[1393] – Y06.293 – Sorrowed Hearts III
I fixed the previous chapter so it's no longer a duplicate chapter! Sorry again!
Mina al-Gabba sprawled across the hills, the endless expanse of the sea beyond. The port town hummed with life, the townsfolk eager to go about their business, the bustling markets, the towering warehouses, the air thick with salt and spice. The stone walls stood tall, built proudly with Aswadic script all along the top. The lighthouse in the distance, the Grand Lighthouse of the Gabba, forged of wood treated with all manner of oils and, perhaps most importantly, magic, loomed tall over the town and the ships.
“You said we have to be careful of-,” Adam began, only to watch as Browns leapt off of Jurot’s shoulder, the group staring at the fat hill rat as it scampered away, only for a blur of black to snatch it out of the air, a lean panther crunching Browns within its maw.
Adam turned to look towards Jurot, who remained glaring at the panther for a long while as it caught his gaze, it glaring back. After a long moment it approached, rubbing its side and back around the Iyrman.
“Looks like he likes you, huh?” Adam said, mourning the loss of Browns, who he had known for a few minutes.
“She does,” Jurot confirmed. He dropped onto the floor, beginning to meditate while the rest of the group checked their carriages and their items, just in case they had spilled something. Once he was done with his meditation, the Iyrman spoke. “You slew my pet.”
“Pet was delicious,” the panther replied.
“You must remain with me until you pay the debt, or I will kill you in return.”
“If you wish to hunt, I like it.”
“I hunt great sky wyrms, not little kittens like you,” Jurot warned, glaring down into her eyes, the panther’s eyes no longer a glare, rather she brushed her jaw along his knee.
“Black Cat, are you causing trouble?” the guard atop the gate asked, placing a foot on top the half wall in front of him, adorned in scale and wielding a longspear, with a shield and crossbow hidden behind the half wall.
“No,” Jurot replied back.
“No,” Dunes translated.
“Is she accompanying you now, Iyrman?”
“Yes.”
“Be careful with that one, she’s quite the biter. She bit ol’ Saeed’s hand almost clean off, we had to ask some of the local Priests for some emergency healing. The Mulazim was so mad, we had to pay so much out of our budget for that idiot, but what can you do when he’s a son of a merchant?”
“He says to be careful,” Dunes translated.
“What else did he say?”
“A story about Black Cat biting Saeed’s hand clean off, then the Mulazim was upset because he had to use so much of the budget.”
Jurot let out a grunt of understanding. “Inform him I bite back harder.”
“Please,” Adam added.
Dunes chuckled, while Black Cat looked up towards the Iyrman, who could still speak with animals for the moment.
“I will not call you Black Cat,” Jurot said. “I will call you Blacks.”
“Fine.”
The group entered within the town, noting the bustling town, while the half elf tried to spot any ne’er do wells, before considering what a ne’er do well looked like. ‘It must be that woman selling baskets. Only ne’er do wells sell baskets.’
“Blacks, with me,” Jurot said.
“What did you call her?”
“Blacks.”
“You can’t call her that.”
“Why not?”
“Hugging, raging, naming, these are your domains,” the half elf replied, though that wasn’t the reason he disliked the name. “I mean, I’m happy to take naming from you, but what would Jirot say?”
When Adam made a face that denoted he was his daughter’s father, Jurot’s heart stirred from the annoyance. “Kalee.”
“What does that mean?”
“Black.”
“I don’t want to hear how you’re better at naming than me any longer,” Adam said, holding up a finger to suggest he was serious about his words. “You could have called her the name of a legendary figure.”
“It is the name of a legendary figure,” Jurot replied.
“There’s a legendary figure named Black?”
“Your second name is Fate.”
Adam considered Jurot’s words for a moment. “I withdraw my complaint. What was she like?”
“Strong.”
“How strong?”
“She lived thousands of years ago, and at that time, she was considered the undisputed warrior of her age. For a century the woman, from those who the Aswadians may claim descended from, wielded a blade so legendary, so beautiful, so powerful, yet we do not know of the blade, other than considering it to be greater than even Legendary Enhanced. She wielded such a fine blade against the dragons which ruled, and stopped them from making moves for her entire life. Then, when she passed…”
“The dragons moved?”
“Yes.”
“Yeah…” Adam let out a long sigh. “Does one of the dragons have the sword then?”
“It is assumed.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
As they made their way through the main road of the town, they veered to one side upon Dunes’ request, approaching towards the domed building that was a large estate, a four beht inn, the kind with guards adorned in breastplate at the front, eyeing up the figures as they approached. As Adam jumped out, he noted Dunes paused, before the Aswadian stepped forward.
