Missteps V.2

Chapter 21 – Never Really Out

"Alright, so what's so important?" Iados asked Jahill, his eyes not leaving Lia's retreating form. His heart was still hammering.

The morning he'd left Rocklyn, he'd still held hope that she'd come running after him. He knew they needed the money, and if her only weakness was being horrible with money, then he'd step up and help. The gods only knew she didn't need his help in a fight.

Seeing her with one arm flecked with dried blood, the other black and blue and hanging limply in a sling, while her clothes were torn, and pieces of dried moss and other foliage were tangled in her hair, scared him. Whatever happened to her over the past few days, she was alone through it, and he hated it.

Jahill moved to where he was in front of Iados. "I need you to go to Osthom."

The akudaem's brow furrowed. "Why?"

"Winter's coming, and we're in need of supplies."

"Isn't that why you attacked the caravan, to get the supplies?" Iados's voice was harsher than he meant to. Even though he understood why his old crewmates had done it, it didn't mean he condoned it. He knew of at least one innocent person they'd killed, who didn't even have a chance to fight back.

"We didn't get everything we need, and we didn't think we could." Awill said this time. "We attacked them for their money, not their goods."

"So now you're going to use the money to buy supplies like honest citizens?" Iados turned around and moved till the four of them left were facing each other.

"It's the same tactic we used on The Howling King." Awill crossed her arms and faced down Iados. He noticed that the female half-orc had moved to stand next to Jahill.

Iados placed a hand on his hip as he scratched the back of his head. "Why me? Why not one of you?"

"Kils will be going as well, don't worry." Jahill sat down on top of a barrel, folding his legs up under him. "We need you to go because Caradoc likes you best. We were thinking of sending Kils and Peblin but-"

"Caradoc still owes me a favor." Iados sighed. He thought his days of pirating were behind him, but even on land he couldn't seem to escape it. "What about our little ocean problem?"

"Be quick and you should be good. Try not spend more than a couple of hours in town." Jahill advised.

Iados sighed heavily. "Fine, when do I leave?"

"Just after lunch."

"Can't it be tomorrow morning, please?"

"No, this needs to be done as soon as possible. Don't worry, your girlfriend will be safe with us." Jahill hopped down.

"She's not my girlfriend." Iados said. Jahill grinned and clapped Iados on the shoulder.

"Whatever you say." The elf grinned and walked off, Peblin on his heels.

"Since when did Jahill decide to settle down?" Iados asked Awill as he watched a couple he never expected walk off.

"Wasn't really a decision." Awill gestured for Iados to follow her. "After we all went our separate ways, he and I ended up in Esterwill chasing down old debts. Peblin and Jahill had spent a few nights together almost a year ago, and since she was the only person we knew in town we looked her up. Last thing we expected to see was a purple baby with pointed ears." The half-orc laughed loudly, sending a few birds flying into the air. "As soon as Peblin confirmed that the kid was his, Jahill proposed."

Iados still wasn't convinced. "Jahill hates kids. I legit watched him kick a kid out of the way once."

The half-orc chuckled. "True, right now Jahill only tolerates the kid, and only because they share blood. He's by no means a paternal figure, but he's determined not to be a deadbeat father. Guess more of the Captain rubbed off on him than he thought." Awill sighed heavily, and Iados clapped her shoulder.

Their Captain, Captain Eldon, had been a gnome of certain beliefs and rules. He'd run his ship according to a code, and he never strayed. The most dominant of that code, was that you could only be faithful to a single family. He preached that a person had three families in life.

The first family was the family you were born into and the ones who raised you. Hopefully these were the same people, but if not, then you counted the ones you shaped your early beliefs around.

Your second family was made up of the people you surrounded yourself with. Your friends, your comrades. For everyone on The Howling King, they were each other's second family.

The third family, was the one you made. This consisted of those you married or entered into other romantic or legal bindings with. This was the family where the next generation came from.

Another of the captain's sacred codes, was that children were never to be harmed. For this reason, any man or woman who became a parent while serving on The Howling King was forced to leave. After someone becomes a parent, in Eldon's eyes, their whole world then revolved around their children. It was up to them to teach them to survive in the world, and help them grow up and become productive members of it. Iados had seen many a crewmate leave the ship due to this code. In Eldon's eyes, abandoning their child or not recognizing it was just as harmful to the kid as slitting their throat.

