16 Chapter 15 - Dornwich

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There was the snapping of twigs as Archer looked behind him. He had nothing but his pants on and was laying in the mud, trying to keep himself hidden from the monsters nearby. Grabbing a handful, he smeared it over his face and body, hoping to cover his scent. Crawling through the brushes, staying low to the ground, he was pass where some goblins were speaking. He didn't question how he knew the name of these creatures. Past the bushes, they was a break in the thicket. Getting off the ground but staying low with a squat, Archer headed towards it. "This is it.." he thought to himself.

Once close enough, he stood up and went to a full sprint. "Why won't Fire Blood work?" The question kept crossing his mind, "maybe my body needs to re-manifest it. But I dont have that kind of time." After a few paces into the sprint, pain lashed across his back as black and red flashed across his vision. Among the immense pain that left him unable to move, Archer could hear the raspy breathing of what sounded like laughter.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry? Have the past 800 years made you tired of us?" The voice grated across the inside of his skull the screech of a sword against armor. He felt pressure grip his ankles as he started to be dragged back to where he started from.

"No.. nononono.."

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Archer jolted awake. His body was in a cold sweat and his hand ached as he unclenched his fist. He could have swore that he was captured. Archer wrapped his hands behind his back to feel the marks, but there were none. Sighing in relief, he stood up. Him and the master had set up camp near a dried creek bed off the road. A couple days had passed since they left Hammerstone and they were about half a day from Dornwich. According to Shuien, Dornwich was a coastal town that thrived off the nearby ocean and was supposedly in much better condition compared to where they had just left.

Archer retracted his limbs inward a bit as we went to stretch. His muscles were sore from working with Pride's End the last couple of days. Master Shuien wasn't as skilled with a hammer as he was with a sword, but he knew enough to train Archer how to properly use it. It was amazing how for such a heavy weapon, the amount of finesse that was needed to be proficient with it. He finally worked the last of the soreness from his muscles and began to gather the few belongings he still had.

Master Shuien was already awake and he was ready to go. The old man was moving much better than what he was before. Although his wound wasn't completely healed, he no longer needed to cater to it as he did before. After a couple of slow arm swings from Shuien with his bad shoulder, the duo set out on the road. They stopped by a running creek on the way Dornwich to wash up a bit. Neither of them had fully bathed since leaving Draconvale, so they were past due for a clean up. Getting out of the water and putting their gear back on, they continued.

"Master, Haven had told me that getting across the water is our problem? What did she mean?"

"You will se when we get there, but to get to our destination we must cross the Isle of Serenity. Its the patch of ocean between Dornwich and Puraloke. Its usually pretty steady this time of year, we just have to find a ship to carry us. I'll be sure to handle that part."

"What will we do when we arrive? How do we present what we know without causing panic?"

"We will worry about thay when the time comes. Mainly, you need to find the princess there. She should be the oldest child to the King. You need to gather all the royal bloodlines, however; you also must earn the kings loyalty." Grinning at Archer slightly, "No pressure."

Sighing, Archer pushed the subject aside. "I dont.." his words trailed off as Dornwich came into view. It was down the hillside from where they stood and Archer could only stare in awe at the beauty before him. The building weren't extravagant, but they were nice and upkept. The path they were on merged with the main street that led down the towns middle. There were multiple paths that branched through Dornwich, making the city as a whole look like a massive spider web. The portside of town was on the opposite side from them and the waves that crashed against the shore seems to entrance Archer as the melody of its splashed hit his ear. The water was a dark blue, and seemed inviting, but he knew better from his studies.

"Enough gawking." Shuien muttered, beginning to head down the hill. "We have a job to do and we dont have time for vacation."

Archer grunting in agreement and followed his masters lead. As they walked down the hill together, the smell of salt hit Archers nose and mist began to tickle his face. Taking a couple deep breaths, he felt a strange calmness come over him. One he had not felt for a long time. The first part of town seemed normal enough. They were normal houses with the occasional kid playing outside. Continuing on, the pair finally made it to the pier. Markets lined the street, although half of them were empty. The few people that were there were selling various types of fish and tools. Intrigued, Archer walked over to a stall and began to browse their good, as he did that, Shuien walked over to a decent looking boat and climbed aboard.

"Where is your Captain?" Shuien said in a demanding tone towards a couple of hands that were cleaning the deck. Scoffing at the old guy, they walked down some stairs and soon came back with a young looking guy. He didn't appear much older that Archer, but he looked like he had been through significantly more. He had a very apparent scar across his dark forehead and a circle chunk missing out of his cheek. His head was covered with a tricorn hat and his eyes were a dark brown, almost black.

