Adventures of the Cohort Ch. 02

Mikael glanced at her, a wry grin on his face. "You don't need to worry about that. I know my duties as a member. It doesn't mean I can't enjoy some of the perks that come with living in the Sanctuary."

"And those perks are confined to soft pillows?" Kristine said as she turned around, an eyebrow raised. "I would have thought being in our company would have been a greater boon to your masculinity."

"In what way?" Mikael said with a playful smile.

"I think you know, Mikael. Perhaps, when we next get an opportunity, you can show me?"

"I'll do just that."

"Good."

The sound of Lucinda laughing broke his eye contact with the stunning paladin.

"Are we arranging hookups in advance now then? In that case, Sisters and Brother, I claim all of you for my bed at the next available opportunity." She laughed again, her green eyes twinkling with mirth.

"When is that opportunity?" Mikael asked hopefully.

Kristine sighed. "Sadly, not now. We should go out on deck to make sure there are no snags before we leave."

With that, the paladin strode from the room, and Mikael and his Sisters hurried after her.

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

When Mikael woke, the ship had set sail. He could feel the gentle rise and fall of the hull as it crested the waves. He stretched and scratched his head; he had had a better night's sleep than originally expected, and felt refreshed.

He glanced out over the side of his bunk. He'd been given one of the beds at the very top, since they were by far the most awkward to get to. Owing to her grace, Ria'torr had been given the other, and Mikael noticed she was no longer in it. He could see no sign of Lucinda or Quintia either, and quietly dropped down onto the floor of the cabin. Melissa was still asleep in the bunk beneath his, and Kristine on the bottom bunk on the opposite side.

He dressed quietly, putting his cloak back on over his armour before opening the door and entering the dim corridor beyond. He walked along it to the galley, hoping to get some food, and entered. Two sailors turned to look at him, mumbling a greeting, and he grabbed a small chunk of bread.

"Mornin'," said one, turning to him with a small smile. "Hungry?"

"Very. Only two of you eating breakfast?"

"Only seven of us on the ship," the sailor responded. "An' you need four mannin' the decks. Captain is fast asleep."

"Is that a normal number of crewmen?" Mikael smiled back, before taking a bite of the bread. It was slightly stale, and not particularly nice, but he was unwilling to break into the supplies that they had brought themselves when food was readily available.

"Sometimes it is, sometimes it ain't," the man shrugged. "At the moment, it's what we got. Give us a few weeks an' we might 'ave another three or four men, or we might 'ave lost one or two. Can't be losin' too many mind or the ship won't be going anywhere at all."

"Fair enough," Mikael replied, finishing the bread. Definitely stale, he thought to himself, suppressing a grimace.

"You lookin' for yer women?" the other man asked, taking another swig of what Mikael could only assume was a healthy mug of morning ale.

"They're not my women," Mikael replied coolly. "We are all companions."

"Whatever," the sailor said dismissively. "Last I saw of 'em they was on the top deck."

"Thank you," Mikael nodded, before leaving the galley and climbing the hatch to the top level.

Cold sea air greeted him as he pushed it open, clambering onto the deck. A slight wind rushed through his hair, and sea spray hung heavy over the ship. It was a clear day, and the vessel appeared to be moving quickly through the sea; the land was a mere line on the horizon to their north, the rest an endless vista of sparkling blue.

He glanced around for his Sisters, and found them standing at the front of the ship. They saw him and waved, smiles on their faces. Mikael approached.

"Good morning," Ria'torr grinned at him. "Sleep well?"

"I did, thank you," he replied. "You?"

"Better than I thought," she responded.

"What are you all doing here?" Mikael asked, curious.

"Quintia's casting a spell to make the journey quicker," Lucinda said quietly. "We're making sure no one comes over here until she's finished."

Mikael glanced at Quintia. She was facing out to sea, her eyes closed. The wind had pulled back her hood slightly, and Mikael could see the gem on her forehead glowing brightly. Her hands traced delicate symbols in the air, and he could see the sails billowing each time she did.

"Our mage has quite the talent," Mikael said with a smile. "I don't know what we'd do without her."

"Neither do I," Lucinda said. "Though I can't imagine what would happen were any of us to disappear."

The ship lurched slightly as if hit by a large wave, and Mikael momentarily lost his balance. His stumbling was caught by Lucinda, who grabbed his arm and hauled him upright.

