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| Chronicles of Athylon; Act I: The Rose of Rotharia | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 13 2013, 11:59 PM (3,386 Views) | |
| Archbass | Dec 18 2013, 04:58 PM Post #61 |
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The Architect
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"You're shaking again." Navitia looked up from her rack of whips. They were all very stylish things, all coiled on the wall in front of her. It had been forever, and Ruezann was right. Her hands were shaking. So were her legs. This entire ad hoc mission was starting to get to her. The anticipation. Wrecking her performance was only the start of it, and she was hoping that they would have given her just one performance where she wouldn't have to worry about the Seareavers. This compounded upon her worries about the future of the Ensemble. They were throwing everyone at this, even herself. And yet, this feeling -- this feeling of protectiveness was something that she had only felt now that she was part of the Ensemble. "I know, I know," she said. "I find it hard to believe you're so nervous." Navitia shook her head. Ruezann approached her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "The stage is my home," she said. "Fighting is yours and Karia's..." "And yet when you fight you don't hold back. Even when you still wore a smile behind closed doors." A smile? How could she wear one now? Let alone back then? "That's...what I'm afraid of. What if, as the face of the ensemble, I have to wear a scar?" "Don't tell me it's about your pretty fa--" "Of course it isn't! It's about ... wearing a smile." "We'll figure it out when everything is settled." Navitia grasped Ruezann's hand, and squeezed it. She shrugged it off of her shoulder. "Right. Rescue Lady Harmon, rescue Alexandra." She pulled a whip from the wall--one with purple streamers. She figured they would be fighting in darker quarters. It was a thought that occured to her rather suddenly; how quick it must be to switch between thinking of combat and thinking of performing, or directing. "Are you ready?" "I came here to ask you. You're still shaking." "Because I'm ready!" |
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| Wanderlust | Dec 18 2013, 07:59 PM Post #62 |
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The Sleeping Soul
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"My story, huh...?" Thaeran maintained his ever-present smile as he looked towards Damian, but there was noticeably less humor in his expression. "I was born in Rotharia, but you can probably tell by my accent alone that... well, I'm not quite one of you. I'm from Saerotha, you see, so I don't think a man like you would appreciate hearing my story." He hesitated, then smiled apologetically. "Not that I mean any offense, you're a good man, I can tell that much - but you should know well enough how things are up there. It's not a pleasant tale, and it'd not make a good first impression." He winked, a bit of playfulness returning to his face. "As for me being 'wanted', though, you needn't worry your handsome little head. Me and the rest of the guild have since been pardoned." Before Damian could inquire about 'the guild', Thaeran gave him a quick wave. "It was good talking, yeah? But it's late, and I assume we'll be spending all of tomorrow planning and preparing our daring rescue... or sitting around bored, which is just as tiring, so I'm gonna get some rest. You take care." He turned to leave, heading for the door leading to the lower deck, but as he neared it an arrow suddenly whizzed overhead. He spun around with a gasp of surprise to see Zei and Rillian, bows in hand, standing several yards away. Zei looked cheerful as ever, and Rillian, at last, was smiling. It seemed the latter had shot the arrow. A smirk played at Thaeran's lips. "You missed, you brilliant blonde bastard." "I never miss," Rillian retorted, returning his grin. He pointed somewhere in the darkness, and Thaeran looked up to see that a section of the wooden railing on the deck above them had been painted with a minuscule target; it was barely visible in the dim light, yet Rillian's arrow had hit it dead center. "Not too bad. Felicia's gonna be pissed, though." "I defer to Cyrus's life philosophy. Your move, Zei." Thaeran left them to their competition as he slipped below deck, quickly seeking out the cabin he shared with Rillian. It'd be nice to have some time alone for once - he'd not had a day this hard in many months, and he knew that the days to come weren't going to be any easier. Avareux's future was at stake - the abduction of nobility was nothing new, not in the least, but Thaeran couldn't recall the last time such a high profile target as Priscilla Harmon had been taken. The last ones that had had the balls to even attempt such a thing were the treasonous nobleman Lucien Goethe and the Scarlet Shields commander Ravon Venoux, nearly a decade ago, and they had paid