Kairos 19: Enemies at the Gates

The return to Histria took place in grim silence.

Neither Nessus nor Kairos spoke a word to the other on the way home. The friendly satyr had turned awfully quiet after the Garden of Stone incident, and the Travian captain started to distrust him somewhat. His [Rogue] ally had clearly encountered the gorgons in the past, yet refused to provide details.

Should Kairos confront him about it? Everyone on the Foresight was entitled to their privacy, and Nessus had proved his mettle. However, the satyr hoarded his secrets like a merchant with his gold, and the [Hero] worried some might hurt the crew.

Now is not the time, Kairos thought, as the warband reached the camp’s gates. The troops had been shaken enough by their argument, another confrontation so soon might cause a permanent rift. He would wait for a more opportune moment.

“Lord Kairos!” The camp sentries let out sighs of relief at the group’s return. “Thank the gods, you are back!”

“Not under the best circumstances, I’m afraid,” Kairos replied, before noticing the look of unease on the sentries’ face. “Did something happen in our absence?”

One of the guards, a former helot, nodded vigorously. “A monster took over the bay this morning, sir! It scared off all the fishermen, and Lady Cassandra refused to throw it back to the sea!”

“She knew it well,” another guard said, “that it will stay harmless so long as we feed it, and that we should wait for your arrival. ‘Kairos will take care of it,’ she said.”

Did his [Monster Lure] Skill attract another Cetus? “You said Cassandra recognized it?” Kairos asked. “What kind of beast are we dealing with?”

“An enormous red hydra, sir!”

Kairos stood still for half a minute, as he processed the answer. Then he heard Nessus explode into roaring laughter behind his back. “I’ll deal with this,” the [Hero] said with a heavy sigh, before glancing at his warband. “You may return to your families.”

The Foresight’s captain hadn’t taken two steps, that he heard the explorers share their tale with the sentries. The rumors of gorgons, giant lions, and other horrors would soon spread, poisoning the people’s minds. Perhaps the thought of an undiscovered dungeon would excite a few adventurers’ appetites, but most would reconsider settling the island.

At least Kairos had gathered some samples from the marsh. Perhaps he could craft an antidote to the [Petrification] ailment? The [Hero] needed time for himself so he could fully explore his [Poison Brewer] Skill’s limits.

“You’re okay, Kairos?” Rook asked his partner upon landing at his feet. “Don’t listen to that stupid satyr! That nest belongs to us now, we’ll find a way to prevail!”

“I know we will,” the pirate said with a sad smile, as his griffin followed him like a pet cat. “But I fear the others won’t see it that way.”

Though he had secured their loyalty with oaths that punished desertion, tributary captains could still use a few exit clauses. A few brave ones would stay, but many were opportunists like Castor.

“Of course they won’t, they’re our bird flock! When we travel into the unknown, it’s our job to show them the way!” Rook looked at his partner in the eyes. “You’re not alone, Kairos. We’re fellow hatchlings. I see far too, and I’m with you all the way!”

The [Monster Reaver]’s smile turned genuine, and he petted his griffin’s head. “You’re too good for this earth, you know that?”

“That’s why I fly all the time!”

Oh gods, Rook had grown old enough to make jokes. This couldn’t end well.

The duo finally reached the bay, and found it devoid of human life. The pirate ships were aligned on the sand, including the Foresight, waiting for workers to remove the barnacles and sea parasites on the hulls. Multiple reptilian heads peered above the clear waters like an alligator, revealing the creature that scared everyone away.

“Servant!”

No way…

And yet Kairos’ ears hadn’t deceived him. If the voice hadn’t betrayed this specific hydra’s identity, her crimson scales would. “It’s the big snake from before!” Rook rejoiced, looking at the man-eating monster as if she was an old friend. “Hello there!”

“Your Majesty?” the [Hero] couldn’t hide the surprise in his voice. “What are you doing here?”

“You servant abandoned your post!” the creature hissed as she emerged from the sea and slithered on the sand. “When I went to your old nest to remind you of your duties, your wolf-mother told me you left for another island! I had to work to find you!”

