Sea with your EYES! (Wrenmae)

[Wrenmae]

Wrenmae shook his head, stumbling down the path Bob had pointed out. Sunberth...the name was somewhat familiar, but he didn't make the connection, not completely. The events of the previous nights still haunted him, exhausted him, wore at the corners of his sanity. Maybe Bob could tell the young man was a little unhinged, but luckily for the dwarf, the storyteller was no callous killer.

"Sunberth...where is that? Where are we...exactly. Sylira?" There was a raw sort of hopefulness in his voice, the kind that honestly could not fathom how he'd managed to complete his journey. Miles from home, in the company of a lying dwarf and perhaps exactly where he was supposed to be. There was some sort of providence in that. Maybe there was some benevolent force watching for his well being.

But of course, he always kept his nose sharp for the smell of rich cigar smoke.

Vayt was always watching.

"I can carry," he gasped, offering a small smile at the dwarf, "I'll appreciate you just showing me a place I can recuperate for a little." Hefting the pack on his shoulders, Wrenmae pushed into Bob's mind again, already feeling a bit guilty for the duplicity he'd used before. Instead of forcing the small fellow to believe his lies, Wrenmae refreshed him, pushing his mind to enjoy itself that much more, a mantra of enjoying the fact he was helping others. Really it was second nature to him now...reach out with hypnotism.

His left eye twitched uncontrollably, blood spasmed suddenly in his eyes and mouth. He coughed, falling to a knee and spitting out droplets of crimson onto the path, unable to catch his breath. He held out a hand, falling onto his face and tasting dirt.

"I'm...I'm..." but he hadn't enough energy to finish the sentence, opting instead to be quiet and lay on the earth just a little longer.

"I'm sorry," he breathed at last taking a deep breath and rubbing blood from his eyes. His mind felt raw, like it ran through a bucket of knives. "This is all...not the way I'd have liked to meet. I guess...heh, I guess I could have asked for a better first impression."

[Bob Barton]

How could this person not know where Sunberth is, or even Sylira is? Bob would not have expected something like this but then again he had stayed and moved throughout the region throughout his life. Mostly in Zeltiva and Syliras and a few seasons in all the rest but at least he has the experience. "Yes we are in the wilderness of Sylira. How have you survived here? You really need a group just like I told you..." It was not a group of survivors as Bob had suggested but a group of allies and friends who will stick by you and help you out when you need it especially in "Sunberth. It is one of the most ruthless and horrible places a person can live in, or one of the more free and interesting places depending on how you want to look at it." For Bob it was a little bit of a mix of both and he experienced fear and excitement throughout the time he was in the city with "no laws, no order, no nothing unless you get it for yourself." In fact Wrenmae might think after experiencing it for a while that it could be even more dangerous than the wilderness that they were in with its own dangers and monsters.

Bob learned a lot from that place really so it was not Wrenmae but what Sunberth taught him when he told the man "I can carry it by myself thank you" with a smile so that he would not seem rude. There was no telling when someone might grab his things and run off with it only never to return but it will not be a problem here. "See?" Bob asked moving over to Wrenmae who already collapsed to take back his bag and preparing to leave again but fortunately for Wrenmae he did his little suggestion. Which was worse at this point? Hypnotism or light powers but the latter had a boar so this one was not as bad yet. Instead of moving his legs, Bob moved his hands and tried to get back the man on his feet who he could see as "you don't seem to have recovered yet so I cannot hold that against you." Wrenmae's introduction was not the worst that Bob had seen anyway so "lets just get you over to civilization" or the closest that it can be here.

Speaking of civilization, "where did you come from?" Crossing the Suvan Sea would have been very far and from Bob's experience with sailors docking at the Suvan there were only a few cities that he had heard of. "Riverfall with all the women trying to get akalak protection? Yahebah with all the exotic ladies? Alvadas with all the fine arts?" Those were pretty much the more popular destinations for obvious reasons and "you are going to have a real culture shock when you get to Sunberth" since those other places sound a lot more safer and then Bob just stopped talking. Waiting until Wrenmae answered his questions at least to satisfy his curiousity before continuing with any words of advice or idle chatter.

