by Hans Bezdek
Zane took a few steps toward the downed pirate, mace in hand. The man glared up at him, growling in pain and anger but not saying anything.
"What are you waiting for?" asked Perkins.
"Nearly your entire crew has been killed," said Zane. "Your arm is broken, and even if it wasn't, it's clear you can't beat us."
The pirate captain glowered at him. "Just kill me already... I'm tired of listening to ya yap."
Zane put his mace back on his hip and shook his head. "Sorry, not going to happen. Not today, anyway."
"Huh?" said Perkins, all of the pirates, and all of the prisoners in unison.
"You're being given a second chance on life," said Zane walking away and stepping off the boat. "As Nera has mercy on me, so I shall on you. Leave this place and turn from your ways. This path only leads to death."
There was some disappointed grumbling from the prisoners, but they ultimately followed Zane off of the boat.
"What are you doing?" demanded Perkins. "Why don't you kill him? He's the whole reason for all of this!"
"He's clearly made his mistakes, but he is no longer a threat to us. I think there has been enough shedding of blood today," said Zane. "Besides, I don't see why you care if I kill him or not. We all die one day, right?"
Perkins opened and closed his mouth a few times.
"I'm not sure I like the new you throwing my words back at me, you know," said the elf, getting back onto Gloria.
The pirate captain and what was left of his crew were suspicious toward Zane and the others, moving slowly as they prepared their boat to leave. Once they dislodged their ship and kicked off, they started moving quicker in case their opponents changed their minds. The pirate captain stood at the back of the boat, nursing his arm while his glare never left the paladin.
"I'll remember ye!" barked the captain as the ship drifted out of sight. "Mark me words, I will remember ye!"
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The bodies of the fallen Lundori and Fort Pel defenders had been cleared from the battlefield by the time Farr and the others woke up and ventured back to Major Esper's tower. Compared to when The Delinquents had first arrived the day earlier, the people of the fort seemed in surprisingly good spirits. Many of the guards nodded and smiled at them, and even a few townspeople waved.
"Glad to see we're getting the recognition we deserve," said Yri, holding her head high. "Nothing like a little fire to catch people's attention."
"I'm surprised word traveled so quickly," remarked Farr, waving back to two children. They giggled and ran off.
"The people of the town watched the battle anxiously," commented Khuwa, who had been quieter than usual that morning. Farr still hadn't gotten around to talking to her about her inappropriately dangerous behavior the night before. "They were all worried for their loved ones, but when they saw the green flames coming from both sides of the fight, their nervousness turned to excitement."
"It looks like the Lundori had used fire before," said Grex, the gnome glancing up at the scorch marks on the tower they were about to enter. "I'm sure the people of Fort Pel appreciated having it deployed on their behalf for once."
"I'm glad you four didn't give the Lundori a chance to use it on you," said Khuwa.
"That was nice. It also would've been nice to have you out there with us," said Yri, glancing sideways at Farr.
The blademagus took a deep breath. It seemed like now the time to have the uncomfortable chat had come. He hated having to reprimand people, especially those he considered friends. But it had to be done.
"Khuwa..." he began.
"I realize I was being foolish," admitted Khuwa, saving Farr from having to start. "But with the Lundori already charging and Fort Pel preparing to meet them, I had to do something!"
"And that something was venturing out on your own without saying anything to us?" asked Farr.
The orc hung her head and didn't reply.
"You could have easily gotten all of us killed when we tried to get to you," sighed Farr. Khuwa looked like she had beaten herself up about this enough. "Never go off like that on your own again."
Khuwa nodded somberly. "I understand."
"Good," said Farr, clearing his throat. "Now let's move on and not make this weird."
"Well, weirder than we already are," pointed out Grex.
"Hold on, you aren't going to punish her?" asked Cupcake, sounding mildly disappointed.
