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

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Though he could guess either way, Bogrum wasn't sure what Sebas meant by that. Was he suggesting that Bogrum was good with kids, or Fergie was bad? He wasn't particularly inclined either way. Bogrum was certainly the more patient of the two, and maybe that was all there was to it, but that didn't translate as kid-specific. To be honest, he wasn't all that comfortable with kids. It wasn't so much a confidence thing as an acknowledgment of his lack of expertise; he'd been the youngest of his siblings, and by a significant margin. It wasn't as if he recalled the care and treatment he was given at a young age, let alone if it was normal for a child to experience. He thought he had a good childhood, but... well, cultural differences. Him being an orc, Lostro being a dwarf-gorgon, and such.
He was giving it too much thought. But he couldn't help but think about the rigid discomfort he'd seen Fergie stiffen with any time she had to interact with Orabelle for an extended time. Sebas was sure to have noticed himself by now, and Bogrum wondered if that was a motive behind this, left unsaid for politesse's sake.

It kept his mind from dwelling on the other things Sebas was saying. It hurt the heart, hearing about the child's subtle torment. "Alright," he breathed quietly, gathering his bearings. "Are there any... absolute no's? Things I shouldn't say or mention?" What he DID know about children-- ones with trauma, at least-- was that small things proved to be a trigger. Add a demon on top of that...

---

FUCK! Fergie's hand flew away from the handle of the door, a second before she received the call through her crystal. A moment's hesitation in opening it, pausing to gather her thoughts and catch whatever she might hear from the inside, saved her from barging into a room that could have become her grave. She didn't need to hear what was being said in the armory; she could FEEL the darkness emanating from within, on her skin and through her bones and even brushing the corners of her mind. It was a fucky sensation that she experienced before when nearing Lostro, and made the Viperfish tunnels from weeks ago feel like a night in a cozy bed in comparison.
"Roger that," was her response while she put her shades on, frustration apparent in her gritting teeth. Fergie wasn't about to step a single foot inside. This wasn't a demon bound by rules and restrictions, like the relic-bound Baroness she'd been so fond of infuriating. This was literal hell unleashed upon the mortal realm. If all it took was a mutual glance to say goodbye to her soul, then she wasn't going to place herself in its presence, let alone play with it.

Damned demon better not steal that shithead's soul. She caught Duradel's voice, though she couldn't discern what was said. He could be fucked, with him any information he might have on the not-Ballast guns. Yes, "Why the fuck did you think lying to me was a good idea", was on the list, but that was supplementary. If he was jumping through all these hoops to keep them out of her hands, then there was something of value worth hiding after all. She couldn't lose this lead.

Anyway, barging in now wasn't an option. But neither was turning around and nopeing right out of there. As the commander on duty she felt obligated to be present for whatever was about to go down inside. She had little sympathy for that horned weasel, but horned weasels deserved getting smacked around, not their souls being stolen.
"Permission"? For what?? Demands were swallowed well before they reached her throat. She didn't like this. In a position where she couldn't use her damn position and order that demon to stop whatever scheme it was trying. Not until she addressed her specifically... which could be any moment now. Lostro knew she was there. It would take a lot of mental steeling to keep herself from retreating down the hall once that happened.


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Sebas Deadeye
Captain's Office​

"Sebas!" Before the man could voice a caution or 2 for Bogrum to keep in mind, his communication crystal forced itself on, a sign of an emergency call. "Lostro has made an appearance in the armory! That's where Fergie and Duradel are!!"
The man sighed. That wasn't good. "Gotcha. Bogrum and I are moving immediately." He turned to the orc in question. "Let's get moving before Duradel pisses Lostro off and he gets Fergie killed." and himself, Sebas thought. Duradel couldn't get punched in the face if he were a soulless stone statue. "I'm not worried about Fergie pissing off Lostro as much as pissing off the demon possessing Lostro. Demons talk, and Fergie is on Baronness's bad side." That was another reason why he didn't want Fergie around Lostro. Fergie and divinity didn't mix and, while there was always something keeping them from attacking Fergie outright, such margin didn't exist with Lostro.

They weren't moving, and moving was a good thing to be doing right now. Sebas stood up and grabbed his blade and gun. "No absolutes. When it comes to speaking to her, your safest bet is to treat Lostro like a 9 year old, not some powerful ancient chaos god. She's in there." The duo started making their way to the armory. "I told you she was lonely. If she warms up to you, the demon CAN'T act against you. All these petty-ass rules will mean nothing once Lostro actually likes you." That is of course much easier said than done, as the girl had inside her the damn anti-christ. If one couldn't even look at her without shades lest they be killed on the spot, how could one treat her like a child playing tag with her friends around the village?

The path to the armory seemed longer than usual. Maybe that's what marching to potential death felt like. Maybe the demon was trying to keep Sebas away. "The demon made the rules, the demon enforces the rules, but since it's LOSTRO'S body, she has veto power."

It was like handling a normal child.........if that child not liking you for any reason (including no reason) would get you executed on the spot. No biggie

Rules:

• Wear shades when looking towards her. Looking at her through a reflection counts as looking towards her. Wear shades
• Lostro is a singular person. Don't speak TO Lostro as if she isn't there or as if something other than Lostro is there
• Lostro is SICK. Not possessed. Not a monster, not a demon, not evil
• The demon will try to make you break rules. Don't break them, PERIOD
• Don't speak to her unless spoken to
• Don't touch her unless she touches you first or she gives you permission

Lostrogret Whitcoat and Duradel
Lostro's Room ---------> Armory
​

Mr. Dura seemed cold, as he was shivering pretty hard. Maybe she should give him a coat. "Are you cold, Mr. Dura?"
Duradel was indeed shivering in more ways than one. It was blizzard cold in this room by now. Fear kept him warm enough to live, it seemed.

"N-No Lostro. Of course you don't need permission to see Fergie," Duradel stammered out with a nervous laugh. This was a lie. She needed Sebas's permission, but damn if HE were about to be the one to tell her. Sebas's permission is a step that would need to be skipped for now
"That's good. Can you come in, Fergie? You're not interrupting anything." Lostro called, sounding a bit worried, though that definitely didn't show in her face or her demeanor.
Duradel wanted to divert this. If Fergie walked in without shades on, she was done for. "See, Fergie is a ship leader. She has leadership things she has to do."
"Like beat you up?" Lostro asked, head cocked in confusion. Didn't seem very nice and Mr. Dura was always amusing to her. Maybe she should ask Fergie why she wanted to beat up Mr. Dura. Of course she knew the reason, but *Mozza (Mozrelliun, the name of the demon) always told her to hear it from the horse's mouth. "Come in, Fergie!" she called

When Fergie opened the door, she would be hit with not only oppressive darkness but bone-rattlingly cold wind. Sebas didn't mention that she brought the North Pole with her. "Fergie? Why do you want to beat up Mr. Dura?"

*Mozza is pronounced like Mozzarella.

Now that Fergie was spoken to, she could actually try herself to slip in some verbal control. From the way Lostro was talking like a child and NOT an ancient demon, there was perhaps a window to exert some form of authority, or maybe prod Lostro in the direction Fergie wanted this situation to go.
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

"Oh dear lord," Bogrum blurted before he could stop himself. More so at the thought of Fergie effectively being jumpscared and turned to stone on the spot, but also that she must have been in the middle of another interrogation, if she was back in the armory. In that case, he was more worried about Duradel. Gods have mercy on his soul, should Fergie send him to his demise before Lostro did.

But aside from that, "She's got enough sense not to prod a sleeping bear. Without the cage in between, that is." If she could without getting mauled, she would, the madwoman. He didn't understand why she'd put herself in that position with a malicious entity like Baroness, who would just tell her friends about what a bitch she was being. Such was the nature of pirates? Seemed like reason got tossed to the wind as much as caution.

As for Lostro, he suggested, "If I'm with you, then maybe she'll be more likely to take to me." If Sebas had her favor, that could extend to anyone he thought highly of. But that wouldn't relieve Bogrum of effort on his own part. He was confident he could get through to her... mostly.

---

Oh dear lord. Fergie could hear better with her ear closer to the cracks of the door. What was Duradel doing, trying to get her killed? More like trying to get the heat off of him, and Fergie was unfortunate enough to be on Lostro's wishlist. What could she want with her? More to the point, what did the demon who shared residence want with her? She knew the Baroness hated her... and several demons before her, probably...
What, now Duradel was trying to stop Lostro? What were that man's motives? Lostro clearly knew what Fergie's was, no doubt from the degree of omnipotence demons had access to. And if Duradel hadn't known before she let the cat out of the bag, he was stupid. That cat had already clawed itself from the bag and was fixing to hunt itself a little rat. But the room with the rat was being guarded by a hellhound, and good gods, she did NOT want to go inside. Do it, ye pussy.

The door creaked, and in stepped Fergie, who was immediately battered by a frigid wind. If Duradel was shivering from the cold, Fergie's sparse body was pierced to the bone with chills. Gettin' the heat off? More like a goddamned blizzard! She was dressed to take the constant beating of a cloudless sun, not to plunge into a frozen wasteland. She couldn't be in here long, unless she wanted to lose feeling in her other three limbs.

Not that she could feel them anyway, a sort of numbness overcoming them when she could see the outline of Lostro behind her shades. She could shit-talk demons any day, so long as they were behind a cage, but when they were within an inch of brandishing their claws in her face? Just shy of putting the fear of gods in her; if gods cared about their mortals, they wouldn't allow demons to run amok like this.

"Good question, lass." It sounded like it was just the girl talking. Fergie had heard some of those garbled words from her mouth before, but this was the first time they were addressed at her, and they sounded almost normal here. At least, one part of a whole. "I gave Duradel the opportunity to speak his piece, but instead, he decided to feed me a crap load of lies." She was glaring at where he'd shrunk back from Lostro's presence. "Unless he WANTS me to beat the truth outta 'im, he better 'fess up and explain himself."


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

"Oh?" Beaten up for lying? Well, that sounded...... "Hmmmm, I was told liars deserve death, but I guess you're nice." She could only guess that she herself was the one interrupting something. She looked to Mr. Dura, then back to Fergie. She inspected Fergie a bit, saying nothing about anything she saw, until she realized that Fergie was stifling a shiver. "Hmmm, you're cold too." Lostro was unable to control the cold or feel it herself. However, she could take a hint. She walked to the door, "Guess we were interrupting something, Mozza." All in all, her impression of Fergie was..........kind of neutral. From how much Sebas stuck beside Fergie and how much he spoke about her, she assumed Fergie was beautiful to behold. However, that didn't seem to be a case. She was a war-torn warrior, more admired for strength than beauty. This twig is weak, she thought. Sebas didn't make her a leader because she's weak, Mozza. You think everyone is weak. Not that she ever saw Mozza lose a fight. Then again.........she's never seen Mozza fight.
Back to reality. "Nonsense, Little Miss. Their squabble can wait."
A head shake. "They've been waiting. Sebas is waiting too. OUR conversation can wait. Fergie has work to do."
"Why do you care if she has work to do?"
Lostro's face twisted into a state of annoyance. An actual display of genuine emotion for the first time and it was directed towards.........herself? "I don't, but it's not playtime. I don't want him (Sebas) to punish me again."
This exchange all came from the same mouth, from the same girl. Just distinctive enough to know who was actually in control. Like a fucked up version of Inside Out. Lostro sighed. "As much as I would love to watch Duradel get his ass beaten, guess I have no choice." This one sounded noticeably different. "Hang in there, Mr. Dura. This won't be our last meeting though if she kills you." That was an ominous one.

Their body temperature was starting to drop, so she needed to leave. "Mozza, turn off the cold, please. Warm them up. God, you're mean." She said with an annoyed grunt.
"......As you wish."
Lostro lifted her hand and snapped her fingers. The cold receded instantly. "I gotta meet Sebas now. Ciao!" Lostro said, sounding the most like an excited child as she was probably gonna get with them. With that, the door closed and the darkness receded.

Duradel
Armory​

No matter how many times Duradel interacted with Lostro, he would never get over her making commands to herself and then acting on those commands. He would also never get over that scary-ass fucking demonic legion voice. Lostro's eerie hollow child voice was refreshing in comparison to that, especially since he could hear some of the voices of former Basenji Pirates within the cacophony of unease that flowed from her mouth it weren't that hollowed out child voice.

Duradel had long since curled up into a ball, even moreso that Fergie reinforced her goals to Lostro to beat his ass once she left. Plus, he was in that frozen hellhole for longer than Fergie, so his body was taking forever to warm back up. When Lostro left, he could breathe a bit of a sigh of relief. The biggest major sense of dread was gone, mostly because an ass beating would be nothing compared to being one of Lostro's playthings. He was expecting her to get mischievous. Last time, she formed a black cat and told him to pet it, only to form a Grim Reaper behind him to swing its scythe..... a move that would've killed him had he not bent down to pet that cat.

"Ah.......ahahaha. Well Fergie, that was quite the stomach churner, eh?"

Sebas Deadeye
Outside the Armory​

Sebas and Bogrum made their way to the wing. However, he stopped before actually opening the door. "Lostro is in the hall," he said without looking to the side at his companion, "Shades on." The oppressive darkness was there in full force. "In 5, I'm opening. Be ready." Sebas said that so he himself could prepare mentally. While he was immune to most of Lostro's effects, the thing he was affected by was only cleansed by Lostro's exorcism or her death. No amount of tattoos of her favor could change that. "5.........4........3...........2........." A longer than usual pause and a visible inhale from Sebas. "..........1.........Breaching." Sebas opened the door to see Lostro down the hall, moving away from the Armory and towards them. While her movements weren't exactly off-putting, all that was undone by the fact that every step she took covered the path in front of her in darkness and the walls, coated in an abysmal pitch blackness, sprouted eyes and teeth as if it itself were a living being.........or beings.