[Wrenmae]

Wrenmae chuckled, waving away the short man's questions with tired hands. A bit of mirth had returned to him, a slow rise toward a common end of balance. The desperation of wandering in no direction, living off the land, doing his best to keep sane. All of that paid off in the end. Here was a denizen of Sunberth to lead him back to civilization.

Fate certainly took its time.

"Alvadas," Wrenmae answered Bob, staggering beneath the weight of his bag, "Curious place, but it's where I've lived the longest so I suppose it's home." They wound around the path in the forest, settling onto commonly used wagon trails as rutted wheel imprints led the way, the wake of past travel.

"If you ever cross the Suvan, I'd recommend the place if you're looking for a change." He was wistful, wandering back through the canals of his mind to his life there. Kit, and Abalia, and everyone else he had run into. Life certainly was curious in the city of Illusion. Even so, the danger with his blessing made it problematic to stay where he was loathe to leave. Not that it mattered anymore, miles from the Suvan and farther from his home...but still, it hurt to think that he might not return there.

"To enter the city one must pass beneath a Talking gate, and if you've never seen its like before, it can be alarming." Striding forward, he closed the distance between him and Bob, loathe to slow down and get lost again. "The streets twist and turn, sometimes with no ends and sometimes back on themselves, and that isn't to mention the garden maze and several other homages to Ionu of Illusion."

He fell quite a moment, not sure what more to speak of. He didn't want to say how he got here, or why he traveled with no one...it didn't seem right. He did not want the inevitable questions to follow.

Why he had left his home

What he was doing out here.

"I...lost the people I was traveling with when my boat sank," he said at last, his voice dropping in somber octave, "I suppose I just had to carry on without them."

The silence between them at the comment was uncomfortable and Wrenmae was quick to fill the void. "Tell me of Sunberth then, should I be wary? What manner of lodging can I find there, and...err...well I suppose I'll let you talk then, shall I?"

He grinned sheepishly, losing himself in a tumult of words.

[Bob Barton]

Alvadas with all the artsy types? Even if Bob put out the city in the group he did not expect Wrenmae to have actually came from there since "you don't seem like a stuffed shirt" which was an image he had of those who took to intellectual pursuits like those he knew in Zeltiva. Of course it might be because he looked as much a wreck as whatever ship he came from would be so "you better get cleaned up once we reach Sunberth. The springs might actually be a good place to be in" since it was at the outskirts of the city and so a lot further from all its troubles "until you recover your strength enough to take care of yourself" and he was really going to need it if the only ability he had was that of the mind.

Of course Bob could be wrong about that as well. As Wrenmae explained more about Alvadas, Bob began to envision the city a little bit differently and that made him think of the people who made it like Wrenmae in a different way as well. Still one of those brainy people but "you look like a smart guy" as in like the street smart rats of Sunberth since Bob could draw similarities of their ragged and tattered with the ruined survivor's clothes he saw before him. "Maybe that was how you survived where the others were lost" Bob thought to himself aloud because it could mean that Wrenmae was the only one from Alvadas and the rest of the ship's crew could be from elsewhere.

"So people in a big city must be brought up really well then?" and here Bob was thinking that the best place to bring up a child was in Zeltiva with its good education and its superior navy. Big, Bob thought because "you cannot even memorize the streets? Maybe you should get a map. No shame in getting something to help you even if you are a local." All of this was the things that Bob had decided on talking about to get to know his man more instead of that inevitable question which accidentally came from a comment that "you are not looking for change?" because Bob appreciated that everyone had their own reasons for travelling. For himself, it was the thrill of adventure and the rush of danger.

