Great Expectation
Unbeknownst to Bradley and Rupert, there was a great commotion, when Merchant Knights entered Guidon and headed to the warehouse where Bradley and Rupert worked.
Merchants Knights were not the most secretive guild. If Samuel was available, he would have been Will's preferred choice, as Merchant Knights looked like a small army.
As the Merchant Knights traveled to the warehouse, thieves secretly followed behind. The camouflaged thieves knew only a rare expensive item required the protection of 200 knights.
As soon as they saw Bradly vont Alms open the door, they immediately rushed back to the Thieves Guild to report the news. From there they put their ransom plans in motion.
…
Rupert sat in his favorite chair reading books on ancient runes. The rocking chair swung back and forth as Rupert concentrated. The faster the chair swung, the more focused Rupert became.
Rupert was buried in a pile of ancient rune books. Thousands of books were scattered around Rupert. Most books on ancient runes discussed the history of an antiquated language. Fewer books discuss the runes themselves.
The consensus of most scholars was less than 10% of all runes had been discovered. The runs came from an ancient civilization, some thought the first civilization. A civilization when gods walked among men.
The books speculated the gods taught the words of power to man and beast. But only the long-lived races of dragons and elves would know to answer. And those races had long since hidden away.
According to the books, the ancients had several words for wind: breeze, gust, squall, gale, and breath to name a few.
Rupert spends long hours finding ancient runes for float, rise, breeze, and bubble.
Rupert narrowed down his choice to float and rise. The book Rupert was consulting described the ancient's use of the words "rise," similar to a chemical process that caused the yeast to make breast rise.
On the other hand, the word "float" described a buoyant object in the water.
Rupert needed the verb to complete the runic inscription: به هوا بلند شوید و شناور شوید.
Even more complicated was using the words grammatically. No research yet had learned to fully translate ancient runes into the common language.
That was Rupert's singular pursuit. That was his dream, to be the first Runemaster to claim that achievement.
While Rupert worked on the inscription, Bradley worked on the blimp. The remodeled bank had been gutted into an open warehouse. Besides being gutted, Bradley asked the roof be raised. That gave him more room to experiment with balloons.
Bradley would blow up balloons and study their movement. He had hundreds of notes on the flight patterns of balloons of all sizes.
Will asked him to create a large prolate spheroid, made from the most durable fabric. Which came from the rubber trees in Albania.
Will had Holo and Lawrence purchase the raw materials in Albania, create the fabric in the Wolf Clan, and then import the fabric to Guidon. Of course, Savage Wolf and Holo were always happy to provide jobs to clan members.
As Rupert read, Bradley stared at a black chalkboard filled with calculations. If Rupert's nervous tick was rocking the chair faster, Bradley's was biting his nails.
Bradley was stuck solving two problems, how to secure the blimp to the ship, and how to make it stop. The sails could catch the wind and move the airship, but stopping a large airship was another problem.
In Will's blueprints, metal cables attached the ship's deck to the inside of the balloon. Bradley experimented with piercing the balloon with small metal needles, at the base of the balloon. And to his amazement, the needles skewered the balloon without it popping. That alone was a scientific achievement.
Yet now he need to figure out how to stop an airship so that it could dock. That question troubled Bradley until he saw Rupert casting bubbles. Bradley watched as the bubbles moved only when blown. Bradley had an epiphany, that airships were similar to regular ships. They could drift until being tied down at docks.
While the men experimented, there came a sudden knock on the door. Rupert and Bradley looked at each other curiously. The guards knew better than to interrupt them. Moreover, no one could get past the guards, except Vanessa, but she was out of town in Gadreel.
"Who could it be?" Rupert asked.
"I haven't a clue," Bradley responded.
Bradley walked to the door and asked, "who is it?"
"Sir. it's the guard commander, you have a package from Baron vont Ballard," the commander said from outside the door.
"You don't think?" Rupert said excitedly.
"Maybe, I don't know," Bradley said nervously.
Bradley and Rupert walked out of the warehouse and saw over 200 tired-looking Merchant Knights in full armor.
"Sir. Bradley vont Alms, We bring you a package from Gadreel.
"What is it?" Rupert asked excitedly.
"We were instructed to look," the knight said stoically.
"Give it here, let me see it?" Bradley said. He was nervous, his hands were sweaty.
The Merchant Knight captain handed Bradley the locked wooden box. The Second Lieutenant handed Bradley the key.
