Steel, Fire, Honor and Ruin
Chapter 15
what you don't know can't…
Location: Dietershafen, port-city of Nordland
Day 44
Maria Shepard finished brushing out her hair, set the brush down on the dresser, and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was happy to see her blond hair was growing back nicely after being torched by dragon fire. It was no longer uncomfortably short and had started to grow over and tickle her ears. Another week and she'd have her old locks back.
Turing her head, Maria ran her hand lightly across her cheek and neck, over the four long scars that still remined from her tangle with the undead wolves. The itchy bandages that had covered the wounds had been discarded early, and she could picture the doctor's scowl and the ass chewing he would have given her if he knew she had done so. For their part they did keep the wounds clean until her cybernetics regrew the skin and closed the open cuts. Right now, all that remained of the deep gashes were four red lines that still felt tender under the touch of her fingertips.
Looking into the mirror Maria saw a small smile on her face as she thought of her crew back on the Normandy. It would have been entertaining to compare battle scars with Jack, Garrus, Grunt and Zaeed. They could have argued over who was the roughest and toughest of the bunch. Ultimately, she would have been eliminated from the contest first. Her scars always healed, and as Garrus would joke, Maria was a Spectre, a known liar, who spun tall tales for a living.
She missed them all. It was terrible not even knowing if they were alive.
Burying those feelings, Maria turned away from the mirror and back to the bed where her collector armor, Nordland uniform and cloak were laid out. She picked up the armor.
Just a few more weeks on the ocean. That's all that stood between her and the High Elves. The hard part of the journey was over. She survived her trek across the Empire and now getting to Ulthuan was all that remained.
Everything would be fine. She would see her friends again. It was just a matter of time.
/ooooooo\
Maria dismounted from George outside the stables near the city's garrison.
"You must be the Reiksguard I was told to expect." A soldier came walking over to her and the horse. He wasn't wearing Nordland's blue and yellow uniform but instead the solid deep blue color she had seen back in Middenland.
She spotted the wolf insignia over his breast when he got closer. Yup, Middenland. Nordland had a sea-hawk as their symbol.
His eyes were fixed on George and he patted the horse's neck with a grin on his face. "My, my… aren't you a beautiful beast."
A small part of Maria bristled at the comment. "Beastmen are beasts," she said, not so subtly putting herself between the man and George. "This is a warhorse of the Reiksguard."
"No offense intended my ladyship," the soldier said raising his hands in placation but still grinning widely. "Just that I've seen horses, and then I've seen horses. Even Middenheim doesn't have stock like this."
Hmph. At least he understood how special George was.
"You're the one who's taking him back to the Reiksguard?" Maria asked. The day before she had gone back to the Harbor Master to make the arrangements. She had borrowed George without asking after all. If it was possible, she wanted him returned to the Reiksguard after she left the Empire.
"Me and a caravan of about thirty others. We leave tomorrow morning. Gods being good, we'll be returning to Middenheim by the week. This beauty will be in the local Reiksfort soon after."
"And then they will take him back to Altdorf," Maria finished for the man.
He just shrugged. "Don't know. I suppose it depends if the local Reiksguard keep him or not. It's a long trek across Middenland and back to Altdorf just for a single horse."
Maria didn't like that. It made perfect sense, but she didn't like it. She had taken George from General Christof von Forsberg, that Captain Zintler, and two hundred Reiksguard dispatched from the Imperial capital to reinforce Marienburg against a dark elf attack.
If they had been stationed in Altdorf that meant they were directly guarding the Emperor. They had to be the very best of an already elite organization. And based on how utterly amazing George had been along their journey together, never leaving her side even after being tackled by a minotaur, it didn't matter how little Maria knew about horses in general, George was just as singular and exceptional as the men who would have been riding him.
"No," she said getting the soldier's attention. "You need to take this horse to Middenheim, and then tell the local Reiksguard that they need to return him to Altdorf."
His earlier grin vanished. "I can pass the message on but I'm just the man taking him between the provinces. I won't tell the Reiksguard what to do with their horses."
"Then remember that I am a Reiksguard Knight. If you are taking George, then pass this on to the Reiksguards you meet. He belonged to the group of knights sent under the command of General Christof von Forsberg to protect Marienburg from the dark elves. I rode him on my own from that city all the way here to Dietershafen. Along the way I was attacked by undead and beastmen. This horse stayed by my side through it all and kicked a minotaur between the eyes for me, saving my life.
"He will be returned to Altdorf and the capital's knights. Am I understood soldier?"
The man's wide eyes blinked once before he snapped to attention in front of her.
"Yes sir – my lady. I understand completely, and will pass the message along, sir."
Maria nodded. "Good. I just finished a meeting with Sea Lord Ludolf Köhler. If the Reiksguard of Middenheim still don't understand the significance of this horse making it back to Altdorf, then tell them I will have my friend the Sea Lord personally write a letter to the Emperor informing him that one of his generals best mounts is on its way back to the capital."
"I'm sure the local Reiksguard of Middenheim will be happy to assist returning one of the General's best horses," the soldier quickly replied.
Maria eyed the man. He seemed properly scared straight. She did just lie to him and involve the most powerful people in the Empire simply to get a single horse back to those whom she had borrowed from; but she didn't care. She was leaving the Empire behind, and George had gone above and beyond for her.
"One more thing," she added, facing the horse and scratching under his chin. "George likes apples more than carrots. Make sure you give him some along the trip."
"Yes sir." He looked confused for a moment. "George… is the horse?"
She looked at the man. "Yes."
He snapped back to attention. "A fine name my lady."
Maria smiled to herself. It was clear the soldier would take good care of him now. She ran her hand down his face.
"Goodbye George." She gently hugged his head and he let her without moving. "Thank you for everything." Then she stepped back and handed his reins over to the Middenland soldier.
There was a Wolfship on the docks waiting for her.
/ooooooo\
An Imperial Greatship was designed to be an impressive figurehead, leading other warships into battle. Those other ships were the Wolfships.
