Midvadir Dreams - (Tarrakhash x CasualVelociraptor)

[Tarrakhash]

((Most of the intro is Casual's world building info))

A thousand years ago, Midvadir ("World Central Sultanate") was the most powerful nation on the continent of Orngath of the planet Emada. At noon each day, the planet's twin suns would cast no shadow on its capital, Madieca ("Ever Bright City"), and representatives of tributary nations from all four corners of the world would gather to trade in its thriving riverside markets, study at its prestigious universities, and then seek an audience with the Sultan Supreme, who Vadirians claimed to have a direct line of communication with their Allfather, giving him great clairvoyance- but only through fathers, for reasons unknown. Whenever a Sultan died and the new male Sultan came to power, daughters of all nations would travel across the world to in turn offer their bodies as tribute for political gain, love, or simply to experience the Sultan's visions by way of his cock, and the Sultan could marry as many as ten of them at once.

The days when Midvadir commanded the world stage are long gone. Under the brutal tyranny of Yusef's great-grandfather, Sultan Ulerinj II, the administration of the sprawling state began to decline, the navy that once charted the entire world fell into disrepair, the fearsome Iron Guard rusted, and magic and the Sultan's visions began to fade throughout the kingdom. In the meantime, the Ananki Confederation and the Caledorian Empire quickly filled the void. Now the Empire rules most of the world with its superior technology, such as airships and internal combustion vehicles, while the elvish-ruled Ananki jealously guard the secrets of magic and dragon riding, and the merfolk of Olsea rule most of the oceans. Worried about the three superpowers, Yusef's father, Sultan Hanuku the Wise, offered an alliance to all the other nations. Some joined and some refused, but when the United Kingdoms of Surai and Bamba (often shortened to Surabamba, as they had been one nation for two hundred years) was conquered by Caledoria, all remaining free nations banded with Midvadir for mutual protection.

The world was now down to four nations, all eyeing each other with suspicion, but Ananka, Caledoria, and Olseka knew the value of having a buffer state between all of them, and so continued the tradition of marrying off as many of their noble women as they could to the Sultan for political and economic benefit, while also lining up women to arrange for his successor. Now Yusef's father has died peacefully in his sleep, and the world teeters on the brink of war unlike any ever seen. For now, an unsuspecting Midvadir is grieving but safe and awaits the crowning of a new Sultan, and the parade of potential brides eager to fill the harem hall that has now been vacated by Yusef's father's wives.

The new Sultan of Midvadir was sitting at the long table reserved for his meals he watched his many servants bringing in the food as he spoke to the poor sap he had selected to listen to his complaints this morning,"And you know all those princess, I'm supposed to select ten of them, but they are all the same...they're political pawns sent to manipulate me with their bodies, their minds and their skills." He sighed and ran a hand through the fur of his trained panther, Arcturis, as he looked over at the poor servant sitting there nodding about things he knew nothing about,"And what's more I've been having some strange dreams, dreams of woman...and a man made of Iron...the iron man chases me into the arms of the woman...one of them even has a mechanical arm and a massive syringe....I'm pretty sure it's the artichokes, they mess with my digestive system and give me wierd dreams."

He had almost stopped believing the all father would ever send him anything useful...an iron man chasing him into the arms of a woman with a massive syringe, and the sexy girl with all the piercings! Definitely the artichokes!

 

[CasualVelociraptor]

“Yes, it’s most certainly the artichokes that you are allergic to but still insist on eating, Yusef,” grinned Theodore, a hunched over and weathered servant. He knew that he should be addressing the younger man as Sultan, Your Highness, or My Liege; but he’d known and addressed Master Yusef by his first name since he was in diapers, and even done the same for Yusef’s father Hanuku, so long had he served the Sultanate. Meaning he had no reason to fear any wrath from the man he’d helped raise.

“But if I may say so myself, it’s also that you still haven’t quite come down from the clouds, my boy.” Theodore had himself another wry chuckle before continuing, “You’ll need to see what’s right in front of you now that you’re Sultan. For one thing, you have the love and prayers of a nation that’s watched you grow into a fine young man. And for another, you have more than two hundred beautiful women all eager to rip your clothes off. Some people don’t even get one in their entire lives, so be grateful! Besides, you don’t have to love any of them, just marry them! And then let them use their ‘skills’ on you and give them plenty of babies.” Yusef was an anomaly in that he had been the only child born to Hanuku, and Midvadirians hoped that Yusef’s reign would be more fruitful for the Karadeniz royal line.

Another anomaly was slinking through the Madieca Palace. Akari Takahashi was exactly the kind of woman who could find pockets of shadow to hide in in a city that boasted to have no darkness in it at noon each day. She pressed herself hard up against walls, dug into weaknesses in ceilings, and shot the odd servant or guard who got a little too curious with sleeping darts from her crossbow. For today had been the coronation of a new Sultan Supreme, and that meant for one day only, the Coronal Crown had been brought out from its underground vault to rest upon Yusef’s head for mere minutes.

Akari admitted that the head that bore the crown was rather handsome, but she had not come here for the new incumbent Sultan. If she could sneak up to Yusef’s bedroom to snatch the Coronal Crown, keep it hidden until it was no longer hot, and find a fence outside the purview of the Thieves Guild, then this would be worth thousands- no, millions- in whatever currency the buyer wished to part with. After this one last job, there would be no more scrounging for scraps for her; perhaps she could even buy her own island and fill it with beautiful servant men and women.

