by Hans Bezdek
"I do," admitted Zane. "I suppose I like to think of life as a happy opportunity."
"And death?"
"Another opportunity," guessed Zane.
"Or it just might be the complete darkness of nonbeing."
"I... I..." stuttered the other man, getting to his feet. His cheeks bulged and he ran for the back. "I'm gonna be sick!"
"Some people can't handle these kinds of talks," said the elf, shaking his head in disappointment after the man.
"Or that number of beers," said Zane. Not knowing if or when the other man was going to return, the paladin figured now was the best time to speak more privately with the elf. "I've been looking for a Perkins Huss. Is that you?"
"Nera's followers are being sent to convert me now?" chuckled Perkins. "I guess I should be flattered."
"No, I'm not here to convert you. Well, unless you want-"
"I don't."
"Fair enough," said Zane, pulling out his purple scroll. He laid it down in front of Perkins, who stared at it without moving. "Um, I was sent by King Valdrick. I think it's easiest if you read through that."
"King Valdrick, eh?" said Perkins, unrolling the scroll and scanning through it.
"Yes," nodded Zane. "My name is Zane Ersten, and the two of us are being sent to-"
"Unleash Aodh?!" gasped Perkins, his eye practically jumping out of his head as he stared at the scroll.
"Um, would you mind keeping that down?" asked Zane, glancing back at the orc bartender. She didn't appear to be paying them any attention, but he didn't want to risk it. "It's supposed to be a secret."
"I assume this will be to destroy the Epworth Empire," muttered Perkins to himself. "But what happens when he's done there? Surely he'll come here..."
Zane chuckled and shook his head.
"Why's that funny?" asked Perkins, narrowing his eye at the paladin.
"Gods can't cross water," said Zane matter-of-factly. "Everyone knows that."
"Huh. Are you sure about that?" asked Perkins, not sounding convinced.
"Absolutely," lied Zane.
Perkins thought about it for a moment then shrugged. "Doesn't bother me any. When do we leave?"
"Right now, if you can."
"Aw, but I was just getting through to Stewart, you know," said Perkins, glancing to the back. The man still hadn't returned. The elf tapped the table as he thought. "Hmm, he might be a bit."
"You can always finish when we get back," offered Zane.
Perkins laughed at that and got to his feet. "When we get back, good one. Alright, let's get out of here and find us a boat."
Zane got up to follow him, unsure of what the elf found so funny. He had a feeling Perkins was going to be a strange traveling companion.
CHAPTER NINE
Farr had seen the ancient stone walls that marked the border between the Epworth Empire and the Lund a handful of times before. The wall had been built a distant time in the past, when the Empire was still trying to take over the entire continent. Legend had it that the wall was imbued with some kind of ancient magic that kept the people and creatures of the Lund out, but Farr wasn't so sure. He had a good aptitude for sensing magic and felt nothing coming from the walls. Granted, he rarely tried to feel for ancient magic.
Unfortunately, he certainly felt the dark aura pouring out from over the top of the walls. The Lund was filled with wild magic, which had kept the ancient kings and armies from conquering the land. Magic or not, the wall appeared to keep the Lund out, while several forts were built every thirty or so miles away from one another to quickly spring to a defense, should the need arise.
Fort Pel was one of these, and the place looked worse for wear. What was once probably an intimidating set of structures, looming high over the Lund with its tall towers and exuding the full strength of the Epworth Empire in its thick walls, was now crumbling. There was a gaping hole where a fifth tower should have been, and Farr could see black burn marks on parts of the fort that faced the Lund. Dozens of guards stared out at the Lund of the walls flanking fort, each with bows and arrows in their hands.
"This looks a lot worse than I expected it to," said Yri, sounding concerned as they approached Fort Pel.
Khuwa nodded. "They have seen battle, and recently. It looks like they are expecting another one at any moment."
"You think we will be lucky enough to witness the Lundori in action?!" gasped Grex.
"I'm not sure lucky is the right word," muttered Farr. He knew the chances were high that they'd come across some of the Lundori on their way to Death's Eye, but he assumed it would be once they were closer to their destination. He figured Fort Pel would be a sign of safety for them and was disheartened to see that wasn't the case.
