Arcanis: Gonnes, Sons, and Treasure Runs (COMPLETED)

[talien]

City Under Siege: Part 2 – We Are Under Attack!

Kham awakened from his slumber to the sounds of a deckhand screaming out in alarm. Rushing topside, he saw a fleet of barbarian longships moving rapidly through the light mist.

Kham called to his first mate. “How many?”

“Ten, sir, at least, but there are probably more.”

“They’re trying to block off the harbor. We need to open it up so the other ships can get out. Ready the cannons!”

“Readying the cannons!”

Kham turned. “Keep firing, clear that path! I’ll be back.”

“Where are you going sir?

“To warn the others.” He concentrated…

And he was back in the Sea Lord’s Palace. Sebastian and Beldin had just finished arming themselves.

“So you’ve heard?” asked Kham.

“About the orcs?” Beldin fired back.

“Wait, what?”

“The orcs. Over five hundred of them are rioting. They’re on their way to the Fortress of Justice to protest Scarbelly’s imprisonment.”

“No, not that. Barbarian ships are in the harbor! The Divine Fury is engaging them but we’ve got to let the others know.”

Beldin picked up Windcutter. “I’ll deal with the orcs.”

“Deal with greenbacks?” Kham snorted. “Good luck with that.”

“With any luck, we can make them see reason,” said Beldin. He stumped out the door.

Kham turned to Sebastian. “What about you?

The dark kin unfolded his wings with a flourish. “I’m going to go fire Freeport’s siege cannons. On the enemy, for once.”

And with that he flew out of the entrance to the Sea Lord’s Palace.

“Dey’ve got style,” said Zoltan in Kham’s head. “I’ll give dem that!”

 

[talien]

City Under Siege: Part 3a – Barbarians at the Gate

A battered, bloody member of the watched rushed towards Beldin, collapsing into his arms.

“We are under attack!” He coughed. “The barbarians are at Drac’s gate. We closed the gate in time, but they must have planted soldiers within the city.” He spat up blood. “They surprised us! Commander Stern…” he wheezed, “cannot hold out for long. That gate must remain closed. Please, help us…”

The man let out a long, rattling cough and died.

Beldin gently laid the man down on the ground and stumped towards Drac’s gate.

The scene at the gate was bloody. Two wounded Guardsmen stood amidst their comrades’ dead bodies and attempted to defend the inside of the gate from ten attackers. They were doing their best to keep themselves between the barbarians and the mechanisms that would raise the portcullis and open the wooden gates, but they would not last much longer on their own.

One of the Guardsmen went down as Beldin reached the gate.

“Keep that gate closed!” shouted Commander Stern, the lone guardsmen left. He blocked an axe swing with his shield.

One barbarian began churning the winch to open the gates.

Beldin hacked through one of the barbarians, who didn’t see him coming. He went down flailing.

Two more barbarians attacked the dwarf. Beldin was filled with an almost supernatural rage. He blocked an axe blow from one of the barbarians with his shield and disemboweled the other with Windcutter.

The gate opened a little more.

Beldin slammed his shield into another barbarian. Teeth filed to sharp points snapped at him. “Tcho-tchos?” shouted Beldin in surprised.

Tcho-tchos shouldn’t have been in the city, much less anywhere near Freeport. Something more sinister was afoot than a simple invasion.

Commander Stern skewered one of the barbarians, but an axe blow glanced off his armor, wounding him. He fell back against the gate. The gate opened wide. Only the portcullis stopped a screaming horde of hundreds of barbarians from bursting into Freeport.

Beldin swept low, chopping the legs out from two barbarians. He kept moving as the remaining three barbarians began winching the portcullis up, inch by inch.

All three turned to face him. Beldin slammed another barbarian out of the way with his shield and headbutted the second. Before the third could let go of the winch, he hacked right through the man’s arms with Windcutter. With a howl and a spray of blood, the man fell backwards and the portcullis slammed back to the ground.

Stern was nearly dragged through the openings in the portcullis by the barbarians. Some of them ordered their companions away from the gate.

“We’ve got to get to the Fortress of Justice!” shouted Beldin. He helped the man to his feet. “Can you walk?”

Commander Stern was pale but mobile. “I think so.”

