AKA Nixer
Captain Holloway
Bless your soul, old man!
"You heard the Man! As he Said!" Caitlin bolstered Tobias' words, even though she felt it was unnecessary. In accordance with his plan, she began to direct the ship as he described they should. She'd buy him a good round of drinks for this. If it weren't for his help, they'd honestly be dead in the water.
"Hold onto your Lives, men! Whatever happens, take it as we do the Seas! So long as we get out Breathing, I promise I'll toil away to Fix this!"
"Now my Mad Mind says we should head towards Dire Waters, though not too Closely..." Caitlin then whispered to Tobias, even as she focused intently on the threats at large. "See if we can hole up at some Caerigg-derived water Village. Or Trading Outpost. Whatever it takes to give us some Breathing Room while our Notoriety dies down..."
Curse that Witch at Shore. Curse her Name. I swear, if I get my Hands on that smug Snake, I'll Strangle her with said Hands and watch the Life leave her Eyes... Caitlin thought darkly, her brow creasing with corrupt intentions. A Woman such as That would surely have things of Value on her Person, too...
Edited by Enirboreh on Jun 6th 2022 at 2:48:28 PM
bork
roaming, lurking, arguing
The Bloody Catastrophe
The crew sprung into action, as orders were barked from their new Captain and her First Mate. The sails were pulled in order to catch the wind, while Caitlin threw herself into the rudder and tried to make the carrack turn.
It seemed excrutianingly slow, as the ship leaned hard into the tight turn. All the while, bolts and arrows were peppering the deck. A man next to Faruzia went down, screaming in pain. Others had been hit by arrows, but still continued to do their job, despite the agony. One man pulled out a shaft from his shoulder and limped over to tie up the ropes.
Then the storm of missiles abated. As they looked up to see why, they saw the galley pass them by, just a few feet away, tyring to meet their turn. As Tobias had predicted, the towers were now holding their fire, unable to shoot with a friendly ship in the way.
This did not mean they were safe, of course. Damian could see several sailors on that galley run up to the railing with hooks and ropes, ready to draw them in. Marines, clad in gambesons and blue overcoats, were drawing their axes and spears, ready for a boarding action. Near the stern, they could see the helmsman. He was guarded by two marines with large round-shields. They knew he was vulnerable.
"Pirates!" A loud, bellowing voice echoed over to them. A tall, brown-burned man with flowing red hair and a fashionable chin-beard stepped through the warriors and up to the front. He was wearing little more than his pants and a long, blue overcoat that was open, exposing his naked, hairy chest, on which a black tattoo in the form of a five-pointed star was etched.
"My name is Captain Remus Polders. Know the name of the man who will punish your for you wickedness! Who will slay your sorry hides and make your wifes tremble in fear and sigh in awe. Who will add another name to the long list of fools, who thought to challenge the might of Vanorant. Whose legends grows beyond the waves and thrives in the hearts of virgins and lonely mothers alike."
He continued like this, as the ships slowly began to pass each other. The pirates could see the towers in the back loading new bolts and the marines on the galley preparing the grappling hooks, all the while the captain continued his speech.
"....and that boot will taste like the putrid pus that emanates from your hearts. If you even HAVE hearts, that is. I despise you. I disdain you. You ugly, heinous, horrendous—" Then his eyes fell on Caitlin. Polders speech began to trail off, as he stared at the young woman.
And blushed. "What is a fair maiden like this doing amongst these hoodlums? Don't tell me..." He grit his teeth in open rage and glared at Tobias. "You fiends! Forcing innocent, fragile beauties to do your bidding!? Have you no SHAME!?"
Gesturing towards Caitlin he gave her a smile that he clearly thought was charming and reassuring. "Fear not, my lady. Me and my men will save you from this gang of ne'er-do-wells!" Drawing his blade, he pointed at the Bloody Catastrophe. "Board them, men! For glory and honor!!"
AKA Nixer
Captain Holloway
Hmm. A classic gentleman. Poor man, he's rather sweet. If not a tad backwards. Doesn't he see the blade at my hip...? Caitlin idly thought as the enemy captain made himself known, before nudging Tobias discreetly and briefly whispering to him "Play along...! Push me around if you have to...!"
"C-Captain Remus...! Oh, thank the gods...! These crooked bastards have been manhandling me a-and— please! Just please help me!!
Ack, I feel nauseous. Hopefully that's enough. Now, let's hope the crew catches on... she thought, putting on her best frightened face as she played up a more clumsy and terrified mannerism. She staggered back from Tobias, as if trying to take advantage of the distraction to get away from her supposed captor(s). Though she was signalling that she was open, to give her crew ample opportunity to support her claims. She prayed they were all fair at acting.
She was rather convincing herself, she liked to think. Probably. She'd accessed a small, childlike part of her voice to really sell the false fear. But then again, this opposing captain was clearly infatuated with her already. From everything she knew about such things, that usually made such men stupid.
