Adventures of the Cohort Ch. 02

Kristine lightly tapped the map. "Because it was they who found his Reliquary," she said with a feeble smile. "They never stood a chance."

"Does that map show where he is based?" Melissa asked, stepping forwards to see it.

"It does," Kristine answered. "In a bay on the far side of this island. That is where we now travel."

"This island?" Mikael asked, surprised. "But Bloodcove is on this island."

"Indeed it is," the blonde answered. "But remember, Mikael, no one can leave. How would they know it was there? And Black Theodore's Reliquary would not have travelled far, after all."

Mikael grimaced. They needed to sail once more.

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

Mikael watched from deck as the island passed by on the starboard side. Bloodcove was many leagues away, the docking here made impossible by sharp rocks and steep cliffs. The island itself was covered in thick forest, making overland travel incredibly difficult. Seeing this, Mikael was not surprised that no one knew of Black Theodore's hideout.

His eyes scanned the horizon constantly, ever vigilant for more pirate ships moving in to attack them, but none came. The sea was surprisingly calm and free of vessels, considering they were approaching the Lich's base of operations.

It did not take them long to see why. Their ship rounded a small stretch of rock that was jutting out to sea, and before them was a small bay. It was a large natural harbour, the water calm within it, and Mikael could see a small collection of buildings tucked away on the other side. They did not look human in origin, made as they were with an odd green substance, or at least so he could tell at this distance.

"A merfolk village," Ria'torr said, moving to stand next to him. "Abandoned, by the looks of things. Most likely the inhabitants are now dead. Or, at least, driven far from here."

"Do you think these could be the merfolk that found his Reliquary?"

"It is more than likely," the elf responded. "I cannot imagine there being too many merfolk tribes in a small area."

The ship slowed to a halt, Mikael turning to see Quintia casting a powerful spell. The wind died, and the waves calmed. They were to take a boat ashore, as a ship would be too obvious; the town may well appear abandoned, but his Sisters were fairly sure that would not be the case once they got there.

It was a small boat that they found, lowering it into the water and rowing carefully and quietly to shore. They hugged the natural cliff walls of the bay, attempting to remain out of sight. The first rays of dawn had begun to shine down on the world, but the giant rock faces cast long shadows, hiding the boat from any prying eyes on the shore.

They ran aground near the very corner of the bay, pushing the boat against a cliff, and stealthily making their way towards the village. Closer up, it appeared larger, smaller buildings that Mikael had not originally been able to see stood amongst the larger ones he had initially caught sight of. He noticed, too, that the buildings on the shore were not the only ones in the village. It was quite clear that the town extended beneath the waves.

Activity was obvious, too, even though the buildings were in a state of disrepair. Mikael supposed that the ash slaves would have little concern for the wellbeing of the buildings in their town, especially as they probably spent very little time there; the harbour was suspiciously empty of ships, and Mikael assumed that they were out raiding.

"What do we do?" he whispered as they edged towards the village, staying low. "It does not look like Black Theodore is here."

Indeed, it did not look like many people at all were present in the village. There was movement, and Mikael could see a collection of people, both pirates and merchants, conducting tasks. But there were far fewer than the size of the village suggested, and unless they were hiding somewhere Mikael supposed they were absent. Black Theodore would certainly not surround himself with such a small number of guards.

"He is not," Lucinda replied quietly. "But some of his lieutenants are." She motioned towards the larger building at the back of the village, where eight pirates sat leisurely on chairs. They were very relaxed, in stark contrast to the hard graft of the others in the village, and on each of their necks there glowed a large jewel. They were dressed in long, black robes.

"They must be the black priests the pirate spoke of. We need to kill them," Kristine said. "If we kill them and destroy those pendants, then this entire village falls silent. It is quite clear that Black Theodore is not here, and the lack of ships suggests a raid is in progress somewhere. We must move quickly and take advantage of this."

The Cohort agreed with her sentiments, and a quick plan was laid out. They were to enter the building from the rear, where they could avoid being seen. Once inside they would find a way of locking the entrance, and then kill the lieutenants trapped within. It was the only way to stop the ash slaves without killing every last one of them by hand.

