The Long Road of Adventure- Blue Storms and Black Sand

by Ian Rodgers

  She continued reading. “‘I need to test the mage’s hypothesis. Who knows? Captain Atterik is getting a bit too old to run things now. We recently acquired a mostly intact gnomish airship, and he wants to sell it! Can you believe that? He’s a fool! We could use it to rule land, sea, and sky, but all he sees is a quick bit of cash, rather than the bigger picture. The crew is already grumbling about his antics. Perhaps it is time for a mutiny. Then I’ll have my first test subjects…’”

  Lily trailed off, revolted by the contents.

  “A quick death sounds too good for someone like him,” Vala seethed.

  “Anything recent?” Gaelin asked after a moment as curiosity won over his initial distaste.

  “Hmm… Ah, here we go, something for last month!” Lily said after flipping to one of the latest entries. “Ahem! ‘I met him again. That masked figure in the black robe. As usual, he unsettles me greatly. Still, he has been useful. He did provide me the location of this fascinating archipelago. One island is made almost entirely of coal, the other of iron sand! Can you imagine! The perfect place for me to create more of my fake Dancing weapons! And all it cost me was fifty raw souls!’”

  She shared a surprised and disgusted look with everyone before turning back to the entry. “‘He had an unusual request this time. Kidnap a half-elf merchant associated with the Adventurer’s Guild. Apparently the halfy, Gelt Vaxmern, has something his boss wants. My spies have told me he just arrived in Riverfold. Once he’s found a ship, I will ambush him on the high seas. Grab him and his magical treasure box, and make sure there are no survivors. Easy enough to do. And the reward is substantial! Yet why cannot I not shake the feeling there is more to this request than the masked man is letting on?’”

  “Strange,” Lily murmured. “This place was given to him? Who on Erafore is this masked person?”

  “I don’t know. But he deals in souls, and he wants Gelt. None of that is good news,” Gaelin said decisively.

  “You know, it occurs to me we sort of forgot that your merchant friend was kidnapped,” Vala said, tapping her chin. “I guess we were so busy trying to survive and escape we pushed him and his fate to the back of our minds.”

  Gaelin and Lily looked down at the floor, ashamed.

  “Well, at least we know he’s here in the fortress somewhere,” Lily said with an awkward cough. “We can add him to the list of people we need to rescue. After I find out what kind of reward Bolos considers ‘substantial’ for a kidnapping request.”

  The red-headed princess began to flip through the various documents, looking for information on the reward Bolos had been given for this task.

  She found it hidden in the pages of the journal. It was a scrap of parchment, rather than paper, which showed how ancient it was. Parchment and vellum weren’t used for anything except spell scrolls these days.

  It was layered in preservation magic, keeping it safe from the ravages of time. Lily couldn’t help but stare goggle-eyed at it.

  “Th-this is impossible!” she gasped.

  “Why? What is it?” Gaelin inquired.

  Instead of answering, she began to copy everything that was on the document into her notebook, meticulously carrying over every line and rune.

  As she finished and snapped her book shut with a satisfied smirk, she suddenly frowned and glared at the trio outside the office. “Will you stop making that racket?”

  “What? We’re not doing anything,” Gaelin protested.

  “Then who’s making that dull thumping sound?” Lily demanded, before falling silent and turning ghostly pale. Vala too suddenly lost all color in her face, and the halberdier and Ursine shared a look before they too finally heard what their partners had.

  A monotonous chopping sound drifted into from the window at the end of the hallway, and Gaelin rushed over in a panic. He stared out of it for a second before ducking down under the sill.

  “It’s Bolos! He’s back!” Gaelin hissed.

  Lily felt weak in the knees as the sound of windmill-like blades cut through the air, propelling a stolen dirigible through the sky. The noise grew closer and closer, and a tiny black dot on the horizon rapidly expanded in size until the shape of the Storm Caller was visible to the naked eye.

  The lord had returned to his castle. And there was no doubt he would be furious if he found any rats scurrying around within.

