Steel, Fire, Honor and Ruin
Chapter 10
how not to be seen
/ooooooo\
Location: A place in desperate need of medi-gel…
Day: 28
Teeth… teeth and claws… teeth, claws, giant wings and fire… fire, fire, fire, dragon, dragon, Dragon, DRAGON, DRAGON!
Maria Shepard's eyes snapped open as she jerked awake in a cold sweat, her heart hammering away in her chest. The dragon she had so recently fought had nearly managed to swallow her whole once again.
She sat up quickly. "Son of a –!" and then fell back just as fast with a whisper/scream/hiss as pain shot through her whole body. Screwing her eyes shut and clenching her teeth, she had literally felt the bones in her back and chest resetting themselves when she had moved.
Those heavy bone, muscle and skin weave upgrades were paying for themselves now. Miranda had promised her new body could take a serious beating. Yet another point for Cerberus cybernetics she guessed.
However, her XO had adeptly skipped over the pain involved during the complicated healing process… they were going to talk about that omission if – when, she got back home.
"What I would do for a single shot of medi-gel," Maria nearly cried as the pain subsided and she opened her eyes again.
She was laying on a cot inside a large white canvas tent. There was a nightstand with a lantern glowing beside her, but she could also see a wooden table set up in the center of the tent, another two lanterns glowing brightly and lighting up the rest of the space.
The tent was big. Looking around Maria quickly realized she was only occupying a small part of it, the sleeping area apparently. An actual bed was set up on the opposite side of the table. Complete with tall wardrobe and long cabinet. The entire floor of the tent was another sheet of canvas, but numerous animal skins were laid out to provide a softer, warmer surface. Somebody traveled in style.
Maria let her head fall back on the cot and took a steadying breath.
One night and everything she had going for her had been thrown into a black hole. The new clothes she had been given were sunk with the galleon. Along with all her money. And her witch hunter's coat and hat. Once again, she had nothing and would be starting from scratch.
Not that she couldn't start over, but seriously? Freaking dark elves and their sea-hydras.
And their dragons…
Maria groaned as a whopper of a headache started making itself known. She raised her right hand to massage her forehead when her arm inexplicably stopped midrise. Staring at the tent's ceiling, Maria pulled twice more on her arm and heard a metallic clinking noise.
"You have got to be joking," Maria deadpanned as she raised her head. Her right wrist had been shackled to the wooden cot she was resting on. Somebody had handcuffed her to the wooden cot.
She stared at the short metal chain holding her prisoner. "I just fought a dragon ridden by a dark elf psycho, no doubt saving countless lives… but yeah, no, this is reward enough, thank you."
A pulse of biotic power and the metal encircling her wrist snapped off. What the hell were these people thinking? Did they expect her to stay put based on some sort of honor system?
That dragon and dark elf had beaten the crap out of her, but it wasn't like she hadn't suffered worse. A certain alleyway back on Earth came to mind, not to mention the battle for Elysium, and hell, she didn't even have her cybernetic upgrades back then. Bracing herself, Maria pushed up from the cot and got to her feet. The pain didn't disappoint, surging back with a vengeance. Nothing felt broken as far as she could tell but her muscles were stiff, and her bones ached. It hurt every time she took a breath, but she made it to her feet and held back a whimper.
One small victory at a time.
The first thing she saw was her phalanx pistol and locust submachine gun sitting in the center of the table between the two glowing lanterns.
Victory number two.
"First these people cuff me to a wooden cot and then they leave the two most powerful weapons on the planet sitting in the open," Maria wondered aloud as the checked the guns over before fixing them back to her belt. The locust had taken a few scratches but other than that, they were operational.
"Three thermal clips left Maria," she reminded herself softly. A sobering reminder that the larger creatures on this planet were capable of soaking up more lead than a blood-frenzied Krogan.
She turned only to double over when a stabbing pain flared up her back. The only reason she was still standing was thanks to the table beside her.
"One shot," Maria pleaded as she fought through the pain, "just one shot of medi-gel and I'll do anything anybody asks." Mentally counting to ten, Maria pushed off from the table, staggered over to the bed, and sat down on the corner.
An image out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. When Maria looked to her right what she saw made her stop and stare.
There was a tall mirror standing in the corner of the tent. And what she saw was herself.
Maria was a literal wreak. Her face was red, not from the exertion of moving around, her skin was still healing from the burns she had suffered. Her blonde hair was a mess and she could see the frayed ends that had been burnt black. She'd be losing an inch to get rid of them all. And speaking of burns, her collector armor was unrecognizable. Maria now knew that without it she would have suffered even worse. The side that had faced the brunt of the dragon's fire was cooked, the collector tissue cracked and charred in places. But even the burns couldn't hide the deep red color that stained the side of her chest and forearm. The lacerations she had suffered at the hands of the dark elf and his sword had apparently bled for quite some time.
Maria swallowed down the lump that had been forming in her throat and tore her gaze away from the mirror. The image of that dragon's teeth closing around her flashed in her mind. She'd had more than her fare share of close calls. Hell, she'd died and been brought back. But that dragon. That was a whole other level of fucked up.
Okay, maybe this fight really did make her top five list after all…
Maria forced herself to look back at her reflection.
"You survived," she declared to the woman sitting across from her. "You survived this, and you'll keep on surviving until you get home." It took a moment, but the woman eventually smiled and nodded back.
