by Tony Johnson
“Fine,” Jarek raised his hands as if he was giving up and there was nothing more he could do. “You know, if you guys wanted to get to Casanovia so badly that you're willing to lie about it, the least you could've done was make it more believable. You could've told me your friend was sick,” he pointed to Ty, “and the only medicine that could save him was across the lake. I wouldn't have believed it, but I'm sure you would've found some sucker that would've.
“Now, everyone here knows you're liars, and the only way you'll find passage is if you gather up enough gold. You'd have an easier time spending the weeks it’d take to walk there.” Jarek got up from his seat, leaving the chair turned the wrong way without putting it back how he’d found it. Staring down at the heroes, he said “I will offer this though,” he turned to Kari and spoke to her directly, “I'll take you all for free if you spend every night with me in my chambers all the way there.”
This time, Ty didn't hold Steve down. Steve stood, standing eye to eye with Jarek, who was smiling even wider now that he got a rise out of the warrior who wasted his time. The captain held the hilt of his sword at his side, craving for Steve to make an impulsive mistake. But it was Kari who stood up for herself as she spoke to Captain Jarek.
“You may have the largest ship and crew, but I've heard men like you buy the biggest things they can because they have to make up for size in areas where they lack it,” she looked below his belt buckle.
Steve crossed his arms and sat down, smiling widely. Together he and his two friends watched the bumbling captain, knowing he was trying to think of a witty comeback, but couldn't. With a grunt, he spat on Kari's half-eaten food and turned on his heels, walking away, angrily pushing people in the crowd to get back to his table.
Chapter 64
Kari pushed her plate away from her, clearly not wanting to eat the soiled food. “Here, you can share the rest of mine,” Steve positioned his plate between the two of them.
“That's kind of you,” Kari thanked him, picking up her fork and digging in. “I don't think I've ever met anyone so cocky. I hate people like that.”
“Me too,” Steve and Ty both agreed.
“So, do we find another shipmaster and offer them the gold?” Ty asked Steve.
“I guess that's our only option. And hope they’re a nicer person than Jarek.”
“Excuse me, may I speak with you?” A skinny and frail, middle-aged woman with holes in her clothes and dirt on her face came out from under the shadows of the loft. She had been sitting three tables over from where the heroes were the entire time they had been there.
“Of course, please, sit down,” Steve offered to the Elven lady with light-beige skin, gesturing to the chair Jarek had been sitting in.
The woman turned the chair around and sat normally, before surveying the heroes as if she were determining the authenticity of an antique.
“What you're saying is true, isn't it?” she asked. “The attack on Celestial really happened?”
“You believe us?”
“I do.”
“Why?” Steve asked.
“Because after being around all these men, these pirates,” she clarified, “and hearing their constant lies for so many years, it's easy to spot when someone is telling the truth.”
Steve looked at Kari, who was grinning back at him. This woman is precisely the type of person we're looking for, he knew she was trying to tell him telepathically.
One of Jarek's friends who was sitting at the nearby table saw the three visitors talking to the woman and called out, “I wouldn’t do business with her. You'll be lucky if you make it out of the harbor without sinking!” Like before, he and the people surrounding him started laughing obnoxiously.
The woman sitting before them looked embarrassed, but never let her eye contact waver from Steve. “I may not have the fastest ship or the largest crew, but I'll get you to Casanovia if the fate of the kingdom depends on it.”
She spoke with so much confidence, Steve couldn't help but be impressed. Sizing the Elf up, he thought, She's small, she looks like she hasn’t eaten a full meal in weeks, and it's clear the other shipmasters don't respect her because she's a woman. She wants to prove herself to both us and them. There's no one else I'd rather give our gold too.
“You're hired!” Steve decided, reaching out and shaking her hand.
Ty was less convinced. He cupped his ear to Steve's and whispered, “Are you sure? Don't you want to see her ship first?”
“No. I'm sure her ship is good enough,” Steve was speaking loud enough so that not only Ty could hear, but the woman as well.
