Fantasy Saga of the Nineteen Islands

[Dominaiscna]

Isolde felt a pair of eyes on her and turned to see the assassin gazing at her with eyes that begged for mercy. She wavered for a moment, eyes flickering to that of her companions. What would be the best route to take? Though she understood that the assassin was a danger to the rest of the group and could cause harm or kill one of her companions at any moment if given the chance, she didn't want solve their problems through murder. Even if he was a bad man, at least for them, he was still a living breathing human.

Fortunately, Isolde wasn't given the option of making a choice as something else caught their attention...a ship of sorts. While the people conversed with Kadri, she turned to watch Destrian deal with the assassin. Though he chose to spare the man's life in favour of taking all of his possessions, she wondered if it was more mercy ending the assassin's life then and there. The chances of him surviving a trek in the desert was little to none... leaving him to wander the harsh landscapes of the salts was a death sentence. Filled with guilt, Isolde tore her eyes away from the man and met eyes with Destrian. He must have seen something in her face because he seemed to hesitate in his movements before chucking the waterskin back at the beat up man. She was just as surprised as the assassin at his sudden act of mercy. Though the man's chances of survival were still slim, it was better than before. A ghost of a smile pulled at the corner of her lips. Athanas

Isolde's eyes flickered to Keenan as he voiced his concerns over the vessel that suddenly appeared to them. It was indeed suspicious... though their little group of travelers did not have many options. Fortunately, Destrian sorted out their financial situation so they should be able to afford the trip. If the people really were up to no good and meant them harm, at least their group should be able to hold their own quite well. However, before she could consider any more, Isolde's thought process was disrupted as Keenan turned, eyes flickering to her. She had been caught unconsciously staring while deep in her own thoughts. Immediately, she looked away, face flushing ever so slightly at her own silliness. SilverFlight

Quietly, she approached the ladder that Oliver was standing by, pausing a good few steps from the man. The poor guy wasn't in the best of shape and as followed his gaze and took in much they had to climb, she understood his frustration. She too bit her lip in nervousness. After all she was wearing a dress... She could hold onto it and all, but things would not go well if the wind picked up...

"Um... I'll go last," she said softly, stepping back for the others, "You all can head up before me."

11254man Baconhands

 

[Baconhands]

Once everyone - including Aezi and Blue but excluding the assassin - was on board, the scarred woman, apparently the captain of the vessel, bowed deeply with one arm extended. It was difficult to tell if the gesture was done out of sincerity or whether it was mocking. Kadri suspected the latter. "Welcome on board my fine vessel, the Dawn's Shadow." She straightened her back with a flourish, again it could have easily been sincere or mocking - maybe sincerely mocking - as she continued, "My name is Elena Greyspeer, originally of the Platinum Consulate, now of the Salts, a pleasure to meet you all. There are two other individuals on this ship but they are both below deck." Elena indicated to a small hatch.
"I'm Kadri. Um... you mentioned a fee earlier?"
"We'll give you the cost once you've reached your destination. Rest assured that you will get there quickly, safely and without trouble!"
SilverFlight Dominaiscna 11254man Athanas

On deck was a wheel similar to that of a regular ship, as well as a lever that currently stood exactly perpendicular to the deck. Kadri imagined that these were used to move the ship. How it floated, the lineaged had no idea. As Elena turned the wheel, the ship began to rotate remarkably smoothly. Kadri had two things in mind, she had to try and relax any tensions between herself and Keenan and Destrian and she had to get more information out of Elena. The former plagued her most. She approached the non-lineaged, letting out a low breath, "Hey. Hi. Um... so..." she noticed lightning was shuffling across her fingertips. "Look... back there... well look, I want us to be able to work together. And I'd like to understand everyone's thought processes. So..."
She looked to Destrian also, trying to get a similar answer from him.
Athanas SilverFlight

As Elena pushed the lever forwards, the sail dropped and the ship lurched into action, the flats sailing underneath them at impossible speeds. Night had completely taken over the sky, familiar constellations came to the fore, and a half-moon graced the sky which was occasionally obscured by giant flying creatures. Skittering and hissing chased the ship short distances, but no creatures appeared and the noises died away after a few moments. The effects of the wind were negligible on the occupants. Aezi leaped to the side of the ship, matching its speeds with joyous energy leaping from his wings and hooves as he soared beside it.

 

[Aridis]

Gwendolyn​

Gwen was used to one or two pairs of feet skittering around on the deck above. At this point of travel, she had learned to drown out the steps that were most frequently heard. They were nothing but background noise to her while she slept. However, the sudden addition of more pairs of feet jerked her out of a somewhat needed slumber. The patterns and weights of each individual thump led her to believe that the ship had picked up a good number of new passengers.

Groaning as she pushed herself up off of the ground, Gwen grabbed her sword and made her way to the ladder that allowed access to the upper deck. After knocking on the bottom of the hatch to announce her existence, the blonde pushed it open and poked her head out. Her gaze swept across the newest additions to the ship; or at least the ones that she could see at that moment. After sizing them up and debating which ones she might be able to take on in a fight, her attention eventually landed on the captain.

"'Ey Elena, you couldn't have warned them about the sleeping occupants downstairs? Seriously, it sounded like you invited a herd of elephants."