the price for their failure. Yet Reyna had proven to be more ambitious than most Seareavers, and Thaeran didn't like that one bit. As he drifted to sleep, he prayed to Isiria - fairer half of the Divine Twin - that he was merely being paranoid, that Alex and Priscilla would be kept safe, that everything would go well once they reached the Ilskara Isles. But he knew they wouldn't. Few things ever went well for him. His dreams were haunted that night, unwanted memories awakened by Damian's innocent question. "What sort of story do you want for your life, Thaeran?" "Whichever one takes me and Ruthie far away from this place." There was a strange glint in Ruezann's lilac eyes, but the face he wore was stoic as ever. Thaeran's own eyes were raw and red from his tears. "You'll walk the same road Ansel and his sister did, then?" "You promised you'd protect them, and they-" "They left my protection. Do you think I wanted this? I can't keep you all safe if you leave." "Why do we stay in this place? There's no hope, no future here, yet you make us-" "Thaeran." Ruezann knelt before the young boy, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing gently. Thaeran said nothing. He had never expected any sort of kindness out of this man, this man that was the closest thing he had to a father now. "I know this is not the life meant for us. There's a revolution coming, one that will shake this country to the core. You and your sister must believe in me." Thaeran swallowed hard. "I... I believe in you." |
| A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one. | |
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| Karia Morsenia | Dec 20 2013, 09:11 PM Post #63 |
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Dragoness of Spellsongs
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The waters beneath the Crimson Rose were calm on their first night out on the sea where all on the ship rested save for the look outs on their shifts. It was a relief the day had gone by without any incident, and yet Karia's gut was twisting with apprehension. And she had to pretend to be confident they'd be successful at Ilskara and survive. She wearily dragged herself below deck to her quarters to find Samus there sleeping on his cot. Glimmers of silver moonlight from her window lit some of his features and left others in shadow. Memories stung her then, of a time when she'd walk in to find a boy asleep on the cot she had salvaged out of the Morsenias' stables, only later to lay beside her in her own bed each night for almost a year. Swallowing back the reminders, she bit her bottom lip and scolded herself quietly. It wasn't right to compare anyone to Ansel now. He was a stolen future, and should remain a buried memory. She had denied herself any companionship since that night Ansel was taken from the world, and although he had been just a little easier to forget, she never forgot the child she had lost. On silent footfalls Karia walked over to where Samus lay and brushed his hair back before lightly stroking his bare chest and tracing the path of scars there. So there was more to his story than just a Shepherd. She removed her hand when his chest tensed from her touch, and she studied his face for a flutter of his eyes, but they remained closed. One corner of her lips lifted into a smile as she turned and went to her own bed, taking the pouch of nightmare medicine and placing a pinch onto her tongue as soon as her head hit the pillow. ~~~~~ The day after the next ~~~~~~ The wind whipped the sails and flung Karia's hair around her face, only adding to the wild look in her eyes as she rushed around the ship barking commands for the final preparations of the rescue launch. She whistled for everyone to gather around on the main deck. "Listen up, ladies and gents! Ilskara will be in our sights soon, only a mere couple of hours away now, and I want every one of you to be constantly vigilant! We are going to try to execute this mission in an organized manner, but as it is known, anything can go wrong. I want you all to be ready for any possibility that can happen." She began to pace back and forth. "Now, there are three teams you will all be divided in to carry out this plan. Extraction, distraction, and demolition. Extraction is where we sneak in and grab Alex and Lady Harmon. This team will follow my lead. Distraction will be a group that will go up to their front door and occupy the attention of however many Seareavers you can." She pointed at Silversteel. "This team will follow your lead, my friend." "The last team, demolition, will go with our Agrias and blow up Reyna's ship so they can't pursue us when we escape," she said, clapping the foreman on the shoulder. Someone shouted from the gathered crowd. "That'll definitely piss her off!" "Good, make her and everyone who takes orders from her taste steel," Karia said in a grave tone. "Rillian, Samus, Fraye, Damian, Baragos, Navitia, and Felicia! You're all with me on extraction." She raised her hand and pointed. "Thaeran, Zei, and Cyrus, you're with Silversteel on distraction." Karia then walked over to Seth and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Seth, I think you would help Agrias out greatly with blowing up that ship and causing a second distraction for us." She motioned to the remainder of the crew. "As for the rest of you, split up with Silversteel and Agrias! I've got all the men I need. When we split off, I want those of you with me and Agrias to be as stealthy as you can, even in your kills. And for the sake of all, I don't want to catch wind of any of you dying!" |
