Aqua stepped off the boat onto Freeport harbor. Inhaling a long breath, he basked in the smell of the ocean's salt water he had called home for almost 30 years, and knew this would likely be the last time. The closest he had ever come to land life in the past, were a few hours either raiding small cities along the Antonician shoreline or whenever he had given his crew shore-leave in one of the many shady ports known mainly to those of his trade.
The wooden dock creaked as his heavy boots thudded along the worn pathway into the human city of Freeport. He reminded himself to move normally, something he had learned to do in the presence of "civil" folks. His profession required constant stealth, and that was not easily forgotten. He smiled at the irony as a set of gurads passed by.
"You there, halt!" came a shout from the side. Resisting the urge to draw his daggers, Aqua turned to see three soldiers approaching. The center one seemed to be the superior judging by the five shiny Freeport Militia medals on his sash.
Turning and bowing his head slightly to the right, Aquaojo faced the oncoming soldiers with a smirk.
"Good day gentlemen." he said with a fluent elven accent to his common speech. "How may I be of assistance?"
"You can be of assistance by showing me your hands and remaining perfectly still as my comrades inspect you," came the hauty reply from the sergeant. The two guards proceeded to pat down the newly landed visitor, making note out loud of his many daggers, a sword, and a whip.
"Care to explain these?" said the lead soldier, approaching and leaning in to grab one of the daggers at the visitors side.
Aqua made a half hearted attempt to grab the hand, but the sergeant jerked free, sending Aqua off balance and causing him to fall into the man. Quickly recovering, the sergeant shoved Aqua back into an upright position between the other two guards.
"An adventurer has to protect himself mi'lord." Aqua said, quickly trying to put the small incident behind them all.
"Indeed" came the sergeants reply with a scrutinizing eye as if trying to figure out how such an obviously inexperienced fighter had gotten his hands on such a nice weapon. Aqua hoped that the guards did not get too greedy and try to confiscate the items. Three dead guards in broad daylight of one of the busiest cities in Norrath was not the "fresh start" he had been hoping for.
"We were warned that the a notorious barbarian pirate Aqua would be coming through our gates in this tenday." said the sergent as he turned his back after returning the dagger to the new visitor.
Aqua scoffed "Surely you could not have mistaken ME for this Barbarian pirate! That is of course, unless he is of stunted growth and puny appetite."
Turning and fixing the visitor with a sharp gaze, the sergeant replied, "Do not presume to tell me of my job adventurer, you match his description. The bald head, the armor, and the direction from which you sailed in from are more than enough to cause us concern."
"Aye, milord. But what of the lithe body, the short stature, and dare I even mention the pointed ears?" replied Aqua as he flashed a smile he could not resist.
Seconds later all four men were laughing.
"Be safe good sir. There are many dangers in the lands outside this city. Even if you stay clear of the creatures, always be mindful of rogues and assassins." stated the sergeant as he called the guards to his side and turned to leave.
Aqua gathered his packs from the ground and situated his armor before walking through the customs area, out of the city proper and into the lightly forested and less populated area beyond. As he walked, he reached up to tug on the side of his neck. Removing a thin mask, his half-elven image began to shimmer and blur as it quickly became one of a large barbarian.
Aqua stopped to brush the lent from his braided red beard that reached to his chest. Reaching into a side pouch, he took out his eyepatch and slipped it over his bald head. Finally, thinking back to his balancing act with the sergeant, he slipped his hand into another pouch and took out five golden Freeport Militia medals and grinned. "Arrh. Me-thinks these lands be in for a grand surprise indeed!" |