( Baconhands 11254man Athanas SilverFlight )

 

[Athanas]

Destrian wasn't overly concerned about the ship. If they turned out to be hostile, he was utterly certain that their merry group would be able to handle them. Hell, he single-handedly would be able to handle them, If things got to that. He was about to board the ship when he noticed Oliver, still very much wounded, look at the ladder in disdain. It didn't take a genius to realise why he was upset, as it now became apparent that he was in severe pain. Felling kind of bad for the man(one could only imagine how suspicious Kadri would be of him, after all), he moved next to the struggling man, and helped him onboard.
"Damn, that one looks like it hurts",he remarked as he examined Oliver's wounds."But I should be able to heal you. Just give me a few hours to recharge, eh?" Of course, he didn't actually need to recharge: He was merely worried about straining himself too early.

He paid very little heed to the captain,deciding that it would be best if he let Kadri deal with this situation. He Instead just removed the items he had taken from the Assassin from his backpack and laid them all down: This was standard procedure, after all. First, you pile up the loot and then the leader starts handing it out. Destrian chuckled at the absurdity of the situation. This quest was supposed to be his ticket to redemption, and yet, not even an hour had passed before he had injured a man, robbed him blind, and was now handing out the loot to his crew. Truly, it would seem like any normal day, had he still been the Smiler.

Destrian shook himself out of his thoughts and managed to stop himself from chuckling, lest his companions begin to suspect his...InterestingMental condition. He motioned for them to approach and began the sharing, while simultaneously answering Kadri's question."Uhh, thought process? Like, how we are going to function as a unit? I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you're trying to say."
First, the gold. After a moment's hesitation he handed it over to Kadri:"I sincerely hope you do something more useful than buy some cheap whores with this".
Next, papers. He quickly skimmed through them.Okay, from what I'm reading here it would appear that his job was recconaisance. He didn't have to get involved, and only did so because he felt like being rich. Heh.
He looked at the crossbow for a few more seconds. He loaded it, took aim, the unloaded it again. It was certainly a good crossbow, but he had a much better option for range. He handed it, along with the few bolts he had scavenged to Oliver.I don't like ranged weapons, Kadri probably can shoot bolts, Keenan doesen't have a free arm since he fights with a shield and I seriously doubt I can teach Isolde how to shoot it in such a short timespan-no offense. You may keep it.

Finnaly, He drew the shortsword. Seeing as there was some space around the boat,he got up, and started practicing a few basic moves. From the way he swung it, his fighting style was becoming apparent: He had foregone defense in favor of attempting to overwhelm opponents with raw brutality. After about a minute, he holstered it again."It's quite a nice shortsword, but I'd rather use something that has a bit more weight behind it. Still, if none of you wants it, I'll keep it."

Now that he had gotten the sharing out of the way, he decided to talk to Isolde about the Incident before. He needed to have a better understanding of her as a character, and motivations. He debated as to what would the best time for such an action be. He figured it was best to talk to her about this matter when she was alone, as it would be considerably less uncomfortable. His decision was reinforced by the sight of yet another person coming from below deck, complaining that they weren't letting her sleep. With a smile forming on his lips, he just couldn't resist letting out a retort."If you wake up so easily then you probably weren't that tired to begin with. Trust me, I know this from experience."

11254man Dominaiscna SilverFlight Baconhands Aridis

 

[SilverFlight]

Keenan overheard the exchange between Kadri and the captain as he helped Isolde come up onto the deck last.
"Right, price upon arrival, there's no way that could go wrong."
He was surprised when Kadri approached him, after they were all on board. His eyes tired their best to fix on her face, but he couldn't help glancing down nervously at the lightning dancing between her fingers.
"I was trained to follow orders." Keenan said simply. "Right now, those orders are yours, I will follow you, and I will do my best to protect you, but I will be mentioning the risks associated."
He braced himself as the craft jolted into action, amazed at the speed of it. Blue put her paws up on the rail, leaning out into the air, her tongue flapping out of the side of her smiling mouth.
Seeing Oliver struggle with his wounds Keenan held up the pack of supplies he had bought. "I'm no mage, but I can bind that wound for you."

Keenan listened to Destrian as he went through the assassin's confiscated items. At the point where Destrian mentioned the assassin had attacked them outside of orders he snorted. "More the pity for him it would seem."

Upon hearing the voice from below deck he turned. Shaking his head at Destrian's curt reply.
"You have our apologies miss," He finished in a gentler tone. "We will try to tread more lightly." He shot an affirming look at Destrian to emphasize the point. Then, he added: "Do you know the captain well? What sort of vessel is this?"

Dominaiscna Baconhands 11254man Athanas Aridis

 

[Dominaiscna]

After Keenan had helped Isolde onto the deck, she murmured a soft “Thank you” before turning in a slow circle, taking a moment to admire the ship they were on. WhIle the captain who gave them Elena as her name explained everything to them, she pondered the mystery of how such a ship functioned, how it stayed afloat and how it sailed. She imagined that there was magic behind it all. Her eyes seemed to glimmer at her theory... after all, just thinking that magic could make something amazing as this a reality... she wondered if perhaps she too could oneday perform such feats or make miracles happen.

