by Jeff Sproul
Chaxin followed after Kaiz. After their discussion about possible assailants, Chaxin found himself looking around even more. Could those three people they encountered after fighting the cyclops have come after them? Maybe they were sore about losing their horse, and ended up stealing all three of theirs? But if that was the case, why stick around and kill Jerem? Was that the kind of people they were?
The more Chaxin considered it, the more it didn't make sense to him. But then again, perhaps there were aspects to the situation that he wasn't able to realize.
Kaiz leaned against one of the carts about fifty feet away from the wagons which were against the ship.
Chaxin moved beside him and looked up to the top deck, where a tall wooden pole was slowly turning. There was a long wooden beam that came out from a section mid-way up. Then, there were ropes that went down to a net, which was currently wrapped around a crate.
"Guess they broke open that banged-up cargo door," Kaiz murmured.
"So that device allows them to unload the ship?" asked Chaxin.
Kaiz nodded. "Yep. I'm surprised it's functioning as well as it is. Didn't you say the whole deck was ablaze? Perhaps it wasn't burning for too long."
"Yeah, there were a bunch of fires all over the deck," said Chaxin. "I'm not sure how bad it was, and it all happened pretty fast."
Several minutes later, Captain Politz approached from the side and stopped by Kaiz and Chaxin, but his attention was on the crates being slowly lowered onto the wagons. "This shouldn't take too long," he said. "Then we can be on our way and you can relax in the safety of Grittin. Have you put any thought towards assignments?" He turned his head and looked to Kaiz. "The Grittin Guard is always hiring strong adventurers, if you're looking to take it a bit easier. However, with the fall of Kamber, and of course the other towns that have diminished in the past ten years, we've been running more patrols."
"I've never been one to sit around for too long," said Kaiz. "I did my duty to defend Kamber when it needed it, but if I'm not out hunting monsters and improving my stats, then I just don't feel comfortable with my life. You know?"
"Can't say that I blame you," said Politz. "I was the same way for a long time."
It was at that comment that Chaxin looked between the two. Kaiz seemed as though he could probably be just a little younger than Politz, but he wasn't sure. He also didn't think now was the time to go asking.
"But then I met a woman, had a kid, and found a slightly different purpose for myself," Politz continued. "I put some time into the grunt levels of the Grittin Guard, and with my stats, I was able to move into the rank of Captain, which allows me not to have to get my hands as dirty. I get a decent salary, and the wife doesn't have to worry about me as much. I do miss going out and hunting things, but I guess I don't miss the danger."
"I guess I haven't entirely tired of the thrill of it," said Kaiz with a chuckle. "Makes me feel like I'm doing my part to keep Wake safe."
Politz didn't respond, as his head turned to look back to the unloading of the ship.
The horses on the lead wagon slowly trotted to pull it away, and another wagon eased into position. Several smaller crates were lowered to the wagon's bed, and then the rope net was lifted back up to the deck, seemingly worked by people who were just out of sight from their current vantage point. Chaxin only vaguely remembered seeing contraptions that he wasn't sure the purpose of near the pole that was turning.
"That woman… um, Deloris, was it?" Politz spoke up again. "She had a certain look about her. She's been adventuring a long time, hasn't she? She reminds me of a man I knew once. He was only in Grittin for a day, but I'll never forget the sureness of his personality. There was a rumor that he was one of the Hundred Knights. I can't explain it, but seeing her made me think of him."
Kaiz chuckled again. "A guard captain, believing in fairy tales?" he asked.
Politz turned to Kaiz and smiled. "What's wrong with that? Isn't it nice to have harmless folklore to believe in?"
"What are the Hundred Knights?" Chaxin asked.
"You don't know the tale of the Hundred Knights?" asked Politz.
"Sorry," said Chaxin. "I'm—"
"He's a bit new to the area," said Kaiz.
Politz shrugged. "Well, the Hundred Knights are a group of a hundred… well, knights. It's said that they boast incredible strength. Their stats are greater than your average adventurer, because they go around and hunt the strongest monsters in the region. They scour the region for nests and powerful beasts, and then they move on."