“Good,” said Beldin. “Let’s go before they reach for their bows.”

“Why the Fortress of Justice?” asked the Commander.

“I need you to issue a pardon.”

 

[talien]

City Under Siege: Part 3b – Barbarians at the Gate

Elabac stood with his comrades, surrounded by bodyguards, at the Forges.

“We are to defend this forge…with our very lives!” wheezed Elabac. “Do not…falter!”

The dwarves stood stoically, waraxes and warhammers clenched in their hands, visors low, shields before them.

The enemy’s numbers were vast. The Legion of Unsettled Quietus, a Nerothian legion, moved in lock step. But for the clanking of armor and the rustling of arms, they made not a sound.

“Undead,” whispered one of Elabac’s young apprentices.

“How can we withstand such an army, Master Elabac?” The young one’s beard wasn’t very long, less than a foot. “They are so many and we are so few!”

Elabac patted the young dwarf on the shoulder. “Have…faith.”

The undead legion marched closer. Red sparks of hate glittered in their eye sockets. They lowered their spears and continued to march forward.

“Steady…” said Elabac.

They were a few hundred yards away.

“Steady…”

A few hundred feet away.

“Steady…”

The soldiers at the front of the legion’s attack suddenly convulsed and disappeared in bursts of flame.

The dwarves cheered.

More of the legion, single-minded in their attack, continued forward. And row after row exploded in fire.

“The wards…held,” sighed Elabac in relief.

“It’s a shame Beldin was not here to witness this,” said the young apprentice. “He would have been pleased.”

“Beldin…is not coming…with us,” Elabac said sadly.

The apprentice blinked at his elder. “Where are we going after this battle, Master Elabac?”

“Home.”

 

[talien]

City Under Siege: Part 4a – Get Them Guns Blazin’!

“Airships!” shouted Quintus.

The Judgment of Nier and the Inferno hovered over Enpebyn, bristling with Altherian weaponry. The cannons slowly winched into place.

“We can’t stop that kind of firepower,” said Tertius, slowly lowering his horn from his lips.

The cannons began blasting away, tearing huge chunks of masonry off of Enpebyn’s walls. Guards flailed like rag dolls off the sides of the fortifications, screaming as they went.

“Hervius!” ordered Quintus. “I ignited blastpowder once. Can your magic do the same?”

Hervius shot Quintus an odd smile. “Most certainly. But I would need time.”

“Can you get us up there?”

“Some of us,” said Hervius. “But we will be spotted.”

“I can conceal us,” said Tertius. “You just focus on getting us close to that ship.”

Quintus nodded to Tertius. “Let’s do it.”

Tertius whispered a spell. Nothing happened.

Oppius frowned. “So much for that…”

“It worked,” said Tertius. “Just stay within ten paces of me.”

“Quintus, Oppius, Tertius,” said Hervius. “Hold onto my cloak.” He was watching the Inferno. “We’re going to have to do two quick hops. I can’t reach the distance from here.”

“Wait,” said Oppius. “Two quick hops? Where’s the first hop to?”

Hervius pointed at a crenellation along Enpebyn’s wall right in front of the Inferno. The floating Altherian gunship would most certainly blast it to oblivion in a matter of seconds. “There: Mundai ianua!”

Suddenly they were facing the looming airship, staring down its bristling cannons. The cannons fired in rapid succession, a deafening blast.

“Mundai ianua!”

And they were on the deck of the Inferno.

“Sarish’s ass!” hissed Oppius. “That was close!”

Tertius shushed him. The crew was too busy manning the cannons to take notice, and their dialogue went unheard over the deafening explosions of the cannons firing.

As one, they moved forward, shields at the ready, weapons raised. The captain was a redhead with a familiar bearing.

“Attalus?” Quintus whispered in horror. “But…”

Attalus turned just as Oppius closed the distance between them. Before he could say a word, Oppius slit his throat.

“Can you turn the corpse invisible?” asked Quintus.

Tertius shook his head. “It doesn’t work that way.”

“Then we have a problem.” Quintus took a deep breath. “Hervius, find the blackpowder cache and destroy it. Tertius, go with him.”

Oppius coughed. “I can’t help but notice you didn’t mention me.”

Tertius and Hervius padded off down into the hold.

