Sailing West

Koku · Sailing West

It is a nice day with a fair wind traveling from east to west. The birds cries can be heard, mixing with the sound of the waves crashing on the sure. the sound of the boats ropes can be heard moving in the wind. As the crew of two prepares to make their way out to sea.

Beanbaker

I jump from the landing to the deck of my boat. "Welcome to the Niseag Archaic, the hole in the water that is responsible for my debt."

I place my face on the railing. "Shh shh shh... you know I didn't mean that..."

So, I know how much you love to kill, but this is going to be a new country. I suggest being on your best behavior for both of our sakes.

Archaic

*Archaic jumping aboard takes of Nosferatu and makes his way for the mast. Taking out a piece of cloth, Archaic begins to polish the blade of the gladius as he listens to Beanbaker's warning.*

"Listen, I just escaped from captivity and I don't wish to return back to it so I will be as diplomatic as I can. However, if any sense of danger arises, I will make no promises that people wont be killed. For now just worry about sailing this ship and getting us to the destination, but please try to find some sort of excitement along the way. I have yet to test to see how far this axe can really go, and something tells me that I should really find out sooner as opposed to later."

Beanbaker

"Knowing how many people have boats, we might be the first to see a few things."

I pull up the anchor from the harbor floor and pull down the sails. Running up to the bridge, I grab hold of the wheel and pull a hard right out of the strait and into the ocean (or sea?)

"Good to know, once we're out of site from the shore, you can do pretty much whenever you want, so I'll let you handle any minor disturbances so you can get your practice in. Anything bigger and I'll jump in, but we have to stay on course or we could end up in whoknowsland."

"By the way, bow is front, stern is back, port is left, and starboard is right."

Archaic

"The only location I need is right here at the mass. The center of the ship provides the best location for dealing with all occurrences, be it a monster attack or otherwise. However, enough talk, lets be on our way eh. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get back and the more riches we can compile."

*Archaic begins to polish the axe as he leans against the wood and relaxes.*

Koku

The boat now is motion cuts through the waves quickly as the wind pushes it along. Soon the boat is far from the land, with no land in sight. Sure enough the compass is pointing west, so the crew is on the right direction. A few large creatures come to check out the ship, but quickly leave it alone. There is a lot of free time on the ship before it reaches its destination.

Beanbaker

I lean lazily over the wheel and watch the various animals in the water, hoping one accidentally comes overboard, just to break the silence and have something to do by throwing it back overboard. I take the mop from nearby and stick it in the wheel, and climb the mast to where the crow's nest would be if there ever was one. Not expecting much, I yawn and look around.

Archaic

*Archaic continues to polish his weapon until it sparkles brightly in the sunlight. Picking himself up, he holds the gladius in his left hand and begins to spin the axe with his right. A thrust here and a throw there, Archaic likes the way it feels in the wind, but he would like it even more if he was using it against something.*

"This is so boring! Why would the reward be so high if the task was so simple."

Beanbaker

I slide down the mast, then pick some splinters out of my hand. "I have no idea. Maybe as insurance in case we gouge our eyes out going nuts. I'm pretty happy there aren't any disturbances, but if it would be this boring I would've chosen to leave in a storm."

I climb the stairs and remove the mop, and continue laying on the wheel. "Hey if we make it back alive they might make a fairy tale about our trip and tell children how real and boring life can be..."

Koku

as the two finish talking, three islands can be seen in the horizon. Fast approaching them as the sun is now in front of them. As they make there way inwards they land on one of the islands, the middle one. The climate is great and the water clear. The beach is made of fine sand, it is truly a wonderful place. As they port a few people come to check out who it could be.

Beanbaker

I walk and lean over the edge. "Who is it that runs the docks here? We wish to come ashore to ask about possible trading agreements."

I keep my jutte under my uniform to show my non-hostile intents.

Koku

"welcome to Tornash, this is the main island of the three. We welcome you here, please make yourselves at home tomorrow, but we must insist that you come with us for now." With that the people bow down respectfully before waiting for Archaic and beanbaker to make their way behind the people. The people are very friendly and do not seem to have any scheme. Everyone who can be seen is very happy, it is unlikely that they are going through any problem at this time.

