by Jez Cajiao
“Thank you, Lydia. I’ll try my best to be worthy of that trust,” I promised, and she smiled properly at me. It was like the sun coming out from a cloudy sky, and I realized she’d never smiled like that around me before. It was genuine and bright, and it made me feel better immediately.
I took a deep breath, shifting my attention up to the raised deck, and sighed. I knew what I had to do next.
“I’ve got an apology to make, I think. He’s a good man, and I scared him,” I said, and she laughed, breaking the spell.
“He’s a cantankerous little bastard of a dwarf, but he’s all right, I guess.” I couldn’t help but laugh as I agreed with her and headed towards the upper deck. Lydia called out from behind me, and I acknowledged her with a wave.
“I’ll get the squad ready, my lord.” she said, her footsteps heading toward the bow where most of them waited, snapping at them to gather around. Oracle alighted on my shoulder again and spoke to me in a small voice.
“This is my fault again, Jax. I’m so sorry.” I looked up to her and we locked eyes, the turmoil in my own gaze matching the concern in hers.
“It really isn’t. Yeah, what happened with us hasn’t helped, it’s true, but it’s not your fault. I always had problems with my temper, and so did…does…Tommy. I just need to learn a bit of control again, that all.”
“I’ll help, just tell me what you need,” she whispered, and I smiled sadly at her.
“Maybe we should talk tonight, see if all that tree-hugging, touchy-feely crap helps, huh?” I said, and she immediately perked up.
“Touchy-feely?” she asked excitedly, and I groaned before realizing she was winding me up. As she took off, I cursed, realizing she’d gotten me again. I knew she was trying to distract me, and I was thankful for it.
I crossed the raised deck to Oren, where he stood calmly next to Jory. As I paused next to him, we both spoke at once.
“I’m sorry, dude, I…”
“I’m sorry, Jax, I shouldna…” We both stopped and looked at each other, bursting into laughter.
“I’m sorry, man, I lost my temper. I’ll do better.” I grinned at him, and he nodded, replying quickly.
“Ach, yer th’ lord. Yer in charge. I’m sorry I stepped in, ‘specially for shits like them.” He inclined his head toward the remnants of the cage, where Bob still stood guard over the four now thoroughly cowed criminals.
“Hah, no worries, man. I’m glad you did, even though a part of me disagrees, even now!” I said, shaking my head.
“I’m sorry too, Oren. This is my fault, and you were right earlier. We did bond too deeply; how did you know?” Oracle asked, and Oren grinned up at her.
“Ach, dinna worry, lass. It doesna matter… as to the bond… well, let’s jus’ say tha’ I’ve seen it happen… a long time ago, ye know, over eighty years back now, when I were a wee nipper, but still…” He ran his hands through his beard, combing it out. “Ma cousin, he were popular wit’ the ladies, iff’n ye take ma meanin’, and well, he mighta made a bond wit’ a nymph. He wouldna say, but we all knew, ye ken? He started to get a bit… wild… chasin’ anythin’ in a skirt, then jus’ anythin! No one knows whut happen’d to ‘im, but there was a rumor about ‘im askin’ about a dragon’s nest, and ‘e were never seen again. Th’ family were all warned after, dinna bond wit’ nothin’ that don’t own a distillery!” Oren shrugged at us, and we simply stared back at him. “All tha’ were ever found were ‘is pants…” he said quietly, nodding as he looked into the distance.
“So… you got that we had an emotional resonance from a cautionary tale about your cousin trying to bang a dragon?” I asked slowly, and he nodded firmly. “Dude, you are so full of shit.” I shook my head, and when he started to speak up, I just held up my hand to stop him.
“I don’t think we need to hear it, man. Seriously. I…just concentrate on the ship, okay? How long ‘til we’re ready to land?”
“Do we want to?” Oren asked, raising an eyebrow. “Canna see why we’d do tha’; can we no just let down a ladder?”