"Of course not," said Farr, shaking his head. "She was trying to do a good thing, she just went about it in the wrong way. Besides, if I was going to punish someone whenever they did something I didn't like, you'd be permanently in a field of flowers with children holding hands and dancing around you."
The demon pig shivered. "And people think I'm wicked!"
The Delinquents entered the tower, where some guards happily escorted them up to Major Esper's room. One of them went inside for a moment to let him know they were there, and they were ushered in without delay.
"Our heroes!" exclaimed Major Esper, a wide smile on his face as he held his arms open. While he still looked like he hadn't slept in days, there was a spark of joy in his eye.
"We were just doing our job," said Farr, bowing slightly. He wasn't used to praise and always found it uncomfortable.
"Of being heroes!" exclaimed Cupcake from his master's shoulder. The demon clearly didn't share Farr's feelings.
"It's a heavy burden, but one that The Delinquents can carry," added Yri, giving a subtle wink to the pig.
Farr was always a little uncomfortable whenever the warlock and her demon were on the same page.
"Ah, before I forget," said Esper, reaching underneath his desk and producing a leather bag. "As promised, here is your thousand gold. Feel free to count it."
"Don't mind if I do," said Yri, snatching and opening the bag, pouring its content onto the desk. She began counting while Cupcake threw out random numbers in an attempt to mess her up.
Major Esper turned to Aeulon and raised his eyebrows. The elf coughed and slightly bowed toward The Delinquents.
"I apologize for my original assessment of you," said Aeulon, sounding genuine. "I was quick to be suspicious of you, but it is obvious now that you're not only skilled, but willing to help our people."
"No need to apologize," smiled Grex. "We're used to people not enjoying our presence."
"That doesn't make it right," said Aeulon, who turned to focus on Farr. "Thank you, especially, for the use of your magic on my weapon. I'm not sure how I would've fared without it."
"We appreciate the kind words," Farr nodded to the elf, feeling his cheeks burn with the further praise.
"The Lundori retreated faster than ever before," smiled Esper. "I have hopes that they will think twice before attacking us again. While that might not last, it will hopefully give my troops some time to get some much-needed rest and medical attention."
"Would you consider staying longer?" asked Aeulon. "We won't be able to pay as highly for additional days, but I'm sure we can come to some sort of arrangement with your guild."
"I appreciate the offer, but unfortunately we really must be off as soon as we can," replied Farr.
"You by no means owe us an answer, but may I ask where it is you are off to?" asked Major Esper. "While we aren't sending any scouts out at this time, we have in the past and could possibly provide some advice depending on what you seek."
Farr glanced at the others, unsure of how much to say. Grex and Khuwa shrugged, while Yri and Cupcake were still busy counting coins and didn't pay them any attention. The blademagus considered the options and ultimately didn't see any harm in telling them the truth.
"We're headed to Death's Eye," explained Farr. "While it is some shaky information, our guild believes there is the chance the Mad God will be released in the next few days."
Major Esper and Aeulon exchanged a concerned look.
"That would explain the sudden Lundori aggression," whispered Aeulon.
"Agreed," nodded Ma
jor Esper, the man leaning back in his seat.
"You think the Lundori and the Mad God could be connected?" asked Khuwa.
"One thousand!" declared Yri cheerfully. She glanced at the others and her smile slipped as she began putting the coins back in the bag. "Uh, you can continue."
"It's entirely possible," nodded Major Esper. "It's not as though the Lundori are normally like this."
"They aren't?" repeated Grex, taking a half step forward. The gnome pulled out a scroll and quill and listened eagerly.
"While we've had some minor conflicts with the Lundori over the years, we've never had them come to Fort Pel and launch an attack," explained Esper. "In fact, we used to do some occasional trading with them. We would give them some of our older weapons in return for their exotic foods and furs."
"I bet you're regretting that now," murmured Yri, the bag of gold disappearing into her cloak. "Never give a potential enemy anything you wouldn't want to be used against you."
