Champions Vol. 02

"Well," Athanasios demanded of the rabbit.

Squeak.

"Oh, you figured you'd just ignore me and come anyway? Wait until we were too far away to turn back before you let me know you snuck along?"

Squeak.

"Well what if I decide right now to leave you here? What would you do if we tossed an empty barrel over the side now it would probably make it back to shore in a few days? Didn't plan for that did you?"

Squeak, Squeak.

"So what if you can't swim. Maybe you should have thought about that before you snuck aboard a ship?"

Squeak, Squeak, Squeak.

"Arrgh," he shouted in frustration. "I knew it. I knew you would use that same argument against me. Every. Single. Time...Fine. You can stay. But if someone eats you it's your own fault. I warned you."

Squeak.

"Yeah, yeah..." he grumbled, digging back into his satchel for a few moments before pulling out a dirty and tattered scrap of folded parchment. Unfolding it he handed the 'map' to the captain.

After witnessing the 'conversation' Athanasios had with a rabbit, Captain Epaphras did not have high expectations. Yet, despite its dirty and tattered appearance the parchment clearly detailed the location of every rock formation in this region of the isle, as well as a safe path through. Shrugging, he handed the map off to Phaidros, who had temporarily returned from the Chariot, and the two men began planning the route out of the fog.

While the crew of the Sophia got ready to sail, Athanasios got down on one knee to continue scolding Bertha the Rabbit, and Sapphire and Laurena moved next to David.

"He's not actually talking with the rabbit, is he?" Sapphire whispered in confusion.

"He thinks he is," Laurena answered her. "What I am trying to figure out is if the rabbit is just squeaking at the sound of his voice, or if Bertha is actually talking back."

As they both looked to David for his opinion, the soldier just shrugged. "At least he doesn't think she's a 'miniature giant space rabbit', or something."

* * *

"Priest Philotheos, the ship captains that volunteered for coastal watch have all reported in," Onesiphoros reported.

"Excellent!" Philotheos replied.

The two were seated in his office, going over the plans for the following day. Their city defense force had been training for over a month, but they had had trouble organizing the volunteer ships that would be responsible for coastal patrols.

Every fishing boat captain in the city had offered to keep an eye out for unknown vessels, and they had been diligent in reporting them to the city defense in good time. But there were areas along the coast that were never visited by the fishermen, and an enemy force could sneak ashore there without anyone noticing; thus the need for the patrols. The solution had been to ask for volunteers to patrol the coast. Two ships would travel together and inspect the handful of areas that were never observed by the fishing and trading vessels of Calavius. The most experienced captain in the group, Eustorgios of the Merry Gale, was put in charge of developing the patrol schedule and routes.

"And Eustorgios is able to make the schedule work for all the vessels involved?" Philotheos inquired. Scheduling had been the issue holding the endeavor back from the beginning.

"He said it was a challenge, but he was able to reach a compromise with a number of the other captains so that there will always be a patrol in the water," Onesiphoros explained.

"Remarkable," Philotheos muttered in amazement. He had spent weeks trying to negotiate a schedule that worked, until finally accepting defeat and asking Eustorgios to take a crack at it. Two days later this was the result. He should have turned the task over weeks ago.

"How goes the rest of the defensive preparations?" Philotheos continued.

"The defensive force will be conducting mock evacuation drills in two days, and next week we will be conducting a full scale rehearsal of dock defense," Onesiphoros reported. "Charis is working with the support volunteers to identify and prepare secondary casualty care sights in the event that the temple either becomes full, destroyed, or otherwise unusable. She has already finished teaching all the basic injury care courses to the volunteers."

Philotheos nodded, impressed. Charis was an exceedingly skilled teacher. Her naturally caring and empathetic nature allowed her an understanding of her students that enabled her to tailor her teaching style to meet the needs of each student. She had managed to teach nearly 100 volunteers serious injury care in less than a month.