 

[Tarrakhash]

Yusef grinned at Theodore and shook his head,"But they are so delicious, Theo! Unlike the ladies with the painted faces they keep parading in front of me.", he sighed, tilting his head back and running his hand over his face and he shrugged,"I know, I know that the normal man doesn't get the 'privileges' I get, but then they are allowed to find true love and not just look for a sufficiently attractive woman they can bare to bed her regularly enough to actually sire a heir!" With a sigh he reached out a muscled arm to spin the knife he was supposed to be eating with around on the table as he shrugged,"I know, I know I have a duty to the Midvadirians to sire the next in the line in the hope we'll get more visions from the Allfather but I think we've lost our way somewhere."

He shook his head and smirked,"Who knows, maybe you are right, perhaps one of the woman I am destined to love is in this castle right now, maybe she's caked in make up waiting for me to clap eyes on her and be blown away by her....'skills' as you call it, or perhaps she'll actually be able to have a conversation and maybe she is actually interested in my love and loving me....but she's likely sitting right next to a viper who wants to do nothing but impregnate herself and then do away with me so her child and her political faction can control Midvadir."

Unaware of the woman currently sneaking from place to place inside of his palace Yusef continued his rant about the snakes hidden among the painted princess trying to snare him by his heart, his loins or any other means,"How do you know, Theo? How do you know which one is the right choice? Or is it just a matter of luck?" Luck may have been having a hand it already as the big black panther got up and rubbed his head on the young Sultan's leg,"What, Arcturis? Do you need to go out again? Really?" He gave the big cat a push, unaware that the cat was already detecting the forces of fate at work...or perhaps just the perfume of a young thief sliding through the corridors of his palace.

Giving the big head of his cat a push he gestured to the floor,"Sit, Arcturis, sit.....", sighing he looked at Theodore,"It would be easier if I let Arcturis pick them, he has an uncanny sense of who is up to no good! But no, letting a cat pick your wives is less reliable than the prophetic dreams of the Sultan!" Shaking his head he smirked,"Any of them have a clock work arm? I'm sure I saw one of those in my artichoke enhanced dreams....maybe I need to eat more of them, not less and then I'll have more visions of beauty!"

Chukling he patted his turban to make sure it was tight around his head, his brown eyes flickering over his half eaten breakfast before his well muscled hands slid to grab the spinning knife and start to cut inot his star fruit,"Can you have someone bring in some more hot kaf? It's all that keeps me going, I haven't slept so bad have my dreams been...men of Iron are chasing me all night and all I can do is run towards a crashing airship and a woman with chains running from her nose to her ear....so strange."

 

[CasualVelociraptor]

“Well, I suppose if you’re going to listen to someone for marriage advice, then you could do worse than a cat or some artichokes,” Theodore jibed. Then in response to Yusef’s request, he said, “I’ll have someone make it and bring it up to your chambers right away, sire. You’ve had a very long day already, so perhaps some rest and meditation in your room will do you some good.”

What neither of them knew was that right next to the door to the Sultan’s bedchambers was Akari, quietly fiddling with a set of lockpicks to gently lift up the tumblers and grant herself unauthorized access to his quarters.

 

[Tarrakhash]

Yusef chuckled and shook his head,"Well, if I let you pick my wives I know they'd all be blonde and massively well endowed, you certainly have a type Theo and don't say I haven't noticed!" He nodded,"Thank you, Theo, I know that you will always take good care of me and my family....without you what would we be? Hungry, grumpy sultans with dirty diapers!" Standing to his feet he clicked his fingers, the large panther sliding to it's feet to walk at his side as he adjusted the bejeweled sword at his side and started towards his bed chambers. His shirtless torso was covered in fine tattoo's magical markings supposed to enhance his visions, when all they did was draw attention to how well muscled he was and how casually confident he walked.

He was almost at his door when a low growl from his panther snapped him out of his reverie, Arcturis hackles rose like a ridge along his black back and when Yusef looked up at door the cats yellow eyes were locked on a lithe, slim figure was standing in front of his door, doing...well....something. With a hiss his curved sword slid from his scabbard,"Hello there, who might you be? Looking for a tour of the Sultan's bedchambers? Typically I find that's best to at least introduce yourself to him before hand......I am Sultan Yusef Bin Iben and you are?"

 

[CasualVelociraptor]

“Oh, you were the exemplary hungry, grumpy Sultan at one point!” Theo teased, then went to the garden to smoke some hallashab (called sweetgrass in other parts of the world) on his lunch break, reminisce, and continue to privately grieve over Hanuku.

“Oh! Sorry for the intrusion, my liege!” Akari cried, keeping one eye on the annoyed big cat as she smiled through her mask. “Oh, I know who you are- Yusef Bin Iben Karadeniz, right? I’m Akari Takahashi.”

She figured it wouldn’t hurt to tell him her true name, as no one but her knew it, and no one had yet made any connections between her and any under the table activities. “I’m part of your security detail, sent to check for vulnerabilities throughout the palace. I’ll just pop open your door for you”- which it did with a ka-CHUNK- “and then be out of your hair. And I’ll be sure to have someone install a deadbolt on it for you stat.”