“What's your name?” asked Kari.
“Jun-Lei,” the Elven woman said. “And yours?”
The three introduced themselves individually, then Ty thought to mention their companions not at the table. “We also have a Dwarf named Grizz and a direfox named Copper who will be joining us on the ship. Will that be okay?”
“The more, the merrier,” Jun-Lei shrugged, not particularly caring about the extra additions, even if one was a monster.
“Now I'm sure you're wondering about payment,” Steve brought up the subject, but the shipmaster waved her hand, playing it off, “You can pay me whatever you can afford. I heard bits and pieces of your conversation with Jarek. If Casanovia is going to be attacked by an army, I want to do my part to help regardless of the cost.”
Steve smiled, now even more sure he had found a person with high character. Looking from where they sat to the table Jun-Lei had come from, he asked, “How did you hear us with all the noise in the tavern?”
“I read lips,” Jun-Lei admitted. “You’d be surprised at the secrets you can find out, especially in this place, just by sitting back in the shadows and watching what people say.”
“I'm sure that Captain Jarek is full of them,” Kari said, rolling her eyes at the despicable man.
“Oh, you have no idea some of the things he's done. He was a naval ship captain for the warriors in Oceanside until it was found out that he and those under his command were raiding civilian vessels. His title was stripped, and he settled down here in Port Meris with his friends. I don't know why they love him so much. They do anything he asks them too. All the other shipmasters around here follow him because they're scared of him. He's killed people right in this tavern over the most inconsequential matters, but no one does anything about it.”
“What about the warriors that patrol this area?” Ty asked.
“We don't have many here. We haven't for a long time.
“That's because Port Meris is in Serendale's territory,” Steve interrupted. “Commander Krause is known for being incompetent when it comes to dividing out his personnel where they're needed.”
“I’ve always assumed that was the problem,” Jun-Lei nodded. “What few warriors Krause stationed here soon put themselves on Jarek's payroll. He can get away with whatever he wants. This village has become a place of such lawlessness. It'll be nice to get away on a little trip to Casanovia for a couple days. When did you plan on leaving?”
“At dawn if possible.”
“That works for me. I'll have my crew make preparations overnight, so we'll be ready to go. I need to stock up on food for all of us and take care of a couple other minor maintenance issues on my ship before we set sail.”
“Here,” Steve said, reaching under the table and pulling up the heavy sack of money. “Use this to help.” He dropped it on the table with a thud. It fell over on its side, spilling out bronze, silver, and gold coins, a couple of which rolled off the table and fell right into Jun-Lei's lap.
“This is more than a year's wages!” she reached into the bag, grabbed a handful of coins, and let them fall through her fingertips. “I can't accept this. It's far too much!”
“I refuse to pay anything less for your services.”
“You're paying me in full, before passage?” Jun-Lei asked.
“No, that's only half,” Steve smirk
ed, figuring he was giving this struggling shipmaster more money than she’d seen in her entire life. “We’ll give you the other half when we arrive.”
“What’s the catch?” Jun-Lei squinted suspiciously at Steve, and then turned her same, suspecting glare to the Elf and Halfling he sat with.
“There’s no catch. We are one hundred percent serious. In fact, I wish we had more to give to you. There’s enough here to get whatever you need for preparations and repairs.”
“I best get started then,” Jun-Lei stood up. She called to the people sitting at the table she’d initially come from. Dressed in dirty clothes, just as bad as hers, two young women and a young man came over to stand beside her.
“This is my crew,” Jun-Lei beamed as she introduced them. “They're all my family. These two are my nephew, Haruto, and my niece, Myoki. And this,” she put her arm around the Elven woman she had not yet introduced, “is Kyoko, my daughter.”
“Is all this yours?” Kyoko gaped at the sack of money on the table. She seemed to be around nineteen, the same age as Steve, and had the same straight, thin, black hair as her mother, except hers was put up in braids.
“Yes, we're heading to Casanovia first thing in the morning,” Jun-Lei told her, then turned to Steve, Ty, and Kari, “At first light come to the docks and we’ll leave. My ship is called Andonia. You’ll see its name painted on the side.”
