Chapter 7: Mistaken Gentlemen

Clouds began to build over the river as Intelli stomped to his tent, "Curse that dwarf and that mangy ungrateful were-cat!" thought Intelli as he flung open the door and flopped onto his cot.

He reached for his stash of whiskey and took a mouthful, "I'll show them! They haven't seen me get upset yet!"

Cervantes looked up at the gathering clouds, then at the hull of the burned out ship, "Better get to it then, eh Trilees?"

"I'd say so, the sandmen don't much like the rain," agreed the boy as he pulled his sack hat lower over his eyes.

The pirate took out his wine bottle and poured out a handful of sand. Tossing it into the breeze, it scattered and figures slowly coalesced into form. Soon thirty or so golems stood before him.

"Alright boys, ye see that ship? Time to repair her and get her up to speed. I want her looking brand new," with a clap of his hands, the sandmen went to work. Thunder groaned through the skies as Trilees looked up.

" 'Ey, Cervantes," he said as he took a swig from his canteen "Ye may need to speed this process up a bit. It looks like it might want to sprinkle."

"Aye," agreed the blue captain as he removed the hourglass from his sash "Too bad my glass only works on the sandmen. Remind me to talk to the Shaaman in The Bleach at Hardshell if we ever go that way again."

Cervantes turned the hour glass on its head, and the sandmen turned into a sandstorm of activity. Wooden beams seemed to float in the air alongside tools, hammers, saws, and lathes. Thunder growled again, and a bolt of lightening arced across the sky. A raindrop splattered against Cervantes' nose. He was taking a gamble leaving the sandmen out like this, if the rain fell upon them, it would undo the connection spell that the bottle help on them, reducing them to mere dunes. If that happened, it would take a while to create more magical matter. Thunder boomed again as the rain began to fall in the distance.

Intelli's heavy eyes opened as his brain awoke in a foggy cloud of alcohol. "Why is my nose so damn sore?" he thought "Where are my friends?"

Staggering about the tent, he found his boots. Leaving his shirt unbuttoned, he stumbled out the door. The fog in his brain seemed to thicken with the rising steam from the river. He remembered the argument with Hakur and Isis, and how the dwarf had thoroughly trounced him in the fight.

"Arrogant, half-grown oaf," growled Intelli " I'll show the midget who's the leader of this company! No pip-squeak is going to make a fool out of me."

The sounds of tools and a rushing wind drew his drunken eyes to the river, " I'll show them all." He thought as he made his way towards the sandstorm surrounding the ship.

Hakur stood amazed at what he saw. The largest of the masts literally flew to the center of the vessel and sat upright as it was bound and fastened to the deck.

"Amazing," said the dwarf, " Amazing this world of magic is."

Isis purred and looked at him, " You act like you don't know what magic is, but you could stuff a mammoth into your back pack and still have tons of room."

"Yes, but that is a common type of magic," said Hakur as he leaned back and looked at the angry clouds growing overhead, " A lot of us use magic like that. Our magic always has a purpose. This though, this is flamboyant."

Isis leaned against Hakur and rested her head on his shoulder," This is a plain boring magic. All over the world beautiful magic is made. We should stop by one of the mage schools in Redfield when we return."

"That would be nice," Murmured the dwarf as he felt a drop of rain hit his nose, " I think we'd best find our tent. If I remember, cats don't like getting wet."

"That depends," purred Isis as she ran after the dwarf.

As he reached the tent, he heard the pirate captain give the command for the sandmen to stop. As the dust settled around the shore, there stood a repaired ship. Awestruck the dwarf wandered down to see the ship. He heard the order for all clear and soon the wind picked up as the sandmen coalesced into a whirlwind. Hakur noticed a figure stagger to close to the vortex, and it knock him from his feet.

"Aye! Someone get that fool out of there, before he's sucked into the Vortex!" yelled Cervantes " He won't survive the transition!"

Hakur took off at a sprint. The wind ripped at him, but couldn't shake his foothold. He dashed into the whirlwind. The sand stung his skin as he grabbed a black booted foot and proceeded to haul the hapless man back to the safety of the hill. Intelli sneezed and stared at the dwarf with wide eyes, any trace of the hangover from last night long gone.

Hakur brushed sand out of his beard, watching as it snaked its way back to the wine bottle and smacked Intelli over the head, " Ye know for someone named Intelli Gent, you sure are stupid."

"I'm sorry, Hakur," sighed the gentleman as he regarded a scuffed boot, " I've been drunk for the past two days. I've not been acting smartly at all."

"I'll lay my bricks on that foundation. Ye need to wake up, or ye'll get you or someone else killed," said the dwarf as he hauled the gentleman up to his feet.

Cervantes ran to the top of the hill screaming at the top of his lungs, " YOU BLOODY,STUPID,IMBECILE! I SHOULD'VE LET YOU GO INTO THE BOTTLE AND PERISH LIKE-" the pirate stopped dead in his tracks as he recognized Intelli "YOU!"

Intelli's eyes grew wide again, and he ducked behind Hakur, "Oh Holiness, not this one again-"

Cervantes drew his rapier, "Where's my money?"

Intellli peeked over the dwarf's shoulder, "Where are my flowers?"

"You two know each other?" asked the dwarf "Past lovers maybe?"

Cervantes snarled, "This bugger owes me coin for past services rendered."

Intelli growled, "Where is what I asked you for?"

"You said to locate it for you, you double crossing catfish of a cur."

"Well, where are they?"

"Right where we found them. You weren't there to receive them after you gave me the slip in Reevir."

"I told you I was going to procure some items for my collection. When I came back, you and your ship were gone."

Cervantes put his rapier in its sheath, "Well, I guess we did slip you as well. It ain't every day ye get a chance at the Jeweled Petals of the Hadro Swamp."

"So can you tell me and my crew how to get there? I need those flowers," Intelli said as he stood up.

"I can't tell you as the swamp tribes will hunt me down," the pirate strode over to the gentleman, " Looks like if you want the flowers, your cost just went up another one thousand Indorils."

"Done," agreed Intelli as they shook hands " When do we leave?"

Hakur shook his head and stuffed tobacco in his lip, "I'll never understand humans."