A Good Old Fashion Treasure Hunt (Closed)

[Deleted]

Ephraim was snoozing away in the crow's nest. Suddenly he could feel the ocean spray on the winds. It stirred him back awake and he looked through his spyglass. Hmmm? "Land huh? A new island." He spoke only to himself getting to his feet. He stretched his back in a flexible arc. "ALRIGHT!!!" Straightening back out he grabbed hold of the ropes and swung down from above. Only avoiding rope burn due to gloves.

The ropes swung wide and he jumped off landing on the tip of the ship quickly grabbing hold for support. After he let go he spread his arms wide taking in the smells. Most definitely an island with vegetation. "Land Ho Captain!!!" He shouted. The winds were against them and strands of hair wiped his face and got in his mouth. "pfft, pthhht, blegh!" He spat it back out.

"Keep 'at up an' 'u'll swallow a bug!" Came Bonnie's voice from on the ship.

Ephraim turned back around and sat on the bow. "Letting First Mate steer? That's new."

"Aye, ye might think it is but, I never been ta dis island 'fore. I wanna see it first hand!" Bonnie motioned for him to join her on the ship itself, to which he obliged.

"So, what is the game plan?" Ephraim was ready to go aground and do whatever, it had been quite some time. Following Bonnie into the meeting room she began to tell him the plan. Him, her, First Mate, and five other crew men were going aboard. Ephraim would charm the village elder's daughter and get them the map of the island.

"Easy enough," Ephraim said in the smoothest voice he could muster. To him charming girls was but a game. He was good at it and secretly longed for a challenge. "So, once we have a map things don't have to get violent right?"

"So long as the ba*****s don' get violent wit' us" Bonnie smirked. A knowing smirk. She had this whole operation planned out already. But how did she manage that? It didn't make sense to him how she did these things without ever visiting the island before.

"Alright then," Ephraim headed out to go above deck again, not much point in sticking around here. They were fast approaching land and he'd get all the details soon enough. Sure enough there it was. A tropical paradise at a first glance and otherwise the location of a fat treasure that was sure to please.

[Ajari]

It was a good thing Ajari was not frightened by the unknown. Her trip into the lower lands had been one surprise after another. She'd wanted to visit Etruria, having heard that it was a central part of this generations troubles. Such troubles were less than ideal, but they weren't really her problem. She didn't want to get involved in anything political while she was down here if she could help it.

Of course, the Etrurians had not been rather understanding with that idea. Some people they called 'Inquisitors' had taken interest with her, and had been quite persistent. Ajari detested violence, but she had managed to persuade them against such actions.

Still, she decided that leaving would be best. Thankfully, her agility and strength managed to convince a ship captain that she could hold her own weight on a trading vessel bound for the Western Isles. They'd be circling Nabata and heading to Lycia eventually, but for now they were stopping at a small chain of islands to do some quick trading.

Ajari had to sigh. Her quest had certainly gotten off to a rocky start. None of the sailors seemed to know anything about the monsters and such that corrupted the world, aside from the usual tales that everyone did. They'd be here for at least the whole day, changing their stores, before heading out in the morning. The village was quaint and didn't have much to offer, but they were kind enough to visitors.

In some ways, it was like home. Simple and kind, no issues with pride, greed or hate. If it weren't for the insufferable heat, and her mission, she could see herself enjoying her time here. She looked off of the side of the ship, spying another vessel on the horizon. She could have sworn that the captain said they were the only vessel to visit this island. Maybe he'd been mistaken?

[Deleted]

Ephraim and the 7 others all rowed into land in three separate boats. No need to pull into the docks should anything turn sour. Forbid anything turn sour. The water here was rather calm and still. It gave one a chance to look down to the bottom. What looked to be near was easily twenty feet below them. A lesson Ephraim once learned the hard way. Ephraim had an oar in hand and rowed with the best of them.

On land they pulled the boats in and hid them under fallen branches and the like. "A'right boys, us three are goin' in. Youns watch the boats." Bonnie led the way to the village. Ephraim began to wonder what the elders daughter would look like. Hopefully she'd be his age and well endowed with full lips and a thin waste. He caught himself smiling thinking about it. Then another less cheery thought occurred to him, "Hey Captain, what if the chief doesn't have any daughters?

Bonnie looked at him with an odd expression for a moment. "They always 'ave daughters." She answered. It was an illogical argument but judging from previous experiences not without its own merits.

"Uh, right." Ephraim linked his fingers behind his head grinning. He looked to First Mate who only shrugged at him. "But say he only has a son, then what?"

"Then you better learn to charm men too." Not the answer he was hoping for. He was hoping for a sarcastic quip rather than a serious remark like that.

