“Be taking the three space elves! I be taking the space monkeys!” Kildo called out as the star elf warriors drew their weapons. He didn’t know why these astral elves decided to stop them, but they were not friendly. He also didn’t like the fact they were using simian humanoids. Skinny, they resembled baboons with a stooped posture and were covered in a variety of brown fur. They didn’t have any tails. Their feet were fully prehensile, complete with opposable thumbs, allowing them to hold onto objects. Their faces were surrounded by a shaggy mane, with their snouts protruding outward from their faces. They had a mouth full of small but sharp teeth with long fangs for incisors. Their eyes were inky black and devoid of any mercy. Lightly armored and wearing harnesses and belts to hold their weapons, their most distinctive physical feature was their patagial wing flaps, much like a bat. A skin membrane hung loosely between the arms and legs, from wrists to ankles. Loading crossbows, they raised their arms. The membrane stretched taut.
“Alito, take the fish man! Thomas, take the useless halfling!” the astral elf leader bellowed to his fellow space elves. The Hadozee warriors will hamper the dwarf with missile fire!”
“Gorsuch, be careful! That one is a monk!” Alito called out, pointing to Guo Gan.
A moment later, Guo Gan smashed Qiekamis into Gorsuch’s nose, stunning him. His blood fury tattoos flashed red as they absorbed some of the elf’s life energy.
Kai took advantage and stabbed Wave into the stunned elf’s chest armor.
Alito bashed with his hammer, resembling a gavel, striking Kai in the chest.
Thomas raced across the deck, swinging his weapon at Scomatch.
“Eep!”
“Magic shield!” Kildo called out at the defenseless halfling.
“Baby spells!” Scomatch yelled back as he was struck repeatably by the elf’s hammer.
Grunting in annoyance, Kildo gripped his shield tightly. He ran toward Scomatch. Crossbow bolts ‘whizzed’ across the deck from the nine hadozee monkeys. He felt their impacts on his shield, with one striking his side. The dwarf’s plate mail stopped its velocity from sinking deep into him. Growling, Kildo yelled, “Be keeping yer hands off me ya damn dirty apes!” He cast, Flame Strike. A vertical column of divine righteousness ignited from the heavens. Fire engulfed six of the hadozee. They hooted and howled as their fur was flash burnt.
Just as they put out their smoldering clothes, a streak of fire arched in as Scomatch cast, Fireball. Two of the space elves, Alito and Gorsuch, were caught in the blast, as well as four of the hadozees. Three space-apes fell and were burned beyond recognition. The halfling’s form glistened in a silvery mist as he misty stepped thirty feet north of the battle on the Space Dragon.
As the astral elf, Thomas swung with his mallet, which went through the opaque form of the halfling, Guo Gan rushed in and brought Qiekamis from behind into his groin. The monk’s blood fury tattoos flashed in power. Reeling and stunned from the attack, Thomas could do little as Guo Gan’s foot came smashing into the side of the space elf’s head.
Alito swiped with his hammer. Kai used the body of the stunned Gorsuch as a shield. The astral elf pulled his attack, not wanting to hit his comrade.
In the middle of the battle, something moved out of the corner of Kildo’s eyes. An alluring astral elf emerged from below on their spelljammer. Her armor highlighted elegant, perfectly shaped breasts and a curved figure. Her beauty was hard to ignore. Magma-colored red hair tumbled over her shoulders. Slender eyebrows rose over stary eyes with a dainty nose and honey-sweet lips. While he preferred a woman with just the slightest of beards, she was still one of the most beautiful females of any race he'd ever seen. However, there was no mistake about which side she was on as she cast, Rain of Radiance. Kai avoided most of the radiant damage as it fell onto him.
Kildo then felt a bold slam into his armor. The attack focused his attention from the female elf to the hadozee firing at him. The hadozee from the platform with the astral elf priestess launched their bolts at him. Moving and throwing up his shield, he felt the missiles’ impact as he ran. As they reloaded, he cast, Flame Strike. Another vertical column of righteousness burst from the heavens and blasted the platform. Two of the four hadozee were incinerated, and the other two were hurt. The elf priestess was also struck. He knew she wouldn’t thank him for that.
Still under the dazzling effects of the Rain of Radiance spell from the Astral elf priestess, Kai thrust with Wave, completely missing Alito.
The astral elf fared little better, as Alito bashed with his gavel and missed the dazed paladin.
