Land Travels - Part 5, From the Beyond

Razulah had set out the small boat and watched as his friend and Captain was pulled by the current out to sea. Something eerie and sinister was at work here. Boris had never been so careless in all their travels and had always found a way to cheat and defy death. The pirate flags were at half mast and a storm was brewing not far from shore.

The voice from beyond was clear.

"We have succeeded and this obstacle in our path is gone. Now the power of darkness will rule Novia without any further delays. The continent is ours with Captain Mondragon dead".

Echoes of laughter from pure evil were heard in the entire city of Serenite.

Razulah knew it was far from over even if these voices taunted him. He had all he needed ready and at the midnight hour lit the seven candles in a circle. Inside the circle was the cauldron that had belonged to Boris and now it was time for dark magic unknown to this realm to be set in motion. This was primal magic and he was the one entrusted to wield it in this extreme case.

He read the incantations as required in order to attract the deities that protected Boris while in this realm.

"Goddess of the Sea, ye are his mother and led him on this purpose for living from the Old Brittannia to this new land with a mission to complete. His work here is not done as many followers of pure evil still plan to enslave our people. Lord of the seven lightning bolts" ye who deals out justice, your son has been betrayed, give him the opportunity for vengeance upon those that wronged him".

The animals were sacrificed at the end of this and other incantations that could not be but whispered as others could not fathom the power of these words when spoken in this meticulous and precise sequence. The true primal magic was about to be unleashed on Novia. There is Light and there is Dark, somewhere in the middle walks Boris Mondragon.

Thunder and Lightning surrounded the small boat barely visible from the shore. Seven lightning bolts crashed the ocean and a luminous essence engulfed it. Something was happening in the waters near Serenite.

 

He saw his body down below on the boat, the cry of the sirenes trying to bring him back to this realm. He felt his heart beat from above as the limp body of the pirate fought between life and death.

The scene shifted suddenly and he stood in a great hall. To his right there was pure light and white rays shot towards his spirit essence. To the left was a power so dark that lured him without mercy. Both seemed to speak at him simultaneously.

Come my son, ye were born of light and to light you must come. This is your calling and your destiny.

Come my dark knight. Ye were born from chaos and chaos welcomes you back home.

He saw the inner battle between both extremes yet knew he was neither. He was Boris Mondragon and he walked between both powers without a master and would for all eternity.

The last call was far more subtle. Come to me Boris, I have an offer for you. I do not think you were due and still have much to do back in the Novian realm.

"Who are you, show your face". He was being tempted by that woman's voice. The red fog cleared and the voluptuous woman walked towards him with a seductive and provocative sway of her hips.

He was being teased by this unearthly creature and she knew what would move him. Caramel skin, blonde hair and emerald eyes. Her voice sent chills through his essence. He had never felt anything like this before.

"Do not pay attention to either the light nor darkness. Let them fight their petty battles and not realize they need each other to exist. Ye walks the middle road with no master like me. I am Assana the red goddesss. I can grant your return to take care of the unfinished business back in Novia. But there is a test first before you regain your complete humanity. The Cabalist that poisoned ye with his daggers did not act alone. There is treachery within the pirates that helped ye defeat the cabalist and will lead the cabalist to further treachery. Ye will return as a wraith to obtain your vengeance. Only upon the discovery and destruction of both the cabalist who poisoned you and his spy will ye have your human form again. Now go and seek your vengeance".

Boris felt his body pull his spirit back in a jolt. Assana's parting words were fresh on his mind along with one last bit of advice..

"Learn all the magic schools and once accomplished ye will be able to weild the primal magic from which they all were born. That is the secret to defeat the Cabalist Lord."

 

The storm lashed against Serenite harbor with fury. Many trees where ripped out and thrown about. The ships in harbor barely survived yet an eerie glow covered the "Dragon". Dark forces were at work here and a boat capsized near the docks. A tall familiar figure stood up and walked onshore. From the looks of him you would think it was Captain Boris Mondragon but it was something else in this familiar body that now moved with the deliberation and grace of a large feline. This was a dark spirit from the beyond sent on a mission of vengeance.

Razulah ran to the shore and looked at his Captain with a smile. Then the smile faded and the dark man turned pale. He looked at a man with ashen features and whose green eyes now had a black hollow look like death itself.

"Eshu, a dark spirit from the beyond, how dare ye inhabit the body of my Captain. I will cast ye out as ye are not of this world nor belong here".

