Adventures of the Cohort Ch. 03

"Very well, Melissa," Victor smiled back charmingly. Mikael grinned at their flirtatious exchange, his eye catching Quintia's, who rolled her eyes and laughed silently.

He was soon drawn to a large window on the far wall and he wandered over to it as his Sisters talked with Victor. They were deep inside the tor that they had scaled and he was certain that he had seen no windows on the far side. Again, though, he was not particularly surprised. The Sanctuary had a similar masking spell on all of its windows and balconies; to the outside world they looked and felt like a cliff face and only from the inside could one look out and see them for what they were. This was clearly just another example of that.

The windows looked straight down onto Scorch's Point and finally Mikael understood the reasoning behind this sanctuary's location. Here in the hillside there was plenty of room for the extended sanctuary to reside and yet it also offered good views for the guardians to keep watch over the elemental weak spot that they were defending. In fact, these windows looked out over the downs from one of their highest points and the views could be described as better than good. They were positively stunning.

"It's nice, isn't it?" said a voice unfamiliar to Mikael. He turned to the source and found a pair of amber-coloured eyes staring back at him.

"It is."

He took the time to look at his new companion. She was a beautiful young woman, probably not much older physically than Quintia - the youngest of his Sisters - but her eyes belied her experience. She was clearly the veteran of many battles, and powerful indeed.

"It enables us to keep a good eye on the Point, but also to relax in the wondrous views," the woman continued. "I have spent much time looking upon those vistas."

She wore a pair of loose-fitting green cloth pants, which attempted to cover up her slender legs. They were not entirely successful, though, and Mikael could tell she was well-proportioned even now. As his eyes scanned up her body they passed over her generous chest and he smiled privately to himself.

Preventing her nakedness was another green cloth garment, this time a tight shirt that covered her chest and shoulders but little else. It was low cut, revealing her ample cleavage, and the sleeves were so small as to barely be called sleeves. It was cropped, too, at the bottom, and the woman's toned stomach was exposed by its shortness.

Mikael finally reached her face and realised she was gorgeous, matching even his Sisters for good looks. Then again, that was hardly surprising; Victor was also every bit as handsome as he was. Clearly the Gods of lust had an important say in the looks of those that would do the Pantheon's bidding.

Her eyes were of a colour Mikael had never seen before, a rich orange that reminded him of the heart of a roaring fire, and they were currently in the process of travelling up his body as his had just done hers. When their gaze finally met he noticed in their amber depths a glint he had seen many times before in the eyes of his Sisters'.

Her most arresting feature, however, was the striking red hair that hung braided from her head to just beyond her shoulders. The braids were dense but luscious and their deep vermilion reflected the shimmering lamplight.

"The views certainly are nice," Mikael said quietly, almost to himself. "You're quite right about that."

"I meant the views out of the window," the woman winked at him seductively, before turning away to face the others. "Victor!" she cried happily. "You've returned, and with company."

He grinned broadly. "Indeed I have!" Stepping towards her, he put his arm around her shoulder, and addressed the Cohort. "This wonderful creature, my friends, is Cassandra. My companion and the shaman of whom I spoke earlier. Cassandra, these are the holy warriors we have been awaiting. They will help us deal with the problems at Scorch's Point."

"It is nice to meet you all," Cassandra replied, her amber eyes shimmering.

"And we return our welcome to you," Kristine responded. She quickly introduced everyone.

Melissa sidled up next to Mikael as Kristine spoke. "She's very attractive, isn't she? The shaman, I mean."

"Yes she is."

"And I think she likes you," she giggled, running her hand down Mikael's arm.

He laughed softly. "Like you and Victor haven't been flirting since the moment you met. Don't try and pretend any differently."

"I freely admit it," she responded, a mischievous smile on her lips.

"Well I think he likes you, too. I'll probably have to try to sleep through cries of passion tonight."

Melissa's smile broadened into a wicked grin. "As if you'd try to sleep when you could be joining in! But that assumes we'll have time for any. We've more pressing matters to attend to at the moment, unfortunately."

"Of course," Mikael agreed. "I suppose we should get on with them." He turned to face Victor, who was talking animatedly with Ria'torr.

