Filename: TREASURE.TXT Codes: nosex Author's name: Kizul Emeraldfire Contact author: http://tinyurl.com/contactkizul Story title: Treasure Seekers, chapter 1 Story part: Part 1, Chapter 1 Story codes taken from /~Uther_Pendragon/code/scfr.htm -------------------------------------------------------- This work is copyrighted to the author ©2007. Please don't remove the author information or make any changes to this story. You may post freely to non-commercial "free" sites, or in the "free" area of commercial sites. Thank you for your consideration. -------------------------------------------------------- This is the tale of two treasure-hunting sisters. The older one, Jen, is nineteen years of age, and takes care of her younger sister, Tanya, and together they search for wondrous treasures and strange artifacts. Unfortunately, their life is not easy. Their mother died when Jen was young while giving birth to Tanya, and later, after Tanya was about seven years old, their father disappeared. After waiting some weeks for him to come back, Jen concluded that he would never return, and they were forced to move into the nearby inn. They ended up having to steal sometimes in order to make ends meet, barely having enough food to eat some days. The sisters both were tired of stealing, and would have much preferred not to. And so it was that Tanya came up with the idea of treasure-hunting. Jen has looked after Tanya for eight-odd years since the disappearance of their father. Though they do search for treasure, the older of the two sisters also secretly searches for some sign of their father, hoping that one day they may reunite and be a family once more. On a particularly gloomy-looking day, Tanya and Jen were in the market, selling the latest of their findings to earn money for their rent, and running a few errands for the innkeeper. As their stock gradually ran down, Jen noticed a beggar who looked to be selling maps. He didn't seem to be having much luck. When it was near the end of the day, she helped Tanya pack up what little they hadn't sold, and told her that she'd meet her back at the inn. Jen waited until her sister was out of sight, then confronted the elderly beggar-man. "I've seen you around. You're selling maps?" Jen asked, smiling lightly at the old man. "Indeed, miss!" "Tell me, what kind of maps?" "Treasure maps." The old man cast a rather doubtful look at Jen, figuring she wouldn't buy any, either. "You may be in luck, old man, for I happen to be a treasure-hunter. May I see some of these maps?" Jen asked the man hopefully. The man's face brightened. "Certainly! Have a look at this -- a map of the forest of Kahsii!" Jen took the map from the old man, examining it closely. "This is a fake," she said, looking up from her examination. "See here, the edges have been CUT to look like they're ragged. They weren't torn." The elderly man peered at the map. "Well I'll be, you're right... In that case, have a look at this -- a map of the Sarkugan desert!" He thrust another piece of parchment under Jen's nose, and she studied it for a few minutes as well. "Also a fake -- this parchment is far too new for the year written here to be right, you can tell by the feel of it." She handed the map back to the beggar-man. "Yes, yes, I see it now -- how about this one, then -- a map of the entire flying island of Harus!" he handed her a rather battered piece of old parchment, which she spent several minutes studying. "Hm... I think this might just be a real -- wait a minute... No, this is a fake as well, but very well-made -- if you flip it over, you can tell it's fake because the ink doesn't leak through to the other side at all, not even in the heaviest of ink blots." Once again, she handed the map back, and was beginning to feel doubtful that the man had any real maps to sell. "Do you have any real, genuine treasure maps at all?" The man shifted uneasily. "Well, the truth is I only have one REAL map... Hold on a moment." Jen watched as he put down the pile of parchments, pulling a few out of his tattered coat and adding them to the pile as well before finally pulling out a very creased, wrinkled and torn sheaf of parchment. She couldn't help but think it resembled himself somewhat. "This is a map of the marshlands to the south; there is supposedly some sort of temple or castle or something deep in the center. If I were a few decades younger, I'd use this map myself to find whatever's in there, but I'm far too old now." Jen started to reach for the map that the man held, but he pulled it close and huddled over it. "OH no, you don't get to see this one until AFTER I see you have the