- Finnigan Deadeye Severus, Captain, Freebooter’s Journal, circa 1400s I.R.
The waves crested and gently slid under the long dock as the ships came in and out of the harbor. The sun was setting, and the gulls made a melody he always associated with the sea. The smell of salt, wood, and the soft fires coming up from the sprawling city wrapped around him, as he tossed what was left of his sandwich into the surf for the gulls to feast on. Drawing himself up, he pulled his cowl over his head and gathered his cloak around him. As he stood, his sword belt jingled.
“Time to make the bread.” the goblin said, finishing a pull from his boot flask. As he stood, the sound of his paired swords, his axe, his knives all clanking scattered a few of the closer gulls from their meal. As the pair walked up the dock boulevard, no one gave them a second glance, more focused on their own business, as was the way of the Red Docks of Braid, one of the poorest sections of the Freeport.
When they arrived at their destination, not far from their stop for dinner, a dimly lit alleyway where trash had accumulated, as it always seemed in such a densely packed place, they were joined by a woman with fire red hair and a plain, blocky face. They smelled her before she entered the alley, her body odor noxious. They nodded to her as she unclipped her warhammer from her back, and man and goblin drew a sword and hand axe each, an odd sight for any who might hazard a glance down the alley, but in the Red Docks, most were focused on their own business.
The red, haired woman took the lock and knob of the door out with a mighty swing, and the goblin went in first. The doorman, staggering to attention of the shattered door caught a sword to the belly, and then a hand axe across his face, notching him crown to lip. He fell screaming as the man came in next and went to work. He was a flurry, no mere mercenary that carried a sword, he was a sword himself.
Two men died before their blades cleared scabbard, and the third died with his shortsword awkwardly out in front of him, his throat rent from ear to ear. Like that, a blink later, it was done, and the gang of four was dead. The goblin sheathed his weapons, and the man leaned against the wall while the red, haired woman watched the alleyway. The goblin scoured the room, bypassing the pot of the card game the men had been playing, bypassing looting them, and their meager things, stopping only when he found his quarry, bound, and gagged in a side room.
The high elf was beaten soundly. Bound at the wrists and ankles in thick rope from the docks, gagged the same. He was bruised, unconscious, and what concerned the goblin most, he was ironed. Run through his hand was a crude iron dagger, the crosspiece to his palm, and the tip bent over the back of his hand so it wouldn’t slip out. The contract had not said he was a mage. The goblin’s brow burrowed, and he checked the wound. It was infected. He sighed, thinking that of course it was infected.
He motioned for the man to come, and he did, hoisting up the beaten elf onto his shoulder. The red, haired woman motioned they were clear, and into the alley they went. The goblin led them through back alleys and darker throughfares until they found their way to their temporary encampment, a dilapidated warehouse facing the east of the Red Docks that they had run the homeless squatters from and claimed as their own, for now at least.
Most of the others were out, and only the captain remained. The man set the elf down, while the smaller goblin took a pull from his boot flask. The captain picked his teeth with a dagger and looked the elf over.
“No issues?” he said tersely.
“Nah. Four, like we saw. They didn’t put up a fight.” The smaller goblin said, offering his flask to the man who shook his head no.
The captain nodded, sliding his dagger into a belt holster, next to another one. “He’s a mage.” The captain sighed. “Contract didn’t specify that.”
“That’s what I said.” The smaller goblin said sighing.
“Alright. Let’s get him cleaned up and get our contact down here. Get paid for this one and move on.” The captain said, gesturing to the knife in his hand. “Don’t know about taking that out though. Don’t know him, don’t want him to go south on us.”
“Leave it in, it’s got the pus. Might turn sour.” The goblin said.
“Eruch, know any way to keep iron in a mage that isn’t a bloody dagger?” The captain said.
The man, his thoughts elsewhere, turned and focused on the goblin. “Earring.” He said, pointing to the elf’s ear, already pierced. “Pull his out, put an iron one in. it counts.”
Urskine’s eyes narrowed. “You sure about that?”
Eruch nodded. “I am.”
Urskine shrugged. “Fine. See to it. Madgrin, go let the contact know we’ve got him, and he’s alive. Hammer Red, I don’t know, go do something, just not be here.” He said, his nose crinkling. The red hair woman walked away, fishing a piece of jerky out of her pocket.
“Gods, can someone tell her to take a bath.” Urskine said when she was out of earshot. “Bloody stinks.”