A door opened and someone stepped out and looked at Lostro. Big mistake, as they weren't wearing their shades. Clear defiance of Sebas's rules. Rule 1 was to get into the room and stay there. Rule 2 was to wear those shades. This idiot apparently didn't feel the oppressive malevolence that permeated everything around Lostro. Lostro kept walking towards Sebas and Bogrum, but one of the dead snakes that made up her hair rose, eyes glowing red and hissed at the poor unfortunate soul. The man began to turn to stone, screaming in agony as the petrification made its way from his feet up his body. Did I mention that this process was incredibly painful? Sebas clenched his teeth. "Idiot! I don't speak out of my ass!" he yelled at the man as his countdown ticked. "I told you to stay in your fucking room! Then you walk out without wearing your fucking shades!?" His words fell on deaf ears as the man was too busy screeching in pain, until it was finally cut short from the petrification reaching his neck, solidifying his vocal chords. While it wasn't particularly gruesome to look at, knowing it wasn't immediate and knowing the process was painful made it hard to watch. They were now one man short. It only solidifed to the captain that Lostro should not be allowed to roam this ship.

Lostro never stopped walking towards them. She didn't even acknowledge the man she was petrifying. Just the snake hissing at him the entire process. It was the longest 7 seconds of Sebas's life. "Sebas!" she said excitedly, her face actually showing genuine emotion and a genuine smile. This would be endearing if he didn't just watch a man being painfully turned to stone, and watching the blue wisp that made up the man's soul fly over to the hissing snake, who consumed it before reverting to its normal dead state. That put a little bit of a damper on things. One thing to note though was that it was Lostro's voice and not the demon's voice. That demon must be suppressed, Sebas thought. "And you must be Bogrum," she said, before clearing her throat. "Nice to meet you." Guess not, Sebas thought

"Lostro," Sebas said, a poker face smile plastered across his face. "It's been a while."

WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Fergie did her damnedest to hold back a scoff, not wanting to offend the child, though her face twisted in some sort of amusement. Me, nice? Kid, when I'm done with him, he'll WISH I'd kill him. It wasn't said, but her glancing at Duradel with that look got the point across well enough.
After listening to Lostro argue with herself, it became clear to Fergie who called the shots here. "Mozza" had a great deal of power, not limited to the power to execute, but Lostro's decisions were word of god. He could argue as much as he liked, but as a "guest", he was at her will. Must be why it's imperative to not upset the poor lass, she thought. Without her favor, you were at the mercy of the demon's.

The cold receded, but its bite would linger for a while. Fergie restrained the urge to rub her arms for warmth, giving Lostro a little wave goodbye. Those creepy-ass eyes started blinking away too, shutting and retracting into the walls until there was no sign of them left. That gave her visible shivers; she'd always speculated that the body horror sprouting around demons were manifestations of stolen souls, and that she was looking into the eyes of her fallen comrades. Maybe it had more to do with demons being fallen angels, but she could swear she saw agony in those eyes.


Onto the pleasantries...

She turned her head down, looking at where Duradel had ducked into a borderline fetal position. Couldn't blame him there, he shouldn't have to deal with a literal demon on board. Only figurative ones. Like herself.

He was flashed an all-too toothy grin. "Aye! Freaky shit, it is." Grin became grimace when she lunged down, both hands yanking him by the scruff into a forced stand. Mozza thought she was a twig... and, well, yeah, but it was hardly a testament to her raw strength. She wasn't a tank like Bogrum, who could toss the tiefling across the entire deck of the ship, but she had no trouble pinning this scrawny nerd against the wall. If he wanted to break free, it would spell a fight, and one against his superior officer. In other words, a huge mistake.
"Listen 'ere, Duradick," she hissed in a low tone. They said quiet anger could be scarier than loud anger, and given that Fergie's go-to was to bark at whoever was pissing her off, this spelled danger indeed. "Gave ye ONE bloody chance to come clean. What exactly made ye think I wouldn't find out? What benefit? To buy time? Where the FUCK would you run off to? Stuck in the sky, on lockdown?"
"Duradick" was getting an uncomfortably full view of her sharp goblin canines. Hardly fangs, but the rumors about her biting chunks out of people were hardly rumors either. "Point is, ye ain't goin' nowhere. 'Cept to meet Lostro, if ye don't spill." Liars and rats were indistinguishable at this point. Had it been Ash questioning Duradel rather than Fergie, the probability of death would be much closer to triple digits.

"Two things." Might have been accompanied by a pair of fingers, if both hands weren't busy with a white-knuckled grip on his cloak. "One, why the fuck are ye hidin' decent weapons from the crew? Two... tell me everything about that insignia."


---


How many deaths was Bogrum going to witness today? Ietoq could have confessed his crime sooner and helped uncover the plot against the Basenjis, and he might have gotten a lighter sentence. All this man had to do was wear his damn shades, in order to not become an eternal plaything for this demon unleashed upon the crew. Death was difficult to contend with on its own... when the deaths were senseless in nature, it struck harder. And death often was a senseless thing.

His jaw locked in place, unyielding to emotion aside from a small smile he forced upon it in greeting to the child. His shades did a good enough job hiding the horror displayed in his eyes. He forced them to lock in place too, keeping them on Lostro's face. Not the dead husks of snakes swaying around her head, not the multitude of body parts pushing out of the walls, and definitely not the stone statue that remained of his crewmate. Anywhere but there. "I've heard much about you, Lostro," he said affably. It was only half true, but he supposed that was because Lostro made one half of the whole. The child herself, he was happy to meet. The demon, however... "It's nice to put a face to the name."


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Duradel
Armory​

Well shit, Duradel thought. Lostro forced a stop on what he was about to accomplish. He would've hidden those guns in plain sight and then himself, but then that literal damned girl showed up. So instead, all he could give off was nervous laughter. He wished Lostro would've served as a sufficient distraction, but apparently Sebas's influence on the girl still played a part. As he looked into the face of this pissed off Raid Captain, he knew his word would now be met with just skepticism. When conning someone, meeting them after they found out he sold them crap was rarely a good thing, hence why the man rarely stayed in one place. Problem is.......they were in the fucking air, so the only place to go is a long drop to the Underworld. "The only lie I told was that I knew nothing about a Ballast Insignia. You're connected to them! Of course I'd hide it!" Duradel said frantically, "I only forged that insignia on MY gun to cover the actual insignia. The ones on the rifles are the genuine article. Unless that's a new Ballast Insignia, those rifles aren't Ballast affiliated." Damn, Fergie was looking hella intimidating. If she could breathe fire, he'd be dead. "Everything I said about those rifles are true. High quality, expensive, new, dwarven ingenuity. I tried to hide them so I could take one apart to learn the components." It's just that that isn't a good reason. If he took apart a gun like this for experimental sake, Adonis would cut his freaking horns off. Good weapons were hard to come by. Most pirates, even in the Basenjis, held crappy-ass weapons because they spent their money on alcohol or opioids. "I can acquire some information on that new insignia, but honest I know nothing more than what I've told you about it already."

Something told him that Fergie didn't care all that much about the mimicry insignia as much as the actual ballast insignia on his gun. Why did he have it? "As for this pistol, I got this gun a long time ago. A Ballast killed my brother while plundering my village, Woodhorn. I fought him off by stealing this gun and I vowed revenge with THIS exact gun. Name I found out was Red Fox or Edwin Ulrik, and he's still alive." Edwin Ulrik/Red Fox was an old member of the Ballasts, named as such because he was half-fox with fur much more red than orange. Think Avery but fox.......and not a twink. Red Fox wasn't a leader, but he was a go-to for Ballast Logistics and Raid Planning. He was also a complete fucking psychopath, a sadist through and through. It wasn't unheard of for him to solicit prostitutes and torture them while.........utilizing their services. To be a little bit fair here though, he didn't kill them and he left a hefty hefty payment in the aftermath. Was that worth? Well, desperation varied escort to escort

Woodhorn Village was absolutely a village that the Ballasts plundered and destroyed. Being low on money at the time, they captured every woman and child, and sold them off for an absolute fuck-ton of money and loot. The Raid of Woodhorn Village was one of those things that established the Ballasts as ruthless and merciless. It also got them major street cred with the black market networks. Whether Fergie partook in such a raid, or was not a member at that time, is up to Fergie's player.

That being said, it should make sense that Duradel would hide it from her. How long has Duradel been part of this crew while carrying a Ballast firearm with no one caring, even even given the history of their fights against the crew? As Sebas told her, it only popped up as suspicious because Fergie was on the run from them. This wasn't Sebas's fight, so even he sees no problem with Duradel carrying it. In fact, the only thing wrong with it was that Duradel carried it but seemed to put zero effort into actually maintaining it

Sebas Deadeye
Hall Outside the Armory​

"Sebas has said a lot about you as well." Lostro stood in front of Bogrum. Being a child, Lostro stood like a goblin in front of the towering orc. Like a Little Sister and a Big Daddy (Bioshock).......only this Little Sister could kill Bogrum where he stood. "Not at your peak anymore due to starving from Orabelle's people. Hopefully she's not like that." She gave him a smile, as if that back-handed reassurance did its job at reassuring.
"Why did you want to see the Little Miss, Sebas? It's not like you to want to see your abandoned daughter."
Normally, such words would strike a chord as it made him seem like a deadbeat. However, never would they come out of Lostro's mouth. Only Mozza's. "Lostro, I see Mozrelliun is doing well as always."
Lostro screamed and her head, nose and mouth released steam, as if she were set ablaze from the inside. Sebas looked at Bogrum. "I just said the name of the demon, something you should never ever do Bogrum. That demon gets free reign to kill you on the spot if you do..........but the little one herself won't allow it against me, so think of this as my version of Fergie and Baroness's squabble." Of course there are limitations. Should Sebas say this while Mozza is attacking someone, all bets are off. Plus, Lostro herself was affected to a degree and since this wouldn't KILL the demon, hurting Lostro for something Mozza said would only get her to hate him in the long run. This also meant that Baroness wasn't her real name, nor any demon they've interacted with thus far
"Sebas!" Lostro said, holding her head in pain. "You know that name gives me a headache! Mozzarella is her name." Mozrelliun is a male, and it seemed like Lostro had a questionable level of cognizance about Mozza and his influence, a level Sebas couldn't decipher. "You fucking bastard."
Sebas gave her a death glare. "Language" was all he said and Lostro fell in line. Oh geez, he thought internally, thank the gods Lostro is locked in before her rebellion phase. I'd be long dead by now. Mozza had to take being treated as a child since he was possessing a child, plus being at the whim of that child. Twas the price of inhabiting such a strong vessel. The moment he grew tired of it and left her body is a day Sebas would probably die. There seemed to be a theme of the divine being treated horribly and humans knowing that line to provoke them without crossing that line. "As I said Bogrum. Gotta treat her like nothing is off," he muttered. His experience dealing with Lostro was showing itself. If she didn't need a list of rules to stay alive in her presence, Sebas would be charged with handling a walking apocalypse as the ultimate weapon.
Instead, she serves as something to isolate as a failed experiment

"Anyways, we got a problem, missy," Sebas said firmly.
Lostro's eyes widened. "I didn't do anything wrong!" she immediately pleaded
"Oh?" The captain responded. "Bogrum, explain to her the issue here."

The issue was that her name was on the suspect list. Bogrum had with him the entry


Suspect List entry: Lostro (Summarized by Sebas)

Suspect #3: Lostrogret Whitcoat

​

Whether or not she can control her power, Lostro's influence was found all over the raid. Darkness leaking from her room in far higher quantities than other times, a list of weird occurrences such as injuries sustained among troops for minor things. For example, legs breaking from a fall when the ship shook after taking that laser. Voices of long lost Basenji troops being heard around the ship, wyverns refusing to land back on the ship in the aftermath, troops having nightmares in the medbay about Basenji events that happened while they themselves weren't even in part of the crew, prolonged healing times, fire being turned into dark fire out of nowhere, some troops on BOTH sides knowing the actual names of enemy troops they've never met, and some of them knowing about Lostro's presence among the Basenjis despite her being on the main ship, which wasn't participating in the Golden Gun raid.

WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Fergie already wanted to smack him silly for his "only one lie" claim. But what made her truly livid, bristling with rage, was his piss poor excuse for his attempt to hide the guns from her. She almost didn't believe it, it was so absurd. It wasn't out of the question for a gun nerd, but at this rate, she had to treat anything he said like it was a cover. Which is what she should have done from the start. Should've known somethin' was up when he said he'd take 'em to Sebas. That interrogation was going to haunt her for months to come.
Anyway, true or not, he was admitting to thievery. In her mind, that was consenting to a back-handed smack to the mouth. "Thieving lil' rat!" she spat, letting the sting settle in his face for a generous few seconds before going on, "I ought'a cleave off yer damn horns meself! The crew NEEDS guns that won't shit 'emselves in the middle of battle, and here ye are, tinkerin' with 'em like they be some sort of toy?!" Not that she expected the resident con artist to give half a shit about the crew, but it enraged her nevertheless.

Given his innate fear of her from the start, Duradel must know that Fergie didn't necessarily reward good behavior. If he said something she didn't like, he was getting smacked, regardless of whether was something she wanted to hear or not. But thieving from the ship would earn the offender an enthusiastic lashing from Evangeline, at best. He was lucky to ONLY be getting a smack in the face. For that, at least. He was getting another solid whack after the telling of his Ballast story.
"Bullshit!" Fergie pulled out the tampered gun, waving it as if threatening to use the butt as a bludgeoning tool. "Do ye really expect me to believe ye plan to unload this piece of crap in the bastard's face? Must not miss yer brother all that much, if the weapon ye "vowed" to use hasn't been serviced in last fucking decade!" She tossed said piece of crap away, letting it clatter on the floor. The idea of beating an unarmed subordinate with a tool didn't sit well with her, as pissed as she was. That, and she needed information from a sound mind, and giving him a concussion would be counterproductive. "Could've told Elaina that from the start, but I guess ye needed time to come up with a decent story, huh?" She still felt stupid that Elaina needed to highlight that to her in the first place, but instead of beating herself up about it, she had the perfect outlet at her disposal.

