Enatic Clans

In my hand, I see the Queen of hearts. And another in the same suit of heart—ace. To be honest, this is quite strong for a hand but I need the help of the 'One'. And even the aid of Clandestine, if possible.

"Ya Allah…" I sigh, scratching my chin.

Captain Leonis raises to three gold coins from two gold coins to five. He is the ante - they are no blinds of small or big in this game. Neither, it is the house rule of Fort Quogsagihaxee'e. I then call. Lord Guan discards his card towards Habaraef, folding his hand... the naga burns his cards aside. Lord Remer responds with a raise of seven gold coins. Captain Leonis and I answer back by an additional two gold coins in our own wager - the pot now holds twenty-one gold coins.

The pre-flop duel is done. Now the time of the verdict is starting. The serpentine hand places the three cards… unrevealed. She then flips it open showing: King of hearts, Jack of hearts, and King of diamonds. This kind of flop is bad not at all. What a fine three cards, indeed! This naga has some average slick, I admit. I wish to believe that she is not plotting with the captain.

"Here it comes, ha!" Captain Leonis chimes in, as he checks his hand.

In a silent mood, I place five gold coins in my bet. I take a huge, long breath. I observe my opponents: Lord Guan takes off his seat as he proceeds at the bar counter, Lord Remer is sniffling and smacks with his tongue, and Captain Leonis himself sees me eye-to-eye with the inclusion of a smile on his lips. Abruptly, I find something strange about the movement of Lord Guan. No responses, he just drifts straight-on to the bar. An eerie sensation sends goosebumps on my skin. I abhor this foreboding occurrence.

Captain barks, "Feisty! Seems you got a good hand, Æ?" as he whistles at the end of his query. I tilt my head and a twitching frown on my lips.

I shrug my shoulders and wave my right hand dismissively. Yet at this moment, my breath flutters in the sudden draft, and even the candles gutter. Are we being observed?

"Damn." says Lord Remer, as he calls.

Now, the pot grows when Captain Leonis as well calls. Thirty-six gold coins on the table. Meanwhile, Habaraef puts the card face down. And the turn is…

It is a Nine of spades. Exactly not what I am seeking for. However, the show must go on.

"Ooooo…." muses Lord Remer, as it makes me ponder he has some piquance underneath his cards.

"Check." I say, afterwards checking my cards.

On the contrary, Captain Leonis raises fifteen gold coins, proclaiming: "Fifteen." as he showers the pieces of metal down in the middle.

Lord Remer is next to fold his hand, declaring: "I'm out. Rubbish hand." contradicts his initial reaction and heads to the other fringe of the bar afterwards.

"Me and you, I see." a smirk forms on my mouth, returning the prior provocation, as I taunt the captain in a slight pretense.

"Show me what you got." he nods, reviewing both of his unveiled cards. I want to call - as it would enlarge the pot to fifty-one coins of gold. As the insidious feeling irks me, I accidentally put…

"Raise." I stand by my Queen of hearts and Ace of hearts, placing my hard earned sixteen gold and five hundred silver coins. 'Put your money where your mouth is', I like that quote dearly.

But, "Shit." I mutter beneath my breath. I am supposed to provoke this further not, my throat hitches and the clasp in my chest constricts.

"Sixty-seven point five (67.5) on the pot." Captain Leonis smiles, "... enough to fill your belly and shelter yourself a score and a decade or so-so nowadays. Well, re-minting, not included." his calculations are candidly true.

He then matches my challenge, increasing the total pot by: "Sixty-nine in totality." clicks his tongue, "Nice, I love that number! Who knew you could match my humor, Æ?" as Captain Leonis finishes with his flair. As he drops one gold coin and five hundred silver coins equal to my difference.

"Well, whatever makes you elated, cap." as I share a smile with him, over a trifling crack, as I am attempting to pinpoint the source of this atmosphere.

I take a quick glance at Lord Guan again, still sitting at the bar. His movements are too deliberate, too mechanical, very timid, like he no longer is part of this parlor, but something else. He is not what I knew - it is either impulse or instinct scolds me. I narrow my eyes, trying to shake off the feeling, but it persists. Shit… and now, the river has been revealed.

"Chips fly. Heart hammers. Four Kings on my grasp. I sense death behind me. All in!" the captain declares, sliding his coins with stout confidence, as I counter it by throwing both of my cards - Queen of hearts and Ace of hearts, at him across the table. Thus, completing my royal flush.

The river is Ten of hearts. Yes, it is lucky. But the grimace feeling still seeps through. What is it? Where is it? Why is it still here?

