VICTORY AT WHAT COST?
Tonatiuh heard the intruders approaching, and quickly rendered himself invisible, crouched and coiled atop his platform. He had feared this time would come. The skinwalkers had returned to finish what they’d started years before. He would not fail his children this time. This time he would defend their legacy unto his death. As the interlopers filed into his chamber, he knew that his instincts had been correct. They did not look like skinwalkers, at least not like any he had ever seen, but besides the goliath, the goblin and the human, there was the winged woman…an erinyes…a fiend!
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Flickering torches in bamboo sconces lit the tall chamber in which the Legionnaires found themselves. The walls were adorned with murals of armored men and women with the heads of cats fighting against troglodytes, dinosaurs and other, less-identifiable demonic monsters. In some scenes, the catfolk rode large saber-toothed tigers, while in others they worshiped at large pyramids. Ancient pillars carved in leafy patterns supported the twenty-foot high ceiling and surrounded a bamboo platform covered in reed mats.
When Mandi entered the room behind her companions, she gazed intently about, her magically enhanced vision looking for any potentially unseen opponents. She was not disappointed. Hidden atop the central platform was a strange creature, which resembled an iridescent serpent with multi-colored feathered wings and tail. ‘A couatl!’ Mandi thought in alarm. She had not expected to find such a creature, normally a denizen of the celestial realms, in this place. She took note of the current fiendish form that she wore and cursed under her breath. If the creature attacked, she was going to have to put it down and quickly.
‘Don’t worry, servants of darkness,’ a voice spoke into the heads of each of the Legionnaires. ‘I do not intend on attacking you…that is as long as you leave this sanctuary immediately!”
“Who in the blazes said that?” Sepoto said with a start, looking around anxiously.
“We’re not alone,” Mandi said aloud. “There is a being concealed atop the platform. I see you,” she called out to the couatl in Maztican, “and I know that you see me. Please do not let my form, or that of my goblin friend alarm you. While he was once human, I am merely wearing a magical disguise.”
‘It matters not what shape you wear,’ Tonatiuh replied to all of them, ‘but what is in your heart, and I see your heart plainly.’ He directed this last thought to Mandi, though all of the wizard’s cohorts heard.
‘Our cause is a noble one,’ Mandi replied, speaking only in her mind. ‘We are representatives from the village of Farshore. Our people there are in danger of imminent attack by the marauders of the Kraken Society. We have heard of the weapon craft of the Rakasta, and we have come here seeking their knowledge so that we may better defend ourselves from those that mean us, and this entire island, harm.’
‘The legacy of my children will not be despoiled,’ Tonatiuh replied. ‘You are probably lying, but even if you are not, your motives may be pure, but your morals are questionable. I tell you once more…leave now.’
With that, Mandi saw the serpent spread its wings and flap its way near the ceiling of the chamber. At the same time, the creature began chanting the words to a warding spell.
“Mandi, what’s happening?” Samson demanded. “Who, or what are you talking to?”
“It is an Outsider,” the elf replied, being intentionally cryptic. “It wears the guise of a winged serpent. You may deduce what you will of that, but I assure you that it has no intention of allowing us to complete our mission.”
“Then let’s all have a look at it,” Daelric said, casting his hands wide, and using his magic to purge the room of any concealing illusions. Instantly, Tonatiuh became visible, hovering above his platform. The couatl hissed.
‘I don’t want to hurt you,’ he spoke into their thoughts, ‘but I will if you do not go…now!’
He cast again, and as he did so, a heavy silence blanketed the Legionnaires. Nothing could be heard, not even the sound of their own voices. Worse, Mandi and Daelric were unable to voice the words to their own spells.
Samson began moving towards the platform, forming words with his thoughts.
‘If you truly mean us no harm,’ he said, sheathing his weapon as he approached, ‘then listen to us. We are only trying to help preserve innocent lives. Please help us.’
“Don’t bother, Samson,” Mandi said, and the goblin found that he could hear once more. Apparently, he had moved beyond the effect of the creature’s spell, and Mandi had flown to the platform as well. “These creatures are narrow-minded. They will not hear any opinion which opposes their own narrow world view. There is no reasoning with them. As for you,” she said, looking up and addressing the couatl, “I grow weary of being constantly threatened by every creature, civilized or not, on this infernal island!”
The wizard thrust her hands upward, and a blast of sonic energy hammered Tonatiuh. At that moment, Sepoto tossed an empty flask to the ground and flew into the air, aiming directly for the couatl.
