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So Shall Ye Reap - Part 5: Slaughter at the Docks
The storm whipped up, even more ferocious than before, drenching everyone and everything in its path. They were riding their horses hard, but it was nearly impossible to see through the thick veil of rain.
"We should be close!" Vlad shouted over the storm. His horse's flanks were drenched with sweat and its bit was covered in foam.
"There," Ilmarė shouted back, standing up in her stirrups, "I can see the docks!"
Just then her horse gave out as its legs collapsed from exhaustion. Ilmarė leapt from her mount and landed on her feet in the mud.
The other horses bucked wildly. Aurelius battled to keep his mount under control.
Vlad and Kham dismounted and took Aurelius' horse by the reins. "You don't ride much, do you?" Kham shouted.
"Legionnaires walk!" Aurelius replied as he clumsily dismounted. "And I guess we're walking from here!"
There was a terrific explosion as a ball of fire billowed at the docks. A great mushroom cloud of smoke spread out like a dread halo over the carnage.
"I think we better run," said Vlad as he picked up the pace. Debris began to pelt them.
Kham easily lapped Aurelius. "You know," he said as he passed, "you might be able to move faster if you didn't carry that ridiculous shield."
"The scutum is a critical part of legionnaire warfare!" Aurelius said, shrugging the shield off of his shoulders. "As is the signum!" He shook the three parts of the spear in his fist at Kham.
Before he could come up with a retort, an ear landed on Kham's overcoat. "Gods!" he shouted, swatting the ear off of him.
They skidded onto a scene of complete destruction. Standing in a blackened charred ring was a squat, brute of a man, dressed in leather. He had a Milandisian woman by the hair in one hand. His free hand smoldered with arcane flames.
More disturbing was the still smoking circle of bodies and body parts. All of them were blown backwards, some slumped up against charred buildings. They had seen the Harvester's handiwork before.
"More of you?" the Harvester snarled. "Why is this whelp so important to be worth these many lives?"
"Let the girl go!" shouted Aurelius, screwing in the last part of his signum.
Kham ducked down behind some crates as Ilmarė stood at the entry to the dock. There was nowhere for the Harvester to go.
Vlad unsheathed his sword and unbuckled his shield. Aurelius stood at his side.
"Let her go? Fine!" With a rapid, practiced motion, the Harvester bit into the woman's neck with his teeth and slurped from the gushing wound. He tossed her aside like a spent wine jug, smiling through bloodstained teeth.
"Gods!" shouted Vlad in horror. He paused in shock at the sight. Aurelius turned ashen faced.
"Come on then," the Harvester sneered. "Let's finish this!"
Aurelius and Vlad crouched, slowly advancing on the Harvester.
From behind them, what was first a whisper rose in volume until it could not be ignored. It was the most beautiful sounds anyone of the three men had ever heard.
"Naur vi cair." The music came from Ilmarė, her arms outstretched, singing with all her might into the very storm itself.
The Harvester laughed. "You're going to kill me with music? Well, I've got no song, but I do have something you can dance to! Acidus sagitta!"
A shrieking green bolt of energy thudded into Vlad's shield. The front of the shield began to bubble and hiss.
"lanc i dalaf." Ilmarė sang of the horrors the Harvester had wrought.
"We have to press him, but not yet." Aurelius said to Vlad. "Kham!" he shouted over his shoulder, "shoot him!"
"Mathach vi geven?" Although they did not understand the question in Ilmarė's song, they understood. They could feel it in the earth.
Kham was frozen, transfixed. Tears were in his eyes. It was the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard. He wanted to tear his breast and weep for the agonies that had been inflicted on so many innocent people; he wanted to rage at the man who had caused so much pain; he wanted to-
"Nostach vi 'wilith?" Ilmarė was singing of the air.
Kham blinked. He had to focus. He leaned forward, aiming one of the handgonnes at the Harvester.
He flipped the catch on his handgone. There was a loud retort, but the blast was muted in the torrential downpour and Ilmarė's song. Vlad watched in horror as the bullet sparked inches away from the Harvester and dropped, smoking, to the ground.
The Harvester squinted in Kham's direction. "I can do better than that, Altherian. Magicus telum!"
Three blue bolts of crackling energy snaked their way outwards, slicing through shield and armor. Aurelius and Vlad groaned as each found their mark.
Kham realized the third was taking, a long, lazy route towards him. He ducked down, but the bolt went right through the crates and struck him in the chest.