“I’ll need to hit the market, unless anyone has iron chain?”
“Most of them out working the other job. Don’t think anyone’s dumb enough to wear iron.” Urskine replied.
“Then I’ll need to hit the market.”
“You know the rule.”
Eruch nodded. “Always take someone with me.” He glanced back to where Hammer Red had left. “Don’t think you’d come with me Captain?”
Urskine grinned wide, his green and yellow teeth prominent. “I gots to guard this prize here lad, going to have to take Hammer.”
Eruch sighed. “Great.”
Urskine shrugged. “You’re on your way plank now me boy, got to step up. Every couple of months one of us has to tell her. She’s scared of water, doesn’t like to bath. Guess it’s your turn.”
Eruch sighed and nodded and caught up with Hammer, who was sitting outside of the warehouse, watching the water. The red head was plain, her face square like a block, her nose having been broken several times over her life. Eruch could smell her before he walked up, the strong stench of the unwashed. At a better glance, her face was grimy, as were her hands, and her armor. He considered half her smell was from her armor.
“Hammer Red, off to market. Urskine tasked you to walk with me.”
She stood, nodded, and followed along beside him. They had served together for a month and a half now and Eruch realized all he really knew about her was that she didn’t bath, and she was decent in a fight.
“Got to get some iron rings in market.” Eruch said as they walked.
“Got ya.” She said, grabbing an apple of a cart as a shopkeeper’s head was turned the opposite direction.
“Think I’m going to stop at a bathhouse after.” He remarked.
“Your turn?” She said, biting into the apple.
Eruch glanced at her, shrugging. “You hate water?”
“Yep.” She said flatly. “I do.”
“Any reason?”
“Nope.” She finished the apple and chucked the core into the gutter.
Eruch pointed towards it. “Why not eat the core?”
She stopped, looking at him incredulously. “Foul.”
“What? In the wastes, food is scare. You eat what you have.”
She motioned to the bustling marketplace around her. “This look like whatever godforsaken shithole you came from?”
“Point taken. Just don’t like water?”
“Nope.”
“So, if it’s ‘my turn’ what does that mean?”
“You’ve got to wrestle me into the bath.” She said plainly.
“Oh.”
“Yep.”
The came across a bathhouse not long after, and Hammer Red stopped out front of it, planting her feet. Eruch walked up the steps and motioned her in, and she stood firm.
“Nope.” She said.
“Come on. It won’t be that bad.”
“Nope.”
Eruch walked down and faced her. “I really have to wrestle you?”
“Yep.”
Eruch sighed and grabbed ahold of her, and she began to fight, headbutting him across the forehead, he let go of her and backed up.
“What the shit?” He spoke. “That hurt.”
“Nope.” She said, firmly shaking her head.
“Why does this have to be so hard?”
“I don’t care what I smell like. I can’t smell shit. It’s your all’s problem.”
Eruch sighed and grabbed ahold of her again. She fought and struggled, kicking, and yelling as he carried her into the bathhouse, pass surprised looking patrons. He found the first empty hot bath and dumped her into it, armor, and all. He figured it hadn’t been cleaned in some time, might as well. He readied himself to grab her if she jumped out, but to his surprise she sat in the water, glowering.
“You’re not going to run?”
She shook her head. “I’m in now. Might as well do this.”
Eruch nodded and walked over to the attendant and paid the coin for the bath, and some extra for soap. He then stripped his armor off, setting it near the bath, making sure his sword was in reach just in case, and stripped down to his underclothes.
“Really?” Hammer said. “I don’t even get a show?”
Eruch shrugged, and stripped down completely, and slid into the hot water, sighing gently. Hammer began to take her armor off, stood, and tossed it near his, and her hammer down next to it. she then stripped down completely. Eruch wasn’t surprised to see she was filthy top to bottom, but he did appreciate the athletic form of the warrior. As she had not looked away from him, he did not either. She settled down into the water and Eruch tossed her one of the bars of lilac infused soap.
“You really just don’t like water?”
“Nope.” She said, as she began to scrub her skin. Eruch motioned an attendant over to dump more water into the floor bath, as it was already getting dirty.
“Odd.”
“So.”
“You don’t have much to say, do you?”
“Nope.”
Eruch shrugged and began to scrub his arms. Hammer dunked her head, and then began to rub the soap into her hair, working it into a lather.
“How long have you been a Freebooter?”
“Awhile.”
