Torin Reahkari
03-06-14, 03:52 AM
So… What now?
"Now, I go back."
Back to what? Borna's dead. The Armada, most likely fallen to nothing. You have nothing to go back to.
"There's always home. I can go back home."
You have responsibilities. The Shadow need a leader.
"I put in my time. I bear my scars. I've buried one wife, lost another, for the sake of your damn symbiotes. I'm not going back to that."
You'd rather have another rise and come after you again?
"This has been my problem, my friends' problems, for far too long. I'm moving forward."
What is forward like to someone who controls Time?
Silence was the only answer I could give.
________________________________
"If yer gonna ride along, ye could at least help us load 'er up!"
Torins mind snapped back to reality. He was standing in the harbor of Radansath, at the end of a dock. His eyes scanned the moonlit horizon once more, the ever-familiar ocean stretching endlessly in front of him. He exhaled, turning to face whoever had shouted at him. A large, fat man, with a fiery orange beard stood in front of him. Based on the clothes he was wearing, Torin had to assume he was catching a ride on a fishing vessel.
"Isn't my gold enough?" Torin mumbled, looking over at the pile of crates. Salted meat, barrels of fresh water, and rice, not a single weapon or cannonball to be loaded.
"Aye, enough to get ye on the Fair Lady, but ye must earn yer keep on the trip, an' that starts now." the man chuckled, pointing to the barrels.
"Fine." Torin replied, ensuring to reflect his annoyance in his voice. He walked from the end of the dock to the pile in front of him, hoisting a barrel up onto his left shoulder. His shoulder buckled slightly, adjusting to the weight, as he brought it to a rest against his neck.
"Are these all going below?" He asked the man, looking over at the walkway to the small vessel where the man stood.
"Y'know, if there's one thing I've learnt here in Radansath, it's that nothin' should surprise ye anymore, but goodness boy, that barrels got to be over two 'undred pounds, and yer just tossing it 'round like it's a ball!"
"You don't get much news when you're out to sea, but I assure you the fact that I can lift this is miniscule in comparison to some of the things I've seen people barely short of gods do." Torin smiled, making his way up the walkway.
"My name's Torin. I'll do what I can to help make the journey easier, as long as you ensure to get me to Etheria, in Alerar." he calmly stated, making his way up the walkway.
"Aye. Ye can call me Gregor, boy. I'll get ye to where ye want to go. Been a long time since I've been to Etheria. 'ell, from what I've heard, been a long time since anyone’s been there." the man responded, extending a hand out towards Torin as approached the deck.
"It's a pleasure, Gregor," Torin responded, reaching out to shake his hand. "I'm aware Etheria's been off the trade list for a while now. Hopefully that will change soon." he finished, lowering the barrel onto the deck.
"Aye, and my ship'll turn into a dragon!" Gregor guffawed, laughing heartily.
"Stranger things happen every day around Althanas. I do have to say though, for a fishing vessel, she's quite nice. How many will be on this trip?" Torin queried. Boats like this were usually left untouched by pirates, as the loot wasn't worth the time. Still though…
“Aye that they do, that they do. Thank ya, sir. She's not much, but I love 'er all the same," Gregor replied airily, making his way up the walkway with another crate. "Twelve, includin' yerself. Why Etheria, anyways?" he asked, squinting towards Torin as he passed him.
Torin smirked, closing his eyes and leaning back against the railing, resting his forearms against it. So familiar. "Let's just say, it used to be a home away from home for me." he replied nonchalantly.
"Aye, well, ye best be careful when we reach port. I've 'eard some stories about pirates and thieves an' the like robbin' just about anyone tha' goes through there. Part of the reason we've stopped sellin' there, I reckon." the captain replied, opening his eyes wide. "I've even 'eard there's some crazy Elf calling himself the King o' the Pirates there. Guts jus' about anyone 'e sees fit to. Course, that's just what ye hear. With 'ow harsh the government is 'round here, I'd be surprised they'd let a fellow like that jus' run around." Gregor mumbled, passing by the pirate once again. Torin opened one eye and stared at the man in front of him.
"King of Pirates? Hm, that is interesting." Torin trailed. He turned around, leaning over the railing and looking down the dock. A group of guards walked along the docks, stopping to speak to each group in front of the many vessels littering the harbor.
