Are you actually serious. THAT’S all it takes?? I can’t believe you’ve made it a stone’s throw from the shore without the prospect of missing your dear ‘Het’ weighing the ship down. Or maybe it’s significantly more buoyant when this klutz isn’t-
Dolphus nibbled on his tongue. No. Remember his vigil. Even if he doesn’t deserve better, you must give it to him anyway.
Which is why, even though Dolphus maintained a thorough sidelong glare at Mariner, he too slowly pressed his sword back into its sheath. He had never been the best when it came to following orders outside of his father’s, but…
Well nothing, he didn’t really have anything else to add. Hopefully he wasn’t making a mistake by ceding the moment to the well-armed stranger.
“Oh yes,” Karl said, though his expression was rather bland as he thought back on his brief visit to the temple of the Sunblessed. “She gave me this.”
He opened his satchel and drew out a letter, rolled into a tight scroll.
“This letter should prove who I am, and my business here on your ship.”
He held the paper towards Mariner, his expression now one of annoyance.
“I really shouldn’t have to do this if we really were invited by the same person, you know. Some better planning should have been done…”
Mariner takes the letter. Reading through it carefully. His expression unreadable. “Everything appears to be in order, welcome to the crew.”
“Evidently, your inclusion was an unplanned necessity. If I had to guess, a necessity that came up after we’d passed out of contact range.” Mariner looks at him with head tilted. “You will be employed as a General Labourer, given your lack of naval experience. You will rove the ship and provide assistance where necessary.”
He thought for a moment. “Dolphus, please show Karl to an empty cabin. Then show him where the food is.”
Dolphus’ hand returned to the hilt of his sword. There is no way this buffoon actually has a letter verifying anything. He’s just using this to buy a few precious seconds to attack, or magic somewhere else on this ship.
His body tensed, leaning forward involuntarily. I’ll catch him right in his lying throat. I’ll get him before he even gets beyond the doorframe, and then-
Then-
HUH??
Dolphus froze, staring directly ahead, his eyes wide with astonishment. But that- That doesn’t- How did- He’s not- HUH??
It took a moment for Dolphus’ mental faculties to piece themselves back together. Evidently trying to process how this set of circumstances could possibly have gone in the direction of Mariner agreeing with the newcomer was a bit too much information to take in at once, and his head was beginning to throb again.
I can’t believe this. It’s simply impossible. Utterly and wholly inconceivable in every capacity. I must’ve fallen unconscious somehow and this is playing out in a dumb dream instead. Maybe he knocked me out or something.
It’s real.
Dolphus dragged himself up from his leaning position, the cane returning to its normal place. Disappointment doesn’t come from dreams.
“If you’re ready.” Dolphus tried his best not to seem bitterly cold, but the truth of his being completely divorced from the very idea of trusting this fellow shone through brilliantly. I hope he tries to attack me so I can off him and be done with it.
“Many thanks,” Karl said. He turned towards the others and said, “I apologize for the disruption. This is my first time arriving by magic, so I’m not exactly settled yet.”
He picked up the crossbow and the magazine of darts, and put them in their respective holsters in his belt. He then stood up, and stretched.
“Thank you for letting me join,” he said. Turning to Dolphus, “Lead the way, sir.”
“It’s at least something happening.” Mako muttered, then speaking to Dolphus. “Don’t try
to kill him, will you?” He asked him, before turning to Mariner. “Sir, I believe I must make an apology.” Mako says. @Ghid@Winterstorm345
Everywhere he turned, magic reared its ugly, mystical head. Dolphus had no issue with the religious institutions, but magic was always something different. Unique. And without a doubt utterly repulsive.
Believe me pal, I don’t have a choice.
With hos brow as flat and uncaring as ever, Dolphus turned about and briskly walked towards the room furthest from the current conversation. Something nagged at the back of his head that one of these rooms was Nico’s, and he was likely still inside.
Perhaps if I put him next door, I can convince Nico to kill him during the night.
It took all of Dolphus’ willpower to not unload on Mako, his neck tightening in response to him speaking. You’ll be needing a lot more than cosmetic bandages when I’m through with you, pal.
The conveniently available room was right at the entrance to the hall, and a good way from Alexis’. Was it the furthest one away? Maybe, maybe not. Dolphus didn’t know. The only thing that mattered at the moment was that it was away from Mako.
Pushing the door open with his cane, Dolphus gestured for the short fellow to go inside, and after straightening did a violent double-take aimed at the room next door.
I just put him next to my cabin.
He opened his mouth and then closed it, deciding that a request for one of his crossbow bolts so he could cut his own throat open might be taken seriously.
“What for?” Mariner said shortly. Turning his head towards him slightly. As he does there’s a slight scraping sound. Like the material of his armour grinding together. Of note, had anyone been paying attention this was a new sound. It hadn’t happened prior to this occurrence.
He inwardly cursed his restless night. Realizing he’d need a nap before too long. In the meantime he left his head just angled enough to keep both Mako and Alexis in his peripheral vision.
“For my questioning last night.” Mako said, matter of factly.
