Fantasy ▽Journey to Lost city of Vesi▽ [clsd]

[Juju]

ZephrielInteraction: Nobody_314 bonesbo​

"R-right.." Zeph said, watching as Flynyas cast some frost spell on Beaux's arm. The wait was agonizing, but in the end she was grateful for it. If the flesh was frozen it would not bleed out, nor would the gore soak into her hands and the floor. As much as she hated to admit it, the sound of Flynyas talking also made her feel much calmer.

"Thank you." She said, looking at the frosted arm. It would be much easier now, that is if she didn't look at Beaux and remember she was about to cut off her crew mate's arm."No sense delaying any longer..." she murmured. Steeling her nerves, Zephriel brought the humming blade downwards, pressing it against the frozen flesh.

During the procedure Zephriel had been in a daze, detaching her thoughts and actions as if she was no more than a watcher. When it was over, that was a different story. The mangled arm still lay on the table, detached and lifeless. Zeph had surprised herself for not having gagged during the amputation, but now that she saw the limb she felt the bile rise in her throat. She turned around while Flynyas mended the stump, searching the workshop for an oil rag. She wrapped it around the arm, concealing it from sight and touch.

Zeph shook her head the suggestion of writing a note, "No need, I have decided to wait for him to wake up. He will have questions and need assurances," She paused, looking away from Flynyas, "I do not think I shall sleep much if I tried to return to my chambers. There are notes to be made and my records are dreadfully long overdue... I see that now is as good a time as any..."

Zephriel bid Flynyas goodnight and turned back to the unconscious Beaux. The mechanical white-noise of the workshop swelled in the absence of conversation. She didn't plan on spending any more time in here than she needed to, so she decided to follow Flynyas's advice and move Beaux somewhere more comfortable. Before this, she picked up the severed arm and carried it to the upper deck, disposing it into the ocean so it may return to the watery hell it belong in. When that was done she made her way back to the workshop and carefully moved Beaux from the table. The Infinity Tomb glided to her hip, perching itself on an ornate chain that formed around her waist.

She wrapped her arms under Beaux's shoulders and dragged him backwards out of the workshop. He was a lot heavier than he looked, and stronger too, something much more evident without his shirt. Of course, that was to be expected of someone in this line of profession. Once more she felt a thread of guilt that he had lost the arm, even if it was not directly her fault. Wasn't it? It certainly didn't feel that way.

The stairs were the worst part but after a few breaks in between flights she managed to end up back at the living quarters. Her legs were shaking unsteadily by the time she made it to the room and a sheen of sweat glinted on her brow. She found Beaux's room and entered. Strangely, she had never seen him in this room, and judging by how neat it looked, he likely did not use it. No matter. Zephriel lowered him onto the bed then collapsed on the floor beside it.

"Why did the medic have to be a gnomish creature..." she panted. The image of Magen helping her crossed her thoughts only once, before she stopped herself.

She sat there until she could feel some strength return then stood up only long enough to find an actual chair. Here she sat, watching Beaux for a time. After it became apparent he was not waking up anytime soon, Zephriel opened her Infinity Tomb and began to record everything that had happened since her awakening in Infinite. It was difficult to remain impartial, and more than once she felt tears well from the terror and grief, but she forced herself to finish before the details dulled with time. Once they were on paper she could close the pages, as if locking away the memories between gilded covers forever. A tomb indeed.

 

[bonesbo]

TIME CHECK: Day 130
Time: hour: 5:02. (30 hour days. White sun sets at 16 (rises at 4), while red sun remains constant.)
Location: Southern Escainian Reef
Destination: Outer port of the Escainian Reefs : Port of Rowrood.
Weather: Misty, still, temperate. Very very blue waters out-bluing the grey sky atm

BEAUX & JOD

A very acute, focused sunbeam shone through the window, directly to Beaux's face. With a stiff groan, he began to shift. His face scrunched and attempting to turn away from the literally blinding spotlight. He made a noise similar to a hiss, unable to open his eyes. He attempted to raise his hand to his eyes, only causing pain to shoot through his entire upper torso. The pain jolted him awake, and rather he jerked enough and shifted enough to fall from his cot, landing on the floor with a hefty thump, awakening Zephriel if she was not yet awake.

Beaux lain on the floor for a moment, his good arm still draped over the cot as he remained face down and still. He muttered some unintelligible words, muffled from how he was turned. Beaux slowly adjusted himself until he was sitting against the wall. His eyes eventually blinked open and adjusted to the light, his slit pupils thin. He looked around the room and examined his surroundings, hesitating over the port window, then on Zephriel. His expression was hard to read, it was mostly blank, and some of the scarring across his face perhaps distorted how he furrowed his brow.

The silence of the room was filled with the rumbles and whistles and clicks of the steam engine in the background, soft and muted but still there. The quiet was broken as Beaux sharply inhaled, his right hand shooting to his left shoulder as he apparently tried to move his amputated stump and causing a bullet of pain once more. He began to examine his arm, gently feeling over the patchy, scarred skin of his upper arm and looking over the bandaging of his stump, trying to pull and scratch at it slightly. By now, there was some scabbing formed through the gauze, as the wound had been bleeding slightly.

His gaze returned to Zephriel, he muttered something too softly to hear at first, his voice hoarse. He cleared his throat and tried again upon seeing Zephriel's reaction. However, his words were not any less distinguishable than they were before. To Zephriel, they sounded similar to what she heard before he passed out. "Beehg' tuelo•tu`y hev'aag'et' jeetu`e•rt' " His inflection at the end perhaps signaled a question. [ ' to signal tongue tip clicks and • to signal throat clicks, ` to show middle tongue clicks. of sorts, more of less.]

Beaux waited. He leaned forward and repeated the "question"? with more force and deliberate sounds. His tone grew agitated and more panicked the third time he spoke the sentence, this time gesturing to Zephriel, then his arm. " Tee'olvu• tegc`kaaeu' kee'tloeu'ab aage•k`tue'tk` ! " It was obvious this was in panic, his eyes wide. " Ee•tu`bu`teou'k ? " He squeaked out.

Other than the instilled panic in Beaux's room, the ship was quiet. The winds and currents had taken the ship far during the night, as before they were fighting a current on former Captain Blumenthal's command, but now they were following it along the edges of the reef. True, it would've been faster to pass through the Reef, but the water is dangerously shallow and filled with too many organisms for such a large exploration and research ship to pass through safely. So, they passed around the bottom edge of the reef to head to Port Rowrood along the long outer island of the reef.