"Máb le i nagor," sang Ilmarė. The war was upon them.
Vlad suddenly felt renewed energy course through his veins. Gone was the fear and disgust of the Harvester. Gone were concerns about the rain and his drenched armor. He was focused on but one single purpose: to kill the man before him.
Vlad stood up straight and began advancing on the Harvester.
"What are you doing?" Aurelius said.
The Harvester uncorked a potion with one hand and gulped it down, the red liquid spilling around his lips.
"I'm going to kill him," said Vlad.
"Bád gurth vi ngalad firiel," sang Ilmarė. Death moved in the fading light. Vlad couldn't help but notice that the sun was setting below the sea.
The Harvester took a deep breath.
"You're going to get yourself killed!" Aurelius shouted back.
The Harvester exhaled a gout of flames just as Aurelius dove in front of Vlad. Tongues of fire licked around the scutum, barely shielding both men from the fire.
"Dagrathach go hain?" Ilmarė's song asked if they would join the fight.
"Yes!" Vlad shouted as he charged the Harvester.
The Harvester's eyes widened with fear. There was no time to cast another spell. He struggled to reach for his short sword, but it was too late.
The first blow struck him in the chest, slicing through his magical defense with a shower of sparks. The second cut his upturned arm in a futile effort to defend himself.
With a mighty roar, Vlad beheaded the man in one blow. The Harvester's head bounced once off the dock and tumbled into the sea.
Just then, the rain faded to a drizzle.
Ilmarė walked up to Vlad. Tears streaked his face. He was shivering with fatigue from the emotions stirred by her song.
She put one palm on his shoulder, the other facing the heavens. The precipitation had stopped completely.
"Osalian is pleased," was all she said.
Aurelius joined them. At the end of the pier, something shimmered. An ominous looking ship with a sleek, black-varnished hull faded into view. On its sail were written the words "The Ravager."
Aurelius stepped on board, spear raised high. He ducked into the top deck.
After a moment, he emerged with Cassicus, bound, gagged, and unconscious in his arms.
"He's alive," he said, laying him gently on the dock. "Thank Illiir!"
One trembling hand struggled for purchase over the crates. "Uh…" croaked Kham, clutching his chest with the other hand. "You know, I'm not dead either. A little help?"
The storm whipped up, even more ferocious than before, drenching everyone and everything in its path. They were riding their horses hard, but it was nearly impossible to see through the thick veil of rain.
"We should be close!" Vlad shouted over the storm. His horse's flanks were drenched with sweat and its bit was covered in foam.
"There," Ilmarė shouted back, standing up in her stirrups, "I can see the docks!"
Just then her horse gave out as its legs collapsed from exhaustion. Ilmarė leapt from her mount and landed on her feet in the mud.
The other horses bucked wildly. Aurelius battled to keep his mount under control.
Vlad and Kham dismounted and took Aurelius' horse by the reins. "You don't ride much, do you?" Kham shouted.
"Legionnaires walk!" Aurelius replied as he clumsily dismounted. "And I guess we're walking from here!"
There was a terrific explosion as a ball of fire billowed at the docks. A great mushroom cloud of smoke spread out like a dread halo over the carnage.
"I think we better run," said Vlad as he picked up the pace. Debris began to pelt them.
Kham easily lapped Aurelius. "You know," he said as he passed, "you might be able to move faster if you didn't carry that ridiculous shield."
"The scutum is a critical part of legionnaire warfare!" Aurelius said, shrugging the shield off of his shoulders. "As is the signum!" He shook the three parts of the spear in his fist at Kham.
Before he could come up with a retort, an ear landed on Kham's overcoat. "Gods!" he shouted, swatting the ear off of him.
They skidded onto a scene of complete destruction. Standing in a blackened charred ring was a squat, brute of a man, dressed in leather. He had a Milandisian woman by the hair in one hand. His free hand smoldered with arcane flames.
More disturbing was the still smoking circle of bodies and body parts. All of them were blown backwards, some slumped up against charred buildings. They had seen the Harvester's handiwork before.
"More of you?" the Harvester snarled. "Why is this whelp so important to be worth these many lives?"
"Let the girl go!" shouted Aurelius, screwing in the last part of his signum.
Kham ducked down behind some crates as Ilmarė stood at the entry to the dock. There was nowhere for the Harvester to go.
Vlad unsheathed his sword and unbuckled his shield. Aurelius stood at his side.
