Fantasy Are you tired of sipping Crab Coladas? (Pirate RP) (Always Open)

[Kylesar1]

Sebas Deadeye
Golden Gun Ship Lower Levels​

The breach went off without a hitch. Their casualties were mostly those who were more new to breaching. A loss was a loss, but while their numbers were steadily dwindling, their most competent came in through either just fine or lightly injured, making it known that they know how to survive a situation of breaching against prepared enemies. While Fergie opted to search for the treasure room, he opted to go for the engine room. That would be where they'd get some of the most resistance, with Sebas guessing it would be equal to the engine room. If they let the ship get destroyed, that loot would be lost regardless, so the engine room was about as important as the loot itself. Then again, even most of the Basenjis would choose to lose the ship over lose the loot. Sebas taking the second group left the last group to search for loose loot and stragglers, so basically Kersact's crew to scramble around rousing up enemy troops and running them out to get shot.

Sebas looked to the crew. "Crew names are as follows: Sweep Crew led be Kersact, Engine Crew led by me, Loot Crew led by Fergie. She already told you what you all need to do, but these names are for communication purposes.

He decided to keep his instructions brief. The crew as a whole were getting restless, with Fergie's crew likely starting to go into fatigue by now, a problem mitigated somewhat with him allowing her to mix up members of his crew with hers to section them all out. "Sweep crew is the primary backup crew. Since Fergie's squad and my squad will most definitely meet more resistance than those in these private quarters, Sweep crew will prioritize being the backup first and foremost. Kersact, if we call on you for backup, you better haul ass to us double time."

Kersact acknowledged with a simple Aye.

"Let's move lads and lasses." There were 2 doors. Since there were navigational signs to point out the engine room and the lower barracks, his place would be easy. Vaulted shut as engine room access should be, this one needed some extra firepower. Luckily, the cannoneer that Bogrum chose Naka over was on his crew, and his natural fire would come in handy for it. "Oi, this needs more power."
A material-loosening spell and some fire later, and Sebas's crew was ready to breach


---------------------------------------------------------------

Nakaos
Canine Deck​

Bogrums's crew went to the deployment portal and Naka gave a bit of a sigh of relief. Her job here was done.........except: "Get some grenadiers blowing up the surface of that ship," she commanded and the remaining crew of the ship scrambled to move, dumping explosive barrels, throwing grenades, but avoiding incendiaries lest the crew deploy on burning ground. It was to make a last bit of tenderizing before Bogrum deployed.

"Call Naka if you request firepower," she told Bogrum, "Naka must place this ship to easily get to either ship to support or extract tiny allies. Now......... Deploy and Destroy!"

With that, her job was done. Next was either extraction, support, or a bombardment with the intent to blow the ship out of the air entirely. For now at least, she was on standby

WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

"Loot Crew. This way." Fergie motioned her troops to follow her. A few of Kersact's thieves had already gone ahead after the breach and confirmed the location of the treasure room, a labeled door barred and heavily armored. They made way past the Sweep Crew as they carried out their business, gunfire and goblin cackles filling the halls. Fergie looked over her shoulder and saw that some were falling behind, to her seeming to succumb to fatigue but most likely having difficulty keeping up with her quick, long strides. "Look alive! This is the home stretch!"

The door had to have been solid metal, iron bars fortifying it in place. Locked from the inside, it looked. They had the firepower to blast it down, but first they had to place their own safeguards. The Basenjis were far from the only pirates who guarded their loot with curses and hexes. "Perception spell. Check the room for magic traces," she ordered.

---

The raid crew were heading to the portal when explosions on the Golden Guns ship started popping off. Bogrum answered Naka's words with a nod. "Understood." And he was off, wanting to hurry his crew before those explosions started coming from the enemy's end. He caught up to them as they made it to the portal, telling them, "Hard and fast, like Fergie's team. Let's move!"

By the time the raid crew began dropping onto the enemy deck, already some Guns troops had abandoned their posts from the artillery, the prior grenades and explosives having scattered them and reduced their numbers. They were baring their weapons now, firing at Bogrum's frontlines as they exchanged bullets. Out of formation, the enemy pirates didn't land many initial hits. One of his own was downed, Bogrum himself taking a hit in the shoulder. Dammit, that thing just finished healing. It didn't stop him from charging on and cleaving his ax into the nearest foe. They would make quick work of the top deck, but what awaited on the next he was mostly concerned about. "Clean out this deck! Then move below!"

Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Smart move on Fergie's part to ask for a perception spell. "This room has a high amount of magic within its walls. Behind this vault door are bars are enchanted with high level Thunder magic annnndd........" Some more analysis: "In the walls are some other type of magic I can't decipher. Like a rainbow slurry of different magics. I don't know if it's all different spells, or if it's just made to cover up the thunder magic." high-powered Thunder magic-enchanted bars could be safely guessed as to its effect, but that "slurry" of magic was a cause of concern.

The mage walked forward and touched the door, putting their ear to the solid iron as if looking to crack a code. "In the walls are a complex mix of curses and hexes, most of which I've never heard of. I can decipher one in the floor though: A foot binding spell." Without their resident nerd there, the knowledge that could be gathered was a bit more limited than most would like, so some logic had to be used. If there was a foot binding spell in the floor though, assuming it was the ONLY spell in the floor, there was definitely something more sinister in the walls. No one could curse the floor to simply bind someone in a room they're not supposed to be, and there be no follow-up unless they were the sadistic type to want to capture the unfortunate soul. "That's about all I can decipher. There is no magic in the air."

"I would say clear to breach this door, but we'll need to use caution when confronted with the reinforced bars behind it. Unless they're Zeus or Thor themselves, anyone who touches before the trap is dispelled dies and dies painfully."

Given this vault door, about the only other way save for breaching is the simple vault code, the basic number turning system. "As for this baby," the mage said, pointing at the code lock. "This is enchanted with a poison curse. If you touch it, you are poisoned where the only antidote is inputting the correct answer."

Spoiler: Summary of Traps/Curses

Traps/Curses:

• Static Bars- Reinforced Bars behind the vault door is enchanted with high powered thunder magic. Don't touch without dispelling the trap
• Unknown Walls- Walls are enchanted with ??? curses
• Sticky Floor- After getting through the vault door and reinforced bars, taking a step on the floor binds your feet to the floor, making you have to remove a foot-layer to continue moving. God help you if you touch that floor while barefoot
• Poisonous Code- The number turner to the vault door is poisoned. The only antidote is getting the correct code. Inputting a wrong code doubles the development speed of the toxin. Don't attempt the code if you don't know the code

So in other words, something made to be incredibly incredibly resilient to most attempts.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cleaning up the top deck was easy enough, as they moved fast and struck faster. Them offloading troops onto the ship narrowed their already low numbers (being a scout ship) quite a bit. The laser cannon was left in position as the mages who charged it fled to below the decks after the rest of the upper crew got mopped up.

Unlike Ash's troops, who were trained to move as aggressively as possible, allowing them to think under the most distressing of environments while working as a unit, the same could not be said for Bogrum's troops, as Bogrum was more cautious than even Fergie was. As a result, Bogrum's need for aggression backfired. A group of 4 breached the doors to the lower decks without waiting for the rest of the crew. The moment they stepped in, they got filled with lead, making them join the ranks of those slaughtered in the line of battle.

The enemy was prepared in the lower decks, meaning Bogrum had to think and ensure his troops were on the same page, or risk losing more troops to thoughtless aggression. On the positive side, at least that door was breached
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Fergie scratched her chin, ideas running through her mind in rapid succession. This thing was armed to the teeth, and any misstep could get someone killed. They would need to be tactical about it. This better be worth it.

"Forget the lock. We'll blast the thing." They weren't about to find the code just laying around, and if they did, she counted on it being a fake planted to trick them. The real code likely was just known by memory among the leaders; couldn't exactly ask for that. "We'll need to dispel those bars. Who's good with Earth magic?" She had it, but didn't mean she was good with it. Or good enough to repel lightning. "Nobody try steppin' in that room until we can get some better readings. Or clear out some hostiles." She didn't expect there to be people in there with the floor spell, but there was a possibility, if they were wearing footwear that gave them immunity. "Hope ye's remembered yer socks." She hadn't.