Rubbing his eyes, Kai was still suffering from the radiance spell. He couldn’t focus. A powerful blast of wind ignited from the paladin as he cast, Gust of Wind. The discharge caught Alito off guard as the astral elf was knocked off his feet. The space warrior tried to grab onto anything but was blown across the deck and off the ship. The elf struggled in the openness of the air bubble around the vessel like he was treading water but unable to swim.
A powerful ringing thundered around the three stare elves, as Scomatch cast, Shatter from the back part of the Space Dragon.
Swinging Qiekamis, it smashed into the head of Thomas. The astral elf dropped dead from the impact. Tucking in the sentient quarterstaff, the monk ran and then flipped upward onto the wasp-like ship. He ran straight at the priestess and brought up his staff smashing into her groin. Hurt, she wasn’t stunned by the attack. The monk’s foot lashed out and smashed into her face. Breaking her nose, blood sprayed outward.
Two bolts flew at Guo Gan but missed. The monk was too close to the astral priestess. A hadozee pulled a short sword and slashed. The blade tip hit Guo Gan in the right buttocks.
A one-foot diameter ball of emerald acid streaked over to the astral elves' platform. A torrent of acid bathed the area as Scomatch cast, Vitriolic Sphere. Fur, flesh, muscle, and bone instantly turned into a sludge of goo, killing three of the hadozee warriors. The female astral elf priestess shrieked in untold agony as her skin melted into liquid flesh. Her once beautiful form was forever marred.
“Helppp meee!” she wailed in horror as she gargled ichor.
Sighing, Guo Gan strode up and brought Qiekamis downward. It went completely through her skull, ending her life. It was a mercy killing.
The last hadozee looked confused, likely never having seen defeat. He slapped his hands over his eyes as Guo Gan bashed with Qiekamis and ended the creature’s life.
“Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” Scomatch called out as he raced to the astral elves' ship.
Guo Gan jumped down back onto the deck of the Space Dragon and stopped the halfling. “You can’t go on there. It’s cracking and breaking apart. It’s perilous.”
“There’s magic on there. I know it!” Scomatch replied, trying to get around the monk.
“Nope, too perilous.”
Coming up to Kai as the paladin ceased his gust of wind spell, Kildo asked, pointing his chin to the astral elf, Alito, “What we be doing about that one?”
“You are all doomed!” Alito bellowed.
Just then, a fire bolt from Scomatch arched out toward Alito, missing. Another flew six seconds later.
“Throw him a rope,” Kai said, sighing as another fire bolt sailed at the struggling astral elf. “Stop that Scomatch!”
They pulled Alito onto the Space Dragon by using the Mage Hand spell to bring him the line. Kildo used the elf’s handcuffs to secure him and forced him to his knees. Massive cracking sounds echoed as the Astral Elves spelljammer began to break apart.
“Tell Odium to move the Space Dragon away from that ship and get Silas up here! Tell him to bring the star map!” Kai yelled down the hatch to the crew below deck.
As the hippo guide, Silas came up, Guo Gan asked, “Is that normal for the astral elves’ ships to just fall apart?”
“Yes, I’ve never heard of them exploding. They just disintegrate. It’s a way to keep their ship and technology from falling into enemy hands. Once the helmsman dies, it goes into auto-destruct,” Silas explained.
“That female astral priestess must be their helmsman.” Kildo gave a longing sigh, “There be a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. It be a shame that Scomatch melted hers.”
“What?” Scomatch said, throwing up his hands.
Waiving off the halfling, Kai asked Silas, “What’s the deal with these star elves? Where I come from, they are typically friendlier, a little more snobbish, but nice all the same.”
Silas examined the symbology on the astral elf’s breastplate. He said, “I don’t recognize this astral elf, so I can’t tell you where they are from.”
“Oi, why did you stop us?” Kildo asked, kicking the soles of the astral elf’s boots.
“We were under strict orders to stop anyone fleeting the planet,” Alito replied.
“Why?” Kai questioned.
“The Emperor of Xaryxis told us too. I obey his orders. That’s our job.”
“What sphere do ye be from?” Kildo asked.
“Xaryxis.”
“Oi, Silas, do you be recognizing that name?”
“No, but again, I’m unsure how far away I’m from my home planet.”
Kai took the star map from Silas and rolled it out. “I’m the dread pirate Kai. My wrath is as massive and treacherous as the sea. I’ve traveled through space and time. It sounds like Xaryxis is some minor, back-water mining settlement. I don’t even see Xaryxis on this map.”
