Where are you? Life has been...hard without you by my side. I know in my heart, you are gone, that much has been clear for some time. The warmth you once brought to my life has gone cold. The words unspoken, the thoughts never shared. The regrets weigh upon my soul with each new dawn and the memories only bring me sorrow. I know you had your duty. I know you fought for what we all believed in, but....
"We'll be approaching the site now Baron."
I miss you my love.
The jagged mountain peaks of the Hoganmar rose like spearheads into the clouds and stretched as far as anyone could see. From aboard the bow of The Arbiter, a silent statue stared unwavering towards the nightmarish crags below as the wind snapped bitterly at ends of his long coat.
"Navigator has us right on course, he does," continued the captain, Bellefonte Grum, as he stepped towards the broad bow of the massive airship. "We ain't gonna be able to land though. Those peaks would..."
"Yes captain. I'm sure the baron understands our inability to land safely," Commandant John Clay interrupted, drawing attention from the baron and allowing him some space. "We'll get a lay of the land and go down by ladder if we have to."
"Aye Commandant," Grum nodded, feeling a slight embarrassed. "Don't worry baron," he said turning towards the lone figure once more. "We'll find 'er. If she's out here, we'll find 'er."
The elaborate mask the baron wore, necessary since the accident which left his body altered and disfigured, no doubt kept his head warm, but the crew worried that without moving around the baron would likely suffer the cold regardless of his attire.
Clay looked towards the baron, but eventually gave in that his concerns would fall upon deaf ears and instead turned back to the captain and beckoned him aside.
"A word captain," Clay asked as he ushered Grum down onto the main deck, mostly abandoned save for a small portion of the crew. Until now, they had little need for all hands to brave the harsh winds. Their time to face the hellish cold of the Hoganmar would come soon enough.
"I do hope you understand the levity of the situation Captain," Clay chided softly. Though it would be difficult for anyone to hear much over the breeze, Clay wasn't interested in giving hidden ears the chance.
"I mispoke. I apologize Commandant," Grum nodded with respect.
"The Manticore was the pride of our fleet during the great rebellion. It was a very powerful vessel, probably unmatched, and Haskell Everett was her captain."
"And she can be dangerous in the wrong hands?" Grum guessed hesitantly.
Clay sighed, touched his temples and shook his lowered head.
"Captain Everett and the baron were...very close," replied Clay. There was no point in hiding the truth if Grum was to understand the situation.
"Oh!" gasped Grum in surprise. "Ah. Okay! Yeah. Sure. Yeah."
"Now do you understand? I believe the baron has accepted the captain's death, but now that we may have found clues in regards to the whereabouts of the ship..."
"He wants closure," said a familiar female voice from over Grum's broad shoulders. Clay blinked in surprise.
"I...you...," Clay began, scrambling to pick up his fallen composure.
"I've known the baron longer than both of you combined," Samantha told them with a little smirk on her lips beneath her oversized red goggles, Grum thought they made her look like a giant insect.
"You don't think I know his secrets?" Samantha continued. "Besides, it's pretty obvious this is personal. Why else would we be here? It's freezing!"
"What are you doing out here!?" Clay barked quietly, this time he was the embarrassed one.
"Relax," Samantha replied, still grinning. "I just came up to tell you both we'll be increasing altitude soon and that you'll need air masks. The baron will be fine with his, but you both will need to put these on."
She handed them each a mask which would cover most of their faces from the brutish wind. Clay pulled a pair of blue goggles from his jacket and placed them over his eyes while Grum retrieved something similar. That's when Samantha caught sight of the baron standing vigilant and unmoving. Even the baron’s black tail, mechanical and linked to his emotions, hadn't moved an inch since the mountains had been in sight.
"You think The Manticore is still out there? You can fix 'er?" softly asked Grum, his own eyes soon staring at the solitary figure.
"It's out there, but she'll never fly again," sighed Samantha. "This cold has likely destroyed most of whatever remains."
"You're officially here to repair and return The Manticore," chimed in Clay through his mask.
"Psh, yeah right. I know the baron might have said that, but that's not why I'm here."
"Then why are you even here? To hand out breathers?" Clay mumbled, his gaze cutting her in half.
"Well you two aren't exactly fine shoulders to cry on," Samantha huffed then turned and stormed back below deck.
Grum and Clay stood there silently on the deck for a moment longer, gazing at the way the baron seemed so distant while remaining there vigilantly gazing out at the serene splendor of the countless peaks and valleys.
"Sorry Commandant, but why so rough with 'er? She ain't hurtin' nothin'." Grum waited for an answer, but upon receiving none he eventually left to return below deck.
Grum soon returned with much of his crew in tow and ordered them to their positions. It would take sharp eyes and keen reflexes to guide the ship through the unforgiving mountains while surveying the land for signs of The Manticore.
They had reached the location marked upon their charts by the Yeti explorers, but only time would tell if their venture would prove worthwhile. As time slipped by, the temperature began to drop, as did the expectations of those onboard.
