Beyond Chaos – A DiceRPG

“Captain Layla,” Commander Joseph greeted the woman, flashing a charming smile towards the woman, the kind that denoted he was of higher rank than her.

“Commander Joseph,” Captain Layla returned, flashing back a smile that suggested she was still nobleborn, and that she, as a dockguard, held greater authority here. “How may I assist?”

“It is always a pleasure to admire the Windy Warhawk, though it has been quite some time since it has passed,” the Commander replied, still smiling so politely towards the woman. “Is there some trouble?”

“Dockguard business, Commander.”

The pair remained glaring between one another, each trying to formulate the best way to get out of this situation on top, for while one led their group to deal with a troublesome half elf, the other led their group to deal with a troublesome half elf.

Cumulus eyed up the group, his eyes, as clear as the open sky, as deep as the oceans, and within an instant, he understood. Iyrmen, a pair of Aswadians, a half elf with a tattoo that almost matched a few of the Iyrmen’s, a younger teen Iyrman, and the remaining few, each who seemed quite hardened. However, if most of them were Iyrmen, it meant it would be fine for them.

Cumulus made a hand motion, offering his ship, and Jurot nodded. Cumulus held out his pinky, and Jurot returned with a nod, and thus the deal was made, the pair as silent as the wind.

“The King would prefer to allow them to leave as quickly as possible,” Joseph said, holding the woman’s gaze.

“Do you make it a habit of assuming the King’s wants, Commander?” Layla replied, raising her brow.

“I can inform him that you wished to delay their exit if you would like, Captain.”

‘If he is not stepping back…’ “Who are they, for the King to wish of their swift exit?”

“The Mad Dog’s grandsons,” Commander Joseph said, causing even the half elf aboard the ship to raise his brows upon hearing the name, since it had spread like wildfire decades ago, especially across this particular sea.

‘Why does that name sound so familiar,’ Layla thought, having not noticed the Captain’s expression.

“Undying. Jarot the Kid. Bloody Jarot. Crimson Shield. Bloody Shield.” Jurot’s tone was so casual, his face stone cold, yet all could see the burning pride within his eyes, while vague recognition filled the woman’s eyes.

‘Just let them on board, you gold spoon sucking cow!’ Joseph urged, for they were but seconds away from being rid of such a terrible group, and of course it was the damned nobles who could not drop their pride.

“Hey, it’s not like we need to go on this ship, right?” Adam asked, letting out a soft sigh, already feeling the annoyance rise within him. “Yeah, the King wants us to leave, but if it’s an issue to get on this ship, I think the King would probably want us to find another ship?”

Captain Layla glared at the half elf, who returned a blink, since they weren’t exactly involved in this matter, but Layla had grown far more interested.

‘Seriously, these guys. Why are they involving us in their workplace drama and their little politics? There are Reavers about!’ Adam let out a small sigh, crossing his arms, stretching out his neck from side to side. ‘I’m not getting involved.’

‘Why does the King wish to rid of them? Is it because of their grandfather? Did he… Mad Dog?’ Layla narrowed her eyes towards the group, suddenly recalled what she had heard from the previous year. Right! The Mad Dog! A viciously wicked Iyrman! And his grandsons were here? She eyed up the Iyrman who spoke the old man’s epithets, who stood completely relaxed, and yet exuded a heaviness.

“Unfortunately, Captain O’Shan, you must pay the appropriate fees.”

“I have paid for the services, and tipped well, but to extort us because we were slightly late, we, who soar upon the Windy Warhark?” Cumulus let out a flurry of noises which sounded like rushing water and the popping of bubbles, creative words that could, perchance, be polite.

“You were pardoned, Captin O’Shan, but you should not push your luck so soon. Though we humans have short lives, our memories are not quite so short. You must pay the appropriate fees, or we shall consider this an act of piracy.”

“How much are the fees?” Adam asked.

“Fifty gold,” Cumulus said, eyes darting to the other half elf.

“Alright. We’ll pay it, and then we can square this, right?” Adam asked, and upon seeing the confused look on the pair of Captains, he smiled innocently. “I mean, we’ll pay for it, and then this matter shall be resolved, is that not the case?”

