by Riker Kane
Their physiques were long and slim, defined and muscular like the soldiers they probably were. Clayton had so many questions but their demeanor was enough to make sure he kept his mouth shut. He’d pull his weapon out and fight only when he had no other option.
They eventually came upon a set of ornate, golden double doors. A pair of guards just as composed as the rest of his escort stood before him.
“Hmm…” Clayton narrowed his eyes, examining the carvings on the doors. He quickly realized they matched the markings on the entrance to the cavern and near the pool of water, though they weren’t any more intelligible.
The doors were pushed open and the long hallway led into a room as big as the great hall back in Nalore. The biggest difference was this was shaped more like a dome. A clear bubble surrounded by water made it even easier to see all of the sea life swimming around them. He looked up toward the ceiling. If they actually were in the sea, they weren’t deep enough that the sunlight could not reach these depths.
“Keep moving!” Another poke pushed Clayton forward toward the end of the room. A long, red carpet led up a few small steps to a throne. The throne itself was more luxurious than anything he’d ever seen at this point, carved into the shape of coral out of some kind of precious metal, gold he assumed as everything else was.
More interesting than that was who sat upon it. A woman with the same pale blue skin as the others. But instead of armor, she wore an elegant golden gown. The sleek outfit was tight against her body, showing off the curves of her breasts and hips. On her head, midnight blue locks were put up over her head, held up by an ornate crown covered in colorful jewels.
She pursed her dark blue lips as Clayton and Kailani approached, holding her head high so her neck looked long.
Next to her was another guard. A woman with long, flowing blue hair cascading down her back. She wore the same brass, scaled armor as the others, her physique fit and athletic just the same. But in one hand, she planted against the ground a three-pronged trident. On her head, a small tiara indicated she wasn’t just any citizen.
“Stop! Stand still!”
Clayton followed the orders. He didn’t mind having so many questions because he knew he’d get his answers, though the woman on the throne in front of him didn’t appear to be very friendly.
“You stand before Izumi,” the woman next to the one on the throne announced. Her voice was stern but still feminine. She spoke with enough authority that silenced the dome-shaped hall. “Queen of Azure. Ruler in the Great Sea.”
“Queen Izumi.” Clayton nodded. “Did you say Azure? Is that where we are?”
“You are in Azure,” Izumi replied with the voice of a parent about to scold a child. “Do not pretend to feign ignorance about your presence.”
“Trust me. I’m not feigning anything. I have no clue where the hell I am. Are we really underwater or is that just a projection outside? Because if it is, man it looks pretty damn realistic.”
Izumi raised an eyebrow at the woman next to her before turning back to Clayton. “Who are you?”
“I’m Clayton Brooks. This here is my friend Kailani.”
“Hey.” Kailani gave a half-smirk as she waved.
“I’m from the island where Nalore is. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it—”
“I have heard of Nalore,” Izumi interrupted him. “You are a long way off. Either you have traveled a great distance or you continue to try and deceive me.”
“Uh, if I might say something.” Kailani put her hand up to get everybody’s attention. “BB here is a great fighter. A real stand-up guy, too. But look at him. He’s not exactly the type to try and pull one over on you.”
“Thanks.” Clayton wasn’t sure whether or not Kailani was complimenting him.
Izumi leaned back in her seat, still looking down at Clayton like she didn’t know what to think. “What were you doing at the entrance to Azure?”
“The entrance to Azure?” Clayton said. “I didn’t know what that place was. I just thought it was another cavern. I was… exploring. The markings on the entrance are foreign to me.”
“You killed a sea spider. It is there to detract invaders.”
“I’d say a giant scaly spider is a good defense for scaring people away… But I didn’t know what it was there for in the first place.”
“Then you are not one of the pirates?”
“Pirates?” Clayton sighed to keep his composure. “I’ve told you nothing but the truth so far. I’m from Nalore. I’m a Ferrum, brought from the other world to do battle with the—”
“Maledict.”
Clayton didn’t hold back his surprise, his eyes widening when she finished his sentence. “You’ve heard of it?”
“I know of the Maledict. A blight isolated to the island where Nalore rests. The evil comes from another world only to be vanquished by Ironblood.”
“Yes…” Clayton nodded, still in slight disbelief she knew what he was talking about. “I am Ironblood. At least, that’s what they tell me. This sword—”
He pulled the Zeal Blade out and the guards surrounding him immediately pointed their javelins at him. Izumi raised a hand and they lowered their weapons.
“This sword is Zeal. It’s what I used to defeat the Maledict.”
“Interesting… The Maledict are a great evil. Perhaps not so much if they could be defeated by a broken sword.”
“Well, it’s not always broken. I kinda had a run-in with a crab…”
Izumi sighed softly through her nose, looking Clayton up and down. “I believe you are a Ferrum. But I have no reason to believe you’re not an invader.”
“I’m an explorer. I only want to see what’s out there beyond Nalore, to see what’s in Xeylon. I’m looking for my friends. Maybe you’ve seen them. Jalise… She’s a sweet woman. Long, blond hair… Nice body. Rena’s an elf… A paladin. Bit of an attitude problem—”
“We have had no outside visitors.”
