The Chronicles of Weyard
By Claviculae
Chapter 7: The Race to Kalay
"Santur, what's wrong? You don't look so good." Brigg said as he prepared breakfast. "I saw him again. He told me to hurry up and reach Kalay soon, or his offer would expire. Oh yeah, he gave me his name, Albert." Santur replied, looking a little shaken. "Don't worry, we're going at top speed." Gandas reassured him, sitting down and grabbing a plate. "This ship will get you there on time. It's one of the fastest ones around." Santur looked around him. "Hey, where's Meron?" he asked. "Oh, she's up in the crow's nest, playing with her Djinn." Gandas replied. "Why do you ask?" "Oh, just curios." came the answer. "Are you sure?" Gandas teased. "Yes, of course I am. What are you getting at, Gandas?" Santur replied, slightly annoyed. "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all, Santur." Gandas said in a teasing tone. "Gandas, knock it off." Santur said, more than slightly annoyed. "Knock what off, Santur? What do you mean?" Gandas replied with mock innocence. "Gandas, remember this: I may be a year younger than you, but I am much more powerful with my battle Psynergy. You're on thin ice. Don't push it." Santur replied, meaning every word of it. "Push what?" Gandas said. Santur snapped and held up his hand. Gandas didn't feel himself hit the deck as the sleep Psynergy overpowered him. "Santur," Brigg said, "you shouldn't lose your temper like that." "He pushed me too far." Santur carelessly replied, getting up and walking to the center of the deck where the mast was. "When he wakes up, don't remind him why he was sleeping. He probably won't remember the incident, and it's best that way." Santur said, starting his ascent up the long ladder.
As he climbed through the small hole in the middle, he felt water drip down the back of his neck. He looked at the source of it, one of Meron's Mercury Djinn. It was just practicing Psynergy when Santur got in the way. He pulled himself up through the hole and sat down opposite Meron. He released his Djinn, then sat back and relaxed. "Are you all right?" Meron asked. "Yeah, just fine." he lied, still thinking about his argument with Gandas. "Santur, what's eating you? Don't say you're fine when you're really not." Santur thought it over carefully before responding. "It's just that Gandas was picking on me and I got mad and used Sleep on him. Now I feel bad about it because I really shouldn't have done it. It's just, I got mad and didn't think about it." He sighed and closed his eyes, thinking about it. "How was he picking on you?" she said, managing to pick the one question Santur didn't want to answer. "Um, well, us." he finally said. "Us? Oh, I get it. Don't worry about it, Santur. It's just something that he knew would get at you. He's probably just bored from the trip." she replied, trying her best to comfort her. They were interrupted by Gandas climbing up into the crow's nest. "Hi, guys." he said. 'Speak of the devil.' Santur thought to Meron. "Oh, Santur. About what happened ten minutes ago. Sorry, I shouldn't have picked on you." Gandas said, genuinely sorry. "That's fine. Sorry I knocked you out." Santur replied. Gandas sat down against the half-wall of the crow's nest. He didn't want to keep talking with Gandas there as a third wheel. He looked at Meron. She was starting intently at him, trying to get something through to him. He suddenly realized that she didn't want to continue the conversation, either. He promptly established a mind link. 'Better?' he asked. 'Much better.' she replied. 'You know, he's eventually going to catch on to us.' Meron thought. 'Yeah, so what?' was the reply. 'Santur, are these communications with Albert frightening you?' 'Yes, they are. He almost seems insane. He's got this crazy look in his eyes. I'm not looking forward to meeting him in person.' 'Hmm. I'm sorry that we have to, Santur. But don't worry about it too much. You'll have me and Gandas and Brigg there with you. I'm just wondering who hired him. How did he describe them?' 'Two Mars people, a man and a woman. He doesn't even know who they are. They just offered him a reward, so he took the job.' 'Weird. If I were a mercenary, I would want to know who my clients were.' 'Yeah. I'm glad that they're only after me and not any of you.' 'Remember, they did attack all of us.' 'That was probably just because you were with me.' "Oh, come on. That's not fair, using Mind Read." Gandas said. "Well, I guess I'll just leave you two alone for a while." he said, climbing down the ladder. Santur and Meron continued talking, this time verbally.