"Careful," she laughed, her emerald eyes creased in amusement. "Don't want to fall overboard."

The ship lurched again, harder this time, and both Mikael and Lucinda fell. She landed on top of him in a heap, and it took a few seconds for them to extricate themselves and stand once more.

"What the hells was that?" Mikael cried as he stood. The ship shook again. "What are you doing, Quintia?"

Quintia's eyes snapped open, and she staggered backwards. They were wide with shock, and surprise was etched on her face as she stared at Mikael.

That wasn't me! she said, the words appearing on the deck like inky water. They soon flowed away.

"Then what the fuck was it?" Mikael said, as the ship shuddered again. It had ground to a halt.

Kristine and Melissa came stumbling out of the hatch, drawing their cloaks over their hastily attached armour, looks of surprise on their faces. They ran towards the rest of the Cohort as the ship sat motionless in the water.

"What was that?" Kristine asked, nervousness in her voice. "That's never happened to me on a ship before."

"I don't know," Lucinda replied. "But it didn't seem good."

Mikeal glanced around, and was startled by a loud bang as the captain's door flew open. He was fully armed and armoured.

"What the fuck are you six doin' out here?" he cried. "Get inside, it's not safe. Now!"

"What's happening?" Mikael asked loudly, as the wind began to pick up. The other six sailors had emerged from below decks, also wielding weapons.

"Merfolk," hissed the captain. "They've started preyin' on ships goin' in and out of Bloodcove. Now take yer women and get inside!"

His shouts were halted by a faint sloshing sound, like someone climbing the outside of the hull. And that's exactly what it was.

Mikael whirled around to see a green, fish-like head emerge over the side of the ship, and then two more. A webbed hand grabbed the top and soon the whole creature had hauled itself onto the deck. It was green and scaly, looking somewhat like a giant, bloated fish only with greasy arms and legs. Its gills flailed uselessly in the wind, but its chest rose and fell like an air-breather. It clutched a battered trident, its companions similarly armed with crude, but no doubt effective, weapons.

"What is that?" Mikael muttered under his breath, as a sailor charged at it. It attempted to parry, but the sailor sliced through its arm, before severing its head.

"A merfolk," Ria'torr responded. "I must admit, whilst I knew of their existence, I had never seen one until now."

More of the creatures had clambered aboard now, at least ten. The captain was busy decapitating those who raised their heads too close to him, but soon he was distracted by the few who had made it onto the deck. The odds were not in the ship's favour.

"Get inside!" the captain screamed at Mikael and his Sisters once more, his eyes bulging as he tried to convey the desperateness of their situation. Yet more merfolk had clambered aboard now.

"Not a chance," Mikael whispered. "They chose the wrong ship to attack."

With that, he shrugged off his cloak. It fell to the floor, caught by the wind and blowing into a corner of the deck. With a keening sound he withdrew both of his longswords, the magic that infused them glittering like the sea, and the closest creatures quickly turn to face him. Around him his Sisters did the same, withdrawing their weapons, and Mikael was not sure who was the more shocked - the merfolk attacking what they thought was a poorly-defended ship, or the sailors who did not expect to see a band of hardened adventurers emerge from the cloaks before them.

He grinned, and charged. Slashing forwards with his longsword, he cut one creature clean in half, before plunging his other weapon through the heart of another. It gurgled, shuddering into motionlessness as black liquid bubbled forth from its mouth, and Mikael kicked it off the end of his sword.

Beside him Lucinda did likewise, her vorpal blades cutting through scaly flesh as she whirled. Kristine hacked her way through the swathes of merfolk that now seethed over the deck with her large two-handed sword, her loud war cry piercing through the sounds of the battle and wind.

Mikael spun to fight a merfolk as it climbed onto the deck, but before he could even raise his sword it had been thrown backwards, an arrow protruding from its head. It stumbled, before falling back into the sea it had emerged from.

Mikael hacked out at another, slicing down its back and sending it spasming to the floor. He stabbed downwards, ending its misery, before turning his attention to more that had slithered onboard.

"There's too many coming out of the water!" he cried, as yet more merfolk began to emerge from the murky depths. To his side, Kristine and Lucinda still cut through the scaly hordes, and the sailors fought valiantly in their own corner. A faint white light appeared to infuse them, and Mikael watched as a merfolk trident bounced harmlessly off a sailor's chest.

