Steel, Fire, Honor and Ruin
Chapter 9
life's painful lessons
/ooooooo\
Location: River Reik, the trading vessel Copper Prince
Day 20
The mighty River Reik is the longest river in the old world. It stretches nearly a thousand miles from its source in the Black Mountains to the sea-port city of Marienburg, and it carries more traffic, goods and food than the rest of the Empire's rivers put together. At its widest it stretches nearly half a mile across. Being so long the river is normally broken up into halves by the citizens of the Empire. The lower portion stretches from Nuln to Altdorf while the upper portion joins Altdorf to Marienburg and the sea.
Both the rivers Aver and Talabec, the second and third largest, flow into the Reik. All three of these rivers are deep enough to allow sea faring ships, and the odd creature, to venture far inland. Sizable islands can be found scattered along all three; some of these permanent year-round thanks to thick growths of vegetation, while others are dunes of sand built up in mere hours by the flowing waters, only to be washed away again just as quickly.
Maria Shepard had left Nuln on the coastal trading vessel, the Copper Prince. It was a long sleek ship at one-hundred and sixty-five feet long, with two square-rigged masts. Two smaller sails extended out over the fore and aft of the ship to improve its maneuverability. While not large enough to safely cross the vast oceans, the Copper Prince excelled in shallow waters. It also carried sixteen cannons for self-defense, eight on the port and eight on the starboard, all of them on the first level below the main deck. It had a total crew of only twenty-four men. They had left Nuln to deliver various goods to the wealthy trade-port of Marienburg. After a short stay to conduct their business, the Copper Prince would then leave Marienburg and head south along the Bretonnian coastline, with the eventual goal of reaching Tilea.
Maria knew all of this, because instead of relaxing on a hammock in a small cramped room down in the lower decks, she was leaning against the wooden guard rail on the main deck, listening to the Captain educate her about his ship; and doing her damnedest to keep both her eyes firmly on the horizon as the sun set behind her.
After one full day onboard, well to be perfectly honest one full hour onboard, Maria had discovered to her dismay that she was suffering from motion sickness.
To be blunt, she was seasick.
She hadn't thrown up yet, but the battle against her stomach and head was ongoing…
"It's getting dark." Captain Sergio walked up to stand alongside Maria as she leaned against the railing. "My men will be lighting torches soon along the deck. We'll have two on the port, two on the starboard, and one hanging off the fore and aft points of the hull.
"Always one torch on the rear and fore, but the sides need torches equal to the number of main masts," he explained for her. "Hard to see the sails in the dark, especially when there's no moon, so passing ships can tell your size by the number of lights on the deck."
Maria glanced up at the man beside her. Sergio was middle aged, but his dark brown hair was already balding. He looked older than he was due to the weathering he had endured on the seas. The brown leather coat he wore looked just as worn, Maria could see the makeshift stitching holding it together.
His Reikspiel was leagues better than her own but she could still hear than man's natural Tilean accent. Sounded almost Italian to her ears.
Maria took off her hat and rubbed a hand over her head multiple times, trying to work out her headache.
"I will be here," she said dropping the wide hat back on her head.
Sergio just laughed, slapping a hand on Maria's back and nearly knocking her hat back off. "I figured as much," he said next, keeping his hand on her back and giving it a firm rub down.
Since coming aboard, the man had acted far more familiar with her than two strangers meeting for the first time would normally be. Her witch hunter uniform didn't seem to affect him in the slightest.
"First time over water is always the hardest for some. Weak constitutions and all that from legs left to long on earth," Sergio added, giving her shoulder a final squeeze. "You need anything just holler… though I suppose if you do get worse, we'll hear you regardless."
Maria shot him a glare over her shoulder as he walked away with another laugh. Weak constitutions? Legs left to long on Earth? She hadn't even been back to Sol system for months, let alone back on Earth.
What she couldn't handle was the slow gentle up and down bob of a ship on water. It was insidious.
During her initial military training she was forced to endure double digit g-forces during dropship incursions into simulated and live combat scenarios. Inertial dampeners were invented for a reason. And if he had experienced what she had, Maria guaranteed he would crap out a kidney, liver and maybe one of his lungs.
She smiled. Now that would be a sight.
/ooooooo\
It was late at night and the air was cool, the wide-open space provided by the river allowed a chill breeze to blow through. The moon was in quarter and high in the sky, while its ugly green counterpart still hung low on the horizon partially obscured by the trees on the shore. Thick clouds periodically blocked out the moon and stars above. The Copper Prince slid quietly down the river. All its lanterns were lit and swinging gently as the boat rocked against the waves.
Maria had stayed above deck just like she promised. She was laying down and resting her back against one of the few wooden chests tied down on the port side of the ship.
The crew had given her odd looks when she decided to stay above while most of them had gone to bed. Only five sailors remained on deck. None of them had spoken to her and had left her alone as she rested.
Maria kept her eyes locked on the horizon. Her headache and nausea had finally begun to subside, and fatigue seemed to be winning out against her motion sickness. Eyelids heavy, she rested her head back against the wooden chest.
…danger…
"Mm-hmm," she hummed wearily. She was trapped on a planet that had, among other things, Vampires and talking rats. Such was her life apparently.
…warning…
"Could've used that on the collector station," she grumbled next, still half asleep and pulling the trench coat tighter around herself, "you know, before I went and got lost running for my life."
…you…will not…cross the great ocean…
Her brow wrinkled. Wait, what? Get to Ulthuan, get home. That was the plan and she was sticking to it.
…you…WILL NOT…
Maria jerked fully awake, her pistol already in her hand. She got to her feet and surveyed the near empty deck of the ship. It had sounded as if something right beside her had just shouted into her ear with a deep and gravelly voice, but the nearest sailor on watch was feet away from her.
She quickly stashed her pistol back under her coat before anyone saw it as she stepped over to the edge of the boat and put her hands on the railing. Her grip on the wood tightened as her heart thumped loudly in her chest. That strange voice was uncannily familiar. The last time she had heard it was seconds before the collector station exploded, with her still inside.
But it was no where near as welcoming this time. It was angry. It was ordering her.
Maria stared out across the water and into the dark night. "I will reach Ulthuan," she promised softly but with an edge to her voice. "And I will get home."
There was no voice this time as the night stayed silent, but it didn't stay quiet long. Her gaze was pulled down river as she noticed the faintest of flashes just off the bow.
She wasn't the only one. Two of the sailors on watch jogged past her to the front of the ship. A low series of rumbles then came down the river next.
"Wake the captain," one of the sailors ordered another. As the man went below deck, more flashes of light were seen, and more rumbles were heard.
Maria couldn't see far enough in the dark to make out anything at all down the river. But it wasn't hard to guess what was making the noise. Far ahead of them another ship was firing its guns, and probably not for fun.
"Alright, I'm up, I'm up," Captain Sergio groaned as he appeared on deck with the sailor sent to retrieve him. He had thrown his old brown coat on over some light sleeping clothes. "What's the trouble?"
"Cannons, Captain," a sailor reported. "Several miles ahead. Probably a merchant carrack, guns are big but there ain't many of them."
Captain Sergio took a deep breath and blew it out noisily as he watched another series of cannon blasts flash up ahead. He waited silently several seconds until the low rumble of the cannons reached their ship.
"Aye, we'll probably reach them just as day breaks." Then a frown crossed his face. "We're not even a full day out of Nuln. Those are some greedy sons of bitches up there. Pity the crew of that ship.
"Well, wake the rest of the men," he ordered loudly. "Nobody's getting a full sleep tonight. I want a full watch, and I want 'em armed, at least until morning."
His men moved to obey the commands. Sergio was rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he walked up beside Maria.
