Lakeside

The town of Lakeside was a sprawling expanse, filled with squat buildings of wood and stone painted in simple whites and blues, and surrounded by a tall palisade. The gates were open wide, and people came and went at their leisure, largely ignoring the rough-looking guards that stood watch.

As we drew close to the gate, the men took notice of our group and roused themselves, fanning out to impede our approach. Bandits, I decided, as they cockily sauntered forward with haughty grins on their faces, clearly up to no good. Beside me, I could sense Lassan and his party tense up in anticipation of whatever was about to happen.

A man with spiky white hair and sharp features stood ahead of the rest, a self-assured look on his face as he scanned us with a cynical gaze, idly playing with one of the various piercings in his ear. His eyes lingered for a moment on Rill and Nora, before he said gruffly, “Oh, and what have we got here? It’s not like we get many travellers out here, let alone a party as large as yours. Tell me, what business ya got in Lakeside?”

Lassan relaxed slightly as he realized that the men did not seem to recognize him or the others, and told him in response, “We’re…just passing through. We don’t want any trouble.”

“Hear that, boys? They’re just passing through!” The man exclaimed to his subordinates, who all joined in on his raucous laughter. “Well, if you want to stay, you’ll have to pay. Good ol’ Eastelian coin is all we’ll accept, I’m afraid.”

Lassan frowned, sighing heavily. Even I could tell that this was turning out to be some sort of shakedown attempt. I had no idea how much money the three were carrying, but Rill and I definitely had absolutely none to offer. “If that’s how it is, fine. But I’ll warn you in advance, we aren’t exactly well-off.”

The man barked another laugh, casting a lewd sneer towards Nora. “Well, I’m sure a party as well-endowed as yours can think of a few creative ways to negotiate, yeah? What do ya say?”

I could feel the man beside me clenching his fist in an attempt to keep from losing his cool. My hand idly gripped the pommel of my improvised wooden sword, as I thought, These damned scumbags…they think they can do whatever they want because they’re in charge, here. Well, they’re about to get a rude awakening!

Before things could spiral out of control, a deep voice spoke calmly from behind us, “Oi, causing trouble again, Nervin?”

I turned to see a large man standing behind us, thick arms crossed casually over his barrel chest. He wore blue pants that ended just below the knees, and a striped shirt of blue and white, his shaved head wrapped in a matching bandana. He scratched the light scar on his cheek and added, “Why don’t you remind me what happened to the last group you tried to extort. As I recall, that didn’t go so well for you, did it?”

The man, Nervin, scoffed, giving the newcomer a venomous glare. “Don’t tempt me, you! The boss might not give two swills about you and your crew messing around out here, but you know as well as I do that he won’t ignore it if you overstep your bounds! We have every right to demand our fair share from passersby!”

The newcomer simply grinned at the accusations, and one by one, more people dressed in the same odd, striped attire appeared from the crowds surrounding us. He replied levelly, “Well, maybe it’s about time we put that to the test. What do you say? Ready to throw down right here and now?”

Nervin and his cronies glanced around anxiously, eyeing up the group of tough-looking interlopers. He 'tsked' loudly, and pointed a threatening finger at the man who had stepped in on our behalf, drawing a line across his throat with a thumb as he backed off. “One of these days, when you least expect it. As for the rest of you travellers, I’ve got eyes and ears everywhere. You better not get in our way.”

Without another word, he waved his men to return to their stations, leaving us alone with our savior, whose comrades once again melded back into the flow of people coming and going through the gates. Before any of us could thank him, he motioned for us to follow, and led the way through the gates into the town proper. “We’ll talk as we walk,” he explained succinctly, “For now, I think you lot should pay a visit to the old man. That Nervin’s one to hold a grudge, and although I’m sure you’re all plenty capable, I’d feel bad leaving you to fend for yourselves…especially with the current situation being what it is.”

We exchanged a confused look, but continued to follow, Nora and Lassan’s short legs struggling to keep up with the pace of the large man’s strides. Breathily, Lassan told him, “Thank you for your assistance. If not for your timely intervention, things might have gotten a bit out of hand!”

He grunted in response, eyes scanning the crowds. Following his gaze, I noticed that something was off, a bizarre sensation of melancholy that hung heavy in the air. I had initially thought that the town would be lively, judging from the number of people crossing over the border, but now that we were inside, I noticed the forlorn expressions and dragging heels of the populace. Whatever was going on in Lakeside, it was clearly a dire situation, and I suspected we were about to learn more.

“Reigen,” the man introduced himself at length, “First Mate of the Halcyon. And no need to thank me, I rather enjoy messing with those idiots.” He chuckled before growing serious once more, adding, “If you plan on staying here for a while, you’d do well to keep a low profile. We’ve managed an uneasy peace with them for now, but as you can see, the town isn’t exactly thriving. We burn through rations more and more with each passing day, and there’s no telling what might push tensions past their breaking point.”

“Burning through rations? What about the lake?” Nora wondered, interjecting, “I thought this was primarily a fishing village?”

Reigen’s expression soured as he replied, “It was a fishing village. That’s partly why we’re here. I’ll let the captain explain the whole story.”

It seemed that he was unwilling to divulge much more, so we followed in awkward silence as he led us through the town, towards the docks. There, a ship larger than any I had ever seen stood towering over its surroundings, tall enough to cast an imperious shadow over the entire ramshackle port. I craned my neck to look up at the masts, each standing several times taller than any of the nearby storage buildings, furled sails lashed tightly against the wooden beams. It rocked gently on the waves, creaking slowly back and forth.

