Chapter 127: Book 2: Chapter 28

Chapter 28

 

Anastasia needed to use a bit more energy than she would have preferred to get us to our destination. The tributary river was smaller than those we usually traversed, and though the external dimensions of Marena’s Mercy remained the same she was a little heavier than she used to be. That extra mass had an effect. Apparently, not every law of physics could be ignored at will in the Darkwyrlds.

It required a great deal of self-restraint on my part not to order her to double the expenditure to get us there in half the time. Instead, I suppressed my nervous, frustrated energy and a little over an hour later we passed through the northern part of Flint that was vaguely familiar to me.

“Where shall we begin?” Shana asked, standing at my side.

“We’ll moor up just as the river starts to bend to the northeast. The area around there is fairly open. Kristoff will take his squad and visit the local authorities with our writ of passage. Regina told us they had set up shop in the medical centre up from Atwood Stadium. The main Flint podium is near there. LT will set up some defensive positions for us in case we have to spend the night. You and I, along with two squads, will check out the BuyMart, the last place we knew where they were.”

“Isn’t that on the south side of the river?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“I thought Regina told you that the south side of the river had been abandoned. That the residents had clustered where most of the housing was on the northern side.”

“She did. Kristoff will make inquiries with the local authorities, but I’m not holding out much hope on that front, so we shan’t wait. Malky’s affiliation with Michigan State was provisional. If he had settled in northern Flint, there would have been nothing provisional about it. Malky would have stuck with Mia and Keith, he wouldn’t have left them, so I can only surmise they did not move to the northern part of town. At least, not before whatever befell Malky happened.

“That’s also why we will set up on the southern banks. If things go down as I expect, there will be blood.”

“Good,” Anastasia piped up, as she skipped over to us with Fang Mei trailing behind her. “I’ve been jonesing to give somebody a knuckle sandwich for days now.”

“I thought you only needed to touch a person to use your Drain on them,” The cambion woman asked Ana curiously.

“Punching is touching.” Anastasia shrugged with a deceptively winsome smile.

I shook my head and mentally added Anastasia to our team. LT and his people could handle things here.

It took another ten minutes to get things organised and then a further twenty for us to reach the BuyMart. As I suspected the southern part of town was far from unoccupied. There weren’t many people openly wandering around, but there was ample evidence of current or very recent activity. The few folks we spotted and attempted to approach high-tailed it away from us, but the evidence of fortified buildings was all about us.

Along the way, we passed the complex of shitty apartments I used to live in. They were unrecognisable from what they had been before. If I weren’t so familiar with the area, I wouldn’t have known we’d reached them. My old building was now covered in thorny and sickly-looking vegetation. Where the steel gantry and stairwell had been was what appeared to be a foreboding entrance to an organic manse.

Whatever had caused the overgrowth was spreading. There was a scrubby lump in the former car park where Victor’s leased Mercedes had been. This had to be the influence of Grizelda Pearson. My elderly neighbour who had been transformed into a hag by the Framework.

A detail that was confirmed when Charlie, at my urging, took a few steps into the growth area and hauled out a hastily constructed sign that had been knocked over by the expansion of the oily vegetation. Scrawled on it in red marker was a simple warning. ‘Beware of the Hag’.

It would seem Victor wasn’t the only carrion she had ended up consuming. But Mrs Pearson wasn’t why we were here, so we carried on without any further investigation.

The BuyMart had seen better days. The frontage was a complete wreck. The security shutters had been torn down at some point and it seemed as if every window had been smashed. Even the ones people couldn’t have gone through even had they wanted to. Vandalism for the sake of vandalism.

We gave the place a once-over anyway. Unsurprisingly, it had been picked clean of anything useful in the new world and much of what wouldn’t be.

Of Mia and Keith, there was no sign.

“Well. This was a waste of time,” Anastasia bitched as her boots crunched on the shattered glass as we exited the building out the front and emerged into the lowering afternoon sun.

“We had to try,” I said.

“What now?” Shana asked. “None of the locals around here seem enthusiastic to talk with us.”

“You should have let me snatch them with my whip,” Anastasia sniffed.

“I might be feeling a bit reckless and angry but even I know that randomly assaulting people in the street has a high potential for complications and a very low chance of yielding any results,” I told her.

<Bossman. Your luck might be about to change. I’ve just been pinged with a dilemma if you’re willing to accept it> my imp said suddenly.

“I don’t suppose you can tell me what’s in the dilemma first?”

<You know that’s not how it works. All I can say is that it will be pertinent to your current situation, and I can’t think of anything other than the hunt for your friends and those who harmed Malky that is currently relevant.>

“Can we head back to the ship and think about it? There are a few other leads we could follow first. Malky got into the river somehow. There are a few creeks around here that flow into the Flint River that we can follow.”

