Be very quiet, we're hunting Wryms! (Open)

The home of one Aleister Crowley was a refined one with silk tapestries hanging from alcoves in the walls depicting historical scenes from when Fynn was freed by the Wild Rose Rebellion, or captured depending on who you asked. John eyed each one with awe for the detail and with suspicion because for some reason there were parts that were missing and others added. He was sure the Rebellion wasn’t almost annihilated by a dragon dropping from the clouds. The Shaman smiled at his old friend’s obvious alliance and wondered why he decided to stay in a place where his really wasn’t welcomed.

Then John remembered Altair didn’t have the shops Fynn did. As a matter of fact Altair really didn’t have much at all except for people trying to rebuild it and a place where real work was being done was no place for Aleister.

“My eyes are happy to see you John.” A voice sounding like an elder statesman called to him from across the room. When John turned away from a tapestry that was blatantly wrong about the wild Rose Rebellion, they never burned a school John thought, his eyes settled on an elderly man dressed in a suit with creases as stiff as the man’s posture who wore it. It was 100% Aleister.

“As does my heart to see you old friend,” the Shaman replied.

The man crossed the room with the proper grace and balance that one only learns from a prestigious school and a privileged upbringing, both of which Aleister had in numbers. He hugged John and stepped back while smiling a perfect smile with unblemished teeth. “How is Mother Twylah these days?”

“She is fine, selling her Incense and imbued wares from her shop in Midgar.” John answered.

“Oh that city,” Aleister shivered at the mention of the city, “it is nothing but a filthy excuse for one to call home.”

“Every dark place has a star Aleister; I like to think Midgar has Grandmother Twylah.”

“And it is 100 times the better for it even if everyone there tries to kill everyone else for their lunch money!” The man joked.

The Shaman laughed a little at the stab. Aleister was a Mage, a very powerful one at that. He walked the Light and the Dark like John, but his knowledge was darker than needed be John knew. The Mage had no fear of what his research would bring; only that it produced knowledge, so jokes were not his…forte. “Not everyone, I know of at least two who haven’t killed anyone yet.”

“Only two, well let’s invite the Samaritans by for tea,” Aleister exclaimed.

“Speaking of dropping by, exactly why did you ask me to come?” John questioned feeling the need to push this meeting along.

“Always to the point, eh John?”

“It’s the only way to barter and get a good deal.” John smiled.

And that was the other thing about Aleister. It was never quid-pro-quo. No, with the Mage it was always about the deal, the barter. One service for another, you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours. The game with Aleister wasn’t trying to figure out what he wanted you to do but what he was going to do with what you do for him. It was like playing chess backwards, unravel the moves to get back to the start.

“Well we can get to the terms of our deal in just a minute, our other guest has arrived.” Aleister said with a sweep of his hand to the door he had just walked through. John wasn’t sure who the Mage had asked to join them and he was kind of curious to see who it might be.

I have known Aleister for quite a long time. He has always been willing to help me when I request it, even going so far as to help me find a suitable mount I could ride. A girl can’t be expected to walk everywhere these days. He is a gentleman who is loyal and faithful to his friends. He is refined and cultured, two things I use to loathe until I met him. It was actually the Captain who taught me the ways of being a Pirate who introduced me to Aleister. The pair had negotiated an accord for my Captain to retrieve an object for Aleister. It was a small plain trinket, but that was no never mind to Aleister, and neither was the price. When my Captain quoted the number of Gil it would cost to obtain the object from a secure location Aleister never once blinked or hesitated. He simply nodded and the deal was done.

Ever since that day I have counted Aleister as a man I could reason with, deal with, but never steal from. I know that sounds off kilter for someone like me, but with Aleister I have always been his deliverer and never his devil. I have been his guardian at times when one has come to cheat him or harm him. Maybe it’s the way he looks at me, like a daughter, that I regard him in this way. I hope he does not though because to have me as a progeny is to seek nothing but trouble. When I received his call I easily agreed to come and see Aleister…and John.

As he introduced me I was a little eager to see the look on the shaman’s face. We had been through much in our short time but I was sure he was not expecting me. When I stepped into the room and smiled I could see the look on John’s face, it was quite priceless. He was not expecting me and for the briefest of seconds it showed.

“How are you my dear?” The mage asked me as I walked up offering to take my hand. It was the old gestures that really took my heart, the days of chivalry were not dead here in Aleister Crowley’s house.

“I have been missing you greatly my friend.” I replied letting him take my hand in his. He bent to kiss it then turned to the shaman. “Now John, we can discuss our business.”

“Yes, why have you asked us to your humble abode Aleister?” I inquired with a smile.

Aleister quickly walked over and poured two glasses of some wine that I assumed was very expensive into two equally expensive silver goblets. “Oh, I have need for the both of you, of your considerable talents you might say.”

I have to admit that little remark had me scared for a moment, and then all excited the next. “Doing what pray tell Aleister?” I asked with a purr of that building emotion.

He poured a third goblet with water, and some powder, before handing it to John with a wink. “I think you might like this John, makes the water taste rather fruity. And to your question Miss Keiko, well, I need you to guard a package I have purchased.”

When the Shaman saw Keiko walk out and take Aleister’s hand he was pleasantly shocked. He had no idea the Mage knew the Pirate, but then it shouldn’t have surprised him. Aleister knows everyone, especially the ones who can acquire things for him, which is why he had a feeling what he and Keiko were doing at the mansion. When the Mage finally got around to stating what he wanted John just smiled and took a drink of his water. It was rather fruity with the powder and tasted decent.

“What is this package we are guarding Aleister?” John asked.

“Oh it is nothing to worry about John,” the man stated holding his glass up for the usual gesture of clinking glasses to show unity, “it is just a simple dragon statuette made form Jade.”

No, it was not the Shaman thought. When it came to Aleister Crowley it was never easy and it was never just a statuette. The Mage had a reputation for obtaining relics from all over the Universal Mulitplex, people just showed up at his door to sell him things. There were probably hundreds of Jade Dragons buried in the backyard of this Mansion right now, and to ask him and Keiko to guard it, no, there was something else going on.

“Why do we need to guard the statuette if it is just ordinary Jade?”

“As an admirer of crystals I thought you would understand the importance of Jade John.” The Mage replied with a wink.

Yes, Jade was an important crystal to the ones who wielded natural magic. A statuette made of it could be used to aid in conjuring, drawing energy to the one holding it, or even healing with it. Yet Aleister was not one who used natural magic, he had never learned how to. So there was something else to this ‘errand’ and if John wanted to know what it was he would just have to go along with everyone for now. He lifted up the glass of fruit water and clinked it against the Mage’s and then Keiko’s goblet. As the three drank the Shaman kept wondering about the Jade Dragon. When Aleister finished his sip he held the goblet at his waist and looked to both of his guest.

“Now to the details of what I offer. I have purchased the Jade statuette from a man in a quaint shop in Dalmasca. I will pay you to travel there, take possession of the statuette as my proxy, and then to ensure its safe travel back to my residence. Now, that does not sound very difficult, does it?”

John shook his head. “Aleister, if you need to hire two capable people to guard a package then I think it will not be as easy as you assume. Why don’t you tell us why you need us to protect your new statuette?”

“Well,” the Mage started speak as a mischievous gleam popped up in his eyes, “there were some buyers who felt I may have taken a short cut to buying the statuette. They have made statements to the seller that I will not enjoy the sight of my new purchase. I think they intend to keep me from picking up my statuette.”

“The other buyers have threatened to steal the statuette?” John asked.

“Among others,” Aleister winked with that gleam still shining in his eyes.