 

[Tarrakhash]

"Really? You're just checking the door...with a mask, Akari?", he sighed and shook his head, putting his sword away, slipping closer he took hold of her arm,"You must be one of my many suitors, figured a more bold approach might be the best plan?" He chuckled in a patronizing way,"Well, you have a pretty enough figure, let's see what's under the mask shall we?" He reached up pausing to give her a moment to see what he was doing before he pulled the mask off to see her face.

"I appreciate the creativity, and the skill required to...pick the lock on my door? That is an unusual skill for a suitor...", there was a low rumble from Acturis throat as Yusef guided her into his room,"Is there any particular part of my room you wanted to see? And don't be boring and say the bedroom, that would ruin all your hard work, Akari....."

He chuckled, still amused the various princess would go to such great lengths to get to him, it was almost complimentary, not to mention it caught his attention,"Which country do you represent?" His chambers were huge, a collection of pillows surround a low table that he eats, meets and greets at and the smell of bath oils drifts from one of the large chambers on the left and a very large door leads to a bedroom that is massive. The last door on the right is a large, metal bound door....clearly housing some things of value, but Yusef has a firm grip on her arm as he chuckles,"Perhaps the baths, those are ingenious, some amazing engineering to get both hot and cold water piped in....I even have the diagrams around here somewhere."

 

[CasualVelociraptor]

Privately, Akari fumed at the arrogance of this man, Sultan or not, for pulling down her face mask. No one had ever done that before- and lived. But then she remembered that leaving behind a dead Sultan would cause quite the commotion, and she was very good at leaving little to no evidence of anyone passing by.

“Oh...oh you,” Akari said. “What gave it away, my dear? Was it my accent?” She often tried to imitate local accents and mannerisms to blend in, but it didn’t always work- and Yusef was a savvy one, she did have to give him credit for that. “Was it the red flair on my hood?” she then asked again, pointing to it. It was pretty colorful, after all.

“Or was it...something else?” she whispered to him and giggled, after standing on her toes to reach up to his height and leaning in to his left ear.

“Oh, I don’t represent anyone, but I hail from Gudaria, one of the member states of the Ananki Confederation, far to the east of here,” she then continued. “I heard from far and wide that you might be available soon- no offense, and so sorry for your loss. So, I figured you might want a wife who has...traveled well, is good on her feet, and can get you back in the palace if you ever lock yourself out.”

While Akari was spinning a web of her charm around young Yusef, the Iron Commander of Midvadir marched his unquestioning men towards the Great Madieca Palace to arrest the “pretender.”

 

[Tarrakhash]

He chuckled,"No, Akari, dear, it was the fact that my entire security detail is male...and you are not male...rather distinctly not male.", he looked at her outfit and nodded,"It is a rather nice red flair, but I'm a huge fan of the skirt personally, very flattering to your figure." Unaware of the approaching Iron Guard he slid an arm around her waist, perhaps Theo was right, maybe he was overthinking it, this one was cute and smart.

"Hmm, you might be right, I think someone a little more well traveled would be perfect.....and you say you don't represent someone?", that might even be perfect no political connections to worry about,"Hmmm...I certainly think you might qualify. I will add you to my short list...Akari, I think Theo had a couple of other girls but I think I get a choice in at least one of them and you're the most interesting of the lot...no make up painted on, genuinely smart way to attract my attention I like it."

He looked her up and down,"How do you feel about jewelry we need to find you some, especially if you're going to be spending a lot of time teaching me about places outside of this area. I don't get around much."

 

[CasualVelociraptor]

“Why, thank you, Sultan Charming,” Akari grinned underneath her face mask. “Hey, wait a minute! Never assume that women cannot hold a job. I could have been a security guard, or perhaps a mercenary hired to fill in- and I want to protect you, detail or not, so you only uncovered my true intentions with guesswork.

“You’re a flatterer too, but answer me this, Yusef- how short is this shortlist exactly, when you’ve probably seen hundreds of dolled up mannequins? Perhaps a trip to the Great Bazaar to get me earrings, bracelets, anklets, and a few more...intimate piercings might help you narrow down this mystical list of yours.”

 

[Tarrakhash]

"I didn't assume anything of the sort, I just happen to know what my current security detail is made up of. We don't hire mercenaries for my bed chambers. So you want to protect me? That's novel, I've never had a wife who wants to protect me.", technically he had never had a wife, but this was just flirting and moving things alone till he had time to determine all of her intentions for getting into his bed chambers.

Smirking he shrugged,"Well, if I told you how long my list was would it stop us from making that trip and getting all the jewelry you're talking about.", his eyebrow rose slowly as he considered what she was offering,"I am a fan of...uhhh...intimate piercings...." He smirked and gave her a wink,"Athough you know, a wise man once said you should have a look at the land before you make changes to it....if you know what I mean, you don't want to plow up a field that already has perfectly good crops growing in it."

He chuckled,"But yes, the dolled up mannequins are getting a little....ahhh.....smooth feeling."

 

[CasualVelociraptor]

“I couldn’t imagine two people wanting to get married without each wanting to protect their spouse; as my mother often said, it takes two oxen to pull a cart,” Akari smirked.

“Although I hear it’s against the rules for the Sultan to be intimate with anyone before his wedding night, I suppose there’s...” she then continued, planning to finish with “no harm in looking.”

She paused to really contemplate what she was about to say, since no one had ever seen her whole body before. But even if her end goal was to rip him off for expensive jewelry she could sell later, Akari still liked how Yusef made her laugh, he had a great body, and there was something else that intrigued her about him...