| “Solitude has soft, silky hands, but with strong fingers it grasps the heart and makes it ache with sorrow.” | |
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| Agrias | Dec 20 2013, 10:34 PM Post #64 |
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The Foreman
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Agrias gave a curt nod as he inspected the barrels, the dozen they'd managed to half-fill with a mix of bilge and old wine, the outside painted in pitch tethered in two sets of six with the last three filled completely with the remaining pitch. Turning to Karia with the tiniest of rueful grins as he could be heard murmuring, "I'm in the thick of it now." before turning to the crew that had helped him ready the surprise. "Lads! Tow one line and a pitch barrel to the aft. Tow the rest to starboard, We'll tow sail and trick them into chasing us if the first misses its mark, I intend to see their livelihood in the deep under the drink one way or another." He spotted a familiar earthen jar being passed around as his expression soured, "And save that for if you live to spend it! You rock-brained gits!" he barked, "I intend to see you all to the other side, Gods' Teeth! But I do... Even if it means no end to those fool bets." he added with a rueful tiny smirk as he paced the lines. Giving a silent sigh of relief as he looked to the other teams, "Return safely. Gods if I've done you any service in the past all I ask it their return unharmed." he muttered to himself in silent prayer scratching at his beard and looking away as his gaze passed Samus. "No, if anyone has their protection... it would be his group." he muttered as he returned to his duties, keeping his mind on the task at hand. |
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| Samus | Dec 22 2013, 02:05 AM Post #65 |
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The Guardian
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As Agrias stepped away from the groups, Samus brushed past a couple of the Ensemble members to go after the foreman. He'd listened intently to Karia and prepared himself for the extraction, but wanted to help everyone as much as he could. "Agrias right?" The man turned and looked him up and down. "I have something for you." Samus rustled around in his satchel and handed Agrias a small clay pot. "It's a burn salve. If any of the guys in your group are burnt or get a little too close to the flame lather this on any burn. It should heal it right up." He smiled and passed the pot over. "I guessed that every little would help." Agrias said his thanks and Samus walked back to Karia and the extraction group. He hadn't had much of a chance to talk to any of the members of the extraction group but he'd seen Rillian's prowess with the bow, and he was sort of relieved that someone would be at the back of the action, where he planned to be. He knew Karia better than any of the others, and was glad she'd be at hand, along with Damien Faust; the royal guardsman looked like he could handle a blade better than most. Over the next couple of hours Samus tried to get to know the group better, but found himself mostly standing nearby as the members of the ensemble that knew eachother better spoke. The Crimson Rose cut through the waves like a knife through butter, carving it's way towards Ilskara. When they came in sight of the cove, Samus stared at the icey rocks and desolate surroundings. The boat that Felicia had began to track as they neared the cove was just infront of them and Samus watched as the Ensemble prepared the board and rescue attempt. Silversteel's group ran to their boats, ready to leave and distract the majority of other boats and men in the cove. By the look of things the pirates had taken over a small abandoned village of sorts in the cove and had turned it into their camp. From the action within, it looked like the village was teeming with pirates. Rillian stood with Samus, his eagle eyes staring as his did. "Looks like Silversteel's group will have their hands full." Samus remarked. "Looks that way." Rillian said. "But there are plenty of pirates for the lot of us." Samus smiled, but his face paled. He'd never had much courage in the face of battle, he had too much of a level head since joining the shepherds. When he was a kid, if another child had annoyed him or fought him, Samus had found himself in a rage and fought like a demon. His father