Fantasy AS WE WANDER- Voyage Of The Tigers Eye

[Cyan]

Sage was already making his way back to his post when his ears pricked at the sound of the bar wenches enraged shouts. It seemed that the drunkards from before hadn't been so inclined to quieting down and had instead settled for harassing the women. His eye narrowed into slits as one roughly grabbed onto the wenches arm, causing a bruise to form. At this point, others were trying to help but were either roughly pushed aside or intimidated by how many of the drunkards there seemed to be. Sage knew he needed to keep a low profile with those three near-by but he reasoned that if the wench dies then he would have to be the one serving drinks all damn night. So with an irritated sigh he made his way towards the commotion. He didn't even bother to draw their attention as he immediately socked the man who was holding the woman's arm causing him to let go. The wench stared at Sage with wide eyes before giving a thankful nod and scurrying off. It wasn't long until the mans companions were throwing fists and waving knives at him. He made quick work with all three and watched as the first one came scrambling to his feet. Now the mans first mistake was thinking he could run away. His second, was putting his hand on the table. With one swift movement, Sage grabbed the dagger from one of the incapacitated idiots and stabbed it straight through the mans hand, pinning the limb securely to the table. The drunkard gave a cry as he fell to his knees.


"Your no longer welcome," Sage muttered, ripping the knife from the man's flesh. He watched as the halfwit crawled his way to the exit, leaving a trail of blood behind him.


"Great, he left a mess"

 

[albin0fox]

Without a word Xull shoved xinns hand beside Jeannes and her own. "we be short by de compass, only." Her lips curled into a rather nasty, sharp toothed grin as she traced a finger over the river mark that crossed all three hands and stopped at the scrawled X upon the hand of the girl. "you be a mos valuable commodity, girl... or at leas' ye hand be." Xull went on to observe the waterlogged little thing and noticed some very telltale scars and traits in the way she carried herself. Perfect. "what skills did ya fo'ma masta bequeath t' ye?"

 

[albin0fox]

Anwen all but roared with laughter upon hearing the boys disgruntled murmur about a mess, and slapped a hand on his shoulder, abandoning her plan for kidnap, and ignoring the strong pull the moment her tattooed hand made contact with him. This lad deserved a right strong drink.


"laddie that were a fine show of chivalry."she grinned and gave the shoulder a light squeeze. "what say


I cordially invite ye to join me mates." If he refused she could kidnap him anyway. should he object with steel...well...another scar, another story, and life goes on.

 

[Cyan]

Sage eyed the women and recognized her as one of the drow's company. He still had the dagger in his hand and gripped it tightly before thrusting it onto the table, right side up. It would be pointless to up a fight now and Sage was smart enough to know he wouldn't win if he had chosen that course of action.


"...Alright"

 

[xxDragonEater95xx]

She was surprised by the make up of all their markings and how they seemed perfectly matched for one another, this was truly an interesting turn of events. The Drow-woman's icy grin seemed to show that she was pleased with this jigsaw puzzle coming together the way it did. Jeanne was caught off guard by the question. How did she know? Her head drooped a bit as she withdrew her hand and stared at the table in front of Xull. She wasn't sure how she should answer that question and surely didn't really want to talk about it with anyone, certainly not people she had just met.


She opted for answering the question without acknowledging the question. "As far as skills go...I'm an excellent cook, I ended up replacing a head chef, who wasn't too thrilled, I learned the sword," she was nervous and as such began to ramble, "Although I'm not so great with it, but I got praised for my speed and my reflexes from the instructor and guards alike," she recalled her beginnings of being used like a practice dummy by them all just for fun, "Ummm...how to speak properly in the face of company, how to carry myself, the proper way to act and respond..." she abruptly stopped herself, realizing she was describing her "Obedient School" training, which didn't bring back the fondest of memories.


She had accepted that she was a slave when that title was still apart of her life but now that she was free she tried her best, in the 7 days she has wandered about, to try not act with the freedom that came with it, which is harder said than done when that's the life that you were brought up in. She knew she bore a few noticeable scars that could be looked upon when she was fully clothed, but those didn't bother her as much as the rest that couldn't be seen.

 

[albin0fox]

"ye got de jabberin mout' of a mina bird on ye, dats f' suah." Xull actually smiled, in a manner that could almost be called fond. She may have been a serious woman, but this girl had a raging wake of spirit in her that would prove useful...and perhaps pleasant. So long as anwen doesn't manage to get the poor girl slobbering drunk, the two of them wouldn't be too much of a hindrance to order on the vessel. "Dere be fire in ye, girl. You put dat to good use on me ship, and assist in de galley, De 'onorable captain migh' deem ye a valued member I De crew. Can't be imaginin ye be wantin te stay in dis town."