Layla narrowed her eyes at the half elf, her annoyance rising as the half elf slowly nodded. However, since he had offered to pay, the woman just bowed her head, and allowed her guards to deal with the matter of payment, and once the gold was paid, the guards stepped away.

“Brother,” Cumulus called, forming a gesture with his hand, sticking up a thumb pointed at himself, before sticking up only a pinky towards the Priest, with the Priest returning the gesture.

“Captain,” Mork replied, also bowing his head respectfully towards the Captain, who was an O’Shan.

“Good fortune, I hope?”

“I would say so.”

“What brings you this way?”

“We’re headed to Aswadasad. Brother Dunes of Black Mountain has some matters to deal with.”

“Black Mountain? It’s difficult to head that way from the northern sea, due to all the new land, so it’ll have to be Arisa.”

“I think that was the plan,” Mork replied with a nod of his head, the Brother following the Captain for a deeper conversation, as a pale blue skinned inasir approached. The inasir was well built, lean, but strong, like an Iyrman. His hair seemed to be made of water, fashioned into long tendrils tied together with a ribbon, his armour forged of coralsteel scales, and he carried a shortblade at his side, one forged of quicksilver, which matched the silver of all the jewellery he wore, as though he were the Faro of the ship.

“It is most gracious to meet you in this manner, for the stars are ever bright above the sky, and the sea as clear as crystal,” the insair said in the fae’s tongue.

“The stars remain bright, the sky vast, the sea calm, all for your presence,” the half elf replied, with the most basic level of respect from a fae like him, causing the inasir to raise his brow. “Sorry, I prefer speaking in Aldish, if you’re able?”

“I speak it, little,” the Inasir confirmed. “Aswadi?”

“Brother Dunes can, if you’d like,” Adam offered.

“You pay the fine, you are decent. You wish to travel to Arisa? Take little time. For whole group, carriages, horses, one thousand.”

“A thousand gold?” Adam replied in shock, trying to calculate how much they were charging, and how long it would take, and how many there were.

“A good price,” Jurot said, nodding his head.

“For our meeting, good fortune,” the inasir said, flashing a white smile, his teeth large and wide, almost like a whale’s.

“That’s cheap?” Adam whispered.

“We should have expected one hundred gold for each head, and for our caravan,” Jurot replied.

“Other ships? Ten, twenty days to Arisa. Our ship?” The inasir shook his head. “Before the fourth night.”

“To Arisa?” Adam asked, raising his brow, for the last time it had taken at least two weeks. “Just four days, really?”

“We are Windy Warhark,” the inasir said with a wide grin, a grin that suggested he needed to say nothing else, for it was the Windy Warhawk.

Jurot nodded his head to the inasir, pulling Adam aside as the water man greeted the rest of their companions, the First Mate checking upon the new group his Captain had allowed on. “We are fortunate they are here.”

“We are?”

“They possess one of the fastest ships, and if they wished to push themselves, we could arrive to Arisa in three days.”

“That quick?” Adam tried to complete the mental maths to recall the exact distance. “It’s what… seven, eight or so, hundred miles away?”

“Yes.”

Adam whistled, eyes darting around the dark ship. “This is a fast ship!”

“It does not travel in the night.”

“Oh?” Adam raised his brows in surprise.

“If it did, we could arrive in Arisa by tomorrow noon.”

“That is quick!”

“It is the Windy Warhawk,” Jurot confirmed.

“How does this compare to Garan’s Wrath?”

“Garan’s Wrath is… it holds more power.”

“Is it quicker?”

“That is for Captain O’Shan to decide.”

“What do you mean by that?” Adma asked.

It wasn’t that long later, once the carriages were tied down upon the deck by experienced hands, covered from the elements of the sea, when Adam understood what Jurot meant.

“Oh.”

Taygak gasped as she lurched to one side, though Kitool caught her quickly, the excitement filling the young woman, who was on such a fine ship.

It’s because it’s the Windy Warhawk.

Of course.