"Are we nearly there yet?" I call out to Heiya as she gets down from her perching spot. The young hwardgon bounces and hops, her padding scraping along the stone. She jogs to a stop and pats my side as she passes me.
Her legs roll her back around, "Yeah. River's not far now."
I nod at her answer and take another lamp-aided glance at the tunnel's top. The damage has been very inconsistent around the giant's fall. Guess that must mean there are more unfortunate fractures around these parts. Wounds to the earth from millennia old witch duels that are only now apparent.
"Now, you sure this thing is wide enough to necessitate a ship of any kind?" I ask, not particularly sure how she's even come to this conclusion that this is a big river of any kind. Now, I'm no hwardgon or denizen of the deep, but I know full well there are stories about echoes in these parts. No where else for the noise to go so it just keeps amplifying up and up.
"Trust me," she lets out with a lengthy song, and my head shakes as my overworked legs ache some more. We've had our moments to rest, but I'm still the one pulling the wagon the whole way!
"Why, of course, I do." I sarcastically roll out as my eyes do the same.
"Trust me!" she repeats, heading off to join Ivahstar as he looks out at something further ahead. If something's got his attention like this, then there's certainly something there. Question is, what? Do I have the energy to even make it that far...?
"Oh, of course I do..." I groan, bending into place and forcing my way along at a quicker pace. The distance between me and my wagon and the hwardgon pair vanishes. Heiya meets me with a smile and I greet her with breathless annoyance.
"Great Hrurim, puller of all of our stuff. I grant you your first visage of even more!" Heiya declares, and I look out at what it is they found. There's a river alright, along with a completely wrecked ship of some kind. Boulder right through its middle if that gaping hole means anything. The fact it's an armoured top one makes me whistle, too.
"I am not packing this wagon with more." I warn and Ivahstar waves away my words with an uncaring gesture.
"Map, something," the laconic man lets out, and he gets going, leaving us all behind to watch. Little legs are deceptive, and he is certainly careless about proving my instincts wrong.
"Whatever happened here, emergency services have already given the wreck a sweep." Heiya explains and I notice the complete absence of any people.
"Probably explains why the ship is on the shoreline or whatever you quillbacks call it down here." I say, and she jabs me with her elbow. I curl the visible edge of my lips at her mock glare.
"Still worth a look either way. Insurance companies don't come this close to the event. Especially with how far-reaching this all must be," Heiya tells, her arm waving over the massive mess and all the spilled out goodies that aren't probably even worth looking at.
"Atarifuge certainly did that..." Nin mutters from his usual spot. I blink at the language shift and get my head back in order.
"Any idea what kind of ship this is? People ferry or cargo?" I ask and she shrugs, not an answer in sight.
"Guess we'll find out." she says, heading off and my head shakes itself into a series of nods. My tongue clicks and I get moving, handling the slight downward incline on my lonesome. Groans and moans fill the air, battling against the rushing water, and I rush ahead. Not one bit of effort goes into stopping the wagon and I let the debris handle it.
"Bumpy ride." Nin remarks, the planks and other bits doing just fine.
"Be a good bug now. Stay there." I tell him in the surface tongue and the magicless thing waves farewell. Getting myself out of my harness, my strides immediately elongate so I can stretch out the stress. I quickly happen upon Heiya as she pokes a suitcase with the stock of her gun.
"People ferry." she says as I come to a stop at her side. Patting around, I find one of my sticks and slip my lighter out. It flicks open, and the air glows orange and it flicks away.
I take in a quick huff and puff, "So, what are we looking for?"
"You heard Pops." she says and I let out a head-shaking sigh as my free hand finds my hip.
"Maps and something, hardly a lot to work with." I mutter, and she starts to giggle.
"Come on, Hrurim! You've known Pops long enough to know what he's on about. You both work the same kinds of jobs, anyhow." she lets out and I huff a smirk that vanishes like steam in the cold.
"Not my fault I don't want to handle a whole lot of ship." I say and she pats me as high up my back as her little hwardgon arms can reach. Certainly, those who are tall are certainly the most blessed here. She's certainly whining a bunch when I rub that head of hers!
"Maps are always going to be up in navigation. That's easy enough to find. Everything else will come naturally, we've both done this long enough." she tells and I nod, walking closer to the ship with her and I kick a piece of spilled out, broken vase away. It scatters about even further and, almost like the gods are warning us, something falls off the ship.
"My gut is telling me our first goal should be more rope and a hook." I say and she waves me off with an amused 'nah' all over her silent face. I give her a smirk and take a relaxing stroll through the wreck as she goes another way. My eyes slip over to her father and I watch the old hegge as he shares none of my prior concerns. Up he goes and into the darkness of the wreck.
I get that hwardgon have natural night vision with the circumstances of where they live. But even he would surely appreciate some kind of torch or lamp in there? Then again, he got the nickname he did back in the day for a reason. Hwardgon can see in the dark and they're still scared of what can be found in it.
