by Kat Mandu
“Why are we hanging out with this person?” Kareem asked, shaking his head.
“Desperation makes strange bedfellows,” Nathan replied and Kareem did a double take.
“Was that a pun?” he asked.
“It could be,” Nathan admitted. The group had little trouble looping back around and Richard signaled in at the gate. He sighed a bit when Laurella greeted him at the door.
“I take it you didn’t have any luck,” she said. It was more of a statement than a question.
“Well, that remains to be seen. It is something that may bear fruit,” Richard replied.
“So, if we see them running around, don’t kill them?” she asked.
“It would be appreciated,” Richard agreed. “Anyway, that distraction is taken care of. Time to get back to work.”
“What’s to work on? The wall is up and everyone has a tent – not to mention the big one you sleep in. All we need is enough people and some boats, then we can take the ship and get out,” Laurella stated.
“I have a project that needs to be scouted out – something important in case something inevitably goes wrong,” Richard admitted. Laurella opened her mouth to speak but closed it with the shake of her head. Richard walked into a large tan tent set up near the center of their outpost.
Chapter 15 Taking It Down
Richard frowned, lowering a clipboard as he walked along the wood log wall everyone was just putting the final touches on. He tapped on the clipboard, inspecting a random log from the sharpened tip. Each one had been pressed together as closely as possible to make a makeshift gate that would open slowly. Richard glanced back to see a long row of tents and a small stage near a much larger tent where he had been sleeping.
He slipped his hands into his pockets, clipboard pressed against his side, and walked up to the gate. Despite the normal idea, it was in fact the most reinforced part of their newly created small base. He had the site exactly where he needed it; the wall was stationed around a small hill which gave them a good line of sight. Even with the trees being cleared away, there was still enough to keep them hidden. Another lucky find was a small spring to give them fresh water. Richard wasn’t happy about not having the broken ship for a base, but it was that or the high ground.
“Ah, Mr. Zane,” a man said, giving a very fumbling salute.
“Livingston, any sign from the woman in purple?” Richard asked. But the man shook his head.
“No, sir, nothing,” he admitted, adjusting his dirt-stained blue coat. He looked dejected but Richard kept from responding.
“Carry on,” Richard finally said, looking at the small pillar they had strapped together. He climbed up the ladder, glancing over his shoulder when he reached the top of the rickety tower and pulled himself up. Their camp had built up even more, but they were still a bit short even though they now spanned about thirty strong at max.
“I said keep an eye out! Dammit, you idiot, you are so worthless!” a voice shouted and Richard flinched. He spun about, eyes scanning as he tried to find the source.
“Richard, you okay?” Boss asked. Richard snapped his head back, looking over the ground they had gathered.
“Richard, Boss,” a calm voice called. Richard glanced over to see that Laurella had joined them.
“Nothing, I should have sent someone else with them,” Richard replied, frowning while he glanced over the small opening of grass in the forest.
“One more day and we are going to be sending out a search party. No one can get far without her guidance,” Boss commented.
“Unless we can find another sailor that knows how to sail by the stars,” Laurella said with a huff, crossing her arms. Richard smirked.
“She is a lot more valuable then you know,” he replied with a smile. “Besides, we need everybody we can get ahold of.”
“You know something I don’t?” she asked.
“Lots,” Richard stated but she punched him in the shoulder. He smirked, even if his insult was cut short.
“Humorous, look, I am not here to be dragged around. What’s so important about her?” Laurella demanded.
“My retirement, of course,” he replied easily. “She is the daughter of a Lord.”
“So you plan on taking her home and getting a reward for it?” she asked. “Not a bad idea, I guess, but if she is so valuable, why not send someone else?”
“Gold, some, but not much if I can get a better prize. But the reason I didn’t send anyone else is that she is amazing at what she does and I have no idea if anyone else could even hope to do what she can. She is my safest bet and I didn’t trust Eagle on his own,” Richard admitted.
