"The League of Creatures" (closed)

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:
Following her with a grin, his cock pointing the way, Marcus crawled up onto the bed behind her. Without hesitation he slid into her from behind, his hands gripping her hips as he pushed into her.

How to describe the pleasure he felt at being inside her, an impossible task. So he just focused on making her cum again.

Pounding into her from behind he forced his cock as deep as he could without causing her pain. At least until he pulled out, flipped her onto her back, and climbed between her legs and slid inside her again.

Kissing her beautiful nipples he licked and teased them, his hips moving his shaft in and out. He’d already cum once, but that wasn’t gonna hold for much longer. With pressure mounting he thrust until he couldn’t anymore and emptied himself inside her for the second time that evening.

Eventually he collapsed beside her and held her close as he drifted off.

 

[Alice2015]

Brittany and Marcus:

The young Handmaid grasps handfuls of bedding as Marcus slammed her from behind again and again, driving her to another orgasm just moments before he himself grunted out his own satisfaction. Rolling her to her back, he continued, revealing his own endurance and desire for more, just as Brittany had between tub and bed.

She loved being fucked from behind. A skilled lover with a nice sized cock could pleasure her both inside and outside, particularly if Brittany arched her back just right, causing the head of her lover's cock to rub back and forth against the front of her love canal, a spot even more sensitive than her little love button.

But laying on her back, Brittany could look into Marcus's face as they fucked, and she liked seeing him and hearing him almost as much as she liked the euphoria he sent through her. She climaxed a third time, this time crying out just enough that if anyone were on the deck above them, they likely could have heard and recognized the sound.

After Marcus collapsed beside her, she pulled a blanket over the two of them and cuddled into his arms. The bed was exceptionally comfortable because Brittany had made it with her Lady's cotton and linen bedding from her home on Little Gull Rock, as opposed to the scratching, worn wool that had been on the mattress when Captain Paulo offered up the cabin.

Between the bedding and what Marcus had done to her, Brittany drifted off in just seconds. She hadn't enjoyed a man like this in a long time, maybe years; her heart was still pounding as she faded away.

 

[Alice2015]

Two days later, nearing sunset:

After he knocked on the door of Heather's cabin and was told to enter, the First Mate reported, "We've rounded South Point, M'Lady. Merchant Bay is in sight. The Cap'n wanted you to know that we'll be dockside in two hours ... maybe less."

"Thank you, Lieutenant" she responded, nodding. She asked the man, "Would you please send my people to me? Captain Paolo, too, please."

Minutes later, they once again reviewed the actions they would take while in port. "Captain, you'll go to the Harbormaster and ask about freight heading for Poisonwater Bay. We need a public reason for heading that direction ... one other than a young Noblewoman from Little Gull Rock being out and about on a silly adventure paid for by her rich father. The League may have spies in Merchant Bay looking for just that."

After the Captain acknowledged his orders and departed to tend to the ship's arrival in port, Heather continued with only Brittany, Rachel, Sir Herbert, and Marcus -- and Fangs, of course, which always delighted her. "Sir Herbert, you will meet with your contact here. We need men we can trust ... experienced sailors ... officers if you can get them ... men with battle experience if possible ... or at least training. Six to ten."

"Pirates and privateers included, M'Lady?" Herbert asked. Seeing the questioning expression on Heather's face, he explained, "We might have to go that direction if we want both ship handling and battle experience."

"I will leave that to you, Sir Herbert," she said. "Anything will likely be better than the crew we have now."

The last two days had proved to Heather that they needed men they could better trust. In fact, she would replace Captain Paulo if she had a choice as he had proven not to have as tight a control on his men as Heather had thought. But Paulo knew of Heather's true identity, her Quest, and at least two of her many destinations.

There had been three incidents over the last two days that had put the future of the Quest in question. A pair of men had cornered Rachel while she was below decks and made it clear that they wanted to have a little fun with the woman who'd put an arrow through one of their crewmate's hand the first day at sea. One of those men was now missing three front teeth thanks to a well landed punch, while the other was missing his pinky finger after the huntress had taken control of his own blade and used it very efficiently. Both still sat in the Destiny's small brig awaiting deboarding in Merchant Bay.

The second incident about which Heather was well informed had involved the ship's Quartermaster and a secret hatch that connected the Captain's cabin to the deck below; it was generally used for hiding smuggled goods or for escape of the CO should they be boarded by either pirates or the authorities.

The Quartermaster had accessed the room while Heather and the others were all topside enjoying music from some of the man's shipmates. Unfortunately for him, Sir Herbert had come below deck to retrieve a small flute he'd found left behind in his own stateroom by the previous occupant and seeing changes in lights and shadows at the base of the Captain's cabin door threw it open to find the Quartermaster going through Lady Heather's maps and documents.

Sir Herbert couldn't be certain what the man was looking for nor whether or not he might be working directly or indirectly for the League of Barons, so he took the action he felt was appropriate for the moment: he'd sunk his blade through the man's chest.

When he was asked below deck to be informed of the incident, Captain Paulo had a response that surprised Lady Heather and Sir Herbert. "I killed this man," he stated firmly. "I killed him after finding him stealing valuables from M'Lady." Looking to Sir Herbert, the Destiny's CO stressed, "You did not find him here ... you did not kill him ... and that is how this will be."

Heather had been uncertain as to whether or not Paulo taking blame -- or perhaps credit -- for the accused thief's actions had been the right course, but she'd agreed to the action. The man had been taken topside and dumped overside, the Captain stressing that the man deserved no ceremony for his thievery and threat to the Captain with a blade, another part of the story that Paulo made up to sell the tale.

The third incident -- which had happened this previous evening -- was one of which Heather had not been given details and of which she wasn't sure she wanted to know more as she feared it would be heartbreaking. Brittany had gone topside after dark to get some fresh air and had been cornered at the bow by three of the Destiny's crew. All Heather knew beyond that was that Marcus had dealt with it as needed to be dealt -- his words -- and that now the ship was missing yet three more crew.

There was a small craft missing from its rigging on the port side of the Destiny, a boat typically used to go ashore when pulling up to dock was not an option, so the story being passed about was that the three men had jumped ship, likely rowing and sailing their way toward Merchant Bay, which at the time would have been difficult was entirely possible.

Heather had wanted to ask her friend for more details, wanting to ensure that she hadn't been harmed ... particularly sexually. But the Handmaid had pulled her close and whispered to her, "You don't want to know, M'Lady. I am unharmed. Trust me. You need to let this one go without any more undue fuss."

"Rachel," Heather said, continuing with the review of assignments. She began to speak of the huntress's part in the upcoming activities but instead only looked knowingly to the woman.

Rachel cut her off, saying, "I know my part, M'Lady. No need to go into it."

After letting the situation with Brittany and the three sailors go without more discussion, Heather was reluctant to do so with this. But Rachel was correct in saying that speaking of details in the presence of the others was unnecessary and instead only said, "You will be careful ... you will take no unnecessary risks, yes?"

"Yes, M'Lady," Rachel said, ending that part of the conversation.

"Sergeant," Heather continued, looking to Marcus. "I will be remaining aboard ... out of sight. My venturing out into Merchant Bay would only put us at risk. I will need you to remain aboard with Brittany and I ... to protect us." Looking to Fang, Heather smiled. "You and your friend.

(OOC: End of part one. I am editing part two now.)

 

[Alice2015]

(OOC: Part two.)

The First Mate's prediction had been spot on, with the Destiny's crew tossing lines to the dock workers almost exactly two hours after Merchant Bay had been sighted. A few minutes later, the vessel was secured by heavy lines, the brow was in place, and a third of the crew was happily sprinted across the walkway for the beginning of their shoreleave.

The rest of the crew set about replenishing the Destiny's stores: water, salted meat, fresh vegetables and fruit, and more. As the sun dropped behind the point to the harbor's west, half of those men also headed into town for shore leave, leaving behind only a skeleton crew to protect the ship.

The men left behind were not randomly chosen, though. They were the men who Captain Paulo had assured Lady Heather were the most trustworthy, the sailors and officers who would continue on with the Quest while the others were abandoned in Merchant Bay.

Heather felt bad that these men wouldn't enjoy the benefits of a night in the port city, though. She called Marcus to her cabin once the work of replenishment was complete for an order she would never have imagined giving. "Of the original 28 crew and officers, we have only 9 remaining on board. The rest are already ashore. Then there are my people..."

She didn't need to give Marcus a count, as he was very aware of the 12 additional Guardsmen and 12 servants who'd accompanied Heather on the Quest. They were all male, with the exception of an additional Handmaid, a Chambermaid, and the wife of one of the Sergeants; she was a skilled cook and had been helping Brittany prepare the meals for the Quest members, even making the Destiny's crew a plum pudding that had received raves the first night at sea.

There were 30 males who Heather still considered loyal to the Quest, and -- because it would have looked suspicious otherwise -- she'd allowed most of them to go ashore after the replenishment was completed. "That leaves, I believe, a dozen and a half men aboard."

Heather tossed Marcus a small pouch of silver coins and asked, "Will you please go out into the town and find some ... companionship and comfort for these men. They will need appropriate women, of course--" By that, she obviously meant skilled whores. "--alcohol ... maybe some local delicacies as well. Merchant Bay trades in all the best foods the region offers, I hear. Perhaps some of those little star shaped fruits, the ones with the little red sweet beads in them. I'm told they are not only delicious but an aphrodisiac as well."

