"I've heard of them," she said, "but no, I've never met one in person. Part of our battle training taught us all about their capabilities, though."

"So, if we could stop these Air Mages..." pondered Athgar.

"We'd eliminate the pirates' advantage," finished Natalia.

"This is exciting news," offered Tonfer Garul. "What will you do now?"

"I suppose we continue with our plan," answered the Therengian.

"Might I enquire what that plan will entail?" said the Orc. "I only ask because I might be interested in assisting."

"I thought you were a scholar?" said Athgar.

"I am," Tonfer replied, "but I'm also a bit of a traveller. I love to enrich my knowledge with first-hand experiences. Don't worry, I can take care of myself."

"Does that include fighting?" asked Natalia.

"Of course," he replied, "I'm still an Orc, after all."

"Well," said Athgar, "you've given us much to think over. If we should be able to arrange an expedition, we'll be sure to let you know."

"Might I suggest," said Tonfer, "that you seek out a vessel called the Zephyr?"

"Is that a merchant?" asked Natalia.

"No," replied the Orc, "it's a pirate hunter."

"A pirate hunter?" said Athgar in surprise. "I didn't know there was such a thing."

"Oh yes," continued the scholar, "the Zephyr was built by some of the lesser merchants. It mostly sits on the beach these days, but they do venture out from time to time trying to track down the pirate vessels."

"It looks as though our luck is changing," said Athgar.

"And if you find these pirates," asked Tonfer, "what do you intend to do with them?"

"It's not the pirates themselves we're looking for," said Natalia, "we're actually trying to track down where their slaves came from."

"Count me in," said the Orc as he ripped a page out of the book and hunted around for a quill.

“What are you doing?” asked Natalia in shock. “You’re destroying a book!”

“Don’t worry,” he said, brandishing the page, “it’s empty.” Moments later, he sat, writing in a slow and deliberate manner. Finishing his note, he blew on the paper to dry the ink, then handed it to Athgar.

"Here is information on the Zephyr," he said. "Be sure to tell them I sent you. All you need is on that piece of paper. You can send word back to me here if you decide to sail, I won't need much advance notice to be ready."

"Thank you, Tonfer," said Athgar.

"Please," said the Orc, "call me Garul, it is my Orcish name, after all."

The Zephyr

Autumn 1103 SR