Chapter 1
A tentative knock on the door roused Skree from a deep, restful sleep. His battles the day before had cost him much in the way of exhaustion. The world of Raiya has healing spells and stamina boosts, but sometimes a body needs a deep, restful sleep without the threat of attack or danger. Sitting up, Skree took a moment to gather his wits, dragging his mind into the dim light of sunrise that was bleeding through the shuttered hatch in his small sleeping berth.
“Yeah?” he said through a yawn.
“Mister Skree, the captain wants to see you in her cabin as soon as you are decent.” The unfamiliar voice explained.
He rubbed at his eyes and stretched hard, feeling the tightness that had crept into his muscles. “I’ll be right there, thank you.” He waited a few seconds, but when no reply came, he threw his legs over the side of the bed and pulled his gear from his Nearly Bottomless Bag. Quickly and easily the pieces of his armor came out of the bag, the enchantment allowing him to remove whatever he needed without digging around was a treasure he would never stop loving. Say what you want about the comforts of Earth but a magical, extra-dimensional bag that could hold hundreds of pounds of gear and equipment at a fraction of their weight was something long distance hikers would have sold their souls for.
Once dressed and ready to face the day, he stood and pulled the last things he needed from his bag. First, the Savage Steel Great Sword, then his Savage Steel Hatchets slid from the bag and he set them in their proper places. The former clung to the back of his armor thanks to a magnetically charged magic clasp and the latter slid into the custom leather straps made just for him. He sighed as the comfortable weight of his weapons settled into place. Skree never thought he would feel so naked without deadly blades hanging at his hips, but things were different for him now.
Raiya was a new world, and each day brought unique and deadly challenges. Taking a deep breath he pulled open the door to his berth and went to find Fenna Lis, Captain of the Typhoon, the woman who had rescued him and the last of the Kobolds from the deadly followers of Abrenacht. He knocked on the door to her cabin and entered at her request. She had her back to the door, leaning over a somewhat large table festooned with maps and charts.
“Good morning, how did you sleep?”
“Fine, thank you. You wanted to see me?”
“I did. Come over here.”
He moved to stand beside her at the table, staring down at the maps, none of which he recognized at all which came as no surprise. She extended a hand and pointed at the large empty area colored a light blue, showing the ocean.
“This is where we are.” She moved her finger in a tight circle. “Somewhere in here at least. Notice anything strange at all?”
Skree considered the map, the wide expanse of ocean, then shook his head. “Not really, it looks like open ocean.”
She held up a finger excitedly. “Bravo!” she pointed to another part of the map. “This is where we found you.”
His brows furrowed in confusion. “Where’s the island?”
“An excellent question. My navigator, first mate or even Landry, the oldest man on my ship cannot tell me why there isn’t an island on any of our maps.” She slid the map out of the way, revealing an older, more tarnished map. “This map is over two-hundred years old and considered one of the most accurate sea maps in history. Yet, there is no island, especially not an island as large as the one we found you on.”
“And that is strange? The ocean is a big place. Maybe they missed it.” He said.
Her expression showed her incredulity. “No map, not Wellegar’s world famous map, not my father’s maps and not even a magical sailor’s map shows this island at all. It shouldn’t be possible, not possible at all.” She shook her head, long raven tangles cascading over her shoulders. “No, my boy, this is a mystery.” She turned to face him. “And it’s a mystery I expect you to solve for me right now.”
Skree held up his hands defensively. “Fenna, I don’t know how I can answer that for you, I told you, I don’t even know how I got to the Island.” He lied. A flicker of doubt flashed across her face. “Wait, if you didn’t know the Island existed, why were you there?”
“Another excellent question. There was a storm the night before we met and in the violent seas and winds, we got blown off course, right to our mystery island.”
Skree nodded. “I remember, it was quite a powerful one too.”
