The City of Heldorn (click for bigger image)
Looking around rather desperately, Mehmet saw four more of his comrades jogging up the slope towards the ledge where he was. One of them - Talapad - he knew well had the spell Heal, and he gestured him urgently over. A few moments later, Percinious was sitting up and swearing as he looked down at the hole in his armour and the relatively minor wound that remained.
Talapad left them to return to the group he was working with, and the cliff-climbers regrouped to move on into their cave. Athala cast a Light spell on her shield-boss to illuminate their way, and they set off.
As they moved down the rocky passage, they began to pass cressets - not lit, but not recently extinguished either; smoke was rising from them. They slowed down as they reached a junction, and Nutbolter's ears picked up approaching footsteps.
Swiftly, the five arranged themselves; Wyrara guarding the passage behind, Mehmet and Percinious ready with missiles, and Athala and Bearbane poised for melee. Then the light was doused. Once darkness fell, something dawned on Nutbolter and Mehmet. In the absolute darkness of the underground passage, they could see, just a very little bit; and it was equally apparent that their human comrades could not. Bloodwind's Company had never fought underground before, and they'd never experienced absolute darkness before; this was a useful discovery!
The sound of approach was louder now; five sets of boots, they guessed, and a voice barking orders - an authoratative voice. A leader? Then there was a flicker of light and the newcomers were around the corner.
As the attackers realized they were ambushed, the two carrying torches dropped them ready for combat, but by then it was too late. Both Mehmet and Percinious loosed missiles at the leader. Nutbolter's crossbow bolt bounced off, but Mehmet's first arrow drove deep into the man's chest. He staggered to his knees, gripping it, and one of his followers took a gorgeous header over him to sprawl on the floor. The remaining three charged down and met the Cormarans head-on.
Athala scored a lucky strike early, disabling her foe's right arm, but he stubbornly refused to go down and fought on clumsily with a dagger in his left hand.
The kneeling man - almost certainly Talakosgith Freeflame - clasped his hand to Mehmet's arrow and muttered the words of a Heal spell. The magic flared, but the stunning pain distracted him, and it failed.
Mehmet found himself and Bearbane engaging the same opponent. The unequal contest could not go on for long, and after a few exchanges, Bearbane's spear ripped up into the man's chest and he fell dying.
Nutbolter at the other side of the passage was fighting a talented opponent, and though he'd wounded him, was unable to finish the job and they fought back and forth.
Mehmet stepped over the man Bearbane had killed, planning to finish Freeflame before he succeeded with his Healing. He was forced to evade the fourth man (who'd fallen over Freeflame) as he regained his feet, and wasn't quick enough; Talakosgithwas up and ready by the time Mehmet got there. The Meryan leader's sword rippled with glowing magical energy, and Mehmet began to worry as they crossed blades and he was blocked effortlessly. Then Talakosgith stumbled against the wall, and his helmet slipped down over one eye, blocking his vision.
Siezing the chance, Mehmet stooped and grabbed a rock from the floor left-handed. Casting a Firearrow on it, he hurled it at point-blank range straight into Freeflame's chest, right where the arrow had gone in. Full through the mail it struck, smashing into his ribs and exploding in a blast of flames. Talakosgith Freeflame went down as if poleaxed, and his glowing sword skittered across the stone floor.
Looking around, Mehmet found that Bearbane had finally come to Percinious' aid and taken out his opponent, ending the battle.
After getting their breath back, the five checked the rest of the tunnel, finding it empty, and returned into the morning sunshine, to find the battle largely over. Rurik's men were counting the slain, securing two prisoners, and piling the spoils.
Three hours later, with the area secured, the prisoners under guard, and the sad farewells said to the members of the company lost in the battle - Ippacir the foreigner, quiet and malicious, but a good fighter with his two javelins; and Ralf the Berserker, first into the fray and least concerned with defence, finally had paid the price of his reckless technique - the Company shared out the plunder from the sack of Netherlin. Shadpon the spellweaver had Identified most of the magical items, and the significant items went as follows:
| Item | Known Powers | Goes to |
|---|---|---|
| Freeflame's sword Hadraes | Unpowered matrix for Bladesharp-5 | Nutbolter |
| Freeflame's mail | Unmagical but splendidly decorated and exceptionally well made | Garoth |
| Aleron's Vambrace | Allows use of missile weapons even if insufficent Str or Dex, automatic Speeddart-3 | Kelda |
| Necklace | 10-point MP matrix | Cormac |
| Mail armour | Ordinary chainmail | Ingolf and Aldor |
| Ippacir's Gloves | Light gloves, enchanted but Shadpon can't tell what | Mehmet |
There was a generous heap of ordinary weapons and lesser armour; Mehmet and Percinious each took a suit of scale armour, with a helmet to match, and Mehmet also added an off-hand dagger to his armoury.
Despite their best efforts, Mehmet couldn't deduce what the gloves did, nor could Percinious find a way to keep Hadraes from glowing when the Bladesharp was active. Still, neither was grumbling.
Each man also received 185 silvers' worth of assorted coin, and it was a very cheery Company that bivouacked in the caves that night.
The next morning, Rurik gathered his Company and praised them for the successful completion of the mission against the bandits. They'd done well, he said, and deserved a bit of R&R. That morning, they were to march north, for Heldorn, and a well-earned break. A cheer went up.
Three days later, as the Company were making camp, Percinious' sharp eyes caught a flash of purple. Their mysterious shadow was still with them! He tried asking the Meryan prisoners what they thought it was; but their response was the same as the villagers at Arlan - it meant bad luck and they didn't want to talk about it.
|
|
Six days after the battle at Netherlin, Bloodwind's Company marched into the city of Heldorn, and across town to the townhouse that Rurik lived in when he was there. He announced that he was giving the Company thirty days off, unless their liege lord Talatar Shieldchanger were to recall them earlier. They'd be paid their outstanding wages but not paid during their leave.
Mehmet and Percinious were a bit taken aback by this; thirty days without pay? They'd have to get jobs!
With this in mind, they found themselves in the Downtown district of Heldorn, looking for work. At a select establishment called The Strong Arms, they found what they were looking for; a high-class male escort agency, renting out 'a bit of rough' to bored noble ladies (and the occasional noble lord!) from across the bridges. Mehmet was hired as an escort - the Khylar slant to his looks made him appealingly 'dangerous' to the right sort of female. Nutbolter was never going to be escort material, but his obvious military experience and fighting skills gained him a job as a bouncer.
Two days later, loafing around in the bar, Percinious was drawn into conversation. The man he was talking to, who begged the half-Khyle to call him 'just Najan', was personable and amiable. He bought drinks, and chatted about army life in an amusing and disparaging way; it was clear he'd served.
After a while, he decoyed the pair into a quieter corner, and made them a proposition. Were they interested in supplementing their pay? It would be legal and even loyal, he said. When they expressed cautious interest, he explained further.
He was an agent of the King's intelligence service, and was following up rumours which had reached the King that not all his nobles were coughing up their share of the levies. "I can tell you, in confidence, that Bloodwind's Company will be marching to Granmund in a few days, as will several others. We need a loyal, trustworthy and discreet soldier to keep his eyes open, no more than that. Simply make a note of how many soldiers each Lord has contributed, and find my colleague Trajan at the Olive Branch in Granmund. This will earn you a thousand marks each; 250 now, 750 more when you deliver the figures."
The pair asked for some time to think about it, and Najan promised to come back the next night. After he'd left, Mehmet and Percinious discussed his offer, and wondered whether to accept it, or to do some more background checking...
 |
 |