Though maybe the story wasn't an entirely untrue one. Red Fox was a real Ballast crew member, and the Siege of Woodhorn was a real event. Fergie had arrived into the ranks relatively late into the game, but she knew her Ballast history. It was a turning point in their career that struck fear in the entire region, and got significant attention from the Royal Navy. Crimes against humanity tended to get you put on the kingdom's shitlist when you were already at odds (within the kingdom... yeah, don't make her laugh).
As for the Red Fox, their interactions had been short and anything but sweet. She knew him to be a sadistic monster, fitting for the task he was given as an advisor for raids. Fergie was captaining a ship for the main quest of a treasure hunt, but part of their mission required raiding a few fishfolk military colonies. That's when he came in... if Fergie ever disbelieved hate at first sight, it was only before meeting him. For someone several ranks below the captain, he did his damnedest to rouse her ire. Maybe that was because Fergie was quick to wrath by nature, but being told he could "make her into a real woman" by "carving her up with his cutlass" honestly was just asking for a steel-toed boot to the balls. She was sure she'd ruptured at least one of them... which was why she was also sure he would be eager to kill her on sight, now that her head was on the black market.

Hidden truths or not, Duradel knew his stuff. And that was the biggest giveaway to her. "Yer a lot closer to the Ballasts than ye let on, Duradel." Maybe it was just because Fergie (and Elaina, but only on her behalf) was the only Basenji yet to take issue with his Ballest gun. Maybe because he knew enough about the Ballasts to know that one of their respected leaders shared her heritage. Goblins with lichen symbiotes weren't rare, but elf-goblins were. But if so, he'd be grasping at a hell of a lot of straws, and for what? Something that could be easily explained away by a revenge plot if someone questioned him? There was definitely more to it, if he was going through these lengths to misdirect her. "Start talking. Now."


---


Bogrum was flattered to think Sebas spoke of him often; he liked to think he preformed well, despite his failures in keeping his crew safe during the Golden Guns raid (granted, much of that had been due to sabotage, but he wasn't about to use that as a convenient excuse). He was less flattered at what Lostro continued to say. But it wasn't the jab at his physical weakness that chafed him. Implying that Orabelle could be anything like his captors... who weren't even being cruel out of their own will? It was an ill suggestion, and Bogrum frowned before he could stop himself.
Given what was said to Sebas after, Bogrum figured that the demon was set on needling him in particular, if he was going to bring Orabelle into the matter. And Sebas demonstrated that he was willing to bite back.

Sebas was given a rather pained look when it was clear invoking the demon's true name caused pain for Lostro as well. He wouldn't dare to speak it himself, and not because of the warning that doing so would kill him. But he wouldn't fault Sebas for it. When you had an edge against someone who could bring the apocalypse should she will it, you used it, unfortunately. Exactly how did one act like this insanity was normal? Bogrum would have to follow the man's lead.

Prompted, Bogrum took out the suspect entry and listed off its contents, careful not to add his own opinions and reading it word for word. He wasn't making that mistake again. He'd been afraid of invoking Cheryl's wrath, but doing so with Lostro would be much more of a potential death sentence. However, after he was finished, he would add something. It hadn't crossed his mind, given it was still a bit sluggish from the effects of a week-long Stasis, but now he could think back and remember...
"I can attest to voices," he said, looking to Sebas. "But during Stasis." During his first day on the Basenji ship, Doctor Laylah had told him that Stasis would be a dreamless sleep. Something about the cold shutting down brain processes. But that wasn't to account for what the spirit could sense. "I don't remember details, but I heard people. Sometimes saw them walking through the halls." Did that mean Bogrum himself had been walking through the halls? If he had been near death due to his injuries, he supposed he could have been having out of body experiences. "But it was no one I recognized." Which would make sense, if it were the long lost Basenji crewmates, absorbed into Mozza's legion.


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Duradel
Armory​

Eh, the smack was to be expected. "I would say I deserved that one," Duradel quipped, holding his pained cheek. "But the weapons are in the back so I didn't steal anything." It wasn't like he had a place to stash it anyways. This was the armory. He wasn't taking anything off this ship anytime soon.

When Fergie asked about the weapon, he actually kind of brushed the question off, his nervousness starting to fade a bit. After realizing that smack was nowhere near Sebas's level and that Lostro was gone, he realized that this was nothing in comparison. Ash would've killed him for deceiving her. Fergie didn't have the same itchy trigger finger. Somehow she was more patient. "Why would I service the gun that killed my brother?" Duradel responded. "I don't need it to work every time. I just need it to work once." Piece of crap really didn't matter to him. "Why would a gun nut carry around a crappy Ballast weapon that he doesn't care about enough to service?" He shrugged from his compromised position, his response beginning to sound sarcastic. "I don't know. Poking the bear perhaps?"

At this point, Duradel knew that even if Fergie wanted to strike him down, she didn't have grounds. Her personal issues were personal. Basenji issues were business, and why he was carrying a Ballast gun was not a red flag to Basenjis unless Fergie could prove some sort of maliciousness towards the Basenjis, or loyalty to the forgotten crew. Even if he wanted her dead, unless he sent the other assailant, there was no grounds. Plus, Fergie's disguise relic didn't make him NOT recognize her. "Ya want to know how I know about Red Fox's name and whereabouts? I learned about him while we were in Andouphe." If Fergie could remember that Duradel was nowhere to be found during their stint in Andouphe, that explained it. "A Sadistic Whore solicitor? Easy to find info on such a person in a bustling city like Andouphe. An aristocratic playground is also a hotbed for red light and black market activity. Weapons and blackmail are nice bargaining chips for information if coin doesn't do." Such a quip could also explain why he wanted to keep such good weapons. Of course a conman would be involved in black market activity. "Whether the payoff after his torture earns him a good name, or taking a knife to merchandise earns a bad name, he's sought after for both bounty and patronage. I'm gonna wager a guess he was famous aboard the Bronze Ballast ships, yes? Or infamous." Duradel could only guess that women weren't a massive presence aboard the ship if someone like that walked the deck. At least Lostro remained isolated 99% of the time

When she told him that he was closer to the Basenjis than he let on, and to start talking, he met her eyes. "ARE you seeking the truth or are you seeking to be correct? What can I say that you will believe is true? Will I have to say something that validates your desire to beat or kill me? Or will I need to say the actual truth?"

Sebas Deadeye
Deck​

"Oooh," Lostro said, intrigued and wide-eyed, "An out of body experience. You weren't trying to eat his soul, were you Mozza?"
Lostro shook her head in disapproval. "No. The orc's soul will taste better when he peaks again, not the relative weakling he is now," the demonic voice responded bluntly. Sebas scoffed. While he could take Bogrum going all out, in a test of raw strength, Bogrum would cave his torso in even now. "Besides, the angel doctor's influence is too strong to penetrate into the Medbay."
"Souls taste disgusting, Mozza," Lostro said, a statement that made Sebas shudder. Casually talking about eating souls? At least Lostro hated it, even if she talked about it like talking about brussel sprouts or something. "But yeah, she won't let me into the medbay. I did see Bogrum's soul exit the medbay though........"
".......and If his body or soul went anywhere near the Little Miss's influence, it will absolutely explain why the orc saw dead people."
Sebas found Lostro looking up at Bogrum again. "Some of them I've met before and I can actually see their eyes without turning them to stone." It was something she was happy to say, and rightfully so if everyone you saw either wore shades to block her vision of their eyes, or her seeing them turned them pale grey and rocky a second later

That statement told Sebas everything he needed to know. Some of them she met before? Those were absolutely old Basenji Pirates. Lostro had like 0 history outside of them, so if she knew them, they're a Basenji. His eyebrow raised. Influence or not, surely nightmares to the injured or letting those at death's door see long dead Basenji ancestors didn't constitute a RAT. That was a stretch.

"As I thought, Bogrum," he said with a sigh, "Seems a stretch to accuse Lostro of being a rat because almost dead men see already dead men." he looked back to Lostro, "There are reports of fires turning into black fire during the raid. Black fire is up your alley, Lostro. Explain." Black fire was a type of demonic fire that kept burning until even the ashes were gone. The only way to put it out is through holy magic or holy water. Those fires occurred on both ships, but only SPREAD on the Canine.
Lostro was immediate in her response. "I don't know how to change fire yet."
"Was it Mozza's?"
Lostro took an aggressive stance. "Are you gonna slander my name, human?"
Sebas wasn't fazed, but his annoyance was growing at having to address them separately. Either possess her or don't. This halfway shit is annoying, Sebas thought. This was, of course, and in the moment thought. If Mozza took full control, an exorcism would kill Lostro along with Mozza. "You'll be punished if you don't answer my question, demon." he said, now towering intimidatingly over the young girl. "Know your place, plaything." This entire scene would sound so wrong out of context.
An almost feral growl escaped Lostro's lips towards Sebas before she perked up again in an instant and backed away. "ANSWER THE QUESTION, MOZZA!" Lostro exclaimed, a bit desperate and annoyed at Mozza's backtalk. "If he punishes me again for you, you're getting the silent treatment for a week."
"Er, please don't. Being suppressed is horrible." A demonic legion sigh. "No, it wasn't mine. Someone asked Baroness to do it in advance
"Someone, eh?" Sebas wasn't about to play this game of having to keep asking details
Lostro caught on to Sebas's ever-growing crankiness and wanted to appease. "Hmmmm.....The boy running the training ground on the main ship. He tributed Baroness and Baroness did it........" she thought, looking up into the skies above, "..........giving information to.........about names, magic, and battle plans. She told the minotaur to carry a shotgun. Why a shotgun?"

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

An Interesting Revelation

"Interesting. Interesting indeed." A massive stinky rotting diseased vermin had just been exposed. The attack on Bogrum was coordinated. Now it was just a question on something personal against Bogrum, or an attack on leadership. Sebas would conclude the latter. Unless Bogrum did some shit in his past, he was well-liked aboard the ship as a presence more mellow than Fergie, more easy-going than Ash, and less strict than Sebas, but by no means a slouch.

Sebas took Lostro's hand, a gesture that surprised the child so much it literally dissipated all of the darkness around, until it started leaking again. Sebas started walking with her to his office, having muttered some things to Lostro which, judging by the girl's excited reaction, was a positive thing. He stopped and left her there to walk back to his subordinate. He held a smirk on his face. "Good job with Lostro, Bogrum. She wants to see you again." The smile quickly faded and steeled itself. "Your next task is to kill the rat. Strap up, explain to Evangeline the conclusion, and tell her to get you to the main ship. I'll handle the report. He runs the training ground. Ironic. If you have any questions about your opponent, get in contact with Elaina. Take your time, but not your PRECIOUS time."

Evangeline would be found at the Bowsprit (the very tip of the front of the ship), her beautiful face, silky blond hair sun-touched to give it a deeper yellow, and beautiful-despite-scars wings billowing in the passing wind alongside her hair and garments all a presence to behold considering how far up they were in the sky. Of course, that would be betrayed the moment the bitter, battle-hardened angelic warrior opened her mouth


(Big post since these are pretty implicative scenes. The investigation is about to conclude, so I'll shrink the posts again as we wrap this thing up. It's about time to move on.)
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

"Oh, so if it didn't leave the armory, it ain't stealin'?! Aye, ain't nothin' wrong with that! Just tried to hide it from me for shits an' giggles?" The claim was absurd, and he knew it. Duradel was getting too big for his britches again, snarking at her about the gun and at any given chance. He was losing fear over the situation quickly, and she was starting to realize why.
"Guess you're nice"... damn, I really am soft, aren't I? Sebas would have wailed on him from the start. Ash would have killed his sorry ass before now. No wonder he was getting testy.
"Yer either an idiot for thinkin' that crap will fire even once, or for thinkin' I'm stupid enough to believe that sob story." The latter seemed applicable, considering her earlier blunder. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice? Forget that shit.

Finally, he was giving her something other than lip. So the Red Menace had been rooting around Andouphe before their departure? The thought of walking down the same streets as that degenerate made her sick to her stomach. If she hadn't been bandaged up to hell and back... damn, was she glad that Bogrum was clingy as hell. If Fergie was caught by surprise by that man, she could be done for.
So she had a potential lead there, but the Basenjis were due to fly for several more weeks, if not longer. Red Fox could be long gone by then, unless he was stationed there for whatever reason. Still, a lead was a lead. And of course, no telling what other crucial details Duradel was leaving out.

She didn't suspect him to be an ex-member. Hell, he wouldn't have lasted a week on a Ballast ship, with the type of shit he tried to pull under Adonis. The Commodore and her trusted officers kept a tight fleet, and there was no room for error if you were caught. A smart conman wouldn't find the risk worth it, and could do his dirty dealings with a less uptight crew. Still, he'd proven to be knowledgeable thus far, and that was all she really needed. She wasn't on a crusade to kill every Ballast member, past, present, and future. There wouldn't be enough lifetimes to get even close.

And she didn't want to kill Duradel. Just give him a piece of her mind, which he was getting a glimpse of through that fire in her eyes. "Backtalkin' to a superior officer? Good enough reason for me."