“I had made a mistake. And I wish to fix that mistake, sir.” He continued,
“But on top of that I want to tell you something else.”
Mariner nods in way of accepting the apology. “It is forgiven.”
“What would that be?” Mariner spoke as politely as he could. Trying not to appear rude. He rolled his shoulders slightly, drawing another grinding noise. He quickly stopped. Looking slightly embarrassed about the matter.
Makos eyes bored into Mariner.
“Sir, I worship the God of The Sea. And last night, I received a message through telepathy. A message stating that the god had disappeared. Do you what to make of anything of that?”
Before Mariner could answer, a sailor ran down the stairs. “Sir!” They called, “Three of Ghalwyn’s ships escorting us, they’re in a pincer formation. Storm brewing due east of us.” Then noting the obvious tensions in the hall decided to turn heel and walk away.
Mariner closed his eyes trying to figure out which issue to deal with first. “The God of the Sea.” He began. “Is…” His words were suddenly cut off as the entire ship shuddered with an impact. The pitch of the ship increasing alarmingly.
Inside Karl’s cabin a broad crossbow head punched through the hull, wedging itself 3 inches into the room. The bolt, clearly a ship to ship weapon, was massive just the section poking through the hull as large as Dolphus’ head.
The lookout looked on in shock as the Northern Fleet vessel at the starboard side loosed one of it’s deck mounted bows straight at the ship. Thankfully the fact they weren’t sinking means it struck above trim. She spun to stare at their lookout. Who was already holding up a misfire signal.
Suspicious to say the least she thought. Why would they already have the signal ready unless it was intentional
Veiled threats and a hastily disguised attack aside, nothing to harm from calling General Quarters. She sounded the bell twice, letting each ring clear. Careful to not seem aggressive. There was still 2 other ships surrounding them, desperate to make the Caelin’s Hand appear the aggressor.
Mariner disentangled himself from the splintered remnants of a door, thankfully an empty cabin. Listening to the bell ring out. “Clear the deck for action.” He said calling out clearly.
Tharos sat up, blue blood streaming from his face. He’d been holding the cat when the ship got hit. All of the sudden in a flash of claws the cat was nowhere to be seen. Hearing the bells ring out, he jumped to his feet, hurrying towards the ladder. Knowing he’d need to get to his deck soon, he forgot to put up his hood in his haste. Revealing his inhumanly pale skin, his oddly sharp features and pointed ears. His wild hair hid his other secret however. So that was safe for now.
Great. Dolphus spent just enough time to glare at the messenger before taking the two bottles out of his pocket and entering his cabin, stuffing them under his pillow. Hopefully they’ll be safe there before I go climbing up and down the ladders again.
As Mariner became involved with answering Mako, Dolphus walked out of his door to check and see if the odious newcomer was finished with his machinations of-
Thrown slightly back and then significantly forward, Dolphus found himself about to impact the wall on the opposite side. Without thinking, his folded wing arm turned to take the hit, so as to prevent damage to his already concussed head.
It smarted. Hard. But Dolphus bit his lip and gripped his cane until the reaction passed, promising himself that he’d wash the wounds as thoroughly as he could with the new bottle of medicine until it was gone. Thankfully it was only the one segment to worry about, but that one stung like… Well, like how I hate magic, I suppose.
Sliding his cane back into his cabin, Dolphus used the wall to prop himself back on his feet, and gripping the handle of his sword, turned to look at Mariner. The movements of the rocking ship were difficult to adjust to, but he’d force himself to do whatever was necessary.
Alexis, too, caught his eye. He’d force himself to do just about anything for her. Maybe even… Nah. I doubt even she could convince me to not hate magic. She probably hates it too, now that I think about it. She would, wouldn’t she?
From down in the cargo bay, Rook couldn’t quite make out the sailor’s message besides its tone, but the lurch of the ship that nearly brought him to his knees was certainly cause for concern. Following behind Tharos he ascended the ladder, albeit with all the grace of a siegefish. What in- where- middle of my breakfast didn’t it… beard crumbs
BELLS Oncoming ship. Ships?
Once on the cabin deck he locked eyes with Mariner, then briefly surveyed the visible damage to the boat.
“Any injured?” He muttered, perhaps inaudibly to some of those in his vicinity. At the same time he started for the upper deck with determined rapidity.
The deck was controlled Chaos, everywhere sailors made ready for battle. Packs and spare food barrels were tucked away, crews ran up from below with ammunition, the Ballistae were strung.
Tharos observed all from his from the Caelin’s deck. Inside he mentally prepared himself for battle. Drawing on his reserves of power, he began to flex his fingers.
Mariner strode up onto deck, taking in the scene. He drew his longsword, stalking the deck as he looked at the Northern Ships. He abruptly stopped as he saw the ship on the port side winding up their Ballistae.
“BRACE” he yelled as he leaned against the mast, but the shots went low. So they seemed at least, the shots plunged into the water, right as a mass of tentacles burst towards the sky.
One of the tentacles reached down plucking a sailor off the deck. Dragging them below the waves.
More shots loosed, the chaos took on a quality beyond control as the giant squid set upon the ship.