"Wouldn't you be better suited to that sort of thing captain?"

"I'm too old now. No attraction here."

"I don't know anything about that though." Ephraim looked to First Mate for help. He signed something telling him to start learning. "Thanks"

The island was small so it took no time at all to get to the village. Once inside they noticed an unplanned variable, sailors with goods. Ephraim could see the look in Captain's eyes. She was planning to find the treasure and loot the goods. "One thing at a time Captain." he reminded her.

Out the corner of his eye Ephraim noticed Ajari. He hoped she was a local. He would enjoy spending a bit of time with her. Actually, looking around, there were quite a number of attractive ladies.

[Ajari]

Ajari watched as the trio moved through the small hamlet with impunity. A blond boy, barely at the age of maturity and a horribly scarred older man. It was an odd contrast that they represented. Old and worn with young and spry. They flanked the third member of their group, a tall blond woman who walked with a confident swagger. She was easily the most powerful of the three, by shear muscle mass. The boy was wirey, probably an agile fighter like herself. The man seemed...detached. She couldn't hazard a guess as to his ability, but certainly no physical match for the one leading them.

She caught the gaze of the boy as he moved past, and she didn't blink as she did so. She stared into his blue eyes, her own gaze unflinching. Over time, she'd come to trust that people's eyes could say much about them that their words did not. She'd used it against the monks, to tell when the younger and less experienced ones were feeling doubtful or other negative emotions. The training was difficult, so such instances were common.

Everyone has a breaking point, after all.

In this boy's eyes, she saw an odd mixture of emotions. Playfulness, but not the childish and innocent kind. The kind of playfulness that pretended to be benign and peaceful. There was something else, barely there. His eyes flickered now and again, taking in his surroundings. Perhaps it was him taking in all of the sites, but there was a faked sense of casual behavior in his walk. He was... not nervous... apprehensive?

Then again, she still didn't know for what purpose this ship came here. Perhaps they were performing some diplomatic mission with the island. That would make sense for him to be worried and not show it.

Ajari watched the trio pass them, but gave a friendly smile none the less. She would be watchful, but there was no reason to assume their intentions were anything except legitimate.

[Zerachiel]

Oh how the mighty have fallen. He was once one of the highest ranking operatives of the entire inquisition, a spy who could pilfer the very secrets from another's mind without them being any the wiser. An assassin who was so skilled that even a dragon could be cleft in twain if they dared to stand against him. A thief, a mercenary, a genius, a shadowy god among men in his oh so humble opinion. Perhaps he was building it up, but it truly felt like he fell from the heavens themselves while the hands of his cruel oppressors forced to stare up at the pillar of glittering gold he once resided upon. For now he was nothing. Less than nothing perhaps, disposable. There was nothing worse for a man like him to become. To fall from so high, for something should have sent him soaring above the ones below. To go from that to simply watching 'troublesome elements'... It hurt him in the most tender place of all, his pride. He was better than this. Or, at least he used to be.

It wasn't too hard really, just don't be suspicious and you do fine. She already lost the "inquisitors" as far as she knew, as such she wasn't expecting a relatively normal looking person to be watching her. He didn't bother hiding, that only made it more suspicious. Hide in plain sight, as it were, it wasn't like she was traveling on solitary roads in the middle of nowhere. A ship had plenty of people, there was no reason to suspect him more then any other. Minus the whole missing arm situation. Of course the way he carried his self was specifically so that little detail wasn't quite so obvious. It was impossible to miss if you looked, but chances were you wouldn't. If you just casually gazed about, like the average person would, you wouldn't give a second glance. That was what he counted on.

It wasn't hard to get on the ship, he didn't even need to pull rank. Just a few gold pieces to the right person, and there you go. It was an important skill to learn, you can usually get away with most things if you learn how to bribe the right person. The ship eventually docked, and she entered the town. He wasn't sure why he was sent to watch her, of all people, it wasn't like she was particularly suspicious. She moved with a sort of sure-footedness and agility uncommon of one of her stature however, and word was she broke some poor slob's nose. Her clothes were odd, but that was scarcely a reason to suspect her. Of course orders were orders, and he was clearly in no position to question orders. So he followed her in town, not right away but soon enough that she wouldn't notice.

A few other people seemed to have rowed into town, for whatever reason or another. This town was mostly out of Etruria's jurisdiction, even if it technically fell under their power. They simply didn't bother with a small town on an island in the middle of nowhere. It was a waste of resources and men, in fact he's never even heard of the place until he stopped there. While she watched them, he watched her, it was some strange matryoshka of surveillance going on.