"What about me, M'Lady," Brittany asked. She looked to Marcus knowingly, then back to Heather. "Should I go ashore and help the Sergeant--"

"No, you'll stay here with me," Heather interrupted firmly. She wasn't letting her Handmaid out of her sight until they were long away from this place and those men she felt she could no longer trust. With a softer tone, she added, "I have need of your company, Lady Brittany."

With orders given and acknowledged, the Quest members went off to perform their duties. Captain Paulo went to the Freightmaster -- Heather had said Harbormaster, innocently ignorant of the difference -- and, with his Lady's pouch of gold coins, secured a load of silk and sugar that had been awaiting delivery to Poisonwater Bay.

Sir Herbert located his contact in the Black Raven Tavern, and after negotiation and the surrendering of the pouch of silver coins, had secured an additional 12 skilled sailors, half of whom were known to have participated in armed piracy in the past. Sir Herbert trusted his contact, though, and his contact assured him of the trustworthiness of these men, despite the reputation that came along with their current or past profession.

Rachel had departed the ship with her own mission as well, and she'd done so with her hands slipped through the arms of two of the crew who'd led her directly toward a tavern popular with sailors. She would spend the rest of the day and the wee hours of the morning talking up the Destiny's publicly announced destination of Poisonwater Bay with anyone who had an ear to lend.

She also slipped coins to the tavern wenches to make inquiries of the sailors, a typical fare of whores whose jobs went beyond sexual service and more often than not ventured into the collection of intelligence; they traded it to anyone who would pay for it, often making as much using their ears and mouths for conversation as they did their mouths and pussies for sex.

Rachel was conflicted about what she learned from the whores over the several hours that she spent in the tavern. She discovered that Heather had been correct in suspecting the Destiny's crew; a dozen or men were actively plotting a mutiny that would include the taking of the ship and the murder of its Captain, but would also involve the rape of the female passengers and their subsequent return to whomever cared for them in exchange for a substantial amount of gold.

By the time Rachel quietly slipped out of the tavern two hours past midnight and headed back to the ship, the Destiny's destination of Poisonwater Bay was as good as fact amongst those in Merchant Bay who gave a damn. Two hours later, the whores who'd visited the vessel were sent packing with their pussies full of cum and their hands full of coin. And two hours after that, as the sun was just threatening to peak over the mountains to the east, Sir Herbert's pirates, privateers, and other persons of hopeful trustfulness arrived on the dock, let loose the lines, and quietly got the ship underway while its original crew members were still sleeping off their hangovers in taverns all about Merchant Bay.

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:
He’d taken great care to not speak int eh presence of the sailors, and when he did he’d responded in gruff tone and clipped words. Only the Captain had seen his face and so when Lady Heather deposited coin in his hand a mission to perform he removed his armor in his cabin and slipped off the ship. Just another face in the crowd. To lady Heather's people he was a sailor, to the sailors he was just another one of lady heather’s people.

On land once more he was just another face in the crowd. He’d had enough experience that he was able to find what was requested easily enough and sent the on to the ship. And then he’d listened in on conversations, played a few games of cards with less then reputable types. He’d even ended up in a knife fight.

The two men that followed and tried to mug him ended up with sore heads, and very tender nether regions. And he’d emptied their pockets for their troubles.

After sneaking back aboard the ship, he put his armor back on and reported everything he’d heard and experienced to Lady Heather. Now he knew why Knights had squires. Getting armor off was as easy as pulling a knot, getting that knot on was a bitch alone.

After his report he asked, “Would it be allowed for me to have a squire? Getting the armor on is, difficult, alone. The money for them will come from my own pay of course. As will the food they eat. They can sleep on the floor in my quarters.”

 

[Alice2015]

Heather and Marcus:

She listened to his report with great interest; it confirmed what Captain Paulo, Sir Herbert, and Rachel the Huntress had to say when they, too, returned to the Destiny. When he asked if he could have a squire, even saying that he would be willing to foot the bill, Heather laughed.

"You are in my service, Sergeant Stormbow," she reminded him. "You may indeed have the Squire you need and deserve ... but I will be responsible for the expense." She opened a small trunk and removed one of many small pouches of coin, tossing it to him. "However ... if it is more appropriate for you to pass the coin and pay the expenses ... armor, clothing, weapons, food as you said ... you shouldn't appear to be coming to me every time you need silver."

There was a knock at the door, to which she called out, "Enter."

Captain Paulo entered, removed his cap, nodded his head respectfully, and reported, "We are out of sight of Merchant Bay, and there is only one ship on the horizon ... a warship, likely one of Merchant Bay's convoy escorts. It is on a southerly course. We are on a west-by-southwest one as ordered to make those in the port believe that we are taking the long way around, the counterclockwise one to avoid the False Bay pirates."

He crossed over to the desk on which the map of the World was still laid out, its corners held down by currently extinguished candle holders. "If we continue on this course for half the day, then backtrack and head east, we will reach the Continent's shoreline by sunup tomorrow."

Looking to Marcus, who had come up with the plan to hug the coastline and, hopefully, avoid the League of Baron's fleet that they thought might be after them, Paulo said, "Then, once within view of the coast, this is your show, Sergeant. My men will follow my orders; I will follow yours and Lady Heathers. We will get you safely to the mouth of the Great Steppe River. I promise you that."

"Thank you, Captain," Heather spoke up immediately, saying, "Please, tend to your ship and men."

Paulo had come to understand when his presence wasn't required or desired and, after proper salutations, turned and departed. Heather looked to the members of her inner circle and said, "Well ... then ... carry on, I guess."

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:
After the intelligence meeting Marcus and Fang went up on deck, the new bag of coins secured in his quarters with the other coins. They needed to get some of it shifted into more current coinage. Her ’Sea Bank’ was valuable, but the coins were of an older mintage and were noticeable. Having the older mintage wasn’t unusual, but such a high quantity was. But gold and silver still carried the same weight. Selling the ‘cargo’ would go a long ways towards shifting the currency to something less... noticeable.

On deck he practiced once more, the newer hands pausing as he moved to watch him. He was fairly certain that they’d brought a spy on board. If he was a Baron he’d be sending a spy out on every ship, every port. Travelers on the road and beggars made the best spies. So did house servants.

‘Whispering butterfly’ flowed into ‘Heron takes the kingfisher’ a click of his tongue and Fang darted between his feet staying with him as he moved. In combat Fang would be harassing an opponent's feet and legs. Or with a different sound he’d send his four-legged ally to attack from behind, grab a cloak or bite a shield.

He’d set up posts and barrels on the deck. He got laughed at for that, and the deck master had glared at him, until he’d lifted the deck master by his shirt until his feet no longer touched the wooden surface.

Now he ran, ducked, rolled, and maneuvered between, over, and around them. He’d never done this in full armor before and so needed to practice with the additional weight and bulk.

When a boom swung towards him, he ducked and rolled, springing up and grabbing it far easier than anyone should have. Hell, he should have been knocked flat, thank the goddess he was young, athletic, and limber.

Moving it back to where it had been previously, he turned the boom over to the sailors, but collected the rope that had secured it. Turning it in his hands he realized it had been cut, not worn and frayed.

Someone had tried to cause him injury. But was it out of malice and treachery, or because they didn’t like him on their ship?

After practicing he went ‘walking’. Anytime he was asked, he explained he’d never been on a sailing ship before this – which was very true - and was just exploring. Which was also true. But as he explored, he was looking for traces of treachery, a stowaway, or anything suspicious. Cut lines, hidden food or weapons. Anything and everything he thought was unusual he made a mental note of. Hell, he even went so far as to shanghai a sailor and have him explain the meaning of everything as he ‘explored’.

That night after the intelligence meeting, he went over the maps. And with quill and parchment, made copies of shoreline, towns, and roads. But he made no marks of destination or route. To dry the ink faster he used sand.

Then he spoke with the Captain and borrowed the man’s spyglass. He chose to not divulge his suspicions of a spy, not yet. But that night he slept briefly before going up on deck and watching. If anyone was signaling to a chasing ship they’d have to be on the aft section, with a lantern. So he positioned himself in a dark corner, Fang was outside Lady Heather's door, and waited. He’d sleep by day and watch by night the entire trip if need be.

 

[Alice2015]

Sunup, the next morning:

Rachel knelt slowly down to offer a hand out to Fang's nose, waiting for him to sniff at her, remember her as a friend, then lick at her fingers. Like Heather and Brittany, she'd come to enjoy the dire wolf's company ... and protection.

"I need to speak with your Lady," she whispered to the canine. She didn't know whether or not Fang truly understood her words, but he did stand and step away from the door that he'd been laying before all night. Rachel smiled, saying with a curtsey, "Thank you, M'Lord."

She knocked softly, then entered without awaiting a response. Inside, Rachel found Heather and Brittany still sound asleep, laying together in each other's arms; the well fed coal burner had kept the room warmer than usual, the result of which was that the bedding was pushed downward, revealing the women's naked bodies.

