The Wounded Warsong
Chapter 37: Irasema's Inspiration
The crowd laughed.
"That was when I was allowed to have a husband! Such a nice time that was..." A large pit-fire with a pot bubbling with something was in the middle of a wide circle in the middle of the Old Country. Xoco and several other Naghual tended the pot and began passing cups of its contents around. The sun hung low in the horizon.
"Thank you Malinal." She sat down next to a few younger Mithra. Abuela stood up. "It's been a long time since we've gatherrred here and shared storrries. I have one to tell if anyone minds." She looked around and saw all eyes on her as she walked nearer to the fire.
"Go ahead elder-sisterrr, we're all earrrs." Xoco said as she put the lid back over the pot.
"This took place a good number of years ago. Was when our Ray was becoming a woman and I gave her space after she found someone special to be with..."
"Hmm? A Mithra all the way out here in my bar? Rare sight these days missy, what can I get you to drink?"
"I'll have a pitcher of your strrrongest ale." He gave her a questioning stare.
"Missy, are you sure? I don't want to have to mop this off the floor now but here. Have at it." He filled a tall pitcher full of dark ale and handed it to her. She looked around and saw a number of empty tables, some with rough and tired looking Humes sitting at them, and one with a lone Galka. He looked like he was worried about something but had an empty glass.
"Who's that overrr there?" She pointed to the Galka.
"Oh that's Nikolus. He's a regular here, always drinks a few and stays for hours... He usually comes here to think." She decided to sit at that table. He noticed and glanced her way smiling.
"Big pitcher for such a small lady. To what do I owe the honor of your company?"
"Meh, you just looked like you had something on yourrr mind. I'm Irasema." He put his hand out.
"I'm Wise Owl, but normally just Nikolus." She shook his hand, feeling a soft grip for such a large hand. "My, looks are deceiving haha. Such a strong grip there. Hey... don't you think that's a little much? A whole pitcher... gonna drink it yourself?" She was already drinking from it before he noticed. When she stopped there was around one-fourth gone.
"Hmm? Oh, well it's pretty waterrry and not all that strrrong..." She took his glass and poured some in it. He smiled and drank with her but almost spat out the ale!
"Blargh, how can you stand this!" She laughed instantly, almost squirting ale from her nose.
"Haha, looks arrre deceiving hmm? So I hearrr you come here to think. What about?" She noticed his eyes wandering around her.
"Oh... sometimes I wonder about how I keep on going, how I'll make the next payment... maybe, just maybe how I could change the way Bastok is powered and raise a new standard."
"Powerrred huh?"
"Yes..."
"Well, seeing your eyes look at me like that makes me think you're wonderrring about... my age," she smirked slyly, knowing that wasn't it at all. He blushed and looked away quickly. "To tell you the truth Nik, I've been alive long enough to witness my own great-grand children die of old age." He looked at her with an odd stare. She took another long drink from the pitcher.
"But you look like you're just-"
"Yup, all anyone ever rrreally needs is the right training and a little bit of luck. Three hundred and six years Nik. You know anyone else that's lived that long?" He stared at his glass and took another quick swig. "Heh, thought you hated it."
"I was rude, shouldn't turn down a free drink, no matter the taste." He finished the glass, grimaced, and tried to shake the taste out of his mouth. "Actually I once knew another Galka who had lived more then one hundred fifty years... but he died in a mining accident. There was also Raogrimm... but he's gone too, gone for a long time. I'm young compared to them but you... you're not just drunk are you?" She smiled and shook her head slightly.
"I... I was rrraised out in the fields working the land just outside the Old Country. That old farrrm helped feed the capital but someone has to work those fields... It was the first life I'd ever known. I'd work all day and sleep, work again, sleep again with others around my age. Maybe they'd let us eat a couple times each day but no morrre then that. I... " She took another long swig. Her eyes looked a little bit glazed and she was blushing. "I wanted morrre then just that. The others thought I was crazy to give up such a steady way of life... I escaped on my own after sundown one day. Just some old rrrags, no shoes, nothing else... I wandered a long time, probably a day, beforrre I found my new home: it was an old dojo that taught an old style of marrrtial arts from San d'Oria. Like a small safe haven with spiritual monks. They taught me so much..." She took another sip. "Bleh, I can't drrrink the rest of this..." There was just a little left. She fished for a few pieces of gold from a pocket. "Hey barkeep!"
"Yes missy?"
"Heads up." She leaned back in her chair, saw where he was upside down, and flung the gold pieces over her head at him. "I'm paying for this guy here too." Nikolus looked at her with a small sense of shock. The pieces landed in an empty steel cup the bartender had just rinsed, knocking it over into his hands.
