A Buccaneer in Breaker's Boots

[Breaker]

closed to jdd2035

The rising tide tickled Breaker's bare feet, and he awakened with a red morning sun looking down on him. The demigod blinked and sat up in the sand, grit caking his black sifan pants and shirt. A whimsical sea breeze played in his close-cropped brown hair, and bleary hazel eyes looked down at his feet, still bare. Where are my boots? He wondered as another crashing wave rolled in, lapping at his ankles. Slowly, memories from the previous night took shape in his mind.

He'd been aboard a pirate ship, on a return trip from Scara Brae to Radasanth. Queen Valeena of Scara Brae had invited him to attend a ball held in her honor, and he'd brought his close friend Anastacia Alliendra along. Afterwards Stacia wanted to stay a few days in Scara Brae, but Breaker had needed to return to Radasanth for... some reason. He massaged his temples with sandy hands. He wasn't normally one to imbibe, but the pirates had been a rowdy lot, singing silly drinking songs and offering him cup after cup. Eventually Breaker had relented and consumed his weight in fine whisky. He didn't remember much after that, until he awakened on the beach, without his boots.

Those beer-swilling bastards, Josh thought as he clambered to his feet. The wind rippled his black clothing against his muscular body. His boots bore his namesake, and were more than just a stylish addition to his wardrobe. They were made of the magical alloy Rythadine, and boasted several unimpeachable enchantments. With them he could walk up walls, or skate over any flat surface as if it were ice. He could make them heavier, or lighter as desired, a trick which came in handy more often than one might think. At the end of the day the boots were a part of him, and he felt somewhat naked without them.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Josh oriented himself using the rising sun and strode off in the direction of Radasanth.

The walk lasted several hours. By the time he reached the outskirts of the port city the sun stood high in the sky. As he approached the docks he summoned water from the waves and scoured his clothing and hair clean of sand, leaving his garments looking freshly pressed and smelling of salt. He reached the docks and climbed up on the long wooden jetty, casting his eyes over the ships and boats bobbing in the tide. A single old sailor sat on a fish barrel nearby, smoking his corncob pipe and giving the barefoot man in the perfectly clean clothes an odd eye.

"Excuse me," Josh said to the sailor, "I'm looking to hire a ship."

"Well, I ain't got one," the sailor replied.

Josh frowned, the twin Y-shaped scars on his cheeks bunching. Of course the old sailor didn't have a ship, but he must know the names of a few captains who did. The demigod reached into his back pocket and found it empty. Trisgen smite those bloody pirates. They'd taken his coin pouch as well. Josh sighed. Without gold to put on the table, he'd have to rely on his charm to get what he needed. Why couldn't this sailor have been a young woman?

"Surely an experienced seaman such as you must know the names of a few local captains," Breaker said, playing to the sailor's ego, "why, I'd wager you could name the captain of each ship I see, if you needed to."

"Aye, that I could," the old sailor said, leaning back to spit off the docks and then chomping on the stem of his pipe.

"And you must know which ships are the fastest," Josh reasoned.

"Certainly I do," the sailor replied, and took his pipe out of his mouth long enough to wave the stem at a particular three-masted corvette. "That'n there, the Peregrine, might well be named for the falcons she flies like. Captain Cain Jodin commands her, and there ain't no faster sailor on the waves."

"And where does Captain Jodin make his berth?" Breaker asked, examining the fine Alerian ship, with its closed gun ports and furled canvas sails.

"Most days you can find him in the tavern nearest the docks," the sailor said with another careless wave of his pipe. Josh thanked the man and padded barefoot down the dock toward Radasanth proper. The first tavern he came to was called The Shorebound Sloop, and bore several accoutrements designed to make it look like a ship. Breaker fixed a grin on his face and opened the door. The smell of stale ale and sawdust washed over him as he moved to the long bar and rapped his knuckles on its polished surface. A bevy of sailors and seamen filled the tavern, but only a few of them looked up at the stranger's entrance. Most had their noses so deep in mugs of ale they probably missed him altogether.