---

While they were able to clean up the top deck in no time, the lack of proper coordination spelled disaster for a good chunk of their crew. Bogrum found the doors breached, but also the four men who had done the deed laying still on the ground. "Gods..." He hadn't told them to split up. He also hadn't told them to stick together. His mistake was clear, but it was too late now. Loss sunk its fangs into his chest, the ache clouding his mind for half of a second. Protect the rest, was the only thought that spurred him out of the fog.

"Keep together from here out," he rallied what was left of his crew. "Guns to the front, melee to the back. They'll be ready for us down there, so we'll pick off some of their gunmen before heading all the way in. Expect heavier resistance with those mages." The rest of the enemy crew would likely have buffs to their attacks, and Bogrum's could count on finding magic traps. All they needed to do was take care of that, then they could assess the state of their prize. This better be worth it.

Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

(Gonna streamline the next few posts with multiple events in quick succession in one post)


"We'll need some very strong firepower," a woman carrying their grenades said, "Explosions are my philosophy." The woman grabbed the bag off her back. "For a door this reinforced, normally I would suggest protection spells lest we blast this whole ship out of the air. I can condense the explosion to ONLY hit this door, but it takes me out for a good 24 hours to condense an explosion strong enough to blast this door." In other words, there is one explosion (condensing) in her. "and it'll cost us all of our explosives. All of your grenades in this bag until I get enough. Grunts first, then grenadiers, then leadership." Pirates started dropping their equipped grenades into the bag.


As for the Earth Magic question, she was covered there as well. "I'm good with it," A male pixie said, "I can dispel it, but it will take a LOT out of me. This is some advanced lightning."

Some time later, prep for the explosion was made. Everyone stood back as the woman called upon her magic, inducing the strong smell of ash and gunpowder. The bag was lit and a bubble was placed over the bag and the vault door. When the explosion hit, it HIT to devastating effect. Like an earthquake, the explosion shook the entire ship to its core, jerking it around like an old school toy vibrating on tile floor and the shockwave felt like an orc punch to the chest, rattling their skeletons like someone using their bones as a xylophone. The woman contained the explosion's damaging effects (the blast and most of the sound) but definitely didn't contain the rest of it.

In the aftermath, arms feeling like they've weightlifted for 2 hours, legs feeling like shaken-not-stirred jello, most would struggle to stand, having to lean their whole body on the wall to support their weight until their bone integrity slowly recomposed itself.

On the plus side, the vault door lay in a pile of smoldering scrap metal, pink-bright with heat. If not for the protective spell over the floor of the bottom of the ship, it would've melted through it entirely. The woman of destruction lay near the pile of metal, eyes wide open and glazed over, breathing but otherwise unmoving.

This........was a magic coma, a concept Fergie had to become accustomed to really only beginning with the Basenjis. Too much magic use and the body literally shut down to begin self-repair mode. Mages were told to not strain themselves for a reason. Imagine being in the field of battle and falling into a 24-72 hour coma because you didn't micromanage your mana well enough. It's why most used magic as an augment for their physical skills instead of a go-to

A pirate down, but she got that door open, didn't she? At least she wasn't dead dead.........

-----------------------------


The door breach allowed them to see the enemy, but it allowed the enemy to see them as well. They'd need to strike fast and furiously.......but with the element of surprise on both sides gone, this came down to positioning, and despite having the low-ground, the enemy had superior positioning. They had cover due to having dug in while Bogrum's crew were still out on the relatively open deck
Superior sharpshooters, superior positioning, superior coordination, superior numbers due to having lost 4 troops, was this even possible to win? Options:

1. Go all in. Strike fast and furiously
2. Search the deck for an alternative solution. Bogrum has the entire deck to themselves right now
3. Call up Elaina for her take on the situation
4. Call up Naka for a non-explosive bombardment to put holes in the surface
5. (Of course, if you want to think outside the box, that's always welcome)

WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Seeing how many explosives were being stuffed into the bag, piled high until it bulged from its sides, it didn't take a genius to figure out what would come next. Fergie took her crystal in hand. "Ash, Sebas. Fixin' to blow the shit outta this treasure room door. Courtesy warning, no action needed. Over."

In hindsight, she hoped that had been enough of a warning for a blast that turned out to rattle her every molecule. Maybe it was just her distance to it, or the distinct lack of any padding on her spindly body, but she was one of the most impacted. Heaving herself on legs that had little more integrity than a set of twigs under a cinder block, she crawled up the wall for support, shaking that daze out of her head best she could. Her registering the demolitionist out cold on the ground and breathing a curse marked the return of her cognitive thought. When she'd told her she'd be out for a day, she didn't think she meant THIS kind of out.

When everyone seemed to have pulled themselves together, Fergie waved a grunt towards the demolitionist. "Take her to the upper deck." That brought them down two pirates for now, and it might end up being three if that pixie was going to drop from dispelling the Thunder barrier. She wanted to avoid that if she could. "Hold on. Is there a way multiple folks could dispel it together? Or is it a path of least resistance thing, an' the weakest link gets fried?" She'd be the first to take one for the team, but she couldn't exactly ensure her charge safely returned with loot if she was dead.

---

Before sending the troops in, Bogrum told them, "Hold back." One look down there told him all he needed to know. Should they go in, they were going to get picked off. But that went both ways; with his crew awaiting on the outside, the Golden Guns couldn't hope to push through without suffering heavy losses. It was a stalemate, guns aimed on both sides of the door. They needed a contingency plan.

"Gunmen. Guard this door. Shoot anyone who tries to come through. Everyone else, search the deck. Hatches, holes, anything." Speaking into his crystal now, he said, "Bogrum to Naka. We have the enemy isolated in the lower deck, but we're outnumbered. How many more holes do you think this ship can sustain?"

Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

(I wrote a scene for Sebas, but after 40 minutes of typing out a whole post yesterday and hitting post, this site wiped it entirely without saving it or posting. So fuck it, I'll give a TLDR post about the effects of the explosion.)


Explosion Effects:

Sebas
Sebas took a massive burn on his back, as the engine room is boiling hot and the explosion threw them around. Suffering 3 casualties, the explosion was very helpful as the enemy was deep in the engine room, thus taking the brunt of it and suffering devastating casualties.

Avery
Turning into cat form allowed Avery to gracefully prevent having his fur burned off by all the hot pipes when they were jostled around by the explosion. Protected Sebas from having his head blown off as he struggled to stand

Ash and Ora
The shaking of the ship didn't affect them that much as they weren't breaching and weren't in narrow corridors.

Kersact
Group suffered heavy casualties as the explosion threw them into a battle they weren't prepared for. Luckily, their Plunderlust and rampant looting before then allowed them to turn the tides, but their ability to reinforce was crippled somewhat.


Engine Room breach still ongoing, but the engine is starting to malfunction.



--------------------------

(For Fergie and Bogrum's groups, the posts were supposed to be more descriptive and detailed, but when 40 minutes of work is undone by nothing under your control, you tend to get a little tilted.)


Fergie's Group

The man thought for a second about Fergie's question. "I suppose we could try that, but there are only 3 magic users amongst this group if you include yourself," he responded. "It'll lighten the load but even if we use 2, there are no guarantees that it'll lighten it enough to prevent a magic coma.........and in that case, we'll be down 2 pirates, and then down 2 more to carry those 2 back." Risking 4 pirates down to prevent 2 casualties

Fergie's options to dispel the electric fence:

1. Use 1 pirate and guarantee 1 magic coma and 1 to carry him back
2. Use 2 pirates and gamble 2 magic comas and 2 to carry them back
3. Fergie comes in as a 3rd to prevent anyone else from falling. Consequences: Each of them takes a massive shock that essentially rattles their nervous system, slowing them down and weakening them, making them less effective in melee and blocking.

