Notes and Crap (entry thirty-four)

Another day, another entry into my Notes and Crap journal...
 
As I write this, another cult has been defeated by our hands Novia, the Acidum Amnis cult holding Port Damocles hostage. An eventful set of the last few days, but we first took care of a few loose ends before leaving for Port Damocles, with teleporting across the continent for a number of reasons; first one was bringing Varis back to Sea Breeze, where I left him for a couple of days to create his tribute to his fallen adventuring party. I did not press on details... that's his to tell, not me to pry. Instead, Radegast, Solomon, and I teleported back to the Winter's Children camp, plundering what we could from the camp, taking weapons, armor, trade goods, and most importantly encoded notes from all over the camp, alongside a cipher. From a cursory glance, it was notes on the crystal itself, battle plans, and information on the Immortal Flames themselves. As quickly as we came and plundered, we teleported to Sea Breeze, picked up Varis, and teleported back to Hvita. I must say... never teleport three times in rapid succession, your stomach will not agree with you is a euphemism.
 
It was surprisingly quick for our part compared to the Winter's Children, taking two months of travel and hunting down the cult leader's location. The airship brought us to the town in a mere couple of hours instead of several week's travel. I have to say Novia, being able to fight alongside my people, is a nice change of pace from our group going in alone for months on end without support and only our wits among us. What I didn't expect however, was us to jump out of the airship taking us along over to Port Damocles into the middle of an active battlefield out at sea! Being a warmage, I simply jumped out the back of the airship, and transformed into the Primal "Brine Dragon" and flew down to a ship below. What I saw below was the cult's last stand, being pushed away from the harbor and into the sea from our homeland's armies, and directly into the path of the Gerudo, and the Storm Rider goblins. The Acidum cultists didn't let us simply come down without incident however, as acid was launched up into the sky to attempt to sear us, mostly missing their magic blasts.
 
Our group landed onto the middle of the ship with the acid crystal, Rad, Sol, Varis and I landed, outnumbered about 5 to 1, including the leaders, all pirates sporting swords and guns like Rad's. Thanks to the dragon's form I was able to take quite a few hits, but my friends... did not fare so well in the fight. The acid burned away at Radegast's armor, and took his life, and Solomon was on death's door, the ship being fired upon from the goblin fleet, actively ripping the ship apart as we raged on. Thinking Radegast was lost to us, in an event I could have prevented if I launched a fireball on the pirates around him, I once again flew into a rage, defeating one of the cultist leaders in one fell swoop of a disintegration spell to the body, and Varis dispatching the other. We did not have much time to reflect, only a few mere moments before the ship cracked in two by cannon barrages. I recovered Solomon's unconscious body while Varis dove off-board with Radegast's body and equipment; the ship exploding mere seconds after along with the crystal. Being still in dragon form, I did what I could, and flew Solomon's body to shore, healing him all I could with my own powers, and doing a crash landing onto the shore. The battle ended shortly after we defeated the flagship... and the field commander suggested we had time for celebration... it was only a few short years ago, I would not have even hesitated to party.... here I am only after convincing to stay behind instead of teleport directly to Desert Rose. Only the Immortal Flames, and the Oria's Light left... then we can finally return to the Graveyard... hopefully the combined armies of our people can spare going after them too. I have a feeling they'll be by far the toughest we have ever faced with the cultists, the most violent.
 
As I reflect... my actions of attempting to take the enemy alive has only cost the lives of my friends... even if they got revived shortly after. I had in mind that perhaps with Julian's father that taking him alive would have gained us valuable information on the Immortal Flames, dying with the swing of Gothmog's axe, and for no reason other than facing justice, I attempted to take the Acidum's leaders alive, costing Radegast's life instead. Evil will not hesitate, while I did; in the ways of the the samurai, hesitation is defeat, and death. I will not make that same mistake again. That's what I have written this time Novia, no jokes, just a reflection in the ways of the warrior, and of loss, and to prevent.
 
"Hesitation is defeat."