Captain Eldon had lost his own family, many years ago. Instead of being home, he'd been on the sea. Word had never reached him of his family's death till a year later when he'd returned home to the burned remains of his house. In his grief he went back out to sea, and never let a member of his crew make the same mistake. Family meant everything to Captain Eldon.

Awill and Iados reached a supply tent and began packing supplies for him and Kils. As they packed the bags, the two of them fell back into the easy camaraderie established over years of being at sea.

Awill was the only female that had ever served for an extended period of time aboard The Howling King. Captain Eldon had bought her from a slaver when she was only a year old. She'd grown up at sea, with the crew and the Captain being the only family she'd ever known. In fact, it was Awill who had plucked Iados out of the water after they'd attacked his merchant vessel.

Iados bent over and began picking through the supplies, grabbing the ones he'd recognized as his. "What kind of supplies will I be fetching?"

"Heat and food sources." Awill explained as she pulled out a worn bedroll. "We got enough from the caravan that we can build shelters enough to last, but are our main concerns are freezing and starvation."

"Why didn't you bring more supplies with you when you left Esterwill?" Iados moved over to a small weapons rack and picked out a new sword, to replace the one broken in the settlement.

"It was more of a 'grab and go' evacuation than a planned event." Awill grunted as she tightened the straps of the pack around the bedroll. "Besides, most of the kids and adults we evacuated were akudaems, and the merchants in town would barely sell them food let alone survival goods."

Iados sighed heavily. "I don't remember tensions being that bad."

"When was the last time you actually went home?"

He had to think for a minute. "Two or three years, I think. Mom wasn't exactly excited with my career choice."

Awill nodded. "You were pretty young when you left, and you're parents probably shielded you from the worst of it. Take my word for it, it's bad now. I would not recommend you going there anytime soon."

Iados gave a heavy sigh. He knew it'd only cause an argument to tell her that he fully intended on going home. Not just because he had to meet up with his group, but he was worried about his family. Logically he knew that being at the monastery was probably the safest place in that town, but his parents had started their careers in the army. He knew that if anything happened, they'd be the first ones in the fray.

"Changing the subject," The half-orc grinned mischievously. "What's the story between you and Lia?"

"We're friends," Iados hauled his full pack onto his back. "I've told you this."

She shook her head. "You told us that she was in Rocklyn, and that you needed to meet back up with her at some point. You didn't tell us that she was a badass who'd follow your ass into the woods. Also, that hug you gave her; that was not a friendly hug."

"Ok, fine. We were sleeping together, till she broke it off."

"Ah, now I see what happened." Awill nodded solemnly, picked up her pack, and left.

"You see what?" Iados called out as he followed her. Awill headed for a small, makeshift corral filled with horses.

"You did what you always do. It's to be expected." Awill dropped the pack, jumped the 6-foot wall in a single bound, and began rounding up a couple of horses.

Iados raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'what I always do'?"

"You're afraid of commitment, it's nothing to be ashamed of." The horses had decided that it was playtime, and were taking great enjoyment in running just out of Awill's reach.

"I want the black one!" Kilsomir called out as he jogged over to them.

"How's Lia?" Iados asked once Kils had joined him outside the fence.

The older man shrugged. "Under Hecelina's care. Hecelina said she'd broken her arm in three places."

The violet face winced. "Did she say how she'd broken her arm?"

"Yeah, claims to have fallen out of a tree while hiding from a gang of goblins." Kils pulled a piece of hard tack out of his pocket and started chewing on it. "I take it Jahill told you about our errand?"

Iados nodded. "You ever been to Osthom?" Kils was still a stranger to him, though they'd met in passing. He'd been part of a friendly pirate vessel that had come to The Howling King's aid once or twice, and them theirs.

"Loads of times, though it's been a few years. I was stationed there with the army for a while." Kils laughed as he watched Awill trip and fall face-first in the dirt.

"You know," Awill called out. "You two could be getting the saddles and whatnot ready."

"We're on our lunch break!" Kils pulled out another piece of hard tack and handed it to Iados. He pulled out a third piece and held it up. "Want one?"

Awill stopped, looked at the horses who were still avoiding her, and shrugged. "Why not." She bounded over the fence again, hitting the ground with a hard thud.

"So, what were you two talking about?" Kils handed the piece over and the three of them settled themselves on the ground.

"Iados's fear of commitment." Awill took a large bite of the tack.