(This will absolutely affect the boss battle, so choose carefully. The outcome of option 2 will literally be determined by a dice roll or coin flip)

------------------------------------


Bogrum's Group

"Naka to Bogrum. Naka knows you're asking for a bombardment. Strictly non-explosive, Naka will aim for where allies are stacked on doors. Stand clear, firing in 10............."

10 seconds later, a group of non-explosive missiles came flying in, obviously guided by Naka's eye. The missiles slammed into the surface of the enemy ship near where Bogrum's troops had breached, near the middle of the ship. The rockets penetrated the surface with ease, blasting huge gaping holes into the surface. When the missiles disappeared, it gave visual to its intended effect: Scrambling the hunkered down Golden Guns like roaches, with some crushed lifeless bodies where there was direct contact between missile and body.

It was in Bogrum's best interest to NOT swarm the downstairs, as the bottom of the ship had gaping holes now. The only thing keeping this ship afloat at this point was their ship's Grappler holding it in place. With those gaping holes, it would sink just like a sea ship would if it had gaping holes at the bottom.

"Watch step. Stay safe. Keep allies alive. Naka out."

WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

(Sympathy cookie. Technology blows sometimes.
Gonna try to streamline my posts too, since we're nearing the final stretch. )


Fergie considered the options laid out, a sour look scrunching her face. Risking two magic comas to prevent one was hardly a gamble worth taking, especially when it would bring them down 6 pirates total. 4 guaranteed was already too much. The third option had more appeal at a surface level, but then she considered the consequences of 3 people sharing the burden. If dispelling the barrier could be enough to take down two people, bringing in a third would just barely prevent them from falling into a coma. It would leaved them frazzled to fuck, no doubt, and disable them for the remainder of the mission. It was an almost guaranteed death sentence to go into a fight in that state, and she wasn't about to risk her crew or herself to that. If the pixie went into a coma, at least he'd be granted safety in the upper deck.

"One person gettin' the job done poses the least risk to all parties," she condensed her thought process aloud. "So long's a magic coma be the only thing, have at it." She wasn't intending to profile him; she knew pixies to have a greater threshold of mana, regardless of their size. There was still a lingering fear that came with a crewmate being passed out on the field, vulnerable and at the mercy of the people and hazards around them. Though he was taking this task upon himself willingly, she didn't like the thought of leaving someone in that state. That, and she was still getting used to witnessing magic comas. They sort of freaked her out.

When that was said and done, the barrier dispelled and the pixie escorted away, Fergie waved her team back. "Hold." She didn't dare to peak her head in the room even now, let alone step foot in, obviously. Taking in what she could see with her eyes, she asked her mages, "What can ye's tell now?"

---

Before the missiles were launched, Bogrum instructed his crew to stand clear of the doors, away from where shrapnel might fly out from the contact radius. In the aftermath, peering down into the breached doorway showed that that had done the trick. They could still encounter hostiles, but this scattered them and kept them from having a coordinated attack or defense. To Naka's last words into the crystal, he replied, "We will. Out." However many of us are left.

He gave his crew new instructions. "Continue guarding every door and hole. Keep them from getting the jump on us. If you see a hostile, fire. Do NOT follow them below deck. We'll pick them off as we see them." It crossed his mind to take one or two pirates with him to investigate the weapon of interest, but felt it was in everyone's best interest to keep all eyes and ears focused on the remaining enemies until they'd thinned the opposition more.


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Fergie's Group

"See for yourself......." They looked mesmerized.

The room looked......whimsical on the inside, like it was in its own pocket dimension. The entire room looked as if it had a purple filter in front of the doorway, though that wasn't saying much as the walls were constantly shifting colors and shapes. There were constant moving......somethings floating around the room, barely identifiable with all these shifting colors. Luckily they could be seen as they were one set color, while everything else kept shifting. It looked Orabelle took every color of paint and did anything and everything she could with it. The walls made the room look like it was floating through some surreal feeling that you'd only get if you eat the wrong fauna. Rainbow, colorful, constantly moving, almost seizure-inducing or dizzying if you stare too long.

Psyhedelic. Trippy. Blinding. Too weird to possibly be safe.

Spoiler: Walls (Psychedelic)

One thing people were told was that if the animal has bright colors, it's PROBABLY something you shouldn't be eating. Needless to say, this room gave off that same vibe. Fergie kind of didn't need to ask if this room had some weird shit in it. It was weird incarnate. Was there some kind of demon or god in this thing? LOKI? The god of psychosis?

"Ummmm.........well this magic is far and away stronger than the magic used to protect the Vault back on our ship," the mage said, "Even analyzing the magic causes immense migraines and dizziness. I recommend not touching all those crazy colors because my sense of the glue curse is gone yet this magic is scrambling everything." The only break from this colorful eye assault was the floor, which was a slowly shifting color and rippled as if it were water. The only break from any of that was the treasure chest sitting at what could be assumed was the end of the room. Nothing special looking about it. Just a fat fucking treasure chest, with gold and relics spilling from it.

This was their goal, but whatever the hell this was around it, it would be a risky venture.

Options:

1. Step in to test it
2. Send someone in to test it
3. Toss in a dead body to test it
4. Shoot into it to see what happens
5. Shoot the chest and see what happens
6. Place a piece of the vault door to test it
7. Request assistance from the Basenji's big freaking nerd

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bogrum's Group

The Golden Gun continued to scramble, being slowly thinned out as for the most part, they tried to steer clear of the holes. Their defenses destroyed, that left them with only one option.

Spoiler: Boss Theme

A loud crash from the back of the ship, and a massive fucking minotaur hit the deck, having crashed from the bottom. He was armed with a comically large shiny gold shotgun in one arm, and a huge axe in the other. The axe was a battleaxe. Dual-sided, perfect platinum and outlined in gold. Golden Guns started streaming from this new exit. The minotaur snorted. "Kill my little brotha, will ya?" This WAS the Golden Gun. At least one of the captains, anyway

"Shit. Not the captain." Fergie's cowardly friend told him. "Surely we can't take on him AND the rest of this crew without reinforcements, can we?"

No time to deliberate. The bulletstorm began again. They were looking at 5 vs 7 with the advantage on the enemy. With a 2 man lead, they could take them.......but this powerhouse brimmed with strength. With both a shotgun and an axe, they'd need either something incredibly strong, quite a bit of backup, or for them to whittle down his troops until it's just him. Bogrum's past malnourishment made him not QUITE as strong, but he could stall if he got that shotgun out of his hand
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

"What in the butt-buggerin' hell..." Fergie squinted into the insanity on display, unsure if it was even real. "Ain't seen weirder shit since I ate a bad mushroom." Going off on that past experience, she definitely didn't want to step in, as that would probably prelude her meeting some wacky-ass doppleganger of herself and beating the absolute shit out of her. That had NOT been the enlightening experience she thought it would have been; Fergie already knew she'd kick her own ass if she had the chance.

"Too weird to just chance it." She heaved a sigh through her nose, teeth gritting reflexively on what she had to do. Last person she wanted to ask help from—
Fergie promptly slapped herself mentally. Don't be a petty bitch. Get these folks the help.
Whipping out her crystal, she said, "Fergie to Elaina. We got the treasure room breached, but there's some funky shit goin' on inside. Trippy walls, lone chest in the center. Givin' our mages here a headache. Can we get an expert's eye on this?"

An idea struck her, and she reached into her pocket. "Hold on, lemme try somethin'. Everyone stand back." She pulled out a half-finished wood carving, rolling it in her hand a few times. "Sorry, Earl." Reeling back, she chucked the thing into the room, aiming for the big chest that sat in the middle. She half expected it to phase through or blow up upon contact, but in a room like this, anything went.

---

Hearing the deck splinter in a blast and feeling it shake under the weight of this new opponent solidified Bogrum's decision to not go poking around at the laser turret. Sizing up the minotaur made his blood run cold. "Goddamn."

They had already lost so many. And of course, despite that, Fergie's would-be killer was still lingering, hiding behind Bogrum's bulk at the sight of this threat. He couldn't really blame him here, though. "Probably not," was his honest answer. Twisting the axe in his hand, he added, "Not all at once."