money for it. One hundred and fifty gold coins, take it or leave it." She grumbled, but took out her gold-pouch, glaring a little at the man. Jen supposed he had a reason to be protective of the map, especially if it were a REAL map, but it was still a rather high price to pay just to buy a map. She opened the pouch wide so that he could see into it. "This is one hundred and sixty-four -- will it do?" The ragged beggar-man leaned forward a bit, looking into the pouch. "It will indeed. So -- a deal's a deal, one-fifty gold for this map." Jen frowned. "Make it seventy-five and you've got a deal, sir." He rolled his eyes. Hagglers -- there was no END to them. "One-twenty-five." "Eighty-five." "One-fifteen." "Ninety." "One hundred." She grumbled again. "Deal." Jen grudgingly separated sixty-four of the coins, slipping them into another pouch and giving the old man the heavier one. "Now hand over this map." She held out her other hand expectantly. "Very well then -- I believe you'll find it to be worth the cost. Thank you for your business!" The beggar handed her the map and walked away, waving to her as he left. Dusk had begun to give way to night as Jen went to one of the street lamps and examined the tattered piece of parchment in its orange-y glow, but she couldn't find any of the usual signs of forgery. Presently, she suddenly realized how much time had passed while she'd been talking with the beggar-man. "I'd better get back to the inn -- Tanya must be wondering what's keeping me. I bet she'll be surprised when I tell her I've found a real treasure map!" So, she hurried back to the inn, keeping to the main roads and avoiding the alleys (for obvious reasons, of course -- no sense losing a map not yet used!), wiping her worn boots on the rather filthy mat in front of the door before entering. A bit of a haze hung over everything inside. The inn smelled of beer, smoke, and freshly-baked bread, and was as merrily-active as ever. There were people eating, people drinking, and people dancing, and some people were even doing all three at once. Some of the regular drinkers were flirting with the barmaids, some of whom looked rather exasperated, but were putting up with it anyway. The piano player was doing quite a lively tune that night, playing amazingly well for a man that, by the look of things, had been drinking on-and-off for the past several hours, swaying a little on the bench he sat upon. Tanya sat near the end of the bar, also being hit-on by one of the drunks, anxiously waiting for her sister as she sipped some of the beer that the man had insisted on buying for her. His name was Edgar. He was middle-aged, a rather heavy-set man, red-headed to boot with a bushy beard and large moustache, and didn't seem to notice that Tanya, who was at least thirty years younger than he, wasn't the least bit interested in him. It wasn't until Jen suddenly ran up to Tanya and hugged her sister that Edgar finally realized, if a little incorrectly, that he wasn't very wanted. "I'm shorry, mish -- I didn' know you wuszh already taken..." He cleared his throat and staggered off to another seat, striking up a lively chat with one of the other regulars. Tanya giggled as he left, hugging her sister in return. "Thanks Jen." "Hey, what are big sisters for? Wasn't a problem." Jen grinned and hopped onto the stool that Edgar had vacated, ordering a beer for herself. "So what took you so long to get back, sis?" Tanya asked, taking another sip of her drink. She'd never ordered anything alcoholic before, because she didn't think she'd really like it much, but the taste of beer was starting to grow on her. "I found a map, a real treasure map this time!" Jen's smile widened further as she pulled out the map, sliding it towards Tanya as the bartender handed her a stein filled with frothy drink. "The marshlands... But I thought the temple there was just s'posed to be some old myth!" "So'd I, but the guy who sold it to me was far too protective of it for it NOT to be a real map. I checked it out, too -- I can't find any trace of forgery anyplace on it." "How much did you pay for it?" "Ahh..." Jen looked away and took a large gulp of her beer as she scanned the crowd of people on the floor through the smoky haze. "How much?" Tanya asked again, a little bit of irksomeness in her tone. Jen sighed and turned back to her sister. "A hundred gold pieces, but he said we'd find it worth the price." "One hundred-! That's almost enough to pay rent for two months!" "But what if this map IS REAL, sis? We'd be able to have enough to live on for YEARS -- think about it. We could even move out of this inn!" `We might even