The first thing Bradley noticed was the weight. The box was heavy. Bradley slowly opened the box and looked inside with Rupert, there sat three black wyvern cores.
When he saw three Wyvern cores and letters, Bradley took the letter and immediately shut the box and locked it.
Bradley handed the box and key back to the captain and lieutenant. Then he read the letter, with Rupert reading along over his shoulder.
"Captain, we shall return this box to Baron vont Ballard. We leave tomorrow. Rupert and I shall accompany you down to Gadreel.
In the letter, Baron William vont Ballard promises to pay you to double for accomplishing the mission. To achieve our mission, Baron vont Ballard permits you to purchase an unlimited number of supplies with his credit. This is a rare opportunity for you and your men.
When you purchase supplies, be sure to buy a durable wagon and double your troops. Given your entrance into the city, I expect there to be trouble on our journey.
Rest well, we leave tomorrow for Gadreel at the 4th bell. Our traveling plans must be kept secret!" Bradley exclaimed.
"Aye, aye, sir!" the captain saluted and left with his men.
The next day, in the cover of before the crack of dawn Rupert and Bradley, fled Guidon.
Inside the carriage, was the completed blimp, the metal fasteners, the box of mana cores, and tens of books.
Over three hundred Merchant Knights on horseback raced southward at a fast clip. The Merchant Knight-Captain cracked the whip pushing the wagon near breaking point. Nearby villages and towns, heard thunderous sounds of horses stampeding southward. It was a sight to see.
The first ambush came at noon. Fifty bandits attack the security detail, instantly killing five knights. Twenty knights were ordered to stay behind, while the rest continued driving to their goal.
For over 100 kilometers knights fought mercenaries and bandits. The bloodiest skirmishes happened when the wagon stopped to fix broken axles and wheels.
Countless ambushes and traps saw the 300 Merchant Knights whittled down to less than a hundred. Yet, the caravan rarely stopped. For four days, the wagon was attacked.
Finally, on the fourth day, Bradley and Rupert saw 500 troops led by Major Jason vont Bradley awaiting their arrival.
The pincushion wagon covered in arrows stopped in front of Jason and almost collapsed under the strain of the four-day trip.
"The trip should be leisurely from here on," Jason said.
After a brief one-night rest at the base outside Friendship Valley, the soldiers, knights, and wagon continued to Gadreel. With the detail of 500 soldiers, and 112 knights, the wagon moved at a slow steady pace to Gadreel.
The next morning, When Bradley and Rupert felt the caravan stop, they woke up groggy and hungry.
"Hello, boys!" Will smiled waking his employees.
Bradley and Rupert's eyes cracked open to see hazily see Will and another man.
"I'd like to introduce you to Claud vont Ahmed, an Albanian shipwright. While you were away, he's been busy building my galleon," Will explained.
"Please tell your employer, that a galleon is too large for that river!" Claud said in frustration.
"Claud, I told you what I wanted, you're being paid well, 20,000 gold, why complain?" Will laughed.
"You eccentric nobles, you're all the same. Whoever heard of a galleon in a river. Moreover, you want the galleon built like an inn. Five floors of guest rooms, staff quarters, a lounge with a viewing area, and a luxurious dining room. I work for a mad man!" Claud complained.
"Is it finished?" Rupert asked.
"You too! Is everyone here crazy? Is this an asylum?" Claud waved his hands in upset.
"Claud, why did you come?" Bradley asked.
"Baron vont Ballard fame is well known in Albania as a genius, a man of the times. What crafter would miss the opportunity to work with such a savant?" Claud said.
"Then trust his genius," Bradley said.
"The frame of the ship is complete, but the inside shall take a few more weeks," Claud said exhausted.
Can it sail?" Rupert asked excitedly.
"Yes!" Claud asked surprised by the intensity of the question.
"Can we see it?" Rupert asked his eyes glazed over in excitement.
"Today, rest and recover. Come I have a sumptuous feast prepared. Let's celebrate. Tomorrow morning, you can make whatever changes you need. How long shall you need?" Will questioned.
"Half the morning," Bradley said excitedly to see the ship.
"Same here," Rupert said.
"Wonderful, Kurosawa invite all of Gadreel for tomorrow's grand reveal. Tomorrow at 14th bell," Will said trusting his hands up in victory.
"Yes, my lord, we await tomorrow with great expectation," Kurosawa bowed.