by Tony Johnson
“I understand,” Steve tried to settle the Halfman down. Making irrational people know that you're trying to see things from their perspective helps cut the tension of the situation, Steve remember from Warrior Training. “He failed his city, but that doesn't mean he should die for his cowardice.”
“Yes, it does!” Grizz was unreasonable and growing increasingly angry. “Someone has to pay for the death of my family!”
“The monsters are the ones who we'll make pay! They're the ones that killed your family!”
“But they never would've gotten into the city if Krause was doing his job! He's as much responsible as them! And now he's going to die!” Grizz bent and lifted the body once again.
“Grizz!” Steve yelled through gritted teeth, then held the hilt of Brightflame.
Seeing the movement, the Dwarf laughed, “Go ahead and draw that sword and see what happens. I have the element of earth. You have nothing. You can’t defeat me.”
He’s bluffing, Steve could tell. He can't even access his element. He doesn't have his weapon and he's not wearing his armor. Elements are only summonable through metal. Knowing this, Steve drew his sword, not backing down to the idle threats.
“Fight me if you must, but he has to die,” Grizz said as he turned and tossed the unconscious commander overboard without a second thought.
Steve ran to where Grizz stood and looked over the side of the ship, but the commander was already lost in the darkness.
“Let's get one thing straight,” Grizz said, pushing Steve in the shoulder, causing him to turn and face him. “You do not command me. I don't follow your standards, your warriors’ code. I will do what I want when I want.”
Gesturing down to the body floating somewhere out in Azure while tightening his grip around his sword, Steve argued, “You can't just kill everyone who you think deserves it!”
“Yes, I can. I've done it before. You only know a part of my life from what I've told you and from what you saw in my vision,” Grizz explained. “Anyone who hurts my family is going to die.”
Steve felt uneasy being so close to the bald, bearded Dwarf, and with the firelight casting a creepy shadow over Grizz’s wickedly smiling face, Steve stepped back from the irrational, unpredictable Halfman. That's the same smile Grizz had as a child when he watched Malorek cut off the head of his uncle, Steve recognized. I don't know if it's because he's glad he just killed the commander he hated, or perhaps he takes delight in seeing death. “I don't care how you justify it, it’s murder.”
“It's justice,” Grizz yelled as if being louder vocally would make it easier for Steve to understand. “And I have to see that it happens because from my experience, warriors are incompetent.
“Oh, don’t give me that condescending look,” Grizz confronted Steve's twisted face.
“You can't take it upon yourself to be judge, jury, and executioner!”
“If the situation calls for it, like tonight, I can. I know you grew up in a nice home with a loving father, hearing stories of heroic warriors fighting evil monsters. But that’s not how life works. It’s a little more complex than good versus evil. The lines are often blurred, and it’s people like me, who didn’t grow up priviledged, that know how to best navigate them. Do not interfere with me if something like this comes up again.”
With his threat established, Grizz turned on his heels and walked away.
“I hope Alazar made a mistake in giving you that element,” Steve called out after him, yelling so that Grizz could hear him across the deck over the intense rain and wind. “Wielding that kind of power with that unchecked aggression is a recipe for disaster.”
Grizz made no response as he continued walking away. With the Halfman gone, Steve shook his head in frustration and headed to his bunk where he took off his rain-soaked tunic and laid down. But before he determined how to best handle the out-of-control Dwarf, he fell asleep.
Chapter 69
The sun had just breached the horizon and gave off the first rays of a new day when the ringing of bells alarmedly woke up the heroes.
“What's happening?” Ty asked while wiping his eyes.
“I don't know,” Kari answered, waking up from the bed directly across from him on the other side of the aisle. “It must be an emergency.” Immediately, she grabbed her bow and moved to wake a shirtless Steve up, who was still tired from his interrupted sleep the previous night. Once Steve got his bearings he glanced over to see if Grizz was in his bunk, but the Dwarf was missing.