"Are you alright?" Clay asked Samantha, sounding slightly annoyed. She had been sitting on the bow with her knees to her chest, her eyes on the baron.
"Yeah, I'm okay," she replied, not bothering to look up. "The steam coming from his mask is kinda soothing I guess."
"Aye, but he'll be better once we find The Manticore," Grum called up to themas he made his rounds about the ship.
"You still convinced it's out there Bellefonte?" tested Clay.
"Aye. I wasn't too sure at first, but seeing the baron like that? I know she's down there. I bet he kin smell the damn thing."
Clay and Samantha gave Grum a pair of uncertain and slightly offended glares.
"Just saying," Grum shrugged with a smirk. "I meant no disrespect. I should'a said 'sense,' er somethin. I know he ain’t a real fox er nothin’."
"Well, we brought enough supplies," said Samantha. "We can certainly continue this for a few days, but I'm not sure we should..."
Grum grabbed the girl and quickly turned her about. Samantha started to blurt out a curse, but immediately gasped in shock to see the baron's wild eyes silently staring back at the surprised trio. It was a second or so before any of them noticed the baron's extended finger pointing down to the crags below.
"I see it!" cried out one of the crew. "There's a ship down there!"
Half the crew leaned over the rails on the port side and stared down at the white sea. To their amazement, the frame of a very large ship jutted out like a fist into the sun.
Within the hour, The Arbiter was moored safely nearby the crash site. Ropes guided the ship and held it in place as a team was lowered to the snow to investigate.
Leading the trail of a seven men and women was longshoreman Higgs, an older sailor with a face and a heart deeply scared by salty winds. A marksman by the name of Klinski, a seasoned sailor and fine hunter, had come along with his rifle and although they weren't expected to find anyone alive, the young medical officer Daniel Trent had come along as well just in case. As they trudged through the thick powder, Clay noted the way the bow and the starboard side of the front of the ship seemed mostly intact, but the damage below the surface could be far worse.
"Thank the gods the weather is so clear," Grum remarked. "We'd never 'ave seen it otherwise."
"Which is probably why it has remained lost this long," Clay replied. "The baron sent out a dozen expeditions the year it went down and..."
"Will you two shut it," Samantha grumbled quietly, "I'm pretty sure he can hear you."
The baron was the first to come within range of the downed vessel. THE MANTICORE easily legible upon her bow. Despite the inherent elation they all felt, the crew understood the somberness of the scene. They walked quietly, sharing utmost respect for the sailors who died here in the Hoganmar.
As the baron moved closer, Clay's gloved hand landed upon his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.
"Please my baron," Clay asked with respect, "let the men go first. We don't know if this snow is stable yet. We could be standing on a thin sheet of ice for all we know."
The baron nodded, keeping his head fairly low, before stepping aside and letting Higgs and Klinski past. Higgs had years of experience traveling on foot within these very mountains and knew the snow rather well. Klinski had far less experience, but he had keen eyes and could potentially spot danger.
Higgs stepped up to the ship slowly. A sheet of frozen snow had formed an arcing curve out from the ship's main deck, creating a cave-like structure that led to an opening in her starboard side. He checked the ground around it, determining if it were safe for walking on, as Klinski looked down the opening for signs of animals, but saw none.
"All's good here captain," said Higgs as he beat the powder from his hands.
"Yeah...she seems stable enough," added Klinski. "Not sure we'll be pulling it outta here, but we can certainly give it a look over I think."
Samantha moved towards the front of the group and stared up at the once proud vessel. She tried to picture it in battle, the way the stories had depicted it as the shining spearhead of the fleet, bursting through enemy lines with cannons firing the likes which some described as both terrifying and beautiful. It was no ordinary air ship and could illicit pride as much it could instill fear. Samantha could feel her heart racing as she pictured the ship in the air and gazed at it for a while longer before turning back to Higgs.
"Think you can get us inside?"
Higgs nodded with a knowing smirk and stepped into the dark cave created by the ice sheet with Klinski close behind. The two of them reached a small opening, a narrow hole in the side of the ship which could be climbed through with some effort. Klinksi started to remove a loose board, but Higgs immediately stopped him.
"Hey, we don't know what's below us or how stable this thing really is. We start pulling stuff, the whole thing could come down on us."
Klinkski shivered with a chill running up his back before carefully replacing the board.
The remainder of the party stood outside in the curls and twists of the frosty breeze. It lightly brushed the baron's tail as he stood staring at the fallen airship, silently waiting.
"Has he written anything since we landed?" asked Clay as he made his way up to Grum, the two of them standing about thirty feet from the baron.
"Nothin'," he replied. "He's just been silent like that. Well, you know what I mean."
Clay nodded and then spotted the baron's tail flicking a bit just as the two men reemerged.
"We're good to go inside," called out Higgs. "Don't go throwing a party or anything, but I'm pretty sure it's safe enough to explore. Whatever you do, don't open any doors or bulkheads without me. She wasn't built to have fifty tons of snow on her deck and she could collapse with any sudden shifts."