She pushed herself back off the bed, the sharp pain she had been feeling was only a dull throbbing now. "Alright then, lets see what we're dealing with," she said, walking over to the flap of canvas that acted as the tent's front door.
Since the moment she had woken up, Maria could hear a multitude of people milling about outside. Lot's of them. And not just voices, but the sounds of a group at serious work. It was fairly clear thanks to the tent that she wasn't inside Marienburg anymore. The sounds of metal work, carts rolling by, horses being ridden past and the thud of boots marching in rhythm had filled her ears.
The port of Marienburg had been attacked and raided, Maria's best educated guess would be she was now inside a military camp. Based on the state of her own wounds very little time had passed. The canvas of her tent was dark without the glare of the sun beating against it. It could very well still be the same night.
Whose camp, was the next obvious question. And since she had been handcuffed to her cot, she suspected they weren't the friendliest or most understanding bunch of people.
Better than another prison cell, all things considered.
Reaching the tent flap, Maria found the center and tried to peel it back. Instead it stayed put, she only succeeded in moving it back an inch. Someone had tied the outside shut. Okay, not unexpected. They obviously didn't want their suspect to be free and wandering about.
Maria dropped down to a knee, carefully and slowly using both her hands to stretch open a portion of the fabric. Eventually she had her peep hole and stole a glimpse outside.
Well first it was still night. And she was in a military camp. Soldiers wearing full plate armor were walking and riding horses around just outside. And wholly crap, these soldiers were something special. The Bretonnian knights, with their colorful banners and ribbons had nothing on these guys.
Every soldier Maria witnessed pass by her tent was wearing a gilded suit of silver armor polished to a mirror sheen. They all had red and white feathers sticking up out of their helmets and had red and white ribbons roped over their shoulders, hanging down across their chests and backs. And speaking of chests, the breast plates of each soldier had an equally proportioned red cross emblazed over their hearts. They were all armed with swords and those riding past on horses – equally armored and adorned horses whose size made her previous mount look like a pony – had steel tipped lances painted red and white in a spiral down to the grip. Looking to the left and right, Maria could see the backs of a pair of these impressive looking soldiers standing guard in front of her own tent.
Maria let the flap close as she got back to her feet. Putting her hands on her hip she slowly paced the tent. Besides the soldiers there were a fair number of civilians hard at work doing what civilians did to ensure the smooth re-supply of the armed forces.
But the soldiers gave her pause. These guys looked nothing like any other force she had witnessed so far. They were highly trained and hardened professionals. She could tell the moment she saw them. The way they held themselves. The way they moved. Whoever had her, had the means to keep her if they so wanted. And based on the guards, the handcuffing to the cot, they wanted to keep her.
Yeah, it was probably time to leave.
Maria walked to the back of the tent and kneeled down. Working her fingers under the canvas, she began pulling it up. A few wooden stakes pounded into the ground were hardly going to stop her now. Once she had a five-foot section free from the dirt, she laid down and peeked outside.
More people. More soldiers. But more importantly, more tents. Those same impressive looking soldiers were out in force patrolling their camp, but Maria had her opening. The second everyone's back was turned on her Maria rolled out from her tent and quickly got to her feet. Her back was against the next tent beside her own and she quickly reached down and yanked the tent's wall up and rolled inside.
Her arm was raised and her omni-tool was lit as she got back to her feet. Maria was ready to zap anyone she saw with an overload burst. She wouldn't try to kill anyone unless forced to defend herself.
Luckily her new tent wasn't occupied. It was three times the size of the one she had woke up in… and packed with rows and stacks of weapons, shields, and most important of all, sets of armor.
Maria felt her fingers twitch along with the corners of her mouth. All this gear, and all of it sadly unguarded.
/ooooooo\
Armor was armor, it didn't matter how primitive it was. The hardest part of the whole ordeal was finding a suit that fit her without looking ridiculously oversized. And the noise. Metal clanking against metal was annoyingly loud when you wanted to be quiet.
Maria straightened her back, squared her shoulders, waited for the opportune time and then marched straight out of the tent and into the camp. She was wearing a full set of the same plate armor directly over her collector suit.
Minus the boots. The boots were too tricky. Instead she just had shin guards and the pair of plates that fit directly over her feet.
To ensure nothing was seen, under the metal plates, Maria was wearing a shirt of light chainmail. It wasn't easy putting it on over the forearm claws of her suit, but a small application of biotic power removed a few links to give them room. Her legs were another matter. And there was nothing she could do about them. Hopefully no one would be staring at them.
She smirked. It was a special day when she wasn't wishing that.
No one would know she was a woman thanks to the last piece of the set. A metal helmet that had its own bouquet of red and white feathers sticking out of the top. It also completely encompassed her head, cut off ninety percent of her vision and made it difficult at best to breath. She could raise the front visor, but it was the only thing protecting her identity. She would have to live with seeing only what the thin horizontal slit allowed her to see.
Her pistol and submachine gun were stashed away in a leather bag she had found in the tent. For the life of her, Maria couldn't keep the smile off her face when she thought of the sight she made. A knight in shining armor… with a leather purse slung over her shoulder.
To offset the silly image, she did have a long sword belted to her hip. Best sword she had owned yet. The metal suit was heavy but didn't severely restrict her movements. Whoever designed it knew their stuff.
Maria rolled her eyes at the thought. Well duh, of course they knew their stuff. You're stuck in the dark ages dummy.