  Chapter 16: Breaking out

  “Quick! Get me out of here!” Lily shouted as she stuffed all the paperwork and ledgers back into their original places, before hopping up onto the desk, her book of blackmail clutched tight to her chest. She then took a leap off of the piece of furniture straight towards the doorway.

  Bigg Guy had been waiting for that, and yanked on the rope he was holding. Lily, petite princess that she was, went flying through the air as she was dragged back to her companions. She soared through the traps once more, bypassing their defenses like the first time.

  She crashed into Bigg Guy’s hairy chest and she coughed and sputtered slightly from the impact.

  “Argh, are you made of granite or something? That hurt!” Lily complained as she was placed back on the floor by tender paws. “I thought your fur was going to act as a cushion!”

  “Let’s go! We need to find a place to hide!” Gaelin urged, nervously peeking over the edge of the window sill to check on the progress of the Storm Caller as it grew nearer.

  It was closing in rapidly. By Gaelin’s estimate, they had at best ten minutes before the airship reached the fort. Maybe another ten minutes after that for the vessel to be parked and the men to start disembarking.

  But after that? If they weren’t hidden soon, their presence would be revealed.

  “Anywhere nearby we could conceivably cower?” Vala demanded as Gaelin crawled back, eyes darting over the paper in his hands.

  “Maybe. Here, see this? Rongold’s notes say there are several rooms that are unused. We sneak into one of those, hopefully we can hide til night.”

  “And then what?” Lily demanded, folding her arms. She wobbled a bit, still unsteady from her sudden flight and crash, but steeled herself and refused to falter.

  “Do we wait for Bolos to leave? How long would that take? A week? And would we even be able to sneak out while he’s here in the fort? No! we can’t do that! If we keep waiting, our chances to leave will dwindle. Right now, this is our best chance to steal the airship!”

  “What do you suggest?” Gaelin asked, staring at her expectantly.

  “Steal the keys to the slave collars and to the airship,” Lily declared. She tapped her notebook. “I wrote down some basics on how to get the vessel up and running, and on how to steer it. With this, we can leave with the prisoners and ditch this island!”

  “Well, we don’t really have any other choice, do we?” Vala said after a moment of thought. The sound of the propellers increased in volume, and she winced. “For now, though, let’s hide.”

  They all nodded, and Gaelin directed them to the nearest room not being used by Bolos. With a quick glance it revealed itself to be a wide room, with a bed frame, but no mattress, a covered window, and little else.

  “Come on, get in!” he said, holding the door open as they piled in. Once everyone else had entered he quickly slipped inside, shutting the door behind him.

  “Thank Cynthia he doesn’t lock most of his rooms,” Gaelin said with a sigh of relief. When no response came to him he turned around, curious as to what had grabbed their attention. He blinked. Gelt blinked back from where he was chained to a chair and propped up in a corner.

  “Is that you…?” the half-elf whispered groggily, peering through sleepy and swollen, black eyes at the four newcomers who’d entered the room.

  “Mister Gelt!” Lily exclaimed, breaking the silence as she rushed over. She examined the bindings on the merchant, while also fussing over his battered body. Vala quickly joined as well, using the minor amounts of healing magic she knew to tend to the worst of his injuries.

  “No, don
’t!” Gelt hissed, trying to jerk his body out of Vala’s reach. She paused her attempts at fixing him in confusion.

  “He’s coming,” Gelt whispered, the faint sounds of the propeller still noticeable through the walls and closed door. “If he finds my wounds have been healed, he’ll know someone is here, helping me!”

  “But…”

  “No buts!” Gelt practically shouted, his tone urgent. “You cannot let him find you! I am glad you survived, but you have to get out of here!”

  “The only way off the island and away from the archipelago is by stealing Bolos’ airship,” Gaelin replied, and Lily nodded, backing him up. “We have a plan to do so, and to get the slaves out of here as well.”

  “It doesn’t matter! You need to go!” he pleaded. “And please, if you do, take my chest with you. Bring it to the Adventurer’s Guild! It has important information the Guildmaster must see!”

  “Is that why Bolos kidnapped you? Or rather, why someone else asked him to?” Lily inquired, still fiddling around with the chains. The half-elf nodded rapidly.

