The Tales of Astraea

The Flight of the Damned

Captain Dench sat at the bar, nursing a stale beer and wondering how he was going to pay for it. It had been a while since he had a job that made him any real coin, and soon, his crew was going to ask for their pay. That was not a good place to be for a captain, and certainly not for the captain of the Tusktooth. His crew wasn't renowned for their patience.

'Captain Dench?' Dench put his mug down and looked over his shoulder, and then looked down. A dwarf in full plate armor was looking up at him, with a shield on his back and a hammer dangling from his belt. Dench cursed. A fucking paladin, just what he needed. 'No.' he said and turned to his beer again.

'You match the description I was given.' the paladin pressed on and Dench slammed his mug down. 'Buddy, I'm just trying to finish my drink...' The dwarf wasn't intimidated one bit by Dench's bravado. and climbed on the barstool next to him. 'And how are you going to pay for that drink? Word is, captain, you are broke.'

Dench looked the dwarf right in the eyes and bared his tusks, a gift from his orc heritage. Again, the dwarf was far from intimidated. 'How would you like to make 500 gold?' Dench squinted his eyes and looked at the dwarf. Judging by his armor, he was good for it. But nobody paid 500 gold unless there was real danger involved, and Dench might be broke but he didn't have a death wish. But in his current financial situation, he couldn't afford to pass up on it without digging a little deeper. 'What's the catch?' The dwarf grinned. 'Well, let me introduce myself, I am paladin Adrik, of the Hammers of Hederlig order.' Dench cast a look at the hammer dangling from his belt. 'You don't say.'

The dwarf ordered his own drink and another for Dench and they grabbed a table. 'Paladin, I thought you guys had your own ships.' Adrik nodded as he sat down. 'We do, but our fleet is currently bound up elsewhere...' Dench took a sip from his beer. 'So you need a ship?' Adrik nodded again. 'We need to make our way to one of my order's strongholds, at the edge of Covis Kingdom territory.' Dench didn't like the sound of that. There were still a few people looking for him in the Covis Kingdom.

'We are in a hurry, unfortunately, so we need a ship that can diverge from the gravitational currents. Your ship is the only one available at the moment.' Dench really didn't like the sound of that. The gravitational currents dictated the directions in which islands moved, and it was far easier for airships to travel along those. It was also a great deal safer, since there currents were guarded by the Royal Navy. 'How much time do you have to get there?' The dwarf looked at him before answering. 'A week.' Dench whistled. 'That'll mean you want to travel through uncharted territory...no telling what we'll run into.' Adrik put a small bag on the table that made a delightful clinking sound. 'We pay you to assume that risk. I will need passage for me, four of my fellow paladins and an artifact. I will pay you half when we depart and half after.'

Dench stepped outside and took his pipe out. He leaned on the railing of the walkway and looked out across the stars and clouds. The small skyport wasn't much to look at, and currently, there were only two ships docked. The Tusktooth and a cargo vessel, presumably the one Adrik had arrived on.

The Tusktooth wasn't a mighty vessel, but she held her own. She had two masts and was propelled by a range of propellers that allowed it to change course and travel outside of the gravity currents. She was a fast vessel and could scare off most pirates with her four cannons.

Dench lit his pipe and puffed out a smoke ring that trailed off before dissipating. This job was going to be dangerous, but the payday would be more than worth it. In fact, he could square most of his debts with the money this job would pay. Damn it all to hell...he needed to take this job, there was no way around it. Not if he didn't want to be thrown over the side of his own ship next payday.

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The crew of the Tusktooth were a rough bunch, and mainly did as told because Captain Dench was rougher. Nobody messed with the half-orc captain if they knew what was good for them. The Tusktooth only needed a crew of 10, and had room to spare for the paladins.