The lurch of the ship as it came to life made Isolde stumble slightly, bracing herself against the railing. Blue was a few feet away from her with her paws up on the railing, gazing out at the scenery. Smiling softly, she made her way over to the dog and reached out a hand to pat her head. Following her gaze, Isolde looked out over the barren landscape, flat and empty for as far as the eye can see. There was nothing there.. nothing significant about the landscape and no way to tell one mile from the other, but the familarity of it all brought back the uneasiness she felt earlier. Unconsciously her grip tightened on the railing and her hand on Blue’s head stilled. It made her anxious to think that she was in, what she could consider, her homeland - the place where she grew up and where it all started.

At the sound of her name, she turned around, tearing her eyes from the glowing horizon. Someone had mentioned her - most likely Destrian - though she had been too distracted to catch what had been said. However her eyes soon left him as Keenan addressed one of the other men in their group - Oliver. His wounds were undoubtedly taking their toll on his body as he looked worse than a few moments ago.

Quietly, she approached the man. Her hand reached out to touch his arm to gain his attention, but she decided against it and instead said softly, “...Oliver...is it?” After a moment of hesitation, she continued with, “I am... trained in medicine and first aid so I... um.. will you let me tend to your wounds?”

Her head was lowered slightly out of nervousness though she forced herself to look the man in the eyes as she spoke. However she could not help wanting to look away. After all she felt guilty knowing that part of her reason for wanting to help him was because she needed to do something - anything - to take her mind off of the endles expanse of nothing around them.

11254man Aridis Athanas Baconhands SilverFlight

 

[Baconhands]

Elena shot a grin in Gwen's direction, imitating a noble's accent, "I'm certain a prim and proper lady like yourself would have the grace and wherewithal to be able to treat our new guests with the proper manners even if they did disturb one's delicate sleeping pattern." She paused for a moment, thinking, and then she continued, "Gwen do you mind keeping the ship on course while I tidy everything away downstairs?" Aridis

Destrian's answer left Kadri in quite the sour the mood and his dividing up of the assassin's equipment wasn't helping her opinion of him get any better. But she didn't want to start conflict here in a confined space with somebody that had demonstrated powers that seemed odd even to someone that understood lineaged magic. She opened her mouth as if to say something, maybe a curt comment that might put him in his place, but she instead said nothing. Instead Kadri turned to Keenan, "I'll have to get some advice of yours later. I believe we're going to have to discuss a plan of skirmish at some point in the near future - I fear where we're going, dragons lurk."
SilverFlight Athanas
(Sorry Dominaiscna 11254man that I didn't include you guys in this post. The next one should be relevant to everyone)

 

[Aridis]

Gwendolyn​

Glancing over at the man who had spoken to her first, the blonde tilted her head to the side slightly. Compared to her, he was a giant; looking even taller since she was just a head poking out of the floor. He had an athletic build and a look in his eyes that suggested that he had gotten a glimpse of a couple of horrors in the past. If they were to get into a fight, he would beat her in an instant as far as strength went. However, she might have a chance if it came down to skill. That's usually how it went with these types, anyway.

Gwen stared at him with tired eyes before shrugging almost dramatically. "Eh, you got me there. Though, sleep is just about the only pass time I have. There isn't much to do on this ship, even chore-wise."
( Athanas )

Now more or less awake at this point, the woman pushed herself completely out of the hatch; being careful to not get her sword caught on the ladder on the way up. Climbing to her feet, Gwen stretched her arms above her head and yawned. She immediately made her way over to the wheel, as requested by the captain. She stopped just short of the woman, standing with her back straight and her shoulders back. Saluting Elena, she did her best to keep up the act and not crack a smile. "Yes, Captain! You can count on me!"

Immediately after saying those words, Gwen broke. Her performance crumbled in a matter of seconds, leaving her with a smile and poor attempts at trying to hide her laughter.

( Baconhands )

Placing herself in front of the wheel, she placed both hands on it to keep the ship on its course; though there wasn't much resistance that would cause it to change.

Her attention shifted to yet another character who had just boarded the vessel. He was similar to the first man, though also significantly different. Even without the armor to give him away, he carried himself just as a soldier would. This man, at a glance, looked to be a bigger threat than the one before. He not only had strength but also skill. Though, if he were truly a soldier, she might be able to trump him by fighting dirty.

When he apologized, Gwen just ended up shrugging it off. "Don't worry about it! I'm just being fussy. Like your friend said, it wasn't like I was all that tired, to begin with." Still a bit giggly from her interaction with Elena, the blonde was grinning ear to ear. "And I have absolutely no idea what the hell this ship is. Or much about the captain. She just picked me up a few days ago, wandering around the Salt Flats. Lucky for me, she agreed to take manual labor as payment. I'm Gwen, by the way. Nice to meet ya."

( SilverFlight )

 

[Baconhands]

Elena playfully winked at Gwen as she continued below deck, pulling the hatch closed behind her. She bolted it locked and there was a gentle thud as she did. The sounds of rummaging came from below the wooden floor as it was apparent that the captain was moving objects, some of which clearly had a sizeable mass.

