Disclaimer: I do not own Magic: The Gathering, only my own characters.
CHAPTER 46-Shiv
"Land ho!"
The shout rang through the morning air like a bell, signaling the end of the ship's voyage.
Eva rolled out of bed, reluctantly leaving its cozy warmth. Yawning, she gathered her few belongings, opened the cabin door and stepped out into the deck head. The enclosed space was buzzing with activity as the sailors prepared themselves to dock the boat. The night shift exchanged tired greetings with the other sailors before crashing into their hammocks.
The Keepers were up, Charles and Khell chatting while Erik remained sullenly in a corner. Eva greeted the green and blue Keepers. Not even giving Erik a look. Ever since Eva's outburst the day before, Erik had grown even more distant from the others, if such a thing was even possible.
"So, ready to return to solid ground?" asked Charles.
"Yeah," said Eva "Just one problem: How do we transport Arrathir's body around without arousing suspicion?"
"I've already thought of that," said Khell "And I have the solution: Amber Prison."
Eva nodded. "That would work," she said. Amber Prison was a four colorless artifact and by paying four and tapping it, the artifact's controller could tap a creature, land, or artifact. As long as Amber Prison was tapped, the targeted permanent did not untap during their controller's untap phase.
They went over to the pile of crates behind which they had hidden Arrathir so as not to upset the crew. Moving the crates aside, the pulled him out into the open.
Gathering his mana, Khell cast the spell while Chiburuu dispelled the stasis field. The mana flowed over Arrathir's body, turning into a golden liquid that enveloped him from head to toe. The liquid solidified, leaving Arrathir embedded in a hard brown cocoon. The newly formed amber began shrinking, along with the body inside, until it was only a few inches long. Khell bend down to pick it up, examining his work. The Amber Prison would have looked like any clear yellow stone if it weren't for the body in it's core.
Gathering his mana again, Khell formed the energy into a needle-fine stream, which he used to pierce a small hole in the upper part of the stone. Threading a leather strip through the hole, he formed a pendant from the stone.
"I think you'd better carry this," he told Eva, handing her the pendant. She nodded, slipping it around her neck and tucking the stone down the front of her dress.
While the Keepers gathered their possessions, Eva went up to the deck. The heat hit her like a blow. She had expected Shiv to be hot, but this was unexpected. She could already feel the collar of her dress becoming soaked with sweat. Even the light breeze that blew in from the Ocean was hot and muggy.
Taking her attention away from the heat, she gazed out at the city. It was mainly composed of low, domed structures built of what appeared to be mud.
"So, plan of action?" asked Charles when the Keepers had joined Eva on deck.
"Since the Keeper of Red Mana will have affinity for mountains, I suggest we travel to the nearest mountain range," said Khell, pointing to the horizon where the peaks of tall mountains could be seen.
"Just one more problem," said Charles as the ship began docking "We're going to cross a desert to reach the mountains, right? We'll need a guide to get us across the desert."
"Then I suggest we start looking," said Khell "You guys go on ahead. I'm going to pay Quales."
Charles, Eva, and Erik descended the gangplank to the docks. Pushing their way through the crowd of sailors, they made their way to the streets. The main street was fairly crowded. Humans, viashino, goblins, and various other creatures jostled as they journeyed to their respective destinations. The air was thick with the dust raised by dozens of feet and the Keepers and Eva coughed and hacked as they began searching for a guide.
They came upon a marketplace where most of the crowd seemed to be converging. The market was a circular plaza into which several streets converged. Around the perimeter were several doorways leading into various shops. A few dozen stands were scattered around the plaza, all protected from the sun by cloth awnings that flapped gently in the hot breeze.
As the browsed the shops, a small cart caught Eva's eye. It was laden with various scrolls, bottles, and stones, but a particular item interested her: a red gem set in a circular golden frame. The whole thing was suspended from a thin gold chain that hung from a peg in the cart's display stand.
"I don't believe it," said Eva in a hushed whisper "It's a Mox Ruby."
Mox Ruby: One of the P9 (Black Lotus, Timetwister, Timewalk, Ancestral Recall, Mox Ruby, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, Mox Emerald, and Mox Sapphire), the nine most powerful cards in Magic: The Gathering. A zero-cost artifact that tapped to produce one red mana. It was basically an extra mountain, but get it on turn one and you've got three mana by turn two, enough to summon a good beatstick.
Eva held the jewel reverently in her hand. She had seen the card before, but had never imagined the physical version would be so beautiful. The red stone was a work of superb craftsmanship, perfectly cut with no visible flaws. Eva could feel the mana emanating from it in great waves.
"I see you are interested by my goods," said a voice. It was deep, but warm and had a slight hiss (1) to it, rolling the 's' sounds like a river rolling the pebbles. "Look, but don't touch, please."