Something crunches underfoot and I look down. A piece of glass. Applying some more force and cracking it more, I knock it out of my boot as I carry on. Trails of wreckage coming to mind all about me.
I stop and pull out my stick, letting it dangle in the air. A hand slips into my coat and I pull out a little well-worn notebook. No corners are still hard and the surfaces have been beaten apart like thin-to-breaking clothes.
There won't be any note-taking, it's too old for that. But, age is what it's good for. Good for reminiscing and thinking about all the begone moments of our entwined lives. Me and Ivahstar, we go back far, very far.
A smile comes to my lips at all the adrenaline rushes we've had to live through. Not really something I can spill to anyone else either, moment you speak the wrong word it all goes up. Funny thing with people, take away or change a detail or two and a story is fine. Wrong kind of frame and their ears forget they exist, nothing going in or out of them then.
It's a shame I am out of room in this thing, though. Going through a shipwreck after a giant caused earthquake is certainly one for the pages of eternal memory. Ooooh! I can do that, actually, maybe someone's actually got a lost diary amongst all this spilt luggage.
"I swear, though, if it's a little girl's dream journal..." I complain, already dreading every man's worst nightmare already. Actually, maybe a dream journal will be appropriate. I can write down all the dreadful nights of sleep I'll be getting 'cause the big scary criminal has a fluffy pink diary. A chuckle ends my thoughts and I spy a set of bars from who knows what.
Still, I find myself looking back at the wagon. Nin's still there and he certainly hasn't made the effort to try anything. Pretty well behaved for a man of his calibre, all things considered. But... The buyers Ivahstar is likely going to want to find will not be as easily convinced.
I know how to perform a rudimentary weld if we get a campfire going the right way. Lots of wood to go through right now, anyway. Certainly a moment to do some damn laundry. Instinctively, I test my nose and it crumples up over the sweat fog caught in my clothes.
Picking up one piece of wood, I find a splintering spear tip and hold my stick by it. I blow gently on the embers and try to catch the wood some light. My eyes almost trick me. The growth of the black soot is near outright imperceptible. A noise escapes me and I snuff the stick out, killing the heat and not getting anything new out of it.
"Nin's got no magic, won't have any for a while with how he's right now. Not like I need a quality job, just something." I speak, getting some thoughts out of my head as I pick up a few more things for what will hopefully turn out to be a cage. If not, a pair of weights will keep him trapped if I can find something made to a higher magic density.
I take another look at my notebook and put it away, a laugh already getting out of me. Lot of good memories in here, even somewhere I need to make use of my practical skills. People like me and Ivahstar, we don't get around or by being without handyman talents. Certainly, if this was a job people would actually like to get involved with and had qualifications and anything... We'd certainly go to an average construction worker before anyone else!
"Oh... That's an idea, too. If the ferry luggage has loose change, I can always rent welding tools. Gods, I could even hand it off to someone else and relax for a moment." I realise, knocking at a crate and its loose lock. Certainly have worked a job or two where a bank might make a small transaction this way, in the hold of a ship. Criminal banking especially.
I look up from the ground and head towards the ship, minding my head as I do so. Travelling a hand along the ruined hull, I reach the rocky shore. My eyes go down and the blue-tinted glow of the water sparkles across my dirty face. I hit a knee and splash my face, licking up some of that crisp refreshment as it trickles by my lips.
Haste or not, I'm sure Ivahstar won't take much convincing so that we can have a moment of rest here. Gods above, if we happen by any emergency services like the ones who prepared us this banquet, they might even help us get into town. Though, Nin would be a bit of a problem. Not if I find a blanket, though... Not if I find a blanket...
My eyes follow the shore and go up the ship. I can put it off all I want, it's not like Ivahstar won't expect me to give the ship a look at some point. We'll probably go in shifts if he has his way. Well, me and him with his precious princess Heiya not so much as roughing up the skin of a single paw pad.
A chuckle escapes me, and I shake my head, going back into the open. Heiya spots me and comes over with a small box that she eagerly opens. We share a grin and I slip my fingers through golden chains and peek at the way its centrepiece gem sparkles. Real or not, we got an easy bribe if we need it.
"I don't suppose you've got some proof this is actually the decorum for an actual lady?" I ask, keeping my grin up as she plays with some of her quills.
"I dunno, all I know is that I'm really like this here little trinket. Give my musket a bit of jingle, you know?" she giggles and I shake my head, closing the box before she can slip a finger in. A sweet little moan escapes her, a delicate blend of knowing and disappointment of the regardless variety.
"Let's wait for Ivahstar to come back before we start choosing that kind of stuff." I tell her, patting her along so we can get back to scavenging anything that catches our eyes for the moment. We'll worry about moderation later.