"River pirates," he spit over the side of the ship. "Can't believe we're seeing them this close to Nuln. Seems they get bolder and keep the Imperial Navy busy more and more every year."
Maria nodded. She had read a little about the piracy problem facing the Empire. And why not, literally ten times more wealth traveled by water than roadways.
"And us?" she asked back, as the rest of their own crew woke up and started manning their stations. A handful stood to the side and were loading rifles.
Sergio shook his head. "Nah, we're fine. Just being careful. After that much commotion every ship for miles is now alert to the danger."
Even further down the river, Maria spied two more flashes of light, far larger than the cannon blasts from earlier. It was several seconds of nothing, when a pair of large explosions went off high in the night sky. Two loud booms thudded against her chest very soon afterward as flaming debris spread out filling the sky above the river, and Maria had to wonder what caliber of gun had been fired to make such a spectacle.
"And that would be why we don't have to worry," Sergio said with a chuckle. "Won't see a pirate inside a hundred miles of those blasts."
"What were those?" she asked.
Sergio returned her confused expression with a smirk. "You're in for a sight, Maria."
/ooooooo\
It took the rest of the night until the break of morning before the Copper Prince reached the part of the Reik that the pirates had hit. Captain Sergio had maneuvered his ship closer to shore, as had several other passing trading vessels. It was expected of them to give warships of the Imperial Navy the right of way and center of the river.
And what a warship it was. Maria never left her spot on the deck as their own ship passed by the scene.
The merchant ship that had been attacked was indeed a carrack-class, as they were called. Longer and wider than the Copper Prince, it may have had only two main masts, but it also had three more decks. Sergio had explained that those merchant ships were finally large enough that they could safely navigate the oceans. However, this one was only lightly armed. Maria could see its guns were larger, but they had only ten.
It also looked like nothing more than a rowboat as it floated alongside the behemoth of a vessel beside it. And if she were being completely frank and honest, Maria was feeling a bit of ship envy. Something she would never breath a word of to either Joker or EDI when she got back.
An Imperial Greatship. The Ship-of-the-Line of the Empire's navy, and the counter-part to the Systems Alliance's Kilimanjaro-class dreadnought.
Three-hundred and twenty feet long and ninety-five feet wide, it had three towering masts and a total of four decks lined with guns. And these weren't the small cannons being carried by the Copper Prince or the carrack anchored alongside. These were the very same great cannons Maria had seen being forged back in Nuln. Four great cannons pointed out through the fore of the warship while another four pointed aft. And then it still had eight mortars arrayed evenly across the main deck.
The warship itself was very ornate. Its sails were painted half red and half white and at the very top of the center mast was a flag with the image of a griffon, a creature that was an eagle with the back and hind legs of a lion. A fearsome beast and one of the top predators across the Empire. A sculpted grim reaper holding a trident rather than a scythe was mounted on the bow and more gothic images were carved across the ship.
Maria could also see that the warship's crew was no less imposing. Each and every sailor she could see was armed to the teeth and were wearing chest plates. She wagered they all knew how to take them off quick in case they fell overboard. At a glance she guessed the Greatship had to have a crew of no less than two to three hundred.
"She's a beauty, isn't she?" Captain Sergio commented as he stood beside Maria. The man had been practically drooling alongside her most of the time.
Maria nodded. "Yes."
"Those ships represent the golden hammer of the Imperial Navy," Sergio continued, once again info dumping on her. "Nothing in the world can survive a full broadside from those guns. Nothing. And her marines are some of the toughest fighters on the waves.
"I'll tell you right now," Sergio exclaimed with a wide grin, "those elves may have the largest, sleekest, fanciest armada on the seas, the dwarves may rule the Southern coasts with their steam-driven ironclad dreadnoughts, and the Empire may not have many of these warships in commission… but there is nothing this side of the ocean that can stand against a Greatship toe to toe, and come out the better."
/ooooooo\
Location: The Upper Reik
Day 24
Living on ships was something Maria was used to; only if those ships traveled at faster-than-light speeds through outer space and had the state-of-the-art technology of the times.
Life on a boat, was something entirely different. And that wasn't even mentioning the gentle up and down bobbing that wasn't going away anytime soon.
The food wasn't bad. Having left Nuln only a few days before, none of the fruits and vegetables they had stored aboard had begun to spoil as of yet. The meat and fish had been dried, salted and/or smoked for preservation. Still tasty and that's all that really mattered.
Not that Maria was eating much yet… because of the gentle bobbing. That incessant bobbing. But as long as she didn't exert her biotics it wasn't like she had to stuff herself full of food every hour.
But the most disappointing part of their journey, and something that really miffed Maria, was it only took four days and four nights of travel for the Copper Prince to make the bottom half of their journey from the city-state of Nuln to the city-state of Altdorf, the capital of Reikland and the Empire; the political, economic, cultural and technological heart of the Old World.
And they had arrived in the middle of the night.
Plus, Captain Sergio told her they weren't stopping, intent on traveling straight on through until they reached Marienburg.
Sure, she wanted to get home, but come on… this place was important to not just the old world, but the entire planet. The Imperial Palace. The Cathedral of Sigmar. The Imperial Engineering Academy. The Imperial Zoo. The home port for the Imperial Navy. The University of Altdorf. And, perhaps most important of all, the Colleges of Magic. Eight centers of learning that taught the Empire's mages how to harness one of the eight winds of magic.
And they weren't stopping.
Altdorf passed by mostly shrouded in darkness. From her place on the river Maria could see very little but the lanterns illuminating the docks and other ships. Just like Nuln, Altdorf had been built around the joining of the rivers Reik and Talabec, effectively splitting the city into three parts. The Copper Prince was forced to wait at several points for steam-driven bridges to be raised for the ship to pass safely underneath.
Maria could see a few interesting structures silhouetted in the distance. The biggest shadow was on a hill far off into the city. She guessed it had to be the palace.
Sixteen thin towers grouped together were the tallest objects in the city, towering even above the palace on the hill. These towers were lite by some means and Maria could see each had a glass dome top.
She had read that those very towers belonged to the Celestial College. The mages that harnessed the Wind of Azyr, the wind of the heavens, and they were the ones who mapped out the stars in the sky and claimed to be able to predict certain future events by reading the heavens.
Of all the buildings in the vast capital, that place pulled at her the most. Nikolaus had told her back in Nuln that the Celestial College had the most carefully detailed and archived maps of the stars compared to anyone else in the world, save maybe the High Elves.
And it was only because of that fact Maria didn't raise any objections to leaving the city so soon. Her goal was to get home A.S.A.P. and the High Elves were her best chance.
/ooooooo\
Location: Marienburg, independent city-state, trade capital of the Old World
Day 28
Aside from passing a few coastal towns, merchant vessels and the odd warship, the Copper Prince had made an average two-week journey by land in just eight peaceful days.
Stepping off the ship and putting her feet on solid ground again was perhaps the greatest feeling Maria had experienced since first arriving on this world. This of course did not bode well for her upcoming trip across the ocean, but Maria had no intention of dwelling on that depressing fact until she absolutely had too.
Of course, the first thing to be said about the port city was that Maria never truly had her feet on 'dry' land. Marienburg had been built on the delta of the Reik emptying into the sea. A grouping of small islands, mostly marshland to be honest, just stable enough to construct buildings on. A great number of bridges ranging in size connected these islands but just as many weren't. Ferries were a common sight on the waters flowing through the bustling city.
Captain Sergio walked with her off the ship as his men began to work to unload his goods.
"This here is the Bruynwater," he said pushing his thumbs down into his belt and giving the dock a look around, "the primary canal running through the Southern Docks. We're about halfway into the city right now. To the west you've got the Old Money Ward, and past that the Temple District.