May you find peace in your death, Captain Remus. I won't show mercy...
bork
Breath of the Sun
Damian
Really hope that Alzie hits a bulleye in this man's chest, Damian thought as Polders kept rambling at them. As the enemy ship prepared for boarding, Damian scooped up the mancatcher that still lay near the railings, and stood guard.
Caitlin began to play along with Polders's nonsense, and Damian had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. He left the 'legend' to Alzie and Cait, and began to meet the boarding party with swings of the mancatcher.
Using a mancatcher like a bludgeon was not its intended purpose, but with Damian's strength behind it, it would hopefully be enough to repel the boarders and send them spilling into the drink.
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Faruzia
She'd likewise rolled her eyes at their erstwhile "rescuer." But his brainless infatuation could be useful, and she had been playing a part for the past hundred years, so hopefully, this would look genuine. Tastefully rending her garments, the young(looking)woman dashed to the Captain's side, doing her best to conceal Holloway's sword while not impeding her ability to move. "Please, my gallant Captain Polders! Save us from these coarse brutes! They threaten our virtue! We will give you every reward you deserve!" Stumbling forward, she leaned against Tobias and began "attacking" him with ladylike taps of her fists. This would both impede any view of his features, as well as distract the enemy and prevent them from using any bows or long-range weapons.
The Light That Blinds
Islwyn
Aaaaa...we're screwed.
They'd been boarded. How were they supposed to come back from that? The ship was too close to make a getaway, and there was no way their ragtag crew could fight a trained group of...
Of...
Horny idiots, apparently. Islwyn stared as the captain just...let himself be distracted by Caitlin. Seriously? He'd never cared much for pretty people, admittedly, but this seemed very, very unprofessional. Why would anyone...oh, forget it, better for us this way.
Still, he had no idea of what to do now that the plan had changed to "play along". So he just stood there with a sleeping sea bunny in his arms, awkwardly waiting for some sort of cue.
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
roaming, lurking, arguing
The Bloody Catastrophe
Tobias looked more than a bit annoyed, as both Caitlin and Faruzia began crying out like they were noble damsels in a bad streetplay. The fact that the drew now began to throw him looks that were mostly confusion and in some cases even honest outrage, made it even worse.
"Oi, is that what we're doing?" "Huh, Ah thought it be strange that Ironhand ain't the captain...."
Tobias nearly facepalmed with the wrong hand. "Ya kiddin' me, right?", he asked Caitlin, who just flashed him a hidden, amused grin. "Cheeky, little...fine, let's play along!" Grumbling to himself, he pulled Cait and Faruzia in closer and threateningly laid his metal hand on the formers throat. "That's right, Remus! And there is nothin' you sorry lot can do to stop us. Muahahahahahaahaha!" Tobias' laugh was actually quite convincing.
Remus Polders himself practically fumed. "You...barbarous...debauched...spineless BRUTE! To even think of threatening a ladies virtue! The Depth itself is not squallid enough to hold your rotten soul! I, Captain Remus Polders, will make you pay, you FIEND!"
And with that dramatic cry, he raised his blade and the grappling hooks were thrown. Ropes went taut and soon men roared out, as marines lept over the gap between the ships and clashed with the pirates.
Damians mancatcher caught one marine on the jaw, rewarding the young man with the satisfying smack of a heavy impact and flinging the poor sod that suffered it straight into the water. Another one was caught in the middle of the jump and got the air punched out of his lungs, as the mancatcher hit him straight in the chest.
Cpt. Polders was already in the thick of the fighting. He was actually pretty skilled, easily holding off three opponents at once at one point. Then he seemed to have been caught off-guard. His blade was bound by the axe of one guy, while another approached him with a wicked looking dagger. "You gonna regret paintin' that bullseye on ya chest!", he growled and prepared to strike.
Polders remained strangely calm and just as the priate was about to hit him, his free hand brushed against his tattooed chest. The ink pulsed briefly and as the blade hit the skin, a piercing sound of broken glass echoed over the deck. The pirate yelped in pain, holding his bleeding fingers and dropping the now broken dagger, while Polders himself was unharmed. A satisfied grin was on his lips, as he kicked the fallen enemy away and then deftly outfenced the other one. "I am a man of many talents, scoundrel."
With these words, he fought his way out of the whirling melee and stomped over to aft-deck, where Tobias stood with Caitlin and Faruzia. Polders threw his long hair back and wiped some sweat off his brow, before pointing his blade at the old sea-wolf. "Release those maidens and I will promise, you shall be given the right of judgement.", he declared, "Harm just one hair of them, I will slay you here and now!"
Tobias couldn't help but snort surprised. "My...ain't you an honest fella'. Do ya really believe half the crap ya spout?"
Polders spat out. "I'm a man of honor, until the day I die. Unlike murderers like you, I take my vows to protect the common people seriously."
"A veritable knight of the sea. Rare, indeed." Tobias chuckled, then tossed both Caitlin and Faruzia aside, conveniently so that Polders had to focus solely on him. Raising his metal hand, he gestured towards the young captain. "Now, let this old man beat some sense into ya!"