“Mo,” the guard greeted respectfully, saluting the Brother, the woman beside him doing the same. The guard, who held a neutral face at first, smiled in that way. “Mo, you must understand.”
“I forgot,” Dunes replied with his own awkward smile. He glanced aside to his companions, then to the Lion King, who would be able to bypass such a requirement, but as he rubbed the side of his neck in thought, he decided to let it go. “I understand that you have a reputation to hold.”
“Shukhur, Arya bless you, Mo.”
“Arya bless you,” Dunes said, gesturing with his hands, before stepping away. “Sorry. This place is particular in who it accepts.”
“What does that mean?”
“We are not well dressed enough, unfortunately,” Dunes said, before reaching up to run a finger and thumb along his beard. “Not myself, of course.”
“What? Don’t look at me like that, I look good. Great, in fact. My wife thinks I’m the most handsome man in the world!”
“Yes, I am certain she does.”
“Alright, well…” Adam shrugged his shoulders. “Where do we go?”
“It is no problem, we could head to the temple,” Dunes said, only to see the half elf’s eyes. “We could find another inn, one that is not quite so heavy upon our pouches?”
“Dunes! I’m rich!” Adam half exclaimed the words and he eyed up the nearby guards. “I want an inn even more expensive than this one.”
“There is no inn more expensive inn than this one, for it is considered a four beht inn, but that is the minimum price, and does not include the food, which is delicious.”
“I’ll buy the inn.”
“You cannot afford…” Dunes paused, considering Adam’s wealth for a long moment. “At this time you cannot afford it.”
“How much would it cost?”
“I do not know.”
“Hey-,” Adam began.
“Cringe,” Jurot stated.
Adam’s jaw dropped for a moment as he met Jurot’s eyes, before he shut his mouth. ‘It’s not cringe to outshine rich pricks.’
Adam continued to fume even as they settled within another inn, one completely wooden, but with a much livelier atmosphere, to the point even the obvious ne’er do wells were completely relaxed, including a particular fool of a father ne’er do well who spoiled the chonky blue girl with dessert.
“Mo! Shukhur, it is good to see you!” a stranger called, approaching Dunes. He wore fairly typical robes, with a hat that was not formed into a turban for once, though it was covered in silver thread. “We met ten years ago, when the storm rolled through, on the ship, umm…”
“The Mulazim with the…” Dunes motioned towards his head vaguely and the stranger smiled, nodding his head. “How do you do?”
“Shukhur, I am well,” the stranger replied, clasping Dunes’ hands. “Your prayers worked wonders for my parents, they have reunited, and I have two more siblings.”
Dunes suddenly recalled who this fellow was, smiling wide. “Aryashukhur, many blessings to you, your parents, your siblings, and…”
“Not yet, Mo, not yet. My father keeps telling me, he says, well, he does not call me by my name, he calls me bastard of a dog, not Nabil, not noble or honourable.” Nabil shook his head, holding up his hands, as though to say what could he do to his father? “I work at the docks, though, it does not pay much silver, but I am able to bring fish back to my family, a small basket each day.”
“Fish is very good for the body,” Dunes said, smiling wide.
“Mo, let me buy you and your friends some tea, yes?”
“Ah, no, no, we were going to buy everyone else tea,” Dunes said, not wishing to take what little coin this fellow had.
“I will buy you all tea, you will buy everyone else tea,” Nabil said.
“Nabil, was it?” Adam asked.
“Shukhur, Mo, that is my name, not bastard of a dog,” Nabil confirmed.
“I will pray for-,” Adam began, before blinking. “My wife will pray that you find someone.”
“Shukhur, Mo,” Nabil replied, noting his amulet, but smiled.
Dunes leaned in to whisper something into the man’s ear. Nabil suddenly straightened up, rubbing a finger along his collar, his eyes darting to Adam, his brain frozen solid for a long moment.
“Shukhur,” Nabil said, with far more fervour. “Many blessings to you, Mo!”
Adam smiled, glancing aside to Dunes. “What did you say?”
“I informed him of who your wife was.”
Adam grinned wide, flushing slightly red. “Shukhur, you are truly so wise Mo.”
“It is why you pay me the big bucks.”
Adam laughed, and because he didn’t have to hand over the gems, he continued to laugh. As they settled in, the half elf thought about using his magic to contact Korin and Sara.
‘Man, I can’t wait to meet them again,’ Adam thought, glancing aside to Lani. ‘Hehehe!’
PATREON LINK
This is why we pay him the big bucks.