Honestly, though, she kinda felt like a badass wearing all this gear. Collector armor looked awesome, but it lacked the physical weight of all the metal plates that just made her feel like a walking tank. This is what it must feel like to be a Krogan. No wonder they're always so cocky. Thoughts of headbutting everything in her path aside, Maria started walking through the camp and tried to get her bearings.
She could see the walls of Marienburg, so she was just outside the city. Even against the night sky Maria could see the smoke still rising over parts of the port. A light glow told her not all the fires were out yet.
It wasn't long before Maria stood in front of a long open sided tent filled with rows of cots not unlike the one she had woke up on. But each one of these cots had a wounded, or dying, soldier laying on it, and receiving care from the doctors and surgeons trying their best to ease their suffering. Whoever these soldiers were, it looked like they had arrived in time to help fight back the last of the dark elves stuck in the city.
She walked past a nearby table and snatched a used and bloodied rag from a growing pile. Doing her best to keep the wet side out, Maria raised her chin and wrapped the cloth around her neck, tucking a portion under the armor to hold it in place, but still leaving most of it visible.
She stopped messing with the bloody rag when a pair of soldiers suddenly appeared directly in front of her. Maria nearly tripped as she stopped herself mid-step.
Stupid visor! Never even saw them coming. She probably looked like an idiot nearly stumbling into these guys. Maria took a quick half step back and immediately righted herself, snapping off a salute. Which for these guys meant taking her right hand, forming it into a fist and placing directly over her heart.
Now she looked like a proper knight of this world. Standing at attention, saluting properly, sword at her hip… and with a leather purse holding her firearms slung over her shoulder.
She was so screwed.
Instead, as Maria's heart beat so fast she would have sworn everyone within fifty feet could hear it, the two men she had nearly mowed down never even acknowledged her presence as they continued their discussion.
Which, of course, they decided to do standing just two feet in front of her; forcing Maria to stand at attention.
Wearing the same stunning armor as the rest of the men, the man on her left held his helmet under his left arm and kept his right hand on the pommel of his sword. If his age and presence wasn't enough to give him away than the grass touching red cape draped over his shoulders certainly did. In the center of the cape was a skull stitched over a laurel wreath and the same red cross on the chest of every soldier's chest plate. He had to be some sort of commanding officer for the camp and forces within.
"It's not a permanent garrison," he said gruffly. Maria watched a thick grey-brown beard and mustache twitch up and down as the commander talked. "Aide the Black Caps in restoring peace and show the residents of Marienburg that even though they are a bunch of treasonous curs, full of themselves and their supposed freedom, their Emperor hasn't abandoned them."
Maria's eyebrows rose. Wow, how do you really feel about the city? The dude was practically snarling as he spoke.
"No more than a months' time," he continued. "Help them rebuild and the like. But not a day longer. Altdorf can't waste two hundred Reiksguard on a damn charity mission after all."
Maria tried to swallow down her panic. She really was screwed. They were Reiksguard Knights, officially the Grand Order of the Reiksguard. When Maria was researching the Empire there was no way she wasn't going to hear of these guys.
In comparison to the Systems Alliance, the Reiksguard were basically all rated as N7s in skill and standing. The Reiksguard Knights were the personal troops of the Emperor himself, loyal to him alone, not the Empire as a whole. His bodyguards as well as his premiere shock troops. They were the best knights and foot soldiers in the Old World, recruited from across every province of the Empire. Their order was several thousand strong and had garrisons across the whole Empire, but most of the Reiksguard are of course stationed in Altdorf with the Emperor.
She had been a prisoner, of sorts, inside their camp, and now she was masquerading as one of their knights. Oh, joy.
The soldier on her right, a man looking in his thirties with a few days' stubble covering his face, nodded in understanding. He was also holding his feather topped helmet under his arm, but his armor was no where near as adorned as the commanders. He was an identical match to Maria and all the other soldiers wandering around. The only thing that made him stand out was a plain, short red cape, attached at his shoulders that ended shortly at the small of his back.
Apparently, their length had meaning? Maria figured this just meant he was an officer of sorts.
"I'll make the arrangements," the officer replied crisply. Then he smirked. "No matter how much we help them I'm sure by a month's end everyone will be itching to be rid of us anyhow. Not that they won't be polite when asking us to leave of course. At least at first."
The older commander grunted. "Let them grumble and sneer all they want. A month of aid. That was the Emperor's command, and stick to that command we shall, to the very day."
How long was she supposed to stand here at attention? Was she allowed to side step around them or not? Damnit all, what was the medieval-age protocol for this sort of thing?
And why did her nose choose now of all times to itch so bad?!
The commander pivoted slightly, and Maria anticipated him moving on soon. "I believe we've kept them waiting long enough now, don't you think?"
"Any longer and we'd risk a diplomatic incident," the younger officer said with and amused smile.
The edges of the commander's beard and mustache twitched up slightly. "Well let's get to it then." He finally started walking again, but just as Maria was ready to make a dash for freedom he stopped once more. "The Elf probably brought some guards along…"
Finally acknowledging Maria's presence, he raised his hand from his sword and pointed two meaty fingers at her.
"You two, come with me," he commanded pointing first at Maria and then at someone else seemingly close by behind her. "I require and honor guard. You'll do."
Not wanting to blow her cover Maria fell instep behind the commander and the officer like a good little soldier, as another Reiksguard knight marched alongside her. In her head she was running the numbers to see if just sprinting off through the camp wearing a full suit of plate armor was worth the noise or not.
