As Colaart and his cronies lay in pools of their own blood and brains from Ren’s sniper fire, the shop workers promptly got to work dispatching the rest of the Scorpion Gang, brutalizing them with shop equipment while they were too stunned by their leader’s death to fight back. Within minutes, the surviving members of the gang were being brought to the shop in chains, their car broken down with its parts to be sold for scrap, and the corpses of the gangsters hauled away on a cart like they were nothing.

“Hm, it seems like those dreadful gangsters have been done in,” said Lulupo.

Ren descended the watchtower to the cheers of Mazurka City’s grateful populace. The people of the town gathered around Ren’s shop to cheer wildly for their heroes.

“Call the feds,” Kowalski said to one of the workers before turning to face the cheering people with a captured gangster in tow.

“Are we sure hiring her’s still the plan?” Roxanne muttered, taking a long swig from her flask. "She seems like a local legend."

“But Shaska said to hire the best in town,” Andy replied.

“I don’t understand, though,” Lulupo wondered aloud. “Where are the city’s police officers? Letting a teenage girl do their job, how gauche.”

One of the shop workers turned to Lulupo and scoffed. “Police don’t do anything. They’re on the take from any two-bit gangster who strolls in here. It’s only thanks to people like Ren that there’s any semblance of peace around these parts.”

Samudra and Carne stood at the edge of the crowd as Shaska bulldozed through the crowd, unbothered by the glares of the townsfolk, her broad shoulders parting them like water. This was done much to the disgust of the Mazurka citizens, not fans of merfolk like much of Middle Losan.

“Eugh! It’s a fish frea–”

“Choke on it,” Shaska chided.

She made her way up to where the shop workers were accepting the townsfolk’s adulation, where Ren had positioned herself front and center in front of the workers. She watched as Shaska forced her way up, mildly taken aback by the eight foot tall merwoman now standing next to her.

“Ain’t you a tall drinka water?” Ren whistled, not missing a beat despite Shaska’s towering, imposing presence.

“Hello there!” Shaska exclaimed, pulling out a business card. “Name’s Shaska, business and bounty hunting extraordinaire! I saw your sniping skills there, and I’m just dying to get you on my ship! Worldwide Smoke needs a long-range figh–”

“Lemme guess, yer the boss o’those people ah talked to earlier and also told no?” Ren interrupted. “Fer one, talent lakh mahn don’t come cheap.”

Shaska pulled out a huge wad of cash.

“But more importantly,” Ren continued, slightly incensed as Shaska put the money away.

“Ah can’t just up’n leave, go be a mechanic fer some… fish freak on some kahnda business venture. Ah gotta protect this town because them crooked cops sure as Hell won’t! And lahk ah told yet assoc’ates there, ah lahk not havin’ a boss!”

Shaska rolled her eyes at the “fish freak” comment, but nonetheless persisted. “Your accent’s thicker than peanut butter, kid,” she muttered, flicking ash off her cigar.

“Besahds, ain’t you that fish freak business lady who ah saw in th’paper yesterday who cheated the feds outta a whole lotta money? Ah kahnda respect that, but ah don’t wanna be dealin’ with any feds unless ah’m collectin’ a bounty.”

“Maybe…”

“So, what’s yer issue?” Ren asked. “Yer friends there said ya got an airship fer me to work on?”

“Yeah, damage to the envelope of the balloon. I parked it not too far from here,” Shaska said. “Got my face on either side, you can’t miss it.”

Ren nodded, then turned to leave. However, Shaska stopped her.

“Oh, uh, one more thing, kid,” she said.

Ren cocked an eyebrow and turned to face Shaska, who leaned down to her eye level.

“Shaska the Greedy always gets her target. Remember that,” Shaska growled, blowing smoke in the teenager’s face.

Ren rolled her eyes, then turned and headed back to the shop to procure supplies to fix the balloon envelope of a zeppelin. The crowd began to disperse, as did the other shop workers. Shaska was left standing there, brow furrowed, as the rest of Worldwide Smoke began to approach her.

“Well, now what?” Carne asked, eyes transfixed to Shaska’s rear end, much to the visible disgust of Andy, Roxanne, and Lulupo.

“Try not to make it too obvious, kid,” Shaska muttered. “Anyway, come the Fires Below or high water, I’m getting that girl to work for me. I just need to figure out how…” She thought for a minute. “Mrrrr… dammit! If she can’t be bought… mrrrr…” She puffed her cigar and stomped her foot in frustration. “Aaaargh! Okay! Y’know what? New plan for now. I’m gonna find someone to man the steering wheel and read navigation charts so the rest of us don’t have to.”