Did Wrenmae finally get the hints? "Lots. It is no Syliras, Ravok or Zeltiva if you are asking" giving a very quick comparison of all the cities in the region he had already been in with the one important aspect of civilization that "there are no laws, and enforcement is all up to whoever is bigger" or stronger or more powerful or more influential but bigger really fit in for Bob. "Just be inconspicuous and don't get any wrong attention" like Bob has already been doing "and you will be fine. Also if you have a weapon it is better to let everyone see that you have it and you can use it or at least keep it where you can easily get it" much like the canesword he always had with him. Hopefully this was enough for information for Wrenmae to guess the nature of Sunberth but if he had not yet, Bob was always still open for "anymore questions?"

[Wrenmae]

Wrenmae nodded along with Bob's descriptions, pulling his two daggers out of his pack and fixating them to his side. Sunberth sounded dangerous, the sort of place wild with adventure and opportunity. Hefting his pack against his back again, Wrenmae pushed onward. Sunberth was rising into view now, the tops of some of the buildings were visible over the trees. He allowed himself a small smile, glad, at last, to see some semblance of society. Really he had underestimated his small guide. At first, it had been easier to consider murdering the little liar and taking his chances...a thought that still felt sour against the back of his mind.

But now that Sunberth rose in the background, that the dwarf had been so kind as to impart warning of the city, Wrenmae felt a little better of him.

"Thanks," he said with a quick grin, picking up the pace, "I'll make a note to get cleaned up when I get into town...but won't looking cleaner also make me look like I have more money?"

He laughed, shaking his head slowly, amused, "Alvadas...Alvadas is a curious place. The streets are never the same, a map would be useless." It was confusing, admittedly Wrenmae never had to explain it to an outsider before. He tried again. "Err...that is to say that the streets actually change. One day a road will lead you to the docks and the next it will loop you around to Ionu's temple. Maps are just theories in Alvadas...I don't think anyone actually has one that works yet."

Taking a moment to breath, heavy pulls of air like whistling wind through the trees. He had almost made it. His near encounter with slavers, the wreck, the wolves...everything. With Bob's help, he had made it out of those accursed woods and back to a semblance of civilization.

But the gates were open, horses road toward them down the road.

Surely just travelers, much like themselves.

"I was a poor kid," Wrenmae answered Bob with a shrug, "My parents died and an old couple took me in, a scribe and his wife, nothing glamorous." He shrugged again, absolutely exhausted. "I stayed a bit at a former noble's house, a good man by the name of Wilmot...if you ever end up in Alvadas, let Alric know I said hello eh?"e

"I just...I just wanted to thank you for taking me this far. I don't know how long I would have lasted in the woods if not for you." He smiled, genuinely grateful as the horses grew closer. Moving to the side of the road, Wrenmae sat to let them go past, still shaking his head at the incredulity of it all.

He was going to live...against all odds.

"Thank you...I really mean it."




OOC: I think Phoenix is going to enter at next post when she has time, all for the epic plot I'm involved in. NO worries, I'm pretty sure Bob will be fine.

[Bob Barton]

"Nice" he commented when Wrenmae worked on displaying his weapons. "Of course if something that works better than having your own weapons is having people that you can rely on" but that could apply to anywhere in the world. Only in Sunberth "you have to make sure you pick them wisely. You are lucky to have run into me" just like Bob was lucky enough to run into the members of the Crimson Edge on more than one occasion. Like the way Wrenmae felt about him, he initially had his doubts about a group of people who had shady plans of their own in Sunberth. It was the hapchance of opportunity that he overheard them at the docks and got into a profitable venture which netted him one very impressive dagger which he got off an akalak. Bob took out the lakan to show Wrenmae that "I have one too. See how exotic it looks? It is very interesting about the way I got it..."

And then he continued on talking about "a fight in the docks with two people, where everyone could see too! The best part about it was that more people joined in the fight and those that didn't took bets on the side" to illustrate just how bad Sunberth was but not to sound like a hypocrite, Bob did not tell Wrenmae that he was part of the latter. If that did not convince the man "it was on that very same day that I saw a boy being dunked into the water by a freak with a stone arm!" What did Bob want to tell with the story? Sunberth? It is bad but he was not done yet. "One of the people at the docks there suddenly wanted us to go to his camp with him where there is more of his friends. I was lucky that it was Anthony because if it was another person that I randomly followed it might have been a trap instead of a job offer." A chance to make some mizas, after losing some in the gamble. Bob probably should have tried to stop the fight instead of profiting from it.