“Hey,” Boss grunted, clearly unhappy with the comment.
“You can fight. Can you collect information without being seen?” Richard asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Boss only shrugged his shoulders. “My point exactly. Well, I am going to do another round and check the wall before heading to bed early. Let me know if anyone else makes their way into camp,” Richard said, beginning to head down the ladder. “Oh, and behave you two,” he said, glancing at the pair before vanishing.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Laurella shouted after him. Richard only ignored her and continued making his way around the camp.
When he was finished, Richard pushed back the tent flap and quickly glanced around. It was very empty; there was a table with maps taking up space in a corner across from where his hammock was set up. He sighed, pulling back the blanket and rolling in. He slipped his hands behind his head and fell asleep easily.
A sudden push on the hammock some time later caused his eyes to snap open before he fell flat on the cold, hard ground. He glanced up tiredly to see Tray standing above him.
“Time to wake up,” he mentioned. Richard pushed himself to his feet. “I don’t know why you want to be in charge of watch, but that’s your reason. I am heading to bed,” he grunted, turning for the exit, the tent flaps fluttering behind him.
Richard smirked, stifling a yawn as he grabbed a fistful of bags and tossed them into the hammock. He pulled a blanket over them before silently walking out of the tent. The camp was still as he made his way back to the tower. When he had climbed up, he sat and watched the group of tents.
Nathan pushed himself up and blinked until he spotted Richard staring at him. “I thought it was my shift,” he said, eyes shifting around as though he had made a mistake.
“No, I am keeping an eye on the camp, to be honest. I have been expecting some kind of attempt on my life for the past few days,” Richard replied.
“Ah, and you’ve got a feeling that it will happen in the middle of the night?” Nathan asked, leaning against the tower wall and keeping his head turned toward the outside.
“Seems practical. So, how did you find yourself on the island, Nathan?” Richard asked.
“I’m a story teller, it’s how I make a living outside of swords. I just so happened to get on the wrong boat at the wrong time and rather than become a victim, I bailed. I made it very clear that I wasn’t worth the trouble to track down,” he admitted.
“Who did you sail under?”
“Captain Kidd.”
“Ah, so you’ve been here, what, a little over two years then?” Richard asked and Nathan nodded.
“That sounds about right. You know, it’s funny but you do things that you claim are simple. And yet, you’re the first to pull them off.”
“What can I say? I’m a risk taker, but I do recognize that it is a risk. You don’t live long being a fool and bouncing off the wall. No matter how tough you seem to be,” he replied with a smirk.
“Make sense, I guess. But that makes me – oh, shit,” Nathan said suddenly, eyes going wide. Richard spun around, noticing a monstrous stone creature soaring towards them through the night sky.
“Fuck, get moving. I want everyone awake and ready to go. Just in case he wants to pick a fight,” Richard ordered. Nathan nodded, dropping to the ground and racing through the tents. He was quite effec
tive at raising hell as people stirred and ran out of their tents.
“Richard, any ideas?” Boss called from the base of the ladder. Richard was quiet for a moment, pondering what to do next.
“Everyone against the wall, stay still and don’t draw your blades. We don’t need any glints catching his eye,” he ordered, dropping to the ground as well. With Boss’s help, they got everyone quietly in position. Richard exhaled, his left hand resting on his sword hilt, ready to draw it in a moment’s notice.
“Why is it here?” “That thing has never left it’s castle.” “What do we do? We can’t kill an immortal being?” Whispers flew around the people though they remained immobile. The wind blew through the camp and men fidgeted slightly but the small movements were only in the corners of Richard’s eyes.