The baron nodded with approval and motioned for Higgs to lead them through the cave. Samantha and Clay quickly coming up right behind him. They knew this was a hard thing for the baron, but necessary that he go inside. Grum took up the rear with Trent just in front of him.
With brass lanterns alight, the team made their way through the icy cave and along the side of the massive air ship. The flickering light played off the damage to the side planks as splinters of jagged wood reached out into the cave, covered in thick, dripping ice.
They would each take turns climbing into the side of the ship. It was a cumbersome task, especially for Grum who became stuck twice getting in, but they all understood the importance to keep things exactly as they were.
"Aye. Alright. Higgs, how's about you and Samantha go down and check out the bilge," Grum ordered. "See how bad it is and if this wreck is worth sending another team out for later."
"I would like to take Klinski with me to explore the armory and the forward cannons," Clay put in. "They say this ship had a special cannon fitted for it towards the end of the war. They called it, "Balagor’s Flame." I'd like to see what shape it's in."
"Aye, sounds good," replied Grum. "Me, the baron and Trent will check out the captain's quarters then."
Samantha looked to the baron, but he gave her a reassuring nod before she turned to join the longshoreman.
Though the door to the captain's quarters was closed, a close inspection by Grum found that it could easily be opened without much issue so long as they closed it behind them. He gave the baron a long stare.
"You ready to go in there?" Grum asked.
The baron closed his eyes and nodded his reply.
Grum pushed the door open and slowly made his way inside. Raising his lantern, he could see that the room almost appeared ransacked at first glance.
"It looks like they busted up whatever wood that wasn't part of the ship to use for fires and all the linens and such were likely used for clothing," remarked Trent. "They used whatever they could to stay warm."
"Hmm, aye," agreed Grum rubbing his chin. "All the finerys' here though, so at least she wasn't looted."
Nester stared at the room for a moment and sighed before his orange eyes darted about and landed upon the captain's chest. As the baron moved towards it, Grum pulled Trent back towards the door.
"Trent, uh, so you think from this you can tell that much of the crew survived the crash, eh?" Grum was trying to pull the attention off the baron, curiously exploring the room, while trying to give the man some hope.
"It's possible. I didn't see any signs of any bodies so..."
"Eh, why don't you go have another look, eh?" Grum laid a hand on the medic and effortlessly pushed him back out through the door.
Nester found the captain's lockbox upon a dresser. It appeared scratched and beaten as though someone had tried desperately to retrieve whatever was inside. The baron took a deep breath, reached into his coat pocket, and retrieved an intricate brass key the likes of which there was no double.
"No offense baron," Grum began with a somber tone, "but I think I'll step outside. I'm not sure I want to know if, well, if it wasn't worth it."
The baron nodded respectfully to demonstrate that he understood fully. The cost had been unexpectedly high, but if they were to ever unravel the mystery, it would begin as Nester turned the key.
Nester simply peered into the small box with his tail twitching about, taking in the history and tragedy of his lost companion. After a moment, he reached in and retrieved a few loose items, photos and a few papers, before quickly folding them up into his coat.
The baron then closed the box slowly, locked it again, and then headed back towards the captain. Nester then retrieved his book from his pocket and scribbled down the first thing he'd written since the voyage began.
"The key must have been lost during the crash. Everything was still inside the chest. We should search the ship for signs of where the crew went if we are going to discover why The Arbiter was attacked over this."
Grum examined the paper before pocketing it. "Aye, I'll..."
"Oi, captain!" called out the medic from just a few feet away. "You oughta see this."
Grum and Nester left the captain's quarters and headed back to where Trent was standing. As they approached they quickly noticed the frozen body, previously unseen due to the way the dark blankets had covered up the thin remains.
"The weather must have mummified his body after he died," Trent established. With some effort he managed to pry away the stiff blanket enough to reveal a well preserved bundle of parchment and a powerfully foul odor. He slipped out the papers and then quickly pushed the blanket back afterwards in an effort to contain the stench. Grum moved to intercept the note, but then pulled his hand back considering where it had been.
"Uh, er, what's it say Trent?"
"Let's see..." Trent began as he casually sorted through the damp papers, "I think it's a record of what happened. Our friend here was First Mate Glenn Alexander. They were ambushed after following an enemy vessel through a nearby passage. They were far outnumbered by the looks of things and then the captain ordered that they scuttle here and make it look good to avoid additional casualties and worked too. The steam from the ship’s engine was released and caused all this ice and snow to melt on top of it. They were never attacked after the crash, just assumed dead I suppose."
"Does it say where they went?" Grum asked further.
Trent flipped through the pages and skimmed for an answer.
"I guess they stuck it out here a while in hopes someone from our side would find them. Several months by the looks of it. After that, the crew took what they could and headed north assuming they were close to Titania. Mr. Alexander here volunteered to stay behind. Seems he had suffered some injuries to his legs during the crash, so they gave him everything he'd need to stay alive in hopes someone would find him. I guess it took a bit longer than he expected."
