Air Ships and Bar Fights
“Some days start out like all the others, yet end in ways you could never imagine.” – Raeluna
A subdued orange reigned in a restless day on the ship. Darian and I always started every adventure on the Talmekian Air Ship Daedalus, one of the greatest ships I’ve ever seen. By great, I mean giant. She was larger than any other Air Ship in Talmekia. There was no other ship like it in all the world. True to her name, the Daedalus was also a work of art.
I tried to soak in the ship’s glory as Darian and I made a final round on deck. Our small crew was standing by, awaiting orders. They were immune to the beauty of Daedalus. I doubted I ever could be that oblivious to her. But, It was time for us to debrief them for the upcoming quest. I wasn’t ready for that step. I never felt prepared enough. The idea of leaving for a quest left me constantly wondering if there were any remaining vague plans to fine-tune. I was never actually ready to go.
Goodbyes were hard for me. Somehow I had grown attached to Daedalus as if she were a living, breathing being. This little ritual of admiration was my way of avoiding the sting of another goodbye. More than that, it was my way of asking for her blessing for our safe return. I rested my hand on the railing, delicately tracing the broad strokes of silver and onyx which secured the emerald oaken frame. Black rugged sails quivered and quaked down her spine as a choppy wind rushed by. I shifted my gaze to the Mystic rings of power that circled around Daedalus with gentle but immense power, shifting shades from shimmering green to darkest blue.
That day, I decided it was time to let everyone else in on this experience. Drawing in a deep breath of salty sea air, I spoke, addressing my little patient crew. “Take a look around you.” The sudden song of a dozen blades drawn at once hissed through the air.
“Stand down. There aren’t any training combatants lurking in the shadows. You all passed with flying colors. Right now, I just want you to be present in this moment with me. Absorb what’s around you, the sight, the smell, the feel.” One of the men started making lewd gestures and disgusting noises.
“I know that’s probably the most action you’ve had in a long time, Jacobs. But I’m trying to show you something.”
Jacobs stopped and sighed. He stood at attention and put on his “I’m paying attention, my lady” face.
“Daedalus is a wonder to behold. She’s over a thousand years old. That kind of time changes things. Call me crazy, but I think existing for that long has to result in some level of consciousness. Right?”
Silence. A cough. Someone swallowed hard. Most of them simply avoided my gaze.
I heaved a long sigh. “If you ever find yourself back in Zurst, look up. Mighty Daedalus in the sky is a sight worth seeing. One day, you’ll be sorry you missed this chance.” I stepped down from the crate I had been standing on. “Darian, you take over.” The boom of his voice faded as I turned my back to look out over the edge once more. I placed my hands back on the smooth grain of the railing. The peace and serenity I felt in that moment would not be taken from me. The debriefing went as expected after I gave up control. Darian was good at keeping things short and to the point. He was also a much better public speaker than I was.
The ship had seven lower decks that housed everything imaginable and probably more than that. As Darian and I headed back to our quarters we passed by two taverns ablaze with pre-docking anxiety and excitement. The dance hall that no one ever used remained empty, though. A dark, dusty musk leaked from its depths as we turned around another corner.
The dining hall on the other hand was always packed. I stopped to grab some fresh vegetable grinders from my favorite stand. We still had to pack so a quick meal was the best option. The adventure awaiting us at the docks constantly nipped at my heels. I knew the plan. I knew the backup plan. I had every detail memorized and recorded. All that was left was to pack a few things and get some rest.
As we passed by the living garden, I asked Darian if we could eat there. He readily agreed, “Yeah, babe, great idea.” We walked through the luminous paths and wound our way through a few shadowy corridors. We chose a secluded bench under a dim lamppost. It was perfect.
“You won’t be able to sleep tonight. So we might as well enjoy ourselves,” Darian said as he carefully unwrapped his sandwich.
“Yeah,” I said as I did the same. I took a bite of the sandwich and my eyes lit up. “Did you hear Jacobs earlier? What a jerk.” I laughed.