Then, just as suddenly as the wind, a glint of metal flashed in Richard’s peripheral vision at the same time that someone latched onto his weak arm. He immediately pulled on his sword with his good hand and used the pommel to knock the blow away. The sharp sapphire connected with the man’s bony wrist, forcing him to drop the dagger on reflex. Richard let his sword clatter to the ground to slam his fist into his attacker’s windpipe. He coughed, choking for air when Richard grabbed his shoulders and neck. Richard slammed the man’s head into the wall over and over again while more and more blood soaked the wall. Finally, Richard was satisfied and allowed the man to drop to the ground, lifeless.
“Anyone else?” he hissed in a low voice. Nobody even dared to move save for eyeing the corpse lying not five feet from them. Richard glanced back up, having expecting something like that – a bigger threat to hide a smaller one. Well, that deals with assault number one. Now to deal with assault number two, Richard sighed in resignation, thinking to himself and grabbing his sword.
“You think he is coming?” Tray asked, looking at Richard. He shrugged and they both looked at Boss.
“I don’t hear anything,” he admitted. Richard grabbed onto the ladder and climbed back up, kneeling as low as he could. He moved closer to the wall before poking his head up.
“Shit,” he cursed, ducking back down and leaping for the ladder. The wall crumbled behind him, throwing him to the ground while splinters rained everywhere. The Gargoyle landed some ways away, smashing into the ground while Richard lay sprawled amongst the tower ruins.
“Well, what are we waiting for? We can’t open the gate!” Boss shouted, causing the group to realize that there was nowhere to run.
“Fry, you stone bastard!” Laurella cried out while she charged, holding her shocker overhead like a battle axe. And then, the flood gates opened. Everyone charged the Gargoyle while Richard got to his feet, retrieving his sword and locking eyes with the beast.
“Puny mortal, worthless creatures!” the Gargoyle bellowed, swinging his hand and knocking down half a dozen attackers.
“Aim for his eyes!” Richard screamed, readjusting the grip on his sword while he joined the charge. Richard dove under the creature’s legs and rolled to his feet before leaping towards the Gargoyle’s wings. When he latched on, he pulled himself onto it’s back.
“Get some ropes! We don’t have to kill it, just immobilize it!” Boss shouted, pointing to the other side of camp. When a small group returned with the aforementioned rope, they lassoed the monster’s left arm. They pulled it hard to the side, causing the Gargoyle to roar loudly. Richard latched onto the monster’s neck when he felt someone grab his wrist. He jerked slightly before he realized that it was only Laurella using him as a hand hold. The Gargoyle, struggling and pulling against the rope, opened his mouth in rage. Laurella leaped for the opportunity and shoved the business end of her weapon inside and sent off a massive surge of electricity.
Richard and Laurella went limp when the charge hit them, forcing both of them to let go and fall to the ground. The Gargoyle’s arm went limp while the group on the ground quickly lassoed his other arm.
“Keep pulling!” Boss shouted, watching the monster’s arm being pulled away from it’s body. Richard rolled to the side to avoid getting his head smashed by the Gargoyle’s thrashing tail. He managed to get his feet under him, but a sudden burst of air knocked him back on his ass. The Gargoyle took flight, dragging the rope holders behind him. Tray threw another lasso and managed to catch the creature’s left leg. He called to Boss and the two of them gave a great tug on the rope. The extra force was just enough to interrupt take off. Richard panicked, realizing the Gargoyle was falling back to the ground. Someone suddenly grabbed his wrist, tugging him out of the way right before the stone beast crashed into the ground. Richard’s belt shifted from the sudden movement, reminding him that he still had his newly acquired firearms. He stalked over to the struggling creature, hands calmly behind his back. Someone threw another lasso and it now seemed that everybody was pulling the creature in all different directions at once.
“Where is it?!” the Gargoyle roared. The volume of his voice alone was enough to blow Richard’s hair back. When he quieted, he blinked and shook his head. It’s bright eyes glared at him, watching him pull out both, ready to christen the firearms. His struggled subsided while it eyed the objects in Richard’s hands. “What are those?” it demanded in a deep voice.