"I do not have a fear of commitment." Iados said exasperated. "Why would you think that?"

"It's pretty obvious." Jahill said as he came up behind Awill. The elf settled himself on the ground as well, after he tossed a clinking bag to Kils. "There should be enough in there to cover everything, and the list is inside of what we're looking for, plus a few alternates if needed."

"I'm sorry, but what's so obvious? I have a pretty good dating life." Iados was genuinely curious now.

"Dating, yes. You're good at the meet-cute, tumble in the sack, first month romance, but your 'dates' hardly ever last a second month." Jahill explained as pulled out his own piece of hard tack. "The minute they start talking about their feelings, or say that they want more out of the relationship than just sex, you're gone."

"You don't do feelings," Awill mumbled around a mouthful of tack. "You can talk a good game, but you can't deliver."

Iados's jaw dropped in shock. "What's wrong with just keeping the fun stuff? Keeping the relationship uncomplicated?"

"What's wrong is that you can't grow a relationship like that." Jahill hung his head. "Imagine if The Howling King was populated by a crew of people who just played cards together and got drunk. We never took the time to understand each other, we were never honest with our feelings on situations or people. What do you think would have happened?"

Iados just looked at Jahill and blinked blankly.

Kilsomir laughed. "New tactic Jahill."

Jahill thought for a minute and then snapped his fingers. "Awill, do you remember that trader a few years back, the one who tried to sell us the pixie?"

Awill nodded and rolled up her pants legs. "Blasted thing left a scar. What about it?"

"You remember what you told me?"

The half-orc thought for a moment. "Yeah, I said that I got a bad feeling off the guy. I remember that my whole stomach was in knots."

Jahill nodded. "I could have very easily have just written it off as you having gas, but because we knew each other and I trusted your instincts, I turned him down."

"Ja, you killed him." Awill corrected. "You started a whole fight with his crew, and you, me, and Onivid had to jump overboard and swim the twenty miles back to The Howling King."

"How'd you get the pixie bite?" Kils asked.

Awill grimaced. "Someone knocked its damn cage open and it got out. I nearly stepped on it and it bit me for my trouble."

"The point of the story, is that we trusted each other." Jahill explained as he drew everyone's attention again. "I trusted that Awill and Onivid would have my back, and they trusted that I knew what I was doing. That kind of trust and understanding is what you are incapable of building in a relationship. You're scared of being that close to another person."

Iados opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out. He couldn't deny that Jahill had a point. His longest relationship to date was one he'd had with a fellow crewmember. He and Sinen had been crewmates for almost a year before they'd started dating. Iados remembered that relationship feeling different than others that he'd had, he had felt closer to Sinen than anyone else. It'd hurt when Sinen had left the ship without him.

His time with Lia though, had felt different. Being with her seemed so natural that he'd had to remind himself several times that they were still strangers.

Besides, how could he trust her, when he knew she was hiding something? He'd watched her struggle for an entire month to write a single letter to her Uncle. He saw the look of worry and pain that she got on her face as she read that journal over and over. Lia knew more about the settlement and its inhabitants than she let on. If she didn't trust him to tell him the truth, then how could he trust her with anything?

As he let his thoughts wander, his fingers unconsciously entered one of the many pockets of his pants. Inside, his fingers grazed the cold medal of the holy symbol he'd taken off the corpse of the dwarven Head Priest. Numerous times he'd wanted to pull it out and question Lia about it, but every time he'd hesitated and the moment seemed lost.

All too soon Jahill announced that break time was over. Together the four of them corralled two horses and quickly got them saddled. Jahill walked with them to the edge of the camp. He was giving them final instructions and handing over a small map when they were interrupted.

"What's going on?" Lia approached the group.

"I'm sending them on an errand to Osthom." Jahill answered, as he and everyone noticed the heavy bandaging on Lia's arm. The arm was bandaged from shoulder to wrist, and secured in a sturdy sling that cradled it to her torso. The moss and blood flecks were gone, and she'd been given a change of clothes.

"Now?" Lia's gaze was locked on to Iados. "I was hoping we could talk."

Iados slid off his horse. "Five minutes," he whispered to Jahill as he walked past. He guided Lia into a nearby tent. "How's the arm?"

"Set," Lia grinned. "With a bit of magic, Hecelina's confident that it'll be good as new in a couple of weeks."

Iados's face twisted in confusion. "Why not just completely heal it now?"