[Deleted]

Ephraim brought his attention back to the job at hand. Charm the daughter and get a local map of the island. Ephraim stretched his shoulders and approached a young woman. "Excuse me, where might I find the village chieftain?" He spoke with an oddly charming voice that struck the soul and his eyes, only those that could read a face well could pick out the eyes he gave her. One could describe it as only making bedroom eyes. The girl naturally did not catch onto his tricks but she was infatuated. She told him the exact location even offering to show him the way. One could argue she and the locals were simply nice people but Ephraim would never believe them.

While Ephraim went to work Bonnie kept complaining that the village was not but huts. She had been praying for there to be at least one tavern. Perhaps it was indeed far too out there for that. First Mate silently listened and watched. He noticed Ajari and the Etrurian man in the crowd. Despite anyone's best efforts little escaped the man's eyes. A skill he worked to pass on to Ephraim but he was nowhere near as talented save in a conversation. He knew keeping an eye on the man would be crucial but... this woman was an oddity. She radiated power and strength and yet she appeared so normal.

Ephraim came back over to report the good news. He pointed them to the chief's hut and the trio began their walk. Outside Ephraim opted to peel off from the other two claiming to want to stake out the village. Once left to his own devices he began to wander around. Not finding much of interest he climbed a tree and took hold of a coconut. Stabbing it with his dagger he began to relax and drink. He garnered some odd looks from locals and sailors. Honestly that was part of his plan.

In the meantime he decided to do some people watching while making eyes at any attractive women that saw him sitting up there. "How long does a meeting take?" He looked at the chief's hut. It was oddly unassuming, in fact it was the smallest one around. Probably some misguided noblesque reason behind it he thought. He looked at the sun debating their options. "By noon tomorrow we will have found it or be on our way."

[Ajari]

Ajari watched the older man look at her, but he didn't keep the gaze long. Something about him bothered her, almost as if she could feel the turmoil inside of him. It wasn't something she'd ever felt before, how curious.

Then the boy broke off from them, as the other two went to see the chief of this small community. Ajari considered that now was a good time to be friendly. They were guests, travelers like herself, so being rude and distant would not be appropriate. She should be welcoming and personable.

"Ahoy there!" she called up the tree to him. She'd heard many of the sailors say something similar as a greeting, but she had sufficiently mangled the delivery. If there had been any doubt on her not being a sailor, it was quickly dashed like a wave on the rocky Etrurian coast. Ajari sat down in the shade of the tree he was perched in, enjoying the brief reprieve from the sweltering heat. Compared to a frigid mountain peak, this was almost unbearable. Still, she'd trained to endure much punishment, so she could function.

"You're from the ship, I assume? What brings you to this tiny island?" she asked, her speech giving her away once again. There was no way she was a seafarer, or even an Etrurian, with how she spoke.

[Zerachiel]

They looked at him, when they did he put on a smile and looked friendly. Instead of shirking at their gaze like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar, he was rather affable. People were less willing to suspect someone who was friendly, it was simply human nature. Of course being overly friendly caused as many problems as being rude and brusque, so he made sure to keep a balance between what was acceptable and what was suspicious. It was a delicate balance, and even after all of his years sometimes he got it wrong, that was only natural as some people were just more naturally suspicious then others. As far as suspicious figures go, he wasn't particularly noteworthy. He was attractive, but not overly so, so that your eyes did not linger but also that they were more willing to believe what you say. People liked to say they weren't shallow, but it was far easier to trust a pretty face. He wasn't physically imposing, and about average height. His clothes weren't extravagant, but they weren't dirt farmer's rags either. All in all, he was very average, and therefore boring looking. That was the point. It was hard to hide in places full of people such as this, it was much easier to simply blend in.

Of course looking unassuming did nothing when sometimes people found you out for little or no reason. It's happened before. You'll be walking along and all of a sudden 'YOU'RE A SPY' comes blurting out, Inigo for example. It came with the job, usually if they lack sufficient evidence it really did nothing but made them look nuts. It wasn't like his cover was particularly important in this mission however, if she found out he was following her... so what? Would she travel to Etruria and burn it to the ground? He'd like to see her try. She didn't have any useful information as far as he could tell, she was barely a threat, and honesty his job was pointless. You can't say such things however, no no no, the ones who make the decisions make no mistakes. That would be blasphemy. We all know what happens to blasphemers don't we?

Bah, Elmine and her stupid religion.

The woman moved to speak to some young boy in the trees. Scrawny and blond, way too young for him. He could appreciate the cravat though.