"There's also a rumor that they never lose anyone," said Kaiz. "That they have the power of resurrection magic, and they closely guard it, only ever using it on a fallen comrade."
"Resurrection magic?" Chaxin asked, his eyes widening as he looked to Kaiz. "They can raise the dead back to life? How?"
"It's just a rumor," said Kaiz. "It's how they keep their ranks, I imagine. But you should realize, this story is very old. People twice my age have known of this story," said Kaiz. "And I've never seen proof of a Hundred Knight, and Deloris has never mentioned them. If she was one of them," Kaiz then looked to Politz, "and if that man you saw had been one of them, then where were the ninety-eight others?"
Politz grinned from ear to ear. "Where indeed? Perhaps they have a central location somewhere, or they keep their whereabouts hidden. I imagine they've acquired quite a few soul crystals with plenty of energy. Prime pickings for a master thief. But regardless of its authenticity, it's a nice story for new arrivals, and children. Makes them have hope and feel safe, even in this tragic world we live in."
"Some might say that tales such as that only give people false hope," came Deloris's voice from behind them.
The three of them turned their heads and spotted Deloris standing there, five feet behind them. None of them had heard her sneak up.
"People should strive to strengthen themselves and survive," she continued to say, as she stepped over to them, her armor making the loud clinks and clangs that Chaxin was used to hearing. "Believing that there's a group of powerful warriors that can rid the world of all evils will only make certain people become complacent." Her gauntlets rested on her hips.
Politz watched her for several long seconds before letting another smile curl his lips. "Well, no matter. Real or not, it doesn't change my outlook on the world," he said, before turning his attention back to the crane. "I just like fairy tales, I suppose."
"No harm in that," Kaiz mused.
Up on the top deck of the ship, one of the ornate sarcophagi was lifted into the air. It glimmered, despite the gloominess of the day.
"Wonder what the cost of something like that is," Politz murmured.
The sarcophagi was lifted into the air in a thick rope net. The crane turned, and then slowly lowered the cargo down into the empty bed of another wagon.
"Isn't that the whole reason you're all here?" asked Chaxin. "Daxar had said something about those two coffins."
"Yeah, the supplies from the ship will definitely be important. Especially with the influx of the survivors from Kamber," said Politz. "But Daxar was definitely interested in the two sarcophagi. From what I gather, Lord Karnith wants them. Dunno what for. Perhaps a gift to another kingdom, or to bury someone important. Hell, maybe he's planning for the future and wants himself and his wife to be buried in them."
"Seems… extravagant," said Chaxin. "Is Lord Karnith a well-off person?"
Politz chuckled. "Yeah, you could say that. He's the ruler of the largest kingdom in the region. Usually the rulers of a city, or kingdom, tend to be well-off. So he definitely has the resources to acquire such things."
Chaxin watched as the mesh net was lifted back into the air, after depositing the casket into the wagon. Rain continued to patter down. Now that Deloris was nearby, he could hear it pinging off her armor.
He looked to Deloris. "Were the council members of Kamber in better position than the rest of the townspeople? They didn't seem particularly lavish."
"Kamber wasn't exactly a rich town," said Deloris as she watched the laborers. "Some places are set up to be wealth generators, for taxes, or other things. Some kingdoms are run by tyrannical leaders that siphon off as much as they can from the populace, while others are set up in such a way that allows a fairer distribution. Not that Lord Karnith is the former, but he's definitely profiting from his role. I'm not too familiar with him, perhaps he deserves every piece of gold. Grittin has certainly prospered under his leadership, from what I remember when I was younger."
"It was his guidance that saw us through that war with the Jari region, across the sea," said Politz. "Some nasty business that, but the whole region had gone to pirates and thieves, and they were plundering any vessel that went into the waters." Politz looked to Chaxin. "This was some twenty years ago, mind you. But Lord Karnith helped amass ships and an army, to go put an end to what they were doing. We rooted them out, and the pirate presence in the seas has been severely reduced from what it once was."