Archaic

*Archaic stops fooling around with his weapon, but does not put it down. He gets off of the boat and waits for Beanbaker to follow. Archaic wishes to just stay back and serve as little more than a body guard to the diplomat.*

"Don't expect me to drop my weapons. This may be a peaceful place, but I refuse to drop my guard or do anything diplomatic."

Koku

"we understand and do not expect you to disarm yourselves. Just know we too have warriors if needed, but we do not want to have to result to that. Now please, we must get going." Them men seem to be eager to get the two somewhere, and do not seem like they are going to budge until the two comply.

Beanbaker

(sorry for the wait guys)

I jump off the boat and walk with the group. While walking, I ask about the islands. "I love the weather you have today, is it almost always like this?"

Koku

"Yes the weather is typically very nice here, and is in fact a very big selling point for coming here. We enjoy this enough to deal with any problems that come our way." As the walk the reach a tall building near the center of the island. Its base has a large market that seems very busy. Up above seems to be closed off more, with thick door on the outside. The sun is now setting as its orange beans shine behind the building.
As they enter they are welcomed by a few men, with one taller than most standing in front of them. "Welcome to Tornash. Two the east is Tornash, and to the Northwest is Tattesh. Now, why have you come here today, you seem strong and carrying weapons means you must be preparing for somethign."

Beanbaker

"In our lands, we carry weapons for there are constant threats, so it is a habit for us to show up to places with some force, but I assure you, we are most of us are naturally diplomatic and peaceful. We have come to question about the spices here that are so famous. By order of our emperor, we were sent to acquire ten containers of the spice, although he did not specify how, so perhaps by negotiation."

Koku

"Ah these spices you re after are very valuable indeed, but we do not have a lot of extra suppl yon us. If you want them you must find it yourself, but to get them you must face some difficulties that I am afraid you are not ready for. In order to find out where you get them, you must prove yourself capable. Please eat up here, the test will start shortly enough, and you do not want to be malnourished."
Within an hour the sun sets and nothing but the waves can be heard from outside. However, soon the sound of things scraping through the walk ways can be heard. "This is your test, go out there and survive for an hour. If you can do that, then you will be excepted as strong enough to get the spice you want."

Beanbaker

I walk outside with Archaic. "I know you love to kill as well as Nosferatu, but lets try to stay civil. We're representing Nocte here. I assume we are here to hunt these things that are scraping around, but lets find one first."

Archaic

*Archaic smiles as he grabs one more handful of food and runs off towards the walkway with his weapons in fighting position. He turns around to see where Beanbaker is, but doesn't necessarily intend to wait up for him.*

"Hahaha, I thank you guys for this test, I am sure it will be more fun than it will be difficult. We shall surely return after an hour, but we will make sure not a second before."

*Archaic dashes off quickly now until he believes he found the battle area.*

"Bring it on!"

Koku

as they look on, they can see a swarm of Ko walking through the dark streets. Besides for them, nothing is to be seen around the island. One of the Ko makes its way closer to the two as if wanting to fight.

Archaic

*Archaic smiles as he dashes towards the Ko and launches his axe at it. Following with it in the dark, Archaic can feel it hit something and digs his gladius in the same area as the axe before ripping both of them out.*

Beanbaker

Following Archaic's quick movements, I duck under the cords of Nosferatu and, with my jutte between my fingers, punch forward to hook into the Ko and pull it with me just as Archaic pulls his blades back.

Koku

Archaic's axe hit dead center, and the gladius cut near the same location. With the pulling of the blades out of the body, the Ko seemingly exploded from the hit. beanbaker thinking he had followed with archaic was sadly mistaking, and just ended up hitting the air before stumbling near two more Ko.
The two Ko, both attack beanbaker at the same time, as if threatened by his presence.

Spoiler:

Beanbaker

Once stung, I grabbed one of the tentacles of Ko 2, placed the two prongs of my jutte around it, and started wrenching around the tentacle, all the while pulling it forward just to punch it back again, and repeated over and over again.

