by Hans Bezdek
"We've tried taking parts of it over during the last few centuries, but it always ended in disaster," continued Tomm. "There be wild magic in there."
"Sounds interesting," said Zane honestly.
"That's why we're going to go see it," said Perkins. "There's sure to be things in there that you can't see anywhere else in the world."
"Assuming ye survive long enough," chuckled Tomm.
"I think we'll be able to handle ourselves just fine," said Perkins. He thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. "Or we get the sweet release of death."
Tomm laughed nervously and glanced at Zane.
"Don't ask," advised the paladin.
"Wasn't plannin on it."
The boat suddenly rocked violently, sending everyone on the boat to the floor.
"W-What was that?!" asked Zane, scrambling up.
"Might've hit a giant rock, or something," guessed Perkins, getting up lazily. "I'm not too worried about it."
"You never are," mumbled Zane, looking around.
"There shouldn't be no rocks or nothin out here," reasoned Tomm, now back to his feet. "They sail this way all the time and should know where it's safe."
There were some screams from the other side of the boat, followed by some hoarse laughter. The three of them hurried toward the side of the nearest cabin and looked around the corner as dozens of people ran past them.
Another ship had smashed into the side of Gloria. Zane would've thought this was just a bizarre accident, except for the black sails with skulls on them and the large, well-armed men hopping onto their ship.
"Are those... pirates?" asked Zane.
One of the large men thrusted a sword into the air and laughed loudly. "Run all ya like, but we'll be takin all yer goods sooner or later!"
Perkins let out a long sigh. "Well, this is bound to slow us down."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Farr looked out across the bizarre landscape that was the Lund. The ground looked almost like it had been completed charred, except it shimmered in the wind. On closer inspection, it was actually grass that had somehow taken a black and brown color. The trees were likewise darkly colored, except for the leaves which were a reflective silver. The blademagus could sense a subtle magic coming from the vegetation, and unintentionally shivered.
"You can feel it too, huh?" asked Grex, grinning next to him as the gnome also absorbed the scene. "There's something about it that's like nothing I've ever felt before."
Farr nodded. "Concerning."
"More like fascinating," giggled the gnome. "I'm going to try to take some samples of this place back with me when we leave."
"That sounds needlessly dangerous," mumbled Farr.
"But potentially worth it!" Grex rubbed his hands eagerly together. "The articles I could publish... I'd make a name not just for myself, but for The Delinquents! We might get more recruits with magical tendencies!"
"Well, that wouldn't be so bad," yielded Farr. It was no secret that The Delinquents were in need of more members. Compared to most other guilds, theirs tended to have a high turnover rate. It wasn't that people hated it there or looked for other, more desirable guilds. It was more so that every so often people sort of... died.
This was the risk with all guilds that took on dangerous work, of course. However, since The Delinquents attracted people that were on the outskirts of their societies, most of the guild members happened to be a bit eccentric. This led to some questionable decision making and skill levels that weren't always properly matched to the task.
Farr knew he and his team were no exception, but their track record had more successes than average, and he was proud to have not lost a single person. Well, not lost a single guild member rather. They weren't flawless at rescue missions, and there was that whole debacle with the late Prince of Watertree that he tried not to think about.
"Are you two tired of looking ominously over the landscape?" asked Yri as she, Cupcake, and Khuwa approached. "We checked out our sleeping quarters and they don't look half bad."
"I doubt we'll be getting much sleep tonight," sighed Khuwa, looking up at some of the blackened burn marks on the nearest towers and walls behind them. "It will be a busy night."
"I think we'll be fine," shrugged Farr.
Khuwa and the others looked at him with raised eyebrows.
"Really?" asked Grex. "That's unlike you."
"What are you talking about?" bluffed Farr. "I'm always confident we'll be fine."
"No, you say that all the time, but you rarely look it," said Cupcake.
Farr felt his ears burn but he held his ground. "I think the guards here are overreacting. Realistically, it's probably little more than a few Lundori coming and attacking at a time. These kinds of places are only here to fight and act as protection, so it's natural that they would want to make any small thing seem like a big deal."
"Isn't that more concerning?" asked Yri. "If Major Esper and the others are this paranoid about just a handful of Lundori, that must mean they are very powerful."
"So you don't think you can handle them?" asked Farr with a smile.
Yri scoffed. "Please. You know I can handle anything."
"Um, I think you're forgetting who does most of the work," said Cupcake, hopping off the warlock's shoulders.
"I'm the one who summoned you, which means anything you do in a fight is ultimately thanks to me," said Yri, holding her head high. "And besides, I could level this fort even without you."
"Oh, I'd love to see that," said the demon pig, fluttering up a few feet and looking over the area. "Plenty of armed fighters and stone defenses reinforced by some occasional runes, not to mention this place is the size of a town."
"You think I can't do it?" asked Yri, growling and taking a step forward.
"P-Please don't!" said Khuwa quickly, putting her hands up and stepping between the warlock and her demon. "There are innocent lives here!"