'Not good.' a voice in Torins head suddenly rasped. "No, not at all." Torin thought, mostly to himself. The voice belonged to Serigae, the symbiote inside of him. 'So what are you going to do?' the voice replied, an edge of curiosity in his voice.
"Look, Gregor. We both know that leisurely travel is… Frowned upon here, at best. I'll double the gold if we leave tonight." The boy called, strutting across the deck of the small vessel. The Fair Lady wasn't much, maybe 40 feet from bow to stern, but she looked like she could get some speed if needed.
"Aye, boy. If ye want to keep throwin' yer gold at me to get ye out of here quietly, I won't say no." the large man replied, his beard twitching in a way that Torin could only assume was a smile.
"Good." Torin replied, making his way below deck. He removed Tanzalis from its sheath, burying it under a pile of riggings and rope. He stripped off his jacket and sheath as well, burying them in the pile.
'You still don't look like a fisherman.' Serigae mused lazily. "I'm aware, but it wasn't like this when I got here. A giant sword isn't exactly going to throw suspicions off." Torin snapped back, heading back topside. At least he looked like a normal person. Maybe he could play off that he was hired for protection.
"Aye, finish loading the crates, boys! We're castin' off in ten minutes!" Gregor bellowed. Torin looked past the walkway, seeing a group of men picking up crates and hurriedly bringing them onto the deck.
"So what's the story when they inevitably make it to this pier?" Torin asked, walking up next to Gregor. The giant man looked down to Torin.
"Hm. Well, ye can be my cartographer, y'see. I don't have a Mate here, so we can say I hired ye, aye?" Gregor replied, slapping a giant hand down on Torins shoulder. He winced slightly, staring over the railing at the piers. Torchlight and lanterns lit the area as people hurried home from journeys and jobs alike.
"That works for me. Although, I can't map routes for shit." Torin chuckled.
"Aye, leave that to me, lad." Gregor winked, his beard twitching again. "We'll deal with these guards when they arrive, then we'll 'ead off.” he continued, following Torins gaze down the dock.
"Pirate King." Torin thought to himself. Well, it would be fairly poetic for the Prince to overthrow the King, no?
"Now, I go back."
Back to what? Borna's dead. The Armada, most likely fallen to nothing. You have nothing to go back to.
"There's always home. I can go back home."
You have responsibilities. The Shadow need a leader.
"I put in my time. I bear my scars. I've buried one wife, lost another, for the sake of your damn symbiotes. I'm not going back to that."
You'd rather have another rise and come after you again?
"This has been my problem, my friends' problems, for far too long. I'm moving forward."
What is forward like to someone who controls Time?
Silence was the only answer I could give.
________________________________
"If yer gonna ride along, ye could at least help us load 'er up!"
Torins mind snapped back to reality. He was standing in the harbor of Radansath, at the end of a dock. His eyes scanned the moonlit horizon once more, the ever-familiar ocean stretching endlessly in front of him. He exhaled, turning to face whoever had shouted at him. A large, fat man, with a fiery orange beard stood in front of him. Based on the clothes he was wearing, Torin had to assume he was catching a ride on a fishing vessel.
"Isn't my gold enough?" Torin mumbled, looking over at the pile of crates. Salted meat, barrels of fresh water, and rice, not a single weapon or cannonball to be loaded.
"Aye, enough to get ye on the Fair Lady, but ye must earn yer keep on the trip, an' that starts now." the man chuckled, pointing to the barrels.
"Fine." Torin replied, ensuring to reflect his annoyance in his voice. He walked from the end of the dock to the pile in front of him, hoisting a barrel up onto his left shoulder. His shoulder buckled slightly, adjusting to the weight, as he brought it to a rest against his neck.
"Are these all going below?" He asked the man, looking over at the walkway to the small vessel where the man stood.
"Y'know, if there's one thing I've learnt here in Radansath, it's that nothin' should surprise ye anymore, but goodness boy, that barrels got to be over two 'undred pounds, and yer just tossing it 'round like it's a ball!"
"You don't get much news when you're out to sea, but I assure you the fact that I can lift this is miniscule in comparison to some of the things I've seen people barely short of gods do." Torin smiled, making his way up the walkway.
