by Silas DeBoer
~
Ovidius gripped his shortsword in his teeth as he climbed up the anchor rope dripping saltwater under the moonslight of Elune and Unele. Satricola was a refitted Hulk Merchantman with two triangular sails, an enlarged stern, and a low deck with a bronze ram prow bolted to bow. The sound of pirate caterwauling nearly drove Ovidius to a maddening rage as he slowly and quietly hauled himself up the heavy rope. Sirius and Paulo waited in the water below to begin their own descent as Ovidius took the lead again.
Oh, poor old Man your Dog will die
And we say so, and we know so
Oh, poor old Man your Dog will die
Oh, poor old man.
We'll hoist him up to the main yardarm
We'll hoist him up to the main yardarm
Say, old Man your Dog will die
Say, old Man your Dog will die
We'll drop him down to the depths of the sea
We'll drop him down to the depths of the sea
We'll sing him down with a long, long roll
Where the demonfish'll savage his body
and the Morgannon reaps his soul.
Ovidius clung to the side of Satricola, careful to hold the heavy rope to the side as he peered into the small window of the captain's cabin in the stern. The sound of conversation floated upon the sea air despite the crew's singing and ale swigging on the deck.
"...but what of the Council's meddling? Already their fleet is savaging the western coast, with burned out hulls from the Glittering Isles to Stark's Point, it is only a matter of time before their campaign reaches these shores." It was a female's contralto voice, with an Ishtarian accent.
"Let them come Lady Ayastal, we can demonstrate our powers directly." This was a male voice, a deep bass.
"They are progressing to our timeline quite nicely." This was a different male voice, a scratchy tenor.
Ovidius glanced down to Sirius and Paolo climbing the anchor line, while two hundred yards away a squad of twelve legionnaires quietly rowed closer in a mat-black skiff. On the other side of the peninsula hid Dawnchaser, waiting for Paolo's squad to finish the sabotage mission before the early dawn. Captain Reynolds and Lieutenant Aurelius believed Satricola to be captained by Ancimas' close ally, the Scarlet Man.
Ovidius let go of the rope and closed his gauntlet into an open hand and half fist. Sirius and Paolo redoubled their climb after Ovidius took hold of the rope. The Scout's other taloned gauntlet gripped the side of Satricola. The voices inside never ceased their conversation, but the raucous chorus above decks lurched into a second round of Dead Dog.
"...power is nothing without focus, without direction." Again the female contralto.
"Our direction is assured, and laid out to your Mistress." The scratchy voiced male.
"Ah, but who is Ancimas' master?" The contralto. Ovidius also was curious at this turn of intelligence.
"One who plays the long game. A personage of wealth, power, fame, and acclaim, who also wishes anonymity in our venture." The scratchy voiced male.
Sirius sidled next to Ovidius with steel talons on the other side of the anchor line. Only Paolo remained.
The crew on the deck lit up with a new shanty.
Oh, a drop of the Council's blood wouldn't do us any harm,
A drop of the Council's blood wouldn't do us any harm,
A drop of the Council's blood wouldn't do us any harm,
and we'll all ro-o-oll the old chariot along,
and we'll all roll the old chariot along,
and we'll all ro-o-oll the old chariot along,
and we'll all hang on behind.
Well we'll be all right if the wind be in our sails,
Well we'll be all right if the wind be in our sails,
Well we'll be all right if the wind be in our sails,
and we'll all ro-o-oll the old chariot along,
and we'll all roll the old chariot along,
and we'll all ro-o-oll the old chariot along,
and we'll all hang on behind.
With Legion hand-sign, Ovidius caught up Paolo and Sirius on the situation. Eavesdrop, new intelligence, principals at hand.
Sirius hand-signed How Many?
Ovidius held up the last three fingers of his right paw, the steel talons of the gauntlet gleaming under Elune's pale white light as clouds hid Unele's violet face. Paolo nodded and all three Dog Soldiers clung to the side of Satricola like spiders, pressing their ears against the hull, trying to listen to the principals in the captain's quarters.
"... then we are agreed?" The deep bass male this time.
"Impress me." The contralto female voice again.
Paolo shrugged his shoulders at Ovidius.
A door opened from the cabin to the deck. The singing pirates gave one more chorus of A clink of gold won't do us any harm before they were cut off by a deep male voice.
"Up anchor boyos, we make sail before the dawn!"
Ovidius and Sirius silently looked to Paolo for orders.
Paolo motioned in hand-sign Move Silently, pointing to the stern and the balcony attached to the cabin. The principals could be taken quietly.
The deck of Satricola was a flurry of activity as the heavy anchor line started to rhythmically crank up a stride at a time. Sailors called out a new shanty to help the rhythm of the work.
