Four #3
"I can stay longer than two days, if necessary, Will," Kardez told me once we were back aboard. "I'd prefer not to, but we can make up any lost time by running at a higher speed. It'll burn up more fuel, but we'll still be okay."
"Thanks, and I guess we'll see. I do want to make sure this is done right, and if worse comes to worst, I'll send Zed back and let you sail on without me."
"After seeing all the things you've gone through, I understand completely. Truth be told, Zed's got me thinking of converting."
I had to smile at that. "Well, let me get my stuff, and I'll get going."
I grabbed a backpack and threw a few things in it. I really didn't need much: a change of clothes, reloads for my pistol, and a few basic toiletries. I was used to traveling light after all these years of being sent places with little more than the clothes on my back, and sometimes not even that!
I met Zed at the ramp as another boat was coming in to land behind the Kashmir.
"Not bringing the wives?"
He shook his head. "I'm sure I'm going to be too busy."
"What did you need to come back for?"
"Ward stones. You said you wanted it set on holy ground."
"Oh, right, I forgot about those. Does a shrine have to sit on holy ground?"
"Not really, but it's better if it is. It gives Feliogustus an actual connection to the site with the ability to hear what people are saying to him and hear their prayers."
"How long will it take for you to prepare them?" I asked as we started down the gangplank.
"They're already blessed."
I gave him a shocked look. "Really?"
"Will, I've been working for you for how many years now?
Feliogustus has told me, both back in his temple and again in my dreams, just how many temples you have built.
Most champions never build one, and you're up to what now?
Five? Six? I mean, you built the temple where I was trained.
So I've come to expect these things from you. "
I laughed. I had to. "Maybe I should have you enchant a set for me to carry around when I travel. Just in case…"
Zed pondered that a moment as we stepped onto the dock. "You may have a point. I'll have to pray to Feliogustus for guidance."
"That was a joke, Zed."
"Not anymore!" Zed replied, grinning at me.
Sighing, I turned to look at the ship that had settled in behind us, its gangplank coming down to the dock.
It was about half as long as the Kashmir, making it about a quarter of the size, and it was beautiful.
The craftsmanship on it was undeniable. Whoever had built this ship was a master artisan.
"Wow," Zed said as we stopped and started a moment, looking over the ship's lines.
"Yeah, wow…"
Taking Zed by the elbow, I got us going again. Galathil was standing at the foot of the ramp as we walked up.
"She's a beauty, isn't she?" he said, smiling.
We both nodded.
"I've seen a lot of ships in my life," I said, giving it another look over, "but never one as lovely as this. Whoever built her must have really cared.
"Why, thank you."
I turned, and I admit, I stared at him. "You built this?"
"Took me over a hundred years," he said, looking proud.
"Why so long?" Zed asked.
"I built it as a hobby. This isn't even the first one I built, but the previous ships were nothing at all like this one. Wilwa Rasta is her name, which translates to something like 'drifting reverie' in common."
"I must admit, that's an interesting hobby you have, Galathil," I said as he led us up the gangplank and aboard his ship.
"This from a man who took on being regent for a kingdom," Galathil said with a chuckle.
"I don't know if I'd call that a hobby," I said, a bit embarrassed.
"It's not your job, so what else could it be?" he teased.
I had to laugh. I don't know what it was, but suddenly, I liked this elf. I liked him quite a lot.
"Come, let me give you the tour."
"Can we start with the engine room?"
"Oh?"
"I started out life as an engineer. I'll admit to being quite curious."
"Ah, then, by all means."
The engine room was clean and well-lit, and the engines were just as lovely as the rest of the ship. There were two motors whose outputs were linked by what looked very much like a torque converter driving three generators.
"Is that a torque converter?" I asked after tucking my tail down my pants.
"I'm not sure what that is?"
"There's no direct linkage between the outer bell, which is driven by the engines, and the inner shaft that drives the generators. Instead, there are vanes on both, and a fluid medium, so you can easily spread the power between the two."
Galathil looked impressed. "You know, it took me twenty years to figure out how to make that. I had no idea they already existed."
I smiled. "I'm not sure they exist here. I actually come from far away, outside the Seven Worlds. But even if they do, I have to admit, your design is genius, though I'm curious as to why you did it?"