Before he could elaborate, it began. Gunfire from the minotaur, then both sides, they were locked in vicious combat again. It was happening too fast to delegate orders or ask Naka for reinforcements, but Bogrum thought of something quickly. "Kill the grunts. Don't follow me," was the quickest instruction he could give before running out, not quite into the fray but far enough to single himself out from the crew. That giant shotgun was a menace, and he wanted to keep it far away from his crew while they picked off the rest, bide them some time by distracting this big-ass guy.

Taunting the minotaur with a wave of his axe, he called, "Want to join him? I'll cut you down just as easily!" He was posing a risk to himself here, even with his size and armor, but at this point, he'd sooner get himself injured or killed before letting the rest of his team get mowed over.


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

"Elaina to Fergie," the response came, "Ahhhh. I sensed a powerful magic presence that I couldn't put my finger on that wasn't there before the entire ship shook like a snow globe. Let me analyze." she remarked, "After scanning. This magic is extremely advanced magic that can only come from a literal lifetime of training every element of magic. It's a melting pot basically."



Some silence. "In the interest of NOT wasting your time, it's safe to say that whoever casted this spell is an immortal." Not unlike Baroness probably. "It's called Negative Zone, and it's designed to induce random effects from a beautiful aromatic scent in your nose to literal instant death for each point of bare skinned contact you make. It strips layers by contact or in 3 second intervals if you hold contact, until you're down to bare skin and then it gets ya." In other words, more layers meant more leniency. Theoretically, one could put on 100 pairs of socks and have 100 steps on a Negative Zone Floor. "Best not touch anything that has those effects on it." So their hunch that didn't need confirming got confirmed. "Furthermore, the effects of Negative Zone need to be contained. It's a plague that spreads, and it needs to be contained behind reinforced doors or have its spread blocked with Defensive Magic." Like the door that Fergie's crew just blew up.....and the defense magic-enchanted bars that kept it within the room. It was already starting to creep outside the room.



"The only way to stop it is for the caster to alleviate its effects, the caster to move too far away, or for the caster to die......Or high level Anti-Magic. The divine (angels, demons, gods, dragons) can also stop the spread." Yeah, they had only a couple of options for divinity influence: Baroness, Adonis, Evangeline, and Dr. Laylah. Maybe the Goddess Sebas was forced to serve while protecting Ora.



Sooooooooooo Bad News: Fergie just unleashed this plague onto the ship. The good news was that the caster HAD to be around and HAD to be alive. Better news is that most of the Golden Guns were dead. Bad news is that it was likely to be an immortal being in this chest that was the caster. "All of that to say this: If you can't eliminate the effects, get the treasure and get the hell out."

(I would advise not screwing around with Negative Zone, as we're looking at potentially permanent ramifications, whether good or bad. I'm talking complete randomizer stuff potentially determined by a dice roll where my hankering for suffering will make me think of some wacky shit.)


----------------------------------------



Taunting the minotaur proved to be an effective idea. Minotaurs were known to be susceptible to such. However, the minotaur's large size didn't come at the expense of movement speed. The minotaur roared and charged at an insane speed. When close enough, he swung his axe in a spin ready to cleave Bogrum in 2 from the getgo, letting his momentum put more power into the swing. Short of a bulky shield or an equivalent sized tough weapon, Bogrum's only bet was to stay out of the way of that swinging axe

As the Golden guns moved into position, Bogrum's troops were struck with a dilemma: If they charge in aggressive as usual, they risked attracting the minotaur's attention, who would strike them down with nary a grunt of effort. If they stayed back, they were susceptible to superior firearm proficiency backed up with superior firearms

Their really only advantage? The Basenji ship they deployed from.
"Naka to Bogrum. Disregard the treasure. Get the weapon and Naka will extract your crew. Let's blow this ship down." With Fergie's crew encountering treasure, Bogrum didn't need to get treasure too. Plus, too many lives were already lost, and the weapon alone would be enough, at least in Naka's mind.

WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

"Fuck me..." The crew were already inching away from the morphing colors as they bled into the boards around the door. It was a slow crawl, but it didn't give them much time to experiment with options. "The whole damn floor's a psychedelic nightmare. No way we're gettin' the treasure without touchin' that shit." Ideas came to mind, but how viable were they? She thought of using rubble or Golden Guns bodies to create a sort of stepping stone path, but what if the floors started eating that away in layers too? She didn't see what happened to that wood piece she'd tossed inside. It was like it disappeared, and maybe it had, or it had been enveloped until it wasn't recognizable from anything else on the floor. Besides, even if they could make a pathway, lugging a big-ass chest while parkouring over uneven platforms, on a time limit no less, was a terrible idea. Someone was going to get killed... or turned into some lobster-headed monster, who knew. Or make everything taste like coconuts. A fate worse than death.

Thinking outside of the box didn't yield good results. That grappling hook trick wouldn't pull off here, they'd sooner tip the chest over and scatter the goods all over that hideous floor. She thought of blowing up the wall on the side where the chest was sitting, or the floor underneath it, but they'd used up all their explosives. The rest of the boards were likely reinforced with magic anyway, else the vault would have been useless. After two pirates being left comatose, Fergie didn't want to chance any more risky ventures.

That left one option. The ace up her sleeve. But was it worth using over this? The obvious answer to her was yes; for something to have this insane level of safeguarding, there had to be some insane loot inside. Their only other options were to either fuck around with the Negative Zone in hopes of getting the treasure out, or to say "fuck it" and drop the whole mission. The first wasn't ideal. The second was hardly an option to begin with. This was what they had come here for, killed and been killed over, and by the gods, they were getting that damn treasure.

"Elaina. Get me with Adonis. Tell 'im I got a favor to ask."

---

Bogrum would have found himself cleaved in two as well, if he hadn't the mind to spring out of the way well before the minotaur was halfway into his charge. Size didn't have as much say in an opponent's speed as one might think; the taller someone was, the further their legs could carry them. And this minotaur's legs could have taken him across the entire span of the deck in seconds, had he not been weighed down by those massive weapons. This wasn't a fish out of water waddling awkwardly in his landsuit. On his lonesome, Bogrum could only hope to keep the captain distracted while they cleared the deck.

But it was time to admit that this was a lost cause. Too many blunders, too many bad dice rolls. Naka was right; they had to get the hell out of there.

"Understood," was all he could reply with before needing to duck out of the way of another axe swing. Putting some distance between him and the minotaur, he called to his crew, "Forget the treasure! Secure the weapon!" Getting the sense that the new orders would send the captain charging towards the laser to intercept them, Bogrum quickly closed the distance he made. If the minotaur's attention was taken off of him for even a second, it could spell death for what remained of his team. Raising his own axe, Bogrum aimed for a splitting blow at the captain's wielding arm.

Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Fergie's Group


The thought intrigued Elaina. Honestly threw her for a loop. "Contacting. Standby........"
".........." Silence.
"..........." More silence. The rainbow plague started creeping out more and more.
"..........Adonis to Fergie." FINALLY his voice came over. "So you skipped Sebas to reach out directly to me for a favor." Adonis sounded more interested than displeased. Amused, even. "Elaina told me about this spell, and that it's getting in the way of loot. Not gonna assume anything but......." His mirth was undeniable, and his assumption was obvious. "What favor do you need?"

(Shorter post, since any action is contingent on this dialog)

------------------

Bogrum's Group


The order-call worked. The weapon was too strong to let fall into enemy hands, and the minotaur knew it. "STOP THEM FRO-" The minotaur's order was morphed into a roar of pain from Bogrum's disarmament attempt. Fortunately for the minotaur, the arm Bogrum aimed for was the axe. While he dropped the axe, he still had his shotgun. With a spin, the minotaur whipped around and bashed Bogrum in the face with the shotgun in his undamaged arm, utilizing it like a club. He then flip-cocked the shotgun to put in Bogrum's gut and pulled the trigger

Bogrum's entire skeleton would be rattled by the blast, which knocked him back hard. It wasn't shells in that thing. At least not normal shells that would've killed him instantly. Some sort of sonic round probably made for crowd control. Or rattling and weakening opponents for him to destroy with his axe. Regardless, Bogrum knew a broken ribcage when he felt it. Breathing was pain.