With sudden quickness and great force, this dark creature grabbed Razulah and tossed him to the sand.

"Get the dark mage and the Duke. Tell him Sarabanda is here to avenge Boris Mondragon. Be quick, Boris is still alive but barely and will not be alive long unless I avenge the treachery done upon him".

The pale and now bruised Razulah ran towards the Duke's castle like a man possessed. He had only seen Sarabanda manifest himself once before in his youth and what that entitiy left behind was a path of death and destruction. He knocked over the castle guards and knocked on the Duke's door in a frenzy.

"Duke William, come at once, bring Magnus with you. The wielder of Primal magic Sarabanda is here to avenge the Captain. Hurry before this dark wraith destroys everything here".

 

William was tending to his garden, "its the most beautiful place on earth" William thought to himself. He spends countless hours tending to it, the smell of roses and flowers hits you as you walk up the ramparts.

As the guard scurries towards William, he listens as he tends to his garden. Sire, Razulah said there is an emergency at the dock and to bring the Arch Magus with you. Well Magnus is in his keep as always send him to the pier at once. William looked at the water and noticed Boris ship tore into his dock when it docked. Immediately he sensed a problem, Boris loved that ship with every fiber in his body he thought to himself. William yells "guards with me to the pier and bring my Kings Guard."

A minion of ten guards accompanied William along with his Kings Guard. Serenite Legionaires all wear Obsidian plate and march in uniform with Shield bearing house heraldry. As William approached the dock with Magnus, they noticed Razulah and Boris in a heated exchange of words.

"Gentlemen what is the problem?" says William.

 

The wraith possessing Boris' body looked at William Serenite for a second contemplating a quick beheading of this man with the arrogant tone then looked again and saw the amulet around his neck. It held a bond with the one possessed by this man and the wraith recognized it immediately. He nodded briefly at William then sat down as instructed by Razulah. The wraith had to be prepared for his mission of vengeance and Razulah was the one to do it.

The long mat in which the wraith sat was marked with a white chalk and many symbols where being drawn on the mat all around the wraith. These were signs that held power and would harness the energy required for what was about to be unleashed. The symbols were also marked in this white substance similar to chalk called "cascarilla" in the old tongue and in primal magic circles. Razulah marked two even lines with an "x' in the middle on each arm of the wraith and said words of incantation. William stood there perplexed at what he was looking at yet his personal guard nodded in agreement.

Lightning bolts struck all around the area of this incantation and those gathered there. The wraith howled to the night sky in approval and his black eyes shone a brilliant blood red. He knew he was ready for the hunt and Razulah brought out his seashells which he tossed onto the long mat. The symbols came up. Ellila Melli Razulah spoke in a whisper as that was a strong sign of fire and devastation. He turned to William.

"Duke William I must lead this creature to where the poisoning and treachery took place. We must head to Dragomir and look for clues there. Are you coming? This sign also speaks of a rebirth, mayhaps once the vengeance is completred our Captain may return from his near death state. What you see here is a dark spirit possessing his body yet his soul has not completely detached from the Captain".

 

William looked long and hard at the wraith, it was an intense stare. Trying to find Boris inside this wraith, looking for a sign that there is hope for his friend.

William says to Razulah, "My kingdom is at your service, for Boris can not perish like this. There is a reason the Gods brought us together, and our work is far from done." William looks at Magnus as he nods.

"Well then, lets bring this minion of knights and my Kings Guard." William whispers to the Kings Guard to keep an eye on the wraith, but not to harm it.

 

Boris, my dear friend, I must write to you even though I know not yet if you are dead or alive. It hurts my very soul to think about what has happened to you. I must tell you that Orta is taking your death quit hard and I am driven mad with hearing shrieking and crying like a banshee coming from Orta each day and each night. I decided to follow as she had started roaming the woods in Dragomir Mori as if she were looking for something or someone. This is the strange part of her actions. This is the actions that has caused my blood to turn cold. While Orta was almost bewitched with her wailing and searching she suddenly stopped searching and fell to the ground and wailed even louder. I thought the dead would be risen with the noise! Once she stopped searching and fell to the ground she quickly rose up and ran like your Blue Dragon can fly...as fast as the wind would take her.
I, then, ran to this grassy spot where I saw her fall. There the grass, the entire area, was completely black and from the area going out in streaks was blood and what looked like poison. My friend, this is the area where during the Pirate and Cabolist battle you were first stabbed. You continued to fight for that is your destiny and the last I saw of you you were far out into the sea near the shores of Dragomir Mori.