“Alright, sounds good,” Steve said. “We’ll see you then.”
“What is this?” a booming voice yelled, coming up behind Jun-Lei. Captain Jarek rudely pushed the shipmaster out of the way, where she tripped over someone's foot and fell to the floor.
“Don't ever lay hands on her!” Kyoko shouted, immediately pulling a dagger out of her belt and holding it to Jarek's throat.
Unflinching, Jarek backhanded Kyoko, sending her stumbling back into her cousins' arms. Everyone in the tavern stopped what they were doing, and the widespread noise immediately went silent as they watched the altercation.
With a red mark appearing on her cheek and tears welling in her eyes, Kyoko swore at the captain and stood up straight, once again holding the dagger in front of her trembling hand.
This is not the first time Jarek has laid a hand on her. I can see the anger in her eyes, Steve could tell.
“Put that thing away before you hurt yourself,” Jarek scolded the nineteen-year-old, walking past her with confidence, knowing she didn't have the nerve to stab him in the back.
With Kari moving to help up Jun-Lei, Steve got the attention of Ty, then nodded towards the rest of Jun-Lei’s crew and the tavern door.
He wants me to get them out of here, Ty could tell. There's a good chance there's about to be a fight.
Ty began to escort Kyoko, Haruto, Myoki, and Jun-Lei out of the Crooked Compass while Kari grabbed a plate of food for Copper and followed them. Steve remained in the booth, sitting alone, watching Captain Jarek's gleaming eyes as he gazed at the sack on the table before him. The captain picked up a handful of coins and weighed them in his hand like a scale.
“If you would've told me this is what you were offering, I would've taken you to Casanovia myself.” He jerked his thumb behind him to Jun-Lei, who was leaving, and asked, “Do you honestly think Ms. Squintyeyes and her scrawny crew can get you all the way there? Have you seen her ship? It's the smallest in the port.”
Even more happy he didn’t choose Jarek, now that the captain revealed himself as a racist, in addition to a womanizer, Steve confidently stated, “She’ll get me there. Why else would I give her all this gold?” He began chuckling to himself, treating the ex-warrior as if he were an idiot that didn't understand how basic business worked. Then, glaring up at the captain who loomed over him, he added, “Ten out of ten times I'd choose to have someone like her take me over someone like you.”
“Someone like me?” Jarek was shocked, pointing to himself as if he were innocent. He laughed his deep, hearty laugh, slicked back his long, greasy hair, and drew his sword. After making a motion to those nearby, ten men stepped through the host of people and came to stand behind their captain, all resting their hands on their weapons.
“Someone like me cannot allow three strangers to walk into my village with that amount of money and not give me any of it. You can either hand it over or we can take it from you.”
Steve remained seating, unwavering, and entirely calm. “The gold is not mine to give. It belongs to Jun-Lei and the crew of Andonia. Jun-Lei is my employee. If you try to steal from my employee or hurt anyone under her command, you will have to deal with my friends and me.”
“Do you think you scare me?” Jarek laughed, unthreatened. “We outnumber you! I can easily take what I want by force.”
“We are not giving you the gold. I won't repeat myself. If you want it so badly that you will murder for it, then strike me down,” Steve said, finally standing and holding out his arms to the side, exposing himself as an easy target.
Jarek turned around and pretended to give up and walk away, but he turned around quickly and swung his sword down, attempting to split Steve's head in half. Before he could, Grizz came out of nowhere, stepping in front of the attack to block the blow with his armored forearm, which was covered in his element of rock. The heavy and unmoveable weight Jarek’s sword hit against caused his weapon to bounce off harmlessly.
Grizz then took Skullcrusher, covered in the same hard stone, and smashed the weapon into Jarek's potbelly. The Dwarf wasn't even able to get in a full swing because of the close confines of the surrounding people and tables, but it was enough to cause the captain to tumble backwards, taking out not only a table and chairs, but a couple of his men as well. The pirates who remained standing, stepped back, afraid to challenge the Dwarf who now stood in a full suit of rock-covered armor.
