Indeed, Dalmar once found himself at the mercy of the universe. This time, however, he had something upon which to look forward, a purpose to the moments between moments. Having met his first goal in a series of small goals leading up to the means of an end of the series, he had found his way back into the world of the living. As he stood on the beach with his heart pounding after seven days of living in isolation on this tiny island, Dalmar had been rescued. Soon thereafter, Dalmar joined the small group of three men on a fishing boat heading northwest from the island towards a small village on the mainland the men on the boat referred to as Undhkiel. The captain of the small fishing boat was a large man of dark complexion named Jumna, and Dalmar instantly liked him. His stout stature and his vibrant forthcoming attitude of general goodwill and command set him apart from the other two men on the ship. Those men, Taras and Bair, remained silent, and their eyes never seemed to stray far away from Dalmar as he talked to Jumna while the coasted towards the small fishing village. Still, the two men kept busy with the duties of sailing the ship and tending to the aboard bounty Jumna and his crew had captured while on their rounds gathering the fish from the sea that day.
"Jumna, where does Undjkiel lie? I mean, where in the world is it? All I of which I can be sure is that I traveled east and then south over the great waters to find myself here" Dalmar began innocently.
"Undhkiel lies on the southern edge of the eastern sea far south in the area known as Edra, Dalmar. I can take you as far as Undhkiel, but that is as far as my duties and men will allow, I'm afraid. We should arrive in the ahrbor in a couple of hours, my friend." Jumna smiled as he said this, and he scanned the horizon eyeing a small storm brewing on the eastern horizon. "That storm will be here by nightfall, so by the grace of Athoras, we will reach harbor before that time" Jumna continued.
"Surely, there's someway I can repay you for your help, Jumna. I could help you with your fishing?" Dalmar requested.
"If I give you the duties of my men, what will my men do? I don't think it would be good to take the food from Taras and Bair's mouth and the mouths of their family no matter how much you feel you have to repay me, Dalmar." Jumna chuckled and patted Dalmar on the back as he watched the waves. He seemed content with simply helping Dalmar, and Dalmar appreciated his honesty and sense of honor.
"No, you are right, but perhaps I can atleast give you a hand unloading the fish into your markets?" Dalmar asked again.
"If you must, Dalmar, but the burden if the burden is your's to bear then let it be your's to bear. By the grace of Athoras once more, be it your's!" Jumna smiled wide as he agreed to let Dalmar help him unload the day's catch once they reached harbor. Jumna then walked the deck and began to sort through the fish flopping about the lower deck with Taras and Bair. As the ship drifted ever closer to the port of Undhkiel, Dalmar sat quietly enjoying the scenery of the open sea and the impending mainland.
When the boat reached the harbor of Undhkiel, Dalmar hopped off the side of the ship directly to the wharf as Taras slid a large plank out from the side of the ship to the edge of the town at the water's edge. The street that ran alongside the water was filled with a large arrangement of fishermen's marketeers buying and selling various goods and services to the passersby and the men returning from the day's seafaring. The low rumble of people collecting in one place was something Dalmar had not heard since Irongard, but he soon grew accustomed to its presence. A winch served to lift the nets of fish on to a large scale on the wharf, and was directed by Bair who seemed to have a fair mastery of the task after years of service to Jumna. Several merchants gathered around to survey the load before approaching Jumna to offer their prices. Dalmar took it upon himself to observe the process, and soon Jumna had sold his first net full of fish to a merchant. The merchant began ushering his men to the net to tie it to some ropes and drag it into a cart that served to transport the fish elsewhere. Seizing his moment, Dalmar joined the crew to help. Dalmar grasped the net as one might grab two handles on a large pot and tossed it in the back of the cart with little effort. This, of course, startled the men on the wharf and soon he was surrounded by several work hands marveling at his feat of strength. As the strange people felt of his arms and asked him an arrtay of questions all at once, Dalmar began to feel crowded. He looked for Jumna, who stood on his ship's bow and stared at Dalmar. "Dalmar! I see Athoras has smiled upon you, after all!" Jumna laughed raucously and jumped down from the ship's side, landing on the dock with a thud. "Leave him be, my friends! This man is with me!" Jumna yelled into the crowd as the suddenly disinterested men shyed away from Jumna's command of the situation. "Perhaps you can be of some help to me, Dalmar, after all." Jumna said to Dalmar. "For now, let us sellt he rest of these fish and bring home the spoils of our catch."