had often laughed when he was dragged home by the city guard, calling it the 'Orelian battle rage'. Samus' mother had never approved. Together, the group headed for the three rowboats that would carry the separate teams to the positions around the bay. Karia and the other leaders of the Ensemble were worried the boat would get into the bay and unload their important cargo and get them into the village before the Ensemble could go through with their plan. If their plan was to go smoothly, the three teams would need to hit the enemy hard and fast and get the two women out of there. The men and women bade eachother good luck and they clambered into the longboats. Samus sat with his staff across his legs and murmured a prayer. Well, here we go. |
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| Ser Falcon of the Seventh Stream | Jan 9 2014, 01:24 PM Post #66 |
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Stagehand
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"Rillian, eh? Well that's a rather curious name. Then again, I'm not from these parts." She chuckled, quickly writing the name down into her book. There was a dash at the end of his name, along with an underlined 'MASK'. "Don't think it will be drying anytime soon thanks to this moist air. Hell, this air may even ruin this book." Briefly, there's a look of worry that seems to cross her features, and rightfully so. One's life's work being ruined in an instant, oh what a dreadful thing! Though, she soon shakes it off and nods her head to him. "Alright then, no time for thinkin' on things that may be, it's time to focus on our competition! So, why don't you take the first shot?" With that said, she steps back as she blows upon the paper, trying her best to get it dry. Out here, there's never a moment of silence, and it shows with each and every swell of of the waves that batter the ship to the right, or to the left. If she had thought the winds bad prior in the port town, then on the ship is a whole other world! Well, at least she thankful that she had about twenty seco- THUNK A smug look on his features. She stared blankly at him for a moment, then brought her attention up to the mast. There it was, firmly lodged into it, right in the center ring. Another of his comrades had approached. "You missed, you brilliant blonde bastard." "I never miss." He retorted. Once the other had followed Zei's gaze up to the mast, his guard seemed to drop as well. "Not too bad. Felicia's gonna be pissed, though." "I defer to Cyrus's life philosophy. Your move, Zei." "Well." She says, her look of amazement still remaining. "Guess I won't be spending time drying this out." Instead, she sets it upon the ground beneath her as she takes out, in comparison, her much larger bow. "Quick draw expert, eh? Well, I'm afraid that I'm outclassed there. I'm not a big fan of speed as I am patient." She lowers a hand down to that quiver on her hip and feels around for a moment... ah! There it is. Normal tipped arrow for every day occasion. Well, that and they were running rather low. She had spent many on the brigand's previously, and didn't have the chance to collect them along with anoint them to purify both the soul it sent, and herself for taking a life. Still, time was of the essence and she believed her superiors would overlook that oversight, at least once. She raises that bow upwards, then notches an arrow. The string is pulled back to that familiar place on her chin, and she waits. As soon as she thinks she has a grasp on how the waves work, she's proven pleasantly surprised. Where she thought the ship was going to be rocking right again, it instead rocks left, and that arrow is a bit off target. Just outside of the designated ring furthest to the right side. She sighs, then rubs the back of her head with a free hand. "Well, I can tell you this for certain. I'm no good firing on a moving ship, trying to hit a moving target." She closes her eyes as she laughs, hard. ------------------------------------------------------------- Time had passed by quickly, and rest was required before they had set off. She had taken to a corner with only a blanket someone was kind enough to offer her. Not her usual conditions, but she didn't complain either. They were gracious enough to let her aboard! And thankfully, before rest, she had enough time to ensure that the ink dried on her little book. Still, she couldn't help but wonder how everyone was back home. Judging by the birds as well, she'd imagine her letter would've arrived soon. That thought alone was enough to make her smile as she drifted off to rest. There wasn't much to say about the coming day either, aside from the fact that Rillian had taken some time to teach her about the finer arts of quick shooting, along with how to properly fire on a ship. The former of which she had utterly failed to grasp, while the latter was something that she managed to learn and demonstrate her knowledge of. She was closer this time, but no where near as quick or as