She sighed. Probably not.
/ooooooo\
Before she could think a way out of this mess, another larger tent loomed up ahead. Made entirely of deep red colored canvas with white and red flags streaming off at every point, Reiksguard Knights ringed the perimeter.
With growing trepidation, but a little bit of excitement at what could be inside, Maria marched along with the group through the front flap being held back by a pair of soldiers and entered the tent.
Despite its size, the tent was spartan in its choice of décor. If nothing else, that allowed Maria to relax somewhat. A few cabinets lined the tent walls, with full bookcases in-between. Tables of various sizes filled the center spaces with charts, maps, and scrolls laid out on top. Compasses, quills, and other devices Maria couldn't even identify at first glance sat atop the layers of paper.
The commander leading their group walked straight for the circular table in the center of the tent. Maria's little parade march ended when the commander stood at his place around the table, with his officer just standing to his left. The Reiksguard opposite Maria stood a respectable few feet behind the two men, so Maria took her own place just behind the commander's right.
A number of very different looking people were already standing around it, and three of them weren't even human. They were elves, and Maria's gaze was instantly drawn to them. They were the first examples of Ulthuan's military she had seen during her time stuck on this weird world.
It was fairly obvious that the one elf standing at the table was the officer and the two others behind were his guard. Just as the Reiksguard commander had predicted. The higher ranked Elf was wearing a gleaming suit of silver armor, in no way as clunky as those worn by Maria and the Reiksguard. The near seamless combination of plate metal and chainmail almost flowed around his body, looking more like a long coat he had thrown on rather than strapped together like her own suit; but it in no way lost its elegance. And it shined with hues of gold, white and red. A deep purple sash hung down off his right shoulder to his hip. His conical shaped helm was placed on the table in front of him. The top of the helmet was an impossibly detailed eagle opening its wings. He was also the first elf Maria had seen with short hair, and by short she meant his straight brown hair hung just to his shoulders.
The two soldiers behind him wore armor far more bland, yet still shined with blues and reds in strategic places. Their silver helmets were also bare of any design. But each was armed to the teeth, and Maria started counting off what she could see. A rectangular shield, as tall and wide as each elf, hung on their back, while they held spears in their right hands. Both of their left hands were holding the hilt of a short sword and besides the tall shield, each elf also had a bow and quiver full of arrows slung behind their shoulders.
One of her eyebrows rose as she took in the assortment of weapons. The amount of gear a soldier carried was equal to the amount of time it took to sufficiently train with each weapon. And given that she could reliably guess every elf soldier she met would be many hundreds ofyears old, these guys weren't to be messed with.
"Gentlemen," her commander began, "apologies for keeping you waiting. I was waylaid by a messenger from Altdorf."
A richly dressed man wearing a gold ring on each finger and a long gold chain necklace that ended with a pendant of a mermaid holding a sword in one hand and a pouch in the other huffed loudly from the opposite side of the table.
He was bald and wearing a very flamboyant wig to try and cover it up but didn't look older than his fifties. He also had the most impressive set of mutton chops Maria had ever witnessed. This had to be one of the wealthy Burgomeisters that ran Marienburg.
"General Christof von Forsberg… of course they would send you," he started with a cold sneer, with no attempt to disguise his clear disgust toward the man. "The gateway to the Old World is burning and the culprits sail away without fear of reprisals. Take your time though, General, I understand if Reikland is afraid to take on this threat. The lack of a spine makes it hard to stand tall against one's enemies."
The man standing on the Burgomeisters' left quickly cleared his throat and raised a hand over the table. He was armored with only a chest plate and gauntlets but his clothes under the armor were pitch black. He also had a floppy beret on his head of the same color. A member of the Black Caps, and if he was in this meeting, Maria guessed one of their leaders.
"Lord Hafner, with all respect, I won't allow such talk," the Black Cap said sharply. "Not on such a dark day in Marienburg's history. I'm still accounting for my dead. Without the timely arrival of the Reiksguard, we wouldn't have weathered the storm so well."
Well we like him, Maria decided instantly. Cared about his men and honored those who risked their lives to help protect the city.
And now she knew who the rescuers were. The Reiksguard commander was General Christof von Forsberg. And his name did tell her a little bit more about the reality of the situation.
First off, he wasn't the ranking officer in charge of the Reiksguard. That man held the title of Reiksmarshal, and he was the commander of all the Empire's military forces, second in power to only the Emperor himself. But, if General von Forsberg was here leading these unrivaled soldiers, it meant he had the confidence of the Emperor.
And secondly, it brought about a question. What was a general of the Empire doing this close to an independent city-state with two hundred of Altdorf's premiere soldiers?
The last man standing at the table, to the Black Cap's left, let out a hearty laugh.
"A storm, is that what you'd call it?" he asked the gathered group of men with a wide smile. "Three greatships sunk, Rijker's Castle has more holes in it than a slice of swiss cheese, and Elftown will continue burning well into the night." He laughed again. "A storm? Gods man, I'd hate to see what you truly regard as a catastrophe!"
Maria could only stare at the figure making such a spectacle at this solemn gathering of prominent figures. An average man of average build and average height, there was still no mistaking him in a crowd.
For starters he had a short almost military style haircut – oh, and it was dyed bright orange. He was wearing a heavy looking robe, lined with thick strips of leather around the edges. The robe had also been dyed a deep rust color. Cinched at the waist by a leather belt, it opened revealing a chainmail shirt underneath. The entire left side of his face was scarred, and Maria recognized it as an old burn injury.
