These hands' got blood on them.

So, she had headed for Tarant. A rather inconvenient idea for him, not because of the memories; he had plenty of them, and very few good ones. Perhaps the better ones were those related to the people he had met a lifetime before, when he and his father lived in the Morbihan Forests, before Bates and his human greed turned them into the isolated plains they were now, and reduced his father, a forest ranger, to a graveyard keeper.

The only good thing about Tarant had been Eien, the half-breed child. He had felt a strong bond with her, perhaps because both of them were outcasts. When the child had become a young woman...

He found himself back in the graveyard. His eyes narrowed as he remembered...

His father moved slowly, almost like a human. He despised him for acting like that.
The old elf raised his elven look from the book he was reading and stared at him. There was his look again, the same old piercing stare he had always received.
"If you have come to see me, nothing good can come out of it. I can sense it, you know. The evil within has come out."
He sneered. "And what would you know about it?"

Something tickled at the back of his mind. The book. The bastard of his father had had the book he had been looking for, just before he'd killed him.

He went down the ladder, across the corridor, through the debris of the door. He browsed through the stone-cold room and he saw it. The broken mirror, the string, the hollow brick. Surely, she had found it first. He felt his blood boil. Closing his eyes, he got an image of the other girl, boarding a ship.

"Oh no, my friend," he said aloud, "you're not travelling alone."

 

*Bang!!!!*

We'd fired our first shot. Though they had drawn the first blood it did indeed not mean the battle was over.

Me saw the cannon ball flying through the air and *Plonk!!*, it missed the pirate's ship by a hair and fell in the water beside it.

"You're gonna have ter do better than that laddies!!!!"

What followed was a series of cannon fire from both sides. We had now entered melee range. I quickly assessed the damage and it seemed as though, unfortunately, they were busy winning. Now was our chance. If we could beat them in a hand-to-hand battle, we might win just yet.

"Prepare for melee!!" i shouted and heard it echo across the ship. The pirates lowered a bridge onto our ship and started charging in, one by one.

 

I re-sighted on the figurehead and this time succeded in putting it's eye out. Now that I had my eye in I began searching for a good target. The helmsman would be the best one, but he was quite sensibly sheltering behind the wheel, and I doubted I could thread a shot through that.

Our captain was bellowing orders on the deck and as I reloaded, we returned fire. I cursed as I saw it miss by a couple yards. The pirates fired again, but fortunately, they weren't much better shots. As the galley narrowed the gap, I managed to pick off three pirates wielding grapnels, but I could see that we were going to be boarded shortly. I drew my pistol, very glad now that I had loaded it and slid down a rope to the deck.

I hit hard and rolled, the motion compounded by a sudden pitch in the ship, and came to my feet cursing at a sudden spasm of pain in my back. I didn't get time feel sorry for myself, though, as the pirates crashed into us and a dozen grapnels hissed into our rails and rigging.

Here we go, I thought, taking cover behind a cannon.

 

They sighted the ship sloughing through deep water as the sun turned the sea red. The captain let out a roar, and the crew of the Dead Dolphin prepared to take their next prize. Cannons fired, grapnels were readied, and the ugliest scum ever seen by light of day growled with anticipation of the blood about to be spilled.

Nikko, as could be expected, was sleeping. Sleeping was what Nikko did best. That, and pissing off people far bigger then he should by speaking before thinking. As the first cannons fired, he awoke with a start, lazily scratching behind one ear and stretching like a cat. He blinked wide grey eyes and clambered out of the stack of rope he had slumbered in. He was abruptly pushed from behind, and Red Harry cursed him roundly before smacking the back of his head. "Move yer arse, boy! We've a merchant in our sights!" Nikko pushed a fat blonde curl out of his eyes and yawned. The ships were close now, soon they'd be boarding their prey. "I'm moving, ya fat ugly worm!" Nikko snapped at Red Harry, but even as the words slipped his mouth, the big man slumped to the deck, a hole between his eyes, the grapnel useless in his lifeless hands.

The ships closed together with a crash, and Nikko stumbled. With a philosophic shrug he pulled two daggers from concealment, and ran for the merchant ship. He took a running leap over the side... and lost his balance as he landed. He rolled several feet before his progress was stopped by a rather large metal object. Nikko opened one eye to discover the bottom of a cannon, and a pistol in his face.

"Here now, guv'nor," he grinned at the grey-haired man with the tatooed face, "You wouldn't want the death of a child on your conscience, would you?"

