Raiya- Early Game

by Russell Wilbinski

  “Mills is worried, keeps saying how he told us the Rift was bad news. Maybe he was right,” She grinned, “but I would never tell him that. Last thing we need is Mills thinking he‘s smarter than us. I think we can agree that wouldn’t be good for any of us. I like that one.”

  There was a knock on the door, startling Priestess out of her rambling. “Enter.”

  Fenna pushed into the cabin, unconcerned as always.“Hey there pipsqueak, how‘s our boy?”

  “Same as yesterday.”

  Priestess watched Fenna wave a hand in front of his face and shudder. Fenna whirled, confusion etched on her face. “That is unsettling.”

  “I know, I said that too!” Priestess exclaimed, and they shared a laugh. Priestess thought it might be wrong to laugh at the situation, but it was so ridiculous all she could do was laugh. Skree would have laughed, she just knew it. He always found humor in strange situations like these.

  Fenna met her eyes. “Both crews are getting nervous. First we dragged them to the edge of the world without a real purpose. Now Skree is,” She glanced her friend, “incapacitated. Without a plan, everyone is a biton edge.”

  “We have to wait. Skree would want us to wait as long as we can.”

  “I’m of a similar mindset, but sailors are a superstitious lot. They say it‘s an omen of bad luck ahead. If I was a superstitious woman, I might think the same thing.” Fenna fell into the chair next to Priestess. “You trust me, don‘t you?”

  Priestess nodded. “You have done as much for my people as Skree has. You have earned my trust.”

  “Good. Since we agree that I’m trustworthy, I need you to tell me what Skree is doing here.”

  “Fenna I,” Priestess argued, but Fenna cut her off.

  “Let’s just skip all the back and forth where you say you don’t know and I play coy to wring it out of you. You know more than you say.” She met the kobolds gold-rimmed eyes. “What is this?”

  Priestess sighed. She knew this was coming, but she had hoped that Skree would have recovered by now. “He isn‘t from Raiya.”

  “What?” Fenna asked, brows furrowed. “Everyone‘s from somewhere.”

  “He is from somewhere, but it isn’t Raiya. The way he tells it, he is from a different world. A world where magic doesn‘t exist.” She met Fenna’s gaze intently. “Hakora teleported him here to save the world.”

  “Hakora? The Archon Hakora? Sweetie, the Archons aren’t real. Just some old myth created to explain stuff we couldn’t know.”

  “Skree thinks they are, and I believe him. Who would make up a story about another world? How did he get to my island? How did he accomplish so much in a few weeks? He is special, don’t you feel it?”

  Fenna pushed her palms against her forehead. “I told Hawkins the same thing weeks ago. I have a feeling that something drew my ship to that island. A powerful storm blows up out of nowhere, and we find an island that doesn’t exist and a man without memories? Maybe he is special, maybe not. All I know is that he deserves our trust.”

  “Thank you for everything you have done for us.” Priestess said, hopping out of the chair. “What do you say we go visit Jury in the mess, get something to eat?” Her stomach grumbled and Fenna chuckled.

  “We better hurry, sounds like you missed lunch.”

  Priestess gazed at the floor. “I haven‘t eaten since this started.”

