Travel across the large lands of the southern continent was something The Dirge hadn't done in ages. He was old by human standards but not by those of the merfolk. Seeing as he wasn't a pureblood he didn't expect to live as long as his mother but he would still outlive most humans.
The trip north had been a blur of walking, conning people into letting him ride with them, changing routes, and then finally offering to work on a river barge for passage north.
His years as a captain had made him a capable deckhand. He almost really enjoyed it. The relaxed pace of life on a river barge was something he hadn't had in years. As he lazily made sure the barge was clean and didn't run aground he considered giving up his pirate ways and live slowly sweeping down the river and then guiding it back up again.
The barge had stopped about 2 days ride south of the city of Northern Gate. He completed his bargain by helping load the goods off the barge and following it into the city. He had thrown his fancy clothes into the river and walked around in his plain brown work clothes. He had borrowed a plain linen shirt from one of the other deckhands and tied his hair back on his head.
When he got to the city of Northern Gate he looked just like the hired hands of every other merchant. His boss on the boat had given him a small payment of money for doing an extra thorough job. Dirge had shaken the man's hand and thanked him profusely. He wanted to act appreciative, it was a pittance compared to the wealth he had elsewhere but it was the first time in a long time he had earned something honestly. He almost didn't want to spend it.
As he split ways with the crew he walked into town and found a room for the night. He had slept in piles of ropes or between boxes. The idea of a freshly stuffed mattress made him giddy. He knew his body could use the rest, he wondered if such luxuries would make him want to return to his less honest ways.
And he was right. One night of rest and drinking was all it took to bring the old Dirge back to the mix.
He spent a few days around town talking and trying to find a way across the gate. If he had been smart he would have stopped ahead of the river and just walk north. It was the desert that scared him. He had a very severe risk of getting lost or dying of dehydration. He was only part Merfolk but he still needed to be humid. His fish parts could get infected when they dried out.
Several nights at the bar had finally given him the information that he could pass across the border about 5 miles to the east where there was intermittent oasis spread through the desert. The islands of green popped up where an old river still flowed under the sand and occasionally made its way to the surface.
So silently he checked himself out one morning and walked out of town. He had wrapped up his shirt around a pillow and tied it to his waist to look like a vagabond headed south for more work. City guards paid no attention to the man headed into the wilderness. If animals ate him, so what?
The road out of town bent and twisted until it turned in to face the direction of the river headed south. Dirge smiled to himself and wondered about his peaceful retirement and a life spent doing honest work.
He laughed out loud and ran a hand through his hair, pulling it back into place behind his head. "One day, maybe I will enjoy a nice retirement. Not today. I have to get my revenge on that fat church-going bastard."
At the last minute, he turned his back on a quiet fate and headed away from the river and into the woods. Crossing the border through the gate would be too much issue, he was going to cross through the desert.
His eye got caught on the sign of a campfire that was several days old at the side of the road. He was glad he was leaving here because it looked like merchants came and went through here. He wanted to avoid being watched as he crossed through the wilderness.
His walk off the beaten path would have been suicide for anyone else. You needed weapons and smarts to avoid the predators of the forest. Most animals could tell a predator when they found one. Luck was his friend, as it had always been, and the animals could smell on him the fear of an apex hunter. The largest forest beasts would come close enough to get an eye on the smell that was walking through the forest and then quickly skitters away. The largest cats ran like house cats after seeing the pirate.
Dirge noticed them too. He smiled to himself that animals were often smarter than humans when it came to identifying someone's lethality. He was able to kill with no remorse. He was able to slaughter to survive. He was adaptable. Animals smelled it, humans often ignored the warning signs.
As he walked he saw signs that he wasn't alone. Broken branches and other signs gave the hint that someone else had the same idea. This wasn't a bad thing, if a patrol was out guarding the border they would get caught first. This might help him sneaking across.
His fourth day walking towards the border ended as the sun started to go down. His nose was blind to the smell of salt so other smells stood out more than normal. He could smell the campfire long before he could see it. Like the animals following him, he decided to scope out the people and determine if it was worth his time to take them out. They might have food and drink if he could dupe them into accepting him.
When he got eyes on them he found three people. Two men and a felis woman. They were seated around a fire with bundles behind them. One man and woman were seated near each other giving him the idea that they were a couple. The largest man was seated with his back against a tree looking at the other two. This was a smart place to keep people from attacking you from behind. The tall man was playing some kind of instrument softly as a fire burned and the woman started passing out food.
The Dirge knew that a three-on-one fight was out of his favor especially in the woods. The one sitting next to the woman also set the hairs on his neck up. Each predator recognized another predator. For now, he realized that man was his biggest problem. How to solve it though?