To any other crewmate......Sebas, Fergie, Ash, Avery-H........it would've been worse. Avery-C, Orabelle, and Elaina would've been killed by that blast

The blunder was not going for the shotgun arm in favor of the axe arm. Going for the immediate threat without gauging the rest. Bogrum could block an axe. He couldn't block one of those rounds without a shield or thick layers of winter gear. Minotaur didn't NEED shells for this to be lethal. A blast to the chest would stop the heart. A blast to the head would pretty much liquidate the brain. A blast to the back would shatter the spine.
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Come on, come on. Fergie and her crew began taking steps back as the rainbow corruption claimed further ground. Stop sippin' yer damn wine and answer already!
At long last, his voice rang clear on the crystal. Though the more he talked, the more annoyance returned to prick at her, her eyelid twitching. She didn't know what the hell he was being so smug about, but at least he wasn't lambasting her refusing to take on the very easy task of snuffing out a Negative Zone. Sending mere foot soldiers out to encounter bizarre magical shit seemed to be the norm here, and only a lucky few were able to call for backup before said magical shit claimed them. Startin' to sound like Sebas, there. Cool it.
"Assume away. This technicolor shite 'll end up killin' half of the crew tryin' to pull the treasure out, but we're too far into this fight to call it off." She had to bite back the snark that wanted her to tell him this was well over their pay grade; their success depended on his generosity right now. "A chest this fortified's got to have some good shit in it. I just need the spell killed so we can claim it an' wrap things up without more losses."

---

For what felt like an eternity, Bogrum only knew pain. In the surrounding gunfire that was ensuing, only seconds were passing, but every second counted here. And every second spent lying on the deck riding out waves of agony in his chest was a second where that minotaur could be gaining ground on the remains of his crew. But if simply breathing was pain, attempting to shift in place and pull himself up was a torment that flooded his mind and turned the battle around them into static.

He'd suffered broken bones before, among countless other injuries, fighting alongside his Scorchclaw brethren. He'd known cracked ribs, having just healed from one after his escape from the underwater pockets. He and his crew... what was left of them. Who he could save.

You can't fail the rest of them.

The thought of everyone dying here brought a torment greater than the swords in his chest. Against the wailing protests of his body, he pushed himself up and— immediately fell back down. This pain... it sapped his strength. He couldn't fight. There was a better chance that he wouldn't make it out of here. If he couldn't carry himself, his crew would be forced to choose between their raid captain and the weapon to take through the portal. Knowing how pirates were... he couldn't feel grieved over himself. Whatever they wanted to return with was their decision. It was his duty to ensure they'd return period.

"You Golden Guns... all cowards," he wheezed, calling loud as he could to the minotaur in his state. "Always hiding behind your guns. Had this... been an even fight, you'd be strung up like a steer."


(My posts should start getting more frequent after now, adjusting to a new routine and such.)
Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

"Ah, so you use your favor for the betterment of the crew? I'm impressed. Granted."
A bit of silence and a portal opened to Fergie and her crew. A woman came out of the portal. Of course it was a woman, being someone like Adonis. Big.......assets, sexy as hell, almost fetishistically beautiful. Adonis was a sleaze through and through , but in this case he came through for the crew. "Master told me you needed help. I'm here to help." Of course the woman said something like "master" when referring to someone like Adonis. The woman waved her hand and touched the "technicolor shite" and it rescinded completely, disappearing entirely. From there, the path was clear

As they approached the chest, someone appeared sitting on top of it. It was a male, a rainbow-haired man built like Avery. Beautiful, but if you're looking for a strong built type, this wasn't it (at least not visually at face value)
"Hello. I am Royce Garret Bivens, a deity of color. You can decipher what that means. I WAS gonna use rainbow color text, but it requires each individual letter to be colored and no one has time for that. He's tried, I promise." The color deity said with an air of confidence about him. "Can't say I agree to Adonis messing with my coloring the world, but I guess I must present you a challenge to grant access to my chest. YOU and your crew. I don't care what Adonic wants." The man snorted

"No Golden Guns present on this ship. Ugh, I could revive them and make you fight them, but whatever." he sighed, "Fuck it, Adonis messing with my coloring the world is demoralizing." The man seemed done with life. "I want him in here to carry me while you lot carry my chest. That is my demand, unless you want to fight every dead Golden Gun on this ship again while hauling my chest." So get Adonis on the ship to princess carry this rainbow twink, or they fight every Golden Gun that hasn't been sent from the heavens


----------------------------------------------


"You had as much access to a gun as me," the minotaur snorted, not falling for Bogrum's excuse. "Your problem if you decided to not carry one." He grabbed Bogrum and threw him, making him land on the pained area, his frontside. Bogrum landed pretty far from the minotaur, near the pillar where the weapon was carried. It was actually a fortunate outcome for Bogrum, as he landed near his crew. The crew had the weapon in their hands and were ready to extract

"BOSS! We're extracting NOW!"
The minotaur charged, ready to take out all of them in one fell swoop. However, he got a face full of rage as his adversary and crew started floating. "COWARDS!" the minotaur roared as Bogrum and the remnants of his crew were pulled upwards as if they were in a traction beam, back onto the Basenji Canine Ship

Bogrum got to his senses on the Canine ship's lower levels, looking into the eye of his companion, Naka, who picked him up and carried him with ease. "Naka saw what happened. Naka will get you to Med Bay. Tiny allies fought well and secured weapon, but it's time to destroy!"

As she said that, Bogrum's ears were filled with the sound of destruction as the enemy ship was blown to bits and sent from the heavens. "Naka regrets not burying fallen allies," Whatever it was Naka used, the enemy ship was destroyed. Both enemies and dead allies were sent from above, never to be seen again. Still, the mission was accomplished. They secured the weapon and destroyed the enemy
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Fergie seemed caught off guard by the.... compliment?... her silence from more than just sitting in wait. It didn't register to her as "impressive" to use her favor for the crew; she was a raid captain, so it was her job to ensure they got loot without the majority of them getting butchered. It was just expected, right? Or at least, that was the implication she's been getting, from a captain who could only be incited to assist his own crew.
She wouldn't allow herself to strew a string of complaints in her head, since help arrived through a newly-formed portal. Many might be inclined to oogle at the ethereal beauty this woman radiated with, but after being on the Basenji ship for so long, Fergie was so used to seeing attractive women that it barely registered to her. Though she definitely registered the "master" title, and made a disgruntled noise she deemed fitting. "Thanks. But... egh. Tell 'im to keep that shit in 'is quarters next time."

Relief to see the Negative Zone dissipate for good didn't last long when they were graced with yet another fucking challenge. Upon seeing a man materialize on top of the chest, she knew this was going to be a lot like the encounter with Baroness. Only instead of the predictability that came with a horny demonness, she was getting randomness and confusion.
Rainbow colored text, what? What text? Who...?
"So yer humiliated by the captain. An' yet, ye want 'im to carry ye." It almost came out as a question, but she knew better than to fuck around and pester a deity. Well, when she had other lives under her charge, that is. Baroness had been free game because there were no stakes. "Ight." What an annoyance. Would Adonis even be up for this without her asking yet another favor? Well, fighting every damn Golden Gun over again wasn't an option, unless they wanted the crew getting fucked to the spirit plane and back.

Not having much of a choice otherwise, she turned to the women who Adonis had sent to them. "Miss. Mind tellin' Captain the situation? Ain't about to lose the whole crew just 'cause this technicolor twink's bein' picky."

---

The minotaur didn't fall for his bluff, but he still kept his attention on Bogrum, just long enough for the crew to be situated and ready to get the hell out of there. When he was flung and hit the deck, the agony that erupted in his chest made the world go silent and dim around him.

Was it too late? He felt light all of a sudden, weightless... though somehow he knew this wasn't death. That's not where he'd be headed if it had been.

It was Naka's booming voice and her intense, all-seeing eye that brought him back. Bogrum didn't entirely register what she said at first, only faintly aware of the muffled sounds of explosions below. Her next words, however, rung clearly in his ears. They'll never be seen again...