Sebas had told her to beat his ass. So finally, that's just what she did. Duradel wasn't struck with just one lightening strike of a fist, but several, and none were kind to his face. At one point her hand pulled away after a square hit on the nose, blood glistening on her knuckles. He had healing magic, right? Clearance to break a few minor bones. When she was done rearranging his face, she gripped his cloak and pushed him hard into his desk, knocking its contents all across the floor. Before he could get up from it, a boot came down on his back, pinning him there for good measure with a pressure that didn't match her gangly frame.
She crouched down, low voice at his ear, an unsettling quiet after the absolute racket she made of the armory. "Fancy yerself a comedian, Duradel?" she asked, feigned interest lacing her words with mockery. "This be some sort of bit? The wisecrackin' conman outsmarting 'is dumbass boss. Funny, innit? Sendin' me on a wild goose chase, trickin' me under me nose? Comedy gold. Folks eat that shit up." She grew more quiet, almost whispering in his ear. "But ye forgot one thing... it ain't 'cause they're rooting for you. Nah. They want to see us BOTH suffer." Fergie had to wonder if the ship divinity were looking in on the whole thing, laughing at the mortals having their silly squabbles. Lostro's demon sure seemed interested; it was a bit too coincidental for them to arrive when they did, where they did. "It's funny when ye make a fool out of me. But it's damn hilarious when ye make a fool out of yerself... and get yer comeuppance for it."

She rose up some, shifting more of her weight onto Duradel's back. "But notice I haven't laughed once. Y'know why that is?" Yanking his head up by the horns, she glared into his bruised visage. "It's 'cause I haven't even started yet." And she threw him down, painfully landing on his bloodied nose. "Backtalk me again, and ye ain't showin' yer fucked up face outside for weeks to come."


---


Bogrum thought that he might have a misunderstanding of how souls seem to work. Why would his physical state have such a say on the strength of his soul? Mind, body, and spirit were connected, he believed, but his recovery hasn't stopped him from becoming a raid captain. Though it did seem a little fast to put a new, inexperienced crewmate to such a role mere days after his rescue...
That, and Sebas's assessment about the souls in the halls made more sense, and he nodded his agreement. If they were stolen souls, that probably would have been... much more grotesque of a picture. But dead crew members killed otherwise, tied to the ship and wandering about freely otherwise? Lostro's account attested to that. It made him wonder what else he could remember if he tried going back to his "dreamless" sleep, but that was for another time.

This is... particularly fucked up, Bogrum couldn't help but think, watching Sebas make laden threats to a small child. Not to the child per se, just the demon sharing her body. But you couldn't punish one without the other. At least it was mainly Mozza causing issues, with Lostro reminding him of his place. His thoughts mirrored Sebas's here. Damn dumb luck that this all happened before she got older. It was hard enough getting kids to listen. Teens? Adults? It's why the ship's leaders were a bunch of hardasses.

Though the one causing the most issues of all? Of course it had to be Baroness. Granted, it wasn't really HER doing, so much as this rat's generous tributes, but she had no inhibitions against causing issues for the crew if there was something in it for her. He felt a bit bad thinking this way, but she's a demon, what else would anyone expect? It was bad news having her on board, giving her access to the crew as much as the leaders. He doubted this boy was getting access to Adonis's copy of the relic, so it most likely had to have been Sebas's. Maybe they needed to instill a system of checks and balances to prevent this sort of thing from happening.

It crossed his mind to say as he watched Sebas guide the girl to his office, but figured to save it for later. Lostro wanted to see him again? Huh... they hadn't said much, but maybe he left more of the impression than he thought. Good news was good news, and he'd been taught to never question a good thing (though he still wasn't very good at that).
And in better news, they had their target. A light at the end of the tunnel; Bogrum had been thrust from a week-long Stasis to save him from death, right into an intensive investigation. So good gods, did he need a drink. Or sleep in a warm bed that wasn't a magical ice cube. "I'll get on it immediately." Gladly, at that. He wasn't inclined towards bloodlust, but a desire for retribution nudged him a few inches its way. This rat was about to get exterminated. "Do you recommend I bring backup?" Translation: should he get Fergie to sic on his ass?


Whatever Sebas's response here, Bogrum would be making way to where Evangeline was balanced on the bowspit, like an ethereal figurehead. Golden feathers of six scarred wings fluttered in billowing wind, though in his mind, marks of battle did nothing to mar her beauty. A testament to wars fought, they were an honorable and beautiful thing in themselves, enhancing one's appearance in displaying such a history.

No, what undid her attractiveness was her ugly attitude towards her own subordinates.

"Miss Evangeline?" he called for her, putting on his most respectful Customer Service face. As far as she had to be concerned, the mortals on this vessel answered to her every whim, and were ignored unless she needed them for any task. Thankfully, as an angel, the assortment of whims she could impose were severely limited to "Don't disobey or I'll fuck you up" (an absolute given) and "Don't talk shit about me or anyone who matters to me" (which he could understand, but never condone, as it just reeked of an embarrassing amount of insecurity on all accounts).
As for the task of killing off rats, at least she might be thrilled to hear, "We've found our target. The boy running the training ground has been marked for death by Sebas. Lostro revealed that he tributed the Baroness to sabotage the Golden Gun raid." Speaking of Lostro, that must have been why Evangeline was standing at the furthest point away from the ship. Lostro ebbed with dark energy. He didn't know how exactly the presence of demons and angels felt to each other, if it caused them pain or just stunk something fierce in their noses. Regardless, he sympathized with her, standing at the furthest part of the bow that was safe so she wouldn't have to come much closer. "I'll be making preparations. When I'm ready, could you transport me to the main ship?"


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Duradel
Armory​

"Do your worst, Fergie," Duradel spat out blood with a chuckle. Ears and head pounding, he didn't bother struggling or trying to fight back. Attempting to defend himself is grounds for lethal force, and even if he did pull a fast one on Fergie, best case scenario was mutual death. If not immediately, then the moment they found out he killed a Raid Captain.........while he's under suspicion. Not even Elaina could convince Sebas that he wasn't a rat. So take the beating it was. "Go ahead. Beat my ass so I can tell leadership you're putting the resident armorer out of commission for something so petty." With Lostro around, he wasn't healing anything right now. "Go ahead, so you can look Sebas in the face and show him your bruised knuckles with no information to show for it."

As his beating continued, Duradel reserved himself with a defensive spell, focusing on blunt force trauma. What, you think someone how got beaten on the regular wouldn't have some form of measure to take against it? Of course he did. While the beating was brutal, it was dampened in the moment though it didn't show on his features. "I'm not the fool here, OFFICER," he spat out the word mockingly as her boot pressed into his back. He was now counting the dust bunnies he was eye level with. "Go ask Elaina and prove me right, OFFICER."

When she threw him, he chuckled again and shot blood from both his nose and his lips all over the floor. "An officer comes and beats a subordinate half to death for explaining why he carries around a crappy gun. Is it a truth? Is it a lie? Does it really MATTER which when that gun isn't an issue? Now everyone on the ship will know your little issue. Including those who took the bounty for your head." If there was anything malicious Duradel wanted to do to her, it was forcing the ship to know her issue. Once it got out that Fergie beat Duradel for his gun with the Ballast Insignia, everyone hunting her would move accordingly, and her subsequent search would be all the more difficult



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


Sebas's response? "Take Fergie with you. She's taking hella long, so she's probably beating the shit out of Duradel. Hopefully not for no reason. I'll go grab her." He looked over to the girl obediently waiting for him. "We're gonna go see Fergie again, Lostro." With that, the duo diverted their tracks and left Bogrum to his own devices, shrouded in Lostro's darkness

Evangeline
Front of The Canine​

Evangeline was agitated. The only thing she hated more than the crew of these ships were demons, and Adonis was far too trigger-happy with allowing them aboard. Especially fucking Lostrogret. Why she was allowed to exist in the first place was a testament to Adonis's hubris, and this was backed up by her sensing that one idiot got turned to stone. With her being forced to be on the ship while Lostro was out and about freely, Evangeline reserved herself to the Bowsprit to stay as far away as possible. She looked on while Sebas interacted with the girl and even dissipated the darkness for a bit. That vulgar asshole was capable of controlling that child? That in itself was dangerous. He had since lost his humanity to the Goddess Marianna. Surely she wasn't corrupting him, was she?

She purged the thought. "Forgive me Goddess for my deviant doubt. Your will I will enforce," she muttered in prayer.

The thoughts of killing Sebas along with smiting Lostro shattered when she heard Bogrum's voice, an unwelcome presence. Eh. "What do you want, Orc?" The fuck did this man want? Nothing good came out of that insubordinate bitch Fergie, including who she worked closely with.
As Bogrum explained the situation, a smile indeed crossed her face. Perhaps she stood corrected. "So we got him," Evangeline responded when he finished, "Guess that demon child is good for something besides killing her own crew. Don't know why that man didn't just tell you to report to me so I could slay him myself, but whatever. Yeah, I'll take you." Getting her away from Lostro was enough of an incentive to touch this filthy orc. Silver Linings. "Enforcer to Captain Adonis."
"Yes, Enforcer."
"[Explains the situation]"
"Aye. Sebas's request is accepted, and I want YOU to kill Baroness, Enforcer." Tribute Demon or not, harming the crew was harming the crew, and even someone as foolish as Adonis understood that. Baroness was designated a rat
Her smile turned into a complete grin. A malevolent blood-lusty grin. Ill intent seeped from her pores. "Gladly. Enforcer out."

Her smile was genuine as she looked at Bogrum. Her mood had considerably elevated. Finally a chance to KILL. The only times she were allowed to kill was either rats or attackers, so an opportunity to take on not only a rat but a DEMON rat was like allowing a bird to fly again. "You heard the man. It's time to purge."

Evangeline turned back around on the bowsprit, soaking in the wind blowing through her hair again, reserving herself from any further conversation. Everything that needed to be said was said. "Return when you're ready and not a second before."
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

The beatings will continue until morale improves

Now Fergie was laughing. Heartily, at that, a malicious cackle in Duradel's ears. "Petty? Ye think THIS is petty?!" A solid kick in the side before she placed her boot on him. "Yer lucky it ain't Sebas instead of me. Gods forbid Ash. Ye'd be in the fuckin' medbay by now, alive or dead. Count yer fuckin' blessings."

The force in her kick had been a better show of her emotions than the laugh. She was furious, red pulsing in the corners of her vision. She was beating this asshole into the ground, and he was STILL being a insubordinate piece of shit, even worse of one. Where was the respect? Where did the fear go? He was acting like a man with nothing to lose all of a sudden. Was it the anticipation of the beating he feared, but then adrenaline finally mustering him some courage?

Whatever it was, it was getting to her. His words were getting to her.
She thinks you're an idiot.
Fergie didn't grace his taunt with a verbal response, instead hoisting him onto his back so she could slap a palm against his broken nose. Go for what's already sensitive. She didn't HAVE to beat him literally within an inch of his life, just enough to make him regret his misconduct. But would it be enough? He was putting a pretty brave front. It would have impressed her, if her brain wasn't reaching the equivalent of a lit fuse teasing a stick of dynamite.

"HAH! Ye think anyone would believe you?!" She did, and the realization was starting to freak her out a bit. "My word over yer's. Raid Captain's over Armorer's. A respected officer over a sniveling, lying snake." All it took was a rumor, and rumors spread faster than lightening over the sea's surface. "I don't give a fat flyin' fuck about that goddamn gun, or the Ballasts, or even that stupid lie of yer's. Yer a disrespectful bastard, talkin' to me like that, an' if this be the only language ye understand... then I got some CHOICE WORDS for ye!" A few more punches, less brutal in their force but more so in how she targeted previous blows. She didn't want to destroy this man's body, healing magic or not. That actually would land her in trouble with the leaders, for needless brutality and resources wasted getting his beaten ass into recovery. This was a battle of wills, and Fergie fully intended on breaking his spirit.


---


Oh, lovely. One of those types. I have a name, Angel. Bogrum could only wonder why this woman was even working with mortals when she hated them so much. Indebted to Adonis in some way? He truly did feel for her, if that was the case.

As predicted, the thought of purging traitors from their ranks seemed to light her face up with some semblance of joy. Still keen on disrespecting her subordinates with that "demon child" descriptor, but she was happy. Disturbingly happy, so it happened, especially when Adonis gave the word to kill the Baroness. Hell, Bogrum himself was relieved, but seeing that look creep up her face made his own grin much more nervous than anything. Fergie could take pleasure in the pain of her enemies, but she had nothing on this vindictive angel.

He knew better than to keep her from waiting for long. She was practically salivating over her prey, a thought that struck a pang of worry for a moment at how sacrilegious it sounded in his head. Humans had a saying that went "take every thought captive" from one of their god books, which implied a degree of thought crime. After that fiasco with Fergie and the Ordination, he felt overly cautious around Evangeline. "I'll return swiftly, Enforcer."


Bogrum's first stop would be to speak with Elaina, before gathering his equipment. "Boy who runs the training grounds" hardly sounded intimidating, but maybe that was the point. He had to know he'd get caught sooner or later, and was likely planning to take anyone down with him when the time came.


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Duradel
Armory​

He was in the zone now. Even so though, that kick..........hurt. A lot. Defensive spell or not, didn't help. It was already tenderized. "You don't know shit about Sebas or Ash," Duradel spat from the kick. Bruised ribs, he quickly concluded. With Lostro on the ship, this really would put him out for quite a bit of time. "Ash didn't attack a goddamn thing until she got info. Sebas the same. Even Bogrum can stay his hand. You?" He spat again, a fire in his eyes. "Bruised knuckles and no progress. You'd have shot Orabelle without a second thought if Sebas wasn't there, wouldn't ya?"