"We assumed it would strengthen relations," sighed Esper. "Not one of my finer ideas."
"There's no way you could've known that at the time," said Aeulon, standing firmly beside his leader.
"A little over a week ago they made their first attack," continued Major Esper. "We had slipped into complacency and paid for it. Their wizards destroyed some of our buildings, and we lost too many men and women when we fought them back. I had assumed they were doing this out of retribution for something one of the scouts had done that I wasn't aware of, but maybe it is somehow related to Aodh."
"Do you think they could be the ones to let him loose?" asked Grex.
Farr was taken aback at the question. He hadn't considered the Lundori trying to break the Mad God out. It would certainly explain their hostility toward the Empire and people of Fort Pel. Plus, not much was known of the Lundori and their practices. Could they possibly be worshippers of Aodh?
"It's not outside of the realm of possibility," said Major Esper somberly.
"If that's true, then it's even more of a reason for us to hurry there," said Yri.
"Allow us to draw up a map of the known Lundori locations before you go," offered Major Esper. "We've had some men check on Death's Eye from time to time, and if you follow their pathway, you may be able to reach it without too much conflict."
"Aside from any changes in the Lundori, of course," added Aeulon. "If they are actually wanting to unleash Aodh on the world again, they'll surely be positioned around his prison."
"Let's hope that isn't the case," said Farr. He didn't like his squad's odds if it would be five against hundreds, if not thousands, of hostile Lundori fighters. "Now about that map..."
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Gloria finally reached Julius' Port, which brought many cheers from those aboard. Zane was one among them. While the potion that Tomm gave him had gotten rid of his seasickness, the paladin had decided the sea wasn't for him. He preferred traveling, and fighting, on land.
Julius' Port was much larger than Bjorn's Harbor. The structures here were all made of stone, some even metal. Large inns made up the bulk of the buildings Zane could see from the ship, while the scent of deliciously cooked meat let him know some taverns or restaurants weren't too far. While he'd have liked to rest up and enjoy some of the large town, they didn't have much time to spare.
"You know, that wasn't too bad of a ride," mused Perkins as they stood toward the back of the line getting off of the ship.
"Really?" asked Zane, shaking his head as they took a few steps forward. "Did you already forget we were almost killed by pirates?"
"Neither of us were ever killed," countered Perkins. "Some of the other patrons? Sure. But us? I think not."
"Anyone being in danger puts a damper on things for me."
"How noble! Especially for one that intends on releasing an unkillable monster on the very people he was so worried about."
Zane looked around and held a finger to his lips. "Knock it off! Someone could hear!"
"No one's paying attention to us," said Perkins, waving Zane's concern away. He then looked around and saw a number of glances their way. "Oh. Right. Everyone's nervous around us now."
"Or overly appreciative," sighed Zane.
After they had saved Gloria and its passengers from the pirates, they were met with a hero's welcome. Everyone wanted to shake their hand and talk to them. At first, anyway. Shortly after dinner, they began to hear whispers questioning why the two of them were on the ship in the first place, and whether they meant them even more harm than the pirates had.
The two of them keeping to themselves probably didn't help assuage the fears of their fellow travelers. Zane didn't want all of the attention in what was supposed to be a secret mission, however, and Perkins wasn't interested in the flattery or offers of money.
They quietly followed the line down to the harbor, putting the rest of their conversation on hold until they were alone. They made to go deeper into the town, but four guards approached them.
"This looks promising," said Perkins dryly.
"These the two?" one of the guards asked a woman Perkins vaguely recognized from the boat.
She nodded, then scurried away.
"Uh, is something the matter?" Zane asked.
The guard that had asked the woman adjusted his armor. "Perhaps. We've heard that the two of you put on quite a show on the way here."
"We are men of many talents," bowed Perkins.
"We don't need any kind of reward or acknowledgment of us protecting the ship," said Zane bashfully. "All we want is to put the matter behind us and get on our way."