"My name's Torin. I'll do what I can to help make the journey easier, as long as you ensure to get me to Etheria, in Alerar." he calmly stated, making his way up the walkway.
"Aye. Ye can call me Gregor, boy. I'll get ye to where ye want to go. Been a long time since I've been to Etheria. 'ell, from what I've heard, been a long time since anyone’s been there." the man responded, extending a hand out towards Torin as approached the deck.
"It's a pleasure, Gregor," Torin responded, reaching out to shake his hand. "I'm aware Etheria's been off the trade list for a while now. Hopefully that will change soon." he finished, lowering the barrel onto the deck.
"Aye, and my ship'll turn into a dragon!" Gregor guffawed, laughing heartily.
"Stranger things happen every day around Althanas. I do have to say though, for a fishing vessel, she's quite nice. How many will be on this trip?" Torin queried. Boats like this were usually left untouched by pirates, as the loot wasn't worth the time. Still though…
“Aye that they do, that they do. Thank ya, sir. She's not much, but I love 'er all the same," Gregor replied airily, making his way up the walkway with another crate. "Twelve, includin' yerself. Why Etheria, anyways?" he asked, squinting towards Torin as he passed him.
Torin smirked, closing his eyes and leaning back against the railing, resting his forearms against it. So familiar. "Let's just say, it used to be a home away from home for me." he replied nonchalantly.
"Aye, well, ye best be careful when we reach port. I've 'eard some stories about pirates and thieves an' the like robbin' just about anyone tha' goes through there. Part of the reason we've stopped sellin' there, I reckon." the captain replied, opening his eyes wide. "I've even 'eard there's some crazy Elf calling himself the King o' the Pirates there. Guts jus' about anyone 'e sees fit to. Course, that's just what ye hear. With 'ow harsh the government is 'round here, I'd be surprised they'd let a fellow like that jus' run around." Gregor mumbled, passing by the pirate once again. Torin opened one eye and stared at the man in front of him.
"King of Pirates? Hm, that is interesting." Torin trailed. He turned around, leaning over the railing and looking down the dock. A group of guards walked along the docks, stopping to speak to each group in front of the many vessels littering the harbor.
'Not good.' a voice in Torins head suddenly rasped. "No, not at all." Torin thought, mostly to himself. The voice belonged to Serigae, the symbiote inside of him. 'So what are you going to do?' the voice replied, an edge of curiosity in his voice.
"Look, Gregor. We both know that leisurely travel is… Frowned upon here, at best. I'll double the gold if we leave tonight." The boy called, strutting across the deck of the small vessel. The Fair Lady wasn't much, maybe 40 feet from bow to stern, but she looked like she could get some speed if needed.
"Aye, boy. If ye want to keep throwin' yer gold at me to get ye out of here quietly, I won't say no." the large man replied, his beard twitching in a way that Torin could only assume was a smile.
"Good." Torin replied, making his way below deck. He removed Tanzalis from its sheath, burying it under a pile of riggings and rope. He stripped off his jacket and sheath as well, burying them in the pile.
'You still don't look like a fisherman.' Serigae mused lazily. "I'm aware, but it wasn't like this when I got here. A giant sword isn't exactly going to throw suspicions off." Torin snapped back, heading back topside. At least he looked like a normal person. Maybe he could play off that he was hired for protection.
"Aye, finish loading the crates, boys! We're castin' off in ten minutes!" Gregor bellowed. Torin looked past the walkway, seeing a group of men picking up crates and hurriedly bringing them onto the deck.
"So what's the story when they inevitably make it to this pier?" Torin asked, walking up next to Gregor. The giant man looked down to Torin.
"Hm. Well, ye can be my cartographer, y'see. I don't have a Mate here, so we can say I hired ye, aye?" Gregor replied, slapping a giant hand down on Torins shoulder. He winced slightly, staring over the railing at the piers. Torchlight and lanterns lit the area as people hurried home from journeys and jobs alike.
"That works for me. Although, I can't map routes for shit." Torin chuckled.
"Aye, leave that to me, lad." Gregor winked, his beard twitching again. "We'll deal with these guards when they arrive, then we'll 'ead off.” he continued, following Torins gaze down the dock.
"Pirate King." Torin thought to himself. Well, it would be fairly poetic for the Prince to overthrow the King, no?