Eruch sighed. “Just making conversation.”
Hammer scrubbed her hair, getting her finger caught in the matted knots. Eruch stood and leaned over to his satchel, and pulled out a beautiful metal comb, with thick bristles. The back of it was ornate, with a large ‘D’ on it in imperial script. He tossed it to Hammer who began to comb out her hair.
“Thanks.” She looked it over before using it. “Fancy.”
“Was someone’s I knew once.” He said, and he thought of Hannah, and sighed.
“She pretty?”
“Yes.” He said, shaking his head.
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“Prettier than me?”
Eruch shook his head. “I won’t compare two women. I know better.”
“Good answer. You shit it up?”
Eruch sighed. “I did.”
“Happens.” She worked a rather thick knot of hair, furrowed her brow, and then pulled it free hard enough Eruch winced.
“It does.”
“Six years.” She said.
Eruch thought for a moment and then nodded. “You’ve been with the Freebooters for six years?”
She nodded. “Roundabout.”
“Where you from?”
She scowled. “We don’t ask that.”
“Right.” He shrugged. “I’m from nowhere, but everywhere.”
“A lot of us like that.”
“Seems so.” he dunked his head and cast his long blonde hair back and began to soap it as well.
“Elsad lands.” She said pulling another knot out.
“I have never heard of that. Where is it?”
“Far south. Many months away.” She gestured to him. “Now you share. It’s proper.”
“Proper?”
“Freebooters don’t ask, but if we tell, you tell. It’s proper.”
Eruch nodded. “I think I was born at sea. I grew up in Anoria, then went to the Val E Naa wastes, where my mother hailed. Then to Raakonia, where my father hailed.”
“I don’t like Raakonia.” Hammer said, shaking her head. “Stuffy people.”
Eruch laughed and nodded. “Indeed.” He sighed. “I can’t go back there.”
“A lot of us can’t go a lot of places.” She dunked her head again, and came back up, her hair mostly clean. She kept scrubbing.
“Seems to be that way. Malcontents, outlaws, and brigands.” Eruch smiled.
“Yes.” Hammer said, throwing her fire red hair behind her shoulder. “You an outlaw?”
“Can’t go back to Raakonia.”
She nodded. “You kill well.”
“Thanks.” Eruch said, softly laughing. “I guess.”
“It’s good. Kill quick. Don’t make the enemy suffer. Cruel men make the enemy suffer.”
“Fair point. Hadn’t looked at it that way before.”
“Where did you learn.” She said, her tone mildly demanding.
Eruch considered a moment. The Freebooters had been clear to him since joining, no questions asked as long as it didn’t endanger the group. Your past was your past. Unless you wanted to volunteer. He knew he was getting close to the vote to make him a ‘plankholder’ which meant he got a full share of pay. For that to happen, all the current planks would have to vote him in. With four of them away on a mission somewhere, it meant less had to vote, but still, it had to be unanimous. Sharing with her might help that. He could use the money.
“Well, between us?”
She shrugged and dunked her head again. “Sure. You’re staring at my tits. A few secrets won’t hurt.”
Eruch laughed and nodded. “Fair point. I was trained a youth by the Anoram Blademasters. Learned some more along the way from Val E Naa warriors and Chosen, and Raakonian knights.”
“Chosen? Who chose them?”
Eruch shook his head. “A title. Like our captain.”
“Ah. Good warriors?”
Eruch nodded. “Good warriors.”
“Anoria. Knife Ears across the sea?”
“Yes, but they’d fight over that name.”
Hammer shrugged. “The Company was there not long before I signed on. Urskine say we not go back that way while he’s captain. Didn’t like it.”
“Anoria has no love for goblins. To their east is a nation of goblins that are very nasty.”
Hammer nodded. “I know.”
“Been there?”
“No. I just know that.” She said scowling.
“Got it.”
Hammer stood, fully nude in front of him and motioned to herself. “Am I clean enough now?”
Eruch looked away, laughing softly. “I think so.”
“Sure, you don’t need to check?” She said, annoyed.
“I’m sure.”
“Why not? Am I not worthy to check?” She said, sounding more annoyed.
Eruch looked back at her and shrugged. “Absolutely worthy to check. But I’m not sure the right thing to say here.”
Hammer glared at him, then suddenly smiled. “I like you.” She climbed out the bath and looked down at her wet clothes then back to Eruch.
