Forward: This tale takes place in the land of Thael, a rich fantasy world and mythos developed over twenty years by myself and the staff and youth of Renaissance Adventures who explore and co-create Thael through live-action roleplaying. This tale is written by me.
The Pirate's Last Wish
A’ruin Runeson fell from his ship and was swallowed by the sea. His blood seeped from many gashes, and the cold water sucked the warmth from his body. On the ship above, his crew cheered, thankful to be rid of the pirate captain’s tyranny. They thought he was dead, but A’ruin Runeson was not dead yet.
A’ruin sank into the salty depths. He could not move. He could not even think. The rage that had flamed within him moments before was utterly extinguished. All that was left was the unblinking gaze of a dying man seeing a flash of color and memory that told his life’s tale within the span of a few heartbeats. That tale was interrupted.
A’ruin had never paid much attention to the ever-beating drum within his chest until now, in its silence. His chilled blood slowed. Darkness yawned within him, enveloping the light of his consciousness. But this final moment heralded a last burst of memory, a review of the last five minutes of his life; the five minutes that had transformed him from the most dreaded pirate captain of the clans into a corpse, all because of one treacherous wish.
Here is how it all began:
Green and silver were her scales, deep, so deep, and sparkling, her blue eyes; long her seaweed hair, floating on the foam of the sea. How rare, most rare, it was to find - the Mermaid Djinni. She arose from the depths and floated amidst the wreckage of ships. Around her could be heard the moans of the wounded. Ignoring all, except A’ruin Runeson, the sea witch sang.
Fiery blasts and lightning bolts were soaring from A’ruin’s fingers, arcing over the waters, to incinerate the remaining wreckage of three warships. He was a mage, afterall, a powerful mage, a Runemage.
Her song calmed his battle fury, cooled the flames into embers, and captivated his piercing gaze. She tamed the berserk bloodlust that was raging through him. It was clear to A’ruin that he and his runeship were victorious over the three warships. The battle was done. They could claim the treasures of this town. So why not let the flames die and welcome the mermaid’s song as a trophy? He smirked, and did not fight her gaze or soothing melody.
With languid strokes, the sea djinn slid closer to the runeship. The ship was crafted of dark wood, covered in arcane sigils of protection. She gazed upon the muscular human. Magical runes swam across the skin of his face and hands. His hair was a tangle of black dreadlocks. His beard was knotted into two long thick fangs of dreaded hair. A black and silver captain’s coat fit him well. Very few pirates sailed the northern seas along the coasts and fjords of the Clans. Most pirates sailed along the coast of the Empire of the Seven Stars, or in the Pirate Isles far to the south. But here in the north, A’ruin Runeson was the Jarl of Pirates. His reputation as the Dread Captain had even reached the Lady of the Harbor, this wise mermaid being.
“Slay them not, oh Noble Victor,” she cooed. “Leave the warriors of Stonesweep Harbor to swim home. Graciously grant them time to heal and rest with their wives and children. You have destroyed their ships. Leave their lives in my care. If you grant me this request, three wishes I shall grant you and your crew.”
A’ruin laughed cruelly. This was a game he could enjoy. Tales abound of fools tricked by the Djinn. But A’ruin was no fool. He picked a dull-witted minotaur from his crew, and commanded the lad to wish for eighty pieces of jewelry.
“I…I...hmmm,” the bull-headed beast faltered. Its brow furrowed, and it swung a long snout back and forth between the Captain and the mermaid.
“Now,” growled the Runemage.
“Mmmeee, I wish,” the minotaur snorted, “for golden noserings.” He shot an alarmed look at the Captain, then blurted, “Rings, finger rings, necklaces, sparkling jewels. Eighty pieces of valuable jewelry. This I wish.”
Stamping the wood deck with his hooves, the minotaur jutted his thick neck and horned head out towards the mermaid, as if awaiting the butcher’s axe.
The Mermaid Djinni smiled enticingly. She motioned, with a serpentine wave of her silver-scaled hands, a motion inviting the minotaur into the sea with her.
A’ruin Runeson laughed hard. “Jump!” he shouted. And the bull-brained berserker leapt into the sea, forgetting he wore heavy chainmail armor and clutched a long glaive.
The minotaur was sinking and roaring mournful moo’ing howls. The sylvan seawitch swam and took him by a horn, lifting his head above the waters. She leaned close, and whispered into one large furry ear. He yelped in surprise, as rings and necklaces appeared upon his body. Then with a flick of her long tail, he was propelled to the side of the ebony ship, and was soon climbing up a rope ladder the lads had lowered.