“How’re you going to do that?” Roxanne asked.

Shaska sighed and replied with “I’m not sure, message in a bottle.”

Roxanne’s brows furrowed, trying to make sense of Shaska’s strange expressions.

“Surely, there’s gotta be some kind of shipbuilder’s… union here,” Shaska said, almost choking on the word “union.” “A town like this should have all kinds of people chomping at the bit to fly on an airship and sail the skies. We shouldn’t be able to swing a cat without hitting a navigator!”

“Why would you swing a cat?” Andy asked, somewhat puzzled.

“Alright! Idea time!” Shaska exclaimed, clapping her hands. “Let’s split up again. Prince, you’re coming with me. Everyone else, look for someone to navigate and steer for us! They’ve gotta be around somewhere!”

The group nodded and split into two groups, similar to before, only this time Carne was with Lulupo and the couple. Shaska and Samudra left.

“So, I think I saw a Ferris wheel somewhere in this town when we were driving in. You guys wanna goof off at the carnival instead?” Carne asked, pointing in the direction of the carnival.

He was met with a unanimous “yes”.

----------------------------------------

Shaska and Samudra walked through the streets of Mazurka City along the sidewalk, making sure not to be hit by any cars. Shaska fought the urge to reach for his hand, every step beside him an internal battle. Regardless, they were both met with stares not just due to their heights or Shaska’s fishy nature, but Samudra's ornate clothing; it wasn't often the townsfolk were in the presence of royalty. The streets were newly paved, concrete being a recent technological innovation in place of the cobblestone roads before the Great War.

"So, prince, tell me more about this 'prophecy' in your home kingdom."

"Many years ago, my ancestor, Ta'Gup the First, consulted a wise seer. The seer told him of a dire fate that would befall the Panipuri Kingdom in the future:"

Hear my words well, your highness. Pass this message from generation to generation, so that hopefully the coming tragedy will be minimized.

In several centuries' time, a civil war will come to pass. Many lives will be lost in a succession crisis in the wake of the death of one of your descendants.

Dark forces will be at play; one faction will have sinister influences behind its operations, beyond anything the kingdom has seen before or will ever see again.

In the kingdom's darkest moment, a hero will emerge who will vanquish the darkness and ascend to the throne, leading to an era of glorious prosperity.

May the gods have mercy on us all.

Shaska hung onto every word Samudra spoke, spellbound.

"That hero, I believe, is me. Before I left, my uncle was already acting strangely. It is possible that he has succumbed to the forces of darkness as foretold in the prophecy. According to the papers, his revolutionaries are springing up in every major city after being inspired by our academic class for some time now."

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Fascinating…"

"But, that is enough about me. I would like to learn more about you, Lady Shaska."

Shaska flushed a deep purple. “Oh, uh… I don’t usually like to talk about my past. I prefer to show what I’m made of now.”

“That is quite an admirable quality, Lady Shaska!”

“Yes, well… thank you… I can tell you more about Smoky Mart if you want.”

“Please do!”

----------------------------------------

As Shaska explained the business of her former business, Ren arrived at the Humo Robinson, large roll of canvas and other equipment in tow brought by some of her employees. Schwarz was on the grass outside the gondola, minding his own business, strumming his guitar and singing a jazz song popular in speakeasies.

“It’s always been you

Though I may not have known it

I wish I’d strayed true

And I pray I haven’t blown it”

Ren laid eyes on Schwarz, who looked up and met her gaze. She blushed. “By the Father Above, he’s the most gorgeous man I’ve ever laid eyes on,” Ren thought, momentarily frozen by his gaze, her heart skipping multiple beats.

“Hey,” he said curtly.

“Oh! Hey!” she replied, snapping out of it.

“So, what’re you here for?” Schwarz asked, moving a hand from his guitar to his sword, sheathed at his hip. “Those guns and goons you got there say you might not be friendly.”

“Oh! Uh, no, ah’m friendly!” Ren stammered, waving her hands in front of her face. “Name’s Ren, ah’m a local ship mechanic. Yer boss asked me to come check you, er, ah mean this here airship out.”

Schwarz relaxed his sword arm. “I’m Schwarz. You could call me the first mate of this vessel, as well as de facto navigator.”

“Well… ya mahnd if ah get to work?”

“Go right ahead.”

----------------------------------------

The crew arrived at the traveling carnival on the outskirts of town. Out front was a person in a large potato costume with eyes and limbs. Overhead was an arch with the name of the carnival in big bold letters: ZABA WORLD.