They shrunk into the shadows once more as the sun slowly rose in the sky, edging carefully round the outskirts of the village. It was easy to remain unseen; no one seemed to be paying attention to their surroundings, and the shadows and tall grass made hiding a simple matter of keeping one's body within it. The inhabitants of the village did not feel the need for a watchful eye; there was only one entrance to this bay, and that was through the harbour. A large ship would be seen, and Mikael suspected that they did not fear the prospect of a rowing boat much. Anything only large enough for six people would not pose much of a threat to their numbers.

He smiled as they reached the back of the larger building, eager to prove them wrong. Its run down nature had caused a window to collapse outwards, leaving a space easily big enough for a person to fit through. The Cohort approached it, ever wary of attack, and surprised none came.

Lucinda went through first, as quietly as she could. A moment later she emerged from the dark building and nodded at them - it was safe, and they could enter. They did so, Mikael moving in last, carefully picking his way through the undergrowth and then the narrow gap.

When he turned, he saw they were standing in a sparse, dark room. Around them lay piles of ash, mountains of the dark powder that would have reached as far as Mikael's knees were he to sink into them. Melissa looked down at her sandals, annoyed, as ash leaked in under her feet. Mikael grinned at her, and she rolled her eyes.

"They're around the corner," Lucinda whispered, her voice barely audible. "We could catch them by surprise so very easily."

"But what about the main entrance?" Ria'torr said. "If we just charge in, they could make their escape out of the front door. Surely we cannot allow that to happen?"

Lucinda grimaced. "Indeed not, which is why we need someone to go and lock the door."

"Huh?" Mikael asked. "You want someone just to stroll in there and lock the front door? You don't think they'll get suspicious at all?"

"Not if they go in unarmoured," Lucinda replied with a tight smile. "They'll think of them as nothing but another ash slave, just conducting their daily chores and orders. They don't have to be alone for long; the room is not that large."

"This is ridiculous," Mikael whispered insistently. "Can't we shut the door with a spell? I can try, or Quintia?"

The rogue shook her head. "Sadly not. It would make this far easier, I agree, but can you not sense the powerful enchantments on this place? Black Theodore's power resonates within these walls even though he is not present. An anti-scrying charm, no doubt, but we could not shut that door without making our presence known. Those priests would be able to rouse the village and escape, which is exactly what we don't want."

Mikael sighed unhappily. He did not like this idea; it placed whomever was chosen in considerable danger.

"I'll do it," he grimaced. "I can defend myself if they take offence to my presence."

"Not likely," Kristine replied, tapping his thick leather chestpiece. "You'll stand out like a sore thumb. Those of us wearing all our armour are likely unable to do it. There aren't any slaves around here fully equipped in wargear, so it'd be too obvious we don't belong. No, we need someone dressed rather more simply." She slowly turned her head to Melissa, who looked back with a smile.

"I guess that's me then," she whispered, brushing down the front of her toga. "Damn these simple clothes." A quiet giggle left her lips.

Mikael looked at her with appreciation for her courage. She was by far the most vulnerable of his Sisters, the least able to fight her quarter. Violence was not her forte, and yet here she was, willing to stride into a room of seven or eight dangerous opponents, despite being totally without protection.

"Are you sure?" Mikael asked. "We can find another way."

She smiled sweetly. "No, we can't. This is how we're going to have to do it. I don't mind, I have my Brother and Sisters to protect me."

She walked delicately towards the entranceway, readjusting her toga. The rest of the Cohort moved up to it, too, remaining out of sight but ready to fight at the slightest hint of trouble. Ria'torr notched an arrow to her bow.

Melissa breathed in deeply, and stepped forwards into the room. The light poured over her, and the heads of all those in attendance instantly whipped round to stare. Mikael gripped his swords tightly, ready to protect her, but saw no reason to jump in. Rather than grow angry, Mikael noticed lecherous grins spreading across the faces of the men. A benefit of sending a beautiful woman in, his mind realised. They don't expect any trouble, after all.

Melissa strode purposefully towards the door as the men began to catcall her, making lurid comments in her direction. This is what they expected; just another slave to do their bidding.