A Wolfship was a long shallow-bottom vessel capable of crossing the great oceans and shallowest rivers. Three triangular sails grabbed the wind, while the length of the wolfship's broadsides didn't have cannons but instead had space for rows of oars, that gave the warship the burst of speed it needed for its primary weapon, a titanic iron ram at the fore of the ship. Once the Wolfship had closed with its enemies that's when the batteries of cannons opened fire, located in the tall forecastle and aftcastle. While it had less than half the number of cannons as a Greatship, the Wolfship still retained a three-hundred and sixty-degree firing arc. Pit a squadron of these warships against a foe, and there was no clever deployment or subterfuge. The wolfships would simply put on speed and close the distance. Any enemy ship that miraculously avoided a collision would still fall prey to the volleys of cannon fire.
Maria stood on the docks staring up at the wolfship that would be her home for the next few weeks. It was longer but wasn't as tall or wide as the galleon she would have been traveling on (if the dark elves hadn't screwed that up) but it was a pure-bred warship.
And if the giant ram or cannons didn't get that point across than the sailors and marines working along the decks did. All two hundred of them.
The hull was painted in brilliant shades of blue and yellow. The sails were white but the one in the center, the largest, had the image of sea-hawk in front of an enormous red cross. The symbol of Nordland with the Reikland cross behind it. A Nordland warship, but in service to the Imperial Second Fleet. Three flags displaying the same symbol flapped in the wind atop each mast.
She took the first step on the ramp leading up to the deck, then froze.
The electric surge of fear filled Maria. Her throat constricted while her heart hammered away in her chest. Without hesitation she pulled her foot back and was already walking the dock back to shore.
…if I set foot on that boat, I'll die…
That one thought filled her mind. Over and over again until that's all she knew in the world. Maria looked over her shoulder back to the ship and the sight of it sent another crushing wave of fear through her.
…if I set foot on that boat, I'll die…
She stopped on the dock midstride and closed her eyes. Maria was no stranger to fear. But it didn't control her actions, it sharpened them. Getting to Ulthuan was her only way home. A wooden boat powered by the wind wasn't the ideal method of transport, but it would have to do. Her hands shook and sweat began cover her brow, but she re-opened her eyes and spun on her heel. She forced her feet to take her back toward the ship.
Two steps were all she managed before fear grew to terror.
…if I set foot on that boat, I'll die…
Maria jerked to a stop on the dock. Her whole body shook. Images of sea-hydras, dragons, krakens filled her mind. Each tore the ship apart in seconds and ate the crew. Hurricane storms pelted the ship with rain, tore apart the sails, and cast the ship under waves taller than skyscrapers.
Maria's gloved hands went to her head and twisted through her hair. She screwed her eyes shut again and forced the terrible thoughts away. All of these things had bothered her, but no one knew if they would come to pass or not. Space travel wasn't safe by any means, but humanity accepted the risks. She accepted the risks.
Ulthuan was the way home. She had to get to Ulthuan. That's all that mattered.
…if I set foot on that boat – "No I won't!" Maria ground out through clenched teeth. She dropped her hands, opened her eyes, and began walking back to the ship. Each step was an effort but she made it to the ramp. It felt like her heart was going to burst. The edges of her vision began to darken. The world spun. The terror she felt now was killing her.
"I am not dying here," she promised. She raised her boot and set it down again. Towards the wolfship.
In an instant the terror vanished from her. Maria sagged in relief, breathing heavily. She pushed herself back upright and continued up the ramp until she finally stood on the deck of the wolfship. The sweat on her skin was cold against the winds of the sea and she wiped the back of her hand across her brow.
In the back of her mind a now familiar voice whispered to her.
…you will not cross the ocean…
She looked back at the shores and the city of Dietershafen, then faced the open sea.
"Whoever you are, I have just two words for you" Maria growled under her breath as she made to find the ship's captain.
"Fuck you."
/ooooooo\
Within an hour the wolfship left the port. Two hours and Maria could barely see land. Half the day went by and they were surrounded by nothing but the sea. The earlier fear that had gripped her back at shore never returned. It seemed whatever tried to scare her, and spoke to her, had given up for the time being.
Good riddance. If a disembodied voice was going to be talking to her why couldn't it at least be interesting? All this dome and gloom stuff… it wasn't as if she didn't have enough of that crap in her life already.
The winds were strong. The wolfship cut through the Sea of Claws quickly. Maria stood on the forecastle gripping the railing. The ship bounced against a particularly large wave and her stomach did a flip.
She reached into the bag on her hip and pulled out a small wooden flask. Popping out the cork she took a quick drink from the far too sour liquid within, and then made a face.
"It tastes that way for a reason you know," a man chuckled from behind her.
Maria pushed the cork back into the flask. "To keep sailors from drinking the stuff like wine. Yes, I got that. But it's still awful."
Captain Ewald Leonardsson walked up beside her. He was middle aged, blond hair cut close to his head, and a light mustache on his upper lip. Maria had met many captains in her service with the Systems Alliance and Leonardsson reminded her of most of them, which was a good thing. Strong, capable, and commanded his ship knowing it wasn't just a tool of war but a home for him and his men.
The flask in her hand contained a liquid that was supposed to ease her nausea. The Captain had provided it to her after Maria had confessed her struggles with her head and stomach. She wasn't the only person in the Empire who had ever gotten seasick.
"Better than the alternative," Captain Leonardsson said with a smile and a tilt of his head over the side of the ship.
Maria smiled as well. It was better than the alternative. And the sour liquid was working so far.
"How long before we reach Ulthuan, Captain?" she asked.
He thought on that a moment. "Four weeks if the wind is with us. Six weeks if it isn't. It will take at least the next five to seven days before we even leave the Sea of Claws and enter the grand ocean. We're in greater danger until then. The Norscans don't send many ships into the deep waters."
"And what are the odds we'll run into a Norscan ship?"
Captain Leonardsson looked at her. "Truthfully? High. Those barbarians never learn, no matter how many of their longships we sink or their men we kill."
"Wonderful…" She looked back over the water.