It was not that uncommon for women who were good friends or relatives to share a bed, keeping one another warm through cold nights. Rachel had shared a bed with all of her sisters right up to her last night on Little Gull Rock.

Seeing the two beauties as they were now, though, left no doubt in Rachel's mind that sharing a bed went much farther than simply keeping one another warm. Again, that didn't surprise Rachel. She'd enjoyed the touch of one of her older sisters on occasion, exploring their burgeoning sexuality before moving on to men from their village.

Not wanting to embarrass her Lady, Rachel snuck forward to carefully pull the bedding up their bodies before waking them.

"We are within sight of land, M'Lady," Rachel reported. "Marcus is topside with the Captain, scouting the coastline. And..."

"What is it, Rachel?" Heather asked, holding the bedding to her bosom as she sat up.

"You have a visitor," the huntress answered.

...............​

Once again dressed with her hair brushed and braided, Heather went topside where she found a Mermaid once again at the front of the ship. The Creature was sitting atop and clutching the bowsprit with one hand while grasping the body of a salted fish with the other. One of the crew had tossed it to her as if playing with a sea lion on the docks. With razor sharp teeth she bit the fish's head off, chomping and crushing its skull until finally it swallowed the bits down.

Tasty? Heather asked via their shared sign language. The Mermaid smiled; one if the fish's eye was trapped between her teeth, making Heather laugh. She explained her humor signing, to which the Mermaid lapped her footlong tongue over her teeth, swallowing down what she'd missed.

After Heather ordered the sailors away, she signed with the Mermaid for a couple of minutes. When they'd finished, the Creature slapped her tail against the bowsprit to get a sailor's attention and gestured toward the pail of fish near him. He looked to Heather for permission, got a nod, and tossed another fish into the air. The Mermaid sprang forth, snatched the tasty treat out of the air, and fell away into the sea, disappearing once more.

Down below in her cabin with her inner circle, Heather passed on what the Mermaid had reported. "The League of Barons fleet has dispersed. Six ships, spread in a line from west to east, traveling south. They're close enough to signal to one another, yet far enough apart to cover a 50 mile swath of ocean."

She looked to Marcus, who had questioned whether or not the League fleet was actually looking for them. She told him confidently, "I have no doubt they are looking for us. The only question is ... how did they learn of my identity -- I haven't been Princess Allison for 13 years -- and how did they know we departed Little Gull Rock when we did, destined for the Continent?"

She stepped closer to her new Bodyguard, telling him, "I have confidence in your plan, Marcus. The Quest ... is in your hands now. If the ship nearest to the continent sights us, you have to make a decision ... fight our flight.

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:
“You may have had a spy in the town, possibly with your entourage from the beginning. As long as you stayed there, they left you alone. You left the town, they started the chase.”

“I don’t know what depth this ship can go to, or the depth those ships can go to. But based on size, I’m guessing they can’t go as shallow as we can. If they can’t then we go as far as we can, drop the boats, unload some of the supplies and people. Make the chaser think it’s you. The Destiny heads at high speed to it’s next destination.”

“Or, We offload in truth and the Destiny flee’s. Too many variables. I don’t know the Enemy Captain’s or methods of Sea Fighting.”

“I would hope we don’t get seen, go full sail, press through the night get distance and land. At night without lights. The Destiny continues on and if they get stopped, then we aren’t aboard and they can’t identify where we landed.”

 

[Alice2015]

Heather, Marcus, and the others:

“You may have had a spy in the town," Marcus said, adding, "possibly with your entourage from the beginning."

Heather had considered that, of course. But the only people in her life now who'd been in it when she'd been known as Princess Allison were Brittany and Sir Herbert, and she had absolute, total, unwavering faith in them. However, dozens of people had been brought into her confidence to one degree or another over the past 13 years. Any one of them -- or someone to whom they'd confided -- could be a League of Baron's informant.

Word of the Destiny's impending departure from Little Gull Rock could have been communicated to another town or city via homing pigeon. Cages full of the birds were transported back and forth between port cities in the Golden Isles and even on the Southwest coast of the Continent. It would have been easy for a well-connected informant to get his -- or her -- hands on the appropriate bird and send word to the League.

There was nothing they could do about a hypothetical spy at this moment, so they switched to a topic about which they had some control: avoiding attack, boarding, capture, and arrest by the warships of the League. Marcus gave several options, each of them having pros and cons.

"I don't like the idea of dividing the crew or the Force," Heather said, the latter referring to the armed men they'd brought from Little Gull, as well as the newly arrived pirates, most of whom had battle experience. "But ... we could offload as much weight as we can to decrease the ... I think it's called the draft...?"

"I don’t know the enemy Captains or methods of sea fighting,” Marcus confessed.

Heather didn't either and wanted more information. She sent Rachel to fetch both Sir Herbert and Captain Paulo. When they returned, Heather asked her Bodyguard his assessment of the League ships. "You've seen them in your travels, yes?"

"They are larger, heavier, and slower than the Destiny," he told her. "That's good for us if we have to run. However, if we can't evade them ... they carry as many as four ballistae, capable of firing bolts capable of piercing our hull ... and bolts of burning oil that can send out sails, rigging, and decks up in flames. And they will outnumber us three, possibly four to one."

Heather thanked her Bodyguard, then told the Captain, "Sergeant Stormbow has suggested we sail by night and hide by day. Will this work...? And is there anything you can do to increase our odds of success?"

"The sails," Paulo said immediately, explaining, "We can raise and bind the sails, of course. But even more than that, we can lower the yardarms to--"

"Yardarms...?" Brittany interrupted.

The Captain gestured his hands horizontally, explaining, "The poles or booms the sails are attached to." He looked to Heather again, saying, " We can rig them to be lowered to the deck. All that will remain above the waves will be the masts. On a typical day this time of the year, it's very possible they might not be seen at a distance over nine, ten miles."

Heather could see in the Captain's expression that there was something he was saying and asked him to continue. He warned, "The problem is this: if we lower the yardarms and get sighted, even by a ship that is ten miles away, the chances of us getting back underway before we are within ballista range are ... maybe 50-50."

"What do we have for defense?" Brittany asked, seeing that no one else was going to ask. In truth, Heather and Marcus already knew the answer to that question.

"We have the men aboard," Sir Herbert answered for the Captain. "Swords, bows, and spears."

"Why don't we have ... what are they called, ballast?" she asked.

"Ballista," the Captain corrected. "They are essentially a large, deck mounted crossbow. And we don't have them because this is a merchant ship. If we were to have been inspected during a port call and found to have a weapon like that, I would have lost my ship ... and our Quest would never have gotten underway."

"Thank you, Captain Paulo," Heather said. "You can return to your duties. I'll let you know our decision shortly."

Paulo performed the appropriately respectful farewell and departed. Heather studied the map a moment, then looked to her Personal Bodyguard and asked, "Your opinion, Sir Herbert?"

"I'm an old man, M'Lady," he confessed. "My days of fighting are behind me. I would, of course, give my life to save yours. But if we are forced to engage a League vessel in battle..." He looked to Marcus, finishing, "I believe another man should lead the fight."

Heather looked to her new Bodyguard, stating the obvious, "I believe Sir Herbert is speaking of you."

She paused to see if he had a comment, then informed Marcus, "Sergeant ... you are now if charge ... full and complete charge. Please, formulate your battle plan ... inform the Captain ... keep Sir Herbert apprised..." She smiled. "...and keep the rest of us and the Quest alive and well."

 

[Alice2015]

The City of Lux:

Lord William stopped before the easel holding the portrait of his daughter, Gwendolyn, and bellowed at the top of his lungs, "What the hell is this?!? What the hell are you wearing?!?"

"I'm wearing clothes, father," she called from the balcony as she headed back into her bed chamber at the sound of his voice. Trying to further upset him, she told him, "I could have posed without any. Would that have made you happy?"

"What would have made me happy was if you'd worn the dress your mother picked out for you!" he countered.

"She's not my mother ... father," Gwen snapped. "She's your wife. My mother is dead! You might remember that if you'd cared about her at all--"

She'd no sooner got the word out than the man's hand connected with her face, hitting her so hard that he knocked her off balance. Her cheek raged with heat, and her eyes instantly teared up. Almost as quickly as he'd done it, Lord Williams took his daughter into his powerful hands and told her with a deeply sincere tone, "Please, daughter ... forgive me. I didn't mean it. I just ... you..."

He couldn't find the words to express how he felt, probably because there were so many emotions involved in the memories of losing Gwen's mother. His daughter tried to wriggle out of his hands, but William held her tightly and even pulled her to him to hug her tightly, so tightly in fact that she had to express her lack of ability to breath after a moment.

He released her finally, looking to her face as she stepped back; the imprint of his hand was clearly seen as a red mark. He hoped it would not bruise like the last time she'd angered him, and he'd hit her with the harder back of his hand. He'd had to put her in seclusion for almost a month before the swelling and bruising came down.

He apologized profusely yet again, then looked back to the portrait to ask, "Why this...? Why pose in this?"

"You said you wanted a portrait to remember my by in case I never came back from Three Point Island," Gwen said.

"I was joking!" William snapped. "And besides, nothing is going to happen to you ... because you're not going."

A fiery argument broke out between the two of them that would last for more than five minutes. It would finally only end when William asked quite seriously, "Do you remember your room at the Convent...? Do you think the Nuns are still holding it for you?"

