The Departure - Part III- The Storm

The moon was full and the men were ready and anxious. It started suddenly with the crackle of lighting as storm clouds rolled in toward the Brittany Harbor. Boris had sailed through tempests before yet this one was different altogether. The wind picked up and four waterspouts formed which isolated the ship. The most mysterious part of this storm was the lack of rain. Wind, Lightning and the four stationary waterspouts kept people at port hidden in fear and did not allow the two other neighboring ships to move. Boris was briefly distracted by two other figures on the other end of the deck yet gave the signal:

"Dwalin, Razalah, send half of the men downstairs to tie and gag their drunken crew. Have the others raise the anchor. Josephus get us out of here toward Port Graff as you suggested" All the men sprung into action and within a few minutes the ship slowly backed away from the harbor with the help of the wind force one of the waterspouts provided. Boris looked out to the sea giving thanks and briefly saw the Sirene smile at him a short distance from the ship.

Razalah and Dwalin came back to the top deck smiling. "The crew is secured yet the Captain must be asleep in the stateroom as we cannot find him". Suddenly the door from the stateroom opened and Captain Bloodblade stepped on deck with an angry look and his swords drawn: "Today you all die, The obsidians will not allow a mutiny on this ship". He looked at Boris who drew his longswords moving toward him yelled at him "You, cur, you will be the first to taste death."

Both Dwalin and Razalah stepped forward toward Captain Bloodblade but Boris stopped them stating "This one is mine" Both men charged at each other and the sound of the swords clashing was heard throughout the ship. Back and forth they both thrust, slashed and parried for what seemed an eternity. Yet from the shadows a dagger was sent towards Boris and it found its target. Boris winced seeing the dagger embedded halfway in his left thigh. The blood flowed freely and Captain Bloodblade saw the opportunity he needed.

Dwalin ran towards the shadowy figure that had cast the dagger and dragged the large fat man by the scruff of his neck throwing him on the ground in front of Razalah who put his boot on the man's throat. Dwalin pointed his weapon on the man's neck which kept the man immobile. Razalah uttered "This is Lord Farzul, the one that bought us as slaves and has beaten us constantly on the deck below. I will kill him myself".

On the other end of the deck blood was visible on the ground as it continued to seep from Boris' left thigh, this was slowing him down and Bloodblade knew it. "Give up now and I will end your life quickly cur. That dagger was poisoned and it is either my blade or the poison". Boris charged once more yet it seemed his leg gave way and he fell to one knee as he passed by Bloodblade. The man saw the opportunity and thrust downward towards Boris' kneeling body yet this was a ruse he did not see coming. Boris moved to the left while kneeling and thrust both longswords upward quickly behind him. The entire group on deck shouted in disbelief as both of Boris' swords found their target. Both swords entered Bloodblade's mouth and pierced his skull. Boris withdrew his swords quickly as Bloodblade thrashed on the ground dying.

Dwalin helped Boris get up as he hobbled to Lord Farzul. He motioned for Razalah to let him go and the fat man rose up looking at Boris who slashed at him tearing his shirt open. The letter "M" had been superficially carved on the man's chest. Boris spoke to him loudly for all to hear "Take this message to your obsidian friends and let them know Captain Boris Mondragon and his crew will stop them" He motioned for Razalah to throw Lord Farzul overboard which he did and the fat man was seen thrashing in the water. Boris' last few words were said before he lost consciousness: "Josephus, take us to Port Graff, Dwalin, Razalah, change the sails and post the flag. From now on this ship will be called "The Dragon".

 

“This is what you call staying out of trouble?” Jarikith whispered from his perch at the far end of the deck. Although she couldn’t see in the shadows, she could just imagine his eyes rolling as he spoke.

“Nothing’s burning yet,” Audacity stated with a shrug as she wiggled up onto the railing to watch the show, her feet dangling from the ledge.

“Yes, but… remind me why we are here again,” he prompted.

“Look, at least I am not bored anymore which is why…” she began.

“… nothing is burning yet. I get it,” he finished with a soft laugh.

The two watched the pirates quickly and professionally take the ship under their control. Suddenly, the door from the stateroom opened and an obnoxious man charged forth bellowing some nonsense.

Aud elbowed Jar. “Now it’s getting interesting.”

And it was. Entranced by the dance of death the two men performed, Audacity was pulled towards the battle. Jarikith moved quickly beside his friend, ready to jump into action should the need arise. When the pirate fell to his knee, Jar reached for an arrow but Aud placed a restraining hand on his arm. “He totally has this,” she said with a grin. As they moved closer, she heard the word "poison" and felt her anger flare up.