He grew wary as one stood, the priest walking over to stand behind Melissa and running his hand through her wavy, brown hair. She ignored him, instead reaching the doorway and clicking shut the lock. The man pawed at her back, tightly gripping her smooth, exposed shoulders. Mikael could see the medic trying not to gag as the man's breath, which he suspected reeked of stale drink, battered her.

"She's shuttin' the door," the priest laughed. "She wants ta play." He grinned at her, forcibly spinning her round and viciously molesting her huge breasts.

"Gimme a kiss," he cackled, leaning in. His companions whooped and jeered as the pirate pulled Melissa's face towards him; she stared dispassionately back with her large, brown eyes.

Then she headbutted him.

The priest staggered backwards, blood gushing from his broken nose, screaming obscenities at the medic. His hand went to his sword as he tottered backwards towards the hallway, but before he could withdraw it an arrow had been fired into his neck. He gargled, blood running freely down the front of his body, before collapsing to the floor.

The other pirates in the room were momentarily stunned, but were soon on their feet, screeching as they withdrew their weapons. Fire burned in their eyes, and three advanced menacingly on Melissa.

Before they could reach her, Lucinda and Kristine reached them. They stood between the medic and the enraged priests, their swords dancing a deadly ballet as they fought. Mikael jumped in, too, slicing the throat of the closest priest, before bringing his sword up into the belly of another. Kristine kicked the final assailant of the trio she and Lucinda were dealing with to the ground, before turning to find a new target to kill. There wasn't one. Eight bodies lay on the floor, blood coagulating on the stone ground as it ran freely from their wounds.

"What now?" Mikael asked, as his Sisters set about wrenching the necklaces off the dead pirates.

"Well," Lucinda said, snapping the pendant from the neck of a recently-deceased priest. "Firstly, we need to shatter these and set those poor ash slaves outside free. Then we can fully explore."

"Won't Black Theodore notice?" Mikael asked, wondering. "Surely he'll see his troops disappearing."

Oh, no, Quintia's words flared. These pendants affect only those ash slaves nearby. Black Theodore is clearly not present, and the armies he controls will be untouched by the destruction of these necklaces.

Mikael nodded, and watched as Lucinda placed the final pendant in a small pile on the floor. Quintia looked at it, her gem glowing brightly, and a jolt of lightning shot from her hands. It slammed into the artifacts, and they disintegrated with a bright flash. He felt the release of a great evil as the souls of those outside floated free.

"Now where to look?" he asked.

"We'll split up," Kristine said. "The information we need is clearly not here. Black Theodore's plans must be elsewhere."

"Agreed," Lucinda nodded. "I will go with Ria'torr and explore the Eastern side of the bay, near our boat. Kristine and Quintia, perhaps you should search the Western side. I saw many buildings there."

The paladin and mage nodded in agreement at the plan.

"And what should I do?" Mikael questioned.

Lucinda smiled. "You and Melissa need to explore the central part of town. There aren't many buildings here, I'll admit, but they are large. Anything you find could be of importance. We need to find out where Black Theodore is, and what he is planning to do. A journal, a map, anything."

Mikael concurred, and Melissa unlocked the main door. They stepped into the street, dawn now well and truly upon them, bright sunshine pouring down into the decrepit town. Ash slaves lay motionless all around them.

"What happens to these... things?" Mikael asked, wondering why the bodies still existed.

"They remain until the Lich is dead," Melissa replied, standing next to him. "Their souls have been freed, and they are now useless to Black Theodore, but their corpses will exist until he is destroyed. Only then will they return to the ash that they are made from."

He watched as his Sisters walked off, Lucinda and Ria'torr moving in one direction, Kristine and Quintia in the other. He breathed in, the air surprisingly clean and free from taint despite the evil that had permeated this town. Around him stood four large buildings, and he turned to Melissa.

"Well, which one first?"

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

They found nothing of use. The buildings were all reasonably large, and yet surprisingly empty. All they contained were tattered old rags, the lifeless corpses of numerous ash slaves and piles upon piles of ash. The Lich had infected this town to the core, and everywhere Mikael turned the black dust collected.