‘You have forced my hand!’ Tonatiuh hissed angrily, and the words to a spell began forming. Instantly, Mandi reacted, hurling a barrage of arcane bolts at the guardian. Tonatiuh was rocked back with a grunt, his spell dissipating harmlessly.
“We’ve got him on the ropes!” Daelric shouted from below, having also removed himself from the silenced area. “I’ll hold him there!” The priest then wove his own aura of silence, this time encompassing the couatl.
‘Give us what we came here for,’ Mandi whispered in her head, knowing the couatl could hear her. ‘We’ll let you live, and you can skulk back to whatever pathetic plane you call home.’
‘Never!’ Tonatiuh shouted mentally for all the Legionnaires to hear. ‘I failed my children once. I would sooner die in their name, and may all the gods of the Heavens curse you for your blasphemy!’
‘So be it,’ Mandi thought, and then she released one more volley of sizzling missiles. Tonatiuh dropped heavily to the ground.
As Mandi scrutinized the platform, searching for the hidden cache that she knew must be there, Sepoto set to work skinning the dead couatl.
“What are you doing?” Samson asked in disgust. “Is that really necessary?”
“Before we left Farshore,” Sepoto explained, not looking up from his work, “the tanner, Tehrik, told us to be on the lookout for any exotic fauna we came across. He said if he had some rare skins to trade, it would help the town’s economy. You didn’t complain when we took the dinosaur’s hide.”
“That’s different,” the goblin said. “That was an animal. This was an intelligent being.”
“A demonic one, as far as we know.” Sepoto retorted.
“I don’t know,” Samson sounded uncertain. “He kept mentioning Celestia and the Heavens. Would a demon do that?”
“A demon would say anything to save its own hide,” Sepoto shrugged. “Fortunately for us, we were too smart to listen to this one.”
“I found it!” Mandi shouted at that moment. She had discovered a hidden knob which, when she pressed it, caused the entire platform to rise to ceiling level, revealing a hollow area within. When the others gathered round, their eyes grew wide in wonder. The cache was filled with gleaming racks of weapons, all of them obviously masterfully crafted. They set about gathering up the large armory, depositing the weapons into the large bag Sepoto held…a bag which contained an extradimensional pocket capable of holding the entire load. When they’d finished, Mandi gathered them close around her, pictured Farshore in her mind’s eye, and cast her spell.
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Lavinia was delighted at the overwhelming success of the Legion during their travels. Not only had they recovered the valuable weapons, but they had insured the aid of both the Mazticans and the phanatons, and had secured the route to the precious tar pits.
“What of the Sea Wyvern?” Mandi asked when they had completed their report.
“By all means, that should be your next task,” Lavinia replied. “Amella tells me that she can have the Blue Nixie outfitted with repair supplies and crew within the week, and then you can be underway.”
“Excellent,” Sepoto said. “In the mean time, I’m sure there is still much work to do here as well.”
As the week passed, Mandi spent time at the Hall of Records, enlisting the aid of Jeran Emrikad in researching the strange tooth they had found in Zotzilaha’s shrine. She discovered that it was an ancient artifact known as the Tooth of Ahazu, part of a larger collection known as the Teeth of Dahlver-Nar. Apparently its former owner, the demon lord Ahazu the Seizer, was known for his obsession with abducting powerful abyssal creatures and imprisoning them in a place called the Well of Darkness. The item itself did not seem particularly powerful to Mandi. It required the bearer to physically replace one of his own teeth with it, and merely enabled him to maintain a better hold on an opponent that he might be grappling with. When she shared this information with her teammates, none of them were particularly interested except Sepoto.
“Why not?” the big goliath shrugged, and while his cringing companions watched, he yanked one of his canine teeth from its socket and replaced it with the fang.
“How do I look?” he asked, smiling awfully with the single, long tooth protruding over his bottom lip.
“Charming,” Mandi replied dryly.
Sepoto enjoyed the strange looks as he walked about town with his new appendage, but it wasn’t until the following morning that he began to suspect there was more to the item than Mandi had told them. When he woke, he felt chilled, despite the sweltering, humid heat of the jungle. His skin felt clammy and cold. As he washed his face in his basin and peered into his mirror, he was shocked to see that the entire inside of his mouth had turned jet black.
“What in the name of the All-Seeing?” he whispered.
