The Alchemist Chapter 21

 

Chapter 21

Work on the camera took longer than expected. We had to get the mixture of exposure chemicals right, as well as construct a dark room to develop the photos in. The first couple of test runs ended up almost unintelligible.

The camera itself was about as big as those devices you see in old movies and photos, a big thing that looked a bit like a machine gun. I also created a flash bulb with a modified version of the gunpowder we were using to create muskets. It took two weeks for me to finally be satisfied with my product. Yonas came by occasionally to talk about how we were going to secure a “famous photo” that would change the hearts and minds of the people about dragon hunting.

First, I would have to convince the captain of a dragon hunting sky ship to let me on board, and then convince him to allow my camera on deck. I would probably have to lie about its function in some capacity to get permission to bring it along.

Yonas agreed to set me up with an interview with a sky ship captain.

I met with him on a rainy day in the spring when the leaves on the trees were just starting to become green again. He was sitting at a table in an inn near the edge of town, close to the port. His long grey beard was tied in braids, and his stocky stature was a bit different than any possible body type a human could have. Of course, he was a dwarf. I hadn’t seen one of them before, so his appearance was a bit startling.

The dwarf captain pulled a pipe away from his mouth. His blue eyes shone as they met my gaze. “You’re the new crew member who wants to ride the Flying Angel, am I right?”

I sat down. “You’re correct,” I said.

The dwarf pulled a long draught from his pipe, and blew out two smoke rings. He put his pipe back down. “Hunting dragons is tough game,” he said. “You’re putting your life on the line for a couple of cris.” He paused, looking me up and down with his piercing eyes. “You don’t seem to be the working man type. Did you grow up in a rich household?”

“I’m from across the phlogiston,” I said. It wasn’t exactly something I needed to hide.

“Ah, yes,” said the dwarf. “I’ve met several beings who were—” he coughed—”from across the great space between spheres. Nothing new to me. Only—” He frowned. “You’re the first human I’ve heard claim that.”

“I have no reason to lie about this,” I said.

“Of course, of course,” said the dwarf. “I forgot to introduce myself. The name’s Kelin. You will refer to me as captain for the duration of your contract, if you do agree to sign on.”

“How much are you paying?” I asked. I had to ask that, in order to avoid raising suspicion.

“Forty cris a month,” said Kelin. “I pay competitively. Also, you get two percent of the profit from all dragons killed.”

“Sounds about right,” I said. “When do we ship out?”

“Tomorrow,” said Kelin. “Meet me at the sky ship docks at the break of dawn.”

I knew I wouldn’t like waking up that early, but I had no choice. I had to get on this ship. Now to convince him to allow me to bring the camera on board.

“Is it okay if I bring a device with me?” I said.

“Eh?” said Kelin. “What kind of device do you mean?”

“A new one that hasn’t been seen before,” I said. “It creates instant paintings. I want to document what it’s like to be on a dragon hunting sky ship.”

“Instant paintings, eh?” said Kelin. “Would they be worth money?”

“Of course,” I said. “Since this is new technology, we can sell the products at exorbitant prices.”

Kelin rubbed his hands together. “Then by all means, bring it aboard. How big is it?”

“Two toms long, half a tom wide, and one tom high.”

“Then it’ll fit. Let me draw up a contract regarding your signing and this device of yours. I want a slice of the pie, of course.” He took out a piece of familiar printed paper, sliding it across the table.

“This was printed using a printing press, wasn’t it?” I said.

“Eh?” said Kelin. “Oh, yeah, of course. You can’t beat their price and quality. I’m still not sure how they did it.”

“I was the one who brought the printing press to this world,” I said.

“You did?” said Kelin. “What does the inventor of such  technology want with a tenure on a sky ship?”

“To test my newest invention,” I said. “The camera I was talking about.”

“Ah, yes, yes,” said Kelin. “If it involves money, I’m all on board.” He rubbed his hands together.

I signed with paper with a quill pen and handed it to Kelin. “All right,” said Kelin, rolling up the contract and putting it in his pocket. “I’ll meet you at the docks tomorrow.”

I got up. “I’ll be there,” I said. I turned around and left the establishment, walking into the rather cold atmosphere outside. The city, as always, stank of manure and other undesirable substances. I would have to advocate for a cleaner system of waste disposal as soon as I got enough political clout. Hopefully, allying myself with the dragons wouldn’t throw this plan off. I began walking down the street towards the docks to check them out before tomorrow.

The docks were small, as Brownfield was nowhere near a regional trading hub. However, there were two sky ships moored to the cramped facilities. I walked up to the nearest one, named the Anne Marie, and examined it.

“How does this thing fly?” I said, to a nearby sailor.

“Eh, you want to know?” said the man, putting down a rather large box he had been carrying.

“I want to know, yes,” I said. “What kind of mechanism makes these ships fly?”

