After adventuring for almost a year with the Shining Scorpion and captaining their ship, which a title he earned after killing its former captain in battle, Wilster spent an afternoon being regaled with tales of great ale and strong wine by his new friend, Jak Kruusha, whose frozen stone form Wilster had saved from a basilisk's lair.
After a few too many cups, Wilster's mind went fuzzy. After a few more, it went completely black.
He awoke later on the decks of a ship without his gear. The few men milling about the deck were obviously pirates, but the small band was not dreadful to an experienced warrior such as Wilster.
Closing his eyes, he thought of his blade. Mysterious words whispered through his mind calling his weapon.
With a thud, a door in the deck of the ship flapped open and Wilster's black scimitar flew to his right hand as his left fifst flared with lightning.
"Take me to the captain," he said.
This was a keelboat, no large brig like the ship he captained with the Scorpions. And this captain was no feared sailor.
"I... I'm the captain," he stammered.
"What did you plan to do with me?" Wilster asked as he danced toward the skinny, tattooed man.
"We were going to sell you," he replied without hesitation. "You and that fancy sword."
"You're not selling me now," Wilster said. "You're going to give me the ship."
The captain glanced past Wilster and he gave a quick nod. As Wilster turned, two of the pirates lunched at him with cutlasses. He took a swinging step toward them. One received the shock of lightning from Wilster's balled fist. The other received a slash across the chest from Wilster's fast-moving scimitar.
Both slumped to the deck.
Wilster turned back to the captain.
"Who are you working for?"
"The Bloodstone Swords. A reward of 200 gold pieces has been offered for an elf swining a black blade etched with red runes. We wanted the money," the pirate explained. "Nemas Ricasso hired us. He's building an army in the River Kingdoms."
"Well, let's go see about that reward."
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