Laying flat on his back, Jarek looked up to see Steve standing over him.
“How else would my friend here have control over the element of earth if King Zoran wasn't dead? The element was passed on to him, but you didn't believe me when I told you Celestial was attacked. I told you we were on a mission to travel to Casanovia, to warn them that they will be the next Primary City to be attacked. If you and your friends stand in our way, we’ll consider you as much of an enemy as the monsters that attacked the capital.”
Chapter 65
Grabbing the sack of money, Steve turned on his heel and headed to leave the Crooked Compass. Everyone in the tavern parted before him, making way for the red-armored warrior and the elemental Dwarf.
“I think we should leave now,” Kari proposed once they were all together outside. “I don’t like the way those pirates were eyeing our money. There’s no telling what they’ll do for that amount. We should get out on the open water as soon as possible.”
“I agree,” Steve concurred, “but don't you still have to make preparations for the trip, Jun-Lei?”
“Not many. Most are tune-ups we can work on while sailing. All we need is to stock up on food and water and a few other supplies.” She turned to her daughter, “Kyoko, can you take everyone and wait for us on Andonia? Your cousins and I will get everything we need.”
Steve looked to Grizz to ask him if he could accompany the others in case they came under attack by Jarek and his men, but the Dwarf was unsteady on his feet from his night of drinking. Instead he asked his brother. “Ty, would you mind going with Jun-Lei, Haruto, and Myoki to make sure they’re safe?”
As Jun-Lei was busy taking gold out of the sack and giving some to her niece and nephew to spend on provisions, Kari ventured into the alley to retrieve Copper. She set the plate she’d carried out of the tavern on the ground, only to watch the direfox devour the food within seconds.
“I guess you were hungry!” she said, patting him on the head.
“What is that?” Kyoko asked when Kari and the beast emerged from the dark alley.
“It's our direfox,” Steve explained. “Don't worry. He's harmless unless you're our enemy.
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“I'm glad we're on the same team then,” she exhaled.
Jun-Lei took what gold she needed and handed the sack to Kyoko. “If you we aren’t on Andonia within an hour, come searching for us.”
“Okay,” Kyoko responded, before leading the group to the docks.
The walk to the wharf featured Port Meris civilians discretely pointing and whispering at them. “Word around here travels fast,” Kyoko explained. “No doubt everyone is hearing about how you stood up to Jarek. That doesn't often happen.”
When they reached Andonia, Grizz muttered complaints at the state of the old rusting and rotting ship, but Steve tried to see positive aspects of the giant hunk of metal and wood.
It’s easy to see its lost its once illustrious color, but it looks sturdy. Plus, it’s not sunken. It may be an old ship, but it’s persevered through every obstacle it’s encountered.
“Here, come onboard, I'll give you the grand tour,” Kyoko, beamed, showing enthusiasm in the ship despite its many flaws. “Andonia is a three masted-carrack, the most common type of ship. The left side is called the portside. The right is the starboard side. So, if you ever hear us saying either of those terms, that's what we're referring to.”
The heroes nodded, listening carefully. Other than a rowboat, none of the three had ever been on a large ship before.
Kyoko pointed to the back of the ship. “Back there is the stern of the boat. The deck up there with the wheel is called the stern deck. Underneath it is the shipmaster's cabin. That's my mother's sleeping quarters and office. What we're standing on here is the main deck,” she explained, to which Steve looked around and counted six cannons, three on each side of the ship. There were also wooden crates fastened to the deck full of cannonballs. “Above us is the main mast. This ladder and these ratlines take you up to the crow's nest.”
Steve, Kari, and Grizz all craned their necks to see the main mast, which Kyoko began lifting the sail on. It’s been patched over in at least a dozen spots, Steve could tell. It reminds me of Ty's gryphon, Wildwing, who had other gryphon's wingskin sewn over holes he had received in a battle before Ty knew him.