  “Yes! Yes, exactly! You cannot be found by those people! And you cannot let them obtain the list!”

  “A list of what?” Bigg Guy demanded to know, looming over the seated figure.

  “If you know, you’ll be in danger too!”

  “We’re already stuck here. I think a little extra danger to what we’re already dealing with is something we can handle,” Gaelin said drily.

  “I have in my possession a list of potential chosen ones in relation to a recent prophecy,” Gelt finally admitted, giving up when he saw the unyielding expressions of the quartet. He tried to get comfortable in his chair, causing the chains to rattle ominously in punctuation of his words.

  “The group who wants this list will hunt down all the suspects and kill them! And then no one will be able to stop them!”

  “Stop who?”

  “The World Rebellion.”

  A chill descended upon the room upon the utterance of that reviled name. Gaelin flinched as his soul throbbed painfully, and his halberd heated up at the mere mention of the Void cult.

  Gelt tilted his head suddenly, and a panicked expression crossed his face.

  “You have to hide!”

  “Why would we…” Lily stopped, and gained a terrified look of her own. The sound of the airship had disappeared. And in its place was the sound of hustle and bustle beyond the fortress walls as the base woke up and welcomed the pirates back.

  “Into the closet!” Gelt cried, jerking his head to the side towards another door in the room. Outside, the sound of footsteps could be heard approaching the room.

  The quartet piled into the walk-in closet and slammed the door behind them. Then, the door to Gelt’s room was thrown open with a bang. A familiar blond-haired man strode confidently in, his purple cape fluttering and his mock admiral’s uniform in crisp condition.

  Gaelin and Lily were the last to enter the closet, and thus were able to peer out of the lock’s keyhole at the scene in the room beyond.

  After Bolos had stomped in, a familiar treasure chest was dragged into the room behind him by two pirates, who dropped it in front of Gelt.

  “Open it!” Bolos commanded. Gelt’s face twisted into a sneer.

  “Oh, did the locksmiths you know fail to get my chest to open? And here I thought you were acquainted with some of the best. I mean, that’s what you said, after all. Oh wait, you said you knew ‘lockpickers.’ An honest mistake.”

  Bolos lashed out, striking the merchant sharply across the face. Lily gasped angrily but Gaelin’s firm hand on her shoulder kept her from doing anything more to draw attention. They sunk deeper into the surprisingly large closet, boxes and clothes on hangers shifting around them and providing cover.

  The pirate captain was utterly focused on the recalcitrant merchant however, and any sounds that may have been made inside the closet went unnoticed.

  “Open it!” he roared, striking Gelt once more. The half-elf spat a glob of bloody spit onto Bolos’ pants in response.

  What occurred next nearly move them to give away their position as they were forced to watch the golden-haired pirate as he flew into a rage and viciously beat the bound prisoner.

  After ten minutes of agonizing physical abuse Bolos finally calmed down. He proceeded to wipe the red from his hands with a handkerchief. He turned to one of his minions who had been standing at the door.

  “Bring me my breakfast in here.”

  With a flinch the pirate bowed and scurried off to fulfill his master’s order.

  “It doesn’t have to be like this,” Bolos claimed, pulling a tiny vial filled with pink liquid from his coat. “Tell me how to open your chest, and you can be free, and healed.”

  The pirate captain proceeded to pour the contents of the vial over the battered and bleeding merchant. The weak healing potion slowly healed the worst of the damage, preventing it from becoming infected. After a minute or so his face was restored enough so he could talk once more.

  “No amount of torture or bribery will loosen my tongue,” Gelt uttered defiantly. Bolos sighed in a dramatic fashion.

  “You’re a hard nut to crack, Gelt Vaxmern. No family we can threaten, no desires and misdeeds we can blackmail you with, not even any vices with which to tempt you. The very picture of a model, modest merchant.”

  He leaned in. “So, if you won’t speak willingly, we’ll just have to get creative.”

  The door to the room opened and a squad of pirates hurried in, carrying a small table, a chair, and a mouthwatering breakfast.