My white raven, Snow, has arrived at my window just in time to carry this message to your ship. We must find the answers to this mystery for it seems then we will know if you are dead or alive.

Fly Swiftly Snow!

 

The hunting party was assembled and prepared their supplies on the "Dragon". There was an ethereal fog about the ship yet no sign of fog in the rest of the harbor nor city of Serenite. It was as this had become a ghost ship due to the presence f the wraith.

Razulah had the crew work non-stop while keeping an eye on the wraith. The creature had stood at the front part of the ship looking towards the sea. It would not speak yet mumble words in an unknown language at night as if talking to the dark gods.

Marak the blue dragon landed next to the wraith and looked at it not realizing it was not Boris, needless to say him and the wraith did not get along at all. Razulah ran quickly to the scene before disaster set it. The wraith bore its swords toward the dragon which snarled as it reared on its rear legs in a menacing stance. Razulah looked at the wraith and had him back off with hand signals. He then took the dragon's snouth and patted it gently whispering in its ear. "This is not Boris, its an abomination sent to avenge him. Steer clear of him and guide us to Dragomir once we are ready."

William was also restless, this scene looked more like it came out of a nightmare than reality yet it was real and must move forward to the inevitable ending between a wraith sent from the beyond and a cabalist. Willilam's personal guard was the only one that would go near the wraith from time to time. It seemed some sort of a bond had been formed by these two creatures of darkness.

Suddenly a white raven landed on the deck with a note tied around its leg. Razulah read the note and passed it to William. They both looked at each other and knew they had to move swiftly as now they had a clue to follow. Razulah wrote the note to Lady Catherine.

"My dear Lady Catherine. the news are not good. We believe Boris is still alive but not in this realm and we have a wraith who took over his body. This is an act of revenge from the beyond that we are going to witness. Prepare Dragomir for we will stop there and continue on to where the clues lead. Keep an eye on Orta as we must question her upon our arrival." Razulah then handed the note to William. "Duke William do you care to add anything to this note before we send it back to Lady Catherine ?"

 

Duke William looked at Razulah and his response was quick and decisive.

"Nay Razulah, I will speak to Lady Catherine upon our arrival. I do not like the looks of the wraith and do not have good vibes about this trip yet we must proceed and take this to its ending whatever that may be".

Razulah nodded back at the Duke. He looked around and noticed there was nay a person who was familiar with steering this eerie ghostlike ship. He looked at the wraith who seemed to enter a trancelike state uttering unintelligible sounds toward the dark sky in a language unheard of before. He took the eggshell powder and made the markings first on his arms and then near where the wraith stood. He looked above and saw Marak the blue dragon circling then heading towards Dragomir and knew it was time to sail. He gave the orders to the crew to untie the mooring ropes. He would let the gods themselves steer the ghost ship into hell itself if necessary.

It was a sight to behold. A ghostlike ship without a helmsman slowly backed out of Serenite bay and headed out following the blue dragon.

 

Rentier ,
As a resident of Dragomir Mori you may have become aware of the possible death of Boris Mondragon. Because you live on the edge of town in your secluded camp you may notice clues as to whether Boris is still alive. There has been word from Rezulah that there have been witnesses that a dark Wraith has seeming taken over Boris's body. This Wraith has not spoken a clear or audible word as yet. Rezulah has requested an eye be kept on the Wraith and that no harm should come to it.

Orta, a former high pristess of a Cabalist has been in Dragomir Mori since the last battle for she thinks that Boris is dead. However, she recently found a large patch of very dark grass near your camp. I was following her due to her wailing and strange behavior. I saw the dark area and what looked like blood and poison running like evil fingers from the darkened area.

I sent Snow, my white raven, to Boris's ship with a message for Boris in the hopes that this newest clue will lead to more clues as to whether Boris is dead or alive. Please search all the expanse of your area for any additional clues and notify Rezulah of your findings as quickly as you can once you arrive back home in Dragomir Mori.

You are welcome to use my white raven,Snow, in order to take any information to Rezulah that you may find. She knows the way and will fly swiftly.

Duchess CatherineRose

 

Something isn't right. A Ghost ship, a wraith and a lot of questions. William looks at the wraith. Magnus is close to William and seems to have been pacing about the last hour in thought with his smoking pipe in hand. He walks over to William and says, this wraith seems to have been created the same way that your guard was. It has a mission just like your guard. If it completes the mission the soul is then released to finally rest.