"But you'll be needing to head North," he continued pointing the way for her. "Take the bridge we passed under to Luydenhock Isle, and from there continue North over the next bridge, through on Hightower Ilse and its lighthouse in the center of the Reik. One more bridge North and you'll be in the Palace District.
"Don't take off your hat or coat while you're there an' you should have no trouble," Sergio said with a smirk. "The Burgomeisters who run –"
"Who?" Maria asked, confused.
"The Burgomeisters? Oh, they're the merchant lords of Marienburg," Sergio explained. "All the wealth that flows through this port, well, they own most of it. Anyways, like I said, keep your coat and hat on while walking through. Those puffed up, greedy arses don't respect much authority from the Empire, but they won't risk pissing off the witch hunters.
"So, once you get to the Palace District, head west. Next stop is the Guilder Field, and on through that you'll finally reach your destination, Elftown. To be fair, not many elves make their home here but enough that the islands are named after them. Any Captain doin' business on Ulthuan must stop there and register first before continuing on to their island home. And its there you'll find a ship to carry you to Ulthuan."
Maria adjusted her duffle bag as she looked around the busy street. Simple enough directions. Their ship had already passed by some of the major landmarks he had mentioned.
She nodded, more to herself than anything, and faced Sergio.
"Thank you for your help," she said, offering her hand.
The Captain took it with a smile. "No thanks necessary, Maria. Antonio paid your fare handsomely, and then some, to keep you under the noses of those who may want trouble. Pleasure having you onboard. Good luck getting to Ulthuan."
/ooooooo\
Marienburg was a fascinating city-state. Maria hadn't read much about it, focusing more on Ulthuan and the Elves, but what she had read was interesting.
Foremost, Marienburg had originally been a major city-state of the Empire at its founding. Ranked among Altdorf, Nuln, Middenheim, and Talabheim as one of the strongest, wealthiest and most influential. But ninety years ago, in the Imperial year of 2429, the same Burgomeisters Sergio had mentioned colluded with the incredibly corrupt and universally hated Emperor Dieter IV, paying him off with vast amounts of gold for their independence.
You can pretty much guess how that went over for the rest of Emperor Dumbass IV reign.
Being the primary port for the entire Empire, Marienburg's continued independence to this day rested on the sole fact no future Emperor or Elector Count was willing to risk damaging the vital city in a siege. Marienburg's merchant lords had enough gold to pay off anyone who wanted to wage war anyways.
Currently the city-state still didn't have its own standing army. It paid off a mercenary company known as the Black Caps, so named for the floppy black berets they all wore on their heads.
But Maria had passed by a few patrols on her walk through the city and saw instantly they weren't a force to be messed with. The Black Caps sole client was Marienburg, and they took its protection seriously. Whether that be external threats or internal, the Black Caps were the primary peace force inside the city as well. Each and every soldier Maria walked by had shiny armor and weapons, and a sour attitude. They gave her room when she needed it, but she was under no illusion it was thanks to her witch hunter disguise.
The city was also cramped. Much more so than Nuln had been. Being built on series of wet islands, dry land was at a premium. Even her coat wasn't enough to stop people from bumping into her this time. Streets were narrow and everything including the well-built, sturdy buildings had jutting overhangs that draped over the roads and water below. Maria was lucky enough to be walking through the wealthier districts of the city, so she could only guess what the truly poor quarters looked like.
Even so, Maria quickly kept one hand in her pocket and on her coin purse. Marienburg was rotten to the core, and she saw it after the first few blocks. They may have dressed in fancier clothes, but gangsters and black marketeers were rife throughout the city. She saw them conducting their shady business in alleyways just as much in the open streets. More often than not, mere seconds after a patrol of Black Caps had marched through. The city was made up of the haves and the have-nots, and everyone was fighting to get a greater piece of the pie.
The ships Maria saw on her walk ranged in every size and shape. Some weren't even from the Empire. Maria knew there were other nations of humans across the globe, but she hadn't put any effort into learning about them. The biggest trade partner aside from Estalia and Tilea was a country on the opposite side of the world called Cathay but that was all she knew.
It had been another two hours of walking before Maria managed to cross the Reik and reach Guilder Field. Upon entering the district and fully cured of her seasickness, she discovered just how hungry she really was.
Her language skills were well enough she figured she could get a decent meal someplace in the district. It was crystal clear Guilder Field was home to the wealthiest and busiest merchants in Marienburg. Somewhere around here had to be a restaurant filled with good food and better drink. The Laughing Bear Inn had spoiled her it seemed.
Plus, she had the coin, so why not treat herself to one last good meal from the Empire?
Taking the time to walk the area, Maria eventually came upon a building with fancy trim and professional paint job. At four stories tall she guessed it was probably another inn based on its size, but after standing around and watching the number of well-dressed men and women steadily coming and going, there had to be a restaurant and bar of some sort inside.
There was a stylized sign mounted on the second story, with flamboyant roses carved into the wood, but unless she booted up her omni-tool in the middle of the street where everyone could see, she would have to ask the name of the place when she got inside.
Just before though, Maria took off her wide hat and stuffed it in her duffle bag. Hopefully just losing the hat and letting people see her face would loosen them up a little. Her hat stowed, Maria crossed the street, climbed the few steps leading up to the front door, getting only partial looks from those around and entered the building.
Less than five minutes later and she was hurrying out, entirely red in the face and completely embarrassed. The building wasn't an inn, and it wasn't a restaurant.
It was a high-priced brothel.
"Oh my god." Maria stood mortified in the middle of the street and looked back up at the building's sign, memorizing the letters and their placements so this never happened again. She then rapidly marched halfway down the block before she slowed and finally stopped entirely.
Looking back toward the building, Maria tentatively made a few steps back.
"It's been two years," she reasoned out quietly to herself as she walked slowly back toward the brothel. "You avoided relationships while in command of the Normandy for professional reasons… and then you died… and after two years came back running, without the chance to really test this body out…"
She stopped again in the street and shook her head, pulling an about-face away from the building.
"This is not the time. Why is this even a thing suddenly?" she growled out. But after a few steps, she stopped again, and turned back.
"Because that one guy was, um… built," Maria felt the flush returning to her cheeks, "and he did smile at me."
Her feet were pulling her toward the brothel but the second her heel hit the dirt she spun back around again and continued with purpose down the street.
"Get to Ulthuan, get home," Maria sighed as she retrieved her hat once more, and ran a hand through her hair, before placing it on her head. "Get to Ulthuan, get home… then worry about getting laid again."
/ooooooo\
Elftown was a shock. Not really the part of town, mind you, but its inhabitants.
Maria had never even met an alien until she had officially joined the Alliance military. Sure, she had seen the odd Asari or Salarian or Turian walking around the city on Earth, but she had never approached them. They were a passing oddity, nothing more, especially to a girl who was just desperately trying to be accepted into a street gang.
There weren't many elves living in Elftown, just as Sergio said, but when Maria saw her first one, she couldn't help but stop and stare. She knew what they were supposed to look like. Taller and slimmer than the average human, angular faces, lived basically forever unless they got deathly sick or were killed.
But to see one in person was another thing entirely.
The first elf Maria saw wasn't even that special by her estimation. He was very well dressed in silk light brown shirt and pants, a robe the color of deep gold and teal basically flowed out behind him. A long, thin sword hung loosely on his belt. His skin was pale but not uncomfortably so, and he had light brown hair that traveled in a braid halfway down his back. Just as she had read about their species, both his ears were pointed at the top, but not so much as to be obvious at first glance. He was handsome in a, I'm most certainly not a human, way.