In the middle of their conversation, a large shape flew over head. They both looked up. A small dragon had just flown over. Off of it jumped a man, obviously a member of the Gray Company. He landed on his feet in the crow's nest. "Time to die, Isaacen!" he said, drawing a two-handed dai-katana. "Can you be decent enough to allow her to leave the crow's nest and not be involved?" Santur said, indicating Meron. "No, she's a friend of yours. She has no right to live." he said, raising his sword. Santur acted quickly, kicking him in the stomach and relieving him of his sword. "Quick, Meron! Jump!" Santur said. She looked confused, but obeyed without question. She vaulted over the half-wall and into a waiting whirlwind that set her down on the deck. "Now, before we fight, let's talk for a minute." Santur said. "Why should I listen to you?" the man replied. "Because I have your sword. You can either discuss this with me or I can kill you where you stand." The man sat down, ready to listen. "First of all, you shouldn't condemn someone just because they're friends with your target. It's not her fault; she's been my friend all her life. Now, who runs the Gray Company?" "The Lord Albert does." "When did he start running the Gray Company?" "Several years ago. He came as a wandering prophet and started directing us." Santur laughed at that. The maniac sure had them convinced. "Albert is not a wandering prophet. He's an entrepreneur that saw the opportunity to take over the Gray Company and use it for personal gain." "That is not true. He is a prophet sent to guide us." "Whether you believe it or not, he is a fake. Now, where do you want to fight? Here or on deck?" "If you don't want your friends involved, I'd suggest we fight here." "Fine," Santur said, tossing the man his sword and drawing the Ninja Blade. He left it unlit, not wanting to set the ship on fire. The man charged him, swinging the incredibly long blade at Santur's left side. Santur jumped it with ease and brought the flat of his sword down on the man's shoulder. "Why do you hold back, Isaacen? Fight me with all your strength!" "My name is Santur!" Santur replied, jumping the blade again and bringing the flat of his Ninja Blade into the man's right side. "Fight, darn it! I wish to see how strong you really are!" the man shouted, attempting to bring the dai-katana down on Santur's left shoulder. Santur did a half-sideflip, turning over in midair and landing his feet just above the handle. The man let go of his sword to avoid slamming the floor. Santur smiled. He now had the advantage of being the only armed one. "You gain the advantage, Isaacen. But not for long." "Call me Santur!" Santur yelled, getting angry. He charged the man, trying to smack him in the side of the head with the flat of his blade. The man ducked, causing Santur to miss. As Santur spun slightly, the man locked him in a submission hold, throwing his arms above his head. He accidentally let his blade fall. It stuck into the deck of the ship. The man shoved Santur to the other side of the crow's nest, then grabbed his sword off the floor. Santur inwardly cursed. 'Why didn't I think to throw his sword over the side, darn it!' The man charged him, swinging the deadly sword. Santur backflipped out of the crow's nest and into a whirlwind. He also picked his opponent up in one, bringing them both to the deck. Santur grabbed his sword and smacked the man's head with it. The man stumbled and dropped his sword. Knowing that Santur wouldn't make the same mistake twice, he ran to the side of the ship and flung himself over. His dragon swooped and caught him just in time, bearing him away towards Kalay. Santur breathed a sigh of relief as he picked up the man's sword. "I was worried I would have to kill him." He looked over the sword. "I think I'll try this in combat." he said.
Gandas was giving him a high-five when another shadow flew overhead. It was another dragon, and off it jumped another man. He gracefully landed on the deck and stood up. Santur sized him up. He was dressed in orange and white armor. He had sandy-blond hair, and wore a circlet that reached all the way around his head. He had no sword, but on the circlet was clipped a strange-looking device. It was fastened upright to the circlet, and looked to be a kind of blade. It was a metal disc with a wedge cut out of it. It looked like it could open and close, and the edges were definitely sharpened. "Greetings. My name is Cuman. I am one of Albert's right-hand men. I have been sent here to test you. Let's begin the battle." Santur, holding the dai-katana last battle, went into a defensive posture. Cuman grabbed the blade, unsnapping it from his circlet. He threw it at Santur who deflected it with a single swipe of his blade. Or should have deflected it. Santur hit the blade full-force, then watched as it flew right through his sword, cutting it neatly. The upper-half of the sword fell to the deck with a clang. The cutter had boomeranged and returned to Cuman's waiting hand. He smiled as Santur drew his Ninja Blade. "Nice sword you have there, Isaacen. But it won't hold up any better than the last one." "My name is Santur, darn it all!" Santur screamed. "Fine. I only called you Isaacen because I didn't know your real name. If Santur is what you prefer, then that's fine." he said, throwing the blade again. Santur knew that it would slice through his Ninja Blade like a warm knife through butter. Instead of swinging at it, he backflipped and dodged it. The blade returned to Cuman, who snapped it back onto his circlet. "You can't keep dodging it, Santur. You're going to have to fight eventually." "That's just a trick. I know you just want me to make a rash move so that you can cut me to shreds." Santur replied, trying to think of how he could beat this man. "Wrong, Santur. I said I was here to test you, not kill you. You may walk away bleeding and missing a few fingers, but you will survive." Cuman replied. Santur hit upon an idea. He could only project a protective aura around himself for a minute or so because of the size, but he could create and sustain a smaller aura around his sword. He closed his eyes, focusing. A shimmering field that bore a resemblance to a soap bubble encircled his sword. Cuman flung the cutter at Santur. Santur brought his sword up and slammed it into the cutter. The circular device went haywire, boomeranging rather erratically back towards Cuman, who reached out to catch it. He caught it with his right hand, but only at the expense of his little finger. They watched as he tried his best not to yell with pain. Finally, he prepared to throw the cutter at Santur again, but wasn't fast enough. Santur leapt forward and swung the flat of his blade at the left side of Cuman's head. Cuman ducked, causing the flat of the sword to miss his head, but the edge of the blade nicked the top of his ear. He held up his left hand. "You have passed the test as far as I'm concerned. This is the first time I've been more than nicked in battle. Allow me to bandage my hand and I'll be off. You'll see me again when you reach Kalay." he said, grabbing a bandage and wrapping it around his hand. Meron healed the wound and the bleeding stopped. "Why did you come here to battle me?" Santur asked. "Not because I'm an enemy. I was curious to see if you were really as strong as is rumored. You are. Please don't consider me an enemy. I'm working for Albert, not the Gray Company. Remember, Albert doesn't really want you dead. He'd prefer not killing you, it's just that he's being paid. In fact, he would like you to consider joining him. He can always use someone as skilled as you." "Why would I join him?" Santur asked. "Good pay, friendly workplace, good benefits, etc. It's a good job." "Living as a mercenary is a good job?" Meron asked. "Not as a mercenary. This is the first time he has ever accepted a job like this. He is not a mercenary. If you want more info, you'll have to ask him when you meet him in person. Now if you'll excuse me, he'll want an update on how the battle went. I can't wait to meet you in Kalay, Santur. Albert would love to hire you. Consider the offer as you travel." he said, climbing onto the back of his dragon and flying away. "Well, that was certainly weird." Gandas said. "Sure was. I'm curios about Albert, though. It'd be interesting to find out what he does for a living." Santur said.
