|
Post by Rex Apium on Nov 6, 2017 20:37:20 GMT -5
“Yea, sounds good,” Josette replied to Feng Kesh. She had a feeling they'd end up spending another night in that cave. At the very least it would be dry and warm if another freak storm rolled in... and on top of it they could make a less sad fire now that their options weren't limited to whatever bullshit Josette scrounged up from the cave itself.
Josette helped Feng Kesh carry back what she could. In reality she was more of a moral support than an actual helper. Most of the stuff they'd fished out of the sand was way too heavy for her to lift. She wasn't well known for physical strength so much as focused and precise movements that took advantage of her speed more than force.
Once she was certain that she wouldn't be able to help carry anything back, she instead busied herself with picking up suitable firewood. With the storm that went through the day before, there was more than enough branches on the ground. Even some nice and dry fronds she could use to get the fire started. For a brief moment she considered the possibility that some of these plants could have toxic fumes when burnt, but instead decided that wasn't terribly near the top of her priority list... and even so, they could just leave the cave until the fumes cleared.
She started setting up a fire before Feng Kesh finished carrying the big stuff back. Partially because she needed something to do and partially because she wanted to make sure there was enough time this evening to do the stretches she was used to doing under the stars. She also wanted to get a good look at the night sky. Ever since she read in the captain's log that they didn't recognize the constellations in the sky she wanted to investigate it herself. There was still a chance they were on Waena, and this would let her know for sure... probably. At the very least it would probably help her feel better by adding some sort of closure.
As the sun set and Feng Kesh finished up what he was doing, Josette finally had the fire going at a good strength. It was much larger than the one from last night and would be much easier to see from outside the cave. While this might pose a threat, at the very least it would keep critters away. The only thing they'd really have to worry about is possibly attracting the attention of humanoids... which, as far as she could tell, there weren't many in the area.
|
|
|
Post by Former Fiend on Nov 7, 2017 3:21:12 GMT -5
Before the pair left the derelict wreck, Feng Kesh did salvage one thing from it; rope. He gathered up all the rope he could carry and slung it over his shoulders before they started back down the beach. There had been very little in the way of rope or netting in the wreckage that he had washed up upon, and they would likely need whatever they could get.
And Feng Kesh didn't particularly care for the idea of coming back to this wreck if he could avoid it.
It was going to be impossible to haul all of their salvage back to the cave in one trip. In fact he didn't plan on hauling it all back, at all, given that a fair bit of it was useless. But he did mean to make as few trips as possible. And the rope was going to come in handy with that.
Food and drink came first. He tied up the barrels together and separately did the same for the casks; carrying the casks over his shoulder while dragging the barrels along. He could roll them over the flat ground for a good bit of the way even as the underbrush of the forest got thicker. When that became impractical or he had to nagivate around fallen trees, he was strong enough to lift and carry them a distance. He probably could have lifted and carried them the whole way, if only one at a time, but it would have taken considerably longer.
With the essentials back at the cave, Feng Kesh started back towards the beach, leaving Josette behind to start on a fire. Splitting up wasn't the wisest thing but the trip back and forth had allowed them to become reasonably familiar with this particular section of forest and he had carved an obvious enough trail with the barrels that there was little risk of getting lost.
Returning to the beach, the half-orc now had to make some decisions as to what he was going to take back with him and what he wasn't. He dumped out the chests that contained mostly personal affects from the crew and set about consolidating the tools from the other crates and boxes that he thought would be the most useful into just one, leaving the rest behind. He decided to also bring about the linens & clothes; they may have been waterlogged and the clothes too small for him and too big for Josette, but they might come in handy if they needed to make bandages.
Looking at the chest of treasure, Feng Kesh hesitated. He had his vices to be sure, but greed was never really one of them. He had amassed some wealth in his adventures but he had always put the bulk of it towards practical concerns, keeping only just enough for himself to live relatively comfortably. But Josette mentioned how she spent most of her time trying to scrounge up just enough to survive; she could certainly use it more than he could.
He shook his head; either way, it wasn't doing either of them any good right now, and it wasn't going anywhere, either. It could wait until they found a way off this island. Though all the same, on impulse, he did snatch a single bauble from the open chest before closing it again.
A short time later, as the sun was setting, Feng Kesh returned to the cave, having hauled the utility supplies back with him. He left the chests of supplies outside at the cave mouth with the barrels of food & beer; all and all it was too much to bring inside the cave and still have space to move around, but they were close enough to the entrance to be seen from the inside and defended if necessary.
Stepping inside, Feng Kesh found the cave refreshingly warm with the strong fire that Josette had managed to start. Much like the first time he had entered this cave, he was soaking wet; though this time it wasn't from rain, but rather from the sweat he had worked up hauling the salvage miles through a humid jungle. The dry warmth of the fire was a nice change compared to the sticky air outside. Lifting his shirt up over his head and depositing it on the cave floor, Feng Kesh began to stretch, working out the stiffness in his bones and muscles from dragging the heavy crates and barrels through the jungle; the firelight played on his skin, catching on the sheen of it. “One thing I hope we find tomorrow, almost more than civilization? A nice freshwater pond or the like. Clean myself off.”
