General Katrina was treading water as she scratched the big sea wyvern under the chin while the ridiculous creature hissed gently with slitted eyes. “Thanks for the flight Johnny, I suspect our task’s gonna be easier than I thought. Glasston’s river defences are pathetic.”
“Not a probrrem generarr. Recon is a big part of our job, and Rraura is one of your biggest fans. She just rroves a good chin scratch.”
Kat laughed and continued scratching Laura while studying the half kilometre wide Great Falls that blocked passage upstream.
They had gained a small audience on the banks of the River Nautilus. The sightseers consisted of the insatiably curious and the thrill seekers that had been attracted by the sight of the sea wyvern landing in their river.
Katrina rejoined Johnny on Laura grabbed her communicator. “It’s a go. Use the west bank.”
The spectators made themselves scarce when the crewed giant snakes started coming ashore followed by disciplined lines of soldiers. By the time the six sea wyverns took to the air there were no witnesses. Or rather no idle witnesses. On the East bank Sir Harrskold and his hearthguard watched with appalled fascination as an army of several thousand warriors supported by ten giant serpents emerged from the river, worked their way around the falls and once again took to the river vanishing from sight.
Sir Harrskold laboriously wrote a dispatch, sealed it with his seal and handed it to one of the royal messengers that had accompanied him. Then he mounted and he and his hearthguard rode upstream to see if they could discern what would happen next.
On the following day they saw wisps of smoke on the horizon. As they approached Glasston they could discern three pairs of sea wyverns wheeling over the town and raining down magic and lightning. The harbour citadel was flying a blue flag emblazoned with a jumping fish.
“Looks like it’s all over Sir Harrskold. They weren’t expecting to be attacked from the river in the middle of the day.”
“Yes, none of their defences face inwards. And those monsters would make short work of any barricades. Besides being good at widening roads,” agreed Sir Harrskold eying two wide roads leading towards the town’s citadel. A citadel that was burning and partially collapsed.
Towards evening a sea elf emerged from the river and bowed politely. “Good evening gentlemen, may we talk? I have a message from my General.”
Sir Harrskold strode forward and snapped a salute. “Certainly. What does your general wish us to know. I’m Harrskold, sir Harrskold.”
“We have freed close to a thousand of your citizens, and my general asks if we may ferry them over the river and hand them over to you so that they may be repatriated.”
Sir Harrskold opened and closed his mouth a couple of times. “You are freeing the slaves. Letting them go where they will?”
“Naturally. They were enslaved by bandits. By a rogue state. Our ruler does not approve of slavery. So may we ferry them across or should we do something else with them.”
“We are on what is your land now. So if you permit it I would do my best to get them home.”
“We don’t want anything on this bank of the Nautilus. Why don’t you claim it for your king?”
* * *
Sir Harrskold sent half of his hearthguard home with orders to raise his levies and fetch them to him. He also recruited among the rescued ex slaves and proceeded to claim the now ownerless land for his king. There were a few fights but the murderous fury of his liberated slaves made those fights short if bloody. While Sir Harrskold didn’t really care about them he was a professional and it irritated him to take unnecessary casualties.
By the end of the impromptu campaign he had added a third again territory to his monarch’s kingdom and he was wildly popular with his troops. So when he finally returned to the capital and sought a meeting with his sovereign, his suspicious king granted him an immediate audience.
After a chilly start, due to the king’s natural suspicion of a wildly popular leader of a large army, Sir Harrskold having raised every levy he could lay his hands on and adding even more freed slaves and using them to invade the lands of the former Pirate Shore lands.
Sir Harrskold managed to reassure his sovereign, and he even managed to prove that he had acted at the invitation of the invaders. This allowed his king to become much more reasonable, and after a worrisome hour Sir Harrskold emerged as Eorl Harrskold with a large earldom on the opposite shore to the town of Glasston. He was forced to pass his current lands to his second son.
The king quite correctly assuming that his now overpowerful subject would be fully occupied in setting up his new earldom and settling his new army on his currently barren lands.
* * *
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Mary chuckled to herself, General Katrina had lived up to her expectations and was a true cat. She approved. She would continue to grow and be useful especially where ruthlessness was needed. As for General Samuel, the wolf was good and she would use him where compassion was needed. Each had their own strengths and weaknesses but they had outgrown each other. Time to see who to add to their staffs to balance her primary generals.
‘Let’s test ‘em some more. I’ll split the pirate shore an place Kat as military governor of North Shore an’ Sam of South Shore. Mind, Kat was clever to ask for one of the portal dungeons in Glasston. Now what am I gonna do with those crocs she sent me?’
Decision made Mary scanned the people in her domain seeking those with the right flavour for the other task she had in mind. Finally she settled on two, both new inhabitants of Maalea on New Maui.
Mary wrote two scrolls, sealed them and materialized them on her throne on Ocidon’s temple in Maalea. The priests would see them delivered.
