Categories > Games > Skies of Arcadia > Raiders of the Lost Heart
A/N: This story takes place in the same universe as my first story "Eternal Nightmare". It's not necessary to have read it, as they're both finished stories on their own. But since I'm not your mum, I can't decide which story you should read first. And as usual: Skies of Arcadia and all of its characters still belongs to the wonderful people at SEGA and Overworks. Except the main-character, cause he's mine. And now for the story:
"There's nothing fair in this world
There's nothing safe in world
And there's nothing sure in this world
And there's nothing pure in this world
...
...!"
Chapter 1 A new job
The small room was lit only by some candles. The windows were covered with black cloth to prevent anyone spying on us. Standing at the door was a man who seemed deadly enough, even without the big Nasrean sword he held, to strike out at me at a moment's notice and would have no hard feelings for making me one head shorter. I was only here because I had been hired for a job. Hired by the woman who sat at the table in front of me. The little I saw from her face (concealed by a green robe) was enough to tell that my client was not a local Nasrean woman. The blonde hair and a discreet accent told that her cradle most probably had stood in Valua. And judging from her manner of speech and her general attitude, I would have bet my upcoming reward that she was from the upper-city.
"So all I have to do is to go to the bazaar and buy this potion?"
She nodded.
"That's all. They are very expensive. Normally, someone of your stature would not be able to pay even the half price of one, but we'll supply you with the money you need."
Odd, half-illegal jobs like these were becoming rare. Now after Valua had been blown to bits just a half-year ago, the need for mercenaries like myself had gone down. Although, things were starting to change with this new "Nasr Syndicate". In the absence of rulers after the nasultan's palace had been bombed, many small groups started to grab positions of influence and power. There was, however, an official Nasr council that had been appointed. The whole job seemed a little too easy though. Just walk in to the bazaar and buy some potion named "Formula 20". Ah well, at least I was getting paid. She couldn't show herself buying something suspicious. It was necessary to send a courier, hence me.
"Alright, I'll do it."
She smiled and passed over a leather pouch.
"That's all the money you need. And don't think you'll be able to escape, Esteban. There's only one exit from the bazaar and it's watched."
"Why would I run away?"
"Maybe since you're tired of the existence you still call life and don't have any money to buy a rope, so that you instead hope that one of my men gets you and put a dagger through your throat, just to save money."
Tired of your life...
"It shouldn't take long. I'll be back soon."
Without looking at the guard, I went out of the small hot room, located in the east district of Nasrad, and took a deep breath of the relatively fresh air outside. Nasr was Nasr and it would never be what I called comfortable, but no one was asking me. Not that I cared though. I walked down the stairs, made my way over the fountain plaza heading towards the stairs that led to the reconstructed bazaar. The city was only half-rebuilt but already it was cramped with people like grule-fish in a can. And somewhere one of her spies lurked, to make sure that I was a good boy and ran my errand like I was supposed to.
After a while, I reached the stairs. I made my way upwards and looked out at the bazaar area. All sorts of stalls could be seen, offering all sorts of things, but I was only interested in a certain one. A regular stall, standing in a far of corner, littered with small bottles. I walked casually to the stall, unwilling to attract attention. When I got closer, I saw that two people already stood in the line. They were around my age and not what I would call discreet. One of them was a brown-haired young man, he wore a long blue jacket or waistcoat with sleeves connected to it with some red strings. Judging from the cutlasses at his belt, I figured out he was possibly an Air Pirate. The blonde gal who stood next to him wore a white dress with a veil that covered the back of her head, as far as I could see anyway. The dress was nothing I had seen before, but I've never been a sucker for fashion so I might be wrong. Right now, the stall's owner was being verbally assaulted by the gal. From what I heard, the matter was about an antidote of some sort which the salesman didn't have for sale. The salesman seemed to shrink in horror, not being able to withstand the young woman's fury. Finally, she got her answer and she walked off. I got a quick look on her face. She looked furious, and even I could see that it somehow looked misplaced on her. The guy who were in her company remained and said to the salesman:
"By the way, did you sell any .44 recently? My friend got a taste of it and it didn't have any effect. Why is that?"
I listened carefully, since I could use this to bargain. The salesman gave a short explanation (apparently two potions couldn't be mixed) and then the guy rushed off. For a short moment we were face to face. That glass eye patch over his right eye confirmed that he was an Air Pirate alright. I stepped forward, inside I was building up a plan. If I played my cards right, I would be able to get a slight discount and I would keep it all to myself.