"Who are you? And what do you want?"

"My name is Shuien Brolstery. Me and my partner came from Draconvale seeking passage to Puraloke. What would the cost be to ensure safe passage?"

"You expect me to go to that living hell of a place?! Obviously you haven't heard the new. There are monsters there that are in the middle of ravaging the city. Let alone the monsters that have appeared in the water. I look out for myself and my crew. Anyone else can piss off." The Captain said these words with a threatening level of animosity.

The news surprised Shuien, "apparently the rumors of the other stones is true," he pondered. After a second of thought, "Could you just get us close? I'm not asking you to hit shore. Just get us there."

"I dont know what womb you popped out of and hit your head on when you popped out, but I just told you that the water isn't safe either. The ships that have been leaving from this port haven't been returning. It's a full day sail and after a several mileways, there have been reports of songs. We had a couple people make it back and they have been excessively daft since they returned."

"I understand the need for safety, however; there is more at stake than you little community. We need passage and once you make it back, you need to get these people to safety. Away from anywhere that would hold a decent population because they are targets. It isn't just Puraloke with the problems. Draconvale was overran within two days. There were more of them on our trail back at Hammerstone, but we lost them. But its only a matter of time before they make it here as well. You think the water is bad? Well whats behind us isn't much better."

The Captain stood still for a while, looking towards the water. "I'll tell ya what. I'll take you to Puraloke. If it wasn't for the craziness happening I would think you baked in the sun a little to long and ended up with shit for brains. But, the beast that flew over the village the other day wasn't natural."

"Flying monster?"

"Ye. Massive beast. All scaly like a fish and had large horns. Bright red."

"Ahh.. I see." Shuien had no more to comment on the matter. "When should we be ready?"

"Be here at first light and I'll have my crew and gear ready. I expect.. compensation for this."

"You will have your due paid in full and then some."

"Very well. First light then. The name is Captain Brutgard."

"Pleasure is mine Captain. See you at first light."

Shuien departed the ship and walked back towards Archer who was still gazing at the goods several stalls down. Motioning to him to come here, Archer turned his back on the salesman who was now frowning at the thought of a lost customer.

"We leave at first light. So be ready. We will find lodging for now and prepare ourselves."

The duo headed towards the nearest tavern and Shuien paid for a room. Feeling what he had left in his coat, he knew that it would barely be enough to compensate the captain for what was potentially about to transpire. They walked into the room and settled in.

Shuien said to Archer, "I want you to prepare yourself Archer. The stuff I have taught you all these years need to be used. There have been reports of monsters within the water that we are traveling through as well. Keep your cool if something happens and breath. What happened at Draconvale cant happen again. Your powers are phenomenal, but you can control them yet and they leave you weak. We have to think about what we are going to face on the other side of the water should we make it in one piece."

Archer nodded his head in acknowledgment. He didn't need reminding what had happened. He squeezed the hammer in his lap and took a deep breath. "I got this master," he replied.

There was a knock on the door, carefully opening it, Archer noticed a cute barmaid with plates in her hand. He opened the door and gratefully accepted the plates. The lady gave Archer a very obvious glance up and down before slowly turning around and walking away, looking over her shoulder and smiling briefly at him before a voice from downstairs yelled, causing her to jump and rush down the rest of the way.

Archer ate his food as though he was a starving animal. The meat was cooked to perfection and the soup was just the right temperature. After polishing off the piece of bread and the ale, he let out a satisfied burp. Shuien followed suit, but was a little more refined in how he shoveled his food down. The sun had started to go down as they finished and they both laid down, Archer took the bed upon Shuiens request and they both soon fell asleep.

After several ours, there was a howl in the distance. It was faint at first, but every minute or so, it appeared louder. Finally, the noise stirred Archer and Shuien from their slumber and they listened. They both bolted up and open the window. The moon that was starting to go down behind the hill betrayed figures of multiple creatures running across the hilltop. The duos spotted this and both of their hearts seemed to stop along with time itself. One wolf stopped and let loose a much more aggressive howl that sounded almost like a growl. As though on queue, the was a scream on the edge of town as the snarling on the road began. Archer squeezed the hammer tight enough to cramp his hand and Shuien drew his sword. They looked at each other and Shuien had worry in his eyes while Archer began to shine their red flame.