Nadia ran straight for her axe. She managed to get to it without incident and immediately pulled it from the dead man's skull in which it had lodged itself. She came up, swinging with both short sword and axe, cleaving and slashing at anyone wearing the dark grey armor of Adathir's faithful. Her axe bit, her sword sliced and she left a swathe of bodies without heads, arms, and various other pieces.
Rykar's azure blade flashed in the sun as he swung it, taking much the same approach as Kaidia, slashing in great arcs, cutting soldiers in twain more often than not. The long haired man had a bit of a crazed look to him as he not only cut Adathir's soldiers down, but beat more than one senseless with the pommel of his sword or his free fist.
Eris, being without armor, stuck to the fringes of the heavy combat. She only defended and struck down those that came at her, instead of wading into the thick of the fray. Fortunately, most of Adathir's soldiers were too concerned with the other four combatants to pay much attention to her. She only cut down three soldiers, each with a simple dodge and strike to a weak point in the armor they wore. Being half elven gave her a bit of a speed and grace advantage over the heavily armored soldiers.
After a few minutes of furious combat, Adathir's troops lay dead and dying, except one. That particular soldier was in Kai's grip, the poor bastard. Kaidia was standing at the edge of the level on which the Drunken Dwarf was built. She was holding the soldier aloft, armor and all, by the throat, the fingers of her left hand gripping tightly.
"Know this. Before this altercation, I might have been persuaded to leave some of your ilk alive. But after this little stunt, I will wipe every trace of Adathir from the face of this world. From your temple to the Temple of the Gods in Sarkos. It will be as if Adathir and his following never existed," the clearly angered Kaidia stated in no uncertain terms.
"No, Dragon God. Lord Adathir is the Lord of the Last Days. He will wipe you and all of the pathetic creatures who do not worship him from the face of Valen," the man managed to choke out before his words stoked Kaidia's ire and caused her to grip all the tighter. Kai snapped her sword to the side, the blood flicking off. She then sheathed the blade and brought her right hand up to the man's torso, resting it just under his ribcage. A blast of pure, searing magical energy erupted from her hand and at the same moment, she let go of the man's throat. The bolt of energy sent the man sailing up into the sky. A few moments later, he crashed down through the deck of a ship in the docks far below and away. Kaidia kept staring out at the ship, mind racing, her blood thundering in her ears. She tried to calm herself, the over-the-top death of that poor soldier had been a good start.
"I hope that wasn't your ship," Rykar whispered to Eris.
"Thankfully, it was not," the half elf replied.
"Ah, good," the lord said.
"What was that all about?" Eris asked, looking to Rykar.
"We had a run in with some of Adathir's faithful at the temple in Sarkos. Their leader, this Champion of Adathir, challenged Kaidia to a battle. Kaidia won outright and gave the Champion an honorable death. Apparently, Adathir's cult has taken exception to this, claimed it was murder, and just tried to arrest Kaidia, as well as Nadia and myself, since we fought off some of the Champion's soldiers in the aftermath," Rykar explained.
"Can you arrest a god?" the mariner questioned. Rykar looked around at the dead soldiers lying on the flagstones and then turned his eyes back to Eris.
"I would say not," he answered with a smirk.
The companions went about cleaning off their blades and putting them away. After she calmed down, Kai, along with Thorgrimm, Rykar, and Nadia, headed back into the inn. The two mages were still playing their card game as if nothing had happened. Eris remained outside, plucking up the dead soldiers' coin purses. Extra coin was never a bad thing and it wasn't like the soldiers were going to need it anymore. Soon after, the city guard had busied itself by carting away the bodies after stripping them of armor and weapons, which they could use or sell.
In the inn, Kai set her saddle bags and those of her sister and Rykar up on the bar.
"Could you toss these in the safe for us? We won't need them from here to Niercess," the mercenary requested.
"Sure thing, Kaidia. I'll lock them up in back," Thorgrimm said with a firm nod.
"Thanks. We'll be back to get them," Kaidia replied.
