra blanket. Ariana and Silphid stayed up a bit later discussing the shipwreck. There was something very unnatural about the events that took it down, Ariana was sure that the coldness in the air had something to do with it, especially since it warmed the further they ventured from the crash site. It wasn't much later before Silphid succumbed to his own need for rest.
Ariana sat with Eboni at her side looking out in every direction. She thought about her own desire to go home, but she was currently a vast distance from the Samarach Mountains. When she left Calimport the desire was based on her inability to understand and connect with the people in her party. She realized that what she had hear was different. On some level she cared about both Ciara and Silphid. Even if she did feel safe enough to go traveling months through the jungle solo, she didn't want to leave the others behind. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw something moving in the distance. She shook Silphid awake and pointed him in the direction of the creature.
"Who goes there?" Silphid shouted out. The figure said nothing but continued staggering over.
Ariana woke Ciara who seemed a little better after a couple hours of sleep. She grabbed onto her bow and Silphid armored himself against an attack. As it neared, Ciara swore she recognized the figure as the halfling captain that lay dead on the beach only hours earlier. Not taking the change of an attack, Ciara pulled back the string of her bow and aimed an arrow in its direction. The arrow imbedded into the captain causing no reaction as it continued to move forward. She let off two more arrows that failed to slow the creature down. Both Silphid and Ariana armed themselves with blades, and before it could approach the camp Silphid charged the figure and sliced it with his great sword cutting it into pieces in a manner of seconds.
"That will do it." Ciara commented to the druid. "What was that?"
Ariana studied the reaction of her wolf, who growled, but backed away from the figure. "Undead."
"What?!"
"A zombie." Silphid added as he returned. Its staggering gate and outstretched arms an indicator of this fact. "It's destroyed now. We should rest."
Ciara wasn't sure how much resting she was going to be doing now that she knew that there were zombies about, but with her watch about to start she needed more sleep to cure the ache in her skull. She let you thoughts drift to familiar fantasies of meeting her father on the road and becoming an adventurer he could be proud of. It felt like she had only just drifted asleep when she was shook awake for her shift during which she paid particular attention to the area of the wreck, where the zombie captain had come from. She was startled by every shift of wind and bird that squawked, but told herself that she had to get over it if this is truly what she wanted to do. The sun started rising over in the east when she woke Silphid for the final shift reporting no peril during hers.