Before she could add anything else, a cannonball flew towards them, and she instinctively tackled Yusef to the ground just before it smashed through the marble and ceramic roof. Then, six Iron Guardsmen marched up the stairs in unison before splitting into two lines of three each to make way for the Iron Commander’s arrival.

“Yusef...your father never told you this, but you were a bastard, born of a concubine. You have no legal claim to the throne as a result, and therefore I do not recognize your coronation. You are under arrest, pretender,” the Iron Commander growled and shook his fist at the Sultan, his “suitor” and his panther. As he did, the furnace in the chest plate of his armor howled to life with flame.

“I see your point, but here’s the thing you gotta understand, buddy boy,” Akari said, putting on another accent as she poked the Commander in the ribs. “I’m the Sultan’s attorney, and I know that for a formal deposition request, you have to sign forms 32A and 45F, then have them notarized and bring them to me for my client to sign. Otherwise this whole coup is completely illegal. Capiche?”

“I...wha...whatever, just take them dead or alive!” the Iron Commander yelled. His soldiers leveled their lever action rifles just in case it came to the former.

“Don’t you dare hurt my little Yusef, you monster!” Theodore yelled as he charged upstairs.

But the scrawny octogenarian stood no chance. The Iron Commander lifted him up by the throat, and with his last breath, Theodore croaked, “Run!” before his neck was snapped like a toothpick and his body was tossed out the destroyed wall.

That gave Akari an idea. She yelled, “Hey, how about a parting gift?” then tossed a smoke grenade that gave the three of them enough cover for her to spot a passing cart full of hay, and for her to jump onto it, land on the chaff, and call out to Yusef and Arcturis to join her before the smoke cleared.

 

[Tarrakhash]

"Indeed, although I might point out that oxen are castrated males...but I understand the meaning behind your words.", he chuckled at her next comment, partiularly the way she just let it trail off, he could fill in the blanks,"You may find the Sultan is much less strict on those kind of rules than his fath....." Any words he was going to say were knocked out of him as Akari slammed into him, a moment later he was laying on his back with Akari pressed against him and all he could think to say as his ears buzzed from the cannonball was to mutter,"Sheesh....not on the first date...Akari."

Shaking his head he rose to his feet as his life unraveled before him, Iron Guard lined up and pointed their guns at him as he looked around at the wreckage of his bedroom before paying attention to the Iron Commander's arrival, he drew in a breath to berate him for being careless, assuming they were here for Akar...a cannon was obviously over kill for one girl looking to get an edge on her competitors. Of course as soon as the metal man spoke his eyes bulged,"What, a concubine? That's the worst pretext for a coup I have ever heard!"

Of course his new attorney had something to say about that and his mouth hung upon,"Attorney? 32A and 45F?" He was almost as confused as the Iron Commander but he was no idiot he was working out where this was going and it wasn't somewhere fun at all, especially with guns leveled at him. A spike of adrenaline hit him just as Theodore ran towards him, what happened next was like in a dream and it hit him..the Iron man, chasing him into the arms of some ladies.....red hood.......,"Theodore!!!!"

He yelled as the man who had all but raised him was killed, easily, contemptuously, his hand dropped to his sword but before he could act Akari did something, and likely saved his life for a second time. As the smoke filled the room Yusef moved, making towards the hole he paused just long enough to grab a jewelry box he had received from one of his many suitors and yell at Acturis,"Heel!"

Before he followed Akari to the edge, looking down he watched as she leaped for the hay cart his mouth hanging open,"No...fucking...way...." Of course to help the indecisive displaced monarch the first whine and crack of the lever action rifles filled the air and he leaped, the panther only moments behind him, his box clutched in his hands as he landed awkwardly on the hay rolling till he basically ended up face first in Akari's lap, a huge panther landing and resting on his legs as Acturis was way more graceful than him.

Lifting his head he looked over his shoulder at the hole in the side of the palace, smoke billowing out of it and then back to the woman whose lap he had all but landed on and he shook his head,"What the fuck....do all your dates end up like this?"

 

[CasualVelociraptor]

“No, I ordered a six person band to play a bunch of cheesy music, not six murderous iron soldiers. The rental company will certainly be getting an earful from me. Now duck!” Akari cried as a cannonball sailed over their terrified horse and cart driver, who sped up out of fear that the Iron Guard was after him specifically for some reason.

“We can’t really stay here for long. Do you have anything in that box that could help us?” Akari wondered as she loaded an explosive bolt in her crossbow that she then used to destroy a cannonball in midair.

 

[Tarrakhash]

He would have laughed if he wasn't so terrified, he agreed with the horses, all these cannons and stuff was not his cup of tea either,"By the power of the Allfather.....the things power will make a man do....." He glanced up at her, watching as she demolished a cannon ball, he hoped the horse would pull them out of range sooner rather than later,"Yes, I got some jewelry....well a lot of jewels, we need to get out of the city and fast...and I figured some money might be handy...between that and the jewels in the scabbard on my sword we should be able to bribe someone, maybe even a couple of someones to take us out of here."

He gave her a nervous grin,"Think of it as a honey moon in advance....", he ducked again as more shots fired, just as they rounded the corner and for now out of sight,"Also, in good news, you did get yourself a lot higher up on the short list....just saying." He looked over his shoulder,"Let's get out, we can loose them more easily on foot...we need to find a airship or a normal ship, the sooner we can't be traced the better..come on!"