"Splendid," Philotheos replied, once he returned from his musings. "We need to continue to review the defensive preparations. I believe that additional fortifications added to key areas of the city would serve us well if the fighting comes here. We have never had walls for defense in Erosius, but I found references to them in some of the most ancient histories. I think we should consider walling off a portion of the city around the temple and using it as a final defensive line, if it comes to that."

Onesiphoros nodded in agreement. The last month had seen many changes in the lives of Erosian, especially those in coastal cities. One more change would not be that unusual.

* * *

"Lochos, Attention!" shouted Lochagos Mnason to his troop. Third Lochos, the Western Mora militia trainees, were assembled in rank. It was early still, and the sun had not yet risen. The six pentekostyes before him accounted for the nearly one thousand volunteers who would be returning to their homes the following month. Their training had been difficult, and each had worked hard. But these recruits, for one reason or another, would not be assigned to the mora. However, that did not mean that they got it any easier during training.

"Today we will conduct our first long distance march as a lochos. The standard for the Western Mora is twenty miles in six hours with full equipment. Before you leave us next month each and every one of you will be able to meet that standard. Today, we will be a bit easier, however. You have eight hours to travel the twenty miles. Healers from Gamma Pentekostys, Second Lochos will be accompanying us in case of injury."

Standing near the front of the formation, in Alpha Pentakostys, Timothy was nervous. His magic had not been powerful enough to qualify for caster or healer, and his skill with a sword and spear were not enough to earn him a position with the mora. He had been assigned to the militia, and was slightly embarrassed that he was actually happy that he would be returning home to his young wife soon. However, he still wanted to be as successful as possible with his training. Twenty miles was not such a long distance to march, but his shield was rather heavy, as was the armor. When the weight of his spear and sword were added, as well as the pack of equipment on his back, he was carrying nearly seventy extra pounds. That would make these twenty miles far more difficult than they would normally be.

"Alpha Pentekostys, Forward..." he commanded.

"Forward..." echoed Alpha's kostagos (commander).

"March!" Lochagos Mnason finished the command, and watched as the first of his six pentekostyes marched onto the road toward Exitibus. He would review each unit as it marched by, then he and his ypolochagos, Olympias, would move to the front of the column to lead them on the twenty mile march.

Today's exercise was an important step for his unit. It was the first time that the entire lochos had trained together at once. It was also the first time that any of the Western Mora lochos had attempted a long march as a unit. There were plenty of soldiers who early in training argued marching such long distances was pointless, but by now they were used to it.

As each of the pentekostyes marched past, Lochagos Mnason and Ypolochagos Olympias reviewed the soldier's postures and carry-loads. They noted any soldiers with poor posture, and those men and women would be checked during the day to see if they were having trouble with the march. With the amount of weight each soldier was carrying, posture was nearly as important as weight distribution for reducing discomfort. Both leaders knew that the healers would be busy this night, but they hoped that the lessons the soldiers learned today would be applied to their freshly healed feet and bodies to make the return march tomorrow easier. They only had another month to train with the militia, and this was the most important lesson left for them to learn.

The truth was that the skill most praised by the training manual was the ability to march a large force quickly over a short-to-medium distance, and arrive organized and prepared to fight. It stated that the ability to maneuver troops around on a battlefield was the single most decisive skill a mora could have. Bringing more troops to a fight was not as important as bringing the right troops to the right place at exactly the right time. If these militia troops were to ever see fighting, few of them would do so in their own home towns and cities. They would be called up, and asked to march -- in some cases up to a hundred miles or more -- as quickly as possible, and be ready to fight as soon as they arrived.

More so than even the Erosian Mora, the militia needed to be masters of marching.

*** Chapter 36: An Uncomfortable Truth ***

110915JUN13 DW

22^nd of Pyanepsion, 2351 EC

Aboard Laurena's Chariot, Northwest of Erosius

As expected, the presence of Athanasios and Bertha had initially entertained a great many of the crew. But their antics settled down quickly, although Bertha could often be seen either following him around the ship, or being carried about in his satchel. It was an odd sight, but one that everyone eventually got used to.