"Oh, simple. Only one engine is needed to drive the generators. The second is mainly a backup. I do tend to run them both, however, as it's more economical."
I nodded. "Smart. How many generators do you need?"
"Just two. The third one is a spare, which is why it's not currently turning. No need to wear out the brushes, right?"
"Right," I agreed. "What are the engines made out of?"
"Not adamantium, if that's what you were thinking!
" he said, chuckling. "That would have cost too much, and I don't know how to mill it.
They're both of a standard but solid design.
I did, however, make a few changes, both for looks and to increase reliability.
I don't really have the time to do the maintenance myself, so I have to rely on others. "
"So they're not made of gold?" Zed asked.
Galathil laughed. "Gold would make for a terrible engine! Too soft! No, I just plated them with gold to help with heat dissipation, and to keep the engine temperatures uniform and cut down on hotspots."
The rest of the ship was as nice as the engine room, and by the time we'd finished the tour, we had arrived at his estate.
Calling it an 'estate' didn't really do it justice. I'd been to the old Vanderbilt Estate on Long Island, where I grew up. That place was big and fancy. This place was larger and nicer. The only reason I didn't think of it as a palace was that the main building, while large, wasn't that large.
As we came down the ramp, an extremely lovely elven woman ran up to me and hugged me. For my part, I hugged her back.
"Thank you, Champion! Thank you for saving me! Thank you for saving all of us! And thank you for sending me to Feliogustus!"
"You're more than welcome," I replied, then taking her by the shoulders, I pushed her back a little and looked her up and down.
She was dressed to impress, of course, and I upgraded her from 'extremely lovely' to 'incredibly beautiful and hot'.
I also remembered her. She'd been pretty hot then, dressed only in sexy underwear and nothing else at all when we'd saved her.
She'd been one of the girls who'd started out okay, but once we were away, she'd sat down in a corner, hugging herself and crying.
Because while all elven women tended to be lovely, she'd been in a class all by herself, and from what I'd gathered, had gotten more than her fair share of 'attention' from the assholes who'd frequented the place. When I asked her if she wanted to go to Fel, who would heal her, she'd simply nodded.
"It's so nice to see you looking well and happy," I said, looking her in the eyes and smiling, and it was. It was times like this I remembered that Fel was just too good to me. He didn't have to help these women, but he'd done it because I'd asked him to.
I gave her another hug, and she definitely pushed into me as she hugged me back. Then she let me go.
"Come, let me show you the shrine."
"Of course. Oh, this is Zed. He's one of Feliogustus' clerics and is here to help.
"Oh! Thank you, Zed!" she said and, grabbing Zed, she hugged him, too, though perhaps not as enthusiastically as she had me.
Grabbing my hand, she then led us off to the shrine, which was near the main house, though off to the left, probably fifty or so feet from it.
There were trees spread all over the grounds, of course, as well as bushes, and down here on the ground, the ones around the shrine gave it more of a sense of privacy.
The shrine itself was a three-walled affair with a roof over it. Someone had worked Feliogustus' symbol into the back wall in bas-relief, along with what I suspected was an image of me leading a bunch of nude elven women through the carnage I was obviously wreaking.
Still, it was lovely, and the small altar was bare, as was much of the rest of it.
"Not a bad start, not bad at all," Zed said, smiling. "I like what you did with the wall, especially."
"Thanks," she said in a soft voice, blushing.
Zed turned to Galathil, who was still there, smiling as he looked over at his daughter, who was very much in my personal space again.
"Do you think you could bring your architect or whoever is doing the work over? Will and I can discuss things with them, so they can get started in the morning."
"Certainly. Why don't you come with me, Zed, and you can tell me your ideas on the way?"
Zed didn't even look at me; he just nodded.
"Solenne, you can wait here with William," Galathil said with a wink at me as he led Zed off, the two guards of his following along and leaving us here alone.
"I'm so happy I finally got to meet you," she said, latching back on to me and burying her face in my chest fur.
"We met before," I said, putting my arms around her.
"Considering my state of mind back then, I don't think it's fair to count that."
I nodded, and looking down at her, I smiled.
"Tell me about your life now. About how things are."
"Why would you want to hear about such boring things?" she asked, smiling up at me shyly.
"Because they're the very things I saved you to do."
She blushed up at me, so I kissed her.