  “Oh sweetie.” Fenna said, standing from her chair. “Let‘s get some food in you.”

  ~~~

  The mess hall was a somber place, the crew was waiting for something to change and the mess was the best place to wait. Priestess found Jury behind the counter, dishing out bowls of hearty stew.

  “Hi Jury!” Priestess yipped, slipping behind the counter and hugging the large man’s legs.

  “Hello little one, haven’t seen you for a while. You okay?”

  She nodded. “Just tired and hungry my friend.”

  “Let‘s get you some food then.” He glanced up and greeted Fenna. “Captain Lis.”

  “Jury.” She replied curtly. “How are you settling in?”

  “Just fine Captain, though I miss the Typhoon’s kitchen. Going to take a few weeks to learn this one. Keep losing track of my seasonings.”

  She smiled politely. “That is nice to hear. Pass me some of that stew.” She held out her arm and Jury deposited a bowl into her waiting hand.

  “Captain, I,” Jury said nervously, wringing a cloth in his hands.

  “Out with it Jury.”

  “I’m sorry about leaving.” He said, finally meeting her intense stare.

  “It’s fine.” She said. “We all make our choices in life Jury, and you made yours. Now we both have to live with it. The only thing I can’t understand is why you didn’t tell me first. You have been with me since my first day on the sea as Captain. You have been my friend since I was a little girl. So why?”

  Jury met her gaze and saw the hint of tears welling in her dark eyes. He set the rag down and stepped close, putting his hands on her shoulders. “Captain, I have watched you grow, from a little rascal into a beautiful woman. I have watched you take command of the Typhoon from your father and fill his shoes without losing a step. You have an entire crew that loves you, that would do anything you would ask of them.”

  He reached out, pushing the dark hair from her face. “I knew if you asked me to stay, I would have. I knew you would ask and I would be too weak to say no. But this ship needs me more than you do, more than you ever did. Skree needs me.” He turned to smile at Priestess. “She and her people need me.”

  “You’re a coward Jury, afraid to talk to a girl. But you‘re also the bravest man I know. Willing to jump off the cliff into dangerous waters with an untested captain and crew.

  He turned to smile at Priestess. “She and her people need me.”

  Fenna smiled, blinking away tears. “I always said that big heart of yours would get you into trouble some day and now look at you. On a ship that sailed all the way to the great rift on its maiden voyage and now magical fire has engulfed your new Captain. Trouble has finally come calling.”

  “That it has Fenna, that it has.” He picked up a cup and filled it with wine, handing it to Fenna. “And Captain Lis?” Jury asked, filling himself a glass as well.

  “Yes?”

  He lifted his glass in salute. “If anyone thinks you‘re just a girl, then I pity the bastards.”

  Chapter 55

  A shimmering, rippling pattern in the silver expanse of the Great Rift drew Mills out of his boredom. When you are stationary at sea, it’s easy for a man to get lost in his thoughts. Just the rift and an endless expanse of blue water bisecting one another.

  He focused on the pattern and gasped.

  “Somethings coming out of the rift!” he screamed, ringing the bells for all hands on deck. From his elevated perch, he watched them scatter about on the deck sixty-eight feet below. He whirled, pulling the looking glass from his hip and staring into the mercurial surface of the rift.

  The shadow slowly coalesced into the shape of a ship which burst forth from the wall in a spray of liquid silver. The hull was a dark black wood with matching the sails of dark fabric bearing a symbol Mills had never seen before. He quickly took in the crew, heavily armored for combat, each bearing deadly looking swords. He panned across the deck until he spotted the helmsman, and the figure standing beside it. This man looked deadly as any man he had ever seen.

  Where the soldiers on the deck looked imposing, this man sent a chill of fear down his spine. Something unnatural. His armor was like that of a beetle, chitinous shoulder plates cut a striking line away from his body. Sleek as any boat he had ever seen. His face was a silver mask, liquid as the great rift. Dark curls hung around the mask, leaving the pool of silver hidden by shadows in the middle of the day.

  “Weigh anchor! Weigh anchor! Weigh anchor!” Mills yelled, fear and desperation clear in his voice. Within seconds, he could feel the vibrations of the anchor being hoist
ed as the chain ground against the Hawsehole. A fleeting thought at the absurdity of the name for the hole in the ship and what he always thought in his head when he heard it passed in an instant.

  Below, the crew was securing loose gear and themselves for battle as fast as they could. Mills glanced at the approaching ship when another chill ran down his spine. Behind this ship were more shadows slowly resolving into the shape of ships. Two more were coming through and one of them impossibly large.

  Mills involuntarily walked away from the front of the crow's nest as he watched the enormous ship burst through, until he bumped into the far side, nearly sending him over the edge.

  “Hakora save us all.” He muttered, and from the screams of terror coming from the deck below, Mills knew the others felt the same way.

  The two smaller ships unfurled their full complement of sails, and dashed through the water. Behind the pair of sleek racing ships, was the behemoth. He knew how to build a lot of ships. From a lifeboat to a galley, he could build it. This ship was far beyond what he could build. A central hull, as wide as two galleys side by side, and just as tall floated above the water on a pair of stilt-like beams connected to smaller ships. Just as long as the main body, but half as wide, carried the larger boat

  In unison, the two ships broke away from each other, heading for opposite sides of two ships tied together in the open ocean. Mills heard Captain Lis barking orders below, and he relaxed just a little. She was young, but she is the daughter of the Admiral and a fine captain herself. Not to mention she has the best First Mate in the business. If anyone could get them through this, it was Fenna and Hawkins.