“Right… Thought maybe one of ‘em could’ve ended up here.”
Izumi stood up from her throne. Her feet were bare yet she still looked taller than most women Clayton knew. She put her hands behind her back as she looked down from the platform where her throne sat.
“If you want me to believe you truly mean no harm to me or the citizens of Azure, you must prove it.”
“And how would I do that?”
“There are pirates in the water. They have a vessel capable of traveling beneath the sea. They are poaching the wildlife you see around you, disrupting the balance. We have reason to believe they are also looking to come to attack Azure.”
“Sounds like some bad guys, all right…”
“We have located their vessel. I want you to board their vessel and deal with them.”
“You want me to kill them?”
“Kill them. Or bring them back here for trial where they will be executed. Prove to me you are not with the pirates.”
“And if I don’t?”
“You can die.”
“Oh… That’s not much of a choice…”
Izumi turned to the woman next to her. “Mirella. Take them to a blacksmith and see they are fitted with more appropriate attire. Do not return until the pirates have been dealt with.”
“A blacksmith, huh?” Clayton said. “Maybe he can help me out with my sword…”
~ ~ ~
Clayton and Kailani were led by the woman named Mirella. As he always did, Clayton admired the shape of her figure as she walked. Even with how stiff her posture was, her movement was hypnotic.
“You know, I don’t think it’s such a good idea to be pushing buttons so far under the sea like this,” Kailani said. “Maybe you should stop staring. At least until we get back on dry land. Izumi did say she’d kill us.”
“Fine, fine.”
Mirella led them through a passageway made up of the same walls that allowed them to see the sea life outside. They eventually came upon a room that wasn’t much different from the forges
Clayton had seen before. A blacksmith hammered a piece of metal on an anvil, the steam rising up to the ceiling that was made of steel instead of the glass surrounding them.
The blacksmith looked up at his visitors, not caring Kailani and Clayton were different from him.
“Omar,” Mirella said. “Queen Izumi has ordered an assault on the pirate vessel. These outsiders will assist in the attack. I need them outfitted.”
Omar the blacksmith leaned back and examined Clayton. He was noticeably bigger than the others from Azure, his skin a bit darker shade of blue. He rubbed his chin and shook his head.
“Their physiology is different,” he said. “The armor I have would be loose and fall off or too tight to squeeze into. I would have to smith something new.”
“There is no time to wait for new armor.” Mirella sighed softly through her nose as she looked at Clayton. “What you have will do—”
“Hold on a second.” Clayton put his hand up to stop her from walking away. “Maybe you can help me with this at least.” He pulled out the two pieces of the Zeal Blade.
Omar took the sword in both hands and shrugged. “It should take a few minutes.”
The three watched as Omar placed the edge that broke off from the Zeal Blade into his kiln. As he waited for the blacksmith to finish, Clayton took a better look at Mirella.
She stood calmly, no emotion on her face as she stared at the blacksmith. Her skin was delicate, youthful and unblemished. He guessed she was around his age, though she could’ve been older from how composed she was. His eyes shifted down her face, over her neck and toward her chest. The armor she wore was tight against her body, squeezing her breasts and accentuating them.
“BB…” Kailani grumbled through her teeth. “You’re gonna get stabbed…”
“Why? You jealous?”
“I wasn’t talking about me…”
His eyes shifted to the trident she held next to her head. The brass blades were polished to a razor’s edge with points fine enough to pierce thick armor.
“On second thought…” Clayton turned back to the blacksmith.
Omar pulled Zeal from his kiln and began hammering away at it. He took a few swings before stopping. “Hmm…” Another few swings resulted in confusion. “What kinda metal is this?”
Clayton shrugged. “What’s the problem?”
“I’ve heated this up to the maximum temperature. It won’t bend. It won’t take any kind of shape. I… I can’t put this sword back together.”
“Great. A crab splits it in half but nobody can fix it…”
“Don’t worry, BB.” Kailani patted him on the shoulder. “I still believe in you.”
“Come,” Mirella said. “There is no more time to waste. The pirate vessel awaits.”
Chapter 18
“There are scoundrels and cutthroats who sail these seas. They follow ancient maps in search of buried treasure. They hunt the whales and sell just a portion of their carcasses at ports, leaving the rest of their bodies to rot in the water. They attack civilian ships to murder and rob innocents. The Great Sea is large. The perfect place for a pirate to get lost in, undetected.”
“You wouldn’t think they’d risk it with a giant kraken out there,” Clayton said.
“The kraken protects these seas from greater threats. It keeps order but it cannot police every vessel. Azure protects its part of the sea.”
Mirella spoke with a military-like conviction, which was surprising to Clayton, since she didn’t look so intimidating. The armor she donned was formidable and the weapon she wielded was lethal but the woman herself would have looked much less threatening if she were in simpler clothes.
“These pirates don’t sound like your usual run-of-the-mill thugs,” Clayton said.
“The intelligence we’ve gathered indicates these men are far more dangerous. They hunt and pillage just as other pirates but we’ve learned they have intentions of invading Azure directly.”
“Why would they wanna do that?”
