Argonaut - The Apprentice (Part II)

Chapter 11 - Peace And Vengeance

Chapter Eleven – Peace And Vengeance

26th Apr 6:01 PM

“-There’s a sort of boat coming up to the south shore, civilian by the looks of it-” Cassius informed me over the comms as we sped through the water, “-Get around behind it when it lands, then wait for my signal.-”

“Got it” I replied, adjusting my course, “We’re approaching now.”

I could hear the dull chugging of the engines as we cut through the murky water, guided by my sonar. When it got unbearable loud, and I could make out a large murky shape hovering on the surface, I slowed to a crawl. There was a definite squelch as it impacted the muddy bank of North Brother Island moments before the engines cut off. Serena motioned for the children to remain quiet as we waited for the captains’ signal.

After a long period of absolute silence my acute ears picked up the sound of heavy footsteps walking along the deck of the boat, making their way to the shore. They sheer weight of the feet suggested that they belonged to a large man; certainly not a White Knight but definitely bigger than an average human.

“-Shit-” Cassius breathed, “-It’s the Niphal. A single Zealot with strange robes, there’ll be more inside. Move now!-”

Without a second thought I launched myself up and out of the water, soaring over the ferry and landing on solid ground a few metres in front of the lone Zealot. Serena landed a short distance distance behind with the children, turning to shepherd them back to the house. In the same moment The Argonauts and Belisarius appeared from hidden locations, fully armed and equipped.

The Niphal stopped moving, standing at the helm of the boat with his Daûtstave pointed to the ground. His robes were the same as every other Zealot I had seen, except for the dozens of thin silver lines that curved artistically along each arm and down from the rim of the hood. They intertwined and wrapped around his form, rippling as the cloak shifted in the wind.

“The Harbinger,” He mused in perfect English, “I was not expecting to meet one as well versed in death as you on my journey.”

His weapon had equally intricate patterns inscribed onto it, with the same silver lines. Something about this individual Niphal was especially significant. With a quick flick of my wrists the Gladii that were fixed on the small of my back flew to my hands, unignited.

“How did you find us, monster?” Cassius demanded, walking closer. The E.P Gauntlet rose threateningly as she approached.

The Zealot spoke completely calmly, though I could see him reasserting his grip on the Daûtstave, more out of habit than anything else, “Our people have been hunting each other since time immemorial, we have become quite adept at finding Archaeans.”

“Nice to know,” Cassius nodded, “Where is your hunting party? Niphal never travel alone.”

“A mere dozen wait on the vessel, we did not come for blood.”

“Your kind want to talk of peace?” she asked, genuinely surprised, “In all the time I’ve known of them they’ve been more inclined to go to war.”

The monster nodded, “It is true; my people have a stronger love of war than most. It is in our nature, as arrogance is in yours.”

I took a step back as the captain gently touched my shoulder, taking my place on the shore before the Niphal. Taking this as a cue he stepped down from the ferry, landing directly in front of the captain. The monster stood head and shoulders over the Archaean, and even under the robes it was easy to tell that he was well muscled. He held the staff in one hand, using the other to pull back the silver and black hood that masked his face.