They stood silent together for a few minutes and Maria listened to the sounds of the water hitting the hull and the sailors going about maintaining the ship.
"So, Reiksguard," the Captain drew out the word. "How'd you pull that off?"
Maria turned to face him as she leaned against the railing. "It was a difficult journey involving a crazy Bretonnian Duke, a dangerously intelligent Vampire Count, several skaven assassins, and a dark elf dread lord and the black dragon he rode in on.
"I'm sure it would bore you," she finished with a completely straight face. Then she pushed off the railing and walked past him. "When is supper being served? I'm starving."
/ooooooo\
Location: Somewhere in the Sea of Claws
Day 50
Over the next six days Maria fell into a comfortable rhythm onboard the wolfship. She would wake up with the rest of the ship in the early morning and prepare herself for the day. Her cabin was tiny, but hers alone. A small bed just wide enough for her, along with a small dresser and a mirror on the wall above it. Every item either nailed to the floor or wall to keep the items from sliding around in the rough waters.
She'd have breakfast with the sailors, then as a ranking knight she'd join the Captain and his officers in the aft castle's map room for a daily briefing. Just odds and ends, general maintenance for the ship really, the meetings didn't last long. Their overall mission of reaching the elven capital of Lothern wouldn't change for weeks.
After that meeting Maria was free to spend her day however she wished. She wasn't officially under Captain Leonardsson's command, and after their first meeting he made it clear that she was a passenger first and foremost and he didn't want Maria getting in the way of his sailors as they did their jobs.
When they were done with the daily briefings Maria started a patrol of the ship. She'd start at the lowest deck, then work her way up. Along the way she'd watch the sailors and marines perform their duties. If anyone wanted to stop and make small talk, she'd spend a minute to talk with them and then continue her rounds.
Once she reached the main deck Maria had a few choices to make. Most of the time she spent the next few hours just standing around at the bow or stern of the warship. At least once during this time she'd been forced to take a drink of the sour medicine to keep her nausea in check.
After staring at the water Maria would go in search of the Captain and inform him she would be looking through his personal stock of books collected within his cabin, find one she liked, and then settle down to read. He had offered them to her to alleviate the boredom during the journey. She would either read them within her cabin or the Captain's. The fact he trusted her enough to remain unsupervised in his personal space meant a lot to her. Sure she was a Reiksguard in service to the Emperor, but the gesture was appreciated none the less.
And he had some good books. Only one or took were actual history books like those she had spent time with inside the Empire's libraries. The rest were stories. Fantastic stories of people and places in this world, and the events that had, or may never have happened, there.
Lunch would come and go. Maria would patrol the ship a second time, then return to her book. A few hours later supper would be served and this time she'd spend it within the Captain's cabin along with the rest of the wolfship's officers. The atmosphere of the meal was far more relaxed. It was a time for those in charge to get away from their responsibilities and chat with one another away from the enlisted men. Maria enjoyed that time the most. The officers understood who she was and the rank she held, but during that time at that table everybody was an equal and gender didn't matter.
It was a little tricky maneuvering through those conversations. The men wanted to hear stories of her past and her time within the Reiksguard. Maria managed to avoid most about her past, and the men respected that about her, but time in service to the Emperor was too juicy a subject to ignore.
On the sixth night they cornered her and refused to let up until she shared.
"Come on, then," a long-bearded man named Adelar said as they all sat around the table finishing their supper. There were eight of them in total. She and the Captain sat at the ends of the table with the six officers sitting three on each side. "You have to give up a story sometime! It's a long journey to Ulthuan after all!" he laughed.
"Two whole years as Reiksguard," another, Ernö was his name, "something exciting had to have happened. The Emperor isn't like some of the men who came before him. No, no, he leads from the front! And he takes his Reiksguard with him! Don't tell me he left you behind to guard the gates of the palace?"
Maria laughed. "Well that was how I spent most of my days."
"Ah, see!" Adelar pointed across the table at her. "Most, but I bet not all. C'mon then! Out with it!"
Maria glanced over at Captain Leonardsson, but he was just leaning back in his chair with a smile on his face. He nodded at her, clearly intent on hearing a story as well. None of them were actually testing her. They just wanted to hear about the first woman in the Reiksguard.
Crap. Crap, crap, crap.
Okay. She could do this.
"Alright," Maria licked her lips while shifting nervously in her seat. "About four months ago I was sent into one of the provinces," she started her tale, pulling on her own experiences as a Spectre. "I won't tell you which, but I was sent alone to find out if a local information dealer had betrayed the Emperor's spymaster. He'd been sending strange and conflicting reports and the Emperor couldn't risk moving too many troops to deal with all the threats being reported. So, in I was sent, confident I could handle the trouble. I was wrong."
The Bahak system. What a cluster fuck that turned out to be.
"The information dealer had powerful allies," Maria continued. She had the rapt attention of the whole room now. "I fought and lost. Woke up as their prisoner and fought my way free again. That's when I learned the man had allies of the darkest kind and was planning to bring those allies into our world. Now knowing the true threat, I couldn't fail. I had to stop them before everything we have was lost.
"Long story short, it got bloody, but I got out. No one escaped. No survivors left to tell the tale. The dark powers never breached our realm. From my point of view, it was a complete disaster. I felt like I had failed. But the world remains safe, and in private the Emperor hailed me as a hero."
Maria stared at the table. She remembered Admiral Hackett's face perfectly after she made her report to him. He was angry over sending her into that mess alone. He was scared at how close they all came to oblivion. And he was proud of her. For holding the line, for going above and beyond the call of duty. For doing what she had to do without flinching even knowing what it would cost.
If she ever did manage to get home the fallout from that mission was still waiting for her. What a grim welcome home party that will be.
The room was silent as Maria downed her drink. Luckily wine had been served with the meal. After telling that story, remembering what she'd done, she would need another three or four glasses before falling asleep tonight.
Captain Leonardsson rose from his seat, grabbing her attention. He held his cup up over the table and his officers all did the same, rising from their seats with cups in hand.