"Jobs in Sunberth just like that Anthony are not too nice either because its the shady type unless you go to one of those upstanding members of society like Killroy" or what could be considered as legitimate. It could be said that everything in Sunberth had some shady element to it. "Well, his friend even if he was a brute was a nice enough guy but too bad that Mok was too cheap to let me at his painting. I gave him so many good reasons too..." only because they were all made up without a trace of truth in them. "At least I got this" he said again holding out the lakan "but I guess I must have gotten off track with this. All I wanted to say is pick the people in the Berth properly. No telling what they would do to you, do for you or get you to do." Dusting his clothes to show that he was clean, Bob also mentioned that "a lot of other people look clean too and...oh look there is Sunberth!" he said pointing at some of the buildings and then muttering to himself whether "I should show him to those Crimson Edge guys..." who should be camped around the outskirts too since he remembered about them but probably not. He did not trust them enough yet, the same thing with Wrenmae.

Bob gave Wrenmae a chance to talk after that about the city he came from. Laughing because "I don't think you have recovered from your ordeal yet. My uncle would say that you are in shock but I would say you are nuts if I haven't already talked to you." It was really stupid to think that the city was just that because "however did you make your way around? If I had to stay at home the whole day just because I am so worried about not finding it when I want to go back I'd rather live outside that talking gate of yours." Bob stopped laughing to take a look at the messy man who claimed that he stayed at a former noble's house by the name of "Alric? I'll keep that in mind if I go there..." If Bob goes there anyway. He has already traveled the whole of the Sylira region and if he did not go to Alvadas yet it meant that it was too far away. Not worth the trouble he has experienced ever since he left Zeltiva especially for a city full of twists and turns.

A shiver went down Bob's spine as Wrenmae thanked him. A word not he does not hear so often in Sunberth and Sahova where he most recently has been in. "Don't thank me yet just because I did not rob you during your moment of weakness" like what other people might have done to him because "I prefer to do it right in the open" with his tools of choice. Not weapons but the deck of cards that he produced from his pocket. "Maybe you can thank me by indulging in a game or two with me in the tavern later" Bob suggested putting the cards away before moving on. If the game plays out well Bob could probably take advantage of how Wrenmae perceived his savior as. A nice, easy game as a break as opposed to the challenging ones especially when there was a chance of a sore loser which would whip out his weapons.

[Wrenmae]

He nodded thoughtfully, taking a brief break to lean against a tree and nodded his ascent to Bob. The little fellow was proving more than helpful. Still, vision swam in distorted lines whenever the storyteller tried to concentrate. He was tired, exhausted even. Life in the woods had been hard, and Alvadas had not prepared him for what he'd needed to do.

Now the trees were peaceful, gently swaying in the noonday breeze. But beyond them, where branches curled and caught and tore, the forest became more than a benign watcher.

Shaking his head of the fears, focusing more on the distant movement of Sunberth, he held up a finger to indicate he needed another minute to rest. Certainly the pack on his back bulged with unnecessary weight, the absence of a horse had provided the storyteller with limited ability to transport his supplies. Instead he bore the weight on his frame alone, wobbly knees and all. It was hard to imagine what it was like when he was relaxed, sleeping on a rooftop in Alvadas.

One day he'd like to return.

Provided he survived what Bob told him about Sunberth.

"A game or two would be fine," Wrenmae agreed, nodding with a grin, "But I have terrible luck in gambling...had to swear it off back in Alvadas." It was true, some of his experiences in the city of illusion had fared poorly for him.

"Alric is a good man, and if you tell him I sent you, he should help out. Guy was raised in the city, so he'll be able to show you around if you ask politely."

