4th Day of Needfest, 565 CY
The Dockyards, Willip, Furyondy
Cloaked from sight, Argo Bigfellow Jr. moved through the darkened alleys of Willip towards the piers where the merchant ships were docked. He was not a thief by trade, but by removing his armor and moving at a slower than normal pace, he was hoping that he would remain undetected.
He spotted his quarry- the merchantman Cutbert. No lights were visible on the ship. He hoped the crew- and the Sea Emissary- were out carousing the taverns or other diversions available. The gangplank was down, and he boarded, trusting to the creaking of the ship's hull to mask any noise he inadvertantly made.
Argo had been unsure of whether to try for Atlanter's quarters or the captain's, but fate had made that choice for him. Both cabin doors were locked, but the captain's door was so warped by long exposure to sea air that it was not too hard to force the door open.
The ranger glanced around. No one responded. He had thought he had heard voices below decks, but he hadn't been sure. He entered the dark cabin and began to look around.
The captain's log. It was lying on a large, freestanding bookcase that was set several inches from the wall opposite the door. That looked good. Argo picked it up and opened it-then realized that it was too dark in here to read it. His sword did shed some light, but that would be visible a long way off. Instead, Argo positioned himself in the open doorway of the room, holding the book so as to get enough moonlight to read by.
He started about three weeks back. The log mentioned Atlanter's presence as a passenger on the ship, but it all seemed above the board, as Aslan had mentioned.
Then he found the log entry he had been looking for. After spotting what looked like a shooting star strike off in the distance, the crew of the Cutbert had spotted two individuals in the Azure Sea, apparently in the grip of a giant squid. As they drew near, the squid had suddenly sprouted wings and flew to the deck of the ship, depositing the two individuals unharmed upon it. Then, the winged monstrosity had suddenly transformed into a human being.
The description of the squid-turned-human matched Aslan exactly.
The other male human was an exact match for Elrohir.
The female human, Argo wasn't sure. The description sounded similar to Talass, except that her hair was black, not blonde.
According to Captain Kyle, Atlanter, who had run back to his cabin when the squid had first sprouted wings, came stomping back on deck now. Apparently, he thought this was Aslan and Elrohir, as well. Interesting, thought Argo.
Atlanter had railed against "Aslan," until the aristocrat had suddenly screamed in pain, grabbed his head and collapsed to the deck, writhing in pain. "Aslan" had then introduced himself to Captain Kyle as "Nodyath." His companions were "Mendoleer" and "Talat." He had roughly pulled Atlanter to his feet, slammed him against the mast, and hissed at him, "So, you hate these people, this Aslan and this Elrohir? It would be in your best interests, your Eminence, to have a little chat with me." The four of them had then disappeared to Atlanter's quarters.
And that was about it. Nodyath told Kyle that neither he nor his crew were to mention to anyone about their "rescue." After a brief demonstration of his powers, the captain and crew readily agreed.
Argo gritted his teeth. He had been right. Nodyath was-
"To arms! To arms!" There's an invisible intruder on board! Check the captain's quarters first! To arms!"
What the? How in the Nine Hells had that happened? Argo gauged the approaching footsteps, then lashed out and kicked the bookcase against the cabin wall, then ran out onto the deck, still clutching the logbook. The cutlass-wielding crewman ran past him into the doorway, turned around as he saw what looked like a flying book zip past him, and then crashed to the deck in a heap as the bookcase rebounded from the wall and toppled on top of him from behind.
As Argo ran down the gangplank, he spied a darker shape in the water below. From what he could make out, it looked something like an otter ten feet long, except for its evil, toothy grin and red eyes, which were turning to keep track of the ranger.
It's Chic! Dammit, I didn't know he could see through invisibility!
"He's leaving the ship! After him!" came the voices from behind.
Hmmm. Guess he's telepathic, too. Why doesn't anyone tell me these things? Argo tucked the logbook under his cloak, and it vanished from sight. He'd be okay once he got away from the water, unless Chic was foolish enough to come onto dry land in pursuit, which the ranger doubted.
Sheer adrenaline kept Argo running at full speed. Now that he thought about it, the crewmen might guess where he was heading. They'd certainly tell their captain. Atlanter would know soon enough.