“The agents of a worthless mortal, to level the playing field,” Richard growled, glaring at the beast before him. Richard leveled both pistols at the eyes of the Gargoyle and fired. Both shots hit almost simultaneously and the beast’s skull exploded, splattering rock and grey matter all over the ground. Richard’s eyes were wide as the monster fell slack, causing the ground to shake and making everyone in the vicinity to fall backwards.
Nobody moved, regardless of whether they were on their feet or fallen to the ground. Everyone was ready to keep fighting at a moment’s notice. Richard slid Claw under his arm, beginning the long process of reloading Tooth. Once finished, he repeated the same thing with Claw, eyes never leaving the spot where the Gargoyle’s head had once been. After reloading, he holstered the two guns calmly. A smug grin stretched across his face and he glanced around at everyone.
“Drag the beast to the gate and tie him to the wall he broke. He’s going to be our new wall!” Richard shouted. Nobody said or did anything, just stared at him and then the crowd roared. They all began to move, pulling the corpse along the ground. A few of the men paused to slap him on the back but nearly everyone was smiling. A feeling of pride washed over Richard. He put his hands on his hips, right over the holstered guns.
“Well?” he shouted. “I say a celebration is in order! Aye!” he cried, throwing one fist in the air. Everyone began to cheer even louder and Richard found a victorious grin on his face. His mind raced and worked, a plan coming together and all he needed to do was see what piece clicked into place first.
Chapter 16 Now Get Rid Of It
“Richard, what did you do?!” someone shouted and the tent went silent. Madison glanced down the long table laden down with food and drink with cold eyes. The noble woman had returned to find a tent full of people eating and drinking. She frowned, stepping over someone passed out on the ground.
“Oh, you know, the usual,” he replied, holding up his glass before draining it. Richard, despite the fact that he was unsure if anyone was on watch, couldn’t help but feel great after all of the rum he had gotten into. Eagle Eye glanced around the tent, grabbing a glass for himself and having no qualms about joining the party.
“I want it down. Do you realize how dangerous it is?” Madison demanded in a loud voice. She stormed around the table; anyone nearby quickly scooted as close to the table as physically possible. Richard stood, grabbing the bottle of spiced rum and pouring another glass for himself. Madison grabbed his arm and dragged him through the tent, his glass spill ever so slightly. Boss and Laurella hurried to follow.
“What a waste,” he lamented, draining the rest of the glass. He stumbled a bit while Madison dragged him all the way back to the gate. She kicked it open and pointed harshly at the Gargoyle.
“Do you think I overdid it on the metal chains?” Richard asked, tilting his head to the left.
“Do you not realize this is a challenge to anyone who passes by?” she declares, waving her hand around it.
“I don’t know. I think we could have fixed up the metal a bit more, maybe give him a back to it. You know, make it look like we took him alive,” Boss commented, resting his chin on his forefinger and thumb.
“Needs more chains,” Laurella replied, chin on her fist and one elbow on her opposite wrist. She played with her lip while she looked at it.
“Am I the only one who has an issue with this?” Madison asked. “This is a challenge. You just made yourself the big man on the island and now, everyone is going to want to kill you,” she explained while Richard just picked at his ear.
“Your point being?” he asked, rolling his hand and urging her to continue. Madison slapped her forehead.
“We don’t need the attention,” she sighed.
“Look, I see where you are coming from and we’ve got it covered. Look, Brendan is going to be after his altars, and for anyone else on this island, that is their greatest fear. It will act as a much better deterrent than any wall I can hope to put up. Besides, I have a plan just in case I am wrong. There is a reason I was so specific on the location,” Richard said, waving his hand around the camp.
“I’ve got a little idea, and I will share it with you if you’ll have a drink,” Richard continued with a grin, holding out the bottle of rum he had been getting into. His grin was manic, pushing the bottle towards her chest. Madison pushed it back, glaring at him. “That’s enough to sober a man up,” he said, stepping back and stumbling a bit.