"May I be of service?" Asked the bosomy barmaid as she sidled up to Breaker, polishing a silver tankard with a clean cloth.

"I hope so," Josh said in an intentionally loud voice, "I'm looking for Captain Cain Jodin. Is he here by any chance?"

[jdd2035]

The crew of the Peregrine or more precisely about half the crew were actually in the Tavern; they had just escorted a convoy of silks and spices from Alerar to Corone, two polacre's, a settee and a fat a cumbersome snow that had lost her top mast. It was a long escort mission and the crew was celebrating getting back and getting a nice large bonus from the fat snow. The two longest tables were filled with food a saddle of prime rib beef; some sort of soup made of lobster, crab, clams and shrimp, bread, sourdough bread, candied fruit, two kinds of gravy, wine, meed, rum and some sort of greenish blackish thick looking drought and of course every one had a pint of beer.

The barmaid indicated the group in particular a taller human dressed in hessian boots, tarpaulin trousers, a wine colored waist coat over a white shirt. The entire crew was dressed in their shore going rigs, embroidered and personalized and they seemed to be the best looking crew in the tavern. He was smiling and cutting a large piece of beef for a kid that looked little more than ten years old. "Here have a rib, that'll put some meat on your bones." He said in a voice that could be heard over a full broad side. There was clearly a din of noise, stories and boasts coming from the long tables.

Eventually word got around to Cain that he was being looked for and once he made eye contact with Breaker, Cain motioned for him to come over and asked "How may I help you? May I offer you a plate?" Not waiting for an answer to the second question he began cutting another rib from the saddle of beef offering it to his new guest.

[Breaker]

"I'm looking to hire your ship," the demigod said after introducing himself and accepting a steaming plate of beef and bread. He didn't particularly require such sustenance, although the savory smells did whet his appetite, and it would have been rude to decline. He sliced off a piece of spiced meat and popped it in his mouth, enjoying the sharp flavors.

"Twill cost you a pretty penny," Cain said, rubbing his forefinger and thumb together, still enjoying his meal while paying mind to his guest.

Josh felt his grin harden. The pirates had said the same thing when he hired them to take him from Scara Brae to Radasanth. This is a respected sea captain, though, he reminded himself, just look at his tricorn hat.

"That can be arranged," Breaker said, "and I assure you there will be treasure where we're headed. The pirates I'm after are known for carrying chests full of gold and silver." The buzz of conversation at the table quieted somewhat as more members of the crew paid attention.

"Pirates?" Cain raised an eyebrow, "what would a gentleman like you," he indicated Breaker's pressed, fashionable sifan clothing, "be doing chasing down a band of buccaneers?" A few laughs from the crew greeted the question, and someone slapped Josh on the back, leaving a greasy hand print.

"They stole my boots," Breaker said, instinctively looking toward the sea and glowering.

"Boots are cheap," Cain said, gesturing with his knife, "boats are expensive. You'd be better spending your coin on a new pair."

"Mine are irreplaceable," Josh explained, lowering his voice slightly, "they bear a myriad of enchantments designed uniquely for me. An old friend who is parted from this world made them for me. And I know where the pirates lay anchor," he added, speaking a little louder, "and I know they can't be a match for the crew of the Peregrine!"

That got a rousing cheer and a toast from the assembled sailors. Josh swallowed another bite of beef and looked at Cain.

"What do you say, Captain? Will you help me track down these freebooters?"

[jdd2035]

Cain nodded "We will get underway as soon as my ship is finished victualing. Just bare in mind that you'll get fourteen inches for a hammock and one foot locker. " Cain gave his ships birth and and let the celebration continue on into the middle watch. He would have rather not lost a moment but his crew deserved this liberty and he much preferred having a happy ship than saving maybe four hours.