“I’m not getting back into this. Go to market. Find me something.” She said, digging around in her wet breeches and fishing out a few coins.
Eruch shrugged and stood, making it a point to climb out and stand in front of her as he tied his wet hair back. She did not look away, and instead looked him up and down, nodding in appraisal.
“I like you.” She said again, sitting down next to her armor and stretching her legs. “Be quick.”
Eruch nodded and dressed, deciding to leave his armor, but not his swordbelt for a quick jaunt to the market. Part of being a ‘mate’ and not a ‘plankholder’ meant that occasionally he had to do tasks for the plankholder. Nothing onerous, just odd jobs to ingratiate a perspective full share to the rest. It usually meant buying the beer at a new inn, cleaning horses’ hooves, or carrying an extra pack. From what he understood, it had been this way for some time. The companies ‘Loremaster’ a title given to the person who kept the companies journal was away on a mission, one of the four; but his backup was a warrior named Lincoln Headcleaver, who wielded a hammer. Eruch thought the name odd, until he saw him cleave a man’s head off with a mighty strike.
He made his way back into the market, found a vendor with working clothes and bought a pair of leather breeches, and a simple wool spun tunic, similar to what Hammer had worn. He paid a little extra to have it sprayed with a perfume and went back to the bathhouse. She stood as he came, and he tossed her the clothing. She dressed while he strapped his armor back on. He hated the armor and thought of his fine plate that was likely still among the Vacul’s coffers. It was lost to him. The piecemeal suit he had now would do, for now.
The pair left the market, Eruch having accomplished both of his tasks. When they returned to the warehouse Hammer broke off to go find some ale, and Eruch returned to Urskine, quietly reading a book, with his feet propped up next to the elf, still unconscious. Eruch knelt down next to the man and carefully removed his earring and threaded in the Iron earring.
“Jobs done.” Eruch said. “What now?”
“Piss off for the night.” Urskine responded, looking up from the book. “Got someone else bringing healing. You’re done for the night. We’ll circle up tomorrow.”
Eruch nodded and turned to go back to the bunk area of the warehouse.
“You get her clean?” Urskine called back.
“Aye.”
“She fight hard?” Urskine said, laughing.
Eruch laughed, shook his head, and walked out to the dock to kill some time. As he came outside Queen walked past him, an orc he had mistaken a month before as a man. She was swarthy, dressed like a man, and her mannerism portrayed her as such. She didn’t talk much, and Eruch had heard she had been a plankholder for almost a decade. She was a solid warrior.
“Follow me, now.” Queen said, walking past him. She seemed to be intent on whatever business she was about, so Eruch hustled to catch up.
“What we doing?” he asked.
“Follow. Quiet.” She responded tersely. They walked up the docks, back into the Red Docks district and down a winding road facing several dockside bars. Eventually she came to an alleyway next to a tavern called the ‘Crow’s Nest’. Waiting in the alley, sitting on boxes, and leaning against the wall were four men, sailors by the look of them, all stout and thick jawed. Each one had an auburn sash around their waist, likely denoting whatever ship they hailed from. Queen walked to the middle of the alley and stuck her thumbs in her belt and puffed her chest out.
“You sure you want to do this?” Queen said to one of the men.
What seemed to be their leader, a particularly large sailor with thick forearms and a split, and poorly healed lip pointed to Eruch. “He needs to lose the armor. Ain’t dying over this, but throw hands, we will.”
She looked at him expectantly, and Eruch shed his armor, tossing the pieces of it in a pile next to the wall, looking to her for some indication as to what was going on. She pointed to his sword belt, as the sailors laid knives and a belaying pin in a stack on a box. Queen took her longknife off and tossed it next to Eruch’s armor.
“Called me a cheat.” She said tersely. “Four on one wasn’t fair they said. I said I go get a friend. make it fair.”
Eruch nodded, stretching his arms out. He turned to the group, as Queen sidled up next to him, raising her fists in front of her face.
“No death. Just wallop.” She said to Eruch as the first sailor lunged forward to tackle her. She met the back of his head with a solid elbow, and the fracas started. Two men went for Eruch, and he moved to cut an angle between them, so he’d have just one to start. The first couple of punches thrown connected, and they were strong lads. Eruch quickly found the side of his face stinging.