"Wha'dya see down there?" Grum asked in a somber tone as Higgs and Samantha made their way back to the captain. Higgs cleared his throat into his fist.
"Looks like they did a fine job of scuttling the ship. There isn't much damage down there. There's a few holes, but many of them appear to be man made. By the looks of things, I think it's possible to bring the ship back to Argenstrath if we can dig it out."
The baron's tail swished a little and his gaze turned to Samantha.
"She's a wreck," she said. "I don't know if she'll ever fly again, but at least we can give her a proper resting place."
By the look of it, the baron seemed to agree. He then made a brief gesture towards the late Alexander.
"Agh, the lady don't need to see this," Grum interrupted only to see Samantha giving him a foul glance.
"Captain, she chided, "I can handle myself." She then turned to look at the mummified body and immediately cringed. "Okay, never mind. I definitely don't need to see this."
Nester added a second gesture with the key towards the letter.
"Ah, sure," noted Grum. "Does the letter say who survived the crash and went off?"
Trent flipped through the pages and found an appendix with a series of names, some with crosses and slashes beside them.
"This seems to be the ship's manifest. The lines mark those who perished before and during the crash and, by the looks of it, those who succumbed to wounds afterwards. By the looks of things, less than a quarter of the crew had died before setting off on foot to find Titania."
"How 'bout the captain?"
"Captain Everett? Uh...yes. He survived. He probably led the expedition out of here. Didn't even a take any wounds by the looks of this."
"Good. You're all here," Clay said as he made his way onto the deck with the others. "The armory is empty and all the cannons are missing, but I don't believe the ship was raided. The crew must have intentionally removed the guns and hidden them in case the ship was ever found."
Samantha caught Nester staring at the blanketed corpse. Though she averted her eyes from the body, she moved alongside the baron and gently took his gloved hand in her own.
"Did you know him?" she asked him softly. The baron simply shook his head.
"Judging by these notes," said Higgs as he took the journal from Trent, "we can easy follow the path the crew took through the mountains. The only problem is that we can't do it by ship, at least not with The Arbiter. The passages here are far too narrow for a ship of her size. I suggest Trent and I get the needed supplies from the ship and set out on foot right away, that is once you're ready baron. We shouldn't need to stop for the night for several hours and, weather permitting, we might be able to make it down the mountain in a day or so."
The baron and the others agreed and within the hour, Higgs began to lead the expedition through the snowy terrain. The Arbiter would be under command of First Mate Parsons. They would mark the location of The Manticore before traveling around the Hoganmar to meet the expedition on the other side in Titania.
The expedition followed the path laid out in Alexander's journal pages, finding small traces of the lost crew along the way. To increase the possibility of being rescued, Captain Everett had intentionally left behind markers of stone, cloth and other materials to show their route.
"They must have had wounded with them," remarked Higgs as they camped the first night in a clearing around a small fire.
"Why's that?" asked Samantha, her short red hair in contrast to the white and gray surrounding them.
"This route is too simple," Higgs replied. "They would have made it into Titania in far less time had they climbed straight over these ridges, but this route is taking us much further west than necessary. Some of those missing boards we saw were probably used to make sleds to carry wounded and supplies."
"Do you believe we can make it to Titania tomorrow?" asked Clay looking up from his meal. The baron's head rose to the question as well, his tail lightly swishing about.
"Doubtful. Not by this route. By my guess it will take at least another day," Higgs noted with some concern. He looked to the baron, but said nothing further.
"The baron is tougher than you'd think," muttered Clay as he turned back to his food.
Higgs remained a bit doubtful, but had great respect for the baron. The tracker walked over to the baron and removed his heavy coat.
"Here my baron," he said, offering the coat. "You'll be warmer in this."
The baron was hesitant at first, but he recognized the thoughtful act in Higgs' eyes. He nodded, removed his own coat, emptied the pockets, and traded the man. It wasn't as nice in appearance as his own, but the coat was in fact far warmer.
Shortly after, the baron got up and headed towards his tent. Samantha watched and stared for a moment as the group went about their evening.
"What's the story with you and him anyway?" asked Trent as he moved closer to Samantha.
"What do you mean?" she replied, putting up her defenses with her tone.
"It's not like, you know," he began, but Samantha didn't give him the chance to finish. She stood up and walked off to her own tent without a word. Trent looked to Clay who shook his head. The others pretended not to have noticed.
Grum kicked out the fire.
"Oi, we all need some rest," he grumbled. "I don't know about you lot, but I don't like sleepin' on ice and I don't plan on keepin' it up much longer." The rest of the group seemed to agree and soon their lanterns would be out for the evening.
They started out early the next day having been surprised to see the baron the first one awake and eager to continue.
During the afternoon of the second day, the team came across a grave marker. They paid short respects and took a brief rest before continuing. Despite heavy winds, they reached the other side of the mountain range by evening the third day. It descended into a valley below and out in the distance they could see a series of campfires within the forest ahead.
"Hmm. A village," grumbled Grum through a spyglass. "A ways out though, maybe the crew went past there."