Leaping from the cart he whistled and the large black panther leaped out too,"Shit....I don't know my way around town....", he looked her over,"You said you were well traveled, time to take your fiancee traveling...and fast....I'll make it worth your while."

 

[CasualVelociraptor]

“That sounds like a perfect honeymoon. And now would be the time to get out of our carriage, my dear!” Akari yelled.

She then yanked the Sultan out of the cart just before the foot of a fifty foot tall Goliath, one of the most powerful vehicles in the Caledorian Empire’s arsenal, stepped on it on its way to guard the Caledorian Embassy, which had been under threat by extremist Midvadirians lately. (Arcturis leapt out of the way as well.) This blocked the path of the Iron Guard and their cannon wagons.

As a potentially war creating stand-off ensued between members of the two sovereign military forces over the right of way through the streets, Akari, as always, took the opportunity as it presented itself. The nimble thief jumped up and wall bounced her way between the iron leg of the Goliath and a nearby house until, with one last leap off the Goliath, she landed and then rolled onto the roof of the building.

“Oh, for the love of...go around, you imbeciles!” the Iron Commander yelled as he punched a civilian off their horse and mounted it to lead his men on a different street that would intercept the escapees.

“Quickly, get up to the roof!” Akari yelled, as she frantically looked around for something to lower towards Yusef and also mentally mapped her rooftop route to the docks, where she could see the tiny visages of some airships.

 

[Tarrakhash]

There was no time to think, massive cannon balls flew through the air, giant stompy machines crushed carts and pretty girls acrobatically leapt up buildings approving of his honey moon suggestions while lever action rifles were aimed in their direction and civilians were punched off of horses.

Cursing he tucked the jewelry box into his belt sash and once he was sure it was secure moved into an ally between two buildings maneuvering so his back was against the wall of the building Akari had leaped to the top of. Shaking his head he ran at the wall opposite taking a leaping step up off the wall before kicking off of it pushing himself in the opposite direction, reaching out to grab the balcony of the house above.

One hand slipped, pulling a pot plant off its perch and down below to smash on the ground beneath. He was looking at a way to leap higher when Iron Guards managed to get a clear shot and suddenly the wall near him shattered as the whine of rifle fire filled the air,"Acturis, heel!" He yelled before smashing the door of the room in front of him, barging into a bathroom, past a mature but attractive woman squealing and covering up as the sultan stormed through followed by his panther, who looked like he was chasing him.

Skidding to a halt he barreled up the stairs through the bedroom and grinned as he spotted the roof access, tugging on the cord he lowered the collapsible steps even as the guards smashed in the front door on the lowest floor,"Shit....shit...shit." Cursed the Sultan as he stormed up the rickety stairs again a black panther hot on his heels as he slid up onto the roof and looked at Akari,"Waiting for me? Now what?" All he could see was roof tops, three stories down and the head of the Goliath swiveling slowly.

 

[CasualVelociraptor]

Akari soon spotted her erstwhile suitor escaping out a hole in the roof as rifle fire rang out into the sky. “Ah, yes, long have I waited, my love!” she then cried with a goofy fake swoon and sarcastic tone as she used another explosive crossbow bolt to destroy the unfolded ladder before the Iron Guards could climb it.

Once the Sultan asked for directions, she said with a completely straight face (since she had nothing to lie about here), “When I arrived at the docks this morning, I remember seeing some very grand buildings with multicolored flags on top. Maybe that’s where Sir Stomps-A-Lot over here is headed, since I heard something about an embassy. Let’s hitch a ride with him, shall we? Shouldn’t be too far.”

Akari then fired one last, regular bolt into the seam between two rivets on the side of the hulking machine. After that, she holstered her crossbow on her back, jumped, grabbed onto the bolt, hoisted herself up until she was standing gingerly on it, and finally used it as a springboard to bounce onto the roof of the goliath.

“Now you! Both of you! Before it- ahem, ach, blech- gets away...sometime in the next hundred years!” Akari then cried.

The hellish black smoke the machine was belching was giving her nausea, and the vibrations from its slow but earth shaking movements weren’t helping. But thankfully she had her mask to filter out any nasty particulates. And besides, no matter how rough the ride was, she calculated that no matter how ballsy this treasonous Commander was, he wouldn’t want to risk pissing off the strongest military the world had ever seen.

Yet.

For now, though, Akari seized a precious moment to lie supine and catch her breath.

 

[Tarrakhash]

Yusef snorted at her declaration of love and muttered a little sourly,"Wonderful first girl to tell me she loves me and it's very obvious she's lying to me." He moved cautiously closer as she fired off an explosive bolt nodding at her comment,"Yeah they've been under attack by some fanatics....just the odd raid....." He ducked as another bullet flew over his head before watching her tag the Goliath with a bolt and dash off.

Grumbling he watched her dart up the side,"Wonderful, more acrobatics.....I didn't get told I had to warm up this morning." Shaking his head he clicked his fingers again, not sure if he could do the balancing on a bolt and 100% sure that Articus couldn't. Frowning he knew he didn't have long to wait so he yelled,"Get ready to catch me Akari!"

He hoped she was strong enough as he ran at the machine, his eyes fixed on her bolt, with a wild leap off the building he grabbed the bolt, feeling it give a little under his weight and then surged upward, the muscles in his chest and arm rippling as he grunted with pain all but throwing himself up the side of the Goliath, stretching out every last inch of himself as he threw himself at the prone thief. Of course he misjudged it and slammed into the side of the Goliath with the sound of air being pushed out of his lungs. With a panicked look he started to slid down the rounded side of the Goliath's side, lunging he managed to grab a rail, dangling by one hand for a moment as he looked up for Akari.