 

I grunted as the crate slid across the deck to crash into whatever that was. Overhead I heard gunfire. Hopefully I didn't get jostled again, the last time had completely thrown off my equilibrium. Not to mention utterly ruined my up until that point well organized rations of meat and bread. I still hadn't had the time to fully reconstruct my meat tower, which was difficult in and of itself since I was currently eating the foundation. Gnomes get hungry every once in awhile...

Suddently I thought of a way out of my predicament. Conjuring what feeble concentration I could, I set about my most potent summon, that of the earth elemental.

(ooc)tell me if my color is used(/ooc)

Grastua voitra, numbria coultra; daskaturia avos nivrak!

The creature emerged outside of the crate almost instantaneously. Pouring my concentration into it I felt the crate gingerly rise and rotate onto its side. The elemental set me down as I reversed the spells energies and dismissed the creature.

Much better, now to get that lid off...

 

The ships came together with a grinding crash and clattering of spars and sails. The deack pitched and I grabbed the cannon to steady myself. I managed to regain my balance just as the pirates leapt up from their positions and swarmed over the rails onto our ship. I sighted carefully on one of two approaching figures and squeezed off a shot, but the young man tripped as he landed and the shot breezed over him and hit the man behind him in the gut.

I re-sighted one the young man and was just taking in his blond hair and odd tattoos when he spoke.

"Here now, guv'nor," he said, grinning at me, "You wouldn't want the death of a child on your conscience, would you?"

"Not an innocent child, certainly. But you're on board a pirate ship, and I'm not so old that I can't tell you know how to use those," I returned, indicating the daggers he held.

I was about to say more when a sudden load creak caused me to look up. What I saw froze my thoughts in place. The whole horizon was black with clouds, and the sails of our to ships were flapping in the rising wind. I hadn't believed that a storm could come up this fast, despite what I had heard from the sailors on my last voyage. Before I could gather my senses, the wind hit like the full force of a train. Both ships heeled over and I was thrown from my feet and went sliding across the deck.

 

The old man's eyes narrowed. "Not an innocent child, certainly. But you're on board a pirate ship, and I'm not so old that I can't tell you know how to use those," he said, with a nod at Nikko's daggers. He opened his mouth to say more, but froze with a look to the horizon.

Nikko had half-turned to locate the source of this behavior when both ships jolted under the force of a wind hitting like a brick wall. The deck shuddered, then tilted, and the old man went flying. He slid down the deck towards the rail.

Nikko slid after him like butter on a hot skillet, tumbling as he lost his balance. The wind, rather than abating, was increasing in force. The ship continued to roll, and the incline of the deck was becoming more intense. As the old man crashed through the rail a second before him, Nikko could see water. With a firm grip on his daggers and no thought at all, he flung out both arms. The dagger in his right hand slammed into the deck with a thump, as did the dagger in his left hand. The corner of a cloak fluttered beneath the hilt of one imbeded dagger.

Suddenly the wind changed direction, and the ship righted itself with a terrific splash. Nikko peeked over the side of the ship. The old man dangled over the side, caught around the neck by his cloak. Nikko grinned.

"I say, guv'nor, can you swim?"




[ooc]imagine his voice as slightly husky, with an accent that's sort of cockney/irish, with a smile in the tone[/ooc]

 

I sat in my lugar practising my magical skills, which I still weren't used to. Harming was okay, but it was the summoning that was difficult. As I decided to take a break, I heard faint voices from the deck. i opened my door slightly, curious of the person I'd share the journey with.

He was beautiful! I stood there drooling for a few seconds, and then he turned to look at me. Our eyes met, and it felt like his gaze sent me flying backwards closing the door after me. After a few seconds of not really knowing where I was, I found myself sitting on the floor, my back leaning on the door. And then I got this horrible feeling that I had betrayed Drayne...

 

Everything became a confused blur as I thumbled head over heels into the rail. I felt it break beneath me and I was just forming a curse when my fall was violently arrested as my cloack dug into my neck. I gagged for air and managed to pull myself up a little, only to gag again as a wave washed over me and filled my mouth with seawater.

I spat out the brine and looked up in time to see the face of the blond man grinning down at me.

"I say, guv'nor, can you swim?" he said.

"Not very well," I returned before I was punged underwater again.

I re-emerged to find him still staring at me.

"Well? what are you going to do?" I asked.

 

Nikko's grin turned sly.

"Well, now, guv, I'll make you a deal. I don't leave you to your fate, and you don't kill me."

At the old man's assent, he braced himself against what was left of the rail and prepared to reach down. As he leaned over, he was suddenly yanked backwards by the neck of his shirt, and thrown several feet.