Wait, the hydra swam all the way from Travia? How did she even manage to locate him? She must have had a special tracking Skill. Come to think of it, Kairos had yet to [Observer] his favorite reptile since he ascended to [Hero].

Delphyne

Legend: Beautiful Swamp Queen (Hero).

Race: Hydra (Lernaean).

Class: Monster (Maneater, Swamp Lord, Wandering Beast)

Level: 50

No wonder she had stayed undefeated for so long. “I sincerely apologize for my rudeness, great and powerful hydra,” Kairos said before lowering his head. “I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me.”

“Forgive?” She flailed the sand with her tail, like a taskmaster’s whip. “After you forgot me? Me? Look at me, human, look at me! How could you forget me?”

“We didn’t forget you!” Rook insisted, pointing at the flag atop the Foresight’s mast with his beak. “We made you our symbol!”

“Truly?” The hydra instantly turned to look at the Foresight’s mast, immediately marveling at seeing her likeness. “How flattering…”

“I felt so jealous when they put you on the flag instead of me,” Rook said, before frowning at Kairos. “I’m still mad at you for this betrayal. You better make up for it.”

“Maybe I could put your face on our coins, if we start minting money,” Kairos joked back with a smirk.

Rook took his suggestion seriously, instantly putting his forelegs on the [Hero]’s ankles. “You can? Please!”

“Where are the other heads?” the hydra asked, immediately displeased, “I count only five, and I have more! More, more, more!”

“That’s what I told my wolf-mother when she failed to represent Your Majesty’s perfection,” the captain replied. “Please forgive her. She only meant well.”

“Hhmm! You manlings can’t do anything right! But I will accept this tribute with grace.” The hydra’s heads adopted an expression of false graciousness. “Now let us make haste. I wish to return home before next sunrise.”

“I’m afraid I can’t, oh great and beautiful hydra,” Kairos said, the hydra instantly glaring at him. Though the sight of this mighty reptile intimidated him somewhat, he stood his ground. “I had to leave my old nest to protect it. I cannot go back.”

The mythical monster didn’t listen. “Servant, my needs are more important than yours. You feed me, you live. Now, let us return to my marsh.”

“Oh, you could stay here!” Rook suggested, leaping on the sand with excitement. “We just came back from a marsh! You could move in, and Kairos will feed you!”

Much to his partner’s horror, the hydra seemed curious. “How big of a marsh, tiny one? Bigger than my old one?”

“Wait,” Kairos protested while Rook nodded vigorously, “Oh great and powerful hydra, this swamp is already occupied by someo—”

“I am a hydra,” the creature replied with implacable logic, “all marshes are mine.”

“See?” Rook looked at Kairos, completely oblivious to the disaster ahead. Worse, he had fully planned it. “Big snake is the biggest of them all! She will eat the stonemakers in no time!”

Oh by the gods, this wouldn’t end well. Kairos had to stall for time, distract the creature until he figured a way out. “Please, Your Majesty, you must feel tired after such a long journey,” he said, “let us provide you with a welcoming feast tonight!”

The hydra deigned to accept his request. “Only if the meat fulfills me completely!”

“Oh, Kairos, can I show her the wilderness around the camp!” Rook suggested. “Or I could show her the Mint Woods!”

Realizing he was trapped between a rock and a hard place, Kairos gave in. “Okay, but don’t spook the colonists, please. Their work is hard enough as it is.”

The new gods had heard his prayer for an army of beasts and men.

And now he couldn’t take it back.

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After this misadventure, Kairos left Rook to give the hydra a tour guide of the island and returned to his command tent. As if this day couldn’t get any more frustrating, he found Cass waiting at the entrance with a serious look on her face. “Kairos, we need to talk.”

Did she hear the rumors already? “If it’s about the hydra, it’s even worse than—”

“It’s Orthia. They’re coming.”

Kairos immediately tensed up. “Inside,” he said, as the duo entered the tent and reached the throne room. “How do you know?”

“Rhadamanthe saw it in his divinations, and I received a messenger bird from a contact in Orthia,” Cass said. “The city-state sent a fleet to conquer Histria. They know we hold the prince and queen on the island.”