"Good job, Æ." dropping his Kings in an intentional manner.

There they are! The King of spades and the King of clovers. He has four of a kind that shies away my hand—I may got flopped in the beginning. Worry not, because I am a river rat.

I paint, mouthing: "Tough luck." a half-smirk on my lips, sweeping my winning on the table.

Captain Leonis draws his pistol, a mini-cannon, and proceeds to shoot Lord Guan. And to double it down, he hurls three consecutive daggers in a leaning position. Lord Remer rattles whereas he moves his ass to the loo. The lover of the captain, Habaraef the naga, seems nonchalant, giving her forked tongue a flicker. She is fixing the cards scattered. Huh? It leaves me speechless in an abrupt series of episode.

"Ya Allah. What have you done?" I exclaim, my eyes widen. Whereas after a while; the corpse begins to disintegrate, oozes black liquid, and exudes rancid waft across the counter.

"Volklurche, Sire Æ. We have been infiltrated."

"You knew?" I turn my gaze towards the captain.

Someone barges in, "Hey, what's up? How's-..." he stops mid-sentence. And it is Lord Guan, arriving at the door, as he scans the area, "What in the Kigal is that?" disgust fills his face.

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"Oh, you are alive," as I pretend to be startled by his sudden reappearance, "Cap shot you dead just a second prior, Clef." where Lord Guan tilts his head and caresses his temple.

"What?" and just a simple statement of question, he asks.

"Take what I owe you. You deserve it. Well played, Æ." the captain orders, referring to the pot, as he lits his pipe and stands upright. I have won a hundred and sixty-nine in total. Nice.

Habaraef cleans up the mess, beckoning us three to leave. We exit the parlor by then. As I trail Captain Leonis behind, Lord Guan as well follow suit, leaving his sponsor behind.

"What are you doing here, Clef?" speaking towards Lord Guan, and why does he leave Lord Remer.

"Well, just some insight. I guess. With you and the captain." he smiles, as Captain Leonis laughs while we are treading.

"That is that. You were just shot dead by the captain, yet now, you are here - still breathing. Voila~ and where were you before arriving at the alehouse, hmmm?"

"No, what I mean is: 'what is that thing'? It looks gross!" Lord Guan complains, diverting my question.

"Lord Guan," Captain Leonis addresses him in his authentic name in lieu of his moniker, since now we are alone away from the prying eyes, "... that thing is called a 'Volklurche'. Habaraef's and her kins' mortal enemy. Aquatic, amphibious. Let's say they are goblins of the seas. At first, I thought it was a homunculus sent by the Grand Imperials. I wager, Lord Guan, you lost track of us egressing 'Pristinia', while at it, the suspect capitalizes breaching covertly. And there is that." as he provides some akin analogies to Lord Guan.

He continues, "Lord Ameniah," this time, it is me whom he is talking to, "... as for you, Lord Ameniah. You might be wondering four things, eh?" he swags, where he is relighting his pipe with a flint instead. He as well calls me by my real name.

"True." I nod.

"Habaraef might have been involved in cheating on the game earlier, my reaction, Fort Quogsagihaxee'e's power, and 'how did I spot who is who?'. Which do you want me to share first?" he asks, stopping his footing and glancing at me.

"Me!," Lord Guan snoops in, "What did you do, captain?" as his blabbermouth itches to pry. Well for me, it saves my breath. Good for me.

"Second question? Ah~ well, you see. I might be old and just smoking mindlessly but all looks well." No, you are not! You still look like you are in your late-30's or early 40's!

"Every now and then, I exercise. Resharpen my old instinct. Back when I was sailing. You know? Taking the helm, spotting arcane mages before they cast, shooting with my pistol, plundering; those kinds of stuff. Even if you rewind those yesteryears, yes! I was climbing the mast, cleaning the sailors' eats, rigging, mooring, mopping the deck - below and above, drenched in the waters and learning how to swim, joined in the boarding party as well, and got choked by heaps of powder. Haha~ y'all not wrong… I also came from humble origins—from being a Boy, you may speak prior. Thus, I share these younguns' struggle." the captain answers the askance of Lord Guan on my behalf instead. Is he saying that he might be returning to active sailing?

"Habaraef was the dealer, Capt. Then why did she flinch not, let alone? Setting schemes against me to be toppled and get those gold coins away from me." I ask the involvement of the lover of the captain, whereas we continue to walk along endlessly in a slow mood.

"Simple. Why?" He returns back my question, as he takes a huff to his pipe.