But most of all, it was the… the air surrounding him. It was cleaner, purer, she couldn't describe it but now Maria knew what people meant when they said an elf was a being invariably tied to magic.
If this is what one of their ordinary citizens felt like, Maria was honest to god worried how she would react when first meeting their mages.
Her stomach rumbled, once again reminding her she still hadn't eaten anything since arriving in the city.
"Find the food," she said mumbled to herself, taking a sniff of the air and following the closest scent of cooked meat. "Find the food, get a drink, relax… then worry about meeting someone three times older and more powerful than the oldest and wisest Asari matriarch.
"And then remember you're a biotically gifted, N7 rated marine and Council Spectre who has literally saved the galaxy and they owe you one whether they like it or not," she finished with a small private smile.
/ooooooo\
Most of the day had already passed and the sun was setting on Marienburg. Maria eventually found herself inside a tavern along the docks of Elftown. Many sailors and sea-faring elves had been passing to and from this particular place since the short time Maria had seated herself inside and ordered a beer.
After carefully gauging everyone coming and going Maria had finally found a worthy candidate for her expedition to Ulthuan.
The Captain's name was Torben. He was originally from the province of Nordland and was loading his vessel up in Marienburg before shipping off to Ulthuan this very night. He was the opposite of Sergio, in dress and appearance. Closely shaven, well combed hair and clean dress. His boots were shined, and his dark blue coat was adorned with gold buttons.
Captain Torben commanded what was called a galleon. It was a ship much longer than Sergio's and had twice the tonnage, three times the firepower, with three times the crew. Bottom line it was a ship made to cross the ocean and defend itself against serious attack.
Captain Torben also had his hands deep into Marienburg's black market, and that was her way in.
Honestly, it was shameful how loud people talked about even sensitive matters when they were in a noisy and packed tavern. It only made eavesdropping on them all the easier.
Maria had waited until he was done conducting his business with his dirty-handed partners, before she ordered a pair of beers at the bar and marched over to join him at his table, shoving the extra drink into his hands.
Negotiations had commenced.
"One-way trip to Ulthuan, Torben," Maria tried explaining again with a friendly smile as she sat across from the man. "One-way. Take me, drop me off, never see me again. Easy."
Torben shifted in his seat again. "And as I've told you Miss Shepard, it not that easy. The only place we can dock, in all of Ulthuan, is their capital Lothern. The elves keep tight control over who can even enter the harbor. I've registered my ship and my goods. The manifest doesn't include a mystery woman dressing herself up as a witch hunter."
He took another swig of the beer Maria had bought him and then moved to leave. "You want to get to Ulthuan you ask someone else. I'm not breaking the law for you. In the meantime, thanks for the beer."
Maria stopped him from rising with a hand on his arm. She wasn't done yet.
"I will pay," she added firmly, pushing him back down into his seat. "And pay well. Just me. No one else. I need to reach Ulthuan. Tonight. One more person will not get High Elves mad at you."
Now she smirked. "No less mad when High Elves discover you shipping black goods under their noses."
Torben held her gaze. He didn't flinch, and Maria gave him credit for it.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he finally said in a hush. He leaned forward over the table. "And I don't like be accused of a crime… or being threatened."
Maria leaned over the table as well. "Not a threat. Being honest. Will pay you well." She reached into her coat and pulled out a leather pouch. Cupping it in her hand she carefully slid it over the table to Torben.
He glanced down at the pouch still in her hand. "How much?"
Maria held back her smile. She had him now. "Ten gold crowns, fifteen silver shillings. For you. If I leave with you tonight."
Torben looked back up and glanced quickly across the tavern. "That much could buy you a nice boat and a crew. You'd get to Ulthuan, maybe not tonight, but eventually. What aren't you telling me?"
Maria shook her head a little. "No catch. Just need to leave soon. No one know. No question before. No trouble. Easy travel. Let me worry about after."
Torben held her gaze for several moments but then gave the slightest nod as he reached up with his own hand and grabbed for the pouch of coins. He tried to pull back, but Maria held on.
"No trouble?" Maria asked, making it clear she was telling him more than asking.
Torben had a small but confident smile. He nodded again, "No trouble. No one will ask about you and no one will know before we leave. I've smuggled worse things than a single woman. But once we reach Ulthuan, you're on your own."
"Deal," Maria replied, letting go of the pouch.
Torben shoved it into his own pocket quickly. He chugged down the remainder of his drink and chuckled. "You must be truly desperate to leave the Empire if you're paying me that much. And by the way, your accent is atrocious. Where the hell are you from?"
Maria finished her own drink. "Far away. When do we leave?"
"My ship should be fully loaded just after dusk," Torben answered as he stood from the table. He pointed down at her bag. "This all yours?"
"Yes. Just this and me," Maria said standing as well and pulling the duffle bag over her shoulder.
Torben nodded. "Alright then. Might as well follow me back right now."
/ooooooo\
Paying off a random ship-captain to ferry her across the sea was a risk, but one worth the reward. If Maria waited and tried going through official channels, questions would be asked. And her answers would be difficult for the people here to understand.
She still had no concrete idea how she had arrived on this planet but based on the firsthand accounts of those who had witnessed the spectacle she had fallen out of a portal conjured in thin air. This fact alone was enough for those back in Bretonnia to threaten her life. And in the Empire, the witch hunters hated anything they considered outside the law and evil.
So, either pay someone off and trust their greed to keep their lips sealed or take her chances with the primitive superstitious locals.
Captain Torben escorted Maria straight to his ship, Manaan's Golden Merchant. At her asking she was told Manaan was the god of the sea and of storms across the whole of the Old World, including Estalia and Tilea. The galleon was painted to match the name too, it's entire hull was a deep golden yellow.
The boat was indeed much larger than Sergio's had been, and that fact alone comforted Maria before the journey began. Still, she was nervous as she stepped on board and stowed her things away in the small cabin reserved for travelers. She would be crossing an ocean. In a ship made of wood. Powered by the wind.
With no inertial dampeners… oh joy of joys…
But Captain Torben seemed confident and capable enough. His ship and crew had made the same trip over a dozen times already. Setting sail at night wasn't even an issue for him. Marienburg's port was well lite and didn't sleep like Nuln's had. Even well into the night, just as they were starting to sail out of the port, dockworkers continued loading and unloading goods all down the harbor.
At the entrance to Marienburg's port, and in the center of the river, was the largest island of the city.
Rijker's Isle. Built on top was a massive stone fortress. The first line of defense for the port city when attacked by the sea. As the Manaan's Golden Merchant sailed past, Maria could see cannons, mortars, and even a few catapults ling the walls. The island was imposing, with sheer cliff faces against the sea preventing a landing force from assaulting the fortress from any point other than the tiny beach and dock facing back into the harbor.
And as they sailed past the island and finally into the sea, patrolling outside the port, Maria saw three Imperial Greatships. Seeing them, plus Rijker's Ilse, Maria couldn't hold back a low whistle of admiration. No wonder Marienburg had stayed independent for so long.
She walked the deck and joined Captain Torben back at the ship's wheel. He wasn't manning it but standing alongside the sailor who was. She had caught them in the middle of a conversation.
"You seen anything like it before?" Captain Torben was asking the man.
The sailor shook his head and shrugged. "Never, but its not like its uncommon for this time of year."
Torben gave him a look. "Sure, but not this thick."
The sailor shrugged again. "Usually moves in and hangs on the coast. I'm sure we'll be through it quick."
"I don't like it," Torben replied, his face hardening. "Doesn't look right. Doesn't feel right."
Their serious attitude caught her attention.
"Trouble?" she asked the Captain.