be able to find father,' she mentally added. Tanya took another sip of beer, a bit larger this time -- she was starting rather to like the taste. "Alright, s'posing this map IS the real deal -- how do we get there and back ALIVE? There're monsters out there, Jen -- we don't have the money to pay rent AND hire people to defend us." "I've already studied the map; it shows a safe route through the marshlands, free of monsters -- we'll be able to get to the temple easily!" Tanya considered for a moment. "But what about INSIDE it? There might be monsters IN it, or at least booby-traps or something." It was Jen's turn to think. As she did so, the piano player finally toppled over, snoring rather loudly upon the keys. Someone volunteered to play, but was shot down by another man who knew him, saying that he only knew one song and could play naught but it. Finally, she answered. "I suppose you're right about the inside -- how do we know what's in it, other than treasure?" "Well... If the route is as safe as you say, we MIGHT be able to survive INside, as long as there's only traps and treasure, and no monsters." "Yeah, after all -- we have our wits, our courage, and our intelligence!" The two sisters toasted each other, accidentally slopping some beer onto the countertop. "So we're going?" "Definitely! But first, has the rent been paid?" "Yeah, I paid for this month and next as soon as I came back." "Good, good -- how much gold do you have left?" "Forty-one pieces." "Hmm... I hope a hundred and five is enough for the supplies we'll need for the journey." "Should be -- I'm great at finding good deals!" Jen chuckled and finished her beer, just swallowing the last bit as a fight broke out on the floor. "Let's get some rest first, then we'll get the supplies in the morning." She hopped off her stool and picked up the map, slipping it back into her pocket as she held out her hand. "Whaddaya say, Tanya?" Tanya had also decided to finish all of her beer, but unfortunately, there had been quite a bit more in her stein than in her sister's, and she wasn't nearly as used to alcohol as Jen. She suddenly found herself quite tipsy. "Soundszh good t'me, sis!" She hopped off her stool as well, but found herself unable to stand as steadily as normal. "Whoa, the room'szh spinnin'! Make it stop!" Tanya flailed to keep her balance, but fell over towards her sister who caught her as she fell. "On second thought, we'll get the supplies in the afternoon -- you need to sleep this off." Jen giggled. "Come on, I'll help you up the stairs." The two sisters made for the stairs, the younger leaning on the older as though Jen were a crutch, and walked as well as they could up the stairs together. Turning right, they entered the third room on the left, which was their own. Once inside, she helped her sister walk to the large bed. As Tanya released her grip on Jen, her hand slid downward, giving a playful squeeze as it brushed against her sister's bottom, causing Jen to yelp. "Tanya!" "Sorry, sis, my hand mus've slipped." Tanya scratched the back of her head embarrassedly. Jen giggled. "Come on, sis -- you're drunk, and we need to get stuff tomorrow if we're gonna follow the map." She walked to the dresser by the side of the bed and pulled out a pair of nightgowns. "And, since I'm getting an early start tomorrow -- we should go to bed," Jen said as she tossed one of the nightgowns to Tanya. They both undressed, piling their day-clothing into an unceremonious heap on the floor at the foot of the bed. Jen was just starting to slip her nightgown on when she noticed her sister was staring at her again, and paused. Tanya had been doing this on and off for the past few weeks, but had always tried to hide that she was staring. Tonight, however, she was openly ogling her sister, both of them in their underwear. The younger sibling blushed and turned away as Jen looked at her, and fumbled with putting her nightgown on. Jen gave a small smile and shook her head as she pulled her nightgown on. After getting dressed in their nightclothes, they climbed into bed, pulling the covers up to their necks as they laid down to sleep. Tanya fell asleep almost instantly, breathing a little loudly as she slept. Jen pulled out the map again, examining it one last time before folding it up and tucking it into her bosom again, turning down the oil lamp and smiling at her peacefully-sleeping sister as she, too, nodded off. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ This story was written as an adult fantasy. The author does not condone the described behavior in real life. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~