Thranos and Grakyl, Part II

Thranos ambled down the staircase, finding the way down easier than the ascension had been, and looked about the common room of the inn. It was still early, and no one else had yet entered the inn, which pleased the dwarf - he was not one for the company of humans.

He glanced about the room, and found a chair that appeared sturdy enough to hold his stout frame, and he walked purposefully to it. He seated himself, and found that it would bear his weight. Thranos smiled slightly, and waited.

"I presume you found the gremlin you sought, sir dwarf?" A voice from the counter asked.

Thranos jumped slightly - he had not noticed the innkeep standing there, as he had been when the dwarf had first entered. "Aye, I found 'im." He nodded.

The innkeep nodded. After a moment, he leaned forward slightly on the counter. "Would you be a pilot, sir dwarf?"

Thranos raised an eyebrow at the human. He was a pilot, true enough, though he did not enjoy offering his services in places where there were no obvious landing spots. All too often had small, backwater towns such as this been filled with people far too eager to leave, and Thranos did not enjoy the ensuing anger when he decided to simply leave. It made coming back that much more awkward.

Today, however, Thranos was in a good mood. His technician seemed to be ready for the tasks ahead, and the dwarf had a good feeling about the meeting with the templar at noon.

He nodded. "Aye, that I be. Why do ye ask?"

The innkeep hesitated. "There is a man seeking passage to the lands of the west. He may be arriving shortly... he has need of the services of a pilot with a good ship."

The lands to the west. Thranos' memory took him back fifteen years... he and Grakyl had just spent the last of their coin on a new propellor, as their secondary had been shot down in the mountains in northern Kahasal, the name of the so-called "lands to the west." They had landed in a port town by the name of Cara'nor, and there had encountered a man by the name of Animus, who sought passage to Koltir. They had given it, of course - they were far too poor to have not done so. Thranos never enjoyed sitting around waiting for a job. Though he was a mercenary as well as pilot, something about doing nothing but waiting for long hours at a time irked him, and he tended to take the first job that came his way.

"Does he have th' coin tae 'ford passage?" The dwarf asked.

The innkeep shrugged. "I know not, sir dwarf. Though he looks wealthy enough. He should be here in a small while, I imagine - he has been seeking passage for the past few days."

Thranos nodded. If Grakyl could complete the repairs quickly enough, perhaps they could have enough coin to purchase supplies rather than rig something together. Grakyl was excellent with repairs, especially rigging things together, though such fixes had a tendency to not last very long. As Thranos recalled, it had been exactly one of those rigged repairs that had caused the secondary prop to fail in the first place...

"Grakyl!" Thranos bellowed. "What be takin' ya so long?"

"I'm comin', I'm comin'." The gremlin's high-pitched voice came from somewhere near the top of the stairs. "Don' be rushin' me."

Grakyl slowly descended, his hand precariously perched on the rail as he came down. He was garbed in the rough dress of a Coldlander - hand-stitched denim pants, with pockets everywhere to hold random bits of machinery as he worked; a rough-woven wool shirt, which had originally been a light brown in color, now tinged black from oil stains; and a finely-crafted leather toolbelt, in which were placed various mechanical tools of varying purpose. His spanner was slung over his shoulder, held in place by a leather strap, and the dark-colored goggles now hid his bright green eyes from view.

"Took ya long 'nough, ya li'l basterd." Thranos chuckled, the sound of gravel in an avalanche.

Grakyl looked at him and tilted his head. "Ha, ha. Funny guy, tha' Thranos." He quickly clambored down the remaining steps with an uncanny agility. "So, wha's th' plan now?"

"Ye're gonna git yer ass out tae th' ship, tha's th' plan, an' ye're gonna git tae work on 'er. Startin' wi' th' Folkorian 'ssemblies." Thranos said with a nod. "An' ye're not gonna rip her up tae git at 'em, aither. I've seen what ye can do when ye try. Ye don' need tae rip 'er up ta git at 'em."

Grakyl sighed. "I s'pose so. Ya want me ta start now, yeah?"

Thranos nodded.

The gremlin sighed again. "Righ'. I'll be ou' there, then." The gremlin headed for the door.

"An' be quick 'bout it, y'hear?" Thranos said without turning. "Might have us a job fer when we leave."

The gremlin's ears perked up, which was an impressive sight. Few races' ears were as large as those of a gremlin, and a gremlin's ears usually rose somewhere in the vicinity of three to four inches.

"A'ight." Grakyl said simply, then walked out the door.

"He recovered rather quickly." The innkeep observed quietly.

Thranos nodded. "Aye. He be small, an' th' smaller ones git over spirits quick." He stroked his beard in thought. "Though a strong drink be soundin' good 'bout now. 'Ow much fer yer best?"

"Don't worry about the cost, Thranos Bluebeard." A voice spoke from the doorway. "It's on me."