As the ship continued to travel, an anomaly within the unending salt flats became visible. Initially it appeared like a single structure, but as the ship got closer it was clear to see that there were more. They were arranged in a circle, though what they were surrounding couldn't be made out until the ship was within a couple of hundred feet of the outer buildings - most of the buildings, that appeared to be made mostly of salt rocks, were irreparably damaged. It appeared they were circling a crater of some sort; the land clearly had been subjected to whatever torment the ruins had been, if not worse. Between the buildings were totems, depicting deities of snakes and scorpions, some had human features, others were simply animals.
Dominaiscna

As Kadri looked closer, trying to get a more detailed survey of the land, she noticed Aezi was braying nervously and flying closer to the ship. It all happened in a moment; what looked like a bone-coloured harpoon speared into the pegasus' flank and the sound of breaking oak split the air along with the screams of the celestial being and the lineaged he was bonded to. The ship, while remaining upright, slammed into the salt flats and skidded to a halt. Kadri, her eyes a dark tumultuous cloud of anger, scanned the ruins of whatever settlement this was. A storm cloud began to build up above the ship, and despite being in the Salts, rain began to pour.
The "harpoon" appeared to be a barbed tail, as it was connected to almost a hundred segments of the same bone-coloured material as the barbed end. These segments led to a frame that had the same number of limbs as a human but that's where similarities ended. The creature was 10 feet tall and had unnaturally long, spider like arms and legs which ended in five-digit feet that sharpened into barbed, knife-like talons at their ends. It had an elongated head, with pointed ears, devilish yellow eyes and a maw of shark-like teeth. The creature had no skin or hair to speak of and no other pigment: only the same bone-coloured material that defined its tail. It let out a joyous shriek before it scrambled towards the ship, skittering along the flats on all fours its eyes fixed on its pinned, struggling prey.
Dominaiscna SilverFlight 11254man Athanas Aridis

 

[11254man]

Oliver wrapped his remaining uninjured arm around the bottom rung of the ladder, pulling himself up before throwing his arm a few rungs higher. He repeated this process to the point where he was able to slide himself up onto the deck; even without use of his other arm. It was rather soon after then that a young lady -- no doubt a member of their party -- approached him. She began, “I am... trained in medicine and first aid so I... um.. will you let me tend to your wounds?” Oliver took a few seconds to look over the girl. She was the one who'd had something to do with the frozen man earlier, no? He muttered and shook his head. "I'm fine for now. Maybe later, if it gets worse than this." He knew he'd have to get help eventually, but there was an unnerving aspect to these 'lineaged'. Something about them seemed to keep him on edge. He, having by this point pushed himself back to his feet, taken some time to stare out over the side of the ship. It was... barren, to be sure. Something about the uneven nature of the cracked salt below the keel of the ship seemed to further compound his unease.

It was then that the beast made its entrance.

In what seemed a second, the Pegasus -- which had to that point been flying next to the ship -- was stuck by a shard of bone. Oliver looked off the side of the ship to see a creature far in front of him -- one whose details Oliver did not take time to analyze. Much to Oliver's chagrin, the creature which had thrown this harpoon brought with it a downpour. Oliver heard a shriek from off the front of the ship, the chirping of bone against rock priming him to draw his sword. He'd wished then he might have taken up the lineaged's offer of healing.
Dominaiscna Baconhands

 

[SilverFlight]

Keenan heard Isolde offer to tend Oliver and was ready to offer the supplies to her, but the man refused and Keenan was left to shrug at her apologetically.
Dominaiscna

The knight found himself smiling at their new acquaintance. "Keenan." He offered his name in return. The fact that she knew little about the ship was fair enough.
He was about to press further with questions when Blue began to bark loudly, then the scream from both spirit creature and their leader crashed through the tender sense of ease that had been building.
"Kadri!" He shouted, running to her and looking about wildly for their attacker.
The ship ran into the salty ground and Keenan threw his arms about Kadri to protect her from the impact. Salt dust engulfed them, burning his lungs and making him gag as he scrambled from the ruined hull.
"Spread out! Minimize its targets!" He called, having seen the massive creature for only a split second before they crashed. It was enough. The beast was truly frightening. Though it didn't look capable of ranged attack. He hoped that assumption was accurate.
Sword in hand and shield up Keenan prepared to attack, running at the massive limb that had speared poor Aezi. He leapt, aiming a wide sing at the bone segment just before the harpoon buried in the horse's flank, aiming to separate it from the creature and free the horse.

Baconhands Athanas Aridis 11254man Dominaiscna

 

[Dominaiscna]

At Oliver's refusal of help, Isolde visibly deflated slightly. Though there were many other possible reasons for his decision to not take her help, she couldn't stop herself wondering whether he'd refused her simply because of what she was and what he had seen her do earlier. She was about to turn away when her eyes caught Keenan's and at his apologetic shrug, she mustered a weak smile before looking away, gaze flickering over to Blue.
11254man SilverFlight

However, it was not the dog that caught her attention, but something else breaking the flatness of the barren landscape. Hesitantly, Isolde approached the side of the ship where Blue was, placing her hands on the railings as her gaze followed the irregularity that appeared on the horizon. It did not take long for them to get near to the strange structures and her eyes widened as she beheld the totems dotted around the ruins of buildings. There was something familiar about the structures they were approaching. However, she could not pick out why they struck such a chord within her. She continued to look over the ruins, gaze hard as she sifted through her memories to understand the uneasiness building up in her chest.

