Flotsam

Chapter 1

The hot Kythorn sun beat down on Rhyne. She took a sip from her waterskin, and wiped sweat from her forehead. How much longer was this heat going to last? She'd travelled north from Waterdeep, searching for anyone in need of assistance, but hadn't found anyone in need. Unfortunate. Now she was the one praying to the Broken God for strength.

Parsnip brayed behind her. "I know, Parsnip. We'll stop for a break soon." She said aloud, between breaths.

The pine trees lining the road offered some shade, but even then the heat diffused through the air. Rhyne looked to her right, smelling the salty smell of the sea wafting upon a cool breeze. She looked forward again, and saw a small dirt path leading off the High Road toward the beach. Parsnip would surely love to cool down in the water.

The path down to the beach was thin and poorly-traveled. Rhyne quickly regret bringing her cart down the trail, but there wasn't enough room to turn around. Thankfully, the beach was close. As soon as her boots pushed into the soft sand, she unlatched the cart from Parsnip. While he slowly wandered into the lapping waves, Rhyne carefully removed her boots and rolled up her pants - just a little. After hours of walking, the cool water of the Sea of Swords felt nothing less than pure refreshment. She prayed Ilmater would forgive her this one indulgence.

As Rhyne waded back in from collecting Parsnip, who had wandered out some distance, she saw something in the distance. About two hundred feet away, there was something on the sand. She couldn't quite make it out, but it almost looked like a person. Maybe a human or elf? As she wandered closer, Parsnip close behind, she got a better view of it. The object was a woman, either a human or elf, almost completely naked save for incredibly small black underclothes, laying prone on her back. She wasn't moving. As soon as Rhyne realised what she was looking at, she took off into a sprint, her feet kicking up hot sand as she ran.

Rhyne held the woman's hand. Like the rest of her body, it felt cold and wet. Had she been swimming? After a moment of examination (avoiding looking below the woman's shoulders given her current state of undress), Rhyne realised she wasn't breathing. Had she magic or a healing potion, this would be much easier. Suspecting drowning, Rhyne breathed into the woman's mouth, trying to get air into her lungs. At first, it didn't work. She tried again. Failure. And again. Nothing. She tried one more time, breathing as hard as she could. Suddenly, the woman's chest heaved. She started coughing, expelling water from her mouth. The woman didn't wake up, but she was breathing again.

During her coughing fit, the woman's long, red hair had shifted. Rhyne could see her ears, and quickly determined that she was a half elf. There were no ships nor carts in sight. How had this half-elf get here?

Chapter 2

Sariel's eyes slowly opened. The first thing she felt was her chest, howling in pain. Then, the sensation of movement. Finally, the heat and the distinct rolling of a wooden wheel across flagstones. Was she being abducted again? No, her hands and feet weren't bound. That was good. She went to sit up, but couldn't manage the strength. What had happened to her? Oh, right. The shark. But if she had- then she should-

The cart came to a sudden stop. Only able to see the open blue sky betwixt a frame of pine tree tops, Sariel heard footsteps coming around the side of the cart she was laying in. A head peered over the side of the cart, and it took Sariel's eyes a moment to adjust. It was a young woman, somewhere in her late teens, with short, blonde hair and blue eyes. If she wasn't caked in dust and dirt, she would probably look kind of cute.

When she didn't say anything, Sariel managed a pained smile. "Uh, hi?"

"Hello." The young woman brusquely replied. "Who are you?"

Not the most diplomatic way of starting a conversation, Sariel thought. "Sorry, I can't see you well. Can you help me up?" She grunted, barely able to move.

The woman disappeared from view. She spoke again from behind, though not facing Sariel. "Yes, she's awake now." Odd.

Sariel heard some things being shifted behind her, and felt the bounce of the cart as the woman stepped onto it. A moment later, she was dragged into a sitting position on some stacked bags. The woman walked back around in front of Sariel, and she caught a better view of her. She was wearing a long white tunic, green pants, and a brown tabard emblazoned with the symbol of Ilmater, the Broken God. In her hand was a shortbow, and in a low position on her back the quiver stocked with arrows.

"There." The woman continued, equally as terse as before. "Now who are you?"

"Sariel Liadon, I'm an adventurer out of Waterdeep. And you are?"

"Rhyne. I am a follower of the Broken God, bringing salvation to all the lost souls who seek out his aid." She spoke, her brows furrowed and her gaze never wavering.

Could be worse. Ilmater's zealots weren't bad compared to most. It only now occurred to Sariel that she was dressed in someone else's clothes. She glanced down. They looked old and ratty, patched in a few places, and a size too small for her. Her shirt was particularly tight around her chest. It was a little hard to breathe.

"Ugh, sorry, my head is still spinning right now," Sariel began, trying to organise her thoughts. "How did I get here?"

Rhyne replied while the caravan moved off the path at her direction. "You were unconscious on the beach. I revived you."

Sariel first heard, then saw a small caravan of merchants rolling by. Once they had moved away, Rhyne continued.

"What happened to you?"