When I was a little boy so my mother told me, to me
Way haul away, we'll haul away Joe
That if I did not fight for life, Men would slave me, to me
Way haul away, we'll haul away Joe
Now we fight our brothers from across the sea, to me
Way haul away, we'll haul away Joe
We bring death and destruction to the hated Empire, to me
Way haul away, we'll haul away Joe
So that we may free all who toil in slavery, to me
Way haul away, we'll haul away Joe
Ovidius, Sirius and Paolo climbed as spiders along the side of the Hulk, using their steel gauntlet talons for purchase and a strip of decorative molding that encircled the vessel served as a toehold. Ovidius worked quickly and carefully, trusting in the noise of the deck to mask their progress. The corner of the Hulk was nearly ninety degrees, and Ovidius peered around the edge to spy the stern's balcony. A Catiin female dressed in ivory colored silks with a golden belt ornamented in pearl and white opal grasped the balcony as she gazed across the water. She had several gold earrings ornamenting her triangular ears, with short white fur banded with black stripes and white whiskers. Ovidius was stunned, having never seen a Catiin in such noble regalia.
Sirius nudged Ovidius, who in turn shook his head slightly.
Ovidius watched as the female Catiin drummed gold painted claws against the balcony balustrade for a moment, before something caught her ear. Ovidius hid behind the edge and held his breath. He craned his own ear to determine what the Catiin was doing, but heard only the shanty above and the lap of the waves against the hull.
Thunk.
Sirius gasped and blood sprayed against the side of the hull as a spear tip blossomed through his armor's back plate. Ovidius watched helplessly as the spear point receded and Sirius fell away as a shaft of lantern light emerged from the hull. It was an impossible feat, but Ovidius knew that whoever had struck through the Hulk's hull possessed a giant's strength. Without a second thought, Ovidius clawed around the corner and leapt to the balcony in three strides. Inches from Paolo a spear tip exploded through the hull as the senior Dog Soldier climbed the corner.
Ovidius grasped the shortsword and peered inside, the female Catiin sat in a plush armchair while a dark garbed Man with crimson hair and eyes grasped a bloodied spear with a grim smile of satisfaction. "Paolo, Witch!"
Ovidius lunged at the Man, slashing the shortsword in a flurry of blows. Quick as lightning the scarlet eyed man parried with the haft of the spear. Ovidius quickly drew his poniard to keep as close to the Witch as possible, to press his advantage on close quarters fighting within the cabi
n. The rest of the room consisted of a drop down bed on the wall, a dining table surrounded by plush chairs and an eight foot ceiling.
"At the stern!" Called out Paolo behind Ovidius.
The Crimson Eyed Man laughed. "Away Cur!" Scarlet lightning erupted in a fountain from the Witch's left hand, blasting Ovidius full in the chest and driving him across the cabin. With a thump the lanky Scout hit the balustrade, dazed and smoking, his chest burning while residual electrical crackles arced from every buckle, stud and clasp.
Paolo charged the witch, throwing his poniard at the Crimson Eyed Man who ducked in time, but which threw the Man off balance. Paolo drove a knee into the Witch's midsection, driving the wind out, then followed up with a back handed gauntlet to the face. The Witch fell backwards against the rear wall at the same time a large Dogman loomed inside the cabin's doorway, an iron studded cudgel in his ham fisted paws.
The new combatant roared at Paolo and rushed. Ovidius tried to pull himself up the balustrade of the balcony, trying to get his balance, but his chest felt on fire and steam rose from the black mark in his boiled leather breastplate. The huge Dogman pirate swung wide, Paolo rolling to the side. The blow tore the small chandelier from the ceiling, crashing against the bulwark.
The huge Dogman roared and swung the cudgel in a roundhouse, but Paolo was just a step ahead of the foe. The Crimson Eyed Man wiped blood from his mouth, closed his eyes, and before Ovidius eyes the Man's split lip healed, the rising bruise receded and the Man bared bloodied teeth. On each side, Paolo held out against the two foes, his short sword a blur, until Ovidius finally rose to his feet. The lone regal clothed Catiin remained in her seat, watching the combat in front of her like an unconcerned queen.
Ovidius unsteadily leapt to Paolo's defense, shouting "Sigil Nine," the Imperial Code for back-to-back combat. The lanky Dog Soldier shouldered the huge Dogman to the side, the imperial short sword a blur; the two were of the same height, but the pirate easily had three or four more stone to his build.
Paolo continued to parry and counterattack the Crimson Eyed Man's spear attacks, who used the weapon more as a quarterstaff than a reach weapon. In the doorway, a group of pirates loomed, watching the terse melee. Suddenly from outside came a cry of alarm, "Imperial Dogs at larboard!"
Ovidius and Paolo held their ground for a moment, then Paolo barked out "Sigil Twelve!"
Ovidius hesitated, keeping his back to Paolo. The lanky Dog Soldier caught the Dogman's cudgel in his talons, wrenching it from the mongrel.
"I said Sigil Twelve Scout, move it!"
With a backhand to the brute's slobbery jowls, Ovidius followed up with a quick knee to the gut, then finished with an elbow to the foe's face. The huge Dogman staggered backward. This was Ovidius' chance; he broke for the balcony, took a deep breath and leapt into a dive to the seawater below.
The cries of combat were muffled in the cold darkness of the sea, and with powerful strokes Ovidius swam underwater under a hail of crossbow bolts and sling stones. He dove deeper, easily five paces below the surface, always swimming towards shore. An instant later the water around Ovidius glared like the sun as some giant's fiery hand hurled the Scout against the seafloor. Ovidius had only one thought before darkness claimed him, Where are you Paolo?