Chapter 9: Chiaroscuro
Znnnkkkkk...mmph... Jirke rolled over in the boat. Having gotten exhausted, he had lain down in the small hull of the lifeboat, and let himself drift. Waking up, he found himself on a beach, and an old, odd man looking over him. "...Can I help you?"
"Hm? Oh! Me?" the old man asked. His voice crackled like when one would crush peppercorn onto a meal. "Ah-heeheeheeheheh! No, not me, not me. I'm just an old man. I was actually finishing up a net, and about to go fishing. Heeheeh!"
Jirke sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and stretched out his cramped limbs. He then proceeded to wretch and vomit over the side of the boat.
"Ah-heeheeheeehehe! Not used to the sea, eh, boy? Heeheeh!"
"Shut it, old man. Where am I? Where did I wash up?"
"A beach! Ah-heeheeheeheh!"
"Obviously...are there any cities about? I need to get back to a place I can rest."
"Hm...well, Chiaroscuro is just aways that way. It'll take a good march to get there, but it's nearby, you could say. Ah-hehehehheeeh!"
Jirke winced. "You're not busy are you?"
"Not really. I've finished me work here! Would ye like to leave?"
"But didn't you just say you were about-"
"Never mind what I said, I'm going senile, anyways. Ah-heeheehehehe!"
This guy is creepy...but I have nothing better to do...and as soon as I get to the City, I can go my merry way. I grew up in that city, I know what I'm doing.
Jirke helped the old man pack away his things onto a cart, and he headed off to Chiaroscuro, his childhood hideout.
"Hm? Oh! Me?" the old man asked. His voice crackled like when one would crush peppercorn onto a meal. "Ah-heeheeheeheheh! No, not me, not me. I'm just an old man. I was actually finishing up a net, and about to go fishing. Heeheeh!"
Jirke sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and stretched out his cramped limbs. He then proceeded to wretch and vomit over the side of the boat.
"Ah-heeheeheeehehe! Not used to the sea, eh, boy? Heeheeh!"
"Shut it, old man. Where am I? Where did I wash up?"
"A beach! Ah-heeheeheeheh!"
"Obviously...are there any cities about? I need to get back to a place I can rest."
"Hm...well, Chiaroscuro is just aways that way. It'll take a good march to get there, but it's nearby, you could say. Ah-hehehehheeeh!"
Jirke winced. "You're not busy are you?"
"Not really. I've finished me work here! Would ye like to leave?"
"But didn't you just say you were about-"
"Never mind what I said, I'm going senile, anyways. Ah-heeheehehehe!"
This guy is creepy...but I have nothing better to do...and as soon as I get to the City, I can go my merry way. I grew up in that city, I know what I'm doing.
Jirke helped the old man pack away his things onto a cart, and he headed off to Chiaroscuro, his childhood hideout.