Queen could fight. The first man on her was already on the ground groaning while Eruch wrestled with the second and tried to stack him in front of his other combatant. If he couldn’t get one of them down quickly, he knew he’d be in a pickle. The larger of the two went to grab ahold of him, and Eruch let him circle his thick arms around him, as he headbutted the man across the bridge of the nose. He stumbled back, suddenly uninterested in grappling as his nostrils fountained blood.
Eruch squared up with his second fighter, and the two traded punches. The sailor was obviously no stranger to a dust up, but Eruch had been in hundreds of scraps over his life. He took a few punches before knocking the man out with a solid hook that sent a tooth into the alleyway. He shook the pain out of his knuckles as he watched Queen knock her second man out, a knee to the groin to double him over, and a hard kick across the chin to send him to sleep.
“Thanks.” She said and turned and walked out of the alley. Eruch followed, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the four were done.
“That it?”
She nodded. “Call me a cheat. Pfft.”
“Where to now?”
Queen shook her head. “I go to brothel. You go wherever you wish, but not with me little mate.”
Eruch shrugged and started to head back to the warehouse. As he walked back down the main throughfare of the Red Docks, Cheri seemingly appeared at the end of the alley. She was a diminutive, slight goblin who usually wore loose clothes and a series of satchels. Bones, away on mission was the company’s magus healer and doctor. Cheri was his nurse, and when he was away, served as the doctor for the company, although she wasn’t a magus. She would do anything except dentistry. She thought teeth were gross. Otherwise, she had a salve or ointment for most things, and was fine with a stitch.
“Need hands. Come on blonde boy.” She said, and Eruch nodded, quickly strapping on his armor as he walked behind her.
He followed her back into the marketplace where she bought various supplies, piling them into Eruch’s arms. By the time she was finished, he was carrying enough that his arms were fatiguing. She made a leisurely stroll back to the warehouse, and once inside, had him set them down near the door. She flipped him a gold coin with a mischievous smile and went about her business. His arms were tired and his jaw still sore from the fight, but he was in a good mood. It was a busy day, but worthwhile. It kept his mind occupied.
Eruch smiled and opened the door to the bunk area where he had a corner. He sat down in his bed and kicked his boots off. He unstrapped his armor, setting it beside his bed, and lastly his sword belt, the sword and axe clanking as he dropped them next to his armor. All of it was substandard kit, but two months before he had been stripped of everything. ‘I did that’. He corrected his thoughts. Two months before he had lost everything. Not long after that he was ready to jump into the sea and let it claim him. Everything he touched, he messed up at some point. That’s what Dragus had told him. Worse, Dragus had said he wasn’t a good man. He didn’t know if he was. He knew that he was ready to die, and fate put Tonkes on the same ship as him, and fate led him to the Freebooters.
The last month had not been bad. He had fought, he followed orders, and he dove back into a life he knew well: mercenary work. He had been a sellsword most of his life, up until he met a pair of witches in the wastes. He thought of her then. Varilla. Blinded by his desire to be imperial, he had let her leave. Time had passed, and hindsight was always clear. He made the wrong choice. He should have left Raakonia the moment she did and returned to what he had in the wastes. Not because he would have never killed Arbetus and Panya, but because he would have been happy. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t a good man.
It was the same series of thoughts he had day in, day out whenever there was a quiet moment. He knew he’d have them again tomorrow, and the day after. Hopefully, at some point, he’d find peace. He had made his choices, as poor as they may be, and he had to live with them. He had let Varilla go. He had chosen the life of an imperial noble over the life of a Chosen of Reevas. He had chosen to bed and love Hannah, with Varilla gone from his bed. He had chosen to go find Jamison Grimm and make the poor choice that he had on that fateful night. These were his choices, and he had to live with them. He only hoped at some point, he would find peace with them.
Tonkes came into the barracks room of the mates, following along behind him the other three mates of the Freebooters. First was Katya, a beautiful peppered black and gray, haired magus from parts unknown, who kept to herself, and didn’t seem to like anyone. It was obvious she was running from something or someone. She was classically beautiful, angular chin, high cheekbones, and gorgeous brown eyes. Eruch had tried to spark conversation with her, but it was clear she was only interested in discussing the job at hand. She shuffled to her bunk, laid down, and closed her eyes.
Behind her Orun, a high elf warrior who Eruch pegged as a deserter from the elven war. He was tall, light yellow skin, about a foot above Eruch and thin. He wasn’t a bad swordsman and mostly kept to himself. He didn’t seem to like goblins, which was a problem as the captain was one. He wandered over to the common area of the mate’s room and grabbed a loaf of bread and began to make a sandwich.