Tharos’ eyes widen and he instinctively looses a whiplash of flame at the nearest tentacle. It recoiled in pain, moving away from the front of the ship.
“CUT THEM, CUT THEM!” Mariner called running towards the starboard side. He gripped his sword with both hands, delivering a vicious slash, before going to dart to the next one. Not even pausing to check the damage as he went.
Further away, the Northern ships pulled away, trying to escape the wrath of the Thauin. Loosing shots into the squid from a safe distance.
Dolphus turned with some surprise at the sudden appearance of Rook, but before he could open his mouth to reply, the disheveled devil was gone again, rushing up the stairs to face whatever circumstance managed to set itself against the mighty Count Coal.
And yet, in spite of his bravery, the young duelist felt very little reassurance in his capabilities when it came to him acting as captain. He tried to tell himself it was because he was being fair and reasonable in his ascertainment of the contenders for the position, and not his unrelenting stubbornness to support Alexis for the role.
Regardless, he had taken a few steps to follow when Mariner strode past him, wobbling his steps by the sheer force of his stride. This was evidently not something insignificant, as evidenced by the-
Dolphus finally caught sight of the monstrous bolt, water occasionally lapping into Karl’s brand-new cabin as the waves hit the side, but never enough to be a serious concern. The bolt, however, was serious enough.
The blade of his sword sung as it zipped from its sheath, and Dolphus ascended the stairs.
Or at least he tried to, but it seemed every step he took required him to dodge at least three more corporeal objects being carried by incorporeal laborers. They obviously paid him heed, but the situation demanded action, and so many of the ghost sailors found themselves with little time to react as Dolphus stood on the stairs, ducking a number of different objects coming both up and down the steps.
Eventually though, and without regarding the clear sides which the sailors were traveling opposite directions in, which he could have just slipped in had he noticed, he made it to the top and immediately wished he hadn’t.
Dolphus moved a few steps from the stairs. The phantom touch of his missing had was gripping the sword with all the strength of his remaining one, which wobbled without the support of its missing member.
In the now sun-lit sky massive tentacles were silhouetted, making the sun blink as they swung overhead only to come crashing down and knock a ghost sailor in corporeal form through the air. These massive hands of evil would rise to the sky, seeking something to grab, while others curled and swam across the deck, daring the now quite small-seeming amount of ghost sailors to take a swing.
In all of this, however, Mariner’s composure remained focused to a refined degree, slashing through whatever managed to grab a hold. Sometimes the tentacles were deterred, other times they held on in spite of the wound. The ships which presumably had fired upon them were now backing away, with the emblem of the Northern Fleet clearer than the sun signaling their affiliation.
Huh. I remember uncle Pyotr having something to do with them. Maybe they were after the squid?
The calming thought was hardly one to last, as when glancing back to find no more ghost sailors making trips up and down upon the stairs, Dolphus realized any that could be spared were already here, and it was up to the crew on deck to finish the job.
Meaning me too.
His arm tightening to quell the shivering joints in his lonesome limb, Dolphus marched forward at about as slow of a pace he could manage while trying to find perhaps a baby tentacle whose parents weren’t around that he could eliminate. I really don’t know why I decided to sign up for this.
Karl promptly fell backwards as the ship shook dramatically, sending him rolling backwards into the cabin, swearing violently as he crashed into a table. Disentangling himself from the wreckage, he rolled back his left sleeve to reveal an arm that looked like a combination of plate armor and clockwork. He drew his knife from his belt and attached it to his wrist, using it to climb up the steeply tilted deck to the hallway. Once outside his room, he was able to brace himself against the wall. The ship was now tilting the other way, causing the destroyed table to smash into the wall behind him, trailing wood across the hall. That isn’t good, he thought. I’d better get upstairs to see what’s going on.
He began heading up the stairs to the main deck, using the wall for balance.
Mako rushed around, trying to avoid being swiped by the tentacles until, a massive tendril smashed into him, sending him careening off the ship.
The cold icy water flowed around him as he sank deep into the depths below. Again? Again. Once again, he had been pulled underneath by the sea.
As if sensing his fear, a single thin tentacle slid along the deck towards Dolphus. Seeking to entangle his leg, it moved towards him with predatory grace.
A Ghost sailor nearly ran into him on the stairs. “That thing is gonna tear the ship in half!” They yelled, “I’m grabbing the Phoenix Bolts!” The sailor sprinted down the stairs.
As the sea surrounded him in it’s crushing embrace, Mako got his first good look at the Thauin. Abnormally large for it’s kind, the beast was an impressive 25m in length. Most curiously however, it appeared to be chained up. Three massive iron chains stretched from the beast, anchoring it beneath the Caelin’s Hand.
Where the other ends went Mako could not see, as he went deeper and deeper. Soon all he could see were the 4 massive islands sitting at various distances from the ship. Except one of them wasn’t sitting, it floated, as if leisurely paddling along.
If Mako looked he might have seen the occasional massive limb as it pushed itself along, or the long powerful tail casually waving behind it. Disturbing the water in even, and strong currents. The beast turned it’s head to regard Mako as he fell.
A voice spoke in his head. “Welcome child of the sea.”