“There is no need to worry John. I think we can handle a few ancient men trying to buy some old statue.” I smiled watching the shaman raise an eyebrow. He was so damn cute.

Aleister looked at me with a squint that some may have taken for anger, but I knew him too well and when the right corner of his mouth curled up ever so slightly I took what he said as a jest. “Are you calling me ‘old’ my dear?”

“Not at all Aleister, just letting my opinion be known. You know I’ve always had a time containing what I’m thinking.” I replied patting my friend’s hand with a wink.

“That you have my dear,” the mage said before turning back the John, “which makes negotiations so interesting.”

I knew John would ask for nothing for his help. I knew his type and I admit they usually made me a little ill to be in the same room with them, but in John’s case…I liked it. I liked him. He wasn’t one those cavalier types, those priest wrapped in their armor of sanctimonious beliefs who were always ready to face evil at the drop of a knife while proudly proclaiming it to the heavens above. Yes, he helped and expected no reparation for it, but he never pressed you to walk a different path or choose a different life. No, John just stood behind you stoically helping when you needed it, the kind of helper who always seemed to be there when you needed it.

And just as I predicted, knew, he did not ask for anything from Aleister. I on the other hand, well I would require payment. I am a Pirate after all. “And you my lovely, what will you ask of me?” Aleister inquired with a gleam in his eyes.

“Is it true you backed Henzo Miharu?”

The mage raised his eyebrows in shock, at the fact I knew of Henzo or maybe he knew what I was about to ask for. “Yes Keiko my dear, I funded Henzo. He is dead now though, a tragic accident on a new motorcycle design he had developed.”

“I know, a loss to you I am sure Aleister, which is why it pains me to require the second prototype he had just finished before passing on as payment.” I replied and when the mage’s eyes narrowed again I could tell he was shocked I knew about the high performance motorcycle the man was working on.

“Why would you want a motorcycle that killed its owner?”

“Not the same motorcycle Aleister, the Red Dragon’s twin brother.” I stated and when his expression did not change I knew I had to push the talks just a bit. “Let’s just say you get your dragon and I get mine.”

I stood waiting for the answer I knew was coming. When Aleister wants something he’ll make whatever deal will get him his desire. The GSX2500 was the pinnacle of Henzo’s technological skill when it came to high performance bikes and even though it was the last of its kind the ‘Red Dragon’ was a mount anyone would be envious of. Aleister was not a rider, he rarely rode in a car, but he knew where the future was headed and Henzo would bring him lots of money with the GSX2500…

That was until it killed its builder. Most of its secrets went with Henzo to the grave so there would be no more reproductions of the fabulous bike. So, it came down to just how much Aleister wanted his dragon.

“Agreed my dear, we have an accord as you say.”

John nodded once Aleister had set his deal with Keiko for completing his request. He had never heard of Henzo Miharu or the Red Dragon, but he figured both must have been special to capture the attention of the Sky Pirate. The real intrigue though what the statuette was worth to Aleister. If this motorcycle had drawn the Mage’s attention, and money, then it was worth a lot in Aleister’s eyes and from John knew of his old friend Aleister didn’t let go of the things he liked.

That was unless there was something else that was worth more.

It wasn’t enough to sway John from continuing on with helping Aleister. It was just enough to keep in the back of the Shaman’s mind. Yet John kept his thoughts to the people in the room and enjoyed the night’s dinner and companionship. Through the conversation from the night before he had learned the statuette was in the Royal City of Rabanastre, in the safe hands of a man by the name of Ahmad. When the morning came he was surprised to see Keiko all ready up and set to go on the journey. Obviously the Red Dragon was a prize worth obtaining. The Siang Tien Tang had been prepped for the trip before hand, outfitted with food and water, so with a gentle lift the Junk took to the skies above the Mage’s palatial estate. Aleister was out also seeing them off with a wave. John nodded back then settled in for the trip.

There wasn’t much time to enjoy the solitude of the open skies when Wahkan approached him as he sat b y the rail. Ohitika had perched himself on the rail watching the deck closely in between being fed by the Shaman.

“We’re being followed, a scout ship it looks like.” The large man whispered leaning up against the rail.

“I saw it too. The ship is small, maybe a three or four person light vessel. I think some of Aleister’s ‘friends’ decided to keep an eye on us.” John replied giving his Eagle one last bite.

“Do you think they’ll try and board us?” Wahkan asked.

“No, they’re just going to follow us till we get to the statuette then they will make a try for it.”

“I don’t think they’ll be the only ones either.”

“What makes you say that?” John asked with a small mile as the afternoon breeze flowed over the deck.

Wahkan looked out over the clouds while speaking. “I know Aleister Crowley and he has a way of getting himself involved into dark deals. This statuette, a piece of Jade, wouldn’t have attracted his attention unless there was something very special about it, the kind of special that brings out people worse than Aleister Crowley.”

“I know, which means we’ll have to be careful my friend.”

“I have your back John,” Wahkan said looking back to the Shaman, “always will. I’m just not as nice as Ohitika.”

The Eagle screeched loudly as if in agreement making John smile. He was still looking back keeping an eye out for the trailing ship when he heard more approaching footsteps. It didn’t take too much to figure out Keiko was coming since Zheng never made a sound.

My room aboard the shaman’s air ship was nice, better than most would expect. The bed was firm, the blankets warm, and the room genuinely inviting. I had to get out of it as fast as possible. To be truthful it was not the room that drove me out to the main deck, but the need to feel the air flow around and through me once again. It had been so long since my grounded feet had touched wooden deck and my face felt the hard wind flow over it I craved to fly again.

I came out of small door in what I think you might call the forecastle onto what I think is the Quarterdeck, yet I am not sure. I have not seen a ship like John’s before so I am not sure if the usual names apply. The ghost, Zheng, was at the large rudder as usual as I walked along the deck clicking my heels to hear that reassuring pop of my boots on wood. I felt I was home once more. I felt alive and awake. The sun beamed down on us from a blue sky dotted here and there and every with white clouds.

“I needed to be up here every day again!” I purred.

It had been too long since the last time I had walked the decks of an Air Ship. I had been on John’s Siang Tien Tang before, but it was not under my command. It is a different experience to captain an Air Ship then to ride on one. To be a passenger is to accept the fact you have no control over where the ship goes or how fast it gets there. You are nothing more than a bump on a log, but to command is to be one with the ship. You are its master and its commander. Oh how I miss my Half Moon, when I find where Jack has hidden you I will return you to your glory.

Wahkan went silent as I approached. It was his usual tactic when I came around, and the bird just stared at me like I was a treat. I did not fear the Eagle; only what John would do if I had to shoot it before it raked out my eyes.

“Morning gentlemen, are we discussing our plans for the trip?”

“Not really,” the large man grumbled before leaving. I did not take it personal. Wahkan was not the most hospitable human I had ever known but he far from the worst. The Eagle gave a screech that pierced my ear and John obediently gave it a treat, something with a long hairless tail it looked like.

“We’re being followed by someone, a small airship behind us in the distance.” John replied after feeding the bird.

“I have not seen a soul except for us in the air,” I remarked looking aft into the blue sky.

The shaman did not reply right away but I had the feeling he all ready had a plan to deal with the men.

The Shaman gave a wave and the Eagle leaped from the rail into the sky. The pair on deck watched as its golden brown body fell for a bit then caught an updraft and soared above and over the deck of the ship slowly disappearing behind the Siang Tien Tang in the clouds. John knew his friend was the best spy for the situation; a large Golden Eagle would draw little attention.