The smack to his nose sent a painful wave crashing through his body, and actually got a visceral physical reaction in the form of him holding his nose, writhing and yelling in pain for a bit. "Were you sent here because I was the least likely to fight? Raid Captain Fergie, can't be trusted to keep situations from a fight, so she has to be put on the harmless ones, while Bogrum is trusted to talk to the strong." He scoffed, though such a move made him wince heavily as he grabbed his ribs. Still, he pressed on his verbal assault. "Cheryl and Lostro would kill you where you stood if you talked to them like that, so you're here with me, someone who can't do shit back." The tiefling spat again. More blood, and lots of it. If he couldn't heal with Lostro on this ship, he'd at least need a spell that would stow the blood loss. "Respect? They respect the RANK, not YOU, idiot. They respect Sebas's DECISION, not YOU, moron."

Something suddenly felt off to Duradel............ Lostro was outside the armory. Too bad he was busy getting his ass beaten to prepare for it

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

"It's getting interesting in there, human."
"It's SEBAS, Mozza." Lostro retorted
The duo stood outside the armory. "It's not often that I'll ever agree with Mozza, Lostro," Sebas said. If Fergie didn't notice the darkness, she was long lost in her anger.
"Did Mr. Dura make Fergie mad? Is she gonna kill Mr. Dura?" Lostro asked him. There was more curiosity than concern in her voice.
"He made her mad, but I won't let her kill him," Sebas responded, "Tell me if he starts weakening and I guess I'll intervene." Duradel knew how to push buttons. He was a conman. Speaking was his forte. Instead of learning words of power to command summoned familiars or whip people into a frenzy so they make mistakes, he instead used them for shadier purposes.

Fergie was absolutely well within her right to beat Duradel into a coma for his blatant disrespect...........but it was impossible to call him incorrect in his words. Sebas kept Fergie away from Cheryl and Lostro EXACTLY because of what she was doing now. Her sharp tongue and short temper would get herself killed. If it was an insecurity of Fergie's, Duradel had a shotgun pointed at that weak point. "She's not getting any information out of Duradel at this point, so I hope she got it before beating him into the ground."
"Your squabbles are quite entertaining." Seemed like commenting on how shitty humans are is when Mozza can be spoken to with some semblance of normality
"Drama is fun when you're not involved." He'd need to grab Fergie to send to Bogrum. Maybe waiting until Duradel was inching towards death's door wasn't the answer. Next post, he's intervening. Best to Blue Ball Fergie on her anger and let her produce a corpse that was an actual rat, not a possible rat that she couldn't prove. Let's face it, if she had enough to sincerely conclude to Sebas that Duradel was a rat, she wouldn't be beating him. She'd have put a bullet in his head and that be the end of it

Plus, he said he grab Fergie. He wasn't about to leave Evangeline waiting

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


Elaina's Advice

When Bogrum asked Elaina about his upcoming opponent, Elaina was more than happy to bestow some knowledge, as is typical of the resident nerd.

• Name: Ghauznud
• Nickname: Ghauz (Pronounced like Gauze)
• Weapons: Dual-Wield Axes; Pistol; Rifle
• Fighting Style: Rush and Crush; Ruthless Aggression
• Weakness(es): Extreme Aggression makes him prone to easy counter-attack if he's riled up
• Occupation: Priest's Assistant; Training Ground Operator
• Magic: Summoning Magic; Holy Magic
• Ability: Rage- As his anger grows and as his life weakens, he exponentially grows in strength

Description: Ghauznud is a barbarian to the core. As a priest's assistant, he is expected to be the blade where the priest is the noncombatant. As such, he is an expert combatant. He isn't allowed on raids, as his primary duty is to assist and protect the priest, not actively seek out the loss of life.

He has the ability to summon 3 wolves to his will, as well as infuse his axe with holy power. His Rage ability makes him a force to be reckoned. When fighting, it's best to take him down quickly and effectively, then burn or corrupt his corpse to prevent Holy Regeneration

"The sparring field is the Sanctified Holy Field," Elaina left him with. "It allows you to fight to the death with the field instant-reviving you once you die. Don't let him get you onto the sparring field or you'll never kill each other. So long as he's on that field, he's immortal. Keep him away from it." It was of utmost importance to get him as far away from that field as possible

With the information, Bogrum was armed with about as much pre-battle intel as he was gonna get from someone else.

WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

That smack to the nose hurt worse specifically because he decided to bring Orabelle into the whole thing. A vindictive rage that rivaled that of Evangeline lit up in her eyes, not flickering in the slightest as he writhed in pain. "I'd sooner shoot meself than hurt a child! You? Ye'd sell yer little sister, if ye had one!" Dammit, she shouldn't have let him see that got to her, but it was too late. It was a horrible accusation to make, especially from someone lacking in laurels such as Duradel. It was offensive coming out of his mouth.

It all was offensive. It all...
... It was true, wasn't it? She absolutely was here because of her temper. It was discussed during the meeting why Ietoq and Cheryl were scratched off for her, for that very reason. Not only that, Fergie herself admitted it. She admitted weakness on her part. A personal failing. She couldn't keep herself wrangled in enough to keep out of trouble, and that exact thing was the source of ALL of her troubles, wasn't it? Her past crews, the Ballasts, the stupid Ordination from that damn angel— was that why Sebas didn't want her around Lostro? Around anyone strong enough to do her in, should she slip up and get rowdy? That was embarrassing to think.
He thinks you're an embarrassment.
If Duradel could see past his pain, he could see Fergie blink pain of her own out of her eyes. She was shaking thoughts out of her head, but made it to look like a shake of disagreement. She chuckled. An unnatural sound, coming out of her. "Duradel, you are funny. Ye think I don't know that shit from the start?" Leaning in again, much too close for comfort, he was getting the perfect view of a pair of wild eyes. "I know I'm a crazy fuckin' bitch. I'm an unhinged maniac. Ye can't even conceive the fucked up shit I've done, and WILL do. To you!" A bloodied hand crept around his neck. "They didn't just send me 'ere to get info. They want ME to put the fear of God in YOU! Y'know why?" Her grip tightened. "They may only respect the rank. But they HATE you. Armorer Duradel, designated punching bag. Now THAT'S fuckin' hilarious!"

There was an unholy presence in the space now, almost indistinguishable from her dark thoughts. But if she was lucid enough to put up a show despite her rage, she was aware enough to hear familiar voices behind the armory door. The dark magic was so tangible it could be felt in the air, but the spike of dread didn't come until she recognized Sebas's voice.
Took it too far. He'll—
What would she do, actually choke Duradel out so he'll pass out and shut up? What was there to even hide? That asshole can try to say whatever he wants. He was being disrespectful, she put him in his place. Lack of info or not, she was in the right here. Right?
"Eh, shit. Time's up. Lucky for ye." Fergie lifted herself, looking at the door and away from the bloody mess she made of the place. "Get yer shades on. Lostro's lurkin' outside." She didn't wait for him to pick them up himself, acquiring the shades and tossing them onto his chest. Miraculously unharmed during the onslaught.

Fergie took initiative to exit before Sebas could enter, wiping red hands against her shirt. She hoped the sight of blood didn't freak Lostro out, but it struck her as a silly warning. She was an undead child half-possessed by a demon, what would scare her? "Hullo, Sebas." She would have extended the greeting to Lostro, but not yet. Speak when spoken to. "Sorry for takin' so long. Duradel was bein'..." she waved her hands pointedly, blood shining in the lantern light.
"Bruised knuckles, no progress."
"... Y'know. Difficult." Looking around Sebas, she asked, "Where's Bogrum at? On the trail again?"


---


Well, damn. Alright, this "boy" was an expert fighter with a mean streak and a propensity to NOT die when he's killed. Bogrum surmised he'd need all the help he could get. "Appreciate the heads up, Elaina." He also wondered why they didn't have Evangeline just one-shot the guy with her smite powers, especially if he could escape to the Holy Field, which surely a Holy being could bypass if she wanted? Well, too bad, player characters gotta do something.

As for the plan itself, he'd relay the info and discuss with Fergie, whenever she was done doing... whatever she was doing with Duradel.


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Sebas Deadeye
Armory​

Sebas quickly took in the room before him. The smell of iron was now mixing into the smell of gunpowder and oil. Tables upturned, guns painted red with blood, broken chairs. Duradel would have a hell of a lot of cleaning to do. The beaten and physically broken Duradel was choking breath into his body, escaping death to taunt another day, though he knew Duradel knew his presence couldn't be TOO sweet. With him was Lostro, and Duradel limped over to his shades before collapsing in pain, holding his broken body. Lostro went over to him and started poking him like a little boy poking a frog. Curious, like looking at a science experiment. "You survived, Mr. Dura. Maybe you shouldn't make Fergie so mad."
Duradel choked out a laugh and put his shades on before looking at the girl. "No regrets, my lass. Some leaders use authority to hide from the truth." His body was howling in agony right now, but he meant it. He meant every word.



Sebas ignored Duradel's comment. He would address that later. "Gonna assume no information on the faulty guns." he commented, confirming what Duradel said. "But no biggie. Some meat needs to be tenderized before it can be cooked." His hunch was correct though. She would've put a bullet in his head if he was exposed as a rat. With no progress on that front, it was time for him to take over. He looked to the struggling Tiefling. "Now you're speaking to me and my special guest. How quickly I get my information determines how harshly you get punished for disrespecting a superior officer........" He squatted over the downed man. "And please lie to me, Duradel. It would make my day."
"Do it, Duradel. Nothing agitates the Little Miss more than lying to who she holds dear."

From his position, he looked back to Fergie. "Fergie, you're being reassigned effective immediately. Bogrum is about to go take down a rat and Evangeline is about to go kill Baroness. You're with them." He took a look at her. She was already strapped up for the most part. "Get your shit because you're moving now."
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Fergie followed Sebas's gaze, peering into the room she made a mess out of. At seeing blood splattered literally into every crevice, furniture and equipment crumpled to pieces, she felt... something. It wasn't guilt. Many people were the type to not want to leave a space worse off than when they found it. Fergie was not that person, but it struck her, seeing the destruction she'd wrought just from a few brief minutes of violent interrogation. Exactly why they keep ye under wraps. Maybe...

Duradel's little comment to Lostro was given a scoff. Hiding from truth? How? Fergie knew what she was. "Yer a tough nut, Duradel. I'll give ye that." She did have to admire his tenacity, keeping his wits about himself during that physical onslaught out of spite, if nothing else. She couldn't imagine his disrespect was personal, as piercing his jabs had been. Regardless, as an officer, it didn't bode well having an insubordinate subordinate. Perhaps Sebas was here to instill some of that respect lacking in the man.

When Sebas addressed Fergie about the lack of information, her face softened. Looked a bit wide-eyed, even. Was it worry? Whatever it was, it was gone at the reassurance. Still, she would say, "Nah, not much. Claims the crap gear was smuggled in." Fixing a glare on Duradel, she added, "Let's hope that's the truth, for his soul's sake." Liars and rats had little distinction at this point, after all.

Sebas gave the new orders. Her face lit up. Kill a rat, and the Baroness? Finally, some good fucking news. "On it, sir." She was off, heading towards her quarters. Thanks to that lichen piece she gave Bogrum, she could tell that he was rooting around the area, probably gathering his own gear a few rooms over.


---


Bogrum jumped at the sight of Fergie. Clothes splattered with red, scent of blood heavy in the air, a nonchalant look on her face. What the hell happened? "Is that Duradel's?"
"What? Aye, obviously!" She smoothed some wrinkles out of her shirt, as if that could make her matted appearance any nicer. "Still don't think he's a rat, but he is a liar. Sold me a shit story about the guns." That I believed, because I'm a godsdamned—
"I figured there was something else to it," Bogrum said, unintentionally twisting the knife. "Good that you made sure of things, checking in with Elaina. He has a way of giving half truths."
"Er... aye." She supposed she did. Maybe that didn't mean she believed it at face value, if she cross-referenced his claims. But being unable to do it herself just stung.
"Fergie?"
She snapped out of her thoughts, seeing that Bogrum was frowning. "Eh?"
"Did it go..." He couldn't say "well", considering that she looked like she stepped out of a butcher's. "Is everything good?"
"Aye. Aye, all good." Bogrum had a certain look on his face that typically preceded additional questioning, so she quickly nipped that bud. "I'll tell ye all 'bout it later. We got rats, yeah?"
"Big time. I'll tell you all about that after you clean up."
"Egh, why? I'm gonna get all bloody again anyway."
"Fergie, you're not walking around the main ship looking like that," he told her, adopting a stern tone. "You'll scare people."
"Scare people? We're fuckin' pirates!"
"And you're a raid captain. Have higher standards."
"Fine, fine!" Anger made her own tone biting, and the door to her quarters be slammed behind her with entirely too much force. "Jesus, don't gotta talk to me like a child!"


Tensions Building

After gearing up, Bogrum explained the situation to Fergie as they made way to Evangeline. Her thrilled attitude at the prospect of putting an end to this insurrection dampened when he told her who revealed the rat.
"So Losto's demon ousted the bastard? No one else?"
"Right." He thought he detected doubt in her words, and he'd be proven right.
"Don't ye think it's a wee bit convenient?" She spun a hand as she talked. "A demon claimin' the priest's blade to be a traitor? Gettin' 'im killed and outta the way? Leavin' the priest vulnerable?"
Bogrum hadn't considered that. "Huh. That's very intuitive of you, Fergie."
"What? Surprised?" Her neck hairs stood on end. "I ain't just some mindless bulldog to sic on a target."
"Not mindless. God no." He smiled at her, teasing, "You can be one hell of a bulldog, though. I re—"
"That why ye had me sic Duradel, then?" She was fully bristling now, pupils narrowing to slits. Scratch that; she was much more a wildcat than a bulldog. "'Cause I can't be trusted with anyone who ain't a shrimp?"
"One: that's not what I was getting at." His smile was wiped clean, now that he was being put on the defense. "Two: you agreed to questioning him. What's the issue?"
"You— I—" A heavy sigh and quickening pace. "Forget it. Let's kill this jackass." A heavy hand over her shoulder stopped her. She let out a growl. "WHAT, Bogrum?"
"What's going on?"