To add insult to injury there was a black shape cutting through the air gracefully to land next to Akari, looking down at him Arcturis let out a low rumble as he tried to work out how to help his master. With a frustrated grunt Yusef lifted himself inch by inch till at last he could reach the rail and pull himself up and onto the side of the car, looking up at Akari he sighed,"Can I ask for your hand please, to get me up the last part"

He was still clutching white knuckled to the side of the Goliath but with her assistance he managed to scramble to the roof of the vehicle,"Crap....can our next escape have less jumping?"

 

[CasualVelociraptor]

“Sure thing, buddy. I suppose I did help catch you...phew...after all,” Akari exhaled and chuckled. She then strained to help Yusef lift himself onto the roof. “And so did your kitty.”

She then collapsed onto her back again with Yusef now equally prone next to her. The recent sensation of holding Yusef as she lifted him, feeling his rippling muscles and worrying what might happen if he landed on top of her, lingered in her mind.

“I’ll be sure to put in a very strongly worded complaint to the spirits, asking them to design a cushier escape for His Royal Highness,” Akari cracked at him to defend herself from blushing. “I’m sure if we have to escape from a horde of giggling women, then your charm and good looks will help us out of that jam.”

A few minutes later, despite the sluggish pace of the machine they were riding, the trio approached the docks.

“Well, right again,” Akari said with a triumphant placement of her hands on her hips after she stood up to survey the situation (having finally gotten used to the undulations of the goliath). “We’ll be out of here in no- wait...”

Upon completing her double take, she sat pretzel legged in front of the Sultan and asked him, “Is it normal in your culture for people to throw rocks and rotted food as a greeting while gathered in an angry mob, or is this part of the coronation ceremony that I’m not aware of?” She was acutely aware, however, that there were Iron Guardsmen pointing their rifles up at them.

 

[Tarrakhash]

Yusef lay on his back panting for breath, he was fit and well muscled but fighting for his life was a new and rather exciting experience he'd prefer not to try again. He shook.his head at Akari's words snickering at her jest,"You know...I'm starting to think you aren't a suitor after all...I certainly don't feel like I'm getting the proper deference from you....or the spirits for the record." He gathered his breath and made sure everything was strapped down before looking around the Goliath,"I used to be obsessed by these when I was young....had little toy models of them...they are amazing!" Seemingly unaffected by it's gait be looked over the various hatches and depressions as they closed on the embassy although he looked up at her words,"Oh.....yes.....fruit throwing....the national past time of the mob....you know the Empire is not very popular anywhere outside the Empire...."

Frowning he looked around,"But there should be a boarding ballista around here somewhere....." He twisted a hatch and a large crossbow popped up, with a grin he turned it around aiming away from the embassy towards the docks themselves at a large wooden structure,"Now....if I remember Zahir said you pull the trigger over here to unlock the cable...." He aimed for a moment and grunted,"Father always said aim a little higher....there."

With a sudden explosive surge the bolt launched from the ballista almost throwing Yusef to the ground, a hissing noise as a steel cable unwound below decks could be heard easily and then *thunk* it jammed in the building he had aimed for,"Arcturis...heel." Grinning he unhooked a handle from the front of the crossbow attaching it to the cable and gestured to Akari,"Come here, hold onto my back...this is going to be high...and fast.....but it will get us closer to the airships...quick before he figures out what we're doing."

As soon as she had a grip, he paused feeling her body against his but the clunk of a rock against the body of the Goliath added urgency. Yusef kicked off the steel machine and they were hurtling through the air at great speed down towards the building and all Akari could hear was him muttering,"Oh fuck, oh fuck.....hope the breaks work like they are supposed to....."

Mere meters from the side of the building a hissing noise came from the handle above, sparks flying from above them as they ground to a halt, letting go the pair dropped to the ground, moments later Acturis leapt from a roof to land near them and Yusef smiled at Akari with a massive grin,"Now that was a fun ride! Let's do it again!"

 

[CasualVelociraptor]

Akari shot back with an equally wide grin, deflecting his questions about whether she actually was a suitor or not, “Well, you did say you wanted less jumping, so there you go- 1 for 1 jump free. And if they’re as lucky as this one, I agree to look for more zip lines in future escapades.”

And speaking of luck, the goliath was beginning to face the worst. The driver, unaware that the emergency rescue cable had been fired, continued walking towards the embassy. This accidentally pulled off and dragged a large section of wall with him, crushing some Iron Guardsmen that had spotted Akari and Yusef’s landing and were giving chase, and frothing up the mob to climb up the feet of the imposing symbol of Imperial economic domination of Midvadir and pull, slice, even bite at various pneumatic hoses and cables that kept it steady on its feet.

Giving a death rattle, the machine slouched forward, its front legs buckling as the soldiers inside quickly evacuated from the bottom hatch and were set upon and hauled off to the stocks by angry civilians just as fast. Then it lost all balance and crashed into the tall outer wall of the Caledorian compound, causing triumphant guardsmen and rabble to pour into the opening as the embassy security staff locked the doors to the inner gate.

Now that they had enough of a distraction to finally slip away, exhausted Akari sighed, “Alright, let’s find a ride and get the hell out of here.”