Kairos collapsed on his throne, looking at the tent’s ceiling as if he could see the skies above. Problems traveled in packs. “How many ships?”

Silence.

“Cass, how many ships?”

“Around eighty, with Lysander at the helm. Most of them triremes and warships filled to the brim with soldiers.”

Three times the colony’s numbers, and far better equipped than Histria’s repurposed merchant ships. Could Andromache make a difference, like in Boeotia? If Kairos were Lysander, he would bring countermeasures. “And Mithridates?”

“Nothing from our secret communication channels, but I did receive an official message by messenger bird.” Cass handed Kairos a small scroll bearing Pergamon’s peacock seal. “I’m not sure what to make of the content.”

The Travian captain grabbed the letter and hastily read it. Of course, since it was a public message, nothing in it incriminated the Poison King. If anything, it seemed designed to make him look good.

“Mithridates offers to host a neutral meeting in Pergamon between Travia and Orthia to ‘arrange the peaceful release of Prince Critias and his esteemed mother’,” Kairos quoted the message. It offered a diplomatic way out if the rescue fleet failed, though, in all likelihood, it was a ploy for the Poison King to arrange the little prince’s assassination. “Is there a coded message inside?”

“None that I could decipher.”

“That’s an official letter, but how does your secret line of communication work?”

“I have a contact, who meets with Mithridates’ intermediary and informs me through messenger birds,” Cass explained. “The Poison King rarely deals with people directly. I’m starting to worry, truth be told. I should have received a sign by now.”

Kairos considered her words, a terrible doubt forming in his mind. “Is there anything tying us to Mithridates?”

“I took some insurance, though it’s not much. He’s very careful about covering his tracks.”

“And your intermediary knew Histria’s location?”

“Yes, of course.” Cass crossed her arms. “Kairos, you can’t imply—”

“Coins buy silence for a time, but a slashed throat buys it forever. That’s what you said.” Kairos scrapped the letter. “Why dispose of us when he can let Orthia do it for him? Whoever wins, it benefits Pergamon.”

Mithridates planned this scenario from the start. He had leaked Histria’s location to Orthia, to force an open conflict.

If the Orthians recovered their princeling, the city-state would have been shaken enough to consider an alliance with Pergamon anyway. All documents in the colony had been doctored to blame Thessala, and Kairos suspected the Poison King had contingencies in place to start a war. Prince Critias would probably never make it back home.

If the Travian fleet prevailed, then Lysander would surely perish. Mithridates would place a pawn in power in a rival city-state, and then offer the Kairos a way out by hosting a peaceful meeting. This would both increase his diplomatic clout and keep the Travian reaver dependent on Pergamon to avoid a prolonged conflict with Orthia.

Much like with Pelopidas and Sybaris, the Poison King would weaken his ‘allies’ to better gobble them up.

Kairos couldn’t talk his way out of this either. Orthia won’t forgive the raid on Boeotia, even if they somehow believed Mithridates had organized it. In all likelihood, it would seem like a pitiful Travian attempt to divide the Thessalan League further.

“It could be a coincidence,” Cass argued, though her captain could sense the doubt in her voice. “Many things could have happened to our envoy. Monsters, brigands, illnesses… it’s equally likely my contact didn’t make it to Mithridates’ intermediary. As for Histria’s location, as I told you, people talk. If Castor could find his way here, Orthia could.”

“Perhaps,” Kairos admitted. Maybe fear made him see threats in every corner, but he couldn’t dismiss the stench of treachery. “In any case, we’re on our own.”

“Do we evacuate then?”

Kairos shook his head, his gaze harshening. “No.”

This island belonged to Travia. Not to the gorgons, not Orthia, or anyone else. If anyone wanted to claim it, it would be over Kairos’ dead body. Besides, where could they run? The Orthian fleet would follow them home, or any country where they could take shelter. Timaea had shown her people wouldn’t stop fighting until the bitter end. They would need to make an example out of the helots Kairos released, if only to save face and prevent future revolts.

