Let me introduce you to my crew, namely Baldric (Heritor), Aleia (Earth Warden), Cort (Mercenary) as these three will be the main characters. I will offer a brief introduction to the other three specialists, or I will find myself writing a novel (which no one will read). Also, this is my crew after my third game, so Cort was upgraded to a mercenary, and Axel paid for some fancy gear and training and became a freebooter. As for the crew, we give them respect for the roll they must play, but no names. Unless they earn one that is.
Baldric fingered the thick chain links of his old armor, felt the old familiar weight and knew automatically how it would feel on his shoulders, as it wrapped around his waist. He knew how it would effect his sword arm, his speed, how long he could walk with it on, and that was awhile for the record. The sword and shield lay next to it, along with the buckles, belts, and boots. The dusty chest lay open in the corner, his finger prints still imprinted on the top as he had leaned against it, paused before turning the key. He had not thought he would open the chest again.
"This isn't the work I had planned on for retirement," Baldric said. He let the armor drop to the floor, pulled out a ring held by a silver thread. He fingered it in his right hand. "I thought I would pick up carpentry, learn on how to run the farm, manage my own place for once."
"You travel to the Archipelago, you drink of the Crystal Pool and you can manage your own kingdom." Aleia sat at the plain, wooden table. On it sat an open book, sprawled maps, and an ornate, jeweled dagger that looked to be older than the old captain Baldric. Older than his grandfather, or his great, great grandfather.
Baldric laugh, a dry chuckle. He looked at his hands, felt the veins in his hands. "I thought all this time I was just lucky mixed with hard work and skill. I could pluck an arrow out of the air. In the flow of battle, I felt like it was just the thrill of the battle."
Aleia shook her head. "Somewhere down the line, your ancestors drank deep. Its time to renew that power and reclaim your destiny."
"I lived out my destiny."
"As what? A lowly captain of the guard? For some backwater duke of nowhere like you did for your whole life?"
Baldric lifted a finger. "Don't disrespect my duke or my work. I'm not in the mood for getting angry, I'm too old for that. You can leave, if you like. And take that crusty dagger with you."
Aleia hands reached for her hair, froze. She put them down and took a deep breath. Baldric smiled, waited. Aleia said,"Baldric, that's not what I mean to say. I know your loyalty to your duke and the king, but I'm trying to get you to see what's out their waiting for you if you just pick up your sword again and grasp what is within your reach. You know what's been happening. You've probably been having visions, like the rest of the heritors out there. Only they are already gathering their crews and setting sail while you? You sit there."
"Most are what? In their twenties? Maybe thirties? Have you not notice this white hair? This beard? These wrinkled hands?"
"And that give you qualities these young Heritors will soon find the lack of: Wisdom, patience, and discipline. I would throw my lot in with you hands down to any other Heritor."
Baldric gripped the ring he had been fingering, turning it into a hard fist. "You've done your work. Worked it out down to the last coin I have, the men I should hire, our chances of success. Very analytical. You say you want off this land, escaping your...."
"Fate. I have seen my death here if I stay."
"Yes, some kind of romantic entanglement you said. I won't have any dramatic nonsense on my crew, you understand."
Aleia glared at him.
Baldric leaned forward, closed his eyes and put his clenched fist to his forehead. The silver thread slipped and dangled free against his wrist.
"If you've truly done your work, as I suspect you have, then you know that nothing you've told me, not the riches, the mystery, nor the Crystal is what will truly make this decision.Tell me what I want to hear, or I put away these useless illusions of might." Baldric waved a hand at the sword, shield, and armor.
"There's a cure," Aleia said. "A rare flower that grows close to the Crystal Pool. It will cure her. I'm certain of it."
Baldric nodded. "Very well. I have one more addition to the crew."
Aleia sighed. "He's drunk and he's let himself go to waste."
"I'm not leaving without him. Cort will come around after a few days under my command."
Aleia stood up. "I hope you're right. I have your permission to round up the rest?"
"Do it. I'll find the ship. I want to leave within the week."
"A week? Impossible. I figured a month. We should do this right. Set off on a good foot. There's the supplies to be purchased. The ship, like you said, has to be found and bargained with. They have to find a crew and supply, then there's--"
"You can never prepare enough and we're already behind. We're leaving within a week."
"Very well, sir. Within a week."
"So you've become a studious drunk."