John stood for second or two more then turned aft to look with me. “They’re staying out of sight in the clouds for now. Ohitika saw them first and warned me, then I saw them just before you came over. ”

Behind them Zheng touched the large stone in the rudder, only his non-corporeal fingers floated through the crystal. Almost at once the Siang Tien Tang shifted slightly taking on a new course slipping in and out of low flying clouds. John kept his eyes peeled with the help of his hat’s magic looking for any sign of the following vessel. He caught sight the white tube with v-shaped wings back a good distance from the Siang Tien Tang’s aft. The ship looked new, probably decked out with the latest in electronic systems and weaponry. The men inside had taken one look at the Junk and assumed there was nothing on board the old ship that could spot them. John smiled, the men in the mechanical were about to see what his ship could really do.

“Take hold of the rail Keiko, we’re about to change course.”

The Pirate looked at the Shaman with a little bit of incredulity and a lot of confusion. She might have been about to ask just what John had planned, but she never had the chance. He turned back and called out to his partner on the ship. “Wahkan, ready yourself and the weapons.”

The large man took his hat off and took a seat by the rail while grumbling. “I hate this part.”

Keiko was still lost when John looked to Zheng and politely commanded the ghost. “Ready Zheng, 20 degrees to Port to start then increase by twenty again while dropping down at a 10 degree decline.”

The ghost did as he was ordered and the Siang Tien Tang started to circle to the left while gently dropping down. John watched the clouds intently for the next few minutes while bracing with his legs the sudden force of the course change. The deck titled down at a slight angle but nothing to cause a strain as the Siang Tien Tang steadily dropped to surface of the world below in a slow lazy turn.

“Are they following yet?” Wahkan called out from the rail by the Ballistas.

“Not yet,” the Shaman called back still watching the clouds, “but they will shortly. Zheng, take us down low enough to for our friends to chase.”

Zheng Hui nodded and ran his fingers through the crystal again and the Junk kept floating for a second or two then it just dropped like a rock toward the ground. Keiko felt her stomach shoot up into her throat as the support beneath her fell away.

When that damn ghost took whatever it is that powers this Air Ship away the damn thing started to fall like the wooden rock it is. All at once my feet were floating and I had to hold onto the rail to keep from flying off and into the sky. The deck tilted to Port hard, at least a forty degree roll, and the wind screamed as it whipped past the masts. A warning is all I needed, a small word or gesture to inform me I along with this ship was about to plummet to our mutual destruction. That’s really all I ever ask for. What did I get? My own small gasp of surprise and John yelling from my side.

“Here they come!”

I looked back holding my hat in place with one hand and the rail with other. The white Air Ship behind us leapt out of the clouds and made a bee line right for us in chase. The men inside were probably wondering what had happened to us. The Junk fell through the sky toward the ground, yet it never felt out of control and with maybe a few hundred meters to go the ghost took control again. The Siang Tien Tang righted itself with a shove and the bow tilted forward more, like an arrow flying straight for the ground. I was pressed up against the aft rail watching in horror as this forest was coming right at us. Then Zheng made the Air Ship dance.

It leveled out again, the bow coming up as the keel of the ship skimmed the tops of the trees. I breathed a small sigh of relief as I looked back. The white Air Ship following us was closing, fast, and as it drew closer I could see it was a personal craft. I saw no weapons or special markings to say it was a fighting vessel, and that’s when the design struck me. This was nothing more than a private ship, something some rich person like Aleister would buy to show off to his friends. Why would something a ship with no discernible weapons follow and then chase us?

“I think they mean to board us Captain!” I laughed at John as the Air Ship closed.

The shaman just laughed back and gave a sign to Zheng as the small craft drew so close we could see the pilots inside through the glass windows. One man had a distinct look of someone interested in getting onboard John’s ship. The other, and this amazed me slightly, was a woman. She stared at me and I tipped my hat to her. I had a feeling there were others on-board, probably a five man boarding party ready to move on command and capture us.

John was not about to let that happen.

That ghost is a damn good Navigator and he proved it with the next move. The Siang Tien Tang abruptly cut to the Starboard, so sharp I left my feet again and I would have flown off the deck if not for John and his quick arms. He caught me just as the white air ship behind us turned sharply to keep up.

Then Zheng pulled his next trick, and it was a good one.

The pursuing Air Ship sped after the Siang Tien Tang just like John knew they would. It just took a little more effort than he would have liked. As the Junk fell through the sky the Shaman was busy working through his mind when to pull the string on his trap. He knew the Air Ship chasing them was no match for the speed of the Siang Tien Tang if Zheng put his mind to it, literally, so he had to fool them into closing the distance and what better way than a mock engine failure.

As the Junk leveled out John felt the other ship was closing fast enough, too fast, to stop from being counter attacked. He gave a sign to Zheng to pick a spot in the forest below to pull off the switch move as the Junk cut hard to Starboard, so fast it took Keiko by surprise. She came off her feet and John had to catch her or she might have had a really bad afternoon. He held her in one arm and set his feet for what he knew was coming.

“Wahkan get ready,”

Up ahead in the blur of the green highway of trees below the keel sped by in a blur. Behind the Air Ship followed closing to within just a few feet. John could see the man and woman in the cockpit working feverishly to catch their prey. The man was hitting buttons and switches on a panel, probably some weapon readied to stop them as soon as the pilot felt it was right.

“Zheng, we need to turn the tables!” Wahkan yelled.

Then the ghost saw his chance, an opening in the foliage canopy up ahead, but at the speed the junk was going it would take a precise touch to drop into it and slow down. Only someone who had been flying the Siang Tien Tang for the length of time Zheng Hui had been its Captain and now Navigator could pull it off. Just before the top of the trees broke he commanded the Junk to drop to just a meter above the ground. He timed the move perfectly as the last few meters of the keel and the rudder scraped the tree tops. John barely held on to the rail after setting Keiko down as the ship he stood on dropped suddenly before coming to an even more abrupt stop. With a blink the Siang Tien Tang was gone to the pursuing Air Ship, and a second before the pilot was about to fire on it.

The hunter became the hunted. Wahkan had been waiting patiently, holding back his lunch from all the gyrating movements of the ship, and now he went to work, He aimed the ballista perfectly as the Air Ship passed over head to the Port. He fired the large arrows leading the target and both leapt into the sky crossing the short distance of open air and into the belly of the ship before it could make a clean get away.

“Go Zheng, chase them down!” John yelled as Keiko ran from his side to one of the open ballista’s by Wahkan.

I bolted for the open ballista on the Port side. I had a feeling that air ship would be breaking left to get away and I was right, only just not how much. The tips of the two large ballista bolts were explosive, something John forgot to inform me of. As soon as I heard the shaman order his navigator to give chase the air ship broke sharp to Port beginning a circle move to get away from us, and then the bolts blew up with a wonderful light show of fire and smoke. The white metal body of the ship erupted as a chunk of the underside flew off screaming by as we laid chase. The pilot on that ship must have been a damn near perfect flyer because he held the ship on course even as it bucked across the sky rebounding from our attack.

“Keep us steady!” I screamed as I drew a bead on the fleeing ship.

The prey was now hurt and just trying to get away as fast as possible. I imagined the cockpit of that ship right now, the man holding the ship on course as he screamed to his female counterpart to get ready to hit the jets. I watched anxiously as the smoking ship banked harder in an attempt to get around on us. It was the usual standard maneuver from a pilot with fighter experience. He who can turn sharper and faster can turn a chase into a pursuit and win the fight…sometimes. Only the pilot in this case had no clue how the weapons were setup on the Junk. All he did was turn his damaged ship right into a full broadside from s because Wahkan had crossed the deck and was now on the other ballista. All at once I and the large man put four bolts right into the ship as is flew by, two in one wing and two into the long body.

