The Chronicles of Kace Gelvin
By Kace-Gelvin
Disclaimer: anything you recognize I don't own. I do own Kace and Lilian and Borun.
A/N: Many thanks to Holly-Batali for her wonderful Beta-Reading.
Chapter 1
Kace awoke to the ship rocking on the small, gentle waves of the ocean. Breathing hard, he recalled his dream, running a trembling hand along the dark, jagged scar on the right side of his face. Ever since his encounter with the wolf, he had been much more careful, and the hairline-to-jaw reminder was good enough reason for him.
He heard a rustle of cloth from the other side of the room and saw a silhouette of a person sitting up. "You OK?" his Elf friend, Lillian, asked.
"I'm fine," Kace replied, his voice steady and closed. He stood up silently, pulling on his jacket and heading for the door. "I'm going to have a word with Captain Merth," Kace said. The Calamorha was a large Oakwood merchant ship owned by the wealthy Captain Merth.
"Ah, Kace, good to see you up lad," said the captain, turning to see the approaching mercenary.
"When will we be arriving in Silvinesti?" Kace asked, coming up to stand beside him.
"Only a few hours," Merth said, turning back to look at the misty waves. The waves had gotten much larger and the ship was rocking heavily from side to side. Kace could hear creaking from all around the boat; the air had an uneasy feeling in it. "Looks like things are going to get rough around here lad, better get down to the shelter." Kace nodded and walked away.
As Kace approached the shelter, his dwarf friend Borun rushed over to his side. "Kace, come take a look at this," Borun said gravely. As Kace stared out into the distance, a large, dark shape could be seen sailing toward their own ship, barely visible in the thick dense fog; Kace frowned.
"A ship? Why so close, especially so near to the port..."
"That's not all," Borun grunted. He pointed to the hull of the ship. "That's Goblin make; I reckon we're gonna have some unwanted company real soon."
"I hate Goblins," Kace muttered, pushing away from the rail. "Keep an eye on them," he said to Borun, not bothering to look back. With long, swift strides, he walked back over to the captain. "Goblin ship, straight East; we've got incoming." he ignored the dark look on the captain's face and continued, "You'd better get your sailors up here, now." Merth nodded and turned to ring a heavy, brass bell on the side of the ship.
Kace reached the quarters that he shared with his two traveling companions. He reached over and shoved Lillian's shoulder, rousing her quickly. "Kace?" she asked, getting up slowly, still bleary-eyed. "Kace, what's going on?"
"Goblins," he replied neutrally, grabbing everything and stuffing it quickly into his leather pack. Performing a quick knife check, he said, "whole ship of 'em. If I'm right--and when am I not?--than we're going to have to fight our way out of this, fast." She nodded brusquely, leaping agilely to her feet and strapping on her sword belt.
Coming out of the hall to the deck, they were immediately buffeted by the crowd of armed men running to their stations. Kace grabbed Lillian by the arm, so as not to loose her in the swarm of bustling seamen, and dragged her over to Borun.
Several black shafts soared through the air and struck heavy, silent blows to several crewmen. "INCOMING!" Borun bellowed, hefting his massive ax.
The small Goblin bodies clambered onto the ship, hacking through any crewmen who tried to stop them along the way. Lillian was fighting a unusually large goblin, swiftly killing it; her skill with her weapon was virtually unmatched. Her victory was cut short as a long black shaft found it's mark in Lillian's side; she fell with a soft thud, unconscious on the bustling deck.
Kace cursed and seized her small body; he dragged her into the shelter, laying her up against the wall. Rushing outside, he punched a goblin squarely in the face, knocking it off the boat.
Out of nowhere, a large dock appeared and there was a deafening bang as the ship collided with it. Kace and several of the goblins were sent crashing into the wall. "This is not my day," Kace grumbled dangerously, glowering. Soldiers from the dock swiftly boarded the ship and began attacking the goblins.
In a matter of minutes, the ship was covered in goblin bodies, and the rest were jumping overboard. Merth's lifeless body lay on the floor of ship, soaked in blood; as did many of his men. Borun and Kace quickly rushed to Lillian's side, who had yet to wake. Slinging her arm around his neck, Kace dragged her over to the dock, Borun jogging behind.
"I hate those things," Kace said to Borun. "Inconvenient, that's what they are. Stop here." he nodded to a nearby inn. A sign next to the door read "The Moonstone Mask."
They entered, and a large woman ran up to them. "Welcome to the Moonstone Mask," she greeted them brusquely, her attention on Lillian. "I see you have an injured friend; take her down to the room at the end of the hall, you may sleep there tonight in you like." Nodding his thanks, Kace carried Lillian down to the room, and Borun opened the door.
The room was furnished with lavish curtains on the windows and a large bed. The walls were painted with a light beige and the room was lit with a dim candle. Laying Lillian on the bed, he and Borun pulled up chairs to the bed, Kace volunteering to take the first watch. As soon as Borun relieved him of guard duty, he fell into his chair and fell asleep quickly, muttering, "if I ever see another Goblin..."