Quintus gave him a grim smile. “You’re staying with me.” He turned, addressing the rest of the crew whose backs were to their captain. “I, QUINTUS AURELIUS VAL’EMMAN, CLAIM THIS SHIP IN THE NAME OF GENERAL MENISIS!”

The crew all turned to look in shock. They drew their weapons.

Oppius slapped his forehead.

 

[talien]

City Under Siege: Part 4b – Get Them Guns Blazin’!

Sebastian flew over Freeport. He could see barbarians closing in from everywhere. Shrill war cries and screams came from the outskirts of Drac’s End. Citizens fled in panic. He could also make out the orc mob, just leaving the Field of Honor and making its way toward the Eastern Gate of the Old City.

Sebastian moved on. His destination was one of the many towers facing the harbor, each armed with a Fihali cannon. In fitting pirate fashion, Freeport had even stolen its own defenses.

The towers stood about fifty feet high. Bodies lay scattered around the gun closest to the harbor. Flaming wreckage from one of the barbarian ships indicated they had gotten one good shot off, but the tower itself was on fire. Sebastian guessed a misfire; Fihali weapons were never meant for human hands.

Sebastian landed. He had the opportunity to inspect fihali technology when he was aboard their ship. That information served him well. To fire, the cannons required life force and magical energy. He threw an enchanted dagger down the barrel, satisfying the first requirement.

But the second was not so easy. Strange hand impressions were at the base, suited for a clawed fihali. Sebastian put his hands in the depressions…

And screamed as the cannon tore magic out of him by sheer force. It felt as if his eyeballs and been strained through his fingertips. The results were spectacular: The gun roared and with a huge kick, belched forth a massive fireball the likes of which he had never seen. The ensuing fireball sailed over the harbor.

It was enough to make the entire city pause. Barbarians and Freeporters looked up in awe as the fireball struck the center of the barbarian fleet, obliterating one ship and setting fire to two others.

Sebastian struggled to rouse himself. There was one more cannon facing the harbor. The barbarians began to row faster, struggling to get out of the way.

He half-limped off the tower and caught an updraft with his wings, gliding over to the remaining tower.

Thunder boomed around him. A blast of lightning struck from the tip of a tcho-tcho shaman’s rattle, sizzling through Sebastian. He fell like a moth that flew too close to the flame.

The dark-kin came to at the last second. He spread his wings, stopping his fall so that he landed in a crouch.

“Tcho-tchos!” snarled Sebastian. “I hate tcho-tchos.” He jumped into the air and took wing again, vowing not to underestimate his opponents this time.

As Sebastian closed, he could make out the shaman and his bodyguards. It was the same shaman they had seen in the village near Nyambe. The tcho-tchos had traveled a long way.

“Algor conus!” Sebastian shouted. Frost covered the shaman even as he struggled to get the gun to work. A few blasts of eldritch energy finished the job.

Corpses of the gun’s crew were covered by frozen bodies of tcho-tchos. Sebastian fed another magical item of power, a ring, down the barrel. He once again put his hands in the depression, trembling at the thought of the pain he would endure.

As the gun fired, he felt his own life force sucked from his body. The cannon shuddered, the recoil of a powerful magical blast. The blast struck its target, setting barbarian longships ablaze. The remaining vessels turned and began fleeing the harbor.

Exhausted, Sebastian slumped to the ground.

 

[talien]

City Under Siege: Part 4c – Get Them Guns Blazin’!

Oppius stabbed one of the Inferno’s crew. “Do we have a plan to get off this ship or was this a suicide mission?”

Quintus skewered two men with his longspear. “Would it matter to you either way?”

“Not really,” said Oppius. “I was just curious if I was throwing my life away on the deck of this stupid ship.”

“Get down!” shouted Hervius from behind them.

They knew better than to ignore the sorcerer’s command. Lightning streaked over their heads, frying several of the advancing crewmembers. But more were coming.

“It’s done!” shouted Hervius. “But I used up too much energy…”

“What?” asked Oppius. “What does that mean?”

“It means I only have enough energy to perform one hop,” said Hervius, his features grim. “And there is no platform within distance for us to relocate.”

“Yes there is,” said Quintus. He pointed at the other airship, which was a few hundred feet away.

