Deal with the Devil
For about two days we discussed our strategy to steal ships
from the Empire’s dockyards. Using maps and gathering information from people
who had actually been there, we were able to form a simple plan that, hopefully,
would allow us to procure a large number of vessels. Our trump card would be
the army of Baphomet. Two thousand of the Death Lord’s best warriors would
distract the enemy guards while we absconded with their ships. The army of
death’s ships were large enough to fit all the sailors we would need to pilot
the stolen vessels.
We gathered the army together on the third day after their
arrival. The army was comprised mostly of dark elves. They followed Muco’s
commands exactly, like clockwork.
We loaded onto the twelve relic ships and sailed off towards
the island of Maruk, where the Empire’s shipyards were located.
About a week later we came within visual sight of the yards.
There were hundreds of ships berthed in the various harbors and docks, along
with a number still under construction.
Baphomet’s ships had magic infused in them, giving them the
ability to go invisible. The twelve ships in our fleet disappeared from the
sight of the guards at the island.
The two ships carrying our sailors split from the main fleet
and headed for the dock area.
The ten remaining relic ships headed straight for the main
harbor. Lining up, they commenced a bombardment, tearing through the castle and
its defenses. The guards of the dock we were targeting ran towards the fight.
The dock was defenseless.
I leaped off of the Specter Sailor and ran towards the
ships that were unprotected, on the dock. Their sailors had noticed us
approaching and were preparing to defend. There were very few guards remaining,
as most of them had run towards the diversion.
Two knights on horseback galloped out from the city. We
faced off against them. We were short on anti-cavalry weapons, but I had a
trick up my sleeve.
“Null Aqua Regia! Disperse ten meters!” A spray of slippery oil
came out from my hand and covered the ground in front of the horsemen. Both
horses slipped on the oil and dumped their riders.
As our other sailors attempted to capture the ships, we
engaged the knights. Both knights, still slipping and sliding across the oil
slick, tried approaching us.
“Null Ice! Cover this ground!” From behind the knights, an Imperial
inquisitor cast a freeze spell. The oil froze and the knights regained their posture.
I pointed at the inquisitor. “I’ll handle him.”
Tae and Jak looked at each other. “Got it.” They engaged the
two knights.
I walked up towards the inquisitor. He pulled out a scroll
and began casting another spell.
“Apropos!” I countered his spell.
The inquisitor drew his sword. We engaged. Sparks flew
between our blades as they clashed against each other.
The inquisitor tried to cast another spell. I countered it.
I pulled out a scroll and began to cast a kill spell. The inquisitor countered
it.
We continued exchanging blows with our weapons. I nicked the
inquisitor’s shoulder. The inquisitor staggered backwards, affected more by the
nick than I would have expected.
He gritted his teeth and stared up at me. “You are playing with
the wrong people, boy.” He staggered backwards. “You will live to regret this
move.” He ran away and turned into an alleyway. I did not give chase. He was
not our mission.
I turned back to the shipyard. The two knights had both been
defeated, their bodies laying on the ground in pools of blood. I checked the
surroundings and made sure that we were clear. Tae, Jak, and I boarded one of
the Imperial ships and prepared it for flight. We had brought seasoned sailors with
us for this portion of the mission.
The guards had noticed that the other attack was a diversion
and were converging on the docks. There were over a hundred of them, their
boots pounding the ground, their armor clanking.
“Hurry, hurry!” I did my best to crank out the sails. Our
sailors scrambled across the deck, up the rigging, and around the skysteel
engine. The guards got closer.
Just as they entered the dock proper, we were ready. We cast
off. Twenty Imperial frigates pulled away from the docks, filled with our
sailors.
The ten relic ships that had been drawing attention slipped
away, following the rest of our new fleet. We got far enough from the island
that it could be considered “mission accomplished.”
I was on one of the stolen vessels. The whole crew cheered,
hugging each other and tossing their hats into the air. We had succeeded,
almost. Now we had to defeat our pursuit. But I had prepared for this. The
Empire sent out its remaining ships to chase us. The twelve relic ships formed
a guarding line between the Imperial ships and our stolen vessels. Each relic
ship was equipped with an extremely powerful cannon, capable of tearing through
any regular ship with ease. They opened fire on the pursuing Imperials and tore
our pursuit apart within minutes. The dozen or so pursuing ships floated down
to the skyfloor, their decks and rigging on fire.