With a righteous cry of anger, Polders stormed towards Tobias and the two traded heated blows. Tobias kept himself almost purely on the defensive, dodging or blocking the younger mans strikes with the experience of a hundred battles. Polders himself instead was rash, but fast and strong. He rained down blows on Tobias with almost reckless abandon, trying to overwhelm him quickly and drive him to the railing. Tobias realized what he was doing and stepped closer, undercutting Polders blade and burying his fist into the captains chest. Again, the tattoo pulsed and a metallic gong now sounded, as if Tobias metal fist had just struck a bell.
Polders stumbled back, winded by the blow, but without the expected caved in chest. Tobias grunted and shook his fingers, which vibrated painfully all way up to his shoulder. "Annoying...", he mumbled.
Polders huffed and took up his stance again, eyeing the old mans prosthetic limb with caution. He looked over his shoulder and gave Caitlin an encouraging wink. "Fear not, young lady. I will deal with this hoodlum soon and then I shall bring you and your lovely friend to safety!", he declared, before turning back to Tobias.
"Say your prayers, pirate!"
"Oh, just shut yer trap!", barked Tobias, before giving Caitlin and Faruzia a meaningful look. Whatever they had planned, they better do it soon, before Polders made good on his promises.
Meanwhile, two marines had managed to fight their way through the whirling melee and now locked eyes with Islwyn. They looked a bit confused as to what a boy like him was doing on a ship and one of them, a red-haired man who looked clean and healthy enough to likely have been from the upper streets of Vanorant, stepped forward with his axe lowered. "Okay, kid. We're gonna get you out of here. Just take my hand and follow me.", he offered, clearly thinking of the Morgwaan as yet another hostage.
Alzi himself was under fire. A few archers had spotted him in the ropes and were now aiming at him, hoping to get him down. A look below showed one marine, with his blade between the teeth, climbing up the net to reach him.
The pirates were outnumbering the marines and sailors of Polders. But currently momentum was against them and there was still the galley and the towers to contend with, even if they did manage to fight them off.
Edited by TheNohen on Apr 28th 2022 at 8:02:37 PM
AKA Nixer
Captain Holloway
How absolutely fascinating. Captain Polders had some kind of twisted magic inked into his skin. Caitlin mentally noted this down for further investigation later, and her mind strayed back to the witch that had tried to stop them from leaving Vanorant. Perhaps there was a connection there? Though she couldn't recall any markings on that woman's body... perhaps there was more than one way to harness the power of the Abyss.
Caitlin exaggerated the impact as she was tossed aside, grunting as if Tobias had thrown her more violently than she had been in actuality. She quickly scurried to duck behind Polders, and paid careful attention to where his focus was—realising with a terse smile in response to Tobias' cue that the poor man was just as naive as he made himself out to be. Almost feeling sorry for the good captain, she calmly drew her sword before swiftly raising it so as to plunge it through Polders' torso from behind; aiming to shove it through to the other side before ripping it out again.
"Captain Caitlin Jessamine Holloway, at your service..." she made sure to state as she made herself known; regardless of whether her surprise attack resulted in a true deathblow or not. Likely because of where she'd attacked he'd probably die in a minute or two anyway. If he somehow survived the initial blow enough to stand, however, she'd if anything be impressed enough not to care about finishing him off in proper combat. "Never underestimate a lady's wiles, Captain. I'm truly sorry for doing this to you..."
That part was genuine, at any rate. She did indeed sound sorrowful, especially since they'd all observed his nature for a few minutes now. He was a fool, but a good-hearted one at least, and she knew that he was a rare breed of privateer.
"If you have the strength left, I permit you to duel me. If you're too injured, then lay down and sleep. I'll stay here with you. The least I can do for a gentleman more virtuous than I."
She made ready to catch him, keeping a wary eye on the rest of Polders' crew. She wouldn't tolerate any revenge-seekers swooping in to angrily kill her in retaliation. She already had injured crewmembers of her own on her hands, and she'd very much dislike it if she had to sacrifice a respectable death for Polders for the sake of fighting off the rest of his associates.
Caitlin felt a strange bloodlust in her, but she pushed it down. She didn't want to end up some bloodthirsty hag this soon. No, she'd maintain some composure and act with a modicum of tranquility. She trusted her comrades to be able to watch her back. She needn't sully her hands unnecessarily beyond what she already had. As of yet, anyway.
Edited by Enirboreh on Apr 10th 2022 at 4:01:25 PM
bork
The Bloody Catastrophe's Cabin
Damn it all if this wasn't the most tragic of circumstances. Here Bucky was stuck inside of a cabin while it sounded like the most exciting of battles was taking place right outside. He'd been wishing for something more interesting to do but he didn't think to specify that he be involved in his wish.
No, he had spent the past couple days the way he spent most of his days of late - lounging around in this stupid cabin, clearing out the occasional rat, and hoping that the accursed witch wouldn't bother him with questions, experiments, or, worst of all, boring conversations.
