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Eternal Blue: The Easy Job

The massive stone monolith loomed before them as the small ship sailed towards the island. A muscular hyena with a smug and determined look on his face was at the helm. The muscles in the canine's arms rippled as he steered the craft closer to the dangerous base of the huge tower. An otter sat next to him, casually reading a book. The mustelid looked up from the pages briefly to look at where the hyena was taking them. He saw the large stone structure and shrugged; returning his gaze to the pages of the book. The hyena looked down at him; annoyed.

"You know, you could look more concerned. I am about to go into a very dangerous place, you know."

The otter shrugged again. "But you'll make it out fine, you always do, Captain."

"That maybe so, but it would be nice if you at least pretended to be concerned about me, Tireal."

Tireal looked up from his book and grinned. "Now where's the fun in that? I think it's much more entertaining to watch you squirm."

The hyena chuckled softly and then burst out laughing as he swung the wheel hard to port; parking the small boat neatly against the rocks. He reached into the bottom of the craft and pulled a small leather bag out of their belongings.

"Stay here, Tireal, I'll be right back."

Tireal nodded and continued to peruse his novel. "I know you will. I'll be here."

He lifted his eyes long enough from the pages to watch his companion climb the small set of stairs next to the docks. Tireal shook his head and sighed. "That Quint, he's always getting us into trouble."

Quint neared the large double doors of the black tower fortress.

Damn that Tireal! He thought, He's always getting me into trouble!

The hyena tucked the leather bag into his belt before reaching up to knock. He looked up at the large oak doors and a bright flash blinded him for an instant. He saw a large domed chamber. Blue light lit the room; bathing it in a dull, but sinister glow. There was a pedestal in the center of the room with a sapphire-like gem resting on top of it and as his eyes fell upon it, he felt as if he was falling into the brilliant jewel. A sudden pain shot through his left side and he cried out in alarm. Looking down, he saw a long wound running from under his left arm to just above his waist. His vision was starting to blur and he clenched his teeth to numb some of the pain. Through his cloudy vision, he saw Tireal on the other side of the room with another fur. The new fur was lifting the young otter into the air and Quint saw a flash of silver in the creature's paw. He tried to yell; tried to do anything to stop what he saw from happening, but the pain prevented him from doing anything except to let out a small protesting squeak. That seamed to be enough, however, for the creature turned to Quint with a very evil grin on his muzzle. The hyena watched in horror as the nameless fur showed him a wicked looking dagger and then gestured towards Tireal. The otter struggled helplessly in the creature's grasp; screaming in protest. Quint's vision was almost gone and he had very little strength left. He laid his head on the cold tiles of the floor and helplessly watched as the creature licked the blade of the dagger lewdly. Tireal yelled to Quint for help, but the hyena could do nothing. The dagger glistened in the eerie light as it shot forward; burying itself hilt deep into the otter's ribs. Tireal shrieked in pain as his clothes were almost instantly stained red and the unknown fur laughed wickedly. Quint roared in agony and anger, but then he was completely blinded by another flash. He stood in front of the giant doors of the dark tower; his paw inches from the wood.

***

Quint awoke with a start; he was sweating and panting heavily. He quickly looked down at his side. His familiar gray fur stared back at him and he breathed a sigh of relief. Tireal slept soundly next to him; the small otter's arm loosely wrapped around the hyena's body just above the waistband of his white, crotch hugging undergarments. The hyena sighed and tried to slow his breathing. He gently removed the arm from his hip and silently left the room. Quint found himself on the aft deck, looking out at the sunrise over the horizon. They had been in this port for almost a week now and he couldn't seem to shake these weird and depressing dreams, but none of them had been that specific before. He felt his chest and stomach knot up at the thought. Were they premonitions? Was Tireal really going to die? The sun started to slowly peek above the horizon as Tireal appeared next to him; causing Quint to lose his train of thought momentarily. The otter wrapped his arm around Quint again and laid his head on his captain's broad shoulder.

"Couldn't sleep again, Captain?"

Quint shook his head.

"Maybe we should abandon this job." Tireal mused. "If we do, your nightmares might go away."

There was a long silence as the sun lifted itself from the depths of the clouds in a brilliant display of orange, pink, and yellow.

"We can't abandon it, Tireal, remember? If we do, we're dead."

"I know, Captain." The otter sighed.