However, before she could think more, something shot towards the ship and a blood curdling scream left Isolde sinking to her knees with her hands pressed to her ears to block out the horrible sound. Almost right after, the ship lurched violently, grinding to a halt as if it had hit something and she found herself stumbling forward, hitting the wooden deck. Though her fall was light, the skin of her palms stung from her attempt at catching herself. Hissing at the slight stinging pain, Isolde looked up at the sound of thunder and Keenan shouting out orders. The storm showered down on them and each cold drop of rain caused a shard of fear to settle in her heart. Shaking, she pushed herself onto her knees with one hand gripping the railing for support.

Confusion clouded Isolde's mind as she watched Keenan spring into action with sword in hand. Her mind was whirling, trying to make sense of what was going on. Following him with her eyes, she spied Aezi impaled by some strange object. There was blood... more and more blood. A long bony limb kept the harpoon, and the horse, attached to something outside the ship. Nervously, she pushed herself up to look over the railing and instantly regretted doing so.

As soon as she laid her eyes on the strange bony creature, her blood turned to ice. Her legs crumpled beneath her and she found herself curling up against the wood barrier between her and the outside. Her hands were covering her face as she fought and failed to keep her breathing steady. The air around, already charged with electricity from the storm, dropped in temperature rapidly and it was only getting colder.

She had to stay calm, she knew that better than anyone else, but as her mind replayed the image of that nightmarish creature again and again in her head, Isolde found herself losing control as fear started taking over.

Athanas Baconhands Aridis

 

[Athanas]

Destrian chuckled at the newcomer's response."Impressive. You might be the first person I've ever met that's honest about such a matter. The name's Destrian,by the way."
Turning to see Oliver refusing aid, he added, a hint of mockery in his voice:"Hey tough guy, I understand your need to demonstrate your pain tolerance, but I reckon you're going to need that arm patched up, at least until I can get a-." He was about to continue, but the dual scream of Kadri and Aezi drowned out any sound he might have attempted to make. Alarmed, he shot to his feet, first noticing the bizzare raincloud, then Immediately the Impaled Pegasus. He did not appear to be struck a normal spear. Instead, it would seem like he had been hit by a harpoon, of sorts. A harpoon that seemed to be made out of..bone?

And then he saw it. Although Destrian had been in his share of dangerous situations, the sight of the bizzare creature caused him to take pause. Truly, he had never seen anything that even remotely looked like the thing currently bearing down on them. He sat there, staring at it, unable to move.

Thankfully for him, Keenan's training appeared to be working, and his orders shook him out of his stupor. Channeling his magic, he began charging up a bolt. Noticing Isolde's breakdown, and Oliver's Inability to fight properly, he yelled:"Oliver! Get Isolde below deck! We got this fucker covered!" Truth is, he actually wasn't sure if this creature would be affected at all. He just knew that he had to at least buy Keenan enough time to free the Pegasus. Sadly, the creature was closing in on them faster than he had expected: He did not have time to fully charge his shot, as he had originally intended. Instead, he simply let go of the bolt early, hoping to hit the creature's torso: It was the largest target available, and he hoped that the impact would at least slow the creature to buy them time. Not stopping to see if his attack was effective, he began charging another one. Already, he could feel his chest warmer than it should be: He could only hope not to lose control too early, As the creature seemed more than capable of taking him on in Melee, even with his magic to aid him.

( Dominaiscna SilverFlight Baconhands 11254man Aridis )

 

[Baconhands]

As Keenan tackled Kadri (at least it felt like a tackle) the storm seemed to waver for a moment, but as soon as he released her it seemed to intensify as she sighted her opponent. The clouds roared, the lightning crackled and the temperature dropped... the temperature dropped! Kadri looked to Isolde, who was on the deck of the ship. The rain was starting to impact with a surprising amount of force as the drops began the process of solidifying into ice. This would surely damage the party more than the creature. Kadri had to do something!
She sprinted towards the mage, skidding to a halt beside her. She crouched down, looking the mage in the eye as best she could, "Isolde. You wanted me to help you. This is where I can help you. You're scared now, I understand that. I'm angry, furious. Keeping calm doesn't help, it impedes you. You need to use your emotions. Don't let them use you. We need to all get through this now, together. So use your fear, allow that to channel your spells, and focus them at the target!"
Dominaiscna

Keenan's sword found its target slicing into the creature. A black-purple, ichorous liquid oozed forth from the wound and it steamed as it hit the ground. However, the sword did not cut all the way through and, despite the creature's attempts to retract its tail, it appeared as if the harpoon was lodged into the ship. Aezi, panicked, struggled against the tail but his movements only brought him more pain.
SilverFlight
The creature was closing the distance with remarkable speed. Destrian's bolt slammed into the creature's torso, and it had a brief collision with the floor before it recovered and continued to skitter eagerly, still screeching with a maniacal joy as it came within arm's reach of Keenan. However, as it took a swing, it lost its balance, unused to the slippery conditions accidentally created by Isolde and Kadri. It slammed into the ship, rocking it onto its side. This was enough for the wound on its tail to open up fully and, with a kick from Aezi the barbed end ripped itself away from the rest of the tail.
Athanas SilverFlight Dominaiscna 11254man Aridis