From what he could gather, some group of wily individuals - pirates by the smell of them - had overwhelmed the meager guard force and taken the ship. Bucky didn't feel too bad about any of that - the guards were hardly his friends, although the young one, Grant, did occasionally sneak him some treats. No, he'd been a part of a pirate crew before and he was more than willing to join this one, provided someone let him out of this damn cabin.
Damned non-opposable thumbs!
But, suddenly, Bucky's wishes came true. One of Polders' men had been overwhelmed by two of Caitlin's pirates and unceremoniously thrown through the cabin window. Bucky took advantage of the newfound route to freedom and jumped out, no doubt surprising the two pirates. Bucky found the closest Marine he could and furiously bit at the man's leg, trying to use his bulk and fangs to bring the man to the ground, subdued.
Breath of the Sun
Damian
The marines turned out to not be particularly smart, charging headlong at him without much coordination. It was fairly trivial to crack heads as they popped up.
The others seemed to be having a bit more trouble. Tobias and Caitlin could no doubt deal with the blowhard leading their enemies, but he was less sure about the little mage. Until two of the enemies apparently mistook Islwyn for a child.
Damian decided to take advantage of that, and quickly came up behind the men. He swiftly raised the mancatcher before bringing it down, intending to smash the red-headed man over the head before brutally swinging the pole at the other man as well.
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
The Light That Blinds
Islwyn
"...er."
What was he supposed to say here? I'm not a child? No, that was a lie, he was only thirty-five. I came here willingly? That was liable to get him stabbed. Part of him wondered how they hadn't noticed the red skin or the scales, but...well, no harm in going with it.
Especially since Damian was taking the opportunity to attack right now.
"I-I don't...know what's going on," he said, purposefully widening his eyes and wavering his voice to sound like a frightened child. "I was just in the city, and...it all happened so fast..."
With any luck, that would distract them long enough for Damian to take advantage.
(Guinevere, for her part, continued her nap, completely oblivious to all the chaos.)
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
Faruzia
She rolled her eyes slightly at the Captain's words. Make sure he's dead before you start chatting, silly woman. He did seem like a straightforward fellow, but that was no reason to give him an additional chance to shed their blood. She and the metal-handed fellow did seem to have him under control, though.
The Bloodlady turned away, looking for somewhere to further assist. Why not stop their means of bringing over reinforcements? She turned and darted to the side of the ship. The ropes used to bring people over were still attached, and it was an easy task to pull each hook from the edge. She then began to scrounge for something to use in hopefully setting fire to the other ship. En route, she'd quietly dispose of any intruders in a way that wouldn't attract too much notice.
roaming, lurking, arguing
The Bloody Catastrophe
"By Atyx...kidnapping children now. These pirates have no honor.", mumbled, the red-haired marine, as he took Islwyns hand. "Don't worry, we will get you out of he—"
He was cut off, as out of nowhere Damian appeared and smashed his mancatcher over the guys head. The marine collapsed in an instant, slamming onto the deck in a heap. His comrade yelled out in alarm and managed to block the polearms swing with his axe, stumbling back from the blow. "Arthus! Damn you!", he yelled out to his friend, who was visibly bleeding from the head and didn't move.
Growling in anger, the remaining marine turned to Damian and rushed him. His blows were well-practiced, showing that the man was a skilled warrior, and while he wasn't as strong or as fast as the Scion, his skill made up for that. An upward strike blew Daminans defence open and the marine stepped in close, in order to sink his axe into the young man's chest.
Captain Polders meanwhile was stumbling back from Caitlin and Tobias, clutching his chest. The blow was fatal, so much was clear. Blood spilled out from the wounds in his back and chest at a pace, that would spell his doom in a few minutes. As useful as his magic inking had been, his back had been vulnerable and Caitlin had ruthlessly exploited that with her ploy.
His face grew pale and one could see the shock etched over his pain, as he slumped down against the railing and looked up to the young woman who had killed him. "Y-You...?" His voice was breaking with pain, as if the fact that the maiden he sought to rescue backstabbed him hurt him more than the actual wound. "Wh-What a...dishonorable..."
He coughed blood. Caitlin had pierced a lung, it seemed. "Gah...felled on my first assignment. How...embarrassing." He looked to the side. His men were beginning the lose the fight. More and more fell and it was only a matter of time before they were slain to a man. Polders grit his teeth and glared up to Tobias and Caitlin. He slowly rose up again, raising his blade and taking up his stance. "A-A true knight...never s-surrenders.", he said, his voice strained. He coughed once more, but then regained his composure. "Now...have at thee, you scoundrels."
Tobias was about to step forward, as Polders raised his blade for one suicidal charge, when suddenly the entire deck shook. Wood creaked in protest and men were thrown off their feet. Polders yelped, lost his balance and then toppled over the railing and dropped into the churning sea below.
"What in tha name of Arawn was that!?", barked Tobias angrily, as he helped Caitlin back to her feet.