"Dirty, stinkin' pirate!" One of the merchantman's crew cracked his knuckles and advanced on Nikko. He was huge, a bear of a man with fists like hammers. He grinned evilly, displaying a rather impressive collection of throughly rotten teeth. Nikko shuddered, and slid a dagger into each palm. Then he lunged for the big man's stomach.

His face connected with one of the gargantuan fists in mid-air, Nikko's entire frame reverberating with the impact. He lay on his back at the mountain's feet, vision blurring and ears ringing. But as the giant reached down to grab him, he sqyeezed his eyes shut and thrust upwards with both hands. He felt rather than saw the slide of metal into flesh into bone. Then he felt the full weight of the tower of a man settle on him like a crate of bricks. Nikko felt the crack of broken ribs and tried desperately to breathe, but spots were beginning to appear before his closed eyelids when the ship lurched again, and the big man's limp corpse rolled off him. Nikko pushed to his knees and lifted his head as a sheet of rain engulfed the deck.

Nikko crawled to the broken rail and looked over the side.

"Sorry 'bout that, guv'nor," Nikko slurred through a split lip and aching jaw. "I was unavoidably detained." He braced himself once more, harder now that the deck was wet with rain. He held one arm down to the old man, and clasping hands helped him climb back on deck.

Nikko slumped to his side, feeling the tug of darkness.

"Be sure to honor your end of our bargain, guv'nor. Don't let 'em hang Nikko Rault."

Sleep claimed him.

 

I was just contemplating how to implement one particularly useful spell that I pick up my dropped coins with to pull out the nails when the crat picked full off the ground. Now, it's not everyday you're bestowed a free spell, usually you have to actually cast them. But as I was thinking of it's more practical applications in the Thanatos fruit picking industry, the crate came to a crashing halt.

I did too, after being thrown through the door and rolling into a bag of flour. I started dusting myself off when the ship gave another tumultuous rock, rolling me across the floor into another bag, this one slightly more pungent smelling. Suddenly I realized I knew exactly what it was...

Hmmm, thyme... Now where did I put my weasel's tail...

 

OOC: I'm going to double-post, as Rosie wants me to get over there to your boat.

I found my other components and laid them out, sprinkling a pinch of thyme on them.

Avoriose negratchiose neuveala!

I had only intended a small whirlwind to form and get the flour out of my clothes. Apparently thyme is more potent per ounce than I thought. Perhaps it's merely my pinch size, it is particularly large.

Anyway, I realized I had made a mistake when a vortex filled the hold, almost sucking me into the massive whirlwind. Boxes began flying around and the deck of the ship began to buckle. As wooden planks started getting torn off, the hatch door opened, a pirate peering in.

As he opened the hatch, the whirlwind burst through, a rather heavy bag of cornmeal careening into the man's face. The rush of wind sucked me full off my feet and out of the hold, sending me high into the air.

Flying through the air I found myself almost fifty feet above the ship's deck. Then I started falling. Then I hit a big white piece of canvas and rolled down to get stuck in the rigging of a merchant ship. Rolling with the tumultous wind, I looked down to see the pirate ship below me, strewn with the debris that was blasted out of it's hull by my thyme miscalculation.

 

He found the ship easily. She was the second best to Caladon, the first having departed a couple of hours before. He threw his cloak over his left shoulder and went aboard her. He spotted the captain easily, a funny halfling with an eccentric appearance. He put on his most charming smile and addressed him. The halfling almost wetted his pants in excitement.

“I’ve heard you’ve got, among your passengers, a beautiful young lady,â€￾ he confided the captain after a while.
“Indeed, sir, most fine, if you asked me,â€￾ the captain replied, undoubtedly eager to please such a well-off gentleman, “she has just come aboard.â€￾
“Pray tell, good sir, may I know where this lady abides? For I’ve been looking for her for a short time, and I’d like to present my compliments to her... discreetly.â€￾ He saw the halfling’s internal struggle for a second: it disappeared when he put some gold in the halfling’s hand. At that moment he felt examined again, but this time it was a different observer, a warm one. He could feel the pang of lust in that look. He turned around with a smile on his lips, a smile of anticipation... for she would be his.

As soon as their eyes met, he cast a spell on her, the same he had cast on the Caladonian elf whore. He saw her body fly backwards and he found himself in the cabin. Closing the door behind him, he noticed he’d knocked her lights out. He chuckled softly. “Not that strong yet?â€￾ he whispered, as he laid her back against the door. He leaned back on her bed and stared at her beautiful profile.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes and he could see the panic in them. He stretched like a formidable cat and yawned. Getting up, he walked like a cougar concealing his position, but still advancing towards its prey. He offered her his hand along with his most charming smile, and said in a low, sexy voice, “Greetings, my fair. I hope I haven’t been so rude, but the sight of you... inflamed my being.â€￾

 

Muffled sounds cradled me. They came and went in waves, just like the pain I was feeling. I caught single words and clanking noises. And then BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

Cannons.