"That's why she's a Reiksguard," he declared. "That's what it means to be a soldier of the Empire." He looked around the table, then at her. "To Maria Shepard. To the Empire."
"Maria Shepard," all the men repeated. "The Empire." And then they all took a drink.
She smiled and nodded back as they all took their seats again, but inwardly she didn't feel anything at the gesture made by the men around her. They had no idea what they were toasting. They had no idea she had murdered an entire system to save the galaxy. How much time had that destruction even bought them? And she was stuck here on this world while the Reapers planned their next move.
Wow did this night get depressing fast.
Everyone had already gotten back to their meals and begun talking amongst themselves when suddenly bells began to ring loudly from outside the cabin. Someone was shouting.
"To arms! To arms! Longships off the port! All hands to arms!"
Captain Leonardsson and his officers shot out of their chairs and surged out of the room. Maria followed them out.
The sun had just fallen beyond the horizon casting a dark orange glow over the waters in the west, directly off the bow. The wolfship's masts cast wide shadows over the length of the ship as sailors hurried to their stations. It was a chaotic dance as two hundred men swarmed over and within the warship, but their discipline kept the steps in tune with the call to battle.
The bells continued to ring as Maria turned and climbed the stairs to the top of the aft castle where the Captain would be. She found Leonardsson standing to port, a long telescope in his hands, as the sailor beside him gave the report.
"Two longships spotted Captain," he said quickly. "Sarls, I'd guess, by the markings. By the wind in their sails we make their course parallel to ours."
"Aye… they're Sarls alright," he replied dropping the telescope. "Only two miles off. How'd they get so close?"
The sailor stood straighter. "Apologies Captain. They ran with sails down until just now. Must have been rowing since the shore."
Leonardsson huffed. "Strong bastards, I'll give them that." He looked over his shoulder and shouted, "Kill the bells! They know we're here! Ready the cannons and get our oars set! Marines to arms! Prepare to repel borders!"
Maria stepped up next to him as the orders were shouted down the line.
"Who are the Sarls?" she asked.
"One of the northern tribes," he relied as he handed her the telescope. "They roam the western parts of Norsca."
She put the scope to her eye and saw the longships come into focus. The boats were hard to see at a distance, but their large singular white sails reflected orange in the remaining sunlight. There was a symbol on the sails. It looked like a group of… something rising out of waves. Probably the arms of some sort of sea monster.
"Can we take two ships?" she asked handing the telescope back.
The Captain let out a bark of laughter. "My boys would take a fleet if I asked them to!"
Maria rose an eyebrow at him. He put away his smile and became serious. "Aye, we can take the pair if need be. But it'll be bloody. Best we can hope for is to ram the first and cripple the second with a full volley of shot."
Maria looked back across the water. "Can we outrun them?"
"They have more oars, but we have the greater sails. And the wind is still with us. Aye, we can do that too."
"So what are you going to order?"
He collapsed the telescope and held it tight in his hands. "Stay our heading!" he shouted. "Oars in the water! I want speed for the next hour! Keep eyes on those longships! Remain at stations until we lose sight of them!"
The orders were shouted across the ship. Out the wolfship's sides rows of oars stuck out and dipped into the water together, then raised back up, and dipped back down again. There were twenty oars on each side giving them forty in total. Less than ten strokes in and Maria could physically feel the ship lurching forward at a faster pace.
"My orders were to get you to Ulthuan," Leonardsson said in a clipped manner. "That's what I'm going to do. Can't risk the damage my ship might take in the scuffle. No matter how much I may want to, it just isn't in the cards right now."
Despite the situation Maria managed a smirk. "Isn't in the cards right now? I didn't know you played cards."
The Captain smiled back. "We lose those bastards and survive the night; I'll get my deck out and take your money."
/ooooooo\
Day 54
With the wolfship's superior speed the longships they encountered were easily evaded. Since that sighting four days earlier, they had the fortune of avoiding any further contact. And the first thing reported at this morning's briefing was that they had left the Sea of Claws and entered the grand ocean.
A small storm hit them the day before. The wolfship swayed heavily and Maria had chugged her sour medicine, but both of them survived. After the storm had passed the waters remained calm, and a thick fog had blanketed the ocean waters.
Captain Leonardsson didn't bat an eye at the fog. He had made the trip to Ulthuan once before and all his tools of the trade told him they were still on course. After lunch he had invited Maria along with two other officers back to his cabin for another card game.
Maria was glad for the distraction. If there was one thing worse than being on a ship surrounded by open waters for hundreds of miles, it was being on a ship surrounded by open waters for hundreds of miles and not even being able to see the water the ship was bobbing on. It was just unnatural at that point.
Maria wasn't exactly ecstatic over the card game though. It was a lot like skyllian five, if skyllian five had rules that changed every other game and on the random whims of those who dealt the cards.
She was paying attention and she was learning. But she also hadn't won a single game yet.
Maria looked at her cards. She held six of them carefully in her hands so no one else could catch a glimpse. She reached out and placed the number five card face up on the table in front of herself.
The officer on her left also put a five down. The man across from her put down a three. And Captain Leonardsson sitting on her right placed down a two. According to her understanding of the rules, Maria was tied with the man on her left.
She now had the choice of drawing another card or continue playing with her hand. She decided to stick with her current cards and placed a six beside the five. The man on her left dropped a two. The man in front of her dropped a five. The Captain drew a card instead.
Now she was in the lead. Maria placed a three down on the table. The man on her left placed down an eight. The man across from her placed down a four.
The Captain smiled wide and placed all his cards down on the table. The other two men groaned and threw their cards down in surrender.
"Better luck next time chaps," Leonardsson said with a wide grin.
Maria had absolutely no idea why he won. "Wait! Just, hold on… Your cards total well over twenty-four, and I've still got cards to play. And I've got matching symbols on five of the six, while you have no matching symbols on any! I can still win this round."
The other two officers just smiled at her like she was some naïve little girl while Captain Leonardsson laughed.