As they had fought, the ship had continued on its course, tied to the hook-galley. At some point, the helmsman of the galley had steered to the left and pushed them towards the towers, probably to crash them against the floating stone-structures. He had been only partially successful, as the Bloody Catastrophe had been too heavy to be pushed all the way and as such they had scraped against the left-most tower. Stone and wood pressed against each other, as the ship groaned under the enourmous pressure.
A loud thump came next, followed by a scream. One of the pirates had been nailed to the deck by a long bolt in his shoulder. A second shot nearly missed his head. The ballistae of the left tower now began to once again fire on deck, with only the right tower unable to join because of the galley being in the way.
Tobias let out several curses, a few of which even Caitlin hadn't heard before. "We need to get rid of that galley and make for tha open sea. They're gonna shoot us dead and gone!", he snapped. Looking up to the rigging, he spotted Alzi fending off a few marines. He raised his metal-hand and shot it from his wrist. The appendage flew up into the air and grabbed onto one of the marines' leg. Tobias pulled and the poor sod fell down with a scream, before slamming onto the deck. "Get rid of the bastards and take out some of those ballistae!", he shouted at the Dragonblooded.
Faruzia meanwhile was looking for anything she could use to burn the ropes. On deck there wasn't much she could find, given the chaotic fights around her and the fact that they had ditched most of the heavy crates earlier. Men screamed in pain, Wounded begged for mercy and the floor was slick with blood.
"Halt!"
As she turned around, she saw two pirates stomping towards her. Behind them, they had just thrown a marine against the small window of the aft-deck cabin. Their eyes were wide and the left one, a rather stocky, scarred thug, was bleeding heavily. His partner had several rings embedded in his face. They both looked close to a panic.
"F-Fuck this shit!!", spat the fat one, as they stumbled toward Faru. "I-If Ah gonna die, then Ah gonna...Ah gonna.."
Whatever he had wanted to do, Faruzia wasn't going to find out, as suddenly a large hound burst through the open window and sank his fangs into the pirates right leg. The man howled in pain, as he was thrown done by the canine and tossed about. His buddy screamed in panic and ran off, clearly done with the whole thing.
"Get it off! Getitoffgetitoffgetitoff!!", yelled the fat pirate, slapping the dog violently and ineffectually.
Edited by TheNohen on May 23rd 2022 at 4:06:09 PM
AKA Nixer
Captain Holloway
"By the gods-!" Caitlin exclaimed as the ship was slammed against the tower, bowling over the railing herself and almost joining the enemy captain in a watery grave. Thankfully she managed to grip onto the side of the ship, and scrambled up with the help of adrenaline—shakily leaning against Tobias for a moment before she was forced to separate from him as combat resumed. "B-Burn or cut those ropes tying us down! I'll try and steer us out of here! That's right, take out those bloody turrets...!"
Caitlin was panicking, almost slipping on the bloodstained deck as she scrambled up to the helm to regain control. She knocked men overboard with a kick to the shin and a stab to the gut or the groin, and had to fight off a privateer who themselves were trying to take the wheel. She slit his throat and pushed him to the ground to let him choke to death, before taking hold of the wheel and attempting to steer the ship into a more advantageous position.
She was sweating, covered in blood both her own and from others, with her hair unkempt and once-perfect makeup smeared across her face. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and focused, scowling as she kept her sword at the ready and shouted out in encouragement for her allies. She needed to steer this Catastrophe back out into open water, towards the seas again. To do that...
"I need a course charted to Dire Waters as soon as possible! Let those accursed forces chew these bastards up!!"
This was mainly a scare tactic, playing on superstition more than anything. But she did genuinely intend to head Caerigg-ways. If nothing else, the rocks and deadly waters might turn the tides in their favour. Quite literally. This ship—the newly-christened Bloody Catastrophe—was a durable beast and built to withstand a long and strenuous journey. Those sleek battle-vessels were more designed for local conflicts, not extensive travel over rough waters. She hoped to take advantage of this fact.
"As soon as we've killed them all make a headcount of all personnel aboard!" she added, deeply saddened by the ones she'd doomed to an early death in her reckless abandon. She prayed that by the end of this she'd have a crew left.
bork
Bloody Catastrophe
Bucky, ever the good boy, obeyed the pirate and got off, although not without giving the sod a solid whack in the face with his large paws to put him out of commission for awhile. Looking up with his teeth bared, he was curious to see where his next foe was coming from. However, this was interrupted as Captain Caitlinn was leading the charge near the helm. Figuring the best way forward towards a higher position was with the captain, Bucky burst forward, knocking into a marine in his dash up to the stairs.
"Captain." he nodded. "Don't worry. I've got your back"
Breath of the Sun
Damian
It seemed at least one of the marines trying to board them was actually good at something. That was a surprise, to say the least. And not a welcome one.
Superior strength and nimbleness should have still given Damian the advantage, but the marine proved to be just good enough with his axe to stay standing against the mancatcher's onslaught.
Then an upward swing caught his weapon, sending it flying upward. It should have left Damian vulnerable, trying to pull the mancatcher back down against the force of the blow, but Damian didn't do that.
