Timeless

Adventuring through twisted time.

It was hot. Not that it wasn't something Dante was used to since he'd taken to the seas for a good part of a couple of hundred years now. His focus was continuing on where the Knights of the Round had left off and before the Knight's Templar had gone astray from their true mission once greed and the church had taken hold of its core. Finding the dangerous magical artifacts of the world had been his purpose now in life. It was a long life to endure after all and he might as well make use of it. Dwelling in the nature of his curse and immortal life was a pastime that he couldn't let consume him any longer than it did those many hundreds of years ago. He knew she wouldn't want him to. 

His boots walked heavily through the streets of the crowded market, wiping his brow from the sweat that dared to fall over his dark eyes. He looked to the road he had just been directed down which led away from town. It seemed the chase to find this woman would never end and it had taken the better part of a month already attempting to locate her. She had certainly made herself scarce to the world and whispers and rumors had finally brought him as close as he was now in finally getting to her. He didn't dare attempt going after this next hunt without her and her rumored expertise. Without this seer, it could mean the death of his crew.

Dante placed a boot into the stirrup of the mount he'd purchased during this extended stay on the coastal island off Italy and urged the animal ahead. With any luck, he'd be able to convince the woman to join him and his men and they could be sailing the next morning. Each passing day that he remained on dry land only heightened his worry of not being closer to the volatile artifact he was chasing across the ocean.

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It was hot, with particularly little wind today, not a cloud in the sky and the grass of the countryside blew dry and rattled in the small breeze as Dante rode by. The golden grasses climbed the hillsides and rough rugged rocks pocked through the ground climbing up towards the peak of the hill that made up the lonely little island. The directions were vague almost as the though the shoemaker that gave them didn't really want to say out loud.  'Down the path til it ends, then a left til the new one starts. follow that til you reach the coast and follow the tide pools to the hut on the back side of the cove.'. He cut off and refused to say more after that simply replying to Dante's questions with pursed lips and busy hands.

It was low tide, for now, and the tide pools made a rugged annoying jagged shelf to skirt the rocky cliffs on, too difficult for the horse to risk, but easy enough on foot. circling long and slow around the walls and jetties of the coast the pools climbed up again to a smooth rock shelf, then to a small grassy knoll about the size of most large taverns, however only a single structure stood on it. it seemed so alien that getting it there must have been magic one might think. too far from the coast to anchor and unload, and too far from the city to have dragged anything out with ease, much less supplies to build the small cabin. A steady billow of smoke rose from the chimney and the smell of something grew thicker as he approached? herbs, perhaps some sort of spice but it was hard to place which kinds or what for. The grass brushed at his legs and crunched under his boots. the walls of the cabin were redone, but breaking away under years of wear showing it'd been redone a few times with layers of different colored planks of wood peaking through in patches here and there. The only window seemed to face the coast and its shutters were latched closed with a large bar seemingly meant to hold it shut against an unreasonable force. The roofing had been done by some expert and was layered tightly with sturdy covers and tarred down to wick away water easily. There was no sign of life beyond the smoke, no sound, no tracks, not even a clothes line or well on the property. This truly was as out of the way as one could live and do so comfortably, the next step would be but a simple cave near a farm.

Dante was not excited to be climbing as the heat continued its insistent pursuit to tire him from this long and expensive journey. He could tell the men on the ship were holding on by a thread from their exhaustive trip around the ports of different countries in search of this woman. The immortal couldn't blame them. They were expecting to be paid after all and if he hadn't offered coin to them preemptively at the beginning of their quest, Dante imagined they would've jumped ship by now. Figuratively, of course. The idea of that though made him glance over his shoulder at the lapping waves below which crashed against the rocks and brought up the droplets of water across the wind. It was welcome as it misted over his skin, but he really wouldn't mind taking a dive into the sea below just then to cool off if it meant he could dodge the heat.

His eyes landed on the structure he finally came upon. He completely understood why it was nearly impossible to find her. Nothing about this place said there was a person living here who enjoyed the company of others and wouldn't mind a passing traveler every now and again. Dante couldn't even fathom how the woman was able to build such a structure or get any number of supplies when needed just to continue a certain point of survival. Still, that wasn't a matter he was concerned with when really all he needed was her expertise on the one thing that was rumored to be of real worth to sailors. He only hoped she would be willing to take him up on his offer. 

Glancing up towards the chimney, the smoke drifted away into the sky and he could smell the scent of herbs the closer he walked. At least she seemed to be at home. That was another fear of his. Had she been sailing with others, it would ruin the point of this entire crossing and it wasn't like he could hold his crew hostage until she returned. His hand lifted and knocked on the door before stepping back and hoping for an answer to his visit. For someone that lived like a recluse, Dante imagined she wouldn't exactly be excited to see him and would be skeptical to say the least. Possibly even defensive enough to brandish a weapon. Still, he didn't want to appear a threat and casually laid his hands over his belt, but never far from the flintlock or sword on his hip.

The wind whipped around, and the smells grew strong, slamming across his senses as the door swung open. at first glance, past the cracked door a pot boiled with stew on the stove. The table held doilies, ornaments and containers that were dated centuries old of basic clay. It seemed whoever lived here matched the usual vague description of some ancient witch. A hag or mystic that'd been around for centuries and possesed magic unfathomable to men.