Eva looked up to see an old viashino standing in front of her. Like all viashino, he had a reptilian appearance: scaly skin, pointed face, and slotted eyes. He was completely bald, except for the back of his head where a few gray wisps of hair remained. He wore a dark green robe that covered most of his shoulders, leaving the arms free. It reached to the ground and the tip of a tail poked out from the back. He also wore a plain belt and had a black bracelet on his left wrist.
"I was just looking," said Eva "That is a Mox Ruby, isn't it?"
"Ah, you have a good eye," said the old viashino "A powerful artifact that is, but I'm afraid I can't sell it to just anybody. It contains powerful magic that could be devastating in inexperienced hands."
"Are you a summoner, Mr.…?"
"Drokh," said the viashino "And yes, I am, Miss…?"
"Pezrokov, Eva Pezrokov," she said.
"And what brings you to Shiv, Miss. Pezrokov?" asked Drokh.
"My friends and I," said Eva, indicating Charles and Erik who were browsing a few stands away "Are looking for a guide to lead us across the desert to the mountains on the other side."
"The Shivan Cordillera?" asked Drokh "And what is your business there? Nothing in those mountains but dragons and goblins, not a place I'd like to visit."
"I'm sorry, but that's our business," said Eva.
"As you wish," said Drokh "If you need a guide, I may be able to help you."
Just then, another viashino came up to them. He was far younger than Drokh and wore a dark red cloak whose sleeves were ripped in many places. There was a quarterstaff strapped to his back.
"Good morning, uncle," he said in a pleasant voice.
"Ah, Jas'Khar," said Drokh "Just in time! Miss Pezrokov, meet my nephew, Jas'Khar."
"Hello," said Jas'Khar "You may call me Jas, most people do."
"Eva is looking for a guide to lead her party to the Shivan Cordillera," said Drokh.
"The Cordillera?" asked Jas, frowning "What for?"
"As I told your uncle," said Eva "That's our business."
"All right," said Jas, a bit taken aback by Eva's rude tone "If you want, I can help you find someone."
"That would be great," said Eva "Thank-you very much." She called Charles and Erik over and introduced them to Jas and Drokh.
"I thought you said there were four people," said Drokh.
"Our last member is paying our voyage fare," said Charles.
"So where are you from?" asked Jas as they bided Drokh farewell and left the market.
"We sailed in from Jamurra this morning," lied Charles.
"Ah, the great continent," said Jas "I visited it several times during my travels. I'm a wanderer and I adore traveling around Dominaria. There probably isn't a region I haven't visited at least once, well, save the Cabal."
"I thought viashino were a tribal species," said Charles.
Jas gave a small hissing laugh. "I am not like most of my cousins," he said "I long for adventure and would quickly die of boredom if I remained in one place forever."
"So do you know the desert well?" asked Eva.
"Fairly well," answered Jas "Unfortunately, I cannot guide you since I am leaving on another voyage with my uncle soon. Don't worry, we'll find a guide. In here," he added, indicating a door leading into a building.
As they descended into the ground, their eyes took a while to get used to the gloom of the room. When they could see clearly, they found themselves in a small tavern. Unlike their previous encounters with pubs, this one was actually quite nice. The room had a low, domed ceiling with a circular bar in the center. The packed dirt floor looked fairly clean, for dirt that is, and the air was not quite as smoky as some of other taverns they had been in. The lightning was provided by a small sunlight over the bar. It provided sufficient illumination to see where your drink was, but that was about it.
Several alcoves around the room held tables and a dozen rickety tables were dispersed around the room. On each table, a candle stump lodged in the neck of a bottle provided a feeble, flickering light for the table's occupants.
The pub wasn't cram packed, but here and these a few groups sat at their tables or at the bar, conversing in their own native tongues. Most were viashino or goblins, but a few humans were present. There were even a few dwarves at one table, laughing uproariously over their tankards.
"Charles! Eva! Over here!" yelled a familiar voice from the bar. Perplexed, they approached the bar to find Khell seated in front of a large pint.
"Khell? What are you doing here?" asked Eva.
"As soon as I left the ship, I knew I had to whet my whistle," said Khell "Bloody heat's left me as parched as a Dehydrate spell. Hello," he added, noticing Jas'Khar "Whom've we got here?"
"I am Jas'Khar, but you can call me Jas," he said "Khell, is it? Khell Dracos? I've heard about your exploits during the Phyrexian Invasion."
"Didn't know my fame carried all the way out here," chuckled the Keeper.
"Actually," said Jas "I heard about you on one of my stays in Yavimaya."
"A roaming viashino?" said Khell "Even after living my entire life in Dominaria, I still find out things that surprise me."
"Dominaria never ceases to amaze me either," said Jas.
"So, are you our guide?" asked Khell.
"Unfortunately, no," said Jas "I am only here to help you find one. Here," he said to the others "Sit and have a drink. I'm going to scout for a guide."
As Jas left, Khell gathered the others around him to discuss their plans.