He had a sword at his hip, but what really caught her eye was the staff he was holding. It wasn't anything fancy, just a six-foot, knotted length of wood. He could have just found a branch lying in the woods a few minutes ago for all she knew. Nope, nothing special about it at all… except for the fact the top twelve inches were burnt to charcoal, and still, impossibly, glowing red with light wisps of smoke occasionally escaping from the wood when a spark of flame suddenly burst to life, and then died out just as quickly.
Maria tensed inside her armor. This was bad. Very, very bad. Around the man's shoulders she could see the air condense and coil about, before dissipating in gentle waves back throughout the tent.
He was a Bright Wizard. She would have known that even if she couldn't somehow see the magic weaving around him. A member of the magical college that commanded fire into a devastating weapon. The Bright Order was the largest magical order in the Empire and considered by many to be its most powerful. It was hard to argue with that fact when members of this order could rain fireballs onto their enemies' heads with a single thought.
And Maria, who somehow had magical power of her own, was stuck in a tent with this man.
"You did see the black dragon, or was I hallucinating the whole thing?" The scarred wizard continued to smile, completely oblivious to Maria's internal freak-out. He looked around the table. "Honestly, I'm asking. Was I hallucinating? Had some mushrooms in my meal earlier in the evening and they didn't taste right from the go."
The Black Cap ran a hand over his face. "There was no way for us to account for such an attack. Marienburg is fortified against assaults from the sea and land, but who could predict the dark elves would bring such a force to bear against this city?"
Maria could see the pain in the man's eyes as he spoke. He truly hadn't considered such an attack and now people had died, his people, because of this lapse in judgement. It was easy to sympathize with him, when she had been in his shoes more than once already.
"We pay you to protect this city," Lord Hafner growled, shooting the soldier a dark look. "Do your job right and there will never be a next time."
Maria glared. And the asshole of the month award goes to…
"Both the ark and dragon raise a number of concerns." General von Forsberg shifted slightly to address the high elf standing at the table. "You know who that bastard was, the one riding the dragon?"
The high elf wearing the purple sash shook his head with the slightest of movement. "No."
"You're joking, of course," the bright wizard said, all his earlier humor gone. Maria watched the elf's face tighten. He clearly wasn't happy about the situation either.
"I assure you I'm not." She also noticed the elf's accent now that he was talking. His words were clipped and firm, more like he was remembering each word and its meaning right before he spoke them. Made sense. Could have been decades since the last time he had spoken Reikspiel. "I have no name to put to the druchii leading this fleet. I won't know until my own ships catch the black ark and sink it to the bottom of the ocean. I can only assume it is someone of significant importance, since the Witch King would never allow a black dragon, let alone an ark, this far outside his iron grip without having the confidence in the druchii lord's command of the force."
He looked to Lord Hafner. "You are fortunate. It my fleet hadn't already been following the trail of dark magic emanating from the ark, you wouldn't have a city left to govern."
The Black Cap bristled. "All due respect Admiral, but I believe the city still belonged to the citizens of Marienburg well before your fleet, or the Reiksguard, arrived and lent your aid. We –"
He was cut off when a fist slammed down onto the table with a bang.
"You knew!" Lord Hafner shouted in fury. His eyes were daggers and bouncing back and forth between the high elf Admiral and General von Forsberg. He lifted his fist from the table and an accusing finger joined his eyes, pointing rapidly at the two of them. "You knew the dark elves were coming! Damn the both of you! You knew! Don't deny it now; two foreign powers on our doorstep just as the dark elf fleet arrives to sack my city!? You will tell me you knew!"
The only reaction the man got from the high elf was a single raised eyebrow, which clearly infuriated him even more. Lord Hafner swept his hell fury gaze back to the General.
"Of course, we knew." The silence in the tent from the General's admission was palpable. Lord Hafner looked a hair's breadth from exploding while the Black Cap officer beside him stood in slack-jawed shock.
Maria stared at the back of the General's head. She couldn't see his face but based on his tone of voice she would bet a month's pay his features were stone. "Six days ago Altdorf received an urgent missive from Sea Lord Aislinn. While the Empire and the Princes and Princesses of Ulthuan have little in the way of formal military ties, the Emperor was respectfully informed a druchii fleet had slipped past Ulthuan and was headed for our shores. The Emperor immediately sent warning north, to Nordland and the Imperial Second Fleet, while sending myself and two hundred Reiksguard east and up the river Reik, to reinforce Marienburg should the need arise."
Lord Hafner ground his teeth together. "Why were we, the lords of Marienburg, not informed of this approaching threat?"
"The Empire was informed of the threat, my lord, and the Emperor took the necessary precautions to protect it," General von Forsberg replied with no emotion. "To this day Marienburg remains its own sovereign power, independent of his majesty's influence and his protection."
Lord Hafner pointed a finger over the table toward the General, stabbing and whipping it about as though it were a sword capable of disemboweling the man standing across from him. "You… You swine. You whoreson. Bastard! Flea-ridden mongrel! I damn you and your Emperor to hell! Morr take you both and torment your souls for eternity! Leave my city! Get out of my sight this instant, or I'll have you and your knights' heads sent back to the scum in Altdorf!"