Darian gave a little snort. “Yeah, he’s an idiot.”
“Great with that sword-whip thingy of his though.”
“The Dragon Tail,” we both said in our deepest voices. He laughed a bit longer than I did. Then he put his arm around me. That small gesture always calmed my nerves the night before a quest. Darian was a seasoned expert when it came to questing. He had been going on quests since he was eleven. He used to join in on his father’s adventures after his mother passed away and there was no one at home to care for him. Then when his dad retired, he found me. Everyone knew that story.
I was sitting alone at a bar one night when he strolled in. This stupid-looking guy had about five thousand gaudets jingling around in a velvet purse. He waltzed into the shadiest bar in Zurst looking like a prime cut of beef. Everyone was eyeing him. He was an easy target. His fancy, bright clothing was bad enough. But he was also sporting a clean shave and slicked back freshly oiled hair.
When I saw him, I puffed air through closed lips and rolled my eyes as I shook my head. Darian did an ostentatious catwalk over to the bar. He plopped his fat purple purse down on the bench a couple of seats down from me. My hand flew instinctively to my forehead and dragged down the side of my face.
“All the money in the world for one drink with this beautiful woman,” he said. Then he did this move I’m sure he practiced in the mirror a hundred times before. He cocked his head towards me and actually winked, quirking up his shoulders a bit too. A tiny grin crinkled his sun-kissed skin as he looked at me expectantly.
I went to laugh but my drink didn’t cooperate. Instead of projecting an uninterested superiority, I played right into his hands. I had transformed myself into his damsel in distress who choking on her own drink. He placed his hand on my shoulder to steady my gagging coughs. I quickly swatted it away as I tried to catch my breath.
Frantically trying to recover, I placed my hand on the bar. “First of all,” I sputtered between coughs “that’s not all the money in the world. Second, do you really think a few gaudets can buy any of my time? Finally, even if you had all the money in the world, I still wouldn’t let you buy me a drink.” I flicked my hand towards the door. “So, goodbye Mr. Fancy Pants. You should leave before you get robbed.”
I hoped my judgemental anger made up for the pathetic display that preceded it. I could still feel how red hot my face had become. I mentally cursed it for that, “Stupid face.”
“Want to bet on that?” he said, without skipping a beat. “Let’s say I go out and find all the money in this world. If I gave that to you, then would you have a drink with me?” He winked again. I cringed. But this time he was winking at the bartender. He pulled up a stool and scooted next to me.
As this beautiful disaster was playing out, I noticed several of the Boys had already left their tables. They were casually and obviously making their way towards Fancy Pants. I shifted my eyes from one to the next very dramatically so Fancy Pants could see. He just kept staring at me. Finally, I leaned in really close. I put my lips right up to his ear. “They’re going to kill you,” I whispered. Then I smiled eagerly staring into his eyes.
“Oh them? I think they think so too,” he said with an annoyingly convincing confidence. Then he asked the bartender for two shots of vodka.
I stared at him. Then I asked, “Aren’t you going to do something? Or are you too scared? Do you plan on trying to buy them off? If so, it won’t work.” The bartender swung around the shot glasses, a hefty smile on his plump face. He leaned in and looked over his glasses to whisper, “She’s right you know. We have a shakey agreement with those Boys. But we can’t stop them from attacking you.”
Fancy Pants downed one shot, handing me the other. He wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve and casually dropped a gold croner on the bar. Then Fancy Pants grabbed my chin, turning my head so his mouth was pressed against my ear. “No, love, I’m going to kill them. Then, you are going to be so impressed that you’ll follow me right out that door. So I’ll see you later tonight, love. Try not to miss me too much.”
He shoved me back so hard I lost my bearings and nearly fell. I squealed and everyone, including the Boys, turned to look at me. Before I could recover or draw my shortsword, Fancy Pants had dropped all four of the Boys. They were top guns of the Back Alley Boys, ranking members of the most visceral street gang in Zurst. Known for their street fighting abilities, it wasn’t easy to take down one of them. Fancy Pants took out four in less than a minute. They deserved what they got, and then some.