They watched as the last of the sun removed itself from the water's surface and the sky brightened into day.

"We had better get started then." He looked down at the otter and it was all he could do to keep from crying as the memories of his nightmare drifted to the surface of his mind. Tireal looked up at him, worry evident in his face.

"What's wrong, Quint?" He asked earnestly.

The hyena shook his head. "I don't want to think about it."

Tireal nodded. "It might make you feel better if you talk about it."

"I said no!"

Tireal looked back at Quint; green eyes wide in shock as the hyena shrugged the otter off of him. Tireal slowly walked to the cabin door.

"I... I'll go and get breakfast started..." The otter tried to hide a small sniff of sadness as he disappeared into the doorway.

Quint turned to apologize, but too late. "I'm sorry, Tireal I..." his throat tightened up and he turned back to watch the horizon with his sea blue eyes, "...I... I don't want you to die."

A single tear slid down the hyena's cheek as the harbor behind him began to stir with life.

The rest of Quint's crew had decided to spend the night relaxing on shore. The hyena was checking the ship to make sure that everything was secure. As he passed the cargo hold he poked his head inside to check on their prisoner. The female rat glared at him from a small wooden stool that had been lashed to the support column in the middle of the room. He smiled kindly at her and she spit in his direction.

"Careful, or I may decide to not give you food." He said, but she just glared in response.

Leaving the rat to fume in silence; Quint found Tireal in the galley, cooking something that smelled delicious, but looked like cream-colored mucus. The hyena crept up behind the otter silently and wrapped his arms around his small body. Tireal jumped slightly, but leaned back into Quint as the water on the small stove came to a boil.

"I'll never know how you can be so big and move so quietly." The otter commented.

"And I'll never know how you can cook on a rocking ship." Quint replied as he hugged the otter tightly.

"Practice makes perfect," Tireal smiled to himself.

"That it does." Quint reached over and turned the flame off. "You'll burn it if it's on for much longer."

Tireal twisted the knob on the stove, turning the flame back on as he craned his neck to glare at the hyena. "And who is the chef around here??"

Quint backed away slowly, holding his hands in a defensive position. "Right, sorry... What would you like to drink?"

Tireal went back to cooking the porridge-like slop that was the only food they had left on the entire ship. "What have we got?"

Quint rubbed his lower jaw in thought as he looked into the small pantry. "Jack and shit..."He looked up at the otter. "...and Jack left town."

Tireal smirked. "Great... I told you we needed more drinks."

Quint gasped and reached into the cabinet. "Wait, we have beer!" He pulled out a glass bottle and held it aloft triumphantly.

The otter poured their breakfast into two bowls and put them on the table. "Give me a small glass... of water."

Quint sat down on the opposite side of the table as he tossed the bottle back into the pantry, his glass filled to the top with the foaming beverage. He passed Tireal's water over the table.

"I don't understand how you can drink that stuff 24/7." Tireal made a face and began eating.

Quint took a big swig of the drink, some dripping onto his chest. He put the glass back down on the table and sighed happily.

"I don't understand how you can eat that stuff at all." He gestured to the cream-colored goop in their bowls.

"It's not that bad." The otter took another bite. "It tastes no worse than your cooking."

Quint winced. "Ouch..." he muttered as the pair continued to eat in silence.

The shore was full of activity as Quint and Tireal made their way through the marketplace. Tireal wore a frilly and baggy white shirt and some very loose blue pants that were rolled up at the ankles. Quint wore the same outfit he always wore when on business. His black tunic was open at the chest, revealing his substantial muscles and his brown pants flowed over his legs like a river of fabric. Tireal was struggling to keep up with his captain in the large throng of furs which kept jostling him back and forth. Finally they reached a significant lull in the crowd and Tireal caught up to Quint.

"Who are we looking for?" The otter asked.

"Our contact is an overweight fur who will be sitting in front of the local watering hole, that's all I know." Quint was watching the entrance of the pub for any furs matching the description.

"That's a load of help... how many overweight furs do you see?" Tireal strained to see above the people on his toes.

"Oddly enough, only one. Come on." Quint grabbed Tireal's wrist and led him to the front of the building where several tables were set up for outside dining. The fur in question had his back to them and he was smoking a pipe.

"Excuse me, sir." Quint began, but he never got to finish as the wolf in the chair twisted his head at the sound of the hyena's voice.

