Rocky Reunion

“Ughhhhhhhhhhh!”

The sun peaks through the cloud filled sky. The canoe rocks in the sea as Alexia leans over the edge and Lakie directs it with an oar.

“Not a fan of the sea?” Lakie flips the oar to the opposite side “You’ll feel better in a bit.” The young woman throws up over the side of the small vessel “Probably.”

-- -- --

The cloud filled sky creates an air of languidness across the small island. Roden sits on a large rock overlooking the shore.

“Should I leave and try to find Alexia?” The mage adjusts himself as a pair of crabs begin to fight on the beach below “Maybe she will have made some kind of raft already.”

A light drizzle begins to fall.

“Probably not.” Roden puts up a hand to catch a drop or two of rain.

“What ya doing out in woop woop?”

The mage turns around to see a pair of dwarf men standing in front of the small tropical forest of the isle.

“Apologies, but I am not sure I understand the question.” Roden studies the dwarfs.

“Ahhhhh,” The smaller dwarf runs his fingers through his furled beard “What ya doing out here in the middle of nowhere?”

“Oh! I was on a boat that got destroyed by a kraken.” The young man visibly relaxes.

“A kraken, fair dinkum!?” The larger dwarf pulls out a small loaf of bread “Here have some damper.”

The young human rips off a piece of bread and takes a bite.

“Wow that is good!”

“Of course it is!” The larger dwarf smiles as he takes a bit for himself “It’s damper.”

The two men continue to happily eat the bread.

“While damper is wonderful.” The smaller dwarf puts a hand on Roden’s shoulder “You’re in soon-to-be Spongefist territory.”

“So I am not in dwarf territory yet.” The mage finishes eating the bread and smiles at the larger one “Thank you for the meal.”

“Well no, but-”

“If you are offering your help,” Roden coughs “It is appreciated but I do not need it.”

The larger dwarf grabs the balato off his hip and picks up a coconut before cutting it open.

“Drink this.” He hands the coconut to the human.

-- -- --

A downpour falls from the heavens in every visible direction causing the canoe Alexia and Lakie are riding in to rock wildly despite its balanced supports. A large wave rises under the small vessel.

“I hate the sea.”

“Times like this make it fun!” Lakie cheers as the canoe rides the cresting wave over a small outcropping of rocks. The vessel nearly capsizes causing Alexia to throw up once more “Fuck me, you look worse than a dog’s breakfast.”

“I also hate you.” The woman glares daggers at the dwarf.

-- -- --

Lightning surges across the sky as Roden stands on the beach while the two Spongefist dwarfs watch from a small hill. The mage closes his eyes and breathes deep.

“You sure you’ll be alright?”

“Tck,” Roden mutters as his eyes open. With his concentration broken he looks over at the dwarfs “I will be fine. I am a mage.”

“A mage!?”

“Is that so odd?” Roden turns back around before a reply and closes his eyes “Regardless, please let me concentrate.”

The smaller dwarf steps toward the human grabbing for the balato on his hip. Thunder booms nearby as he closes the distance to Roden raising the weapon over his head.

“And here I thought you might have actually wanted to help.” Roden’s harpe clashes with the dwarf’s balato “Good to know sooner than later I suppose.” The harpe’s blade begins to glow as a frigid air emanates from it.

The clashing blades become encased in a chunk of ice. The human kicks the dwarf in the leg knocking him back towards the hill.

“Help me out here!”

“But he didn’t do anything to us!” The large dwarf shutters at Roden’s burning gaze.

Without a word the mage slices his assailant’s neck with the frigid blade.

“Should I end your suffering as well?” The mage’s glare meets the living scout’s gaze causing the dwarf to feel as cold as the human’s enchanted blade. The scout mumbles unintelligibly in terror as Roden steps closer and closer.

“N-no! I really do wanna help!” The terrified man flinches preparing for his death.

Roden stops within striking range of the dwarf who sighs in relief.

“Finally! Land!”

The two look over to see Alexia kneeling on the beach with a canoe steered by a dwarf near by.

“You got a boat.” Roden’s jaw drops at the sight of the canoe.

“Well glad you could fin---”

The Spongefist scout slumps to the ground with a blow dart sticking out of his neck.

“Ya lucky I was here!” Lakie sets his blowgun down into his canoe before he hops out.

“Why would you do that?” The mage raises his enchanted sword at the dwarf as he is pushing his canoe further up the shore.

“That was a Spongefist! They can’t be trusted!” Lakie finishes pushing up the vessel and reaches for his balato.

“Both of you stop it!”

The two men look at Alexia who is now standing up and brushing sand off.

“What is done is done.” She steps between them “Without Lakie I would be dead.”

Lightning strikes the sea off in the distance. Almost as if taken as a sign, Roden sheathes his weapon.

“Thank you for saving Alexia’s life.” The mage puts out a hand to the dwarf. Lakie sheathes his own weapon and shakes the hand.

“We should wait until after the storm passes to set sail.” Lakie looks up at the dark sky.

“Oh thank the gods!” Alexia walks up the shore with a pep in her step.

“You rode that canoe through a storm to find me?” Roden catches up to his old friend “I thought you would stay put since you get seasick.”

Alexia sits under the small overhang and is about to answer but instead Lakie is the one to do so.

“If I didn’t come along she’d’ve drowned.”

“Here I was thinking she was just exaggerating so we did not fight.” Roden sits down next to Alexia and looks up at the dwarf with a smile “I am truly grateful for what you did.”

“No worries.” The dwarf steps into the alcove “Just did what anyone would do.”