"You lost when you refused to pick a new card," he explained slowly as he picked all the bronze coins off the table. A few of those coins had belonged to her. "Honestly Reiksguard, how can you be so bad at this? We've been playing for days and you haven't learned anythi –"
He was cutoff when someone outside shouted at the top of their lungs.
"Brace! Brace! All hands brace!"
The wolfship lurched under her chair, the violent and sudden movement throwing her, the Captain and officers to the floor. Anything not nailed down also shifted in place. In a blink the captain's quarters were a mess.
Just as fast as it had happened the ship was entirely still. Laying sprawled out on the floor Maria instantly knew it wasn't even shifting in the waves. She had been conscious of the water bumping the ship's hull since day one on the sea. Now it was gone.
Captain Leonardsson was on his feet instantly. "Get back to your posts! Check for injured!"
The two officers ran out of the cabin as men shouted outside. Some in pain, most still trying to figure out what happened. Maria was only listening for one sound. The screams of dying men as a sea-hydra rose out of the water to tear them all apart.
Leonardsson grabbed her by the arm and hauled her back to her feet.
"You hurt?"
Maria shook her head.
He nodded. "Good. Let's find out what happened." He pushed past her and left the cabin. Maria followed right behind him. They both only managed a step out the doors before they stopped and stared open mouthed at what rose above the front of the warship.
Trees.
/ooooooo\
The wolfship had beached itself. Without anyone seeing it coming, without anyone knowing it was there, the wolfship had struck land. The warship was undamaged. A bit of sand striking the hull wasn't going to sink it. A few things inside had been thrown around a bit, the men included, but no one suffered greatly.
The biggest problem and head scratcher was obviously how it had occurred in the first place. Sure it was foggy outside but seriously? Islands don't just sneak up on people. It would be like Joker crashing the Normandy into a planet and then saying, oops, my bad.
Captain Leonardsson was just as confused and pissed off. The ship's officers and Maria were all gathered in the map room.
"We left the sea of claws, didn't we?" he asked with a growl.
Adelar pulled on his beard as he looked helplessly at the map on the table.
"Yes, Captain."
"We should be over two hundred and seventy miles from shore," he said still growling.
Adelar pulled on the hairs of his beard some more.
"Agreed, Captain."
Leonardsson looked around at his officers. "Then in the name of the gods, how did we run a ground?"
Adelar pulled on his beard so rapidly Maria was certain he'd pull it out in a moment.
"I don't know, Captain."
The rest of the officers remined silent and did their best to avoid Captain Leonardsson's angry gaze. Seemed it was just as embarrassing and uncomfortable for them as it would have been for Joker to admit this had happened to them.
The Captain took a deep breath and rubbed both his hands over his face multiple times.
"Fogs too thick," he said suddenly. "Can't see anything except sand and trees. I want to know what land we struck. Tides to low to work the ship free with the sails alone. It will take some muscle to get us out of this. Time and muscle.
"Send a few marines ashore. Find higher ground, anything to tell us where we are and why our compass suddenly lied to us." He managed a grin. "If they find some stag or boar, I wouldn't complain about having fresh meat brought aboard."
That managed to ease the tension and get a chuckle out of a few of the officers.
"I'll go with the marines," Maria spoke up.
Captain Leonardsson appreciated that. "My thanks Reiksguard. I know my marines are in good hands. By the time you return we'll have the ship back in the water."
Less than half an hour later Maria was back in her collector armor with the oversized Nordland uniform covering it. She had her sword at her hip, along with both her guns. She wadded ashore along with twenty other marines, all of whom were armed, armored, and ready for battle. The sand under their feet quickly turned to grass as they walked further inland. Trees rose up around them.
Maria looked around. The fog wasn't as thick over the land as it was over the water. At least she could see where she was putting her feet. The sky remained thick and grey. It looked like it wanted to rain.
"Ten of you go that way," Maria ordered the marines spread out around her, as she pointed left down the beach. "The other ten go the opposite. Find landmarks, food, whatever you can, then double back before it gets too dark to travel."
"And what about you?" one of the soldiers asked. A younger one by the look of his face. "Shouldn't some of us go with you, my lady?"
Maria smirked. "I'll be fine on my own. If it makes you feel any better, when you hear the screams of my enemies, you can send a few men my way to check up on me."
The marines all laughed, then broke into their assigned groups. Within the minute she watched them disappear into the fog.
She wanted them gone so she could use her omni-tool and firearms without arousing suspicion. Not to mention her biotics. With the other men gone she could defend herself with everything she had.
Not too mention the other reason. The strange voice in her head reason. It had spoken to her twice now. And twice she had failed to cross the ocean. This wasn't strictly a failure just yet, but her hopes were rapidly dwindling. It was time to get some answers.
Maria squared her shoulders and started walking deeper into the creepy foggy forest.
Two hours later and she found nothing. Just more forest. The sky remained dark and grey as though it wanted to rain at any moment.
"This is getting me nowhere," Maria mumbled unhappily as she continued marching. "Should have stayed on the beach… sent some of the marines into the forest. Could have found a little straw hut on a beach. A small tiki bar, fully stocked, and ready to serve me fruity tasting drinks with little umbrellas in them.
"Could have gotten myself a drink and then lounged on the beach for the rest of the day until the ship was freed from the shore." Maria smiled at the mental image of her sprawled out under the warm rays of the sun. When was the last time she had done that? Elysium had been the last, she thought. That had ended with pirates and slavers sieging the colony, and her fighting them off. Bullet wounds and bikinis don't mix.
She sighed loudly. "I need a real vacation."
"Don't we all, at one time or another."
Maria spun around to face the voice behind her. What she saw was a man. He was wearing a full suit of black plate armor that had serrated edges and swooping sharp curves. It looked like a weapon all by itself.
He was hawk-faced, and the way his nose and cheeks jutted out almost reminded Maria of a ferret she had once seen in a pet shop back on Earth. His coal black hair was greased back and just added to the image more.
