Wind blowing across their faces, Connery, Alleia, and Itise stood upon the deck of their stolen Notan ship. Connery dropped his trench coat on top of a coil of rope and returned to steering the ship. The ship wasn't too big, but it wasn't small either. The craft was at least thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide. The square shaped aft moved forward until it became a cone like bow. A strong wind blew past an set the sail on the mast at full width. The ship picked up speed and Connery suddenly decided that he should have left his trench coat on.
"Check point ahead!" shouted Itise from the crow's nest.
Connery nodded and called to Alleia. The small Dragon padded over to the thief and dropped back onto her haunches. "Alleia, I'm going to need my money pouch again. Go and get it from the pocket of my coat." She nodded and disappeared into the trench coat.
"Got it," came a muffled cry from Alleia. She climbed from Connery's crumpled coat and flew up to the thief's shoulder. The young White Dragon dropped the pouch into the his open hand. "How much do you think it will take this time?"
The small group had passed through three Stamarian check points already, and Connery had bribed the soldiers at each one to let the three of them pass through. The small ship came ever closer to the tiny canal, and Connery could see a Stamarian soldier in his gray armor standing just several feet from a small white guard house. Connery tossed the pouch in his left hand several times causing the silver inside to jingle. "This is the last one before we reach open sea. It'll cost us most of what we have left." Alleia's snort was anything but polite.
The thief tied the pouch to his belt and eased the small ship into the twenty foot man made canal. At a signal from the soldier outside, someone from within the white guard house to lower the large stone wall ahead of Connery's small group. Water flooded into a small pass, and the thief easily drifted up alongside the stone pier which held the Stamarian soldier. Itise, who had climbed down from the crow's nest, dropped the anchor and the ship came to a complete stop.
"Ho there, good soldier," cried Connery with a broad smile. "How is the traffic on this fine day?" The thief groaned inside from having to speak with a somewhat refined accent.
"It's been a mite slow," replied the square faced soldier without even a nod. "And where is your ship bound, young master?"
Connery kept his smile and gave the Stamarian the same answer he had given all the other checkpoint guards. "My servant and I are heading for Meribia to stay with an uncle of mine who own a weapons store there. What is the current state of affairs in the trade city? No one else I have spoken to can say exactly what has happened there. I've heard all sorts of rumors, but surely they cannot be true."
The soldier rubbed his flat nose and looked Connery up and down. "I'd stay far from that damned city. Whatever rumors you have heard are true. That place is now a harbinger of darkness." His hand gripped the sword at his left side tightly. "My advice is to avoid it and head towards Zaback. There is a Stamarian garrison in the city with at least one thousand soldiers."
Connery let the color drain from his face. "That is just horrible news. I do hope that my uncle is safe." Tired of playing at the charade, he untied the pouch from his belt and jingled it in his hand. "I think it would be best if I got on my way. I would like to reach the safety of Zaback as soon as possible."
The soldier nodded stiffly. "Just let me check your hold and see your passports, and you and your manservant can be on your way."
The Stamarian lifted his foot to come aboard, but Connery stepped in front of him. "I really do feel insecure out in the open like this so far from a city." He tossed the pouch into the air, but failed to catch it this time. It landed just behind the Stamarian soldier with a clinking of the silver coins within.
The soldier lowered his foot and turned his head to look behind him. "I think there may be something coming towards the canal from beyond the guard house." As he completed his turn, his right foot stepped on the money pouch. "For your own safety, young master, I do think that you should take your ship beyond the canal." He made a quick gesture, and another stone wall ahead began to lower as the one behind Connery's small ship started to rise again. Connery thanked the Stamarian for his helpful advice while Itise raised the anchor, and the small ship quickly sailed away.
Alleia drifted up to Connery's shoulder and gave him a puzzled look. "I still don't understand how you can pretend to be such a pompous windbag."
Connery chuckled. "You have to know a person's habits and way of life if you are going to steal from them."
