Fable - Ask Long Climb

[Naser]

The Black Bay - Aina Tiella

"Spooky." Nas said more to himself than the others as he watched the faint image of a man bursting out from one of the windows above. His form flickering and the glass shining in the moonlight. The body sailing for just a brief moment before it flew spiraled downward and crashed into the rocks below just a few dozen yards away from where he and the others were standing.

He knew that it probably would have been polite to warn the others, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Their reactions to the falling corpse might bring some form of amusement to this rather droll affair, and after being soaked from their swim Nas really wanted to smile.

Even if only for a few seconds.

Their journey to Aina Tiella hadn't exactly been pleasant. Sent to deal with the Captain of the Kraken Pirates, the small group of Initate's had used the port-stones to get to the Black Bay. From there they'd stolen a longboat from one of the small towns nearby, then sailed for two days to the isolated isle where the Pirates had made their home.

Nas wasn't sure what he'd expected, but a rundown castle with half its windows missing certainly wasn't it. Three galleons sat in the bay though, and each one flew the right flag, so at least they knew they were in the right place. Why Captain Ebenheart had chosen this place he had no idea, and honestly he didn't care. Nas just wanted to get this over with. "Don't climb there."

He warned one of his companions as they reached up towards the first hand-hold.

His voice calling out just as the body above smashed through the window. Their climb so high that the sound of shattering glass didn't even reach them. What they did hear though seconds later was the crashing smack of the man's body falling down onto the rocks just a few meters away.

"Oh." Nas added nonchalantly. "And careful about the falling guy."

 

[Marcia]

"Fuck!" Marcia yelled as the body hit the ground with a meaty smack right next to them, flinching herself into a defensive posture with her knife drawn by trained instinct.

This entire assignment had been an onslaught of miserable travel, a lengthy affair with soul-grating company that the diminutive Initiate would have had second thoughts about saving were they dangling from a cliff by their fingertips. She might have even stomped on a couple of digits in the hypothetical.

Not so outlandish since Marcia actively liked about one-and-a-half of her peers.

The wind that normally fell over the coast of The Black Bay had abandoned them, leaving them standing there, still soaked from the waters in a sickening humidity that guaranteed their clothes would still not dry by the time they were done.

Worse still, she'd had to leave her shield behind, lest she sank like a tragic metal-shelled turtle and won that year's unofficial Initiate Wiggins award for the most stupid fucking way to die. At least she had a small mirror attached to a chain around her neck if needed.

All of that, and they were only just now standing at the foot of their task.

"Why are you such a fucking dickhead, Naser?!" Marcia practically exploded, her nerves frayed and patience short.

 

[Avery]

What was that sound she made just now?

Avery had gasped and groaned at the same time, as if she were unable to figure out what she had witnessed before Naser had drawn attention to the falling body. Coming up on the rear, the girl grimaced, perhaps unshed tears prickling at her eyes.

She wanted to shut her eyes, but that was even worse than seeing how high up they were now. She was tired from their swim, not at all a strong swimmer but Avery managed to get to the rocks on her own, something she was proud of at least, and yet the daunting climb up felt like another punishment.

She just hadn't thought this mission was going to ask so much of them physically.

"Oh Kress!" Avery felt nauseous, aware of what would greet her if she looked down now. "I think I might be sick."

 

[Takoda]

The only reaction Naser got out of Koda was a grumble of annoyance. It would have been worse, as he was certainly surprised, but the native of the Savannah was still recovering from their journey...He did not like boats. At least, he was dry unlike the others as he had chosen to fly above the water when they arrived. That still did not mean he did not feel like throwing up to clear his stomach.

After a few more moments of deep breathing, he finally looked back up to whisper, "Fuck you, Naser...And maybe we don't go yelling right now."

The young man had been the one about to reach for the rock before Naser had told him to stop. Climbing at all felt redundant to him, but falling up to the top would only separate him from the others and it may get him seen, so climbing it was.

"Pirates really make no sense to me. Why live on the water when we were given two feet to walk on land."