  ~~~

  “Get those anchors up! Free these lines! Let’s move ya rotten scoundrels.” Fenna shouted out orders as she sprinted to the helm of the Sawbones. Bounding up the stairs, she found Hawkins and Old Greg rapidly laying down a plan of action. “What the hell is going on? How did those ships get this close?”

  The two old men looked up at her, pulling their eyes from a sea chart hastily pinned to the wheel. “Captain, three ships coming from the rift.”

  “That impossible. Nothing comes back from the rift.”

  Hawkins and Old Greg looked at the two smaller ships racing toward them, eyes trailing up to the monstrous vessel still emerging from the rift.

  “Beggin yer pardon captain.” Old Greg said respectfully, then continued. “Them ships punched right through the rift like it was a waterfall.”

  “What‘s the plan Captain?” Hawkins said.

  “I need to get back to the Typhoon. We get this ships separated, and we split in different directions, hopefully pulling the two ships apart. We stand a good chance of winning that fight, but that thing-” she pointed at the enormous vessel looming in the distance and shrugged, “We have to get as far from it as possible.”

  “Agreed.” Hawkins said, nodding to Old Greg before walking toward the Typhoon. Fenna stepped into his path.

  “Take command of this ship.” She said, resting a hand on his chest. “Their captain is out of the fight and Elaina is in no shape to take command. They need you more than the Typhoon does.”

  Hawkins growled. “I serve the Typhoon. I go where you go.”

  She stepped closer, pulling him into a hug. After a moment of hesitation, Hawkins returns her hug, crushing her to his chest. “As you command Captain.”

  “I’ll make you proud.”

  “You already have.”

  Fenna patted his chest then pulled away, a customary smirk firmly planted on her face. She turned and dashed down the stairs, leaping across the gap between the two ships with the grace of a dancer. The moment her feet hit the deck, she shouted orders to her crew who responded without question. Fenna stepped up to the gap, drew lady from her scabbard and cut the ropes binding them with quick slashes.

  Hawkins and Fenna stared at one another as the two ships unfurled their sales, drifting apart quickly. Since her first day of command, Hawkins had been by her side. A quick turn of the wheels broke their stare before the world snapped back into action. She marched across the deck, coming to stand beside her second helmsman.

  “Adelaide, it’s time to go. Take a north-northwest tack and let's separate these ships.” Fenna ordered, hopping onto the railing, using a rope to steady herself. “Listen up scalawags! This is the fight we’ve been waiting for. Big bad strangers are coming to take what is ours. And what do we do to those who try?”

  “Send ‘em to the bottom!” the crew shouted in reply, raising swords and clubs toward the sky in challenge.

  “Battle Stations!”

  “Aye-Aye captain!”

  Fenna glanced around the deck, grinning wildly at the response. This was her crew, and they would fight to protect the Typhoon to a man and she would fight beside them.

  “Captain, looks like they are taking the bait.” Adelaide said, driving the ship rapidly away from the looming monstrosity. The sleek ships were separating, chasing them with a singular purpose. There was no doubt about it, this would be a good fight.

  “Steady as she goes Adelaide. Let‘s put more distance between us and that floating fortress before we engage, don’t want it sneaking up on us amid the battle.”

  Adelaide raised an eyebrow. “You think we would miss that thing drawing near?”

  Fenna huffed. “You know what I mean.” She scanned the sea and nodded, satisfied with the distance they had covered. “That should do it helmsman, let‘s show em what the Typhoon can do.”

