"Pillar In The Storm: Chpt. 2" by Jacob Bowdin

Pillar In The Storm: Chapter II

            The rain had ceased, but the mist grew thicker, clinging to the surface of the water as Implacable plowed through the rolling waves of the lake.  Johan offered a small prayer of thanks to Saylin for the enshrouding mist that settled around his ship.  The massive vessel pushed through the water towards the southwestern edge of the island ahead of a tail of froth from the propulsion system.  Ahead, the stark walls were bathed in a red glow that shimmered in the damp air.  Johan was sure that meant trouble.  S.D.S Tempest was on the other side of the island, still blocked from view by The Pillar’s walls.  The other siege ship should have been disengaged already.  Johan’s hands gripped his looking glass hard as he stood atop his warship’s looking tower.  The crew of the ship, judging by the stillness of the sling officer beneath him, also felt the tension and stood ready.  Johan felt satisfaction at his crew’s readiness at least.  It eased his anxiety somewhat as he looked down the reaching length of his ship to where Implacable’s bow dipped and raised slightly as it smashed the waves.  The great weight of the ship kept it nearly level as it displaced the water.  The bow cleared the edge of the wall, followed ponderously by the rest of the ship.  The icy worry in his stomach exploded into a thousand pricking shards as Johan’s view cleared the wall.  Even muted by the fog, it was a sight straight out of a tactician’s worst nightmares.

            Tempest appeared like its namesake, wreathed in fire and a swirl of struggling figures.  It took Johan a moment to make any sense out of the chaos before him.  He stood aghast at a sight that should have been impossible.  Tempest was overrun.  Saylin help us!  He shook himself hard and shoved his horror aside, replacing it with anger.  He turned to the sling officer and bellowed commands.  “Relay the order to fire at will!  All archers fire at will!  Watch your targets!”  Was followed shortly by, “Hold the slings!  There’s not enough room between friend and foe you fool!”  Johan shouted at one of the slingers as the crewman readied his weapon.  The sling officer rounded on the crewman as Johan dropped from the tower, running to the forward portion of the deck, carrying the looking glass with him.  He absently noted it was same young man she had upbraided before, that one would need to be disciplined severely.  He raised the glass to his eyes, and suppressed a shudder.

            Tempest’s own archers were firing from her ports, raining arrows down where they could between marines and barbarians alike.  It was already a battle of desperation as equal numbers of marines and barbarians fighting on the deck fell full of bolts.  Johan noted a slowly growing number of flights reaching out from Implacable as his archers zeroed in on targets.  They at least, took more care in their aiming.  In some windows flames could be seen, some flaring out, starting to leave faint streaks of char on the armor plating.  Sometimes flames winked out in a port, but it seemed the crew was too busy fighting off the frenzied barbarians to completely quell the internal blaze.  Johan could see boats lashed to the edges of Tempest’s deck, with more in the water.  How did they get so many this time?  And how had they made it to the ship in such numbers even if most seemed to be sinking or belly up?  His eyes went to the shore once he saw a flight of fire arrows that lanced into marines and barbarians alike.  He saw a large raiding party, highlighted by torches on the banks of the lake.  Apparently they were being as careless as the desperate crew with their arrows.  Johan whirled from the scene and stabbed a finger at the sling officer, who recoiled in surprise.  “Fire!  Fire on the shore!  Crush those animals into the sand!”  He growled as he turned back to watch the battle.  Implacable had stopped moving; Ural knew not to close the distant too much.  They were well into firing range of the shore however.  Johan smiled in grim satisfaction as he felt the shudders from the great slings releasing their deadly payloads.  The chunks of stone hurtled towards the barbarian line silently in the damp night air.  A moment of panic and a scattering of men spread through the ranks on the shore as the slings found their mark.  So intent had the barbarians been on Tempest, they had missed Implacable’s approach in the mist, until it began crushing them in large groups that is.  Johan shouted to the sling officer, who was striding up and down her line, offering encouragement and curses in equal proportion.  “Inform the Lieutenant to move Implacable in.  He is to shield Tempest from the shore.  I want broadsides to each front!  Slings hold, archers continue fire on Tempest and take over the shoreline!”

            The sling officer broke off in mid curse and bowed before darting to the opening to the lower decks.  “Relay command!  Shield Tempest, present broadsides!”  She went back to her line as a faint acknowledgment floated up as the command was passed along.