"Equipment-wise," he said "We're not ready. I've been doing some recon and there are quite a lot of things we'll need to buy: water skins, rations, desert gear, and so on. However, since I don't have much gold and the guide will probably cost us quite a bit, we'll buy only water and food."
"I really think this is a waste of time," said Erik "Why don't we just summon some fliers and get to the mountains in a few hours?"
"Why don't we just start yelling, 'we are summoners!' from the rooftops?" asked Charles sarcastically "Get it in your head: we want to avoid drawing attention to ourselves."
"I didn't mean in plain sight," said Erik "Do it out of sight."
"It's a desert," said Khell "Very flat. If we tried your idea, someone would spot us, no matter the distance."
"In other words," said Eva "Quit whining!"
"Well, excuse me for trying to think out of the box!" snapped Erik. He got up and stormed out of the bar.
"That was unnecessary," said Khell to Charles and Eva.
"I'm sorry," said Eva "But right now, I can't put up with him."
"Well, you're going to have to," said Khell "If we just keep pushing Erik away it's not going to help him accept his spirit! Put your animosity aside for now and let's work as a group for once!"
An awkward silence followed between the summoners. It was broken when Jas returned, looking pleased.
"I found someone," he said "A viashino runner by the name of Shal'Narth. I told him about your request and he's agreed to lead you across the desert."
"What about the price?" asked Khell.
"You may have to barter a bit, but I think you can come to a deal in your affordable range," said Jas.
"Well, let's meet him then," said Khell.
Jas led them through the pub to an alcove where a viashino was seated in front of a plate of meat. He was slightly smaller than Jas and wore leather shorts with a black belt. Hanging from the belt was a short sword in a leather sheath. His yellow eyes followed the summoners as they sat at his table.
"Shal'Narth," said Jas "These are the humans I told you about."
"So," said Shal, accentuating the 's' sounds "You wish for me to guide you across the desert? I can do this, for a price."
"Name it," said Khell.
"Twenty gold pieces a day," said the viashino.
"Twenty? We got here from Jamurra for seventy!" exclaimed Charles "And that took us several days!"
"Five a day," said Khell.
"You insult me!" said Shal "Eighteen, not one less."
"Ten," offered Khell "And we provide food and water."
"Fifteen, plus food and water," said Shal "And you have a deal.
"Thirteen, take it or leave it," said Khell "I'm sure we can find someone else for that price."
"Fine," said the viashino in mock resignation "I will require at least two days' pay in advance."
"Deal," said Khell, extending his hand. The viashino grabbed it with his clawed hand and they shook, sealing the deal. Khell dug out twenty-six gold pieces and handed the to Shal, who immediately pocketed the gold.
"We leave tonight. We'll travel at night to avoid the heat. Meet at twilight at the east gate," said Shal before returning to his food, signaling the conversation was over. The summoners got up and left the tavern with Jas.
They spent the rest of the day shopping for supplies. Once again, Jas'Khar proved useful as he managed to lower the price of the goods they bought through intense bargaining in the hissing Sandspeak of the viashino people.
When the sun began to set behind the mountains, tainting the sea of red and gold, the summoners made their way to the east gate of the city where Shal'Narth was waiting for them impatiently.
"No weapons?" he remarked "I may look strong, but I cannot guarantee I will defend you against any attack."
"We won't need any weapons," said Khell "Jas'Khar," he added, turning to the other viashino "Thank-you for all your help. I hope we meet again in the future."
"As do I," said Jas'Khar "For my part, I will continue to voyage across Dominaria, learning all there is to learn."
"Thanks a lot, Jas," said Eva.
"I wish there was some way we could repay you," said Charles.
"Don't worry about it," said Jas "I'm just glad I could help you. May you find your heart's desire."
"Farewell, Jas'Khar," said Khell "May your scales never cease to shine."
After saying good-bye to everyone, Jas returned to the streets, heading for his uncle's shop.
"Now, none of you have anything made of lizard skin, right?" asked Shal'Narth "The viashino don't take kindly to people skinning their cousins."
"We knew that before we came here," said Khell.
"Fine," said Shal "Let's go."
The troupe passed through the gates and walked through the encampments on the outskirts of the city. As they came over a rise, the desert appeared to them, an immensity of sand separating them from the distant mountain peaks of their destination. Looking back one last time at the city behind them, they began their trek through the innumerable sand dunes as the last rays of the sun disappeared and the first stars began to shine in the dark sky.
To be continued…
Author's Note: This marks the end of the mini one-update-a-day challenge. Now we go back to regular updates, which is whenever I feel like it.
For those wondering, yes, Jas'Khar is the same character than the one in the Academy. No, I will not give your character from the Academy a cameo in the story unless you give me a very good reason and if I can fit them in without distorting the plot too much.
Until next time, Zai jian
(1) To spare my readers and myself, I have omitted the extra 's' letters whenever a viashino speaks. Add three or four 's' each time you see the letter to get a better idea of what it would sound like.