The skies were still, so the sails were down, but the large paddle at the back of the ship slowly chugged along, disturbing the glass surface around them. Land could have easily been seen on either side of them, if not for the thick, impenetrable mist surrounding them as a constant. There were a few smaller fishing boats around as well, sitting as porcelain figures on the glass shelf framed by the early fogged white light of the morning.

After the much-needed rest, the Crew would wake up to clean, fresh air and comfort of a bedding place. Their minds and stomachs given time to digest the events of recent. Little did they know that ripples beneath the surface were being caused by things greater than the ship; that sweeps through the misty sky were beyond their perception.

Juju Nobody_314 TheCrowKing sheppard Caligena

 

[sheppard]

Nostarion

After distributing the food they made, Nostarion spent the night up in the crow's nest, unsure of any other resting place that would be okay for them to sleep in. They awoke naturally with the dim sun on their face. This morning was hotter than they were normally used to, so some of the clothing layers they had slept in was shed after stretching.
They poofed down to the deck and wandered around with a soft sea shanty in their mind. It didn't appear anyone was awake yet, which was understandable. The crew had a rough while and it was still early in the morning. They went up to the helm and did some routine checks over the engine controls, steering and navigation software, power sourcing, and all other sorts of technical needs that would become routine for them. This ship was incredible and they barely understood all of the layers and depth that had gone into creating this, but thankfully they had time to scratch through the surface and analyze everything and their functions.

About an hour or so after those checks, Nostarion poofed their way into the kitchen. Some had come in the night to snack on the left overs, which was good. They looked down the hall as some voices arose from one of the rooms, but nothing came immediately. With some quick thought, Nostarion took a packet of dried berries and snacked on those while they began to think of a formal address to talk to everyone on the ship. Hopefully, everyone would be in a better mood to receive and understand where Nostarion came from; they think they all got off on the wrong foot, so maybe they could clear things up before they got to the port.​

 

[TheCrowKing]

Anziium
​

An unanticipated soaking seemed to have been just the thing to ease Anziium’s riled mind. It worked wonders for his distrubed thoughts and tensed body to the point that whatever oddity of a dream he had awoken from was now nothing more than just that. What conversation he had shared with Beaux was also shifted to the backburner of his mind as the warm waters lapped at his exposed flesh. He’d remain within the bathwater until his exhaustion would finally rear its ugly head once more, he nearly drifting away in the damned tub at some point. Once he came to realize sleep might once again be possible, hopefully without any interference, he dredged himself of the cooling bath and guided himself back to his quarters. Any indication that he had ever left the room that night were the half-dry footprints leading from the washrooms. He hadn’t heard the commotion surrounding Beaux, Zephriel, and Flynyas. Not a single peep of it. He was finally asleep, out like a light, one that didn’t have even the slightest hint of any more dreams.

Early morning would come to envelop Mercury and her occupants with the first lights of a new day, the white sun’s emergence banishing the lingering chill of Infinite’s memory. While not all original members of the crew were aboard to bear witness to the beginning of a new day, it would serve as a reminder to the remainder of the crew that they were fortunate to see it over the rot and ruin that had sunk within the watery depths. With the majority of the crew having sustained injuries and bogged down with exhaustion, the ship’s many levels were barren of activity. It was silent through the halls, each member’s door shut firmly as to rest from their narrow escape from the dreaded island. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched to assume that the mass majority of them would remain that way for a good portion of the day, or at least take that time for themselves to grieve or mull over the happenings. At least, that’s what the young diplomat had intended to do. Alas, it didn’t appear it would turn out such a way.

A wet smack across the face startled him from his slumber, his features contorting into one of absolute irritation at the disturbance. He’d dismiss it though, further clutching at the pillow he’d moved to the far end of the bed so he could at least sleep on the clean end of the linens. And it happened again, the gentle slap across the cheek. Brows knotting, he finally sat up to address the issue, cracking open a bleary eye, squinting against the sunlight that filtered within his room. There, nestled against the crook of his neck had been the slimeball of a familiar, the creature rolling about in its sleep, tail flopping about against Anziium’s side. From an easy assumption, the flopping about of Biel’s tail had been the culprit of what had awoken him.

Exhaling softly, the tiefling accepted this as a sign that he ought to remain awake and start the day, whatever that might entail. Eyes finally adjusted to the morning sun, he brought himself into a cross-legged position upon the bedding, taking a glance about the quiet bedroom. It was funny, really. It was nearly as barren as the day he had hauled his duffel bag and half-sodden self into the room. Being a bit of a procrastinator on daily tasks, he hadn’t really ever unpacked any more than a few items, those of which lie in the drawers of the small corner desk. Everything including his clothes, texts, and personal items remained in the bag, left for however many months the crew lie victim to the woes of Infinite. A flicker of a horrid thought passed his mind, one that whispered to him how much easier it would have been to clean his room of his belongings if he had been one of those left to sink beneath the sea. It would have been as little a burden as possible compared to what might lie in Magen or Blumenthal’s quarters.

Stepping away from those dark thoughts, Anziium carefully removed himself from the bedding, as not to disturb the wriggly familiar that nestled in its comfort. He’d find himself drawn to said bag, rummaging around its contents until he managed to pull free a few things: A ‘fresh’ set of clothes, a singular bottle of scented oil, and a crudely carved sheep figurine. In no time, he’d managed to dress himself, lightly flicking a small quantity of the oil upon the clothing, as to rid it of the musty scent it had gathered during their absence. A soft-bristled brush would gently make its way through his hair, as not to catch the bandaging along his neck, brushing the ankle-length black silk until it was rid of any and all knots. Ushering another sigh as he gazed at his tired features, his attention was brought to the pink-tinted water in the basin beneath the personal mirror. “Right...that..” He murmured to himself, placing the brush atop the nearest flat surface to step away to open the window just the slightest. The soiled water would be carefully poured into the sea, he watching any rogue droplets, as not to splatter himself. His closet would be opened, the dirtied sheets that sat upon his bed carefully extracted from under the slumbering creature, and then tossed inside.

Once the lodging was rid of the evidence of the night before, Anziium stopped for a moment to press his ear against the bedroom door, listening for any sign of life within the hallway. A moment of concentration told him that there wasn’t anyone awake just yet. Just to make certain, he slowly turned the knob of the door to poke his head out, glancing down towards the remainder of the right side of the hallway. A half-step into the corridor to peer down the left end would prove fruitless, void of any of the other occupants. Although, as he backstepped to shut the-. door once again, his foot would connect with the plate left next to the door frame.