William looks at Magnus and says, you mean he is going to die? Magnus looks at William, well not if I can help it. Magnus reaches into a pouch which seemed small only his entire arm fit into it easily and pulls a big book from it with iron clad seals. It bears the heraldy of the Obsidians who lived in Desolis long ago. Magnus utters a spell and the books seals unlock. He then starts to read as he smokes his pipe.

 

I am so bemused and cannot quiet my thoughts. My body seems to moved from one part of my castle to the other yet there is no stillness.

Should I contact Razulah again with this uneasiness and dread I am so consumed with that there is no rest? There is no peace. I keep looking to the sea for any sight that Razulah will send word that the Wraith has gone and that Boris is alive and will again be guiding his ship on his mission of riding our land of the Cabalist. If only this time would pass quickly. I contacted Rentier to be looking for more clues as to who may have killed our Boris. Hopefully she has found more and has sent Snow on her way to Razulah with that information. Hopefully Razulah has contacted Duke William and we will receive word soon.

Be still my heart!

 

Me, Rentier, never got visited before by the snow white raven, the messenger of my Duchess, so seeing it approaching me startled and surprised me very much.
"There must be something terribly wrong at home, if the duchess sends her trusted messenger to me, a lowly hunter..."

Reading through the letter my speculations what happened at home come to an end, my thoughts roaring to the possibilities what could have caused that strange patch and the whereabouts of the grand pirates soul.

Then i quickly wrote my response, because the raven got somewhat restless out here in the wilderness and i think it may not be comfortable in thesse deep dark woods and his shiny white appearance so in contrast with the dark greens and browns of the thick maple and pine trees.

'Dear Catherine, duchess of my new homelands,

I have heard some rumors about a fight at Dragomirs harbour and that the leading defending pirate has vanished after succesfully expelling the attacking cabalist from our main town.
I am thankful to still have you in charge of the town.
I am in deep dept to you for letting my tribe live and prosper at the old ruins at the outskirts of your town, so i will gladly go out there and search the area you mentioned.
in eternal thanks
Your faithful hunter
Rentier'

pinning the scroll to the raven, it swiftly rose and started to climb the skys, where it belongs.

As soon as the raven vanished out of my sights, I started packing my gear, calling for my beloved wet elemental from her eternal whereabouts
"Please dear one, can you AND your never showing companions advance to our homecamp and search the perimeter for anything unusual at that place? ....Yes I know, the ruins there are very unusual to still have that not quite magical aura you always seem to avoid, BUT i need you to get to the blackened patch of earth and search there... not the ruins... and please be careful, there seem to be strange things involved here, not to forget the cabalists....yes of course, after this search is concluded I will visit the place we met for the first time... thanks my dear"

the water elemantal seems not amused at the mentioning of the cabalists involvement but she still has a grudge against them and me and my tribe still have some payback to do...

the elemantal vanished in pursuit of her task and i finished packing, heading home

 

This ship with its ghostly appearance sailed onwards. It seemed as if a ghost steered it following Marak the blue dragon who led the way from the night skies. Razulah kept his eyes on the wraith and approached it slowly. He spoke to it in tongues unknown to the Novian residents. He placed the ancient signs on his arms with the eggshell powder and also drew two powerful signs on the front deck behind the wraith.

"Gods of primal magic, ye unknown to but a few allow the mind of Captain Mondragon to take his body back but for a few minutes so his body can be nourished and his wounds tended".

The bolts of lightning struck the water near the ghostly ship and the wraith collapsed momentarily. The body stood slowly and Razulah recognized his friend.

"Captain let me give you food and drink and tend your wounds. We must keep your body alive even if the wraith will have control in a few minutes"

"Razulah, bring William over quickly and give me food and rum. I must talk to him".

Boris looked over to William who was white as a sheet from what he witnessed. He motioned him over while Razulah gave him food and rum and tended his wounds with his special salve.

'Brother, I know you and the sea do not mix well but you must steer the ship. Just let Marak lead ye from above and have the crew ready. There is an obsidian Flagship ahead with two smaller sloops and they will engage us soon"

The wounds were tended and Boris ate ravenously, he took the last swig from the rum bottle and winked at William.

"Brother what happened to me had to happen. This is a test of trust and I must trust you with my ship, my crew and to allow the wraith to exact vengeance on whomever was involved in my poisoning".