accurate as he was. ------------------------------------------------------------- Yet, the following day, they were all called up to the deck. Karia looked as heroic as ever, and she wished she had the time to capture the look of determination with the wind whipping through her hair and the sails behind her. Almost a perfect moment, almost. She had been given her orders, and quickly looked for Silversteel. She had found her group, and quickly settled in with them, introducing herself to everyone that she met while at the same time, offering a shake of her hand. Some accepted anyways, and that's all that she could've hoped for. Within an hours time though, they had made their preparations and had set off for the smaller boats. Zei would find the highest ground that she could, set her arrows down, and take the time that she was offered to put them down. She was also thankful for Rillian changing a few numbers in the ship logbook to supply her with a small bundle of arrows. She'd have to buy him a drink once they returned. ... If they returned. Once it had been time for them to depart, she turned to wave to everyone on the ship. "Lady of Light protect us all this day, and the Lord of War ensure we all make it home after sufficient tribute to him." |
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| Karia Morsenia | Jan 28 2014, 04:59 PM Post #67 |
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Dragoness of Spellsongs
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Captain Reyna stared out the window at the swells passing by, the wind blowing in cold air and the strong scent of salt. She was grinding a faint glowing lilac crystal into a fine powder for several minutes as she kept looking at her men scurrying outside to prepare for their stay. Behind her the two captive girls sat quietly next to one another. She had given them some time after Castilla threw the Ensemble bitch in with the noble brat so they could talk and feel like they had a plan. A false one. Off to the side Castilla stood watching Reyna crush the crystal. She could see the girls trying to figure out what it is, for Reyna made no attempt to hide it. They all watched as Reyna tilted her head back and sprinkled some of the powder into her eye, the color changing to match for a fleeting second before vanishing. "This is the last one, Castilla." "I'll be sure to beat another supply out of Venoux." She turned to look at Castilla, giving her a sly smile. "I love it when you talk like that. It's almost as good as the sex you put out." Walking over to Castilla, Reyna threw her arms around the blonde woman and pressed her up against a table, locking her lips with hers fiercely. "Damn, get a different room, you whores," Alex said with a mock shake of her head. Reyna stopped untying the front of Castilla's shirt and tilted her head at Alex with a devilishly thoughtful grin. "Would you like to be next, little pet?" "Captain, we're ready to unload the wenches." All eyes fell on one of the pirate lackeys, who quickly turned and exited after seeing Reyna's nod. She looked down at the girls with a smirk. "Time to go, darlings. Castilla, lead them out and meet me inside. We have unfinished business, dear." |
| “Solitude has soft, silky hands, but with strong fingers it grasps the heart and makes it ache with sorrow.” | |
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| Wanderlust | Feb 11 2014, 06:58 PM Post #68 |
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The Sleeping Soul
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W-What in the six hells was that? Alex had hidden her discomfort behind a jest, but she was still trying to wrap her mind around what exactly Reyna had done. The lilac crystal she had crushed into powder and sprinkled into her eye was unlike anything she'd ever seen, and for a fleeting moment, Alex could have sworn that the captain's eye had glowed... but that wasn't possible - was it? And yet... she knew a man with eyes stained the same unnatural pale violet hue. Castilla's words made her uneasy as well - "I'll be sure to beat another supply out of Venoux." There was not a man, woman, or child in Rotharia that did not know the name Ravon Venoux, and the slaughter of those loyal to House Pereira that had been carried out by his personal army, the Scarlet Shields, in every province from Taedre to Valencia. Though there were rumors aplenty, none had seen hide nor hair of the man since the attempted coup a decade past. Is this what the monster's doing now? Peddling drugs to pirates? What was that crystal, if not a drug? As she and Priscilla were led out of the captain's quarters, Alex dared to speak up. Unlike Reyna, Castilla had never treated curiosity with cruelty during Alex's three days on the ship. "C-Castilla," she whispered, "that thing Reyna used - what was that? Why did her eye-" "Now is not the time for questions, dove," the woman said. "All you need to know is that to Captain Reyna your life is worth less than even one of those