“Azure possesses much those on land would consider quite valuable. Gems and jewels. Gold and other metals. Even our art would catch an exorbitant price simply because it is from Azure. You must understand, very few from the land visit Azure.”
“Considering you’ve got a giant sea spider blocking the way, I don’t blame them…”
“Azure is a peaceful city. We must not let that peace be disrupted. Those seeking Azure are not scholars looking to learn of a new city. Our doors would be open to them if they were. Now… Prepare yourself. We near the surface where their vessel is waiting.”
The transport vessel was only large enough for four people. Mirella sat quietly in her seat with the pilot right next to her. Kailani pinned her face against the glass of her window.
“This is neat,” she said.
“Like a tiny submarine,” Clayton replied. “Azure’s got some pretty cool technology. I wonder what the rest of the city is like…”
“Once we get through this, we should walk around. I mean, if Queen Izumi lets us.”
“Hopefully this’ll be enough to gain her trust.”
Kailani continued to amuse herself with the sights just outside her window as their vessel ascended through the water. It was only a short time later when the pilot breached the surface.
“We exit here,” Mirella said. “We will swim the rest of the way.”
The exit opened up on top and Mirella climbed up the ladder to leave. Clayton followed after, taking a look under the skirt of her armor only to find even more armor blocking the view of what he wanted to see.
“So much for focusing…” Kailani sighed.
“I’m focused. I’m focused.” Clayton climbed out and splashed into the water right next to Mirella.
“Do you see it?” Mirella pointed at the ship in the distance. Sure enough, it looked just like the pirate ship Clayton imagined in his head. About the size of a football field, it sat ominously in the water. “Its sails are down. Their men are in the sea. This is our opportunity to seize the vessel and disable it from doing any further damage. Make sure to stay beneath the water for as long as you can to avoid detection.”
Mirella swam forward without hesitation.
“Growing up on an island, I’ve learned how to hold my breath for a long time,” Kailani said. “Hope you can keep up.” She dunked her head in the water and followed after Mirella.
“Perfect… The only person who can’t breathe underwater…” He gasped a deep breath then plunged down. The water was clear enough he could see the two women swimming in front of him. It was a sight he would’ve appreciated more if he didn’t have to keep coming up for air.
The closer he got, the more Clayton realized just how massive the ship was. The hull was lined with solid steel. A large battering ram at the front of the ship made it more threatening.
Mirella popped out of the water when they got to the back of the ship. “We will enter through the rear. We must avoid detection until we can disable it.” She moved to the side of the ship and dug her weapon into it. Her muscles flexed as she pierced the metal. She strained hard but eventually the metal gave.
“Here… Use this to climb.” She stuck her trident into the side and stepped upon it. Then she reached up and grabbed through a small crevice. Kailani followed after then Clayton next. They climbed through the hole and tumbled into a small, dark room.
“Where are we?” Clayton ignited his sword to light the path and looked around. Hundreds of barrels lined the walls. “What is this? Oil?”
Kailani moved to one of the barrels and held her finger to it before tasting it.
“Kailani—” Clayton started before she put her hands up.
“It’s all right.” She smacked her lips and smiled. “It tastes like liquor.”
“A room this big just for alcohol. Maybe these guys really are scumbags…”
“This vessel uses unique technology to detect what’s deep in the sea,” Mirella said. “Deep enough to discover where Azure
itself is. But even if they are unable to find my city, they’ll still be able to locate the sea life. We must deactivate this ship and deal with the invaders or they will continue to disrupt the natural order of the sea.”
“There must be some engine room or control room somewhere.”
“We will stay undetected for as long as we can. Confrontation is inevitable. Are you ready—”
Before Mirella could finish, the door to the storage room opened. Clayton quickly extinguished his sword. They all ducked down beneath the barrels as someone lumbered in.
“Keep your pants on, arse! I’m getting another barrel right now!”
Clayton thought about popping up and finishing the guy before he could expect it. But a wide-eyed stare from Kailani convinced him otherwise.
They stayed as quiet as possible, listening to the sound of the man lug a barrel of alcohol out of the room until the door was closed.
“I think the coast is clear,” Clayton said.
“Remember,” Mirella said. “We must get to the control room.”
Mirella led the way as she headed for the exit. The door opened slowly.
The lower decks of the ship were as unpleasant as they could be. The smell of dank, musty wood filled the air. Pools of water collected on the ground. The dim lights hanging from the candles on the walls were enough to show off the bite marks from the rodents undoubtedly present.
“Great,” Kailani whispered. “How the hell are we gonna find the control room on a ship this big?”
“Looks like we’ll just have to search every room.” Clayton wasn’t excited about facing however many men were on this ship but he was ready.
The trio sneaked down the hallway. In the distance, the growing sound of drunken chatter and laughter could be heard. They reached the end of the hall. The door open, Clayton peeked inside and saw a group of men gathered around a table. They looked just as drunk as they sounded. Their clothes were disheveled and dirty. It was hard to tell if the stench came from the ship or their lack of hygiene. Likely both. They yelled over a game of cards, spilling their beer all over the table and floor.
Clayton held his index finger to his lips and sneaked by the door. Mirella and Kailani followed through the exit of the hall.