He must've not come back here to sleep after our argument, Steve realized, putting on a fresh tunic and grabbing Brightflame before heading out after Ty, Kari, and Copper. The weather outside was just as much of a downpour as when he had gone back to sleep. The only difference now was that the sun was illuminating how overcast the skies looked.
“What's going on?” Haruto and Myoki asked, meeting the group on the main deck, having come out from the shipmaster’s quarters on the other end of Andonia. As Steve shrugged his shoulders, Jun-Lei and Kyoko called from behind the wheel on the stern deck above, “Up here!”
Together, the heroes, three crew members, and the direfox ran up the stairs to join Jun-Lei, her daughter, and Grizz. Grizz cut Steve a quick glare once they made eye contact.
In that one look, he’s trying to tell me last night was in the past and nothing more needs to be said about it, Steve knew.
“Good, everyone's here,” Jun-Lei surveyed the group with her hand on her eyebrows, forming a barrier against the heavy rain so she could see. “I know it's an hour or two before most of you would've woken up, but I believe trouble is awaiting us today and we need to discuss it.”
“What is it?” Myoki asked worriedly.
Jun-Lei turned and pointed behind her, back towards the direction they had come from. “We're being followed.”
The heroes and crew saw the shipmaster's source of concern. The silhouttes of three ships floated on the horizon.
Everyone knew who the ships belonged to.
“Those are Captain Jarek’s fastest ships, Tiderunner, Sevenoak, and, Jarek's ship itself, Sharksbane. He's after our gold,” Jun-Lei explained. “It's weeks of pay for each crew member on all three of his ships.”
“Can we outrun them?”
“Not likely. His ships are much faster than ours. Sharksbane is at least twice as fast. They'll catch up within hours.”
“You've heard what he's done to people when they refuse to give him what he wants,” Myoki expressed her nervousness. “He murdered Shipmaster Mameo and his entire crew last year. Maybe we should give Jarek the money.”
At the same time she made the suggestion, Copper made a guttural barking, which sounded like him disagreeing, although everyone knew it was just a concidence and the monster couldn’t really understand all that’d been said. Nonetheless, Ty comically asserted, “I agree with the direfox. We shouldn’t give all the coins back.”
“We’re not giving them back. There’s no way he gets his hands on it,” Steve was adamant.
“That's not your choice to make!” Haruto sided with his sister. “You don't know him. He’s not afraid to kill us all. It's our lives at stake.”
Steve held his hands up apologetically, “You're right. It's not my choice, it’s Jun-Lei’s. It's your decision,” he turned to the shipmaster. “But let me remind you that Ty already cut down some of his men back in Port Meris without a problem. And Grizz, here, has control over the element of earth. He could take out many of Jarek’s men with his abilities. We may be outnumbered, but we're experienced and ready to defend this ship.”
“I say we fight them,” Grizz declared, “but we have to keep in mind I can only do so much with my element before I run out of stamina. My powers are dependent on my energy. How many do you think we’re facing?”
“Each ship has at least triple my crew. There might be between thirty and forty men coming for us.”
“The odds are slim, but not impossible
,” Grizz reasoned, then repeating what Steve said, told Jun-Lei, “It's up to you and your crew.”
“We're not going to negotiate for something that's already ours,” the shipmaster decided. “I’m tired of Jarek thinking he’s better than us. He’s always thought that because we don’t have the largest crew or the nicest ship or that I’m female or that we don’t have the same color skin as him, that we’re inferior. Just because we’re different, doesn't mean we're less. It's time someone stands up to him.”
Grizz nodded, fully understanding what Jun-Lei was saying because of the similar ways he was treated in the past because of his skin color. He smiled. Jun-Lei's words mean there's a fight at hand.
But not everyone was excited as the Dwarf.
“This is stupid! We're all going to be dead within a couple hours!” Haruto complained, to which Myoki agreed.
Jun-Lei cut her niece and nephew a sharp look, which made them gulp and refrain from voicing their opposition.