“Okay, that’s far more sensible; let’s do that. How long?” I repeated my question, and he shrugged.
“About five minutes, iff’n ye quit pesterin’ me!”
“Fine; let me and my team, plus those four idiots, climb down. Then you should take off and follow us at a distance while we check the ship and explore the area. We’ll see what we find, and then probably follow the tracks.
“Ye got balls o’ brass and brains o’ mince, ye know tha’?” Oren said and I smirked before walking off down the deck towards my waiting team.
“Damn right I do, mate! Damn right!”
I retrieved four swords from the ship’s stores and gave them to Lydia to hand out to the four in the cage once we were on land; then I gathered up Bob, the rest of the team, and our smelly, depressed bait, directing everyone to the ladder that one of the crew was preparing.
Chapter Eight
We gathered around the railing, watching as the wrecked airship grew closer. We slowly lowered until we were less than ten feet from the low waves that splashed about on the lake, quickly closing the distance to Decin’s ship.
I reveled in the warm sunlight on my back, the sight of the light reflected from the water below, and the beautiful view before us. Gnarled, ancient trees clustered everywhere. Some had fallen, creating bridges that led out into the water a hundred feet or more, and I imagined that this was what American settlers had felt when they first discovered the giant sequoias of the past. These trees looked alien, they were so tall and wide, but considering the giants that surrounded the Tower, I guessed these were just older versions of those that had been planted when the Tower was completed.
I leaned against the railing and closed my eyes for a second, drawing a deep lungful of the sweet air. I could taste the humidity of the lake, but the combination of the speed we flew at and the gentle breeze meant it was pleasant, rather than sweltering in the heat.
“We’re getting’ close, m’lord,” I heard Lydia whisper, and I opened my eyes almost regretfully. The shore was indeed closer, and I could make out the churned earth alongside the ship with my own eyes now. The toppled ship listed partially to the right, or starboard side, its stern facing the lake, and the bow of the ship pointed into the forest ahead. Large containers had been strewn about the ground nearby; some were broken open, either from falling from the ship, or by whatever had attacked.
As we grew closer and our ship began to slow, a sudden explosion of birds took off from nearby, and when I looked in that direction, I discovered they’d been feasting on a body. I searched the raised deck for Oren and waved to get his attention. He raised one hand in return to signal that he’d seen me, and I made a circular motion with one hand as the other gripped my naginata tighter.
Oren nodded and gestured to Jory, speaking a few words I was too far away to hear, before signaling me with a circular motion in return. Either that, or I’d just called his mother an unflattering name with a hand gesture, and he was returning the favor.
We slowly circled the crashed ship, finding that a significant portion had been fixed up. There was still a missing engine on one side, where I’d taken it out with a lucky throw, but the damage to the sails and decking where it had impacted Oren’s ship was mainly repaired.
We slowed further as we took a second lap, but we couldn’t see anything besides the one body that lay between a couple of large crates.
It was half crushed by one of them and had clearly been fed upon by the birds we’d seen earlier.
I waved at Oren again and pointed down, getting another nod, and he brought us in close, hovering a dozen feet off the ground. I turned to Lydia and spoke up loud enough so that all of the squad and our four guests could hear.
“Okay, everyone; after me, it’s Lydia. If she tells you to do something, you do it, no questions. Bob and I are going first, then you four, then Lydia and the rest.” I pinned my gaze to the foursome. “Lydia will give you we
apons when you need them, but I don’t trust you, so I’ll make this clear: if you try to fuck with us, or hurt one of my people, so help me god, I will kill each and every one of you. And I’ll make sure your own mothers wouldn’t recognize what’s left of your bodies, understand?” Getting scared nods from each of them, I looked over the side at the ladder the crewman was lowering. I immediately realized that it would never hold Bob’s weight, and it was only a short distance to the ground. I ignored it and jumped, Bob following my lead.