"Victor?" he called out.

"Yes?" replied the fearsome warrior, looking up to him with a smile.

"I think we best discuss why we're here in more detail. We may not have the luxury of time."

"You are right," Victor nodded, before once more smiling at the diminutive but stunning ranger. "I was enjoying the company of your elven companion far too much; I'm afraid I lost track of time."

Mikael laughed. "Oh, don't worry yourself overmuch. I'm quite sure you'll be able to enjoy her company later."

Ria'torr grinned.

Before they started to deal with the matter of Scorch's Point, Victor quickly showed them their bedrooms. They took a door away from the room they had been in, down a small corridor, before they turned to another. It was long, with many doors off to the sides, and Victor smiled broadly.

"I've not seen it this long before," he laughed, before explaining that the corridor lengthened to provide enough rooms necessary. "We've never had so many guests."

He ushered them down it, opening each door to allow one of Mikael's Sisters to pass through, before he reached the last three.

"This will be yours then," he smiled at Mikael, pushing open the door. It was a large room, furnished relatively well. It was slightly smaller than his room at the Sanctuary, and not as opulently decorated, but it easily put most tavern-rooms to shame.

"Very nice," Mikael smiled, stepping through. "The other two rooms are yours?"

"Yes. Well, one is mine. The other belongs to Cassandra."

"The two of you get along well?" Mikael asked, dropping his pack onto the bed. He readjusted his swords, pondering whether to take them off, before deciding against it and moving back towards the doorway.

"Very well," Victor replied. "We keep the stones protected as best we can and our abilities complement one another superbly."

"And what do you do here to entertain yourselves?" Mikael asked. He doubted he'd have much time to relax but the opportunity might present itself at some point.

"We have a small reading room, and a training room to hone one's skills. There's a small spa, too, though it is nothing spectacular, merely somewhere where we go to bathe."

"Well where do you spend most of your spare time?" Mikael posed, Victor's vague answer suggesting that he did not do much relaxing in the sanctuary.

"Generally?" he asked, his mouth slowly spreading into a grin. "One of the bedrooms."

Mikael laughed. Soon after, his Sisters had emerged from their own bedrooms, and as a group they began to walk back towards the main living area. There was business to attend to.

When they were all there, Victor spoke. "Before we begin coming up with a plan, I would firstly like to know what your understanding of the situation is."

"The Gods told us very little," Lucinda replied. "We know merely that the borders between the worlds are weak and this unseasonable heat is a direct result of interference by the Plane of Fire."

"The attack came as a bit of a shock," Ria'torr added with a giggle.

Victor nodded grimly. "Indeed, I can appreciate that you were not expecting combat quite so quickly. I was watching them from afar and when I saw your approach I tried to warn you; I'm sorry that I did not react soon enough."

"Well the help you did offer proved invaluable," Mikael smiled.

Victor laughed, then after a moment continued. "They were Firebound. Mortals who have given their souls to the Elemental Lords of Fire rather than the Gods whom we serve. They receive tremendous power in return but they are free only as long as the Elemental Lords continue to deem them useful. As I am sure you are aware, they make formidable opponents, particularly their champions."

"Are there many?" Kristine asked.

"More than you'd think. Most reside on the Plane of Fire, where they receive training in preparation of invasion. That is why they were located at the stones; they had just traversed the Planes."

"Could they do that now?" Mikael asked hurriedly. "Should we be out there?"

Cassandra raised her hand soothingly in answer to him. "No. The stones are not presently at their strongest. Their power is slowly building, and soon they will open a true gateway between worlds, but at the moment small parties can only come through once a day before they are exhausted. Perhaps even less often."

"So they'll come through again tomorrow?" Mikael queried, attempting to establish a timeline that they could work around.

"Not necessarily. The power of the stones still depends on the magical winds that blow through our own world. If they are weak then the stones are weaker and it is harder to break through. A mage might not be affected by the differing levels of magical energy but something as powerful as Scorch's Point most certainly is."

