• Graded • Unto The Breach III: Seeking Passage

[Darius Baer]

Unto The BreachThe Lie Of The Land
Supply And Demand
Seeking Passage

Arc 720, 42nd of Ashan

"Rharne?!" the man exclaimed. "U'frek's piss! Why would ya want ta go ta Rharne?!"

The cool breeze from the Hollow Sea ruffled through the man's grey beard as he grimaced, revealing gaps between teeth that were stained from the tobacco he was chewing. Leaning over to one side, he spat into the salt water beneath the pier that he and Darius stood on.

"There's a siege in Storm's Edge--"

"A siege!" the man barked loudly, as if he was on a stage and he was trying to make his voice carry to the audience members in the back row. "At Storm's Edge! An' ya want ta charter a ship ta Rharne! Are ya mad?"

Darius' brow furrowed in confusion. He hadn't expected so much resistance from the ship captains in Scalvoris Town, but he had been spurned by every sailor with a seaworthy vessel.

"Do ya have any idea how far that is?" the captain continued, and he was pulling out a map before Darius was able to formulate a reply.

The man unfurled the parchment and pressed it down with one hand on top of a barrel. One finger traced a path from the Scalvoris Town Docks, where the pair stood, along a northerly route before turning west.

"It's a dozen days ta Viden," the man went on, "where we'd want ta get more supplies."

Beyond Viden, his finger moved south.

"An' another dozen ta Andaris, before ya even get close ta the River Zynyx."

The man spat into the water once more, then turned back to the map.

"That's assumin' fine weather, too, an' ya can't be sure o' that," he continued, "an' then ya want us ta get close ta where all that fightin' has been? That's a long way ta go ta sink a ship, especially when I can make plenty o' nels closer ta home."

"Faith Augustin," Darius tried, "has asked--"

"Ya think yer the first fella come round 'ere an' mention that name an' try ta get a ship ta go somewhere that its cap'n doesn't want ta go?" the man interjected.

"I can pay," Darius replied, hearing the desperation in his own voice.

"Not enough," the captain said, adamantly shaking his head. "Ya ain't gonna get me goin' to a warzone, an' I don't care 'ow much you've got!"

The captain picked up the map, then, and quickly rolled it up before stuffing it somewhere on his person as he turned away from Darius, leaving the bearded blond speechless, alone, and without an obvious means of getting to Rharne.

[Darius Baer]

The wood of the door sounded strangely hollow when Darius rapped his knuckles against it. The door itself was no less structurally sound than it had always been, but the despondency he felt within himself seemed to echo through the timber.

Similarly, the wait for an answer seemed unnecessarily prolonged as he stood there, bracing himself against the cool Ashan air. He was just beginning to sink into his own thoughts when a gentle breeze washed over him, stirring him to return to the present.

It was then that he heard the slide of the bolt inside, and the door was pulled open. Darius stared into a pair of eyes that, in the colour and the shape, were very much like his own.

"Good to see you, lad!" his father Josef exclaimed, before pulling him into a familiar embrace and patting him on the back. "Come inside."

Darius accepted the invitation, stepping past the elder Baer as he crossed the threshold. He lifted his hand to his mouth, kissed his own fingers, and then pressed them gently against a portrait that hung on a wall near the entrance. The image was of a woman, her calm face framed by auburn strands of hair, the wrinkles around her grey eyes suggesting a life of laughter.

"Hello, Ma," he whispered affectionately, lingering for only a moment before he kept moving.

Josef followed his son into the living room, where he returned to the seat he'd been in when he'd heard a knock on the door. Darius, too, had made himself comfortable across the room.

"Well, this is an unexpected visit," Josef grinned, his eyes alight at the promise of familial company. "What brings you here, lad?"

The younger Baer sighed quietly, then pushed himself forward in his seat so that he could rest his elbows upon his knees.

"I need some advice, Da," he admitted. "I received a letter from Rharne--"

"Ah."

Josef nodded, as he often did, his grin being replaced by a more serious demeanour, and Darius felt a sense of relief, for his father could often be relied upon to impart wisdom.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, lad."

Darius' relief crumbled beneath the weight of his furrowed brow as his father uncharacteristically continued, without having even heard what he had to say.

"She's a nice girl..."

"...who?" Darius managed, staring blankly as his father kept going.

"...with a kind heart like your mother, and Immortals know she's a handy baker..."

"...Yeva?"

"...but there will be someone else out there for you, lad. Don't take her letter too personally. Breakups are never easy--"

"Da!"

Josef fell silent and Darius realised he had raised his voice much more than he'd intended to.

"Da, Yeva and I haven't broken up," he blurted, feeling a heat burning in his cheeks. "We aren't even courting - we're just friends. And she's from Rharne, but she's still in Scalv-Town."

"Oh."

Josef's reaction spoke more loudly than a single word, Darius realised. How many other female friends did he bake with? Or, for that matter, how many other female friends did he even have?

But such reflections would have to wait until another time.

"The letter wasn't from Yeva," Darius sighed, reaching into a pocket. "It was from Faith Augustin."