“Anyway, I brought back the linens & clothes along with some of the tools from the crates. Axes, shovels, saws, hammers. That sort of thing. I left the treasure chest at the beach; no sense in hauling it up since we can't spend it and it isn't likely to be going anywhere. But,” Feng Kesh paused, reaching into a pouch and producing the bauble he had taken earlier – a silver necklace with a sapphire pendant – and offering it to her, “I did bring this; it shifted out of the pile of treasure when I moved the chest out of the way and I thought it would suit you.”
|
|
xont
New Member
Posts: 2
|
Post by xont on Nov 10, 2017 0:51:57 GMT -5
Mary made her way towards the mountain the book was getting closer, but so was night fall. She had to find shelter or something of the sort to survive the night. But, what was more important was her book, without her book she would not be able to do much. Yes, she had some spells memorized. But, if it was one she hasn't really used? Well, shes screwed out of luck.
Her eyes narrowed as she came up to a cave. "Really book?" She said with a huff. She went into the cave, no one was in here yet. She went deeper into the cave than she would have liked. But, there it was! "Finally!" She let out with an almost chirp. But, that ended quickly as she heard people enter the cave. She hid behind a large rocks. "Damn it." She said under her breath.
She peeked out to see what they were doing, from what she could tell...She walked right into their home. Well, isn't this the best thing ever? You are an idiot Mary, huge damn idiot. She thought to herself as she kept hidden behind the rock. Her eyes growing wide, not knowing what the man was. "The hell is that?" She asked herself. She stayed hidden for a bit, debating weather or not to make herself known. If they found her, they could kill her thinking she was going to harm them. If she made herself known...Well, the outcomes for that might be in her favor.
She let out a sigh as she clipped her book to the chain on her hip and stood up. "Excuse me." She said as she came out from behind the rock, her voice being carried through the cave as she approached the two with her hands up in the air. "I am Mary." She kept her eyes on them, as she stepped in the light of the fire. "I don't know where I'm at. I'm lost you two are the first I have seen in this place." There was no ill intent of her voice. She furrowed her brows seeing the man taking off his shirt. 'The hell man, did..did I just interrupt something?' She thought to herself. She didn't move her hands, they stayed up in the air. Hoping and praying that she would get to keep her head.
|
|
|
Post by Rex Apium on Nov 11, 2017 23:58:16 GMT -5
Josette paid little mind to Feng Kesh when he entered the cave. Instead she was taking inventory of what she had in her backpack with her. She had a general idea of what was there, but wanted to be absolutely sure so it could be compared to what the managed to find from the wreckage of his ship.
She didn't look up from her work when he started speaking either, but when she did he was well into his stretching routine and she was immediately reminded of all those inappropriate thoughts she had been pushing away. One second too long she stared before she looked away, feeling her face flush. Which was wonderful, she didn't need her embarrassment to be visible.
“That would be nice, yea,” she managed to say while pushing thoughts of bathing out of her head as well. If she could just think about something else... anything else... wait! She had a solution! She needed to do her nightly ritual still and this was the PERFECT opportunity to get the fuck out of this suddenly way too warm cave and someplace else.
Josette stood, perhaps a little too fast and making sure her swords were at her side took a few steps towards the entrance to the cave. She'd heard what he said of the linens, clothes and tools but it was mentioning he brought her something that made her stop in her tracks.
She stared at the necklace. He was right, it would suite her... match her perfectly. So much so that it had to be something a little more than just picking it up. It was a gift. For her. A gift. She hadn't received a truly thoughtful gift in... she wasn't actually sure. Her eyes widened and lips parted as she tried to figure out how to react to this, reaching out with a shakey hand while her brain fumbled over the next words to say.
Luckily for her, there was a perfect distraction. Another voice. A female voice that came from deeper in the cave. Goddess bless this woman. At this point Josette didn't even care if she was dangerous. She was a blessed distraction.
Turning to face the woman, Josette placed one of her hands on the hilt of one of her swords. Everything she said pointed to being in a similar situation to both Josette and Feng Kesh, but it wasn't uncommon for clever beasties to try and trick people.
“Lost? How'd you end up here?” Josette meant the cave itself, but after saying what she did realized that it could also imply the island itself, which would answer her question in a way regardless. Whatever the case was, this new curiosity was exactly what she needed.
|
|
|
Post by Former Fiend on Nov 12, 2017 5:59:01 GMT -5
By the time the first word had left Mary's mouth, the necklace was already dropping out of his hand and falling through the air even as Josette had been reaching for it as Feng Kesh's hand moved towards the hilt of his katana as he turned towards the previously unknown presence in the cave. Those same reflexes that had allowed him to strike down the first of the creatures that had emerged from the tidepool in an instant had him on guard before the jeweled pendant hit the ground.
Feng Kesh wasn't sure what, if anything, he'd been expecting. A young woman, brown hair and green eyes, probably wasn't it. But all the same, that was what was standing in front of him, hands raised in the air. He looked into her eyes as the firelight reflected in them and listened to the sound of her voice as she gave her name and a brief explanation of her situation.
Feng Kesh was decent enough at reading people. Growing up where he did, one had to be. The gullible and blindly trusting were fleeced for every copper they had at best and more likely ended up dead, or worse. More than that, as a warrior, Feng Kesh had been taught to read the intent of others less they try and feint or deceive him in combat.
Of course there were creatures capable of disguising their appearance, and even without such magic or abilities, Feng Kesh knew that there were people who were so skilled at deception as to be able to fool even himself. Never the less, he had to trust his training, his experience and his instincts. And here and now, all of those things told him that there was no lie in the woman's words or ill intent behind her. So far as he could tell, she was lost, confused, and afraid. A situation not dissimilar from their own.
So after a moment, Feng Kesh relaxed his guard somewhat, standing up straight, though keeping one hand on the hilt of his still-sheathed sword. “Apologies for my surprise. Come and share the fire,” he nodded to Josette, given that she had asked the question, “and tell us how you got here. We'll try to answer whatever questions you have.”
|
|