Quintia's words sparkled into life in the middle of the room. Correct. The winds are particularly inconsistent in this turbulent time. We may be looking at them coming through tomorrow but equally it may be many days from now. Even I cannot predict their future strength when something such as Scorch's Point is disrupting the eldritch flow.

"And so what is causing the formation to grow stronger?" Mikael posed, wondering if their new companions could answer.

"We don't know," Victor replied solemnly. "I wish we did, but we don't. All we know is that they are growing stronger and that something must be done. But with your assistance, we can now attempt to understand what is happening."

Melissa laughed softly and shook her head. "It sounds like we have very little choice. Another quest, another unpleasant task at hand."

"You don't like it?" Mikael asked.

She grinned. "I never said that. I enjoy working in the Gods' service, of course. But the situations we find ourselves in..." She laughed again. "I suppose we better come up with a plan."

"Indeed," Victor said. "I would suspect you are tired but I do not know whether we can allow all of you to sleep."

Kristine nodded in obvious agreement. "I would think we should have at least some people watching Scorch's Point, even if the others rest. Those on the Plane of Fire might not be able to enter our world for a while but there may already be some here who would gather there."

"Very true," Cassandra said. "Perhaps we can split into two groups?"

Lucinda spoke next. "Our best chance, most likely. But who shall go first? I would think that we would need one of our two guardians to go with either group."

"I'll go first," Victor smiled. "As I'm already dressed." He winked at Cassandra.

"In which case I will take the others," the gorgeous shaman replied, her red braids catching Mikael's eye again. He intended to be in her group.

"I don't need much sleep," Ria'torr giggled. "I'll go."

Quintia's letters glowed as they swam into the group's vision. As will I. It will give me a chance to study the stones in greater detail.

Kristine pondered a moment. "Then we need someone who can heal to go with you, and with Victor being the only melee fighter amongst the group, I suggest that person be Mikael."

He smiled as a look of slight disappointment flashed across Cassandra's eyes.

"That sounds reasonable," he agreed. "I am prepared to go." He had to admit slight disappointment at not being in Cassandra's group, but that was hardly important. Their quest came first and he was sure he'd have plenty of time to get to know the amber-eyed shaman later.

"We should retire, then," Lucinda said as she stood. "I wish our companions good luck."

Mikael rose, too, checking his armour was all in place before turning to his group.

"Shall we leave?" Victor smiled.

****************************************

The journey to the stones was quick and Mikael appreciated it was yet another benefit of the sanctuary's position. Were Victor and Cassandra required to reach the stones in a hurry, it was a downhill run; it would have been far more disadvantageous to have to travel uphill to the site of a potential battle.

Victor had led the way, his expertise in the area allowing him to monitor for threats much more clearly than Mikael or either of his Sisters. Quintia and Ria'torr stood side by side and Mikael followed up behind. He had no problem in frequently being the rearguard and thus walking behind his Sisters, not least because it allowed him to stare at their shapely asses for the duration of whatever journey he was on.

When they reached Scorch's Point there was no activity. The night was still heavy-set but the moon and stars cast a dim light on the rock formation. No movement could be seen and the magical field surrounding the stones was still. Clearly, there were no more invisible warriors, for which Mikael was thankful.

They arranged themselves in a small circle in the middle of the stones, settling down as comfortably as they could but maintaining an air of readiness in case they were called into action. Time dragged on with nothing out of the ordinary, however, and soon Mikael's mind began to wander. At length, a question occurred to him.

"Can you sense the magical winds?" he asked, turning to Quintia. His blue-haired Sister turned to him.

She nodded and smiled sweetly. Yes. They are more tumultuous here than they were even a few hours ago. I fear that is not a good sign.

"Indeed," Victor said. "Whilst it may be Cassandra who is more in touch with the magical side of things, I know enough to recognise that such changes are foreboding."

It means that I cannot accurately predict when the portal will next open. The stones are drawing in power, of that I am certain, but the changing conditions mean that a forecast is beyond me. The rate at which they are building alters every few minutes.

Mikael pursed his lips. "And there's nothing we can do?"

Quintia shook her head. Nothing. The winds of magic are not something mere mortals can control. They are not even directly under the Gods' control, in the same way a river is not under ours. We may sometimes be able to influence it but we cannot dictate its nature or stop it from being a river. The Gods may have brought the winds of magic here but they did not create them. They merely allowed them to blow through this world.

