Chapter 7: Enter Flaming Karim.
"W...WHAT?!" Jirke saw the person and screamed. "WHY ARE YOU HERE?! You're following me, aren't you?!"
"No, obviously you're following me! You're the one who got here just now!"
"Ahhh, stuff it, windbag, if you had gotten here so early, then why haven't you gotten that thing yet?" Jirke motioned towards a small necklace around a featureless bust's neck. It was black, seemingly Onyx, and had a large gem of some sort embedded in the piece that would have hung right in the crease of a woman's breast. Jirke laughed. "You're one o' them funny boys, aren't you? Hunting down women's clothing. Aren't you a little old to be playing 'dress-up'?"
"Ohh, shut up, you little prick. I outrank you."
"Oh, I see, now! It's about RANK, is it? Rank my ass. See how that goes."
The person growled, and continued. "You know what? I'm gonna kill you as soon as i get out of here."
"Good luck with that, Karim." Jirke bent over and walked underneath Karim's outstretched arm and reached for the necklace. "You lay ONE finger on that and I swear I will kill you and your family in their slumbers!"
"Pff. Good luck finding them. I don't even KNOW half of my family, thank you very much." Jirke plucked the necklace off of the bust and inspected it more closely. After staying silent for a bit, he looked up at Karim and said, "Hm. Nice choice. Now the name 'Flaming Karim' has a whole new meaning to it."
"THAT'S IT!" Karim leapt for Jirke, and they crumpled to the floor in a heap of limbs and shouting. Their little tussle was cut short by a light 'smash', and something cold and wet dripping down onto both of their heads. They stopped, and looked up. Their eyes were met by one large eye, as big as both of their hands, and surrounded in a green gelatinous substance. It blinked, and Karim and Jirke proceeded to scream like little girls and make a dash for the door.
"Outta the way, jerkwad!"
"It's just Jirke! No wad!"
"Doesn't matter, it's all the same to me!"
"Yeah, and so is your sexual preference!"
"Bastard!"
"God! You're bad at this!"
"Bad at what?!"
"The whole wits and speaking thing!"
"Oh, yeah, like that was any better, Captain Grammar Syntax!"
"What the hell does that mean?!"
It continued like this all the way down then dungeon hallways, punching, and kicking, and cursing up a storm all the way down to the entrance hallway, the gigantic eye following and catching up quickly, when Jirke had a sudden burst of innovation. Jirke tripped Karim and began to shake the small jar he was holding. The fireflies inside began to glow brighter and brighter, the jar becoming harder to hold by the second. Finally, Jirke spun around and pulled the lid off of the jar, releasing a gigantic stream of fire at both of his pursuers. Jirke didn't bother to see how either of these antagonists ended up. He was more worried about the woman's necklace in his hand, and the exit.
Man. Jirke thought. They should really make signs for these sort of things sometime.
Sitting above-ground, Jirke sat outside of the town, regaining his composure. Going back on his little escapade underground, he reflected. "Man...That was a hoot!"
Jirke left The Well feeling fairly disappointed. After closer investigation, it turned out the necklace was little more than a very expensive necklace. Jirke cursed his luck, and hoped Lady Luck gave him a better kiss next time. Or gave him a kiss at all. She was one hot bitch, and would be grateful for anything he could get from her, even if it just be holding her hand.
Jirke decides that this isn't the place to be. The sun was rising, and he was feeling just as awake as ever. He decided to keep on towards his destination and sleep later on in the day.
Unfortunately, as soon as he set out, he was mugged by another group of bandits.
Jirke woke up, dazed, confused, and on a ship. "Wha...wha...what in the hell?" Jirke sat up, but a gentle hand pushed him back down. "Oh, no, please don't try to get up sir. You're hurt rather badly."
Before Jirke could ask what happened, the voice continued. "My master found you by the river getting mugged, and you were putting up a good fight before you had gotten thrown into the river. My master and I were sailing out towards sea, and he rescued you!"
Jirke opened his eyes slowly, and saw a woman sitting at the foot of his bed, still with her hand on his chest. She smiled warmly and then stood up, and fluffed his pillow. "Wh...where...are...agh!...Where are we going?" Jirke managed to splutter.
"Don't strain yourself. He'll be in in a bit to see you. You can ask him then."
Jirke laid his head back down on the pillow heavily and drifted back into nothingness. "Ughh..."
He was awoken later on with a man sitting across the room in very regal robes, and the same woman there, again sitting at the foot of Jirke's bed. He turned his head to adress the noble fellow. "Hello, sir. I have to...mmngh...apologize for being a hassle."
The man held his hand up, showing Jirke it was no big deal. He stood up and began to speak. "No harm done, my freind. We were just on our way to sea. Where were you headed my freind?"
"Well, I was actually on my way...North."
"Ahh...well, I'm afraid that I'll not be going North. We were actually on our way to Chiaroscuro...do you think you'd mind accompanying us?"
Jirke grimaced. He certainly wasn't going to be going North in the condition he was in. He was battered and broken in every part of him he could feel, and every part he couldn't feel he left to find out for later. He nodded, and winced in the pain that shot down his neck. The woman set her hand on his chest again. "Please, don't move so. It will help the healing process go along more quickly."
Jirke stopped moving, having figured that out already. The man in robes moved forward and held his hands out in a manner that seemed almost like he was about to embrace Jirke. "Don't be afraid to ask for anything you may need while aboard my ship. We'll be on our way to Chiaroscuro in about...3 days, and you can get rested up and and well again. Welcome aboard the Resplendent Wind, ship of Peleps Talmot!"