  Hopping down from the railing, Fenna threw her arm over Adelaide’s shoulder. “Bring us into range and let the boys below send them a welcoming gift.”

  Nodding, Adelaide spun the wheel, watching the sea carefully. With ease, she laid out a course in her mind and adjusted the ship to match her desires and the Typhoon responded like a familiar lover. The wind tore at her hair, sending wispy tendrils trailing in the breeze.

  Fenna watched as her ship dashed toward their pursuer, knowing the crew was aching for the excitement after nearly two days sitting at anchor. As the two vessels drew closer, Fenna grabbed the railing, held her sword in the air and roared a wordless challenge at the black ship before shouting her first order.

  “Fire!”

  Every gun on the port side thundered into life, sending eight pounders of hardened steel racing across the distance. The sounds of shattering wood and the screams of her enemies sent a shiver up her spine. This is what she lived for. Violence and action, pitting yourself against an enemy and emerging victorious.

  Plumes of smoke were already rising from the enemy vessel, and her crew was cheering. First blood was theirs and she intended to push them hard.

  “Adelaide, if we aren‘t firing Starboard guns in thirty seconds, I will tie you to the anchor and send you to the bottom.”

  “You got it Captain.” Adelaide said, violently spinning the wheel. The Typhoon lurched hard in the opposite direction, listing heavily as it carved a hard line through the sea. Distant booms rang out from the black ship.

  “Brace!” Fenna called, ducking low to avoid any incoming projectiles. Splintering wood exploded around them as the heavy balls impacted the deck and hull. Steadying herself, Fenna quickly took in the situation. She heard no screams and saw no blood on the deck. Everywhere she looked, crew were scrambling to ready themselves for the next pass. Something caught her eye, and she stepped down from the castle deck, staring at a strange glowing ball embedded in her mast. The object dominated her focus as all around her the crew ran in every direction, clearing the deck of debris and tightening lines.

  She reached toward it, fingers drawing close when it suddenly shook free of the mast and landing with a thud on the wooden deck. Her head titled as she stared at the strange metal orb, etched with strange runes quickly growing in brightness. The orb grew in size, rapidly doubling before it cracked, releasing a beam of hateful red light. Fenna’s eyes shot open, and she dropped into a defensive stance as the web of cracks rapidly spread across its surface.

/>   A flash and the shell detonated with a boom, sending Fenna flying, bouncing along the deck before she crashed into the railing. Once the blinding lights cleared from her vision, she struggled to understand what she was seeing. A monster made of smoke stood on her deck, a large as any wolf. It reared its head back and loosed a keening wail that filled her with terror. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to stand, meeting the creature's gaze.

  “Get off my ship!” Fenna growled, striding toward the beast, Lady held firmly in hand.

  The dark creature bared its fangs, a deep red light pouring from its maw. She moved quickly forward, slashing her white blade furiously, the enchanted blade flaring with power as it impacted the smoking body of the creature, tearing a huge gash through the smoke revealing more of that baleful red light.

  As fast as anything she had ever seen, the chaos hound whirled toward her, raking her with black claws as sharp as any sword, tearing open her forearm in a spray of blood. Fenna danced away, teeth clenched as the red hot pain spread from her forearm to her fingers. Behind her, Adelaide shouted for the crew to fire the next volley at their enemies.

  “Good girl Addy.” she muttered without looking away from the beast. She probed forward with her sword a few times, getting a feel for the speed and reach of her opponent. She feinted, leaving an opening for the creature to attack her, and it took the bait, lunging forward to bite her thigh. She twisted, letting the fangs come within inches of tearing open her leg before driving her sword through the back of its head, driving the point of her sword into the deck, pinning it in place.

  To her surprise, the vile thing thrashed and strained, unwilling to die like any normal beast. She kicked the hilt of the sword, pushing the sharpened edge of her blade through a foot or more of the creature, completely bisecting its body. With a whoosh of air, and another flash of red light, the smoke dissipated, and a small black bead fell to the deck. She yanked Lady free of the board and knelt to retrieve her prize.