I didn’t end up testing my new spell on the unwitting Sinbad. We ended up catching up with the Merchant shortly outside the city gates, and Sinbad and Ani kept the man calm as we escorted him back to his wife’s inn. In the face of the Merchant’s sniveling, the only thing keeping me from cursing him with Transformation was a recollection of the amount of money we’d be granted upon returning to the end that evening. I may freely admit that I carefully picked my way around and avoided battles when I could, but even Ember would admit I wasn’t that cowardly.
Jasmine greeted her husband with a loud smack to the back of the head before smiling at Sinbad and me, giving us a sincere “Thanks for saving my idiotic husband.”
“You’re welcome,” we said, a few beats off. Ani twisted around her feet, begging for food.
She pried a hefty sum of cash from her husband and informed us our beds from the previous nights were still available. “No cost to you two, of course. So long as I own this inn, you won’t have to pay here.”
A quick glance at the waning sunlight outside had us accepting her offer. We’d never make it in time for the sunset trip to Samarkand. I used the salve on myself, offering up the rest to Sinbad, who took it gratefully, promising to return it in the morning. As soon as my door closed, I fell face-first into my bed, wincing as the impact struck the lingering bruises on my chest. I lifted my head as Ani’s paws dug in between my shoulder blades, my skin sliding over bone. He meowed at me, and I sighed.
“Fine.”
With the last reserves of my energy, I sent Cove a quick update on our plans, informing him we were planning to take the earliest Airship possible in the morning.
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Peach sunlight drifted in through the single window adorning my room in the morning, casting a fiery glint over the entire room. I yawned and stretched, sore skin tugging over equally sore muscles. Ani greeted me and jumped to the floor, waiting impatiently by the door.
He vanished before I was fully awake, presumably going off to find himself breakfast or whatever he did during his little excursions. The restaurant area of the inn was half-empty when I arrived, a nice change of pace for the morning. Sinbad sat in a window, a black shadow against the orange sunlight of the rising day. He turned and greeted me with an eager, boyish smile, placing the salve on the table between us. An empty plate sat before him, but he waited patiently as I finished my meal. After Heirs and What Lies Ahead, I took my meals where I could get them.
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Ani met back up with us in the town, nearly tripping me as he made himself known against my legs. Proud of himself, he stretched up my leg to be even more annoying. I picked him up into my arms anyway, keeping him out of further trouble.
The dock for this town was set up similarly to the ones I’d visited as Blaze. At the bottom was the ticket counter, leading to the expansive water ship dock, with layers of bridges and ports lifting in a skyscraper against the sky if they were small enough to fit, airships and spaceships parked on higher levels. If, like most ships, they weren’t small enough to fit, they anchored down above the port, using buoys to transport crew, merchandise, and passenger alike between them. Many of the ships hovering above the water were as large or larger than your average cruise ship, with an equal level of events and activities available.
We may have graduated from being broke to being moderately stable, but Sinbad and I both sighed in relief when we noticed the earliest trip out was also one of the cheapest, on a small ship that went back and forth between the two cities several times a day. Perhaps the nicer ships would have been enjoyable, but the trip was only scheduled to take a few hours, and the extras were not warranted.
A buoy manned by the crew was waiting for us a few stories up, and a few minutes after we arrived, they took us and a few other passengers on the bus-sized buy to a modestly-sized golden winged beauty anchored on the outer edges. The buoy tucked its wings in neatly as it pressed against the side of the airship, a loud clang and a heavy shudder running through the buoy as it locked security into place. Wood creaked beneath my feet as I took my first steps onto an airship, Ani and I straining to look around at the sight. Pink and purple colored striplights ran down the sides of the dock and up the sides of the ship, marking obstacles such as stairs and the railing at the edge of the ship. A clear dome arched around the deck of the ship, allowing perfect sight into the clouds and the sky beyond the dome. The air inside felt temperate, moist but not uncomfortably so. Gentle lights outlined the doors, and bright and clear signs pointed the way to each of the recreation areas. A map stood at the center of the ship, lit proudly.
There weren’t many people yet, and only a few stood by the map, either scanning through it or downloading the available schematics to their suits. As I was closer to a player, I already had access to the ship map, but we approached anyway so Sinbad could add the map to his suit. After a brief discussion, we decided to vacate the area, rightfully assuming that the arriving deck would only get more crowded the closer we got to the time of our leaving. We chose a nice and empty-looking deck on the front of the ship with arched stairways and exotic garden plants that promised a peaceful trip.
It was completely void of other presences when we arrived, but once the ship captain announced our departure, it had filled until nearly ever bench or chair was taken by equally introverted people, who whispered amongst themselves. The area was pretty, but unlike other areas of the ship, there were no games or anything to gain here, meaning it wouldn’t ever be as populated by players as the other areas no doubtedly were.
As the clouds flowed over the dome around our deck, Ani went off to play in the garden. Each time I looked up from the book on my lap, it was to catch him causing trouble as he leaped out from behind trees or under flowers to grab at any unsuspecting passerby’s feet. To his credit, after the initial screech, most seemed amused rather than irritated.