"Oh!" Josef repeated. "But I thought she was married...?"

"Da!" Darius reacted, his growing frustration evident in his voice. "It's not like that. Read it yourself."

Darius held out the parchment in question for his father, hopeful that Faith's written words would allay the man's confusion. Josef took his time to read it, falling silent in the process.

"I've been arranging some of the supplies," Darius told him, "but nobody is willing to take them to Rharne. I tried half a dozen different captains, but they all said it was too dangerous. And the Lady Jean can only take a small amount, so the Eclipse Portals aren't a realistic option, either."

Josef nodded silently, suddenly bereft of wisdom.

"I was thinking," he ventured delicately, his face straining with concern, "of asking Ma for advice."

His father nodded again, before looking out the window for several quiet moments. When he turned back, his grey eyes glistened with a loss that one could never truly recover from.

"Aye, lad," he eventually spoke, his voice nigh on breaking. "I go ask her questions, too, sometimes. I'm sure she'll have an answer for you."

[Darius Baer]

Darius' first steps into the Garden Of Remembrance And Thanks were cautious ones. He rarely visited the place, despite its indisputable beauty, for the wonder therein was tinged with pain. Those who frequented it knew what loss was, and the bearded blond didn't want to interrupt their grief, even though it had been just over two arcs since their loved ones had died.

Like many Scalvorians, the Baers had not escaped that disaster untouched, and Darius knew that there was a name engraved upon the garden's glass sculpture that he hadn't read since that trial. Approaching the pond, he scanned the names until he saw it: 'JEAN BAER'.

Darius could feel his chest tighten as his eyes trailed every line and curve of the letters. He managed a deep breath as he inhaled courage.

"Ma," he whispered, before he sent a furtive glance just to make sure that nobody else was nearby, "I don't know if you can hear me..."

He paused, feeling a lump in his throat. He had never tried to speak to his mother since losing her to the docks collapse, and he had never considered it might be possible. But his encounter with Faith - and, specifically, her ability to communicate with a deceased sailor from U'frek's Duty - had made him wonder. He certainly didn't expect any answers, but he supposed it couldn't hurt to talk and listen.

The first words had been the most difficult. The rest seemed to come in a rush, as though they had been held back by a dam and were now racing to be the first out, a torrent of emotion.

He told her of all he'd experienced in the previous two arcs. He told her of how Josef was coping, and how he'd restored his father's rowboat in her honour, and how he'd undergone the dunking ceremony only a couple of dozen trials earlier.

With each tale, his voice became less controlled, until the emotion of loss overcame him, and tears blurred his vision.

"Ma, I need a captain," his voice strained quietly between sobs, and he swallowed hard, attempting to calm himself. "I need a captain who can get these supplies to Rharne."

He held his breath, then, wondering if he might receive an answer.

He waited.

And heard nothing.

A hot tear ran down his cheek and got swallowed by his beard. He nodded quietly to himself, scolding himself for daring to expect any kind of response, and he began to leave, making his way past the wall that marked the volunteers who had helped in the wake of the docks collapse. Absentmindedly, he brushed a hand against it, and one fingertip caught itself in one of the engravings. He paused, wiping his eyes dry with his opposite forearm, and looked at the name: 'DARIUS BAER'.

"M-me?" he asked, confused, again looking around to ensure he was still alone.

Was it a sign? Was his mother saying he was the very captain he sought? But how could that be? Darius didn't own a ship beyond the Lady Jean, and a rowboat wouldn't get him all the way to Rharne.

Darius took a deep breath, regaining his composure and feeling a sense of resolve surge through him. He wouldn't give up. Somehow, he would get the supplies to those besieged at Storm's Edge.

[Pig Boy]

Darius

Experience: 10 no magic xp

Knowledge:

Discipline: Don't let emotions dictate your decisions.
Endurance: Enduring emotional pain.
Leadership: Get it done.
Negotiation: Don't be afraid to counter-offer.
Negotiation: Sweeten the deal.
Negotiation: Don't persist if they refuse to budge.

Non-Skill:
Location: Garden Of Remembrance And Thanks

Renown: 5 for dropping a famous name.

Skill Usage: Appropriate to level.

Loot/Losses: none

Injuries/Conditions: none

Consequences: none

Comments: I really enjoyed the conversation Darius had with his father. The details of that encounter, including him paying respects to his mother's portrait were rather touching, and well suited to the seriousness of the task in front of Darius. It's a golden opportunity to do a job for someone as influential and famous as Faith. Although his intentions may be altruistic, he does stand to gain quite a bit by association to Faith and her cause.

Of particular interest was the subject that his father lingered on, of the well-publicized breakup of Yevius. Ah well, such things must be.

The visit of Darius to the Garden of Rememberance was so moving, and serendipitous as Darius came across his own name on the plaque honoring those helping in the rebuilding after the collapse... And he taking that as a sign that he should be the one to ferry the supplies.

I felt it was a believable thing to have happened and interpretation was relatable, and probably the sort of thing that even happens in real life. Very nice.

Great writing and of course enjoy the loot!

If you have any concerns about this review, please PM me about them.