Last to enter was Diamond a short human woman with long curly auburn hair, and a sunny disposition. She struck Eruch as the oddest among the mates. He had learned she was a homemaker from somewhere south of Braid, that her husband had beat her, and that she had enough and left her son and daughter with her sister and left him for a life on the road. she was a mediocre, but learning fighter, she could cook decently, knew something of the woods, and Eruch knew she was sleeping with a couple of the plankholders. She went to her corner of the room and began to clean her shoes off.
Tonkes walked over to the shared area he had with Eruch and sat down. The former able man of Dragus the Linebreaker looked the same as he ever did. Wiry, fluid and wearing dark leathers studded with small pyramids. His teeth were poor, his hair mangy, and he was nearly as grimy as Hammer was before her bath. He pulled his flask out of his satchel and took a long drink. He didn’t offer it to Eruch as was customary, as Eruch had given up drink since boarding the vessel from Libertan.
“How’d yours go?” Tonkes asked.
“Fine. It was what our scouts said. Four in the room. We got the quarry. He’s alive, beat pretty bad. He was a mage.”
“You don’t say? Huh.” Tonkes shrugged. “Been nice to know.”
“Yea. Yours?”
Tonkes shrugged. “No issues. Just guarding a loading in down the way for a ship. Goods bound for Holstamp. Didn’t want anyone trying to take it.”
“Good coin there.”
“Aye.”
“Had to give Hammer a bath.” Eruch said, smiling.
Tonkes laughed. “Your turn, eh? She ride you?”
“What? No.” Eruch shook his head.
Tonkes shrugged. “Heard she likes a good shag after her monthly bath.”
“Not sure I could, even after the bath.”
Tonkes snorted. “Any port in a storm. Any oasis in a desert.”
Eruch groaned. “I’ll pass, thanks.”
“Urskine say anything?”
Eruch shook his head, knowing what he was asking. “Nothing specific. Just soon.”
“Good. Ready to make my full share.”
Eruch lowered his voice. “You think we make the vote?”
Tonkes nodded. “I do. They can’t deny your skill. Shit Eruch, you’re better all of them. Me, they know my value.” He gestured over his shoulder. “Not so sure about the rest of them. Orun’s too damn uppity. Diamond might screw her way in. Katya, she’s stone cold.”
Eruch shrugged. “We’ll see.”
“I think I got all the planks. Like me well enough. I heard its good Bones and Paula Prickcutter are away. They’re hard votes from what I’ve heard.”
“We’ve any idea where?”
Tonkes shook his head. “Nope, just that it’s got a few more months before they come back.”
“Amazing to me a merc company could keep people out on a mission that long, and they actually come back. Most would just leave with the coin.”
Tonkes smiled broadly. “Told you I found a good lot. Theys the real deal. Professionals. Been at it millennia upon millennia.”
Eruch rolled his eyes. “That’s a horseshit story and you know it.”
Tonkes glanced around and lowered his voice. “Don’t think so. I got to talking to Madgrin, and he told me the Captain, them chests he always had carted around when we move. It ain’t coin. It’s books.”
“Books?”
“The journals. Kept by the Loremaster and his second. Details everything, we do. Goes back a long, long time.”
“Millenia on millennia.”
Tonkes nodded sagely. “Yep.”
“Believe it when I see it.”
Tonkes sighed. “Ah, ye of little faith.”
Their talk was interrupted as the door to the mates’ quarters opened quickly and it was filled by Lincoln Headcleaver. The man was imposing, wearing full plate, and most of it matched, with a one handed warhammer on his back that was wicked quick in his hands. He reminded Eruch of a lot of knights, but his disposition was better, and his accent wasn’t Raakonian. He laughed often and well. He kept his beard short and trimmed, with his hair, and Eruch guessed he was in his forties. He could tell he didn’t hail from Raakonia and couldn’t place his accent.
“Eruch, come.” He said, motioning him forth. Tonkes looked up at Eruch expectantly, and Eruch shrugged and followed the large man. He walked him across the warehouse to the plankholders area, where they had set up old offices as individual rooms for the planks, with a common meeting room off of it. inside were all the plankholders of the Freebooters, minus the three, with their mate off on assignment.
“Twilight Blade, sit down.” Urskine said, motioning to a chair in the center of the room while the other fourteen Freebooters stared at him expectantly.
Chapter 2, 12, 267