“That’ll do,” said Hervius. “Mundai ianua!”

They were suddenly in the hold of the Judgment of Nier.

A deafening explosion from the other ship caused the few crewmembers down below to run upstairs, ignoring the legionnaires who had just appeared in the far corner of the hold.

“Great,” said Oppius. “You just teleported us into the holding cell of the enemy.”

In the cell next to them was…

“Attalus?” said Quintus. “We just killed you.”

Attalus val’Virdan was in bad shape, slumped on the floor, with a bloody nose and black eyes. The crew had taken their frustrations out on him. “Doppelganger,” he coughed. “Ever since…the Battle of Semar.”

Tertius waved his hand over the lock to their cell and it opened. “We have to get out of here.”

“And do what, exactly?” asked Oppius. “Jump?”

Quintus gritted his teeth. “We have to land this ship. Hervius?”

Hervius shook his great maned head. “I’ve no more energy left.”

“Tertius?”

The horn blower bit his lip. “Not even enough to create a spark.”

“Then we’re screwed,” said Oppius. He drew both of his gladiuses. “I’m not going down without a fight.”

“There may be another way,” said Quintus. He pulled an amulet from out if his armor. It was the Mentagi.

“Attalus,” said Quintus. “You are val’Virdan. My bloodline is not nearly as pure as yours. Grasp this and remember your true heritage.”

Attalus grasped the Mentagi just as the crew above deck returned below to their duties. The first to discover their presence died with a warning still in his throat at Oppius’ gladius. The second died in the same fashion a second afterward.

But there were too many even for Oppius. A startled cry above them warned of intruders.

“Shield Attalus!” ordered Quintus. Sparkling motes of light wafted from the Mentagi crystal, engulfing Attalus.

The legionnaires joined in a protective huddle, shields at the ready, in front of the holding cell. The Judgment of Nier’s crew crept cautiously down the steps to investigate. Gaius Phillipus was the captain.

“Give up, Quintus,” said Gaius with a smirk. “You’re surrounded.”

Light pulsed from within the shield wall and then faded. Quintus slowly stepped out, lowering his shield and spear to the ground.

“I, QUINTUS AURELIUS VAL’EMMAN, CLAIM THIS SHIP IN THE NAME OF GENERAL MENISIS!” His speech finished, Quintus folded his arms.

There was a shocked pause. Then the crew burst out into laughter.

“That’s very funny,” said Gaius. “Fighting to the end, is it? Then I will give you an honorable death.” He drew his gladius and stalked towards Quintus.

The gap in the shield formation burst forth a sizzling gout of flames. The blast disintegrated Gaius, blasted through the three men behind him, and tore through the hull of the ship.

The shield wall separated, and the reborn Attalus val’Emman stood wreathed in flames.

“As the new captain of the Judgment of Nier,” Quintus shouted, “I order you to land this ship in Enpebyn!”

 

[talien]

Crisis in Freeport: Part 5 – Free Drak!

Beldin stood at the entrance to the Fortress of Justice, along with Commander Stern. With a barked command, the guards let them in.

Inside, two hundred and fifty citizens, mainly women and children, huddled together in the training area.

“Who’s in charge here?” demanded Commander Stern.

“I’m Sergeant Lassiter,” said a grizzled guardsman. With the death of Commissioner Williams at the hands of Price Rurbach, it had fallen to Lassiter to lead the Fortress until a suitable replacement could be found. “What’s the meaning of this?”

“You’ve got to let Drak go,” said Beldin. “Right now.”

“Are you mad? He’s a criminal!”

“He’s only guilty of wanting to be Sea Lord,” said Beldin. “And I can think of several other people who you should be arresting if that’s the case.”

“There are orcs on their way here,” said Stern more urgently. “And they’re going to storm these gates if we don’t do something.”

“Fine, fine,” said Lassiter. “But this is on your head.”

They jogged over to the Tombs, where only a solitary jailer and two guards were on watch.

“Open Drak’s cell,” snapped Lassiter. “We’re letting him out.”

“But sir!”

“Now, private!”

The guard complied. Drak Scarbelly hobbled out of his cell.

“Well, well, well, if tis’ not me old friend, Beldin Soulforge.” The orc pirate smiled with a mouthful of yellow teeth. “And what be th’ problem t’day?”