Jirke's eyes widened, and he fainted.
"No, obviously you're following me! You're the one who got here just now!"
"Ahhh, stuff it, windbag, if you had gotten here so early, then why haven't you gotten that thing yet?" Jirke motioned towards a small necklace around a featureless bust's neck. It was black, seemingly Onyx, and had a large gem of some sort embedded in the piece that would have hung right in the crease of a woman's breast. Jirke laughed. "You're one o' them funny boys, aren't you? Hunting down women's clothing. Aren't you a little old to be playing 'dress-up'?"
"Ohh, shut up, you little prick. I outrank you."
"Oh, I see, now! It's about RANK, is it? Rank my ass. See how that goes."
The person growled, and continued. "You know what? I'm gonna kill you as soon as i get out of here."
"Good luck with that, Karim." Jirke bent over and walked underneath Karim's outstretched arm and reached for the necklace. "You lay ONE finger on that and I swear I will kill you and your family in their slumbers!"
"Pff. Good luck finding them. I don't even KNOW half of my family, thank you very much." Jirke plucked the necklace off of the bust and inspected it more closely. After staying silent for a bit, he looked up at Karim and said, "Hm. Nice choice. Now the name 'Flaming Karim' has a whole new meaning to it."
"THAT'S IT!" Karim leapt for Jirke, and they crumpled to the floor in a heap of limbs and shouting. Their little tussle was cut short by a light 'smash', and something cold and wet dripping down onto both of their heads. They stopped, and looked up. Their eyes were met by one large eye, as big as both of their hands, and surrounded in a green gelatinous substance. It blinked, and Karim and Jirke proceeded to scream like little girls and make a dash for the door.
"Outta the way, jerkwad!"
"It's just Jirke! No wad!"
"Doesn't matter, it's all the same to me!"
"Yeah, and so is your sexual preference!"
"Bastard!"
"God! You're bad at this!"
"Bad at what?!"
"The whole wits and speaking thing!"
"Oh, yeah, like that was any better, Captain Grammar Syntax!"
"What the hell does that mean?!"
It continued like this all the way down then dungeon hallways, punching, and kicking, and cursing up a storm all the way down to the entrance hallway, the gigantic eye following and catching up quickly, when Jirke had a sudden burst of innovation. Jirke tripped Karim and began to shake the small jar he was holding. The fireflies inside began to glow brighter and brighter, the jar becoming harder to hold by the second. Finally, Jirke spun around and pulled the lid off of the jar, releasing a gigantic stream of fire at both of his pursuers. Jirke didn't bother to see how either of these antagonists ended up. He was more worried about the woman's necklace in his hand, and the exit.
Man. Jirke thought. They should really make signs for these sort of things sometime.
Sitting above-ground, Jirke sat outside of the town, regaining his composure. Going back on his little escapade underground, he reflected. "Man...That was a hoot!"
Jirke left The Well feeling fairly disappointed. After closer investigation, it turned out the necklace was little more than a very expensive necklace. Jirke cursed his luck, and hoped Lady Luck gave him a better kiss next time. Or gave him a kiss at all. She was one hot bitch, and would be grateful for anything he could get from her, even if it just be holding her hand.
Jirke decides that this isn't the place to be. The sun was rising, and he was feeling just as awake as ever. He decided to keep on towards his destination and sleep later on in the day.
Unfortunately, as soon as he set out, he was mugged by another group of bandits.
Jirke woke up, dazed, confused, and on a ship. "Wha...wha...what in the hell?" Jirke sat up, but a gentle hand pushed him back down. "Oh, no, please don't try to get up sir. You're hurt rather badly."
Before Jirke could ask what happened, the voice continued. "My master found you by the river getting mugged, and you were putting up a good fight before you had gotten thrown into the river. My master and I were sailing out towards sea, and he rescued you!"
Jirke opened his eyes slowly, and saw a woman sitting at the foot of his bed, still with her hand on his chest. She smiled warmly and then stood up, and fluffed his pillow. "Wh...where...are...agh!...Where are we going?" Jirke managed to splutter.
"Don't strain yourself. He'll be in in a bit to see you. You can ask him then."
Jirke laid his head back down on the pillow heavily and drifted back into nothingness. "Ughh..."
He was awoken later on with a man sitting across the room in very regal robes, and the same woman there, again sitting at the foot of Jirke's bed. He turned his head to adress the noble fellow. "Hello, sir. I have to...mmngh...apologize for being a hassle."
The man held his hand up, showing Jirke it was no big deal. He stood up and began to speak. "No harm done, my freind. We were just on our way to sea. Where were you headed my freind?"
"Well, I was actually on my way...North."
"Ahh...well, I'm afraid that I'll not be going North. We were actually on our way to Chiaroscuro...do you think you'd mind accompanying us?"
Jirke grimaced. He certainly wasn't going to be going North in the condition he was in. He was battered and broken in every part of him he could feel, and every part he couldn't feel he left to find out for later. He nodded, and winced in the pain that shot down his neck. The woman set her hand on his chest again. "Please, don't move so. It will help the healing process go along more quickly."
Jirke stopped moving, having figured that out already. The man in robes moved forward and held his hands out in a manner that seemed almost like he was about to embrace Jirke. "Don't be afraid to ask for anything you may need while aboard my ship. We'll be on our way to Chiaroscuro in about...3 days, and you can get rested up and and well again. Welcome aboard the Resplendent Wind, ship of Peleps Talmot!"
Jirke's eyes widened, and he fainted.