Archaic

*Archaic can't help but laugh as he watches the first ko explode. It was a beautiful site which he hoped to replicate with his next attack. Swinging Nosferatu's axe with his right hand, he charges towards Beanbaker's area and throws the axe at ko 3 and lunges towards it with his gladius, hoping to hit in nearly the same location.*

"Don't let your guard down Beanbaker, or perhaps you are safer in the town?"

Koku

beanbaker's moves end with the Ko getign knocked back towards Archaic, hurt but still living. This throws archaic off slightly, and his aim is thrown off, making the first throw miss, and Archaic must stop slice mid way to catch the blade sooner than anticipated.
The two Ko now focus on Archaic, attack him with their tentacles. He manages to dodge most, of the third, but the second Ko hit him a god amount of times. It leaves him with new injuries, but nothing lethal.
Archaic 1832/2088
Beanbaker 1659/2048
Ko 2 140/590
ko 3 568/590

Beanbaker

"Sorry!" I let go of the tentacle and jutte between my fingers, I use it to climb on top of Ko 2 and start hammering away, fist and jutte, at the soft squishy head multiple times, hoping to drive its attention and keep it so attention is divided evenly.

Archaic

"Beanbaker don't apologize. Injuries are half of the fun of these battles and it was my fault for being sloppy, but enough talk. Its time for these things to die!"

*Archaic slashes at Ko 3 with his left hand as his right hand repeatedly slashes the axe towards the ko. Laughing and only a little hurt, Archaic refuses to yield until his opponent falls.*

Koku

Beanbaker and Archaic are both successful at their moves, slaughtering the two Ko who were in their way before they could do anymore harm. It is clear the fight is not over yet, as it just seemed to anger three more Ko who were close to them at the time. the three come in to attack the two warriors, but not before the two get their own attacks in.

Spoiler:

Archaic

"Isn't this exhilarating! We slay one group, and an other slightly larger group comes. Lets place bets to see when this will end."

*Archaic picks up the axe and throws it past Ko 5. Running towards it, he does not pull the axe back until he feels his gladius hit something for him to try to aim behind of.*

"Feast Nosferatu."

Beanbaker

From the body of Ko 2 I jump to what seems to be the rear end of Ko 6. Using by own body weight I aim to slam it right into the ground, and follow up with a jutte slam into the body.

Koku

Archaic slashes into the Ko and then brings the axe through the back, killing the Ko quickly from the two deadly accurate hits.
Beanbaker's hit was almost as effective as a dull hit to a jelly like substance could be, phasing the creature only slightly.
The two living Ko go after Archaic again, hitting him a fair amount. With new scratches, Archaic gets up and looks for revenge.

Spoiler:

Archaic

"hahaha! You really think that hurt me. This is the difference between animals and people. Now experience true pain!"

*Archaic quickly swings the axe at the uninjured Ko and follows through by jumping towards it. While in the air Archaic positions his body to be in a straight line, with his feet highest in the air and his left hand holding the gladius leading the way down ontop of the Ko.*

Beanbaker

Using both hands, I place the jutte on the top of the creature and put my full body weight into driving the weapon into the skin of the creature, hoping the pain could drive it away from Archaic and trying to get me off of itself.

Koku

Archaic's hit is semi faulty, causing the Ko to live, just in extreme pain. It retaliates by swiping at Archaic, but it does not hit well. Beanbaker once again tries to injure the jelly-substance creature, but it does not do as much as he would hope. The angered ko knocks beanbaker back with a powerful hit, as they square off again.

Spoiler:

Archaic

"Tsk, this is upsetting. Thats twice I failed to kill the beast in one hit and that simply wont do. Oh well, I guess I will just finish it off now."

*Archaic sighs as he flicks his wrist a couple of times and sends his axe flying towards his target for a total of 4 times.*

Beanbaker

I quickly jump up and dive underneath Ko 6. Expecting a counterattack, I punch once at the underside of the Ko, to make a sort of jelly-depression in the bottom, then quickly move my jutte in so it gets caught in the reformation of the dent in the skin, and I would at once start wrenching my jutte around to cause flesh damage.