[Deleted]

Ephraim was waving to a girl when he heard a woman's voice call up, "Ahoy there!" It was an innocent call but Ephraim could tell two things in an instant. This woman was no sailor and due to lack of accent, no local either. He swung upside down holding on by the crook behind his knees and took a good look at the woman in question. Well, well, well, this was certainly his lucky day. This woman was the one he saw earlier. She fit his bill perfectly too. She was a fine sight for sore eyes. "Hi! One second please." He swung himself off the branch and with a flip landed in front of Ajari gracefully on his feet. Turning to face her he gave the best eyes and voice he could. "My name is Ephraim, and pray, do tell me yours."

Here was a very attractive fit woman that was no sailor, and no local. She didn't appear to be with anyone and somehow she decided to come speak to him. The cards appeared to be stacked in his favor. Perhaps if he was lucky his bed would not be a cold one tonight. "So what brings you out here all alone," he ignored her question about him finding it better to keep the focus on her. The less said about him the less that could possibly go wrong.

[Ajari]

Ajari studied this boy, Ephraim, closely. Well, he was certainly pleasant enough, but Ajari couldn't get over the feeling that he was looking at her as some treasure to be claimed. She'd met a few males of that type in her short time among the population, but most of them would back off after being firmly rebuffed. Usually their was no need for violence.

She hoped that would be the case with this one. Still, if he was the type to only be interested in what he could gain, identifying herself as someone with no interest in giving it to him would gain her nothing. She didn't want to lie, but perhaps playing neutral and indifferent would be sufficient. There was also the fact that he'd given her his name and not much else. From what she had seen, men like this liked to speak of their accomplishments. They liked to brag, to make themselves seem like more than they were. He had not done this. Why?

Many possible reasons assailed her. Perhaps his choice of profession or the jobs he held within the vessel displeased him. Maybe he was legitimately more interested in her, though she doubted that one heavily. Perhaps he was hiding something, which would go with her earlier observations of the boy.

There were a lot of 'unusual circumstances' here. A ship coming in, when it had been said that this island was fairly isolated. A trio of sailors asking to speak to the chief of the little hamlet, suggesting that they were no traders or lost sailors looking to gain their bearings. And then there was this boy, guarded but casual at the same time. She had no reason to suspect him of foul play, but it never hurt to be cautious.

"Ajari, is what I am called," she answered him. "And you made quite a few assumptions, Ephraim. You assume I am not native to this place, though that seems reasonable enough. You also assume I am here alone, which would seem a bit more bold. You also decided to turn my question back upon me without answering." Her words were harsh, but her tone was measured. She clearly didn't have any malice towards him, but she was nobody's fool.

She turned her head for a moment, having the oddest sensation that she was being watched. She saw nobody except for the villagers and the other members of the boat she came in on, so she dismissed it as her being paranoid.

[Locke]

Light. There was light, filtering up from underneath the endless blue sea and schools of fish. Locke shot up towards it, swimming with all his might as he rocketed towards the light. He'd made his way along the seafloor in undersea caverns for a while, but the earth had told him that he was nearing land. So he decided to land and see where he was and what the world had in store for him. Plus... He wanted to find Kyle. He'd lost his human friend in the same storm that had sent him to the deeps.

Surfacing and breathing in the above-sea air slowly, the manakete swam towards the shore in quick strokes. He didn't much like swimming, but sometimes it was necessary. Just like some dragons back in Arcadia hated the caves and the earth he loved so much. It varied with tribe, he supposed. Wading up the beach, the manakete looked at his clothes disdainfully. At least his satchel was waterproof... Bleh. He felt like he'd just been...swimming. Yuck.

The drenched man walked up the beach towards a group of people, looking over them as he approached. A man and a woman, along with some older people and some natives. As good of a place to start inquiring as any. Humming an old Arcadian tune, the song of the stone-smiths he'd idolized as a young dragon, Locke made his way to the group and bowed respectfully, dripping water and forming a damp path showing where he'd been.

"Hello. My name is Xerxes Locke. I believe I am lost... Could you please tell me where I am?"

[Deleted]

Ephraim chuckled, "I guess I did, didn't I" He kept a solid eye contact always remembering the subtle cues and ensuring that with lies he looked the proper direction. This one was going to be an interesting one without a doubt. "Well, to answer any hanging curiosities, if you will, what can I say I am a bold man." He summoned a charming and roguish grin. He was determined to hold the pace of this conversation. He wasn't going to let another steal it. "As to you being alone, for a while now, ever since I first saw you, you've done a bit of wandering but never in the company of others. You don't have an accent or the village fashion either. You stand out as a loner all in all."