Bogrum welcomed the anguish in his chest.

Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

With Negative Zone dispelled and the deity of color too demoralized to do anything else, it was pretty much smooth sailing. Adonis was thoroughly humiliated by the deity though, whose words struck like a brick to the Basenji captain while being forced to carry his verbal assaulter with nary a word from his mouth lest the entire crew suffer. Hurling insults and ego punches to the point where some members of the crew couldn't help but laugh, for once Adonis was mentally the smallest he'd ever been, at times struggling to keep a poker face and his teeth gritted

The Basenjis got off the ship with the loot in hand, the ship plundered utterly of all valuables, and the engine room stripped of all fuel. The ship was looted of all food, water, and ale, all weaponry and ammo looted, with bad blades to be melted down to forge into better weapons. Basenji bodies were taken for a proper burial while Golden Gun bodies were left to cremate in the ship's burning remains when it was to be blown out of the air, or to rot if it avoided cremation.

Back on the Canine ship, Royce opened his chest and outpoured much more loot than what could fit in that chest.

Sebas Deadeye
Canine Ship Deck​

As usual, the leadership on the mission had first pick. That meant him and the raid captains. Sebas was about to pick up what looked to be a cherry bomb painted rainbow, but Ora brought him a relic with a twinkle in her eye. It looked to be a bracelet of some sort made with a blue clam shell as its centerpiece

"This is an Azure Clam!" she exclaimed, "Please choose this one! These relics are Pearlescent Rare! There are only 7 of these in the world!"
This looks like women's jewelry, Sebas thought. It dawned on him though that if she recognized it, it must be Piscean. "Do you want it?" he asked, taking it from her to inspect.
"I would love it, but I want YOU to take it!" She seemed urgent
"What does it do?" Sebas wasn't about to waste his choice of relic on some Piscean crap he didn't need just to satisfy Ora

"For a child of Goddess Mariana, it allows you to protect yourself and allies with a big clam shield."
"And for anyone else?"
"Useless," she said immediately and looked into his eyes seriously, "This is for children of Mariana only, and we are both just that. Mariana actually wore these. It should make you feel closer to Her."

Sebas had been having nonstop dreams of Mariana ever since Ora was taken under his guidance. Weird effects too. Sometimes he'd look in the mirror and see himself with Ora's vertical bright yellow Piscean eyes, which went away with a blink. Every time he prayed to Mariana for Ora's religious sake, it seemed to happen more often. Able to hold his breath for longer and swim better, sometimes his spit coming out like black tar or ink of something. Then again, he was about as drunk as every other pirate on this ship, though he was definitely able to drink like a parched desert-man and never vomit. Needing more lotion and more prone to sunburn than usual despite pretty much being out in the sun all day every day.

For some reason, this relic was calling out to him and he didn't even want to look at another. There probably were much better than relics than this.........but he wanted this one. "I'll take the Azure Clam."

Spoiler: Azure Clam

Azure Clam
"Scattered during a brutal battle with Kaimana, these clams were worn on various jewelry owned by the Goddess of the Deepest Deep."

Spell: Clam Wall
Cooldown: 5 minutes

Description: When activated, by raising up their arms, the Azure Clam conjures up 2 clam walls on either side of the caster. The clam walls then project a dome shield outwards, granting protection and cover from fire while regenerating mana so long as you remain inside the shield.

The projected dome shield protects against incoming projectiles (bullets fired from inside will still travel as normal) but anyone can enter or exit. This allows enemies to enter, the clams themselves will protect against melee until destroyed. The spell as a whole will last until the clams are destroyed, the bracelet is removed, or upon death of the caster. Only one cast of this spell can exist, so casting it again dispels the first

This is basically the Halo Bubble Shield. Destroy the clams, you destroy the dome shield


Strength:

• As a dome shield, it allows 360 degree protection from projectiles
• The dome shield can't be destroyed. The CLAMS must be destroyed to remove the dome shield
• The spell has a theoretical infinite amount of time.

Weakness:

• Only usable by followers of Mariana. Completely useless otherwise
• When one Clam Wall is destroyed, that half of the dome shield is destroyed as well.
• The dome shield does not protect against melee

WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Well, Fergie had to admit. It was pretty satisfying watching the captain's ego get ripped into like this, consequence-free. She hardly considered it payback for the remarks he'd made about her before, not when it had been her own damn fault challenging him to a drinking game and thinking she could win. But with how much of an arrogant assclown he could be, it was nice seeing him be reminded of who had the real power in this world, even with his immortality and magical prowess and hundreds of connections to who knows. Put in his place by rainbow-haired pretty boy, at that. It had been a struggle to not burst out laughing.

At least he was willing to comply so they could wrap things up. With the Golden Guns finally taken care of, it was time to harvest the fruits of their labor. When treasure after treasure was pulled out of the chest, Fergie was hoping there would be some fancy vase to send to Kersact later, but there was also her choice of relic to attend to.

Spoiler: Ship in a Bottle

Ship in a Bottle

Description: A tiny glass vial one could hold between their finger and thumb, it would be easy to overlook without the tag around its neck giving away its namesake. A grey haze clouds the inside, but when the cork is pulled off, a small transport materializes before the user.

Benefits:

• Conjure Transport
• Magic Propulsion
• Multi-Terrain - Depending on where the user opens the vial, the boat manifests according to the surrounding terrain. Ex, a boat for water, an airboat while in the sky, a horseless carriage for land.
• Indestructible - Both the vial and the transport can't be destroyed, save for by anti-magic counterspells.

Weaknesses:

• Single-Use
• Lasts 3 hours after activation before dematerializing
• Jacked-Up Sensitivity - really fucking hard to control

"That tiny-ass thing?"
Fergie didn't look over the crewmate's way, holding the vial up for her inspection. She had no plans for bailing out still, but considering what was to come... "Somthin' to strap Bogrum to next time he annoys me. Speaking of, where the hell is he? Spoils to reap, an' all that."
"Can't exactly do that from the Sick Bay."
Now she was facing him, immediately demanding, "Jesus Christ, what the fuck happened?!"
He took a startled step back, retreating from the glare that bored into him as if this was somehow his fault. "I don't know the details! I just heard he and the team got roughed up bad trying to get some weapon—"
She was marching off while he was still talking, destination set.

Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

As Fergie was choosing her relic, Sebas moved off to the Sick Bay, having heard about Bogrum. As a result, Fergie met Sebas and Elaina near the Sick Bay, who was explaining everything to Sebas
"They had a minotaur captain on that other ship, brother of the one Fergie's crew took on," she explained, "This one held some special shotgun that fired pressurized sonic rounds or something similar and an axe in the other hand. Put the shotgun right in Bogrum's chest and pulled it. His ribs are shattered." Elaina looked worried and Sebas winced at the thought of being blasted by a shotgun, external injuries or not. "Doc put him in Stasis because his ribs are absolutely fractured, and not like big bone shards that is relatively easy to mend. We're talking dropping glass from a 2 story window shattered."

Sounded to Sebas like it was indeed serious. "Fucking hell. On top of the list of casualties, Bogrum is out......" If not for Bogrum rooting around in that enemy ship, they probably would've dropped more reinforcements, or god forbid use that laser cannon again. "That laser cannon couldn't be ignored. It almost blew us out of the sky, yet from what you're describing of that Minotaur, that sonic shotgun would kill at point blank and painfully. Tch!"

It would never not knock him when lives were lost, regardless of the fact that they signed up for a low life expectancy. It was worse that the lives on the scout ship were lost for good and couldn't even get a proper burial. Some of them he knew far longer than he ever knew Bogrum. Still, none of the injured were dead and the lives on the main ship would be getting a burial, they recovered the treasure and the weapon. That's about as good as it would get. He should be used to this bittersweet feeling as it happened after EVERY pirate fight, but it hit different as captain

Dr Laylah came out, her usual happy demeanor a bit more somber this time around. "Captains.......enter."



