It took most of the day until the small party reached shore. They made landfall in a cove, beaching their boat on the rocky shore. Trees lined the beach as far as the eye could see, a dark foreboding forest on the edge of the water. Exhausted and sunburned, it was all they could do to find comfortable spots and rest. The sun was low in the sky when Derrick roused himself. Looking left, he saw Goliuth crouched around a small fire, feeding it branches.
"Now there's a sight" Derrick said, sitting on a large boulder near the flames. Goliuth looked past him "Indeed it is." Turning his head, Derrick saw black smoke still spiraling into the sky, above the smoldering hull of Malkieth. She was far away now, but still barely visible.
In a way, I'll never escape…
He shuddered. The air seemed to have turned much colder since morning.
He turned back to Goliuth. "I hope it doesn't get any colder…all I've got is my mail and leggings to warm me."
Goliuth rubbed the dark growth on his face, squinting. He wore a thick wool cloak he had taken from the ship's armoury- suddenly a very intelligent choice. "That's a mithril shirt you've got, isn't it. The shield too." It wasn't a question so much as a statement.
Derrick raised an eyebrow. "You're right, it is. How did you know?""
"Well, you didn't sink like a stone when you swam to the boat, that was my first clue." Goliuth threw a large stick in the fire. "The second is I'm wearing a coat of my own under this cloak. And just to let you know, summer's all but over now. Autumn's here. It'll only get colder."
Not a very positive chap, is he?
"Great." Derrick replied. The two fell silent, focusing instead on the warmth of the fire. Goliuth was right, as evening fell the air became cooler. Derrick hugged himself. Goliuth started at him in interest after these began, saying nothing. After a pause, he stood and walked away. Derrick frowned, sitting closer to the fire.
Black bastard, wearing that damn cloak of his...I'm going to freeze to death.
Derrick's teeth began to chatter. He looked over the small patch of sand where the others slept.
I could curl up with someone for warmth…Kurt has a that bear cloak, that'd be warm. Then again, Justice has…herself.
He chuckled. Goliuth suddenly appeared from his left, and dropped an armful of dry branches on the fire. He sat down without a word.
"Uhh…thanks" Derrick said, bathing in the growing warmth.
"The fire was dying" was all Goliuth said in response.
As the sun began to set, Derrick heard Kurt suddenly bark out "Ho! Is that a fire?" He seemed either unaware or uncaring that he had woken the other two sleepers. The three joined Derrick and Goliuth around the fire. Derrick couldn't see the Malkieth anymore, it's plume of smoke was disappearing.
I wonder if it's finally sunk. I hope so.
Wrapped in his cloak, Kurt didn't seemed phased by the cold air. The other two were not so lucky, and knelt before the fire like Derrick had when he first saw it. Derrick's eyes fell on the stranger who had made it off the ship. He was a short, tanned man with hard features and a hairy face and chest. Derrick had not heard him say a word since their escape.
"Err, what was your name again?" Derrick asked him. The man looked up with his weather-beaten features.
"I am Lex. Short for Alexander Zenlinko Purtyovich" the man said in a thick Kislevite accent. Derrick nodded, and the man returned his attention to the fire.
"What ship did you come from?" Derrick asked.
The man's eyes didn't leave the fire. "The black one."
Derrick raised his eyebrows.
"What my friend means, is which ship were you on before the Malkieth. Were you on Sigmar's Comet or The Star of the North?" Kurt tried. The man looked up at him in annoyance.
"Vhich ship were you ons?" he replied.
Kurt raised an eyebrow "Sigmar's Comet we were all on Sigmar's Comet."
Alexander smiled, showing yellow teeth. "So sorry, my Empire-speak…its not so good, ya? I was on the other- the star-of-north."
Derrick nodded, satisfied.
Justice moaned low in her throat "You didn't find anything to eat, did you Goliuth?"
The ranger shook his head, but pointed away from the beach, toward the forest.
"A short walk past that boulder is a stream- I found where it empties into the sea down the beach. You can drink your fill of water if you need."
Justice sighed and nodded. Derrick could relate, feeling his own pangs of hunger.
"As long as we keep the good and hot, we should be fine tonight." Kurt said.
Justice looked up at him, frowning "So says the man with the bearskin cloak."
Kurt pulled it off from around his shoulders, and handed it over to her. She eagerly pulled it around her.
Goliuth stood up abruptly "At dawn I'm going to follow the stream northeast. Anyone who wants to head that way with me is welcome to." With that, he headed toward the beached boat.