A bit startled at the sound of plate scraping against wooden flooring, he jumped a bit before realizing what had happened. The male’s head would cock as he stooped to retrieve the plate of soggy pancakes, a brow rising at the oddity. It was obvious that they were from hours ago, the cakey food having soaked up the syrup until they began to fall apart. His mind would mull over the image of the plate, uncertain as to who had gone out of their way to cook in their exhausted state. Perhaps Beaux had done so after his spat with Zephriel? Maybe that was how he managed to hear him, Beaux nearby to deliver them when he noticed the noise from the corridor. Considering it made the most sense, that’s who Anziium figured had brought the food, he felt just the tiniest bit guilty that they had ruined. Biting at the interior of his cheek, the tiefling decided it might be better to just get rid of them before he saw his effort was wasted.

Decidedly taking it upon himself to return the dish to the kitchen --and actually finding something to eat--, Anziium softly shut the door behind him as he made his way down the corridor. His bare feet would pad silently across the floor as he passed the rooms of his associate’s, making it to the kitchen before he bothered anyone. Seeing as there wasn’t any commotion in the living quarters, Anzi didn’t exactly expect Nostarion to be sitting at the community table. If he wasn’t as awake as he were now, he might have actually dropped the plate in his hand. Instead, he froze, debating on whether or not he should even address the stranger or turn back to his room and return the plate later. Eventually, after a silent moment, he decided upon continuing his task, emptying the plate and setting it aside before crossing the room to the pantry.

 

[sheppard]

Nostarion

Nostarion at first didn't notice Anziium enter the kitchen due to his silence. Only when he started moving around in their immediate vision did they look up. They brushed the end of their quill across their chin as they watched Anziium for the moment, perhaps waiting for him to speak. They rolled the edge of the parchment up a little, so he wouldn't be able to see their writing, though it was obvious that they were writing, as the set up with parchment and quill and ink gave it away. However, perhaps their native tongue wasn't legible to the tielfing.
"I apologize about my hastiness last night. I didn't think through enough about how the lot of you would respond after an arduous task to a new creature as I..." They gave a soft chuckle. While sitting at the table, their legs hung about a foot from the ground at the tall chair, and they swung in rhythm as if an unheard melody passed through their head.

"You look better. Cl-cleaner, I mean. Well rested. I don't believe I caught your name last we talked." Nostarion hopped down from the tall chair and stood within Anziium's path, but not in the way. "I'm Nostarion. I'm here to guide you on your great quest." They gave a small smile, watching Anziium with bright eyes.​

 

[TheCrowKing]

Anziium​

It didn't appear as though their presence was about to put an end to their trek to the pantry, Anziium very much so going out of their way to ignore the shorter individual at the table. I suppose the fact that they’re still here answers the question as to whether Beaux murdered them last night or not. Hopefully, they'll take the hint and leave me be. Reaching for the handle of the food storage closet, the tiefling would roll their eyes a bit as it became clear he wouldn't be leaving the room without some sort of conversation. Choosing not to speak up immediately, he scanned the remaining food goods upon the shelving units, nothing particularly sounding appetizing; But, considering he hadn't eaten real food in months, he couldn’t be too picky, now could he?

After several moments of intently reading labels, he selected a jar of preserved fruits, very much so aware this Nostarion person had relocated to stand behind him. During the duration of his ‘important’ task, Anziium had nonchalantly shifted as to keep the individual in the corner of his vision, feeling particularly uneasy with the idea of strangers too close yet outside of his sight. Eventually though, as he couldn’t remain in the pantry forever, the tiefling finally turned to address them, just the faintest bit of irritation in a subtle flick of his barbed tail.

Exhaling a pent up sigh as they turned to face the inevitable conversation, his expression switched gears from irritation to puzzlement. Apparently, their exchange last night didn’t appear to have stuck with Nostarion, they were standing there in eager wait for him to finally speak. A bit caught off guard, he stood there a breath longer than he should have, not particularly understanding how they could be that friendly given he’d made it clear last night he was in no mood.

Stepping around them in search of a can opener or something of the sort amongst the drawers, he cleared his throat. “That’s because I didn’t choose to give it. I was rather busy conveying how ridiculous your pestering had been, given our circumstance.” His tone wasn’t hostile, but much softer than it was last night. Maybe he regret how harsh his words came across or maybe he was just focused on opening the can. “It’s Anziium, though….my name.”

 

[sheppard]

Nostarion
​

Nostarion's ears flattened downwards, giving inflection as would a dog's. They stepped aside and let Anziium pass through, grabbing their silken cloak and doing a small bow with arm extended as Anziium passed by. "I'm sorry if I came across as brash. I certainly didn't mean it." They went and sat back at their seat, but kept their attention on Anziium, "I hope we can all soon overcome our formalities and dusty platitudes. I intend on addressing your crew as soon as everyone is awake and in the right mind space. I hope to do so before we arrive to the port, as Miss Zephriel requested. After your long absence, Rowrood is also a good place to restock on your needs, although it's quite busy I hear; it's the gateway before entering Escainian waters."

 

[TheCrowKing]

Anziium​

“Mm-” Came the half-assed acknowledgement, his tone not particularly sounding all the more interested in making acquaintance with them now or in the near future. If Nostarion was barking up the wrong tree with anyone, it would be the introverted tiefling. The only reason he was as personable with the crew as it was now, was due to a deeply-rooted sense of repayment for one reason or another. He’d felt terrible guilt for becoming the catalyst in Caywood’s grand scheme as he’d snatched up the already stolen text Anziium had taken from Zephriel. He owed Flynyas for saving him from the caverns and well as medical treatment, and he’d already distrubed Beaux enough with his episode last night. Overall, it made for a grand dosage of self-loathing and extreme embarrassment, it even now dusting his cheeks in rose. There was no further need to make himself familiar with anyone else, least it add on to his sense of debt; Or the true reason he hadn’t cared to be friendly: It was one last person to begin to care about their wellbeing.

“Some of the others are far more enjoyable than myself. I’d suggest observing whom among the crew that might be before extending comraderie outside of sharing common grounds of remaining on the same ship. I’d say your greatest chance at forming a friendship would have been with our fighter, Magen, but she now resides at the bottom of the sea. Unfortunate and certainly emotionally devastating, but I suppose it is what you stepped into by boarding our ship-” At this point, he’d finally managed to find a utensil to open said can he was fiddling with and retrieved a spoon to withdraw its contents. The most interesting of which, was his decision to sit at the table, across from Nostarion as he poked at his sub-par breakfast.