He let out a loud sigh. "I don't know. It's that blasted fog off the bow," he said pointing ahead. Maria followed his hand and saw a thick blanket of blackness obscuring the water ahead. But it was dark, and there wasn't much light coming off the quarter moon. It seemed obvious to her fog would seem thicker at night.
"I don't know," Torben said again, bringing a hand up to rub his head. "Just to early in the year for coastal fog that thick." He stepped to the side and called over another of his men. "Light some more lanterns along the hull. Anyone else in there, I don't want us sailing into them."
Maria walked over to the edge of the boat and leaned over the rail, keeping a hand on her head so as not to lose her hat. The fog really was thick. In fact, it looked pitch black.
No… the fog wasn't black… She squinted and could swear there was a part of the fog directly ahead that was growing darker than the rest. But it wasn't limited to the ocean waves, there was a large portion rising into the sky that was growing darker as well.
"Oh no. No, no, no, no, no…" Maria turned around to see Captain Torben standing just beside her as he leaned over the rail. He looked terrified beyond belief.
His face was white. "Sigmar preserve us," he prayed quietly and then turned around and shouted at the top of his lungs. "Turn us around! Turn us around! Back to into the harbor! Now!"
He marched over to the wheel still bellowing at the top of his lungs. "Load the guns! All hands to arms! Ring the bells! Somebody fire an arrow and get the damned attention of those greatships!"
Maria had to grip the railing as the galleon banked hard in the water as it turned. She looked back to the thick fog and stared with growing confusion as a… as a literal mountain passed through the fog and came into full view.
When it became visible to all, Maria heard shouts of fear and despair coming from the rest of the ship's crew.
Their vessel had now fully turned around with the mountain, growing in size, behind them. Two men on the main deck armed with crossbows fired flaming arrows straight into the sky, as the rest of the men hurried to arm themselves and ready the cannons.
"What is that?" Maria asked Torben, still not understanding what exactly had terrified everyone so completely.
"Blast woman, can't you see!?" Torben asked, shooting her an angry and unbelieving look. "No where in the world you haven't heard of them raiding and slaving across the oceans!"
He turned away, but Maria grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. "Who? What? I don't know them."
He shook his head and swallowed hard. "That right there is a Black Ark, a floating sea-fortress. The Dark Elves have finally come for Marienburg."
He pulled out of her grip again and started shouting more orders to his men, and Maria let him go as she walked to the back of the boat. The mountain now had definition to it. She could see flickers of red and purple light coming from various portions of the massive structure, and spiked towers built into its sides rising toward the sky.
So far away and already it was massive beyond belief. How was it built? And how the hell was it traveling on water?
Ahead of the floating mountain, Maria could now see more shapes against the waves. Nearly a hundred in number; they were long sleek black vessels with dark sails, and they were coming at speed straight for them.
"And that would be the fleet of sadistic Dark Elves," Maria commented under her breath. She loosened the belt on her jacket and palmed both her pistol and submachine gun. Looking back to the front of the ship, she could see they weren't that far from reaching Rijker's Isle and entering the harbor. Already she could hear a chorus of loud bells coming from inside the city and large fires were being lite along the defensive walls. At least the Black Caps were ready to defend the city.
Maria was confident Manaan's Golden Merchant would reach safety. She turned back to watch the approaching dark elf fleet and their mountain fortress, taking off her hat and running a hand through her hair.
That's when their vessel was suddenly struck by something with such force Maria was thrown flat on her back. She had lost the grip on her hat, and as she struggled back to her feet with a wince, she could see most of the crew around her doing the same.
Captain Torben was one of the first to his feet and her ran over to the port side of the ship.
"To arms! Get back to the cannons! Stand your ground and open fire!" he shouted pointing a pistol over the side and firing into the water.
Five long, serpentine grey objects rose out of the water, high above the ship's deck, where they each ended with a very large snake-like head. Each head was brimming with rows of long sharp white teeth.
All of the heads let loose a combination roar/hiss over the deck of the vessel.
"Sea-hydra!" someone shouted, and it was followed by numerous gunshots, as the crew opened fire on the creature.
If the sea-hydra even felt the bullets, you'd never be able to tell. Maria couldn't even react as all five of the heads reared back and then thrust downward with incredible force. The men on the deck never had a chance as the five heads easily smashed through them and the wood of the main deck, crashing deep into the heart of the ship. Everyone, including Maria still far in the rear, struggled to stay on their feet as the five heads pulled back up, snarled, and crashed deep into the center of the ship again and again, biting, ripping and tearing it apart.
On her knees, Maria struggled for her pistol, but watching the creature continue to shred through the hull of the galleon, she already knew it was too late.
Captain Torben came to the same conclusion. "Abandon ship! Everyone, abandon ship! Back to Marienburg! Swim for your lives!"
He was jumping over the railing immediately after shouting his last command, and Maria couldn't blame him. Nothing was stopping that thing now. So, she ran for the edge and dove off the ship, into the cold water below. She was under for only few seconds before her head broke the surface.
Unfortunately, she struggled stay above the waves being made by the sea-hydra as it bit and tore at the remainder of the galleon and its crew still in reach of its five heads. Pulled under the water again, Maria made the split-second decision and pulled off her heavy trench coat. Without it she was finally able to kick back to the surface and take a second breath. Men were shouting around her as they swam for their lives or were pulled under by the ruined ship.
Or eaten by the creature…
Swimming for the harbor and the protection it offered, Maria finally got some distance between her and the sinking galleon, as a large barrage of cannon blasts were quickly followed by a pained scream from the sea-hydra.
Treading water, Maria spun around to see one of the three greatships bearing down on the creature. It fired again from its forward great cannons and she was thrilled to witness the sea-hydra writhe in pain as one of its five heads was completely sheered away in a spray of blood by a lucky hit from one of the shots.
What she was less thrilled to see, was the sea-hydra's remaining heads snarl together and then swim rapidly for the warship that had caused it so much pain. The single greatship was on its own against the creature as well. The remaining two were busy trying to fend off the entire dark elf fleet. A fleet that was so quick on the water that many of their ships had already reached the walls of the city, as well as the island fortress. A few were even entering the harbor. Black armored figures could be seen throwing grappling hooks and scaling the walls.
All of the dark elf ships had avoided straying to close to the sea-hydra and simply allowed the mad creature to wreak havoc alone. Maria continued to tread water as she watched some dark elves on the nearest of their ships work to load large bolt-throwers mounted on the bow. What, were basically giant crossbows, were launching numerous long thick arrows at the men fighting back on the walls.
Their accuracy was unnerving as Maria watched numerous men become impaled and fall.
Marienburg wasn't without its defenses though. The same cannons, mortars and catapults Maria had seen earlier were now firing back with a vengeance; and with greater frequency as the city's guard woke up to the threat. The closest dark elf ship she had been watching suddenly exploded into splinters as a great cannon tore through it.
The technological edge was with the citizens of Marienburg, but any feelings of superiority were dashed when Maria witnessed three incredibly large fire balls, burning with colors of red, purple and black, fly over her head and strike a part of the fortress on Rijker's Isle.
Explosions of fire sent man and stone flying in all directions. When the dust settled, there was a gaping hole in the building so large she would have assumed a thresher maw had just bore through it.
Maria spun in the water toward the imposingly massive mountain that was the black ark, just as another three of the giant fire balls were launched out somewhere from its steep front. She began swimming again as the fireballs struck a portion of the defensive wall protecting the city and left nothing but a gaping hole of ruined stone in their wake.
Yeah, they were in trouble.
/ooooooo\
Swimming in her armor was exhausting, not to mention after all her bodily upgrades Maria was far heavier now than before she had died.