“Barbarians are attacking the city,” said Beldin.

Drak nodded. “So I heard. This all coulda been avoided if ye just gave me th’ sextant. Instead o’ trying to pass it off as evidence o’ that human brat’s lineage.”

“You’re not going to have a Freeport to rule over at this rate,” said Beldin.

“Give me th’ sextant, then.”

“I don’t have it,” said Beldin.

“Then I guess ye’ve got bigger problems.”

Beldin huffed. “If you don’t help us, humans AND orcs will die. All of us! This is Freeport’s last chance!”

Scarbelly looked him up and down with his good eye. “Then I’ll make ye a compromise. I want a guaranteed seat on th’ Council.”

“What?” said Lassiter. “You can’t possibly be considering…”

Beldin put one hand up. “We need to consider everything right now.”

“That’s madness,” said Stern. “From criminal to Councilman? The citizens of Freeport will never stand for it.”

“Citizens?” asked Drak. “There be a whole horde o’ them outside yer gates, and I don’t mean th’ barbarians. Treat th’ orcs like decent folk and ye’d be surprised what ye get back.” He turned back to Beldin. “Swear on Sarish and I’ll see what I can do.”

Beldin stroked his beard, deep in thought.

“Ye don’t exactly have a lot o’ time here,” said Drak impatiently.

Beldin nodded. “It is done then. I swear on Sarish that I will see that you get on the Council.” He cut his palm with a knife and Drak did likewise. They shook on it.

“Lead me t’ the top o’ the tower,” ordered Drak.

When they arrived with Drak at the gates to the Fortress of Justice, a sea of orcs had amassed outside, chanting his name and demanding Drak’s freedom.

Fires burned in many places, but the amber glow of the torch-wielding orcs was far more ominous. As Drak stepped onto the parapet overlooking his brethren, a ferocious roaring cheer filled the air: DRAK! DRAK! DRAK!

For a moment, Drak stood still, soaking up the sound of his people as if he was drawing energy from them. Raising his hands to quiet them, he began to speak. In the distance, the barbarian forces could be seen making their way towards the fortress.

“Our time has come, brothers! Tonight, we can show all th’ people o’ Freeport that we truly belong. We are not animals or only jackasses t’ carry their cargo! You came here to set me free, but it be these people ye see beside me that helped me to see what freedom truly be. The city we all call home is under attack. It’s time for us t’ prove that we want to be citizens of Freeport. We will show the whole world the strength and depth of orc honor. Come with me now, brothers! Gnash yer teeth and pound these invaders. Death to the barbarians. Death to the enemies of Freeport. Honor for the orcs!”

A roaring cheer went up from the orcs as Drak ended his speech. He turned to Beldin. “Come, me friends. It be time for us t’ bash skulls. Let’s meet ‘em head on!” Drak quickly moved down to the flight of stairs, readying his greataxe for the fighting to come.

“Finally,” grinned Beldin, right behind him, “I get to really bust some heads!”

 

[talien]

City Under Siege: Part 6a – The Battle Begins

Quintus stood at the side of General Menisis val’Tensen and Roderick val’Tensen, in a secret meeting between the lines of war. On the other side of the fire stood Adolphos val’Tensen, Lady Teodora val’Borda, and Vlad Martell. Between them stood Divelos Norvitecus, senior monk of the Blades of Hurrian.

“I have gathered you here to offer Precision to he who most deserves it,” said Divelos. “During this time of war, it was prophesized that the blade would be used by a val’Tensen. As per Hurrian’s will, I have brought it with me, here, to decide who shall wield it.” He held the sword before him in its scabbard, a delicately as a mother putting her baby to bed.

Vlad and Quintus exchanged uncomfortable glances. It was clear they were on opposite sides.

After a moment, Menisis spoke up. “I cannot accept this blade. Although my blood is pure, it is not mine to claim. And that is why I brought my Commander, Roderick.” He stepped back, bowing his head in deference to Roderick. “It is yours if you wish it.”

Divelos turned to face Roderick.

Roderick swallowed hard. His father’s gaze was cold; he betrayed no hint of emotion. Menisis’ choice of commanders was its own psychological victory.

“I…I cannot accept this. I will not.”