Lia scoffed. "She's of the opinion that if we've got the time, we should let it heal naturally a bit. Something about strengthening the bone or something."

"So, does that mean you're going to stick around here for a while?" The akudaem asked.

Lia nodded. "Hecelina asked me to, actually. Some of my training from the Sanctum might come in handy getting this place ready for the winter. I will have to make a trip back to Rocklyn at some point though, I left all my gear at the Inn."

"Hey, speaking of the Sanctum, I've got a question." Iados's hand started to twitch, ready to delve into his pocket.

"Oh, what?" It was hard to miss the sudden squaring of shoulders as Lia braced for the question.

Iados hesitated for a moment, before he chickened. His hand relaxed. "Did you ever finish that letter to your Uncle?"

Lia hung her head. "No, I haven't."

"Oh, I thought if you had that I could have delivered it while I was out." Iados knew that that wasn't what he really wanted to ask, but it was what came out.

"How long do you think you'll be gone?"

He shrugged. "It's at least a few days journey on horseback to Osthom, and who knows how long it'll be getting the equipment we're looking for. Could be a few weeks to a couple of months."

"Well don't forget that we have to meet up with everyone in a couple of months. I'll stay here till you get back, and then we can head out together. Safe travels." Lia reached up and pecked him on the cheek. To Iados it almost seemed as if she was aiming for his lips, and then suddenly redirected. He watched her leave the tent, with an urge to grab her arm and redirect that kiss back, but the unanswered questions and doubt swirling in his head stopped him. He wasn't sure if it could just be called a fear of commitment that stopped him, or if there really was something more.

With a shake of his head he returned to his horse and him and Kils headed out.

By nightfall the two of them had reached the main road that would take them all the way to Osthom.

The next morning the duo had barely started out before trouble struck. As they sauntered along at a reasonable pace, a large brown bear ambled out of the trees. Kils horse reacted very badly, rearing up and running off the trail. The bear didn't even notice as it ambled along to the other side of the road and back into the trees.

Iados steered his horse after Kils. Unfortunately, the horse fell victim to a bear trap. Its front leg was trapped in the jaw and it took several minutes for the two of them to disable the trap. Thankfully the damage wasn't so severe that Kils couldn't heal the appendage.

For the rest of their trip, the weather was awful. The first real cold front swept through the area sending flurries into their tent at night. The temperature would hover in the fifties during the day, and then plummet down into the teens at night. Once or twice the boys took shelter in abandoned homes that were large enough to bring the horses in with them.

Finally, after a week of horrible travel, they arrived at the port city of Osthom. They knew they'd been getting close when they'd started running into the patrols twenty miles out. Shortly after that the saltiness of the sea air began hitting their nostrils.

Osthom was an interesting city. It was probably the largest city in Marblebrooke after the capital, and had the biggest standing army. The city government was under the control of the military. The city itself had a history of being invaded by marauding orc gangs, goblin raids, and even a troll invasion in the sewers once.

Just across the Parting Strait lay the Kingdom of Liratha, and the Strait was the quickest way to get from the Onyx Sea in the North to the Sapphire Ocean in the South. Ships could try to go around the two large continents, but it could literally be months out of the way. Needless to say the port was a large part of the local economy.

All kinds of sea vessels docked and traded in town. Everything from two-bit pirate vessels to diplomatic envoys. If you were looking to buy or sell anything, you could do it in Osthom.

Iados was more familiar with the thieves' guild. It was an open secret that the guild cooperated with the military. In fact, in town the two groups were affectionately referred to as the 'Night Barony' and 'Knights of the Light', and together they were the Night-Light Protectorate. Politics, city management, and large-scale militaristic maneuvers were under the purview of the Knights; while commerce, inter-city crime, and the black market was left up to the Barony. The system wasn't perfect, but it worked.

"Where do you think Caradoc is nowadays?" Kils asked as the two of them shuffled through the main gate.

A large wall lined the perimeter of the city, though it wasn't just a wall. It also served as the military's headquarters. Iados had only ever been inside a portion of it when he'd spent a few nights in a jail cell. There were three gates into the city, though gate is a bit of a misnomer. In actuality they were half a mile long tunnels, designed to bottleneck intruders. Arrow slits lined the walls of the tunnel, and Iados had counted at least four or five trap mechanisms. The wall complex was truly a masterpiece, a masterpiece that was at least four hundred years old.