All on that ship shouted in surprise and joy, seeing the grinning minotaur dancing on the deck, scattering rings left and right. All cheered, all except A’ruin. Too many tales he had heard of twisted wishes. He had chosen the dim-witted beast because he knew it would not craft a wish carefully, and the djinni would be tempted to twist the wish to her desire. She could have given him eighty miniature pieces of jewelry, rings that fit a pixie’s pinky, jewels that maybe were valuable only to hobgoblins, not clansmen. A’ruin picked up a ruby ring and bit the gold band: pure gold. He peered into the blood red depths of the sun-sparkling ruby: precious, very precious this gem.
A’ruin Runeson pointed to his First Mate. Tirin, the pantherlord, took care of the nitty gritty of making sure the crew did what A’ruin commanded. He was half-man and half-panther, hailing from the jungles of the Empire of the Seven Stars. In his youth he had sailed with the Cutthroats, in the Pirate Isles.
“Divide the loot as usual. Ten for supplies, five for me, two for you, one for all else,” commanded the Captain.
It was done swiftly, despite the silent scowl of the cowed minotaur. He was too intimidated by the Captain to complain out loud that he who had risked his life should earn more reward.
A’ruin then bowed slightly to Tirin. “The second wish be for ye, Tirin. Ye serve me well, keeping the men’s tempers in check. Wish away!”
Tirin nodded thoughtfully. Then he stripped off his leather scalemail and unbuckled a wide belt bristling with daggers, hatchets, and a masterwork cutlass. His lean body was covered in dark panther fur. He had the wide brow and sharp fangs of a panther. He had paws for feet, strong hands on his arms, so he could grip and hold and manipulate as any human could. He disliked swimming, but the sylvan creature in the sea was waiting, and so he nimbly climbed down the rope, and hung above the waters.
The mermaid gazed past Tirin, to A’ruin Runeson. “Do we have a deal, Sea Slayer? Two more wishes I shall grant, for the safety of the people in my care.”
A’ruin’s eyes narrowed. She was canny to realize that he had not directly agreed to her proposal. Tersely he nodded, then spoke aloud to all the crew and to her, “I accept this Djinni’s offer. We shall spare the people, and we shall not loot the town, in exchange for these wishes she grants us.”
Smiling, the mermaid murmured to Tirin, “Come in, come in, sweet kitty.”
Baring his fangs unconsciously, the pantherlord swiftly leapt into the waters while keeping one clawed hand holding tightly to the rope.
The mermaid djinni swam close, nuzzling into his fur. He growled threateningly, but she responded by reaching up and whispering into his ear. Then he gazed at her quietly. He ignored the hooting sailors on the ship, and he especially ignored the burning gaze of A’ruin Runeson.
Tirin breathed once, twice, then kissed the mermaid’s ear and whispered something so quietly that even he could not hear the words.
“Your wish is granted, purr-beast,” the mermaid laughed softly, “or will soon be granted.”
Tirin climbed the rope swiftly and stood on the deck. His wet fur hugged his frame, making him seem far more slender than when his fur was dry. Pirates shouted, and one cried mockingly, “What did ye wish for, purr-beast?”
Tirin was silent. He flashed a subdued smile at the crew, and nodded to A’ruin in thanks.
“Well then, seems ‘tis my turn,” the frowning Captain spoke.
A’ruin unsheathed his titanblood longsword, and handed the blade of molten lava pointedly to the pumalord. He stripped off his jacket and trousers. Standing in a loincloth, all could sea the weave and pitch of the hundreds of runes that shimmered and swam upon his muscular body. Even his face was covered in the arcane sigils. These were the source of his power. He could cast spells without using the runes, but his ability to store magic in runes upon his skin made him a far more deadly battle mage. He could cast spells swiftly from a rune, and take on a crowd of rogues and drop them in mere seconds.
A’ruin did not fear the djinni of the sea, though his cunning mind kept examining the situation from different perspectives. He felt cautious, but not afraid. And certainly he knew he had nothing to fear of his crew, even without his potent sword. He could take them all on with his runic magic and be victorious.
A’ruin turned and dove into the sea.
Link to Chapter 2:
https://steemit.com/fiction/@spark/chapter-2-the-pirate-s-last-wish-a-fantasy-tale-set-in-thael
Introducing Mark Hoge
I LARP for a Living - I'm passionate about ethical leadership, experiential education, conflict resolution, conscious parenting, storytelling, fantasy writing, RPGs, and personal growth.
My Introduction Post:
https://steemit.com/introducemyself/@spark/introducing-mark-hoge-i-larp-for-a-living-i-m-passionate-about-ethical-leadership-experiential-education-conflict-resolution
An Invitation
Thanks for reading! I invite you to read, explore, engage, and dialogue with the coming posts I will slowly but surely be sharing.
@Spark
Mark Hoge, Director of Renaissance Adventures, LLC.
https://www.RenaissanceAdventures.com
Art credit for the artwork: Jojo Monson, https://www.etsy.com/shop/monsondesigns