As he finished those last words his body collapsed and again the lightning crackled in the dark skies. The wraith stood and brandished both swords. He snarled into the night skies. His killing frenzy and vengeance was about to begin.

 

William is literally shaking in his boots when the wraith spoke to him. Magnus spoke briefly to William, "We don't have much time his body is deteriorating. If my magic is to work we need to act fast."

William quickly grabbed the helm of the ship and as soon as he looked over the horizon he started feeling dizzy again. The waves went up and down and so did everything in his stomach. William seems to not like the sea much.

As he keeled over the edge of the ship to vomit Razulah sent off the raven with the note attached for the Duchess of Dragomir. William grabbed his flask from his coat an emptied it in one thirsty gulp, its the only thing that helps calm his nerves when he gets like this. Desperate for answers for his friend he braves on despite his seasickness.

 

Magnus pats William on the back as the Duke leans over the leeward side of the Dragon to expel whatever bile was left inside him. The choppy waters seemed to be doing their best to hamper William's efforts, Magnus thought.

"That's it," Magnus mutters to himself.

"Buagh." William struggles to pull himself up from over the side and slowly kneels on the deck as he tries to respond. "What's that, Magnus?"

"You have been given charge of the Dragon, and something is trying to prevent you from continuing. And it is doing a very good job at that!"

William looks up at Magnus with a perplexed look on his pale face. Wiping his mouth he clenches his fist and garners strength to pound the deck in frustration.

Opening the Obsidian book that he found in Desolis, Magnus quickly flips through the pages looking for something that caught his eye earlier. "This is an Obsidian spell, I am almost certain of it. Here, look..." Magnus stands to show Razulah a page from the book.

"I do not understand this language," Razulah responds while looking at the strange writing on the page.

"Of course not, but look at the images here," Magnus points to a drawing of a maelstrom in open waters. "Someone has cast a spell in these waters to slow our progress, I am sure of it. If I am right, we must figure out a way to either negate the spell..."

Razulah interrupts, "...our counter it."

"Yes. A counter spell!" Magnus, ignoring William and Razulah, continues flipping through the pages of the book. "Here!" He points to an image of calm waters and shows Razulah. A fading bolt of lightning appears to have struck the water, and appears to be receding into the sky above the water in the image. Magnus closes the book and, in a low voice, begins repeating a spell in the language of the Obsidians.

Nothing happens. Magnus continues to chant as Razulah looks on. William, his eyes closed, begins to stand. He opens his eyes, stands next to Magnus and places his hand on Magnus' shoulder, half to support himself, half to support Magnus. Still nothing.

Razulah, in an effort to lend his power to Magnus, begins his own incantation. He stretches out his arms toward Magnus, as if infusing him with the power of Primal Magic.

William squeezes Magnus' shoulder and whispers, "Come on, brother..."

A low rumble is heard above the Dragon in the sky. Merak can be heard roaring above as he turns toward the Dragon. The rumbling sound gets louder. Merak swoops down and circles the ship slowly. Crackling is heard above as some of the members of the Dragon's crew stare up into the sky.

A blinding flash of light strikes the waters off the starboard side, causing everyone to shield their eyes. Merak spreads his wings to halt his flight, hovers, and turns his head away from the flash. In an instant a loud and cascading explosive and thunderous sound causes the deck of the Dragon to shutter.

Magnus falls to his knees then slowly slumps to the deck.

"You, there," William shouts to a deck hand, "come help me move his body."

Razulah stops chanting and looks down at Magnus as William and the deck hand move him and place him on several sandbags near the mast. William raises Magnus' head as he grabs a flask of water from Razulah's outstretched hand. William pours water into Magnus' mouth.

"His condition worries me, Duke." Razulah looks to William. Razulah walks to the edge of the deck and looks out at the water. "His spell appears to have worked, the water is calming."

"I can tell," William looks relived. He continues, "Magnus is the only one I know who may be able to help Boris, Razulah. But I, too, worry that the strain may harm him irreparably. What if in my quest to bring Boris back I cause Magnus to suffer great harm?"

"I won't let that happen," Magnus says as he slowly blinks his eyes to open them fully. He looks up and smiles at William.

 

SEND the PIRATES! Send your mates. Send all who can wield a sword!!!