The General's tone remained emotionless. "Unfortunately, I cannot depart or give you my head. Despite my strong counsel against it, the Emperor has ordered us to remain here for the next month. We are to assist in the repairs of the city's defenses and provide security during these trying times.
"Why the Emperor has deigned to grant this small favor on your petty city, I'll never know. Better to let the wolves sink their teeth in and rid us of your feeble independence once and for all. Make no mistake, the armies of Middenland and Nordland would be laying siege in a fortnight if it weren't for the Reiksguard patrolling outside your walls."
There was a vein on Lord Hafner's forehead that looked ready to burst. "How dare you threaten –"
"Furthermore," the General continued, "until the dark elf fleet has been found and sunk the Empire will cease all trade with Ulthuan through Marienburg's port. We will instead send all goods north, to the Nordland port-city of Dietershafen. Hopefully the dark elves will be contained in the south, giving our ships a better chance to reach Ulthuan unmolested."
"Now you listen to me! Marienburg does not accept –"
"What was stored inside the galleons Hafner?" The Bright Wizard looked pleased with himself interrupting the burgomeister yet again.
Lord Hafner fumbled his words as he glanced at everyone in the tent.
The Bright Wizard cleared his throat, helpfully buying the burgomeister time to collect his thoughts. "I asked, what was inside the galleons? The druchii attack was a diversion. Two galleons were commandeered and sailed right out of the port. What did they steal?"
Well at least someone else had seen that, Maria thought to herself. About time I – they – got some answers. They need the answers… you've got enough on your plate as it is.
"I don't know what you are talking about," Lord Hafner replied after blinking way too much.
Riiiiight. No one else bought it either.
The Black Cap knew enough to know when he was caught. He shot a quick glance over to the elf. "It's a… a recent purchase. Cost us two galleons full of gold. Just gold, no jewels or diamonds. We sent two galleons packed with enough gold to fund the Black Caps for another ten years…" he took a deep breath, "and in return Caledor sent our two galleons back filled entirely with sets of armor forged from ithilmar."
For the first time the Reiksguard officer standing beside his commander made a noise, and it sounded suspiciously like he was choking.
"Ithilmar!" he finally coughed out. "The stuff that rivals the dwarf's gromril for the strongest metal in the world! Just two galleons of gold bought you all that?"
"He lies." The High Elf Admiral was starring at the Black Cap with such intensity it chilled Maria to the bone. Turns out he was proper frightening when he wanted to be.
"No, telling the truth on this one," the Black Cap admitted heavily. "Marienburg stands alone. We've got our walls, our island fortress, but you saw how much that's worth against a committed enemy. If the Black Caps don't have an edge, we'll lose."
"It is against the law for an elf to sell, trade or gift ithilmar to any non-elf, without the Phoenix Lord's direct approval," the High Elf Admiral stated forcefully. "It leaves Ulthuan on our soldiers' shoulders or not at all."
The Black Cap gave him a weak smile. "You don't have to tell me that. We've been trying to smuggle the stuff off Ulthuan for decades. You can imagine our surprise then when the great Prince Imrik of Caledor himself arranges the whole sale. A crap ton of gold for the metal. We thought the sale was a complete secret. Obviously, someone snitched, either on our side or the Prince's." His smile became a lot more smug. "Worse if the snitch is on your end I think."
Ha! Maria had to give the guy credit. His ass was on the line, but he was still trying to keep the elves off balance by planting an even worse scenario in their minds. And it seemed to work. The Admiral's jaw tightened and his two soldiers tensed up.
General von Forsberg cleared his throat loudly, getting the attention of the tent. "The illegal sale of ithilmar is a matter for Ulthuan to resolve. Lord Hafner, you lost three greatships when the dark elves attacked. The Empire is willing to sell you another three to replace the ones you lost. Given your city's weakened state, instead of direct payment, the Emperor will expect a thirty-five percent reduction to tariffs for all goods passing through the port. You will also persuade your other burgomeisters on Marienburg's ruling council to allow a small flotilla of Imperial naval ships to remain garrisoned in the port, as a precaution in case of future druchii attacks."
And the bulging vein in the forehead was back. "Thirty-five percent reduction? And a naval occupation of the city?" Lord Hafner sputtered in outrage. A few deep breaths hardly allowed his anger to cool. "Fifteen percent reduction to spices and other edible goods for the next twelve months, but your naval occupation of the city is denied outright!"
"Twenty percent reduction to tariffs on all goods passing through the port and the price remains locked for the next two years," the General countered. "And the ships dock within the week, with or without Marienburg's approval. As much as a pain as it is, your city is vital to the economic stability of the entire Empire. I don't care if the marines have to fight the Black Caps for the space to dock."
Lord Hafner opened his mouth, but the General continued over him. "I wouldn't be making these terms if I didn't already have the Emperor's approval. You can accept them, or travel to Altdorf and argue it out in person. Trust me when I say you'd have a better chance arguing against my griffon."
Lord Hafner slammed his fist back down onto the table once more and marched around the table to stand beside the General. He shoved a finger into the man's face, the digit trembling with rage, but then yanked it back and stormed past Maria and out of the tent without another word.
The Black Cap had followed him around the table and now stood just between both Maria and the other Reiksguard. He turned half back and looked at the General.
"I'll ensure your ships have the space to dock," he promised them but his tone changed quickly, "though you may want to ease off on the burgomeisters. You can't threaten them forever, they have too much gold on their side. Push into their profits and they'll push back."