"I'm looking for a salesman who deals in some mysterious potions. Would that be you?"
The salesman nodded. He was still a bit pale. A good sign, for me that is.
"Yes. I have all potions you will need. 'Sleeping', 'poisonous', everything."
"What I'm looking for is the formula with the number twenty. I trust you have it."
The salesman leant forward and looked through the bottles standing on the table, and then he picked up a small round bottle with an azure-blue liquid.
"The victim will only need to drink it, then the 'effect' will occur in a day or two."
I looked at the bottle, skeptical.
"That little thing? Does it even work?"
"Of course it does. I only sell wares of highest quality."
"'Highest quality'?! Don't make me laugh! What about the guy before me? Apparently you have sold a defect potion a while back!"
"But I explained! Two potions can't be mixed due to the..."
"Are you making this up? It doesn't sound very realistic to me."
The salesman's forehead was stained with sweat. Good.
"I don't create those potions myself. I buy them from a contact. I can't be responsible for..."
And there he fell.
"Can't be /responsible/!? Why would I buy one in the first place then!?"
It was not like me to shout at people, but no one really knew the real me, so it evened out.
"But you were going to buy only one potion, if I'm not mistaken?" said the salesman.
"Not so sure anymore."
The bait was laid out. All he had to do was take it.
"I will give you a slight discount," the salesman said. "Only one-thousand gold."
"One-/thousand/? In brass coins maybe. I'm not going to throw away my money on some sort of crap. I'd say two-hundred."
My client must've known the price for the potions. Now I would drive a hard bargain and keep the change to myself. A nice bonus. Not so honest maybe, but if it was something I knew about this world it was that nothing fair or pure existed in the first place.
"No, no, no. That's too low. I can settle for nine-hundred."
"And that's too high for my taste. Three-hundred."
"Shall we shake hands for seven-hundred?"
Better, but still, no.
"I'd rather rip of my hand rather than pay you that."
"But where would you find another potion!?" said the salesman with a hint of anger. "I'm the only one who sells them!"
He had a point there. I decided to take a chance.
"Maybe I won't need that potion after all. I can dish out some revenge on my own. I can tell that he is not worth getting destitute for."
Rise or fall...
"Five-hundred. No less."
"Deal then."
I unhooked the pouch I had been given and opened it up. But what? That couldn't been one-thousand! Not even half of it! Of course. The biddy must've thought I would bargain. That way, she got her potion for the normal price and the enjoyment of sending out a low-paid mercenary such as myself without having to get off her own arse. I counted to five hundred gold, gave the salesman his money, took the potion and left without thanking him. But then again, no one had ever accused me of good behaviour. Not in many years...
xXx
She held the bottle in her hand, scrutinising it, as if the blue liquid held an answer she had been looking for.
"I see you even managed to get the right one. Good job."
She had her eyes at the bottle, not bothering to look at me.
"You are aware that I could've sent one of my own men to do it, but I decided to let you have a little job, again. Even if you tried to swindle me, right?"
I nodded inside. The whole scheme was just set up to trick me in some sort of dept to her. As a mercenary, I had to show a neutral face to my clients, but she took the price.
"And the payment," I said.
She lifted her head and glanced at me quickly, as if she wondered what I did here. Without words she pushed over a small leather pouch, and then she returned to her precious potion.
"You can consider yourself lucky," she said.
"Why should I?"
"We had a living legend among us today: Vyse of the Blue Rogues. My sources tell me that he tried to buy a potion himself. Be glad he didn't catch you."
Blue Rogues had never been highly ranked in the syndicate's eyes and never this Vyse in particularly.
"Why would he do that?" I answered in a tone as if I didn't care. "I have never been at the 'Wanted-board'."
"Oh, but you could. As you might see, I work closely with the Nasr Council. Just one little word from me, and Esteban the mercenary would never be able to set his little foot in Nasr."
Hag!
"I trust you'll be able for service again soon. I want you to be ready exactly two weeks from now, same place but at night. Understood?"
"Wouldn't be impossible," I said casually.