However, as the door opened more, Dante was greeted with a young girl, surely not a day over 18, at best. she wore simple clothes, a linen undershirt under a dress and was barefoot on the wooden floor. her brown hair danced down and added its own accent to her freckled face. The...girl? squinted some at him and furrowed1 her brow. She folded her arms, hooking a foor against the backside of the door to keep it defensively cracked and she leaned a shoulder against the doorframe to  take up the whole space provided. She inhaled sharply, seeming to take in his scent and then she let out a worked sigh. without so much as a greeting, she asked one simple question. "What do you expect me to do for you?" she seemed so confident no one would seek out such a small secluded place without some expectation or reason. The girl held a skeptical glare that told she had little to no interest in any answer he could offer her.   

As the door finally unlocked, Dante took pause. He wasn't sure what he expected to find if and once the door finally opened to him, but it wasn't the young looking girl on the other side. He had heard plenty of different descriptions of what she would look like and yet, even the closest of those didn't really fit. He would assume that would be the work of all the not-so-pleasant rumors surrounding her person because of what people feared. Expectedly, she wasn't exactly thrilled to be seeing him at her doorstep. The skeptical look she gave only added to the unwelcome feeling he was receiving. It would not dampen his resolve. He hadn't traveled for so long and so far to walk away once he was finally face to face with the mystery woman. 

"Good day, Miss. My name is Dante Wayland," he greeted, giving as much of a warm and charming smile as he could muster despite how he was truly feeling. Somehow finding her finally had lifted a bit of a weight, but there was still the matter of trying to convince her how needed she really was. "I apologize for the intrusion of sorts and I mean you no harm." Dante held her gaze so she would hopefully see the truth of his words. "I have a proposition I'd like to ask of you." He lifted his hands slowly from his belt so she would see he wasn't going for any obvious weapon before reaching into the leather bag attached to his hip. 

Dante pulled a small weathered parchment from his paper that replicated the charts he had back on the ship. The exact location was a bit of a mystery, but there was time to figure that all out. Hopefully. "I need to head into some rough seas. Waters that haven't been traveled before. At least haven't been recorded well for others to know exist." He wasn't exactly going to share all of the details yet and wanted to feel her out with just that bit of information for now to see if it piqued her interest. "I've heard of your unique skills on the ocean and would like to have you aboard. I will pay you up front and even more when we've returned, whether we are successful in finding the island I'm in search of or not."

another sigh, this one full of contempt. she gives a sharp pause then with a tone just as sharp answers. "What lunatic rumors have you heard that would make you think some lonely island girl would be any use to a voyage." adding to her question, the follow-up giving away a bit of hope, curiosity if nothing else. "and what island is worth looking somewhere no one's made it back from. explorers and pirate type and those privateers pretending not to be pirates have seen all the world by now anyways." 

"Have a seat, have some soup." she says as she peels away from the door, she turns her back to Dante and motions to a simple chair at a table for one when the door opens slightly. her tone remains stoic and unflinching. "a stranger seeking me out here has a lot of explaining to do." She bumps a drawer shut with just enough time to get a glimpse of what looks like it could be some sea charts as she walks to the simple fireplace and draws the pot off to set it on a stone shelf built into the wall of the hovel itself.

The immortal tries to read the young woman once he's put his request out into the open. It didn't surprise him that he was met with hesitancy and distrust. He really couldn't expect much else when she was probably met with fear and harsh treatment from those in town. The looks he received from just mentioning her name to the shopkeeps brought about a palpable dread among them. He even received a few closed doors to the face. However, Dante couldn't help but notice the words that followed her response, showing some interest in where his voyage would lead him.

Placing the parchment back into the leather bag attached to his belt, he nodded in acceptance at her invitation and moved into her home. While her back was turned, Dante quickly glanced at the surroundings and noted this was indeed a place built for one. That alone would draw the unwanted attention of the people in town just for being a woman. His eyes moved back to his host just as she closed the drawer in which he noticed the stack of rolled and unrolled maps and charts. Interesting.

He took the chair offered to him, glad to be off of his feet for the time. "Thank you for the meal," he expressed genuinely and though it did smell appetizing, Dante was more concerned with the reason he was there. "I understand your doubt," he began, looking up to her from his seat as she busied herself with the food. "I've seen how the others in town would make a good case as to why you would find yourself far away from their stares and remarks. I am not them. What I say is truth. The world is a big place and some of its wonder is not mapped on any charts by those on the sea."

Dante had lived a long life. He'd say his intuition was pretty good because of it and much of him believed that she may be more than the average human once the layers of the preposterous rumors had been peeled away to find the very reason he was there today seeking her out. "I'm not concerned with the thoughts of ignorant townsfolk, but I am interested in the skills you may possess." His hand slipped around to the other leather pouch on his belt and he unhooked it, tossing it on top of the table with a thud. A few gold coins spilled out from its top and shone in the firelight. It would be a small fortune to anyone in this area. "I'll double it when we return whether we find the land I'm looking for or not. Though..." his brown hues searched her own eyes then. "I have a feeling the money is just a bonus to you when finding this uncharted island is much more the reason to take my offer."

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