"We should probably save our fighting for the Lundori," offered Grex. "I don't think burning up our recent employer will help them like us."
"Outsiders!" came a familiar voice. Farr and the others turned to see the elven guard that had first brought them to Major Esper approach them.
"She was just joking!" insisted Farr.
"Huh?" asked the guard.
Grex nudged Farr and smiled up at the elf. "How can we help you... I'm sorry, I can't remember your name."
"It's Aeulon," replied the elf.
"Just one name?" asked Cupcake. "Seems a bit pretentious."
"It's the only name of mine you need to know, pig," said Aeulon firmly. Cupcake looked like he had a comeback ready, but Yri shot the demon a look. "I think it would be best if we got out of the open and into a nearby safe facility. The Lundori could be watching us at this very moment."
Farr looked back out at the trees and didn't see any eyes staring back at him. Even though he still believed Aeulon and everyone else at Fort Pel was overreacting, he figured the elf probably knew the Lundori and their tactics better than they did. The Delinquents followed the elf behind two of the towers and into a small stone building that hadn't been damaged.
The room was filled with several long tables, almost all of which were occupied by human, elven, and dwarven guards. There were a number of pikes, spears, and other weapons leaning against the wall near the entrance. Farr wondered if all of the buildings in the fort had that feature. The whole town was ready to fight at a moment's notice.
The room became quiet as they entered it, and Farr could feel everyone's eyes on them. Aeulon guided them to a table in the back and ignored the looks.
"Seems like this place really knows how to make people feel welcomed," whispered Farr.
"They don't get many visitors, remember?" pointed out Khuwa. "I can't blame them for being curious, if not suspicious."
Aeulon sat down as they reached the table and gestured for them to do the same.
"I wanted to thank you for offering your services to help us this evening," s
aid the elf. "I understand that you all survived a skirmish with the Dirt Stabbers?"
Cupcake landed in the middle of the table and snickered at the name.
"We more than survived," said Yri. "We could've finished them off, but we weren't sure if it was worth our time."
"I see," nodded Aeulon. "It sounds as if you have very... unique skills."
"We're good at what we do," replied Farr. "Speaking of which, I'm the leader of this group. Are we expected to follow someone's orders as if we were citizens of Fort Pel in any kind of fight, or will I be able to command my guild?"
"Major Esper will allow your group to work autonomously," said Aeulon. "I'm in agreeance with him that it would be best if your guild did not fraternize with any of our troops. I'm sure you understand."
"I'm afraid I don't," said Farr, tilting his head to the side. "What are you getting at?"
"There's something off about the four of you and your pet pig," said Aeulon, meeting their eyes evenly. "I don't mean to come across as overly harsh, but I think it would be best if you kept to yourselves."
"You're the one that brought us in here!" growled Yri as she glared at the elf.
"I never said you couldn't be in the same room with our people."
"Do we really want to protect people who think they're better than us?" the warlock asked Farr.
"Hasn't that kind of been the norm?" he replied.
"They usually at least pretend to not feel that way," said Yri, fixing her glare again on Aeulon.
"I'm not saying we are better than you," argued the elf, shaking his head. "I'm simply saying there is something about your group that is different."
"And you're worried that we'll contaminate your troops," reasoned Grex.
The elf opened his mouth to respond, but he was cut off.
A loud gurgling noise penetrated the night. The men and women of Fort Pel immediately sprang to their feet and a battle horn went off from the top of one of the towers. Aeulon grabbed one of the spears leaning against a wall by the door and hurried out.
"Is the battle starting?" asked Farr, following the elf out along with his friends. "What was that gurgling noise?"
"It's the Lundori battle horn," explained Aeulon as he walked quickly to the front of the fort. "It comes from one of their strange creatures."
"There will be a chance to speak to them before the fight, yes?" asked Khuwa, as they came around a final tower's corner.
"If you'd rather die talking than fighting, have at it," replied the elf guard, gesturing over the Lund as they reached the edge of the wall.
The silver leaves of the forest in the Lund shook as humanoids ran from the safety and obscurity of the trees and into the open grasslands. Farr's eyes widened as the numbers kept coming and coming. This wasn't going to be a minor skirmish.
This was going to be a full scale battle.
CHAPTER TWELVE
"I'm gettin outta here!" shouted Tomm, sprinting away from Zane and Perkins. Before Zane could call for him to wait, the dwarf had disappeared into the panicking masses.
"Let's get back to our room," offered Perkins, not sounding particularly bothered that pirates were now running around, assaulting people.
"Shouldn't we help them?" hesitated Zane.
"You want to risk more people learning we aren't from Epworth?"
The paladin didn't like either option. With a heavy heart, he nodded and followed after Perkins.
The two of them mixed in with the crowd, careful to keep their distance from the pirates that were quickly cornering individuals. From the amount of gold he saw changing hands, it looked like the pirates picked the right boat to rob.