___#___#___


anwen led the boy toward the table, chest puffing up proudly for supplying one more person to the quickly multiplying group. "best we wait till thae lass and thae Lady be finished Talking, aye?"


___#___#___


Xull merely looked at the boy while Jeanne spoke again. Yes...he was the one. It wasn't on his hand...but it was there, singing its sweet lullaby.

 

[Cyan]

Sage gave a curt nod and glanced at the drink in front of him before pushing it aside. He didn't drink. Instead he silently listened into the conversation. It seemed that the girl with the huge bust he served before was being offered a position on what could only sound like a pirate ship. Sage wasn't too surprised to find out that the intimidating women was a pirate, in fact he could care less what her current occupation was. He was more concerned about the probing look the drow seemed to throw his way. It felt like she was reading all of his secrets and there were some that only the dead would know.

 

[xxDragonEater95xx]

Jeanna smiled at the compliments. She surely didn't want to stay in this town and had no real destination in mind, but after seeing what she had just seen she sure that this is the place that was meant for her. With that realization came the truth that she would be boarding a ship that was definitely going to be full of people like the Murderiss and Scissor-Man, but if she didn't dive into this situation with a heart full of excitement then she knew she wouldn't be truly living. "I'd love that. This place is definitely not one for which I'd like to spend any extended period of time," she caught herself beginning to ramble and promptly stopped as she smiled widely. She noticed that the boy, who had served her a drink earlier, had been escorted over and she gave a quick wave and a smile before further examining her inked hand. The 'X' there made a lot more sense now and the voice and the dreams started to become more clearer, although she wasn't all too sure that they weren't just dreams and her imagination run wild after all the things she had endured over the years.

 

[Cyan]

Sage raised an eyebrow as the girl noticed his presence and gave a cheerful little wave. A pirate, an Asian, A woman that acted more like a man, and a naive girl. Then there was him. As far as they were concerned, he was just a simple tavern worker neglecting his duties and that's how he intended to keep it...for now. Sage gave another quick once over and decided that this was the most arbitrary group of people that he ever had the displeasure of meeting. It wasn't until he noticed the girl intently studying her hand and his eyes widened at what he saw. He realized with a start that everyone sitting in that table had a piece of the map somewhere on their bodies. He was growing increasingly suspicious about the drow's intentions and began slowly edging off the side of his seat. Sage was confident that he was fast enough to reach the door but was unsure if he would still be alive by the time he did.

 

[albin0fox]

With a great thump Xulls curved dagger was embedded in the table beside the boys hand, his sleeve caught snug by it. She hadn't even looked away from xinn, who was still smoking that pipe.


" best ye be stickin around whelp." She turned slowly to face him with a sick, twisted smirk. "dat face be too pretty fer me to be partin wit it so soon." she sniffs the air about him discreetly. "i be solid in me vows not to be killin virgins...a shame, should ye try t run."


___#___#___


Anwen tensed visibly hearing her speak of her...infamous habit. Its true, she never killed a virgin. So it stood that, should there be a virgin she had a mind to murder, she remedied that little problem before her blade found her victims throat. It was never plesant.

 

[Cyan]

Sage immediately stilled his hand, looking to the glinting blade and eventually up to its owner. He tried to keep the flush of warmth out of his cheeks as she proclaimed his virginity and shot a murderous glare at a couple of snickering eavesdroppers. Though her assumption was true it was completely by his own choice. It was a waste of time and he had no use to indulge in such activities.


"What exactly should I be staying for?" Sage asked, choosing his words carefully. He wasn't too keen on losing his hand just yet.

 

[albin0fox]

Xulls eyes pierced through his, and set one of the gems on the table. "take it in ya hand, boy. An tell me what it say to ye."

 

[Cyan]

Sage's eyes narrowed in curiosity as she set a seemingly ordinary gem in front of him. He reluctantly reached for the jewel and no sooner had the tips of his fingers touched its cold surface did the visions take over. Images of towering mountains,raging sea storms, and other obscure locations flashed like lightening through his eyes. Everything began to blur and darken together until he found himself once again at the bustling tavern. Sage relaxed his taught muscles and blinked once or twice to steady his nerves. He realized he had been gripping the gem tightly in his hand and slowly placed it back down on the table. It had been years since something like had ever happened and he hadn't been entirely prepared for the ordeal. Now he just had to decide whether he should share his unusually visions with a couple of strangers that he had only just recently met or to feign ignorance and die a stubborn idiot.


"...I saw...a map...along with different locations that seemed to relate to it..." He confessed, before glaring at the drow and her companions "What exactly does this all mean?"