“Whoa.” I was amazed by the power of the relic ships. There was
no denying their power.
Now that our pursuit was gone, we changed our heading and began
the return home.
It took about a week more to reach the island of Gagna. The
docks had been expanded while we were gone, and the island now had enough
berths for our ships. We parked the vessels at the new dock and disembarked to
the cheering of a crowd. Everyone was in high spirits.
About half an hour after leaving a meeting was called between
the Rebellion leaders, of which I was now one. We sat around the table. Andrew
pulled out a sheath of papers.
“Let us now discuss the troop procurement program.” He
turned to Recophis. “Are the recruiting efforts going well?”
Recophis folded his hands. “Yes. We’ve gathered almost ten
thousand able-bodied men to our cause. However, the island of Gagna is running
out of space to handle them all.”
“Even with the barracks we bult?”
“I’m afraid so.” Recophis held out his hands. “We’re going
to need more housing. Our food storage is being hit hard as well.”
The meeting continued, with various Rebellion leaders
sharing their worries and successes. When the meeting was over, I left the
council room and, with Tae and Jak next to me, walked down the street, which
was much more crowded than before. The Rebellion’s headquarters was here. We
were so close to declaring our independence. The city’s mood was bright, a hum
of positivity thrumming through the people. With our newly stolen ships, it was
almost time for us to start our campaign.
I turned to an alleyway that was supposed to be a shortcut
to the Green Dagon. We were now housed in the castle itself, but the Green
Dagon’s food was still pretty good. I ate there whenever I could find the time.
Just as we passed by a small door, a man wearing a hood
stopped us.
Tae and Jak took a step back and assumed fighting stances. I
held up my hand.
“You’re with the syndicate?”
The man lifted his chin. “Boss wants to speak with you.” He
slipped a piece of paper into my hand. “Also, your next pit fight is in five
days.”
Tae put her hand on her forehead. “Ah, right. You signed a
deal that you would fight in that stupid arena.”
The cloaked man backed away. “Do not be late.”
I looked at the piece of paper. There was an address and a
time, as well as a stipulation that I would have to be alone.
I turned to Tae and Jak. “You can go now. I’m supposed to go
to this meeting alone.”
Tae and Jak looked at each other. “We can’t let you do this.
There’s no way this isn’t a trap of some sort.”
Ruby came out from my pocket. “I’ll protect him. Don’t you
worry about Rock.”
“Thanks, Ruby.” Tae looked down at her feet. “Be careful,
Rock.”
I nodded. “I’ll see you after this meeting.” I turned back
and walked across the town, alone, through the boisterous crowd of new soldiers
and regular citizens. I came to a small staircase underneath a bar. The
staircase was old, made of brick, and worn down by decades of use. I walked
down it and came to a door. My eyes began to adjust to the darkness. The door
had several faded posters on it.
I opened the door and came into a private room with a bar on
one side and several plush couches scattered throughout. The lighting was
subdued, moody almost. Several men in suits sat around a table playing cards.
Two of them were Lightning and Clack. They nodded at me.
The two other men looked very important. The one next to
Lightning waved me over.
“Sit.”
I sat. The man was big and buff, with a scar going down his
cheek. He put down his hand of cards. “My name is Charcoal.” He pointed to the
other unnamed man. “That is Big Ben.”
Big Ben nodded.
“I’m one of the Syndicate’s seven dons.” Charcoal brought up
a cigar and puffed it. “These two lackeys,” he pointed to Lightning and Clack,
“have filled me in on all the details. Apparently you are adept at the fighting
ring. You also are a member of the council of the newly formed Rebellion.”
Charcoal held out his hands. “I am here for one reason and one reason only. To
tell you that the Syndicate is throwing its weight behind the Rebellion.”
Charcoal put his hands down. “But I do understand that most of the other
leaders of the Rebellion would object to such a partnership.”
“They would, yes.”
“I was told that you cooperated with us, so I thought you
would be our best way to get into the internals of the new Rebellion.”