“Speaking of our docking at Rowrood, our first and most pressing task would be the contact of our benefactor to relay that we are indeed alive and report the death of a portion of our crew. Further mention of the previous location of that horrid island need to be noted and a warning given to any who sail within the surrounding waters. With what that island contained, it wouldnt surprise me if it managed to lure in others despite its newfound location. As for our crew, we are lacking of very important roles that could completely dismantle this journey, If no suitable replacements are located and brought upon the ship, I’d say there’s not much point in purchasing needed goods outside of what is needed to return to the Institute.” Having paused his eating to converse, Anziium fished out the peach slice he’d been chasing around the metallic can, his harsh gaze landing on Nostarion after he did so.

“As for you, I will say it now whilst the others are asleep, but I have very little trust in those that weren’t deemed to reside on this ship. While I am not the captain, it is very much so my business as to whom exactly you are and what that entails for the crew. Frankly, you don’t physically appear to be a threat, but do keep in mind I am the one who deals with foreign relations and you are under said category of foreign. Any harm that comes upon one of the others will be met without mercy. Therefore, it might be within your best interest in telling me who you are and how you really came to conveniently be upon the Mercury when we found you. If you were to be apart of the originally gathered crew, we would have had knowledge about you, so you can see where I am very skeptical about this ‘fate’ of yours in being here.”

 

[sheppard]

Nostarion

Nostarion allowed Anziium to finish talking. After he did, Nostarion tapped their fingers against the table top and looked around with a brief exhale. Then, in a poof, they disappeared with their small cloud of magick residue. Not even a second later did their voice come from behind Anziium. "I will not be repeating myself, so I will explain it all at once. Perhaps if you took time to listen to others you could better comprehend what I were to say." Once Anziium had turned around to face them, they poofed away again. They apparated behind Anziium again, what would have originally been in front of him if he had not turned. They tapped his back, getting attention since their appearing and disappearing was silent, "It is both my best interest and in your interest to hold all accusations until I make myself available for services. I have been guided righteously here to help you all." They looked at Anziium as he turned around again, but they poofed away.

Reappearing in their chair, they simply made a well defined point to dramatically cross their legs over at the knee, then fold their hands over top quite daintily. "You absolutely should not consider me a threat. I do appreciate the concern of wellbeing for yourself and your crew mates, but trust in me when I say that I am here to help, and all will be clear. It is the will of Iros. Iros has never failed me and therefore I shall never fail you." with a quick poof again, they disappeared and reappeared to be standing on the chair, pointing down at Anziium with a hand on their hip.

"You cannot be skeptical forever, my dearest Anziium." They proclaimed with a smile, bringing their pointed hand to a fist then upon their hip. "I will convince you one way or another that a light in the world can be something other than the end of a tunnel. Once your crewmates are gathered and awakened, all will become clear!" They took their parchment, quill and ink in their hand. Before disappearing a last time, they tickled Anziium's nose with the feather of the quill before poofing away with a giggle.​

 

[TheCrowKing]

Anziium​

The conclusion of his speech had been more or less an offer to spill the truth without issuing themselves out too much trouble for it. It had been a get out of jail card, a rather gratuitous offer for him to extend when he explicitly stated he very much so didn’t trust them in any degree. Awaiting the truth, the actual one this time, Anziium scraped at the bottom of the container to finish off them meal, pushing the empty thing aside in expectation this conversation would lead some where. Yet, it didn’t seem as though it would go accordingly. Rather, he was met with the empty seat before him, Nostarion completely out of sight.

Now, if it hadn’t been a long sleep since they last ‘spoke’, he might have remembered the vanishing act they could pull, but for it to be that early in the morning? That was asking a lot, even of him. “Not exactly helping their case when they choose to vanish instead of tal-” The tiefling would have finished his scoff of disbelief, but Nostarion’s voice behind him frankly startled the shit out of him. Leaping half a foot in his own chair, he swiveled around just in time to….not see them. Thoroughly bristled with this change of events, the tapping upon his back was enough to have him physically recoil from the touch. It was a pet peeve and a justified one.

“I was just prepared to listen but instead you’re...doing this!” He growled, readied to lash out at them if they continued their onslaught of reappearing within his personal space. “You can’t show up out of nowhere and expect to get by with a ‘god’s’ will for the best explanation. I for one don’t believe it and I doubt a good portion of the crew won’t either. They’re just better at hiding their disbelief. If you’d just answer we could have all this cleared up and ready for a report to our benefactor and you can go back to wherever it is you’re from!”

Glowering as they chose to flit around the room back towards the chair and then the floor, he scowled greatly, not at all finding their taunting entertaining. “Cryptic answers will get you nowhere if you have zero evidence to back it. Keep that in mind before you call someone out for being sk-” His words were soon cut off as the quill’s feather was waggled against his nose, the soft feather irritating his nose enough for him to stop completely. Thankfully enough for Star, they missed the next second or so of a round of sneezes, the kind that jostled your brains about. If they’d been there, they’d been subjected to being sneezed upon.

“Ugh.” He groaned, rubbing his face after the rapid-fire sneezes, not in the least bit still expecting the individual to still be there once he was done. “Why I even bother with people is beyond me.”

 

[Juju]

ZephrielInteraction: bonesbo | Might hear?: Nobody_314 TheCrowKing sheppard
​

Zeph had spent the better part of the night awake, writing dutifully into the Infinity Tomb until her wrist ached. She had to be sure each and every horrid detail was recorded into that book, lest a part of Infinity slink away from her. The sky was a mix of cherry and golden sunrise by the time she had finished, and even then Beaux still slept. Not for the first time, Zeph worried about the strength of the sedative he had consumed. Come to think of it, she had no idea what sort of substance it had been. She made a mental note to investigate it as she closed the Tomb.

She placed it back at her hip, taking comfort in the familiar weight of it, and gave a weary sigh. Giving her hand a rest, she draped an arm against the chair and rested her head on it. Dawn would not be too long now. She stifled a yawn and watched Beaux, wondering once more just what sort of strange species he was. He looked peaceful in his rest, but even now she could not help but remember the needle-like teeth that had sank from his jaws. The memory of them made her shiver. Retractable, like a cat's claws, she thought, wondering sleepily whether they had sheaths embedded in the skull or lower in the mouth. I wonder if the gills are vestigial or functional...