-----------------------------------

They inspected the injured. Most of it was standard fare. Minor-moderate burns on small areas, gunshots, slash wounds. Despite the seriousness of Bogrum's injury, he put it aside and were jovial with the rest of the pirates, promising rum, relics, and coin to them as they recovered. It was a neat little distraction, if only temporary. Last thing he wanted to do was burst the bubble of the crew by informing them one of their raid captains were seriously injured. The trio, led by Laylah, all went into the office.

Sitting down, he was about to cut to the chase. "So Bogrum's ribs were shattered, splintered and projected into his heart. How he survived can only be described with 'tough orc skin'" Laylah explained, "I can repair it, but it'll take DAYS in Stasis. We're talking an injury that WILL kill him otherwise. It's like putting back together a shattered mirror........." She crossed her legs. "Unless there is divine interference to speed it up, 7 days of CONSTANT Stasis to get him back up and running. We can't have Stasis interrupted by airship dogfights either."

It was grim. Thinking about it though, a week without a raid seemed suitable given their casualties and the damage to the ship that needed to be repaired.
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Fergie arrived just in time to hear "ribs" and "shattered", which didn't need much more explanation to her. By some miracle, it wasn't worse than what graphic depictions her mind had been flooded with on the way there. But by the way Elaina spoke, it couldn't be better by any significant margin. Bogrum could be in Stasis today, then dead tomorrow, for all they knew.

That grim possibility cast a dark veil over her, keeping her quiet while they addressed the injured. She had spoken a few words of praise, commending the crew for their effort. Aside to Sebas, she suggested that the two crewmates in a magic coma ought to be rewarded for they risk they put on themselves for the sake of the mission. But for the most part, she let him do the talking here on account of him being the captain, as well as the concern that her bleak mood might tip off the others that something was wrong.


Behind the closed doors of Dr. Laylah's office, Fergie was less inclined to mask it. What she was hearing made her lean against the wall, a gesture that looked more like a casual posture to rest her back than the reality, which was a sick feeling that made her legs feel numb. He's tough. He'll make it through, could be echoed in her head a thousand more times, and she still wouldn't be any more convinced. Fractured bones that punctured the heart wasn't the same as being forced to stay alive for months in an underwater prison. How many months...? It struck her how little she knew about what had happened to him down there. She'd never asked.

She'd never asked anything about him.

Her boots shuffled in place, covering how much her prosthetic was trembling. "We got some insane loot out of that one chest. Should be enough to satisfy the crew until then." Fergie might have added a muttered, "So much for this bein' an easy gig," if the thought alone hadn't struck her with guilt. Had she gotten too cocky, expecting this to go better? The anger she felt at herself over how many had died under her charge gnawed at her. She could only imagine what Bogrum would be feeling once he woke up. If.

"We'll have to keep 'em distracted somehow, so they don't tear up the damn place faster than we can fix it." What else did a pirate do, when not plundering and sending ships to the deep? Drinking, she supposed. And gambling. And more drinking. "We're gonna run out of ale halfway, callin' it now."


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Sebas Deadeye
Medical Bay- Dr. Laylah's Office​

"We're not idiots, Fergie," Sebas replied, "We don't raid daily, not even Ash's crew." They were bloodthirsty, but not enough to self-destruct if they didn't get blood and then loot on the daily. "They'll understand that a lot of us have injuries to recover from and ship damage to assess........Plus, we loaded up a bunch of ale and then looted every keg on that ship." They should be fine. Sebas wouldn't think THAT low of his own crew.

"I'll put together something to keep the crew occupied." Then again, maybe they didn't raid daily because they didn't encounter ships on the daily. Rarely did they pass up an opportunity to raid. Maybe if it was Royal Navy or a vastly superior ship (rare against the Basenjis at sea), but the Canine was not such a superior ship, though they were escorting a superior ship. "Maybe a fighting tournament or something." They had the means (aka the magic) to fight to the death without actually dying, plus the looted ammo to burn. Or it could be an unarmed fight to knockout. Who knew? There was also gambling, but did he want to swindle some sucker out of the relic they got from that chest? Maybe........

"Anyways, I got captain logistics to deal with. I gotta report the numbers, the inventory, get the damage assessment and munition expenditure," he said with a sigh. What a pain, but necessary in case they needed to get more supplies to the ship. "Anything else to report?"
"Nope. Just a few standard fare things. The magic coma guys will be out for 2-3 days, but their life isn't in any danger with no injuries otherwise." Laylah looked over her notes. "Death Estimate is 15. Injury estimate is 19. Mostly run of the mill stuff. 3/19 life threatening injuries. Only 1/19 looking into Death's Door, but I can prevent it.

She put down her notes. "Stability, captain. No raiding," she warned, "3 life threatening injuries need to be handled with care. Being fired upon isn't care."
"Got it."

-----------------------------------------------

Outside the Medical Bay

Sebas had been thinking about what Fergie said. While they weren't idiots like he said, there really wasn't all that much to do, especially if they may very well be passing up potential raids. Books, but some of them weren't even literate. Gambling, but a few brews deep and a few too many gold, and they were looking at a bar brawl. Fighting tournament could work. Drinking themselves under for a week would put holes in their supply, and if they were bad with nothing to do, lord knows how bad it would be with no sauce to drink. "We'll cloak and fly high for the time being," Sebas told her, "We'll keep scouting for things, but best bet given the situation is a ruin to reveal and not something that will get the ship fired on with explosives." If some primitive-ass tribe wanted to fire at them with bow and arrow, safe to say the ship wasn't in danger. No way were they taking on a ship with actual firepower. Maybe some floating raft barely kept in the skies

"I don't freaking know right now, but keep an eye on Bogrum in the meantime." He would've added that he knew her well enough to see the shred of concern, that Elaina 100% knew and that Laylah also most likely knew.......but it wasn't necessary. No need telling her something she probably wouldn't admit. "I will be looking to YOU for updates on Bogrum."
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

"Point taken." Fergie had to remember that the Basenjis weren't quite like the Ballasts, tempered and controlled as a fleet of pirates could be. Which wasn't saying particularly much, as a pirate was always a pirate, but they also weren't being flooded with new blood who didn't know how to pick their battles. Going too long without blasting some ship into ruins didn't go well for leadership, the blood-hungry crew spoiled by an overachieving armory. She supposed that was one major reason they themselves tore asunder.

Difficult as it was, Fergie tried to give herself some grace regarding the death toll. Considering what they had fought against, she was surprised their losses hadn't risen to the 20s. And during her first time flying, at that. It was still a notable success, but she wouldn't make the mistake of deluding herself again. Any airship they met can be expected to be formidable, and she would duly remember that in the following raids.


She considered Sebas's suggestions as he continued listing them off outside of the office. "Excavations, then. That could do." It wasn't the adrenaline rush that dogfights were, but promise of treasure always kept a crew engaged. "Fightin' tournament, though. There's an idea." There was no guarantee they'd find anything to plunder within the week, but a tournament would not only entertain the crew, but keep their skills sharpened. That, and honestly, a part of her hoped they wouldn't find a place; she was still pretty disenchanted by that underwater mission, the emotional roller coaster it had been.

Regarding Bogrum, she gave Sebas a nod, not a moment's hesitation. "Aye. Give him a taste of his own medicine." If he wasn't going to leave her alone when she was unwell, she would return the favor.

Knowing he wouldn't be around to watch her back brought another concern, but she wouldn't mention it now. "I know a captain's got shit to do, so I'll leave ye to it." She had something of her own to see to, now that the hype of the raid was dying down. The crew would be celebrating their victory, but after this hell of a day, she wasn't about to let her guard down. Drinking herself into a sick bed could end in her throat getting slit in her sleep.

Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Sebas went off to put Ora to bed early, then deal with captain stuff. With the girl's physical and mental strain of battle, she opted to eat a shark and then nod off. Sebas had a lot of work to do before he could join in any of the ship's post-victory festivities. Ash was probably leading the charge in celebration as aggressively as in battle, opting to use alcohol as her painkiller of choice after wrapping her wounds. Avery was either drinking with Ash or looking to wait to drink with Sebas. Elaina went to go do who knows what, probably sit in the library with a hot alcoholic drink and read until she was too drunk to continue.