Alleia spread her small wings and and took off from the thief's shoulder. "You know, I think after all this is over, I'm going to take Carla's advice and stop spending so much time with you. You really are a bad person sometimes, Connery." Connery smiled at her as she flew away towards the cabin.
A sudden gust of wind came up, and Connery called for Itise to raise the sail to full. Once the former kitchen helper was done, he came over and stood beside the small thief. Itise had exchanged his kitchen whites for a pair of brown woolen pants and a plain white tunic. He stood a little taller than Connery, of course everyone did, and coughed as he brushed the hair from his eyes. "So how long until we reach Zaback?"
"Dunno," answered Connery as he held the wheel with his left hand, while the right one was scratching the back of his head vigorously.
Itise nodded and started to shuffle his feet. Connery finished scratching and looked at the boy standing next to him. "Is there something wrong, Itise? I know that I'm only a few years older than you, but even I can see that there is something on your mind."
"Well..." said Itise hesitantly. "I was kind of wondering..."
"What?" prompted Connery.
"I was wondering if you could teach me how to fight," the other said finally. "Like how to use a sword or a spear like yours."
Connery's mouth went thin as he thought about it for a moment. "Are you sure, Itise? I mean there is a lot more to just learning how to use a weapon. Even if you master it, you have to be prepared for the emotional burden that comes with a weapon of any kind. Are you sure that you can handle that?"
The thief turned his head and looked into the former kitchen helper's blue eyes. Within those two eyes, Connery saw something that he wished he had not given up so long ago, innocence. Before him was a boy of complete innocence. But along side the innocence was a look of firm determination. "I want to learn how to defend myself and those around me," answered Itise. "I don't want you or anyone else to have to look out for me."
Finally, Connery nodded and gave the younger man a smile. "All right then. Now, I won't teach you how to use a sword because I don't even know how to use one." Both of them laughed. "In fact, I don't think that a blade weapon of any sort is right for you, Itise. What you need is a quarter staff." Itise looked somewhat downcast at the mention of using anything without a blade. "Don't look so glum," said Connery quickly. "A quarter staff can be just as deadly as a sword, axe, or spear. Used correctly, it can be more deadly than all those weapons put together." Itise's face brightened a little at that last remark.
"When we drop anchor for the night, I'll start teaching you how to use the quarter staff," added Connery. "I'm sure we can find something on board this crate that can be turned into a fairly decent one." He patted Itise on the back. "Now go and check all the sails to make sure that they are all tied down."
"Sure thing, Connery," said Itise with a large grin on his face. "And, Connery," he said as he turned to go. "Thanks."
"He's a pretty good kid," said Connery as he tossed Itise's money pouch up and down in his right hand. "I might even give this back to him tonight." The small thief smiled as he tied the pouch to his own belt and continued to steer the ship east towards Zaback.
The sun set, and night spilled over the world of Lunar. Above the sea east of the mining colony known as Zaback, a dark form glided across the night sky. Massive, leathery wings beat against the air propelling the Demon Dragon through the night. Scorn banked to his right and surveyed the water below. Nothing but water for miles around. The great monster growled and leveled his flight path. "Arlax said the Lion's Head was out here somewhere, but all I see is water."
A small light flicked in the corner of his left eye, and the Pestilence Dragon slowed to a hover. He turned his head and saw a small light in the distance. "A ship?" The Demon Dragon shifted his body and flew towards the light.
Scorn pulled the darkness of the night closer to his body as he neared the ship. Invisible to the naked eye, Scorn slowed to a dead stop over the small ship before him. The Dragon suppressed his first urges to destroy the relatively simple looking ship when he saw the crew on its deck. "The boy!?"
Standing there on the ship's main deck was the White Dragon Knight showing some other boy how to swing some stick. The massive Dragon chuckled to himself. "Looks like I'll just have to deal with this little pest myself." The darkness separated itself from Scorn as he rose higher into the night sky above the ship. He stopped a couple of thousand feet into the air. With a thunderous roar, he plunged downward towards the ship.
Connery suddenly stopped his demonstration with the quarter staff. "Did you hear that?" he asked Itise and Alleia.
