He knew he would probably hate himself more in the morning, but at the moment, he was more concerned with finding a way to stay afloat. The warrior knew that his swimming skills were pretty good, and he certainly had the stamina, but he also knew that it would only be a matter of time before his own weight and exhaustion would drag him down; so he picked a direction and started a steady stroke. As he started swimming, he had time to let his mind wander and thought back to the events that led to his dilemma.
The young Barbarian warrior had reached the docks of Freeport with his head still in a spin over the sights of the city and the different races he had met. He had fought many battles to get here and probably could have gained a little more experience before venturing to Faydwer. But when he was younger, he saw the ancient sculptures that litter the barrens in Everfrost, and heard of legends about how in days of yore there once existed a tribe of dwarves that mined the peaks, and how the artisans of their day made these things and that the possible connection could be found in the city of Kaladim. So obsessed with this possible quest, that was the reason for him to be standing at this strange port waiting for his first boat ride. Waiting at the pier were two Ogres who kept bonking each other, and off to the corner was a dark elf; he guessed that these guys were used to the idea of crossing an ocean, but for the warrior, this was quite new to him.
"BOAT!" went up the shout and if by magic the wharf suddenly filled with noise and action; the air filled with music and spices, and the hawkers came out to personally greet the newcomers and of course, to wish those departing good cheer with a memento or two perhaps? Gracefully, the boat pulled up to the dock, and many different people got off; the warrior boarded the boat with the others that were waiting and set about exploring the ship. The bartender in the hold wasn't much of the talkative type, and his "special blend" that bellowed from his pipe made rotten socks smell like fresh air. The captain also was not much in the mood for conversation, for it seemed that he was a bit bored with what was an everyday thing to him, so the warrior went back out on deck and sat with the ogres and watched the scenery while they bonked themselves silly.
At Erollisi Island, another dark elf boarded, but this one was a lot more gregarious than the other one and soon had the Ogres up and dancing, even got a mate to pull out a harmonica and started playing the warrior with free booze and good conversation. The barbarian, as stout as he was, was soon reeling with the effects of the music, tides, and of course, the alcohol. He was a little annoyed when the other dark elf pulled his new friend aside to admonish him for his behavior, but the other dark elf just waved him off and came back to offer the warrior another drink. By his third sip, he knew that something was wrong, and he realized that the dark elf was carrying his purse and the other was rifling his things. "HEY THERE!" He shouted, but before he could move, the ogres had him pinned and held to the side of the boat. "Bah, such measly pickings," said the other dark elf, "just this badly dented sword and cheaply made shield." "No matter," said the other, "a few plats here, and we'll sell the rest for something. Sorry, my warrior friend, but you're a victim of bad timing, we need the coin, and you're in the way. Goodbye." With a nod, the elf smiled as the two ogres tossed him into the icy folds of the ocean. The warrior's reverie was completely snapped out of his head as he heard a faint wailing sound nearby. Swimming in that direction, he came upon a mermaid sitting on the rock, singing to herself. The warrior pulled himself up on the rock, and his last thought before darkness clouded his mind was that he would find a way to get his sword back; it may have been dented, but it was also his father's.
The sun pounded down its heat of the day, and now, with his head a little clearer, the warrior looked around and tried to decide what his best option was. He had food and water, that was no problem, but should he stay here and hope to see a boat go by, or take a chance and start swimming again? The warrior was about to jump back into the water when suddenly he spied a skiff in the distance. Quickly, he jumped in and made a beeline for it, and was about to pull himself aboard when his hand was whacked by an oar! "Hey!" said the warrior, "hey yourself" came from the boat. A head peered over, and the barbarian saw a gnome peering at him getting ready to whack him again. "Please," he said, "may I share a ride with you? I have just met with some misfortunes and need to find my way out of here." "Well," said the gnome, "at least that is a little more polite than just grabbing my boat. Follow me to that island, so I can let you get on board; otherwise, you will just swamp the boat here, and we will both be swimming." And with that, the warrior followed beside the boat to the island nearby. The gnome, who was a magician, had set sail from Butcherblock Mountains and had gotten off at the first stop, but by the time he had finished wandering around and stopping at the shops there, the boat had moved on, so he decided to rent a boat and do a slow troll to Erollisi Island. Fishing on the way since he was supposed to be on vacation anyway. When they reached the island, the gnome quickly hauled the skiff ashore and told the warrior to hurry aboard. The warrior no sooner got in the boat when a roar was heard in the distance, and a giant lizard was seen sniffing the air! The warrior set to stroke so hard and so fast, the gnome held on tight so he wouldn't fall out. Guided by the gnome's direction, they arrived at the right island in no time at all. The gnome lent the warrior 10 plat as they stood waiting for the boat to pull up to the wharf. "Take care, warrior. I hope you get your sword back and you find what you seek, and be careful in who you trust, for these are dangerous times with many dangerous places." The gnome waved goodbye to the warrior, and the warrior was glad to meet people like him.
The best surprise was when he finally reached the pier in Butcherblock Mountain, for as soon as he got off, he saw a high elf hawking wares hanging on the wall, and there amongst the goods sat his father's sword and his shield! After much haggling, being six plat poorer, he got back that which was to him actually priceless. So, to Kaladim, he set knowing that new adventures await him, hoping someday he may address the wrongs those dark elves done him.
Take care and quest well,
Mystikos Samaritan