The dwarf quickly turned to get a look at the stranger who knew his name, his right hand going for the fastenings of the strap on his chest - the strap that held his rifle in place. His eyes narrowed at the stranger. "Who ye be?"

The figure appeared human, and upon closer inspection (particularly of the ears - the only way Thranos was really able to tell, as the pointedness of elven ears gave away their race rather quickly), he was indeed human ("Too many damn humans 'round 'ere," Thranos thought to himself). He was dressed in robes of a scholar, darkly-colored, but a bastard sword was hung awkwardly on his back.

"Who th' 'ell're you?" Thranos asked darkly. He did not appreciate surprises, and someone appearing out of nowhere with knowledge not just of his given name, but of his clan, did not sit well with him.

The man spreads his arms in greeting. "My name is Tetra. I seek passage to Kahasal, and I understand that you're a pilot."

Thranos nodded. "Aye, ye'd be righ' wi' tha'. How'd ye know me name?"

The man shrugged. "I am a telepath, among other things."

Thranos nodded sagely. A telepath... psionics. An awkard power. The dwarf knew of it only from his short excursions to Kahasal, the homeland of most of those who professed such abilities. There was no sign that a psionics-user was making use of his abilities, which made them far more dangerous than a wizard with their awkward gestures and disgusting components, or technologists with their clockwork devices and explosive grenades.

"I seek passage to Kahasal." Tetra repeated. "Will you take me there?"

The dwarf considered. They were currently in a small hamlet southwest of Mechanicus, the capital of the Coldlands Territory, the center of technology in the world. Flying to Kahasal would take a good deal of time, and the repairs still had to be made. If they flew to Kahasal, they would then have to begin their flight to the templar's chosen meeting place, with no time to make any additional repairs to the ship.

"I'll hafta see th' color a yer coin." The dwarf said slowly. "I dinnae know if it'll be worth our time tae take ye there."

Tetra nodded. "I see. Unfortunately, I have no coin..."

The dwarf snorted at that.

Tetra raised a hand. "But I can offer this much - a favor. Call upon me in the future, and I will do as you ask, if it is within my power."

Thranos considered. He was not one for performing services for something as ephemeral as a favor. However, the services of a user of psionics could definitely come in handy. Thranos was not nieve enough to believe that technology could solve all problems, and - as a mercenary - a situation in which psionics were needed was bound to come up eventually.

"I'll hafta think 'bout it." Thranos said, after a long pause. "I dinnae know if a favor kin be 'nough fer a trip a that length, ye ken?"

Tetra nodded. "Fair enough. However, I must make haste."

Thranos shrugged. "We're plannin' on headin' out pretty quick, too. So jus' hold on tae yer horses, an' we'll get back tae ye."

Tetra nodded, then seated himself. "I await your answer, then."

Thranos nodded back, then rose and ambled for the door.

---

"Grakyl!" The dwarf yelled as he neared the airship. Various mechanical bits were scattered about the field around the craft, though the gremlin was nowhere to be seen. Thranos knew from experience, however, that that probably meant his companion was deep within the bowels of the ship. "What's yer status?"

"Th' torque on th' Folkorian assembly's at three an' three quarters, but she won't come any higher'n 'at." Grakyl's voice echoed from within the ship. "Main prop's rotatin' at twenty-six an' a half, which is within th' tolerance, er whatever... th' LeyBrossian's shiftin', but she's still tagether. Managed to stick a sixteen-gauge inta th' steerin' column, so she might be a bit rough on th' vertical turns, bu' she'll stay tagether, at least."

Thranos narrowed his eyes at where he surmised the gremlin to be. "I though' ye said th' repairs'd take a good while." He grumbled.

There was a pause. "Yeah, but I cut a few corners... nothin' bad's happened yet 'cause of it, righ'?"

Thranos looked at the ship for a long moment, then nodded. "So we're good tae go, then?"

The gremlin clambored out of the side of the ship, wiping his hands on a rag. His ears were splattered with oil, and his jeans had oil stains in the shape of his hands all over the upper legs. "We're good ta go, yeah. For awhile, at least."

Thranos nodded his approval. "Aight, then. Think she's ready tae fly now?"

The gremlin considered, then nodded. "I s'pose, yeah. Why, what'd ya have in mind?"

"There be a human at th' inn, lookin' fer a ride tae Kahasal." Thranos said. "He's got no coin, an' I dinnae know if she could take it. He's willin' tae offer us a favor, though, in th' future, in exchange fer th' ride."

Grakyl seated himself against the airship, deep in thought. "He wants a free ride? Tha's not like you, Thranos, givin' rides ta people fer free..."

The dwarf shook his head agitatedly. "Nae, I dinnae want ta give 'im a free ride. He said he'd be willin' tae do us a favor in th' future. He's a telepath, an' I think tha' may come in handy one o' these days."

The gremlin looked up at the dwarf, then shrugged. "If ya like. If we're goin' ta Kahasal, though, won't we be cuttin' th' meetin' a bit...?"