Mikael glanced over at his other Sisters. Ria'torr's arms were a blur, her bow singing as it fired shot after shot into the merfolk ranks, each arrow hitting true. One after another of the scaly creatures found themselves thrown back into the water, arrow heads embedded in their chests. Melissa, too, had her hands raised, a prayer on her lips and her body encased in a nimbus of light. Her eyes were focussed intently on the sailors, and Mikael realised it was only through her machinations that they were not already dead.

He defended himself against two merfolk that attacked simultaneously, parrying both blows with ease. He thrust his swords upwards, cutting through both chests and sending gore spilling out onto the deck. Stepping backwards he whirled around, finding Lucinda fending off four separate attacks. He stabbed forwards, killing one merfolk, and decapitated another. Lucinda made short work of the other two attackers.

He grimaced as he saw yet more clambering aboard, and charged towards them. A flash caught his eye, and his eyes shot sideways to see what had caused it. Quintia was awash with flame, her body seemingly made of liquid fire, and an intense heat suddenly washed across the deck. The merfolk shrank back, and the fighters used that to their advantage, cutting through the ranks of shirking creatures.

With the dull roar of an inferno, Quintia extended her arms to the sea. Flames exploded forth from her molten hands, erupting into the water with considerable force. Steam rose from the impact, and yet more flames poured from her outstretched palms.

Mikael winced as the heat rose quickly. The merfolk fared far worse, and were rendered virtually unable to move by the intense heat. Around the ship, the sea began to gently bubble, and the merfolk moved quickly to jump back into it.

They screamed as their flesh burnt, the temperature rising quickly and the sea beginning to boil. Rivers of flame still gushed from Quintia's hands into the water, and the merfolk ceased to appear. The water roiled, the tempestuous heat of Quintia's spell killing any merfolk still floundering near the surface. Eventually, it slowly started to calm.

Mikael and his Sisters quickly cut down the few creatures remaining on the ship, and turned to Quintia. She had stopped casting and was crouching on the deck, catching her breath. Ria'torr sat next to her, an arm around her shoulder. It had been a quick but brutal fight.

"What in holy fuck just happened?" shouted the captain, rushing towards Mikael and his Sisters. "What the holy fuck are you?"

"A warband," Kristine responded with a smile. "Ordained by the Gods."

"A warband of the Gods?" he replied, shocked. "Normally I'd throw you overboard for taking the Gods' names in vain, but after that..." he said, motioning towards the multitudinous merfolk corpses piled on the deck. "After that, I'm inclined to believe you."

"I... I should be dead," one of the sailors muttered, gently rubbing a hand from his shoulder to his stomach. "I was sliced right 'ere."

"Yes, sorry about that," Melissa said as she approached them. "I couldn't deflect that blow. I was busy preventing your captain from being stabbed through the neck."

"You saved us," the captain said slowly, his face brightening. "You fuckin' saved us!"

"We only did what was right," Kristine said happily. "And your men fought valiantly, I must say."

"They're good men," the captain agreed. "But I've got you to thank for them still bein' here."

"It was nothing," Kristine nodded. "But if you'll excuse us, we need to return to our cabin. We have matters to discuss."

"Of course," the captain responded. "I won't bother you again 'til we're there."

"And captain?" Kristine added, turning back to him. "I'd appreciate it if neither you nor your men mentioned this to anybody. In Bloodcove, being agents of the Gods might not necessarily stand us in good stead."

"Of course," he replied, bowing low. "No one would believe me anyway."

Kristine laughed and turned away, and Mikael followed her and his Sisters down the hatch and back to their cabin.

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

"Well, there's nothing quite like a fight to get the blood flowing in the morning," Mikael laughed as he shut the door to the cabin behind him. His Sisters had all entered, sitting on the assorted beds.

"That was quite something," Kristine agreed. "I can only shudder to think what would have happened were we not on board."

"It doesn't bear thinking about," Lucinda grimaced. "But we were here, and the crew are safe. What's of more concern is where these merfolk came from."

"Indeed," Ria'torr nodded. "Merfolk are generally a fairly insular species. Granted, they're not particularly friendly, but I've not known of them to go raiding other races. They tend to attack only other merfolk tribes. This is a very strange turn of events."