The only weapon the man visibly carried was a sword still sheathed at his hip, but that hardly comforted Maria. He stood about twenty feet away. She should have heard someone in heavy armor like that walking up on her.
Maria offered him a small wave. "Hello."
The man nodded back. "Hello."
Fuuuuuck. She hadn't been speaking Reikspiel when she was talking to herself, and she hadn't spoken Reikspiel just now.
They stood staring at each other for a few moments.
"Could you please tell me where I am?" Maria finally asked.
He took a single step toward her. "You mean, in general? Or is this question more philosophical in nature?"
"The land," Maria clarified. "Where are we?"
The man made a 'tsk' noise. "Shame then. I was hoping to have an intellectual conversation with someone today."
Okay. At this point Maria's internal danger, death imminent alarm was blaring away inside her head. This was not a normal man of the Empire. Pirate, slaver, rebel, maybe a Norscan. Until she figured out what he was, Maria and the wolfship's crew, remained in danger.
The man started walking towards her. In kind reply, Maria pulled out her phalanx heavy pistol, aimed it at his chest, and then flared her biotics brightly around her body.
This was why she didn't want any of the wolfship's marines around.
"One more step and I will kill you," she promised the man. "I'm not someone to be taken lightly. If you're not going to answer my questions, turn around, and go back to where you came from."
The man narrowed his eyes at her biotic display. "Oh… I believe you. Truly, I do. But I can't go back there just yet. No matter how much I want too. Not until I'm done."
He lifted his foot and took a single step forward.
Bang!
Maria shot the man square in the chest. The bullet passed through his chest plate twice. He didn't stumble or gasp. His face just took on a blank expression, and then he fell flat on his back, dead.
Maria carefully made her way over to the body until she stood above the man. His brown eyes were empty. Why didn't he listen? Why wouldn't he just talk to her?
Suddenly the man's body started to smoke. Literally smoke. Black smoke rose around and covered him completely. Maria took a few steps back, shocked at what she was seeing. Soon the black smoke began to thin until it spread about over the ground and around her feet, hovering over the grass like the fog it seeped through. The man's body was gone.
"A perfect shot through the heart… not bad."
Maria raised her heavy pistol and spun around as the man's voice filled the air around her.
"And you kept your word. I made a single step, and you shot me."
The black cloud began to rise around her. It reached her knees. Then her waist. Her chest. And then passed over her head. It cut off her sight even more than the fog had.
"But my lady… you never stopped to consider if I was someone not to be taken lightly either."
The fog condensed in front of her and then shot toward her chest. A punch struck her between the breasts and threw Maria onto her back. It nearly knocked the wind out of her. She rolled up to her feet only to have the same force strike her back, right between the shoulder blades, and knock her to her knees.
Maria picked herself back up and spun around with her pistol raised but there was no one there. Just the black smoke covering the entire area.
"I'm behind you," his voice whispered.
She tried to turn but the man's hand encircled her right wrist, preventing her from bringing her pistol to bear on him. His other arm snaked around her, trapping her left against her body. His grip around her was like iron. The man was far stronger than he looked.
Then she felt his breath on her ear. "Time to see what you taste like my lady." Maria felt the twin pinches against her skin and put the feeling to the memory.
"Nooo!" she screamed, just as the Vampire's fangs sunk into her neck. She jerked once, then fell still.
A new feeling spread through Maria's body. She became intimately aware of his lips on her neck. His arm around her chest. The way her body molded against his despite the armor separating them.
She felt a warmth flow under her skin and begin pooling inside her. Maria hadn't felt this way in years. She never knew how much she missed it until right this moment, and now she wanted – needed more. So much more. His grip around her tightened as he drank from her. Maria's knees gave out, but he supported her weight without effort, and now his arm rubbed just so against the underside of her breasts. She nearly moaned. A little higher. A little more pressure. That's all she wanted. He could drink from her forever, she didn't care, he just had to give her more of this brilliant feeling.
His lips left her neck and she cried at the loss.
"I can't believe it," he said softly against her neck. "It's you. This is the last place we expected to find you."
He licked the wounds his fangs had left, and Maria really did moan then.
"Let go of the gun, Maria."
Gun? What gun? Why wasn't he still drinking from her? All she wanted was for him to drink from her again.
Maria felt a pressure around her wrist grow. It was starting to hurt. "Let go of the gun, Maria," he said again.
Gun? Gun? Oh, he meant her pistol. The M-5 phalanx heavy pistol still in her hand. No, she couldn't let go of that pistol.
His teeth nipped her neck and Maria felt the warmth again for just a moment. It felt wonderful. But her wrist was starting to hurt more.
"Drop the gun, Maria. Drop the gun and we can continue."
Drop the pistol? She couldn't. She just couldn't. A soldier never surrenders their weapon. Was she a soldier? Yes… yes she was. She would not give up her weapon. Not to anyone. Not ever.
Especially not to a vampire that had just bit her.
Her body exploded with biotic power. A devastating wave swept across the ground and raced out around her. The vampire was ripped away and sent flying across the flattened grass. Maria's legs didn't have the strength to hold her up, so she just fell to her knees. As soon as his body left her his grip over her mind vanished. It felt like she had just been dunked, head to toe, in the cold ocean waves.
"Bastard," Maria grumbled as she forced her sluggish body to move. Instead of standing up and turning to face the vampire, Maria's legs refused to budge, and she fell backwards twisting her spine at an uncomfortable angle. A growl coupled with raw determination managed to get her body to straighten back out, so she was at least laying at a respectable angle.
When she looked up at the sky the vampire was already standing over her. Maria tried to raise her pistol, but her motor skills still appeared to be compromised.
"Well now I know how Harkon died," the Vampire said as he wiped away a bloody nose. His hair was loose and hanging around his face. Other than that, he was fine. He crouched down next to her. "In answer to your earlier question, you are in Albion. Welcome to the only place in the old world drearier than Sylvania."
He then punched her in the face, and Maria's world went black.
/ooooooo\
Location: Albion... wherever the hell that is...