Menisis nodded but did not look upset. He had expected this.

“Then I offer it to you, Adolphos val’Tensen.“ Menisis offered the blade to Adolphos. “On the condition that you quit the field of battle and return home with your troops.”

Divelos addressed Adolphos. “Do you accept the seventh blade of Dar val’Assante on these terms?”

“I do,” snarled Adolphos. He jabbed a thumb towards himself. “But not on Menisis’ terms. It is I who am the rightful master of all val’Tensen.” He nodded to Vlad, who took the blade from Divelos and handed it to his liege.

Adolphos pulled the sword of the scabbard enough so that the blade reflected firelight in Menisis’ face. “I’ll see you on the battlefield, and then we can determine whom has the right to give terms to whom.”

Adolphos marched away. Vlad spared one backwards glance and followed him.

Menisis sighed. “That went well.”

 

[talien]

City Under Siege: Part 6b – The Battle Begins

After repulsing the attack on Freeport, the Captain’s Council demanded revenge. Emric Ossan-Drac, in his new role as Sea Lord, made his first declaration an act of war. Without delay, Freeport’s fleet set sail after the barbarians to hunt them down and punish them for daring to attack Freeport.

Admiral Rankin took charge of the situation, gathering a fleet of over fifty ships in just two hours. Captains Gordon, Roberts, Torian, and Varellion from the Council accompanied the fleet. Drak Scarbelly pledged two orc ships for the effort, including his own, the Bloody Vengeance.

Kham stood on the deck of his ship, the Divine Fury. The fastest of the fleet, they came upon the barbarian longships near sunset.

As dusk approached, a light fog spread out over the sea, reducing visibility. Through the vapor, the deep red disc of the sun hung low on the horizon. A half mile out, at the limit of vision through the haze, was the barbarian fleet. They began to turn to do battle.

“They are brave to meet their end in this way,” said Beldin. “We greatly outnumber them.”

“The seas will overflow with blood this night,” said Sebastian.

Sebastian took to the air. Beldin simply walked off the side of the deck. Held aloft by Cho Sun’s ring, he kept walking straight towards one of the longships.

“Prepare cannons!” shouted Kham.

“Preparing cannons!” responded his first mate. When they were ready, the first mate shouted. “Cannons ready!”

Sebastian’s tiny form was visible in the distance, raining flames down upon one of the ships. Beldin was sinking a longship with Cho Sun’s ring, a whirlpool churning beneath it.

“Fire!”

“Fire!” repeated the first mate.

The fusillade of cannonfire tore through another one of the longships. Against long-range fire, the barbarians were helpless. It was only a matter of time before they paid the ultimate price for their folly.

Sebastian and Beldin returned. “They must have been desperate indeed,” said Sebastian. “Victory is at hand.”

”Ships ahoy!” shouted the first mate.

Kham scanned the horizon, desperately looking for the new threat. At last he saw them. Moving quickly toward the Freeport ships was another fleet.

“Elorii warships,” said Kham. He recognized the sleek and fast ships.

“Reinforcements,” said Sebastian. “Finally, the orcs will see that the elorii are not their…” he looked up “…enemies.”

The sun, having risen in the morning sky, went out.

“ARROWS!” shouted Sebastian. “Get behind me!”

Thousands of arrows had been launched from the ships with perfect aim. They flew in a volley so thick that the sun itself was obscured.

The dark-kin spread his wings. “Incendiares globus!”

The fireball tore through the arrows, but it only served to turn them into flaming projectiles. Kham and Beldin, behind Sebastian, were protected from the volley as the arrows bounced off an invisible field. But all around them came shouts of agony and surprise. Not all of Kham’s crew was so lucky.

The other Freeport ships were caught by surprise. They wheeled about in the chaos, struggling to mount a counterattack.

“Reload cannons!”

Kham’s first mate was down, incapable of relaying commands. The Altherians were well disciplined, however, and jumped to do his bidding.

“Fire!”

The cannons fired again, tearing one of the graceful elven ships apart.

“If we can take out their lead ship, we may have a chance,” said Sebastian.

Kham pointed. “Head for that ship!”

“I’ll take care of the ship,” said Beldin. “You take care of the captain.” The dwarf walked off the deck and this time he didn’t surface.