"Perhaps," agreed Clay. "I was raised in Titania, but if we are close to where I believe we are...well I've never heard of any settlements out this way. A logging camp perhaps? Higgs? What do you think?"
Higgs stared out into the night as did Klinski.
"No idea," replied Higgs.
"I can't say for certain, but if it's alright with you, I'd like to go ahead and scout it out," noted the marksman.
"Aye. Take Trent with ya," Grum agreed. "The both of ya be on the lookout and get yer asses back here right away if you so much as get a whif of somethin' foul."
By the glow of the moon, they made their twilight decedent into the valley. Trent and Klinkski then put their things in order with the rest of the party before setting off into the dark forest.
As night wore on, the remaining five sat around the small fire they'd made. Higgs had asked that there be no fire, but after the excursion through the mountains they had all felt it would be good to warm up a little. Higgs would agree, but only if someone kept watch while the others slept. The baron, being unable to speak, was made exempt, but the others would take turns on watch throughout the remainder of the evening.
When the sun eventually peeked through the treetops the following morning, the baron exited his tent to see Samantha sitting there by the remains of the fire as she kept the last watch.
"Oh, hey," she whispered back to him, the baron moved to sit beside her. They sat together in relative silence for several minutes, simply watching the sun rise.
"How are you holding up?" Samantha asked. The baron thought to himself and then shrugged after a moment.
"Are you glad to be out here?" She asked. The baron didn't need to think about that one. He nodded and gave a flick of his tail.
"I bet it feels good to be retracing his steps like this, even if we know how they end," she frowned.
The baron slowly lowered his head and nodded. They both knew that if Captain Everett had lived, they wouldn't be out there trying to make sense of his fate.
Samantha moved to put an arm around the baron only to find him slipping his own arms around her waist, pulling her against his body and holding onto her tightly.
"I'm sorry Nester, but we'll find him. At least...at least you'll get your chance to say goodbye," Samantha said as she held him close while he laid his head upon her shoulder.
"I've been meaning to talk to you Nester," she began again after a few minutes, his tail flapped idly at the ground once he'd relaxed a little. It seemed he was expecting this talk as well.
"You can't let everything that has happened change you like this," she said. "I know there's...certain things that will never be the same again, but that doesn't need to change who you are inside. Do you remember what it used to be like? You and Haskell, me and Jamie? We used to sail out over the ocean and just let go, remember? Or how you'd throw those ridiculous fancy dress balls!" Samantha smiled and giggled a bit. Clearing a tear from her eye, her smile faded as quickly as it had came.
"When I said goodbye to Jamie, I thought my life was over. I thought things would never be the same again, but Haskell showed me that life goes on...how Jamie would be with me forever." She spoke softly now as her words became muddled with the tears she wiped away.
"Remember what he said? That it's up to me," her lip trembling. "Me, to carry Jamie's torch on this grand adventure and...and that he'll be waiting at the end for me. I...I know it's different for you, you didn't even get see The Manticore sail out that day, but Haskell is waiting for you too.
"I know he is," she said with a smile of hope. "You'll see him again someday, but you can't live your life like this. He'd want you to be the same man he fell in love with. Sure, things are a bit different now on the outside, but you're still the same person on the inside."
Samantha could feel the tears on her shoulder as they sat together in silence. The sun rose higher over the lofty trees, the birds announced that the morning had arrived, the nightly chill came to a rest upon the damp ground. A black tail flicked idly at the dirt.
Higgs was next to leave his tent. He spotted the two close together and gave them a wide berth to remain as subtle and respectful, but when he looked around at the camp he noticed that the two scouts had not returned and grew worried. Moving quietly about the tents, Higgs woke Grum and Clay.
"Trent and Klinski haven't returned. I think it's best we arm ourselves before doing anything else," he whispered to them. They didn't argue.
As Higgs was leaving the tent, the crack of a tree branch echoed through the camp site. They all took notice, frozen in time for what seemed like minutes.
Higgs' hand slowly moved towards his rifle, but a shot burst through the leaves. Nester pushed Samantha to the ground and laid on top of her for protection. He heard a someone cry in pain before he was able to look up again.
"We surrender!" called out Clay with his arms in the air. Grum, scowling, threw down his rifle defiantly and did the same.
Nester turned his head and witnessed a dozen strange men coming through the foliage. Dressed in dirty, torn clothing with wide eyes darting about with hungry intentions gave the men an almost feral appearance. It was clear they'd been living among the wilds for some time, likely as exiles. How much of their humanity remained was yet to be seen.
"Get up," one of them barked with the barrel of his rifle towards the baron's face.
"Hey! You can't treat him like that!" Clay yelled, moving forwards only to receive a blow to the back of his head from one of the other strangers. He fell to his knees, but caught himself before falling further.
"And take that damn mask off," the man standing over the baron growled. He jabbed at the baron's mask with the end of his rifle a few times, but immediately backed off once he saw noticed blazing orange eyes staring back up at him.
"What’s wrong with this guy?" he asked with uneasy surprise.