Of course, he certainly didn't want his team knowing his concern. He cleared his throat and put on a confident smile. "I'm sure this is all standard protocol for them. Their job is to keep the Lundori where they belong, so it only makes sense they look prepared. I'm sure all of this damage is from an earlier fight. It could have happened centuries ago, for all we know."
"That's true," said Yri, relaxing slightly.
"I don't know..." said Khuwa, sounding much less convinced.
"Even if they are fighting with the Lundori, that's a good thing," said Farr, trying to think up something on the spot. "It will mean there's less that we have to fight through the deeper into the Lund we get."
"Makes sense to me," nodded Cupcake, floating over to land on Khuwa's shoulder. "That could work in our favor."
"Perhaps," yielded the orc.
The Delinquents passed into the fort, catching the eyes of those they passed by. The families of the guards had formed a tight-knit community among themselves over the generations, and the visitors caught most of them by surprise. Farr asked for directions to the leadership of the town and was cautiously pointed to a tower in the middle of the complex.
Entering the tower, they were immediately approached by several guards. Farr had a feeling they had been watching them from one of the windows above.
"Outsiders," said an elven guard suspiciously. "We don't get many of you coming through. What is the meaning of your visit?"
"We're part of The Delinquents," explained Farr, pulling out Commander Indures' paperwork. "Our guild has sent us into the Lund for a specific task. This should explain what you need to know."
The elven guard scanned the paper while the other guards watched them. When he had finished, he nodded but held onto it. "This does seem to be in order, but we must take you to Major Esper first."
"Why can't you just let us through?" asked Yri, a mixture of anger and confusion in her voice. They rarely needed to talk to someone's superiors when simply passing through. "We're clearly not Lundori."
"Major Esper can explain," said the elf, turning and walking away before any further questions could be asked.
The others exchanged confused looks.
"I guess we're supposed to follow him," shrugged Farr, doing so.
They followed the guards up several floors, carefully watching their step as they went. Many of the stairs were in serious need of repair, but the guards didn't seem to mind. They came to a sudden stop once they reached the sixth floor, one of the rear guards telling them to wait.
A few moments later, and they were escorted into a small office. An aging man sat behind a plain, wooden desk reading their letter. His armor had a number of scratch marks on it, and the bags under his eyes let Farr know he was in need of a few nights' rest. The rest of the guards waited outside, as the room wasn't large enough for them plus The Delinquents.
"The Delinquents, huh?" said the man finally. "So many guilds I've never heard of."
"We're one of the best," smiled Farr.
"That so?" asked Major Esper, putting the paper down and interlocking his fingers in front of his face.
"Absolutely," nodded Farr. "You wouldn't happen to know of a group of bandits called the Dirt Stabbers, would you?"
"Dirt Stabbers?" repeated
Major Esper, his eyes widening slightly. "Yes. They've stolen from our people many times, and we've heard reports from traders that they've been mugged by them."
"We just took care of them for you," announced Farr.
"You killed them?"
"Well, not exactly..."
"Ah, you must have tracked them to their base and destroyed it," reasoned the man.
"More like we beat them up a bit and sent them running away," admitted Farr.
"Should've kept after them," muttered Yri disapprovingly.
"That's still impressive," said Major Esper. "Truth be told, we're in need of some fighters like yourselves."
"Have the Lundori been attacking?!" asked Grex, a little too excited.
"They have," nodded the man. "Every night for the past week."
"Is that why your men didn't let us through?" asked Khuwa, glancing out of a window and watching the sun begin to set. "It's not safe?"
"Safe," scoffed the man. "It's never safe when you're this close to the Lund. But yes. While the threat of an attack is so high, anyone foolish enough to go in there has to be brought to me first to make sure they can handle themselves."
"And?" asked Farr.
"If what you say about the Dirt Stabbers is true, you'll probably last longer in the Lund than most."
"That sounds promising," said Cupcake.