The smell of food overrode his senses and he decided to take a calculated risk. Piracy was always playing the odds, Could you survive an attack and make off with something precious? You had to be prepared to lose it all to gain anything, so he walked out of the cleaning.
Erust noticed him first, the man was dirty and bedraggled. A simple bag of belongings hung at his side and mud was all over the bottoms of his pants.
The music swiftly faded as Rennish followed Erust's eyes towards the visitor. Rennish slid his hand under his side and put it on his dagger. He knew he wasn't a true fighter but after the last encounter with a stranger, they were all on edge.
"Excuse me, do you have anything to spare to eat?" The Dirge walked slowly towards the fire and into the light. He did his best to look like a house cat slinking towards a free meal.
Ashra turned her head and sniffed the air. The smell of salt had long wore off or she might have been more suspicious. He smelled like river water and mud. "We don't have much but we can spare you something. Don't come any closer though."
Erust stood up and pulled off a chunk of bread, "Do you have water?"
The Dirge shook his head, "My canteen ripped two days ago."
Rennish reached into the bag next to him and pulled out a leather cup. He poured water from his sack and passed it over to Erust. Erust took both and walked halfway towards the stranger before putting it on the ground. "Here some food and drink. Please eat it and then be on your way."
The Dirge nodded and tried to look tired and meek, "Thanks so much for sparing me. I would have passed out in a few day's time. I was headed back across the border after escaping from some pirates who took me farther south." The dirge started stringing together half-truths while chewing on the thick bread. "Do you know how far the border is from here?"
Erust glanced at Rennish who nodded and held up 3 fingers. "Three days walk, keep heading with the sun to your left and you will get there soon enough. You are almost even with the city."
"Any chance we could travel across together? I could use the company..." The Dirge took a drink and wondered if the water was cold or if he was just hotter than he expected.
Ashra looked over at Erust, days ago they would have immediately agreed to guard him across the border. They had a cart then, now the cart was walking its way across the border, led by simple golems as the lloras would make their way back to the oasis. Erust knew what she wanted to say, they all wanted to help, but they also wanted to stay alive. And you never trust a stranger in the woods.
"Sorry, we aren't headed in that direction. We have a home further out into the desert, away from where you are going." Ashra said as she straightened her shawl over her chest and tucked it around her stomach. The cool air was blowing and where she had exposed skin she was getting a chill.
"Can I at least stay here on the edge of the light of the fire? I hear the other animals and I am tired of sleeping with one eye open. I could use one decent night's sleep." The dirge backed up to the edge, knowing he was going to con his way into their good graces. If he knew now who they were he would have done more to ingratiate himself to them. As a pirate, he might have just murdered them all together. That would have undone everything the fat man wanted. He was looking for a pregnant woman and her two men. This party matched but the fat man had said woman, not cat girl.
Erust and Rennish whispered to each other. The dirge watched as their heads moved in the dark. The tall one new to keep his face and mouth out of the fire light so he couldn't read their mouth.
Finally Erust nodded and spoke. "Yeah you can sleep there on the edge, Here is a little more to eat. We are going to leave in the morning very early. We will be gone before you, don't follow us."
"Thank you for the food, that's fine. I really want to get home. I have business back home that I have to get back to." The Dirge grabbed the food quickly and walked back towards the edge.
Erust nodded. "Good, then you can use our fire. Rennish will keep an eye out for animals. It's his watch."
The tall one smiled, almost sinister but not quite. "Fancy a song to sleep to?"
The Dirge smiled, "You what always puts me at ease? Sea shanties! I spent so much time on land. I've always dreamed of a life at sea!" The dirge looked up at the canopy of trees like he was dreaming of sleeping under the stars on the deck of a boat.
"Really? I know a few. I will slow them down a bit to make them more relaxing..." Rennish put his back up against the tree again and reach over by his side. He pulled his same instrument back up into his lap and began to pluck away at strings. He started playing the normal jaunty deck songs and slowly made them his own. He slowed them down and changed the tune to make it more relaxing instead.
The Dirge smiled and felt at peace for a moment. He didn't regret keeping on with his life. This kind of quiet life was nice now and then, but he would begin to miss the murdering and pillaging. He had spent so much time at sea it was really all he knew. He wondered how people lived like this on land? Landlocked in, no real freedom to escape. He might try it later, but not tonight. And probably not tomorrow.
Realistically, probably not until he finished this job for the fat lard ass inquisitor and the church. After dealing with these sneaky church bastards, he might just find a place to settle down.