Razulah, I send you this urgent message. Please, where ever you may be at this moment there is no time left to plan how we must proceed. My guards have reported that they have spotted the Obsidian Flagship and it's two smaller sloops following it heading toward Serenite. The time has come for an attack to be made on the sloops. I will attack from behind the sloops so you may be able to engage the Obsidian flagship and prevent her from gaining access to Serenite. She must not make it to Duke William's shores for until we know whether our Boris is alive or whether the Wraith has won the battle against his body the shores of Serenite must be kept secure.
Duchess CatherineRose
Governor of Dragomir Mori

I have had a strange dream over and over these past three nights. The dream has been mixed with seeing the face of a woman telling Boris as he descended into a dark place to make sure he and his mates,Razulah and Magnus learn all the magic schools for that is the secret to defeating the Cabalist Lord. The dream continues as if in a fog with some kind of understanding. I wake with such a dread yet when sleep overtakes me again I dream that one of our own pirates may have been the one who poisoned our Boris along with the Cabalist. In the fog understanding seems to come that the Cabalist and the traitor Pirate must have their heads removed. Again I awaken in dread that can not be shaken. Terrible storms are raging with lightening I never seen before each of these three nights. These dreams have been made worse since finding the large, dark patch of grass in Dragomir where the last Pirate and Cabalist battle was and Boris was stabbed and may have lost his life. One of Dragomir Mori's citizens, Rentier, has started searching for any other clues as to the idenities of those who poisoned Boris.

My ships captains report that two Obsidian ships have now been spotted in front of the Obsidian Flagship which is about to round the jutout just past Westend. This is the most trecherous point before Dragomir Mori and then on over to Serenite. If she makes it to Dragomir Mori without being stopped she will have nothing in her way and will make it easily to Serenite.
My ships will distract her and slow the arrival of the Obsidian flagship. My ships have begun the attack at this moment on the two sloops. No one will survive. I have contacted the other citites who joined Boris several years ago in agreeing to work together to stop the slaughter of our children and our citizens from the fate the Obsidians are bringing on our land. Their ships are beginning to arrive as well as archers that line the shores but hidden from the water's view but ready to attack as well.
The arrows shot into the air will signal my ships as to the exact location of the Flagship as it passes. It is now reported that the flagship has turned to face my lead ship and appearss to be ready for an attack on my ships. We are ready for the onslaught and the battle to come.
The sloops and all on them have had their lives snuffed even as the Obsidian flagship turned and now is facing Dragomir Mori's ship. One of my ships is completely engulfed in flames and still my men continue in battle.
I hear one of my captains shout "Look to the East.. there is the Dragon she has made an attack on the Obsidian Flagship." Duke William and Magnus have surprised the flagship by attacking before she even knew what hit her.

Snow was sitting restlessly on the railing overlooking the battle of the ships below the castle. Snow, now fly this message to Rentier. Hopefully she will have some additional clues as to who master minded the poisoning of Boris. Return to me swiftly my sweet raven whether she has news or not for you will have another journey to make when you are back.

The effort to find the Obsidian and any traitors who poisoned Boris will continue.
I want to see, along with all my citizens as well as Serenite's citizens, their heads on a spike for all to see!

 

The "Dragon" saw the back of the Obsidian Flagship as it was firing its portside cannons upon Catherine's War Galleon. He wished he was there to steer it for this combat but instead felt Assana's voice whisper at him.

"Remember Boris, this is all about trust, tis the great lesson to learn which will be crucial in your future endeavors. Look at those you chose as friends and what thy do in your name and the freedom of Novia from cabalist power".

The scene unfolded rapidly as William took control of the "Dragon" and rammed the Obsidian Flagship from behind. Chaos broke out as the crew from the "Dragon" boarded the damaged warship. The obsidian fighters were fierce yet were no match for the pirate crew. Catherine's ship also pulled up next to the obsidian ship and between the crews of both ships the cabalists were outnumbered.

Loud screams were heard on board as men clashed to the death. Spells, arrows, blades and other weapons flew in fury as blood covered the deck of the Obsidian Flagship. One tall Cabalist emerged from the ship's stateroom and the hood he wore identified him as Dolus. The Cabalst and the wraith possessing Boris' body locked eyes as the rest of the battle had ended. The Cabalist flashed two swords just like the wraith. Both charged at each other and blood flew from the wraiths' shoulder yet Dolus howled with pain as one of his arms had been severed off his body. Dolus turned and swung back a the wraith with his one arm yet his swing was blocked and as the wraith parried the swing he also severed off the other arm from Dolus. Those remaining watched intently as the wraith continued to dismember Dolus slowly and deliberately. Two dark creatures had faced and only one bloodied one remained standing.