"Not very social, is he?" Justice said once he was out of earshot. For the first time since their escape, Derrick saw her grin. It was a quick, mischievous smile, but it warmed his heart to see it. It was gone as speedily as it came.
"My thoughts exactly" Derrick agreed. "He definitely lacks tact."
Kurt frowned in disapproval "Goliuth gets the job done. I for one am going with him tomorrow. You all can do what you like." Kurt folded his arms in annoyance and shut his eyes.
Derrick felt like an idiot He wanted to say something, but Kurt interrupted him, his eyes still closed
"Derrick, you take the first watch!"
Derrick closed his mouth, and looked at Justice. She raised her eyebrows, somewhat embarrassed. She lay herself down, wrapped in Kurt's heavy cloak. Derrick's eyes met with Alexander's for a moment. He saw something unpleasant in the man's eyes. A hunger...
You've just been in a horrible battle, stop worrying.
The Kislevite man leaned back and closed his eyes. The fire crackled in the night. Derrick got up and returned later with more wood. He sat down heavily, looking into the fire. His breath misted in the air in
front of him. Above, the stars came out one by one. The white moon Mannsleib shone down, its dark twin Morrsleib a pale shadow, lurking, waiting...
--
"Where do you think we are?" Derrick asked, stepping over a large tree root. All around loomed the dark wilds of the forest. Great stands of oak and maple, dark leaves spotted with gold and red. The arching silhouettes of trees surrounded them, like some primordial cathedral. Derrick looked at the stream, winding its way through the dark wood.
Kurt stood a few meters ahead, looking up at the canopy above. He was wearing his silver breastplate and steel strip shoulder-guards, covered by his huge bearskin cloak. His tattered leggings were held up by his sword belt. Goliuth crouched a little ways upstream, looking away into the mist shrouded forest.
"We travelled for over a month on that damn hell-ship, but I'd wager we're still in the Empire somewhere. Nordland or Ostland."
"But either way, we probably have a hundred miles of forest in every direction" Goliuth muttered back at them.
Derrick shook his head "I know all the different battle formations of an infantry regiment, I've held the line against armoured cavalry. My father was a physician, he taught me so well I knew more about wounds and diseases than our battalion surgeon did. But for the life of me, I'm as useful as a newborn in these woods…"
"I don't know, a newborn could be useful in the deep woods" Goliuth said, coming back towards them. "You know, as bear-bait." he finished, smirking. The ranger's dark-elf cloak enveloped him like a black cloud. Derrick gave him the finger.
Splashing footsteps signaled the arrival of Justice and Alexander. Derrick saw Goliuth scowl, and had to suppress a smile.
Not stalking through the woods like an assassin must drive him nuts.
Alexander was shirtless, taut muscular chest covered with a sheen of sweat. A black shortsword hung from his waist. Justice was laughing at something he'd said, and wore a tattered brown shift the dark elves had given her.
Kurt looked up with a frown "Are we on a pleasure stroll here?"
Alexander held up his hands. "Coom on Kurt, I am trying to make the lady smile. We are free now, hey?"
Justice grinned and put on a mock Kislevite accent "Yeah 'coom on Kurt'. I mean we don't have shoes, I don't get how you guys walk so fast." Kurt shook his head in annoyance. The entire morning Justice had lagged, and Alexander with her. They had made agonizingly slow time, and more than once Goliuth had suggested leaving the others behind.
Kurt sighed "You two look tired, we'll rest here for another-"
Goliuth interrupted, grunting loudly.
Kurt looked at him and continued more loudly "We'll rest here for another few minutes. I bet we find the river this stream branches off within a half mile."
"Where'd you get that?" Goliuth said with a scoff.
"You may be the better hunter and tracker, but I've spent a decade hiding in forests like these. Trust me we should cross here, the river's a half mile upstream."
Kurt turned out to be right. The river was wide, grey and slow-moving. Mist clung to its surface, mirroring the cloudy sky above. Kurt had only begun to gloat, when Alexander spotted the boat. It was small and shallow bottomed, and sat further upstream. Two men sat in it, holding large nets.
"Ahoy!" Justice called, waving.
"Would have been nice to talk that over" Goliuth muttered.
The two men looked at them, then back to each other. They huddled together for a long time.
"Why not they come?" Alexander asked, looking annoyed.
"We look haggard, they must think we're bandits or cultists." Derrick said.
Kurt cupped his hands around his mouth "We don't want trouble, could you just point us toward the nearest settlement?"
The two men conversed for another few minutes. One sat up and pointed downstream.
"Thank you!" Kurt said, waving. He looked back at the others with a wink "Looks like town is upstream."