Instinctively, my hand reached for my heart. My mouth was open, maybe because butterflies aggressively danced in my belly. I felt like such a moron. Swooning over this ridiculous man like a teenager making doe-eyes at a young, adorable teacher. I actually blushed from the rush of it all. Ridiculous. Yet glorious.
The bar grew deathly silent after that. Nobody moved for what seemed like a quarter of an hour. Then the bartender leaned over his bar bench. He clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Listen, I can’t have you killing all my customers, Mr. …” He gestured for Fancy Pants to regale us with his name.
“Mr. Adomelis,” he said. He was using one of the Boy’s shirts to clean the blood from his knife. “Romdarian Alexandrus Adomelis. Slayer of Evil. Vanquisher of the Dead. Mercenary Extraordinaire.” He turned to face me, “Gentleman and Scholar.” I scoffed and rolled my eyes, yet my traitorous cheeks still blushed. The bartender was beaming with delighted enthusiasm, looking from me to Fancy Pant and back again.
Mr. Adomelis bowed exuberantly, flourishing his hand for the bartender. “But you two,” he looked pointedly at me and then the bartender, “as my newly acquainted and most highly esteemed colleagues, may call me Darian.” Darian nodded to each of us. He winked at me again. This time I just stared back at him with intense curiosity. He stared back for a moment. Then Darian stepped over the bodies on the floor as he calmly left the bar.
I whipped my head around to look the bartender in the eye, seeking immediate verification of my sanity. He nodded. Then he shrugged and threw his hands up. “I have to clean this all up, girl. Can you man the bar for a bit?”
“Sorry, Papa. I think Darian was right about what he said.”
Confused, my father tried to ask what I meant. He hadn’t heard what Darian whispered in my ear. But I wasn’t going to explain all that emotional nonsense to him.
“I’ll see you later.” I kissed him on the cheek and scooped up Darian’s coin satchel. I ran after that man as fast as I could. Years later my father would recount the night saying, “From that moment, Raeluna and Romdarian Adomelis became the questing cohort known throughout great Talmekia as the Guardians of the Forest.”
Bringing myself back to the living garden, I looked up at Darian and smiled. “I love you,” I said.
“Love you too, Rae,” he said shifting the food around in his mouth to talk.
“Do you think we’ll get to that day when there is time to revel in nostalgia? Might be nice if I had the time to sit and write about our adventures by a warm fire as the rain outside washes the world clean.”
“That’s the plan, my love. We’ll keep questing for a few more years or until we make it big. You know whichever comes first. Then we find some nice little place away from everyone and everything and just live in the moment.” That last part was dripping with sarcastic irony.
I punched his arm. “Let’s go, jerkface. So I can get no sleep in my own bed.”
As we climbed into bed I reminded myself that I had to focus on preparing for tomorrow’s journey. Sleep was totally unnecessary. I could sleep once we made camp after we docked and got the final contract. Darian and I were heading into the Stormcleaver Territory. A man name Skyros sent for us. I was more than excited about this one. The Stormcleavers were said to live on the most glorious island town in all of Talmekia. Darian had been there before, but it was my first visit. I had to make sure we were ready.
Biting my thumbnail, I looked at the wall to my right. My pack hung over the desk chair. I looked away but my gaze kept drifting back to it. So logically, I got up and dumped the contents on the floor. Then I settled down by the mess. Slowly and carefully I laid out all the items and clothing and food for the journey ahead. I organized and reorganized it, trying to decide how to categorize everything. I had to have a readily available inventory catalog in my mind at all times. I packed the bag and then unpacked it and then repacked it. Finally, I nodded my head firmly in approval. It had only taken me five repacks that time.
As I placed the pack back on the chair, the first hues of dawn entered the cabin. A soft grey-blue glow settled on the floor around me and scared away the shadows. Darian yawned and stretched as he rolled over to look at me. “Good morning, sunshine. Are you all packed?”
He didn’t even have time to block the shoe that smacked him in the eye.