"You!?" The wolf shrieked.

"Oh, shit." Tireal said.

The fat fur roiled in anger. "I'm broke because of you, you cheating swine!"

Quint remained calm. "I'm sorry... do I know you?"

This only seemed to make the other fur angrier. "You don't remember? It was five years ago in Kalimshan!"

***

"... And that's not all, my friends. After the duke had begged for his life at my master's feet and protested his love of the very people that he had murdered, my master looked him square in the eyes and said one thing, 'You'll live, but it won't be a happy life.' And then my master spat in the old boar's face, sheathed his sword and left, but not before defeating the entirety of the duke's hired guards in a matter of minutes!"

Tireal was standing on one of the many tables in the tavern, orating to a myriad of faces sitting around the large common room. Many of them were chatting quietly at the bar and others sat around the other tables; watching the otter with idle interest.

"When he returned to our ship, my master set sail for the nearest imperial port and returned the stolen items to their rightful owners without so much as saying a word."

The otter was wearing a loose white tunic that was open at the collar and very baggy on his lithe frame. As he moved around on the small table, his bare feet made clicking noises from his claws. His pants were dark brown and loose, but not as baggy as his tunic. They were held to his waist by an almost comical large leather belt that wrapped around the small creature twice before fastening at his front.

As he continued his story, Quint; wearing almost the same outfit as the otter except for the fact that his clothes fit him much better; exited the lavatory. He stopped at the edge of the large crowd watching the otter and shook his head. He cautiously pushed his way through the amassed furs to the small table until he was right behind the energetic otter. A few of the other patrons smiled knowingly in his direction and he winked back.

The otter finished his current train of thought and paused to clear his throat.

"You wouldn't be embellishing our journey just a bit, would you Tireal?"

The otter froze and slowly turned around to see the hyena looking at him with a twinkle in his eye and his arms folded across his chest.

"Um..." Tireal said, "...no Captain, not at all."

Laughter floated around the room as the hyena picked up a mug from the table where Tireal stood and took a large swig of the drink that was in it. "Well in that case... I think a round is on me." He turned to the entire bar. "What do you think? Drinks all 'round?"

The whole crowd cheered in appreciation as Tireal hopped down from the table. No one noticed the hyena captain or his first mate slipping out the kitchen door and into the night.

When they were safely away from the pub, Tireal handed his captain a heavy leather pouch. "We made good money tonight... I got this much from onlookers. How much did you manage to 'borrow' from our good friends?"

The hyena grinned and held up a larger bag and jingled it. "Oh just a little bit." Tireal stared in wonder at the rattling money in the bag.

"How can you get that much out of people's pockets?" he asked.

"Simple." the captain responded, "You gotta' go for the ones who are either too intoxicated to notice you or the ones that are paying attention to something else, namely your little escapade on the table top."

Tireal nodded, glancing behind them. "I'll keep that in mind, sir."

The hyena chuckled. "Relax, Tireal. They won't notice their empty purses until we're far from here."

Tireal glanced over his shoulder again. "I know, but... I'm still nervous."

"And stop being so formal when we're on leave. You can call me Quint, you know."

Tireal smiled a little more relaxed now. "Alright Quint, we should probably head back to the ship now, right?"

Quint grinned widely and grabbed the small otter in a firm, but gentle headlock. "Where's the fun in that, eh? I say we go and gamble some of this cash."

Tireal grinned and followed his captain eagerly down the quiet city street.

They arrived at an old run down building. The windows were covered with wood and black, but there were pub noises coming from within. There was also a large tiger standing outside of the only wooden door. The big cat looked imposing, but Quint walked right passed him without saying a word. The tiger blinked and quickly grabbed the hyena by the scruff of the neck.

"And where do you think you're going?" The tiger asked

Quint smiled. "Inside of course." He jingled the bag at his side.

The big cat looked down at the bag and held out his hand. "Entry fee, please, sir."

"Oh, how silly of me. It slipped my mind." Quint reached into the pouch; the smile never leaving his face as he tossed five coins into the feline's paw. The tiger looked at the coins and bit one of them before stepping to the side to let the two pirates enter. The inside of the building looked very different from the outside. It was well lit and many furs were crowded around some small tables watching the games being played there. Quint walked straight through the first room and into a small door in the wall. It seemed to Tireal that the hyena had been here before. They entered the small smoky room and were greeted by a muscular wolf grinning at them. The table he was sitting at was surrounded by a small crowd of seedy furs.