Thanks Cerberus…
She was never going to make it inside the harbor, so instead she swam for the nearest dark elf ship anchored along the walls of the city. The dark elf crew was so busy scaling the walls or firing back at the defenders with strange looking crossbows, that none of them noticed Maria haul herself out of the water and flop clumsily on board.
Small miracles she supposed as Maria got to her feet. The dark elves were all wearing full sets of dark black and green plate armor that was purposefully crafted into sharp edges, which made them look all the more menacing. They had pointed, conical-shaped helmets, and each helm was adorned with spikes unique to the elf wearing it. And each dark elf was sporting a thick green cape that looked almost like the scales of a reptile.
Her first thought was, gun them all down while their backs are turned, but the second voice in her head immediately pointed out that she only has four thermal clips left and wasting them here is not a good idea. And as these two voices argued, Maria hesitated, standing in the open on the deck of a hostile ship.
When the first dark elf spotted her, shouted the alarm to his comrades and attacked, Maria really only had one option left. Twenty dark elves rushed her. Another five raised their strangely designed crossbows and fired a barrage of arrows toward her.
Maria set her feet, raised her arms, and sent a blasting wave of biotic power out across the deck of the ship.
Somewhere, somebody, was probably laughing at how those dark elves looked in their scary armor, arms and legs flailing, as they flew through the air in all directions before crashing back down into the cold water with a splash.
Instead, all Maria could do was fight to stay standing as she weaved like a drunk across the deck. "Next time just use the damn thermal clip and shoot them all in the back," she groaned, giving her head a shake to work out the spots of color slowly fading from her vision.
She grabbed for one of the trailing ropes attached to the grappling hooks the dark elves had been using to scale the walls, and with a jump, began pulling herself up.
Another series of fireballs launched from the black ark impacted the island fortress, tearing away a second part of it. The black ark's bombardment range was incredible. Even the Empire's great cannons lacked the power to hit back. And even if they had, what could they possibly accomplish? That black ark was a mountain.
Maria finished her climb and pulled herself over the stone wall. A climb like that was child's play, she had done more during her years training in the Alliance; but what she had never done was make a climb like that just after expending so much biotic power in a single attack.
She flopped, gracefully so, over the edge and onto the stone rampart. "I hope nobody saw that." She held back a groan as she got to her feet.
Somebody had. A quick sequence of gunshots went off to her left causing Maria to shout in pain as she was knocked down to her hands and knees. Three bullets had hit her, one in the arm and two more in the side of her chest.
"Are you kidding me?!" Maria quickly got back to her feet, wincing in pain as she did. Her arm and side were throbbing. Once again her collector armor had managed to stop the bullets but these had a lot more bite than that pistol the skaven had shot her with back in Bretonnia. She was going to be sporting some serious bruises.
Three men to Maria's left were reloading their rifles. Each of them sporting the black berets that marked them as a member of the Black Caps. And each looked extremely pissed that Maria had managed to survive being shot and were eager to try again.
"Woah, slow down you trigger happy –" Maria wiped the wet hair out of her face, and more importantly away from her ear. She pointed to the side of her head. "Look at the ears! Oh crap, what's the word – Human! I am human! Imperial!"
One of the black caps managed to catch on and stopped his men from raising their rifles at her a second time. He ordered the others to keep shooting at the dark elves that had managed to scale the walls and were even now fighting sword to sword with the other guards.
He gave her a scrutinizing look but then shook his head, giving her a quick salute before he joined his men. Maria's shoulders dropped as she sighed in relief. Thank god one of them was smart enough to know a friend when they see one. Fighting off the dark elves would be hard enough, she didn't want to add the black caps to the list.
Her arm still throbbing, she dug the bullets out of her armor. All three had punched deep into the collector tissue and left a sizable hole that was going to take a few days to heal over. Tossing the last metal ball over the side of the wall Maria surveyed the battle. From her vantage point she could see over most of the city.
Marienburg was holding, that was the important thing. The black caps fighting on the walls were giving as good as they got. It was hand to hand in most spots, but several cannons were still manned as soldiers set defensive lines around them. The fortress on Rijker's Isle was being hammered by the black ark but its own guns were reaping a tremendous toll on the dark elf ships. Which was good, because Maria could see the flaming wreaks of all three greatships sinking into the water. The sea-hydra was nowhere to be seen.
What worried her the most were the dark elves that had landed inside the harbor. She could see homes and shops in flames along most of the water. It was probably no small coincidence that Elftown was now a complete warzone. More dark elf ships had landed there than anywhere else in the city.
Wait a minute… Maria had to look twice, but there were two ships leaving the harbor. Two ships, galleons by the size of them, were sailing out of the harbor entirely unmolested by the dark elf forces.
"What the heck is going on here?!" Those ships weren't being attacked because there were dark elves crewing both vessels. Maria could see their sharp jagged armors from her position on the wall. She looked over the entire city and the battle being fought. The dead in the water, the dead on land and on the walls. Both Elf and Man.
What could possibly be inside those ships that the dark elves would launch such an assault against one of the most important cities in the old world? And how did they think they were going to get away with it?
Maria slapped both hands over her ears when a tremendous roar filled the air. A roar, a thunder, a scream, an absolutely booming shriek, she could feel it reverberate through her entire body.
There were certain days in her life that Maria would never forget. The day she joined the Tenth Street Reds back on Earth. The day she turned eighteen and left them to join the Systems Alliance military. The day she graduated from the N7 program. The day she defended Elysium from pirates during the Skyllian Blitz. The day she found out about the Reapers.
Maria looked up to see the wings of a truly large creature spread out over the city. The wings were attached to a body that had four legs and four clawed feet. A long muscular tail and neck extended out in opposite directions from the body. The head had two formidable horns curved forward and as the creature opened it jaws rows of sharp teeth were enveloped in black and green flames that shot out and engulfed the unfortunate souls fighting below on the ground.
Today, Maria encountered her first dragon.
"And that would be how they think they're getting away with it," Maria said to herself as she watched four city blocks instantly become an inferno.
/ooooooo\
The dragon was big. Big enough that it would have been difficult to even fit in the Normandy's cargo bay, and with its wings extended it was a no go for sure.
After strafing that part of the city with fire the dragon flagged its wings and gained altitude, before angling over and toward the city wall. With all the city's cannons pointed toward outside threats the dragon had free reign over Marienburg. As soon as it reached the wall it breathed fire again and set everything ablaze for nearly a hundred yards.
With a few more flaps of its wings the dragon ceased its attack and took off into the night sky disappearing behind the clouds.
"Okay, you wanted to see a dragon and now you have, so what the hell are you going to do now?" This was so far beyond her area of expertise it wasn't even funny. As she looked around Maria could see the nearest cannon crews putting in the effort to turn their guns in toward the city, preparing for when the dragon appeared again.
They didn't have nearly enough time to prepare. A roar from above pulled Maria's attention up where she saw the dragon swoop back down out of the clouds and along the city wall once more. And this time it was flying directly toward her portion of the wall.
It roared as it reached the wall, flying only feet above the stone. The black caps not immediately fighting the dark elves ran for their lives or jumped from the wall in their terror. Those few that didn't move in time were seized in the creature's teeth and claws and torn apart. The same went for any cannon, mortar, or catapult in its way. Everything along the wall was demolished completely by its sheer power.
In mere seconds the dragon had killed over fifty men and destroyed everything in its path. And now it was bearing down on her.
The black caps behind Maria shouted in alarm as they struggled to turn their cannons, but the dragon was too close. It was going to be on them before they were ready.
Maria grit her teeth and fought to keep the shaking out of her hands as she turned and faced the approaching dragon. "This had got to be the stupidest thing I have ever done in my life," she said to herself, dropping to a knee with the locust submachine gun expanded in her hands. Shouldering the weapon, she aimed down the sights and kept the gun steady even as a part of her mind screamed at her to run for her life.