<I’m afraid not. I haven’t automatically accepted the dilemma as per your instructions, but if we move away or wait too long it will expire.>

“I don’t understand,” Fang Mei said. “If this dilemma could help us, why wouldn’t you say yes?”

“Because once accepted you must select one of the options offered and they can come with significant downsides,” Shana explained to her.

“Not to mention they often give me the impression that I’m being prodded in certain directions by parties whose motives remain unclear,” I added.

<That’s not a nice thing to say about your patron goddess, Torin. Especially after all the nice toys she’s given you.>

“It’s what she may want in return for her gifts that worries me. Uncertainty irks me and the Shattered Goddess is the very essence of uncertainty. I’m probably going to regret this, but I will regret turning this down more if every other lead ends up as useless as this one. Give me the dilemma, Quixbix.”

 

*** You seek the fates of the friends you left behind in Flint. The Shattered Goddess has felt your disquiet and chosen to intercede and put your mind at rest.

Malcolm Roberts, known as Malky, was assaulted and left for dead by the motorcycle gang the Hellhounds. He is gravely injured but will fully recover in time.

Mia Gutierrez was enslaved by the very same gang and is being forced to work for them.

Keith Walker is free and lives in relative comfort and safety with his friend Bruce McKay in Flint.

This is their present. It is up to you to choose what immediate future awaits them.

Choose from the available fates. ***

 

The fate of Peace.

You and your crew return to your ship and leave immediately.   Malcolm Roberts: Will recover from his injuries and seek to free Mia from her captors once he is healthy enough. His death in the attempt is almost certain. Mia Gutierrez: Will remain enslaved by the Hellhounds. She is useful to them and will be treated accordingly by her owners. Her life will not be a happy one, and her treatment may deteriorate over time, but she will likely live. Keith Walker: Will flourish in his surroundings and live well. (Should you pick this fate and try to intervene in any way for one year, the Framework will inform the Hellhounds. All three will likely then be slain by them.)   Reward: A mysterious and lucky encounter in Lake Huron on the trip back.

The fate of Diplomacy.

The Shattered Goddess will forge an alliance on your behalf with the patron Archfiend of the Hellhounds. This alliance will open several avenues for the Shattered Storm to make more revenue and provide another weapon to battle Luca Gattosi with.   You are reading story Corsairs & Cataclysms at novel35.com Malcolm Roberts: Will recover from his injuries and be shaken by your decision. He will not seek to undermine the alliance for fear of endangering Mia. The likeliest outcome is that he will die battling monsters, a broken man. Mia Gutierrez: Will remain enslaved by the Hellhounds as a ‘hostage’ to ensure the alliance between your two factions holds. While she will remain a slave her life will be better than she could otherwise expect in her current position. Provided you hold up your end of the bargain. Keith Walker: Will live, though poorly, and be forced to fend for himself.   (Should you pick this fate and try to break the alliance in any way for one year, the Framework will inform the Hellhounds. Mia will be tortured and murdered by them.)   Reward: +50 Faction Influence

The fate of Conflict.

The Shattered Goddess will provide you with the necessary information to locate the whereabouts of the local chapter of the Hellhounds and attempt a rescue of Mia Gutierrez. Whether the attempt is a success or failure, you will earn the enmity of another powerful faction in the region.   Malcolm Roberts: Will recover from his injuries. If you are successful in rescuing Mia, he will go his own way. If not, he will seek retribution. Against whom remains unclear. Mia Gutierrez: Her fate will be in your hands. Keith Walker: Successful or not this choice will lead to his death.   Reward: +50 Notoriety

 

Quixbix shared the dilemma with the ladies.

“And this is why I don’t like these bloody dilemmas,” I sighed. “Too often I don’t want to pick any of these choices.”

<You probably don’t want to hear this, but your best option is the diplomatic one. You can’t lose sight of your endgame. Taking Luca down. These Hellhounds might be scumbags, and very likely are, but they could be useful scumbags. Besides, the dilemma only had consequences for breaking your deal for a year. You could wait it out and then turn on them to spring Mia later.>

“Quix, how could you!” Shana snapped. “We can’t leave her with a bunch of grotty bikers for a year. It’s already been too long. Who knows what they’d do to her during that time? We have to rescue her. Tonight!” she finished firmly.

<What about Keith? If we fight, the dilemma says he is doomed to die> Quixbix reminded her.

“For heaven’s sake, Quixbix. That is prime steaming semantic bullshit,” Shana retorted. “You don’t give a shit about Keith. He’s a feckless cretin, and you know it. He’s obviously abandoned Mia to her horrible fate, he deserves no consideration from us. And any of us who’ve met him know that if he has to fend for himself, he is as good as dead anyway.”

“Brutal and ruthless, Shana. I love it,” Anastasia cackled.