Zane and Perkins maneuvered their way down another level, nearing the row of cabins they had been assigned to. Some of their neighbors had gotten the same idea, and Zane could hear people locking their doors as they passed by them. The paladin wasn't so sure this would keep them safe for the entire time the pirates were raiding Gloria, but it had to be better than standing idly around in the open.
They reached their room and hurried in. Right as Zane closed the door, a scimitar jammed itself between the door and the frame.
"You know, that's probably not good," remarked Perkins.
The door was kicked open by the owner of the scimitar, knocking Zane onto the ground. By the time he got back to his feet, the scimitar was pointed at his throat.
"Can I help you?" asked Zane politely.
"That you can," snickered the pirate, guiding Zane back and against the wall. Perkins had a sword pressed to his own throat as he leaned against the wall next to him.
The two pirates were both orcs with similar dark green skin. The one on Zane looked like he did nothing all day but eat protein and workout, while the one on Perkins was possibly the skinniest orc he had ever seen. Zane wished they could trade.
"Give us all yer stuff," said the muscular orc.
"It'd take way too long to take all my weapons," argued Perkins. "It'd be best if you just took whatever was lying around the room."
"Why's a half-blind elf need all them swords, eh?" asked the skinny one, noticing the high number of the weapons for the first time.
"I'm a bit of a collector," said Perkins evenly.
"That means they'll be worth even more!" cheered the orc.
"Does money make you happy?"
The two orcs blinked, shared a look, then looked back at Perkins.
"Eh?" they said in unison.
"Why does money make you happy?" asked Perkins. "All it does is give you material gains, but they fade away sooner rather than later."
"It's better to have more stuff than less stuff," argued the skinny orc.
"Why, though?" pressed Perkins. "When we all pass from this life, it's not like we can take any of it with us. Everything in this world is fleeting."
The skinny orc was having trouble processing this.
"Shut up!" barked the muscular orc, not in the mood for a debate. "Give us all ye've got, save yer depressing ramblings."
Perkins glanced at Zane. "Kind of rude and unnecessary."
"Armored human!" barked the orc. "Gimme yer things. Now!"
Zane leaned his head back and tensed his neck.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," he said.
"Then I'll have to-"
Zane snapped his head forward with as much power as he could muster, headbutting the orc square in the face. The pirate's nose exploded with blood and he stumbled backward, dropping his weapon from the shock.
The pirate on Perkins let out a snarl and shifted his attention to Zane.
"Yer gonna pay fer that!" he barked, leaping at the paladin and thrusting with his blade.
Perkins' grabbed the orc's wrist, stopping the blade an inch before it reached Zane's face. The pirate turned to face the elf, but never made it. With his other hand, Perkins managed to pull out one of the swords on his hip and shove it through the pirate's rib in one fluid motion.
"You know, you might want to stop your opponent before he gets some backup," Perkins said calmly as he pulled out his weapon and let the dead pirate collapse to the floor.
Zane turned his attention back to the other pirate, who had nearly reached the door. Pulling his mace out, the paladin whispered a small prayer to Nera then flung it at the pirate. Halfway through the air, the mace started glowing as if it were made of gold. There was a sickening thud as the mace connected perfectly with the back of the orc's head, and the pirate crumbled upon himself.
"Nice throw," commented Perkins, wiping his blade off on the pirate's shirt.
"It was all by the grace of Nera," said Zane, retrieving his mace.
"Nice team effort, then."
Zane pulled the dead pirate back into their cabin, then poked his head out to see if any of the other pirates had noticed what had happened. There was a lot of chaos still going on, and it looked like no one was the wiser. He quietly closed the door, then turned back to Perkins.
"So, what's the plan?" he asked.
"But the pirates could start killing people," protested Zane.
"Most likely."
"This boat is filled with innocent people!"
"Innocent people... from the Epworth Empire," clarified Perkins.
"So? We should help them!"
"You're joking, right?" asked Perkins, his eye narrowing. "The whole reason we are on this ship is to get to Epworth and release a god that will ravage the continent. Thousands of innocent people will die, you know."
"N-Not necessarily," said Zane, seeing the reasoning in Perkins' argument but not wanting to agree with it.
"You know Aodh's nickname was the Mad God, right? Did you think just the military and some guilds would fall to something like that?" scoffed Perkins.
Zane hadn't exactly thought about it. He rarely thought about what he was ordered to do, and just did it to the best of his ability. He trusted King Valdrick's orders, and believed that anything that might be morally gray was something the king had judged as a necessary evil.
"Civilian casualties happen in wars," said Zane, not willing to commit any more than that.
"A war we are starting."
There was a terrified scream outside their door followed by heavy footsteps.
"We can debate this later," said Zane. "Look, it's in our best interest to fight the pirates. It will speed up our journey, especially if we can save most or all of the crew."
Perkins pursed his lips as he considered that.
"We also might get a reward for saving them," ventured the paladin.
"I'm not really motivated by money, you know," said the elf, shaking his head. Still, he pulled out another of his swords. "But I do like the idea of getting there quicker, and you seem like you'd complain about this the rest of our journey. Let's do it your way, I suppose."