I opened my eyes and I found myself hidden under some empty crates. Then I remembered. Pirates, they’d said. Was this a mere coincidence or---?

The ships collided, and the pirates came aboard in a noisy manner. I snorted my anger. Why, why couldn’t things be easier? My head hurt. I got to my feet and took cover behind the crates that hadn’t fallen down or over board. I needed to know our position before I engaged myself in battle.

The sound of thunder overwhelmed me. My heart filled with joy at the perspective of having some sweet water over me, that would help me recover my strength. The ship was a mere nutshell at sea, careening out of control. Suddenly I saw a familiar face rolling over the deck and falling over board. Den. His cloak had saved him from getting lost at sea. A boy rushed to him, said something to which Den nodded and, before he could help him up, three men were moving towards them, a certain wolfish rapacity in their faces. Grabbing the jars that had come out of a broken crate, I knocked two out, but the third caught the boy.

That was when I felt it... A faint but distinctive smell. Thyme. And magic. Old magick, very much like the one I had learnt, but this was... Earth. The air smelt of ground, and we were in the middle of water. Were a fire to be set at that moment, we would be in big trouble. I had to stop the earth. I raised my head to see where the magick came from... and I saw it. An awesome whirlwind, coming from the enemy ship, smashing it to pieces. “Serves them right,â€￾ I said to myself, and I was about to run to where Den and the boy were, when I looked up and saw a small figure stuck in the rigging of our ship, wriggling.

“Oi, you, up there! You alright?â€￾ I shouted, but the wind took away the little man’s reply. I turned around to see the boy that had saved Den from falling over board was badly hurt. I rushed to them and said to Den, “You go and help the others; there's a little man up there that might help you, although he now needs your help." I saw his concerned face and told him reassuringly, "Don't you worry, I will take care of him,â€￾ as I moved the boy to a safer place and laid his head on my lap, tending to his wounds with the bandages Merloc had given to me a short time ago.

 

It took a few seconds for my slight nausea to pass, and it wasn't until then that I noticed the man. He walked like a lion craving attention, majestically, but still reserved and a little cautious. He offered me his hand, smiled and said softly, "Greetings, my fair. I hope I haven’t been so rude, but the sight of you... inflamed my being."
Without thinking I took his hand and let him help me to my feet.
"Oh, not at all, I..."
I suddenly noticed that I felt as if I was being observed, examinated, from the inside. I backed away from the man. There was something weird going on. I shouldn't... But he looked so nice! His smile was so charming. I hadn't even seen him before, but I felt this strange urge to just... Hug him. Hold him for as long as he would let me.
Drayne's last words to me suddenly resurfaced: "Don't show any emotion!"
I grabbed my head with one hand and steadied myself on a table with the other. As I stood like this, I heard a new voice coming from the deck. Through the glass in the door to my lugar I could make out something that looked like an old man carrying a covered-up bird cage. But there was something awfully familiar about his voice. I looked at the man inside my lugar again and realized I had kept him waiting. He stood there as steady as ever, but with a hint of puzzlement in his eyes.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't think I feel too well right now..."
Then the voice outside grew a little louder, and it said:
"...then we have an agreement, yes? Now, let's get going before all sorts of thugs and riffraff come claiming a lugar, shall we?"
"Aye, sir! With that kind of money, ye could have the whole boat fer yerself, ye could!"
"Yes, there was something awfully familiar with that voice..."

 

The rain would certainly have been annoying me had I not already been drenched by my brief sojurn overboard. Eien had some bandages out and it looked as Nikko would be alright. His name stirred my memory - something struggled to be remembered...but it would have to wait. The gnome in the rigging looked to be in a tight spot.

I pulled a dagger from my belt and started climbing upward. Once I got off the deck the wind doubled in ferocity and buffeted me around like a leaf. I clamped the dagger between my teeth and struggled upward. I couldn't hear anything except the wind and crash of thunder. I focused solely on the ropes in front of me and pulled upwards.

Abruptly I found myself facing the gnome. He had cought his legs in a monkey line that had become emeshed with the cimbing ropes and was struggleing to stay upright.

"Hold on tight to the rigging," I yelled over the wind. "I'm going to free you."

 

"Hold on tight to the rigging, I'm going to free you."

I gripped at the ropes while the man below me sawed away at those accursed cords.

I think I added too much thyme, I shouted over the gusts of wind.