“You’re going nowhere,” an Iron Guardsman snarled as a dozen of his compatriots leveled their guns right.

“Except with me,” an athletic woman shouldering a scattergun and dressed to the nines in khaki and a leather jacket beamed, her bright blue eyes and innocent smile framed by messy waves of short, fiery red hair. “Chloe Talbot, at your service, gentlemen,” she added while pushing through them.

“What’s the idea, little lady?” the guardsman snarled.

“I’m a merchant registered to the great merchant airship SS Leaky Bucket, but I also moonlight as a bounty hunter, and my associate,” Chloe said, pointing at Akari, to which she nodded, “and I have been tasked with apprehending Yusef here and bringing him back to Sudavidir. You know, the province of your great Midvadir Sultanate that’s about a thousand miles south of here?”

“Yeah, we know, Caledorian. But why?”

“Well, I don’t have official paperwork because my client wanted to keep things on the down low, but let’s just say hypothetically that someone powerful in the regional government might be a little unhappy with what ol’ Yusef here got up to in Sudavadir. And, more importantly, who he got up to it with.”

“Oh,” the guardsman pointed at Chloe and winked. “I see now. Carry on.”

“Well, come along now, all three of you,” Chloe said, then whistled as she headed back to her ship. To sell the act, Akari gripped Yusef’s arm tightly and escorted him out the back towards the rust patina covered Leaky Bucket, its sails furled up and awaiting Chloe’s commands.

 

[Tarrakhash]

Yusef laughed at Akari, wincing as the Iron Guard were crushed under the wall and shaking his head as things devolved from there,"Well that's going to turn into a major diplomatic incident, I do hope the Iron Commander has been trained to smooth those kind of things over." Smirking he nodded at his erstwhile suitor, bride to be or thief and that's when it all kind of came crashing down around his ears....or at least that's the way it looked to the guard who had found him.

His eyes flickered to the red head, her gun, her pretty blue eyes and the words she was sharing with the guard and his shoulders slumped, looking at Akari and sounding terrible depressed,"Bounty Hunter?" His eyes flickered again to the red head, trying to determine why she was so very, very familiar and when it clicked he managed to hide a smile only very, very nearly,"Not Sudavidir! You know what the punishment is for that? They sever.....limbs!" He looked like he was going to struggle but his eyes fell on the scatter gun and he allowed Akari to lead him away.

As he was walked off he glanced at Chloe and muttered softly,"Huh, the two of you have been in my dreams all my life.....and I'm sure you know I've never been up to it with anyone in Sudavidir.....how do you two know each other? And I'm going out on a limb and saying that neither of you are suitors?" He stumbled somewhat as the Lucky Bucket hove into view and he stopped gawping at the airship.

Looking at Akari he said,"Well if you arrived in that there is no wonder acrobatics is not a problem....I assume we flap our arms to make it take off?" He shuddered nervously as the pair of ladies lead him towards the rusting, seemingly derelict ship,"Is that thing actually going to fly?"

 

[CasualVelociraptor]

“Well, don’t worry, buddy,” Chloe laughed. “They better leave behind your funny bone- because that was a joke! As in, there’s not actually a bounty on your head in Sudavadir, that I know of, anyway. I don’t know about any dreams, and I don’t think I could be a suitor of yours neither, but I do know I’ve never met miss...?”

“Akari Takahashi, entrepreneur and security expert extraordinaire, at your service,” Akari said, doing a Gudarian low bow with one arm across her stomach. “So why did you intervene anyhow, if it’s not for a bounty?”

“Well, originally I came all this way to sell merchandise made in Caledoria for your coronation, and also bought photography equipment to capture the coronation with for distribution in Sudavadir,” Chloe started to explain as she sat on the ladder leading up to her ship.

“Foe-toe-what now?”

“Photography,” Chloe said calmly and without breaking her smile. “It’s a device that captures light and prints it on a piece of paper, so that people can see what happened in the past. It allows people to feel like they’ve been there when they weren’t actually able to.”

“So,” Akari grumbled, annoyed by Chloe’s tangent. “Where is this so called photography then?”

“Well, when the rioting started the mob that had only just this morning bought up all my shirts and toys with Yusef’s face on it destroyed my camera. Now I’ll never get my deposit back,” Chloe pouted.

Then Yusef asked Akari about the Leaky Bucket, and Akari scoffed, “In that death trap?! No, Yusef m’boy, I came by boat like a normal person. I too am highly skeptical that anything named after a malfunctioning piece of equipment could possibly get us all the way to Sudavadir.”

“Eh, it just needs a few repairs. And just remember you don’t have a lot of other options...”

Akari looked behind her and gulped at the guardsmen and protesters with their guns and knives raised, looking to exact mob justice should they choose not to go with the bounty hunter as agreed.

“I suppose we don’t,” Akari sighed with folded arms.

“Yay!” Chloe giggled and clapped while jumping. “I’m happy to provide you a lift, and I don’t like asking for this, but...how do I...?” She was genuinely nervous, her need to literally keep her operation afloat contrasting with her compassion.

“Oh, don’t worry, he’s good for it,” Akari said, and then took the box of jewels from Yusef and opened it to briefly show Chloe before closing it. “Just try not to kill us.”

“That...should...do the trick,” Chloe gasped as she marveled at how many of the rubies there were, and how shiny they were. “And I understand your nerves around this, but this old gal and I have been through too much for her to quit on me now. I promise, by hook or by crook I will get you to Sudavadir, safe and sound.”