“So what do you want?”
“We want a world where people are allowed to worship
whatever god they want. Do you know the real reason why the Syndicate exists?”
“I do not.”
“The Syndicate was formed by practitioners of Charism. We
were pushed underground two hundred years ago when the God Emperor purged all
other religions. Though we have taken to a life of crime, we are still noble in
our intentions.”
“I did not know that. I imagined you were in it just for the
profits.”
Charcoal took a long puff of his cigar. “Sometimes that’s
how it feels. But in reality we want freedom to worship our own god. We just
run crime rings on the side.”
“Okay. What help can you give the Rebellion?”
“Manpower, treasure, and information. The three things that
a military needs to be effective. We’ll insert our agents everywhere and get
you the advantage you need to start a new world order.”
A servant brought a plate of rice and meat onto the table.
Lighting and Clack looked at each other, and then at me.
“Our boss is sincere.” Clack lifted his chin. “We’re here to
help you achieve your goal, no matter what we have to do.”
Charcoal tilted his head. “I heard about your escapade
stealing those ships from the Empire. That was a grand, daring plan. I can’t
believe you had the guts to do something like that. That’s the action that
convinced me you’ll be able to pull this off.”
“All right. I get it. I’m not opposed to working with you.”
Charcoal lifted his cigar. “Also, we’re suspending your pit
fights. We don’t want you getting injured or killed for no reason.” He glared
at Clack and Lighting. “I don’t understand how someone could look at such a
tactician as you and decide that the best course of action is to throw him into
the pits.”
Clack bowed. “I am deeply sorry, sir.”
“And you should be.” Charcoal took a plate and put food on
it. “Please, enjoy dinner with us. Then you can return to your friends.”
We ate. The food was very good, as expected of a mob boss’s
dinner. When we were done, I left the speakeasy and returned to the upper
level. I walked towards the Green Dagon, where I imagined Tae and Jak would
still be.
Ruby came out of m pocket. “That was scary, Rock. How did
you maintain your calm in that situation?”
“It wasn’t hard. I just kept my chin up.”
Ruby sat on my shoulder. “You know, after being with you for
a while, I noticed that you’re always really calm in situations like this.”
“It’s no use to overreact to things.” I shrugged. “In any
case, it won’t help me to be nervous in these kinds of situations.”
A small piece of flying metal—a shuriken—embedded itself
into the wall an inch from my throat. I dove to the ground. The crowd around me
started screaming. Two men dressed in ninja clothing leaped down from the top
of a roof. They pulled out swords, taking up offensive positions on either side
of me.
“Null Operatus.” I cast my buff spells. My body glowed with
a green light.
The first ninja waved his fingers, as if to say “come at
me.”
I pulled out a scroll and cast fireball at him. He stepped
aside and dodged the attack with masterful dexterity. The fireball exploded
onto the wall of a nearby building.
The ninja behind me rushed me. I ducked underneath his sword
and gave a back kick, twisting my body, smacking the ninja in the side of the
head with my palm. The first ninja struck at me. I pulled out my sword just in
time to block him. The second ninja grabbed me, holding me to his chest. I used
a grip break and slammed my elbow into the ninja’s stomach, sending him
reeling. The first ninja brought out a second sword and swept them through the
air with impressive speed.
The second ninja threw a shuriken at me. It hit me,
embedding itself in my back. I staggered.
Ruby flew off my shoulder and into the face of the second
ninja. As that ninja was waving his hands, trying to dislodge her, I stabbed
him through the stomach. The second ninja gripped the sword in his stomach and
kept me from retrieving it. He collapsed.
I was unarmed against a ninja with two swords. The surviving
ninja rushed towards me.
I broke and ran. Using my enhanced speed and power, I leaped
onto the rooftop, and started running towards the castle. The ninja chased
after me. We leaped from rooftop to rooftop. Just as I was about to reach the
castle, the ninja tackled me. I kicked him away. But there was no turning my back
on him now. Just as he was about to attack me, an arrow flew out of nowhere and
struck him in the neck. He teetered, collapsed, and fell off the roof.
Down below, an archer with a bow gave me a thumbs-up.
31
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