"It appears that at least someone is intelligent enough to find this private game room." He tossed two dice in his paw idly.

"Care for a game?"

Quint smiled and sat on the opposite side of the game table. "That depends on what you're willing to wager."

The wolf shrugged. "How about we start small? Is 500 pieces good for you?"

Quint shrugged and took Tireal's small pouch and placed it in the betting square on the table. "No problem. Can you afford it?"

The canine snorted. "Of course I can. Only a fool would offer a bet he couldn't pay." He pushed his own pile of riches into the square. "Now... let us begin."

"Come on... I just need three more..." Quint shook the dice in his left hand as Tireal looked on anxiously.

The hyena had lost all of their booty and was now trying to win it all back. The bets lay on the table and Quint only needed a roll of three or higher. Two dice rattled in his paw and he closed his eyes in a brief wish for luck before the two cubes rolled effortlessly from his palm. They floated gracefully in what seemed like slow motion to Tireal, who was sweating like an un-sheered sheep in midsummer. The small ivory dice landed with a dull thud on the wooden playing field and Tireal held his breath. The first of the small cubes came to a stop and all of those around the table tensed as a single black dot reared its ugly head. Quint winced and crossed his fingers, hoping the other would land on anything but a one. The room fell dead silent as the second cube turned over for the final time. The creatures around the table gasped in shock and all looked around nervously to see what the hyena would do next. The wolf sitting across the table stared at the snake eyes before him and lifted his grinning muzzle slowly.

"I believe that you have just lost, sir." The gray muzzle curved upwards into a sneer as he cupped Quint's money into his own pile. "Unless of course you have something else you want to wager..." The wolf's eyes lazily floated over to Tireal and looked him up and down. The otter shuddered under their gaze. "I bet he would make a good cabin boy." The large wolf chuckled dryly and his posse laughed with sinister grins.

Quint stepped into the wolf's line of sight and leaned in inches away from the larger animal's muzzle.

"My ship." He said.

The wolf blinked. "Eh?"

"My ship," Quint repeated. "I'll wager my ship in the next round."

"It's probably a dinghy." The wolf sneered again. "I won't make a foolish bet like that without some proof of the craft's worth."

Quint smiled. "Ever heard of the Artful Dodger?" Quint asked.

The crowd fell silent and the Wolf's sneer vanished momentarily, but then reappeared.

"You mean to tell me that you own the Artful Dodger??" He laughed out loud. "You must think I'm crazy!"

Quint's smile never faded. "Maybe, but then again... perhaps some more solid proof will show you." He pulled a rolled up sheet of paper from his belt and laid it flat on the table.

The sneer quickly evaporated off of the wolf's face. "This is..." he began.

"...The ownership deed to the Artful Dodger." Quint's eyes sparkled.

Tireal watched in awe as his captain masterfully conned the gambler. Three times Quint had wagered the Dodger in gambling games not unlike this one and he had yet to lose his ship.

"He really is Captain Quint," a horse standing near the table whispered.

Quint turned to him and bowed. "Indeed I am." He turned back to the wolf, who was visibly starting to perspire now, "So... do we have a deal?"

The wolf looked nervously from the large pile of money to the deed and back again. The money he had won was nothing compared to the cash he would get if he sold the Artful Dodger; or perhaps he could use the ship's speed to meet his own illegal needs.

He slowly pushed the entire pile of money into the betting square as Quint placed the deed gently on his side of the table.

"Shall we begin?" The hyena asked.

The wolf picked up the two dice in his paw and rolled them around. "Same rules as before," he growled. "Snake eyes loses the game, first to pass 36 wins..." he faltered, "...wins everything."

"Be my guest good sir," Quint gestured to the paw holding the dice.

The wolf gulped and started to jiggle the dice in his paw. He closed his eyes and wished for the win as the dice flew from his palm. They landed in a perfect twelve. The wolf breathed a sigh of relief and his sneer returned as Quint picked up the ivory cubes.

"Very good roll, but you have me at a disadvantage. I don't know who you are, and you know me." He idly rolled the dice between his fingers like a pro.

The wolf watched the cubes move nervously. "I'm Blackclaw." He answered.