Koku

Archaic and beanbaker are both successful in killing the creatures, and as they finish a large swarm comes towards them comprised of 15 Ko.

Spoiler:

"Quickly come in, you have proven your worth and now it is time to get in the building!" After saying that the seemingly leader of the village signals the two inside. The two come inside to rest only for a second.
"Now then you should know, the spice, Blute is located underneath the surface, in some caves created from the lava chambers, and from the lava freezing and solidifying. It is very dangerous down there, and so you must be prepared. There are some underground lakes, it is near them that you will find the spice. One entrance is located behind my seat, just push the button on the right side of the chair, and the door will open. Have a safe journey."

Beanbaker

I bow to the leader. "We thank you for your hospitality. We shall make our leave now, but if the Ko happen to make it inside, do not be afraid to call on us for help. We are greatful as it is to come this far."

I approach the throne and press the button. I stand and wait for Archaic.

Archaic

*Archaic breathes a sigh of agitation and relief as he misses out against the fight that would have surely killed him. It would be better if he actually equipped the right armor for the job, but oh well. Walking over to the chair, Archaic surveys the scene as he takes his first steps into the cave.*

"Well, let's go I suppose."

Beanbaker

I follow right behind Archaic. Looking back, I hope the door does not close behind us, for it only lengthens escape. I also look around, at the condition of the soil and rocks to see if they tell any stories.

Koku

while looking at the solidified magma that appears very old, you can hear a man's voice from above. "By the way, the spices are not yet collected, it is up to you to put them in containers. You will find the containers by the lakes. Please Do not take too much, we depend on the spice as a major export." Looking back at the magma rocks, lights suddenly turn on revealing one of the path around the two men. Up the trail it can just be seen that there is a split in the path. One course goes west, and the other east. There is no north course.

Archaic

"Beanbaker, we're splitting up from here. I'm heading east, you're going west and dont dare try to keep up otherwise you'll just be chasing my afterimage."

*With this Archaic dashes off in full speed towards his destination, paying no heed to his companion at this time, and focused on only getting the spice samples.*

Beanbaker

I yell, "If you find any, take ten containers! Any extra and we'll give it to the islanders!"

Hoping my message got through, I casually walk the west path, looking around for any threats and maybe some sort of distance marker. "He's always trying to rush things."

Koku

Heading the east way Archaic soon comes to a place where it forks again. He can either go north, or straight ahead to the east. It is silent both ways but and the end of each can not be seen.
Beanbaker has a similar situation. He too can head north, or west more, but both paths are quiet and without end in site.

Beanbaker

I continue walking the west path, just thinking that if a roadblock comes along, I would just backtrack and head north instead. I place some rocks in the direction I traveled to keep as a marker.

Archaic

*Archaic shifts directions and begins to head North. Still running at full pace, Archaic decides to start to play with Nosferatu as a means of preparing against what could possibly be lurking down here. The natives had to test them before they could come down so surely something is up.*

Koku

Beanbaker soon comes to another split, this time there is a path to the southwest that he can go, or he can continue west. Before choosing his path though, a poison gnar starts to approach beanbaker. leaving a trail of slime, beanbaker must be careful or else he will become poisoned quickly.

As Archaic heads north, he soon hears a noise in front of him of a heavier beast. What looks like spikes are seen on his back, and it looks like a reptile. The beast has yet to notice Archaic's presence.

Beanbaker

I try to outrun the beast by going southwest. If he still follows me, and catches up, I would stop dead in my tracks, jump backwards, elbow the creature, then rapidly jab my jutte at the gnar, either killing it or scaring it away with a show of force.

Archaic

"Tsk, I have already encountered one of you guys before, and it was because of it that I was freed from my cell. However, mercy is not something I come equipped with so I'm afraid this will be your last day."