Even if they won, Orthia would probably send another fleet, unless the Travians managed to negotiate a treaty. Even if Kairos figured out a way out of this predicament, the conflict would weaken the colony.

“We can’t win alone,” the [Hero] finally admitted to himself.

“No, we can’t.”

“Not the battle,” the captain said to his first mate, a determined look on his face, “the war. Call our officers, and tell the captains to prepare. We can’t let the Orthians make landfall.”

Cassandra’s face turned grim and sullen. “You have a daring plan, I hope?”

“Always. But you won’t like it.”

Orthia wanted a fight to the death.

It would get it.

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A few minutes later, the colony’s officers and tributaries gathered in the meeting room.

“I say we run,” Castor said, almost as soon as Cass finished briefing them. “The odds are stacked against us.”

Thales and most of the tributary captains nodded in agreement. “I admit fighting seems a losing proposition. We could always retreat, lose them at sea, and then reclaim the colony once they’ve left.”

“If we let them land, they will establish a base and we will lose the island permanently,” Rhadamanthe pointed out.

“Orthia’s army is exceptional on land, but middling at sea,” Cass said, though she clearly hesitated between fighting and running. “Thessala proved that in the past. Most of us have spent half our lives on a boat; if we can beat the Orthians, it will be at sea.”

“I say we fight.” Surprisingly, it was Nessus who spoke these words. It appeared his outburst at the marsh had been the exception to the rule: he would follow Kairos anywhere but near the gorgons. “Sure they have numbers and strength, but we’re smarter and we know the place. Our cunning captain will lead us to victory again, of that I’m sure.”

Kairos nodded, happy for the open support. “Eos,” he asked his naval scout. “You’ve circled the whole island. Where do you think we should make a stand?”

“The coral reef without a doubt, Captain,” Eos said immediately, pointing at the western side of the map. The fact he still called Kairos ‘Captain’ after becoming one himself amused the [Hero]. “Its narrow straits, cliffs, and rocks will restrain a large fleet’s movements. However, considering the gap in strength between our ships…”

“Most of our vessels are repurposed merchant galleys,” Cass said grimly, “they’ll be no match for warships, even with the advantage of terrain.”

“It could give us the opportunity to slow down the enemy fleet and escape, if it came to it,” Eos pointed out while looking at Kairos. Perhaps he expected his superior to consider a retreat, if he voiced it in a tactical way.

The [Monster Reaver] focused on the map, especially the narrow gaps between the cliffs and the coral reefs. “I don’t think a straightforward approach would work. I considered more… innovative strategies.”

At the end of the day, his fleet would always be poorer, greener, and smaller than Orthia’s. He needed a method that would negate the enemy’s advantages, not try to compensate for his own weaknesses.

“Like using your hydra?” Castor asked Kairos with skepticism. “A lone monster may take on a few ships, but not a fleet this large. Especially since they probably prepared to fight your Scylla after she set their port on fire.”

Kairos looked at Andromache, who seemed completely unconcerned. He had thought their first meeting would have taught her caution, but apparently not; chains and harpoons could still restrain the Scylla in spite of her invulnerability. “What do we know of the fleet, and its commander?”

“Orthia’s army is made almost exclusively of experienced [Fighters], with a smaller contingent of [Spellcaster] priests,” Thales said, having the greatest knowledge of the Thessalan League alongside Cassandra. “Archers, hoplites, swordsmen… they will do their best to board or land on the island, I think.”

“Lysander is a young commander, bold and decisive,” Cass added, “but I don’t think he commanded a naval force before this day. Orthia does have competent admirals though.”

Young and bold? Good. It was the cold and composed that Kairos feared. Combined with the information he gleaned from Sertorius and Timaea’s behavior, the Travian reaver started to get a picture of Lysander’s character, and a plan formed in his mind.

The Orthian king might have good advisors, but they wouldn’t make a difference if he ignored them. Kairos had to make Lysander’s emotions take over, and cloud his better judgment. And he knew exactly how.