“Uh, Aud. Your pigtails are floating.” Jar pointed out as her rage at such a cowardly interruption of an otherwise excellent fight caused her to unconsciously summon a strong wind which whipped at her hair.

Tapping down her irritation, she stilled her mind and the wind died down as she walked towards the men just in time to see the pirate fall to unconsciousness. His companion stepped between them and his fallen friend with a ferociously protective look on his face. A flash recognition shown in his eyes and his manner changed from fierce to cautious. “Who are you?” he demanded.

Aud left the introductions to Jar as she moved forward to kneel next to the pirate to examine his wounds. She called forth the powers of life and briefly touched the top of his head to stabilize him.

She could hear Jar bantering with others. “There is one other name you might know me by…. Bowlord.” When Dwalin did not respond, he continued with an exasperated sigh. “Bowlord, man. Legendary Archer.”

“If you gentlemen could please carry your friend to a more comfortable location, I can totally fix him up.” Audacity interrupted. “He’s ok for now, but that poison is nasty business.” Soon they had Boris propped up on the bed in the stateroom.

“I’ll just remove his shirt and I’ll make sure he gets back to being right as rain.” Aud said.

“Oh? Will that help with the healing?” the priest Razulah questioned as he looked uncertainly at the wound which was clearly on the captain’s thigh.

“Well, it can’t hurt.” Aud said with a smirk as Jar just rolled his eyes again. “Kidding…. sorta,” she laughed. “A girl has to have some fun.”

“I see where the name audacity comes from,” Razulah mumbled to himself causing a burst of laughter from Jarikith.

A look of concentration replaced her smile and a bright white light took over the cabin as Jar and the others left to carry out the captain’s orders.

 

The Flash of white light brought Boris back from his poison induced nightmares. He briefly opened his eyes and saw the mysterious woman looking at him, he felt at ease with her nearby yet again he was submerging into the nightmare. A few words he uttered before falling back into the hellish dream: "The paste in my pack, use it on the wound quickly".

The dream had him shackled in a dark room while a tall figure in a black hood taunted him: "Ahh what do I have here, the son of the dragon comes to meet the same fate as his father. Look over there, that is Camilo Mondragon, your father is it not? You made the same mistake he did. Did you think you could stop me or my magic? If you survive Razul's poison then I will wait for you here in Necropolis Mondragon and we can replay this scene you see in your dreams".

Again he awoke and felt his body soaked with sweat. His eyesight failed him though and he felt as he was pushed back down into the bed. "You must be still until I finish my work" It was the voice of the woman. "Who are you, I must know though I cannot see" Boris heard the stateroom door open and heard Razulah speak loudly: "Is he alive, if he is we need him on the top deck. There is an apparition in the sea ahead of us calling for him and some mysterious ships not far away".

"I must get up, I have a ship to tend to and a crew to lead" Boris sat up on the bed again trying to get his bearings. He had to go up top now one way or the other.

 

Aud watched with interest as her powerful life magic seemed to struggle to fully heal the pirate. "So curious," she whispered to herself as she worked, her usual playfulness tempered by this new puzzle to solve. She had applied the paste he spoke of and felt the barrier to her magic lessen but there was definitely still something blocking her.

She leaned in closer, her hair brushing against his cheek, staring intently. Focusing her will, she called forth the brilliant white light again. She felt that strange barrier give slightly and used the opportunity to push more of her power towards the unconscious man.

His eyes opened as he abruptly jerked awake, but she placed a restraining hand on his chest and instructed him to stay still. "True warriors always make the worst patients," she thought. Then the corner of her lip twitched into a wry half-smile, "but they do provide the most interesting problems to fix."

His unfocused eyes told her that there was still much work to be done. Although he spoke with a firm tone as he requested her name, she could still hear the pain he tried to hide in his voice. As she gave her answer, the door sprang open revealing an overly excited Razulah demanding that her patient go deal with some emergency.

Flames briefly danced in her eyes before she pushed back the fire magic. "I've got to get better at dealing with my irritation," she thought as Razulah stopped speaking in response to the flames and looked worriedly between her and his captain as if unsure what to do.

Aud flashed her brightest smile and held up two fingers in a peace sign. "Sorry. We'll just need a few more minutes and then he can totally come save the day, ok? Just close the door on your way out," she said sweetly.

As the door closed she reached out and touched her thoughts to Jarikith. "What the heck is going on up there?"