*Archaic throws his axe at what he guesses to be a hestiss, and follows it up with a quick slice of the gladius. Pulling them both out, Archaic stops his run and braces himself for the possible attack.*

Koku

Beanbaker unable to escape gets caught within its slime slowing him down. The gnar approaches, but beanbaker puts up a good fight keeping it back for a while while doing a lot of damage. However, it soon catches up and sinks its fangs into beanbaker, slightly, and poisons him.
Archaic is able to subdue the creature quickly, as if it was not trouble to him at all.

Spoiler:

Archaic

*Throwing his defense down, Archaic continues his dash north making sure to keep his guard up for any nearby enemies. He can't help but feel happy about the utter defeat of the hestiss.*

"well lets see what else is ahead of us shall we Nosferatu?"

Beanbaker

"Goodbye, gnar, but your instincts have only led you to an unwanted demise, for both of our consciences." I aim the jutte directly for the heart to try to make a painless kill, then a swift fist to the temple of the gnar's skull to seal the deal.

(ooc: once dead, I continue heading southwest)

Koku

Archaic continues to head north, he comes to a turn that is blind, sounds can be heard coming from the other side, but it is hard to distinguish what the sounds are.
beanbaker is successful in killing the gnar, and starts to head south west. As he does so, he soon steps into new slime. Looking up, he now spots two more poison gnar coming after him. They both attack him, but can not get too deep under the cloth of his uniform.

Spoiler:

Archaic

*Archaic noticing that the visibility is dminishing quickly, decides to throw his glorstin fungus down the turn to see what is down there. After doing this however, Archaic also takes the opportunity to blindly throw the axe part of Nosferatu around the turn, and follows after it with his gladius out.*

Beanbaker

I look at the beady eyes of gnar 1. "Archaic is going to regret taking the other way." I run in between the two gnars and swipe at gnar 1 as I run by with my jutte, and jump backwards to slam my body against it.

Koku

Archaic can see that there are two poison gnar, that are waiting for him. His axe cleanly kills one, but allows the other one access to attack archaic. It manages to get a decent bite in, but soon lets go.
Beanbaker tries hard to kill poison gnar 1, but is only able to do a lot of damage to it. With new injuries, gnar 1 attacks, quickly followed by gnar 2. They both get in mediocre hits that barely hurt beanbaker.

Spoiler:

Archaic

*Archaic spits as he looks at the remaining gnar before spinning the axe again. This time he releases it aiming to split the gnar in half, and tries to insure it by bringing his gladius down on the slug like creature.*

Beanbaker

This time I go for the mouth of gnar 1, waiting until he smiles to grab one of his spiny teeth, wrench it around, and try to kill him off with my jutte to the roof of its mouth.

Koku

Archaic destroys the poison gnar without trouble, making it leave a fair amount of blood, slime, and poison around the corpse.
Beanbaker is successful at killing the gnar by jabbing it through the top of its mouth, but as he does so, poison gnar 2 gets a decent bite into beanbaker. The bite is deep, but once again not life threatening.
Archaic 1571/2088
Beanbaker 1778/2048
Poison Gnar 1 DEAD
Poison Gnar 2 250/250
Poison Gnar II DEAD

Beanbaker

"I'm getting impatient of always being on the menu for you guys... to think I wanted one...." Jutte between my fingers, I rapidly punch with both weapon and fist at the eyes of the beast.

Archaic

*Archaic walks over to his fungus and tries to pick it up. Afterwords he plans on continuing his dash north. At the same time, he ponders if this was the right direction or not, or more importantly, whether this path will even end anytime soon.*

"Gah, this is so boring now!"

Koku

Beanbaker in anger hits the gnar hard enough to crush its skull, killing it instantly.
As archaic heads north again, he finds that he can turn right. Archaic is unable to see down the way enough to see what is in the other end.

Spoiler:

Beanbaker

"They're only animals, bean, only animals...." I continue down the passage, looking around for any sign of spice nearby or of any more slime trails to be careful of.