The wraith was not done yet and he had thrust both swords into what remained of Dolus. As the cabalist died slowly and the crowd watched this butchery unfold, The wraith turned to one of Catherines' crew. He approached the man and took the warrior's halberd from him. The wraith then picked up the dead cabalist and impaled the remaining dead torso unto the halberd. With a savage thrust, he buried the handle end of the halberd into the front of the ship. He then motioned Razulah over to him and whispered at him in the old language of primal magic.

"Do not kill the remaining crew. send them back to whatever hell spawned them along with their flagship and the remains of this thing stuck on the halberd"

Razulah nodded and turned over to William, Magnus and Catherine.

"The wraith wants remaining obsidian crew members to take this present back to their port of origin. It seems this is a personal message from the wraith and all of us that the vengeance has started".

Boris looked at Assana amazed at what had happened. He had no words to describe his joy for what his friends and Assana's wraith had just accomplished.

"My dear Boris, this is just the beginning. Now your friends must complete the vengeance along with the wraith. There is a woman that works the earth's magic who will be crucial to the completion of the task. For once this vengeance ends should the wraith survive it will be up to her and Magnus to return the wraith back to me and for you to return to that earthly realm. In the meantime enjoy my company and the pleasures I am allowed to share with you".

A smile formed in Boris' face and for once he had blind trust in his friends and whatever Assana had planned for him.

 

There out over the waters one of my war ships shone like a beacon as she continued in this battle. I knew without a doubt now that the dread and dreams were all preparing all of us for this blood bath. Glorious in one way and horrifying in another way.

Duke William guiding the Dragon had arrived just in time as did other ships all with men of one mind. All with the mind of finding the truth of the poisoning of Boris and removing the heads of all the evil Cabalist.

"Captain" look to your west! One of Duke William's men yelled at the captain of my ship. The captain turned to see some Cabalists making a last effort to take the Pirates to their deaths.

I watch in amazement for some of my men were missing arms and one his leg. Blood was pouring from the wounds and still they fought. Not one single man who was still living gave up the fight. It is as if we are one pirate in one fight determined to die if necessary for although the Chaos was loud the purpose heard in their minds was even louder. Although, the screams of men dying were deafening no one faulterd. As all eyes now were on the Wraith dismembering Dolus body I watched with satisfaction as one of my men gave the Wraith his halberd and the Wraith took it from him as if in ceremony. The Wraith impaled the rest of the body of the dismembered cabalist and stuck it on the front of the Obsidian Flagship. As tired and hurt as my men as well as all the other mates from the ships who had joined in the battle not one of them made a move. We watched until the limping Obsidian Flagship was turned toward it's home with the impaled Dolus on the bow of the ship. We knew the rage would come when it arrived at its home port. We knew the we would again battle another day.

We would soon arrive in Dragomir Mori and begin the repair of our ships and be ready with weapons to continue not just the destruction of the evil cabalist but the continued search to find the traitor and Cabalist who poisoned Boris. All knew that the battle was not over but had just begun.

 

after a long travel through novia i finally reached Dragomir Mori.

Staying in the Outskirts of the town proper I avoided the elves camp at the ruins and rested just out of sight in the woods nearby.

I concentrated and called out to the water elemental to get to know what she has found...

but nothing happened....she NEVER didn't respond to my call after we met.

startled, because that has never occured before, i checked my surroundings with all my senses but nothing irregular could be sensed in the immediate area.

I settled down more comfortable at my small campfire and got into a trance which focuses my essence and put out some watchers

ensuring they know what to do, I tried to reach out to the waterelementals home dimension to look out for my beloved companion.
surprisingly the switch to the elemental dimension was easier than ever before - 'what is happening here? strange weakness of the barrier between the dimensions and that near the area my duchess told me to search out...'

being in this other dimension is hard for me and has it's own dangers but still something was amiss here.
it looks to me like the water dimension is leaking,... bleeding upwards to the sky to this glowing lava rock floating above which looked like the one at home which appeared lately.
fascinated to the strange connection between the rock I missed the nearing of a small waveform and only recognised it as it spoke to me pleading to help find a way to stop the leaking
i 'heard' it but it spoke directly in my mind

the more i saw it the more it looked somewhat familiar and then all went black