“There is another option,” Kyoko spoke up, “although it may be too dangerous.” She pointed northwest, where clouds even darker than what they were under were swirling on the horizon. Clusters of lightning bolts could be seen ripping down from the sky. “We can ride into that storm and see if they have the courage to follow us into it.”
“I don't know if that's a good idea,” Jun-Lei seemed apprehensive, “a few minutes ago that direction was only a couple dark clouds, it's grown immensely and it's not stopping. The water is already getting choppier from it and the wind and rain are picking up rapidly. There's no telling how much worse it could get. There’s something unnatural about that storm.”
“Come on,” Kyoko smiled, coaxing her mother for being nervous, “Andonia has faced storms before and never has it succumbed. Jarek's ships may be bigger and fancier, but they can't match our resilience.”
“She's right,” Haruto said, willing to compromise. “It's our best option. Jarek has gold. He could survive without more of it. We can't. If we show him we're willing to sail into a storm, he'll see what we’re willing to risk to keep what we have.”
Jun-Lei paced back and forth, staring from the ships to the storm with a magnifying tube she pulled out of her back pocket. Making her decision, she turned to the heroes and crew and announced, “Whatever that storm is, we’re heading into it. Tie down everything loose on each deck. After you're done, head to your sleeping quarters and take cover. If I ring the bells, that means Jarek has followed us into the fray and is attacking, but if not, stay in your quarters and wait until we ride this out.”
As Haruto, Kyoko, and Myoki split up, each taking one of the heroes and heading to one of the three decks, Jun-Lei took Steve aside and confidently spoke to the man who employed her. “It's going to be a bumpy ride, but we'll make it. I've got the best crew in the world. There's no one I'd trust more to get this ship to the other side.”
Working together, everyone rushed to tie down everything on the deck that couldn’t be brought down to be stored in the hull. Even Copper helped by grabbing ropes and other items with his teeth and moving them to wherever he was pointed to.
Before heading back to their sleeping quarters, Kyoko gave Ty ginger root tea and recommended Grizz, Kari, and Steve take some as well. “Even the most senior of us can get seasick in a storm like what we're about to face,” she educated them, bracing herself against the impact of a wave hitting the side of the ship. “We'll be okay though,” she quickly tacked on the sentence after seeing the nervous looks on the faces of the heroes.
Inside the forecastle cabin, the heroes waited to pass through the storm or for Jarek’s attack, whatever came first. Taking all precautions, they put on their armor and sheathed their weapons in case the latter scenario transpired. While they waited, an intense barrage of rain pelted the ceiling above and grew fiercer with each passing second. The wind picked up severely and Andonia was tossed relentlessly to and fro as it battled the assailing waves.
It was only half an hour later when the bells rang.
Jarek has followed us into the storm, everyone knew.
“Come on,” Steve stated with determination, “We're going to battle.”
Chapter 70
Strong winds resisted Steve’s first attempt to open the cabin door. It wasn't until Grizz moved past him and shouldered into it that the door flew open and the heroes rushed out. They instinctively shielded their eyes from the onslaught of rain which panged off their armor and drenched their tunics underneath within seconds.
Looking out to Lake Azure was dizzying. Andonia seemed slanted as hill-like waves erased any semblance of where the horizon was. It's a sickening sense when you don't have any idea what is level, Ty thought as a wave crashed over the barrier of the ship and washed over the deck, leaving the wet-soaked wood looking a darker shade of brown.
Once they adjusted to the weather, the heroes noticed the silhouettes of Jarek’s massive ships looming ominously behind Andonia. “They've more than cut the distance in half!” Kari yelled over the wind.
“We have little time!” Jun-Lei greeted everyone on the main deck while Kyoko steered the ship. A sense of eagerness to fight, as well as trepidation was written on her face. She, Myoki, and Haruto all had rusty plates of bronze armor and equally old swords.
Those swords are so dull they won't even cut through warm butter, Grizz wanted to tell them, but the last thing they need is a lack of confidence before battle.
“If it comes to fighting, let us take the pirates on first,” Ty told the group, unsure if they knew how ineffective their armor and weapons would be.