"You had better be," the dwarf replied in a serious tone.
With that, Kaidia, Nadia, and Rykar shouldered their packs, bid Thorgrimm a fond farewell, and headed out to find Eris waiting on them.
"Ready for your ride across the waters?" the half elf asked with a smile.
"As ready as we can be," Kaidia replied.
"Good, follow me," Eris replied and headed off, leading the way down to the docks.
* * *
Before the group could get all the way to the docks, Kaidia felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. Being the warrior she was, she whipped about, dagger in hand, eyes sharp and focused. The woman who had done the tapping jumped back, eyes wide. She was a woman of maybe thirty years and looked well enough off with long, light brown hair that was tied back into a ponytail and a nice, if plain, dress that fell to her knees. She wore pants underneath which could be seen below the hem of the dress along with a pair of plain boots.
"You are as quick on your feet as they say," the woman commented, her voice trembling slightly. Kaidia eyed the woman for a long moment before speaking.
"I have to be. What can I do for you?" Kai asked, slowly sliding the dagger back under a plate of her armor. Nadia took note of the idea for future implementation.
"Well, I watch over several children for their parents while their parents are working during the day... and I was wondering if the children could meet you. They've been begging me since this morning. Apparently word travels fast when a god is in town," the woman requested, smiling warmly as she gestured to a group of roughly fifteen children standing behind her. Kaidia glanced past the woman, to the children, then to her companions.
"It comes with the territory. You're an icon now. Make nice." Eris said with a nudge. Kaidia arched a brow, but turned back to the woman with a smile.
"Sure. I have a few minutes," she answered.
"Wonderful," the woman said and stepped out of the way. The kids practically swarmed Kaidia, as well as Nadia who was standing beside her sister.
The children were understandably excited and clamoring to be near the god that happened to visit their city. Kai held up her hands, wordlessly calling for quiet. The children, amazingly, fell silent. The god held her hand out above their heads, palm up, and a sphere of fire burst into life, resting on her fingertips. There was a general murmur of wonderment before Kaidia threw the ball of fire skyward. It quickly became a little dot in the sky. Kai waited for several moments, and then clenched her fist. The fireball exploded in a massive display of flames that shifted color and swirled in and out of themselves long after a normal flame would've died out. The children cheered and clapped.
"I was under the impression that she didn't like kids," Eris commented to Rykar, the two of them standing away from the group of children.
"She doesn't," the man replied.
"Ah. She's just being nice?" the half elf inquired.
"She isn't a monster, is all," Rykar answered.
"Not until you piss her off, anyway," Eris chuckled.
"Indeed," Rykar smirked.
"It is a bit scary how fast she can switch her moods though," the captain muttered.
"I agree. But as long as you stay on her good side, you don't have much to worry about," Rykar replied.
"True enough," Eris agreed.
Kaidia was still putting on a show, launching several fireballs into the sky, making multi-colored flames dance across the sky. After a grand finale of fire and rainbows, with the help of some of Nadia's ice crystals, Kaidia crouched down among the children and held both hands out, palms up. She blew on her palms and hard candies appeared in her hands. The kids crowded ar
ound to pluck up the treats. Once each kid had one, Kaidia stood and waved.
"I have to go, children. Behave!" the warrior said and then turned and headed towards the docks to a chorus of farewell wishes.
"Aw, you old softy, you," Nadia teased, elbowing her sister playfully.
"Shut up, brat," Kaidia retorted, hiding a smile of her own.
As the companions arrived at the docks, they all heard someone shouting and cursing quite loudly. After a bit more walking, with the cursing growing ever louder, they spotted a man standing on one of the wooden piers extending out from the main walkway. These piers divided the docks up into separate spaces for each ship. The man was apparently the captain of the ship he was standing next to, since he was watching the men on the ship scramble aboard it, trying to repair something. The sea breeze carried his voice to the group.