Captain Leonis nods his head and stares at the sky, I follow his gaze. To which, I am looking at each moon: Lunagius, Meridiana, and Luna Maior. All with distinct color, size, and waning phase. The captain chokes himself from his smoke. Lord Guan takes a giggle at the misery of the captain.

"To answer your question, Lord Ameniah…" he coughs, "Why should I steal from you when I have a bountiful amount of boons and loads of coins? Fort Quogsagihaxee'e may not be your ideal image of wealth. But 'tis the home of gallant against the rule of our overlord." groaning from his tribulation and gasping for air.

"For my next question-..."

"Hold on, let me take a breather first and foremost." the captain stops me mid-sentence, holding his throat and another to his chest.

Under these circumstances, my heart tells me to hold. Patience. Lord Guan is mesmerizing around while the captain is recollecting his footing. That is his respiration. I aid him to breathe in a smooth way by thudding his back. And one last groan, he resuscitates.

Captain Leonis croaks, "You may continue, Lord Ameniah." as he anchors upon me on my shoulder.

"Very well, then," I clear my throat, "I need to know how to know who is authentic and who is not. Did you gamble on it?" with sincerest desire that harms my pride as an insidious shadow. Ironic.

"Haha. How naive!" as he pats my back, "Youngun, be mindful of one's needs. A leader must have to know his men, who they are, their desires, their idiosyncrasies, which gods or goddesses they confide to, the way of thinking, their dreams, and what they fight for." clear in his intent - I may have access to this invaluable wisdom.

"I do intend no insult, Capt. Your point is?" feigning ignorance, as I wish to validate further.

"Haha… great follow up! In short, these ones closer to you are your greatest connection. Investment upon them, influence them, mold them. Outside your zone, utilize them. Earn their trust to use them. They might be your friends on a superficial note. But really, nay, they are not." as he explains to me, and in my own account - the captain commands Fort Quogsagihaxee'e as his refuge while his strategic allies are his fair game.

The captain clicks his tongue, husking: "As for your last question, what's it again? Would you mind repeating the question once more?" he wants to reconfirm, caressing his beard.

"The overall strength of this fort island - Fort Quogsagihaxee'e, what hooks do you have, the projection of this pirate republic whether raw or soft, and your strategic positioning." I catch up to Captain Leonis while drifting towards a nearby saloon in the opposite direction.

"Buckle up and fasten yourself, Lord Ameniah," he warns me, staring at me with a sharp gaze, "As you're aware, Lord Ameniah. Fort Quogsagihaxee'e is the initial trade depot for the mainland - the Grand Empire of Inglovia. And as for the trade depot, it means-…"

"The Diamond Route…"

"Aye, young Ameniah. The Diamond Throne and its Mandate of Heaven - the Quxizhou Clan's very own affluent crafts, influence, and culture. From the other world we receive: Rice. Silk. Porcelain. Bok choy. Treatises of 'Harmony', 'Diamond Cosmopolitanism', 'Bureaucracy', 'Alwuhush Knowledge: How To Capture A Beast', and many more. Junk - a variant of ship, yang chow, chopsticks, gai lan, chao fan, soy beans, noodles, gunpowder, mahjong and the game we played at the gamehouse was influenced by them, narcotics more potent than Ingloviatamins, steeds far bulkier and faster than ours, and Diajui humans - sappers, commanders, admirals, bureaucrats, both mystics and physicians, both martial and magical artists, engineers, eunuchs, artificers, architects, and scholars. Plague hit across the mainland three centuries before or so but we persist on insistence,... comely and what may or may not, business still prospering. You guessed it right again. Few of the trade goods were disease-susceptible at that time. And yes like diseases and stuff, those god-forsaken slant eyed yellow ugly faces. Well, except those Quxizhou princesses. Haha~" he chuckles, "Ever since, young lord. This is the first station to traverse these aforementioned goods then across the Grand Empire and other sovereignties in the mainland Inglovia. Tariffless, more imports to buy. But for the mainland, it is a different story. We control the trade node. Haha~" once again, he giggles.

"Paprika, cumin, curry, basil, elephants, and turbans. These Diajui's origins as well, are those not right?" mixing it up the Diajui and Krishnava cultures deliberately.

Raising his voice, "Those are Krishnava, not Diajui! And you know that, Lord Ameniah. There is an influx of merchants and adventurers coming into this world. And you are already aware that some of those people are settling in the mainland also." the captain scolds me.

"Oh, is that so?" as I pretend to present a dumbfounded look, scratching my chin.