General von Forsberg frowned back. "And the Black Caps will do the pushing?"
"The Black Caps have always respected the Empire's authority, but we are independent and paid to protect the city against all threats."
"And that makes you a foreign power, occupying a crucial city of the Empire." General von Forsberg fixed the man with a look that strongly reminded her of Urdnot Wrex, right before the Krogan charged his opponent and beat them to death with his fists alone. "Attempt another purchase of armor or weapons on this scale again and you'll have more than two hundred Reiksguard outside the city."
The Black Cap left the tent just as silent as his Lord.
"What fun!" The Bright Wizard smiled wide. "Now that all the trivial stuff has been taken care of can we focus on what really matters? Or do you have some more scowling to do Christof?"
"That's General Christof to you, wizard," the General said turning back to the table. "And you're next on my list. What the hell were you doing when a black dragon suddenly appeared over Marienburg?"
"What do you think? Running with the rest of them, that's what I was doing!" he scoffed back. "What was i supposed to do, shake my staff at it? It was a dragon! It literally breathes fire. I know you bull-headed types like to fly right into the maw, but the rest of us are a little better educated."
"Your fire mage is correct," the elf added. "Griffons are powerful beasts, but only another dragon, and an experienced elf ridding it, can hope to challenge a drake head on."
General von Forsberg huffed. "The Emperor would happily correct you on that claim. And Reaver may not be as big as Deathclaw but he and I were quite ready to tear into that black dragon."
Reaver and Deathclaw? Maria rolled her eyes. Some names these men gave the griffons they rode. And now Maria knew who her blurry rescuer had been. The General himself had chased the dragon and dark elf off. Of course, that was after she had done the heavy lifting.
The elf shrugged, indifferent. "Regardless, luck was on your side. The druchii lord had the ithilmar and there was no reason to further endanger himself or his drake." He pointedly met the General's eyes. "Not after the injuries he had already suffered at the hands of that woman."
Oh crap.
The Bright Wizard nodded. "A woman capable of going toe-to-toe with a black dragon. On foot, no less! Never seen armor like hers before. Kept her injuries superficial, as far as we can tell at least." He grinned. "Showed her figure well enough. Whoever she is, she's doing good for herself."
Maria blinked. The human flamethrower had checked her out while she had been unconscious. That was either flattering or irritating… she hadn't decided which yet.
"Fit, armored, and she held her own for a time," General von Forsberg summarized. "Means she knows how to fight. She was trained. Easy coin says she's a soldier of some sort."
"A soldier fights for a cause," the high elf added. "Who does this woman fight for?"
"I think its time we found out," General von Forsberg declared.
"She's got some weird magic about her," the Bright Wizard said cautiously. He was as serious as Maria had seen him so far, and that worried her more than anything. "We need to be cautious. Anything that can let her stand against a dragon and live to tell the tale…"
Great. The same wizard that had been checking her out was also uncomfortable with her biotics. At least Maria hoped he was just talking about her biotics.
"I'd like to make my own conclusions," the high elf spoke up, turning to face General von Forsberg. "I may not be a mage, but I'll recognize foul magic when I see it."
The General paused a moment but then gave the elf a nod. "Alright. We'll do this together." He looked to his officer. "Captain Zintler, get another six men and meet us back at your tent. Bring one of the doctors with you, just to check her over. If she's awake, and when we've finished questioning her, I'll escort her back to Altdorf under heavy guard. We'll keep her under lock and key until we learn more about her."
"Yes sir." Captain Zintler motioned to the tent's exit, looking expectantly to the bright wizard and elves. "If you'll follow me."
He walked out of the tent, the high elves and bright wizard following behind, leaving Maria alone with the General and a single Reiksguard. General von Forsberg remained still as he looked down at the table top. It wasn't long before he turned around and released a heavy sigh.
"Alright," he focused on the Reiksguard opposite Maria, "regardless of what comes I need to get back to Altdorf. Check in with the quartermaster and ensure the supplies are ready. And be sure he hasn't over-fed Reaver. I'll need speed, not a griffon with a bulging stomach. And you…" he turned and stepped in front of Maria.
Oh. Dear. Lord. He knows! Kick his knees out, bash the guard's helmet in, and make a sprint for it!
General von Forsberg bent his knees and looked closer at Maria's neck. "A druchii knife get a little close for comfort?"
Wait, don't kick his knees out! Maria nearly sagged in relief. Her little insurance plan had paid off after all.
The General straightened back up and smirked. Apparently, the idea of a Reiksguard getting knifed in the throat was funny somehow? "Well? What was it? Knife or sword? I'd like to know what drills I'm going to have the regiment run through when we get make it back."
Ah. You get knifed, and obviously it was because you weren't paying enough attention in battle. Get better or die next time soldier.
Maria gave her head a light shake and pointed to her throat.
"That bad, huh?" General von Forsberg raised an eyebrow. "Get yourself to the surgeons, have them look at it. Do it now, that's an order. Blood looks a little too fresh for comfort. Can't have a Reiksguard bleeding out because they were too stubborn to sit still for some stitching."
And with that said he left the tent without a backward glance, the other Reiksguard following him out. Maria was alone in the huge tent.
Wow, what a ride. There had been enough emotion in this tent to give the Normandy a run for its money.
She walked up to the table. Underneath all the other papers and strange devices she stared down at a four-foot by four-foot map of the Empire. Incredibly well detailed. Terrain, cities, towns, roads, rivers and the borders between the provinces.