“Huzzah!” I screamed as I watched the ship fly behind us. Then my stomach lurched a bit as Zheng put the Siang Tien Tang into a small climb and hard Port turn. We were mimicking the ship’s turn to keep them in front of, turning into their turn to take away any advantage.

We did not have to worry about it. I kept a watch on the ship as kept turning just below us. For a second both ships were circling hard trying to catch up to the other then the bolts from our ballistae exploded with a shower of smoke and fire. This time the ship bounced all around as parts of the wings and the body littered the forest. The ship stayed aloft as smoke poured out if it obscuring the tail. Zheng slowed his turn as it was evident the fight was over. I trotted over to the bow where John had run with Wahkan in tow. We watched as the ship made a staggering turn away from us, the wings swaying unsteadily as the pilot fought to keep it in the sir.

“I do not think they will make it back home.” I said watching the smoke trail.

John stood on the bow of the Siang Tien Tang and watched the air ship struggle to stay aloft after having six explosive tipped darts slam into its metal body. When the explosions happened he could see the ship literally bounce across the sky, and now it was weaving a long black plume of smoke as it fled North.

“Let them go Zheng, no need to kill when wounding is sufficient.”

The Shaman walked away as the ghost put the Siang Tien Tang back on course to the shop in Dalmasca to pick up Aleister’s statuette. He knew the ship would make a safe, in not eventful, landing in a clearing somewhere well away from them. It was a hard lesson learned for the pilot, never under-estimate your opponent because if you do they will hurt you. John took note of the time, well into afternoon, and talked to Zheng.

“[color:5eb4=b;ue]How much longer to Rabanastre?”

“We will be there in three days; a shorter trip there is not.” Zheng replied.

“Thank you Zheng,” John said before walking over and taking a seat by the rail. He looked out at the clouds and soon Ohitika appeared floating alongside him flapping his long wings ever so often to keep up. Soon there was a squeak and he looked down to see Ishta popping her small head out to look around finally. She ran and romped around the deck as Keiko walked up and smiled at the Ferret. Ishta was like any lady, she enjoyed a little attention every now and then. As the pair played John took a look over his shoulder looking out into the clouds again. There was no one there as far his enhanced eyes could see but that didn’t shake the feeling he had someone was back there. He could feel the presence of someone watching, waiting for the time to show themselves.

Yet nothing happened, nothing at all for three days. The only excitement came when Zheng had to divert the Siang Tien Tang to miss bad weather once they reached Dalmasca. When they reached the Royal City of Rabanastre John directed Zheng to a small secluded spot to drop Keiko, Wahkan, and he off to pick up the statuette. The magic of the Junk kept anyone from noticing the fact three people just hopped off a large ship. The trio melded into the crowds easily and before they knew it the shop Aleister had purchased the statuette from came into view across a busy street.

“Wahkan, give us some eyes out here.” John whispered looking left and right.

“Keep the door in sight,” was all the large man remarked with before disappearing into the crowd.

The Shaman took one last look and then headed across the street to the shop. A door, which had seen many a better a day, barely secured the entry portal. He walked in to find a dusky shop filled with shelves and tables overrun with rummage and plenty of things not worth a single Gil. He saw a single man at the back of the shop and knew instinctively this was Ahmad. He walked back to him and stopped at small desk the man was sitting at.

“Good morning Mr. Ahmad.”

“Good morning sir, welcome to my humble shop.” He smiled missing a tooth here and there.

“We have come for Mr. Aleister Crowley’s purchase.” John explained expecting the shop owner to answer.

The voice replying though came from a doorway just a few feet away. “So you’re Aleister’s proxy, eh?”

The second the sound of the voice from the doorway crossed my ears I knew the next few moments would not be good. My sixth sense has developed a keen edge over the last years of my life and every hair on the back of my neck stood up. The attack on the way here, and no I did not think these men were those in the pursuing air ship, only sharpened my sense to a razor’s edge. I looked carefully at John then took over the conversation.

“We are here in Aleister’s stead, ” was all the answer I gave the man.

The man stepped out of the dark and when my eyes settled on him I started to question my sixth sense and its ability to see trouble. I had anticipated a large man, a menacing man, but what I saw was far from that. He stood maybe five foot two, eye to eye with me, and he was as bald as a bird’s egg. This alone would not have been so funny, but the man had a single eyebrow over both eyes. It looked like a bush and every time he spoke it waved to me, like it was greeting me. I snorted suddenly and John looked at the man with a raised eyebrow.

He obviously had better control over his laugh reflex than I did.

“Are you laughing at me? ” He spat as his eyebrow waved at me repeatedly. The voice, it did not fit the man at all. It was deep and throaty. Maybe he talked that way to keep from getting beaten every other day.

“No, I had something for lunch that is not sitting right with me. ” I replied trying not to laugh.

“Yes, I’m sure you did. ” The man hissed. His eyebrow did a wave from right to left as he turned to John. “I am also the proxy for another buyer for the statuette. ”

“Another buyer? I was told Aleister had purchased the statuette and he could pick it up at his leisure Mr. Ahmad. ” I commented looking to the shop owner.

“Ah yes,” the owner said nervously looking to the small man then to me, “and that was the case till about ten minutes ago.”

“It was? ” I remarked a little shocked but not entirely surprised. I guess my sixth sense is not that off.

“Yes it was. I am happy to say I was able to convince Mr. Ahmad to think my buyer’s offer over one more time and on second review decided to take it over Mr. Aleister’s. Now the Dragon statuette is on its way to a new buyer and I am on my way to a substantial payday. ” The man smiled.

I had a second or two to think about what was coming. I had full control of my faculties and I am in a state of sound mind. So it was rather rude of me when I smiled back and spoke. “I would put a hold on any plans you have for the money for that payday. ”

“Why? ”

I never answered him. I did not favor him enough to answer him. I did however dislike him enough to kick him so hard between the legs he came about two feet off the ground. As he screamed out with a squeal that could have broken most of the glass in the shop I spun toward the front door and yelled at John.

“I am not losing my Dragon because Aleister lost his!”

Even as the man was collapsing to the floor in a heap wailing about certain body parts now being ruptured John was moving. He spun running to catch up with Keiko as she was bolting for the front door screaming about not losing her mount. The Shaman was up to her side just as the Pirate blew through the door heading out into the busy street. The chance of catching the person who had the statuette now was a long shot at best. Neither Keiko nor he knew what this person looked like or dressed like, it was a hunt when you didn’t know what you were hunting. Still John’s eyes immediately scanned everyone as he stopped on street looking for anyone catching his eye, and just as he surveyed south John spotted a man running away. He reached into his cargo pants pocket and his communicator appeared in his hand with a thought. John pulled it up and spoke as he turned and took off after the man, .

“Wahkan? ”

“I saw him, came out the back through an alley and he’s going south. ”

“Can you keep an eye on him? ”

“I’ll head him off. ” Wahkan sent before dropping off.

John put the communicator back in his pocket as he dodged a lady walking hand in hand with her daughter enjoying what used to be a casual day. Now it had been ruined by a large man missing her b y mere inches as he ran down the street. Keiko went to her right staying on John’s side as both gave chase to the man. It was easy to keep him sight due to the fact he wore a brilliantly colored jacket that stood out among all the others around. John closed in quickly just as the man cut to his left and headed down another back alley.

Both John and Keiko turned down the alley behind the man and came to a quick stop. Usually most alleys are empty or occupied with the occasional straggler. This one though was filled this morning, packed practically with people, and all wearing brightly colored jackets. The Shaman looked left then right but the man they were chasing was gone, lost in the sea of colors. He pulled out his communicator again while starting to push his way through the crowd.

