13 First Major Haul (1/2)
As Atau's feet left the gangway and touched down on the wooden planks of Etra's harbor, he took a last look back to the ship which had been his home for the past two weeks. On top of the main deck, leaned against the railing, were the colleagues he had shared hardship with throughout that time.
”Hey big guy, later the boys are gonna go to town together. You sure you're gonna be off by yourself just like that?” old John said, his crooked ruin of teeth glistening in the sunshine.
”Yeah, I have to go report to the Boss. You're not gonna do anything but get piss-drunk anyways, not until evening at least. I'll see you boys then.” A short answer and a playfully dismissive wave of his hand before he was off, finally back on dry land. With a short hop, Atau adjusted the position of the large bag hung over his right shoulder and then made his way inland, past the seagulls, old fishermen and newly built warehouses.
Soon, he had reached the city center, still as much of a shithole as it had ever been. Really, for all their advancements in technology, the most impressive part of the Arcavians was their unnatural tolerance for filth. At least at sea there was always a stiff breeze ready to carry away any odors... and when he had to spend the night under deck he was usually so drunk that he fell asleep no matter what stench filled the crew quarters.
”The Devaerter ship's back! Let's go take a look!” In front of Atau, two boys, excited by the arrival of those who had seen the wide world the children could only dream of, came towards Atau, immersed in their talk.
”Doesn't this one sail for the new Fastgrade merchants too?” The taller of the two asked, much less enthusiastic.
”Yeah, they sailed together, is what Da' said. Isn't that exciting?”
”Exciting my foot. Father's said they're all secret helpers of the lordships. Those people are gonna sell off the whole city to the bornish if they can get away with it.”
As he had gotten close enough for his shadow to cover the two youngsters, the boys finally looked up and saw the giant man with the foreign features who came towards them. With his long hair and dark skin, Atau had always been recognizable around these parts, and the large eyes of the boys, together with their sudden stop of all motor functions, told the returnee that they knew him very well. Friendly as he was, the sailor looked at the two, especially the tall one who had given such a nice opinion of him and his own, and gave them a nice smile and a little wink.
In panic, the shorter of the two grabbed his friend's sleeve and pulled both of them to the side, down into a back alley. Atau replied with a frank laugh.
”Brats,” he mumbled, before he marched to the final goal of his journey. Soon, he stood in front of the large, three-story building he had helped repair. The giant sign over the entrance told even the most casual onlooker who the owners of the establishment were. With hastening steps, Atau went up to enter the Fastgrade merchant company. However, before he had even gone inside, he stopped at a curious sight. To the side of the entrance, within the front yard, he found Fadelio and Ronnie, busy with some strange wooden contraption. As the tall warrior pushed down a lever, a hose at the front, held by the alchemist, sprayed water all over the clean stone floor.
”What sort of mess did you guys cause this time that Laqhis put you on cleaning duty?” the new arrival called towards them. The two turned in confusion and froze for a moment as they saw him, while the stream of water which escaped from the hose in Ronnie's hand slowly lost in strength, until it ceased. Only then did the two men drop their novel equipment and came over to greet the returnee.
”Who's the one who got sent away cause he keeps causing a mess, huh?” Accompanied by his snide remark, Fadelio gave his friend one of his smothering bear hugs as a way to welcome him back home.
”Who else but the great Atau Sonco Saqartu could ever be trusted with a burden this big? Meanwhile, you're sitting here watering the stones.” Atau answered back while a sly grin deformed his scraggly beard, unkempt after weeks on turbulent waters.
”It isn't watering, you ignoramus.” As self-important as always, Bombasticus chimed in. ”It is the early stages of what Sir Corco called...” the alchemist looked around the yard, in search of his words.
”Fire fighting,” Fadelio helped out.
”Ah yes, indeed,” Ronnie concurred.
”Firefighting? So this is another one of Laqhis' strange inventions then?
Atau's question was met by a dismissive look from the self-styled alchemist. Since the returnee was already getting annoyed, he decided to just make his way inside. Fadelio went back to clear away the equipment, but of course the annoying fly would keep running after the sailor. Showing off his wisdom and culture seemed to be his only goals in life.
”It is not an invention, merely a tank of water with a simple pumping mechanism. Even an unlearned should be able to understand as much. Still, the pump will be a necessary piece of equipment. Though the building was exceedingly cheap for its size, it is unfortunate that it would be made entirely from wood. In case of a large-scale fire, we could lose everything.”
”Uh-huh.” Mentally checked out, Atau stepped into the showroom and walked up to the reception. He remembered the man who welcomed him there. It was someone he had seen during the job interviews, though for the life of him he couldn't put a name to the face. Still, it wasn't as if he needed to know the name of every single subordinate. This wasn't a ship, after all. No one's life was dependent on clear and fast orders.
”Where's the boss?” Atau asked.
”Ah, welcome home, Sire. The boss and young master are in the back storage, right through the back door.” Armed with a friendly smile, the servant pointed towards the back of the showroom, an area the visitors would have no access to. Luckily, Atau was no visitor, so he continued on.
Throughout the interruption, the alchemist had looked between the sailor and the servant, eager to butt in at a moment's notice. Finally, the pesky Ronnie found an opening and continued his explanation.
”Since fire is such a threat, we need to be prepared. This is what the water pump is for. It will protect us in case a fire breaks out. On top of that, we will be able to sell our services for good money. It is called insurance.”
”That so.” Though he didn't look over even once, Atau could almost see the alchemist's raised chest as he bragged about an idea which surely wasn't his own. Meanwhile, the returnee made his way through the backyard, over to the row of storage rooms, which had been left empty when he had left Etra. After all, the brandy was much too precious to store outside of the main building.