"Gods be damned! Bodies fallin' outta tha fuckin' sky! Smashin' mah ship! Fix the damn hole! Chuck the body to the sea! Now, before I string the lot of ya up by yer toes!" the older man was shouting.
Kaidia bit her tongue and kept walking, as did Nadia and Eris. Rykar nearly fell off the walkway and into the water because he was once more overtaken by a fit of uncontainable laughter. Eris had to grab the man's arm and jerk him away before the captain of the damaged ship could figure out who was laughing. After a couple of minutes, the lord managed to quiet himself. As they walked, Nadia peered down to the water beside the walkway, lapping at the black sand that disappeared into the depths. It was truly a strange sight to behold.
After a few more minutes, the group, now a quartet, arrived at the dock holding the Blade Maiden. The ship was large, but not the largest currently present at the Black Sand docks. The ship was splendid and a strange hybrid of human and elven design, much like its captain. They had to climb some stairs, and then stroll out onto a fairly long pier to get to the gangplank. Once on board the ship, the crew assembled at Eris' call.
"This is my crew and my first mate," the captain announced, gesturing to a crew made up mostly of humans. There was an orc present as well. They all seemed to be clad in cheap tunics and breeches. No sense in wearing dressy clothing while working on a ship. At the mention of her first mate, Eris rested her hand on the shoulder of a female kyrian with bright blonde hair and startlingly blue eyes. Her ears and tail matched her hair color and she was dressed in slightly nicer leather pants and a snug, sleeveless brown tunic.
"How the hell did you get a kyrian on a ship?" Rykar asked.
"She is one of those strange kyrians that likes water," Eris replied.
"Interesting," Kaidia muttered.
The cat girl was eyeing Kaidia, Nadia, and Rykar with some distrust. Eris reached up and scratched behind the woman's ear, immediately eliciting a loud purr.
"You don't have to worry, Ro-Noga. They're cat people," the captain assured. Ro-Noga nodded, and then reluctantly pulled away from Eris' hand to attend to her duties. The rest of the crew broke up and went about their business.
"Who is that?" Kai asked, pointing toward the bow of the ship where an older man with a long beard and long hair, both silver in color, was busy with some strange equipment, the origin of which, Kaidia couldn't remember.
"That's Bazeema. He's an experimental weapons specialist, I suppose," Eris answered.
"I see," Kai responded.
"Mhm. Now, Kai, Rykar, you know where the guest cabins are, you've been on this ship before. One of you can show Nadia. Kai, you are welcome in my quarters, of course," Eris said, giving Kaidia a wink.
"In that case, I will drop my things off in your quarters in a little bit," Kai replied, smirking.
"Wonderful," Eris responded before walking off to take care of preparations to set sail. Kaidia turned to Rykar and Nadia, both of whom were giving her a dirty look.
"What? Her bed is comfortable," Kai answered the accusing stares with a shrug and headed off toward the bow, her sister and friend following. As they walked past Bazeema and his table, all three of them looked to see that the man was mixing various liquids and powdered components. They just kept walking, leaving the man to his work. They paused at the very tip of the bow, staring out over the water.
"Hey Kai," Rykar said.
"Yeah?" Kaidia asked.
"You saw what he was mixing."
"Yep."
"So you're just going to let him...?"
"Yep."
"You know that's going to..."
"Yep."
Nadia was looking between Kai and Rykar, confused. She had no idea what the hell they were talking about. She didn't have to wait long to find out though. A thunderous boom resounded from behind them, followed by a surprised shout and a splash. Nadia whipped around in alarm. Kaidia and Rykar didn't flinch; the only part of them that moved was their hair, drifting in the whoosh of air the explosion behind them had caused.
"You're a cruel one, Kaidia Valengaard."
"Sometimes the best way to learn is the hard way."
Shouts rang out behind them as the crew threw a rope overboard and hauled the soaked, spluttering man onto the deck. Nadia just shook her head and sighed.
"Show me where the cabins are so I can drop my stuff off," she requested.