 

[SilverFlight]

Freezing rain washed over Keenan and ice stung him even as he threw himself to the side to prevent the massive body of the creature from smashing him against the ship. He scrambled to his feet, somehow still retaining his sword and shield.
His first instinct was to make sure Kadri and the others were unharmed, he had heard her coaching Isolde, trying to help her channel her power.
For now Keenan would make sure the casters had the time they needed: He dove forward, slashing at the creature's legs, trying to draw its attention onto him, force it to engage him as he wove through its thrashing limbs to the other side of it. His shield came up to protect him from the sharp, bladed claws as he slashed and hacked his way forward.
Blue was barking furiously, protecting Kadri as she'd been ordered to do. If any limb came close enough she would snap at it mercilessly. An angry red gash ran down her side from where a splintered piece of wood had scratched her. It was not deep however and didn't seem to dampen her ire.
Baconhands Dominaiscna Athanas

 

[11254man]

As the ship fell aground, Oliver was thrown forward and on his face. His vision flashed white, and pain began whistling behind his ears and down his spine. However, he did not scream. The bolt had pushed itself now entirely through his arm. making a rather disgusting squelch and sending flecks of blood a rather surprising distance about the ship. His arm would not be so quick to heal as he'd thought before. Perhaps not to heal at all. But that was not on his mind, nor was Destrian's order to him. His only focus now was the creature.

He moved to his feet with stoic purpose, his eyes almost in a glaze. his breaths were heavy and deliberate, and his expression not breaking a neutral stare. As he moved onto the flats, one could almost see as he was back in his days of fame. He was not Destrian, he had no magic to aid him should his situation get too dire. He did, however, gain a great deal of focus -- for better or worse -- when his emotions ran too high. One could consider it a sort of snapping; and snap, he did.

Athanas Baconhands Dominaiscna SilverFlight

 

[Athanas]

Destrian had already began charging another bolt when the creature rammed itself into their ship, causing him to lose focus and send the bolt loose early-mere inches from Kadri's face-. However, there was no time for apologies. The rain was felt much more solid now, causing actual pain with every drop that landed on his body. Isolde appeared to be losing it, and Kadri was preoccupied with trying to keep her from killing the rest of them. Keenan was battling the beast alone, but he was mere moments away from being overpowered by this clearly stronger foe, Oliver, while demonstrating truly incredible pain tolerance for someone in his condition(Destrian made a mental note to congratulate him if they survived), probably wouldn't last much longer.

Destrian was forced to make a decision. While normally, he would've opted to stay at a Distance and continue lobbing bolts, this would simply not work: There needed to be Another target in the monstrosity's face, otherwise it might overwhelm Keenan-and then Isolde and Kadri would be next.

He drew his shortsword and focused on the scales of his chest. The sudden rise in heat as his arms suddenly began crackling with purple energy caused him to winch in pain, but he didn't stop. Letting forth a ferocious warcry(more to psych himself up than anything else), he leapt over the side of the ship, hoping to land on the monster. He hoped to use his enhanced strength to drive his weapon up to the hilt in it's body, dealing as much damage to it as possible. He continued hacking violently, felling the heat Increase with each blow. He would only cease if the monster turned on him: He had a special idea in mind for that scenario.

11254man Baconhands SilverFlight Dominaiscna

 

[Baconhands]

Keenan's attacks found purchase in the creature's limbs. The sound of crunching bones and the gushing of blood came to the fore as the sword broke the skin of the creature. Though Keenan came out from the other side of it, the creature seemed to anticipate such a move and its tail, what remained of it, moved to wrap around him. Even before that action had finished, its arms were already at work, furiously slashing forward in a maddened frenzy of attacks that culminated in the creature moving its head forward to try and bite the shield-wielding warrior.
SilverFlight

The creature seemed aware of the two beings charging towards it but despite the immediate danger, it continued to attack the man that had been in its proximity the longest. Destrian's body did not land on the creature, but the blade found purchase in the creature's shoulder, sheering it and the spider-like arm cleanly away from the torso. As the limb dropped to the ground, it seemed to spring alive, jumping into an attack against the mage that had removed it from its master, all five knife-like fingers aiming to dive into Destrian's calf.
Athanas
In a similar move, the creature's other arm willingly dejected itself from the torso, and like an arrow it was propelled towards Oliver, each individual finger seeming to reach for the soft skin of the warrior's body.
11254man

The creature in general was slowing down in its movements, especially after its dismemberment, both self and externally inflicted. The screeching didn't stop, in fact, it appeared to be building in pitch as its movements slowed, and yet, at the same time it refused to stop fighting.
This only made it easier for Isolde's spikes to land on their targets, skewering the beast through its torso. A piercing wail eminated from its mouth, as it was now pinned in place by the ice. Its mouth continued to snap forwards, and its legs acted desperately to free it from its position.