The men behind her needed time. Her weapons were the most powerful and advanced on the planet. They had to have the power to at least hurt that dragon.
Right?
"Short bursts," Maria said softly as she lined up the approaching dragon, "aim for the head and eyes. Don't use up your entire thermal clip."
The dragon was coming up fast as it opened its jaws breathed fire along the wall. As soon as it had Maria took aim and pulled the trigger. A quick three round burst was all it took for the dragon to stop breathing fire and snap its wings out to halt its flight over the wall, its jaw snapping open and closed as it shrieked and roared in surprise and pain.
The bullets had struck it right in the mouth. With a smirk, Maria lined up for her next shot and pulled the trigger again. With its flailing around, this time she missed the head, but the rounds still struck its chest and body. It was hard to miss something literally the size of a barn after all.
She saw it flinch in pain at the impacts, but her victory was short lived. With another tremendous roar the dragon took flight with a flap of its leathery wings and charged straight toward her.
For a creature so large it was scary fast when in flight. It was on her in moments and so close Maria could make out the orange of the creature's eyes, and that's when the panic took her. It wasn't just a mad beast intent on attack. The dragon was focusing on her. It knew she was the one causing it so much pain and it was coming to kill her.
Maria stood from her spot as she rapidly pulled the rigger sending more bursts into the dragon. She knew she was hitting it but the creature didn't even react this time. It continued its attack as black and green flames leaked from the corners of its jaws.
The dragon was feet from her.
"This was a big mistake!" she shouted giving up on her short bursts and simply held the trigger. The locust went fully automatic and only then did the dragon finally scream in pain.
It rapidly flapped its wings and flew straight over her. The power and air being displaced knocked Maria right to the ground. She had to quickly roll to the side to avoid being crushed by the dragon's tail scraping along the stone as it flew past.
Thick red drops of blood rained down along the wall as the dragon flapped for the safety of the sky. Maria wasn't at all comforted by the sight of the blood. With a hiss and a pop the thermal clip ejected from the locust in her hand and rolled on the stone as it steamed from the trapped heat within its casing.
The sight of the thermal clip left a pit in her stomach. She had emptied an entire clip into the dragon and only managed to hurt it enough to cause it to break off its charge. It was weird to say but a thresher maw would have been welcome right about now. They didn't have wings.
"What I wouldn't give for a Mako's cannon right about now," Maria groaned as she got back to her feet. The loss of the thermal clip aside, something even more unsettling was on her mind.
That dragon had passed by so close she had gotten a really good look at it. Its scales were black, and portions of its body were covered in armor. Armor that wrapped fully around its body and anchored a kind of saddle on its back.
That dragon had a dark elf riding it. She had even managed a glimpse of the elf just now when the dragon passed overhead.
"Actually, I'd take the whole Mako." Maria took a quick look back over the city. The Dark Elves were pulling out. She could see them returning to their ships. And speaking of ships, the two merchant sailing vessels she had spied leaving the harbor were well and truly out in open water, heading for the black ark. The Dark Elves had made their attack and taken what they wanted.
"I'd take the Mako, its very large cannon, and drive off into the sunset." Her lips twitched up in a small smile. "With my luck just on the other side of that sunset would be a very steep cliff. Wouldn't be the first cliff…"
The stone wall began to glow green and rapidly increased in brightness. Maria looked up and saw nothing but black and green flames.
"Oh shit!"
She ran and dove to the ground to avoid being crushed as the dragon dived straight out of the sky and landed on the wall with a loud crash, the stone breaking under its full weight. Flames licked off a hastily constructed barrier as Maria rolled back to her feet. The dragon, in all its terrible glory, stood directly before her.
And so was its rider. The dark elf literally leapt out of the saddle and landed right at Maria's very surprised feet. She raised her submachine gun but the ornately armored dark elf slashed quickly with a long wickedly curved and serrated sword, knocking the locust out of her hand and over the side of the stone wall.
As the dragon proceeded to lay waste to the men and cannons closest to it on the wall, Maria was busy trying not to be sliced by the advancing dark elf. Remembering her fight with the Vampire, she immediately activated her tech-armor and using her forearms did her best to deflect the sword thrusts aimed for her head and throat.
But the dark elf was fast, and his sword was faster. He thrust the point of the blade at her head forcing Maria to duck, but all she got for avoiding the sword was a kick in the face from the dark elf's boot.
Being knocked to the ground had one advantage since it allowed Maria to pick up a fallen sword. She got back to her feet and abandoning all finesse started swinging for all she was worth. The dark elf's face was hidden behind his crafted helm, but she could see his eyes and the surprise at her strong and frankly frantic counter attack.
She managed to back him up and regain the number of steps she had so recently lost, but her small victory was short lived. The dark elf took the full force of one of her swings, and in a complicated maneuver she could barely follow, slipped his sword along the length of her own, and with the barest movement twisted her sword and Maria's wrist, painfully forcing her to release her grip on the blade.
He then cut and slashed at her tech-armor with a vengeance. It seemed as if only a heartbeat had passed when Maria saw a flash of light and realized in alarm her shield had failed. The dark elf's sword was biting into her armor the next second. She felt a cut graze the side of her chest before he raised his sword and went for her head.
Maria stopped the blade on her forearm and it caught on one of the small claws extending out of the armor. Bringing the fight back on her terms she raised her free hand and blasted him full in the chest with a biotic warp. The dark elf was instantly thrown back several feet and rolled along the stone.
Maria would have followed up her attack with something flashy and no doubt fatal, but she was too busy staring at her forearm. When she had knocked the dark elf back his sword had slid along her armor. The very sharp cutting edge of the sword.
The blade had cut clean through and reached skin. A steady flow of blood was running down her arm and dripping to the stone beneath her feet. She put a hand to the itch on the side of her chest and pulled it back.
She just stared at her palm. It was covered in blood. He had cut through her armor twice.
Dire implications aside, her attention was pulled back to the dark elf as he easily got back to his feet. His chest plate looked mangled but was intact despite taking one of her warps point blank. A sharp whistle from behind his helm and the dragon roared in answer to the call. Maria could see it give up ripping Marienburg's guard to shreds and run straight back for her along the wall, snarling and flapping its wings as it did.
Maria threw an arcing warp into the air and it struck the dragon square in the nose. All it did was shake its head angrily and breath more fire. Didn't even miss a step. And that was when she made her decision. She still had her pistol. Her tech-armor had no doubt recharged by now. But she didn't reactivate it or draw her gun.
That dragon was absolutely, positively like nothing she had ever seen, and it and its rider had both just shrugged off biotic warps that would have made a Krogan cry without any problem.
Instead, Maria turned her back on them and ran for her life.
She managed two steps before something slammed into her shoulder, spinning her off-balance and caused her to lose her footing. She slipped on the stone and that's when the back of her heel hit nothing but air, her whole foot following next.
Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion then. Maria was falling over the edge of the forty-foot high stone wall with nothing to stop her. The dark elf was holding a crossbow in one hand and aiming it in her direction. He had shot her as soon as her back was turned.
It wasn't the fall that was going to kill her. It wasn't the crossbow bolts imbedded in her shoulder. It wasn't the cuts on her arm and chest.
The dragon flapped its mighty wings and propelled himself toward her as she fell. It opened its mouth, jaw wide and teeth sharp enough to tear a Kodiak drop shuttle in half. She could see its forked tongue lashing out and could feel its moist searing hot breath on her face as it lunged for her. The dragon's teeth were as long as her legs, with bits of wood, cloth and flesh stuck between them.