But we both knew the rules. Either show up or get a price on my head. Things had been worse but this was enough to make me think that this was a bad day. But that in itself was nothing unusual. It was just another day, as I saw it.
xXx
A/N: For anyone who wonders: the text before the actual story is an extract from Billy Idol's song "White Wedding".
And one big captain's salut for my test-reader.
"There's nothing fair in this world
There's nothing safe in world
And there's nothing sure in this world
And there's nothing pure in this world
...
...!"
Chapter 1 A new job
The small room was lit only by some candles. The windows were covered with black cloth to prevent anyone spying on us. Standing at the door was a man who seemed deadly enough, even without the big Nasrean sword he held, to strike out at me at a moment's notice and would have no hard feelings for making me one head shorter. I was only here because I had been hired for a job. Hired by the woman who sat at the table in front of me. The little I saw from her face (concealed by a green robe) was enough to tell that my client was not a local Nasrean woman. The blonde hair and a discreet accent told that her cradle most probably had stood in Valua. And judging from her manner of speech and her general attitude, I would have bet my upcoming reward that she was from the upper-city.
"So all I have to do is to go to the bazaar and buy this potion?"
She nodded.
"That's all. They are very expensive. Normally, someone of your stature would not be able to pay even the half price of one, but we'll supply you with the money you need."
Odd, half-illegal jobs like these were becoming rare. Now after Valua had been blown to bits just a half-year ago, the need for mercenaries like myself had gone down. Although, things were starting to change with this new "Nasr Syndicate". In the absence of rulers after the nasultan's palace had been bombed, many small groups started to grab positions of influence and power. There was, however, an official Nasr council that had been appointed. The whole job seemed a little too easy though. Just walk in to the bazaar and buy some potion named "Formula 20". Ah well, at least I was getting paid. She couldn't show herself buying something suspicious. It was necessary to send a courier, hence me.
"Alright, I'll do it."
She smiled and passed over a leather pouch.
"That's all the money you need. And don't think you'll be able to escape, Esteban. There's only one exit from the bazaar and it's watched."
"Why would I run away?"
"Maybe since you're tired of the existence you still call life and don't have any money to buy a rope, so that you instead hope that one of my men gets you and put a dagger through your throat, just to save money."
Tired of your life...
"It shouldn't take long. I'll be back soon."
Without looking at the guard, I went out of the small hot room, located in the east district of Nasrad, and took a deep breath of the relatively fresh air outside. Nasr was Nasr and it would never be what I called comfortable, but no one was asking me. Not that I cared though. I walked down the stairs, made my way over the fountain plaza heading towards the stairs that led to the reconstructed bazaar. The city was only half-rebuilt but already it was cramped with people like grule-fish in a can. And somewhere one of her spies lurked, to make sure that I was a good boy and ran my errand like I was supposed to.
After a while, I reached the stairs. I made my way upwards and looked out at the bazaar area. All sorts of stalls could be seen, offering all sorts of things, but I was only interested in a certain one. A regular stall, standing in a far of corner, littered with small bottles. I walked casually to the stall, unwilling to attract attention. When I got closer, I saw that two people already stood in the line. They were around my age and not what I would call discreet. One of them was a brown-haired young man, he wore a long blue jacket or waistcoat with sleeves connected to it with some red strings. Judging from the cutlasses at his belt, I figured out he was possibly an Air Pirate. The blonde gal who stood next to him wore a white dress with a veil that covered the back of her head, as far as I could see anyway. The dress was nothing I had seen before, but I've never been a sucker for fashion so I might be wrong. Right now, the stall's owner was being verbally assaulted by the gal. From what I heard, the matter was about an antidote of some sort which the salesman didn't have for sale. The salesman seemed to shrink in horror, not being able to withstand the young woman's fury. Finally, she got her answer and she walked off. I got a quick look on her face. She looked furious, and even I could see that it somehow looked misplaced on her. The guy who were in her company remained and said to the salesman:
"By the way, did you sell any .44 recently? My friend got a taste of it and it didn't have any effect. Why is that?"
I listened carefully, since I could use this to bargain. The salesman gave a short explanation (apparently two potions couldn't be mixed) and then the guy rushed off. For a short moment we were face to face. That glass eye patch over his right eye confirmed that he was an Air Pirate alright. I stepped forward, inside I was building up a plan. If I played my cards right, I would be able to get a slight discount and I would keep it all to myself.
