Monty's Master – Part 14

The briny scent and the soft breeze brushing through his hair felt nice after the day he'd had, though Monty seemed to think otherwise.

"Did we really have to come all the way here?" he asked, wrapping his arms around his body with a shiver.

Perry watched the boats swaying gently between the ropes that held them to the shore and the waves that beckoned them back out to sea.

"Look, there's no one else here! I bet even the fish are asleep!"

Perry pulled a pair of binoculars from inside his jacket and climbed to the top of a wooden pole.

Monty groaned and trudged over to him. "What exactly are we looking for anyway?"

Perry didn't answer.

"All this for some stupid arrow? What's this got to do with our mission?"

"Anything can become a clue if you know just where to look," Perry said.

He fixed his eyes on a small black flag that was barely visible against the dark sky, behind the cluster of masts and antennas.

The closer they got it became quite obvious what they were looking for. It must have been the only wooden ship in the entire dock, not to mention the three square-shaped red sails hinged by bamboo strips, or the prow sharp as the point of a spear. The small cabin windows carried out a dim light and a murmur of voices.

Monty gazed up and tripped with a loud clatter over a bucket filled with bait.

The voices subsided.

"Who put this here?" Monty grunted, shaking off his leg.

Perry grabbed his arm and pulled him behind some stacked wooden crates, just before the cabin door flew open.

"Once again, it was a pleasure doing business with you!"

That was definitely Doctor Bringdown's voice, though they couldn't quite see his face behind the dark hood. He was accompanied by two larger men who did not appear to be from around the area, nor did the young man whose hand he was shaking. He had long braided hair and wore a black robe with golden motifs, as well as a quiver of arrows strapped to his back.

"I can't believe it... So you were actually on to something," whispered Monty.

"So we got ourselves a deal, everything stays between us, yes?" asked Bringdown.

"I only ask the same in return," said the young man, bowing slightly.

He took a quick look around, pausing briefly at the overturned bucket, before retreating into the cabin.

Doctor Bringdown waited a moment, then turned to one of the two men and handed him a long thin package wrapped in what appeared to be a roll of old parchment.

The Doctor tucked his hands in his sleeves and walked ahead of the others, casting a disgusted look at the earthworms on the edge of the platform.

"Come on, they're getting away!" said Monty.

Perry pulled him back down. He gazed at the flag flapping loudly, proudly displaying its golden insignia: a dragon and a serpent coiled around each other as if in some fierce battle or a rather unusual dance.

It looked familiar somehow, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Agent P?"

"I need to check on something first," Perry said, standing up.

They carefully crossed the narrow gangplank and stopped in front of a wooden door.

"Can I?" asked Monty who was practically bouncing on his feet.

"Go ahead," Perry said with a slight wave of his hand.

Monty backed up, zipped his way to the door, and gave it a kick that nearly knocked it off its hinges.

The young man stared at them. He was in the middle of counting his money over a rickety table and didn't seem to appreciate being interrupted.

"Who are you? What do you want?" he demanded.

"We could ask you the same thing," Monty said in a low voice but which was immediately accompanied by an excited smile, "Agent P, how was that for a comeback?"

Perry shrugged. "A bit standardized, but why fix what's not broken?"

The confusion on the young man's face only deepened.

"Look, we don't mean trouble," Perry said calmly. "We just want to ask you a few questions about one of your... clients."

The young man glanced down at his bounty, yet touched none of it. Instead, he grabbed the wooden bow propped against the wall, and made a run for a small back door.

Perry and Monty nodded at each other and followed him outside. An arrow flew right between them the moment they set foot on the deck.

"Let me handle this," said Perry, adjusting his hat.

He climbed onto the narrow brim of the hull and ran along without losing his balance and trying to cut the young man's path. The archer shot two more arrows one after the other. Perry spun on his heel, and the first arrow plopped into the water. He leaped into the air and landed on the prow, the second arrow piercing the sail of the nearest fishing boat.

The archer backed away and could scarcely see the two boots collide with his chest, sending him flying back about ten feet.

He picked himself up, frantically looking for his bow, which had slid near the side of the ship, and barely had time to block Perry's second blow.

Perry took a step back. Even though the impact hadn't been strong enough to knock him off his feet, he could tell that his opponent had a few moves of his own. Good. This was getting boring.