Maria woke back up to someone lightly slapping her face. She blinked a few times as her new world came into focus. The first thing she saw was the face of the Vampire that had so recently bitten her. He was the one bent over and slapping her awake.
Maria pulled her head back and smashed it straight into his nose.
He fell back on his butt with a hand over his face. She tried to grab him. Jump him and kick him until he was nothing but pulp, but she couldn't move her body the way she wanted to.
Maria looked down at herself and discovered why. Her Nordland uniform had been stripped from her and now she was just in her collector armor. She was also sitting in a chair. A chair she was bound to with rope. Her wrists had been tied together and were set in her lap. Rope covered her thighs and hands and kept her seated. More rope circled her chest and tied her to the back of the chair. Her legs had been bound together at the knee, and then each ankle was tied to a separate leg of the chair.
She pulled at the ropes, but they only groaned at the effort. The chair had a steel frame. Maria still couldn't help but roll her eyes. Ropes again?
The vampire picked himself up from the floor. His nose was clearly broken, and he touched it gingerly.
"My fault," he said taking a grip and snapping it straight again. "Should have seen that coming. Especially from you."
"I'm that predictable?" she asked, more annoyed than anything.
He shrugged. "Not really. But we are learning more by the day." He rubbed his nose once again, giving Maria the chance to inspect her surroundings.
She was in a long brick building. A rundown building. There were several holes along the walls and ceiling. Grass and weeds were growing up through the floor. Her chair was in the center. It was night as well. Hanging lanterns illuminated the building's interior. Drops of water dripped through the holes in the ceiling.
Ten skeleton warriors in black and red armor stood a silent vigil along the walls. Five on each side of her. The Vampire that had bitten her stood in front of her chair. Another two figures stood in the shadows behind him. They weren't skeletons. She could tell by the way they stood, more relaxed, less robotic. Craning her neck back Maria could see another two figures standing a way behind her. They weren't skeletons either.
Were they men, or were they vampires? If she wanted to get out of here alive, the question needed answering.
"You have enough skeletons guarding you?" Maria asked in challenge. She nodded her head as best she could to encompass the entire hall. "You have me tied to a chair but that's not enough?"
She noticed the belt on the skeleton directly to her left. Her pistol and submachine gun were tied to that belt.
The vampire just stared at her. "You're awfully calm about being surrounded by the living dead. Most people panic more."
"Have you ever met a reaper husk?" Maria asked in reply. "How about a collector scion? You fight enough of those and moving skeletons are pretty mundane in comparison."
His eyes narrowed. "You're also taking being abducted by a vampire fairly well."
Maria frowned. "You know about Walach Harkon. You know this isn't my first rodeo." She tried to shift in the chair despite the ropes binding her to it. "And no offense, but I've already met someone scarier than you. He's also taller, weighs several hundred thousand tons more than you, he can destroy armies with a glare, and he has an unknowable number of brothers just as ill-tempered as he is waiting to join the fight."
"You talk and talk and still manage to say nothing at all," the vampire said with a shake of his head. "I've never met another person like you Maria Shepard."
Oh, so we're dropping names now? Funny how you know mine, but I don't know yours. She was tired of playing games with these blood-sucking jerks.
"Who are you and why am I here?"
The vampire stood straighter and snapped the heels of his boots together with a click. A hand went up to cover his heart and he bowed at the waist.
"Forgive me Maria."
"Shepard."
"Forgive me, Shepard. My name is Markos von Carstein. I am a surviving knight of the Drakenhof Templars. I kept you alive when I learned who you were through the bite. I will be returning you to the Count you met in Blood Keep after I complete my assignment here on Albion."
Maria stared up at the vampire. Her mouth had suddenly gone dry. Her heart pounded with abandon inside her chest. There wasn't enough air in the building and the ropes keeping her prisoner were far too tight.
Markos von Carstein smiled at her. It was the smile of a man that had gotten what he wanted.
"See, that's what I was expecting," he said almost gratefully. "Just a little recognition is all I ask for."
Maria tried to swallow down her feelings. She was screwed. She was so very, very screwed. There were so many ways this was bad for her. And she had read about them all during her time in Nuln.
First, his name. Markos from the vampire bloodline von Carstein. Through careful study, centuries of spy-craft, and direct conflict, the Empire had determined out of the five existing bloodlines, the von Carstein posed the greatest threat to the living. They were the vampires who corrupted Sylvania, a region of land within the province of Stirland. They were the Vampires who waited patiently, gathering their strength, until the day they openly revealed themselves to the world by declaring war on the greatest human civilization on the planet, the Empire. Across a period of time lasting over one-hundred and thirty-five years the von Carstein waged their wars.
They were so cunning, ruthless, and ultimately dangerous that the other four vampire bloodlines actively take steps to hinder the von Carstein ambitions. Going so far as to ally with the living during the most desperate times. The von Carstein now had the smallest number of vampires out of the bloodlines. Everyone considered this outcome for the better.
Second, his rank. A knight of the Drakenhof Templars. The Drakenhof Templars were the von Carstein's most capable and deadly combatants. Most had also spent time as a member of the Order of the Blood Dragons before their promotion. Others who joined were some of the von Carstein's greatest spellcasters, whose magical knowledge stretched back centuries at the least.
According to the histories she'd read, a single Drakenhof Templar could slaughter an entire knightly order of men. A group of Drakenhof Templars within an army could change the course of an entire theater of a war. Battles had been won by a single Drakenhof Templar being in the right place at the right time. And they were exceptionally good at finding and exploiting those pivotal moments.
And he knew the Count she had met back in Blood Keep. He was going to return her to him. This implied service to the Count. A von Carstein didn't serve other vampire bloodlines, and as with most vampires, the strongest ruled. This meant that the Count she had met in Blood Keep was a von Carstein. The strongest living von Carstein in the world.
And her last act before that man was to throw a roaring fireplace into his face.
Ugh. Now would have been a good time to drink some of her sour flavored sea-sickness medicine.
"Are you feeling alright Shepard?" Markos asked with a smirk.
