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Message: <blockquote data-quote="peteyfrogboy" data-source="post: 1119750" data-attributes="member: 5677">Red Flags On The Horizon: Part 1Parika came downstairs late in the morning. She made a mental note that good wine felt the same as bad wine the next day, no matter how it tasted. The old man at the desk waved her over. "There was a man here earlier looking for you. I thought it best to let you sleep, so he left a message." He tapped a bony finger on his chin. "His name was... ah, yes. Burton Lund. He wanted to invite you and your friend to a party tonight at the Block and Tackle to celebrate the birth of his daughter. I'm not sure which friend he meant."She thanked him and slid a silver noble across the desk. Gambumbo wouldn't be able to attend, but perhaps her new friends would be interested. Who could pass up free beer?***Evening found the three companions in the Warehouse District. They strolled between the hulking structures, following the directions they had gotten from Delthic. The bard seemed to know the location of every source of alcohol in the city. They finally came to a two-story building that was dwarfed by its neighbors. There was a small sign outside that read "The Block And Tackle", dangling from its namesake. They could hear loud voices from within as they approached; apparently the party had started without them. Just as they reached the door, a brightly clad sailor came crashing through the window into the street. From his mismatched finery and excessive jewelry, Nevroth quickly guessed that the defenestrated mariner made his living at piracy. The manhunter rarely passed up an opportunity to take his aggression out on buccaneers. He grabbed the dazed pirate by the back of his coat and threw him back through the window.Parika opened the door onto a chaotic scene. Tables and chairs were overturned all across the bar. It looked like a battle between bears and peacocks, with burly longshoremen slamming their meaty fists into garishly festooned pirates. Rachel and Parika saw the bartender still calmly cleaning mugs, so they threaded their way through the melee in his direction. Meanwhile, Nevroth had climbed through the window and was joining in the brawl. The longshoremen seemed to have the upper hand. Three of them were ganged up on one unfortunate sea dog, while Burton himself was lifting a struggling lass over his head. Nevroth had sent his first opponent to the floor and spotted another who was not engaged. The manhunter strode his way. He took in the pirate's gaudy costume with disdain. Amidst the clashing colors and sparkling gold, Nevroth's eyes were drawn to the bandanna on the man's shaved head. It was blood red, emblazoned with a white fist wreathed in black flames. The blood drained from Nevroth's face as he reached for his sword.***As the black fog began to clear away, he could see the red flag flying from the mast of the pirate ship. He tried to move, to hide, but the stinking black fog had insinuated itself into his limbs, rendering him motionless. The fog must have had the same effect on the grownups, as there were only a few screams and shouts heard as the raiders boarded their ship.Pirates streamed in and out of the hold. They emerged bearing chests and crates, carrying them back to their own ship. The boy recognized some of the cargo as the silk that his parents were taking to sell in Cahiedra. Mother? Father? He strained to move his eyes, searching for his parents among the frozen passengers. He saw his father near the aft of the ship, apparently unaffected by the fog. The cloth trader was trying to defend himself with a belaying pin, but could not stop the thrusting pike that pierced his chest.As he tried vainly to scream, the boy caught sight of his mother as well. She was stiff as a board, being carried by two pirates onto their ship. Rage burned within him, slowly melting the ice in his arms and legs. As he felt himself able to move, he ran at the nearest pirate, swinging his fists blindly. The pirate laughed and struck him cruelly with the hilt of his cutlass.***The pirate leaped backward as Nevroth's sword jabbed at him. He fumbled at the bandolier of throwing knives across his chest. The surprised pirate dropped one of the knives in his haste, but sunk the other one in Nevroth's shoulder.The manhunter ignored the pain, answering with a stab to his opponent's arm. The freebooter jumped up onto a table. "We've got a live one here, mateys!" After the initial shock at seeing live steel in a friendly bar brawl, the pirate had regained his composure. He grinned as he sent two more knives into Nevroth's flesh. The rest of the fight was essentially over. The bruised pirate girl was moving warily toward the door, while the longshoremen had formed a circle around the bizarre duel. Rachel and Parika shared a worried glance, but opted not to get involved unless they had to; they hadn't started this fight.The knife-throwing pirate jumped back off the table, putting it between him and his attacker. As Nevroth jumped onto the table himself, two more knives pierced him, one in the thigh and the other just below the collarbone. Covered in his own blood, he fell to the floor.Rachel's hand went to her own sword, but the pirate made no more to finish off his unconscious opponent. Parika kneeled beside the fallen manhunter and began binding his wounds.The two pirates collected their own casualties and headed for the door. The knife-thrower seemed unconcerned about his own wound. "If your friend wants some more, we'll be in port." He left laughing.Burton shook his head. "What was that all about?"Satisfied that Nevroth would survive, Parika stood. "I have no clue. Who were those guys, anyway?""New in town is who they were." Burton chuckled. "Pirates in a longshoremen's bar. Not very bright." His eyes lit up as he remembered something. "Oh yeah, I didn't get a chance to ask you yet. I'd like you to be my daughter's godmother. If it weren't for you, she wouldn't have a daddy."Parika blinked, stunned. "Uh, I'd be honored."He grinned broadly. "Good!" He looked around. "Where's Gambumbo?""He's... not around anymore."The longshoreman's brow furrowed. "Hm, that's too bad. Ah, well. I'll let you know the details later. The baptism's next month."</blockquote>

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