by Pedro Urvi
“I can’t believe we’re fighting against crab-men!” cried Ingrid. She was rolling this way and that with Punisher in her hands, trying to reach one of them. It was particularly ugly, and covered with spines.
“Speak for yourself!” Viggo shouted. “I’m dancing with this beautiful specimen of a lobster!” He was stabbing his black daggers into the being’s shell, without success. “Promise me I’m going to be able to eat it barbecued later. It must be delicious!”
“Shut up and be careful!” Ingrid snapped. She was launching arrow after arrow at another lobster-man, who was trying to cut off her head with his enormous red pincers.
Lasgol, with the help of Ona and Camu, finished off another crab-man with a huge protective shell. It looked as though the crabs, which those poor wretches had become fused with were of different species, so that everyone was different. Lasgol was impressed by the fact that in all of them, he could see something of the human being they had once been, particularly in their eyes, and this took him aback.
Gerd, axe and knife in hand, was hammering at a lobster-man, blocking the attacks it was making with pincers and knives. At the third axe-blow, he managed to break part of its protective shell.
“Gotcha!” he yelled, and went on delivering tremendous axe blows, sending fragments of its protective shell flying.
Astrid and Viggo managed to find their opponents’ weak points, and in the end their knives had their effect. Ingrid too managed to kill her enemy when one of her arrows hit him in the eye and buried itself deep in his head.
Nilsa, Lasgol, Camu and Ona between them finished off the last one. They were left exhausted and panting from the intensity of it all.
“This has really been quite an experience!” Viggo said as he contemplated the fallen creatures which lay scattered around.
“They’re half-man and half-crustacean!” Ingrid exclaimed in disbelief as she too examined the remains.
“And they’re not something artificial,” Astrid pointed out as she examined one closely. “They’re really half-man and half-marine animal.”
Eicewald nodded. “No, they’re not artificial creations. In fact, this is Transformation Magic, and very powerful.”
“Olagar? Lasgol asked.
“That’s what I’m afraid of. He’s using his magic to transform men and crustaceans into these beings we’ve been fighting.”
“That confirms it,” Nilsa spat out. “All magic is abominable.”
“Not all, but in this case I agree with you. Turning men into these beings is an abomination.”
“Are they still men?” Ingrid asked him.
Eicewald was examining them thoroughly. “They are.”
“Can they think?” Astrid asked. “Do they have free will?”
“They can think, certainly. And feel too. Free will? No, that I’m afraid not. They obey their creator. I’d say they’re his slaves. They’ll carry out his wishes, to the death.”
“I like this Olagar, he’s a clever guy,” Viggo said as he tried to wrench off a pincer from a lobster-man.
“How can you say that after what you’ve just seen?” Ingrid asked angrily.
“Because he’s made an army of crustacean-men with hard shells who follow his orders. In my book that counts as very clever and ambitious.
“Ambitious?” Gerd asked him, not understanding what his friend meant.
“He’s creating an army, and you do that to conquer other lands.”
“Oh … I see …”
“And he’s doing it by kidnapping people from other realms,” Astrid added. “Those turquoise men are from Uragh’s realm.”
Eicewald nodded in confirmation of this.
“Brilliant, this Olagar,” Viggo commented. “He creates his army out of his enemy’s soldiers. I like him better and better.”
“Don’t be a smartass and don’t put him on a pedestal. We’re here to destroy him.”
“And now we have a very good idea why,” Astrid added.
“Yeah,” Ingrid agreed, “we have to put an end to this atrocity.”
Lasgol breathed out heavily. What they were finding was simultaneously abominable and deeply troubling. What they were yet to find, might be even worse.
Chapter 30
After a demanding passage through the jungle, they reached a small hilltop from which they could see the southern part of the island. They lay down on the ground and took a careful view of things. Olagar’s base of operations was a stone fort built on a cliff, with a view of a bay in which they could see five sizeable ships. These were no canoes, but merchant ships and ships of war, both Nocean and Rogdonian. They must have been attacked in the ocean and then brought here.