"How so?"

Magic is created by the essence of powerful beings. The Gods create it. The Elemental Lords create it. Even some of the more formidable demons throw off some level of sorcerous power. But whilst magic may exist purely as a result of their own presence, it is not something the Gods actively sought to bring about. It was thrown off passively; and as such they do not create it in the same way we would envisage. But they did allow it to filter through into this world.

"And that is why this place interferes so much," Mikael realised, his eyes widening. "The magic bleeding through from the Elemental Lords buffets against that native to this world, creating turmoil."

Quintia smiled as her words shimmied across the night air. She seemed proud of him. Precisely, Brother. It is perhaps comparable to two powerful winds striking against one another. The result is unpredictable, and can be very dangerous indeed. But although I use that analogy, it must nonetheless be remembered that when one harnesses magic they are actually wielding the essence of a supremely powerful being, however small their spell. This disruption is more than simple winds of different origins clashing; it is the very essences of the Gods and the Elemental Lords warring in the ether.

Victor grimaced and chuckled under his breath. "I did not need to know that. Magic is a terrifying skill beyond my ability already, without knowing that when Cassandra channels she is tapping the energy of the Gods themselves."

More likely she is tapping into the energy of the Elemental Lords, Victor. I find it unlikely that her affinity with fire is the Gods' doing.

"Well that's even better!" he said, throwing his head back and roaring with laughter.

Quintia looked startled, and hurriedly reached out to rest her hand on Victor's arm. Please, do not take anything by it. It is merely academia. Magic is passive, as I said. Cassandra does not connect with the Elemental Lords when casting anymore than I connect with a flower when breathing in its scent. The plant is entirely unaware of my presence.

"Don't worry," Ria'torr added with a broad smile. "We elves have a saying about the winds of magic."

Mikael raised an eyebrow. He knew the thread that most of these 'sayings' took. "Oh yes?"

She grinned. "Yes. When the winds of magic face you with an uncertain fate..."

Mikael's lips twisted into a smile. He already knew what was coming.

"Then fuck!" the elf finished with a grin.

Mikael sighed and Quintia shook her head with amusement. Victor laughed too, clearly taken aback somewhat by the crudeness of the saying.

You get used to it, Victor. Her sayings consist of the same solution to many of life's problems. I doubt they're even really elvish.

"Well maybe they're not elvish, but at least I have proverbs," Ria'torr mock-pouted. "Besides, you don't seem to mind obeying my sayings when it suits you. Which is most of the time, isn't it?"

Quintia grinned, slightly embarrassed in the presence of a new companion. Victor just seemed to be enjoying the conversation.

Then the mage smiled mischievously, her words glowing as she started to tease Ria'torr back. I will admit that it is an excellent solution, Sister, and one that I wholeheartedly agree with. Perhaps you might take some time to show it to us when opportunity allows? Her gem had taken on the faintest blue tinge of lust to the green that already indicated her amusement.

"Ladies, please," Mikael chastised. "We have company. And I doubt he appreciates your vulgarity."

Victor laughed, watching the two women intently. "No, no, carry on. Definitely carry on."

The warrior's eyes met Ria'torr's and the elf gazed back at him with a mischievous smile. Mikael shook his head with a grin, before catching Quintia's eye. She winked at him, nodding her head slowly, motioning towards their two companions. There was no doubt whatsoever what Victor and Ria'torr would find themselves doing the next time they had a break.

Mikael agreed with a laugh.

****************************************

Hours passed, each one seeming longer than the last. Nothing of note happened and there was not a flicker of activity from Scorch's Point the entire time they kept watch over it. Despite not sleeping, Mikael found himself strangely rested purely because he had done very little but indulge in idle conversation all night.

It was not yet morning when they left the stones, but they had nonetheless been keeping guard for almost five hours Mikael estimated from the moon's movement across the sky. The walk to the sanctuary was quick and Mikael was glad to actually be using his muscles again. They had tried to refrain from too much movement at the stones in case more invisible warriors came upon them.