 

[Dominaiscna]

She sprinted towards the mage, skidding to a halt beside her. She crouched down, looking the mage in the eye as best she could, "Isolde. You wanted me to help you. This is where I can help you. You're scared now, I understand that. I'm angry, furious. Keeping calm doesn't help, it impedes you. You need to use your emotions. Don't let them use you. We need to all get through this now, together. So use your fear, allow that to channel your spells, and focus them at the target!"
~~

It was so cold. So dark. So cold. So dark.

Somewhere in the distance, someone called her name, but all she registered was the roaring of the heavens crying down on them and the bloodcurdling cries of the monster. Her hands were pressed to her ears, trying to block out the sounds as she bowed her head to her knees, eyes squeezed so tightly that tears were starting to form, disappearing and melting with the rain water wetting her cheeks.

So scared. She was so scared. Peace. Calmness. She had to remain calm. She had to regain her composure. Push back the fear. Push back the emotions. Push back the thoughts and the memories. Bottle it all up and lock it away. She could not lose control.

Suddenly, she felt someone skid to a halt beside her and though her eyes remained squeezed shut against reality, the sound of Kadri urgently calling her name caused her to open her eyes, ever so slightly. However as she registered the woman before her, her gaze slid to slightly over Kadri's shoulder where the rest of the group battled with the monstrous creature. At the sight, her face paled further, but she forced her eyes back onto Kadri as the woman addressed her, her voice and words finally reaching Isolde.

"...I..." her took several deep breathes, eyes flickering from Kadri to the scene behind her, "...use my emotions.. channel my fear..." she repeated, as if it were a mantra. She'd always taken to hiding and to bottling up everything inside... but perhaps, just this once, she could try a different method, "....okay, I'll try that. " she said in a slightly hoarse voice, gripping the railing with both hands to help herself get to her feet.

"Let's... let's go.."

11254man Athanas Baconhands SilverFlight Aridis

 

[Baconhands]

Kadri knew Isolde was terrified and doubted her words of encouragement did much to assuage her fears. To her genuine surprise and delight however, Isolde was standing, talking to herself, telling the aspiring mage to channel her fear. It was one of the first lessons Kadri had ever been taught when she was young and she knew that in order to help the lineaged of Selta she would have to start with the basics. The mage would have much rather been casting spells herself, or trying to keep the storm under control, however, she was certain that without proper guidance at this crucial moment, Isolde might get everyone around her hurt.
The lineaged of Arbuzs stood beside Isolde, "Your target is there." She pointed towards the torso, "Focus on it only on it. Imagine there is only us two and it."
Kadri paused, letting her apprentice to take in her instructions, "Your emotions will empower your spells." Given that this mage had no formal training, she imagined Isolde had never been taught a spell in her life. She would have to focus on other kinds of magic, much more primal ones not taught by the schools of magic across the Continent. "Project your fear onto the creature. Through your scales, let loose your emotions on the target."
Kadri tried to remain calm as she spoke, but it was difficult to - worry, anger and fear were trying to lace there way into her voice, and she was barely holding them off as she looked to Isolde to see what she would do.
Dominaiscna

 

[Dominaiscna]

Isolde nodded weakly as she took in Kadri’s words, focusing on the creature alone. However she could not ignore Keenan who was within the monster’s grasps and Destrian who was hacking away at the creature with all his might. She was so so afraid. ... they were so close.. and it would be very easy for them to get badly hurt by her magic. However, Isolde forced herself to wipe such thoughts from her mind. If she didn’t act, then the two men would get injured anyway... and even worse, killed.

Taking a deep brethe, she closed her eyes and focused on unlocking her magic. Isolde delved with herself, tapping into the magic she kept bottled up within her. She’d only consciously reached for her powers once before, when she froze the lake, and she still remembered clearly, lile it was engrained in her bones, how the magic felt tingling at her finger tips. It felt wonderful, it felt alive and though she had longed to tap into her powers again after that day, the possible repurcussions and consequences of her actions withered the temptation to use magic.

And there it was.... all that untapped power... like an endless ocean of restlessness within her. It was right there... right at her finger tips.

Opening her eyes, she focused her gaze on the creature alone, raising a shaking hand as if reaching out to the monster. Fear coursed through her veins and she felt weak, insecure and hesitant. Realizing that she may be able to act in time, Isolde focused on another emotion that coursed in her blood under all that fear : anger. Rage. At the creature who were harming the people before her. She let the feeling build, overwhelm the fear that had chained her, and as she felt the magic gathering at her finger tips, she let it go, letting her mind steer and letting her emotions fuel her powers.

Ice shimmered, frosting over across the wet deck of the ship, rushing towards the creature. Ice erupted from the ground a few metres from the creature’s feet in the form of large ice spikes, spearing towards the torso of the beast.

Baconhands

 

[SilverFlight]

Keenan was busy with the legs, trying to avoid being crushed as the beast moved. He didn't catch the tail in time and the wind left him as the tail slammed into his back. He felt the crushing pressure as it tightened around his body, pinning the shield to his chest. He struggled against the beast, but could only duck his head as it rained down blows on his shield. Finally the creature lunged, it's teeth catching the shield's edge, missing his face by centimeters. It tore at the metal, threatening to rip it away entirely and leave him defenseless. A sudden chill made him look past the creature, to Isolde, who was focusing her power. He caught himself smiling as the ice shot towards the creature. He felt the cold rush by him, but though it threatened the air with subzero temperatures, the enchantment of his shield kept him from begin frozen as the magic ran its course. Keenan closed his eyes and braced for the full impact of the spell.

