Your Treasure I'll Be

It was dawn, The sun began rising in the horizon, the orange and red colors pouring over the sea slowly changing the liquid obsidian into a sparkling blue.

The sky rang with the sound of the ocean. The slow rhythmic lapping of water pooling over itself and continuing on could be heard as well as the harsher slapping of waves hitting the shore working as the only reminder of the harsh winds that had blown the night before. Along with the sound of the ocean came the sound of those creatures that thrived around it. Small splashes broke the waves rhythms as fish of all sizes and colors sporadically jumped from the sea. The rustling of feathers and characteristic call of the wenrin[1] could be heard as they began raising from their nests and began their day of hunting and gliding.

On the shore where the waves came crashing can be seen a large town. While there were a number of small picturesque cottages lining the cliffs, what first would draw the eye of someone approaching this town from the sea was a large port with docks filled with ships of varied sizes.

The smallest ships were small fishing vessels barely big enough to fit two or three adults. These were found on the far side of the docks tied to far edge posts or even just haled up onto the sandy shore.

A majority of the ships seen were those used by crews for travel and trade which transported people and goods from all over the world.

The largest shipped docked was also the most noticeable, but not just for its size. This ship was easily four levels, including the deck. Most ships worked to balance size, leaving enough space for storage and living while keeping the ship light enough to maximize speed. This ship, on the other hand, clearly favored the former while completely disregarding the latter.

The ship's features screamed affluence and begged to be noticed. Six masts stood tall, each rigged with sails of a dirty shade of mauve, an impressive feat considering colored fabrics cost double, if not more than that of plain white. It would be even harder to find colored fabrics on that scale strong enough to serve as sails. The hull of the ship was painted with an exuberant yellow which looked like it was attempting to mimic gold while the wood around potholes and gunports was done up in a bright ruby. While the colors by themselves may not have been a problem when done in combination, they clashed terribly.

The only redeeming feature of the ship was the ornately carved figurehead that was fixed to the front. The image was that of a beautiful woman, her face was soft looking, perfectly proportioned with eyes that could steal one's soul, despite the fact they were carved out of wood. She had long flowing hair which fell down over her shoulders and continued to cover her bare chest. Her arms were held out almost beckoning and her mouth was opened as if in song. Anyone who saw this carving would be impressed, but few people were able to tell what about it was the most incredible. Most who saw her would be able to tell the wood used to carve her was beautiful and expensive looking. But only those with greater knowledge and a discerning eye would be able to notice that borderline priceless would be a more accurate description.

This was due to the fact that the wood was taken from an incredibly rare kind of willow known as Fortis-gossimeria. despite the delicate look of the tree, the wood is naturally imbued with magic which makes it extremely strong and able to negate outside forces like wind and rain, even if it was directly hit with lighting, not a single mark would be left. These features would make it highly sought after, however, a number of factors make it nearly impossible to acquire. First of all, a tree of this kind grows only once every few centuries, and even when they do, they are found only in the deepest depths of a specific forest within a distant empire. If one manages to get there, they would have to defeat countless vicious magical beasts that call the place home. Even if you were able to somehow make it through the forest and find the willow, you would need to find your way out of the land again, all without alerting the native inhabitants.

The people of that land are a race similar to a wood elf but lacked their pacifism. They are a tall race with pointed ears. Even with their large size they are extreamly light on their feet and have skin which allows them to camouflage into their surrounding, making them superb hunters. They have immense respect and reverence for nature and spare no effort and no sympathy when it comes to protecting it.

That is all to say that even a small piece of wood from the Fortis-gossimeria could sell for a fortune, let alone a piece large enough to make a figurehead for such a large ship. It would not be an exaggeration to say that a king could spend his entire counties wealth and not be able to achieve that feat, and yet there it was.

The return of this ship to the docks had caused quite a stir as it had been gone on its last expedition for no less than a year. People lined up to see what kind of treasures were brought back this time around. In most cases, this ship would come back laden with treasures of all kinds: gold, jewels, and exotic creatures were among the norm. What shocked those who gathered there was that, contrary to expectations, the crew unloaded only a single crate which they then proceeded to bring through the large gates seen behind the port and made their way up to the huge, castle-like building towering over the rest of the town. The building had a similar color scheme as the large ship and shared the feeling of someone trying to flaunt wealth. It was not hard to figure out that they were owned by the same person.

while most people were confused with this anticlimactic reveal, some were also confused by the sailors. If you were paying attention, you would notice that, with exception to the ones who had to unload and push the cargo, they were all giving the crate a wide berth but would often look at it with a strange mix of fear and longing.

Hours after the crate was brought into the building, a single bird could be seen flying away from the place. It flew over the town and out into the open water. Eventually, it came upon a solitary ship and dived, making a cawing call as if to indicate its decent. When it got close to the deck it pulled up and came to a landing, perching on the waiting arm of a man standing at the helm of the ship. The man proceeded to pat the birds head and untie a curled piece of paper that had been attached to the bird's talon. He read the words written on the paper and then smiled a smile that could send someone to heaven, even when the one wearing it was sending them to hell.

"looks like it is time to get to work"