“Dunno,” said the sailor, his breath coming out in wisps. “All I know is that it works better when it’s cold.”

“Well, that’s nice to know,” I said. I imagined what would happen if they were to combine cannons with sky ships. Quite the advancement in warfare compared to my old world, even with all the technology. I walked around the moored ship and did my best to try and figure out how it flew. The ship was rigged with bands of metal that gave the wooden hull the appearance of a sideways barrel. Masts extended from all four axis of the ship, the bottom one almost touching the ground beneath the dock.

I caught sight of a man in a sailor’s uniform smoking a pipe and leaning against a number of wooden crates. I walked up to him.

“Do you know Captain Kelin?” I asked.

“Kelin, huh?” said the man. He tapped his pipe against the box, letting out a bit of ash. “He’s a money grubber, that one.” The man lit his pipe again and smoked it, puffing a small cloud. “Although he runs a tight ship. He doesn’t take any nonsense from anyone.” He paused. “He’s also always ahead of the curve when it comes to tech. he recently equipped his crew with—what do you call them—guns. Some lad here in Brownfield invented them and Kelin’s crew is the first to get some.” He paused. “Damn expensive, too,” he said. He puffed out another cloud of smoke. “Don’t know how dragons will react when it’s that easy to hunt them.”

“Did Kelin say anything about leaving tomorrow?” I asked.

“Yeah, he’s scheduled to ship out at noon. What, are you planning on joining his crew?”

“I signed on with him,” I said.

“Congrats,” said the man, with an uninterested tone. “You’re in for a bit of fun.” He tapped his pipe out and packed it with more tobacco.

“Have you ever seen a dragon get hunted?” I asked.

“Of course,” said the man. “I worked on a dragon hunting ship for five years. Now I’m the dock foreman, but that experience has stayed with me.” He examined his pipe before putting it back in his mouth. “Killing dragons is not as fun as some people say. The beasts are noble, and though I got used to it, I always felt that something was off.”

“Exactly!” I said. “Do you want to help save them?”

“Save?” said the man, narrowing his eyes. “No. The dragons don’t deserve to be saved. Ever since their numbers went down after hunting started, there have been fewer deaths. No more burning towns, no more frozen wives and poisoned fields. It’s a good thing in my estimation.”

“Have you ever thought about negotiation?” I said.

The dock foreman gave me a look of distaste. “I’m just a worker,” he said. “I don’t get paid to think.”

I sighed. “Well, it was great talking to you.” I turned around and walked to the second moored sky ship, this one labeled One More. I ran my hand along the wood bottom.

A man threw a rope down. “Heya!” he said, upon seeing me. “You the new lad that Kelin just hired?”

“How did you know?” I asked.

The man shrugged. “Just a hunch,” he said. “You look like the type of person Kelin would like to be around. You stink of money.”

I had to chuckle at that. I was, of course, fabulously rich and could collect all the precious metals I wanted. But, being rich was not my end goal. I shielded my gaze from the surprisingly piercing spring sun and watched the man go about his business.

“I’m going to be bringing some sensitive equipment onto this ship,” I said. “It’s big and it is very delicate.”

“I’ve worked with dragon breath sacs,” said the man. “Nothing can be more delicate than that.”

“I guess so,” I said. I grabbed the rope. “Do you mind if I climb up?”

The man pointed to a rope webbing at the ship’s side. “Don’t use the sounding rope. Climb up that rigging.”

I climbed up the rigging, and found myself on the deck of a medium-sized ship. The horizon went out in every direction, past the city walls. I ran my hand along the railing as I walked the length of the ship.

“You were hired as a swab,” said the man, extending his hand. “The name’s Gweth.”

“Markus,” I said, shaking the man’s head.

“I’ll remember that,” said Gweth. “Welcome aboard. We aren’t leaving until tomorrow, so you can take a look around.”

I walked up to the hatch that lead belowdecks. “Where do you keep the dragon meat?”

“The meat isn’t that bulky or heavy,” said Gweth. “It’s the bones that require trouble, and the breath sacs that require finesse.”

“What is a breath sac, exactly?” I asked, peering belowdecks.

“A breath sac is where a dragon’s breath weapon comes from,” said Gweth. “If it’s pierced, it could destroy an entire ship with the energy it releases. They’re used to power magic.” He paused. “Plus, they’re tasty once the explosive magic is released.”

“I heard,” I said.

Gweth showed me around the rest of the ship, pointing out all the important bits. When the sun was about to go down I climbed off the ship and returned to the item shop. Rachel was sitting behind the counter.

“Sales today are higher than yesterday and the day before,” she said.

“Great,” I said. I walked into the back. “I’d like to tinker with my camera before I bring it aboard.”

“Of course,” said Rachel.

I went into the back room for a few last minute adjustments. When I was done, I went to sleep, waiting for an adventure to start tomorrow.

 

22

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