“That morning, we checked the charts, all the charts and couldn’t find hide nor hair. Some of my crew have been sailing these waters for decades and not a single man can recall ever having laid eyes on that hunk of rock. And trust me, with a mountain that size jutting into the sky, it would be hard to forget.” She said.
“So a storm blew you off course and you found an undiscovered island, or at the very least, a forgotten one.” He said, still not understanding the big deal.
She crossed her arms and looked him up and down. “First, we find an island that isn’t on any map, then I find a man with amnesia who saves my life, who sends a gaggle of extinct Kobolds to meet me on the beach, just in time for me to rescue them. Far too many impossible things for me to consider sheer coincidence. You catch my drift?” she asked.
He considered her words and found that he agreed with her wholeheartedly. How impossibly lucky had he been for the Typhoon to show up when it did. When he considered it, he was having a lot of good luck ever since he arrived in Raiya. He shrugged, shaking his head. “I honestly can’t explain it either, but regardless, you have my deepest thanks for everything.”
“Oh, no.” She said, giving him a stare that said this was far from over. “You don’t get to just shrug this away. You will tell me the truth, and I mean all, or I am going toss you and those kobolds overboard for the sharks to eat.” She gestured to a chair. “Better make yourself comfortable, you will be here a while.”
He nodded, taking a seat in the chair. “I suppose I can tell you everything I know, but I doubt it will help much.” Noticing the nearby pitcher of water and some cups, he gestured toward them. “May I?”
She gave a small nod. Smiling his thanks, he guzzled an entire glass, sighing with relief as the cool liquid restored his throat. Without waiting, he poured another cup and chugged it. He set the glass back on the table, leaning back into the padded chair, feeling refreshed for the first time in a while.
“Where to begin…” he said scratching his head. “Two weeks ago, give or take a few days, I awoke on the beach, naked and afraid.” Before he could continue, Fenna burst into laughter.
“Naked?” she asked.
“As the day I was born. Anyway, I stumbled around for a few days, got mauled by a panther, chased through the jungle by that giant mana-warped lizard you and I killed, fell down a hole, met some Kobolds, killed their chieftain, made friends with them, met Zuka, met you, said my goodbyes, got attacked by those strange men and fled to the beach with the last of the Kobolds.” He said, summarizing his entire life in Raiya. “Now I’m on a ship with a beautiful pirate captain.” He said with a bold grin. It was out of character to be so blatant, but this was a pirate ship. He couldn’t imagine a better place for being brash.
Fenna rolled her eyes. “You must have amnesia if you think a line like that would get you anywhere.” She smiled. “But thanks anyway. Now, can you please slow down? I need more details, tell me everything from the day you woke up on that beach.”
With a cleansing breath, he gathered his thoughts and told her every detail about his time on the Island. He left out the parts about the Heart of the Island and Abrenacht as he didn’t feel comfortable talking about it yet. They laughed at the story of meeting Sawbones and how he had tricked him into fighting the chieftain. He explained finding Zuka
, sick in the jungle and healing him, how they had bonded and become companions. He told her about the attack on the Kobolds and how his friend Sawbones had sacrificed his life to save the Kobolds she had resting in her cargo hold.
When he finished, hot tears were welling in his eyes at the memory of everything he had lost, everything Priestess and the Kobolds had lost. Sawbones had been one of his best friends. The sadness tore at chest, making it hard for him to breathe. Fenna slid from her chair wrapping him a firm hug, holding him in her arms until his weeping stopped.
“That is quite a story.” She said, peeling herself away from him. “I am sorry for your loss my friend.”
He wiped the tears away from his face and smiled faintly. “Thanks. It feels good to get it out there.”
She ran a hand through his hair, smiling back at him. “Sometimes, we all just need a good cry. Now…” she said, moving back to her chair. “We need to talk about what comes next. You have twenty-seven Kobolds to take care of, not to mention yourself. A man with no memories might have a hard time finding his way in the world.”