“Thank you,” Jun-Lei said, “but we'll fight alongside you. This is our ship and we'll die defending it if we have too. Luckily, we’re not unprepared. Whether it was Jarek or another pirate, we’ve known it was only a matter of time before someone attacked us for some reason or another.
“Steve and Grizz,” Jun-Lei pointed to the Human and the Dwarf, “you two can stay up here on the main deck with Haruto. I’ll send Kyoko down to join you in a minute. The four of you can man the cannons. Myoki, I want you and Ty to come up with me to the stern deck. I’ll need you both to keep watch on these ships.” Then, turning to the Halfling, Jun-Lei asked Kari, “Can you climb up to the crow’s nest and pick off their archers as soon as they’re in range?”
“I don’t know,” Kari was leaning towards saying ‘no’ rather than ‘yes’. “I’m not sure I can bring myself to kill people. I never have before.”
“Neither have we,” Steve spoke for both himself and Ty as he tried to reassure Kari, “but in Warrior Training, they told us that we have the right to defend ourselves from attack, whether it’s a monster, animal, or person.”
“This is no different than killing a monster,” Grizz shouted louder than needed, even considering the storm. It was clear he was frustrated an ethical discussion was happening so close to battle. “Their actions are evil. If you have second thoughts and hold back from going for the kill, you're not only putting yourself at risk, you're risking the lives of everyone on this ship.”
Steve vehemently disagreed and stuck up for Kari, not liking seeing Grizz talk down to her. “It's true what they're doing is evil, but just because they’re pirates doesn’t immediately write them off as worthy of death. They’re still people, just misguided. We shouldn’t kill them unless it’s necessary to protect ourselves.”
All the arguing was too much for Myoki who reverted to her initial idea. “It's still not too late to hand over the gold.”
Before the argument cycle was brought back full circle and everyone started discussing whether or not they should give up the money, Haruto, who had intently been watching the three ships, shouted, “Everyone duck!” From the vessels, ten archers lit their arrows with fire and launch them towards Andonia.
Steve covered Kari with his shield, Grizz shielded himself with his element, and everyone else took cover wherever they could find it. The arrows didn't hit any of them, but e
ight out of the ten pierced the ship. One even punctured through the main sail, but luckily did not set it aflame.
“Jarek has made his intentions clear,” Jun-Lei was furious, walking over to the main mast and pulling an arrow out of the woodwork. She noticed the pitch-covered metal tip, with its flame now extinguished. “This is an act of aggression, a declaration of battle. A battle in which we will engage.”
With that, she made it clear they would be fighting. “No one fires at my ship, especially Jarek. If anyone here is not okay with killing, you can take shelter in the hull. We won't think any less of you.”
When no one moved, Jun-Lei nodded. “We’re in this together and we’ll make it through together. Everyone take your positions. May Alazar be with us.”
“Kari,” Steve called to her before she began her ascent to the crow’s nest.
Knowing Steve was worried for her mental state with the likelihood of having to kill people, as well as worried for her physical safety in the upcoming battle, she turned and reassured him with a smile and a wink, saying, “I’ll be okay,” before cautiously climbing the rungs of the ladder dripping with rain.
“You sure you're healed up enough to fight?” Ty came up behind his brother.
“Not as much as I'd like, but I'm in good enough shape to teach these guys a lesson.”
“Me too,” Ty said, then headed after Myoki and Jun-Lei. He patted Copper’s side as he walked past the direfox, “Make sure you leave us some to fight, boy.”
Steve met up with Kyoko who herself had plucked an arrow out of Andonia and fingered the tar-like substance on the arrow’s metal tip. “Unlike this, which is slow-burning pitch, blackpowder is the other popularly used substance that is easily ignitable. Blackpowder, however, is easily and intensely combustible. The force it generates allows us to fire these,” she threw the pitch-tipped arrow over the side of the ship and directed Steve’s attention to a bin full of metal cannonballs. “Each cannon uses a small bag of blackpowder that can fire up to three cannonballs when ignited.”