"Also, as I recall you introduced yourself first without offering a man so much as a name before you inquired a great deal of me. I know women have their secrets but certainly a name as exotic and beautiful as Ajari is something that begs to be spoken." He was going over the top and he knew it. All the same he derived a great deal of pleasure from teasing her. He wanted to read her a bit more, she scolded him and now it was his turn to act in the like.

"But onto the biggest question on hand. Why are we here? A question man has asked since the dawn of known time. But who knows, maybe that is what each individual person is meant to figure out. Forge their own meaning in life. What do you think, beautiful?" He was acting philosophical now. Under any other circumstances one may have been inclined to believe he had a bit of wisdom behind his words, but under the current context he was evasive and teasing.

Another stranger approached from the side. Strangest of the day. He was soaking wet and claiming about being lost. He most certainly was. But how does one get THAT lost to end up here? Was he a drifter? Doesn't matter, "You're on Shamrock Isle." It sounded like a charming island by name and was named thus for the massive amount of clovers that somehow grew within the island's caves.

[Zerachiel]

For an island in the middle of nowhere, this place got an awful lot of traffic. He kinda looked off with an annoyed look on his face as another person came up out of nowhere to engage in friendly discourse with his target. The man wasn't particularly extraordinary looking, outside of the crazy tattoos and mossy hair. Of course neither of those things meant a lick in this technicolor dream land they call a world. However the tattoos might be indicative of magical rituals, he's seen some pretty odd things in his time as an inquisitor. Dark magic usually, but light magic had them at times as well. Even anima. Huh. It seemed that even all the magic in the world can't prevent someone from making poor life decisions.

He wasn't close enough to hear the conversation, that wasn't his prerogative, but he could get a gist of the general flow of it by watching their actions and reactions. He could read lips, a skill he's learned in his time of being a spy, but it wasn't as easy as it sounds. It wasn't "oh look I can see them, that means I know everything they say" sort of situation, he could only really see one person and thus one half of the conversation. He wasn't particularly close, so it was easy to misread what was being said, and he didn't have the clearest look he could have. It was a useful skill in the right situation, just another in his bag of tricks, but he wasn't really up to trying it right now since his apathy towards the situation was palpable.

[Ajari]

Ajari almost instantly regretted initiating a conversation with this boy. He knew something, but he wasn't going to let anything slip easily. Adding to the problem was the fact that his shameless flirting was quickly becoming tiresome. He thought of her as some naive little girl who didn't know when someone was spoon feeding her pointless drivel. The monks may have been polite and calm, but that didn't mean they were always like that. Teenagers were universal, and she'd had to deal with a more than a few in their 'young and stupid' years.

"It doesn't speak well for the prior ladies in your life if you think things like that actually work," she said. She still kept her voice even, but it was quite clear that she'd had more than enough of his pointless posturing. He still dodged her question, so Ajari felt like this was a good enough time to cease enduring with his flirtations. Either he didn't know anything, or he was set against saying it. She heavily guessed the latter. Something was going to happen, and she'd bet it wasn't going to be good.

And then a man, soaked head to tow, walked right up to them. Ephraim didn't really respond to him, besides answering his question, but Ajari had questions of her own. The man looked like he'd been swimming. If he hadn't come on her boat, and apparently hadn't come on Ephraim's, then where had he come from?

"My, you look terrible! How did you come to be here? Was there a shipwreck?" she asked, standing up to look the man over. He didn't seem injured, besides a few strands of seaweed and being soaked to the bone, but Ajari could only imagine what he would have had to been through to be in such a condition.

[Locke]

"Yes, I was cast overboard. I'm not sure if my friend is still alive; he was carried over and I was washed away trying to rescue him. Have you seen a boy with a bow? Blonde hair, quiet... Careful?"

Bowing respectfully to the woman and the man, Locke smiled and introduced himself.

"Again, I am Xerxes Locke, a tribesman from Nabata. I was intending to visit the Isles to begin my tour of Elibe, but I'm not so sure that this is the way I had planned..."

With a rueful smile, the manakete shook his head, sighing and picking some seaweed off of his clothing. These two seemed friendly enough.

"Shamrock Isle... Huh. I have no idea where that is, unfortunately. And even worse, I'm not quite sure how I'll make my way to my original destination of Puerto Iris. Still, there must be a reason the great earth has sent me here, so I will try to understand. To be like sand in the desert, flowing and unattached to any one path. Whichever way the wind of destiny blows, that is the path I must take."

Opening his satchel, Locke took out what appeared to be a bunch of small red peppers. Putting one in his mouth and crunching the firm skin open, he smiled and savored the strong spicy flavor. It was good for the immune system and would keep out the chill of his damp robes.

"Would either of you care for a pepper? I enjoy them as a snack."