Cort snorted, turning a page. "Its the only time a books interesting. When ever I tried to read sober, I just think how much I need a drink. I soon sort myself out and here I am. The quiet life for me from now on." Cort arched a heavy eye brow and his mustache twitched. Baldric nodded and folded his hands together on the table. He leaned forward and waited. Cort turned another page, took another sip of his foamy beer.
He dropped his book down on the table. His mug soon followed it and the dark beer sloshed out and fell on the book. "Tell me you have a job for me. I can't retirement. I'll work your farm, whip some hired hands into shape."
"You told me you were done working. You were going to do nothing, but memorize poetry, drink, and speak smooth words to the girls at the tavern."
"Truth that must be told, I find I do enjoy my life. No responsibilities. No work. Just leisure and rest from the moment I wake up. Do you know? After I wake up, I spend a full hour in bed just staring at the ceiling, twiddling my thumbs and thinking how I want to spend my day." Cort scratched his beard. "Somehow I always spend most of it here. Along with most of my coin. I saw you walk through that door and I smelled change sail in with you. And, truth that must be told, my first was you won't pry me from this chair, my book, or my beer, I don't care what cockeyed story you tell me, but as I got to thinking about this body of mine, this gut that is truly getting preposterous, these flappy arms that used to wield a great sword like it was a walking stick, well, I was thinking how good it might be to hold that old great sword again."
Baldric smiled. "I know you would come. I've been told there's a cure."
Cort nodded. "That would do it. Yes. That would do it. One last adventure, eh? For the duke, may he rest in peace."
"For the duke," said Baldric.
Aleia had already spoken with two others who had agreed to work for her, or rather for Baldric. The first was Dedric. He was a young, stocky man eager for adventure and ready to sign up at the first made offer. Another soldier gained out of desperation. She doubted he had seen more than a border skirmish or two. Despite her inspiring words to the old Heritor, she would have preferred a younger fighter. Wisdom, patience and discipline: those were virtues for a general leading an army from the safety of his command tent in the rear. She would have preferred skilled, cunning, and ruthless if she had her choice. Baldric was simply someone she had known from a different time, though he had given no sign that he recognized. She had been little more than a girl at the time.
Axel was another lucky, if desperate, find. His elven blood showed clearly through his features and most wouldn't go near him. It was bad luck to pay gold for an elf merc. "Elf aid, freely given, is a rich blessing. Elf aid, bought with gold, is a curse rightly bestowed." So most payed elves with silver rather than gold, but it did little to alleviate her fears. She told herself she wasn't superstitious. She had seen Axel fight. He was probably a match for most Heritors, even. He just had the misfortune of being born in the wrong time.
Aleia pulled her hair loose and then, with a sigh, rubbed either side of her nose with both hands. "It's done."
Mark let the book fall to his chest. He lay stretched out on the bed, his boots on and swinging back and forth. "When do we sail?"
"Far quicker than I had expected. Within the week, on board the Dice and Sword."
Mark laughed. "A gambling name. I like it. Does the crew new what kind of gamble they're involved in?"
"Baldric can't exactly trust me yet. He doesn't know anything, so don't act like you know me. You're just a hired hand, just like anyone else."
Mark nodded. "We've talked it over more than once, Aleia."
Aleia sat down in chair in the corner that looked out on the wharf. She could smell the salt, the decay of dead fish, the sweat of men working hard. The sun was falling, casing out its dying colors on her face and into the room.
"I expect he'll ask around regarding me. If he's smart he will. He'll have people ask around.I'll bet he'll know a few things I wished he didn't by the end of the night. It couldn't be avoided."
Mark put his book down. He swung his legs around. "We'll out run Tark, then. That's good."
"Its not good. There's nothing good about this. I'm sick of being afraid, sick of running, and looking over my shoulder. I will find that pool, Mark, and I'll never be afraid again."
Mark picked up his hatched, swung his bow over his shoulders. "Aleia, fear will always follow you no matter what you do. You cling to life to hard."
"What else am I to do? And where do you think you're going?"
Mark shrugged. "For a walk. See what kind of talk is going on. That kind of thing. Good night."
Aleia muttered under her breath as he closed the door behind him. Leave it to Mark to get under her skin. He always did what he wanted and never listened to her. She sighed and with nothing to do, fretted about her calculations, recalculated and wondered if she had made an error somewhere.
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