Major Esper looked at the pig on Yri's shoulder, opened his mouth, then quickly shut it again. The man had probably seen enough crazy things to know he didn't need to add any more to his plate.
"So, we can go?" asked Farr, taking a couple of steps backward. "I'm sorry to hear about all the fighting you've got going on, but we've got places to be."
"We'd really love to have you help, even for just one night," said Major Esper, sounding almost desperate. "We can pay you!"
Farr froze.
Khuwa gave the blademagus a nervous look. "Farr..."
"You'll pay us?" repeated Farr, taking a step forward. "And just for one night?"
"Yes!" said the guard, shifting through some papers on his desk. "We can afford to pay you and your team a total of... a thousand gold?"
It wasn't an insanely high amount, but it also wasn't anything to flatly reject, either. Their mission to stop Aodh from being released would probably be a waste of time. While Farr was promised a promotion regardless of if they had to fight someone or not, he felt like actually fighting someone would be more impressive to the other officers and Commander Indures. Since that wasn't likely to happen, if he could accomplish a little side job here and come back with a thousand gold pieces for their time...
"Just a moment," he said, motioning for the others to join him a few feet away in a huddle.
"What are you thinking?" asked Khuwa quietly.
"I'm thinking we do it," whispered Farr, looking around at each of them. "But I don't want to sign us up for this side job without the rest of you being on board."
"I'm in!" quipped Grex eagerly right at Farr finished.
"You know I'm not interested in fighting any more than I have to," sighed Khuwa.
"You can try talking to the Lundori when they attack," offered Farr. "You could see if they would be open to peace."
The orc pondered this. "Do they speak the same language as we do?"
"That's what's so exciting about this!" squealed Grex, the gnome actually shaking. "The Lundori are a complete unknown! All attempts to gather information on them has ended in failure and death."
"Is that supposed to make us want to help fight them?" said Yri dryly.
"Aw, come on!" whined Cupcake, fluttering in front of the warlock. "Can we please fight? Pretty please?"
The warlock swatted the pig out of the way.
"I'm fine doing this if everyone else wants to," decided Khuwa. "If there's the chance to talk some sense into the Lundori and save some lives, I think it's worth the risk."
Everyone turned to Yri. Cupcake again flew in front of the warlock's face, getting uncomfortably close.
"Please, please, please!" begged the demon.
Yri sighed. "Fine, if it'll shut you up! But you owe me!"
"Yay!" oinked Cupcake, flying around the group as Farr turned back to the guard.
"Alright, Major Esper," smiled Farr. "You've got The Delinquents at your disposal."
CHAPTER TEN
"Do boats go up and down like this all the time?" groaned Zane, doing his best to not run to the side of the boat and get rid of the past three days worth of food.
It had been nearly two full days since the two of them boarded Gloria, a boat that took citizens of the Epworth Empire to U'Raze on vacation and back. The ship's captain was a little suspicious of the two of them when they first approached, but a small bag of gold changed his disposition. Since then, the two had kept mostly out of sight, keeping to themselves while keeping an eye on the others.
"Afraid so," said Perkins, his arms crossed and scanning the open ship, watching people mingle and dance. Everyone seemed to be in vacation mode.
"I don't think I like sailing, then."
"I don't mind it," shrugged the elf. "Don't really mind most things, you know."
Zane took some deep breaths and put his hands over his head. He hated feeling so sick. If someone with the Empire figured out the two of them were actually from U'Raze, he wouldn't be able to help fight their way off the ship.
"Excuse me," came a friendly voice to his side. "Are ya alright?"
Zane glanced over to see a dwarf wearing a tropical shirt and light blue shorts. His beard had multicolored beads tied in it, and was thrown over his left shoulder.
"I've been better," admitted Zane.
"Was the same way, meself, on the way over," nodded the dwarf knowingly. The dwarf quickly dug into his pocket.
Before Zane knew what was happening, Perkins was on the dwarf, a dagger pressed against his throat and the elf's free hand over his mouth.
"W-What are you doing?!" hissed Zane, looking around to see if anyone had noticed. Luckily, everyone else was inebriated and didn't pay them any attention. The paladin wasn't sure if that would last if someone spotted the dwarf's dead body.