A slightly less obvious but still apparent change to the group in the past week was Laurena. She had decided not to share anything more about the events in the tomb, but she had become more introspective after her return. She spent less time talking and laughing with the crew, and could often be seen at the rails, staring off into the horizon. She still welcomed the companionship of Sapphire, and to a lesser extent David, and could occasionally be seen conversing with Athanasios, but beyond that she distanced herself from everyone else. David and Sapphire suspected it had to do with either the Trials, or the conversation she'd had with them their first night back on the ship.

That evening she had joined them in their cabin aboard the Sophia. At first David and Sapphire thought it would just be another night of shared passion, but instead Laurena had opened her heart. She confessed every manipulative thought and plan that she had concocted from the moment she had met David. She spoke of her plan to maneuver him into a Blessing and use it to manipulate his feelings, and when that failed her plan to use Sapphire to help her try again. All of her machinations over those long weeks were laid bare before her friends.

Neither David nor Sapphire were surprised by the information, both of them having been at least aware of her manipulations at the time; and in Sapphire's case a party to some of them. But the completely open and unvarnished exposure by the former acolyte was unusual. When she admitted to the jealousy she still occasionally felt about seeing David with Sapphire, rather than with her, it was a surprise. However, both of them did everything they could to suppress any negative emotions that they felt at the news. The discussion was hard enough already.

Once she had finally finished talking, Laurena just sat there, totally exposed. David realized that he had only ever seen her that lost and vulnerable once before, after Exitibus.

Looking to Sapphire he saw the same recognition in her eyes, and he returned her subtle nod quickly before moving to join her in wrapping the blonde Champion in a soothing embrace.

"It's okay, Laurena," Sapphire whispered into her friend's ear. "Nothing you said tonight changes how we feel about you. I can tell when I watch you with David that it is more than just great sex. There are feelings there, and if I couldn't handle that I never would have shared him with you."

Surprised at this announcement, Laurena turned to look at Sapphire, who moved back only far enough to return her gaze.

"You knew?" she asked her friend nervously.

"I suspected," Sapphire replied gently. "And it's okay."

Laurena searched her eyes for some level of deception, but found none there. Laurena turned to David, and he moved away from the group embrace, struggling with the unspoken question in her eyes. The implications of this moment disturbed him greatly, and he was unsure how to proceed.

There was a time, before Sapphire, that he could have seen a future together with the beautiful blonde. But the lovely Dracian had his heart now, and what he felt for Laurena now was not love. At least, not 'Love', with the capital 'L' that he felt with Sapphire; that absolute belief that any life without her was a life not worth living. He could not see a path forward that would allow him to grow those feelings for her, without losing what he had with Sapphire. Perhaps some men could Love more than one woman at a time, but he was not one of them.

"I too suspected much of what you told us," he began carefully, stalling for time to work through this complicated situation. "I apologize for not realizing the depth of your feelings for me; it was a failure on my part. Know that I have already forgiven you for any wrong you think you may have committed against me, and understand that I care for you..." he trailed off, trying to think of a way to explain his feelings.

The hope he saw in Laurena's eyes made it all that much more difficult to say what had to next.

"...but not in the same way that I love Sapphire. For me she is 'The One'. My soulmate, my other half, the yin to my yang, and I don't even want to think of a world without her. I do care for you Laurena, I have even grown to love you like family, and you will always be welcome with us. But -- please forgive me -- I cannot see a future without Sapphire in it, even one with you."

That was the moment that David realized a very important truth. He would not willingly return to Earth. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Sapphire, and he would do nothing that might take him away from his love. But his moment of self-reflection only lasted a few seconds before his attention returned to the troubled woman beside him.

David's words were not what Laurena wanted to hear, but neither were they a surprise to her. She nodded in understanding, and tried to mask the sadness that his proclamation sparked. She would have no future with David; and the aspirations for such that she had carried all this time had finally been exposed as a fool's hope.

"Thank you both," Laurena's voice croaked, breaking from the strain of corralling her emotions.