The ship was merry, ending the work cycle of the pirate. Maintenance -> Prepare -> Raid & Loot -> Celebrate. Raid, drink, repeat.

The night sky was alight with a full moon prepped to show itself in the next 3 days. With the clouds under them and the moon shining in its almost full brilliance, the deck of the ship glistened with the pristine work of the cleaning crew, reflecting like the ocean. The stars shined alongside the moon, unhindered by the clouds, giving views one simply couldn't see with all the lighting found in the industrialized cities.

Whether drinking as a painkiller, drinking in memoriam, drinking in merriment, drinking in competition, or drinking in victory, lots of drinks were had and time seemed to slow and distort as more drinks were poured, until the crew started dropping one by one, a lot of them not even making it to their beds


--------------------------------------------------------

Sebas Deadeye​

Sebas was falling. Falling. As he opened his eyes and recognition came a second after, they snapped open. The ship was above him and shrinking. There wasn't anything he could do now. Best case scenario? He survive and end up on Dead Man's Isle. Worst case? Well....... Best prepare as best he could. Flipping his body around, he looked to what has been his home forever, the waving blue desert.

Taking a giant inhale and getting into swan dive position, he was hoping he wasn't too high to survive regardless, whether due to fall damage or going too low to be able to swim back up in time. He penetrated the water and shot down like a bullet, the shock of the temperature almost making him breathe prematurely. Knowing enough to conserve his breath, he stifled the shocking feeling and flipped around to start swimming back up using the effective techniques taught to him by his friendly neighborhood adopted Piscean child. As he looked up to where the streaming sunlight was, Sebas pushed aside those "what now?" thoughts that would inevitably permeate his brain as soon as he rebreached the water's surface.

Kick. Kick. Kick. Single-minded focus. His breath, while tempered since getting with Ora, weren't gills. He could make it. Kick. Kick. Kick. He kicked until his body was on fire, mind razor focused on getting out of this because the moment he thought of something else would be death. Sebas's lungs started to burn now as his body started aching to breathe. He was no closer than when he started, at least from his perception.

Kick. Kick....Kick.........Kick. His body was reaching its wits end, about to force in that air or shut down trying. Still no closer. This was it. Sebas relaxed his body and accepted defeat, letting his body gulp in that water under the desperate attempt to get some air in it..........

..........and he breathed. He wasn't choking or drowning. He was breathing underwater! The hell?, Sebas thought. He started trying to swim again and his body wasn't on fire anymore. In fact, he moved quickly and fluently. Smoothly under the waves. Still, no matter how much he swam, he wasn't getting any closer to the surface, so he turned around and horror hit his face


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Orabelle Alahala
Sebas's Room​

Orabelle gave a groggy bubbly yawn and opened her eyes. She felt good from last night, her Holy Water tank giving her sweet dreams and healing any injuries and strain over the course of the over 10 hours sleep she got last night. She was immediately hit with a familiar yet powerful feeling, which shocked her fully awake. It was emanating from her guardian lying on his bed.

Quickly swimming to the top of her tank and jumping out, she didn't even bother to dry herself or put on her human-form clothes, nor grab any of her relics. Instead, she picked up her staff and then jumped back in her tank, closing her eyes and concentrating. Sebas was communing with Her, and she needed to commune with them

Sebas's door was sealed shut and a magic barrier over it


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As a raid captain, Fergie got her own room. Spacious and allowed to put her stuff wherever without risk of it coming up missing because she forgot to lock her trunk. The room's door was being banged on hard. It was later and, whether due to worry, paranoia, alcohol, or whatever reason, Fergie had overslept to an incredible degree

WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Fergie hadn't drunk herself down into a coma like before, nor did she avoid the festivities entirely. Instead, idling by the sides holding a drink she barely touched, it appeared that she had stuck around to keep rowdy crewmates from causing too much of a ruckus. But mostly, she knew it was a bad idea isolating herself from a party when there's a bounty hunter out for her; no one would notice the muted scuffle of an attempted murder over the brawling and laughter. So it wasn't until late, after bodies trickled from the deck, that she joined the stumbling ant march down below, weaving her way through and locking herself in her quarters.

Worry for herself, for Bogrum, for every unfortunate soul placed under her care as a raid captain, and a laundry list of other things, all kept her from getting any sleep that night. She laid wide awake in her makeshift hammock, suspended over the bed she refused to allow herself to rest on. Her shortsword she kept nestled over her in wait to slash at any suspicious shadow that manifested, hands growing restless when any creaking or bootsteps reached her primed ears.

But when night gave way to early morning, her body decided it had enough of her brain's endless fretting. So sleep she did manage... well into noon. And perhaps past that, she didn't know. A demanding pound at the door woke her up before any recollection of passing time did.

"GAH! GODS!" She flailed out of her hammock, landing on her feet with her sword readied by her side, in a surprising feat of finesse for someone who had just been pulled out of a deep sleep. "Raiding?! Boarding?!" Whoever was knocking on the other side would hear her rapid footsteps before the click of the lock. She opened it slightly ajar, the latch keeping it in place and only permitting a yellow-eyed glare to shoot through the gap. "What's the situation?"

Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Sebas Deadeye​

Sebas looked around in horror. There was NOTHING around him. No fish swimming around whatsoever. He could see clearly like he were wearing goggles, but there was nothing. It creeped him out to no end to be in lifeless water. Looking down, instead of seeing any kind of vegetation, he was greeted with a void, as if the light streaming from above stopped abruptly. One inch afternoon, one inch midnight. He definitely didn't want to go into the void, that was certain.......... but there was nowhere else for him to go. He could take his chances on finding land, but given that this 100% NOT natural, something told him that he wouldn't be finding land anytime soon.

Surrounded by loneliness, Sebas was stumped on what to do. Go up and go nowhere, go down and go nowhere, or swim around and likely go nowhere. Wherever he was, it wasn't a real place. "Is this the Spirit Sea?" he said aloud, mostly to see if his voice and his ears worked, as he didn't hear the water washing over his ears, probably something else alongside his ability to breathe underwater and swim effectively.

Sebas looked at his hands. SCALY! Blue, almost cloaking in the backdrop of the water. Webbed fingers, fins on his arms and legs, webbed feet, and........was that a tail? "What the fuck is this?!" Sebas yelled. His voice weirdly echoed

Suddenly there was a massive shaking, him somehow feeling unbalanced even though he was in water. His bones rattling. Looking down, a bright light shined for a second and then the earth itself closed under him, the earth's crust separated by a zig-zag line. Under the void, 2 absolutely enormous orbs flashed red

This wasn't the void. The "void" was a fucking beast. The pitch black, the thing's mouth. The "crust" its teeth

Sebas thought fear was lost on him. It wasn't


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elaina Melora D'Umbra
Outside Fergie's Quarters​

Elaina drank enough to get drunk and go to sleep. She was completely sober before she even woke up, let alone into the afternoon. After a morning of these braindead idiots still drunkenly making passes at her, and having to smack some of these dudes with a book, she was at her wit's end

"Wake the fuck up, Fergie!" Elaina said, eyes fiery and voice sounding at its wits end. "Between you and Sebas being out, I'm not leading this damn ship!" Elaina seem pretty angry. "It's NOON and neither you or Sebas have left your room. GET UP!" Elaina wanted to barge in, but that chain on the door told her to not even attempt it. "There is some magic barrier on Sebas's door that I can't break and a hell of a lot of magic pouring from his room. The troops have no idea what the hell to do, and I am not in a position of control." Between Sebas and Bogrum being out, Fergie was next in command

She shot a piercing look at Fergie through the door. "I sense your sobriety, so get up and lead this ship until Sebas leaves his quarters. I got scanning to do and the crew are all zombified without any commands to follow." Zombified from their alcoholic binge. Either they get orders soon, or they will start drinking again.

There was indeed much to be done. A LOT of maintenance and repairs, as none of the crew did it last night since they celebrated their victory.
WayfaringWaaksian