"He...he suffered an accident. He needs the mask to breathe. If you remove it, he'll die," gasped Clay. The man turned to Grum who nodded to confirm this just as Samantha was getting to her feet, staring nervously at the baron.
"Alright," the man grumbled before grabbing Nester firmly by the coat and pushing him against one of the other men. "Either they do as we say, or you take that mask off him and destroy it."
"No!" cried Samantha. She reached a hand out to the baron as his wrists were being tied behind his back, but two of the other men grabbed the girl and began to hastily tie her up as well.
"What the!?" gasped the man behind Nester.
"What is it?" growled their leader.
"Um," was all the man could say. His leader made his way over and took a look at Nester's back, his eyes locking on that tail.
"Who exactly are you people?" he leered up to the group.
"Just some explorers," pleaded Clay. "We came across a downed ship up there. We were just searching for survivors. That's all. We meant no harm," he added getting to his feet. His hands were promptly bound, Grum's as well.
The leader looked them over with an investigative glare. In a flash, he snatched Nester from his subordinate, pushed the baron against a tree and drew a pistol, pushing it roughly against the baron's temple. Mad, wild eyes scanning the party to call their bluff.
Samantha held in her tears and Grum considered risking his life to save the baron. Clay remained collected as he stared right back into the eyes of the leader.
"I told you. We are just explorers," Clay explained in a calm, yet pleading tone.
"Then why bring a man like this?" barked the leader. "Why go over the Hogans with a...thing like him!?"
"He's our guide. A mute tracker. A Vibranni." Clay figured it was a good bet that none of them had seen a real Vibranni before, but silently prayed they had at least heard of them.
The wild man gave the baron another long examination. He decided that by the looks of the aged and deeply worn coat that the masked man wore, it was possible their story could be true.
"And him?" he asked with a nod to the dead body on the ground, his coat too fine to belong to just any ordinary explorer.
"He was our sponsor for the expedition. A village noble," replied Clay without missing a beat. Samantha winced in dismay, glancing at Higgs' body, but continued to hold her tongue as the baron remained at gun point.
The wild man swept his sunken eyes over them all once more, Grum silently snarling back at him.
"Alright," he said, lowering his pistol and returning it to the makeshift holster at his side. "Let's get going. We have a friend of yours who’s eager to see you."
A collar was placed around Nester's neck and they were led deeper into the woods, leaving the body of Higgs behind.
The distance wasn't long, but not knowing their fate made the time last much longer than it had to. The men would glance at Nester occasionally, but none would comment about his appearance. Clay decided that none of these men were from Titania or Antiford, otherwise they might have heard tales of the baron's appearance.
"Ey, you know these men?" Grum asked Clay in a husked whisper.
Clay looked about.
"From their complexion and accent, I'd say they were from Kuu. Why they are out here is anyone's guess really," he replied.
"Aye. Figured they was Kuu. It was Kuu that attacked us," Grum grumbled back.
"What!?" gasped Clay. "If it was Kuu, why didn't you say so?"
"Didn't want to start an incident or nothin'. Figured they was just Kuu pirates, nothin' else."
Clay thought this over for a moment.
"But why here? Why attack your ship when all you took from Kuu was a lost trinket?"
Grum grumbled a bit and looked about at the eyes all around them, now starting to turn their way.
"Probably figured the key would lead us here. They're hidin’ somethin'. Somethin' bad."
As they moved further into the forest, the group began to smell rotten flesh and burning wood. The stench began turning more acrid and soon the entrance to a camp was in sight, guarded by a pair of rotted cattle mounted on either side. The group passed this with some disgust, aside from Grum who seemed uninterested as he paid closer attention to the amount of huts which were erected around the compound.
Clay cringed and winced at the sights as did Samantha as she tried not to vomit and began to cough. Nester lowered his head in despair.
"Worshippers of the fuckin' Geovikkan," Grum grumbled before spitting onto the ground.
Clay noted this realization and nodded with agreement before coughing into his shoulder. The group was led to a series of wooden planks fashioned into a crude holding cell, Klinski lay inside against one of the walls. Their bonds were cut aside from the baron's collar and the group was forced inside at rifle point.
"Klinski! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" asked Samantha quickly reaching the fatigued man on the floor. She lifted up his head while Clay struggled with the baron's collar despite being unable to remove it.
"It's good to see a friendly face again," Klinski muttered, his voice tired and dry. "We tried to escape last night, so they beat up my legs pretty bad. I think the left one's broken." He hissed as he tried to move.
"Where's Trent?" asked Grum, though he already knew the answer.
"Gone sir. They took him out last night for something and never brought him back. I could hear him scream, but it was a ways into the forest by the sound of it. Is Higgs with you?"
"No," Grum scowled. Klinski nodded with solemn understanding.
"What have you noticed about these men?" asked Clay, giving up on the collar. "I'm sorry my...Nester. I can't get it off without tools." The baron waved his hand dismissively to suggest that Clay shouldn't worry about it and pointed to Klinski with interest.
"Well, they're a cult of some sort," Klinski said.