            Implacable’s bulk began moving slowly, turning as it went forward to put itself between Tempest and the shore.  The barbarians had recovered by this time and as the slings stopped, they turned their attention to Implacable.  Arrows began glancing off the ship’s metal hide, fire arrows dotting the otherwise invisible flights.  Johan made his way back to the tower in case a few made it as high as the upper deck.  This group apparently had catapults; they must have had enough sense at least, to not use them against Tempest while their own men were trying to board.  Now, with a fresh target, hollow clangs rang out into the air as a pair of rocks was hurled over the crest of the hill.  More followed the first, only to splash harmlessly into the dark water.  Johan noted a warrior standing at the hillcrest, waving his arms and pointing, apparently directing the catapults’ fire.  Ural must have just noticed him to, because the next flight of bolts from Implacable reached higher and rained down on the hill crest and down behind it.  It was a few moments before the next rock came.  The stone missed miserably with its spotter still twitching on the sandy hill. 

Implacable slowly slid into position between Tempest and the shore.  It came to rest in the middle, and floated there, towering above the barbarians on the shore, shielding its sister ship as arrows flashed back and forth from both sides.  Johan peered out of the looking tower.  He couldn’t understand, there were no boats with this group, they must all have reached the Tempest, or been sunk.  He frowned, and swung his glass back to the Tempest.  The battle was still raging, but it seemed Tempest’s crew was getting the upper hand since the arrows from the barbarians on shore had stopped pin cushioning anything moving on the deck.  That meant however, that the barbarians waiting in the boats could now move onto the deck faster, and reinforce those who still fought with the marines.  Tempest’s archers had slowed their firing, picking targets more carefully now.  It would be a tough battle.  Luckily, it seemed as if the fires had finally been put out.  A tough battle, but it should be won soon.  Johan looked back to the shore, oddly, the rebels there were not retreating.  Some were digging trenches and mounding sand and rocks to shelter behind.  He had seen them do that on occasion, but never when a battle as so obviously lost.  The catapults remained silent for now.  Johan frowned.  He looked back to Tempest where more barbarians had made it onto the deck, Implacable’s crew still picking them off, but slowly as to not hit any marines.  He started to swing the glass back to the shore, but something made him look back.  Another chill worked its way into his middle.  He was going to have to see a healer after this battle. 

Some of the boats that had tried to make it to Tempest were overturned, the occupants dead and sinking to the depths of the lake he assumed.  But soon he saw what had caught his eye.  One of the boats was moving against the waves of the lake.  As he scanned the water he saw that a good many of the ‘dead’ boats were moving, all to the opposite side of tempest.  Raen, Tempest’s commander must have pulled all her archers to the stricken side of the boat to fend off the rebels.  Johan cursed.  Kayos has blinded us to his plan!  He turned and shouted for his sling officer.  “Relay the order to fire!  Port archers fire on any boat that is overturned!  Don’t look at me!  Move!  They are using them as shields!”

The officer gaped and then shouted down the ladder hatch.  A moment of confusion, and then orders started drifting back up the ladder.  Johan watched as the nearest of the disguised boats simply disintegrated under the hail of bolts from a full broad side shot.  Johan Yelled down the hatch himself this time.  “Individual targets!  We want to get all of them not just one!”  The arrows spread out and began shredding the rest of the creeping boats.  Johan raised the glass back to his eye.  He saw it was to late.  No one on Tempest could hear any warning shout he or his crew could voice.  The battle on the starboard deck still occupied Raen and her crew.  No one else saw the last of the boats disappear around the side, out of the storm of metal tipped bolts.  Johan pounded his fist off the tower’s interior.  He watched for a minute or so, and as he suspected, a commotion broke out on the upper deck of Tempest.  Shadowed figures pulled themselves up over the opposite side and fell upon the undefended slingers.  He had a feeling this battle was about to get messy.

Captain Raen stood drumming her fingers on the edge of the looking tower’s view slit.  Her looking glass was grasped forgotten in her off hand.  She could not see past Implacable, for which she was grateful.  Her commander’s timely appearance had probably saved her ship.  It seemed The Father Of Waves was still with them on this evil night.  She had never expected the rebels to attack in such numbers.  Usually, only one tribe attacked at a time.  This must have been at least two.  She looked down at her ship’s deck.  He, she refused to refer to Tempest as a she like the others, was beleaguered in battle.  Barbarians fought fiercely with marines on the lowest deck, just a pace off the water.  Some were pushed into the dark water, sinking despite flailing limbs.  Armor was never meant for buoyancy.  Her archers had settled into a methodical pace, shooting at targets as they freed themselves from the bloody melee.  It was always bloody, the taking of a ship.  The barbarians still in the boats were pushing those ahead of them in attempts to gain a foothold.  If she had her way, there would be no taking today.  She watched as a flight of arrows from Implacable took a line of barbarians trying to scramble in from the boats.  Kayos or the abyss take those savages!  She cursed mentally.  They fell to the water in a flurry of splashes, some jumping in to avoid the arrows.  Even if they didn’t have armor she would have suspected they would drown.  Such lesser peoples surely couldn’t know even how to swim.  She was surprised they could swing their spears or shoot their bows.  She snorted to herself.  Her fingers continued their drumming as she surveyed the scene unfolding on her ship’s deck.  It looked like the last of the barbarians were on the deck, still a large number, but her marines had managed to form a line with their shields and pikes, some working swords.  Most of the boats in the water were empty or over turned.  A few of the over turned boats drifted around Tempest’s aft side as she glanced at them.  Something about that made her frown.  She ignored it. 