Sapphire moved to hug her even more tightly than before, and David reached out a hand to gently stoke her back, uncertain if his hug would be welcome.

"I need to go back to my quarters," Laurena stated, "it had been a long day and I definitely need a good night's sleep."

"Stay with us tonight," Sapphire offered with worried smile, concerned that her friend was trying to flee. "I'll make sure that David behaves."

Wrenching a comforting smile onto her face, Laurena patted Sapphire's arm, which was still wrapped tightly around her. "Not tonight. You two should spend tonight together."

Laurena carefully extracted herself from Sapphire's arms, and left with a wave to David.

Once she was gone Sapphire moved into David's arms, accepting his comfort as she worried for her friend. She wanted to be mad at him, to blame him for hurting the young Champion, but she could not. He had only spoken the truth, and as much as she feared for how this would change her friendship with Laurena, she could not help but be pleased at his declaration of devotion to her.

Later that night, once Sapphire had calmed from the troubling discussion, David had shared his thoughts about the future with Sapphire. He would remain with her in Erosius, for as long as she would have him. Smiling, Sapphire pushed him onto his back and moved to straddle his waist.

"Then prepare yourself," she purred, "for I plan to 'have' you for a long, long time."

The next day everyone noticed the downturn in Laurena's mood, but neither David nor Sapphire could think of a way to draw her from it. It was something that she would have to fix on her own.

* * *

Lykos walked calmly through the darkened back-alleys of Exitibus. Very few people were out moving around the city at this time of night, but to a casual observer it appeared as though he was stumbling home late from the tavern. The truth, however, was something else entirely.

Seemingly unconcerned with his surroundings, the Shadowmaster was in fact paying close attention to the streets he traveled. The presence of other people near him would have indicated a potential security threat, but there was no one. These back-alleys were as deserted as they should have been at that time of night.

Reaching his destination, Lykos moved into a recessed alcove between two large buildings. He was in the trader district, where goods from across Erosius came to be sold in local shops. At the moment he was between The Nimble Tailor shop and their fabric warehouse.

"Good evening, Shadowmaster Whisper," Cassius greeted him.

"Good evening, Shadow Lord," Lykos replied.

"What is the status of your operations?" the Shadow Lord inquired.

"Nothing has changed," Lykos answered, a hint of frustration bleeding into his voice. "We have scaled back our protection and extortion fees to the point that the shop owners barely notice us. Unfortunately, that means that they also barely pay us."

Lykos was not the first Shadowmaster to voice his frustration at the Night Lord's orders. Most of the men recruited into the Shadow Guild were promised success and wealth in return for service. Membership had a number of risks, especially from the Inquisitors, and the men expected to be compensated in return for the risk. However, the Night Lord had ordered his guild's members to keep a low profile, something that made earning extra coin rather tricky. After almost two months of quiet and low profits, many were grumbling about getting back to work.

"The Night Lord is well aware of the reduction in your earnings, but he has made no mention to me of changing his current orders. He wants the events of Pelagios death and the 'bandit' murderers far from everyone's mind before we resume full operations," Cassius explained, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Considering the penalty for murdering a priest, I should think everyone would want to ensure our future operations are never tied back to that event. This break in activity is what it needed to guarantee that."

Lykos nodded grudgingly. He understood the reasoning behind the orders. He was no fool. He just wished that they did not so severely impair his income. He wanted to buy a grand home, and move out of the irritatingly small apartment he was in now.

"I have a few ideas of how I can increase my revenues, without exposing the organization to any additional risk," Lykos offered.

"Such as?" Cassius prodded.

"First, we can sell counterfeit goods," Shadowmaster Whisper offered. "We have a rotating group of people disguised to look like some of the traders that have gone missing. No one would question if they came into town, set up a tent, and sold odd trinkets for a few days. We can sell shoddy replicas of well-known enchanted items. Things that work the way they are supposed to for about a week, then the enchantment wears off. By the time the customer notices the problem the 'trader' will have already moved on to the next town."