I couldn’t help it; I did a superhero landing, one fist pressed to the ground, one knee down, the whole works. I probably looked amazing, until Bob landed right next to me and clanked straight off to search the surrounding area while I slowly straightened up.
Deadpool was right, it fucking killed my knee, and it was only a short distance. I was totally putting more points into Constitution before I tried that shit again. I hadn’t even rolled or tried to absorb the landing properly. I’d nearly smashed my goddamn kneecap.
I quickly cast a healing spell as I gingerly stood there, trying to hide the fact that I was doing anything while I looked about heroically.
It took a few seconds, but by the time the foursome and Lydia had descended, I figured I could walk without crying, and I tried to hide the limp as I moved over to the corpse. Lydia and the others spread out to surround me and keep watch, while Oren moved off to scout the area further, just as we’d discussed beforehand.
I moved cautiously to inspect the remains. Whatever it had been in life had at least worn a loincloth. There were long strips of torn flesh and gobbets of… bits… where the birds had been feeding, but they hadn’t been there long enough to strip the creature entirely. I couldn’t make out much, given the state it was in, beyond the fact that it had been small; maybe three to four feet tall in total, if the rest of the corpse was in proportion. Bob was there a second later, responding to my summons, and dug his hands into the soft, dark earth that surrounded the base of the container. He creaked and let out a hissing noise as he strained, but after a few seconds, he managed to tip the crate over.
Considering the fact that it was at least ten feet by ten feet and square, it was clearly insanely heavy, and I made a mental note to get it searched.
What took most of my attention, though, was the tiny corpse revealed underneath it. It had been crushed into the dark earth, likely killing it instantly, but enough of the body remained to make Lydia hiss in anger.
“You’ve seen this before?” I asked her, blinking in surprise, and got a nod in return.
“Forest goblin. Little bastards usually live in the deep woods. They kill travelers and loot anything not nailed down. They also raid small villages and cabins; they eat meat.”
“So, do we… eat meat, I mean?” I said, and then I understood the look on her face. “You mean sentient meat, don’t you?” I asked, getting a sick nod in return. Cam spoke up, disgust straining his voice.
“They need killin’, Lord. If we don’t, they’ll just keep breedin’ until there’s too many to face. They’re like a fuckin’ plague.” The taciturn man grunted and spat on the small corpse before turning back to watching the perimeter.
“We came for the crew and ship first,” I said, studying the nearby tracks. “If we need to kill them off, we will, but the ship’s crew is our priority, not meeting the neighbors.”
“I don’t think we’ve much choice, Lord Jax…” said a small voice from the left, my eyes found Miren where she knelt a dozen feet away, looking at the tracks in the dirt. She pointed at first one, then another, then a third. “This one’s a cave troll; me da’ taught me what they look’d like, so I’d keep well away from ’em. Most of these look like other goblins, judgin’ by that one’s feet; and this one?” She indicated the final clear print. “This one looks like a normal boot; might be a man or a woman. It’s too short to be a goblin, and they don’t normally wear boots, do they?”
“Too short?” I asked, joining her to inspect it.
It took a few seconds of looking the jumble of tracks over, but I managed to make out the ones that she’d seen, and a handful of others, thanks to the tracking training I’d been given prior to being sent to the arena.
“Goblins have really long feet, Lord Jax, narrow at the back and wide at the front, and you can see the claws…here,” Miren touched the ground gently, pointing out the short gouges near the end of several prints. “And here… but this one…” She pointed out another much wider and deeper print, which was almost triangular due to being particularly wide at one end. “This one’s a cave troll. Nothin’ like it, me da’ said, an’ I recognize it!”
As soon as I had the three prints fixed in my mind, a notification popped up:
Congratulations!
You have learned three new tracks and have increased your ‘Tracking’ skill to Level Two. Practice and learn to increase this skill further. Skillful trackers can grow in ability, until even the west wind could be traced to its home!