The thud from Beaux's fall woke the seraphi with a start. Zephriel flinched awake, wings flexing open and her eyes wide. Her heart raced, realizing she had fallen asleep at the worst time. Outside the world was alight with the Elder Sun, but that didn't help to calm her nerves. Regaining her composure slightly, she cleared her throat, "Ah, Beaux, you have awoken. Forgive me for the change in location, but frankly your workshop was unacceptably filthy."

Taking his mutterings as an ok to continue, Zeph did so in her usual matter-of-fact tone. "Now that you have awoken you will likely have questions, however first I must inform you of the proper post-treatment... erm... Beaux?"

Zephriel stopped herself when she noticed the strangely blank expression on Beaux's face. It was unlike him to be completely silent, and for some reason Zeph got the impression that he did not understand what she was saying. Perhaps he was still groggy from the drugs? Of course, this changed when he spoke. Zephriel's expression fell instantly, her face paling and her shoulders tense.

"W-what?" She retracted her arms to her chest whenever he poked a finger at her, gesturing to his stumped arm. At this point she stood up from her chair and began to back away. His panic only made it worse. Zeph's voice rose, a mix of anger and fear "Beaux? What is going on. Stop this at once! It is not funny!"

 

[bonesbo]

BEAUX

Beaux began once again to frantically speak in whatever language he spoke, gesturing to Zephriel then to the room then to the window and the ocean outside. He began to scramble up to his feet, grunting and fighting through numbed pain and intense dizziness as well as the remains of drugs in his system he didn't know he crafted himself.

While holding his torso, Beaux went to the empty desk and began to search through the drawers and surface. Pulling the drawers fully out onto the floor and squeaking in anguish when they held nothing. His energy was fading fast, the pain creeping in and alerting every nerve in his body to full on overexertion and panic. The drug he crafted was meant to be fast and effective. While knocking him out within 2 minutes, it only about 2 hours before the half life began to exponentially creep away.

After rummaging through the desk, he pushed himself over to the standing closet, opening the doors and letting out a cry when it was empty. He fell to his knees and then turned around as he settled back to the floor, emotionally in pain. He gestured to Zephriel, holding his good hand out and scratching at the air with pinched fingers, speaking a single word a couple times over, hoping she would understand. " E'keik`e... " He said softly. He pointed to his head, then scratched at the air again in gesture. He waited for a moment, watching her face before angrily groaning and beginning to scratch at the floor with his hand, trying to dig his fingers into the wood to create scratched groves. He paused, his eyes slowly creeping upwards to Zephriel, landing at the Tome at her side. He pointed to it, clearly articulating without words to give it over. He scooted forward slightly on the floor, hand out as he reached, eyes determined. " Tee'ulk` ke e'tei•uu! Tee'ulk` ke e'tei•uu! "

Juju

 

[Juju]

ZephrielInteraction: bonesbo
​

"Beaux, what in the name of the suns is going on!? You must stop this at once before you exert yourself!"

Why can he not speak? Zeph thought, watching the frantic Beaux as he rummaged around the room for something. Judging by the defeated look on his face, she could only assume he had come up empty handed.

Can he even understand me?

Zephriel frowned, studying the strange words and gestures that accompanied them. "...you wish to write?"

She followed his gaze to the Infinity Tomb resting on her hip. Perhaps this could help. Zeph moved her hand to the Tomb but stopped herself before her fingertips could even brush the gilded surface. "Hold on, this is hardly some apprentice's notebook. You wait here, I shall return momentarily."

Zeph quickly retreated from the room and crossed the hall into her own chambers. She left both the doors open so that she could keep an eye on Beaux as she looked through the contents of her desk. Thankfully everything was in the exact ordering she had left it before Infinite. Zeph retrieved a handful of parchment and a charcoal pencil before returning to Beaux.

"Here." She placed both down in front of the distressed Beaux and sat in front of him, though pointedly out of arms reach. She watched Beaux worriedly, wings twitching slightly in unrest.

 

[bonesbo]

BEAUX

Beaux made a small disappointed noise as Zephriel left the room, leaving him to his own devices. He started to continue the scratching, gritting his teeth which inevitably lead to the sharpened shark-like-rows extending. He fought to stay awake at this point, his body shuddering and shutting down at the intense throbbing extending from his shoulder. Would Zephriel not have returned within the next minute, his fingers would have started to bleed at the strain at the hard, polished surface.

Beaux eagerly grabbed the paper and charcoal, starting to scribble with a ferocity of the madman he was. His notes were illegible in the sense of bad dexterity control and a messy utensil, smudges and crinkling of the paper; but it was clear writing similar to what was pictured on the blackboards down below. The symbols were thick, but artistically made if not for the rush, large squarish symbols drawn vertically across the page, dots and straight lines woven between the curving language symbols. Across the page, he drew about 18 different, complex, symbols in a rush of the next 2 minutes before his hand slowed and he passed out once again. As he fell to the front-sideways, the charcoal dropped from his hand just before it smeared across the page. He laid on the floor, bent and folded awkwardly from how he sat on his calves previous.

A couple symbols were clear among the mess.


Juju

 

[Juju]

ZephrielInteraction: bonesbo Nobody_314
​

Zephriel watched Beaux frantically scrawl charcoal symbols across the pages, internally flinching at how roughly he handled the parchment. If anything, it made her feel better about having quickly switched out the Infinity Tomb for paper. She remained silent, a small frown on her face as she tried her best to recognize the strange symbols from any of the countless linguistic books she had read back in the Library. A few of them had been extinct languages, used in centuries past, but even if she had not memorized such languages she could safely say that these symbols belonged to none of them.

Where could they have originated from? she thought, tilting her head. A strange idea came across her mind, what if it was related to Vesi in some way? It was vastly a long shot and she didn't dare consider it any further. As Beaux's writing slowed it became obvious that he was unwell again. "Beaux?"

Of course, no more than a moment later the amphibious mechanic fainted on top of his writing. "Not again..." Zephriel muttered, hauling Beaux back to the bed. It was much more difficult than last night, though that was mostly due to how sore her arms were. Once he was on the bed she scooped up the papers he had written on, lightly flipping between the pages. If anyone on this ship would have an idea about what they meant, or how to translate them, it was Anziium.

She glanced back at Beaux. Perhaps she should also get Flynyas to take a look at him too. The fainting was not a good sign, even if he hadn't started speaking in tongues. Zephriel exited the room and made her way down the hall to Flynyas's room. This time she knocked and waited outside, "Flynyas? Are you awake yet? I would like to request you examine Beaux. He woke up but seemed horribly confused. For some reason he was speaking in an entirely different language." Zeph held out the papers, showing him the freshly scribbled symbols "He wrote down these symbols but I do not recognize them in the slightest. I will seek out Anziium, but I do not want to leave Beaux unattended. I trust you will be more than capable."