"Damn, that's kind of you missy, he's been racking up a tab here for some days now." He brought out a small eye-piece and checked the gold. "This oughtta cover it all and thensome! Been a while since someone paid with gold this pure..." he trailed off. She smiled again.
"What, like you never had someone help you out beforrre. Here, would hate for this to go to waste." She pushed the pitcher to him. He drank it, grimaced as it went down but shook the taste out of his mouth again. He got up.
"I'd like to show you what I meant earlier Irasema. Walking will help stave off drunkenness too." She got up.
"Surrre, I'll walk. This is my first time in Bastok anyway."
"First time huh? Knew just where the bar was though haha." She pointed to her nose and smiled slyly.
"Doesn't take that strrrong a nose to smell beer, ale, and drunks." They stepped out of the Steaming Sheep and strolled along the streets of Bastok. The Galka they'd walk passed would wave to Nikolus and jokingly ask him if he found another woman. They'd laugh and Irasema would just say they met at the bar and he's being her tour guide. They entered a number of shops.
"Do you notice it?"
"Notice what?"
"It's really warm in here. They have to burn oil lamps since the sun isn't shining through the windows anymore. This is where I'd like to make something to make light that doesn't make so much heat. Even the streetlamps outside are oil based."
"Ah... well just so you know I'm used to a humid heat that I'm guessing you've probably never experienced out here beforrre. This is almost like a midnight breeze when comparrred." They walked into another shop that had a number of Galka hammering ore down for smelting.
"Currently we don't have anywhere near enough power to do even something like this without raw strength. I plan on finding a way to harness power... electrical power."
"Ele... elect-errri-cal?"
"Like lightning Irasema. We could use it to get at the metal easier and faster."
"I see." They continued on through the Markets and into the Mines district.
"There's a few friends I need to visit here."
"Well not like I'm in any hurrry. Just hope they're willing to say hello." He smiled. The first house they entered had a young Galka inside.
"Hello Nik. I really appreciate your help here... Hey, who's that with you?"
"I'm Irasema, met your friend herrre at the bar." He glanced at her briefly.
"Here Gumbah, I know it's not much but I still haven't had the breakthrough with all my testing so far."
"Don't worry Nik, we're all cheering for you here in the Mines." He bowed and left to another house. A taller Galka was inside sitting at a table, sitting quietly and very still with a grimace on his face. He noticed him.
"Nik..."
"Goraow..." Nikolus handed him a crushed metal helmet. Goraow nodded and they left. "Goraow doesn't like talking to anyone else... it's why he ignored you."
"Oh that's fine; I'm not herrre to impress anyone." They walked into another home. Another Galka was inside that had on miner's gear but sitting in front of a small indoor shrine. There were many small tags on it, all hung neatly on a simple wooden cross.
"Pavvke here is another tag." He handed him a silver tag.
"Thank you Nik. So many lost... wonder how long it will be before they are all found." He noticed Irasema and looked into her eyes with an unwavering stillness. "Ma'am, if you ever come across a silver name tag that looks like this... please, if you can please save it and return it here to me. They belong to our brothers who have died in the Palborough Mines."
"I'll keep an eye out forrr them." He bowed.
"Thank you. May the walls around you always stand strong." They left and continued to another house. A Mithra was inside cooking a stew.
"You took much longer then I thought... was getting worrried you were just going to leave me here without paying after I had alrrready started cooking..." Nikolus looked shocked. "Who's that with you Nik? Is she going to join us or going to just watch?" Irasema looked her in the eyes. She was dressed in fewer and smaller clothes then even the traditional dress. She could tell what the other Mithra was there for.
"Far be it from me to tell a Latteh how to rrrun her life... you must be damned desperate to sink this low. And you Nik for being even lower." She left immediately, Nikolus trying to catch up to her.
"Please, this must have happened while I was drunk earlier!"
"Herrre, I hope this gives you a breakthrough!" Irasema backhanded him across the face hard enough to send him back through the door to his house, knocking it off its hinges. "I took a chance and thought you werrre a decent guy. I see where your priorities lie... Looks are deceiving I guess." He felt his jaw as the other Mithra ran to him and glared at her. She returned the glare and made her wince and hide behind Nikolus. "You're out of your league thinking you can intimidate me Latteh. I'll sparrre you the embarrassment and give you some advice: make something stronger of yourself. Here's a little encouragement!" She threw a heavy gold chunk at her hard, knocking her back with its weight. She walked away and out of sight. Nikolus sat up, angry with himself.
"Someday Irasema... Someday I'll make this up to you. I promise you."
"I left him there at his house. I went and took the airship to Jeuno and then another to Windurrrst. I left Ray to herself and again took up my role as teacher at the Windurst dojo for martial arts. He did though make himself more useful when we went to Bastok rrrecently. I guess the breakthrough happened. I'm glad too because that was a lot of money I threw haha!"