Damian let the mancatcher fly out of his hands.
Were he anyone else, letting himself get disarmed might seem foolish. But Damian was not anyone else. Damian met the marine's advance with his own, and one hand came up to grab at the marine's wrist and stop the swing. The other hand came flying at his enemy's face, in a mighty punch that would almost certainly crack his jaw if it connected.
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Sea Madness? So Soon?!!
She'd been frantically trying to concoct some way of killing the ring-faced man without too much notice when a huge dog leaped through a window and attacked him. Never one to miss a good chance, she backed away, hoping the beast wouldn't come after her as well. Then the Captain shouted some order...and the hound answered her. A talking dog? Faruzia held a hand to her forehead, checking for any unusual warmth. It must have been the confusion of battle. Certainly. She didn't believe that for a moment, but it wasn't a critical problem. The bolts raining from the sky were what was important just now.
Scrabbling for a weapon from one of the fallen, she began hunting anew, this time for the ropes holding back the ship. The Bloodlady hacked at each in a controlled frenzy. Death by misadventure wasn't something she wanted as a coda to her existence. Or at least not in such a random and useless manner. As she worked, she kept an eye out for that dog. Just a temporary illusion brought on by all of this insanity...and blood...so much blood... Her fangs began to grow, just a bit. But grow they did, and she hated it.
Fluffy/10
Alziane Apheratae
Alzie had been busy with fending off the marines when he heard Tobias' order - his attention made available since Tobias had happened to grab the one who he had currently been clashing with. It wasn't as if he had time to respond, though, as his focus was quickly drawn to the marines still encroaching. But the ballistae were the higher priority - and besides, he climbed faster than they did. So with quick movements, he clambered further up, until he could perch on the highest yard of the mast, and from there, sent a pair of throwing knives at whatever poor sod was operating the ballistae on the tower they were currently scraping up against, before eyeing the marines on their way up to him.
Here's to hoping they don't wait me out...
roaming, lurking, arguing
The Bloody Catastrophe
The men behind the ballistae were in clear view, as they rained shots down on deck. They felt secure enough to even try to aim sometimes, although this proved difficult given that they handled a large ballistae meant for warfare, rather than a boarding action. Their large bolts were meant to break open decks, harrass ships over long distance and sustain rate of shot for a long time. This close up, they struggled to bring their weaponry down enough to actually target the chaotic melee beneath them. And having to avoid killing the allied marines probably didn't help.
This might have been the reason why they initially ignored Alzie, as he climbed up the main-mast towards them. Behind battlements and overlooking the fighting, the two men were entirely concentrating on their task, with one of them putting in the bolt and winding the ballistae back, while the other took aim and shot. Just as the latter swung the weapon around towards Caitlin, who was making her way to the steering wheel, he noticed Alzie out of the corner of his eye. And the blade that was flying towards him.
He only had enough time to shout in surprise, before the knife hit him in the eye and he collapsed in a heap. His comrade looked up, only to get hit by a second throwing knife in the temple.
Alzie didn't had time to celebrate his success for long though, as now he could hear the angry shouts of his pursuers down below, who cursed loudly as they saw him take down their ranged support. Already, one of them had managed to follow him all the way up. A gnarly sea-dog, whos face was twisted into an angry grimace, as he raised his axe towards him.
Before he could throw his blow however, he stopped and looked down. There, on his left ankle, was a metal hand gripping him tight. His eyes followed the chain connecting the hand all the way to the bearded visage of Tobias below, who met his glance and then pulled. The marine screamed, as he was yanked off and plummeted down to the deck, where he impacted with a nasty, wet thump.
"Ya dogs get yer hands of him and pick someone yer own size!", roared Tobias, as he retracted his hand and launched it again.
With the ballistae taken out, the fight began to turn. The marines were losing, one by one. Their captain was gone and without bolt shots hampering the pirates, they were losing warriors left and right. Damians punch cracked against the jaw of his opponent with a satisfying and sickening noise and the marine crumpled like a sack of dry apples. Those few that had tried to get to Caitlin and take their revenge for killing Cpt. Polders found themselves stopped in their tracks by a large, blonde dog who refused to let them pass, snapping and biting anyone getting too close.
The noise of creaking wood nearly overpowered the noise of fighting, as the galley and the Bloody Catastrophe still were squeezed together between the towers. Something splintered and it wasn't clear which ship had suffered. Their pace was slowing down and if nothing happened, they would soon come to a complete halt. Easy pickings for the pursuing vessels, that were now catching up.
"SOMEBODY CUT THA DAMN RO—"
With a loud snap, the entire ship rocked foward, nearly knocking everyone off their feet. Tobias almost bit his tongue, as he smacked against the mast in the middle of shouting. As he looked around, he saw that the ropes that had tied the Bloody Catastrophe to the hook-galley had been severed, with the last few simply snapping under the stress. Now released from each other, the galley had drifted back and the Bloody Catastrophe had shot forward from between the towers like a wet piece of soap.