Finally ready to continue, Wrenmae hefted the bag and continued his progress.

"Tell me about your friends in Sunberth, distinguishing features, names, what they do...the more I know the more I'll stand to benefit if I find them."

It was as though the gods themselves had set the very meeting between the two of them. Wrenmae offered a quick prayer to Ionu, the only god he knew of that wasn't some sort of monster.

"And thank you again for your help," he shook his head, "I don't know how long I could have survived out there without some help."

[Bob Barton]

Terrible luck? New of that meant good luck for Bob at least who decided that he will not be letting Wrenmae get away until he had as much mizas as possible. In fact he could not already wait and took out a die from his pocket, tossing it towards the path ahead as "your entrance fee into Sunberth but we should go with three games" or maybe even more. They would only see the number once they reached the front but Bob already called it as "a four. What say you? For five mizas maybe?" since they were more than any of the other numbers that Wrenmae already mentioned and maybe subconsciously Bob could lead the traveler to continue on the count of numbers to six? It was a rather rare number and the odds for that showing up now would be pretty low unless the run of bad luck decides to change there. "Shyke..." Bob whispered to himself realizing that it could have when he ran into Wrenmae. Hopefully the twins would only keep to one appearance for this man just like they did for Bob.

"Help me in Alvadas huh? Maybe if I find myself there" he answered thinking of the chances of that just like the die that was in front of them. But they were in Sunberth now and "do you need to know any other people than me now that you are here?" Well he should since Bob would not provide a whole lot of assistance and his best bet would be "Killroy? If you remember about that upstanding member of society I talked about? I currently work for him and at least I have a place to stay in. The job is pretty easy too" if you knew what you wanted to do and what you wanted to avoid in that mess of dogs, cats, horses and what other strange animals a person might imagine. Even kelvics. "Actually...even that Hannah girl is pretty nice since she gave me Jinsen" his dog who he was still struggling to train properly. If he had brought it with him into the woods it probably would have run away somewhere that Bob could never find again.

"And Killroy has the protection of the Daggerhands too" which are one of the more influential gangs in Sunberth "but I don't want to find myself in an alley alone with that lot if you know what I mean" unless he experienced it for himself just as Bob did in the Stumble. "There are actually safety in numbers so knowing a small gang would help too" and Bob knew one of them since he overheard them discussing about how they were going to form. "You could try your luck with the Crimson Edge if you want. Maybe you would even get somewhere if you don't die or they don't expire first." As the gambling saying went, no risk no reward and the job he got from one of them was a little bit wild. "Still for a bunch of murderers" not exactly uncommon in Sunberth "they make good gambling buddies those big and buff myrians despite their appearances" especially when they are drunk barbarians.

When Bob heard Wrenmae thank him again he wanted to laugh but said "don't thank me yet until you pay the entrance fee" spying the die on the ground ahead. "So what do you say to my five mizas?" he asked holding out his hand expectantly thinking that he already won. Another ploy to pressure Wrenmae more into losing. With everything he had to go through so far however, Bob had to keep it simple and gentle just to try and make sure that it would not be too much for him especially with the old buildings already in sight.

[Phoenix]