However, the presence of [Spellcasters] in the enemy fleet bothered him. Out of all the four major classes available to humans, it was the most dangerous and unpredictable. Rhadamanthe’s presence, and then Andromache’s, aboard the Foresight had greatly contributed to the ship’s success. No doubt military mages could prove fearsome foes.

Kairos looked at his men, at their sullen faces and anxious gazes. Castor barely restrained himself from speaking up, Eos gazed at the map with a grim look, Thales fidgeted in place… even Cass kept her arms crossed. Only a few like Rhadamanthe remained unwavering.

“Say it,” Kairos asked. “Say what’s on your mind. This is Travia, everyone has their voice—”

“Why do we even stay here?”

As expected, it was Castor who spoke up, his voice oozing with anger and frustration.

“What is there to gain by fighting a losing battle?” The tributary captain looked at the other officers, his tongue unleashed. “Even if by some miracle we prevail, the victory will cost us more than Orthia. We can’t replenish our losses. They can. If we push back this fleet, they will send another.”

“Or we will teach them a sharp lesson and scare them straight,” spoke a grim dark voice; that of Agron the black minotaur. Kairos had been forced to draft that pyromaniac among the tributary in spite of his misgivings, if only to throw another ship at the enemy. “Coward.”

“I would die for a worthy cause.” Castor glared at Kairos. “But not for his greed.”

“You think that’s what it is about?” Kairos frowned back. “That I want to make a stand to fill my pockets?”

“What else?” Castor asked. “You force us to bend the knee like you are some southern king, you restrict our rights, and you bind us to your will like your pet Scylla.”

“We are nothing alike, worm,” Andromache said with a steely gaze. “He defeated me, you gave up.”

The tributary captain snorted. “You are no better than a tamed animal, don’t kid yourself.”

“You forget who is the [Hero] and who is the [Elite], Castor,” Kairos said, defending the Scylla. “Andromache is not an animal, and certainly not tamed. She’s my crewmate, and the most powerful person in the room, me included. You would do well to remember it. She earned a [Legend]; you didn’t.”

Andromache said nothing, trying to look above this argument, but she couldn’t suppress a pleased smile.

Castor held his ground though. “We have thirty ships at best, with only ten of them capable of fighting back. What is there on this island that’s worth fighting an army ten times our might?”

“Our future!”

Kairos’ outburst was followed by a heavy silence. Even Castor flinched.

“My paternal ancestor was a mine slave in Lyce,” the [Hero] confessed. “He spent his life toiling away to dig up silver, so his master could make jewels for his wife and concubines. My ancestor did all the work, but enjoyed none of the rewards; he would have died beneath the earth, had Travian the Liberator not rescued him.”

“What is—”

“And yet,” Kairos cut off Castor, “I can’t imagine what crossed my ancestor’s mind when Travian settled the island that now bears his name. A barren land full of monsters, where only the strong survived; the only place where escaped slaves could live free. It beat the mines, but my ancestor lived the rest of his days in hunger and poverty. Centuries afterward, my sister died in the last great famine. Nothing has changed.”

Kairos’ gaze wandered around, the Travians in the room looking down to avoid his gaze.

“I’m sure half the people present have a similar tale,” the [Hero] continued. “Such is our lot as Travians. We are so poor we have to steal to eat, and foreign nations use us as cheap, expendable mercenaries. We graduated from slaves to thieves.”

“What does this have to do with the Orthian fleet?” Castor snapped.

“This island abounds with resources. Its lands are fertile, its soil overflows with wealth. If we conquer it, we could feed our families in Travia.” If they had had this island years ago, Kairos’ sister wouldn’t have starved to death. “We would no longer need to pillage nations to survive, or beg for their table scraps. We could finally live, instead of just survive. Yes, this place is dangerous, and our enemy is strong, but I believe in us. We can prevail.”

He could tell his words had an effect, and not only on the Travians. Much to Kairos’ surprise, Andromache listened to his words with great attention, though she outwardly tried to look aloof.

“So yes, I want this island. I want the silver, the timber, the wheat. I want it all. But I don’t want it for me.” Kairos gathered his breath. “I want it for Travia. I want our families to be fed, and our people to prosper.”