"Hear what?" answered Itise.
"I didn't hear anything," added Alleia.
Connery handed the staff back to Itise and took hold of his Spear leaning up against the main mast. "It sounded like thunder." He looked up into the the clear night sky and grimaced. Suddenly, all hell broke loose!
The Dragon's attack came so fast that Connery barely got out of the way. The monster streaked by and tore the main mast from the deck. There was a white flash around Connery as he activated the magic of the White Dragon's Crest. Dragon Spear flaring with frosty power and white trench coat billowing behind him, Connery readied himself as he watched the immense shadow just beyond the boat turn for another charge.
"What the hell was that!?" shouted Itise.
"A Demon Dragon!" cried Alleia.
"You two get into the life boat and run!" ordered Connery. "I'll keep this bastard busy!"
There was no argument from Itise, but Alleia would have stayed if the former kitchen helper hadn't grabbed the White Dragon and jumped into the life boat. The small boat dropped into the water just as the Demon Dragon attacked again. Ready this time, Connery released a blast of ice from his Spear. "Ice Wave!" The icy stream glanced off of the monster's left wing, and the Dragon dropped into the water. But instead of going under, the beast latched on to the side of the ship with one of its claws. Connery pitched forward towards the waiting Demon Dragon. "Torrential Winds!" cried the White Knight. Strong, bitter winds tore into the Dragon, forcing it to release the ship. The craft rocked back and forth knocking Connery to his knees.
Using his Spear for balance, Connery slowly got to his feet. The Knight knew that the Demon Dragon was underwater, but where was the question. "He can destroy the ship and me with it before I even see him coming." A smile suddenly played across the small Knight's lips. "Then lets even the odds a bit."
Connery ran to the port side rail and aimed the White Dragon's Spear at the water. With a thought, a blast of ice shot from the weapon's cold point. He quickly ran along the entire ship's rail and set up a magical layer of ice for almost a hundred yards in all directions. "Let's see him get through this."
Not fifty yards from the ship ice exploded in flurry of white dust, and the Demon Dragon rose from the water. "I really hate these things," muttered Connery as he jumped over the side of the ship and onto the ice. He landed in a crouch and reached into the pouch at his side. The Knight pulled out a pair of spiked soles which he slid onto the bottoms of his boots. "Thieves' Guild Creed: Always be prepared."
Connery gripped the Dragon Spear tightly as he neared the Demon Dragon. The Blue Star was directly overhead and shedding a pale light over the battle. In the new light, Connery stared up into the air at his opponent. "Scorn," growled the White Knight.
"Very perceptive, little Knight," hissed the Pestilence Dragon. The monster climbed out of the water completely and towered at least two hundred feet over Connery.
"Oh bloody hell," cursed Connery.
Scorn roared and attacked. Cottage sized claws came crashing down around the White Knight. Connery back flipped away and counter attacked with a blast of ice from his Spear. Scorn batted away the cold stream with a claw and took to the air. The small ice island Connery had created was starting to come apart from the battle. The small Knight landed on a table sized chunk of ice and thrust his Spear out behind him. Strong winds blew from the magical weapon sending Connery's small craft skidding across the ice filled waters. The little light from the Blue Star was snuffed out as Scorn passed over Connery. The small Knight cried out as the Demon Dragon's thick tail pulled him from the small chunk of ice.
Air being forced from his body, Connery struggled to break free. He still had a firm grasp on the Dragon Spear, but it was pressed up against his side by the tail. Seeing no other option, Connery closed his eyes and concentrated on the magic of his Crest. Slowly, the Knight began to blend with the dead gray scales around him. Connery felt the air around him rush by as Scorn lifted his tail higher. The tail stopped moving, and Connery opened his eyes. Hot, fetid breath assaulted his nose as he stared into the large maw of the Pestilence Dragon. "How could he have escaped!" roared the monster.
Believing the Knight not to be there, Scorn loosened his coiled tail and let Connery drop to the icy water below. The small White Knight uttered a few choice curses just before he collided with the water.