"Sure. This way," Rykar said, walking back the way they'd come, gesturing for Nadia to follow. Kai, meanwhile, made her way to Eris' quarters to drop her pack.
* * *
The sun was high in the sky as the Blade Maiden sailed out into open waters. Kaidia and Nadia were standing at the railing on the starboard side of the ship.
"See? Black sand for miles," Kaidia gestured at the beach, which was pitch black as far as they could see.
"That's amazing and unsettling all at once," Nadia breathed, taken in by the sight of black sand meeting deep blue water.
After a few minutes of watching the beach and the water, with the city of Black Sand growing ever smaller behind them, Nadia glanced around to make sure she and Kai were alone. Rykar was on the other side of the ship, smiling charmingly at Ro-Noga, telling her some tale. The kyrian looked like she knew Rykar's game, but she also appeared to be enjoying it as well. Nadia looked back to her sister.
"What is the plan from here?" she asked.
"When we get to Niercess, we'll attack in the early evening," Kai replied.
"Can just the three of us or four of us if Eris comes along, defeat a temple full of clerics, mages, and soldiers?"
"We can. They will be the least of our worries, I'm sure. There's a reason they've hounded us and coaxed us, especially myself, into chasing them all this way."
"So it's a trap."
"It is."
"Why risk it?"
"Because they'll keep attacking us until I spring the trap. If they can't bait me directly, they'll go after you, or Rykar, or mother and father, or Sae-Mirra, or Thorgrimm. I can't let that happen. Also, I have an issue with false gods and their promises of utopia. Especially when it is a utopia for their followers only."
"But you're a god."
"No, I'm not. There is no such thing. I'm just a person like anyone else. I just happen to have exceptional abilities. That's all. Being called a god is just like being called a king or a general. It's a title, nothing more."
"At least you won't be offering false hope and promising lies to the masses."
"Never. I'm not evil."
"Why not let someone else take care of this cult? Surely the King would listen to you and send troops."
"He probably would. But this is personal. They've attacked me. They've attacked my family and friends in the process. I will be the one to wipe them out. End of story."
"If you say so, sister."
"I do."
The sisters fell silent and simply watched the world slip by as the ship sailed out into Merchant's Gulf, bound for the city of Niercess, and the home of Adathir's temple.
Chapter Five: Battle of Niercess
Niercess was on a flat expanse of land and the city spread from the edge of the water. There was no rh
yme or reason to the layout of the city. It had just grown haphazardly over the years, being added on to as various services and dwellings were needed. Inns, taverns, blacksmith shops, homes, general stores, and more could all be found next to one another in the oddest arrangements. The markets were near the docks and the docks were right on the gulf.
It was the docks that Kaidia, Rykar, and Nadia were looking upon as the ship approached them. They were utterly empty and a bit eerie, especially given the leaden sky above them that kept the sun's light from dazzling them all with its full brilliance. The water was a cold, dark grey instead of shimmering blue like it had been the day before. The trio was fully armed and armored. They'd gone through tentative plans of attack the night before. It had been made abundantly clear to Nadia and Rykar that Kaidia was intent on completely razing everything that had to do with Adathir to the ground - the people faithful to Adathir, the temple, and anything else. She wanted it all gone. They had attacked her one too many times and she was fed up with it all.
As the ship settled into the dock, the crew went about securing the mooring lines as Kaidia, Rykar, and Nadia disembarked. Eris followed them off. There was a lone man watching over the docks from a small building that could barely be called a shed. Upon seeing the warriors and captain stepping off the ship, he walked out to meet them. He was a younger man with his blonde hair tied back, and brown eyes looking over the group.
"Captain Eris Cain... new bodyguards?" the young man asked.
"No. Nobles with business in the city," Eris replied.
"They do not look like any nobles I have seen," the man replied skeptically.
"Not all nobles are fat slobs," Eris retorted with an icy tone.
"That may be, but regardless, no one is allowed in the city. I'm sorry they traveled all this way for nothing," the blonde man said with an air of authority that he didn't truly possess. It irked Kaidia.
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