For a brief moment, there was nothing but stunned silence, as everyone stared at Faruzia, who was standing next to the cut ropes with a falchion in both hands.
"Hoist the sails! Full speed ahead! Out to open water! NOW!"
Tobias orders snapped everyone out of their momentary lapse. One marine tried to restart the fight, but he was unceremoniously stabbed by a scraggy looking pirate next to him, who didn't even bother with a second look as he rushed towards the sails. The remaining enemies saw their ship drift off and wisely decided to cut their losses by jumping overboard. Those that remained didn't last long.
What followed were several intense, sweat-inducing minutes, as they put some distance between themselves and Valorant, all while being shot at by the remaining tower behind them. But eventually they picked up a good wind and soon were out of range. The few ships that had tried to chase them broke off their pursuit, once they reached the open water and it became clear that they wouldn't be able to catch them in the short term. Instead, they peeled off and soon shrunk to a small speck on the horizon, as the newly named Bloody Catastrophe and her mauled crew sailed out into the blue, calm waters of the Central Seas.
The witch stood on the deck, as she watched her ship slowly vanish in the distance. Her face was stiff, unreadable, and yet Barrestin could feel a tense anger emanating from her perfect features. It send a shiver down his spine and made him sweat even more than he already was. "W-We can catch them, I assure my lady. Once we loaded up on supplies we.."
"No need, captain."
He stopped short, staring at her. "My lady?"
She didn't look at him as she turned her back to the sea and walked away from the railing. All the tension was seemingly gone, with her calm and serene expression once again masking any emotion on her face. "They will have no cargo with them, which also means they will soon need to re-supply in order to not starve or die of thirst. And there is only one haven in these waters, that will give them refuge.", she explained calmly. "We know where they are heading. No point in rushing after them. Instead let us prepare properly, so that next time, you will not disappoint me again."
Although the tone was quiet, Barrestin could pick out the unspoken threat. Again, he shuddered. For a moment he contemplated reaching for his knife. Then he looked up and saw her looking him directly in the eye. As if she could read his mind she gently shook her head, and any thought he had played with died a quick death, as Barrestin went pale all the way to his big nose.
Before he could stammer an apology for something he hadn't even done yet, they were interruped by one of his sailors. "Pardon me, sir and ma'am. But...what are we gonna do about those two?", he asked.
They followed his gesture to the back of the ship, where his men were pulling out the body of a large man, with a tattoo etched on his naked chest. He was bleeding heavily and was so pale, Barrestin thought he was dead for a moment, but then saw him cough out sea-water. He was laid next to the grumbly Bulsky, they had fished out in the harbor, who was had been tied and gagged and who now stared at them angrily.
The witch said no word at first, as she looked at the two. Then a terrible smile grew on her lips.
"Tend to them. I have an offer for both.."
The Light That Blinds
Islwyn
We...made it?
We...
"Holy shit we made it!" Despite himself, Islwyn laughed in pure relief. "We...we didn't die! We made it!" He grabbed Guinevere and practically danced around the ship, twirling and spinning with an enormous grin on his face. "We made it—!"
And then he saw that people were staring.
Slowly, Islwyn set Guinevere down and straightened. "Ahem. Ahem." He looked at Caitlin. "So. Where to next?"
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
AKA Nixer
Captain Holloway
Was it over? It was over. Caitlin could barely believe it, staring off into space as she found herself collapsing in a seated position upon an overturned barrel. She clutched her head in her hands, slowly evening out her breath as she tried not to think about the number of crew that she'd lost. Just in the escape alone, they'd suffered losses... so many at that...
"H-Headcount...!" she soon called out, her voice hoarse as she sniffed. She didn't cry, she refused to. Even though her heart ached with shame over her failure to keep those brave ones alive for long, she stood up and turned her puffy red eyes over towards what remained of those aboard instead. Islwyn was celebrating. How precious. She smiled slightly, nodding gratefully towards the intelligent dog that'd saved her and moving over to pet its head fondly. "H-Headcount, yes... then, we make way for the nearest... nearest trade post. Whether it be a village, o-or a... or even just a lone raft. Then, we can tackle Caerigg... I think we all deserve a break from that ordeal. We'll circle around Dire Waters, then divert, I'd say... restock someplace calm, then reassess what we're to do. Gods..."
She broke for a moment in her resolve, but shook her head, standing firm and taking in a deep breath as she regained a sense of courage in her voice. Her previous manner of speaking, with her odd emphasis on pronunciation in mimicry of the upper-class, was now completely gone—instead, she was a slight Dhi'rish twinge to her words as she raised her voice again into an uplifting pronouncement.
"We've lost brave men! Young and old, new and experienced to the life of seafaring. We will not forget what they've sacrificed... their souls will live on in our hearts so long as we keep fighting. We're fugitives now! But from here on out, we now serve no-one apart from ourselves! We protect our own, and we treat our fellows with respect and care, for we're now a family upon the waters! Are my words clear?!"