“So, you prefer conflict as well, then?” I asked her.

“Nah, peace.”

Every set of eyes, including the crewmen who had been watching our exchange silently, swivelled to the quasi-sociopathic pocket rocket.

“Come again?”

“What can I say, A mysterious and lucky encounter on Lake Huron has piqued my curiosity. I want to find out what that means.”

“Fine,” I said and rolled my eyes.

Peace was out. No matter how lucky or mysterious the encounter might be I wouldn’t leave Mia behind for something so nebulous, or doom Malky. Plus, Keith’s continued prosperity was not high on my list of priorities. Shana was right about him being a feckless cretin.

Conflict seemed like the obvious personal choice. Get the information from the Shattered Goddess, then fuck these bikers up and take Mia home with us. My biggest hesitation for this choice was adding another group to my list of enemies. We didn’t know much about the Hellhounds, but they were number seven on the faction influence leader board in the state. Their influence had to extend beyond Flint.

It pained me to admit, but Quixbix’s advice about choosing the Diplomatic course had been right on the money. It was the cold, calculated, sensible choice. What was best for the faction. For much the same reasons as to why I was hesitant to simply opt for conflict in the first place. Mia would be a prisoner, but the dilemma suggested she would be well treated if a formal agreement between our factions was in place.

My gut urged me to do what felt best for me. That was to enact retribution and take Mia back. Logic screamed that as leader of the Shattered Storm, I had to what was best for the faction. Delay my vengeful gratification in exchange for more leverage against Luca. Had this choice been presented to me while at Malky’s bedside, I would have chosen conflict, no question. But the fire in my veins had cooled off enough that the calculating part of my personality wormed its way to the finish line.

I couldn’t help myself and my blue-on-black eyes met Shana’s. Giving away the direction in which I was leaning.

“Torin, you can’t,” she whispered in a small voice.

“I’m sorry, Shana…” I started but was interrupted by Fang Mei’s small hand on my arm.

“Wait,” she said.

Both Shana and I turned to her, hope blossomed on the shadowborn elf’s face.

“Yes?” I asked Fang Mei.

She looked around nervously. Still not comfortable with being the centre of attention. “I do not know these people. Only you do, Torin. And if what Shana has told me is true, she has only met them once, for an evening.”

Shana bit her lower lip and gnawed at it nervously. What Fang Mei said was true and undermined Shana’s stance quite a bit. She didn’t really know Mia or Keith for that matter. I mean, her assessment of Keith was pretty damn accurate, but still, she had only been around him for a day. He could have had layers she didn’t know about. He didn’t, but he could have. She liked Mia, though, and knew I did too. That had certainly influenced her opinion.

“But I do know people,” Fang Mei continued. “How they behave. For good, but mostly for bad. I have read this…uh…dilemma several times now. I think you are missing something, too focused on those you care about the most and not enough on the one you do not. This Keith, he was Mia’s man, true?”

“He was,” I admitted reluctantly.

“Then how is it that he will flourish if we do nothing to change things here, but that will all be lost if we take action? Why should our leaving without a word lead to his benefit?”

“What are you suggesting, Fang Mei?” Shana asked her.

Anastasia answered for her. “She’s suggesting Keith is responsible for what happened to Mia. He’s got to be in cahoots with the Hellhounds. That’s how a useless turd like him can flourish while she toils as a slave.”

I hadn’t needed Anastasia to fill in the blanks for me. The moment Fang Mei suggested I was too focused on the wrong person everything slotted into place in my head.

<Torin…> Quixbix said warningly, sensing the shift in my emotions.

It was too late for the imp to change or intervene. All I could see was red. Fury filled my soul to bursting and could only be extinguished with bloody retribution. The analytical and calculating mindset put their hands up and voluntarily took a back seat, not wanting to get run over.

“Conflict. I choose conflict.”

<Damnation of Ashli> the imp groaned.

“Tell me,” I growled out. Civility was an impossibility in my current mood.

<The information provided is short and to the point. Keith Walker can be found at the Swartz Creek Bed and Breakfast. It’s barely more than a stone’s throw from where we moored the ship. We can be there in twenty minutes.>

“Five if we run.”

“I guess we’re running then,” Charlie muttered behind me with a sarcastic “yay!” afterwards.

I barely heard him. My legs were already pumping, taking me back onto Corunna Road. My three female companions were hot on my heels, faces grim and ready for carnage. The deadly fury in my heart proved to be infectious through our mutual bonds.

Keith was about to have a very bad day.

You can find story with these keywords: Corsairs & Cataclysms, Read Corsairs & Cataclysms, Corsairs & Cataclysms novel, Corsairs & Cataclysms book, Corsairs & Cataclysms story, Corsairs & Cataclysms full, Corsairs & Cataclysms Latest Chapter