Season of Fall, Day 31, 511 AV
The waters around the harbor of Zeltiva weren't the cleanest that Avari had ever seen, not when dozens of ships and boats passed through them every day, not when the city emptied much of its waste into the bay, and certainly not when compared to the crystal-clear waters of the Silver Lake on Konti Isle. While the waters weren't exactly filthy, they did have a certain lived-in quality that came from flowing around a busy, well-populated city. Perhaps Avari had just gotten used to them by now, or maybe she'd always had a higher tolerance than most for a bit of grime and murk. Besides, these waters had something that she was sure the Silver Lake didn't offer: fallen treasures and objects that had toppled from the piers and ships to sink to the bottom of the sea.
Most of the things that fell into the water were generally items of lesser value or importance, of course. After all, no one was going to let their pearl necklace or book of magical writings fall into Mathews Bay without noticing or raising a hue and cry about rescuing it. Sometimes, people even discarded broken or damaged items into the sea, in the belief that they were of no earthly use to anyone and the creatures of the deep were welcome to them. Boots, hats, dented pots and pans, planks of wood, rusted knives, and other mundane, everyday flotsam were much in evidence on the sea floor, especially after a busy day at the docks.
However, there was always that elusive hope, that treacherous yet seductive hope, that perhaps, buried amid all that debris, there might be something worth finding. One could dream of finding a curio down there that hadn't been ruined by the seawater and could be sold to Raleaph at Treasures of the Sea for a small sum. Deep down, one could even fantasize about discovering some forgotten cargo crates full of unspoiled goods just ready for fencing. For all that Avari had long ago learned to sell hopes and dreams to hapless marks, she wasn't entirely immune to them herself, especially when her own interests were at stake.
So, on this windy autumn day in Zeltiva, Avari stood in a secluded spot at the harbor, far away from the docks, and slipped off her breeches, boots, and hat. Casting a few quick glances for anyone watching, she bent and stashed them under a handy rock. Then she waded into the water, wincing and gasping at the cold water, and ducked her head under the surface.
For a brief but panicky moment, she felt a trickle of seawater enter her nose. Then the gills on the sides of her neck contracted and swelled, filtering air from the water, and Avari could breathe again.
She paddled under the water, letting herself drift with the flow and ebb of the currents eddying through the sea. Her bare legs and feet churned slowly as she propelled herself downward as the water grew deeper and darker. The chill of the water was brisk, even invigorating now. Even though she was no great swimmer, Avari had lived most of her life half underwater and half above it, giving her a sense of familiarity and comfort while submerged. Her hair drifted around her face like seaweed and the saltiness of the water pricked at her open eyes as she peered down in the darkness of the sea floor. She kept on swimming, ignoring the intrepid fish darting around her and the bits of algae that started clinging to her wet tunic.
It was much like searching for riches at Treasures of the Sea, except that here, the customer base was so much smaller: just Avari. No wonder she loved swimming down here, despite the murky water.
Deep down amid the kelp beds and coral, as well as the goods that had sunk down there over the years, Avari thought she saw a bright golden glint. She blinked, wondering if it was an illusion or a figment of her imagination. But no, there it was again, and it was definitely metallic in nature, maybe silver or gold. It gleamed steadily in her vision, occasionally obscured by a tendril of dark water or a strand of kelp. Her heart beat a little faster as she wondered what it could be: a forgotten item of jewelry, a cache of mizas, perhaps a valuable piece of art?
As always, there was only one way to find out. With a swift kick of her legs, Avari dove down toward the sea floor, imagining herself to be a stooping falcon swooping toward its prey.
Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw something else approaching the same metallic glint. It moved as gracefully and easily as a fish through the water, though the shadow that it cast seemed larger than any fish ought to be. But then, beneath the water's surface, light and shadows could appear quite different than they did aboveground. Avari ignored the movement and focused on the gleam deep down on the sea floor.
After all, that moving shape she had glimpsed might not be anything, but the gleam on the floor might well make her fortune. The Konti swam faster, her arms fanning out on both sides of her body and her gills working fiercely. One way or another, she was determined to find out what exactly was down here in the bay.