Bogrum hadn't thought much of her earlier outburst at the door, but he was seeing a pattern now. "You were fine before you went back to grill him. What happened in there?"
She rolled her eyes. "Blood. That's what happened."
"What did he say?"
Less rolling, more glancing away. Bingo. "Not much. Why I had to beat 'im to a pulp."
"Don't lie."
They screwed shut for a second before glaring back at him. "Blatant disrespect. Tried beatin' it outta 'im."
"Did it make it worse?"
Now they widened some. "Uh... aye. Kinda."
Bogrum hummed, nudging her to turn to face him. "Remember what you told me about people being like wild animals? Corner them, and they'll lash out?"
"Aye. Common sense."
"Well, since Duradel doesn't have teeth and claws like us, he has to resort to his words." He hadn't been with the Basenjis long, but he knew how people like Duradel worked. They got MEAN. If they were good with words, they were good at using them as weapons. And Fergie... well, she had plenty physical and mental defense. Emotional? A gaping hole in the hull, if someone had enough nerve to overturn it. "That's his way of lashing out. Of trying to get his barbs into you." He couldn't pretend to know what exactly he said, and he had a feeling Fergie wasn't willing to spill. But she gave him enough hints. "You're not a raid captain because someone thought you needed to be reeled in. Brains and brawn are hard enough to come by on their own. You have both." He gave her shoulder a pat. "Don't let him take that away from you. That's just letting him have the last laugh."

A long pause on her part. Finally, "... Damn right it is." She deflated, a hand running though her hair under her hat. "Bogrum... thanks. I really needed to hear that."
Giving her a reassuring smile, he said with a nod, "Now, let's kill this jackass."
A murderous grin on her part. That's more like it. "Aye. Send 'em both straight to Hell."


An End's Beginning

Fergie and Bogrum were about to clean up the rest of these rats. But unfortunately, not without the help of a very bitchy angel.
"We're ready to board, Enforcer," he said as they reached the end of the bow. "Preparations are complete. We're ready to purge." He sent a glance towards Fergie, as if to say "Hold that tongue." She didn't need to be told twice; insulting the resident seraphim and getting your ass "ordained" with bad luck was the kind of blunder you only make once. Either because you were dead, or because someone had to rescue your idiot ass.


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Sebas Deadeye
Armory​

"Smuggled guns? The shitty guns were smuggled in? Is that the story you're going with, Duradel?" Sebas asked, an almost demonic visage coating his presence.
"Er..." he was thrown off by Sebas's anger, which spiked the moment Fergie mentioned it then took her leave. "Yes, that's what happened."
"He's telling the truth," Lostro quipped, which made Sebas smile and Lostro a headpat. She was serving as a lie detector without him even asking or expecting her to
"If Lostro detects a lie, she'll get cranky. Then I can't keep her from killing you. As you know, Lostro kind of transcends the ship's rules." In fact, the moment she wants to leave or kill everyone on this ship, it would take Dr. Laylah and Evangeline combined to stop her...........maybe. If Duradel tells so much as a white lie, she'd kill him

Spoiler: Interrogation

"Now tell me, Duradel, do you have an explanation about why the weapons given out by you were failing."
Duradel struggled to his feet and leaned on an overturned table's legs for support. His knees were shaking and weak. "Not a single gun I signed off on failed, Sebas."
"Telling the truth."
It wasn't just about the guns. There were also failed blades, which is why he said weapons instead of guns specifically. "So what you're saying is that every weapon you gave out for the Golden Gun Raid functioned well enough to not be considered defective."
"As I said, every gu-"
"Yes or no, Duradel?"
"Huh?"
"It's a yes or no question," he said. A conman's bane is a lie detector and someone who's dealt with him before.
Duradel decided to double-down. "I have the paperwork to show all the weapons I signed off on. Inspect them and they're in good condition."
"One thing I know," Sebas said, "Is that when there's a raid, you don't have time for normal protocol." No one's gonna have people wait in neat little lines when shit is hitting the fan. You chuck weapons at them and ask questions later. "Is every weapon in this armory signed off on?"
"No."
"Is every weapon on these walls signed off on as approved for battle?"
"Er.......No."
Sebas was getting more ticked off. So on these shelves were shitty weapons mixed in with good ones. "Why the fuck not?" Sebas growled
"I have a huge backlog of weapons to inspect. You try doing all this alone!"
"I understand," Sebas replied. He really did. Never would he try to deny that Duradel was hardworking at inspecting and certifying weapons. "But I want to know why weapons on the wall are NOT signed off on as approved for battle. Weapons may have been smuggled, but YOU were handing them shitty uncertified weapons!"
"No I wasn't!" The man pleaded, wanting to curl back up into a bloody ball.
"He's lying!" Lostro screamed, pointing accusingly at Duradel.
Duradel's life flashed before his eyes. "No!" he desperately exclaimed.

He didn't want to die here, and damn sure not have his soul eaten and cojoined to the Legion of Lostrogret. He had to explain himself quickly. "It's that when there's an attack, I don't have time to check over the weapon and make sure it's certified to go. I just hand them the first weapon I see of the type they ask for!"
"So you were handing them shitty uncertified weapons." Sebas repeated
"Uh..........." he sighed. "I guess so." There was no getting out of this. Every dance he tapped would make his punishment worse. "It wasn't on purpose, I swear!"
"He's telling the truth."

So that's what this was? Duradel accidentally gave out uncertified weapons in the heat of an attack. That was viable. Still definitely worth punishing, but since he wasn't a rat, it didn't need to be a bullet to the head. Sebas could easily see how he could deceive Fergie and make himself seem all clear. Smuggling just wasn't a good story for the one who has to inspect weapons. Smuggled or not, his job was to inspect and certify. If a weapon is shit, it shouldn't be on a shelf. "I won't kill you, Duradel, because your story is credible, but you will be punished and punished harshly for disrespecting a superior officer, lying to a superior officer, and for negligence that undermined our ability to raid and potentially resulted in the deaths of soldiers." Sebas honestly wanted to put a bullet in Duradel's head, because every fluid ounce of blood spilled due to a failed weapon was on Duradel's hands. However, death would be mercy.

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

Punishment for Insubordination, Perjury, and Negligence

"Lostro, I want you to curse Duradel." he said, looking at the child.
"Really?!" Her eyes grew wide at the prospect of using her magic more purposefully instead of the usual, which was accidental.
"Aye, my child," he nodded in approval. "I want you to triple his current pain level, prevent that pain from ever going down, and then sustain it." he started.
"Wait! That'll kill me! I'll d-"
"SILENCE!" Lostro/Mozza screamed. She was actually angry. Seemingly more angry than Sebas himself. "You've been bad. You will accept your punishment and reflect on your actions." With her angry, the only conclusion Sebas could draw was that she was eager to curse him so she didn't want to kill him.

Lostro held her hands out in front of her, and her dead snakes came to life the same way as when someone was being turned to stone. The more Sebas spoke, the brighter the glow in their eyes and in the eyes of Lostro herself. Flames of darkness conjured in her hand which also grew. "Stow the bleeding, immortalize him so he doesn't die or kill himself. Make healing and pain-killing impossible, even for the Doctors." The captain then turned to the insubordinate armorer. "I want every shitty weapon removed from these shelves, properly serviced and properly certified. I want this armory properly cleaned and organized. Then and only then will this curse be lifted. Only one person will be able to remove this curse before the conditions are fulfilled. I'll assign that authority to Evangeline." Curses MUST have a way to purify. To assign that ability to one specific person though took ancient demon levels of power.
"Maybe we should torment him with those whose lives were lost to his negligence?" Lostro/Mozza added. Of course the demon would seek to aid in suffering.
"Good idea. Torment his dreams with those his actions have killed. I want extreme nightmares and sleep paralysis, Lostro."
Lostro began giggling excitedly. "This curse will be the biggest I've cast yet!" she exclaimed as she brimmed with power
"Allow me to assist, Little Miss."
"I'll let you help, Mozza." The girl began full blown levitating and pulsating darkness. "I'm stepping out, Lostro." Sebas said before stepping out and shutting the door. I'll be damned if I remain through all this. That kind of power may end up killing him accidentally or inadvertently cursing him

That left Duradel at the mercy of the child, of which she had none. The child wasn't actively cruel, but she lacked the humanity to grant mercy. Even if she did, the demon possessing her didn't

Evangeline the Enforcer
Bowsprit​

As Evangeline turned around, she stifled a spit of disgust. Fergie was here. Oh, the words she wanted to say, but that would wait. There were rats to purge. Looking the duo up and down, they looked weak as hell. Well, weak to HER standards, which Baroness would kill in a second. Surely they were enough to take down the other rat. If they couldn't handle it, they didn't deserve their post as Raid Captains, and Sebas would be a fool to appoint them as such. Leadership skills meant nothing if you couldn't enforce your will by force in the face of insubordinates or, in this case, straight up traitors.

A blood-chillingly loud scream blasted over the ship and a chill ran up her spine. The amount of dark magic on this ship was off-putting, making even the angelic enforcer feel uneasy. "Sebas must've told the demon child to curse Duradel, and curse him she did. That level of dark magic should be an immediate purge." As if I have the power to kill that child anyways, she thought. If there was one thing she actually feared, it was the day she'd be told to purge Lostro as that would be her death day. "Adonis is a fool for letting that thing live." I wouldn't even desire her death if she weren't literally carrying an ancient demon, Evangeline thought

Back to the subject at hand. "Anyways. Let's purge."



.........And Purge We Will

In a flash of light, the trio were on the The Basenji, on the deck. Where The Canine was a smaller ship, sleek and quick, loaded for bear and thus having high maneuverability. On the other, The Basenji was a massive galleon, about 4x the size of The Canine. There is nothing this ship didn't have in terms of firepower. If given enough prep time, about 5x the amount the Canine needed, there wasn't a ship it couldn't obliterate, and that capability was augmented as they moved the laser cannon they captured from the Golden Guns.

Life bustled around the ship, with leadership barking out orders. With the call of rats, leadership were made privy but the crew did not. Adonis did a good job cutting off information flow between The Canine and The Basenji to keep any rats onboard from knowing about the investigation on The Canine. It was a whole new world on this ship. The layout was different, the crew was easily like 3-5x more than The Canine. While The Canine consolidated most of the raid-minded individuals and the ship bringing up the caboose consolidated most defensive efforts, The Basenji pretty much had the rest of the crew. That is to say the BULK of the Black Sea Basenjis were on this ship along with the leadership.

Some things to note is that most of the crew were walking around with pristine weapons. They also looked prim and proper. Almost like a naval crew in uniform. More for showing off than for battle. This was wholly unlike The Canine, where the crew pretty much wore what they wanted the moment they pulled away from The Basenji, and they carried their weapons on their person. Sebas made it clear that he didn't give a shit so long as they weren't actively disgusting slobs. They were the savages of the crew, for better and for worse, while these were aristocrats in comparison.

Evangeline looked around. "I prefer The Canine. As least they don't pretend to be noble," she commented. Plus the crew is smaller.
"I am now speaking to you telepathically and will do so for the remainder of the purge." Evangeline started walking off. "Go to the weapons wing. Adonis will meet you in the armory to give the kill order." If they just ran in and attacked, anyone around will attack them for obvious reasons. They needed a leader around to sanction the kill. "If you need me, it's telepathy. Try to NOT need me though."

That left the duo to their own devices
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Between Fergie and Evangeline's mutual glare was tension so thick, Bogrum was about to cut a hand between them to dispel it. It felt a little brash to appear to make light of their silent feud, as the enforcer didn't seem the joking type. His hesitance saved him from making that decision, but what would end up dispelling the tension made both he and Fergie nearly jump out of their skin.
That scream... Ear-piercing and unholy, it could have been either Lostro inciting her curse, or Duradel experiencing the effects. Serves 'im right, Fergie thought. Whether Bogrum felt the same was debatable, given how pale his face was. Even the resident demon's bane looked a bit spooked.

Both were glad to be off the Canine for the time being. Fergie was reunited with the sights and smells of the main ship. Shiny show weapons and polished brass buttons. A disconcerting lack of salty musk, in favor of... gods, what even? It smelled so clean, that hint gunpowder in her nose had to be imagined (too bad they didn't put in some of that cleaning effort in their nasty-ass crew shitters). She supposed a stopped clock was right at least twice a day, and Fergie could actually agree with Evangeline here. The illusion of a prim, proper royal military ship, only fed more into the feeling that she and her crewmates were being used as pawns in a general's game. Soldiers marching into a battle in which the spoils would mainly fill the king's coffers. That was what she had felt at times, wearing that outfit. Plus, it looked tacky as hell on her. Fancy froo-froo crap. Give her a loose shirt and slacks, not some stiff hunk of leather she can't move around in.
"I forgot how different it is here," even Bogrum said. Though in his perspective, it had only been two day's worth of time since joining the Canine, and only a week on his belt with this particular ship. The comparison was stark regardless.