"Um... certainly nothing inappropriate,"Jar answered a bit too quickly.

"Why does it sound like you are blushing?" She sent back to him with an amused smirk. "And I meant why is my amazing healing being interrupted?"

"Well there is a lovely lady here asking for our boy in a very insistent manner," was his response.

"Oh, is that all? Sure he's super cute, but I think she can wait a little longer." Audacity joked back although she could hear in Jar's tone that the captain was certainly needed quickly. "Buy me 5 more minutes."

"Sure! I've got a some new dance moves I've been dying to try out," Jar retorted.

She turned to Boris and placed a hand gently his chest to quiet him. "I know how important it is for you to get up there, but we can't let your crew and any enemies see how weak you are at the moment. Can you trust me for two more minutes?" She saw him make an effort to relax his tense muscles and took that as a yes.

Once more she leaned in to him and focused her thoughts. The barrier was still there but she could sense the edges. She held his face in her hands and pushed her will into him once again drawing on his own strong will to overcome the blackness to build on her power. She felt the barrier crack. Quietly, she asked, "how are you doing?"

He gave a terse nod. "Yes. It's foggy, but I can see."

"Good enough. You probably don't want to see too clearly anyway. I hear Jar may be dancing," she said with a wink.

As he slowly made his way toward the door, she cautioned. "I can cast some healing spells from a distance without drawing attention. However, my most powerful healing spells require physical contact. Do try to move within touching distance if at all possible when you start to feel odd."

 

Boris turned around and took Audacity in his arms "Is this close enough for your healing spells" He sensed there was strong chemistry between them as he spoke again smiling at her "You have saved my life at least twice and who knows how many more times in the future. My journey has just started and is full of perils" He gently released her from his embrace and motioned for her to follow him toward the door.

He kicked the door open and was about to speak when he saw Marlena the sirene surrounded by the crew who were cheering her on. Marlena was definitely entertaining them with her sensous dances. There was a tall man next to her whom he did not recognize yet seemed entranced by her charms. "Marlena what are you doing to that man and my crew"

Marlena turned towards Boris and Aud, she looked at Aud and just smiled. "So you are the mysterious woman he sees in the dark, take good care of him he needs to be looked after" She again began dancing this time towards Boris until she was in front of him. She knew exactly how to seduce with her erotic moves. "Boris, shall we go back to Brittany Beach and continue what we started last night?" Boris could not help but laugh as the crew jeered at Marlena's insinuation. "Marlena, what happened last night in Brittany Beach stays in Brittany Beach, for now" He winked at her. Marlena took him by the hand and pointed due South "See them, Two strange ships following us, maybe I can distract them and slow them down. By the way, the sun will rise soon and you are on your own after that until I am allowed to surface again in 28 days." She kissed Boris, winked at Aud and dove into the water heading toward the mysterious ships following them.

Twin waterspouts formed in front of the mysterious ships yet those ships sailed with a power that allowed them to avoid the waterspouts. The ships were slowed lightly yet were within eyesight as the "Dragon" headed due north towards Port Graff. "Josephus, how much longer before we reach Port Graff?" "Eight hours Captain" the man bellowed back to him as he controlled the helm. Another apparition was visible in the night sky and the form of a winged creature descended toward the two mysterious ships. The creature suddenly cast two ice fields, the two ships were engulfed in the ice and the sound of wood bursting echoed the night. As the two ships burst the winged creature headed toward the "Dragon" and landed on the back part of the deck. Men scurried back and forth and one man pointed an arrow at the dragon.

It was a blue dragon looking at the entire crew with curiosity. Boris stepped forward towards it without any fear. He extended his hand placing it on the snout of the formidable beast who spoke to him in his thoughts "You are one of us Boris. One far away called me to help you in this quest of yours. Show me your weapons now"
Boris called out to Dwalin "My swords". Dwalin handed him a two handed sword instead which was made of pure obsidian metal. "I think you may want this Captain."
He felt the weight of the two handed sword and faced the blue dragon. "Will this suffice against the evil in my dream?". The blue dragon breathed opon the sword giving it a blue icy glow. "Yes but only use it on the dark one you will face in Necropolis. You must thrust it into his skull, then and only then will his power over men, elves and other life forms subside and the balance be restored. As you travel to each city and town you will see his scouts preparing for the invasion. They have already taken over Tenebris Harbor and will spread from there. Prepare all the outlanders and natives for what is to come. You are indeed the son of the dragon and the fate of an entire continent rests on your actions". The last sentence the dragon spoke was heard by the entire ship. "My name is Marak, call me in your time of need and I will come with others". Marak spread his wings and ascended towards the approaching dawn, his silhouette seen on the horizon.