Gwen knew this was not an idle threat. When she was 13 years old, she'd been caught letting a boy feel her up, and the next day she found herself in a windowless coach heading for the House of the Order of the Gods of Eternal Blessing, a nunnery located in the rugged mountains on the Marthneck Peninsula, west of her home in the City of Lux. (map)

She was there almost a year, spending the majority of her day in an eight-by-ten cell with a high window that looked out on the typically cloudy sky. When she wasn't in her room, she was at prayers or doing chores in either the kitchen or the root garden.

When at last she was recalled by her father, Gwen asked around about the boy she'd thought of so often, only to learn that he'd disappeared the very day Gwen had been sent away and was never seen again. Since then, she'd avoided potentially explosive situations with boys and men and had directed her attention to the great outdoors and everything living in them.

Her love of the wilderness was the reason for her adventure to Three Point Island. The isle sat at the junction of the Great Steppe River, where it divided into two main branches: the southerly flowing branch emptied into the Great Sea, east of the Golden Isles; and the northerly flowing branch divided yet a second time, with each branch ultimately flowing right past the City of Lux before emptying into the The Marthneck Bay.

Gwen had grown up with stories of Creatures who inhabited the wetlands at the end of the Great Steppe River. For years now, she'd been nagging her father to let her travel by boat up the slow-moving Great Steppe River to the Town of Delta, which sat on a rocky outcrop on the river island's southwest corner. He had, of course, steadfastly denied her the opportunity; he was a member of the League of Barons, and he wasn't about to let his fellow Barons learn that he'd allowed his daughter -- his heir, after the recent death of his only son -- sail into the land of exiled Creatures.

She'd only recently gotten permission to proceed on her adventure by giving up on her rejection of the man her father had picked for her husband. The man was twice Gwen's age, fat and slovenly, and ugly to boot, not the kind of man for whom she could see herself happily parting her thighs on a regular basis for untold years to come.

Her father had spent untold hours planning the adventure, which would, of course, include a very significant Bodyguard Squad. But in just the past couple of days, he'd received three different messages by homing pigeon that seemed to indicate that the woman who claimed to be Princess Allison of the Frenkish Empire had left her home on Little Gull Rock in the Golden Isles, possibly planning on finally making a play for the Imperial Crown.

"This isn't a good time," William said to his daughter, not explaining what he meant by it at all. "Maybe next spring, when the weather is--"

Gwen cut her father off with a loud, obnoxious scream of anger and frustration, then told him quite plainly, "I hate you. Get out!"

William didn't know how to deal with his daughter at times like this, so he simply shrugged his shoulders, turned, left ... and then posted two guards outside her door and another four in the plaza beneath her balcony.

Gwen looked to the portrait again, at the woodland clothes she'd chosen to wear for the sitting that had lasted half a moon. Then, stepping into her massive closet, she donned the outdoors outfit and waited for darkness to fall. Two hours later, she very acrobatically crawled out her window and down the climbing ivy trellis before running across the estate's sculpted grounds and down the country road toward the port, where her boat was provisioned and awaiting her arrival.

"We leave now," she told the craft's Captain, stressing, "The ocean tide is coming in, which means the oarsmen will have an easier time rowing upstream."

Gwen's statement had the benefit of being entirely accurate, but the Captain still was not prepared to depart on a moment's notice. The Noblewoman pulled a purse of coins from the bag she carried, waggled it so that the sound would attract many of the boat's 8 man crew, then asked, "Who wants this gold...? All they have to do is get this boat going up river ... right now!"

The Captain reversed his decision when he saw how easily his men were going to commit mutiny, and less than an hour later, they were away from the dock and paddling up the North Branch of the Great Steppe River.

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:
After listening to the Captain talk about lowering the yardarms Marcus immediately dismissed that idea, when getting ready for battle one didn’t take off armor. “Full sails, we need speed. Not to be slower.”

“I’d rather have speed and put distance between us than hide and get trapped.” He added looking at the map. “We don’t have enough speed to make port, but can we get here?”

After a hesitant nod the Captain agreed that yes, they could get to the indicated point. But also stated it would be difficult.

“No, It won’t, we lower the side boats fill them with Lad Heathers gear, which makes you shallower, they stay attached and you tow them in. we never stop moving. At the last minute you cut the lines we part ways; you maintain full sail. The league will focus on us. You get away but the water should be too shallow for them to get as close as you. So, it will take them longer to drop boats and get to shore we should have at least a three-hour lead, maybe more. The horses can swim so they don’t need to be in boats.”

“Now, so you can’t be tortured for information... please leave.”

Glancing at Lady Heather the Captain grimaced and left, he’d been kicked out of his own Quarters a number of times in the last few days, for his own safety, but it still rubbed the man wrong.

“Once we hit the beach we head inland to the road.”

 

[Alice2015]

“Full sails," Marcus told the others. "We need speed. Not to be slower.”

Captain Paulo listened to the young Sergeant's plan, and while he had concerns, he nodded his head respectfully and responded, "It shall be done."

“Once we hit the beach," Marcus continued after Paulo had left, "we head inland to the road.”

Heather looked to the location on the map that her new Bodyguard had indicated. She didn't like it, for three reasons: first, the Great Steppe plateau was controlled by Nobles who were either part of or at the least loyal to the League of Barons; second, the wetlands would be difficult to traverse as there would be places without dry land, requiring either wading through water infested by leeches and other creatures who wouldn't hesitate to feed on an unwary People or the acquisition of boats from the natives, who might not be trusted to keep the story of a Noblewoman and her entourage sneaking through swamplands; and third, they'd still find themselves having to travel up and/or cross the Southern Branch of the Great Steppe River before they could reach Three Point Island and the river port town of Delta.

But dislike those possibilities as much as she did, Heather disliked being hunted down, attacked, and boarded by a League of Baron's warship even more so. No, Marcus had a plan that -- while unpalatable -- was the best option available to them. "As the Captain said ... it shall be done. I trust you, Marcus."

She used his given name rather than his rank to impress upon him the faith she placed in him. "I will leave the details to you." She looked to Brittany, then back to Marcus as she said, "I need some time to myself, please."

With only Brittany remaining in her quarters, Heather took a moment to consider the plan and its dangers. The discovery of the League fleet had been unexpected; it had thrown a stone into the grinding mill. All they could do now was hope.

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:

Grabbing his bow from the cabin, and then going out on deck Marcus used the spyglass and watched the enemy fleet. Neither side was making headway over the other. Both traveling at speed. Maybe the league didn’t know they were there. He should have bribed another captain to make claims about passengers.

He gave Fang a few treats, just to keep the animal from eating crew, but he needed him ready and hungry.

 

[Alice2015]

Five days later:

Heather was getting frustrated with the chase, if it could be called that. The Destiny had finished its southwesterly drive, reversed course, then cut due east toward the Continent, just as Captain Paulo had suggested. Four separate times, they'd sighted sails on the horizon to the north, and four separate times they changed course south and avoided detection or simply outrun the other vessel.

But each time they'd altered course, it had cost them valuable time; they would run south for anywhere between six to 16 hours before turning east, then northeast, only to have to do so once again.

The irony was that there was no way to know whether the ships were League of Barons warships or simply merchant ships heading south toward the port cities of Poisonwater Bay, The Kokalla, or even Yalla. The ships had been too far away to determine ship type, which was both good and bad at the same time.

They finally sighted the Continent this morning. They furled the sails to reduce the chances of being sighted from a distance, deployed the sea anchor to keep the bow of the ship pointing northward -- the current around the continent was counterclockwise, for reasons that only the Gods knew -- and waited for nightfall.

"Is it safe to travel so near shore in the dark?" Rachel asked as she, Heather, and Brittany stood with Sir Herbert on the bow, surveying the darkening waters. "I mean, aren't there reefs...? If we hit one--"

"We'll have a watch in the top of the masts," Sir Herbert informed them. He didn't sound overly confident as he said, "They'll see hazards before we run into them."

"Should I...?" Brittany asked Heather, gesturing toward the door to the lower decks. Her Lady knew of what her Handmaid was speaking and nodded. Brittany smiled, turned with excitement, and headed away, saying over her shoulder, "Back right away."

The other two women giggled at Brittany's excitement; Sir Herbert simply rolled his eyes and turned back to surveying the sea. Down below deck, the young woman passed by some of the off-duty sailors, some of them sleeping in their hammocks while others sat around playing dice or chatting or simply ogling Brittany as she passed.

Outside the door of Marcus's stateroom, she pet Fang's head as the canine lifted it at her approach, then knocked on the door. After the Bodyguard responded, Brittany entered and closed the door behind her, looking her lover up and down with a hungry expression.

"Good nap?" she asked, smiling playfully. Marcus had been sleeping by day and standing watch by night more often than not, as he had today. "It's almost time for you to go on watch."

She stepped closer -- which didn't take much travel in the small compartment -- and as she did, she pulled the lower hem of her dress upwards, exposing herself to her upper thighs. She sat in Marcus's lap, reaching down to pull out his cock as she clarified, "Almost time."