“We could always lure them away and return,” Eos suggested, his position shifting slightly away from abandoning the place outright. “We exhaust them, ask Queen Teuta for help, and retake the place at an opportune moment.”

“Like how Travia tried to conquer the southern islands in the past?” Cassandra asked rhetorically. “They always pushed us back. We are excellent seafarers and raiders, but poor soldiers.”

“If we abandon the colony now, we will never take it back,” Rhadamanthe prophesied.

“I am tired of watching other nations keep the better lands for themselves, while they leave us only barren rocks,” Kairos said. “Orthia’s wealth is built on the back of slaves. Countless people work themselves to death to please their masters, like our ancestors did with Lyce. It’s time someone teaches them a lesson.”

“Yet you prevent us from attacking Lyce too,” Castor replied. Now that he listened carefully, Kairos sensed something… he couldn’t quite put the right word on it. Something malicious in his accusations.

“Because we have to be smart about piracy,” the [Hero] argued back. “We can’t fight the whole world, and we must pick battles we can win. We can’t defeat the Lycean Republic, but we can defeat Orthia. Their strength is an illusion, built on fear. We proved it before, and we can do so again.”

“We raided Boeotia knowing something like this could happen,” Cassandra said, a bit more confident than before. “Defending this island was not part of the original plan, but we can adapt.”

“The reason why I challenged the ways things have always been, is because I don’t want for them to stay as they are,” Kairos argued with passion. “A phoenix showed us the way here, because like it, Travia must rise stronger from the ashes. And our foes will burn in our fire.”

Empowered by [Speech 3] and his own passion, Kairos’ words struck home. Emboldened, the captains and officers exchanged glances and nods, with one exception.

“I’ll follow you because of the oath,” Castor said with a frown. “That’s all.”

Fine.

“According to Rhadamanthe’s divination, we have four to five days before they reach Histria’s shores,” Kairos said as he faced Andromache. “How many fire rods can you craft before then?”

“Dozens,” the witch replied, which still wasn’t good enough.

“If you need fire weapons…” Thales spoke up, only for the sudden spotlight to embarrass him. “I can, uh, craft flammable substances thanks to my [Alchemist] subclass, if I can get the necessary material and pots to contain them. They won’t be as good as fireballs, though.”

“We have oil too,” said Agron. “And tar and kindling.”

“Thales, you will start crafting fire pots immediately. Draft all the help you need—” Kairos raised his eyes from the map, as a guard walked into the meeting. “What is it? I told you I didn’t want interruptions.”

“Apologies, Lord Kairos.” The guard bowed deeply. “Sentries noticed a flock of monstrous birds with metal feathers making circles above the camp.”

The Stymphalian birds.

“If you will excuse me, I’ll be brief,” Kairos apologized to his officers, before leaving Cass in charge of discussing the strategy.

The pirate lord followed the guard outside the tent, where archers raised their bows towards the heavens. As warned, Stymphalian birds formed a circle high in the sky, far enough to avoid arrows. Considering their metal feathers, they could probably shrug off most projectiles.

Kairos told his men to lower their weapons, and the flock landed in front of him with a chorus of maddening screeches. The captain counted a dozen of them, their size and fearsome appearance disturbing the guards.

“Finally!” Kairos recognized the speaker as Horace, the same monster he met in the wilderness. “I was starting to wonder if you had lied to me, twoleg.”

“Where’s the food?” another bird asked brashly, all business. The rest of the flock let out impatient screeches. “I was told there would be free food!”

Kairos raised an eyebrow at Horace, the avian leader shrugging in response. “Pretty words are free, twoleg.”

His behavior reminded the Foresight’s captain of an avaricious merchant, jumping at any good deal he could find. “I wouldn’t call the service I have in mind free,” Kairos said, “but it should be easy for you, and well-rewarded.”

Horace exchanged glances with the rest of the flock, before asking, “What kind of service?”

The [Rogue] answered with a terrible smile.

“How do you feel about cooked meat?”

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A/N: Chapter made possible by you, dear patrons.