"Let her go? Fine!" With a rapid, practiced motion, the Harvester bit into the woman's neck with his teeth and slurped from the gushing wound. He tossed her aside like a spent wine jug, smiling through bloodstained teeth.
"Gods!" shouted Vlad in horror. He paused in shock at the sight. Aurelius turned ashen faced.
"Come on then," the Harvester sneered. "Let's finish this!"
Aurelius and Vlad crouched, slowly advancing on the Harvester.
From behind them, what was first a whisper rose in volume until it could not be ignored. It was the most beautiful sounds anyone of the three men had ever heard.
"Naur vi cair." The music came from Ilmarė, her arms outstretched, singing with all her might into the very storm itself.
The Harvester laughed. "You're going to kill me with music? Well, I've got no song, but I do have something you can dance to! Acidus sagitta!"
A shrieking green bolt of energy thudded into Vlad's shield. The front of the shield began to bubble and hiss.
"lanc i dalaf." Ilmarė sang of the horrors the Harvester had wrought.
"We have to press him, but not yet." Aurelius said to Vlad. "Kham!" he shouted over his shoulder, "shoot him!"
"Mathach vi geven?" Although they did not understand the question in Ilmarė's song, they understood. They could feel it in the earth.
Kham was frozen, transfixed. Tears were in his eyes. It was the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard. He wanted to tear his breast and weep for the agonies that had been inflicted on so many innocent people; he wanted to rage at the man who had caused so much pain; he wanted to-
"Nostach vi 'wilith?" Ilmarė was singing of the air.
Kham blinked. He had to focus. He leaned forward, aiming one of the handgonnes at the Harvester.
He flipped the catch on his handgone. There was a loud retort, but the blast was muted in the torrential downpour and Ilmarė's song. Vlad watched in horror as the bullet sparked inches away from the Harvester and dropped, smoking, to the ground.
The Harvester squinted in Kham's direction. "I can do better than that, Altherian. Magicus telum!"
Three blue bolts of crackling energy snaked their way outwards, slicing through shield and armor. Aurelius and Vlad groaned as each found their mark.
Kham realized the third was taking, a long, lazy route towards him. He ducked down, but the bolt went right through the crates and struck him in the chest.
"Máb le i nagor," sang Ilmarė. The war was upon them.
Vlad suddenly felt renewed energy course through his veins. Gone was the fear and disgust of the Harvester. Gone were concerns about the rain and his drenched armor. He was focused on but one single purpose: to kill the man before him.
Vlad stood up straight and began advancing on the Harvester.
"What are you doing?" Aurelius said.
The Harvester uncorked a potion with one hand and gulped it down, the red liquid spilling around his lips.
"I'm going to kill him," said Vlad.
"Bád gurth vi ngalad firiel," sang Ilmarė. Death moved in the fading light. Vlad couldn't help but notice that the sun was setting below the sea.
The Harvester took a deep breath.
"You're going to get yourself killed!" Aurelius shouted back.
The Harvester exhaled a gout of flames just as Aurelius dove in front of Vlad. Tongues of fire licked around the scutum, barely shielding both men from the fire.
"Dagrathach go hain?" Ilmarė's song asked if they would join the fight.
"Yes!" Vlad shouted as he charged the Harvester.
The Harvester's eyes widened with fear. There was no time to cast another spell. He struggled to reach for his short sword, but it was too late.
The first blow struck him in the chest, slicing through his magical defense with a shower of sparks. The second cut his upturned arm in a futile effort to defend himself.
With a mighty roar, Vlad beheaded the man in one blow. The Harvester's head bounced once off the dock and tumbled into the sea.
Just then, the rain faded to a drizzle.
Ilmarė walked up to Vlad. Tears streaked his face. He was shivering with fatigue from the emotions stirred by her song.
She put one palm on his shoulder, the other facing the heavens. The precipitation had stopped completely.
"Osalian is pleased," was all she said.
Aurelius joined them. At the end of the pier, something shimmered. An ominous looking ship with a sleek, black-varnished hull faded into view. On its sail were written the words "The Ravager."
Aurelius stepped on board, spear raised high. He ducked into the top deck.
After a moment, he emerged with Cassicus, bound, gagged, and unconscious in his arms.
"He's alive," he said, laying him gently on the dock. "Thank Illiir!"
One trembling hand struggled for purchase over the crates. "Uh…" croaked Kham, clutching his chest with the other hand. "You know, I'm not dead either. A little help?"
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