Chapter 39: Nexus City
"What happened between the Queen and I shall remain our secret," Sam said with a grin.
Maravont crossed his arms and grunted. "Very well..."
By the time they got back to the Emerald Draconis, all their things had been moved onto the ship. They spent some time arranging everything, and then departed Braska, setting sail once more.
They now had a huge plush bed with a solid wood bedframe, a few plush chairs and couches in the bedroom and down in the lounge, and a few other pieces of furniture such as endtables, bookcases, wardrobes, etc. They also got food for the kitchen and pantry, gardening stuff for the greenhouse, and whatever odds, ends, and general supplies they needed to make the ship comfortable and convenient.
"So, now that we’re off the island, will you tell us what happened with you and the Queen?" Lazula asked.
"Yes, please do!" Calista added.
"Spill the tea!" Gabrielle said excitedly.
Sam laughed and explained everything to them, and then showed them the letter.
"So if you complete this mission, Valanta will join the harem..." Lazula said, then grinned. "She’s fucking hot."
Sam noticed Gabrielle and Calista seemed a bit uneasy as they looked over the letter. "What’s wrong, girls?"
"I like the idea of Valanta joining the harem, but..." Calista sighed heavily and then continued. "But assassination seems wrong..."
"I agree," added Gabrielle.
"At this point, I’ve already killed a lot of people," Sam pointed out. "Ladarsa plus all those Navy people."
"But that was different," Calista insisted. "They were active threats trying to do us harm. What you’re talking about is going up to a guy you’ve never met before and murdering him in cold blood just because someone said they had a dream he was a bad guy..."
"Is there no other way to approach the issue?" asked Gabrielle.
Sam thought about it for a moment, and then sighed heavily. "You’re right. I can’t just go attack him without confirming he’s actually a threat. So, here’s what we’ll do - once we get to Nexus City, we’ll find Sylar and Brion, and then we’ll just observe them at first. Maybe see if we can converse with them in a tavern or something. If he makes a move against Brion, we’ll be there to step in, and only then will I kill him. Sound fair?"
Calista and Gabrielle both let loose sighs of relief and nodded.
And so, they continued sailing towards their destination. Fortunately, the trip was uneventful. After the full three week journey - including the four days it took to get to Braska - they saw Nexus City creep into view on the horizon as the late afternoon Sun sat low in the sky.
The island it sat on sprawled out, too big to comprehend the scope from sea level, and the city was enormous - even bigger than Luminary’s Landing. Past the docks was a gridwork of narrow brick streets and rows of stone buildings rising up five or six stories each, the entire cityscape spreading out several miles in every direction. Further inland was a gargantuan white castle with blue roofing and ivory towers. Beyond the city was a mountain range and a jungle, then whatever sat further over the horizon.
"Wow, how big is this island?" Sam asked.
"Oh, it’s huge," Lazula revealed. "Nexus Island has several smaller cities further inland and around the rest of the coast, but most travelers just come to Nexus City because it has everything one would need."
They found an empty dock to moor the Emerald Draconis and then disembarked. They spotted a ship that looked fancier than the others around it, and it had a similar design to the ones they had seen at the docks in Braska.
"That must be Sylar’s ship," Sam said to the girls quietly as he pointed at it. There was a guard standing in front of the ship, so Sam walked right up to him. "Good evening, sir! We stopped by Braska a few weeks back on our way here, and I noticed this ship is similar in design to the ones we saw there. Do you hail from Braska?"
The guard grinned and nodded. "Indeed! I hope you enjoyed your stay in our lovely kingdom?"
"Very much so!" Sam replied cheerfully. "I don’t suppose there’s any way you’d be willing to give me a tour of your marvelous vessel?"
The guard got a bit more serious and shook his head. "I’m afraid not. This here is the royal ship of Lord Prince Sylar of House E’traesmond, so only approved guests are allowed on board."
"Oh, I see," Sam said with a nod. "If I were to ask his permission, where might I find Lord Sylar?"
"Lord Prince Sylar," the guard corrected him. "And he won’t be hard to find - he’s been making quite the scene in the local taverns for weeks now. If you see someone making a spectacle of himself, that’s probably him."
Sam laughed and nodded. "Alright then! Thank you!"
Sam and the girls headed further into the city, keeping a look out for overcrowded taverns. As they walked, Lazula pointed to the big white castle.
"That’s the University of Arcanum," she explained. "If anyone here knows about Voloxian dragonships, that’s where they’ll be."
"Okay, so we’ll focus on checking the taverns tonight, and then head to the University tomorrow morning," Sam decided.
They walked around town for a bit, and then overheard quite the lively crowd from within a tavern. They walked in through the door, and saw a man standing up and singing as a band played. He was a drow with light blue skin, blue eyes, and long white hair pulled into a ponytail. He was wearing fancy noble clothing and had a younger adult male with him wearing similar garb. The younger man had light purple skin, blue eyes, and short black hair.
"That must be Sylar and Brion," Sam said quietly to the girls, who nodded in reply. They found a table and sat down, just watching for a while.