 

[albin0fox]

It was with a knowing tap to the side of her nose that Xull answered, a growl skimming the edge of her voice. "It be callin to us boy. no treasure be meant te lay forgot'n so long as dis. Dere be magic in de love o plunder. And some come te love us back." Xulls face took on a serine expression, one very few had seen since her youth in the temples of the underdark. "dis one...she have a mind o her own...so long she be waitin to be foun'...but not a soul seen her for many tousand yeas. An ye may hide her call from de world..." She lifted a hand and held it before the boys face, "but not her guardians." and slowly it skimmed just over his form, as if searching, before halting above the tattoos location "ah...." She flashed him a smirk. "there it be."

 

[albin0fox]

Anwen watched interested as the Drow spoke again, speaking as if she knew the treasure, loved it...longed for it like a mother to a lost child...or perhaps the other way around. She was certainly the most in tune with the call...but she had been a priestess once. So it was only logical that she have a...special connection.

 

[xxDragonEater95xx]

Jeanne watched in silence as the exchange between the boy and Xull took place, hanging on to Xull's words and watching the boys reactions. She liked how alive Xull was about all of this and how she seemed to be fully engrossed in this task, and again Jeanne looked down at the 'X' on her hand, smiling as she muttered X marks the spot under her breath. She use to be an object, item, less than a person trapped in the confines of a manner with little hope, strange dreams and visions, and possibly slowly going mad, but now she was seated with people who she shared something special with and was much bigger than she could've ever imagined. She looked down at the table and grinned joyously.

 

[Cyan]

Sage was the embodiment of shock as her hand settled just above the center of his chest. It was as the women had said. He had gotten the mark done just where his heart lay beating, signifying its importance and to keep it as safe as his own life. It had hurt but the pain had been its own reward. "How?" He breathed, genuine curiosity rising from his ever present suspicions. He was intrigued but remained as guarded and cautious as ever.

 

[albin0fox]

Anwen noticed the smile on Jeannes face and leaned down to whisper into her ear. "if this voyage be a fruitful as promised, lass..." She ran a hand over the mountain range that skims under the beginnings of her fingers and down to the X. " ye may never need to work another blessed day in yer life...all those unpleasant things...ye can put them behind ye.

 

[albin0fox]

I be an 'onorable daughter O de God who hide it. " Xull said simply. "de stone in ye palm be from dat treasure...taken to de temple o de great Serpeah. Ye get dis from anoda man...he fust see dis at de age ye be, aye? Just short of eighty yeas ago...when me hand fust take de treasure from de temple. I be ova a century of age, boy. I be de one who staht de whole ting." She looked...rather smug about it.

 

[Beaurmont]

(Sorry mates, left for a while.)


Xinn watched as this all went down, this lot of women were as bit as entertaining as they were lethal. He kept smoking his pipe, listening in on everything going on around him. It seemed the pretty boy also had the same tattoo, bringing him into our little dangerous world. Shame really, they coulda had a easier life where they married and raised a family and...ah, well...who the hell wants that? Xinn looked at the pretty boy with his usual grin, puffin' out smoke like he was a steam engine. "Well boy, I'm just gonna make this easier on ya. Either you join tha' crew and go on an adventure with us...VERY likable people. Or. You can go on with you life missing a limb. Simple choice if ye ask me but eh, what do I know."

 

[albin0fox]

Anwen snorted "its on his chest, mate." She turned to the boy with absolutely no sympathy. He'd be a fool to pass up an opportunity like this. No point in getting attached to one. "There be no survivin a skinned chest laddie. And that be yer fate should ya turn us down." She leaned back in her chair with an easy going grin, kicking her boots up onto the table with her arms folded behind her head. "but I be woderin what ye have here that be any better than a voyage te infinate wealth. Seems te be a simple enough decision."

 

[Cyan]

Sage ran a hand through his hair and placed both his elbows on the table. That glass of beer was starting to look good.


"I already accepted when I touched that cursed gem..." He sighed.

 

[albin0fox]

Xull smirks and pockets the jewel once more. "den we all be in agreement? De ship and her captain be awaitin, ready to sail wit de mornin tide."

 

[Cyan]

Sage stood up from his seat and immediately raised his hands to show that he wasn't trying to run.


"I need to get my...valuables from the tavern cellar" He explained. Sage was only asking more out of formality. He'd risk being skinned alive if they wouldn't let him go and get his own personal 'treasures'.

 

[Beaurmont]

Xinn shrugged his shoulders, taking more hits from his pipe. "What exactly do ya need to bring with ya pretty boy? Anythin' valuable ye take with ya will be stolen within the night. I don' take nuthin' but what's on my person at all times." He whispered indifferently, if the guy gets his stuff taken it was not his problem. Hell, he might be the one to take it. He grinned deviously at the thought. "Don't goh too far now~" Xinn was feeling a bit playful and began rocking his chair back a bit.