Great. Now that the games were over, and Maria had gotten exactly what she wanted, the vampire decided to get cocky. He had been messing with her since the first.
Maria finally found her voice. "The Count I met, what's his name?"
"You can ask him in person when I deliver you," Markos replied. He took a step closer to her chair as his hand drifted to rest on the hilt of his sword. "I answered your questions. It's time you answered mine.
"Why are you here on Albion?"
Maria forced her eyes to remain on his. She knew where her weapons were. It was just a matter of timing now.
"Took a wrong turn," Maria answered with a grain of truth, trying to fool the vampire's built in ability to sense out lies. "Got lost and suddenly, here I am being assaulted by vampires."
"In all fairness Shepard, you shot me first."
Maria's brow creased. "I gave you fair warning beforehand."
Markos started to slowly pace in front of her. "Where are you from?"
"Look up at the night sky. I'm the third star on the left."
"What was that blue power you used against me?"
Maria waved her fingers in her lap. "Magic. My special magic."
"Why is your blood immune to the vampiric curse?"
"Okay, that one, I honestly don't know. But your Count said it had something to do with the fact I have no spark of life within me."
"Why is your connection to the winds of magic feel so wrong?"
Maria couldn't hold back a frown. "You're not the first person to say that. I wish I knew the answer."
Markos stopped pacing and stood in front of her again. "Why are you so set on getting the Ulthuan?"
Her body tensed before she caught herself. "The Phoenix King's birthday was a couple of months ago. I want to be there for the next one when he tries to blow out the hundreds of candles on his cake with a single breath."
Markos regarded her for a long minute, not saying a word and simply staring into her eyes. His jaw tightened a fraction as he stepped forward and then dropped down to a knee, so he was eye level with her. She could headbutt him again if she wanted too, that's how close he was.
"This doesn't have to be difficult," he began anew, a strange undercurrent in his voice. "None of this has to be difficult. You killed Walach Harkon. You are immune to our curse and we cannot drink from you and gain strength for it. By my standards that makes you more our equal than any human alive."
"We vampires understand the importance behind the moment when we manage to meet our equals," he continued. She couldn't help but listen to him speak. He reached out a hand and slowly, very slowly, touched her scalp. Running his fingers through her hair until they rested at the back of her neck. "Equals are rare. The older we get, the rarer they become. We learn to treasure those times while we have them. Make them last."
His thumb stroked her cheek. Maria felt her body respond the same way it had when he bit her neck. She felt flushed as his thumb slid back and forth against her skin.
"I know what you felt when I sunk my teeth into your neck." He leaned even closer until he was perched over her chair. His eyes roamed her body before catching her own again. "I can see the heat swelling inside you. You don't need to try and hide it. There's nothing to be ashamed of. What you felt when I bit you was only a sliver of the whole. I acknowledge you as my equal.
"Answer my questions truthfully and I can take you back to those heights of pleasure."
It felt like Maria was burning up inside her armor. How could one person look at another with such raw intensity? She knew he meant every word and was fully capable of going through with it. The prospect had her blushing like an inexperienced virgin. She wanted him. She wanted to feel the way she felt when his fangs were in her neck. He was so close to her now. His thumb still caressed her cheek while his fingers held her neck in place with just the right amount of pressure. She could give into everything she was feeling.
"I'll do it," Maria replied breathlessly. "I'll tell you everything. Anything you want to know. Carry through with your promises and I'm yours forever."
Markos smiled and her heart fluttered in her chest. She could see his teeth growing in length within his mouth, but it just sent a delightful tremble through her body. He was going to bite her again!
"I'll tell you everything," Maria said, and then she cocked her head to the side so this time she had Markos's full attention, "if you tell me that the crew of the wolfship that brought me here are all alive and well."
His fangs shrunk back to the size of normal teeth. His eyes lost their intensity. The air around her became clear again as he pulled back from her.
Maria shook her head slowly. "You asked me why I was in Albion, but never how I got here. That was a lapse on your part. Are they dead?"
Markos stood back up. "Yes."
"All of them?" she asked, watching his eyes. They never twitched. All they held was the cold promise of death.
"Yes."
Maria took a moment to digest the information. Captain Leonardsson. His officers. All two hundred men aboard that ship. Gone. Those were good men. She liked those men.
"Thank you for reminding me of what you truly are," Maria said with strength growing in her voice. "Now go fuck yourself."
Markos took a deep breath and blew it out loudly. "This would have been easier if you had just cooperated from the start."
Maria rolled her eyes. "You have no idea how many times I've heard that before."
Markos pulled out his sword. It was a long but thin single edged blade about three feet in length. Maria prepared to unleash another biotic pulse across her entire body to burn away the ropes. Then she'd blast him full in the chest. Hopefully all of that would buy her enough time to get her guns back from the bag of bones holding them. After that, she didn't really care how many rounds it took to kill all the vampires around her. She'd empty her locust if need be.
Markos shifted his weight as he began to raise his sword. Maria started gathering energy.
Then in a sudden and violent crash, part of the right side of the building they were inside was smashed away to rubble as a stone nearly the size of a Mako came rolling through. Two of the vampire's skeleton warriors were now part of that rubble.
Outside in the night, some sort of angry, and no doubt very large, creature bellowed furiously. Its guttural war cry was joined by other creatures just as large and angry as it appeared to be.
Even as part of the building was torn away, Markos's eyes never left hers. It wasn't until the bellowing outside gained strength that he even acknowledged it.
He sighed heavily and waved his arm in the air. All but two of the skeletons marched out of the building and into the night. The figures hugging the shadows left as well. Then he faced Maria, clicked his heels together, and saluted her with his sword as he bowed.
"Forgive me, Shepard," he said straightening back up, "but it seems the locals have decided to become more than just pests. When I return, we can finish what we almost started." He then marched out of the building without another word or glance her way.
"Wait…" Maria remained tied to her chair as she struggled to turn her head and watch the vampire disappear somewhere behind her. Only a pair of skeletons remained in the building with her now. But she wasn't really worried about them. "Markos! What threw that rock?!"