Post by Shinobi-Iri (nick) on Jul 21, 2007 14:41:04 GMT -5
Chapter 2
Tom’s bag was packed, and his Sword was oiled, clean and sheathed away ready in his Scabbard. The Road to Antigon from Redwater was, according to Riko, quite perilous.
And while two capable Adventurers’ should cope, no problems, Riko wasn’t taking any chances.
His parents stood in the Kitchen, and when he entered, they gave him Hugs and hushed words of advice.
“Be sure to write,” Artemis said. “And don’t forget where you came from…”
“Don’t be silly,” Aether said, clapping his son on the back. “He wouldn’t forget that would you?”
“Of course not,” Tom said, grinning from ear to ear. “Next time you see me, I’ll be a
Knight…”
There was a feeling in the pit of Tom’s stomach that was filled with aching doubt, a part of him that felt becoming a Knight at this age was near-impossible. Nevertheless, he was going to show whoever wasn’t sure that he was capable of becoming a Knight, and he made a vow that the next time he returned to Redwater, he would be a Knight.
After a touching farewell with his Family, they began hiking down the Main Road that led out of Redwater and, according to the Map, take them many kilometers before they would finally arrive in Antigon City.
Tom had read many a book about Antigon City, and apart from being the Capital it was also one of the biggest in Antigon, second only to a Dwarf City in the Mountains. It had started off as a small Elven settlement a few thousand years ago, but was sold to the
Humans and was now predominantly Human, although many of the Adventurer’s Tom had met in the Redwater Inn said ‘Anyone is allowed in Antigon City, so long as they’re not Evil…’
“So what’s the plan?” Tom asked Riko, as they walked down the dirt road, surrounded by Farmland on three sides and the distant Town of Redwater at their backs. “We’re not going to walk to Antigon City are we?”
“Oh Heavens no…” Riko replied, laughing. “Too far, would take us two weeks to get there. I know a Mage who operates a Teleportal service in the next Town, unless you’d like to ride there…”
“Some riding might do me good,” Tom said. “Why not?”
“Because I’m an old man, and I haven’t ridden a horse in about ten years,” Riko said, laughing. “We’ll take the Teleportal…”
They were both laughing at they headed down the road, bound for the next town.
Off the Silver Coast in a massive Pirate Galleon, Captain Abraham Durnst was surveying his crew as they sat Anchored in Greybone Bay. The ragtag collective of Rouge Elves,
Humans, Dwarves and Orcs were slightly nervous, standing their in their various garments while the Captain, tall and proud, inspected them.
“Pirates of the Redemption…!” The Captain suddenly burst out, in an almost song-like manner to his startled crew. “How are ye this fine day?”
“I think we’re too close to the Armada Docks,” one of the crew members said, looking nervously over his shoulder and out across the water to the land, where the massive
Docks of the Antigan Navy sat. The Redemption was flying a Merchant flag, but it wouldn’t take the Armada very long to realize that Merchant vessels didn’t normally sit
in one spot for very long.
“Aye, you all must think I’m insane, eh?” The Captain asked his crew, and they all shifted nervously. One was gripping his Scimitar so tightly I might have broke. “The
Armada could easily swoop down upon us like some bird of prey, hey?”
The First Mate, who was standing by the Captain’s side, coughed slightly, and the
Captain turned to him, saying nothing but awaiting him to speak.
“Captain, perhaps we should move from here,” He said, as evenly as he could. “There’s no telling what could happen if we don’t.”
“Oh I know all too well what could happen, dear Mr. Gribble,” The Captain said, addressing the First Mate by his name. “They will send a Scout Ship out to ask us our intentions, once they see we are not Merchants, but bloodthirsty Pirates they will send one or two of their Catapult Carracks to engage us and maybe a couple of Ballista Ships.
If that fails, some Mage Galleons will be deployed to incinerate us, and if we somehow survive that, they’ll start using sea Monsters and Fire Ships to blitz us to death oh yes…” he broke off and smiled. “I know exactly what we’re doing…”
With that, a Antigan patrol ship broke off from the docks and began sailing toward them, less than a hundred meters away. The White flag with the black stripe running from the left hand corner to the right hand corner was flapping in the wind, signaling it was a ship of His Majesty’s Navy, the Armada. The Captain turned to watch it as it drew closer, then back to his crew.