The next day the Peregrine was as bustling as a bee hive with dock workers and the ships crew moving about loading casks, crates and barrels. On the main deck there was a large man of some orcish decent next to an Alerarian elf going over the details of what was going on on deck. The orcish man was the boatswain and was in charge of keeping the crew working and the more complex aspects of all the ships rigging and sails. The elf was the quartermaster and he was in charge of keeping an active inventory and making sure all accounts were in order.

Cain was in the thick of it all he was in the below decks dictating how exactly he wanted the ships stores loaded out. From the look of the stores still on the dock it would take an additional ten minutes before the Peregrine would be under way and the senior crew members were already working there way to their stations.

Some where deep within the bowels of the ship came Cain's voice "Mr Grimand! prepare to get under way, unmore all lines except fore and aft lines, top men on the yards and lower away jolly boats." The boatswain repeated the orders and men began to climb the ratlines, untie and coil ropes keeping the Peregrine tight against the docks while others were climbing in or lowering two of the small boats which were shipped on the middle of the ship in between the main and mizzen masts.

Minutes later Cain came up on deck and was observing the last of the ships stored getting put on board and the crew preparing to get the ship moving.

[Breaker]

"Quite a crew you've got, Captain Jodin," Breaker said, turning from where he'd leaned on the bulwark, gazing out to sea. He hadn't been overjoyed to lose an entire day, but he knew he wouldn't get anywhere without a rested crew. He'd spent the night at a nearby inn where he knew the keeper, since he still didn't have any coin on him. "They look just about ready to get under way."

"They're a fine fair crew," Cain agreed, his voice carrying across the deck amidst calls of confirmation from his underlings, "so where are these pirates we'll be chasing down?" He inquired, hands folded behind his back in professional manner.

"When they're not raiding, they lay anchor in Hooligan's Grotto, a hidden cove along the eastern shores of Scara Brae. I believe we'll find them there, for they were all boasting about the riches they'd recently plundered from trading ships. With luck they'll all be drunk, and unprepared for us." Josh rubbed his knuckles and gazed to the west, in the direction of Scara Brae.

"Indeed, I know how to find Hooligan's Grotto," Cain replied with a nod and a tip of his tricorn hat, "how do you propose we go about reclaiming these boots of yours?"

"Just get me close enough to get on deck," Josh said, "I'll handle the rest. I'll swim if I have to, once they're in sight."

Cain chuckled at the idea of a man swimming on the open sea and expecting to survive. Josh grinned. He had fought the tidal currents before and lived to speak of it. As Cain turned back to his crew, calling more commands, Josh padded along the bulwark, still barefoot. The sun beat down on his tanned face and a healthy breeze ruffled the sails and the banners flying on the masts. The demigod took a deep breath of fresh sea air. He felt he had chosen the right ship for chasing down the boot-thieving pirates.

[jdd2035]

Cain and most of the crew were actually powerful swimmers using that skill to cut out several ships during the civil war. Either way it was time to get under way; during their short conversation the ship had been cast off from the dock and was being towed out into the bay by the jolly boats. The lowering tide had helped pull the Peregrine out and the jolly boats were shipped back into place on deck. Cain then looked at Breaker "If you will please stay here on the quarter deck" he pointed to a place well out of the way of what was about to happen "we will get underway."

Cain then approached the front of the quarter deck he began to give specific orders "All hands to make sail!" The Peregrines crew stood ready in their stations, in a dead silence. "Away aloft" the calls were repeated along with the boatswains pipe and instantly the shrouds were dark with sailors racing up as if they were on stairs. "Trice up lay out." The sailors and the topmen hurried out on the yards and cast off the ropes that held the sails tightly furled to the yards, and gathered the sail in their arms. "Let fall!" the order came with a howling peep-peep, peep-peep from the boatswain. "Sheet home, hoist away handsomely now. Courses and top sheets. Hands at the braces. Belay!"

There was a gentle push from above which heeled the Peregrine over, than another push and another, each more urgent until it was one steady thrust; she was underway and all along the side of here there was the song of living water. Cain smiled as well as the boatswain the crew had done the Peregrine and her Captain proud spreading her wings like the bird of pray she was named after. Nodding affirmatively Cain ordered "Mr. Grimand set our course north, north west a half west. Once that is done pipe the men to their lunch."