At last they entered the top room of the final building, and found it largely bare. Part of the roof and wall had given way on the far side, which left this room particularly exposed to the elements. There were no signs of recent habitation; no merfolk, no corpses and even no ash. Mikael supposed that the wind and rain would have seen to it that the ash would not have been able to collect here. It was cleaner than the other rooms, though clean was a word that Mikael hesitated to use to describe anything in this place.

He strode up to a broken table that lay uselessly on its side; its surface stained with years of buffeting by the wind and rain and made of a substance Mikael was not entirely familiar with. When new it was almost certainly well-built; made of a wood-like material that wasn't quite wood but seemed to hold most of its properties. The Merfolk were no barbarians, of that much this confirmed. It had originally come with drawers, Mikael was sure, but these had long since been removed or destroyed. Only one remained and when Mikael was able to force it open he found nothing inside bar the remnants of a rodent nest.

He stood up and puffed out his cheeks, surveying his immediate surroundings. He hoped to find a secret door, or a lockbox tucked away in a corner. Something -- anything -- that might be of use. Yet his eyes found nothing, and he dropped his hands to his hips in resignation.

Mikael sighed. "Well, we've found nothing. I pray to the Gods that our Sisters have been more successful in their search."

"I agree," Melissa said, staring around the room. "This place is empty."

Mikael turned to her, and saw her grimace and lift her foot. She removed her sandal, brushing ash from the base of her foot and the inside of her shoe. Mikael laughed.

"What?" she glared at him, a twinkle in her eye. "I can't help it that I wear sandals. They're driving me crazy, believe you me."

"Well it's clear up here, you can brush them out."

"That's what I intend to do," she giggled, glancing around.

Mikael laughed again, watching as she bent over to replace her shoe. Her toga was parted at the top, and Mikael admired the cleavage from her huge breasts. He was always amazed by them; they were large but perfectly formed. Not gigantic, and they did not look ridiculous, but they were by far the largest breasts he had seen on a beautiful woman and yet they did not sag unpleasantly.

Her wavy, brown hair tumbled down as she rebuckled the sandal, before she turned to take off the other. She stood, and noticed that Mikael was watching her.

"You're lucky you're wearing boots," she said with mock-annoyance. "Then you don't have to worry about this."

"True," Mikael grinned back. He turned and walked to the gap in the wall, peering out and trying to locate his companions. "Perhaps we should help our Sisters."

"I wouldn't recommend it. Either we split up - and that's never a good idea even if this town is almost certainly safe - or we go one way. There's no guarantee we'd find our Sisters before they'd finished, and it would unbalance the search effort anyway. We might just get lost."

"Yes, I suppose you're right."

"And we did all agree to search our own areas," Melissa continued. "There's no need to go off to others and lose our way. We're much better off staying put until they return."

Mikael agreed, staring out over the small village. The state of disrepair that lingered over the collection of huts and larger buildings was far more obvious from this closer vantage point. This had clearly been a rather active - if small - village and yet now it found itself decaying, occupied only by the slaves of an undead ruler.

He looked either way, trying to catch a glimpse of his other Sisters as they explored the village, but his efforts met with no success. Clearly they were inside the buildings that they had undertaken to search, and Mikael decided it was pointless standing by the collapsed section of roof. If nothing else, it made him a target for a spell or an arrow.

He turned back to Melissa as she was replacing her other sandal. Immediately a dawning realisation entered his mind, and he laughed out loud. His Sister looked up at him, her eyebrow rising as she saw him grinning.

"What?" she asked, a quizzical smile on her face.

"I've just realised something," he grinned. "You've brushed all the ash from your sandals, but we've got to walk back through it." Her face fell.

"I hadn't entirely thought this through, had I?" she sighed, looking down at her feet with resignation. "Bugger."

Mikael walked over to her, laughing, and glanced back through the doorway. Ash lay in great piles all the way through the building.

"You could always jump out of that gap," Mikael said with a grin as he motioned towards the crumbled wall. "I mean, it's a long way down, but your feet won't get dirty. I'm sure you could heal yourself when you land, anyway."

She laughed. "Maybe, but somehow I think I'll get even dirtier when I smash into the ground, whether I can heal myself or not."