"Hands out of your pocket," said Perkins firmly.
The dwarf slowly pulled his hand out, revealing a small bottle.
"What's that?" asked Zane.
"Mmm mmm mm!" said the dwarf under Perkins' hand.
"Probably some kind of poison he was going to use to kill us," said Perkins, snatching it out of the dwarf's hand and taking a step back.
"K-Kill ya?" asked the dwarf, rubbing his hands over where the dagger had been just a second earlier. "W-Why would I do that?"
"You tell me," said Perkins, putting his dagger away and examining the bottle.
"I-I was just tryin to help the lad!" protested the dwarf. "That helped cure me seasickness!"
"It did?" asked Zane, reaching for the bottle.
Perkins pulled his hand back before Zane could get it, thrusting the bottle toward the dwarf.
"Hey, why did you-"
"Drink it," Perkins said to the dwarf. It wasn't a request.
"B-But I already did," said the dwarf, confused.
"I don't see how this is necessary," Zane mumbled.
"If I'm right and this is poison, the dwarf will die," said Perkins simply. "If not, then you can have some."
The dwarf looked like he wanted to argue, then let out an annoyed sigh. He snatched the bottle and took a quick swig of it, handing it back to Perkins.
"Ya happy?"
"Rarely."
Zane took the bottle from Perkins, shaking his head and pulling the elf back some to give the dwarf room.
"I'm sorry about that," said the paladin. "I really appreciate the help. My friend is... well, a little on guard."
"I can see that," muttered the dwarf.
Zane stretched out his free hand. "I'm Zane. This is Perkins."
"You're too trusting, you know," said the elf.
"Maybe you should try it somet
ime," offered Zane.
"Pass."
"Tomm," replied the dwarf, taking and shaking Zane's hand. "Wish I could say it was nice to meet ya, but it was pretty troubling, truth be told."
"You can never be too careful," shrugged Perkins, going back to scanning the area as Zane drank Tomm's bottle.
Immediately, the potion did its work and Zane felt as good as ever. "This stuff really works!"
"Aye, that it does," smiled Tomm. "Let me finally enjoy the sea a bit, although it ain't really fer me."
"I assume your people don't like the water, generally speaking," guessed Zane, offering the rest of the bottle back to the dwarf.
"Keep it," said Tomm, holding a hand up. "I ain't plannin on doin this again. And yer right, we dwarves don't usually leave the safety of the ground beneath our feet."
"What brought you out to U'Raze, then?" asked Zane.
"Just turned 300. Decided I'd do somethin new. Try and broaden my horizons."
"A bunch of good that'll do you," mumbled Perkins.
"Aye, was a waste of time and gold," agreed Tomm. "Travelin ain't fer me. How about ye two?"
Zane and Perkins shared a quick look.
"Um, we were, uh," stammered Zane.
"We're heading to Epworth from U'Raze," said Perkins freely.
Zane glared at the elf.
"What?" asked Perkins. "It's the truth."
"Yer from U'Raze, eh?" chuckled Tomm. "That's new. Most of the people from yer kingdom never want to visit us."
"It's nothing nefarious," said Zane quickly.
"Don't know what that means," shrugged Tomm. "What made the two of ye wanna come to our little crescent?"
"Sightseeing," Zane managed, almost sounding nonchalant.
"Makes sense," nodded Tomm. "Where are ya hopin to go first?"
"The Lund," said Perkins.
Tomm's eyes widened. "The Lund?! Ha! Ye must be mad!"
"Why?" asked Zane. "I'm not very familiar with the areas in the Epworth Empire."
"The Lund ain't technically in the Epworth Empire, lad," said Tomm, shaking his head. "While most of the crescent belongs to us, there is a section to the north and south that don't. That be the Lund."
Zane was surprised to hear the Empire hadn't managed to take over their whole continent yet. Once they reached the Lund, maybe this wouldn't be as difficult as Zane originally thought. Maybe the people inside of the Lund would even be willing to help them?