crystals." "And mine?" Alex blinked in surprise - she hadn't expected Priscilla to speak up. Castilla laughed softly, a mischievous gleam in her jade green eyes. "Yours will fetch us five, perhaps. Six if Venoux's intermediary likes the look of you and is feeling particularly generous... but the Scarlet Shields were never known for their generosity. Only avarice." A chill ran up Alex's spine, and it took all she had to not panic. Tears were welling up in the corners of Priscilla's eyes. "W-Wait, you're selling us? T-That's not how you Seareavers... my mother, the duchess, I'm her daughter, she'll pay any sum you-" "What use do we have for gold, girl? No, if we were playing things by the books we'd never even have come this far from Avareux. Seareavers ransoming nobles is so commonplace by now I'd be surprised if the bluecloaks don't find this an entirely dull affair. No, they'll wait in Avareux and sit on their thumbs. No reason to give chase - they don't think there's any danger." There was something that resembled pity in Castilla's eyes. "I imagine that, right now, they're waiting for the Duchess to receive a letter from the Seareavers bargaining for her child's life in return for a small mountain of gold, after which an exchange would be made without incident and life would go on as usual - the same it's always been since Svanhilde Skarsgard declared herself the Pirate Queen." She slipped a hand under Priscilla's chin and tilted her head up to look into her eyes; the false sympathy in her own had relented to the sadism that hid beneath. "This time, however, I'm afraid the end will be different. Sooner or later they're going to notice something's wrong. Sooner or later they'll realize Duchess Harmon's little girl isn't coming home." Alex narrowed her eyes into slits and stared daggers at Castilla, though she didn't feel nearly as threatening as she attempted to look. "Y-Yeah? And then the bluecloaks will come after you and your cunt of a captain. Or the Valencian Royal Guard! T-They'll... they'll have your heads, and Venoux's too. That's if the Twin Mask don't get to you first, or one of the other Ensembles! The Vhaul Luon, they'll lynch you and hang your bloated corpses over Bladebreaker Bay as a warning to Svanhilde Skarsgard to never cross the sons and daughters of Avareux again." Castilla laughed once more, which only made Alex red in the face. "Such venom in your words, dear. And here I thought we were becoming friends... tell me, did you forget my gift to you?" She slid her hand out from under Priscilla's chin and into the folds of Alex's coat, then groped the dagger hidden within one of the inner pockets. "It is the gift of chance, and a chance is all one can ask for in this callous world." A devilish grin played across her lips. "Besides, you do Reyna and I disservice by implying any of our actions were orchestrated by the Pirate Queen... or approved by her, for that matter. I fear her wrath more than I do your band of mummers and whores, and that still isn't much." "Ruezann will-" "The Ruezann I feared died years ago," Castilla said, and she sighed. "Morsenia, perhaps, is worthy of worry, but I have ways of handling her all the same." |
| A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one. | |
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| Agrias | Feb 11 2014, 07:33 PM Post #69 |
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The Foreman
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Agrias nodded silently to his part of the crew, "Seth, have that fire at the ready. I should be clear once the flame reaches the barrels. We've only one shot at this, so steady yourself, lad. And you'll see the other side of this with a tale to tell." slowly sinking into the drink as he gave a quiet hiss where they'd stalled their rowboat, watching the other two silently drift past. "Gods' teeth this water's cold..." he cursed in a muted tone as he took the barrels, now being lowered to him. "Once the fire's lit make for the Rose and be at the ready. I'll likely find another way back." with that said the large man have a stern nod and using his pitton mallet broke the stop from the casque of pitch at the other end of the line before beginning the long broad strokes towards the ship. His intended victim. Once at her hull he touched it once with his broad hand, "Pity they chose their foes so poorly." he muttered before taking a deep breath, releasing the line at its destination he dived. swimming through the mooring posts and under the decks to get free of the blast when it would come soon after. |
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| Archbass | Feb 12 2014, 11:03 PM Post #70 |
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The Architect