"Could these be related to the pirate attacks?" Lucinda posed, looking round. "Could these merfolk raids be being driven by increased pirate activity, or maybe even be linked in some way?"

"I've not known merfolk to work with pirates before," Ria'torr responded with a shrug. "From what I have learned from the elven sailors I had the pleasure to meet, merfolk often dislike land-dwellers on the sea. They see it as their territory, and they object to us using it without very good reason."

"Well, that might explain the raids. They object to the ships going in and out of Bloodcove. What with the increased pirate activity, the volume of sea traffic must have risen somewhat, too," Mikael offered.

"I don't think so," Ria'torr said, gently biting her bottom lip. "Bloodcove has always been an extremely busy port. They would have grown angry at the sheer number of ships long before now if that was indeed the case. No, there's something else at work here."

"Well then we have a problem," Melissa shrugged. "If they don't raid, then why are they raiding? As Lucinda says, we have to assume that this is linked to the pirate activity in some way. And if it's not just due to a higher number of vessels in the water, then maybe we need to wonder if the two are in tandem somehow."

"But I just don't think that merfolk would work with pirates," Ria'torr said. "They're too xenophobic to work alongside another race, particularly not ones whose presence they resent."

There has been only one instance of merfolk attacking ships and land-dwellers in these numbers, glowed Quintia, her hands aloft. I recall it from the history books we keep at the Sanctuary. It happens so rarely, the event stuck in my mind.

"When was that?" Lucinda asked, raising her head to Quintia's.

Almost three hundred years ago, she responded. The last time there was a man strong enough to bring all the seas under his dominion.

"Black Theodore," Kristine hissed. "You don't think?"

It would explain the merfolk, Quintia's words said, slowly forming on the ground. Their nature reflected the solemn mood. It would take someone of quite exceptional power to drive the merfolk from their territory. I fear we may be dealing with another of similar strength.

"Then we really will need the Gods' help," Lucinda sighed. "I remember the destruction that Black Theodore wrought. If there is another like him, then there are more than a few ships at stake. He threatened the entire safety of the coastal nations."

Kristine clenched her fists tightly and quickly stood. She surveyed the rest of the Cohort intently, a fierce look in her eyes.

"Then for their sakes we must hurry," she demanded. "We need to find out what is going on here, and we need to do it quickly. I have a strong suspicion that a person with power of this magnitude is not going to be unheard of in Bloodcove. It will not be difficult to find out what is going on."

The Cohort agreed. There was work to do.

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

It did not take the ship long to reach Bloodcove. The wind was good, and after their encounter with the merfolk there were no more unpleasant surprises for the crew and passengers.

Mikael stood by the side of the ship, watching the harbour loom ever closer as Bloodcove lurched towards them. It was a dingy town, Mikael gathered. The island was rocky, heavily forested in the centre, and appeared larger than he had expected. Bloodcove was pressed firmly into the large bay in front of him, limited by the mountain extending behind it and the sea stretched out to its front.

With a slight bump the ship stopped moving, moored into place on the harbour. The sailors scurried to and fro, making sure everything was secure, and getting ready to unload whatever illegal cargo they were carrying. The Cohort walked calmly over to the ramp, where the captain was waiting for them.

"Be careful out there," he said, stepping aside. "Bloodcove ain't a nice play to be. But I'm sure you'll be doin' just fine."

"You too, captain," Lucinda smiled. "Take care of your men. Keep them out of trouble here."

"I didn't keep them alive to have them killed in a bar fight, after all," Melissa laughed.

"Don't you worry," the captain responded with a grin. "I'll make sure they stay safe. And don't be worryin' about your secret. It's safe with us."

"Thank you," Kristine nodded. "Goodbye, captain."

The Cohort descended the ramp, entering Bloodcove proper, where Mikael's boot immediately stuck on something viscous on the dock. He grimaced and deliberately did not look down - he did not want to know what it was. He forced his foot free and they walked towards solid land, away from the wooden jetty and the Bounteous Mermaid. Mikael's nostrils were inundated with an assortment of powerful smells, some of them highly illegal and most of them incredibly disgusting. He grimaced again. Around him, drunks lay singing and vomiting in the streets, clutching almost-empty bottles of liquor, and spitting insults at anyone walking too close.