“Wahkan? ”

The large man’s voice came back quickly. “Got him moving out the back of the alley. ”

“Keep an eye on him for us! ” John ordered.

The Shaman pushed his way through crowd trying to be polite while also trying to maintain the chase when someone screamed. The crowd parted at the yell, everyone moving to the left or right except for a lone man at the end. He pulled out a long wickedly curved sword and held it out tows Keiko and John as if challenging them to a fight.

John shook his head while speaking. “My friend has a large caliber pistol and she is not afraid of shooting you between the eyes to catch the man who just ran past you. Do you really want to do this?”

The man snarled once and spun the sword in his hand with full bravado, but that all came to a stop though, the sword and the snarl, suddenly. John assumed Keiko had shown the large gun she kept on her persons at all times. Then the sword dropped to the ground with a loud clang and both sprinted past the former sword bearer with a bolt.

I would be lying if I told you I was just a little disappointed with the fact I could not shoot the sword man for obstructing us. I had hoped to let Mayhem clear the way for us but unfortunately the man came to his senses. Oh well, next time they say. I leapt forward as the sword man’s dropped his weapon and started sprinting after the man with Aleister’s Jade Dragon. I had to catch him. I was not about to lose my Red Dragon to this upstart.

We ran on, John at my side, out of the alley coming to a stop in the busy street. I had no clue where we were at first and after a quick scan I realized we had lost sight of or quarry. Then I caught sight of a favorable object and I knew exactly where we were. It was a part of the city that housed the lower part of the population, a slum some call it. I grew up in this place, not this slum in particular, but a slum just like it. I would wake in the mornings after sleeping in an alley; greet the day with a stretch, then think about where I could find a meal. I was free and I have no expectation for anyone to understand that.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and I looked to where John was pointing. Among the crowd, running like the devil was after him was our man in his garishly colored jacket.

“We have to catch him John!” I screamed starting after the man.

I leapt into a run again chasing the man down the street determined this time not to lose him. I wanted Henzo’s bike as mine and I would not let it go. We, John and I, dodged people left and right dashing after the assailant and we were making headway. The man was getting closer, slowly, but getting closer with each and every step we put down. He must have felt our gain because suddenly he turned right, down another alley. John and I never slowed as we followed running down the alley as well. The man was almost to the end and I could see another street beyond. I reached deeper and pushed my legs harder as John blew by me with his longer gait. I cursed my short stature as I raced to keep up.

Just past the broad back of John I caught sight of the man as he entered the street. He began to make a left at the corner and disappeared out of my eye line for a brief second. Then I heard the sound of flesh being struck by flesh, like a fist being hammered into a face. The man popped out from the corner again only this time it was not to run, it was to fall flat on the street. As we arrived a little winded but eager to get our friend’s possessions back I saw Wahkan step up rubbing his right hand.

“Nice punch sir,” I smiled as I looked down on the man who was starting to come back to the living.

John knelt by the now stunned man they had been chasing through the streets. He gently checked him over to make sure there was no hidden damage from the punch Wahkan had delivered. When the Shaman was satisfied there was nothing that would kill the man, and the fact his now blossoming black eye was no threat to ending his sight, he started the interrogation.

“Where is the statuette? ” John asked.

“I don’t have it. ” He gasped.

The Shaman shook his head. “I’m sorry my friend hurt you. If there was another way to handle this I would have taken that choice. Yet we are where we are now due to you running from us. You gave us no choice so please do not keep forcing our hand. ”

“I don’t have it sir…I’m not lying. ” The man spat.

“You want me to hit him again John. ” Wahkan asked loud enough to be menacing.

The question, or request depending on how you looked at it, made the man squirm a bit as he started to envision being hit again. His eyes opened wide with fear as he whined. “Oh come on, I don’t have the dragon. ”

“Then the man back in the shop was lying. There was no second offer made to buy the statuette? ” John inquired with a raised eyebrow.

The man still looked scared but was getting control of his shaky hands slowly. “No, it was real. I was hired by Thoms, the man back in the shop you were talking with. We forced the old guy Ahmad to sell us the statuette but the dupe was on us. ”

“What happened? ”

“Someone got there before us. Ahmad sold them the dragon, said he had to or they would have burned down his shop with him in it. We were about to leave when you walked in and…”

“And what? ” Wahkan asked with a low growl.

“I don’t know…Thoms went off the plan when he saw the guy in the black hat here. We got a call from a man, another buyer who wants the dragon but we never met him. We just traded calls, he told us to come here and get the piece of Jade any way we could. We weren’t ready for being beaten to the prize. ”

“Who did Ahmad say bought the dragon? ” John asked having to sooth the man all over again.

“He said it was a lady, she never used a name. She had two men with her and she wasn’t going to leave without the dragon. ” The man answered in gasping breaths.

John waited a moment, took in what the man had said, and then calmly spoke. “Why did you run? ”

“After the way the lady kicked Thoms in the crotch! I wasn’t about to stay around and lose my boys to a left high kick! ” the man wailed.

John waved him off then helped him to his feet. With a third growl Wahkan sent him running from the area for his life. When the garish colored jacket had disappeared the large man turned back to his friend the Shaman. “Where do we go from here? ”

“Simple, we backtrack. The lady who came for the statuette, she came with two men and those men have to eat, don’t they?” John smiled.

What exactly my friend the shaman was talking about I had no clue. I have to admit that after we let the man go I was just in follow mode. We watched as the man in the hideous jacket finally blended into the crowd and thus disappeared from out eyesight. I turned when John did and followed him back to the shop where we were supposed to buy the statuette. The walk back was calmer and I was able to notice the many shops I had missed during the chase. There were a few nice things I came across and acquired. I had every intention to come back and pay for them, when I was able.

We walked back into the shop to find the man who I had kicked so hard he was more than likely to speak with a high lilt in his voice from now on had long since vanished from the place. The only one there was the owner, Ahmad, and when he saw John he looked just a little relieved. It was a usual look the shaman received I guessed since most of the people he met were relieved to see him. I just stood back and watched as John did most of the talking at the moment. It gave me a chance to sit back and think about Henzo’s Red Dragon.

In effect I was risking my life for a motorcycle to most everyone, but they did not know the real truth about the Dragon. Henzo was a master of more than just building motorcycles that were capable of becoming airborne due to being so fast. He was a computer genius and with the aid of his brother who was more of a genius then he was Henzo built an AI into the Red Dragon. The Artificial Intelligence of the bike was more than a brain. It was the secret behind Henzo’s renowned for dominating the racing circuit. The AI controlled the motorcycle’s performance, its very operation at times, and that gave Henzo an edge. Not to mention the engine, that with a push of a button could produce enough power to send the rider to dangerous speeds.

When Henzo was killed in a race a year ago I felt a pang of regret at the knowledge of his loss, but then I felt a chance had opened up. There were only a few who knew Henzo had made a twin of the Red Dragon, a brother with the same configuration. The AI could be loaded and setup to obey only my voice commands easily. The only real problem was finding the twin which took a few months for me to solve. I cannot tell you the joy that came over me when I discovered Aleister had the bike all this time. He was Henzo’s secret backer, funder, and that made my appropriation of the Red Dragon so much easier and assured. I smiled as John continued on with his interrogation of Ahmad, my mind was on my soon to be new mount.

“This lady who bought the statuette, have you seen her before? ”

John asked the obvious shocked shopkeeper hoping to glean some information. The man, who wore a long robe with a sash across his middle, sat on a stool by his counter and closed his eyes thinking on the Shaman’s question. He bit his lower lip for a second then opened his eyes and turned to John.

