A Part to Play

Mike was hanging upside down, doing his best to cling to the back of his mount when the signal started ringing in his head.

[What the? Red! There is a problem back at the boat!] He urgently messaged the dragon, not trusting himself to speak under these circumstances.

In a maneuver that would have been virtually impossible for a bird, let alone a massive reptilian creature, Red performed a complicated midair flip and completely changed directions in about a second. This of course had the side effect of putting a great deal of pressure on Mike, so much so that he felt his vision narrow for a moment.

[Damn. This must be what it feels like to be a fighter pilot.]

They shot over the enemy fleet, barely visible to the Tenundian gunners, who had been attempting to fire on them for most of the last ten minutes to no appreciable effect. Despite doing little in the way of actual damage, Mike and Red's presence had apparently been sufficiently distracting to occupy almost all of the enemy ships. Only a handful had gone after the Huntsman, and those looked to be having trouble taking it down.

[They seem to be alright. I wonder what the issue is?]

Just to be on the safe side, he had Red rake the closest enemy ship with dragon fire, setting their rigging alight. It quickly started falling behind as its crew began focusing on keeping themselves from burning to death. Perhaps out of concern for a similar fate, the other two nearby ships fell back a bit, keeping a wary distance.

Mike hopped off his mount, landing on the Huntsman's deck with a blast of Air Magic. "What's the problem? Is someone hurt?" he demanded as soon as he had his legs under him.

"You have to go back to the city! They need you!" Came Sera's reply as she ran up to up to him.

"Huh? Did you..." He leaned in close before whispering. "have another vision?"

"Yes, and we don't have time! You need to move. Now!"

He took a moment to look her over. Although she appeared uninjured, she was pale and there were tears in her eyes. Worse yet, he was shivering uncontrollably. Whatever she'd seen had shaken her terrible.

"What is it?"

The Oracle shook her head. "There's no time. If you want to have any hope of stopping this thing, you need to leave!"

He glanced back at the Tenundian ships. They were still keeping their distance, no doubt worried about provoking the dragon that was still circling the Huntsman in a somewhat lazy manner. However, as soon as he left, the pursuit would no doubt continue. Even as he watched, some of the lead elements of the blockade fleet changed began moving to intercept.

[If I leave now, they'll be on their own against them all. Unless...]

"Alright, but you three are coming with me." He said while focusing his mana. The very least he could do now, was to leave the ship with some protection.

Sera hesitated, then nodded. "That's fine, but we need to leave soon."

"Just give me a moment." He replied while concentrating. This would be the first time he attempted this particular spell, but hopefully, it would turn out alright.

He started chanting. "I call thee noble protector. Come forth and guard my chosen comrades. Render them safe from harm and bring despair to their enemies. [Conjure Guardian Monster]"

This particular spell was designed to increase both the relative power of the summoned monster, and the length of time it could remain in effect as compared to other more common summoning spells. The only downside, was that the monster's actions were limited towards protecting a particular location or person. If it was ordered to do anything beyond that one specific function, the spell would fail.

A large amount of mana flowed out of him. So much that he actually wondered if he'd overdone, until the stream eventually stopped as the creature took shape. The water next to the ship began to froth as a large serpentine head broke the surface, rising out of the ocean.

It was sleek and distinctly snake-like, with a oddly dragon-like head. It vaguely reminded Mike of the being he'd somehow summoned back in the dungeon below Wyrport, especially in terms of the long, sinuous bodies and the adornment of crested frills and horns. However, this new monster lacked the former's elegance and beauty.

Nevertheless, it was an impressive beast, towering over the ship even with the majority of its body still underwater. It was about 3m in diameter, and had to have been dozens of meters long, judging by how easily it was able to lift its head above the gunwale.

Knowing that he didn't have long to tarry, but unwilling to completely ignore his curiosity, he used Appraise while signalling Red land on the other side of the ship in preparation for their departure.

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Sea Serpent

Age: 0

Race: Sea Serpent

Class: Sea Serpent

Title: Draconic Summon

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[Huh, I guess that's-]

"Sea Serpent!" Someone yelled in panic, causing the several of the sailors on board to stop what they were doing, and grab a number of long, wicked pikes that seemed to be designed for fighting off large enemies.

"I need the cannons loaded, now!" Captain Xander commanded over the noise. "We need to scare the beast off if we want any chance of survival!"

"Wait!" Mike jumped out in front of the creature, which had by this point lowered its head curiously to investigate all the commotion. "Its here to help!"

The grizzled ship captain looked at him as if he'd just said that the sun was going to explode. "Are you crazy?! Those things are ship killers! Unstoppable engines of destruction on the open ocean! Scourges for all seafaring folk!"

"Yes, well, this one isn't like that. I should know, since I summoned it myself." He replied, reaching up to stroke the side of the creature's head to prove his point.

"Mike..." Sera urged him from the other side of the ship, reminding him of more pressing matters. The others had already descended to Red's back, and were ready to leave.

