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Directed to, Hadwin Varos
Once again, I am in need of your services. I am in search of a large, round, black stone. A man, by the name of Felix Morgan, has stolen it from me. The last I heard of his whereabouts, he was in Hwurn.
Kill him, spare him. I do not care. Bring me the stone, and you will be paid handsomely.
Do not disappoint me,
J
Hadwin looked up from the letter. He had not been contacted by this mysterious "J" in a while. His eyes drifted across the hardwood floor as he contemplated the words of J. Hadwin folded the letter and pushed it to the back of his desk, before rising from his chair. A pain flared in his left leg as he stood, typical. He had fallen from his ship's mast nine years ago while flying.
Curse that stupid…
He pushed away the bitter thought, there was no use for it.
His left leg fell lower than his right when walking. It used to bother him, not anymore. His eyes wandered over the large map on his wall. His ship was hovering around the outskirts of Alde, a little off from one of the major cities, Skyspire. Hadwin moved slowly to his cabin's door, and pressed his palm around the knob. He pushed the door open and walked up the steps from his cabin, which was beneath the ship's bridge. Hadwin's ears filled with the sound of his crew's chattering.
"Oh shut up! The lot of ya! I just come out of my room and the first thing that greets me is this shit!"
Hadwin threw his hands in the air on the word "shit." He was sick of his crew sitting and doing nothing. Hadwin walked across the front of the deck, his crew standing around him.
"Now… Kennet and Harry, ready the propulsion engines! Pit and James, lower the masts!"
Hadwin walked up the stairs to the bridge of the boat, moving next to his helmsmen, Kieren.
"We are off to Hwurn for business."
Kieren looked at Hadwin and nodded, his hand moving down to the switches beneath the wheel. Hadwin watched as his helmsmen turned up the already burning engines, and then the ship began to move. He patted Kieren on the shoulder and then began walking to the front of the bridge, in front of the ship's wheel.
"We are taking a stop in Hwurn!" Hadwin's words were followed by a loud cheer. Hadwin could not help but crack a smile as he drowned out the loud purring of his ship, The Magnus Deus. Hadwin leaned his hands against the bridge's railing, observing his men. He did not think of it often, but he had a good group of men on his ship. They worked hard and did not complain… Mostly.
Hadwin stepped away from the railing and walked over towards the back of the bridge, his eyes roaming across the pink skies of Lurathos.
They were a few days off from Hwrun, so Hadwin had some free time. After directing his men a few more times, he moved back to his cabin. Hadwin looked up at the map hanging on his wall, above his desk. Hwurn was close to Alde, so he did not have to worry about any fuel stops. Hadwin slowly sat down into his desk chair, groaning like an old man. Hadwin was only thirty-six, but he looked much older. The unkempt beard, and long slick-backed hair probably did not help. Hadwin had not really looked at himself in a while, it could not be that bad.
He leaned forward in his chair, and grabbed the letter he had previously folded up, re-reading it once again.
Felix Morgan eh? What kind of name is Felix?
Hadwin imagined a scrawny man, someone he could easily overpower. He would have no trouble dealing with a small coward. Hadwin caught himself before his ego could build him up anymore. He had to be ready for anything. Yet, he was excited, he loved doing what he did.
-
The Magnus Deus was much closer to Hwurn now, only around half an hour away. If you were to squint off in the distance, you would be able to see the floating cities of Hwurn that it was most famous for. Traders and aspiring merchants rallied here from across Lurathos in hopes of becoming rich… it never worked. Hadwin remembered the first time he ever visited Hwurn. He was only sixteen, his parents had both died, and he wanted to start a new life. Now he was respected, and feared. Something he had always wanted.
Hadwin rose from his desk, shoving aside the papers he had previously been working on. He knew how close he was to Hwurn now, it was time. He lowered himself onto a knee, suppressing a groan because of the pain in his left leg, and slipped his hand onto the handle of his desk's cabinet. He pulled open the small compartment, a small smile grew on his face as he observed what was inside. Hadwin picked up the revolver inside. It was old fashioned compared to today's standards, but it had served him a good twenty years, and he was not about to replace it. When Hadwin was bored, he often used his knife to engrave images onto the handle of the gun. It was almost full now, filled with images of ships, faces, or whatever else Hadwin was thinking of at the time. He laid a hand on the side of the desk and pushed himself back up, slipping the revolver into his coat pocket. The sound of The Magnus Deus' engine quieting told Hadwin that they had docked. He walked towards his cabin door, preparing himself. Hadwin pushed open his door and walked up the steps. Some of his crew were sitting down, or resting, a few were still standing. His helmsman, Kieren, had come down from the bridge and stood beside Hadwin.
"We are here Captain"
Hadwin almost chuckled at Kieren's words.
"I know that." Hadwin spoke to his helmsman before turning to the rest of the crew, who by now, had all gathered around him.
"We are looking for a merchant named Felix Morgan, he stole something that belongs to one of my friends, and we are getting it back!"
He had a crew of thirty-two, not counting him. He could have groups of two patrol around the main market areas, but Hwurn was a large place, so it would take some time.
"Pit, come 'ere" Hadwin pointed at the burly bald man standing with the others, who then started walking towards Hadwin.
"You're with me, alright?"