“Gee, thanks,” Akari muttered sarcastically under her breath. “So, where are we staying?”

“Follow these little guys; they’ll help you get settled in. Bothoppers, assemble!” Chloe exclaimed, upon which dozens of the little mechanical creatures descended down the sides of the ship and then carried their things.

Several, having many times the extraordinary strength of even the most powerful insects, managed to lift and carry Arcturis up the stairs.

“Aw, it’s okay, kitty! My bothoppers are nice, I promise!” Chloe cried in response to his aggravated growling.

“Thanks, but I think I’ll find my own way,” a rather unsettled Akari said, after which she wowed the aviator by climbing a whale oil lamppost and then clearing the wall of the ship in a single bound and landing on the deck.

“Is Akari always this amazing, Yusef?” Chloe sighed, still bowled over.

 

[Tarrakhash]

Yusef gave the red head a long look, followed by a smirk,"My funny bone is fine....just make sure you don't say it too loud I don't want that damn guard hearing and coming back to change his mind. Apparently I'm a lot less popular this morning than I was last night but at least I'm not wanted in Sudavadir." He listened to the pair do introductions, a small smile on his face, his eyebrow rising at the mention of the photography equipment,"That deposit must have been quiet large, that stuff is rather pricey isn't it?"

Yusef was even more pleased that Akari shared his sentiments on the state of the Leakey Bucket although he also had his pleasure stolen by the realization that their options were flying in a death trap that might crash, and going into a cell where death would be a certainty....he knew how coup's worked, the other side of the coup was only useful as an example. He smirked as Akari pulled the box out of his belt sash,"Careful, we're not married yet, young Akari, keep your hands to yourself!" He made sure to pry the box out of her hands once she had shown it to Chloe, a glance at the rusty airship again,"Yes, you'll get paid, but only once we arrive safely at our location." That in itself was a large question mark.

Her statement about getting them there by hook, or by crook certainly didn't make him feel any better about it. Shaking his head he let out a low sigh, well he had been wishing he could have more adventure before he became Sultan, he was certainly getting the first with no actual hope of getting the second just yet. His eyes slid over to the strange metallic creatures that appeared from the ship, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the contraptions,"Oh! Robotics! Marvelous...but why do they look like dung beetles, now I'm convinced even more so that your ship is a piece of.....", he paused, his only way out,"Wonderful technology that I'm sure I'll be almost as excited to learn about as the Goliath we just took a ride on."

Watching Arcturis being carried away he smirked, gesturing for the cat to relax before it was carried away. He chuckled as Akari shot up the side of the ship, his eyebrow rising as Chloe all but swooned at Akari's abilities and he chuckled,"Yes, yes she is...would you like me to arrange a private dinner for the two of you?" Shaking his head he put his hand on his heart and gave a bow to her,"Thank you, Chloe Talbot, for your hospitality and your help, I Sultan Yusef Bin Iben Karadeniz , am in your debt and would be pleased to remember you when I am returned to power."

With a smirked he added softly,"I'll even add you to the short list...Theo would be so pleased." He sighed, the memory of the old man causing him some pain, he had been alive this morning and now he was gone, gone just like his father, with a heavy heart now that the adrenaline was finally coming to a stop he straightened,"I will retire to my room for now...it has been a rather busy day. I look forward to talking to you soon....." He let his eyes linger on her flaming red hair and blue eyes just a moment more than he should before following a Bothopper up the stairs and through the narrow corridors of ship, the sadness in his heart seeping through the cracks as he made his way to his room.

The room was not at fault, but as Yusef closed the door behind him he felt an irrational surge of anger. The room was small, small for his standards, the bed was narrow, compared to the monster he had in his room that could hold him and his entire set of wives when he chose them, and the decorations were small to nonexistent....there wasn't even anywhere to hang his sword. Undoing his turban, exposing his bald shaved head to the air, he dropped to the bed as he placed the unwound turban on his pillow, the sword he stowed across the top of his pillow where he could reach it and the chest of jewels went into the cleverly built little cabinet in the wall by his bed. Every inch of the airship was made to maximize space which left Yusef feeling very, very cramped.

He didn't even want to know what the ablutions looked like, a wave of dispair hit him, in one day he had lost his kingdom, his surrogate father and not to long before that his actual father. Dropping onto the bed he put his head in his hands, waves of anger, dismay and saddness washed over him. Betrayed, exiled and his loved ones killed....that summed up his day and now, now he was surrounded by people he didn't know flying to a place that may not offer him any succor. The first sob tore from his lips, a single tear leaving the royal eye and travelling down his cheek softly.

Theodore.

Hanuku

Both his father figures, torn from him, an at least one of them was the fault of the Iron Commander.Another sob tore from his lips and he started to cry in earnest now, the life he knew was over and it would take much work to rebuild his power, never mind his heart and soul. Even as the thought slipped through his mind his dreams were brought to the fore, dim almost forgotten images floated before his mind. The masked lady, the flaming haired blue eyed beauty...there were more but they were buried under a fog, a fog he couldn't leave. Was he seeing visions? Surely not the Allfather had abandoned him, but he had known the moment he saw Akari, the moment he saw Chloe he had seen them before...but where, a vision? A dream? Or just the hopefulness of a man cast adrift from life by it's cruel whims.