“That’s a seafaring vessel,” Lassan noted upon seeing the ship, “but what’s it doing here? I thought this lake didn’t have any river access?”

Unlike us, Reigen had not paused to stare, and he motioned for us to catch up to him from his position up the gangplank, leading us deeper into the ship itself. I saw more men in the same bizarre attire as Reigen clamoring about, cleaning and seeing to the repairs and upkeep needed to maintain a ship of this size. Most of them appeared to entirely forego any sort of footwear, their heels padding loudly along the smooth-worn planks as they went about their business.

We were led to the very top of the ship, where our guide stopped in front of a large door with simple scrollwork engraving and knocked loudly. “Come,” came the reply, and Reigen opened the door, ushering us into a room decorated with various trophies, plaques of mounted fish, and murals depicting fantastical encounters at sea. A large desk took up the rear half of the room, fastened to the floor like all the other furniture to prevent them from shifting due to the rough waves at sea, and behind it lounged a man who appeared to be in his early fifties, his spiky hair and short beard having long-since turned white. He wore baggy grey trousers with a simple, buttoned white shirt, and although he was rather thin, I could clearly see a rippling musculature beneath. Overtop, he wore a long, tattered black coat that had clearly seen years of hard wear. His sharp eyebrows matched his hair, and his skin was dark and wrinkled from spending years in the harsh sunlight. Unlike the men I had seen along the way, he wore stout boots of black leather.

He swept a discerning gaze over us, and even if he was holding his aura at bay, I could tell that he was no normal man. This guy…he’s strong, I acknowledged with a nervous gulp. When he spoke, his voice projected and filled the room, deep and sonorous. “Well, looks like you’ve brought me yet another surprise. Who do we have here?”

Reigen quickly explained what had happened at the town gates, and we went around the room introducing ourselves. At last, it was the older man's turn. “Greetings, everyone. It’s a welcome change to meet a group who aren’t in league with that brigand filth. My name is Jensen Ferdericke, and I am the captain of this mighty ship, The Halcyon. I’m afraid I don’t have much to offer in the way of hospitalities, but while you’re here, feel free to make yourselves at home.”

The others gasped upon hearing his name, and Lassan exclaimed, “I knew I recognized the name of this ship from somewhere! You’re…Fisherman Jensen, also known as the Fisherman King! The man who’s said to have conquered every sea in Terith. Sir, you’re a living legend!”

Upon hearing all of Lassan’s praise, the man chuckled. “Yes, I suppose that is what they call me, although I’m not too fond of the title, myself. Good to know that my reputation precedes me, even in someplace as remote as this.”

“On that subject,” Nora wondered, casting a glance around the room, “what are you doing all the way out here? The lake might be huge, but it’s a far cry from the sea.”

Jensen’s dark eyes twinkled as he noticed Rill’s and my confusion, and he explained, “I hunt sea monsters, it’s how I’ve always made my living. So when I heard a rumor about there potentially being a sea monster all the way out here in the boonies, my initial instinct was to pass it off as just that…until I was presented with proof. So, I decided we should investigate! We braved the bandits and the wilds to get all the way out here, and now we’re stuck, landlocked, and no closer to figuring out what in blazes is going on.”

He rose and stepped over to open one of the shuttered windows set into the side of the chamber, looking out over the bay as the breeze brought with it crisp, fresh air. “Apparently, some monster appeared out of the lake and attacked townsfolk and bandits alike. But it was dark at the time, and no one can give us a proper description of whatever it is we might be dealing with. And we can’t find any damned traces of it, either! But, the threat seems real enough. The people refuse to fish, and even if they try, nothing bites. It’s like the fish have all gone into hiding. As for the bandits, they’re certainly a pain in my backside, but they also took losses in the attack, so they put up with us because they also want it gone. As things are, the people are starving, and we’re no closer to giving them any answers…”

“Let us help,” Rill volunteered, to my surprise. Jensen looked at her, nodding for her to continue, and she added, “I’m not sure what we can do, but Leo has really sharp senses, and I’m a decent tracker. If nothing else, maybe we can just offer an insight from an outside perspective, one that you haven’t considered yet?”

Well, I’m fine with helping them, but what about the others? They’re on a mission, after all. Would they be willing to waste time on something like this?

Lassan confirmed my thoughts, telling the man, “Sir, it is an honor to meet you in person, and we would be happy to help, but we also have places of our own to be. I cannot promise we will see things through to the end, but as thanks for helping us earlier, we will do whatever we can to assist you while we’re here.”

Jensen considered our group, stroking his beard in thought as he leaned back against the wall beside the window. “Yes, that would certainly be welcome. Thank you, everyone! In the meantime, I’ll have my men clear you some rooms in one of the dockhouses. The bandits don’t dare to tread into our turf often, so they shouldn’t bother you there. If you’re going into town, just do your best to stay away from them. With my men patrolling the streets, they’ve become a lot less brazen, but everyone is under a lot of stress at the moment. In any case, I look forward to seeing what you might uncover.”

We shook hands and agreed to start the next morning, and followed Reigen out of Jensen’s office as he led us to where we would be staying during our time in Lakeside. A water monster living in the lake, and bandits scouring the town. It’s no wonder the people here are so depressed. I’m not sure what we can do, but hopefully Rill and I can find something. Before it’s too late.