The Tears of the Sun Goddess Chapter 03 (Patreon)

Continued from Chapter 02

As the next morning breaks, they arrive at a small airfield. It looks as if it's been abandoned, yet shortly after, a tall, hefty Ork walks out to greet them. Upon seeing Wolfgang, he smiles.

    "Hartwin, you lil' snake!" he shouts while bringing him in for a big hug, "How have you been?"

    "Hello, Zhuang," Wolfgang says, struggling a bit from the hugging. "Are we all set, then?"

    Zhuang lets down the tiny Goblin,"Ahhh, got the Luftshrooms in the furnace for ya!"

    Stretching off that hug, Wolfgang looks to Yoko. "I'd like you to meet Zhuang Bi Han. He'll be joining us on our trip."

    Yoko lets out a hand for a shake. "Ah, a Dino from the west," says Zhuang, meeting her dainty hand with his large, dirty hooves. "Always happy to meet a friend of Wolf's. Come, the ship is waiting for us inside," he beckons, hobbling towards the hangar.

    As they follow, Yoko leans into Wolfgang's ear to whisper, "Can he be trusted?"

    "You can trust Zhuang just as much as you can trust me," he whispers back.

    "Then I don't trust him," Yoko retorts, causing a snicker to rise out of Wolfgang.

    The three make way to the hangar. Inside, a small airship rests. Its build is somewhat different than what Yoko has seen before, with it's stout gondola and strange rear fins. Upon it's ballonet, right between the Kolboldan flag and registry, Yoko spots the name of a woman printed.

    "Christine?" she inqiures, chuckling.

    "Heh, a long story..." Wolfgang says, embarrassed.

    Zhuang opens the door of the airship, and the three walk inside. The ship's interior is somewhat small, but comfortable, sporting leather seats and what looks to to be a minibar in the back. Wolfgang makes his way towards said minibar while Yoko seats herself.

    With a loud and distant whir, the upper hatch of the hangar opens. Flipping up some switches above the cockpit, Zhuang sits down as the engine begins to sputter. Yoko closes her eyes, trying to keep her mind off the subtle shaking of the ship, as she begins to feel very uneasy. She has never liked riding in air ships, even as a child. Wolfgang sees the dread on her face, and offers her a swig of Dragmyre Rice Whiskey from the bar, which Yoko refuses. 

    "I may not like flying, but I won't sully my body in order to overcome it," she says.

    Wolfgang shrugs, and takes a swig from the bottle.

    "We will be lifting off soon," says Zhuang, "Seatbelts, please!"

    Slowly, the ship begins to lift itself from the ground, her air pockets filled with gas from the Luftshrooms. The shaking gives Yoko a fright. Bringing the two propellers to an upright position, she continues to push herself out from the hangar and into the skies above.

--

    "They've left..."

    Back at Wolfgang's loft, the once cluttered but neatly arranged space had been turned on its head, ransacked by the men who accosted the duo at the Grand Library. The leader of this gang, the enigmatic Hooded Woman looms over the table used to map out the flower's coordinates. To the side of the table sits a small trash bin, a pile of ash sits inside.

    "The treasure hunter anticipated us coming here," pondered the Hooded Woman to herself. "He probably suspects our trail to end here. Good. That will give us the element of surprise."

    With a snap of her fingers, the men gather to her in a row.

    "We must move quickly if we are to get the drop on them."

--

    In the thick jungles of Yar, Christine finds a small spring in which to land near. Within an hour or so, a small camp was set in the surrounding clearing. Wolfgang insisted that Yoko sleep in the ship, folding over the seat cushions inside to form a futon.

    Over a crackling fire, an iron cast pot sits bubbling, a concoction made by Zhuang brews inside. The savory scent gives Wolfgang a warm feeling of relaxation. He looks to Yoko, who sits across him from the fire, looking over some notes.

"You're going to love this dragon stew," he says.  "Ork cuisine is some of the finest in the world!"

    "The Sunese seem to think so!" chuckles Zhuang, throwing one last pinch of seasoning in with a stir. "They often claim some of our dishes as their own!" He takes in a quick taste with a spoon. "Mmm, yes. It's ready."



    Zhuang hands both Wolfgang and Yoko a steel mug of the stew. Reluctantly, Yoko gets a spoonful of broth and sips. Her taste buds are washed in a savory and meaty flavor that's spicy, but not offensively so. "Mmmm," mumbled Yoko with delight, "I know that taste... You used Fire Root, didn't you?"

    "Ahhh, very perceptive!" says Zhuang.

    "I did some research in using Fire Root as a means of treating sore throats," Yoko says, taking another spoonful of stew.

    "What exactly is your area of interest in herbology?" he asks.

    "I mostly study herbology as part of my medical research," replies Yoko, then looks to Wolfgang, "I suppose that's why I caught your attention back at the library?"

    "Hm?" Wolfgang murmurs, mouth full of grub. Swallowing, he gives a response, "What do you mean?"

    "When I first met you, you seemed like any other skirt-chaser, but now I can't help but think there was some ulterior motive behind it.

    "Ahh... Yes, you caught me," Wolf replies, coyly, "I've seen you as I've looked for the flower's coordinates. You were there quite often, and always in that section in particular. Such things were never my area of expertise, so I felt confident in asking you for help. Granted, I was in a pinch when it happened, so admittedly, it could have gone better."

    Yoko's tone gets a bit sharper. "Could have? Do you always flirt with the people you work with?"

    "Only the cute ones," Wolf answers, coy-fully, "You'd be surprised how often it works."

    Yoko stands up. "There's nothing fewer than zero," she jeers, as she walks towards the ship. 
    Blushing, Wolfgang bats at the cackling Zhuang.

    "Oh, shut up, Zhuang."

Continued in Chapter 04