A minute later, she heard the sound of a struggle below her.  She looked down and gasped.  Somehow rebels had gotten onto the top deck!  Impossible!  Her mind raced.  The boats!  She should have known.  Now she realized they had been ‘floating’ against the current.  The cursed barbarians must have been swimming beneath them, using them to hide their movements.  She cursed, a rare thing for her.  All her marines were on the bottom deck.  None of the Siege Ships kept infantry on the upper decks.  There was never any need, until now.  Raen slid down the short ladder from Tempest’s looking tower, fine thing if she was caught up there like a cornered animal.  Her slingers were dying around her as she drew her short sword and cut down a barbarian who pushed his way to her, slicing the man’s middle.  She stepped across his body and yelled to her sling officer.  “Leon!  Retreat!  Rally at the lower decks!”  Only then did she realize that all her other crewman on the top were dead.  The rebels had only half as many warriors on the top, but there were no real defenses on the upper decks.  She ducked down and started to slam the hatch shut as she saw her officer take an arrow in the throat.  His eyes bulged with shock as his hands tried to contain the flow of blood around the shaft.  She bit back a curse as a think wooden spear stabbed in next to her.  The point grazed her cheek, leaving a shallow gash.  She could hear shouting above; most of it seemed praise for Kayos granting the barbarians victory.  Their god be dammed!  There will be no victory while I am alive!  She tugged harder, but the spear was stuck and was keeping the hatch open. 

The barbarian holding the spear laughed cruelly outside.  He spoke in a harsh voice, “Your fool faith has left you Chosen.  Time to succumb to the will of Kayos!  We will have freedom and you will have death!”  

She slashed the first hand that grabbed the lip of the hatch and stabbed outward with her still drawn blade.  The owner cursed and leaped back, replaced by more reaching hands.  She relented and slid down the ladder as the hatch flew open.  Startled crewman looked at her wildly.  She ran through the deck shouting.  “To arms!  They are above!  Rally the marines!  For Saylin and your lives!”  She knew there was no time to get the marines up here, but she had to try.  Her Lieutenant stared at her as if she were mad, until he caught sight of the first barbarian to leap down the ladder.  He cursed and shouted to the archers, grabbing the captain and rushing her to the next hatch down.  As they dropped down the opening a flight of bolts shot overhead, the crossbowmen getting over shock and loosing as volley into the barbarians who had made it into the hatch.  She could hear shouted orders to reload clashing with screams as more barbarians flooded down and fell upon her crossbowmen.  She tried to push her Lieutenant off her, but he was already hurrying her to the water level deck.  She finally pushed the man off.  “Lieutenant Garen.  We may be under attack, but I am still Captain.  You will rally the marines and we will retake our ship!”  She shook her sword at him.  “Call the archers, have them fall back to this level.”

The man looked at her and shook his head as a body fell through the hatch above.  “They are right behind us Captain.  They are spreading through the ship.  Our archers cannot fight them in these confined spaces.”  He eyed the open door to the outer deck.  Steel on steel clashed outside as the marines fought to hold, oblivious of the bitter fighting inside.  None had time to notice the lack of bolts coming down to punch holes in the attacking barbarian line.

All around Raen, the remaining crossbowmen were forming up, pouring bolts into the hatch above as barbarians tried to push downward.  In a few short minutes all her crew held was the water level deck, and the lower chambers of the propulsion system.  Her archers started falling one by one as the barbarians reached down with their own bows.  Her own crossbowmen started taking more sporadic shots, in between ducking for cover.  They were untrained in this kind of fighting.  She looked to her lieutenant.  “Leave the ship.  Get the rest of our archers out to assist the marines.  Signal the Implacable to retrieve you.  It will be bloody and a tricky maneuver, but it is better than all of you dying here.  I will take care of the ship.”

It would be tricky indeed.  Implacable would have to maneuver against Tempest, her marines fighting the barbarians back while Tempest’s crew stepped across.  The Siege Ships were meant to be floating fortresses; they had no lifeboats.