Boris turned and noticed the crew had changed the sails to the ones he had prepared. The new flag had been hoisted as well. the "Dragon" sailed towards Port Graff at full speed, time was of the essence and every minute was prescious to the Novian continent.

 

"So, you are supposed to keep someone else out of trouble?" Jarikith scoffed at the mere idea.

He watched Audacity as she absent-mindedly spun her dagger on the table. The remains of their dinner were scattered about and she was on her third glass of wine.

"Hey, I can totally take care of people. I'm a helper!" Aud responded defensively.

"Right, that's why the guards in Ardoris remind us that they are watching us every time we enter the city," Jarikith laughed. "Cause of all of your helping."

"Look, I explained to them that it was very innocent. I needed the chicken feathers and the trebuchet to..." Aud was interrupted as Razulah entered the room, followed by Boris and Dwalin. The pirates sat down as Aud offered up the last of the wine.

Razulah shook his head at the cup and turned to look at Jar. "Mr. Bowlord, I was wondering..."

"Legendary Bowlord," Jar corrected.

"I'm sure the legendary part was implied, Jar." Aud rolled her eyes at her friend.

"I was wondering," Razulah started again, "if you would be willing to teach the men some archery on our way to Port Graff."

"Impossible!" Jar pronounced. "It can't be done in such a short span of time."

Razulah started to respond, but saw Audacity motion from behind Jarikith's back. She shook her head at Razulah and put her finger to her lips.

Jar stopped for a moment, deep in thought, then continued. "Lucky for you, you have the Legendary Bowlord here. I can do the impossible, so yes, I will teach them a thing or two."

"And you, mi'lady" Boris inquired, "What will you do next?"

In answer, Audacity jumped up onto the table and began dancing. She dodged the plates and cups with a practiced ease as she moved to the rhythm of music only she could hear. Jar leaned back in his chair and smiled up at her. "To be honest, I'm surprised she waited this long," was his response to Dwalin's question as to whether this was normal behavior for the strange woman. With a final twirl she tumbled down, landing in Boris' lap.

"Rift's End," she said breathlessly. "I need to let the Travelers know what is going on."

 

sBoris caught her as she landed on his lap. This was unexpected and Both of them fell backwards hitting the ground with a loud thud. Aud leaned over to make sure Boris was not hurt and he just leaned up and whispered in her ear "Next time we do this in private". She looked up at him surprised by his words and whispered back "Maybe".

As the entire group came over to check on Boris and Aud, another crew-member ran over to Razulah muttering some words to which Razulah opened his eyes wide
"Captain, if you are not too occupied we need you to look at something this man has found in the lower deck". Boris and Aud slowly got up heading over to Razulah, they were led by the crewmember and joined by Dwalin and Jar.

The lower deck had several planks removed which revealed, chests full of gold, weapons and some cannons which must have been forged from a mysterious silver metal. Boris and Dwalin inspected the cannons and smiled at each other. Dwalin added "Captain I have crafted cannons before and these seem to be prepared to fire longer distances than I have ever seen. This must have been the Obsidian Flagship we took" Boris grinned at these words as now he had the advantage in future sea battles.

"Razulah, take the gold and split it in four shares, One share to the crew. Let them have fun tonight in Port Graff. Second share to Aud and Jar, this will pay for their expenses in letting the travelers know of the impending danger. Third share to all the needy in Port Graff and last share to resupply the ship. We are going to be out at sea for a while after Port Graff." Boris then turned to Aud and Jar: "Port Graff tonight and then Rift's End".

The "Dragon" docked in Port Graff late that night and most of the crew hit the town. Supplies were obtained, the crew had a good time at the local tavern yet Boris sat at a far table in the tavern going over a book he took from that hidden compartment reading what was a journal. The cabalist plan was very well detailed.

"Initial landing at Tenebris Harbor, scouts dispatched to all part of the continent. We must know each major city and town's defensive weakness and population. The Master has converted the Elves, risen the undead and hired the bandit mercenaries. We will control the shipping lanes and ports choking off supplies to all towns. We will enslave the entire continent for the Master in Necropolis". He took the journal and passed it over to Aud, Jar, Dwalin and Razulah. "Read quickly, now you know what we are up against. From Rift's End we send the black seagulls out to all the cities and towns, those that want to join can do so and those that do not can fend for themselves".