He nodded his understanding. “I’ll be honest, I have no clue what to do next.” He looked at the floorboards, his thoughts a jumbled mess. What could he do? He had plenty of gold, but he knew nothing about Raiya. Nothing about the people who lived here or how the world worked.
“Well then, would you like my advice?” she asked, pouring them both a cup of water. She handed him one and relaxed into her chair. He nodded for her to continue.
“Theseldora is an independent city, not beholden to any nation. It is a haven for both criminals and good folk alike. It isn’t an easy place to live, but you are free to make your own way. If it was just you? I think I might offer you a spot on my crew, take you under my wing, so to speak. But you have responsibilities that just don’t make a good fit for a life at the sea. You have gold aplenty, am I right?” she asked.
“Plenty? Maybe. I don’t know the value of… anything, really.” He said.
“See, you are far too trusting.” She fingered the hilt of her sword. “Here you are, on a boat full of pirates with everything you hold dear. Basically, I have twenty-seven hostages locked in my cargo hold. You come on my boat, flashing gold like its nothing. Hell, you handed over so much gold last night my eyes bulged.” His eyes went wide at her threatening language. He watched her carefully as she ran her finger along the jeweled pommel of her sword.
“Don’t do this.” Skree said, his hand drifting to his hatchet.
Her smile was so perfectly malicious, he nearly leapt from his chair on the spot, but he forced himself to remain calm.
“One word from me and twenty armed men and women would rush in here and chop you to pieces. Take that magic bag off your dead body and throw you into the sea.” She sat forward, cold gaze sending a chill up his spine. “Life is dangerous Skree, but life is even more dangerous in Theseldora.” He swallowed hard and a bead of cold sweat ran down his neck.
His heart was thundering in his chest thinking about how he could make it out of this one alive. He might escape this cabin, but off this ship? That was a different question. His eyes darted toward the cabin door, wondering if there were twenty armed pirates just waiting to storm in here and kill him. He stared into her emotionless eyes, eyes that said she knew she had him by the balls.
“Please don’t do this.” He pleaded. “If you have to, I understand, just don’t hurt Priestess and the younglings. They have been through enough, they don’t deserve to pay for my mistakes.”
Fenna sat motionless, considering his words. He could feel his muscles shaking as his body continued to pour adrenaline into his blood. He watched her eyes as they softened and a mischievous grin spread across her face. Then she burst into laughter, hysterical laughter that made her sound like a crazy person. “What the hell is so funny!” he screeched at her.
“Oh my god, you should have seen your face.” She was slapping her leg and gasping for air through her laughter. “Don’t hurt the younglings.” She said, mocking him. “They shouldn’t have to pay for my mistakes.” She continued, laughing and holding her sides. Skree didn’t know what to think or do. He stared at the insane woman as she fell out of her chair laughing. When she got herself under control she said, “By the Archons, do you really think I am so terrible?”
He stood, knocking over the chair. “That wasn’t funny!” He slammed his fists onto the desk, the vein in his forehead throbbing.
“Beg to differ.” She said, still chuckling. “That was the funniest thing I have seen in weeks.” With a boisterous smile, she inspected her fingernails in satisfaction. "I still got it.”
His fists clenched so tight that his fingers ached. Anger and fear faded, Skee remembering the time he let Sawbones think he would lose everything for a laugh. He had howled so hard that he had cried. Now Skree understood why Sawbones had been so mad. He chuckled, then laughed, feeling the tension in his muscles bleed.
Fenna picked herself up from the floor and sat, wiping away the tears that streaked her face. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play scary pirate lady!”
He righted the fallen chair and took a seat. “I have a story I think will fit your sense of humor, but perhaps another time though. To be honest, I could use some real advice?”
“I can give you advice.” She said with a smile. “But I have to be honest, you won’t like most of what I am about to tell you.”
He rolled his eyes. “Not another one of your jokes, please. Just tell me what I need to know.”