Still, other than these minor cosmetic effects, he felt normal, and yet something nagged at the back of his mind. As the days passed, he found himself lingering in stores and merchant stalls, fingering small baubles and trinkets. In the evening, he would find the items in his belt purse, with no knowledge of how they’d gotten there. He thought of returning them, but then found he couldn’t bear to part with them. He knew it was wrong, but he felt ambiguous about the morality of it.
Mandi had another project that week as well. She paid a visit to Tehrik Arrelion, who was jubilant about the prizes the Legion had brought him, and was only to happy to honor the request of the elven wizard. She commissioned a new gown fashioned from the couatl’s hide.
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During the week, it was brought to the attention of Samson, who had been overseeing the storage of the Rakastan weapons, that there had been several recent thefts of supplies and equipment from the warehouses. This despite increased guards that were posted. The stolen items came in all shapes and sizes, yet the thief never left any trace of his passage. Several of the dockworkers speculated about treachery within the town council, and these rumors were spreading. Samson approached his teammates with a plan to catch the thief in the act. It was common knowledge in town about the haul of new weapons the Legionnaires had returned with. It was the dragon shaman’s idea to leak the location of the exact warehouse they would be transferred to, and then have the company lay a trap inside.
The plan seemed to go flawlessly, and yet there was no sign of the burglar all through the night as the companions waited. Instead, when morning came, several more items were missing from the warehouse, as well as Mandi’s coin purse, a potion flask from Samson’s belt pouch, and a small wand from Sepoto’s belt. In an effort to save face, Sepoto declared that the Legion had more important matters to attend to, and assigned the task of catching the bandit to the Jade Ravens. Three nights later, that band killed a strange creature known as an ethereal filcher, a being capable of traveling back and forth at will between dimensions. Lugnut couldn’t conceal his satisfied smirk as his team turned over the little thing to their “superiors.”
The remainder of the week was spent drumming up more recruits for the militia, and campaigning further for Lavinia’s candidacy for mayor. The recent exploits of the Legion helped in both endeavors, though it seemed as if the election was still wide open.
By week’s end, Amella had outfitted the Blue Nixies and assembled her crew, including Dranys Sellis, the blacksmith, and Lefty the pirate, who was continuing his efforts to turn over a new leaf by volunteering for the duty.
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The Blue Nixie set sail the next day, and though Amella estimated it would take them at least two days to reach Masher Reef, Samson had other ideas. The dragon shaman pulled a small, paper fan from his tunic.
“And just what do ye plan on doin’ wit’ that?” Amella snapped. “Fannin’ us all th’way there?”
“As a matter of fact,” Samson replied, and began waving the fan briskly. Abruptly, the wind around the ship picked up from a light breeze to strong gusts. The Blue Nixie surged ahead as its sails filled.
“Hmph,” Amella snorted. “Where were ye wit dat trick when we lost th’Wyvern?”
The voyage, although brief, was not entirely uneventful. At one point a brawl broke out between two of the sailors, one of them Lefty.
“What’s goin’ on here?” Amella roared as she stepped between the two men.
“That scurvy cur stole me purse!” the other sailor shouted, pointing at Lefty.
“I never did!” the pirate protested. “I been in the riggin’ all mornin’!”
“Do ye have any proof, lad?” Amella asked the victim.
“I’ve known every man aboard this ship fer years, Cap’n…all ‘cept him, and him an’ his lot tried to kills us all not three weeks past! Now me purse comes up missin’ an’ there just happens t’be a pirate on ship!”
Amella mulled the matter over for a moment before sighing and turning to Lefty.
“I’m sorry mate, but he has a point. Fer yer own good, and fer the sake o’harmony onboard, I’m orderin’ ye confined t’quarters fer the duration.”
Lefty protested as he was hauled away, but Amella had made her decision. From the foc’s’le, Sepoto watched the entire episode in brooding silence.
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By dawn of the following day, the Blue Nixie was within sight of Masher Reef and the wreck of the Sea Wyvern. Amella did not feel comfortable bringing the ship any closer than a quarter mile to the derelict, as shipwrecks had a habit of not remaining uninhabited for long.
It was understood that the Legionnaires would scout the Sea Wyvern before the repair crews came aboard, and through various magics, each member was given the power of flight. They cruised across the waves until they were above the deck of their former vessel. The wreck seemed just as they’d left it. A large hole breached the port side, just above water level. The company landed and methodically began making their way through the various berths and holds, working from top to bottom. As it happened, Sepoto was the first to enter the half-flooded lower hold, and so it was he that first saw the creature crouched in the water there. The thing was humanoid from the torso up, but its lower body was serpentine, with a tail consisting of three powerful flukes, each ending in a cruel hook. Its taloned hands were webbed and its head was that of a horrible, large-eyed fish with facial tentacles surrounding a pucker-like maw filed with tiny, sharp teeth.