Archaic

*Archaic not seeing any other way to go, decides to continue following this path and heads right at his usual fast pace. He wonders how Beanbaker is doing by himself, but decides to focus on what he will do after reaching the lake. Does he take extra spices back for himself, or does he just take the 10. Or perhaps he will take extra spices to sell back to the people from whom they belong.*

"Hahaha, that's a brilliant economic move."

*Archaic caught himself speaking to himself, but shrugged it off.*

Koku

As archaic moves there is another fork in the road. The road splits again into left and right. It seems quiet both ways, but one never knows what there may be lurking.
Beanbaker is unsuccessful in seeing anything of value, there is nothing that looks like spice around.

Archaic

*Archaic turns left and begins to walk down that path. All of the dashing was doing no good as it just made him feel as though he was getting no where. Taking out Nosferatu, Archaic begins to play with it, and he can fill his skills slightly improving when it comes to throwing it.*

Beanbaker

"I wonder why the islanders had us fight the Kos, these gnars are more of annoyances than anything, but I was expecting something more... formidable...."

I watch as I twirl around my jutte, walking on.

Koku

As archaic walk left, he comes to a wall, nothing is around him. likewise, as beanbaker walks he soon approaches a dead end.

Archaic

*Archaic punches the wall and turns around heading in the opposite direction now. He can't help but wonder what purpose that short left could have served for the people, but he just mumbles and continues on his way.*

Beanbaker

"Typical.... various dead-ends to make the journey more perilous for robbers...." I feel along the wall to make sure I haven't missed anything, like a secret switch or something. If there was nothing, I would simply walk back and take the western route instead.

Koku

As archaic walks he runs into yet another wall, it seems both ways were wrong.
Beanbaker heading west soon comes to another split in the way. The path continues, but he can now turn right to another path.

Beanbaker

I take the right path and hope for the best. Too bad I got rid of my fungus a while back, never knew I would be exploring caves again. I keep an eye out for any more hidden surprises along the route.

Archaic

*Archaic begins to backtrack at full speed towards his second turn. Instead of going North, he should have continued on the eastern path. This was all just one big time waster. Frustrated with himself, Archaic can't wait till he gets back on track.*

Koku

As beanbaker takes the right turn he enters a long tunnel that stretches out far. LArge noises can be heard from a distance of a heavy creature. It seems to have stopped after hearing beanbaker's steps, and is now coming to investigate.
As archaic backtracks he now comes to the place he took the turn into the area fileld with wrong turns. Which way does Archaic go?

Beanbaker

(ooc: last post until 7:30, 8-ish)

Knowing the only way to go is forward, I look around for anything - something to hide behind like a boulder, and maybe even a footprint to estimate the size of the creature and maybe guess at its species. Nonetheless, I continue walking down, making quiet footsteps.

Archaic

*When Archaic backtracks he finds himself at the second fork that he chose to go North through. Knowing this, he must have been traveling south from a time, so the "left and "right" turns must be east and west respectively. Thus he chooses to head for the established east side and continues on his way.*

Koku

Archaic head to the east eventually comes to a fork. He can go North west or South west.
Beanbaker tries to sneak around but soon encounters the creature staring him in the face. The hestiss is caught by surprise and releases fire, severely burning beanbaker.

Spoiler:

Beanbaker

In pain from the burns, I rush the hestiss and attempt to knock it off balance, and ram my jutte into its chest with the same momentum, hoping a quick knockdown will teach the creature something, if its rage doesn't get the best of him.

Archaic

*Archaic looks at his options and decides it may be best to head south west. Although the north west option was appealing, Archaic had a feeling that it would lead to a dead end in the form of a wall from one of the earlier traveled paths.

Koku

beanmbaker tries hard to hurt the beast, but can not do enough to prevent it from coming after him again. The hits were strong, but the beast is strong too. The beast attacks beanbaker again with fire. Beanbaker once again goes ablaze momentarily, getting more burns.
Archaic gong down spots a lake, and by it are a large group of wass, who seem to be eating somethign by the side of the lake.