Oh Mother, oh Father. Will I ever come back to you...? Will you look at me as a daughter still, or as scum of the world...? Should we ne'er meet again... I will honour to strive you both in courage, if not in the law...
bork
Breath of the Sun
Damian
There was always something viscerally satisfying about punching a man's lights out. Perhaps it was a bit sadistic, but Damian took pleasure in the show of strength.
He had, however, chafed his knuckles a bit, which was annoying. At least his perfect features were unmarred.
Their captain was a wreck. She looked so small, trying not to cry. Damian genuinely felt bad for her. Yet there was a genuine, vibrant smile on his face as he stepped forward and saluted. His heart beat a little faster, knowing that he was a true, genuine pirate. A dashing adventurer on the high seas.
"Aye aye, captain!" He said, hoping that affirming her orders would lift her spirits. "May we live and die together, with the wind forever at our backs!"
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
roaming, lurking, arguing
The Bloody Catastrophe
"Hear hear!", came it from the crew, after Caitlins speech, though it were only a few scattered cheers. Most of them were tired, wounded or still a bit battle-shocked."Good showin' ya lads! Now get up and clean yourself up. Anybody need needle and thread, Ah'm sure we find somethin' once we turn the belly of this beast up and see whats inside.", barked Tobias. It was obvious he too was exhausted, but he didn't show it like Caitlin did. Indeed, he walked up and down all the picture of a strict taskmaster, making sure the crew didn't forget their duties even after their recent narrow escape from Valorant.
He reached Caitlin and then subtly straightened her back and patted her shoulder. "Head up, lass. They be looking at you for leadership. Can't show any weakness in front of tha crew.", he reminded her, whispering in her ear.
"Now, once everyone is patched up and we said our prayers to those that didn't make it, we should chart a course. Pretty sure there should be a map aroun' somewhere. Maybe someone ought to check underdeck or the quarters.", he added, at no one in particular now, though his eyes fell in Damian, as he said so.
"We need eyes up, makin' sure no surprises around. You!", he pointed at Alzie, "We still bein' pursued or any beasties around? And if ya see some flocks of birds, shout." He clapped his hands at the crew. "If any of ya lads know how to do triage or shit, go and patch up the others. Clean those wounds, before they go bad."
He then turned to Islwyn. "No clue about magic, but the last arcanist I sailed with could read the weather. Useful lad, shame he got struck by lightning. What about ye? Any special tricks, aside from savin' our asses from that twice-cursed woman at the harbor?" Then he spotted the big dog, still sitting on deck and looking around. Tobias briefly opened his mouth, before shaking his head and rolling his eyes.
"Of course...and we got a bloody dog on deck. How in the Deep did he get on board!?"
Edited by TheNohen on Aug 6th 2022 at 6:42:31 PM
Faruzia
She'd stopped, amazed that the attack was over. Admittedly, she hadn't contributed very much, both to husband her strength and to prevent excess (and tempting) bloodshed. Pushing mariners overboard and pulling a few injured men out of the main battle had kept her pretty busy, but in the back of her mind she'd been contemplating the best course of action if the pirates lost the fight. Pretend to be a hostage? Simply dive into the sea? Hide belowdecks as a stowaway and hope no one found her before they reached some port?
But all of those plans were pointless now. Faruzia cheered the departure of their enemies. At least I won't have to relearn to swim. There was also the issue of sharks. It was little known, even among their kind, but Bloodfolk were very attractive to the toothed beasts. Or at least, she was, and she saw no reason it wouldn't be true of others. If I ever run into another of my people out here, I'll make a proper test of it.
Tobias' barked orders got her moving. Ay ay! I'll do my best!" Pointing at a still-living crewman, she directed him to grab some scraps of wood and heat some wine or any alcohol he could find. Pulling her dagger from its' sheath, the young Bloodlady began cutting the fabric away from the first wound, praying her self-control would hold out until the end. Maybe I'll get lucky and I can give one a quick nibble before dumping him over the side. They're all going over anyway.'' It wouldn't be one of the Captain's crew, though. She'd already developed a fondness for this ragtag group.
I have to keep away from that dog, though. Smell me for sure.
Edited by Booky on Aug 6th 2022 at 5:01:00 AM
Tobias
"Ah, 'tis no need ta worry lass. Thi' ol' dog ain't plannin' on dyin' so soon. Now, ta matters at hand..."
He whirled away from Caitlin, marching to the helm of the ship as he started barking out orders, waving that giant metal hand of his about.
"ALRIGHT LADS! We cannae run away from tha' galley, but that is nae ta say we want ta. Let it in close, but nae too close! Set a course so tha' the towers will be having a hard time shootin' us without hitting them! Then, aim for tha' sails an' helmsman, give us cover as we make fer open water, and then we're free with the wind! AND I DINNAE WANNA SEE IDLE HANDS, LEST YE BE TOSSED OVERBOARD TA MAKE YERSELF USEFUL AS BAIT!"
With that last part, he clenched his hand tightly, making a tossing motion iver the side of the ship with a vicious scowl.