“It seems to me the Turquoise Queen forgot to mention a couple of things,” Viggo said. “Such as Olagar already having an army to hand.”
“How many men do you make it?” Ingrid asked.
Astrid had closed one eye and was examining the ships with the other. “Those ships are pretty big, they could easily fit a hundred men, I’d say.”
“How many in the fortress?” asked Nilsa.
“Lasgol?” Ingrid said.
Lasgol used his Hawk’s Eye skill. A green flash ran though his head, and he took a good look.
“I’ve counted thirty or so. I imagine there’ll be more inside, resting, that I can’t see from here.”
“Are they like those we’ve met?” asked Viggo. “Half-man, half-crab or lobster?”
“I’m afraid so. All the ones I’ve seen are transformed men. Even the ones on the ships I saw.”
“That’s all we needed.”
“I don’t like this at all,” Nilsa said. “I don’t want to fight against creatures that are fused together. It seems utterly horrible to me.” She shook herself to get rid of her unease, but failed.
“Nor me,” Gerd joined in.
Viggo jabbed his finger at him. “I saw you hammer one to pulp. You can’t be afraid of them by now.”
The giant shrugged. “Well, now I know what they are, they don’t sort of scare me anymore, obviously.”
“What’s the plan?” Astrid asked.
“Easy,” Viggo said nonchalantly. “We go into the fortress, we kill this shaman, then we get out fast.”
“That’s not much of a plan!” Ingrid grumbled.
“You’ve turned into a real nagger lately. Is that because Captain Fantastic doesn’t worship the ground you tread on?”
“You’re going to find yourself worshiping my fist!”
“Stop it, both of you,” Astrid interrupted them. “We’ve got quite enough trouble without you arguing.” Gerd pulled Viggo a couple of paces back, and Nilsa did the same with Ingrid.
“I think in this situation a diversion would be the best idea,” Eicewald said, and his deep voice commanded attention.
“Tell us …” said Lasgol encouragingly.
“We’ve got to get into the fortress, and it’s under constant surveillance. We can also be practically sure there’ll be reinforcements inside, quite apart from those on the ships. In my opinion we need to create a solid diversion so that we can get into the fortress without being seen, and then get as far as Olagar.”
“Would that mean splitting up?” Ingrid asked.
Eicewald nodded. “One group needs to create the diversion, while the other gets into the fortress where the shaman is, without being seen.”
Ingrid grimaced. “I don’t like having to separate.”
“It’s the best alternative. I don’t really think we’ll be able to manage it any other way.”
They discussed it for a while, and after suggesting and discarding a number of ideas, they decided to follow Eicewald’s plan. They thought it all out carefully and went over all the details until they were clear. After nightfall they made their preparations.
Group One, made up of Gerd, Nilsa and Ingrid, was the first to leave. Their job was to create the distraction, and it had to be a major one. Group Two, made up of Astrid and Viggo, left a mome
nt later. Their job was to eliminate the sentinels and clear the way for Group Three, which comprised Lasgol, Eicewald, Camu and Ona. Their job would be to locate and eliminate Olagar. Although the plan was a good one, there were a million things which could go wrong, since it was an improvised one and they did not know the fortress, nor how many guards there were or their exact whereabouts. The chances of everything going as planned were very slim.
Astrid and Viggo went down the hill through the scrub, like shadows of the night with a lethal purpose. The waning moon was their ally that night – not that Astrid and Viggo needed it, since their skill at concealing their presence was masterly. When they neared the northern wall of the fortress, they saw two guards standing a hundred paces from it. They communicated by gestures, then each of them went for one of the guards. The difficulty lay in the fact that these were lobster-men, whose entire backs were covered by red shells. There was no way they could kill them with a single knife-stroke from behind, and a fight so close to the wall would alert the other guards above. They would have to use some other strategy for getting rid of them.
Lasgol, Eicewald, Camu and Ona meanwhile were waiting hidden among the vegetation, two hundred paces away.
