FicWad

There was a strong southerly wind as they brought the ship round and headed back to Dakvia. The night's sky was full of stars and the crew had drunk enough before heading to bed. There were three members of the Revenge's Galley left on the deck and they were drinking moderately with the lights out. It was cold on the deck and they were laughing about situations long in their past for one, too fresh in the memory for another.

"She had the face of a mule and you know it." Said the one with the long black hair. He had startling features and blue eyes that could even be seen to sparkle in the night. "She was going to rob you blind until you vomited down her chest you drunkard."

"You can talk it's only that pretty face of yours that saved your balls from meeting Davey Jones. Mind you at least you had a chance of seeing the next day."

A strange silence fell over the three men as they thought back to their last stop when the older captain had fallen. His first mate had become captain of the Revenge; he was the son after all. The black haired man was the son and the others his most loyal workers. Unlike many of the Dark Elf they had picked him because he seemed the least likely to ruin the hierarchy and not because of his father being the old captain.

"One for Gravebane's locker then." The young Dark Elf said as he looked out to sea and wondered what could go wrong next. The voyage had been cursed he swore, as a corsair they never raided a ship with a Dark Elf unintentionally and yet, they had managed to stumble on a small merchant vessel with a half-breed on their passenger list. It could not have been any truer about the legend in his eyes.

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The second the half-breed appeared with his long black hair and purple eyes the crew had frozen. Precious moments were lost before they were suddenly blasted by fire. The fire had gone deep into the side of the Revenge and they were taking on water. They had a faster vessel and withdrew to repair the boat. The half-breed had been employed deliberately to throw them. The merchant's Captain would pay had been the vow from Akkord, his father.

Trystan hadn't been too convinced that they should get involved however Jarred wanted blood on his sword and the booty in their hold. The younger of the Gravebane's followed the captain and they made plans to return to the merchant vessel. That night they brought the Revenge to the left of the vessel and Trystan followed Jarred to the captains' quarters.

They did not expect the half-breed to be waiting on the other side. Jarred opened the door as Trystan reached to his spell components. The captain moved the half-breed aside and looked to the uninvited guests.

"Hand over the vessel and we will not kill another. We have no desire to curse our ship by killing that thing." Jarred said pointing to the half-breed. The half Dark Elf snorted its disgust before reaching for this sword.

"Remove these corsairs from my sight. It will be a better day when Dakvia and its contents are at the bottom of some gods' forsaken hell and every one of the souls is taken with it." The captain said and the half Dark Elf drew its blade.

"You idiot, you kill us your curse will be ten times that of this one death." Jarred spat and looked at the slave to the human. "You will be sent to Vechna's hard and bloody hand." He vowed before they crossed swords.

Trystan wasn't above cheating to get the upper hand in the fight especially if his father was going to come out alive. He dived to get the components he needed but the half-breed was faster than he had anticipated and soon there wasn't much room to cast with. Jarred took a hastily judged lunge forward and Trystan watched as the blades from the bracer on the half-breeds hands clenched. Spikes came from the wrists as he bent it downwards and straight into the stomach of the waiting Jarred.

Tryzstan lost his concentration just long enough to see his father fall to the ground barely able to breathe let alone scream in pain. The young mandidn't even get the chance to say goodbye before his fathers' body was nothing more than a growing pool of blood and a corpse. He ignored the spells and taking his fathers sword he ran it straight through the half-breeds chest.

"Linel ditius udossta Qaur'val." He cursed him and spat in his face as he slumped to his knees. " Zhuan khazel linelat."("Suffer at the hands of our god." And "Know true pain.")

The captain thought he had got away from sight and was running down the hall of the galley to get on deck or scream for help but Trystan was so angry and spiteful that he used a spell to catch him and bring him to his knees as well. He wandered up behind the man who was helpless but Tristan for some reason could not bring himself to kill the man.

"I would have you strung and tortured easily but you are a pitiful sight." He said picking the Captain up and dragging him to the plank they used to move across.

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"Trystan, stay with us lad." Said the older of the three gathered there. "You still thinking about what happened. Come on, it could have been all of us." He said and with a smile he added. "You got two for one didn't ya boy?"

"Guess I did." He said with a smile and looked back to the mast behind them where the captains' fat body was tied to the centre mast and had been since his return. "You hear that fetid Rivvin? I got a better deal anyway."

When they pulled into the docks they were not greeted like heroes nor where there loved ones there to greet them. They arrived in the dead of night with the Blackjack flying high. The ships settled on the docks and Trystan untied the captain.

"You are not to ever insult the name of my family again. I am from an ancient line of the senate but my family preferred to make our money. We have a living and we abide by the law. To this end strange rivvin that cannot understand I shall have you tutored." He led him through to the market and sitting down with him in the centre he waited until the sun came up and the auctions were held. The captain was sold and he went to the Ply'usearth, the pub known as the Kidnap to the human population.

"Are you young Gravebane?" Asked a rather well dressed man behind him. Trystan was about to retort when he spotted it was one of the human messengers and thought better of it. He could never tell which houses pet they might be.

"Indeed I am." He said and smiled meekly. "What can I do for ye? My ships about to careen for the month so if it's travel ye need might want t' try the older sister vessel the Barbosa."

"No I just thought I would tell you that despite your 'friends' being noble to the dock the Revenge shipped out three hours ago. I think you lost your vessel."