“Load up the Ballista’s boys!” He roared. “Prepare to open fire on that ship!”
“Are you crazy, man!” one of the Crew members exclaimed. “As soon as the men in the ships in the Docks see that patrol ship on fire, they’ll be coming for us…”
“By the time those lumbering fools get their act together, we’ll be far beyond the Skan Peninsula now load ‘em up!” The Captain shouted, and the crew rushed to the massive bow-like weapons situated on the decks. They tied flaming rags and grenade-like explosives to the head of the large arrows they fired and loaded them into the Ballista’s.
As the Scout Ship got close, they released the firing pin and the Ballista string launched the flaming arrows toward the ship. Meanwhile, other crew members had retrieved their longbows, and were also in the process of firing smaller arrows. But while the Ballista’s were aimed at damaging the ship, these were aimed at killing off the crew.
The first few Ballista arrows struck true, and as the Ship turned to retreat, it revealed a big gaping hole in the hull of the Ship where the explosive magic-laden projectile had done its job. The crew could hear the cries of the ship’s Sailors as they fled the burning deck, some diving into the water while other just screamed and wailed with confusion.
The Galleons began to come out of the docks, filled with Archers, who immediately aimed their trajectory and fired countless arrows into the sky. They rained down upon the decks and the Captain heard a scream as a crew member fell back with a fountain of blood spurting out of his chest where the arrow had penetrated. He turned and yelled to the rest of the crew, “We got a man down, kill them all!”
As the Galleon drew closer, the Crew grabbed their Bows and began to launch arrowafter arrow at the Marines on board the Navy vessel, shooting for the kill as pirates most often did. But the Galleon got too close, and a boarding party of Marines, led by the
Admiral of the Ship, swooped onto the deck, armed with Broadswords and Hand-bows.
The Marines began to engage the Pirates, cutting most of them down swiftly, but the
Admiral made a beeline for the Captain, he had to take his prize. They stood in a face off, in the midst of their battling men, and they looked into each others eyes with looks of pure hatred.
“Remember me?” The Admiral asked menacingly, as he advanced, sword drawn.
“Ah, Admiral Ross…” The Captain said, smiling before slowly drawing his own Sword.
“I had no idea they were still putting has-been into service.”
“Well, you will quite literally be a has-been if you do not surrender to me immediately,”
Admiral Ross said, “You’re lucky only one Ship of Antigon has come to engage you, you would be long dead by now otherwise…”
“I think not,” The Captain said, assuming a fighting stance. “You were always one for games, Admiral…let’s see how well you do playing my game of death!”
He swung heavily at Admiral Ross, but the officer leapt back, easily avoiding the clumsy blow. He grinning and made a slashing movement aimed at The Captain’s right shoulder, but his ducked under it and whirled around, aiming for the midriff in an attempt to slice him clean apart at the waist.
“You cannot defeat me,” Admiral Ross said, already puffing. “You will become my prisoner before long…”
At that moment, a large fireball struck the side of the Pirate ship, and it was suddenly rocked by the force of the spell. The Hull practically broke off from the rest of the vessel and took several Sailors and Pirates with it. Those who weren’t catapulted into the water were incinerated by the sheer power of the flames. Both Admiral Ross and the Captain looked to the direction of the Fireball, out to the horizon, where four Galleons, painted jet black and encased in magical shields were powering towards them.
“Dark Elves!” Admiral Ross exclaimed. “The Darks are attacking? Now of all times?”
“Get off my ship!” The Captain roared as loud as the growing buzz of the Ship’s shields would allow him too. “You have a duty to defend this land from attackers, so get back on your ship and fight them off…”
There were already Mage and Catapult Galleons moving out of the docks to engage the Darks, and the two men looked at each other, before surveying the mess of bodies, splintered wood and what would soon be a sunken ship. The Admiral then looked out upon the Docks, and at the City nearby, before back at the Captain.
“I will let you live, Captain…” He said warningly. “But know you will not hide out in my
City of Port Daan, not by a long shot…”
“I wouldn’t want to live in your filthy city anyway,” The Captain said coolly, pulling off his tunic and sheathing his sword. “Arkanon’s blessings upon you, Ross…”
I’ll need it, The Admiral thought to himself, waiting for The Captain to jump off of his burning ship and into the water before he sprinted back to his Galleon.