For people like the crew, none of whom except Lulupo had seen a carnival or amusement park before, Zaba World was like paradise sprung from a carnival dream—everything potato-themed, from giant mashed-potato slides to spud-shaped Ferris wheels. It would make for a fun montage if this were a visual medium.

Among all the attractions that the crew had fun with was a fabulous big top advertising the one and only Mrs. Kite for an afternoon of wild acrobatic entertainment. The big top was large, even by circus standards, standing seventy-five feet tall, three hundred feet wide, and seven hundred feet long, made of red and white striped canvas. The crew filed into the seats, and the show began.

At the top of a huge staircase, the spotlights focused on a woman of around six feet in height. She had a shapely figure, clad in a revealing, skin-tight, red and white striped leotard with a poofy miniskirt and feather boa around her neck. Her stunning, somewhat slanted-eyed face was framed by dark, shoulder-length hair. She jumped from the top and grabbed a wire.

The audience marveled as Mrs. Kite flew through the air, doing flips from trapeze to trapeze and through suspended rings of fire. She was met with thunderous applause as she stuck her final landing.

The show ended with a big fanfare from the band, and slowly the audience filed out of the tent. Mrs. Kite waved with a strained smile on her face.

“That was incredible!” Andy cheered.

“Oh, that Mrs. Kite was just lovely. I just have to get makeup tips from her,” said Lulupo, adjusting his glasses. “You darlings go ahead without me. I’ll meet you all back at the Robinson.”

The other three exchanged concerned glances, before finally Carne spoke up with “see ya,” walking off with Andy and Roxanne, but craning his head around one last time to get a look at Mrs. Kite’s shapely figure.

Lulupo attempted to get Mrs. Kite’s attention, but she headed backstage without noticing him, toward an adjacent tent behind the big top. He cut through the stage and the crowd of people to follow her, but he was stopped by two large, burly men as soon as he made it out of view of everyone else. Not as tall as Lulupo, but definitely wider.

“Where do you think you’re going, stretch?” one of them asked.

“Cast and crew only,” said the other.

“Oh, dreadfully sorry,” Lulupo began. “I’m a traveling performer, much like Mrs. Kite, you see, and I would just love to talk to her and your makeup people there about how she became so stunning!”

“What are ya, one of them queers like in Manha or Gokashi?” asked the first guard.

Lulupo’s expression changed from a genuine smile to a forced one through gritted teeth. “Yes, actually.”

“Get outta here, baldy,” the second one said. “Show’s over, go be gay somewhere else.”

“No son of mine is gonna be one of those damn queens!” shouted an imposing, dark-skinned man to a frightened teenage Lulupo.

Lulupo simply sighed, pushed up his glasses, and said “yup.”

With a graceful leap, Lulupo spun and lashed out, his heel striking both men in a blur of movement, sending them crashing through the tent wall. “Sashay away, darlings. Perhaps that kick was enough to knock some manners into the both of you.”

Lulupo fixed his tie and proceeded forward. He was going to see how Mrs. Kite became so stunning so he could improve his own drag routine. He briefly wondered if physically assaulting people for making fun of him was ethical, but as a man working for a wanted criminal, ethics wasn’t his primary concern.

What awaited him behind the big top, however, was something far more unexpected than makeup tips.

----------------------------------------

Andy, Roxanne, and Carne made their way around the rest of Zaba World, checking out all the rides and games. Andy won a giant, stuffed potato with a cartoon face for Roxanne, while Carne was too busy throwing up after a ride on a roller coaster.

In the distance, hiding in the big top, was one of the clowns from Mrs. Kite’s big show smoking a cigarette. He was looking through a pair of binoculars at Andy and Roxanne as they made their way to the Tunnel of Love ride.

“That lady’s pretty cute. She’d make a decent wife for a foreign noble…” he said, pulling out a hand radio. “Look alive, guys, we got a good pair coming in. Try not to rough her up too much.”

“What about the guy?” asked the voice on the other line.

“Eh.”

Andy and Roxanne sat down in the swan boat and it started moving. She leaned into him, and he put his arm around her. They were treated to many heart-shaped lights and loving sounds as the boat proceeded slowly through the tunnel, pulled along by a chain.

“This is nice…” she said, nuzzling into his chest.

“Yeah,” he responded, smiling.

“Y’know, we’re going pretty slow, and the ride looked pretty long from the outside… maybe we could… y’know…”

Andy chuckled and said “absolutely.”