Sariel almost felt like she was being interrogated. For once, though, she had nothing to hide.

"I was, ah, diving." She replied.

"Almost naked?" Rhyne asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sariel was confused. Maybe this girl hadn't gone swimming before. "Yes, skin diving. Clothes just get in the way and slow me down."

"Hmph." Rhyne seemed unimpressed. "Then what happened?"

Sariel had to think for a moment.

The crushing cold and dark and wet. A hand reaching out for some seaweed.

It was hazy, but it was coming back to her. "I was looking for some medicinal herbs for a client back in the city, but they grow fairly deep. I guess I must've misjudged how deep, exactly."

Holding on, away from the gnashing teeth. Deeper and darker.

Rhyne looked at her, expectantly, without speaking.

Sariel continued. "I went back up for air, but I was attacked by a shark. It dragged me down pretty deep, and, well, I guess I didn't make it." She shrugged sheepishly at the end.

"You swam too deeply and drowned?" Rhyne asked.

Desperation. The dimming sun. Realisation. Darkness.

"Well, yeah, that's essentially what happened." She paused, then lowered her eyes for a moment. "It's not the first time."

Rhyne tilted her head and furrowed her brows. "How did you come to the beach?"

Sariel just shrugged. "I suppose Lady Luck or Umberlee must look favourable upon me. Currents carried me all the way there, and you found me."

The girl crossed her arms. "Hmph. I suppose that will do. I will tend to you and bring you back to Waterdeep." She walked back to the front of the cart, and Sariel jolted forward as it got moving.

"By the way, Rhyne," Sariel began asking, "Who were you talking to earlier?"

"I wasn't talking to anyone. Just you." She replied, a little too quickly.

Sariel was sure she had heard Rhyne say something to someone else earlier. Maybe it was the shirt constricting her breathing, making her dizzy.

"Oh, uh, Rhyne?" Sariel called out.

"Yes?" She called back.

"You didn't happen to see my clothes anywhere, did you?"

Chapter 3

'Ilmater, give me strength'.

That was all Rhyne could think as she trudged back down to the beach. It was sweltering hot, she had just rescued a madwoman who thought swimming to the bottom of the ocean and fighting sharks without magic was fun, and now that woman wanted Rhyne to fetch her clothes for her. At least descending without Parsnip and the cart was much faster.

Surveying the beach, Rhyne quickly spotted where Sariel said she had left her clothing and collected it. Two brown leather boots, a belt, a small black purse, and by far the shortest dress Rhyne had seen in her life. She had first thought it was a long shirt, but the flared skirt at the base told her otherwise. She looked for the rest of the clothing, but eventually just assumed it had blown away.

"Here." Rhyne stated bluntly, dropping the clothes in front of Sariel in the cart. "I couldn't find the rest of your clothes. They must have blown away in the wind."

Sariel gave her a puzzling look. "No, this is everything."

THAT was everying she wore? Was she an adventurer or a coinlass?

'Ilmater, give me strength'.

Sariel had regained some measure of strength, and carefully lowered herself from the cart to the road. She stumbled, and leaned on Rhyne for stability. At least she wasn't very heavy.

"Hey, um..." Sariel began. "Do you want me to go into the woods and get changed or is here fine?"

"The woods." Rhyne sternly replied. "Please."

Sariel's shoulders dropped a little, and she hobbled her way behind a tree. Rhyne faced away, only turning back around when she heard the half-elf's footsteps approaching. She was barely dressed. Rhyne just grumbled and went back to leading Parsnip onward. She felt a slight jolt as Sariel clambered back into the cart.

"So, Rhyne..." Sariel began, barely a minute later. "What do you do as a living?"

Without hesitation, Rhyne replied. "My faith demands I relieve others of their pain. In the name of Ilmater, I am to bring peace to their souls, and to do so without judgement."

"Are you a cleric?"

"No. I do not cast spells."

"A priestess, then?"

"No."

"So... what are you?"

Rhyne inhaled. "I travel the roads alone, helping others where I find them. I serve Ilmater in my own way."

Another small caravan drove by. Rhyne paid no attention to it, but she heard some whistles and shouts direct at Sariel, who was giggling.

"Do you know those people?" Rhyne asked.

"No," Sariel said, sitting back down, a smile evident in her voice. "They were simply letting me know they thought I was cute, and I was obliging."

Rhyne was annoyed now. "Have you considered a modicum of modesty?"

"What do you mean?"

"A young woman such as yourself shouldn't be acting as you are. It is entirely unbecoming."

Sariel tilted her head. "What behaviour?"

Rhyne frowned. "Undressing in the open, flirting with strangers, wearing that."

The half-elf looked down. "What's wrong with this?"

"The slightest breeze and anyone can see up your skirt!" Rhyne's frustration was visible on her face.

"And?"

Rhyne had to tell herself to calm down. This girl was clearly a fool, and there was no sense in arguing with fools. Parsnip was a perfectly fine conversation partner anyway.

'Ilmater, give me strength'.