Raen’s second in command looked at her and saluted sadly.  “Aye Captain.  Honor to serve.  May The Father Of Waves welcome you and Tempest home.”  He finished his salute, and bowed deeply, despite the battle raging around them.  It was an age-old blessing to ask the welcome of the sailor’s patron god on those who fell in combat.  The Captain returned his bow and ran for the lower hatch that led to the propulsion chambers.  She dropped down the hatch to the sound of her second shouting orders to fall back outside.  She heard the clash of steel rise and fall; she hopped some made it to Implacable.  Running past a startled crew, she shouted at them to leave the ship.  They stared in amazement for a few moments, and then dashed up the ladder to join the retreating archers.  She could hear the fighting fade as her crew withdrew to the exterior of the ship.  She felt tears well up; Tempest had been a good warrior, strong and proud.  That these barbarians dared to soil him filled her with rage, and sadness for what she must do to protect The Pillar.  Raen stepped to the nearest lever, the main valve control.  This one lever was used to open or close all valves in emergencies, keeping any water from coming back inside.  Her hand trembled as she reached for the lever.  It would take awhile for Tempest to fill, enough time for her crew to get off.  We’ll go together my proud fighter!  May The Father Of Waves take us in.  She smiled sadly as her hand grasped the lever.  She never heard the footsteps behind her.  The blade sliding in took all breath from her; she looked down at the point protruding from her side in shock.  The strength leeched out of her body as she slid to the damp planks.  She felt the tears fall from her eyes, not for the pain, or even her probable death, but for failing to do her duty.  Tempest was being taken from her, and she could do nothing about it now.  Darkness crept in on her as she lay on her back, staring at the lever that would have delivered her.

Above, on the blood stained decks, the last of the marines stepped from Tempest to Implacable, keeping their shields up and pushing off from the barbarians trying to follow.  Implacable’s archers laid down a final volley once the last marine was off the stricken ship.  The barbarians relented almost immediately and withdrew into the interior of the ship.  Johan sighed and looked at the lieutenant that had been brought up to him by Ural.  “You are sure she was successful?”

“Yes Commander.  Captain Raen went to the chambers herself, as she should.  Tempest will sink.”

Johan nodded and then clapped the man on the shoulder.  “You did right.  None of us could have foreseen this.”  The young man’s relief made Johan sick.  This should never have been possible.  Johan turned back to Tempest, and cursed profusely.  Both Lieutenants turned to look at the sound of his utterance.  Johan shouted down the hatch.  “Archers hold!  Any man who fires will be tossed to join the fish!”  He ran to the port side.  Across the slowly expanding paces of water, the barbarians had come back onto Tempest’s deck.  It was not them who held his eyes. 

The rebels dragged a woman between them, a woman in a finely cut uniform of Tempest’s blue and black colors.  She had a rough puncture wound in her side; she looked unconscious.  Johan’s heart sank.  One barbarian stepped forward, dragging Raen with him over the bodies of barbarians and marines that littered the deck.  He held her over the side, and shouted to the upper deck of Implacable.  “You will break!  Hide on your cowardly boats no more!  Where is your god now?  Kayos, The Warrior, is the only!”  His voice was rough, and at his last word, he dropped Raen into the dark water with a splash.  He turned and they disappeared back inside. 

Immediately, two crewman dove into the water from Implacable, crossbowmen aiming at Tempest’s ports to cover them from any barbarian archers.  The two men resurfaced with Raen between them, swimming slowly, dragging her between them.  As they reached the deck, were she was hauled up and pulled into the shelter of the inner decks, Johan suffered his second shock.  Bubbles rose all around Tempest.  The rebels must have been trying all the levers, because jets of them shot out in all directions until finally only the rear tubes produced a trail of bubbles.  The side and front tubes still bubbled slowly; they must not know to close the valves.  The barbarians were getting the ship moving!  It was impossible; they were so… so ignorant.  Johan’s only consolation was the fact that the ship would sink eventually if they didn’t close the valves.  He was sure it would be long before they figured out how to go in the direction they wanted to.  One of them must have seen Raen pulling the lever to sink the ship, cursed barbarians!  He caught sight of the barbarian who had spoken before, standing at a port and smiling wickedly.  Johan turned away and began issuing orders, beginning with getting a healer for Raen.  He watched as Implacable moved away from Tempest.  The Siege Ships couldn’t really damage each other any more than the barbarians could and there was no sense wasting the effort and ammunition to try and disable its slings if it sank anyways.  He hoped they all drowned in their newly found prize.  He smiled despite the disaster, today had been bad, but it could have been worse.  The Father Of Waves had seen them this far, he would see them further yet.  They would never break.