The course Cain had chosen would take them north around the Horn of Akashima before cutting back south and steadying on to Scara Brae. The breeze freshened and the peregrine had started to heel over forming a beautiful bow wake with the salt sea spray landing on the deck on occasion. As the ship continued on her course the daily, hourly, minute by minute activities got into their own living breathing rhythm. The newcomers were busy scrubbing and holy stoning the deck earning the scrubbers ire should any one tread on it before it was dry. The masters mate and midshipmen were busy piloting the ship. Idlers took to conversing on the windward side of weather deck allowing the ship to sail a little more stiffly. The water lapped on the hull, the wheel had it's own life and as the Peregrine picked up speed the whistle of the rigging climbed an octave. Brass was polished and mechanical parts were and oiled. Sea life was nothing but routine and the crew knew it quite well by now.

"The last time I had been to Hooligan's Grotto it was guarded by a makeshift battery looking over the cliffs edge. If come at it straight on we're likely to have a red hot eighteen pounder tearing through our side and into the magazine." Cain said looking over the taffrail at the Peregrines wake.

[Breaker]

"Let's not approach straight on, then." Breaker said with a chuckle. Although he'd been in something of a foul mood because of his missing boots, the feeling of fresh sea air and the gentle rocking motion of the ship had livened his spirits. He leaned on the rail, enjoying the occasional spray when a wave broke hard against the side.

As he mulled the problem of his missing boots over, he became increasingly certain of who had stolen them. The first mate aboard the Deadman's Trove, as the pirate ship was named, had shown a significant interest in the black metal boots. The freebooter called himself Marigold, for some reason, and could harness the power of the wind to add speed to the ship's sails. He was also perhaps the greatest scallywag among the entire crew, and had asked Breaker a number of questions about his enchanted footwear. Of course, Breaker did not remember the theft taking place... but if he'd had any gold on him, he would have wagered it all that the first mate was the villain of the story.

"I've never seen Hooligan's Grotto," Josh said, "does it look anything like this?" He pulled water from the sea with a swell of power and molded it into the shape of a cove seen from above. The water froze into elegant ice that rotated slowly between Cain and Breaker.

"A little," Cain said, "but the land swoops around more sharply here, and there are cliffs on either side, here and here... and the mouth of the inlet should be a bit wider. There, that's done it. The battery is on this cliff," he finished. Breaker shaped the ice to the captain's specifications and added a small mock up of an eighteen pound cannon where indicated.

"Good," Breaker said, "so let say we approach from the north," he oriented the ice sculpture correctly and ran his hand alongside it to represent the ship. "I'll go overboard up here," he said as his hand approached the ice cove, "perhaps a kilometer or two before we reach the grotto. I'll get to the battery before you've approached the inlet and disable it. If the pirates stay put, I should be able to get aboard there. But if they run, I'll need to get back on the Peregrine as you pass the cove. Their ship can put on uncanny bursts of speed," he warned, "one of the mates employs arcane winds." Josh removed his hand but left the icy replica of Hooligan's Grotto floating between them.

"What do you think?"

[jdd2035]

Cain shook his head, and thought about how to explain the situation to his guest pointing his chin to one of the quarterdecks four pounders. "That gun is capable of firing a four pound cast iron ball up to two miles away in roughly two seconds. That's firing from a few feet above the sea and relatively flat compared to the battery. The battery is on a cliff measured to be between four hundred and four hundred seventy five feet above the ocean. Her look outs have a commanding view of near one hundred miles in any direction and her guns can begin firing at us from ten miles away though they won't be accurate until about five miles."

Looking at his guest he added "your plan is sound, but we would have to stand off and on at five miles and I believe we'll amuse them by looking like an Salvarian whaler. Are you able to handle a five mile swim?" Cain asked looking at the dark shadow on the horizon so indicative of land just a few hours over the horizon. "As soon as you blow up the battery I'll bring the peregrine in. If the Deadman's Trove works out of the cove before we can get the weathergage then we will pick you up and give chase" He explained further.