“Pirates, eh?” Snorting, Alito said, “You mean nothing compared to the service of the Emperor of Xaryxis.”
It seemed the astral elf wouldn’t reveal where he came from, so Kildo decided to change the course of the questioning. He inquired, “What be those crystal vines on the planet?”
“We were draining the energy from the sun. It went out, so your planet’s energy was therefore forfeited,” Alito answered. “The fleet delivered the seeds. In a few months, once every drop of essence is drained, it will be shipped in a powerful beam of light and transmitted to our system.”
Guo Gan placed his hand on his chin and shook his head. He said, “Vanifer was keeping the sun going, and we put it out.”
Kildo was taken aback by the implication. The hellfire cannon was healing Vanifer and her minions. It had to be dealt with to defeat her. Otherwise, she’d continue pirating and capturing and selling slaves. He had no way of knowing that the contraption was powering the sun. He was even more unaware that banishing it would extinguish it, or these astral elves were draining its energy. He disrupted the balance and now millions would pay the consequences. As warped as it sounded, Vanifer, in her own way, was a protagonist. They stopped the cultists from debating and installing a replacement for Nusen, the Dark One. Instead, they took it upon themselves to install a random entity, the Dragon of the Woods. The lich, Renwick, indicated our actions had the unintended side effect of turning the goblinoid race evil. The hobgoblins got along with the dwarves so well. Acted as their policing force, but it seems no longer. Speaking of Renwick, they failed to stop that undead lich, and Guo Gan made friends with it. Could the monk be under the influence of his sentient weapon Qiekamis? It had a strong attachment to the devil Belial and its artifact to have him replace Nusen. Then, if they hadn’t stolen the Space Ghost spelljammer from the human Qhaarlex and left the planet, they wouldn’t have been in this horribly complex predicament. For now, all he wanted to do was throw this astral elf into the oblivion of space for crimes against dwarvenkind. However, Kildo halted his instincts. He realized that even villains likely assume they are the heroes in their own story. He didn’t want to become that villain. However, the Emperor of Xaryxis would have some explaining to do.
“Many people will, and are dying,” Kai said.
“Many people will die if we don’t,” Alito replied.
“Who will die? What’s wrong with your system?” Kai questioned.
“Bah, how do we be stopping it,” Kildo snapped.
“Stop it? There is no way to stop it. The fleet has been sent back. We who remain mean nothing. We carried out the emperor’s will. That’s all that mattered. In a few months’ time, every drop of energy on the planet will be absorbed. The process is very efficient.”
“Then it looks like we have a few months’ time to save the world from you space vampires,” Kai said.
“I’m sure other people on forfeited planets said the same thing,” Alito retorted.
“Those other people aren’t us,” Kai responded. “For now, we need some answers. Silas, set course for the Rock of Bral.”
***
Kildo was asleep in his bunk when he was awoken by a metallic ‘thump’. Stirring, he listened for a few moments. Silence. He turned over to go back to sleep.
‘Thump!’
Eyes opening, there were several more metallic whacks against the Space Dragon's hull. Dressing, he headed for the bridge. The crew was looking out the front viewer. The ship was slowing down. Kildo noticed a lot of debris in space, including asteroids. They were large enough for pirates to hide behind. Another vessel came into view.
It was a mind flayer ship. A Nautiloid. It looked like an enormous nautilus shell fitted with an exterior deck and rubbery tentacles protruding from the forward section. They were massive enough to entangle a spelljammer with no hope of breaking loose. It was an attack ship, a predator in space, and one few would live to retell an encounter. It was dark, and if it weren’t for the light of the Space Dragon, it would be almost impossible to detect in the darkness of space. Fortunately, this one was heavily damaged throughout, with one of its four tentacle tips blown off. Its nautilus shell had a gaping hole on the port side of the craft. It seemed to have met its match.
“Do you think any mind flayers are alive?” Guo Gan asked.
“Unlikely, if there were mind flayers still on board, they would have attacked us,” Silas replied, stepping back from the sight of the nautiloid.
“Then it be a space hulk,” Kildo said.
“Space Hulk?” Scomatch asked excitedly as he entered the bridge. Seeing the ruined nautiloid, he continued, “Oh, we need to explore that.”
Turning to the tiefling Odium, sitting in the helmsman’s chair, Kai said, “Bring us about to the nautiloid. We need to know why the ship is derelict and what might have damaged it.”
“I don’t think that is a good idea captain,” Silas said.