For the next couple of hours into the evening, Jumna and Dalmar weighed and sold the fish in the market until the moon shone in the sky and the merchants disappeared for the night. Jumna, satisfied with his day, smiled and counted the coins that rang as proof his bounty. Jumna then gave some coins to Taras and Bair, and then turned to Dalmar and gave him thirty silver coins. "What's this for, Jumna? You don't have to pay me as I said I would help you" Dalmar exclaimed.
"Oh, I have a feeling our paths will wander together for a while longer, Dalmar. Join me for a drink, and we will see just how long that will be." Jumna grinned and put his arm around Dalmar as he lead the two men towards a nearby inn on the edge of the town. The two men entered the inn and sat down. Soon, they were eating and drinking to their heart's content. "Now, let's talk about this gift of your's, Dalmar." jumna's voice lowered and his gaze lowered even still. "There's no denying you are strong, stronger than any man I've ever seen. A man of your talents could very well make a sizable living, and bear equal gifts upon anyone who could serve beside you." Jumna's tone was very serious as he took a sip of his ale. Dalmar hadn't really thought of exploiting his strength as a means of profit. Thinking of the possibilities, Dalmar soon realized that he could make enough money to find passage back to Draftengil and Xander's domain. He wouldn't spend too much time, and it seemed reasonable enough to bring the means to his goal.
"What did you have in mind, Jumna?" Dalmar queried.
"In the center of Undhkiel is a large fortification where inside stands guard a man by the name of Varsa. He is the champion of Undhkiel, and tomorrow is the annual competition of the men of Undhkiel that we here call Selenica. Varsa will join the competition, and every year for the past ten years, he has won the competition. This is where you come in." Jumna sipped again at his ale as he scanned the room for eavesdroppers. Pausing to wait for a response from Dalmar, he began again. "There will be a few things involved including throwing of the javelin, arm wrestling, and a keg toss, among other things. Likewise, there's plenty of gambling going on throughout the day. A man who sees opportunity in his grasp stands to make a lot of coin. Get me, Dalmar?" Jumna smiled a wide toothed grin. Dalmar understood perfectly, and after a few moments of thought, he replied.
"Indeed, I see your point, Jumna, and I agree. A man could stand to make a lot of money. How do yo suppose two men should split these winnings?" Dalmar said to Jumna.
"Down the middle, of course, Dalmar!" Jumna said as he leaned back in his chair for a moment and grinned magnanimously. Dalmar's opinion of Jumna altered a bit with the proposal, and he began to see Jumna as an opportunist as well as the leader he encountered on the seas. Combining the two ideas in his mind, he began to believe that Jumna would be true to his word and his own twisted sense of honor. That made him reliable in Dalmar's mind.Jumna sensed this change in Dalmar, and sharply added to the proposal, "As a mark of good faith, I'll even pay your lodging for the night here, and then you can meet me in the center of town when the sun reaches its highest point." Jumna smiled yet again as he stabbed a potato with his fork. Dalmar smiled back at Jumna, and raised his glass and drank, making a gesture of agreement.
"Deal, Jumna. But just for the day as I have to leave shortly thereafter." Dalmar said.
"Then it settled! To the beginning of great tidings!" Jumna struck the side of Dalmar's mug slightly causing a clanging sound to ring as the two struck the deal, and drank. Finishing his mug of ale, Jumna rose, and bade Dalmar farewell. Jumna then went to the innkeeper, paid the man for both meals and drinks, and paid the innkeeper for Dalmar's stay. The innkeeper shook the coins in his hands, nodded to the Jumna and smiled. The innkeeper then nodded to Dalmar and smiled with a gesture showing that the duty been paid, and went back to his business of tending his customers. Dalmar smiled smugly at his deal between he and Jumna, finished his drink and approached the bar to find his quarters from the innkeeper. Pointing to a room under the stairs reserved for special guests, the innkeeper followed Dalmar into the room and looked over the comfortable room of two beds and a large double shuttered window.
"If ye' be needin' anything, anything at all, fine sir, just send a chatterin'" the innkeeper said as he closed the door behind him. His rosey face caught the light of the candle burning on the table beside the bed. The room was far nicer than Dalmar had originally imagined, and even bore the signs of a personal living space. This struck Dalmar sort of oddly, and he wondered if Jumna said anything to the innkeeper about the deal they had struck earlier that night. Dalmar's intuition took over and soon dismissed the idea as Dalmar's thoughts of Jumna's honor rang out in his mind. Still, Dalmar was pleased. The bed was soft and the room was quiet enough, and the moon bathed a stripe across the bed softly creating a peaceful environment. Within moments, Dalmar was asleep. For the first time in several days, Dalmar dreamed of things other than nightmares and hellish beasts tossing him around in their talons.
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