Spoiler:

Archaic

*Archaic begins by first looking for the containers that the natives were talking about. After that, he plans to go over to the group of wass to see what they are eating.*

Beanbaker

With the risk of death great with the fire potential of the hestiss, I take out a quasin petal and eat it rapidly. Then seeing the crystals on its back the source of its power, I ready myself to jump on its back and attack the base of the crystals and the flesh with more rapid punches and jutte barrages.

Koku

Beanbaker chewing on the quasil pedal begins to get more energy and as such eels a boost in strength. Hitting the crystals causing the beast immense pain and shifts some vitals organs inside the beast, killing the beast quickly.
Archaic seeing what the wass are eating finds it to be a black substance. trying some himself, he finds it to be the spice, Blute. Packing up as much as he can, there is only enough for 4 and a half containers.

Beanbaker

Keeping my jutte primed between my fingers, I start to jog down the path to make up for some lost time. Looking down the path, I keep an eye out for more creatures that seem to pop out of nowhere. "They must be feeding off the spices, and by the way things look, I must be closer."

Archaic

*With everything packed up, Archaic returns to where he and Beanbaker started, and waits patiently for Beanbaker to return with this share, but if he doesn't return in a while Archaic will have to check up on him.*

Koku

beanbaker finds a lake filled with a ton of wass, and finds the containers. By the edge of the lake lie a few validian serpent looking for a meal.

Beanbaker

Hoping my conviction in life is enough to walk peacefully among the wass as well as the serpents. My jutte in hand, I walk calmly across, ready to counter anything with a swift swipe in the attacker's direction. Hopefully nature will carry itself out and the serpents will feed on any unsupecting wass and avoid a confrontation with me.

Koku

Crossing, he finds his feet dragging in a dark substance. It is not very deep, but it is rather plentiful.

Beanbaker

I bend down to taste the material to see if it indeed is spice. If so, I plan to gather as much as I can hold, up to ten (I don't know about Archaic's progress) and leave the rest for the creatures.

Koku

finding a larger piece that is of a slightly lighter color beanbaker tries it. The taste is bitter and rather moist. Spitting it out he realizes it was wass droppings. Finding more granular specimen he smells it instead to find it has a great rich scent, packing this up into containers (as that must be Blute), he quickly returns to archaic with his 5 and 3/4 containers filled.

Beanbaker

"How convenient" I say walking up to him. "We actually have just enough. I'll give the extra portion to the islanders for their hospitality." I hold out the wass droppings to Archaic. "Try this spice - I had no idea there were two spices here hahaha."

Archaic

"Beanbaker, do you really want to toss your life away over something so simple. Its obvious that what you're holding is pond scum, or some sort of junk like that. By the way, how do you know how much spice I have... I don't remember telling you the amount that I have in my inventory."

*Archaic eyes Beanbaker as he walks towards the natives.*

Beanbaker

I look back. "I assume you have enough or else you would still be out looking. If you seriously want to count what we have, we can do that." I stand waiting for his response, whether the villagers are watching.

Koku

As they walk up the leader sees them and sees how much containers they are holding. "I see, ten boxes, well I guess you deserve it after all the world you did with the Ko. For now on though, you will have to pay per container. I hope you guys have a safe trip back." With that the leader sits down again and pushes the button shutting the cave. The sun soon is seen through the door. The sun is up and the ko are away. The streets are once again alive.

Beanbaker

I look to the leader before I leave. Since we have 10 and 1/4, I hold out the extra quarter to the leader. "This is a gift for your generosity, and also consider it an unofficial peace treaty for now. I hope your harvests bring you great wealth and prosperity."

Archaic

*Archaic reveals that he took 4.5 containers worth of the spice and looks at Beanbaker contently.*

"Well as you can see, I just came back after getting a little bit, and for all I knew you could have had 3 containers. Its only by luck that we have almost exactly enough spice. This may not be the best of lessons, but next time don't be so sure of the results and always plan for the worst. Also take into account the stubbornness of the people you are associating with, alright kid. Either way, I guess I can let my anger subside for now as we have a nice amount of money waiting for us back at the capital."

Koku

The two head towards the ship and get on, the long adventure is over, but the arguments continue. It will be a long trip back to the capital.