....................
​

Up on the bow, Heather was talking with the Captain, Sir Herbert, and Rachel when the bow watch pointed off to port and hollered, "Merfolk! Merfolk, two points to starboard ... one hundred yards!"

Heather hurried to the railing to find the Creature the watch had seen. She found not one but six Merfolk swimming swiftly about and leaping high in the air; five of them were Mermen. The Mermaid spotted Heather at the railing, and as she made an acrobatic jump, she gestured Help you.

The Mermaid splashed into the sea, poked her head up, and -- after Heather signaled Yes -- swam quickly to the bow of the ship and leapt up to her now-usual resting place on the bowsprit. The two traded messages by sign for several minutes before the Mermaid once again dropped into the sea.

"The Merfolk are going to help us navigate the coastline," Heather reported. "They'll help us through the reefs and shoals. I ... I think we're going to be fine."

A few minutes later, Brittany reappeared on the main deck, wearing an expression of obvious happiness. Following her came Fang and Marcus, leaving Heather shaking her head. The girl just doesn't understand priorities, she thought to herself. When her newest Bodyguard approached, Heather told him, "Sergeant, we have a few moments. I need to teach you something."

She spent the next five minutes teaching Marcus the hand signals he needed to know to communicate with the Mermaid with regards to navigating the shoreline. There wasn't really much to it; it was mostly just pointing a direction to be followed. But Heather also taught the man terms related to travel speed, water depth, composition of the ocean floor -- sandy bottom, rocky shoals, coral reefs, etc. -- and more.

Just about the time she was finishing up, the Mermaid suddenly reappeared on the bowsprit. Heather told him, "I'll be right here beside you until I know you have this down. Don't hesitate to ask if there's something you don't understand or something you want to communicate beyond what you already know."

"M'Lady...!" Captain Paulo called from aft near the wheel. He gestured toward the bound sails, saying, "It's time."

Heather looked to Marcus, smiled, and said with hope in her voice, "Here we go."

There was no way of knowing what would happen over the hours to come, let alone the four or five or six nights that it might take them to get to the mouth of the Great Steppe River. Even more than that, they couldn't be certain that they'd reach the river at all; they might end up having to row to shore like Marcus was planning as a backup.

All they could do now was their best.

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:

Well, I was an interestingly fun way to wake up. Before he’d even wiped the sleep from his eyes his cock was buried inside Brittany. And before they’d finished, he’d filled her again. Not that he was objecting, nor was he, but if she ever said the word and he’d spill his seed outside rather than within.

She’d been kind enough to help him with his armor, after she’d managed to straighten her own clothing. Ahh, to be female and not have to deal with armor.

Who was he kidding, he’d rather were two sets of armor at once than bleed for a week or more a month. By the gods what a cruel trick. Beauty and curves to drive a man insane and cursed to bleed.

When he’d arrived on deck and Lady Heather called him aside, she demanded to speak with him. Was she putting an end to the visits? But no, it was lessons of hand motions. Why she was teaching him this when soon enough they’d be on land made no sense, but it mattered not his own thoughts, so he kept his mouth shut and obeyed.

It took him longer to learn the basics than she planned, but he was fairly certain he had it. It wasn’t as hard as learning foot and sword motions, but it was easier than learning letters and numbers.

With Lady Heather beside him he spoke directions and used hand motions to instruct the Merfolk. Travel wasn’t quick but at least they managed to make distance. Two days passed with him at night and The Lady During the day as they moved through waters bigger ships couldn’t travel. Hopefully tomorrow or the next night they’d land.

 

[Alice2015]

Yet another sunrise:

Heather awoke, ate, bathed, and dressed -- all with the Brittany's assistance, of course -- and was about to head topside when the First Mate arrived at her door, knocked, received permission to enter, and reported, "Sails on the horizon, M'Lady."

The pair of women hurried topside, where they found Sir Herbert and Rachel standing on the Destiny's port side looking to the west. Captain Paulo offered the spyglass to Heather, who waved it off and asked, "Do you think they saw us...? How far?"

"I believe they have sighted us, M'Lady," the ship's CO said. "They'd been on a southerly course but have since tacked several times to bring them this direction."

Heather looked around, didn't find who she was looking for, then asked Sir Herbert, "The Sergeant has retired to his quarters, yes?"

"Yes, M'Lady," her Personal Bodyguard answered. "I didn't want to wake him unless we needed him. He stood the watch last night for over ten hours."

"Don't wake him," Heather commanded, "not until we know whether or not we need him." She looked upwards, finding the sails neatly tied up to reduce their visibility. To the Captain she asked, "How long from idle to fully underway?"

Paulo looked upwards as well, seeing not only furled sails but men clutching the rigging near them, ready to loose them again. "Less than a minute, M'Lady. You only have to give the word."

Moving to the starboard side of the Destiny and looking eastward, Heather found the shoreline and studied it for a moment. They were only a handful of miles from land; the coast here was rocky with few beaches, most of which were themselves surrounded by cliffs. To attempt one of Marcus's described landings here could be tragic as they might very well get caught on the beach, unable to proceed inland.

"Should Brittany wake Marcus?" Rachel asked after following Heather and the Handmaid to the other side of the ship.

"Not me," Brittany said quickly. The two women looked to her with curious expressions; Brittany had made it a habit of putting Marcus to bed at sunrise and waking him at the next sunset with a quick and very satisfying fuck, and now suddenly she didn't want to go to Marcus's cabin? With a soft voice intended only for the two women, the Handmaid explained, "My flower is in bloom."

Heather understood, of course; out here out at sea, the Handmaid didn't have access to the Apothecary who could provide her with the potion she might need if she was to become pregnant by the new Bodyguard. And getting pregnant out here would surely mean an end to Brittany's participation in the Quest. The last thing Heather needed was to be dragging around a pregnant Handmaid while the armies and navies of the League of Baron's was chasing them.

"Let him sleep for now," Heather ordered. "We will wake Marcus when we need him."

Calling Paolo over, Heather asked for his opinion of their next step. The Captain said, "We must run ... now. Unfurl the sails, navigate the reefs and shoals to stay as close to shore as safely possible. I am sure we have been sighted, but with your friends in the water, we should be able to keep the League ship at a distance great enough to prevent an attack."

"And if we can't?" Heather asked.

"Then ... we wake your armored friend and prepare," Paulo answered. He, too, had looked at the shore and realized the futility of disembarking Heather and her entourage here.

"We cannot win a fight against a League warship," Sir Herbert opined. "The best we can hope for is to get clear of these cliffs and -- as Sergeant Stormbow suggested -- offload you and those who will travel with you at a more suitable location along the shore."

There was more discussion, but the decision had been thought out and made. Captain Paulo ordered the sails unfurled, and -- as he'd promised -- they filled with air in no time at all, and the Destiny surged forward through the sea. With Heather at the bow and the Mermaid on the bowsprit, they guided the Helmsman who snaked the ship through what would have been treacherous waters for any other vessel.

A couple of hours passed before the Mermaid brought bad news: the waters ahead were too shallow to proceed as they were. Heather sought advise from Sir Herbert and the Captain. They advised a course of action that they'd been able to avoid until now: lighten the load to decrease the draft.

"And wake Marcus," Heather added, sending Brittany; the Handmaid knew that this was no time for sex and feared not the temptation.

They spent the next hour dumping anything they could spare over the side: the cargo from Merchant By, of course, but also heavy repair materials such as replacement beams and iron fittings, empty water caskets, equally empty foot crates, and more.

The Boatswain Mate had gone over the side before this operation and then again afterward, and called up from his harness, "Nine inches!"

The rise of the ship's hull wasn't great, but it might turn out to be just what they needed to get through the treacherous waters. They continued onward, weaving in and out of the hazards; twice, the ship scraped against the sea's bottom without damage, but the third time they suffered a breach and had to put men to repairing it and working the pumps. They would survive.

The ship to the west had gotten near enough to be properly identified as a League of Baron's warship. Through the spyglass, the main deck mounted ballistae could be seen now, as were the many men who surely would be armed with bows initially and swords after that.

The enemy vessel -- which was on a steady course, as opposed to the Destiny's twisting and turning one -- had closed the distance and, at one point, fired a heavy bolt through the air to test the weapon's range. The missile fell well short of the Quest vessel, but it left no doubt in the minds of anyone aboard that it was only a matter of time.

Discussions began again about disembarking Heather and her entourage and rowing for the shore. But the coastline and the waters leading to it were still too rocky for a sure escape. Confidence in their escape began to wane, and Heather -- fearful of what would happen to all of those aboard who'd shown her such loyalty -- began to contemplate the idea of putting herself in a boat alone and surrendering, to save the lives of the others.

"Something's happening!" one of the two mast watches called down from above, following up with, "On the warship! Something's happening!"

The Captain was peering west through the spyglass when he began smiling wide. He handed the tool to Heather, who took a look before -- also smiling -- she handed it to her new Bodyguard, saying, "Our friends have come to our rescue."

What Marcus would see was total mayhem on the main deck of the pursuing warship, as a dozen or more Merfolk repeatedly leapt out of the water to attack men or slice through rigging before disappearing back into the sea, only to repeat the attacks again and again and again. The battle continued for almost half an hour, during which the warship's crew members fell one after another and the vessel's sails began luffing to such a degree that the ship eventually slowed to a stop and actually began drifting astern in the sea's natural, southeasterly current.