“No, but she seemed very familiar with my shop. She came in and asked about another trinket I had sold just a day before, as if she had seen it, but she has never been in my shop before.”

“Are you sure she has never been in your shop before today? You’ve never seen her around here? ” John asked again trying to lock the man down.

“Yes,” Ahmad responded immediately with a quick nod of his head, “she is not the type of woman one would miss.”

The statement made John stop for a second before speaking. “Why do you say that? ”

“She was very beautiful, short brown hair and green eyes, but…” Ahmad stammered.

“What? ” John asked slowly but with enough firmness to ensure he would get an answer.

Ahmad looked to Keiko then back to John before answering. “She was very…athletic you might say…and she was very…forward.”

The Shaman smiled feeling why Ahmad was embarrassed. He would not be the first man to fall victim to a temptress who used a ‘forward’ way of obtaining things, but yet John still felt the shopkeeper was holding something back.

“What else about her was striking Ahmad? ”

“She had large ears and a tail,” he finally said with a whisper.

The Mithra, they were a race not unique to John as he had come across the feline-like humanoids before on other worlds. They were known for their curiosity and energy…and affection at times. Now that he had an idea of who had taken the statuette he wanted to get a better ‘picture’ of what she looked like. The Shaman nodded and asked the shopkeeper a quick question.

“Do you have something she left behind, maybe money or such? ”

“Yes, she left the money for the Dragon statuette.” Ahmad said excitedly.

“I thought she threatened to burn down your shop with you in it, seems kind of funny acting all sweet on the one who wanted to burn you.” Wahkan remarked with his usual bass tone.

“Oh no sir,” Ahmad grinned with two large holes where his missing teeth should have been, “she was very polite and very nice. It was the two men with her who said they would harm me when I refused to sell the statuette.”

John took one of the Gill’s Ahmad held out for him and closed his eyes. He drew the unseen energy from the air around him and began to cast his spell for reading objects. He hoped to get an eye on the Mithra and maybe a location to where she could be at the moment.

((John casts Spirit Touch – Sight))

Almost at once the realm of the shop disappeared from John’s mind. He could see with his mind’s eye a street in the city and the people walking along it from above, as if he were floating. He drifted along just above people’s heads till he saw the female he was looking for, and like Ahmad said she was beautiful. She was just a little taller than Keiko wearing a black top that showed off a taut midriff and even tighter black pants with a small hole to allow the long tail to slink free. Her large ears poked out of from brown short hair and her green eyes that twinkled in the sun were set among the usual facial feline stripes, but that wasn’t what caught John’s eyes.

It was the bag she carried, the collar around her neck, and the two large men following right with her step by step. The trio passed a shop and John recognized it. With a snap he came out of his spell and looked to Keiko.

“I know where the Dragon might be. ”

That was all Keiko needed as she headed for the door.

I did not have to wait for John and I had no intention to. As soon as he said he had an idea of where the statuette was I just turned and ran for the door. I might have broken the old portal but at this point I did not care. I only wanted that damn Dragon because if I lost it then I would lose my Dragon and that was not going to happen. I heard John yell bye back to the shop owner as he ran with me and both of us met up with Wahkan in the street. The shaman ran past me taking the lead again and I followed with a quick step. Wahkan was behind us, I knew this because the large man’s heavy breathing filled my ears as we ran after the statuette.

John led us through two quick turns taking us deeper into the Town center and then he stopped looking around. I took the chance to do the same as I asked him the obvious, “Which way now?”

The shaman took a second and then pointed to his right and we were off again running like the wind. We only slowed long enough to dodge, or push out of the way, the people in our way. I was about to ask just how far did these people get when John came to a stop by the entrance to an Inn, or what passed for a place to sleep. I’m not saying it was squalor because I have laid my head down on pillows in places most would never consider sleeping, but this was most certainly not an Inn. It was more like the place one might take a lady of the evening, or a lad of the night if that is what interested you. John walked quickly through the doorway, which was like a run to me, and stopped in the lobby. He looked left then right and then back left before going left. I was not sure if the shaman knew where he was going but then he shot up some stairs and up another flight before hitting the top floor.

Wahkan and I stayed right behind him as he made a right down a hall and went to the door of the room all the way in the back. I was never sure how he followed this invisible trail and I did not care to ask the moment. All I wanted was the Dragon statuette so when John stopped I had to ask.

“Are they here?”

John just nodded and that was all Wahkan needed as the large man kicked the door to the room right off the hinges practically. The large man stepped back and I jumped in with Mayhem drawn ready to fire. What I saw froze me for a second. There in middle of the room was a man where the bed should have been and under his foot lying flat on the floor was a girl bound and gagged.

Her eyes met mine and I could see fear…and a long tail whipping back and forth.

John noticed the poor Mithra’s predicament just a half a millisecond before Wahkan or Keiko was moving all ready. He jumped across the room in a bolt while drawing Wakina his knife while flying at the man. With a hard strike John drove the pummel of Wakina right into the man, who at the previous moment had been standing with one foot on the girl’s back, neck with a loud crunch as the collarbone broke. The man fell back from the attack and John took advantage of the opening planting a quick heel stomp to the midsection to send him on his way. The blow finished off the man quickly as he caromed across the room and into the wall effectively bouncing off it and crumpling to the floor by the girl.

All at once she began to scream through the gag while rolling over and trying to sit up. John turned to see what was happening while Keiko and Wahkan were all ready acting. The man by the wall across the room had pulled out a small black box with two buttons on it; one was activated by a push a second before while the Shaman was taking care of his partner. The men had been about to push the other button when both the Sky Pirate and Wahkan fired their pistols in unison.

The round from Wahkan struck true hitting the right shoulder of the man and spinning him slightly in that direction, just enough to open up the hand that held the small black box where the bullet from Keiko slammed into it. The giant watched the box explode from the impact, become a perfect little bomb. The man’s hand shredded and he screamed from the pain, but even as he did he reached inside his shirt for something. He went for his weapon. Wahkan couldn’t allow that, wouldn’t allow that, but he couldn’t kill the man outright. He couldn’t take another life after what Enyo had made him do those years he was in her possession. There was enough blood on his hands all ready, too much some days, so he charged just as the man pulled out his gun. It was a race at this point, the speed of the giant against the finger pull of the man, the distance of how far Wahkan had to travel across the room to how quick the man could aim and fire his gun.

In the end it was almost a tie.

The man drew his pistol and fired just as Wahkan hit him with a right cross. The bullet hit the giant in the side and being so close to the discharge from the barrel set his shirt on fire. Wahkan let out a guttural animal scream as his fist hit the man’s jaw breaking it instantly from the force but then growled as he fought back the pain of being shot. He grabbed his side where the bullet went in as the man slumped up against the wall and slid down it slowly, unconscious finally from the wound to his hand and his face.

John ran up just as Wahkan was gasping, saw the wound was a through-and-through and his friend would live, before turning back to Keiko and the Mithra. “We need to leave now.”

Even before my bullet had struck the man in the hand I was moving to free the poor Mithra tied up on the floor. She started to writhe and scream through her gag and I had to put Mayhem down for a brief second as I pulled out a boot knife to free her. She kept motioning to the man with her head trying to tell me something. I removed the cloth from her mouth as Wahkan finally ended the man’s fight with a solid punch to the jaw. He did pay for it though with a bullet through his side and I worried a bit as I saw John run to him, but then the Mithra started to talk and what she said took my attention completely.

“Bomb around my neck!”

“What? A bomb around your neck?” I asked back like some talking parrot as I cut her hands and arms free.