« Hey Trish how’s Jerica’s mom doin’ and do you think we can send some sea sprites through to Earth to keep the girl company? For that matter do any want to go? »
« She’s a bit down Mary. Very proud but she is unhappy. I think we could find a few, mostly among the young and reckless. »
* * * INTERLUDE 1 * * *
In the depths of the Fractured Caves Gemcutter stirred. Something was happening that bid fair to unsettle him. Nightshade woke with a start and instinctively reached for his partner.
The two partners tensed with apprehension and fright. Somewhere close to them another dungeon was being profligate with her power. Gemcutter and Nightshade strained to learn what was happening. It had to be happening in or near Port Gull and hundreds if not thousands of people were dying at the hands of a dungeon.
Reluctantly, almost timidly Gemcutter sent his scout to check what was happening. Sharpfang slipped out of his home through his den. The small red fox ghosted his way up the hill opposite the dungeon he thought of as home and looked down on a dying town. He hid himself in a handy bush and settled down to watch.
Sharpfang watched as the invaders rounded up the survivors and laden with loot and captives left. A series of explosions reduced what was left of the fortifications to rubble. He then returned to report to his masters.
Gemcutter and Nightshade shared Sharpfang’s memories and watched the death of Port Gull at what they could tell was the hands of a dungeon. A dungeon they couldn’t resist.
« Azureia great Lady of Dungeons, will you deign to answer your faithful followers. »
« Gemcutter? What do you want or need. »
« Azureia, what is happening? A dungeon just emerged from the ocean and destroyed Port Gull before returning to the deeps. What’s happening? »
« Teeheehee, sorry dear but I tend to giggle when worried. Teeheehee. The Gods War has started is what and Mary Silvestre and Ocidon have just kicked Vortexius Blackbeard in the balls again. Teeheehee. Oh dear. Mary Silvestre has only taken one dungeon over so far and that wasn’t on Parthia. You should be alright dear. »
« But, but what about the rule about dungeons not acting outside their domain? »
« Dungeons can’t but demi-gods have more flexibility. Teeheehee. Oh dear. You might find a Voice useful dear. »
« A Voice? Why? »
« You’re in the middle of what was the Pirate Shore. Most of it belongs or will belong to Mary Silvestre soon. Teeheehee, she doesn’t like me, I’m lucky she’s as incapable of hate as she is of love so I expect I’ll survive. Teeheehee. Don’t be careless dear. I need all my loyal dungeons. »
Gemcutter and Nightshade felt Azurea withdraw her attention. For a long time they remained still as they digested the changes that had come to their world. Then Gemcutter realizing that visits from adventurers were going to be curtailed shut down some of his more manna intensive traps.
« A Voice, where are we going to get a Voice? »
“Dunno boss.”
* * * INTERLUDE 2 * * *
Tod wasn’t too sure why he’d agreed to allow Mary to hide the dungeon core part of his race on his profile but he wanted it hidden and he figured that if she wanted she could have already destroyed him.
It was coming on to dusk when he arrived back at the base. He had managed to persuade Mary to come and visit to meet the other members of her close in defence detail.
It would seem miracles still happened. The house was habitable and the full detail was present. He brought them up to date on things and informed them that the Girl would be coming round later.
Shots brought them boiling out of the house into the night.
* * *
Mary arrived home and linked with Jerica again. « Hey do want a kid sized go kart to drive up from the beach caves? »
« Ooo! Yes please they look like fun. »
« Let’s go shoppin’ on Saturday, we need a minibus or two for the crew too. Hey Mycroft, can you get us papers for our folk and insert the details on the government computers. »
« I think you should leave that kind of thing to Professor James Moriarty. »
« Moriarty? Really Mycroft are you sure that’s a good idea? »
« You need all the edge you can get Mother. Moriarty would be ideal. We would have to keep an eye on him but I think he’d be loyal to you Mother. »
Mary sighed in resignation. « Et tu, Brute. »
Mycroft chortled.
« ‘K I’ll set up another host for Moriarty tomorrow. Got to go see the government sheep dogs. »
* * *
“Back soon mama, Joanne an’ Tod invited me to see their folks, though I doubt they’re related. They’re the govornment supplied bodyguards. Wanna come?”
“No dear, don’t be long, you don’t want to miss dinner.”
Mary sensed Tessa and her twin sister Lissa slip out of the door before she left the house. They walked down to the street and walked towards the Meadow’s house. When she was opposite the Kato’s house she heard an enraged hiss followed by her bodyguards opening fire on full auto.
The stench was horrible as the bullets shredded the thing’s chest. Lissa stumbled when her barrier spell deflected a large calibre bullet. Mary threw herself aside.
« Lets hide and move away from here. Leave the beep vampire to the idiots who are shootin’ at us. »
Mary and the twins faded into the night and withdrew to the opposite side of the road. They had barely crossed the road when her protection detail arrived to see the irate vampire leaking corruption and hissing like an irate tea kettle scrambled to its feet and focused on its new targets.
Shooting ensued and the sniper selected the correct target this time and shattered the vampire’s skull. Despite that the thing kept squirming.
“Shit! How do you kill this thing,” asked Commander Meadows.
“Decapitation works on most vampires. That and cremation,” answered Tod. “Who took the thing down in the first place? And where’s the girl?”