"Worshipers of Geovikkan," Grum muttered.
"Aye, that's probably it," Klinski replied. "They weren't like this last night. They were all in robes and wandering about with all sorts of creatures. Some I've never even seen before, some I'd rather avoid seeing again. They took Trent then the entire camp was silent. They must've taken everything to some place deeper into the woods because there was barely a torch lit here. They came back hours later, most of 'em covered in blood and without the animals, or Trent."
"Anything else?" asked Clay.
"Yeah, now that you mention it,” Klinski replied, cringing a little as he shifted against the wall. “It's like, there aren't that many of them. Does that make sense? It's like this camp was made for a hundred men and I've only counted a little more than a dozen.”
Nester raised his head and flicked his tail a little. His fingers slipping into his pocket to fondle the key there.
"We've got to figure out a way out of here," said Samantha. "Maybe I can distract one of the guards, Grum can take him out. We take his weapons and fight our way outta here."
"No good," said Klinski. "They come in pairs when they feed me and check on my legs."
"Then I'll take the other guard, we can do this," said Clay. Samantha tapped his shoulder. He turned and saw her covering her mouth in worried fear. He followed her gaze as did the others. Nester was removing his mask.
The baron turned his back to the group and slipped the leather straps from the clasps which left impressions on his flesh and in his hair. The group could hear him wheezing as he cradled the mask in his hands, but they gave him his space. He wasn't in danger so long as he put it back on within a few minutes, though perhaps less with the air of rotten flesh about.
The baron tilted the mask up and something heavy slipped out into his open palm. He pocketed it before securing the mask back in place. Once it was fitted into position, he turned back to the group and slipped a small pistol from his pocket and handed it to Samantha.
The pistol was a very small caliber, but could still kill with a head shot. It had a rectangular chamber containing two rounds, no trigger guard and a tiny stopper sticking out the top. Nester then mimed pulling the stopper, aiming and firing the gun. Pushing the chamber over with his finger and firing again.
Samantha nodded and the others got into positions along the opening of the cage. Clay hefted Klinski on his shoulder and they took some time to briefly practice moving about.
"I think we'll be okay," said Clay, nodding to Grum.
"Help!" cried out Samantha tucking the pistol under her arm. "Guards! The Vibranni's breath mask is broken! We need help fixing it or he'll die!"
Two guards made their way over and saw Nester fiddling frantically with his mask. Uninterested in loosing a good sacrifice or a decent slave, they opened to cage. The gun fired with a small pop and sent one of the guards reeling back, clutching his face in pain.
Grum's large fist met the other guard’s face. The guard fought back briefly, but he was no match for the muscular captain. The guard was soon knocked unconsciously to the ground.
Nester then snatched up a blade from one of the men and Grum grabbed the rifle the other had carried. He checked the chamber but it had no ammunition, so he wielded the rifle as a club instead.
The group paused and listened for a moment, carefully peeking out of the cage. Fortunately for them, the camp was broad enough that they were alone as far as they could tell.
"They must be getting ready for tonight. Do you know another way out of here?" Clay asked Klinski.
"Yes sir. Some of the animals ran off through a weakened part of the fence last night," he replied pointing off past a series of huts.
"Alright, let's go..." began Clay.
"Wait," interrupted Klinski. "there's a hut not far from here where they took our gear. Your things are probably in there too."
Grum led the group as they quietly made their way through the camp, still relatively deserted. Clay, Klinski, Samantha and Nester entered the large hut with ease with Grum keeping watch just within the opening.
"These aren't our things," said Samantha, slightly confused as she searched through the discarded items. "These must be from…the other crew." She gulped a bit and turned to Nester. It seemed he had already come to the same conclusion and was hastily searching through clothes and belongings to find something of Captain Everett's.
"Maybe, maybe he wasn't captured," she said putting a hand on his shoulder. "His things aren't here, so we can hope for the best that he made it out of here alive."
Nester pulled back, whimpered and nodded with a sigh. He first looked to her and then to Clay and Klinski who had already started collecting an arsenal.
"Here's a perfectly good blunderbuss," remarked Clay with some amazement. He took it and a handful of shot and passed it up to Grum. Klinski took another blunderbuss and a rifle and filled his pockets with as much ammunition they could carry. Samantha found another pistol among some clothes and Nester grabbed a chipped cutlass.
Suddenly they heard some shouting back by the cage.
"Time's up!" shouted Grum. "Git whatcha can cuz we ain't coming back!"
Nester took this time to frantically search through clothes once more, scattering things all over the hut floor as Samantha tugged at his arm.
"He wasn't here Nester! His things aren't here!" she cried, eventually managing to pull him free of his obsession. He shook his head and moved towards the exit just as close shots began to ring out.
A bullet flew past Grum's head and he returned fire with the blunderbuss. The man going down in a cloud of red.
"This way!" cried out Klinski once they were outside, hobbling along with guns clanging about in his arms and Clay doing everything he could to move them both along.
Grum and Samantha fired back as a few stray bullets whizzed by. One round took Grum in the shoulder. He cringed a moment and fired back.
