The Sapphire Eagle

[A Nony Mouse]

Closed to Afin.
Follows the events of Washed Away

Stretching his arms out in a sleepy stupor, Travis’ fingers extended as he yawned widely. Finishing his yawn with a vigorous shake of his head, the traveler ran his fingers through his hair and looked out the window of his room at The Honeysuckle. Last nights torrential downpour seemed to have subsided, but the redhead was sure there was damage all over the city. By the Goddess, the streets had practically been rivers last night! Images of his black-clad savior falling into those swirling waters had haunted his sleep and the morning did little to erase them from his mind.

He glanced to the corner where his newly liberated polearm rested. The crimson wood held the dim morning light well, only serving to enhance the spear’s beauty in his eyes. Rising from the lumpy mattress that had been his solace for the past five hours or so, Travis pulled his tunic on over his head and turned to head out the door.

“I better take these with me,” he muttered groggily to himself. Grabbing his bracers and chainmail from their place near the door, he yanked them on and continued out into the hall. Food, that was the only thing on his mind as he slumped down the stairs and into the streets of Radasanth once again.

The change from the night before was astounding. Where there had been sheets of rain pummeling the vacant streets there were now stalls set up hastily by vendors looking to dupe unsuspecting citizens in to purchasing items that had no real value. Travis smiled knowingly as he passed several stands; the hawkers weren’t going to persuade him to part with his gold.

Spying a bakery down the street, he dodged puddles as he made his way toward its heavenly scent. The small pools of water and the dripping rooftops were the only testament to the maelstrom that had hit the city only hours earlier. It was hard to believe it was the same place.

After he purchased two warm rolls, the adventurer sat under a nearby overhang and pondered his next course of action. After battling in The Citadel yesterday and then stalking several miscreants around the flooded streets of the city, Radasanth was beginning to lose its appeal. Maybe it’s time to head back to Scara Brae, he thought to himself. There was plenty to do on the inviting isle and he had been meaning to check out the Dajas Pagoda; maybe now was the perfect time.

Smiling as he chewed on the fresh bread, he watched the passers-by for several minutes. Everyone in the city had a specific place to be; it seemed that no one simply took a walk to clear their minds or enjoy the weather. Travis missed the simplicity of the woods, he felt far more at home there. Swallowing the last of his roll, the traveler pulled out his hand-carved rywanwood ocarina and played a few tunes on it for fun.

People tossed small coins his way and Travis couldn’t help but shake his head. Not everything was about earning money; why did these people put such stock in it? Regardless, it was their choice and he left the gold on the street near him as he switched tunes. Playing the notes to his familiar’s summoning song; he then tucked the ocarina away and waited for the otter to show.

Ardinne splashed playfully through a puddle as she emerged from a nearby alley and ambled over to her master. The adventurer rubbed her head, happy to once again see his friend. He leaned contently against the wall, the horrors of the previous night receding from his mind as he watched the scarlet otter chase anything that walked by.

Travis closed his eyes, letting the sounds of the waking city wash over him and taking it all in. Soon he would return to the woods and be away from all the stress that Radasanth brought. Very soon.

[Afin]

“You? You!!…You destroyed everything my father owned!” The girl, who was only a few years older than Vesper, was screaming, half in tears. It was understandable, though, for she stood before the half destroyed wreckage that was once a tavern. A month earlier Vesper’s first mission and trial took place here, and she was attacked by Radasanth Thief Guild members, going into a rage and killing everyone inside. In the process she had managed to destroy one of the support beams of the inn and it took down an entire wing of the building. Now, Darith, the Lavinian Thief Guild Master, had sent her on a mission to try to regain some good will from the deceased owner of what was once a sanctuary. Fortunately the owner’s daughter had taken up the call to rebuild the inn. Vesper was to help.

“I…I’m sorry. It… was and accident. I really didn’t mean to hurt all those people, or your father. He was harboring people who my guild hates very much, and they killed my partner and friend. I’m so very sorry. But, I was sent here by the guild to help you raise funds to rebuild it, and do anything else I can do to get some good will back. Please understand, I want to help. Is there anything I can do?”

The girl had stopped crying as soon as Vesper began speaking, and listened very carefully. When she finished, she picked up her skirts and moved down the road to a caravan that was sitting there. Lifting back one of the flaps of the caravan she revealed what appeared to be a ton of junk. A coy smile spread across the newly appointed innkeeper’s face as she voiced her idea.

“Sell everything in this caravan to citizens of Radasanth. Everything here is useful, in its own way, and I’m sure it is a skill you could work on anyways. Also…if you want my good will…don’t kill anyone until you next see me. I’ll trust you, if you say you haven’t.”

Satisfied with her choice, the innkeeper girl turned and strode into her new business place. Slowly she began to work on removing destroyed furniture and junk out of it, with help from some muscle she had hired.

Vesper sighed deeply, but mounted the front of the caravan and drove it into the city. It would be a daunting task, but she was willing to take it on.

- - -

Three weeks later…

“And now I have…” Vesper began to say as she mounted the caravan to check what was left in it to sell, and found that only a small black kettle remained. It was only big enough to make tea for two people inside, but there was a small note attached that read ‘Charmed for Luck’. Groaning, she grabbed it and offered it to the person she had gained the attention of.