Tom’s bag was packed, and his Sword was oiled, clean and sheathed away ready in his Scabbard. The Road to Antigon from Redwater was, according to Riko, quite perilous.
And while two capable Adventurers’ should cope, no problems, Riko wasn’t taking any chances.
His parents stood in the Kitchen, and when he entered, they gave him Hugs and hushed words of advice.
“Be sure to write,” Artemis said. “And don’t forget where you came from…”
“Don’t be silly,” Aether said, clapping his son on the back. “He wouldn’t forget that would you?”
“Of course not,” Tom said, grinning from ear to ear. “Next time you see me, I’ll be a
Knight…”
There was a feeling in the pit of Tom’s stomach that was filled with aching doubt, a part of him that felt becoming a Knight at this age was near-impossible. Nevertheless, he was going to show whoever wasn’t sure that he was capable of becoming a Knight, and he made a vow that the next time he returned to Redwater, he would be a Knight.
After a touching farewell with his Family, they began hiking down the Main Road that led out of Redwater and, according to the Map, take them many kilometers before they would finally arrive in Antigon City.
Tom had read many a book about Antigon City, and apart from being the Capital it was also one of the biggest in Antigon, second only to a Dwarf City in the Mountains. It had started off as a small Elven settlement a few thousand years ago, but was sold to the
Humans and was now predominantly Human, although many of the Adventurer’s Tom had met in the Redwater Inn said ‘Anyone is allowed in Antigon City, so long as they’re not Evil…’
“So what’s the plan?” Tom asked Riko, as they walked down the dirt road, surrounded by Farmland on three sides and the distant Town of Redwater at their backs. “We’re not going to walk to Antigon City are we?”
“Oh Heavens no…” Riko replied, laughing. “Too far, would take us two weeks to get there. I know a Mage who operates a Teleportal service in the next Town, unless you’d like to ride there…”
“Some riding might do me good,” Tom said. “Why not?”
“Because I’m an old man, and I haven’t ridden a horse in about ten years,” Riko said, laughing. “We’ll take the Teleportal…”
They were both laughing at they headed down the road, bound for the next town.
Off the Silver Coast in a massive Pirate Galleon, Captain Abraham Durnst was surveying his crew as they sat Anchored in Greybone Bay. The ragtag collective of Rouge Elves,
Humans, Dwarves and Orcs were slightly nervous, standing their in their various garments while the Captain, tall and proud, inspected them.
“Pirates of the Redemption…!” The Captain suddenly burst out, in an almost song-like manner to his startled crew. “How are ye this fine day?”
“I think we’re too close to the Armada Docks,” one of the crew members said, looking nervously over his shoulder and out across the water to the land, where the massive
Docks of the Antigan Navy sat. The Redemption was flying a Merchant flag, but it wouldn’t take the Armada very long to realize that Merchant vessels didn’t normally sit
in one spot for very long.
“Aye, you all must think I’m insane, eh?” The Captain asked his crew, and they all shifted nervously. One was gripping his Scimitar so tightly I might have broke. “The
Armada could easily swoop down upon us like some bird of prey, hey?”
The First Mate, who was standing by the Captain’s side, coughed slightly, and the
Captain turned to him, saying nothing but awaiting him to speak.
“Captain, perhaps we should move from here,” He said, as evenly as he could. “There’s no telling what could happen if we don’t.”
“Oh I know all too well what could happen, dear Mr. Gribble,” The Captain said, addressing the First Mate by his name. “They will send a Scout Ship out to ask us our intentions, once they see we are not Merchants, but bloodthirsty Pirates they will send one or two of their Catapult Carracks to engage us and maybe a couple of Ballista Ships.
If that fails, some Mage Galleons will be deployed to incinerate us, and if we somehow survive that, they’ll start using sea Monsters and Fire Ships to blitz us to death oh yes…” he broke off and smiled. “I know exactly what we’re doing…”
With that, a Antigan patrol ship broke off from the docks and began sailing toward them, less than a hundred meters away. The White flag with the black stripe running from the left hand corner to the right hand corner was flapping in the wind, signaling it was a ship of His Majesty’s Navy, the Armada. The Captain turned to watch it as it drew closer, then back to his crew.