“Well look what’s moved in?” the goliath growled. “The neighborhood ain’t what it used to be. I’ll tell you one time, friend, and one time only: get off my boat!”
In response, the creature spoke in a burbling language, and a blade of pure flame materialized in its right hand. With its left, it beckoned the crusader forward. Before Sepoto could move, however, Samson soared down the steps past him, his ability to fly keeping him above the water line.
“Wrong answer,” he smiled, and then unleashed his caustic breath on the aquatic monster. The thing hissed as its skin blistered and bubbled, and then lunged for the goblin, its fiery sword slashing deep into Samson’s shoulder. Then its lamprey-like mouth fastened onto the goblin’s arm and tore a sizeable chunk of flesh from it. At that moment, Sepoto leaped into the fray, his chain ripping across the creature’s already damaged hide. The thing began to circle, causing the goliath and the dragon shaman to put their backs to the hole in the side of the ship. The creature’s mouth twisted in a strange expression, and then a sound came from it that could only be the equivalent of laughter.
“Uh-oh,” Samson said, looking over his shoulder.
A reptilian head emerged from the surf beyond the breach, perched atop a sinuous, serpentine neck. It coiled back and then snapped forward, sinking its teeth deep into Samson’s thigh. The little goblin stifled a cry and prepared to be jerked off his feet and into the air. The gods knew it had happened often enough before. He was surprised, therefore, when the dinosaur released him, and coiled again for another strike. It didn’t come. Instead, the amphibious creature used the opportunity to close with him again, hacking with its sword and ripping at him with its clawed free hand.
At that moment, Mandi appeared at the head of the stairs leading down from the living quarters above. The elf spat the words to a spell, hurling lines of flame at the kopru, for that’s what it was. She knew them as an imperialistic aquatic race bent on domination of any other species they encountered. This one was not a typical example of its species, however, as evidenced by the fact that her scorching rays bounced harmlessly off of its slick hide. She also recognized that the weapon it held was a spell, not a true sword. The creature was a druid, and the dinosaur obviously its companion.
Samson quickly turned his attention back to the druid, parrying its attacks and striking through its defenses with his morningstar. The kopru pressed its advantage, however, cutting harder and deeper. The dragon shaman knew he wouldn’t last in a toe-to-toe battle. Fortunately for him, he was not alone. Sepoto shoved him roughly aside as he stepped in to face the druid. At the same time, Mandi stepped to the hull breach and targeted the elasmosaur with her next spell…one that paralyzed the creature in mid-strike. The kopru’s bug-eyes went even wider, and it quickly moved away from Sepoto’s reach…right off the edge of the decking and into the churning water below, disappearing from view.
“Oh no you don’t!” the goliath growled, and dove into the surf after his fleeing opponent, the bloodlust fully upon him.
“I’d better go with him,” Samson said, stepping towards the edge.
“Not yet,” Mandi snapped. “Take care of that first.” She gestured towards the frozen dinosaur.
Samson nodded, moved up to the monster’s outstretched neck, and brought his morningstar down with all his might. The elasmosaur’s neck snapped with an audible crack, and it slipped limply below the waves.
“Now go,” Mandi said, after Daelric had taken a moment to heal some of the dragon shaman’s graver wounds. Samson then turned and dove in after Sepoto.
By the time the goblin reached Sepoto, the goliath had already caught up to the kopru and the pair were locked in combat. The flaming sword of the druid had turned to steam, boiling the water around it. Still, it was not enough to hold back the rampaging crusader. Blood clouded the water as he scored blow after telling blow. Samson dove beneath the kopru, coming up from behind, and drove his cudgel into the back of its skull. The blood-stained water swirled as the creature floated languidly towards the surface.
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Once the Legionnaires were certain there were no more squatters aboard the Sea Wyvern, Amella brought the Blue Nixie to a safe distance from the reef and dropped anchor. The repair crews then took longboats across to the broken ship and began to assess the damage. In the end, the endeavor took five days before the Sea Wyvern was seaworthy again. At high tide of the fifth day, it lifted grandly from its dry dock atop the reef and returned to its home on the sea. By the time the two ships reached Farshore again, thirty-five days had passed since the attack by the Rat’s End pirates. Barely three weeks remained until the arrival of the Kraken Society.