They started throwing punches and swinging their legs at each other. Perry dodged each time, but his opponent was not as well coordinated. He was shifting his weight from one foot to the other, trying to guess Perry's next move, but seemed unable to make up his mind. So it was easy for Perry to circle him, hitting him squarely between the shoulder blades and sending him face down.

"Yeah, he's got more than just mad skill," Perry quickly looked up at Monty who was unmistakably chanting as he bounced and rolled on top of the cabin, shaking what appeared to be a mop head, "he's got an iron will, nerves of steel and several other metal-themed attributes! Yeah! He is Perry, Perry the-"

"Um, what are you doing?"

Monty lowered the mop and glanced over the edge, "I'm cheering you on, what does it look like?"

Perry blinked. "Please don't."

A few moments of inattention, however, had been enough for their assailant to sneak up and retrieve his bow, and when Perry turned to face him, he was already ready to shoot; only he didn't target him at all, but aimed the arrow upwards.

Monty let out a yelp and the mop was knocked out of his hand. He turned to watch it sink into the deep with a rather vacant expression on his face.

Perry shifted his gaze from Monty to the archer. His eyes narrowed into slits.

"Alright, I'm done playing," he muttered and ran straight in the direction the arrows were coming from. They were swift, but Perry was swifter.

The archer's hands began to tremble as he pulled out his last arrow, which Perry caught in mid-flight and tossed back, pinning the archer by the collar to one of the masts.

The archer looked straight at him and repeated in horror, "W-who are you?"

"I'm afraid that information is classified," Perry said, brushing some non-existent dust off his shoulder.

"Now that's a comeback!" Monty said, landing next to him.

Perry gave him a quick once-over, turned his attention back to the mast, and added softly, "I'm going to ask you one more time: Where do you know that man?"

The archer struggled a little, but seeing no way out, he let his shoulders hang and murmured, avoiding their eyes, "It's as you said, just a client, I don't know anything about him."

"Then you can tell us what was in that package," Monty demanded.

"That's between me and him!"

"Well, we've got ways of making people talk," Monty declared, turning to Perry for suggestions.

Perry moved closer until their faces were inches apart. "Try to be a little more cooperative and maybe this whole incident can stay between us."

The archer looked Perry in the eye and seemed to consider his options.

"Do I have your word?"

Perry nodded, holding his gaze.

The archer sighed, but said definitely, "David Bringdown reached out to us first. He sent a letter to my Master, making a proposal."

"Your master?" asked Monty.

"I belong to an ancient temple well versed in martial arts. Our walls are impenetrable so we house many precious artifacts."

"I see," Perry said, taking another look at the flag. "So your Master declined the offer."

The archer scowled. "Master is a fool! With that kind of cash, he could have built another temple, wall and everything! And that rusty old thing was only gathering dust anyway! I'm not even sure if it works or if the stories are true! At least half of our artifacts turn out to be fakes."

"And what if it turns out it's not?" Perry asked. "Have you ever stopped to consider what would happen then?"

"Listen, what Bringdown does with the scepter is none of my business! I did my part!"

Perry shook his head. "I'm sure your Master would be very disappointed right now."

"Whatever, what he doesn't know won't hurt him, and I intend to keep it this way. So, do we have an agreement then?"

"Very well. I guess you told us what we needed to know," Perry said and reached for the arrow.

"Wait!" cried Monty. "Are we really letting him off?"

"I gave my word and he kept his," said Perry, yanking the arrow so that the archer went rolling to the ground. "Besides, he's no use to us now."

The archer stood up, cursing under his breath.

"I suggest you get out of here as soon as you can," Perry said, handing him back the arrow. "From what I heard your presence isn't exactly appreciated." And he turned around without giving him a second thought.

But Monty continued to eye him suspiciously as he slowly backed away, which almost caused him to fall overboard.

The archer simply quirked an eyebrow.

"I still can't believe you just did that," Monty said as they passed a small steamboat.

"Monty, as a spy you will often be put in a position where you have to lie and deceive, the least you can do is keep your word," Perry said.

"Okay, I get it, you want to be the bigger person," said Monty. "But there goes our only proof!"

"Oh, I think I've seen enough already. I reckon it's time we make our first move and pay the Doctor a little visit."

After all, a field trip could only last that long.

"Yes! Finally!" Monty said, slamming his fist into his palm, but then a tiny shadow crossed his face. "Wait, does that mean we have to cancel the rest of the tour with Ash?"

"You aren't going to let me live that down, are you?"