“Last night, I took advantage of you, just to see if you had lost your memories. The story I told you about the reparations that all captains pay to the families of lost sailors was true, but the amount I told you was a lie. A significant one at that. I genuinely thought when I asked for twenty-five gold pieces, you would have argued with me, revealing your lie. I also assumed that there was no way in hell you would have that much money.” She gave him that all too familiar grin, one that said mischief was on the way.
“When you coughed it up on the spot, like it was just any old amount of money, I knew you had to be carrying real weight in that purse of yours. I got you liquored up and told you it would be five gold pieces per passenger for the trip, I thought you would break for sure. And when you produced hundreds of gold coins and added a nice thank you gift on top, I barely kept a straight face.” She explained, a smile never leaving her face. “After all that, you still came in here, carefree as a puppy who still hasn’t been kicked enough. You, my boy, are seriously out of sorts.”
With a groan, he covered his face with his hand, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “So, how bad did I get fleeced?” he asked in a calm monotone.
“I think it would have been harder to take candy from an actual baby than it was to separate you from your gold.” She said, beaming. “I would say you overpaid probably a hundred to one. Maybe more, if you count the nice gift you gave me. Look, most small families can live comfortably on ten silver a month. Fifteen silver a month and you are living well. Two gold a year is better than most can hope for in their lifetime. Twenty-five gold for two years is more like a decade of decadence. To put it another way, I robbed you.” She patted him on the cheek, smirking. “But at least you got robbed by the best. Not too bad for a… how did you put it? A beautiful pirate captain?”
He couldn’t help but snicker. “And you would like to refund me the difference?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
Chapter 2
They spent the better part of an hour going over the broader points of the economy. Skree learned that for most people, copper was the daily currency, and they used silver for larger expenses. Theynever saw gold in most people’s day to day livesbecause of the extreme value and difficulty of exchanging it for good or services. The conversions followed the basic game rules of most MMORPG games. One hundred copper to one silver. One hundred silver to one gold. Base ten mathematics. When he did the math in his head, he had given a
way close to 35,000 silver pieces or 350,000 copper! A king’s ransom for all but the wealthiest nobles and landowners. She educated him on topics like the cost of a house - anywhere between three gold pieces for a modest dwelling and into the hundreds for some manor houses that lords and ladies liked to live in.
She explained that the base pay for most of her crew was around twenty copper a day, plus an equal share of any spoils, though different captains had different policies. On her ship, equality ruled everything. The Typhoon received five shares, paying for the repairs, upkeep and supplies, but everyone else, including Fenna herself received only one share. Six silver a month was a decent wage so far from the central kingdoms. They covered a lot of information and Skree did his best to memorize all of it. She reviewed her most recent manifests from the ships logs, showing how much she had spent on food, supplies and equipment.
A knock at the captain's door interrupted their discussion. “Come in.” She said loud enough for someone to hear it on the other side. The door swung open to reveal a shaggy-looking man in rough sailor's clothing, nothing fancy, but made well.
“Captain. I have breakfast for the both of ya, if fin you’re hungry?” he asked.
Stretching, Fenna gave him a happy smile. “Thanks, Howley. How do the seas look this morning?”
“There be a nice wind comin’ from the south captain. A mighty fine windindeed. The sea is smooth, and the weather looks to be clear all day. A perfect day for sailin’ captain.” He explained with practiced ease as he set the bowls of steaming oatmeal on the table. He placed a third bowl beside the first two, this one filled with various fruits and berries.
Fenna waved a hand toward Skree. “Howley, this is Skree, the mysterious man from our uncharted island.”
Skree stood, extending his hand. “It is very nice to meet you Mr. Howley.”
“You too, sir.” He replied, shaking his hand. “Welcome aboard.” He looked at the Captain. “Well sir, better get back to it, there are sails needing to be patched and waxed.”
Raiya- Early Game Page 1