“A kettle charmed with luck so you’ll never burn anything made in it!” Vesper managed to say with her most excited voice, despite how dreadfully annoyed and bored she had grown with the task in the days. To her disappointment, the person simply shook his head politely and muttered a ‘No thanks’ before walking off into the rabble of the market. Everyone seemed very anxious about the good weather, following the horrible storm the previous night, but they weren’t so enthusiastic to buy from her.

Suddenly she spotted a man plating an ocarina. For a moment she was entrapped by the spell of the music, the kettle in one hand and her cap in the other. Simply staring blankly at the man, her mind swelled and floated to the beautiful tune, and her awareness drifted slowly back in as the music faded. Then a quick tune was played followed by an otter bounding up to him. The gratified smile on his face at the appearance of the animal made it obvious that the creature was a pet and friend. Something inside her nudged her to introduce herself, so she picked the kettle up and ran across the street to stand before him, holding it out like a golden prize.

“Sir, would you like to buy a special magical kettle? I promise you very much from the depths of my heart that you are the one who it wishes to be owned by!” Her voice, perky as can be, rang out, backed by a honest smile.

I know I'm not Ezra. We discussed it.

[A Nony Mouse]

A young boy ran up to him, shaking the traveler from his thoughts of leafy branches stretching over him. A magic kettle? “No,” the red-haired musician replied. “I have no interest in such a thing.” The gold thrown by the passing citizens on the city glimmered in the morning light, catching Travis’ attention. “But if you need money, feel free to take what’s there,” he told the lad, motioning to the coins. Resting his head back against the side of the building, the adventurer closed his eyes once more.

He’d arrived in Radasanth and immediately taken a liking to the place. It was much more than just a city; it housed the Citadel, several headquarters of various powergroups, a bazaar district, and plenty of taverns and inns. Nothing in Scara Brae even came close to it; the woodsman had been amazed. For weeks now the city had captivated his attention. But after the events of last night and his new perspective on things, Travis just didn’t see how he could remain.

Ardinne kept an eye on his belongings for him, ready to alert her master should any wandering fingers come too close. This gave Travis a sense of security and he was soon plunging once more into glorious dreams of oak and ash.

[Afin]

The short and uncaring response of the traveler didn’t really come to a surprise to Vesper. After all, she’d received responses almost identical to this one almost all day lone the last two days. However, as she glanced down at the coins on the ground considering what to do with them, she knew somewhere deep inside that this person was different. Something about how he held himself and his aura made her feel that sticking around him for a while would lead to good things. In that spirit, she knew the only plausible reason at the current moment that she would have to keep his presence would be in the selling of the kettle.

So…change my approach

“How about this, sir. I will give you anything you want if you simply take this kettle off my hands. Want some protection for a day or two, you got it. Want someone to accompany you into the woods for a nice walk and an intelligent conversation, I’m there. Whatever you want, within reasonable limits, if you just take it. I’ll consider the coins on the ground payment.”

She waited, eyeing the otter. It was, after all, a very strange animal to have as a pet. The thing was atrociously cute and every time she saw it prance about it made her heart flutter in the way that such adorable animals do. Despite every inch of her body trying to resist, she couldn’t, and found herself no longer paying attention to the man but instead was captivated by the entrancing power of the beast’s dementedly adorable nature.

Sinner would kill the beast, and hold her sweet friend Jeremiad to his throat until he begged to purchase the kettle. If Sinner had taken this task, it would have been done already.

The disturbing thought jolted her out of her reverie, leaving Vesper unsure of where it came from. Her mind wandered to Jeremiad's sheath that lay under her backpack, easily accessible but still hidden from sight. It sickened her to think that she actually considered it for a moment. Trying to put it past her, Vesper held out the kettle once more and smiled again, hoping her recent ploy would be more successful than the last.

[A Nony Mouse]

Irritated this time, Travis lifted his head and glared at the young lad. The new offer would have hooked many, but he still had his doubts. What was so bad about the kettle? Why did the boy want to get rid of it so badly? Cursed goods were not uncommon in the markets of Radasanth… Could this ‘enchanted’ kettle be one of them?

“No,” he stated firmly. “I have no desire for a magic kettle, boy.” Pushing himself up off the ground, the red-haired traveler motioned for Ardinne to scout ahead. The red river otter bounded away from the pair of humans and ambled alongside the street, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Their connection allowed Travis to enter Ardinne’s mind for a moment and see whatever she saw. Should the furry little creature stumble across something interesting, he would be able to check it out without risking his own safety.

Turning his attention back to the young hawker, he said once more with finality, “Go find someone else to pester.” Then, swiftly brushing past, he headed down the street toward the edge of the city. Rainwater still dripped lazily from the rooftops, reminding the musician once again of last night’s storm. I wonder what happened to my mysterious ally… When he reached a side alley, Travis abruptly turned down it, angling his course toward the warehouse district instead of the main gate. His curiosity needed answers; now he just had to remember where the black-clad man had disappeared…

Pausing in the other end of the alleyway, he stared intensely at the buildings around him. Nothing looked familiar; everything seemed different when he wasn’t fighting a downpour and stalking goons through the streets. Sighing in frustration, the adventurer plodded onward, hoping that something would spark his memory.