As the ships closed, exchanging volleys of arrows and shot, Kham recognized the captain. “Sevestia,” he whispered. “And that’s her father, Xerxes!”

Sebastian flew into the air. “I’ll take out the wizard...” Dodging arrows, the dark-kin strafed the ship with flames, only to suddenly veer off. A shimmering blade was in pursuit.

An arrow whistled through the air and struck Kham in the thigh.

He swore. “Who shot that?”

Reaching for his spyglass, Kham focused on Sevestia. She had struck a nearly fatal blow despite the distance between them.

“Two can play that game.” Kham drew his pistol and took careful aim. His eyes flashed for a moment.

An explosion of crystals blasted from the pistol, tearing into the elorii captain. She shrieked and fell down. On the deck near Sevestia, her father turned in dismay.

“Take out the wizard!” Kham shouted to Sebastian as he flapped by.

“He’s too powerful!” Sebastian ducked as the glowing sword nearly decapitated him in midair.

Kham sighed. “Fine. I’ll handle it.” He focused and disappeared from the deck of the Divine Fury.

He reappeared seconds later in front of Sevestia’s corpse. The damage his crystals had inflicted on the woman was terrible indeed; her flesh was shredded and pulpy, and bones rent from her skin at odd angles.

Xerxes, towering over him, prepared to cast a spell.

“You see your daughter here?” snarled Kham. “She’s only dead. But I’ll be sure you never see her again.”

He concentrated and flashed out, reappearing in the hold of the Divine Fury along with Sevestia’s corpse.

Xerxes’ howl of rage was audible from below decks.

Kham gently lowered the corpse of Sevestia to the ground. “Well, that got his attention.”

A startled crewman looked from the corpse to Kham.

“Put her in a coffin. We’ll bury her at sea. But not now.”

Kham concentrated again and flashed into existence on the top deck.

The lead ship of the elven armada was turning towards the Divine Fury.

“I think he means to ram us,” said Kham with a smirk.

 

[talien]

City Under Siege: Part 6c – The Battle Begins

Enzo Ularaboo did not stand out amongst the crew on the barbarian longship, covered in skins and gaunt as a scarecrow. While most of the warriors stood head and shoulders above him, Enzo kept pace with his drum, beating a hypnotic rhythm that set the oars of the ship in motion. It was appropriate, he thought, given the task ahead of him.

Until the arrival of the elorii ships, the skohiir barbarians were filled with a desperate hope that they might escape. But Freeport was stubborn, and its armada’s galleons much faster than the longhships. The tcho-tchos who led the attack were non-plussed. Like Enzo, this was all part of the plan.

One of the tcho-tchos nodded to Enzo, smiling a mouth full of filed teeth. Enzo nodded back. That was the signal.

Enzo stopped drumming and lifted the horn of summoning, a weapon of immense power that he had spent every waking hour searching for since he fled Freeport that fateful day, hands behind his back and a bag over his head. Enzo was sure those fools who did that to him were out there. They would pay. They would all pay.

The tcho-tchos put down their oars and looked at him expectantly. Enzo’s chest swelled with pride; he had never had so many men look at him with such awe, even if they were short cannibalistic men.

Enzo blew the horn. Once, twice, three times.

Its three deep calls drowned out the sounds of battle. Time seemed to stop as all the combatants looked around them, unsettled by the thunderous noise.

The sea began to roil and splash violently.

“Rise!” shouted Enzo. “Rise Son of Leviathan, and free your master from R’lyeh’s tomb!”

A tall, dark tower of stone emerged from the seaweed-laden water. It spiked through the water and rose toward the sky, breaking apart Xerxes’ ship as it did so.

As the tower completed its rise to the surface, there was a loud splash, followed by a hideous, low-pitched bellow. They all turned to find the source.

It was a creature thought only a sailor’s nightmare or a bedtime story to scare young children. Impossibly huge, its gaping maw and deadly tentacles effortlessly destroyed a Freeport ship. Its great red eye turned towards the Divine Fury.

Enzo was ecstatic. It was finally happening, the return of Leviathan. Where the King in Yellow had abandoned him, Leviathan embraced him with dreams and hints and signs. And now, now he was his master’s greatest servant, achieving what none before him had ever succeeded in doing: summoning a god.