Pit merely nodded, he never talked much. Hadwin began walking to the edge of the ship, the railing disconnecting towards the center of the ship. He pressed his finger down on a small button atop the railing, and a platform began protruding from the side of the ship. The platform stopped when it landed against the docks of Hwurn, allowing Hadwin to walk down it. There were few other ships around the Magnus Deus. Kieren had purposely docked in the poorer side of Hwurn. It was smart, they would draw less attention, and someone who knew they were being hunted would stay away from crowded areas. The docks of Hwurn were not well taken care of, the electric magnets holding the ships in place were old, and the walkways leading from the docking area had trash everywhere. Hadwin made sure not to step in the puddles of oil and muck littering the floors as he walked away from his ship, Pit right behind him. He noted the uneasy looks from some of the people around the docks, of course they recognized him. It was slightly annoying, but maybe it would help him in the long run. Hadwin could have gone alone, but he needed insurance. Pit was his insurance that no moron would try to mug him, Hadwin only felt like killing one man today. Pit was a little over seven feet tall, and looked like he could snap the average man in half. The walkway that Hadwin was following filled with more people the longer he walked, causing him some slight annoyance. Hadwin was nice to his crew, but make no mistake, he was not a people person. The people of this side of Hwurn looked like they were part rat. Hadwin made eye contact with an older man leaning against one of the many buildings in Hwurn. He wore a tattered coat and looked to be covered in shit. Hadwin chuckled at the sight, he had once been in that very same situation, Hwurn was known for crushing dreams. The walkway Hadwin and Pit followed soon funneled into a trade circle. Merchants were lined up in a large circle around the square. Merchants stood beside their small stall, with most of their stock by their feet. There was a variety of people here, children, older men and women, young people thinking they have hit it big. Hadwin had seen it so many times before, everything in Hwurn ended in misery.
Hadwin stood still, observing the square. If Felix was anywhere, it was probably here. He walked in between the stalls, with Pit following him. There was a little under four feet between each stall, and Hadwin hated this. He had to push by dozens of people just to move a few feet forward. Pit was no longer directly behind him, but he could at least still see his head above the crowds between them. There was a lapse in the crowd, which Hadwin quickly rushed towards, ignoring the pain in his leg as he moved swiftly. As he pushed his way into the clearing between the stalls he made eye contact with a smaller man also heading the same way as him. Hadwin would have brushed this interaction off if the man had not immediately dropped the bag he was holding and ran the other way, no doubt recognizing him as Captain Varos.
Thats him.
Hadwin broke into a sprint, forgetting he was almost forty and regretting it dearly. The pain flared up his left leg as he ran, but he had to push through it. Hadwin shoved a person down onto the ground as he chased who he presumed was "Felix." The other man ran out from the trade square out onto the narrow streets, shoving a person down into the ground. Hadwin felt something get mashed down beneath his feet as he ran. He did not look back, but judging by what was happening, he probably just smushed someone's face into a red pasty pulp. Hadwin chased Felix down the street, but Felix was just slightly faster than Hadwin. He would have to play dirty if he wanted to catch him, before Hadwin could pull out his gun, he watched the man ahead of him trip on an uneven piece of ground. Hadwin's smile grew larger as he watched the man fall, no doubt jamming his foot. Hadwin flew to a stop and practically threw himself onto the man who was laying on the dirty ground of Hwurn. His fist clenched around the man's collar and pulled him upward.
"Where is it?" Hadwin practically spat on the man as he yelled in his face. The man held his hands in front of his face, cowering. Hadwin held him there for a moment, and upon deciding the man would not answer without motivation, he began to drag him towards the alley near his right. Hadwin threw Felix against the hard alley wall.
"You are alone now, no one is coming to save you." Hadwin chuckled as the man seemed to almost curl up into a ball.
"I know you have it Felix, give it to me!" The man did not answer, and so Hadwin lifted up his right arm, and pushed it against the wall. He held one side down, and began pushing his wrist in the opposite direction, producing a haggard yell of pain from Felix, his free hand pathetically slamming against Hadwin's arm.
"Do I need to tell you what happens next if you do not give me- what I am asking for?" Hadwin raised his voice at the man.
"I-i-i d-dont have it." Felix almost whimpered like a dog as he spoke. Hadwin's contempt for this man grew as he shamelessly lied. He inched his wrist forward just slightly, causing the smaller man to push himself against Hadwin in pain.
"Are you seriously lying to me?" Hadwin began chuckling as he pondered this dog's stupidity. Hadwin pulled his wrist forward tightly, relishing the sound of the bone snapping in the man's arm and his screams. He allowed himself to take pleasure from this man's pain, he clearly did not deserve anything more.
"I think I will just take the stone from your dead body." Hadwin pulled his revolver from his coat's inner jacket, beginning to cock it as Felix raised his hands. Felix's broken arm hung against his elbow as he desperately raised it higher.
"I gave it to a kid! I swear, please- I swear I gave it to some kid!" Felix fell into the allies' sullied ground as he swore. Hadwin's interest peaked at this, he raised his gun's barrel against Felix's forehead, enjoying his look of terror before speaking.
"Now you say something actually helpful to your situation- explain."
Hadwin offered the man a chance to explain himself, not expecting much.
"He was young, had dark hair, uh-oh- he said was a cloudsurfer. Said he just started aboard some ship called The Oval Wyvern, I sold it to him!"
Hadwin's temper heightened upon learning that Felix had sold the stone, and to a kid of all people. Hadwin groaned, this guy had made his job so much harder.
"Thank you so very much" He spoke with nothing but contempt before pressing his gun's barrel harder against his forehead.
There was a long moment of silence. Felix contemplated what would happen, what was happening. How long did they sit there?
1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6…
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