******************************************

By the time the first hint of their destination were being picked up by the Peregrines lookouts the corvette had been transformed. Over the gun ports there was sail cloth that had been painted to look like...gun ports. The peregrines two jolly boats had been hanged over the stern of the ship. A Salvarian ensign was wafting on the corvettes royal mast and the crew had changed into something that reminded a person more of a whale hunter with a large portion of the crew keeping below decks.

Looking over to to his guest Cain said "What ever you are going to do you have about an hour to prepare for."

[Breaker]

Breaker passed the hour leaning on the rail and breathing deeply, in through his nose and out through his mouth. By the time Cain gave him the signal, the demigod's heart rate had dropped considerably. With a smile and a nod he vaulted over the bulwark and jackknifed into a dive that parted the waves with barely a ripple. Beneath the surface he kicked powerfully with both legs, sliding through the water like a dolphin. With his heart rate lowered his muscles demanded less oxygen, and he swam for a full five minutes before rising up for air. After gulping a few breaths he dove downward once more, letting the undertow clutch him and press him down near the bottom of the sea. He swam comfortably, confidently, hazel eyes open and alert.

The water did not grow shallow, as with a beach. Instead a rock wall reared in front of him suddenly, and he swam upwards until his head broke the surface. The cliffs on the north side of Hooligan's Grotto towered over him. Waves roared and rolled all around, but before they could smash him against the rocks he had established two handholds and hauled his body out of the water. He climbed the cliffs like a spider, leaping from hold to hold, jamming fingers and toes into crevasses and small fissures in the rock. As he neared the top of the wall he slowed his climb, focusing on stealth over speed, and taking care not to touch any loose rocks.

He heard the pirates manning the battery over the wind whipping by his ears. They were talking boisterously, laughing over stories of settlements they'd raided and plunder they'd made off with. As Josh crested the cliffs he got his first look at the gun.

It's a good thing the Peregrine stayed back a ways, he realized. He'd expected a simple cannon set up on the rocks, but the eighteen pounder was strapped to a rotating wooden platform, giving it a three hundred and sixty degree radius of fire. As Josh clung to the cliff face, allowing his muscles a brief rest after the long swim and harrowing climb, the topic of conversation among the pirates shifted. They were all lounging on the battery's pedestal in their tattered silks, sharing a couple bottles of rum.

"Not to worry, lads." The first buccaneer said, "I used to plunder the northern shores of Eiskalt. I've seen enough Salvic Whalers to know one when I spot it, and that's what we see bobbin' in the waves out there." He scratched at a scar that ran alongside his eye.

"Aye," agreed the youngest of the bunch, snatching a bottle from his neighbor and taking a long pull, "even so, shouldn't we put one across their bows, just to warn 'em off? They're gettin' awfully close to the grotto."

"Why not?" Laughed the first pirate, "it's been to long since we had a little target practice." The seafarers put down their drink and clambered to their feet, setting about loading the cannon and angling it toward the Peregrine.

Josh knew he would find no better opportunity. He sprang up over the edge of the cliff and raced to the cannon's side. Before the pirates knew he was there he had bashed the heads of the first two off the long, sleek gun. They crumpled to the rocky ground as their crew mates drew pistols and pointed them at the invader. Breaker's foot lashed out in a single snap kick that disarmed both buccaneers, and before they could put hands to swords he had swooped down on them and smashed their skulls together. Alone but for the unconscious foursome, he looked down at the slowly approaching Peregrine.

Cain is expecting an explosion, he recalled, and hefted one of the eighteen pound cannonballs. He poured a measure of his near limitless energy into it, turning the sculpted iron into a dangerous explosive. He weighed the heavy ball from hand to hand and looked down on the grotto again. The Deadman's Trove lay at anchor, barely bobbing in the calm waters of the cove. If I don't get down there quickly, they'll escape for certain.