"I figured we'd try the guild headquarters first." Iados tugged at the hood covering his horns down further. He was going for an inconspicuous look, as there were a few people in town that he owed money to.

Kils led the way towards the waterfront. "So what's this favor that Caradoc owes you anyway?"

Iados sighed. "It's kind of complicated. I was drinking at a local bar one night with the son of an old friend of Caradoc's. Well, somehow a bar fight broke out and I stopped it. Turned out that in the bar that night was an envoy from Liratha who'd taken a wrong turn. Caradoc was grateful to me for stopping a 'potential political incident'."

Kils laughed. "How'd you stop the fight?"

"I made the whole building shake." Iados pointed at his horns. "Little trick thanks to my demonic heritage."

The walk to the waterfront took about thirty minutes. Street signs written in four different languages led the way to all the main spots in town. As they got closer to the waterfront, Iados started feeling nervous.

They started passing stalls selling fish so fresh that they were swimming in large tubs of seawater. One woman was using a bucket of seawater to clean out shells. A child ran down the street, burdened with a large bucket of water.

Iados eyed of all the water around him carefully. "Hey Kils, quick question."

"What's up?"

"Did Jahill and Awill happen to tell you why we all came ashore?" Iados moved so that his horse blocked him on one side and Kils on the other.

Kils rubbed his chin for a minute, thinking. "No, they didn't, come to think of it. I don't think I ever even asked. Is it a good story?"

The akudaem gulped. "It's a doozy. Remind me to tell you about it later." Iados quickened his pace.

The Waterfront District was what the stone wharf that spanned the whole of the south-west side of town was called. From there multiple piers splintered off holding markets, harbors, docks, fisheries, everything. There were a handful of beach spots left untouched, but everything else jutted off into the water.

Coming down the end of the main drive leading to the Waterfront, a large three-story building was the first thing anyone could see. The building sat on a large rocky island about a mile from the Wharf, with a stone bridge connecting it to the mainland.

Iados and Kils crossed the bridge, passing a sign that proclaimed the large building as 'Wharf Operations'. The building was made of a dark, weathered stone. There weren't many in the way of windows, but what there were tall and narrow, more akin to large arrow slits, with thick-paned glass. The building had been designed to withstand ocean storms.

"You know, I don't think we can bring the horses inside." Kils commented as they drew up to the building.

"We can take them for you." Two children called, drawing their attention. They were sitting on a wooden bench next to a stone ramp that spiraled down out of sight.

Kils and Iados took their packs off the horses. "Where are you taking them?"

"There's a stable downstairs." The girl answered as she fed each horse a sugar pill. The other kid, a boy who seemed to be the oldest pulled a silver coin out of his pocket and handed it over.

"You'll need to turn this in to get the horses back. My names Gabriel, and this is Avi, if anyone asks." Gabriel handed the reins over to Avi, who led the horses down the ramp. With a nod to Kils and Iados, Gabriel went back to the bench.

"Think we'll have to pay to get them back?" Kils pocketed the silver coin.

Iados grinned. "I'm sure we can work something out with Caradoc." He walked over to the large double metal doors and knocked. On the right, a steel plate lifted up revealing a dwarf. He sat at a large desk, his face almost completely hidden by the large beard that was decorated with a myriad of sparkling jewels.

"Business?" He asked gruffly as he pulled a piece of parchment out and inked up a quill.

"We're here to see Caradoc." Iados told him. "My name is Iados, formerly of The Howling King, and this is Kilsomir."

The dwarf hurriedly pulled out a large red leather-bound book and began to consult it. A few minutes later he looked up. "Says here that The Howling King is no longer active."

"That's why I said 'formerly'." Iados flashed the dwarf a large grin. "We just need to see Caradoc, he owes me a favor and I'm calling it in."

The dwarf eyed them suspiciously. "Two gold will get you in the door, and ten silver will see that Caradoc receives the message. Whether or not he answers it is up to him."

"That's all we want." Iados nudged Kils and inclined his head towards the dwarf.

"You want me to pay?" Kils whispered harshly.

The violet head nodded. "I'd pay, but Awill took the rest of my money the other night at poker."

With a silent glare at Iados, Kils handed over the money. The dwarf offered up the parchment and quill and Iados quickly wrote out the message.

"How's Caradoc's temperament these days?" He asked as he handed the quill back.

"Lousy, his daughter's getting married." The screen slammed shut. A moment later the large metallic door opened and the two of them went inside.