“Now we wait for the signal,” Lasgol whispered to Eicewald.
The Mage nodded. “When this is over, we’ll have to talk about the little business of your companion from the Frozen Continent,” he said, indicating Camu, who was visible at that moment.
“When this is over,” replied Lasgol, who did not want to discuss Camu with the Ice Mage. He knew he wanted to study the creature, and he was deeply distrustful.
I can go in, Camu offered.
I know, but it’s very dangerous for you to go alone.
Danger not scare.
I know you’re very brave. It’s not that. We’ve got to follow the plan. It’s our best chance.
Camu resigned himself. Follow plan.
Thank you. Everything’s going to come out right. Stay with me and don’t fret.
Ona chirped affirmatively.
Ingrid, Nilsa and Gerd made their way to the harbor in the bay in front of the fortress. The southern part was in shadow, while the central and northern stretches were much better illuminated with torches and oil lamps. They spotted watchmen in the two towers of the fortress, which between them looked out seawards, landwards, and over the entrance gate. In addition, there were patrols in the harbor. It was clearly very well-protected. They stopped and watched the half-dozen guards who were patrolling near where they themselves were hidden among the rocks.
“First we count their paces, then we get ready,” Ingrid said, and Nilsa nodded.
The guard in that area of the dock was made up of half a dozen crab-men, who were walking with slow steps. The three of them waited to see what route the patrol took, so that they could move when their backs were turned. They watched them for three rounds, and by then they had mapped the pattern of the route. When the guard turned to the right in front of them, they waited a moment and then ran out behind their backs.
Astrid and Viggo, on the opposite side of the fortress, leapt up with the speed of lightning and the stealth of a snake behind the two lobster-guards. Instead of trying to stab them, they used something Astrid was an expert at: poison. There followed two faint clicks as the glass ampoules broke over the two watchmen’s heads. A moment later they fell dead. Astrid and Viggo held them up to stop them making a sound when their shells hit the ground.
“It worked perfectly,” Viggo whispered.
Astrid smiled. “You had any doubt about it?”
Viggo smiled. The look on his face said ‘of course not’.
The idea had been Eicewald’s. Lobsters and other kinds of seafood are killed with acid, such as lemon, so that they can then be eaten. They could try the same thing with the crustacean-men, he had said, but on a larger scale, and he had been right. Astrid had prepared a poison which was three-quarters acid. It would not have been used like that against humans, but it had worked perfectly with the two watchmen, who had died almost instantly.
Astrid and Viggo signaled to Lasgol and his group with the hoot of an owl to summon them, then they went on as far as the fortress wall, making sure they went unobserved by the watch on top of it. Then, as if they were two enormous black spiders, they began to climb the wall. Their destination was the battlements of one of the four, square towers.
Lasgol, watching beside the two dead watchmen, was impressed by his two companions’ skill. He himself would have had difficulty climbing the wall of the eastern tower, which was old and had not been repaired for a long time. There were points where a stone either jutted out or had fallen which they could use as supports. Even so, it was a difficult ascent.
He and Eicewald watched them as they climbed, making use of everything they had learnt in their training as Ranger Specialists in Expertise. They went up too fast and took too many risks for Lasgol’s taste. He was holding his breath in fear of an accident, but they reached the top without missing a foothold, grasping the projections with strong hands, putting their feet in any crack and cranny with the security only possible for a body which was perfectly-trained and capable of keeping perfect balance in the most hostile of situations.
They disappeared behind the battlements of the tower, and Lasgol breathed out in relief. He listened, but heard no shouts or alarm-calls. It looked as though they had not been spotted.
Where they go? Camu asked him restlessly.
They’re securing the area. Don’t worry.
I go?
Let’s wait a moment. There’ll be guards up there, and they’ll have to neutralize them before they can raise the alarm. It’s a delicate situation. They’re the specialists when it comes to this type of job. They’ll deal with it.
Agree.