Once this skill reaches Level Ten, you may choose its first evolution…
I couldn’t help but grin at the skill increase, despite being aware that it was tiny. I’d literally only reached level two, after all, but every step was an improvement. As I looked at the muddy earth leading from the forest to the ship and back again, I concentrated, and a faint red glow began to outline certain prints as my visual augmentation kicked in, highlighting important details.
“Thank you, Miren,” I said, then looked over at Stephanos. “Have you got the tracking skill yet?” I asked him, getting a shake of the head in the negative. I waved him over, asking Miren to explain it to him while we searched the site.
I followed the cave troll tracks to the side of the ship, finding scratches and gouges in the wood where it appeared that one had tried to climb up the side. Smaller prints indicated where the goblins had swarmed aboard. I climbed up the rungs that had been built into the side of the ship and paused at the top, scanning the deck quickly to make sure there was nothing waiting for me before climbing aboard.
Lydia followed me while Bob clattered around the perimeter, looking for things to hurt. Once we were both up, we edged cautiously toward the nearest hatch. The ship’s deck was canted at an angle, but we were careful, approaching the edge of the open hatch quietly. As we drew near, we made eye contact and separated out to either side before moving to peer into the darkness below…
“E’re! I need that sword!” A voice called out from behind us, and we both spun around. The leader of the idiotic foursome had followed us up and was standing there expectantly. “Ya can’t expect us to be unarmed, now; yer promised us!” he went on in a loud, nasally voice, when a sound from below deck rang out, making it clear we’d just lost the element of surprise. I swore as Lydia grunted, shoving me aside and sending us both sprawling.
When we hit the deck, we started rolling, slowly at first as we thrashed about, trying to find purchase, but then faster and faster, until I slammed into the railing with a thump.
I saw Lydia coming and just managed to throw my naginata free before it impaled her, and she crashed to a stop atop me with a painful kick to my jaw.
She frantically pushed off as she tried to get to her feet as quickly as possible, shoving me again as I tried to get up. I fell back, smacking the back of my head, and had a second to wonder if she was attacking me, when I saw what had made her push me, and I cursed.
Embedded a solid inch into the heavy wood of the ship’s railing was a small throwing knife, the darkened tips at each corner warning against dire repercussions if it hit me. I braced a foot against the railing and kicked off as hard as I could, flipping myself to my feet as I set off running toward the only nearby cover that I could see, a large chest that appeared to be fastened to the deck. I reached it a bare second ahead of a solid thunk that impacted the far side. I let out a breath and called out:
“Lydia, you okay?”
“Yer, just! You?”
“Aye, I’m all right! Who...?”
Before I could get any more out, something shoved me from the side, throwing me out into view, and I fell, frantically kicking off and rolling forward. I heard more than felt something zip through the air where I’d been a second before, and I began jinking and weaving desperately.
I knew the direction the little weapons were coming from, but I couldn’t see anything, and the nearest cover was where I’d just been thrown from. I couldn’t take the time to defend myself against whoever had attacked me from that angle, not while dodging the knives. I jumped to the left, sliding on the angled deck, then dove to my right. I could see a second hatch that was open to blackness below, and I took the risk, diving forward just as I felt a sharp tug at the back of my neck.
“Jax!” I heard Oracle cry in shock at the pain I suddenly felt. She’d been exploring the perimeter with Bob, but I felt her suddenly speed up, heading straight toward me like an arrow in flight as I tumbled into the darkness.
I managed to twist as I fell, tucking my head in and throwing out my right arm, which meant that I landed on my shoulder and side rather than my head. The world exploded in a shower of stars as I had the breath knocked out of me, but I managed to roll again, hitting a crate and diving behind it. I had a split second to wonder if I had the crate between me and whatever we were fighting when a loud thud from the deck above resulted in a scream of pain.
I shook myself, blinking furiously as I tried to adjust to the strange light below deck. I was surrounded by boxes, hammocks, and debris, the sunlight filtering down between occasional planks, and from two open hatches.