After giving some instructions, Evangeline was gone. Thank whatever god she enforced the will of. "Tch. Like we'll need help from that b—"
If Evangeline's glare could burn a hole through one's soul, Bogrum's was about to ignite Fergie's in holy fire.
"— beguiling individual. What?"
"Do NOT scare me like that."
"Just sayin', she'll be busy enough dealing with Baron-ass, so she don't need us slackin' our part. Prove ourselves, aye?"
"Can you not get testy with divinity right now?" Had Fergie asked Bogrum to smack her silly over divinity slander rather than Sebas, the back of her head would have been met with a palm many times over by now. Gently, of course. A real smack from the orc would send her ragdolling off the ship, and he'd feel really bad about it.
That didn't scare off her shit-eating grin, but she at least said, "Sorry. Just pumped up. Ready to kill a bitch." Beating down Duradel riled her up. Pirate nature craved a real fight to satiate those violent tendencies now that they'd been indulged.
"Then get testy with the traitor. Might actually work in our favor in this case." When what she said settled a little more, then he was suppressing a grin. And not doing a good job of it. "Well. If all I needed to do to lift your spirits was give a little pep talk, I would have just—"
"Enough banter. Let's get to it, 'fore Adonis gives us shit." Fergie sped on ahead, head ducked down before he could get a glance at whatever look was hiding under her hat.
"Right..."


Adonis wouldn't be waiting much longer, the two arriving to the armory in a timely fashion. "Captain Adonis," Bogrum greeted, ever the formal one. Fergie figured the Basenji outfit would be better suited on him. His proper enlistment had been the day before he boarded the Canine, which was why he never got one. "We're at your command."
"We'll make quick work of that rat."


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Captain Asmund Adonis
Armory
"Just how good are Fergie and Bogrum at thinking outside the box?"​

Adonis was looking over the laser cannon they got from the Golden Gun raid, talking to the primary armorer in a language neither of the Raid Captains could understand. When they walked in, Adonis knew it was time for business. Evangeline was right in that he was foolish to let something like Baroness go unchecked. She served not to the benefit of the Basenjis. She served herself even if it meant killing the very people tributing her. Only a demon would allow tributers to kill other tributers. That isn't to act like angels were all that different from demons (afterall, the OG demons are indeed fallen angels), but the angels had more codes and laws about them. That made them more lawful evil than chaotic evil like demons, assuming their malevolence.

"Fergie, Bogrum," he greeted in return. The man stood in a red suit accented with gold. Gold shoulder tassels, a left-side shoulder cape he could over-dramatically flourish if he wanted.......or conceal a weapon on that side to a quick end to bad negotiations. Given his usual weapon (a talking shotgun-axe) was nowhere to be found, it could be assumed to be concealed. His demonic bone sabre was on his hip alongside a couple of holy relics. The man had a questionable relationship between the holy and unholy divinity found around the Basenjis, and it was easy to tell that he used them both as pawns. While Sebas lost his humanity to the Divine Holy, Adonis seemed in some perpetual neutral zone between the two. It was telling because he seemed just as neutral towards his crew. The truest of true neutral. "I trust you're prepared both physically and intellectually," the captain said, getting straight to business. They needed to move quick before the rat caught on. "This is a simple kill mission. We will go in and I will lock down the entire weapons wing."

It was a short and sweet brief. What else was there to say? There was a traitorous rat to kill. "Let's move." He stepped to the doorway out into the weapons wing hall. As the trio walked down the hall, it seemed to stretch on and on. Just how big was this hall? There were multiple weapons room. Blades. Blunt Weapons. Pistols. Rifles. Launchers. Depots for ship weapons. Stationary weapons. Ammo depots. A separate reinforced area for explosive ammo and grenades. It was a testament to how much they had as a pirate crew. As they walked, the man couldn't help but admire how far he'd gotten since he began. What was the point of all that treasure just to hoard it? It was as much a power flex as a money flex.........yet it was relics he wanted. Money was nice and needed, but relics were what he wanted most of all.

Before he knew it, they were there. There were 3 training grounds, but only 1 was open unless there was demand enough to require all 3 (like a tournament or something). Adonis opened the door to the control room. The control room overlooked the actual training fields. It itself was not privy to any of the effects produced inside on the training field. This was like a simulation control-room basically, where you can make the field into [genre-appropriately] anything you wanted it to be. The training field was absolutely massive, able to fit the entire Canine crew should they desire something like a ship-wide battle royale. The one on The Canine was much smaller, realistically able to fit like 10 and still have enough to fight. "Ghauz," Adonis said, a kind of poker face in his voice. "Here's Fergie and Bogrum, Raid Captains of our Canine ship. They were looking to recruit you as we lack a SHF user on The Canine." SHF stood for Sanctified Holy Field, the immortality field mentioned by Elaina to Bogrum.
Ghauz was sitting in a chair shining one of his one-handed axes. The man's eyes were golden, a sign of divine favor, which was what was needed to use the Sanctified Holy Field spell for their sparring sessions. A priest's assistant? The man looked like he never did anything holy in his life, yet here he was. The man had gains in god's name, that was for sure. "Ah, nice to meet you both. Heard you suffered from casualties in the Golden Gun raid." Ghauz said, looking up for a brief moment at them before looking back down to the task at hand. "An SHF will let them train how they fight. Especially with data on the Golden Guns, you can learn how to handle distance fighters like them." He said, still occupied shining his axe. Still, he at least sounded passionate about what he did for the ship

So the duo got the lead-on from Adonis. It was on them to follow his lead while planning their execution............or take matters into their own hands on the spot. Their mission was simple: Kill the rat. There were no specifics on anything else. Adonis and Sebas just wanted him dead.
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

There he was, the main froo-froo himself, with the tackiest outfit of them all. Whatever. If Adonis got a kick out of playing aristocrat, Fergie supposed it didn't matter. She wasn't particularly thrilled or loathe to see the captain in person again. At least he was to the point when it came to Bogrum and her. Little interest in making conversation with a pair several rungs down the ladder, but the feeling was mutual. Too far removed from each other to care beyond professionalism.

As they were led down the hall, room after room passed them by, each filled to the brim with weapons of each namesake. Something became very clear to them both. "We need to keep him isolated in the halls." The weaponry rooms, to keep their target from rearming. The control room, to keep from destroying sensitive equipment as collateral damage during the fight. The training grounds, for aforementioned reasons. Adonis locking down the weapons wing would take care of that for them.
"That'll make it easy to pin him," Bogrum said. "And get pinned." It wasn't like these were narrow halls, but it was more constricted than an open room or deck.
"Then we'll sandwich 'im first."
"That could leave our backs open to his wolves."
"We'll change formation then. I'm quick."
"Quicker than a wolf?"
"Wanna bet?"
"No, but I believe you." She was a whirlwind on that merchant ship raid. Her speed to his muscle proved to be an interesting combo. But they hadn't been quite back-to-back that mission, mostly co-coordinating from opposite sides of the breached ship. Here, it would be just them. Two against one to four. "If we don't finish him on the spot, I'll focus on him, and you the wolves." Bogrum had never been magically inclined enough to develop his own magical prowess, but he fought enough orcs with Berserker Rage to know how to handle it.
"Got it."

Entering the control room, they got a good look at who they were dealing with. Musclebound, divinely blessed, axes kept sharpened and polished. They had their work cut out for them with this barbarian man. Pointing out their crew's casualties felt like a haughty jab. Damn right we did, no thanks to you, treacherous bastard. Fergie tried to keep the heat out of her stare. "Trial fights 'r exactly what the crew needs. Odds are, won't be our only Golden Guns raid."
"We want to make preparations as soon as possible," Bogrum told Ghauz. "Our blades are sharpened, but we still need an expert to make sure everything in the SHF is in order."
The first part of that sentence stuck out to Fergie. An odd thing for him to specify. Blades... third room to the left.
"Did you need to retrieve anything from your quarters first? I'll lead the way. Get to know you better while we walk," he said, giving him a friendly smile. Fergie noticed the lack of crow's feet that creased in the corners of his eyes with his usual smiles.
Bogrum in the front. I in the back. Jump him when we reach Blades.

Not a fool-proof plan by any means. Bogrum would be left open for an attack from behind, though it was better the tank than the lightweight. Fergie had the fastest draw of the two, possibly out of the three. If Ghauz was worth his title, he'd be instantly alert when sandwiched between the two. It was a classic setup for an ambush. If he tried anything before they reached the Blades room, Fergie was ready for a counter-attack.

Fergie was prepared for three outcomes:

1. Walk past the Blades room, Fergie attacks from behind, Bogrum turns around to subdue Ghauz.
2. Ghauz attacks either Fergie or Bogrum. Fergie will defend herself, or hit Ghauz from behind if he attempts a hit on Bogrum.
3. Ghauz attempts to summon wolves. Fergie will attack if she catches it.

Her success rate depends on how quick Ghauz strikes, or how stealthily he can summon his wolves. With her keen eye and quick draw, Ghauz is at a disadvantage in this position. If he chooses an alternative route though, he might catch her off guard.


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Ghauznud Otes
Basenji Main Airship- Training Grounds- Control Room ---------------> Weapons Wing Hall​

"I'll be here," Adonis said, "Take the walk. I expect you all to spar when you go get whatever it is you need to get, Ghauz."
Ghauz stood and grabbed his axes, and made them disappear. "Aye. I need to go grab my rifle from my quarters. We ARE gonna need it for ranged battles. I'll take you on your offer to lead the way, Bogrum."

The trio exited into the hallway and began walking down towards the end of the weapons wing. Suddenly, both Fergie and Bogrum felt a sharp pain in their left leg. Wolves materialized right after, having bitten Bogrum's leg from the front and Fergie's from behind, then their legs started to heat up and feel like they're on fire. If they didn't release that grip, they would full blown ignite in holy fire. It was a simple stealth spell. Ash was NEVER seen without Baby Bear. Why would this man with familiars be any different? They were always there. Just cloaked. "If you're gonna set up an ambush on someone you just met, maybe don't offer to lead them to their own quarters," Ghauz said aloud while charging. While the words were directed at Bogrum, he charged Fergie and with the wolf holding her still, there was no escape.

Ghauz grabbed her arm and twisted into her body, then used his momentum to swing her around and slam her on the ground, carrying the biting wolf with her, which landed perfectly on its feet and still lodged into her leg. Her skinny and lanky body felt not even as heavy as the combined weight of his axes. He could yeet this woman down the hall, so that slam had a ton of force behind it. If Ghauz was lucky, Fergie would hit her head on the ground hard enough and the resulting daze would mess with her reaction speed. Orcs weren't exactly known for speed, so he decided on the quicker one first. Plus, she was behind him

Ghauz jumped over Fergie's downed body, putting the duo back on the same side thus breaking their flank. He could thank Bogrum's offer to lead him back to his own quarters for arousing that suspicion. Knowing information on the quarters of someone you just met for the first time will always be suspicious, especially on a ship this big.

If they wanted to end it immediately, all they needed to do was have Fergie quickdraw her gun and put a bullet in his head on the spot while they were still in the control room. Quick, efficient, leaving him unable to use magic, and familiars dispel when the master dies........but she didn't, so now they weren't leaving this place unscathed.



Hope You've Brought Your Weapons

An alarm sounded and all of the combatants vision gained a neat little red filter as the overhead lights bathed the hallway in an eye-irritating red hue

All of the doors in the weapons wing were shut and backed with a reinforced steel door in front of it and then coated with a magic barrier. Ghauz knew he had been had. "The jig is up," he muttered. While he knew that the moment he confirmed that Fergie/Bogrum were setting up an ambush, he didn't know Adonis was in on it........then he internally punched himself as he remembered how Adonis told him to take the walk. Ghauz wasn't getting out of here alive without help. Even if he killed these two, he'd either fight Adonis or he'd fight the crew probably gathered outside the Weapons Wing doors with their own weapons at the ready
"Baroness," he called into his crystal.
Clashing swords could be heard from the other end. "Busy fighting. You're on your own." Cut off.

Well...............While the moments of contemplation and attempt to contact Baroness cut into the effectiveness of the surprise attack (by giving the duo a bit of time to recover and get the wolves off their legs), he did mess with their agility by having the wolves go for their legs. Taking on 2 in this narrow hall was ideal. It meant they couldn't attack at the same time. On the flip side, it meant a flanking was certain death
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Between Bogrum fighting his battles among melee-centered skirmishers, and Fergie sailing with a pirate crew with more resources in physical prowess than magical, neither were well versed when it came to dealing with magic users, whatever the field. Ash and her Mama Bear were just one pair, their knowledge of Summoners limited to one example. However, circumstances weren't kind to the ignorant.

Bogrum startled at the pinpricks in his ankle, while Fergie made a gnarled sound of significantly more distress when she felt knives bury into hers. Of bloody course, why wouldn't Ghauz have his personal bodyguards deployed at all times after committing treason? Forget ignorant, they both felt incredibly stupid.
"Fergie!"
Pinned by the wolf, all she could do was reach to pull out her shortsword, but too late to attack. A clasp on her wrist, her arm was twisted painfully, then she was thrown to the floor with a force that knocked the wind well out of her. Bruised ribs, for sure. At least she'd been alert enough to keep her head from slamming down, so she saw Ghauz quickly leap over her and retreat down the hall.

She also heard a yelp from behind when Bogrum swung his axe into the spine of the wolf tearing at his leg, followed by a cry from him. "Why didn't you shoot him?"
Shoot him?? When the fuck did he say to do that?! "When?! Where?!" The wolf on Fergie's leg got a solid kick between the eyes from her free boot, and several more until it finally let go. Dear Nature, was her pants leg on fire?? Almost, had she hesitated in her counter-attack for a second. It was smoldering at the bite marks, and the wolf was ready to lunge for another go. She flipped onto her back, legs pulling in.
Before she could plunge her sword into its chest or slash its face, Bogrum swung a kick into its side, sending it flying against the wall. "I thought you were—"
"When did I say—?!" No time to bicker over it, their target was getting away. Fergie pushed to her feet, adrenaline trumping the bite and burn mark on her leg, and sprung into a sprint after Ghauz. "You take the other two!"
"That's NOT what we agreed to!" Despite that, he'd keep the wolves from following her easily, swinging at the one he could see. He was only one person though, and he couldn't stop Fergie from exposing her back. "Last one's still cloaked!"