“Yeah, it’s the collar! He would have…” She started to stammer as I worked on her knees and ankles. The men sure knew how to tie someone up, she would have been trussed up like some poor pig for a good while.

“There is nothing to worry about now girl. The man has no way to hurt you now.” I assured her as the last of the ropes were cut. “What’s your name lass?”

She looked to me with those large eyes and I fell in almost at once. The feline marks on her face only made her more beautiful to me. She took a deep breath and spoke with a sweet voice. “An Nafeesa, but you can call me just Nafeesa.”

“I know, the An is the name you use when hunting to keep from spooking the prey.” I smiled when John suddenly stepped up and ordered us to leave.

Again Nafeesa broke in touching the black collar thing she had around her neck with a gentle long finger. “It’s a bomb…will it blow up if we leave the room?”

John looked to Wahkan and the giant shook his head. I touched her shoulder with as much reassurance I could muster, which was strange for me as I have very little compassion for people. “I think we’ll be in more danger if we stay Nafeesa. The bomb was triggered by the remote device I shot I am sure. When we get back to our ship we will take that thing off and you’ll be safe.”

“You’d risk your life like that…for me?” Nafeesa asked.

“Any day,”

She smiled at me and I felt that falling sensation again though I know not why. I helped her up and then put Mayhem away in its holster. We started for the door, Wahkan in the lead while I brought up the rear, when Nafeesa turned and ran for the man who held her life in his hand, literally. I was about to hiss for her to leave him be so we could egress, but then she pulled something from his pocket and raced back to my side.

“Here,”

I took the pouch from her and opened the top which had been closed by a drawstring. When I looked inside I saw a flash of green and I knew it was the statuette. I looked up at her and smiled and she as she whispered.

“It’s what you came for, right?”

I closed the pouch and smiled broadly as I spoke. “We came for one treasure and found two, this must be my luck day!”

The Shaman led them out the door into the hallway with Wahkan behind. The giant stepped right letting Keiko and Nafeesa go between him and John. As they passed Nafeesa looked over to see the wound in the giant’s side and looked worried. Wahkan though just nodded for her to go ahead and when they were moving down the hall he reached over and closed the door quietly. As the group walked back out of the Inn they passed people running in, scampering to see what all the shooting and noise was about upstairs. Some looked like your common person dressed in regular everyday clothes, but then some looked more ‘official’. They were dressed in attire that spoke to some office, probably the local constabulary John thought as he led the group out t he door they come in.

On the street it was just as hectic and crowded as it was when they ran in, which is what they needed the Shaman thought. The confusion and scramble of people in the street helped them blend in, just disappear in the mass. Wahkan kept his side hidden from sight and watched the back of the group as they made their way away from the city and back to the spot where the Siang Tien Tang was waiting patiently. Of course when they left Zheng it was just to pick up Aleister’s Dragon statuette. There was no intention to chase two sets of other buyers through the streets or get into a shoot out or even save some poor Mithra from a pair of nasty men.

All in all, it wasn’t a bad day John thought as he let Keiko and Nafeesa run up the gang plank to the main deck of the Junk. When he saw Wahkan walk up, the blood from his wound starting to show past the cloth he was using to bind and hide said injury, the feeling of this being a semi-good day didn’t stay. He let Wahkan walk up first then followed intending to help his friend. When John reached the main deck he found Zheng staring at Nafeesa and her staring back at him.

“Zheng, take us up into the sky.” John stated more than asked.

The ghost though turned to John instead of lifting the Siang Tien Tang into the sky. “Who is she?”

“A friend Zheng, now take us up please while I take care of Wahkan.”

“What happened to him?”

“He was shot.” John said walking over to where Wahkan was standing against the rail.
“SHOT!” Zheng wailed.

“Just Get Us In The Air You DAMN GHOST! Wahkan screamed.

The ghost gave a small yelp then did as he was asked, ordered, and downright commanded. The Junk slowly took the sky as John tended to the bullet wound on his friend. He began to heal the wound with his energy while chanting the word ‘Gontee’.

((John casts the spell Spirit Touch – Gontee))

All at once the wound started to close, flesh knitting together as the hole in the giant’s side began to mend by magic. John made sure his friend was going to be okay after the spell was finished before turning to look at the ship’s new passenger.

“I think it’s time we look at taking that bomb off your neck, don’t you?”

There are times when I am more than sufficiently grateful for my ability with mechanical things, though I would have to admit taking a collar bomb off a sweet Mithra has not been around enough. As my hands worked delicately on the locking mechanism she sat sideways between my legs with her chin resting on my upper thigh. To say my mind was having a hard time sticking to the works at hand, literally, was the grossest of understatements. Nafeesa’s tail was curled up and around my calf slowly inching up and then down rubbing and sending the nicest sensations up my spine, thus my slight hesitation at times because if one of those sweet shivers made my finger twitch I might just explode all over the deck of the Junk.

Literally,

“Has she removed the bomb?” The ghost asked nervously still standing by the rudder.

It was rather funny how the one who could not ever be hurt by an explosion seemed to be the most worried one at the moment. I had Wahkan standing over my shoulder watching me and my every move in that quiet annoying way he always does while John stood over the other watching. His eyes seemed as calm as they always do. That pretty color that seemed to bore down to my soul and touch it ever so gently.

Speaking of sweet sensations…

“Give me a blasted second and I will tell you specter.” I growled with a small tool jutting from my mouth where it was being held for the moment.

There was a small click and then a pop which made the ghost jerk while the rest of us just looked on calm as if it was high tea. I slowly opened the collar as Nafeesa bent back away from the metal then I lifted it over her head and handed it to Wahkan to hold. My precious Mithra just sighed and looked uop me with her beautiful eyes. “Thank you for freeing me.”

“I could not leave you my lady trapped in that diabolical contraption.” I smiled.

“Still, you didn’t have to save me.”

“We can discuss that later, but for now can you tell us who those two men worked for.”

The Mithra took a swallow and she looked nervous maybe, or a little embarrassed. She finally spoke up though. “I don’t know. I needed Gill to keep my room at the Inn and one them approached me saying they would pay my bill if I did a quick job for them. I didn’t know what they had in mind until it was too late to get away. One of them made a call to someone and get the Gill to pay for the statuette but I didn’t hear anything.”

“The statuette, they wanted you to take it?”

She nodded quickly. “Yeah, they had me break in through the ducts in the roof last night but I couldn’t find the stupid statuette. I didn’t want to but they had all ready put the bomb on my neck. I did find a nice bracelet though,”

“I saw it, the gold one, it is very nice.” I laughed.

It put her at ease as she laughed a little back. “They brought me back and made me pay for it today, after they threatened that poor man though. I felt so bad for him.

I stroked her shoulder and felt that sweet shiver again down my spine. The man is fine and you are too now. We just need to get the statuette back to our friend Aleister, would you like to help with that?”

She nodded happily again and I nodded with her, though my reason was different.

John stared at the pair sitting by the rail, Nafeesa all curled around Keiko’s leg, and wondered how the Mithra would mix with the Sky Pirate. How would it change the dynamic of Keiko’s personality, enhance or further corrupt? It was really a question that had no quick answer, though John could do plenty of assuming, so he just decided to let it play out. It was the type of thing time would only tell how everyone came out.

