A Time for Revenge

Light flooded the corridor as Mach opened the door that led to the top deck of the Rising Glory. His men saluted him as he walked by before returning to their duties. Though he had not ordered it, every fighter had taken it upon themselves to wear their armor and to equip their weapons. Just as he wore his, every fighter was ready for battle should it commence.

The salty sea air rushed by him as he made his way to the bow of the ship. The island that Rubious’ city resided on was in view on the horizon, its dark haze the first sign that the beginning of this war was about to begin. This is what the last year and a half had been leading to.

The destruction of his home, he could still feel the fear of that day deep within as he had been forced out of his home. The loss of his mother, his neighbors and friends. Everything that he had known for over a decade and a half had been burnt away in a single day. Everything that Rubious had done since then, the attacks on the people of Sirunre to the destruction of towns in Sedan. He could still see the attack on Kehlimph, the ball of white fire falling from the sky, burning stone and the flesh of the population of Sirunre. Any being that could harm his own people, bring pain and suffering to others was not worthy of the title of King or Emperor.

There were so many atrocities that Rubious had committed, so many people that he had murdered, all those events had led them every one of these men and women to this point. They had all gathered together to bring about one final outcome, no matter the reason for them having come together in the beginning, they were all here to find a way to end Rubious.

A distant roar echoed from above, quickly followed by several more. He glanced upward to see his allies soaring above. The Dragons above flew formation similar to migrating birds. The variances in size between the Dragons went from the small to the goliath, each one gliding along the winds that were being created by the Mages below. Screech like hisses answered those roars a moment later, Stalkers kin were scattered throughout the fleet of ships. Everyone was anxious for what was to come.

He could not begin to guess at the number of warriors they had right now, but with over seventy five ships hauling crews near or at maximum capacity, he was sure that they would all be glad to be back on solid ground. He closed his eyes to the glare of the suns behind him. He sent a silent prayer out as he stood there. Please, whatever Gods are out there, let this be quick. Let us make it through this and allow these people to return to their families.

They would still be outnumbered, there was no changing that fact. But they had brains and brawn on their side, and more importantly they had heart. They all had something they were protecting, something worth dying for, more importantly something worth living for and that made every one of these fighters more dangerous than the creations that Rubious made.

He forced his mind back to the present. He and his men had prepared for weeks, some of them for months, for this day. Every one of them knew that this may be there last day and they had all accepted that fact with more bravery than he had thought possible. They were all braver than he was.

A large clawed hand fell onto his shoulder. He glanced over to see Bastra staring ahead at the horizon. There was a calm about the Gargoyle now that was different than before. Something had happened when Bastra had gone home for those few days, something that had changed him profoundly. Just as it had with me. Another hand fell to his other shoulder, as he looked over he found Mendoll looking at him with concern and pride behind those silver grey eyes. All this time the two of them had been forging Mach like a blacksmith forged steel. They had guided him and made him who he was today. Without their help, he would not be who he was, or where he was, right now. They were his anchor in the storm. He was eternally grateful that they had come into his life and he did not know how he would have survived if they had not. He owed them everything and nothing he could do would enable him to repay them for what they have given him.

Behind him, Sehto leaned against the doorframe of the stairwell that led to the decks below. He too had been there for Mach, making him into what he was. These three were his dearest friends and they were why he was here fighting. There was one other, but he was needed elsewhere, his strength had been failing him for too long and there was no telling how long it would take for Miatsu to return to full strength. There was also no clue as to where the Imp had gone either, therefore no message had been sent out to him.

“Has Joshua already left?” Mach asked quietly.

“Late last night.” Mendoll answered, taking his hand off of his shoulder and stepping ahead of him. “He thought it best to break off of the fleet in the dead of night. He says that the plan the two of you came up with will need as much secrecy, including from our own men.”

He nodded his understanding. Though he trusted everyone here, if they spoke about it with each other and someone or something overheard, it may compromise the mission and somehow get back to Rubious. The blurred horizon was beginning to become more detailed with every passing moment. “Get us to the coast and set anchor. I want camp set quickly. Stay behind the hills, but I also want large watches set. I don’t want him getting the better of us in the middle of the night.” The moment he stopped speaking he could hear his words being yelled out between the ships, relaying the orders. “I want to be settled before night fall if at all possible. If everything goes well, we will begin taunting Rubious tomorrow and if all goes to plan, we will be able to end this within a day or two.”

Already the Dragons had dropped lower to the ground, some of them were now flying low to the water between the ships. We are coming for you, you bastard. And this time, I won’t let you get away from me. Joshua, remember what we talked about and meet me on the field of victory. Goddess Kriasta, hear my plea and protect us!

Darkness was falling in earnest. For the last two hours Joshua and his crew had been creeping along south of the coast hidden in a thin mist. The formation of the mist was made by magic and had been spread out over several miles around. That task was left to several of the Mages onboard. If everything went well they would be able to get in and leave without ever being seen.

His task was not something to be taken lightly, in fact it may be more dangerous than what the main army was preparing to do. And his King had left the job in his hands. As thankful I am that he trusts me, I can’t help but ask ‘why me’. He thought ruefully. He had two objectives. The second of which he would do on his way out. The docks were to be destroyed and every ship that was present destroyed. That would be the easy part. They had enough Mages with them to cause that kind of damage and the Hermans that were in the group would be able to run amuck as they saw fit. So long as the docks and ships went down, than everything would work out fine. But his first objective was what had him frightened.

Somewhere within the palace of the enemy was the Book of Black. They were to find it and destroy it, or at least get it and flee. Whatever the outcome, they needed to get it away from Rubious.

“Sir, the docks are in sight.” A whisper came over his shoulder.

He looked up and through the mist he could make out the city walls, the lights of the docks and ships were clearly seen. “Thanks Carl.” He answered back quietly. Whatever they did from here on had to be as silent as possible. They could not give away their position or the fact that they were there until they were ready to leave. “Tell the Mages to increase the mist. I want it covering everything.”

He knew that his orders were being relayed, but yet he did not hear the slightest noise, not even a footstep. Even the Hermans who were with him were stepping as if they had bundles of cotton tied to their feet.

“Remember, these are not normal people.” He said quietly as two bodies stepped up beside him. “These are creations of Rubious. They will not hesitate to kill any of us, we should grant them the same. Lower the sails, bring us in slow.”

Murmurs could be heard across the water as the mist began to envelop the docks but nothing more than that. It was apparent that this kind of thing happened enough out here that it was common place. The ship floated up to the dock and instantly a small group had leapt off, tying the ship off to the pier in complete silence. The gangplank was lowered quietly, barely a scrape was heard as it slid across the wood.

“What is this doing here? I don’t remember…” the voice had been nearly silent as it spoke, but had been silenced completely before it could continue. Like demons in the night, his crew went about their job of eliminating every breathing body that was near the docks. Every ship was searched from top to bottom within minutes with extreme efficiency before moving on to the next. Within less than an hour the docks were cleared and under their complete control.

“Keep the spells active. If anyone comes, kill them or make them forget why they came here.” Joshua ordered as his team readied themselves for their job. “We will be back as soon as possible. Keep safe, keep out of sight.” He turned from his crew and hurried with his group close behind him. Keeping to the shadows, he led the way through the city to the palace of Rubious. This was where he and his crew needed to keep silent. Everything that they did from this point on would determine whether or not they were successful. Guide our steps tonight, Kriasta, keep us hidden from our enemy.