Lasgol looked at his friend in surprise. I’m glad we agree, he transmitted, a little surprised by Camu’s reply. His friend seemed to be giving him his approval, which surely showed maturity. Could he be growing up? No, probably not. This was an isolated event. He hoped he was wrong, and that the creature was actually growing wiser.
Suddenly a long rope snaked down the tower wall.
They did it. Now then, it’s time to climb.
They reached the wall at a crouch.
“Are you going to be able to climb?” Lasgol whispered to Eicewald.
The Mage looked up and calculated the height. He shook his head. “My arms and legs won’t be able to manage. I haven’t enough strength to climb this wall, nor the vitality … I’m not made for this type of mission, not even when I was young …”
“I’ll give you a hand.”
“I have a better idea,” Eicewald said, and gave his staff to Lasgol. “Look after this for me and give it back to me at the top.”
He began to cast a spell, and a blue-white flash enveloped his hands. He grasped the rope, and a white frost appeared around both them and the rope he was holding. A moment later his hands were firmly held to the rope by a block of ice and frost.
“I’m not sure this is a good idea,” Lasgol said doubtfully.
“Don’t worry, ice and cold don’t affect me. I could live in the Frozen Continent, like him.” He glanced aside at Camu. “I’m an Ice Mage, which has certain advantages.” A faint smile appeared on his face, which was something very unusual in him.
“All right, then.” Lasgol gave the rope three tugs. His partners at the top understood the signal and began to heave the Mage upwards.
Camu, go up with him and make sure he doesn’t fall.
I go. Camu adhered to the wall and set off up the wall sticking and un-sticking his palms on the rocky surface. As he watched them disappear upwards, Lasgol could not help smiling. This incursion was utterly strange, which led him to think that it was soon going to turn even stranger, since he himself now had to climb with Ona.
At the wooden quay, Ingrid, Nilsa and Gerd had climbed into a boat moored in the darkest spot. Gerd loosened the ropes and pushed
it out to sea.
“Now we lie down and row with our hands,” Ingrid said, and Nilsa dipped her hands into the warm water.
Ingrid turned to Gerd. “Gerd keep that great body of yours hidden. This boat has to look as though it’s adrift.”
“I’ll stay hidden under this net.”
“That’d be better. We’ll do the hand-rowing.”
Silently and carefully, Ingrid and Nilsa propelled it toward the ships which were anchored in the bay. It was dark, and probably at that distance they would not be visible from the ships, but there were sure to be watchmen or guards on duty.
“Nilsa, slower, we don’t want them to suspect anything.”
“Sorry. It’s my nerves …”
“A boat that’s adrift doesn’t go as fast as that.”
“Understood,” Nilsa said apologetically.
“And what’s the plan if they spot us?” Gerd whispered from underneath the net.
“If they spot us, we fight,” Ingrid said.
“Wouldn’t it be better to withdraw?”
“No, they need us. We’ve got to create a distraction, and we will, even if it’s a hard job.”
“Let’s hope it’s not …”
“Well, then, stop talking,” Ingrid snapped at them.
Lasgol had the rope tied around his waist and Ona in his arms as he climbed. He placed his feet against the wall and went up as Astrid and Viggo tugged at the rope.
I’ll have to put you on a diet, you weigh a ton, he said teasingly to Ona.
Ona fat, came Camu’s mocking comment from above, and Ona moaned.
Take it easy, I’m joking. It’s just to make you more comfortable.
I no joking.
You shut up, you’re not helping.
It was a difficult ascent, and Lasgol could feel how nervous Ona was. The higher they went, the more restless she became. One unwise movement and they could lose their balance. Lasgol’s thighs and back were aching terribly from holding Ona’s weight and from the effort of the climb, but he clenched his jaw and went on. He had called upon the skills that could help him in that situation before they started climbing, but even so, it was a complicated business. Luckily Ona behaved like a heroine, and they managed to reach the battlements. Astrid took Ona, while Viggo supported the rope.