After that incident, Gandas pushed the ship to speeds he had never accomplished before. When he wasn't resting, Santur was at the power chamber, channeling his energy into the black orb that sat upon the stone pedestal. Meron spent some of her time helping him speed the boat along. Other times she would accompany Gandas at the helm, or watch Brigg pour over maps and plot their course, making corrections here and there to save time. She also kept the Djinn busy, playing with them and training against them. Her Psynergy power was reaching unusually high levels. One morning at breakfast, Santur seemed deep in thought. "What is it?" Gandas asked, noticing that he was troubled. "Oh, I had another dream last night. The one-eyed being came to give me guidance. He told me that Albert isn't really evil. He just accepted this job because he's running low on funds. He told me that Albert runs a very honorable business, one that needs to be done. He said I should consider joining him." Santur sat back and continued to think. "Was that all he said?" Meron asked. "No, he also told me that Cuman is recovering from the wound. There was no infection, and the only long-term effect is that he's missing a digit. That was it, though. I woke up after that." After breakfast, they went to their usual posts. Gandas manned the helm while Brigg checked their position. Santur and Meron walked down to the bowels of the ship, into the power room. There, on a stone pedestal, sat the black orb. Normally, it would be a reflective black color. But now that it was sitting upon the pedestal, it was surging with power. The black crystal at the center of it glowed white, emanating streams of Psynergy. Santur sat down and closed his eyes. The effect was felt instantly as the ship sped up significantly. Meron sat down next to him. Instead of directing her Psynergy towards the crystal that powered the ship, she reached over to where Santur was clutching his knees to his chest. She gently took his hand and established a link. 'Santur, are you all right?' 'Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm just not sure what I'm supposed to do now. I now have two unknowns who have hired a maniacal-looking old man to manipulate a whole society of Alchemy fanatics into killing me for no reason. On top of that, these assassins are constantly pestering me, and now one of the old man's right-hand men has tried to kill me. Then, I'm offered a job with them. This being that comes to me in dreams advises me to join them. I'm completely confused. All my life I've wanted to become an Adept and then a warrior, but now I'm being told to join some old creep and do his dirty work for him. Everything is spinning around me and I have nothing to cling to. Everything changes constantly. What do I have that I can trust?' 'Santur, you have us. Gandas, Brigg and I will never leave you. Lean on us for support. We're here for you.' 'Thanks, Meron. I'll try.' With that, she broke the link and channeled her power into the glowing gem.
The next day, they reached the river inlet that would lead them to Kalay. After sailing up it for several hours, they reached a suitable anchoring point. The dropped the anchor and hopped ashore. Another hour of hiking brought them to the outskirts of Kalay. As they walked into the city, Cuman stepped out from behind a building. He was wearing the circlet, but the blade was detached, probably so he wouldn't draw too much attention to himself He indicated for them to follow him, then lead them up to the palace. The guard at the gate moved to stop them, but then stepped back when he recognized Cuman. They walked inside the palace, admiring the craftsmanship behind it. Cuman lead them through a maze of hallways, up and down several flights of stairs, and finally to a large door. "Few people know about this place," he said, producing a key and unlocking the door. "No one comes this deep into the palace, so we're pretty much safe down here. And if they do come and get past this door, there's an ancient passage that leads to a cave just outside the city." he said, pushing the door open. "Now, come in and meet Albert." They walked in, fully alert. They looked around and gasped.
Wow, what's gunna happen next time? You'll have to wait for the next chapter :^). Please start giving me some feedback, whether by reviews or by email because I don't really want to discontinue this, but I'm not really sure if anyone's reading it. Please let me know that you are. Thanx.
Claviculae
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6/4/03
8:07 PM
17 paragraphs
250 lines
3198 words