Finally, as the distance between the two craft began to noticeably increase, the Mermaid who'd regularly graced the Destiny's bowsprit once again appeared. Heather became instantly concerned, seeing bluish-red blood seeping from a blade wound on the Creature's tail.

The Mermaid assured her that she was fine, but then passed on a warning that Heather, in turn, passed onto the others. "A second warship is to the northwest of us and will -- our friend reassures me -- have time to cut us off before we can get away. We have no choice but to go ashore now."

Heather looked to Marcus with a resigned expression. "Time for you to go to work, Sergeant. You predicted this. I hoped to avoid it, but ... I know now that we have no other choice."

She looked to the shoreline again, finding a long beach that they might reach safely. It was surrounded by cliffs that touched the sea at both ends, meaning that they would have to climb the rocks. She didn't have a solution in her own mind, but she was sure that the strategic-thinking Marcus could come up with something.

"Get us ashore, Sergeant," Heather commanded. "The Quest ... and our lives ... they are in your hands."

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:
By the Gods!, they were fucked!

“Offload the rowers!” he shouted. “Everyone grab what you can carry, no more no less! Mi Lady, you’re loosing all your fancy dresses. Same with you Lady Brittany.”

“Captain I need all the rope you have. Take the horses to a Temple and give it to them, they’ll know what to do with it. Or sell them if you can’t find a temple. Brittany, Lady Heather pack your gems, and coins. Guards: gear, weapons, food.”

“Ladies, dress sensible. Lose the finery.” His armor would open doors to Temple of the Order and get them refuge so he had to keep that, but he’d already been packed for several days. But ladies fine dresses wouldn’t survive a cliff climb.

Hustling everyone as fast as he could they loaded the rowers. Rowing as fast as they could Marcus made gestures to the Merfolk, asking for a final help, but telling them to stay safe, and only help if they could. Half a candlemark later they were ashore.

The climb was hard but he used the edges of the armor to grip the rocks better. Rachel and other bowmen went up first, providing any cover that was needed and helping to pull up Lady Heather, Brittany, and Sir Herbert. He took a rope as well for help. Fang was straddling his saddle for stability, and to keep from injuring the furry ally, and went up beside Marcus.

Last was the remainder of the Guards and any gear left behind by the first group of climbers. More than a dozen injuries to hands, knees, and feet from the climb, but everyone was up and the rowers were back at the ship and running for their lives by the time the Questers were up the cliff.

There was no way the League ships could get close, and they had yet to drop their sideboats. He watched through the spy glass as the League crews argued amongst themselves and pointed at the cliff. Looks they didn’t want to risk the shallows and reefs to try and capture The Lady.

As they dropped rowers in the water he could hear cracking over the crashing of the surf. Looking up he saw the rowers sinking as the Merfolk dived deep and out of reach.

 

[Alice2015]

Rachel:

The climb up the cliffs had been much easier for the huntress than it had for any of the men accompanying her. She couldn't even begin to count the number of times she'd scaled the seaside cliffs near her village to gather seabird eggs to feed her family.

Once on top, Rachel found herself looking out over a vast plateau to the northeast. Gentle hillocks rolled as far as the eye could see. Here and there were small, isolated groves of trees; hedgerows of shrubs and tall grass grew in the gullies where rainwater gathered, eventually running southwest toward the coast or northwest toward the Great Steppe River.

"Secure the block and tackle," Rachel told the men who had been put in her charge, something some of them had been noticeably unhappy. "Make it snappy."

They secured the gear borrowed from the Destiny's cargo-transferring equipment to rocky outcrops and, in one case, the ancient trunk of a massive tree; the stump and a nearby abandoned cart track were the only signs that People had ever once lived in this area long ago. was the only sign that People had once been in this area other than a long-abandoned cart trail that curled in and out along the cliff tops.

"Let's get them up," Rachel said once the equipment was secured and the lines had been tossed over the cliff's edge. "Four men to a line and take it easy pulling them up." She looked to the ship out on the horizon for some indication that they were unloading an attack force but unable to see any threat, she added, "There's no big hurry ... finally!"

Brittany:

Heather's Handmaid was one of the first to be pulled up the cliff, alongside her lover and her lover's dire wolf. It was a horrifying event to her, and despite being told not to look down, she did so often and immediately wished she hadn't. When she reached the top of the cliff, she grasped at the hands offered to her by one of the soldiers and clutched her arms around his torso in fear of being dropped at the last second. The man laughed and tried to calm her, then said with humor, "You best release me, M'Lady, before Sergeant Stormbow starts thinking the two of us know each other in that way."

Brittany laughed with relief of still being alive, released her bear hug, and moved quickly away from the cliff. She wanted to go straight to Marcus and wrap her arms around him but didn't; they'd done their best to keep their intimacy private -- tried but failed horribly -- and Marcus was directly involved in bringing the rest of the Quest members and cargo up the cliff.

Heather:

Standing in her cabin with every trunk's lid open and most of the containers' contents laid out on the floor or bed, Heather had had to consider what to take with her and what to leave behind. She'd done something similar when she'd left Little Gull Rock, of course; the many dozens of fine dresses and shoes and thousands of accessories had been whittled down to fit in just six trunks. Going ashore and continuing on foot, though, meant once again choosing what was important and what wasn't, such that it could be carried.

"Who will carry these?" she'd asked when presented with a dozen canvas and leather packs and told she could fill them with her own possessions.

"Members of your entourage, M'Lady," Sir Herbert had answered. "My men ... sailors ... whomever we need to--"

"Absolutely not!" she'd countered. "I will carry my own possessions, thank you very much, Sir."

And despite being told it hadn't been necessary, Heather had done just that. She'd changed into her riding clothes -- settling for just one layer of shift beneath it, not the typical two or three, depending on circumstances -- and then packed a second outfit of similar style in one of the packs. She'd brought a second pair of boots, a hooded cloak, some gloves, and a handful of other clothing items. In the end, it all fit in just one pack that she intended to carry on her own back.

In addition, she carried a small fortune in gold coins and valuable cut jewels to finance the Quest until they were able to make a withdrawal from one of the caches her grandfather, Emperor Askari, had hidden in various locations around the World. Heather had had the Captain line up his crew and Sir Herbert line up his soldiers, mercenaries, and pirates, and she'd given each of them a handful of coins, gold and silver both.

"But what will keep them from simply running away at the earliest opportunity?" Sir Herbert had asked in private when hearing of the plan. "You will be giving each of them more coin than they could earn in five, maybe ten years."

"You would prefer we leave it onboard for the League to confiscate and use against me?" Heather had asked.

"We could toss it overboard," Herbert had said, thinking of Heather's Sea Bank, adding, "Come back for it later."

"No," Heather had told him. "These men and women have put their lives in my hand. If the League sets upon us and we are forced to divide and run, I want them to have coin to support themselves while they recover."

She'd been one of the last non-military types to leave the Destiny, wanting to ensure that the civilian members of her entourage got off safely. Once on shore, her pack was taken and tied to one of the ropes with other cargo, and she herself was lashed into a makeshift harness for the ride up the cliff.

Heather was a bit more adventurous and far less skittish than her Handmaid, yet her heart still pounded like sledges in a mining pit as she was pulled up the rockface. She called for them to stop about halfway up, then rolled herself carefully until she could look to from where she'd come.

Below her, the last of the guards, sailors and other Quest members were tying up gear to be lifted up the cliff, along with their own selves, of course. Out on the water, the last of the rowboats were just arriving at the Destiny. Heather felt horrible about leaving so many men behind. She knew that even if they escape this League warship, they had at least one more to the north with which they would likely have to do battle. The Destiny was outmatched in a one-to-one fight, let alone a conflict with more than one warship.

"Pull! she called again after she'd turned back to the cliff face. Another couple of minutes later, she was on the plateau and being removed from the harness. She looked around, asking, "Everyone is okay...? Safe...?"

After being reassured that the worst to happen was scraped hands, knees, and feet, Heather once again looked out to the sea. The warship had put its rowboats in the water, and the small craft were heading this way ... or were they? She borrowed Marcus's spyglass and looked out toward the boats ... then laughed with joy at the sight of the small craft rocking and rolling about and, in most cases, spilling their occupants out into the sea. Even though she couldn't see them from this distance, Heather knew that the Merfolk were once again at work, saving the Quest from disaster.

(OOC: Writing a part two tomorrow. It's 2:30 am here.)

 

[Alice2015]

Scouts were sent up and down the old, abandoned cart path that ran north and south along the cliffs of the coast as well as east into the plateau. The remaining members of the Quest party spent an hour or so gathering themselves for the journey ahead.

Their numbers had been dramatically decreased, of course. Captain Paulo and his crew -- as well as 6 Little Gull Rock Guardsmen -- had remained with the Destiny, except for 6 of the Merchant Bay sailors and pirates who'd chosen to accompany Heather. She'd left 6 of her servants behind; they simply hadn't been physically capable of an overland march.

That left 25 Quest Party members:

• Heather, Brittany, and Rachel.
• Sir Herbert, Sergeant Marcus, and 8 Guardsmen.
• 6 servants from Little Gull Rock.
• And 6 Merchant Bay sailors and pirates.