She didn't think it mattered. Bogrum wanted her to shoot the guy. All it took was one shot, and the wolves would dissipate anyway. They wouldn't even have to worry about burning his corpse to keep him from healing. Had that been what Bogrum wanted? Should she had shot him the moment they stepped into that control room?
Not what we agreed to.
Ghauz was down the hall, talking into something. Back turned. Fergie pulled out her pistol, aiming for his head, and fired.


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Results

The axe swing on the wolf
The wolf keeled over dead the moment Bogrum's crushing strength blasted the axe into its spine. After pooling in its own blood for a little, it dissipated.


The kick on the second wolf
The wolf was slammed into the wall by the kick. Maybe injured, maybe bruised, but still up to fight. It would take a lot more than that to take down one of these

Fergie's Gunshot on Ghauz
It didn't hit Ghauz. The bullet stopped midway, but the blood spatter was unmistakable. It hit the 3rd wolf, which jumped in order to block the bullet, taking it to the stomach. Of course the body guards would guard his body. The wolf hit the ground and then quickly got up, growling. Between attacking Fergie and keeping the master out of danger, it chose to take the hit instead

Ghauznud Otes
Weapons Wing Hallway​

Ghauz had no intention of running far. He couldn't if he wanted to. It gave enough distance to where Fergie wouldn't catch up without him making his own move. Plus, with the 3rd wolf between Ghauz and Fergie, she had another obstacle. The man summoned his axes and threw them both one after the other, both alight with holy fire. They spun like buzzsaws shot from a ship weapon by the man's cannon-esque arm strength. They whistled a deadly tune as they travelled down the hall, not even looking for a target, but ready to indiscriminately cut down everything in its path. They'd be immediately cleaved in 2 from the waist up if they took that hit. Fergie lacked the strength to block that without a heavy shield. Bogrum could block with a shield or a blade, or if he had strong armor. If he blocked with armor though, it would absolutely cut deeply into said armor and he'd be sacrificing some blood to stop it. In this narrow corridor, all dodge options were relegated to either kissing a wall or kissing the floor

Ghauz expected Fergie to dodge it, so he quickly cast a spell. After the first one he threw, the second axe stopped when it made it between Fergie and Bogrum, still spinning vertically in place in the dead middle of the hall. It effectively cut them off from each other. While Fergie's skinny body could get pass quite easily without getting cut, Bogrum's much bigger body made it impractical to get through. His only way was to hug the wall hard and shimmy pass it, something no one who wanted to live ever had time for in the middle of a fight

It also presented another danger: A double flank. With both Fergie and Bogrum facing down their own respective wolf enemy, that axe was spinning. If Ghauz could stop it in place, he could continue its path forward...........or recall it back. That made it a danger to both of them should they turn their back to it

Their way out was simple: Get the axe to stop spinning. Easily done if one could overwhelm it by either blade, shield, or body to get it to slow and then stop. With it engulfed in holy flame, touching that thing bare handed was out of the question. It was a game of flank chess, and while they thought they had the upper hand about a minute ago, they were fast moving into checkmate

Ghauz's weakness? He was unarmed. Both of his axes were out of his hands, and while the second was still in commission, how he could use the first depended on how Bogrum handled Ghauz's first axe throw. Until then, he had no way to block someone good with a short blade. That, and he was 1 wolf short now

WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Blood sprayed halfway between her and her target, manifesting fur matted with red. Fergie was staring into the snarling maw of the beast who wasted her shot. "Found it!"
"No shit!"
Her sword was primed to strike the wolf, but a flash of white from up the corridor caught her eye. "Duck!"
Fergie didn't, opting to hug the wall, while Bogrum dropped to the ground, feeling the heat of the whizzing axe as it spun past. When the second came, Fergie easily circumvented it, keeping on her feet so she could counter her wolf's next attack. When Bogrum looked up, he saw the second one spinning in place, effectively separating them. Just like he had feared, they were the pinned ones now.

Knocking this axe out of the air could be done with his own, at the expense of it taking damage. But he quickly came up with a better solution. His free hand reached for the wolf in his range. Aiming for the scruff, but not caring if it lunged first and he had to take teeth to his bare skin, he grabbed the wolf and slung it in the way of the axe. And he wouldn't let go, looking down the other end of the corridor to check the status of the first thrown axe. If it was flying back right this second, and only right this second, it would lodge into the wolf first. Knocking that second axe was sure to have done some serious damage, if not land a kill shot, so the wolf in his grip didn't have long before dispelling. So if it came later, his axe would have to do in deflecting it.
Whatever the outcome, Bogrum was prepared to warn Fergie if she was in danger of getting sliced from behind.

As for Fergie, she took a swing at her wolf, crouching and swiping her blade at its legs. If she landed a crippling hit, she'd leave it and speed after Ghauz. This wolf had made the mistake of attacking her left leg, the already fucky one. Being imbued with Earth magic made her prosthetic weak to fire of all kinds, so there was sure to be some damage to contend with after this fight. But the pain was so minute, it wouldn't stop her from sprinting full speed down the corridor. Ghauz was unarmed, vulnerable, and practically begging for a sword to plunge into his chest cavity.
However, if the wolf dodged, she was stuck dealing with it. Her claim that she could outrun a wolf hardly mattered if she met Ghauz, had to dodge an axe if it returned, then deal with both an armed Ghauz and a wolf from behind. So she'd either:

1. Go after Ghauz if her attack cripples the wolf.
2. Continue fighting the wolf if it doesn't.

Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Results​

Bogrum using the wolf to thwart the axe

The orc's action succeeded in killing the wolf, taking a deep bite in his arm as a tradeoff for his efforts. However, the first axe came flying back and Bogrum was forced to block the first axe with the wolf's body. The deflection dropped the first axe on the ground, still engulfed in holy fire, but otherwise harmless and unmoving. Bogrum being forced to move to the first axe though meant he didn't put enough into stopping the second axe so it was still spinning.

Fergie's attack on the 3rd wolf

The attack succeeded as well, crippling the wolf's legs and preventing it from giving chase. However..........

Ghauznud Otes
Weapons Wing Hallway​

"Reposition." With a snap of his fingers, Fergie's wolf was back between her and Ghauz. Still crippled as shown by its shaky front legs, but the bleeding stopped. "Shit's about to go down," the man smirked and started to spark. Magic built up in his hands. "Arc Lightning." White Lightning erupted from his hand, striking the wolf, then arcing to Fergie, which arced to the spinning second axe, which arced to Bogrum. With this corridor and the nature of arc lightning as a spell in most iterations of the move, dodging was an impossibility

• The wolf was immune, as most familiars are when it comes to their master's spells.
• Fergie, due to her Earth Magic affinity, was affected and shocked, but it was a manageable pain. It dulled the damage quite a bit
• Bogrum didn't have such luxury. His only catharsis came in the from of the fact that he was 4th to be struck instead of the first, which meant the hit he took wasn't as strong. Still, it electrified Bogrum down to his bones

"Oh baby that's not all. This activates the Ord of Judgement my boys put on you when they bit you." Fergie's bitten leg erupted in white-hot flames, as well as Bogrum's bitten arm and his bitten leg. It didn't spread across their bodies, and while that is a positive, it meant the flames were focused. Their bitten limbs at this point should feel ignited from the inside. Even Fergie's prosthetic. While Earth dampened electricity, it certainly burned in fire. The wolves, while an offensive presence in themselves, weren't the main course. If anything, they served as tenderizers for when they'd need to face Ghauz.


He laughed while the duo continued to burn. "Got some water? Magic? Better hurry up!" he taunted.



An Enforcer Appears

Out of nowhere, after about 5 seconds of burning, their flames extinguished. The Enforcer stepped down from the floor above into their field of battle behind Bogrum. She was holding Baroness's severed head and there was a righteous fire in her eyes. "You two," Evangeline began, "I won't be getting in the way of your battle, but enforcers will enforce," she said with a steeled voice. "Ghauznud Otes, for your crimes of aiding and abetting a demon, you are hereby stripped of your Divine Favor, Holy Magic, and any other magic given to you by a holy god."

Immediately the final wolf disappeared, the second axe stopped spinning and clattered to the ground, and both axes ceased to be coated in holy fire, making them both able to be picked up and used. "WHAT?!" he growled, "On whose authority are you acting?! Laylah is my Guardian, not you!"
"You should know what Enforcer Angels are able to do." It was to.........well ENFORCE the rules. Guardianship didn't matter if you're breaking divinity law, and who do you think are called on to punish heretics? The woman held up Baroness's severed head with a twisted smile on her face. The head was still dripping with demon blood, Baroness's beautiful and alluring face contorted in agony. Clearly the sight of demon gore brought out Evangeline's true nature. It wouldn't surprise Ghauz if Evangeline got off to this killing tonight. "I would say you're about to meet Baroness, but she's been eradicated. You won't even meet her where you're going." With a haughty condescending laugh, Evangeline disappeared.

Ghauz was shaken. He hadn't expected that bitch to come in and dispel his magic at the snap of a finger. He was close. He could've killed them. When they killed the 2nd wolf, the last one standing was set to activate Last of the Pack. The burning would've crippled them too much to fight. He would've won before they even struck at him with a blade for the first time. SHF gone, healing magic gone, Rage gone, Arc Lightning gone, his wolves gone, ALL of his Holy Magic gone. All he had left was his ability to spin and recall his axes, though he couldn't summon and unsummon them anymore.

Wait.........that's all he needed. It wasn't like these 2 were healed. They were still injured and he wasn't. He had this.

In all this, from the MOMENT Evangeline appeared to right now, he was wide open and shellshocked. About a good 60 seconds or so total for them to gather themselves and act. If they squandered this, they weren't getting another chance. And all this, because he broke the laws he swore himself to

WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

No Plan Survives First Contact With the Enemy


Fergie screeched to a halt when the wolf reappeared before her. No sense in trying to leap over a creature that could easily snatch her out of the air, and it ended up saving her skin for another reason. All she heard was "Arc Lightening", and could only think, Oh shit. Electricity pulsated through her, centered in her prosthetic but still turning her world into static. She didn't know if she screamed or Bogrum did, but when the onslaught ceased and she looked behind her, he was on his knees. Though still visibly shaking, he was able to force himself up, likewise checking to make sure Fergie hadn't been burned into cinders. She wasn't, yet, but with Ghauz's next spell, she was about to be.

At the sight of her leg bursting into white flames, Fergie knew for a fact she cried out in alarm. "Nonononono—!" Stop Drop and Roll? Just to get mauled to death by the wolf baring its fangs right in front of her? Bogrum at least tried to beat the flames away, but it wasn't going anywhere. An Ordination couldn't just be patted away or smothered. Their only chance was a cure or to dispel the magic, which neither had the ability to.

Bogrum and Fergie had their respective small successes in this botched fight. But they meant nothing when knocked down by every curve ball Ghauz was throwing. They were seriously outmatched against this heavy magic user. Was it a leadership's error to enlist a magicless orc and a light-magic elflin to kill off such a foe? Or was it the accumulation of the duo's little mistakes that added up into their approaching defeat? Maybe both, maybe neither. They were hardly in a position to wonder, when holy fire was cauterizing their limbs.


"God's Favor"? Like we owe him shit!


If someone told Fergie that Evangeline's arrival could bring anything good, she'd say, "Aye, an' I gots two meat legs." But after her sudden manifestation into the hall, her presence extinguishing the flames... still brought nothing good. So much for not needing the Enforcer's help in this fight. Not even her assurance that the battle was still theirs could quell Fergie's humiliation.

Bogrum, however, with a much more grateful attitude, realized more quickly that Evangeline had extinguished the flames engulfing the axes as well. Not knowing the extent of Ghauz's magic beyond his now lost Holy spells, but knowing that it was better to keep the enemy's armament secured in whatever fashion, he tried to pick up both of the axes in his large hand. Bitten and burnt, any contact stung worse than salt on a fresh wound.

Fergie took a few seconds longer to gather her bearings, the sight of Baroness's bloody head striking her in a certain way. Definitely not remorse, though not particularly glee either. She honestly hadn't cared who got killed in the battle between divinity, until the realization that Evangeline's interference had saved them from a likely similar fate. She pictured Ghauz cleaving off hers and Bogrum's heads, holding them up for Adonis and the Basenji crew to see so he wouldn't be deemed a wimp when his eventual demise came. She pictured Sebas seeing that. Orabelle seeing that.
No. FUCK no.
Ghauz looked angry. Stunned. The weight of his actions and the subsequent consequences settling on his shoulders. Sebas had told her that if you messed with demons, angel stuff killed you, and vice versa. She couldn't have been given a better example of such. He had his edge, and completely squandered it. Now was her chance.

Her bruises and burns were forgotten. One boot in front of the other became a full sprint. Her view of the hall became a shrinking tunnel, centered on Ghauz. She was getting closer, the gaps in his armor visible. Her sword raised, poised to meet those gaps. Then...


A resounding crack. A thud against the floor. Fergie crumpled in a heap, sword clattering just a yard from Ghauz's feet. Turns out that wolf made the right move after all, going for her left leg, since the Holy fire had burnt it down to the wood. After the additional strain of running, her prosthetic had snapped in two.
Shit.
Looking up into Ghauz's once-golden eyes, he was sure to see fear spark in her own.
Shit!
He... looked much more intimidating from this position. But like hell she was going to let that stop her.
A hiss spit through her teeth, daring him to lunge forward to grab her sword before she could crawl over to reclaim it. She could still fight, she could still send this bastard to hell! She just had to get that sword. She had to finish this.

"Don't move!" An axe whizzed through the air towards them. Instead of one of Ghauz's, it was Bogrum's considerably larger axe, and it was coming directly for his torso.


Kylesar1