"Multiple passengers came up to us, claiming that two suspicious people who were well armed had caused a commotion," said the guard firmly. "The people on board were scared half to death"
"That's quite the way to describe what happened," chuckled Perkins.
Zane failed to see the humor in the situation. "What are they talking about?! Our ship was attacked by pirates and we saved them and their belongings!"
"We then checked with the captain of the ship to learn which Epworth citizens had done this," continued the guard, ignoring Zane's protests. "And he explained that you two never showed your papers when you got on."
Perkins and Zane exchanged a look.
"Told you we shouldn't have done anything," mumbled Perkins.
Zane couldn't argue with him. He had done what he thought was the right thing, and in return the people they rescued complained to the guards about them. If this was what the people in the Epworth Empire were really like, he had less of a problem letting Aodh free.
The paladin ran his eyes over the guards. The four of them looked capable enough, but they weren't ready for a fight. Zane and Perkins couldn't allow themselves to be captured, so that looked exactly like what the guards were going to get.
"I'm telling you, we did nothing wrong," continued Zane. "We saved the people on that boat. Surely that is worth something."
"Honestly, I don't know if what you're saying is true or not," admitted the guard. "But either way, you've come to the Epworth Empire without any paperwork. Do you have some now that you'd like to show us?"
Zane looked at Perkins.
The elf shook his head. "Not exactly."
"I see," said the guard. "Well, then. We have no choice but to-"
"What's goin on here?!"
Tomm stomped forward and glared at the guards.
"Did you come from the Gloria?" asked the only guard that appeared to know how to speak.
"Aye, same with these two," nodded the dwarf as he crossed his arms. "What's it to ya?"
"Then you must be aware that these two posed some problems for those on your ship."
"Ha!" laughed the dwarf humorlessly. "Ya've got yer facts mixed up. The two of em ain't done nothin but save people's lives."
The guard shifted on his feet. "Regardless of that matter, the fact is that the two of them were smuggled on board from U'Raze."
"Aye, that they were," agre
ed the dwarf.
"Uh, Tomm..." said Zane, concerned that the dwarf thought he was helping when in fact he was making the situation worse.
"Then we have no choice but to arrest them for trying to sneak into the Empire," reasoned the guard. He motioned for the other guards to approach. Zane and Perkins tensed up, each of them slowly reaching for their weapons.
"Now, now," said Tomm, stepping between each group. "I think there's another option."
"Oh?" asked the guard, raising an eyebrow. "For enemies of the Empire?"
"Ya've got it all wrong," sighed Tomm, shaking his head. "They ain't no enemies of us. In fact, they're me bodyguards."
"They are?" asked the guards.
"We are?" asked Zane and Perkins.
"Aye," nodded Tomm. He looked left and right, then lowered his voice and leaned in toward the guard. "Ya see, it's a huge pain and cost to get permits fer mercenaries from other nations to come over. The whole thing would cost me a fortune!"
"I see," said the guard, itching his chin. "Well, while I'm glad that they aren't here in an effort to sabotage the Empire, I'm afraid we still can't allow them in without you finishing the work permits for them."
Tomm pulled out a small bag. "Or... I'm sure ye all could look the other way in exchange for ten gold each? That's gotta be quite a bit more than ya make in a day."
The guards all looked at one another. There seemed to be a debate in facial expression, then the talkative guard turned back to Perkins and Zane.
"So... the two of you are this dwarf's bodyguards, yes?" he asked.
"Uh, yup," nodded Zane.
"Indubitably," smiled Perkins.
"I... I'll assume that means yes," replied the guard. Tomm stretched out the bag toward him. With a sigh, the guard took the bag and stuffed it into a pocket. "Very well. The three of you get out of here immediately."
"Thank ye fer yer time," smiled Tomm, nodding for Zane and Perkins to follow him.
The three walked by as the guards continued in a different direction. A few moments later, and the three of them had blended into the thick crowds of Julius' Port.