After a couple of hours of marching north, they'd stopped to rest. The scouts returned from the east and south to report that they'd only found villages and worksites that had long been abandoned; there were no signs of current habitation for a couple of miles in those directions.

They marched again for a couple of hours. As the sun was falling, the scouts to the north returned to report they'd found a small village sitting atop a hillock. It was surrounded by pasture lands filled with sheep and goats. The face of one of the scouts was filled with anxious excitement as he said, "There's something else. They have a Giant."

Heather's eyes widened with surprise. "What do you mean ... they have a Giant? Is it free ... or bound?"

"Bound," the scout said. "Shackled." He pointed off to the northeast, continuing, "Inland of the village is a peat site. They're using the Giant to harvest the peat. A road heads inland to the east."

"Fothala," one of the Merchant Bay pirates added. "They're probably shipping the peat overland to Fothala ... to heat homes ... forges..."

Fothala, Heather thought to herself, grimacing. The Capitol of the Meretheni Federation, the walled city of Fothala was one of the richest and most powerful of the League of Baron cities. Its economy was built primarily on agriculture, with hundreds of thousands of acres of land used in farming cash crops or raising herds of sheep and goats.

Barges full of valuable goods floated the Great Steppe River, upstream to Kinth and the Inland Seas and downstream to Lotha. At Kinth and Lotha, the goods from Fothala continued on to Morbeth and Tothan, respectively. In the end, vast sums of coin, jewels, and manufactured goods returned to Fothala to feed the Nobles' need for luxury.

The social system of Fothala -- like many cities and towns -- was based on Manorialism. Progressively more powerful Nobles owned progressively larger estates on which the peasantry was forced to labor. The peasants often had their own small plots of land, but these were often barely large enough to feed the families living on them. The peasants dealt with poverty, drought, famine, and disease for which their noble lords rarely if ever gave them relief from their obligations.

Heather had plans for Fothala and other cities like it, of course. It was her hope that befriending the peasants would lead to a popular revolt, overthrowing the old Nobles -- most of them members of the League -- and bringing to power new ones. It was far too early to consider such a plan for Fothala, though. There were simply too many things to be done before that.

"We camp here," Heather told the group. To the scout, she asked, "Can we build a fire and not be seen from the village?"

"Small fires, yes, M'Lady," he told her.

She set the others to setting up camp and gathering wood, peat, and grass for the fires, then pulled Brittany, Rachel, Sir Herbert, and Marcus aside. Her mind had been busy since learning of the village's oversized slave laborer, and now she said with determination, "We're going to free that Giant."

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:
After everyone was up and safe Marcus leaned against a tree, his arms and legs had hit fatigue point a while ago, but he’d been running on adrenaline to keep going, to save everyone. Fang had been watching the region away from the cliffs, waiting for anything to come close enough that he could attack it.

Once the limb shaking stopped Marcus checked on everyone. A few had heavy scrapes but most was simple and irritating injuries. They’d almost lost a few of the first group as they’d climbed the cliff without support. They carried the worst of the injuries and would bear those bruises for a few days. But none had fallen and everyone was alive.

He made sure everyone had their gear, including Ladies Heather and Brittany. After the scouts and the march lady Heather had decided to camp and made her announcement about freeing the Giant.

“I’ll scout the area tonight, see what the options are. I’d rather not have a fight and kill villagers if possible.” Pointing at the scout that had found the Giant, “You with me.”

Changing he stripped off the armor and put on his leathers. It would be quieter and easier to move. And for this they needed stealth and speed, not heavy armor.

“If possible, shall we rescue the Giant this night, by stealth and secrecy?” he asked Lady Heather.

“Rachel, I’ll need you and your bow this night. Guards, take lots. Three shifts through the night. Equal amounts. And anyone I find sleeping on their shift will learn to outrun Fang. And if I find evidence of treason against the Lady.. may the gods have mercy.”

 

[Alice2015]

“I’d rather not have a fight and kill villagers if possible,” Marcus told Heather.

Without hesitation she stressed, "No killing innocents. The villagers are not our enemies."

In truth, it was hard to know exactly who their enemies were. The names of most of the original League of Barons nobles were fairly well known to anyone who'd been paying attention. Princess Allison -- Lady Heather now -- and Sir Herbert had obviously been two of those paying attention.

Over the past 13 years, some of those men -- and, in rare cases, women -- who'd established the League had died or been killed. They'd been replaced more often than not by heirs, though, in some cases other nobles of power and wealth had claimed their titles and lands.

Once the Empire collapsed and it became apparent that the League was the true power in the World, other nobles flocked to the latter, many of them out of fear of being thrown out of power. Heather believed that this second generation of League nobles would be the easiest to recruit to her side. There was great risk involved, but it was her destiny to try.

“You with me,” Marcus said to the scout who had found the Giant. After changing into stealthier garb, he asked Heather, "If possible, shall we rescue the Giant this night, by stealth and secrecy?”

She considered the question a moment, then hit Marcus with a shocker: "I'm coming with you, Sergeant." Marcus opened his mouth to speak, and though she didn't know whether he was going to argue against it or agree to it, she again stressed, "I have to be there ... when you rescue the Giant. He won't trust that you are there to save him for anything other than enslaving him at another work site. No, I have to be there to convince him."

Once Heather had convinced him that he had no choice in the matter, Marcus turned to the huntress, saying, "Rachel, I’ll need you and your bow this night."

Rachel had heard Heather demanding to partake and had already been gathering her things. Marcus gave orders to the remaining Guards regarding watches. Heather ordered Sir Herbert to guard the camp; she didn't want the aging man to participate in the raid.

With that, they headed out toward the village. They didn't speak, relying when they needed on hand signals. The moon overhead lit the cart track ahead of them and -- when they left it to head for the peat harvesting site -- the rougher ground of the plateau.

At one point, a Guard let out a muted cry of pain before falling to the ground. He'd stepped in an unseen hole and broke his ankle. Heather suggested they have two of the other Guards carry the man back, but knowing that that would weaken their force, she left the decision to him.

Continuing onward, they found the sky above them illuminated by unseen fires. Reaching the top of a hillock, they looked down onto what had to be the peat harvesting camp. The most noticeable feature was how the moonlight caused a color difference in the terrain where the peat had been removed in long swaths, sometimes as deep as the height of a large man.

A dozen small fires illuminated the camp. There was a half dozen military style tents, obviously meant for the soldiers and free workers. Another half dozen simple lean-tos sat in the middle of a corral. The laborers -- who might have been freemen or might have been slaves -- obviously lived in those.

Heather searched the camp for evidence of the Giant. Only after a hand reached out to point in its direction did she see a large grate -- maybe ten or fifteen feet square -- laying over what looked like a hole in the ground. They would eventually find that the Giant was, in fact, being housed at night in the hole; because of recent rains, they would find him squatting in three feet of water.

Heather looked to Marcus, laying on the ground next to her, and whispered, "Go get me a Giant, Sergeant. I'll be right behind you."

She knew that Marcus would never let her go in with the first team, so she didn't even hint at it. There was no way of telling what faced them: there could be as few as 6 armed men or as many as 20; the workers could flee a fight or -- if it had been drummed into them to defend the site -- or join in with any weapons to which they had access; and the Giant might fight back as well. There simply was no way of knowing.

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:
When the man stepped in the hole and cried out Marcus was ready to cut his throat to silence him, at least the man had the strength to shut his mouth quickly. “Stay here, we’ll collect you on the way back. I’m not wasting manpower to haul you back to camp now.”

Heather looked to Marcus, laying on the ground next to her, and whispered, "Go get me a Giant, Sergeant. I'll be right behind you."

Lowering the spyglass, he gave order. “Lady Heather remain until you’re called for. No one moves until battle is engaged. Rachel, You don’t fire until battle is engaged. And considering your skill on the day we met you will only shoot at legs and knees. Don’t kill anyone, unless you have to. The same for everyone. Unconscious if possible.”

Moving forwards his slipped into the night like a ghost, Fang moving with him, making his shadow bigger in the night.

***

Slipping through the rocks and across the ground the Two were like a moving shadow, laying on the ground when needed. He’d counted the guards he could before moving. He’d seen 12 moving around. Maybe more stationed where he couldn’t see them.

Straightening up he hit the first he came to in the side of the neck with his fist. The man dropped like wet linens, before he was dragged int the darkness away from the camp. Bound and gagged, with his own clothing, he was left as Marcus took out four more.

The guards were starting to notice and calling out for their friends and allies as Marcus dropped another, dragging him behind a tent before he moved on. He was behind number seven when one of his unconscious victims was discovered and the guard called for an alarm.

A whistle sent Fang out, the flash of fur and jaws had men screaming in fear as he bit down on and arm. His running mas pulled the man in a circle and then down to the ground as The Guards Marcus had brought launched themselves out of the night.

He heard the arrows whistling and the screams that followed. But they were long screams. Not short and cut off. So, Rachel did as needed.

The fight was over even as the camp whore were running from the tent. A sharp word and Fang lunged, scaring them back into the tent. “Stay in your tent, and you stay alive.” Marcus called out as he passed it.