The dwarf shrugged. "I'm sure th' templar'll understan' if we're a bit late. And he's a templar - time dinnae make much difference to 'em, eh? We kin make th' run."

Grakyl nodded. "I s'pose, yeah. So ye'll go get th' guy, an' I'll start her up?"

Thranos nodded. "Aye, sounds good tae me."

"Righ'." The gremlin said, then hopped up from his perch as the dwarf ambled away.

---

Tetra was already standing as Thranos entered the inn.

Thranos looked with a glaring eye at the human as Tetra gazed at the dwarf. "I see. I have no belongings other than what you see. We can leave now."

Thranos nodded. "Aye, sounds good. Well, let's git goin', then."

The dwarf exited the inn, glancing over his shoulder to ensure the human was following, then proceeded to his ship.

---

Grakyl clambored out of the airship as the pair approached. Already the three propellors that held the craft aloft were spinning, and a large vent coming from the backside of the ship spewing a considerable amount of darkly-colored air. A stout wooden ladder, stained thick with oil, extended from the deck of the ship.

"Tetra, this'd be Grakyl, th' technician fer me craft." Thranos said as he gestured to the gremlin. "Grakyl, this'd be Tetra, th' passenger we're takin tae Kahasal."

Grakyl nodded. "Nice ta meet ya!"

"Nice to meet you, as well." Tetra said. He then surveyed the ship. "This thing... is capable of flight?"

Thranos narrowed his eyes, but nodded. "Aye, she's a sturdy ship. Bred a dwarven architecture wi' gremlin engineerin'. She's solid an' kin get ya faster tae where ya need tae go'n any other."

Tetra nodded. "Fair enough." He paused, looking intently at Thranos. "I will be in the passenger quarters, then." He boarded the ship with the ease of someone who had done so hundreds of times, and disappeared into the doorway that led to the bowels of the ship.

"Awkwerd." Grakyl said.

Thranos nodded. "Aye, he be readin' our minds. Keep guard a yerself. I dinnae want 'im ta have an advantage, if he plans ta turn on us."

Grakyl nodded, then clambored onto the ship. Thranos followed, though he climbed at a slower rate - the strain on the ladder was considerable given his bulk and the weight of his equipment, and Thranos had no desire to break the ladder. Last time, Grakyl had been forced to tie together three lengths of rope, which were then attached to the main propellor, to pull the dwarf onto the deck ("Prob'ly where th' damage on th' LeyBrossian array came from," the dwarf mused).

Thranos walked slowly to the helm of his ship. Here was where he felt the most alive - at the wheel of an airship, soaring high above the skies. His people were not one to come from their mountainous caves, but when Thranos first saw an airship soaring overhead, he knew he needed to have one. This ship, which he had named the Intepid, had been crafted from a fallen wreck of some unnamed human pilot. The wheel of the ship was his pride and joy.

Crafted of fine marble with wooden spokes and a titanium inlay, the wheel was a masterful piece in and of itself. It handled strain as though it were nothing; Thranos oiled it constantly to ensure that his control over the movements of his ship was complete. The mechanism by which a wheel for a seafaring vessel was adapted to an aerial one was a unique invention of his own, and it was a secret he shared with no one. The Intrepid's uncanny ability to make sharp turns and dives had saved his and the gremlin's lives many times. Often, it was the key to their victory in aerial battles: few ships could match the maneuverability of the Intrepid.

Below the wheel was a single petal, which controlled how much fuel went to the primary propellors - those which provided lift. While the wheel itself could control horizontal movement and falling, only the petal controlled the ship's ability to rise.

Next to the wheel was a small box, equipped with a speaker. Grakyl had installed it, as the gremlin often moved around the ship while in flight - it allowed the two to remain in contact with one another despite the gremlin's absence on the deck. "I s'pose we'll be takin' off now." Thranos spoke into the box.

"Righ'." Came the tinny response. Thranos was always unnerved by the box's effect on the gremlin's voice - it made him nervous about how his own sounded on the other side. Thranos was never really certain exactly how the gremlin heard him, or by what implement in the gremlin's belt, but the dwarf did not care: such mechanical toys were below him. Give him his gun and his ship, and he needed little else.

"Here we go, then." Thranos said, and placed his hands upon the wheel. His right foot hovered above the petal, and with a triumphant smile, the dwarf slammed his foot to the floor.

The bowels of the ship roared, and the propellors screamed; Thranos felt the familiar feeling of being airborne, and though he was only a few mere feet off the ground, he knew that - shortly - they would be in the clouds.

"I though' I tole ya about th' whole floorin' it thing..." Grakyl's irritated voice came from the speaker.

"Well, I dinnae care. It's my ship." Thranos grumbled.

"I s'pose, yeah..." The gremlin's voice trailed off.

Thranos smiled, and reflected upon his day. So far, so good.