She easily found Marienburg and her gaze immediately went North to the province of Nordland. Quickly scanning the coastline, she found the coastal city of Dietershafen and couldn't suppress a groan. The distance between the two was nearly identical to the distance she had just traveled when she left Nuln. That would have been a two-week journey if she hadn't been lucky enough to hitch a ride up the river by boat. With the port still burning and practically shut down, the prospect of a ship this time was nil.
Burying her frustration, Maria pushed everything off the map and then began carefully folding it over on itself until it was compact enough to shove into her leather bag to be stashed along with her weapons. Then she pulled the blood-stained rag from her throat, tossed it to the ground, and marched out of the tent.
/ooooooo\
She was living on borrowed time. That General, Elf, Bright Wizard and a whole bunch of Reiksguard were minutes from learning she had done the impossible and escaped being handcuffed to a flimsy wooden cot and tied inside a thin canvas tent.
Maria quickly made her way through the camp, trying to work out the logistics of how she was supposed to survive the trip North. She'd need another horse. And supplies. Not to mention more money. Two weeks was a long time though. Would she have enough food? Water? The General said that he and his men had made the same trip in only six days. They must have pushed themselves and their horses fairly hard to make such a trip. These guys were supposed to be the best of the best, but they also knew things Maria didn't. This was their home, not her's.
While she had been silently driving herself crazy, Maria had also walked the entire width of the camp. There was a noticeable change as tents transitioned to carts and covered wagons. Following the familiar noises, and unfortunately smell, Maria found what she was looking for.
And just in time too, based on the faint shouts of alarm slowly gaining intensity behind her.
Keeping calm, she walked toward the make-shift stables and corrals housing the Reiksguard horses. As she approached, one of the civilians taking care of the animals looked her way, so Maria made a big show of digging through her leather purse, quickly pulling out the folded map, only to stuff it back in again.
Her little show payed off as the man shouted something over his shoulder. Just as Maria reached him a second man came out of the stables leading a horse by the reins. Perfect! These guys already knew she was a Reiksguard thanks to the armor and after her show they figured her for some sort of courier.
"Fresh, fed and watered," the man leading the horse informed her. He guided the horse to stand just in front of her. "Saddlebags are filled, and you got yourself two waterskins."
Maria barely heard him. She was to busy staring at the armored behemoth this guy called a horse standing in front of her. Her first horse, Steven, was a Bretonnian workhorse. When she had stood alongside him her entire head was over his saddle.
She couldn't see over this horse. Standing on tip toe she just managed to peek over the saddle. He had a grey head, and legs but that was all she could see, because the rest of the horse was entirely covered in metal plated armor that hung down to its knees. Even the neck was covered and protected. She was going to be riding a living tank.
Oh no. It hit her like a ton of bricks as she stared at the huge saddle. She was wearing her own full suit of armor, so how was she going to even get on this monster?! Luckily the first man she had seen had suddenly reappeared as he placed a wooden step stool on the ground in front of her.
Maria nearly hugged him. Instead she took the two steps up and then jumped so she could swing a leg over the back of the giant horse.
"So where you headed?"
Maria got her feet in the stirrups and took hold of the reins. She looked down at the man that had brought the step stool and shook her head.
"Alright, alright," he said with a grin, hands up in surrender. Clearly this wasn't the first time curiosity had got the better of him.
The man who had brought the horse stepped away with a frown as he looked toward the center of the camp, where Maria had just come from. The shouting had gained considerable volume, and the camp was lighting up as more fires and torches were being lit. No doubt to search for the escaped fugitive.
"What in the world is going on over there? We being attacked? Thought they rang the bells if we were being attacked?"
He looked up at her as Maria steered her horse away. "You know what's goin' on?"
Maria shrugged as best she could while covered in the armor and shook her head again. Giving them both a quick salute she gave the reins a snap and the horse took its leave.
North. Maria kept Marienburg and the coastline on her left as she rode into the night. There wasn't much light, from either of the moons, so she had to be careful and allow the horse to pick its own speed. She may have had a map of the roadways in her bag, but something told her traveling by road after just escaping from a military camp was a bad idea. She'd be roughing it in the wilderness for the first few days until she was sure the Reiksguard weren't pursuing her in force. Then, maybe, she'd find a road and make better time.
Maria sighed as the horse trotted along, the stress of the night finally easing off her shoulders. Part of her wondered if she should have just revealed herself back in the tent, but she shook that thought away. The Bright Wizard had admitted he didn't like her biotics. The General was planning on taking her back to Altdorf in chains regardless of their conversation. And that elf looked rather annoyed that she had managed to survive her whole fight with the dragon and dark elf at all. What, did he feel threatened by her or something?
Her mission to Ulthuan and the elves was still on, but once she was there hopefully those elves would be more open to hearing her story before making assumptions.
Her grip on the reins tightened. Time, that's what it all came down to now. She was looking at months before she even reached the island continent. Months. Months! Because that's time she could spare while the Reapers recovered from her attack on the Collectors. Time they could consolidate their power, find a way into the galaxy, and burn every single civilization to dust, while she was stuck on this primitive, backward, medieval, magical… stupid…freaking…planet!
An embarrassingly loud rumbling filled the night air and Maria put a hand over her stomach.
"Of course," she grumbled. In a daredevil maneuver, she risked holding the reins with one hand, while the other started rummaging through the saddle bags for something to chew on.