“It might be related to the astral elves, or there could be slave survivors needing rescuing,” Kai explained.
As the Space Dragon approached, a human figure came out waving his arms at them. His clothes were ragged and bloodstained.
“It be appearing the air bubble around the ship be still intact,” Kildo commented.
Nodding in agreement, the command staff exited to the top deck.
“Hello! My name is Benoto! Can you help us?”
“Yes! How many others are on board?” Kai yelled back.
“There are a few survivors down in the hull!” Benoto replied.
“What attacked your ship?” Kai asked.
“I’m unsure, but I think it was the Neogi!”
“Neogi? Where I be hearing that name before?” Kildo queried.
“Space spiders,” Silas said as he hurriedly left the deck and closed the hatch behind him.
“Oi, any mind flayers be alive!?” Kildo yelled.
“No, they are all dead!” Benoto answered.
Guo Gan hollered, “Come to our ship for medical attention!”
Benoto shook his head. “I can’t. I can’t leave them.” He then headed back into the lower level of the mind flayer nautilus spelljammer.
“Let’s go on board,” Scomatch said excitedly. “Let's start from the top to ensure we don’t miss anything.”
“Oh, this be a trap fer sure,” Kildo said, who began pacing. He then looked at Kai and Guo Gan and the animated Scomatch. They were going to board the space hulk. There was nothing he’d be able to say to convince them otherwise. “All right. Let’s be getting this over with.”
Maneuvering the Space Dragon, they boarded at the top of the nautilus. The entire ship had an organic feel to it. The top level was small, with only a chair. A long, skinny body occupied it. It was dressed in flowing, dramatic purple robes with a high, flaring collar and a cloak and wore distinctively two-lobed boots. However, it was dead, and the cause was apparent.
“Its head’s missing,” Kai said, gripping Wave tighter and motioning to a set of stairs to the next level. Leading, it had a long, triangular squid shape with its point to the front of the vessel to the west. A destroyed catapult was in that western part of the room. This area was larger with three doors, but they resembled circular, fleshy orifices clenched tight to the north, south, and east. A set of stairs descended deeper into the hulk. This section of the ship was heavily damaged.
Approaching the northern door, the orifice snapped open, revealing a storage room with several ballista bolts. Moving to the southern door revealed an oversized chair with a gaping hole in the middle. An unpleasant stench waffled up, revealing its waste-disposal nature. The eastern door was larger than the other two. It was a bedroom which had been ransacked. A bed, desk, and chair were flipped.
Scomatch moved through the room. Shaking his head, he said, “No magic.”
The only exit was the stairs going deeper into the space hulk.
“Charmander, go,” Scomatch commanded.
“Char! Char! Char!”
“I don’t care what you smell. Get down there,” Scomatch replied, pointing.
“Ye shouldn’t be putting yer familiars in harm’s way like that,” Kildo scolded. “If I were a wizard, I’d never be doing that.”
“That’s what they’re for,” Scomatch retorted as Charmander hesitantly hopped down the stairs. His fire-lit-tail lighting the way.
The new area continued to become longer than the one above. The western side of the room had more stairs going down, along with a catapult, which had been disassembled and moved. Right next to the stairs was a room with a table. On it were several star charts scattered around. Kildo began to roll them up and place them in his hat of holding.
“There’s a corridor to the east,” Guo Gan said.
The party traveled eastwards and came upon another orifice to the south. The door unclenched and snapped open. Inside was Benoto and a wounded woman sitting on a messy bed.
“Good, you found us. If you can help us to the skiff or take her, that would be most agreeable,” Benoto said.
“How many others be here?” Kildo asked as he moved in to examine her.
“Three others. I can bring you to them,” Benoto said.
Kildo knelt in front of the human female. Her skin was clammy and cold to the touch as he tried to take her pulse. However, he couldn’t find it, but human pulses were usually not very strong, and she was hurt. Examining her arms, they had open wounds. However, from his experience, it was odd there was no blood, scabbing, or anything else indicating her body was trying to heal itself. Something squirmed under her skin. The ‘swooshing’ of multiple door orifices unclenching echoed in the distance. The dwarven cleric looked at her. She looked back.
In unison, Benoto and the female’s head were thrown back. They screeched horribly in an ear-piercing shrill as the skin from the top of their heads to their groin painfully split apart as a giant, maggot-like space spider emerged.
Treasure:
· Crossed over from Flash Gordan to Warhammer 40,000.
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