A time jewel

I was to meet the raiders in a Cafe Shi. In the port of Ping. The year was around 1680 something. To be honest. I sort of lost count of years. When you are into smuggling items. From Korea, to Japan, to China and elsewhere to avoid the cursed tariffs of empires and nations. Well, knowing the year means knowing what laws and regulations are being brought up. Why cause undo concern when any of the items meant the death penalty?

Cafe Shi was a tea shop with some of the best fine wines in all of small China. Small China a go between the port side of a town and well the town itself. The raiders had promised a chance at something big.

Being unemployable and unemployed at the present time. I thought it would be best to try something with a big prize.

In walks the Claw. I knew him when he was younger. That I had employed him to smuggle goods for a time made me smile.

The Claw was a legend these days. Sort of like I was a time ago. The Claw had taken possession of a fleet of trading ships. How? The rumor was he trapped them, boarded them, and slaughtered everyone on board. What a comic. The reality of the whole entire fleets crew. Well, they were all bribed. Because of the paymaster of. the owner of the fleet being a skinflint. Only paying less than going wages. The whole fleet’s crew absconded with the trading merchandise and ships.

The Claw was the one that thought up the plan. He even hired only those willing to go along with the plan to make sure no one got hurt but the corporations.

The deal happened, and they let the world know the Claw had slaughtered the whole crew. Which I heard had instead of returning to Europe went on a vacation to South America.

So the Claw spoke. His speech was interesting. The prize was something I had heard about a long time ago by another legend. Some sort of a jewel from a legendary myth country called Crimea. The jewel and other treasure were in the possession of a noble. How or why this noble had let the Claw know about the jewel was beyond me.

However, the jewel was some sort of a magical device that could do things to a man’s mind if the legend be truthful. So the plan was to raid a floating houseboat on an inland sea in central China.

The jewel kept there because of the guardian. Here the Claw must be joshing or joking, a guardian dragon. Now I knew dragons. I had fought one with the Claw when he was still young. To fight one on a house boat might be interesting.

I was to meet the raiders in a Cafe Shi. In the port of Ping. The year was around 1680 something. To be honest. I sort of lost count of years. When you are into smuggling items. From Korea, to Japan, to China and elsewhere to avoid cursed tariffs of empires and nations. Well, knowing the year means knowing what laws and regulations are being brought up. Why cause undo concern when any of the items meant the death penalty?

Meaning? A name is only as good as the next adventure and to live in a moment and die with merit or a wonderful story? What more I could ask for? We were not afraid of much. Maybe wizards of time or a woman with too much time on her hands.

So I shook my hand with the Claw who, when he noticed, laughed with me. And said it was great to be back in such low places. And that we should get some more wine and talk about old friends and places.

The conversation went like the Claw telling me this story.

There once was a great pirate before Romans, and they established any countries in Europe. He would raid an island where the treasures were according to myth from out of this world. The original Atlantis story claiming that they came from an unfamiliar world.

There the Atlantis lived afraid of this pirate until they built the Talons. A sort of statue that walked the island, protecting the island from pirates.

Well, that did not sit well with this pirate of legends. So in the middle of a flotilla of ships he disguised his ship and crew. The pirate went right with their great trade ships and out with. Well, according to the Claw, the crown jewel of some wizard of time or not.

The jewel was a portal stone or time stone. The Claw kept on excitedly how with the stone one could go places in time and what not.

Me? I had had a pearl once upon a tale. So I was interested, and so the plan was laid out.

The nobleman was to be called away to the capitol city by a bribe the Claw had provided an authority. Seems corruption was everywhere these days.

Once gone evidently the boat house only protection was a dragon. Now, the last dragon that the Claw and I had encountered was a long time ago. That we accidently shoot it with a cannon at point blank range was well. Complete happen stance and luck.

This time luck had to be just right. We set the date. The plan was laid that both smoke and other bombs. They would be used to enter the house boat. Blind the dragon. Then secure the jewel. A classic switch in a fast heist with a phony jewel to replace the real one. And out we go. With no pursuit. Because why waste a chance of someone coming back to steal something if nothing was stolen?

So there was me, Ender the pirate, the Claw, and my crew. My crew is not normal. Let us just say we are misfits from Christmas isle and let that make your imagination work.

My first mate looked like a squirrel and acted like one too. He was given the fake jewel and instructions on what room the jewel was in.

My cook sort of looked like a bear. And his sole job this time around was to throw smoke bombs as fast as he could. Given the signal once the first mate was in a position to enter the house boat.

Me and the Claw were to address the dragon personally. I thought this over in reflection and some plans are stupid. Only one reflected on them, but at the time of implementation. Life is merit or nothing else.

So the day came. The nobleman rode off to the capitol. We were in place. The first mate had climbed to a window just above the treasure room.

The signal went. The cook started throwing smoke bombs. Everything seemed to go great.

Just then the Claw and I meet a woman where I was expecting a dragon.

Now I had prepared live bombs for the occasion. There I was in a kind of pickle having a fuse lit in one hand with a bomb and well a woman. Who instead of crying or anything seemed to know the Claw.

And looking at the Claw? Well, I could see he knew her. The Claw was in love. Great.

Storming a houseboat with a dragon and some woman. And then the Claw starts talking, waving me away. No dragon appeared. I was wondering what or if the jewel was actually here.

Then the woman transformed into a white dragon. Wildly unexpected by me.

The dragon pounced on the Claw. Who only waved at me yet again. I wondered what to do. Throwing a live bomb at a friend is not something I would consider. In yet, the dragon was or looked like she would eat him.

The cook had stopped throwing smoke bombs. This indicated in the plan that my first mate was out.

So I tried to get the Claw away from her. But instead of letting me pull him away. He waved me goodbye. The love sick fool was in love with a dragon.

So I got out of there. My first mate with the jewel in hand. So my first mate, Cook, and I went away. That was not the last I heard of the Claw. However, the jewel of time was something else to behold and what stories could be told.

As for the Claw? I heard that he and the dragon ran away together. Something dealing with her obligation of guarding the jewel was no longer valid with no jewel to guard. As for the nobleman? I keep tabs on his family for the jewel?

Well, being time traveling pirates is something to keep a journal on.