Slowly the ropes came undone and I was dangling over the air. Righting myself, I wiped the sweat from my brow before giving my finger a lick. Just salty enough.

Thank you sir, let's save ourselves a trip down, I doubt I'ld make it.

Slowly the energy coalesced around me and my unknown rescuer and lifted us until we were floating in the air a foot away from the ropes.

It's a fun spell, it makes you drop faster.

And we started rocketing towards the deck. Just before we hit we slowed to a halt and settled gently on the wooden floor. As soon as we landed I extended my hand.

I am eternally grateful to you who climbs the ropes, as I'll call you until you tell me a better name. Mine's Wilberneiser.

 

Nikko cracked open an eye. His aching head seemed to be cradled in the lap of a rather pretty woman. A mutt, by the look of her. Being a mutt himself, he wasn't partial. She was looking away from him, out over the ship, but when he tried to turn his head, pain flashed, and he groaned. He suddenly remembered his fight with the giant, and wondered, not for the first time in his young life, why the forces of the universe saw fit to keep him living.

His groan had returned the woman's attention to him, and she smiled. "Feeling better?" she asked. Nikko grinned around his aching jaw. "For you, lovely, I could feel any number of things." He placed a hand on the deck and tried to sit up, but got no further than raising his head before he gave up. "But for right now, I'll settle on a hand up. Are you feeling gracious, lovely?"

She helped him stand, keeping one hand around his waist while he leaned on her shoulder. "There now, lovely, that's worlds better. There's much to be said for lying on your back in the arms of a pretty girl, but that's better left for when I have my strength back." He winked.

He looked around, slowly, but could not see the Dolphin, only rain. The storm seemed to have died down while he was out, but a light mist still clung to the ship. He saw the guv walking towards them with a gnomy looking fellow, and quickly whispered "If anyone asks, I'm not a pirate. I'm a bird." He smiled as widely as he could over his pain. "I say, guv'nor, fancy meeting you here."

 

*Swing*... *Chop*

The large pirate I was engaging luckily missed a mighty swing with his also large axe wedging it into a nearby wall. That was the perfect opportunity for me to strike. With a sharp kick to his stomach i forced him to bend over leaving him entirely defenseless. I followed with a swift slash of my scimitar thorugh his exposed neck, dropping him instantly to the ground with a heavy *Thud*.

I dropped to my one knee to briefly rest my tired body, but alas, my rest was cut short, very short, by the ugliest pirate you'll ever see. He had a face filled with scars on every inch. Greasy, filthy hair and beard. A single eye, the other socket empty, and the most repulsive stench imaginable. I was sick to the stomach just looking at him. He quickly noticed this and responded with a grin, revealing his yellow, rotten teeth. In my moment of weakness he slashed at me with a rather large dagger. I dodged his attack with reflexes that amazed even myself. I took a moment to concentrate and THERE.

"Where be ye?, said the ugly pirate.

"Right here!" I replied, leaving a misty echo.

I saw the pirate looking around in confusion. He had obviously not had much experience with magic. Slowly I floated through the pirate, seeing his face twist in pain. I decided to give him mercy. I zapped all his life away with a ray of pure negative energy, killing him in an instant. I felt my own energy also dissapating with it. I assumed my standard form, and dropped to my knees once again. This time hopefully my rest would last longer.

 

When Den and the little man came down, I'd already tended to the lad's wounds; I sighed, a bit tired after these long, long days. Suddenly I felt that Fate was too strong to be fought against, that this was just too much for us. I shook my head and looked away.

I heard the lad groan.
"Feeling better?" I smiled at him.
"For you, lovely, I could feel any number of things," the cheeky lad said while grinning at me. He tried to sit up but, being still quite weak, he soon gave up. "But for right now, I'll settle on a hand up. Are you feeling gracious, lovely?"

I laughed softly while I helped him up, and he said, "There now, lovely, that's worlds better. There's much to be said for lying on your back in the arms of a pretty girl, but that's better left for when I have my strength back." He winked at me. The cheek.

He looked around, slowly, looking for something, but I didn't know what. I looked around too, but I was looking for something else. I wondered how long it would take us to get to Caladon, and what we'd find there. I wasn't feeling particularly optimistic, too many things had happened for me to go through life lightly.

Suddenly I realised that the sky didn't look like the sky we'd known. No shepherd's delight, even though if was red. It felt... baleful. No stars were there to guide us, no landscape known, at least not to someone like me. I left the lad with Den and the little man and I went to talk to the Captain.

When I found him, he looked exhausted, as if all his energy had been drained. "Captain?" I called out. "I think you could do with a little help... In fact, I think we all need help. I think we're lost."