 

[11254man]

As Oliver had continued towards the creature, he had done so without breaking stare from it. Oliver's prowess in battle had always come from his ability to prepare and react, an ability given to him by the focus he incurred in battle. He was anticipating an attack from whatever this... thing was, and as such, had prepared himself for anything.

Perhaps exempting a flying barbed hand, that is.

Oliver did his best to swivel out of the way, and in fact did so well enough to take only a glancing blow. Even a glancing blow, however, can be rather dangerous given the right situation. The hand of spines ripped through his leather pauldron, pushing the crossbow bolt another inch through the width of his shoulder. As it went flying past and towards the ship, Oliver collapsed to a bout of pain. While still conscious, and certainly determined to kill whatever this thing was, Oliver's legs felt weak, making even moving to his feet a herculean task.

 

[Baconhands]

Despite the arms acting as independent entities, once Isolde's ice magic pierced the bone-coloured carapace that was the creature's skin, they fell to the floor inactive. One of the spikes had pierced through not only the torso but had ruptured through the top of the creature's head. The ice that emerged from the creature's body was stained a deep raven-black that seemed to slowly ooze down to the floor. Its screeching died with it, slowly wheezing away until it stopped twitching. Its limbs apparently dissolved into the ice, its torso followed a similar pattern and so did its head, only leaving two demon-yellow eyes and a few dozen diamond-hard teeth.
With the creature defeated, Kadri willed away the storm and leaped over the side of the ship to look for Aezi. The Pegasus was no where to be seen, but the lineaged wasn't afraid - he likely returned to the celestial plane he was from to rest and recover. She glanced between all of her companions - none of them seemed too seriously injured... except Oliver. The lineaged hoped Destrian would help him as he had helped her. But she wasn't sure that it was guaranteed he would.
"Is everybody okay?" Her eyes flicked back to the ship, where she shouted to Isolde, "Nice work! When we get moving again I'll talk you through some more stuff! Nobody's dead and you killed the monster; you're gonna be a great mage soon, I know it!"
Dominaiscna
"Oliver," she started. Kadri ran to his side, offering to help him walk, "Your pride be damned, you're going to let Keenan, or Destrian, or Isolde take a look at you."
Kadri didn't know, but she felt almost certain he was refusing help because of some need to prove he could look after himself - she'd seen his type before, and this was usually the case. It was an assumption and she was willing to run with it.
11254man

Elena emerged from the ship's cargo hold, disheveled and bruised. There was an annoyed look in her eyes and as she made her way down to the Salt Flats, dismissing Gwen with a mere glance, her eyes rested on Destrian and Keenan. It was clear she thought these two were in charge.
"The ship can't fly. Not until I repair it. Whatever attacked us hit the ship in a vital component. I reckon I can fix it in the next 36 hours." Elena was speaking plainly - none of her jubilant tendencies from earlier were even so much as hinted at when she spoke. "That there," she pointed to the village, "That's been abandoned for a long while, should be good enough shelter for you while I fix the ship up. You're more than welcome to stay in the ship but I'll warn you, it's got a high risk of catching fire in its current state."
SilverFlight Athanas Aridis

 

[Dominaiscna]

In that moment as she cast her spell, magic flowed through her veins. Her heart race with adrenaline and her body burned with cold fire. For a split second, she felt so powerful, so in control and so alive.

But as she watched the ice erupt into spikes, Isolde lost control of chennling her powers... however the amount of magic she’d already used was enough for the spike impale the nightmarish creature through the body. As she watched, her mind overlayed old memories across the reality she was seeing. Her face turned pale and her hand raised in their direction shook badly as she beheld how the ice skewered the monster like it did that bandit. Black blood stained the spikes... so much like the red blood of a human. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the carcass of the monster of the monster as it melted away on the stained black ice.

The temperature dropped a few degrees... but it was hardly noticeable compared to the previous temperature drop.

Somewhere off, she heard Kadri’s voice but it took a while for her to realize that the other woman was addressing her. She seemed to be happy as she spoke to Isolde... her kind words took a while to sink in, but when they did, she felt tight knot in her stomach loosen just a little bit. Though Isolde tried to speak, she felt no words come to her lips and instead offered the other lineaged a weak smile, one shaking hand on the railing to steady her.

Once Kadri went to go check on Oliver, Isolde crumpled, her knees finally giving up underneath her. With her back against railing, she slid down, resting her head back on the wood. She rested her head back with her eyes closed against the wood. Her hands wouldnt stop shaking... so she busied them with hugging her legs to her chest, gathering her skirts close to her body. She tried to breathe deeply and steady her heart... but even with her eyes closed, she could see the world lurching around her, darkening at the edges. It was almost like she was swimming in sludge, every movement using too much energy.. every sense feeling slow and dulled.

11254man Aridis Athanas Baconhands SilverFlight