"That pig, I am going to kill him." He screamed and hitting the across the face threw the mug at the wall. "Get me your master you snivelling piece of pig swine. My father's ship is not getting out of these waters!"

The whole tavern turned around and Trystan just stopped himself from picking someone to kill before reminding himself it wouldn't help. He just ended up ordering more of the vile ale that the human race seemed to prefer and getting slaughtered. When the messenger returned with his master it wasn't a good look on his face. Trystan knew who it was, Gravebane the fourth, the eldest of their house.

"My lord." Trystan just managed and threw the rest of the pint at a passing wench.
"You filthy waste of space. Your father and now the Revenge. Do you know how much that cost me?"
"No sir. No I don't."

"Then you had best make note, you are going to have to get your own ship before you get on those seas." He said dragging him out with one arm and to the docks.

Watching quietly he saw the Revenge just on the distance and the elder let off a signal with a spell before the ship was surrounded by others that had been masked on the coastline. The ships wasted no time in destroying the beautiful vessel and Trystan could barely watch. Those people had been his shipmates for most of his life, he had rarely set foot on land without one of them and yet, it was deserved. Without Jarred they have proved nothing more than common pirates and not the Corsairs the Dark Elf desired to keep the law even on the high seas.

It sank within such a short time that the sea looked almost too calm for it to have happened. It was saddening but Trystan couldn't afford to show any remorse. It was seen as a weakness.

"Trystan, you cannot stay here as people in the short term will remember the Revenge. However only you and I are likely to live long enough to bother over it. Raise enough money to buy your own ship and this will be forgotten." He said and left it at that until he remembered his initial anger. "Raise a hand to one of the messengers I know again and I shall have your head next time. You have a pretty one; it will be a good showpiece. Now get out of my sight."

Trystan grabbed his bag and his fathers' sword before running back to the Kidnap. Without another word he ordered as much mead as he could fit in his bag and hitched a ride towards Sorrow. He might as well get out of the way quickly whilst the threat was minimal.

Reaching Sorrow was about the most pitiful thing he'd done. The first night the travelling made him sick and after that he wouldn't dare eat on the road. Still the train of caravans were mainly slaves or those just making citizen so he guessed he might be able to get away with them not daring to rib him for it.

He stepped into the market square and it was pouring with rain. He had wanted to find a warm tavern but it was late and they were shutting up not opening. Also he had all the clothes and wares of the corsair trade so expected little from a town nowhere near the sea.

"A wonderful evening for the elves of the sea." Came a voice from behind him and he turned around. There was no one in sight and then he thought he had seen something from an alley.

"Okay who the hell are you?" He demanded.

"You don't look best pleased. Where is your ship?" Asked the stranger. He had purple and white dyed hair along with a white set of silk clothes. Trystan noticed he was human. "I am Isou, I work for the house Cortez. Are you interested in my words or can I go home to the warmth and good food?"

"No wait," he ordered and looked about the darker night sky, "I think I can listen." He found his hair sticking to his face. "How about you help me get somewhere to stay first?"

"You can stay with me Trystan." He smiled and let Lin wander towards him. Lin, a marionette who had his own mind to do things. Trystan took a step back and watched it.

"Wizard?"

"Yes indeed I am. How marvellous we can also talk shop." He walked towards Trystan and led him through a small set of gate houses and into the Cortez estate. The pirate wondered why he couldn't just settle and be one of them but he got land locked and felt like he was in a prison.

He listened as Isou and his little marionette settled down to make something to eat and drink. His eyes roamed to a small ring on the side and he put his bags down. Isou let him bathe and change in peace before letting Trystan take the only seat in the study and giving him a chance to rest.

"What do you want of me? If you are already a free human you don't need me to do anything for your status so what is it?" He said taking the food and drink. Lin crawled up beside him and the pirates lizard slipped out of his bag and perched on his shoulder to get some food.

"Indeed, I am already happily employed as a researcher here." Isou smiled and uncorked a decent wine for the Dark Elf. It would not do well to anger one of the few people he had interested so far. "What I need is someone who can resolve matters and perhaps be willing to fight. I am no adventurer but was charged with going out on one. They have allowed me to find someone to go in my stead."

"Someone foolish enough?" He asked noting that the conversation, blessedly, had been in Dark Elf and not common.

"If that is what you choose to think but I would suggest that a corsair without a ship might not want to be on the same street all year." He smiled and bowed. Trystan found it unnerving but nodded. "The payment for your agreement is that ring, it will fetch about two thousand gold but can be used whilst you go. May I enquire as to why you are in Sorrow? My master would like to know I am sure. It is not everyday we see a...?"

"Gravebane, a rather loose link to your house I think." He said not trying to work through the blood and relations spilt over the centuries. "I need about 250,000 gold to buy a ship. I lost my ship and need to buy another; I have the designs but not the money."

"Then you would prosper by being neither bored nor stood in one place." He smiled again and Trystan nodded. He could see this one was the product of the Dark Elf. He wasn't too sure he liked that. "You can run to your rules, keep what you want and be fair to the crew. They will need you and you can make money."

"I guess really it sounds better than signing up to the guild." He nodded. "And I can crash here until I am vetted." He told Isou.

"You only need to be here two days. I am glad I found you in time." Isou said as they talked about making sure he was taken to the Cortez house on time.