There was more the forest than just trees. Though Wrenmae felt the cool prickle of eyes on the back of his neck, he ignored it, writing it off as a chill breeze. Though the walls of Sunberth were within sight, the pair stopped for a game anyway. Crouched on the side of the road, ignoring the dust that peppered their faces as a gust of wind tore through the branches of the surrounding forest and whipped around the two figures as they hovered over the dice. A rustle would have been warning enough, had Wrenmae and Bob not been so consumed by their gamble. As it was, the subtle shifting in the shadows that flirted at the edge of the forest were hard to ascertain. It was only when one, roughly the size and shape of a grown man, detached itself from the surrounding darkness that someone even half aware of his surroundings would have noticed. Lulled into a false sense of security by the camaraderie and the visible end to a long journey, a second figure appeared after the first, slipping quickly across the road. The two crouched men were effectively surrounded, and yet they still had no clue. Light footed and silent, the shadowy pair edged in closer towards Bob and Wrenmae, careful to stay out of their peripheral and moving slow enough that it wouldn't be until it was too late that the men's natural instincts would alert them to the strangers approach. Wrenmae would look up as the second shadow towered over Bob, the heavy club in his hands raised high above his head, ready to strike. Whether he attempted to cry out or not, the figure clocked Bob a good one, sending the small man sprawling over the dice. If he had felt the danger that loomed over him, Wrenmae could try to escape. He wouldn't get very far before the first figure would tackle him to the ground. A blinding pain across the back of his head as Wrenmae met a fate similar to his friends; the last thing he would hear before the darkness took him, his unconscious body slung over the shoulders of the bigger man. "Be gentle." The man that clubbed Bob would chuckle. "We need him alive. Leave the small one."

[Bob Barton]

Closer...closer...just a little bit more to that five mizas when Bob was denied even the simplest of his wants. As it was, Bob was not at the stage of half awareness but that did not mean he was fully aware either. His eyes and attention were fully trained on the die and thus he was unable to even allow himself to notice if there was any other people around him. "Get ready to-" faint. That was what happened next when black curtains closed on the pathway and the die as Bob fell down on the road when he was given a good blow to the head he never saw coming, in later days would be blamed on the normal Sunberth scum if things did not turn out as strange as it did.

First thing Bob did when he opened his eyes was groan about how painful his head was and "wet...? Arrgh! Blood!" It was not much at all but it was enough to make him panic in his groggy state of mind. But when he realized that his hand was not all red, just a little bit here and there he shifted his attention to the next important thing. The thing which has been with him since he started his journey back home. "Alright! It is a four like I said it would be" and the poor fool probably played right into his hand...wait, which poor fool? Only then Bob remembered that Wrenmae was with him and "you owe me five mizasssss" but the man was nowhere to be found. The only other sign of people was the ground splattered with drips of blood, too much for one mildly tapped midget but Bob was not thinking clearly at that time because to him he was "petch! I was mugged by another Sunberth scum. Alvadas my foot."

It was sad to doubt a man he just met first and foremost but such was the way the city they were near worked. Bob quickly patted all over his body to see if his belongings were still there. There was his coin pouch, his awesome dagger he showed Wrenmae earlier but since Wrenmae already had two he should not want that as well as his dice and cards among other things but "he stole me cane!" Wait, Bob's mistake. It was on the ground beside him near his dice. Ignoring the blood Bob collected everything he found and kept it aside before pulling out the lakan to ask himself "if he was going to mug me, why didn't he do it earlier when he took out the two daggers...and why didn't he take anything?" but thinking more about that would have to wait. Suddenly an unmistakable real Sunberth scum came out of nowhere and commented about Bob's nice dagger.

"Nice enough to put holes into your body if you don't get lost" Bob replied throwing a few quick feints at the woman's direction. Keeping the weapon in between them, Bob started to head towards the city until he remembered to ask "did you see anyone else passing through this way?" No? Well if Kelwyn has not abandoned Wrenmae yet, Bob will still have a chance of running into him in the future. "Just stay right there!" Bob shouted out suddenly thrusting his dagger forward when he saw the woman trying to get closer to him again and when he passed through he told her "don't try to follow me unless you like to meet...Crimson here" randomly pulling out the colour of the akalak he got the lakan off as the weapon's new name. After that, Bob took to his heels and sheathed the weapon away to find a safe place to rest and recollect his thoughts about what just happened.

Running down a few streets here and there Bob suddenly got a good idea to look for the Crimson Edge or at least the barbarians and tell them about Wrenmae who showed so much interest in them. He really wanted the mizas it would seem... After a nearly a bell of running into old spots he finally found the new place where they pitched up the tents but there was never a better sight other than the buildings he saw earlier when he thought he was lost trying to find Sunberth again because this one meant a safe place to rest if there was any which could be called that in Sunberth.