"You were in the Jari War?" asked Kaiz, glancing over to Politz with lifted brows.
"That I was," Politz confirmed. "But this was, of course, twenty years ago. I was nothing but a foot grunt at the time. But Lord Karnith made good on his payments to even the lowliest of soldiers. Not to mention, we put an end to a true plight. They may not have been traditional monsters, but they were ravaging the region and stifling our survival."
Chaxin listened to the conversation with interest. It dealt partially with things he'd been discussing with Kaiz earlier. Humans hurting humans, just to better their own chances of survival, instead of working for mutual prosperity.
His eyes followed the crane, as it lifted the second sarcophagi into the air. It was just as gaudy as its twin. He wondered what sort of person would care about such an exorbitant coffin, just to set a dead body in. Was that normal? He knew that the dead were generally buried, in some fashion. Somehow he knew this to be true, despite having no recollection of ever seeing a person buried.
The crane turned and held the coffin over the edge of the ship.
Crack.
The arm of the crane suddenly cracked in the middle. The front bent, as the weight of the sarcophagi drove it down.
Shouts came from the men on the top of the ship as the coffin plummeted towards the cart below. Several people jumped out of the way as it smashed against the other sarcophagi that had already been placed in the wagon.
The bed of the cart broke under the sudden impact from the second coffin crashing into it. The force of the impact caused the falling casket to crack open and fall to the side to land in the sand, partially opened.
Without a word, Politz dashed towards the fallen cargo, just as several of the nearby laborers and guards were picking themselves up and brushing their clothes off.
Kaiz leaned off the wagon he was against, and Deloris took a step forward.
Chaxin was paralyzed by the sudden incident, but he didn't move. It didn't seem as though anyone had gotten hurt from the accident.
"Is everyone alright?" Politz called as he neared the scene.
"All good here, sir," came one of the guard's voices, then another followed suit. There were four guards in all who had been standing nearby, while three laborers in common clothes were overseeing the loading of the carts from the base of the ship.
"Close it!" came a voice from far away.
Chaxin's head turned at the sound. He spotted four full-plate armored soldiers, running ahead of Daxar, who was waving his arm as he ran. "Close it! Close it now!" The sound of his voice became clearer as he ran towards the wagons. The ornately armored guards were only a dozen steps ahead of him, but still a distance away.
Chaxin turned his attention to the scene of the accident. The laborers were surveying the sarcophagi, which was lying on its side, open several inches into the sand.
"What's Daxar in such a fever about?" Kaiz asked.
"Close the coffin!" Daxar yelled again.
It was only with that latest shout that his voice carried over to Politz, causing the guard captain to turn and look to the man and four guards running towards them.
"What?" Politz called back, apparently not having heard.
The lid of the sarcophagi opened further, moved by some unseen force.
A ghastly shadow crept out from the opening of the coffin, as if it was crawling out along the sand. Then, in an instant, it rose up, towering above the nearby laborers and guards.
The apparition possessed some of the traits of a humanoid figure. Arms, torso, a shrouded hood over its head. It didn't seem to wear clothing, yet its form was wreathed in shadow, as if it wore the darkness around it. No greater details could be made from the distance Chaxin was at, other than a strange metallic glint coming from its left arm. It wore some sort of fingerless gauntlet or glove, but didn't possess a similar one on its other arm.
"What the hell is that?" said Kaiz, gripping his spear.
"Shoot it!" Deloris yelled, as she was spurred into movement, rushing towards the monstrous, wraith-like entity.
"Yes, ma'am!" Without hesitation, Kaiz pulled his spear up and took aim at the creature.
Before he could even squeeze off a shot, it twisted and turned. It swiped its arm in the direction of several of the nearby laborers. Numerous shadowy streaks flew out from the creature's hand. The energy glistened like oil, but emitted a faint blue glow. The streaks pierced the laborers as if they were being struck with daggers. The three men grasped at their wounds as they fell over, their bodies going limp in a matter of seconds.
