An Old World story of a Dnd - classed Ranger that finds a new land to start over. Things just seem to get out of hand, often. Feel free to comment as ideas are welcome for future chapters.
*Having an Idea is easy, writing though, is difficult, be gentle.
It's been a while now since the storm destroyed most of our fleet, and none of the other survivors were in sight. Two hundred ships leaving the Mercian coast with twenty that I could count after, and now it's just me. The only reason I survived was my left leg going through the wall of the cabin, shattering my ankle, but saving my life when the waves washed over us over and over again. I've healed my leg but have nothing left in the cabin to eat or drink, rationing the water down to a few sips per day and hoping this new sign was a good one. My lips were cracked from spending as much time as I could out here as the cabin was oven hot, how is it so hot outside?
I had no idea how to set the sails and one person rowing a boat this size is useless. Climbing with giant sailcloth is an all-day task just to get two connections and rest, spent so many days trying to figure out what goes where, sails apparently don't just magically catch the air and take you where you want to go.
Fish didn't care about my animal friendship or answering any questions on directions, but the birds, when a few came within reach after weeks of nothing, you'd be surprised how smart birds really are, just different as they talk about building their nest, other birds, to listen to their songs and mating, wondering if I had any fish, I asked where their homes were and if they didn't understand, where is your mate as a question would get them to head off in that direction to show me, it was just off to the left of where I was heading. If I'd have had food to give them, they'd have probably come back.
This boat had twenty archers and a regular crew, the crew was also fighters. Tons of bows and arrows and a score of other weapons, plenty of tents and bedding and backpacks from those no longer with me. Finding land would mean being able to live again, could build a little tent city.
I see a smudge out of the corner of my eye and turn to see what I hope is land in the distance. Please have fresh water, it hasn't rained, even fruit or coconuts would work. The next hour was spent staring at the smudge getting slightly bigger and dreaming of food, the next day the smudge just kept stretching out and rising up.
The shoreline grew to cover the entire horizon, the smudge turning into a mountain that ranged half the horizon way off in the distance. A large inlet off to the right, but 'port tacking' to go sideways into the wind wasn't something I could do, so my limited goal was to keep going straight and hopefully slam the boat onto shore without sinking along the way.
Trees for as far as I could see made my heart soar, the best-case scenario to getting out of the sun as it has been much warmer here than where we started out from, the water needed to sustain them, and the ability to hunt, I have enough arrows to last me a few years. I might be able to trade with the people that live here. There is entirely too much land to not have people somewhere. There's no smoke visible.
The shore came up quickly, I wrapped around the mast with arms and legs and was ripped off without slamming into the rail. Jumping up to run onto shore, turned more into feeling dizzy and plopping back down onto the deck for a minute before crawling off the ship and onto land.
"Ugh God." I'm still swaying like I'm on the waves while I crawl along the beach towards the back of the boat. It's dug in pretty well. Still need to get as much off as I can after I get my land legs and some water. The wind coming off the ocean masked all other sounds and smells.
Grabbing my bow and a quiver of hunting arrows and three water canteens in a large sack it was time to head out. Looking back at the boat as I was entering the woods I stopped and changed my mind, made a few trips back and forth building a little pile of essentials at the edge of the woods, just in case I come back and it was gone.
The beach led directly into the woods and a dozen paces in the normal noises began. I could live here for as long as necessary. A few small trails kept leading me northeast until I came to a rocky outcrop with an empty den-like opening. My sense animal was short-range but took little mana to use. I had joined my now missing team as a support ranger. Most archers are lined up and used in bulk, being a ranger, I was used for my tracking, animal sense in hunting, and limited healing, I also had Allo my now lost wolf and best friend. My group had three others, we'd been through so much just to have a storm end it all.
Just enjoying the feel of the ground beneath me, I was tempted to remove my boots and get dirty, but water would have to come first. Constantly sending out sense animal and not getting back much until I felt two humanoids further up the path, keeping low and slow, watching as two youngsters in odd clothing, baggy flowing pants, dress, and shirt on the other side, they were drinking directly from the water, which is good, though I've fallen for that before, throwing caution to the wind due to others having at it, made for a few ugly miserable days after.
Quietly moving the first canteen into the water until it was full, pulling it back and slotting it on top of the second canteen. The first was a mixture of sand, gravel, charcoal and cloth that would filter water into the second, I'll take this minimal initial risk and boil the rest this evening. Felt like forever before taking a few drinks and then filling up both canteens and putting them back into the sack.
The youngsters across the water were done making out and now going at heavy. If they were looking for privacy, this should be a good distance from their homes. Both were olive skinned, dark haired and slim. Their whispers and moans were no help in trying to figure out the language. It wasn't long before they cleaned up and headed northwest.
Swimming across and seeing their trail cut and easy to follow, no need to chase them down, going to move east to see if I could snag some food, cheating with the call to any of the small animals that would answer. Several came and I was led to a patch of thorny berry bushes where I ate just short of being sick and picked enough to last the night. It would have taken every one of those little guys to make a meal and that wasn't going to happen.
Sleeping in what should have been a den in the rocks with a small fire to dry off, sending out the sense to ensure nothing followed the smell of smoke. The lack of animal life let me sleep.
