2022-11-22 Igneous Plots - Wik

Not terribly defensible, living under water. I run a hand through my hair, forgetting that here in the Plane of Water the habit is fruitless - my medium red hair floats aimlessly back to where it was, my fingers leaving deep troughs that quickly disappear with the currents. I let out a deep sigh, the necklace of water breathing given to me by the Scheherezade floating lazily around my neck.

With an eye kept closed (to help my focus) I stare up. Out? Directions are hard to manage here, where everything floats. Up, away from the sea floor that the village of Clastim had found to make their home. Up, towards the few swimmers returning with Boosya from their trip to find local fauna that could help in defense of the town.

Raiders, from the Plane of Fire, is what Rhonnda had told us. Elementals and salamanders and small magma creatures, each turning the water around them to steam as it made contact. All around theor leader, a towering fire elemental by the name of Ragbavok riding a smouldering axolotl. They came some time ago, and demanded that the villagers leave.

Or, when they returned, the villagers would be made to.

I cast my eyes out to the distance, the bubbling undersea volcano a chilling reminder of the threats that were made. I close my eyes, tight, rubbing a hand across my face.

•••

We were lucky to arrive when we did, a few days before the deadline that the raiders set forth. The people of Clastim, and their elder, Vana Disham, had no desire to leave. They had no skill to fight, either, save for their foremost warrior, Pike. The Scheherezade, a house built for a marid, has space; not enough, though, to fit a village.

Our goal, then, was to help in the defence of the town.

All this coral and none of it worth using... I think to myself as I float amongst the tops of the houses of the village, trying to see what of the natural terrain we could use to our advantage. Coral can be sharp, under the right circumstances, but here it was too far driven back - the villagers having tired of cuts from walking around a corner too tightly, perhaps. With a sigh, bubbles escaping from my mouth to float into the voids above, I return to the seabed.

"How're y'all doin' down here?" I ask the villagers I had gathered, some from the safety of the Scheherezade. "Makin' good progress?"

They nod, and I return the gesture as I float amongst the battlements, crude barricades fashioned from coral and seaweed and whatever could be found. Their builders would not stick around to see them used, but Vox's fighters might find their work easier with a wall to hide behind.

"Keep up the good work. Nearly there."

•••

The low din of the assembled Clastim villagers and the crew of the Scheherezade fills the air around the brunch that Blessed and Boosya had prepared. People that had passed by each other in preparation for battle now sit somewhat cheerfully with each other, becoming a single community.

I sit with a small smile turning up the corners of my lips. Maybe we'll be okay, after all.

My finger taps lazily on the table, laying a steady beat. My brow furrows, and with a breath, I begin to sing. It's a slow, quiet song; a story of a lone traveller that wanders into town and finds a home amongst the people.

I think Yom taught it to me.

I start low, quiet, catching only the ear of the few near me. They begin to tap their feet, and I raise my voice, the others joining in for the chorus.

My finger halts, and the stomping stops, and I deliver the last line.

•••

The raiders pour out of the volcano below us, and as we watch, begin disappearing in bursts of steam as they walk into the traps carefully laid by Blessed and Wil. Larger fire elementals shove the smaller ones aside, knocking the traps aside as they charge forward to the town.

Rhonnda's voice calls out from her chair where she captains the Scheherezade. "Time to drop!"

We peer out of the door, and with a step, begin floating down towards the army of elementals. The smaller ones are easily handled by the villagers - we have our sights set on the leader. In a cloud of dust, we land on the seabed in front of them, and wait.

The giant axolotl pulls up in front of us, its rider waving off the other encroaching raiders as she stares down at us. "Oh, so they brought in help did they... No wonder they look like they thought things through, the peasants." With a sneer, Ragbavok rears up on her mount and stares at all of us with eyes of fire. "Well, let me be the first to welcome you to your burial ground."

•••

My crossbow bolt flies true, piercing the hide of the giant axolotl. It throws its head back in a shriek, bubbles pouring from its mouth before they begin to pour from every part of its body. In an instant, it disappears leaving only a trail of steam and bubbles floating up and away as a record of what was there.

"Who in the flames are you!" Ragbavok cries, turning to look at her army. They are being routed - each and every one turning hide at the impenetrable defence of Clastim. With an angry look, she whirls around to face the five of us. "I'll-"

Boosya's rolling pin, hovering in the water, comes smashing down on Ragbavok with a sickening thud. Were she human, it would be revolting. For an elemental, she merely turns to magma and rocks. The fire and smoke spreads, swirling in the water, before pulling together once more and disappearing in a puff of smoke.

•••

The celebrations back in Clastim are loud and vibrant as the villagers that could not fight come pouring out of the Scheherezade. Hugs are plentiful as everyone celebrates the victory over the hoard of fire elementals; tears are picked up by the current and whisked away as the few dead are accounted for.

Rhondda comes by and congratulates us. "That was incredible! I saw some of the battle from the Scheherezade. I am glad to see the Dawnlanders live up to their reputation."