Bang!
A heated ball of metal flew from the muzzle of Kaiz's spear and shot toward the apparition.
The creature flinched; its other arm flew up in the briefest instant as the projectile reached it. A burst of sparks flew from the moment of impact, as the monster swatted the bullet out of the air and sent it off to smolder into the wood of the nearby ship.
"What the shit?" Kaiz spoke, his spear lowering as he stared with wide eyes. "How can it do that?"
Just like when the accident had occurred, Chaxin stood there, paralyzed. But instead of surprise, now, it was fear. "What… what is it?" he whispered, as if being told the creature's name or origin could possibly pull him from his stupor.
Politz pulled his sword as two of the nearby guards rushed the apparition. The shadowy monster stood at least two feet above them. Instead of legs, it seemed to glide along the ground itself, as if it wore some sort of robe obscuring anything beneath its torso.
The guards swung their swords, but the monster shifted easily out of the way. Another swing of its arm sent more black streaks towards the two guards. One had a shield, which he used to block the oncoming shadowy bolts, while the other crumpled to the ground, with one of the bolts lodged in his eye. Moments after the streaks of darkness smacked into the round wooden shield, the shield itself broke apart and fell from the man's arm.
While it was distracted by the two guards, Politz struck with his broadsword, only to have his blow deflected by those impossibly fast arms. He recoiled from the monster's parry, but quickly righted himself.
It was then that Deloris joined the melee. With a shout, she swung her sword with all her strength.
The monster went to block it, but as its arm connected with the sword, the sword kept moving, cutting into the creature's arm, causing shadowy wisps to escape the gash, just as blood might drip from a wound.
A terrible howl that no human mouth could possibly make came from the apparition. It rushed towards the second sarcophagi. Its ghostly fingers scraped at the locking mechanism.
Deloris was upon the monster again, striking with her enchanted sword, while Politz joined in the attack.
It pulled out of the way, avoiding Deloris's blade, while effortlessly deflecting Politz's again.
Deloris moved to block access to the second sarcophagi, just as the pristine-armored guards from Daxar's personal retinue joined the battle.
The shrouded head of the monster t
urned and contorted, as if taking in the combatants lined against it. It swung its arms, launching more dark bolts at the gathered warriors. Daxar's guards lifted their rectangular metal shields, easily blocking the attacks. Deloris did the same with her own with no issue. Politz was forced to deflect with his broadsword. His blade was hit with three of the bolts, and a second later, the metal shattered into dozens of pieces.
Without warning, the apparition turned and darted off. Even as it glided through the air, a small line several inches across was formed in the sand, as if some unseen force was distorting its path. The monster moved quicker than any normal man could run. There was no way to chase it at such speed. All anyone could do was watch as it slipped past the remaining wagons and disappeared into the abandoned village.
Chapter 14: Travel
Rain speckled the shore. All eyes were drawn to the abandoned village, where the apparition had fled.
Several bodies lay in the sand, motionless and bleeding.
"Should we give chase?" came the feminine but stern voice of one of Daxar's retinue guards.
"No!" Daxar called out suddenly. He turned to the scene of the tragedy. "Secure the other sarcophagi! Put rope or chain around it! I don't care, but make sure it can't possibly be opened! I want full-time guard on the sarcophagi."
Daxar's attention went to Politz. "I told you to notify me when they began pulling the coffins out!" he snapped.
"Apologies." Politz tensed as he swallowed. He gripped his sword tightly and slowly sheathed it. "I… got distracted."
Daxar's eyes narrowed at Politz. "The deaths of those men are on your head, Captain Politz," he warned.
"Surely the accident can't be blamed on him," Kaiz spoke up.
"It was not the coffin falling that killed those men," said Daxar. "And if my guard had been here to oversee the unloading of the sarcophagi, they could've engaged it sooner!"
"Then you knew what that creature was?" Deloris spoke up, taking a step toward Daxar. "And you didn't warn anyone of it? We needed to know there were monsters in the crates!"