 

[Nobody_314]

Flynyas​

Flynyas returned to his tent upon aiding Zephriel, interested in nothing more for the night other than much needed rest. Despite exhaustion, this rest did not come easily. Flashes of tthe horror they had left behind haunted his pre-dream mental state. They had buried it beneath the waves, but it would forever be a buried in their memories.

He became a doctor to help people. He wanted to supply healing and hope to those who did not have it. Visions of tows of bodies kneeling in that cavern, awaiting mindlessly to be consumed by those... creatures... awoke him again in a cold sweat.

He did not save any of those people.

He only went for Anziium, and left the rest to that grim fate without even trying. If it was not that image that haunted him, it was the water. Walls on either side occupied not with schools of fish, but clumps of broken and atrophied bodies. All in various states of dead or dying; drowning in vain as the group made their fear and adrenaline fueled escape.

Who knows how many he could have helped, maybe at least one or two along with the rest of the crew. There was room in the Zephri-whale... but he was not thinking about that. He was not even all the way thinking about the rest of the crew. He did not want to die. He was a coward.

Tossing and turning, he eventually got some fragments of sleep throughout a very long night.

He watched once again, unable to look away as his final dreamstate left him with an image of the attendant that had assisted in their escape: broken, bloody, and slumped against the wall where they had left her. They hid in the perceived safety of the kitchens while she brutally fell in their stead, and none of them made any effort to reciprocate the help she had given to them. Instead she died, alone, and without help. The exact thing he vowed to set off and prevent.
As he stared immobile at her disfigured body, the broken neck snapped and crunched as the head rotated to meet his gaze with cold dead eyes.
Flynyas? Are you awake yet?
The attendant spoke to him with a sickening gurgle and Flynyas woke up gasping, likely much to the well meaning Zephriel's fright.

It took him a few moments to regain his bearings, as he stared at the winged woman with scared wide eyes, still recovering from the visions that plagued him in the night and not yet certain if he was awake yet.
"Ah... yes... sorry.... Beaux? He should be relatively fine.... the poison would be if anything something that would leave him bedridden, not manic. I find it much more likely he is insane. Be it from the horrors he went through in that cavern, or a condition from before merely heightened by the stress."
As he spoke, Flynyas arose with a stretch and popped his back. Then grabbed his bag and motioned that he was ready to follow Zephriel back to Beaux.
"Either way, I am a doctor, not a psychologist. I will examine him, but I doubt there will be much I can do to aid this... condition."

 

[sheppard]

NOSTARION

bonesbo Nobody_314 Juju TheCrowKing Caligena

After their encounter with Anziium, Nostarion made their way into the Captain's quarters where they had explored previous. They knew from their visions that there was once a Captain assigned to this mission, and clearly his belongings were still strewn about the cabin in quite a mess. Though, no one with that face returned from the first island. And no one seemed to speak of him. They avoided talking about him not like they avoided talking about, Magen- was her name, they recalled. The metal one. There was a hurt there, especially from Lady Zephriel.

Nostarion shifted the gone-man's messy belongings aside to access the desk and other instruments built into a panel of the cabin. Among the devices was some sort of radio communication device. There were speakers placed throughout the ship; one in each room, one in each main hallway or stairwell. They pulled the speaking funnel from its perch and hesitated, looking at their parchment in the other hand. Then, the pulled the level on the side of the device to open the signal to the speakers across the ship. At first, there was a bit of fumbling static, followed by a slight ringing of feedback. Nostarion winced and made small grunts of irritation before bring the funnel to their mouth to speak.

" Erm... Ahem. Hello. Good morning! This is Nostarion... Uh... I hope this system works. Anyways! I know that we all got off on the wrong foot last night - which is totally my fault for not reading the room. But erm... I have a few things I'd like to share with everyone..." They shifted around, the should of the parchment being shuffled could be heard. " If- If uhm, If everyone could meet on the top deck- then we can have a conversation and truly discuss the plans and I can explain my situation to everyone. Um..." They clicked their tongue a couple times in thought. "I'll explain the rest in a couple moments. I hope to see everyone soon . . . . . . . . Okay now how do I turn this o-" They fumbled with the machine for a bit before placing it back to its perch, the intercom speakers giving a click as they reset it.

Nostarion took a deep breath to calm themself and settle their nerves. They quickly glanced over their written message before plane shifting over to the helm of the ship where the steering wheel and control panel set. They checked a couple of the dials before making a couple adjustments and laying in wait.​

 

[bonesbo]

TIME CHECK: Day 130
Time: hour: 6:13. (30 hour days. White sun sets at 16 (rises at 4), while red sun remains constant.)
Location: Southern Escainian Reef
Destination: Outer port of the Escainian Reefs : Port of Rowrood.
Weather: Misty, still, temperate. Very very blue waters out-bluing the grey sky atm

BEAUX ?

The announcement from Nostarion came while Zephriel and Flynyas were in Flynyas' room still. As they went down the hall to Beaux's cabin room, they found the door ajar and the room empty.

Beaux had indeed re-awoke suddenly when Zephriel left. Perhaps the pain simultaneously left him exhausted but too stimulated to actually sleep. He stumbled from his bed and mindlessly exited, going down the stairs towards his workshop. Apparently not taking anyone's attention as he passed by the rooms to the staircase.

He entered his workshop and shut the door behind him, momentarily pausing with his head rested against the door to attempt and cease the throbbing of his head. He turned to his massive mess of a room and display of written chalk scribblings, pinching the bridge of his nose with strain as he focused and adjusted his eyes to the dark. Why was there an unreasonable amount of blood everywhere? He slowly went around the mess and pushed at the bloodied tools and clothing and other instruments laid out as if he recently dismembered a corpse. Wait... His arm... What happened?

His thoughts were interrupted by a voice echoing from a box installed into the corner of the room. Who... Who was that? They called to meet up on the top deck soon. While Beaux figured out if he were to go, he strode through the room to put on a jacket that hung by the door - his beaten, battered, bloodied, and absolutely torn duster jacket. He noticed how the acid burns of the fabric seemed to line up with the new absence of his arm... Interesting... He wondered what happened. Before exiting, he grabbed his set of red-lensed goggles from the same hook on the door and went up to the deck.


He arrived last out of all the crew mates. He had to take his time, walking slowly, groggily, and obviously toughing through an extreme amount of mind-numbing pain. He also tried to ignore the call, but decided after about 5 minutes of pondering to come up anyways.