  In the closet Lily and Gaelin groaned and clutched their stomachs as hunger pangs assailed them. Vala and Bigg Guy were quieter with their discomfort, but it was only pure luck that Gelt’s stomach grumbled at the same time the Ursine’s did, and obscured the sound.

  Bolos smirked as he sat down and began to eat in front of the bound man, cutlery plying the greasy good food. “That was quite loud. Are my men not feeding you properly? You know that could change if you help me.”

  “Starve me all you want, I won’t do anything for you!” he snarled, only for his stomach to growl and betray him. Bolos gave a mocking laugh.

  “As you wish then! I suppose you can wait until dinner for any food if you’re like that!”

  “Cease playing games, Bolos. We did not hire you so you could toy with our prey.”

  Bolos shot out of his chair, startled at the voice that filled the room. Gelt stiffened and began to tremble as he looked around in fear.

  And in the darkness of the closet, Gaelin’s soul and halberd grew even hotter.

  From the shadows of the corner of the room, something foul and unholy stirred. The darkness writhed and squirmed, before peeling away to reveal a figure in a pitch-black cloak, wearing a silver mask engraved with a sword. A heavy pressure filled the room, the weight of the man’s presence pressing down painfully on everyone.

  “Ah, Lord Blade! I was not expecting you,” Bolos stammered, the haughtiness and power he had previously displayed all but evaporated in the face of the shadow-clad stranger.

  “I had heard that you had retrieved what we asked for, but were having some difficulties with the second part of the request,” the man stated impassively. He glanced at the half-elf tied to the chair for a moment before focusing back on the pirate.

  “We are working on it,” Bolos claimed. “Trying to pick the lock on his chest won’t work. If it’s not him who opens it, or allows it to be opened, then the contents will be destroyed.”

  “That is a problem,” the so-called Lord Blade agreed, giving the aforementioned treasure chest a sideways glance that conveyed great annoyance despite his face being obscured by the elegant silver mask.

  He then returned his attention to the merchant and grabbed him by the face. As he did so, his hands, which had previously been obscured by the black cloth, came into view. They were a pale green color, and had claw-like nails. Said nails dug into the half-elf’s flesh and dre
w beads of blood.

  “I won’t give in,” Gelt said, his words muffled by the hands over his mouth. His eyes stared defiantly up at the mask.

  “Hmph.” Lord Blade snorted and dragged his claws across Gelt’s face, drawing rivulets of red over the skin. He then released him and turned back to Bolos.

  “Do whatever you can to get the information. Douse him with truth serum, flay his mind with telepathy, torture him until he breaks. As long as we get the list, anything is permitted.”

  “Why can you not do that yourself?” Bolos asked, mustering a small amount of courage. “You have power and resources beyond anything I can provide, so why use me for your dirty work?”

  “Because there are Rules,” Lord Blade spat, the last word uttered as if it were toxic in his mouth. “And as such, my group cannot act as freely as we wish. The information the merchant has is tied to the Rules I must abide by, so I have to obtain it through an intermediary.”

  “Were it not for these Rules my master would have already torn the knowledge from his skull and tossed his flesh and soul into the Void,” the silver masked figure growled, giving a disdainful glare at the half-elf.

  “Damn that Aun and his meddling!”

  Gaelin gasped as the name caused a reaction in his soul. It throbbed and sparked, and for a brief moment his mana went berserk in his body. Had he been capable of casting spells externally, he didn’t doubt that this sudden fluctuation would have resulted in him spewing raw magic everywhere.

  The masked man turned his head sharply towards the closet, and Gaelin felt his heartbeat race. His eyes widened and he grabbed Lily’s shoulder and shoved her face down onto the floor next to him. She grimaced and shot Gaelin an angry look, but any reprimands died as she took in the terrified expression on his face.

  “I see. Well, if that’s all…”

  Bolos was interrupted as Lord Blade’s hand shot out and grabbed the knife off of his plate. He then lashed out, a shockwave rippling forth and slashing through the door, carving through the wood and continuing on, tearing apart clothes and boxes and the wall behind them.