The workers surged from tents but waving blades and the screams of the injured stopped that shit. Plus, the unconscious guards appeared dead in the night. Moving to the fire he crossed his arms over his head and waved. Then moved to the Giants area. The guards stayed to keep the workers sitting quiet and mindful near the fire as Marcus Joined Lady Heather.

“I do hope you speak his language….” Marcus asked hesitantly.

 

[Alice2015]

Heather:

The Lady of Little Gull Rock didn't like remaining on the hillock while others risked their lives for the success of her Quest, in particular the rescue of a Giant. But really, what was she going to do? How was she going to assist? Unlike Rachel, Heather had absolutely no training or experience with weapons. She'd never been in battle, and her only hunting experience had been in the use of falcons to hunt small mammals.

She'd asked to keep the spyglass and continually swept it left and right in an attempt to see what was happening. It seemed forever before anything ever did, and when the activity began, she felt her heart leap anxiously in her chest.

Rachel:

Rachel and two other archers had moved forward after Marcus and the swordsmen had. They'd stopped behind cover some 50 yards from the camp, just close enough to see figures moving in the light of the fires but far enough away to not be seen.

When all hell broke loose, the trio of bowmen immediately began picking off soldiers. Marcus had ordered Rachel not to kill if possible, but she very quickly realized that it simply wasn't in her nature. She was a subsistence hunter, and as anyone who fed their family through a bow knew, an injured animal was just as likely to escape as to be caught up with and killed.

Rachel had a process that limited the damage she did, though: she picked out an enemy, determined if he was an immediate threat, and -- if he was -- put him down with one to the torso. Several times, she'd drawn her bow and fixed on her target, only to not loose the missile when she realized that her comrades in arms were able to deal with the man in their own way.

When it seemed that the camp had been overwhelmed by Marcus and his force, Rachel leapt up and hurried forward. She fired once more at a soldier who -- unknown to her -- had been out of the camp taking a shit and only now came rushing in with his sword drawn. Surprised by his sudden appearance, her shot did as Marcus had ordered, hitting him in the leg and dropping him to the ground just yards from the Sergeant.

When she rushed up to Marcus's side and found him looking at the man who was now screaming in pain, she smiled and said, "See...? Injured, just like you ordered."

Heather again:

In contrast to her orders, Heather had leapt up and snuck forward while the battle was still unfolding. She was desperate to see that the Giant came to no harm. For all she knew, the peat camp guards might execute the Creature simply to ensure that competitors didn't steal their Giant.

She arrived at Marcus's side just seconds after Rachel had, shrugging to him when he gave her a disappointing look. She asked excitedly, "Where is he...? Where is the Giant?"

The pit was on the far side of the army tents from where her path had taken her, and Heather had lost sight of it. One of the Guardsmen pointed, and she hurried that way without concern for whether or not there might still be a danger present. She arrived at the pit, finding the grilled cover secured to the ground by heavy chains and deeply driven spikes.

Marcus was not far behind her, and when he arrived he said, “I do hope you speak his language….”

"Torches!" Heather called to several soldiers. "I need to see him!"

A moment later, the pit was illuminated by flickering redness on all sides. It took Heather a moment to understand what she was seeing. The Giant was curled into an upright fetal position in one corner of the pit, which -- at just 6 feet across in each direction -- was much smaller than she'd thought.

The flames of the torches danced around on the pit's bottom. Heather realized it was because the hole was flooded by recent rains. She didn't understand why the water was moving in small ripples until she got a better look at the Giant and realized that it was trembling in fear.

"We're not going to hurt you!" she called down through the grill. "We're here to rescue you ... to release you from your bondage."

Heather wasn't sure whether or not the Giant understood the word bondage. Even though the languages of Giants and People had a common root -- something no one had ever been able to explain -- the intelligence and understanding level of Giants was rudimentary; even the eldest of them spoke Common with the educational level of a young People child.

"Do you understand me?" she called down again. "We're not going to harm you. We're going to free you. You are no longer a slave."

The Giant finally showed signs of life other than shaking fiercely, lifting its head to look up directly into Heather's eyes. She snatched a torch from a soldier and held it such that her face was better illuminated, then smiled down to the Creature as she repeated herself.

The Giant began to uncoil his body, eventually rising to stand upright in the pit; he would turn out to be just over 10 feet tall, including the 3 feet of him that was underwater. He glanced about at the soldiers holding torches, his face still showing fear.

"Back up!" Heather ordered. She repeated her command, then again, until all of the torches were back so far that all she could see of the Giant was his head. She told him with a sincere tone, "We will not hurt you. We want to free you. Would you like that? Would you like to be free?"

The Giant stared at Heather for a long moment ... then began to smile. He nodded his head, then responded with a simple, "Yes."

The chains and stakes were steel, and there would be no removing them without a key, which no one had found yet. The grill, however, was made of lashed 6-inch wooden poles. Per orders, the Guards went to work hacking through them with axes, swords, and other heavy blades, until finally it was loose on three sides.

"Can you lift it, Giant?" Heather asked. "The grill ... can you lift it ... to free yourself?"

The Creature hesitated; when it had first been enslaved and put in the pit, it had tried to escape and been stabbed dozens of times with spears and poleaxes. But now, it understood the situation, and reaching up to the grill, he easily lifted it up to swing on one end to the ground, slamming down on a fire and sending sparks and flames high into the sky.

A heavy ladder lying nearby was lowered into the pit; it took ten men to do so. Again, after a moment of hesitation, the Giant began climbing up and out. One free of the pit, he looked all about himself, still concerned for his safety and life. But no one threatened him, and after a moment, tears began running down his dirty cheeks and darkening his blonde beard.

"You are safe now," Heather promised him, moving closer as she said, "You are free! Do you understand free?"

Again, the Giant hesitated but nodded and repeated, "Yes."

"Sergeant, will you please put men to securing the camp," Heather asked Marcus. "I don't want any workers hurt." She didn't need to tell him that, of course, but she'd wanted any of the camp's occupants were were listening -- as well as the Giant -- to hear her. "Send men back to help our injured Guardsman, and tend to any injuries we might have suffered here ... and to injuries suffered by the camp Guards."

To the Giant, Heather smiled and said, "If you wish, you can run away ... take off ... any direction you choose." She hesitated to ensure he understood her words, then said, "However ... if you would stay with us for a little while, I have a proposal--"

Heather stopped, again concerned that she was speaking over the Giant's head. She corrected, "I would like to talk to you ... about joining us. We are on a Quest ... to free all enslaved Giants ... to free all enslaved and poorly treated Creatures. You understand, yes?"

As was his nature, the Giant hesitated before responding. He smiled, knelt to his knees to better look into Heather's face -- he was still a head or two taller this way -- and once again said only, "Yes."

"Good," Heather said, returning the smile. "That makes me very happy."

"Hungry," the Giant announced. He put his massive hand to his belly, asking, "May have food?"

"Of course," Heather answered. "Food."

She looked around her for food at one of the many fires, but was beat to the punch when a goat's carcass was found roasting nearby. It was brought to the Giant, who grasped it in both hands and began devouring it, bones and all. At one point, a leg was ripped off the goat's frame, and looking to Heather, the Giant offered it out to her. She smiled and gestured to a pair of Marcus's men to accept the gift.

"May I share it with the others," she asked. The Giant's expression seemed to indicate that the leg had been specifically for Heather, though. She explained in simplistic terms, "Hungry. All of us."

The Giant not only nodded permission for her to share the leg but it ripped a second leg off and tossed it to a soldier who'd been unprepared for the weight and fell to the ground. The former slave laughed heartily, saying, "Funny ... funny fall."

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:
With the Giant situation resolved Marcus moved over to the enemy combatants. Looking at all the workers he sighed. “You won’t be murdered, lets make that clear. The Fights over, you lost. We will be taking all weapons, armor, horses and tack, and coin. And your shoes.”

As guards stripped down under threat of further head smacking Marcus collected the coins and divided them amongst the workers. “Compensation for you shoes. Now if anyone wants to join us, I’m willing to listen to your request. We’re not taking prisoners with us. So when we’re done here you can go and do whatever you feel like doing. Go back to the towns you were taken from if you want, or go the farthest reaches of the World. Don’t care.”

“If you decide to join us, and then betray us, I’ll peel your skin from you. Alive. If you make an oath, you keep it. A man, or woman, without honor doesn’t deserve to live.”

With the encampments guard naked he allowed them to sit on the ground and rest. Each man with a serious injury he gave a coin to. Granted it wasn’t gold, maybe a silver or two. But he paid them for the injury as he saw fit. But only if it was bad enough to stop the man or woman from working for a while. A thump on the head didn’t count. “The offer of employment is open to anyone, if you can convince me and the leader if your trustworthy.”

Sending half of Lady Heather's guards to scour the camp he had them collect food, weapons, and any essential gear. Horses were hooked to a wagon – that had been used to carry the peat – now they could carry more gear and injured members of their troop.

Looking over at the Camp whores he shook his head. “Find another profession. Learn a trade. Find a man that respects you and will Bond-Mate with you. I have no objections to you joining us if you wish, but I’m not the final authority.And if you do join us, you’ll do more than lay on your backs. You'll cook, clean, gather wood and skin animals for food. Everyone works.”

“Any questions?” He asked, panning his gaze across everyone, Soldier, worker, and whore alike.