Nobody_314 Juju TheCrowKing Caligena sheppard

 

[Juju]

Zephriel Nobody_314
​

"He is anything but fine!" Zeph said sharply, her lack of sleep becoming evident in more than just her tired eyes. "This is hardly just stress! He is speaking in an entirely, and might I add, unknown language! He has never done this!"

Her feathers bristled as the half-man seemed to be taking this rather well. Why was he not taking this seriously? It could be a curse, or a possession, or... something! Zephriel was never good with the supernatural and arcane, as she was born with a pitiful lack of any magical trace. In a way, it was partly out of spite, but right now the only one burning was herself. "Well, you can at very least look at him. I do not wish to take any risks after... that place. In the meantime I will go ask Anziium about these outlandish writings. Beaux will be in his bed. I have much to do before landfall and with so little time to spare. Please let me know if anything changes with the mechanic."

Still angry that Flynyas was taking this so well, Zeph quickly turned away and marched down the hallway towards the dining area, where she last heard the voices of Anziium and the star child. She neatly adjusted the pile of parchment as she walked, but stopped dead in her tracks when she was no more than halfway down the hall. Looking down at herself, she realized she was still in her nightgown. Between everything that had happened she had forgotten to change.

She turned on her heels and made a quick detour to her room, swapping out her gown for a seraphi robe of black silk and simple gold trimming. Today was not a day for equisite outfits. Not when previous crew members lay at the bottom of the sea. She was in the middle of brushing out her hair whenever she heard the announcement. The seraphi shook her head and sighed, not looking forward to the coming meeting and having to explain everything. Yet she told herself it was needed, and perhaps useful in determining the origin's of Beaux's strange markings. At the very least, it made tracking down Anziium easy. Since he was most likely already on his way there, it gave her time to check up on Beaux once more before attending the meeting.

Giving one last look at the mirror, Zeph grabbed the neat stack of parchment and left her room to visit the supposedly unconscious mechanic. Of course, when she peered into the room she found the bed empty. Her voice was tense as she gripped the pages much too tightly, "Flynyas? Where is Beaux?"

 

[Nobody_314]

Flynyas​

"Claiming that he is speaking in tongues does in no way prove my belief wrong. If anything, treatment of the poison and removal of the dead limb should leave his body in less of a shocked case than before. If anything is going on mentally, it is caused by something else."

With this, he traveled in the direction of Beaux's room as Zephriel left to where he assumed was to hunt down Anziium. He found it unlikely they would find much to learn from a mad-man's ravings. Whether or not the poor soul was touched or cursed by something arcane, while not impossible, regardless would be out of Flynyas' skillset to really even identify.

He arrived at the room and knocked before entering, at no surprise to no answer. Entering, to slightly more surprise, found it disheveled and empty.

Flynyas took a moment to exam the surroundings, seeing a spot on the bed where the bandages had apparnetly had some slight bleed-through.
I suppose he has been scratching at it after all... I will need to watch for infection in the days to come.

As he was about to leave the room and see what the canteen had to offer, Zephriel returned once again.
"He was gone before I arr-"
The jarring feedback tone from the speakers cut him off as he winced and then looked around with alarm and confusion while the message followed. He had heard of arcane ways to project ones voice, but this did not feel like such. More... unnatural. He did not like how harsh it was on the ears.

"It appears we have been beckoned, perhaps we will find Beaux already present up-top."

Patricia​

The previously content roll of fur on the bed shot up three feet in the air with the feedback that resonated through the whole ship. Every hair on her tail standing at its end, she looked around the room, Flynyas already long having left. Unsure and startled, she took off in to hallway, just catching view of him heading up deck. A quick scurry and single hop led her to Flynyas' shoulder. He was not surprised by the sudden passenger, having assumed such would awaken her and bring her this way.

 

[TheCrowKing]

Biel​

A screeching intercom hadn’t been the alarm clock for the slick creature that had once sprawled out upon Anziium’s bedding. Rather, a more basic need wrenched the annoying, little thing from its slumber: Hunger. Being such a gluttonous blackhole as he was, the realization that nothing sat in his freshly, reformed stomach led to only the most proper action of hunting down food.

Slipping his chunky body over the edge of the bedding, landing with something a little less than grace, Biel padded around the space of the bedroom. The outcome of a slow spin proved that Anzi wasn’t anywhere within sight, the room empty for him to scamper about as he pleased. Fishy tail wiggling in anticipation, he waddled over towards the desk, leaping upwards to claw his way atop it. His hindquarters peddled the air, as he hadn’t exactly hit his target, but after a few moments pulled himself up to the desk. Bingo. There on the far end of the disaster-zone of a workspace sat the plastic baggy full of those fishy crackers the tiefling had used to pacify him.

Pleased with himself for being able to pull such a stunt while his master was gone, the fishy-ferret creature wiggled his way towards the forbidden snack, only for the jarring start of the intercom came to life...right as he was passing by an uncapped inkwell. Jumping, under the assumption he’d been caught, the familiar fumbled around, knocking the bottle askew to puddle into an inky, black puddle across the several papers. Ear fins folding back at the slipup, he jumped back down to the floor, knowing somehow or another there was going to be punishment. Yet, as Biel was a creature, and simply that, his mind was easily sidetracked at the smallest distraction.

As he found himself back upon the floor, his little head cocked to the side at some scrabbling sound outside the door. Curious, the chubby chonker padded towards the cracked doorway, poking his snoot outside the living space. The scent that tickled his nose was….something strange and new, Which only meant it should be explored! Readied to deftly slip free from the lodging, whatever strange creature suddenly shot down the hallway, leaving the lively familiar to dart after to greet it.

Anziium’s door cracked back against the back wall as Biel shot out, giving chase after the fluffy critter that swiftly evaded his more bulky form. Much to little care of the familiar, he had left all kinds of inky tracks down the living quarters corridor; a little screech mark was made as he took a sharp turn to lunge up the stairway to the upper deck and….and where did it go?

Fat body coming to a halt, Biel glanced about, unable to tell where the skittering creature went. Really, there was just the cluster of strange people from before, most of their scents familiar by now. A bit ruffled, the critter’s neck frills fluffed as he padded around the majority of the crew, taking a little sniff here and there. All but ignoring Zephriel, as she was old news, Biel skirted around Nostarion for some time. As he did with Beaux, when they all initially boarded the ship, Biel kept well out of grabbing range. Once satisfied, he moved onto Flynny, head tilting as his was a bit familiar, but not enough so it was above investigation. Prancing over, lending him an inquisitive sniff, the intermingling of the unknown creature’s scent mixed with his. Tail wiggling at the fact that he was able to locate what he was searching for, Biel placed either of his inky paw upon the halfling’s leg, stretching in attempt to get at Patricia who was just out of reach.

