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She Wolves and the Son of Nine Dragons – Part 4


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#1 Guest_No One of Consequence_*

Posted 26 November 2003 - 12:42 AM

The sunlight shining in the window of Matthias’ rooms was tinged orange by the dust cloud floating over the district from the collapse of the pie shop building. Inside, the four new met companions were grey from the same dust and the dry scent of broken mortar filled the room. Viridian sat upon Matthias bed, massaging her calf, which had been struck by a small piece of flying brick from the collapsing edifice. When the three storey block had fallen, it had been into the intersection and away from the part of the street where Matthias and the others had been standing. Seeing the chance, they had fled back down the street as the avalanche boomed across the cobblestones and struck down the waiting greencoats. They had managed to outrun the havok in the street, except for Viridian’s minor wound; when the flying stonework had knocked her from her feet, Dokor had ducked back and scooped her up without a word. Now they were holed up in Matthias’ rooms at the Corvis Knight Duelling Academy.

Dokor crouched under the frame of the open door, with Honour standing next to him, watching Matthias Warlock move back and forth between the bed and his chest, packing a kit bag. With a practiced eye the gunmage swiftly sorted through his possessions and neatly packed them into the canvas bag. It was striking how little he actually owned; only a spare pair of trousers, three leather bound books, an assortment of odds and ends and a hardwood box which held his gunsmith’s kit, bullet maker and pistol cleaning tools. Last of all, on top of everything else, the Warlock packed the two wrapped axes into the kit bag.

“You still have those things?” asked Honour, incredulous that he would continue to carry the bloody weapons.

“I suspect that they will come in useful quite soon,” answered Matthias.

“Well at least clean them,” Honour urged.

“That would substantially reduce their usefulness.”

Honour was astonished by this comment. She looked to Viridian, to see if the red haired pistoleer understood his meaning, but Viridian shook her head, equally at a loss. Matthias pulled the cords on his bag and tied it closed. Hefting his worldly possessions onto his shoulder, he turned to the others.

“Time to go ladies; gentleman,” he said.

“Where do we go?” asked Honour.

“You may go where you wish,” Matthias offered with a flourish of his free hand. “I mean to leave the Five Fingers as soon and as directly as I may. To stay would be to tempt my greencoated fate, I think.”

“Why do you fear these watchmen so?” asked Viridian. “They seem to be little more than thugs.”

“Of course they’re thugs!” snapped the Warlock. “They’re thugs with the law on their side. Look, Five Fingers is full of competing interests. It’s a maelstrom, a storm at sea, with every wave crashing continually against all others. Riding in a ship atop this roiling ocean, protected from its dangers, are the nobles and the Merchant’s Guild. Like the passengers of any ship, they don’t really care what happens beneath them as long as they stay afloat. The greencoats are the crew of this ship of state, charged only with keeping the vessel seaworthy and keeping the maelstrom at bay. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” muttered Honour. “A poetic description, I’m sure.” Matthias stalked the short distance between himself and the armoured woman, coming to stand in front of her with his face mere inches from hers.

“I would wager that a fair number of the greencoats are currently buried under that rubble, never to arise to draw breath again,” he said in a low, terse voice. “When the maelstrom sweeps some of the crew into the sea, do you know what a Captain does? He orders the entire crew on deck to ensure that the ship still sails and does not flounder. That’s what’s happening right now, I can assure you. The entire watch being mobilised to find us and kill us!”

Dokor shifted forward awkwardly under the low roof. He put his hand between Honour and Matthias, laying his palm on Matthias’ chest, pushing the gunmage a step backwards.

“Stand down!” Dokor ordered with a surprisingly clear and clipped pronunciation. It was the surprise of the ogrun’s erudite speech, as much as the strength of his push, that caused the Warlock to step off from the confrontation. Dokor and Honour both glared at Matthias and the gunmage returned their ire, as the tension in the room grew. The Warlock’s fingers twitched involuntarily, his hand hovering dangerously close to the butt of his magelock.

“Where will you go?” asked Viridian quickly, seeking to defuse the imminent conflict.

“To the docks, probably,” Matthias explained. “As long as I can get to the lifts before they’re closed. Then I’ll look for a ship heading out as soon as possible. Put some distance between me and here as fast as possible.”

“We have a vessel,” said Honour smugly. Matthias snapped a cold look at her. “It seems that our Lord Morrow is showing you the righteous path. Coming with us makes so much more sense now, does it not?”

Matthias turned his eyes upward and let out a long sigh of frustration and exhaustion. All he wanted was to sleep somewhere safe; now even that was denied to him. Eventually he looked back to the confident lady warrior. “Why are you so desperate to find that island?” he asked wearily.

“We told you, a beloved comrade of ours is there. We go to her rescue!”

“She is already dead, you know that,” said Matthias. “Everyone dies there!”