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This plan was so stupid. This plan was going to end in failure, and broken bones for everyone. Except for Cyrus. Cyrus was so confident, in fact, that he would have no broken bones that he jumped at the mere notion of volunteering for extraction. He roped Tansa into it too -- better to spare ol' Baragos and Fraye with the job of rescuing Lady Harmon, and leave this work to the distraction experts. Between himself, Silversteel, Tansa, Thaeran, that new girl -- Zei, right? Zei, yeah, sounding like 'yay' with some sort of hissing noise attached to it--this plan was at least going to get something done. Not that Cyrus gave a fuck as to how it would get done. "Alright," Silversteel had said when they were formulating the plan. "We need to start a brawl." "I can punch someone," Cyrus had said. "This requires more finesse!" Silversteel had said. "See, these are Seareavers, they won't hesitate to stick you--" "And I have whip," Tansa had said. She shrugged, with Cyrus nearly copying it to the movement. And with that, the plan was formed -- that they would enter this shanty town at the end of the cave splayed open in front of them, and punch someone in the face. Or at least that was the plan before Cyrus tuned all of the conversation out and let the majority run through one ear and out the other. Now he was trying to do the same with the splashing water outside their boat, and Silversteel trying to go over the plan with them. "As much as you want to punch someone, Cyrus," Silversteel said, finally overpowering Cyrus's unwillingness to care. "We really need to be sneaky here, if we hope to survive." In Cyrus's mind, he was wondering why his place at the back of the boat didn't just tip everyone backwards and into the ocean; finesse was far from the forefront of his thoughts. "That'll be easy," Thaeran said. "Aside from him, we've got the sneakiest people here." The boat drifted underneath the cave. It left the only lights at the end of the cave and at its opening. At the end of the cave, the light of torches illuminated the crude shacks mounted along a surprisingly intricate network of platforms. The buildings ran together, their damp and maybe even rotting wood -- the salty smell mixed with just the slight hint of mildew certainly said so -- forming a blob in the distance that, if not for the light, could have blended in with the rock. Cyrus found himself pointing to the individual shacks and mapping out the pathways with his finger, mostly out of boredom. These rowboats went at the pace of a rat with its legs broken. Closest to everyone was a long, thin dock, their destination. A swath of dinghies rocked against the tide, and shook the creaking wood. "There supposed to be two ships?" Zei whispered. She patted the nearest person to her -- Tansa. Tansa turned to look her way. "Eh...I don't recall two ships," Tansa said. She patted Thaeran on the shoulder. "Thaeran, two ships or no?" Thaeran whipped his head to look in the direction of the two vessels. He stared for a little bit. His jaw dropped. "Come ... again?" he asked. "Are there supposed to be two ships or no?" Cyrus looked where everyone else was by now -- there were indeed two ships docked at the far end of the cave. One of these was bound to be the Seareaver's boat, the one that the demolition team would set aflame, but that other one was a mystery to be sure. He immediately regretted not joining the demolition team, if only to test his strength and see if he could bash the planks off of the other ship with the mast of one of them. Thaeran shook his head. "N-no. There aren't ... aw fuck." He turned to Cyrus and, with not even another word, tried to shove him into Tansa's and Zei's place. "Take the oars, damnit!" he hissed. Well, so much for just punching things was Cyrus's last thought before the others, noticing that Cyrus's peddling was code for "hurry the fuck up," shoved the oars into his hands. It didn't take long for them to reach the dock, but the landing could have gone better -- their boat nearly capsized upon hitting the dock, but it gave them a headstart to running up into the shanty town ... As soon as they reached the most stable part of the dock, the five of them took a long look at the sprawling shanties above them. Up close, it looked a lot more confusing to Cyrus -- ladders, pathways, doorways, warped and bent catwalks, all enough to make Cyrus's head spin. Until he felt someone grab him by the collar and pull him behind cover -- an outcropping of rock. The five of them hid behind it, as a pair of figures came down from one of the shacks above them. "So I said to him, 'why go into town wearing red, when you can be in mahogany?'" The other one laughed. Zei peeked over the rock to get a better look at them. "They look a little intoxicated." Cyrus nodded. "This'll be easy--" "Wait a minute," Silversteel said. "They're Seareavers, right?" "Yes," Zei said. "Yeah. Go nuts," Silversteel said. Cyrus cracked his knuckles… the first part of the distraction would begin with the snapping of a pair of necks and the sound of a pair of plunks into the water--or, they would be plunks if they had not been the stiff bodies of Seareavers. |
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3:18 PM Jul 10