Sighing he turned back to the captain. "Listen, I don't have time to explain right now, but trust me, this thing is here to protect you."

He looked up at the Sea Serpent, noticing that its eyes were focused on him. "Protect this ship from the others," he waved towards the Tenundians, "and get them back to port safely."

The creature stared at him for a moment, before sliding back into the water and disappearing.

[I don't know if it understood, but its the best I can do at the moment.] He thought to himself as he ran across the deck, vaulted the gunwale, and landed on Red, just as he was in the process of taking off. In seconds they were in the air, speeding off towards the city at a blistering pace.

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Another howling moan filled the air, causing the grimy glass of the seedy bar's windows to rattle, and sending another shiver down Prime Minister Faril Couthbotan's spine. He was sure he looked terrified, much like the other occupants of the bar, who were waiting for whatever was coming while downing the sour swill they called beer here.

"Are you sure there is nothing I can do?" He glanced around to make sure that no one was listening, although he needn't have bothered, since the poor folk occupying the bar had other things to worry about.

The animate corpse that was once the King of Almir, turned and gave him a smile from within its hood, the dirt and grime they'd applied its face doing little to hide its deathly pallor. "Whether or not this city survives its current plight is a matter for beings far more powerful than you to decide. Instead, you should focus your attention on the task at hand. It would difficult to track her down again, especially if she knows she has pursuers. So, I recommend you do things right the first time."

Faril nodded, before swallowing uneasily. Long years of working in politics had ill prepared him for this kind of thing.

There was a slight tick in the corpse's expression. "There she is, already heading down the stairs. Now, just follow the plan, and everything should work out."

Without another word, the Prime Minister of Almir stood and nervously started walking towards the narrow staircase which lead into the bar's basement. He hadn't seen the woman at all while they'd been talking, but he'd learned to take the entity inhabiting his friend's corpse at face value.

Although, he still couldn't control the shudder of revulsion he experienced every time he laid eyes on the creature.

He descended into the dark, stairs creaking under his feet until he reached the basement. Ordinarily, in such an establishment, this room would be protected by a locked door to avoid any nosy or thieving patrons from finding their way inside. However, the Rusted Bucket, the charming establishment they'd finally tracked the woman to, lacked even that basic level of protection. It was almost as if they knew that nothing inside was worth stealing.

As he stepped into the dank pit, he felt the faintest of breezes slide over his skin. The mere sensation caused the hairs on the back of his neck to rise, and he was just about to turn around and walk back out, animate corpse be damned, when he felt a blade press against his throat.

A breathy voice whispered in his ear, "Well, well. What do we have here? A lost little lamb wandering into the wolf's den? Or perhaps a wannabe hunter, looking to make his name? Tell me little sheep, what are you looking for?"

Faril remained silent, not trusting himself to speak in these circumstances. Thankfully, all he had to do was wait until the corpse was ready.

"Not talking? Well, I know a few tricks to-"

"That's enough, Vivienne. You can let him go. I promise he's harmless." The corpse's voice sounded from the stairs, eliciting a hiss of surprise from the woman.

"You! How...No, why are you here?" She demanded, although Faril could hear the fear in her voice.

"I have my reasons, my dear. However, you should be more concerned about what Lord Fruthik will do once he's learned of your failure. Especially since you revealed yourself in the process."

Faril felt the woman stiffen against him. "They may have seen me and a little of what I can do, but they shouldn't know what I am. Information on us is scarce."

"The Dragonknight has the Appraise skill. You were revealed as soon as he could lay eyes on you." The corpse replied matter-of-factually as it descended the stairs. "It didn't take long for him to start making inquiries."

The blade against Faril's throat trembled slightly. "So they know what I am? What of it? There was always a danger of such a thing occurring once I made use of my abilities. Lord Furthik should have been well aware of the risks when he sent me here."

"It is one thing to employ your skills in the course of your usual duties. So long as you followed basic procedure and left no witnesses, they wouldn't have proof of your existence. It is quite another to have your class, race, and title revealed in the midst of an assassination and not only fail to eliminate the appraiser, but allow him to communicate what he learned. I think we both know that your master won't be pleased."

The blade trembled again. This time harder. "You think I don't know all that?!" The woman yelled angrily while unconsciously letting her arm go slack, releasing Faril. "Why else would I hide in this shit hole of a basement?!"

The corpse nodded understandingly, "Indeed. I'm sure you find yourself in quite the bind. If you return to your master as is, you can expect a flensing, at the very least. Likely coupled with a soul binding so you can be included in Lord Furthik's Lantern Hall, unless I miss my guess."

"...You probably have the truth of it." Vivienne sighed.

Stepping forward until he was within arms reach, the corpse smiled its ghastly grin. "Which is why, my dear, I'm going to offer you an alternative."

The woman froze, a look of utter terror on her face. "I-I don't want that! I'd rather spend eternity trapped in a soul jar!"

"No, no. You misunderstand me. That is a fate reserved for those I consider my enemy. No, I'm merely offering you a deal."

After a few calming breaths, she asked, "What kind of deal?"