'You finally made it huh, figured your scrawny ass would waste away.' Grayson walks over and sits at the table. 'You always were the luckiest I've ever met.'
'Lucky? I was with you literally all of the time, staying back out of the way when things get hairy isn't luck, it's being smart.'
'Please, I know the truth of it now, all those near misses, the never being sick a day in your life, makes so much sense now.'
'Too much too soon Gray,' looking over I see Cinthia was seated in what was an empty chair, 'I'm happy with your results, What now Kay, this place looks perfect for you, make a home of it and quit all the fighting we'd done over the last several years, and for what? We'll be replaced and it'll just continue on.
Shoo, they'll have to hire three teams to do what we took care of with four of us.' I answer, and that's no boast, we were perfect together.
'Sow those oats my man, get everything you can with this new lease on life.'
'Get some sleep Kae, I gotta rest and get my spells refocused and we've been here too long. She faded off and I sat with Grayson for a bit longer.
Berries and water for breakfast were enough to make dozens of trips back and forth to the boat to empty everything of note before the ocean pulls it back out. Tons of limpets along the shore, but I will never eat another limpet after spending months on those little mollusks during my early training days.
My bow Ello, two quivers, one for hunting and one for fighting, the specialty butterfly blades, and a rucksack of essentials to replace the sack. Time to follow that trail and see what we have for civilization.
The most used trail leads from the stream to the first small farming house. A field cut out of the woods with no livestock, the roof was oddly patched but the land was clear and clean of debris. There should be a crop at this time of year, but it doesn't even look readied, the standard one-daughter family. Spent a good time watching so as not to have any surprises, they had no weapons on them or anywhere outside.
"I hope this goes well."
Walking with both hands up and empty when the father was walking in my direction, don't want him inside where he could grab a weapon to protect the women. He starts when I step out of the shadows and fully into the field, looks like he is going to run, and then he stops and watches me approach.
I have no idea what language he is using, I try basic, elven, and finally, trade talk making his eyes change.
"I was shipwrecked, looking for a village, town or city?"
"Town is that way." He nods his head in the direction I've been heading and we stand there for a moment, he is checking out my gear and I'm looking at his property.
"Thank you." I start to walk past him.
"Have you eaten?"
"Berries and water. I can catch game, but there isn't enough out there as it is."
"Ahh, there are two newly mated cats causing havoc,' he says so I send my sense out, but nothing nearby.
"My name is Kaethorn."
"Saedin, pleased you survived, would you like to eat before you go?"
The girl from the stream was standing outside the door with her mother in the door. Saedin introduced me to both.
"This is Kaethorn, he washed up on shore to the south." I could see the distrust in their eyes. "This is Agitha and my daughter Heran." I nod to both.
"I apologize for dropping in like this but am grateful you were here."
"Well, we have plenty of meat after those two hellions killed off our livestock," Agitha says and walks back inside.
"Hmm, where do they come from?" I ask Saedin, Heran answers.
"I've seen them pass the house a few times from the west," she points off to the left side of the house.
"I think your generosity deserves an equal reward, if I can take a nap after we eat, I'll head out tonight and see what can be done with them."
Inside the house was a beautiful contrast to the outside, with polished floors and furniture; detailed workmanship is shown throughout the main room.
"They are very large," Saedin replies as we take a seat.
The bowl of stew smells amazing, "thank you, hunting is what I do."
"Figured, I've never seen a bow like yours," Heran says excitedly.
"You have no weapons?"
Saedin shakes his head, "Never had a need."
The bowl of delicious food was bigger than my stomach, staying in the chair and pushing through the pain, groaning like a baby. "Whew! That was too much too soon, I am going to get some supplies and come back. I'll leave the backpack here if you don't mind."
"No Nap?" Heran asks and smiles at me setting off alarms with the look. "Not with my stomach stretched. I'll be back before dusk with a few things that might help you if anything like this happens again."
Starting off at a walk and moving on to a jog once comfortable, back across the water and to the den to grab a standard size for Saedin and two short bows for Agitha and Heran, a backpack with supplies for tuning, restring, and arrow components, along with two quivers of premade hunting arrows and two quivers of practice.
'New life, new path to take, no more mercenary work, nobody knows me here, I can relax and just blend in with regular everyday people walking about a town without a care in the world. Work the debt owed off in a new world.'
The two cats aren't marking their territory or leaving behind any traces that they've been in this part of the wood. Getting back to the farm early Heran squeals when I hand her a short bow. I explain why they have three strings and that everything they need is in the backpack and hand Saedin and Agitha their bows.
"I've never seen anything like these and I've seen a lot of bows." Saedin holds it up. "Very light, which string do you use on this thing?"
"Nock the middle back string, the other two are just to create more pull without you having to put muscle into it, this pulls them back at the same time, I move the leather draw notch around for him to see how it works.
"You are going to have to practice both accuracy, maintenance and make new arrows over time." Turning to Saedin, everything you need is in this backpack. "Your bow can reach the edge of the woods where I came out, from the door. Theirs, little more than half of that, new arrows have to be fired and coated with resins or they can snap in half from the force of the release."