Chapter 4

The heat of the day gave way to the cool of the night, and Sariel sat huddled before a crackling campfire. Despite her youth, Rhyne was quite skilled at survival techniques. She'd even gone out hunting with her bow, leaving Sariel and the donkey - Parsnip - alone. He wasn't a good conversation partner, so Sariel just watched the flames and listened to the woods around her. She still felt horrible, her lungs burned by salt water and strength entirely drained. It could be weeks of recovery, or a few seconds of magical healing once they got back to Waterdeep. Xena was probably worried sick looking for her. That, or she was passed out drunk somewhere. Sariel smirked at the thought.

A rustle in the trees caused Sariel's ear to perk up. She listened intently, her heart slowly beating faster. Of course, it was just Rhyne, holding a pair of rabbits with arrows through them. Good shots, actually.

Rhyne walked up close to Parsnip. She didn't whisper, just spoke aloud to her donkey. "No, you can't eat these. This is meat. You can't eat meat."

Rhyne sighed and sat down, looked at Sariel, then looked away.

"Is something the matter?" Sariel asked.

"Yes, the way you're sitting." Rhyne replied, looking down and to her left.

Sariel's legs were tucked in, and she was curled up nearly into a ball. It was cold, after all.

"What's wrong with it?" Sariel asked.

"It's-" Rhyne sighed then looked back at her. "Nothing."

A snapping branch broke the awkward silence, and Sariel shot up. Her aching chest forced her back down. Rhyne looked at her curiously.

"Did you-" Sariel began, but a sharp pain streaked across her head.

She fell to the ground in a daze. She had the vaguest sense of something happening: the donkey braying, Rhyne shouting. She could hardly move. Her eyes fluttered open, and a sense of realisation shot through her. She saw a goblin astride a prone Rhyne, forcing a dagger down into her chest. Rhyne was holding it back, but losing. Adrenaline surged through Sariel's body. It screamed in pain and protest as she groggily stood up, then threw herself at the goblin, tackling it away from Rhyne.

Sariel and the goblin tumbled to the forest floor, rolling through the brush. She thought she hit her head again, or maybe it was the first hit catching up to her. She just felt dizzy. She was snapped out of it by the goblin leaping onto her, knocking the wind from her chest. It brought the dagger down, right into her face, but she moved at the last second on pure instinct. The blade caught her hair in the dirt, yanking some strands free. The goblin went to stab her again, but she caught his arms with her own. She was stronger, but weakened by drowning and being hit over the head. She couldn't stop the knife from plunging into her chest, but she could redirect it.

The knife fell, gouging into Sariel's shoulder. Pain shocked through her body, and she screamed. First in pain, then rage. Smug in its victory, the goblin didn't realise until too late that the half elf was rolling him over, pinning him to the ground. She held his head tight with her legs, and with a violent jolt, snapped his neck. She was surprised that move had actually worked, she'd never done it for real before.

The pain came roaring back, and Sariel realised there was still a dagger in her shoulder. She gritted her teeth and tried to pull it free, but she was too weak. Her vision began to darken for the second time today. Right as she was about to accept the darkness, Rhyne's head appeared, framed by pine trees and the night sky.

"Stay awake if you want to live." Rhyne said, looking over Sariel's body.

"W-huh?" was all Sariel could manage in reply.

Rhyne slapped her, and Sariel's senses came right back.

The younger woman's head snapped to the side, looking at Parsnip, who had wandered over. "It's not like I can hurt her any more! Look at her!"

She turned back to face Sariel. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Baldur's Gate..." Sariel wheezed, "...and a new friend, her name's..."

As she drifted off again, Sariel felt another slap.

"Last time, I promise." Rhyne said, not directed at her.

She turned back to Sariel again. "Thank you for the help. Ilmater will help you through your suffering."

For the first time, Sariel saw Rhyne smile at her.

Chapter 5

Rhyne raised an eyebrow. "Five times?"

"Yeah," Sariel replied, "eight if you count all the times in the Feywild. But that was an archfey's doing so it barely counts."

Rhyne shook her head. "By Ilmater, how do you yet live?"

Sariel shrugged her shoulders. "I think Tymora and Umberlee have made a deal to make me suffer."

Rhyne allowed herself a small smile. "Perhaps Ilmater is testing you."

"Perhaps."

She turned to her regular conversation partner. "No, she's not a heretic. She follows Hanali, who stands with Ilmater's allies."

Sariel turned to face her. "Really, are you talking with your donkey?"

Rhyne deflected the question. "I think I see Waterdeep ahead. Where did you say you lived?"

"It's a tavern in the Southern Ward, The Bronze Dragon. Along the High Road, just past The Specterwalk."

"Is that a place or a road?"

"A road." Sariel replied, before thinking and continuing. "You know, you'd be more than welcome to stay at the tavern while you're in Waterdeep. Free of charge."

"I could hardly impose upon you and your friends." Rhyne replied, humility in her voice.

Sariel waved the humility off. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get right along with Emmy. We also have a nice warm stable for Parsnip."

The donkey's ears perked up at the sound of his name. Rhyne considered. Maybe she could stay there, at least for one night. See how it was. She might even like it.