Argo banged on the door of the Mayor's house. When a servant opened the door, Argo burst in, but the young man hadn't opened the door very far, and Argo plowed into him, sending the two of them tumbling to the floor, Argo now very visible. The servant, apparently not used to people materializing out of thin air in front of him, promptly screamed and ran further into the house. Cursing, Argo closed and barred the door, then ran to the parlor.
"I was right! It's them!" Argo declared as he burst into the parlor and slammed the logbook down on a table.
"Who?" demanded Aslan. "Argo, this racket is not going to win us any-"
"Your counterpart, Aslan. Your counterpart from Rolex! His name is Nodyath, and yes, he has your Talents as well." Argo turned to Elrohir. "Your counterpart is with him, Mendoleer by name". He then turned to Talass. "And someone named Talat?"
"That can't be," interjected Cygnus. "Talass was born here, on Oerth! She can't have a counterpart!"
"I have a sister," said Talass quietly, looking at the floor.
"A sister?" repeated Elrohir. His wife nodded.
"Named Talat?" he began to shout.
"Yes. Keep your voice down."
"Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"What concern was it?" Talass retorted angrily. "She left home twelve years ago, and I haven't seen her since! I had no idea she was still alive, let alone that she had somehow been to Rolex!"
Elrohir grew uncharacteristically silent. "I'm sorry, Talass. It just seems like things are happening so fast-"
"They're about to start happening a lot faster, Elrohir." Argo said. "Chic was in the water near the Cutbert. He telepathically alerted the crew. If Atlanter doesn't know yet, he will soon."
"Chic?" Aslan asked. "Why would he be helping Atlanter?"
Argo shook his head, and put one hand on the paladin's shoulder, and the other on Elrohir's. "Sometimes, my friends, I think there is a tavern somewhere where all our enemies gather and discuss ways of finishing us off once and for all. We have to find out where this place is- and undersell them on ale. We'd be safe and secure in no time!"
Everyone, even Talass, smiled at that. Just then, the door flew open. Sir Charlt, sword in hand and two soldiers in tow, burst in.
"Argo Bigfellow Junior of The Great Kingdom! Drop your sword!"
Argo rolled his eyes but made a great show of loosing his scabbard and laying his sword down on the floor. Sir Charlt kicked it away as the Lord Mayor LaSalle Main entered from another door.
"I do not think violence will be needed, good sir knight. I think it is best if we all stay together, right here. I have sent out messengers, and we will have more news shortly."
The following ten minutes would have seemed much longer to Elrohir and Aslan if they hadn't spent the entire time trying to convince Charlt and Main to let them go. They were rebuffed, roughly and politely, respectively. Argo spent the time having Cygnus help him back into his plate mail. Sir Charlt eyed him, but did not object. Finally, a servant burst in.
"Your Honor," the panting youth gasped out. "The Cutbert! She's left dock, and won't answer to hails! It happened so fast, six of her crew were left behind! It's-"
"I want that ship stopped. Dispatch a squadron," the Lord Mayor said quietly, but with great force. The youth spun around and ran out. Aslan stepped forward.
"Your Honor, please! With my Talent, I can-"
"Your conditions of arrest still apply!" declared Sir Charlt. "If you vanish, you are guilty!" Aslan sighed as LaSalle Main stood up.
"All of you please, follow me," the Lord Mayor announced. "We are going to the docks, but I must warn you all to stay with me". The Mayor's eyes bore into those of Aslan, who nodded.
Shortly thereafter, the Lord Mayor and his guests were crowding onto the prow of the Thrommel, a warship setting sail after the Cutbert. Despite the darkness, they could see that the merchantman had turned into the wind, and had apparently stopped, less than a mile out from the harbor. Now a lone figure could be seen, being roughly pushed into a small rowboat. It was Atlanter.
Argo pointed. "By the Aegis! It seems like Captain Kyle's got more gumption than I gave him credit for! He's seen Atlanter for the bad apple that he is. Of course, this probably means Nodyath and his friends are long gone, but we still-"
He broke off. Chic had surfaced, and taken the rowboat's guide rope in his mouth, and was towing Atlanter away. Argo drew his bow, snatched a cold iron arrow from his quiver and let it fly, before even considering the extreme range.
The arrow struck the creature and embedded itself in Chic's shoulder. A high-pitched bout of squealing and thrashing ensued, and then only widening ripples on the surface could be seen. Chic had fled.
Argo turned to his friends and grinned. "Case dismissed!" he shouted.