 

[Juju]

A very Calm seraphi Nobody_314 sheppard TheCrowKing bonesbo​

Zephriel was fuming, or worried... one of the two, as she gave Flynyas yet another owly glare. Still, she really had no other choice but to follow along and head towards the upper decks. Her newly repaired wings were pressed tightly against her, and now that her feathers were back in full, puffed up in her irritation. "And what if he is not there?" She could only imagine the worst case scenarios in her head. What if he wasn't on the upper deck? Where else would he be? What if he wandered outside and fell off the side of the ship? He could have passed out somewhere and hurt himself.

She felt her stomach drop when she emerged onto the upperdeck and did not see Beaux among the other crewmates. The seraphi marched up to Anzii and Nostarion, "Have any of you seen Beaux? He is missing from his chambers and does not seem to be well. His last location was his room. No, not the workshop, the room he was assigned. Last night -- ah, it is not the time to explain." she grabbed the side of her head with her free hand, clutching the scribbled papers in the other. "He just - he does not seem himself."

Zephriel began to pace back and forth, trying to determine what was the best action to take right now. Beaux was acting rather suspicious, and she did not believe that half-man's explanation of stress. There was no logical way that stress could simply make someone start spewing another, and might she add, unknown language. If that was the case, she should be speaking old draconic by now! The only way that could work is if he possibly knew the language beforehand, or otherwise had exposure to it.

Finally, Beaux decided to saunter up on deck, making Zephriel freeze in her pacing. There was a brief moment of relief before it was drowned in anger. She rounded on him suddenly, eyes bright with fury.

"What in the sun's name was that?" Zephriel bristled, shaking the papers in Beaux's direction, "First you start speaking this.. this strange language and then you sneak off as soon as our back are turned!? This better not be some elaborate prank, or I'll... I'll.... just what is the meaning of all this! Do you even understand me? This is ludicrous. Just what do I tell Harmmish!? 'Over half of our crew is either dead or insane'!"

 

[TheCrowKing]

Anziium
Juju​

Given the fact he had already gone out of his way to interact with Nostarion to better understand their story, while being very rudely disregarded, Anziium saw no point in making haste to act at the call of the intercom. The request had gone in one ear and directly out the other, almost as if it was never said at all. Oh, he very well heard it, just felt no obligation to fulfill the request. Much rather, he took his time finishing up this meager breakfast of preserved fruits, enjoying the early morning silence as opposed to the wretched hours of the past night. He even stood at one point, going to retrieve a drink from the purified reserves of water to help aid in flushing down the bitter aftertaste of the halfling’s medicine. He most certainly didn’t feel timed in the slightest.

Finally, after a solid ten to fifteen minutes of taking care of himself with little regard for anyone else, the tiefling meandered his way towards the exit of the kitchens. He only ceased his stride to his lodging when he caught sight of the inky footprints leading to the upper deck, a knowing sigh escaping him. It simply couldn’t remain peaceful, that was asking for too much at this point. With an entirely fed up expression tugging at his features, Anzi dredged himself up the stairs to locate his mischievous familiar so that he could retire once more and not have to worry about anything past cleaning the surely destroyed room. Zephriel, of course, wouldn’t allow it.

“Last I saw anything of him, he was threatening to poison you. Fairly amusing that you’re hunting for him now. Did you decide to take him up on his offer?” He muttered, brushing past her. “He can’t have gotten very far, we are settled on a ship afterall-” What, like he was going to disappear while in the middle of the ocean?

 

[sheppard]

NOSTARION

Nostarion gave a nod to the first crew member to arrive, but was soon distracted by the creature they had failed to see before. They squealed with delight and squat down, holding out their hand to try to tempt Biel to come forth with little kissing sounds. The play chase began as Nostarion tried to corral Biel between their arms and eventually with little puffs of magic that would inhibit Biel's path away. They sighed and hung their head in defeat when clearly the creature was more interested in the other short one, Flynyas they think his name be. Nostarion smiled at the display of the two animal creatures sitting atop his shoulders like the good-and-evil angel representation.

Nostarion stood and brushed their thighs, looking to the threw. They did a mental tally. Wings, short, unicorn... where was the amphibious one? Ah, suddenly he appeared on the deck, and almost instantly harassed by Zephriel. "Woah woah woah! Mi-Miss Starwind? If you could please..." Nostarion came over, trying to prevent anything more than once again a verbal confrontation from happening. They put their hands up to both Beaux and Zephriel, having to do a double take at the lack of Beaux's arm. Was that like that before?

"Beaux- Perhaps... Thanks for coming- I- Please if you could settle for a moment while I address you all?" Nostarion gave a small squeak, looking up to the pink and blue forces that vehemently opposed each other.​

 

[bonesbo]

BEAUX FFS

TIME CHECK: Day 130
Time: hour: 6:20. (30 hour days. White sun sets at 16 (rises at 4), while red sun remains constant.)
Location: Southern Escainian Reef
Destination: Outer port of the Escainian Reefs : Port of Rowrood.
Weather: Misty, still, temperate. Very very blue waters out-bluing the grey sky atm


Beaux dragged himself up the stairs, blocking his eyes from the infernal rays of the morning sun across his face. He could barely keep his eyes open with this nonsense. Not to mention his ears were ringing like hell. What was going on? His entire body felt that ringing sensation as well. Pain throbbed through his left shoulder, his abdomen twitching with no release. Beaux had to transfer his hand to hold himself, just under his left armpit where the sleeve failed to fall. Upon opening his eyes, Zephriel seemed mid fury spout with him. He pulled down his goggles, allowing the thick red lenses to do the work of blocking some sun.

He could only blink at her, not at all processing what was going on. He heard some shrill words pierce through... "prank?...ludicrous.....dead or insane!! " Then another one came over and held Zephriel back while she continued to spit venom in his direction. Beaux didn't recognize this small one. Nevertheless, they seemed to know what they were doing. They directed Beaux to stand in the loose formation that was an arch, centered around the new character. Just before Nostarion could speak, Beaux glanced across the well-worn crew.

"Aight so what thae bloody hell es goin on? We all lookin bonnie braw, aye?" He readjusted his right hand to place across his left shoulder, wincing at the jolt of a pressured pain.