He turned his attention to the statuette, the object that brought the two together. The Shaman knew there was an ulterior motive for Aleister wanting the Dragon statuette. The man always had an ulterior motive in situations like these, where some object was being sought after by bands of devious men, and it always seemed to be because said object had some special purpose. Wasn’t that how ulterior motives worked though, some hidden secret in some old antiquity? Once Aleister paid a considerable sum for an ornate jar holding the ashes of what was rumored to be the remnants of the actual funeral pyre of a powerful wizard from the land where Zheng use to live. Why? It was probably due to an old poem that has been passed down by the Bards in song. It stated that if someone possessed ‘pure of heart, strength of mind, piteous of deed, and earnest of task’ than one could revive the wizard, bring him back to life. John sat and wondered if there was someone who matched all of those requirements, which wasn’t the biggest question of the poem. Just how this person was to ‘raise’ the old wizard was the true conundrum. There was no boy to work with and if all it took was to cast a spell then Aleister would have done that long ago and had his wizard walking the halls of his abode passing on his vast knowledge to him. No one knew if it took a ceremony or a ritual to bring the wizard back, if it would take certain components or certain instruments to complete. All anyone knew were the…

Then John turned back to the poem, back to the words of what the person must possess. This couldn’t be this easy. The Shaman rose from his seat and walked over to where Keiko sat with Nafessa telling her new friend about flying across the sky in her old ship, the Half Moon. He waited politely till she stopped and looked to him before speaking.

“Excuse me Keiko, may I see the Dragon?”

The Sky Pirate nodded and gave John the pouch with the Jade Dragon in it. The Shaman nodded and walked over near the bow b y one of the flame throwers and sat down. He pulled the statuette out and really took a look at it, examined it, for the first time. The Dragon was elongated, snake like folding in on itself as it rose in three swirling coils from the stone base it sat on. It was just a little taller than his hand, pure Jade, and the energy coming from it was immense. John’s hand felt like it would burn as it rested in his palm. He was sure the next step would be foolish but it had to be done. All of the sudden he had to know if what he was considering was true.

((John casts Spirit Touch – Sight))

The Siang Tien Tang disappeared as the spell took over and John saw in his mind’s eye a new vision of the statuette’s past. He was flying, like Ohitika, on the cold winds over a range of tall mountains, gliding on the currents of wind to a point. Then the vision changed, sped up to where all was a blur for a second or two before slowing back to normal. He was still flying, but now he was approaching a single peak. There, high up on a ridge, built right into the rock was a Keep. A small castle blanketed with the falling snow that now seemed to blur the vision again. The closer John got to the Keep the more the snow fell and the more the vision blurred until finally it was nothing but white. As it all faded and the Junk was coming back to his reality one last piece of the vision pushed through.

A single word echoed from the depths…Deed.

I sat by the rail enjoying every touch Nafeesa blessed me with. I traded my stories for the look of awe in her eyes and the small gasps she would let go of when I told her of my adventures. I was lost in her and from what I could tell she was lost in me. This was not love by any means so please do not cloud your presumptions with thoughts of an enduring affair. I do not live with the idea I will be married one day with children running at my feet or a husband to walk through the door to greet me with a affectionate smile and flowers. I am a Sky Pirate. I live by a set of rules I set forth, not society or anyone else. I live for the moment, for the pleasure of whatever comes my way, and I revel in the decadence of my senses. It is not the life for some, but it is the one I wish to live.

And as such I hoped for something more from my little Mithra as the day turned to night with the Junk flying straight and true on its course back to Aleister’s home. I had every intention to deliver the Dragon Statuette to his hand thus putting the Red Dragon in mine. I did notice the look in John’s eyes after I gave him the jade sculpture, the look of realization I guess one would call it, but in the end I paid little attention to him. My eyes were elsewhere as I have stated.

When Nafeesa shivered from a cold wind I took that as a sign it was time to find her a room. I offered her my hand and we headed to the rooms below deck leaving Zheng to steer the ship right and true. We parted ways there after I showed her to a guest room and I made my way to mine. I was a little disappointed not to be near her I must admit and as I began to disrobe in my room a knock on the door of my room lifted my heart. My hopes jumped a bit as I wanted the one to be knocking to be her and when the door opened just far enough for Nafessa to step through I smiled. She locked the door after entering and then turned toward me, if there was any shyness Nafessa showed none of it.

“I don’t like to sleep alone. She whispered.

“Then do not, my bed is more than room enough for the two of us.” I answered with a nod.

It was then, when approval had been secured, that she crossed the room to me. Being more than a few inches taller than me she nudged right up to me and gently took my face in her hands lifting my lips to hers with the softest caress that I have ever felt. The kiss was small, loving, and led to another and another as I slipped my arms around her waist. Our clothes were tossed aside, her hands easily loosening the buttons on my shirt and trousers while her tights slid from her body with ease. There was an earnestness that seemed to take us both when we were finally naked, hands and fingers roamed all along our bodies. A combined heat rose and exploded between us as her lips kissed my breast and mine traced the line down her stomach to the place all men want as she gasped. Soon we had shared more than just our affections but being far from spent Nafeesa smiled at me as we lay entwined among each other in bed.

“Come with me, I want to go outside!”

She rose and took my hand in hers before trotting to the door of the room. I thought about asking if we needed our clothes, but Nafeesa never bent or stopped to pick a single article. Instead we quietly went back up on deck and passed by Zheng, Nafeesa waving to him as she did. It must have been a shock to the ghost as we passed, but I did not care if he saw me in my state or not. We both found ourselves by the rail near the bow leaning over feeling the wind blow past us. Nafeesa laughed then turned back to me and one more time took my face gently into her own hands and kissed me so sweetly I felt the old heat begin to stoke again inside my naked body.

“What’s got you spooked?” Wahkan asked squinting out into the morning sun. He stood with John out by the rails and the look from his friend the Shaman mace the giant a little leery.

John appreciated his friend’s concern. It was nice to see Wahkan show some compassion and not the usual reserved cool. He looked over with a smile and commented with a calm air. “I’ve been thinking, about the Dragon Statuette and why our friend Aleister would send us to retrieve it.”

“Is that what’s got you worried, or maybe it’s something else?”

“Maybe you’ve been doing some thinking too?”

Wahkan shifted against the rail and whispered. “You remember that first crew that came at us, the ones in the white air ship?”. Wahkan waited till John nodded affirming he remembered the group and its attempt to take them before continuing on. “How the hell did they find us, unless they were looking for us, and how would they know to look for us?”

Excellent observations John thought, ones he noticed but had taken on less importance due to the revelation of what the Dragon really meant to Aleister. One of the many boons of the Siang Tien Tang was its ability to be unnoticeable. Not a soul who wasn’t actively searching or thinking about the Junk would ever take note it had passed by. It was how Zheng had flown it so many years and never once been seen by the populace with the exception of the few who claimed to have glimpsed it. John had seen men walk right into it and bounce off never ‘seeing’ the Junk until it was too late, which begged the question how did the men and woman see it in the air ship. He and Keiko had covered their tracks well enough after leaving Aleister’s estate and no one was following them to see them board the Junk. Even if they did John and Keiko would have disappeared into the air like a couple of ghost, so how did they track them unless they knew about the Siang Tien Tang beforehand.

The thought of someone passing along information to an unseen, unknown enemy unsettled John just a bit, and it looked to do the same for Wahkan. The Shaman knew for certain Aleister would never turn them in, never chance losing the Dragon in a double cross move like that. There was someone then in the Mage’s house playing at being a double agent. John was trying to remember who was there at the mansion but soon the sheer number of faces just ran into each other and muddled together. He’d have to talk with Aleister once they reached his house, a serious talk. He heard a screech and looked up to see his Eagle friend Ohitika glide in on the wins and land on the rail, settling in with ease. John forgot momentarily about the question of who was working against them and reached into a pocket on his cargo pants. The enchantment of the pockets put the treats for Ohitika right into his hand and John fed them to an hungry friend.