Quint grinned. "Ah, you must be Blackclaw the Terrible; ruler of the Southern Sea. Well, what's a big scary pirate like you afraid of two small white cubes for?" He casually threw the dice on the board and scored a twelve as well.

Blackclaw tensed visibly and then glared at Quint. "How dare you take such a high stakes game so lightly!" he shrieked.

Quint grinned. "I'm only playing the game. You would do better if you weren't so tense all of the time. Maybe one of your crew should give you a back rub."

Blackclaw roared and tried to throttle the hyena in front of him, but was restrained by his crewmates. "Let me go! I'll rip his larynx out!"

Quint clicked his tongue in Blackclaw's direction. "Temper, temper..."

It took several minutes for Blackclaw to calm down enough to roll the dice. He tossed them as casually as Quint had the first time; glaring in the hyena's direction all the while. Quint watched as the dice bounced into a score of ten. Quint smiled and picked them up and almost immediately tossed them down again for a score of eleven. Blackclaw fumed silently he rolled again for a seven and he winced inwardly, that score was going to hurt him. Quint rolled and dropped a six on the board as well.

Blackclaw had the game won. All he needed was a seven or better on two six-sided dice. He grinned at the hyena who only smiled curtly back and gestured for him to roll. The wolf narrowed his eyes. Something was fishy about this Quint fellow, but he couldn't bother with that now. He had a game to win. He threw the dice and stared at the two white cubes in disbelief when they landed on a three.

The score now stood 32 to 29 Blackclaw leading, but Quint had yet to roll. The hyena flipped the dice a few times in his palm.

"You can forfeit now, Captain Blackclaw, or you can let me roll and be humiliated." Quint smiled.

"Roll the gods-be-damned dice!" Blackclaw hissed.

"As you wish." Quint replied and tossed the two squares onto the board.

***

Quint seemed to remember. "Ah yes... Blackclaw...It's so nice to see your cheery face again."

The wolf spat. "Because of your perfect roll...!"

Quint shrugged. "It wasn't my fault. I was just playing the game."

"That was fifteen hundred! Fifteen hundred!" Blackclaw was fuming.

"So you shouldn't have bet so much on a foolish wager." Tireal spoke up. "Any good gambler knows that if a player is confident enough to bet something as dear to him as his ship, then he is going to win. Either that or he's a lunatic."

Blackclaw whimpered as he realized the logic in the otter's statement. "Well doesn't this just beat all?" He paused, thinking. "So what do you two want anyway?"

"We need some information on a certain gem; a sapphire," Quint replied, "Do you know the whereabouts of the Celestial Sapphire by any chance?"

"What do you want that old thing for?"

"We need it because a client... asked for it." Tireal was hesitant.

"Well rumor has it that there is a mysterious island off the coast of Serevix. It can't be charted because it is always moving, but that is where the gem is supposed to be hidden."

"Well then, it looks like that's where we're going. It should be an easy job."

Blackclaw held his hand out expectantly. Quint looked from the fat wolf's face to his hand and back again in disgust; dropping two coins into his paw.

"Don't spend them all in one place." The hyena and the otter walked away as Blackclaw tried in vain to curse them.

Back on the Dodger with the rest of the crew, Quint called them all for a meeting.

"We are going to Serevix." Quint began. "They don't like strangers so we'll have to be very cautious. I am the only one to speak to them. If any one of you so much as utters a word that they don't like, they won't hesitate to kill you. So be careful. We will most likely be separated when we arrive and they will try to seem hospitable. Don't let that fool you. We can't afford any slip ups until I make the first move. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" rang through the small galley.

"Good. Set sail for Serevix!"

The Dodger sailed away from Taldoor under the cover of night. Meeting Blackclaw again was a surprise to Quint, but like most of life's many surprises he shrugged it off as coincidence. It did seem odd to him that he constantly ran into the same people time and again, though. Perhaps that was part of his destiny as well. Quint was lying in his bed that night as the ship sailed on auto pilot for the island of Serevix. He stared up at the metal plating of the ceiling, lost in thought. Tireal was slumbering quietly next to him. The captain of the Artful Dodger now had a full crew, but he could remember when it was just he and Tireal. He almost preferred it that way, but there was no choice when it came to this job. In fact, this was more like an order than a job in the first place.

"How did I get myself into this mess...?" He asked himself as he closed his eyes and thought about the past.

END?