Breaker leaned back and tossed the charged cannonball straight up in the air. He ran several paces and then leaped off the cliffs, plummeting toward the waves with arms outspread in a swan dive. As he fell he heard the cannonball impact the battery, and a roaring explosion rent the air just before he struck the water. Spiraling beneath the surface, slightly stunned by the impact of the dive, Josh found his wits and swam upward until he could breathe clean air again. He tread water while the Peregrine bore down on his position, and as the corvette swooped by one of the sailors threw him a line. Hand over hand Josh hauled himself up the thick rope, until he spilled onto the deck, sodden and dripping.

"Decent little workout, that," he gasped.

[jdd2035]

Cain saw the flash of the explosion and checked his watch before ordering "Stand into the cove! Clear for action! Raise our colors!" in the time it took to give these orders the resounding thump of the explosion reached the Peregrine and Cain checked the time again making note of the time and distance of the explosion for later calculations.

Before Cain had finished giving his orders the Peregrines crew were already in action shifting from their guise of lubberous whalers to their true form of a well practiced, well oiled crew. Sails were set and the Peregrines true colors were raised with frightening efficiency and the rigging was singing out a high pitched whistle indicating the ships speed. Two dark elves darted up into the ships top fastening a rope on a block on the cruise yard arm handing one end to the boatswain who was grinning from ear to ear.

It was clear that the Peregrine was not going to stop but they were surely going to recover their guest in a flashy manner. Mr. Grimand the boatswain through a lasso around Breaker and a half dozen hands hauled him back into the ship as if he were a lump of sail cloth. The gun crews were in their stations a wolfish blackguardy grin on their faces as the gun captains glared down the barrel. They were living in the now there was no future to worry about and no past to haunt them.

On the other side of the cove the pirates had heard the explosion and had seen the Peregrine bearing down at them from five miles out. Seeing the Peregrines colors a brilliant field of royal blue with a wine colored elongated four point diamond with a black cross running through the center of it; they instantly began to scramble leaving a large portion of their stores on the beach and cutting their anchor to get underway quickly so they could engage the Peregrine.

The Peregrine was close hauling while the pirate ship was sailing large and both ships guns were loaded. Cain at the last moment shouted "fire as she bares!" The ships began firing a cable lengths (200 yards) apart from one another. The peregrines guns fired a half a beat apart from one another and had more of a cracking sound. At the same time the pirate ship fired a lower bass of a thump almost a full beat apart sending splinters flying. Four crew members were dragged below decks with other crew members taking their place. Cain himself had a large piece of oak protruding through his bicep.

The pirate ship had raked the Peregrine haphazardly but a lucky shot as slashed the Peregrines main cruise sail in half and cutting rigging. Nevertheless the Peregrine had turned like a cutter heeling over as she did but with her sail and rigging cut like it was she lost speed with the pirate ship gaining two sea miles for the Peregrines one until a new sail was raised and the rigging was knotted and spliced which the crew was doing with little if any order having to be given.

"This is coming at it a warm action" Cain said to Breaker a deep aggressive grin on his face glaring at the chase. "And it aint over, not by a long shot."

The young man not more than ten years old approached, saluted Cain and said "Captain Jodin I can't sit down."

Cain looked at the lad perplexed and said "I should hope not. Not in this action at-least. Mr. Wallace."

Mr. Wallace shook his head and said "Forgive me sir" turned around and bent over showing a large splinter the size of a pencil lodged squarely in the squeakers right butt cheek.

Cain couldn't help but snicker "Mr Grimand the brandy please" a moment later the boatswain appeared with a bottle of brandy which was handed to Mr. Wallace "Take a big gulp" Cain instructed.

Mr. Wallace took a gigantic gulp his eyes went wide at the burning and he coughed and belched up a storm which at the same time Cain gave a quick yank of the splinter sending the lad back to his duty. "Brandy" Cain offered to the demigod.