The two leaned in for a kiss, but Roxanne suddenly pulled back, her nose wrinkling in confusion. “Wait… what’s that smell?” The faintest hint of something metallic filled the air, quickly intensifying. She barely had time to process before her vision blurred. “Andy…” she mumbled, her body going limp.

“Roxie!” he exclaimed before passing out as well.

As they fell into each other’s arms, unconscious, the swan boat stopped, and two large men in gas masks came out from doors off to the side marked “maintenance”. They attached large metal collars and chains around the couple’s necks and hauled them off.

The boat exited the tunnel, sans Andy and Roxanne. Carne, who saw the couple go in, was waiting on the other side for them to come out, all while munching on a hot dog. He waited several more minutes for them to come out, but they never did.

“Hm. They must have finished while I was getting my hot dog,” he said, taking the last bite. “Or…”

He asked a random bystander. “Hey, did you see a happy couple exit the Tunnel of Love? About yea high?”

“Lots of couples exit the Love Tunnel. I can’t be expected to keep track of all of them.”

“Hm.” Carne glanced around, unbothered. “Where’d they run off to? Eh, probably wandered off while I was at the hot dog stand.” He rubbed his stomach, oblivious to the danger. ‘Guess I’ll wait for them back at the ship…’”

----------------------------------------

Carne came back to the Robinson, where he found Shaska and Samudra standing around, but no sign of Lulupo or the couple. Ren and her employees were at work, fixing the envelope of the zeppelin. Schwarz was once again strumming his guitar.

“Argh,” Shaska began, blowing some smoke. “We asked around every shop in this damn town and no one wants to work for me because I’m ‘abrasive’ and ‘a wanted criminal’. Blech.” She said the last parts in the most mocking tone she could.

“Yeah, who’da thought employees wouldn’t wanna get tangled up wit th’feds?” Ren asked sarcastically as she hammered a nail into the frame of the zeppelin’s top part. Shaska looked up and glared at her.

“Hey, so, I was just at the carnival and Andy and Roxanne just up and disappeared,” said Carne, looking around nervously.

Shaska puffed on her cigar. “Well, you guys are getting your pay docked for the day, for starters. Told you to look for a navigator and you decided to goof off instead. But, I suppose we should go look for them considering they’re my main money makers these days.”

She looked around, seeing no signs of Lulupo around there, either. “And the bald guy?”

“He went off on his own. But Lulupo can actually defend himself, so I’m not as worried about him.”

“Hey! Pretty boy!” Shaska ordered. Schwarz stopped playing his guitar and looked up. “Go look for the happy couple and the bald pretty boy. I still got business with airship girl here!”

Ren rolled her eyes and began hammering in a different nail. “Unless that ‘business’ involves payin’ me fer fixin’ yer ship, no, you don’t, lady.”

“Everyone has a price, little girl,” Shaska replied, blowing smoke.

Schwarz quickly put his guitar away and departed for the carnival, not wanting any part in any ensuing drama.

----------------------------------------

Lulupo was shocked by what he found: slaves. And lots of them. They were waiting on the performers hand and foot. All of them were wearing heavy metal collars and chains with abject looks of terror on their faces.

“I can’t do this anymore! I can’t be a human slave or a wife for some foreign noble! I have kids at home!” cried a young woman, desperately trying to tear the collar off.

The performer to whom she was attending pulled on the collar’s chain. The chain broke, and the collar exploded, killing her instantly. Lulupo’s normally poised demeanor shattered. His eyes bulged as he clamped a trembling hand over his mouth. “Oh… Serenicus…” he whispered, a wave of nausea rising in his throat. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from the still-smoking remains of the woman.

“Hey! Who’s the bald guy?!” shouted one of the performers. They drew knives and guns and had them trained on Lulupo.

“Oh dear… it seems I’ve wandered into a messy situation…” he muttered, extending his hair to prepare for combat.

In the back was Mrs. Kite, tending to what looked like a very large snake stuck in a cage that was way too small for it. She looked up at Lulupo, though had a hard time maintaining eye contact with him. She moved forward and assumed a fighting stance.

Her voice was steady, but there was an unmistakable tremor beneath the calm. “Please… sir… you need to leave,” she whispered in a thick Orientalian accent, her eyes filled with something akin to regret.

“I’m not going to sit back and watch people be enslaved! Mrs. Kite, from one performer to another, I have to stop this!”

“Sir, please do not call me that. That is not my name,” the woman replied with a single tear streaming down her face.

“Oh? Then what should I call you?”

“Please… My name is… Z-Zinnia,” she replied, almost stumbling over her own name.