Maria didn't scream. Sadly, she knew what death felt like. This time all she did was shut her eyes as the dragon's mouth closed around her, a fleeting wish on her lips that things could have been different.
And that's when her back hit the ground. Her head snapped back against the dirt and she had to fight for breath, but she was on solid ground. Forty feet directly above her the dragon hung over the edge of the stone wall, its jaw snapped shut around nothing more than a cloud of thick black smoke.
The same black smoke partially covering Maria's prone figure as she laid on the ground.
The dragon above snapped at the smoke multiple times until it fully dissipated. Finding nothing but air, it finally reared its head back and let loose a chilling roar toward the sky. Denied of its prey, fury over took the beast.
Maria was shaking. "Holy shit…" She broke into a smile and started crying. She had seen to much, lived to much, miracles didn't exist, but this? She ran both her hands over her face and through her hair, a laugh escaping as she did. "Holy shit!"
The dragon roared again, and Maria instantly put her game face back on, wiping the tears off her cheek. That thing was still a threat and she wasn't safe yet. Miracles didn't exist, she couldn't count on whatever that black smoke was to save her again.
She was on the ground in the middle of an open courtyard. A staging ground for Marienburg's Black Caps. There were racks of weapons and shields standing half empty on her right, and a wooden crane used to lift cannons and their ammunition to the walls on her left, and directly behind her were the first few buildings of the city arrayed on the street.
Also on her right, her locust submachine gun lying right next to her.
"That's what I'm talking about," she said triumphantly. Maria reached for the gun, pulled a fresh thermal clip from her belt and slapped it in. She shouldered the weapon and opened fire on the dragon directly above her.
Two bursts and the dragon flinched back in pain with a shriek. It looked down and saw her below as it tried to climb back and use the wall for cover. Which was ridiculous, the dragon was bigger than the wall was wide, it couldn't hide from her.
Maria fired another burst into the dragon's body, but that's when she saw the dark elf jump onto the dragon's back, into the saddle, and command it to take flight. She watched it fly further down the wall and then arc over and back toward her.
Her heart started pounding again as she tightened her grip on the locust. "Get up," she ordered, her voice gaining strength. "Get up, get up, get up." She jumped to her feet and sprinted for all she was worth for the safety of the nearest buildings.
The dark elf had other plans. He guided the dragon in a wide turn, waiting until she was just about to reach the buildings. When Maria was steps away from them the dragon instantly dived down and swung its tail into the structure.
The wooden shop or home, she was never able to tell, burst into shrapnel, forcing Maria to raise a barrier to protect herself. She ran for the next one in line, if she could disappear in the alleys between them, she was free. But the dark elf steered the dragon back for another pass and this time had the creature breath a torrent of its green and black fire.
The street and homes were engulfed the first second and then exploded in a wave of fire the next. The force of the heat wave flung Maria back and she rolled across the dirt. She groaned as she got back to her feet. Something had popped in her back, her arms and legs were throbbing, and her face was stinging hot. She could also smell burnt hair… most likely hers.
The dragon and its dark elf rider were flying around for another pass. Bullets didn't seem to do anything more than annoy that thing, so maybe it was time for something bigger.
The dragon came at her, flying just above the rooftops. As it reached the courtyard Maria's body was enveloped by the blue glow of her biotic power. She reached out a hand and lifted the largest piece of burning house she had available and threw it into the dragon's path.
The dragon was pure power in flight. It had the mass, but it cost agility. The dragon opened its wings to try and halt its flight but something like that wasn't stopping on a dime. It crashed directly into, and continued through, what had previously been a building's wall.
And it fell.
Not so much fell as a controlled crash. Problem was it came down right where Maria had been standing. She had to run back into the courtyard's center as it hit the dirt behind her.
She turned back around to see the dragon still very much alive and still standing just in front of her. The dragon's head was bleeding and it was favoring one of its front legs. On its back was the dark elf. He was missing his helmet along with one of his shoulder pauldrons.
He had long black hair, pale skin, and he was bleeding pretty bad.
That put a smile on her face.
In contrast the dark elf's face was filled with hatred. He shouted a word in his own language, she didn't understand it, but the dragon advanced on her, limping and favoring a leg, but advancing.
Maria pulled up her submachine gun but before she could do anything the dragon's tail whipped out around its body and smashed directly into her chest. The locust flew from her hands while she was thrown back through the air. Her feet didn't even touch the ground before her back hit the stone wall standing behind her.
She fell to the ground in a heap, her body numb and no air in her lungs. Her vision was spotty at best, but she could see the green glow of the dragon's fire filling the air as it sped toward her. Reaching out she managed to put her hand in the strap of a shield standing against the wooden rack beside her.
Curling up into a ball and holding the shield tight against her side, Maria threw every iota of biotic power she had left into a barrier around herself just as the dragon's fiery breath washed over her.
The heat was beyond intense. The air burned her lungs, but there was so little of it breathing was impossible. Her skin burned, across her whole body, her collector armor couldn't compensate for extremes like this. She could smell the outer tissue of the collector suit as it cooked on her. The shield she was holding started to glow as the dragon's flames continued to roll over it and her rapidly weakening barrier.
But she wouldn't let it fail. The barrier would hold until she didn't need it to. Maria screamed as the heat burned through the shield and into her arm, but she could barely hear herself over the fiery barrage. The flames just kept coming and coming and coming…
And then they stopped.
As soon as they did Maria was on her feet. Her phalanx pistol expanded in her hand even as she kept an iron grip on the red-hot shield. Vision clearing Maria raised the pistol and took aim at the dragon and the dark elf still right where she had left them. She thumbed the pistol's laser guide on, took aim, and pulled the trigger.
The dragon flinched, actually flinched, at the sound of her pistol going off. Out of everything that had just happened Maria would never forget that one twitch. She had managed to scare a dragon.
But the creature wasn't her target. The dark elf riding it shouted in alarm and gripped his shoulder as the bullet struck him. He yelled out something as he stared in anger and shock at his bloody shoulder and then glanced back at Maria.
He looked a lot less cocky now too.
Maria met his eyes and shrugged. "Next one is through your eye," she shouted at him, giving her pistol a little wave for emphasis. It wasn't entirely an empty bluff, she had been intent on killing him with her first shot and was just glad she hit him. If her head would stop pounding, she could do it.
"I can go all night!" She steadied her hand as best she could and pointed it in his general direction. "What's it going to be cowboy?"
The dark elf glared back as the dragon he rode growled, its mouth starting to glow green once more. Its body tensed as it waited for the order from its master to kill her.
A piercing, high pitched cry filled the air, pulling the dragon's attention off her and into the air. It snarled and quickly backed up a few limping steps as another large animal plummeted from the sky and landed on the ground just a few yards off from its side.
The griffon, only half as big as the dragon standing in front of it, flared its wings out and snapped it beak threateningly. It jumped a few feet forward and screamed again with its hawk-like call, its front talons open and cutting deep into the dirt. The griffon's feathered chest puffed out, looking in no way scared of the larger beast standing before it. It was ready to throw down at a moment's notice.
Maria had to squint but she could see the silver armor of a person riding on the back of the griffon. Whoever it was, they had a firm grip on their beast's reins as he waved a sword above his head.
The dragon backed up further, spreading its own wings out as fire leaked out from its jaws. As soon as it had moved the griffon jumped, the claws on its hind legs digging into the earth, and it landed literally a foot in front of the dragon's face. The griffon's beak snapped out again, just missing the dragon as the wounded beast roared, flapping its wings hastily. It quickly gained altitude and fled from the griffon, out toward the safety of the sea.
Maria's arm dropped as she watched the dragon disappear behind the city wall.
"Oh thank god," she breathed out in relief, before promptly collapsing to the ground, unconscious.