“Load up the Ballista’s boys!” He roared. “Prepare to open fire on that ship!”
“Are you crazy, man!” one of the Crew members exclaimed. “As soon as the men in the ships in the Docks see that patrol ship on fire, they’ll be coming for us…”
“By the time those lumbering fools get their act together, we’ll be far beyond the Skan Peninsula now load ‘em up!” The Captain shouted, and the crew rushed to the massive bow-like weapons situated on the decks. They tied flaming rags and grenade-like explosives to the head of the large arrows they fired and loaded them into the Ballista’s.
As the Scout Ship got close, they released the firing pin and the Ballista string launched the flaming arrows toward the ship. Meanwhile, other crew members had retrieved their longbows, and were also in the process of firing smaller arrows. But while the Ballista’s were aimed at damaging the ship, these were aimed at killing off the crew.
The first few Ballista arrows struck true, and as the Ship turned to retreat, it revealed a big gaping hole in the hull of the Ship where the explosive magic-laden projectile had done its job. The crew could hear the cries of the ship’s Sailors as they fled the burning deck, some diving into the water while other just screamed and wailed with confusion.
The Galleons began to come out of the docks, filled with Archers, who immediately aimed their trajectory and fired countless arrows into the sky. They rained down upon the decks and the Captain heard a scream as a crew member fell back with a fountain of blood spurting out of his chest where the arrow had penetrated. He turned and yelled to the rest of the crew, “We got a man down, kill them all!”
As the Galleon drew closer, the Crew grabbed their Bows and began to launch arrowafter arrow at the Marines on board the Navy vessel, shooting for the kill as pirates most often did. But the Galleon got too close, and a boarding party of Marines, led by the
Admiral of the Ship, swooped onto the deck, armed with Broadswords and Hand-bows.
The Marines began to engage the Pirates, cutting most of them down swiftly, but the
Admiral made a beeline for the Captain, he had to take his prize. They stood in a face off, in the midst of their battling men, and they looked into each others eyes with looks of pure hatred.
“Remember me?” The Admiral asked menacingly, as he advanced, sword drawn.
“Ah, Admiral Ross…” The Captain said, smiling before slowly drawing his own Sword.
“I had no idea they were still putting has-been into service.”
“Well, you will quite literally be a has-been if you do not surrender to me immediately,”
Admiral Ross said, “You’re lucky only one Ship of Antigon has come to engage you, you would be long dead by now otherwise…”
“I think not,” The Captain said, assuming a fighting stance. “You were always one for games, Admiral…let’s see how well you do playing my game of death!”
He swung heavily at Admiral Ross, but the officer leapt back, easily avoiding the clumsy blow. He grinning and made a slashing movement aimed at The Captain’s right shoulder, but his ducked under it and whirled around, aiming for the midriff in an attempt to slice him clean apart at the waist.
“You cannot defeat me,” Admiral Ross said, already puffing. “You will become my prisoner before long…”
At that moment, a large fireball struck the side of the Pirate ship, and it was suddenly rocked by the force of the spell. The Hull practically broke off from the rest of the vessel and took several Sailors and Pirates with it. Those who weren’t catapulted into the water were incinerated by the sheer power of the flames. Both Admiral Ross and the Captain looked to the direction of the Fireball, out to the horizon, where four Galleons, painted jet black and encased in magical shields were powering towards them.
“Dark Elves!” Admiral Ross exclaimed. “The Darks are attacking? Now of all times?”
“Get off my ship!” The Captain roared as loud as the growing buzz of the Ship’s shields would allow him too. “You have a duty to defend this land from attackers, so get back on your ship and fight them off…”
There were already Mage and Catapult Galleons moving out of the docks to engage the Darks, and the two men looked at each other, before surveying the mess of bodies, splintered wood and what would soon be a sunken ship. The Admiral then looked out upon the Docks, and at the City nearby, before back at the Captain.
“I will let you live, Captain…” He said warningly. “But know you will not hide out in my
City of Port Daan, not by a long shot…”
“I wouldn’t want to live in your filthy city anyway,” The Captain said coolly, pulling off his tunic and sheathing his sword. “Arkanon’s blessings upon you, Ross…”
I’ll need it, The Admiral thought to himself, waiting for The Captain to jump off of his burning ship and into the water before he sprinted back to his Galleon.