"I'm looking for a salesman who deals in some mysterious potions. Would that be you?"
The salesman nodded. He was still a bit pale. A good sign, for me that is.
"Yes. I have all potions you will need. 'Sleeping', 'poisonous', everything."
"What I'm looking for is the formula with the number twenty. I trust you have it."
The salesman leant forward and looked through the bottles standing on the table, and then he picked up a small round bottle with an azure-blue liquid.
"The victim will only need to drink it, then the 'effect' will occur in a day or two."
I looked at the bottle, skeptical.
"That little thing? Does it even work?"
"Of course it does. I only sell wares of highest quality."
"'Highest quality'?! Don't make me laugh! What about the guy before me? Apparently you have sold a defect potion a while back!"
"But I explained! Two potions can't be mixed due to the..."
"Are you making this up? It doesn't sound very realistic to me."
The salesman's forehead was stained with sweat. Good.
"I don't create those potions myself. I buy them from a contact. I can't be responsible for..."
And there he fell.
"Can't be /responsible/!? Why would I buy one in the first place then!?"
It was not like me to shout at people, but no one really knew the real me, so it evened out.
"But you were going to buy only one potion, if I'm not mistaken?" said the salesman.
"Not so sure anymore."
The bait was laid out. All he had to do was take it.
"I will give you a slight discount," the salesman said. "Only one-thousand gold."
"One-/thousand/? In brass coins maybe. I'm not going to throw away my money on some sort of crap. I'd say two-hundred."
My client must've known the price for the potions. Now I would drive a hard bargain and keep the change to myself. A nice bonus. Not so honest maybe, but if it was something I knew about this world it was that nothing fair or pure existed in the first place.
"No, no, no. That's too low. I can settle for nine-hundred."
"And that's too high for my taste. Three-hundred."
"Shall we shake hands for seven-hundred?"
Better, but still, no.
"I'd rather rip of my hand rather than pay you that."
"But where would you find another potion!?" said the salesman with a hint of anger. "I'm the only one who sells them!"
He had a point there. I decided to take a chance.
"Maybe I won't need that potion after all. I can dish out some revenge on my own. I can tell that he is not worth getting destitute for."
Rise or fall...
"Five-hundred. No less."
"Deal then."
I unhooked the pouch I had been given and opened it up. But what? That couldn't been one-thousand! Not even half of it! Of course. The biddy must've thought I would bargain. That way, she got her potion for the normal price and the enjoyment of sending out a low-paid mercenary such as myself without having to get off her own arse. I counted to five hundred gold, gave the salesman his money, took the potion and left without thanking him. But then again, no one had ever accused me of good behaviour. Not in many years...
xXx
She held the bottle in her hand, scrutinising it, as if the blue liquid held an answer she had been looking for.
"I see you even managed to get the right one. Good job."
She had her eyes at the bottle, not bothering to look at me.
"You are aware that I could've sent one of my own men to do it, but I decided to let you have a little job, again. Even if you tried to swindle me, right?"
I nodded inside. The whole scheme was just set up to trick me in some sort of dept to her. As a mercenary, I had to show a neutral face to my clients, but she took the price.
"And the payment," I said.
She lifted her head and glanced at me quickly, as if she wondered what I did here. Without words she pushed over a small leather pouch, and then she returned to her precious potion.
"You can consider yourself lucky," she said.
"Why should I?"
"We had a living legend among us today: Vyse of the Blue Rogues. My sources tell me that he tried to buy a potion himself. Be glad he didn't catch you."
Blue Rogues had never been highly ranked in the syndicate's eyes and never this Vyse in particularly.
"Why would he do that?" I answered in a tone as if I didn't care. "I have never been at the 'Wanted-board'."
"Oh, but you could. As you might see, I work closely with the Nasr Council. Just one little word from me, and Esteban the mercenary would never be able to set his little foot in Nasr."
Hag!
"I trust you'll be able for service again soon. I want you to be ready exactly two weeks from now, same place but at night. Understood?"
"Wouldn't be impossible," I said casually.
But we both knew the rules. Either show up or get a price on my head. Things had been worse but this was enough to make me think that this was a bad day. But that in itself was nothing unusual. It was just another day, as I saw it.
xXx
A/N: For anyone who wonders: the text before the actual story is an extract from Billy Idol's song "White Wedding".
And one big captain's salut for my test-reader.
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