In a few moments they had reached the wall of the camp. Nester took the cutlass and began to slash over and over at the weakened area until the wall was breached.
Through gunshots and cries, the five of them made it out safely into the cover of the trees. They ran together about a hundred feet before stopping to take cover in a deep ditch.
"Grum! You're hit!' gasped Samantha as she spotted the crimson running down his arm.
"Eh," he shrugged before hissing at the pain. "I'll be alright. I've got blood ta spare. How's Klinski?"
Clay looked at the man sulking in his arms.
"He's out cold," he said, "but he's alive."
"Was he hit?" Samantha nervously asked.
"No, I believe he passed out from the pain in his legs," Clay replied as he set the marksman down on the ground. Fortunately the gun straps had been around his neck.
Clay took the guns and ammunition from Klinski, handed one to Samantha and readied the other. Nester's mask would have made it difficult for him to aim.
"Wait, where's the baron!?" cried Clay as he looked about only to find them one man short.
"Nester!?" shouted Samantha.
As she got up, Samantha could spot several men armed with swords cautiously coming through the woods towards their position.
"You go find him," Clay whispered to Samantha. "We'll take care of these pirates."
"Aye! We'll turn 'em into a meal for their beastly god," Grum softly laughed.
"Nester!" Samantha cried out as she hurriedly made her way through the brush. She found a faint path and quickly followed it. "Nester!'
At the end of the path, Samantha found a small clearing and a series of makeshift huts and graves. The Baron of Argenstrath knelt before one of them.
"Nester! Is that?"
The baron nodded solemnly. He could almost feel Samantha begin to cry behind him.
They had found the final resting place of Captain Haskell Everett.
Above a small mound of dirt was a wooden marker with the name and the words, "DIED PROTECTING THE CREW OF THE MANTICORE AND THE PEOPLE OF TITANIA."
"Nester, I’m sorry. I found this in the hut," Samantha said softly as she handed him a leather bound journal, identical to the one the baron carried. "I was going to save it for when, well, when we weren't being shot at."
The baron looked up to her with understanding in his eyes as he carefully took the book. He held it in his hands and took a deep breath before opening it to the back and slowly reading it over. After a moment he closed the book up, stuffed it into his coat and sighed. Tears began to run down his mask as he said a silent prayer.
"Nester, we need to go," said Samantha. The baron nodded and she immediately began to pull him back towards the others.
When they reached the trio, it was clear that the cultists had taken up position in front of them and from the looks of it there were more than they'd expected.
"Why aren't they shooting?" asked Samantha.
"They're shit for shootin'" said Grum. "But they aren't outta rounds yet. Let's get outta here!"
"Agreed!" said Clay. "Did you find an escape route?"
Samantha started to speak, but Nester interjected as he pointed down the route they'd just returned from. Samantha didn't know what he meant by that, but she didn't have any other suggestions to offer.
"Alright. Grum, cover us!" Clay commanded as he lifted Klinski off the ground. The four were off rushing through the brush, Grum close behind shooting through the trees and barking insults at their pursuers between reloading.
When they finally made it back to the clearing, Nester stopped and looked around.
"What? Why here?" asked Clay catching his breath. He took a moment to survey the area as well and noted the graves, but didn't immediately realize their significance.
"These'll be ours if we don't get outta here fast," said Grum stumbling in as he heard the cries of enraged men running towards them through the trees.
Nester forcibly snatched the blunderbuss from Clay's hands and began firing wildly at the open tree tops, blasting branches off in all directions.
"What are you doing!?" shouted Clay, but before he could get an answer, Grum began to do the same. "Are you both mad!?"
Within seconds, the cultists had reached the clearing as well and formed a row of steel which they had pointing straight at the party, barking orders and threats as they snarled and sneered.
But just then, a loud rumbling of engines came roaring over the crowd. The Arbiter was coming into view overheard and soon a series of shots struck through the trees, perforating cultists and sending them to the forest floor.
Nester fell before Haskell's grave once more and wept before it as the remainder of the cultists ran off in a hurry. He then took the sword he'd carried and forcibly cut the collar from his neck. Clay moved towards him, but was handed up a leather journal.
Clay blinked in surprise, but opened it up. Assuming it was the baron’s, he turned to the back and his jaw dropped at what he read.
"What is it?" Grum asked as caught the descending rope ladder.
"Captain Everett and his men came through here. They...they fought the cultists for days! Nearly wiped them out completely to protect Titania, but only…only a few of the crew survived."
Grum carefully secured Klinksi into the ropes to be pulled up first. The ladder was dropped again and Samantha and Grum went up next.
"Baron, I'm sorry, but it's time to say goodbye," sighed Clay. "I'll give you time, but we should leave soon in case they return."
As Clay made his way up the rope ladder, he turned back for a moment to see the baron removing his mask once more and setting it aside.
"Marksmen," Clay asked once he was aboard the air ship. "Keep your eyes on the trees. Give the baron all the time he needs."
Citizens Of Antiford 