“We believe otherwise,” countered Honour.

“And we must try, regardless,” added Viridian.

“Alright, I’ll show you the way,” agreed Matthias, shaking his head with a sour frown on his face. “But we have to get to the docks as fast as possible.”

“To the lifts then,” Viridian said as she jumped up from the bed, a grimace passing over her face as she landed on her injured leg.

“No,” Matthias disagreed. “Not the four of us; not to the lifts. There’s somewhere else we need to go first!”

----

The four companions made their way through back alleys and streets so narrow that the sides of the surrounding buildings crowded out the sky above. Matthias Warlock guided them through midday shadows, under eaves and past open doorways that led to commerce so unspeakable that daylight would never shine upon it. They passed by the back of a leather tanners yard, the noisome stench of the curing hides causing them to cough and their eyes to water. At last they made their way up a wooden stairway to balcony running the length of the back of a brick tenement. The hardwood steps creaked under Dokor’s feet, the struts beneath swaying more than was comfortable, but the structure held.

The gunmage strode along the balcony, past windows shuttered or curtained against the cold and the evil of the world outside. Halfway along, two burly men festooned with knives of myriad styles and designs, confronted the advancing group, blocking the way.

“I’m here to see the Thane,” said Matthias. The two men glanced at each other.

“You got business?” asked one. His breath smelt rotten, and his brown stained teeth showed several gaps.

“No I just thought I’d pay the bloodthirsty monster a social call.”

“You got a smart mouth!”

“Yes, well,” Matthias conceded. “I’m sure you could discuss it with my friend here.” He looked over his shoulder at Dokor, whose eight foot frame filled the walkway at the back of the group. In spite of the distance between them, Dokor’s traditional ogrun polearm would easily have reached either of the two men blocking the way. With a grunt that was meant to sound like disinterest but still sounded like fear, the bad-toothed man stepped aside, as did his mate. Matthias, Honour and Viridian pushed past, but Dokor took up a position standing in front the two knife men.

“I shall await your return here,” said the well spoken ogrun.

The three continued down the balcony a little way until they came to a doorway, blocked by a heavy curtain, more like a blanket, plainly capable of keeping the cold at bay. Matthias pushed the dark weave aside, offering the way to Viridian and Honour.

“Dokor will watch out backs,” said Honour confidently as she stepped past the gunmage.

“No doubt,” agreed Matthias, looking back down the wooden walkway to where the two knife wielders stood uncomfortably in the presence of the gigantic warrior.

“Who were they?” asked Viridian.

“Red Serpents,” whispered Matthias, following the two women into the dim quiet beyond the curtain.

“Another gang?”

“Precisely.”

The room that the three of them stood in was dim, the only light coming from a fire crackling in a grate at in the far side wall. There were two men seated on the floor, with tattered cloaks wrapped about them, to ward off the cold. They were ready to rise and confront the new arrivals when a sour voice called from beyond the room’s only other door; “Who let in the bloody draft?”

“We’re here to see the Thane,” Matthias explained. The two men appeared to relax. One of them nodded to the other doorway, but as he did so he drew forth a heavy crossbow from under his cloak. He smiled in a knowing fashion, making sure his message was clear. Matthias smiled back, predator to predator.

“Who’s this Thane?” asked Honour quietly as Matthias led them to the inner room.

This room was as bare as the antechamber had been. Another humble fire burned here to light the room in a wan, yellow glow. In the middle of the room three sat about a table, playing cards. One was a human, willow thin and dressed in dirty leather and moleskins. The second was a gobber, a bright gold ring in his nose and another three in his left ear. The last was a dwarf, a typically solid Rhul, with long black hair in numerous plaits. His clean shaven face was marked with numerous tattoos in some foreign tongue. As the three companions entered the room, he rose from his seat and threw his cards to the table.

“What do you wankers want?” he demanded in a heavily accented voice.

“Honour; Viridian,” said Matthias with a sardonic smile. “May I introduce Garreck Three Fingers Short; the Thane of the Red Serpents!”

#2 Guest_WC_Sumpton_*

Posted 26 November 2003 - 06:35 PM

Very atmospheric, in so few words. You were able to convay each location beautifuly.

And the characters were very good.

#3 Guest_argan_*

Posted 26 November 2003 - 06:42 PM

You know I love it :(

#4 Guest_No One of Consequence_*

Posted 27 November 2003 - 01:35 AM

Very atmospheric, in so few words. You were able to convay each location beautifuly.

And the characters were very good.


Thanks - by the time this episode was written, I was trying to get some more characterisation going. The action has been ruling the storyline up to this point (and will for a while longer) so the pressure's on to add depth to the main players.

The next episode's up today! :twisted:

#5 Guest_No One of Consequence_*

Posted 27 November 2003 - 01:36 AM

You know I love it :twisted:


It works for me! :shock:




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